Unacceptable

So there I was just making a quick stop at the Eckerd Drug Store for a few items and there on the aisle end cap were several displays of Halloween decorations and kitsch, and then there was one with "Display Lights" that look remarkably like Xmas tree lights. I thought, well, the Xmas tree light marketing people have decided that these lights are now useful for all those elaborate Halloween decorations that apparently get put up everywhere, good for them. Then, I walked down that aisle...


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


A full aisle of FREAKIN' CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!


IT'S OCTOBER 2 for crying out loud! And I did.

What is the world coming to? This is unacceptable.

It makes me sad. That, and Carter not sleeping anymore. That makes me sad. And tired. Mostly tired. That's sad.

Boycott all Christmas decoration buying until post-Thanksgiving, when Xmas should start.

Thank you.

New Toys

Carter really enjoys sitting up in our laps and lately he has been doing crunches in his rocking chair trying to sit up higher, so we got him this nifty little baby chair that allows him to sit up "by himself." We also got him his first ball. He seemed to like both!

She's a Winner

The National Television Academy has confirmed what we already knew - our friend Joo is the best girl (er, woman) ever. That's right. She won an Emmy. At the age of 28. Last week at the 27th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards, she won (along with some other members of the Nightly News Team) for Outstanding Coverage of a Breaking News Story in a Regularly Scheduled Newscast for their coverage of Katrina. This isn't her first big news award, but it is her first Emmy (the first of many, I'm sure). Pretty amazing.

Congratulations, Joo!

A Fond Farewell

Tonight is Mikael and Sally's last night in NYC. Mikael and I lived in Little Rock, Evanston/Chicago and NYC at the same time (and in the same abode twice in college). But he and new wife Sally are moving to California. We will miss them very much!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Things are different now. After baby, I mean. There are the obvious things like newfound skills (such as being able to speedily change a diaper on my lap in a dirty public bathroom) and the fact that "sleeping in" now means staying in bed until 9am. But there are other things, little things that I didn't expect. I've been pretty much on-time to work every day since I went back (a totally new concept for me, made more remarkable by the fact that I'm generally the one that drops Carter off at school). I'm drinking a cup of coffee every day (I never got this routine before - but it's decaf as caffeine still doesn't do it for me). I use facial moisturizer every morning and night (a new-found fear of ageing?), and I put on some make up (at least eyeliner) before work every day. Also, my nails, which did not get the predicted length and strength of pregnancy, are now growing quite long. This is actually somewhat unfortunate as I need them short so that I can stick my fingers in Carter's mouth.

There is one thing, however, that hasn't changed at all. Despite my mother's insistence that my chronic knee pain would subside after the pelvic-altering experience of giving birth (as hers supposedly did, and which a doctor once confirmed was quite possible), my knees still creak. Of course, I notice it less because I'm so tired.

4-Month Check-Up

We had Carter's four-month doctor visit today. He's still long and lean. He weighed in at 15lbs, 4oz (50th percentile for his age) and is 28 inches long (50th percentile for a 9-month-old). He was really showing off for the doctor - grinning and laughing and wriggling all about. She said he looks healthy!

More Hat Cuteness

Our friends Laura and Erik came over tonight and brought Carter this very cute hat for the winter.
 

Boy in a Hat

Depending on who you know better - Thomas or my Dad - you may think that Carter is really starting to take after one of them when you see this picture. Thomas and my dad are both known for wearing hats like this, but I didn't one for Carter (we found it at Old Navy) because it was too small!

All Three of Us

Per my dad's request, here's a picture of all three of us. Sort of. Even with my long arms and amazing "thelma & louise" skills, it is hard to take a picture of three people. We had a pretty lazy weekend all in all. We attempted to catch up on sleep by napping whenever Carter did. Thanks to daycare, Carter does actually nap these days, which is nice! I'm off to DC early in the morning for a business trip. It's just a day trip, so I'll be home late tomorrow night. I'm taking the Amtrak Acela Express for the first time - I'm hoping that it will be somewhat easier with the pumping... If I fly I'd have to check my pump because of the liquid ban, which seems silly for a day trip. I have another trip to DC next week, so I'm going to see how the train goes tomorrow before I decide how I'll go next week.

4 Months Old!

Carter is four months old today! In anticipation of turning 4 months, Carter has regressed and now only sleeps 4 hours at a stretch at night (that's 4 hours at the most - more often its 2-3 hour stretches). So we're pretty tired. Plus, I have a cold. But, tiredness aside, you can see in this video that the last two months with Carter have been pretty fun.