So This is What Haven & Daddy Do When I Go to the Gym:

The image to go with the last post

My friend just sent me a picture from Friday's play date. There's Haven sucking on the fire starter.

How it Really Is

I read this blog alot. She makes me laugh. She did a post a couple of days back about parenting mishaps. Instead of moms blogging about all the joys of motherhood, she wanted to link to posts that showed how it really is. I have lots of stories about how it really is. Here is one:

I had a couple of friends over last week who have babies around Haven's age. There was Molly signing "please" when she wanted a drink, giving hugs when she left. There was Isaac playing calmly with the toy plastic food, sitting in the highchair without fussing (he did hit Haven in the head with a wooden spoon, but there wasn't any real malice behind it--he just wanted to know how it sounded). And there was my Haven, demanding a drink from her sippy cup (by yelling), with her toy of choice: the lighter from the pellet stove. Will my child be the one that the other kids can't play with?

I'm always interested in funny stories, so if you have one, I'd like to hear it.

Hair

When I was young, my mom went on a trip and left David and me with my dad. My dad did my hair for school one morning and the teacher sent a note home saying that if he would send a hairbrush and an elastic, she would do it for me next time. I guess it wasn't quite up to par. I loved my dad doing my hair for some reason, and apparently, Haven feels the same way. She helped with this do.

And We're Off!

Tomorrow night will be my first night away from Haven. I think she's ready. I think I'm ready. I hope her grandparents are ready (as in, well rested). My little Sweet Cakes still gets up a few times a night. And, there is only one thing she wants. Daddy doesn't have it, Grandpa doesn't have it, Grandma's are just for looks. Poor baby. She adores both her grandparents, so as far as that goes, we won't have a problem.

Chris and I are going to Santa Fe because a very clever friend of mine gave us a gift certificate at my baby shower for a bed & breakfast there. Somehow she knew it might be needed. It's also our 5th anniversary, so it's a good excuse. I'm looking forward to an uninterrupted night's sleep more than I can say.

Our camera is broken and a new one is on the way (hopefully before Haven's 1st birthday which is in two weeks!!!), thus no new pictures.

Spring has Sprung?

What a fantastic weekend we had. It rivaled B.C. (before child) weekends when Chris and I spent all of his days off outside being active.

First we skied half a day at Sandia Peak. There is something to be said for a 15 minute drive to the nearest resort. No getting up at 6 in the morning (although that's pretty normal around here anyway) and driving 2 hours to ski. Plus, the snow was amazing and there was no-one there on a Thursday morning. At first I couldn't relax because I was expecting some Olympic scouts to spot me and try to work out a deal with me. Really, all I wanted to do was ski. I didn't want to be messed with. I guess they were all in Canada because no-one bothered me.

Then our sweet little angel complied with a bike ride on the Bosque. She very happily chattered away in her chariot, eating snacks, and sticking her legs up in the air when we went down hills.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for Spring to be here already.

Jane's Addiction

I went to the library the other day and brought back several books, none of which I could put down. Does anyone else neglect their husband or child when in the midst of a good book? I feel guilty about it, but I'm powerless to stop it.

Last night I was in the middle of the "Moonlit Cage" when Chris tried to have a conversation with me. I handed him a magazine and told him, "not now, honey." The only good thing about it is that I'm a fast reader. So, if you are looking for amusement and a way to wile away the hours without thinking about cooking dinner (not that I spend alot of time doing that anyway), telling your husband hello, or picking up your baby-I recommend the following reads:

1. Persepolis (Parts 1 & 2)

2. Sarah's Key (if in your reading induced haze you vaguely recall having a child, this one will make you cry--I can't read about children suffering anymore after having Haven. It means something else when you are a parent)

3. The aforementioned Moonlit Cage

I have one more book to read before I can join the world of the living. If Chris ends up at your house this next week with a magazine and a blanket you will know that he was disturbing me whilst I was in the middle of my book--a sure-fire way to end up in the dog-house around here.

Chris: Potter Extraordinaire

For Christmas, I bought Chris pottery lessons at a studio down the way. Quite a few years ago I took a pottery class with my mom and when he found some of the pots that I threw he laughed (we were a brand-spankin' newly married couple too).

Actually, they weren't pots that I threw, they were called pinch pots, and admittedly, they were pretty awful. Probably more so because of the glaze that I chose. The pots that I actually threw on the wheel were passable. I mean, I think my brother proudly displayed one on the back of his toilet seat for years. That can be a place of honor depending on your perspective.

Anyway, I thought pottery would be a nice distraction for him since his foot was broken and it's not really riding season. Here's a picture of what he produced. Unfortunately for me, I was pretty impressed. OK, really impressed. He showed me up. Not that surprising since creatively speaking, he's rather brilliant. Which can be kind of irritating since I'm not. Hey, I produced a pretty cute kid (even if Chris did help out with that). I can't be good at everything.

Stuck

I guess it is snowing a tad bit more here than anticipated. I'm basing that on the fact that they've closed I-40 through the canyon, Route 66, and Highway 14 (all the routes to our house) because there were so many car accidents the police couldn't keep up.

I didn't know the roads were that bad, so I made an attempt to get to town about an hour ago. I got as far as 14 before I turned around. It looks to me like we already have about 3-4 inches and the roads are unplowed and therefore slippery. I was proud of myself for actually making the attempt in my little car because I'm not very comfortable driving on slick roads. Having a baby in the back seat makes me even more uncomfortable. I never go very fast, so having a car accident where she could be injured is not what I worry about. I worry about getting stuck and having to trudge a few miles in the snow with a baby. That would be a bummer.

So, I made it a few miles and decided that if the roads got any worse I wouldn't be able to make it back home and decided to head back. Also, I'd just passed police cars directing traffic around an accident, and that doesn't add to my confidence level. I made it down Frost, even did well on the super hairy turn, and then got stuck in the middle of my street right in front of our driveway.

I was blocking the whole road. Granted, it's not a very busy road, but still. And, of course as I was trying to maneuver my way out of this situation, there was a big truck at the top of the hill waiting on me. Fantastic. I always like a little added pressure. It didn't help, though. I turned my tires left and right, went forward and back to no avail. We were just spinning. I pulled the dogs out of the back and took Haven from the car seat in hopes that the person in the truck waiting on me would offer to come push while I drove. No such luck. The truck attempted to back up on the hill and somehow ended up in the ditch that runs alongside our road. Which is exactly what I was trying to avoid in my car. All my twisting and turning had resulted in my inching closer and closer to the ditch, but I stopped before I hit it. So, essentially, I had got two vehicles stuck. A kindly neighbor came along and offered to help (not the people in the truck). He dug out the tires a bit, put some salt under them and then drove my car into the driveway. And, then went on up the hill to dig out the other guy.

Chris was on his way up to help me, but that's when we learned that they'd shut all the roads down in order to deal with all the accidents. And, I was so proud of myself for my superior driving abilities. Only to get stuck in the last 4 feet before my drive.