2008 March » LizaWasHere

The Museum of Natural History & Palm Sunday

Mar 162008

Although dramatic weather events disrupted our weekend, it was actually very nice both before and after all the chaos.

On Saturday morning, we went to the Museum of Natural History to see dinosaurs.

I’d say it was a hit.

Saturday night during Noah’s bath, we talked about all the things Noah saw, including Eagle! Owl! Bear! Duck! (Geese) Tiger! (Bobcat) and lots and lots and lots of dinosaurs. And “so many” people.

Strangely enough, Noah didn’t think to mention this activity, which we spent more time on than anything else except for looking at dinosaurs:

Noah had so much fun that he didn’t want to leave. A fact that he made abundantly clear to anyone in a half mile radius. Lucky us.

You already know about Saturday afternoon, so I’ll skip ahead to Sunday morning.

Those of you who are moderately observant Christians doubtlessly know this, but for the benefit of others, today is Palm Sunday.

Our church, along with the Catholic church around the block and the Methodist church 2 blocks down, do a Palm Sunday Procession together, where we walk from the courtyard (and breakfast) at our church, around the two blocks, stopping for music and prayer at each of the other churches.

Incidentally, at breakfast you’re supposed to introduce yourself to at least one person from a different church. I met a very nice Catholic attorney originally from Lake Mills, Wisconsin.

Noah lost interest in the palm fronds before the procession began, but he did a great job keeping pace with the walkers and enjoying the music…for about 3/4 of the distance. Then he lost it and required me to “carry you!” back to our church.

Fortunately, he recovered for Sunday School, where he had a wonderful time tearing it up on the playground. Did I mention that the weather was absolutely perfect? 60 or 65 degrees & sunny.

After Sunday School, Noah did fabulously until we got to the parking deck elevator, which we entered with another family that included 2 little girls, ages ~3 & 4.

Just before the elevator reached the parking lot level, Noah grabbed my leg and ardently declared, “Mommy! I need you!”

And I died from the adorable deliciousness.

It lasted all the way to the car.

In the car, Noah vigorously resisted getting into his car seat. I indulged him for awhile, maybe 5 minutes, and then offered him my customary choice: Are you going to climb in your car seat, or is Mommy going to put you there? Noah ignored me, and when I repeated the offer, he declined both options. “No, Mommy! No.No.No.No.”

So I manhandled him into the carseat. Amid much sobbing and shrieking.

No sooner had I buckled my own seatbelt than Noah shook his finger at me, still sobbing, and declared, “Mommy! That was very naughty!”

I want you all to know that I hid my grin and did not laugh about it until later, on the phone with Grandma.

To Noah, I responded in all seriousness, “I’m sorry you feel that way. But we have to sit in the car seat when we go somewhere in the car.”

How was your weekend?

Saturday: Still OK So Far

Personal 1 Response »

Mar 152008

There have been 3 major thunderstorms with 2-4″ hail so far, and it looks like another half dozen are crawling across the state from Alabama, in a practically straight line. They call it “training” and from the radar, you can see why. There is “car” after “car” of storm.

That practically straight line is south of us — the storms appear to be more-or-less tracking I-20, which is at least 4 miles south of us. Not far enough for comfort.

The damage is unbelievably massive. They say that in downtown along, there has already been over $200 million in damage. No reports of deaths yet, but the metro area that is being hit the worst at the moment is a low income area.

We Are OK

Current Affairs 5 Responses »

Mar 142008

Yes, there were amazingly scary tornadoes or hail or dramatic high wind or some sort of extreme weather events in Atlanta late tonight. We are ok. We even still have power. Noah didn’t even wake up.

We hope and pray that the many people who were down at the Georgia Dome and Centennial Olympic Park, and others who have been impacted, are ok.

The pictures of bent steel beams from billboards and sheet metal flying from parking decks are scary, as is the fact that very limited video coverage seems to be available — reports are saying that the CNN Center is damaged.

Meme-tastic

Books, Silly Internet Quizzes 4 Responses »

Mar 142008

Jenny tagged me for this book meme ages ago, and I finally have the teeny bit of leftover brainpower to do it.

Here are the rules:

1. Grab the nearest book of 123 pages or more.
2. Open it to page 123.
3. Find the first 5 sentences and write them down.
4. Then invite 5 friends to do the same.

The book I’m midway through reading is Embryo Culture: Making Babies in the Twenty-First Century, by Beth Kohl. I read about this book over at my location-doppelganger Mel’s a week or two ago, when it was being reviewed by the Barren Bitches Book Brigade. Here’s an interview with fellow Badger Beth, and links to lots of other reviews.

I’m not done with the book yet, but so far, I think it’s a fantastic read, deftly bridging the gap between personal memoir about the experience of infertility and both failed and successful IVF, and well-researched cultural critique.

Here’s the meme quotation from Embryo Culture:

Weekend well spent, we’ll drive home, and for the next ten days I’ll go about my business knowing intuitively that I am with child. Examining packages of boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ordering books of stamps, I’ll be focused inward, even as my glow emanates out to the world. On the eleventh day I’ll administer a home pregnancy test. The result window will immediately turn hot, hot pink, setting all sorts of records for the quickest and most undeniably positive result, which of course I won’t realize, knowing only that it works just like they say it will on TV.

I’ll bake chocolate souffles and nestle the test stick inside Gary’s serving, spooning extra whipped cream on top.

I’m going to tag Mel (do you play internet memes, Mel?), Cindy, Clare, Lesbian Dad, and because talking to them unexpectedly was the absolute high point of my week, Levi’s Moms. (Either or both, but I imagine Mama Mindy is more likely to play. Especially if she’s not done writing whatever it was she was not writing when she called.)

Anyone who would rather not play on her own blog is welcome to play in the comments here, and anyone I didn’t tag who thinks it sounds like fun, please pretend I tagged you.

Geek Love

Personal 5 Responses »

Mar 142008

I’m having a day of remembering why it is that I started working in the Internet industry.

Today, our Human Resources department sent out an announcement that in honor of both Einstein’s Birthday and the coincidental fact that today is 3/14, we would be celebrating with free pie at 1:59 pm.

For those of you scratching your heads in confusion, it’s a math joke.

Pi = 22/7, or approximately 3.14159.

Even better? The pie was tasty, and they bought too much. So I took home an entire peach pie.

Yes, I am a geek.

(And yes, I did edit the timestamp on this post to make it 3/14 @ 1:59. See previous paragraph.)

Toddlers: Adorable or Torture Devices?

The Real Live Boy 7 Responses »

Mar 122008

This floor-peeing thing is going to make me crazy.

And my instinct about how to handle it was completely wrong. I grabbed some flannel wipes and said, “Noah! That was very naughty. Please clean up your pee-pee!” He gleefully took the wipe and declared, “Noah clean up!” He did, then peed again, 2 feet away. “Noah clean up!”

I swept him up onto the changing table, much to his upset, and got him in diapers and pjs as fast as I could manage.

Can you believe that just 20 minutes earlier, he’d adorably been doing this?