Horatio Caine!

I have never been an 'appointment' tv watcher. I will usually catch a sporting event or just sort of surf through the channels.

Now with a baby, I find myself watching more tv while he eats or plays or yells at me.

Over the past two months, I have come to celebrate the entire lineup of A&E (except for Crossing Jordan) - Channel 35 on Comcast.

I like Dog, Intervention, King of Cars, etc., but my new favorite show is CSI: Miami. There are two episodes a night (8 and 9 pm). I am not sure why I like it, but I do. I am not sure how many episodes are in syndication, but I am already plotting a move to Spike (36) to watch CSI: Las Vegas and the Dudesons.

"These is My Words"

Last night was book club. I haven't attended the last few months, using Elliott as my excuse, but last night I made it and I am so happy that I did. The book we read for March was, These is My Words written by Nancy Turner. The book is a fictional journal of a young woman living in Territorial Arizona between 1880-1900. I really enjoyed the book, and it's journalistic first person narrative. It was a fast read and many times I couldn't put it down because of all the excitement. From a historical perspective, I think it was pretty accurate, too. It had a wild west/dances with wolves vibe to it, but was also very motherly and sincere at the same time.

Thanks to all the girls for such a great discussion. I came away with more thoughts than I showed up with and want to share a few:

• 
  
  Be brave, bold and speak your mind. Consequences can sometimes be rough, but in the end, your character, morality, and quality of life (and that of your family) are more important in the long run.
  


• 
  
  Be happy. In the book, Sarah had some really rough times in her life with the loss of her father, brother, mother (mentally), her first husband, a child, and the love of her life. With all that loss, she stayed true to herself and her family, and always managed to see the good in people and her surroundings, no matter how hard it was. Reality is sometimes harsh, but things really do work out for the best, even if the best isn't what you want at the time. This was a great lesson for me. I tend to wait for the worst and be pleasantly surprised with how things work out. I really need to work on being happy and seeing the best in life, especially because my life really is so good and I am so lucky.
  


• 
  
  Love. I'm not sure I believe in "soul mates", even though Kip did find La-Fawn-Duh, but I know that I do believe in being happy and having someone to be happy with. I am pretty good at taking certain people in my life for granted (Ross) and forget to realize how great they are at taking care of me and that without certain people, life would suck, be much less entertaining and enjoyable, and I wouldn't be the best person I can and want to be.

This really was a great book and if anyone is looking for a good read, I recommend this one. Too bad there isn't a Reading Rainbow for adults. That would rock! I don't know that LeVar Burton would be the right host for such a program, but maybe someone else.

Holy Huge Baby, Batman!

Elliott had his 2 month doctor visit and immunizations yesterday. He stood up to the shots like a champ and seemed to impress his doctor quite a bit. His serious demeanor and stare made her feel like he was listening intently to every word. I'm sure he was.

Here are the stats from yesterday:
Height: 25.25 inches
Weight: 16.1 lbs

This means that Elliott is off the chart, and the size of an average 5 month old. He is a little advanced for his age. Because of his size and development, we got the go ahead to start feeding him some cereal, which we did last night. As you can tell in the little video, we wasn't too sure about the whole thing. Ross and I don't know if it's because he didn't like the cereal or because cereal is just too slow.

Click To Play

9 weeks

Elliott is 9 weeks old today. In the last week he has become even more smiley and talkative. When Ross and I repeat any sound he makes, his eyes light up and he gets so excited he can hardly stand it. We must be telling him what he wants to hear.

Elliott has also become a much better sleeper in the last few days. He only wakes up once, maybe twice in the night to eat and he's crashed out the rest of the time. Yeah Elliott! It's good that he sleeps at night because he no longer sleeps during the day. He has one nap, between 10am-1pm and then he's up and ready for action until he goes to bed. If only he were happy that entire time, life would be grand.

He has also decided recently that the stroller is cool, kicking off blankets is fun, and mobiles over the crib are awesome! He loves the outdoors and looking at the flowers and as always, music hits the spot whether happy or distraught. (did you notice the rhyme?)

Perhaps most importantly, he has found his fingers. Once his fist hits his mouth, it seems to create for him a sense of calm, peace, and utter joy. We can hear him sucking on his hand from a different room and he'll do it for quite some time.

Talk about ch-ch-changes

8 weeks

Today, Elliott is 8 weeks old and life is looking pretty good. In the last week Elliott has developed a schedule. Yeah! He naps at the same time every day and screams at the same time every day. And, in the last 3 nights, he is sleeping only to wake up once, between 2:30-3:30. The lat two mornings he actually slept until 7am. There seems to be, for now, a light at the end of the no sleep tunnel.

Elliott smiles all the time now, especially when we are moving his legs to make him run, right after he has eaten, and when he is bare naked. Either right out of the bath tub or just chillin' in his diaper, this kid loves to be foot loose and fancy free. His smiles are great, too. They start on the left side of his mouth and then his whole face lights up. I think that he is feeling the spirit of Elvis though, because he smiles like the King. Maybe his first phrase will be thank you very much.

Elliott also has decided that he is an outside kid. He really seems to enjoy the sun in his eyes, wind in his face and his adventures in the stroller and looking at the flowers every day. I hope that his love of the outdoors doesn't turn into a love of things that live outdoors. I don't like bugs, lizards, snakes, dogs...pretty much any animal and hope that my boy doesn't want to bring them into the house.

Everyone that meets Elliott is delighted by his cute-ness and doesn't beleive us when we tell them how old he is. They think is is much older than he looks. Maybe that's because he fills out his infant car seat, and had arms so fat that you could roast them for dinner. I am happy that he is a big kid and hope that he grows to be as big and strong as his Uncle Willie.

I can hardly believe that he is two months old this week. It is so amazing how time flies, how you learn to be a parent, and how such a little person can make your life so happy (and sometimes stressful) at the same time.

Lucky 19

Today is my Grandma and Grandpa's 56th wedding anniversary. They got married on March 19, 1951. That is quite an accomplishment. I am such a lucky kid to still have my grandparents around. In fact, my grandparents are the age of some of my friends and associates parents. How crazy is that?! I've been able to grow up with them as an integral part of my life and have them as part of my little monkey's life as well.

My grandparents have been through a lot together in 56 years and still seem to like each other, most of the time, in spite of the fact that they can't hear or walk so good; they still manage to get into the truck for their nightly diet cokes from Wendy's. Sometimes, when they are teasing each other, arguing, or laughing at themselves, I can still see that little gleam in their eyes, that has kept them together for so many years.

If and when Ross and I are married for 56 years, I'll be 80 years old. Ross will be 81. That is a lifetime from now, but something worth aiming for, if the world doesn't implode first. I think that we have a good shot at 56 years. Like my grandparents, Ross and I were married on lucky number 19, too. It may have been April 19, but I think it still counts.

Happy Anniversary! I love you both very much.

My Nerds

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. As I told Ross last night, this is one holiday I can handle. All you have to do is wear green. No problemo. I wore green. Elliott wore green. Nearly every single person (except Ross) who was at the Chick-fil-a where we at lunch yesterday was wearing green. Easy holiday.

Not only was yesterday a holiday, but it was also Ross' fantasy baseball draft. He couldn't attend the in person draft because of some time conflicts, but he definitely was all over drafting from home. Ross also introduced Elliott to fantasy baseball yesterday. As he was drafting his team, Elliott was learning the fine points of baseball positions, players, and living in nerd-land. He was so excited about doing the draft with his dad, that he finally fell asleep. But, not until the excitement had subsided.

It's Electric!

Elliott and I spent some time this afternoon with Uncle Willie. We drove home on the back roads and since I had my camera with me, I decided to take a picture of this:


I've seen this home many times and have always asked myself the question, WHY? Why electric
blue? Was this color choice really necessary?

Sufficiently Distracted

March is a great month. The weather gets warmer, the bulbs burst through the ground to bring some color back to the world, and college basketball reaches a frenzy. I love basketball. I love the sound of shoes squeaking on the gym floor, the swoosh of the net and the cheers of the fans. My college team of choice blew dead bear this year, but that's okay. The tournament is still exciting, whether your team makes it or not. For the love of the game, right?

Every year in my family we all fill out our brackets. There is nothing on the table but bragging rights, however, it's important to cheer against Puke (I mean Duke and ha, ha, they lost last night), and rage against Kentucky. I did fill out my bracket and Jared even invited me to be in his online bracket pool, I'm sure just so there would be someone with worse picks than him. I didn't watch any games yesterday and haven't even turned the TV on this morning except to watch the news at 6am. Ross called me this morning and asked if I was watching...my response was basically, basketball, huh? In case you are wondering...Willie filled out a bracket for Elliott. His bracket is in first place. Go figure!

I am sure that my passion will return once I get into the groove of life, but most likely my picks really do suck so bad that I'll save my energy for something else...like trying to make my baby smile. He's getting there, slowly. This week though, has been a good one in the happy department. We've gone on long strolls in the neighborhood, and he is even thinking about smiling and laughing when he's awake, instead of asleep. I like that.

Until the basketball flame is re-lit, I'll just keep staring at a baby who, maybe one day soon, will stare back for longer than 1 second because I am not nearly as interesting as looking at the wall.

Click To Play

7 weeks

Don't let the calm innocence of this picture fool you. This was one of the only moments in time today that Elliott wasn't screaming at me. You see, at seven weeks old, he has learned to scream. A blood curdling, gagging, chocking, on the verge of passing out scream. He does this for hours at a time, usually in the evening but today I was lucky enough to deal with the scream from 1:00-5:00 and then from 5:30-7:30. That was my special prize for the day.

What calms him down you might ask? Not much, but of all the songs in the world for my son to like when he is screaming, guess what helps ease his pain. The Dixie Chicks singing "rainbow connection". Explain that one to me! Thanks to Haley for this particular children's themed song for Christmas otherwise I don't know what I'd do. Right at this minute the monkey is asleep in his car seat listening to this song play over and over again on the ipod.

Let's hope this screaming phase doesn't last long. I don't know how much more of the Chicks I can handle.

We are the Champions....Again!

As if all the wedding festivities of the last week or so wasn't enough, Willie and the Wolverines were in a basketball tournament all week. Well, that ended spectacularly yesterday with a tournament championship. The team played great and went undefeated throughout the entire tournament, winning their first game with a score of 70-13 and crushing everyone else in their path. Willie had a great tournament, even though he struggled a little bit yesterday. Maybe he was tired from the wedding like the rest of us.

Regardless, the team had a great season and were a lot of fun to watch. My brother and his buddies are pretty good basketball players. Can we even wait until next season?

Going to the Chapel of Love

Haley and James got married on Friday. It was a great day with perfect weather and a lot of fun. They were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple and had their reception at the Old Meeting House. The sealing was memorable not only because it was a special occasion, but it happened in true Huber form. Right before Haley and James came into the room, Grandma's hearing aide battery died and she announced it to everyone. That sent Grandpa into a tail spin of laughter that nearly sent him and the rest of us rolling onto the floor. Not too sure why it was so funny, but we were all heartily amused. Then, when all finally got quiet, the hearing aide started beeping to announce it's demise. Hi-Lar-E-Ous!

The luncheon afterwards was nice as well with plentiful and tasty food. Many thanks to James' parents for setting up such a delicious spread.

The reception was also a lot of fun with a live blue grass band, ice cream bar, and lots of people and family fun. Elliott was nearly as popular as Haley and James during the reception as everyone who went through the receiving line came and found him to oohh and aahh and tell us how big he is. We know. We carry him around every single day!

Haley looked cute in her dress and the family all looked quite dapper in their navy blue, sage green, spring yellow, and khaki. All in all it was a wonderful day full of great parties and happiness.

Tooting my own horn...sort of

Today was my 6 week postpartum doctor's appointment. It went well and was fast, which I appreciate. Everything has healed up as it should and I am free to move about the cabin.

Here's the part I thought was cool. At my last appointment before Elliott was born, my weight was an extra large number. Today, the number was much smaller. In 6 weeks, 41 pounds have melted off my body, and away from my cankles...I mean ankles. And, to make me extra happy for the day, I weight 3 pounds less than I did when I went to my first appointment last July. Yeah!

Now, I need to get started on the extra 30 I've put on since getting married (I'm up for suggestions or a neighborhood walking partner). Too bad that isn't a baby, too.

Pride or Prejudice...Part Deux

Yesterday, as Elliott and I were leaving the house so Grandma Judy could watch him as I got a much needed hair makeover, I saw this at the house across the alley; kiddie toys on the back patio. I like toys and think kids that play with toys are great. Only one problem...the people who LIVED in this house moved out a week ago. There hasn't been a sign of them since the big UHaul and through the curtain-less back door we can see that the home is completely empty.

Why, people, why? Is this a new phenomenon I've not heard of yet? Is leaving a little something behind for the next family a new tradition I've not been introduced to?

Oh, the humanity of it all....

By the way, this morning when I came downstairs to eat breakfast, I noticed that the 3 and a half month old Christmas tree was gone. Yipee-Ki-O-Ki-A!

6 Weeks

Elliott is 6 weeks old today. He is fun. He is chubby like the Michelin Tire Man. He won't smile, but is getting close. He doesn't like to be on his tummy but will lift his head to turn away from you. It must be his form of protest. He likes baths, and toys, and good music. He likes me, and he usually likes Ross, too. He likes to sleep in his carseat, but not in his crib. He also likes his swing, but only when he is happy or asleep.

Enjoy his 6 week movie from this morning. (I had a little difficulty w/ the upload so I hope the movie works.)

Click To Play

Pride or Prejudice?

Ross and I have a list that I call the "Howden Great Big To Do List". The list took a back seat to "Gary" and all that is baby, but I rediscovered the list the other day. It needs to be updated, but I had it broken down into three categories: To Do, Want to Do, and Baby Stuff. In the WANT category, one of the items was make stupid neighbors move away. Well, that wish came true right after Christmas. The next door neighbors that Ross actually befriended, but avoided me ended up buying a house in Herman (yes, I know it's Herriman, but Herman sounds better) and moved away. This move, along with last weeks move of the other problem family on the block, has made our street in the Truman Show a much happier and quieter place to live. I can't say that the move was a result of paying our tithing or saying our prayers, but it is still much appreciated.

When the next door neighbors moved, they just left their Christmas tree, stand still attached, out on the lawn between our two houses. At the time, Ross and I just figured that there was either going to be some sort of HOA sponsored neighborhood tree pick-up, or that on their last trip to pick up stuff, they would take the tree with them. Well, the tree is still there, two months later.

Here's where things get interesting...soon after the neighbors we didn't like moved out, leaving their tree behind, new neighbors moved in. We haven't really seen these people, even though we can see their furniture (they have a lot of red decor), and recently discovered that there is at least one elementary aged child in the house. Anywhoo, here's the issue...the tree is still on the lawn and the new folks have been in about a month. Can they see it? Do they care? Are they hoping it will sprout roots and they can plant it or that it will grow legs and walk away on it's own? Do they think the tree is mine? (That would be foolish of them since holiday's aren't my thing...can't they see that from the lack of St. Patrick's Day decorations!) Because they are renters do they just think someone else will clean it up?

If it were me, I would have too much pride in my home and my environment to leave the tree in the yard. I just don't get it.

Super League

Willie's team pulled out quite the squeaker of a game last night. They won a close one against the Park City Miners. The team played excellent defense the entire game and was overall, extremely scrappy and energetic. Willie struggled a bit because his nose and throat were full of goo, but he still had a great game. Elliott showed the early signs of being a gym rat like his uncle. He was awake and content the entire game...listening to the sounds of bouncing balls and squeaky shoes.

This weekend....b-ball tournament. Does the season ever end?

Is it just me?

I know that the blog has become Freddie's forum, but I would like to take a minute to use it as a place to complain about work.

Maybe I am crazy, but I think that it is rude to invite 5 or 10 people (all over the world) to a conference call and then cancel it 5 to 15 minutes before it is supposed to start.

That has happened to me twice this week and it is only Thursday morning.

Apparently everyone else's time is not that important.

Self Important People (SIPs) Suck.