First Flood of The Season

We had our first mini-flood in the sunroom. I wasn't really paying attention to the rain, but it was wonderfully refreshing after weeks (month?!) of drought. I mopped the whole thing up with one of our sunroom towels. Hopefully the new patio we put un will keep the water out of the sunroom. Yay!

The Name Has Been Chosen

Here are the finalists for our little boy's name:

1. Timur
2. Artyom
3. Liev
4. Ruslan 
5. Aristarh 
6. Valentin

Our goal was to choose an ethnic Russian name over any iteration of popular American names. Why? Well, to honor papa's heritage. And of course, having the same name as somebody else is boring. You might fit in better as a Michael, Jacob or John, but I think already it's too late for the little guy. E and I never fit in, so I reckon he'll be unconventional as well.

I personally did not want a Christian name. Both of us are agnostic and I felt insincere bestowing a Biblical name for that reason.  But his beloved Grandmother was named Valentina, thus Valentin. On our final list, E nixed Valentin because of Val Kilmer. I kid you not.  I think he took Top Gun way too seriously.

We also nexed Timur, one of my favorites, due to it's strong Islamic use (agnostic perogative). Liev and Ruslan are wya cool, but my tummy has an A in it. Aristarh or Artyom? Ari or Tyoma? Tyoma.  That sounds so sweet on the lips. We have a winner!

 

Toe Gout!

I woke up an hour ago with the most intense pain in my right toe. The pain radiated from my toe knuckle. I got up to take some Tylenol, wondering what could cause me such pain, when it occurred to me that I must have gout. Since the warning flag for gestational diabetes was raised, I have been on a low carb-no sugar diet. That means lots of protien. Protein + painful toe = gout. Anyway, after consulting my medical library, I decided against gout. Then I realized my toe hurt from the awkward way I propped myself up on the Taurus when viewing fireworks. D'oh!

Twelve Years Ago

Twelve years ago Tennisfiend and I met for the first time! The anniversary always makes the holiday extra special J
As expected, the weather was traditional Forth of July--dreary, muggy, rainy with poor visibility. When I was a kid , this annual weather phenomena was a bane neighborhood children. It frequently affected our viewing of the local fireworks, or worse, it postponed or even prevented our own firework displays. Nowadays, they have seriously restricted firework usage, so all the fun stuff is prohibited. How many kids actually blow their fingers off, anyway? Oh, yeah, my cousin. He lost the tips of several fingers.

Our problem in 'Cruces is weather related. Except for today, it has been very hot and extremely dry. Thus aerial fireworks and even firecrackers have been banned. If I were a kid, I would be prostrate with grief. I loved blowing stuff up. We never spared an anthill, mailbox or stray soda can. On the bright side, Misty is relieved. Fireworks seriously freak her out.

Tonight Tennisfiend and I enjoyed a very low key evening. We ate delicious ribeye steak that TF grilled along with mushrooms and taters (none for me). We also had some wine--well I had some faux wine--and went out front to watch the city fireworks. Usually, we would go on the roof, but my pregnant self is certainly not climbing a ladder and scuttling about on a steep incline. It was difficult to find a comfortable place to sit where we could also see the display, but with the help of some pillows and the hood of the Taurus, we managed.

The city spent more on fireworks than usual this year. I can't decide if it was because of the firework ban or upcoming elections. I imagined how spectacular the display must have been from Pat's place. His house is adjacent to the park when they shoot everything off. Something fun is always happening at Brotherkurts! Whew, I'm tired. That's all for now!

Hot, Hot, Hot

The heat is miserable. It's been over 100 degrees for half the month. I should have agreed with Tennisfiend when he suggested we put in refrigerated air this year. The humidity from the swamp cooler makes the house feel (and smell) like a jungle. Bleaugh.

Seven Months!

Whoo-hoo!

All is going well with my pregnancy!

Shopping List For Baby

Tomorrow I go shopping with Mom for baby stuff in El Paso! I am so excited! Here's our list:



New baby basics

Beds and linens
_____Crib. Well-known, drop on one side, knee released siderail, smooth finish, metal supports, 2 heights
_____Crib mattress, firm, no fingers, match to crib, nonporous non padded, high density good quality foam (Colgate) or serta/sealy/simmons spring

_____Crib Skirt
_____Three fitted crib sheets.
_____Four or more waffle-weave cotton receiving blankets.

Diaper duty
_____Two Contoured Changing pads (Rumble Tuff) Non-skid bottom, strap, check size

_____Five Changing pad covers, ck compatibility /table

_____ Dozen cloth diapers.
_____Diaper pail (Diaper Champ)
_____Large Diaper bag, backpack style,  waterproof lining

_____Small Diaper bag

_____Dry wipes (Chix)

_____Supply caddy

_____Wet wipes (gentle)

Dressing baby
_____Six sleeping onesies preferably w/feet. 2 in 3 mo size
_____Six side-snap T-shirts 2 in 3 mo size.
_____Eight one-piece undershirts that snap around the crotch (3 in 3 mo size.)

_____Two Gowns with elasticized bottoms.

_____One Sleep sack.
_____Two lightweight cloth caps.
_____Four pairs socks/booties.

_____Four Cloth bibs.
_____Two to three soft, comfortable daytime outfits.
_____Two Brimmed hat.

_____One going home outfit.



Breast Feeding
_____Four 4-ounce baby bottles

_____Two silicone NB nipples  slow flow.

_____Bottle brush.
_____Three packs of cloth diapers or burp cloths.

_____Nursing Pillow

_____Two-Three nursing friendly pjs

_____Robe for hospital

_____Four Breastfeeding tops

_____Two each elastic skirts/pants

_____Waterproof mattress cover (for my bed)

Bathing/grooming
_____Three soft towels.
_____Two packs of baby washcloths.
_____ Baby body wash that doubles as shampoo.
_____Pair of blunt-tip scissors or baby-sized nail clippers.
_____Infant bathtub.
_____Soft brush and comb.

_____Baby manicure set

_____Aquafor

 _____Crib mattress.


Medicine chest essentials
_____Digital thermometer

_____Ear infection detector.

Extras
_____Front carrier: Baby Bjorn

_____Soft carrier.

Furniture
_____Changing table, raised edges.
_____Glider arms/cushioned.

_____Storage bins.

_____Hamper

_____Nursing stool (Medela)

 Toys

_____Mobile
_____Rattle
_____Mirror

Candy-Can!

At last all my pampering paid off! My “Candy-can” (Echinopsis trichocereus x ‘Cherry Red’)blooms spectacularly! Each blossom is about the size of an English teacup and smells faintly of strawberries.

 

The fuss I create over my cacti is a testament to my anal retentiveness. In winter, I blanket each specimen to protect it from frost, being certain to remove the coverings during daylight to permit adequate sunlight and ventilation. Since I'd be bored with nothing to fuss over during the summer, I rig up artificial shade to keep the plants from cooking under the intense New Mexico sun.

 

I wish that all of my attentiveness would pay off in the form of startlingly lovely photographs to match the blossoms, but no such luck. So, here’s a pretty picture ganked from my folk’s website:

Post-Birthday Gratitude

For the past month I’ve been playing with my birthday gift--a generous contribution to gardening budget (thank you Tennisfiend!). Every fall and spring, I spend several hours daily tending to my beloved rock and flower gardens.

This fall, I was too wiped out for my ritual devotions, resulting in the mass extinction of some of my lovelier specimens. So, I was especially delighted with the gift and have been working overtime restore and improve my neglected garden. Unfortunately, the New Mexico climate has shifted back into “hot mode,” so I am exiled indoors for the next several months.

May I continue briefly with some post-birthday happiness? Much appreciation to for lunch and gardening support. Thank you and family for the lovely blue flowers and enigmatic poem. And congratulations to for the history making birthday remembrance! And finally, word to the Moosh for the DVDs. I have been aching for a copy Charisma for nearly a year now and the remastered, digitized, pimped-out new version of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, brought tears to my eyes. Thank you, all!

Happy Birthday Brotherkurt

Make that happy belated birthday! brotherkurt’s birthday was a few weeks ago--April 12 to be exact, but it took some time for the party to catch up with him. This weekend’s celebration includes two days and two nights of gaming, involving some intriguing homemade board games. Tonight was mellower that Friday night which involved over thirty avid gamers and (I think) four separate games (as reported by Ewbliette).

I arrived just after the cookout, and had the opportunity to witness the last piece of venison disappear down the gullet of the neighborhood gourmand. I compensated by scarfing down numerous slabs of delicious (salty!) garlic bread followed by four perfectly ripe watermelon segments. Yum!

Under a back porch illuminated by hundreds of tiny orange lights, Rodeyo, Lizard Light and Countessa conducted an animated review of their insane childhood adventures. New Mexico rules—when your ten and firecrackers and bottle rockets are legal, there is no limit to the stuff you can blow up. I am personally amazed that I managed to survive my youth with both eyes and all my fingers and toes intact.

Later, Ewbliette and I moved indoors (smokers!) and I overheard the following snippet from a homemade game being played at the kitchen table, “So, the young blonde woman is now naked, running through the hall and you have to roll to see if she’ll swallow….” Whoa. After an hour discussing Brotherkurt’s home décor (his main bathroom has adorable handpainted fishies festooning the walls!), my brain died and I went home. Tennisfiend, who liked my fashionable new blouse, insisted on taking my photo to send to his family. Unfortunately, the flash revealed a bit much of Bestfiend, particularly my navel and JC Penney undergarments. But I liked my goofy smile, so voila!


The paparazzi effect.
Needless to say, I exchanged my blouse for an opaque cousin, so Moscow was spared the indignity of my Bali and belly.