Funny Girl

I never thought I would be one of those people who does crazy things to try and make a baby laugh.  Seriously though, when Myla started smiling, I would do anything to make her smile at me.  Faces, voices, sticking out my tongue-- anything to see her sweet smile.  That's just how good it feels.  Even if you know your kid just poop-smiled at you, it's still awesome.

Nana got Myla to laugh for the first time.  It sounds like suffocation.  Later on, Auntie Kristen made her laugh and got a video.  Since then, I have tried many tricks to make the Pooper laugh at me (to no avail of course).

Goober. :)

Hi my name is Katy, and I don't shop brand names.

It's no big secret that I am fairly frugal.  I am a strange combination of my mom and my dad.  Basically, I'm cheap, but I still always want a new pair of shoes.  Luckily, I think my penny-pinching mama and responsible husband have helped me to not overspend (with one exception).

Starbucks.

Anyway, I am a Kroger shopper.  This is only because there is a huge Kroger marketplace by our house.  It is pretty stinking amazing, but I do wonder why anyone would ever decide to buy their living room furniture at a grocery store.

An old "Ten on Tuesday" question asked about brand name loyalty.  I thought to myself, "I don't really have loyalty to any brand."  Wrong.  I am pretty loyal to the Kroger brand.  I have amazed myself with the things I will buy generic now.  What?!  Coke costs four dollars for one twelve pack?!  Hello, Big K.  You cost half the price.  The next better step would obviously be to stop drinking cokes, but this post isn't about addiction.  Confession: it gets worse.  I never, ever thought I would do this, but I blame Dave.  He swears that he doesn't like good toilet paper.  By "good" I mean Cottonelle.  I figured I would buy Cottonelle forever, but Dave said one day "if you want to buy that, fine, just buy me the other stuff."  He actually requested cheap tp!  But then I found myself in the bathroom tissue aisle... No sales.  Commence internal struggle.  Eight dollars or four dollars, eight dollars or four dollars?!  We now have Kroger toilet paper.
 
But wait.  There is another generic brand I should mention.  Private Selection.  See how nice it sounds? It even has a nice cursive font.  Private selection.  This item was selected privately for me.  I consider this to be the fancier generic brand, obviously.  I figure this privately selected grated cheese came from the cow just across the way from the Kraft farm.. 

When I think about how brand name food could potentially be better, I just remind myself that we are probably all going to die from cancer because of red dye 17 or something.  Gah!  #17, we didn't see it coming!

I should probably stop this here, because I already sound crazy.  But there is something I finally realized about myself.  My shopping weakness lies here: toiletries.  Skincare products get me every time.  My mom's house used to be a graveyard for half-used body washes, because I would buy one then move on to another before finishing the first.  Advertising works on me.  I flip through a magazine and I just know that if I buy this face wash, it will change my life.  I will never have a zit again.  That body lotion with oil mixed in is going to be the thing that transforms my skin into something awesome! Hey look!  The picture on the left shows alligator skin but the lotion makes it silky!  I need that!  One time, I really thought that one of those iso-active toothpastes would be a life-changing experience for me, so I bought it.  You know what happened?  I stopped using it because I felt like I was brushing my teeth with shaving gel.

The moral of this story is, I shouldn't write blog posts after 9:00pm.

Life as We Know It

Last night, Kris came over to watch the pooper so Dave and I could go out on a date!  We went to Maggiano's near the galleria, and it was scrumptious. 

This is a real conversation that took place at dinner:

Me: How come whenever you sometimes say "What the hell?!" I don't say anything, but if I cuss, I get a "Really, babe. really?"

Dave: That is bad.  I want you to correct me when I do that.

Me: Nah, I'd rather just correct your grammar.

Dave: So you care more about grammar than morality?!  Well... I guess you have to correct what you know.

(At that point, we both started cracking up.  I maybe should have been offended).

Diez en Martes

Questions this week come from Meredith at Please and Thank You Ma’am.  As usual, "Ten on Tuesday" is from http://rootsandrings.com/ .

1.  What condiments are always, always in your fridge?
Sweet Baby Ray's and Ranch dressing.

2.   How do you like your steak cooked?  Your burgers?
Medium rare.  Always.  I ate my steak medium rare even when I was pregnant.  In my defense, it never even occurred to me that some people wouldn't...

3.  What’s your favorite use for fresh tomatoes?
Slice tomato.  Salt tomato slices.  Eat.

4.  What’s your go-to dinner when you haven’t planned anything in advance and you don’t feel like going out?
Quesadillas.  Sorry, Dave.

5.  What’s your favorite snack food lately?
A small handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Dave always keeps a huge bag in the freezer.  I have been eating some every night.  It might be an addiction at this point.

6.  What’s your favorite weekend breakfast to make at home? 
Fortunately, Dave is the weekend chef at our house.  Weekends usually consist of pancakes or Texas-shaped waffles.  Yum.

7.  What’s your favorite thing to grill?  How do you do it? 
I can't exactly use our real grill, although I have recently decided to learn how and become a grill master.  I'll be sure to blog about that if it ever happens.  That being said, we like steak around here.  My favorite thing would be a ribeye, asparagus, and potatoes+onions.  I guess it's a manly meal.  My favorite thing that Dave grills would be salmon. 

8.  What’s your favorite wine for under $10? If you’re not a wine person, what brand of beer is your favorite?
I usually choose wine because I like the label.  If I don't do that, I get a Rioja (because I studied abroad in Spain), or a Chianti, because it reminds me of our honeymoon.  Basically, the best wine for under $10 is whatever is on sale at Kroger that day!


9.  Give us your most delicious cocktail recipe.
I don't really make cocktails...  I'll just say rum + coke.

10.  How do you like your eggs?
Scrambled or over medium.  I like a runny yolk.

Stand by your Man (even if...)

Before I married Dave, I knew there were some things that we would have to sacrifice in order to have a successful relationship.  We went to counseling, we read the books, we prepared ourselves to love each other unconditionally.  (Remember that key word: unconditionally).  Let me start off by saying I married the greatest guy in the world.  He balances me out and makes me a better person.  He's also an awesome dad. 

That being said, I knew from the start that my husband wasn't a fashionista.  That's fine, because neither am I.  Nevertheless, there were a couple of things that Dave changed rather easily while we were dating.  Very early on, I explained to him kindly that one should probably wear black shoes if he is wearing a black belt.  Dave solved this problem by getting a reversible belt.  That way, any wardrobe malfunction could be easily switched.

But sometimes, you have to come to terms with the fact that there are things about the man you love that you can't change.  Things that you shouldn't even try to change.  Things that you have to let go.  

Case in point:  The Mandals

David Livingston has worn mandals since I met him.  Texas is too hot, and his feet need to breathe.  Mandals can easily go from casual to formal by simply buckling the back straps rather than walking on them.  The beloved mandals can not be changed to a flip-flop style, because he doesn't like things between his toes.  (My father is the only other person I know with this serious toe issue).

These are Dave's mandals from when we were dating.  They now reside on our back porch.  They are no longer seen by the public.

This is his current pair. He wears them everywhere he goes (except for work).  I actually picked them out.  You know why?  Because in my complete maturity as a wife and a grownup, I realized that I should not try and dissuade my beloved husband from buying mandals, because they make him happy.  I made a vow.  For better, for worse.  For ugly shoes, for beautiful shoes.  I take that very seriously. 

So I will stand by my man, even if he wears mandals for the rest of his life.

**Is there anything silly your mate does that you have decided to just let go?  (Seriously, I want to know).**

Spring Break 2011 (a.k.a. Beach Fun and Bipolar Baby)

Dave, Myla, and I just got back on Tuesday from a super-fun spring break trip to Destin!  For the first time ever, we did the beach thing during spring break.  One would think I would have taken those trips before getting married and babied.  Oh well.  We decided to take it slow on the way there, so we stopped to stay the night with the Morgans.  Mike is Dave's old roommate, and he was the pastor at our wedding.  Beth is his sweet wife, and Lucy is his adorable daughter.  Lucy is going to get a little brother in June!  I never remember to take pictures, so this was a rare few minutes at the Morgan house where I thought: "We have to document this vacation!" (That was the first and last time I took the camera out).

 Lucy was so sweet to Myla. 

 She is going to be a great big sister.  :)

 

When we got to Florida, it was craaaaazy!  Actually, it was more like a marriage retreat.  There were four of us young married couples:

Dave + Me (and Myla)

Broun + Latane

Matt + Allie

Keith + Morgan

On our first night, we were able to see another one of Dave's old roommates and his wife!  Andrew and Jill Corbitt were working for Campus Crusade for Christ, and came out to meet us for dinner.  They are going to have a baby in August.  We can't wait to see them with a little Pooper of their own!  Desafortunadamente, Myles was being a gremlin the whole time due to a missed nap.  Here's to hoping for a better meeting next time!

Back at the beach house, it was a whirlwind of beaching, movie nights, game playing, and marriage talk.  It's fun to spend time with other couples who are figuring it out like we are.  Everyone there was so awesome about us being the old mom and pop there, and they were very sweet to Myla.  She seemed to be entertained just watching the party, and she slept great in her pack-n-play.  Thank you, Lord.  

The girls and half of our boat pilot (sorry, Keith!) taking the boat across the pond to the beach

On the last leg of the drive home, our normally amazing car-riding child was nowhere to be found.  She was replaced with the shrieking gremlin.  Not so fun.  For some reason, the screaming was occasionally interrupted with something like this video below.  Watch it to see our bipolar baby in action:

3-Month Shenanigans

Well, things have been moving right along.  I have a three-month old baby now, and my stomach hasn't magically bounced back like Heidi Klum's.  Thanks for letting me believe a lie, Heidi.

We are going on a little beach trip soon, so obviously, we needed these: 

Some 3 month Myla-isms:
  *The little booger is pretty skinny still.  I totally thought I'd have a chubby baby, but the kid is still pretty lean.
  *I hope she's not starving.
  *She eats about 5 times a day, so she's basically like her father.
  *Her newest bad habit is ADHD feeding.  That kid would rather sit and smile or chat with me than eat.  It's pretty darn cute and very annoying at the same time.
  *She has been sleeping through the night (as in, 11 hours) for about three weeks now.  Last night, she woke up crying, and I thought something must be wrong.  Sure enough, the little booger scooted all the way to one side of the bed and managed to roll over, leaving herself stranded on her back.  Oh, the horror!  I think she must have used the side of the bed to turn or something, because I'm pretty sure she can't roll over for real just yet.
  *She's still pretty cute.
  *She likes tv, and I let her watch it, then feel guilty later about frying her developing little brain.  I'll let you know how it turns out in a few years.  We can always learn from our mistakes with the first one, right?
  *She sucks on her two middle fingers.  She always leaves the other fingers out to make the "I love you" or "Hook'em Horns" sign.

Here's the naked sleepyhead now:

And here is Miss Chatterbox.  Once again, always ignore my weird camera voice.

Ten on Tuesday (Again)

Once again, I am unoriginal and can't think of my own blog posts, so I'm Ten on Tuesdaying without any blogs in between.  This week’s questions were provided by KEZ from Sinner Following Jesus.  

1. How did your parents decide on your name?
My parents (actually, just my mom) had to choose a name with the same initials as my older sister's name along with the same rhythm and stressed syllables.  Hence, "Kristen Michelle" and "Katy Marie."  My dad's requirement was that I would be named the same thing I would be called.  In his world, if I was going to go by a nickname, I may as well have that be my proper name. 


2. Do your initials (First, Middle, Last) spell out anything fun/funny?
Nope.  Unless KMK or KML are something funny!

3. Did you take your middle name from childhood or did you take your maiden name as your middle name? (If unmarried, what do you plan to do?)
I let "Kemp" go.  There are plenty of Kemp men to carry on the name, and I still feel and sometimes act like a Kemp without having the name.  I like my middle name, so I kept it.  I never really though about not taking my husband's last name.  I actually didn't realize until I was at least in high school that people sometimes turn their maiden name into their middle. 

4. Are you or will you name your children thematically (ie. same first letter, all of same origin…)
Probably not.  In fact, when a name pops into my head that also starts with an "M," it actually discourages me from wanting to use it in the future.  If I have two M's, then it might start sounding themey, and then I would have to carry it on!  It becomes too complicated then.

Case in point:  My parents never thought of another same rhythm and initialed name as my sister and me.  Good thing there's just two of us!

5. Did you decide on baby names as a little girl? Did you stick to them or change your mind?
Yes and no.  When playing house as a kid, I always named my baby "Elizabeth" because she was one of the twins in the Sweet Valley books I read growing up.  I just thought it was a pretty name.  I don't actually plan on using it, though. 

6. Does your family have any names that have been passed down through generations?
"Will Allen" is a family name on my dad's side.  Starting with Dave's Poppop (and maybe even earlier), the dad passes down his first name as the son's middle name.  I don't know if I explained it well, but Dave's middle name, Jeffrey, is his dad's first name.  If we have a son, his middle name will be David.

7. Do you look at the meaning of the name or just the name itself?
I tend to look mostly at the name itself, but Dave cares about the meaning.  When we were trying to name Myla I would try to persuade Dave to like certain names when I knew they had a cool meaning he would like.  It mostly didn't work...

8. Do you name pets with human names (Sally, Henry) or with pet names (Fluffy, Mr. Bo Bo)?
Every pet we have ever owned as a family has a human name.  The least human-like name would be "Chipper."  That was also the most awesome and ugly dog you've ever seen. 

9. Are there any names that you have an affinity or dislike for based on a childhood experience/someone you once knew?
Of course.  It's also terrible working with children, because names have serious associations.  I had to explain to my mother that I could only honor my name associations while naming Myla, not mine AND hers!

10. What are some of your favorite names? Why?
They change a lot.  Dave thought I was crazy, because I had this idea that I wanted to name our kid something that was not in the top 100 popular baby names.  I like names that are kind of different without being super-weird.  I also kind of like androgynous names for girls, which Dave hates.  He likes girl names to be girly.  Because of that, I'll just say some of the possibly boyish girl names I liked : Rory (a front-runner that I'd still like to use), Parker, Reese, Avery, Camden, Rylan, Lynden.  I kind of liked country-sounding boy names.  Blame it on my Texas roots.  I just don't think Dave will ever let me have a Ryder, Sawyer, or Walker. 

Too bad.