Happy (belated) birthday, Dave!

It's Dave's 29th (plus one day) birthday, and since I haven't gotten him anything yet his gift is still in the works I should at least dedicate a blog post to him!

We aren't much for public, mushy cheeseballness, so how about a short snapshot to commemorate the birthday of my love.

(June 1983)

It kind of reminds me of this kid:

I think they're both pretty cute.


For Dave's birthday dinner, we had a very not-special noodle stir fry thing.  While Dave was in the other room talking to his sister on the phone, I celebrated with dessert!  (I'm sorry Dave, the ice cream was calling me, saying: "Dave would want you to eat dessert now!")  Don't worry, I left some for him. 

And that, my friends, is how you celebrate the birthday of a man who doesn't like birthday celebration hoopla.  It's all very exciting. I love you, Dave.  I'm glad you were born SO long ago. :)

By the way, we are headed to our first Astros game with MG this week!  Hopefully we will remember a camera to capture this milestone.  If not, I'll just do the old stealing of the Papa Jon's photos as usual.

"I want to live in Stars Hollow"

Dave: "It's not a real place, babe."

    When Dave's mom came down to stay with us for Myla's birth, she came armed with DVD's of many television series and movies.  One of those series was Gilmore Girls.  I was not a Gilmore watcher back when it was actually on tv--  I may have seen a handful of episodes total.  Dave, on the other hand, has seen every single episode ever made.  Turns out he had has a crush on Lorelai Gilmore, and who can blame him?  I think I have a crush on her, too.  When we watched the episode where she has a sixth sense about the first snow of the season and professes her love for the snow it made even more sense.  Dave has found his kindred spirit in a hot, fictional tv mom.  Anyway, we begged Mom to let us borrow her Gilmore series, and now it has become a bit of a weekend tradition for us at the Livingston home.  A typical Saturday night might include a glass of wine, a handful of chocolate chips, and 3 episodes of Gilmore Girls.  Jealous yet?  We have just begun season 6, and I am already starting to get nervous....  There are only 7 seasons, and running through my head is, "What will we do when it is over?!  I hope Luke and Lorelai stay together!  Rory is getting dumber with age!"  (Seriously, I know I am at least five years behind the times, but I don't want any spoilers).

     The problem is, Dave and I aren't very tv-compatible.  I have the potential to get into basically any show on television, with the exception of super sci-fi themes.  I am a social tv watcher (Shout out to my amores de Makarios).  I like dramas, comedies, reality tv and crime shows (a.k.a. every show in existence).  Dave likes...  How it's Made.  We don't have cable, so that's not even an option these days.

     I am here to make a plea to my faithful and unfaithful readers.  I need a glimmer of hope to be flickering at the end of our Gilmore road.  I need suggestions for an already-completed tv series that we could watch together on our frequent at-home dates so that we aren't sitting around on our respective computers until we wander off to bed.  I already mentioned my criteria (there are none).  Here are some criteria for Dave (these are my words based on observations and theorizing, and have not necessarily been endorsed by Dave himself):

*  Nothing too girly.
*  No long, dramatic scenes involving over 1.5 minutes of continuous dialogue and/or tears.
*  No nudes, nothing raunchy.  (This has to be said because Dave has the uncanny ability to unknowingly suggest movies to watch that always have boobs.  Always.)
*  Awkward humor like that in Seinfeld or the Office.  (I know, it makes me die a little inside, too).
*  Nothing extremely gory.
*  Reality tv
*  "The doctor shows with all the drama."

I am sure there are other insane demands, but just to give some insight on shows we are able to agree upon:
NCIS, The Unit, Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Scrubs

If you know of a show that we could work our way through after Stars Hollow is no more (*tear*), shout out your suggestion.  The happiness of my future Saturday nights depends on it. 

Gosh, all this time spent writing about tv makes me think I should repent from it all!  Maybe.

Ten on Tuesday

Head over here if you want to join and link up!

1. What’s the recipe for your favorite drink? (Smoothie, alchoholic, coffee, whatever.)
     I like most frapuccino recipes involving mocha and/or cinnamon.  I even like the ones from McDonald's.  It's a problem.

2. What kind of razor do you use?  
    Um...  usually some type of disposable razor meant for a man.  A Gilette I think?  Anyway, for some reason making a package of razors girly colors causes it to cost more.  I won't fall for that, Gilette!

3. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character? 
     I have no idea.  I can't ever remember being a Sesame Street enthusiast.  That was more of my sister's thing.  I liked Barney.  And my favorite character was Barney.

4. What makes the perfect salad? (Lettuce type, toppings, dressing, etc.)
      I LOVE salad with: spinach/spring mix, dried cherries/cranberries, walnuts/pecans, goat cheese crumbles, creamy balsamic dressing.  If you want to go all out, you can throw chicken on it and make it a meal.  The goat cheese is key.  Don't bother with the salad if you are skipping the cheese.  That's my philosophy for a lot of meals, though.

5. What was your favorite subject in school?
     Dance or choir.  If we have to be academic, I'll say English, because words were always easier for me than numbers.  I still can't write a decent research paper, though.

6. What’s your favorite summer tradition?
     Being lazy

7. Do you suffer from season allergies? How do you combat them?
     I don't think I suffer from seasonal allergies.  I'm just about the least allergic person in my family.  I still have some issues with my eyes and always have a tissue around for random runny noses, but I don't think it comes and goes with the seasons.  If I ever do anything for allergies, I just pop a Benadryl or Zyrtec.  Allegra-D makes me feel shaky. 

8. How often do you have to charge your cell phone?
     Maybe every 2 or 3 days I leave it on the charger overnight.

9. Do you have a bucket list?
     Not really.  There are places I would like to see, but nothing I feel the urge to do before I die.

10. Do you have any desire to go back to school?
     I LOVE school.  I always have.  Even when I had senioritis, I was trying to think of the next step in my schooling career.  Little did I know, the next step would be not going to school anymore.  I would probably do some type of schooling forever if it was free.  I like to take notes.  Bullet points are very important in my life.

Friday Odds and Ends

Yesterday I started thinking about how Myla will start to talk soon.  When I was growing up, talking and singing started around the same time.  I know that kids repeat everything they hear, and I tend to learn song lyrics pretty quickly.  So I figured I might have to stop listening to pop radio stations and move back to the music I grew up with-- God's music: country music.  When I changed the radio station to country, I heard the lyrical gem "Country Girl Shake it for Me."  What is a radio-loving mother to do?!  I can't raise my child this way!  The classic "Oceanfront Property in Arizona" partially made up for it a little later, but I'm still torn.  The Christian radio station doesn't have very good reception out here, and I refuse to spend several years listening to Kidsongz (yes, with a "Z." It seems like something that probably exists).
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My sister told me that toward the end of my pregnancy her boyfriend started to wonder if he should lay a towel down on the brand-new furniture in his brand-new house just in case my water broke.  I thought it was hilarious.  The other night at dinner, I brought it up:

Me: So, Kristen told me you were worried my water would break on your couch!

Alan: Yea, but you know, if that really would have happened, I think it probably would have come out pretty well.

Dave: What, you have a lot of experience with ambiotic fluid??

Me: Ambiotic fluid?!?!

Dave: Isn't that what it's called?
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Davers is about to have a birthday, and he isn't huge on celebrating the day of his birth.  Basically, I don't ever get him a big present, but occasionally will find something small he might like.  This year, I toyed around with the idea of getting him a funny tech-nerd shirt, so I hit up this website: http://www.thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/unisex/itdepartment.  As it turns out, I didn't understand any of the shirts, so I felt ill-equipped to purchase one.  Oh well. 
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Also, I have some great news!  Mi hermana de otra madre is pregs!  Latane is tall, skinny, and beautiful, so she is obviously going to make the most gorgeous pregnant lady ever.  And I get to be an honorary auntie!  It's so much fun to rejoice with someone having a baby and not having to worry "What am I going to do with a baby?!" (like I did when I was pregnant).

Some Firsts

So far this summer, Myla has a few firsts.  Some have been more exciting than others.  It's possible that none of them will be exciting to the blog world, but hey, it's my digital baby book, remember??

Remember how grandma came to visit?  Well, if grandma can't spoil you, no one can.  First time at Berripop:

(Myla actually tasted frozen yogurt from Swirl a little before this with our second family, the Harrisons, but I have no picture of that trip).  And no, I don't make a practice of giving my child frozen yogurt.

We also had our first swim-- don't worry, it was at least 30 minutes after the yogurt.  Checking it out from the steps*:

 

Her auntie was just a little excited to take Myla for her first dip in the pool.

 Hats are very important.  We Livingstons have to embrace our paleness and protect it.

 

Loving the swim outfit from Aunt Kristen.  And yes, I was serious about the hat thing.  Who do you think gave her the white skin?! 

 

Whew.  That was an action-packed 25 minutes.  Time for Myla to strip and get some Nana snuggles.

 Her first breathing treatment (taken shortly before the panic attack began):

 

Her first attempt at a crib escape.  She is yanking those beautiful bumpers down, dangit! She's about to get her first whoopin*! 

 

**All swimming pictures were stolen from Grandpa Zorro ("GZ"), a.k.a. Jon Kemp.
** Put the phone down.  You don't need to call CPS-- I'm obviously not going to give a spanking to my 6-month-old.  She's too cute and squishy for that.  Maybe she'll be less cute when she starts telling me "no..."

Questions for Tuesday, June 21, 2011!
Provided by Ashley D at That Super Awesome Blog.

1. What’s the perfect meal?
     Oh man, it depends on the day.  I almost feel guilty that it doesn't involve queso, but here goes: filet medium rare, loaded mashed potatoes, maybe a salad for good measure.  Then a trip over to Cheesecake Factory for 1200 calories worth of coffee and Kahlua cheesecake.

2. What are the perfect pair of shoes?
     I guess TOMS, but if it were socially acceptable to be barefoot all the time (and somehow avoid scalded feet in Texas), I would prefer that.

3. What is the perfect afternoon?
     There would probably be a nap involved, the meal from question #1, and some quality time with my hubs and Myles.

4. What’s the perfect house?
     I like my aunt and uncle's house near Fort Worth.  I wish I had a picture, but I don't.  It's a 4/3 with an open floorplan and a big bonus room upstairs.  It has a mix of brick and stone on the exterior, which I love.  It's not huge, but not small.  I would never want to clean a huge house.

5. What is the perfect outfit?
   Jeans and a t-shirt. 

6. What’s the perfect wedding song?
     For us, our perfect wedding song just had to be short, since we both felt super-awkward standing in front of a bunch of people swaying back and forth.  I would probably pick some country song, though.  Maybe that Brad Paisley song.  What's it called?  "She's Everything?"  I guess that song is more for the bride.  Oh well. It's the bride's day anyway.

7. What is the perfect job?
     Something part-time where you can just strap your kid to your back and bring her with you.  I think the perfect job would be staying at home, but being able to make a little money doing something crafty or something on the side.  I can't do anything crafty though.
    
8. What’s the perfect hairstyle?
     Anything that can air dry and look awesome.  Or anything that doesn't showcase your huge cowlicks.

9. What’s the perfect music festival?
     I don't have that kind of stamina.

10. What’s the perfect day to yourself?
     I probably wouldn't want to spend an entire day to myself.  Maybe an entire evening, or an entire daytime, but not both.  I guess it would involve some coffee, a good book, and a long nap.  Or maybe a day filled with guilty pleasures, like the Kardashian shows.  I can't help it.  Don't read this, Dave.

6 Months?! Time Flies When You're Having Babies

I am keeping Myla's stats on this blog so she can (maybe) one day go back to see that I really did love her even though the updates in her baby book are embarrassingly scarce at this point.

6 Months:
Height: 26 inches (50-75%)
Weight: 15 pounds, 1 ounce (25-50%)
Head: 17 inches (50-75%)

To my Myla boo,
    You are the easiest little Pooper to love and take care of everyday.  You are starting to crawl (kind of--see below) and keeping busy being the cutest baby ever.  You are chatty and love to eat.  In the past couple of weeks, though, you have opened up a whole new can of crazy that is leaving me feeling as clueless as I felt when you were first born.  If you're teething, please hurry up and grow those teeth.  If you're feeling as though you are over taking naps, stop that.  You need them.  If separation anxiety is starting, please chill out and know that I will always come back to you.  I could never leave this face:

or even this one:

or especially this one:

Here you are learning how to crawl while playing with your best friend, Penny.

Love you, my little squishy cheeks baby girl.  Happy half a year, Myla Grace!

It's Still Tuesday (for a few more hours)

Link up with Mr. Linky here.

Provided by Lisa at Lisa’s Yarns.

1. How do you pronounce the word aunt? Does your pronunciation rhyme with ‘haunt’ or ‘can’t'?
     I pronounce the word aunt: "ant."  The only time I use the other pronunciation is when I'm using my silly dog/baby voice and referring to my sister as "auntie" to either the dog or the baby... That's not awkward at all.

2. Do most of the people in your life know you blog? Or are you partially or totally anonymous?
     All 5 of my readers know that I blog, so that's a lot of people in my life...  I just recently started posting a link to facebook.  I guess I'll say that most of the internet-active people know that I blog.  

3. When you grocery shop, do you prefer to bag your own groceries or do you like it when the store bags them for you? Paper, plastic, or reusable bags?
     I will use the classic "I have a baby and bringing my own bags is just one more thing I have to haul into the store" excuse. Also, I'm not a hugely green person. We constantly use our leftover grocery plastic bags for lunches, dirty diapers, etc.  In addition, do people wash their reusable bags?  Is there salmonella lurking in them?  I'm just picking at things now, because I'm not a germaphobe either.  I have no good excuse for using the plastic bags.  Oh, and yes, bag them for me, please.  See this baby strapped to me?  I can barely find the keys in my purse.  How can I be expected to adequately bag my own groceries?

4. Do you have a green thumb?
    No.

5. If you watch the Food Network, which chef/show host is your favorite?
     Hmm, I guess Ina Garten.  When it comes down to it though, I always think her themes are weird.  Why is it always, "My fabulous friend Henry wrote a biography on Joe Blow, so I'm making a dinner that pays homage to Joe Blow's dinner parties back in 1925?"  I only care about the lasagna, Ina.  But whatever.

6. Do you like to take baths? Do you take them very often?
     I take baths at least 3 times a week.  I took them every night when I was pregnant.  Mainly, I fill the tub with scalding water and sit in it for five minutes until my skin is red and/or I'm about to pass out, then I get out.  I don't read or anything.  I know that probably isn't a safe practice. 

7. What color are the walls in your kitchen?
     a light sage green

8. Do you prefer to dine outdoors or indoors?
     It depends on the place.  In the Houston area, indoors.  In places with scenery and a nice breeze, outside.  If I'm with Dave anywhere that could potentially have flies, indoors.  Dave is so distracting when he is swatting flies away at the table. 

9. Describe your ideal weather.
    Sunny and in the seventies.

10. If you could learn any foreign language, which would you choose to learn?
    I already chose to learn Spanish.  Then, I learned it halfway, practiced in some places, and forgot most of it.  Que lastima.

Spring Recap: How I Spent My Days

Since February, Scooter and I have spent our days hanging out with my cousin's baby, Moe (little bro to Larry and Curly).  You could also call him Poopswhileheeats.  He is so lucky-- his thighs are much more thunderous than Myla's.  It is so cool that these two are going to grow up together.  Sidenote: I did have to explain to Larry and Curly's other cousin that they will not, in fact, be able to marry each other when they grow up.  Oh well.  Here are a few pics to show you how we passed the time.

Chatting:

 Fighting over awesome toys:

 Tasting them:

 Staring at me with giant eyeballs:

Becoming mobile, sort of:

Once the big kids got out of school, it was time to laugh at the brothers:

It's clear that cute babies run in the family on BOTH sides.  If this wasn't proof enough, check out this picture I stole from my aunt of the newest Kemp baby, Jimmy John:

Obviously, I can't figure out how to rotate a photo...

In case I haven't mentioned it before, here is the baby breakdown:
Scooter Livingston: Dec. 8, 2010
Jimmy John Kemp: Dec. 22, 2010
Moe Watassek: Dec. 27, 2010

So many blessings!  Happy Friday, everyone.

*These are my dad's nicknames for the Poopers.  Now you can see where I inherited my weirdness.

Picture post...

Grandma Sue is coming to visit in a few days!  Myla is looking forward to all the doting that is to come. :)

Pop Pop made us a couple of chests and a quilt rack that Dave was able to bring back from his most recent driving trip to Wisconsin.  There is another chest that isn't pictured that sits in Myla's room.  Thanks, Pop Pop!

You didn't think I'd make a picture post without the Pooper, did you?

 She hardly ever sleeps and snuggles anymore, but Dave had this lucky moment the other day.  All he had to endure was some minor face squeezing beforehand.

 

No matter where she is placed in the crib, she always ends up smashed against the side somehow.  She is a little bit better at realizing that she can, in fact, roll over whichever way she wants, but she still occasionally ends up in an awkward position like this when exhaustion sets in.

Our newest trick, of course!  (Call me if you'd like to place your baby in Livingston training camp).

Full Belly, Happy Heart (a.k.a another boring, domestic post)

Through all my blog stalking of frugal and/or large families combined with reading "America's Cheapest Family," I have been inspired.  I pitched this idea to my cousin, and she is totally on board.

We want to spend a day cooking meals to freeze!  What, this isn't as exciting as you thought it was going to be?

Consider this: if I am able to make 4-5 meals in one day over the summer, then I have an "easy" dinner plan for one night a week for the next month.  And, it will still qualify as homemade (or not completely processed) food for my lovely husband who doesn't prefer dinner out of a bag.  (*If I wasn't married I would probably still be eating Kid's Cuisine).

Dave also has seasonal food preferences.  This means that he wouldn't really prefer heavy soups or stews over the summer because it's way too hot in Texas to be dripping sweat into your bowl of chili for dinner.

So far, the ideas I have for freezer meals are as follows: lasagna or something else pasta-related, chicken enchiladas.

See, I just started this quest for recipe ideas.  Now I need more.  Do you have a favorite meal to cook ahead and freeze?  The only requirement is that the meal can not be slathered in Velveeta.  Also, we usually cook for 4-6 people, since Dave takes leftovers to work almost everyday.

*I like the ones with the pizza and little brownie!