- This past weekend Anthony woke up at four in the morning, met up with some friends, and drove about an hour away to Patterson to compete in his second Tough Mudder competition. Last time they competed in Tahoe while there was still snow on the ground and the cold plus the altitude made it a very difficult (but, for those masochists, still very fun) race. This time they faced the heat of the Valley plus the steep rocky terrain of the foothills. Anthony had been preparing for this event for months, as soon as his recovery from surgery allowed, and he was well prepared. His team’s theme this time was Super Heroes so they all came decked out in shirts representing a hero. Anthony thought the Flash was particularly appropriate for this event, and since he’s one of Isobel’s favorites, she approved.
- While Anthony ran his obstacle-laden race, I ran mine at home: it was my first major attempt at solo-parenting and on top of it all Elias had picked up a first first cold (probably at the germy pediatrician’s office) and we spent a long night together. When Isobel woke up the next day I told her that we were going to spend some quality time watching movies because I was up by myself with the baby all night since Anthony needed sleep for the race. “You could have woken me, up, Mimi. I would have helped,” she said. This was all very sweet and heart-melting, but her version of “helping” when Elias cries is to scream-sing lullabies over and over so he can hear them over the sound of his cries.
- I’m trying to figure out something special to do for my mom for Mother’s Day that I can put together on our extremely tight budget. She has always been there for us but since the end of my pregnancy and after Elias’ birth she has just gone above and beyond, taking care of what she can and helping out in countless ways. She is one of the reasons I don’t want to ever move. I’m not sure what I’d do without her. I have an idea for something small I could make her but any gift I could make or buy would really fall short of what she’s given us. Both sets of our parents have supported us entirely and gone out of their way for us during this past awful year. Many of our friends can’t or don’t have great relationships with their parents, which makes me extra grateful for ours.
- I am so behind on everything. I probably owe you an email.
- Anthony is such a fantastic father he makes seahorses look bad. Even though I’m a 24-hour milk machine for the baby he does the majority of late night rocking and tending to our wakeful baby. I feel like our parenting is split evenly down the middle which I absolutely did not expect would be the case while I breastfed. In addition to this he’s been taking classes, going on interviews, researching companies, and oh yeah, training for that race. I’m still recovering my energy from the surgery and can hardly manage to cook dinner most nights. Although Elias only wakes up once or twice during the night, he’s usually up for a couple hours each time he does wake up. The more exhausted he is the more likely he is to talk in his sleep, and one night I heard Anthony say, “Does she have a ‘stache painted on her? She was wearing a small bat.” I really hope he was dreaming about Isobel, because I keep picturing her with a handlebar mustache and a Louisville slugger and laughing.
Sponsor Spotlight: Little Big Bazaar. These are a few of my favorite thing.
Follow Friday: The Flower & The Bee. The funniest tweets and photos from my garden.
Scrapbook: Poppies, Orange & Pink. Color explodes in my unruly garden.
Snapshot 04.09.14. Getting my groove back, Isobel’s birthday party, and exciting washer & dryer updates.
Follow Friday: Birthday Baby Isobel. Isobel turned five last Friday. I feature hilarious tweets and adorable photos of Baby Isi.
How long can you wait to have a baby? I always wanted to be a mom, but I didn’t feel ready until I was nearly 30. An OBGYN told me at 25 I was running out of time. That was some bullshit advice, doctor. Via brittneyg
Mom’s embarrassing me again. Via ScottLinnen
Someone who writes for Skymall reports from the front lines of writing for Skymall. This is hilarious. Via edyong209
“So many 20-somethings will be dressed like this for Coachella.”
The Evolution of Hotter. Via VioletThunk
Hopped-up Punks with Uncontrollable Appetites. This looks pretty useful, actually. Via soypunk
“She just stood there like this, eating my fucking porridge.” This is probably my new favorite twitter account. Via CrapTaxidermy
Scrapbook: Picked by Isobel. A collection of lovely bouquets picked by my daughter.
Follow Friday: Market Hauls. Hilarious tweets and photos of my farmer’s market hauls.
Scrapbook: Mezza Luna. Isobel’s first foray into chopping food with a knifelike object.
Snapshot 04.24.14. Vintage Care Bear gifts, fort building, and why I love living here.
Little Big Kitchen: Memories of Mexico. My friend Jose tells about his experiences with food growing up in rural Mexico.