New Things About Holden

I haven't posted for a while about all that my little guy is doing. So here are some new things about Holden:

Poor Holds is teething: And this time, it's not just one tooth. It's like all his lower teeth all at once. I don't know if he's getting his uppers yet because he won't let me see. All I know is that he's in a lot of pain.

He loves going outside: The only thing that makes him happy is going outside. Good thing it's good weather right now. He can say about 15 words: He says Mama, Daddy, Dedee (Holden's name for himself), Popcorn (sounds like tkl tkl), Ball, Dog, Nana (for Nana Lois), one, two, three, and on. Just cute little words.

He loves the daycare at the gym: He can't wiggle out of my arms fast enough now. We get to the gym in the morning and he takes off like a speeding bullet towards the slide. It's so funny. Guilt-free work out for me.

We have to go, go, go: Right now since eating holds no pleasure for him (teething), we just have to get out. He loves running errands, playing outside and just going.

Holden loves to read: For someone who has no attention span with toys, it's interesting that he likes to read so much. But really, he can't stand listening to the whole book. You have to speed read to satisfy him.

TV is a no go: I didn't let Holden watch TV for the first year or so of his life. But now, when it would be nice to have a little peace while I'm trying to make dinner every night, he doesn't like it. Seriously, he can't hold still long enough to care about it. It was the same thing with binkies. I didn't let the hospital give him one and then when I figure out it would be nice to cork him, it was a no go. Oh well. Probably a good thing.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Pool

I wish I had a picture of Holden yesterday at the Lehi Legacy Center Pool. On the spur of the moment, we decided to go swimming with Papa Ted and Nana Lois down in Lehi. We hustled down there, bought a $7 swim diaper, because Holden's baby one was too small, and a $5 pass and thought we were going to have the time of our lives watching Holden splash and play in the water.
Have you ever been to the Legacy Center? They have this huge bucket of water that fills up and then dumps all over the kids area. It's totally cool to watch. Totally not cool to get dunked by it. That was the second mistake I made. I sat with Holden near the kids area with our backs to the big bucket and we got dumped on by the bucket.


The first mistake was letting Holden walk on the sidewalk by the pool, he totally slipped on the floor and fell on his bum. That really ticked him off. And then getting dumped on basically ruined his life. After that, he was terrified of the Legacy Center. He had both arms wrapped tightly around my back. Everytime I tried to remove them and switch positions, he'd start this lip quivering thing that broke my heart - and then started bawling. Not even Papa Ted could make him happy.

The only thing that slightly amused him was watching the babies go down this water slide mountain. He never let go of me, but he would crack a grin if the babies jostled and bonked a little down the slide. He must have my sick sense of humor.

PS - I haven't updated this blog in forever. I am focusing my attention on my personal/work blog http://alicesworld.wordpress.com. Catch you later!

Holdens' Bday Bash Recap (Finally)

These have been a long time in coming, I know. Here are the pictures from Holden's First Birthday party. The theme, if you can remember back that far, was Wizard of Oz.



















Holden LOVED his cake. He's like me; he loves anything sweet. He carefully and delicately picked off one of the tiny frosting apples off the cake, decided he liked that, then picked up the whole piece and shoved it in his face. He had it so far up his nose we were worried he couldn't breathe!




It was a fun day. He got loads of attention, fun presents and toys, and we all got to visit with our family and friends.

Go Diego!

I turned on Cartoons last night for Holden in a desperate effort to finish dinner. Holden gets inexplicably cranky around 6:00 PM. He's not hungry, he's not poopy, he's not ready for bed, ???? Anyway, I feel quite pleased with myself that I have gone 13 months without relying on TV as an entertainment source for my kid. And I realized last night that even if I had, it wouldn't have worked. Holden could not have been less interested in Go Diego. He looked at it for five seconds and then moved right out of the living room to come stumble around underneath my feet in the kitchen.

I guess I should feel pleased he likes me so much. But I sure wish something would capture his attention for more than 5 seconds. We go through toys and rooms like you wouldn't believe. We probably need to get out more; but when you're working from home it seems overwhelming to leave the house. I feel thrilled when we make it to the gym twice a week.

Anyway, my munchkin is calling....

Holden's Kissing Cousin

Holden is now walking. I would show a video of this but Wes is the technologically-advanced one in the family (next to Holden) and hasn't taught me yet how to post these things. It will be coming soon though. But you'll see who Holden is walking towards below. This is kind of like a video....

This is Olivia, Holden's cousin once removed. He's totally obsessed with her. And she plays so nicely with him.

But if you know Holden, you know he only wants one thing: to bite you. He was appropriately dressed up for Halloween as a vampire bat. He loves to come in like he's looking to kiss you and then lock his 8 teeth into you and bite. It's terribly painful and terribly funny.

And he's got the Warren persistence in him. He'll just keep at you until he's got you right where he wants you - and then "kiss and chomp!"

Holden's First Birthday Party

The hunt of the Holden monster

I wonder how old Holden will be when he's embarrassed about me showing nakker pictures of him. Probably about the same time when he's embarrassed that his mom kissed him in front of his friends. "Geez, mom what if they see!?," he'll say. Or "stay in the car mom" because he's ashamed of my clothes or my hat - which I'm sure will be fantastic. "You're so lame, mom" he'll say exasperatingly - or whatever synonym is considered en vogue then. But I'll not care. I'll think about the times he used to cling to me when I dropped him off at school, the open-mouth kisses he used to plant on me when he was a baby, the way he used to stretch his arms out to me the way he never does to anyone else, or the days like these where he wanted nothing more than to chase us around the house and "get us." And then I'll stop crying and think of the nekker pictures and videos I can blackmail him with if he ever gives me any lip in front of his friends.

Ah, the glories of being a mom.

Why I Love My Man

I have been Man-Tagged by Becca so here it goes:

What is your husbands name? Wesley (Wessie for everyday, Wes for when I'm all business, Weeeehhhhs for when I'm whiny, and Wesley for when I'm getting after him)

How long have you been married? 2 1/2 years

How long did you date? We dated for a record-breaking 8 months before we got married! I never thought I'd be that girl. But we were so that couple. When you know it, you just know it.

How old is he? I think he's 27. I robbed the cradle all right? Back off! I couldn't help myself.

Who eats more sweets? We're both sugar babies but I think that would have to be me. Or Holden.

Who said I love you first? I did - over a tea pot.

Who is taller? Hello! If I married younger I had to at least marry taller. He's a perfect height - 6'3" but he pretends he's 6'4".

Who can sing the best? Is it really best when there's only two? I think it's better. Anyway, we both like to sing but I do it more often. He loves music and knows way more about it than I do.

Who is smarter? Wes graduated high school with honors without even lifting a finger. I did but only because I studied my guts out. College was the exact same. He's naturally smarter than anyone I've ever met. He knows how to do everything.

Who does the laundry? We share that responsibility - as with most chores. Wes is amazing at being a true equal partner. He's the best dad in the world and the best husband.

Who pays the bills? I do. That way I get to yell at him for spending $10.00 for lunch when I spend $60.00 on my hair. I like this arrangement.

Who mows the lawn? Wes does. I love the perfect grass lines he creates. Everything he spends time doing, he does perfectly!

Who cooks dinner? I do mostly - but he always cleans up!

Who drives? Wes thinks I'm the worst driver ever. And I have to confess that my driving record would support that theory, so when we're together he drives :)

Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? I would say that's me - I'm very matter of fact about when I screw up. It takes Wes a little longer to come around when he's at fault (which is rare) but he always does.

Who kissed who first? Ummm, I think it went something like this - Amber: "Are you going to kiss me?" Wes: "Um, uh, well yea! I was getting around to that!" Amber: "Well I have to work in the morning so I can't sit around all night waiting for it!"

Who asked who out first? Wes asked me out and was hilarious about it. I loved talking to him on the phone. I said no, since I was seeing someone else, but he was undeterred. He kept calling me and I was so impressed with his persistence that I finally agreed to go out with him! The first night we went out I knew that I loved him.

Who wears the pants? Wes lets me take the lead but his stubborn, oppositional defiant side keeps me in check from being too bossy.

:)

I am tagging Heather, Jaime and Trisha

The rules for this tag: answer questions about your spouse, list names of people you are tagging in your post, then leave a comment on their blog letting them know they've been tagged.

How to Host a Murder

Last week my family did a "How to Host a Murder," set France in the 40's. I was a haughty, tempestuous French princess and Wes was an American black market runner/hit man. We thought he looked just like Rhett Butler!

I had a french accent the whole time and it turns out I was the murderer. So that was cool.

I like seeing people "act" as someone they are not. I think it's fun to see people in different shoes. Wes had a good time too. I think that's why we get into Halloween. We love dressing up.

This year, Holden is going to be a bat. But we haven't decided what we should be yet. What accompanies a bat? I could pretend Holden is a vampire bat and go as a "bitten" woman. Haha, that would be funny. The first year I met Wes he was a vampire and I was a woman he bit. And Holden really does like to bite me. He hasn't yet drawn blood but that's not for lack of trying. :)

Anyway, do you have any ideas for what I should be? What are you going as?

Greatest Post-Season Comeback Team Ever Does It Again

I was "stuck" at the Fleet Foxes concert last night and was only able to watch the Red Sox v. Rays game 5 of the ALCS into the 5th inning. With the Sox trailing 7-0 in the game, and 3-1 in the series, it looked like the Rays would be moving on to the World Series for sure. But for the last 2 innings I was glued to the glow of my phone, refreshing the at-bats every 20 seconds. Papi (finally) came through for a huge 3-run homerun, and J.D. Drew woke up for a 2-run HR (both delivering in the post season like they did last year). Coco Crisp singled in the tying run (after an 11-pitch at-bat!), and when Youk managed to get on 2B after a Longoria throwing error, J.D. Drew, again, came through with a ground-rule double to score Youk for the win.
I guess there were a ton of Sox fans who left at the end of the 7th inning when the Sox were down 7-0. They should know better. Reminds me of when Payne and I were at Game 2 of the Jazz v. Warriors series when the Jazz battled back with under a minute to go (with D. Fish entering the arena in dramatic fashion) to force the game into OT where we eventually won. Sooooo many fans left when the Jazz were down 5 with under a minute. Jonathan and I scoffed at them all from our seats in a luxory suite - both because they were giving up on the Jazz, and because we were obviously better than them because of our VIP seats.
This was the greatest one-game comeback in post-season history, and what better team to do it than the Sox! I don't particularly expect the Sox to win the next two games (the Rays are absolutely for real), but this game sure felt good.

Seriously? Delilah?!

I mean, come on!
Does anyone with a shred of intelligence listen to her? I may be ruffling some feathers here (hopefully - I do love controversy!), but I can't imagine anyone with any kind of intelligent thoughts in their head turning on Delilah in the evenings and thinking, "Man, there's no better way to end my day than with lame, sappy, pathetic, smarmy love stories, partnered with history's crappiest soft rock! And the deep profundity of the insights offered by the radio callers is inspiration in its purest form. Wisdom and romantic perception, thy name is is 'Delilah.'"

And by all indications, this is really how Delilah is in real life. Check out her fluffy autobio on her website:


If you had the constitution to make it through that entire snippet without offering up your lunch to the porcelain god, I salute you.
I have the same overriding gripe about the schlock on her show that I do about the horrific indie/emo music that's polluting our airwaves: if you have to contort and manipulate your voice in an effort to emote, then what you have to say/sing is worthless. If your message itself isn't compelling or powerful enough to cause a genuine emotional reaction, it's criminal to try and force that emotional reaction by enfusing your own voice with faked theatrics.

Despite the fact that some of my best friends listen to Delilah religously (on Sundays I can't get Kevin Leggat to shut up about how "awesome" the previous night's Delilah segment was), I defy anyone to convince me how Delilah's show is in anyway defensible.

(If you're not familiar with the show, consider yourself lucky. If you're curious as to why the huge stink about a radio show, tune into COSY 106.5 any week night to find out. Don't get me wrong - I listen to COSY because I loves me some Phil Collins, Hall & Oates, Lionel Richie, and Christopher Cross. But when Delilah comes on, I stop my car wherever I'm at, get out, throw my keys into the night sky, and walk the rest of the way. Kevin will usually drive my car home for me at that point because he's always jonesing for a chance to listen to Delilah.)

My good little eater

I just wanted you all the share in our fun breakfast this morning. Wes and I just laughed and laughed - which, of course, makes Holden laugh and try to be even funnier. Holden ate loads of mush and toast this morning and loved it. He seriously ate more than I did. I love that he'll eat whatever I cook. He has a wider palette than most adults I know. And before you tell me that this will change as he becomes a toddler - save your breath to cool your own porridge! I know this may change but I'm going to revel in it while I can. It's so nice not having to cook two different meals every time we eat. I love it.

I don't know if this has anything to do with our food philosophy or whether it's just him. I guess we'll see in time. We never feed him baby food. The food in jars at the store just look homogenized and creepy to me. Roast beef that has the same liquidy texture as peaches grosses me out. So I actually never bought any baby food from the store. Right out of the gates at 6 mo he was eating table food just mashed up. I did blend up and freeze (in ice cube trays) a variety of foods to try out my own hand in making baby food but even that has texture that more closely resembles the actual food than the stuff you can buy at the stores. And this only lasted a few weeks because as soon as he got teeth, he wanted more to bite into. He loves all fruit, especially peaches and berries; all vegetables, particularly spinach and broccoli; he'll eat lasagna, falafal, shwarmas, musaka, hamburgers, any variety of pasta and any kind of Mexican food.

He doesn't seem to like yogurt. He loves tomatoes and anything salty or really sweet. He gets sick of chicken pretty quickly. And plain wheat bread bores him - he likes it toasted with butter.

Alas, I may be feeding him only PB&J's when he's a toddler but for now, I am truly grateful that he's so adventurous with food.

Midnight Snack

One of my favorite memories of childhood was getting midnight snacks. We actually never ate our midnight snacks at Midnight per se, but it might as well have been. To my young childhood sensibilities, eating after dark, right before bedtime felt as exciting and scandalous as staying up until Midnight. I loved those times - sitting at the table with my sister and sharing ice cream and cake with our mother or chocolate milk and toast with our dad. Food always tasted better at night. I think I might have passed this excitement down to Holden genetically - which would explain why he was so excited about eating a cracker at 10:00 PM the other night. We put him down for bed and he just kept crying for some reason. We thought he might have a tummy ache so we fed him a cracker and hung out with him the in the kitchen for a bit. He couldn't have been more pleased. Afterwards he went down easily and slept . . . like a baby.

Holden's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

Holden has been sick all week. I gave my best Anne of Green Gables attempt at nurturing, loving, coddling, treating and doctoring him - but nothing made my poor boy feel any better except for the ibuprofen my doctor assured me I should just keep pouring down his throat.

Tuesday he had a fever all day. He lay there languid and limp while I took a rectal temperature to find out what we were dealing with. If he were well, he would have kicked, screamed and glared at me like "woman, are you insane? Of all the dirty tricks, get that out!" Instead he shook his had slowly and said "nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh." It was so sad. The nurse said the fever wasn't bad enough to come in and to call if he stopped sleeping. He slept all day.

Wednesday his fever continued, unrelenting but still mild. I must say that I slightly enjoyed being able to actually hold him - something he never lets me do when he's well.

Thursday the fever subsided and brought out the monster that has apparently laid dormant in Holden for 9 1/2 months. He screamed all day long. All day long except for two hours when my parents came and played with us. When it was just me he would push me away, pull me close, push me away, pull me close and push me away - all while screaming at the top of his lungs.

(Consequently, he has no voice today. Anytime he tries to cry, nothing comes out. He stops, bewildered, and then forgets what he was crying about.)

Thursday was so bad that I found myself actually lying in bed, under the sheets, hiding from my son. I kept repeating the mantra I'd chanted all day "please stop screaming please stop screaming please stop screaming." Unfortunately it had no magical power to calm my miserable baby so we could both take a nap.

(Have I mentioned that his no voice today is something of a relief?)

We went to the doctor. Who was not my doctor by the way. I paid $25 to hear it was a virus and that there is nothing I can do but keep him comfortable. Which Ive learned in doctor-ease is a nice way of saying drugged. He actually had the nerve - despite my panic and my baby screaming - to interupt me describing what had been going on and what symptoms poor Holds had. Seriously, I was in mid sentence when he looked away from me to the wall across from him at some small holes in it and say "huh, are those new? I've never noticed them before." I stopped. Stared at the wall. Stared back at him with this incredulous look on my face (one might call that look "You're about to get sucker punched you toad") and continued on with my son's symptoms without acknowledging his deflection.

Friday I went to work. Sweet, glorious excuse to leave the house. Wes stayed home with Holden most of the day and we had our wonderful, fantastic nanny Kiera too. Holden was in a sorry state most of the morning, but has been doing better since.

Saturday has shown signs of continued improvement. He's taking good, long naps. But now he has a rash.

(And no voice. But I'm not complaining).

Money is the Root of All

I hate when people say that money is the root of all evil without admitting that it is also the root of all good. Most charitable acts are possible because of money - because we can afford to be generous. People who can give of their share their food, house, cars, clothes, etc have those things to share because of money. While it may be true that some of the most miserable people I've ever known have a lot of money, some of the most generous people I know have a lot of money too. Obviously what one chooses to do with his/her money defines whether or not money is good or bad for them.

I hate being tight on money - I think it's terrifying and uncomfortable. I remember back in college my job as a nanny ended and I decided not to work that semester so I could concentrate on school. I remember not being able to buy toothpaste. I had to use my roommate's toothpaste and she kept hiding it from me. That only lasted for a week (thank goodness) before I went home and raided my mom's house. But not having money sucked. I'm fascinated by money. I'm fascinated how people can make money without really working very hard and others work themselves to shreds and don't get enough. I'm fascinated by the very real feeling that no matter how much money you make, it always seems like you need more. I'm fascinated by people who don't like money (that's as strange to me as a pigeon that doesn't peck). I'm fascinated by I'm fascinated by how people let their money change them.

Growing up, there was this family in Bountiful who didn't have a ton of money - and they had this son who had a lot of medical problems but he had a lot of friends who would come over the house and see him. Well all of the sudden this family got a ton of money, bought a huge house and gave this son a huge room so that people could come see him and be more comfortable. But then it was like they were ticked off that so many more people came to see him. They assumed we were all there for the nice house and the money. I don't know the situation all that well - I only when twice (once in the small house, once in the big house) but it's like having money made the parents bitter. It was so weird.

And then I wonder if I am any different. When I went to Ghana I remember feeling quite used for my things, particularly in the village of Nsaakina. From what I could tell the people were very nice and helpful.... but I was interested in making deep, lasting friendships but they were just interested in my stuff (ie my money, CD player, etc). I felt lonely and used. And of course all this was compounded by the fact that I was a pasty white freak show they just wanted to come after school to watch. :) It wasn't that bad - but it was interesting to be a minority. Anyway but I wonder if that's how that family felt and that makes it more understandable why they were irritated.

Hmm well now I've been totally sidetracked on what I'm talking about. Now I'm thinking that maybe money has nothing to do with your generosity. Like maybe the two aren't mutually inclusive or mutually exclusive. They are two totally different matters. Well if that's the case then I want both - to be generous and to have money. Just so that I never have to worry about having toothpaste.

Happiest Place on Earth

I hate doing back-to-back posts but I just had to throw up some pictures from Anaheim tonight too. It was so much fun. We stayed in Anaheim and went to Disneyland, the beach and RADIOHEAD! It was the best concert ever. I'm sure Wes will have plenty to say on that score. We met up with our friends Caleb and Trisha and had so much fun together. Holden was such a trooper despite the long days sans regular naps, being off schedule, having to be pushed or carried everywhere, etc. We all had such a fun trip.

"Our Trip to Bear Lake" Or "Finally I Got the Camera Back!"

The New Face on Holden Warren

Holden has this new face that is among the Top Ten favorite things.
(The display of my Top Ten Happiest Things list TBA).

He offsets his jaw like this . . . and then pinches up his nose and breathes really loudly while glowering at you.

He used to display it out only when he was concentrating or irritated. But now he pulls it out anytime he's feeling naughty, precocious or coy . . . consequently we see this face all day.

He's such a crack up.

Why I Like My Hometown

I realized today that I only blog when I have pictures - usually of Holden - to blog about. And since Wes is a camera hog (admittedly much better though at taking pictures than I) I don't have any. You'll have to take my word for it that Holden is as cute as ever. But since this blog was never meant to be a mommy blog - since it was Wes who actually started it, I think I'll expand my writing horizons every now and then and make other posts - non related to the day to day occurrences of my boy.

I always get asked why I live where I do. And I get pressure to move out of the "hood." But I love my neighborhood. I call Salt Lake my hometown because I hated so much where I was actually raised. I still can't drive North into Davis County without feeling a little queasy.

Bountiful to me really is a place of bounty: Bounty of the financially over-expensed. Bounty of steep hills where riding your bike as a kid was truly perilous. Bounty of snow on steep driveways in the winter which I had to shovel - every day. Bounty of homogenization. Bounty of judgment. Bounty of secret keepers. Bounty of the miserable who try very hard to pretend life is perfect.

Sugarhood on the other hand is exactly the opposite. I love this place because our neighbors don't disown us if we haven't cut our lawn in 10 days. But at the same time you don't find beer cans or all over your lawn after your neighbor has a party. I love this place because it's a true neighborhood in the sense that you have stores, libraries, parks, boutiques and gyms close enough to walk to. I love this place because the houses were built to last. I love knowing that someone lovingly picked out this house in the 1900's and that this cozy bungalow style will never be outdated. I love this place because you have easy access to the freeway. I love this place because our neighbors are different from me - but all friendly. I love this place because the trees enclose the houses in a protective, loving sort of way. I love this place because Holden and I can sit outside and watch enough cars and neighbors and pets going by to keep him entertained for at least an hour. And finally, I love this place because there is always something more to work on - just like there is with me.

The Perils of Vanity

Sounds like a conference talk, huh?
Oh, and he was fine. He was just shocked that someone so good looking would attack him like that.