No Eggs for the Pea

Yep.  He's allergic.  I had a hunch after a whole lot of puking every time he ate anything with egg in it.  There's only so many times that you can say, "What a co-inky-dink!"  And yet again, I find myself thinking, "Trust your mom gut!"  The nurses and doctors brushed off my concerns the first couple times because there was no hives or anaphylaxis (thank you, God!).  But I just had this deep down feeling that he was allergic to eggs.

Looking over his list of "hidden egg items", I was a little surprised by a few of them...bologna?  Turkish delight?  (Not so much surprised that turkish delight has egg in it...although I didn't know that...as surprised that they would bother putting it on the list.)

The good news is that egg is an allergy that most kids grow out of.  The bad news is that an already overprotective mommy has now been given more reason to be.

Couple Pea pics:

Funny conversation in Chick-fil-A last Thursday:
Me:  Thank you so much!
Nice Lady Helping Me With The High Chair: Oh, you're so welcome!  You have a beautiful little boy.
Me:  Why, thank you.
NLHMWTHC: With those curls, he would make such a beautiful little girl.
Me:  We're getting them cut off tomorrow.

The Run-In

Me: Oh, hi! (Awkward pause) It's been a long time.

Blog:  Yeah...a really long time.

Me:  Indeed. (Even more awkward pause) Yeah, I've just been very busy.  And stuff.

Blog:  Yeah, me, too.

Me:  Really?  I mean...yeah.

Blog:  I heard you went to Disneyworld.

Me:  Yes...that is...where we went.

Blog:  Well, if you ever want to share any of those pictures, just...call me...or...

Me:  I will.  I mean it.

Blog:  Great.  And you, umm, you look good.

Me:  So do y--look, let's not do this.

Cutest Video I've Seen In a Long Time

This single baby actually has talent.

Shout Out Friday

Check out my sister Ellen's Etsy shop!  Because she's kind of awesome.

She makes cartoon portraits, sculptures, kokeshi-esh peg dolls, and adoption-related what-nots.  I heard a rumor (okay, from our mother) that she's started making wedding toppers as well.  Also, she loves to do custom stuff (she did a custom painting of the Pea when he was born for his nursery, and for his birthday, she made him a little giraffe).

Also also, she's going to start making nesting dolls, and who doesn't love nesting dolls?  a curdmudgeon that no one likes, that's who.

Happy Labor Day!

Technically, the only "laboring" I've done all day is getting dressed up in Hog garb and heading to Chick-fil-A for a free chicken sandwich.

My mom was even in town this morning, so I got a nap.

Yippee!

Shout Out Friday!

Yeah, I'm starting this...it may or may not last.

Shout out to Sara for introducing me to Alf's Natural Nutrition Puffed Brown Rice.  $1 for a bag of it.

What it is:  Whole brown rice

What it is not:  Anything else whatsoever

Note To The Person Who Stole My Stroller from Hobby Lobby

I may not know who you are, but Jesus does.

And you are making Him cry.

To be fair, I left the stroller under the cart, and when I came back for it, it was gone. But what kind of person wouldn't take a BABY STROLLER into the store's lost and found?

Calling All Gleeks!

FOX is re-airing the Glee pilot with additional footage and performances tonight at 9/8c.  Then the season premiere is next week.  Squee!!

(Thanks, GreenBeanTeenQueen for keeping me up to speed.)

Puppies Dressed As Cats (08/27/09)

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

An Open Letter to the Pea

Dear Pea,
Have I done something to offend you?  Or is there just some cranky, grumpy, you-may-have-brought-me-into-this-world-but-I-will-take-you-out, mood-swingy phase you're going through right now?

Or is it just teething?

Sincerely,
Your Loving Mother

 

I have to share this story really quickly:  I was flipping through my Google Reader, and I caught a glimpse of this picture of a baby wearing a bib just like the Pea's.  Then, I looked closer and said, "Oh, he really looks like the Pea."  Closer inspection:  Okay, that is the Pea.  My friend Amy hosted an awesome pool party last weekend, and she captured this sweet dinner shot.  Because nothing says pool party like jarred corn.  :)

My Bologna has a First Name

It's p-e-w-w-w-w-w.

I'm facing a tiny conundrum (and by tiny, I mean really, truly miniscule).

I bought some Oscar Meyer Cajun Seasoned chicken lunch meat.  It tastes yummy.  It smells like a small animal crawled into my fridge and died a horrible death.  Putting it in tupperware has helped to contain the stench  somewhat.  But each time I open it, it overwhelms.

What to do?  Throw it out?  Tough it out?

I'm pretty frugal, so I'm leaning towards toughing it out, but I just wanted to give everyone a fair warning for your own lunches.

A Bouquet of Freshly Sharpened Pencils

I love that image from "You've Got Mail".  I don't have a school-aged child yet.  It's been awhile since I've been a student (less time than you might think due to my oh-so-utilized graduate degree).  But there's just something about this time of year that sends my heart aflutter.

School supplies lined up ready to go, the smell of new textbooks (one of my favorite scents), crinkly backpacks that haven't been broken in.  I love it!  All of it!

My niece is starting pre-K tomorrow...I'm so excited for her!


On a side note, I've finally put my finger on who (what) my son's crawl reminds me of.  He crawls with both hands, one knee, and a foot.

Gollum.  (or, rather, Smeagol as he's so sweet, and I'm a geek)

A Word of Advice for Dating in the Dark Contestants

Just show up on the balcony.

He may be shorter than you. She may have a big forehead.

Isn't an awkward hug with a limo ride better than the "...but his teeth weren't straight enough" walk of shame? It's not like you're agreeing to marry the person. Just ditch them by e-mail a week later. If they end up being a stalker, you can sue the network. There you go, a win-win.

The only excuse that doesn't make you look like a shallow harpy? He was too handsy/she was moving too fast. Or we had nothing in common...I wouldn't care if he was Brad Pitt.

Seriously. Just show up on the balcony.


On a related note, Glee, your fall premiere cannot come too soon.

Dog Days of Summer

I always know that I've hit that point of summer (the point where the thought of doing anything but following the Pea around the air-conditioned house and slurping a popsicle is laughable) when I open my cookbook before heading to the store and cannot find one recipe (not a one!) that I have any desire to make.  (Yes, I realize that was the world's longest run-on sentence, but it's too hot to go back and fix it.)

It's too hot to go swimming.  Summer has jumped the shark.

Come join me in my lethargy.

Dogpatch U.S.A.

I had a random memory as Bill and I were driving back from seeing Wicked Saturday night. (It was okay...if by "okay" you mean "FRIGGIN' AWESOME!!!!")



We got on the topic of band experiences. Bill was kind of hot snot in a hot snot Atlanta band. By his senior year, he was the drum major. I grew up in Arkansas. His band went to places like New York City and Sea World. Our band went to Dogpatch U.S.A.** If you're never heard of Dogpatch, there's a reason. If you HAVE heard of Dogpatch, you probably grew up within a one hour radius of me.

Dogpatch dreamed of being "the next Disneyland". The only problem was that they (a) built it in the middle of Nowhere, Arkansas; (b) based it on the capers of Lil' Abner; (c) y'know, I really can't think of a (c)...I feel that (a) & (b) are more than sufficient reasons for failure.

And we didn't just go to Dogpatch, we PLAYED at Dogpatch. For whom? I'm really not sure. Our parents and the other three poor souls who actually paid to go to the park that day? The park finally closed for good in 1993. I can't remember the exact year we went, but it had to be within 1 or 2 years of its closing. The only thing I remember that was left open was the ferris wheel, the train (which you could easily jump off of mid-ride), and some random retired circus elephants.

Does anyone else remember this? Sara?

And does anyone have any good memories of Dogpatch in its heyday? That would make me feel a little better.

Oh, and you can watch a simultaneously hilarious and depressing news story about it. Please don't judge the entire state by this. Please.

**In our band director's defense, we also went to Washington D.C. my junior year and played on the Capitol steps.

The Chick-fil-A Way

Ever had a day that you were just blown away by the customer service everywhere you went? I had one of those days yesterday. Maybe I was interpreting adequate service as exceptional because I was in a good mood. Maybe everyone was just in a good mood because the weather wasn't stifling.

Whatever it was/is, Bill and I call this kind of service "the Chick-fil-a Way". Anytime I stop and take notice of how well I'm being treated, it makes me think of my favorite fast food joint. Seriously, I don't know what's in their training manual, but it works. Perhaps it just says, "Treat every customer as if he or she is the only person in the restaurant...and your long-lost grandma."

Of course, when a Chick-fil-a experience goes awry, it is all the more noticeable. But those instances are rare and easily forgiveable.

And I even won the "every 100th customer free meal" the other night. And and they gave me a sticker. The actual conversation went a little something like this:

Chick-fil-A Chick: Oh! I have some good news for you...

Me: (gasp!) Am I the 100th customer? Am I? Am I?

Chick: Yes! (whispers) We have to ring the cowbells, is that okay?

Me: Uh, YEAH!

Chick: (Rings cowbell, other employees join in) Oh, and could I ask you to wear this sticker?

Me: Uh, YEAH!!!

And I wore it all night so that the other Harry Potter movie-goers could be jealous of my free Chick-fil-A 8 count nugget meal. Nom nom nom.

What is WRONG with me?

The Pea gets up at 6 a.m. He does this every. single. morning. (except for when he gets up at 5:45)

And every morning, I swear that I will go to bed early that night.

It's 11:09. I am not even getting ready for bed yet. Plech. Night Karen wins again.


How 'bout an old school stink eye Pea pic?

She's Got the Look

I'm having a very meh week, wardrobe-wise. I suppose it started with the tinkle incident last Saturday. The thing is, I just don't care. I hate that feeling of "letting oneself go". And I'm really not intending to. It's just kind of...happened.

Case in point: I am out of hair gel, almost out of a makeup, need a haircut, have a 3 month-old pedicure, and am suffering from serious clothes envy every time I hang out with one of my friends who wears cute little skirts to go grocery shopping (ummm...and that feels like all of them). All of these are highly fixable. It's just that most days, the Pea is either going to pee, spit up, drool, or worse on said clothes before lunch.

I think I need to have a pamper Karen day pronto. Not so much because I desperately want one. In fact, more because I don't.

Cuteness Strikes Back

It occurs to me that I promised a lightsaber pic and never delivered. I give you...the Pea-duan:


(note the lazy ton-ton in the background)

Piddle Puddle

Why, why, why do I stray from Pampers Cruisers?  WHY??

I noticed on my last trip to Sam's that the cost per diaper difference between Pampers and Huggies was noticeable.

Mistake #1:  "How different can Huggies be?"

Immediately, I noticed that they didn't have that Pampers fresh smell to them and didn't quite hug him like the ol' Pampers.

Mistake #2:  "Well, that's just aesthetics.  I'm sure they work just as well or they wouldn't be a top-selling brand.  I like their wipes."

Flash-forward to this afternoon when I decided to kill a little time with the Pea in a new doggy boutique while Bill sold back some DVD's to Vintage Stock. 

Mistake #3: Okay, I don't even know how this happened.  All I know is that one minute, I was looking at custom doggy thongs (DO NOT ASK!!), and the next minute, there was a puddle of Henry's pee-pee on the floor and my pants.  The bizarre thing was that the diaper wasn't all that wet, and he didn't pee on his clothes at all.  Thankfully, with that many quivering little dogs around, there was already a lot of mopping going on.

And I will never buy anything but Pampers again.  This time I mean it.