The Stitch

I had to listen to it a couple times, but I like it. I really like it.

My abundantly awesome husband, in an effort to do his part to keep the earth a healthy place in which to live, has done his part to contribute to "green" living, by replacing all of the household lightbulbs with flourescent, bought recycled paper towels and recycled toilet paper. However, after trying the recycled toilet paper, we've decided that there is a limit to how "green: we're willing to be. Our delicate tushies are not accustomed to the rough sandpapery texture of recycled TP, and we've gone back to aloe-cushioned softness.

My sister, Erin, descibed the feeling of recycled TP best: "Yeah, just hand me that splintery two-by-four so I can wipe my ass, please."

E-Beth is an angel. I'm convinced we have The Perfect Child.

And now we have a second Perfect Child. He eats, falls asleep, poops, farts, wakes up four hours later grunting softly for more food (no crying) and eats again. No joke - this is his life and he seems to be ok with it. I feel a little guilty about having a child who sleeps instead of spending most of the day screaming from colic and needing constant comfort. But I've been told this is what second children expect from their parents. They don't know any better, so it's How It Should Be.

I will be going back to work for one day this week just to test the waters and see how much I can handle right now. Next week I'll be working two days, and will continue to do so until summer season, and then I'll pick up another half day. My goal is to work only two days a week whenever possible so I can spend three full days a week with my babes. I'm a pretty lucky woman to be able to do this - don't think I don't realize this, because I do.

I've lost 30 lbs already. What other diet allows you to lose ten pounds a week in three weeks? Childbirth is the greatest weight loss program on earth - but it's not for everyone.

I love the smell of big hair in the morning, and because I'm determined to bring back the 80s any way I can.

Listen to the whole thing! TRUST ME! Plus, it's a cool video - It's one continuous shot from beginning to end.

Because nothing says love like a little 80s music, big hair and tight, ripped Levis. Enjoy!

We're all settling into our new-family-member routine, and I'm still battling post-surgery pain, otherwise I'd be posting more updates. This C-section has definitely been a lot more painful than the last one and all I can say is that I'm really glad that Mister Vicodin took time to invent such a miraculous painkilling drug. Every day is a little better than the one before, and apart from some bizarre visual disturbances, some finger numbness and a couple of dizzy spells, I'm doing ok.

Adam is wonderful. He wakes, cries once to let us know he's serious about wanting food NOW, eats between 4-6 ounces, then falls back asleep for 4 hours. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

Elizabeth ADORES her new brother and calls him "Atom." She showers him with kisses and talks to him with the tiniest high-pitched baby-talk voice. "Hallo, Atom!" So cute it's painful, and quite possibly the best reaction I ever could have hoped for. What did I do to deserve such an easy transition??

Maybe it just seems easy because of the Vicodin . . .

On a side note, my sister Erin sent us the most fabulous "Glad you had a baby" gift, and purchased a few week's worth of packaged homemade meals from this place for us.

She had us pick out the dinners we wanted, called in the order, and they gave us a time to come pick them up. I called them to let them know Brian was running late on the day of the appointment, and the gentleman on the phone couldn't have been any nicer. I asked how late they were open and he kindly responded, "We will be open until your husband arrives, please tell him to take his time."

Wow. A place that kicks SERIOUS customer service ass. I didn't think they existed anymore. When Brian arrived, he said the place was absolutely immaculate and extremely professional looking. The gentleman who was running the kitchen greeted him at the door with a big smile, and helped Brian load all the meals - everything was packaged and ready to go. Brian was also thrilled with the extremely high level of customer service provided.

I never knew such a place existed and from now on, this is where I will be doing ALL of my future baby shower gift shopping. What an absolutely brilliant idea!

Erin has a few of these places in Virginia too - and she has actually signed up to have ALL of her meals prepared by one of these companies. She's actually SAVING money, because the meals are custom made to fit her family's size, she has completely eliminated the time it takes to do the cooking herself (and can spend more time with the kids), plus, she's not throwing out leftovers, or food she wasn't able to eat before it went bad.

The meals are nutritious, healthy and HOME MADE! So far, the ones we've tried have been extremely tasty and we're really been enjoying them. I highly, highly recommend this company if you're looking for a unique gift for a special someone who may need a bit of help with cooking - or for yourself!

George W. Bush is trying—yet again—to slash funding for NPR and PBS. This week, Bush proposed a new budget with devastating cuts to public broadcasting.¹ "Sesame Street" and other ad-free kids' shows are under the knife. So is the independent journalism our country needs.

Enough is enough. We've fought this fight before and won—but we can't afford the risk anymore. With the new Congress, we can make sure this never happens again. We need Congress to insulate NPR and PBS from the political winds.

We can make it happen if enough of us sign this petition: "Congress must save NPR and PBS once and for all. Congress should guarantee permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling." Clicking here will add your name to the petition:

http://civ.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/o.pl?id=9850-5767129-3hiqvK9qeIjuGYHHHCy_Zg&t=2

After you sign, please forward this email to your friends, family, and co-workers to keep this campaign going. We'll deliver the petition to members of Congress as they consider Bush's budget—offering a public counterpoint to this dangerous attack.

Congress can protect NPR and PBS from future cuts. The long-term solution to save public radio and TV is to:

• fully restore this year's funding
• guarantee a permanent funding stream free from political pressure
• reform how the money is spent and keep partisan appointees from pushing a political bias
  

What's this magical looking thing?

Why, it's a magic waffle-making time machine!

Adam Scot Piper was born at 9:57 am on Wed., Jan. 31. He was 8 lbs. 8 oz. & 20"

We're all home and doing very well! More as we recover!