February 2010 Archives

I'm sure I'll talk about Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs a lot so might as well bring it up now :)

Around October we decided to join a CSA with some friends and split a share.  How this works is you pay up front to a small, locally owned, organic farm and every week you get a box full of veggies of whatever they harvested.  We split a share with some friends because a share can feed a family of four and it halves the price.  We began with Hands of the Earth Farm which has now given their farm to the Urban Roots.  A fantastic non-profit.  Urban Roots is having a CSA but it's a little more expensive than we can afford right now since part of the money goes to pay for the veggies and another part is a kind-of donation to the program.  Maybe one day we will have enough extra income to join this CSA but for now we had to find a different one.  We ended up going with Johnson's Backyard Garden.  (Which, by the way, has a fantastic blog if you're interested in this kind of thing).

Because of this, we have eaten way more veggies than we ever would have otherwise.  Not to mention it has expanded our culinary world to veggies I'm pretty sure I would never have given the time of day.  Consequently, I have really developed a love of cooking.  This is hindered by the Squeaker's constant need to be in my arms but we do the best we can.

This brings me to my point.  In this week's box we got a batch of beets.  Before joining the CSA I had only eaten canned beets when my mom was on this weird diet.  They were plain gross.  After getting them several times in our boxes I figured I should give them another try.  I roasted them several times which turned out good.  But tonight I found a recipe that was dee-licious.  Roasted Beet Salad with Oranges and Beet Greens.  So if you hate beets, give this one a try.  It's very refreshing and not overly beety.  I also love that you can use the whole veggie and not just throw out the leafy part.

If it makes it more palatable you can picture Dwight and Mose picking the beets.  Hmm, maybe that's less palatable.

Today was Kraft's last day of work at the UCC.  Kraft has spent just about every day inside those UCC doors since August 2002.  Holy cow.  That is just about 8 years.  On that fateful day that Kraft went to Mass at the UCC as a lowly little freshman he came out of Mass and Hung Doan saw him and said, "Hey you, you look like a guy.  Come join Lambdas."  And from that moment on, Kraft was hooked.  (Thank God he looks like a guy.)  The UCC has really helped Kraft grow from a cocky know-it-all freshman to a more humble know-it-all husband and father.  What really amazes me is that the UCC encompasses Kraft's entire adult life.  He was 17 when he walked in and is 25 walking out.  He has worked full-time at the UCC for 5 years.  5 years.  Ca-razy.  I have not held a job for more than a year so 5 blows my mind.

While Kraft has grown and learned a lot from the UCC and the people he has met there, Kraft has poured his heart and soul into the place.  He has really helped shape the place and has been instrumental for most great things the place has done for the last 8 years.  Before Kraft started working full-time, he was being paid for 11 hours part-time but was actually working  probably 50 hour weeks.  Probably to the detriment of his academic career, Kraft always worked way more hours for the UCC than he would like to fess up to.

Kraft has been vital to the Lambdas throughout the years.  Officially he has been the Lambda chaplain and president separate years.  But he has helped them through small and very, very large problems.  He planned the 15th year anniversary celebration.  His door has always been open to the many members that needed to talk out issues with him.  While the guys don't always make the best of decisions, Kraft has always been there to firmly but pastorally lead them back to a path of being good and upstanding Catholic men.

Kraft put together and executed the first Phonathon that will happen for the 4th year this year and is the biggest fundraiser that the UCC does.

He has helped plan and MCed countless liturgies, Masses, Triduums, etc.  He has helped cultivate the relationship between the UCC and the bishop.

Kraft has helped put out lots of fires (figurative) from money issues to building issues to differences of personalities on staff to student problems.  With so many students coming through the UCC doors along with your usual group of homeless folks that wander off the drag and parents and resident community members, there was always someone that Kraft needed to help or unruffle feathers.

If you could only see the difference between the computer system/server/technology pre-Kraft and post-Kraft, you would be amazed.  If Kraft did nothing other than the tech stuff for the UCC, it alone would be worthy of praise.  I can't really say what all he has done, mostly because it is more technical than I understand but he has revamped the staff's email and calendar, built the computer lab from scratch, designed and implemented the facilities calendar and room reservation system, and then it gets into stuff I can't explain.

Kraft has improved Student Leadership and has re-started the Knights council that has been dormant for many years.

All of this doesn't mention the countless hours he has spent planning, emailing, counseling, mentoring, chatting, building community, etc, etc.  This is just the stuff I can think of right now and am sure that I am leaving out a lot.  While Kraft has learned a lot from the UCC, Kraft has been invaluable to the UCC.  I know he has made such a huge impact on the community and on many students' lives.  All his work has not been in vain.

We will always be thankful for the UCC.  If it weren't for the UCC, we would never have met.  Kraft's best friends are from the UCC.

Thank God for the UCC and the opportunities it has given Kraft.  Thank God for leading Kraft to the UCC and making him such a dedicated servant.

Today is the end of an era.  The Kraft era.    So, thank you UCC.  You have been good to us and will always have a place in our hearts.

Sometimes I'm really dumb and complain about things mostly because I forget that I need to keep things in perspective.  These are just a couple of the things that have struck me recently that I need to keep in perspective...

I am thankful for Olivia having poop blow outs all the time and farting in public loudly enough to make people shift awkwardly around me because they think it was me.  Some babies have a lot of serious digestive problems.

I am thankful that Olivia wakes up every couple hours at night.  I was getting my hair cut last weekend and another lady was telling her hair stylist about someone she knew that had their baby's funeral that morning because the baby went to sleep and didn't wake up.  SIDS.

I am thankful that my husband has been getting home at 9pm or 10pm most nights after working a full day and having to go train for his new job.  Some of my closest friends had to grow up with their fathers always traveling for work and only getting to see them every other weekend.  Not to mention all the military families that don't see fathers (or mothers) for months or years at a time.

I am thankful that sometimes I get a little bored and lonely at home.  A lot of mothers are not able to stay home with their children because they need to work to make end's meet for the family.

I am thankful.

Today I was reminded that Lent is a time not just to make a sacrifice for God but to make a meaningful sacrifice.  We should be transformed in the next 40 days into a more perfect person.  Into a person who is more like Christ.  Giving up chocolate is a difficult thing but how does that prepare you for Easter?  I do believe that giving something up can prepare you for Easter but it needs to be done very intentionally.  Maybe everytime you reach for a Twix and remember you can't have it, you pray for someone you don't particularly like.  After 40 days of this something will definitely have changed in you.  Of course you don't just have to give up something.  Fr. Jaime put it that we need to do something that we find joy in and is life-giving.  Kraft and I are still trying to decide what to do as a family during Lent but in general we would like to be more intentional with our time.  Less TV.  More prayer.  Less fast food.  More cooking.  Less criticism.  More confession.  Less negativity.  More love. 

Back when I was at Notre Dame, I was so spoiled.  I remember being so excited for Lent every year.  At Notre Dame it is so easy to really put a lot of time into your spiritual life.  There's a bajillion Masses everyday.  Prayer services all the time.  A really great community.  Beautiful prayer spaces. 

I wish I was spiritually in a place where I was excited for Lent again.  Instead, I had forgotten today was Ash Wednesday until I was flipping through the channels on TV and saw Joe Biden with ashes on his head.  I know I need to work on my spiritual life when Joe Biden is what gets me thinking about Lent.  Well, that's what Lent is for.  Improvement.  Spiritual improvement.  Soul boot camp.

Just a quick side story.  Possibly my favorite story about my mom.  She has had bangs for as long as I can remember.  Bangs are pretty tricky for someone putting ashes on your forehead if you don't get them out of the way.  She never ran into any problems with this until we moved to The Woodlands.  Fr. Domec is a no-nonsense kind of guy so he's not about to go moving people's bangs out of the way to get to their forehead.  So when my mom was up to get ashes, he just put the cross on her nose.  My mom was mortified but she couldn't do anything about it.  She just had to walk around the rest of the day with a smudgy cross on her nose.  Oh man, God sure does have a sense of humor.  Rest assured every year after that my mom has pinned back her bangs.

Happy Lent, friends.  May it be a fruitful one.

The Squeaker received her very first ashes today.  She was so happy afterward smiling at everyone and laughing.  It was strange that I felt more emotion upon seeing her today than I did at her baptism.  I think it's because there were so many logistics to worry about with the baptism and being the center of attention is always difficult. 

But today was different.  No one was watching us.  We weren't up in front of everybody.  We were able to just be a family in the sea of sinners.  It was great.  I was so proud of O getting ashes.  I'm not sure why I felt such joy and pride when I saw her with a smudge on her forehead.  It's just so beautiful that she is part of the Mystical Body of Christ.  Because she is a sinner she can also be redeemed.  Oh, our little sinner. 

While I was not as present to the Sacrament of her Baptism as I should have been, what I always love about baptisms and what always makes me cry whenever I attend them is the potential that the person carries for being marked by Christ.  That baptized person could do so much to build the Kingdom.  They could be the next Pope, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day.  They could be a saint.  Maybe that's what struck me about O tonight.  She is among us sinners now but she has such potential in her lifetime to recognize this sinfulness and do all she can for the glory of God.  She can work to beat hell just like the rest of us. 

May she become great, but great is God's eyes and not necessarily great in society's eyes.

I am reminded so often how anti-children our society is.  It makes me really sad.  I could really write at length about this but I am going to focus this entry on what happened at yoga the other day. 

I have really come to appreciate yoga in my life.  I even really appreciate all the advice and home remedies I get talking to yoga moms.  Most of these moms are really into this "natural" style of living.  Making sure they feed their family all organic food.  Having natural births.  So on and so forth.  But where this "natural" stuff stops is when it comes to conceiving a child.  One of my prenatal yoga teachers (who was also pregnant at the time) told us repeatedly in class and still mentions it in postnatal classes how she is for sure done having babies.  On Tuesday she brought it up again.  Another person in class was saying how she wanted to have another baby and she responded with, "Why would you want to do that?  I am definitely not having anymore kids.  My husband got fixed." 

How in the world is having your husband "fixed" a natural thing to do???  This is coming from a group of ladies that believe you should squirt breastmilk in your baby's eye if they have pink eye instead of getting an antibiotic.  In using vinegar water instead of hydrocortisone cream to clear up a rash.  In calling contractions, urges because contractions is too negative of a word.  (Not that I think that any of this is unreasonable.  I would actually do all of these things.)  So where does the disconnect happen between this belief that we should live as naturally as possible and then doing unnatural things to not have a baby.  It doesn't make sense.  The most natural thing in the world is to get married and have babies.  If you are married you are supposed to have babies.  Not on your timetable but God's timetable. 

I was recently talking about this with another person and they made a good point.  "We have forgotten that we are subjects of God."  We forget that God is the one in charge, not us.  God sends us babies when God wants to and if we choose to get married, we have to accept this.  Marriage is inherently tied to being open to new life. Not just when it is convenient.  Not just when it is good for our career.  Not just when we think we can afford it.  Not just when it fits into the "plan".  But always.  I know it is hard to give up this control and leave it in God's hands.  Really hard and inconvenient sometimes but it's how God intended.  

It's natural.

Last Saturday during the homily Fr. Mike told us that St. Ignatius is getting serious about proactively encouraging vocations to the religious life.  Because of this, the vocations committee decided it would be a good idea to play the "Fishers of Men" video from the USCCB at Mass. 

[Side Rant: Now I usually really hate it when priests do stuff like this during Mass.  Call me traditional but I just think a homily should be a priest talking to his congregation and helping illuminate the Word through his own words.  I've seen technology used in homilies before, like sound clips, videos, and powerpoints.  Most have been distracting and usually take a stretch to relate back to the readings.  I believe that there is definitely a need for creativity in homilies to reach all the people that go to church but creativity does not mean gimmicky which is what I think happens sometimes.] 

All of this aside, this video is absolutely fantastic.  I showed it at the school retreats we had last year.  I think this is creatively reaching youth and showing them how amazing a call to the priesthood actually is.  So many people think that being a priest or brother or sister is a boring but this video really shows that it is anything but.




As I was sitting in this pew watching this, something that one of the priests said struck me.  "I get to live everyday in complete and total service to God."  I remember I used to think this all the time when I worked at the Houston Catholic Worker house.  The work that is done there is just so obviously good and righteous and God's work.  So I understand what this priest meantin the video.

What struck me though was that I had not told myself this in a long time.  It has been awhile since I have laid down to sleep at night and thought to myself that my day was in complete and total service to God.  I had forgotten that, no matter what I do in life, my work should be work for God.  This is what we are all called to regardless of our vocation.  My vocation is to be a mother and wife.  Although my days are now more "simple" when compared to my Catholic Worker days or my teaching days, my work should still be dedicated to working for God.  Or how Fr. Bill Wack likes to sign his emails: Working to beat hell.  Sure working in a clinic serving undocumented people is service to God but I need to see how playing airplane with the Squeaker as equally service to God.

So, as Lent is quickly sneaking up on us, one thing I am going to focus on is my vocation and how I can "beat hell" by loving my daughter and supporting my husband.

I love the Olympics.  Love it.  I didn't get to watch the whole opening ceremony but I was able to watch the beginning and the parade of nations.  I'm never too excited to watch the cultural part of the ceremony but I was very impressed with Vancouver's.  It was pretty amazing that they gave their aboriginal peoples such a huge spotlight.  It was beautiful to see each tribe honored individually and their representatives given so much time on stage.  I just can't ever imagine the United States doing the same.  I don't have any idea how Canada has treated their native peoples but the way the Native Americans have been treated in this country has been and is still appalling.  Maybe one day, even despite the awful history, our nation will sufficiently have made it right and will be in a place where they can justly and without guilt give tribute to the native peoples of our land and showcase this to the world.

Ok, onto fluffier stuff.  My favorite part of the opening ceremony is that I love, love, love seeing what outfits the athletes are wearing as they come in.  I know, I am ridiculous but it's true.  It's so interesting what athletic garb each nation chooses to showcase to the world. 

One of the commentators mentioned how all the athletes stand lined up in the parking lot as the ceremony gets started waiting for their country to be called.  What a funny mental image.  The world's athletic prowess all waiting in alphabetical order on the asphalt outside like a high school graduation practice.  I especially had to laugh when the Bermudan athletes walked in wearing blazers, ties, button-up shirts and Bermuda shorts.  They must have been cold in that parking lot.  Thank God they are in the Bs. 

Fast forward to actual competition.  I really love clothing design and what it says about the person wearing it.  As I was watching the snowboarding competition (which I really love) I was totally taken aback when the US competitors were wearing jeans.  Not just jeans but jeans with that fake faded and torn look.  What?  Can you really compete at the Olympic level in fake-torn-and-faded jeans?  Then to put this even more over the top, as I looked at the pants more closely, I realized they were actually just ski pants printed with the fake-torn-and -faded-denim look.  Holy cow.  Snowboarders.  What badasses. <<cough*sarcasm*cough>>

Another thing I love about the Olympics is how different it is from professional American sports like football or basketball.  These athletes are not rich.  (Well, most aren't)  They just love the game.  And I love hearing all the personal side stories.  One figure skater who is married and has a 5 month old is at the Olympics despite his wife being laid off from two jobs and them barely being able to make end's meet.  Then there is Chinese couple that figure skated as partners for many, many years until one day he asked her to marry him.  They are competing right now as the oldest couple in figure skating.  Ancient compared to all the teens competing with them and they are really rocking it. I live for Bob Costas and his human interest stories.

Oh, Olympics, how I love thee.

Today was the Austin Half and Full Marathon.  Hung and Kraft ran the half marathon today.  Hung had been training and did a great job, especially since this was his first official running competition.  My husband, on the other hand, decided to not train for this.  At all.  In fact, the last time he ran was over Thanksgiving weekend and it was a 15 minute jog from his haircut to the Farmer's Market.  Now, I will readily admit that Kraft has much more endurance than I do.  I think we can attribute his endurance to his steadfast stubbornness. 

We ran the marathon in 2008.  I don't talk about it much because we really sucked at it and it was probably one of the dumbest things we've done.  But we did finish it at the amazingly slow time of 6hrs 15mins.  Anywho, we ran so much for that I figured that even though neither of us have seriously run in a couple years we could still make a decent showing if we were to run seriously again.  Wow, was I wrong, at least about me.  On Saturday Hung and Kraft took Olivia to the race expo to pick up their packets and I went  for a run around Town Lake.  I thought that running a marathon means you're a runner for the rest of your life.  Nope.  I couldn't run more than 30 seconds at a time.  I wuffled (walked/shuffled) 1 and 1/2 laps around the S 1st - Pfluger bridge loop.  Man, I suck at running all over again.  I was pretty depressed by this and now extremely worried about Kraft who would have to run 13 of those laps today.  If I couldn't even muster up the ability to run half a mile, how the heck was he going to do 13.1?  Well, he did and in pretty good time.  He finished the half marathon in less that 2hrs 50mins.  Well, color me impressed.  And the finisher shirts were awesome. 

Race Name: LOVE AUSTIN.
Training shirts: GONNA RUN AUSTIN.
Race shirts: RUN AUSTIN.
Finisher shirts: RAN AUSTIN.

Very witty.  Congrats to all the runners today.

Here are the top 10 reasons why I love Olivia (other than the fact that I gave birth to her)...

10) She was born already furrowing her brow like her mama.

9) She absolutely loves being held and would be content to be in my arms all day (a blessing and curse).

8) When she sleeps she crosses her legs at the ankles.  It just looks really cute.

7) Her cheeks are so big that she has jowls.

6) She has started doing this new thing while she is latched on and eating, if she hears any noise she yanks herself off and stares at whatever is making the noise until it stops.  That includes me talking while I'm feeding her.  She just looks so funny.

5) She loves to stand up and she flails her feet around and looks like she is dancing a jig.

4) She loves to watch football with her dad.  Seriously, she loves football.  When the commercials come on she couldn't be more disinterested but the second the game is on she is glued to the TV.

3) She has the cutest pout-y face you've ever seen.  When that lower lip sticks out it melts your heart.

2) Her favorite time to talk is when I am trying to get her to sleep.  I'll hold a pacifier in her mouth and she'll be blabbing away.

1) I love spending time with her.  I love being at home with her.  Last week I helped out at a high school retreat for a few hours and, while that was fun and nice to see my old students, I really missed the little squeaker.

Thank God for Olivia.

I am by nature a very naggy person.  I think it's a by product of being a Mexican woman and coming from a long line of naggers.  Poor Brandon, he gets the brunt of it, mostly because there is no one else to nag.  I am constantly nagging him to do things and then when he does them, then I nag that he didn't do it right.  I am aware of this ridiculous and annoying habit so I really do try my best to curb it as much as possible.  I know I still do it plenty though.  It is so easy to be negative and just look at all the annoying things that Brandon does or doesn't do.  Especially now that I'm home all the time, I get all day to think about it.  I have really started to put effort into not being a jerk and being a supportive and loving wife.  I hate it that sometimes I make Brandon feel like a screw up.  Sure he doesn't really know how to clean the bathroom and his closet is always a mess but does that really make a bad husband?  No.  Am I a bad wife for not understanding (or really caring about) the difference between Windows and Ubuntu?  I sure do hope not because then I'm just up a creek.  He is truly a fantastic and loving husband and I am so amazingly lucky to be married to him. 

So, because I don't say it all the time, here are the top 10 reasons I love my husband...

10) Especially when I was pregnant, buts still now, he is always willing to go out and get me anything I want at any time of day.  When we're sitting and vegging out late at night and I mention I'm craving ice cream, he immediately asks if I want him to go get some for me.  And he really means it.

9) He always, always takes my clothing or hair advice without question.  He just trusts me when it comes to this.

8) He knows how to do anything tech/computer related.  It's awesome to never have to worry about figuring any of that stuff out.  If Brandon doesn't know how to do it, he will spend days figuring it out if he has to.

7) He will dance ridiculously, and I mean really ridiculously, just to bring a smile to Olivia's face.

6) He will make up songs that aren't to any tune in existence all the time.

5) I have cooked some pretty awful food since we started dating and he eats two helpings without complaining to prove that he liked it even though I knew it was barely edible.

4) He gets super excited when I show even the slightest of interest in anything technology related.  You should have seen him when I told him I wanted to start a blog.

3) He loves transportation and can't wait to drive on new roads/tollroads as soon as they open.

2) Him and my dad try one up each other by eating the hottest (spiciest) food they can find.

1) He never complained when I made him chaperone high school dances because he is always so supportive of anything I do.

He is my husband and my best friend.  As much as he drives me crazy, I love him dearly and can't imagine my life any other way.  Happy Valentine's Day, honey.

I have come to really love the city of Austin.  I really loved El Paso when I lived there and will always love it as my birthplace.  I came to appreciate South Bend, mostly because of the Original Pancake House.  I even came to really love Houston.  But truly my heart belongs to Austin.  I just don't think there is another city like it that has such funny and totally opposite things go together.  Austin really is weird and I love it. 

One thing that I love about it is that it is pretty easy to eat locally grown/made food without trying very hard at all.  At the farmer's market there are people selling beef, pork, duck, fish, eggs, texas olive oil, every kind of vegetable you can think of, handmade pasta, really anything you might need.  It truly is amazing. 

The reason for this post is to showcase some of the random things to I have witnessed here in Austin that just made me shake my head and say, "Well, we are in Austin."

So, only in Austin...
Will you see a one legged man on a Vespa mace a security guard outside of HEB.
Will the resident cross-dressing homeless man run for mayor and actually get a good number of the votes.
Will you eat at a very fancy restaurant and still see people wearing denim shorts and flip flops.
Will you see a man with a black leather hat and black leather biker jacket pulling out lotion to moisturize his hands while waiting at a bus stop.
Will you see a paper mache memorial to a homeless man to commemorate him, not because he died, but because he found a new place.
Will you dress up for a 10K as a bride and groom complete with veil and train and no one really notices because someone is dressed like the Frost Bank Tower.
Will there be a niche market for sushi/karaoke joints.

I'm sure there are more but that's all I can think of at the moment.  My point, I really do love Austin and love that it is my home.

You cut her hair already?  That is going to give her a speech delay.

If you don't do something about those dry spots, she's going to have eczema forever.  It'll never go away.

You fed her carrots?  I think there is something about feeding a baby orange foods that is dangerous.

If you hold her all the time she's going to be a spoiled brat.

Oh, you're using cloth diapers?  You'll change.

Sometimes I feel like I am going to scream if someone offers me another piece of unwanted advice.  I don't mind well-intentioned advice of someone really wanting to help you out.  I hate the kind that is just veiled criticism.  "Oh, you named your daughter Olivia?  That means she is going to be dyslexic."  Ok, I haven't actually heard that one, but you get the point. 

Now, I am all for being educated about baby development and basic child care and stuff but isn't there something to be said for a mother's natural intuition to care for her child?  Every piece of advice I hear has it's exact opposite counterpart somewhere in the community.  You should co-sleep.  Co-sleeping is dangerous.  You should let your baby cry in their crib until they put themselves to sleep.  Letting your baby cry it out means they will become isolated and depressed.  You shouldn't eat foods that might make the baby gassy.  You should eat a wide variety of foods so the baby doesn't develop allergies.  Seriously, every opinion about how to raise a child has valid and logical arguments on both sides.  So why is it so freakin' hard to just trust your gut and do what feels right?

I heard of a mom that had to give her 6 month old babies cow's milk because she couldn't breastfeed them and they couldn't afford formula.  The pediatrician told her that he was "disappointed" that she would do this.  (Kids aren't supposed to get cow's milk until 12 months)  After that, the mom just lied to the doctor about what she was feeding them and the doctor would tell her that her kids were thriving.  Maybe she shouldn't have given them milk but she had to do what she had to do and the kids survived.  It's not like they grew a third arm or anything. 

When Olivia was born I started reading baby books to teach me how to take care of her.  It is true that I found a lot of helpful things in these books like ideas for games to play with her, how to tell when she is teething, stuff like that.  I also found things that have kept me up at night worrying.  The worst one: (I'm paraphrasing) "Your newborn will grow up feeling isolated and not trusting you if you let them cry."  Holy cow.  This stupid sentence made Olivia's first couple months of life very stressful for me. O was super high maintenance since the moment she was born and would scream if you put her down for one second.  She just wouldn't let us put her down. Every time she cried I thought I was losing her and that she was going to grow up to hate me.  I spent that first month practically starved because I was scared to put her down to make lunch.  There were days when I couldn't even brush my teeth until Brandon came home from work because she would cry if I put her in her swing for a second.  My better judgment knew that I love my daughter and would naturally meet her needs but I just couldn't shake what I had read in that book. 

Another one: "When your baby is quiet but alert, this is the optimal time to learn so don't just stick her in front of a stuffed animal.  Use these times constructively."  This led to 3am play times when Olivia was wide awake and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to teach her something because she was in her prime learning mood.  My body was telling me to keep the lights off and sit in the rocking chair with her until she fell asleep again (which is what I should have done) instead of stressing that I was impeding her learning. 

Ok, so maybe I was totally overreacting to these statements but as a sleep-deprived new parent, what was I supposed to think?  Both statements, after 5 months of parenting, I have realized are just trying to tell you that you shouldn't just let your newborn cry and cry because you feel like giving yourself a manicure and that you should actually interact with your baby and not just plop them down in front of Baby Einsteins all day. 

Parenthood is moderation.  I wish someone had told me that it was ok to put the baby down so I could pour a quick bowl of cereal or take a quick shower.  You gotta do what keeps you sane. 

Plenty of people have very lovingly given me great advice that has saved me at moments when I thought I was going to lose it.  Still, I think the best thing that I have yet to hear was when we were talking to the pediatrician at Olivia's 2 month checkup.  We were telling her that O didn't let us put her down to sleep.  We had literally tried every trick in the book and I still had to sit on the couch propped up by pillows with Olivia in my arms so that I could get a few hours sleep.  The doctor just looked at us and said, "Well, sounds like you have a high maintenance baby." 

That sentence sent a wave of relief through my body.  I just needed someone to affirm that O was being a stinker and that what we were facing was legitimately a challenge.  We just needed someone to make us feel like what we thought was hard was actually hard and not us being inexperienced and stupid.  I think all parents just want affirmation that what they're doing is loving their child the best they can.

So in the end, what does me complaining about people giving advice make me want to do?  Give advice.

I feel like I always am telling myself, "It'll be better when blah blah blah."  I remember thinking in high school - life will be easier when these college apps are done.  In college - life will be better when I finally finish this paper.  In Houston - Our relationship will be stronger when I move to Austin.  In Austin - It'll be better when we are engaged.  Engaged - Life will slow down as soon as the wedding is over.  Married - Our relationship will be better once I get this first year of teaching under my belt.  Pregnant - I'll feel so much better after the baby's born and no more nausea and restlessness. 

Then Olivia was born and I caught myself doing the same thing.  Having a baby is wonderful and has added so much meaning to our lives but absolutely everything is different and, honestly, more complicated.  Sleeping is harder, running to the groceries for milk is harder, going to a restaurant is harder, taking a shower is harder, cooking is harder, cleaning is harder, everything is harder.  The first months of O's life I remember thinking, ok, sleeping will better when...no, sleeping will never be the same again.  It'll never be "easy" again. 

I can't keep thinking things will get better or easier because there is always going to be something challenging in life.  O has really taught me to enjoy things in the moment because there is plenty to be thankful about at present.  Sure things aren't perfect but I can't keep expecting perfect to come around the corner.  Life is pretty darn wonderful not being perfect.  Olivia is the absolute most difficult and challenging thing that has happened to us but me and Kraft are constantly talking about how meaningful our life seems now.  Cliche, I know, but she really does give us direction and purpose.  We had direction and purpose before but it was easy to get lazy and put things off. 

So here's to things being the best they can be now and living in the challenge. 

Brandon and I have been trying to think of a good name and tagline for this blog.  Don't be surprised if it changes often.  Currently the tagline - barefoot, babies, and breastfeeding - is a storefront that we remember and laugh about from time to time.  It's located in Rice Village in Houston and I think the whole name of the place is A Woman's Work: babies, breastfeeding, and something else that we can't remember.  But we always joke that it was barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen.  That pretty much sums up my life right now.  Well, not the pregnant part but everything else.  So it will suffice for now. 

Other ones I've been thinking of is the "The Unhippy Hippy" or the "Unyoga Yoga Mom".  We get organic veggies from a local farm but love fast food.  We make our own baby food but eat out a lot.  My old roommate told me that she was trying to describe me to a coworker once, "Well, she's kinda hippy.  She even makes her own granola."  And yet I would drink Snapple over Sweet Leaf any day.  Anyways, it is a work in progress.

Turnips would probably not appear on the all-time favorite veggie list but for some reason I love them.  I'm not sure why I like them.  They're kinda bitter and aren't the prettiest girl at the party but I love to use them in anything I can.  I have slipped them into soups, chili, quiche, and casseroles.  I think I like them because they are the underdog of the root family.  Knowing this, I have decided to make sure Olivia likes them, too.  So far the foods that she has eaten have been rice cereal, carrots, and peas.  Today I gave her pureed turnips.  I was super surprised how good turnips taste pureed.  The bitterness is gone and they taste very fresh and light.  The texture is interesting too because it feels like you're eating pureed pears but there is no sweetness at all.  So, if you're hesitant to try turnips, perhaps you should start like O and try them first pureed.  I bet if you add a little butter and salt and pepper they are closer to tasting like mashed potatoes than mashed cauliflower which seems to be a popular substitute.  Oh, and by the way, O really liked them.  Thank God because I went a bit overboard and made a ton.

Today was just one of those ridiculous days where nothing comes out right.  We had a lot on our plate today: Mass, a baptism and reception to attend, and a Super Bowl party (Kraft's account of party).  In order for all of this to go to plan, we had to go to the 9am Mass at St. John Neumann.  I set my alarm for 7am, it went off just fine and I woke Brandon up to take a shower and from here on out was Miscommunication Central.  Brandon says he tried to wake me up several times and that I even hit him and told him to leave me alone, but I don't remember this (communication error #1).  All I know is I woke up at 8:15 freaking out because we needed to be out the door in 15 minutes.  I yell at Brandon for a second, throw O's outfit for the day on the bed and race around getting ready.  

I was recently talking to a friend about our mutual love for reading memoirs.  I love to read anecdotes about people's lives and I also love to read stories that I wrote down about my own life but have since forgotten.  Since about 3rd grade I've had random journals and notebooks that I fill with quotes I've heard, ideas that I've had (Cinnamon Altoids - yeah, thought of that way before they came out - that's really the only good product idea I've had that has come to fruition), and things that happen to me.  Especially now that we have the little squeaker, I really want to have a place where I can write stuff down so that I can look back and remember and have an outlet for all these things that run through my head, and hey, if you get a few laughs out of it, even better.  So, here goes nothing...