SUZI: Pay it Forward?

Several days ago I got a cold.  I can usually feel when they're coming on, but this time it seemed to just come out of no where.  It was the classic cold yuck - stuffy nose, sore throat, sneezing and coughing.  I even had a temperature; something I haven't had in a long time.  I was achy all over.  Needless to say, I didn't want to do too much.  I kept suggesting to Cooper, "Hey...let's go sit on the floor and play with those fun blocks again."  I was able to semi-lay down while stacking blocks over and over again.  Cooper was a good sport about it. 

I was really hoping he wouldn't get it too.  I'm not sure how I thought that could even be possible considering he is constantly trying to chew on my hands and touch all over my face.  As much as I tried to keep my hands washed, the inevitable happened.  Cooper spent a day sneezing, and I kept telling myself that surely there was just a lot of dust in the air.  Yea. 

When Cooper is sick he's needy as can be.  He doesn't want to be set down at all.  He wants to sit in your lap while playing; next to you is not close enough.  Sleep is miserable because he wants his pacifier but then rubs his nose because it is stuffy which knocks the pacifier out.  It's a vicious cycle that isn't pretty.

We're both getting better now, and we know that this is just one of those unpleasant parts of life that you have to deal with.  We're hoping we don't pass it on to Scott, who did start sneezing last night.  But of course, he's sneezing because it's just really dusty, right?

SUZI: An Anniversary

One year ago today, early in the morning, I received a call that forever changed my life.  We had been in Jordan for five days when we got the news that my dad had suddenly, and very unexpectedly, died.  Scott immediately started making phone calls to the airlines.  Once he finished, we had twenty minutes to get dressed, pack and head out the door.  It's funny what you pack in moments like those.  We realized later that we had all kinds of electronics but no chargers to most of them.  We had odds and ends of clothing.  No matter what we had or didn't have in our suitcases, we were miraculously home 24 hours later.

When you lose someone as significant as a parent, there's a whole host of mixed emotions that flood you.  You feel empty with the loss, yet full for the privilege of knowing the person.  You feel alone yet connected to those who remain - tied together with the cords of a shared life.  You feel the quiet of the absence yet the memories of a life speak volumes.

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of my dad.  The chemist.  The baker.  The airplane maker.  The camper and outdoor enthusiast.  The bridge player.  The one who was curious about just so many things.  He packed so much into his life.

So, on this one year anniversary of his death, we remember his full life and how it profoundly shaped ours. 

We miss you, Tati.

Coming Soon!

Two Things Thursday

Hmm... TTT... Two Things Thursday.

Shall we start a little ongoing ditty with that?  Two completely different subjects discussed in two paragraphs each. This sounds fun...  Of course, I'll have to write up a process on how to remember to have two things to discuss every Thursday (I have complete confidence in those skills).  And, just to up the ante, the first person to remind me, on the following Friday, that I've forgotten TTT will receive a Valuable PRIZE.  Yep, we're crossing the line into interactive blogging.   That's where you, our dear readers, get involved.

ITEM 1

I become attached to various products and brands and tend to be extremely loyal.  I got all excited about G-Tech hard drives when I switched over to Mac a few years ago and have had a 250GB as my primary Firewire bus-driven media storage for some time.  All movies, music and pictures started there and then backed up to a 1TB Seagate in a Rosewill case.  Several weeks ago, I'd run outta space and excitedly upgraded to a 500GB.  BTW, I name all my drives after comic characters: Silver Surfer (500GB), Rogue (250GB), Cyclops (500GB), Wolverine (1TB), The Thing (16GB usb), etc. Call me a geek, but these are the things that make me happy.

Wednesday, I noticed that Cyclops had mysteriously dismounted and to my dismay wouldn't power back up.  Naturally, I hadn't backed it up since I bought it and panic ensued.  After trying all manner of cable options and resisting the urge to throw it thru the sheetrock (WWMSD?), I rang up G-Tech to get an RMA for that vaunted 3-year warranty.  My next call was to Mac Xperts who, for a small fee, pulled the drive apart and dumped everything back onto Rogue.  Cyclops will take a little trip and come back a happier camper.  Let this be your warning: BACK UP YOUR STUFF!

ITEM 2

Cooper headed in to see Nurse Jackie for a couple of pokes today.  She came out to the waiting room to make friends with him before we eased into the exam room for the dirty business.  Cooper had to know something was up.  There was just way too much happiness and frivolity.  Sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed when, seconds after this shot, he got two of his own.  One for each thigh.  And then we had to stick around in the room for a bit while tears were dried up.  There's just nothing worse than that open-mouth, silent scream.

I was there when he was born, but I still can't get involved in the nitty-gritty medical stuff.  When Nurse Jackie pulled out the syringes, I thought, "MAN, those things are huge," and kinda eased around where I could block out the actual puncture and, you know, focus on Cooper.  We've got two more sessions this year and then a break until 9 months.  Cooper and I are both pretty happy about that.

SUZI: Mom Stuff I love... and the Other Stuff

Things I love as a mom:
~ Nuk Genius Pacifiers

They are definitely more expensive, but there are bigger air holes and the outside piece is smaller.  Right now, Cooper is slobbering a ton which causes him to break out where his pacifier sits.  The Genius Pacifier helps cut down on that.  Plus, how can you resist a pacifier called the "Genius"?
~ Huggies Overnight Diapers

These have saved us from wet PJs for many nights.  That also means no wet sheets and less "emergency" diaper changes.  And that's a wonderful thing.
~ Cooper's Laugh

Cooper is laughing more and more over simple things.  We were recently at a Wendy's, and Cooper was sitting contentedly in his car seat on the floor next to my chair (this is an amazing feat in and of itself).  I was saying ridiculous thing to him like "bababababa" or leaning and in saying "HELLO!"  Apparently it was just too hilarious, and Cooper was laughing nearly histerically.  Scott said he could hear him across the store.  While I'm sorry to be an obnoxious parent to all the people around me, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him laugh.

Things I so do not love:
~ PJs with a lot of snaps

Cooper hates footed PJs.  If I put footed PJs on him, he tries to pull the footed part off.  The futility is absolutely frustrating to him (although slightly hilarious to me).  I have some that seem super comfy that are un-footed, but they have snaps.  A lot of them.  13 to be exact.  Did the manufactures try snapping 13 snaps in near darkness at 4AM?  This was the best design they could come up with?  Really?  Isn't there a "testing closet" they can slip into, turn off the light and then say, "Wow, 13... That's just not gonna work!" 
~ Changing leaky diapers in public

I don't mind changing diapers.  It's not my favorite thing, but it certainly isn't my least favorite thing in the world.  But I really don't like doing it in public when Cooper has had an accident, and it is all over his clothes.  Where do you even start?  At home I can rinse him off, but it isn't that easy in public.  There's all the stuff you need and never quite enough room for it all - changing pad, diaper cream, a "cover" (lest Cooper let loose again on everything), diaper, wipes, baggie for the soiled clothes, new clothes.  What do you start with...do you take off the clothes or get the diaper...all while trying to keep it from spreading?  Ick.  [If you are ever in the Columbia, MO mall and need to change a diaper, make sure to use the bathrooms near the Food Court.  I've never seen such family-friendly bathrooms anywhere.  There's even a nursing room complete with a rocking chair (which by the way, you can also use as a "shelf" for all of your things when using the changing station right next to it.  It definitley makes the public changing much easier.)]
~ Checking on the baby and, instead, waking him up

Like I just did.  I heard a cry on the monitor.  I waited to see if he cried again.  He didn't.  This would indicate that he went back to sleep, and that I should not check on him.  But what if he quit crying because something is wrong?  This reasoning makes absolutely no sense to someone who gets sleep on a regular basis.  For those of us who don't sleep much, this makes perfect sense.  When I went into the room, the door squeaked...loudly.  This woke the baby up.  This is not the first time I have done such madness.  I have also kicked the crib on accident when "sneaking" away after checking on the baby.  

I am my own worst enemy.

Roots & Blues & BBQ

Columbia has hosted an annual Bluesfest for the past four years.  Now, any food-lover knows you can't have the Blues without BBQ... and I've mourned my absence every year!  This year, I managed be in town and joined my Uncle Ray from Houston for the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival. 

Uncle Ray is a blues loving fanatic and can quote, chapter & verse, all manner of blues history and legend.  His vacations are spent festival hopping... complete with hat!  I don't claim any stake in the genre other than it's the background music to every BBQ joint I've been to... So, when Uncle Ray made a specific trip up to Columbia's first Blues Fest, I knew they were on to something good.  In fact, I remember Bonnie, Ray's daughter/my cousin, talking about going to hear blues music with her dad and thinking, "Now, that's gotta be something on my bucket list."  Fast forward four years... I'm in the country and Ray's made plans again to come to RBB... scratch one off the list!  Hoorah!

Now, I love live music.  There's something about being in a crowd with a connection to a performer that's just organic on the simplest of levels.  Wipe away all the lights and gear and massive staging and we're back around our ancestor's campfire with an a cappella storyteller spinning lines of lore, captivating the kids and keeping the adults up late into the night.  These types of events bring us out of our home theaters and back under the stars where we belong.  We're social creatures, by & far.  It's good for us to communicate at eye level.

I didn't know what to expect from the performances, but I tucked myself into Ray's back pocket and tagged along through his set list, the big draw being Tab Benoit from Houma, LA.  We set up on the center line in the intersection of Locust & Seventh and enjoyed a decent performance from one set, endured an awful performance from a second set and then nearly froze through Tab's set.  In between shows, I sampled Smokin' Chick's and Lutz's brisket & pulled pork (way too fatty and decent, respectively), plus a bag of mini donuts, fried on the spot and covered in cinna-sugar.  (I also hit the portapotties 3x... it was cold!)  By all accounts, it wasn't "laugh-out-loud, goosebump good" as Uncle Ray would say (I missed Saturday's much better performances), but I was terribly impressed with Boone County National Bank's vision and Thumper Entertainment's organization to put on what's become an annual and very successful festival.  We may not have a cypress swamp nearby, but last weekend there were some good times in bayou off Broadway!  Check out the rest of the night here...

SUZI: Overnights & Weekends Away

Scott, Cooper and I enjoyed a wonderful and relaxing weekend in St. Louis.  We stayed for free at a Sheraton in Clayton (thanks to our Starwood Points!).  This was Cooper's first time to stay in a hotel, and as I packed I realized that I needed to haul more than I realized.  We had more stuff than I have ever had for a two night stay - bags and bags containing way too many diapers, a white noise machine to help Cooper block out the noise, about 17 changes of clothes, toys, and just a whole boatload of miscellaneous just-in-case items.

I got the experience of walking through the Sheraton lobby with a giant, three-foot-long, fuzzy white stuffed bunny...that was a new experience and one that garnered more than a few knowing smiles.  Cooper loves to fall asleep while holding one of the ears, so you better believe that was coming with us.  We quickly settled into our room and set up our "systems" - a diapering area, play center, sleep area (thanks to a crib delivered to our room) etc.  Doesn't everyone immediately put systems in place wherever they are?  

In the evening we spread out a towel and fed Cooper his rice cereal - it was wonderfully messy.  There was only a shower in the room, so we decided to give him a quick bath in the sink.  It took all four of our hands moving as fast as possible to keep him from sliding all over the place and turning those faucets on.  It also quickly dawned on us that when Cooper went to bed our day was done.  Obviously, the lights had to be out and the noise had to be minimal.  We debated about flushing the toilet.  There was a lot of gesturing and near-silent whispering.  Cooper slept relatively well considering the circumstances.

Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful service at Winds of Pentecost church followed by some yummy BBQ eaten in our hotel room.  I love eating restaurant food in hotels.  (I also love going through the drive-thru and eating the food in my car in the parking lot, but that's another story.)  The evening was quiet with a repeat performance on Cooper's sink bath.  It wasn't any easier the second time around.  There was more whispering and gesturing. 

Monday morning we planned to go to the Botanical Gardens but needed some breakfast before heading out.  There was a St. Louis Bread Company Community Cafe just a couple blocks from where we were staying, so we strolled through streets busy with people in suits to get a bite to eat.  This Bread Co was unlike any other I had been to.  There were signs inside declaring that it was a "community" store.  When the cashier rang up our order, he told us the "suggested" price.  Apparently, you don't have to pay if you don't have the money.  There are clear boxes in various places around the store where you put your cash.  The cashier is only there to handle credit cards.  There was a table by the door full of day-old loaves of bread and bagels.  You could take what you wanted and leave a donation if you could.  The store even had a different feel...it felt like a community.  The workers were unbelievably nice - they helped us carry our food to the table when they saw we were balancing a stroller and a baby.  People came by and talked to Cooper.  The workers chatted with us.  Someone held the door open for me when I was leaving with the stroller.  I left with the feeling that I wanted to do something to help somebody.

Our next stop was the Botanical Gardens.  This was a place that my family used to visit, so it was very special for me to take Cooper there for the first time.  I realize that he will remember absolutely nothing about the trip, but I love that he's being exposed to these places from a very young age.  Scott and I used to debate the benefit of dragging young children to places they will never remember, but surely these experiences make an impression on them even if they can't remember them.  We strolled around and let him put his hands in the fountains and pound on rocks as we pointed out flowers, trees, butterflies and birds.  We fed the fish and enjoyed the sunshine.  By the time we left Cooper was a bit dirty and definitely in need of a nap.  As we were leaving, I thought about my dad and the excitement I always felt when we took a trip to St. Louis when I was a child.  I felt so happy and full being able to share some of these places with my sweet boy and favorite guy.