SUZI: Shopping with a Tired Baby

I bought a shirt not long ago...nothing fancy but one I needed to work as a layer.  Cooper was with me when I bought it.  He was pretty much done with all things pertaining to shopping by the time I was trying it on, so I somehow didn't notice that the hem along the back wasn't straight across.  Once I was home I discovered that it curved across the bottom in a half-moon shape.  It's not like this was some accident; the shirt was designed that way.  This perhaps wouldn't be a big deal, but for some reason it really bothered me.  It was an odd length because of the curve. 

I had already worn the shirt a couple of time, telling myself the whole time that I really wasn't bothered by the hem.  But I was.  So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and fix it so it would go straight across like I had imagined my layering shirt to be.  This should have been a quick fix.  I'm not a master seamstress, but I certainly have sewn enough things that this little project would be a no-brainer.  Right.  I have found that anytime I think no-brainer about a project, I should be prepared for some sort of impending doom. 

I cut the shirt straight across (no problem yet) and proceeded to sew (no problem yet).  Once I put the shirt on to eye my successful fix, I realized that the material was all stretched out in a weird way where I had just sewn it.  It was all fluttery across the bottom (problems begin).  And the seam where the new stitches were kind of flipped out.  The material was all wompy-jawed.  Clearly it was not meant to be cut and re-hemmed.   

Hmmmm...not at all what I had in mind.  And I had used Cooper's nap time to "fix" the shirt, so now I was running out of time.  I decided the only thing to do was to take my stitches out and see what I could do with it.  Upon doing so, I ripped a hole in the shirt.  Yeah.  Then I proceeded to cut just above my seam line to get rid of the wompy jawed part with the hole.  I figured I could at least wear the shirt to sleep in if nothing else.  

Except now, as I sit here wearing the shirt, the seamless bottom edge is rolling up on its own accord making the shirt shorter than I want, and it is driving me crazy.

Moral of the story?  Don't go shopping with a tired baby.

7 Months Old!

Two Things Thursday

I suppose it's still Thursday in Hawaii... so here we go...

Firstly:

A couple of blogs we keep track of are doing some amazing stuff.  When she's not snarkily sharing the latest crisis in her family of six, Kristen over at RageAgainsttheMinivan hosts a regular series called What I Want You to Know.  It's a forum for her readers to share things in their lives that others may not know, care to ask about or understand.  Topics have ranged from autism to homeschooling to the death of a child.  I highly recommend Kristen's blog anyway, but this just adds a whole 'nother wonderful layer to it.

I'm also dropping in on RoJo's Story Year.  Robert's an amazing talent in all things visual and an MK to boot.  Somehow we're connected through a ton of folks, but have only briefly met once.  Writing nearly every day in 2010, he's challenging, brutally honest and transparent in a way that leaves me a bit slack-jawed...

Secondarily:

Cooper hit the 7th month mark this week... He's crawling like nuts, pulling himself up on anything that'll stand still (and some things that won't) and is desperate to chew on every cord in the county.  What is it with babies and electrical cords?  He can't get enough of them and it doesn't matter how many times we redirect or distract him, given a bit of downtime, he'll make a quick turn and head off like lightning!  Some of you aren't on Facebook (stay strong!) and so I've posted some clips to our website to keep you entertained on those long winter nights that are sure to be right around the corner.

Bullets & Waffles

This is not a commentary on mass consumerism... it's a simple portrait of what one encounters checking out at (*cough*) Wal-Mart.  Shoe inserts, ammo, a food processor and what seems to be THREE cartons of Edy's.  Seems the list was a bit eclectic this evening.

This just can't end well #104

You are now free to move around the tarmac... as long as you're followed by a contingent of firefighting apparatus.

The Weekend

Good times over the weekend... Saturday we went to Flipz Gym in Columbia for Maddy's birthday party.  Liam hosted his party there this year as well and for obvious reasons!  Who wouldn't want to go free-wheelin' nuts in gymnastics heaven?  They've got a good thing going at Flipz... You get an hour of floor play and 30 minutes of party time in balcony.  It's bring-your-own-cake & punch, but who has all this stuff in their backyard?  After two shots at this place, I don't know what's more fun, playing tag with fleet-footed 10-year olds or hurling myself off the climbing wall into a pool of foam blocks.  There's even a climbing rope for those who just didn't get enough in junior high PE.

And for a little added coolness factor... Suzi's cousin, Jan, was in town and dropped by to add his vibe to the party.  We couldn't convince him to get out on the springboards or trampolines, but it was great to see him.  While he was in Moberly, he and Cooper got to eye each other from across the room... and then both took the plunge for some contact...

SUZI: Short-term Single Parenting

Scott and I are used to being apart.  Several months after we got married, we relocated to Chicago.  Because I was finishing my Master's classwork, I stayed in Columbia and Scott went ahead to settle our new home.  We saw each other every other weekend or so; this lasted for six months.  Scott also traveled quite a bit for the various positions he had at USCC.  It was common for him to be gone for a couple weeks at a time.  He's even traveled overseas without me.  I always miss him, but I survive and hold down the fort when he's gone.

Scott's recent trip to Jordan was a little different for me.  I missed him...like crazy.  The days seemed to drag by.  It felt like he was gone for months instead of just two weeks.  I felt the responsibility of being Cooper's sole parent here.  My mom helped me with Cooper as she could, but at the end of the day, it was up to me to make sure he had what he needed.  Scott just couldn't get home fast enough.

For those two weeks I kept thinking about people who are single parents because of divorce, death of a spouse or military service.  I've always figured it was hard to be a single parent, but I have never given enough credit to people who have had to do it.  If you are a single parent (or ever have been), my hat's off to you.  You deserve a big hug.  And a quiet evening to yourself.  And some chocolate.

I am blessed...Scott returned safe and sound, and Cooper's tired face turned into a huge grin when he saw his daddy.  I was a bit misty-eyed, and immediately warned Scott that I might be a bit clingy.  It's funny what adding another human being into the mix does to you.