Just the... Three of Us

Stooges
The Police
Musketeers
Socks
Towels
Burritos
Cords unbroken
Prime, Vader, Indy
All Trilogies

We're a Pack Of Three

Some More Product Recommendations

When we started out this journey back in July of last year, I'd never changed a diaper, much less held a newborn.  Breastfeeding was something that happened under wraps and that public buffet made me a tad bit uncomfortable.  Crying?  Wasn't that what Mr. Binky was for?  Just stuff it in and voila' instant relief, right?

Wow... was I ever in for a whole litany of surprise endings.  To say I had no expectations is hard to fathom, but it's just that I had no point of reference.  Babies were persona non grata until they were able to converse.  Where to begin?

Suzi did some scoping on Amazon and in short order my education came in the mail... Heading Home With Your Newborn gave me an insight I was desperately lacking in a slightly snarky, but professional read.  Drs Laura & Jennifer are successful pediatricians and moms, to boot.  They don't mind discussing their husband's response to cup size increases or blowing old wives' tales out of the water. Who knew that back in the 50's almost everyone in the US used formula?  Color, consistency and duration of diaper contents is explained in detail (in a chapter titled The Scoop on Poop) and parent tested remedies to fix all matter of ills are included.  Wondering when & how to take that first plane ride?  Debating cloth versus disposable?  Laura & Jen, as we affectionately call them, cover it.

Now, the book doesn't claim to be an end-all resource, and there are plenty of instances where they'll refer you directly to your baby's doctor, but it'll give the new dad an overall comfort level with the fact you left home as two and came back as three.  It's all scary stuff to begin with, but the good docs are gentle and firm and tell plenty of anecdotes to set your fears at ease.  You can do this because it's been done for millennia and most folks turn out just fine.  I liked it so much, I sent a couple out to expecting friends.

Counting 'em Down

So, all the signs are pointing to that inevitable trip to the delivery room.  Your lovely spouse is working those contractions like a champ and you're standing by, watching the clock and keeping pace.  But then the phone rings, you step away and bam, you've lost track of when one started or the other stopped and the frequency is all screwed up.  Solve it all with Contraction Master in either an online version or as an awesome little iPhone app.  As with most ingenious designs, this was created out of one dad's frustration in counting contractions.  Hit the Start button when the pain begins and Stop when it recedes.  The app gives duration & frequency and a print or email function so you can take the results with you.  At 4AM, you'll be groggily singing its praises just like we did.

SUZI: Stocky is in his genes

At two months old, Cooper’s body shape is stocky and barrel-chested.  It looks like my dad’s.   I have no idea how it is possible to see someone’s body style in a two month old, but I’m not making this up.  Scott agrees and his family, while they were here, confirmed it.  My point?  I miss my dad.  He’s been gone since October of last year, but I really miss him.

When I found out I was pregnant, he and my mom were in Colorado so I told them over the phone.  He cried.  He wasn’t the crying kind.  He said some unbelievably nice things to me about the kind of mom I would be and how lucky our baby was.  He wasn’t really the emotionally expressive kind, so those words meant a lot to me.  I think of them often (especially in difficult moments like when I’ve accidentally bonked Cooper’s head or I can’t seem to get him to stop crying).
I just knew he and our baby would be buddies.  I planned that he would teach him or her about the stars, rocks, lizards, birds and science.  I don’t have anybody else in my life who knows as much about the outdoors or science as my dad did.  Now that Cooper is here and my dad isn’t, I realize how much I don’t know.  My knowledge in these areas is woefully lacking.  On my Amazon wish list I already have a book called “The Tree Book for Kids and Their Grown Ups.”  I want Cooper to know these things.  Will I somehow be able to convey my dad’s wealth of knowledge and love for nature through some books and experiences I create?  Will I be able to find the right people to teach him if I can’t? 

Do I miss some of the crazy things about my dad?  Like the fact that everything always had to be accurate?  If I announced that it was 100 degrees outside, trying to indicate that it was extremely hot, he would have to check his weather station and correct me with the true temperature.  “Actually, Suzi, it’s only 92 degrees outside.”  Do I miss that everything had to be functional – that there was no reason for merely decorative items?  That his “fixes” almost always included some PVC piping or duct tape.? Do I miss the fact that he always had to be right, arguing an issue with my mom even when we all knew she was right?  (At which point Lucy would wisely keep quiet and I would invariably announce, “I’m on mom’s side.”)  Yes, yes, I miss those things.

Jack Johnson's song, If I Could, talks about a new life coming into the world, while another life passes from it.  One of the lines says, “New life makes losing life easier to understand….”  

Mr. Johnson, I’m just not sure I agree.

Middle East Reunion

The suitcases are all gone and the fridge is starting to look a little bare again.  There are fewer arms to console li'l Cooper and the front door is clear of the pile of shoes once stumbled over.  Yesterday, I ran by Safeway to grab some diapers (imagine!) and found myself wandering the aisles.  I realized I wasn't looking for anything in particular, my eyes just seemed to be searching for familiar shapes or letters as if I was suddenly plunged into an alien world, devoid of what was comfortable.  I missed those faces & voices from home.
We ran like hounds for two very solid weeks.  Who was crazy enough to create that schedule?  At one point, I thought, "Man, I haven't spent too much time with anyone since they've been here."  An odd idea seeing as we seemed to spend every waking moment on the run from one site or event to another.  When we weren't on the road, the tour guide (um... that would be me) was feverishly plotting the next move.
But what fun we had!  And what sights we saw!  And what bags we carried under our eyes as our feet ground the gravel of yet another holy shrine or magnificent wonder of our world!  It was an amazing race across the Holy Land on both sides of the river.  I've posted the pictures from our various side trips and from Jerusalem. 
So, I'm grateful we all got off with nothing broken and only minor wear & tear.  Nobody walked off a cliff or in front of a bus.  There were no riots in either city, although we missed one by nary an hour as we returned to Amman.  The trip wasn't perfect, but it was full of memories that'll keep us talking for years to come.
As Mom would say, "Now, kids, we've been there, you know!"

Family Stuff

You may be interested to know that a whole gaggle of my kin have invaded our street and presently are prepping a trip across the river to Jerusalem.  If you want to follow the rabbit trail we're headed down, pop over to the McGarvey Family Blog.

Chef Scott

On the very off-chance that you're anything like me, there's nothing worse than an interesting industry rag full of tips and tricks you've never heard of and gadgets for stuff you didn't even know existed.  Once, while on a weekend jaunt to our dear familial relations in O'Fallon, a Cook's Illustrated casually gracing the nightstand caught my eye.

Evil repository from the pits of a well-organized pantry of distraction!
Did I want a subscription?  Yes!
Did I want to stay up all night thumbing through the beguiling pages of sketches and reviews from the last three years?  A thousand times YES!
I don't cook.  I wish I did and did it well.  I actually pulled off a Mexican Cornbread recipe from the Lodge a few days ago, however short of removing the outer wrapper and preheating to 375, my skills don't go too far.  Sure, I can throw some meat on a grill and come out with something edible, but really creating is just a tad beyond my reach.
I once stood in Vito's kitchen as he fried some garlic in olive oil, poured it over some fresh pasta and, without any garnish, blew me away with the simplest flavor.  It's the chemistry... the science with a dash of art that makes great cooks shine in simple kitchens.
I love all the cooking shows that pit creativity against time and show off the amazing skills of talented people.  I go through spurts where it's all take-out and to-go boxes.  Thankfully, that's cheap & easy to do here.  But then, I can't take another thing home... I want to build it myself.  I want to create that flavor and savor succulent success. Unfortunately, when I do try, Suz has prepped, eaten and cleaned off the table of her meal before I get finished slicing and dicing mine.
Another item for the bucket list... Chef.

Yeah... I KNOW!

We haven't posted anything for a few days because, well... we've been up til 2AM yammerin' to each other like hens in the chicken house.
You heard me... HENS IN THE CHICKEN HOUSE.  How is it that your eyes will not stay open, your head's back against the wall and yet, you still will not go to bed?  This is the craziness of my family.  We've been resisting sleep for as long as I can remember.  Unfortunately, that issue seems to be genetic as Cooper doesn't so much like the sleep thing either.
I've just not had the time to do anything more than post some shots over on the family blog.  Suffice it to say, we've had a great time and it's not even half over!  Hoorah!