Recipe for a Dang Cute Baby

1. Start with one pair of Baby Legs. They are a must-have for newborns. (Any product of the '80s may be tempted to call them leg warmers...don't do it.) Paired with a long sleeve onesie, they allow the ease of diaper changing with just a onesie, but whole body coverage to beat the chill. I bought this pair before Seth was even born. I love the quirky color combo, however aqua and orange are tricky colors to coordinate for a whole outfit, so until today he's never worn them.

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2. Brew over medium heat: one plain white long-sleeve onesie, 1 box of RIT dye in Sunshine Orange, and hot water. Stir constantly until desired color is achieved. Rinse until water runs clear and launder. (Can you believe I couldn't find an orange onesie anywhere? Sometimes you just have to take matters into your own hands. )

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3. Mix together newly dyed onesie with Baby Legs. Add baby. The recipe turns out better when the baby is already pretty cute to begin with.

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4. Serve warm and enjoy.

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What's a Girl to Do?

Yesterday I read an article in this month's issue of Glamour magazine (yes, serious literature...) called "50 Little Health Tips Every Woman Should Know". Here's an excerpt from Dr. Kevin Wandler:

"If you think you look fat one day but were fine the

day before, remember that your reaction to what you see

in the mirror may be about emotions, not reality." (p. 194)

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I have a problem now. If what we see when we look in the mirror is influenced by the emotions we're feeling at the time, and the camera adds 10 pounds, how are we ever supposed to know what we really look like?

Just laugh. It's funny.

Have you ever googled your own name?

You don't have to admit it, but I will. I have googled my name before. It's fascinating what comes up sometimes. (Except for the news footage of me talking about the accident. That is not fascinating, it is horrifying. No matter what someone else tells you, NEVER do news spots when you are 8 months pregnant with a large baby and you don't have any eye makeup on. You will regret it for the rest of your life, I promise.) Yesterday was the 4 month mark since Matt died. I like to keep up on what's being said about him out there, so I googled his name. Now before I elaborate at all about what I found, please keep in mind that in that accident 4 months ago I lost my husband, not my sense of humor.

This is what I found:

http://mayorberman.wordpress.com/2008/09/16/remembering-matt-bachrach/

You're probably wondering why it's funny. I would be happy to tell you. It's funny because it's plagiarized! Mayor Berman (or an assistant perhaps? Let's hope?) took half of what he put in this post word for word from the obituary my brother in law wrote for Matt! Now, my dear friends, please don't go getting all up in Mayor Berman's face about it. Just laugh. In a wide-eyed-are-you-kidding-me sort of way, It's funny.

But really. Isn't there a Gilbert mayoral election coming up soon?

The Eyes Have It

I am an eye person. Typically they are the first things I notice about a person. There's not much of a chance that I would ever get tired of looking at someone with nice eyes.

A British poet once said, "The EYES have one language everywhere. " Isn't that so true? I've been studying my little people's eyes.

Brigham

Hunter

Seth

Not a bloodshot eye among them. (That's why I didn't include a picture of my eyes. I couldn't get one that didn't show how pathetically bloodshot they are. Once I asked Hunter what color his dad's eyes were. He studied them closely and declared them pink!) Fun, huh? Have you looked at your people's eyes lately?

Cool Cat

The weather here was absolutely beautiful yesterday-in the seventies-so we spent some time outside enjoying it. Seth was really not happy about how bright it was, so I put his sunglasses on.




Taking one look at him, my sister got these lyrics stuck in her head:

Cool town, evening in the city

Dressing so fine and looking so pretty

Cool cat, looking for a kitty

Gonna look in every corner of the city

Till I'm wheezing like a bus stop

Running up the stairs,

gonna meet you on the rooftop

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I'm not really sure how one thing lead to another, but "Cool cat looking for a kitty" inspired us to put Seth in the tree. For those tempted to call CPS, I was holding on to him from behind while Ami took the pictures. He's not actually sitting in the tree unattended.

Is this the coolest baby or what?! He's totally Matt's kid.

Random Holiday Pics

Today I am posting some miscellaneous pictures from Christmas and New Years, then I am declaring the 2008/2009 holiday season finito.

This is what constitutes "happy holidays" for Brigham:




Hunter's version of the Nativity Story:

Hunter greeted Christmas Eve carolers by licking the window by the front door. Brigham was quick to join in:

Brigham and Hunter were asleep by 7:30 pm. Seth rang in the New Year with the grands. Don't mind the nasty bib, his face was just too cute to not post:

Ami's friend Cara, Ami and I rang in the New Year with a midnight 5k run along the river downtown. That shine on my face is frozen sweat. It was 26 degrees.

Brigham, Hunter and Seth. Great kids and they're not bad looking, either.

Happy 2009! My motto for the year is "It couldn't be worse than 2008." Catchy, no?

A Wonderful Life

On Christmas Eve last week my family watched the classic, It's a Wonderful Life. I was only half paying attention until a comment from Clarence the angel caught my ear and made me think of Matt. Our hero George Bailey is at the end of his rope, standing in the middle of the bridge working up the courage to jump off, and he says, "I wish I had never been born at all." To which Clarence replies:

"Each man's life touches so many others. And when he's gone it leaves an awful hole."

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That's the part that made me think of Matt. (But you probably figured that out already.) George Bailey is then given the gift of seeing exactly how life would have been different for those he knew and loved if he had never been born at all. After seeing the differences he made in the lives of others, he again finds himself in the middle of the bridge. This time he pleads, "I want to live again. I want to live again. Please God, let me live again."

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I don't know if Matt's been given the opportunity to see what life would have been like if he'd never been born. I can sure tell you what the hole looks like without him. In my darker moments I let my mind linger on all the things I lost when Matt died: my husband, my best friend, the father of my children, my provider, my home, my security, my goals and aspirations, inside jokes and common memories, my future...you know I could go on and on.

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During the brighter times I think of all that I have because Matt lived in the first place: three amazing little men, each of whom reminds me in so many ways of the wonderful father who loved them, eight action-packed and fun-filled years of stories and experiences together, a sense of adventure, an increased spirit of gratitude, a heightened awareness of the vast possibilities life holds for each of us, a greater appreciation for the talents and gifts of others, a stronger desire to achieve the true desires of my heart, a broader (sometimes inappropriate) sense of humor, the ability to let more of the unimportant stuff roll off my back, a feeling of urgency to live a full life, a quickness to laugh and a quickness to give the benefit of the doubt, an understanding that we are each given challenges in life, the knowledge that we can't compare our challenges with the challenges of others, an assurance that I can do hard things... you know I could still go on and on.

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I have never been one to make New Year's Resolutions. Maybe because I know I won't keep them. (Except for that time when I was 12. I resolved not to watch TV for an entire year and I actually did that.) Matt, on the other hand, ALWAYS made New Year's Resolutions and they were always resolutions he knew he could keep: eat more red meat, exercise less, drink more soda...

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For several months now, since Matt's death, I have felt like my life is on hold. Like I'm living in limbo. This year I think I will make a New Year's resolution. And in memory of my Matty, I think I'll make one I know I can keep. I think back to George Bailey's desperate plea, "I want to live again. I want to live again. Please God, let me live again."

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Are you ready for it? Here it is: In 2009, I am reclaiming my life.

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That, and I'll floss daily.