Syndicate

I am so embarrassed to admit, I have been watching American Idol. I have avoided it for five long years, but this television season’s complete lack of anything new and interesting to watch has forced me to look elsewhere for entertainment. And I have to admit, its like watching a really bad car wreck. You feel sympathetic for those in the crash, but you’re grateful its not you. I love to sing. I sing in the shower, I sing around the house, I sing in the car, and I sing to Chloe (who, by the way, LOVES my singing) but I know that I am not a talented singer, and I choose my audience accordingly. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people turned out for the American Idol auditions. They took maybe 20-30 people from each city. I honestly have to wonder what those other people were thinking. Some of them, you have to say were obviously just trying to get their 15 minutes, but some of them seriously thought they were good enough to be on American Idol. Their friends must be lying to them or their lying to themselves, because a majority of these people SUCKED! Which, I guess in this day and age makes good television. I am begging, pleading on bended knee….let’s raise the bar people. There has GOT to be something better out there to watch. For those of us at home with sleeping children…is there ANYTHING worth zoning out to at the end of the day? Please…any suggestions are welcome.

ps…I have updated the pictures in the gallery, please visit. ;)

Ok, ok…so, I really suck at this blog thing. The problem is, I always think of what I want to write at the least opportune times, and when it comes time to actually write a post, I can’t think of anything to say, or I think what I WAS going to write about is old news. But, I have decided to suck it up and just start writing with the hope that something interesting will come out.

Of course, Chloe is always a good topic. She turns 9 months old tomorrow, if you can believe it. She is a wonderful baby, very mellow and easy going as long as she is with me :) She is 16 pounds 5 ounces and 27 1/4 inches long. Except for having unbelievably sensitive skin, she is healthy and happy!

We can honestly say she is finally sleeping through the night. She was doing very well and then we went to Denver and she completely stopped. When we got back to Jersey, we did the whole “fuss it out” thing and it only took me two nights on the couch downstairs (so I wouldn’t hear her crying and wouldn’t be tempted to go rescue her) and she figured it out.

She still doesn’t have any interest in crawling but she is cruising all around our furniture. She is a very cautious baby. She makes sure she has sure footing before moving on the the next piece of furniture, she is very selective about what she will use to for balance, and she likes to make sure she knows what she is doing before she tries something new. The lady who runs Gymboree gave me some suggestions on how to help her get interested in crawling, but I think we’ll be ok if she decides to skip it all together.

Chloe is also becoming a lot more vocal. She is experimenting with consonants and distinctly says, “up,” “da,” and “ma.” I would also swear she has looked at me and said, “hi,” but you know how moms can get. She claps, a lot actually, she uses it to get attention and of course it works like a charm! She has four signs she uses consistently and about three to four she understands. We tried to join a signing class through Gymboree, but it was cancelled because I was the only one who enrolled. Apparently, everyone has gotten the wrong idea that kids who learn sign language aren’t encouraged to speak. In actuality, signing will increase a child’s vocabulary and has proven to have long term effects on their self esteem. Anyway, I purchased the materials for the class and am going to attempt to teach her at home.

She is starting to eat more independently. We’ve tried crackers (which she loves), cookies (which of course she loves), and bananas (which she won’t feed her self because their too squishy, but she loves them.) We will start this week on meat, which she has had in baby food, but not in solid form.

I will try to take some pictures of her this upcoming week and a video of her playing and cruising, so, check back later this week.  We also FINALLY finished her room, and will take pictures of that also.

My friend Sara asked me to list the books I’m reading on my blog so she can check them out also, so I will end this with the books I read in January:

Little Children by Tom Perrotta- an interesting take at stay at home parents.  It reminded me of Wuthering Heights, but mostly because I hated all the characters in that book also.  However, its a hard book to put down, watching people destroy themselves is addictive.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini-A story about the screwed up plight of a wealthy Afghani in the midst of the war with Russia and the Taliban taking over the country.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult- Read with a large box of Kleenex.  It is a story about a thirteen year old girl whose sister is dying of a rare form of leukemia.  She was genetically engineered to be a donor and after years of her parents using her to save her sister, she decides to take control of her own life and sues for medical emancipation.