Fin

But it's not really. In a way we are just getting started.
Miss Koala is now 13 months and a few days and has been walking in that cute I can walk 4-5 steps to mama or daddy and be really proud about it kind of way. She crawls like a champ, but prefers walking SO much more. And Miss Bean is, as I write this, sleeping for the second night in her big girl bed, OFF the floor. And she's potty trained!! Like 87%! She made it all the way down to NYC (with stops to pee, of course) without any accidents. The way home wasn't as good, but since we've been back she's been perfect. She even gets up in the night to potty. We took her changing table out of her room today and with her big girl bed in there instead of the crib, I feel like my baby has grown up really fast.

Speaking of becoming a grown up, in about five weeks or so, it's looking like N and I will become first time homeowners! All big, wonderful, exciting stuff, but I don't feel the urge to write about our daily lives quite so much anymore. In the first place, as the girls become older, I don't want to violate their privacy and also, I don't miss Brooklyn/NYC quite as much as I did when I first stated this blog a little more than three years ago. I'm happy to be here, at this point. I wouldn't want to be back in Brooklyn with two little girls. But there are things I do want to do, like maybe think about getting a part-time job at some point and really trying to make a go of it with my fiction writing. Blogging has been great---it's been a wonderful record of our lives in New Hampshire and, despite me writing about my kids so darn much, something that provided me with an outlet from being a mom.

I'm going to take the summer off and then in September, I might start a new blog. One that will be a little less mommy, a little more worldly. Just like Miss Koala is taking her first steps into the big wide world, I think it's time that I start thinking about my place in it too.

Thanks for reading y'all!
Happy Summer.

February In Verse: 3

Do you feel my pain?
It is snowing yet again.

It's the end of January and I haven't mentioned all the freaking snow!?

I don't know what's up with that.
Let me describe the inconvenience that is snow. I have to climb a mountain of it just to strap Miss Bean into her car seat from my driveway. Then we go to the library and all the layers have to come off all of us girls: 1 snowsuit, 2 coats, 3 hats, 6 gloves, 1 scarf, 2 booties, and please Bean could you keep the boots and socks on? No, of course not. Then of course all those layers have to go back on and when Miss Koala is snow suited in her new appropriate warmth level snowsuit, she's too puffy to sit so splat. Then I had to wrangle the toddler back into ALL of her clothes. Then because I was parked on a snowbank, I had to leave her on the sidewalk, sit the Eskimo baby in her car street, survive the whizzing traffic, get Miss Bean back, put her in the minivan from the whizzing car side, follow her inside the van and wrangle her into her car seat that way.

A big old pain the butt!

This afternoon The Bean wore boots with no socks! We're getting desperate.

And you know what else.

It's fucking cold.

-25, baby.

Sorry for the cursing moms, but -25?!

8 Months, Miss Koala!

Today Miss Koala you are 8 months! And so super, edible cute. Let's see, we've been quasi sleep training you the past few nights because we don't think you need to eat at 9:30. Two nights ago was terrible with 40+ minutes of crying, but last night it was only 10 minutes and then you slept till 1:30! Then you nursed, then when you woke at 4:30 you consumed a staggering 10oz of formula and thankfully went back to sleep till just before 7. The other mornings you woke up laughing at 5 and didn't want to go back to sleep. Ugh.

After your 9AM nap, we booked it over to Music Together, which you're very into. It was a crazy class today and you conked out on the way home in your new snowsuit, which Granny pressured me into buying since she thought your other one wasn't warm enough. But it was a whopping 32 degrees today! We all ate lunch when we got home. You had pieces of yam and avocado and these airy things your sister and I call puffers. You practiced putting food into your mouth by yourself and occasionally you got it in!

I'm very excited for the time when you and your sister can eat the same foods. At the same time. I had to make three different lunches today.

After lunch you did some exercising in your Exersaucer and after that we all went upstairs. You're still the queen of the 40 minute nap, but once a week or so you'll take a much needed longer one. Sometimes your much needed and my much needed don't mesh, but what can you do?

After your nap, we cuddled and played on the bed since your sis was still confined to her crib for the mandatory 60 min siesta. You got obsessed with my cell phone. I made you laugh by kissing your belly. You played with some toys. The Bean was in a terrible mood when she woke up for her too-late, too-short nap, but other than a freak out the other day violence against babies is way down and she told you she loved you for the first time last week! At 3:30, you and your sister shared some banana. Around 4:00 you got into Nutty Baby Mode. You made crazy noises and I wasn't sure what you really wanted. When I finally fed you dinner, you kept head banging in the high chair. For dinner you had egg yolk and some alphabet pasta with mushy carrots. I think you liked it, but the nutty baby mode made it hard to tell.

I've been wanting to keep you up till 6:30, but you just hit a wall around 5. We had a very unconventional bedtime---your sister was in the room yaking non-stop, you had a new super fast nipple on your bottle of semi-cold formula, we looked at the stars from the ladyug constellation thing, and then I put you in your crib. Normally, your bedtime is a much cozier, quieter affair with either me or your dad, but since he was working it just didn't happen that way. You've been more or less sound asleep since 5:45.

You are such a great baby. You love getting out, having new people over, and playing with new toys/dangerous electrical appliances. It's making the winter extra hard having to keep you in so much. You're still not moving, hate tummy time, don't have any teeth, and very little hair, but you are so easy going, so happy, and smiley, and fun that we're gonna keep you around!

I love you so much! Only 4 months till we feed you cupcakes! With sprinkles!
xo,
Mama

Suck it, America

We got the mini van! And I love it. And I drove it to walmart and bought the baby cheap clothes because for some odd reason she has none. Can't figure it out. We had another baby two years ago and that baby had clothes that we kept. Maybe it's because Miss K is huge and baby clothes shrink. She won't be 6 months till next week, but she's already in 6-9 month stuff and she can wear some 9 month stuff already.

I used to be a good person. I took the train. I walked a lot. I shopped at the food coop. Now, I'm all evil in my big car going to the big box stores to dress and diaper my offspring.

I still recycle though.

Whew.

Another Fall

Miss Bean has been saying, "Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn," this past week. And although it was annoyingly humid today, those leaves are changing and dropping off at a really rapid rate.

This is my third fall up here. The first one struck me as the most beautiful. Perhaps because it was my first and because I was so tired that everything was just a little bit druggy. Last year I felt like the colors were too patchy. And this one is...well I don't know. It seems fast. I know what's coming although I don't know how it's going to be with two kids. I feel like we have to be outside all the time while we still can. Even when it gets cold, I think I'll try and get the girlies outside for a stroller walk everyday. We have these super cozy bundle me things for the stroller....if I make sure they've got hats and gloves how miserable will they be in zero degree weather?

I know they're gonna hate it, but I truly believe everyone is better mentally and physically when they get fresh air.

In other news Miss Koala HAS A TOOTH! I know, she's only four months. It's on top too, which I think it pretty unusual. It kind of explains her wacky a doodle nursing of late. Maybe she's reconsidering that sandwich N offered her last week....

2 Years!

Two years ago today we moved in here with our 3 week old bambino. It was crazy. My dad and brother drove up the Uhaul with the remnants from our Bklyn apt. My aunt, her partner, my sister-in-law, and her friend all helped unload it. I was forced to nurse at a rest stop without my beloved Boppy since N had mistakenly sent it on the Uhaul. The Bean was wearing this terrible flowered outfit/pajamas. Granny ran like a crazy lady with her through the parking lot. I got a terrible dehydration headache from so much nursing and not enough water. The bed we were sleeping on collapsed and we ended up on a deflated aerobed in what's now Miss Bean's room. The Bean wouldn't go to sleep so N drove her around to the shopping horror that is 12A at eleven at night.

And today? The GIRLS!! slept until 6:30. We hung out. Our almost 13 year old neighbor came over to play with The Bean. She gave her 5! slightly loved stuffed animals as a bday present and now she has a new doggie with a PINK collar that she loves. Miss Koala took two short morning naps. She also had some rocking tummy and standing time. She smiled a lot. N went to 12A to take pictures, buy stuff, and do the recycling. Bean and Mama had eggs and tomato soup for lunch. I walked to the gym and lifted some weights. In the afternoon, The Bean and I took the bus to Hanover, which was super exciting as The Bean is very into taking the bus. We met Miss Koala and Papa N there, walked around, looked at art, bought some presents amazingly not for Bean, ran around The Green, and had an early burrito dinner outside. Everyone cried a little before bedtime, but that's par for the course when you're three months and 2 (and 34 and 35). Now, all is quiet except for the lovely sounds of N unloading the dishwasher, which I will soon load, which will hum into the night as the four of us snooze in our beds on a street in a town in a state called New Hampshire.

Bad News At Borders

You know how I liked working at Borders because they didn't have free wifi? Well, I'm bloggering from there right now because they went all free wifi. And you know I have the will power of a goldfish.

But it's this or learning about commas so I can teach my students how to use them and frankly, commas, I don't give a damn.

So, Miss Bean got her first dose of Benadryl after her lip start swelling from something she ate on Saturday night. I feel bad that she's seemed to inherit my allergies, but she was okay and thank goodness the Benadryl made her drowsy and not jittery.

Fully recovered from her lip swelling, the three of us went to a local apple orchard on Sunday. That night we went to colleagues of Nick's for a jamboree. The Bean came and while she had fun, I can never totally enjoy myself because first I worry if she'll actually go to sleep and then, when she did fall asleep, I felt bad waking her up to drive her home. I know it's okay to do this to her once and a while, but her sleep was screwy all day yesterday and I believe it's due to the wakings.

But it was fun to hang out with new people in a new place. And the food was good, too.

Last night we had one of the new faculty over for dinner, which was fun. The babysitter had to come today and since it's been fall break yesterday and today, I've had some free time. And, as you can see from this illuminating post, I've been using it quite wisely.

Wow! It's Not Raining!

It's a nice, slightly breezy, but sunny day here in the Upper Valley. We got back here yesterday and are staying put until The Bean's bedtime on Sunday when we're gonna drive to New London, CT, sleep in a motel, and then take an early ferry to Shelter Island to hang out with our bestest Brooklyn friendies for four days. Yay!! Beach! Babies! Beer!

After that, we're gonna stay here for a month because I'm not sure how many more places we can have The Bean sleep. She was great in the Adks, although she did get sick while we were there. Luckily, it was after we came back from the wedding so her grandparents weren't stuck with a sick kiddie. We ended up taking her to a clinic in Lake Placid and the PA who saw her thought it could be the start of another ear infection so she's back on the anti-bs this week. She's better on that front for sure, but she's also teething, which is not fun. I think it would be freaky to give birth to a baby with a full set of teeth, but now that we're in the heart of the teething, I think not having to deal with teething might outweigh the freakiness factor.

Our friends who are moving at the end of the month just dropped off their propane grill, which is exciting and a little scary as N and I aren't really grillers. Hopefully things will go better with this grill than with the last one....

Why I Hate Garrison Keillor

Hard to believe now, but you know, there was time, back when I was in my (foolish and boozy) 20's, living in Seattle, when I found "A Prairie Home Companion" comforting. I'd listen while through Seattle's cute rainy neighborhoods, on route to brunch or at home, drinking my coffee or folding my laundry or some other mundane thing. I'd laugh at the ketchup commercials and smile at the English Major riffs. That Guy Noir....he'd just crack me up. When I moved back to Brooklyn I didn't listen to it as much--one, because I didn't drive anymore and probably because I sent my laundry out and also because it just didn't seem to be on when I was drinking coffee, etc. But when I did catch it, I was cool wid it.

One effect of living in NH is that I now HATE APHC. I find Garrison Keeler's voice smarmy and annoying and sometimes N has to physically restrain me from throwing things at the radio. Maybe I dislike the show because I live in the country rather than a metropolitan hot bed like Seattle or New York. Maybe I think Keeler is a bit of an asshole because of this. Maybe a white person living in white people land can only take so much whiteness in a given day. Or maybe I hate APHC because IT'S ALWAYS ON HERE.

We get three NPR stations in this area and on the weekends when we're all chillaxin' and in the mood for some good listening it's APHC on all 3 stations. It kind of makes ya wanna kill yourself. Or maybe just blast some gay rap.

Have yourselves a APHC-free weekend, kiddies. Do it for me, cuz you know I won't.

What I Like About You

1. Spring here is great. We still have some crap days, but when it's nice I REALLY appreciate it.

2. I was able to make a reservation for THE restaurant in the area for a Friday night at 7:00 the day before. Like that would ever happen in NYC!

3. I like driving, actually. I feel like it would be frustrating to have to take the bus/train with The Bean. Not only all the stuff, but also it's nice being in control. Like the other day when we met a friend, had lunch, and then around 1:00 we booked it back to the Bean-Mobile and drove pronto home singing the whole way so the nap would be taken in the crib and not the car. Not sure how this would fly on the Q train.

4. I like driving and not seeing any cars for like ten miles sometimes.

5. I love our sun porch. It was closed off for the last six months, but now that it's nicer out we've been using it and you feel like you're on vacation in the trees. I'm so glad we only gave 1/2 of it to The Bean. The other half is ours and we've been having our cocktails and dinners out there. You should come visit if only to watch the sun set while drinking a vodka martini from there.

6. Today The Bean had a date with her friend O at Dartmouth's museum otherwise known as The Hood. She got to get her crawl on around the floor in some of the galleries because it was empty. It's very important for Bean to get her crawl on during her waking hours, you know. I do believe it would be impossible to crawl around any art museum in the five boroughs.

7. The Valley News. I love our local paper. Not only do I learn of cool happenings, but the local stories are a laugh riot. Like the mobster guy in Vermont who had posters from The Godfather all around his apartment and totally tried to be a gangster by selling drugs and beating the shit out of people, but who also, on weekends, to make money, sold crafts at local fairs.

Ummmm.....

I don't know what to write about here. I'm kind over my funk over being friendless. At least for today I feel like this is just a time in my life; before I know it we'll all be really busy all the time. Plus, when I am busy I also feel bad about sacrificing the bebe's naps. Sooooo.....

I'm also happy because our babysitter came twice this week, which was wonderful. On Monday I went to Borders to work in the Seattle's Best coffee shop there and you know what? I got so much done! Know why?

No wifi.

I mean you can pay $6.00, but I didn't and wow.

Oh, I might be getting a job in the fall. Just teaching one class a week for the Fall semester at N's school. I'm kind of nervous about it because it feels like it's been forever since I taught, but I think it would be good for me to do something other than Bean-Care all day. We're hoping my schedule and N's schedule will work out so that he can be home with her while I work.

So that's something.

The Bean is having some rough days. She's teething and eating up a storm and also in the mommy-stage, which is not fun. She used to be real chill for others, but these days she's an inconsolable wreck. She took a three-hour nap this afternoon and while she was the cheeriest I've seen her in days when she emerged from it, she was yawning an hour later. What is up?

I've been craving a cheeseburger for three days now. N. was nice enough to stop by the grocery and pick up a chicken and 4! sides, but I wish I were eating here for dinner.

Give me some post topics, people. This is sad.

Even In Australia

Did you know that those people up in KV have an awesome collection of children's books. While there last week, I read for maybe the 10,000 time Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst. You know it, don't you? It's so good; the sheer frustration Alexander feels along with Ray Cruz's illustrations really captures the essence of a kid's bad day.

Yesterday, I had my very own even in Australia day. It wasn't terrible, horrible, but it just felt like one of those days when I think why do I live in New Hampshire and when is it going to get better?

The Bean was okay--a little fussy and not so nappy, but there have been worse days on that front. The sun actually came out in the afternoon and we ended up taking 2 walks. But I need a friend. I need a friend who's more like me than the people I've met here so far. I need a friend who needs a friend. And who lives close by so I can still get the Bean to have proper naps in her crib. Right next door would be great. Mostly just someone who I can just call up and say, I'm going stir crazy, wanna meet on the green? Or wanna come over for coffee. I do at least one thing with other moms most days during the week, so maybe it's better for both me and The Bean to have some days when nothing happens, but still those are the days I just long to be back in Brooklyn. And I fantasize as I push a crying Bean back home from the green about what I would be doing in Brooklyn now. Maybe I would be walking in Prospect Park with Beth and her newish son The Frog. Maybe I would be at the amazing playground a block away from our old apartment with Melissa who has a 1 year old and lives down the street. Maybe my brother would have brought Cuban sandwiches over for lunch.

But then I stop this fantasy and try to be realistic. Even in Brooklyn, the Bean would still needs naps and her naps and The Frog's naps might not gel some days. And Melissa's kid could be sick. Also: my brother hasn't set foot in Brooklyn since '99.

I remind myself to be grateful that N. has a job. That we're not in Texas. That I have met some people who I do like and that we've only been here about seven months. Don't they say it takes a year? But man the long days can be so long. And lonely.

If I Spent Less Time on Facebook I'd Probably Blog More

I'm sick of winter, yo. Like today after music class The Bean and I chilled and napped and then we played and then we got sick of being in the house and I thought about getting an onion because we need one for the marinara sauce I was going to make on Sunday. But getting an onion would require driving and all the hoopla that goes on with getting the kid in the car and I just didn't feel like making the babe go through all that for an onion. An avocado, perhaps, but an onion? It was cold out today, probably too cold for a walk to the local grocery store, but even if I decided to risk it, it would require putting many layers on The Bean and then stuffing her in the stroller. And I just wasn't up for that. But if it was warm out....no jacket or Bundle Me or hat or gloves. I could just stick Beanie in her buggy and away we'd go. Ahhhh. And there'd be sun, which would be wonderful for obvious reasons, but also then I could be out later. We live on a rather dangerous-to-cross curve and since it gets dark around 4ish, I don't want to take any chances crossing with just the stroller.

I was too lazy to even take The Bean out to the mailbox, which is just out on the driveway. I'd still need to bundle her up so we just ended up in the house for so much of the day. Ugh. It will be so nice to be outside just as another venue.

If you're considering babies in your future you might consider having babies in the winter. By the time they wake up and want to interact with the world (around 4 months) it's getting nice out.

I'm so not listening to that rabid little groundhog neither.

Back in Town With Another Rambling Post!

We're back in snowy NH. And actually it's not too bad. Today is N.'s first day back at work in like a month! He got an extended break because his school was out of power from the massive ice storm that hit in December. He's not teaching, but the boy needs to get prepared for the start o' classes, which is next week. Today The Bean and I went to Mommy Doesn't Do Yoga Because Baby Needs Some Love and then to lunch with some of the moms. It feels good to be in a routine. I think once Beanie can sit on her own yoga will get more done. She gets cranky on her belly/back for too long because she want to sit or stand or bounce.

Even better than being home? We might be getting Miss Bean a babysitter! It's been hard to find one up here mostly because I suspect people don't like to share. Anyway, we're meeting her tomorrow and hopefully if all goes well N. and I could go out and do something one of these nights! Whooo hooo!

Less happy is that The Bean had her first fall yesterday. We were up at Winter Fest in Fairlee, VT. N. was wearing the baby in the Ergo when he took a spill on the frozen lake. She's fine and so he's but both were shaken up. Man, were there some tears. And some projectile spit up, which I don't think was related. But N. really needs to start digesting his food better.

Speaking of food, did you know Bean's mama is on a diet? Okay, not like a diet-diet, but I realized that eating with/without abandon (is that the expression? mom?) is not helping the tummy. It's still cool for me to eat alot (a nursing mom needs 1,000 extra calories compared to a pregnant mom who needs a mere 500), but I'm trying to just eat smarter. Like no more cookies or fries three times a week. Bummer for me, right? But still, bikini season is right around the corner....

How more random can we make this post? Oh! We bought chairs! 6 of them for our dining room! I can't wait for them to arrive.

And, last but not least, darling N. bought me a fabulous desk for Hannukah! No longer will I be blogging while slumped on the couch. I'm a lady writing at her desk. Thanks again, N. Best. Gift. Ever.

SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW SNOW and GUESS WHAT? MORE SNOW!

So, winter has happened. And it's ugly. It snowed for something like 69 out of the last 72 hours. I know this firsthand, actually because when I wasn't changing a diaper or nursing The Bean, I was looking out the window and watching it snow. This is the extent of the conversation in our house over the weekend.
Me: It's still snowing.
N.: You can't keep saying that. It's getting old.
Me: I know. Snow is getting real old, real fast. And you know what it's not even officially winter! What am I going to be like in two months? Three? Where did we move to? How is it possible that it's STILL snowing?
N. walks out of the room to get The Bean who is screaming not because she's hungry or tired or wet but because there's so much snow.
Twenty minutes later....
Me: It's still snowing!
N. You can't keep saying that. It's getting old.
And so on and so forth ad nauseum.

We got around 2 feet of snow here since Friday. 2! Feet!
Completely unrelated to the snow, but no less tragic is that N. ran over the baby's stroller. Really. There was so much snow to get off his car that he completely forgot it was in the driveway and wham. Luckily the Bean wasn't in the stroller and luckily she has two back ups, but still. Snow makes good people neglectful parents.

Anyway, we're off to the Adirondacks for The Bean's first 1/2 Jewish Xmas. Apparently there's slightly less snow over there. Bah humbug!

Say, Do You Still Hang in New Hampshire?

I've heard that perhaps the blog is getting a bit Beancentric and that the peoples might be interested in life in NH, which was the reason this blog was born. So....I'll answer a few questions I think you might have and then, gentle readers, you can ask me some more and I will answer them. Really. The weirder the better. Fun, no?

1. Is it cold there?
Lots of people asked me this last week and the answer WAS not really. I mean it was cool, but all of the Northeast is cool in December. But Sunday night a cold front came in and it dropped like seventeen degrees in an hour! It got so cold so fast. When I went to the dentist on Monday morning it was a whopping 4 degrees! Tuesday and Wednesday were on the warmer side. Today And it snowed like a mother. Luckily I just got new ugly boots and snow tires.
2. Do you have any friends yet?
Um....I'm not sure. I know a lot of moms and I do things with the moms but it's always about the kids, you know. What I need is someone I can call spontaneously, which I might be able to do but haven't done lately. But I certainly do go out to lunch a lot. Us moms love our lunches. Making friends with moms is a lot like dating or the first month of your freshman year. Read this if you're so inclined.
3. What do you miss most about NYC?
I missed the city the night Obama won. NH seemed so quiet although realistically I probably wouldn't have been out in the city either the quiet felt particularly isolating. I miss having my family close by. If they were around life would be different. N. and I would probably have more date nights and on those long Tuesday afternoons I could just bring The Bean to grandma's. Plus, my family is pretty cool. I miss my friends, people who have known me for years. It's hard establishing who you are with people you've just met. I miss good ethnic food. I also miss people of color. I really miss the ease of curbside recycling. In the battle of the family vs. recycling it seems the recycling is going to win.
4. Are there things you don't miss about NYC?
When I was back in the city last month I could see what a drag city life can be with a big stroller and even-bigger diaper bag. It's kind of nice having a car where you have more of an option of nursing or changing a diaper than on the 2 train. The crowds can be annoying. N's schedule was horrible back in NY and not conducive to having a Bean.
5. What else?
I don't know. Ask and all shall be revealed.

Mice VS Moose!

I hate mice. Specifically, I hate mice in my home. Outside little country mice that I don't see are perfectly fine. (Unlike squirrels which I absolutely hate inside or out, but that's because I'm scared of them because I'm convinced that they're all sociopaths. Yes, squirrels are sociopaths.) We haven't (knock on wood) had any mice issues here in NH. But I'm kind of living in fear of the moose. No, I don't think I'll see a moose scurrying across the kitchen counter at 2 AM. I'm afraid one will decide to cross the street. In front of my moving car.

There are all these moose crossing signs around here and everyone time I drive past one I kind of freak out. You really don't want to hit a moose. Not only will it wreck your brand new car, it can also wreck you. And your little baby. It's no joke. The other morning on the NPR affilate it was announced in the local news section that a couple had a moose accident and were air lifted to a fancy hospital. A doctor I met said all the ER accidents up here are related to hunting and moose. Back in Brooklyn it was guns and knives but here it's the big beasts!

Interestingly enough despite all the road kill around here, you don't actually see any of it. Know why? Apparently, there's a "road kill" list. When your name comes up, you get the call at 3 AM that there's a downed moose on 89 South so you get in your truck and go get it. Weird, huh?

So keep your fingers crossed that no moose cross our paths and that N. doesn't put us on the "road kill list" because we have no idea how to dress a moose, Sarah Palin, and we like it like that!

Milestones of the Month

What do you know, kids? We've been we've been livng free or dying for a whole month now. Some NH milestones are:

1 I joined the gym.
2. AND I went swimming. And it wasn't in a maternity suit! And I got to use the hot tub and sauna without fear of over heating a fetus!

3. I went to to the library and took out a book! The book wasn't about kids or parenting at all. It's fiction and I've read about 70 pages! I might even finish it before 2009.

4. I drank a drink made with liquor.

5. I stayed awake for a whole episode of "Mad Men".

6. I registered my car and myself (to vote) in the state of New Hampshire.

7. I volunteered for Barack Obama. You should too.

8. We went to a party. At nightish. Given by someone I met who might become a friend.

9. I cooked five course meal in which everything---from pasta to pie crust---was made from scratch using only organic, locally grown products.

Okay, the last one is just keeping you on your toes. But all the rest, cross my heart, are true.

Say, Momma, What's Going On?

Baby: not a whole lot of sleeping that's for sure. Bean is still excellent, but not an excellent sleeper. She doesn't like to nap, which means she gets overtired, which means it takes her parents an extremely tiring amount of time to get her to sleep at night and because she's growing like a weed she wakes every two hours to eat which means mom is pretty sleep deprived and thinks a really long sentence will get the point across. Whew. Today I had what would be a degrading situation if it had been someone other than an almost 6-week year old in the room. I was on my hands and knees rocking the bassinet. Why was I on my hands and knees? I was hiding from the baby. When she sees me, her eyes fly open. Really. She's kind of a genius like that. This morning when N. was trying to give her a bottle she refused to take it so he put her back to bed. It wasn't until his milk was poured in his coffee and he was about to take a bite of cereal that Bean decides she'll take the bottle.

Car: still cute even in the driveway.

NH: I'm sick of the two main restaurants in town, that's for sure. But there are some things NH does better than Bklyn. Like the food co-op. The Bklyn co-op was so small that you'd never consider going there on a Sunday at 5:00 unless you're some kind of masochist. The one here? Totally empty. And huge. And there's never a line at the bank. Or, as you remember, the post office.

Another thing I like about NH: kids playing on the streets. Not babies being wheeled around in gourmet strollers in gourmet playgrounds by their parents but real kids ages like 8-11 riding bikes and playing ball on their own.

Another plus about NH: Did I mention there's no sales tax? Regardless, I spend like no money here. Back in Bklyn, I spent money just breathing. Of course I did spend like a kagillion dollars at the Coop on Sunday but we do need to eat.

Baby Crap: just keeps coming into our house. Tonight poor N. has to put together the Graco Swing. I considered putting it together but keeping Bean together is job enough. Besides, I'm really bad at putting stuff together. Especially if there's 40 steps and 80 pieces. And screws are involved.

Other people commenting on the dearth of blog updates: shouldn't really talk now, should they?

Knitting: I'm considering learning how to do it. Bean nurses a lot, it's gonna be cold a lot soon. Shouldn't these two things come together? Any knitters out there? Do you think someone who's bad at putting things together and not really sewy can learn to make knots?

The New York Times: why do I keep buying it when I don't ever read it? It's a good thing they don't deliver to this zip code.

Brooklyn: I'm too consumed with general day to day living to miss it but say hi if you see her.