Snowtober

It is snowing.
Baking apple pie.
Then cookies.
Then making kettle corn and hot chocolate.
Clownfish wants to go sledding.
I think not.
Gonna watch some Mythbusters or something family friendly on cable.
I don't intend to be otherwise productive today.
I mean... seriously.

GRRRRR!!

My mother in law has been in the hospital for going on 10 weeks now.  She's been in a transitional nursing home situation twice, only to end up back in critical care.  She lives almost two hours from our house.  Nonetheless, my husband, who already has an almost hour commute the other direction every day, has driven out to see her several times a week through all of this.  He calls and checks in daily with either her or father in law.  He also checks in with his sister, a nurse, who lives many hundreds of miles away, to make sure she's getting to same information that he is.  He has been the listening post/venting board for his mother, who gets so upset with the doctors and with FIL... he has also listened to hours of rants from FIL, and has heard his share from his sister and his brother through all of this.  He's been keeping it together about as well as anyone can be expected in the circumstances, while still doing his job, his Navy stuff, the lion's share of the cooking and being the primary parent in charge until I get home at 6 p.m. each night.  

So right now, my father in law leaving a long rambling message on our answering machine about how "nice" it would be if Bullshark had a chance to go out and visit her "sometime...", even though he was there on Monday, is just chafing my ass.

OMG! GRRR!!!  (I am still liveblogging this very lengthy phone message...)

Just because she gets mad and yells at you, FIL, does not mean she has dementia!  You keep asking the doctors.  They keep telling you that between the meds and the dialysis and the loss of orientation that comes with lengthy hospital stays, a little confusion is normal.  So stop telling everyone she has dementia!  I don't know what you hope to gain by that.

ARGH.  Now he's using his patronizing voice to say what a "good girl" she was when she ate all her lunch today.  No wonder she gets furious with him.

The digital recorder on my answering machine actually cut him off.  It apparently had reached its limit as well.

_____________________________________
This has been an uncensored rant about my in-laws.  You may now return to your regularly scheduled blog reading.

MILP #226

Ptlawmom had it.  Here in two weeks.  Rock on.

Unicorns and the Tooth Fairy and ...

... a stay at home mom who wants to watch babies for free.

Category:  Things that only exist in the delusional mind of a co-worker who doesn't have any children.

Context:  She's thinking of having kids and returning to work, and asked how I did. I mentioned that the cost for quality daycare was out of control, but you suck it up and pay it.  She has an alternate plan:  to find this fictional magical mommy.  Good luck with that.  And take a picture of the unicorn, when you find her, because I've always wanted to see one.

Today

Bullshark had to take a class and then visit his mom in the hospital.

I took the kids to a local fall festival at a farm.

Clownfish used some old timey farm equipment that really looked like it could take a hand off.   He used a slingshot to shoot some apples into a lake and crushed some more apples for cider. 

I was stung by a bee.

We saw a rare Australian river turtle, some very large snakes, some very old turtles and other assorted "rescued" animals.  (People are idiots).  

Clownfish held a red eyed tree frog.  Camera wasn't charged. Mommy fail.

I noticed so many omg pregnant women there.  I'm not showing yet.  I was totally jealous of the baby bellies.

We also saw some some goats, moo cows and a llama.  Angelfish did not ask if the llama was her mama, despite our reading the book a dozen times.  On a related baby-talk front, I believe that she has clearly identified me as Mama, Bullshark as Papa and Clownfish as Buhbuh.  Ok, fine, maybe she makes those verbalizations in a random pattern. I think she's talking. Thbbth.

Near the exit, there were some art pieces -- large, metal geometric shapey pieces.

Clownfish said to me:

• I don't get public art.*  
• That piece looks like Chinese for goodbye.

I love that kid.

* This is a quote from Phineas and Ferb.

MILP #225

Hymn at Atty At Large.

This post will self-destruct

(aww, you missed it!)

"Get this silly hat off me.... Ok, I'll do it myself."

~ Angelfish

MILP #224: Autumn

The Weekly MILP (Moms In the Legal Profession) Roundup is hosted on a rotating basis between PT-LawMom, Butterflyfish, Attorney Work Product and Attorney at Large blogs. We originally rounded up just the moms in law school, but then discovered that those women eventually graduate. Who knew? So now all the moms in the legal field (heh) are represented. We aim for Sunday posts.

(Holiday weekend. Forgive the lateness of the post.)

Ahh, fall. Leaves changing. Hiking. Apple pie. Caramel corn. Cinnamon and pumpkins and flannel sheets and fuzzy socks.... So let us see what the MILPs are doing with my favorite time of year.

• Geeky Lawmom. Morning run. 
• Lag Liv. Playing outside. 
• Nonsense & Frippery. Playground perils. 
• Divine Miss K. Somber passings. 
• The GAL for the Job. Fall cold. 
• In a minute... Another fall cold, and disappointment. 
• Jenny. New semester. 
• - R -. Say pajamas... fire... all sorts of fall things. 
• Magic Cookie. Long weekend. 
• Googiebaba. Apple picking, apple pie. 
• Legally certifiable. Magic, and magic lost. 
• Reluctant Grownup. Football. 
• Attorney At Large. Contemplating career options. 
• Only 3 Years. Dry skin. 
• But I do have a law degree... Seasonal Affective Disorder.
• Today and Tomorrow. 1L fall priorities. 

Though she didn't post this week, happy first anniversary to PTlawmmom. 
 
(Also, there is finally a Baby Boo baby ticker on this blog. Pregnancy is progressing.)

________________________________
If you’d like to have your blog added to the MILP blogroll for weekly review or would like us to consider a specific post, drop the hostess(es) an email or leave a comment at any of our sites. Expecting moms in law school and attorneys are welcome.

Define jerk

We had a tragedy in our neighborhood last night. 

While I understand news people have to do their jobs, when I tell them (nicely) no comment, I mean GTF off my lawn.  Not "please see this as an invitation to throw a few more questions at me."  "Would you just confirm...?"  No.  I understand you think you're "not being a jerk" and "just doing your job."  Turning off the camera isn't changing my answer. I'm not telling you my neighbors' business, which I thought I made clear with my initial "no comment." 

Also, my baby is crying, so you kind of are being a jerk.  

MILP #223

was at Atty Work Product. 

Here next!

In other news, I am 36. I had such a lovely birthday, considering it was a work day.

Angelfish, almost 9 months

Gross motor. Crawling like a maniac. Successfully pulls herself up on furniture. Oh yeah, I am in trouble. She even does some rudimentary cruising, but it usually results in a fall because she moves the top part of her body, but doesn't always remember to move her feet a corresponding distance. Can transition from sitting to crawling, but not from crawling/belly position to sitting.

Eating. She is eating cheerios and other finger food. Her pincer grasp still needs work, but the "stick it to my soggy fist and cram it in my mouth" method seems to work pretty well.

One tooth. Very little hair. Huge, gummy smile. Sleeps with her thumb in her mouth.  Clownfish is her hero.

Loves peek-a-boo, chewing on books, hair pulling, and trying to eat my shiny silver necklace. She really seems to understand some basic verbal-only commands (like "clap your hands" "peek-a-boo" "so big"), but when she doesn't respond, its hard to tell if she doesn't get it, or gets it but is not in the mood.

Still a baby with a very sunny disposition, content to play with her toys so long as she is fed and rested.

We sing lots and lots of silly songs to her, usually pop songs with alternate lyrics that we make up on the spot.
Clownfish made up alternate lyrics to Foster the People's Pumped Up Kicks. 

"All the other babies with the pumped up diapers better run, better crawl, faster than my baby.... All the other babies with the pumped up diapers better crawl, better run, outrun my girl."

I like his version better.

Things I've learned this week

I was officially not "good enough" on paper to make it to the interview stage for a particular job I had applied for. Meh. Rejection sucks. But I'm over it.

The lawyer who treats closing arguments in a trial on damages only as an opportunity to read to the jury "excerpts" from the medical records (again) (they're full exhibits) is the lawyer getting 1/3 of a whopping $4000 payout.

A Clone Trooper costume (consisting of a cheap polyester tunic, plastic mask, and blaster gun) costs over $42.

I do *not* use the smoke alarm as a cooking timer. It only SEEMS that way based on all available evidence.

Sesame Street Glee Parody.  So, so good.