Zoo, Part Deux (please note the rhyme)

Enjoing the duck pond
Originally uploaded by veggiejj

We went back to the zoo last weekend. Anna enjoyed the aquarium the best and, as always, she enjoyed lovin' on her beloved goats.

More Scenes From The Park

Wednesday morning, at 8:30am, Anna and I were doing our usual power-walk around the park. Often, we see a group of three older ladies doing their morning walk as well. They seldom hear us as we approach them from behind on the trail because they're usually gossiping and gabbing about their grandchildren, fellow church members or crotchety husbands. I usually have to break them out of their gab session by announcing our presence and excusing us for passing them on the right.

That morning, two of the usual three were walking. I saw one of them carrying something with her but couldn't make it out until we got closer. Upon further inspection, I realized that it was a Bud Light box (like what a 12 pack would come in). It looked so funny to see this old biddy with a Bud Light box in her hand at 8:30 on a Wednesday morning. As we passed them, I motioned toward the box and asked if they were heading to a party this morning. They both laughed and said that no, they were picking up cans to recycle and were using the box as a receptacle. It still gave me quite a chuckle.

Scenes from our backyard

For the second Sunday in a row, we spent the whole day outside yesterday. The weather was great: A little chilly in the shade but toasty in the sun. Last Sunday, we put a big blanket in the grass and brought out a few of Anna's toys. She and I played there while Kevin did some yardwork. Occasionally, we'd practice walking in the grass. She loves the feel of grass under her toes.

Yesterday, the grass was still too damp from Saturday's storms for the big blanket, so we instead camped out mostly on the patio. We ate all three of our meals from the grill (Kevin's famous, "campfire breakfast tacos" for breakfast; hamburgers for lunch and grilled quesadillas for dinner). I enjoyed catching up on my bird-watching. I saw my usual cast of characters: Sparrows, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Woodpeckers and all the squirrels but also found a couple of Carolina Wrens (hanging out near our blooming Carolina Jasmine, by the way..."going to Carolina in their little bird minds"), and a whole flock of cowbirds. I love our birds and squirrels.

Dead-Beat Blogger

Ugh. I know, I know. I've gone away again. Guess I got a taste of success with my pre-pregnancy jeans fitting and suddenly felt too big for my britches (so to speak). Several blogtastic things have happened but I'm too lazy to form sentences again. Here are some bullet points to catch you up to date:

New signs that Anna knows and uses:

• Ball
• Bath
• Water

Interesting Tidbits (interest is in the eye of the beholder):

• I went to a party (for awesome Kate and Willy--love them!) at the home of a super cool blogger whose blog I read. I debated, the whole day of the party, whether or not to tell her that I read her blog. I decided to play it cool and, if it came up in conversation, great...if not, no big deal. What did Jenny do? The second she introduced herself, as we were walking into her home, I gushed, "Oh my god...I totally read your blog!". Gah...I carried a watermelon? (movie reference)

• I went to Galveston for a girls' weekend last weekend and had a baby-free day. The weather was fabulous and I had a grand time.
  

• I've been in need of a good book to read for awhile. Reading and re-reading magazines every night before bed just wasn't cutting it anymore. I was dreading buying a book and having to dip into the "entertainment" fund. Suddenly a light bulb went off in my head yesterday: LIBRARY, dumb ass. So, Anna and I trekked to our neighborhood branch of Houston Public Library and got ourselves a library card and two books (one for me and one for her). Score!

And, to reward you for checking and re-checking my blog every 30 minutes to see if I've posted (Hi R.A.A.!) and also my silly drivel, an early Valentine for you:

Gold Star Day!

In a fit of insanity, and I suppose in an effort to squelch any notions of a positive body image that I've might have been having lately, I decided to try on a couple of pairs of my pre-pregnancy jeans. I've tried them on numerous times, over the past 11 months or so. Up until now, the score has been as follows:

P-P J 18


J.J. 0

Today, as I half-heartedly pulled them over my hips (over! my! hips!) they went on. Then, I cautiously tried to button them. Shazam! Both pairs buttoned! And I could BREATHE (a priority for me)! Granted, there is a tad more muffin top than I used to sport when I wore these back in the day, but this is a huge breakthrough. Funny thing is, I don't feel like I've been losing much weight lately. I haven't been trying very hard, that's for sure. Maybe my body has finally realized that there isn't a twee fetus inside of me anymore and that it's safe to go on and shrink back to normal size.

I suppose it's about time for me to get pregnant again...

The Face of Addiction

When any of the blogs that I read suddenly go dead, I always assume the worst: death, illness, major computer malfunction. In case you were wondering where I've been? I've been right here. Doing nothing. I'm sure that there have been things that I could write about, but I haven't been inspired. My mojo has left me.

In lieu of elegant prose, I've opted to indulge your Anna Claire habit. Here's a recent video of her signing. I was taunting her with her beloved Cheetos. What she's saying in sign language is that she wants to "eat more Cheetos".



*She does know how to sign "more" but, when Cheetos are involved, she often gets too frustrated to sign "more". That's why she violently signs "EAT!!!" and makes the "Cheee" sound. Desperate times call for desperate measures.