Photos with Santa

Pay no attention to the fact that Santa looks different in the photos.... or the $1,600(!?!?!) dental bill I had just received. Randomly selected Santa photo day at the vet to get the boys' teeth cleaned, and subsequently several of them pulled. Hence the reason they look a little F'd up in the photo they took after because, uh, they were. Pretty cute, though.

And we received Oliver and Opal's photos via a photo order site. So glad we did it. The pediatrician recommended we do it this year, because next year we'll probably get the screaming photo.

Oliver Out and About

I should have gotten a photo today. Burned Oliver's sleeping time with a drive out to Hillsboro and lunch, so he was awake and wanting to be held by the time we made it to our manicure appointment. Great... I held him for a bit, but then I needed both hands. So the guy went in the back and recruited the ladies who were not working at the moment to hold him. They whisked him to the back (where I could still see him) and he totally hung out with them contentedly for 10 minutes or so. Hilarious. I tipped the guy well, and felt bad for not paying the ladies!

On a side note, Andie suggested I get shellac instead of regular polish, since it bakes on and is then dry, so I wouldn't ruin them with Oliver. Verdict: so far, so great!

This story also reminds me of all of the other places that Oliver will be someday be embarrassed having been with me to:

• The nail salon
• The hair salon (Wednesday he actually insisted on sitting on my lap through the whole color process, but did fall asleep just in time for shampoo!)
• The bra store - "Just Like a Woman"
• The ladies lounge in Nordstrom
• Mom & Baby yoga
• OBGYN appointments
• Hanging out in my bathroom
• Shopping

Please remind me if I've forgotten any... Te he he

A few more gift ideas

Still shopping for Oliver and I? Probably not. But we could use:

Music. I've been enjoying the Rockabye Baby - Good Day, Goodnight CD where they make lullaby versions of popular songs. Soothing for Oliver to listen to, and still entertaining for me. I here the lyrics in my head while I listen and sing along (not very well, but Oliver doesn't care). I know they have a lot of versions, including country. Other music is good, too. And then some is truly terrible.

Kid's books. It's amazing how quickly it feels like you've read everything in the collection too many times.

Paci Tether. We've gone from 3 to 8 pacifiers, and somehow they're even harder to find. And the worst is when we make it out of the house without one. So, attaching one to Oliver in the morning just makes sense. It needs to be something that works with his funky soothie pacifiers, and it looks like this kind with a thin loop would work.

First Visit to Santa

Oliver and his girlfriend Opal visited Santa this weekend. We even managed to find one not at the mall. Not a lot of smiles - Oliver was very serious - but no real tears from either of them. So cute! Waiting to get the official photos. We should have had them sit together, but we didn't. :( We always have the Easter Bunny...

They look so nervous!

Fragrance that lasts

I picked up a nice smelling diffuser at Nordstrom Rack, must have been two years ago while i was working downtown. I've had it out since, and it is STILL going. It's not an ever-present scent, but every once in awhile someone will walk by and literally exclaim about the whiff of fabulous scent. But after such a long time, its staring to look worse for wear. I figured I wouldn't be able to get the same scent again since it was at the Rack, but Mitchell suggested I Google it, and sure enough it seems to be everywhere. It's the Archipelago Home "Currant" Diffuser and it is amazing.

Cleaning to Clean

I had a company come in to give the house a good cleaning. I picked up for a day and a half so they could come in for two hours. Ridiculous. But the house hasn't been this legitimately picked up and clean in a long time. Smile.

Reading Material

I managed to finish the Hunger Games series since Oliver was born, but that was an incredibly fast read, and very good. Really, I'm more likely to glance through a magazine. So, here are a list of my favorites. Some are just candy, and others make me feel like I'm still involved in a more professional world. I starred the mags I already have a subscription to. No real particular order...

• Dwell*
• Wired
• People*
• Town & Country*
• Garden & Gun
• Real Simple
• Us Weekly
• Cosmopolitan
• Lucky
• InStyle
• Time
• Communication Arts - only if you can apply my professional discount - it's pricey otherwise!

I miss Domino Magazine. :(

Crispy Bread

As most people would acknowledge - the panini is a superior sandwich to the otherwise cold meal. There is something about melted cheese and crisp bread that makes it better on some sort of cosmic level, for the same number of calories. It is, however, difficult to make a great panini without a panini press. So I am asking for a panini press for Christmas. The best one. Whichever one that is!

Shiny Objects

I'm not going to lie - I had heart palpitations when I saw these balloon animal blind box vinyl toys listed in some gift guide. So cute and clever! The website suggests decorating your Christmas tree with these. Brilliant! Now I know what to do with all of my other little critters. So many blind box collections, so hard to choose!

Diaper bag

It is time for Mitchell and I to part ways - at least when it comes to the diaper bag. He likes things orderly, and to only carry the necessities and emergency survival gear. And while I love our sleek, unisex diaper bag, by the time I pack my wallet, sunglasses, a bottle with ice pack, bottle for feeding and a burp cloth, I can't zip the bag. Then when he does use the bag, it's like handing over my purse and telling him to organize.

I think I've found the winner for diaper bag #2. It is a Petunia Pickle Bottom bag, which I swore I'd never own, as they're as mainstream as Uggs (yes, I note the irony with the previous post). But, it IS pretty. Girly, but not so girly that everyone assumes Oliver is a girl. And most importantly - it is the biggest diaper bag I can find. I suppose that is indicated by the "weekender" in its name, but that makes it the winner!

And no, I won't purchase anything of this matter until after Christmas... Hint. Oh, and they sell it at Goodnight Room

Cliche gift for feet sake

I love my warm, fuzzy Uggs, but I'm more paranoid than ever (since learning your arches can drop while pregnant!?!?) about my feet and the need for support. (seriously - fallen arches are up there for worst fears) So now, I would love a pair of supportive slippers. I spend a LOT of time in the house. You don't need to go all orthopedic on my ass, just something with more than just pure fluff. I have done no research to see if what i want exists, but that's what makes it a gift! Something with a sole that will survive a walk to the car would be nice, too. Size 10. Yes, I am asking for slippers for Christmas. Thank you.