Jumping On the Bandwagon

What a week in entertainment obituaries. Some expected and one surprise - all sad. Ed Mc Mahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.

I don't recall a time when I didn't know who Ed McMahon was. I think his success has been over shadowed in past years by his money troubles and I don't find that funny. He played an important comedic roll as the set up artist and side kick to Carson on the Tonight Show a roll that has been emulated but never duplicated in success. Although, a close second could be Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry and Ron McLean.

When it came to backyard play versions of Charlie's Angels I was always assigned Kate Jackson's character Sabrina -by default cuz my hair was brown. Oh how I longed to be Farrah's Jill. Her very public battle with cancer was documented at her insistence. She wanted to show North America what cancer really looked like. A documentary lover I am, but, this was one I could not watch. I have seen it first hand during my mother' six year battle and it hit a little close to home. If you believe in heaven like my mother did, you can be guaranteed she is waiting to high five Farrah for her courage, upon her arrival to the pearly gates. For my part I decided to pull out my curling iron and pay tribute to Farah once and for all by sporting her famous hairstyle. This project has failed miserably as the humidity is giving me big hair circa 1970's MJ fro and not so much feathered Fawcett. (How's that for a segue? - a perfect set up eh McMahon?)

My friend Connie who has crafted a successful career around her love of music wrote a great tribute to Micheal Jackson - you can read it here. I can only speak to his influence on me as a preteen growing up in a small farming town.

After school I loved to tune into Video Hits a 30 minute show produced out of Toronto to watch the latest videos, Robert Palmer, Huey Lewis, Gowan, George Michael, Madonna and the greatest videos were always by Michael Jackson. Billie Jean with the light up side walk - how cool was that? Clearly I recall the excitement of watching the Thriller video at a friend's birthday party. Eight or 10 little girls standing around the TV mesmerized by Jackson's transformation into a zombie. For the next few years every Halloween brought zombie Jackson's to the door. Thriller has shaped pop culture for an eternity, I think.

I still remember at time when I fell in love , I remember a time when we first met, Micheal. I loved watching him dance, we always tuned in if he was to perform on an awards show. My mother called me from bed to the TV to watch the replay of the Micheal Jackson Pepsi/fireworks/ burnt hair accident/incident. Kmart (I wasn't always a label snob) was riddled with PVC knock offs of Jackson's red zipper coat, my cousin had a sparkly glove and suddenly my high water pants (due to spaghetti legs & growth spurts) paired with white sport socks had become fashionable. Thanks for the rescue MJ.

Later, my sister and I reprimanded our Dad for not taking the "Bad" album as a prize at the curling club. (He redeemed himself by having it taped for us - which didn't seem so frowned upon back then) Bad was the soundtrack to which my sister and I choreographed countless dance sessions in the basement.We rewound and played it over and over while we practiced Jackson's dance moves (I am pretty sure I more closely resembled Richard Pryor.) I laugh still thinking about my dad dancing and singing the chorus to BAD in the kitchen pointing to my sister and I singing "Who's Bad?"

I have also often thought about the fine line between genius and mental illness. Mental illness does seem to afflict child prodigies and the most truly gifted, artists, painters, writers, mathmaticians and scientists. Warhol studied Celebrity in Life and Death and surely MJ would fit in here. We cannot dissociate the antics and oddities, plastic surgeries and court cases that caused the tabloids to coin the term Whacko Jacko from Jacskson. My thoughts are that Jackson lived in suchh a watchful world he was forced to become recluse and that must have contributed to his health. Too much time alone in your head is not always a good thing. He was obviously a tortured soul despite all his success, talent and wealth. In his passing I hope he has found the peace he had been missing, free from the scrutinizing eyes of the poisonous paparazzi.

MJ's, dance moves, his fashion and above all his musical legacy will shine brightly influencing musicians for years to come. I know my sweet baby girl will be heard singing along to the radio when Man in the Mirror or Billie Jean plays. I am certain she WILL be embarrassed by her dorky parents as they emulate Thriller dance moves across the floor at some family wedding.

In the passing of these three famous people we are reminded that we are all the same regardless of stature, fame, money. We can all be touched by financial struggles, cancer and mental illness. We learn from those who must fight their battles publicly and hopefully we are sensitive to it when those in our own community are affected.

This week I say good bye to a childhood friend who lost his 7 month battle with Leukemia, and I welcome three baby girls; Jane, Ayda and Ruby born to dear friends.

I've Been Cheating

Dear Yoga Mat,

I have been cheating on you with a pair of Asics orthopedic custom fit running shoes. I know how this must sound to you, who know my bare feet so intimately. We used to hit it for an hour and a half at least four times a week, but, since the baby we have only gotten together once. It's been 11 weeks and I miss you so much.

It's not that I prefer the sneakers. It's just that they are new and younger and so easy to slide into when I am tired. When the baby is crying, sometimes all I can think about, are the Asics sitting on the mat by the door, a pair of socks laying at their side, teasing and taunting me to put them on. I see you too Yoga Matt rolled neatly waiting for me in the corner of the room. But the shoes can offer immediate gratification from the sound of baby cries bouncing of the walls. I put on the Asics, head outside and then all I hear is SILENCE.

It's a different silence than the peaceful calm I feel after we have rolled through a set of sun salutations, it's so different I swear. There is nothing like the relationship you and I have. I lie in bed a night and long for the morning when I can wake up, unroll you, plant my bare feet firmly on you and feel the rush of our contact. It was you, Yoga Mat, who soothed the baby when she was in utero.

Photos Courtesy Witzgall Photography

It will be you who will soothe me and the baby again. Only you understand me. I think the Asics are just a phase I am going through. Yoga Mat it's you I love and hope you will forgive my absence so we can get back together. With you in my life I am a nicer person. My husband says so.

Still hopelessly devoted to you,

Mother Ship

Daddy Land

First Comes Love

Photo Courtesy: Witzgall Photography

Then Comes Marriage

Then A Year and A Half After the Wedding

Night The Husband Takes the Wife Out for Ice Cream ...

Photo Courtesy: Witzgall Photography

Then Comes the Baby in the Baby Carriage!

Happy 1st Father's Day Daddy!

Love Finley Mae (& Momma too)

Performing a puppet show for Momma

After the beach

Taming the hair...yeah right!

Sleeping in.

A Saturday on Washington Water Front

This Saturday our family volunteered at the book sale. We are members of "Friends of the Library" and each Saturday the members set up at the Farmer's Market to sell gently used books. The books are donated or have been worn out and replaced on the library shelves. All proceeds from the sale go back into library programs and the purchase of new books. Steve and I are book worms. We often buy books here one week, read them and return them to sell again.

It was 104 degrees with a soft breeze. Our new friends Nancy & Dave look cool as cucumbers. We managed to turn a tidy profit by selling each book for ONE dollar and under!

Our little Farmer's Market runs from 8am-12pm each Saturday from May to October.

This week there was also car show. Dave told me he had one just like this one only it was a two door, he bought it for $25.00. His dad sent it to be crushed while he was away flying in WWII.

I liked this car. It reminded me of the ones in "Endless Summer." It even had a surf board on the roof with a glassed in fin. How's that for kickin' it old school?

Steve and Fin watching the wake boarding competition also taking place on the waterfront. That was our Saturday. Pretty exciting hunh? And it all took place before 2pm on our clock! The rest of the day was super chill.

Baby Weight

Hey Mommas!

Can post-partum HAIR-LOSS be factored into baby weight loss?

If so, I MUST be close to my pre-baby weight.

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to vacuum the bathroom floor AGAIN I go. Honestly the vacuum looks like I have trapped a squirrel in it with all the hair wrapped around the Hepa filter.

Happy Friday

(Yay me - I actually know what day it is.)

2 Month Well Check.

It occurred to me just now (as I stared at the blank screen, pondering what I would write about in this post) that I have not slept well in a few nights. I know you're probably thinking of course you're not sleeping well you are a new mother to a nine week old. The truth is I have had no trouble sleeping at night since Fin arrived. I can't nap during the day though I have tried- once I'm up I'm up so sleep when the baby sleeps is lost on me.

Right now I am actually sitting at my desk on my 19" exercise ball with Finley in her Ergo carrier attached to my front. It is four hours after she had her 2 month well check and her first set of shots. She is now passed out. Her little head tipped back, her mouth open, her pretty eyelashes framing her heavily closed lids. I am looking at her and the tears are filling my eyeballs ... about to spill over.

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Brief Intermission for Momma to sniffle and grab some Kleenex - snort, snot and try not to get mascara tears all over the head of my darling first born.

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Two hours ago Finley was shrieking and I was doing my best to settle her. I know she is fine but I am not. It occurred to me that I have not slept well since Thursday night. I felt tired and wired all at the same time. I couldn't pin point why I was not sleeping until now. I was anxious fabout Finley's 2 month check up - I was anxious about her shots.

I spend all day everyday protecting her, shielding her from too much sun, mosquitoes, from rolling over and getting stuck on her face. You get it. I bounce on my exercise ball while singing every song I ever knew the words to to get her through a colicky time and soothe her to sleep and I have been doing all these things without naps and tears of my own. And then came the shots.

I have read all about immunizations; the studies linking to autism, the studies disproving the link to autism, safety factors of not immunizing, splitting the immunizations into several shots as opposed to the regular schedule. My hubby and I decide there was no question of course we would immunize. In fact with him there never was a question.

I have just spent the past nine weeks gaining Fin's trust through comforting gestures But, the fact that I have to hold my sweet baby while she smiles up at me and then receives her shots - one in each tiny thigh was killing me. Ohh, this whole thing has made me sleepless.

I have begun to attend a Natural Parenting Group who meet on Monday mornings. Our appointment this morning conflicted. As we departed last week I mentioned I would not be there as Finley had her 2 month check up and her shots. The mom's all looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I said, "I may show up here late and in tears." They said I wouldn't be the first mom to do that - they'd welcome me.

Finley's appointment went great. She is 11 lbs 11oz and 24 inches long. She is healthy, responsive, laughs, turns towards me when she hears my voice, she rolls from her back to her side and back onto her back, she has found her hands and brings both together and tries to jam them in her mouth and she has begun to blow bubbles and talk to me. All the things and a few more than she needs to be doing at this check up.

Finley waiting for her Doc.

Momma explained to her about the shots.

What do you mean I can't get the vaccine orally?

The doctor said she is just awesome and can have a little Tylenol should she be running a mild fever from the shots, he then sent in the nurse. I knew what was coming and I braced myself, Fin didn't know what was coming she smiled at me from the exam table. I brought my face down toward hers, I held her arms gently in my right hand and rubbed her head with my left hand while talking to her in a calm voice. The nurse said; "okay here we go" Finley 's eyes grew wide, her face turned red, she shrieked and stared at me and I talked to her and soothed her and when it was done I nursed her to calm, redressed her, popped her in her car seat, drove directly to Starbucks and fueled up on caffeine. Fin fell directly to sleep the second the car began to move. She stayed asleep while we got the groceries done, drove home, unloaded, put groceries away and checked the mail.

In the mail was a card from one of the mother's in my parenting group whom I had met only once. It was just such a thoughtful card and included a gift certificate to a local restaurant. She just wanted to offer a little gesture of support. Knowing the adjustment to having a baby she hoped the gift certificate would help out. And that's when the dam began to break. My eyes welled just a little at how thoughtful this person was and how neat it is in life that you seem to get a boost from the wings when you need it most.

Finley woke up, played a little ate and then cried hysterically...I figure she was tender from the shots and probably a little uncomfortable. I began to cry with her. I gave her a little Tylenol took her up to bed where we curled up together and for the first time WE took a nap.

When WE woke up we were no worse for wear. Finley smiled at me throughout her feeding, then played with me and when the tired eyes came I popped her in the carrier for her nap so I could sit with her on my bouncy ball and enter this blog with one hand.

Wrist Jingle = Proper Nutrition

This is Finley's afternoon snack.

She loves waving it and trying to eat it, until, she discovers that it is not a BOOBIE.