We Partied Like It Was 1999

#3 and #2 (aka VDog), 1:37am

Saturday night I got my second night out since Little Man was born. And he'll be seven months old tomorrow. And the first night out was only two weeks ago, and we were out of the house less than three hours. To say that the kid is tied to my breast like an albatross around my neck would be an understatement.

Saturday night, though, was a special night -- Mojo's 30th Birthday Party. I started some sleep training in June for the occasion (well for that, and for my own sanity) so that we could go out and I wouldn't have to worry about Munchie waking up and screaming for hours, leaving our good friends and gracious babysitters helpless, because he wanted the boob. The party was held in a private bar/lounge space, so the party was slated to run from 9pm-2am. We had time on our side. I put Munchie down before we left, around 8:45. I am extremely happy to report that he slept the entire time we were gone!

Even more shocking, Mama stayed out past Last Call!! I could not believe my ears when I heard those words come out of the bartender's mouth. I have never stayed out that late before! I know, I'm a total dork. Also, I like "partying" at home with friends, where I can play Martha Stewart with the cocktails and food and such, haha.

Anyway, Mojo is also a mama (to two adorable boo's) and we were quite worried that we wouldn't have the staying power to keep up with the kidless at the party (the majority of the peeps there, I think). But the party kept clearing out as the night turned into morning and we kept dancing:

Hot Mamas, 2am

VDog, Mojo, Warrior cropped out of photo, heheh

I had a fabulous time....

A Photo With a Story

Andrea challenged her readers to a creative assignment. #1 is to take a photograph of someone through a glass of water.

First, a self-portrait:

Second, our friend Abba:

I just took him to the airport today after a six day stay. Abba was a wonderful house guest. I told him to give his mother my complements for raising him well. Funny how my perceptions of people and their behaviors have changed since I have become a mom.

Abba cleared dishes, loaded and unloaded the dishwasher, took our dog for a walk everyday, held the Munchkin, and even threw his sheets in the wash for me, so that all I had to do was put them in the dryer. Now that's what I call service! That's how you get a, "You're welcome to stay here anytime" from me! (And he begrudgingly let me take this photo of him, just because he likes me.)

It was nice to have a companion (besides Munchie Munch, that is) while Warrior was at work. We went to the Kwik-E-Mart, saw the Simpsons movie, did some shopping, and most importantly, went to Mojo's 30th Birthday party (my BFF and a friend of Abba's as well; the main reason he came to visit). More on the party tomorrow. :)

Raising a son has also given me a window into the men in my life and in general. How they act, treat women, and conduct themselves in public. I hope to raise Little Man to be polite, have good manners, think for himself, challenge authority and have self-confidence. It is a very big task and I hope I am up for it. Having friends like Abba help me guide my mothering. Thanks for visiting, my friend!

How has being a parent or getting older (or both) changed your outlook on your friends and society?

Parent Hack: Baby Spoons as Medicine Dispenser

The Little Man has to take two liquid medicines, twice a day, every day. After fighting with him for months using oral syringes and droppers, I decided to try his feeding spoon. We had just started solids and he was really into getting the spoon in his mouth.

He doesn't take very much medicine at once (less than 1 ml), so the spoon is a good option for us. For a larger child, this probably won't work. Whereas before he would turn his head from side to side, he now happily accepts the spoon coming towards him, anticipating some kind of goodness (like avocado, mmm!) and finds the medicine to be quite interesting indeed.

It has turned a twice daily battle into no big deal, and he even smiles afterwards when I tell him what a good job he did.

Thankful

I hear the water running in our bathroom.
My husband is getting ready for bed.
I know that he will be in bed, quite possibly asleep by the time I am done feeding Little Man and getting him in bed.
And for a second I am jealous.
Jealous that he will get to sleep before me, tired mommy.
But then I look at Little Man and realize what a sweet, sweet time we get together.
Every night.
Warrior will never get this time with Little Man. It's all mine.
And I am thankful.

I wonder if Warrior would be jealous to know that I get this special time all to myself.
That he's missing out on something much larger than sleep.

I gaze at my son, in awe of his beauty and peacefulness. I am so glad to have these moments, and I try to mark these memories into my brain. Every week, a bigger boy in my lap.

I am thankful to be his Mommy.
I am so lucky he is mine.

VDog's Den of Linky Love

Near & Dear to my heart (aka my stalkers):

Dawn @ kaiseralex.com* (Alex Year Two)

Holly @ AnglophileFootballFanatic

Other friends:

LVGurl*

Secret Agent Mama

A Whole Lot of Nothing

No Watch Me! Christine*

Playgroupie*

Cathy

Janet, From the Planet of

HRH

BurghBaby

ImpostorMom

Rachel

Kelley

ImmoralMatriarch*

SarcasticMom

CityMama*

Karen MEG

Christie

Manager Mom

Maternal Mirth

Nap Warden

Jessica Gottlieb

The Cool Dads:

Busy Dad*

Mitch McDad

The Egel Nest

Hockeyman

My starter blogs (which are still fabulous):

RookieMoms**

Mom-101*

Motherhood Uncensored*

Dooce (I saw her speak and was oh, say, 30 feet from her in the St. Francis Hotel lobby??)

_______

* = people I've met in real life

~~This blogroll should be considered reciprocal, so if you're not on it and I'm on yours, please let me know. I shall fix it ASAP. (Of course I make exceptions for blogs I believe in that don't blogroll me or don't keep a blogroll.)~~

The Crackers

#1 aka Warrior aka VDog's husband. There is a reason he is Cracker #1. No further details available at this time.

#2 aka VDog. 28, stay-at-home Mom to one adorable Little Man. Sometimes scares people with her ascorbic acid. Total Cracker.

#3 aka The Bates. Was the idea founder of The Crackers. Wanted to be a step above White Trash. Did not know VDog's real name until many years after first meeting her.

#4 aka Amy aka Aimster aka A-Dawg. 29, newlywed to Cracker #4.2 (who is not enough of a total Cracker to warrant his own number). VDog's BBFF and first long-term Craigslist relationship. #4 tried hard to fight her Cracker status but eventually admitted that she indeed was one.

(This concludes the Original Four Crackers.)

#5 aka Little Man fka Little Bunny. Dubbed #5 while still in-utero. Makes his Cracker parents proud daily.

Along the way, we've added:

#6 aka Bryan aka "B." Husband to #7 and Daddy to #8. Upon meeting Crackers 1 & 3 in the NICU, he said, "yo, be our friends or die!" Or something like that.

#7 aka K. WHOA! aka Woody. Wife to #6 and Mommy to #8. One of VDog's top bitches. Fer reals. Woody kicks it old skool SoCal style, even though she's from Jersey. Yup, total Cracker.

#8 aka The Big Guy. Only the most awesome best friend #5 could ask for. Together in preemieness, they rawk it on the regular.

#9 aka CrackerGran. #8's Grandma. She personally asked to be #9, so we obliged. Only a TRUE Cracker asks to have OFFICIAL Cracker status.

#10 aka The One We Can't Remember If There Is One

#11 aka The Girl at the Body Lotion Shop who #3 and #7 decided was a total Cracker when she labeled #3's product, "Da Crackah Mix" when asked to label it "The Cracker Mix" because she was that damn cool.

Also Featuring:

CrackerDog Sasha. The coolest bitch on the planet.

The GranCracker (no #), #1's Mom and #5's Grandma, aka Maminou. She's Crackertastic. She came up with GranCracker all by herself, so you KNOW she's a real Cracker. And she birthed #1 -- it takes one to make one, ya know?

JC & CC -- Neighbors across the street from Crackers #1-3; CC is Little Man's girlfriend.

MOJO aka The Rice Cracker. VDog's girl from back in the day (well, 1997. That's as far back as VDog goes with any of her bitches.).

***NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR CRACKERS #'s 12 and UP!***

Please declare your Crackerness in the comments. Be proud!

Me & My Boo

I am VDog and this is Little Man, the cutest Little Bunny you ever did see. You may also find me calling him Munchie Munch, #5, Cutes Patoots, Stinky Butt, and more. My husband is The Warrior (yes, that is his real college nickname, and no, he isn't big and brawny). He will not be appearing on this blog due to our Witness Relocation program. Just kidding. Mostly. But I'm sure he'll be in some of our stories.
I've always wanted babies...and now I have one. The Little Man was the first baby of the New Year in our town, and I would have started this blog earlier if it were not for the complete and total sleep deprivation that he caused. Well, not at first, since he decided to arrive 8 weeks early and spent 4 weeks in the NICU. But after that. Lots and lots of sleep deprivation.
I received my Bachelor's in English Literature earlier this decade and would like an outlet to create some of my own Masterpieces. Heheh. No, seriously.
I grew up in LA and thus love my star gossip, even though I would never want to move back there, let alone raise a child there. Not that you shouldn't -- it just shaped my perceptions of self and the world so profoundly that I would prefer The Little Man to have NorCal sensibilities.
I hope to entertain you with funny anecdotes, insanely cute baby pictures and other random thoughts.