November 11, 1989: Two Memories Converge, and Jason B., In All Probability, Shows Us the Depths of His Nerdiness

Kite Chronicles, aka "Mealby" put up a fond memory about an REM show in Macon and how she missed it. Here's where my memory picks up as hers was obviously drowned out by copious amounts of alcohol:

"Finishing where you left off, i went to this show with Jason and Evan. Evidently, my parents smoked crack while i was in high school and let me go to Macon and get a motel room with two guys for a show. We were also joined in said room by one of the Bells - matt or pat, weren't those their names? And another guy - Craig? Keith? Something like that.

Anyway, we went to the show, had a great time, and when we get to the motel, Va's car pulls up, the back door opens, and out spills Camille and Mike, completely blitzed out of their minds, giggling and barely able to stand, and Va gets out of her driver's door, looking SUPER PISSED.

From there, all i remember is laughing my ass off."

I made the show, but can't find the ticket stub. I know it's in the bottomless pit somewhere. Curiously, though, while looking through the pile for the homecoming pics in my earlier posts, i came across a ticket stub from two nights later:


The big question is: Jason B, where is the Macon lighter????! Picture please. It was red, right? Also, jason, since you are the resident nerd. Wasn't this Fox show the one where they played all of Murmur and all of Green from start to finish? Or am i confused?

Please Go to the Bathroom and Pee Before Reading This If You Went To High School With Me and You Have Incontinence Issues

Since we're talking about prom dresses and I'm still biding my time until the vampires return, I dug up some old dance pictures from high school.

I already posted the one from yesterday - That shimmering pink number was, in Natalie's expert opinion, not safe to wear due to flammability, but we all know I like to live risky.

As you can see, above on the right, I have a little ephemera problem. I keep everything. If you wrote it, drew it, or made it for me, i have it in a box somewhere. Just ask my husband, who married me and thereby inherited a staggering amount of . . . well, nothing. Notes from class in high school? I have them. Left me a note on my door or car in high school or college? I have it. Doodled me a picture? I have it. Played in a band that i went to see and for which there was a flyer? I might just have it. Ticket stubs? Got'em. I drank beer out of a champagne glass from my junior prom last night. Extra points to the person who guesses the theme. (Hint: The year was 1989.)

So, we'll start with Homecoming 1987: Crazy for You. Yep, Madonna, from the Vision Quest soundtrack, no less. Can't beat that with a stick. And I wore the shiny dress. Can't find the real pictures from that event, and honestly, i can't remember much about it, except going with David, and we rode with an older guy. It was my first "date in a car." We were not even out of my neighborhood before someone handed me a beer. I also remember thinking, "Oh, I'm not supposed to drink in cars. What do i do now?" But drink in a car, I did. And from there, we just know it was pretty much downhill. I don't remember going to the dance at all, but i do remember that night being the first night I ever went to Lon Feldman's basement. It was not the last time by a long shot.

Next up: Homecoming '88 - When It's Love. I can't make this shit up, people. If you are keeping score, that is one Madonna. One Van Halen.

I went with Shane Nugent. People called him "The Nuge." I did not call him that. Totally nice guy who was in my homeroom forever. (I was a "P" and he was an "N" - originally, they did homerooms by alphabet, and I was always between John Parker and Alison Peacock, which is how I came to be friends with the Homecoming Queen. After they changed the way they did homerooms, i was no longer with Parker and Peacock, but Shane and I were in homeroom together all four years of high school.) Anyway, I guess he asked me because he didn't have anyone else to go with - we never dated or anything. I hadn't been asked, so that worked out well. We went with Jeff Myers and I can't remember who his date was. We ate at the Italian place in Roswell that for some reason I am thinking Van Halen ate at once? No idea where that came from in my brain, but it is stuck in there, and it would be awesome if someone else remembered that and let me know i wasn't crazy. That is all i remember.

Oh, and I didn't totally hate my dress. Blue velvet, with bows on it. I didn't even hate the bows. Very small bows. Also, silver shoes. I always wanted silver shoes, ever since my mom had a pair in the 70s, and i used them for dress up.

Next: Homecoming 1989. I am pretty sure, based on the picture below, and the timeframe, that this was "In Your Eyes" themed. I went with SLP, just as friends, and it was fun. As mentioned in my comments for yesterday's post - he was an easy date. No love connection, just two friends who wanted to stay out late and get their drink on. I believe that this was the infamous "wallowing" night, wherein there were many love triangles, and a few of the jilted lovers, myself included, sat around in someone's unfinished basement (John Sabol's maybe? Cannot remember) and drank a lot and acted all unlovable and probably listened to The Smiths.

Again, not really an offensive dress. I cannot complain. Gotta love that tissue paper background. Scott looks nice, hair kinda big like i remembered.

This is the piece de resistance, though - Group photo, capturing all of us in our gangliness, all fresh-faced with the world in our hands. Or at least the Atlanta skyline. Obviously need to start with Natalie - She kept AquaNet in business. That is some big hair. John behind her. Me and Scott next to John. Next up, to Scott's right, are Brant and his date, who was a year younger than us, and for the life of me, i cannot remember her name. Leigh and Mike to their right. Then Matt and Stacy. Front row from left is John B. and I can't remember that girl's name either. Also a year younger than us. I remember her being nice. Camille and Duck. What the HELL is in Camille's hair? Is that a purple bow? Last, but not least, Doug and . . . Carla, maybe? Something that started with a C.
Now, this is a mess of crossed lovers right here. I totally had an ongoing crush on John ever since he moved from Oregon in 7th grade. I used to stare at him in Ms. Stone's class instead of paying attention to the Wrinkle In Time discussions, which is the only other memorable thing about 7th grade. Now, John and Natalie dated. I think at some point Nat fooled around with Brant, though. Brant and i had just had a recent fling, but then he met Leigh (Mike's date) and they were all about the young love. I think Mike liked Leigh, too, but really he was in love with Virginia. Not sure why they weren't together here. Now, I also had dated Matt the past spring, when we were Juniors, but we were still friends. I remember being at a party that fall and we were talking, i think in Mike's basement (this may have been the fabled "Decant" night, with the fish bottle) and evidently, Stacy's friends wanted him to ask Stacy out and they finally had to tell me to get lost, which is funny, so that Matt and S. could be alone. If I remember correctly, about this time, John B. also had a crush on me, but it was at the same time that I liked Brant. Well, Brant liked Leigh, but he and I were supposed to go see Hoodoo Gurus together, but then he finagled it so that I ended up going with John B., which was actually kinda fun, but i didn't like him that way. We had Waffle House on Holcomb Bridge after the show. He later wrote a story and dedicated it to me, and yes, I still have it, because, let's be honest, how often do you have a boy write you a story, especially one that is actually good? No idea what happened to him, but he was so nice. I guess Camille and Duck were dating? Camille, refresh my memory here. But maybe she had a crush on Mike? Doug and Carla were a "real couple" like John and Nat. No drama there, which is good, because now my brain is hurting.

I really want Nat, Scott, Mike, Matt, and Camille to pipe in with their memories of this night, because I am sure that there is some funny stuff I am forgetting. Pretty hysterical how much this picture jogged my memory of a lot of stuff I had forgotten.

And this is my senior Prom photo: I went with Jason. Jason, what was the theme? How did it feel to go to prom with Cruella DeVille? I don't know WHAT i was thinking. Am i wearing tan panty hose? That is one hideous dress. Jason, did you get a haircut before this? I think they forgot to cut the back.

Again, drama with the prom here. Jason and i were going as friends, but by this point, I was completely in luuuuuvvvv with Charlie. Charlie was going to prom with his ex, Kristi. Again, I really don't remember much about the dance (where was it? Downtown somewhere?) other than the fact that I just wanted to be with Charlie. Jason? I KNOW you will remember tons of other stuff.Okay, enough for today. Matt, I spared you (and myself) the pain of seeing us in the bigass white prom dress Junior year. You owe me.

Will You Go to Prom with Me?

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Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl.

Like, OMG, who wants to go to Prom with me? I know Amanda would go if she was in town. Pierce, would Fowler like to fly in and date me for an evening of Twilight fun?

I have just gotten through the physical torture of not having any Twilight to read, delving into a new, not-at-all-teen-horror-romance-genre-ey (it's a word, because i just made it a word) novel, On Agate Hill, which, by the way, is really well-written and quite the page-turner at the same time.

But, really, it's just a case of me biding my time until the new book comes out. Kind of like when you really like that one guy, but he moved, or he isn't into you, so you date that other, really nice guy in the meantime, but you know that you were never really that into him. Hypothetically. Not that I ever really did that for, like . . . years. The funny part is that if I wasn't so Twilight-obsessed, I would be really, really jazzed [stef] about this other book.

I so wish I could fit into my old dalmation prom dress. . . that would be perfect. (Okay, haven't found the dalmation dress, so shiny 10th Grade Homecoming number will have to do for our purposes.)

I'm Pretty Sure This Fits Me

Not exactly schizophrenic in the classical sense, but close enough that people give him all the room he needs on the sidewalk.
- Close Enough

At least that's the way I feel most days.

Cathedral Building

Okay, I'm not religious, but I think about God, and I think about my role as a mother, and I often get fed up with the thanklessness and monotony of the job, but I think that after reading this, I am just going to concentrate on the fact that what I'm building isn't meant to have my name on it, and I wouldn't really want it to anyway.

I'm not sure if my non-parental friends will get this, but I know that my fellow parents will, and I hope that it will make their jobs easier some days, just to think of parenting as a bit of grand architecture.

Bereft

I haven't been this depressed about finishing a book since I read the last page of A Breath of Snow and Ashes.

Now, what am I going to do with myself for the next five days, thirteen hours, seventeen minutes, and eight seconds until I see Bella, Jacob, and the Cullens again? Ugh.

Maybe my family will be glad to have me back for a few days.

Old Friend on the Net

So, Scotty P's on the internets now. He done moved to TX, got himself a long, tall woman, a pack of dogs, a gun collection, and a blog.

Check him out at The Austin Affair.

Computer Literate Two-Year Old

Me: "Tiller, you wanna watch t.v. while Mama gets dressed?"
Tiller: "Yes, Dora, please. It's on pbskids. . . "something garbled that I couldn't understand.
Then it occurred to me.
Me: "On Pbskids.com, Tiller?"
Tiller: "No, Mama," shaking her head as if I'd said the silliest thing ever, "it's on pbskids.ORG!"

I look at her in amazement as Todd busts a gut laughing from downstairs.

Glory Days

Day before yesterday, the family and I had to make a detour from the lake to Athens on the way home; Todd had to return a bike that they didn't use for a shoot last week, and so i called my friend Opel to meet us for lunch. We had the dog and kids with us, so Taco Stand (Milledge, of course) was an obvious choice. I had already dragged Todd there during some portion of our courtship; He was still unimpressed, but i have years to force him into submission. I had forgotten that Athens is so dog-friendly, so i had the pleasure of eating my favorite college hangover food with my 8 year old dog, who had never been there with me. And the kids got to try it, too! They even have a tv on the deck, which i don't think was there when I was in school, and they had on Tom and Jerry, which bought me tons of time to hang and chat with Opel.

I'm pretty sure that one of the most fun times in my life was when i lived on Pulaski Hts in Athens, with Honey and Scott. Opel and I were talking about how much we loved that house, and how he would go to class and then end up at our house just about every day for a year or more. Lying on the vinyl couch. Playing darts in the massive 70s kitchen. Going down to the tracks to throw rocks at the train. The day in March when we had that crazy snowstorm and then tons of people came over and partied all day. Curt Cobain died when I lived in that house and I remember Chris Bilheimer and I finding out from a Grill coworker and then i walked home and went to the Quarry with Scott, Dave, and Karen. She drove her jeep. Ah. . . Warm days at the Quarry or at the river out 441 with the railroad trestle. Watching the fire at Hoyt St. The hot guy that lived on the corner, whom Honey and I lusted after when he mowed his lawn. The crazy woman who lived across the street. The hippie bus in the wooded lot across the street. The water tower bases at the dead end.

After we left Taco Stand, I made T. drive by the Pulaski Heights house. Truly odd to ride in my family van, with my kids and husband, up the hill to the old house. Todd mentioned that it was really steep. I told him i used to walk my bike up that portion of the ride home. On the way out, i pointed out the houses that were the same, the house were Sheila and Debbie had a really fun party where Touch Me I'm Rick and Sheila were naked, and where i took my underage sister and her friend to their first college party. When we came back from that party, someone had broken into our house and torn the window box off Scott's window coming in, and they stole his pants.

Good times, all. When I think of those days, i think of Honey and Scott, Zach, Opel, and Dave. Camille and Ryan and Dave and Rich. Katie and Karen and Donnie. These pics are for them. Apologies to the people who live there now, who were probably thinking, "Why is that old lady wandering around taking pictures of our little dead end street?"

The house and surroundings look a little different. I can still remember everything about what they used to look like, though.

The house on the steep hill. It used to be white. And a lot more run-down looking.

The front view. Looking at the porch makes me think of the porch swing and making wind chimes with scraps of metal from the railroad tracks behind the house. I loved hearing the train whistle at night.

This new construction is behind the red house on the corner of Pulaski and Pulaski Hts, and where the old Hippie bus used to be! I guess it's going to be some kind of studio or guest house. Pretty cool!

This kind of floored me. It is a fence and gate constructed in front of the old water tower site. When we lived there, only the water tower bases were there - huge concrete slabs that used to hold up a water tower, but without the water tower. Very cool, and pretty creepy. Hard to explain, but it was kind of like having your own Stonehenge. This is a neat addition, but odd, because there is no fence - you could just walk around it and go over to the stones anyway. I guess the woman from across the street did it. There are still a couple of old shack houses down at the end of the street, almost overtaken with kudzu, looking exactly like they did back in the early 90s.

Evan's Wedding

All joking about reading addictions aside, Evan's wedding was a blast. Can you say Tiki bar? How about Shrimp and Grits? Not just seeing old friends, but getting to see them, without kids, for two days straight? My belly laughed like it hadn't laughed in years - I was sore afterwards. (Or maybe that was all the waterlogged Flying Burritos I got in the pool at 1 a.m.)

Best of all? Nightswimming in a calm ocean under a full moon. What hurricane?

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend, along with a link to the whole set on flickr.

Evan getting last minute lovin' from the ladies on Friday night.

Fran the Cougar with her prey, Dan.

Me and Jason, friends since 10th grade biology.

Me and the Creeker boys.

Dan and Wendy at the Reception, which was extremely hot. I think you can actually smell Dan from this picture.

Jason and Laura

My nemesis for the weekend, Kyle, a.k.a. Corey Haim.

Me and the ole ball and chain, all spiffied up.

Me and D, who is no longer a delinquent teen, but an upstanding husband and father, with some damn cute kids and a hot wife.

The happy groom and me.

I Think I Need An Intervention

So, if you read Dogwood Girl much, you are probably wondering what happened to me. Well, I left for Hilton Head on Thursday of last week. That was the day I started my 544-page "beach read," Twilight.

I didn't know much about it, except that over the course of the summer, I kept on seeing high school girls at the pool reading this thick-ass dark book. Lots of girls reading them. Female lifeguards taking it on the stand with them, blowing the whistle for adult swim with one hand and cracking the book open with another. Anyone who knows me knows I love a big-ass thick book. Everybody had copies of the first book, and then I started seeing a second and third one, all with these slick dark-looking covers, and I thought to myself, that looks like something I would read, and then i thought, it also looks like a V.C. Andrews-type thing, which, let's be honest, is just plain crack addiction reading. Knowing I'd be hanging out on the beach, and not wanting to read anything too heady while I'm drinking beer, I picked it up before we left. (By the way, South Carolina, no alcohol on the beach? $1,000 fine? Dumbest law on the books EVER, totally would kill tourism to enforce, plus, I'm pretty sure that telling people they can't drink on the beach is un-American and considered a terrorist threat on American society. Also? Girls with "Cocks" on their shorts should just be shot.)

I proceeded to read that thing all the way down 16, only pausing to look up at that Christmas tree in the median, and then put on a bathing suit, and took it to the beach with me. I didn't put it down again until dark, when i was forced to go to dinner. I read it when I came in drunk at 1 a.m. after drinking with my old friends. (Had to read that little section over the next morning, I admit.) Took it with me to the breakfast buffet, but didn't crack it, only because Todd stared me down disapprovingly when I reached for it. Started reading it back on the beach that morning. Read it after everyone (finally!) left me at the pool that afternoon. Read it after getting dressed for the wedding until time to leave. Read it after the reception in the 30 minutes we took to get changed. Thought how wonderful it would be to read it at the reception, but resigned myself to an evening of drinking with my favorite high school friends and their wives. Sigh.

Read it like a fiend all the way home on Sunday, up until about bedtime, where I flipped through the remaining pages. Only about 50 pages left, i thought. Like a nicotine addict worrying about the pack of cigarettes being there in the morning, I debated putting back on clothes and finding the nearest bookstore before bedtime, so that I would have Book II there when I woke up and drove to the lake.

Finished Sunday night. Drove to the Lake on Monday morning and promptly used new nephew as an excuse to get out of the house. Hauled baby all over middle Georgia on a mission to find a bookstore. Found one. Bought second and third books in the saga. Noted with relief that there is a fourth one coming out August 2nd. Shed an inner tear that the saga would end. Drove to best coffee shop in my universe (apologies to Joe's!) and prayed for baby to sleep while I started reading 2nd book.

Reluctantly went home when needy three-week old nephew got hungry. Committed crime of lying by omission when asked by husband if I bought another of "those books." Silently fumed while husband and sister made fun of my high school vampire obsession. Later loaned first book to sister, as her interest was piqued, and who doesn't like a good vampire story when a newborn is sucking you dry every two hours?

That was Monday at noon. I just finished 600-page book 2 about 30 minutes ago, and I am just blogging about it so that I can draw out starting number three. I mean, I only have eleven days until the fourth one comes out.

Are they good? Well, they are young adult fiction. They are definitely in the romance genre. About on par with a Harry Potter, as far as suspense goes. I would be lying if I didn't say that they could use more sex, violence, and strong language. I would be lying if I said I didn't cringe when I watched a teaser trailer for the movie and then listen as my husband derided it as Goth Gossip Girl in the Cascades.

Um, yeah, they're pretty damn good. Look out, Jamie Fraser; We might have a new hero in town.

We Always Thought . . .

That Ev. would end up with Judd. . . but we are very happy that it will be Kim.


For information on this photo, and how it came about, please see the comments. Jason B. will have to explain the details of a wager that went horribly wrong for E. and J. All complaints about the posting of this photo should be filed with Jason, as he is the proper owner of said photo and released it to me for online publication.

This is just my very mischievous way of saying I will be off to the beach to see Evan get married this weekend. I am very glad to say that, because he is a gem of a guy, and I'm glad he finally found someone who appreciates his special brand of fun and games. Also, he was the last unmarried Creeker, and frankly, we were all getting a little jealous of his singledom.

If you are reading this and going to the wedding, wait till Jason and I have a few drinks and then come sit by us at the reception for some really good Evan stories. We have them in spades.

Evan, if you are reading this, this is kind of like when you left for college, and J. and I sat up all night, smoking and drinking, and writing the longest list ever of things that cracked us up about growing up with you. What I'm trying to say is that we love you, and are very happy for you and Kim.

I'm a Slacker

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Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl.

I have really neglected old Dogwood Girl this week. I guess getting ready to go to the beach and trying to get all my workouts in, while doing laundry, and being a singlish mom (what i call myself when Todd has a busy shoot week) has put DG on the back burner. Sad, because i had lots of ideas and thoughts i wanted to get down.

Anyway, this photo doesn't take much explanation, but it is a significant milestone.

Anyone who is a parent can identify with the horrible feeling of trying to watch young kids around water. It is kind of like constantly having lost your keys of purse. You feel slightly naked or vulnerable, and you have a little panicky feeling scanning the area to keep tabs on both children.

Or maybe that's just me.

So, when we are at the Lake, the kids have to wear their life jackets whenever they are near the water, on the dock, in the boat, etc. But this past 4th of July weekend, the water was low enough for both kids to stand on the bottom near the seawall. (Our lake level, unlike many in GA, has not been affected by the drought.) That means that, with their life jackets on, and their feet on the bottom, Todd and I could SIT ON THE DOCK AND WATCH THEM SWIM.

This may not seem like much, but you try to relax and drink a beer, while standing in lake water with two kids arms clinging tightly around your neck. Normally, one of us has to be in the water to drag their butts back when they start flowing downriver.

It was like glimpsing a bright, sunny, relaxing future. My future. With children who can stand up on their own.

On another note, this is also one of very few pictures where both kids are a) looking at the camera and b) smiling, rather than trying to beat the shit out of each other.

Okay, maybe this photo did require some explanation.

Dash Update

Here is an update on Dash, from his Mama:

"Looks like Dash is a-okay. He had his repeat ultrasound this morning and it shows no changes from the one on Sunday. The part of his stomach they were worried about is on the "large side of normal" but still within normal range. Since he's doing better they're not going to worry about it unless he starts exorcist vomiting again.

Went for his 2 week appt today and he now weighs 7 lbs, 9 oz. Little pig!"

Rollie of the Day

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Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl.

Another old picture of Rollie that just cracks me up. Yes, we were drinking beer while Rollie sat on the beach and ate some kind of seaweed. Good parenting.

This was in Key West. I think later that night Rollie went to his first Fantasy Fest. . . maybe not the best idea for those under 18, but you know we like to live on the edge.

In the Principal's Office

I registered Rollie for school yesterday. I had met his pre-K teacher at the open house in May, and I liked her very much. Yesterday, when we went in the office, there was only one other family (incidentally, a little boy who will also be in Rollie's class). The Principal was working the office and he remembered me from the Open House a month earlier, and explained all the paperwork to me. (I'm pretty sure that it is easier to buy a handgun than to register a 4-year-old for pre-k.) I liked him immediately.

Anyone who knows me is probably aware that I have some serious doubts about how America educates (or fails to educate) her children these days (don't we all, to some extent?) and how much we have agonized over where to send our child to school, where to move, etc. How would we find a school that had decent to good test scores, racial and cultural diversity, but not so affluent that my children would be so sheltered that they wouldn't know that not everyone lives like they do? Most of all, the school had to be safe and in a decent middle and high school district.

Todd and I have decided to have Rollie repeat pre-k this year, since it will not seem to him like he is repeating, as he is going to a new elementary school, and will have a new class. He was having some problems keeping his frog on the lily pad last year, which basically means that while he did fine with the "academic" parts of school, he was struggling to control his behavior, follow directions, and generally play well with others. His teacher thought that it was probably just emotional immaturity and an inability to control his impulses, and that holding him back wouldn't harm him, and might help.

I talked to tons of parents of late-summer boys about the holding back issue: Those that didn't hold their boys back were split down the middle concerning their feelings about it; About half of them regretted not holding the boy back. On the other hand, not one single parent I've talked to regretted holding their son back. It just felt like the thing to do for us.

Fast forward a month to Rollie suddenly reading whole books. We started having doubts about how he would fare in Pre-K if he could read and other kids couldn't. Would he be bored? Would he be a frustration for the teacher? Would he languish without attention or challenge?

This parenting thing, it's pretty complex, and it is a game of stamina, like some mindfuck marathon that you just keep running, with diverging paths, and a finish line that keeps on slipping in and out of sight. Honestly, I think it has finally sunken in that there is no finish line.

I decided to talk to the Principal about my concerns (also making sure that if he needed to, Rollie could move up into Kindergarten.) I was so happy after my discussion with him: He said that they see kids across the spectrum in the Pre-K; that some come in not speaking little English, or not knowing their ABCs. Some know letter sounds. Some are starting to sight-read words. And that some can read sentences and books.

My favorite part? Every Friday, the kids who can read in the Pre-K and K classes come into the Principal's office and read books with him. I like the idea that my child won't be bored or ignored, and that he will be put into a group that is on his level, and that his accomplishment will be rewarded and acknowledged.

Anyone know if this reading group thing is common practice in elementary schools? Does anyone else have experience having been held back, or having held their child back? I'm curious what others have experienced.

Roller Coaster

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Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl

This kind of cracks me up. What a wild ride! Tiller and my favorite father-in-law in the front car, with Rollie pulling up the rear (that's where you get the most Gs, you know?)

Kind of sad that I missed my kids' first roller coaster ride, but I did have to be around for my little nephew to come into the world.

How My Favorite Nephew is Doing

Kinda crappy. He's only ten days old, Cosmos! Cut him some slack!

Rough weekend for sister and Company. Dash started throwing up his feedings (not just spitting up, but vomiting) so they called the ped and they sent them to the ER on Sat evening. They went to the ER and then they admitted him overnight.

They did an upper GI and an Ultrasound, i think. Possible culprits: cow's milk allergy. They put him on alimentium formula for supplemental feedings, sis is still pumping like a Putnam County Dairy, and they are working on some BF issues today with the Lactation consultant. Might also be some kind of stenosis, which sounds like a blockage of some sort (no, I'm not a doctor, and neither are the three people I got this info from on the grapevine), but they can't confirm it for a few more days, because they usually only show up at about 10 days old, so they will recheck with an ultrasound on Thursday to rule that out.

Also a possibility - reflux. They put him on the meds for that. (Forget what they are called. Doesn't someone I know's kid take something for reflux?)

Anyway, wanted to post an update, especially since some folks were asking how they were doing. Will keep you all posted. Baby and mom came home late last night, so the vomiting has stopped. I spent the night and took the late shift, which involved the usual newborn night activities: Changing diapers, wiping spitup, falling asleep on couch with baby on chest while watching bad 3 a.m. t.v. Just like the old days.

Lee, if you read this, i am waiting for the latest update, but didn't want to call and wake folks.

Things That Have Me Thinking . . .

About being a Cosmic Possum:

For cosmic possums culture is not an either- or proposition. The trick is to move into the future without letting go of the past, because if you lose your cultural identity, you have nothing to sustain you in the modern rootless world which lurches from one ephemeral trend to another.

About looking at the world in an artful way, every time I get Brian Andreas' Storypeople Story of the Day:

This is how the Archangel Michael shows up to potato people & you'll notice he's the same in every way, except he's a little rounder & he carries a flaming potato peeler

A Happy and Safe 4th!

What is everyone doing for the 4th? We're off to the Lake for the weekend, but here's hoping everyone has a safe and fun 4th of July. Good luck to my peeps running the Peachtree!

A few pics from 4ths past . . .

Tiller Loves Lisa

Tiller Loves Lisa
Originally uploaded by Dogwood Girl

Since Tiller and Rollie can't see their new cousin for a few weeks, and Lisa bought Tiller this outfit before having the baby, Tiller felt that she needed to say thank you to Lisa through video.

Lisa, she flipped when she saw the new Hello kitty shirt. She loves it.

Also, it didn't come up in the video, but Tiller and Rollie are completely ignoring the fact that Mark and Lisa named the baby Dash; He will always and forever be what they wanted to name him: "Monster Truck."

As in, "Did Lisa have Monster Truck yet?" That just cracks me up.

On the Genetics of M and M Sorting

We've been using M&Ms to bribe Tiller into using the potty. (I don't want to hear the "you are going to give her an eating disorder" comments, either.) So far, it's not working well, but I can totally use them as good-behavior-inducing after-dinner treats. I've been counting Weight Watcher's points again, hoping to kick my weight loss back into gear (working out alone just doesn't do crap for me), but when i saw the diminutive little individual bags, i thought, "Oh, I'll just have one and count the points later." Big mistake: Four points!!!! They are the devil.

I went into the den, turned on Jeopardy, opened the bag and dumped them out on the coffee table. I separated the M&Ms into colors, then put each color group into a little line, so that i could see how many of each color I had. Then, i ate from the colors with the most candies, until i had evened out the lines. Then, I proceeded to eat the m&ms one at a time, taking one from each color line (brown first) until they were all gone.

At some point, Tiller came in, having inhaled her M&Ms, asking for more. "Nope," I said, "you need to go put your dishes in the sink and then go up and wash your hands." Finishing up my own neatly-ordered portion, I realized I hadn't heard much out of Rollie. Cleaning up my wrapper and grabbing my drink glass, I walked back into the kitchen, belting out a "Rollie, what are you doing, buddy? It's time to clean up and hit the showers!"

"Mama, I'm not finished yet!" he yelled back.

I looked at the kitchen table and came to a screeching halt. Rollie was intently looking down at his M&Ms, all laid out neatly in piles, organized by color. I watched him for a moment.

"Rollie, what are you doing?"

"Eating my M&Ms!"

"You put them in little piles?"

"Yup."

"By color?"

"Yup."

"I used to do that when i was a little girl."

"You did, mama?"

"Yeah, I did," I said with a smile. "You come on up and get ready for a bath when you get done with the M&Ms, okay?"

"Okay, Mama," he replied, not once taking his eyes off the little colored piles, his eyes scanning them, as he carefully picked one and popped it into his mouth.

Sometimes genetics are just downright weird. And sometimes they are kind of sweet.

Time to Make the Pizza

I kind of thought that my brother-in-law was a really smart guy. He writes books about development languages and I think he is getting his PHd on the side, but i am not really sure, because he is modest and quiet and doesn't really talk about it. We would not have known he published the book if my sister-in-law didn't send us the Amazon link. Well, turns out that smart, shy, silent type brother-in-law also has a bit of a mean streak; He's not just a genius, he is an evil genius.
He's a Dogwood reader, and I guess he has seen the slew of nostalgic posts of late, and he decided to get in on the game. I give you to you, courtesy of my wonderful, brother-in-law:


I'm not really sure who these other people are, but sometimes there is a little collateral damage in the quest to humiliate family and friends. Life in the food web.