Some quick takes, others not so much

1. There is a Christmas tree in my living room and while it is undecorated and I know that Epiphany isn't until tomorrow (or, Saturday? I don't know) and TECHNICALLY if I wanted to give myself that long of a grace period for tree removal I could, the truth is that I am very annoyed at this giant TREE in my living room and I can't wait to move it to its proper off-season storage location.

2. All of the other Christmas paraphernalia is in the dining room and since ignoring things I don't like to deal with is a coping mechanism that works for me, I just don't go in there.

3. I started working with a trainer yesterday and my arms realllllllly hurt today. It's not that aggravating and bright, "it hurts but it feels good!" hurt, that annoying people talk about sometimes, just to brag that they've been working out. No, it just hurts. Ouch. I have damaged my extremities. This is perhaps telling of how long it has been since I've done any weight work with my arms (I don't think a 7 to 20-pound blob that needs bouncing/shushing/swaying counts).

4. I sent in my first-gen iPod Nano, per the recall, and they sent me back a BRAND NEW ONE! At first they were sending back refurbished OLD ones, but I let the box rattle around in my car for a few weeks (remember, I ignore things I don't like to deal with) and by the time I sent it in they had run out of OLD Nanos so they sent me a teeny-tiny new (silver!) one. This would be super kick-ass, except I use my iPhone at the gym for music because I like Pandora (thank you to Holly for pointing me towards Pop and Hip Hop Power Workout). I had zero use for this new Nano, which explains why the old one had been sitting in a drawer since 2008 when I got my first iPhone. I gave it to Chris. This is what western civilization has come to: Too Many Apple Products With Overlapping Utility.

5. I wrote about some bowls and then they sold out and it made me feel like a retail superstar. Crate and Barrel, where is my commission? 

6. I am feeling a bit more normal these days. I am well-past feeling hugely pregnant, I don't feel any post-partum-y crazy hormones that make me cry when the dishwasher leaves food on things, and my hair stopped falling out in giant, scary clumps. My body is still squishy but I'm going to the Y regularly and eating well (better than I have in years, actually) and I feel good. I wake up every day at 5am to the pterodactyl cries of Charlotte and I don't want to strangle anyone or cry because I'm so tired. I'm pretty well-rested these days. I have always been happy (sometimes GROUCHY, but still happy) but I am finally starting to feel like a normal person who didn't just have a baby. And, eight moths later, that sounds about right. I'll bet by month 9 I feel whole again.

7. Um, yes. EIGHT MONTHS. She's eight months old this week, which means her first birthday is a scant four months away. If I was the kind of person that throws a one-year-old a birthday party I might start planning that throwdown, but I'm not that kind of person so instead I'm planning the Miles-Bankrupt vacation Chris and I are going to take once this kid gets weaned. (Which, I don't know when that will be but it will be sometime this year, probably sooner rather than later if she follows in her sister's footsteps.) We're going to use ALL THE MILES and go first class and then change credit cards as soon as it's booked so we'll stop accruing American Airlines miles. (Still not sure which one we're switching to.) Right now we are thinking Caribbean but I'm not sure exactly where. Chris has voiced votes for Aruba, St John, Turks and Caicos and Barbados. I just want to go somewhere and sit on a beach and not have anyone whine at me for a couple of days. (I am easy to please.)

8. My birthday is coming up at the end of the month and I have made a very big decision that I hemmed and hawed over for an embarrassing number of weeks: I am going to buy myself the giant chocolate Costco cake for my birthday cake. I know, you want to come over for my birthday now, don't you? YUM. I can't wait.

9. We hired someone to help us in the kitchen and she's actually quite terrible at helping clean, but she's rather cute so I think we'll keep her.

Comments

[Sarah in Ottawa]

OMG, she's so cute. I just want to eat her up.

I cannot wait to hear more about your vacation. I fully intend to live vicariously through you.

[HereWeGoAJen]

We are going to Cabo in June for a family wedding.

My tree and decorations are coming down today. I am both happy and sad about this.

[Life of a Doctor's Wife]

I do the "put things in a room and don't enter that room" thing as well. But then, when I DO have to go into that room, I get filled with RAGE that the things aren't dealt with. Smart.

Your Use All the Miles trip sounds amazing! Can't wait to hear more about it.

Your kitchen helper IS adorable.

[K]

Oh my heavens that baby. I wanna eat her.

And I heartily recommend the Turks & Caicos. Lord alive it's delightful there.

[elz]

Votes for Puerto Rico and Cayman. We were lucky enough to go to both last year- one with the kids, one without and both were WONDERFUL. Like amazingly wonderful. Highly recommend!

If you go to Cayman, do not stay at 7 mile, go to Turtle's Nest Inn. Trust me.

[Erica]

Ok just filled out the thing for our first gen nano. Hope I get a new one too. Thx for the tip. Fingers crossed.

[Mel]

We got the brand spanking new nanos, as well. We both bought each other the first generation for Christmas that year it came out and I also don't know what to do with thing. I have a video ipod and iPhone... what do I need this new little thing for exactly? But it is cool and kinda FREE so I'll just smile when I see it, I guess.

I love how you're feeling and kinda dying to get there myself. This baby has been humbling.

The trip sounds fabulous! Jealous!!