2009_02_15 Sunday

Another weekend nearly done. On Friday night, we saw some friends while picking Dave up from the train station. They offered to babysit Jonathan on Saturday if we wanted to do something. We had breakfast at the diner that morning. Oh, and I gave Dave an Ipod (gift idea: iTunes!!); he gave me an emerald necklace/bracelet. Very cool gift exchange this year!!! So, we wavered on taking them up on their offer, but then we decided to go for it and see Slumdog Millionaire in town. We dropped Jonathan off at Jen/Greg's and he didn't even look back, just ran into see their twin kids and started playing. So, with his tears averted, we strolled into town. Great movie; I can see why it's an Oscar nominee. We brought them a choco cake as a thank you (and they gave us 1/2 back!), and Jonathan barely noticed my return. He screeched in delight when he saw 'dadddeeee'. Jen said he didn't even whimper for us. And, he ate a full dinner (quesadillas, which I'll have to try now!) with them, an hour before his normal dinner time (and not 2 hrs after his late lunch!). man, what an eater he is!!!

Today, we had plans to see Joey/Amanda/Julia/? but they cancelled. Invited Sarah, but she's moving/unpacking. Marcy/Josh/Abby/Sam were in town, so they came by to see the house, for lunch, and to hang out for a bit. The kids weren't feeling too great, but it was really nice to see them. I just finished making ham & cheese manicoti casserole for dinner (yes, at 3:30), so now I just need to cook it and pack up any leftovers! yummy.

Happy Birthday Vicki!!

2009_02_12 Thursday

Jonathan slept until 9 today, so maybe we're back on track again.

Jonathan and I went to the diner b/c I was feeling lazy about making breakfast. Behind me sat a woman and a man, waiting for another man to arrive. Long story short, it turns out that they were having a business meeting about Patch, the company I've been writing for (the bilingual story and all the store interviews)!!! So, I sheepishly interrupted them to tell them I was eavesdropping and am a writer for their site. They thought it was great. I'm just glad that I was half-way presentable, since the first man is the editor for our town and wants to talk to me about doing more writing for them. He claims to recognize my name (who knows if he was just being nice). What a small world!! I also submitted my second essay -- on au pairs -- for them today as well.

When we got home, I called Animal Control again, since we still have not received our trap back. He said he'd drop it off today and set it up for us. I was sceptical, but it did arrive around lunch time.

I also called to be sure we got the cat food order placed. Poor guys have been relegated to tuna fish for the past few days since we ran out of cat food, although maybe they prefer that.

Rather than visiting the Newark Museum today, we opted for the Liberty Science Center, since our reciprocal membership there ends on Feb. 23. Jonathan had a blast in the rice pit again. He seems to love shifting rice from one bucket/shovel/measuring cup/etc to another, although NOT in his hands for some reason. We only had an hour to spend before they closed, but parking was free! So, we did about equal time with the rice and the "eat or be eaten" animal exhibit. This time, I got pictures.

Maybe next week, we'll try the Newark Museum again. I want to try out their firehouse exhibit and see another one about using bugs as art. We'll see if it happens.

We got home and he took a short nap. He was pooped. And, he was up just in time for us go get daddy in the wagon.

It was a very good day.

2009_02_11 Wednesday

Jonathan seems to be getting up around 8 consistently now. That's a bummer since he was so consistent with 9 earlier. Even still, 8 isn't all that bad.

Our beloved hunter scored a larger critter over night: an opossum! He was pretty small and very scared. Kinda cute in an ugly sort of way. I called Animal Control first thing this AM, and he was gone by noon...so was our cage. I finally tracked down AC again, and he's going to return our cage 'first thing in the morning.' That way, if we do have a second visitor, my hunter can go after it too.

Jonathan and I drove into town to get Dave's dry cleaning. I had planned on going to the Newark Museum today, but we got started too early, and the museum opens at noon. Instead, we opted for the zoo. It's a gorgeous day, so it was nice to be outside, and we barely needed coats! Jonathan really liked the peacocks/hens. Many of the animals are still inside, but we did see a handful anyway. The whole barnyard was out and in action, so that was fun. We also saw two wolves and a black bear. There were two cougars sunning themselves, and he called them 'big cats,' which I was impressed with. Similarly, he called the elk a 'big deer.' And, he was awestruck by the merry-go-round (has zebras, elephants, giraffes, and other more exotic animals), so we may give it a try next time. It will either be a crazy hit, or a massive disaster.

Cleaning ladies are here now...an hour early. Of course, I just put Jonathan down for a nap. oh well. Sharon and Aylin and their kids are coming by around 4 today to play. Wonder if we should just meet at a park since it's so nice, although it's rediculously muddy with all the snow/ice melting.

2009_02_10 Tuesday

Happy 19 Month Birthday to Jonathan! what a day, actually it was pretty uneventful.

We did, however, catch our first animal in the raccoon trap. It was a squirrel, who was pissed to be there. Dave drove him to a lovely park where he'll be much happier. Regardless, we're not sure that he was the culprit who's been scratching in our ceiling. Dave reset it with more peanut butter, so we'll see who we get tomorrow!

Oh, I keep meaning to report that Jonathan can put his own coat on. He does the lay-it-on-the-floor-upside-down-and-flip-it-over-the-head trick with ease!! And, today, he laid down on my back so we could play horsie. Now, he rolled right off, but with giggles. And, we also did the hands-between-the-legs-and-flip trick too. He seemed to like that as well.

I'm doing my first e-bay bidding. Can't tell you what it's for since it's a gift for Dave. Can't risk him reading this (unless I lose it). It sure is addicting, though! Whaooo! I actually won the item on the second try. And, being a newbie, I completely goofed up. I nearly bought two of the same thing b/c I didn't realize I had already won one! I had to rescind my second offer with apologies. It may even arrive before V-Day!!! How exciting!

2009_02_09 Monday

Oh gesh. Here we are a solid week since I've managed to post! where does the time go!? Oma was here for four wonderful days. Dave was in Maine for a couple of those on work, so that made her visit that much better. I had a nail pulled out of my front tire and plugged. exciting. Our interior decorator came by on Thursday to give me guidance on what to do next. I've got a massive To-Do list going now, and we'll chip away at it little by little. On Saturday, I took the cats to get their rabies shots. The town offers it for free, so I thought I better jump on that. I'm planning on walking the forms to town hall today since it's beautiful out. Maybe we'll stop by the zoo afterward.

We are nearly certain that we have a raccoon squatting in between our first and second floors in the front of the house. After listening to YouTube, we're pretty sure it's not a squirrel. So, after getting three quotes from exterminators, who also couldn't identify the animal, we went to Home Depot and got a trap. I also talked to the city Animal Control Officer, who basically said that if it is a squirrel, to drive it to our local forest and let him go. If it's a raccoon, he'll come and pick it up (b/c of rabies risk). We went to dinner in town with Dave's buddy Sferra, who is in town for work, and his family. That was really nice. Then, the men set the trap last night, but nothing caught this morning. So, that's a ton of fun.

2009_02_02 Monday

So it seems that the Hardwick men really like 3am. Jonathan was up for no good reason. He was also up a few more times befor that, but around 3, I decided I couldn't keep getting up for him. It's tough to ignore now that he actually calls out for "mommy!" So, after no more than 10 minutes, he cried it out (aka CIO, in the industry!). He woke up slightly later than usual. We had a small breakfast and then dropped my car off at the local fix-it shop. I think there's a hole in my front passenger tire. I hope they can plug it. Then we circled through town for $ and a coffee. I let Jonathan run down our street to get some energy out, but there's still ice in some areas, so that wasn't a fun discovery for him. He's down for a nap now. While he's down, I need to finish off my essay on bilingualism since it's due in tomorrow. I'd love to continue my organizing streak from yesterday; makes me feel more settled...and we can't wait to see Oma tonight!

2009_02_01 Sunday

Jonathan woke up at 7:30 today. that wasn't very nice of him. Poor Dave was up past 3am working, so the JDHs played for awhile to give Dave some down time. Jonathan's appetite seems to have returned with a vengence; he had a full bowl of oatmeal with raisins along with a couple of blueberries and a slice or two of cheese. whew. We played in the new den for a bit too, dumping baskets out and refilling them. I put him back down for a nap around 11.

Was uploading pix from yesterday and have hit a limit with Picasa. So, now I need to figure out what to do. Not sure that any are visible now.

Dave spent the better part of today trying to resolve his work crisis. So, I busied myself with getting rid of a few more boxes from the move and organizing the house a bit. While both were somewhat little items, I sure felt good to get some things put away properly. I also pulled out our nice stereo and hooked it up (successfully, no less!) in the new den. I'm really liking that room a lot, and I spent a little bit actually reading in there.

We went to a pre-Super Bowl party at one of Dave's college buddies' home. We only stayed for about a hour. On the way home, we noticed that Jonathan is starting to string together three syllables, specifically 'big tunnel." That seems to be a pretty big step for our little man. Guess he'll be chattering away soon. I made a quick and easy dinner once we got home, bathed Jonathan and got him ready for bed, and drove Dave to the airport. He called once he landed: uneventful trip.