Opposite Baby

Wes and I hired a "Mother's Helper"... she's young but she's super sweet and she likes Piper and Piper likes her. She comes while Wes is working and helps with the heavy lifting. I'm still recovering... Better everyday and already feeling more like myself... but I still need help and Emma (that's her name) is great. We like her.

... anyway, today I NEEDED to get out of the house I was starting to get nice comfy house fever... It's like cabin fever only less people want to hear you complain about it. It was the perfect opportunity (with Emma here) to take our little darling, Piper to get her first haircut.

I have to admit that I did worry a bit... that she would freak out when a stranger came at her with scissors... but my concerns were wasted. Piper is like opposite baby. When other kids cry... she laughs, giggles, investigates and eventually falls in love with whatever force offended the other children... some examples are... Santa Clause, The Easter Bunny, Halloween Props, Strangers, noises... and now... Haircuts.

So, The place we went to is called "Little Snips"... they have fun little car chairs for the wee ones and TV's to keep them occupied so they aren't really paying attention to the cut... but Piper paid attention... she watched looked, laughed and actually enjoyed it.

This is how it started. First, they spray her her hair with a water bottle... (how could they have known that Piper LOVES this... any form of water actually)


Then came the first snips of her lovely baby locks. Piper didn't mind at all.


Piper has some cute little flippy curls in the back so we decided to try and curl them under... just to see if they would cooperate... this required the ... dun dun dun... BLOWDRYER. Piper loved it too...

By BettyRebel

No really, She loved it!!


.... and finally... The ALL DONE FACE!!


I just want to say that I am so proud of her. She was so good and happy... and speaking of happy it's one of her new words... last night she said...

"Mama, I Happy!" I know they are just tiny words but all three hold such power... As parents (good ones) we hope that our children are happy and when they are we are filled with a sense of peace and joy... and to hear my almost two year old tell me she's happy and understand what she was saying... well, I have to admit... I did tear up! She's the source of such joy for me and every day I am reminded of how truly lucky I am to have her.

Here's just a few more photos from today after the haircut!





Cheers and Keep on Rockin' (the baby)!

Hey Punk! You talkin' to me??

So, tonight I was at Target (getting supplies for my hospital stay) when I hear this guy fighting with his teenage son. They were arguing about buying a video game. The son storms away and then I hear the dad talking to another man (who I think was with him). This is what I heard. The kid was all thugged out Drooping pants with his boxers showing, a jacket (in NICE weather), fake bling and he walked like one of his legs was heavier than the other, the dad looked very blue collar to me... very working class... Blue T-shirt, painters paints... (yes, I really am that observant)

Dad: Man, I don't know what's gotten into that kid.
Other man: Is this new?
Dad: No, all these kids are acting like little punks now.
Other Man: Time to lay down the law.
Dad: You can't teach an old PUNK new TRICKS, I've tried.
(both men laugh, and I walk out of eavesdropping range)

Now most of you will look at that and not see anything wrong with it... but me... well I take great offense to my lifestyle being used as an INSULT... I am a PUNK, I have been a punk for a long time, most of my friends are punks... I don't tell people that things I don't like are "gay" or "retarded"... why? Because I know it hurts people. I brought up this to a friend of mine who rationalized it like... "it's just something people say"... well, 50 years ago people used to "just say" a lot of things that they wouldn't dare say now. Racial Slurs weren't frowned on, women were 2nd class citizens and Children should be seen and not heard... Punks and Punk Rock has been around for over 30 years I think it's time to start recognizing that this word "PUNK" should not be used as a descriptive for people who behave badly. Not only is that stereo-type out of date but I can introduce people to large groups of PUNKS who put it to rest. I'll start with me...

"Hi My name is Betty, I'm a Punk!"

UGH! Okay, I feel better now!
Cheers and Viva La Punk Rock!
-Betty

Piper in Polka Dots!

I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to re-do Piper's room. It was cute... and although I can't say there was anything wrong with it... I started to feel like it was too "baby-ish" for her. I think most parents will tell you that there is both pride and pain in the realization that our babies wont be babies forever. I lover her so much and growing with her is a wonderful adventure... every single day... but it still is a reminder that one day... she wont be "growing" she'll be grown... I figured in the meantime I'd give her the best room I could... I want her childhood to be full of wonderful memories and things and places... and her room will hopefully be something she always remember with a smile.

So, here's what sparked my idea! It's called the Snooze N Cruise bed and it was made by Step 2.


I searched and searched for one of these beds but had a really hard time finding one in a) usable condition b)with all the parts c)at a reasonable price. Then one day as I was wasting a few minutes scanning the local postings on Craigslist (which I do fairly often) there it was. ... But $85?? I really believed it was too much and I was pretty sure Wes would agree so I e-mailed the poster to ask a few simple questions. What kind of condition is this in? Do you have ALL the parts? ... and would you be willing to take $70 for this bed? She told me the bed was in GREAT shape, she did have ALL the parts (which she DID NOT, it was missing the support pieced that goes under the mattress) and that she would take $75. I knew that I had seen the bed sell for less on Craigslist but that I had not been fast enough to get it. The seller told me her husband was out of work and they really needed the money so I figured what the hell. Wes Went to pick it up 3 days later and my plan was in motion.

We started by cleaning it... it was FILTHY. He hosed it off and scrubbed with soft scrub... it looked almost new when he was done with it. Then it was a wipe down with degreaser to make sure there was no residue. Then we Prepped it together and I painted it....



Krylon makes a spray paint just for plastics it's called fusion... it works great. As you can see it totally covered the yellow. The outside is "fairytale Pink" and the inside is "eggshell white"

Next I purchased foam mats (the kind people use in playrooms) from an online retailer in ALL purple and we did WALL TO WALL mats... (Wes did the cutting and laying of the tiles!)


We got new drapes for her room...

... and then we started the process of putting everything back together but before I show you that... let me show you what it looked like BEFORE! This is before we got all of her furniture in there... just the crib and her giant Armoire that her daddy made her...but you get the picture!

So... now that you've seen that... here's the slow reveal.

first we got the bed all put together and set in.

The we arranged the room and speckled it with wall art Dots... this is the new room!


Okay... Piper... Meet your new Room!


and she loooooooooooves it! *whew*... so glad it was a success! It's still not quite done... but done enough that I was ready to share it. I need to do a bit more detail painting to her car and there is a rag rug that will be on the floor in her room. We are also currently looking for a Toybox identical to this one, if you come across one PLEASE let us know!


so that was our weekend in a nutshell. While it may LOOK like work we actually had a lot of fun doing it. Piper even helped by laying down on top of the pieces of flooring her daddy was trying to measure and cut. She's such a good helper. Okay, so she didn't so much help as make us laugh... but it was soooooo worth it all. We spent time together and finished a really cool project for Piper.... and BONUS! She likes it!

Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (the baby)!

Strrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike! ... Solidarity!

Verizon is gearing up for a STRIKE!! It's a sad thing that we need Labor Unions to protect the work force. Employers want to take back things that the employees have earned (Health Insurance, Pension, Retiree Benefits) and prevent the expansion of Union Jobs. There are Two large groups of Verizon employees that do not have any UNION and who want to be a part of the Union. Thier pay, jobs and healthcare are NOT protected. The company is fighting the Unionization of these employees. If you are wondering what the big deal is? Why do employees need to Unionize? Think about your own job. Can you be fired spur of the moment with no support or recourse? Is your pay rate, health insurance and Pension (if you even have one) protected? If you said "No!" to any of these questions. You might want to read up on Labor Unions and what they can do for you!! Companies LIKE to have control over their employees and use things like "loss of employment" to motivate employees to work harder for less money. With a Union... Employees still work hard but they get FAIR wages and benefits that they earn and deserve. The power of a strike and the damage it can do to Customer Service Oriented businesses is proven. Strikes don't happen just because a contract expires... They don't happen because the employees need/want time off... They happen because Companies think contract renewal equals "time to take it all back"!!

If Verizon goes on strike... The supervisors will be scrambling to cover the jobs of 1/4 of their work force. To put it into numbers more than 65,000 men and women will hit the streets with picket signs. This is a big deal... and for you... a NON-Verizon employee... do you wonder how this might affect you? Well, fr starters... the number of employees covering trouble and line issues will be drastically reduced. If you have FIOS in your home... TV, PHONE or INTERNET... your service will not stop but there won't be as much support for your problems if you should have any. I also do not think they will be doing ANY production work if there is a strike... meaning if you have an order for FIOS to be installed... or have a date that is anywhere NEAR the Strike you will likely be delayed. For Issues with your phone lines, poles hit or damages. If you lose your service due to an accident or weather... you'll probably be waiting longer than usual for the situation to be handled.

Now, for our part. How can we help them? Do you want to do help them? If you have Verizon LAND LINE and you happen to experience ANY problems beginning Sunday August 2nd... I'd say it's high time you call in and place a work order to have your phone lines looked at. Let's just see for ourselves if Verizon can do this job without it's hard working men and women behind the wheels of their trucks and behind the desks trouble shooting your problems. I think they'll be Crying "UNCLE!"

I am not looking forward to this possibility... But I support it and so should you!!

Cheers and Viva La UNION!







Here's a few Websites... if you wanna fact check!

CWA Locals Voting on Verizon Strike!
Unity@Verizon
Countdown to Strike
Workforce Management


Don't take my word for it!!

She's a figure-outter.

I have a friend who has three kids. Ages 22 months, 4 years and 7 years. I adore them all, they are all so sweet and fun to see. The 7 year old is the shy one. The 4 year old is the talker and the baby (who is only slightly older than Piper) is very mischievous.

I was sharing photos last night while the 4 year old was sitting on mama's lap and it was determined, beyond a shadow of a doubt... that Piper is, in fact, a Figure-Outter. I shall explain and also entertain you with some photos of our fun on the way to Piper's new job title of "figure-outter"

We had loads of fun at the park on Sunday... and while we were there we let Piper carry around her littlest ball a small pink and green soccer style ball


... She got on the swings with it...


... and without it... she LOVES the swings... a fact that is evident in the look on her face in this photo.


booted it around between play areas, tossed it up and down the slide the only thing she couldn't quite figure out was how to climb the steps and still hold onto her ball...She would take half a step and the ball would fall from her little hands... she stood there staring at her ball, then looking at the steps... she must have tried to take that ball up in her little hands 10 times and the "EUREEKA!" She figured it out... if you had been close enough you could have seen the light bulb pop on above her head. Then, with the cutest little look of determination... she did this...



... and that is how Piper came to be known as the "Figure-Outter!".


... and now just for fun... here's a few more photos from Sunday!


We really did have a great time. And she was so much fun... even after a long day at the park she was still in a wonderful and playful mood. The ride home was full of fun noises from the backseat... Pttthhhhhhhhhht!


... and when we got home she rushed to entertain her hamburger bun


and her cow...



anyone else see the irony in her choice of toys. (A hamburger bun and a cow!) Yes, I know she didn't plan it to be ironic, how could she?

That's it for now!
Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (The Baby)!

Almost grown.

I heard a little boy telling his mama that today in target. It went something like this.


Mother: You need to sit down in the cart.
Little boy: *fussing*
Mother: You will fall and get hurt.
Little boy: *fussing*
Mother: I love you and I don't want my little boy to get hurt.
Little boy: I wont get hurt and I'm not a little boy.
Mother: Okay, My little man and yes you will!
Little boy: I wont get hurt, I am almost grown!
Mother: Almost isn't grown. It's almost grown.

Me. smiling. I should mention that the boy couldn't have been older than 5. He was a little boy. HER little boy. and I kept thinking ... if that were me... I'd have been tearing up a little. I wasn't close enough to see, maybe she was.

Anyway. I thought I'd share some photos of my Little girl. She's such a joy. I have been spending much more time with her. With work going better, my life Waaaaay less stressful and my friends around to enjoy this ride with me... life is good!

Piper is totally in love with Pablo, from the Backyardigans. Her daddy and I like the show too, it's not hard to watch. The music is fun... the adventures are cute and the characters... well, they have character. so... Here's Piper with her Pablo. IN the first photo she was preparing to put him in her carseat. She wants to keep him safe. Can I get an Awwwwwwwwwww?



This one... well, it's pretty self explanatory. She loves Pablo and Daddy Loves her!



In addition to falling madly in love with Pablo and all things Backyardigans she has also fallen hopelessly in love with ... BALLS!






And although I was hoping for at least another 14 years before I had to worry about her driving... looks like she found a way to outsmart us. She loves to take frequent drives with her hamburger bun, Pablo and the cow. Yes, you read it right... a hamburger bun, Pablo and a cow.



And one more ... She decided scaling the fence would be a fun way to scare the crap out of mommy... she only made it up about 18 inches... but dang. This is her AFTER she was pulled down and told to keep her feet on the ground. I don't fault her for "thinking big" and "reaching for the sky" but... I am not ready for her to learn about the bumps and bruises on the way up quite yet. Even if we don't let her climb there yet... at least she believes that she can. Right?



So now you're sitting there wondering why I started with this story about a mommy and her little boy who was almost grown... well, it's because as I was standing there I had a moment... a moment in which I found myself in that same conversation with my "little girl" who I cannot imagine ever being "almost grown"... I flipped through these photos tonight and thought to myself... ** when she is almost grown ** I want to remember these days vividly. I want to remember my little girl who runs to me to play ball and who sings Backyardigans songs as we motor up the road... "Go Go Go" and "Arrrrrrrrrgh" from the backseat... I want to remember it all, every minute... and when she's almost grown I want to look back and say...

"yes, but when you were little we had fun, didn't we?"

That's it for now...
Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (The Baby!)

Penelope...

I am good with me... for a second I forgot what's important. But I am back on track!


It's important to remember that to be Pretty on the outside... you must first be Pretty on the inside!


Cheers and Keep On Rockin' (the baby)!