Puddles and Gutters and Snails, oh my!

With rainy weather comes puddles, noisy gutters and slimy snails. All of which Logan discovered for the first time today with much glee. He loved stomping and splish-splashing in the puddles, dropping rocks into the puddles, and popping bubbles that were forming on top of the puddles. He was soaking wet but could care less. PUDDLES Mom! PUUUUUDDDDDLESSSSS!

I think we may be buying him some rain boots this weekend.

Once he got bored of the puddles, it was onto the gutters. He sat for several minutes inspecting the gutters, putting his hand up the gutter, trying to grab the water and put it back in the gutter. He tried stuffing leaves up the gutter and was annoyed when not only would they not stay in the gutter, but they'd stick to his hands too. JEEZ.


Once he saw our neighbor's house had a gutter spouting water as well, it was all mayhem up in these here parts. OHMYGOD what to do what to do what to do!! He'd run back and forth between the two gutters "catching" the running water, peering and leaning and pointing and splashing. I finally had to steer him away when he discovered he could put his foot under the gutter and - forget the puddles Mom - THIS was how you got soaking wet!


On marching back toward the house, we stumbled across several snails making their way across the front pathway. We stopped to inspect them, but the minute Logan noticed the snails quickly shrinking inside their shells (after he tried touching them), it freaked him out. He backed up, alarmed and whimpering as he hovered next to me. I picked one up to show him they were totally harmless - and that's when he decided to touch the bottom of the snail and then put his finger to his mouth. I stopped him before he got that far, but those little snails better watch out. Logan may forget about his veggie Mom and take up escargot instead.


Bath time soon followed, since he was pretty grimy from all the rainy day outdoor exploring we did. Of course, Logan is now IN LOVE with bath time (anything water-related really) and couldn't get enough of it. He loves it when I let the water stream down into the tub like a huge waterfall.


He also loves it when we turn the jets on and get the water super bubbly and loud, massaging his butt. It was tough getting him out on my own (Jon is at a Giants game with my dad tonight and wasn't around to help), but I managed, wrapping him into a little burrito like the good ol' days.


We finished the evening with a HUGE dinner (I guess splashing in rain puddles works up an appetite) and a late bedtime. He passed out in my lap before he even had a chance to kiss me good night.

Sleeping Beauty

What you can't hear from this pic is the purr-like snoring he's doing,
on our way to school this morning.

But his state is absolutely how I feel after the last couple of weeks
that have passed us by in a whirlwind of events. A couple of days ago
was Jon and my anniversary, but Logan wasn't too cooperative that
night so we never made it out to dinner as planned.

Last night, however, I dropped him off at my parents so I could take
the train up to the city to meet Jon for a dinner with his co-workers.
We had a really nice time and got home so late we decided to leave
Logan at my parent's overnight and just pick him up this morning
instead. Even with a full night's sleep, we were both still exhausted
this morning. I think we need a few more withdrawals from the sleep
bank before we're fully functional again.

This morning Logan was beautiful and jolly and all together his happy
self. I'm not sure what my parents do to him during his stays, but he
ALWAYS passes out like this afterward. It's so damn cute! :)

Go Giants!

AT&T is hosting a few Tellme folks like myself to a Giants vs. Dodgers game. We've got a kickass view from the AT&T box right behind home plate (I wouldn't expect anything less, given it's the AT&T park, right?). Should be a good game. ;)

In other news, Jon just texted to let me know Logan said Elmo for the first time at school today! :)

Hot Pink, Hot Damn.

I've noticed I'm becoming a big fan of Puma's. Their shoes help me accessorize with more style than a pair of normal running shoes, yet still provide the support I need for proper back alignment and short daytime walks.

My body and back are already thanking me (at least, that's how I justified my latest new purchase). :)

Happy (Belated) Birthday Jessie!

This past week flew by so quickly, I forgot to blog about Logan's friend Jessie - who just turned the big numero uno last Friday! :) It's a huge deal since Jessie is the "last one" of our kiddie group! And, none of us can believe she's already one - or that all of our babies are no longer really babies. *sigh*

We had a really nice celebration at Jessie's house where all the kids got together to play and steal toys (click on the pic above for more, taken by Nathan). We had to leave a bit early since Logan was starting to wind down and needed his naptime badly, but not before we all had some yummy fruit, pizza and birthday cake - YEAH!

Happy Big Birthday Jessie! We're so happy and proud of you and your family!! We look forward to celebrating many many more with you! :)

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

My colleague Byron and I decided to stop by Ted Drewes, a St. Louis tradition, for dessert tonight. And OHMYGAWD. Was it ever the hoppin' hot-spot - on a weeknight no less!

Here's Byron standing in line in front of the crazy crowd!

The place was buzzin' with tons of atmosphere and history - it was pretty awesome and hard not to get a little excited. :)

I got an "Original Sin" specialty (a sundae with tart cherries and hot fudge). I wasn't so sure about the idea of eating frozen custard (Jon is the one in our family with the sweet tooth) but it was actually pretty tasty.

And, I have to say, the overall experience earned a point back in my book for the city of St. Louis.

Sometimes I don't like to travel

I can't say I'm a big fan of St. Louis and yet, I'm back again.

I spent the morning on client calls before saying good-bye to my sweet darling smiling son, dropping him off at school and then racing off to my flight. My friend and colleague Amanda was just chatting to me the other day about the difference between those who travel often and those who don't. She felt she landed in the "don't" category, and therefore was going to show up to her flight (she was also traveling on business this week) an hour, or hour and a half Amanda?, early. I, on the other hand, must fall into the "often" category (in Amanda's mind at least). Since, I decided to grab lunch on my way to the gate, ordering it to go, and finally waltzing up to tag the end of the line and hear our flight's last calls over the intercom.

It's a theme of mine - cutting it close.

The flight was packed, and I've been coming down with another cold (interestingly, the last time I was sick ALSO hit me during a trip to St. Louis. I think my body is telling me I must be allergic to this town. RIGHT?), so I ended up sleeping with my mouth wide open for most of the flight, the demure woman that I am. Which, was really just too bad, because my back was aching me something terrible, and yet I didn't have enough energy to stand at the back of the plane (like I usually try to do).

Halfway through the flight, we had some turbulence that was, let's just say, not insignificant. I've flown a fair number of times in my life, and turbulence has never really bothered me. Yet today, I found my mind racing, dreaming up a ridiculously bleak and dismal scene where our plane tumbles to the ground, crashing and burning in the process. Tellme would mourn the loss of two loyal employees, Stanford would mourn the loss of their Track team, and Jon would be faced with the impossible task of raising Logan on his own, trying to explain to him that his Mommy wouldn't be coming home (ever) again. I imagined how petrified I would be, plummeting to earth while it happened. And, if all that weren't appalling enough, I found myself planning out my "only" chance of survival, wondering if I could use the ridiculously obese woman taking up three seats in the row across from me, as some sort of shield to help absorb the impact. Yes, this awful awful awful thought actually crossed my mind! (I'm not proud of it)

I tell you this story only to get you to understand HOW MUCH my perspective on life has changed since having Logan. I have never been so afraid to die, so worried of what will happen to my family and friends, so concerned about my husband and son, and so willing to do anything to protect us all, as I am these days. I used to drive, or ride with those who would drive, recklessly, throwing all caution to the wind. Now I am that mom. Gripping the oh shit bar, tight lipped and slamming my foot into the floorboard to brake. I used to chat with anyone online, go out on dates with random strangers, flirt and have fun at the local bar scene or hitch-hike home in a country where I wasn't completely fluent in the language and the driver was drinking a can of beer. Now I am that mom. I see young girls posting up silly comments on blogs or streaming live video of their slumber parties and think OH HELL NO will my daughter (or son) ever be allowed to do that. I used to sleep through any amount of turbulence and scoff at those who turned green. Now I am that mom. Freaking out about a bumpy ride, praying we get through the flight safe and sound so I can see my chubby cheeked toddler once again.

It's a little depressing, this revelation of mine. And yet, it's also rejuvenating. I've always taken on a Mama Bear persona, but now that I'm actually a mom, I can let it shine through, without any embarrassment, awkwardness or explanation whatsoever.

I like it.

Somewhere between California and Missouri, after the turbulence and gruesome daydreaming subsided, I discovered I had lost one of my earrings. One of my precious diamond earrings. And, I was bummed for the rest of the night.

I can't watch TV - sorry, lost an earring. I can't read my book - sorry, lost an earring. I can't concentrate on my work - sorry, lost an earring. I can't go downstairs and hit the gym - HELLO! I just lost a, wait for it..... diamond earring!

Waaaaah. I wanna go home. I miss Jon, I miss Logan. There's this huge empty King-size bed staring at me, inviting me to sleep, yet all I can think about is how much more comfortable it would be crammed up against a big guy, a little guy, a leggy dog and three purring cats on our maxed out Queen-size bed. That and, I just lost my fucking earring.