Visit and WIC and Olympics

On Wednesday, the worker called me and asked if I was sitting down. Naturally, I assumed that something terrible had happened, which was only partly true: The baby's dad had called her to tell her he wanted a visit. He assured her that he had the empty tubes to prove he'd been treated and that he had treated his house and everything.

Complication: I shouldn't use the treatment cream now, because I'm pregnant. So if the baby gets reinfected, we all get reinfected and my unborn baby is at risk. This is not okay. The worker went through the entire checklist with the dad twice, and he solemnly assured her that he had done everything he needed to do. The worker has had it independently confirmed that his house has been at least minimally cleaned, because it looks like he's getting custody of his other two kids, but the worker is required to take his word for it. Ugh. So she had to let the visit happen. Naturally, since the baby hasn't seen him since March, she had no clue who he was and cried so hard she barfed up half of her bottle, so that's fun to hear. Our solution for dealing with reinfection is that Andy has been 100% in charge of the baby's care since Wednesday. This has sucked a little for all of us, because I can't even snuggle my baby, and because I'm pretty sure Andy thinks it's somehow way more work when he does it than when I do it, and because the baby's fussing for me a lot. Cool. If she makes it till tomorrow without any symptoms of a reinfection, we'll say she's okay, but I don't want to take a chance.

Also, this is the second thing the dad's showed up for this month, which is kind of amazing. The worker said he seemed sort of intent on "getting all [his] kids" and is still talking about moving to a very small suburban town. The worker did remind me, however, that since the dad hasn't been around we have no idea how long he's been "planning" this move, and that he could have been talking about this since February, in which case yeah right it's probably not real. I have a really hard time not jumping to conclusions, of course, so I'm worried that this dude who has never raised a baby and who lives with his mom is suddenly going to be living in the middle of nowhere with no support system and his older kids (both of whom I've been told are a handful) and a baby who doesn't know him, and that he'll be too proud to ask for help.

On a positive note: We changed WIC offices and it was like a different world. The people we dealt with were efficient and helpful and made me an appointment two months out instead of in three weeks like the old place always tried to do. They even offered to cancel my standing appointment with the old place. By the time we were done, I had had them switch me in the computer to make their office my main one and have my records transferred. They also told me that our old office managed to lose their own blueprints during their recent remodel, so that was fun.

So now it's Friday and the Olympics start today and I'm totally excited, unironically. I'm planning to watch as much as I can and to knit the whole time. My goal is actually to make a dent in the sweater I started for my mom for Christmas, and to finish the little lovey blanket I'm knitting for my three-month-old niece. We'll see how that goes with a seven-month-old who has recently discovered that she's self-propelled.

Foster parents: how do you deal with visits? Are they rough for you, or are you used to them? Non-foster-parents: Are you geeking out about the Olympics? Any favorites?

Busy weekend!

We went to my coworker's wedding on Friday night. It was really lovely - it was actually my first gay wedding and I honestly teared up during the vows, happy that my friend and her wife are finally treated like human beings by my state - and I've never seen my coworker so happy. The ceremony itself was sweet. My friend's wife actually giggled with joy at one point! She was just so full of happiness that it just bubbled out of her. The wedding was at a really awesome art gallery that also rents out studio space and there are one million things to look at all the time. We left way early, around 9:30, because it turns out dancing under a spinny flashy light thing made me really dizzy and sort of nauseous.

Then on Saturday we had another wedding to attend! This one was for one of my good friends from high school, and we got to sit with a crowd of our other friends from high school (Andy and I didn't attend the same school, actually, but his band played with my friends' bands so he got to know my friends pretty well). It was very awesome to catch up with all of them and everything about the evening was lovely. I had managed to squeeze in a nap so we stayed out till all of 11:30! Pretty wild.

Two of my good friends happen to be in town from their respective cities - Boston and New York - so yesterday we had breakfast with one of them and dinner with the other. We had a great time hanging out and eating delicious stuff.

So now, I'm beat! The baby has recently discovered her ability to scooch, which she is doing enthusiastically, so it's taking even more of my energy to keep her entertained and safe. Looks like this is the week our house will finally get babyproofed!

How was your weekend, internet?

Lazy Sunday

I was going to write a nice post about how we went to the zoo on Friday because the zoo closed early and was only open for foster parents from 6-9, and how we got to hang out with awesome people, and also about how we had an awesome party yesterday to celebrate my brother graduating from college, but instead of writing that post, I'm bumming on the couch with a snoozing baby and being lazy.

To keep you occupied, here's Sarah Von's awesome Web Time Wasters post for this weekend, which contains about one million awesome links. (I particularly want you to focus on this part about pay equality!)

Have an awesome day!

Rainy weekend

How is it that a four-day week feels like it took forever? Andy and I both woke up yesterday thinking it was Friday, for some reason, so today just felt like a punishment.

It was 92°here on Monday, and today it's 56° and rainy. (For the record, I prefer 56°and rainy.) 


We have shit planned for tomorrow: Andy's doing a work thing in the morning while I hang out with my mom and help her with her resume, since she found out this week she's getting laid off, which blows, and then in the evening we're doing dinner with Andy's aunt and uncle because they haven't met the baby yet due to living in Florida for half the year. Then Sunday I think we're having my friend's husband, who's a plumber, come take a look at our backyard spigot, which is insisting on spitting water into our basement. (I will pay him in baked goods, as per his request.)


I really like weekends, you guys! 


This has been a boring, pointless post. You're welcome.

Life continues and I'm glad it's the weekend

Hello, the internets!

This was a busy week and I'm still tired. Being in training at work sort of fries my brain so I have less energy to deal with other stuff, like the new thing where the county says that if the baby's grandma and brother don't have visible symptoms, they aren't contagious, which is total horseshit, since they didn't have visible symptoms at their visit last week and the baby sure as shit got reinfected.

So even though I'm fried, I already have two doctors - my primary care physician and the dermatologist who finally diagnosed her correctly - to refute that claim willing to write letters or make phone calls on our behalf. I don't know if it was a dick move to go above the county's head like that, but hey, I'm not trying to go through this shit a fourth time.

Tonight I think we're going to dinner with Andy's parents, and then I plan to have at least two beers and get some solid sleep. (Fun note: I had two beers in a row last week and got a little buzzed. That hasn't happened since high school. Or maybe ever. Parenting has made me a lame-o.)

Thanks for reading this shit, dudes, and thanks especially to those who comment. It's nice to know y'all are there.

What are you up to this weekend?

Feeling loved

We just got back from spending a long weekend not-camping with our good friends. We rented a farmhouse in Ellicottville, New York, which is home to several ski resorts. We didn't visit any of them. It was terrific.

We spent the weekend eating ridiculous foods, drinking many beers, watching about a dozen movies from the huge selection we found in an armoire in the den, and, in my case, snuggling a baby who didn't really want to be held by anyone but me or occasionally Andy. The baby was a built-in backup escape plan for not having to go outside pretty much at all. Our friends trekked out with snowshoes to explore the acreage at the farmhouse, and I stayed in the den with the baby and the fireplace and Weekend at Bernie's and Encino Man and Crocodile Dundee.

Overall, it was a really restful, lovely weekend. Our friends are great cooks (as is Andy) and the Ellicottville Brewing Company (warning: sound!) was conveniently close for keeping us stocked with growlers of beer. (If you're there in the winter, try the EVL Blizzard.)

While we were roughing it in a farmhouse with actual beds and running water and a heating system, we discussed plans for camping this summer. It was made clear that I am very much invited but that they will understand if I opt out, which is very reassuring. I don't want to be a wet blanket while camping, but I also don't want my close friends to feel slighted if I don't go. So I get to consider at my leisure and either go or not, as I choose.

We brought the dogs this weekend, too, which meant our car was packed full of stuff for us, the baby, the dogs, and the elements. Our friends volunteered to take our cooler, since we didn't have room for it. The cooler is full of the makings of the fancy-ass cheese plate we never got around to making, since we were pretty much constantly eating something. Andy is out right now picking up the cooler from our friends' house so he can bring it back here and make me a delicious cheese plate. Could there be a more awesome end to an awesome weekend?

Doing all the things!

So Andy got free tickets to today's Bills/Dolphins game through work. There are so many awesome things about this:
1. He's never been to a pro football game, but has always wanted to go.
2. The tickets were free.
3. He's a huge Miami fan (but not in such a way that he is an asshole all night if they lose, which was high on the list of attributes that made him marriage-worthy).
4. The first person he thought to ask was my brother, who is a Bills fan. I thought that was sweet.
5. Normally I'd be bummed at spending a full weekend day without Andy (seriously, we just like hanging out), but he's already getting tired of Christmas moves so it's okay that I get full control of the tv all day.

I also have a million-and-one things to get done today, many of which are secret and Andy-related. On the top of that list: I knit him this sweater two Christmases ago. It was my first sweater ever, and I didn't take into account that the pattern doesn't include any ribbing to keep the hem from rolling. Which it does. Enthusiastically. So Andy never wears the sweater, because it ends up sitting just about level with the top of his pants. So today, I'm picking up a bunch of stitches around the edge, and knitting several inches of ribbing. This is the one thing I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to find time to do before Christmas, because when would I have a chunk of several hours without Andy? And then the gods of football smiled upon us, and his sweater will be done today.

After the knitting, I'll be wrapping all of his presents, so he's allowed to go in the library again. Then it's back to knitting, so maybe my mom's sweater will be done by Christmas!

Are you done with Christmas shopping yet?

Low-key Friday evening

Have you dudes ever tried roasted Brussels sprouts? Turns out: they're fucking magical. 


Andy and I like those things to begin with, but roasting brings those tasty little bad boys to a new level. And they're easy as hell to make! Easier than steaming, even, which, until today, was our go-to method.


I had a few parsnips (we got two, for some reason) and a buttload of carrots from our CSA to use up, so I chopped that stuff into biggish chunks, slapped 'em on a baking sheet with the cleaned and halved sprouts, tossed everything a few healthy glugs of olive oil and some generous pinches of salt, and roasted them at 400° for about half an hour. We ate them with some pork chops that we smeared in peach butter. It was delicious.


Now we're about to watch a movie and veg out, to celebrate not having any plans tonight. This is the first night this week that we're just staying home, so I'm knitting and we're probably going to bed early. Hooray!


I'm going to try to talk Andy into a Christmas movie. The lace knitting I'm doing on my mom's sweater takes a lot of concentration, so I can't really knit and watch something with an intricate plot, or I'll fuck the lace all up (again). But if we watch a movie I know by heart - basically, a Christmas movie or Newsies - I can be entertained AND the lace survives!


Wish me luck. Something tells me Andy will be resistant to my brilliant logic.

Awesome Saturday!

So far today:
- Slept in later than I have in three weeks. (I still only made it till nine, which is what happens when you have to get up early every single morning for three weeks.)
- Made pumpkin pancakes and bacon for breakfast.
- Cleaned the kitchen. (This is a good thing, as the kitchen was a mess and now it isn't and that makes me happy.)
- Returned beer bottles (in New York, you pay a 5¢ deposit on beer and soda containers) and did our big quarterly Sam's Club grocery shopping.
- Did the teeniest bit of gardening.
- Discovered that Pancakes can jump our fence when we discovered her two backyards over.
- Made applesauce with our lovely CSA apples. I ended up canning three more pints, with about 3/4 of another in the fridge.
- Had friends drop by and had an impromptu dinner party! They brought over a package of shrimp, so we wrapped some of them in bacon and made the rest into shrimp scampi. It was delicious.


It has been so great to not have anything we NEEDED to get done. We've gotten a lot done anyway, but it still feels restful. In a little while, we're going to use some free movie passes to go see Killer Elite (Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro? Yes, please!). 


What awesome things have you gotten up to on this delightful Saturday?

Today in irritating vs. awesome

Irritating: I went to bed really late (got home after midnight), turned off my alarm in my sleep, and woke up ten minutes before I was supposed to leave for work.
Awesome: We were out so late to go to a really awesome concert for free at the same venue where we got married.
Irritating: My coworkers are bizarre human beings who don't understand that some conversations might be better had in a conference room or anywhere other than loudly at the cubicle near mine.
Awesome: Um, I'm now up-to-date on my coworker's daughter's cold?
Irritating: I went back to the doctor's to get my TB test checked, and discovered that the stupid nurse practitioner (who I really didn't like - among other things, she totally pooh-poohed the two issues I wanted to discuss, and she asked me which side the infertility was on, as she assumed foster care = infertile, which fills me with a blinding rage, as she is a fucking medical professional) had put on my form that I was taking an anti-dizziness medication I was prescribed TWO YEARS AGO with NO REFILLS when I was going off a different medication. Even though she asked me at my appointment if I was still taking it, and I pointed out that there hadn't been any refills TWO YEARS AGO, so no, I had been off of it for, oh, about two years.
Awesome: Not so much awesome as just more work, but that is the kick I needed to find a GP closer to where I live now.
Irritating: As a result of not getting enough sleep, my almost-cold is rearing its head and I have a sinus headache.
Awesome: I'm fighting it by watching my first-ever episode of Toddlers and Tiaras and knitting, then we're going to dinner with my sister-in-law, her sister, and her sister's husband!

Have you ever had to break up with a doctor's office? Have you ever seen this trainwreck of a show?

Preventative measures!

I have yet another super-busy weekend planned, and it feels like I'm starting to come down with a cold! A cold will absolutely put a damper on my plans, so I'm thinking of bailing on the art opening we were planning to go to tonight (I know the artist!) (and the show is open for a few more weeks, so I can still see it!) so I can stay curled up on the couch, drinking cider and/or tea, and then go to bed early.

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I'm heading to the Number One Public Market in the country (you should come too, but don't murder me!) to buy a bushel of tomatoes, then I'm heading to a friend's house to spend the day canning said tomatoes. I'm bringing my knitting, to complete the weird pioneer vibe.

Then, Sunday, several friends and I are adventuring out to a small farm owned by some crazy people to investigate the possibilities of purchasing some alpaca fiber from them. One of my friends stopped there to buy some fresh eggs and was charged by a llama, so I'm thinking there will be no way we walk out of there without at least a little excitement. After we settle the alpaca issue, we're driving an hour away to the Finger Lakes Fiber Arts Festival, to buy yarn and delicious festival foods and to look at things like sheep being sheared and handspinning competitions.

It really is an overall Pioneer-Type Weekend, isn't it? I can't let this cold bring me down!

What do you do to prevent a cold from settling in??

Friday!

I am currently finding myself in what has become a novel situation indeed: Andy and I don't really have anything planned for this weekend. Oh, yes, there are things that need doing, but we haven't scheduled any of them.

The lawn needs mowing, badly. The sunroom needs to be painted by the end of the month. I'd really like to paint the guest/foster-kid's room (it's currently yellowish pine paneling, which I don't love). The front garden needs mulching, and the bricks we put down for a new garden still need to be mortared in place. But I'm trying to pretend none of that is waiting, so I can enjoy just doing nothing for right now.

My current plan for tonight, which of course is subject to change at any second, is to read the new L.L. Bean catalog that came yesterday (weird fact about me: I absolutely love to flip through catalogs of all kinds, but never order anything out of them), make some applesauce to can, try a new-to-us pizza joint around the corner, then settle in with my knitting and watch Good Hair, the Chris Rock documentary about African-American hair. Maybe I'll end it with a luxurious bubble bath and a book (I'm reading The Dirty Life and I have to say, I'd hate to live with a guy like Mark).

In all likelihood, what will happen instead is that Andy will get home from work and tell me we do in fact have plans and we'll head out to a diner or bar to meet up with some friends, and the documentary won't get watched until Monday night, which will be the next time we'll have an hour and a half without something to do.

Which do you prefer, planned or spontaneous? What are your evening plans?

Two things to keep you busy

Today's Andy's a groomsman in a wedding, and I volunteered to be the the "last-minute fetcher of things," so the couple didn't have to worry about a bridesmaid going missing while running to the store for band-aids or whatever. So we're already up and dressed and almost ready to head out.

Here are two things to keep you happy:

1. You follow A Cup of Jo, right? Her weekend posts - like this week's - always have a delightful round-up of links. Check them out. She has a great eye for neat stuff.

2. The new video for Cee-Lo Green's "Cry Baby" stars Jaleel White. Yes, Urkel. Well, in the video he's more of a Stephan Urquel, but still. Watch it and enjoy. (It has a dance sequence that I wish I had bothered to learn for the wedding reception today.)

What's keeping you busy on this lovely Saturday?

Hooray for weekends!

I would estimate that I'm in a great mood on Friday evenings 96% of the time. Today I stopped at Borders and got two books on clearance: Tart and Sweet, by Kelly Geary and Jessie Knadler, and Williams-Sonoma's The Art of Preserving by Rick Field and Rebecca Courchesne. They both include ideas of what to do with the stuff you've canned, which is awesome.

In a little bit we're going out for barbecue and margaritas, then maybe we'll head to a bar on the beach for a beer or two. Andy has to work in the morning, so I'll be sleeping in, watching Food, Inc. on Netflix, and reading these new books for ideas. Then I have the honor of being the first non-family babysitter for our friends' four-month-old! I get a baby fix and to watch cable while they have a date night for their anniversary. It's going to rock.

Better blogging tomorrow: I'm off to get my mess on.

What are you up to this weekend?

Trying to stay awake.

Here is what we've been up to this week:

• Monday: Met up with a friend I hadn't seen in months right after work, then two hours later we were joined by our menfolk for a lovely Mexican dinner at our favorite joint. Returned home around 8 to do two hours' worth of homework for foster class.
• Tuesday: CSA errand, doggy break, foster class, after which we discovered that one of the couples in the class is planning to do this awesome program where they'll foster babies between birth and six weeks, at which point they could come to a home - like, say, ours - with parents who work full-time, as babies in our state can't enter daycare before six weeks of age. This conversation was awesome but took a while, so we got home around 10.
• Wednesday: Art Night, which is a weekly thing where our good friend comes over and we all work on whatever respective art project we've got going. She was over from about 5:30 till a little after 10.
• Thursday: Dinner up the street with friends at 5:30, followed by Knitting Night with the same friend we do Art Night with. Got home around 10:15.
• Today: I'm waiting for the jars to finish in the dishwasher so I can can the second batch of peach butter, and then we're going out for birthday dinner then drinks for a good friend. Her birthday was earlier this week and also was the same day as her grandpa's funeral, so I don't feel particularly inclined to beg off tonight.
• Tomorrow will be a fourteen-hour-long fiasco train-wreck of a combined bachelor/bachelorette party for a wedding Andy's in at the end of the month. We're going on a wine tour, which sounds great, right? Well, we leave at 9 a.m., which means our first tasting will be around 10:30, we're in a limo with 28 other people (of whom I know maybe 10), and some of these people are the sort who think bringing coolers of cheap beer to pregame the first winery is a great plan. Oh, and after we get home from the day-long, drinking-in-the-hot-sun, Rachael-will-get-heat-exhaustion-so-she-stays-sober event, there's a barbecue/bonfire at the home of the bride and groom - who are nice enough or whatever but who are not people I would typically choose to spend 14 hours with. Remind me sometime to tell you about the wine tour we went on with these people last year, which ended up with the bride starting a fight and then storming off in tears, with the groom following her. Oh, and they were our ride. Cool.

Ugh. All I want to do right now is take my pants off, eat some chips and salsa (we made salsa!), and curl up with the four books I got out of the library. Is that so much to ask?

What advice do you have on how to be a good sport for fourteen hours spent with people you're done with after two?

Hooray for weekends!

We're kicking off the weekend in a little bit by going out for a friend's birthday dinner, and I am super pumped about it. When we get home, provided it isn't too late and I'm not too drunk, I'm going to can up my first-ever batch of peach butter, made with 8 quarts of peaches that have been hanging out in my slow-cooker since WEDNESDAY NIGHT, y'all. I am no good at spatial reasoning, so I cannot for the life of me guess what the three inches of goo in my (big and round) slow-cooker will translate into when measured in half-pints and four-ounce jelly jars, so I'm sanitizing a bunch of both in the dishwasher while we're gone and will just use what seems to make the most sense.

As far as I know, we don't actually have much planned for the weekend itself, so I'm really hoping for a public market trip in the morning (empanada breakfast is the best breakfast) and some cookie baking. Other than that, I really want to do nothing that will require me to wear pants. Is that so much to ask for?

Have such an awesome weekend, you guys!

Hooray for weekends!

The Kid and Brian got in just fine, I finished the precious baby sweater I knitted their baby, and I'm about to start making her a dress with the rest of the yarn I accidentally got too much of!

I made a delicious breakfast, too. Man. So much awesome is happening.

Then, in a little bit, I'm going shopping with my mom and sister-in-law to get ready for the Kid's shower next week! Hooray!

What y'all up to?

In a good mood

It is a gorgeous day, all sunshine and fat fluffy clouds! It's still cold, but that's fine, because all I have to do for the next two hours is curl up on the couch and take a nap.


Andy and I made amazing brunch this morning - I made pancakes-the-food, which is pretty typical around here, and Andy made an omelet with big chunks of red onion and corned beef. So, so good. So now I'm full and drowsy and finishing my orange-grapefruit juice, with Pancakes-the-dog curled up next to me, and we both keep yawning.

Later, we're going to a surprise party, then tomorrow we're doing brunch with Andy's folks, then we're going to another birthday party, and on the way to that one we're finally picking up the smashed car.

What are you up to this lovely weekend?

I'm so good at weekends!

I do just love weekends. I'm sitting in the living room, watching for birds at the bird feeder and looking at the teeny tips of my tulips pushing through in the front garden. Note that I'm only watching for birds, not actually watching them, because I just remembered to fill the feeder yesterday and none of the birds have noticed it yet.

In a little bit I'm headed off to Baby Shower #1, where I plan to eat awesome baby shower food and cupcakes, and also to pick up ideas for throwing the Kid's shower next month. Then when I get home I'm going to make hamantaschen, since Purim started yesterday (I'm not Jewish, I just eat like one). Then tonight, we're going out with my brother and sister-in-law to dinner at a local brewery/restaurant for some amazing food and then some planning for that shower.

Tomorrow, we're brunching with friends, then hanging out reading the paper and generally being awesome and suburban. Hooray!

What about you, ducklings? Any awesome plans?

Busy day of doing nothing

Today is the best kind of Saturday.

• We got up at a reasonable hour. 
• We met up with some friends at the Public Market (Number One in the country!) for some amazing breakfast and discovered that there's a new French pastry place that has the best pain au chocolate I've had since I was actually in France. 
• We took a little drive to drop off the smashed car to begin being fixed. 
• We hung out some more with awesome friends and made a complicated-but-delicious meringue/almond/chocolate buttercream cake thing. It was amazing but maybe not 100% worth four hours' worth of work.
• We watched some Russell Brand stand-up (verdict: okay) while I made some delicious chai concentrate.
• We're heading to a birthday event in about twenty minutes, then we might duck out early (we really only know the birthday boy and his cousin) to see The Adjustment Bureau.

How's your weekend so far? Lovely, I hope!