this lack of substantial posts...

... brought to you by a wicked nasty cold and jet lag.

But here's something for you to chew on while I'm down for the count. What's funnier: The gigantic nerds or the look River is giving Finn?

Finley McFadden Doyle

nerdfotainment

If you are at all familiar with this blog you will know that I freely admit I'm a huge nerd. It's actually a great source of pride.

My husband steered me toward this post about our ilk:

According to my math, there is a huge pile of nerds who are traipsing around their 30s. This is the Apple ][ generation and they’re making some bucks...

Advertisers love these 30-somethings because they have large disposable incomes. Consequently, content creators love them as well, which means that for content creators to generate their own piles of cash, they need to develop entertainment targeted at the nerd demographic.

Go nerds!

Happy Birth Day!

New Baby Doyle (to be named later) was born tonight at 7:58pm. He is 8 lbs 2 oz, 19.5 inches, and completely perfect. Sound familiar?

















Better pictures and more details to come.

baby on the way

River and I are in Las Vegas awaiting the arrival of the newest Doyle, Kevin and Crystal's son. This is Crystal about a month ago in their lovingly decorated nursery in Cambridge (notice the awesome pirates on the wall):















I haven't seen her yet, but as today is her estimated due date, I imagine she is MUCH bigger now. She and Kevin flew out to Vegas so that Crystal could give birth in her childhood home, a wonderful, but logistically complex endeavor.

River and I will be here for at least two weeks (perhaps longer if The Kid decides to take his sweet time). Thom plans on catching a plane out when Crystal goes into labor; so he will be able to meet his nephew right away, even if he can't be around for the birth.

In the mean time, we will be missing Thom horribly. But I'm sure we'll keep busy with friends and family (a friend from Boston is just happening to visit Vegas while we're here, so it'll be fun to spend time with him in my "natural habitat").

As happens when I'm traveling, the posting may be light. But if I don't get to it soon, remind me to tell you all about my zombie audition!

Cheers until we meet again!

I would now like to take a moment to bitch...

Thom and I had a pretty rough time with River yesterday, and I'd feel justified to complain if River hadn't had it worse.

He got all messed up with the time change, not only sleeping way longer than usual, but then capping a whole hour on top because of daylight savings. I think his internal clock was on bizarro time all day, making him completely cranky and fussy.

He's also going through Teething: Molar Edition! It causes a lot of pain, which he relieves by gnawing on anything he can get his hands on: toys, books, shoes, electrical wire, sharp metal objects, broken pieces of glass... (I'm just kidding, of course. We would NEVER let him chew on books.)

If the pain of teething weren't enough, he's also getting over a little cold I gave him. I went through it a few days ago, so I know that his throat is hurting and his little runny nose is uncomfortable. If he follows the same pattern I had, however, he should feel better today.

To add to the fun yesterday, River is learning some new mealtime tricks. Thank goodness it only took the first five of six meals yesterday to figure out why River was being so cantankerous. After pushing away nearly every spoonful of food, tossing fruit and bread on the floor, and generally acting pissed off and offended when we had the audacity to try to get something--anything!--in his belly, we finally figured out it was because he wanted to do it himself. No more small pieces, he wants to take a bite from the whole apple, sandwich, cracker, etc. himself. No more spooning food in for him, he wants to do it himself.

Last week I helped him hold a spoon and scoop some food into his mouth, and now he's determined to do it ALL the time. Not only does he get about a third of the food in his mouth (the rest on his bib), but he physically shouldn't have the capability to do this for several more months. Sure, my baby's fast, but he's not THAT fast. Which means, he's going to have a real steep learning curve or I will be cleaning up massive amounts of baby gloop after every meal. (Although, who am I kidding? I do that now.)

Finally, just because, you know, we love the sound of a whiny, fussy, unhappy baby, we decided to spend the afternoon house hunting; which, as you know, provides ample entertainment for a small child. We're going to strap you in and take a bunch of car rides. Then, we're just going to carry you around some strange houses for a while, but you can't get down and touch anything, and we can't really pay attention to you right now. Okay?

Yeah. That went over well.

You know what would be awesome? NONE of that happening today.

we're in trouble now

Well, my baby has done it: he's taken his first solo steps! I'm so proud of my little bugger, though he seems just as happy to let this milestone pass without any fanfare. River has been experimenting with walking on his own for a few days now, and though he's only managed to do one or two steps at a time, I'm sure the real deal is right around the corner. So, without further ado, here's a little taste of what's to come:

a conversation

Me: So, honey, would it be a horrible thing if I added mint oreos to your chocolate ice cream birthday cake?

Him: Yeah, that would be terrible. Definitely don't do that.

Me: Okay, no cookies.

Him: Absolutely not.

(silence)

Him: You know I'm being facetious, right?

Me: Yes honey.

Him: Because I want no misunderstandings here: Mint. Oreo. Cake. Good.



HAPPY BIRTHDAY THOM! I LOVE YOU!

sew you think you can cook?

I bought a new sewing machine last month and in addition to hemming a few pair of pants and sewing some curtains for Kevin and Crystal's nursery, I have now completed my most complicated project to date: an apron! Oh, the height of domestic goddess-hood: to not only sew an apron, but to sew an apron. Now I can be barefoot and (not) pregnant in the kitchen while wearing some kicky duds.

I'm actually very proud of my work on this thing, and it does serve a functional purpose as I (happily) do most of the cooking and am notoriously messy when I do it.

So here's a little bit about my process...

I chose two fabrics that work well together so that I could make it reversible and use both fabrics as accents. I wanted this apron to make me smile, and the saturated, bright colors and happy patterns do:




















Using a pattern, I cut the pieces out for each side, sewed straps and added pockets to the design. Here's the unfinished floral side:















Next, I assembled both sides, added a stitch around the edges to give it a finished look and viola! Here's my new apron:

River News: Month Eleven

Happy 11 Months River!

You are now only one month away from being a whole year old! I knew that day was coming, but on March 1st it became suddenly tangible and real. I had the frightening realization that very soon you will go from being my little baby to a full-grown toddler. I know that has more to do with your mobility than age, but it seems like it's barreling toward us. You're so close to walking--using only a single hand to help you along or balancing on your own while you stand--but more than that, the person you are is changing.




















You strive to assert your independence so fiercely, and you're getting so clever. Your skills are developing incredibly fast--learning which foods you like and how to get them, climbing up and down the stairs with ease, putting things away rather than just flinging them aside--these are just small hints of what you will be able to accomplish in the coming year.




















And that's not to mention talking! Your vocabulary has moved on from the "ya ya ya's" to a feast of consonants and vowels: words you chew out, sounding like Russian or German. You regale me with sentences of your own design, discussing the condition of your toys or how pretty the sky is in a beautiful, incomprehensible language.















One of your favorite times to talk (and one of my favorite times to listen) is first thing in the morning. After 10 months of hearing you wake with a sad cry or upset scream, I finally get to experience you waking up happy. Around 7am, the monitor comes alive with the sound of your voice. Slight and lilting, you talk to your room, happy to be awake, unconcerned about being anywhere else. After getting our morning fix of cuteness, your dad or I pad down to your room and pluck you from bed (usually with your blankie in tow). We bring you to bed to nurse, and everyone starts the day with a smile.















Breakfast comes next and I can tell you, meal times have become a much messier affair. We love giving you the opportunity to feed yourself (anything that doesn't require a spoon), but you are by no means neat about it. Even if you like something, it's not uncommon for you to fling it on the ground just to see what will happen. And when you are done eating, you love to announce that fact by swiping your tray clean of every last crust, nugget, and crumb. The cats are getting better scraps, but the wreckage of crushed Cheerios and smashed peas at our feet is out of control.















Usually after breakfast, when we don't have a play date with my mommy group, you and I will go for a short walk or play in your room together. You find new life in old toys all the time, discovering some new element to its shape or texture or figuring how to get it to rattle, open, light up, or play music. You love anything that is in a pair or threes--leggos, balls, plastic bugs--we have lots of duplicates that you like to pull out and explore. Often you use your mouth as a third hand so you can examine three things at once.















At some point in the day, Anabel or Christine will come over and spend a couple hours with you. In general you have a great time with them--even better if I'm out your line of sight--and I get a little free time to catch up on email or work on various projects around the house. As a mother herself, Anabel is particularly great with you, inventing fun new games or gently coaxing a few more bites of carrot at lunch. She is responsible for inventing your current favorite playtime activity: The River Fort. Stacking pillows around a square activity mat, she created a little cave for you to run through, tear down, and hide in. You could not imagine anything more fun!




















When you're dad comes home (after we've slaved over a
hot stove for him), we have a nice dinner together and then usually go up to your room for the last hour or so before bedtime. I know those are some of your favorite times--when mommy and daddy are both there, both able chase you around or just sit back and watch you play. Eventually you get droopy and we all head up to give you a bath and then put the final touches on your day.




















Often, after we put you to bed we don't see you again until morning. This month has been a bit more dicey in that respect because you're getting your molars in. The pain comes in waves, making some nights (and days) worse than others (the night you slept horizontally in our bed, kicking daddy in the face comes to mind). Still, your ability to self-sooth has improved so dramatically that this round of teething feels much more manageable than the last one (cross our fingers).




















So there you have it, my amazing boy--that was your 11th month! It was a pretty great one for the books, I have to say.

I love you,
mommy