So after 3+ years of nursing (not continuously, but not that far off), I guess I have mastitis. No one even had to see me, the prescription will be waiting for me. Lets hope it kicks in quickly.

Welcome to the world Moira Catherine!! My friend from high school, who now lives in Hawaii with her husband and 2 year old daughter Ella, had her second on Wednesday. I'm so happy for them.

I'm just heartbroken for a college roomie. Her son died after 12 days with his mommy and daddy. It's just not fair. Say a little prayer for B, D, and baby B.

My dad had a segment of his colon removed today. He seems to be doing well. I'm going to see what the hospital's policy on 3 year old visitors is.

I was supposed to have 3 houses done by today. 1 is really done, 1 is very close to done, barring some plants and the like on the rendering, and 1 needs some minor changes that still will take half a day. Wonder when that day will come?

Hubby has been working nonstop as well. Until 8+ pm, leaving at 7. If I weren't able to find him so easily, I'd think he had another family. Hmm . . .

My daughter cracks me up.

When Nino was a baby and he nursed to sleep, he'd nurse, his eyes would slowly shut, he'd doze off and his mouth would go slack. This is what I thought was normal.

She, on the other hand, nurses vigorously, clenching my hand but eyes closed. Gobble gobble gobble like there's not much more milk, ever. Then she decides she's done, snaps herself off (noise and all) and rolls away. Then she's asleep. She does everything with such fervor, even sleep. I crack up all the time at her little sleeping onesied back turned to me seconds after she was nursing.

"momma, what has foor?"
"four?"
"no not four, foor"
"floor?"
"no not like a wooden floor, foor! like a deer has foor?"
"four legs?"
"no not four legs. a deer has foor on his legs, on his back, you know"
"oh FUR!!"
"yes *sigh* foor."
"oh. well lots of things have fur. racoons, deer, dogs, horses"
"birds?"
"no birds have feathers"
"swans?"
"swans are birds. they have feathers."
"jojo says that swans have foor."

That JoJo. He's a rascal.

By the way, the spaghetti squash was good. More squash and less spaghetti than I expected but still good.

The other day we were flipping around the channels, which are pretty much limited to 3 pbs stations. Nino (in true momma boy fashion) wanted to watch a cooking show. And to a 3 year old, spaghetti squash is rather cool. But here's the thing - he wanted to *actually make* it. I watch cooking shows all the time but make it? That's best left to professionals.

Anyway, two medium spaghetti squash are now cooling. I've never had. I hope he likes it.

By the way, my favorite cooking show is Everday Food. They actually make stuff that I *can* make. And they're ordinary people, just with a better kitchen and better knives than me.

Let's see. It's been a while.

The fourth parade was fun. Nino was somewhat subdued - just taking it all in. Loved the firetrucks.

Here is the miss in her red white and blue:














We also had ten kinds of fun at Bradley Palmer State Park. This enormous wading pool, where I can sit with the bambina in about 3 inches of water while Nino runs into the "deep" (about 18 inches) and under the mushroom waterfall. He fell asleep mid-tofu dog at about 6 that night. If we buy a state parks pass for $35, we can go to the beach (the tidepool one) or there, any time we want. Seven trips to either pays us off. Might just.

She's going to be crawling before we know it. Nino dind't until 11 months, but she's not even 9 and close.

Oh and thanks to Zaboomafoo for dropping an ice cube down Martin's back. Tell a 3 year old that a) it's not cool and b) melon chunks, although cold, are much , much grosser than ice.

Sometimes Thomas needs to go poop. And he goes on the track. And he makes the track rusty.