What day is it?

Has it really been three weeks since my last post. I'm sorry to all of you out there going without your Normy fix. Moving is stressful and busy business. Throw company, weekend travel, and a baby into the mix and I become a very neglectful blogger. Anyway, let me give you a brief rundown of July so I can catch you up, and hopefully resume more constant blogging!

Our last week spent in the shit-pit of an apartment we were temporarily inhabiting was made infinitely more pleasurable by a visit from Normy's dear Aunt Betsy. I can't possibly explain how much these two love each other. The second he saw her his whole face split in the most precious grin! She has helped me take care of him on several occasions; including a couple of weeks in California, at my cousin's wedding, and at my sister's wedding. Betsy knows all the tricks to amuse and sooth him. They are buds form WAY back! Check out the latest Betsy and Normy shots!






Betsy was with us one joyful and very fun week. We drove her back to her home in Kansas and then stayed the weekend catching up with Jacob's mom and their family. The weekend was delightful and relaxing. Jacob's cousin in getting married in August and all the ladies got together for her shower I was able to enjoy the company of many of Jacob's aunts, cousins, and grandmother to boot. But the highlight of the weekend was, as usual, the food and family time at Normy's Grammy T's. See for yourself, and check out these plates!











OK, so after our adventure in KS we returned to Omaha, excited to close on our new house! Monday at 3:30 pm Mr. and Mrs. Smoochy became "land owners" ;-) once again! We were so excited to get started making the house ours...we just had no idea how much work that would entail. Holy cow, the house was SO dirty when we took possession. The previous occupants were dental students here at the medical school and apparently they were too busy with their studies to clean...ever. I'll save you the gory details, but let's just say I spent the whole first day cleaning just the fridge, and Smoochy spent the entire first two days cleaning the kitchen cabinets, both o which were caked with years worth of grime and food. Ick.



Thankfully we has Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to clean before our stuff was delivered form the moving company. Actually, we got a triple delivery on Thursday. Not only did we get our possessions; but we also got a visit from Smoochy's Dad (Chuck) and Step-mom (Tracy) who brought with them our dog Jack! They've had Jack living with them since last September when we thought we were going to Korea for three months. Korea was a no-go, but Jack stayed on with them because we just couldn't accommodate all his doggie needs at the cottage in California. But now that we have a house he is home with us for good! It's good, our little family has been reunited. Smoochy and I got Jack together after only two weeks of dating. He is kinda' our love-dog.



I don't know what we would have done withhout Chuck and Tracy. They were such a huge help unpacking, putting together furniture, fixing meals, and taking care of Normy. Moving is a huge job and they really lightened our load. Plus, we had a great visit with them. We got to check out some good restaurants, do a little exploring in Omaha's Old Market, and even (finally) do some grilling in our very own back yard!









So that's just about it. The unpacking continues. We are getting more settled every day. Soon this place will feel like home. It's just about time for us to start getting out and about in Omaha. Time to meet some folks, take some yoga classes, maybe finally start going to church. You know, community building. One step at a time. I'm just happy my kitchen is put together!

In Normy related news. We've finally started letting him cry-it-out for both naps and at night. It's been about four days, and it is going great. I am glad I nursed him to sleep for as long as I did because I think he is a very secure little guy, but now it's time he learns to self-sooth. And he's doing a great job. Sure he cries for a few minuets, but usually no more than five at this point! Yea for sanity, and yea for sleep! Now that I'm not getting up a couple times a night to nurse him back to sleep we are all happier!

despite what it looks like in some of these pictures he's still mostly crawling. But he is getting more and more steady and brave on those feet of his. I'm sure it won't be long. He runs around on these hardwood floors with that scooter of his like he's training or the 50 yard dash. It's a riot to see him go.

And for those of you (including me) who thought it would never happen, he is 100% off jarred baby-food and all on a table food diet. Last night we had tacos for dinner and so did Normy! Well, meat, refried beans, and tortilla any way! It's going well, but it takes him FOREVER to eat which is understandable seeing as he only has four teeth and they are all in the front. He's decided that if he is going to eat food that requires a spoon than he's going to do the spooning himself gosh-darn-it. Oh lord, what a mess. He's not exactly got it down yet, but we're working on it. Today I think he managed to get a fourth of his apple sauce in his mouth and the rest all over me, the floor and himself. Oh well, practice makes perfect and he's sure cute when he tries!

Good to the last drop.

"I just can't get going in the morning without a cup of Joe."

"Can I offer you a cup?"

"Hmm, let's see what's on the news this morning..."

"Sheesh, violence in Pakistan, our growing trade deficit with China, and the massive bill for the War in Iraq... and all before nap time."

Update on the Move

Who would have ever thought I could be so happy to have meals to cook and a home to clean. Aaah! The slow life! Thanks be to tranquility! Boy, and when I say a home to clean. I really do mean C-L-E-A-N. In my last post I wrote that our temporary apartment was outdated, but "at least seems clean enough." It was not. Not even remotely clean at all, much less "enough". When we moved in here on Sunday it was outright disgusting. Horrific and gross. Putrid comes to mind. Filthy.

Okay, you get it.

"Why?" you might be wondering, "Oh why did you move in if it was so dirty?"

Well, for starters, when we arrived here Sunday evening it was after a whirlwind weekend in Kansas, a three hour drive, and we had no place else to go. When we did our initial walk-through (of a different apartment than I originally toured) we didn't notice the grime. We just were thankful to have landed. Someplace. Anyplace. But after the lease was signed and once we started looking around we quickly noticed our mistake.

There were crumbs on the counters, the stove, as well as in and on the microwave. There was food specking the wall behind the stove and in the fridge. The coffee pot looked as though it had never been wiped down...ever. The carpets weren't vacuumed, the towels smelled funny, and the sheets, well lets just say we weren't about to sleep on them. To make it worse, we had no place else to go. All the other places offering corporate housing were either booked-full or too small. This was it.

So, we've made the best of it. That night we drove to Walmart and bought towels, sheets, and groceries. The next morning we went to Sam's and stocked up on some heavy duty cleaning supplies. And until I got management to bring us a new vacuum (and refund the $80 cleaning fee!) Normy spent all his time in his Pack-N-Play.

He wasn't usually so peaceful stuck in here!

I must say, after a couple days worth of sweat, bleach, and elbow-grease things are starting to feel down-right livable around here. I certainly wouldn't say "like home", but maybe "like home enough for now."

The good news is that we put in an offer on a house yesterday...and after a series of offers and counter-offers we have reached a compromise! We are buying a house!!!! I am thrilled with this cute little home. When I met Smoochy he owned his own home, (I of course rented a shoe box) and that home quickly became my home as well. But, I didn't help pick it, and even once we were married it always felt a little like Smoochy's house. So this house will in a way be MY first house. Pretty cool, huh?



Man, and if you could see it you would probably agree that it is the perfect house for us. For starters it's OLD. The house was built in 1913 and it retains much of it's original interior wood. Hard wood floors, thick oak baseboards, and a beautiful shelf flanked mantel in the living room. Of course what really captured my heart was the sunny yellow kitchen with PLENTY of cabinets. The bedrooms are small and so is the yard, which is fine by me as we aren't exactly yard-work kind of people (as I'm sure our Georgia neighbors will attest to!) The house has a lovely wooden deck in the back, and to top it off is in walking distance to a beautiful park and is literally in the back yard of a Catholic Church (so there's no more excuses to miss mass.) So there you have it...I'm thrilled!

In Normy related news: He is adapting nicely to our new little apartment and we are all trying to get on a schedule. We both have nasty cold so that has been no fun, but it hasn't slowed him down half as much as me. He's still trying to figure out walking. Some days he's more adventurous than others. Mostly he just takes a few steps here and there between us or the furniture. He has FINALLY after six months of consistent dinner time signing started doing the sign for "all done" when he is through with his meals. He still hasn't gotten "drink" or "eat", but we're working on it. He's really in to opening and closing anything he can, and he loves to take things out and put things in. This apartment came equipped with a clear plastic 1/2 liter measuring cup and he loves to put his LittlePeople into it and then, one by one, take the LittlePeople out again.



Normy is such a lover boy right now. He loves to kiss things: the picture of Sheep in his Fix-It Duck book, his monkey, and of course he loves to kiss his Mommy and Daddy. He is a kissing fool. I love how when I scoop him up he hugs me tight and gives me open mouth sloppy baby kisses all over. Then he tries to eat fist-fulls of my hair. It's an improvement, at least now he's not pulling hair as much, just eating it.



So, all and all things are pretty good for us right now. I'll close with everyones favorite, Normy Vision!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting