Hail!

Wow. What a hail storm we had today.

I was nursing Pepperette for the umpteenth time (she is getting over a stomach virus). The sky got dark and it started to rain. Suddenly it got really, really loud. I ran downstairs and took some pictures and video. I wanted to capture the noise of the hail. I even grabbed a few hail stones and put them in the freezer for LC to examine when he got home from school. It wasn't golf ball sized hail as reported in some areas, but I'd say it was 2.5cm. The funny thing is that we were talking about weather, specifically hail, this past weekend. I said it had been a long time since I had seen hail. I didn't realize I was putting in a request. Amazingly, Pepperette slept through the whole thing.

Front yard covered in hail stones

One shredded Hosta

The Hosta that survived (sheltered by the garage)

Unfortunately the house and car were damaged. The siding in the front and side of the house look like someone took a ball-peen hammer to them. The roof of our car looks the same. The trim on the front of the house is damaged too. Ugh. I'll have to call the insurance company tomorrow.

New look

Finally changed my blog template. I hated the light font on dark background. I realized how user-unfriendly it was. So here is a new and sadly, generic, look. I also still can't get my flipping blogroll to show up.

Ah well, at least one thing is improved.

That's about right

As seen at Andrea's. I always mean to do these quizzes and never do. The assessment? Pretty accurate. I would classify myself as a realist tending towards pessimism.

You Are a Realist

You don't see the glass as half empty or half full. You see what's exactly in the glass. You never try to make a bad situation seem better than it is... But you also never sabotage any good things you have going on. You are brutally honest in your assessments of situations - and this always seems to help you cope.

Are You An Optimist or Pessimist?

Happy 2nd bloggiversary!

Yep, that's right. Two years of lame posts, with huge gaps of time in between. Something to be proud of. Not really. But this blog is mine, and I put what I can into it. I want to do more - if only there was a way to post directly from my brain. On second thought, that might be a little scary.

Happy 2nd bloggiversary, self.

I cut it all off

I finally got my hair cut. Okay, I was exaggerating. I did not cut it all off. Just a lot of it. It feels so good! I've had long hair since Mr. Chili and I got married in 2002. I hadn't had it cut since February - nine long months ago. It was more than halfway down my back, which in my world, is extremely long.

Now Mr. Chili loves long hair. He loves my hair long. He campaigned long and hard against a dramatic haircut. Even LC got in on the act, protesting.

I decided that if I was going to go the effort of getting it cut, I would really cut it. And do it for a cause too. So I donated my ponytail to the Beautiful Lengths program, which makes wigs for cancer patients from donated hair.

On Saturday, my hair dresser cut about 10 inches of hair. He gave me a stylish new 'do, and I love it. Change is good! Even Mr. Chili and LC like it. Although LC did exclaim, upon seeing me for the first time,
LC: "Mommy, I didn't remember you!"
Me: "Uh, LC, did you mean you don't 'recognize' me?"
LC: "Oh yeah."

Today I mailed the hair to the program. It's a small thing, but it feels good.

Happy 1st blogiversary to me!

Please pardon any typos and incoherence. I'm writing (tapping) on my Palm LifeDrive with a dozing baby on my chest, under the influence of extreme sleep deprivation.

This is going to be a lame-ass post. But at least I'm throwing somthing up to acknowledge this *ahem* momentous occasion. I'm not in the same leagues as the bloggers I read daily. And that's okay - as I've said before, I still regard this as a great forum for cheap therapy.

On this day, March 27, 2007:
- LC had a good day at school, was gentle with his sister, listened to us and went to bed early
- M is 24 days old (I should really stop counting in days now - it's lame). She is beautiful. She is still not latching -much. But she is making progress. And thanks to the wonders of cup-feeding, she has reached her birth weight! I am still disappointed to be struggling again with breastfeeding, but am gradually believing that she will latch and we will enjoy a long nursing relationship.
- On a related note, I still hate my pump. But I am so very pleased that my supply is better this time. No supplementation required here,baby!
- Despite a few bad days (um really bad), I just might escape PPD ths time. Got another appt with the shrink next week. (Cool - I've neve had a shrink before...)
- Mr. Chili is still awesome

And if I don't save and post this now, I won't get it up by midnight.

Trying mobile blogging

Wonderful Mr. Chili bought me a Palm LifeDrive for my birthday in Jan. I've had other Palm devices in the past - this one does so much more! lt has bluetooth and wireless, a web browser and allows me to access all my email and instant messenger. It's freaking awesome!! Especially since I no longer have my laptop (had to give it back when they laid me off, which was a month after I started my mat leave).

Going to save this, then try to post. ThenI must go wake up the baby - she's been sleeping way too long.