Programs/services I am beta testing right now:

And probably several more I can’t remember right now.

And, now, Yahoo! Mail.

It’s sort of sad. But also cool, right? I am cool?

technorati tags:beta

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Ever since he started getting into things (and especially now that he’s gotten his first tooth, for reasons which should be obvious) I’ve been trying to teach Happy Fun Baby the meaning of the word “no.” When he does something I don’t want him to do, I say “No!” in a sharp voice, while knitting my brow and making my face stern. He’s a very attentive baby, so right from the beginning he reacted to it. His reaction? Gee, mom seems unhappy. I wonder what she’s unhappy about. Maybe I will stop what I’m doing and see if I can cheer her up. He’d smile tentatively, and when that didn’t make me smile in return he’d drop the cord or stop eating the DVD case, and I’d grin and shower him with praise.

Yesterday, though, it finally occurred to him that I wasn’t just unhappy; I was unhappy with him. He went to eat my computer cord, I said “No!” and his face just crumpled. Wailing, wailing, like I had broken his little heart.

I know it’s probably a good thing, this new-found awareness, but it kind of kills me.

Blogged with Flock

I just found out that the coComment plugin works with Flock. This kicks all kinds of ass, especially since I just installed the new Firefox beta (I’m a sucker for a beta) as my “other” browser and discovered that the coComment plugin wouldn’t work on it. Because it technically doesn’t exist yet. (It’s really cool, though. Has a lot more in common with Flock now, actually. Heh.)

I’m loving the Flock thing, in case you can’t tell. It occurred to me today actually that Not So might want to download Flock for the Flickr uploading alone. His Windows uploader is pretty sparse. (I wonder if there’s a Firefox/Flickr plugin. I should check. Because I am like that.)

Oh, and I just posted a personal portfolio site on our neumanbeck server – it might still be wonky, so any feedback is appreciated. Hint, hint.

technorati tags:flock, flickr, portfolio

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Just so y’all know, one of my pictures was picked as “Image of the Day”
over at Blogging Baby. This month’s theme is kids and pets, and they
liked one of the Ellison and Savannah pictures I posted:

technorati tags:cats, baby, blogging baby, image of the day

Blogged with Flock

Happy Fun Baby and I went out to meet the grandparents on their last day in Portland. The plan was to meet Not So, have lunch and show off the new office space (which, currently, is more space than office). I was feeling pretty good; my once-over in the mirror before I left the house didn’t make me cringe, I had on my new teal Old Navy hooded longsleeve tee shirt (I hesitate to call it a hoodie, since the fabric is thin enough to see through) with a tank top underneath (in case it suddenly got hot, or something) and the necklace I got in Mexico. Short version: I looked cute. Kind of. And of course I had the baby, who is the best accessory of all.

We got off the bus with about 15 minutes to spare, so I thought I’d go over to Nordstrom and use the bathroom. The Nordstrom bathrooms are the nicest in town, and they have a nice little lounge which is perfect for nursing the baby. I took my time walking through the store; the kid was fast asleep in the stroller and I felt all cosmopolitan mom in my cute not-a-hoodie. Plus I hadn’t been window-shopping in a while. Did you know that Calvin Klein has some seriously adorable screened tee shirts that are cut long, so as to disguise the post-pregnancy belly? Because they do. Oh yes.

Eventually (okay, five minutes later…my browsing prowess is on the wane) I made it to the women’s lounge, where I caught sight of my reflection. Cute! Except for that drool spot on the front of my hoodie. Ah, the perils of having a baby…

…wait a minute. The baby’s been sleeping in the stroller. Any drool would have dried by now.

With a creeping sense of horror, I realized that my left breast was leaking. Like a faucet. And I’d been walking around with a big, target-like wet spot right smack over my left nipple.

So much for cosmopolitan mom, right?

I won’t traumatize you with the details of how I shoved paper towels in my bra and then splashed water all over the front of my shirt to make it appear that I was not overly lactation-tastic, only very, very clumsy. Oh wait! I just did. I don’t know if it fooled anyone, but it made me feel better. Good thing, since I then had to go meet the in-laws, who (of course!) were early, just in case I’d entertained notions of running over to Rite Aid in search of breast pads. Or buying a new shirt. Which did occur to me.

Oh well, right? Lunch was lovely, the child was cooed over, and no one mentioned the fact that I’d apparently spilled water all over myself. Good times.

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The package I’ve been eagerly awaiting for the past week has arrived: a Lucky Baby sling in hypnotic lime! I busted it out and put the baby in it right away, because I’m special like that. It’s seriously cute, and really cosy. The kid’s asleep in it right now. And I’m typing! With both hands! Does it get better?

technorati tags:lucky baby, babywearing, sling

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(This post has been cobbled together, Frankenstein-like, from the snippets I’ve been jotting down all day.)

The kid is wearing an outfit only a mother could love (and love it I do): orange sweatpants and a cream-colored tee shirt with a green collar. He’s Web 2.0! Get it? Get it?

The cat just yarfed in front of the back door. She has issues with food-related anxiety and tends to overeat and then hork it all up. Gross. I cleaned it up, but we really need a mop. You heard me right. We don’t own a mop. Deal with it.

I was sort of afraid of what kind of parent I’d turn out to be. I was worried I’d be overprotective or anxious or too clingy and teach the child bad habits. I’m kind of pleasantly surprised to find that I’m pretty easygoing as a mom. Maybe too easygoing (see above re: mopping), but I’m taking my cues from the kid, and he’s happiest when he can do things himself.

I love the way you can practically see the gears turning in his brain when he’s figuring something out. Right now we’re practicing the concept of “no.” When he does something (non-threatening, of course) that I don’t want him to do, like pulling DVDs off the shelf, I say “No!” in a loud, sharp voice. Happy Fun Baby gets that I’m unhappy about something, but he’s not quite sure what to do with that information. He studies my face, smiling uncertainly, and I keep my brow furrowed until he drops the thing I don’t want him playing with. Then I smile widely and say “Good job!” in a happy voice, and he smiles and bounces. And most of the time he just crawls away from whatever it is I didn’t want him to have. I’m not trying to fool myself into thinking he understands what “no” means, but he’s starting to. It’s fascinating to watch.

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