"I'm Busting!"

No, this is not a post about my thoroughly impressive bra size ever since I started nursing. (Much to the relief of my father, I am sure!) The title of this post is in reference to a Seinfeld episode where George comes dancing into Jerry's apartment and screams out, "I'm busting, Jerry, I'm busting!" Of course, I believe he was excited about something despicable like his wedding being postponed, but, nevertheless, it was the phrase that kept running through my head when I received a bit of completely unexpected (and somewhat unbelievable) good news yesterday. We have had TONS of problems with our new apartment. We moved from a small one bedroom to a big one bedroom with a "nook" when we had Callum so that we could have a little more room and he could have his own space. We stayed in the same building, but we moved to a new floor. As many of you know . . . we have roaches. SO. MANY. ROACHES. They have sprayed more than ten times and I still see them around! At least I don't see them in colonies anymore. Or find their maggoty little pre-bodies in my FOOD STORAGE. (True story. I had to throw out half of our pantry and now I religiously seal everything in plastic wrap and ziploc bags. Apparently they can nibble their way through paper and cardboard.) Sick. Sick. SICK!!! I have had several nightmares about the bugs crawling all over me or getting into Callum's crib. No, seriously. I have. Anyway, we also had major problems with the radiators and now we have no cold water in the shower and they're going to have to fix that. (It really doesn't feel good to get into a hot shower after you have been working out during the summer!) Throughout all of this I have been uncharacteristically calm, patient, and nice. You see, our landlord and maintenance man are just about the nicest people you will ever meet in your life. No matter how disgusted I am with the bugs and such, I would never be mean to them about it! So yesterday I found a letter from our landlady stuck in our door. In it she thanked me profusely for my kindness and pleasant attitude throughout all of these problems. She went on and on about how they want us to be happy and comfortable here. And then she offered to have the maintenance men move us in mid-September to a newly freed-up two bedroom apartment with NO INCREASE IN RENT!!! There's a lesson here, people: it pays to be nice!

I'M BUSTING!!!

Best Thing Since I Last Blogged: I got to see my cousin Whitney yesterday. She was in town visiting her folks for a couple of days and came over to meet Cal. I love her and I wish she still lived here!

Showing Off

Did I mention that this boy can sit?!?

There is Nothing Like Vacationing in the Buff!

I adore this picture! Could those three possibly love each other any more?

I think not!

I am so amusing to myself. :) For those of you who caught my lame joke, no, Callum and I did not visit a nudist colony last week. We did think about it, but we decided to go visit Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ryan in Buffalo, New York instead. Rachel picked up the phrase "in the Buff" from a friend and uses it to amuse herself ALL OF THE TIME, so I guess she's an even bigger dork than I am. The main purpose for our trip was so that Ryan could meet his very first nephew. (None of his siblings are married yet, so Callum is it.) The hidden real reason is that I wanted to see my sissies! (And you too, Ry-Ry!) Laura and I coordinated so that our trips to Buffalo would overlap enough for us to get one-on-one time with Rach but also have time for all three of us together. As you can imagine, while we were all there together poor Ryan didn't get a word in edgewise! It was a very fun vacation. We had a great balance of out-and-about activities and mellow down time. We also had a great deal of delicious food. (No surprise there!) The only downside to the trip was that Buffalo was having a major heat wave and felt like Saint Louis. YUCK! Enjoy the pictures!

Check out the adorable funky shoes that Aunt Laura gave to Callum! Cutest!

Callum's First Boat Ride . . .

. . . doesn't he look thrilled?!

Our first day in Buffalo it was swelteringly hot, so we headed out on the water for a harbor cruise. The commentary wasn't much to write home about, but it felt great to be out on the water with the breeze blowing. Unfortunately, the boat's horn scared my little Cal Pal half to death! Yikes!

Aunt Laura cheered Callum up after the scary horn blowing by holding him over her head, which is his favorite position. Unfortunately, as she soon learned, drool is usually part of the package. Sick!

He seems the most content with Uncle Ryan! I guess that brings us to our next subject . . .

Uncle Ryan

As I mentioned before, the original reason for this trip was so that Uncle Ryan could meet his first nephew. Well, let's just say that they are like two peas in a pod! Callum's aunts would be fussing over him and being their loud, hyper selves and he would get overstimulated and start crying and then Uncle Ryan would enter the room and pick him up . . . and all was well again. Ryan is a very sweet, calm person, and I think that's just what Callum needed among the wild Westover women. Ry was also kind enough to babysit Cal while Rachel and I went to see Julie and Julia (which we both loved, by the way), and the boys did great together. They had a ball playing and just hanging out. I was going on and on about how great Ryan was with Callum the other day and Logan got a distressed look on his face and blurted out, "Oh no! Do you think Ryan is better with Callum than I am?!" I just laughed at him. Of COURSE not . . . Callum adores his Daddy! But he also adores his Uncle Ryan . . . just not quite as much. :)

Good Friends

Rachel and Ryan have been very blessed in the friend department. Since moving to Buffalo they have been collecting great, fun friends, and they have a very wide social circle. I'm quite jealous, actually. (As is Laura!) We got to meet a few of those friends on this trip. We had a picnic in the park with Dave and Kristen Maggeroni, a Sunday dinner with Adrian and Natalie Dayton, and we got to take the infamous Deb out to dinner. (If you want to hear some funny stories about Deb then you should check out Rachel's blog. There seems to always be a new one!) We also made breakfast and played games with the "Cookie Club," a.k.a. the neighborhood kids that Rachel and Ryan have befriended. The nearest and dearest of those neighborhood kids are the Lemons. I love this picture of Cal with the Lemons for a few reasons. First of all, he looks so happy to be with new friends! Secondly, I love the contrast of his white skin and their incredibly rich, dark skin. Lastly, and most importantly, I think it is HILARIOUS how huge Callum looks on the lap of eight year old David! :) (Granted, David is small for his age, but still...hilarious!)

You can kindof see my haircut in this picture of us with Deb, although it is straight, so it doesn't really look like it does in normal, everyday life. And is it just me, or does Laura look like some sort of a twiggy supermodel?! She makes me sick! :)

Niagara on the Lake

There is a charming little town in Canada called Niagara on the Lake. I have been there twice now, and I can't get over its loveliness. It is extremely charming and full of adorable shops, delicious bakeries, and fabulous flower gardens. They have a big play festival there every summer (The Shaw Festival), so last year we went and saw a play on our way home from Boston. This year Cal threw a wrench in that idea, but Rach and I took a little day trip with him up there on our last day of vacation. Callum is now officially an international traveller! Here he is taking a break from his stroller by playing in the park fountain with Aunt Rachel. Funnest!

News Flash

Listen up, because I have news for you people: trying to make your own baby food is a real drag when your blender sucks and your food processor is broken. I'm just saying.

Did I mention that I love this child?!

Did I mention that I LOVE this child?!? Because I do! Yesterday he took two THREE HOUR LONG naps and then he still went to bed promptly at his bedtime (9:00). This morning I woke up and thought to myself, "That's strange....Logan is gone already but he never brought in Callum." You see, usually Callum wakes up at 6:00 and Logan brings him in to me to be fed while Logan showers. It was 8:00. HAPPY DAY!!! He just woke up....at 8:38 a.m. I don't know if he is having a growth spurt or if, like adults, he is just taking a couple of days to recuperate from travelling, but, whatever the reason, I am loving all of this sleep! And I am loving this boy!

Another Season, Another Delicious Flavored Bread

Last October I posted the recipe for my favorite fall treat: my mother's divine pumpkin chocolate chip bread. YUM! Today I am posting another one of my mother's amazing flavored bread recipes: zucchini bread. This is one of my favorite summer indulgences. I have made it four or five times so far this season. Seriously. Enjoy!

Zucchini Bread

3 cups flour
1 T. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup vegetable oil
1 T. vanilla
2 cups zucchini, grated
(1/2 cup nuts, chopped - optional)

Sift flour, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside. In a large bowl thoroughly beat eggs, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in sifted ingredients. Blend in grated zucchini (and nuts if you so choose). Pour into two greased and lightly floured (or just use baking PAM) bread pans. Bake at 325 degrees for about an hour.

Home and Happy

Home again, home again....

Callum and I have been in Buffalo, New York for a week visiting Aunt Rachel and Uncle Ryan (and even Aunt Laura who also came out to visit), but we are home now. Logan is THRILLED! He says he is addicted to Callum. What am I, chopped liver?! Just kidding. In reality, I totally know what he means! I would go crazy without Callum for six days as well. On the other hand, six hours may be a welcome break . . . :) As soon as I get all of the pictures from the trip uploaded (which may be awhile since I can't seem to find the CDs of pics Laura gave to me) I will write a thorough update of our vacation. In a nutshell, here it is: Callum adores his calm and soothing Uncle Ry, Buffalo was having a heat wave and felt like stupid sweaty St. Louis, and I adore my sisters and already miss them fiercely.

And here's another little tidbit of information: I chopped off my hair. That's right. It now grazes my collarbone. My hair has been driving me berserk for MONTHS, but it's so stinking expensive to get a haircut here that I have been pulling it back and putting off dealing with it . . . for EIGHT MONTHS! It didn't even look pretty anymore. Just long, shaggy, and frizz-tastic! Yuck! A friend from church who also recently had a baby said to me, "I'm just having a personal style crisis since the baby was born." Well folks, I have been having a personal hair crisis since before the baby was born. In fact, I planned on shelling out some of my birthday money for a haircut on my birthday if I was still pregnant, but Cal came two days before my birthday, which sort of put me out of commission. Anyway, Rach has a friend who cuts hair in her basement and is amazingly affordable, so all three of us got haircuts from her. It was fun. I sometimes don't recognize myself in the mirror, though, and it feels surreal to wash or pull up because there's nothing left! I am liking it more everyday, though. Surprisingly, it's much more low maintenance than my long mane, and it looks a lot healthier. However, my long, thick curls have always been my signature, so I'm not sure why I decided to get my hair chopped two days before Rachel's professional photographer friends took photos of Callum and I. I won't even look like myself! Oh well. I seem to have a pattern of doing this, actually. The only other time I've chopped my hair (to my chin that time) was on the day of my junior prom. What the heck is with me making rash hair decisions at times when I have to make my hair look great for something?! Back then I eventually ended up loving the cut, but let's just say there were more than a few tears when I realized that I couldn't do one of my big updos on myself when I had no hair left later that night when I was standing in my formal gown. I don't have any good pics of the new do yet, but one will be coming soon. I promise.

Happiness in the world of Callum is coming lately from the fact that he is now an expert at sitting up on his own! He loves to sit on one of his bright Grandma Paulette quilts and just play, play, play. He prefers me to sit behind him still, but he will do it on his own as well. When he's on a soft surface like grass or carpet I just let him do his own thing, but I do play with him or linger nearby when it's on our wood floors. It's not fun for either of us when he tips over and bonks his head on the wood. Luckily that has been happening less and less frequently lately.

Last week before I left Logan and I went to see the National Touring Company's production of Mary Poppins (the musical) at the Fabulous Fox Theater. It was FABULOUS! The people who originated the roles of Bert and Mary Poppins on Broadway were the leads, and it was unbelievable technically speaking! During "Step in Time" Bert "walked" up the walls and tapped danced upside down on the proscenium!!! And at the end Mary opened her umbrella and flew away . . . out into the audience! And this is a HUGE theater! I would expect to see such unreal special effects on Broadway, but I didn't expect them to be able to carry them from city to city! The story line follows the book more closely than the movie, and I actually thought that the movie had a more gripping climactic arc, and I was also sad that they took out some of my favorite songs in lieu of new ones that I didn't love as much. But, overall, it was one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. We got the tickets by splurging on the seats in the nosebleed section for our first Mother's Day/Father's Day gifts to one another, and it was worth every single penny! If it comes to a theater near you . . . GO! And take your kids!

The last bit of news is the best. It is the bit of news that is making me the happiest. By far. My milk production is finally slowing down!!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!! This is rather tragic for some mothers who have to start supplementing and weaning early, but not for me! No more making milk for quadruplets! I now only have milk enough for twins, and I am THRILLED!!! Every single other time we've had to travel and I've pumped and used bottles a lot I have gotten terrible plugged ducts and/or mastitis, and this time . . . NADA! Even though we were out and about and having fun daily, there wasn't even a single uncomfortable moment! I can not express to you the joy that this brings into my heart! I'm probably not totally in the clear, but it looks like from here on out I will have a lot more freedom in my schedule and a lot less pain and tears! In the words of Logan, "Hmmm...five months of constant engorgement. That's not too bad." :)

Oh, and did I mention that Callum took a THREE HOUR nap with me this morning?! I guess we both needed to play catch up after the long vacation!

Life is good, people. More posts to come soon.

It Can't Get Any Better Than This!

Don't you wish that you could wake up to this sight every morning?!?

Honorary Aunt Morgan Arrives!

Morgan is not Callum's real aunt. But she may as well be! Morgan is my best friend in the whole world. I have been blessed with so many amazing, devoted friends throughout my life. I have girls who I adore and treasure with all of my heart who I am still close to that I found in college, high school, and even a few from elementary school! I am so lucky. And Morgan is one of the best! Not just one of the best friends, but one of the best people that I know. Truly. If you knew her you would understand. The girl is amazing! Talented, smart, sassy, fun, and super hot to top it off! And despite all of her many talents and gifts, I think that being a fiercely loving, loyal and devoted friend is one of her most remarkable qualities. We met the day that I moved into my dorms freshman year of college at Utah State University and immediately clicked. We were both music majors at the time and lived two doors apart, so we did everything together that year, from classes and homework to midnight ice cream runs and developing elaborate (and quite effective, might I add) ways to get certain hot guys to notice us. As Anne Shirley would say, she is a true kindred spirit! Morgan has always made me a priority and has been there for me through everything good and bad, including spending a week with me after my mom died and coming to my wedding at Christmas time even though she was living far from home. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when she said that she was coming to meet my little boy, but somehow I was. That she made an effort to find the time and money to come visit me meant so much to me. She is as true a friend as a girl has ever had. (Don't you wish she was one of your best friends now?!) She was only here for the weekend, and we didn't really do much other than hang out, but it was still such a treat to just be around her and catch up. The few things we did are as follows: We went to Citygarden, the cool sculpture park in the city, where Callum splashed in the water, we ate Ted Drewes' frozen custard (YUM!), we swam with Callum at the Thomas', and we went (without Callum) to see Hairspray at the Muny, the outdoor theater in Forest Park. If you are wondering why Callum is wearing a SWEATER in some of these pictures---you know, since it was above 90 degrees every day this weekend---it is because Honorary Auntie Morgan knitted it for him. CUTEST! We had to get a picture of him wearing it while they were together. We didn't make him wear it outside. But I can't wait until October when we can! Thank you for coming, Morgie! I love you, and so does Callum!!!

Best Thing Since I Last Blogged: Two exciting new events in the life of Callum. He now officially has two little baby teeth poking through his lower gums, and he can SIT! He is still pretty timid about the sitting and likes me to sit straddling him so that he can use my legs to balance if he needs to. He took a couple of good nose dives into the (fake) wood floor.

Worst Thing Since I Last Blogged: Not much. Life is good!

A Saint Louis Specialty

A sweet tooth: It runs in the family!

Since moving to Saint Louis we have discovered the pure and absolute joy that comes from drinking a Fitz's soda. Fitz's is a restaurant in Saint Louis that makes its own soda pop. The specialty is root beer, but they also make a mean cream soda, orange cream, and grape, among others. It is a good and very reasonable priced burger joint, but, luckily for us, we don't have to go there every single time we're craving a dose of some sweet, sweet (And I mean "sweet" in all senses of the word!) soda because they also bottle it and sell it in grocery stores and at other restaurants. About a month ago I went to a brunch with my friend Ann for the Wash U association for women associated with the medical school. (Students, residents, spouses of students and residents, etc.) As a door prize she won a case of TWENTY-FOUR Fitz's sodas in assorted flavors. As it so happens, she thinks it's too sweet (in the sugary sense of the word), so . . . JACKPOT for me! Once again, a diet derailed. Alright, fine, let's be honest here: I should really just say a diet forgotten. I mean, really, when you are not sticking to a diet more than you are sticking a diet I think it's pretty much a lost cause. Logan and I made quick work of those sodas, and Callum was fascinated by the glass bottles. He would frantically try to reach for them every time we had them out. Smart boy!

Best Thing Since I Last Blogged: My best friend Morgan came to visit for the weekend! Hooray! More on that to come.

Worst Thing Since I Last Blogged: We had been having a very mild spell of weather as far as Saint Louis summers are concerned, but the heat and humidity are back in full force now. Ugh!

Hello, my name is Callum. But you can call me ARNOLD!

Is this picture not HILARIOUS?! Not only does it make Cal look like he has a skinny abdomen (which we all know is not accurate!), but it also makes him look like a major muscleman as well. Tiny waist, huge chest! The one thing that this picture does show accurately is how much he loves playing in this activity saucer that we borrowed from our friends Blake and Marie whose baby has outgrown it. Thanks, guys! Gotta go . . . Callum needs me to spot him while he pumps some iron.

TEETHING BITES!

This is how Callum and I both feel about teething. OUCH!

It's sad but true: Callum is teething. I seem to have a physically advanced child on my hands. Not only does he look like the six and seven month old babies at church, but he started teething at four and a half months old. The average is seven months. I must say, I'm not too thrilled about it! He had been unbearably crabby for the last couple of weeks, and he was also showing all sorts of strange physical symptoms, but I was totally clueless as to WHY he might be doing such things. I mean, he was only four months old...I hadn't even read up on teething yet! But mid-week he was gnawing on my finger and I felt a tiny prick. I pried open his little mouth and---sure enough!---two tiny little bottom teeth are on their way in! I turned to my books and discovered that all of his strange behavior and physical symptoms were signs of teething. I am relieved to know why my little best friend is being a big pain in my even bigger rear end, but I am less than thrilled to already be dealing with teething. Oh well, I guess we'll just keep taking it as it comes!

How Much is that Baby in the Mirror?

Callum has a new favorite hobby: looking at himself in the mirror! Although, in this picture it looks more like he's flirting with himself in the mirror! But, really, who can blame him? That is one CUTE baby looking back at him!

Out and About: A Week of Firsts

Callum has had a very big week! In the past week he has experienced many exciting firsts, including a baseball game, a concert, and a movie at the movie theater. He is also getting his first teeth, although that is a subject for another post. Some of these firsts went very well, others not so much. Read on to find out which activity falls into which category.

Event Number One: Callum's First Cardinals Game

Logan loves going to baseball games. I do not. I feel that they are largely a very dull event that is only redeemed by the delicious food that can be found there, including, but not limited to, hot dogs, Dippin' Dots, kettle corn, and fresh squeezed lemonade. Luckily for me, Cardinals tickets are very expensive, so we can only attend when we can get free tickets. It has only happened twice before this, and both times the Cards were CREAMED by the other team. Last week I heard an ad on the radio about the radio station doing a "Z107.7 Night at the Cardinals" for only $10 a ticket. Now THAT is something I can afford! I hopped onto the Internet and got tickets to surprise Logan. I also got hot dogs and all the fixings at the grocery store so that we could eat them before the game and be tempted to splurge on one less thing while we were there. (But don't worry...I still got some of my other baseball indulgences!) The game was actually really close and suspenseful, and for once they won a game that we got to see. (I guess the third time's the charm!) However, there were two major setbacks to the evening from my point of view. (Only one from Logan's, because he can never seem to get enough when it comes to watching a close sporting event.) The first problem was this: the game was FIFTEEN FREAKING INNINGS LONG!!! Ummm...no thank you! Callum and I were ready to leave before the ninth inning even started, but Logan was desperate to see the whole thing. He kept telling me that it was the only game he would get to see all year (true), and I kept telling him that he had to get up at 4:30 (also true). In the end, we stayed for the whole game, Albert Pujols (the resident Cardinals hero) made an amazing hit to end the game, and we got home after 12:30 a.m. Logan got up 4 hours later and still insists that it was worth it. As for Callum and I, we took a lot of naps the next day. :) The second problem was a big one: Callum HATED the cheering. It scared him when everyone (especially his very loud father who was holding him) would start screaming at once. Understandable. He looked so pitiful crying the first few times, but eventually he got used to it and I just made sure to cover his ears every time so that he would give me a pitiful look but not start screaming himself. However, he did really enjoy all of the new things to look at and all of the new people, as he always does. And MAN did they enjoy him! Everyone made a huge fuss over him, especially women and drunk college boys. Who knows!? He has this fabulous little baseball outfit that my sister Rachel's mother-in-law, the very generous expert shopper Sally Nielson, gave to him, and it happens to be red and white. Perfect! When we were coming into the stadium with him all these guys kept excitedly pointing at him and a few came up and were like, "Yeah, man! Give us a high five!" It was very amusing.

I don't think Callum shares his father's enthusiasm for baseball.

What do you think?

Just call him Little Callum Pujols!

Event Number Two: Callum's First Concert

The band is on a stage way behind us that is lit up. You can't tell, but I'm wearing a Guster t-shirt with a llama on it. Sweet!

Every summer St. Louis puts on a series of free concerts called "Live on the Levee" down on the river under the Arch. The concert Friday featured the band Guster, which is one of our favorites. We took a blanket and Callum rolled around while we all enjoyed the awesome music and beautiful weather. We got very lucky in that St. Louis happened to be having a cool spell the week that we had two outdoor events. Phew! There were fireworks after the concert that Callum was rather taken by, and, luckily, neither the loud sounds of the fireworks or the loud music seemed to bother him a bit. (Also luckily, it ended WAY earlier than that stinking baseball game!) It was a really great evening.

Event Number Three: Callum's First Movie at a Movie Theater

There have now been countless movies that we wanted to see in the theater that we've missed because of this little munchkin. On Saturday we had some fun plans: during the day we were going to go to a farm with Callum where there's a petting zoo and other such family activities, and at night my friend Marie was going to watch Callum so that Logan and I could go see Camelot at the Muny, a huge outdoor theater in Forest Park where they do musicals all summer and the last few rows are free for those who are willing to stand in line forever. But, alas, it rained all day. Stink. We were super bummed and Callum was drowsy and mellow, so we decided to throw caution to the wind and go see a matinee of the latest Harry Potter movie. The first half of the movie was spent trying to keep Callum quiet and running in and out of the theater. The second half of the movie was spent with me watching the movie while Logan and Callum hung out in the lobby. We won't be trying that particular outing again!

Best Thing Since I Last Blogged: Logan finished up his OBGYN rotations and had the entire weekend free to be with Callum and I. What a treat!

Worst Thing Since I Last Blogged: Callum is teething. ALREADY! More on that to come...