Inevitably Keely

I am entertaining the idea of committing to Blog 365 . Entertaining. The concept interests me and I'm thinking I enjoyed NaBloPoMo so much, why the heck not? But I dunno. It's just a thought. I'm still not feeling up to par. Daniel is feeling much better. Yesterday was horrible - his mom and my parents got the stomach flu and they were all feeling miserable. Daniel and I left his dad with the baby (at his urging) to go see the new National Treasure movie. It was so-so, but we enjoyed it. My parents left with their parrot (an African Grey) and their dog, Buffy today. We spent today giving Daniel's parents an exciting tour of Bakersfield and now we're resting back at the house. If all goes well, we're making a day trip over to Ojai just to get some fresh air and get the heck out of here. Our good friends got married in Ojai and Daniel and I fell in love with the small community when we were there the weekend of the wedding. I think it will look like paradise to Da...

From Keely & Zoe

Hey, baby girl. Today you are seven months old and oh, my goodness! that is sort of hard to believe. It's funny how time went by so slowly when I was pregnant with you, but now that you are here it seems to go at warp speed. This has been a wonderful month despite me being in poor health. I want to tell you all about it, but for the time being I'm going to put it off. I'm still not feeling fabulous (and either is your daddy) and I've got presents to wrap. In just two days you'll be celebrating your first Christmas with us. I am very excited for this. Your Nana & Grandpa are here now and your Grammy & Grandpa arrive tomorrow. You will be smothered in kisses and hugs and I know you're going to love every minute of it. I promise to take lots of pictures. I love you, monkey. I'll write more after Christmas. Love, Mama

Rant: I'm still sick. And that sucks. Zoe has been at Cheryl's all week so I can try to get better. I've missed a full weeks of rehearsal, for which I feel very guilty about. I'm thinking this is the last time I will do a show because my immune system sucks ass and it's just not fair for me to even try anymore. Goodbye, passion for acting. I feel miserable and am lacking in the holiday spirit. And I look like crap: grey hair, roots, etc. I had to cancel a hair appointment because I was too sick to drive myself and in no condition to sit at a salon for two hours. And really, if I can't go to rehearsal - I can't get my hair done. I called and made a doctor's appointment, and realized later that I didn't know where my car keys were. So I tore the living room apart looking for them. And I called Daniel but he was busy at work in meetings. And I called Cheryl but she didn't answer her phone because she accidentally dropped it in the toilet this mornin...

We were going to relax today. Instead, we bought new tires, Christmas shopped (but bought nothing*), had lunch, exchanged a highchair for the one we ordered, got Daniel a haircut, ordered & ate pizza, gave the kiddo a bath, splished, splashed, played. Currently, we're watching Live Free, Die Hard and trying to mellow out while I feed Zoe before she's put to bed. Tomorrow is another day and I'm hoping it will be restful. But there are things to be done.... * - OK, we did find a new hat for the monkey. It's a panda hat, and it's adorable:

Tonight was our fifth rehearsal for Imaginary Friends. We have sixteen more before we open. OMG! Sixteen, that's it. There are parts of me that are enjoying this process immensely. Getting to work with these talented people in a theatre that I have wanted to work in since I first saw a show there almost five years ago is very cool. Having to do research on the amazing Mary McCarthy and trying to understand how she worked and why she had this feud with Lillian Hellman has been very enriching and interesting. Both women were forces to be reckoned in the literary community. I admire them both, but would have liked Mary more, I think: possibly because she is who I am playing. This play is pushing me in different ways than shows I've done in the past. No, I do not have to do the Cha Cha while dealing with my first trimester of pregnancy and the singing shouldn't be too difficult (no harder than any of the opera's I've been in, I'm sure). I will have to smoke on stage...

4:30 am - Get stirred from sleep when husband gets up to get ready for work. Fall back asleep, but not before saying a little prayer that husband doesn't wake Zoe with the noise of getting ready so darn freaking early. 6-ish - Say "goodbye, have a nice day, I love you, be careful, goodbye, I love you." spiel while half asleep. 7-ish - Hear Zoe waking up. Get her, dress her, feed her, relax with her in bed, sing to her and plead with her to please take her morning nap early so I can get some more rest. This process takes about a little over an hour. 8:30-10:30 - Have the most peaceful nap I've had in ages with Zoe curled up next to me and a large chunk of my hair in her little hand - she fell asleep petting me. I wake up first and watch her sleep for a few minutes longer. She looks just like her Daddy when she sleeps. 10:30-10:40 - Pry hair from baby's grasp and go take a quick shower while Zoe still sleeps on bed with a wall of pillows surrounding her. I shower ...

I have an appointment this Friday for my annual check up. I've been seriously considering canceling the appointment because I really feel like I've had my fair share of pelvic exams over the past two plus years. Between trying to get pregnant, being pregnant and the follow up exam to make sure everything healed correctly, I'm feeling done with my OB/GYN for a bit. I'd say I'm breaking up with him, but he broke up with me... and every other patient he had. Apparently, my doc has retired or quit practicing or something. A close friend (practically family) had been seeing him and when she went for her 15 (15?) week check up the front desk person asked her who her new doc was. What the heck? That sucks. Luckily, the office has lots of docs in it and my friend found a new doc that comes highly recommended, but still. We brought Zoe into his office three months ago so he could meet and hold her. It was when we were getting all those tests done on her to find out why she w...

We've been slowly starting to introduce various foods to Zoe. We started off with some organic canned stuff but really, the idea of my baby going from breast milk, to formula and breast milk, to stuff in a jar with a shelf life of two years sort of grossed me out. I know there are good foods out there, and Zoe doesn't seem to have any issue with eating these foods. If you offer my kid food, she'll take it and quite possibly bite your index finger off with it. Our little monkey likes the food and is not what I would call a picky eater. BUT! I like the idea of her trying new tasty food that her dad and I make for her. I like the idea of fresh ingredients. I'm liking the color of fresh fruits and veggies versus the canned stuff. So we bought a book. And then we bought a steamer. And we're going to make our baby fresh food. Daniel's mom did it for him. Lots of mom's out there do it. I'm excited to do it for Zoe. According to the cookbook, we may even decide ...

So today is another one of those busy days. My friend is here until this evening. I have my first rehearsal tonight and I'm a little nervous. On one hand, it's been a while since I've been in a show and OMG! do I have a lot of lines to memorize! Also, being away from Zoe and Daniel five nights a week for three hours a night is going to feel strange. I'm excited and a little sad all at once and I have this feeling I'm going to miss Zoe crawling for the first time. But I know there will eventually be so much crawling I'll wish she'd just sit still and there will be lots more "firsts". Speaking of firsts: I'm about to post the first interior shots of the new house. I have taken pics of all the rooms, but I thought I would start with these. Looking in Dining room from cute little cut out by front door: Dining Room: Fresh roses from front & back yards: Close up of Dining room bookcase: View into Kitchen from Dining Room: More to come soon... and...

I think my favorite part of this season is all the "goodwill toward men". While we were out today we saw people just full of it. Like the lady who told her grandson to squeeze past me and Zoe in her stroller to nab the table we were waiting for. THAT was touching. Also touching was the man who questioned another guys manhood and character (rather loudly) when he felt HIS table was wrongly stolen out from under him. My heart practically melted when I watched a lady try to pick a fight in the parking lot. Oh, and the sales associate who just dropped my friends shopping bag to the floor and turned away instead of handing it to her. This truly is the most happiest time of the year, isn't it? Of course, this is all tongue in cheek because getting to share this season with my husband and our child makes my season bright. Be safe and jolly out there folks!

With my friend here, I didn't get a chance to take the pictures I promised. I did pick up Daniel's and my Christmas present to each other early: a larger television. We'd been using a 23 inch that I purchased pre-Daniel and decided it was time to upgrade to a 40 inch LCD. I'm not sure if the larger living room was to blame (the couch sits back further) or just my eyesight faltering with age and the birth of a child, but with the old t.v. I was squinting to make out subtitles and people. It was ridiculous and frustrating. And now? It's glorious. I mean, it's just a television but I grew up with a small screen and this is like having our own mini theater. And Daniel? He's pretty excited to experience the Wii and PS3 with this new purchase. We also picked up a highchair for Zoe today. I'm looking forward to us feeding her many meals in it and it will be nice to have her sitting up at the table for us - especially when both sets of her grandparents are here ...

Today has been a day, a busy but good day. We invited Cheryl and Chuck (Zoe's babysitter and owners of our house) to dinner tonight. Originally, they were going to come yesterday but we postponed because of how sick I was Monday and my need to recuperate. Also, I just didn't feel like the house was ready. We spent a large part of last night hanging more stuff on our walls and straightening here and there, but the real work was done today. I was able to actually take a shower this morning while Zoe entertained herself in her crib. This has only happened once before - I either take a shower while she's sleeping or I do it when Daniel is here. It was refreshing to start my day clean. The next couple hours were devoted to changing, feeding and playing with the baby. I got some laundry and dishes done while she took her morning nap. Later, she occupied herself in her crib while I scrubbed kitchen counters and finally put the finishing decorating touches on the kitchen. Oh, and I...

Almost ten years ago I entered some online contest through US Weekly and I actually won. They sent me a copy of Chocolat on DVD and a box of Godiva chocolates. Ever since then, if I get an email about a contest (or if I come across one while surfing) I feel like I have to enter. If it's one of those sweepstakes where you can enter every day for an entire month or longer, I will either set up a file in gmail or I will add it to my bookmark bar for quick reference. I'm thinking it makes me a little nuts. I have not won a contest like this ever besides the US Weekly one, but a part of me thinks that someday I might win again and it will be something amazing like a trip to Italy or Scotland or something. Do you have an odd quirk like this? This is Bailey and Max in their embarrassing secrets*: * Special thanks to the talented and beautiful Tracy for working her Photoshop magic on this photo. *hugsnorgle*

First off, thank you for the proposal-versary wishes! I've never heard that term before and I'm liking it. Daniel and I had the makings for a wonderful night. We picked up some Chipotle (my favorite fast food) and brought it home. We watched Terry Prachett's: The Hogfather on DVD while we ate and cuddled on the couch. The living room was illuminated by the television and the Christmas lights on our tree so it was nice and comfy and romantic. When we got chilly, Daniel grabbed a big blanket and the cuddlefest continued until we took a brief intermission to run to the store to buy cinnamon rolls to heat up and eat with coffee (for him) and chai (for me). It was all lovely and I was glad to be cozy in our home instead of sitting at Mama Tosca's spending a lot of money on a meal. And then my stomach started burning... and cramping; I was feeling jabbing pain and nausea. I don't know if it was food poisoning or the 12 hour stomach flu, or what but it sucked. The pain w...

Three years ago this evening, Daniel proposed to me. I'd actually proposed to him almost a year prior, at his parents house on his birthday... but we were both a little tipsy and he says he didn't realize I was actually proposing . I had given him a pocket watch with an engraved message on it and had asked him to marry me and he said yes, but apparently I was not clear that I wanted to become engaged right that moment. He said later that he thought I just meant I wanted to marry him someday . Oh, dear. Daniel wanted to plan something elaborate. We would have talks about when this elaborate plan would unfold and I was told the official proposal was coming soon, so I waited and waited. And waited. So I waited and waited for almost a year for it to be official. We had some close calls: Valentines Day at home, my birthday at a nice restaurant, (where he gave me a book to start planning our honeymoon) Thanksgiving day at the beach. We joked about it and laughed and basically, I spe...

Well, this weekend has been somewhat productive. Things are actually hanging on the walls in our living room, dining room, kitchen and Zoe's room. We recycled, yay! We did our budget, boo! The chili I planned on making did not happen, we lacked the motivation to find a good recipe and get it done. We did not get to host our pals because their youngest one has the creeping crud and his mom thought it best to not risk getting Zoe and us sick. We appreciate that immensely because we three have a knack for catching stuff. I took a lot of pictures of the monkey and the dog kids. We laughed a lot. We relaxed. You know what? This weekend was just the right amount of productive. OH! Look at what my best gal pal, Alison did for us: Cute and sort of creepy all at once!

So I'm not committing to posting every single day indefinitely, but I sure am going to give it my best because I've really enjoyed this challenge. It helps me feel like I'm having adult interactions and conversations instead of just watching Baby Einstein and The Backyardigans and making funny noises and faces at Zoe all day. A gal can only sing her ABC's and nursery rhymes so many times a day before she starts feeling like a baby instead of a twenty-eight fine, THIRTY-ONE! year old. So yeah, we'll see how long this lasts before I start taking days off again. Rehearsal for 'Imaginary Friends' starts a week fro tomorrow and Zoe's going to be crawling any day now, I just know it. Life is about to get a whole lot more hectic, as if it's not hectic already. Somedays, I wish I could just chill and watch tv all day: But I'd be missing out on so much and I would have nothing to blog about.

It's funny how becoming a parent changes you. We went from being a couple to being a family and our priorities have changed. When Daniel and I first started out we weren't entirely sure we wanted a child. When we got pregnant we talked about how we wanted Zoe to get to have a sibling (I have two half brothers but was essentially an only child) like Daniel does. As time has gone by and we've gotten to enjoy Zoe, the prospect of a larger family is not as threatening to us. I grew up with four aunts and four uncles and a slew of cousins, there is a part of me that wants that for my grandchildren. My family got to celebrate a few family reunions together and I want that for our family as it grows. We're not trying to extend our family right this minute, but at the same time we are planning for the future and no longer putting a limit on ourselves. Well, maybe that's not true. Our previous limit had been two and now? Maybe three or four. Maybe. I think one of the biggest...

Twenty nine days go by of constant posting and I have writers block. I'm tired and frankly, ready for a break. Daniel is off tomorrow. I think we're going to actually hang some things on our walls, do some recycling and maybe even make some chili. Saturday night we're having friends over. Daniel will play Brock on the new PS3. Melissa and I will chat. Zoe might play with Remy who is almost a year old now and we'll all try to entertain Mazzy (age 3 ) and Phoenix (age 8). I'm excited to have them over because now we can actually do so and not be cramped in our tiny dark living room. What else? We still haven't gotten our security and pet deposits back from the landlord who said we were "tenants from heaven". California law says within 21 days and it's been 29. I've called and emailed. She responded Monday and said she'd get back to me Wednesday. She hasn't and I'm pissed. But I'm trying to take a deep breath since it's the hol...

Twelve years ago, I was not a good friend. I was horrible at it. I was young and naïve and had put all my energy into a guy who turned out to be an assface. I let him control my time, and me and I let my friendships go to the wayside. And then I really screwed up and got married which only separated me from my friends more and then the assface tightened his grip even more. Things were rough and I needed my friends (or just a friend) and I’d all but physically pushed them away because he wanted me to and it was easier to do that than put up with his abuse (which I got regardless). Eventually I mended some of those friendships and I attribute my finally leaving to the strength that those friends gave me. Ashley, Alison, Sharon, and Max… they helped me realize I was not alone and wouldn’t be if I chose to stand up for myself and walk out the door for good. So I did, and they were there for me when I needed them. I wanted to be the girl they’d laughed with and had memories with, and for a...

Today you are six months and four days old. Every month that passes I feel like it moves too slow and too fast all at once. On one hand, I am so excited for you to crawl, to walk, to call out for your father and I (and all the other exciting events). On the other hand, I look at you and am amazed at how big you have gotten and how much you have changed. I've loved getting to be Mommy to my sweet little monkey and I can't wait to watch you grow up into a woman. It's hard to believe that just six months and six days ago your dad and I were checking into the hospital so that we could meet you! I thought I'd go ahead and tell you that story now before the details escape me: Your Birth Story Monday, May 21st Twitter post: at 12:13PM (web)- Just finished watching last night’s episode of Brothers & Sisters. Cried like a baby. Damn it. Twitter post at 12:42 PM (text) - On our way to our last pre natal appt.for this pregnancy! 12:45 pm - Your Dad and I were at the doctor’s...

Today was Zoe's 6 month "Well Baby" visit. I'm not even going to talk about the entire insurance debacle where I had to physically resist the urge to freak out at the front desk girl who talked down to me and tried to get me to pay $352 that we do not in fact owe even if the office and our insurance company have their wires crossed. We do not owe the money. The office has made a mistake that they said they'd corrected last month, but now have forgotten. I was irked. Seriously irked. But I am not going to write about it here so don't get me started. Mkay? Zoe is now 25.5 inches long and 15 pounds 1.25 ounces. The doc says she is gaining weight at a good pace again and is healthy. He pointed out her chub and said she was "obviously healthy". So that's awesome and a huge weight off my shoulders. Also cool is that we don't have to get any more shots until February. My goodness! I absolutely hate Zoe getting shots. She does so well with the first ...

Daniel, Zoe, Bailey, Max and I got home from visiting my parents in San Diego a couple hours ago. The bags are unpacked. Ornaments my parents gave us have been added to the tree. Daniel vacuumed the entire house. Dogs and baby fed, husband out picking up take out because we're too tired to cook. Actually, I'm too tired to blog as well. I've got Zoe sitting in her "magic seat" watching Baby Einstein's: First Signs while I try to catch up on all things computer related. My parents don't have wireless and I'm too lazy to actually sign on to things like Flickr and Twitter when we're there, (and as awesome as the iphone is; it just wasn't convenient) so I have a lot to catch up on... like all those blogs I've got listed in my links. OY! Tomorrow promises to be busy: Zoe and I go for her 6 month check up. Keep your fingers crossed that her weight gain has continued at a good pace. I'm happy to report that she's eating like a little piggy ...

Daniel, Zoe and I braved "Black Friday" yesterday. I figure after years of being in retail, I might as well see what the day after Thanksgiving shopping is like on the other end of the register. In my opinion, it's a lot better than being the person stuck behind a register or being all cheerful to crazed, maniacal shoppers who are usually not so nice. We went to Babies R Us and got a couple Baby Einstein DVD's since I'm getting tired of watching the same four over and over again. They were $5 off, but the rest of their sales seemed pretty unremarkable. We walked into Old Navy, did a circle and walked right back out the door. The line was too long and too many people for our tastes. Then we had a leisurely lunch to prepare for the rest of our shopping. We checked out Bombay since they are going out of business. Nothing. Great sales, but the store isn't really our style and well, it sort of freaked me out being in there after that company being my livelihood for...

Todays roster is full. We've got shopping, shopping, leftovers and relaxing to do. Oh, and we're going to decorate my parents house for the holidays. So blogging, isn't really going to happen in abundance today. But consider this a place holder for my letter to the monkey. Our baby is six months old today, time has moved so quickly. I looked at pics of her from her first week all the way up to yesterday and she has grown so much. She'll be a teenager before we know it. AACK!!!

Since today is Thanksgiving, I'm going to keep this short. I've got a baby to gobble on, a parade to watch and family to spend time with. I am thankful for so many things this year: Daniel, Zoe, well adjusted dog children, family, friends, our health and happiness, a good friend just finished her first trimester and her and baby are doing well, getting to be in a show again soon, Daniel's parents coming for Christmas, our new house, etc. I could go on and on... but I won't. Happy Thanksgiving everyone. "Gobble, Gobble!" Oh... and I should also say I'm thankful for blogging and all the friends I've made by doing this. Some of you I have "known" for quite a while. We've followed each others lives: wedding planning, weddings, pregnancies, baby's, illness, travels. It's been fun and I'm looking forward to the next year and all it's possibilities.

Nope, not pregnant again. We're enjoying having Zoe to ourselves for a while before that becomes a focus again. She is really getting to be a handful now! Also, not a new blog design. Still tossing the idea around though. I've considered starting a new one up using Wordpress. And then there's really utilizing this Mac and building a page from scratch.... but that requires knowledge and time that I am lacking. And really? I'm starting to feel like six people read this blog even though my stat counter says otherwise. Sometimes I feel really good about a post and I get no response at all and it makes me question why I do this. I mean, I know why I write... but why publish it if it feels like you have no one responding. It's early, I'm a little cranky and I'm just being honest. The big change is that I'll be in a show in January. I auditioned last Sunday for Imaginary Friends by Nora Ephron. I got the part of Mary McCarthy (one of the leads). It's a come...

Ever sing along with a song and kind of fudge your way through the lyrics? Add an extra "la" or make up words that you think sound right with the melody. Ever since I was a kid, I've been singing along to what I hear on the radio. Doesn't matter if it's the first time I've heard the song or not, I'll soon jump in and sing whatever words I've gathered that the actual artist is singing at the top of my lungs. I have this feeling it might be annoying to just about everyone except my mom as she's always begging me to sing and I kindly refuse. There are times though when I am absolutely positive I am singing the right words. So adamant that when I'm singing the song in bed to be funny and my husband tries to correct me, I tell him that he is wrong. I KNOW the lyrics! And when I start acting all excited and wronged by his doubting he asks me to not run into the living room to look up the words on the internet... and I obey his wishes, but reach for...

Currently I am walking around Best Buy,blogging on my iphone while on a date with my husband. This shows two things: technology is awesome and I am way too commited to NaBloPoMo. Seriously. Later.... So, I felt guilty for only posting a few sentences earlier. Not much more to add except tonight has been divine. Zoe is with Cheryl. Daniel and I got to have some "us time" before we go to San Diego this Wednesday. We had a nice dinner. I had an adult beverage. We walked around Pier One and Best Buy and Target. We joked and flirted and talked about things besides cute baby, poo and spit up (and then, we might have talked about all those things too). I feel refreshed having had tonight. I am in a blissful mood. Date nights absolutely rock and I highly recommend them. Excuse me while I go snuggle with my man. - Keely P.S. - This is not a drunk post. It's not even a tipsy post. This is just happiness, folks. Cheers!

The house is looking pretty darn fabulous with the help of Daniel. We ran around cleaning and straightening like sick fools. Nothing is hanging on the walls yet, but when we were done I was grateful to my husband for all his help and excited for my parents to arrive. So yeah. That's pretty much all you're going to get from me today. If it weren't for NaBloPoMo, I would not be posting at all. But I've got a funny story to share with you tomorrow. Oh, and some new possibilities just around the corner*. Care to guess? *I'm thinking I'll reveal my little secret on Wednesday if all goes according to plan.....

My parents are going to be here in about ten hours. It's the first time they will see the house with our stuff in it (we showed it to them before everything was official). It's the first trip they've gotten to take since my dad started radiation (now we're in the waiting period, we'll know how it worked in about three months). It's the first time we've had guests in the new house. The house is a mess right now. Pictures still not hung. Things not organized or put in their places yet. We've been in a messy state ever since I got sick, and then Daniel was sick and then Zoe. Now we're all sick: Partaay! It's been one big sickie party over here. It's a good excuse, but it still drives me crazy. Looking around makes me feel anxious and panicky. If you were to see it, you'd probably think it doesn't look bad... but you’re not me. I get obsessed with the details. Daniel often has to tell me to make sure I relax and not do all the things I fe...

I am so proud of Max and Bailey and how they’ve adjusted to all the change they’ve had in their lives recently. First they had to get used to not being able to pounce on my tummy whenever they wanted because I had a resident. Then, they had to get used to a new little human in their house: a little human who demands a lot of attention and cries. If that wasn’t enough, we relocated our family across town and they had a new house and yard to contend with. To make things even more interesting, they don’t have a doggie door so they have to “ask” to be let outside. They are the awesome and haven't had a single accident (knock on wood). And then? Zoe has recently started to really take notice of her “brother” and “sister”. She "pets" them and watches them and grabs on to their collars and fur without a grumble from them. It's like they're finally getting what they've wanted from her: attention. The dog children have been little angels (aside from stealing burp cloth...

It seems the alphabet is a theme this week! I saw after I'd posted yesterday that I was tagged by the fabulous Jolene with this cool meme. Rules: List a word or words that describes you for every letter of the alphabet. Offer as much or as little explanation as you wish. Please keep the words positive and feel free to get creative. Tag as many or as few people as you wish. A: Actress , Animal lover, Artistic B: Blogger, Bootilicious... I couldn't resist. C: Candid, Committed, Creative D: Daydreamer, Domestic Diva Wannabe, Detail oriented E: Eager, Entertaining F: Forgiving, Flickr addict, Friend, Funky G: Grateful, Guarded H: Happy I: Independent J: Jewelry (especially necklaces) K: Kindred Spirit L: Loving M: Musical, Music lover N: No Nonsense O: Open minded, Opinionated, Organized P: Photography, Private, Protective Q: Quiet R: Real, Romantic S: Sentimental, Shy, Smart, Strong, Survivor T: Talented, Thoughtful U: Understanding V: Vivacious, Voluptuous (yeah, I said it) W: ...

If you were a fly on our wall, these are some things you would hear daily: The ABC's of Zoe A Aaaaaa! Apple. Are you poopin'? Atchoo! Awwww. B Baaaah! Baby Einstein . Baby girl. Backyardigans . Bailey! Bailey, no. B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Big Poopies! Binkie. Boobie-Snack. Boogers. Booger-Snatcher. Bottle. B-O-T-T-L-E. C Cereal. Cheryl. Cheryl’s house. Chuck. Cranky McCrankersons. Crazy. Cuddle-time. Cutie Pie. D Daddy. Daddy, Zoe, Daddeee, Zoeeeeee! E Eeeeeeee! Elephant. F Food. Funny baby. G Gaaaaaa! Good Girl! Goodnight. Goodnight Moon. Goofy baby. Grammy. Grandpa. Grumpy McGrumpersons. H Haaaaaa! Ha ha! Happy girl. Hello! Hi! How big are you? Hugs! I Icky! I love you! J Jump! Jumperoo! K Kid. Kisses! Kookoo. L Lalalala! Little One. Lovey. M Mmmm! Magic Seat. Mama. Mama's Mac. Maxie. Mirror. Monkey. Mommy. Mommy, Zoe, Momeeee, Zoeeeee! N Nana Bear. Nana K. O Ooooh! Oh. Om nom nom nom nom! Oy-Oy! P Pajamas, pajamas! Pattycake, pattycake... Bakers man. Peak a boo! Poopies! Poopy. Q ...

At some point (early on) during my first marriage, I gave up on superstitions . I didn't believe things could really get any worse than they were. I balked at the superstitions about black cats (I prefer black cats over any other), the number thirteen, spilt salt, etc. Working for Bombay and Pier One, I broke a few mirrors (accidentally); and I did not fear the subsequent years that would follow. Co-workers would warn me against walking under ladders extended or leaning against walls and then squeal at my obstinacy as I purposely chose the path they warned against. I would laugh at their silliness and continue on like nothing had happened, because nothing really had or would. To believe in these superstitions meant I had to believe in good luck as well, and no four leafed clover or shooting star was going to save me, give me good luck or grant wishes. I was stuck with the life I had and I had no one to blame but me. But when I left Assface, I found myself gazing up at stars and mak...

After years of retail there are a few things that drive me absolutely bonkers: 1. Rudeness, ignorance and projecting. I'm putting them all together because, from my experience if a customer has an issue with one they have all of them. Yesterday we were at Target (the best store in the world) waiting in line at the Returns desk. I needed to return a shirt that fit funky (in a bad way). I was cheery about the entire thing. I had my receipt and it wasn't anyone's fault the shirt looked ridiculous on me - I just had to return it. Well, before I could do so I had to wait for this woman to freak out. And she really freaked; in front of her toddler. She was cussing and yelling and demanding corporate numbers. The woman did not have a receipt and was returning something that looked really used, like "Hey, my kid used this all last winter and now it doesn't fit him so I'm returning it." used. The sales people gave her the number and did it without stooping to her l...

This blog has been around for a while and it's been renamed a few times. It started off as "Little Miss Sunshine Girl", but that was such a long URL to type in and a long moniker to comment with. Then I renamed it "Sunshine Days". It was fitting for where my life was going, and it just worked. And then I took on "Inevitably Keely", because I grew tired of the sunshine attachment and wanted more of my real identity connected to my words. I've written as a recent divorcee; a singleton ; a girlfriend; a cohabitator ; a fiancé; a wife; a mom-to-be; a mama. I've written about a horrible marriage and what it took to heal from it, friendships gone bad, falling in love, living with my boyfriend, adopting puppies, planning a wedding, coping with my Nana's battle with cancer and later her passing , my own health issues , my adoring husband, our infertility journey and hopes to start a family, my pregnancy and our amazing baby girl. My words have ta...

My little monkey is sick. Last night we could hear little coughs through the baby monitor and this morning we heard her coughing in a series of bursts. When I went into her room, she was coughing but happily playing with the mirror in her crib. My baby LOVES the mirror, being sick isn't going to screw that up. I took this smiling, happy baby out of her crib and layed her on her changing table. The plan was to take her temperature, but she started coughing so much that she was choking just a little and yellow mucous came out of her mouth.* The weird thing is, that as I'm freaking out about the mucous and feeling guilty that I've passed on my creeping crud to her (and Daniel, poor thing is sniffling right next to me) she squirming around and smiling and being a morning person in spite of it all. Where's the wallowing in misery? I wallow and her dad? He's looking pretty miserable too. Zoe? She a happy (sick) camper. But we called her pediatrician anyway. "My daugh...

He loves the sunlight, revels in it. He does not like Daylight Savings. He is happiest on a sunny day and loves to see me in the sunshine. He turns on every single light in the house (not just the room we're in). He likes curtains open so the rooms are bright and cheery. I prefer moonlight; it relaxes me. I like the dark days of winter and was happy to see the changing of the clocks. I shade my eyes from the sun and wish the sky would just cloud up and rain on me. Storms are my favorite, I love walking in the rain and seeing the lightning across a dark sky. I follow him around the house, shutting the lights off and closing doors. Dark places, tight spaces are my favorite; they make me feel safe. I like the curtains shut. I feel more secure when no one can see inside my house, my world. I have trouble sleeping if even a glint of moonlight shines through the window. The funny thing is, my childhood nickname was Sunshine. Our new house is bright and open and I love it. High ceilings, ...

The other day, Daniel had to call Apple about our damaged power cords. We purchased the Apple Care plan for both Mac's so the whole process was relatively painless. Well, it was completely painless for me as I played the sick card and requested Daniel make the call. I usually am the one who takes care of things like this because of my experience in retail and customer service. After years of dealing with horrible customers, I do not hesitate to voice my opinions and concerns politely but with conviction. And if someone is rude to me or doesn't do what is within their power to do? Well, I can get a little frustrated and I will ask for a supervisor. Don't make me ask for a supervisor! Daniel had a nice rep from Ghana. I know this because I overheard him making chit chat with the guy and the guy asked Daniel to guess where his accent was from. This was funny to me. What was even funnier? When Daniel was giving one of the Mac serial numbers to the rep, he did so by naming some...

Long time readers (or heck, people who have just been reading for a couple months) will not be surprised to read that I am sick. I know, play that violin... give me some cheese with my whine. But for reals. I've got the creeping crud that won't stop creeping. This time I'm sort of ticked off about it. I should not be sick! I don't drink and I don't smoke. I don't stay up late and I get eight hours of sleep (even with a baby and THAT is awesome). I eat somewhat healthy and at least three times a day, if not five. So what's the deal? I dress appropriately for the weather conditions and I'm a happy human. What the hell!? The only thing I can come up with is that this is my lot in life. I just get sick; it's what I do. And every year around this time I will get very sick for the rest of my life. There is nothing I can do except just give in to the damn thing and ride it out complain on my blog until I feel better a couple times. So there you have it. R...

I'm having technical difficulties. Actually, Daniel and I are both having them with our Macs. Our lovely, beautiful, perfect little Macs that we adore and use every single freaking day. BOTH of our power adapters are pretty much dead and this pretty much ticks me off to no end. Fraying power cords = suckage. I'm currently typing like a mad woman because I have 46% battery and I'll be darned if I'm going to let that stop me from posting every single gosh darn day of NaBloPoMo! Grrr. Gah! So, the people at Apple are sending two new cords. They say they'll be here Friday. FRIDAY!!!??? Grumble, Grumble. Gah! Scrooge. 45%!!!! Damn. Posting and powering off.... now. ------ Later: OK. So I wrote this like, two hours ago and blogger was not cooperating, so I couldn't post it. You can imagine how well this went over with me. Not well, let me tell you. But I'm feeling much less Scrooge-like at the moment because Apple has delivered. That's right, my faith is resto...

It amazes me how even though I can be completely grossed out by something someone I love does; I love them all the more. Is that the true test of love? Loving despite differences and in spite of gross habits or maladies. I don't know. What I do know is I love Daniel no less when he is sick; I love him more. And Zoe can throw up all over me (and if I'm not careful - in my mouth) and I still adore her. In just a few short months she has made poop, throw up and pee a part of my daily life and conversation and I love the little monkey to pieces. Right now you're probably thinking, "She's my daughter, of course I love her." Well, yeah. But what about my love for the dog children? Max? He eats poo. Almost every single day, I think. When he's craving a snack and I've not given him enough treats to his liking, he goes outside and gets some poo. Sometimes he brings it in and eats it in front of me. This is really gross. Disgusting. But I still love him. I spray...