Happy October!!!!!

new month, new season! i can't believe it's fall already! my laptop finally returned home and, if you can believe it, i loaded Windows and all the drivers and now it works again. a little differently than before (wtf is broadcom security???) but i'm happy.

i started using the stationary bike in our basement to try to get some exercise. i had been feeling a little cabin fever-y but it's a wonder what a little physical activity can do for the ol' brain. it also made me feel a little inspired. i'd ordered some silky, ribbony square copper wire that i turned into rings! more modern and contemporary than my other skinny stacking rings, these are perfect for the cooler weather! i'm also going to look into some bezel setting as well - nothing like a nice stack of rings to wear with autumn's chunky sweaters!

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The Lament of the Laptop

i saved up and purchased a refurbished Dell Latitude laptop in june of this year. since i was going to be on maternity leave, i figured that it would be a good investment because i probably would be spending most of my time breastfeeding. and true to form, i was right! this little baby (not the mini) has been my lifeline to the outside world - and probably has saved me tons of visits to the pediatrician.

this morning though, we lost access to the audio device. the husband couldn't find the volume control... which then led to a whole heap of issues and finally the thing wouldn't even boot up. to put the icing on the cake, my warranty expired THREE F*CKING DAYS ago. the only good thing is that there was a very small window of time where i was able to backup all the photos that i have taken of the mini since june. i would have cried if i lost those.

anger management? yes, i'll take a 10 week course, please. i'm seriously not able to purchase another so keep your fingers crossed that the computer gods at staples can fix it! and i am telling you all now to BACK UP YOUR FILES!!!! PLEASE!!!!!!!

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Rockin' And Rollin'!

well, we've had three nights of NO witching hour!!!!!! my next door neighbour, A., came over on Tuesday evening to visit. she and i had talked about her kids' witching hour before, so she knows her stuff! she took the mini-muffin, who had just woken up from a post-feed dozing session and was starting to whimper, turned her over onto her forearm, and started swinging her. a lot harder than i had been doing - but i've been handling the baby quite delicately! (who wants to be the first person to break a baby??? not me!) after some time - with the mini looking at me with a "WTF????" expression on her face and about 5 minutes of full fledged wailing - the baby started to settle down. A. kept swinging her, and the mini stopped crying. she handed the baby back to me, and i cradled her in my arms and started swinging. i started humming the song that her mobile plays, but eventually i got bored of that and put in a CD and sang along. thank goodness the baby doesn't know that her mama has a HORRIBLE singing voice!

so, after about 10 minutes, i realized the baby was dozing in my arms. i kept going, right through her usual "witchy" time, and then fed her. and wouldn't you know it, i was able to pop her right into her crib for the night! yes, my arms felt like they were going to fall off, and my biceps were BURNING, but it was all worth it! no shrieking, no yelling, no using mommy as a pacifier!

the next night, i wasn't sure if it was going to work, but right on schedule, she started to fuss right around 8pm. so, on went the CD and we started swinging and singing. and like a charm, she started to doze. and then right into the crib! it's a miracle!!!!!! who knew that the baby would like the newest tunes by Pink, the Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga? (who knew that i would like those tunes? i'm almost ashamed to admit it, LOL!) i even put the husband to sleep during my performance... how lovely is that?

of course i just may jinx myself by telling this story and tonight it won't work!

on an additional happy note, my new refurbished Dell laptop arrived yesterday! i even figured out how to set up our wireless router - even though i'm sure i did something wrong because the connection keeps dropping out periodically. but i'm blogging from the couch with the baby napping beside me! it feels too decadent for words!!!!!

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