A Weekend Together

This was the first weekend in awhile that the 3 of us has been together...maybe it's only been the last few weekends but it seems like awhile. Anyway, we had a great time just hanging around the house, cleaning, and visiting friends.

Paul bought Anna a Lincoln Log set which she actually enjoys building with Paul. Good thing he loves it because I am just not the creative builder type. I found a little Strawberry Shortcake doll while we were out shopping and I had to buy it. Anna didn't care for it either way but I remember that smell from growing up! It's the SAME Strawberry Shortcake smell even though the doll looks different. I never actually had one but I played with others when I was young. So I finally got one of my own. :)

We visited Z and C and her parents last night as a thank you for Paul's treating her mom's shoulder. Glad he could help! They cooked fish which Anna LOVED and we had a great time. Anna got sleepy and silly towards the end of the night and sang "Hoppy Poppy" (AKA Hokey Pokey) all the way home in the car.

This morning Anna bounced out of bed cheerfully...she still will wake up and wait/play in her bed till we come up to get her! It's funny because even after over two months of having the crib rail down, she still hasn't figured out she has the complete freedom to leave her bed and play with her toys. Yesterday morning I woke to watch her on the monitor and I was surprised to see her climb out of her bed. I thought: THIS IS IT! But she got down, grabbed her paci off the floor, and hurried back into her bed. We kinda have to giggle at that. She will also reach across to her bookshelf to get her babydoll but not leave her bed. This moring she was happy to see me and told me she was fixing her doll's pigtails. Then when she got down to our bedroom, she told daddy to wake up and let's go get some donuts!!! "Get up daddy! Move it!"

Tonight we went swimming at LB and AB's pool along with their daughter, OM, MM, CM, and OMMOM (TJ). I love it when we do that. Anna had a blast and it's so fun watching the kids play while the rest of us catch up. LB's baby boy is around 3 months old and she looks great and the baby is super sweet and laid back. We had lots of good food tonight as usual!

I got a peak in at Anna's final molar this morning. Its flat sruface is almost all the way through so I think we're past the worst part. She hasn't been bothered in her sleep for awhile, and her attitude has been happy Anna all week. So this one wasn't NEARLY as bad as the previous one. And now we're just about all done with teething. YIPPIE!!!

Well it's late. Night night!

More HOT

Johnson Space Center
Emergency Notification

Excessive Heat Advisory - ACTIVE

The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Advisory for the JSC area through 7 PM CDT Saturday June 27th. Hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to produce heat indices above 109. Please exercise caution while outdoors.
Issued on June 26, 2009 at 14:55

Photo Updates

Here's just a data dump of some of the photos that have been collecting in my camera over the last few weeks...


Anna's unattended artwork on our $1200 Lazy Boy. Luckily you get what you pay for and all of it came right out with a wet cloth and minimal elbow grease...

The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Fl. Picture taken when TT and I tried to get as close as possible without actually sneaking in...This building is huge and it's where the Space Shuttle gets assembled.

The closest TT and I could get to the Space Shuttle Endeavour at KSC the day before its scrubbed launch.

Proud Spacemama's photo of bouncing Toddler at the Engineering picnic last weekend at JSC. Anna's usually intimidated by these boucy things but she was eager to get in and jump this time! Growing up!

Working that horse like her daddy does. At the JSC Engineering picnic last weekend.

Playing at the park with MM and the Sauers girls at the Engineering picnic last weekend.

Anna and the Sauers girls...

A rare photo of Anna with Mommy, courtesy of OMMOM.

The Little Gym's final class of the spring gave the kids a medal last weekend...

At Mythos restaurant, updating my Twitter at Universal Studios! Those are NOT horns.

Yummy dessert at Mythos.

Play date with Paul at Universal Studios during my Workation a few weekends ago...

Our hotel room inside the Hyatt Orlando Airport. This room was really nice!

Paul watching the travelers in the airport terminal from our balcony.

Even though my hotel room in Cocoa Beach was on the beach I never actually took any photos of the beach! Weird? TT did and she is going to give me some of the photos so I can post them too. I also have more pics on my phone I'll post once I figure out how to get them off!

It's HOT HOT HOT!

I found this at work this morning:

Johnson Space Center
Emergency Notification
Heat Advisory - ACTIVE

The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for the JSC area, including Harris and Galveston counties, until Thursday, June 25th at 7:00PM CDT. The heat index has reached above 108 degrees across the Houston area the past 2 days and similar conditions are expected for Thursday. Please exercise caution while outdoors and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration.

Issued on June 24, 2009 at 16:07

Lotsa chocolate

I had to make this cake from Nie Nie's blog (click on Nie Nie's blog all the way to the right on my blog lists to see the recipe and more info). Basically, Nie Nie is recovering from a near fatal airplane crash and during her recovery she's trying to ADD weight. Her goal is to find the right chocolate cake to add the "junk in the trunk". Well, I don't need junk in the trunk but I figured this would be a great way to kick off the loss of my final 5lbs. I am fitting in all my pre-baby clothes nicely, but it could be much, much nicer with another 5-10lbs off. I will shoot for 5lb and be happy.

Anyway, here's how our cake turned out, from the recipe made for Nie Nie from the Conversations with a Cupcake blog. It was a 2-night process and Anna helped me the second night.

There was chocolate on the floor and on the counters and on our legs and everywhere else. The kitchen and the fridge and the dishwasher still smell like chocolate in certain places, as I guess it will be until all of the dishes and cracks and crevaces are washed.

It was heavenly if not too rich and by the time Anna and I sat down to eat it, she had two bites and some sips of milk before she was "all done, Mama!" I guess (like myself) having eaten most of it in the making, she was already full (like myself). I worried a little about all that chocolate giving her a tummy ache but proceded anyway figuring we'll just learn the hard way. Fortunately it didn't seem to affect her.

There was no way we were eating this whole big-ass cake at our house, and Paul's clinic had enough sweets (he says). So my punishment for making this monster was carrying it across our mile-long parking lot at work for my co-workers to enjoy. And they did! You can count on food to go fast when there's plenty of co-workers involved.

I still can't explain why I HAD TO HAD TO HAD TO go out of my way to make this cake. It involved thoughtful grocery shopping for ingredients I've never even used before. But just had to do it I guess.

P.S: Happy Birthday to OM today! I have your gift, but because I'm so forgetful you probably won't get it till you're 21 or something.

It's HEEERRREEEE!!!

That's right, this time it only took me 3 cranky tantrum mornings to get a good quick peek in at the gums where Anna's final baby tooth (molar) is supposed to be coming in.

Today she let me have a good look in there at the Little Gym, and BEHOLD! The source of the latest round of Jekyll/Hyde, Thug-muffin attitude! Once again, I was ELATED to see it!!! In fact I was cheering so much she started giggling! It meant an explanation for the past 3 days of bad-ass attitude, but it also marked the beginning of the END of teething for Anna. When this tooth is done, all future cranky attitude will now be clearly recognized and handled appropriately, unless she's sick.

I guess the car seat struggles that we also got with the last molar might be on its way, but so far, mercifully nothing has surfaced in that area yet.

Last night she woke at 1:40am crying, half asleep. That's classic with her teething, and fortunately me sneaking her paci into her mouth quieted her enough to go back to sleep. With the last molar in May you may remember the 1-2 nights per week night terrors that lasted about 4 weeks. We have been free of those for the last 3 weeks or so. So I wonder if those will be coming too?

Does it seem like Paul's getting off too easy here? He was coincidentally away during the worst of the last molar activity in May (but my mom got the rough end of it along with me) and he's been gone this week too (till tomorrow night). Honey, consider THIS your father's day gift.

She was actually super fun at the Little Gym today. It was the last day of class and at the end all her classmates stood on a little podium to get their metals. Last semester she wouldn't stand up there but this time she went up with the rest like a big girl. And when she got her metal she had that look on her face, like all proud and embarrassed (a smirk/grin) and looking at me at the same time :) I was so proud! I didn't take a pic with her and all her friends, but I did get one with her and the metal.

Unfortunately we got a new camera and my computer won't read the SD disk so the pics will have to wait till Paul gets home I guess. So :)

Last night Anna and I went to a party at my division chief's house. On the drive there, Anna kept saying "let's go to a PARTY, mama! Are you going to a party TOO, mama?"

I really like my new co-workers and Anna had a great time. There was a pool (but she didn't get in), good food, other kids, and a bunny, a dog, and a kitty cat. To make it a real party, they had a pinata and the kids took turns hitting it. Anna swung that big baseball bat right where I'd think it'd hurt the worst ;) and then passed it off when her turn was over. She had a blast going through all the candy that fell out and went home with a cup full of the good stuff :) She did not want to go home but even I was tired after it was over! We got home wayyyyy past her bedtime so it was a fight through the bath and to bed but she passed out within minutes of her head hitting the pillow.

Today after the Little Gym we went to the yearly Engineering picnic (even though I'm not in Engineering anymore). We hung out with the Sauers and Maynard friends. I have a really cute picture of Anna holding hands with Annabel and Allie but again, can't post it (yay for the new camera!). They played on the playground, ate hot dogs, sno cones, and cookies! They even played with goats in the petting zoo and rode a horse (I got pics of that too!)...after the horse ride, Anna asked to go jump in the bouncy house thing and I thought she'd change her mind once we got to it because she's usually hesitant to get into one of those things. But we took her shoes off and she got in and jumped for a little while with other kids. And yes, I got pics of that too! After about 2 hrs of fun (and heat...we're in a hot drought here in Houston), I could tell she was getting tired, as was I so we headed home. After a brief tantrum regarding nap time, she got over it and sung herself to sleep soon enough.

At the Engineering party, a few ex-co-workers asked how I liked my new job. I told them I love doing the science stuff and I had no idea previously that this much science was going on on the ISS!

One person told me: you know you're in the right place, from the looks of how things are going.
My response: as it turns out, you are so right.

With the announcement from good old Bush that we would cut ISS and shuttle funding in favor of going back to the moon and Mars (Constellation program), the engineers I worked with decided ISS was a dead horse and Constellation was the place to be. Most engineers jumped ship from ISS and went to Constellation. Quickly. EB (Biomedical Engineering division for ISS hardware, where I worked from 2001-2007) was dismantled in favor of turning it into a new division just for Constellation. That left me looking for a job elsewhere in NASA, and it's how I ended up applying for the Associate Program Scientist position I'm in now.

Just now with the presence of a 6 person crew on orbit and assembly complete next year, science will finally take off to its full potential. This is why my job was created. JR, my boss, saw it coming. I did not. I feel like I fell into this. But I guess it was part my luck and part planning from people who recognized what was coming and realized they needed to create the position I'm in now.

So yes, I am in a good position. I'm not hating on Constellation, but don't you agree after all the time and money we've spent of taxpayers dollars to build the ISS that we should actually GET THE MOST FOR OUR MONEY? I'm going to stop here before I go off on a rant no one who reads my blog really cares about :)


And now I'm free and in the middle of toddler nap time (break). I think I'll go do laundry, clean the bathrooms, and water the bushes. :)

Out!

Girls' Nights Out

Well, really it's Paul's nights out and the two of us gals are left behind for a mixture of routine and outings till Sunday night. Paul's at a conference in San Antonio (does he ever work?) through Sunday night so it's just us...

Yes, the honeymoon period ended right around 5:32pm last night when the first of about 3 tantrums came. And then another two with a Time Out sprinkled in there somewhere.

Ah, good times are here again!

This morning she was 50% evil and 50% sweet. Bonus: she likes me (she even told me so...).

Unfortunately, the opppositional component unexpectedly and frequently breaks the love transmission such that just when I feel like she's getting it all together, she reminds me that she will still not wear socks, must wear her Elmo pajama top to school, and has to wear the same grungy white sandals every day. (I guess I'm lucky white sandals go with everything). At least she's still agreeing to getting her hair done (if you see her in pigtails, it's a good day. One pony tail = quick work with Yo Gabba Gabba bribes thrown in) and she's happily brushing her teeth.

On one instance yesterday she asked for her paci and then a tablet (motrin).

"Show me your teeth."

"Aaaaahhhhhhhhh"

Nothing.

Me = not a fan of drama or confrontation.
Definition of 2-year old = drama + confrontation + cuddles (though not on demand).

The blogging Pillownaut

One of NASA's test subjects is blogging about her experience as a bed rest subject here:
http://pillownaut.blogspot.com/

I can't wait to read it...looks like I've already missed alot! NASA's conducting a study that looks at changes in human physiology during long-term bed rest. Bed rest is intended to closely simulate the unloading effects of microgravity. The goal is to try to understand some of the physiological changes associated with spaceflight through gathering similar data during bedrest studies.

Time away: it does a body good

We're back in Houston and together again!


Paul joined me at Cocoa Beach (with his convertible!) on Friday where we had lunch and hung out on the beach for awhile. I forgot how much salt water burns the eyes and nose ;) And geeze, it got HOT.

We had a rocking blast at Universal Studios in Orlando on Saturday, his birthday. I got discounted tickets through NASA and then added on the Express Pass option, which lets you bypass the lines in the park. Turned out to be a fantastic option since we got through the lines in like 5 minutes for rides that were otherwise 50-60 minutes long. So YAY US! We got through everything we wanted to see and do in time (including lunch at Mythos) to add on two movies while there: Land of The Lost and Night at the Museum. Both were fun! Ben Stiller and Will Farrell both in one night was the perfect ending to a fun day. The only thing making the day better would have been to see the shuttle launch. What a drag!

We arrived at our hotel that night at around midnight. Since our planes departed that morning around 7:30am, we got a room at the Hyatt in the Orlando Airport (click here). I'll upload some pics tonight but the hotel was so darned cool. Our balcony opened to the airport terminals where we could look down on the passengers going all around the airport. Unique experience to say the least, and in the morning our ticket counters/security were right down our elevator and around the corner so it allowed us some good rest after a late night.

While bypassing the lines at Universal, it dawned on me, and I told Paul: this is an example of what we've worked so hard for. By-passing the lines, good food, renting a convertible, hitting the beach after a work day at a job I love. Yes, life has its ups and downs, but right now it's Up-Up-Up. The entire week I couldn't believe how Up. How'd we get so lucky? As usual, it's a mixture of our hard work, luck, and timing. Because my job is so stinking fun, this past week for me was like going away on a 1-week internship. Remember those, like during college? Immersing yourself in the work part you love while enjoying the benefits of the location with people you like? Like Space Camp or the SLSTP internship when I was younger. But here I was doing it at the professional level, making new friends in co-workers, and having Paul join in at the end of the work week for a final fun day. And the two nights he was with me, Anna was back in Lafayette with her Nanee having fun there with her cousins and family she doesn't get to see much. Every time we called to check in, she was talking about something new and fun and even though I missed her, I knew this was good for the three of us.

Every time she goes away on a trip with or without us, she comes back a little more grown-up. It's amazing what she picks up with the new experiences. Last night when I saw her for the first time in 5 nights, I realized it again: look at how grown up she's gotten just in those 5 nights I've been away. She had on a pretty new baby doll dress Nanee had bought her, and remnants of a pretty braid that Aunt K-K had put in her hair. She was happy to see me, full of squishy hugs and kisses and quick stories. She was great in the 3 hour car ride there and back, according to Paul. This morning she was still happy, super cooperative with everything, and still so grown up. Even her vocabulary has expanded. The time away has reminded me that she's growing and growing into someone whose becoming a little more complex. I think she's beautiful and fun.

See what I mean about the 3 of us taking a vacation like this every now and then? Remember my blog a few weeks ago? I was ready to lock her in her room forever. And some days more than others. And this is how it will be for the rest of our life: up and down. Yes, I know. I'm not that naive. Just well-rested and currently enjoying the "up" moment. I think it means the trip refreshed me and I'm ready to take it all on again :) For now.

So for now I'm enjoying the honeymoon period before routine sets in again. I hope it lasts for at least another 24 hours :)

Canceled

Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday to You Happy Birthday dear Paulie, Happy Birthday to you!

With that out of the way, we got up and dressed to be ready for our 3:30AM departure for the launch. I think we were the last to know because when I opened the door to the parking lot, I giggled to Paul and said, "where is everybody?!" Only to hear JP tell me "It's Canceled!" He was on the phone changing his airplane tix to an earlier flight home. I thought he was joking and giggled. Asked to repeat. He was serious and he was bummed! And said it'd be at least a 4 day turnaround.

Boo.

Texted TT and AA as if they didn't know. Texted back that they were already pouting. There is lots of pouting around these parts this morning at 3:30am.

I am pouting for JP, AA, and TT since they haven't seen a launch either up close or at all. Most have come and this very thing has happened. Myself, I've seen 2 before. Once while pregnant (from the causeway) with Anna, and the second (from the VIP launch site, yay!). We saw them both go off without a hitch. Woo-hoo!!!

No lie, I was kinda looking forward to the VIP seats this time without focusing on the responsibility of toddler care. Really hanging with the good people I work with (who have become friends). Taking the ISS employee bus and watching with my co-workers on a work trip means more to me than the other two flights for a number of reasons that in my mind come as a benefit of being a NASA employee.

But with so few shuttle flights left, I am glad to just have had the chance to see the ones I have seen. Unlike some.

But the Workation must go on! I am going back to sleep till we depart for Universal!

Good night from Coca Beach.

Now for the quick vacation part

Who are we kidding? This has been a great week of great people, places, and work. We accomplished alot for ISS science with our partners from around the world, and in the off hours took advantage of our location. Mostly the food :) Fried cheesecake, flaming strawberries, and fried bread pudding are just a few examples...

Today ended the final day of meetings and it ended around noon. Paul joined us in time for lunch and then we and TT hit the beach. It got H_O_T out there so we went into the water.

I forgot how badly salt water burns the nose and eyes. And the last big wave went straight into my nostrils and down the throat. B_U_R_N. Sinuses = clear. Once Dr Oz talked about cleaning the sinuses with a saline nasal wash. Well there you go, Doc.

TT and I are about to go over to KSC to snoop around like silly tourists in a few minutes. Paul's napping. We're just playing the rest of the night by ear but I think I'm kinda tired to go to any launch parties. We'll see. I already could use a nap!

We got an email from Paul's mom that said Anna is talking to her pretty much non-stop and seemingly having a great time today. That's an unimaginably huge relief to hear and it makes me realize the little vacation is good for everyone.

Tomorrow's Paul's birthday, the shuttle launch, and Universal Studios. In that order :)

Well, off to KSC. Hopefully I'll make it an early night tonight...

Later from Cocoa Beach.

Workation Day 1 (Work...mostly)

What a fabulous work day! My day started with meeting them international members of our Program Science Forum. This included JAXA, ESA, CSA, ASI representatives (FSA could not join us). It was wonderful meeting everyone in person after a few previous email exchanges.

...No pressure felt here while driving the minivan full of international representatives!! I must say that I have been hormonally-qualified for the last 2 years to drive the mini-van. So yay me. Toyota Siennas are actaully way cool (right, Esther?)...

We had a long day of planning to promote ISS utilization and optimize international coordination of experiments, among other things. There were several times I realized in was in a room full of smart people from all over the world. How did I get here??? Really?? At any rate, there was really good progress made, with forward work to come that I'm really excited about. The partners are all very friendly and welcoming. The Program Science Forum was actually just started about 6 months ago, so I am excited to be in on its development. Like the CSU School of Biomedical Engineering advisory board and the Council for Opportunity in Education Alumni board I'm part of: they're all just taking off so it's a super time to be truly innovative. It can be anything the team puts its mind to.

Space Station is about to get very busy. And I get to be busy with it. Yeah, yeah, yeah!

Again, I have no idea how I got this job. Did like no one else apply or something??

Again, I can hear the beach crashing right through my room's windows. "Fabulous" seems to be my new key word this week for some reason. Out of nowhere, I just keep saying it.

Anna's report from home was another good one for today. She's been great the entire time I've been gone. Tonight she surprised Paul when she devoured two of his steak soft tacos. Entirely. The girl typically doesn't eat beef. Or tomatoes. But it was gone, leaving Paul with only the cheese quesadilla meant for her :) That's my girl. Trust me, baby, daddy's very tolerant of his girls taking all his food :)

Tomorrow morning Paul and Anna are headed for Lafayette, where Anna will stay with Paul's parents when he gets on a plane to come out to meet me on Friday morning. Hopefully her good attitude will carry her through till Paul's return on Sunday.

Launch is still scheduled for Saturday morning at 7:17am. Yehaw!

Good night from Cocoa beach!

Potty talk and sand in my bed

This afternoon when I called to ask Paul how Anna's day at school went, he told me her teacher had good and bad news.

The good news was that she ran up to Miss Hilarie, told her she needed to pee-pee and poo-poo and actually did so when Miss H put her on the potty! Wow, that one came out of left field. This weekend we did alot of talk about undies and potty and stuff but still when she sits on the potty, nothing. So we are shocked to say the least she's shown some thoughtfulness on this...it must be a result of watching her school buddies take turns on the potty at school. We haven't been pushing the whole potty training issue though we talk about it. We've decided to let her do it when she's ready. This is interesting to see where it goes...Since it hasn't been something I've been obsessing over, I was surprised at how proud and happy I was when Paul told me! It has more to do with her getting the concept than actually getting potty trained I guess. Anyway, what a big girl!

The bad news was that she apparently spit on a little buddy who was already crying for some reason or another at school today. Oops...ick...but kinda ha-ha if only for the visual of it. The only time we have taught Anna to spit is while brushing her teeth. So this is NO DOUBT something she's picked up from her little school buddies.

Spitting was overshadowed by the potty work of the day so she earned herself a popsicle at home. She also got to go swimming with LW and her kids. This year Anna has been scared in the swimming pool the few times we've taken her. (That's how it started last year too but by the end she loved it). Anyway, with her friends there tonight Paul said she had a blast, even jumping to Paul from the steps and dunking her head completely a few times! My big girl!!!

I miss them. Boo...

In Florida, it was a great day. The plane ride was awesome, the rooms are nice, the beach is right by my room (I can actually hear the tides right now as I type this in my bed), the company is great and the food...well, I'm doing my best but kinda blew it with a big fat bread pudding desert tonight. Too good to pass up (but I shared it!). I've gotten my fill of the good food :)

I'm tired but wanted to get in the post on Anna's day. Tomorrow's a long work day at KSC but it will be neat. This whole trip has been awesome so far and it's only day 1. Tomorrow the real work begins and I'm looking forward to it! I can't believe I have the coolest job, surrounded by some cool people. Dang.

Goodnight from Cocoa Beach.

Workation

My Workation starts tomorrow. At 6:20am my plane leaves Houston headed for Orlando. I'll be at meetings for work at Kennedy Space Center through the week, and will get to finally meet our ISS International Partners in person. I've told Paul and my co-worker I'm a little nervous since this is the first time I'll be representing NASA in any way to our International counterparts so I'd like to come across nicely. There's a little room on the agenda to work with the partners on the brochure DH and I have been working on, and we just got the first copy from the graphics design group just in time. It still needs lots of work, but it's something tangible for our efforts so far that we can show the rest of the ISS team this week. The is the "Work" part of the Workation.

The "cation" part comes on June 13, which marks Paul's birthday and the shuttle launch of STS-127 (Paul's coming to Cocoa Beach on June 12). We'll be joining the rest of my co-workers at the Banana Creek viewing site for the launch, which is a fantastic launch viewing site. Flight surgeon Tom Marshburn will be on this flight, which is super great! I worked with him on Crew Health Care hardware for the first 4 years or so as a new kid at NASA and he has a great personality. So it's really cool to see him get his first flight!

The launch is scheduled at 7:17am, which means we board our buses from the hotel room around 4:15am. I'm kinda giggling thinking about what me, Paul, and my co-workers will look like at 4am. Pajama party with lots of morning breath and federal employees without their morning coffee?

Assuming the launch is on schedule (I heard just now that the weather is cooperating so far), Paul and I are going to take off to Orlando to hit Universal Studios in a mad frenzy to seek out all roller coasters that we wouldn't otherwise ride with Anna with us (Anna will be visiting Paul's mom in Louisiana). Then the plan is to catch a late viewing of Land Of The Lost at Universal's Citiwalk theater after the them park closes. It will be a long, late day, with probably a few expected thunderstorms. Our plane leaves at 7:30am the next day so we will be spending the night at the Hyatt inside the Orlando airport to make it an easier morning. Yes, it's actually inside the terminal, see (click here)! We saw it the last time we were in that airport and it looked so darned cool.

Paul's plane goes to Louisiana to pick up Anna. Then he drives home to Houston. My plane leaves Orlando and goes straight to Houston, where I plan to sleep the day away until Paul and Anna show up later. :) Sounds like the perfect ending to an outstanding week.

In the meantime, the 6:30am flight tomorrow is going to suck bright and early. But I have a SLEW of free Southwest drink coupons that I can never otherwise use. TT and I are wondering if they'll serve us mimosas this early in the morning :) Will I look bad if I ask?

**********************************
This weekend we took Anna to Kemah (Sunday morning). She had a blast and so did we :) I even got a nap in yesterday when Anna napped, which is strange because I NEVER nap. Must have been that margarita at the Flying Dutchman. HOLY COW, that one was STRONG, people!!

Unfortunately, no running took place. I got lazy despite the fine weather. Maybe I'll try tonight.

Dear Jesus:

This does make me feel a little bit better:

Yo Gabba Gabba Lands Second Emmy Nomination:
We are ecstatic announce that the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has once again nominated us for a daytime Emmy!! This is our second consecutive nomination under the category of "Outstanding Achievement In Costume Design / Styling" although really it took everyone involved in all aspects of the show to achieve such an honor. We are humbly grateful!High fives, everyone!


But JESUS.

Dear God:

http://brobee.blogspot.com/2009/05/awesomestralia.html

Please, don't ever let Anna learn that there is a Yo Gabba-Gabba! live show on this planet. I will have to abuse the nearest dinner buffet and then seek rehab.

Thank You,
Tara

P.S. I now miss Dora The Explorer.

This morning

My 1-mile pace was 10:57, which is the best in years. That was the first mile, anyway. The second was a slow walk/run I didn't pace. The good timing must be a result of the nice, cool weather we're seeing (strangely) this morning. It's June and that means we're supposed to be suffering right now with humid and hot gunk. Not that I'm complaining...

This morning Anna started asking "Why" questions. We'd been at the "What" questions, and the "Where" questions and this morning she asked "Why" about napkins, Paul's computer, and other things I couldn't figure out. This morning in the car she asked me where we were going. To school.

She skipped her nap yesterday at school so passed out in the car at around 5:30pm. As a result, she slept straight on through the night (as I attempted to wake her up she had a meltdown and wanted to go back to sleep. She and I fought through a diaper change but she slept in her clothes from the day). The child slept till 7:30 this morning. Frankly I wasn't sure what to do with my time since she went straight to bed last night...couldn't go for a run because Paul wasn't home. Forgot about Slim in 6. Sat on the couch for the evening and just vegged out like I don't really get to do these days!

It made me wonder why I ever complained I had no time for cooking or running or swimming before Anna was born. I must have been a sissy. Oh yeah, I had school and also worked about 50-60 hours a week back then. I guess it's always something.

Quickly...

Anna-Marie told us this morning after washing her hands that she has an ouch in her mouth and pointed wayyy back to that molar that is not yet showing itself. She must feel it under there...it's going to hit next week while I'm out and then Paul's mom will also have an out-of-character Anna to have to deal with while Paul's visiting me in Orlando for 2 nights. Probably not the happy toddler we'd like to portray since it's been since Christmas since Paul's mom has seen Anna. Oh well.

Her teachers haven't said anything about the fact she's been wearing Elmo undies over her diapers this week. Ha. Hahaha. Is that wrong?

And why have we been out the door early each day? Seriously. How is it possible I've been to work before 9am the past 2 days?

Today JR asked me to create a Training Development Plan for my position here. How cool is that? It's to be centered around Leadership Development, Public Communications/Media Relations, and Scholarly Activities (things that would keep me current in the scientific community). These are extra training things I can do in addition to my current position to help develop my career. Plus they're FUN. Am I dreaming? Can I get a hell yeah?

Also, the federal government has decided to once again let civil servants attend science and technical conferences within the US (some politician got smart I suppose). It was rediculous to even put that ban into effect last year to begin with...seriously: NASA wasn't allowed to attend conferences because we apparently spend too much money on it. Really. How iditotic. Don't even get me started. We're NASA. NASA. NASA. We ARE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. Stupid politicians. I knew it couldn't last long. Anyway, since that has been relaxed, the result is that now I will get to write more papers and presentations about Space Station Science and present them at different conferences. I'm super excited about that! There's still a limit to only 50 people allowed to travel to foreign conferences, though. Ah well.

Back to work. Fun, fun stuff to go read and write about!!!

Borderline

Fussy morning. She also skipped breakfast. Which actually made us early. Yee-haw. Boo to the fussy morning, though.

Car seat fussing. Threaten her behavior with the paci. What a great 5 days it was in normal sanity. Booger.

Three Time Outs at home tonight after 5 days of none.

It's not all bad. Just borderline...like it's coming...

Molar haiku:

Molar, where are you?
I know you are under there.
We wait for torture.

Some updates

The car rides have been blissful. She doesn't even care about the seat belt or the car seat at all since that tooth has completely broken through. She doesn't squirm or fuss or pull at the seat belts, accusing them of being her source of irritation. In fact, she has twice re-buckled and asked to stay in the car when it's been time to get out. Now part of me wishes I'd held out on the paci for just a few more days. Regression kinda bites. Oh well. I guess that's life. But now it's actually a freaking joy to look forward to picking her up at the end of the day. Even as we talk about her day in the car through her paci in her mouth.

We haven't had a night terror in about 8 nights now. But they have kinda moved into her naps at school. Not sure if they're actually night terrors at school, but when she wakes at the end of her nap, she cries alot and wants no one to go near her for like a good 15 min. It kinda freaked out her teachers but they did say that others in her class have gone through the same phase, and actually worse. In fact, she did this to me on Sunday after a good 3 hour nap. It took me 5 visits to her room over an hour till she finally let me even talk to her to get her downstairs. She wasn't screaming; she just didn't want me to talk to her or go near her. Cranky butt. I called the pedi today just to talk it through and got her nurse who I don't like but made me feel better by reassuring me it's normal. So I talked to the teachers and we're all on the same page about it all so that's a good feeling. Maybe this is the start of the final molar contemplating its arrival. Who knows?

What I do know is we have our fabulously gleeful toddler back. It's freaking nice to see that gorgeous smile and hear her happy songs as she simply washes her hands. I now appreciate car rides more than ever as being peaceful.

I suspect that final molar will cause the reappearance of Devil Anna just in time for her 2 night stay with Paul's mom next weekend while he visits me in Orlando on my business trip (and roller coaster riding).

Let's do it.

Why is all the stuff to the right of my posts GONE?

The flickr account, the blogs I follow, and "About Me". Gone. Their content is still actually present in my Editor but not showing up on my blog. Can you see them and I can't? Is it just me?

Ooooh, thanks to Tom and Ted at Blogger Help ("Something's Broken") who heard my cries for help and told me how to fix it. That was insanely quick and cool of you!!! It worked and my blogger site is nice again :)

Here's why Gwen Stefani rocks

Not only can she punk it out as part of No Doubt, but she can be totally tough and feminine as a solo artist. She loves her job, she's hot, and also a mom of 3 year old and 10 month old sons. She was recently quoted in an article saying her first son is definitely going through the Terrible Two's.

When Anna was 2.5 months old, she came along with Paul and me to see the Sweet Escape tour concert at the Mitchell Woods Pavillion. It was an outdoor concert where we laid out a blanket and figured if she screamed, we could dance with her and at the very least, no one would hear her over the music :) It was a great night.


At that time, Gwen's first son was 10 months old. I just remember thinking: this woman has a baby on her tour bus and she's breastfeeding and she is on the stage happy and rocking it out. On her own, as a solo artist. Wow.

As I watched her on stage, to me she was not just a rock star. She was a mom. And it was cool to have something in common with her and it was cool for me to see someone who started from nothing in her garage fulfill her career dreams, and now adding a family to it.

Two years later, she was up there last night doing it again with No Doubt at the Mitchell Woods Pavillion. This time I am 25lbs lighter. Paul and I were there last night, but Anna was at home sleeping under CM's watch. Gwen is once again the mom of a 10 month old and she's breastfeeding on tour and changing diapers. And she was totally rocking it out during that 1.5 hours with us, at her job.

During her lyrics to the song Simple Life, "I always thought I'd be a mom..." the audience cheered and clapped, and even I gave a shout out as she bowed with the reception that only moms can relate to. I was apparently surrounded by moms. They looked like me...young like me...and at a concert like me. I wondered if their babies were at home asleep and if they were thinking about Gwen the way I saw her. Probably not. I think I'm the only weird one like that.

It was pretty cool that some kids were at last night's concert. I think I saw some as young as 4 or 5. Then there were the moms of the Tweeners who brought their daughters and their friends to this show. I can't wait till that's me. As soon as Anna's old enough, she'll be back to the Mitchell Pavillion with us for another cool concert on the lawn.


Anna's first concert: