My 101 things...

I got this idea from a friend of mine, and it's taken me months just to get to 75 things, however since I started completed some of these things back in March I'm just going to continue adding as I go. I feel like this will give me little things to work towards each day, and just being able to cross them off gives me a sense of accomplishment. I'm wide open for suggestions!

On another note I haven't been on here in a while and have lots of things to write about, so I'll be blitzing this thing pretty crazy over the next couple days. It's always nice when there is lots to share (and pretty much all of it is good news! :)

~S~

Book #5

Ozzy Osbourne is the definition of a rock star, and his stories of excess are legendary. But to hear them from the horse's mouth are a whole separate thing entirely.
This is pretty much an autobiography, from as far back as the mad man can remember (and all things considered, he shouldn't be able to remember back that far). From his poor upbringing to the Black Sabbath Days, to hell and back he really is an interesting bloke.
The irony in the fact that he's done more drugs then any human should even be able to comprehend, yet he almost died going 10 mph on a 4-wheeler is just irony at its finest. I also felt a much greater appreciation for Sharon after reading this book. Any woman that puts up with that amount of $hit, but can dish it right back and knock you around when necessary gets my vote any day of the week. All in all I thought it was a fascinating and fun read about the legend and goofball that is Ozzy Ozbourne.

Frustration!

I firmly believe that there should be a parent's manual, because this learning as you go stuff is exhausting!
A couple weeks ago Ashtyn had a stomach bug (or at least that's what we thought it was). It involved projectile vomiting and besides that little factor she didn't have a fever, and although she was a little cranky her demeanor really didn't change. So we get through a couple few days of that, she seems back to normal, life goes on.
We tried to give her a formula bottle about 2 days after she's been back to eating, and then she geyser-ed it all over me. We thought it was still too heavy for her little tummy so we just went back to strait breastmilk, and she didn't have a problem.
Before she got "sick" we'd been kicking butt with solids, and she really seemed to be enjoying them. So we give it a go with some peas after about 4 days, and she eats a little bit, then nurses, then brings it ALL back up. Fell right asleep after that. Try something similar the following night, same story.
So now- no formula, no solids, just nursing. Sometimes she's fine, other times she'll bring whatever she just ate from the source back up. At Daycare they have not had one issue since she initially got sick-not one! We send three 4oz bottles of what I pumped the day before and she takes that without an issue.
I don't know if her gauge of when she's full is still out of whack, so when she's nursing she just keeps eating and it's too much. They toyed around with reflux back in January, which I thought was asinine since she hadn't had any issues previously and the meds made it worse but I just don't know what to do any more. Her 6 month appointment is coming up, so I don't really see a point in getting with the doctor before then. I'm terrified she's not growing properly (as that was an issue back in January also) but she's such a happy baby that it just makes this that much more befuddling. I'm beginning to feel like a terrible mother, wondering if there's something wrong with my milk, or why in the hell I can't just figure out the issue and fix it. A mommy intuition is supposed to just take care of these things, but I'm running out of options...

*S*

Book #4

So in less then a day I finished book number four- Beastly by Alex Flinn. I said that I'd be doing some light reading after two Hannibal Lechter novels, and this didn't disappoint. Pretty much a modern day Beauty and the Beast that takes place in New York City.
Spoiled rich brat makes a witch mad so she turns him into a beast. He gets 2 years to get a girl to fall in love with him despite his hideous appearance. You can figure the rest out from here as it all ends happily ever after. I wasn't expecting a great literary master piece and I was happy with just a light fluffy chick read. There is a movie coming out I think next week, and while I would like to go see it (as I find Alex Pettyfer to be incredibly easy on the eyes) I have a feeling I'll have to wait until it's released on DVD.
Now on to my non-fiction book number five!

Books 2 and 3 for the year...

**Spoilers inside**

Book number two on my list was The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. Considering the movie is one of my top 10 faves, I'm surprised it took me this long to read it. This is the 2nd book in the Hannibal Lechter series, the first being Red Dragon which I read a couple years ago.
I was really surprised at how closely the movie stayed to the book, obviously with the amount of detail you can only ever be so close but this one is pretty good.
For those not familiar, the Silence of the Lambs introduces us to a young FBI agent named Clarice Starling. She is pulled into a case involving a serial killer that skins his victims, and to find him she must enlist the help of sociopath (and cannibal) Dr. Hannibal Lechter. In the time Clarice spends with Dr. Lechter he gets inside her head and forces her to face things buried deep in her memory. In the end Clarice ends up catching Buffalo Bill, and Dr. Lechter escapes imprisonment due to the greed and ignorance of the "Doctor" in charge of him. At the end of the book we see Starling graduating the Academy, and Lechter enjoying his new found freedom after being locked in a cell for fifteen years. "Have the lambs stopped screaming yet Clarice?"

Book number 3 for me was Hannibal, also the third book in this series. This one finds our characters Clarice and Dr. Lechter 7 years after the Silence of the Lambs. Clarice falls from grace in the FBI when a drug bust goes terribly wrong, and Lechter is enjoying his freedom in Florence Italy acting as a curator in a museum. This book introduces us to one of Lechter's victims that actually survived- Mason Verger. When I first started reading Mason was the reason I almost didn't continue, he was disturbing. His obsession with revenging the mutilation done to him by Lechter involves man eating pigs and is a little out there. His sister Margot was who I was rooting for the whole time. In several twists and turns Lechter and Clarice reunite, Mason and a few other unfortunate human beings get what's coming to them, and the story ends much better then it did in the movie (at least in my opinion). Clarice humanizes Lechter, and it's just interesting to see how they pull things no one else can out of one another. This book is also the first glimpse of Lechter's past and the grizzly death of his sister Misha.
There is a fourth and final book "Hannibal Rising" which I have and do intend on reading. I think I need some lighter reading for a while though. As in to these books as I find myself, I also have trouble sleeping if I'm reading before bed. Some light, frothy reading is certainly on my horizon. All in all two very interesting reads that suck you in from page 1 and kind of make you question yourself when you see that the "Bad" guy isn't at all the worst person out there.

Ashtyn's 5 month player profile

On Saturday our lovely little lady turned 5 months old! I liked the way a friend of mine posted each of her daughter's milestones so hopefully she won't mind if I take a page out of her book. :)

Height: At her last appointment she was 24 inches, but since there's been a growth spurt since then I imagine it's more.

Weight: 12.5lbs at her appointment, again growth spurt so I know she's more then that now.

Clothing: She's been in 6 month pajamas for a while, now she's mostly in all 6 month clothes. I squeeze her into some 3 months onsies still, but that won't happen for much longer.

Movement: Rolling over! She can go from her back to her belly, but she's still getting a little stuck from belly to back. She desperately wants to sit up on her own, but she isn't quite there yet. There is a lot of time spent in the sit-up position- head and feet raised- our daughter has a very strong core!

Words and Tricks: No words yet, but she will mimick "Lalalalala" when you sing it to her. She has also figured out that when she is what's making you smile to ham it up some more to see what kind of a reaction you'll give her. Not one to shy away from the spotlight already.

Sleep Habits: We're just about back to a full night's sleep. We've had about a month of waking up for no reason at all but to say hello. That has finally passed, and she's getting a formula bottle just for bed and that seems to keep her tummy full longer. Daddy takes her up to bed around 830 and she usually stays down until between 630 and 7. If there's a wake up it's because she cant find her Wubba Nub, but once we shove it back in her face all is well in the world.

Teeth: No teeth yet, but they are definitely under the gums waiting to come out and play. She chews on everything she can get her hands on, and iced teething toys have been clutch so far.

Favorite Foods: So far she's had rice cereal and oatmeal, which only seem to go down without a fuss if there is banana or some pear juice thrown in. The green veggies (peas and green beans) have been introduced and they have been a success for now, next on the roster: squash!

Toys: Wubba Nub giraffe and monkey, Sophie, anything she can gnaw on and stick in her mouth.

Things that make her laugh: Blowing raspberries on her belly, the tickle monster, Bella, seeing you laugh, getting lots of crazy loud kisses on her cheeks and face.

All in all Ashtyn is a really happy baby, she's always a joy and brings smiles to everyone that meets her! I'm excited to see what this next month has in store.

Book Review #1

My goal for this year is to read 12 NEW books (IE: Books I have not read before.) The first book I completed was Water for Elephants. It had been recommended to me by several people, and since the movie comes out soon I wanted to see what all the hype was about. What I got was a delightful surprise.
Just by the title, and without seeing the cover I had preconceived notions, and no desire to read it. However once I heard a movie was in the works my mind changed. I am yet to see a movie as good as a book it's based on, so I wanted to prepare myself for this release with plenty of time.
The writer tells a great story, it's gritty but fabulously written. She paints a detailed picture that makes the story very vivid on every page. I also loved the ending, it really was perfect with just the right amount of detail.
The only complaint I even have is that I saw Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson as the two main characters. I must admit that they fit the roles perfectly, but I wish I could have drawn that conclusion on my own accord. I give it a 9 out of 10 and would recommend it to anyone that wants a fictional story that will allow them to escape from reality and into the circus for a little while.

**On a seperate note, if you have any recommendations please feel free to float them my way. I have a habit of reading the same books over and over again. Hence "New" books for 2011**

*S*