we're in

what's the word?
we finally signed our contract and we've been staying at our house for about a week now. we even have a local phone number, which to me makes it official.
we're not really moved in as we're waiting for the painter to finish and are hesitant to really get too settled since they'll be doing a lot of wrecking in the next few weeks. so we're kinda camping - clothes on the clothes line because we haven't gotten a new dryer yet, mattress and box springs on the floor, 3 plates, 3 bowls and a few cups. but it works. oddly, the only thing i've really been missing is my toaster.
today as t2 and i were coming home from the library, i met our mail lady, winkie. that's her name, winkie. like twinkie.
she pulled over her red chevy blazer/mail truck to introduce herself. she was sitting on the passenger side but her left hand was on the wheel and her left leg was stretched across the center so she could operate the brake and gas. she told me if i ever needed anything to just flag her down. she also told me she always carries stamps so should i need some, just leave some cash and a note in the box.
while i was out there, the only neighbor we haven't met came over to introduce herself. her name's doris gentry. she's 79, but you might not be able to guess that because her hair is dyed a sort of autumn sunrise color and i'm gonna guess she goes through a compact of foundation and rouge a week. we introduced ourselves and it didn't take long before she was telling me how many people she knows who've died in the last year. my favorite thing about her, aside from her obvious beauty sense, were the clear plastic goolashes she had on over her slippers.
if that wasn't enough to charm your pants off, just step inside our house. from the snow scene painted tin plate that covers the hole in the wall where the wood stove used to be to the special red, orange and white sponge paint in the dining room we're spilling over with character.
it's perfect even when it's not.

We interrupt your regular BLABY programming...

big boy bed at the big house

tayloe's sister and family are at the cottage this week so we're up at the big house on vacation. there isn't a crib up here so we plunked tayloe into a twin roll away in the spacious room across the hall from us and hoped for the best.
damned if he didn't sleep like a baby. all night long and not a peep every night since friday.
i know, i've just jinxed us.
on another note, there are four containers of ice cream in the freezer right now and each one has a serious dent in it made by your truly. i couldn't help it - they were on sale, 2 for $6. plus, it really helps the heart burn so it's kinda like medicine.

the sweetest sounds

just when i'm ready to ring his little neck, t2 says something cute. it's a trait i'm sure he learned from his dad.
the things i love the most are when he says his name - 'taydough' as he points to himself - and 'i do' when i ask him something. as in, 'do you want some milk?' 'i do!' (god forbid he actually say yes)
'mommie CATCH' is another favorite, only he says it as he's hurling a ball at me, rather than just before like i've been trying to teach him. 'pwease' is awful cute too, especially now that he says it very often without being prompted. and somehow when he really wants my attention, he knows to quickly and loudly say 'MOM!'
right now we're watching curious george together and every once and a while looks up at me and says, 'mommie, turious torge' and points to the tv.
kiddo you are crazy and messy sometimes, have selective hearing and leave me very tired at the end of the day, but i love you to pieces.

back to blaby

well, it's a good thing i have you people. there were so many good ideas for what blaby meant, i've forgotten all about it's LA roots and given it new meaning in my mind. so i changed it back. blaby it is.
if i'd of placed bets on which of our fish would die first, i would have bet on mac. he was swimming upside down a few weeks ago and i thought then he wasn't long for this world. he's also had a few 'out of bowl' experiences, including one that was very close to an open drain.
but i'd of been wrong. cheese got the flush last week while we were gone. it was death by shrimp flakes we think because tayloe said he gorged one night and then was belly up the next day. shrimp flakes will do that to ya.
i was moderately devastated because all week t2 had been talking about him. every fish is named cheese and i still get such a kick out of hearing him say it.
so i asked tayloe to try to replace him before we got home. not for the kid so much, you understand. for me.
and he did replace him. with three minnows. river minnows. only one died today so we're down to two river minnows. and mac. and to help improve their chances for survival, we added an air bubble maker (i'm brain dead -- what are those things called?)
little tayloe and i changed their water today. i put them in a tupperware bowl on the counter, which happened to be next to the dog's bowl.
i was washing rocks and tayloe was making a mess when we both heard a SPLUSH, PING, PING, PING. i looked over and minnow no. 2 had jumped from the tupperware bowl into the dog bowl. there he was, flipping around in some purina crumbs.
dumb fish.