GO MAVS!

True MFFL? Not so much.

So the playoffs have begun. I’ll admit, I’m not a true diehard. I really don’t get into the Mavs season until about now when it gets exciting. As much as hopefully Wade appreciates that I can sit down and watch an entire basketball game, there are definite funny differences in us that come out during the playoff season.

I’m still a fan of Steve Nash and loved when he and Dirk played together. The really tall and not-so-tall best friend thing was too cute. So, it makes me a little sad when they have to play against each other…who wants to beat their best friend?

Winning or losing does not affect my day. When the Mavs have lost really big games in the past, Wade gets really upset. Not throw things around the house upset (thank goodness!), but the kind of bummed out, take it personally upset. This is so strange to me. It stinks that they might have lost, but I know that there wasn’t much more cheering that I could’ve done to change it, so I don’t let it get to me.

I love to see any footage of Mark Cuban. Wade’s company used to have season tickets, so we were able to go to several games a few years ago. I spent half the game with our binoculars watching Mark Cuban. The guy is hilarious to me. It’s not a crush, but a true fascination to see someone so eccentric and passionate about basketball.

I know, all of this adds up to the fact that I’m not a true MFFL (Mavs Fan For Life). But, I do appreciate a good game and the excitement of the local team winning…so GO MAVS!

PS: I took the cutest picture of Tate wearing a Mavs outfit, but Wade has officially called dibs on it for his blog posting on the Mavs coming soon. Since his posting won’t be near the disgrace to the team’s hard work that mine probably is, I’ll let him have it.

Misc. & Catching Up

Having a baby has done something crazy to my immune system. Or maybe, it’s the issue of not having a full night’s sleep since December 4? Whatever the cause, I’m getting over my 3rd cold since Tate was born. We should’ve bought some Kleenex stock, because I helped their profit margin this quarter.

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I received some sad news last week and attended a very difficult funeral. A former co-worker of mine was killed in a car accident after swerving to miss a tire in the road. Just like that…a husband no longer has a wife and a 12-year old & 15-year old no longer have a mother. So hard to understand.

It did make me re-think using the condolence "they're in a better place" to a family member that has just lost someone they love. I wholeheartedly believe that they are in a much better place, but I'm not sure that that is a comfort immediately after a loss. As time goes on and the grief matures, I'm sure it is comforting. But right after the loss happens (especially one so sudden and tragic like this), you don't want them in heaven, you want them at home. Just a thought.

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Tate and I both survived our first overnight trip and had a great time. We headed down south to Temple to spend a couple of days with my sister, Shannon, brother-in-law, Brad, and cute little niece, Mallory.

Shannon and I got in some good shopping at the new Round Rock Outlet. And, I had my first ever IKEA experience. We spent over 2 hours in that gigantic store of great deals, and all I walked out with was a package of cute napkins and plastic green straws! I think I was a little overwhelmed by the choices.

We carried on the Texas tradition of pictures in the bluebonnets. Unfortunately, our photo session was cut short due to an attack of killer mosquitoes, but this little field of bluebonnets was beautiful!

No smiles from either of them. The flowers were too perplexing.

Aunt Shannon & Tate

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So now, Tate has my cold. Thank goodness he doesn’t have a fever. He’s just very congested and sneezy but is pretty happy as long as long as he’s upright. When we lay him down, he gets really fussy from the drainage I guess. It's so sad to see. So, he spent last night sleeping in his car seat (in his bedroom, not in the car). :)

It feels like 2 steps back in the "sleep through the entire night" quest. But, he was tired. We were tired. It worked. He slept. We slept. What more could you ask for?

Happy Easter (yesterday)!

We had a nice (cold) Easter this year with the Strzinek side of the family. Wade's parents have an annual Easter egg hunt at their home every year. A few years ago they switched from hiding plastic eggs filled with candy to hiding plastic eggs filled with the loose change that my father-in-law has collected over the year. So this year, our nephew and niece had quite the profitable (indoor) Easter egg hunt...finding around $30...all in change!

Trip, Tate, "MoMere," and Mary Tish

Although he wasn't quite ready for the hunt this year, my super sweet friend Paige sent Tate his own Easter basket. Too cute! Like most everyone else, the Easter wardrobe choices were limited because of the cold weather, but I was happy that Tate still got to wear his first real pair of shoes. Even though they kept coming off most of the day, he was stylin' in his brown and white loafers.

Happy 4 Months Baby Tate!

This past month has been so much fun with the little guy. He seems to have really started developing his personality. Some tidbits of the past month...

Tate is our little balding baby. Every morning when he wakes up, I think he's lost even more hair. It's really quite surprising when I look back at his newborn pictures that have a full head of dark hair. Now he's got a "Donald Trump combover" and some bald patches in the back! It does look like the new hair is coming in lighter.

He has found his voice and likes to use it. It's pretty cute to hear and funny how much he likes to babble...even at 4:00 a.m.

I absolutely love to see this little boy smile. It's one of those big smiles that really lights up his entire face and is too cute.

Self-soothing...music to my ears! All of a sudden about 2 weeks ago, I figured out that I could lay him down to sleep while he was still awake, and he would quietly fall asleep all on his own. Sleeping through the night is another story. Hopefully we'll have that solved by next month.





Our little rocker!

I think this picture is hilarious. Only a mom and dad could love a baldy with ears like this!

Cutie!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Tate so far (thanks to my sister Shannon). It shows the big smile I can get out of him when we play "IIIIIIIIIII'm gonna get you!"

Q1 2007

Can you believe 2007 is almost 1/4 over? I thought I would go back to my New Year's Resolutions and do some follow-up on my progress (or lack of):

• Read To Kill a Mockingbird (I never had to read this in school somehow?).

It took several tries to get going through the first couple of chapters, but I'm about halfway through now. I know it's a classic, but so far, I can't quite tell why it achieved classic status. I've still got another half to go.

• Commit to at least 3 days a week of exercise.

This is the one I can brag on myself the most. Tate and I have taken good 20-30 minute walks just about every morning the past few weeks. I've really enjoyed it...except for being chased by a killer terrier the other day.

• Stick to our budget.

We're still working on this one. The reality of my last paycheck in February obviously forced the issue. I'm sure the local Target has wondered what happened, because I have cut back considerably on my Target adventures. :(

• Learn how to use my IPod.

I've nothing to report here. I really am computer-savvy, but for some reason, the IPod seems complicated to me. I know...dumb! But thanks to my sister for my birthday present, I've got an ITunes gift card to figure this whole thing out.

• Savor, soak in, and enjoy the simple moments with Tate.

I've tried really hard to do this one. The first 2 months were much harder to do so than these last 2, when I finally awoke from the fog of life with a newborn. But, there have been some very sweet moments.

One of my favorites was a 4:00 a.m. feeding back in January. I was rocking him to sleep (yes, I broke the BabyWise rule!) and heard a light, scratchy noise on the window. From the glider, I opened up the blinds and saw a blanket of snow quietly coming down. It was such a special thing knowing that most people were asleep probably missing it, but my little baby and I got to enjoy such a peaceful sight.

• Commit to quality time with Wade...including time with me, Wade, and Tate and time with just me and Wade.

I think we've done the best we can so far. We've had 2 date nights on our own and could probably use some more (hint, hint). Thankfully, Tate's been pretty portable, so we've still had some good dinners out while he slept and we talked.

• Eat more fruits and vegetables.

Woops! Forgot about that one!

• Keep my side of the closet organized.

Ummmm, that one too!

• Don't nag about the things that don't matter.

I hope I've done OK on this one. I know I have tried to bite my tongue (even when keys were lost or food was left out in the kitchen). But it's difficult to judge progress as the one doing the nagging rather than the one being nagged to. I'll have to check with Wade on that one.

• Walk in a Half-Marathon (this is a second half of the year resolution...post-baby recovery).

That's a Q3 and Q4 one. :)

• Renew my faith daily.

The frequent feedings in the middle of the night and bouts of insomnia have helped this one, but there's always room for improvement.

Not too bad so far, but I've got a lot to get done in the next 9 months!

Why Oh Why...

...is Sanjaya not even in the bottom 3??? Because pre-teen girls have nothing but time on their hands and a phone.

Seriously!

I just watched American Idol (I'm hooked).

Seriously Sanjaya, what was up with the pony hawk? In the past, I've kind of felt sorry for the guy, since so many have made fun of him. But tonight, he was just asking for it. Yikes! The sad thing is that there are probably thousands of 10 and 11-year-olds out there that will vote for him just because of the hairdo.

I'm a fan of Blake, Gina, and Jordin.

Tummy Time Success!

I know it's not near as exciting when it's not your own child...BUT...our little boy can really hold his head up! Woo-hoo! :)

We had been working on some serious tummy time for awhile with not much of a response. Tate seemed to mainly lie there on the ground and suck his thumb. All of a sudden, he realized there was more to check out and see when you put your head up.

This video is pretty cute (yes, I'm biased). I put him on the guest room bed and got on the floor in front of him, so we're at the same level. He was hamming it up for the camera showing off his new-found neck muscles. Please pardon my goofy commentary.

Week of Fun

Last week was lots of fun. I got to celebrate my birthday several times and was able to spend time with family and friends.

One of my college roommates, Garyn, came and stayed for several days and was able to experience firsthand life with baby. By the end of the visit she was changing Tate's clothes, giving him a bottle, and playing peek-a-boo like a pro.

We always have such a good time together. Wade is used to us and has tolerated the "Garyn & Kelly silliness" for years. It's such a blessing to have a friendship that is so comfortable. After living together (and actually sharing a bedroom AND bathroom) for 3 years, you know each other pretty well. Although we live 5 hours from each other now, the comfort of being with each other and the silliness hasn't changed at all.

We went the whole visit without taking pictures of Garyn & Tate until we realized that in the last hour. So, this is taken in the Barnes & Noble bath room. :)

Later in the week were the birthday celebrations...all 3 of them! Wade and I had our night out (see previous chocolate cake story). Wade did a great job with the birthday presents, which included a tiny photo album of Tate's pictures that will fit perfectly in my purse and an addition to my Shel Silverstein book collection.

Then, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece came in town. We had a great dinner with my parents @ PF Changs (both kids made it through without a meltdown). Then we put the babies to bed at my parent's house, and the 4 of us headed out for dessert...guess where...Truluck's for more chocolate cake! (I forgot to mention earlier that the cake is best with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.)

While they were here, my sister and I enjoyed dressing up Tate and Mallory (they're exactly 6 months a part) in the matching outfits we've bought for them. Here they are in the matching Christmas outfit, which is just now fitting Tate correctly. We promised Wade & Brad that we won't do this to them after the age of 16! :)

This picture cracks me up for some reason. It's like they're saying...woman, leave us alone and stop taking our picture! Since they're so close in age, I can't wait to see how they'll get along as they get older.

Then, I celebrated with my in-laws on what is now the Kelly's birthday/St. Patrick's Day dinner. My niece and mother-in-law went all out in St. Patty's decorations. Mary Tish even made us each shamrock place cards for the dinner table. Here are Mary Tish and my nephew, Trip all decked out. Too cute!

Then all 3 of us ended the week on Sunday afternoon with a much-needed long nap. I'm half asleep in this picture, but think it's so funny to see him relaxed with his arms back.

Thanks to everyone for helping make my birthday memorable and special.