Tammy's Bird Brain

I am in the process of weaning Eva but I think I am actually weaning myself.  The main reason I have decided to do this is because she gets up a 1 a.m. and wants to nurse and is restless and nursing until about 5 a.m. when she finally falls back to sleep.  Obviously this is messing up my sleep and I realize that I have created a habit for her which I must now break.  So over the weekend I got her to drink milk from a bottle and take her binki which was no small feat.  But Saturday night was hard because I decided to not nurse her at all during the night.  She woke up at 2:45 a.m. tugging at my shirt and crying.  I tried to give her the bottle but she would have none of it.  She cried and cried and laid her little head on my shoulder and cried for an hour.  And of course I cried too.  I tickled her back and told her how sometimes getting big is hard but I told her about all the fun things she would be able to do now that she is getting so big.  I also sang to her “I Will” by The Beatles.  I love this song and have sung it to her since I found out I was pregnant.

I Will

Who knows how long I’ve loved you.
You know I love you still.
Will I wait a lonely lifetime
If you want me to…I will.

For if I ever saw you
I didn’t catch your name.
But it never really mattered
I will always feel the same.

Love you forever and forever.
Love you with all my heart.
Love you whenever we’re together.
Love you when we’re apart.

And when at last I find you
Your song will fill the air
Sing it so loud I can hear you.
Make it easy to be near you
For the things you do endear you to me
Ahhh, You know I will.

I will.

Songwriters: Lennon, John Winston; Mccartney, Paul James;

During that hour of crying it made me think about how all mammals have to go through the weaning process from their moms.  When I was in Hawaii we saw a beautiful sea lion (I can’t remember which kind exactly).  They have volunteers that stake off the areas where the sea lions beach to give them room since they are endangered.  The volunteer was telling us of all her adventures doing this and she said that when the sea lions have their babies they stay with them for something like 3 or 5 days and then the mothers wait until their baby falls asleep and then they leave and that is it.  That is the weaning.  She said one time she watched this happen and the baby cried and cried for a whole day and then the mom came back for the night and was gone in the morning and the baby was okay after that.  Obviously I am having crazy hormones right now because I am totally crying while I am typing this.  It is so sad!  Poor little baby sea lions!

I also thought of the cows and horses I grew up with and when it is time to separate the mothers and babies they both freak out and “cry” in their way and it is hard to watch.

Though it is hard I am so grateful to get to do it.  I waited for Eva for what seemed like a “lonely lifetime”.  I had dreams about her that caused me emotions that I had never felt before.  I am so grateful for my little sugar-bean-plum.

And yes, I am an overly hormonal mom right now who is emotional and nonsensical and that is why I write this sappy post.

Filed under: eva, life, love, motherhood by Tammy
Tags: « animals - eva - motherhood »
2 Comments »

I love this commercial and I found it on YouTube.  I just don’t know how to post the video directly on my blog so click below for a laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKGKB5bc9DU

Filed under: funny by Tammy
Tags: « funny »
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I attract horrible customer service.  I have come to the conclusion that I am way nicer sounding in my head then I am in person.  I have also come to the conclusion that I am going to call people out when I think they are being rude.  Since they already think I am rude then I don’t see any problem with this.

Here are some recent examples:

(at a café)

“Do you have any chocolate croissants?”

“If we do they would be in the case.”

“OK, are these chocolate?”

“Those are ham and cheese.”

“How do I know if they are chocolate?”

“Believe me sweetheart, you would know if they were chocolate.”

That’s when I turned and walked away.

What I wish I would have said in this situation:  “Seriously, are you really going to be that rude and condescending?  How am I supposed to know what is inside the croissant?  All you have to do is answer yes or no if you have any chocolate croissants.  Don’t take it out on me if you hate your job and/or life.”

Then if I was really brave I would stand there and wait for a response because it is a little cowardly to yell and then walk away before the person can respond.  But then as soon as they start to respond cut them off and say “Never mind, I don’t have the time.”  Good right?

(at Target buying 1 bag of cotton balls)

“Oh, I don’t need a bag.”

(said just as she had placed it in the bag but not taken the bag off the metal thing.)

Employee rolled her eyes and was pissed at me the rest of the transaction and also talked very quietly which was quite irritating.


This Target one might not seem like a big deal but it is just an example of what happens on a regular basis to me.

What I wish I would have said:  “Why are you irritated that I don’t want a bag?  Don’t be rude to me.”  This one is not that great but it is something and let’s face it, I am way too nice to actually say something, right?

I have been working on my tone to see if I can make it sound nicer but I just end up speaking in a higher tone and if you have heard my voice you know that if I go any higher it would be pretty annoying.


So the moral:

Give people the benefit of the doubt.  Maybe they think they are being nice or maybe they hate their job and they are rude to people who are being nice because they are a miserable person.  I am choosing to go with the latter.


And a side note; you shouldn’t give free samples of something you are sold out of. It is a slap in the face to tempt me with something so delectable and then tell me you are out of it!

Filed under: life by Tammy
Tags: « customer service - life »
5 Comments »

…hooray for February!!! January is finally over!

Have you noticed the days are getting longer?

February is going to fly by and then it will be March the month of green and Daylight Savings!
And then April the month of daffodils and tulips!
And then May the month of growth and then June when summer begins!!!!

I can’t wait for the earth to wake up.

Filed under: life, summer, whatever by Tammy
Tags: « earth - january »
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I think it is time to start training Eva to sleep through the night and do it in her crib.  I know it will be easier if I do it now and it will be harder the longer I wait.  I know that it will be better for her as well; she needs to get a good solid 10 hours.  I know that she is capable of it and that she can’t possibly be starving and need to nurse 3 times a night.  I know, I know, I know.

But I love to snuggle her and smell her breath and feel her pulling on my hair.  I love it, I love it, I love it.

It will just get worse and harder so it has to be done.  So tonight I didn’t nurse her to sleep; I let her cry but I didn’t leave her alone.  I can’t stand the thought of her feeling abandoned and I don’t agree with letting her cry alone in a dark room.  So I soothed her and let her cry  and I laid by her.  So technically she didn’t fall asleep in her crib but she didn’t nurse.  It took about a half hour and she was really mad but we did it.  It was hard.  Now she is in her crib.

Being a parent is quite an adventure.  I have all these new emotions that I never expected.  Who new I would be depressed about having to give up a restless night for a full nights rest.


Love to you my sweet Eva.

Filed under: eva, life, motherhood by Tammy
Tags: « eva - motherhood - sleep »
3 Comments »

This is Alan Rickman who will probably forever be know as Professor Snape though I prefer Sheriff of Nottingham.

This is the Russell Crowe that I was referring to.

These are Dansko clogs.

You will see a lot of these being worn at Whole Foods, farmers markets, yoga studios and independent movie theaters..

Keep your eyes out for them and you will see what I mean.

Filed under: General by Tammy
1 Comment »

Yes I use reusable grocery bags.

Yes I hate high fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners and I make a big effort to not consume them.  (woo hoo Mexican Coke movement!)

Yes I am passionate about recycling everything I can possibly recycle.

Yes I go through the garbage can at home and work to see if there is anything that needs to be recycled.

Yes I use vinegar as hair conditioner and deodorant and I try to use natural, organic body products.

Yes I go out of my way to drop off the glass recycling.

Yes I am a massage therapist and prefer alternative medicine.

Yes I try to eat organic and I want to have my own garden.

And yes I wear Dansko clogs.

But really do I have to be lumped with the hemp wearing, hairy pitted, dread locked, no showering hippies?  These people can not be taken seriously though they are trying so hard to be heard and make a difference and I do appreciate that but you can’t really take someone serious when they are high and you have to hold your breath due to the body odor.

Maybe I will find out that I do have B.O. after posting this actually (right Michelle?) but really.

I love the earth and I want to keep our water supply clean and I want to support local businesses and make sure my kids don’t start puberty at 6 but I also do not want to be lumped in as a crazy person where you roll your eyes and just put up with me to get me to shut up.

I also do not want to be lumped with Al Gore.  You can’t trust a man who wears blush especially one who wears too much blush.

So I’m left to wonder:  Is it OK to be passionate about something anonymously?

(And yes, that was a Sex in the City moment for those of you who know what I’m talking about.)

Filed under: HFCS, earth, recycle, vinegar by Tammy
Tags: « earth - passionate - recycle - vinegar »
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Last night Eva had a restless night so I was up late. I also had insomnia so I ended up staying awake until 3:30 a.m. knitting, watching Sense & Sensibility (the Emma Thompson one (the only good one)), and taking care of Eva. Even though I only got four hours of sleep I loved it. The house was quiet and I sat there counting stitches while listening to Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman and the ever bumbling idiot Hugh Grant read off beautiful lines and make me laugh. It is a perfectly executed film and it is perfect to knit to since it is not one you necessarily have to keep your eyes on due to low action. Though it is a beautiful film to actually watch as well.

And seriously, Alan Rickman’s voice is amazing and one of my favorites. Remember the old Robin Hood with Kevin Costner? Yes I know it is pretty lame but worth watching because Alan Rickman is hilarious in it and steals the show to all the other actors who did a horrible job. Sorry Morgan but it wasn’t good.

Speaking of Robin Hood the new one coming out with Russell Crowe should be really good. He has his old Gladiator hair cut back which is a big plus already for the movie. Seriously that guy does not know how to do his own hair.

But back to Alan; If you need a good cry and you love Alan Rickman you should see Truly, Madly, Deeply. It is wonderfully heart wrenching.

And there you have it.

Filed under: movies by Tammy
Tags: « movies »
7 Comments »

I pulled up the other night to my house and saw what looked like two birds fighting.  When I got closer with my truck I saw two shining eyes staring at me and I thought “Is that a rat eating a bird?”  And then I got closer and realized a black ferret was attacking one of my ducks.  The black ferret turned out to be a mink.  Where I live there used to be a lot of mink farms.  Now there is just one.

Anyways I chased the mink off and checked out my duck which had a bite on its neck and was very scared but fine otherwise.  I guided the duck to the geese and scolded them for not doing their job properly which was to protect the ducks.  I realized another duck was missing so I went searching with my flashlight and found the duck sitting in the middle of the field with some blood on the snow around him but I couldn’t tell where he was bleeding from.  He seemed shaken up but fine so I guided him to the flock.

The mink kept coming back to check out what I was doing and I kept chasing him off.  Luckily he ran into our garage so we trapped him inside and Clint and I armed ourselves with nets and after lots of banging and chasing caught him.  He escaped about 5 times but we finally got him in a box.

We debated on killing him but I wanted to give him to a mink farmer so we found one and he was happy to take the mink which turned out to be female.

This was Wednesday night and my ducks seem to be recovering well.

Here is the one picture I got before she jumped out of the net:

So that was our grand adventure of late.

By the way, even if you love animals and want to take a stand against mink farmers it is not the best idea to go let loose the mink. A guy did it to the mink farmer where we dropped off our mink and he has to pay $150,000 dollars in fines and may spend 4-7 years in prison. There are other ways to take stands without doing illegal things. Plus, mink are feisty little buggers.

This is just me showing I care.

Love.

POST EDIT 2/8/2010:  In the comments you can read an article about the man who let the mink loose.  He got 24 months in prison and $60,000 in fines.

Filed under: farm by Tammy
Tags: « farm »
2 Comments »

We went to my mom’s last weekend to celebrate Eva’s first birthday.  I can not believe it has been a year.  I read what I wrote about my delivery and it seems like it just happened.  My life is so different.  I am so different.  With a kid time goes by much faster.  It is a little sad.  There are times I stop and try to memorize the moments; her soft skin, her sweet smell, the size of her hands and feet.  It doesn’t work though because I can’t remember what she was like 5 months ago.  She grows so gradually that I can’t see it but then I turn around and she is walking and babbling and I am wondering when she learned to do all of those things.  Kids grow so fast that even if I received my wish and she would grow slower it would still be too fast.  Alas, I am subject to the march of time which I was grateful for a week ago.

So here are the pictures for your eyes to feast on:

We got Eva a Klean Kanteen sippy cup for her birthday.  No uterine cancer for my girl!

Me and Eva.  Can you see us beyond my yellow shirt?

Birthday Girl!  (shirt from Auntie Sarah)

Clint and Eva with her new hat!  I love this hat it makes her look like a cupcake!  (Hat from Auntie Natalie)

Eva helping with the pizza.  Can you see the view from the window?  It is so beautiful it looks fake.

Auntie Natalie cooking the pizza.  Notice how messy cooking pizza is.

This isn’t the greatest picture but my fingers look cool.  I am throwing pizza dough.

(random:  remember when we learned to spell doughnut like this?  That is how I learned it in elementary school.  When did it change to donut?  Anyone? )

Look how beautiful this pizza is!  Homemade pizza is the best.  I normally hate pizza.

Eva loves pizza.  Actually Eva loves everything.  She is not a picky eater.

Eva’s cupcakes.  Her cousin made her the special one on top which she ate the frosting off of.

Messy mug.

She ate the cupcake but didn’t really seem to care that it was sugary sweet.

She enjoyed the bath that came after much more.

Happy birthday my sweet Evakins.  I wish I could live this year over and over.  You are a sweet angel.  You are so happy and you make everyone around you happy.  I hope you can keep this happiness for life forever.

Love to you my girl!

Filed under: eva, food, holidays, love, motherhood by Tammy
Tags: « eva - food - holidays - love »
5 Comments »