Happy Teeny Halloweeny

Here we are at 2 weeks old on Halloween. Hazel is celebrating with pumpkin-esque diapers, spooky smells, and some midnight howling...

She's Here!

Hazel Jane Schwope

October 17, 2008

4:00 pm

7lbs 2 oz, 19"

psst...

Hey, we got a new camera. And I met a butterfly. And then introduced the camera to the butterfly. Welcome, everyone.

Thank you, Diana & Lin!

I recently received a suh-weet gift from my aunt & cousin in New York City. Included was this shirt. Obviously, it's not quite meant for the 9th month, but I LOVE what it says! At first I didn't even see the planet, didn't realize it was an earthy shirt. I just thought it was a great proclamation of authority. Now I realize that it's not quite as literal as I first interpreted, but I still may choose to read it that way. Great choice, Diana. Great choice, Lin. I love it.

Benefit for TLC

Some friends treated us & took us as guests to the annual fundraiser for TLC, an organization in KC that works with troubled kids & kids in foster care. I found out about this about 30 minutes before it started -- sweet! We were late, but it was fun. They raised a ton of money. I was so happy to see the free food as I have really hated cooking lately.

I got several compliments on my dress. I suppose they came out of the hypnosis that the concave pattern seemed to cause folks. It's one of those dresses I bought about 2 years ago thinking, "this would be really comfortable, especially if I were pregnant." Sure enough -- I was right. Only downside is that it really had to be worn with heels, which are never remotely comfortable while pregnant. At least not this late in the game.

Funniest moment of the night was when the stranger across the table started making small talk and asked me, "Do you know what you're having?" Tory reached & put his hand on my belly and responded, "We're having a basketball, can't you tell?" This was really funny for a few reasons. First was the obvious nature of the joke, yes, my belly looks quite like a basketball sometimes. Second was the fact that Tory does not make small talk, especially with people he does not know & will most likely never see again. Third was that he does not touch my belly in public (which I appreciate). All this summed to quite a funny moment, almost enough for me to accidentally wet myself. Almost.

Meet Daisy

Tory really, really wanted a dog. A big dog. A dog to go to the farm with him everyday. While Nelson would love to step in and fill these shoes (paws), his terrier physique just doesn't do anything for Tory's lumberjack image. So Tory let Velda have another litter of puppies and brought one home a week or so ago.



Much to my amazement, he named her DAISY. To my further amazement, she's actually a pretty good dog and I kind of enjoy having her around. Here is a pic of us when I went out to the farm to meet her for the first time.


The funny thing is, in the morning when Tory is getting ready to go, Nelson won't leave his side. When he starts to put his boots on, Nelson starts running in circles. You can see the hope in his eyes -- "Please take me, please take me, please take me!" He loves going to the farm. And Daisy will find me and sit at my feet or follow me around, not wanting to leave. So then we have to separate & carry them to their respective places of employment: Nelson to the house, Daisy to the farm. Nelson has been spending everyday since Daisy came home in a sulk -- just waiting for the rest of the family to get home. Sadistic as it is, I find it hilarious.

Masonic Stumper

The JB Big Band had a gig Sept. 20 in Columbia. The Masons (the Truman Club to be specific) invited us for the 3rd year in a row to play for their awards banquet. These folks are great -- they get super dressed up, seem very happy to be together, get a kick out of honoring each other -- AND they drink and dance, which usually means the most to me. The best audiences seem to always include those two activities.

It has taken me 3 years to finally figure out this phrase they always say in their awards presentations. I suppose I could have looked it up long ago, but I wasn't quite that intrigued. They use a title before each other's names that sounds like "Orsheln" or "Michelin", I just thought it was some weird ancient secret language I wasn't supposed to understand. And maybe they would even have me killed if I asked. I mean, they are all very nice, but I've watched the history channel specials on the Masons -- you don't mess around.

But I did figure it out this year. It is Right Worshipful Brother. What a mouthful -- say it fast and all together. Fun. Just take your gum out first, I don't want you to accidentally choke & die.

Here is a pic of me after the gig: