The other day my neighbor now friend sent me a link to the following article. I thought it was so perfect because it captures some of the sneaking suspicions I've been having about myself these past two and a half months. I joked back that the article resonated with someone whose ideal target audience is 18-year-olds.
It's true. I have trouble with babies. I don't like to hold other people's babies; I'm not a person who does well with lots of loud noises (like crying for minutes on end); and I'm also a person who LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her sleep. But today I realized that even if babies aren't my thing, my baby is my thing.
Baby Beeton took his first nap in his "big boy" crib today. We've been keeping him in a bassinet in our room since he was born for both naps and nighttime slumber. But, he's getting very long (must get his height from his parents... um, no) and has almost outgrown the bassinet, so we thought it was time to (slowly) transition to his own room in the beautiful crib that his Nana and Pops bought him. When I put him down to sleep, I got a little tear in my eye, realizing that this little peanut is in fact growing each day. And that's when it dawned on me that while I'd still take an 18-year-old over a newborn, I wouldn't trade my little baby in for anything.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Watched The Beaver.
8.22.2011
8.19.2011
going public
Mr. Beeton wisely informed me that in linking to my sister-in-law's blog in my last post that my anonymity would no longer be in tact. You may have probably guessed from reading this blog that my name isn't Martha Beeton (in fact, that's a nom de plume I came up with from two of my idols - Martha Stewart and Mrs. Beeton of the book of household management), my husband's name isn't Mr., my dog's name isn't Ella (shortened from Nigella, another domestic goddess), and my new baby's name isn't Baby. I suppose when I started this blog I was afraid of getting dooced, but then I quickly realized that aside from my occasional complaint about having too many papers to read I haven't really written anything controversial enough to get me fired from my job at The First President University. And, now that Baby Beeton is here and we're taking pictures left and right, I want to be able to post them without linking to my Flickr account. Like this one here...
Isn't it cute?
It's from our 48-hour stay in Ocean City, New Jersey where we spent some time visiting with my mom, dad, Auntie M, her Lord Boyfriend, my brother, his wife, and their darling Little M. We also got to see my Uncle T though, sadly, we missed visiting with my cousins from Maine because one of the kids had a bit of the stomach flu (we didn't think Baby Beeton could handle those germs right now). Though we didn't get to the beach (except to snap this shot), we did get to walk the boardwalk and pick up some salt water taffy from Shrivers.
Another highlight of our visit was Little M's love of Baby Beeton. You see, Little M is expecting a brother in September - for now nicknamed Baby Puddin' - so she was pleased as punch to be able to have a temporary little brother all to herself. She helped Baby Beeton take a bath; she read him stories; and she sweetly asked, "May I pat Baby Beeton on the head?" and "May I tickle Baby Beeton?" She's going to be a great big sister, and she's going to love her little brother just like I loved her dad - my little brother - when he was born. I hope they have as much fun playing pretend as we did (cue the Monkees soundtrack here).
Keep sweeping, Martha
Isn't it cute?
It's from our 48-hour stay in Ocean City, New Jersey where we spent some time visiting with my mom, dad, Auntie M, her Lord Boyfriend, my brother, his wife, and their darling Little M. We also got to see my Uncle T though, sadly, we missed visiting with my cousins from Maine because one of the kids had a bit of the stomach flu (we didn't think Baby Beeton could handle those germs right now). Though we didn't get to the beach (except to snap this shot), we did get to walk the boardwalk and pick up some salt water taffy from Shrivers.
Another highlight of our visit was Little M's love of Baby Beeton. You see, Little M is expecting a brother in September - for now nicknamed Baby Puddin' - so she was pleased as punch to be able to have a temporary little brother all to herself. She helped Baby Beeton take a bath; she read him stories; and she sweetly asked, "May I pat Baby Beeton on the head?" and "May I tickle Baby Beeton?" She's going to be a great big sister, and she's going to love her little brother just like I loved her dad - my little brother - when he was born. I hope they have as much fun playing pretend as we did (cue the Monkees soundtrack here).
Keep sweeping, Martha
8.08.2011
road trip
The last weekend in July, we traveled out to Chicago to celebrate a milestone for another Baby B - our nephew who was born about a month before Baby Beeton. Many people thought we were crazy for driving out to Illinois; after all, the trip is ten hours. But since Ella has serious separation anxiety, we thought it best to opt for our own little National Lampoon's vacation rather than head to the airport.
Mr. Beeton, Baby Beeton, Ella, and I headed out on Thursday morning, staying at our friend's house in Cleveland on the way out and back. Honorary Uncle P was in Ireland for ten days, so his townhouse in Ohio City was all ours. On the way out, we arrived on Thursday night, grilled steaks, rested, and got up the next day, heading to the West Side Market for lunch. That night, we drove to Cold Water, Michigan where we stayed at a lovely Red Roof Inn and enjoyed Applebee's Curbside To Go. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, we arrived in downtown Chicago, settled in, later meeting up with family for a barbecue. Sunday we celebrated Baby B's big day and relaxed with family that evening. Then, on Monday, it was back to Cleveland and then home to D.C. the next day. My sister-in-law recorded the whole weekend in her blog post "Holy Weekend" - it's complete with adorable pictures of all the cousins who attended.
I have to admit that aside from the Peach Snapps wine coolers from the Walmart in Cold Water, the three egg sandwiches I ate over the course of the weekend (two from Panera and one from Frasca), and Ella's walk down Michigan Avenue, a definite highlight of the weekend were the delicious salads from Whole Foods that we had at the barbecue. In particular, Mr. Beeton and I were taken with an orzo salad - so much so that when we came home we reproduced it in our own kitchen. Scrumptous. And even better the next day.
Greek Orzo Salad
Keep sweeping, Martha
Mr. Beeton, Baby Beeton, Ella, and I headed out on Thursday morning, staying at our friend's house in Cleveland on the way out and back. Honorary Uncle P was in Ireland for ten days, so his townhouse in Ohio City was all ours. On the way out, we arrived on Thursday night, grilled steaks, rested, and got up the next day, heading to the West Side Market for lunch. That night, we drove to Cold Water, Michigan where we stayed at a lovely Red Roof Inn and enjoyed Applebee's Curbside To Go. Finally, on Saturday afternoon, we arrived in downtown Chicago, settled in, later meeting up with family for a barbecue. Sunday we celebrated Baby B's big day and relaxed with family that evening. Then, on Monday, it was back to Cleveland and then home to D.C. the next day. My sister-in-law recorded the whole weekend in her blog post "Holy Weekend" - it's complete with adorable pictures of all the cousins who attended.
I have to admit that aside from the Peach Snapps wine coolers from the Walmart in Cold Water, the three egg sandwiches I ate over the course of the weekend (two from Panera and one from Frasca), and Ella's walk down Michigan Avenue, a definite highlight of the weekend were the delicious salads from Whole Foods that we had at the barbecue. In particular, Mr. Beeton and I were taken with an orzo salad - so much so that when we came home we reproduced it in our own kitchen. Scrumptous. And even better the next day.
Greek Orzo Salad
- Make as much orzo as you like.
- Saute spinach with a little garlic.
- Drain orzo. Add spinach, feta cheese, black and green olives.
- Dress with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Enjoy.
Keep sweeping, Martha
8.06.2011
kitchen confidential
Started the great kitchen renovation project today. Priming the cabinets one by one while Baby Beeton sleeps. This could take forever, but it will be worth it. Stay tuned for the results.
Keep sweeping, Martha
8.04.2011
you're never fully dressed
It's amazing the difference a smile can make.
Things around the Beeton household of late have been less than ideal. Our little man really threw our carefully crafted life into a tailspin. We were warned, I know. And, we thought we were prepared. But, we've learned you can never really prepare for the chaos that a crying little prince can bring (you may have read about the havoc in a prematurely published post if you have Google reader... my apologies... "Schooling the Bad Parent" had not been properly polished before I hit publish).
But then, something miraculous happened. We got a smile. A full on, gummy little smile. And the world changed. All of the sudden parenting wasn't just 2 am feedings, crying jags, and dirty diapers.
Don't get me wrong. Not every day is great. And most days are pretty darn hard. But, a smile and a coo can make all the difference on even the most difficult of days.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Watching Season Two: Modern Family.
Things around the Beeton household of late have been less than ideal. Our little man really threw our carefully crafted life into a tailspin. We were warned, I know. And, we thought we were prepared. But, we've learned you can never really prepare for the chaos that a crying little prince can bring (you may have read about the havoc in a prematurely published post if you have Google reader... my apologies... "Schooling the Bad Parent" had not been properly polished before I hit publish).
But then, something miraculous happened. We got a smile. A full on, gummy little smile. And the world changed. All of the sudden parenting wasn't just 2 am feedings, crying jags, and dirty diapers.
Don't get me wrong. Not every day is great. And most days are pretty darn hard. But, a smile and a coo can make all the difference on even the most difficult of days.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Watching Season Two: Modern Family.
7.20.2011
7.04.2011
happy 4th
My sentiments exactly... http://taza-and-husband.blogspot.com/2011/07/happy-4th.html.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Watched Just Go With It.
Keep sweeping, Martha
Watched Just Go With It.
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