Pages

Counter

Saturday, July 31, 2010

The week in review....July 25-July 31st..

Big week! William said "HI"...and I got proof! He posed for some great pix in the chair, and he now weighs 10 lb, 12 oz and is 23 and 3/4 inches long.

So I was taking really crappy video of lil' dude and I said "Hi" to him and he smiled and said "Hi" back....yeah, a fluke, but still, he said it, so there! Well no, so here! Here's the video! July 26, 2010.


He also played with his dangly toys, a lot, this week. He had his four month vaccinations, poor guy, he wasn't overly pleased, but did well overall.












We also attended the class for his baptism, which will be held on September 11, 2010 at 4pm.



Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cake design 101

So I can't decorate a cake to save my life! I'm on a mission to learn how in the next thirty days! Wish me luck! Below is my first attempt...

It started out innocently enough...a simple box cake to practice on...white cake!

Then a freakin' crack in the freakin' cake cuz I freakin' suck!

I made some cream cheese frosting for the filling

I normally can't frost a cake to save my life, however with the new technique I learned, I think it looks halfway decent...

Okay, 1/4 way decent...

Alright so I can't pipe cream cheese frosting on the bottom to save my life...I've never piped before...

"W" for William, these cakes are for his baptism party, but they'll be white, I used chocolate for practice.

I used the shell-tip to make these lumpy things...eh...

I give this cake a thumb down!

But Chris seems to like it.... ;-)



Sunday, July 25, 2010

My grandmother, La Verne Bast

I can't believe it's been ten whole years since Mema's passing. We always joked that she'd live forever because she was never sick and never complained. I don't remember her ever going to see a Dr for any reason, aside from her Dentist on occasion. She didn't even need glasses, just simple reading ones that she got from Walgreens.

I couldn't say grandma so she became Mema and the name stuck....most everyone called her Mema, it's like it was a title. LOL. When my mom became a grandmother, the issue arose of what to call her. She toyed with Mema at first, but there is only one Mema...so Mom is a grandma, or "glam-ma" as she likes to be called. ;-)

What's so sad is, the last decade or so of Mema's life wasn't so great. Since I knew her, she lost her father and then very shortly after, she lost her husband at a relatively young age, and then she lost her mother, and then, her brother. A few years later, she lost her only son, and then my Mom got sick. The last few years of her life, I was living in Alabama going to school. I wasn't there when she died. She got very sick the day I flew home from Greece. I drove down to Miami for her surgery the next day. I think I stayed a week. I told her about my trip and held her hand and tried to feed her all these pills the nurses insisted she take.

The surgery didn't do what we'd hoped. It was a lot for my mother to deal with alone, being she too was ill. I had a job and apartment back in Alabama that I had to return to. I was in Birmingham when Mom called me to tell me Mema died. Even though I knew it was coming, I think I was in shock. I was pretty numb actually.

My first thought was that of relief. She had suffered terribly that last month. No one should have to live like that. I was also relieved that Mom was with her in the end, so she didn't die alone...in the end, it's the best we can hope for, to have our loved ones, or one, with us when we go. In that sense, she was lucky.

I think of Mema often. So much has happened in the ten years since she died. I am always regretful that she wasn't here to see all the things that have happened. She would have enjoyed attending my wedding. I think she'd liked to have met my husband. Although she wasn't a pet-lover, I think she'd love to see all the pictures I took of Pippin and Brady over the years. I'm sure she would have really loved that we bought a house, she would enjoy visiting us too, since we're so close to Pittsburgh.

But mostly and most obviously, she'd loved to have met her great-grandson. I know she'd love a great-granddaughter, but I have a feeling she'd be thrilled to have a great-grandson. She's like me, we like boys. LOL. She'd been overjoyed at William's arrival....of course she would have been 87 at the time of his birth...shame on me for having children so late in life huh? ;-)

More than anything, she'd loved to have seen William's baptism. She was a very religious person after all...having William baptized Catholic would have really made her happy.

---

The more I think about it, the more I realize I'm more like Mema than I am anyone else. We had quite a bit in common....except I 'like' to cook. LOL...Mema was never shy about her hatred of cooking. Entertaining, she loved, cooking three meals a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year on the other hand, not so much. She did not dine out often, so she cooked all the time. I like the idea of entertaining, actually doing it on the other hand...well, still getting the hang of that. What I do know of entertaining, I learned from her.

I remember the day I learned her name. One of my favorite shows was Laverne and Shirley. Mema told me, "you know, my name is La Verne." I said, "No it's not!" she said, "Yes, Yes it is!" "I said, NO, it's not because you are not wearing an 'L' on your shirt!" So...I made her one out of paper....she wore it. ;-)

Since she had no cable, UGH....and never learned how to drive, summers and holidays at her house were a tad boring for me. So we had to go low-tech. We played cards. Lots of cards. King In The Corner, Poker and Gin, not that Old Maid crap. LOL. We also played Boggle. She loved to tell me stories of her childhood back in Pittsburgh. She and her best friend Grace would go out in the fields for long walks and run from the hobos! :-)

She and Grace befriended a little girl that they really didn't like all that much, just so they could ride her bike! It's funny to hear your grandmother tell you a story like that. It's something so common, that so many kids do, and she did it! She said playing Kick The Can got old and this girl had a really great bike! LOL! She told me about skipping school to go to the roller skating rink with her friends. One day she wore red lipstick to school and then wiped it off, but it stained so when she got home her father could tell she'd been wearing lipstick and grounded her.

Bup-Bup and Granny

She grew up during the depression but Bup-Bup had it pretty good. He had a house, his own business, and the ONLY car in Brentwood. Her Aunt Helen who she adored had to move in with them, along with her children. Mema became very close to her Cousin Evelyn, who lived in her dining room. Granny would feed random hobo's who sat on her porch during the depression, and Aunt Helen would toilet-paper people's houses for some reason. Helen had a wacky sense of humor, light hearted and fun. I never met her, but I felt like I knew her, Mema really loved Aunt Helen. Granny was a bit more straight-laced and serious. Mema was a combo of the two.

Mema loved telling me about visiting her parent's friends, who lived on a farm. They had 16 kids, yes, 16 kids, and no indoor plumbing! I don't think they were Amish. ;-) Mema and her brother Leo would go out and stay for long weekends on the farm, and pee in the outhouse...collect eggs...and play with the multitude of children.

Mema was very good looking, and men really liked her. She had boyfriends. There were several very interested parties. She went on a blind date with George, whose brother Henry tagged along...so she ended up marrying Henry! LOL! Sadly they had to elope, so she never got her dream wedding. She wore a olive green suit to her wedding, a Mass wedding, with only two other people in attendance. She and Papa honeymooned at Niagra Falls, gas rations making up the bulk of their wedding presents. Then Papa was stationed in New Orleans, so Mema left Pittsburgh to head down south, where she made life long friends.


Mema and Papa in New Orleans

Mema, Papa and my Mom, 1949

They eventually had two children and moved to Miami, FL...the rest is history. Papa worked on the Alaskan pipeline, Mema raised a sick child, and a hyper active son who kept her on her toes, she entertained, took in her sick mother, traveled with her cousin Evelyn, collected dolls, watched old westerns, drank a pot of coffee a day, buttered her coffee-cake, enjoyed the occasional margarita and beer, shopped at Macys and Penneys, kept a pristine house, helped raise a granddaughter, and loved pizza. A very ordinary life in the end.

Everyone I know has great memories of Mema. She was very well loved. She was kind hearted. She had a sense of humor. She was upbeat and positive. She was stubborn and strong. She befriended a kid she didn't like...so she could ride her bike....that story still cracks me up!

LaVerne Helen (Mottmann) Bast
Aug 21, 1922 - July 26, 2000

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The week in review....July 17-July 24th...

William finally hit the double digits! At 16 weeks of age, he's now 10 pounds, 4 ounces and about 23 and 3/4 inches long! Which means, he's no longer wearing size New Born clothes. He still fits into some, but I retired them all to make way for the size 0-3 month, which are still a tad large on him. But they must be worn before winter comes.


My lactation consultant lent me a ubber-super-mega-mondo breast pump, it's about 38 yrs old and weighs about 40 lbs! I must say though, it's the best pump I've ever had! I've been power-pumping this week to get my supply back up again.

William's new "Snuggle Nest" arrived, equipped with a night light! So far, so good, William seems to be enjoying it and I find a sleep a little better with him in it.

The biggest milestone of the week was when William rolled over! One second, he was on his belly, the next, on his back!



Video below of him rolling over....



William had fun with finger paints this week and hung out with Calvin too!


Misty met William for the first time! She really has a way with babies! He was captivated by her too! He even "high fived" her....

And Marlene paid him another visit.
He's also getting very good at holding up his head!
All and all, it was a very productive and exciting week! I wonder what next week will bring?



Thursday, July 22, 2010

Frogger fun!

Just for giggles! Enjoy!

(The frogger paci has a mind of its own...enjoy the tale!)

Hey! Hey you! WAKE UP!
Ha Ha I'm on your head!
Come on lil' dude, play with me!
Hey! Pssst! I'm your paci! Let's play!
Please...wake up!!!!
Come on! I'm your paci lil' man!
Hey, now I'm over here...waaaay over here!
Yes! Yes! The eyes are open!
You're more alert! Now...bite me!
What???!! Thou shalt have NO other paci's before me!!!
Okay, so let's try this again...
Oh no! That impostor paci is back!
Shoo! Shoooo impostor paci!
Ah, just me, now he has to suck on me!!!!
Oh come on!!!!!
Third time is a charm! Look, he's happy to see me!
Wait...what? Who the hell are you?
Look! He's protesting your presence! Scram puppy-paci!
I said Shoo, you mangy mutt!
Don't make me beg!
Okay, okay, I'm begging...please ignore him lil' dude!
No! NO! NO!!!! Don't do it! Don't do it! PLEASE!!!
Put that thing down! Put it down! Do not put it into your mouth! I'm mean it!!!
Hey, I'm not saying it again...put down the puppy paci this instant!
Oh the frogmanity!