... When No One Else is Watching

If I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all

Just a few things that are going on right now.

• I am sick - sore throat, runny nose, watery eyes and just feeling downright yucky.
• I haven't been sick in over a year and if you know me, I don't do sickness well. I'm feeling very sorry for myself and just want to crawl into bed and sleep.
• Oh yeah, I have a child, so that 'crawling into bed and sleeping' thing is definitely not going to happen.
• My child is crawling with a vengeance and is pulling up and cruising the furniture constantly. She obviously didn't get the memo that Mom is sick and really doesn't want to chase her around the house all day long.
• Our camcorder, which has less than five hours of recording time, broke and we had to send it in to get a replacement. That was October 30th. Still no camcorder. I just called Samsung and they are saying that coincidentally they just finished making sure I didn't lie (my words, but they just should have said it that way) and we will receive a camera within a month. How's that for quick service? I'm annoyed, it shouldn't take two months to get an expensive camcorder replaced when it is an active recall.
• Did I tell you I'm sick?

My positive thinking has gone out the window and I am sure it will not return until this bug passes or Thanksgiving comes so that I am reminded about what I am really thankful for. Oh, there is one thing I am thankful for today, Tom and Katie got married, now we can have a regular newscast without hearing about the "wedding of the year". Thank God!

Sad Realization

I was just looking at my blog page and realized the books I have listed have been there for quite a while, and I haven't even finished two of them yet. That's what having a child does to a sane human being. All "enjoyment reading" becomes non-existent. Now, ask me what the feature articles are in Parents magazine and I can list them to you from memory.

What's in a Name?

I have been tagged by Lins, my blogging buddy from across the pond, who in turn was tagged by our friend Sus, who was tagged by her sister and so on and so on (it's a vicious cycle) to tell the story of how I came up with my daughter's name. So now I shall tell.

I wish I could say Avery was a name I have loved since I was a little girl or a name of my favorite character in a book but no, it's a name I heard in the bathroom of the Atlanta airport's C terminal. Yep, you read that correctly, I first heard the name 'Avery' in 1999 while I was washing my hands in the restroom, how lovely is that? I was minding my own business when a woman came into the restroom and called out "Avery, darling, are you almost done?" and the only thing I thought was, "I LOVE THAT NAME!" Ever since that day I knew I would name a daughter Avery because I thought it was such a pretty name, it is also a name I had never heard anyone named. Growing up with the name Jennifer, the most popular name to name a daughter in the 1970's and 1980's (I just looked it up on the Social Security website, number one for twenty years) I knew I didn't want to give my child a name that was too popular. I have recently heard more people naming their daughters, and sons for that matter, Avery but it's not too popular and I hope it won't become so. Either way, it's a name I love even if I did get it from a restroom conversation!

Avery's middle name is much more sentimental for me. Her middle name is Lori and she is named after one of my dearest friends who passed away when I was 13 weeks pregnant. Lori passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 31 after fighting the disease (and beating it at one time, being cancer free for five years) for eleven years. When she was diagnosed at the age of 21 she was told she only had a few months to live but somehow she survived for eleven years and she ended up enriching so many people's lives in the process. I don't know if she knew she was going to be here for a limited amount of time but she lived life to the fullest and was pure joy personified. During our friendship I had never laughed so much in my life and when she passed away I could think of no one better to name my daughter after. I firmly believe Lori is my daughter's guardian angel and hopefully, Avery will live life with as much joy as the woman she is named after.

So there it is, the background behind Avery Lori's name. Unfortunately, everyone's blogs I read have already been tagged so this is the end of the "tagging." I will put up a new picture though,,, here's Avery Lori - the happy girl!

What's on your MP3 player?

I would have named this post 'What's on your Ipod?' but since I am most likely the last person on the planet to not own an Ipod the more generic 'mp3 player' fit this post better. I have recently become quite addicted to my MP3 player because I have been really good at getting my heiny to the gym and working out on our eliptical trainer when the heiny can't get to the gym. Due to my increased activity I have noticed something about myself; I am motivated by music. It's incredible to see how much my activity level can increase if there is a really good tune driving me to work harder. And dare I say, disco can really get me moving. It's a sad fact, but if you had Gloria Gaynor singing "I will survive!" into your ear you would be running a ten minute mile as well (that's good for me.)

With that said, here is the current 'Workout List' on my MP3 player.

• I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor
• SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
• If You Could Read My Mind - Stars on 54
• Higher Ground - Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Have Fun, Go Mad - Blair
• September - Earth Wind and Fire
• Together Again - Janet Jackson
• Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder
• Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai
• Toxic - Britney Spears

And that's the music that gets me through my workout folks. I'm quite proud of the eclectic nature of the list and would say my taste is quite good,,, except for Britney Spears, but the song is awesome workout material! What's on your MP3 player?

I told you she was a bug

Ever since Avery was born I have lovingly referred to her as "bug." I'm not sure where I came up with this, it just happened one day, much like some people call their children "sweetie" or "poopy" (names of which I have also used for Avery), nicknames just happen. Imagine my delight when I found a lady bug costume for her, it was screaming out for me to buy it for our girl. She actually did startlingly well yesterday when I put her in this puffy costume. I was expecting screaming and crying and a vicious tantrum but instead of all the horror I expected her to throw my way, she was wonderfully sweet and cute as can be. She even kept the hat with her antennae on and didn't try to rip it off,,, not even once! And she was rewarded when grandma came over with a packet of Cadbury Buttons and she got to try her first bit of chocolate - and she is obviously female because she devoured that chocolate like it was going to be her last meal. A girl after my own heart! So we learned two things yesterday; her nickname fits her to a T and chocolate will be used plenty in the future to bribe her out of a tantrum.

I don't know about this thing they call Halloween

Alright, now I'm catching on!

Grandma brought me chocolate!