Dag Bloggit!

I had an exquisite post and not only did my computer freeze but it broke. We have to visit the Mac store today. And lest you ever have to wait in line at their store, know that they don't like to make lists with paper--no! Internet only!

Here's our JW Marriott vacation in five short pictures:

They give you a Pack-N-Play! For free! Stella hammed it up.



The rest are photos of our nighttime carousing. More later. Ahhh][[p]
{"P Nothing's sacred...here comes Stella and her pounding hands!

-0p'

Qwerty

Let's get a few things straight. Stella has no time for dillydallying. A quick cup o' joe in the AM and she's out the door to the office.



The dress code is business casual. This allows for full range of motion. Let's check on her typing posture:



Well, there's room for improvement--a girl's gotta have something to work on.

Moving on. It's time for a stop by the water cooler; catch up on some gossip, crack a few jokes, share some smiles, build goodwill with her employees, natch.



In the middle of a long day, she takes time for a power lunch, no time for jarred food--she wants carrots and 'tates straight up with butter.



Stella indulges her European soul. She's an "afternoon beer and siesta" kind of gal. But as soon as the REM is over, she wants to jet.



This is who she is. This is how she got that way.

Please, no autographs. We'll let you know when she goes public--as in NYSE, as in bright lights, big city. We'll sign you up for text message updates, we'll instant message you, we'll put you on myspace, we'll give you a subscription. Right now, she' got to go network. Because if there's one thing she's learned, it's not what you know--it's who you know.

Suddenly Our Zoos Seem Boring

"Although accurate numbers are hard to come by, lore has it that hippos kill more people each year than lions, elephants, leopards, buffaloes and rhinos combined."

However, at the Amsterdam Zoo, you can feed the hippo. While holding a small child in your arms.

A Blast From the Past (Literally!)

This is a fecal family favorite. Turn up your volume:

Two Years Ago

Two years ago this was the baby of the family. We've come very far, folks.

The Squinch

How the Squinch Stole Much Laughter:

This is the story of my young little Stell. Right now she snoozes at my side while her father rubs elbows with the sons of Supreme Court justices. Or just one son.

Anyway, let's talk about Stella's most recent acquired skill. Heretofore referred to as The Squinch. I swear to you she uses this to win friends and influence people. She already knows how to be funny. Because when people laugh at her squinching, she does it some more. This is what shall be called from here on out Very Funny Stuff, people. She knows where her bread is buttered.

High on the Hog

Right now I am doing what is called piggybacking. It involves a laptop, wireless capabilities and a neighbor's unguarded wireless internet connection. It makes me wonder how many others have used our wireless network. It makes me wonder if my Neighbors Whose Dogs Bark have piggybacked. I wonder what they'll think when they receive a summons from the county prosecutor's office about their barking dogs. Wouldn't it be funny if they were reading this?

Get in Line!

People far and wide have been writing to me. Here are some quotes from their concerned and eager emails:

"Hey, I want to see the baby!"

"More pictures of Stella, please."

"When will you give us what we want?"

I relent.

Here are some glimpses into Stella's new summer "schedule."

Memorial Day weekend we made a trip to Nate and Stasia's house (aka Uncle and Aunt). Stella "swam" and enjoyed the splashing of one very zealous young swimmer named Michael. He was trained at the world renowned Encanto Park Pool home of the $6 for two weeks swim lessons. Crazy!

OK, who am I kidding? I cannot keep up with Jamie's chronicling, so let's take a walk down memory lane. As Stella recently turned six months (she's almost seven months, once again, who am I kidding?) and weighs 16.2 pounds and is 27.5 inches long (around the size of Jared Barrett at four months!) let's remind ourselves how far she's come.

Ha ha ha. Pass the cream and sugar, get a cookie and have a little sit down.

Remember how beautiful she was when she was born? Of course not. Let me remind you:

Ahh, how placid and restful were the salad days of late 2005.

Here's Grandma Keek staring at me in disbelief. What did I just reveal?Me: "Kathy, I hope Stella does not inherit your lack-of-butt, your concave butt, your butt deficit."
Kathy: " "

I harken back to April 2006. We were wrapping up Auntie CJ's Longest Visit to Arizona Since High School. I decided to celebrate by not zipping my fly. Stella decided to Technicolor Yawn.



Really, this is just a blogging chug to try and get me back in action.

neat

Ergo Ipso Facto Ad Nauseum

Jamie, or rather, Iacobus, has a friend, Lucas, who calls with some frequence to partake of some friendly Latin conversation. When this occurs I am reminded my husband's unique character. These conversations usually take up the better part of an hour and involve Latin and deep laughter, at least on this end of the phone. If you were in my house you might be privy to this:

Phone vibrating!

"Hello. Salve, salve."

"Noli turbare circulos meos!"

"Celerius quam asparagi cocuntur."

"Oh, Lucas, da mi basia mille, deinde centum, deinde mille altera, deinde centum."

"Ha ha ha. Ho ho ho."

"Quid? HA! Cogito ergo sum"

"Ha, ha ha! Veni, vini, vici! In vino veritas!"

"Germania in Europa est!"

And then, as quick as it started it's over--like Renee Zellweger's marriage! Of course, I am no Latin scholar, so the conversational example is strictly from memory and a few notes I jotted down last night.

Not to mention a little help from another website.

First Veritas Graduation Ex Utero

First, can you tell who's getting used to posing for the camera?

Despite a series of increasingly unpleasant evening appearances, we decided to take Stella out on the town. She experienced her first graduation ceremony. What I believe will be her first of many. Here she is celebrating the beginning of Jamie's summer season at home. This time is also known as The Season of Frequent Domestic Squabbles. (Absence, my friends, does make that heart grow fonder. That heart being the one I keep locked inside a cold little cage all summer long while Jamie embarks upon lackadaisical undertakings.) We here at the Hanson house now know our limits, however, since the great Boca Sausage incident of June 2004.

This summer we will have more absence than presence here at Locus Hansonius. Jamie departs his beloved, Stella, and Stella's keeper for the Emerald Isle where he will frolic and cavort with other intellectuals and try to scam at the Guinness factory. The Mrs. already did this in her youth ten years ago, so she will stay and keep the home fries fires burning.

Anyway, what was I saying? Jamie goes to the land of ire without his spouse of ire while she stays home with all the cookie dough to herself.

And we all say, "Toll House."

q1: The Keys That Stella Pushed

Today is recovery mode from yesterday. Jamie has more information at his site. Suffice it to say that I had not visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. Yesterday was one of those days you don't want to explain to childless people lest they decide to never procreate. Once the day was over, Stella was asleep and our iTunes-purchased Monk episode was concluded we were laying in bed looking at a picture of Stella on Jamie's computer desktop. The conversation was as follows:

Silence.

Both enjoying the silence.

"Look at how cute she is."

"Yes. She is cute."

"It's funny to look at her cute little face and think about how she was today."

Silence.

The clocked said 8:08 pm. That meant we had T-minus 8 hours and 52 minutes until Stella awoke from her beauty rest. That meant it was time for me to go to bed.

And like clockwork, Stella awoke at 5 am. She had a little snakcy snack and fell asleep again--until 7:30! This is the stuff that dreams and fairytales are made of!