Central Oregon

Last weekend we took a trip to Central Oregon to visit Scott's family.  Scott can't drive by the Metolius River without stopping for some fishing, but things are different now with Belle.  It use to be that I would sit in the car and read a book or magazine while he fished or walk along the bank with him.  Now it involves packing up the Bob stroller with thirty pounds of "necessities", pushing it down a "trail" to the river's edge, finding a grassy patch for Belle and I to camp out at and then Scott heading off to fish.  We lasted maybe 45 minutes, maybe...  Then we had to push it back up to the car and unload all of those necessities and continue on with our journey.  All the while Belle's cold was getting worse, so she wasn't really in the mood for all of this.

Belle relaxing next to the river

She did get a short nap in, so we could...

Fish and...

Just sit in the sun and relax.

On Saturday we spent the afternoon at one of my absolute favorite places, Black Butte Ranch.  If I ever win the lottery, we are buying a home there for our family.  It didn't hurt that it was in the 80s and sunny!

Poor munchkin doesn't look too good here, but she really did enjoy splashing in the pool.

I love the random kid in the background giving a perfect smile for the photo.

And at the end of the day she was officially exhausted.  Until next time Central Oregon.

10 Months

Precious Belle ~ 10 Months ~ At Black Butte Ranch with a terrible cold

As I type this you are up in your crib fussing away and battling a terrible cold that has caused your nose to run like a faucet, your eyes to water and given you a cough that makes me cringe.  If I could take it all away I would, but I am your helpless Mom that can only suction out snot and use Boogie Wipes in such large quantities that I think I need to invest in the company.  How is time flying by so quickly?  You now clap and love listening to us sing patty cake.  You wave a lot, which can mean anything from bye bye,  to hello, to hey you or look at me.  Tonight you shocked me by rolling over and over across your bedroom with this huge grin on your face.  Where have I been?  How did I not know you can do such a trick?  Of course once I wanted to film you doing this you immediately stopped.  You also love to sleep on your tummy.  Our little angel that wouldn't spend ten seconds on her tummy has now discovered it is her most comfortable sleeping position.  We see signs that you are short on patience, which is a trait you have inherited from your Mother, until I had you and then it all changed.  It is time to wrap this post up because I need to go up and rock you to sleep, but always know you are my number one priority and the last ten months have not only made me a more patient person, but a more loving one as well and I have you to thank for that!

An open letter to new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer

I wish I could write this well.  Pamela, you read my mind...

Dear Marissa Mayer,

Yahoo! You're pregnant. My Facebook news feed exploded Monday night when you announced you're expecting in October, right after Yahoo announced you'll be its new CEO.

My head exploded when you told Fortune you're planning to work through your maternity leave of "a few weeks."  We need to talk. First, congratulations! You may be the first woman to be hired as a CEO of a Fortune 500 company while pregnant. And for that we raise a (non-alcoholic) beverage in your direction. You're an inspiration to us all.

At 37, you're a little older and a lot more accomplished than I. Far be it for me to give YOU advice. But I've done something you haven't (yet): I've had a baby.

Trust me when I say, you won't know what hit you. And I'm not just talking about projectile spit-up.  Three weeks in, I don't think I could walk yet. That might be a slight exaggeration, but at 10 days I definitely couldn't make it up or down stairs. Just sitting on the toilet was painful. I'll spare you the details of my marathon labor, but suffice to say -- with a shout-out to the Summer Olympics on NBC-- I should win a gold medal in pushing. If you haven't taken a moment to appreciate your functioning bladder today, you should.

I hope your delivery will be a breeze. But there's more to consider. I read you once paid $60,000 to have lunch with Oscar de la Renta. So let me appeal, then, to your fashion sense. Those giant mesh underpants they make you wear post-partum? They should NEVER come into contact with Oscar de la Renta. Nor should leaking breast milk ever have the opportunity to stain your favorite cashmere cardigan. Anna Wintour would not approve.

Would it be so bad to spend a couple more months in the comfort of your home, un-showered and wearing sweats like the rest of us? I know you're used to working long hours. But "all-nighter" takes on a whole new meaning when you become a mother.

Give yourself a break. At least see how you feel when you're a mom before deciding -- very publicly -- that you want to go right back to work. There are plenty of working moms in this country who struggle with maddeningly short maternity leaves -- out of financial necessity, not by choice. And I know you didn't anoint yourself the new poster-mom for "having it all," but you're not exactly helping their cause.

The cheers or jeers of other moms may not sway you, but don't discount the persuasive powers of your baby boy. You're a powerful woman, but I have a feeling you're going to be putty in your son's little hands from Day One. I can't fully explain the extent to which your priorities will shift when you have a baby. I predict you'll soon consider him the greatest accomplishment of your very accomplished life.

Marissa, you're about to join the mommy sisterhood. We welcome you and we're so proud to have a trailblazer like you in our ranks. I'm sure you will rock motherhood just like you've rocked the corporate world.

But I'm also really glad I don't work for you. Because if I decided to have another baby (purely hypothetical, in case my husband is reading this), I would feel like a total slacker.

Yours in sleep deprivation,

Pamela Sitt

Pamela Sitt is a working mom in Seattle who has recently appointed herself CEO of her blog at www.clarasmom.com.

Neighborhood: Paradise Periodicals

My new favorite shop in our neighborhood is Paradise Periodicals.  I just stumbled upon it last weekend and have already been back for more due to their buy one, get one free sale.  It is a small shop jam packed with magazines and books that are anywhere from a few weeks old to vintage.  My purchases made thus far have been three Life & Style magazines, three 1859 Oregon magazines, one Cooking Light and one Rachel Ray all for $5.75.  Yes, you read that price right!

From the owner: “Thousands of magazines, hundreds of titles, sorted on magazine racks and book cases. Current to vintage, most in very good condition. Also hardcover and soft cover books, comics, and maps.”

Hammock Time

The weather in Portland has been amazing.  Sunny and warm and no rain!  Perfect weather to take the hammock out and sit back and relax, which is exactly what we did on Saturday.

She is still very intrigued by teeth.

Home Alone!

Most Fridays I work from home and I am thankful the company I work for allows this flexibility in my schedule.  This morning I had a realization as I was kissing Scott and Belle goodbye, I am going to be home alone all day!  I told Scott, "I am going to get sooooooo much done!"  When we had Vanessa care for Belle in our home, one of the perks of being here on Fridays was the opportunity to hug and kiss and play with Belle in between calls, emails and spreadsheets and I loved it.  Now that Belle is at school, this means I am missing out on those hugs and kisses, but I am gaining a chance to really power through my day and to-do lists.  By 8:30 this morning I had already done a few loads of laundry, answered emails, vacuumed the entire house, changed our sheets, dusted, had a conference call with South Africa and made a grocery list!  The one thing I have not done is showered, hence the photo being in black and white.  It is still not even noon and I have plenty of other tasks to accomplish.  Here's to being home alone for a few hours and a happy Friday!

Sickness has struck

Well, it didn't take long for all of us to get a virus from Belle starting daycare, one week to be exact.  We have been recovering from a cold that struck all three of us down to the ground and it has hurt.  Who knew that Scott and I would also get sick?  Apparently every parent we know that has their children in a care facility!  Thankfully we are on the mend and back into our normal routine.  I am sitting at my desk with a box of Kleenex beside me to gently dab at my runny nose and I have been blowing it in the bathroom every hour to avoid stares from people having to hear the odd sounds your nose makes when you blow with all of your might.

While Belle and I were home together I took a few photos of her while she napped with me.  Due to her congestion she let out some hilarious snorts and snores.  Fingers crossed the next virus gives us a few weeks off before striking again!