Teatopia

A late Thursday night

Tomorrow is my darling hubby's birthday, and since I have so little time during the day because of a certain precious someone, I am up cooking and preparing for the dinner I am having tomorrow night. So far, I have made a ranch, bacon, and pea pasta salad and a spinach dip. I also made some mango peach iced tea and some regular iced tea (don't forget we're in the south and we like it sweet!) Next, I am making a 7 layer salad. (Someone tell me why so many of the "seven layer salads" recipes I've looked at have 8 and 9 ingredients? Hello! Can people count?) I have other stuff to make tomorrow, but these things are better over night, left to marinate.

As far as my cyst goes, it's become much more painful and the area is throbbing. I called the doctor and he scheduled an appt with a surgeon for Monday. I didn't want to have it cut out, but it really hurts and it's gotten bigger in spite of all the hot compresses I've done. I think heat reduces things that are filled with liquid, this seems to be rock hard. Anyway, the sooner it's gone the better I guess, so we'll see what he says!

After I finish cooking tonight, I am planning to *fingers crossed* take a hot, uninterrupted bath-- something I've been dying to do for a while. Hubby is in grad school, so I watch the baby in the evenings and I seldom have time (I've taken like one bath since Olivia was born).

Oh, and today, one of the moms from my nursing moms group invited me over for a "playdate" next week. Few of my friends here have babies, so I am excited! I feel left out ever since I had Olivia. It's a whole new world for me, but I'm lovin' it!

This one's full of complaints

Last night, I attempted to do some crunches to try and get my stomach back to it's original form. I couldn't get up. One crunch was agony. I have no stomach muscles anymore. I managed to do 15, but there was a lot of moaning and groaning as I forced myself up.

And have I menioned the stretchmarks? Oh, the stretchmarks! I even have them below my knees (keep in mind I gained like 18 pounds) Un-freakin-believable. I am ruined. And someone please explain to me why, after losing my baby weight, I still can't fit ANY of my clothes. I am wearing maternity jeans 11 week post-partum. Pathetic, I know. I try not to think about it. In fact, I thought about cutting out the tags that say "maternity" just to make myself feel better.

And now, for the latest--

I have a huge, painful lump between my boobs. I went to the doctor and found out that I have a cyst in my oil glands, probably from an over production of oil due to my hormones (I'm even getting pregnancy complications after my pregnancy!). I have been applying heat to it to try and shrink it, but it looks like I'll need surgery to remove it. It hurts like hell and is most inconvenient for breastfeeding. Pooh.

Loving 2 things right now

It wouldn't be Teatopia if I didn't post about tea once in a while. I am totally loving this new tea by Pom. So healthy and it comes in yummy flavors like lychee, peach passion, and blackberry. This stuff is packed with anti-oxidants. I am all for drinking stuff that sends good things to baby girl through my milk.

And for my other new found obsession. Have you played with Google Earth yet? Totally addicting! I could even see the umbrellas of the restaurant where we are at the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town. Amazing. I have looked up every place imaginable. How cool is this new technology? Check it out for yourself.

This and That

I worked again for my dad this afternoon (I'm working part-time doing accounting for his business). My mom just loves this time because she watches Olivia while I work! Have I mentioned that my mom has seen Olivia EVERY SINGLE DAY since she was born? I love it. My mom is such a good grandma to her. I know how blessed we are to have my parents here. I love going to my mom's every day (I work at their house). It's better than staying home all day and I get to still be with Olivia. Perfect.

Yesterday, my friend Rebecca, who I taught school with, dropped off a scrapbook she made of advice and letters from my students. It's filled with pictures and the cutest advice-- stuff like "don't lick your finger and wipe the baby's face" and "don't forget to change her or she could get a rash". It meant so much to me that Rebecca took the time. I cried as I looked through it. What a memory! The nice thing is, my mom actually will be teaching at the school I left, so I can visit her and Rebecca next year. Sadly, though, B got transfered to a rough school and he's really bummed. I feel badly for him.

Tonight, I got to cook again. I made chicken and rice as well as tapioca for us to eat later. Then, we went to look at some stuff James wants for his b-day next week and we stopped by Starbucks for Chai Frappacinnos. Yum!

When we got back, Olivia was all smiles. She loves to have her diaper changed. It puts her in a good mood almost every time. I think she likes to lay on her back and have me leaning over her, talking to her in my sweetest voice and smiling at her. She always kicks her legs and makes the loudest noises. We carry on these long conversations that mean nothing but "I love you" and "I'm glad you're here." At least that's what I say, and I think she thinks those things too. Her latest fascination is her hands. She discovered them a few weeks back and sucks on them all the time. Today she gagged herself and threw up. She is also starting to reach for things, but isn't quite sure how to grasp objects. She has a few times though!

Tomorrow, I am going to do the thing new moms always dread. I am leaving Olivia with my parents so James and I can have a date. I trust them 150% percent, but all I can think about it Olivia when we are out. It's easier for James because he goes to work every day, but I am never away from her, and as healthy as it is, I don't want to be.

I don't really believe in jinxes, so I am going to come out and say that Olivia is napping better. But only when she's swaddled. And if she has her sleep positioner. And I sing first. And if she has a pacifier. And if she stops napping, I'll know it's because I told you.

Pictures, Pictures, and More Pictures!

I am finally getting time to post today because Olivia is sleeping next to me. (and no, she is not asleep for the night. This kid will wake up several time and finally decide to go to sleep around 1:00).

Today has been a busy day. My mom, sister, Olivia, and I went to Montgomery, AL to go shopping. We had lunch at Zoe's Kitchen and I bought some pillows at the World Market for our new couch and loveseat! This is the loveseat:

Tonight, I made dinner (frozen gnocchi with tomato sauce and a salad) and while we ate, Olivia sat in her Bumbo Baby Seat on the table. Tonight was the first time she didn't cry when we put her in it. She stuck out her lip last time. This picture is before we put her clothes on and moved her to the table. Here, we were sort of testing the waters so to speak. I think it's terribly sad this kid doesn't get enough to eat. (obviously, I'm kidding. Look at the rolls!)

After dinner, Olivia played in her new swing while I made cookies for my dad. He's been begging me to make him my famous filled peanut butter cookies-- there's creamy peanut butter in the center of the plain looking ones. The others have a dark hershey kiss on top. I made enough to take to my nursing mom's group tomorrow too.

And here's a Father's Day picture. I love my family. :-)

And this one because I like it:

Off to watch a movie with my sexy hubby. :-)

A plea to my South African friends

It's gone. My special keychain with the South African flag on it is lost. James remembers dropping my keys the other day and thinks it might've fallen off then. He even went back to the parking lot where they fell, but it wasn't there. I am sad. I collect keychains from where I've been and this one was my favorite.

Please, my few SA friends who read this blog: If you see a keychain anywhere that represents South Africa, would you get it for me? I promise to send you ANYTHING your heart desires from the US. (Am I enticing you at all?) Don't go out of your way, but if you happen to see one, I'd really appreciate it. I am obsessed with your country and I need another keychain for my collection.

Father's Day

James really enjoyed his first Father's Day. I have some pictures to post later. James really liked his cufflinks. I also gave him a grilling set from Eddie Bauer. For lunch, Olivia and I took him to Atlanta Bread Company and then we went to Barnes and Noble to look around for birthday ideas (his b-day is 6/30). We relaxed in the afternoon and then went to dinner at Smokey Bones with my family.

I think James really enjoyed his first Father's Day. It meant a lot to me to honor him as Olivia's Daddy. Last night, afer we all went to bed, I read for a while. As I laid there reading*, my daughter and my husband snored (I snored while pregnant, and when I stopped, James started). I thought about how blessed I am and I thanked God for my family.

*I was reading about the benefits of breastfeeding, and boy did I learn a lot! I actually want to post about this later. I learned so much-- that the mother's body gives the baby white blood cells constantly through her milk, that there are special proteins that promote brain development, that there are enzymes that clean out the baby's digestive system to keep it healthy, and much, much more. So fascinating and miraculous.

And now, a personal question

Thank you those of you who responded to my post yesterday. Your answers were very helpful because 1) I now know it's normal for Olivia not to have scheduled naps yet, and 2) because she is so young, there is still hope she'll turn into a nap-taker!

And now for another question-- a rather personal one. You don't mind, do you?

I have been trying to decide what mehod of birth control to use. My OBGYN prescribed a mini pill-- a pill made of only progesterone, but I have mixed feelings taking anything that's going to put hormones in my milk, even if it is considered "safe". I haven't taken it yet. However, I am left with few other options. We considered natural family planning coupled with the fact that I'm breastfeeding exclusively and still don't have my period, but I know this is not full-proof. James says it's ok if I get pregnant again, but we also know that it's healthier to wait. Besides, ideally, we want to wait a while. I'm scared of IUD's, and I'm just wondering, what are the best options?

I know many of you just had babies, and if you feel comfortable sharing, what are you doing?

Nap Schmap

Sleep when they sleep.

This is great advice, that is, if your chld actually sleeps. Olivia is a good sleeper at night, but the child just won't nap. And 15 minutes here or there doesn't count. If all I've done is pee and unload half the dishwasher before she's crying for me to get her, it wasn't a real nap.

I mentioned my problem to our pediatrician and all he did was shrug and tell me I'm lucky she sleeps at night. Thanks.

Some friends have recommended I let her cry. This would be great advice if a) I believed in letting a baby "cry it out" (my mom and Dr. Karp say this is a no-no), and b) if I could even stand to hear my precious baby cry for let's say, even 30 seconds. That school of thought just doesn't work for me.

One of the friends who gave me this advice wasn't there to hear her poor baby "cry it out" when she wouldn't nap. Her daycare MADE her take naps and they just let her cry until she started going to sleep on her own. I am a SAHM and don't really feel it's absolutely necessary to be on a rigid schedule. It'd just be nice to have a few moments to myself while baby girl is happily asleep. You know, there are people who actually believe that stay-at-home-moms have all this free time. I know. I used to be one of those people. Now, boy have I learned how freakin' far from the truth that is. I have NO time, less time in fact than most stay-at-home-moms because my child refuses to nap. I guess she thinks she might miss out on something. I've promised her I won't do anything fun. There won't be any partying. In fact, I'd probably use the time for things like combing my hair for the first time in 3 days, or washing my breast pump, or maybe, just maybe, I might put some concealer on the huge zits I now have from the wonderful postpartum hormones. See? Nothing fun, but she still won't sleep.

Please advise. Thank you muchly.

Winnie the Pee or Pooh?

We've been using the Huggies Supreme Fit diapers for Olivia, and much to my delight, they have Winnie the Pooh on them. When the diaper is on her, Winnie the Pooh is right on her crotch. The other day, I asked Olivia, "do you have Winnie the Pooh on your peep?" and my mom responded, "pretty soon, it's going to be Winnie the Poop!" I laughed, and now every time I change Olivia's diaper, I ask her whether she has a Winnie the Pee or Winnie the Pooh and she squeals and kicks her legs while I take off her diaper and make a big deal over whatever is in there. I never thought I'd get such a kick out of changing a diaper! :-)

Life in General

Today's been a good day. Went to the mall with my mom and got James a Father's Day gift. It was neat picking out a gift, and strange at the same time. This man, who I have always known as my best friend, confidant, and travel buddy, is a parent now too. There's this whole other reason now for me to love him! Anyway, James doesn't often wear a suit, but when he does, he really likes to dress up, so I bought him some cuff links, but they are lockets, and I am putting a picture of Olivia in one, and me in the other. I know he'll love them! My hubby looks so handsome in a suit!

Tonight we went to a great steak house with my family to celebrate my mom's new job. She has been hired to start a drama program at the school where I taught. After I resigned, the principal hired my mom for this new job. We couldn't have taught there together because immediate family members can't work together. After dinner, Olivia and I took a bath together (I don't know who loves it more!) She seems to know me so much more lately. She looks for me whenever anyone else holds her and she iniates smiling at me all the time. This is my reward for all those 9 months of acid reflux and hard labor. When that child looks at me, I melt!

Yesterday, my mom and I went Newnan (a suburb of Atlanta) to buy stuff to set up a small nursery in my mom's house. We're there so much that it'll be nice for her to have a place to sleep. Also, I am working very part-time doing some accounting for my dad's business at their house, and so Olivia is there a good deal. It means a lot to me that my mom wants to have a little nursery. :-)

Yesterday, I bought a portable swing to take to the beach. Olivia already has a bigger one in her nusery, but this one is great for
trips. I'll probably leave it at my mom's the rest of the time so she can use it there.

Tomorrow James and I are going to look at living room furniture during his lunch break. We have this nasty stain on our chair and we're not sure where it came from. It seems to be getting darker and darker. We also need a new couch. We've had this one 4 years and it has pulls on it from when our dogs were puppies. I hope we find something good on sale. Money is definitely an object here.

Seems so long ago . . .

My sister showed me this picture yesterday. I had never seen it before and really didn't have too many of my bare belly. Sadly, the stretch marks got even worse in the last couple of weeks (I am guessing I was between 36-38 weeks in this one). Hard to believe sometimes that Olivia was actually in there!

Two Months

Month 2 pictures of Olivia are here.

We've had a nice weekend even though poor Olivia has had a fever. :-( We did go to the party on Friday, but only stayed a short while. Olivia didn't start feeling badly until later that night, but we left early anyway. When James got bitten on the lip by a mosquito, he decided it was time to go. I got attacked by fleas. I guess they thought I was a dog?!?

Yesterday, I stayed in all day with the baby because she wasn't feeling too hot. I did, however, venture out to Starbucks in the evening to go through the drive-thru.

Today, we had a cook-out with 2 other couples from church who both have babies. One of the couples has a baby boy just 5 weeks older than Olivia, and the other couple has a 9 month old girl. We had a good time talking about babies (mainly poop) and other things that parents talk about. I took a picture of Olivia and the baby boy together.

Olivia weighs the same as him and she's younger. We love our little fatty. I just love to squeeze and kiss her rolls of fat!

Tonight, we went to my parents' house. When we got home, we found a couple roaches! Eeew. We did NOT have to deal with these up north. I think we need to buy roach traps. James took one huge one (almost 2 in long), put him in the toilet and peed on him. LOL! James and I are about to finish the movie Cry Freedom that we started last night.

Ok, and now for Olivia's 2 month letter.

Dear Precious Olivia,

I suspect that every letter I write is only going to be more full of love than the last because I love you more every day. This month, you learned a bunch of new things:

-- you smile readily, whether it's in response to ours, or initiated by you

-- you have begun grasping things with your hands, although it still seems more instinctual than anything. I'm not sure than you realy understand that those hands are yours. You like to hold your pacifier in your mouth and you are starting to reach for things.

-- you talk all the time~ to us, to inanimate objects, anything you are interested in. You especially like to talk to me when I change your diaper.

-- I have discovered my favorite past time with you: taking baths together. Almost every night, we take a bath together and it's my favorite time of day. I suspect it might be yours too! You love to kick your feet and be covered with water up to your neck.

-- You are becoming a nursing champ. You now latch on well and nurse more quickly. Mommy might just have enough to nerve to try nursing in public!

-- You now sleep stretches between 5 and 8 hours. Mommy and Daddy appreciate it!

It's amazing watching you grow and learn. I am so lucky to be able to stay home with you and watch you each day. I love kissing your cheeks and just being with you. I am so blessed to have you in my life. I love our family. Know that I will always be here for you. You are truly loved, darling child.

All my love,
Mommy

Shots

We just got back from getting Olivia's 2 month shots. There was a lot of crying, and some of it was even from the baby.

I never knew how hard it would be, as a momma, watching my child feel anything but happiness. Watching her get those shots was more than I could bear. When they first poked her, she looked a bit confused, as if she wasn't sure what had happened, and then she screamed so hard she couldn't catch her breath. I kept kissing her and telling her I loved her, while the evil woman kept poking my precious child. I'm sure she went and told the other nurses what a loser I was. After the evil nurse left, I calmed Olivia down by nursing her. The boob always comforts her, although in this case, nursing her may have been more of a comfort to me.

The amount of love I have for this child is insane. If I could've taken 100 needles in place of her 4, I would've. Being a parent is the best job I have ever had and would do A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G to keep my baby from hurting. Sadly, in life, this will rearely be an option . . .

I meant to mention this the other day about having kids. On Wednesday, I met my gay friend B and his mom for coffee. His mom lives a few hours away and wanted to see my baby since she knows B is so crazy about Olivia. Anyway, B's mom asked to help him find a girl so he could give her grandchildren (she doesn't know he's gay) and he said, "Mom, I want to adopt." and she made a face like it wasn't good enough. It made me sad because a) I want to adopt a child after we have 2 of our own and I know he/she will DEFINITELY be like our bio kids to us, and b) the look on B's face after seeing his mom's disappointment was just so sad. For the time being, I am happy to share my little girl with B. He was there just a couple of hours after Olivia was born, and when I had the accident and James was out of town, B stayed with me at the hospital until James got back in town. I've told him he'll be Olivia's Uncle B and he is crazy about her. Of course, I love anyone who loves my child.

Tonight, we're probably going to take it easy, unless Olivia feels surprisingly well (they said she could feel fine until the morning). In that case, we're going to a party. It's outdoors and it'll be good for her to get some fresh air.

I almost forgot, Olivia now weighs 11 lbs, 7 ozs! Go boobs, go! However, as soon as she finally gets out the poo-poo she's been trying to push out for hours, she'll weigh a lot less. :-) She also tinkled on her doctor, but luckily, nothing got on his clothes.

Off to check on the most gorgeous child in the world . . .

I'll always win

Last night . . .

Me: Scratch my back.

James: I'm really tired.

Me: Well, I pushed an 8 lb,11oz baby out my tootie.

James: (begins scratching)

And heck, after one or two more kids, even more convincing! LOL!

Milk Machine

Olivia has a growth spurt = nurses more often = mommy makes more milk = mommy gets to eat more

As a teacher, this is an equation I can appreciate!

Important Sleep Questions

The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) has many helpful tips for peventing SIDS, but with all the rules, I am having trouble getting Olivia to stay asleep. She has been sleeping sretches averaging 5 hours, but sometimes longer, but only because I am swaddling her (but VERY tightly and carefully).

During the first few weeks, I dreaded trying to get her to sleep at night. Afterall, how can you get a newborn to bed when a)they have to be on their backs when most babies prefer their side or stomach, and b)you can't use any blankets? I brought up these questions to our pediatrician and he said I could swaddle her tightly, just as they do in the hospital. However, the AAP warns against bundling babies, which to me, is synonomous with swaddling.

Therefore, I am wondering, how do you put your babies under a year old to sleep? Do you just use "feet" pajamas (you know, the ones that look like a body suit)? Do you swaddle? Do you think your baby is warm enough? I have a friend who is a doctor and he said after a month of trying to get their son to sleep following the AAP recommendations, he finally gave up and put his son on his tummy and it worked.

I'd really like to know . . .

Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Olivia sleeping more = Mommy having more time to cook! Yay for 7 straight hours last night!

I made this yummy baked spinach dip the other night to take to my parents' house. It turned out really well!

Ingredients:
1 10 oz. pack frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained
small can diced water chestnuts
1 medium can artichokes in water (I finely chopped them)
1 packet Knorr vegetable soup mix
16 ozs. light sour cream
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup regular mayo
3 scallions, chopped
1 cup shredded cheese (I used parmesan)

Bake for about 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Serve with chips.

Hallelujah!

edited to add: I JUST WANTED TO EMPHASIZE THAT MY WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL CHILD SLEPT 9 HOURS CONSECUTIVELY.

If you listen very carefully, you can probably hear me singing the Hallelujah Chorus right now. This is the song of a woman who got 9 hours sleep last night! Thank you, God and thank you, Olivia! Mommy loves you even more today. And apparently, you are quite pleased with yourself because you have been all smiles since you woke up. You only whined for a second to let me know you were ready for the boob, but other than that, you have been smiling and talking up a storm. It's going to be a good* day!

good: these days means I had more than 3.5 hours of consecutive sleep, so today is actually a great day!

Our weekend so far . . .

My parents are in Destin, Florida looking at beach houses for our family beach trip in July, and it sounds like they booked a great house! It has a separate carriage house with a kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom where my little family gets to stay! My parents are so kind and considerate. They tried to find something where we'd be comfortable. I really didn't want to have to share a bathroom with my sister and her bf, mostly out of consideration for them. I would feel embarrased having my breast pump out drying on the sink and it'd be a pain to wrap up every nursing pad and diaper carefully enough as not to gross anyone out. Although, I guess we should bring the Diaper Genie . . . Anyway, it'll be nice to have privacy and if Olivia cries, it shouldn't wake everyone up.

We had lunch with my grandma at Panera and then ran some errands. We bought a blanket at Target for Olivia (we now have 3 Chenille blankets in different colors. I always wash her stuff the second anything gets on it. I thought I'd relax a little about stuff like that, but I haven't. I don't like using blankets that have spit up on them. Even a drop smells like sour milk! Eewww!

I've noticed lately that Olivia puts her whole hand in her mouth and seems more oral. She also puts blankets in her mouth. She's not too good at guiding things to her mouth yet, so she mostly moves her head around and opens her mouth until she catches a part of her blanket. We always watch her when she has a blanket because I worry about her getting it over her face completely. Anyway, I was reading that this can be a sign of teething. I mentioned in my last entry that I had my first tooth at 12 weeks. This is hereditary and she's almost 8 weeks. She has an appt next week, so I'll ask. I also read that around this time, some babies are following things with their eyes. She did that the first few days. She also has turned her head to look for a noise or someone speaking since she was a couple weeks old. This kid is moving at lightning speed, and I'm worried it won't be long before I'm getting bitten while nursing! :-(

Well, I've gotta go hang up her car seat liner to dry. Her diaper came loose and some tinkle got in her car seat. We were going to go out, but so much for that. Oh well, we don't need to spend any money anyways. One less income = me no spend money

Amazing (at least to us)

My little girl never ceases to amaze me. Now, as a first time mom, I'm not really sure what is considered "amazing" or early, so bare with me if this is completely un-exciting. Indulge me, please. I'm a proud momma! Afterall, we naturally believe she's a little genius!

She was able to hold her head up the day she was born for minutes at a time and has been able to scoot around and turn almost all the way over since she was a week old (I did this too). Is this typical? My favorite thing she does now (besides smiling) is playing with toys. She is so alert and interested in toys, and has been for a while. She looks at them, laughs and talks to them, reaches for them (although still doesn't really realize her hands are her own). She is so cute! My aunt and uncle visited last week and said that their grandson wasn't this alert and interactive until at least 16 weeks. My husband is a real genius (literally) and I'm hoping Olivia inherited some of his brains. He was even in this "who's who among middle schoolers" book. He graduated with a 4.0 and an engineering degree and was sent to work with robots in Tokyo at the age of 21 (he graduated college at 20). Ok, so now that I'm done bragging on my hubby, let me brag some more about my daughter. :-) She is hitting her milestones more quickly than expected and just seems so aware of everything. I just hope she doesn't do everything early. As a baby, I was getting teeth at 12 weeks! My poor mom got bitten a few times while nursing me!

Don't worry, I'm not going to turn into one of those really annoying constantly bragging moms. :-) I just think my little girl is wonderful and wanted to convince you of the same. Now, care to hear how she's the loudest farter ever? LOL!

P.S. I just read that a woman found out her baby died at 40 weeks gestation. He was strangled by the cord. Now I am sobbing. Even the hubby teared up when I told him. Go hug your children and thank God for them. I just did. I don't understand why things like this happen. Please pray for this woman and her family. I can only imagine the pain they are feeling.

Summer Reading List

Lately I have been trying to make a little time for myself. It's not easy, but it got me thinking about my summer reading list. I know that sounds like something right out of elementary school, but as a teacher, I've always had more free time in the summers and have always read a lot of books. I know this summer it's a bit of a long shot, but Olivia's grammie (my mom) has assured me that I will have time to read. I think she'd adopt her if I let her. :-) Anyway, here are the titles I have lined up for the summer in the order I want to read them:

I started this book a couple of weeks before Olivia was born and still haven't finished it. I read a few pages every other day and it's taking for ever. Goal: finally finish it!

This is the latest is this adorable teashop mystery series. I love the descriptions of the teas and food and there are some great recipes.

I've been wanting to read this book ever since I watched "In My Country" about the Truth & Reconciliation Hearings in South Africa after apartheid ended. We actually got to see the movie in Cape Town. Anyway, I'm looking forward to finding out more about the hearings and politics.

Anthony Bourdain is hilarious! I've read his other food books, so I'm sure this will be good. Supposedly, this one is just as carcastic and witty as his others and the descriptions of the odd (and often disgusting) foods he tries all over the world are fascinating to me.

I'll be lucky if I actually get to read these, but looking at this from a really optimistic point of view, I'd love to be able to read more. Last year I took a few suggestions on what to read. I have pretty diverse interests, so I'm open. I love reading books I know others have read because at least I know someone liked them.