Night 1 still going

1.25am - Marcel is in the hot seat. Cries are already intermittent but I'm going back to sleep!

4.03am - I'm back on duty. Was dreaming of eating fried mushrooms in Greece (huh?) & really would have appreciated time to finish that seam before being screamed at but whatever. No idea how long Marcel was up - felt like 5 minutes but I was sleeping so could have been 5 hours for all I know. No actually it could not have.

Boy is wailing his fool head off then has to stop & cough. Poor kid. It's a double doozy for him because I usually feed him when he wakes but now am not. So basically sleep training & weaning at once. Double the fun, right? If we survive this experience he is going to have some hard feelings but there really is no other option because none of us is getting enough sleep. Seriously, if you count the last couple months of my pregnancy I haven't had a full night's sleep in almost 2 years.

4.23pm - Ya know another part of my weird dream was a friend was planning a trip to a new grocery store for a group of us. We were all very excited to see what they'd have & were making plans to split up to make sure we saw everything. I'm even boring in my dreams.

Ben still screaming & occasionally grabs my hair or shoulder. Luckily he must not be close enough to cause harm so is it wrong to enjoy him playing with my hair while he's so miserable? Oooooh, he figured out that he can pull it so problem solved - must move over.

Night 1 still going

1.25am - Marcel is in the hot seat. Cries are already intermittent but I'm going back to sleep!

4.03am - I'm back on duty. Was dreaming of eating fried mushrooms in Greece (huh?) & really would have appreciated time to finish that dream before being screamed at but whatever. No idea how long Marcel was up - felt like 5 minutes but I was sleeping so could have been 5 hours for all I know. No actually it could not have.

Boy is wailing his fool head off then has to stop & cough. Poor kid. It's a double doozy for him because I usually feed him when he wakes but now am not. So basically sleep training & weaning at once. Double the fun, right? If we survive this experience he is going to have some hard feelings but there really is no other option because none of us is getting enough sleep. Seriously, if you count the last couple months of my pregnancy I haven't had a full night's sleep in almost 2 years.

4.23pm - Ya know another part of my weird dream was a friend was planning a trip to a new grocery store for a group of us. We were all very excited to see what they'd have & were making plans to split up to make sure we saw everything. I'm even boring in my dreams.

Ben still screaming & occasionally grabs my hair or shoulder. Luckily he must not be close enough to cause harm so is it wrong to enjoy him playing with my hair while he's so miserable? Oooooh, he figured out that he can pull it so problem solved - must move over.

He appears to be starting his wind down phase - he's lying down & quiet for the moment. May have a few spells before it's over tonight. I can't wait until morning so I can scoop him up & smother him with smooches!!!

Of course I'm planning to take him to Ikea so that's just another level of he'll in this inferno we're putting him through isn't it?0!,5(??) Ha! All those extra characters are because I was flicking some lint off the screen. Stupid touchscreen.

4.35am - Beautiful even breathing. Holy shit, he has no pants on. Not sure when that happened but I'm sure he meant to throw them at me but I'm oblivious because my mental preparedness was off the charts tonight. Check back tomorrow when I'll undoubtedly be crying my eyes out along with him - my inner strength comes in short bursts.

Sleep training, night 1 begins

7.40pm - piercing screams as he realizes there's no rocking & no milkdy dilkdy tonight. Sticking his legs through the bars to kick me then kick the bars themselves.
Has a very big tight belly because we stuffed full. Full bellies are better for sleeping, right?? He just did a major fart & I fear he'll have to poo before this is all over. Then what?? Do I change him & start over or do I have to ignore that too?

Off to play some games because that's what a mother of the year would do - ignore her baby's cries & play We Doodle!

7.47pm - Laying down bit I fear it's a trap. He's probably just working up some energy then he'll spring up like a mountain lion & rocket out of here.
Yep, back up & looking down at the top of my head from his perch. Can't look up or it will be too engaging & he would use the opportunity to spit in my eye.

7.59pm - Okay I was playing Words with Friends not We Doodle but We Doodle sounds much funnier. Still screaming but I'm doing okay tuning it out, which probably means I'm a cold, terrible person. Ben is sniffly & snotty from the crying so that's no good but I can't really do anything.
Oh, have I even told you what I'm doing? We've gone with the Supernanny method so I'm sitting on the floor right by his crib while he hurls abuse at me from above. Every night we are to move a little further away until we are eventually sitting in Peppermint Park next door & can no longer hear his cries so all is well. No wait that's not right. Anyway, I hear neighborhood dogs barking - is Ben setting them off? He appears to be reading this over my shoulder! What if he's a baby genius? What if he can't sleep because he's too busy composing haiku in his busy little brain? What if he hates my blog?

8.14pm - So I don't find Ashley Greene attractive Yes I'm already stuck in to the gossip mobile websites & no I haven't seen any Twilight movies so maybe she's better in action. I find her very generic looking. That is all.

Ben is perched above me again. One minute he's quiet then the next he's howling like a demon. I feel terrible but we have got to get this sleep sorted.

8.28pm - Ben is now playing a game of stand up & drop back on his booty, which he probably has given a catchier name than that. Still taking breaks to whine, of course.

My tailbone is aching but I don't want to change positions. Not sure why. I'm supposed to be silent but I don't think it said anything about being motionless! I'm supposed to be a calming presence but I have doubts about my effectiveness on that front so am afraid any movements will just enrage him further. I wonder what Marcel is doing.

8.49pm - Uhhh, I think Ben is asleep. On his tummy, even breathing. Shall hold my position for a while to be safe as there is still the occasional twitching. I'm not holding my breath for an actual victory here but am praying for a miracle. What was the saying I picked up from the 90210 episode where Brenda finds a lump in her breast & has to have a biopsy? Ah yes, Brandon (always the philosopher of the gang) says "Hope for the best but prepare for the worst." My reply at the time would probably have been along the lines of "Shut up sideburns & put Dylan back on screen!"
Ben is now snoring so as soon as my bloody foot wakes up, I'm putting the blanket on him (he tends to throw it out of the bed in a rage) & sneaking out.

Good one

Hey, just realized I did manage to take one good picture of the ginormous stage. I am still riding my post-U2 high but a rocky morning with Ben has started to chip away at it. I do believe the boy is starting to get his back molars in or something because he's not sleeping & he wants to cuddle & have milk constantly. This is going to put a significant damper on our grand plans for weaning & finallllly sleep training while Marcel is off for the holidays. This is going to be the worst Christmas ever.

Anyway, I'm off to wrap a few presents, clean the bathtub, finish some laundry & enjoy the cool weather that just swept in with a quick thunderstorm. 

I just discovered an "add caption" button on this thing! Anyway, I think the white blob to the left is Adam (bassist) & the little figure to the right might be Bono? I don't know. That catwalk was one of two & they rotated around the stage, which was very cool. 

**TRIED TO LOAD VIDEO BUT AFTER AN HOUR GAVE UP**

So this is the beginning of Magnificent - see the little catwalk slowly coming around the main stage? Very cool. This is the song that I desperately wanted to hear live from the first time I heard it & it's my Ben song. All of my videos cut off abruptly because I realize that no one actually wants to watch them & I would rather be boogying & singing along than holding my damn camera. One video I didn't bother to turn off before I started singing along so you don't just get U2 singing Love Rescue Me, you also get the joy of my voice chiming in with the sha la la's. It's very special.

U2 & you too

There are few things in life that make me as happy as seeing a U2 concert - when people talk about visualizing their "happy place" I'm always bouncing along to Where the Streets Have no Name with 80,000 other nuts. So last night I went to my 10th happy place U2 concert!! Yes, I went alone. I wish Marcel had been there with me but he stayed with Ben & they had a lovely boys evening at home. And I was able to get an awesome (but expensive) single seat behind the red zone & right against a fence, which is important for two reasons. One, I like to lean against things & I was able to squirrel my purse away out of the way of dirty stadium feet. Secondly, it was along the walkway that lead between the dressing rooms to the stage! I'll get to more of that shortly.

The stage was 360 degrees (hence the 360 tour name) so even though our section was to the side of the stage you could still see everything & more importantly, I could nose at all the comings & goings of the crew, friends & family. I was in heaven - after almost 20 years of fandom, some of which were teenage years where I would obsessively research anything I could about them, I was able to see some crew members, etc. that I recognized. Such as ....

Paul McGuinness

U2's longtime manager. He "discovered" them when they were teenagers in the 1970s. Best gamble ever so I salute you, sir. Can you imagine how well he's sleeping after a gazillion years with these guys?

And how about Edge's brother? I don't mean that in a "Hey, this guy looks like Edge." No, I mean that if this man isn't related to Edge I will eat my hat. I don't know what that means but I've heard that saying before. Anyway, not sure why Edge's brother (hey, I'm just going to call it) is dressed for a run but whatever.

Okay, I won't bore you with a set list or my review because you can look up reviews yourself & they would be a lot more sensical as they're written by people who are qualified to write such things. I think you know my review would just be a lot of AWESOME & exclamation points. Oh wait, here's a review of the second night: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/u2-live-in-sydney-a-pulsating-night-with-a-message-20101214-18wst.html

So let's move on to something I can handle - more random terrible pictures. Seriously, this is going to be the longest post ever because I have some terrible pictures & I want to share them with the world ... yeah, that's you. Let's get started.

The claw pre-show from my seat. Also the tops of the heads of the couple I like to call The Eggs because they were both shaped like eggs & kept swaying. I adore The Eggs. I also fear what the guys sitting behind me are posting on their blogs today with a picture of my ass swaying. 

As if I wasn't a sad enough sight to see, bobbing around to Jay-Z all by my lonesome & taking pictures of myself, I had to add a small bucket of hot chips to the equation. Why do I have to be that girl?

I have no idea where Jay-Z is on that stage but he's up there. I gave up attempting pictures of him almost immediately but I do love him & his good manners. I strongly urge all of you going to see him if you ever have a chance!

I'm sorry, did someone request Jay-Z in a golf cart? 

And what? You prefer it in the other direction with a little wave at the end? Don't mind if I do.

Okay, before I expose you to the collective disaster that makes up the rest of my concert photography, I will explain the camera situation. Firstly, I stole Marcel's iPhone so I could surf the web & update facebook if I felt weird by myself before everything started - too bad the service didn't work thanks to all us nerds doing the same thing. The phone couldn't really handle the lighting so every picture I took of the band with it made them look like little blobs being struck by lightning. I had my little point & shoot camera as well but of course if I used the flash I got a lovely shot of the heads in front of me with very little idea that a concert was going on behind them. Not using the flash requires a very very steady hand, which I DO NOT HAVE so it appears that I took a photo mid-seizure. I ended up taking lots of videos that no one on earth will want to watch except me because at least it was a little less nausea-inducing.

And on we go.

Mid-seizure, I caught a guitar tech with one of my favorite of Edge's guitars. 

**If a video doesn't appear here, I got sick of waiting for it to load but I'm leaving the caption. It's on facebook anyway.

Some dudes strolling in just in time for the show. When they strolled back out there was a ton of people with their cameras filming them but I just wanted to appreciate them without the camera in their face so I was just grinning like a loon giving them my warmest smile & giving them the old "good on ya" clap & since they were heading towards us Bono saw me, smiled & clapped back at me!! Lesson learned, won't live behind a camera & will appreciate being in the moment more. 

I do believe that's Bono. I can't believe I'm putting these pictures on here - please don't judge me.

Blobs being struck by lightning.

No idea, I think I was just trying to capture the glorious stage at this point.

The only reason I'm including this one is because when I saved it, I actually title it Huh? because I have no clue what's going on or why I even tried.

I'm not making any promises but I do believe this was during Where the Streets Have No Name, which is my theme song. Did you watch Ally McBeal? Do you remember how she advocated having a theme song that you hear in your head when you need a confidence boost? I think WTSHNN is mine.

*sigh* U2. I wasn't really close to the stage or anything but I was closer than these photos would suggest. How does that work?

Blobs being struck by lightning. 

Look at that screen! I actually Wow'ed out loud as the screen separated into little panels but still held an overall picture. I can't describe it better than that but I kept thinking that I wished Marcel was there because he would have been impressed. 

Before I start posting some song clip videos, here are some of the random notes & thoughts I had in no particular order:

1. Jay-Z is so damn polite. Lots of thank you's & telling us how much he appreciated our applause, etc.

2. I'm glad I wore my Dereon jeans. Beyonce never did show up & sit by me but I was prepared just in case it happened so we would have something to talk about.

3. Speaking of jeans, I think it's safe to say skinny jeans are finally on their way out in Sydney! I never thought I'd live to see the day. Just a few in the crowd - please note I'm only talking about boys. Girls are okay in most skinny jeans but I haaaate those boys who look like they're not even wearing pants because their jeans are so tiny & tight.

4. The weather could not have been better - just a tinge of warmth but a cool breeze. Australia called in some favors to get this weather for us!

5. U2 played a few songs from the Lovetown tour, which thrilled my little soul. I happen to adore the Rattle & Hum album so was over the moon to hear these, especially Love Rescue Me!!!

6. Hearing Magnificent live was even better than I imagine - the first time I heard that song on the latest album I couldn't wait to hear it in concert. Just one of those songs. And I kind of think of it as Ben's song because it came out in the last few months of my pregnancy & every time I heard it when he was a tiny thing it made me teary. I was born to be with you ...

Okay, now I'm teary-eyed again & I can't think of any more thoughts & one of the videos above is still loading so I'm going to take a break.

......

Okay, that one video is taking a million years to upload. Literally. It's year 1,002,010. Didn't you know? Did you also know it took me a good few minutes to figure out what 2010 plus 1,000,000 would look like then had to resort to the calculator to confirm it? Every math teacher I've had is shedding a tear right now. Anyway, I can't deal with the video loading time so I'll just upload the videos to my facebook instead. Have a super day!

Good night, Lampy.

Is it wrong to buy something that you won't use for ages but you eventually want to base your entire house around? Does that even make sense? Ya see, there's this lamp. I am smitten. It somehow holds my entire personality in its base as well as single-handedly expressing all my aesthetic desires in one inanimate object. I'm getting carried away but that's what lamp love will do to a girl.

Seriously, look at that piece of art. Funky yet kinda sophisticated at the same time. A hearty thank you to the lovely John & Sherry at younghouselove.com (Marcel & I shall reach their level of DYI awesomeness one day) for bringing this to my attention. The kick in the pants is that it's only $75 on Amazon!! The catch is that it's obviously American wiring & no, I don't want to rewire it over here for fear of disaster (this is why we are no younghouselove) & then have to rewire it again when we ever move back to America.

Soooo, is it weird to buy something to just sit in my parents' attic until we stumble back to the states & get a house that we can decorate entirely based on said thing?

Anyway, there it is. If you want one for yourself go here http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V6IO9M?ie=UTF8&tag=thiyouhou-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000V6IO9MI but I might have to break your arm or end our friendship or something else truly frightening out of jealousy. And consider it added to my wishlist if you're trying to decide what to get me for Christmas. You should probably go ahead & get us two. You know, for balance.

Will have more meaningful, less material posts for you soon but I keep getting frustrated & quitting. Off to wrap more presents now!!

back to life, back to reality (I think I've used this title at least twice before)

*sigh* I keep sitting down to write about my journey back to America but can't get my head around it so I keep quitting & saying I'll do it later. Let's face it, it's not going to be as epic as I'm sure Lewis & Clark's diaries were but it was such a fantastic trip that I want to do it justice & not be 18 paragraphs of "Ummmmm ... let's see ... oh yeah, then we went to Disneyland, which was AWEsome." You know that there is a 98.7% chance of that happening but I'm holding out just in case that 1.3% chance of actual quality manages to pull through. Don't hold your breath - I might split the difference and just write a blog about whichever part of the trip is on my brain at the moment. May not be in any particular order but at least it won't be pure drivel. Also, I left my camera's full memory card in my purse at my parent's house so I'll have to wait until it gets shipped over here to make the story even more expressive.

Instead, I'll tell you that I'm tired & although Ben & my colds are subsiding, we are still a mess. Marcel & I have decided that while he's home over Christmas we will be officially sleep training so we are anticipating zombieness & general grouchiness. We're already pretty close to that between the illnesses & jet lag so why not?

Are you all decorated & ready for the holidays by the way? We're putting our Christmas tree up this weekend & I'm venturing out today to shop for a bit of decor & presents. I love Christmas! I mean I L-O-V-E it! If I haven't already told you my saddest trait, I'll tell you now. When people ask if I have any secret talents or something I'm passionate about, the absolute only thing that comes to mind is gift-wrapping. I seriously have a thing for wrapping presents - I can wrap all day. I may choose some crap gifts but it will likely look quite lovely in its packaging.

Ben is getting cranky so it may be time for his new earlier, longer, greater nap. So in closing, I would like to send a big thank you to the universe for this ...

Hear ye, hear ye, gentlemen of the world - the time has come to stop wearing skinny jeans & being prettier than me. Butch it up a bit, boys, Beckham says it's okay.