Friday, December 28, 2012

It’s Two Days After Christmas and My Child Has Barely Played with Any of Her New Toys


That’s right, as you might have deciphered from my last post because in my junked up cold medicine head it is so clearly obvious, Emma has only gotten to play with about two or three of her new toys. Most of them are still in a pile. In fact ALL of our Christmas presents are in a pile because mommy has been very sick and completely out of it. I don’t even remember half the stuff we got. Santa was good to Emma, but her Mimi, Nana, Aunts, and Uncles were EVEN BETTER to her. In fact she got so many wonderful new things (and by wonderful new things I really mean space sucking stuff) that we are going to have to create a whole new area for her in the house. I was thinking of rearranging her room because there is a lot of untapped potential in there but we usually spend the majority of our together time in the main living room/ dining room of the house.

I was prepared for this day to come. I thought we might make it a little while longer before we needed it, but it finally has to go….daddy’s precious bar. The one his mother lovingly restored for him. The one that has not moved from its same spot in the house since I moved in (ok it was moved away from the wall for a day so we could paint) but other than that it has been dead space. It usually ends up getting cluttered with all of our junk mail or odds and ends and becomes an eye sore so in a way I am glad it is going. My husband and I never drink any more so there is no use for it in that way either.

Now the only problem I am having is that officially baby stuff will be taking over a portion of our adult living space and I don’t think I like that. True as previously mentioned the bar space was used as a dumping ground for junk mail and other thingamabobs but still they were “adult” thingamabobs gosh darn it and I am not ready to see my thingamabobs go! I guess I feel like I keep losing more and more of my adult self.  I should go back to when it all started … first, the play yard came into the living room after Emma out grew the basinet and I was ok with it because it has wheels and is self-contained which means it is not a permanent fixation if we don’t want it to be. Then, the next item was the bouncer which made an appearance early on and seemed to fit just perfectly in the space between the front door and the chair. It has been there so long it has blended into the living room scenery for me. So now literally the walls have been closing in on me with baby stuff. I remember watching those house selling shows pre-parenthood and thinking “geez people you are soooo disorganized with all of your baby stuff I mean COME ON!” And now I find myself in that group. In fact I believe the title of president has been reserved for me.

Bickering aside we will have to cope at least for a few months until I hopefully wrangle this promotion at work and we can finally move. Until then, I am giving myself a baby challenge.  Clean up old adult beverage space and make it a happy, colorful play space and do it within the next month so these Christmas toys don’t start to collect dust. Also do it with a smile because after all, I am doing it for my daughter.

Think I can meet my one month challenge? I will write on my success or failure. Have you set any goals or challenges for yourself to get “baby” stuff done around the house? 

The Patterson’s Night After Christmas


T’was the night after Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, except for an annoyed spouse

The stockings fell off the bar they were taped with little care
Because St. Nicholas had already been there

The baby was screaming unsnug in her bed
While painful teeth were coming through her little head

Mama drinking cough syrup and dad in his Redskins cap
Were hoping to pass out for an after Christmas nap

When out in the dining room there rose such a clatter
We rock paper scissored each other to go see what was the matter

Away to the dining room I shuffled not being rash
Tripped on a dog and heard a splash

I looked down as the dog vomit did grow
I rolled my eyes and groaned to the puddle below

When what to my blood shot eyes had appeared
But a mountain of presents that had done what I feared

They crashed to the ground; it happened so quick
So many toys and most did not come from Saint Nick (he was too broke to afford all that)

My feet did not move rapidly as crashing they came
Down on to the floor, there was no one to blame

Now Playskool, Now Fisher Price, Now Little Tikes, Now Disney
On Melissa and Doug, On Crayola, On Lego, and Etsy

Toys stacked to the top of the tree, to the top of the wall
Now reorganize, reorganize to fit them all!

Mommy had to come up with a plan she knew
St. Nick would not be back to help tame this shrew

Then up in my head, an idea, I felt like such a goof
Just restack them nicely it will be full proof

I have skipped a few lines don’t think me not merry
If I don’t get more sleep I will become quite scary

So laying a finger aside of my nose
I blew it and headed back for a doze

Tomorrow will be a good day to deal with this, I thought as I left the sight
Of the fruits of Christmas past so I say to all a good night!  

Sunday, December 23, 2012

The Great Santa Debate


Success! We made it to see Santa without any major catastrophes! Everyone had a great time! We met Nana and Grandpa, Uncle Thomas (not to be confused with daddy Thomas), and Mimi for brunch. Everything went well at brunch and thereafter. Smile after smile, picture after picture everyone was jolly and full of cheer.

We were in a very well decorated location (not a mall but a grand hotel if you can believe it) so grandpa wanted pictures taken at every turn. As dutiful children excited to show off their kid on her first Christmas we happily stopped every few feet to smile and Emma followed suit.

After two hours of a very good baby, we sauntered over to the line to see Santa. At this point, someone was starting to get a little bit cranky. Afternoon naptime had come and gone and mommy started to get worried. By the time we got up to the front of the line, I knew we would need some kind of miracle to get a smile from Emma who was obviously all smiled out.

It all happened in slow motion. Thomas walked up to Santa with Emma as I ducked behind the cameraman. I missed the initial pass off, but by the time I had positioned myself and was able to look back I saw it. A face I know so well because it is the only time my child looks like me, her all out screaming crying face! I was not too upset because I was mentally aware that this was a probability. In that moment everyone stopped and stared at her, the camera guy, the line lady, the 20 other families in line. I could hear everyone give a collective gasp and then time froze and I did what any mommy would do. Like the beginning of a slow clap at the end of a movie, I started clapping really loudly and yelling “YYYYAAAAAAYYYY!!!” at the top of my lungs. All of a sudden everyone in the crowd joined in and we were all cheering for this sweet baby to smile and she did! Ok so maybe the entire Santa line wasn’t cheering but it sure sounded like it. Anyways we got our smile. Followed promptly by a glance upward at Santa’s face only to rediscover there was a scary man in a psychedelic shirt (to be explained later) holding her which lead to another meltdown. Luckily daddy swooped in to save the day!     

To back track, while we were waiting for Santa, everyone in our party made a very profound observation. None and I mean NONE of the kids in line had any holiday attire on, even the babies! One baby boy was in a blue jumpsuit and another baby girl was wearing a pink shirt and jeans. So did I miss the memo? Is it no longer “cool” to dress up your child like they are headed for the North Pole? My husband did make a comment the other day about how the corduroy jumper I put Emma in for picture day was sooooo 80s! Maybe I am behind the times, but this is my kid’s first Christmas, in fact I might only have a few Christmases to put her in a cute little holiday outfit so I am running with it!
Just to be sure, my mommy friend who had taken her son to see Santa the week before at the same place said the same thing. Her son was the only child in Christmas gear. Maybe it is the posh people who go see the hotel Santa that don’t dress up their kids? Maybe people just so happened to be walking by and saw Santa and said hey why not? I thought this was something you meticulously plan out? Maybe only the type A folks.

The other problem that came up was of all things … Santa’s attire. So not only did the kids not have Christmas cheer, but Santa was not in his complete red suit, which sent my ultra traditionalist mother off her rocker. He was wearing a psychedelic blue shirt with multicolored hot air balloons! I was kind of taken back by the whole thing myself. He was “authentic” if you know what I mean, but something to me said Santa might be on hiatus from his North Pole biker buddies.

Which leaves several questions at hand: Are certain traditions going out the window? Do you dress up your children in holiday outfits? Is Santa trying to keep up with the Katy Perry/ Niki Minaj generation? Or did he get lost on his way from a Grateful Dead concert? (see picture below – sorry it is a little burry)

What do you think? Weigh in on the great Santa debate!



Friday, December 21, 2012

The Cupcakes I Made For My Office Holiday Party Fell Down An Elevator Shaft; And Other Holiday Pleasantries

I am really, really trying hard not to show my bah- humbug face but it seems like the Grinch has cast a dark cloud over me and even the magic of Christmas cannot make it go away.  I have been waiting for Tiny Tim to pop out and make everything all shiny and magical but there has been no such Christmas spirit in sight. It has been a difficult holiday season to say the least. I thought I had gone through a few early holiday snafus and I was headed back on track when I got a call from daycare, while I was offsite at one of my two office holiday parties. Emma has a fever. Those four words sent me spiraling back down my happy Christmas chimney so fast and I felt a lump of coal rise up in my throat.  After being sick a week earlier and missing two days of work, Emma was even more sick than before!  To top it off, right before the holiday party I decided to get my flu shot. Yes, great idea! An event that requires you to be lively and social when normally you sit in a cube and stare at a spongy cloth wall, I decide to inject myself with this “harmless” helper that ended up rendering me helpless to any sick childcare much less any holiday party socialization.


Of course I panicked that she had a fever but my previous experience with panicking and running her straight to the ER when she had a fever proved detrimental so my husband offered to get her and take her to the pediatrician. After the coast was clear and I didn’t have to panic (just a bad virus again), I settled into being sick at home with a sick baby. My husband was a great help and we made it through all of the middle of the night coughing fits and snot sucking screams fairly well. In the process however, we missed several more specially planned holiday events. If you recall, we missed out on going to the tree farm and now we missed out on our ugly Christmas sweater party (I had even found a ugly baby sweater  for Emma at the thrift store).

All the merriment I had left in my Christmas plans was going to my other office Christmas Party (the one I planned specifically for my smaller team). I needed it to go well. My husband was good enough to get a half day off on Tuesday, the day of the party, to be with Emma which gave me a few hours out of the house to set up and attend the beginning of the party. Needless to say everything that could go wrong did. The caterers were a half hour late preparing the food (that I called to check on the day before), the room we had reserved in the building had “otherwise been occupied” by another group whose holiday cheer did not include sharing, or even giving a damn that someone else already had the nice party room reserved, so after all of this chaos I could only manage to do what was within my power and grab the decorations and cupcakes I had so loving baked and frosted the night before. Of course being all sweaty and discombobulated from the previously stated atrocities (including having little sleep from being up with a sick baby), I was out of it and shoved everything onto an unstable push cart and raced toward the new party destination (the not so private, overly crowded cafeteria). As I ran to catch the elevator, the wheels on the cart got stuck in the slat at the bottom where the elevator connects with the floor and well ... the cupcakes did not make it. They flew through the air and landed all over the floor coming to a rest in the elevator shaft. So, I ended up literally scrapping the office Christmas party cheer off the floor of an elevator.  At this point I broke down and cried. I ended up not even returning to the party. I left humiliated and upset.

I guess my mommy strength is really being tested because I have yet to have one great holiday experience (excluding craft club quilting). I am trying desperately to have one happy experience for Emma on her first Christmas. In looking back, maybe spending all that time with her while she was sick was all she really wanted for Christmas. It was simple and uninterrupted time that was not a stressful event with massive potential for something to go wrong. There was no pressure to just sit on the floor and play with her. So maybe we both got what we really wanted for Christmas. 


Yes I Am Right On Trend In 2012


So, I’m sure you’ve seen the posts. You’ve read the lists, counted the tallies, and even rolled your eyes a time or two. The list of the most popular baby names for 2012 has come out and guess what…(yes I am sure you already know what but I am going to point out the obvious anyway) since it seems that I am an unoriginal fool, my child’s name is the second most popular girl’s name for 2012.

Have I sent for the name change form? Have I dusted off the old baby name book to see where I went wrong? Am I frantically trying to think of a nick name that is funny, yet appropriate for an academic setting….not exactly. You see I really do like the name Emma. In fact, the rest of the Emma name lovers out there probably like it for the same reasons I do…short, easy to spell, easy to pronounce, sweet yet strong, works for young and old, a Jane Austin nod, I mean really I see little that could ever go wrong with a name like Emma … other than every kid in her class having the same name. I am hopeful at the moment because she is the only Emma at her entire daycare center (ok only 18 kids out of the whole place are infants, but Emma was a popular name last year too.)

In our unoriginal name choosing defense I wanted to name her Leah but my husband was not on board with that. Leah is in the top 100 by not top 10. There were a few other very close number ones such as Riley and Morgan. Even the great goddess Athena was in the running for a brief period of time (meaning aside I am really pleased we did not go with that one.) My name is Kathryn and my husband’s name is Thomas so I think we ere on the side of traditional names. We will never name one of our kids Wind or Rainbow or Bear.

 I was aware that Emma was top 10 in 2011 and knew it would continue to be popular in years to come so I made my choice knowing the consequences she would have to face. I am in no way trying to have history repeat itself, but I know exactly what the road ahead looks like for her because being a Kathryn in the 80s and 90s, I was never short on company in Kathrynland. To this day, I know 4 Katies and 3 Kathryns at least. In school I was corralled into the last name adder club and it was not too much fun (especially since my maiden name is hard to pronounce.) Emma lucked out in the last name department with pronunciation, but our last name is once again pretty commonly found. Lucky for me we chose Riley for her middle name, so if anyone needs her, they can just yell for ERP. 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Adaptation and a Throbbing Wrist: Both Things You Need to be Ready for As a New Parent


News Flash!!!! If you are planning on becoming a parent and you are not good at embracing change, start mentally preparing now! Changes happen so often and come so quickly it is like having to upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 27 and every update in-between in a mere few months. Imagine needing to learn a new operating system every few weeks, maybe even every other week! Well that is baby development (geez am I a nerd or what using a Microsoft analogy – odd because I am more of a mac person but anyway).

I think you get the point. If you are the person who still does not know what Twitter looks like or you have been wearing the same 1990s flannel shirt for years then you might want to open your mind to exploring new things because that is what your baby will be doing. Every object is a new experience and every week holds new untold adventures, everything from different amounts of poop to new body movements. We are talking constant routine changers here. As a younger parent and having grown up in a world with rapidly changing technology you would think I am well equipped to jump right in with fast paced changes. I’m hip, I’m down… yeah ok maybe not. I guess I am losing my touch or my knack for learning quickly because I cannot keep up with this girl!

It all started with the car seat. That’s when my ability to adapt took a wrong turn. I had been up to speed with moving her from the playpen to the crib to sleep. I had been ready with new toys and tethers when she needed extra stimulation and comfort. Then came the car seat. I think up until that point I had been ok with the changes. They didn’t seem so epic and were easy for me to grasp (ok the bed switch was tough the first week.) Now she has gotten to the point where I can barely lift her when she is in the car seat. She has grown too much to be lovingly cradled around from car to house and car to daycare in her safe seat. My main problem with this is that it has gotten cold outside now and I have her wrapped in a blanket in the seat with a fleece jacket on. Taking her out means I have to wrap the blanket around her and try to run to the door with diaper bag, purse, and whatever else in hand. For some reason, my brain cannot let go of the old habit of grabbing her car seat and going. I finally hurt my wrist carrying it, which was the worst because I type for a living (zing). So now I am stuck with a dilemma. An easy fix really, yet for some reason I can’t let go.

Besides the car seat dilemma, she is eating solids now and the pediatrician said to introduce a new food every 3-4 days! Um I don’t think I even know enough foods to introduce a new one every 3-4 days. She has also started to crawl which I am thrilled about! It has come with her trying to pull herself up too. All at the same time! So now, I am thinking we need to jump on the shoe wearing bandwagon. But for crying out loud she is only 6.5 months old! Can’t I just keep her in socks and booties a little bit longer? What if she only eats sweet potatoes for a week straight? Will this put her behind somehow in life? I think part of it all has to do with the fact that I work full time and I don’t get to see her as often as I would like so I try to make up for it by going through the stages at my own mommy processing pace. I can’t seem to bring myself to keep on pace with her. At the same time I don’t want to be the old fuddy duddy mom who is trying to look cool using a jitter bug.

How do I get on the same page developmentally with my child? Anyone else have these problems? 

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

This Year’s Christmas Family Tradition: Daddy picks out the tree from a store lot


Yes that’s right, the magical journey to the tree farm did not happen. The Christmas Carols on the car ride to the farm, the hot chocolate at the farm, the hour(s?) spent hunting down the perfect tree, the crisp air and smiling faces of other families enjoying the same magical togetherness … did not happen.  Emma was very sick last weekend and the beginning of this week (thus why I have been on hiatus). Her health is priority number one and I did not want to put her in harms way, so I did what any mother who has to stay home with a sick child when they so desperately want to pick out the perfect Christmas tree will do, I looked my husband in the eye and told him to find the tree of all trees. A tree so magnificent that it would make the Grinch cry tears of joy. So magnificent that it makes all the toys in toy land say Whoomp there it is! 

Now I do not consider myself someone that is extremely hard to please. I wouldn’t even say that I am picky, ok maybe just particular. Needless to say I was a little worried about daddy having to venture out on his own to find a tree and not just ANY tree, Emma’s first Christmas tree. The tree she would see in all of the pictures of her first Christmas. The first tree she would see all lit up with lights and sparkles, her first taste of Christmas magic. (I mean come on now people you can’t tell me that doesn’t elevate this to def con 5.) I told my husband to make sure it was full and sturdy. The results were better than I had imagined. The Christmas tree fairy must have been with him because he came home with a tree that looked just as good as if we had cut it down, maybe even better. In fact the more I look at it, the more it looks like the best tree we’ve had since we’ve been together.

So, life got in the way of the “perfect” holiday plan. I’m sure it’s not the last time something I have planned gets put on the back burner for something more important because even though having a great tree is part of the overall Christmas experience I want for my child, it’s really the love, the people that make the holidays. Cheesy yes, but very true, in all of the holiday hullabaloo I can never lose site of the health and happiness of my family. That is all anyone wishes for. 

Do you have any stories of holiday plans gone wrong?

Monday, December 10, 2012

The Things They Don’t Teach You in Baby Class


Here we were, a month before Emma was born, taking a how to prepare for baby class. They went over lots of major things, like how to properly feed the baby, change a diaper, cloth, swaddle, nurture, and other new parent need to knows. BUT as I’m sure you have now discovered, there are many things you cannot prepare yourself for until you find yourself in that situation with a baby. Here are a few gems I will share about what I have learned along the way in hopes to be able to enlighten others.

There will be a time when you get sick AND have to take care of the baby.

I inevitably caught one of Emma’s colds and her daddy had exhausted his leave from work after she had been sick, before, so here I was with an energetic baby who just got over a cold and I was pretty much out of commission. I was able to nap with her in bed and did my best to keep her entertained until daddy got home but needless to say no one ever prepared me for how to take care of a child when you are sick. I was so surprised, the idea had never crossed my mind. No one I had had bothered to mention to me during my 9 months of pregnancy or ever during my life, that when you are a mother there is no sick day. There is no time off for you to rest in bed to get better. That only exists in the land of your pre-baby bliss days.

There will be a time that you are alone with the baby and have to go to the bathroom.

After her four month appointment with the pediatrician, I really had to go to the bathroom and I knew I would not be able to hold it in Friday afternoon rush hour traffic (side note: do NOT schedule a doctor’s appointment on a Friday afternoon if you know rush hour is bad in your area, yeah I wasn’t thinking at the time) so I had her in the car seat, with my purse, and diaper bag flung over my shoulder and marched off to the bathroom in the office building. To my shock and amazement in a medical building, the bathroom DID NOT have a handicap stall and to top it off, all of the stalls were very narrow! Here I am with a car seat and the afore mentioned baggage and I could not fit any of it in the stall with me. I could barely fit my postpardum hips inside the narrow opening. I had no choice but to plop Emma down in front of the stall with the diaper bag, during which time I used the facility hoping no one would walk in on a very discombobulated mom with the stall door open and her child in a car seat on the middle of the bathroom floor. I mean really what bathroom does not have a handicap stall?

You will find yourself in very odd circumstances.

As if the bathroom story is not enough, about a week after that we went to the mall on a Saturday while daddy was at work. When I got out of the car in the parking lot I noticed something under my tire that looked like it splattered. I shrugged it off thinking it had been there for a couple of days, put the baby in her stroller, and proceeded to enjoy our girls only shopping trip. All thoughts of the car left my mind. Upon our return to the car I realized quickly what had happened. I had run over a piece of rotten fruit and a swarm of yellow jackets had engulfed my car. My mommy protection devises went into over drive trying to figure out how to safely get my child in the car among a swarm of rotten fruit loving bees. My first thought was to move the car, but being on my own I could not leave the baby in the stroller in the mall parking lot. I finally calculated a resolution in my head. I unlocked the car from a safe distance and threw a blanket over the car seat (we have a stroller car seat combo) I cradled the car seat as much under my body as I could and sacrificing self for child I ran to the car as soon as I saw a break in the bees. I somehow was able to miraculously secure the seat and retreat without getting stung or having any bees get into the car. I can only imagine what any onlookers seeing me running to the car with a car seat oddly placed under my upper body, while quickly slamming the door must have thought. Probably that I had gone off my mommy rocker. I smile at this thought now, but at the time it was a really stressful situation to say the least. SO if you ever find that you have driven over a piece of rotten fruit and come face to face with a swarm of yellow jackets, there is my recommendation on how to handle the situation.

Do you have any crazy mommy stories while it was only you and the baby? 

I'm back!

I hope everyone's holiday preparations have been going well. I must apologize for my brief hiatus. Emma got very sick. That is a whole other story. I will be posting on our recent adventures soon, but in the mean time, I wanted to share some vintage classics that I was waiting to post until I heard back from the site I submitted them to. It has been two months with no word back from the blog site, so I am going to assume I did not make the cut... this time around. I have not given up yet and even if I never make this into a dream career I still have all of you, my faithful followers, or maybe you are just bored or accidentally kicked on this blog, but you know what... I'll take it!

Read and Enjoy!


Friday, November 30, 2012

And So Begins Round Two of Sleep Deprivation


I thought the coast was clear. My bed and I had once again found our harmonious existence together after months of separation. My brain was finally able to function at work. I could problem solve! I started remembering dates of events, even days of the week.

Well, all of that has been (hopefully) temporarily thrown out the sweet moments of the past window in favor of sleep regression misery. I should not say misery, since it is an understandable occurrence but this side of several days with little to no consecutive hours of sleep is difficult to handle to say the least.

Being in mommy world, working, trying to get back in shape, blogging, and preparing for the holidays have me stretched very thin at the moment. Emma of course is priority one, so I want to be able to help her though whatever phase she is in. I am concerned she is having difficulty sleeping through the night. I think this means she is on the verge of crawling and or teething. We go to the pediatrician on Monday for her 6 month checkup, so hopefully we can get some answers.

We have not co-slept in about a month (except for weekend morning sleep-ins) and I’m thinking of going back to that if it would comfort her more. When we do go to check on her in the middle of the night after hearing her, we often find her on her hands and knees awake wiggling around.

I’m willing to try anything at this point for one night of blissful, uninterrupted sleep. I am nearly at the point where I am slurring my words and I have completely lost all sense of time including the day and the hour. I also just happened to look down at my work outfit I am still in at 7pm at night, brown pants, green shirt, gray shawl cover thingy, oh boy thank goodness I did not have any meetings today.

Have you gone through sleep regression with your little one? How did you work through it? 

Monday, November 26, 2012

My Extreme Holiday Predicament


Now that you have been introduced to “the fur babies” I thought I would share a moment of pure anguish and terror that wreaks havoc throughout my holidays. This is the time when you are supposed to be merry and full of cheer and, I generally am. Sitting in my tiny two bed room, one bath, rented house with four dogs and a baby, I am quite cozy and happy during the holidays, until I turn on the TV.
 
After I put Emma to sleep and dinner is underway I sometimes enjoy a bit of mindless TV watching. Yup, it’s just me and my four dogs snuggling in the living room when it hits, unsuspectingly….the sad doggie/ kitty commercials!!!!!! Oh God NOOOOOOO!!!! There are several different commercials and they seem to reach their tear jerking peek around the holidays (probably when they get the majority of their donations so they make sure to run them every other commercial break.) And I HATE THEM!

Why, why, must you find the exact moment to come on when the remote is out of reach or I am temporarily paralyzed from performing various mommy duties and can’t change the channel! Then comes the sad music and BIG GLARING DOGGIE EYES! I want to scream at the narrator “But….. I already have FOUR DOGS!!!” Three of which were saved from a difficult life. Vet bills, toys, food, and not to mention a human baby and trying to save up for a bigger house and yard leaves little else to donate for the others and yet, the guilt! Oh the guilt! Even if I am in another room and I hear the commercial start I want to cry. There are so many others that need help, that need good homes! The best I can do is to try to talk my other friends into adopting. I really want to be able to do more but all I can do is the best for the ones I have and know that when we can, we will save another furry friend.  

I know adoption is not for every family, but there are so many ways you can help! Want information on how you can help out a furry friend for the holidays? Visit: http://www.aspca.org/adoption/ten-ways-to-help-animals-in-your-community.aspx

Anyone have a good adoption story or a good way to cope with the commercials? 

16 Paws



No, don’t worry, I am not about to tell a story about scary werewolf babies. I know Halloween is over and we are in full on holiday mode right now, but I wanted to take a break from the holidays and the human baby to talk about 4/7ths of my family. That’s right, our “fur babies” who outnumber us humans in the house four to three.

We are not animal hoarders, although I feel like I want to be but just do not have the room. How the heck did a normal, non-hoarding couple end up with four dogs? So, the story goes that a boy with boy dog met a girl with a girl dog and they all fall in love. Sorry both dogs were responsibly fixed and not capable of having puppies, so after some time, the human girl decided she wanted to get a puppy to add to their doggie family. As it turns out, she was in luck the boy’s co-worker’s dog was getting ready to have puppies. Fast forward a few weeks and they went to go pick up the puppy. The boy’s brother also wanted a puppy, so the boy took one of the puppies for his brother. Well it ended up that his brother could not take the puppy, so the puppy ended up staying with the boy and the girl and the other three dogs. Oh yeah, then the boy and the girl had a human baby girl. The End.

Ok I think I summed that up pretty well. Lesson learned, don’t pick up a puppy for a friend. If they want a dog and are ready to commit, let them go pick it up! That’s the first sign of commitment! That being said, we love all four dogs very much and would have it no other way (well except to have a bigger house). They are all well behaved (when not excited) and are the most wonderful loyal friends anyone could ask for. Below is a picture/ description of each of our big kids (the smallest weights over 60lbs). 

            



Meet Stanley

He looks ferocious but he is the sweetest of them all. Our senior gentleman. I call him ol' boy. 
Dislikes: Cats
Likes: Laying next to the heater when it's cold outside

Meet Bella

My rambunctious lab. My love and best friend. If she wants to get attention she will come right up to you and put her head in your lap. She is a true water dog! 
Likes: Running after tennis balls
Dislikes: Bringing back tennis balls 

Meet Reese 

I call her my sweet little meat because she always comes into the kitchen when I'm cooking looking for a treat. She is the smallest of our large brood and the shyest but get to know her and you get nothing but love.
Dislikes: Not getting treats
Likes: Running around with large strings of drool hanging out of her mouth

Meet Charlie 

She looks like Reese in this picture but she is her own dog! She is brindle and was the surprise addition to our family. She pushes the boundaries and is full of energy but there is one in every family so we love her for who she is. 
Likes: Jumping REALLY high into the air
Dislikes: When squirrels get away 



Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Why My Head is Spinning


I have already posted about Christmas on here, so I feel like there is nothing holding me back from going all out with the holiday posts now. I have to say however, it is hard to get anything done or even concentrate because my head feels like it is going to explode. No, it’s not a cold, not too much eggnog, not a bad reaction from a piece of questionable fruit cake, it’s me trying to process ALL these TOYS!

I started innocently scanning through some ads we got in the mail to get a feel for what might work for Emma for her first Christmas and I was floored by the extreme toys I saw! Yes, when I was a kid I do remember a bunch of different toys and it seemed like each one was special in its own way, but when I look at any advertisement or walk down any toy isle now, I get dizzy and feel extremely overwhelmed. No wonder kids have ADD, every gadget has 20+ functions and hooks up to the computer so it can perform 40 more. Even understanding the simplest of items, a walker, felt like learning a whole new language. All I wanted for her was a simple toy she could use to help her get around, but instead I was bombarded with a barrage of strange objects that seemed to do even stranger things. One walker had so much stuff on it it’s a wonder any of the kids ever figure out there is a back side where they can actually pull themselves up to walk. What a novel idea for a walker!

Anyways, I was tempted to get her the simple Little Tikes walker that has the car attached to the front and that’s it, but it seemed like it might be for older kids, so I ended up picking a middle of the road walker. It has some musical stuff on the front of it, but not an overwhelming amount and we saw it in action over at a friend’s house so we know she will enjoy it. Bottom line though, I feel out of it, I feel like while I was off enjoying my pre-baby adulthood someone turned up the overload button on toys. I am tempted to buy Emma only simplistic toys but then would she fall behind other kids? It seems that is a discussion for another post, but for now, I am going to try to keep it as simple as I can. I mean she’s really going to pay more attention to the wrapping paper anyway, right?

Is it your baby’s first Christmas? Having a hard time navigating through all of the crazy kid toys? I’d love to hear about it! 

Sunday, November 18, 2012

She’s Right In Front of Me


I just had an Aha moment! About a week ago, I meet up with an old high school friend to get Emma’s baby pictures taken. I had not gotten her pictures taken when she was first born and I sometimes regret not doing it but after seeing her pictures from our photo shoot I realized I had made the right decision to wait. Emma is so much more expressive now and so much more animated and it really translated well in the pictures!

In fact, Monika, our photographer, did an excellent job of capturing Emma from different angles and in different settings so much so that going through the pictures I began to see something that I had not seen before. Emma is in no way a one dimensional baby. In fact, she has already formed an incredibly complex personality and it came through brilliantly in the pictures. I was amazed to see the still images capturing the many sides to her personality. I figured I’d share them with you:

Bewilderment: As a baby, Emma is totally engrossed and amazed with the world around her. Everything is a new wonder to discover.  Some things are harder to figure out than others but she is ever wide eyed with amazement.


The “I think no one is looking so I will take a minute for myself” look: Emma does like to please the crowd and will smile more often than not, but sometimes she needs a break and has no problem taking one. She almost does it in a way where she thinks no one is paying attention and so she lets her inner thoughts play out on her face. “Yeah I see that they are trying to take my picture, which slightly amuses me, but I’m going to chill out on this chair.”



Angelic Innocence: Without even realizing it, she exudes this angelic sweetness just because. 




Joy: Often found on the face of my 5.5 month old, she is an extremely happy baby who loves to laugh along with anyone she keeps company with.


Time to “Get Serious”: For some reason, when she is trying out new sounds, specifically consonant sounds that might be a little advanced for her, she gets a very focused look on her face, like her future scholarly PhD essence is coming through.


Confident in Herself: She knows what she wants and goes for it. I see this one as her, “this is me” face. That’s right, this is my first time on a baby swing and I am doing just fine.


Food is Good/I love to try new things: Ever the explorer, Emma loves to try new things, solid foods included! She loves being able to sit up in her highchair like a big girl to partake in a ritual she sees the grownups doing, eating! She also gets excited if she is held standing up or is able to sit down next to you so she feels included.  



What are you doing: Ever aware of her human companions, Emma is like a sponge, soaking up every movement, every word, and every part of whoever is within close proximity. She observes everything with extreme attention to detail.




All of this was right in front of my face the entire time, Emma’s personality, her human complexities. It took the stillness of the pictures to capture each of her intricacies for me to truly be able to appreciate each of them, and start to begin to piece together who my Emma really is.


Our awesome photographer, Monika Catanzaro can be found at www.monikacatanzaro.com Check out the work done by this remarkable, creative mom!  

Christmas Shopping with a Baby


Alrighty, we’ve made it past Halloween right?  It’s almost Thanksgiving, so I would say we are ready for Christmas Holiday talk (I see some of you rolling your eyes). Well, actually, normally I would be on the side of the “Let me enjoy my Thanksgiving and wake me up from my comatose food sleep sometime in mid-December” people, but this year requires a little bit more planning. I have found that planning ahead for things in mommy world makes everything run a little bit smoother so do not hate me for my haste in planning out my holiday shopping.

Several questions are burning in my mind as I run through my long list of family members, co-workers, and other close friends we are required to have presents for (I am kind of working toward taking a minimalist approach to gift giving but that topic will be saved for another time.) So now, I have to figure out when I will either have someone to watch Emma or how many stores/ sales I can hit up before we reach baby meltdown.

I have a lot to do and Emma, on a good day, with maybe a nap thrown in, will last approximately 1.5-2 hours in a store at any given time. As I have previously mentioned, my child does not like to be confined in any type of small space. She is a mover so keeping her in the stroller is like torture. Baby wearing is out as well. She will sit for short periods of time in the stroller which is why I pretty much need to know exactly what I will be getting from the store and where it is located. It makes for a less laid back shopping experience, but I know I will have to bring her with me at some point during this holiday season. Here is my game plan:

1.      Write down list of family members/ gifts they are getting
2.     Do research at home for which store has good sales on said items
3.     Plan out which stores I will hit when, preferably stores I am familiar with the layout
4.     Have list of each person/ item/ price I will be purchasing at which store– this also helps me budget!
5.     Pack some good toys/ a binky/ food/ anything else that will help us make it through an hour and a half at the mall

And now I bid thee a farewell from my holiday OCD planning and say good luck shopping everyone! Do you have a well laid out plan to tackle your holiday season shopping? Do you have any holiday shopping horror stories? 

Sunday, November 11, 2012

My Dream in a Galaxy Far Far Away


I know by now we have all heard the news that Disney bought out George Lucas which includes several franchises, but the only one anyone should be concerned about (ok the only one I care about) is the Star Wars franchise, particularly the creation of the next trilogy. Every day since I heard the news I have been very antsy and distraught to the point were I feel like I want to jump out of my skin with anxiety. There is A LOT riding on this. Which is why I am formally announcing that it would truly fulfill my life’s purpose if I was able to assist in the writing and production of these films! (No I don’t think I’m asking too much.)

I have a lot invested in Star Wars. It was the ultimate magical trilogy of my childhood. It is one of only a handful of things on this earth I share a strong bond with my father over. It impacted me so profoundly, that I wrote my own fan fiction sequel (one of my first lengthy pieces of writing). I should not need to reiterate any more how immensely important the success of these next films are to me. To add a cherry on top, these will be the trilogy of my daughter’s generation. I like to try to glaze over the memory of the prequel films and send out this plea for the next set since in all likelihood, the execs from Disney will not be knocking at my door. Please DO NOT MESS UP THESE MOVIES In the spirit of a blog favorite, I have decided to list my top 10 pieces of advise to Disney that will, I believe ensure the success of any future films to come.

      1. This I do feel is the most important and I know I might meet some resistance with this, but for my idea of success, please, please BRING BACK THE PUPPETS!!! If I have to see a graphically disturbing image of Yoda I might cry. For some reason to me, a wise, old Jedi is at his expressive best as a tangible 3D entity on screen

      2. To piggyback off of that, if you are going to have any digital graphics at all, get the best out there, or go back to the models! Yes, I said it! The magic of the models helped to make Star Wars what it was. Simplicity is best for this blogger.

     3. The plot: Do not make it overly complicated, keep it believable, and try to have a good balance of action and love story (yes I am going to be looking for a Solo, Leia for the new generation.)

      4. One or two BIG TWISTS please! No, not Luke is Jabba’s sister’s baby daddy but come up with something that will leave us captivated!

      5. Give us a cliffhanger! By the time I was able to watch the trilogy the whole Han Solo gets frozen thing was mystery solved. I would like a good nail bitter at the end of the second film.

      6. Characters – We all know what makes a great story, character development! Please give us some substance! (Particularly a badass female Jedi) There needs to be an absolutely believable villain and well thought out comic relief (R2D2 yes, JarJar Binks NO WAY)

      7. Dialog – Like those that have gone before, the dialog/ acting does not have to be spot on, it would be good, but not a must if 1-6 are followed!

      8.  I am certainly not apposed to bringing back old friends (Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher heck even good old Harrison, come on down!)

      9. Music – John Williams only – nothing more to say here

      10. Make it magical and awe-inspiring. I really don’t think that is too much to ask. People have to talk about this for another 30 years.

There is a lot ridding on this for me as well as others. Disney, I offer my expertise and advise to you free of charge, but feel free to contact me directly because I have not divulged major details of my ideas on here. And rest assured blog world I will always be waiting to do battle with my light saber and use the force but you Disney now hold the power to bring all of this to reality and for now, I am still nervous. 

Friday, November 9, 2012

How Our Family Is Like a Squeaky Rocking Chair



The house is quite. The faint aroma of baked chicken lingers in the air. Going down the hallway you can detect the sweet innocence of infancy. All is zen and peaceful and then…a sudden, loud, squeeeeaaaaak. And then another and another until a fast paced rhythm of squeaking fills the sound space.

Yes, this is the scene at our house every evening. Ear wrenching, squeaking, rocking chair!  It is completely unheard of, but we have a squeaky rocking chair. It is ridiculous I know. I keep wanting to ask my husband to oil it or do anything really, but I haven’t and maybe there is a reason behind that. The chair pretty much started squeaking about a month into baby life so Emma does not notice it. She’s been a squeaky rocking chair lover her whole life.  She will fall asleep with the rhythmic squeaks as if it was a sweet flute accompanying my lullaby humming.

Why do I keep it? How did this happen in the first place? After all this is our first child and therefore we should have a beautiful, quiet, new chair to match our new furniture set right? Actually, no. So the story goes, before I was pregnant or even had a thought about a nursery or booties or any of that, my husband and I were out driving around a neighborhood to see if we liked it as we were house  hunting at the time. Just as we were pulling out of the end of the neighborhood we saw a rocking chair on the curb in front of the last house on the street. My husband quickly pulled over. Free furniture!  The owner just so happened to be in the yard and was able to give us the footstool that went with it. There was no real logic behind picking it up. We kind of wanted a DIY fixer-upper project was all.

Fast forward three months, and we find out I am pregnant. Crazy right? So I reupholstered the cushions and my husband fixed the broken wood slats on the back and ta da! Good as new…for the first month. Then slowly but surely a loud squeak developed. No matter what position I put myself in on the chair there it is, but you know what else there is? The hard work both me and my husband put into the chair, each loving stich, each piece of wood cut. We made something beautiful for our child, something we seemed to have a futuristic intuition about. We are not perfect parents, we aren’t perfect people, and the chair is by no means perfectly put together, but like the chair, we plan to raise Emma and teach her that she doesn’t have to be perfect. She can grow up to be the person who she wants to be, imperfect, just like her mommy and daddy who put together an imperfect squeaky chair out of love.  That is what our family is. 

Thursday, November 8, 2012

The Technology Meltdow



So I know we’ve all been there, that time when mommy’s “lovey” aka her cell phone, laptop, fill in the blank tech devise bites the dust. When your inner voice is yelling, “nooooo I did not back that up!” You try to keep your cool around the kids too, like no mommy is not freaking out right now.”

Well this happened to me yesterday. My cell phone, my lifeline, had been on the frits for a month or so and yesterday it decided to go to cell phone heaven.  I naturally was banging my head on my desk at work thinking of what an idiot I was for knowing the phone was near death and not taking the precaution to back up my data. Of course by data I mean all of the pictures my husband took at the hospital when Emma was born with my cell phone camera! (We took pictures on our digital camera too but those were not the same, ok they kind of were the same but you mommies know what I mean by NOT the same.) Not to mention all of those precious moments we had together while I was on maternity leave. Her first time in her bouncer, several smiling pictures which are SUPER hard to capture, some videos of her first babbling and laughing, all of those moments you capture on your cell phone because the camera is never at hand. 

After some extreme mommy guilt I ran over to the cell phone store at lunch to find all of my precious photos and video memories still intact after the cell phone associate waved his magic cell phone cool gadget wand. I was so elated! I have them saved now and I will be more careful with my “mommy lovey” from here on out.

So, just a quick word to the wise, plan ahead, back up your precious materials because you never know when that glass of water will spill or the dog finds a new chew toy.  You do not want to lose those precious moments! 

Monday, November 5, 2012

This versus That Parenting


While I am waiting to hear back on the blogs I submitted for publication, I cannot hold back on one topic that seems to present itself on almost a daily basis in my realm of mommydom. I have been letting this bother me since day one. Day one, when I ended up having a c-section that I did not want. Day one, when I was unable to breast feed. Here I was, thrown into certain situations that I had little control over that raised eyebrows among some. What kind of parent am I? How am I doing this and Why am I doing that? There is a lot being said about parenting, numerous blogs, numerous studies, basically a kick in the face of all sorts of information you had no idea you wanted to know about or needed to know about and most importantly had to have an established OPINION about on each meticulously outlined method in order to be able to defend yourself. 

As a new parent this can be exhausting and cause added stress. So, I wanted to let all of you out there know that you are not alone, I have gone through it all and here is what I have learned, bottom line (I come from the corporate world so I use this tool to help me get to the root of whatever issue I am faced with): no matter what anyone says or does you are able to chose what method of parenting and raising your child works for you. If you are reading this, if you have spent an entire afternoon on Google or reading through the American Pediatrics website, or marking up a book, then you already know you are a good parent. You are taking time to learn, to weigh all of your options so you can make the best choice for your child and your family. Some kids wish they had parents that would do that for them. 

Do you have to bottle feed? Do you have to work and send your child to daycare? Do you co-sleep? Do you baby wear? Do you let your baby cry it out? Well that is all up to you. Are you loving your child and proving them a good home environment and the necessities they need to succeed? That is the only question you need to ask yourself or worry about. Don't let others try to talk you down. Have confidence in who you are as a person and what you do as a family. Besides, we are all different. The world is made up of such a diverse complexity of people. If we all raised our children exactly alike we might not get the amazing variety of humanity that exists. 


Let's not forget, bottom line, we are all in this together, trying to raise our kids to become the people they are gong to be.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

My first blog ever

Hello, here I am finally! I think, or hope I have found that missing something in my world. I am new to this blog thing even thought it has been around for years. I have always wanted to write, but my attention span/ motivation won't let me get to that novel I was hoping for so I figure baby steps until then. Like a contestant on American Idol, I have idea of how great my writing sounds, where as you, my audience (aka the "Simons") might be rolling your eyes in contempt, well like the contestants say, I am going to keep on pursing my dream! (well one of them anyway)

Right now, I have a lot going on in my world. I am about to be thirty. I have a new baby girl that I will no doubt be writing a lot about. I have four dogs believe it or not (the story behind that to follow). I currently have a full time job (the story of that will undoubtedly rear its ugly head). I'm an active member in a craft club (pintrest heeeeeyy). I am a wife, a daughter, a sister, and so much more. So I hope to chronical my experiences, to share a few laughs and maybe learn something along the way. If nothing else I will have this to share with my kid(s) when she(they) grow up.

I would love to hear you thoughts, opinions, ideas, similar stories, soul bearing affirmation, soul crushing opposition and anything in between.