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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The 10 Most Awesome things about having a kid

I'll be honest, I've been complaining about my baby a lot lately. Don't get me wrong, she is the light of my world - but she's also a whole lot of work. That being said, I decided I better start looking for my bright side and make a list of the great things that come along with having a kid. With pictures. Because pictures make it more fun.

1.) Tax deductions. Lemme see them dolla dolla bills, ya'll! And by ya'll, I  mean the IRS, because my little tax deduction is going to be fed right back into her in some way.




2.) They say the darndest things. V isn't speaking yet, but I have four very verbal nieces who have said some real gems in their lifetime. Camryn is particularly hilarious. She once told my sister that she didn't ever want to be poor, because poor people have to drink seawater. What?!
3) One word. Halloween. Finally, an excuse to dress someone else up as exactly what you've always wanted to be. Nothing is off limits with a baby, because everything is adorable. Baby lion? Sure, that's cute, but why not take it up a notch and make a baby R2D2. AWESOME.
4) Chivalry all of a sudden becomes undead. And bonus! It totally applies to women now too. Ever been carrying your baby and your diaper bag and your stroller and balancing it all while trying to open a door? Yeah me too, except now most days men AND women rush to help me because, hey, I've got a cute kid. Even when she's screaming.

5)All of those kid friendly places you want to go but felt weird about? Not anymore! I've been to the McWane center 3 times! Granted, Chris and I went once before we had a child, but now we get to act totally immature and people think we are just trying to entertain her. fools! We act like this anyway!
6)You get to pretend to be embarrassed that your child loves you and ONLY YOU. When they are screaming and crying and yelling "maaaaaamaaaaa," sure, you can roll your eyes a bit and say things like "she's just in that really clingy age," or "she only wants me when she's crying." But you love it. You know you do.

7) Memes. Babies and kids make the BEST memes. Don't believe me? Check out http://reasonsmysoniscrying.tumblr.com/
8)Youtube. This kind of ties in to the Meme thing. Ever watched convos with my two year old? I have. One BILLION TIMES.
9)Immediate excuse to literally get out of anything. Don't feel like getting cornered at drunk Cousin Eddie's Christmas party this year? Uh oh! Somebody's babysitter totally just cancelled. Too bad.
10) You get to raise another human being. All the stuff you had to learn about on  your own growing up can now be passed on to your child. Granted, they will always have to learn things on their own too. But at this point your opinions are still pretty relevant to the times, right?
Anyway, kids are pretty great. Happy Wednesday, ya'll!


Love,
Dom



Wednesday, July 24, 2013

An Open Letter to My Daughter, Violet.

Dear Violet,

Remember when you came into this world, like, a month ago? Oh, it was five months ago? Well, despite that, I need to ask of you a favor.

Stop growing up so dang fast.

Seriously, what's your hurry? Lately you've been sporting an "I can do it on my own" attitude, and let me warn you, missy, it ain't gonna fly in this house. I will be holding your bottle, and be responsible for you sitting up as well. And what's with all of the talking? I swear, I can't get a word in edge-wise.

And another thing - we've got to talk about your pajama problem. You're growing in length entirely too fast. I barely had chance to let you wear those three month footless carter's pj's before I could barely even snap closed the bottom anymore. And they were so cute, Violet. So. Cute. You're in Old Navy 6 monthers now, and even those you're filling out already. Now I know you've got some Indiana blood in you on your daddy's side, but there's no need to strive for your basketball career just yet. Slow it down, alright? I'm going broke trying to keep up.

Lastly, I've noticed you eyeballin' my food lately. You're on formula, you got it? I don't care how much you want to try mashed bananas and carrots and things, I'm not ready. I mean, you're not ready. I knew this would start when I decided to let you have some rice cereal. I've heard it's a gateway food.

Look, sweetheart, I love you so much. You're my precious little monkey, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as I can. But I am willing to compromise.

You give me this one last month of cuddles, and tummy time, and total mama dependence, and I promise to consider some of your requests on your 6 month birthday. Until then, let's enjoy this together, shall we?

Love,
Mama

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

10 MORE Ways I'm on my way to becoming the most momish mom EVER

1) I just bought V four pairs of old navy footie pajamas because they were on sale and I am PSYCHED.
I am literally shaking with the anticipation of washing them and putting them on her cute little butt.

2) I squealed with delight and made a total fool of myself because Violet actually giggled in the pool when we took her swimming last weekend, instead of crying uncontrollably.

3) I've been singing Raffi songs out loud at work for 2 straight days.

4) Every night, after she falls asleep, I sneak in her room and put my hand on her belly to make sure she's still breathing. And then I turn her head because she still has that dang flat spot.

5) I've watched "The Hungry Little Caterpillar, and other stories by Eric Carle" every Saturday and Sunday morning for the past three weekends on netflix.

6) I went into Target with $60 worth of gift cards from my birthday with the determination to get something for myself for once. What was the loot?

a) a 3months+ pair of soothie pacifiers
b) a lime green romper with limes on it
c)a watermelon onesie
d) a baby spring float
e)a giraffe rattle and a soft teething book
f)a three pack of onesies
g) a pepsi. for me.

7) I have scheduled "naked time" in the morning and the afternoon, and I'm always fully clothed.

8) I call bottles "baba's" with a straight face.

9) I brag about how V is in the 95th percentile for height. "She's as tall as 6 month old!" I'll say.

10) If V makes so much as a peep in the middle of the night, it wakes me up. And then I have to check the monitor at least three more times to make sure she's ok. And then I say my desperate prayer that she will go back to sleep.

Ah, c'est la vie. Life of a mom.

Happy Tuesday, ya'll!

Friday, July 5, 2013

New Beginnings

It's 6:30(ish) on a Friday night, and I'm sitting here blogging with a warm cup of french vanilla coffee while my sweet baby naps in her swing and the hubs plays some crazy old school pixelated PS1 game.

And I couldn't be more content. I'm not living some wild life (unless you count drinking coffee at 6:30pm crazytown, woot woot!) but I'm thankful for these little luxuries. Last I left you, my future was uncertain at best. I had just been let go of my job, which was a total shock to my system. Now I know I'm not great at certain things - sports, cleaning up immediately after myself, blow drying my hair in the morning, for example - but I've never been told that I wasn't doing enough at my job. I've always had a strong work ethic. I've been working since I was 17, and was never one to party one night and call in sick the next, or blow off work for any other reason than a legitimate illness or planned vacation- for which I would always ask way in advance.

I try to be on time, and focus on my tasks each day, despite what might be happening in my personal life. As you know, sometimes that can be so hard. I've learned that one the hard way, unfortunately.

Anyway, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to pick up right where I left off in the position I held before. I went to the meeting with my former boss, surprisingly nervous about how much I wanted this to work out. Not because it had to - I mean, I have a baby to support, but because I liked what I did. Yes, yes, I complain about my work like any other red-blooded 'Merican, but in all honestly, I've always liked the company, the people, and the work. And I was good at it. At least, I always thought so.

To cut this short, I'll just say the meeting went well. I was offered the position on the spot, and with a slight but significant raise from what I was making when I left it. I was ecstatic! It felt like going home.

Even though I've been there for three years, two positions and four, (yes, FOUR) offices, coming full circle feels like a step forward in the right direction. I start Monday, and I'm nervous as to how things will go, but excited about the advantage I have that I've never had in any new job - I know what I'm doing already.  I've done this before and won't feel totally lost.

For now, I'm going to enjoy my weekend. It's the first one we've had in a while where we have zero plans. It's supposed to thunderstorm, which makes for a perfect time snuggling with my boo and baby boo. Happy Friday to all! Thanks for listening, as always. May your weekend be as relaxing and uneventful as I hope mine to be. We all need a break, right?

Love,
Dominique