Spit Happens

EMR

2011-06-20T16:53:00.000-05:00

Our newest little addition was born on May 10th! I had her all natural - no epidural, no pitocin, no anything! By the time I got to the hospital I was 8 cm dilated. We got to the hospital at 3 am , I was 10 cm by 4, and I had her at 5:40. Overall, it was a pretty amazing experience - one I would definitely choose again given the opportunity. In the end, after the contractions and the excruciating pain of the actual birth, the prize is totally worth it.

Welcome to our crazy little family Miss EM! We love you!!

Miss EM made her debut at 5:40 am on May 10, 2011, weighing in at 7 lbs, 14 oz (over a pound larger than V) and 20 3/4 inches in length (an inch longer than V). Both were born at the exact same day in the gestation period - 39 weeks and 4 days!

On our way to the hospital - 2:30 am.

Happy Birthday - minutes after birth

Miss EM.

Leaving the hospital.

~~Twins~~ Sisters - V & EM - same day, same carrier, look identical.

My sweet girls.

3 weeks.

A father's day post.

2011-06-20T16:35:00.000-05:00

There are little moments that happen that you know you'll remember for a good long while and that bring joy to your heart. They're the little every day occurrences that make you laugh and remember this is what life is about. Saturday I had such a moment. We were at Target and V made a paper "airplane" out of an old grocery list I had in my bag. As we were walking out of Target and I was pushing EM in her carrier and holding V's hand, the wind caught V's "airplane" and it took its first flight. V was obviously distraught by this occurrence and as we were in the middle of the parking lot lane of traffic and I had V in one hand and EM's carrier in my other hand, all I could do without risking all three of our lives was to make a desperate plea to Daddy, who was in front pushing our groceries, to "Save V's airplane now!"

What follows is such a moment. Fully understanding the urgency and the gravity of the situation (screaming toddler in the middle of the parking lot) E let's go of the grocery car, runs towards the "airplane" which continues to fly in the wind gusts, and not without effort chases it down. I can hear passerbyer's gasping and pointing like they just saw superman and as I turn to see what all the commotion is about I see the runaway grocery cart now swiftly making its way towards a couple of parked cars. E runs over to V, hands her "airplane" and all is once again right in her world. (A father's priorities). Then he sprints over to the cart and catches it just time before the collision.

The best part about this was both E and I were cracking up and the simplicity and the comedy of this incident. Really so small, but to me, one of the moments that keeps me laughing and appreciating my awesome husband, who is not only a fantastic partner in life, but an amazing dad! Our girls are so lucky to have you! We love you!!!

The hills are alive...

2011-03-28T20:36:00.000-05:00

V is growing up daily. She does new things daily and is really starting to communicate with us. These are definitely fun fun times.

One of the things that she does that cracks me up is during our night time shtick. As I've mentioned before, she's a woman of routine. To everything there is an order in V's life and everything has its place and time. When we go to bed, we first read, then say our prayers, and then go night night. Lately, she's been wanting me to sing to her. She'll specifically tell me to sing and when she's done with me, she'll shoo me out with a night night. Well, ever since she was a baby, one particular song has always been her fave. No other song would ever really soothe her, but this one, would always do the trick. That little song is Edelweiss from The Sound of Music. When she was an infant, that was the only song she would calm down to. Now, she specifically requests it. It goes something like this:

Mommy: Night night V. I love you.

V: Night Night, (immediately followed by) Sing?

Mommy: Edelweiss, la la la (Actual song is sung)

Mommy: There are places I remember (trying to throw in a little Beatles)

V: No! Vice

Mommy: Edelweiss, la la la

And that's our drill. After several renditions of "vice" I finally tell her night night and she's satisfied and doesn't call me back.

I know she's just going to love The Sound of Music when she's older, and what's not to love!

IKEA - Swedish for Hell

2011-02-26T14:18:00.000-06:00

Picture it - a lovely Saturday morning. I thought it would be a fun family activity to run up to the local IKEA to pick up a bookshelf for V's room. So, snack and sippy cup in hand, we loaded up the fam and made the 30 minute journey to what from now on will be known as s*tan's lair.

The trip started out well. V got to ride up the escalator and fun was had by all. In about 10 minutes time we found what we were looking for, snapped a picture of the label, which "innocently" directed us to the Furniture Self Serve Section and off we went searching for said corner of this giant God-forsaken place.

OMG! This store does not end! It's a huge, never-ending maze, that leads directly to s*tan himself. It was all fun and games at first. We even walked by the children's section where V got to play for a bit and we picked up some decorative flowers for Sissy's room. Then we decided to get lunch, as it was that time. The one time I didn't grab my diaper bag out of the car, the ONE time, I had to get ribs! Ribs are sticky and messy! Very messy. And this place had zero wet wipes. After dipping napkins in water to wipe off both mine and V's mess, we were ready to get out. Except we still had not found this ever-elusive Furniture Self Service. The signs just kept pointing this way and that way and we just kept walking and walking . Finally, we made our way downstairs, where MORE mazes and MORE walking ensued! At this point, I'm ready to say screw it - V doesn't really need a bookshelf in her room. We'll just pile all her crap on the floor.

Then, we finally see one of the worker demons. I ask where the self service furniture pick up is and she dares to tell me I have to have the exact isle number of the furniture location which I have to get from the red sticker on the furniture piece I had picked out. It was then that E thought I was going to lay her out right there. I contemplated it, but instead, with a crazed look and a quiver in my voice told her I would take my chances. She warned me that there may not be anyone in the warehouse, as she called it, to help me. I told her I'd take my chances.

As we continue to work our way through the labyrinth of death, I see another fallen soul who's condemned to work in this hell hole. He must've sensed that I was a woman on the brink of a nervous breakdown and before I could even finish the question, showed me the shortcut to this furniture warehouse.

As we arrive at the furniture self-serve, the heavens open up and the piece we're looking for is right in front of us, assembled, with its disassembled boxes immediately behind it. Hallelujah!!!

Finally, FINALLY, we make it out of that place. But the nightmare doesn't end. The boxes DON'T FIT IN MY CROSSOVER SUV! NOOOO!!!!

E is tempted to just leave them there - forget returning them - we're not going back in intentionally knowing what we know now.

We fight through it though. We move the car seat over to the side, which is no small task, and put down the other two seats to make everything fit. At which point, we get the heck out of there and never turn back.

After about 20 minutes, E's breathing stabilizes and his eye twitch goes away. He says that if this doesn't work for V's room, he's not returning it - we're going to have a ceremonial burning of it in the backyard. Screw the money.

As we pull into our garage and take V out of the car, she throws up. All over my hands.

Now we have to put this thing together... Wish us luck.

The independent sleeper

2011-02-08T10:53:00.001-06:00

I grew up in another country. Our circumstances were such that I had to share a bedroom with my parents until I was 9. As much as I loved that as a kid, it certainly didn't do me any favors later on in life as I struggled for independence in my teenage years and am still semi-afraid of the dark to this day. (Don't judge me!). That being said, I really wanted to establish a place for V that she could call her own from a very early age. I know some parents are into co-sleeping, etc. And there's nothing wrong with that if that's what floats your boat. However, it totally sinks mine. Mama needs her sleep and I personally can get zero sleep with a little person next to me. So, at 7 weeks old, V got the boot out of our room (in which she resided in a bassinet) and into her own little haven. We had two rough nights, but be it her personality or my unrivaled parenting skills (major sarcasm and my money's totally on the former), she took to it like a fish to water and from that point on, the girl was hooked to her crib.

Fast forward 16 months. V loves her room. She loves her bed and she's super independent when it comes to sleeping in it. To the point where it almost makes me sad because she NEVER wants to be held. Never wants to be rocked. The only time she wants to be cuddled is when she's sick. She wants up in her bed and literally shoos us away.

Case in point that stirred me to write this post. Last night V cried after I put her down. This is so unusual, that when she does cry, I will go in there immediately b/c I know she doesn't just cry without a reason. She'll lay around with her eyes open for 10, 15 minutes and not make a noise typically, until she finally falls asleep.

So, I go in and pick her up. After she calmed down and we settled back into bed, I started to rub her back. At which point she picked up her arm and moved my hand off her back and started to wave me off as if to say, your work here is done. Now let me sleep woman! She doesn't even want me in the room! Then, she woke up this morning at 6:15 and was crying again. Now - 6:15 is way to early to be getting up, so I rocked her for a second and put her back down. Same thing! I got shoo'd away. I got the boot! And she totally just went back to sleep. This is so funny to me. It's nice to know that my independent girl still sometimes needs a little mommy TLC to make her world right and I'm so happy that she doesn't need me to fall asleep and feels safe and secure in her own room and bed. I can't help but peek into the future when my independent child doesn't need me for a lot more than just to fall asleep. And that'll be okay by by me. But sometimes, a little mommy TLC will be just what the doctor ordered. And I'll be there, no matter what.

It's February already?!

2011-02-06T15:03:00.002-06:00

After numerous threats by mother to disown me if I didn't finally update my blog (slight editorial exaggeration has been exercised), I knew it was time to buckle down and try to retrieve what bits of the last several months I could remember from my memory. This is not an easy task because not only do I have severe pregnancy brain, I am also working full time and chasing after my 18 month old in my spare time. Spare time is a very, VERY loose term in this instance. My memories and brain functionality are sparce, and truly, I should not be allowed to drive, much less work and carry on adult conversations with clients.

So, below is my attempt at re-living the fall and Christmas season.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween was lots of fun this year! The weather was beautiful here and we met some of our neighbors and their kids to walk around the 'hood. We bought candy to pass out, but looking back, that was totally unnecessary as we weren't home at all for the "Halloweening" hours. We did get one, ONE knock on the door at 9 pm from some teenagers. The front porch light promptly went off after that.

Vivienne thoroughly enjoyed herself and insisted on trying to walk into every person's house we went up to. She was dressed as a fairy/lady bug and was cute as a button. Her and her BFF D played earlier in the day (I think, or I could totally just be making that up... I know they played at some point that weekend) and then had fun trick or treating together. D did fall amidst all the excitement and broke her arm! She took it like a champ though and was completely healed within a few weeks. Here are some pics.

V and Mimi

V and D running around. D was a cheerleader.

Lady - give me some candy!

The whole gang raiding a house.

THANKSGIVING

Thanksgiving was fun and was held at our house again this year. In the past, we used to go to my parents house, but since V's big arrival, it's just been easier to stay at home base. Then we can put V down around 8 and the big kids (aka adults) can play. All in all, fun was had by all!

Mimi and us

V hung out under the table with Mattie.

V and Papa. V loves her Papa!

FRIDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING - TREE DECORATING

Since E and I have been together, we go and get our Christmas tree and decorate it the Friday after Thanksgiving. My parents came over to help us out and V also contributed with a little decorating advice and a dance party.

Here Daddy. Put this one over here! Trust me - it'll look marvelous!

Try this one Mommy.

This will look nice in your hair Mommy.

Mimi - you try it too. It'll be fab!

Let me show you how it's done Mommy.

All done!

Dance party time!

Mommy showing off the finished product - we downsized on our tree size this year..

Mimi, E & I.

17 MONTHS PICS

V's getting virtually impossible to take monthly growth pictures off b/c the girl will NOT sit still to save her life. She actually doesn't ever sit still. Ever. She doesn't walk - she runs everywhere, and that's no exaggeration. Here are some pics to prove my point.

What is this paper you put in my hand Mama?

Let's see what's under that arm Mr. Bear.

You want me to sit still?? That's hilarious!!

Semi-sweet success - Mommy 1 - V -0!

CHRISTMAS

We had a great Christmas. Christmas Eve, my mom came and watched V and we were able to go to Christmas Eve service and actually pay attention and enjoy it. Then our friends H & B came over and we had homemade tortilla soup and guacamole and enjoyed great company. Christmas morning was just us and we let V open a couple of her gifts (most of which were left over from the toy store explosion that was her birthday). And then later that evening, we had friends and family come over and celebrate the season. V's BFF D came over with her parents and the girls had fun fighting over toys. All in all, a great holiday season!

Checking out her loot.

Still sleepy.

Peace people!

Umm. I'm not so sure about that Papa...

V and D having fun with Papa! Matti's sporting her Christmas wear in the background.

D's having fun - V, not so much.

No!! I do NOT want to share! Where's Mama???

D's worn out by the chaos.

My mom and I.

D and V trying to take a picture under the tree in their matching Christmas dresses.

Admiring the Christmas Tree.

V loves to ride on Mommy's back. It's our new thing.

V's NEW COAT

One of V's Christmas gifts, was this coat and matching beret! It deserves a section of its own in this here blog. The picture does not do it justice. When V sports this little ensemble, I want to whisk her away to a French cafe where her and I can sip on martini's (when she's old enough of course - what kind of a mother do you think I am??) and eat eclairs and talk to handsome French men. So, without further adieu, I present V in her beret and coat. Please ignore Sam's Club racks in the background. The life of an 18 month old is not that glam...

18 MONTH BEAR PICTURE

We had a separate "official" photo shoot for V for her 18 months pics, but these are her bear growth pictures. She did much better this month and I was able to get some good shots! She even made sure Mr. Bear was sitting next to her! I will do a separate post with her official pics b/c they deserve a spot of their own!

WINTER WONDERLAND

We had another winter storm here in the deep south. Schools were closed for four days, that's right FOUR DAYS. In a row. Four days!! Cabin fever much? It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to work the whole time. To be fair though, V was SO good all week and let me and E work and played by herself and watched way too much TV. But hey, as a co-worker told me, that's why God invented TV. We did get some snow fun in though. V was hilarious in that she did not want any snow on her boots. Girl appreciates a nice shoe, and what can I say, I can't blame her. She was wearing suede and we all know what snow does to suede...

V and Daddy in front of our house.

Oh no! Snow on my suede boots!!

Whew! Thank you for picking me up Daddy!

Our street - insane!

Hmmm... This looks like a semi-dry spot. Hold my hand just in case Daddy.

Whew! Dryness!

How did I get here?? Oh no!!

AND FINALLY - MOMMY 26 WEEKS PREGNANT

This pregnancy is flying by! I'm 26 weeks along and we have nothing ready for the arrival of V's sister. We've also had a really hard time deciding on a name, but I think we're in the home stretch. All in all though, I am loving feeling a life moving around. It's the most amazing feeling!

No No Mattie and a tiny bit of other news.

2010-12-08T16:20:00.000-06:00

I have so much to blog about, but this isn't that blog post. This is a quick post that made me laugh today. V was on the couch and saw Mattie licking herself. With a serious look on her face and waving her index finger in the air, she says, "No no!"

Over the last month she's turned into a little person. Has words she says and even tries to put together sentences like Hi Mattie. Words in our vocabularly include apple, up, Mattie (Attie), Mama, Daddy, More (one we hear the most often), Papa, Mimi, cookie, ball, cracker, and yesterday she repeated mermaid. She understands a whole lot more. Yesterday I told her I didn't like the song playing on my phone and could she please bring it to me so I could change it. She looked at me and went and did it. Then I asked her to put it back. This is why you have children! To do stuff for you!

But the funniest to date was watching her say, "No no!"

Oh - and V is going to be a big sister! Her little sister arrives in May 2011!!

When things get desperate

2010-10-12T21:12:00.004-05:00

Fall is here. I used to love fall. Until I had a child. Now fall is the start of cold/flu season. I still revel in the cool crisp air, but some things will just never be the same.

That said, V has her first (of many to come) colds of the season. Her colds come on fast and furious. She's okay and then within minutes, full blown snot, coughing, sea lion moving in, etc. That's exactly what happened Saturday. I could tell things were starting to head down hill when she woke up from her afternoon nap.

Girl. Was. Cranky. I'm not typically a fan of giving her dr*gs, but short of calling a priest for an exorcism, Tylenol was my next best option.
The dr*gs did their job, and within 20 minutes, I had my happy little girl back. But that's the problem with dr*gs.. They just mask.

7:30 PM - we do our usual gig, bath, book, b**b (still nursing once a day - I'm hooked more than she is, but I digress) and V was off to dream land.

8:30 PM - screams of desperation are heard from her room. Typically I let her cry it out, but I knew this was not one of those times. I go in to scope out "the situation" (Note: this is not a reference to Jersey Shore's situation, which I do not watch, and only know about through Regis & Kelly, various social medias, and Dancing with the Stars).
V is CONGESTED! Girl ~~can barely~~ can't breathe out her nose and the excessive crying and sniffling is not helping a sista out.

I clean out her nose and try to get her to go back to sleep. She just lays there looking at me with longing eyes. "Please don't leave me mommy" eyes. I sit next to her crib, with my arm hanging over the side, and pat. And pat. 20 minutes later I can't feel my arm. I have to use the ladies room. I think - maybe she's asleep now. Her eyes ARE closed. I quietly walk away. Before I even reach her door, Whaaaa, whaaa. whaaa.. What???? How does she know that?! Girl's got skills. I still have to pee like a race horse. E comes in to relieve me. She's not too particular, but still wales for Mommy.

I come back. We go through the pats again. Arm is dead. Again. Back is killing me. I may pass out. And then I get desperate.

V is still systematically checking to make sure I'm there. So, I do what any other overly tired, ~~desperate~~ resourceful mother would do, on a Saturday night, at 9 PM? I climb in the crib with her. Not too bad. A little hard for my taste, but at least I am not losing feeling in any of my appendages. This makes V very happy. And this is when she melts my heart. She laid there with this look of total content, kept trying to hold me and climb on top of me to sleep. I did have to draw the line somewhere and she ended up falling asleep just next to me.

Next I worried what kind of psychological damage I would do to this child now that she thinks that Mommy is here and Mommy won't be there when she wakes up. Thankfully, she's been blessed with great sleeping skills. I laid there for a good 20, maybe 30 minutes. You know, to make sure she was nice and asleep. When I climbed out of the crib, V was snoring (due to the excessive mucus) and didn't even budge. Mission accomplished! She did wake up again around 4:30 am. Daddy stepped up to the plate though and took the late shift. Thank you Daddy!! I don't think I saw him again in bed till circa 6:30 am.

So, what does this little diddy of a story tell us? That mothers will do crazy things to comfort their children and that an infant crib will semi comfortably fit a desperate mother. Thank you Graco!

A hooligan in the making and a lesson in the digestive system

2010-10-07T20:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got a call from school around 3:30 pm. A call from school is never a good thing in the middle of the day, especially when two kids went home with a fever the previous day . I nervously picked up the phone.. The conversation went as follows:

Teacher: Hi Ms. J. V had a little accident.

Me: Oh no. What happened?

Teacher: She's okay, she's okay. She was trying to get to a toy and pushed Fred* out the way to get to it. He tried to balance himself and his head slammed into her teeth.

Me: Oh my gosh! Is HE okay? (My first thought was next I'm going to get a phone call from his mother ripping me a new one that my daughter was bullying her son)

Teacher: Yes, yes. He's okay. She got the worst of it. Her lip is swollen, but no blood. So, everyone's okay. We just wanted to call and inform you.

Me: Did you put her in time out?

Teacher: We don't put them in time out for hitting or pushing. Only for biting.

(Me thinking): Um.. okay. Makes perfect sense..

Me: Did you at least tell her no?

Teacher: Yes. We told her hitting hurts.

Me; Yes - please definitely tell her no if she does that again. She knows she's not supposed to hit or push.

Teacher: Yes, we will. Have a good day

When I picked V up from school, I made her give Fred* a kiss. He is now smitten and all is forgiven.

*Names have been changed to protect the inncocents' identity

But on a serious note.. Um.. what? My child is a bully! Oh no! I frantically did some research and found that at this age this is actually normal developmental behaviour, but no child of mine will be mean to others! So, we came home and had a talk about not pushing or hitting and giving kisses and hugs instead. I think V understood. She planted a wet one on her reflection in the mirror later that evening.

In other news...

As a first time mom, you experience a variety of things that you otherwise would have never had the joy to experience. One of the more intriguing, yet gross, things you learn, is that food, if not chewed property (who am I kidding - swallowed whole) will make its way all through the digestive tract unscathed. WARNING: If you have an aversion to poop, read no more.

While changing V's diaper last night, which by the way smells like a spill at a nuclear plant, I got a front row seat to yesterdays (I'm assuming) lunch. Whole corn kernels, still nice and yellow, and quite plump I might add, and chunks of pineapple, also nice and yellow and plump. Who knew that corn and pineapple, when swallowed whole and in a hurry, will come out looking brand spanking new on the other side. Although I consistently feel like my brain has shrunk and most of the useful information I once possessed is gone since I've had her, now that I am equipped with this knowledge of the digestive system, I will go far!

You know you're a mom when..

2010-09-17T08:53:00.000-05:00

You are riding in a mirrored elevator on your way up to the office and notice something at the bottom of your jeans. Upon closer inspection, you remember it's the throw up splatter from last weekend when your child chunked it in the middle of Whole Foods and you were so discombobulated, you forgot to wash your jeans afterwards b/c by the time you got home, they had dried and you had bigger things to worry about, like cleaning said child.

Good times.

Que music... She works hard for the money... and other shenanigans

2010-09-12T21:33:00.001-05:00

V works hard to earn her keep around here.

After a hard day's work, she likes to unwind with her peeps.

And finally, nothing like a good belly laugh with Daddy.

Peace out dudes.

Off the blog wagon. Again.

2010-08-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

This last month has been a whirlwind. I've been crazy busy with numerous things, including a new job, a trip to Colorado, E's continuing education, and life in general. I haven't posted in so long and I'm so mad at myself. I'll try to rack my brain and remember things from the past month of blogging importance.

First - V's 1 YEAR STATS!

Weight - 18 lbs, 10.5 oz (25%)

Height - 29 1/2 inches (52%)

Head - 46.8 inches (74%)

So, what do these numbers show? V's a skinny average height girl with a giant head! She really doesn't look she has a big ole head to me, but what do I know. I do know she's an itty bitty little thing and is still wearing size 6 months and 9 months pants.

Second - we attempted to have a one year photo shoot with Uncle N (the mastermind behind previous shoots). We decided we wanted to try to get some outside pics. In the middle of August. In Texas... Not the best idea we've ever had. It was miserably hot and when we tried to get some shots with a pool background, all V wanted to do was get in said pool. The pics below are the fruits of all our labor. We did get some good shots and thanks again Uncle N!!

An outtake.

It's hot - can we go home now?

Yay! A pool!

What?? I can't go in?

Finally!

What?? You tricked me! This is the worst day ever!

It's my pal Mr. Bear! I didn't know you were going to be here!

So sleepy.

Let's just lay down right here Mr. Bear.

And that's that for the pics. There were some keepers and we'll make sure to not schedule anymore outside shots in the middle of August in Texas.

The rest of the month was busy starting a new job, flying to Colorado for a family trip and V starting a new class at school.

She's been in the big girl (toddler class) for a week now and it was harder on mommy than it was on her. In the new class, they are expected to learn to feed themselves and they are not supposed to have bottles. We've been working on a sippy cup for a while, so that I wasn't too worried about, but feeding herself whole meals, at once - that's a problem. The first day she was STARVING - she ate FOUR jars of baby food when we got home - an unprecedented feat. She did better the rest of the week and next week starts Week 2. I hope it's better - on both of us.

And to finish of, here are some pics of our day to day.

V and Daddy enthralled in a riveting action book.

To change up the pace - a gentle fairy tale (same book - but Daddy is the best story teller ever!)

V at the splash park near our house. She absolutely LOVES the water!

Mattie getting some much needed love from Daddy.

V signing off with her signature dance move - the robot. Peace out dudes!

First birthday party.. or... A toy store implosion

2010-07-20T21:56:00.000-05:00

My sweet girl turned 1 this past weekend! She's officially a big girl and is no longer an infant. A part of me is sad that she's growing up so fast, but I never want to be sad that she's growing because that means that she's healthy and happy and living her life, which is exactly what I want for her! So, that being said, we celebrated V's big first birthday in style!

First, on Friday, I made pink cupcakes with purple frosting and we had a little shindig for her and her little friends at school.

I'm 1! The hat says so!

V set a precedent and wanted nothing to do with her cupcakes. More to come on this later.

Then on Saturday, we had the whole family and some friends over for her ~~toy store grand opening~~ birthday party. Our house looked like it threw up pink, but it was perfect for V! We got her a bunch of balloons and they were a HUGE hit! She walked around holding on to one balloon on a string all night - they were inseparable.

As I wrote in a previous post it's hard to believe it's been a year and how much a year can change your life. V and I have come so far together. We laughed, we cried, we threw up, she blew out of her diapers.. you get the picture.

On that note, here are some pics from the rest of the party. Good times were had by all, especially V. Although she wanted NOTHING to do with her cake!

Um.. Mom?? Fire? In front of a baby?? I know I'm a big girl and all, but come on!

Eh.. not so sure about this thing. It looks too pretty to eat.

Ok ok.. I'll give it one try.

Um. No! I don't think so!

Alright lady! I don't want this cake! Get me out of here! I will call CPS on you woman!

Sweet freedom!

Although V's not looking, good pic of E and I. :) We never got a got a good shot of the three of us, but it's in our hearts and memories.

V's birthday cake

Dinner time

Which gift should I open next...

I'll just dive in and see where I land.

Thanks for reading the card to me Mommy.

Yay hammers! (V got 4 hammers from D and family! V LOVES her hammers! After she lost one on a walk with Daddy, D let her borrow hers, and now D has replenished V's hammer supply! Thank you D!!!)

This one next? It looks big and heavy - Yippee!

V's baby. It may look like she's trying to give the paci to baby, but in reality, she likes to steal it.

She doesn't look related to me and my dad. Her daddy has some strong German genes!

The damage

All in all, it was a great first year and a great party! Happy birthday V! We all love you so so much!

This little light of mine

I'm going to let it shine

Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine

One Year

2010-07-20T11:12:00.000-05:00

Lots can happen in a year. My life got turned upside down, around and inside out in the course of a split second. The second I saw "pregnant" on digital little test. That was well over a year ago. You didn't feel real to me at all at first. I knew you were growing inside me, but the reality of you, the living breathing you didn't set in until well after you were born. I did not know what to think of you at first and I never in a million years would think I would grow so "fond" of you. And boy have I! I remember that first night together in the hospital, when Daddy was out for the count as soon as we made it back into our room, and the nurses kept bringing me to you to nurse every three hours. You were born at 10:28 PM, so that first night, it was just you and me and a snoring daddy. You were so small - under 7 pounds. And we just sat there in the night. You slept and nursed and I didn't know what to think. I just knew I had just become a mother. The first few weeks were rough emotionally for me, and then something happened - I fell totally, helplessly, completely head over heels in love with you.

My sweet baby girl. You have changed my life in ways you will not understand until you hold your own precious baby in your arms. You are a loving, kind, willful, funny, busy, social, happy little girl! You have a sparkle that draws people to you. I pray that the light in your eyes never dims with age and the problems that will come with coming into the teenage years and adulthood. I pray you are happy and healthy! I will ALWAYS be here for you. ALWAYS! You saved me and brought me closer to God. Loving you is a glimpse into the love that God has for us. You are a joy beyond words and I love you more than I can say. Love is not a good enough word. You complete me - my sweet little monkey! Thank you for you!

Happy Birthday!!! We've come a long way!

4 days before birth

Day 1

Day 6

Week 2

Week 3

Month 1

Month 2

Month 3

Month 4

Month 5

Month 6

Month 7

Month 8

Month 9

Month 10

Month 11

Month 12 - Happy 1st Birthday!!!

You bring such joy to our hearts V! We love you sweet girl!!

All grown up

2010-07-01T10:26:00.000-05:00

I've made the plunge into "adulthood" a few weeks ago. We went swimming at our friend and neighbors and all I had to wear were my two piece suits. I have a ton of two pieces and for the first time, I just felt uncomfortable. I thought - I'm a mother now, and I really don't need to be flaunting what my mama gave me at our friends' pool. So.... for the first time since I was TWELVE YEARS OLD, I bought a one piece. Now - I don't think this is too old lady'ish and has a kind of a Marilyn Monroe look to it. It does look a lot cuter on, but I'm going to refrain from posting that picture on here. Here it is - my official foray into being a grown-up.

These boots are made for walking!

2010-06-21T21:31:00.003-05:00

V turned 11 months old last week. And to the day of her 11 month birthday, she did this...

V's walking debut. She doesn't skip a beat and is already texting.

Here are V's pics from her 11 month shoot with Mr. Bear. One more month to go before she's officially a big girl!

Give me hugs Mr. Bear! You're my pal!

She's walking better and better every day and it's so fun to see her gain this independence. I love you monkey!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-21T21:18:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's day to the best Daddy in the whole wide world. V and I love you so much!

V made Daddy a gift all by herself! She was very proud. She did ask me to help her with the card though. The whole spelling thing was a bit of an issue for her so of course, I obliged.

Exterior of the card.

I love you Daddy-O!

Spaghetti, Remote Controls, and a Girl's Night Out

2010-06-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to introduce more table foods to V. The jar baby food is bland as all get out and if V is anything like her Mama, she likes herself some flavorful foods. So, our first big girl meal was some whole wheat pasta that Mama made with ground turkey, onions, red bell peppers, and Newman's Own Sockarooni sauce. I think she was a fan...

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!

Happy girl!

I love spaghetti!!

Storing up meat in her cheeks for winter. I found pieces of said meat in her cheeks hours later.

My mom came over with my grandma over the weekend. V showed off all her skills, the most important of which is working the remote. She's figured out that we've given her a faux remote and now in our attempts to keep her from the real deal, we have to make the TV do fun tricks when she points her remote on it so she thinks she's doing it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. The girl may be too smart for her own good.

Check out my loot Mommy!

I'm queen of the remote!

Here's V with her Grandma M and Mimi. Four generations of women.

Say Ahhhhh!

And here's V tickled pink when Daddy came home. She LOVES her Daddy!

Hi Daddy! I love you so!

On Saturday night I went out with a couple of my very good girlfriends to see S&TC 2. S&TC was a huge generational show for me when I was in college and so many of my friends lived and breathed through Carrie Bradshaw. That, however, was a decade ago. One of the greatest things about Seinfeld is he left the show while he was still on top. I thought S&TC also did that, but then the first movie came out. Out of loyalty for the franchise, I got dressed up to go see the movie with my martini in hand. It was okay. I laughed some, I even shed a tear and overall, still had a warm fuzzy feeling for one of my fave shows when it was over. Sadly, that is not the case with the second installment. The producers, actors, directors, everyone involved would have been well-advised to stop while they were ahead. The acting was bad, the story line was bad, the whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth and there are no puns or references to Samantha's over-the-top libido intended. I literally started to fall asleep at one point of the movie and over two hours later, because that's how long this film dragged on, could not wait to just go home and crawl into bed and wake up hoping it was all a ~~dream~~ nightmare. If you're a S&TC fan and want to remember Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha as strong confident women and not spoiled immature girls, in my humble opinion, save yourself the $10 and whatever warm sentiments you still have for the franchise. Or see this movie.

V's not a fan either.

Staycation - It's not your mama's vacation

2010-06-06T22:57:00.002-05:00

This weekend we packed up V and pawned her off on my parents. It was the first time we've been away from her for more than just school or a night out. It was her first overnight trip away from home base and I must admit it wasn't easy (for mommy).

Friday morning I worked from home and then we packed her up and drove the 40 minute (1+ hour with traffic) drive to my parents' house. That V is not a light traveler that's for sure. Granted she didn't pack herself quite yet, but man she's got a lot of ~~junk~~ necessities. Our ~~car~~ SUV was stuffed to the brim with toys galore, books, a stroller, a pack and play, a duck bath, a bin full of diapers, and an array of clothes so my mother could have "options" when she dressed her. The plan was to undertake this trip during V's afternoon nap and we did succeed in this feat. When we arrived, she was bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to play with Mimi and Papa. Once settled in, V, Daddy, Papa, and I went over to my parents neighborhood pool to splash around. Here's V with Papa enjoying the water. She loves water and was so funny as she was looking over the fence to the big kids pool as she wanted to go socialize with them.

Yay! Pool time!

Wait a minute.. What's over there??

Let me walk over and see. Can I go play with the big kids?

And I'm done here.

The rest of the evening was uneventful and after putting V down for the night, E and I left to start our weekend sans baby. The night started out very promising and as we had just ordered our second round of drinks at a local neighborhood spot, my phone rings... It's the alarm company. I answer and the lady tells me that our front glass break just went off. Crap! The ONE night we're out, our house is getting broken into. Or so we thought.. We close out and rush home at lightning fast speed to try to catch our intruders in the act. Turns out our "intruder" was Miss Mattie howling to a siren and setting off the glass break. Good to know our alarm is so "sensitive". So, to cap the evening off, we sat in our courtyard and enjoyed some wine and great conversation. With just each other. And it was perfect!

Saturday I still was up at the crack of dawn b/c let's face it, I'm a mom, and whether or not my baby is with me, I still am on her schedule and still worry and have to make sure she's okay, etc etc etc. So, I called my mom at 7:30 to see how the night had gone. She reported that all was well. V slept great and was feeling right at home. So, upon this news, I went back to sleep and slept till 10:30! MUCH needed! Then we spent the rest of the day doing stuff we used to do pre-baby. Like going to breakfast, running errands, watching a movie during the day, and going out to dinner. All without any schedules, bottles, feedings, and diapers. Now, I have to say here that I am well aware to be careful about the words that come out of my mouth, and to be sans baby is not the life I want by far. I want and love my life of feedings, diapers, bottles, schedules, etc. I want my V, but it was nice to just get a small break to re-charge with E. We had a great date night Saturday night at a sushi restaurant (both of ours favorite food) and I was in bed by 10:30 with a glass of wine watching Saturday Night Live. Perfect!

Sunday, we picked up V after Church and I spent the rest of the day making baby food and being mom again. I sure did miss her and it was so great to give her a big ole hug today and lots and lots of kisses. My mom had her all dolled up for us when we arrived and man my heart melted upon seeing her chubby little cheeks.

As I've been noting over the last several weeks, V's been on the verge of walking. This weekend, she did it. She took her first official first steps. E and I actually may have missed the first ones as I think she did it on Saturday, but she walked back and forth between my mom and I today as she showed off her newfound skills to me! She's almost 11 months old and I can't believe it. Where does the time go?

So, overall, it was a great weekend for all. V had a great time at her grandparents' house and mommy and daddy had a great time with each other re-charging.

And, to end this here post, here's a gem of a picture I took from my inspection for work on Thursday. It's a chicken in the road. I don't see anything wrong with this picture. At least the cops are monitoring the "situation" and have it under control.

Update: My mom sent me some additional pics from this weekend. These are my faves from the new batch.

Maybe my cute hat will distract from my pudge belly.

Must. Move. Chair. Out. Of. My. Way. I'm queen of the living room!

V with her Uncle John. Hi Uncle John. I love you!

2 Week Update - 10 months pics, Birthday Party, Memorial Day weekend, and more!

2010-05-31T22:35:00.002-05:00

This is going to be a long one...

The last two weeks have been crazy busy at work. I worked till 11:00 last Sunday night and then till 10:30 and 11:00 all last week. I didn't even get to pick up V from school all week b/c I was so busy. I love picking her up from school, so this made me very sad. This week is shaping up to be pretty busy too, but I'm hoping I'll at least get to pick my girl up and hang out with her in the evenings. I really could be/need to be finishing up some work stuff right now, but I did work earlier, and I so want to document my little girl's last two weeks, b/c man does it go by fast. I already don't remember so many things and need the pics to refresh my memory. When I started this blog, I wanted it to be more about me and less about V. I was so afraid of motherhood "robbing" me of me. But it has proven to be so the contrary. My little girl is the best thing invented since sliced bread and I feel like I've not only not lost myself in becoming her mother, but discovered the real me. It is the best ~~job~~ privilege I have ever had. I have experienced love that is not comparable to anything else. For the first time in my life, it's unconditional. I really do LOVE my husband. He's my world and I can't imagine being without him, but this is so different. This is mother bear type love. I will kill anyone who messes with her and I will sacrifice whatever I need to for her well being. So, enough mushiness..

So, lots of things happen in a little girl's life in a two week time period. We'll go in chronological order.

* V turned 10 months old

It is getting ~~nearly~~ impossible to get this child to sit still for pictures. What happened to my little photogenic girl?? V celebrated her 10 month birthday mid month May and here are the pics to prove it.

Happy 10 month Birthday to Me!

Good stretch

I'm done Mommy.

*I'm NOT a boy! V's first pig-tails (sort of).

* V's friend's Z's 3rd B-day Party

V's friend Z turned 3 in May and we went to her super fun birthday party. Z's party had real life trains and V had a grand ole time riding around the neighborhood. Happy 3rd Birthday Z!

V and Daddy in one of the trains.

V, Daddy in a train + random dude in background.

My sweet face.

Classic V look.

One of V's favorite things to do with Daddy. Hi Daddy!!! I love you! Let me poke your eye out.

Working the "Russian"

V and Mommy on the train. Not the best, but the only pic of us two from the party on my camera.

* Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend was big in lots of ways. First and most monumental thing was V started walking holding on with just one hand. She has been walking and practically running around the house with her push walker and over the weekend she just took off. She's loving her new found skills and is doing the Frankenstein hobbling around holding our hand. So proud of her.

Memorial Day weekend was a nice break to an otherwise really bad week. On Saturday morning we packed up V and Mattie, and took off to Oklahoma to visit a good friend from college and her family. It was about a two hour drive and we timed it with V's naps. She did pretty well for the first leg of the trip, but then Daddy had a hankering for a Dr. Pepper, and when we stopped, Mattie caused all sorts of comotion and woke V up, so the second leg of the trip wasn't ideal. V did keep herself entertained with her book. The book didn't fare so well by the end of the trip, but I'll sacrifice a book for a non-crying baby any day. I unfortunately didn't take ANY pictures from our trip, but my friend A did, so I'm hoping to get them from her. A lives out in the country and V got to swim in a creek, play in a chicken coup, ride in a buggy, and see real life horses. Mattie sort of tore into one of the chickens, but we're hoping the chicken didn't suffer any irreparable damage. We may owe my friend A a chicken.. Thanks A and family. We had a wonderful time!!

Here's the only picture I have from the trip. It's hard to decipher, but it's Mattie resting her head on V's car seat in the car while V napped. Such a sweet girl.

When we came back, we were very low key and just hung out at the house. We bought a wading elephant pool for V. It's a pretty fun little pool and you hook up a hose to the trunk and it spits out water in a fountain like fashion. We decided to invite our friends D&D&D over for some pool time. D is V's friend from a previous post. D & V had a great time in the pool. I'm so excited about our purchase and V loves to be in the water and has been pointing at it every time we walk by the courtyard. Here's V getting ready for the pool in her new little swim suit.

I'm ready Mama!

And here are the pics of V & D enjoying the water.

Get in my belly!

It's not a party until someone sticks their head in the fountain.

* And finally... V making a mess of her food.

I love you V!

Teeth - why grow one when you can grow two!

2010-05-16T22:28:00.002-05:00

On Thursday morning when V woke up, she was cranky and upset. She is typically in a very good mood in the mornings (quite the morning person), so this was unusual for her. The mystery of the Thursday morning crankiness was solved on Saturday, however, as I was feeding her some pasta and saw what I originally thought was remnants of half- ~~chewed~~ gummed food. But quite the contrary. It was TWO TEETH! YAY!!! She cut two teeth on Saturday morning (official first ~~tooth~~ teeth date is May 15, 2010). I was so excited. It was such a weird sensation for me b/c I was actually feeling proud for her. I realize that this isn't something she really "accomplished" but I was such a proud mama that she finally grew some teeth. I hope she starts growing some hair now... I have to remember to brush them b/c that has not been part of our routine to date. Oops. I haven't brushed them yet.

I tried to take a pic, but she wasn't cooperating, so here she is just rocking out her leg warmers and booty ruffles.

In other news.. We're dog sitting for a friend of mine. Her dog is a little black Pekingese fur ball and probably the coolest little dog I've ever met. We took her and Mattie for a walk on Saturday and as she's black in color and has to practically run the whole time while Mattie leisurely strolls, she was feeling really tuckered out and overall pooped. So, she did the only reasonable, although somewhat degrading (in most dog circles) thing to do. She hitched a ride with V in her stroller, specifically in the storage bin underneath V. It was pretty dang funny and cute. Against her wishes, I snuck a picture of her and am holding it in a secure location for a rainy day, you know, if I ever need a favor or something. I promised her I wouldn't post, but as she can't use the keyboard and thus can't really check this here blog, I'm going to share it. I personally think she has nothing to be ashamed of. I told her it shows her ingenuity and resourcefulness. Why not make life a little easier I say.

What's up peeps!

Happy Mother's Day and a Girl on the Move

2010-05-11T22:42:00.000-05:00

This Sunday was my first official mother's day. It was a busy busy day however, as my father in law was getting married the next day and we were throwing a "rehearsal dinner" of sorts on Sunday night, I did not get to revel in the glory of being pampered on Mother's day. I got a rain check for next weekend though. My husband's mother sadly passed away in 2008. My father in law moved in with us after her passing and has lived with us since. He got to know one of my really great girlfriend's mother around the time V was born, and they got married this past Monday. Hence why I'm late posting - quite an eventful weekend.

So - mother's day, I did wake up early to nurse, but then went right back to sleep while E was on V duty. When I woke up, I found the bottom card from V.

The top part is from school - it's what V came home with on Friday. Not the greatest shot of her, but hey - a mother isn't partial. The scribble on the bottom is V's signature. She dictated the rest to Daddy.

As I noted earlier, V's been really walking with her walker. It's her favorite thing to do and she bee-lines for the walker anytime she sees it. Here's V making her walking debut for ~~all the world~~ Mommy to see.

I have to gush a bit. I just love this little girl of mine! I don't care how bad of a day I'm having, seeing her and hanging out with her brightens my day and brings perspective every time. She is truly the best thing to ever happen to me and I cannot - absolutely cannot imagine my life without her. I love that I'm still nursing and even though it's been exhausting - both physically and mentally, and I am starting to wean, nursing is our special time together and it's irreplaceable. She's so fun these days and shows her personality and has quite the rep at school. She's known as an ~~occasionally~~ frequently strong willed, diva-like, but at all times loving little girl. She's a woman who knows what she wants and isn't afraid to let it be known. I LOVE YOU V!

Us and my father in law and now mother in law. Welcome to the family K!

On the cusp

2010-05-02T15:37:00.001-05:00

This week was relatively big in V's development. She started standing by herself (no hands) in short bursts and started walking using a push along stroller. It's so funny to see this tiny little person who is barely 17 pounds "walking" around. (I use the term walking very loosely).

Sometimes I get so sad that I don't get to stay home with her full time. The day care teachers didn't want to tell me she was standing by herself b/c they didn't want to ruin it for me. So sweet of them. I have a sneaking feeling I may actually miss her first official step, but thanks to the teachers, I'll never know about it and will get to experience it on my own at home.

V is so funny these days. She has a mountain of toys but the things that really strike her fancy are all the things she's not allowed to play with - remotes, cell phones, table eating, tissue boxes - your standard no no's. Here is a pic of V left to her own accords and the resulting mess.

Wha? It wasn't me.

9 Month Stats

2010-04-27T21:41:00.001-05:00

I fell off the wagon. Blogging wagon that is. A friend of mine came over Sunday night and we got to talking and I completely forgot to post. I really want to keep up with this blogging gig I got going here if for nothing else, to have a diary of sorts for me and V to look at one day.

So, on to the stats. We went to the doctor for her 9 month appointment last week. All is well! I was relieved to find out that there are NO SHOTS at the 9 month appointment. I had no idea (b/c I've been slacking on reading the baby books as all they really do is overwhelm me) so it was a very pleasant and welcome surprise. I found out about this development a day before her appointment through a weekly e-mail I get from Welcome Baby Home (a mommy website). I was even prepared to keep her home that day as shot day sucks, but instead, she went to school before AND after her appointment. Yippee!

Here are her stats:

Height - 27' - 49%

Weight - 16 lbs, 14.5 oz - 25%

Head Circumference - 44.8' - 52%

She looks so small to me still and now that she's crusing and pulling up all the time, I look at her and sometimes have to do a double take b/c she doesn't look like a baby that's old enough to be doing that, but she sho is (old enought that is)!

Over the weekend, she started to attempt to stand unassisted and the daycare teachers today told me she was standing by herself there as well. So it's only a matter of time before she walks. And still without any teeth. She's our toothless wonder.

No pics of V to post this week. I'm still trying to figure out photoshop for the edited 9 month photo shoot pics - it ain't easy folks, it ain't easy. That being said - I will post a picture of our 80 pound lap dog. She's thrilled about this.

Oh the humanity!

Sitting still - an exercise in futility

2010-04-18T22:21:00.004-05:00

This week V ventured back to school. I, however, didn't fair as well, and was sick most of the week. I can't remember the last time I was this sick. I thought I was on the mend from the previous week, but then on Sunday night, I got the chills so bad, I thought we had teleported to the North Pole. And then two hours later, my body produced so much ~~water~~ sweat, E had to evacuate the bed. He had to migrate to V's room to sleep on the daybed so that I could sleep on the dry patch that was left on his side.

For a while there, I thought I caught some wild jungle monkey disease that was passed on to me from my child which she in turn caught from school, but in retrospect, I think it was a combination of 9 months of being completely run down, still nursing, and the worst allergy season in years. My sinuses are less than thrilled. Another post about snot and being sick - so riveting. Sadly however, that seems to be a recurring theme around here.

We tried to take some 9 month pictures of V with her bear, but she's a woman on the move and will not stay still for anything. So, the below is our attempt to take her growth progress pics. Hard to tell as her sole purpose during this shoot was to climb off the chair. We did sneak a couple of semi good shots in, but the girl's running circles around us already.

Hi Mommy! Try and take my picture!

I think I want to go to the edge here.

Um.. okay - now I'll hide behind Mr. Bear.

Fine - thumb in the mouth.

Um - I think I want to go to the edge again.

You want me to do what??? Don't worry Mr. Bear. I won't leave you.

No! I want off this chair!

Maybe if I try it this way.. Sorry Mr. B. It's every man for himself around these here parts.

Kamikaze!

Okay okay Mommy! Get your shot. But I'm not sitting up straight.

And enough of that.

Oh Mommy.. You'll never learn..

A year and 9 months

2010-04-11T22:05:00.002-05:00

Today is our 1 year wedding anniversary (no need to do the math...). I'm not a woman without a past or skeletons in my closet, but I will say this. This has been one of the most trying years of my life - bar none. However, through it all, I've truly never been more at peace in my heart and happier in my relationship. I love you honey! More than I ever could say! Thank you for giving me you! You make me the happiest I've ever been even through everything we're going through and you've given me the best little girl I could have ever asked for. You are my everything. XOXOXO

This week was hard. V got sick on Sunday and was sick all week long. She went to school for a total of 4 hours and in the process, got me sick, so towards the end of the week, we were both pretty miserable. Thank God for my mom who came and helped me 4 times out of the week, including Saturday during the day and night. Now, V seems to be getting much better and me, although I still am pretty congested, am getting better right behind her. This too shall pass.

So, on to more exciting things. Today, we went to Uncle N's and Aunt E's for V's 9 month photo shoot! The pics turned out so good! I'm going to try to edit some of my faves this week and post, but here are a handful from the raw footage.

Sugars for Daddy!

A true Russian face! Can't escape your genes!

The necklace V's wearing is an amber teething necklace. She's 9 months old and still no teeth, but MONTHS and MONTHS of teething. So, a friend of mine had one of these for her daughter and she swears by it, and I figured that it's worth a try. If nothing else, it looks pretty.

Again?!?!?!

2010-04-04T21:29:00.000-05:00

Um... ok... (The)Croup.. I know it's been hard on you since we broke up. I know you've spent many restless nights tossing and turning, thinking up ways to get back into my life, but this? This is not good. This is borderline psychotic, crazy stalker ex-boyfriend, and we both know you're better than that. So, let's part ways peacefully and I won't ruin your rep with the other ladies.

Miss V is sick.. again. This is the third time she's been croupy and it's heart-wrenching. She was a total trooper though this weekend through Easter and my mom's and grandpa's birthday party at our house. She was a little cranky, but did well overall.

Friday during lunch, V and I went to go visit my good friend T and her family. Her daugher A is 4 and loved playing with V. She was so curious about her and wanted to show her all her toys and was asking all sorts of questions about her. Here are some pics of the girls together.

Friday night, E, his dad and his dad's fiance grilled stakes and painted Easter eggs. We tried the fancy shmancy paints that you put in a bag and roll the eggs around in, and the finished product wasn't as good as the old-fashioned dipping in water way. Here's the result. Note the bruised egg repaired with duct tape. It suffered a broken shell in the beautifying process and needed a little something extra to make it feel special.

Mine are the pretty sparkly ones....

Then Saturday we went to V's friend D's 1st birthday party and then later in the evening had my family over for a double birthday celebration. Both birthday parties were tons o' fun. The girls (D & V) were so stinkin' cute playing with each other. They've known each other since they were 3 1/2 months and 6 weeks old, respectively and are the best of buddies.

What's that??

Then Sunday, V got dolled up in her Sunday best and we went to Church for and then to Aunt E's and Uncle N's for Easter. This is where things started to go down hill for V and (the)croup, but she hung in there until after we got home, at which time she puked all over herself and the changing table. She was so so tired and wanted to sleep so bad, but just kept coughing and choking and finally just threw up. (On a serious note, it's so hard to watch your child choking to throw up the phlegm that (the)croup has so graciously left inside her throat. It scares her and it scares mommy even more. We're not fans!)

Miss sick eyes.

Happy Easter everybody!

I have more pics from Easter, but they're in Mimi's camera, so I must patiently wait until she sends them to me.

So now, V's asleep, but if I was a bettin' woman, I would say the odds are against her sleeping through the night in her room. We shall see.

Here are some pics of V from Saturday night. We're going to have another professional photo shoot with Uncle N next weekend and V and I both can't wait!

I'm talking! (Sorta..)

2010-03-28T22:16:00.004-05:00

V has yet another cold. Actually I can't remember the last time she hasn't had a runny nose or was just 100% not sniffling, coughing, etc etc etc. I wouldn't say she's sick, but her nose is a lot more congested the past several days than usual. This makes sleeping a difficult task. Although she's a good sleeper, one has a hard time sleeping well when they can't breathe through their nose. And herein have lied the problems this weekend. Last night was the worst. She woke up around midnight and did not want to go back to bed.. until after 3 AM! Yes - we've regressed back to the infant days over the weekend where we have no schedule and wake up at random times throughout the night to cry and feed. BUT - in the midst of this chaos, while she was laying in our bed* terrorizing daddy (she thought it was playtime. I guess I could see where she thought 3 am was a good time to party.. I once used to have that mentality, but that was a lifetime ago and I digress) she said her first word. Her very first real word. She's babbling dada, baba, etc for a while now, but as she was pounding on E to play with her, she took a break and very meticulously and slowly, in the sweetest little girl voice, said "Da da." Needless to say, my heart melted and I got a bit choked up. And today, through the day, she keeps saying and it and saying. And it's not the dada of the babble before. It's definitely the Dada meaning daddy. She's so proud of her communicative achievement and so are we!

Here are some pics from this week. I bought her a little bathing suit with a tutu for pics and we tried it on for Papa (Grandpa) when he was over this week. She's pulling up so much better this week and is standing with one handed support. I think she'll be walking within two months. We shall see.

*The only time she gets to be in our bed is when she's sick.

My little ballerina. I love how she's pointing her little toes!

I love this pic of my Dad and her! Love how she's watching him and he's showing her all the fun things outside the window. Oh the things you'll learn little one.

And now, here's V showing off her pulling up skills.

Umm - let's see - now push up.

Maybe if I try with my teeth. Works for Mattie.

Time to ham it up for the camera. What's that Papa? A cell phone camera??

Paying close attention to Papa. He's very wise.

Now, back by popular demand (consisting of myself), here's a pic of my other girl - Miss Mattie! V's off wrecking havoc in the background while Mattie and I pose for the camera.

And last but not least, my two girls together. Miss M is looking very ~~regal~~ annoyed because we've been in her chair and are intruding on her happy place time.

- Mattie tells the funniest jokes!

- It aint' that funny kid.

Changing table fun

2010-03-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

V is SO ticklish! The below is pretty dark, but you can still hear her Dr. Evil laugh. "I shall call him mini-me."

V laughing at Daddy's tickles

Great snow storm of 2010 - Part deux

2010-03-21T18:11:00.000-05:00

It's March 21, the first day of spring, and we got 2.5 inches of snow last night! Say what?! That's right - two and a half inches, on the first official day of spring. To document this momentous event, V took some pictures in the snow.

Happy Spring!

I'm a boy - Psych!

2010-03-21T13:32:00.000-05:00

V's lack of hair makes her look like a boy. Add Daddy's hat, I have to do a double take.

Exhibits.

Wuz up!

Ah Shucks Daddy! That's funny!

Peek a boo.

These next two pics I love because a) it looks like she's flirting with the camera and b) b/c she's looking like a little person rather than a little baby. These pics look so "adult" to me and seem like they have glimpses of what she is going to look like as a young lady. I love this little girl of mine. And although she may resemble a boy for the time being, she's all girl. So dainty, feminine, so little girl.

Updates, Updates, and More Updates

2010-03-21T12:37:00.003-05:00

When I started this blog, I told myself I would update multiple times a week, if not daily. Well, that has proven to be not realistic, so I'm starting a new thing. I'm going to plan to update weekly. This way, I will have some accountability to myself for updating. So many things are happening with V almost daily, and I forget about them so quickly. So, I will be better about documenting from now on!

So, now I have lots to update on. I'll go in chronological order.

February 2010

* The great snow storm of 2010 - Part 1!

We live in the southern part of the country, and if we're lucky, we'll see random snow flakes, maybe once a year. This year - not so much. We got over a foot of snow in early February. Schools were closed, roads were iced over, and we, as any non-snow seeing person would do, played in the snow. The whole family went out and M especially, had a great time. We'd throw her snowballs and she would chase them and then slam her nose into the snow trying to figure out where it went. She ran around and around chasing those snowballs. V had fun too (sort of). She hung out in Mommy's arms mostly and observed, like she always does. She's quite the observer and when she sees something new, she goes into serious mode until she feels comfortable with her new surroundings.

Here are some pics from the great snow storm.

Our Street

Mommy and V

Daddy and V

M playing in the snow

V and M in the snow.

Grandpa's snowman. The head is lacking b/c we got cold...

And to wrap up February, here are V's 7 month pics next to Mr. Bear.

She's growing so much, daily. Some mornings when she wakes up, E (the hubs) and I look at her and comment how she looks different. She's a strong-willed little girl, but so happy and loving. She loves her school and her teachers and playing with all her little friends. She also loves dancing and starts bouncing around and jumping up and down when she hears an upbeat tune! She's a girl after my own heart.

March 2010

As I've mentioned in an older post, V started crawling about a month and a half ago. She's gotten really good and is a crawling machine these days. I'm still not over the dirty floor hump and have a mini-coronary when she makes her way across the floor. She's still not allowed in the kitchen b/c our kitchen floor is nearly impossible to keep clean between M's slober, hair, and just being the kitchen floor. But I know I will have to make my peace with it b/c I can't keep her in the living room forever.

So, in addition to crawling, in the second week of March, she started pulling up. She is very cautious about this and it's pretty entertaining to watch her pull herself up and then VERY carefully try to sit herself back down. She's a dainty little girl to say the least. It was so great to come in her room one morning and see her standing up near the rails.

She LOVES playing with M and uses her to push/pull herself up.

Come 'ere you dog!

Working hard to pull herself up.

Success!! Using M's head as support.

Working the "Russian face"

Another big development this month was V graduated to a big girl tub! We were previously washing her in the sink in an infant tub, but she was displaying signs of wanting to play, etc, so we moved her to the bathroom to a big ducky bath! I saw a picture of this bath on another friend's blog and had to get it for V. The duck quacks and V loves bathtime! She's always loved it, but now she kicks her legs and squeals with delight when I get her down to her skivies for bathtime.

Wha?? Can't a girl have some privacy?

Eating her toys in the tub. A little soap can't hurt her, right??

First B-Day Party & I'm a Ham

2010-03-21T12:32:00.001-05:00

V went to her first birthday party on March 6! It was her buddy W's 3rd b-day and there were lots of little kids there. V rocked her cool new sunglasses and her sweet outfit which consisted of a ruffly black skirt over some gray tights. She also got a little soccer ball, candy, and another pair of sunglasses for her party favor. A girl can never have to many shades!

I should also mention that V has started blinking in most of her pictures. She totally hams it up for the camera and then blinks at the last minute.

Miss V, Mommy, and Aunt N

Playing at the party

Trying to crawl out of Mommy's arms. I gots places to be people!

Rocking out my colorful tights!

These next pics exhibit my inability to keep my eyes open for pictures these days.

I can't keep my eyes open, but hey - I'm standing! A girl can only do so many things at once.

Mr. Bear and V

Oh Mommy! You're so funny!

Hahaha! Stop it Mommy! You're cracking me up!

Oh gee! More funnies!

That was the funniest one of all! It's a head roll backer!

Hi Mommy! Peek-a-boo!

Photo Shoot Fun - 7 months

2010-03-21T12:10:00.000-05:00

I was playing around different settings on my camera, and these are the results. These pics were taken 2.20.10.

Crawls galore

2010-02-17T22:00:00.001-06:00

I'm crawling!! So - after a month of delay and teasing Mommy with, "oh - I think I'm going to crawl now, Oh - maybe not," Miss V has finally done it. She crawled! Her first official move one knee, then move hand, then move other knee crawl was February 6th and in the week and a half since then, she is practically a pro. Well - I may be exaggerating a tad, but it's truly amazing how every day she gets better and better.

Exhibit 1 - Today was the best day to date of me picking her up from school. I came in and she was on the floor trying to do the down dog position - girl's got mad yoga skills. She was holding herself up on her hands and pointing her toes with her booty up in the air in an upside down V, and doing a mighty fine job I might add. But I digress. She did not immediately see me, so I called her name a couple times and she actually turned around towards me. I told her to come to Mommy and held out my hands, and SHE DID! She slowly but surely crawled her way across the long mat towards me. It was so great! I met her half way b/c she was creating a traffic jam and I thought a confidence boost may be in order anyway. And then she jumped for a few minutes in my arms! Oh man - such fun was had by all!

On another note... Last weekend I came home from the grocery store to this....

That daddy is no dummy. Way to a woman's heart - baby and vacuum cleaner. I'm sold!

Fail Blog snip its or things that make you go hmmm...

2010-02-09T22:09:00.002-06:00

Things that make me laugh... courtesy of failblog

There's always an option B.

see more Epic Fails

When in doubt, go with what you know.

see more Epic Fails

Walking - it's for the birds

see more Epic Fails

All in a hard day's work

see more Epic Fails

Stupidity at its finest.

see more Epic Fails

Brand recognition

see more Epic Fails

6 Months Stats & A Photo Shoot

2010-02-09T21:03:00.003-06:00

Miss V celebrated her 6 month birthday back in mid-January. My friend Nick is quite the photographer extraordanaire and he took some pictures of her with his awesome camera. I love how these pics turned out! Miss V is such a little love and her fun personality shows more and more every day. She smiles and flirts a lot (she is her mother's daughter) and has her daddy wrapped around her finger. Just this past weekend she started crawling and is getting better and better at it every day and is giving kisses when promted and not prompted. I love getting her kisses which are wet open mouth slobers, but I'm not choosy.

I haven't felt very inspired to write a lot, so I will, for the time being, just share some of my favorite pics from the shoot as well as her 6 months stats. Her weight dropped a little b/c we went in for her 6 month appointment right after she got this.

Weight - 25% - 14 lbs 3.5 oz

Height - 45% - 25 1/4 in

HC - 55% - 43 cm

And now for the best part... the pictures.

I like to hang out on countertops - just cold chillin'

My serious look

Blue hat to match my blue eyes

Hat - Check! Leopard boots - Check! Bare buns - Check! Staying true to my Ukrainian roots.

Momma's little lover

Does it get easier? I would guess no, but more rewarding? Definitely.

2010-01-29T22:00:00.001-06:00

Just as I'm used to having an infant, V is on the cusp of crawling. And my life is once again about to change. I try not to compare her development to other kids b/c when I did, I found it exhausting. I was constantly worried about what she was or wasn't accomplishing, whether or not she was reaching for her toys, smiling when she was supposed to, turning her head at various sounds, and the list goes on and on. So, I made a decision to just let her be a baby and enjoy her. Now I'm finding myself struggling with the same issues I had when I first had her. She's so much more alert. She takes in the world around her and now I constantly question myself if I'm doing enough for her. Am I hindering her development b/c I don't read enough to her, don't have enough toys for her, don't spend enough time with her, she doesn't get enough tummy time, or she doesn't practice her sitting enough? In a weird sad way, day care has been my saving grace b/c I feel that there she gets the social interaction and other developmental help that I may not provide for her b/c of my lack of knowledge of what to provide. Motherhood really doesn't come with instructions, and it's the most complicated, non stop job I've ever had. But I don't want to sound that I don't absolutely love it. I do. My life is forever changed by this little girl, but I wouldn't trade it for anything else. Her smell, her sounds, her laugh, and even her cries are more precious to me than anything else I've ever encountered.

Croup, aka there's a large, alpha male sea lion living in my child's chest.

2010-01-19T20:05:00.002-06:00

First of all, I have a question. Is it croup or the croup, kinda like the flu? Anyone know? I've heard it referred to as both and I need to get it straight. Since I'm new to childhood diseases, I've never had to deal with this lovely ailment and not knowing the correct terminology is driving me nuts. I stumble over my words every time I talk about it b/c I don't know if I'm saying it correctly. So far I've gone with both, but I must get to the bottom of this. So, if anyone has any knowledge on the matter, please do share.

Gross - I know...

So, on to the story. V has (the)croup. Well, had it. She seems to have kicked out the sea lion and now just the excessive, lovely mucus is left. The mucus has taken over, sort of like the Mucinex commercials, which really gross me out, but apparently, the master mind behind them had at one point had (the)croup. Being upright for a matter of minutes produces a river of snot that permeates from her little nose like a tiny little waterfall. It's not a pretty sight.

This all started Friday night. By Saturday night, when the sea lion moved in circa 9:00 pm, we were calling the after hours line at the dr's office and I was ready to pack up and go to the emergency room due to the sounds coming out of my sweet little girl. The night nurse assured me it was not life threatening and to give her continual HOT steam baths for 15-20 minutes at a time. She said to do this as much as needed and so for the past 3 days, V has received three of these a day. This is not pretty on Mommy's back, but I'm taking one for Team V's lungs. I'm putting this on her list...

In addition to the excessive snot, the girl has been extremely clingy. For the past FOUR nights now she has slept in bed with me and last night, we even kicked Daddy out b/c, well.. he snores. I can typically handle this, but my nerves were on edge with having a 15 pound child asleep on top of me for four nights and any sleep I was able to catch was being interrupted by rattling sounds. So he got the boot. V was also so restless and so she too got the boot last night at 5 am. Daddy got the green light to return and V slept in her bed from 5 to 8 am. Hallelujah!!!! So, tonight is a new night, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she stays put in her own bed.

In conclusion, I would like to say something to (the)croup. (The)croup, thank you for visiting. I hope you enjoyed your stay. Sadly, I don't think it's going to work out between us. It's not you - it's me. Take care of yourself. J-Mom.

Wisdom from Patti - Millionaire Matchmaker

2010-01-19T15:59:00.003-06:00

I have a confession. My guilty pleasure is reality TV/any and all Hollywood gossip. Yes - I hang my head in shame admitting this and am looking into an addiction recovery group to curb this. But, in the mean time, I picked up a little bit of wisdom from Miss Pattie - the Millionaire Matchmaker.

So, in watching said reality show, Pattie is coaching one of her millionaires on chivalry. She has an ettiquette coach and says to him that men have their roles and women have theirs and that if you cross the boundaries, you'll end up with a son rather than a husband! HOW TRUE! I'm all for strong independent women and am VERY strong willed and opinionated, etc etc etc. But, I totally agree that chivalry should not be dead and a man should be a man! Step up and take care of your woman, whether that means opening her doors, ordering her meals at a restaurant, or being a strong shoulder to stand behind. We don't have enough men around anymore. I mean real men! From my dating days the bulk of the male population are needy boys who want a replacement for their mom rather than a partner. And in a way, maybe this has forced women over the years to take over. Because we've gotten tired of waiting to get things done so we just do it ourselves and end up either alone or with boys.

So, if I ever have a son, my goal in raising him will be to raise a man. A man whose future wife will someday thank me for raising her a man and not a boy. And all in all, we're made man and woman for a reason and there's something still so wonderful in being taken care of as a woman. I think this would ring true for most woman out there, be it CEO's, attorney's, professionals, teachers, mothers, etc.

And in conclustion - I can hear the "men" on the show referring to themselves in 3rd person and overall treating their dates like they should be falling all over themselves b/c they're priveleged to be on a date with these "millionaires." Pattie says, "Women want gentlemen, not trash talking a**holes." Wise words sista! (I know, I know, this isn't classical english literature type stuff, but still solid.") I look at these "men" and shake my head, but yet continue to watch.. Addiction - it aint pretty.

V - 1, Mommy - 0 or The Night I Broke

2010-01-17T13:43:00.002-06:00

I am a big believer in discipline and independence. I grew up in a relatively strict, okay, who am I kidding, very strict home, and all in all, I think I was better for it. It kept me out of trouble and I think all in all I turned out okay. So in raising V, for her particular age group now, I adhere to bed times, crying it out (within reason of course), and sleeping in her own bed. Well, all that got thrown out the window this past Friday night.

V won -sleeping in Mommy and Daddy's bed

V woke up with a mild runny nose on Friday. I sent her to daycare and by the time I picked her up, she had a full blown cough, so much so, that the daycare teachers told me she her nose had been running bad all day and she was generally fussy. Ok – we’ve been through this before. This isn’t this girl’s first rodeo in the cold department. Out came the saline drops and the aspirator and for the most part, we seemed to have it under control. I should also mention that typically, V is a very good sleeper. She’s been sleeping through the night since she was just over 2 months old, and I don’t mean the technically speaking “sleeping through the night” which is a measly 6 hours. I mean, SLEEPING through the night. Anywhere from 10 to 12 hours. Even when she was sick last. Girl needs her rest – she takes after her mommy.. So, we aspirated, took our warm bath, and off to bed we went. Well, about 9 pm, (bedtime is b/w 7 and 7:30), I hear cries of distress from the monitor. Now, I know I’m all for crying it out, but all the moms will attest that you can tell a cry that needs to be tended to now and cries that are just whiney cries that you can let cry out. This was the “Come get me right now, I’m in pain!” cry. So, in I went. My little girl was inconsolable. Well, let me rephrase – she was inconsolable ANY time I tried to put her down. However, finally she did decide she was too weak to fight mommy and back to sleep she went. So, we all followed suit. But V had other plans. Around 12:30 am, she woke up screaming again, and this time, she wasn’t going down without a fight. Now, I don’t know what came over me, call it empathy for my sniffling child, call it weakness, call it just being so tired, I didn’t have the strength to put my foot down. And that’s when she broke me. I not only picked her up and cuddled her, I let her sleep in bed with us! On top of me! The whole night. So, I was hoping this was a one night occurance, but it’s been going on two nights now! In my defense, the girl is SICK. She’s got croup (I think, which is a whole other post) and being in Mommy’s arms is the only way she doesn’t cry. So, for two nights now, amid shooting back pains, V has enjoyed Mommy as her personal mattress. Hopefully she’ll feel better soon and we’ll go back to our normal sleeping patterns, but for now, the score’s in her favor.

Lay 'Em Down

2010-01-12T14:53:00.004-06:00

This has been an especially trying year, and this song makes me feel at peace.

STATS Thus Far!

2010-01-10T22:34:00.004-06:00

Here are Miss V's stats to date. She's a growin' that's for sure. It's so amazing to me how far she's come along in the last six months. I remember looking at my lump o baby when she was first born not sure how it was possible that she would do anything other than scream, poop, eat, and sleep, not necessarily in that order. And now, she's a little person with a fun personality and smiles galore. She's getting up on her knees and really wanting to crawl and I think that's just around the corner. So, without further ado, her stats to date are as follows:

But first - last picture of V in Mommy's tummy - 4 days before she arrived.

Birth - Not sure about the %'s on this one.

Weight - 6 lbs, 12 oz

Height - 19 1/4 inches

2 Weeks

Weight - 7 lbs, 14 oz (girl ate a lot - among other things...) - 50%

Height - 20 1/2 inches - 75%

2 Months

Weight - 10 lbs, 10.5 oz - 50%

Height - 22 1/2 inches - 50%

4 Months

Weight - 13 lbs, 1 oz - 50%

Height - 24 1/4 inches - 50%

Her head circumference has also grown a ton, but I don't believe that's a very interesting statistic, so we'll let it lie. But she's in the 50% percentile there too.

So - what do these stats show?? I have a very "standard" child physically speaking. We're coming up on our 6 months appointment within a few weeks and I'll post her updated stats when we have them.

Roll Over Beethoven and a Squirrel for Breakfast

2010-01-08T14:07:00.000-06:00

Oh Miss V. Can’t wait to get going. Can’t wait to go places. V is now officially sitting up. She still does a few face plants once in a while, but my little girl has almost mastered her core strength and can stay seated for a good long time all by herself. Of course sitting isn’t enough for Miss “I want what I want and I want it now.” Once she falls over from her sitting position, she gets on all fours and tries to crawl. However, the crawling hasn’t been successful just yet, and after a few rocks back and forth on her knees, and realizing that nothing is getting accomplished, V does what she does best so far – she rolls. I can put this child down on one side of the living room and she will 360 degree roll her way over to the other side. Given that we have a very large and shedding dog as well as a very tiny, but equally as shedding cat, V performing her acrobatics doubles as a lint brush for our rug and carpet. Good for the rug, not so good for Miss V or Mommy’s sanity. So, I’m not sure how to keep this child from getting dog/cat hair in every orifice of her body. I have found dog hairs in places dog hair simply should not be. V has also been French kissed by M (the dog). Which leads me to another story and why V is officially off licking limits for M…

Oh Miss M. M likes to chase squirrels. M likes to chase and catch squirrels. M likes to chase and catch and kill squirrels. M isn’t partial to live squirrels or squirrels that already happen to be dead. Did I mention that M LOVES squirrels???

Yesterday morning, my husband let M out, like he usually does. It is COLD where we live now, so he went back inside and was waiting for her by the door to do her bizness. Fairly quickly, M comes to the door with a little somethin somethin in her mouth. Seeing that she’s not trained to get the paper and being that she’s no Einstein, my husband let her in the house to check out her loot. In strolls M and plops down a … are you ready for it…. Dead squirrel. Right smack dab in the middle of our entry way. I hear my husband shriek, “No M”. I scream from the other room, “What did she do?” He quickly answers, ‘Nothing.” Smart man. I would have FREAKED. So, my husband was left to pick up the said dead squirrel with PAPER TOWELS and get rid of it. Being a man, he didn’t think to automatically disinfect the floor on where the squirrel rested. And remember – we have a child who rolls everywhere. But, crisis was averted as we thoroughly disinfected once I was up and the story was relayed to me. So, this particular squirrel is now squirrel #4 for Miss M. She’s got a hard rep in our hood – she doesn’t mess around!

A Tailspin

2010-01-07T09:34:00.005-06:00

My pregnancy was not planned. It was quite a surprise. As I sit here now looking at my almost 6 month old smiling back at me, a gamut of emotions runs through me. I love this little girl more than I ever thought I could ever love anyone. I would die for her - no questions asked. Her smile lights up my life and warms my heart. But I wasn't always a mom, and I still struggle daily with who I was - a strong independent woman, and who I've become, a mother. Now, I know the two can and do co-exist, but it is a tailspin and an identity crisis I could have never even begun to predict. This is what I want to this blog to be. A place for me to document my daughter's life, progress, development, highs and lows. And also a place for me to discuss how I'm dealing with it all.

I should mention that I didn't immediately have this overwhelming love for my daughter that I read and heard about. I knew she was my responsibility and I did what I was supposed to do. I took care of her. But the love in my heart didn't grow until she was probably about 2 months old. Call me selfish, but I have never loved unconditionally before. I guess I didn't know how and how selfless it was. I was hard for me emotionally to get nothing back from her after so many sleepless nights, hurt n*pples, emotional meltdowns, etc etc etc. She first smiled at me at exactly 1 month old, and that was the beginning of our love affair. By 2 months, I was hooked, and now my love for her grows daily.

So, join me on this journey of motherhood. It is an adventure like no other and I'm only at the beginning of it.

V and Mommy - Christmas 2009