Whirlwind Weekend

We're coming off of what has been one of the busiest weekends we've had in a while. I really don't think it would be possible to squeeze much more in.

My weekend was off to a great start.  I was able to sneak away from school to go see the Rodeo parade at Bear Boulevard.  Here are Audrey and her BFF on their "float." 

Our cleaning lady was supposed to come Wednesday but had car trouble and came Friday instead.  Long story short, she came to clean, her car wouldn't start, she sat in front our house for hours with the hood up on her car, and then finally allowed us to jump her car which we had offered to do as soon as we got home.  After she left, we saw that she had puked in the street right in front of our house.  Nice.

We down the cook-off on Friday night.  Always a good time.  We missed out last year because I was newly pregnant and right in the middle of my "throw up every evening at 6:00" stage of the pregnancy.  Fun times.

 

Saturday morning, we went downtown for the Rodeo Run.  Karen and I were able to run the entire 3.1 miles which was pretty amazing since I haven't run at all in about 5 weeks.  The rodeo parade was also going on and somehow we managed to get stuck inside the parade route trying to get back to the truck.   

 

 

After the run, we rewarded ourselves with Guadalajara.  Audrey had her first taste of avocado and liked it.  Mom, Audrey, and I headed to Tomball for a baby shower.  I about lost my $#!t trying to get there.   We found out the Beltway was closed after it was too late to exit for another route, Google maps took the liberty of not working properly, we hit every freaking red light we encountered, and also had the pleasure of catching a train.  I think it's safe to say I hope to never go back to Tomball, TX.  We were an hour and a half late for the shower but I'm glad we still went.  Audrey got to meet some relatives on the Heiner side that haven't really had a chance to see her. 

 

After the shower, Neal and I went out to the Katy Rodeo because TNO was sponsoring one of the events.  I think I was too tired to really enjoy it and we came home early.

 

We finally had some down time today after church.  I think we have found a contender with this church.  It's a little more contemporary than we were looking for but we're really liking it.  Time will tell. 

 

Audrey had a really busy weekend and I think it all caught up to her tonight.  She was really fighting going to sleep which isn't like her at all.  I really don't know what to do with a fussy baby since she's very rarely like that.  I busted out all my tricks:  nursing, rocking, swinging, the 5 S's.  She was not having it but her little eyes were so tired.   Finally I put her in her bed and cranked the sound machine up as loud as it would go while I held her arms still against her body.  She IS our child.  She was calmed by the ocean waves and asleep in 5 minutes. 

 

Good night moon.  

Murphy's Law: Baby Edition

It looks like Murphy's Law has followed me into motherhood.  Here's how I know.

• When Audrey was just weeks old and I was scared to death still getting used to taking her on outings to get us out of the house, I always thought I had planned her feeding schedule perfectly.  I would feed her and rush to get out of the house knowing that my time was ticking before she would need to eat again.  It would never fail, after all my careful planning, the babe would pick that time that she would want to eat sooner than later.  You learn where the best places to nurse are located.  My go to was always the Dillards restroom with their nice set up of couches and big counters away from the toilets.  Babies R Us has a mother's room which I would use in a pinch, but I can recall at least 3 of these rooms that I've used and they were kinda icky.
• Need your kid to poop?  Dress them in the prettiest outfit they own and take them to church. Works like a charm. Sadly, I speak from experience. 
• You really do learn how to function on small amounts of sleep.  When Audrey wakes up in the morning, she will sometimes go back to sleep but I never do.  Not because I don't want to, but my body has learned to stay awake.  It doesn't even bother me that much anymore.  What this means is my day (weekends included) begins around 5 am.  Sometimes she'll "sleep in" until 5:30.   After I feed her, I begin doing one of the million of things that need to be done around the house.  I came across an article that the main point was Everything is Never Done.  I'm getting better at not feeling like I have to mark everything off of my to-do list every night.  I still keep a running list but if I can accomplish at least 1 thing on the list every day, I feel productive.  I don't mind that everything on the list is not ever complete.  I get so excited when I can re-write my to-do list because it has too many things scratched out and looks messy.  Here's the Murphy's Law part.  Put child down for a nap.  You can't fall asleep for a nap yourself so you spend the next hour or 2 folding clothes, playing on the computer, reading a book, whatever.  After the hour or 2 has passed, you finally decide maybe you could use a disco nap.  Lay down, get comfortable, close your eyes, cue the innocent little voice from the next room.  Guess who is done with their nap?  Every. Single. Time.

As much as I like to plan things, I've learned that it really is better for everybody to go with the flow as much as possible. 

5 Months

Here we are, another month later.  Time really does fly when you're having fun. This whole mommy things just keeps getting better and better.  Audrey has started smacking her lips after she sees us doing it. She "sings" in the car on the way to school.  She's interacting with her little friends at school.  The only thing funnier than one baby laughing is a group of little babies laughing at each other.   Although she's pretty perfect, there are times when she cries and this is the first month that she started shedding tears. Who knew babies didn't have tears right away?  Not me. Her favorite things to play with are her feet and Mack.  She thinks it's hilarious when he comes around her.  She hasn't quite mastered rolling from her back to her tummy.  She gets about 80% of the way over and then gets stuck on her arm and can't quite make it.  That's ok, I'm not quite ready for her to start rolling over in her crib yet.  She's been eating rice cereal for about a month.  I don't think she really likes and I can't say I blame her.  That junk looks disgusting.  But she'll open her mouth like a little  bird and let me spoon feed her.  Maybe she's hoping one day she'll get something a little more tasty. Today she was sitting on  my lap while we were eating lunch after church and the little sneaky one swiped a crouton off my plate.  She's definetely showing an interest in our food. 

 

Thank you for your smiles and giggles that make each day better.

 

Thank you for being you.

Thank you for already showing a love of books.  Even if it is to eat them.  Hey, the book does have a cupcake on it!

Thank you for all your different expressions.

 

Thank you for being the cutest little girl in the world.



LOVE

I LOVE Bear Boulevard.  The LOVE that the staff shows Audrey makes my heart swell.  Audrey brought her teachers the "good" cupcakes for Valentine's Day.  Can't wait until next year when she's in the toddler class and they bring Valentine's for all their little friends.


The baby room doesn't really have a curriculum.  They're babies for goodness sakes. Their curriculum is loving on the babies.  I may or may not have shed a tear when our Valentine's "gift" was waiting for me in Audrey's little cubby.


This may look like nothing to some people but the "Hoo loves you?" owl with her little footprints painted on a paper plate underneath the wings is something I'll treasure forever. 


I LOVE seeing Audrey interact with her little friends in the class.  She rolls on the floor with them and sits at the table with them.  One day she was laying next to another little girl who happened to have a big red bow on her head.  Audrey reached over and grabbed the big red bow and then both of them started giggling. 

I LOVE that Audrey thinks Mack is so funny.  She will get into a full blown belly laugh everytime he runs by.   So far, he appears to be fond of her.  Hopefully he stays as fond of her when she becomes mobile.  Her new trick is to try to sit up like a big girl.  She's decided that laying back in the Boppy is for babies and will pull herself up to sit up.


I LOVE being in an elementary school on Valentine's Day.  It's so cute to see the kids exchange their little Walgreens Valentine cards. 

I LOVE conversation hearts. I bought my obligatory bag this week and about halfway through the bag realized that the messages were written in Spanish.    No, I did not eat the whole bag in one sitting.

I LOVE my new running shoes.  I guess it's my old age but I've developed a heel spur in my right foot. 

I LOVE my happy baby who sleeps through the night.  We really could not have hoped for a more perfect baby.  Makes me afraid that our next one will be a terror.

I LOVE spring-like weather in February.  I hate cold weather. 

I LOVE seeing pictures of daddies and daughters going to Daddy-Daughter dances.  Can not wait for Neal to take Audrey to one of these. 

I LOVE that Bear Blvd has a pseudo-PTA that plans activities for the school.  I went to a meeting last week.  None of the other mommies (and the token daddy that was there) seem to be too crazy.  We planned the activities for the rest of the year.  Signed up to sponsor a day for Teacher Appreciation Week.  And get this, discussed the spring Fundraiser.  Anybody want to buy a Yankee candle from cute baby?

Our Little Bookworm

Hmmmm.....I think I'll read a story.

Oh wait, I have a better idea.

This is the best tasting book ever!

Thanks Aunt Karen for my Valentine's treat!

35: The New 30

I had one of the best birthdays I've had in a while.  Maybe because Neal was actually home this year.  He has an annual February conference that he attends that always seems to fall on my birthday.  It happens to be in Vegas too.  The first year I was able to play hooky from work and go with him and then another year I was able to go because BJ and Vanessa were getting married in Vegas on my birthday.  This year, the conference is a week later so Neal was here to help me celebrate the big 3-5. 

Friday night, we went out for Mexican food (big shocker, I know).  The food was great but we unknowingly picked the night that the restaurant had an 8 piece mariachi band playing.  It was soooo loud!  We basically sat and stared at each other because it was impossible to have a conversation.  Audrey, on the other hand, was her usual happy-go-lucky self and wasn't bothered at all by the mariachis.

On Saturday, I was able to get a very much overdue pedicure and manicure.  I've been trying to go since November and it just hasn't happened.  We also dropped Mack off for a very much overdue haircut.  Mack and Audrey are becoming great friends.  The only time she'll really get into a full blown giggle fest is when Mack runs by her really fast and plays with his toys in front of her.  She thinks its the funniest thing!

We made a trip to Fleet Feet to pick out a new pair of running shoes for me.  Now there are no excuses to get back out there!

One of TNO's sponsored artists was playing at the store during the afternoon so we hung out there for a while.  Rodeo season is coming!  The blow of turning 35 was softened a bit by hanging out with this adorable cowgirl all day.  She was perfect for the whole afternoon we were at the store.  I hope she always has this laid back personality. 

 

Later that night, Neal and I were able to sneak away for an adult birthday dinner.  After pasta and a bottle of wine, it was time to call it a night.  The best thing about my birthday:  I actually finished reading a book that I started way back when I was still on maternity leave. 

 

Bring it on 35!  Can't wait to see what this year has in store for us!

Motherhood Musings

Since this little blog is my attempt to document our lives, here are a few things that I've learned in the past year.

People say really stupid things to you when you're pregnant.  Not sure why complete strangers feel the need to ask you if you are planning on breastfeeding.  If somebody tells you that you're carrying like its a boy, take it as a compliment.  If somebody tells you that you're carrying like it's a girl, that's code for you have a really fat ass. 

I always thought that I would never let the baby leave my sight while I was in the hospital.  Hell to the no on going to the nursery.  I changed my mind very quickly that first night when my eyes hurt so bad  from trying to keep them open.  I had no problem letting my brand new baby spend a few hours in the nursery while I napped.

I feel like I was jipped out of the birth experience I had dreamed about.  I hate that I had a C-section although it was necessary since it was clear after 17 hours that Audrey wasn't coming on her own.  I spent those 17 hours staring at the little baby warmer, picturing her slimy little body on my chest, wondering when it would be time to push, planning what my first post birth meal would be.   Instead I was strapped to a table in the OR, crucified with my arms out like Jesus on the cross, vomiting on myself and my husband, shaking like a scared little puppy.  I know in the end I got my perfect little baby, but I still feel ripped off. 

Confession time.  I judge those who continue to use the big, fluffy bumpers in cribs.  When I see a picture posted of these bumpers in a crib, I think, are you really going to keep those in your crib?  Have you not heard of SIDS?  I'm pretty laid back in this parenting thing, but SIDS is the one thing that scares the crap out of me. I'm constantly checking Audrey when she's sleeping to make sure she's still breathing. 

I wish I could say that people quit saying stupid things to you after the baby comes, but that's a lie.  It gets worse.  People can't process that we're thinking about having another one sooner than later.  You need to spend time with this one, she deserves it they'll say.   Or another favorite.  Don't you feel guilty that your child is in daycare?  No actually, I don't.  While the choice for me to continue working was pretty much made for me, I choose to see the best in the situation.   I believe a little separation from your little one can be healthy.  I enjoyed being home on my maternity leave, but damn did I miss having adult conversations with my friends at work.  I realize that we're extremely blessed to have such wonderful childcare available to us and not all people are as lucky, hence day care getting a bad rap.   Stay at home moms (some, not all) will say they could never have someone else raise their child.  They could never miss out on that much time in their child's life.  They would be devastated if God forbid an important milestone happened away from home.   Whatever.  I'll stop there because I don't have the energy to go on about this hot topic in the mommy wars.

Tonight, I spent about 30 minutes watching Audrey try to roll from her back to her tummy. She's been going from tummy to back for a while but has yet to mastered the other way.  She'd get about 3/4 of the way there and then roll back onto her back.   She'd laugh at herself each time she almost made it.  She never did roll all the way over tonight.  Maybe she'll do it tomorrow or maybe she's already done it at daycare and I missed one of her "firsts."  Life will go on!