Terrific Tuesday: 3/1/11 (Resolutions, Twitter and a Sister Blog)

Happy Tuesday!  Why? Because it's not Monday and we're one day closer to Friday! I do like Tuesday's for some reason: it's my grocery shopping day, and it seems to be one of the more mellow days of the week work and family-wise.
  I had a super-productive weekend and feel in control of things (a great improvement over last week!); I'm almost at 400 Twitter followers; and am just generally happy this week!
    Today is also a Resolution Day. I find that making resolutions on the 1st of every month is far more productive than keeping resolutions from January 1st, and stressing over what went wrong.  For example, I made a resolution to "lose weight" on January 1st and it was already out the window by the 5th! Instead of beating myself up over it, I found an App on my iPhone (my 'world!') that would help me track my calories and in turn help me lose weight with a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely) goal: which is to lose 22lbs in about 15 weeks. The app is very user-friendly and has an on-line version with a community and is social as well... the social (seeing how much my 'friends' were going to the gym) is what made me finally get my butt back into the gym!  I'm actually hoping to hit that goal in about six weeks for a special occassion, but I have to step it up a bit, so I'm cutting back my calories and resolving to hit the gym (or be active) at least four times per week- which is four times more than I've been doing! So, my resolutions: 

• Continue being active 4x or more per week
• Continue with Family Green Plan   (just my little attempt to be more green-ish. We've actively done cans/bottles for the money, but now we have a big box next to the trash and all recyclables that can go curbside go in there. I'm happy to say that our trash bin went from overflowing to just half full, while the 'blue' bin is now very, very full!)
• Ramp up my direct sales business to produce $500 in income/ month
• Get home decluttered and organized

In other news- BabyK is now 18 months old!  Where has the time gone? There's so much that I've missed sharing on here but oh, the memories! It's amazing to know that she's gone from an infant to a walking running, chattering little individual in such a short time. And I love her more and more and more every minute!
   My dear friend Jenn also has her own blog now (she was one of my first, dedicated readers) and it is so quickly eclipsing mine in the amount of posting.  Additionally, her parenting style is much more natural mine (she breast feeds and cloth diapers) so if you are looking for advice on those topics, that is the place to go: check out Hybrid Rasta Mama and tell her I sent ya!
    And last but not least, a photo to show you how cold it's been- a one cat night perhaps?

A Lucky Charm.....

THIS is why the Packers won the Superbowl:

(my step-mom is originally from Wisconsin and they are huuuuge Green Bay fans; a good friend who shares the same surname with the MVP happened to get this jersey while in Green Bay during his rookie season..... must have been fate!!)

(Just a note that BabyK was only on loan for the big game, she has now since returned to being a Rams fan.....)

Welcome Little Ones!!!

I'd like to welcome my dear friend Kindle to MOMMYHOOD!  We met at work eight years ago and bonded over crackers and a hangover and a little paint mishap.  Although she carted herself across the country for her prince charming, we've stayed good friends across the miles.  She was a great shoulder to lean on during my fertility issues, and I was honored to be in her wedding.  I just knew when I received that exciting call back in March- a premonition if you will,  that she was having twinsies and sure enough: Kindle, and husband Brian welcomed adorable twins yesterday, November 30th.  I have to give her props too: she toughed it out all the way to 40w1d- I would have been waving the red flag a few weeks ago!

Eli is 19.5" long and 6lb8oz and Abby is 18.5" long and 6lb7oz.  Mommy is recovering and recouperating and the little ones are in good health- I hear they are enjoying getting to know one another.  I'm so happy for the new family and Kiera can't wait to teach them so many fun things!  Enjoy it while you can, it goes by so, so fast!

ABBY

ELI

  

Happy Birthday!

Do you know that I find my husband a little difficult to shop for?  Well, on a budget at least!  I'd love to get him a Garmin GPS watch for his running so he'll quit cursing at the dang Nike+ and his iPod but that's over $300....  actually Kiera and I would love to get him a new car along with free parking near his new office site, but again, not in the budget.  Of course I could get him something that I would love too- like a new SFR camera or big screen tv for the bedroom, but that's not exactly fair since it is HIS birthday, so I'm giving him the next best thing that money can't buy: his picture splashed all over the internet and professing my love so everyone else can read....  wow!  Now, that's a gift! ( ;

Happy Birthday Jason- thank you for being you: thank you for being a super wonderful dad to our wonderful little girl and thank you so much for choosing one of my favorite restaurants tonight for dinner!  I love you!  Now I just have 364 days to think of a fabulous present for your big FOUR-OH.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY SWEET, SWEET GIRL!

I can’t believe that it has been 365 days since you were born- from the first tentative days that we spent together getting to know each other to today where I cannot imagine my life without you in it , each has been a blessing. Your Daddy and I had to work so hard to have you and every second of that emotional journey was worth it a hundred times over.


You have brought so much joy to our lives! Each day you wake us up with an infectious, sleepy little smile and in essence changing Mommy into a morning person (sortof!) We never know what the day will have in store, but as long as you are our little ‘partner in crime,’ it doesn’t really matter because you make us laugh and smile and allow us to view the world from your little viewpoint- full of wonder and delight. And we’ll continue to do our jobs as parents to protect you so that you can experience being a child for as long as you want!


This past year has been such an amazing time; just yesterday I went through hundreds of digital pictures of your life to pick out my favorites (impossible, by the way!) and was in awe of how quickly you’ve developed into an awesome little person. My heart swells with pride just thinking of you and the accomplishments that you are going to make in your life; right now it’s going to be mastering the ‘walking’ thing, but hey, that’s overrated, so you go on crawling with your bad little self! You have though mastered the usual baby-development stages: holding your head up (7 weeks); sitting up (3 months) holding your own ba-ba (6 months); rolling over (also 6 months- you took a bit of encouraging on that one!); crawling (8 months); first word- although it’s pretty much been your ‘only’ word (10 months) and charming the socks off of anyone (Day 1). You are a smart cookie- it didn’t take you long to learn patty-cake or that your little sqwunchy smile would get you whatever you wanted. And cute? Check, check.

I could go on forever and ever about you…. It’s easy to do. But the point of this is to tell you that we love you so, so much. I could have never dreamed how you would change my life for the better. Being a Mommy is the best job in the whole world. I’m so in love with you and your little spirit. You are amazing. Thank you for letting me be your mom. Happy First Birthday sweetheart. I’m looking forward to spending so many more with you.

NOTE: Kiera's Bday was actually August 18th, and her party was the 22nd.... with all of the preparations and family in town- this has been sitting in "draft" mode but I had to post for prosperity's sake......  you know, fellow Mommies, what it's like!!!! LOL

An Open Letter to Our Daughter: Welcome to Half a Year!

Dear Kiera Mckenzie;

    You, my heart, are already six months old…. You’ve blessed our lives for a whole 26 weeks now- it feels like so long ago, yet just like yesterday that you decided to ‘pop’ into our lives. I do know that I can’t imagine NOT having you in my life; or how I, we, ever existed without you.
    You were Mommy and Daddy’s dream for so long; we endured five years of hoping, trying and heartbreak before we found out about you and then for the next 37 weeks we could hardly contain our excitement. We wondered what you would look like (Daddy was hoping for a little red-haired angel; I was just hoping for hair, period- not bald as an eagle like Mommy was, but a cute little curly red-head, blue eyed doll would have been my order), prayed that you would be healthy and strong; how you’ve exceeded- already- all of our wonder, prayers and expectations.
     When they first meet you, everyone remarks how adorable you are; we are the first to agree although we are certainly biased. With big blue-gray eyes framed by long wispy eyelashes; chubby, rosy little cheeks; a cute little button nose and a 5,000 watt smile that lights up any room and melts any heart, you, my sweet girl, makes anyone fall in love with you at first site. But that’s just the beginning- as you will soon find out that looks aren’t everything (but they do help!)- you are ‘the total package.’

     You are a very happy, content little baby and have the sweetest disposition. You have just three cries- one when you are hungry and nothing else will do; one when you are fighting going nite-nite; and then the third is the one that breaks my heart- when something is really, really wrong. We’ve only heard that a handful of times so far, but that’s been enough (remember your three-month shots? Probably not, but we sure do!) So when you aren’t hungry or tired, you are my smiley-bug. And how that smile after a long day of work just makes everything I do for you count. It also makes me want to hold you tight and never let you go. When we do hold you close, you like to give us slobbery but welcomed and cherished kisses. And then you look at us and smile because you are so proud of giving loves! You are just learning how to give hugs, and until then, we’ll take the kisses.
     We’ve only been away from you for one night since you were born- we left you in Grandma K’s very capable hands while we had an overnight escape to Reno. We missed you to pieces while we were gone and thought about you every second! In fact, Mommy is having the hardest time letting you sleep in your big girl crib- you do fine- she doesn’t. I promise that by the time that you are 16; you will be very comfy in your own room!

     We’ve watched you sprout like a little weed right before our eyes- you’re a healthy growing girl- you’re now over 17 pounds and 26” long- but Mommy is in denial that you no longer fit into those petite little NB clothes. Although you haven’t really mastered rolling over yet (tummy time is too stressful!) you are nearly sitting up on your own unaided. You held your bottle all by yourself just the other day, and you smiled so proud- Mommy was proud too. You’ve also been enjoying big-girl cereal and food for a few weeks; almost as much as we enjoy watching you eat it. You sit in your Bumbo anxiously awaiting the yummy delights that we are going to spoon into your little mouth. Your first food was sweet potatoes and you weren’t too sure, but then loved it. That was followed by carrots, green beans, peas, prunes and apple sauce. You aren’t very fond of the peas (can’t blame you there!) but you love the prunes and apple sauce. When you know it’s dinner time, you chatter, chatter and then nearly knock the spoon and bowl out of our hands because you can’t wait to see what is in store for your tummy! Such a big girl!

      There are very few things that you dislike- one of them is getting cleaned up after above said big girl food and the other is well, despite a closet packed to the gills with every darling outfit imaginable, just getting dressed is your worst nightmare. You are our resident nudist and love to show off your baby-supermodel physique. If you are grumpy and we let you play on a fuzzy mat in your birfday suit, you are sooooo happy. It’s magic! You also work up quite the appetite kicking and playing. Speaking of kicking, you love taking a bath, especially if it is in the big yellow duck. The first time we put you in it, you kicked up a little tidal wave and all of the water was on Daddy and the floor. It was fun for us all- we took video to prove it.. and someday we’ll even show your boyfriends! ( :
    It’s no surprise that you have a toy box that rivals current inventory at ToysRUs, however we’ve been careful to not overwhelm you with too many. You seem to especially like the ones that have smiles as big as your own. Your most fave so far is Jaff Jaff- the colorful giraffe that smiles at you even as you put the death squeeze around his neck and chew on his ear. He doesn’t mind, he’ll always keep you company and tell you good jokes. As for jokes, your ladybug friend on your bouncy chair must tell you the best jokes because you have been smiling at her for weeks and weeks. We figure that you two have shared some good stories during Waggoner-spa time (that’s when we put you in the bathroom to steam you if you’re congested- you also like the sound of the water- that was a secret trick that Mommy figured out about two weeks into life with Baby Kiera). And despite Mommy’s best attempt at trying to get you to love her favorite Eeyore, you LOVE Winnie the Pooh. Perhaps its his bald little head that sort of matches Grampa’s or that nose that you like to chew on, I mean kiss. We often prop you up on the bed with various Winnie’s and watch you hold a press conference with them and they are certainly entertained by all that you have to tell them; you are already so wise beyond your short six months. (Is it the Judge Judy, Law and Order or football that makes you so?)

     You have quite the fan club already: several sets of grandparents, all of whom claim to love you the ‘most;’ your Aunties (aka: all of Mommy’s friends); your Nanny-Auntie Barbara, and even Daddy’s bachelor friend, Todd, thinks you’re pretty cool. We haven’t met a soul yet who doesn’t marvel over our little miracle. And as for Mommy and Daddy, we love you with every fiber of our beings- you are the pride and joy of our little family. Everyone fights for your attention, and we’re so happy that you’re so popular (yes, your social life is so much busier than ours already!) We are honored to have you in our life and happy to share you with anyone that loves you- meaning pretty much anyone who is lucky enough to meet you!
    You are our partner in crime and we love to include you in all of our adventures- from ordinary trips to the grocery store or Saturday morning ‘treasure’ hunting to feeding the ducks and family road trips. You happily go along for the ride watching with wonder from your comfy car seat the world outside. We can’t imagine not having you there with us (ask Mommy about the time that she wanted to sneak you up to Reno…) and are so excited to expand your horizons with whatever other adventures life has in store for us.
   We will always be here for you- we’ll always love you and support you. I know that you will grow up to be something special- you will change your little part of the world (heck, at just six months, you’ve already done that!). You will be successful at whatever it is that you want to do- be a mom, cure the world as a doctor, make Grandma H proud and race cars, run a Fortune 500 company- or maybe even the country! Do whatever makes you happy. All that we ask is just that you are always kind, fair, and empathetic and forgiving; let your self be a kid, laugh loudly and often and don’t forget to be fun-loving and lastly it’s important that you are always true to yourself. We love you sweet little girl.


Love and Kisses,


Mommy and Daddy

Terrific Tuesday: Rollin, Rollin, Rollin....

Yes... it's finally happened!!!  Kiera has rolled over from her stomach to her back for the very first time! (Well, that WE saw- we asked the grandparents and our caregiver to not tell us if she did it there first!!)  Just one day shy of her 26-week 'Birfday' and after some 'show and tell' by her BFF Kennadie (that really was a coincidence, no?), she just went right along and flipped over like she was an ol' pro and has been doing it forever!  Then she looked at us as we were cheering and clapping like, "what the heck??" and then put her back on her tummy to see if she would do it again.... and she did although a bit slower this time.  And then she was done......... D-O-N-E, done.  She doesn't get ticked off very often (we're spoiled like that, remember?) but her crying definately let us know that "silly human baby tricks" time was over. 

Yes, six months might be a bit late for the 'rolling' milestone... I haven't been a big fan of 'Tummy Time' so far... so call me a bad Mommy for letting her dictate what we want her to do.... whatever.  She just doesn't like 'Tummy Time,' and since I am a working mom, and my quality time with her Monday through Friday is limited, I prefer to spend happy time with her.  So, the pediatrician did say that putting her on her cute little belly would give her incentive to flop over... well soon enough the rolling over trick will be a daily occurance and not just another fleeting Mommarazzi moment.  At least when she goes to her six-month appointment next week, we will be honestly saying that she is rolling over... and her rolling means that she's just a short time from crawling and having to baby-proof the house.... it's been nice knowing that she stays in one place; AND not having to worry about peeing myself while fumbling with the baby-proof lock on the toilet at night!

Wordless Wednesday: New Toy

Fascinating, don't you think?

A Piece of My Heart Is Gone

I've always grown up around animals- dogs, cats, rodents, horses, a turtle, you name it- fur, feathers, fangs (well, can't say that I'm very comfortable around snakes...)- our family has always had a four-legged companion of some sort- currently two dogs and two cats.  One of the dogs, Shyner was the first "all my own" doggie. I found her in 1996- she ran out in front of my car as I was coming home from the gym. I tried to find her owner, but to no avail, so I took her home and that begins the story of Shyner, our sweet 15-year old mini- Dalmatian. She has been my faithful companion for over 14 years- all of my adult life- and I can't really remember life without her in it.... and it pains my heart to say that the story has sadly ended.  My "first-born" has earned her angel wings and the loss has hit us hard.  I know that some people would scoff at the loss of an animal- especially in comparison to the devestation in Haiti from last week's earthquake- but I don't care (what they think, not about the earthquake- that's also sad).  It's been a week (hence me also being blog-absent) and although I'm not crying as much these days, having to get over this just plain sucks.


It was wonderful to have such a sweet little dog with us as long as we did; and I've known that she wouldn't be around forever (I sometimes fantasized about Kiera being able to grow up with Shyner by her side...) but I was hoping that the life or death decision wouldn't be left in my hands.  I had always hoped that she might pass away peacefully in her sleep- I can't begin to tell you when I began checking for her breathing in the middle of the night...It was just plain shitty that I had to make the absolute hardest decision in my life; and although I know that it was a very humane one, I've spent the last few days second guessing it.  Jason and I had talked about what we would do is she just wasn't the 'same' anymore, and we'd always agreed that no matter how much the thought of losing her was, we had to do what was best for our fur-baby.

Her quality of life was slowly slipping downhill: we've had to help her up and down the stairs for a few months; when we woke up with Kiera in the middle of the night, we also made sure to wake ShynShyn up and let her out to do her "business" and most recently we've had to cordon her in one of our bathrooms in case she had any mid-day 'accidents.'  But, you should have seen her when you brought home a Scooby Snack from MickeyD's... her head had no idea that it was 15.... it was her heart and hips that were aging...and she certainly still had a puppy's appetite and you best count all of your fingers after you fed her a treat!!  When she was diagnosed with an enlarged heart last April, we had discussed that we would do whatever she wanted as long as it was fair to her and that we weren't keeping her alive just to spare us from dealing with the pain of the loss.  She put up a brave front day after day and we had the privelege of having another nine months with her, even after she ate an entire bottle of her heart medicine!!!


Last Thursday I let her out before I went to bed and stood behind her as we climbed the stairs- we always had to support her backside so that she could keep the momentum- her hips were weakening and couldn't support her entire girly figure.  She huffed and puffed her way down the hall and when she got to the end of our bed, she suddenly collapsed and went limp.  I thought that she had already died, but she came to about 45 seconds later... I yelled at Jason to wake up and quickly explained to him what had happened.  We knew that we had to take her to the vet, but having a baby takes a bit more planning even with a semi-emergency.  We were able to drop Kiera off at GrandmaK's house on the way (I didn't want to have to worry about her while we were there), and then made a detour to Carl's Jr. to treat Shynie to a late nite Scooby Snack.  I was holding her on my lap and she got excited once we pulled up to the drive in window- she knew that the order was for her: one plain and dry Happy Star. 


The nearly 20 minute drive to the vet seemed to take forever (although not as long as the drive home).  I was in a fog the entire time, so Jason had to do most of the talking.  Shyner sniffed her way around the lobby while we were waiting... I was hoping that it was a sign that she was going to be okay; I knew deep down that it wasn't the case, but hoped is the optimal word here.  It was after midnite once we got there (read: extra after hours charge) and the next hour also dragged on.  They put us in a room that was not at all like normal examination rooms- a very comfy couch for us, and a blanket on the floor for our old girl. The vet came in and listened to her heart and lungs and confirmed our worst fears, without costly (that wasn't the issue) and agressive treatment, she didn't have a good prognosis.  Belive me, it had nothing to do with the cost, it was the fact that whatever treatment was done, if she survived it, would only extend her life for a few months.  Putting my loyal friend through painful procedures wasn't going to be in her best interest. 


I wrestled with whether to be in the room with Shyner at the end or not and eventually decided to stay.  I thought about Marley and Me- I remember watching it in the theatre on Christmas Day, 2008 (and very, very early in my pregnancy!) and bawling my eyes out along with 100 other patrons and thinking about Shyner.  I knew that would be us someday.... The vet was right, it was as painless as could be and Shyner drifted off, finally able to run and hop and play again and eat all of the cheeseburgers that she wants.  After one last scratch of her velvety soft ears, I put her black and white and pink polka dotted collar in my purse and we left the hospital... alone.  I knew when we left our house a few hours before that there was a 95% chance that we would not return with her, but I still held out hope.  The drive home took what seemed like hours- the empty and dark freeway was a symbol for my heart.  We picked up Kiera from Jason's mom's house (although Karen offered to keep her overnight, I wanted to have her by my side to keep my mind off of Shyner) and went home.  My head ached nearly as much as my hear from crying... I took some medicine and crawled into bed, with the little bed next to mine now empty. 


Needless to say, I didn't sleep very well and I knew that I would be worthless at work so I took a personal day.  I was relieved to have a four day weekend to mend my broken heart..... unfortunately even some retail therapy didn't work.... I was just too raw. Waking up to Kiera flashing me her sweet little smile helped a little, as did holding her tight, but it has been a long week.  Every day I've cried a little less... I thought that I would make it though Wednesday tear-free but there was a condolensce card in the mail from Shyner's regular vet- very sweet, but oh my gosh..... and even today, we got another card, this one from the emergency vet where we hugged our little Dalmatian one last time. It's taken me the entire week to write this blog entry-  it's hard to type through tears.  Shyner is the third pet that we've lost in less than a year- and although BooBoo was a hard one, this one is twice as hard.  It's been hard seeing the other pets mourn her as well- Dusty has been sleeping in her bed and Cynnie, despite the fact that we thought they weren't the best of friends, has lost her appetite, and has been moping aroudn the house for days. It's hard to explain to them what happened.... we'll all heal together.


Pretty soon we'll laugh at all of the memories of her intead of cry.  We aren't planning on getting another dog for awhile- when Kiera is older maybe... when ever that is, there will never be another Shyner.  I hope that she is happy now, wagging her tail and doing that crazy Dalamatian smile thing.  We'll miss you so much Shyner- you were the best dog ever. 

The Rainbow Bridge

inspired by a Norse legend


By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.

Wordless Wednesday: Got Milk?

At 21 weeks old, Kiera is becoming so very alert and gets excited to see her bottle.... (that is if she isn't already cranky when it's in front of her!) These pictures were snapped at 4 a.m. this morning... this is the second bottle of this particular feeding as the first 5 oz didn't top her off.  She zeroed in on her bottle while having her diaper changed and was gazing at it lovingly!

Wordless Wednesday- "KIERAsmas Present- Baby's First Christmas"

It's Terrific Tuesday!

I really, really need to make "blogging- regularly, religiously" part of my 2010 resolution....  I guess I just have to get over the thought that each post has to be something completely thought provoking or profound.  I mean, the title does say RANDOM, right???  I can't tell you how many posts that I have that are half written and never make it up because they aren't deep enough.... whatever..... do you know how many blogs I keep returning to because they are entertaining and not just philosphical???  (Okay, Socrates....)
So, in early preparation for the resolution: Terrific Tuesday is going to be something that I'm thankful for/ is totally cute (um, what's NOT cute about Kiera!!!)/ helpful to other people (do other people other than Jason, Kindle and Jennifer actually read this??? I would hope so! HA!) or I just really need to share:

So, here goes my first Terrific Tuesday post:
1) (Formerly) Pregnant Chick's Mommy is on the way over here for Christmas!  YAY!  Please, please white, fluffy snow let her over the pass....
2) I'm almost done decorating for Christmas (um, yeah, that's another entirely different post!)- just have to get some candles to set out and "wrap" the picture frames!
3) I've found regular daycare for Kiera- it's a stay-at-home-mom friend of mine and Jason and I are both so thrilled.  She could use the money, we want someone awesome watching Kiera on the non-Daddy days and if you can't trust another mom, then whom??? She comes highly recommended by another friend who used her for her first baby.  YAY!
4) Kiera is religiously sleeping through the night now!  BIG YAY- that's if she gets her last bottle around 11ish... thank you patron saint of 6+ consecutive hours of sleep!
and 5) How can your day NOT be perfect when this is what you get to come home to???:

I just have to say that I HEART my iPhone

for endless hours of productivity and entertainment

and of course an at-hand opportunity to snap

limitless photos of sweet baby! 

And now a FREE Photoshop App? 

How cool- it's very basic, but fun none-the-less. 

Here's some random photos to kick off a

wonderful holiday season:

Warhol-esqe Baby Kiera:

A totally handsome tech guy and a cute little girl: chalk art style:

Artsy Baby (Blur Vignette Saturation w/ Border)

It's a Special Day

Ten years ago, we celebrated your first birthday together- we were both ‘starving’ college students and I couldn’t afford much of a birthday present for you: I think I gave you a Monopoly game, a shirt and a card and then I ‘cooked’ you a take & bake pizza. I’m not sure if we ever cracked open that Monopoly game (we still have it though!), but the pizza is long gone! A lot has changed since then: college graduations and successful careers, the Rams took a complete nose dive from Super Bowl champions (but I still love you!), we’ve now been happily married for nearly eight years, we’re in our second house together, I cook a lot more than take & bake pizza and one of the best changes is that we finally have a beautiful daughter we’ve dreamt about for so long. In as much has changed, just as much has stayed the same: you’re still a die hard Rams/ Lakers/ Dodgers fan, you can still eat pizza 24/ 7, we still have our ‘starter kids’- Shyner and Dusty (plus two more!), we love hanging out together doing absolutely nothing and you still are my favorite team mate.

I could say that my love for you hasn’t changed, but that actually isn’t true- I love you so much more than the day that we met at Starbuck’s for coffee (that you don’t drink!). We are just different enough to keep life interesting, yet we share so much that we naturally compliment each other. I could only hope that everyone else on the planet is lucky enough to meet someone like you; someone to stand on the sidelines and cheer them on; someone to pump them up before facing the challenging opponents, a team mate to block the tough tackles and someone to celebrate with after victories both large and small. It’s hard to imagine that I could love you more, but my heart fills with so much happiness and joy when I see you with Kiera. You are such a wonderful father to her even after just 13 short weeks; I so look forward to watching you enjoy her as she grows up. I’ve never seen you laugh so hard, smile so much or love so unconditionally as with your daughter and today on your birthday, it’s a gift that you give to me: memories that will never fade.

Thank you for being there for me through thick and thin these past 10 years, for making me a better person, for loving me, loving us and for just being Jason.   I hope that you enjoy your first birthday as a Daddy!  ( :

Go Team Waggoner!

Happy Birthday, honey!

They Call Me:

Imelda. Imelda Waggoner. For baby clothes that is. I must go now to a 12-step program to deal with my addiction. (Well… you could say as much for shoes too… I have 19 pairs of flip flops… the shoes? I’m not going there.) My obsession started early; back in late March before we had even confirmed the gender; I couldn’t pass up the “My First Chucks” onesie and pink Chuck Taylor Converse! (Which are still too big!) at a yard sale. I tried not to go too crazy with the purchases but this Mommy had good taste….and like I said- I just had that Mommy’s intuition that the baby was definitely a girl! But seriously, my lovely little daughter has a crazy wardrobe! I can’t help myself from buying clothes for her- even today- knowing full well that she probably really doesn’t need another sleep and play, but there are panda bears on the feet and it was on clearance. Mommy loves picking out her outfits (even matching socks!) and takes time selecting the perfect one. There’s such indecision knowing that the outfit should be presentable for daily photo ops!

Last week after spending far too much time trying to find something that fits, I actually organized the wardrobe by size and packed away anything that was 6 months or larger. That cuts down the selection time to only 15 minutes (as for me- I just grab something clean and somewhat presentable out of my closet!) and then trying to find ‘today’s favorite.’ I love so many of them and this is the problem….  

 I was further organizing the nursery (don’t look under the crib!) in preparation for my return to work in 17 days (but who’s counting) and trying to avoid becoming a character on an episode of Hoarders, that weeding out any Preemie and NB sizes would be a good idea. I’ve managed to sort the small clothes into two stacks- definitely going, and my favorites that I’ve yet to decide what to do with- take pictures/ make a quilt/ put them on the 126 stuffed animals? I’m open for suggestions! Aaaagh- I didn’t think that letting go of onesies would be so hard! (Um, you cried when you did the first load of baby laundry when you were pregnant- what do you expect!?!) I have to figure something out as this pile is going to grow as quickly as she does. (My absolute favorite onesies? I bought another set in the larger size… yeah- we’ll discuss this again when she outgrows those too!) You know how it is: there’s the outfit that she wore home from the hospital; or the one that she wore meeting the grandparents and event the outfit that she wore when she ate three whole ounces at a sitting- I’m sentimental what can I say? I’m sure as she gets older, I won’t have such a strong attachment to cute little pieces of fabric…. I shudder to think of what it will be like when it’s actually Kiera that will be moving along in about 6,570 days. Or maybe it’s just too much for this Rookie Mommy to process in one day…. Organizing AND trying to move her into the crib for naps (Day 2 and so far, so good!) That’s not saying too much though- she can sleep almost anywhere; anytime; with any amount of noise. They say babies are pretty resilient to change; of course- it’s the parents that have the hard time!

Day 75: Halloween!!!

Happy Halloween!!!! This is my absolute favorite holiday. Yes, I know that it doesn’t officially qualify as a “holiday” (but you tell me how much work you really do get done on Halloween??) but I still love it anyways. It possibly stems from my childhood and growing up in a community where I was one of just a handful of kids and my treat bag was usually filled with full size candy bars, homemade treats (I’m dating myself, surely, but this was in the time before you actually had to worried about packaged candy that needed to have your candy x-rayed) and occasionally money. Or maybe it’s because I just love October and it’s the first ‘official’ holiday that Jason and I celebrated together- we were a nurse and doctor!

I have to admit that I am fully in love with the complete commercialism of this day and not the secular origins. I love the Jack O Lanterns, bags of delightful candy in every flavor imaginable, carnivals, pumpkin patches, caramel apples and popcorn balls and décor, namely haunted houses. Where I grew up it was mostly just carved pumpkins, spider webs, toilet paper ghosts and paper cutouts of black cats and witches; today homes are quite extravagantly decorated. My dad usually gets in the spirit with his own little haunted house and spends hours working on it (Perhaps the Halloween obsession is genetic!). And his décor this year, although scaled down due to time constraints, was just enough to be enthusiastic but not scare off the little ones. (Kiera was fascinated by the blinking lights…. Let’s see how she does next year!)

My creative juices flow in deciding my annual disguise and my costumes have landed on all ends of the spectrum- odd but clever (Happy Camper, Raining Cats & Dogs, Cereal Killer) or fun couples costumes (Dog the Bounty Hunter and Beth; Scooby & Shaggy) …. And of course the standard ghost (mom said that I was a ghost three years running…) or witch. I was thinking of being Octomom this year….. but remove seven kids from the equation and it’s not much of a costume- ha ha. Actually, I didn’t really make much of an effort for my costume this year because we were just so busy with Baby Kiera and all of my focus was on her. I know it’s not like she is going to remember her first Halloween but we certainly will!

I can’t remember the last time that Halloween fell on a Saturday- and it meant that it was even a more hectic day than usual! We followed our usual weekend rituals and piled family celebrations on top of it- which made for one tired baby and even more tired parents. (I’m hanging by a thread finishing this…. Thank goodness for the one extra hour of sleep tonight for Daylight Savings Time!). I never got around to a costume for us- which is a first (not counting Wednesday’s office party)! We also never got around to actually carving the six pumpkins sitting on the table, but oh well- we weren’t really home for trick-or-treaters anyways. What we did do was spend quality time with family and it was wonderful!

We went to the pumpkin patch with Jason’s side of the family- including Kiera’s two cousins and it made for some pretty great pictures! (I look forward to making this an annual tradition, along with the Halloween Eve pumpkin carving that was somehow also an afterthought.) Then it was off to dinner to celebrate Grandpa Ernie’s 91st birthday and then to my dad’s house. Kiera was a real trooper and put up with several wardrobe changes today- from her Halloween themed jammies, to the tutu and of course for the final curtain call- her Minnie Mouse costume. And despite my promises of a pony, she was a wee bit grumpy so it didn’t stay on too long. Jason and I were going to go as Mousketeers (“Mommy” and “Daddy”) but that never materialized. Oh well- I have a full year to plot out next year’s family costumes! I’m sure that’s also how long it will take us to eat all of the leftover candy; we had one trick-or-treater who didn’t make an effort to dress up (as strict as I usually am about my “no costume/ no candy” rule) so he got a huge handful of candy. I was thinking about going to drop off a ton to Grayson but I know Leah would do the same to Kie next year and we’ll be pulling her off the ceiling come Thanksgiving, so I guess I have to eat it. And that is why we buy candy that you actually like. (Screw the diet, that’s what winter sweaters are for!) With that I’m going to see how quietly I can enjoy this Reese’s PB Cup….. and try to figure out where to hide the rest from my dear-husband-who-has-no-willpower-for-treats! Hope you had a spook-tacular day!

Lessons of a Rookie Mommy

How long does it take to go from rookie mommy to rockstar mom? Perhaps that will happen when "the baby" turns 18- I’ll then finally have it all together? Lately there have been a few mishaps and oversights that remind me that I am certainly a newbie at this even when I think that I’m getting the hang of it! I’m amazed that she teaches me so much everyday and thankful that I didn’t have to pass a test to be a parent (The only reason that I scored half the points I did on my SAT was because I could spell my name right!) ….. from the second that they set her little body on my chest it has been a learning experience (hey, I fully admitted to the entire delivery room that I didn’t know what to do with her and they still let me bring her home! LOL). My biggest lesson learned is to enjoy and savor the moments and to have a sense of humor about it.


When she was barely six weeks old, we ventured out on one of our usual Saturday morning adventures. Jason asks as we’re heading out the door, “Do you have her diaper bag?” Me, “Yes, it’s in the car.” A few hours later, the baby awakes cute as a button but ravenous and we go to get the bottle ready… no diaper bag. Well, I thought it was still in the trunk but Jason had taken it out of the car. As our diaper bag (I wanted something that Jason wouldn’t be embarrassed to tote in public, and you know that I’m so not fond of pink.) looks more like a laptop bag than one for all the necessary gear for baby-on-the-go, he is very mindful of not leaving it in the car.  (If something were to happen, I'd love to see the look on the face of that unsavory type when they discover Pampers, a binky and a can of Enfamil!) Terrific. We’re at least 20 minutes from home with a hungry baby. Nothing makes you feel more like a loser mom than a crying baby in front of other more experience Moms.  At least I had tossed a bottle in my purse at the last minute. Luckily we were at a “Supermom” yardsale- yes, mommies who aren’t rookies anymore. No, they were actually a mom’s group (I search craigslist for yard sales with “baby” stuff) and my new friend Jodi had a few ‘on-the-go’ formula packs still around to give me. Thank goodness- it would have really sucked to have to buy a $22 can of formula with all of the ones that we had at home! Lesson learned: The bottle in the purse now also has the powder formula in it; and I double check for the diaper bag.  Another positive outcome from this- I’ve since joined that "SuperMoms" Mom’s group and they rock!

Speaking of diaper bags; even though I've remembered to double check for them to "go" with us, I just now got the hang of also double checking what goes in them.... ran out of wipes and realized it in the middle of a poo diaper change- wet scratchy brown craftpaper towels had to make doo, I mean do.  And a very recent diaper blow-out meant needing a change of clothes.  It was fun squeezing a 12-pound baby into a 8-pound newborn onesie.   The undersized white cotton over the beer (formula) gut... and terribly clashing socks- poor baby.  My very first time I got to embarrass her.  Lesson learned: You can never have too many diaper wipes stashed everywhere and it's important to check the "spare" clothes in the bag especially with a growing baby!

I’ve been able to get away with filing Kiera’s nails up until the past week- they are growing super fast (a sign of a healthy baby!). Well, cutting her nails are not up there on the list of favorite things to do with my baby. She was nice and sleepy through her left hand, and then I get to the middle finger or her right hand, and what happens- bad mommy cuts the poor little baby’s finger. Oh man- it was so traumatic- for me. She cried just a little bit (nothing like she does sometimes when she is so so hungry!) and that was about it, but I’m still mad at myself for doing it. So, she has three long nails… for two days…. When she woke up with a mean little scratch on her nose from one of the remaining talons, I had to bite the bullet and conquer my fear of baby nail clippers. Those little buggers are still sharp! If I had finger nails like that, I’d save hundreds of dollars every year on my mani/ pedis! Lesson learned: clipping baby nails should be left for when baby is fast asleep and when Mommy hasn’t been drinking. (Just kidding… well, the drinking part.)

Then there was the time that she had a melt-down in Aisle 13 at Wal-Mart when I was grocery shopping…. I don’t like carrying around the big ol’ (although cute) diaper bag. Fly on over to the baby section and buy some more pascies that we didn’t need. Wait, cancel that- have you tried to keep tabs on those little buggers lately? I’m sure at some point I’ll be happy that I bought those…. Oh, and now I can relate to other parents’ that are encountering a mid-store melt-down instead of rolling my eyes like I used to do pre-child. Lesson learned: If you don’t want to tote the big ol’ diaper bag, then ensure that your beloved Coach purse is complete now with an accessory pacifier, Avent bottle and wipes. If only I could invent a baby swing that folded up into a nice purse size!

Oh, and of course who could forget the time when I dropped her… just kidding! See, I guess worse things can happen! She’ll never remember the forgotten diaper bag, Mommy-inflicted middle finger cut or cryfest in the cereal aisle. (Oh honey, you just wait until Mommy says 'no' to the Froot Loops when you're four… we’re a SugarSmacks family afterall.) Lesson learned: I’ll never be ‘the perfect’ parent (helllooo Mommie Dearest)- hell, who is? Perfect or not, I will always strive to do my very best for little Kiera and to love her with my whole heart. I’ll always comfort you when you wake up from a bad dream (like last night- what? You drank my moo juice along with your Cakesters….oh nooo… I mean what else can a little baby dream about?); kiss your boo-boos to make them heal faster; give you advice that I’m sure you really won’t listen to; and I will always be there for you.  I will never judge you, abuse you, call you names or hurt you.  I'll love you with my whole heart and soul and someday I hope that she will think that I'm that rockstar mom- as good of a mom to that sweet little baby as mine is to me!

Life is Sweeter

Wow- what a difference a few weeks make! (Or maybe it’s the happy pills or finding new mom friends- LOL!) Life as a new mom is becoming more enjoyable and rewarding these days. I don’t feel like a complete alien anymore- not that being a new parent makes you feel inhuman, but the first few weeks are just so unfamiliar, challenging and demanding that you have no idea who you are, or which way is up or down. I’m feeling more ‘normal’ now and am really beginning to enjoy my daughter! We both have done some growing in the past few weeks….. Kiera is nine weeks old and she is already becoming such a little lady. Her beautiful blue eyes are filled with wonder and delight and so much promise; and when she smiles- yes- she is smiling constantly- they sparkle. She bats those baby blues at me and it just melts my heart, along with that toothless ear-to-ear grin that makes her eyes crinkle at the corners…. Makes me laugh every time!

She started to blossom and develop a little personality about two weeks ago- I think that she is going to be a big flirt and the class clown and she is not camera shy (which is a good thing considering that I am constantly waving a camera in her face!). Her waking periods are much longer (sometimes as much as five hours!) and she is starting to discover the world around her. She is fascinated by faces and especially her own reflection in the mirror- she will lay on her play mat so content for hours (at least until she gets hungry) and tell herself how cute she is! The other day she discovered her hand and stared at it for about 10 minutes and the decided to taste test it and suckled on it- yummy! And what a chatterbox she is- she is a talker- this, she gets from me! More about little Kiera according to Mommy’s observations so far:

Sleeping: When she falls asleep she does so grunting, squeaking and humming. I’ve nicknamed her my “little mouse” because of this. She also does this when she is just beginning to wake up and that is usually accompanied by at least one leg kicking and/or her arms flailing about. This also means that Mommy is lucky enough to wake up to this instead of crying- lucky me! Speaking of sleep, she is a great sleeper and is almost making it through the night perhaps only waking up once for a feeding between 3 and 4 a.m. Studies show that bottle-fed babies feel full longer therefore sleep a bit more. Her sleep schedule is fairly regular through the early afternoon.  She is pretty easy to put to bed although she does have a few episodes where she fights it (must think she is going to miss out on something fun) and we resort to rocking her or on a rare occassion, the vaccum!

Eating: Kiera likes the bottle. Not a candidate for a 12-step program anytime soon, but she loves her feedings- me too, it’s the one time in my life that I’m a real hero to her! Fortunately she hasn’t developed a digestive preference for a certain brand of formula and we can feed her my favorite and it’s called “any-one-that’s-on-sale-and-gives-us-valuable-coupons!” And believe me, as much as I like Similac (hint, hint nice formula company) I’m not picky right now either, especially since she is powering through a can in record time. Oh, she also doesn’t mind her bottles at room temp (warming them actually makes her gag and spit up more) so, lucky us! I do have to say that she takes after Daddy in the, um, burping, department. It’s amazing how such a powerful little sound comes out of that itty body! Solid.  We let her set her own schedule for feedings and have learned that she smacks her lips and sticks out her tongue as an early sign of hunger..... catching this before she cries has made for very pleasant meal times and a very happy baby!

Playing: She loves, loves, loves her Soothe & Glow Seahorse (this is one of the very first toys that we got for her- it was new in the box at a yard sale!) I think that the wave sounds and the glowing belly fascinates her, but whatever it is, continue on! Personally, it always makes me have to pee. The play mats also score high marks- one has a musical toy on it that she likes to talk to. It plays three types of sounds that aren’t terribly annoying (I’m learning fast that noisy stuff might go to the grandparent’s houses!)

I can’t wait to start to introduce more toys to her, it’s not like we are lacking in that department! Although her pediatrician recommended a new toy - Sophie the Giraffe- so now I am on a mad hunt for that! We also just found her a cool Baby Einstein talking caterpillar that lights up and will teach her very important stuff- for now though I think that Mommy is much more amused by it than baby.

One of her (ah hem, Mommy's) favorite activities is to play "Baby Fashion Model."  When she is sporting a particularly fashionable outfit, we have a little photo shoot.  She's a total ham... and trust me, she is a budding fashionista- a clothes-hound and that’s definitely a genetic transference from Mommy. Jason laughs and calls her my little dress-up doll but she is the one who really picks out the outfit. I hold some choices in front of her one at a time and she chooses by smiling- and she definitely has a preference one way or another! I am addicted to adding to her wardrobe but I have no problem hunting for baby clothes bargains at yard sales! My only problem is trying to claim “this old thing” for her outfits (I have a feeling that it might be hard for me to let most of these clothes find new homes once she outgrows them since “Kiera” has so many favorites!)

As you can see, we’ve begun to settle into a comfy and happy life! We are learning and growing more each day. And loving…. That, of course is without saying- every day I fall more in love with this child. Life is so much better sharing it with her.