Lambie Blog

Fun Party Friends

2012-02-03T13:40:00.000-06:00

Friends are starting to turn 3!!! Cade can't wait for his turn. About once a week he asks me, "Is it my happy birthday to me?" He has a Toy Story calendar and we talk about how his birthday is in April. The other day he perused birthday decor in Hobby Lobby. He liked the diggers (construction theme), then the cowboy boots theme, then Diego caught his eye. I don't want to confuse him by making him decide this early.... and I know toddlers are worse than women when it comes to changing their minds...But I REALLY want him to decide on a party theme ASAP so I can start Pinteresting some cute decor ideas and shopping online for sales. AND picking a fabulous party venue that can do most of the planning for me. Here are some pics of a fun party we went to at a gymnastics venue. Super kudos to my friend Amy who planned this awesome par-tay!!! The kids were all on Cloud 9 AND slept well that night. Success!!!

The foam pit was an instant attraction! He took one quick glance at me and soon as I told him it's okay to jump in there he went for it!

He had a blast jumping on the trampolines. There was one for every kid to jump on! There was fun party music playing (aka Kidz Bop--- funny how my idea of party music has evolved since high school. Jamming in parking lots to Tom Petty and Bone Thugs to the rated G version of Black Eyed Peas songs)

Here he is with the birthday girl, Audrey. They play together so well. It's presh! And please take a moment to notice their perfectly round heads. Bye bye plagiocephaly! Thank you DOC bands!!

My boy loved the princess party and all the girls! He just got his thank you card in the mail and there was Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Tiana on the front of the card. He pointed to Sleeping Beauty and said, "Look! She's pretty! It's mommy princess!" I had to clarify, "Is Mommy that princess?" And he said, "Yes! Mommy is a princess! Lives in the biiiiiiiig BIG castle Zurg!" (Translation: Yes, Mommy is a princess. She lives in the big big castle (the one we see before opening title sequence of Disney movies) with Zurg (the bad Darth Vadar-esque guy from Toy Story 2)

I haven't figured out how I feel yet about being married to Zurg. Well, I guess he never specified that I was married, maybe I'm living in sin in the castle with Zurg? Hmm...

Things to add to your baby registry...

2012-02-01T21:54:00.001-06:00

As a single or child free girl, there was no task I dreaded more than going to Babies R Us to shop for a baby gift. I would have rather dealt with all the car trouble in the world then rode a public bus to a dentist appointment for 3 cavities. Seriously. The ten page mega registry intimidated me, scared me, and made me want to puke. Diaper Genie that twists dirty diapers into sausage links? Gross! Breast pumps and nipple cream? Nasty! Wipe warmer? WTH? I dreaded it.

Then I got pregnant with my first and thought registering would be all fun and games. Who can resist the thrill of the zing with those little radar guns? Ummm, I'm pretty sure they passed us that laser gun scanner deal and let my mom and I loose. First stop--- bottles. Ohhhhh the choices! I about died. BPA free? Nipple that simulates mothers'? Tubes and bag inserts to reduce colic? What's colic? Why don't I want colic? I'm not sure how I survived but I have vague recollections of rocking myself in their furniture department gliders and then following around mommas Mom and I must have thought looked knowledgeable, and scanning whatever they put in their carts.

So I'm going to tell you the items you actually need. Take notes, pregos.

1. A chiropractor. You will need him now. Back pain, sciatica, sleepless nights, stuffy pregnant nose.... he can help you with these things. He can prep your body for an easier labor and delivery and also adjust your newborn who just went through the trauma of squeezing through your tiny pelvis, you Skinny B. He can also get your body recovered from the trauma of labor.

2. An iPad. You need one now because of the same reasons above. In the hospital you'll want it for entertainment and easy access to post pics of your little sweets to Facebook. Nighttime nursing when you are trying to stay awake, but want to keep your baby in a quiet environment you will swear by it! And the baby apps galore! This is a must.

3. A great rocking chair. I found one for my boy on Craigslist. Gotta love nursery shopping on there, I outfitted his whole room with barely used furniture that looks designer. I got baby girl's rocker glider on Target.com. It even has a reclining feature. Which I highly recommend over tripping over an ottoman! This is a non negotiable item.

4. Mommy wardrobe. You will need cute sweatsuits, yoga pants, hoodies, and three quality nursing bras. Buy them a little roomy. A. Because you will look 4 months pregs after baby the first few weeks until your uterus shrinks (sorry to burst your bubble). B. You may have a c-section. C. You may have stitches elsewhere and need something you can gently wiggle in and out of. Nursing bras. Go Bravada or go home.

5. Quality coffeemaker.

6. Boppy pillow. Best baby goods since disposable diapers and Mylicon!!

7. A stability ball. Bouncing your baby to sleep during restless nights. Not critical, but helpful. Lifesaver for my baby girl who had reflux!

8. Strategically placed nightlights for stumbling around the house in the dark.

9. The iBaby app for your Android phone or iPhone. You can track the last time your baby ate, for how long, what side she fed from, when she pooped, peed, and slept, took meds. It's tres fabulous! And free. If you don't get this, grab yourself an ItzBeen timer from Babies R Us. Does the same things, but doesn't store your data like the iBaby app.

That's all for now! Those of you who have been there, done that feel free to let me know what you think are your must-have mommy or baby items.

Peek into my world.

2012-01-30T21:43:00.000-06:00

Tonight was a perfect night. I was in the Mommy Zone. You know, that place you get to when you realize that every little decision you make works out PERFECTLY! One of the most obnoxious parts of my nights is the Witching Hour. During the time period between 5:00 and 6:30 (yes, the Witching Hour is 90 minutes) the following events occur in any order - and at times simultaneously: Nurse the baby, entertain the toddler, feed the toddler a snack, feed the toddler dinner, cook dinner, clean up school bags (them and me).

First thing I did right: Plan ahead kiddie snacks. I invested in some snack size baggies and filled them with healthy snack options. I put some in the fridge filled with baby carrots, sliced cucumbers and peppers, and sliced pears. (All separated out, so he could pick his favorite) And I stuck them on the slide out tray that's right at his height. I also put some mini Nilla wafers, veggie stix, and boxed Raisins in a Cade basket in the pantry. And the best idea yet (thanks Pinterest!): frozen grapes in baggies in the freezer. (Ours is a slide out drawer on the bottom of our fridge, so Cade has easy access.)

Success #2: I turned off the tv and made Cadester hang out in the kitchen with me while I cooked. He picked his snack/appetizer (frozen grapes) and made artwork with dot markers and glittery foam stars.

Devyn (my 6 month old) hung out in her walker car with teethers. She loved watching her big brother so much, we ended up popping her on the table in her Bumbo chair to get a better view.

Mommy's cooking dinner, the kids are hanging out together.

She would laugh and him and drop her toy, he would help her out in between coloring. He loved singing to her and talking with me. I had on 103.7 Delilah and we danced to love songs in between my cooking breaks.

My next success: I found a fabulous recipe on Allrecipes.com for Honey Mustard Chicken. The app on iPad is amazing. If you aren't familiar, you must read the user comments. Thank God I did because they recommended using MUCH less butter (still tasted great) and suggested using breadcrumbs. If I can break out my Panko, I'm excited. My chicken was delish. Served up with a side of microwaved sweet potatoes and broccoli. It was so fab! I don't know about you, but I feel like freaking super mom when I try a new recipe or bust out a tasty din din.

As it was baking, Cade put the finishing touches on his artwork. (I ever so gently held his hand as he wrote "Cade" in that top right corner. I never know how much I am guiding. Like a Ouija board, is the magic within or was I just cheating? I'm not sure.) He decided Daddy needed this masterpiece. Mommy is jealous. Time to remind him about my episiotomy? I guess not.

WTF, Uptown Mommies?!

2012-01-28T08:39:00.001-06:00

I have been holding onto this rant for awhile. Partly because at first I thought I was missing out on something, and maybe the issue was with me. Then my better sense kicked in and I said to myself (and now you) WTF is going on with Uptown Mommies?!

The girls I am talking about are the stiletto strutting mommas who go out at 9:00pm wearing their size zero mini dresses. They get out of their Escalades, then patiently pose on the curb as their hubs (also hot) reach back into the car and bring out their infants. Wait--- what!?! I am 100% in support of Momma's Night Out and Date Night. I just don't get the baby for late night dinner and drinks (I have seen this happen on a few occasions in West Village). Could it be that I am truly missing out on something good here?

Let's over-analyze the sitch:
1. They have no sitter.
Bunk! I spy you rocking those Marc Jacob bags and Manolos. You clearly can afford not one, but two nannies. That can't possibly the reason. (unless is Nanny's Night Out. Hm. Scandal!)

2. They think this a new trend.
No! We are NOT replacing purse dogs with babies. I don't care if you, hubs, and baby are all wearing color coordinated outfits. (Confesh, I SO coordinate whenevs I can. Trickier with two kids, but I digress.) Maybe they were attention whores and wanted to have the night crowd gush over little Sophia Lynne. I don't know about them, but I have to beat off the baby paparazzi during the day. Maybe they wanted a different type of attention. The "But you're too skinny and hot to have a baby!" I wouldn't know what that kind of attention is like. Maybe it's addictive?

3. Their babies will just sleep through everything anyways and they have a nanny back home who let Momma and Dads sleep in the next morning while the kids are attended to.
Ohhhhh. Got it. Only took me 3 tries but this MUST be what's happening here.

I wonder about the logistics of their night. I would never wear stilettos if I knew I was bringing my baby anywhere with me. Carrying that heavy infant carrier or even my heavy infant would totally throw off my balance. It would be very unglam. Then there is the issue of their mini dresses. Maybe there was a nursing bra underneath, but how were they going to pull that off? They weren't. (I'm so not a nursing nazi, but I will take some liberties in feeling superior... It makes me feel better after the 2 minutes I spend each day gazing at all the pretty little underwire bras laying in the lingerie drawer unused. And lonely.) Did I mention that it's very tricky to find a trendy going out outfit that you can rock the nursing bra with? Or at least some substantial supporters for the Momma Guns. I've made the tragically painful mistake of wearing my strapless out one night. I was not about to let a little underwire get in the way of me rocking that cute little size 6! Fast forward 4 hours later... I had filled up so much that I was practically popping out of said dress. Ice would have ditched CoCo if he had seen these girls. So the bra. The bra alone makes me wonder how and why they got out of the house with the newborns.

Another issue was how did these girls get their hubs to agree to this? It was a group dinner situation. Two couples brought their babies, the other were without children. The men in the situation were the ones carrying the diapers and Chanel diaper bags. No way would that go down in my house. (The Chanel bag. I'm certain hubs can handle "babysitting" when it involves me nursing the baby to sleep then making a mad dash out for a few hours with the girls. He would MUCH prefer that to dealing with a baby in the crowd of Hot Little Urban Yuppies.)

I just don't know what to think about this sitch. I am all for bringing baby with me where I go. But after hours? How is that a relaxing night out for you? How is the baby getting good rest? Tell me your newborn can only sleep to clubby music, and the lights are dimmed anywhere you go at that hour anyways. Even more intriguing to me is did these mommies take their babies out to the next hotspot? What did they do next-- Karaoke? Bar hop?

I couldn't stick around to stalk these McCrazies. I had to go home by midnight so I could be alive enough to be a good momma the next day. Ain't no hangover like a sleepy mommy with energetic toddler and demanding little newborn. It's second in misery to the time I thought I was a bartender freshman year and made Long Islands at that house party. So like a good Momma I had to go home by midnight to get my rest and pump (Cinderella's curfew. My boobs might have turned into pumpkins had I stayed out another hour longer.)

What do you think? Babies out on the town past 9pm. Do we like this?

6 months old!

2012-01-21T21:30:00.001-06:00

Oh my sweet sweet baby girl.
Where do I begin?
I love getting to know you.
I love when I walk into your room in the morning and you are quietly laying there looking around.
As if you are planning what to do with your day.
Just like me.
I love seeing you see Cade for the first time each day.
You are transfixed by your big brother.
The natural love that you have for him is limitless.
When you reach for him and he holds your hand I get so excited about the potential fun and trouble you two will get into one day.
I love it when your Daddy holds you.
You nuzzle into his chest and feel so secure.
And when I rock you to sleep is my favorite part of the day.
I can count on that special moment every day.
You smiling up at me.
Wrapping your hands around each of my pointer fingers and pulling my hands over your chest.
Just two hearts beating together.

I love you!
Mommy

Green Bean fabulosity!

2012-01-19T21:44:00.004-06:00

This is my second attempt at being wannabe foodie blogger. Maybe one day I will have more than eight fabulous recipes to share! (You read that right kids, I have 4 more bad boys tucked away for a rainy day to share with you!) This recipe is adapted from one a coworker adapted from Martha Stewart about six years ago. I debuted this recipe at my first Thanksgiving as a married woman hosting at my own house.

You will need:
- Fresh green beans (feel free to cheat and buy the steam in bag fresh ones in the produce section)
- 1 white onion or several shallots
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup slived or sliced almonds
- 3 tbs orange juice (or Tropical Mangosteen if you're fancy like that)
- Olive oil
- 4 tbs balsamic vinegar (or more, if you're obsessed with the flavor, like me!)

1. Wash and prep your green beans. Snip the tips off with kitchen shears. Try to have your two year old help you. Don't worry if he snaps the beans in half. Just make sure you are faster than he is so less beans end up wonky.

2. Steam your green beans. Use a steamer or steaming basket on your pot. Okay fine, just boil them if you want. It truly doesn't matter as long as you don't overcook them. Let the beans get a nice pretty green color. Fork tender with a little crispness.

At this point your baby girl might be hungry. Give her a sock.

3. Slice your onion or shallots very thin. Or chop them into pieces. Depends how obvious you want those onions to look. I used chopped onions that I had frozen leftover from Thanksgiving. Shallots are tasty. If you want to get frisky you can fry some up before you do anything else and use as another topper.

4. Sautee the onions in some olive oil until translucent. Add your basalmic vinegar and juice. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in your green beans, almonds and cranberries. Coat them well and cook until the beans are thoroughly reheated.

I served mine with teriyaki flank steak (I heart Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki!) that I grilled up on my George Foreman. Also served with a corn casserole I found on AllRecipes.com. Super delish.

Now I need a little advice. How do you train your toddler to stay seated at the dinner table? At daycare their little chairs have seatbelts. I don't want to do that at home. Maybe a cool booster seat will make him feel cool enough to stay seated? I do food bribe him with the prospect of dessert if he eats his healthy meal first. We also bribe with "Big Bubbles Bath", one of his favorite things as long as you don't wash his hair.

He just loves to get up and be a little man. He will literally hold up one finger and say, "Be wite back. I go check somefing." And then he will go check a toy and come back. Last week he said, "Be wite back Mommy. I go check somefing." And I sat there and watched my two year old go pick up his Handy Manner screwdriver (Felipe, the Phillip's head) and bring it to the chair leg I just banged my knee on and "fix it" by turning the screwdriver on the wood and saying, "Kurn kurn kurn. Kurn kurn kurn. Okay, there go!" And then returning the tool to his toy box and then. finally. coming back to sit down at the table. And then pretend to bite me. And say "Chomp chomp. Crocodino coming!!"

Nights like that I get so exhausted. I've cooked dinner while nursing Devyn (don't ask). Then plated it up. Then gotten sad that hubs' job kept him late. AGAIN. Then set the table for Cadester and I and put Devyn in a bouncer/exersaucer/Bumbo and ate and bribed Cade. Then he plays. And it's annoying. And it's cute. And I alternate between eating my own food, sighing, reminding him to eat, sighing, laughing at his little antics. It's exhausting. But so awesome. Nobody has to give me a paycheck or pat me on the back. I feel awesome when I cook at home. It feels good to have a pretty and totally f'ing yummy meal on the table. It sucks when the kid won't eat. But it's worth the effort. Even if it means that after a full day at work I come home, feed the kids, bathe them, bathe myself, and then don't get to sit down or relax until 9pm.

Now it's 9:45pm and I have shot my resolution to be in bed by 9:30. Gotta go prep my coffee to brew at 5:00am on automatic so I actually have a reason to get out of my king sized dreamland tomorrow.

Night bloggies.

p.s. If you know someone who can redesign my blog without costing a fortune I need some good referrals! I want my blog to be all themed out like baby girl's nursery.

Mamanoia

2012-01-17T21:29:00.001-06:00

Mamanoia. Like paranoia. But strictly for mamas. Starts the second you decide to start trying for a baby. It's a crazy mix of anxiety disorder with OCD with Tourette's with BiPolar (or maybe PentaPolar, mamas def have more than 2 Polaris that we swing between). Still confused? Okay, here goes.

Are we really ready for a baby? Okay, so like go off the pill NOW or next week? Am I ovulating? Wtf is CM? How many days late am I? Oh, I'm not late? Is that a period or implantation? Hm, what's better EPT or First Response? Is this how you use an EPT? Is that two lines? Does a faded half line count? What do you mean "internal sonogram"? Are hot dogs safe? How about highlights? Do gender predictor tests work? How do you calculate lunar age? So I have to drink this orange drink? Ew gross? Why am I doing this? Please let it be a girl, what if it's another boy? Will I be a bad mom if I cry? Will my baby know if I am sad? If it's another boy can he at least be gay so we can shop and get pedis and watch rom com? It's a girl! Oh shit. What if she isn't cute? Does God hate me for thinking that? Will she be so ugly now? What if baby #1 hates the baby? What if we get in a car wreck? In a river and we are sinking and I only have to choose one kid to save? Oh shit. Should I just have had one baby so I never have to choose? Wait I have to deliver another baby? Will it be harder or easier? Wait what's this epidural agreement? I have to agree that I understand that I could be paralyzed and die if the epidural goes wrong? Did I agree to that last time? Yeah, that last time when I felt EVERYTHING?! Is hubs REALLY f'ing stopping for a Red Bull on our way to the hospital making us late for the induction? Can I kill him now? Oh shit. We have to deliver this baby now? Can I make the nurses let me eat a burger? Why won't they let me eat now? So is jello okay? Where's my nurse? Can I eat jello? Hello?! Will I hurt my baby if I eat Jello???!! She's crowning? I can't believe it! She is here? Ohmygod what's her f'ing Apgar? Six week haze of no sleep and bliss....Why does she need more vaccines? Why is her head flattish? Will she need a helmet too? Can I get a discount this time? How would I decorate it? Wait-- she doesn't need a helmet? Are you sure? She is how big? That's good right? Oh. 95th percentile for weight? Oh. Shit. Is that my fault? Do I have to give up chicken tenders and ranch? When do I need to start brushing her gums? When did I last give the dog a bath? When did I last bathe? Will anyone notice my hair is kinda gross? Why does daycare put on diaper cream like that? Is that diaper cream? Do babies get CM? ??

I am beat.
Mamanoia is so hard to escape.
The crazier the momma the more she loves her baby...right?
Or the more the mama says "F it!" to all of the above, the better momma she is. Right?

I have gotten better about just saying to myself "I'll figure it out later" and then enjoying my life. One minute worrying is okay. Twenty minutes obsessing is a waste. Way better to count my blessings and snuggle with my littles and thank God that today our future together is as long as I can imagine. Kiss them all over before they get big and won't let me. Whisper affirmations into their sleeping ears and breathing in their warm snugly baby breath.

If that fails, grab a Diet Dr. Pepper and some Cheetos and Oreos. Double stuf. (editor note: thank God I caught that just now. Autocorrect just changed Cheetos to "machetes"!)

Looking for love?

2012-01-14T20:48:00.001-06:00

Hi bloggies! I just discovered the website and mobile app, bloglovin'. It allows users to tag their favorite blogs and get updates on when there are new posts to read. If you are a commuter, busy mom, or just don't have time for books then blogs are a great thing to check out. (thanks for starting here!)

My genres of blogs are mommy lifestyle, humor, teacher, food and health, and fashion. There are endless inspiring people out there sharing their life stories, starting new businesses, connecting to each other and doing some amazing things through social networking. My eyes have been totally opened to the powerful world in the "blogosphere". I love the idea that people share stories so funny and meaningful and can totally make other people's days. If you are just getting into the whole blog thing, Bloglovin' is one way to discover blogs, a Pinterest search is another great way.

If you read my blog and like it, it would mean the world to me if you join my site by Google friend connect or through Bloglovin'. If you see a post you like, feel free to share the link on Facebook or Google+. I write this blog to keep in touch with friends, connect to other moms, hopefully inspire others in some way, but mostly to serve as an online diary for my children. I tried to journal but find that my juices flow much more through digital means. I wish I could scrapbook but the time is so limited and the stickers and paper to pricey to try to use with little ones running around.

Anyways, I would love to connect with you and others! Pass me along, share me. Night night bloggies, time to go plan some MLK fun for the fam.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Glow Man!

2012-01-08T21:12:00.000-06:00

The other night I decided to take fab idea I found on Pinterest via PlayatHomeMom.com. This is an amazing blog I could (and do!) get lost in for hours. Daddy has always been a huge fan of glow sticks (called "magic lights" in our home). He likes to give them to Little Man before bedtime. It used to drive me nuts because the kid would be playing with them all night and use them to light his way to our bed in the middle of the night. I was not a fan.

Then came Pinterest, which could pretty much make anything look like a great idea. (Like the recipe I found that called for cookie dough, double stuf Oreos, and brownie batter. Uhmazing idea!) So the genius mommas over at PlayatHome.com came up with a slew of fun ideas for glow sticks. As you know, I am recovering from a second best hangover. I opened the pack of magic lights that Daddy bought and I used THREE! At one time.

I think that smile puts me back on top tier parent status :)

The sensory time in the dark just fascinated him. I highly recommend this activity. We buy our glow sticks at Academy, but according to PAHM, the best ones are at Dollar Tree. Putting it on my to-do list to stop by this week and up our stash of magic lights.

Recipe Time!

2012-01-03T21:13:00.000-06:00

Hi bloggies! I am SO not a food blogger, but I do love to eat. One of my resolutions for 2012 is to cook meals at home more and expand my repoitre beyond fajitas, tacos, and spaghetti. Last year I created this awesome one pot pasta dish, inspired by a few other recipes I have seen in magazines and on AllRecipes.com.

Fellow iPad users, I MUST take a moment to highly recommend the All Recipes app! It is FABULOUS. So visually appealing, easy to use, and searchable by photo inspiration or based on ingredients you have on hand. V. cool. But download it later, you need to stay here to check out my new fave go-to meal.

What you will need:

Tri color rotini pasta (I prefer Barilla! I love their whole grain products.)
Chicken (I need quick meals, so I buy the Archer Farms frozen diced chicken breast)
Basalmic vinegar
Olive oil
2 tbs butter
Cracked red pepper flakes
Garlic (I buy mine prechopped in the jar)
Basil (fresh or dried)
Oregano (fresh or dried)
Heirloom tomatoes (quartered)
Red bell pepper (diced)
Diced carrots
Spinach (shredded)
Squash & Zuchinni (cut into fourths)
Sliced black olives, sliced green olives
Shredded parmesan for topping

Whew! That's a lot of stuff! I promise this is so easy to make.

Step 1: Boil your pasta until al dente. (about 7 minutes) Then strain and set aside.

Step 2: While you wait for the water to boil and the pasta to cook until al dente, slice your veggies and place them in a bowl.

Step 3: After the pasta is finished, drain the water and leave the pasta in a colander. Set it aside.

Step 4: Using the same pot (why yes, that's my adorable red Paula Deen cookware!), drizzle the bottom with olive oil and add 1 tbs of butter (if you must!). One day I will cut out the butter. Not today.

Step 5: Dump in your bowl of veggies and sautee those babies! I like my zucchini to get a tad translucent in the middle but still firm (not totally limp). At this point I begin to shake in my cracked red pepper, cracked black pepper, basalmic vinegar, one nice spoon of garlic (and maybe some more, depending on my mood), oregano, and more olive oil. Taste as you go! I like my veggies more spicy than my hubs, so do what you must to get it how you like & yet still please your family.

Step 6: When the veggies look done (it's okay if they're not all the way, you will add them back in later), put them in a large bowl with the noodles. Set the large bowl aside.

Step 7: Cook your diced chicken in olive oil and basalmic vinegar. Add more butter.... If you must. I won't judge. Add more garlic. (I don't recall Edward being garlic-aversive, so no worries if you Twi-hards are still waiting for glitter boy to come sweep you off your feet!)

Step 8: Leave the chicken in your pot, dump back in your noodles and veggies, stir it up and make sure everything gets nice and heated through again. Add your olives if you had forgotten! Do NOT forget my fave ingredient. (I add them to practically anything I can!) Sorry there is no pic of this step. My pot got nice and full and I added more basalmic. I was also entertaining Cade with some markers and a coloring book and assuring him that dinner would be worth the wait! While the meal heats up, butter some whole grain french bread (sprinkled with oregano and garlic of COURSE) and bake until toasty.

Step 9: Serve it up!! I added strawberries and blueberries as sides for little man's meal. Enjoy!
(Bring the basalmic to the table in case your meal is too bland, that always makes it better... Next time don't be skurred to add your spices!)

Wtf, mommies?

2011-12-28T22:35:00.001-06:00

Sometimes people amaze me. Just when I think my parenting skills are garbage, stupid freaking mommies have to go and make me feel superior (Me? Oh I just have a healthy dose of mommy guilt this week for plugging my son into the laptop for another DVD so I could enjoy the Today show.. What?? Mommy loves me some Matt Lauer!)

We had a play date today with one of Cade's besties at the mall play yard. I love to kid watch at these things. Kids baffle me. Some with their cuteness, most of them with their utter craziness. It always makes me love my child so much more when I witness the freak shows that show up. Today howevs, the other mommies gave my mommy bud and I PLENTY to judge and laugh (yes, and scoff) at.

Freak Momma #1: The "fat or pregnant?" momma who dressed her one year old in four layers of pants. Four. The outside temp was 51 with the promise of turning 62 today. First thing I noticed though was the kid was walking funny. I didn't know if he had a diaper situation going on or if he had just got off a bull ride. Then I started to laugh (yes, at the one year old. Shoot me) when I realized the kid was a dead ringer for Randy on A Christmas Story. He could barely walk due to his shockingly puffy red ski pants. Next time the kid came by he was in a different pair of pants. Through these light colored long johns I could spot at least one more pair of pants. Thank God he didn't die of heat stroke. At least not on my watch.

Freak Momma #2: At first I admired you for bringing your cooler to the mall so you could feed your litter of children what must have been healthy snacks. Good for you I thought. Then I realized you were totally out and proud with breaking the "no food in play yard" rule and I worried you would get make the mall cops crack down and ruin it for the rest of us. Seriously. If you ruin Momma's Auntie Annie pretzel fix I may cut you. (not even sure what this means, but it sounds tough enough given what's at stake.) But what earned you (and your baby faced husband) freak badges was your purposefully strutting through the kids running and playing to feed your daughter a spoonful of yogurt while the kid was ON THE SLIDE. Wtf, mommy? Your husband was also stalking the others in your litter to offer up bites of sandwich as they played. Um, grossly unsanitary and what ever happened to choking hazard?

Freak Momma #3: (actually you are a dad. And technically this should be an honorable mention for being a perv). Thanks for leaning over the rail to chat with your baby momma/wife and notice me slyly putting on my nursing cover. Thanks for continuing to ogle me from afar as you leaned over and tried to glimpse a nip slip. Baby girl had to eat. I'm sorry. I didn't want to go into my nonexistent freezer stash to bring a bottle to the mall. I had to mom up and save those for when I go to work. Or to my NYE party. I don't need to feel more awkward than I already do. Leave me to my momma duty oblivion where I pretend I am not offending anyone. Or turning them on. Whatevs.

Freak Momma #4: Sista, you take the CAKE! Thank YOU for bringing your two year old terrorist to the mall today. The four kids who got hurt by your child in the five minutes I was watching him also send their thanks. If you know your child likes to whap kids on the head repeatedly, drag them off the climbing structures, push, and hit then MAYBE he needs a different form of entertainment. Like a dog run. With pit bulls. I assume you knew this about your child because why else would you dress him in all red? So Lucifer would know where to find him when it was Daddy's turn to watch him? You were sitting right by me and watched your son hit a smaller child on the head at least 6 times before the boy's mom rescued him. Your kid is lucky I had my infant in my arms. But then three more kids got hurt in the next five minutes. I'm glad little Damian got some nice hugs from you as a consequence. Is it bad that I sort of wished your little terror touched my son so I could tell you how it really is? I kind of did, I also wanted to write down the name of a good family psychologist, but I didn't know if that would turn into me being a Good Samaritan or a citizen's arrest type deal. Whatevs. You are Freak o' the week. Hope you lock your bedroom door at night, lest your toddler get you.

My fave part of the freak show was the two obnoxious boys chasing each other playing tag. One by fell down as he tagged the other with a swift hand to the kid's crotch. Tee hee hee! I'm still laughing about that.

5 months old!

2011-12-27T22:31:00.000-06:00

Wearing the Santa onesie Mom and Dad saved from when I was a baby.

A Christmas Story

2011-12-27T22:08:00.000-06:00

A Christmas Story.
Lambie style.
Photos compliments of my brand new, Canon Rebel T3i with 18-135 mm lens kit!
Thank you, Santa! Mommy likey.

First we I decked the halls.

Ornaments were a Big Lots score back in college. Now they are my guests' fave decor.

All dolled up for Christmas Eve celebration with the in-laws.

Getting a family pic with four of us smiling at once: biggest challenge ev-er!

The whole crew.

Momma's girl is ready to hear some carols and the story of baby Jesus' birth!

My fave pic of hubs. I love this man!

My Devy doll admiring the lights on the tree.

Worth all 2 days it took me to string up the tree of 2,000+ lights.

A Christmas Eve tradition...reading The Night Before Christmas.

Saying good bye until next year to Jingle Jangle, our elf on the shelf. Tell Santa we love him!

Christmas morning. Santa brought Cade the rocketship of his dreams and a cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Devyn got a play with me picnic basket, teethers, and books.

"Look! Santa ate the cookies and the milk!"

Our little cowboy with his battle axe.

My God. There are no words to describe this child.

Cute, precious, and adorable just aren't enough sometimes.

Yay for matching jammy scammies! Thanks Target for the pair of jammies under $30.

No thanks to Hannah Anderson's jammies which were $30 EACH. I think not.

A Christmas day visit from Papa and Lolli. In outfit #2.

Christmas dinner at Grammie & Grandaddy's house. In outfit #3.

More to come on our Christmas escapades.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-25T00:09:00.001-06:00

It is almost midnight on Christmas Eve and I am sitting here rocking Devyn in the dark. I am half dreaming of Cade and Dev's joy tomorrow, thinking of all the pictures I want to make sure to take and praying that Cade experiences the magic of Santa and that we blew him away. I am also half reflecting on the season, already sad that it's almost over and thinking of how I wish I did this or that differently. Thank goodness my children are very young and I can streamline the gift shopping, cards, wrapping, and events better next year.

Things I have learned:

- Keep a separate tub of the little gifties tucked away with a list so I can check off what I need. Don't wait until the 24th to buy, buy as you go all season!

- Request a wish list from all family members due to you before Thanksgiving. Shop early as possible and stick to the budget for once. Jeeez.

- label each Christmas decor box by room, so you can easily decorate and remember where you like to traditionally put stuff.

- keep old Christmas photos in the frames you use all year. I like to rotate seasonally with my fave family pics all season.

- Start a scrapbook of Christmas photo cards friends send out along with fave recipes you tried that year and maybe a few family pics or memories from that holiday season.

- Have a checklist of family holiday activities planned on Dec. 1, schedule in a couple of outings each weekend in December.

- Host a gingerbread house decorating day for the kids and their fun moms!

- Do one family community outreach activity, like making cards for the elderly in nursing homes or volunteering at SPCA or buying gifts for a family in need.

- Have a crafting day with girlfriends the last weekend in November to make Christmas decorations or wreaths.

- plant more bushes and crepe myrtles in the spring/summer so we have more places to hang our Christmas lights!

- Buy a big, pre lit artificial tree and put it out the first week in December! No more stringing lights artfully on a real tree (the Martha Stewart method I use takes me 2-3 days to achieve the desired glow).

- Buy more tissue paper dammit!

- lesson learned: at white elephant gift exchanges your gag gift should include a gift card so the gift is 50% gag and 50% useful! Soooo embarrassed to get it wrong this year!

- shop for tacky Christmas sweaters all year round.

- Make sure to pay attention to children's holiday movies, they explain a lot of Santa magic.

Second best

2011-12-14T05:45:00.001-06:00

The tides have turned around here. Little man has changed his rankings and now, there is a clear favorite and his name is Daddy. That's right bloggies, Mommy is now second best. I am well aware we have grandparents who would LOVE to be second best, but for me--- this is a huge loss. For a long time Cade has been generous in his love for both of us. It has seemed, to me at least, that Mommy and Daddy were both the king and queen of his heart. It was nice to stand up on that top rung together. As competitive as I am, I really didn't mind.

In the last week or so, however, Daddy has been given a special throne. He doesn't want to go to bed, he wants to Snuggle with Daddy. He doesn't want Mommy to brush his teeth or read his bedtime story. No, no. "Go 'way, Mommy. Daddy do it!"

Um, ouch. Obvs that's going to sting. I am used to being needed by that boy, which morphed into a special kind of mommy love. I guess that's cheating, being a nursing mommy def gives you an advantage.

My shock and disappointment at being ousted from #1 position dissipated however, as I saw the many benefits of being number 2. I don't have to be the one to brush his teeth, do nighttime potty routine, and read him his story? After the first night I did the walk of shame out of his room I found myself standing alone in the living room staring at the dog. "what do I do now??" I asked our little fluffernut. Her eyes told me, "Make some hot tea and let's go to bed!" But mommy robot brain took over first and screamed,"Laundry! Dishwasher! You have 15 free minutes. Go! Go!"

The house was sparkling, and I made it just in time for little man's prayers. He glared at me (at least I thought he did) as we said our blessings, he gave me the cold shoulder when I went for a hug, but he did kiss me back, sort of...

As I went for my final Oreo of the night it hit me, if you can't be #1 in your toddler's heart, a clean house sure ain't a bad second place!

WTF, hubs?

2011-12-05T05:09:00.001-06:00

The day before Thanksgiving I have a sweet little tradition where I go to Central Market and buy my fresh produce and any other last minute things I need before the cooking begins. I love the hustle and bustle and picking out of only the most fresh green beans for one of my specialty dishes. It's been a "thing" and I love it. Then this year came along. Working mom. 2 year old. 4 month old. Cold, windy weather. So when hubs called from work and offered to hit up the supermarket (there's that word again, grrr daycare!) I was elated! I emailed him a v. detailed list of precisely what I needed. I cozied back into my little nook on the couch, cuddling both kids under a blanket and was in bliss. I even texted the Mother In Law to tell her how amazing her son was! (There may or may not have been a reference to how excellent his husband training was going after all these years. See? It CAN be done!)

When hubs got back from the supermarket (one of the special supermarkets on my approved "You May Buy Thanksgiving goods here" list) he even unloaded all the groceries. A-MAZING! Yet as he's doing this he is going on and on about how awesome Market Street's premade deli meals are. In detail. He was saying something along the lines of "We don't even have to cook at all! The whole Thanksgiving is right there. Waiting for you! For just FIVE DOLLARS!" He then had to go back out to pick up the frying oil from another store. I cuddled with the kids on the couch. Blissed out and amazed that hubs did all the Thanksgiving shopping AND unloaded groceries AND was going to the other store for me. Then I slowly started piecing together his last words. "Whole Thanksgiving Dinner....don't even have to cook."..... Um...... wtf, hubs?!

My suspicion quickly turned to borderline rage. Each step I stomped into the kitchen to see exactly what kind of damage had occured I prayed. Please. Say. He. Didn't. stomp. stomp. stomp. Ho. Lee. Shit! He DID.

What you see here: mac n' cheese, brocolli cheese casserole, creamed corn, sausage balls, green beans almondine, garlic mashed potatoes, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie.

Exhibit B: cheddar cheese popcorn, Ritz, Coors Light, peanuts (enough for your pet elephant, thank God), velveeta, trail mix, Rotel x2, Owens sausage, gourmet summer sausage, and tamales. (Of course, tamales!)

So, I don't think I need to mention that these are not exactly the items that were on the itemized list of my specialty Thanksgiving dishes. In fact, were fresh green beans even bought? Um, that's a negative. Hubs bought himself a whole BANQUET of food to eat post-Thanksgiving. Were we planning a Black Friday football party? No. White Trash Thanksgiving theme this year? No. Hosting a frat house? No. This ladies, is what happens when you send hubs to the store and he hasn't eaten beforehand.

Thankfully he was out of the house when I saw this kitchen nightmare... I totally needed the spare thirty minutes to calm down before he came home to me.

I did have to make a grocery run when he got back for the fresh green beans. Thankfully, miracle of all miracles, neighborhood Kroger folks were also in cheerful, lightning speed shopping mode, so navigating was quick. Thankfully, hubs watched both kids so said run on Thanksgiving Eve NIGHT (nightmare time to shop) went much smoother than anticipated.

Update: Did hubs eat all the food? No. Not yet. Cleaning lady comes this week, so he gets to sit in front of the fridge with a trash bag and throw out whatever spoiled before he got a chance to eat it. Thankfully most of the goods in pic 2 never expire (or is that kind of gross? I don't know.) And he did make a good dent in the stuff on pic 1. (Cadester helped. I refused. I pretty much got to polish off my homecooked leftovers by myself and sent the other two thirds of them home with our family on Thanksgiving day.)

Moral of the story: Don't let hubs shop hungry.
Wifely lesson: I still love this man. One of the endearing traits I loved about him is his childlike spirit. We both love being kids at heart, and I know that this grocery run was a HUGE success for his 12 year old self. (Enter visual of skinny little pubescent Nick fist pumping the air in his tapered leg jeans and Nikes.) I love that man.

Some days are just like that.

2011-11-26T14:01:00.001-06:00

Some days are just like that. One of the hardest lessons to learn as a mommy is that your days are going to be far from smooth and perfect. Expect the unexpected and you will be fine. Today was kind of like that.

First on the agenda was pick up the house for pre-Thanksgiving cleaning lady day! Oh, and on a time limit because I booked a play date and trip to the pediatrician in the am as well. You forget when there is kid stuff everywhere plus laundry for four people and bottles from sending your kid to daycare how much work this is!! We ended up running late to the play date. That's another mommy lesson. You will be late. Frequently. If you ever find yourself lounging on the couch before an appointment thinking, "Wow! I have an hour to kill before I have to be there", then you are already running late. As a mommy you better be in the car driving thirty minutes before you are due somewhere. Even if your destination is just five minutes away.

So, the play date went smooth. It was one of those times you wish your mommy friend lived in town because not only do you have great conversation and she can hang with the ADHD-style conversation patterns of mommies with toddlers, but the kids were getting along fabulously. Super bummer. That's like going on a date with a guy while you're on vacation. Who knows what could have been?

We did miraculously leave at the perfect time to be at the pedi right on time. Um, I totally hate though when you have to sign in and put the appt time and arrival time. Makes me feel bad when those two times are one and the same. Just as I was patting myself on the back for getting there just as the clock read my appt time, I felt all bad that I wasn't five minutes early.

So the dr visit was for Devyn's four month check up. I had prepped Cade that he needed to tag along because she would be getting shots and we needed Big Brother to help her be brave. After she got hers I asked to get my flu shot too. It occurred to me when we first got Devyn's flu shot that Cade had a fever that day so I didn't get his. Today, Big Brother would need a shot too. For those keeping track, that's mommy and 2 lambies all getting vaccines in one day. No good. When the nurse came back with Cade's shot he said, "Nononono shot!" he cried. He screamed. Tantrum time. My chill boy actually had a tantrum. I felt evil as I picked him up, kicking and screaming and put him on the exam table. The nurse swiftly did his shot as I held down his arms and upper body and tried to be sweet, gentle, and understanding. For a split second I almost slapped the nurse and took Cade and ran away. Before we knew it, it was over. My broken heart. Poor poor baby. As soon as I hugged him and told him he could go pick his sticker and lollipop he was a-okay. Thank God he likes green everything. There will ALWAYS be his favorite flavor if this green love sticks.

Anyways, we were then late for our next appointment, lunch with mommy's friends. After hauling the kiddos downtown with my sore flu shot arm, I finally found parking. As I turned off the engine I checked the backseat. Sure enough both lambies were sound asleep. Damn. Never wake a sleeping toddler. We strolled down McKinney Ave and found the friends. Our meal came quick = bonus. Then Dev got hungry. I could barely pop on my nursing cover and she was crying. Fitfully nursing her she was thrashing a bit, the cover slipped and there was righty. I'm sure that the businessmen having lunch across from us appreciated that.

Thankfully Cade was great and we made it home to prep for Thanksgivingg and Daddy even offered to do the grocery run! Sweet ending to a bumpy day. ..... Until I saw the grocery bags. That's another story in itself!!!

Later bloggies!

Flashback, 3 months

2011-11-22T21:01:00.000-06:00

Busted. Here I am, posting another flashback to 3 months old. Such is the life of the working momma. Yes. Baby girl grew. She continues to hover at 95%ile for height and weight. Go girl! Little pudgy when you're just 3 months old is a great thing.

The best new skill this month is the consistent smiling and awesome eye contact. She wants to know what's going on all the time. She also started to giggle in month 3. It started actually at a check up we had this month. (Yes, the typical sched is 2 month then 4 month well visits...I choose to space out vaccines for my babies, so we have to go back more often to catch up on vaccines) She had a bib that was pink with black trim and when I stripped her down to be weighed she had black fuzzies on her neckline. I gently rubbed them away and we discovered a tickle spot! It was so exciting and so cute to hear the little gurgle giggle.

Of course at that moment the dr walked in and I had to excitedly share her new skill. We got positive feedback in the form of a casual smile before she launched into her check up and I had to put aside the overwhelming desire to tickle out more giggles through the entire visit.

Mommy's girl has a special smile just for me. And I love it!! I love that her favorite sound is my voice. Maybe I've always needed attention and this kind of innocent, pure wholehearted love.

Flashback, 2 months old!

2011-11-22T20:37:00.000-06:00

Hi bloggies! My apologies, September flashed by and I didn't get a chance to upload Devyn's monthly pics on her lambie rug. I bought this onesie for her when I was on the way home from "The Pilgrimage" to the Pottery Barn outlet for nursery digs. Grammie and I stopped off in Waxahachie and the ADORABLE little boutiques they have there and this onesie had baby girl's name written all over it. Aside from our lambie love, the script reads "I am a blessing" and there is a little pink cross embroidered on the third lamb. Then I spied the sweetest little soft pink tutu with ribbon waist. Perfection! She's everything I thought she'd be in it. I loved her so much when I bought her First Outfit that day, and I love her so much more in the pics! Such a shame that the onesie is already outgrown. It's totally going in the "saver" box.

I have a special place for each child's special outfits, a "saver" box for each of them. These outfits I hope I can pass along to my brother's kids one day and then have them gently returned for my grandkids to wear one day! Silly litte dream. Almost like hoping Devyn will wear my wedding dress while still dreaming of the day we go shopping and she tries on beautiful gowns and find the perfect one for her. . .

I don't know about you other mommas out there, but I'm totally dreaming of my kids' weddings one day. I have my special song for Cade and I hope it's our first dance song. His song is Tim McGraw's "It's Your Love". It translates to a perfect little memory of the night we brought him home. I was listening to the CD clock radio in his room as I rocked him to sleep for the first time. This song came on and I started dancing and rocking him and singing to him. Nick came in and we cried and held him and danced. The lyrics say, "Dancing in the dark, middle of the night. I'm taking your heart, and holding it tight........ oh, it's beautiful thing, don't think I can keep it all in. I just gotta let you know, what it is that won't let me go. It's your love........ Better than I was, more than I am, and all of it happened by taking your hand."

That last line makes me think of the first time Nick took my hand, walking into Houston's for our first date. It also makes me think of driving Cade home from the hospital, he held onto my finger tightly the entire way home and I said a little prayer to God that I hope he never gets too old to hold my hand. I just had visions of taking this little boy to kindergarten and then dropping off a young guy at college. It's a special memory and a special song. I hope I get to dance with him at his wedding. And if it's not this song, I hope it's one that has even sweeter memories attached. If that's possible.

One year

2011-11-19T21:34:00.001-06:00

This time last year I surprised Nick in our rented RV with telling him I was pregnant. This time last year I listened to Mariah Carey sing "All I want for Christmas" and crying just praying the whole song that I was pregnant with a baby girl. When I heard it today I was caught off guard by the rush of emotion and found myself sobbing as I looked at the backseat and there she was. Our missing puzzle piece. The little darling girl I have dreamed of all my life. It's funny, because with Cade my love for him takes my breath away, I never knew my heart had that kind of capacity despite my head over heels love for my husband and my dog. With Devyn my love surprises me because I have dreamed of her forever. This love is both familiar and new at the same time. Getting to know her is like going on really good first dates every day!! You wonder where this is going to go, but you just know something special is there that is yet to see.

I am so excited for our first Christmas as a family of four! To be able to each proudly hold a little blonde Lambie on our laps at Christmas Eve service. To have an infant to snuggle Christmas morning as Cade opens his gifts. To put that little pink Christmas tree I bought in college in Devyn's room. To thank God for making my biggest dreams come true. Love you, bloggies. I hope your holiday season is full of blessings too.

I don't give birth. I clone.

2011-11-13T20:54:00.000-06:00

Cade Andrew Lamb. The day he was born.

Devyn Alexis Lamb. The day she was born.

Cade at 2 1/2 months.

Devyn at 2 months.

Cade at 8 weeks.

Devyn at 7 weeks.

What's up?

2011-11-13T12:19:00.001-06:00

What's up with you? You've been asking... Here is my list of what I'm up to.

1. Adjusting to being a working mommy again. Just when I found my groove and a set of great girlfriends with babies who stay home or work part time, my time was up. Being back at school felt like home again too. I remembered my first day teaching walking into the building and saying to myself, "So this is my new home. One day these big unfamiliar halls will be old hat.". Sure enough it felt good to be back and use my teacher skills. Most days it still feels good. Out of the month I've been back I've only had one bad day.

2. Getting used to "short" hair. Seeing myself in the mirror these days is strange. I like my new 'do but I'm tempted to go long again. The flat iron has treated me well but I miss my big ute curling iron. What's a girl to do?!

3. Starting the holidays with Devyn is bringing back so much excitement and so much longing for my grandmother and uncle to be back with us. The memories are fun to experience again but the wish to have them here and see my babies is too much sometimes. Every time I think "Life is not fair" I remind myself that "Life is okay, it's okay to go on, there are more blessings down the road if you just hang on". Having Devyn and Cade reminds me we have to move forward and not spend too much time wishing for the past. I am so thrilled to see Cade experience Santa again and for Devyn to be able to roll over and sit up and be mesmerized by Christmas lights. I can hardly wait to decorate!

4. Bootcamp. The last time I did a bootcamp style exercise class was four years ago. I was in THE best shape of my life. Then I had kids. Now I'm back to square one. I have zero muscle (except my arms from carrying babies) and zero endurance (unless jumping out of bed several times a night to tend to find a binky or nurse an infant counts). So it's safe to say bootcamp is kicking my butt. I hope to a badass again soon, so watch out.

5. Reinventing Mommy Time. Working on achieving The Balance of mommy, teacher, girlfriend, and just plain me. I had it down during maternity leave, now trying to do it all and get "me" time is overwhelming. Most of the time I enjoy the ride. (and when I'm not, Diet Dr. Pepper and fries seems to help).

Later bloggies! I've got to capitalize on Holy Grail Time AKA dual nappage of the kids so mommy gets a nap too!!

Halloween fun!

2011-11-11T21:12:00.000-06:00

We seriously had the best Halloween ever this year! Cade has been in love with pirates since Jake and the Neverland Pirates took over Disney Jr. I have secretely been so excited for him to get into pirates since I was nursery shopping and saw the cutest little pirate themed boy's room. I searched and searched at fabric stores and online and found this perf little costume on Amazon.com. Another huge BONUS of the costume was that it was silky and soft just like pj's. After last year's refusal to put on his puppy costume (aside from the one pic I managed to snag at the pumpkin patch) I knew I'd have to figure out a costume that he'd be comfy in. (And that would look cool with the checkered Vans, of course).

So we planned the family costumes around our little pirate. For Cade's first Halloween we dressed up as Lion (Cade), Dorothy (Mommy) and Scarecrow (Daddy) from Wizard of Oz. This year we stayed with the Peter Pan / Jake and Neverland Pirates theme. I rocked a Forever 21 green tunic and black Loft leggings and Nick snagged a costume from the Halloween store at the last minute. (I picked up the Hook hat and facial hair at US Toy for so cheap!)

Devyn's costume was the most effort. I bought the mint green long-sleeved onesie from Little Lam boutique in Richardson. If you haven't been, take yourselves there. Be prepared to drop some money, because there is some seriously cute clothes for babies and toddlers.

Mom and I then headed to JoAnn fabric and discovered the sequin trim courtesy of Disney, it's legit Tinkerbell sequins. Yo ho! (Or as Cade says, "Ho ho, mateys!!") We also layered a super shiny white and lime green tulle and sewed a baby tutu. I used stick on rhinestones to blig it out between the layers. We used extra sequin trim to make a headband and stuck on a big pink flower clip I already had. She also got a cute little pair of pink ballet slippers with pink flowers from one of the baby showers, they were the perfect finishing touch!

Luckily Devyn woke up enough to trick or treat. She's such an early sleeper, she loves to go down between 5:30 and 6:00pm!

Getting Cade to smile or even "Argh!" for the camera was impossible!! He was so happy that everyone was playing dress up with him.

After I was done laughing at the shoe covers/faux Hook boots I fell in love with my husband all over again for totally making Cade's life by surprising him in the Hook costume. Cade's reaction was so sweet, he was so so happy!

Confession. Turns out $3 sticker facial hair doesn't really stick. I had to glue stick it Nick's face. No real facial hair or skin sacrificed in the process.

Our first house. People really do give away candy. For free. All of the neighbors just give it away. For free!!! Mind blowing to the Cadester.

Proud Grammie and Lolli getting some pre-festivity lovin from Devyn!

Growing up

2011-11-09T00:30:00.001-06:00

I've been feeling distant from Cade the last few days and it's been hard for me to pinpoint why. Last night as we were getting ready for bed it hit me. He's is growing up on me and it makes me uncomfortable. I'm not sure I am ready for this three year old to emerge. He just turned two and a half last month. The difference in him astounds me.

Some days I am frustrated still by trying to decode his toddler language. The syntax makes me sometimes feel like I live with little Yoda. You know he's speaking English but you have no clue what his point is. You guess, but you are always wrong Young Jedi. And this little Yoda ain't so patient!!

He has his little life figured out. There is a plan and opinion for everything. If Mommy's idea for what to don't match his, watch out! The dragon or pirate will then hiss at you or swing his sword your direction and say "no Mah-Me.". The way he chops his syllables when he's not pleased will really make you question your actions. Then you take a breath and resize you're in charge because you are the grown up.

Tonight little pirate done broke my heart. I was changing him into pj's and I kissed the back of his arm....pause. I ow, back of arm is strange but I make ita practice to kiss all the sweet little spots I can now while A. They are still cute and not grody, B. He is too young to remember Mommy smothering him with affection every chance I get, and C. Because life is too damn short and the child is irresistible. Okay, play. So I kiss the back of his arm and he recoils. He wipes his arm and puts the kiss back on my mouth. Shit you not. Then he says "no more kissing, Mommy. Too much kiss."

Um. croak!!! I started to tear up. He just looked at me like, "what? That's a reasonable request." and I couldn't respond other than cry a little and say,"Too much kiss? No such thing." as I dejectedly put on his pj's and stared at those cute tiny toes. Then I remembered. I'm Mommy. I will decide when there is "too much kiss". Not today, little man. Not today.

Pumpkin Prep

2011-11-02T21:31:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite family traditions from growing up was carving pumpkins. My brother and I would each pick our own perfect pumpkin, taking into consideration perfect shape, color, texture, and extra bonus points for a cool, intact stem. We would sketch various designs, lay out the newspaper, mark our pumpkin designs and begin to carve. Mom would save the pumpkin seeds and bake them to get toasted just right. The smell of raw pumpkin, then toasted seeds for snacking, and smelling a candle in a lit pumpkin on the porches at Halloween is all part of the experience. I was pumped to carve with Cade this year! Nick gets grossed out by pumpkin innards, so it was all me!

Cade doesn't quite get it yet that all of the neighbors will be giving us candy.
Candy?!! At houses! That's silly!!!

Mommy and Cade Dragon go, "Pbbbbbth!"

Guess who inherited Daddy's gross-out-pumpkin-innard aversion? He actually said "Ucky, Mommy! No touch, go it away!"

Hard at work at sticker pumpkin. He was so serious and so artistic. I laid out a midi-pumpkin for Cade with glittery foam stickers. He went with a star theme. So adorable. *And awesome fine motor skills to peel those stickers all by himself while I carved away! Bonus!*

As he said the other day, "That's Cade's pumpkin. Pretty stars. Green is my favorite!"

I am LOV-ING the little monologues he gives these days. Sometimes I can't understand half of it, but I'm always impressed when I can. Both with his talking skills and my mommy translating skills! ha! He serioulsy is growing up so much that I forget he's just a little teeny tiny boy. You'd think that spending my days with nine and ten year olds would give me more of a reality check with how little Cade is, but he seems so grown up. I can have real conversations with him now! Love it!

Devy girl enjoyed her bouncer and staring at the sunlight and flirting with us while we worked. (And MAJORLY flirting with her Daddy!) What is it about babies loving light and shadows? She has really blossomed that last few weeks in the way she shows her love. She is so attentive and loves to just make eye contact, read your face and give you a slow, sly grin followed by her "happy noise" (words can't describe it) and then maybe a little baby giggle.

She is just content. If I had to pick a word to describe her this day, it would be content. Happy to go along with whatever fun the family is having. Happy to just look at her brother lovingly. Happy to listen to Mommy's stories and try to vocalize back. She's our little happy girl. I hope she always stays that way!

Here is our little punkin with the final happy pumpkin! The teeth were supposed to stand out more, but one slip of my knife made them more like baby teeth. I guess that's apprope for our house of toddler & baby!

Happy holiday prep for the kids = Happy parents for having another fun memory!!

Getting all "Pinterest" up in here!

2011-10-30T11:49:00.001-05:00

My fave hobby of the year has been the discovery of Pinterest.com and working on my online bulletin board "collages". It definitely has lit the DIY spark in me for everything from holiday decor to trying new recipes to sewing Halloween costumes and planning parties for the kiddies.

Special shout out to the Martha Stewart collection at JoAnn fabric for helping me achieve the DIY-look I was craving, haha! *cheater* So I'll also share where I found my finds, like a good little blogger.

Mantle decor

Fall berry garland: Paul Michaels in Canton, Texas, $10ish last year

Wire pumpkin candle holder: Gift, Kohl's

Quatrefoil candle holder with mango candle: Bath and body works

Toile planter and faux flowers: Michaels, last year

Fleur-de-lis knick knack, part of a set gifted to us, Kirklands

Hurricane: Hobby Lobby, filled with decorative balls from Pier One, and Candy Corn

Mini pumpkins: $3 each, Target
Mickey Jackolantern: gift from Lolli, Walgreens
Green glitter skull: $1, Target Dollar Spot

Scarecrow crunch: Quaker Oats cereal, mini pretzels, raisins, candy corn, Reese's pieces, and orange flavored popcorn (from Pop It!)

Fruit kabobs: strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapes
Cheese & Ritz kabobs: pre-cut mini cheese "sandwiching" a Ritz
Skeleton & Pumpkin picks: Martha Stewart collection, JoAnn Fabric (super sale with coupon)

Pin the nose on the witch was a HUGE hit. Note to self -- next party, make 30 noses instead of 8. The kids had a total blast spinning in a circle three times then pinning the nose on the witch. Each kid's pin got major giggles. (Speaking of pins, I suggest you "pin" these fun ideas to your Pinterest boards! hehe)

Green and black posterboard, Dollar Tree ($0.50 each)

Black & red marker: in my craft closet

Crayola mini's glitter : in my craft closet

Noses: Fun foam, Dollar Tree, $1 for a pack of 12 sheets

Masking Tape: in my junk drawer

Pumpkins at the Arboretum

2011-10-06T15:01:00.001-05:00

Today was another perfect Mommy day. With less than a week left of maternity leave, today Cade turned 2 1/2 (Happy half birthday little man!), and Devyn is 2 1/2 months, I've been emotional. The perfect fix? A trip to the Dallas Arboretum. Every year we have taken Cade, and this year was Devyn's pumpkin debut! She rocked it, no?

Conductor overalls?? Yummy!

This year there was a storybook theme. Here we are in Cinderella's carriage.

Um, we are DEF 2 1/2 months today. Had Grammie been counting on us to go, we would have stayed home with the tearful morning SOMEONE had. This pic is his mood entirely. Sad, yet intrigued. Pouty, yet precious.

My God. That lip. That sunflower. That mini pumpkin. It's too much. He is absolutely too much. My love for this pouty little prince knows no bounds. You want to simultaneously spank him and give him the world. I've never known feelings like this could exist before my love affair with my son.

Grand Aunt Shanon, Grammie and Devyn strolling through Crepe Myrtle Alley. This place is absolutely stunning, if you are in a rotten mood in Crepe Myrtle Alley you have issues. So, literally five minutes later this was said Poutster.

Sheer joy and elation! Oh to feel that happy because you have a stick and a hill to run down. (Yes, my child runs with sticks.... I dare you to try to stop him. You start with "Honey, don't run with the stick, that's dangerous!" and then you go to "Cade, put down that stick please" then you say "Cade, no stick. Put down!" (I don't know why, but I find myself trying Caveman Talk when he's not listening) finally you shrug and say "Um, be safe when you run with the stick!" and decide to devote your time to saying Hail Marys.

Cade found love by the old oak tree.

Use her and lose her, man. Typical male.

Pumpkin love.

His fave gourd o' the day! He even kissed it :)

Mommy's new haircut. Oh, and Mommy's presh children.

Grammie's little girl. Sweetest pic o' the day!

Swim Swim Summer!

2011-10-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

As evidenced by the pic above, we had a swim swim summer with Captain Cade the Fearless. We took him to the Plano public pools, which he adored. Shout out Tom Muehlenbeck!!! You are the best public pool I've ever seen. I don't have many pics from the public pools, but we did get some fun shots from Lolli & Papa's pool. Cade can swim for nearly two hours, jumping off the side, swimming to you and turning around and swimming back to the ladder. Fish man.
I'm so glad I have kids that love to swim (I'm guessing Devyn does because I totally swam with her while I was super pregnant -- even the day before I was induced... Insane I know, but that's how much I love to swim. I was totally coming up with the courage to tell the lifeguard "Clear the pool, my water just broke in it", which was a horrifying thought but would have made for a badass birth story.) I digress...

Checking out baby sister girl in her "lounger".

First Family Portraits

2011-10-04T08:31:00.002-05:00

A few weeks after Devyn was born, we dressed up the fam and went to Studio One to get our first family portraits made! (And hopefully score some presh pics worthy of birth announcements...more to come on that in a later post!)

I decided that we needed to wear the colors we look best in, blues, and let Devyn rock it out in pink! So after a full day's shopping at Northpark I was able to use outfits Cade & Devyn already had (plaid shorts and navy polo for him, a white and pink ballerina-esque ruffled onesie for her) and buy new shirts for Nick and I. Usually I'd shy away from mixing patterns but the colors were all so perfect together, and my Pinterest studies of photography boards and blogs gave some courage to try it, and I must say--- family fashion success!!

Standing in this pose felt super awkward but turned out to be my fave pic once I saw it!!
FYI: Holding a nine day old for pics and trying to get her face and a toddler smile was incredibly difficult. She slept through the whole ordeal!!

Sweet baby girl

The Cadester

Things I liked about Studio One: The photographer was quick, got lots of cute pics to choose from, she totally knew how to work with Cade --- who happened to be so excited to explore the studio and run all over the photo area. Thank God for their ladder and her feather duster which he loved! She formed a bond with him and made him comfortable, which I really liked.

Things I didn't like: They had a time schedule and what they promised on the phone for the family shoot was not what they delivered. I expected an hour, we got thirty minutes. I expected to get the shots I wanted, the photographer had a set list of poses that the Studio is known for and hit every one of them... my suggestions threw her off. I got all the shots I wanted minus one. We didn't get a brother/sister shoot because the manager came over and hovered then tapped her watch then told us we needed to be done. I was pushy momma and insisted I get my solo shots of my newborn!!! I'm grateful I did, the whole mission o' the day was to get a family shot and newborn pics for the announcement. I did want a bro-sis pic for the announcement, but I had a sweet shot from home that worked just as well.

MAJOR thing I didn't like: I had no idea how much it was going to cost me. The Living Social deal was for one shot only, so we used those prints for our family pics (24 prints of 1 pose for $29). But ordering any other poses was going to cost us. The original package they put together? $896!!! Um, NO. I don't want my husband to divorce me when I come home with that "deal of the century", or whatever the psycho photog called it.

So I asked if I could just buy the digital images on CD..... Take a guess at how much. Did you guess $455?! I shit you not. I asked her what the "a la cart" prices were (my devious brain already forming a plan involving a stupid kid at the CVS photo counter). She pulled the numbers from her damn head. There was no list of prices. Shady, shady, shady. But here she was....sitting in front of me with a slideshow of my babies scrolling across the screen and sappy sweet music playing softly in the background. She had me by the balls. If I wanted to leave with the pics I'd have to cough up some cash. Hardball momma came out, I ordered the pics I needed and all is well.

Help Mommy!!!....aka "chores"

2011-10-01T21:33:00.001-05:00

Cade loves to help me. Like loooooooves to help me. And for the most part, like 99% of the time, I'm all about it. (the other 1% being when we are running late and trying to get in the car).

I found a cool link on Pinterest about chores toddlers can do from 18 months plus. I'm uber proud to admit he's been doing most of these for quite awhile, and he even does some other things not listed. I hate calling them chores, because to my boy, these are super special helper jobs. Special activities he gets to do "just like mommy". In fact, he even asks, INSISTS even, to help Mommy.

Mommy helper jobs Cade does:
1. Dusting tables and chairs with rag

2. Matching socks — also a good skill for teaching concepts of "same" and "different"

3. Handing Mommy safe unbreakable items from dishwasher

4. Bringing safe, unbreakable dishes in from table, clearing table

5. Putting safe, unbreakable items on table (napkins, cups)

6. Picking up toys

7. Putting trash in wastebasket

10. Putting clothes in hamper

11. Handing adult an item from grocery bag

12. Wiping windows with cloth and spray bottle filled with water

13. Setting the table

14. Clearing table

15. Putting dishes in sink or dishwasher

16. Drying dishes

17. Bringing newspaper in from outside

18. Wiping spots on kitchen floor with wet rag

19. Putting books on bookshelf correctly

20. Helping water garden

21. Assisting adult in the kitchen with measuring, pouring dry ingredients, stirring and mixing

22. Carrying small bags of groceries

Mommy helper jobs we will now try:

1. Wiping baseboards with duster or dry rag

2. Taking laundry to appropriate room — tell them where the items go and see whether or not they remember after the first few times you do this chore with them.

3. Putting stuffed animals on bed in the morning

4. Pushing laundry basket to appropriate room

5. Sweeping small messes with hand broom

6. Put away laundry in correct places — teach him how to carry folded items so they won't come unfolded

7. Sort laundry by family member

I can't say that Cade does each of those above things every day, but they are just things we do together. If I didn't involve him in household tasks (ugh, okay okay, "chores"), then I'd be losing quality time with him. When we do this stuff together it's more fun for me, he feels like a big boy, and I get to do my favorite thing, teach him new stuff. We love doing stuff together. Sometimes I make the chores a game, but he's so used to it and so curious, he seeks out doing this stuff. I love (and hate at times) when he says "help you, Mommy!" and scoots his little hair next to me in the kitchen. He loves to use measuring cups, mix things together, and make salads. I feel bad when dinner is me reheating leftovers and he's got his chair ready to help and there is nothing for him to do. He gets sad when he can't help. Obviously a trait he got from me..... I don't see Nick getting off the couch and crying because he wants to help me. Ha!

I want my son to be a guy who just does these things without thinking about them. A guy who picks up after himself and lends a helping hand without being asked or complaining. In other words, I'm grooming him to be a perfect husband. As soon as he's old enough to drive, I'll teach him the value of bringing home flowers for mommy "just because".

What chores did you do as a kid?

You know you're a mommy when...

2011-09-27T10:36:00.001-05:00

You know you're a mommy when you wake up at 6:15 and you realize usually your newborn wakes between 5:00-5:30 for a morning feeding. At first you fist pump in bed, nearly clocking your peacefully slumbering spouse, thing maybe today is the day we get back on track towards STTN*. Then you panic, a knot the size of a golf ball forms in your throat and you choke back tears..... What if she's not breathing? SIDS and cancer, my two biggest mortal enemies in this world. When this panic sets in I have one of two reactions: leap from bed, knocking the dog on the floor and Jackie Joyner Kersee my way to the crib OR lay paralyzed, terrified to go check and place my hand on her chest to see if she's breathing. I wanted to make the hubs go check for me, that's how scared I was...but he doesn't need to depths of my crazy.

Thankfully I started to hear sweet coos coming through the baby monitor so I brushed my teeth (infants don't deserve to face the morning dragon, their little bodies can't handle that) and pulled my hair into a knot and went to get my princess. My. God. You should have seen the sweet smile and silent little laugh she does where she pushes her chin down and you see like 3 more little baby chins below that gummy smile. On anyone else that smile would be gross, but on her it's my heaven.

Cadester was already up and graced us with a twenty minute morning cuddle before he declared "sunny day OUT side!", which is our cue to turn on Mickey Mouse and brew the coffee. So when hubs had to leave for at the same time Devyn and Cade needed to be fed, I knew I'd be in for morning suckage. (which, for those of you who don't know, is defined as two children needing different things from one parent at once). I wasn't sure what would happen, but I decided to nurse Devyn first. I was peacefully settled in the rocker with her on my Boppy pillow, we had just gotten comfy when Cade comes in and stands in the corner of her room. And stares. At us. Now I'm a gambler, I've decided he will not have memories of Mommy Milk time when he's grown, but for one hot minute I thought he was on to me. Then he grabbed a handful of diaper and said "poo poo pants, Mommy". I didn't smell anything, so I said "do you need to go potty?" He got so excited and said "yes, Mommy! Potty, Mommy!". So he runs to the bathroom, I look at Devyn and we take our show on the road. We perch on the side of the tub while Cade tries the potty. After 3 seconds of trying he declares, "No like this." and pops his naked bottom off... Um, okay.so Devyn and I not so gracefully follow him.

I not so brilliantly ask him if he wants to wear his monster truck big brother underpants. I figured it would be easier to continue to nurse Devyn and help Cade into underpants than a diaper. Let's just say that was a disaster. Cade tried so hard but laid flat naked on the floor with the underpants around his ankles and he refused to try to use his hands to pull them up. I was cheering him on, he was saying "Too hard.". Uggggggh... Then I say "you can do it. Use your hands and pull." (still nursing the baby this whole time). He kicks off the underpants and starts to cry.

You know you're a mommy when you are nursing your infant and your crying naked toddler climbs on your lap for a hug. You feel like a failure because you wanted to nurse and potty train at the same time....idiot!! I felt like shit, he brought me a diaper but I wasn't going to make Devyn stop and start nursing AGAIN, so I told him I'd help him after mommy milk time. I told him he could go back to bed and check to see if Pirates were on tv. The rest of my nursing time (which was supposed to be peaceful) was me praying that the naked bottom boy didn't pee in my bed.

Thankfully Devyn was fed with no spitting up and Cade forgave me and kept my bed dry.

(sleeping thru the night).

1 Month

2011-09-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

One month lambie rug pic. I love the froggy legs that newborns have. Devyn actually stretches quite a bit, and has since we brought her home from the hospital. I just love this face and little body.

Mommy remembered to accessorize!! I love the star onesie adn the big huge bow. I can't resist it. I tried so hard to capture her smile, but this was as close I could get to the fleeting one month old's gummy smile. Here she was amazed at my face peeking around the camera. We had guys in the next room laying tile, I'm sure they were wondering WTH this crazy white lady was doing in the next room.

The mini cake was made from my friend Jessica's mom, Sally. She made the most adorable diaper cake in the history of the world, I hate to use it, so I left this top layer as a monthly sign of her age. I hope she likes it and doesn't tear it up the way Cade did his paper monthly signs. He ate it, he tore it, he threw it. I'm hoping the "cake" idea has enough novelty to last us quite a bit as she grows this year. Gosh, those sweet lips!! Don't you just want to kiss them?!

2 a.m.

2011-09-14T21:03:00.001-05:00

My favorite time of the day is now smack in the middle of the night. We have SORT OF gotten a "sleep schedule" so now I can SORT OF predict the favorite time.

Side note: notice how it only took EIGHT DAMN WEEKS to establish something resembling a normal life? Notice how reluctant I was back there in the intro paragraph to use absolutes lest I jinx my "sort of schedule". You see, infants love you to fly by the seat of your pants. Hand over the keys, Momma, Baby is driving! Cross your fingers and hold your breath... I want this to stick. Um, okay, unless said infant decides to STTN, then that can stick. (what the F is "STTN", you ask? It's the holy grail, motha! Sleep Through The Night. Defined as 6-7 consecutive hours of sleepage for the Momma. Holy grail, lovers!)

Back to the topic at hand....2 a.m. is my fave time. I've just gotten five hours of consecutive sleep and so when Devyn cries, my aching chest longing to be relieved I am more than happy to cuddle her and nurse her in the most fab rocker glider of all time. A. It's pink B. It reclines. Your rocker can go suck it. So I nurse her, check Pinterest, play Words with Friends...it's bliss. I dream of her future and I get so excited for all the little things. Her first dance class. Putting her hair into pigtails the first time.

Seeing her sweet sleepy face all milk drunk I get super high on love. It's unreal. Her face is just so precious and it takes me back to my time when Cade was an infant and I'm in heaven. I gently kiss her head, say another prayer for her, and lay her back down in her bed. then I tiptoe into Cade's Room and see him sleeping soundly, occasionally talking or whimpering in his sleep. My God, how can I possibly love these two so much? I whisper affirmations in his ear, smell his hair (I'm creepy like that), and kiss his forehead. I go back into Devyn's room, kiss her again, and then tiptoe back down the hall. Praying to any God that will listen that they sleep 3 more hours. As I crawl in bed I lean over and kiss Nick and tell him I love him. Hell, I even grab the dog and cuddle her tight to my chest and tell her I love her too. Everyone in the house is perfect at 2 a.m. I always hope Nick will wake up so we can talk about all the ways I love the kids (never gets old, I adore being able to say "the kids"). He never wakes up enough. He mutters something that sounds close enough to "love you" that I curl up in the duvet and fall asleep.

I don't know what I did to deserve this life, but I'm loving it. Absolutely nothing goes unappreciated these days. Living full of gratitude is the light.

Park Playdate!

2011-09-08T21:06:00.000-05:00

Cade with his fun friend, Liam. I love that these two are old enough to play together-ish (lots of the typical two year old side by side play) so I can get in some good mommy chat time. And bonus- the boys love cranberry slushies from Sonic!

My son is fearless. A fun trait when you're two and quite agile. A terrifying trait when you're sixteen and have a car. Any tips on how to give your kid a healthy dose of fear? I'd like him to fear the wrath of Mom & Dad, getting in trouble with the law, failing a class, the pervy man by the playground, not keeping his room clean, jumping off tall buildings, drugs, and hooking up with girls. These are things I'd like him to fear. A lot.

Climbing a playground, meeting new friends, asking a cute girl to prom, trying new foods, putting yourself out there, doing what you love, taking a risk on a good (and safe) idea, saying no to your friends' dumb ideas. These are things I don't want him to fear.

The balance of fear and joy. How do you keep them innocent and playful and not afraid to strip down and run through the water splash pad? Adults don't do that. Kids have no reservations about running full speed, spinning, drinking the water, screaming and squealing with the delight. If I did that I'd get stopped by the cops and tested for public intoxication. If I did that my mommy wouldn't be there with a towel and a cool car so I could nap it off on the way home.

I wish we could all live like toddlers. If people don't get the words that are coming out of your mouth, they just smile and agree with you. If you burst into song for no reason or quote your favorite movie or suddenly decide to pretend to activate your Buzz Lightyear jetpacks and fly, people will go along with it and play with you. Life with a toddler is so damn fun if you go along with it.

Wouldn't you love just an ounce of this joy? I wish with all of my heart that he has memories of how happy his childhood is, and that I can give him many more days and years of happiness.

Hanna Barberra got it right

2011-08-27T12:09:00.001-05:00

Today we have discovered the Boomerang channel by Cartoon Network. Boomerang plays old school cartoons. I feour pure joy at seeing a cartoon start with the roaring lion and the brag line " in technicolor"!!! You know that equals some greatness. Aside from nostalgia, there is another reason to appreciate these cartoons. The creators of these had parents in mind. Characters don't even talk in these shows! The soundtrack is instrumental, classical music. Kids learn the difference between staccato and legato. Kids learn to read facial expressions and body language if the characters to derive meanings and emotional context of situations. No Baby Einstein needed.

My favorite perk of the old school cartoon.....the creators had the foresight to know that naming a show "yo Gabba Gabba" and having characters with ob-nox-ious voices and lame catch phrases. Ever see Wonder Pets? The damn show has a duckling with a lisp. And it comes on as I'm cooking dinner. Highly dangerous considering I'm weilding knives and hot pans when I hear those voices. Oh, and the lack of character voices and theme songs means I don't run the risk of having said theme song stuck in my head at 2:00am. This happens every time we watch Caillou, which is banned from my house. "I'm just a by that's four, each day I learn some more.". Shut the F up, Caillou! Why are you still bald, you little punk?

I'm convinced that the evil geniuses who create today's cartoons are a modern mix of advertisers (who know how to brand the shit out of something so you can't go to any store without seeing a tempting $15 Mickey Mouse tampon your toddler HAS to have) and druggies who know that Backyardigans are f'ing sweet to trip out with. That does me no good either.

I have major beef with those who try to "bring back" my favorites but end up totally bastardizing them. My Little Anime Pony? 3D Care Bears that don't ride in cloud cars and do the "Care Bear Stare"? Where the hell is Inspector Gadget when I need him? Bring him back!!

Another unexpected perk of old school cartoons? The moral lessons. These Puritan creators scare little minds into doing good in life, lest they end up in hell. Check out Bugs Bunny. Ever notice how Yosemite Sam is always going to hell? And it's hilarious to see who they run into down in hell. I just saw an episode that was mafia themed. Bugs has to outsmart Babyface and gang. It's violent as, well, as hell so I don't know how it ended, but it was totally going to be good times for parents. I guess it was old school Southpark.

One benefit of today's cartoons is the emphasis on education and making sure our kids don't turn into fatties. Thanks to Dora Cade can speak Espanol, Mickey taught Cade to count, and Special Agent Oso has taught Cade how to blow his nose, brush his teeth, make salad, and buckle up. (Oso is our family favorite!).

Just like all things in life, we need a balance. I just hope Disney and Boomerang brings back some more old school favorites. Original Mickey Mouse Club, Care Bears, and even some Maya the Bee would be nice. Until then, we will be a loyal Disney channel family. With occasional trips to Sprout for Sesame Street who keeps it real AND keeps up with the times. (Bert and Ernie do CSI skits! Hilarious!!)

What are your favorite old school and new school cartoons? Any beef you have with modern cartoons? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Big Brother Love

2011-08-24T09:51:00.001-05:00

There are no words... I just adore the special smile Cade has just for Devyn. I never have seen thsi smile until I saw him look at her. He has a special way about him whenever he looks at and talks to his Baby Sister Girl.

Whenever Cade talks to Devyn, he starts the conversation with a kiss. Wouldn't you love to be loved that way??

Sweet hugs. He loves to sing to her. His special song for Devyn is "Wheels on the Bus".

1 month old

2011-08-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

The onesie says "Dreamer", so appropriate for her mood during her first monthly birthday photo shoot:) My God I love this sweet little pink baby.

Baby Sister Girl

2011-08-24T08:17:00.001-05:00

It's been one month!! Our little family of 3 is settled into a family of 4 (okay, as settled as you are one month after adding a new baby into the mix). These pics are from our first night home with Devyn. Our sweet little lhasa-poo-poo Izzy was SO excited just as she was with Cade. I don't know if I blogged it earlier, but Izzy knew I was pregnant. She curled up with me right around my belly and she was more protective of me when people came into the house. She's just the best dog EVER! Just like we did with Cade, we let her sniff and kiss the baby and gave her lots of pets and cuddles as she did. So, we kind of took the same approach with Cade.

I'd had a summer date day with Cade where we grabbed Starbucks and hung out at Starbucks chilling with books. I bought him two book about being a big brother. We read them almost every day and talked about being a big brother. He didn't really seem to care. He knew the baby was in my tummy (and often thought the baby was in his tummy too) and helped get the new nursery ready. I tried to take him the newborn nursery in the hospital but that has now been blacked out at our hospital, no viewing of newborns allowed!!! Anyways, he got a baby doll and we practiced being gentle and loving. We prepped like it was the BAR. When we were shopping one day, Cade bought Devyn a little Sesame Street Abby Cadaby doll at Nordy's. He decorated a gift bag for her and we wrapped it together to give the baby when she was born. Her first birthday gift!

Well, he passed with flying colors! Before we bought Devyn home we had the kids exchange presents at the hospital. Cade didn't quite know what to think that Devyn had gotten him something. Is it possible my 2 year old called "Bullshit" on Devyn shopping for him? She got him an Elmo doll. (Although Mommy wanted her to buy Cookie Monster, it appeared that Cade was more excited by Elmo at the time, so she chose Elmo). It was kind of presh when we were leaving the hospital, me carrying Devyn, Cade carrying Elmo. He ran to the nurse station and proceeded to tell the nurse that his baby got him Elmo. God bless the sweet nurse who engaged him for a couple of minutes! It was so cute.

Cade showed Devyn her nursery when we got home. He even is sharing his lambie rug with her!

Seeing him love her and talk to her is the best thing in the world. Any new mom will tell you they never want their newborn to get bigger and grow up. Now that I'm on baby #2 (despite that, for now anyways, we feel like our family is complete) I cannot WAIT for her to be big enough for them to play. I think of all the fun stuff my brother and I did and I want that for them. I can't wait for them to both be cuddling in bed with us, opening Christmas presents together, their first lemonade stand (or colored acorns;), playing in the rain together, getting grounded together. I love to cuddle little ol' her, but I am excited more than I thought I'd be about them being kids together!

My favorite moment so far is the family going to Devyn's first doctor appointment. Cade was kinda psyched that the dr would be seeing Devyn, NOT him... So he was right on the table with her most of the visit. After she got her vaccine and started to cry, Cade came over to her, petted her head, kissed her and said, "It's okay, Baby Sister Girl. Big brother here." Best. Moment. Of. My. Life.

Dear God, please let them always look out for each other and love each other. Let them know how blessed they are to have each other. Let nothing come between them. They are each other's First Best Friend. Let them stay this way forever.

Rock-a-Bye

2011-08-14T02:00:00.001-05:00

The clock says it's 1:48am. I hear the soft "click, click" and I feel perfect peace. In the soft light of my rock lamp I can't help but smile as my little bundle snuggles in my arms post feeding. Occasionally making little kitten noises as she stretches and snuggles back into the sweet spot at the crook of my arm. Heaven! I love it when a little dreamy giggle escapes her lips. Oh I would pay so much money to get a glimpse of her little newborn dreams. What makes her smile in her sleep? I am dying to know.

Part of me is distracted by the wonders of my late night Googling. Most of me is consumed in the perfect cuddle with my daughter. I am a recovering addict of the newborn cuddle. I had almost grown past this insatiable desire as Cade got to be an active wiggly toddler. Now I can't pick what I love more. Snuggling I'm. His twin bed. Hearing him say "'mon on, mommy" and pat is bed for me to "come on, lay down". Then reading him a story and having his little arm pull my neck in close to his and feel the pressure of our warm bodies, and hear our hearts beating together. ...ll. Or do I love this? Holding her close to me, milk drunk, smelling her downy peach fuzz head and kissing it all over without her waking up. Feeling so lucky when she curls her fingers around my pinkie. Now I'm getting my fix from two powerful drugs: son and daughter. Toddler and newborn.

I just came across a beautiful poem. An ode to a mother's rocking chair. Sounds silly, but it's beautiful. And perfect. And everything my life is right this moment. Thank you to Leslie, from aroomsomewhere.com for sharing this!

"Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
hang out the washing and butter the bread,
sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo).
The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
and out in the yard there's a hullabaloo,
but I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep."

Devyn's Birth Day

2011-08-09T07:50:00.003-05:00

Almost 3 weeks post birth, I'm finally able to grab a second to blog Devyn's birth story. I've wanted to write about it since the minute it happened, I was so amazed with how different it was! By amazed I mean, that I'm still waiting to wake up from my perfect dream delivery and beautiful baby and be stuck back in the labor and delivery room with killer contractions and feeling EV-RY-THING like Cade's birth.

My fabulous mother-in-law, Lolli, came over early in the morning to watch Cade while Nick and I were at the hospital. Thankfully we were able to get a "before" picture....Can't lie, I felt like I was getting my first day of school pic made. I definitely had those butterflies and anxiety of knowing the next year is going to be so different, but so AWESOME! At least you hope so. You think you're ready for this, you've told all your friends that you've got this in the bag and you're going to rule the school this year. You smile for your mom, but you kind of want to run and cry just in case your day is scarier that you had thought.

Eventually we made our way to Plano Presby (I couldn't stop hugging and kissing Cade and Izzy and giving Lolli instructions, nervous wreck!) and we checked in with Gold Tooth and got registered. Luckily we ended up in Room #10. (Turns out had we ended up in Room #8, there was a highly likely chance there would be a VERY interesting and unusual birth story according to nurses & my OB).

The pitocin was started at 9:00am. After watching the Today show for an hour I decided laying on my back was too uncomfortable. One of the lessons I remembered my prenatal yoga teacher (before I became a prenatal yoga dropout) was to move around, your whole pregnancy you are discourage from laying flat on your back and the first thing "They" do when you go into labor is put you flat on your back. So I spoke up and asked to move into a more comfy position (something I didn't do in my naive pregnancy #1, thinking "Doctors and nurses are experts, I'll trust them".... dumb move: speak up and get even better service!)

Nice nurse #1 moved my bed and I was so thankful. I told her "I will do whatever you say to get this baby to come out faster and smoother"! She said "Lets try this then" and moved the bed into a super weird, but suprisingly comfy position. Nick called it "The catcher's squat", I called it "Happy Buddha". The idea was to give baby room to move down. I was so happy because all the pressure was instantly lifted off my back and sciatic nerve.

Zenned out prego. My nurse and OB thought I was too happy for someone who had been on Pitocin all afternoon. I dared them to up it, but they said to wait until they broke my water. I had a million billion assurances that this delivery would be easier. Something about my lady parts being a gravel road during Cade's delivery and now a paved superhighway this time.

Anyhoo, Zen prego only lasted so long. I was "allowed" to "eat" juice (I know, "eat juice"...grr) or jello or water once an hour. And I could only pick one! But ice chips were unlimited. F-you! I'm about to do a dang IronMan in here and I only get juice, water, or Jello? Where's my BURGER!?! Oh, and Vent #1: nobody comes in when your hour is up and asks you what you'd like to eat this hour. You have to remember that for yourself!! I'm sorry, but a little service in the food area would have been appreciated!

Lunch of champions below.

Disclaimer: Nick snuck me 4 renegade Reese's Pieces. I credit those little bad boys and the Jello with my unbelievably fast delivery.

So I had come up with a game plan with the anesthesiologist the day before. Problem during Cade's delivery was that I didn't feel my legs but I did feel Queen Victoria. I felt her open those gates let her army tear through the walls of the castle so to speak. Epidurals work differently for every woman every time, but I was assured that if you wait as long as you can at least the relief the medicine provides is measurable compared to the pain you were feeling drug-free. We agreed that once I couldn't breathe through my contractions I'd request the epidural.

At 2:30pm my contractions started to get tricky. It had felt like a doable workout, almost laughable all morning, how easy they were. "I can take more, give me more!" But by 2:30 I had to work through them. Previously I had been pacing around my room, did lunges, stretched my legs. Watched Devil Wears Prada and Sex and the City. Crunched ice. Now I was laying on my side and breathing through them. I told myself I had to go an hour longer than I did with Cade's labor before calling the anesthesiologist. That was supremely tough to even make it to 3:00! Oh, and somewhere in there, Nice Nurse #1 was replaced by Nurse #2 (who later earned her "Nice" title). I was so disappointed! Nurse #2 said Nurse #1 had to leave unexpectedly. Um, without saying "Bye!" ? What the f, Nurse #1?? I thought we had bonded! And there you go, leaving my high and dry, no baby and no goodbye. I felt used. Laid up there in my open booty hospital gown and not a goodbye. Luckily I had my faithful Pitocin painful contractions and "breathing through" to distract me.

So at 3:00 I had the nurse call in for the epidural. After AGAIN signing away that I understood the epidural could paralyze or kill me, 45 long minutes later, I got my magic juice. I was concerned howevs, that I could feel my right side. The anesthesiologist and nurse helped roll me to my right side to let gravity bring the juice to the right side. It worked and within 5 minutes my nurse suggested we try a practice push. "Now, if I say 'WHOA' that means STOP Pushing, got it? If I say, 'WHOA' that means Stop right away and we'll get your doctor here STAT". Um, okay, lets practice!!!

I pushed, which didn't even feel like a push that's how magic this juice was, and halfway through the push the nurse says "WHOA!!!" and she runs to the phone and instructs Nick and I not to talk, laugh, move, breathe. Um, cool. I'm good at being quiet. My boss is laughing hard right now if she's reading this. I'm the teacher who gets told to hush during staff meetings.

My doctor instantly appears and casually says "See, I told you it would be faster?! Lets go!" All of the sudden, the Showtime overhead lights are on and there are nurses prepping the baby warmer and everyone is suddenly covered in gloves and masks. My spa-like hotel room has now instantly transformed into a delivery room. So weird.

So my dr says to push and I push through one count to 10 and she says "Great! Look down, she's halfway here!" No shit?!! Liar!!! I look down and there's my baby! "Push again, this time nice and easy, very slow" I give a tiny little push really slowly and she's out!

It felt like several minutes before I heard her beautiful cry, but there she was, perfect and tiny and I didn't even FEEL A THING! For real. I would tell you Cade felt like the Ring of Fire. Devyn wasn't even a tiny little fart. She was so easy!! And cute!!

I was so happy my hair looked decent. I mean, so happy my baby got an Apgar of 9.9! I was so amazed at the whole experience. Tests on the placenta showed no signs of the CMV I was exposed to having been passed to the baby, Thank you God! Devyn looked just like Cade, so incredibly exciting!!! And she was and is as sweet as can be. Mommy's little honey cakes. Daddy's little princess. Cade's little "Baby Sister Girl" was here!! It was one of the best days ever.

And I even got the hospital's BLT AND my daddy bought me a big juicy Gazeebo burger and fries! It was a perfect day.

Hot child in the city!

2011-07-12T08:09:00.002-05:00

I knew this part would be the hardest, being 9 months pregnant with a heat index about 100 every day! One more week to go and I'm trying so hard to make sure I enjoy every minute with Cade. I can't believe that most of our lives Nick and I will be parents of two children. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like and just one month from now we won't be able to imagine what life was like before two kids. We forget that we used to have a life just the two of us. We literally sit on the couch with Cade and Izzy and can't recall what we used to do. We've come to the conclusion that we must have been pretty boring. Of course, we will never admit that to the kids!!

Cade and I had a great mommy and me date yesterday. We started off with breakfast at McDonald's ("donalllllls!!") and grocery shopping. Then we came home and got ready for "swimming pool time" at Jack Carter. Not gonna lie, it was kind of disappointing to be limited to the kiddie pool. Cade fancies himself an advanced swimmer and kept asking me why he couldn't go to the big pool. Apparently the 200 teenagers swimming laps didn't deter this kid! After a luxurious nap for Cade (and lunch & Real Housewives DVR time for Mommy) we headed to a mall play date. Auntie Annie's pretzels for snack?? Yes please! To top off the perfect summer day, Daddy suggested ordering thin crust pizza for dinner. Perfection. And we only snuck out of our big boy bed 3 times!!

The problem with nailing the perfect summer day is waking up the next day and hoping to recreate the same happiness with a different combination of events. On today's agenda? Library time, pool, nap, OB appt, bikini wax. hmmm... something tells me we're not going to re-create yesterday's magic.

Prego vents

2011-07-01T21:32:00.001-05:00

Here we go....prego vents!

I'm clearly about ready to pop. I know you think this means I shouldn't be out in public, but a girl's gotta be places. How about in a crowded mall you MOVE your booty outta my way. I can't just quickly swerve my body around you. Okay, I probably could but it would make me more uncomfortable. You don't realize that I'm 36 weeks pregnant, it's 100 degrees outside, I'm having Braxton Hicks (which means my stomach has temporarily turned to a ball of concrete with a little knee lodged between my tender stomach muscles) and that my body has 40-50% more blood volume, which just so happens to be pooled somewhere below my belly button and above my thighs. MOVE YOUR ASS outta my way!!

I wish people would give me girth. Trust, you will so not hurt my feelings if you keep a good yard away from me. Does my poked out belly button not serve as a beacon to back up? At least it's a small signal that I'm operating at maximum capacity. I may not look like a Mack truck, but that's how I feel.

Another gripe: hurry up. If you see me juggling a stroller, wrangling my toddler (no, I don't "leash" him, thanks for the suggestion, douche), and holding my stomach with white knuckles--- it probably means you should woman up and let me go ahead of you in line. If you're a sales person, just hurry up. Cut the chit chat and upsells. I don't need to be a valued customer and get your emails. Give me your rewards discount and get me outta there.

Memo to salespeople: I get it. I'm pregnant and you asking me all abut it makes you look friendly. It's annoying to me to share my joy in the same three scripted sentences at every store with every "associate". 1- I'm 9 months along 2- it's a girl 3- yes it's super special to have one of each "we lucked out". Do you want me to tell you how I obsessively read every website on gender selection sway techniques, highlighted a book and considered investing thousands in sperm spinning to separate the girls from the boys?

Memo #2 to salespeople: yes, your store has tons of cute shit for baby girls. I don't need you to point it put to me. I'd MUCH prefer to discover the special ruffle butt diaper cover all on my own. It's called thrill of the hunt. And when I spend ten urea debating which baby girl socks: ballerina or Mary Jane style, paisley or butterfly, I am actually highly enjoying myself, I don't want your opinion. It's MY daughter. Not yours. Mine!!!! Tmes like this. Wish I was either a. Autistic and could speak my mind without realizing others were having weird thoughts about me, b. Two years old and can look cute throwing a "mine" fit, or c. 80+ years old so people could write me off as senile when I tell you to "suck it, Missy!"

Whew!!! Shopping prego can be exhausting. Thanks to the salespeople fun-suckers who drained my reserves today. You made my two year old seem like an angel. Oh wait, he is.

Promise

2011-07-01T21:08:00.001-05:00

Sweet baby girl,

I think about you all the time. I dream about all of your faces, your newborn, toddler, and little girl faces. Your happy faces, sad faces, cuddle with your mama faces. In my daydreams I practice how I am going to teach you and comfort you. Being Cade's mom is a dance I learn as I go. Being your mom, I feel like I know more about what little girls and big girls go through, and I know I need to start thinking and rehearsing all the steps so I get this dance right. Is there anything more important to a girl than her relationship with her mom? I can't think of many things that come close. If there's one thing I want to do right in this world, it's to be the best for you. You are always on my mind, sweet lady. I love you so much already, I absolutely without a doubt can't wait to meet you and hold you and never let you go.

I love you!

Love, Mommy

Pregancy in Review

2011-07-01T07:08:00.005-05:00

It occured to me this morning as I was making my coffee, that it's been 36 weeks and I've barely blogged about this pregnancy! Here is a quick recap of the highs and lows:

6 months of trying - Went to the new OB panic-stricken about possible secondary infertility. It only took 2 months with Cade, wtf ovaries??! She did bloodwork and an ultrasound and, sure enough, there was a ripe egg looking good. Little did I know that egg would soon become my baby!

Day 1 - I took my pregnancy test before we went down to Aggieland for our RV trip to see the Aggies BTHO Nebraska! Just had to know what kind of tailgater I would be that weekend. After 7 months of trying, I finally saw 2 lines! Success!! While Nick was at work Cade and I ran to Gymboree to get a "Big Brother" shirt. We kept it a secret until morning.

Day 2 - While Nick was starting the RV, Cade and I ran into the house for "one last diaper change". I put on his Big Brother shirt and we went down to the RV to surprise Daddy with the news. Our weekend o' fun just got way more fun!! We debated how it was going to play out b/c our friends would know I was pregnant when I was only drinking water, but we wanted to suprise our parents at Thanksgiving later that week. Luckily they promised not to text, talk, or Facebook our secret! The Aggies won, the RV was a blast, and it was fun to get to tell our long-distance friends who showed up in person about the pregnancy!

Thanksgiving - As Nick said the blessing he ended with blessing our soon to be family of four. I guess the fam was deep in prayer, because there was like 1% reaction. Then some awkward nodding on Nick and I's part "Um yeah, so we're pregnant again" then the fam caught on! Aunt Shanon made the first prediction it would be a girl!

2nd Trimester - Some routine bloodwork came back and my OB called me to let me know that I'd been recently exposed to CMV (CytoMegaloVirus). Since I wasn't ill, chances are everything with the baby was going to be okay, but I'd need to see a sonogram specialist ASAP. The grueling MLK weekend loomed, so I spent the next 4 days Googling CMV and becoming horrified at the possible complications: miscarriage, major developmental and immune disorders, stillbirth, children with 2 year life expectancies, the works. It also occured to me since I was at 16 weeks that we could possibly determine the gender at the ultrasound too. Having had two close friends recently experience miscarriages and wondering if I'd get my wish for a girl I was a hot mess.

16-20 weeks - The ultrasounds turned out good, developmental measurements looked normal. We could see in detail the heart, brain, and other organs were developing typically. Thanking God I said one last quick prayer for a girl as the sono specialist peeked between baby's legs and the 3 lines were revealed -- GIRL!!! As we left the office I broke down into sobs in the hallway. Healthy baby girl was more unbelievable than winning the lottery at that moment, and even now I still question our luck. The chances of any child coming into this world as a typically developing healthy human being truly restores my confidence there is a God and He is good.

Week 20 - 25 Name Debate. We love Caitlyn, but "Cade and Cate" just isn't going to happen in this house. On the way to see the latest Reese Witherspoon movie with Mom we play around with names. I love Dylan (the name of my precious first student ever) even femmed up for a girl. And then I play with the name and come up with Devyn. All through the movie I picture a little fairy of a girl named Devyn and fall in love. We get back to the house where my dad is watching Cade. I excitedly tell him I think I've found a name. He asks me "Isn't that a black name?" Umm... it's not exactly LaQuisha, Dad. Thus begins my 5 week waffling. I buy a baby name book, Google every name out there. I consider Olive, Claire, Madelyn, Poppy, every girly (and random)name out there, but keep coming back to Devyn. I even forbid my mom from saying "Devyn" until I am firmly decided. Nick loves the name, his confidence helps me. We decide on Devyn Alexis.

Week 25 - 30 Nesting instinct even more intense this time around. Now that I know maternity leave isn't a bunch of free time to get stuff done around the house I know that each and every closet and drawer and cabinet in the house must be in supreme organization before this baby gets here! The closets have never looked so good. (Most of them.)

Week 32-35 - School's out for the summer!! Time to get cracking on moving the baby furniture to the new nursery and bringing in big boy furniture for Cade. Transition to big boy bed, painting the room, installing new white doors (my belated Christmas present of '09), sorting through old baby clothes....whew!!

Week 36 - Last week I had my final monthly ultrasound. Baby is still a girl and still growing strong. In fact, her estimated current weight is at 6 lbs 6 oz! wtf?? that's a full term baby! I can't be still 4 weeks out. My OB and I talked it over and decided we'd induce at 39 weeks to avoid birthing another 9 lb toddler. We set the date for Wednesday, July 20th! Now I know when to schedule final hair appointments, wax, mani/pedi's to prep for the big day:) Baby Girl, I can't WAIT to meet you!!

Indoor Safari Park

2011-06-16T07:17:00.004-05:00

Indoor Safari Park, what's this you say?? My thoughts exactly. When our play date with some daycare friends got thwarted the other day by the overcrowding at the clown show, another Mommy suggested we pop down the street to the Safari Park. In my prego (air) head I was envisioning trees and live animals and jeeps cruising around indoors somewhere. Of course, my next thought was "Is this mommy crazy?!" Turns out the owners of this fine establishment have done their best to replicate a true safari experience. Ball pits included!

Uh-oh, where did Cade & Eva go?? (If you can't tell by the cute behinds, they are birthday neighbors! Only born 1 day apart!) There are two huge climbing structures that both have fun slides that the kids can go down into big ball pits. It was awesome, this hidden gem/gym isn't too popular (yet!) so there were maybe ten kids playing here the 2 1/2 hours we were there, most of them under 5 years old. So perfect! I didn't have to tell one big rowdy kid to "watch out for the babies!", which earns another gold star for this place.

The "Safari Guide" occasionally comes over the loudspeaker and announces different events going on. I think what took us most off guard was "Now it's time for the animal rides!!" Um, I didn't see any live elephants or horses or whatever when we walked in. We all shrugged and grabbed our toddlers and followed the Guide over to another play area where we found a track and four robotic stuffed animals to ride. The other kids rode the zebra, Cade rode the elephant. (Not sure what that other creature is in the background, the great African buffalo perhaps?)

Another announcement led us to their train, which Cade had ZERO reservations about! Conveniently, we were at Collin Creek Mall earlier today and Cade noticed the train there. This sucked for me, because no other kids were in line to ride it, I did not have the exact $2 in cash it costs to ride, and I did not want to squeeze my 8 month pregs bootie in that train! I had to convince him it was "broken", to which he perseverated for a good 20 minutes including the ride home where he said "Train broke. Daddy fix" to which I totally agreed that "Yes, we will have to come back with Daddy so he can fix the train". Mommy guilt was totally erased when we got to ride this Safari park bad boy a good 3 times!!!

Cade was in HEAVEN, and I was all about getting to sit down and watch him be an independent player all by himself! I could actually enjoy mommy chit chat while he played, awesome!! We didn't discover until close til the end that there were also about 8 play tables of wooden trains, pirate ships, and other wooden toys. The place also has mini-golf and a painting center and toy store, which we didn't even bother with. So, the $9.99 price that originally shocked me was so worth it. Only complaint is that the big "Papa Johns" sign at the "snack bar" didn't come with a free slice of 'za and Coke. (for Mommy, obv I would have wanted some veggie sticks for the kids...) Snack bar was nothing more than a glorified vending machine.

Total play date success!! So excited that we discovered this place the first week of summer so we can partake a couple of more times before summer is over. Perf for rainy days or ozone alert days! So so excited about this discovery!

Prego Bridesmaid

2011-04-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

My dear friend, Stefani, got married April 30th and I was so honored to be a part of her wedding (and not be asked to leave when I told her I'd be 7 months pregnant!). Being a bridesmaid you totally want to be at your best to support your friend and the marriage. Being in my third trimester I was exhausted but we pulled it off! I even got to rock my own bridal shoes again (silver with some bling) with the dress. It was so fun being a bridesmaid when all the girls have been best friends for 15+ years (most of us met in sixth grade!).

So, baby girl was officially in her first wedding (and at her first bachelorette party, we will keep those pics off the blog!) She makes for a great date. Was totally able to score an extra piece of wedding cake to "feed the baby". :)

Texas Wildflower pics

2011-04-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

Dyeing time!!

2011-04-23T21:26:00.001-05:00

After last year's PAAS fiasco, I was going to be certain to A. avoid that brand, and B. wait before 8pm the night before Easter to dye Easter eggs. Fresh up from naptime, Cade and I sat down to a table of Disney Toy Story egg dye & a batch of 18 hard boiled eggs & got to work making Easter. I opted for the "add 3 tbs vinegar" option to make for super bright eggs. Our eggs turned out GORGEOUS (proof to come), but we were left with dyed pink hands. After Googling "how to remove Easter dye from hands" (previous search today was "how to hard boil eggs")

Turns out the magic combo is baking soda + water + lemon juice. You won't notice any dye coming off your hands at all. In fact, after a good 8 minutes of scrubbing and playing with this paste, you may even start to have visions of your son 15 years from now gearing up for high school football with pink hands. You give up, because you have a birthday party to get to, and an hour later, no kidding, hands are totally dye free. On retrospect, this kind of scares me about the power of baking soda + oxygen over time....save that topic for another day, huh?

Here he is oohing and ahhing over his "cool" purple eggs & then seeing the effect on his fingers. I love that face and those lips. :) Happy Easter everyone! Better hop to bed so the Easter bunny can come.

Visiting the Easter Bunny

2011-04-17T20:29:00.001-05:00

Today we went to visit the Easter Bunny!! Last year we did Cade's pics with the live bunnies at Northpark Mall. It was tres adorable, but this year, being a big 2 year old, we had to check out The Man himself, Mr. Easter Bunny! We spotted him hanging out at Willow Bend Mall in the most adorable garden scene. Cade was impressed from the moment he laid eyes on him! (yay -- no scared screaming toddler pics!)

I spy the Easter Bunny!

Hi Bunny, nice to meet you!

Love at first sight. So you mean you bring good little boys colored eggs filled with CANDY?! AND you will fill my basket with toys and treats??!! I LOVE you!

Cade's 2nd birthday!

2011-04-07T08:03:00.000-05:00

What better time to catch up on blog posts than summer? Lets flashback a few months to April! I know I already blogged about how hard it was for me to watch Cade grow up to be a 2 year old. Official toddler time. Only one more year til he reaches "preschooler" status, at which point I may just need some help breathing.

We planned a little family party for our boy. Last year's 1 year old bash with all of mommy & daddy's friends was a little overwhelming. This year we had the party again at home, and it was Toy Story theme, his FAVORITE movie ev-er! We had snacks and cupcakes and balloons and presents, it was perfect for our little man!

The whole fam came! Cade's godmother Amanda & her mom, Maryann, Grand Aunt Shanon, Gigi, Lolli & Papa, and Grammie & Grandaddy. Mommy & Daddy surprised Cade with a big red crab sandbox! Aunt Kelly and Uncle Eric got him a ton of diggers and dozers and he got shovels to play with too. He is in heaven when he's in his sandbox playing construction man.

Aunt Kelly & Uncle Eric

Papa & Lolli

Great grandmother, GiGi!

Little Buggy

2011-04-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

My little buggy, my little love bug, my widdle man! I can't believe you are turning 2. I sit here crying just thinking about how I'm going to stop my heart from bursting (and trying to figure out how to balance a laptop around prego belly with kicks). If I'm having a hard time accepting that you are TWO, imagine the train wreck I will be when you go to kindergarten or off to college. I'm sorry sweetie, I thought I'd be the cool mom. I was just having a hard time thinking that soon you won't need me anymore. Which is silly, because only I understand your words, what you want, and only I look forward to diaper changes. Even the stinky ones where you say "poo poo" and hold your nose and say "yuck!". Gotta love it when we're on the same page. When I first laid eyes on you I couldn't say anything else besides "He's so beautiful. He's perfect" and Oh God, how you've lived those words every day of your life. I'm certain that no other mom just gets her breath taken away by her little man as much as I do when I look at you. Whenever I've had a dark moment, and there have been several since you've been born, you've lifted up this family and carried us through. As much as I hurt and regret at my Boppy and Uncle Steff not getting to see how amazingly perfect you are, I know that you have bits of their fun, smart, loving personalities in you and that makes you so special to me. Yesterday at daycare my heart broke when I could see you were sick and you burst into tears when you saw me. I loved it just a little because I am the same when I see the person who has come to take care of me when I don't feel well. All this talk about you growing up and you still need me! Amazing, and I love it! Tonight you fell asleep on my as I sang our song and it was so perfect. That's what I've been afraid was lost forever and tonight I got it back for a little bit. (um, thanks fever/viral infection!) I could rock you in my arms forever. I love you little boy, more than I can ever describe. Happy last day of being 1 year old! love, Mommy

Big Bloggie News!

2011-03-27T20:01:00.003-05:00

Being a working mom has totally killed my blog drive this school year. With Cade being more active than ever, the free time is zilch to catch up on my stories for you. So, that being said, I'm excited to blog that "We're having a baby GIRL!!" I'm 22 weeks pregnant, due July 28th.

We were trying and trying this time. (And trying for a girl, which is a bit of a science... I have the book by Dr. Shettles and several weblinks of strategies) Finally I had to come to terms with the fact that I can't play God and I had to be happy with having another boy if we were going to try again. One of my biggest lifelong dreams is to have a girl, so this was scary and real. The gender issue aside, about 13 weeks into this pregnancy I had some bloodwork done, the typical stuff...then I got a call from my OB saying that my bloodwork indicated I was recently exposed to CytoMegloVirus (CMV) and that I'd need a sonogram by a specialist ASAP. Of course this news came Thursday before MLK holiday, so I had to wait 5 days to get the sonogram. Everything looked good at that point (and in my 20 week sonogram), but we're still going to have monthly sonos just to check that development is on par.

At that early sonogram Dr. K gave us a 95% chance we were having a girl. As soon as we got into the hall outside her office I cried and cried. Healthy + girl was more than I had expected. We went back at 19 weeks for another check and again we got the "healthy + girl" verdict. The weight of the world felt lifted from my heart and shoulders. I'm very aware of the delicate nature of life and am very overwhelmed by our blessings so far. So overwhelmed sometimes that I just don't feel deserving or like what we've been blessed with will last. That's been my biggest challenge the last few months. Working on feeling worthy, trusting in God and having faith in my family and our future. So as therapy, when I'm questioning what the future holds, I go to Baby Gap buy some little girl outfits, then come home and look around at the home we've made and our little family and fall in love with God all over again.

23 months

2011-03-27T19:13:00.002-05:00

A pre-bath naked baby run is one of the things you look forward to when you're pregnant. You think to yourself, "How cute is that? I want that!" Then it happens and it takes your breath away a little bit. No way I would blog actual naked butt pictures, just take my word for it. It's freaking awesome. Side note, when in life is your butt ever more perfect than your butt when you're a toddler? No cellulite, no dimples, no man butt hair, no sag. It's smooth, sweet, and smells like lavender baby wash. Somebody tell me how to reclaim that butt I had when I was 2. I could use it now;) Cade's first year we took monthly pics on his lambie rug. He used to fit in the circle of the belly all stretched out. Twenty months later this is what we've got. Sitting still enough for a 2 second picture is difficult for a toddler, but the upside to that is that you've got some pics of what he actually looks like when he's in his own world. The devilish grin below I just love. He doesn't bust this out except when he's teasing us, and we can't help but smile back.

We got his hair cut on Spring Break and lost that Beiber fever that everyone loved. It got a little shaggy (we even went 2 weeks post those cookie pics below if you can imagine). So Friday of Spring Break mission #1 was to get it cut. I took him to Cool Cuts, per recommendation of every boy I've ever taught at school. He was all about it until he realized he had to sit still and get a trim. (I read somewhere to call it a "trim" not a "cut" so your toddler doesn't think his head is getting amputated or something, whatev, guess I'll say "trim" now) Thank God I had mommy ammo -- fruit snacks and organic lollipops, and that Cool Cuts had their own brand of ammo -- a large DVD case featuring Toy Story. Score!! He refused to wear the cape and sit in the car. So he sat on my lap and got sheared and I got covered in fluffy hair. Flexibility is the key to motherhood. So I went with it. Eventually. The stylist asked if she could use clippers. I practically slapped the woman, but quickly realized that he'd never get the clean cut boy next door look with scissors only. $15 later we had Crew Cut Cade. LOVES IT!!

Nick and I can't stop staring at him and how different he looks, so older, so preppy. So ready to turn 2 in just 11 days!

He's still our baby boy. Never again will he be 1. The rest of his life will be measured in years, not months. The rest of his life will be yearS not year!! Jeezzz... Guess I'm ready for it. He's not waiting behind in land of the 1 year olds with me, I better march on with him into the rest of his life.

Spring at the Arboreteum!

2011-03-21T21:32:00.000-05:00

One of my very favorite things to do with Cade is to spend a spring day at the Arboreteum. It's a beautiful, peaceful place and so much fun to snag some spring pics of my fave little man.

Who stole the cokkie from the cookie jar?

2011-02-20T09:04:00.000-06:00

Okay, so Daddy gave him the Oreo. But for some reason he was so sneaky and irrestibly cute having his Oreo moment that I had to take this series of pics!
When we went to the store a week earlier after our snow week Cade was running through the aisles, having a blast. It was perfect because we were able to restock our fridge and let him play, there was nobody in the store. (Side note: It blew my mind that the store was practicly in apocalypse conditions.... low on veggies, zero bananas, zero potatoes of any sort. wtf?!) So we made our way to the cheese & cookie aisle (random set up, right?) And Cade stops his running and dancing and brings me a pack of Double Stuf Oreos. Of all the cookies he found the family favorite and just brought it to me for approval then stuck it in the cart!! Nick and I were cracking up, this kid blows our minds sometimes. Such a smart boy to distinguish from all the cookies and then also distinguish between normal Oroes and the clearly superior Double Stuf! Atta boy, Cadester!

Train Lover!

2011-02-05T15:50:00.000-06:00

We had an uber-pleasant surprise on the way to eat at Babe's Chicken House in Frisco in January. As we pulled up we saw a big, black t(out of service) train! Cade nearly jumped out of his carseat, his feet were kicking a mile a minute and he was squealing and clapping his hands. Luckily we beat the rest of the family there, so we played on the train and track for a little and I scored some uber-cute pics of my man.

Anyways, if you've never been to Babe's, you're missing out. It's the quintessential Texan-style food I live for. It's set in a huge barn with dim lighting, cowboy music, long wood tables and mismatched chairs. You know you're in for a good time when they bring you out a bowl of butter and big vat of honey to go with your meal. You order one of their five fried meats which come heaped on a family-style platter with all the sides they offer, salad with a sweet vinagrette, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, buttery corn, rolls, and little bowls of homemade honey mustard. I guess the dim lights hide the gorge-fest that happens at every table. Of course I wasn't thinking when I invited my vegetarian aunt and health-conscious grandmother in law, but even they seemed satisfied (I tried the pot-roast, never liked the stuff before in my life, but LOVED hers!) The waitresses do the hokey pokey, which Cade loved but didn't quite get. Perfect place to let your toddler run around, hell--- it's a barn.

More pics & stories to come! Using the snowed in time to catch up:)

Snow much fun!

2011-01-09T17:08:00.001-06:00

After bundling up in our Husker red, the fam went outside to play today! Cade loved seeing the " 'now " and wanted Izzy to play. She wasn't having any of it, despite also being bundled in a red sweater.

Mommy made Cade a snow toddler (refer back to last year's Snow Baby)... It's the best snowman on the block, but at least we're improving each year! Snow Cade has Veggie Stix hair, Oreo eyes, a Tootsie Roll nose, and licorice mouth. Yep, we're well stocked for the blizzard with candy and cookies.

Close-up of Snow Cade.

Holy Feats of Cuteness, Batman!

2010-11-18T20:53:00.002-06:00

Hello month 19, I LOVE YOU!!! Nobody prepped me for the adorableness that is Cade Andrew Lamb at 19 months old. Some of my favorite moments from this month so far:

- Cade finding Izzy for his ritual morning or evening snuggle and kiss. He doesn't stop kissing her and she doesn't stop kissing him. It's too much.

- When he tries to pull me up by grabbing one of my fingers in each of his fists and leading me to our king size bed for Smash Time. Daddy drops him in pillows and we have a family wrestle, Izzy included. Usually ends in a cuddle.

- When he tries to pull up Nick and I for dance time. Usually to Glee:)

- He says "Hi" and does the little Cade wave (opening and closing his hand).

- The different animal noises he's mastered cracks me up. Horse, cow, sheep, cat, dog, snake, turkey, elephant, and today, frog.

- His love for all things boy: fire trucks, airplanes, bulldozers, cranes, anything John Deere, baseball, schoolbuses, people falling down or crashing or otherwise getting hurt

- When I turned on the Husker game and told him "It's football!" He kicked his foot out in front of him and said "oo - ball"

- He bellies up and sits on the coffee table and despite me saying "Oh no, get down", he slid off and then bellied back up on the coffee table and then clapped for himself and giggled. Soo deliciously naughty.

Ups & Downs

2010-11-08T20:32:00.003-06:00

What a Monday...

I've been so busy with work and Cade's slow march into the Terrible 2's that blogging time is way cut short these days! Figured I should take some Mommy Time to document our life these days.

Nick and I have gone back and forth and back and forth about whether we are going to just accept that Cade wakes up between 4:45am and 5:30am OR if we continue the never-ending battle of Sleep Training. It's crazy. And no, I don't need comments about how your little precious has been sleeping til 8am since they were 4 months old. That's not the situation we've got. We've got a baby who is totally fine on 7-8 hours of sleep. That's like an adult. Children through age 19 need like 10 hours. wth do I have a toddler who sleeps like he's 25? So yeah, it's a cup of tea.

No really, it's a cup of tea. There is no time for wine or caffeine past 5pm. It's literally Mommy's 8pm cup of chamomile... I've even had to go off the Melatonin, and my faithful boyfried, Tylenol PM, because the 4:45 wake-up time is NOT cool with a sleep drug hangover.

So, I adore my child. I can't stand how much I have the overwhelming need to kiss, hug, tickle, love him. We were having a blast tonight cooking dinner. We turned on the 90's music channel on TV. We jammed to La Bouche (drill team tryout memories!), Britney's Crazy, and some Counting Crows (college library flashbacks). I whipped up an A-MAYYY-ZINGG chicken zucchini stovetop stuffing casserole of goodness. Then I realized as Cade cried in hunger and boredom at his before dinner snack that the casserole delight wouldn't be ready for another 30. Damn. PB&J it is, my man! NOT. Homeboy cried and cried. Cried so much the casserole was done, then he refused to eat it. Hi, Terrible 2's. I hate you.

So we give up on dinner and go to bath mode. It was fun we found toys, he hugged me to stay warm as the tub filled up. Then as soon as I put him in he cried. Then he peed in the tub. Bath over! We got in jammies and lo-and-behold Dancing with Stars was on. Jennifer Grey was rocking her um, Ginger Rogers dance? And Cade couldn't take his eyes off it. So I copied their moves as I held him. He giggled, held on for dear life and giggled some more as we danced. It was so sweet.

Luckily the crying stopped long enough to just heat up some milk and a muffin (the kid has GOT to eat, drives me crazy when he's not hungry) and cuddle him to bed. Lord knows we needed some guidance from above on crazy days like this, so I read the Baby Bible to him. We reviewed Adam and Eve, discussed David & Goliath, and hell, he was out wayy before I got to the Last Supper. It was bliss to not even finish one book and have a halfway sleeping baby who didn't request oh, 5 more books. (Seriously, he's a reader.... needle in my eye, I mean, I'm proud. Very proud of this "habit".)

Anyways, bloggies. They call it mother's love because you don't quit when it's hard. You keep pushing forward to get to the good bits. It was all worth our 90's music, our dancing, and the post bath huggle.... until 4:45 tomorrow that is;) Then it starts again.

Fall at the Arboreteum

2010-11-07T06:06:00.002-06:00

18 months old, hanging out at the Arboreteum with Mommy & Grammie. (Yes those are baby Converse!) It was the most gorgeous day!

Cade tried to sit on pumpkins, it was pretty funny when just after this he sat on a gourd!

My favorite pic in his puppy Halloween costume! He ended up not liking the hat with the ears this day, but he did rock the costume and we got the smile for this when he started to drop the pumpkins and then laugh. Luckily, they didn't kick us out.

Even more luckily, we got these cute pics! On Halloween night he did NOT want to get into costume, so we settled for our puppy jammies. Note to moms of 1-2 year olds, buy jammies that could double as a costume in a pinch! Turns out the 80-degree Texas Halloween night was not a match for our fluffy costume.

I just can't resist this pic below, my fave of the bunch!

kiss Lambie! kiss Mommy!

2010-10-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

18 months old, and he did it! Although he is battling a sinus infection and an eye that makes him look like Quasimodo, Cade kissed Mommy and Daddy tonight. He's been blowing kisses for quite awhile, and now we're at 100% for making the smack noise and moving the hand away from the mouth. (for awhile there it was fun enough to just suck on the hand or a finger and then wave with the other hand)

Last week he kissed his Mickey Mouse and then when I said "Kiss Mommy" he kissed Mickey then made Mickey kiss me (kiss smack noise included). It was really cute.

Tonight we were playing hide and seek on the Lambie rug, Cade was hiding in his blanket and then surprising me. And I asked for a kiss. He kissed Lambie first, then he kissed me. Then Nick came running in and he kissed Nick. Then he walked to his air purifier & I thought he'd kiss that and spoil the moment, but he didn't. So happy kissing lives on! We hope he saves it for us, and not all the girls at school.... more details on his mackin' ways to come.

Until then, night night bloggies. Dreaming of more kisses in the morning.

My Best Friend's Wedding

2010-09-19T07:03:00.003-05:00

2010's whirlwind of activity for our family kicked off with my best friend's wedding in July. She got married in Austin at a really sweet, pretty venue called Casa Blanca on Brushy Creek. In fact, her amazing wedding planning skills and eye for details were featured in Style Me Pretty's blog, check out the Austin Wedding post here

Ivy Weddings, from our favorite family photographers who did Cade's 4 month pics and baptism photos (http://www.mattandivy.com/) captured Cade in his precious ringbearer outfit. Luckily Amanda was the perfect picture of bliss and laid back bride and loved the cute things Cade and the other ringbearers did as they made their way down the aisle. (Thanks Grammy for becoming an impromptu member of the wedding party as you walked him down the aisle! Also special kudos to Grammy for rigging a velcro baby-size tie that perfectly matched my bridesmaid dress!)

Amanda & Kris also had the genius idea of having a photobooth at the wedding. TNT Photobooths was amazing, they had set up a table nearby so guests could cut & paste their pics into a photo album and write a message to the newlyweds as a sign-in book. Um, way better & more fun to look back on than the satin, ribbon tied, lined guest book we had at the wedding. The photobooth totally kicked my traditional feather pen's ass! The killer part I didn't realize was that a week after the wedding they emailed us a link to our pics, so we could download them ourselves. Thanks, TNT photobooth for the cool digitals! http://www.tntphotobooths.com/

We had a total blast at the wedding, Amanda was gorgeous and Austin was a blast! I loved that since Amanda is my oldest friend, I got to reconnect with some of the people she's kept in touch with since elementary school. For whatever reason our 5th grade class got pretty close and we all have amazing memories of elementary school. Anytime we run into each other we catch up on the other kids we went to school with and crack up at the "remember whens". I'm fascinated by things that stick in people's minds as memories, so catching up was a really good time.

After we did her wedding, we came back to Dallas for a couple of days and then headed out to San Diego for our family vaca... more pics to be posted on that. Sorry the blog is jumping around a little, since we left for her wedding life has been a mile a minute with trips to Calfornia followed immediately by school starting and daycare germs and family sick days and another trip to California, to today. So... hang on the ride as I catch up on my posts. Eventually I'll go back and post-date so things appear chronologically. For now, enjoy the pics:)

Fever, Vomit, and Viral Infection---oh my!

2010-09-06T06:03:00.002-05:00

So 3 weeks ago I had to go back to work and Cade had to go back to daycare. He is staying at the same wonderful school, they have moved up his class and added a few more kiddos. So he's got a mostly familiar environment, just new teachers and a few new kids in class. What's even better is the teachers we fell in love with last year are right next door and have promised to watch out for him for me:) I love those ladies! And am starting to fall in love with the new teachers too.

Aside from all that, I'm also loving being back in the classroom---despite the whirlwind of stress and excitement that is the start of a new school year. Howev the first week of school for him brought home a runny nose. In the middle of 100 degree August weather---this didn't bode well. The second week of school for him was my first week back with kids. Monday, 10:30am (yes, that's first day of school with kids Monday) I get a call that he has a fever and he needs to go home. I am not one who enjoys to panic when we have A Situation...but I panicked. I was on the phone and had rounded up Cade's Angels. Lolli (mother-in-law) picked him up and Daddy met them at home. Daddy and Lolli took turns watching him the rest of the week. Turns out it was a viral infection Monday & Tuesday, and had morphed to an ear infection by Wedensday. He was fever free for 24 hours by Thursday, so Friday we sent him back to school. He seemed to be a little bit better.

Saturday I snuck him off to the mall to get a surprise photo sesh at JCP for Daddy's birthday. I thought I was so clever getting his pic made in his 12th man jersey holding a football. He would NOT have any of it. Stranger danger, runny nose, crying...it was no bueno. We actually had to go home and try again in the evening. That also was no bueno. We did a couple of good shots, will post soon! Gotta scan them.

Saturday night at 1:30 I woke up to Cade coughing. When I went to cuddle him I was met in the hallway with a STENCH. I looked in the crib and saw Exorcist baby. Vom everywhere. All over him, his face, his hair, Tipsy his cuddly giraffe, little lambie, his entire crib. I felt very smug when I removed the sheets and was saved by the four layers of crib protectors. I ran a wash (and I was NOT panicking, v calm mommy). I ran a bath and confused Cade went with it like a trooper. We could not go back to STENCH nursery, so I laid out some crib protectors in my bed and we cuddled in there with some Pedialyte and back-up best lovie, Bob the lion (from the San Diego zoo). He fell asleep for 40 minutes them cough-vom. I ran more laundry. Cade got another bath. (Again in his hair, how the hell?!) So maybe we weren't ready for the Pedialyte. I gave him just one tiny sip of water the last time...an hour later. Rinse & repeat.

By 3:30 we were back in my bed with all crib protectors in the house now in the wash, along with most of the sheets in the house...cuddled up with a sheet and a beach towel. We had called Grammie 911 so she could tell us her Grammie wisdom & Google advice and decided if it got to dry heaving we'd go to the hospital. No fever, just vom. We tried so hard to go back to sleep but Cade was begging for water. I was scared to give it to him again for fear his tummy wasn't ready, but after he got 2 teeny tiny sips down he was calm enough to sleep. For the first time in months we slept until 8:00am.

By noon the kid was like new, and Daddy and I went thru the rest of week feeling GREEN. Monday was Nick's 32nd bday, he opened gifts and went to bed at 6:30pm. Tuesday I fought nausea at school and came home and got in bed at 6:30pm. Finally by Thursday we were feeling okay again. Our appetites are slowly coming back. Hopefully the class at Cade's school is OVER the bad germies.

Now, on to the next challenge: Nick & I spending 3 week travelling apart from each other. Cade might have 2 parents at home at the same time for a total of 3 days in the next 3 weeks.

Maybe when October gets here we will be back to our "normal" routine! For now, we're in Survival mode:)

Airplanes

2010-08-18T20:32:00.002-05:00

We have discovered a new love, AIRPLANES!!! On our trip to Coronado Cade discovered airplanes. Seeing as though there is a naval base on Coronado, it was pretty much a given. We saw airplanes at the beach, on our balconies, and all over town. From inside our house he would hear an airplane, point to his ear and then try to go outside to spot it in the sky. He got so good at this he would often spot a white airplane the size of a speck in the sky before the rest of us would. He quickly picked up the airplane sign (similar to the "I love you" hand but move it up and down by your head).

He even paid attention during takeooff and landing on the way home. It was cool to have him notice something other than the tray table and lights. But more about flying with a baby later.

On tv today he saw a plane on the news (thanks Steven Slater!) and he was so excited, got down from his little table and chair and did the airplane sign and did his quick step in front of the tv. Gotta get it on video for you, I know.... So if you see me YouTube-ing airplanes for Cade or spending Saturdays at the airport, now you know why.

What he learned this summer

2010-08-11T21:14:00.003-05:00

Time for the periodic skills update... Now that I've been home all summer with him (minus the eleven days stolen from my summer for district trainings and meetings...grr) I feel like I can take some credit for this skill aquisition. I mean, I love my daycare ladies, but c'mon...2ish months of me with my son has paid off. Here are some of the ways he blows my mind these days:

1. Crawls over and under chair rungs in some elaborate over/under army obstacle course fashion.
2. Baby signs out the wazoo: hat, shoes, head, bird, stars, plane, fly, more, outside, book, milk, want, ball, bath, please, bubbles, dog, drink, gentle, light, noise/hear, quiet, stop, rain, sleep, toothbrush, wait, where (that's 28 that I can count that he does on his own and in return to us!)
3. Goes to get his toothbrush and brushes his teeth (and steals Mommy's toothbrush. He's SO the only person on this planet that can get away with it without me throwing up)
4. Colors with crayons. on paper.
5. Swims! Isn't afraid of the pool, jumping in the pool, the ocean, seaweed. He can "monkey walk" along the edge of the pool to get to the steps the whole length of the pool. Not so much a fan of the backfloat, but we've made progress.
6. Dips. Not tobacco, but thanks for that vote of confidence. No no. This kid dips his food into a variety of condiments. Salsas galore, ketchup, pico de gallo, yogurt. Haven't exposed him to Ranch yet. That evil will be saved for later. This kid dips his Cheerios, Mum Mums, grilled chicken, fruit into whichever dip is on his plate. We've seen some interesting combos too. Strawberries in ketchup is kind of common. Just because it's on the plate, doesn't mean you do it, buddy.
7. Climbs. Cute at first, not so cute when he's hanging off the fridge like a little monkey or sitting on your coffee table like a little Buddha.
8. Waves. To freaking ev-ry-one. I like to do in & out shopping. Okay, that's an outright lie. I like to quietly, leisurely stroll through Target, Kroger, CVS when I need a quick tampon run, Taco Bell. Instead we have made friends ev-ry-where. I'm anti-small talk and this kid traps in small talk circles everywhere we go. "Oh Hiiiiiiiiiii, baby! Well aren't you cute. Yes you are, yes, you are so cute. [I stand there smiling, then smiling awkwardly at being the third wheel to this lovefest, finally they look me up and down to verify, yes, I possibly gave birth to such a gorgeous creature, baffling, I know, and then] "How old is he?" I quickly calculate (as if they'll know the difference) "16 months" Then I have to put up with "Oh, so he's not 2 yet? No. hmm." And then they give me a rundown of their grandchild's size and they tell me if they think Cade is big or small for his age. I don't know why I'm paying my pediatrician. If my insurance knew he was getting examined at CVS when all I wanted was a 2-second Playtex run they would be pissed that I still go to an actual pediatrician.
9. Growing teeth skills. This kid cuts teeth in pairs. Always has been 2 at a time after that first tooth popped through. Now he's cutting 4 at a time! So much for my sleeping in summer baby who was waking up at 7 blessed 30 back in June. Now we're up at 4:30 and again at 5:30. I can't complain, at least he is getting this teeth business out of the way FAST.

Night night bloggies. I can't EVEN begin to think of more skills. I'm sure he's got some cool other things going on worthy of reporting, but I'm exhausted from recalling small talk...and waking up at 5:40.

Ode to my Uncle Alex

2010-08-02T00:11:00.000-05:00

Our trip to Cali would not be at all complete without a visit with Uncle Alex. Alex was in LA for a conference and drove down to San Diego to stay with us. We went out to Pacific Beach and hung out the first day, which was one of our summer haunts when we were growing up. Cade was 9 months old when they last saw each other at Christmas, so now at 15 months he's got some skills to show off. (Cade, not Alex, that is) Nick & I both think that Cade looks like his uncle, so it was cool to see them together. Mom says Cade acts just like Alex at this age, both scary and funny for those of us who know Alex. It makes me wonder what kind of boy and man Cade will be when he grows up. Here are the pics, enjoy.

Cade's amazement at pigeons and the crappy (literally) fish gutting station on the pier.

Like uncle, like nephew. Or something like that.

I was also quasi-teary on Cade's first day at the beach. He was kind of hesitant feeling the sand on his bare feet, but as soon as the water hit his toes he was running into the waves. We were cracking up, Stunt Man Cade at it again! He kept doing his sign for "more" and pointing to the water and saying "dat-dat-dat-dat" ("that-that-that-that"). So much for the thought that we would just walk along the beach to acclimate him to the new scene. Crazy kid. Gotta love my beach boy!

He definitely impressed Alex and seemed to fall back in love with his uncle the last few days. Thanks Uncle Al, for making the trip down! Miss you already!

-little buddy

Northpark, how I love thee!

2010-07-27T07:18:00.001-05:00

So I've made it one of my life's missions to make sure my offspring love malls & shopping. In fact, after Cade was born I made sure his first mall experience was the Northpark experience. Only the best mall in Dallas (although Galleria tries).... Here are the reasons why I love Northpark. (and hate people who say "You drive all the way there?") Um, I didn't move to the suburbs to stay in the suburbs. I strategically chose a home that has easy access to 3 major highways so I can get around Dallas. People who live in the DFW area and stay in their suburb bubble are lame, and that's not me.

Wow, I really got off track there! Okay, so back to Northpark love.
1. This mall has the best stores. The Dillards here has a huge shoe section, and brought in the most amazing swimsuit selection ever. Um, if I can brag about a swimsuit collection given the trauma of swimsuit shopping you know it's good. Even better at 50% off!

2. The mall has a great movie theater. With real popcorn. By real popcorn I am referring to the fact that they scoop it fresh into your bag from the popper. Unlike other places that place it under heat lamps and then try to pass it off as fresh movie popcorn. I don't think so.

3. This mall has a Dallas Public Library in it, with fun little crawling playthings for my baby.

3 1/2. Puzzles galore and climby stairs and gorgeous murals! Me likey!

4. The pretty art. The floors are shiny and gorgeous and the art is amazing, and they bring in art. So you're getting a cultural experience also. You'd think Cade is running towards the art, but actually he notices the "up up" and the "down down" (AKA escalators).

5. The awesome food court with comfy chairs. You can get a fajita taco, Sonic drink, snappy salad, or crepe all in one food court. Their restaurants are also amazing, but I save my money for clothes and food court it.

6. The awesome bathrooms. You think I've gone to far, but if you are a breast-feeding mama you appreciate my tips from my months of experience (now over!) and you appreciate that I know that Neimans, Nordstrom, and Barneys are so nice to their nursing patrons they have special couches and seating areas. And they've raised their prices so high, you're not tempted to buy everything you see.

7. The Ann Taylor Loft here formerly had a Maternity section, now it does not. Which is sad, because Cade might want a sister one day and I might need to use it one day. Howev, I am enlightened so I put it on this list and spread the word to all you prego's out there to go online and buy, buy, buy their reasonably priced, amazingly fitting prego cardi's, shirts, pants, and jackets.

8. The night scene, dress up, throw on your heels and eat out at one of the fab restaurants. Scenesters of all ages walk the mall after 8pm. If you love looking at pretty people dressed well, this is where you go.

Rain, Rain, Lets go play!

2010-07-27T06:58:00.000-05:00

One of the silly little things I dreamed about when I was pregnant was taking Cade outside to play in the rain. This summer gave us plenty of opportunity. Unfortunately the full on, running through the rain, chasing each other around the backyard, hiding under the trees for relief we were both laughing and yelling so hard wasn't captured on film. Instead, here is the next day, showing Daddy his baby sign for rain. I love that this kid loves the rain and isn't scared by even the most booming thunder. He points to his ear (baby sign for "hear") and then to the sky, looking to me with those big blue eyes like "What's that I hear, Mommy Dear?" (at least that's how it goes down in my head). Enjoy the pics!

Discovering shadows

2010-07-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Cade found shadows today! Here is in the kid's (Izzy and Cade's) favorite exploration place...

He ran away from his shadow a couple of times and it took me awhile to wonder what he was scared of. The weeds, a bug, what? Here he is waving at his shadow.

Gratuitous Izzy shots...

Our puppy princess.

Pump it up playdate!!

2010-07-26T21:23:00.000-05:00

I was so excited to discover that Pump It Up has a Junior location in Plano that has "happy hour" for toddlers. That's right mommas, take your babies twice a week for 2 hours of playtime for kids 1-4. Mommies and Daddies can even play with the kids.

About 30 sec in Cade got scared. I guess the sheer size and loud party music were a little intimidating to little man (a-mazing jams, none of that child band nursery rhyme garbarge....no no. There was definitely some "Tub Thumper" and "Jump Around". If only there had been a little "Whatta Man", my friend Amy and I would have been in flashback central. Minus the hot brothers to stare at. :)

Anyways, Cade was scared but he gradually gave it up and his alter-ego, Stunt Man Sam, showed up. He climbed up this huge ladder to ride a slide with me. It was so fast and fun, we LOVED it!

Discovering that going backwards was a little fun too. Gotta go the wrong way to realize the right way is more fun!

He jumped, banged on the inflatables, rode a toy car, flirted with baby Audrey (former helmet buddies, current beautiful head pals!) He LOVED it. It was so cute to see him chase the other babies around.

A moment of rest before jetting off to the next adventure.

Added bonus, mommy workout. Jumping, squatting, crawling, chasing your child... score! Totally made for a non-guilty pizza lunch at yummy hole in the wall, Napoli's, next door.

Only vent for the day: Mommies who check out. I don't understand how you drop off your 3 year old and then lean up on an inflatable, oblivious to him knocking over and crawling on the younger babies. I find this happens especially at mall playyards. It's in-sane. Only at the mall you have to be baby bodyguard because literally there is always about 2 seven year olds who are leaping from slide to climbing house and jumping 5 feet down from things, running backwards up slides and pushing your 1 year old out of the way. I hate those kids. And yet, there you are, surrounded by 30 oblivious mammas who aren't on baby bodyguard/shadow duty...do you tell demonic seven year old to watch out for the babies and make him apologize to your silent child? Clearly you haven't seen some of these moms, it's kind of scary. You're going to jumped if you yell at their child. Question is: would you rather it be the mom nursing the infant who has had 4 hours of sleep all week or the white trash woman double fisting the Route 44's?

Why I Love Summer Break

2010-07-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

#1 Coffee & Chocolate crossiant at posh little coffee shop with bestie & my baby. Followed by shopping at Northpark!

(yes Virginia, that IS a heart in my latte!)

#2 Seeing my baby be a big boy & relishing in the moment when he's out and about, not stuck in daycare.

#3 Hanging out in nap clothes with my kids. We play all sorts of things, Izzy, Cade, and I. We take turns chasing each other, we play in the pillows on our big bed, we cuddle on lambie rug, we make forts out of couch cushions, we play in the yard rain or shine, we nap together on the couch. We are a fierce threesome and I'm glad God brought us together. I love them, love them, LOVE THEM! #4 Seeing how Cade looks like mini-me and mini-Alex (my brother) when we were kids (see pic below).

#5 Being in a happy mood when Nick comes home from work and doing our weekly breakfast out as a family. He makes me the happiest girl in the world, and I love him!

Swim Swim Swimmy! (and a booby story)

2010-07-14T20:30:00.001-05:00

Swim Pics from Lolli & Papa's Pool! Mr. Turtle is so the pimpest baby float we've ever seen. Only thing missing is a cupholder. And a motor. I'm so calling it: in the next 5 years baby floats will have joysticks and motors so they can propel themselves across the pool and Mommy doesn't have to disrupt her tanning flip schedule by motoring baby manually.

We do own 3 baby sunhats. Elephant, fishy, and light denim. Of course we couldn't find them as we packed up the pool gear so we borrowed Daddy's Aggie hat. And rocked it. (of course)

This is not the time, nor the place. But I miss prego boobs and bf-ing boobs. Okay, I don't miss the hard as rocks watermelon days or the oops-I'm-leaking days, but I am missing the Pam Anderson perk-tastic boobies of yore. Turns out I was in the percentage of women who deflated. I would have rather kept the last 4 prego pounds in the breast department. (only if perky, of course) I'm feeling insecure. Like I'm honestly, on a daily basis no less, remembering the day in middle school when my brother's friend called me flat in the middle of the hallway during passing period. Yep, a 6th grade boy told an 8th grade girl she was flat. I'm such a geek, my response was something like "Oh yeah? Take away the L and I'm still skinny, take away the L and you are FAT!" In my head it was a kickass comeback. It left him stumped long enough for him to shut up and me to walk away. I've forgiven him... not because I'm a saint, but because of the apology 8 years later. He really was chubby at the time. Now he's grown up to be a handsome man and when he ran into me in the bar he told me I was hot ("No seriously, I mean HOT!" was his line) so all is forgiven.

Anywaysssss, on a NOT flat topic, Cade's pumped up floaty rocks his world. So does pool time.

Forward-Facing Baby!!!

2010-07-10T13:40:00.000-05:00

So, pics from the day of firsts. After his haircut, we turned around his carseat to be forward facing. His long legs were getting a little cramped sitting rear-facing. So, although Nick & I got plenty of kudos from the CareSafe carseat installation technicians a few months ago for having our 12 month old rear-facing in his toddler seat, we had to turn him around.

He freaking LOVES it! It's so adorable to see him pointing, oohing and aahing as he sees stuff on the road. He even knows red light (he raises a stop hand) and green light (he babbles and points forward)...good training, I say, esp if I check a text at a red light.

So the real danger appears to not be that he is forward facing, but rather, that I am totally engrossed in his facial expressions as we drive. I've even (uggggggggh) bought some nursery rhyme and baby song cd's. They are so LAME, but track 27 on the nursery rhyme CD has challenged me in learning ALL the verses of the "I had a cat and my cat pleased me, I fed my cat under yonder tree. Cat goes fiddle-I-ee"

Going to have to move on to the Raffie and Joe Scruggs classics that I can actually enjoy. I just can't really stand listening to little kids singing nursery rhymes. I SO prefer me some Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert. I do risk Cade becoming a little Glam Rocker... but it's worth it. Right?

Cade's First Haircut

2010-07-10T13:23:00.000-05:00

Pics from hair trimming at Visible Changes.

Cade LOVES to run around in a mall, here he is showing off his new haircut. (Curls intact)

While I didn't shed a tear, I was holding my breath. Luckily Mary Jo can cut baby hair extremely well and just flows with him turning his head to check out everything around him. He even got layers! :)

Fireworks Pics

2010-07-08T08:44:00.000-05:00

I can't do this entry justice with the severe lack of coffee in my system..So enjoy the pics from Cade's first Fireworks!

Parade Pics

2010-07-08T08:43:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited to say it did NOT rain on our parade. V excited seeing as though it was Cade's very first. Being true Patriots, we just HAD to have his first parade be the 4th of July parade. The same parade my parents took us to each year. Mom even made sure we took Cade to our exact parade start. (Close enough to the beginning of the parade to get all the candy, but far enough away to avoid too much crowds)

(Yes, being a good mom means posting the pics where your child looks cute, even if it's not your own personal best pic).... Okay, okay, Nick and I look presh in the pic below, even though Cade' face is blocked...but I was referring to the previous pic...just to earn good Mommy points)

Cade showed off his High Five skills AND his Fist Bump skills with the fire dog. Yay, Cade!

So, I only have one complaint about the parade...there were definitely less creatively-decorated floats than advertisement floats. I'm guessing there were no auditions to make getting a spot in the parade an honor. Nope, more like "If you have a car wrapped in ads, feel free to parade with us".

Okay, complaint time over. It was a blast, I totally loved being there with Cade. He danced, waved his flags, and I even got a tear in my eye singing "Proud to be an American" with him as we waved at the Vets. One even said "Hi Sonny!" and he waved right back. I love, love, loved it!

sorry for lame post. Going to get more coffee and put down Cade for an early nap, so I can snag a nap too! wish me luck.

Today = FAIL

2010-07-02T20:28:00.003-05:00

Almost everything I've attempted to do today has been a failure. In fact, when I first typed the title of this blog entry I typed "Today = FIAL". To highlight what a loser I am today, I will admit that I just googled "fial" to see if maybe on the off chance it meant something more, I dunno, meaningful or hopeful.

I got this hit from Urban Dictionary defining "fial" (very convenient, what the chances, right?!)

FIAL - a way of expressing an even more epic fail. The misspelling serves to exemplify the great magnitude of fail that the person is commenting on.

And the website goes on to list 6 different version of this very same definition. Epic. So...how have I failed today?

1. Went to gym. Before I even started on the treadmill (by which I scoped out the tv's to find channels that might interest me.... btw--wtf do they ALWAYS play Charmed for?? it's like I get MSNBC, ESPN, ABC, and CW..... have you ever heard of Fox or NBC?? Regis. Anyone?) So picture me finally choosing a treadmill and programming my Nano and selecting my treadmill program..Then imagine me flinching as I get a tap on my shoulder at 60-something dude is standing 2 inches behind me, ON MY TREADMILL WITH ME. I didn't even hear his question because in my head I had 2 real quick thoughts...#1 Are we doing this now? Do people share? #2 What is this guy saying? Because to me, I heard "Good evening Clarice Starling" Anyways, he wanted to know if the black workout glove on the floor was mine. Um, Seriously sir? Do I look like that kind of girl? And could you not have gotten on either treadmill beside me to ask me that? And can you back up so I don't feel your breath on my neck? FAIL.

2. My first mommy & me playdate at random park. I thought I could find random park. I thought it was at most 10 mintues from home. I thought I could trust the hostess' directions. Turns out the cross streets don't cross. Teachable moment for Cade about parallel streets, I think not. So I called her... Bitch has a voicemail that says "Hey it's x, please leave a message if you have an emergency, otherwise I'll call you back soon. Thankssss!" Um, I decided this was not an emergency, so I hung up and waited as I drove around. Looking for a park with a "rocket". (It's a Rockets for 4th of July party at the Rocket Park) No, Google maps and the city parks & rec guide do not recognize a Rocket Park. Had I followed Google maps I would have been at Lockheed Martin. Literal rockets. I drove for 50 minutes before deciding I was in a bitchy mood and needed a happy meal. FAIL.

3. I thought Cade might like to play in the McDonald's playroom. Oh yeah, it has tunnels that go up 20 feet high. I'm hungry, don't feel like food getting cold so I can chase him up there. FAIL.

4. We came home, had lunch and enjoyed our McDonald's smoothie (super yummy!). I was so proud of Cade drinking it THROUGH A STRAW that I let him walk around the living room with that. He took the straw out and twirled in like a baton. Cute! Uh-oh, mixed berry splats on the carpet. FAIL.

5. Grocery store. Drove there, it was sunny. Get to parking lot, it starts to sprinkle. Decide to get gas first, it starts pouring rain. Go back home FAIL.

6. As soon as we get unpacked and Cade has a quick snack of pears and frozen peas it stops raining. I quickly load him back into the car and we drive to Kroger. We smugly walk into the store, thankful we missed the rain. All the shopping carts are wet from the rain. Not a single dry cart. Smug single girl says "I'm not picky if it's wet" and goes into the store. I won't lie, I wanted to slap her.... My precious BABY can't sit on a wet seat!!! I go back to the car for my handy dandy seat cover.

7. We checkout and cart boy puts groceries in the baby seat. FAIL. We walk outside and it's POURING RAIN. Duped my Mother Nature.... Yet does anyone offer to help us? Where are the cart boys? We've been ditched by the cart boys! FAIL.

FAIL, Fail, FIAL. That's my day. Hopefully I took all the bad karma today so you, faithful bloggie, could have good karma.

Love you, mean it!

Baby Teeth

2010-07-01T21:19:00.001-05:00

If you had asked me 6 months ago if I ever wanted Cade to get teeth my answer would have been "no". The whole teething process didn't really make sense to me. I didn't understand "cutting teeth", that just sounds too gross and painful for me to grasp that process would happen to MY baby. On the other hand, I don't remember my own "cutting teeth" period growing up, so can't be that bad. Really though, the thing for me was imagining my little gummy bear with pearly rocks in his smile. I couldn't imagine the cuteness in that. A gummy smile unexpectedly sealed itself in my heart as an irrestible charm. How special to get a smile from this creature that doesn't even have teeth yet? I would think. I would sit for hours holding him when he was a newborn and wait for the moment he would give me his first gummy smile. It's just too precious a thing, so short-lived in the grand scheme of things. And so sweet when he would mistake my pinkie finger for a binkie and soothe himself by sucking on the tip. That gasp he does when he smiles fills me up. It's a little inhale and his mouth opens wide into the biggest grin. The innocence of his gummy smile took my breath away and I feared the day it would be lost to me forever.

Last July

December 2009 - bottom 2 teeth only

The teeth growing process for Cade has been a trip. His teething pain hasn't been that bad....probably thanks to Hylan's Teething tabs and baby Orajel. (Come to find out teething tablets have trace amounts of belladonna in them...a hallucinogen or something. So for Cade, he's really been tripping out while teething. Oops)

So we lived through most of the spring February till just after his birthday with Vampire Child. His top center two teeth did not make an appearance until about 12 months old. I'm SO glad that Twilight has been a hit this year, my vogue baby rocked that vampire look for quite awhile.

April 7, 2009 His birthday...He was graduating from fang boy and had the beginnings of "real" boy teeth.

June 2009 - we've got 6 top teeth (4 center and 2 upper molars) plus 4 bottom teeth (2 center and 2 lower molars)... .Um, yes molars at 14 months old. And the crazy thing is that they came in in pairs... insane, right?! So THAT explains his 5:30am wake-up call this month. Such a beating, it was early bird month for the Lamb household. When Cade wakes up, the world better be ready to play for him. Waiting until 7:00am Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and then Special Agent Oso was grueling some mornings. Toys that sing and talk should have a setting that prohibits anything above "mute" before 7:00am. I digress.

So how have we worked through teething?
1. Hylan's Teething Tablets (these little suckers dissolve in the mouth and calmed him INSTANTLY when we were traveling last summer)
2. Baby Orajel (though now that he's a fighter when it comes to my finger in his mouth I question the point. I'm probably just numbing his tongue and it's going to cost me years of therapy later when he thinks mommy messed with him when he was in pain).
3. Teething rings (on occasion he'll suck on them for 10 straight minutes, howev he hides them in couch cushions and in his toy baskets, so again, I question the effectiveness. I'm sure one day I'll catch him giving them to Izzy, the dog loves ice!)
4. Frozen blueberries & frozen peas. The frozen peas are like CRACK COCAINE to this child. He can't get enough these days. He points to the fridge, walks over, hangs on the door until I open it and digs around the drawer until he finds the peas bag. Then he squeals, laughs, stomps his feet really fast and claps his hands all at once --- so I don't resist. Healthy addiction I suppose.

Nap Hair...reprise

2010-06-26T19:25:00.004-05:00

Nap is a silly thing to blog about...but this was pretty noteworthy. It was a hot summer day last week, so Cade got pants off nap time. (What??!! Act like you don't love pants off nap time.) Anyways, we got into the perfect cuddle groove, napping together with him on my chest and Sex and the City playing after the perf mommy snack of butter popcorn with peanut butter m&ms ?& DDP. The nap lasted forever and ever, we were so comfy. After a hard nap you either have one or other: drool puddle or nap hair. This kid had mega nap hair. I was in awe of the cuteness and yet kinda scared when I realized he looked like Frat Boy Cade. Take a look...

Front view

Back view

Proud of his nappage.

little reminders

2010-06-25T21:24:00.002-05:00

One of the perks of motherhood is finding yourself equipped with totally unnecessary baby items at unexpected moments... It makes me so proud and giddy to be at a wedding reapplying my lip gloss in the ladies room and pull out a binky. It's so exhilirating to do a little shrug of the shoulders and smile at the lady next to me. Like Yes world, I'm a mother. Some little gorgeous being loves me and needs me and I'm his whole world. Yep, all I need to do in this life is go home to him and feel those soft fingers grab my neck and hair and pull me in tight. But I don't. Say that. The shrugging and big beaming smile as I look at that sweet little binks warms me every time.

I was starting a big presentation at work and as I pulled some notes out of my bag also pulled out a baby sock. Kinda bizarre, because Cade was 13 months at the time and it was SO an infant sock that I had in my hand at that moment. And in the middle of my intro, I stopped and did the sappy beam at the tiny little blue socklet in my hand. It felt like a 10 minute little coffee break, just looking at that sock and thinking of my baby. I'm hoping in hindsight it was just a few seconds, but I felt proud. The knowing chuckle of my coworkers was also a little reinforcing to this, I'm sure, obnoxious habit of mine of finding Cade artifacts and getting sap face.

So I was a little surprised when I was digging for my badge going into summer school this week and pulled out baby nail clippers instead. Briefly I thought "Ah-ha! Manicure day at summer school! Yesss!" but decided against it.... Side note: why must all special ed students have either creepy long fingernails or grossly chewed to the root nails? Special ed manicures aren't too much of a bad idea.

Anyways, I ditched the idea since I don't want to get sued for clipping Junior's claws, and I sappily smiled and tucked the baby nail clippers away. (Safely tucked away, that is. I had to go to two Targets and two grocery stores and one Babies R Us to find these perfect replacement nail clippers.) As much as I didn't want to be at summer school or go to work some days, it's finding the Cade artifacts that makes me appreciate my mommy-ness so much. Maybe absence makes the heart grow fonder and the mommy grow crazier in her baby love habits. It's worth it, they took my shame card at the hospital last year. So, warning to family and friends, the sap face will live on. Deal.

more firsts!

2010-06-24T20:49:00.002-05:00

After passing Cade's first birthday I wasn't sure how frequently I'd get to do more of his "firsts". I've chronicled (um, okay, mentally noted) his firsts...first car ride home, first bath, first tooth, first steps, first lunch at Chili's. So now that the firsts have slowed down I was majorly pumped today to have THREE firsts all in one week!!!

The first first o' the week: playing in a mall indoor playground. We went to Collin Creek to walk around and hang out with Grammie. I was a little sketched out by all the kids playing around and the signs to remove shoes...so we followed the rules but left on socks. My child pretty much ran from one climbing object to the next. He walked up slides backwards and slid down stairs on his butt. He was screaming with delight, it cracked me up. I was, howev, NOT impressed with the 9 year old who insisted on jumping from the top of the tall slide onto another bridge with a 4 foot leap. Um, I gave him my best pissed off face but it was probably a blur because psycho kid was a damn 70 lb flying squirrel. So I went to plan B which was to give disapproving looks to the parents sitting along the sides until I found Spiderman's mom. I saw what could have been his grandmother so I looked from her to him with my best dirty disapproving "are-you-going-to-discipline-your-spawn" look....but no dice. Cade was definitely the littlest boy playing there, and he totally rocked it out with his cool tricks of sliding down slides on his tummy and walking down slides. I'm sure one day I will regret my pride at his amazing gross motor skills as I sit in an ER with him.

Second first: The rear-facing car seat is now a forward-facing car seat!!! I did my "Safe Kids" car seat installation inspection with Nick a few months ago and learned how to tighten the hell outta a car seat. And use a pool noodle to increase balance of car seat! Can I say my mom and I switched my car seat tonight in less than 15 minutes and you cannot wiggle that thing more than 1/4 inch each way AND the balance ball is perfectly in the middle of the "green zone" on the built in balance? Score!!! Forward facing car seat riding is awesome. I can actually give Cade's little leg a love squeeze without dislocating my shoulder. (cool party trick, I could fish a binkie from any depth of the rear-facing car seat while keeping eyes on road. Sometimes having long gorilla arms is good for something, aside from keeping away high school potential homecoming dates) Also Cade could notice when I pointed and waved to our neighborhood alpacas and see exactly which dance moves we do for Lady Gaga and which ones are better suited for Carrie Underwood. I think he's gonna like it. ALSO (follow me as I head off on a tangent) I think it's cooler to brag about staying rear-facing as long as you can than breast-feeding as long as you can. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. I'm just saying...

So for those of you still reading, thanks for not breast-feeding your preschooler, and lets continue to Cade's third first of the week. The first HAIRCUT!!! Before you cry that his little ducktail of curls is missing, it's not. It was more of a first hair TRIM situation than a first hair CUT. In fact, this should make you rest easy, it was technically a bang trim. Only reason I call it a first haircut is b/c we got a certificate with little attached baggie to insert the locks of hair that were trimmed. So his bangs are looking rockin and we took a little off above the ears. Grammie insisted on adding some layers to make his hair look fuller. He did not cry, he was so involved with checking out the stylist's technique (he's well trained) that he sat still enough to get the job done.

Pics to come soon...

ps i'm aware of the picture failure this week. got to pay up my Google storage account and we'll be good. thanks for imagining the pics of last 3 posts as you wait. you're a good faithful bloggie.

Crayola-ole!

2010-06-12T17:36:00.002-05:00

Cade is finally showing an interest in coloring. We have the Crayola tadoodles or whatever they're called, but he wasn't a fan. So I took out some of my pretty, very finely sharped crayons (hello, I'm a teacher!!!) and let him have a go in his coloring pad. I showed him the colors first, then let him pick! He did good! It was more of a "color testing out" situation then a "creating a materpiece" situation, but he gets the gist-ish.

So he's taken his skills on the road and done it at our favorite breakfast spot now....

Okay, fess up #1: the first time he ate the green crayon.

fess up #2: He's very into taking out every crayon and coloring with each one for .5 second then tossing it to the side... (hopefully he doesn't get OCD like me and insist on using each color so the leftover ones don't feel sad)...so then after each crayon has been tested then tossed, he puts them up. Yay for me! My son's favorite part is "clean up" (fess up #3, yes I sing the clean up song) Please don't give him a 4 pack of red, yellow, green, blue. No, no, no, no....this guy likes to see a variety of colors and then put them all back in the cup one by one. He's so ready to graduate from the 12 pack to the 64...maybe Mommy will let him use hers one day soon.

Consider yourself informed.

The Walk

2010-06-12T17:26:00.001-05:00

So my days of being a stay at home mom (temporarily) have begun. One of the things I despised --I mean I dreamed about being a stay at home mom myself was the long morning walks. If I wanted a long morning walk during the school year it would be at 4:30am. Not exactly ideal. Today I got to walk early enough that I could still enjoy a morning coffee and morning show (okay, morning Disney channel, but whatev......turns out Cade doesn't like the View since Meredith left, just like Mommy...even though Rosie's gone, it still kinda sucks)

So I packed up for the walk, you can't tell from the pics, but there was a a water bottle for each me, Cade, and Izzy, some Crunchies, baby hat and toys, tennis ball for Izzy, cell phone in case of emergency and extra SPF. Only minus that I chose not to bring and regretted was my iPod. I thought it would make me a rude mommy to Cade, but I think I would have been able to carry on a one sided convo with him even with some music. But then I could have sang something to him, which could have been good for him too.

We took a super long walking/biking trail by our house, took us 80 minutes total...I SO should have sported the pedometer, but I didn't want to look hardcore in case there were some cool potential mommy friends on the trail. But just in case, Cade was in a super cute seersucker romper WITH matching hat. Nick thought it was a little gay, but he can suck it, Cade was presh...Again, had there been a baby model scout we'd have been prepared. Had there been Clinton & Stacy to see me make-up free, I would have been prepared for that as well.... none of that happened.

Cade was a trooper. He loves being out and about and v. cutely pointed at squirrels and bunnies and dogs we saw on the trail. He v. preshly waved people we passed and v. appropriately pointed and did "What the?" with his upturned hand and gaze upward at me when the dude hand-pedaled past on his incumbent bike.

What I didn't expect was that the dog would wimp out before the homestretch. Like after we'd finished 65% of the trail she just slowed down and sat. I didn't even get a chance to throw a ball for her at the park on the last leg of the trip!!! Thank GOD I bought the super stroller, so I popped her in the basket underneath and convinced her it was a good, safe idea and continued. She was kinda sketched out at first, but got comfy after a few minutes of successful strolling. She didn't even jump out to save face in front of the 2 big dogs we passed....atta girl! Mama's Diva!

Izzy Girl in the basket

Cade wondering "wtf, Izzy?!"

I guess people on the trail are used to seeing this, or she was camoflaged enough they didn't notice. But I was a little alarmed that the lady we passed early on in our trip didn't ask where my dog went the second time. Anyways, super shout out to the makers of the Chicco. Love the stroller more every day!

A summer night

2010-06-04T21:31:00.002-05:00

The first night of summer, and here I am thinking about the whirlwind of this year. It's strange and most people who are out of school probably don't still measure their lives in school years, but rather calendar years... I measure my life in school years. I make my summer resolutions in June and make my career resolutions in September. So looking back at the past year and my events in my family and work lives, you can understand my joy and my sorrow/disbelief/exhaustion.

I've cried off and on all day. It's not becoming to be a waterworks, esp since as a blue eyed girl my eyes get pinkish red and my eyelids swell if I cry for a total of more than 15 minutes. This morning I was so excited to just close the chapter on this year and looking forward to starting my next year with some summer resolutions. As the day went on and my time with my students waned I got emotional. This group of kids I distinctly and vividly remember when they were five and waddling in the door as kindergarteners. I remember trekking through the mud at the Outdoor Learning Center with them as second graders. I remember building our simple machines and eating popcorn during tutoring as third graders. And I remember this year. The ups and downs of friendships, their personalitites developing into little adults and their brains giving me back awesomeness during our lessons together.

Last night was graduation and today was one long slow goodbye. They have taken a piece of my heart with them as they left this summer. They've made a difference in my life. I hope I've made some little elf footprint of a difference on theirs. As hard as it was to leave Cade everyday coming to school, they made it easier. As soon as they came through my door I could drop my sadness and turn it on with them. I actually lost track of time teaching them and planning for them and thinking about them. They taught me that my heart has room for both Cade and teaching, and this must be the right job for me if I can love both at the same time.

I love my school babies. And to not end on a totally sappy note. I'll leave you with one of their jokes. "How do you wake Lady Gaga?" "Poke her face"

Sometimes, things go right

2010-05-05T22:00:00.003-05:00

The stars aligned and I had a genius moment! I was the first mom at daycare in Cade's class to bring in a little surprise for the daycare "teachers" for teacher appreciation week. Since there are many other Super Moms in this class, I had to step it up and --- for once--- success!!! Nick and I teamed up and made the ladies super happy today with their gift bag of....drumroll please, Chili's chips & salsa, a 2 liter of Diet Coke, and cute little blue napkins, plates, and blue and lime green party cups. AND a super heartfelt thank you card, written on BOTH sides of the card, detailing just how appreciative I am that my son is still alive after 8 months their care. SCORE!!! Hell yes, as a teacher that would be JUST the jackpot I would look for. I know what teacher want, ladies. And it's called Starbucks cards, Diet Coke and chips, and a bottle of Jack. I'm 2 for 3. Gotta figure out how exactly to deliver on the 3rd wise man.

Now my master plan to be queen Super Mom for a week will be a true success if only the other Super Bitches don't find out about my humpday Cinco de Mayo teacher appreciation surprisearama and then show up tomorrow with a five course home cooked meal and $50 Neimans gift cards.

later bloggies.

really?

2010-05-03T21:04:00.002-05:00

Today I left my family chiropractor appt (lame or badass, you decide) and as Cade waved bye-bye to my mom and I got this kind of ashamed feeling. I don't even know that you would call it ashamed, but all of the sudden I felt all embarassed. I looked at her, and I thought "Really, mom? YOU let ME have a kid of my own?!"

I physically had to shake the thought off so I could buckle in Cade and drive home. But sometimes that happens to me, more so right after we brought him home from the hospital, but every now and then I question it all. It feels like I snuck into the motherhood club, the bouncer turned his back and I slipped under the velvet ropes. Not that I'm complaining, it's freaking fantastic--- but when will I stop looking over my shoulder? When I stop worrying that someone will figure out maybe I don't have all the necessary requirements and take Cade away from me?

Paranoia is unbecoming, so I won't harp too long. I guess sometimes I still feel like a sixth grader new to middle school. It was freaking yesterday I was arguing with my stupid jerkface science teacher about the difference between a white dwarf star and a red giant. Or don't I still need to get my advisor to approve my study abroad transfer credits? All of the sudden I'm a suburban housewife with a real live baby. hm. I just can't wrap my brain around it.

Maybe one day I'll get the confidence I want to rock it out as a mom. Until then, I'm the great pretender, just hanging out and loving every minute until I get that knock on the door that the jig is up.

Baby's First Snack Pack!

2010-04-22T20:52:00.001-05:00

In the words of the great Billy Madison, "You know I like Snack Pack. Why can't you just give me a Snack Pack? WHERE's MY SNACK PACK?"

You KNOW my baby is gonna have THE official Snack Pack as his first chocolate pudding. In an effort to earn some extra momma lovin points, I whipped out the Snack Pack. We've been exposing Cade to his own spoon, just laying it out next to him. He makes attempts but has really done well this week. Momma feeds him the meat/veggie and he feeds himself something sweet (mostly fruit). I knew I'd get this skill in the bag AND get extra Cade kisses and hugs with a Snack Pack. Dirty tactic on Daddy night out? Maybe;) I'll let you judge from the pics.

Toy Boxes are Satan's gift to birthdays

2010-04-11T21:04:00.003-05:00

This post is a big "wtf!" to toy manufacturers. I realized this weekend that toy boxes are the biggest pain in the ass nightmare to deal with. First off, they make it so the toddler toy is clearly touchable and testable in store. Problem #1: Whilst walking through Target you are forced to listen to the same creepy childlike voice sing "Come play with me!" as your toddler discovers the true fun of said toy. Problem #2: When the one year old gets the toy for his birthday he is able to play with it in box. Sounds fun. Until he REALLY wants to play with it. Out of the box.

Just trying to unwrap the toy is where the nightmare begins. You'd think, knowing the attention span and patience of a 12 month old, that Fisher Price would know that the toy removal from box process should take at MOST 60 seconds. Problem #3: It does not take 60 seconds. Once you are able to determine which part of the box you should open from, you get the toy halfway out to realize it has been affixed to (problem #4) a cardboard platform. WITH WIRE (#5). Being the good mom that you are, you take a deep breath and press the button to activate obnoxious singing toy so your child doesn't tantrum. You take a sip of your half glass full juice and say to yourself "Ah it's not so bad, it's just a few twist ties"....

You begin untwisting the first of five wires (#6) and you realize that the ties have not been twisted in any coherent pattern. In fact there seems to be an intricate system of twist clockwise, unthread, twist counterclockwise, unthread, and so on (#7). You give a little cheer when you get the wire undone. Your baby claps his hands and then you both realize there are four more wires to untangle before the toy is free from the platform (#8, #9, #10, #11). And you grab your scissors and knives and hack away at the rest of them. Score! The toy is finally free from it's cardboard hellhole. And then you realize that there's a protective wire and plastic casing around the figure's head (#12). While you cut away at this plastic, not giving 2 flips if the toy totally breaks. You hear a squeal of delight and realize that baby is playing with the cardboard/wire remnants. Oops, you free the toy and then grab away the tetanus shot waiting to happen and dispose of it in the garage and lock the door because your little one knows how to free anything from the trash/recycling.

You are breathing normally then you realize your baby is going for the mega scissors you used to free the toy. You yank the scissors out of his reach and shove the toy in his face. He cries and refuses to play with the toy that promised to be educational, fun, and get them into an Ivy League school with partial scholarship. Awesome.

You hand him some wire free cardboard, he's happy. You head to the fridge to get a cold one and relax....As soon as you open your can and sink into the couch you see he's grabbed another birthday toy and wants someone to open it. And thus the cycle begins again. Because you.are.super.mom.

Da Birthday Man!

2010-04-10T21:22:00.004-05:00

Megablocks, balloons, and bears-- ohmy! This week was a whirlwind.... baby man's birthday and TAKS testing! All of my children were constantly on my mind and there were so many worries and prayers hoping his parties were perfect and their testing days went well. This week definitely tested my ability to balance both. Now that it's all over I'm realizing that there is room in my heart for all of my babies, despite the ten year age gap. (I'm also realizing Cade will not be happy in ten years when his birthday week falls on state assessments days. Whatev, it's character building. I have to share my birthday with Jesus. We all have our issues:)

We had a birthday party today at the house and one on Wednesday just us and the grandparents. On Wednesday we had taco dinner, it was so delicious and we had pomegranate blood orange sorbet for dessert! Cade LOVES sorbet and frozen yogurt, it was a great night, even if he had to stay up late to enjoy presents and sorbet:)

Today we had friends and extended family over. I'm lov-ing decorating with balloons. I adore balloons. They are so cheerful and colorful. I might always have to have balloons around, super cheap way to decorate too. I'm thinking I'm onto something here, tell InStyle Home to look into it. Anyways, he got some cool gifts, Auntie Kelly & Uncle Eric stole the show with the 3 in 1 CAT dump truck that he can build with MegaBlocks in the back, push it around the floor, and pull back the dump part to sit and ride on it! The toys were cool and everyone stuck to the unspoken rule that if the toy makes noise it better have an off button or a way to remove batteries. Thanks friends!!! You're the best!

Here are my favorite pics.

(Special thanks to Kroger for the badass cake they let me design. It was beautiful and such a deal and SOOO freaking moist and delicious. Extra kudos for making the buttercream icing look like fondant!)

The Stockyards

2010-04-05T21:30:00.003-05:00

Time to do some catching up from Spring Break... I LOVED every minute. How awesome is it to get paid AND get time off with your baby? It was an awesome excuse to find little adventures to do with Cadester. So, Grammie, Grandaddy and I packed him up and headed West. To Fort Worth that is. First stop, shopping. Cade insisted on the red cowboy boots and hat, but since he just started walking the day before I figured it would be wise to save them for later on. Of course, now that he's running I wish he had the boots, but we'll survive...for now.

After a Cowboy fashion show, we tried to catch the cattle drive down the main street, but we missed it by minutes. Cade's trying to Saw 'em off, but I told him that's not being a good Texan.

So there was a petting zoo, and at first I was like "eww dirty" but Cade loved it. He was so into the animals and tried to pet them. This is random: I was totally amazed that he started trying to climb the fence. One wouldn't think that's an inherited trait, but where would he have learned that? Good for running from the cops at college parties though.

He spotted the Clydesdales pulling a carriage.

Um, Mommy? I thought you said we could some Joe T's now?

He was amazed by the bling of the belt buckles....

Sweet little man

2010-03-20T21:44:00.002-05:00

Last night Cade spent the night at Grammie & Grandaddy's house, Dada enjoyed man time, and I went out with my BFF in Uptown and had a sleepover. I was sad to leave Cade for like a minute, then I hightailed it down for dinner at Mi Cocina (we spotted a reality tv VH1 star!) and some patio time on McKinney Ave. I did have bouts of insane missing him, to which I whipped out my cell and flipped through 187 pics of him. It was nice to sleep in a little and then pick him up after breakfast and just before his morning nap. Genius timing!

Our first nap was coordinated mommy-baby effort on the couch for 1.5 hr. Score! Second nap after lunch was 2 hours of pure bliss, cuddled up in our Lambie blanket. I awoke when the sleeping angel on my chest lifted his head, eyes still closed and sweet grin on his face and then he clapped his hands three times and then nuzzled back down into my neck. I died. It was officially the sweetest thing I've every witnessed in my life.

When we both woke up for good the second time he lifted his head, smiled and laughed and then sat straight up and clapped his hands. He slid off the couch and went straight for the toy bin, looking at me and waving, so I joined him for some floortime playtime. I've been working on teaching him "hug" and we played hug the duckie. He would hug his Easter duck, then give it to me for me to hug, then he would reach for it and he would give it a hug. This went on for a good 3 minutes of hug-switch-hug-switch.

Another favorite game is peekaboo. He will be in his playpen or standing in a doorway and peek his head up for us and then duck down or away again. He cracks up and cracks up. It's so funny. He also loves to hold up a blankie or toy and peekaboo around that too. A man in a restaurant the other morning played peekaboo around his newspaper with Cade and he giggled so much the 3 tables around us could not stop laughing too.

It makes me so proud that Cade is such a happy boy and can make people smile. The wonder of the baby man never ceases to amaze me, from the time he was a little alien creature in my belly to now.

Night bloggies, I'd better finish this wine and popcorn before he wakes up like a madman since I just jinxed the hell outta his good moods:)

Luck o' the Irish!

2010-03-18T17:08:00.000-05:00

Baby's first St. Patty's Day!!! Being part Irish we had to rock out the green. en *

Thanks Grammie for the cool shirt! Which led to what I thought was a cool conversation in the shoe department at Macy's, shoe guy said "Hey man, cool shirt. Lucky Charms are the best" to which I replied "Yeah, they're magically delicious." And then, damn crickets and tumbleweeds rolled right past us. Awkward. To shoe guy's benefit, I guess there is a limit to Lucky Charms-isms. Anyways....

We did get some Easter pics with the bunnies at Northpark. No fake Easter bunny for this bebe, we're talking live critters. Cade was in the MOST presh outfit, a little royal blue and green plaid romper and sweet little white collared shirt underneath. It was exactly what I dreamt of last year when I rubbed my prego belly and put my name on their mailing list. (Minus the bunnies eating the decorative flowers and the wooden eggs that Cade decided to throw on the set and make boom noises...AND minus the egg that was 1 inch away from giving the bunny a concussion, but whatev, it was good times) It was pretty much what every mom dreams of, a big crowd of people gooing and gahing over your spawn's adorableness. Being a total ego-mama when it comes to compliments on my baby I LOVED it. And Grammie did too, so I'm not the only psycho who gets off on that. Pics to come.

We came home and ate Shepherd's Pie and sang Irish tunes.

Nevermind. I popped in Tyson's chicken, had Tylenol PM and called it a night. Nick watched the Departed and Gangs of New York to celebrate his heritage. Yay for Daddy! Here are pics from the day.

Dallas Blooms 2010

2010-03-15T21:50:00.003-05:00

Could there be a more favorite activity I do with Cade than go to the Arboreteum?! I adore seeing him explore the flowers and taking pictures of him. It was the most relaxing day to stroll around with my baby in his little red wagon. My words aren't enough today, I'll let the pics do the talking.

Okay, would it be a blog if I didn't vent?

Quickly:

1. It was 50-60 degrees today. I saw maybe 50 1-3 year olds in sundresses, shorts, and sandals. Um wtf, Texans?? I'm going to have to mention that you might want to save SOMETHING for the 100+ temps later this summer, and I'm going to recommend you go to the dr for ear infection/cold that you just gave your baby because you wanted sexy warm clothing Easter pics.

2. Hey, little 4 year old twerp. You know how you asked my 11 month old if you could have his green egg? He can't talk, that doesn't mean your answer is yes. AND no, giving him the piece of bark (or dried poop) is NOT an acceptable consolation prize. I'm telling Santa.

3. Yes, I'm going to have to take 20 shots of each pose of my baby. He moves a lot and I like pictures. Get over it.

Spring Break Day #1 = success!

Baby Crack

2010-03-14T06:48:00.001-05:00

I caught myself using another teacher trick/behavior modification technique. Okay, first I discovered Baby Cocaine. Usually when I put Cade in his high chair he first gets a little toy, book, or Gerber snack. Tonight the Gerber snack was closest item, so I grabbed the canister and ripped it open, eager to see how well Cinnamon Maple Crunchies would go over. Silly Mommy wondered how cute his face would be when he realized it wasn't the usual Zesty Tomato flavor and instead is more of a Sonic french toast dippers flavor. Silly Mommy thought it was cute the first 4 times he clapped his hands vigorously together, baby signing request for "MORE!!!"

When his chicken and brown rice/green bean jars were heated up (sorry man, you can't sample my potato skins dinner tonight!) I brought them over the table. He took 2 bites, pointed to the Crunchies can and then signed "more". Wow, awesome distal point + request combo! And that's when I, of course, honored his communication attempts and gave him 2 crunchies.

Cuteness end. Cue demon crack-addict baby, enter stage left.

Cade cried and cried and batted away the spoons of meat and spoons of veggies. Chicken puree was in his hair, green beans were crusted on his face. He kept requesting cinnamon Crunchies and would NOT end the tantrum until one ended up his hand. My situation was dire. The kid was like a crack addict pheening for next hit and I was the dealer who was withholding the goods. Whenever I'm confronted by wild behavior at school and I pause, take a deep breath and consider my options. Leaving him alone with the can of Crunchies while I took a hot shower didn't seem like the choice that would earn me diamonds this Mothers Day (always gotta think ahead, sistas!) so I resorted to good ol' Premack Principle. First/Then.

First, spoon of baby food. Then, a crunchie. After one try of this I realized I'd run out of crunchies and rocket Cade's weight to the 2nd %ile if I kept that up. So I broke the Crunchies in half and did First spoon of food, Then Crunchie bite. That little baby was like putty in my hands. Before I knew it, he was eating 8 spoons of food before earning one little Crunchie bite. SUCCESS!!!! My college education paid off! He finished his food, we developed a bond in a stressful situation, and he realized an important life lesson...if you want your baby crack, you gotta pay the dealer's price.

Girl jeans.

2010-03-06T20:04:00.002-06:00

Today I was super stoked to put Cade in some cool new jeans I got him. They were size 12 mo, but I got over it when I saw them on the Dillard's sale rack next to the cool 80's style guitar shirt I got him. So these jeans are dark denim, got some cool bright blue threading detail, and awesome detailed pockets, AND they're baby DKNY. I was like "score! baby's first pair of designer jeans, and only $7.99!"

So he went to school rocking the jeans and a Mr. Potato Head shirt, vintage-style AND his cool new Stride Rite shoes. I almost teared up when I told Nick he was wearing his first zip-up pants. My mother-in-law went to visit him for lunch. He had a great day. It was the first day he actually made it through the school day in the same outfit he started out in. (He's a frequent "explosive diaper" kid at daycare....even though they change him every hour. go figure that one out)

I was so excited that he made it through the whole day in his cool outfit. I gushed and gushed to the daycare ladies about how cute his jeans were, and they were a little long but he had them cuffed which is in style and so preppy looking. Then I looked down at him and noticed his fly was undone. Then I noticed the zipper fabric was red. Upon closer inspection I realized it wasn't red but hot pink. wtf?

The whole way home I was rationalizing this to myself. That really makes me mad they used a bright color on the fly. Then I thought Well that's actually pretty fashion forward detailing. Kind of metro of them to put hot pink on a boy's zipper. Way to not be gender-specific Donna Karen. By the time I got home the denial cloud had dissipated and I realized what had seriously happened.

I bought, and sent my kid to daycare in, girl jeans. The bright blue threading detail? Actually could be called "teal". The straight leg style? Actually a girl "fitted". Damn..... I have a cross-dressing baby. Way to drag him out at only 11 months old. So I'll tuck them away. And hope the next baby is a girl.

Mommy Blues

2010-02-21T21:26:00.003-06:00

I've got a bad case of the mommy blues. I've been trying to deny it, but little man is turning one soon and I just might die. I can't imagine that I have a one year old. How did time go by so fast?! (probably all those days hoping he rolls over, cuts his first tooth, crawls were NOT smart) Now I just want to slow down, take our time and enjoy just where we are in this moment. This almost walking, almost talking moment. Awesome, he can babble "Mama" and give a super tight hug where he grabs my hair and pulls me in tight, cheek-to-cheek. Pause. That right there. Lets just stay in this moment forever.

So, about as much I didn't want to buy my first pair of maternity pants, I don't want buy my first pair of 12 month baby pj's. I cried as I opened that trash bag and put my favorite little 6-9 month outfits inside. I know it had to be done, he can't go to school in pants that look okay when he's lying on his changing table, but as soon as he crawls they become "baby capris" (no kidding, that's what the daycare ladies called them!) Also, Daddy doesn't get that I just can't bring myself to put away the precious little socks that he wore home from the hospital. Daddy thinks that these socks are still okay for wearing. **busted, love ya honey!**

Anyways, I took him out for a shopping spree with Grammie. As I strolled him around Macy's I teared up again when I realized this was the Macy's Mom and I came to the day after I found out he was going to be a boy. Not getting to buy girl stuff was hard then. Today, not getting to buy the newborn clothes was hard. Today, the tough realization that 12 month clothes are NOT in the "infant section" was really hard. My little man is just a BA-Beeee, he doesn't need to be shopping with those walking snotting 18 month olds!! Oh, and the price jump when your age can now be measured in years is IN-SANE. 9 month old jeans = $15, 12 month old jeans = $30. And then we stopped by to get his feet sized for shoes. My baby is a size 5!!! A SIZE 5!!! I die. His shoe options included laces for god sakes. What's next, a jock strap?! How did he get so old? I die. But I managed to put him in velcros first...

Little Man's Winter

2010-02-20T20:43:00.004-06:00

Even though our little man is growing up (standing on his own -- no hands! and walking farther and farther with support) I love this pic because it shows just how small he really is. I have to like him being small because in two months, we're hitting 12 months old! Eeek, a year!

So this last month, it has been hard to blog. Cade woke up two weeks ago with 2 upper teeth cut through, RSV, and double ear infections (from the congestion). I enjoyed two days off work getting to be in full mommy mode and taking care of him. Although my heart broke to see him feeling crummy, I did enjoy him just wanting to be held by mommy. And both grandmas and a grandaddy were quick to offer a day off their work to watch him the following week. He had one day back at daycare then we got a snow day and got more mommy time! By that time he felt GREAT and was back to power-crawling through the house exploring every nook and kranny.

I did take him outside for a minute to snag some snow pics. (note I put the sick baby on the blanket, not direct snow...that makes up for not owning baby mittens, right? I mean it's Texas damnit, where do you find baby mittens?) Yes, since then I have realized that socks would have done the trick, whatev.

He tried to catch a snowflake in his mouth, it was pretty cute, I could not keep the kid away from the windows. This was fine seeing as though I was also amazed at the foot of snow that fell! I should have put on shoes the following morning after this pic to capture the beauty of the thick blanket of snow, but I snuggled my man instead.

So this week we went back to daycare only to get kicked out on Friday afternoon for a mild case of the pinkeye. Freaking amazing how that pinkeye just manifests in a matter of hours, but after a trip to the dr they confirmed conjunctivitis AND a cold. Arrgh, so THIS is what they mean by daycare babies getting sick. I'm still hoping this adds up to immune system of steel by the time we're 3. How do I manage to still feel guilty about leaving work? That part sucks, I won't lie. As soon as I'm home I'm obviously happy to be there, but my soul is just torn between my school babies and my baby baby.

Enough of the struggles of the working mom. Okay, actually one more struggle to vent about. Stupid awesome mommies at daycare. I try so hard to be the perf mom and have it together (part my own fear of CPS and part my competitive spirit to be SUPERMOM)....not this week. So one mom found Graco's genius motorized aspirator that plays 12 different tunes. Cade doesn't so much like aspirators, so the 3 seconds it takes to suck 1/4 tsp of snot from each nostril is well worth the $20 power nose sucker. So, the 12 tunes...I can't quite picture other babies getting calm and entranced by the lullabies, cheerful melodies, and nursery rhyme mix and calmly stay still so their mommies can go to town on their noses. The device does have a button so you can scroll thru tunes to find the one that will stop your baby from thrashing like a Gremlin BUT it lacks an "off music" button. wtf, right? I'll experiment more with it, but so far I likey. Very satisfying to see the snot resevoir fill up.

Here's hoping this is the last of his illnesses for his first year of life. The pediatrician has diagnosed him with "Tough Guy" syndrome. Nick and I get so perplexed because he's so laidback and happy despite his symptoms -- so it's hard for us to tell if he needs to go in for a check up, but she assured us some baby boys are just little Tough Guys, they don't let their symptoms get in the way of playing and having a good time. Anyways, gotta go tuck in Tough Guy and give him another kiss. night bloggies.