John, Rebecca and Bean

Toddler Sayings

2012-01-27T15:25:00.002-05:00

"And then one froggy Christmas Eve."

**********************

Brooklyn, what is Woody's horse's name?

"Bazoo."

It isn't Bulleye?

"No, it's BA-ZOOOOO."

***********************

Brooklyn, is Caleb your cousin?

"No, he's my sisser."

***********************

Brooklyn, is Daddy a baby?

"No, he's big boy."

Thus began John's nickname of Daddy Big Boy.

***********************

First Christmas Program - Toddlers

2011-12-16T09:56:00.002-05:00

Brooklyn goes to a Lutheran church/preschool for daycare. Last night they had a Christmas program for the 2 - 4 year olds.

It was H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S!

The kids in all 3 classrooms had been practicing their songs for weeks. John and I knew something was up when, come December 1, Brooklyn began singing Jingle Bells even though we hadn't started listening to Christmas music at home yet.

So we get to the auditorium and find PRIME seating right on the middle isle. I couldn't believe no one had taken the seats we found! A perfect spot for stills and video of this very first of, I imagine, many plays/concerts/games/etc that we will attend to support our daughter.

As the program begins out come the 4 year olds dressed as participants in the nativity story. They come down the middle isle and take their places in one long single file line across the stage.

Music starts. It's Silent Night. One half of the line is singing a speed racer version. The other side is singing really slow and the music track is yet at it's own speed. We were cracking up hearing this musical chaos. By the time the kids got it together, the song was over.

Next come the 3 year olds. They sang Feliz Navidad. Bahahahaha! I know the director put that in for comedy because there was nothing funnier than seeing their puzzled little faces and hearing the confused murmer during the "prospero ano y felicidad" part. So many of us parents were cracking up.

Finally, the 2 year olds come out dressed as elves - each child holding onto a long gold ribbon (to keep them focused and together, I imagine) as their teacher lead them up to their places on stage with the other two groups.

We were able to see Brooklyn walking down the isle before she saw us. She did really well in this new environment and from where I was seated could get many good pictures while daddy ran the video next to me. Once she saw me, she smiled soooo big and almost came to me rather than going up on stage.

The kids finally all took their places and started to sing Jingle Bells, shaking their little bells with all the bell-loving passion a two year old can muster. They did great and you could tell they were having fun.

You never know what to expect with a child's first experience in a group performance. I guess some kids could get shy or frightened, but not mine. She's a ham! And it didn't surprise John or me in the slightest. (Lisa, Krissy - I can hear your thoughts right now..."Well, she is YOUR daughter!" Hahaha!)

No, Brooklyn was not shy on stage at all. She would sing, shake her bells, look for us, wave really big, yell "Mommy!" every now and then, pose, cut up with her little friend Savanah. It was so hard not to giggle into the video the entire time.

After the singing was over it was time for each group to leave the stage in an orderly fashion to go back to their classrooms and take off their costumes.

The 2 year olds each took hold of the ribbon and were to follow their teacher. Brooklyn decided to come straight over to me for a big hug, but since she was first in line she took all the other kids with her!

The entire auditorium of parents was cracking up as we had this pile of kids in our row rather than following the teacher.

Good times.

I truly love having a 2 year old. There are moments of I'm-gonna-pull-all-my-own-hair-out, but the antics and hugs and silly faces and hilarious conversation keeps your hair in your head.

Stuff She Said...

2011-12-15T11:47:00.001-05:00

Chick-munk

Daddy: Brooklyn, want some nu-nus?
Brooklyn: Daddy, it's NOODLES.

Wow, has it really been this long?

2011-12-09T14:08:00.002-05:00

I need to update this thing for reals.

She Said It

2011-09-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

Me (while driving to daycare/work this morning): Wow, the sunshine is really in my eyes.

Brooklyn: Cover you eyes, Mommy.

And we have lift off!

2011-07-08T12:08:00.000-04:00

It was like the clouds parted and the sun shone just long enough for lift off to be successful. Up on the roof none of us could believe it didn't get scrubbed. But I'm glad it went on the first try. And I can't believe I didn't cry. It is sad, this thing coming to an end. But (trying to stay positive and I can't believe I'm going to be this cliche...) when one door closes another opens.

I can't get the pics of lift off from my Canon right now but I can give you this little tidbit. Here is a highway cam of the poor tourists trying to leave the KSC Visitor's Center.

Yeah, you guys thought a trip over here was going to be this awesome adventure...all fun and games in sunny Florida. Ha!

It's an adventure all right. But in that traffic right now it might seem like a big steaming pile of adventure, filled with "rude drivers", topped with a dollop of "road rage", and sprinkled with "holy cow my kids are screaming and fighting in the backseat".

Nah. It was all worth it.

Go Atlantis Go!!!

2011-07-08T10:49:00.005-04:00

I'll write another entry documenting my memories of the shuttle program, but for now, with exactly 30 minutes before Atlantis is scheduled to lift off, I wanted to share some of what is going on around town in anticipation of this final launch.

It took me 1 hour to drive 2 miles on my way into work this morning. And this was 5 hours prior to launch. I shared the road with hundreds of tourists, tour buses and media vans.

One report stated that 1 million people were expected to come to view the launch. That is IN ADDITION to those of us who already live here.

Here is a screen shot from a highway cam showing the traffic coming from Orlando into Brevard County via the Beeline. See the left most lane on the screen that looks backed up for miles? Yep, that is the road carrying peeps here to Brevard County. And this show was taken about 2 hours prior to launch.

A few weeks ago my coworkers and I were able to go out to the launch pad and have our pictures taken with STS-135 Atlantis, the shuttle who's mission will close out the Shuttle Program.

Weather is looking dismal for lift off. There's a 70% chance that weather is too cloudy and rainy for an emergency landing but Houston still says we are a go.

Time will tell.

I'll be watching and photographing from the roof of my building and if it launches, will post pics later.

God bless the crew and all the employees who made this great program and great day possible!

Words I Don't Want to Forget

2011-06-02T20:52:00.003-04:00

As Brooklyn begins to enunciate words better, we will really miss the way she used to pronounce things.

Nu-nu's = noodles
Hem = Hand
Dider = Diaper
Noke = Milk
Brellella = Umbrella
Shoshalon = lotion (? I know ?)
Sickle = motorcycle
Neckace = necklace
Jittar = guitar
Monnnn-terrrr = monster
Yogurk = Yogurt

Summer Sucks for Grownups!

2011-06-02T11:02:00.002-04:00

That's all.

I just wanted to proclaim the suckiness of not having a 3 month long summer vacation.

Memorial Day Getaway

2011-05-31T11:04:00.002-04:00

We decided to get a hotel room on Cocoa Beach for 2 days over the long weekend. We asked some friends to come out and hang at the pool with us for an afternoon. They ended up getting their own rooms for the same days as us. Fun!

We also celebrated my sis's birthday and had the family come out for cake and swimming on Monday. Also fun!

Now for the down side.

Getting Brooklyn to sleep in the hotel room for naps and bedtime was half hilarious and half nightmarish. In the afternoon John had this brilliant idea that he would put her in her pack-n-play with all the lights out and then we would hide behind the dresser so she would eventually go to sleep. In the evening she would not go to sleep as long as she saw us in the room. Which was a hard problem for us to fix because...um...well...we wanted to sleep too.

Picture this:

9:30pm.

All the lights are out.

Everyone is in bed.

"Mommy, cha-doin?"

"Brooklyn, I'm going to sleep. Now you go to sleep."

Lays back down. Sings quietly to herself "Marching boom boom boom!" (her version of The Ants Go Marching.)

This goes on for like 20 minutes.

Finally I go pick her up and she points to my bed.

I put her in bed with me.

Here is where the nightmare begins. She's tossing and turning and kicking me and yelling "If you're happy and you know it shout HU-RAAAAAAAY!" and John is giggling his butt off over in the next bed. (The front desk gave us two double beds. Yay us.)

Yes, it's funny. But it's also late. So I'm getting annoyed that this cute little Tazmanian Devil won't settle down.

So I put her back in her bed. That experiment was a FAIL.

We continue to hear her singing quietly to herself and every now and then a loud "HU-RAAAAY!"

Around 10:15 I don't hear her singing any more.

Then at 10:17..."HU-RAAAAAAY!"

Dang it!

Now at 10:30 I think she's finally asleep.

THANK GOD.

The Week Of Fear is over.

2011-05-27T10:31:00.000-04:00

We replaced her crib with a toddler bed. Bring on the first-time-parent anxiety.

All the stories mom told of us getting out of bed and cracking eggs all over the kitchen floor flash to the front of my mind. Is this do be my new daily morning surprise?

What happens when she realizes she doesn't have to stay in bed at night if she doesn't want to? Do we now have to deal with a cranky AND tired two year old?

Crap.

John bought a gate to put in her doorway and a screen along the side of her bed so she wouldn't fall out.

She's been sleeping in her bed now for going on her third week and all is well. The first night was a major adjustment for her (and us!) but she adapts extremely well.

So proud.

Flight of the Butter Bean

2011-05-22T15:03:00.000-04:00

So Brooklyn decided to Greg Louganis out of her crib this morning. I walked in the room just in time to see her fling her leg over and catapault onto the floor with a thud.

It happened so fast but I ran to her in time to catch only her lower half...not enough to keep her from hitting her head on the faux wood flooring.

She screamed. I scooped her off the floor, wishing we could go back in time 10 seconds and still in utter shock of what I had just witnessed. Did this really just happen? I am hating myself for not having better reflexes.

I hugged her and rocked her until she stopped crying...which was only for a minute or two.

What do I do now? Is this one of those times when you take your kid to the ER? My mind went racing back to January 22, 2010 where she suffered a brain injury during a car accident that landed her in the children's hospital for 9 days.

While I'm reminiscing that nightmare, she asks to read her ABC book. Okay, good. At least this way I can see whether or not she shows any sign confusion. Like I'm a doctor now or something.

She named off every object in the book that she normally knows. That seems like a good sign, right?

So after about 10 minutes we go into the kitchen to get her some milk and we are playing on the floor and chatting.

Then she says "Brooklyn's bed. Boom." Reminding me that she just fell and went boom. I said "Oh really. Can you show me where you fell?" She went right into her room and pointed at the floor saying "boom boom." (I guess she learned 'boom' at school.)

I'm still trying to decide if a trip to the hospital is in order. She hasn't vomitted, and she's behaving quite normally, so I'm thinking it will be okay.

But then the crippling paranoia kicks in. What if something is going on inside her head? What if her brain is swelling right now and she dies in two hours?

Yes...this is the way my brain works.

Then rational thought takes over. She's acting fine and kids jump out of bed all the time. John agrees with me and so we go along our merry way.

To be on the safe side, I called the nurse practitioner and she told me as long as Brooklyn isn't demonstrating any unusual behavior, no need to bring her in.

Relief.

Just Talking

2011-05-17T22:39:00.002-04:00

John: I look old and fat.

Me: Honey, seriously....you DO NOT look old.

John: Hey...

Me: Don't. I knew it the second after I said it.

Dear Brooklyn,

2011-05-12T11:56:00.000-04:00

I found this poem and want to use it on a scrapbook page some day.

How Do I Love You?

How do I love you?
Let me count the ways;
I love you on your very best
And very worst of days.

I love to see you laughing
And dancing in the rain;
And even if you make a mess,
I love you just the same.

I love to hear you sing,
I love to see you smile.
I love the way you take each day
In your own unhurried style.

I'm happy when you're happy.
I'm sorry when you're sad.
And even though it may not show,
I love you even when you're bad.

I love to watch you sleeping,
Tucked away in dreams.
I love to hear you whisper
All your future hopes and dreams.

I love to watch you play
And all your silly ways.
I'm sure you'll never know
How much I love you more each day.

How do I love you?
It's impossible to say;
For if I had a million days
And time enough for all the praise
I couldn't tell you all the ways
I love you.

LOVE

2011-05-05T13:55:00.002-04:00

Muthahood - are you in it?

Life After Death

2011-05-05T10:05:00.006-04:00

So last night was the first time I have been back to my Grandma's house since she passed away nearly a year ago. Was very weird being there.

I have SO many thoughts.

I was told to go through what is left of her things. Take anything you want. I didn't really want anything.

1) To me the items were still Grandma's. Her paintings and quilts. Endless pictures in frames. Her figurines and dishes. Her jewelry and books. I felt like a vulture. Picking over the remnants determining what had value and what didn't. Just doesn't seem fair.

2) A knick knack will not keep her close. A punch bowl will not help me remember the smell of her perfume. If it falls and smashes into tiny bits, will I forget how much she loved Holstein cows? Not likely. Her memory lives on in my mind and photo albums.

Don't get me wrong...I can appreciate that some are comforted by having these things. Nothing wrong with that. No judgement here.

But what do you do with the rest of the stuff. So much stuff.

I looked in all the closets, remembering her wearing certain outfits or necklaces. The kitchen...dishes and silverware reminding me of all the holidays.

Drawers and boxes filled with pictures. I've never seen so many pictures. All family. Son, daughters. All the grandkids and great grandkids. The years frozen in time.

Then we found her box of video tapes. I had no idea.

My sister and I playing our instruments, 1987. A snippet of news coverage from 1990....the anchor interviewed my sister who had won an essay contest when she was 13 or 14 years old.

I had no idea mom sent these tapes to her. That she kept them.

Wait a minute...why am I just now learning that she DID care? All these years of me thinking her unconcerned. I should have known from the piles of pictures she always had sitting out on every available surface.

Makes me sad to realize how little I really knew her. How similar we are.

She didn't need the trinkets either. She only needed the pictures.

The people in the pictures.

Brooklyn Said It

2011-05-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Dropped sippy cup.

Daddy picks it up for her.

"Good girl, Daddy."

Things She Says

2011-04-29T09:50:00.001-04:00

We are getting into the part of parenting that I have been waiting for....the things kids say. Yay!

I know, I know...they won't always be funny things. I anticipate some embarrasing moments for mommy or daddy, but these are the things that make life interesting and fun.

And give me stuff to put on the blog.

On our way home from daycare I'm teaching Brooklyn about the things around us, the river, the trucks, cars, train and trees. Naturally she thinks all these things are hers.

Me: Brooklyn, do you see the water?
Her: Brook-a-lyn's water.
Me: We are driving over a bridge now.
Her: Brook-a-lyn's bidge. (That's how she says is...bidge.)

Well, yes there is a Brooklyn bridge but I hope she isn't sad when she learns that neither it or the city are actually hers.

Shall we dance?

2011-04-26T08:09:00.002-04:00

So last night we happen to flip to the channel showing Dancing with the ~~People You May Have Heard of a Long Time Ago~~ Stars. Brooklyn was fascinated with the dancing.

She stretched her arm out toward me, beckoning me to come dance with her. So I got on my knees and put my hand in hers. She then shimmied and twirled around, as best a toddler can do, and then tried to "dip" herself by throwing her upper body backward.

As you can imagine, John and I were cracking right up.

Easter-y Cuteness

2011-04-24T22:25:00.000-04:00

Daddy's Birthday

2011-04-23T21:38:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Sweetie! I hope you had a great weekend!

Somehow, no matter what the occassion in life, our celebrations seem to always be about the Bean.

The fruit of our labor

2011-04-14T08:26:00.003-04:00

The other night we were all sitting on the couch having some sherbet. I was sharing mine with baby girl. She took the spoon from me and said "I do it." Then she dipped her spoon into my bowl and, rather than feed herself, she put the spoon in *my* mouth. As I ate from her spoon, she said "Good girl, Mommy." After every spoon full I would hear her praise my job well done in the sweetest little voice God ever made.

I guess all the celebrating we do over HER jobs well done is really catching on. Yay us!

The Intracacies of Discipline: a Story of Frustration

2011-04-06T14:21:00.006-04:00

I don't even know how to tell this story.

Okay, I ask Brooklyn to do simple things, like "Please come here so we can put on your shoes." I get ignored. So I go pick her up, bring her over and put on her shoes. Frustrating but nothing to go postal over.

"Brooklyn, lets walk to the car...no, don't play with the water fountain. We have to leave." I'm ignored as she stops at every water fountain to push the button and will not follow me even though I walk to the end of the hall and pretend to leave without her. So I back track, pick her up (even though I am already carrying a ton of crap) and carry her to the car. Now I'm getting irritated.

"Brooklyn, you HAVE to hold mommy's hand in the parking lot." She pulls away and refuses to hold my hand. At this point I throw every blessed thing I'm carrying down right in the road and have to grab her before she runs around the car thinking this is some immensely fun game of chase. I force myself to be gentle even though I want to snatch her bald-headed.

What is the deal??

She listens to daddy. She listens to her teachers at daycare.

I'm told I need to be more firm. To get down on her level and look her in the eye. It's true...I do need to be more firm. I don't know how to be firm without getting angry. I don't know how to be patient without letting stuff slide.

Firm and loving. It has to be possible. God is firm and unwaveringly loving.

"Lord, show me how to be both of these and not lose my ever loving mind. Okay, just show me how to be both of these. I'm certain that parenting is going to make me lose my mind anyway. Amen."

KSC Family Day Picnic

2011-04-02T23:43:00.003-04:00

We went because I'm not so sure there will be another Kennedy Space Center Family Day picnic.

The weather was nice but it was warm. Brooklyn seemed to have fun:

Playing (falling) in the bouncy area.

And petting/riding her first horsie!! My mom was walking beside Brooklyn the whole time though you can't see her in the pic.

It was a lot of work but totally worth it to be outside in the beautiful weather all afternoon. God I love living in Florida!

Two Cheese Monkies

2011-04-02T23:11:00.002-04:00

La la la-la, la la la-la, Elmo's Song....

2011-03-31T20:27:00.003-04:00

Okay, so now that you have this ANNOYING a@$ song stuck in your head (you're welcome) I bought this online for baby girl. Waiting for it to be delivered was excruciating!

The first thing she did with her new Elmo doll (after hugging his stuffing right out) was share her cracker with him. So sweet!

I can't believe I'm writing about pee-pee

2011-03-30T14:09:00.002-04:00

So last night Brooklyn actually USED her potty. Woot!

I had her sit on it before her bath and when she got up and I saw, well...you know...I cheered and clapped for her. Then I gave her a teensy mini marshmallow. (Is it marshmellow or mallow? Oh who cares.)

I know, I know. I don't want to get into a habit of using food as a reward but she loves those very much and hoped she will make a connection that pee pee in the potty = fun times.

The things she says

2011-03-29T14:08:00.004-04:00

Yogurk - yogurt (she LOVES yogurk!! She asks for it every time she sees it in the fridge.)

Neckace - necklace. This child will wear all her 'neckaces' at the same time.

ABDBDBDB is the way Brooklyn sings the ABC song. It's so cute...just tickles me!

Ring - rain

Monter - monster...as in cookie.

She can find her elbow. She can say moon and airplane and loves to find both in the sky.

She loves to sit on her potty, with or without clothing on. No pee-pee yet, but sitting in the right place for it is a great start.

Loves to take baths. She knows what 'swim' is even though she's never seen it or done it.

Ing - earring

Core - color

Pow - pillow

Bucket - blanket

All None - all done

Booken - Brooklyn

We have a Tricycle Rider!

2011-03-20T14:57:00.000-04:00

Yep, this weekend Brooklyn started riding her tricycle by pedaling it with her feet instead of the "flintstone" method she had been using. She looked like such a pro! She's growing so fast and learning so many things...I'm truly amazed.

First Hair Cut!!!

2011-03-06T00:14:00.005-05:00

We took Brooklyn to have her little bangs trimmed. Of course they saved her hair for us and gave her a certificate.

Brooklyn did so well. I was proud of how she sat quietly and bravely in the chair with the plastic apron wrapped around her.

She's part of the third generation in John's family to have a hair cut at this particular shop. John, his dad, his brother, and his nephew all get their hair cut here. The shop is for men but what better place to have your first hair trim?

A sweet girl from our church (Britney) gave the hair cut while Daddy got his hair cut in the next chair over.

All the patrons were so patient with my endless picture taking. They were all dads and grandpas themselves and had been in our shoes before.

And now you can clearly see Baby Girl's bright blue eyes and sweet little face! Can you tell she loved her balloon?

2011-02-26T09:51:00.001-05:00

Brooklyn,

You are so cute. You heard me sneeze this morning and told me "bless you."

I love how you are growing and learning every day. Your vocabulary is increasing in leaps and bounds. You can sing several parts of the ABC song. Sometimes you surprise us with the things you say.

You are amazing, little girl.

Love,
Mommy

Ching!

2011-02-18T09:07:00.000-05:00

My friends and I toast our glasses to many occasions...new jobs, birthdays, pregnancies, graduations etc. Even a home remodel project well done gets a 'cheers' from all.

Seeing this, Brooklyn wants in on the action and will thrust out her sippy cup to have someone 'ching' her glass with theirs. It's quite funny when we are sitting at home having dinner with no particular celebration going on, to see her out of the clear blue, sitting in her high chair, announce "ching!" while holding her cup out. And of course Daddy and I oblige.

Another funny thing she does (thanks to her Aunt Sarah) is eat whole olives off of her fingers. I'd love to have a picture of her cute little fingers wearing olive caps.

Well one night she and Daddy were sharing a snack of olives. He put one on his finger and when she saw it she yelled "ching!" and they had to toast their olive fingers. Here's to cuteness!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T08:48:00.002-05:00

My valentine is a fantastic man, husband, father and friend. We are starting our 8th year of marriage and I would not change one single thing.

So my valentine and I decided to have dinner at the same seafood restaurant we had our first date so long ago. We chatted about the first date and the mystery surrounding that night...were we even on a date? *shrugging* I don't know. I thought we were just friends. What does that even mean, by the way? We talk nearly every day. It kind of feels like a date. Are we dating? What does that even mean? Okay, so let me get this straight...we are dating then? Yes, that's fine with me. After all, I DO like you. A lot.

Teeheehee. Good times.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:20:00.001-05:00

(made these sweet bean bag hearts for Brooklyn and the other kids in her daycare class.)

Spreken zie sassy?

2011-02-12T22:02:00.003-05:00

Why yes, yes I do speak Sassy!

Recipes I want to try...

2011-02-10T08:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I love finding blogs written by first time parents. It's so neat to see how similar our experiences truly are. But when I find a parent blog that also has cooking tutorials with great pictures and instructions....WIN!

I was going to post a few recipes that I found on Four Lease Ranch blog here, here, and here but then I realized she has another blog dedicated to just her cooking. You had me at chocolate cake.

Lisa and Krissy, if you are reading this...I call dibs on the tortilla casserole for small group.

New Posts

2011-02-09T10:08:00.010-05:00

Every now and then I'll find some photos or remember something that I forgot to post.

So that my blog stays chronological, I'm post dating them so they will show up as if I posted them when the memory happened.

So that you don't miss any new posts that happened to be tucked back in an old folder, I'm listing the new articles here. Enjoy!

How we manage until Daddy gets home.

Pictures from the Day

Play Date with Markers

How to eat your first ever Oreo

18 Month Check Up

Pigtails and Bacon

Just an average heart warming Tuesday

2011-02-09T08:34:00.005-05:00

Brooklyn,

I know you won't remember this but yesterday when I walked into the toddler room to pick you up from daycare, you were playing happily with your little friends. I love watching you interact with other kids. Then your friend Savanah got on the bouncy zebra and jumped and jumped. This prompted you to go to the bouncy horse and jump and jump. Your teacher and I clapped and cheered at how fast you both were bouncing. This got the other kids excited and soon everyone was clapping and cheering. I felt like we were having a party! It was hilarious to see the huge smile on your face. I love watching you have a good time.

Then you and I walked out to the car but rather than get right in, we took a walk. It was a brisk sun shiny day. We walked along the fence between the property and a pond, looking at the birds and scanning the ground for bits of anything you thought was interesting.

You found an acorn top and considered it precious. You would throw it down the sidewalk and then run to pick it up. I just enjoyed being outside with you. Then I found a rock and threw it. You would run to pick it up. This went on for several minutes. Finally, I noticed all the acorns on the ground around a small oak tree and pointed them out to you. You love collecting 'akins' and picked out as many as you could fit in your little hands.

Then I showed you the pockets on the front of your shirt and how well they would safely hold your little treasures. You gently put each acorn in your pocket. You are such a joy to watch.

After walking back to the car and buckeling you in safe and sound, we drove home. You manage to get your shoes and try so hard to put them back on. You'll get it eventually. I love how eager you are to learn and master new things.

Once home, I gave you some cereal for a snack and opened some cinnamon applesauce for myself. You showed great interest in my applesauce so I sat on the kitchen floor with you in my lap and we shared it.

You won't be small for very long, my precious baby. These are the moments I want to remember forever.

I love you,
Mommy

We did it!

2011-02-08T13:39:00.002-05:00

We are notorious for eating out basically every night and honestly, it gets old. Then when we do finally shop for groceries, we get bored with the idea of cooking so we put it off until the food spoils. It's not that we hate cooking at home. I actually love it. It's the shopping and clean up afterward that is a major PITA.

Anyway, the food we waste is a disgusting habit that I want to break.

So last week John came home from a farmer's market with a bunch of fresh delicious veggies and cuts of meat. I think he spent around $40. Immediately we sat together and planned out dinner for the week using up all of what he bought.

Monday - Fajitas
Tuesday - Meatloaf
Wednesday - Pizza (Not us cooking but it was a frantic day so give a girl a break.)
Thursday - Home Group where meals are provided
Friday - Ate out with John's parents
Saturday - Steak, corn on the cob, baked potato
Sunday - Burgers and I even made a CAKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday - Spaghetti (sauce was leftovers we had in the freezer.) What? We ate leftovers?! YES.

We win at cooking this past week! The only thing we threw out were the leftovers from Friday night (resturant food.) Not my fault. It wasn't that great a meal to begin with so the remnant should have never come home with me.

Tonight we will use up the last of his farmer's market run: Chicken marinated in a mandarin orange maple sauce with asparagus. Woot!

Pigtails and Bacon

2011-01-29T12:46:00.000-05:00

I was finally able to wrangle Perpetual Motion Toddler still long enough to put her hair into pigtails. Then, to distract her from immediately pulling them out, we went for a walk to visit the neighborhood cats and ducks.

And then Saturday morning we went for breakfast. I cringed when John let her steal his bacon, but she liked it so what could I really say at that point?

18 Month Check Up

2011-01-26T20:47:00.001-05:00

We learned at your (infinitely long) doctor visit that, at 32.5" tall and 26.25lbs, you are in the 75% in height and weight, which I think is great considering how small you were at birth.

Here you are waiting for the pediatrician to come in.

And waiting.

Until finally he arrives.

Did you notice the time stamp on the above photo? No? Let me enlarge that for you:

FYI, our appointment was at 10:00am. Grrrrrr!

Moving on....

Brooklyn, at 18 months you are so much fun! You love to try to do things on your own. You run everywhere you go. You still enjoy putting things in the trash for me and daddy. You are an excellent mimic. You are so curious about everything. Your vocabulary is growing daily. You've figured out how to put my iPod on the Bose player so you can dance to Blues Traveler. You take very good care of your baby by sharing your gold fish crackers with her.

and taking her for rides on your scooter.

You LOVE Elmo. I mean L.O.V.E Elmo. Or Emmo as you call him. You love to say Doo Daa Doo Daa Doo Daa as we sing Camp Town Ladies. You think every semi truck or bus is a choo choo. Did I mention you love trains???

You have become kind of whiney and temper-tantrum-y when you don't get your way. You constantly want 'up' and I can't always hold you while I'm cooking or doing laundry, so when I tell you 'no' you gently lay stretched out on the floor and cry. You hit your head on the tile floor once during a tantrum and ever since then learned that easy-does-it. So I can't help but laugh as you ease on down to the floor and try your best to stay mad. Mine is your new favorite word. I know this stage will pass. And there are soooo many good things about you that these few unpleasant age-related things are easy to see beyond.

To end this post on a good note, I love how you ask to go night night when you are tired. I love how you snuggle your blankets in the morning. I love how you think that hiding your face makes the rest of you invisible. I love how much you giggle when you see the neighborhood cats. I love how you yell Daddy! and run to the door when he comes home.

Good, bad, happy, sad...you are so special to us. I love you with all my heart.

Viva Las Vegas.

2011-01-25T08:32:00.008-05:00

My vacation was great. Here is a photo recap of all the merriment.

Tiffany picked me up at 5:00am in the pouring rain on Friday, so I was too tired to be sad that I didn't get to see Brooklyn and say goodbye before we left. Getting through OIA security was no problem at all...no naked scanners, no junk touching. It was the same experience as it has always been. Thank goodness. I love when you expect the worst but get the best.

The flight over was nice - got upgraded to business class for the first leg. Hello leg room!

I also took some pics of the grand canyon as we flew over. Yes, my camera lens...uh...ROCKS! (pssst, I have the best husband ever...he buys me lenses even when I don't ask for them or know that I even want them.)

We were met with champagne, roses and a stretch limo

to take us to the hotel. We traveled like the princesses we are!!!

Tiff and I saw a show (Le Reve)

toured the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop
(of Pawn Stars fame...no, we didn't see Chumlee. Dang it.)

gambled (I won some major loot!), got dressed up

ate some really good food at a french resturant in our hotel (Andre's) where I found the definition of yum....

Veal tenderloin with baked foie gras

and Grand Marnier souffle. Caution: This WILL make you slap yo momma.

some so-so food (In & Out Burger - I reeeeally don't get what all the fuss is about. It's a hamburger, people!):

El Diablo Cantina (where the margarita's make you silly!)

had some delightful cupcakes from The Cupcakery in our hotel:

We hung out with some of the natives:

and walked through many of the fancy hotels. Check out this chocolate fountain!?! For realz it starts up in the ceiling...

And these crazy cakes!

And we visited an ice bar aptly name Minus 5. (Get it? Minus 5 degrees is how frickin cold it was.)

MGM Grand stuck out to me as a potential vacation spot when I come back with my family. I mean really...who has a lion exhibit in the middle of their lobby? Only the cool people, that's who.

Speaking of cool people, I did miss John so badly. I want him to be a part of every fun and exciting thing I do. Of course I missed Brooklyn too. Thankfully John sent me many pictures and text updates of her to keep me from going crazy.

The flight home was Les Miserables. At this point in your vacation you are DONE with the anticipation and just want to be home. Not to mention AirTran seats feel like they are literally shrinking around you in flight.

Vacations are always a blast, but when I walked through the door of our apartment to John's waiting arms, I cried because I realized how deeply I missed my family. The arrangement of roses he had for me was icing on the cake.

PS I made a little promise to myself to never vacation without them again. After all, I didn't get married and have a family to go solo. In fact, I took today off to spend some time with my daughter.

Vegas Bound

2011-01-20T14:32:00.002-05:00

So tomorrow is the big day and I'm finally getting excited about my vacation. Better late than never, right?

My friend and I have some fun things planned while we are in Vegas...a show, dinner at a fancy resturant, of course some gambling, maybe a visit to the local cupcake shop, a trip to the resort salon, a heli ride, and a crap-ton of Starbucks. Maybe we'll get really brave and ride the coaster on top of the Stratosphere. I've seen it on Discovery Channel and it looks like a pee-in-your-pants kind of ride. I'm game.

I'm taking my big camera and plan to see how the built in stabilizer stands up to the jittery hands of an over caffeinated photographer.

Jet lag? No bigs.

My biggest concern now is going through the 'naked' scanner at the airport. Nothing like having your privacy utterly violated right before a vacation. It's either that or have the junk-touching TSA goons get really friendly with your lady parts. Hmmm, let me see....I can have a dozen strangers SEE my body as I go through the scanner or I can have 2 strangers TOUCH my body. I prefer neither but guess the naked scanner is less offensive.

How to eat your first ever Oreo..

2011-01-20T10:45:00.001-05:00

Step 1: Unscrew the lid and slobber all over the filling.

Step 2: Offer soggy cookie to mommy.

Step 3: Incredulous that she didn't want any, proceed to gobble it down, making sure to get gooey crumbs all over your face.

I need a vacation....or do I?

2011-01-18T12:11:00.002-05:00

Either way, I'm taking one. My friend and I are going to Vegas to celebrate her birthday.

It's a girls-only trip so John and Bean are staying home. I do hate vacationing without my family. I can't help it...I'm addicted to them. Sue me! I don't mind the diapers and tantrums. I don't mind the snoring. I love it. It's part of who I am now.

And I'm sure I'll have fun when I get there but I am having a hard time getting excited about being without my husband and baby for four whole days.

I've never been away from Brooklyn over night. I'm woman enough to admit that my biggest fear is that I cry the whole flight out of town.

Be strong, be strong, be strong.

A Play Date with Markers (the washable kind)

2011-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

I had a stroke of brilliance when I decided that her high chair tray was the perfect surface for test driving markers for the first time...the mess is contained to a small, not-the-walls-or-floors area and super snappy to clean.

Brooklyn, don't eat the markers. Are you eating the markers?

No.

18 Months

2011-01-14T19:27:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow Brooklyn is exactly 1.5 years old. Wow. Did I just say that?

Let me think about this for a minute. I've been a mommy for 18 months. My feelings are similar to how I felt when I skied for the first time. There's that fraction of a second as you start down a ski slope where you are excited and confident and think Hey this was such a good idea and I'm going to have so much fun! The next fraction of a second is the Oh Crap moment when you realize the slide down the hill is much faster than you imagined and you don't really know what you are doing.

At that point it doesn't matter if you can or cannot ski - you ARE skiing and you can't turn back. The next fraction of a second is where you try to keep it together and look cool because your friends are watching and they are all excellent skiers. Then the next fraction of the second is where you decide to hunker down, enjoy the ride no matter how clumsy, enjoy the scenery despite your own girlish screams, and try not to die in the process. It's the scariest, most breath-taking ride I've ever been on but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Enough about me.

I thought it needful to post an update on Brooklyn.

Boom = broom in Brooklyn speak. She saw me sweeping and has been obsessed with the broom ever since. She wakes up in the morning asking and searching for it. Now anything with a long stick-like handle is a broom. Mops, paint rollers, walking cane...it's all a boom.

Buh-buh bum = Bumblebee...as in the bumblebee rider she got for Christmas AND LOVES.

Boon = balloon...as in, my kid goes bananas when she sees a boon in Publix. And she can spot them 30 yards away. I curse you, floral department!

At = Hat...

Ott = Hot...she sees me put my hand on her food to test the temp and now thinks that everything Ott means we put our hand on the food. That's not the message I was trying to convey.

An Sayah = Aunt Sarah. Brooklyn's Aunt Sarah wears scarves and so now in any store or anywhere that Brooklyn sees a scarf, she says An Sayah. Adorbs.

Ah Mee = Amen. She has started bowing her head when she hears us pray. Or at random times during the meal. Then she'll say "Ah Meee" over and over again because she sees that it makes us smile. I get such a kick out of this kid!

Bampa = Grandpa Art.

Appu = most fruit. Especially grapes. I don't know why.

Nana = Banana. Also Savanah, her friend from daycare.

Shosha = Joshua...one of her friends from daycare.

Brooklyn is still an excellent sleeper. She eats most things, loves her baby doll, has a quick temper, and loves to play hide and seek. She loves to ride in her wagon, to play outside, says "cheeeeee" whenever you point a camera at her, and will try anything as long as she sees mommy do it first. She is fearless, curious, independent, generous, affectionate and very social.

She makes me smile just thinking about her.

It's Been 7 Wonderful Years!

2011-01-09T20:33:00.012-05:00

***** This post is written in retrospect. *****

We are celebrating our anniversary a few days early this year. Our potential buyers are coming down next week and hopefully we'll be signing a contract on our actual anniversary.

John cannot even half-way imagine how happy he makes me. He has no idea how much easier my life is with him in it. As I sit and try to put into words the whys of my love for him, I'm bombarded with memories of the 'things' he does. But it is so much more than things. It's who he is that makes him do the things he does.

Yes ladies, he is a dirty diaper changing pro. He cooks, he cleans, he fixes cars, computers, houses, gives awesome foot/back rubs, loves God, loves his momma, loves his daughter, puts me first in all things.

He'll watch a chick flick, picks up his own socks, and buy me oreos without them being on the shopping list. He is my calm, my funny, my adventure, the sunrise in my new day, my levy when the tide of life tries to overwhelm. He makes me laugh, makes me strong, makes me confident. He actually makes me more than I really am.

He may not be perfect (those are his words - not mine) but he's perfect FOR ME. And I thank God every day for putting him into my life and guiding my path so that John and I would meet, become friends, and later marry.

Okay, so enough of the mushy stuff.

How did we celebrate?

We left Bean with grandparents and spent the day in Orlando. The Gaylord Palms resort puts on a fabulous winter experience...ICE!

It's every scene of The Night Before Christmas carved out of....wait for it....ice!

It was incredible...one of those things you had to be there to see.

Then we enjoyed many of the Christmas events happening at the resort during the holidays. Had lunch at a fab Italian resturant and then later hot cocoa, and then even later we had some drinks in the Key West section of the resort.

It was a great day for the two of us to reconnect. I admit we did talk about the baby a little bit, but hey - we both love her to pieces so who can blame us. =)

Homeward Bound Part 8 - Thoughts on Moving

2010-12-29T09:00:00.004-05:00

Moving sucks. Plain and simple. It sucks if it is your family, your friends, or your self moving. There....there are my thoughts on moving.

Anyway, Christmas has come and gone. I'm sad to see it go so soon. John's friends and family have hefted our furniture to the new place for us. We tried so hard not to bother people during the holidays to help us but it is unavoidable.

Having Bean run around makes it so that basically only one of us can do anything at a time. She's taking it all in stride. I'm sure things are confusing to her, seeing her bedroom in shambles and being emptied, but she's still her normal happy self. At one point she even tried to help us pack and put her huge blue ball in a box. SO CUTE!

Back to packing...John and I made about 1,000 trips back and forth with our cars filled to the brim with boxes. I'm sure that made it easier on the movers. Luckily the new apartment is a 1/2 mile from our condo.

I underestimated how much stuff we have. I bought 2 bundles of boxes from UHaul (foolishly) thinking we'd only use half...Ha! People have a lot of junk under their roof. But it isn't 'junk' in the sense that we can throw it out. It's just stuff that you need eventually. I'm not about to throw it out for the sake of convenience and then have to buy it again when eventually comes around because it always does.

You can tell when moving gets old...at first I tried to carefully label boxes and neatly pack everything, but now that it is down to the wire I'm just throwing random things in a box. We'll sort it later. I'm over it.

So am I sad to see an empty-ish condo? Not really...I'm too busy to be sad.

What happens next? Well, we get settled into our new apartment and then start house shopping.

Homeward Bound 7 - Preparing for the Move

2010-12-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

So we have an apartment now. We have the keys. We have the new address. Now comes the hard part...planning everything out for a seamless transition. At least 'seamless' is my goal.

So much has to be timed properly.

Boxes have to be packed BEFORE our friends/movers arrive at the same time we are wrapping Christmas presents and finishing our shopping.

We only have 3 no-baby days between Christmas and New Year's that John and I can focus on getting things finished without a munchkin climbing our leg or into boxes or up the attic ladder. Daycare, sweet daycare!

Switching over the utilities while factoring in time needed to clean both. Fun fun.

Life keeps going = laundry, cooking, sleeping, bath time, work.

You know how people hire wedding planners? There should be a move planner.

You would think that as many times as I've moved in my life that I could orchestrate all of these details in my sleep. But I just remember that my mom did it all.

I want my mommy!!!!

Homeward Bound Part 6 - Memories

2010-12-22T14:21:00.003-05:00

Now that the contract is signed and the closing date draws near, reality is setting in.

I thought I would be thrilled at finally leaving this house that has suffocated me for the past two years. Unexpected is the rush of sadness as I take mental inventory of all the wonderful things that have happened here in this little condo.

~ Mom and I lived here together for a little stretch of time while I tried to sort out my life. I remember how on Friday nights we'd get a stack of movies from Blockbuster, ice cream, and a bag of peanut M&Ms. Good times.

~ My sister and I lived here together for about 2 years. I'm sure there were frustrating moments but right now all I remember is how much we laughed. I miss her a ton.

~ This was the first house I ever bought. I bought it from my mom back in 2002.

~ This is where John and I serendipitously ran into each other out in the parking lot. I was leaving from a visit with my mom and he was coming to visit a friend next door.

~ John and I lived here together after we got married in 2003.

~ I finished my degree in 2005, after many evenings spent studying and writing papers here within these walls.

~ Rocky, that little scamp, lived here for a long time. He was the first dog I ever owned as an adult. He might also be the last, but he's definitely worth remembering.

~ This is where we brought Brooklyn home from the hospital. Her first smile, word, step, bath, bump, bruise, tooth, Christmas, tear, giggle, all of it happened here. *sniff*

~ This is where friends and family warmed our hearts by coming through our front door. Some have passed on and some have moved on, but I remember them all.

Love this girl.

2010-12-17T22:54:00.003-05:00

Went to the mall tonight for pictures with Santa. She fell in love with the fountain (Melbourne Mall for you locals who are wondering) and I got a lovely 2 minutes of stillness to just snap photos of her enjoying her surroundings.

Enjoying the Process

2010-12-17T09:42:00.003-05:00

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you thought you might die if you had to wait one more day? And every day you had to wait you'd grow more cranky and grouchy, ostracizing your friends as you search for something or someone to pin your frustration on. You are so grotesque with impatience that women shield their babies from the horror that you've become. Until finally, you are shunned from the community like an old testament leper, with the life-sucking black hole as your only companion.

You've never felt this way? Weird.

Well that's what I felt like while on my "I need a new house NOOOOOOOW" tirade. Poor John. Poor Lisa. Poor friends & family. Poor grocery store cashier. I'm so sorry to have dragged you into my depravity.

But the dark clouds are starting to clear because, though the house hunt has been put off for a few months, I've learned what it means to enjoy the journey.

For example, it's actually fun to dream about what our next house might look like, what kind of people will fill the neighborhood, the different things we'll be able to remodel, the new memories we'll create. Sure, moving into a tiny apartment for a few months might suck at first but I'm looking forward to the coziness. And hey, having less to clean and repair is a huge bonus.

So yes, life is more enjoyable when you change your outlook. Hmmm, I wonder if this is part of why in Phillipians 4:8 God asks us to:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Just sayin'.

Daddy's Shoes

2010-12-14T12:53:00.002-05:00

Last night's entertainment included Brooklyn picking up her daddy's shoes, one at a time because they are very heavy, and heaving them to the kitchen. Why? I don't know. It's just one of those things that babies do I guess.

Then she would take them to daddy and struggle to put them on his feet. It didn't matter if he wanted them on or not. That's what she determined needed to happen at that time, and so it was. Then she would bring them back to the kitchen again and repeat the process.

It was so funny to watch her little body rush to get them from place to place.

Do you ever wonder about the thoughts babies think?

Visiting the Me from 2006

2010-12-14T09:17:00.004-05:00

I found this list I wrote 4.5 years ago for the blog I had back then. Some of the things still apply. I've made corrections where needed. Check it....

I LOVE:
~ (2010: Being a mommy!)
~ it when its 70 and sunny outside.
~ pedicures (2010: I love the outcome, not so much the process.)
~ memories of my childhood.
~ music. ALOT.
~ taking pictures.
~ color.
~ movies based on a true story.
~ beating the crowds to Olive Garden after church on Sunday.
~ movies that make me cry. (2010: Which is basically every movie.)
~ that my dad calls me all the time.
~ that I have 3 really good friends. (2010: Make that 5. Yay me!)
~ unity.
~ being a woman.

I FEEL:
~ bad for gaining weight after I got married.
~ some people don't try hard enough to be good parents.
~ incredibly loved.

I THINK:
~ brunettes are prettier.
~ my husband is fantastic.
~ America is STILL a GREAT country. (2010: Despite the current administration.)
~ I wasted my youth.
~ I need to care more about my ~~appearance~~ health.
~ my mom did a great job raising me.
~ this should be a non-smoking planet.
~ men have it harder than women.
~ resisting change is stupid. (2010: But I still do it!)

I WANT:
~ to be a better wife.
~ to invent something.
~ my family to be closer.
~ my sisters to know how much I love them.
~ ~~my in-laws to say they are sorry.~~ (2010: They did, a long time ago. All is well.)
~ ~~a more challenging job.~~ (2010: Got it! Back in 2007.)
~ to read all the books I own before I buy any new ones.
~ to help abused women/children.
~ to be able to run 5 miles without stopping.
~ ~~to redecorate my house.~~ (2010: I will, starting with a new house!)
~ ~~to learn another language.~~ (2010: Eh, not really a priority.)

I NEED:
~ to grasp how much I need God daily.
~ ~~to not schedule so many activities.~~ (2010: I've gotten SO much better about this.)
~ to not hold grudges.
~ to just let go.
~ ~~to use my passport.~~ (2010: I did! in 2007 to go to the Bahamas and in 2008 to go to Jamaica!)
~ to learn discipline. (2010: Who doesn't??)
~ something from Starbucks right now. (2010: I'll settle for Dunkin'.)
~ to scrapbook more often. (2010: I'll settle for AT ALL.)

I AM:
~ a Christian.
~ (2010: A mother, as of July 2009.)
~ happy to be a big sister.
~ thrilled to be married to John.
~ not sorry sometimes.
~ very sensitive.
~ a big fan of monkeys.
~ an artist.
~ optimistic. (2010: For the most part. But I have my moments.)
~ happy with my life.
~ not a good listener.

I HATE:
~ buying things and not using them.
~ forgetting.
~ man-bashers.
~ being hot.
~ not having room for all my stuff.
~ taking showers (2010: in the summer. No matter how cold the water is, showering still makes me hot.)
~ the word "surreal". (2010: Add also the word "fruition." Just sounds lame.)
~ eating when I'm not hungry.
~ running late.
~ political correctness.
~ ~~having nothing to do.~~ (2010: I actually LOVE not having anything to do now. It's a rare luxury!)

I CAN LIVE WITHOUT:
~ Adam Sandler.
~ racism.
~ grapes.
~ dirty jokes.
~ mosquitoes.

I FEAR:
~ snakes.
~ having kids. (2010: But I did it anyway! Yay me!)
~ being in a car accident. (2010: Who doesn't??)

I LIKE:
~ wearing sweatpants.
~ how my lips look in liner.
~ hard cover books.
~ yellow sponges with the scratchy green side.
~ people coming to me for help.
~ that puckery feeling you get when eating fresh pineapple.
~ apple martinis.
~ overhearing someone say something nice about you.
~ telling people thank you.
~ the idea of moving to a different state.
~ remembering my dreams.
~ letting people know how much they mean to me.
~ considerate drivers.
~ (2010: Watching Brooklyn sleep.)
~ (2010: Getting kisses, hugs, and snuggles from baby.)

Do Less, Be More

2010-12-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

This title was borrowed from a blog post I found on The Nester. Such a timely article for me right now.

It seems like every year I let myself get mentally overwhelmed with Christmas festivities, and apparently I'm that girl who doesn't learn because this year is no different.

With our focus being mostly on selling the condo and apartment searching, I haven't had two minutes to sit back and enjoy my most favorite time of the year. And I was starting to feel really sad that Christmas was coming and going without me. Rather than cry and whine, I've decided:

~ That I'm going to make the most of these last two weeks.
~ I will send out whatever handmade cards I have so far and use store bought cards for the rest. And it is totally okay if the recipients get them after Christmas.
~ I will put up 1 wreath instead of the normal 6.
~ We will decorate the small 6 foot tree with ONE box of ornaments and the rest can stay up in the attic.
~ To limit the inside decorations to holiday scented candles. Mmmm....evergreen.
~ I will back-burner my craft and baking ideas and instead hand them out as winter treats if I have time.
~ Rather than fret about all I didn't get done, I WILL watch at least 2 holiday movies between now and Christmas.
~ I will focus on doing meaningful things with John and my daughter. Pictures with Santa? Decorate cookies? Who knows. Now that I'm saying no to more, I have time to say yes to the things that matter.

Aaaaaaaaahhhh, I feel so much better already.

Homeward Bound 5 - Rental Setbacks and Successes

2010-12-11T15:36:00.000-05:00

Okay, so we have to be out of our condo by Jan. 4th. Where do we go from here? We had 3 ideas of places to rent and all those doors have been shut.

I was starting to get nervous but then another random conversation lead to me signing a lease for an apartment in a nearby neighborhood that is everything I was looking for:

Clean
Bottom floor
Has all the appliances (our washer and dryer went toward the sale of our condo.)
Rent includes cable & water
Small security deposit (I got the security deposit WAVED!!)
Affordable rent
7 month lease

How's about ya now?

Homeward Bound 4 - Houston, we have a contract.

2010-12-08T22:06:00.001-05:00

Today was amazing. I can't believe how quickly this is all happening!

The New Jersey couple came to visit our condo on Monday. They would be in town for a few days so they figured they would order an inspection to be done on our place before they left. This happened yesterday. The inspection went really well and we only have a few minor things to fix. Yay!

So I have been scouring the web to find a real estate contract to use for this transaction. Not knowing the difference between a good one and a bad one, I decided to go see a real estate lawyer. He drafted one up for me in about 1.5 hours, I paid him an obscene amount of $$ for 1.5 hours worth of work ($250) and met the NJers at my house to go over the paper work.

I thought they'd want to take their copy of the contract back up north with them to look over it more closely but they signed right there and then! Oh happy day!

So we have, in less than two weeks and without a realtor, found buyers, gotten our asking price, gotten a signed contract & deposit, and established a closing date.

Giddy-up!

Homeward Bound 3 - They Like It!!

2010-12-06T20:47:00.001-05:00

So the New Jersey couple came to see the condo today. They seemed to really like it. The only thing that is killing me is the constant haggling.

"Can you take $4,000 off your asking price?"

"No. I already told you our rock botton price."

"Can you throw in the washer and dryer?"

"No."

"We really like your bar stools."

"No."

We'll see what happens though. They want to come back by tomorrow or Wednesday for another look around.

Exciting but stressful.

Pictures from the day

2010-12-02T21:03:00.003-05:00

We check on you every night before we head off to bed ourselves. This night you were such a little angel that I couldn't help but sneak a picture. I cannot believe the flash didn't wake you. Sweet dreams my little princess.

After work we headed to the mall to check out the decorations and Santa. I adore this angelic face!

When you saw the choo choo you just about lost your mind with glee!

How we manage until Daddy gets home...

2010-12-01T21:57:00.000-05:00

We go to the park after work/daycare!

Ear Doctor Check Up

2010-11-29T17:21:00.003-05:00

Today we another check up with Brooklyn's ear doctor. She doesn't mind coming to this office because....well the pictures explain it all. Check it:

Why hello huge bear. Sure I'll hug you!!

What's that you say?

Oh.....OKAY!

Homeward Bound Part 2 - Are you kidding me???

2010-11-28T21:54:00.002-05:00

Okay, this is truly amazing. Yesterday we busted our butts getting the condo cleaned up and ready for listing. I even took Friday off to pack more things and haul boxes to the storage unit.

I have been in touch with a handful of realtors, trying to find someone agressive and optimistic enough to sell our place in this hopelessly saturated market.

This morning while in church, I started feeling overwelmed by the thought of having to keep our house clean every minute in case a buyer wanted to come take a look. I know, I know...I should have been focusing on God and his infinite goodness, but I couldn't help it. During the music I prayed "Lord, we need a miracle. This is too big for me to handle while being a full time employee, a full time mother and a full time wife. Please send a miracle to help us sell our condo."

Well, God sent us our miracle. We finish lunch and head home to do more cleaning and prep work. John gets a phone call from a neighbor who has the phone number of a couple in New Jersey who have been trying to buy a unit in this neighborhood for YEARS. I call them. Yes, they are interested and want to see pictures. Thank God I just happened to take pictures yesterday!!! So I email pictures and they call to say they want to drive to Florida right away to see our condo in person.

They are coming 12/6.

You can't even believe how excited I am. I keep trying to not get my hopes up too much. You never know how things could turn out. But I can't help thinking these are going to be the people who buy our condo. Why would this happen so randomly and so mysteriousy out of the blue? Would God really answer a prayer only half way?

Homeward Bound Part 1 - Prep that House!

2010-11-27T10:07:00.001-05:00

We are on our way to buying a house big enough for our current and future family. Oh joy!

But first we need to sell our condo.

Before I met with any realtor we eliminated the clutter in all of our rooms. This meant finding a storage unit to put any of the crap that we didn't need for the next few months. And by 'crap' I mean anything that would remind a potential buyer of the itty bitty 1067 square feet of living space.

Things we put in storage?

~ Our recliner. This opened up the living room, giving a nice flow to the combined living/dining area.

~ A tall bookshelf crowded with books. I felt the open wall space would give buyers the ability to visualize different uses for this part of the living room.

~ Two of our dining room chairs. Six chairs and two bar stools really suffocated the small dining area. With the leaf in the table removed and only four chairs, you see more space around the table.

~ We emptied the attics so the buyers could see how we finished the attic flooring and how much of their own crap they could shove up there.

~ Any kitchen appliances that haven't been used in 6 months went into storage. We didn't want buyers to see that the kitchen couldn't even house our own normal sized appliance collection, leaving them to wonder where they'd put their own stuff.

~ One of the dressers in our bedroom was removed for the same reason as the recliner and dining room chairs.

We polished up the kitchen (since it is the crowning glory of the property) making sure to take any clutter off the beautiful granite counters.

John tackled any projects that were left unfinished from years past.

I had to take pictures for the realtors to use on marketing websites. Well, I didn't have to , I chose to because I don't trust other people to take the best ever photos of our property.

But I have a confession to make. Despite all my efforts to de-clutter, I still had to move junk from one room into another, take a picture, then move the junk back. Repeat for each room. I think the resulting photos turned out really nice though.

Since you've been gone......

2010-11-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

...you know, that song by Kelly Clarkson?

Okay, so much has happened since November 9th. Yes, I had my 36th birthday on November 7th. I didn't really reflect much on it at the time but now that I've been 36 for a few weeks now, I admit it feels weird to be 36. I guess because 36 is on the 40 side of your 30's, while 35 was still smack in the middle. I felt young as a 35 year old. I guess I still feel young but 36 just sounds old.

My father in law was nominated for a Volunteer Recognition Award because of the work he does with the organization he founded called Computers for Education. They collect donated computers, fix and refurbish them, and give them back out into the community to kids in underprivileged families, churches, under-funded schools or other non-profits in need. At the award ceremony, the family enjoyed the lavishly catered buffet as we waited for the award presentation. My friends, the pinot was flowing like milk and honey! And I just knew he would win. I mean really - how can you compete with giving the gift of technology? Well, he didn't win. I wish I was noble enough to think "oh it was such an honor just to be nominated." But I'm super defensive of my father in law. He's such a good man who works so hard for everyone else. Honestly, I think he got jipped. But there is always next year.

Shame on me!

2010-11-09T21:29:00.003-05:00

How did I just gloss over my birthday? It was this past Sunday but the festivities have gone on for a solid week.

Thursday - singing & much cake at the small group gathering.
Friday - dinner with my fabulous in-laws.
Saturday - dinner with aMAZING husband at the fondue joint.
Monday - dinner with my pops.
This coming Saturday - dinner with my mom & sister.

What did I get for my birthday? 6 lbs.

Seriously though, John bought me a 75mm-300mm zoom lens for my camera and a sweet camera bag for ladies - you know, the kind that is useful AND stylish? Check it here. And "the baby" got me a little power shot camera to keep in my regular purse. Why? Because women love options! And John knows this. And that is part of why I love him. Oops, I mean the baby knows this and that's why I love her.

Anyway, this is the first pic I've taken with my zoom lens. I hardly even had to move from my patio chair.

It's a red shouldered hawk (had to look it up) and I've seen it checking out the neighborhood for about a year. On this day he was hanging out on the neighboring roof, probably scoping out some of the ~~tasty future entrees~~ local squirrels.

Why am I happy right now?

2010-11-09T10:20:00.004-05:00

1) Got to work 10 minutes EARLY (and with makeup already on!)

2) Got a project off my desk.

3) Got to wear a jacket 2 days in a row.

4) Love this time of year.

5) Have some craft projects that I can't wait to work on.

6) Just had my birthday so I have gift cards to use. I love them. You can hang on to them and it seems like your birthday just keeps on going!

Stuff Babies Say

2010-11-09T09:47:00.005-05:00

So Brooklyn has started saying what we thought was "nite nite" at random times during the day. I would think, how cute she is telling us she wants to take a nap.

I WISH that is what she was saying. We have now realized that she is saying "not nice".

She learned the phrase at daycare. And now anything in life that doesn't please her is met with this little voice saying "not nice." Actually, it sounds more like "naw niii."

~ When I took a pen away from her = naw niii

~ When John stopped her from walking into the parking lot = naw niiii

~ When something fell to the floor = naw niii

~ When Brooklyn dropped her water cup on the way to daycare this morning = naw niii

So now I'm trying to think of what else she says these days. Here's a Brooklyn dictionary:

Hiyeeee - means Hi. Usage: While she holds the back of my cell phone up to her ear. This morning she actually took my keys and held the remote house alarm thingy up to her ear and said Hiyeeee. Tiniest phone ever?

Bye bye - means I'm ready to go! Usage: As she takes her little purse and waddles to the door. Usually accompanied by blowing a thousand kisses.

All Doooan - means All Done. Usage: When she's done with anything, even being at daycare. When I picked her up one day, all she would yell was "All doooan! All doooan!"

Dank Ooo - means Thank You. Usage: Rarely!

Eeeeeese - means Cheese. And sometimes Please. Usage: When she sees the camera pointed at her.

Oooosh - means Shoes.

Gawk - means Sock. And sometimes Duck.

Ball - means ball, pumpkin, or any other thing resembling a ball.

Buh buh - means Bubble.

Yi yi yi - means EI-EI-O. Usage: When we sing Old Mac Donald Had a Farm.

I'm thrilled that her vocabulary is growing. Should she be saying more words at this age? Don't know and don't care.

Halloween Pic

2010-11-04T10:27:00.003-04:00

What's been going on?

2010-11-01T08:04:00.002-04:00

1 Year Picture: John took Brooklyn in for pictures a few weeks ago. The photos are T.E.R.R.I.B.L.E. and not because of anything John or Brooklyn did. It's like the photographer set the camera to auto fire and just swung it around the room. Photos aren't centered on the baby, there's crap showing in the background, baby's dress didn't get straightened out, some shots are zoomed in too much...and not in a cool photojournalistic way either. Oh well. At least it didn't cost anything.

BBR: We had another trip to the resort in Orlando with our friends. We refer to it as BBR because the group is comprised of families with the initials B, B & R. Compared to our last trip a few years ago, things were a bit more stressful. Last time there were only adults and barely enough space in the 3 bedroom townhome for us all. This year we all brought our kids (2 babies and a 16 year old) and were so stretched for space we needed to rent another unit. This meant that our group was split up. Not fun. Additionally, the babies require SO MUCH extra equipment and planning and entertainment. Brooklyn doesn't have a "Relax, we are on vacation" button. She's pretty much raring to go at all times. So all in all, the get away was fun but tiring. We will do the next one differently, for sure.

John's new job: Going fine. He started about 2 weeks ago and was unsure at first but, as with any new thing, is growing more comfortable with each new day.

House hunt: Ugh. I don't even want to think about this. I have the 'all clear' from John to look for a new house but we have to sell our condo first. Which means prepping it to show, which means getting a storage unit to store the crap we have that never really fit in our small spaces, which means spending additional money that we'd rather use toward the new house, and then it means waiting and waiting and waiting for a buyer to offer us 20k less than we owe. It's an ugly cycle I tell ya. But I need to just buckle down and move in a direction. Sitting and griping isn't making any progress toward the goal.

Baby #2: This isn't happening for a while. We'll have another baby when we are good and ready.

EPCOT: Food & wine festival = FABULOUS! We had such a great time. LOTS of great food, little bit of wine (for me) and lots of beer (for the guys!) Mom watched Bean for us and we enjoyed the day with our friends Dave & Kelly and Stephane & Amy with their son Luca. This is something I'd love to do every year in the fall. If you haven't been before it is totally worth it.

Halloween: We dressed Brooklyn as an astronaut. She was so cute in her big ol' black boots and orange flight suit. She's barely 16 months old so we didn't go trick-or-treating but we did go to our parents house for a visit and pictures. She seems to already know to hold out her bucket when the door is opened. Are kids ingrained with this when they are born?

And here we are. The beginning of November....temps are still in the mid to high 80's. Not fair but that's what we get for living in Florida.

Peace out!

When only moody slow jams will do...

2010-10-26T12:56:00.003-04:00

Landon Pigg
Ingrid Michaelson
Amos Lee
Ray Lamontagne

Woohoo...Cooking at home!!

2010-10-19T20:40:00.005-04:00

I cannot believe how much I love all things domestic. If you had asked me 10 years ago, I'd have laughed myself into a coma.

So tonight I made a fierce meatloaf and mashed potatoes for dinner. The baby even ate the meatloaf - green peppers & onions and all.

If you are interested in a tasty recipe for meatloaf, I used the one from Mrs. Wilke's Boardinghouse Cookbook.

2 lbs ground chuck
2 eggs
3/4 minced onion
1/4 minced green pepper
2 cups crushed cornflakes
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp mustard
1/4 milk
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 container of sauteed sliced mushrooms (I added these)

Lightly beat the eggs. Mix in all the rest.

*Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

*This makes a huge lump of meat that did not cook thoroughly in my oven. Next time I will cook it for 70 minutes or make two smaller loaves.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Happy eats!

Pity Party of 1, your table is ready!

2010-10-16T16:28:00.005-04:00

Yes, I'm unloading some frustrations.

So the other day a group of us are sitting in the living room of my friend's house and someone asks us all what our dream jobs would be. It surprised me that, with as much thought as I have given this very question, I couldn't articulate any kind of answer.

What is a dream job anyway? I don't really want a job. I want to do things that make me happy. And have someone pay me to do these things. So Rebecca, what makes you happy?

~ Documenting life through photography & scrapbooking
~ Making/sending cards to encourage others
~ Caring for my nest and my family (cooking, cleaning, organizing, decorating)
~ Creating wonderful memories for Brooklyn
~ Reaching out to others
~ Reading
~ Get healthy

What is keeping me from doing these things?

Two inversely proportional factors: time & space.

I don't have time because I work 40+ hours a week. I don't have space because we live in 1000 square foot condo that holds 2000 square feet of life.

If I fix the time issue (quit my job) then the space issue will never be resolved (a bigger house means two incomes.)

And it is frustrating because I see a bunch of other people doing more with less. And I don't know how to get there from here.

*grumpy face*

Ear Tube Procedure

2010-10-15T20:02:00.000-04:00

It was not the horrendous nightmare I had imagined. We arrived at the surgery center at 6:50 and John let me go back with her to take vitals, meet with the doc, nurses & anesthesiologist, sign papers and answer questions. The nurses were super friendly and Brooklyn responded well to the hustle and bustle of their pre-surgery duties.

Then I handed Baby Girl over to the nurse who took her to The Room. Though smiling, I remember thinking "Don't you guys dare screw this up! I will be on you like a spider monkey." I walked out to join John in the waiting area.

I had just settled into my chair and taken half of a sip of searing hot coffee when the doc came out saying "All done!" He did mention earlier that it would take literally 3 minutes to put the tubes in. I swear there must be a NASCAR pit crew back in the surgery room because it took more like 65 seconds.

John and I went to the recovery area where the nurse held a flopsy, bewildered and screaming Brooklyn. Coming out of the haze of anesthesia made her unable to control her own head and I think that really annoyed her. Oh, and having tiny things jammed into your ears probably added to her discomfort. I felt so bad. But she had taken a sip of water so we were cleared to leave.

In the car Brooklyn would NOT let go of her sippy cup or her glow worm as she cried nearly the whole 30 minute ride home. I kind of expected her to be more groggy and less cry-ey. But once home, she slept for 3 hours. Then ate a bit of lunch, played for an hour and slept for 3 more hours.

When she woke up around dinner time she was very much her normal self. By 'normal self' I mean she kept tugging my index finger in an effort to drag me to the front door...her way of saying "Hey people, what does a baby have to do around here to get someone to take her outside?!!" All in all, the day went well.

The tubes will fall out within 12-18 months. Until then we have to get her to wear earplugs while taking a bath. Yay us!

=)

Right now Brooklyn...

2010-10-12T20:27:00.005-04:00

~ Is 1 year and three months old.

~ Can walk like a pro and even tries to run. She works hard at trying to put on her socks and shoes. She also loves to bring us our shoes and tries to put them on our feet. It's so cute because she is actually just rubbing the shoes onto our feet. She also rubs all her food into her hair. This is not so lovely.

~ Can say: bubbles, wow, shoes, oh boy, thank you, night night, momma, da-da & yay.

~ Loves playing outside, climbing up things, looking at animals, hugging her blanket and her glow worm, dancing to music, and blowing many many kisses. She loves being pushed around the neighborhood in her red car and always makes us buckle her up for safety.

~ Loves sleeping! I thought having a little one was saying bye-bye to sleeping in on Saturdays. Not so. We are so blessed that Brooklyn sleeps for 10 - 12 hours. I know it seems like I'm bragging but....well....I kinda am. Not everyone has this luxury to enjoy and I'm just saying I am FULLY APPRECIATIVE!

~ Loves her momma! She's going through a phase where she prefers me over anyone else. It is getting more difficult to leave her at school in the mornings and to leave her at the nursery on Sunday morning. It breaks my heart to hear her cry and reach for me as I walk away. But we both have to be strong. Hopefully through it she'll learn that mommy always comes back for her - that she isn't abandoned.

~ Gets sick. A-LOT. She's had so many ear infections now that tomorrow she's having surgery to have tubes put in her ears. Not looking forward to it. I know she will do fine.

~ Is the absolute light of our lives. When her little cheeks are pushed back into the biggest smile I've ever seen on a baby, it melts me to the core.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2010-09-24T17:24:00.004-04:00

I love going to the park with John and Brooklyn. They are so photogenic.

Blah blah blah words words

2010-09-16T09:19:00.008-04:00

Mommy, my ears hurt! I know that's what Brooklyn would say if she could. She's had many ear infections since March and is currently on her third week of battling the most recent infection. The doctor recommends we see an ENT to have tubes put into her ears. Yay. On one hand I think "how much more will this little girl have to go through" but then I'm gently reminded of the families who may be dealing with much worse for much longer. We can TOTALLY handle this.

We STILL haven't gone in for Brooklyn's 1 year pictures. It seems like something always comes up in the evenings. I suppose that years down the road no one will say "Hey, wasn't she really 1 year and 2 MONTHS in that picture?" so it is not a big deal. As long as they are done before her 2 year birthday.

So last night Brooklyn had this strong desire for the oven mitt she saw on the counter. I gave it to her and she stuck her entire arm in it and walked around the house like that for about 15 minutes. It was so stinking cute. Of course I took pictures.

She even wanted to take it to bed with her. However, it's the same oven mitt that my sister Heather used to put cheese into the bottom of to entice the dog to stick his whole head inside. Which he did. Every time. (And of course, I have pictures but can't find them!)

And finally, I stayed up way too late finishing a project that is SOOOOO AWESOME that I just can't stand not telling what it is. But I can because - in the rare chance that I DO actually keep this a secret - we are going to give them as Christmas gifts. Eeeeek! Keeping good secrets is SO hard for me.

Parenting Class

2010-09-14T14:01:00.003-04:00

John and I have just begun to lead a class on parenting at our church. If you are interested in checking out the curriculum, search for Parenting: The Early Years with Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott.

Although I have found the videos advertising the study to be a little misleading. It's not just about learning how to get your kid to clean their room. Being a good parent means DEMONSTRATING, by your own character, the traits you want your kids to have. So this class is about changing & growing ourselves in order to give our kids a proper model to follow.

We were totally honored to even be asked to do this. We both thought, talked and prayed about it. We agreed that it would be a sort of 'jumping-out-of-the-boat' experience. You know, getting out of your comfort zone. And I knew the subject matter was near and dear to my heart. Who doesn't want to be a better parent? We happily accepted the challenge. Then the war in my mind began.

"YES! Let's do this!"
"Wait, you mean do ANOTHER thing?"
"It will be awesome! You want to be a better parent, right?"
"Well yes, but it sounds like work."
"But it will be totally worth it."
"And I'll have to read a book. Filled with WORDS!"
"Reading is easy. You can do it."
"Ugh. I'll have to connect with MORE people. I just want to be left alone."
"These people are already your friends. You know and love them."
"But I'm tired."
"Will NOT leading the class make you less tired?"
"Oh shut it."

Yes, these thoughts were sucky, but I didn't let it back me down from the challenge.

And I'm soooooo glad because last night was our first class and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E! Sure there were a few fumbling moments as we tried to get the DVD player working, but I think John and I worked EXTREMELY well as a team. While he worked the player, I worked the crowd.

I'm really excited about the couples who have signed up. Seven other families share our passion for being effective, godly parents. And these truly are fun people. I can't wait to get to know them all better!

Photo Taking Stats

2010-09-12T22:58:00.006-04:00

So I was telling my BFF today just how obsessed John and I are with taking pics of our precious Bean. Here is the photo count for previous years compared to this year.

2010 - 3,416 photos (and it's only mid September!!)
2009 - 2,663 photos
2008 - 880 photos
2007 - 551 photos (? I guess not much happened that year.)
2006 - 1,317 photos
2005 - 1,281 photos
2004 - 909 photos
2003 - 896 photos (The year we got married)
2002 - 287 photos (The year I went digital)

Boo-Boos Happen

2010-09-07T20:51:00.004-04:00

Well, we have a 'first'...but an unpleasant one. Brooklyn had a not-so-happy Labor Day celebration when she fell while walking around the coffee table at Grandma's house. This yielded a cut upper lip and her first bloody boo-boo. It was all I could do to not come unglued, but these things happen and I guess I ought to get used to it.

She recovered after a few minutes and later in the day, as she crammed food into her little cake hole, you'd never know there had been any injury. That's my girl. She is one tough little cookie.

Sometimes an apology is just not enough.

2010-09-02T12:27:00.003-04:00

I had a lady tell me recently that she didn't appreciate something I said to her. I was shocked because my comment (to me) was so innocent and so obviously a joke (again, obvious to me) that I still to this day cannot fathom how it was offensive.

So I apologized to her for causing an offense and explained that I did not intend anything mean by it. This did not matter. She was UNHAPPY. Then I asked her "Why would you think I was being mean to you? We are friends."

Apparently the offense was so deep that she informed she was not so sure we were friends after all. Wow. I was stunned to hear this. Then embarrased. Then angry. After she left my area, I wondered why my explanation and apology did not 'fix it.'

Speaking of apologies...John and I are still dealing with the after effects of the car accident that happened in January. Yes, we are every bit thankful to God for bringing her and her daddy out of that situation in perfect physical health. But I still can't help being ~~a little~~ a lot mad at the driver who's brief moment of negligence caused our baby physical harm and caused John and I loads of mental anguish.

We literally fight to not re-live what we had to helplessly watch our baby daughter endure. To me, there needs to be some justice up in here. I have been thinking about filing a civil suit against the punk that hit our car. Not because I want his money. I give a crap about this kid's money. But because (in my opinion) he hasn't had to suffer a big enough consequence for his actions. His insurance company has been paying for all his mistakes.

Then I think, would any amount of compensation from this doofus make the memories go away? Would it make the accident not happen? No & no. So what am I really after? An apology. Some acknowledgement of the suffering he caused ME even though I wasn't in the car. "Hey look, I am so sorry for what happened to your kid. That must have been really hard. I wish I could take it all back." And honestly, that wouldn't 'fix it' either.

So what do I do? I'm not going to sue anyone. I'm going to give it to my God who has been there and has seen His own Son suffer more than I could ever imagine. I'm going to find comfort in the fact that I'm not alone in this and that I have a healthy daughter and husband and have been so blessed throughout this time. And I'm going to remind myself that while an apology sometimes isn't enough, freedom comes in the not needing one.

Why is it that.....Part 2

2010-09-02T11:07:00.003-04:00

~ the ATM machine says you can only take money out in $20 increments but gives you your $20 in fivers? This happened to me the other day. I wanted only ten dollars but noooooooooooooo, the machine made it clear it was incapable of granting that request. So I had to take $20. You can imagine the stink eye I gave the machine when it spat out (4) five dollar bills. I hate liars.

~ in footage taken by tourists on an African safari, the video quality is so good that you can see a flea on the belly of a sleeping leopard from 1000 yards away, but in footage taken by a 7-Eleven security camera you can't see nary a detail of the guy robbing the place? (This was John's observation, but it really fit in this post.)

Right Now

2010-08-21T11:22:00.006-04:00

I am...

Hacking: This list of prompts I saw on someone else's blog

Listening: To a song that is stuck in my head from when I woke up this morning. Adele's "Melt My Heart to Stone." I will put it on repeat for about 2 more hours until I never want to ever hear it again. For at least a month.

Eating: A banana & some cashews.

Drinking: Water from a mug John got me while I was still pregnant. It says "A daughter is a gift of the heart." True dat.

Wearing: Khaki shorts and a t-shirt my in-laws bought me. It has a graphic of Albert Einstein holding a glass of wine and says "Albert Winestein - Drink a few glasses and become a genius."

Reading: Presumed Guilty by James Scott Bell. I WILL get through it this time.

Feeling: Like I'd rather be home with John and the baby right now instead of at work with little to do on this molten lava hot Saturday afternoon.

Wanting: A bigger house. And when I say "want" I mean "with every fiber of my being." I have my eye on one that would be perfect for us.

Praying: About so many things...John's job, the bigger house, when to have our 2nd baby, my mom's health, my family's ability to get along...

Enjoying: Having the whole office to myself and smelling the pizza I have cooking in the toaster oven.

Wondering: Why I referred to my coworker's girlfriend as his 'steady'. What am I, 70???

Scrapping: Only in my dreams. Don't have the space for it right now.

Loving: Almond butter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needing: To start running. I just have to get over my hatred of being hot & sweaty. And the potential that I could very well die out in this heat. And how my body will protest in the beginning. Let's be honest, this is what the conversation would be like:

Me: Hey, let's run somewhere.
Legs: Why?
Me: Just to see what will happen.
Feet: I can't right now. I'm busy holding down this pillow and coffee table.
Me: Awe, come on. It will be fun.
Brain: Do you know how freakin hot it is outside? It's like being an inch from the sun.
Me: You are being dramatic. Running will make us healthy.
Lungs: It will not. It will make us die. Because if you run ANYWHERE I swear I will explode and literally kill you. So go ahead. Try me. It's your funeral.
Me: Wow. That's a pretty creepy but solid argument.

Books for Baby

2010-08-20T08:44:00.004-04:00

I bought some books for Brooklyn over the weekend. They are for ages 8-12. I know. I now have to save them for 7 years before she will probably appreciate them. But think about how much they would cost in 7 years. I did my wallet a huge solid.

My sisters and I got a kick out of Beverly Cleary books when we were younger. I hope Brooklyn does too, but I'll try not to be disappointed if she ends up thinking they are stupid. She won't love everything I love.

Titles purchased:
Ramona & Beezus
Ramona Quimby, Age 8
Ramona the Pest
Ramona Forever
Ramona the Brave
Henry and Beezus

I'd like to take the time to read all her books before she does. I don't want to be one of those parents that finds out AFTERWARDS that my kid is reading inappropriate material. No rush though. Afterall, I have 7 years!

Are there any books that you remember from childhood? I'd love to hear about them.

Why is it that....

2010-08-19T21:56:00.002-04:00

~ Babies have to poop 5 seconds before you need to leave the house? No matter what time I get Brooklyn ready to go in the morning, I see the red face and hear the grunting that can only mean one thing...diaper candy.

~ When you tell your massage therapist that your lower back hurts, they take that as an engraved invitation to rub your butt cheeks in a way that borders on inappropriate. On the outside I'm all "Pssssshah, it's cool. I'm okay with this. She's just doing her job." But on the inside I'm all "NOT COOL! NOT COOL!" Am I gay now? I really hope not because I'm married to a man.

~ The baby's high chair tray says "dishwasher safe" but it is so huge that it would fit in nobody's dishwasher? Do they make double-wide dishwashers?

~ I only feel motivated to work during the last hour of my work day???

~ When trying to show Brooklyn a lizard and how not to be afraid of stuff, it JUMPS ON MY ARM and I scream like a little girl. Wow, some role model I'm going to be. "Hey Brooklyn, don't fear that little tiny pip-squeak of a liz....squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee" *run away*

Old McDonald, John and Rebecca Style

2010-08-16T22:22:00.003-04:00

This might be a difficult story to tell. It's kind of one of those you-had-to-be-there moments but I'm going to give it my best shot.

So we are in the car and Brooklyn is having a little mini tantrum. John and I bust out into song. It's been totally effective in calming her down thus far, so why not ride that train a little longer, eh? However, ours is not the traditional version of Old McDonald.

I start out with the standard cow. You know...moo moo here, moo moo there. Here a moo, there a moo.

Then I throw out the next animal...a goat. It came to the part where I was supposed to make the sound a goat makes and I couldn't remember what they said. Fail.

Then John takes over by shouting out velociraptor. (What the?!) I about died laughing. I think the noise I made was more pterodactyl-ish than velociraptor. But Brooklyn doesn't know the difference. Moving on.

My next animal...rabbit. John makes the bunny face and has his hands up to his chin. You really had to see it. He looked more like Bunnicula than Thumper. Yet on we sang "with a *makes deranged bunny face* here, and a *makes deranged bunny face* there". You get the idea.

Then John says aardvark and makes the appropriate Hannibal-Lecter-sucking-fava-beans noise. It's a good thing he was driving because I would have probably driven into a tree during my fits of laughter.

Then I say tazmanian devil and make a noise that is shockingly similar to the Taz cartoon.

I don't know how much of this helped the baby but I've learned that non-traditional Old McDonald is way more fun.

So next time you sing it (which you know will be in the shower because you won't be able to get the tune out of your head. You're welcome.) Just go wild! Pun intended.

Otter, ant, Wookie, koala, hyena, dolphin, muskrat, giraffe, sloth (2 or 3 toed), marmoset, flounder, tarantula...whatevs. Get jiggy with it!

For First Time Mommys-To-Be: The stuff they don't tell you in books.

2010-08-13T10:05:00.006-04:00

1) Don't register for massive jars of diaper cream to keep by the changing table. The bulk size seems tempting but in reality the screw off lids are very hard to remove with one hand. But Rebecca, why will I only have one hand to remove the lid? Because your other hand will be used to keep a squirming baby from kicking poo all over herself or you or to keep above mentioned squirming baby from flipping over and crawling off the changing table. You need tubes of diaper cream with flip top lids.

2) If you are a working mom who plans to keep breastfeeding after you return to work, GOOD FOR YOU! It is possible to do and you will be sooooo frickin proud of yourself for keeping at it. Here are my tips:

Keep an extra set of bottle caps in your pump bag. I forgot lids once and that panicky feeling you get when you think you might have to toss out some precious milk is just not worth it. Luckily I had a glass bottle of cranberry juice at my desk that I washed out (with scalding hot water) and was able to use to bring the milk home in. Also useful are the freezer storage bags they sell specifically for breastmilk. They take up practically no space in your pump bag and can also be used for transport if you forget lids.

Keep a box of nursing pads and an extra shirt AT WORK. I didn't ever need the extra shirt because of leakage, but I did end up using the spare shirt when Brooklyn pooped on me while dropping her off at daycare. In fact you should keep an extra shirt in your car, in your husband's car, at your friend's house, your parent's house, or any other place you can think of where your kid might poop, pee, yak, snot or drool on you and you don't feel like wearing this badge of parenthood all day long.

3) If you have questions about how long to store breastmilk, go here.

If you have questions about how to re-use pumped breastmilk, go here.

Basically, what I'm saying is DO NOT THROW OUT BREASTMILK based on what a few people might tell you. I wasted a lot of milk in the beginning because I didn't know how resilient it really was.

4) Baby products that fold, open or collapse were clearly not made by people who know what it's like to try and fold, open or collapse said product with a baby in one arm. It seems like EVERYTHING takes 2 hands to fold, open or collapse. The most frustrating thing will be the handle on the infant car seats...the kind of car seat that you take out of the car and fit into the stroller. This handle requires you to lean half way into the car to reach the far side and the near side latches simultaneously, so be prepared to drop ALL THE THINGS you are most likely holding to fold the handle back.

5) If you live in a small apartment, house or condo with a less than huge dining area, don't waste precious space on a full sized high chair. They make the kind that strap to an existing dining room chair and these work splendidly. They also work great for little babies because it reclines and the tray tilts so that the baby can be laying back for feedings, like this. This way the baby is secure for when you are home alone and have to quickly run to pee. I know, I know....you shouldn't leave your kid alone for even 1 second (and I don't recommend doing it) but come on. Sometimes it HAS to happen. These are also good for when you need to shower and you are home alone with baby. Just drag the chair into the bathroom, strap the kid in, put a fistful of cheerios on the tray and there you go.

That's all I can think of for now.

Photo Update - For the Love of Goldfish

2010-08-10T21:15:00.000-04:00

Saturday Morning Thoughts

2010-08-07T09:38:00.004-04:00

It's an easy Saturday morning. Brooklyn just finished her breakfast - 2 scrambled eggs and a plain toasted waffle. My coffee just finished brewing. Now she's running around in a diaper, taking turns bringing things to John and I.

"Brooklyn, bring this wallet to daddy."

*scamper scamper scamper*

"Thank you! Now Brooklyn, bring this wallet back to mommy."

*scamper scamper scamper*

"Awe, thank you! You are sooooooo helpful."

Smiles and giggles and hugs for everyone.

Brooklyn, I love being your mommy. You are so friendly and welcoming to everyone you meet. I love when you crawl up my leg in the mornings while I'm getting your lunch ready in the mornings. I love how you 'moo' like a cow. I love how you smile with your whole face. I love how you JUST NOW figured out how to use the fan remote to turn on (and off and on and off and on) the overhead light. Hahaha!

Yay! My Swing!!!

2010-08-05T17:24:00.001-04:00

Birthday Girl

2010-07-18T22:43:00.006-04:00

We celebrated Brooklyn's birthday yesterday. I can't believe I now have a one year old baby. The party was great. Many sweet people came and showed their love to Brooklyn. These are only a few in attendence.

And she got a ton of loot. Her pretty party dress made her the belle of the ball.

The cake, food and decorations were top notch.

She played SO WELL with the other little kids. I'm very proud of her.

Sadly, there are no cake smashing pictures. Brooklyn was tired and irritable at the moment we brought out the cake and all she did was cry when she saw it. Poor baby was in sensory overload. That's okay though. There will be other birthdays and other cakes to smash. I've learned to never hang your hat on certain expectations. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't. If you go into with that mentality, you won't be terribly disappointed when things don't go as planned. Roll with it, baby!

I'm so thankful to all of our guests. I'm especially thankful to my husband, my parents & my in-laws for all their hard work. They cooked, cleaned, shopped, baked, set up, cleaned up and did basically everything needed to make a party run smoothly.

4:10pm

2010-07-15T07:33:00.004-04:00

Today at 4:10pm you turn 1 year old.

Right now:

~ You love cheese. Daddy cannot get a string cheese stick for himself without you hearing the wrapper and going mass critical. He HAS to share some with you.

~ You started walking short distances a couple of weeks ago - about 5 feet between daddy & me. And you are so happy with yourself. The last step is you throwing yourself at me with a huge smile.

~ You are 29" tall and weigh around 20lbs. We stood you up against the wall and marked your height.

~ You can fully wreck the living room in 37 seconds. And I have pictures to prove it.

~ You are starting to try and climb up the bookshelf. That is a big no-no.

~ You still love people. You didn't go through the stranger anxiety phase. That's our social little butterfly. (Just like your mommy.)

~ You love to push things around the house: Your walker toy, an upside-down bucket or small trash can, patio chairs. Not satisfied to sit and be a lump, you seem happiest when you have something to do. (Just like your daddy.)

~ You love all other little kids...especially the older ones that you can scurry around after. And they really seem to enjoy entertaining you. I love to watch you play.

~ You don't get what 'no' means. We have to tell you over and over NOT to touch certain things. And then you still touch. We'll have to figure this one out...fast!

~ You still eat anything we put in front of you. Thank you God!

~ You are starting to resist going to bed. One night you cried and wimpered for about 10 minutes before you settled down to sleep. I'll never understand why babies hate to go to bed. I LOVE to sleep and wish I could do it more often.

Looking back...

2010-07-13T14:34:00.007-04:00

So let me take a minute to reflect on things John and I were doing this exact time last year.

Saturday 7/11/09: I was having fun at a dear friend's baby shower. My feet were super puff-a-lumps and it was hard to stand on them for long periods, but my friends were super accommodating and found a rocking chair for me. Everyone kept asking me if I had pre-eclampsia and to my knowledge I did not. Never had my doctor or nurse expressed concern about the massive foot swell I endured. Oh well. If they weren't worried, neither was I.

Sunday 7/12/09: John and I had a discussion about when to pack our hospital bag. Bean wasn't due for 5 more weeks, so surely there was no need to rush. We'll do it next weekend. I remember thinking "I hope I'm ready for this in 5 weeks." My thoughts on labor and delivery were becoming increasingly skeptical.

Monday 7/13/09: Doctor's appointment. Nothing major, just the normal pregnant lady check up. Doc thought my blood pressure was a tad high...enough that he thought I needed to do a 24hr urine test. No problem, doc. I'll just pop back in on Wednesday before work and you can give me an all-clear. Okay? See ya.

Later I had a massage at my chiropractor's office. The massuese is trained in pre-natal massage. H.E.A.V.E.N.

Tuesday 7/14/09: Nursing class at the hospital. Lots of interesting information on breastfeeding. Learned new ways to hold the baby for optimum latch potential: football hold, cross-over hold, reverse-under-the-arm-downward-facing-double-dog-half-gainer hold. (Not really. I made that one up.)

Wednesday 7/15/09: I go to the hospital for my follow up appointment. The nurse takes my blood pressure. She comes back later and asks me to put on a hospital gown and straps a belt around my belly. I guess my doc ordered a non-stress test. At this point I'm still not too concerned. I've never been pregnant before so I assume this is all normal pregnant lady stuff. So I call work and tell them I might be later than I thought - boy this follow up appointment is really taking forever. And man I'm hungry. I haven't eaten breakfast. I think I'll grab a smoothie on the way to work once these hospital shenanigans are over with. Then someone comes in and does an ultrasound on my belly. Baby looks good. Then someone else comes in with the results of my 24 hour urine test. And this is where the rubbish hits the oscillating device. If anyone needs a refresher about the rest of the story, check here.

Anyway, the day ended with a beautiful, healthy and resilient little baby being delivered at 4:10pm. 5 weeks earlier than anyone ever had the slightest inkling that she would arrive. And all without any hospital bag ever being packed.

I have to say it was the biggest surprise of my entire life. Was I ready? Heck no. I didn't think I was ready for a baby that day or would even be ready given 5 more weeks. But I adapted. Brooklyn adapted. And John didn't have time to do anything but adapt. And he did it so well.

I continually thank God for the happy ending to this story.

There's a party a brewin'

2010-07-12T14:06:00.003-04:00

Holy schnikeys! I can't believe Brooklyn turns 1 year old this Thursday. Honestly, I haven't really thought much of her birthday party because of the funeral this past weekend and all the prep that went into that. But now it's like I have to kick it into over drive because time is ticking!!

I have plans for some simple decorations that hopefully won't be one of those "should only take 5 minutes but ends up taking 5 days" type projects. My in-laws are kindly gathering/preparing the food. And so all we have left are paper products and her gift to purchase. I really wanted a simple party with just cake & ice-cream. We'll see how it turns out. I feel like I'm in a cloud. I can't even remember who all we invited. Can I still blame this on mommy-brain?

Independence Day, 2010

2010-07-05T22:16:00.006-04:00

My firecracker baby, patriotic sweetie and I went to a friend's house

for some food

some fireworks

and fun with friends.

It was a rainy afternoon but the boys improvised.

And Brooklyn got to wear her festive skirt.

Thank you, sweet baby

2010-07-05T21:30:00.005-04:00

For being such a good sleeper. I know many parents who don't get to enjoy putting their kid to bed at 8:00 every night without a fight and then have that same child sleep until 7:30 the next morning. We are blessed. And we know it. We don't take one single moment of it for granted.

For being such a good eater. Whatever we put in front of you gets eaten. Yes, some of it ends up on the floor or in your shirt. And in your hair. And in your diaper. Which is fun to find later when we give you a bath. I was afraid I had ruined your palate by waiting so long to give you solid foods. I'm SO pleased that you are willing.

For being so entertaining. I love watching you sleep and how you continue to suck even when the binky falls out of your mouth. I love watching you play in the tub and how you try so hard to drink out of the faucet. I love watching you figure things out. How daddy makes you laugh, how sometimes you just want mommy to hug you, how you are so friendly to everyone you meet. And how you just have to see every bit of what is going on around you.

I love you so much, baby girl.

How to Painlessly Stop Breastfeeding

2010-07-03T07:55:00.001-04:00

I dreaded the thought of stopping breastfeeding. I was worried that quitting cold turkey would be a painful process as my body learned to shut down the factory. So I tried my own 'ramping down' method. The process took a couple of months, but to not have to suffer one minute of engorgement made it totally worth the time.

To keep the milk going during the work day I'd pump every 3 hours. Then when Brooklyn was about 8 months old, I started spacing out the time to every 4 hours. I did this for about a month. Then 5 hours. And so on. Eventually, I pumped only twice a day - before bed and in the morning before work.

I did this for a week or two. Then I took a risk and pumped only 1 time a day to see what would happen. No engorgement. No pain. Yay! After a week or two of this, I only pumped once every couple of days. And then one day I just didn't pump ever again.

So when Brooklyn was about 11 1/2 months old, the factory closed for good. Honestly, I was happy to get my freedom back. I didn't mind the sacrifice at the time but now I'm thrilled to not be a slave to the breastpump.

I feel it is important to mention this part. Babies aren't supposed to have whole cow milk until they are 1 year old. My process eliminated my milk two weeks shy of her 1st birthday. So we used formula to fill the void. And to make sure she would accept formula, we gave her a bottle of it while I was still able to make my own milk. I didn't want to quit breastfeeding to find out that she wouldn't tolerate formula and then all of us be stuck without any options. Granted, she was eating solid foods by this time, but having a bottle of milk before bed time and to hold her over between meals was super convenient.

So there you go. Happy weaning!

It's never too soon to start learning about chores!

2010-06-28T21:33:00.003-04:00

When's my dang shirt going to be finished?

(Photo disclaimer: I know it looks like she has a 'load' in her diaper, but she doesn't. That is honestly how they hang.)

Brooklyn likes to help daddy push the vacuum back into the closet. Makes me laugh every time.

It takes a while

2010-06-27T21:40:00.004-04:00

How do you write about death? This is my second occasion to do so and it doesn't get easier. My grandmother passed away yesterday. It was 3:38am on June 26th. She was 81. I keep having to remind myself that she's gone. It takes a while for it to register, I guess. My mind goes back to the last time I'd seen her...

{Our Four Generation Picture taken on Mother's Day 2010

It was Saturday evening last weekend (6/19/10.) And it was an accidental visit. I had called grandma to see if my mom was there. When grandma told me she wasn't, I didn't want it to seem like that's the only reason I called, so we chatted a bit. She told me my uncle and his wife had come over from Tampa to cook dinner for her and that John and I should bring the baby over for a visit. My sister Sarah was hanging out at my house so we brought her along with us.

{My sister Sarah, my daughter Brooklyn, & Grandma}

Truth be told, I could have drummed up no shortage of excuses to not go over. I'm not as close with my extended family as others are, so me NOT visiting people is the norm. But for some reason I felt like we should take the time to go over and say hey to everyone. It was a great time. I'm so glad I went.

We sat around chatting about the job situation (most of my family and I work at the space center), the effect the oil spill is having on our state, and sundry other topics. Grandma sat quietly, half contributing and half just watching the interactions.

When I asked her if she wanted a turn holding Brooklyn, her eyes lit right up. She held the baby until Brooklyn got too heavy and wiggly for her to manage. We all chatted some more, nibbling Hors d'œuvres (seriously, why can we not spell this orderves????) My uncle's wife told us how it takes grandma forever to eat a cracker with dip on it. Something that people normally pop into their mouths takes her 4 bites. We all laughed. Grandma can be so adorable.

At one point I noticed her sitting staring at Brooklyn. I asked her what she was thinking. She said "the baby is just soooooooo beautiful." I know grandma really loved her first great-granddaughter. You could easily see it in her eyes.

I was glad we went for a visit. But now I'm even more grateful for that time. I had no idea it would be the last time I'd see her. More memories will come to me. And I'll tuck them away somewhere on a scrapbook page so I don't ever forget. The funeral probably won't be for another week. I am looking forward to hearing what others in the family remember most about grandma. She will be dearly missed by us all.

{My grandma with her youngest daughter - my mom.}

I hope you daaaaaaaaaaance....

2010-06-22T15:27:00.002-04:00

So last night John and I had the best time putting baby to sleep. After her dinner & bath we put the iPod on Buble and took turns singing and dancing around the living room with Brooklyn in our arms. It was great fun for us and she really seemed to like being 'dipped' during the dramatic parts of the song. Who doesn't enjoy a good dipping?

I'll never ever forget how she smiled, giggled and gripped my thumb with her whole hand as we whirled around. I just wish I had a picture of it all. I know you'd get a kick out of us. I sure do.