Life Lessons: Courtesy of Motherhood

Recently, I've been trying to slow down and enjoy life a little more. For those of you who know me (as the type-A, control freak), you realize how difficult this is for me! However, along the way, I've been reflecting on the things that, for good or for bad, motherhood teaches us.

* Patience, Patience, Patience -- I think this one is pretty self-explanatory.

* There is more than one way to do everything -- this took me a while to determine and come to terms with. Yes, there are instructions that come with baby and toddler toys explaining how they are to be properly used .... never anticipate that this will actually be how your baby uses the item. Do not be alarmed!

* I can write paragraph's worth of information and instructions regarding the simplest things I do for Connor throughout the day -- an example: I never thought that I would feel the need to explain how to fill a sippy cup with apple juice the correct way (not all the way to the top because it will spill, consisting of one-third water from the fridge dispenser, two-thirds actual juice, and a squirt of liquid baby vitamins - but only in the morning). Seriously, this is just juice... should you desire an explanation of, lets say, putting Connor to bed, that could take an entire spiral notebook. This is just one of TONS of examples of how I need to tone-down the type-Aness :)
Side note: Connor would be fine no matter how one put him to bed or filled his juice cup... really.

* There are more important things in life than a good tan, a flat stomach and a night out on the town (but all three would still be nice!)-- if you had told me this 5 years ago, I would have laughed at you. Enough said.

and finally,

* You may be considered a slacker if you are doing less than 2 or 3 things simultaneously -- this is true. Multitasking has become an art form in my life. Elliptical while on the phone while browsing a magazine while watching Connor ... sitting down on the couch to read a magazine?? Ha. CPS would be here in a second.... everyone knows moms don't get to sit down!!!

I end with pictures from Christmas Eve ... Christmas pics to come soon! I hope everyone had a good one!

"It's the Holiday Season ..."

A few of our recent family pre-Christmas events!!

This past Saturday, we had a celebration at my parent's house for my dad's birthday and for Hanukkah (for Jamie :)

And, the entire fam at Hubers for lunch and wine tastings!!

Lot's of Fun (and not so fun) Things!

Jamie's mom, Gail, flew in from Cali for a Holiday visit for about five days, starting last Thursday. If you read my last post, you know that there was some sort of fun stomach thingy going around our house ... only lasted like 12 hours, but still, fun. Anyway, it only took about 48 hours from the time Gail landed to also be afflicted with the "fun". She also went with Jamie to put Max, our oldest doggie, to sleep at the vet's office on Monday {tear}. (FYI, our vet, also a boarding kennel and a groomer, is AWESOME!!! So if you are looking for one in the Louisville area, I HIGHLY recommend Springhurst Animal Hospital! They even sent us a condolence flower arrangement... they really are awesome!) So all of that, mixed with the really cold, crappy weather, and she didn't have such a stellar time while she was here! However, those are just the bad things .... lots of fun, good things have happened in the last week ....

Friday afternoon (pre-tummy troubles) Gail and I dropped Connor off at my mom's and we went shopping at J. Crew for my Christmas present and so Gail could also shop for a few remaining people on her list. If you aren't aware of my J. Crew obsession by now, I'm genuinely shocked. So much fun! There were amazing sales and we basically bought one (or two) of everything in the store! It was a lot of fun, plus I got some great stuff from her for Christmas ... including a super-cute red wool coat, perfect for the Holidays!

Saturday, still pre-sick, we made the trek to Lexington for the UK Alumni Big Blue Lunch with Santa. We had a great time and I ALMOST got Connor to take his picture alone with Santa, but not quite! The event was really fun and they were giving out gifts from the Disney Store of all the little ones! Totally worth the trip to Lex!!

We also did a drive-by past the Alpha Delta Pi house {sigh} I totally miss it! Unfortunately, it appears they no longer put the moving reindeer on the roof at Christmas time ... which I think might have something to do with my pledge class placing them in compromising positions in the middle of the night after coming home from the bars ... but I'm not sure! ;)

Sunday night I made a four-layer (yes, four) pumpkin cake for Bunco on Monday night. It turned out awesome!! I'm so proud of myself. I can hear the oohs and ahhs from here ... thanks! :)

This is completely off-topic, but as some of you know, I love chicken salad ... like, a lot. My new favorite way to make it, as in the super-duper-lazy-person-who-loves-chicken-salad way of making it, is to take a can of Tyson chunk chicken, drain and rinse, add 1 tablespoon of light mayo, tsp. of celery salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper and voila! I just eat it with a fork, or put it on saltines .... yummy!

Ok, back to what I was talking about...

Monday, Connor got his first hair cut! I thought about doing Cookie Cutters for his first cut, but all the reviews I read online were bad, so I called up my girl (Jennifer at Vertu Salon) and she offered to cut his hair at our house! It only took a few Gerber Puffs and Fruit Strips to get through the process and he went from curly mop-head to a little man! (I know I said I didn't have anymore bad news .... but I lied!) I saved some curls to document Connor's first haircut, but now I cannot find them!!!! I put them in a Ziploc and now I've either misplaced them or threw them away in my frantic cooking spree for Bunco that night. Either way, I am SO bummed right now and I'm thinking of just cutting more hair off his head so I'll have it for his baby book!! Seriously! I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do!!!

Today, Sears came and cleaned our carpets and I'm feeling WAY happier with a cleaner house ... way worth what it costs to get done!!! Off to make dome Christmas cookies for an exchange on Sunday ... chow.

Sick sick sick

Being sick sucks ... having a sick baby who then proceeds to to you sick, sucks more.

This week hasn't exactly been stellar. Yesterday, my car just kept turning itself off in the parking lot of our local Kroger. Yep, that's right, I'm just driving along and all of a sudden a bunch of lights on the dash would "illuminate" as they say in the owner's manual, the power steering would go out, and the car would just shut off. I was able to make it home, and then had to wait over 2 hours for the stupid Land Rover Roadside Assistance people to get to our house. You would think that having a brand new car would actually be a good thing, but this is like the third time my car has been in the shop in the past few months. *Grrr* All is not lost, because I did get a SUV nicer than mine to roll around in for the next god-only-knows-how-long. It just sucks to have to keep switching the car seat in and out... and all the other crap we need in the car.... which is a lot ... I won't go into details.

So, that brings me to late last night ... more of the middle of the night I guess. Connor wakes up screaming, not just the escalating crying we are used to, but screaming. So, I go upstairs and upon opening his door I am hit with an awful stench. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I know it's not poop. It only takes me about a second to figure out what it is. Puke. All over the crib ... and Connor. On a side note, this is actually one of the times that I can't imagine what it would be like to be a working, single mom. I truly have the uttermost respect for those women. Because, what did I do? Call for Jamie to come upstairs to help quarantine the sheets and Connor's clothes in a plastic bag, of course!!
I'll spare you the rest of the details, but about an hour, one more throw-up, 2 books, and a diaper change later, I am able to hit the sack, upstairs in the guest bedroom. Lucky me, the bedside clock had never been set since the last power flash at our house, so it was blinking red all night long (yes I could have fixed or unplugged it, but I'm lazy, don't judge me ;) All-in-all, not a great night.

And now, I am sitting here writing this to you (and Lysol spraying everything in the house) because I had to skip out on my long-anticipated Move Night with the girls because I now do not feel good. {tear}... I was seriously looking forward to this night out!

Now I'm just hoping for a barf-free night for everyone. That would be nice!

We Didn't Order Pizza!!!

I need to vent about the single most frustrating thing (maybe ever) that happened to me yesterday. I had just driven home from my parent's house with Connor and he fell asleep in the car. Yea! It was late afternoon (like 5:30 ish) so I was pumped at the possibility of Connor actually taking his second nap of the day (which rarely happens lately!) Anyway, I go to gently transfer Connor from the car to the crib, which I was only doing because it was SO cold in the car, even in the garage, otherwise I would obviously not have even attempted this scary feat! Of course he wakes up, but knowing how tired he must have been to fall asleep on the short car ride home, I let him fuss a bit in the crib and by the time I fetched all our crap out of the car and put it away ... silence from upstairs. Woo hoo!

Then, it happens. The worst thing that can happen in a home that has dogs and a sleeping baby. The dreaded doorbell.

Now, let me preface this with saying that I am no dummy. Yes, I am an online shopping addict (see previous posts ;) so I get TONS of packages per week and I am completely used to listening for the truck out on the street and intercepting any deliveries before the delivery guy's finger can even come close to our doorbell! In fact, me and the UPS guy are basically dating at this point ... he knows more about where I shop and what kind of sweats I wear during the day than anyone would want to know ... so I consider us pretty close. More importantly, I know his schedule!! And, yesterday, when we got home, I picked a couple of packages up from the front porch, so I KNEW for a fact UPS and FedEx had already been by. So the coast should have been clear... right?

DING DONG!

It's like my life flashed before my eyes ... but in my brain... "Who could that be? Surprise delivery? Flowers? (that would be nice) The neighbors? Jehovah's Witness? Seriously!! Who could that be?? BOTH of my delivery-truck-driving-boyfriends had already been here! Did they forget a box?? (ooh, did I forget something was coming today?)"

Meanwhile, Charlotte (my little black shih-tzu) is barking and tearing through the house like a freaking maniac... and it basically shakes the house ... anyone with an open-floor-plan 2-story house knows exactly what I'm talking about!!

DANG IT!!!!! (aka: #$F^%S^&^*&D)%^#@#M@%!F@#!^S^&*) - Honesty, worst things were said... you can fill in the blanks.

As I make my way to the front door, trying to grab Charlotte and turn the outside lights on at the same time, I hear Connor start wailing from upstairs.

Again: ^%S^&^*&D)%^#@#M@%!F@#!^S^!!!!!!

Upon turning the front lights on, I see it's a pizza dude holding 3 pizzas and looking kind of pissed that I didn't turn the front lights on for him to see his way up our sidewalk.

UN FREAKING BELIEVABLE!!!

"You have got to be kidding me!!!!!!" I thought ... not only was is not anything exciting, it wasn't even anything for ME!!! I opened the door and said simply: "Wrong house" and closed the door. I do not think I have ever been so mad at pizza in my life... seriously! Of course, it was also Charlotte's fault for being such a spaz... but I decided it didn't really matter at that point.

Added bonus: Jamie calls my cell phone in the middle of all of this ... and then the house phone!! Let's just say he didn't get such a great response when I finally was able to answer! He could tell how upset I was and offered to call and get the guy fired.... I think he was joking ... but anyone with a napping baby who has a million-and-one things to do will tell you, he deserved to be!! ;)

So, I go upstairs and get my cranky little stinker who was obviously not too happy with being woken up from a nap he never wanted to take in the first place.

And, I'm not sure we'll be ordering pizza for a while :)

Gymboree Time = Mommy Talk Time

We went to our weekly Gymboree class this morning (courtesy of Jamie's mom for a year as a gift for Connor's 1st Birthday) and I suddenly realized that infant play dates are SO much more about the mommies talking than the socializing of babies... and do babies even socialize?? or need to? Anyway...
When we get to Gymboree, Connor, as always, heads to the large plastic bin of primary colored balls and starts flinging them all into the floor. Meanwhile, I make mindless conversation with the other moms who are watching their respective tots climb on puffy ramps or crawl through nylon tunnels about Black Friday, how long they breast-fed, the best luxury SUV's and the in-laws coming in for Christmas. There's no doubt some of these convos quickly turn into one-up conversations ... but it's all friendly mommy-time fun, right!? ;)
For some of us, this might be the only outlet we have to talk about such things and we take full advantage of it. Who else can we discuss these topics with (obviously not your husband who has little insight as to what it's like to cook, clean, shower, shop, AND be a mom all in the same day ... ok, sometimes I don't get to shower) so this really is the perfect storm of women desperate to have a conversation with someone other than their one-year-old.... and with other women who are not completely discussed nor bored with the topics you wish to discuss.
I love it because you can always tell the mom or three or more because she actually will take he eye off her child for more than a nano-second and doesn't even flinch when another child (ok, normally Connor) throws a ball at her precious angel's head.

So, that was my day so far .... well, that, and cleaning up dog puke from the carpet for hours on end ... but that's for another post!