Five on Friday - 1/24/14

FIVE on Friday

*ONE*

So Wednesday morning I’m sitting down watching Emma flip through a Little Einstein search and find type book, when out of nowhere she says “six, seven, eight, nine, ten.” Yeah. Seriously. My jaw dropped and I got teary-eyed and I said “Oh my gosh how do you know that?” Turns out my Dad and her say numbers one through ten all the time. I don’t know if she really knows about counting, but she knows those. However, when we count our itty-bitty chocolates (her treat for cutting her nails) she skips the number two.

*TWO*

We went to Sesame Street Live on Sunday. So exciting! She enjoyed the majority of it. After intermission (when we got her a balloon) she lost her full focus on it and she spent the second half up and down, playing with anything she could get her hands on. Lol. It’s okay though. We paid extra to be in the fifth row, and at the Peabody if you’re over one you have to have your own seat, so she had plenty of room to move and she got to see Elmo up-close-and-personal.

*THREE*

After Sesame Street Live, Emma had a birthday party to go to for her friend Lorelei. It was a Minnie Mouse theme and Lorelei’s Mommy (Rachel) is a very crafty person so it was so amazing to see all the decorations and such. Anyway, Em decided to skip her nap that was supposed to take place in the car before SSL, and she didn’t nap afterwards, so my baby girl went all the way until bedtime without a nap. Wow. I’m sure you know where I was between 1 and 2:30am. Yep, in her room on the floor trying to get her to go back to sleep. Bad naps really do equal bad sleep at night. I really hope that we don’t have to do that again because Momma likes her sleep… especially on a work night.

*FOUR*

I’m getting super excited for everything Valentine’s Day. I have no idea why I get like this every year. I guess I like hearts. Hahaha. I even get all emotional. Well, I think the combination of upcoming Valentine’s Day and the start of the New Year is what makes me so emotional. Just the fresh start and possibilities… think about it! So exciting. J

*FIVE*

I really, really, really need to go shopping for new work clothes. I have some gift cards that I got for Christmas, I just haven’t had the time to use them. I used half of my JCP one on two pairs of work pants and a shirt, and I love the pants. Every time I wear them I think about how I want to go find some more. Ugh. I just can’t take Emma because she wants to walk and run around, and I hate to give up my time with her because I get so little in the first place. It’s a lose-lose. Booooo.

Five on Friday - 1/17/2014

Five on Friday!!!

ONE

My most exciting of the five has to be listed first of course. J Something good is happening. J I can’t tell you yet. Sorry. But it’s coming.

TWO

I’m obsessed with my daughter. I feel like I spend hardly any time with her at all. On average, I get Monday through Friday nights from 5:45pm until 8:30pm when she’s sound asleep in bed, I get Monday through Friday mornings from roughly 6:30am until 8:00am when I drop her off, and I get her all day Saturday and Sunday. That may sound like enough time to you, but in Mommy world, it’s close to nothing. It does make me cherish the weekends, but she’s only this small once, right? So, if I unexpectedly miss out on my time with her breaks my heart. I cry. Seriously, I cry. I cried last night talking to Gene about mere possibilities, at the thought of missing out on our time.

THREE

You’ve heard people say that a child puts a damper on some marriages. It’s true. I see my Mom friends and their husbands doing awesome things together, or having more babies, or even just having deep conversations, etc. Gene and I aren’t like that. We get one date night a month (where I’m mostly talking about Emma, see number TWO above), and other than that we don’t have any real adult time. After Emma goes to bed we do our separate things before we head off to bed because that’s the time we have to do them (I’m sure he doesn’t care to watch me pluck my eyebrows, lol). He goes to work 30 minutes before I even get up. He works Saturdays, and we do family things on Sundays. There is no time for us. And then when we magically do have time for us, we have nothing to talk about. Isn’t that awful? Our silence gets broken by one of us merely saying “I love Emma,” then we talk about her for another ten minutes or so until we go off to do our own things or go to bed out of boredom.

We’ve acknowledged the fact that we are in a rut… that we have nothing to talk about… that we don’t even really enjoy the same things to do in our spare time. Has anything changed? No. It’s hard to change when you have a good, consistent, functioning family life at home. Emma is in a routine. She pretty much knows what is expected each night. It’s hard to rattle that schedule to get in more adult time (I hate using the phrase “adult time” because it sounds like I’m talking about dirty stuff, but I’m really just talking about adult conversations and time to do things together). One date night is hardly enough for us, yet I hate to even give up my Emma time for the one night. It’s a lose-lose. How is a working Mom still supposed to have a life? I feel bad even saying that, but I don’t see any of my non-mom friends, I don’t have stress-relieving nights out. I don’t usually mind, but it takes its toll.

But am I willing to give up my Emma [time] for my sanity?

FOUR

It is awards show season. I love January! I love watching red carpets, and the shows themselves. I love seeing the after party pictures, and “who wore it better.” I always said that I was meant to be a celebrity (ha!). However, so far this year all I have gotten in is part of the Golden Globes, and that was just by luck because Emma hadn’t realized yet that “monkey’s gone.” The SAG awards are coming up and I do love those; 45 second speeches are the best. And I like that it’s actors voting for actors because then it’s not all about the favorites. Also, the Oscars are coming the beginning of March I think, so I really need to get to watching the movies nominated.

FIVE

I plan on us putting our house on the market in the Spring. It is so close, yet I have absolutely no motivation to get going on the projects that I have in mind. Ugh. Everything is truly so much harder with a child! As much as I hate painting, I’d do it this weekend with my mom, if it wasn’t for the fact that there is nobody to watch Emma. I have so much that I want to order to help with organization and simplification, but with a toddler, how organized can you really be? For each idea, comes a reason why it just won’t work. I need to get out of that mindset and just do it already. Oy vay!

Love the Five on Friday posts? Check out some friends (Liz and Megan) who post them too!

One and a Half!!!

Here we are. Emma is one and a half years old. It’s been a long journey that flew by too fast.

In the last three months (since her 15mos post) we’ve battled a pretty good head cold, roseola, molars and typical growing pains. Speaking of growing pains, while Emma is still at 30 pounds (30.2 to be exact), she’s now up to 34 inches in height!!!! She’s almost three feet tall! Oh, where did my baby go?

While yesterday marked Emma’s official 18 month birthday, today was her 18 month check-up. Nothing exciting by any means (we even had to skip shots because we were a few days shy of insurance covering it), but I did have my top five questions to ask.

Side Note – my Mom took Emma today instead of me. I had an important engagement at work.

Important Questions/Concerns:

She is coughing a lot. Dry coughing (for up to 5 minutes) in the middle of the night, and wet coughing during the day with lots of phlegm sounds all day.  *We are using the humidifier at night.

... Dr. said not to be alarmed since it’s just because she had a cold. It can take weeks for a toddler’s throat and sinuses to clear because they do not know how to help it along.

Is there such a thing as too much milk, and what is a good amount for her to have in one day? *I think she gets 24oz a day on average (maybe more here and there).

... Dr. said to limit milk to 16 ounces a day. She can have greek yogurt each day as well if I need to use it for a dessert.

What are your thoughts on a pillow in bed?

... No pillow in bed because it just gives her one more thing to bury her face in. Infants do not need leverage at this time because they sleep on their back or stomach (rarely on their side).

Is there anything else to help dry skin – Fish oil? Cod liver oil? Olive oil? *I don’t care for oil on skin.

... Limit baths to twice a week (unless a dire need) because their skin is so sensitive (even in summer time). Limit play time in the bath to about 5 minutes. No bubble bath or oatmeal treatments. Only use Dove bar soap. Lotion entire body with a calming lotion (no scent) right after bath and as needed. Put A&D or Desitin, on top of lotion, on red patchy spots (like behind knees).

Is it a good time to start potty-training? *She understands what pee means (maybe poo), but the times we try to get her to “practice” to use it she just wants to play with the potty instead of sit on it.

... Only begin potty training when she says she’s ready. If you ask her if she wants to go on the potty and she says yes, then she’s ready. Do not use a small plastic potty (this may be just in some cases because he referred to her height). A girl needs to sit facing backwards on the big toilet to get used to peeing with her legs apart. If her legs are together the pee goes where it shouldn’t and the ammonia will start to burn them. Allow them to play with the handle and the things that may be on the back of the toilet. Don’t try to force them to train too early, and don’t rush them once they do sit on it.

I hate to say it for the world to see, but I would much rather my Mom take Emma to the doctor instead of Gene. I know, bad wife to say such a thing. But, you have to admit that women ask more questions and remember the answers. My Mom rattled off the answers to all of those questions in less than three minutes. J

I would absolutely love to be able to take Emma in more often than every three months, just so I can ask all my questions. Or I wish I could email her doctor any old time to ask them. Haha. In a perfect world, right?

All-in-all Emma is right on track for 18 months. Oh! And he did sing her praises for her extensive vocabulary. Mom said that Emma just loved Dr. Murphy’s computer because he had Elmo on it.

While it’s sad that she’s growing up so fast, it’s also so exciting to see all the new things she comes up with.

I love my Emma!!!

NEW YEAR - New... Anything?

Here it is, 2014. Twenty. Fourteen.

I can’t wait to tell my child that I was born before the years even started with a two. Haha. I know Emma will get a kick out of that when she’s old enough to comprehend.

Each January first, I wonder what the new year holds for me. This year I find myself throwing out all sorts of possibilities that are close to realities, even in the first few days. New job? Another child? Back to school? Sell our house? Buy a house? All of which have been in my mind for a long time.

New Job – It’s no secret that I haven’t been all that happy at work. Oh well, people go through slumps, right? Well, there is a new position available that while it’s actually a backwards move, might be a good fit for me. I’ve gone through the necessary steps, and I’m now just waiting for the chance to begin the interviewing process. Who knows though, I may start asking questions and find that it’s not for me. :-\

Another Child – I have wanted another child pretty much as soon as Emma turned about three months old. There is nothing more precious in life than a child. I never saw it before (although I wish I had). Just a couple weeks ago I found myself telling my Mom that I wish I had liked kids back when my cousin (Crissy) had hers because now I find myself wishing I had family around with babies to hold me over until I have another. I didn’t give their cuteness the time-of-day back then and I feel awful about it now.

Back to School – The only thing holding me back from going to school is the time it takes at home for homework and studying. Seriously folks, when Emma goes to bed (around 9pm now) I make it less than 30 minutes and I’m asleep on the couch or in bed. I wake just in time to get ready for work. Yes… I sleep about 9.5 hours every night. Sure, there are times when Emma gets cold or has wild dreams and I get up more often than not, but for the most part, it’s always 8-10 hours. I really like to get my sleep, and I really don’t want to give it up for school. However, IF the new position becomes a reality, it’ll free up some time for myself to get in an adequate amount of study/homework time. We’ll see.

Sell our House – Gene and I bought our first house in a not-so-family-friendly area. True, there are families, but the schools, location, etc. isn’t up to our standards for our children. So, before Emma gets old enough for school, we need to sell our house. And before we can do that, we need to fix it up. Our friend and handyman David (you can find him under my FB page, friends, David Hudson) has been slowly helping us fix or make modifications as needed. Fixing up your house is not cheap when your husband can barely hammer in a nail, so David is patient with us – he will look, give us a quote, and then keep checking in until we have enough o get the project done. Anyway, once we get the bigger parts taken care of, we will put our house on the market for a minimal amount. We aren’t looking to turn a profit really, just to get to a better district for Emma.

**If anyone needs a handyman, David comes highly recommended. I can even send you his number if you need any work done. Trees trimmed, painting, carpentry, squeaky floors, electrical jobs, etc.

Buy a House – Once we sell our house, or maybe even before if it works out for us, we will need to buy a house in the Orchard Farm school district. Gene and I talk and talk about schools, and since he isn’t interested in going back to Brussels, Orchard Farm it is. We actually found one; an “as-is” foreclosure, that it so low in price that we could afford to buy it now. However, why should we buy a fixer-upper when my husband can’t fix it? So, we haven’t pursued that avenue quite yet. I hate to leave it open for someone else to snatch up, but it isn’t worth the trouble… right? I mean, it IS close to my parents (um, right across the street) so I would almost have a babysitter any time. But, too much work… RIGHT?

So, those are the big things going on in my life right now. You know, besides Miss Emma. My New Year’s Resolution? Simplification & Organization!!! My husband is a hoarder. Shhhhh, don’t let him know I told you. It’s bad though. BAD.

I’m hoping all of you had a safe and fun NYE, and I hope for GREAT things for each and every one of you in the new year.

Happy 2014, and thanks for reading!