I hate that waking up in the morning to a clean kitchen starts my day off right. I hate that I am the type of person who makes my bed everyday, throw pillows and all. I hate that I find pure satisfaction and fulfillment in having a clean house and fed family. Not that any of those things are bad things, they're not. It just means I'm a real grown up now. I miss being a kid. Where Mac N' Cheese or Cup O' Soup every night for dinner was fine and didn't matter. Make my bed? HA! Only if I was going to collect an allowance for it. No one is paying me to make my bed, in fact, some days it actually cuts into the time where I could be at work making money. I'm a real adult now. I HAVE a kid and a husband and there is nothing in life that brings me more joy than those things and I know that's what I've traded for not caring about messes and dreading homework. It was a great trade, I traded up for sure but it's crazy to me to think that I'm in that place already. It seems like last month I was packing up my room for college. I've grown up and it makes me sad to think those days are gone forever. The most I can hope for now is that my kids have a great childhood like I did. I truly believe that a solid childhood helps to shape the type of person you'll be when you get older. If you are loved and have fun when you're young, a parent can only hope that you'll grow up to be an adult who makes their bed everyday or who gets giddy when all the laundry is done. It shows responsibility.
I think another thing that makes me... we'll say "nervous", is I can feel that I have a great balance in my life right now. I have a routine and schedule that everyone in my house is happy with. I'm able to get everything done and still have time to blog or watch Scandal. What worries me is nothing stays the same. Even if I can hold onto it for the next 5 months, it's all going to change when the new baby comes. I'll have another person to feed and change and take care of. That much more laundry to do and our balanced life will be tossed upside down. I have no doubt it will be worth it a thousand times over. I know how much I love Arriah and how much fun I have with her. I would do anything for her and I know I'll feel that way about the new baby but he's going to throw a wrench in our soup and it's going to take another year (or longer) to get that wonderful balance back. But we did it once and we'll do it again. I just know it's going to be hard and I don't want it to be but we'll make it work. Just do it and push through until we're back in this spot.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Arriah's 1st Birthday [Party]
Arriah is wonderful, or should I say One-derful. ;-) She amazes me every single day and that's not an exaggeration. She talks so much, she uses sign language at the appropriate times, she is curious and adventurous and beautiful. We are so proud of her. We just had her 1st birthday party (which was a lot of work but a success) and like they say, time goes by WAY too fast.
The morning of the birthday party started by helping herself to one of the cupcakes. A little early cake-smash if she does say so herself... haha. Really, all there is to do is take a pictures and laugh. It's her party she can eat cupcakes if she wants to.
Her birthday party was a fun way to unleash my crafty side. I did a few projects that kept me busy, all after she went to bed, of course.
The first project was her Invitations:
I'm pretty happy with how they turned out actually. The picture above isn't great but I think they were pretty cute.
- I got the dark purple (textured/card stock) paper from Joann's. The light purple paper is just regular paper in a lilac color. And the front/white paper is regular card stock.
- I had to get the envelopes before I could make the invites to know how big the paper needed to be. In my case they were 5x8"
- I used my paper cutter to cut to the appropriate sizes and glue sticks to glue them all together. I saved the excess paper for other projects. (See highlight board)
- I obviously had to print up the white card stock first before I could glue everything.
- That is a real candle. I found some cute purple ribbon at Joann's (on sale) and realized I needed a lot more so I found the same stuff at Walmart. Tying little bows around little candles is easier said than done, let me tell ya.
- Then I used hot glue to sick the candles to the invites.
Big Fluffy '1':
- For this project, I started with a large white poster board and cut out a 1.
- Next I covered the 1 in light purple paper. In hind-sight I should have either painted it in a darker purple or not done it at all. I think the point of doing it is so that if there are gaps in the tissue paper, it blends a little better but I put so many little pieces of tissue on there it wasn't really a problem.
- Then I cut up a gazillion little squares of purple tissues paper, bunched each square in the center and used a hot glue gun to stick them on. It took a LOOONNNGGG time but it was cute. Maybe it was worth it, maybe it wasn't. Oh well.
- I bought the poster board from Office Depot and in the same section they have poster board stands that stick directly to the board. They come in a pack of 6 so I used one of those to stand it up. Maybe 2 (one on the left and one on the right) would have worked better?
Highlight Board:
I don't want to be a braggy mom but I do seem to get asked the same questions by everyone and there is a lot to be proud of with this little girl so the highlight board was a fun and easy way to wrap it all into one.
- Again, I started with a large poster board (from Office Depot)
- I had some left over paper from her invitations so I used that (and a glue stick) for the boarder.
- I printed out her name and all the fun facts ahead of time. I liked using different colors and fonts for each thing. It adds dimension and makes it a little more aesthetically pleasing. Don't forget the swirls/hearts for fillers.
- Next, I cut it up and just had to arrange everything. I placed it all on the board before I glued it in case any changes needed to be made.
- Then I just glue-sticked it up.
- I did feel like there needed to be a little separation between the things so I used a sharpie to draw lines under and around each thing.
Birthday Banner:
This was was really easy.
- Print out each letter fairly large on a piece of paper. I took it too far and alternated colors for each letter so if you want to do that, pay attention what color paper each letter is printing on.
- Cut out the letters and squares that are slightly larger than the letter
- Use a glue stick to paste letters on larger squares.
- Lay letters out in correct order ahead of time.
- Use scissors to cut small slices at the top of each letter and slide a ribbon through the top.
- Leave extra ribbon on either side for hanging. And you're done!
Table Runners:
Easy but VERY time consuming. I say it's worth it though.
- I had the lilac paper left over from the invitations so I figured out how long I wanted the runners to be and glued several (in my case 8) pieces of paper together length wise/end to end. That ended up being about 88" and was just barely hanging off either side of the picnic benches. Next time I would probably do 9 pieces.
- I printed out about 140 of my favorite pictures of Arriah on plain paper. I liked the 3x5 size for this purpose. Each runner used about 20 +/- pictures and we needed 7 runners. I didn't have any pictures left over.
- Cut them to size
- Use a glue stick to apply them to the runner. I sorta paid attention to her age in the pictures and whether they were vertical or horizontal so I could have a variety. I also did roughly 2-3 facing one way, then 2-3 facing the opposite way since there would be people sitting on both sides of the table.
- I liked this idea because it was a great conversation pieces since everyone was sitting around the tables anyway. There was a TON of pictures to look at and not all of them had been posted on Facebook. It showed her in all stages and also, visually, added a little extra to the tables.
- NOTE: For transport, we folded them in half or gently rolled them. I'm saving them because you never know when we could use them again. They were so cute!
Birthday Outfit (Onesie):
This was probably the easiest project out of the whole party.
The purple tutu, crown headband & matching wand (not pictured) was all purchased from Target.
- I bought plain white onesies
- Picked out fabric that I like and thought would match her tutu. You only need a small amount. At Joann's they sell in as small as 1/8 yard and that should be plenty, even if you messed up and wanted to make 2.
- Printed up a fancy '1' that I liked and cut it out.
- I traced the 1 backwards onto the back of the fabric so it would be facing the right way but my pen marks wouldn't be visible.
- I peeled one side of Aleene's Peel & Stick Sheets (purchased at Joann's but available at most craft stores) and stuck it to the fabric. (See Warning Below)
- Then I cut out the 1
- Peeled off the second side and placed directly onto the onesie.
WARNING: Peel and Stick sheets are VERY sticky. Use as little of your finger as possible when applying both to fabric and to the onesie. Seriously.... SOOOO STICKY.
- I added a little extra design with purple puff paint. I just followed the lines that were on the 1 from the original font and did a little outlining. I feel like, in this case, less was more.
Smash Cupcake & Frosting:
Call me a granola mama or over protective or whatever but my 1 year old didn't need all the sugar and artificial crap that is in the box cupcake and frosting for her Smash Cupcake, even if it was her birthday. So I made her a (slightly) healthier, (slightly) more nature option. A banana muffin.
I make these muffins regularly anyway because they're so easy and so good.
Banana Muffins:
Ingredients:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats1 cup plain/vanilla yogurt2 eggs3/4 cup sugar {or sweetener of choice}1.5 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda2 ripe bananas
Blueberries {optional}
Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tin with non-stick cooking spray. (From my experience, directly in the cupcake pan comes out significantly better than if you use cupcake liners. But either is fine.)2. Place all of the ingredients, including bananas in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. {I added the oats a cup at a time and blended in between}3. Divide batter among cups (or cupcake liners)
**Baking times may vary**
4. Add blueberries, a few at a time, into each cup.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes for liners or 20-30 if directly in cups. Tops will be golden brown. Check with a toothpick until it comes out clean.
Butter-Cream Frosting:
The cupcakes for the rest of the party were made with box cupcake mix and premade frosting and it still took me forever. The weird thing was that, I used the Wilson food dye to turn the vanilla frosting purple and after sitting in the sun for a few minutes, the frosting turned blue!
It was a long fun day. After a few falls, scrapes, bumps, and bruises, she was dirty and pooped!
As for her actual birthday, her parents are idiots and planned her 1 year check-up ON her actual birthday and, of course, she had to have shots that day so that was a long day and night it was and it's all my fault. I feel horrible. She ended up getting a little bit of a fever and I could tell she wasn't feeling well and her legs were sore from getting poked. Ugh, I won't make that mistake again and at least she's too young to really remember, right?
A year has already gone by and I barely blinked. I will soak up every second of this coming year because before I know it, she'll be off to preschool. *tear* But we won't think about that.
The morning of the birthday party started by helping herself to one of the cupcakes. A little early cake-smash if she does say so herself... haha. Really, all there is to do is take a pictures and laugh. It's her party she can eat cupcakes if she wants to.
Her birthday party was a fun way to unleash my crafty side. I did a few projects that kept me busy, all after she went to bed, of course.
The first project was her Invitations:
"One little candle, One little cake, One 1st year to celebrate"
I'm pretty happy with how they turned out actually. The picture above isn't great but I think they were pretty cute.
- I got the dark purple (textured/card stock) paper from Joann's. The light purple paper is just regular paper in a lilac color. And the front/white paper is regular card stock.
- I had to get the envelopes before I could make the invites to know how big the paper needed to be. In my case they were 5x8"
- I used my paper cutter to cut to the appropriate sizes and glue sticks to glue them all together. I saved the excess paper for other projects. (See highlight board)
- I obviously had to print up the white card stock first before I could glue everything.
- That is a real candle. I found some cute purple ribbon at Joann's (on sale) and realized I needed a lot more so I found the same stuff at Walmart. Tying little bows around little candles is easier said than done, let me tell ya.
- Then I used hot glue to sick the candles to the invites.
Big Fluffy '1':
- For this project, I started with a large white poster board and cut out a 1.
- Next I covered the 1 in light purple paper. In hind-sight I should have either painted it in a darker purple or not done it at all. I think the point of doing it is so that if there are gaps in the tissue paper, it blends a little better but I put so many little pieces of tissue on there it wasn't really a problem.
- Then I cut up a gazillion little squares of purple tissues paper, bunched each square in the center and used a hot glue gun to stick them on. It took a LOOONNNGGG time but it was cute. Maybe it was worth it, maybe it wasn't. Oh well.
- I bought the poster board from Office Depot and in the same section they have poster board stands that stick directly to the board. They come in a pack of 6 so I used one of those to stand it up. Maybe 2 (one on the left and one on the right) would have worked better?
Highlight Board:
I don't want to be a braggy mom but I do seem to get asked the same questions by everyone and there is a lot to be proud of with this little girl so the highlight board was a fun and easy way to wrap it all into one.
- Again, I started with a large poster board (from Office Depot)
- I had some left over paper from her invitations so I used that (and a glue stick) for the boarder.
- I printed out her name and all the fun facts ahead of time. I liked using different colors and fonts for each thing. It adds dimension and makes it a little more aesthetically pleasing. Don't forget the swirls/hearts for fillers.
- Next, I cut it up and just had to arrange everything. I placed it all on the board before I glued it in case any changes needed to be made.
- Then I just glue-sticked it up.
- I did feel like there needed to be a little separation between the things so I used a sharpie to draw lines under and around each thing.
Birthday Banner:
This was was really easy.
- Print out each letter fairly large on a piece of paper. I took it too far and alternated colors for each letter so if you want to do that, pay attention what color paper each letter is printing on.
- Cut out the letters and squares that are slightly larger than the letter
- Use a glue stick to paste letters on larger squares.
- Lay letters out in correct order ahead of time.
- Use scissors to cut small slices at the top of each letter and slide a ribbon through the top.
- Leave extra ribbon on either side for hanging. And you're done!
Table Runners:
Easy but VERY time consuming. I say it's worth it though.
- I had the lilac paper left over from the invitations so I figured out how long I wanted the runners to be and glued several (in my case 8) pieces of paper together length wise/end to end. That ended up being about 88" and was just barely hanging off either side of the picnic benches. Next time I would probably do 9 pieces.
- I printed out about 140 of my favorite pictures of Arriah on plain paper. I liked the 3x5 size for this purpose. Each runner used about 20 +/- pictures and we needed 7 runners. I didn't have any pictures left over.
- Cut them to size
- Use a glue stick to apply them to the runner. I sorta paid attention to her age in the pictures and whether they were vertical or horizontal so I could have a variety. I also did roughly 2-3 facing one way, then 2-3 facing the opposite way since there would be people sitting on both sides of the table.
- I liked this idea because it was a great conversation pieces since everyone was sitting around the tables anyway. There was a TON of pictures to look at and not all of them had been posted on Facebook. It showed her in all stages and also, visually, added a little extra to the tables.
- NOTE: For transport, we folded them in half or gently rolled them. I'm saving them because you never know when we could use them again. They were so cute!
Birthday Outfit (Onesie):
This was probably the easiest project out of the whole party.
The purple tutu, crown headband & matching wand (not pictured) was all purchased from Target.
- I bought plain white onesies
- Picked out fabric that I like and thought would match her tutu. You only need a small amount. At Joann's they sell in as small as 1/8 yard and that should be plenty, even if you messed up and wanted to make 2.
- Printed up a fancy '1' that I liked and cut it out.
- I traced the 1 backwards onto the back of the fabric so it would be facing the right way but my pen marks wouldn't be visible.
- I peeled one side of Aleene's Peel & Stick Sheets (purchased at Joann's but available at most craft stores) and stuck it to the fabric. (See Warning Below)
- Then I cut out the 1
- Peeled off the second side and placed directly onto the onesie.
WARNING: Peel and Stick sheets are VERY sticky. Use as little of your finger as possible when applying both to fabric and to the onesie. Seriously.... SOOOO STICKY.
- I added a little extra design with purple puff paint. I just followed the lines that were on the 1 from the original font and did a little outlining. I feel like, in this case, less was more.
Smash Cupcake & Frosting:
Call me a granola mama or over protective or whatever but my 1 year old didn't need all the sugar and artificial crap that is in the box cupcake and frosting for her Smash Cupcake, even if it was her birthday. So I made her a (slightly) healthier, (slightly) more nature option. A banana muffin.
I make these muffins regularly anyway because they're so easy and so good.
Banana Muffins:
Ingredients:
2.5 cups old fashioned oats1 cup plain/vanilla yogurt2 eggs3/4 cup sugar {or sweetener of choice}1.5 tsp baking powder1/2 tsp baking soda2 ripe bananas
Blueberries {optional}
Directions:1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray tin with non-stick cooking spray. (From my experience, directly in the cupcake pan comes out significantly better than if you use cupcake liners. But either is fine.)2. Place all of the ingredients, including bananas in a blender or food processor, and blend until oats are smooth. {I added the oats a cup at a time and blended in between}3. Divide batter among cups (or cupcake liners)
**Baking times may vary**
4. Add blueberries, a few at a time, into each cup.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes for liners or 20-30 if directly in cups. Tops will be golden brown. Check with a toothpick until it comes out clean.
Butter-Cream Frosting:
Ingredients:
3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla1 to 2 tablespoons milk or whipping cream
3 cups powdered sugar1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla1 to 2 tablespoons milk or whipping cream
Directions:
1. In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
2. Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.
After the muffin/cupcake was made and cooled, I used a piping bag and large star tip to frost for a rose-looking end result.
The cupcakes for the rest of the party were made with box cupcake mix and premade frosting and it still took me forever. The weird thing was that, I used the Wilson food dye to turn the vanilla frosting purple and after sitting in the sun for a few minutes, the frosting turned blue!
It was a long fun day. After a few falls, scrapes, bumps, and bruises, she was dirty and pooped!
As for her actual birthday, her parents are idiots and planned her 1 year check-up ON her actual birthday and, of course, she had to have shots that day so that was a long day and night it was and it's all my fault. I feel horrible. She ended up getting a little bit of a fever and I could tell she wasn't feeling well and her legs were sore from getting poked. Ugh, I won't make that mistake again and at least she's too young to really remember, right?
A year has already gone by and I barely blinked. I will soak up every second of this coming year because before I know it, she'll be off to preschool. *tear* But we won't think about that.
Happy Birthday Arriah! Mommy & Daddy love you so much!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Things I Miss as a Mommy
I have been a mom for almost a year now (Wow! Where has time gone?!) and by now I would say I have got a loose handle on it, which isn't much, but I try. Life is ever-changing with a baby and I wouldn't have it any other way. One day she's rolling over, the next she's walking around the living room for the first time. She's a busy bee and doing exactly what babies do but life gets crazy and priorities change so in midst of taking care of 1... no 2 other people (I forget sometimes, I'm also a wife), mom gets forgotten about and there are a few things I miss:
1) My gym time
Before and even while I was pregnant I would get my butt out of bed and hit the gym in the morning. It was the perfect way to start the day. It gave me energy and confidence, it kept me in shape, made me happy and healthy and established a routine for my day. It encouraged me to eat better and be more active in general. At the gym I didn't care how I looked, I was there to sweat. It was MY place, MY zone. I knew where everything was at, I saw familiar faces and challenged myself every day. It was my "thing" and I felt at home in the gym. Now, being Arriah's mom is my "thing" so I've definitely upgraded but it's quite different having my "thing" be working hard for someone else's well being instead of my own. But the return is a whole other level of accomplishment. After I went to the gym, I would come home all gross and sweaty and jump in the shower adrenalin pumping, feeling good then get out and go on with my day. Now, I am proud all day long of the little girl we are raising.
2) Showering
It sounds gross and well, it kinda is. Before motherhood I would shower every day like a normal person. I would smell good, do my hair, all the things that of a woman in the Western Civilization does. That is SO not the case anymore. I'm lucky to put on deodorant and brush my teeth in the morning. There's just too much other stuff going on! "Uh-oh, Arriah's heading for the power cords, now she's trying to eat cat food, now she's chasing the cats, careful, that has a sharp corner, now she's got a dirty diaper or hungry or tired or....." yea. You get the point. What's a mom suppose to do with a busy girl for 15 minutes while she showers? If she falls and bonks her head, I have to jump out of the shower, shampoo in my eyes and save her. Hug and kiss her while I'm all wet and dripping all over the bathroom floor. Heaven forbid it's leg shaving day and I have to add a few minutes to my bathing routine (poor Mason). Thankfully, our house has a baby-gate friendly bathroom as long as I'm quick. Block her in, give her a few toys, make sure no cords or dangerous things are hanging around and bathe like the wind. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy because after a few minutes, she's figured me out and is knocking on the glass wanting my attention so I talk to her or sing or make a fool of myself however I can to entertain her long enough to clean the lint from between my toes. Ugh, at least we're saving on the water bill?
3) Painting my nails
Since I was a little girl I LOVED doing my nails and almost always had my nails painted. I would do them myself or go get them done and it made me feel like a woman. These days, I can't get my hands free long enough to do my big toe let alone take off any nail polish that has somehow survived the months of grueling torture, 20 nails, 2-3 coats each, buff, file, and dry. Umm... yea. Not-Gonna-Happen! Or let's see, either spend $60 on a mani-pedi or go grocery shopping and feed my family for a week? I would love for that to be an easy decision in my favor but it's not even an option. My man is working his buns off to make sure we have what we need and we can live a comfortable life so there is no friggin way I'm gonna ask him to watch Arriah for an extra hour when he should probably be sleeping AND then go spend our hard-earned money to have pretty fingers and toes. No one cares.
4) Sleeping through the night
My name is Brittany and it as been 15 months, 2 weeks and 4 days since I've had a full nights sleep. My kid is only 9 months old but if you think the whole "waking up 100 times a night" starts AFTER the baby is born, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Pregnant chicks have to pee like every 10 minutes and that's pretty much true at all hours of the day and night but most of us don't want to get our swollen cankles out of bed that often so we hold it in as long as we possibly can before we get up, which is still every couple of hours. [True Story: I was about 8 months pregnant when I had to pee so bad I was run-waddling to the bathroom as quickly as I could and because you can't see your feet at that point, I kicked the door frame to the bathroom and broke my pinkie toe.] Anyway, if it's not your pea sized bladder its crazy dreams, or being too hot or too cold, or the baby crushing your lungs. You can't sleep on your back because it will cut off circulation, your right side goes numb and your husband is breathing in your face on the left and even though you are surrounded by pillows in a full 360 degrees, there is no hope for comfort. Trust me ladies, if you're sleeping through the night, enjoy it. Live it up, because you will miss it when it's gone.
5) A clean house
I remember being a kid and complaining to my mom that she was always cleaning. Well, yea. She probably was because with 3 kids you are never going to be done with laundry, dishes, sweeping, and dusting. I have a whole new perspective now. It's hard for me to see a mess and not clean it up, I like things clean and put away but sometimes I'm just too damn tired or Arriah or Mason is just more important. I have tried to consciously decide to NOT clean for a day and spend that time doing something for me or being with my family. Having a clean house is not the most important thing but last week's chicken dish soaking the sink is going to drive me crazy until it's clean. And with a baby who's so low to the ground and crawling on the floor, she sees every little dust bunny or stale Cherrio and, as with everything else, it goes right in her mouth. So cleaning HAS to be done but just as soon as you fold those 12 loads of laundry, she pees on the changing table and you need to run another load. What I would give to sit down at the end of the day to a clean house, full belly, and watch some TV knowing everything is done. I used to have that but now, I'm stepping over toys in every room and scraping the peas off the high chair. Here's the truth; A messy house is a happy house, it means it's lived in. And though having my house clean is important to me, there are so many other more important things. So if you come over and see the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling or clothes strewn about our living room, it's because we are a happy family with a busy life and sometimes I want to play with my daughter instead of scrub dishes.
As a parent you do have to sacrifice a lot for your children and there's a lot that will never be the same, like my body, or shopping, or getting ready without being interrupted but don't let anyone tell you it's not worth it a million times over. She is worth every change in my life and I would give up all those things and so much more any day of the week. She is a gift and for everything she's "taken" she has given me something infinitely better. She's my world, my best friend, and her and Mason have given me the best year of my life. It's okay to be honest and say becoming a mommy changes things. Obviously I wouldn't trade a single screaming, crying, poopy second, and I mean that! I treasure every single one because she's my mini-me. I think about her constantly, I miss her when she's asleep in the other room, and can't wait to wake up and play with her in the morning. She's so smart and growing so quickly I don't want to blink or I might miss it. Her smile lights me up and our family is so much more of a family now with her in our lives. There is just no comparison.
1) My gym time
Before and even while I was pregnant I would get my butt out of bed and hit the gym in the morning. It was the perfect way to start the day. It gave me energy and confidence, it kept me in shape, made me happy and healthy and established a routine for my day. It encouraged me to eat better and be more active in general. At the gym I didn't care how I looked, I was there to sweat. It was MY place, MY zone. I knew where everything was at, I saw familiar faces and challenged myself every day. It was my "thing" and I felt at home in the gym. Now, being Arriah's mom is my "thing" so I've definitely upgraded but it's quite different having my "thing" be working hard for someone else's well being instead of my own. But the return is a whole other level of accomplishment. After I went to the gym, I would come home all gross and sweaty and jump in the shower adrenalin pumping, feeling good then get out and go on with my day. Now, I am proud all day long of the little girl we are raising.
2) Showering
It sounds gross and well, it kinda is. Before motherhood I would shower every day like a normal person. I would smell good, do my hair, all the things that of a woman in the Western Civilization does. That is SO not the case anymore. I'm lucky to put on deodorant and brush my teeth in the morning. There's just too much other stuff going on! "Uh-oh, Arriah's heading for the power cords, now she's trying to eat cat food, now she's chasing the cats, careful, that has a sharp corner, now she's got a dirty diaper or hungry or tired or....." yea. You get the point. What's a mom suppose to do with a busy girl for 15 minutes while she showers? If she falls and bonks her head, I have to jump out of the shower, shampoo in my eyes and save her. Hug and kiss her while I'm all wet and dripping all over the bathroom floor. Heaven forbid it's leg shaving day and I have to add a few minutes to my bathing routine (poor Mason). Thankfully, our house has a baby-gate friendly bathroom as long as I'm quick. Block her in, give her a few toys, make sure no cords or dangerous things are hanging around and bathe like the wind. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm crazy because after a few minutes, she's figured me out and is knocking on the glass wanting my attention so I talk to her or sing or make a fool of myself however I can to entertain her long enough to clean the lint from between my toes. Ugh, at least we're saving on the water bill?
3) Painting my nails
Since I was a little girl I LOVED doing my nails and almost always had my nails painted. I would do them myself or go get them done and it made me feel like a woman. These days, I can't get my hands free long enough to do my big toe let alone take off any nail polish that has somehow survived the months of grueling torture, 20 nails, 2-3 coats each, buff, file, and dry. Umm... yea. Not-Gonna-Happen! Or let's see, either spend $60 on a mani-pedi or go grocery shopping and feed my family for a week? I would love for that to be an easy decision in my favor but it's not even an option. My man is working his buns off to make sure we have what we need and we can live a comfortable life so there is no friggin way I'm gonna ask him to watch Arriah for an extra hour when he should probably be sleeping AND then go spend our hard-earned money to have pretty fingers and toes. No one cares.
4) Sleeping through the night
My name is Brittany and it as been 15 months, 2 weeks and 4 days since I've had a full nights sleep. My kid is only 9 months old but if you think the whole "waking up 100 times a night" starts AFTER the baby is born, you are sadly mistaken my friend. Pregnant chicks have to pee like every 10 minutes and that's pretty much true at all hours of the day and night but most of us don't want to get our swollen cankles out of bed that often so we hold it in as long as we possibly can before we get up, which is still every couple of hours. [True Story: I was about 8 months pregnant when I had to pee so bad I was run-waddling to the bathroom as quickly as I could and because you can't see your feet at that point, I kicked the door frame to the bathroom and broke my pinkie toe.] Anyway, if it's not your pea sized bladder its crazy dreams, or being too hot or too cold, or the baby crushing your lungs. You can't sleep on your back because it will cut off circulation, your right side goes numb and your husband is breathing in your face on the left and even though you are surrounded by pillows in a full 360 degrees, there is no hope for comfort. Trust me ladies, if you're sleeping through the night, enjoy it. Live it up, because you will miss it when it's gone.
5) A clean house
I remember being a kid and complaining to my mom that she was always cleaning. Well, yea. She probably was because with 3 kids you are never going to be done with laundry, dishes, sweeping, and dusting. I have a whole new perspective now. It's hard for me to see a mess and not clean it up, I like things clean and put away but sometimes I'm just too damn tired or Arriah or Mason is just more important. I have tried to consciously decide to NOT clean for a day and spend that time doing something for me or being with my family. Having a clean house is not the most important thing but last week's chicken dish soaking the sink is going to drive me crazy until it's clean. And with a baby who's so low to the ground and crawling on the floor, she sees every little dust bunny or stale Cherrio and, as with everything else, it goes right in her mouth. So cleaning HAS to be done but just as soon as you fold those 12 loads of laundry, she pees on the changing table and you need to run another load. What I would give to sit down at the end of the day to a clean house, full belly, and watch some TV knowing everything is done. I used to have that but now, I'm stepping over toys in every room and scraping the peas off the high chair. Here's the truth; A messy house is a happy house, it means it's lived in. And though having my house clean is important to me, there are so many other more important things. So if you come over and see the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling or clothes strewn about our living room, it's because we are a happy family with a busy life and sometimes I want to play with my daughter instead of scrub dishes.
As a parent you do have to sacrifice a lot for your children and there's a lot that will never be the same, like my body, or shopping, or getting ready without being interrupted but don't let anyone tell you it's not worth it a million times over. She is worth every change in my life and I would give up all those things and so much more any day of the week. She is a gift and for everything she's "taken" she has given me something infinitely better. She's my world, my best friend, and her and Mason have given me the best year of my life. It's okay to be honest and say becoming a mommy changes things. Obviously I wouldn't trade a single screaming, crying, poopy second, and I mean that! I treasure every single one because she's my mini-me. I think about her constantly, I miss her when she's asleep in the other room, and can't wait to wake up and play with her in the morning. She's so smart and growing so quickly I don't want to blink or I might miss it. Her smile lights me up and our family is so much more of a family now with her in our lives. There is just no comparison.
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Life Update
My name is Brittany and it has been OVER A YEAR since I have posted. YIKES!
Let's briefly recap:
New Years Eve Day 2012/13 - Found out I was preggo!
January 2013 - 1st ultrasound, OMG there's something living in me.
February 2013 - We tell everyone. YAY!
March 2013 - Wine tasting (I was the DD, of course) & Sharks game.
April 2013 - WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!! I didn't believe it at first. I was CONVINCED it was a boy but Mason knew all along.
May 2013 - I'm really starting to get fat at this point. Oh, and Cheddar the cat, because why not?
June 2013 - Amy's baby shower & Mason's first fathers day.
July 2013 - Marlee is born! Yay Ramirez family!
August 2013 - 2 year anniversary. I'm a whale. Baby shower!
September 9th 2013 @ 9pm exactly (9/9 @ 9pm... whoa) - Princess Arriah Shea Wagner graced this earth and changed my life in the most amazing way.
October 2013 - Arriah's first Halloween and Felix was born! Yay Speirs family!
November 2013 - Arriah is still adorable and getting more so every day.
December 2013 - Arriah's first Christmas, I finish off the 2nd half of my maternity leave, and BROTHER COMES HOME!!!!!
January 2014 - There's a house for rent 7 houses down from my dad. We see it and love it and decide to move. And Arriah get's her bottom 2 teeth!
February 2014 - We move & Arriah tries food for the 1st time
And here we are. March of 2014. They're not kidding, life's busy when you're a mama. Mason is all revved up and ready for #2 already. I'm happy to wait a little while longer. Trying to let my body fully recover and I'm soaking up every second I can with my little munchkin. Just about every mom I run into says that this is one of the best ages and I believe it! She is SO much fun. So though we do want a second at some point, I really like giving her all my attention right now. And, at the risk of sounding selfish, I wasn't crazy about sharing my body anyway. The end result of pregnancy is better than I could have ever imagined, I'm so in love with my daughter but the whole being pregnant thing, yea... not my fave.
Anyway, that's it. My 2013 in a nutshell. It was a good- no a GREAT one! And now I'm hoping to get back on the blogging bandwagon. So until next time blog world.
Let's briefly recap:
New Years Eve Day 2012/13 - Found out I was preggo!
(Ironically the same day, Kim Kardashian announced she was pregnant. Thunder-stealing bitch. Jk, love ya Kimmy)
January 2013 - 1st ultrasound, OMG there's something living in me.
February 2013 - We tell everyone. YAY!
March 2013 - Wine tasting (I was the DD, of course) & Sharks game.
April 2013 - WE'RE HAVING A GIRL!!! I didn't believe it at first. I was CONVINCED it was a boy but Mason knew all along.
May 2013 - I'm really starting to get fat at this point. Oh, and Cheddar the cat, because why not?
June 2013 - Amy's baby shower & Mason's first fathers day.
July 2013 - Marlee is born! Yay Ramirez family!
August 2013 - 2 year anniversary. I'm a whale. Baby shower!
September 9th 2013 @ 9pm exactly (9/9 @ 9pm... whoa) - Princess Arriah Shea Wagner graced this earth and changed my life in the most amazing way.
October 2013 - Arriah's first Halloween and Felix was born! Yay Speirs family!
November 2013 - Arriah is still adorable and getting more so every day.
December 2013 - Arriah's first Christmas, I finish off the 2nd half of my maternity leave, and BROTHER COMES HOME!!!!!
January 2014 - There's a house for rent 7 houses down from my dad. We see it and love it and decide to move. And Arriah get's her bottom 2 teeth!
February 2014 - We move & Arriah tries food for the 1st time
And here we are. March of 2014. They're not kidding, life's busy when you're a mama. Mason is all revved up and ready for #2 already. I'm happy to wait a little while longer. Trying to let my body fully recover and I'm soaking up every second I can with my little munchkin. Just about every mom I run into says that this is one of the best ages and I believe it! She is SO much fun. So though we do want a second at some point, I really like giving her all my attention right now. And, at the risk of sounding selfish, I wasn't crazy about sharing my body anyway. The end result of pregnancy is better than I could have ever imagined, I'm so in love with my daughter but the whole being pregnant thing, yea... not my fave.
Anyway, that's it. My 2013 in a nutshell. It was a good- no a GREAT one! And now I'm hoping to get back on the blogging bandwagon. So until next time blog world.
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