Holla Hump Day

SIDE NOTE - something happened to my blog signature. There's no telling if I made it go away or if it went away on it's own. I will find it...just not today.

SIDE NOTE #2 - I realize it's late Tuesday night. Just pat me on the back for being on top of things for once and keep reading :-)

Shout outs go to...

...the nurse who takes blood at Peachtree Women's clinic. I am sad to say I do not remember her name. When I was pregnant with Lila I truly did not care for the woman that had this position. She would be very pushy and rude while she bruised up my arm. The new nurse (or new to me I guess) was just the nicest, most enjoyable stranger I have met in quite a while. She made me want to make her cookies or something and bring them to her in three weeks when I go back. I just need to find out her name!

...B98.5 for playing Christmas music non-stop from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Thanks to them Lila has discovered the joy of Mariah Carey at Christmas and has been busting a move accordingly. Videos coming soon.

...the two men who spent an inordinate amount of time at my house trying to make the furnace not sound like it might take flight. Lila is officially sleeping through the night again due to the lack of pounding on the floor of her room.

...my sister for being the only person I will be buying Christmas gifts for that gave me an extensive list of what she would like. Everyone else is getting stuff I am just assuming they might want. You can find some really great stuff when you search "unique gifts" on the internet...

...Snapfish.com. This would be the ONLY website I bought something from on "Cyber Monday". I only bought from them because they actually had a fantastic deal...other websites were just pretending they had deals and I did not fall for it.

...Seth. Just because he works really hard and I don't tell him enough how much I appreciate that.

Alright, I just spent four hours amongst the least capable drivers in America in the rain. Sorry if this post is a little bit of a train wreck. Holla!

Thanksgiving down South

A big thank you is due to my cousin Laura's family for hosting Thanksgiving again this year at their fantastic home in Americus. All I did was make cupcakes. Seth made cranberries. Other than that, we showed up and ate and played. Laura's little girl, Anna Kate, has all of the toys that Lila wants for Christmas. I know she wants them because she played with them instead of eating. Anna Kate is almost exactly a year older than Lila. She hands down her clothes and generously lets Lila play with all of her stuff. They don't interact much yet, but you can tell that they are very interested in each other. Aside from the toys, the house and surrounding acreage makes for a great time had by all...

Mom, Lila, and Anna Kate being pushed on the gigantic tire swing by my cousin Shelly.

Seth now claiming that he needs a tire swing.

Tyler, Laura's oldest, showing Sara around the place.

Some of the girls (me, Shelly, Anna Kate, mom, Lila (not looking of course), Sara, and Laura).

The girls taking care of the baby doll...so cute!

While in Americus we stayed at my grandparent's house as usual. Their street is what you would call a Christmas extravaganza destination. Their neighbors put together a street full of lights, music, blow up characters, and Santa himself. Lila first met Santa last year so it was only fitting that she revisit him...here's a little flashback:

Thanksgiving was relaxing and full of good food and good times with family...as it should be. Here are a few more pictures.  More to come of our Christmas decorations!

Holla Hump Day/Day before Thanksgiving thankfulness

We leave early in the morning to head south so holla hump day is also going to be consumed by my Thanksgiving cheer. First things first...shout outs go to....

...Krisitin for giving me the lowdown on probiotics after our pediatrician suggested we give them to Lila and I didn't ask a single question. I have a really bad habit of thinking of things I want to say or ask way after the fact. I even went and bought the probiotics before I realized I had no clue what they were. Kristin called me back immediately and shared some insight. I remembered her randomly talking about taking them at some point and she was a huge help!

...Seth. It's always been interesting to me since I became a mom the very odd question I have gotten from so many other moms. "Do you feel comfortable leaving Lila with Seth?". I'm sure I always give some weird look when asked this. I can understand that there may be some men that don't feel as comfortable with a baby/toddler as they may with an older child. I guess when Lila was born I either didn't even consider that being an option or Seth just stepped up early on and it never dawned on me not to leave her with him. I mean, I have to have time off. Especially being SAHM. It's just a necessity. Saturday I had a hair appointment that turned into a day of shopping with a hair appointment thrown in. It was GLORIOUS. Lila has gotten to the point where shopping is difficult sometimes and I always feel rushed. I was able to get a few Christmas gifts and also stop at my aunt's house to pick up some goodies. Thank you Seth for an entire day of getting things done!

...my aunt Elizabeth and cousins Olivia and Audrey. They have been holding onto toys and such for Lila for months. They had a yard sale a while back and kept things for us to give to Lila. It has perfectly worked out that we can give some of the items to her for Christmas. The girls are growing up so fast, but I could tell they loved showing me their old stuff and reminiscing. They have given us so much already as well. I feel so blessed to have an aunt that is incredibly organized and thoughtful!

Being thankful, of course, should be a daily occurrence right? In some ways it is for me. I find myself constantly aware of how lucky I am and I try to make a point to really acknowledge that as much as possible. So, instead of running down all of the things I am thankful for today I am going to do a quick list of things I struggle to remember to be thankful for even though I REALLY should (holy run on). Here we go:

1) My super glamorous part-time cleaning job. This job single handedly makes it possible for me to stay home with my daughter. While I loathe it a lot of the time, I really do appreciate how lucky we are to have this income.

2) Molly. I do love our dog. I really do. BUT, I struggle a lot with her. She kind of makes me crazy. However, she makes Lila happier than any toy, friend, or relative ever will. Lila belly laughs at Molly when I can't even get her to crack a smile. They are best friends, and I do not appreciate that nearly as much as I should.

3) Our house. Seth and I both complain about our house too much. Too many things need fixing. There isn't enough storage space. Our hall bathroom looks like a jungle. At the end of the day, I need to remember that many people don't have homes. Many people live in very small spaces with bigger families that ours.

Alright boys and girls...from my family to your family...we are very thankful for you. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with lots of family and good food!

Visions of sugar plums are stomping on my brain

It could be the season. It could be the pregnancy. It could be the Williams-Sonoma catalogue I got today that is basically throwing ebelskivers at me. Don't know what ebelskivers are? Yea, it took me a minute to sort it out as well. And it only took that one minute for me to want the forty dollar pan that makes said ebelskivers (by the way, they are "puffy Danish filled pancakes"). Add in the peppermint bark (I don't even like peppermint), the cookies, the hot chocolate with gigantic marshmallows, and the "handcrafted toffee" and I feel an insane need to make ALL OF IT. I can't even say that I want to make these things to eat them myself. I just have this massive urge to bake and make items of the sweetest persuasion. Especially the items in this catalogue. Do I make them, hope they turn out, and give them away? Do I make one thing and hope I don't eat it all? Regardless of what I choose to do, if you get a big 'ol batch of something yummy from me for no reason just say thanks and hope it doesn't totally suck.

Traditionally traditional

I love getting my hair done. For me, it's like getting a massage or taking a big fat nap. I have been going to Tina since I was fifteen. That's right...half my life. I used to work at the salon/store called Beauty Is... back in the day when Tina turned my bad blonde die job into something that I could go to school with and not cry. I was in denial that my hair was turning (actually had turned) brown and I attempted to do something about it. That something gave me orange hair. These days going to see Tina is also about denial...specifically, covering up the gray. But now I am an adult and Tina means more to me than just a rescue from bad hair. She relaxes me, shares baby stories with me, and genuinely has the best conversation skills of anyone I have ever met.

That being said, we had a conversation about Christmas traditions at my appointment on Saturday, and it really got me thinking about what I want my traditions to be with my fantastic little family that is growing by the minute. I think when you have little ones you start to think back about what you loved about your childhood. Christmas is by far the time of year I remember from my childhood that had the longest lasting, most important memories. Starting with decorations and ending with Santa, it truly was the happiest time of the year.

Tina has a little boy that just turned one and a stepson that I believe is somewhere around the age of eleven. She began telling me about another client she has that had given her many ideas of traditions she could start with her family. She then shared them with me. I then found a few things on the internet and I am slowly compiling what I want our family traditions to become.

SO, my question to you is, what holiday traditions do you have with your family? These could either be from your childhood or traditions you have started/plan to start with your family. I can't promise I won't steal one or two so don't share if you want it to be a secret. Here are a few I'm thinking about:

- little mitten "advent" calendar with treats for each day in each mitten (stolen from Kelle Hampton's blog)
- Christmas themed book to be opened and read on Christmas Eve (per Tina)
- Christmas pajamas to be opened and worn on Christmas Eve (per Tina)
- A new game to be opened and played on Christmas Eve (per Tina)
- Each family member gets a new ornament each year (already doing this one)
- Fabulous breakfast for Christmas morning (per Tina)

Please share (comment)!!!

Holla Hump Day

This week's shout outs go to....

...Origins. Ever been there? They sell things like makeup and lotions and such. Forever ago we purchased a heat wrap. At least that's what I call it. It smells like lavender and you put it in the microwave to heat up and you use it like a heating pad. It's about half the length of a scarf maybe. Anyway, while I was pregnant with Lila I used it quite a lot on my lower back. I believe I may have slept in a head stand position or something this week because my neck and shoulders are killing me. This little gem from Origins always makes aches and pains seem minimal for a while. It was expensive and I thought I had lost my mind (or maybe Seth bought it for me and he lost his mind) to spend so much on something silly like that. It is seriously one of the best purchases ever.

...Christine. She is my fabulous interior design friend. I am decoratively challenged. I have ideas, but I also have a lot of self doubt. Throw in no eye for what looks good as opposed to what maybe just looks good to me, and you have endless possibilities for failure. Think sophisticated redneck to a T. I am trying to wrap my head around moving Lila to another room while also reworking the nursery for Baby Burrow #2. I need to tighten up our playroom/office as well. Christine came over today and she and I chatted and threw around ideas. Once I get some things moved in (and out) of our house she plans to come and help again. God love a girl with style.

...my husband. While writing the post the other night about Lila and things I hope never change about her I pretty much went into a hormonal sobfest...sitting on the couch...alone. Seth had gotten in bed and started reading and he came in here to see what my hysterics were about. I told him it was just hormones and then I went into an extended sobfest about how I can't handle her not being a baby anymore and growing up and yadda yadda. He just hugged me and listened and told me how exciting it was to watch her grow and learn and do funny things even though she is getting older. He always knows how to talk me out of being a mess.

On that note I feel like there are more but they will have to make an appearance next week. I am pooped!

Thinking about the C word

I have been avoiding this topic like the intruder it is. Maybe that's my way of pretending it will go away if I just don't mention it. It creeps in and sometimes out, but usually sticks around to an extreme degree. You hear that someone related to someone you know has it, and you pray for them. But you also pray just as hard that you don't become the someone whose relative has it. Then, you are that someone. Your relative does have it. And then, so does another...and another...and another. You go about life praying different prayers now. You pray for comfort where you know it will be lacking for quite some time. You pray for high spirits and low levels of pain. You think "what can I do?" knowing all too well that you can't do enough.

Emails arrive all the time from brave souls asking for money that will further fund a way out of this mess someday. They walk for days or run for miles in the hopes that their sheer desire to better themselves while supporting "the fight" will one day open the gates to healing...and maybe even a cure.

Cancer doesn't discriminate. It doesn't skip you if you've never had a cigarette. It doesn't care if you run eight miles a day. It doesn't take into account that you are too young or you have too many grandchildren to cuddle. While there may be typical situations, there are many, many exceptions to the rules.

My best friend's brother is considered to be cancer free and is living happily with a beautiful wife and three sweet sons.

My aunt currently fights tooth and nail every day to continue to cuddle the grandbabies.

My very young cousin just walked for three days as a beautiful survivor.

My veteran grandfather just began the "journey" known as treatment at eighty years old.

There are so many more. These are just to name a few that are close to my heart. Today I was given a wish family from an organization I used to work for to adopt for Christmas. I won't know if cancer is what has taken over their lives, but I do know they have a child that has had to fight for his or her life. It got me thinking about how little we talk about something that is so prevalent. No one wants to be the Debbie Downer who brings up cancer around the holidays. But truly we should be celebrating the survivors and the fighters. They need to know that while we may not personally know how they feel, we believe in them and we are proud of them. I know I haven't told them enough and I plan to do so in the coming weeks.

I am so thankful. Not only for my own good health but the good health of so many around me. I am also so very thankful for those who are fighting for what we often take for granted. They are my heroes.

Babies

If it appears that I am a little ADD with the blog these days I apologize. Just like everything in my life, I have all of these ideas and schemes that just run rampant in my brain. As a result, this blog is a breeding ground of creativity for me because it's free, easy, and enjoyable. I love reading blogs that have a header that changes but sort of stays the same. My absolute favorite is Nie Nie's blog. At some point I am aiming for that kind of consistency. Until then, the only consistency here will be the changing of Lila's picture when she is a month older. And once I am showing to the point of not just looking chubby, baby Burrow #2 will make an appearance each month as well.

I also wanted to make a quick addition to the words that have been added to Lila's vocabulary. I'm afraid I waited too long to do this because she knows so many now. She repeats almost everything and a large percentage of the time she knows what she is saying. Of course, if you ask her to say something on command she won't. So instead of words, here are just a few quick updates on her in general.

She may be the cuddliest kid ever. She loves to be in your lap. The few nights she slept with us this past week when she was sick she pushed up against me so much I ended up on the very edge of our gigantic bed. When you hold her she rubs and then pats your back almost as if to soothe you. I swear she is a sponge because, of course, that is what I have always done to soothe her.

She finds spinning in circles to be hysterical. What I find to be hysterical is when she attempts to walk when the spinning is over. She still has the wobbly toddler walk without spinning so you can imagine the result.

While everyone says she is like me, she has a very prominent Seth characteristic. She is incredibly repetitive. Buttons on toys get pushed at least fifteen times. Books have to be read over and over again. Spinning and then falling does not mean the spinning stops.

I see a child emerging in Lila and a baby slowly creeping away. It scares me quite a lot actually. I keep praying that even when my belly is big and my lap is full she will find a way to be just as close to me. I hope she never stops patting me on the back or looking in my eyes so intently as she speaks. I hope spinning is always funny and that she always wants to look in the mirror with me as I put on makeup. But most of all I hope she knows that even when this baby comes I will need her just as much as she needs me...if not more.

My day in pictures...and captions

Carson is providing me with the immeasurable opportunity to have two kids before I have two kids. I realize that having two toddlers is nothing like having a newborn and a toddler. However, some things aren't that different. For instance, loading and unloading everyone into a car or making sure all are happy once you arrive at the destination. Therefore, I am taking this little opportunity to practice being the mom of two kids. I have gone to the store before with Carson and Lila, but I usually put Carson in my Ergo carrier. That is basically the same as being held so of course she eats it up. The Ergo is no longer totally comfortable so I decided to attempt the gigantic, two-seater, "driving" cart with the girls. I am still shocked by how well it went. I'm not shocked because I thought it would be miserable. I was just very unsure of the amount of items I needed to get (a lot) in correlation with the tight quarters of the cart. I am also still shocked that three people asked me if they were twins. Really? You have a very tall, leggy, blonde with blue eyes right next to a quite petite, dark hair and dark eyes munchkin. Twins? Really? Anyway, here's the rundown:

Lila takes control while Carson looks unsure...

...Carson says "now we're talkin'. A ride and someone feeding me...I'm sold"...

...Carson takes the wheel as it seems Lila has grown tired of the situation. 

I also had the great pleasure tonight of meeting two friends at Canvas and Cocktails. While it may seem a waste since two of us are pregnant, it really wasn't. I say false advertising. You have to bring your own cocktails for goodness sake. Regardless, a good time was had by all!

Holla Hump Day

It may seem silly to start a meme when I can't seem to blog consistently as it is. In my defense, I feel like a new person this week. What is a meme? It's one of the million things done in bloggy land that I have avoided along with giveaways and advertising. I have nothing against these things. I just simply do well to post at all sometimes. So why start this meme? Because I feel like there isn't enough acknowledgement of a job well done these days. What better day to pat people on the back than the middle of the week? Here goes.

I would like to send a shout out to...

...myself. Tacky, I know. While feeling like death for the past three months I was way too hard on myself about how incapable I often felt. My child may be a little bit addicted to TV now. My dog may win the first nanny/dog award (see video). My husband may be neglected beyond belief. BUT, we have all survived. My house didn't burn down or spontaneously combust due to too much filth. I am shockingly proud of myself.



...my sister. I sent her an email with a zillion dates coming up that I need a sitter and she said yes, yes, and "may I have another" to almost all of them. AND, when she babysits she never fails to be the coolest aunt ever while taking vidoes like this one. She told me she wanted to see what Lila would look like with a grown up pony tail. Priceless. (I tried to rotate the video but in doing that it chopped off half of Lila's head - sorry for the sideways view!)



...my neighbor Sonja. We haven't known each other for very long, but she is one of those people that makes you feel supported at all times. She checks to see if I want to walk with her even though I haven't actually walked with her in quite a while. She offers to watch Lila while Seth and I go to doctor appointments or if I just want to go Christmas shopping. I hope she knows I would always do the same for her (wink, wink) :-)

...my friend Skip. Skip also watched Lila during a doctor appointment. I have heard that all kids love Skip and Lila is no exception. It is so very nice to feel like your child is in good hands. We are lucky to have family around who love to babysit. Having friends who can and love to do so as well is more than we could have hoped for.

...Carson. I think she can sense when Lila is having a bad day. There have been a string of them this week with Monday being the worst one. Carson isn't difficult on a normal day, but she seems to just know to be extra special easy going and happy when Lila is in crisis lockdown mode. I am sure Carson's temper-tantrum, toddler days are coming. I am eating up her sweet, understanding behavior while I can!

Bulldogs and ducks

Happy Halloween! I mean, people seem to be celebrating Halloween anywhere from Friday to Wednesday these days so I decided I am not late in my greeting.

Seth and I made the yearly trek to St. Simons this past weekend for the Georgia versus Florida game. My mom, along with help from Katie and Katie's mom Pat, took over the care of our little chickie for the weekend. I owe them more than I can say. I was nearing that line of talking nothing but gibberish and running over other adults with shopping carts due to my lack of sleep and adult conversation.

If you had told me years ago that I would go on this weekend trip to get more sleep I would have laughed in your face. Renting two beach houses with twenty of your closest friends has never equaled rest and relaxation in years past. Yes folks...this year was very, very different. In no way am I complaining. In fact, I found it refreshing. But I'm pregnant. When I went on this trip pregnant two years ago I drove hoards of beer guzzling game goers and tried to get to the food before it was gone. I watched with a smile as others danced and fell asleep on the beach. I'm not saying there was none of that this year. I'm just saying times are changing. With three pregnant ladies and numbers down a bit the atmosphere was more subdued and there was actually talk of future trips with kids...and nannies :-) You would think because I was of sound mind and more relaxed body I would have been way on top of the picture taking. I wasn't. So here are a few shots I ripped off of facebook from Molly and Nicki...thanks ladies!

Pregos!

Playing dress up...no wait, Halloween sorry

Beautiful day at the beach

Tailgating for a much anticipated yet atrocious game

We rushed home early on Sunday to be back in time for the Halloween parade on our street. I was nervous about Lila's reaction to her costume since I made the poor choice of not trying it on her until right before go time. She didn't hate it, but seemed confused. Her confusion increased as we came upon her friends in costume. Toddlers in costume might be the cutest thing ever. I know I'm biased and all, but don't you just want to squeeze her she's so darn cute?

Unfortunately, upon arriving home she totally scraped up her nose and hand. The negative thing about having a house with no stairs is that when stairs present themselves she doesn't always remember how to use them. We have ONE step from the ground to our front porch. She decided to go hands/face first down the one step instead of feet first. We went to the mall today and I got the "what a bad mommy" looks from other patrons. Such is life.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to my sister for almost winning a costume contest this weekend as a corpse bride. I am utterly shocked that the tiebreaker was a dance off and she didn't win. I mean, have you seen Lila's dance moves? She didn't learn them from me!