2011

Somehow I missed Wednesday. Which means no Holly Hump Day unfortunately. And today has kind of sucked. BUT, tomorrow begins the countdown to the beginning of the new year. Are you ready?

I hate resolutions. I will be the first to admit I am grumpy right now, but grumpy or not I would still say I hate resolutions. They come from such an inspired place only to gather dust and fade away. At least for me anyway. I have to assume I'm not alone. I worked at the Ramsey Center at UGA while in college. I saw all of the people with "I'm going to get in shape" eyes beaming as they entered the gym by the hundreds only to never set foot there again. If you are one of those people who fully commits to your resolutions and follows through, well give yourself a big ol' pat on the back. Most people either think you are lieing OR you only had one or two super easy resolutions to begin with. Or, you could be a massive over-achiever in which case what's the point of resolutions for you anyway? (WOW, super grumpy...sorry).

Anyway, here's what I have decided. I am going to just list off a few ideas. I'm not going to call them resolutions. They are more like thoughts, hopes, dreams...lofty goals even. If you could care less and you decide to skim the only one I would really love for you to notice is that I started another blog. Blogs can be so self-indulgent anyway that I figured I might as well have a couple :-)

1) Read more books
I hope that within 2011 I can complete the stack of books on my nightstand that I have been wanting to read (two of which were actually given to me last year for Christmas). You know...ones that aren't titled Goodnight Moon or Five Little Monkeys. I mean, there are such burning questions here. Will I become a vegetarian? Will the two best friends in One Day finally get together for real? Will the Wally Lamb books come anywhere near the greatness that is I Know This Much Is True? Will I EVER get through the books about the girl with the tattoo?

2) Follow through with the new blog...oh, and the decorating.
Here it is folks. Here is the link in all it's glory. Isn't it pretty? Even if you aren't interested in the topic it should at least be entertaining to see me attempt to have decorating skills.

Desperately Seeking Decor

3) Start a bucket list. 

I was very inspired by my friend Patty's bucket list on her blog. During my hours in the car while I do my super glamorous side job I daydreamed about what would be on my bucket list. I even made low pressure items like Patty did...in my head that is. I would like to actually write down (wait, type) my list and do some of it. Or make plans to do some of it.

4) Completely potty train my daughter by 2012. 

Ok this one is one of those "wouldn't it be cool if..." kind of things. I want potty training to be about as low pressure as possible. That being said, it would be really cool if she was fully potty trained before she turns three.

And I'm done. So out of those of you that do comment on this blog, what are your thoughts, hopes, dreams, and lofty goals for 2011?

The aftermath

With snot dripping down my face and Lila coughing herself to sleep in the background I sit and stare at my now bare and very dead Christmas tree. In an effort to not lay around and indulge my sickness I undecorated my house today. Note to self: next year, undecorate while children are sleeping. Lila did a better job of putting the ornaments back on the tree after I took them off than she did when we were actually decorating it to begin with. She seemed as depressed as I am that Christmas is over...or maybe she just felt like crap. Either way it was a sad, sick, and grumpy day for the ladies in the Burrow home.

BUT, the magic and joy of Christmas still lingers. Of course, in my runny eyed, glazed over, hot mess of an attempt to undecorate I missed some things. My homemade Christmas card wreath and all the cards are still hanging in the kitchen. The playroom Christmasy items are still there because that room was bombed by toys and I couldn't even walk in there. And, Lila is "sleeping" in Christmas footy pajamas.

Beyond those missed items, I am feeling very nostalgic about how wonderful the holiday was for our little family. While both of Lila's Christmas experiences in her short life have been covered in snot, she never lets the natural happiness that is her disappear. It took her a while Christmas morning to understand that there were multiple gifts for her. She opened one and just played with it for a while. We had to convince her to go back and grab another to unwrap. Even after the second or third she still needed some prompting. This was best case scenario in my mind. There will come a day when she wants to blow through the gift opening just to see what everything is without really indulging in each gift. For now, she indulged completely and we loved every minute of it.

No, we did not get her diapers for Christmas...

...we got her this. Which actually, was a hand-me-down from my aunt and cousins. A puzzle made of books...genious!

Indulging :-)

This gift was a pediatrician recommended HIT. It's called the "critter clinic". Little doors to unlock that house little animals complete with veterinarian tools!

Microphones are for eating right?

This little camera is one of those that you click and the picture changes in the viewfinder. She can't quite figure out to look through the hole to see the pictures change. Instead she closes her eyes, puts the camera to her face, and says "cheese"...

...sick face...

...this is what I mean. I spent most of the morning laughing at this! I only wish I had taken a video.

Later in the day Santa realized he forgot to wrap something and put it under the tree. Mommy found it :-)

She isn't completely sure about the tent, but it's now in the playroom filled with toys so we will see what happens.

Christmas night was spent with more family and more gift opening!

Grammy got Lila a ball that bounces and lights up. She loves it if you can't tell!

Lila and Vivi

Grammy also getting a kick out of Lila's picture taking skills.

Uncle Levi showing Lila how to operate her new laptop.

This simply adorable chair from Vivi and the latop from Grammy made the night complete!

I hope you all had as much fun and enjoyment as we did. I also kept thinking today that this time next year we will have a six month old and a two year old. CRAZY!

Holla Hump Day

Shout outs go to....

...Sarah Wise for hosting a fabulous Santa party. She has three kids and lots of friends with kids that were running rampant around her house and she never once looked flustered! AND, she took beautiful pictures of the kids on Santa's lap. Well, I'm assuming she took fabulous pictures of the other kids. My kid wasn't down with Santa...it was a good effort though!

...the Beans/Katie's sister Anna for watching Lila while we went to the big 20 week ultrasound appointment for baby Burrow #2. I've said this before but I can't say it enough. There is no better feeling than leaving your child with people you know will love her and care for her like you would. We just happen to be lucky enough to have lots of people like that close by. Love you guys!

...Seth's cousin Jessica for also watching Lila so that we could go Christmas shopping AND go on a date. This is the first year in my entire life where I will not be Christmas shopping right up until Christmas Eve.

Imagine It! Children's Museum review

It seems when you have your first child you want to take them everywhere and show them everything. You traipse off to all these places in search of something different and fun that they can experience for the first time. Zoos, aquariums, parks, and museums become something of an experiment with each visit.

We have done the Atlanta zoo, we are regulars at the Botanical Gardens and the Brook Run park in Dunwoody, and I just yesterday posted about our Georgia Aquarium trial run. Of course, every family's experience is going to be a little different. We LOVE the Atlanta Botanical Gardens but I could see how someone else might not. It's part what floats your boat and part what your child is ready for.

All of that being said, this may be a bold thought. After visiting Atlanta's Imagine It! Children's Museum today I feel like I can say it is for everyone. Here are my thoughts:

* Age to begin going - I'm not sure what I would even say the best age to begin going is. They have a baby/toddler area within an area designated for children under the age of five. I guess I would say $12.50 is a lot to pay to take a baby to crawl around in stuff you may have at home. I suppose I would suggest going once your child can walk.

* Cost - Kids under 2 are free. So adults and children over 2 are $12.50 each. Obviously then, past the age of 2 you are paying upwards of $24 which, for me, is getting pricey. Especially since you have to pay to park (I paid $5). There are multiple annual packages which I am actually contemplating...that's how great I thought it was.

* What I liked - This museum is not a huge place. When I first walked in I wasn't so sure it would provide much for Lila's age. I tried to get Lila to walk around and try as much as she could. Of course, she fixated on a few things so that's what we did. I liked that there was a show about music going on (she danced and then ran to something else). I loved the water tables, the sand tables, and the farm area. We didn't do the first two because we got stuck in the farm. There were a lot of choices. That's what I liked.

* What did Lila like? - She spent a long time at a wall of magnets that when put together can be turned like gears. I was actually surprised at how long this kept her attention. Then, she saw the farm. Seriously they have a farm set up with a cow that you can "milk", massive amounts of fake foods, wooden crates, and shopping carts. And in the midst of it all is a tractor. Where did my daughter spend 90% of our time? On the tractor. It scared me at first. I mean, it's huge for someone her size. But she LOVED the tractor. I had to make her get off of it so other kids could have a turn. At first she tried to melt down, but I got her to compromise and wait on the stairs leading up to the seat of the tractor when other kids came up.

This was probably WAY more info than you needed or wanted. I am just excited that this went so well after somewhat of a difficult time at the aquarium. However, similar to the aquarium, I am looking forward to taking her again over time and watching her interests and level of enthusiasm change.

Here's a little snapshot...

Weekend in review

Ah, the world of an eighteen month old. My neighbor recently said something about the "terrible twos" and how they actually start at a year and a half. Our pediatrician alluded to the same thing. Random knowledge from my degree in child development runs through my head eighteen times a day. More specifically, Erikson's stage of autonomy versus shame and doubt is like a broken record in my thoughts. Sorry to get all developmental on you, but sometimes I feel like if I don't think it over and over I won't be patient enough to try and understand my child.  Erikson was one of many child development theorists who identified stages children go through. This particular stage lasts from one to three years of age. Children quickly learn that they can make choices...that they have some control. The idea is that the parent needs to find the fine line between fostering the autonomy while keeping the child safe AND not becoming too overbearing. If you are a parent and you walked that fine line with grace (especially in public) please contact me.

Anyway, we had a nice family weekend. Friday night was uneventful. Saturday was equally as uneventful until we headed to the Wise Family Santa party. I was SURE that Lila would love Santa. She met him at my grandparent's house already AND Saturday morning she met the Santa cow at Chick-Fil-A. On both occasions she wasn't overly impressed, but she was not afraid in the least. Of course, she gets all dolled up and adorable to meet him and clings to me like I am passing her off to the boogie man as I tried to put her on his lap. She wouldn't even sit so that we could attempt to at least get the obligatory "screaming child on Santa's lap" picture.  Therefore, please stay tuned for pictures of Lila later in the week in said adorable outfit/getup that I plan to take at our house.

Today was slated to be the big day of the weekend. We made the decision to try out the aquarium this morning. Bright and early we headed downtown. This is where the developmental stage mentioned above was on exhibit. Lila does one thing in big open spaces. She runs. She has no fear of leaving us or us leaving her. She takes off and doesn't look back (unless she is looking back to give you a sweet, yet devilish little grin that I have seen many times on a certain someone else's face). She liked the areas where the windows into the "ocean world" were at her level. However, if she had to be picked up to see something she became the rag doll, screaming banshee. She throws her head back, her face turns eight shades of red, and she hollers in a way that makes others stare and wonder what you are doing to your child. It was exhausting. We tried not picking her up...we tried putting her in the stroller....we tried running to keep up with her...I even got her to hold on to the side of the stroller for a while. We had been practicing holding hands outside and at stores and she had done so well. Unfortunately, we spent over $50 to chase our own child around.

I will say she LOVED the penguins, and so did we. That was really the highlight of the trip. They are so playful! One little girl was dancing around and it was almost as if they were dancing with her. Lila was mesmerized. She sweetly called them ducks and/or birds as they played in front of her.  Needless to say, you never know unless you give it a shot right? Now we know that we won't go back until she is at least two (and probably even older than that).

We came home, put her down for her nap, and got ready for our very long date. Seth's cousin, Jessica, had asked him a few weeks ago when she could babysit again. We are not the type to turn down eager babysitters! We planned to go to the mall to finish Christmas shopping, go to dinner, and then go to a movie. It was a glorious half day of togetherness and childless running around. I love my daughter more than I have ever loved anything in my entire life...but, nothing recharges you as a parent like not actively parenting for seven hours.

Christmas shopping is done and I am contemplating taking Lila to the Children's museum tomorrow...wish me luck! Happy Monday ya'll :-)

Holla Hump Day

Geez, how did it get to be hump day already? Christmas is a week and a half away! Have you finished your shopping? I haven't. But not for lack of trying. There are just certain people that aren't very forthcoming with their Christmas lists.

Moving on...this week's shout outs go to...

...Meg. We do a lot of getting together at the Burrow abode. In no way am I complaining. I LOVE that people like to come here. Back in the day in a little place called Pineview in Athens, GA a bunch of silly college kids decided to be all adult about things and start a Christmas potluck dinner before Christmas break. Brilliant right? I'm sure none of us imagined that twelve years later we would still be getting together. The group has grown and yet of course everyone can't come every year. This year it was at our house as it has been off and on (more on than off) since college. I was gone all last week and was a little overwhelmed about dinner being here on Sunday. BUT, I was excited to put my energy into something and be distracted. So why is Meg getting the shout out you might be wondering? Well, she cleaned up EVERYTHING at the end of the night. It was such a good dinner, and I sat down and just let her do it. I thanked Kim too but she said Meg did almost all of it. She even washed other people's dishes and made sure they took them home. I think I still have a few casserole dishes from years past that aren't mine so you can imagine I was beyond impressed.  That's Meg holding my little angel :-)

...the lady at Motherhood Maternity. I was in search of the perfect black sweater to wear through the winter and grow into. She handed it to me, I bought it, and I may or may not have worn it every day since. It's too big right now, but I just can't get over how soft and warm it is. She told me it was a "Heidi Klum favorite". I guess that Heidi Klum would know wouldn't she?

...Angela. I am pretty sure she doesn't read this blog, but maybe she does. If she doesn't, she will know soon enough about this on Facebook when I post a video of Lila. Angela is married to my cousin Brandon. She is the cutest freaking thing. Anyway, when we were at my grandparents last week Lila wanted to play with everyone's phone. Angela found this app on her Iphone that shows photographs of animals and makes the sound the animal makes as you tap the screen. Of course, Angela and Lila became BEST friends. Come to find out, I can get the same app on my Droid...and I did. And it has become crack for my child. She calls it "puppy" because that's the first picture that comes up. While the repetitive yelp for "puppy" all day isn't so pleasing, the extreme joy it brings Lila melts my heart. Video coming as soon as I can find where I put my Flip. Here are Lila and Angela eating cake...Lila's second favorite thing next to the "puppy" app.

Alright kids...for you Atlanta folks, watch out for what I'm hearing is a scary amount of ice on the roads out there. Atlanta drivers are already incapable...throw in some ice and you are pretty much doomed if you leave your house. I'm just sayin'.

LOOK!

There's a new tab up there under the header...

I have to celebrate you baby...I have to praise you like I should

Since Tuesday of last week I have tried to figure out how to come to terms with the death of my grandfather. Usually when something upsetting happens in my life my brain takes a turn for chaos. I'm sure I'm not alone in that respect. One minute I want to celebrate the man he was and the next I want to scream that it was too soon.  While I can't say it was unexpected, I can say it was sudden. Yes, they are different. In October he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He had started chemo and was for all intensive purposes headed in a good direction. Apparently there was a different plan for him, and he passed away in his sleep due to a heart attack. On Tuesday Lila, mom, Sara, and I piled up in my car and drove South to be with our family and celebrate John T.

Sitting amongst some of my family talking with the preacher about what would be said at the service, I found myself feeling like celebrating...not because Grandma kept saying we were blessed or because Sara read an essay she wrote about him in college. I felt like celebrating because that's where the chaos ended. Suddenly I just sort of knew that he would want us to laugh about him. And, through tears, that's what we did.

As I have posted, we went to my grandparents at Thanksgiving. At that time John T. had completely lost his hearing for various reasons. I had made my favorite pumpkin cupcakes and was eating one on the front porch talking to mom while John T. smoked a cigarette. I whole heartedly shoved the last big bite into my mouth and turned to find John T. right behind me. He started laughing and said quite loudly "I wanted to see what was in it!". It seems I ate it a little too quickly for him to get a good look and he thought that was pretty hysterical. Later, he ate a few of the cupcakes trusting that my hurry to devour one was reason enough to try them.

That silly kind of story is what I want to celebrate as often as I can. That child-like humor and simplicity that I see in my daughter every day is what I will always remember about him. That along with being called a nut, being told to go make mud pies in the backyard, and watching him tube on the back of a boat on his 70th birthday. I miss you John T...and I will laugh and celebrate you...from this picture I am guessing your great granddaughter will too.

So many flipping videos

I have a feeling no one regularly looks at the little tabs at the top of this blog. I can understand why you wouldn't. I haphazardly update them for goodness sake. But, I can tell you that if you check them every once in a while you may find a little nugget of perfection you didn't see coming.

Take, for instance, my most recent addition to my favorite things. The Flip video camera. If you've never seen one or used one you might be thinking, what's the big deal? It's a video camera. There are millions to choose from. I haven't owned many video cameras so I may not be the best judge. It has become one of my favorite things for various reasons that I mentioned in the favorite things tab. Unfortunately, with all favorites there are drawbacks. The only one I have found so far is most certainly user error. Basically, I take lots of random videos of Lila only to let them pile up in the Flip and forget about them. It is so quick and so easy to use. It's smaller than a cell phone. It gets lost in the "to do" pile. As a result, there are posts like this one overflowing with videos. One day there will be a very long video montage of Lila's life...one day when I am really on top of things. Enjoy!

This is what she was doing while I put on makeup one day...it seems she wanted to be alone.


I don't know what your kid is getting for Christmas, but mine is getting a big box of dish towels.


Have I mentioned the spinning? I'm pretty sure I have. I love how Carson is looking at Lila like "how did I get roped into being your friend?".


Have I also mentioned that Molly is the funniest thing Lila has ever seen?


You have to teach them good music young. Watch this one closely for her stellar dance moves.


Last but not least...mom, this one's for you. This is from today and I forgot she says the phrase "good job"...to herself.


PS - keep an eye out for a new DIY tab!

PPS - welcome to the world baby Everett!!!

I just can't keep up

Motherhood to me is a million amazing things. However, in my world it's also a vicious cycle of feeling like I am behind and/or I am forgetting something at all times. I used to really pride myself on being organized and on top of things. Where did that girl go? I suppose she ended up on the floor in the playroom or on the deck sweeping up leaves to be jumped in. She certainly isn't cleaning this house very well :-)

Anyway, I really, really, really wanted to document the crap out of the life of my child. Imagine my excitement when I realized this blog was kind of doing that for me. Unfortunately, things get skipped and I didn't really think people would read about Lila's specific weight and height changes or how many times a day she pooped.

I have made it clear how much I love words. They have taken on a new life and meaning for me with every new word or phrase Lila discovers. All of this being said, somehow Lila went from knowing five words to more than I can count in a matter of days it seems. I am beyond behind. I have to try though. I have to see if I can really cover the glory that is language development in an eighteen month old. You can't hear her saying them all though. You can't see the look on her face when one pops into her head, new or old. You won't feel how proud she is.  But maybe, just maybe, you will feel how proud I am.

Here's the rundown:
*note - I realize many of these have been mentioned before as she was starting to say them. I am also forgetting a ton I'm sure.

words -
dog
Molly
mama
dada/daddy
ears
nose
eyes
mouth
belly
belly button
toes
socks
shoes
pants
shirt
please (taught to avoid whining...turned into probably the cutest thing she says...sounds like peas)
help (new one as of this week...used instead of please sometimes)
go
stop
no (sometimes includes ma'am because I say no ma'am to her)
bye
so (like she might say something and then she leaves the room)
baby
milk
water
snack
down
sit
watch
play
poop (as of this week)
sorry
uh-oh
Lila (said ya-ya sometimes but recently she really tries to stick out her tongue to get the L's out...freaking adorable)
Carson (PS - HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY CUTIE PIE!!!)
outside
more
done
ese (this is how she says Otis, my mom's dog...yes, I'm being serious...long vowels are rough for some reason)
light
bath
shower
potty
bus
beep
cow, moo
sheep, baa
horse
cat
duck, quack
piggy

phrases-
*some combinations of the above words
bye, see you later (first full sentence/phrase...sounds like "bye see you ya ya" or just trails off at the end)
get up
thank you

Ok, that's the bulk of them anyway. It may seem silly to keep making a list, but I know one day I will look back and smile. I probably won't make another list after this one because I see full sentences and conversations in the near future. As long as those big blue eyes are intently staring at me while she goes on and on about who knows what I'm happy.