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.

Kick off your shoes and sit a little

Well holy CRAP! My last post broke the record for comments on my blog! Good job guys. I would love for you to stick around and keep reading if you are a newbie. Thank you for the fantastic advice as well. I have to admit that all of what you said has crossed my mind. Seth's vote is to let Molly bark for an entire day. I was leaning towards trying to be an adult about it like mom suggested. At the end of the day, I don't have the energy to do any of it. I tend to get real lazy when it comes to stupid things that irritate me. I just pretend it's not happening. That is until crazy lady yells at me again. I can't promise the adult route will be taken next time. Until then, I will just do my best to maintain status quo.

Anyway, I am going to make an attempt to title my blog posts with lyrics from here on (this one counts). If you are the first to comment with the correct artist I will send you a present. Name that tune blog style if you will. No cheating allowed. I know you can type anything into google and get right to it. Cheaters lose in the end. Hopefully that bit of wisdom will stop you from cheating. Basically, this is my way of doing a giveaway without actually giving into the giveaway mayhem in bloggy land. You won't know what the present is so don't get too excited. You may or may not find clues within the song of the week tab. I know, so much to do, so little time.

Lastly, because I know you are all dying to know what I do with my life, here are some updates:

1) Gardening - in the crapper - bugs ate it and are still eating it and I can't bring myself to go pull it all out. I want to apologize to my really awesome next door neighbors who have to look at it.

2) Canning - never even started or bought a canner - Patty told me I could come over and borrow her canning materials and I would still like to do that. Until then I will just have to pretend like I am on top of it.

3) Sewing - current project is a secret and will be revealed next week. Until then just know that this may be the only thing I am actually on top of.

4) Consignment sales - well, somehow I missed the good ones. It's a good thing my cousin's little girl Anna Kate likes to share her wardrobe with us. If you see Lila in the same outfit every time you see her this fall just don't tell me.

5) Tot School - I have decided my child is a genius and doesn't need to be taught things by someone as unintelligent as myself. Just kidding. Tot School still consists of all of the previously posted stuff. I added a very expensive magnetic puzzle that I bought in Asheville. She hates it. I will stick with the pasta transferring until she hates that. As of now, that's all she wants to do.

I think that's about it for now in the realm of things I want(ed) to accomplish within my new(ish) full time job called mommy. If you can think of anything I should throw in for good measure I'm all ears.

Winter Wonderland/My baby is 9 months old

Yesterday 49 out of the 50 states had snow! (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100213/ap_on_re_us/us_united_states_of_snow).

Georgia was no exception. I had visions of sitting Lila in the snow and taking tons of pictures, but I decided that was a little ambitious. So, we settled for a few quick shots of us in the "blizzard" on the back porch. What a beautiful day it was. It almost makes me wish we lived somewhere where it snows more often...almost. The second shot is my sister, Sara, and Lila. It's a little hazy, but I just love it.

On the day of this winter wonderland, my little baby went to her 9 month well checkup. We went in and the weather was clear and dry. We came out and it was snowing like crazy. We ran through the parking lot in the snow to the car and Lila giggled the whole way. People tell you things go by quickly, but I don't think you really know what that means until you have a baby. She is an everyday visual of just how fast things happen. That makes her the most perfect reminder to slow down and enjoy the good stuff. On my fancy new Mac I will be attempting to create a montage of videos of her before her first birthday (I am copying this idea from my friends Toby and Angie over at All About Babies). Some of the videos I have taken of her seem to not be compatible with the Mac, so wish me luck. At any rate, I have also begun to play around with my fancy new camera. Keep an eye out for the 9 month picture I plan to take and put in the header in place of the 8 month one. It won't be nearly as good as the picture Sarah Wise took (http://scwphotography.blogspot.com/) but it will be a start!

Here are a few things I know about my child so far (including what I learned at the pediatrician on Friday):

* She is 29 inches long and a little over 19 pounds.
* She can truly eat anything we eat now except eggs, peanuts/peanut butter, and regular milk.
* She wakes up in the night mostly because she has now fully figured out we are gone and she misses us terribly (separation anxiety). Yes she is teething, but that isn't the culprit apparently. BUT, we have had 3 nights so far of no waking up after letting her cry it out a few times. I think she now knows we will show up in the morning.
* She does things when she is good and ready. I should have known this from the get go due to her desire to stay in the womb. She doesn't want to crawl or really do much more than sit and wiggle. However, we did get her to wave and clap in the same day (today actually)! If I can get her to do either of those again on a video camera, you will see just how exciting it is.
* She continues to be obsessed with our dog and pretty much every other dog she meets. We went to the Beans (http://kbbean.blogspot.com/) Friday night for game night. They have a border collie whose main goal in life is to herd everything and everyone. Lila and I took a seat at their dining room table as he ran circles around us. She laughed and squealed with delight every time he rounded the corner.
* She is the most perfect and wonderful thing I have ever done and I continue to feel like the luckiest mommy around.

I'm a survivor

Yes we are heading into day three. I have survived the return to the learning cottage. Did I cry? Yes. Did I constantly look at my phone with her picture on it? Yes. Do I feel like the absolute luckiest mother to ever return to work because of my sister? YES. I wish I could afford to pay her an astronomical amount of money for the priceless life she is giving me this year. She brings LJ up to my cottage twice a day for me to feed her and we are hoping that will continue to work when the kids actually show up. I'll keep you posted.

My new school year resolution is to focus on the things I enjoy about my job. If you know me you know that my leap into education has been rocky at best. You also know that making the decision to continue to work and leave mini-Seth at home was TORTUROUS at best. So now that its here I want to feel positive and hopeful about as much of it as possible. Here is my list:

1. I only have 15 students as of now as opposed to 20 last year. LOVE THAT.

2. I hate teaching math. I suck at it. However, I am taking a new direction with math in the hopes that I will learn to like it more. Wish me luck.

3. I feel like being in the learning cottage is isolating and lonely a lot of the time. This year there are two more teachers joining the trailer park. I probably won't work with them much, but it's nice to see more faces.

4. I have hopes and dreams about what I am teaching that I haven't felt strongly about until this year.

While I am embracing this new attitude I reserve the right to become a raving lunatic in the coming weeks.

By the way, if you read this blog please comment. Even if you have nothing to say about what I have been talking about I would love to hear from you!

Where we live...

I have come to realize that I have a love, hate relationship with where I live:

I love living in Tucker, GA because...
...I can get to almost anywhere in Atlanta in 15 to 20 minutes.
...I live half a mile from where I work and Seth is only a few miles from his job.
...we are OTP but seriously we are 2 miles from the perimeter...we live in a house that is bigger than most houses you find ITP at the price we paid.
...I am 10 minutes from the farmer's market and Sherry's roadside stand is right down the street...Sherry's has the best of the best when in season, hot boiled peanuts, Christmas trees, pumpkins, you name it...I am such a sucker for that kind of thing.
...this is the only place I have EVER come across that has a drive through gas station that carries necessities too like milk, butter, and eggs...this is the laziness in me but I truly think the "Milk Jug" as it's called is genius.

I hate living in Tucker, GA because...
...right down the street there are also a plethora of hispanic night clubs. I have nothing against hispanic people in any way, but the clubs are obnoxious and they are very close to the residential areas.
...there are NO good restaurants right down the street. There are a few OK places to eat, but for the most part it's fast food. Thank God for Shorty's.
...the elementary schools are very good, but the middle and high schools aren't. I don't want my kids to go to private school, but I don't care for the upper grade public schools as of right now.
...there are very few neighborhoods that have swim and tennis. I grew up going to the neighborhood pool and eventually playing tennis in my neighborhood. I feel like that is hard to find around here.
...there are a lot of apartment complexes where people run across major roads without looking, they drive like maniacs, and there are always cops around them.

TOTALLY random

1) Latest addition to the "I want you to know" list (care of the side of my Starbucks cup no less!)
"The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough. On occasion, some may be correct. But do not do their work for them. Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal. Don't take it personally when they say "no" - they may not be smart enough to say "yes"."
-Keith Olbermann (Broadcast journalist and host of MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann)
LOVE THIS ONE

2) If you were to ask me what is one great thing about being a teacher, today I would give you a very shallow answer: walking down the hall on your birthday and every kid you see is anxiously awaiting to tell you happy birthday, even if you have no idea who they are. My principal announces teacher birthdays on the morning announcements which is such a splendid idea in my opinion.
**Side note - If you were to ask me why you should join Facebook if you haven't already I would tell you that you should simply because everyone in creation wishes you a happy birthday on Facebook. People I haven't seen or talked to in YEARS are wishing me a happy birthday.

3) I am devising a list of random and bizarre side effects (for lack of a better phrase) of being pregnant that people don't always clue you into. This is not a medically proven list, but I have actually read that these things may or may not randomly happen when you are PG. I know I am listing things a lot lately, but I am doing it in the hopes that someone will add to the lists (hint, hint). So here is how the latest list begins:
1) Bloody nose/boogers (I have never in my life, that I recall, had a bloody nose or
booger. Seth claims they happen to people all the time. TOTALLY GROSS.)
2) Outrageous and horrible dreams (I dreamt I married my friend Kim and we went
house hunting together and her dress was really pretty. Enough said. I love you Kim, but I am sure you find this to be as odd as I do.)
3) Acne (I have never had great skin, but when I was on birth control I never had
problem skin. Now, I feel like a freaking teenager.)
Ok, so the list is pretty short so far. There are some things that I just refuse to tell the general public and if you have ever been prego you probably know exactly what I'm talking about. I just can't bring myself to list them here. Let's just say the list would be longer right now if I felt like people would not be thoroughly appalled by me instead of hopefully just amused.

4) Fun thought for the day: I have simply become obsessed with watching my belly move when the baby moves. For some reason there is an alien feeling about it that causes me to go into fits of belly laughs (deep, uncontrollable laughing that is PERFECT).

I want you to know...

**This is something I will add to/change at times. If you don't follow, this is written to baby Burrow to be given sometime later in life...if I don't write these things down I will forget to say them and then forget what they were! If you are a parent (or even if you aren't) I would love comments/suggestions...wisdom (or random thoughts about life) should be shared ;-) **

I want you to know...

…that music is the ultimate healer. Good times, bad times, it doesn’t matter. Embrace it. Music will walk you through your life and sometimes be your best friend.
…that your dad is the best person you will ever know. Hands down. No contest.
…that someday in the future we, as your parents, will disappoint you and it will be a difficult day for you. Just know, we knew it was coming and we aren’t proud of ourselves. Our parents weren’t proud of that day either. It’s just a part of life.
…that seeing the world is what makes you a whole person. People may tell you not to leave home and that everything you need is here, but they are wrong. If they had gone far, far away even just once they would know. Home will always be here when you get back. Home makes you who you are…everywhere else shows you what you could be.
…that laughing at yourself is the best way to deal. Having too much pride is toxic.
…that you should treat your family like company and your company like family (care of none other than Paula Dean)
…that life is short. It’s so very short. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. Don’t stop at status quo. Be daring when at all possible.
…that making good friends is an absolute necessity. They will be your family when you your family is unavailable, they will be your level of accountability when you falter, and they will see in you what you might not see in yourself. Being a good friend means returning the favor.