Our First Road Trip/ Beach Trip

It never ceases to amaze me, this journey through motherhood. You think you have it all figured out, you think you know it all and wham! You find yourself in a new situation with a new set of circumstances that you were not prepared for, although you tried to prepare for but I am slowly realizing that no amount of preparing prepares you for the wayward ways of a toddler.

Here it was, Thursday afternoon and like any Type-A planner, I was packing and checking off everything we would need for our first long(ish) road trip/ beach trip with Emma. I had done what any mother would have done the night before, panicked that we didn’t have enough towels/ sunscreen/ whogeemawhatsits and ran to Target. Half the store in my cart later, I felt a sense of security that my family would be safe from any “I forgot to get that mishaps” because, you know, we were staying in the total middle of nowhere suburbs of Hampton VA (which turned out we ended up across the street from a Target) but I digress.

Fast forward to Friday afternoon, I picked Emma up from daycare to be greeted with a loud cough. Admittedly, she had had a runny nose upon drop off but this was a full blow old man cough. EEK. Without missing a beat, I got her in the car and called the pediatricians office while en route. I figured if they told me they couldn’t squeeze me in I would just show up on their doorstep. As it turned out, they had time for me and upon inspection, I was told Emma had a case of “postnazal drip.” Grand! We had already booked a nonrefundable hotel room and it was supposed to be a trip with Thomas’ twin brother and his family to see our nephew in his MMA tournament and to celebrate the twin’s birthday. With a heavy heart I drove home and informed Thomas of the situation. He was already on his way home from work so we agreed to hash out the details when he got there.

The thing of it is, when he got home, his car would not go into park. The gear shift had malfunctioned. I could not believe it. A sick baby and a broken gear shift, it looked like the universe was grounding us for sure. This lead to hours worth of tools clanking and YouTube referencing and various neighbors stopping by. All the while I was taking a load off thinking we weren’t going anywhere for the night. Believe it or not, sometime after my husband got home from the auto parts store to get the part he needed (he took my car there) Charlie, one of our dogs, started limping! I kid you not a coughing toddler, a broken vehicle, and now a limping dog literally in the span of 2-3 hours.

Panic was not an option (I was too tired). I remained extremely calm and somehow over the next hour, the situations resolved themselves. Charlie’s limp was temporary and YouTube and glue fixed Thomas’ car. As for Emma, I looked up pediatrician offices and the nearest hospital to where we were staying. Trust me I did not take her health lightly. I thought long and hard about the consequences of driving 3.5 hours away with a less than healthy child, but in the end I decided to give it a whirl. (To not leave you in suspense, somehow when she woke up on Saturday, she was 100% better. She didn’t cough the entire time we were there! Her nose didn’t even run at all! I was very grateful.) However, that didn’t mean we didn’t have our fair share of problems along the way.

For starters, we planned the whole trip so we would be driving while Emma slept figuring that would be the logical thing to do. With the car delay we did end up leaving until around 10pm on Friday. We stopped two times, both of which Emma woke up. By the time we got to the hotel she was fully awake thinking it was time to start the day. The next obstacle we had was the play yard. Emma is a picky sleeper to begin with. She won’t nap or sleep if the conditions aren’t just right, so being wide awake and then being laid down to sleep in a foreign environment were two big strikes against us. It didn’t help that mommy and daddy were right there in the room with her which of course meant it was time to get up and party. Two hours later (yup at 3am) she finally went back to sleep (after much protesting.) I felt bad that we had disturbed her routine but I was so tired at that point I could barely think.

Saturday morning came and several cups of coffee later, we were off to see her 7 year old cousin, Justin compete in his second national title event for mixed martial arts. The event took place at a large sportsplex. There were 8 match mats set up in the middle of a large gym. I didn’t know it at the time, but Justin would have 5 matches over the course of a 4 hour period. This ran right through lunch time and nap time and Emma was running on little sleep as it was. Luckily there were a lot of families with young kids, so having an erratic toddler running around blended in with the background more than anything.

 

 

 In fact, the back corner of the gym seemed to be the toddler corralling area. Dads and kids running every which way.

We were goofing off here, but you can see serious business was going on ....just look at the faces in the background.

We ended up leaving early to grab lunch while Emma took her standard car nap. Then it started to rain and I was worried we wouldn’t make it to the beach all weekend, so I did again, what any mom would do…passed out and took a hour long nap. This left poor Thomas to watch Emma which was extremely difficult in a non-baby proofed hotel room. We brought distractions but Emma is in the phase were she only wants to play with things she can’t have which were in abundance in the room. That made anytime in the hotel room stressful for me.

Saturday night, we ended up going to the indoor pool at Thomas’ brother’s hotel. Emma loves hanging out in the pool with her dad! We took her out twice and she would reach over for her dad each time. We didn’t last long at the pool running off of only 3 hours of sleep and all, so it was an early night for us. Once again Emma was not trying to go to sleep in the play yard but we had started the night night routine early so she finally went down at 8pm.

Then came Sunday! Sunny Sunday! The sun was out and we FINALLY got to go to the beach! I am a huuuge beach bum and I was worried Emma might not like the beach. It’s a love I was wanting so desperately to share with her. She was definitely scared and bewildered at first. She did not like that her feet sunk into the sand which didn’t give her enough traction to run. That upset her for a while, until she saw her cousins playing in the sand. All of a sudden, tears were replaced by joy and happy curiosity. She became totally enamored with the sand. I was so excited to see her happy and actually enjoying herself. I am so glad I will be able to share my love of the ocean with her for years to come.

 

 

 

This is how Emma chills in her stroller btw. She is all about the laid back attitude. 

 

This was the rainbow we saw on the way home. No joke fairy tale ending to the trip :)

So that’s it, we made it through the trip, crazy circumstances and all. I am so thankful that we shared in more firsts together as a family.

Our Weekend in Not Enough Pictures and a Look Ahead at Next Weekend

Well friends another amazing summer weekend has come and gone. I am trying to savor every summer moment while I can. I had this past Friday off and I actually dropped Emma off at daycare while I got my hair and nails done!?!?! Me time to the extreme is what I called it and it was amazing. I still felt a twitch of mommy guilt for not spending the whole day with her since those for us are few and far between, but I do have a few extra days off this summer and I fully plan on getting in some quality mommy baby time. This past Friday, after the me time, I picked up Emma after lunch and finished my errands. Then we went on a special trip to Gymboree! She enjoyed having the whole place to herself and loved running and climbing and throwing balls all over the room. She has discovered how to climb on things these past few weeks which is fun and scary all at the same time. 

Then came Saturday and Emma’s crankiness went onto a whole other level. I am coming to the conclusion that she gets bored with the usual toy set up at home pretty quickly. So we switched things up a bit by taking her outside. She got a water table for her birthday from Nana and was excited to get into it! She loved scooping the water out onto her feet. Eventually this too became blasé and she found a secret passage way into the house (aka the dog door)! She kept looking inside to make sure the magical door didn’t eventually take her into a different dimension, one with more interesting things to do.

After a few more entertaining minutes at the dog door, she decided the next logical thing to do would be to run toward the stairs of the deck at lightning speed., where I learned that she has already discovered the sit and shimmy move (also referred to as the swoop and scoot) which had me laughing tears at one point and then crying tears of frustration the next. Unsure about the sit and shimmy…allow me to explain my friend. You see often a child will sporadically decide to flee the premises at unprecedented intervals throughout the duration of the day. Without warning, your child will suddenly take off and you will not react fast enough to stop them initially, but luckily for you, your limbs are longer than theirs, therefore allowing you to catch up to the child and make contact with an arm or hand. Momentarily you will breathe a sigh of relief as the child’s speedy conquest to run off a cliff has come to an end. As you begin to let your guard down, the child suddenly plops down to the ground in a “my body has gone limp” kind of way. The first time this happens and possibly the second, your adult body slowly exhales as it appears you have won the battle of the great escape. But do not be so naïve friends, this child has no intention of going with the flow. As soon as you let your guard down said child will wrench their hand out of your grasp, spin around, shimmy out of your reach and 180 degree it back to their original destination (aka the evil mountain stairs).

I laughed the first time this happened, my clever little girl figured out how to get away from me to get where she wanted to go (or try to). The second time she did it I finally realized what was going on, open defiance. I thought I had a few more months to go before it got to this level and I innocently thought that nothing this devious would happen until she was a teenager, but low and behold, here I was at the mercy of my child’s first real attempt at not only trying to get away from me, but trying to outwit me as well. I quickly schooled the young grasshopper on who would ultimately win in this battle and redirected her impressionable mind back to the water.

After our little tryst on the deck, we came inside so mommy could run around like a mad woman to get everything packed for a 7 hour hang out with Nana. Thomas and I had a wedding to go to, an event that lasted more than an hour or two, which has been our normal outing MO when it comes to babyless romps. I was a little nervous leaving my now defiant child with her grandmother but wanting to see my friend get married won out, and five bags crammed full of stuff later, we were off to Nana’s.

We had an amazing time at the wedding. It was bitter sweet in a way seeing my friend get married. Mostly sweet because he is a wonderful, caring person who deserves to be happy, but also a bit bitter because this is another reminder that my friends and I are growing up, but hopefully not apart. These are my college friends, the ones I used to spend every day with and now we all have careers and families and grown up non-kegger things to do. We really didn’t end up taking that many pictures because our digital camera is dead and my iPhone is about half a picture away from telling me it can’t take it anymore so do your best to imagine us all dressed up here (I know hard to do since we never are).

So the next day was…Father’s Day! Hurah! My husband got to sleep in while I cooked breakfast and did the dishes. Then he got his present…a picture book with pictures from his first year as a daddy. He also got a cast iron skillet that he requested. We had lunch at his favorite place and ended the day meeting up with my dad for a bbq. All in all it was a sweet, low key kind of day which we enjoyed.

Today just so happens to be my husband’s birthday so the celebrating continues! We are planning a beach trip get away this weekend with his twin brother and their family to celebrate. It will be Emma’s first time to the beach and her first time in the car for longer than an hour….dun dun dun! Stay Tuned for how we make it through that one.

How did you deal with your child’s first signs of defiance? 

“Sh*t Ain’t Cheap”: Five Lessons my Husband Learned from His First Year of Fatherhood

Father’s day is almost here! So far, I have looked back at my first year as a mom and Emma’s first year as a growing tot, so it’s only fair that I take a moment to look back on my husband’s first year as a dad. It is not his first father’s day, but last father’s day he was only a two week veteran. There was a whirl win of postpartum emotions (yeah those being from me) and no sleep and trying to figure everything out. So now that he has changed a few more diapers, watched a few more cartoons, calmed more tantrums, and snuggled a few more snuggles, he has definitely earned his daddy stripes. I’m so glad Emma has a dad who is a hard working, goal oriented family man. Emma is definitely a daddy’s girl and even though she said “mama” first, guess what she says all the time now? Yup, “dada.” She gets so excited when he comes home. She runs to him with her arms wide open every night and it melts my heart.

So without further adue, here is what Thomas told me he learned from his first year as a dad:

Extreme patience

Just when you think everything is calm and you have everything figured out something new happens. Emma is growing and changing everyday and I have to learn to be patient with her and try to understand her needs while balancing my own. She is adorable though, even when she is crabby. I think it’s the cutest thing in the world.

The Work Never Stops

I work over 50 hours a week to provide for my family. Every day I come home and help out around the house in some way. The work is never ending but it is all worth it. Whether it’s putting toys together or washing her bottles every night, if what I do brings a smile to her face I know it was all worth it. I do it because I love my family and I would do anything to ensure their safety and well being.

Sh*t Ain’t Cheap

Diapers, formula, and daycare, the triple threat…to my wallet. Here’s another cost that sneaks up on you…children’s shoes! Freakin expensive! But I know one day she will be taking care of me and I want to make sure she has everything she needs to succeed.

(On having a girl) I didn’t know what to expect, I grew up with 4 brothers.

It’s a whole new world for me, having a girl. Growing up as one of five boys all I was exposed to were sports and stinky shoes. I hope Emma enjoys sports and shares my passion with me. If she doesn’t I will learn to like ballet I guess, or whatever it is she’s into.  

She amazes me with every milestone she achieves

It amazes me to see her developing so quickly. It seems like she just started walking one day, just like that and now she is picking up so many words I can’t believe it! I really need to make sure I watch what I say. It’s always a surprise what she comes up with next but I like the excitement of surprises so keep them coming!

Happy Father’s Day everyone! What are your plans this father’s day?

The Evolution of Our Talents and Desires

This week and last have definitely been high stress. Several major events took place which is why I have taken a short blogging hiatus. Going through back to back days of intense situations coupled with a night of absolutely no sleep left me feeling pretty out of it. I had a medical scare (that has still not been completely resolved) which could have led me to need to get surgery but thankfully, I got a pass at the doctor’s office and in a month I will get the 100% all clear if all goes well.

The other important event was…I had a job interview, actually two. I was invited back today for a second interview for the same job! If you have been keeping up with my little blog here you will know my family’s need to get into a safer neighborhood and my need to develop my career. I received an amazing opportunity that in all honesty may or may not pan out (although I hope it does.)There is nothing wrong with where I am now. I love the commute and the fact that Emma is in the building with me, but professionally I am entering that awkward stage like a relative that has been hanging around too long. 

I am excited for all of the possibilities but this brings me back again to the guilt. My commute will be longer and I will eventually have to move Emma to another daycare. All of this was in the "grand plan" which is still exciting, change is good, but I can't help but be apprehensive about everything potentially to come. I know as a family we will get through it and I know I am working not only to provide for my family, but to also be a role model for Emma.  I have been doing a lot of thinking about my career lately and how I got to where I am and I couldn’t help but think back to my earliest career aspirations and how I evolved into who I am as a professional today. This brought me to Emma and what career she will end up with. She has so many interests as her personality blossoms that I can't help but wonder who she will turn out to be, so I came up with a short list of the top five career paths I think she might take (of course this is a light hearted list. I will be pleased with anything she does as long as she is happy and can eventually support herself.) 

1. Vet

With four dogs, this is at the top of the list. She loves her dogs and even pants like them when she gets excited. She is an animal lover so I think this is a a strong contender. 

2. Gymnast 

I have recently been researching different tiny tumbler classes in our area. She is already crawling up stairs and she pretty much started to do a head stand the other day. If I sit on the floor she will climb all over me and she has already started scaling the couch, so if not gymnast, maybe a professional tree climber. 

3. Public Speaker

This girl loooves to talk and sometimes loudly scream :-) She says hi to everyone when we are out and has already developed captivating hand gestures. I see some rousing debates in her future, hopefully not all with me. 

4. Librarian 

(or professor)

Emma loves to read. Her new favorite thing to do is go to her toy box and pull out every single book and bring it over and sit while you read each of them. Her current favorite book? A doggie book of course.

5. Engineer

She has a curiosity and a passion for how things work. She takes her time to pull things apart, to look beyond the face value of an object, to find its working parts. 

Do I expect her to really become any of these things? No, but I don't discount any of them either. After all I have come a long way from my early days when I desperately wanted to become a paleontologist. Her passions and interests will change over time and that is ok. It's exciting to be on the journey to discovering what you love. I am nearing the completion of my journey, for now, and hope to land where my heart has been all along. 

I am glad to be back and I promise to finally post part four of the story of us as well as our home makeover. Happy week wishes to all! 

Emma's Birthday in Photos

Well it really happened, my baby turned a year old on Saturday. She had a circus party theme! Colors and animals are two of Emma's current favorite things so I think it fit well with her personality. Like everything else though there were some bumps throughout the day, but we were striving for fun not perfection and I think (besides the heat) fun was had by all!

The day started out early. I arrived at my parent's house close to 11am to set up for the party at 3pm, giving Emma's dad only one request: to make sure she took a nap (a mission he easily accomplished)! So I arrived at my parent's house, on a Saturday morning and it seemed the county had decided that it was the perfect time to begin some major pipe work .... throughout the ENTIRE neighborhood. Three blocks surrounding their house were closed off. I made it to their house with the majority of the decorations before the street was completely blocked off, needless to say I got some odd looks from the construction workers when I unloaded a gigantic paper mace elephant.

I endured about a half hour of shear panic that the safety of the party goers would be put in jeopardy. I didn't want anyone falling into a mound of dirt, but I had to much else to do so,  I gave up on my mission to call the county and question the terrible timing on the construction. Luckily I was there early enough to get the word out to most of our guests ahead of time to let them know they would have to park on a different street. Below is the carnage of the pipe replacement construction right in front of my parent's house. I am helplessly looking on from behind the safety of the fence (safety for the  county workers from my wrath.)

Set up went pretty well although I was already pretty exhausted by the end of it and the party hadn't even started yet. But everything turned out better than I expected. I made the happy birthday banner and it looked smashing!  Yes for my semi craftiness! The banner and food were outside on the porch and the desserts were inside to keep from melting in the near 90 degree heat. 

 

My sister and I decorated the cupcakes. They weren't professional looking but they were made with love...and animal crackers. Who doesn't love animal crackers!?!?

My mom made the cake. It's a carousel cake, the same cake she made for my first birthday and the same cake her grandmother made for her when she was little. I was glad to have that little piece of tradition present for Emma on her day. 

My husband's mom made this papermace horse and it was waiting for us in the front yard when we brought Emma home from the hospital so naturally I had to bring it to the party! It went with the theme and was a connection with the first celebration of her birth. I was glad to have it there. (There were more balloons. They didn't make it in the heat.)

Here it was the day we came home from the hospital! It might show up at every birthday she has from now on. I will show up at the bar on her 21st birthday waving it in the air! (You think I'm joking?) 

So, I ended up jumping on the goodie bag band wagon, but in my defense, they were not filled with your typical small goodie bag toys that get lost or are a choking hazard. They did have one small stuffed animal. They included animal crackers and animal shaped sand toys, perfect for summer! I kept it simple and only included items I felt might get some real use. 

Here is the aforementioned papermace elephant that raised eyebrows among our uninvited construction guests. Emma's godfather's aunt (got that?) made it and they were going to throw it away to make more space and I just had to rescue it! I knew it would serve an awesome purpose some day! And presto....circus elephant! 

Now onto the action! Emma had an awesome time playing with all of our friend's kids and her cousins! We had sidewalk chalk which of course she tried to eat, bubbles, mini golf, bag toss, and balls. It kept the kiddos entertained for a few hours! 

I also got animal masks! How could I not?

Emma had a great time with her cousin Cianna. They are only a year apart! I can see the future tea parties to come! 

Emma also enjoyed playing with her older cousin Justin, while the evil orange mesh fence from the uninvited construction looked on. Although it did turn out to be kind of cool for the kids. Dump trucks driving up and down the street were pretty awesome. 

All of the rest of the pictures were taken by other people at the party. My digital camera died and my iPhone ran out of storage space all in the same breath (yes I had charged my camera ahead of time but it decided not to turn on when I needed it the most!) luckily my brother in law and my father were on hand to capture the rest of the day. 

We sang happy birthday and Emma got to wear her pipe cleaner crown! My pintrest masterpiece!

 She got a lot of great gifts! One favorite was the farmhouse from her Auntie Julia! 

 All in all a great time was had by everyone, especially the birthday girl. I am so grateful for all of the support of our friends and family to make it a really special day. I look forward to many more celebrations to come!