Did someone switch the date?

Christmas comes one time a year, the same day, every single year. It's constant, it's consistent, it's Christmas. Millions of people have come to terms with this and many even prepare by shopping months in advance. Although Jason and I decided to not exchange gifts with each other this year, we agreed to just do small gifts for our stockings. Afterall, this year and the following years are reserved for Marley and her possible future sibling(s). At this point in my life, there's not much I "need" let alone "want".

Which brings me to my next point....Jason has known about Christmas day for months, years, his entire life. My mom was kind enough to watch Marley Monday while he did some last minute shopping. And by last minute, I mean he started. I get a phone call, hearing his extremely annoyed and aggrevated voice, and I immediately want to laugh. I can hear Christmas music in the distant background with angry people in the near background.

"They dont' have any of the movies you asked for!!" he screams panicked.
"So don't get any..." it's simple, right? They're out of something, so don't get it? I thought so, too.
"What am I supposed to get you!?" more panicking.
"I don't know, a gift card?"
"I can't just get you ONE thing for your stocking! What else can I get you??" huffing....
"Jason, you're asking me 4 days before Christmas what I want and you're getting mad because the store is out of things?"
"I'm going to hang up before I say anything else"...ah, you are wise Sensei.

At least last minute shopping year after year has finally taught him one thing....to insert foot in mouth when appropriate.

Not so haute...

Dear Scale,

I'm not quite where we initially went wrong, but I'd like to get on your good side again. I tend to think it all began after college when I started dating Jason. I quickly latched on to his ability to eat absolute crap and not gain an ounce thinking it could do the same for me. Oh contrare m'frare - not only do I have THE worst metabolism, but the most canny ability to "go with the flow". My diluted way of rationalizing has gotten out of hand. Where toned muscle used to be, odd shaped lumps and bumps have taken over shouting, "firm me, FIRM ME!". I shake my head in disgust as I run past the mirror as fast I can as body parts once deemed "unjiggleable" now flap in the wind.

I know what you're thinking and no, I'm not ready to throw you out the window. I am willing to cooperate with you, a mutual partnership, if you can please learn to readjust yourself. I think you do it purpose. Although I only gained 20 pounds during pregnancy, I was willing to let it slide when you continually jumped each week chalking it up to baby weight. I even loved you after the baby, when you went down and down and down. And then it happened. My appetite came back....

I just hope we can learn to be friends. I joined a new gym and I think you'll be pleased with the results once I start going. I am thrilled to jump back on the wagon - I hope you'll join me. We'll deal with our "man in the mirror" issues later, but first, let me welcome you back to my life.

Sincerely yours,
Lard Ass

Hello world

Well considering no one even reads this blog, I'm not in a major rush to update, hence why it's been several months. We're gearing up for the first Christmas at the house - it feels nice to have a proper tree up again. Last year, we were in the apartment squished between baby toys and a mini tree. WE had all of our Christmas stuff in storage so it was nice to put it all out. I was extremely excited to get mantle stocking holders since we have a real wood burning fireplace. I love it. Work is wrapping up and slowing down - looking forward to a quiet winter.
Just some random pictures from over the past few months....

Let the babies dance...

Amy-the-great-and-powerful-tutu-maker is offering a discount on her traditional and ballerina chicy styled tutu's if you're interested in donating a Tutu for Tuesday. You can have the tutu shipped to you, if you'd like to include a note or something and forward it on yourself to the organization. Or, I'm sure Amy will fabulously make this tutu and send straight on for you.

Here is the address for sending the Tutu's:

Tuesday's Tutu's
P.O. Box 518
Watkins, CO 80134

Check out the link for Amy's site with more information on how to get a fabulous tutu made in Tuesday's honor! Chicy Creations: Tutus for Tuesday

Fun fall thursday

It was unseasonable warm today - I was itching to get out of work so I could come home and play outside in all the leaves, er I mean, lack thereof. Hopefully this year, we can work on ripping a few trees out, as 2 of them are dead and the other is knocking on heaven's door. Our very overgrown front yard is going to have to wait until next year mostly due to the fact that we can't replant anything until next year and because we don't have a lot of time. I guess we would force ourselves to do it, but winter is coming, so we'll just wait until spring. It's a hot mess, though. .

So we finally decided to put up some outside Halloween decorations. In fact, it was actually Jason's idea. What? It's only a week before Halloween you say? Hmm. Ok yes, we've procrastinated and yes, the decorations have been sitting in our hallway collecting dust and making my type A go insane. That is neither here nor there. No, it IS here and there because it's been on our minds, doesn't that count for something? We've been meaning to get to it, but just been really really busy. Ok, no more excuses, point is we finally got it up. And the best part about it was we didn't have enough outdoor extension cords so we couldn't even light it all up. Wait, I take that back, the best part was being outside! We've been couped up for a while and Marley has been sick off and on, so we were trying not to take her out if we didn't have to, especially since the whole dang world seems to have the swine. She loves it. I love watching her look at everything with the most concentrated look and sometimes I forget she is seeing things for the very first time. Sure, she's felt the wind before, but she opens her mouth and giggles. I can only imagine it tickles and it makes her laugh, and I love every minute. I wish I could freeze this age - so full of wonder....

We came outside and to our surprise had a street, a parking garage, a boat dock and stop signs all over our sidewalks and driveway. I even stood in the lake and according to Justin, drowned in minutes.

Watching the neighbors ride their bikes. They yelled "Marrrrley" as they scooted past

There are so many decisions in life...which way to go?

In the end, we choose the path less traveled (thanks to the neighbor kids for helping lead the way and chalking it out for us)

Tutu's for Tuesday

So I've been reading this blog and haven't been able to get this family off my mind. Most everyone knows of the tutu photoshoot Marley had with her friends Fiona and Gabriella. They had so much fun together. Ok who am I kidding, they cried the entire time. They hated it. But, we did get some cute pictures out of it. Anyways, I found on Jessica's blog about Tutu's for Tuesday. I got in touch with the woman who did the girls' tutu's and she agreed to make some for this great cause. I purchased 5, along with 5 beanie caps to keep those cute little bald heads warm. Amy, the fab tutu maker, is even donating a few herself. It feels so amazing to be helping those kids out, in any way possible. I can't even imagine those babies dancing and twirling to their heart's content. I only hope it brings them joy and peace, and maybe even a memory to last a lifetime for their families.

If you are interested in donating a tutu, please let me know, as I'll be sending them when they are ready. You can contact Amy, the fab tutu maker, as well at her website. She is so generous to do this, so again, if you're interested, send her a message or let me know!

Roller coaster

Yesterday was an odd day for me. I was happy in the morning, sad in the afternoon, and extremely grateful by the end of the evening. It's all thanks to Tuesday. I came across her family's blog and it instantly sucked me in. You see, Tuesday just recently lost her fight with cancer earlier this year. She was a 2 year old child with a twin sister and 2 other siblings. I'm all too familiar with the cancer world, but not pediatric cancer. It's unfair her family is panged with this and left to pick up the pieces of losing a child. Their pain belongs to them, only them. There's are no words to offer, just good thoughts and prayers to send. My heart hurts for them....

I hate that their horrible story made me so grateful for my living, healthy child. I hate that it made my time feel more precious and how many extra kisses I gave. I hate that pediactric cancer takes thousands of lives and leaves gaping holes in the hearts that may never ever feel whole again. I hate that I feel helpless, I hate that my tiny contributions aren't enough, I hate cancer....

Despite the emotional day, I felt compelled to take advantage of the warm weather and go for a walk with my family. I love that word. I love my family. I love my life. I am grateful, especially for my living, healthy child. Sweet Tuesday, I am grateful for you.

Where has the time gone?

I'm sitting here at work, wondering how it's possible that my baby is turning 1? It seems like yesterday we found out I was pregnant, cried tears of absolute fear, and eventually the fear turned into complete happiness. It's not a secret that Marley wasn't planned, but she ended up being the best thing to happen to Jason and I. There's no doubt that she would have come along further down the road, but I guess someone had other plans for us. February was a very busy month for us - bachelorette parties, weddings, birthdays - we were out a lot. When my making my appointment with the doctor to confirm the pregnancy, the nurse on the phone asked if I knew the "special day". She laughed when I told her we had a lot of special days in February and couldn't pinpoint the exact day. It wasn't until later that I figured out Marley was conceived around the time of my dad's anniversary of his death. They always say with death, there is usually a life. With my grandpa, it was my aunt who found out she was expecting. But with my dad, nothing happened immediately so I chalked that whole theory up to a myth. Five years later, I guess death was accompanied by life, even if it was years later. Even more, I never thought anything of Marley being born on a 13th. It never occurred to me that that was a special number to my dad, his number. Everyone in the hospital was extremely superstitious and said we needed to be careful, but we just shook it off, knowing the 13th would always be special and sacred, for it was always going to be our baby girl's birthday. I digress, but the point of my rant is I can't believe a year has almost passed. Marley was not an easy baby - she was colicky, a horrible sleeper, and incredibly sensitive to most formulas. Now, however, she is silly, loving, funny, and wonderful. We have our moments, her and I, but it's in those moments I see her personality coming out and realize how much alike we are. It saddens me to see her growing up and so quickly - she still depends on us so much, but more and more, I see her branching out on her own, exploring the world. I constantly wonder if we're doing a good job and hoping she turns out to be respectful and the kind of kid that people talk about when she's not around. I hope she has a crazy imagination and never stops wondering. I hope she plays nice and shares and isn't the brat you silently say to yourself "I wish someone would shut that kid up". I hope she has my random sense of humor and my ability to laugh at myself, but has Jason's practicality and ability to focus. I have so many hope and dreams for her and when it comes down to it, I hope she just has the confidence to be herself.

Sticky fingers

For the past several days, when we get Marley from her crib after her naps, we find her crib covered in books. We had no idea how all these books were getting in there. I immediately come to the conclusion she now knows how to scale her crib and hop out to get stuff, walks down stairs and gets them from her playroom. This is a completely insane hypothetical. She has a stack of books on a little table next to her crib. We didn't know if she was reaching over her crib (it's on the lowest setting so that made me even more nervous - she's a dare devil and I can just imagine her falling on the floor) or how she was getting them in. I walked in her room yesterday and to my surprise, she did not hear me coming in like she normally does. So I stay really quiet and let her go about her business of snatching the books. That sneaky little baby reaches her hands through the slots on the side of her crib, and feeds the book up, switching hands as the book nears the top of the crib (think itsy bitsy spider hand motions)!! She giggles, puts the book down, and goes for the next one. She rarely cries in her crib anymore because she sits and reads books. I cannot believe how smart she is - it makes me a little scared of how adventurous she will be later in life. I don't know WHO she takes after....

I'm going to catch her doing it one day and I'll post a video/picture on here, but we're waiting for Geek Squad to fix it right now....

Babysitters for hire

We have the cutest neighbors ever. When they get off the bus, Marley runs to the window and they yell to her, "Hi Marley!" and she responds by banging her hands on the screen like a monkey. They are privilged children, in that they have social freedom. They are not tied to a kitchen table and made to complete homework before playing outside. The kids are constantly outside, playing in the yard and yelling through the window for Marley. We take her for walks outside, but its' hard at this age to let her play because she just eats the grass. So we have been sticking to indoor activities and caging her inside her stroller.

I usually take Marley to the mailbox with me so the kids can talk to her. Yesterday, I barely got as much as a hi when I walked out the front door.

"Marley! Marley! Look it's Marley!" clearly I am showcasing a rare, exotic animal. Immediately I am bombarded by the most astounding question ever.

"When can I babysit??" I ponder this question to myself, wondering how old I was when I started babysitting. I am pretty sure it was around the oldest girl's age, 7th grade. However, I did not start with little babies, I started with the spawns of satan, who were at least 3 years old. My mind is racing with questions of child labor laws and an acceptable form of payment.

"How much do you charge?" I asked the oldest.

"$5" she says.

"Per hour??" I have no idea what the going rate is.

"No, for the whole time," I try not to let my excitement out, but can't help wonder if I'd be taking advantage of her offer. I tell her we'll have a meeting with her union rep after she completes her babysitting course.

The conversation ends when the younger girls fight over who gets to help and finally, who gets to watch the cat. We couldn't have picked a better neighborhood.

I'm a liar

One of the new perks of living in a young neighborhood is having so many kids around. Our neighbor to the left has 4, the neighbor to the right has 3. You can continue the math down the road - the point is, there are tons of kids. And with all these kids, comes school fundraisers. This is something I failed to think about as the start of school approached.

Last night, while making dinner, the doorbell rang. I thought it was one of our friend's kids, but it was an unknown. Immediately my head is swirling with profain word I'd like to spew, but decide not to scare her away. What are they selling now.

"Hi there, how are you?" I ask, like I'm the one selling something.

"Good" says the 9 year old. That's your strategy? Make me do the work?

"Are you selling something?" I'm literally talking to a wall here.

"I'm selling magazine subscriptions and renewals"

"You know what? A little boy beat you to the punch - I bought some from him yesterday, sorry"

I felt awful saying no to her because I know how hard it was when my mom made me go door to door doing that crap. However, she dressed me 4 years younger than my age and we always found pig tails added to the cuteness, especially since I was so short growing up. We made a conscious effort to create key marketing techniques. I knew which houses contained the old people (from either no candy handouts during trick-or-treat or getting yelled at to not trample on their lawn) so we stayed away. We even went as far as developing catch phrases depending on the age of the homeowner.

"Hi there, we're selling delicious fat free candy bars, would you like to help our school raise money for a new playground by buying one?"

"My name is Mandy and I'm selling wrapping paper for new computers at school. Will you help our literacy movement?"
"Go tell your mom you need a dollar for yummy suckers!"

Some people even gave us money without even taking anything in return. It was genius. Never did we go soliciting without a game plan. This girl desperately needed our help, but I did not overstep like a crazy stage mom. I could see her mom standing on the sidewalk, giving me a dirty look ("buy my daughter's magazines NOW"). Although she was cute, her shyness and non agressive selling nature would by far earn her a "you're fired" from Donald. Since I couldn't outright tell her no, I did what any mature adult would do. I lied straight faced to a 9 year old girl. Hey, whatever helps you sleep at night?

Hello Life

Well I just noticed I haven't updated in a few months and that is mostly because of the wedding, buying a house and packing the apartment. It's been an insane past couple of weeks. We finally closed on the house and got our keys this past weekend. We've already begun painting (let me tell you I will NEVER paint myself again, I HATE it with a passion) and doing some random work before we move this Saturday. Here's some updates ("perks of being a mom"):

I took Marley to see her new house while Jason was fixing some stuff with his two friends. We were walking outside (Marley and I) and all of a sudden , she got very quiet. I looked down and she was kicking her legs and violently reaching for me. She had tears in her eyes and couldn't breathe, was turning blue. I smacked her on the back a few times and she started vomitting (all over my shirt, it was awesome). I ran to our house with her as she was finally breathing, but screaming hysterically. I knew something was wrong, but didn't know what. She started getting blotchy and had little raised bumps, like hives all over her face, head and neck. We jumped in the car to take her to the emergency room (totally not thinking) but we got pulled over (going 85 in a 25) - Jason stuck his badge out the window and the officer immediately ran up, as he could tell something was wrong. They called a squad and I got to ride in the ambulance with her. They wouldn't let me hold her, which KILLED me looking at her screaming and crying. She was breathing ok, her airways were open and clear. By the time we got to the hospital (yes, Jason beat us there), most of the redness had gone down considerably and she was calmed by a realistic green unicorn stuffed animal. The doctor/nurse thought she swalled something or it got in her mouth, but they don't know what. We have her 9 month check up on Monday so her doctor said it was ok to wait until then to discuss further. I'm hoping we can get an allergy test because I don't even want to mess around with any kind of insect allergy. We are insanely grateful that she is ok and doing just fine, not listening and being a little flower child.

This scarring life event was followed the next day by this delightful story, which also made me cry upon realizing what had just occured. I had off yesterday and had intended to spend the day painting and cleaning the new house. I decided it'd be best not to interupt her schedule and go over to the house after her morning nap. Jason headed over early because someone had to be there when the appliances were being delivered. So, an hour or so goes by, I hear giggles throughout the "nap" and finally decide to just change her and be on our merry little way. When I turned the light on, what I was greeted with will forever be imprinted in my mind. I see a smiling face, COVERED in POOP. Hands, ears, face, MOUTH. DISGUSTING. It was everywhere, her crib, her bedding, the wall, the floor....this child straight out when monkey on our a**es!! I called Jason crying and he tried his best not to laugh (which I instantly knew I'd be saving something for HIM to clean up). I grabbed her and threw her in the tub, at a foot's reach, I was doing my best not to get close. Her room seriously needed a hazardous waste crew to clean up! After her bath (which was VERY quick since the water got dirty pretty fast, and could also be classified as shower since the water never stopped running and the tub never filled), I got her dressed and put her in the playroom, which is roped off and baby proofed. I cleaned her room, threw it all in the wash, and left the tub for Jason to clean. Laugh at me, will you!!??

So my last month/week/days have been very adventure filled. I'm so ready to be in this new house!!

Driving Education

Hello fellow drivers. I thought I should take the time to initiate some rules which I thought most people knew, but am realizing they don't. I know some of these might come as a huge shock to you, but bare with me, you need to know and live these rules.

1. When driving in the high speed lane, you know the far left lane, please make sure you drive faster than 55 mph. You are seriously going to cause an accident driving below the speed limit. This lane is designated for people who do not fear the law and want to drive reckless. Move aside, please.

2. I am more than willing to let you over, should you happen to use that little stick on the side of your wheel called a turn signal. That fact that you narrowly miss my bumper and then think it's appropriate to flip ME off is absurd. Take a breather and then if after 5 minutes, decide if you're still ready to cut me off. Patience is a virtue, my friend.

3. Driving in the rain does not mean you need to hide under bridges with your hazards on. This only works if you're on a motorcycle. It's completely understandable if want to drive cautiously, have children in the vehicle, or just plain scared of crashing. Let's start with turning your lights on, a common mistake many drivers make. Not only did you sneak up on me driving insanely fast for the weather conditions, but you failed to turn your lights on and I did not have ample time to move aside (see #1). Or, you have not taken two seconds to turn your lights on and I near your rear end because I do not see you. Driving in the rain is not a Bob Marley song ("Turn Your Lights Down Low"). So please, turn your lights on.

4. Lane closed, merge. This seems like a simple concept, however, the fact that most people will not let others merge or drive in the pending closed lane until the very last minute are what causes traffic jams. If you are like me, you will force your Honda Civic in both lanes, blocking the people who try to cut everyone off at the last minute. Silently, all will cheer for the one car that descended from heaven to anger the one impatient driver, who most likely is driving a luxury vehicle and who you are secretly wishing is just leasing and cannot afford to actually outright buy.

5. Weaving in and out of traffic. Are you really in that big of a hurry? As Carrie Bradshaw says, "oh you're so busy, you're SOO busy??". Can you really not stand to wait 4 seconds until you can clearly pass another car? Do you really want to risk a major accident all because you need to get to Starbucks 2 cars ahead of me? Really? I hope your hot coffee spills on you.

Updates

Well I keep forgetting to add pictures on this darn thing so here are just a few pictures of Miss Marley. Things have been INSANELY busy around our apartment with the wedding, other people's weddings, house hunting, Marley, life! But, on a good note, we did buy a house!! We are so excited and it's right near our friends so we'll have someone close. Plus the town we live in is a younger community so many of our other friends live very close, as well. We don't close until August, after the wedding, which is perfect because we don't feel so rushed. Anywho, here's a picture of our new house!

One big turkey!

Friday morning she was able to get her shots since her fever finally went down. Like most babies, she screamed bloody murder. Unfortunatley Jason got called into court so I had to go alone to the appointment. Normally this is a two person job - holding the flailing arms and legs, shusshing her ears, giving hugs, etc. We go through our normal check up routine, getting weighed, measuring height, any concerns etc. The doctor does her thing, checks her out, and says the nurse will be back to do her shots.

The nurse comes back to do her shots - Marley screams more than usual, bleeds more than usual and squirms more than usual. We get the shots done and I'm holding her, holding on for dear life because it kills me to see her face like that. Then, the nurse was kind enough to tell me we had to re-do her measurements because she forgot to enter them in the system and didn't write them down. Awesome. I forget what percentile she is in, but she is a growing machine:

Height: 28 inches
Weight: 17 lbs. 3 oz.

Friday night she woke up sweating and screaming. Her fever came back, which I thought was from the shots. That lasted until Sunday, when we decided to go to the ER because she didn't sleep a minute Saturday night (it was a super fun night filled with lots of crying, myself included). They said she had a virus and it just had to run its course. Jason's parents were brave enough to take her for a few hours to let us sleep during the day. We were so grateful for that.

So it's Monday and she's still screaming and crying and whining and being tons of fun.

How is YOUR Monday going?

Modes of tranportation

Well my friends, it has begun. Marley is pre-crawling and moving VERY fast. She props herself up and scoots backwards. Then she gets on all fours and grunts because she can't make herself go forwards. I myself know what it's like to be stuck in rut and not be able to move forward, so my little Marley, we've all been there. She has some pretty crazy ways of sleeping so I've been sneaking in her room like a stalker every 5 minutes to try to take new pictures of different sleeping positions.

Better hold on for dear life!

My personal favorite (if only she learned to do this as a newborn...could have eliminated some gas issues we had)

She only smiles for iPhones (thanks Shell)

I shall eat your iPhone

Hey there foxy lady

Mother's Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their mother's day! My first offical one was outstanding! I am so spoiled and am so lucky to have such a wonderful, kind, caring, loving family (are you even reading this? If not, I quit with the mushiness). I got a mani/pedi & a massage. I am saving it for the day before the wedding when I can just relax. My sisters came over for dinner and it was so relaxing to be at home just hanging out. Here are some pictures:

Mother's Day morning looking HOT (hello allergy season)

Playing in the crib

EEEEK

That's right, B IS for Bob

Marley pics

Some new(er) pictures of Marley...

Water is fun

Oooo A new duck bathtub

Honestly, mom, no more pictures

Jason & his "boy"

In Applebees, getting yelled at by Jason for taking pictures IN Applebees...whatever

More interested in eating her shoe

Yay for hot weather and cool dresses

Giggity giggity goo!

Removed

Yesterday I was able to finally get my itchy stitches out. I have been doing a great job of examining them myself and almost even removed them, too, but used my best medical advice and decided against them since I am neither a nurse nor a doctor. I was commended by the nurse for it too. Because they were so close to my eyebrow, each stitch she removed felt like the pluck of a stubborn eyebrow hair. She was kind enough to lay a piece of gauze on my chest and lay the stitches one by one on it so I could see.

"See, just like tiny little hairs!" exclaimed the nurse.
"Mmmm, yes." I could not believe the play by play I was getting.

Finally, my appointment (which was pushed a half hour past my original meeting time) ended with the nurse acting out how the proper pressure and circular movement I should be massaging my scar once it heals a little more.

"Just like this," she says as she starts massages my kneecap.
"Got it, thanks," I say, only she doesn't stop.
"You could change direction like this or add more pressure like this to break up the fibroids."
"Really, I completely understand, thank you again." I'm feeling super weird about a nurse touching me at this point.

If only I could have convinced her to have demonstrated that on my back or shoulders...I'm sure I would have understood a little better.

Anywho, I'm going to post a few today, since I have some catching up to do with Marley's pictures. Here are some from when my mom was kind enough to spend her entire spring break babysitting her granddaughter. Thanks mom, that was a HUGE help!

Frankenbaby!!

Marley with her great grandma

Epiphany

I've recently discovered my career path. Why have I been wasting money getting my masters when I can be working fast food? Time and time again I've asked myself, "Self, what are you going to do with your life?" and always I have responded, "who the hells knows".

But, these questions came to a screaming halt when I realized I could be flipping burgers for a living. Hear me out...

Reason #1. They make decent money. Did you know most fast food workers start at nearly $9/hour? That's double what I made at my first job.

Reason #2. Overtime. I see the same Wendy's workers day AND night. How great is it a company willing to let their employees work 24/7. Hard to find in this economy.

Reason #3. No makeup. Who wants to wear makeup when the grease will just ruin a perfectly painted face.

Reason #4. Hair-nets. Need I say more? No more straightening, curling, blowdrying. Plus, I know husbands around the country secretly are turned on by such an accessory.

Reason #5. Growth opportunity. Because hey, no one wants to be caught in a dead end job. Can you say substitute assistant manager?

Reason #6. Employee perks. Those fries aren't free unless you work there. Or show the drive through worker your goods. Patty didn't appreciate that my last Wendy's visit.

Reason #7. Corporate parties. I've encountered many employees who must have just returned from one of these. There is no other explanation for smelling like alcohol.

It is because of all these reasons, I've decided to run out on my lunch break to gather any and all available applications. I have yet to discuss this career change with Jason, but I'm 100% sure he will back me up. He's supportive that way.

To be alone

Yesterday I had to have cosmetic surgery. This is not to be confused with plastic surgery, in which I would have gotten new boobs, nose, or even butt implants. The nature of my visit was not uncommon, but I noticed several people in the waiting room who were twice and triple my age which made me think they were not there for the same reason I was. After waiting a pleasant hour, I was finally called back for the pre-surgery questions, only to be sent back to the waiting room since the doctor was running late.

This gave me ample time to catch up on my reading: Golf Digest, Highlights, or Fishing. Ooooh, what's a girl to choose? I casually look over to the other twenty-something across the room and notice she is hording the good magazines (People, Glamour, OK!). I really could care less if they are months, if not years old, but the fact that I'm being subjected to Golf or CNN on mute is absolutely killing me. She has a posh trenchcoat and really cute boots which prompts me to look at my own shoes, winter knockoff Uggs that I can't bare to stop wearing since they are so comfortable. I am immediately jealous of her put together look and that makes me want her magazines even more. Her name gets called and I lean into the hallway to hear that her doctor is running behind so she can either wait or reschedule. In the meantime, I casually (more like abruptly) walk to her abandoned chair and take the magazines. Glory is mine for the taking. She comes back in the room, clueless to my theft, and decides on a Highlights magazine. In my head I'm hoping all the "find the hidden object on the page" objects are already circled. Serves you right for hording. Hypocritical I know, but it's like when someone is driving like a complete jackass and you hope there's a cop waiting for them just up the road...

I finally get to go in for my surgery and my doctor jokes how moms tell her all the time how they don't mind waiting because it's the only chance they get for themselves. I give her a look that shows I disagree (more like horrified) and am hoping it is more of an ambiguous look rather than the gaping mouth open look. Now that I think back to yesterday, I should have smiled and agreed because I definitely agree. I can think of nothing else in life that I would want to do sans baby. Forget a spa, nap, book, bar, concert, or even just being home alone. I choose to spend my alone time reading/stealing magazines and waiting in doctor's offices for hours on end. That my friends, is what dreams are made of...

Needless to say, the surgery was a success. With a few stitches, I am now sans mole.

Meanest mom

I came across the absolute most funniest blog ever. The meanest mom is downright pee your pants funny. It's so nice to hear of the other side of raising children - life is not always full of butterflies and gumdrops! Check her out!!!

Tooth meet tooth

Oh and she got her other bottom tooth in finally. Now, just waiting for the tops and HOPEFULLY she gets less cranky, although I've heard it doesn't end until they are 2. God save me.

Easter

Our first Easter with Miss Marley was rather uneventful. We got her all dressed up and had to leave earlier for Jason's parents house so she could get a nap in. She was so cranky so we decided to take a trip to storage to put some boxes and such in there to get them out of our cramped kitchen. Sidenote: we looked at house recently and really liked it, but it had no storage! We had dinner at Jason's parents but had to head home because she needed another nap and there was too much excitement going on for her to nap. Laundry, cleaning, and homework is how we spent the rest of the evening. We got her Marley & Me for Easter, but she won't be watching that for a while. It was more for the adults, since that was our first date night right after I had her. And no, she was not named after the movie, I have liked that name for a long time. Next Easter she should be more aware of what's going on and actually be excited!

All dressed up for Easter

It's funny how she's the only one dressed up

Marley & Grandpa

A rare family shot

What a nice surprise, a smile!

Dad & Marley

They make it so hard!

Marley has been doing better sleeping, but is not completely sleeping through the night yet. She's been getting up about one time a night and sometimes, I'm so dead alseep, I'm not even phased. Then other times, I'll admit, I'm so angry and all I want is for her to sleep so I can sleep. One angry night, I stomped into her room, cursing life, and found her talking to herself in her crib, playing the night away. She rolls and moves so much that she ends up in the weirdest positions, so in this picture, she is upside down from where she should be. And YES, she sometimes sleeps with her blanket, that has holes. I'm so crazy I check on her every minute it seems to make sure she's not suffocating! I started off mad and then my heart melted when she looked up and giggled, like she knew she was doing something wrong, but felt a belly laugh would make up for it. And it did. I had to run and grab the camera!

Randomness

Ahh, life has been so hectic lately. We're finishing up the wedding plans, slowly house hunting, finishing vegetables, chewing on socks, holding bottles with arms and legs, swimming, getting new Easter leg warmers, and loving a blanket on the face. That about sums it up!

Catching up

Things lately have been better. Marley's tooth came in 2 weeks ago and she also started rolling over! I FINALLY saw it yesterday with my own eyes. I guess she wanted to wait to show me on her own time. All the while, she was rolling everywhere and for anyone...except me! She's pretty smart because if she's on her play mat, she'll use her foot to hook it around the overhang to help her move in a tight area. Maybe she'll use her feet like I do....as hands. I'm constantly picking things up with my monkey toes, even if it's easier to just bend down and get it.

I'm hoping the weather starts to warm up - Marley loves being outside and taking walks in her stroller, so spring, let's get moving here. She's doing very well with the baby food - we finished peas and are now moving on to carrots tonight. She thinks it's really funny to laugh while she's eating and spit food all over my face. Jason teases her that she's going to have to make up all this bad behavior in time outs later when she's older. Here's a quick picture from my friend's cell phone of her eating peaches last week:

On a side note, I recently came across a super website called etsy.com. If you have not witnesses the magic, please check it out! It's a collection of artists who sell their homemade work and in my opinion, is such a unique find. I love, love, love my Target, but it's nice to get things made especially customized for you. I found one particular seller, TomKat Studio who makes THE cutest decorations for birthdays and room decor. I already have Marley's next 4 birthdays planned thanks to Miss Kim! Do yourself a favor and check her out!!

And they're cousins...

Gabs and Marley (why is she always wearing the same outfit when I take pictures??)

Cousins AND friends

She learned how to kiss...the mirror

Marley liked the mirror, too, but she is a little too young yet for the toys

Gabs loved the instruments!

At Auntie Shelk's...Gabriella loved her earrings

Excited for swimming!

She is not having bath time

Whoops neither is Marley!

Blackmail!!!

I love that Marley has so many babies to play with, especially her cousin Gabriella, who is 4 months older. She is so fun to watch and I look forward to Marley doing what she is at that age. We took the girls to Gymboree to see if they could handle a baby class and it was so nice to get out. It's hard being couped up and there are limited options for what you can do with babies during the cold months. At least when they are older, we can go to museums and parks and all that fun stuff. After, I took the girls to my sisters for some swimming. Shell has the rest of the pictures from the pool, so I'll post those after I get them because they are too cute!