Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Million dollar question

The million dollar question of the day is poop or dirt? I'm fairly certain I know the answer and it stinks. We were in a hurry to run errands in the morning before breakfast and nap time (he actually naps so I'm a little fanatic about keeping the morning nap consistent). He had a major downstairs movement before we left and since the changing table and his diapers must be lined with razor blades he lost his mind....there was kicking, squirming, and screaming (and possibly some frustrated tears and teeth grinding on my end). We wrap up and load up in the car. We go in and out of one store with no incident. I'm unhooking him to go into our second stop and notice a brown foot. It was dry and clearly had been like that for some time. I used a wipe to clean up and just keep telling myself it was dirt.....but we all know the truth, I brought my son out in public with poop foot.

Mother of the year. Life is clearly rough for this guy...




Monday, August 27, 2012

Top ten challenge #4 & #5

So I am behind on this whole top ten challenge....story of my life....so I'm doing the next 2 questions.

4. What is true love?

I feel as if this answer changes as life changes.  There is what you think love should be until it happens, and then the love that comes after having a child that is different then the love for your spouse and family....confusing enough?  True love for me if my little family.  It is Matt laughing at my terrible jokes and my complete trust in him.  He is the first person I want to tell something to and my best friend in the entire world.  He is my true love and the person I love to spend everyday with.  Then there is the unconditional love for my little guy.  The love for your child overshadows it all.  It is the love at first sight all encompassing kind.  He could do anything and that love will not change.  I'm very fortunate to be surrounded by love everyday.


This is my heart....these boys make me smile and drive me crazy :)


5. How do I see the world?

I am horribly optimistic.  I see it as changing everyday and especially with a big election this year.  I of course see the struggles and troubled times, but I see the opportunity for things to get better.  I choose to live in the boonies so my world is a little slower and smaller.  I resisted it growing up, but now embrace the country living and am excited to raise my family here.

Cripes, these are hard questions.  Each one I could write more, but since I have so many left I'll just give you the meat of my answer without the details....and lets be serious, it's mostly just my family that reads this and they want more pictures of Zach :)

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Top ten challenge #3

I'm only on 3 of the top ten challenge, I better get moving! Today the question is 'Something I wish I would have done or been a part of today'.  Well, it is only 5am so I've only had s chance to miss sleep and my brain isn't firing on all cylinders, so I'll just go with something I miss or am nostalgic about today.

This is an appropriate post for today since I had my 10 year class reunion on Saturday and college classes are starting this week.  I thought this would be an easier one to answer.  Sometimes it takes looking back to realize how amazing you have it now.  On days where Zach doesn't nap or is just crabby it is easy to long for the simpler days, but life right now is pretty awesome.  With that being said, I miss that second year of college.  I already met some amazing people that first year, joined my sorority, met my husband (little did I know I would someday walk down the aisle to him), I found my stride.  I broke out of my high school role and really embraced college life and all it had to offer.  With few responsibilities and just enough money from my 2 part time jobs it was awesome.  I miss the days of sitting on the first floor of the Chi O house making plans for the future, whether it was the weekend or when we were 30 (which doesn't seem nearly so old now).  I'm very fortunate that we still have so many close friends we met at UT.  I'm thankful for my time there and for my parents patience and support in taking the time to be selfish and figure out who the heck I really was.....the weekends of parties didn't hurt matters either...


Monday, August 20, 2012

Better than coffee

It is no secret that I am not a morning person. Some people embrace the morning warmly while I want to smack it in the face for coming so early. I've gotten a lot better since having Zach since he is determined to be a morning person like his daddy. One thing that helps is our morning walk. It tires out Zach & the dog & manages to get me to open my eyes all the way. How can you not be ready for the day with a happy boy like this....

Saturday, August 18, 2012

11 Months

Like every month I can't believe we're this far along.  I guess the reality of having a 1 year old is finally hitting me right in my crazy mom face.  I didn't think I'd be this crazy and emotional, but lucky Matt, I sure am.  It is move in weekend for the local college so I'm at the store with Zach seeing all of these parents with their 18 year olds gearing up for their dorm days.  I actually thought (I didn't say it out loud, I'm not that crazy) I bet these parents see me and Zach and feel like it was just yesterday they had a baby, not they're moving their baby out......see total emotional crazy.  I will say I'm so glad I stuck with the blogging, even when I didn't want to or had to quickly do it between crying jags.  There is so much I already forget and those tiny baby days seem so far ago.

Ok, emotional crazy is over, here is where we're at....

Height and weight we're not sure, around 21 lbs and like 29".....these are our super scientific measurements with a tape measure and multiple scale attempts.

He is in size 3 diapers still, but we're still holding strong with mostly cloth diapers.

He is in all 12 month clothes.

He has 6 teeth, 4 on bottom and 2 on top, but I think we're getting ready for another round of teething....bring on the whiskey, for me not him

The kid can move.  He moves fastest when he is going for something he know he can't have.  He still crawls with his kick start leg sometimes....this is where instead of crawling on both knees he uses his right foot to push him along.

He loves pulling himself up then sitting back down.  He is standing on his own here and there and cruising around the furniture and anything else he can use.

He still sits on his butt and spins in circles.  It is funnier now because if he has something you want or he isn't supposed to have he will just keep turning away from you to keep it out of your reach.....way funnier when he was doing this with other kids and toys, way more frustrating when he has something of yours.

He still loves to hear himself talk and sing.  He says the dad, mama, JJ, dog, ball, & something that sounds like hey to get your attention and of course no with the dramatic head shake.

He likes to slap high five.

Favorite food is graham crackers and veggie patties....our kid the hipster with his veggie patties.

He will take formula from a cup, we're trying to figure out how that works in with his 3 bottles and 3 meals of the day, with a snack sprinkled in.

Napping.....the kid still hates to sleep and will play and talk in his crib for 20 minutes before giving in, but he is taking 2 solid naps again.

Sleeping is sleeping.  Some nights he does great, other nights he wakes up...not real sure what the issue is at this point or if it is more teeth coming.

He is so playful and loves the 30 year old busy board I got at a garage sale.  His favorite toy is probably the little wooden hammer and pegs, but anything outside is still king.

He is growing so much and becoming more and more of a little guy and less baby.  Prepare yourself for my tear soaked 1 year update....and of course pictures will come later since I'm behind and haven't taken them yet.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Top Ten Challenge #2-Self Portrait

#2 on the 'ole top ten challenge is a self portrait, and not the self portrait in the bathroom mirror kind.  I figured this means something that really shows me.  Well I figured you needed the sequence of pictures to get the feel of the real me and the joy and chaos that we live in....



















I'm pretty sure we were both supposed to be napping, but Matt set us up for failure for this sequence of pictures.  I guess this shows I try not to take things too seriously.  There is a time for worry, which I do my fair share of, but a time to laugh and go with it.  We're silly and not nearly as organized as I envisioned prior to having a baby, but we do the best we can with a smile on our faces....sometimes that smile is due to real joy, other times it is keeping us from breaking down in tears, and often times it is just to keep people guessing...depends on the day.  So I guess this isn't a true self portrait since I'm not by myself, but I haven't had a picture on my own since they made me sit for my sorority composite pictures.  This is me, I probably have spit up down my back and food in my hair, I'm in my usual uniform of a plain colored tee and khaki shorts or jeans, I have no make up on and I can promise my hair air dried that day since that is how I 'style' it everyday.....hard to believe, but I wouldn't trade it for all of the evening gowns and stylist in Hollywood (well most days).

Friday, August 10, 2012

Fire hose

I'm not sure what it is about boys and their 'fire hoses' we'll say. Every man in my life says I would understand if I had one, but alas I do not, I have a brain instead (true story, I just misspelled brain and had to go back and change it....that's what I get). Zach is already fascinated with everything fire hose related. We let him play naked the other day since he has some diaper rash. We kept him contained to his foam pad thing since it would be easy to clean up. We anticipated the floor clean up but not the baby clean up....rookie mistake I know. As soon as he started peeing his hand was right in it followed closely with trying to play in the puddle. So while we anticipated the room cleaning we did not anticipate the baby cleaning and that night quickly became bath night.



Thursday, August 9, 2012

Top ten challenge #1

1. Show me something that makes you laugh right out loud.



This is pretty typical Matt & Gus.....Matt being crazy and me egging him on.  You know in Animal House where they scream bacon while dancing to Shout and they all drop to the floor and pretend they're frying like bacon....yeah, I didn't either.  I'm so fortunate to have a husband that makes me laugh everyday.  I do want to strangle him sometimes, but for the most part I'm laughing.  He makes me come out of my comfort zone and embrace my inner crazy.  This picture always makes me laugh out loud remembering the craziness that is Matt and was our wedding reception.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

So a friend of mine posted this top ten challenge on her blog.  While I usually just write about family life and Zach, I thought this was neat and figured I would give it a try.  I am not one to talk about myself really, I'm a good listener and prefer that to talking, so maybe you'll learn a deep dark secret :)  

The TOP TEN CHALLENGE:
1. Show me something that makes you laugh right out loud.
2. Give me a self-portrait- but not the 'i'm standing in my bathroom mirror' kind- get creative people!
3. What do you wish you would have done or been a part of today that didn't happen?
4. By your own definition, what is true love?
5. How do you see the world?
6. What inspires you?
7. What is the best thing college taught you inside the classroom, and out of it?
8. What is your religion?
9. What are your goals for the rest of the year?
annnnd my favorite to round out the month of August:
10. Write yourself a letter: what you would tell yourself 10 years ago, what you want to tell yourself right this moment, and what you would want to tell yourself 10 years from now

I'll tackle all of these in order by the end of August....cue dramatic music here....

Friday, August 3, 2012

Praise the lord

No, this is not a post about beliefs & especially not about chick filla because 1. I clearly don't know how to spell it properly and 2. I have no idea what is really going on. My tv consist of watching the weather & PBS cartoons....so unless Elmo is discussing it, I have no real info on the matter.

Anyway....praise the lord Zach has decided he may actually like sleeping again. He didn't get up at all last night & went down for his naps without the usual fight. Just in the nick of time, I was about to lose my mind or become a day drinker....seriously, your child screaming like he's on fire if he even comes close to his crib is enough for anybody to consider having a glass of wine at 2pm.