Frogs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails

Is it really almost THAT time?  I have sent out the invitations, bought the party supplies, dog bowls, table cloths, and ordered the cake.  Noah's 1st birthday is only a mere 3 weeks away.  Where has the past year gone?  It's amazing how even simple scents can bring back memories.  For example, my body wash.  It's a Dove body wash that I used right after I had Noah.  Just that smell brings back the simple memory of having time to catch a quick shower during such hectic days.  Oh, those hectic days....when you have absolutely no idea what you're doing and sometimes you feel like you want to just put your head through the wall.  But as everyone told me, I does get better.

His Smashbook is full of pictures from the day he was born and also his umbilical cord that fell off that day when I was changing his diaper.  I was so scared that he was going to bleed to death just because it fell off "early".  I remember all of those late nights and early mornings when he slept in his Pack 'N Play in our bedroom and how all we wanted was to watch "Frankenweenie" one night, but it was turned down so low that we couldn't even hear it, because we didn't want to wake him up.  But little did we know that soon, he would start sleeping all night long.  He would start eating rice cereal and holding his head up.  Not too long after that, he started rolling over on his own and wanting to crawl.  Then comes eating fruits and veggies and drinking out of a sippie cup.  When he started crawling, we thought we were in trouble.  Boy, were we right.  That's when he began the desire to crawl behind the sofa and touch electrical outlets and bang on the fireplace glass.  Whew.  He's into everything.  Now, he's taking his first steps. (And he's still into everything)  It's such a beautiful thing to watch fall down and get back up and try again.  This is one of many times that he will fail and keep on trying.  And in just a few short weeks, he will be a little boy.  No longer my baby.  He will start becoming more independent and won't allow me to rock him to sleep any longer.  We will have to transition his crib into a toddler bed.  These are all just a few baby steps that I'm sure all moms experience, but to me, they are giant leaps for my darling boy.

I can't wait to experience these milestones along with many others that I'm sure will be here before a blink of an eye.

Goodbye's are so hard (especially at 7:30 in the morning)

Today was Noah's first day at day care and it was so super hard on mommy this morning.  *TEAR* It's another chapter in our lives as Noah continues to grow up.  It's just going by way too fast and it almost makes me feel guilty as a mother to not be a part of his every-day growing.  I just feel so helpless thinking about him playing in the floor all by himself, even though I know in the back of my mind that he is just fine with that.  He can entertain himself with a paper towel.

It won't be long before we are planning his 1st Birthday party. 

Parental Control

My darling little man is crawling, (aka "inch worming") across the floor.  We are staying on our toes now that he's wanting to grab everything and lick.  He's quite the comic.  Last night, after our bedtime story and warm bottle, he decided that it was time to gab it up.  He would say, " Gee gee goooh gie gah," and I said back to him, "It's night night time."  His response to me was a sweet little giggle.  Yes, giggling!  Oh my, how it's going to be hard to say no to that little face.  Forget child birth...this is going to be the hardest thing for me.  Child rearing is so complicated these days.  Honestly, it's something that I'm scared of, but I know that it's necessary as a parent.  Everyone uses DFCS as a crutch nowadays rather than an actual aid in suspected child abuse.  It's sad that I've seen my fair share of vengeance spatted out across child abuse reports.  I guess my point to this is, why do every parent feel a sense of tip-toeing around this subject?  I just do not understand...

Love Lost?

I was very disheartened yesterday when I was notarizing some things for a divorce filing.  The wife (or rather, soon-to-be-ex-wife) said, "It's so much easier to get married, maybe they should require all of this and maybe more people wouldn't get married."  That broke my heart.  What had they been through together for her to resort to this mind-set?  At what point do you wake up in the morning and say, "I want a divorce"?  Coming from a divorced family, I have some of my views that I carry near to me, but as a married mother, I just could not imagine coming home to an empty house at any point in time.  Is it just that easy to give up on one another?  I'm not perfect by any means, as I tend to get quiet when something is bothering me, and I can be a little tenacious at times, but Chris can read me like a dang book.  He can look at me and see right through me.  I guess God blessed me with that wonderful man that was made just for me.  No, I know he blessed me because there wasn't a day that went by in my singledom that I didn't pray for a man just like him.  And I waited.  Your thoughts?

Tranquility

I'm not quite sure what is worse:  the rain or cold.  I mean, it's a hard decision to make when your options are cute sparkly flats, or boots.  One thing that I hate the most is wearing cute flats and getting out of your car and stepping into a puddle and soaking your entire foot.  Then you have a wet shoe (not to mention cold, wet toes), and you run the risk of slipping and falling on your face when you get inside the store.  We all know that those floors inside Target and Wal-Mart are not slip-proof.  Lord knows that I've fallen flat on my tush inside our government building right after my c-section!  Today, I think I prefer the cold.  At least it's sunny and it looks warm outside, until you open that door and you begin to suffer from hypothermia and frostbite.  Yes, I live in Georgia, and I feel like I get frostbit just by getting out in 20-30 degree temps. At least rain is good sleeping weather, although I don't get many naps in these days.

Which brings me to my next topic. Our bedroom.  It's drab and I'm so desperate to redecorate it's not even funny. I just can't bring myself to decide what I would like to do.  Pinterest is the just the root of all evil since it broadens my spectrum of my indecisiveness.
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This little gem is the epitome of my bedroom.  But there are two problems with these pictures. One, there is no ceiling fan.  If you live in Georgia, you will understand this concept.  The use of the ceiling fan is the only thing that gets me through hot summer nights....especially when one is pregnant.  Two, a white comforter.  Anyone that knows me, knows that this is the problem:

Yep, those dogs, or rather, my fur babies.  I just don't have the heart to tell them no when they want under those warm sheets.  Jaxon Bo especially.  He stays in that bed on cold days, and he loves that dang (blessed) heated mattress pad.  Gizmo would sleep on the love seat any given night.

I will be sure to keep you updated on my progress...if any.

Ya do what ya gotta do.

Yep, I said it.  It applies to moms everywhere. Now, before you go prejudging me, let me be clear.  By all means, if your child is sick, take him to a doctor, and your doctor is there to answer any questions or concerns that you may have.  But don't live book by book, and page by page of those "mom books."

I, from experience, have learned for myself to do what everyone in the household happy.  If your child will only sleep in his car seat, put that child in his car seat and stick him in his crib with that baby monitor on.  Noah only wanted to sleep on his belly.  This child refused, and I mean straight up REFUSED to sleep on his back.  I had to do what allowed him (and me!) to get some rest.

Now my little boy is rolling, [almost] crawling, and has been saying "mamamamamama".  Of course, I have an uber big grin on my face right now as I'm typing this.

And why, whyyyyy, do manufacturers feel the need to put so many daggum labels/tags on a product warning parents not to leave their child unattended, choking hazard, suffocation hazards, blah blah blah.  I get it.  Everything is a suffocation/strangulation hazard.  But why, put 10 different tags on something when you know good and well that is going to be the first thing my child goes for.  The tags. There can be a million toys around, and what is the first thing he sees or crawls to?  The tags. Not the annoying remote control that I hear singing in my sleep.  The tags.  Lord, my child is so comical.  I present to you, Mr. Personality!

Yep, that's him after eating some green beans, which by the way, he doesn't care too much for.  This morning he wasn't feeling so hot after having some shots yesterday, but here is a little look at our photo shoot: 

As you can tell, he wasn't having much of that.  (He is so my child.)

Down the Hill and on to Victory!

I just had to share this because I am so stoked and super excited!  So, to make a long story short, my sister-in-law, Ashley, went through recruitment at the University of North Georgia...she called me yesterday and told me that she had received a bid from Alpha Gamma Delta, Theta Delta Chapter, which is, of course, where I am an alumni.  She said her experience was absolutely amazing.  Her choices were between Alpha Gam and Phi Mu, which were my 2 conundrums when I went through Formal Recruitment in 2004.  All I could advise her was that she would know and have the answer after Pref Night.  Which she told me yesterday that after she went another sorority's pref night along with Alpha Gam's, she knew where home was.  I just cannot put into words how very excited I am for Ash!  All I can honestly say is that Alpha Gam was home for me in 2004 and her running down that hill to the best sisterhood ever proves to me that Theta Delta Chapter has not changed after all these years.  I hope we continue to pass down the wonderful legacy of sisterhood that is Epsilon Pi and impacting the world.  I can't wait to share more of what Alpha Gam has to offer with my true sister!

Below is a pictures that Ash shared with me (she is on the right) along with her Bid Day Buddy!