"Vacation"

So, we spent a week at the beach with a 16 month old...notice how I didn't call it vacation?
My idea of vacation includes quiet, relaxation, sleeping in, and adult beverages. Oh, we had plenty of adult beverages....just not the rest of it.

Apparently 16 month olds do not subscribe to the sleeping in model of vacation. Sophia shared a room with us on this vacation and we learned the following things:
1. Sophia is a very light sleeper.
2. Creaky floors, doors and beds will wake her up.
3. Sophia thinks 5:45 am is a wonderful wake up time on vacation even though she wakes up at 7am at home.
4. Sophia sings to herself in the morning when she wakes up. We knew this but learned that you can't sleep through it when its at the foot of your bed.
5. Saying "sshhh" only works until your 16 month old "shhhhs" you back!
6. Bill is a very good guy and got up most of the days when Sophia did letting me sleep in....although that was probably in his best interest, seeing as I am a nasty piece of business without the proper amount of sleep.

Once we downed several cups of coffee each day...it was off the beach. And in Sophia's case, off to the races! She LOVED the beach. The sand, the water, the sea gulls, all of it. She was non-stop for 2 hours at a time each morning and then again in the afternoon. It was awesome! And exhausting.Bill and I had to tag out every 20 minutes or so just to keep up.
Some babies are afraid of the ocean, not ours. She would run head first into waves breaking on the shore if we weren't there to grab her. She took a couple of headers into the waves and still wasn't deterred.
Sand became Sophia's new best friend and my worst enemy. She would roll in it, dig in it, pile it on herself, fling it this way and that. She was like a pig in well you know. I learned a valuable lesson from a friend....BABY POWDER! if you put a little one your hands or theirs and rub it in, sand falls off! Thank you Erica! Sophia also became accustomed to cold hose downs before we entered the house every day. And she learned what its like to go commando in her bathing suit :) I learned that any diaper, swim diaper or not is really just a glorified sand trap. So my daughter had the most adorable plumbers butt for most of the week :D
Sea gulls (aka DUCKS according to Sophia) became a huge attraction. Sophia would see one, point, yell "Duuss!" and go running. And I mean running. Her little chub legs were pumping and she didn't stop. Finally when the "duus" would get smart and fly away, I would have Sophia wave bye bye and back to the water we would go. This only happened 20-30 times each day.....

Midday we would have 1 to 1 and a half hours of vacation in the form of nap time. Sitting on the beach or on the deck, relaxing and doing nothing. It was awesome. Then the beach tornado would wake up and we would do it all over again!

I will say that Sophia learned a TON of new words at the beach: boat (boa), bird (which replaced duck), plane (pane), bye bye, fish (fissss), Parker her cousin(par-per), and many more. It was very fun :)

Bedtime would come and Mommy and Daddy would pretty much collapse in a deck chair with a cocktail or 4 and then drag ourselves quietly to bed so as not to wake the little beach bum. And the next day it started all over again!

Now we are home and back to sleeping in our own beds (heaven). Sophia is sleeping until 6:45....vast improvement. And I am wondering what our next beach "vacation" will be like.

Our Little Surfer Girl :)

Momma Said

There'd be days like this: WARNING...this is not a warm and fuzzy day in the life of a mom post. Its more of a FML post...don't feel compelled to read it.  Sorry bear with me...

If you know me, you know I'm an animal lover. I have 3 pets and would have the equivalent of Noah's Ark if I was allowed to (Bill is sane and won't let me). Anyway, I donate to every animal related cause possible and have to change the channel when sad animal commericals come on because I can't stand it.
So, today when I accidentally ran over a cat that ran out in front of my car...I pretty much lost my shit. I cried the whole way home and now realize that I will have to drive back by it tomorrow on my way to work. I am already dreading it and want to go back now to bury it but know that I will never recover if I try to do it and won't be able to even if I try. I am tearing up just thinking about it.

When I got home my lovely daughter decided that 16 month olds DO NOT need to nap and threw the first all out nap rebellion in recent months.
Then my brand new iPhone 4 basically shit the bed after a routine software update and I had to restore it to factory settings and then fortunately since i backed it up...reload it.

Shortly after that I was 5 seconds to late letting my dog outside while she was hunch backed and making "horking" noises to  then puked all over the kitchen floor and the area rug by the door she didn't make it out.  Sophia found this to be an amazing sight and got very upset that I wouldn't let her play in it and pitched a fit. While trying to keep her from the pile of puke, I stepped in it.

I am going running (its actually more like a fast shuffle but whatevs). Then I am drinking my dinner and going to bed.

Things I Don't Want to Forget

Sophia is growing and changing so quickly that I want to remember everything little thing. Here are some of the things she is doing right now that I love and don't ever want to forget...

Nap Time for Loveys - Sophia loves to take her stuffed animals, lay them on their bellies, cover them with a blanket and pat their backs so they go to sleep. Its adorable. She does this at every nap time and bed time and if she finds a rogue towel or blanket any time of the day.

Dancing - currently it is an arm swinging from side to side move that transitions into a full out twirl. She also throws in a hand shake here and there. The best part is the full smile and the giggles that go with it.

Reading- Sophia "reads" books constantly. Mostly its just turning the pages but the book is always right side up. She also talks like she is reading the book. Most recently she has been able to accurately and consistently point to objects on the pages of a book (i.e. Where is the ball? Where is the cat?)

Dog Watcher- Our poor dog Stella is Sophia's BFF (the reverse is not true however). Sophia finds Stella's collar and finds Stella to put it on her. This mainly means that she repeatedly puts it on Stella's nose and laughs. She also pets her and lays on her to give her hugs. Stella kindly tolerates all of it. She is a saint.

Cat Finder- New favorite past time...find the kitties. The kitties are not a fan of this game but it happens none the less. Poor Vinnie can't decide if he likes her attention or not...which usually means he is cornered and "patted" excessively and his tail becomes his own kitty leash.....

Wagoneer - Sophia has a small Little Tikes wagon that she loves to pull around our house. She puts Minnie and Mickey Mouse in it and tours the main floor aimlessly. She has a very determined and simultaneously proud expression on her face as she goes. As I am typing this she is doing this exact thing in the kitchen, only she has one of my flip flops in the wagon :)

Talking-
Here are the words Sophia currently says:
Dada
Mama- but only when she feels like it ::eye roll::
Delda- for Stella our dog
Ditty- Kitty
Duck
Bubble- pronounced Buh-bbllle for bubbles
Ball
Whats Dat- prounced wah dat? for everything and anything she points to all day long
Diaper- pronounced Die-da. Which she goes and get from a bin when she wants to be changed.
Book- pronounced buuh
Uh-oh - which she says very dramatically "Uh OOOOOOHHHH"
Hi
Yes
No
Nite Nite
Good Job- Pronounced jood jaa :)

Pointing to Objects- Ok so she points to everything so you can tell what it is which can get old but its so amazing to watch her absorb everything. She also points to things when you ask her where they are. She knows where all the words she can say are. And also where lights and doors are. Where upstairs and downstairs are. Where her eyes, nose, hair and belly are. And where the chinese lanterns (I call them lanterns) are hanging in her room.

Cheerleading- Sophia is her biggest fan! If she does something that she is proud of or that I say Good Job! to....she claps and says Yay!!

Taking Flight- When she is very intent on getting somewhere she puts her head down and her arms up and back behind her and gets up on her tippy toes and books. Its looks like she is trying to fly :)

Hugs & Kisses- When Sophia hugs you she lays her head on your collarbone and pats your arm at the same time. She gives kisses 2 ways. She blows kisses and say Muah. And she gives big sloppy open mouth kisses too :)

Beware the 4th of July

Beer, BBQing, friends, family, fireworks...whats not to love about the 4th of July? I always loved the mid summer holiday because there was so much to do and so many people to hang out with.

Then I had a baby....

Don't get me wrong... I still like seeing friends, family and the beer and the BBQing. But the fireworks....I hate them. I am sure as Sophia gets older and oohs and aahs at them, I will love them once more. But for the past 2 summers I have lived in fear that they will create a meltdown or even worse...wake her up at night.

The thing about fireworks is that every single redblooded male wants to drive up to PA and buy the biggest most obnoxious ones they can find, get tanked and set them off....5 feet from my house. No bueno.

And up here in Podunk, PA the locals think MIDNIGHT is a good time for the town fireworks show. Yes, seriously. And no I couldn't make this stuff up. So last night at 12:01 AM, they had a 20 minute long fireworks display that was being set off approximately 1/4 mile from my back door.

I'm moving.

The 15 Month Rebellion

I recently received my monthly "Your baby/toddler/kid is blank months old" email from babycenter.com....Here is what it said:

Doing errands around town is harder than ever with a pint-size explorer in tow. Being strapped down in a car seat or stroller is the last place your toddler wants to be: Expect an earful — usually accompanied by an arched back and flailing arms and legs — when it's time to buckle up.


You know what I thought.....Oh good its not just my child!!! Pint size explorer...more like pint sized terrorist! 


Up until recently, we could take Sophia anywhere and have no problems. Dinner, shopping, parties etc. She was happy to go on the adventure and hang out. Now she is 15 months old and apparently the party is over....


She wants NOTHING to do with strollers or high chairs. She will tolerate the car seat mostly because I toss a ton of toys in her lap and sing ridiculous songs to her until the car noises lull her to sleep. 


Bill and I took her out to dinner the other night. Nothing new, we do it every couple of weeks (yes I actually cook 5-7 nights a week...even I am amazed). Set up the high chair, placemat, toys, crayons, sippy cup and snacks and we thought we were good to go. WRONG. oh so wrong. Sophia's contentment lasted about 15 minutes. And we even had a intelligent server who asked what we wanted for her before we even ordered so it would be out long before our food. This was a first and I was amazed. Alas...it did not matter. 


Step 1 of Sophia's rebellion was to start throwing stuff on the floor. 
Step 2 was to start bucking in the highchair like she was riding an arabian stallion.
Step 3 was to bang anything she could get her hands on as loudly as possible on the table and when moved away from the table on the high chair itself.
Step 4 was to start pulling up the table cloth as high above her head as she could. Would be cute if it didn't upset everything on her side of the table.....remember the toys, crayons, sippy cup etc...
Step 5 was to start the fake crying/whining routine
Step 6 was to kick and flail her legs willy nilly and hard.
Note: This all happened in under 5 minutes


Finally we thought ok, lets minimize the drama and let her out of the high chair and Bill will walk around with her until her food comes. 


THIS WAS ULTIMATELY OUR DOWNFALL.


Do not make this mistake. It was great at first. Everyone smiled at the oh so cute little girly toddling around the salad bar pointing and saying "dat" and her doting father who told her what "dat" was every time. She was quiet pleased with herself and was blowing kisses and waving to the servers. Everyone was charmed. 
Then the food came and we tried to put her back into the high chair.....


And the rebellion was won by a 31 inch person with the lungs of a full grown  opera singer. The battle was over in a mere 15 seconds. Parents were defeated, toddler was triumphant. 


As soon as the first wailing scream left our little "angel"s lips...we were done. Bill immediately took her out the doors and I sat deflated looking at our full plates of food whilst asking for to go boxes. Yes, I wanted to stay. Yes, I know this happens. But NO I was not going to be that family with that baby that won't stop crying in the restaurant. I hate those people and I refuse to join their ranks. 


So the babycenter email 2 days later made me feel much better. But we will be steering clear of any meltdown inducing situations for a little while :) 

Sing, Sing a Song, Sing Out Loud....

If you know me, you know I can't sing. If you know my husband, you know he is a worse singer than I am (sorry honey, its true.) You might also know that I taught elementary school for 9 years as well. I was the non-singing elementary school teacher. There was no Wheels on the Bus or London Bridge going down in my room. Why? Because I worked hard to earn the students respect and one out of tune rendition of Grand Old Flag would chuck it right out the window. I lip synced and hummed and it got the job done.
Then I had Sophia.
Now I sing about EVERYTHING. I have made up songs that I sing daily just to make it through the tedious necessary tasks that my toddler hates. I have a "brush your hair" song, a "eat your veggies" song, a "time for school" song. My personal favorite is the "put on your pajamas" song....which is actually the hokey pokey. "You put your left leg in, you put your left leg out". Whatever, I know its crazy. But it makes Sophia lay calmly while I put on her footie pajamas instead of squirm and kick like a spider monkey. So I sing.
I sing in public too. When I don't even realize I am doing it. Like in the grocery store when I want Sophia to make it 5 more minutes so I don't have to abandon my shopping cart full of stuff. I have been known to not only sing Wheels on the Cart (oh yeah I modified it to keep up with the times) but to do jazz hands and possibly some foot work to keep that little girl giggling through the line.
Not only do I sing, but my husband will sing as well. Ask him about Old MacDonald having goats and fish on his farm (yeah they don't make noises) but he rocked it out to get through an iffy bath time one night.
My point is...whatever you aren't before you have kids....isn't what you are after.
"If you're tired and you know it, chug coffee!" I'll leave you with that classic morning time ditty from my kitchen....

Rebel thinking.....what's so wrong with 1 and done?

Sophia is over a year old so that prompts many people to begin asking       "When are you going to have #2?".

First of all don't get me started on the "whats next" phenomenon. As soon as you get serious with someone its "when are you getting engaged" then "whens the wedding" then "when are you having a baby" then "when are you having another baby". It has always been a concept that bothered me. Why must there be a next thing? What is wrong with finding a stage in life you are most comfortable with and staying there? I mean look at the Duggars is there really a need for kid #20 or #49 ?
Anyway, I guess the general concensus is once you have one kid you must want to have another. But what if you don't? What if you want to be a party of 3?

I am an only child by birth (I have had a few step brothers and sisters along the way). Many only children feel like they were "jipped" by not having siblings because they missed out on a life experience as a result. I am not one of those only children. I am sure having a brother or sister is awesome. I have just never felt a loss or lacking in my life as a result of not having one.For whatever reason people think once your baby is 1, its time to start thinking about the next one.

Um, toddlers are exhausting. The game changes every day. What they can do, say, destroy is  ever changing and you just try to keep one step ahead at any given moment. Adding an infant to the mix seems like crazyness to me. More power to you if you want 2 under 2! You deserve warrior status, a key to the city, a lifetime supply of diapers and a new Keurig. No question.

But what is so wrong with not wanting that. If you say "one and done" people look at you like they must have heard you wrong. Now I have not fully committed to "one and done' but I have been very open with the possibility. I have also told most of my friends and family that I won't even entertain the possibility of #2 until Sophia is at least 2 years old. Clearly my one furiously twitching eyelid and clenching and unclenching of my fists when I say it has been convincing and no one has asked....yet.

I just wonder why I would have to defend this concept if that is, in fact what happens with my family?  Why is deciding to focus your parenting, effort and love on one precious child something that is so unexpected? Is it truly insane of me after a night where I was puked on three times, spent 3 hours sitting upright in a chair holding a miserable 22 lb baby, only to survive the following day by drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee and covering my whole body in Germ-X to think "I don't know if I  want to go through this again"? I think not.