It's Just Their Heads!

Walking around with a baby gets you lots of attention. If I were an extrovert, I might be tempted to have a few more just to continue to get random strangers to come over and talk to me! Most people want to know how old my sweet girl is. When I offer her age (nine months, currently), I often hear, "Wow! She's big!"

I never know how to reply. Usually I just say, "um, yeah." But what I want to say is, "no really - she's not. It's just her head."

My babies have big heads. At six months, they were both in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th for length, and 90th for head circumference! Our Little Miss recently had her 9-month check-up. Turns out she's dropped to the 5th percentile for weight (!), and 25th for length...but her head is still on that perfect 90th curve! So clearly, she's not a big baby. She just has a big head.
And if that means she'll be short, but smart, that's okay with me!

And The Winner Is...

LYNN-NORE!

Congratulations! You correctly answered that Guilty Mom's degree is in

Communications and Theatre!

New contest coming soon!

Random Childhood Memories

I remember being an itty-bitty thing. My parents were fighting. My mom took my doll and threw it. It never talked again.
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My parents once told us they had a surprise for us. Outside there was a large bunch of balloons that had floated into our yard from somewhere out there. We were so excited, but that wasn't the surprise. I don't know what the surprise really was.
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My first sleepover made me nervous. I told them I wanted to go home so they called my parents. But then my friend was so sad that I felt sorry for her and stayed over anyway.
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I remember throwing my cousins' pajamas into the full bathtub. I must have been one, or maybe two, tops!
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We used to go to my Dad's parents' home on Christmas Eve. It was packed full with his 9 brothers and sisters, their spouses, and all my cousins. I was on the couch one year, and everyone started singing Christmas carols. It felt like they were all singing to me.
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When the movie ET came out, my parents took me to a drive-in to see it. I fell asleep instead.
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My dad raised homing pigeons when I was little. I had one I was allowed to name. I called him "Brownie."
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Don't forget my contest - ending Friday night!

Crunchy Granola

In college, there was a certain group it was just easy to label "crunchy granola." They wore Birkenstock sandals and made a compost pile. They had scarves in their hair and talked about social justice. And this was WAY before our former Vice President scared everybody with global warming. They were green when people associated that color with jealousy. And I was nothing like them.

Today I'm still not what one would call a "tree-hugger." But I did have natural childbirths. And then I breastfed my babies. Wore them in slings. Fed them organic foods. Heck, I cut all dairy and soy out of my diet! And now, the final straw - I think I'm about to become a vegan.

For 30 years I've enjoyed meat of all kinds. But this afternoon, I'm sorry, I just couldn't take it anymore. I was having leftover pasta for lunch, and hubby had purchased a new sauce - sausage and garlic. I was shocked that the sausage was something I could eat...and then my brain went a whole new route. When did they bottle that sauce? When was that animal killed?? HOW LONG HAS THAT DEAD ANIMAL CARCASS BEEN SITTING IN THAT SAUCE????

Disgusting, I know. I'm sorry - truly I am! I'm sure you've all heard vegetarians and vegans spout off their rhetoric about cruelty to animals and all that craziness. It wasn't about any of that for me today. Just that one thought. I was afraid I'd be sick.

So, who knows...I like a burger as much as the next guy. But I may have crossed over the imaginary line separating those who think about the meat they (don't) eat, and those who don't. Careful - I might be ordering some Birks just yet!

Attention Please!

It's time for the next contest! Answer the question correctly, and be entered into a drawing to win this prize:

a bumblebee "pony-o" ~ just right for girls with thick hair, or anyone with hair longer than mine!

Guilty Mom has a degree in:

a. Early Childhood Education

b. Secondary Education with Theatre minor

c. Communications

d. Communications and Theatre Arts

e. Biology

Rules: One entry per person. Contest ends on Friday, June 26th at 7pm EST. You do NOT have to be a regular contributor to enter this contest. You do NOT need to read this blog on a regular basis. You may have found this blog by searching "blog with $1 million cash prize" - only to realize that's not what you can win here. You may have found this blog because a friend of a friend told you about it. Or you might be my husband. However you found this contest, you are free to put in your guess for a chance to win! Please vote and enjoy the game!

Happy Father's Day!

Just a quick post to wish hubby and all the other Daddies out there a very happy Father's Day!

But I Don't Want To Share!

When I turned 4, my parents gave me a very special present: a new baby sister! Born the day before my fourth birthday, my little sister was a sweet little bundle of joy...for everyone but me. When they brought me (and my other sister) to the hospital to meet the newest addition, I refused to look at her. They told me she looked just like me, but I wanted nothing to do with her. You better believe my mom used THAT one against me for years!

I don't know what it was. I was only four! But my thought is that I knew that this baby had taken my mommy away on my special day. And now there was nothing I could do. I was stuck, sharing a birthday, for the rest of my life. I should add here that I have two cousins (also sisters) who were born the same week. So the FOUR of us would have shared birthday parties. Yikes! And to top it all off, everyone felt bad for my other sister, so they'd get her gifts too! I couldn't win!

Fast-forward a few years (or more). This year, Mother's Day was the day after hubby's birthday. And Father's Day is just before our Little Man's birthday! Poor Daddy! He's had to share both this year! It's lousy. And I know all about it.

So what's the big deal with sharing anyway? We tell our kids they have to share. Comments on preschool report cards mention things like "shares well with others." When my son gives something to his little sister, I'm quick to point out "good sharing!" But come on. When do we really need to share as an adult?

We work in cubicles. Our space is sectioned off so no one else can come in and mess with our stuff. I drive my car, you drive yours. In churches, people have their "pet pews" and get upset if someone else sits there. We might share a popcorn at the movies when we're dating, but once you're married, it's every man for himself!

Kids are expected to share their favorite toys, their "loveys," even their mommy when a new baby comes along! I'm thinking it's overrated. Yeah, yeah, I'll teach my kids to share. That way they'll have gotten the life lesson we're supposed to teach them. But secretly, when we're at the park, and some little kid takes our ball, just know I'll be thinking, "you give that back little punk...it's MINE!"

Glory Song

This morning, a little birdie started singing at 5:16. He sang happily, using his full range of vocal abilities, giving glory to his Creator. By 5:24, he needed a break. Or maybe his Mommy-bird did. He was quiet until 5:26 when he started up again.

It continued on in this manner until 6:12, when another little birdie decided to join in the happy song. Whether or not any other little birdies followed suit, I'm happy to report I do not know. My own sweet little birdie had finally fallen back to sleep.