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.

I Scream...And I Scream Again!

Tonight I had two ice cream cones. TWO!

I've decided this is the best diet ever! I get to eat a lot when I eat, I can have two ice cream cones at a sitting, and I continue to lose weight! I think the best part though, is that I never even have to exercise! Of course, I'm picking up two kids - often at the same time! - so there's that. I'm also nursing, so I'll burn extra calories that way. But mostly, I can just sit around and not eat cheesecake, and I'm fine.

As long as I don't think about cheesecake too much.

Who, Me?

Sometimes I don't want to be the mom. Sometimes I just want to stay in bed and sleep. I want someone to take care of me all day. Cook for me. Clean up after all the random things I decide to take out and dump on the floor. Make decisions so I don't have to.

There are days where it just seems strange that I'm a mom. Wasn't it just yesterday that I worried about what I would do after high school? How is it possible that I have two kids of my own?

Don't get me wrong - I love them dearly. It's just that I often wonder where they came from! And how could my baby boy be turning three?? I think this is why people have mid-life crises. Not that I'm mid-life (I don't think anyway...) - I just can't believe I'm not a freeloading teenager anymore! No, you couldn't pay me enough to live through my teen years again. But I also don't feel like I should slow these years down either. They're flying - but I can't wait until I can sleep again. Maybe then I'll get my brain back....

What was I saying?

Soy and Dairy Free (or, Mommy Got Back!*)

It's been 6 months since I've given up all dairy and soy products for the sake of my sweet baby girl. She was diagnosed with MSPI (Milk/Soy Protein Intolerance) on the morning of December 15th, and since then my diet has radically changed. Gone is the cheesecake. Gone is the cheese for that matter. Milk, butter, most bread, luncheon meat, my favorite cereal, fettuccine alfredo, Mac & Cheese, raviolis, lasagna, and so much more. Instead, I eat lots of organic food, and thankfully, ice cream(!) made from coconut milk.

At the last midwife appointment before my daughter was born, I weighed 160 lbs. Today I weigh in at 106. I feel great. I have more energy. I'm excited about how my body looks - I even think my butt is cute!* And I've never thought that before - EVER!

So what will I do when my daughter is done nursing??? I'm guessing I'll have a night out - hopefully a nice romantic dinner with hubby - I'll order every dairy product I've missed: alfredo, cheesecake, a tall glass of milk, some kind of cheesy bread, and some serious ice cream. I'll be sick for days, and then go back to dairy-free living. I haven't quite decided on the soy yet - it opens up so many options if you can have it. We'll see. I'm sure part will depend on whether or not our Little Miss Muffet has outgrown the allergy. And on whether or not the pounds start piling back on. 'Cuz lemme tell ya, 106 is so much nicer than 160!

*I can't believe I'm writing this - it's really stinking late!

Oops

Okay. I missed a day. And really - this one shouldn't count for today. It's just a post to say - I was supposed to blog yesterday, but instead I went to bed. At 8:30. You can fill in the rest. Sorry!

Number 100

If these posts were birthdays, then today I'd turn 100! If you've been around since the beginning, THANK YOU! It's been a fun ride! If you're just joining us - WELCOME! The road is bumpy at times, but we wouldn't have it any other way!

Memories

I often wonder why we remember what we remember. What was it about that moment in time that makes it stand out in our minds forever? When I think back to my grade school years, there are just a handful of memories I could share. Which of course is so frustrating to think about as a former first grade teacher!

What will my students remember? A field trip? A special project? The first day of school? Maybe. But more likely they'll remember some stupid offhanded comment I made and thought nothing of ever again. That's the way memories seem to work. At least for me.

Instead of bore you with crazy stories about all the random things people have said to me, I thought I'd share a somewhat humorous story about digging to China.

As a child, I really did think you could dig a hole through the earth and get to the other side. One afternoon I was outside digging with my sister and a 'friend.' [Note: this was my mom's friend's son - and so, by default, my "friend."] We were probably about 4 inches down - maybe not even - when I found a penny. And we all know how exciting that is to an 8-year-old!

My 'friend' was the jealous type. He quickly squashed all my excitement. "You can't have that! It's not yours! Don't you know who lives down there? Satan! And that penny is his! If you take it, you're stealing from him and he's gonna get you!"

And at that very moment, it started to rain. No lie. I freaked out, threw the penny back into the hole and ran in the house, totally convinced Satan was trying to get me by making it rain!

It's a random memory. But aren't they all?

Before Baby

My son turns three later this month. I have no idea how it happened. It has flown by...but my pre-Mommy life seems like, well, like a lifetime ago! Before my son was born,

-I slept in on Saturdays
-I could finish entire conversations
-I ate my meals when they were ready and still warm
-I only ever went to the bathroom ALL BY MYSELF
-I listened to all kinds of music, and not the same song over and over and over...
-I thought nothing about calling a friend and getting together last minute
-my husband and I could have a candlelight dinner and know no one would blow them out
-I could watch TV in the middle of the day
-I knew nothing about Thomas the Tank Engine or any of his Friends
-I finished entire books - and not just the Sandra Boynton variety!
-I ran a classroom. Very effectively, I might add!
-I thought 3-year-olds were so little
-I had no stretch marks!
-I had one set of glasses, and just a few plastic cups
-my brain worked
-spontaneity was a key ingredient in my life
-I didn't know I could love someone so fiercely, no matter what - just because they exist

Read Me A Story!

Our little guy loves his children's Bible. Daddy reads him a story from it every night and he often asks to read it during the day as well. Here's what he "read" to me today:

The Creation Account - Genesis 1
"And it's about - God said, 'You must go to a light.' And God sent the the clouds into the sky. Grandma said there's no clouds in the sky! Yeah...This one the sun came down . And some of these [fish]. And he found a frog and the dog is trying to look at him."

Adam and Eve - Genesis 3
"And Adam & Eve, well, God said, 'you must not eat the fruit because it's yucky.' Um, they picked up some fruit and the snake said, 'you must eat some. It's pretty yummy.' So they ate it. God said, 'Aaa-dam! Where ARE you?' 'We're hiding.' 'Did you eat the fruit I said you shouldn't? Tell me.' 'I did.' And God said a flame into the thing."

Noah's Ark - Genesis 6-9
"God is making a boat. For all the animals.... God told Noah to build a boat for all the animals to get inside.... Well, God made a boat like this and it starts to rain. And then they all get out."

The Tower of Babel - Genesis 11:1-8
"God said, 'build a tower.' But they said, 'NO!' So they stopped making their tower.

Abraham and Lot - Genesis 12-13
" 'Bring your animals back to the zoo....' 'Give me your sheep,' and the man said, 'no.'

Moses and the Exodus - Exodus 3
"You bring the people away Joseph."

Pharaoh and the Exodus - Exodus 5-11
"God said....and the king said, 'no, no, no, no.' He said that!"

Jonah and the Whale - Jonah 1-4
"Joseph goes in the fish!"

I'm glad he's enjoying these stories - but it's obvious we've got a lot to clear up!

This Is NOT A Competition!

My husband is a younger brother. It has shaped who he is. In particular, it has shaped how he views interactions with others: everything is a competition! When we were first dating, we'd share a package or two of Ramen noodles and eat them together - straight out of the pot. [Gross, I know. But we had little-to-no money and didn't want to do dishes!] And I remember always feeling like it was a race. So we'd wolf it down and never talk about how we were racing to eat MORE, MORE, MORE! Yeah. We talk about it now.


He also enjoys competition with himself. How can he do something better the next time? So it should come as no surprise then, that this past weekend he let me sleep in again. This time he fed the kids, got them dressed, and then started to clean the house. No joke. I told him we've gotta keep this up! What'll it be next time? Breakfast in bed? Laundry and dishes done? You know, a girl could get used to this!

Striking a Deal

They have an agreement. Unspoken of course, but an agreement nonetheless. It seems that my children have realized if they want some time with Mommy all by themselves, they simply need to find some time when the other is asleep.

And so, Mommy is a zombie, longing for bed. Morning arrives between 5 and 6am, bedtime comes after midnight. And of course, we might as well wake up a few times in between. The kids will take turns sleeping and Mommy will make sure not to drive when she's seeing double. Sounds like a win-win!

How Do I Get That Job?

I want to be a voice. Seriously. I want to be someone who reads books on tape, or does commercial announcements, or gives the movie trailer. [Hey - this is my dream. Let me live it large!] How did the guy who announces everything get that job? He'll need a successor someday, right? How 'bout me!


Or, if I can't have that job, I want the one where you get to drive around in a shiny new car with some logo all over the sides. I don't care - a new car so your product gets displayed? Sign me up!


I think the best fit for me overall though, would be one where I could just waltz into a place, observe for a few hours, and then tell them all the things they're doing wrong. I seem to be good at that. And if they want to pay me the big bucks, so be it!

And The Winner Is...

Okay, so, what happens when no one gets the question right??

I spent the 2001-2002 school year in the Czech Republic, teaching English in a public high school. Before leaving the US, I trained for the year in California. There I had a roommate who went on to teach in Hungary. During the school year, I was able to visit her and tour Budapest.

When I arrived in Prague, it was without a work visa, and I needed to wait for all the necessary documents to be finalized. In the meantime, I had thirty days to stay legally in the country. After that, my tourist visa would expire. A friend and I decided to take a train into Germany, get our passports stamped at the border, and head home. We got out of the train, walked around for about half an hour, and then headed back to Prague. Weird thing is, we saw two or three dogs while we were there and they were all German Shepherds. I am NOT making that up! We also needed to hunt down the customs guy on the train. He was not interested in stamping our passports. We found him in the dining car, smoking a cigarette with a lovely lady. He grunted at us but stamped our passports so we could be 'legal' once again.

In February of 2002, I had a special visitor fly in from California to visit me. He proposed on the night of the 25th. We decided to go to Vienna, Austria to celebrate.

And so, even though my grandmother still calls it "Czechoslovakia," the fact of the matter is that I was never there because it doesn't exist, and I never went to Slovakia.

So, I'm sorry to report my first contest had no winner. Thankfully my husband DID know the answer to this question, but neither he nor I have hair long enough to use the pony-o. Stay tuned for another contest coming soon!

When I Became a Mommy

***Just a reminder that my first contest will end on June 6th at 8pm EST. You do not need to be a regular commenter to win!***

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I find birth stories fascinating. We all come into this world in a unique way, and the story of our beginnings link us, through our mothers, to all our ancestors before us. This chain, this crazy web of stories, is a reminder of the vastness of human history, and the small but significant role we each play in the eternal drama, The Story of Us.

My son was not planned, but very much wanted. When I found out I was pregnant, I cried with joy. My husband was not as excited, but believe me, he came along in time. Throughout my pregnancy, I saw an OB-GYN (or, more appropriately, a set of 12 OBs), yet never felt like it was a good "fit." So, around 32 weeks or so, I switched to a team of midwives at a birth center. From the beginning, they were fantastic. Just feeling comfortable with them helped me relax about the upcoming delivery.

I was still teaching at the time. School let out just 3 days before my due date - and yes, I was able to finish out the school year! On my due date I was at the school, packing the last of my boxes. One day "post-date" I wandered around my apartment, wondering what to do with myself. The next day I went to the library and took out a bunch of literary classics, figuring I should at least do something productive. But of course, I never touched them.

The following morning, a Tuesday, I awoke at 3am with a strong contraction. Awake again at 4. By 6am, when my husband should have been getting up to begin his day, I knew this was it and told him to call out. 9am found us walking the neighborhood. Already I needed to stop with each contraction. I remembered what the midwives had said - eat, take a shower, change position, try to sleep - those were the four things they wanted me to do to "make sure" this was it. I did it all. And the contractions kept coming. Shortly after that, I decided I needed my husband's counter-pressure on my back for each and every contraction. Ouch!

In the early afternoon, we called the midwives to let them know what was happening. I had reached the 5-1-1 point (contractions 5 minutes apart, lasting 1 minute, for 1 hour), but felt I was okay to continue at home. I soon reached 4-1-1, but wanted to stay where I was. Around 7pm, we decided to head to the birth center. I remember the bumpy car ride, and the fact that my contractions slowed down during the drive.

When we arrived, the midwife on call checked to see where I was. "You've barely dilated at all. Maybe half a centimeter. You should head home and try to get some sleep tonight." I probably could've hit her, I was so discouraged. But home we went. And thankfully, my contractions slowed to about every 10-12 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG. My sisters were both at the house, sleeping in the living room. Every other contraction sent me through that room on my way to the bathroom and I just remember apologizing every time I woke them up.

I couldn't believe I had to go through another day of back labor and being tired. I felt frustrated because we had done everything "right" and waited until 5-1-1 to no avail! What were we supposed to look for now? Pretty quickly that morning (Wednesday now), I reached the 5-1-1 stage, and then 4-1-1. Poor hubby was massaging my back, putting pressure on my back, practically standing on my back, doing everything he could for me! I remember taking a shower and basically just having one long contraction the whole time.

5pm we decided to head back to the birth center. Our car wouldn't start. I'm not kidding. We tried and tried but it just didn't want to do it. I remember one of us praying. Maybe it was me. Maybe it was aloud, or maybe not. But thankfully, the car started. I remember my husband saying something about seeing my grandmother drive by.... Thankfully the contractions didn't slow this time. But when I was checked, I was still only at 3cm. They usually send you home if you're not at 5, but the midwife must have known we were going crazy. She let us stay.

Shortly thereafter she came in the room to tell me that my grandmother was here and wanted to see me. I looked at her in disbelief. What?? I had told my family that I didn't want them at the birth center. The idea of them being just a room away was too much to handle. Hubby went out and told her I was fine and that we'd call when the baby came. She was hurt, but left. What we didn't realize until later was how upset our families were. For obvious reasons, we didn't communicate with them as much as they'd have liked. Oops.

I got into the birthing tub within the hour and spent the better part of the next 7 HOURS lying in the water, swaying back and forth, falling asleep between contractions. I'd get out to go to the bathroom and feel my weight all over again. I couldn't believe how heavy I was! But the water was fantastic. It helped the back pain so much, and allowed my poor husband to take a much-needed break. I'm pretty sure he was falling asleep between contractions too.

During transition time, the point where the movies have Mom yelling "I hate you!" and "This is all your fault!" at Dad, I turned to my husband and said "this is really hard." [And let me pause here to tell you that I never hated him in all of it. He was my coach and cheerleader and I couldn't have done it without him. He truly was amazing.]

Around midnight I swear the midwife told me to start pushing. My husband swears she never did, I just started pushing. I remember thinking back on our birth classes and the instructions on pushing - breathe once, twice, then push as long as you can, and breathe through the rest of the contraction. It didn't seem to be working for me. I remember saying at one point "I don't know if I'm doing this right." In hindsight, I'd say that I wasn't waiting for the contraction to build to its peak. I was pushing a bit early in the contraction and then trying to breathe through the hardest part.

At 2am (Thursday morning), the midwife said she wanted me to head across the street to the hospital. I had been pushing for 2 hours, but the baby hadn't moved at all. How depressing. First she tried to give me an IV to see if fluids would help - but she blew out two of my veins before deciding just to head over to the hospital. So there I was - pushing-stage labor, trying to climb onto a stretcher so they could wheel me across the street in the middle of the night. My eyes were closed the whole time. I know only that they banged me into the wall a few times.

Once in the hospital I was hooked up to an IV and a bunch of monitors I had been hoping to avoid. It was 2:30. Around 3:45, the midwife said we needed to start thinking about an epidural. She says that I'd been using all these muscles and they were bound to fatigue at some point. She also said that this might wind up a c-section, as the baby still hadn't moved.

And that was it. The jump-start my body needed. I felt the difference right away. My son was finally coming! At 4:11am (49 hours after that very first contraction), my sweet little boy was born into this world. His head was turned, revealing to us the reason for the back labor and the 4 hours of pushing. But he was great. He didn't cry right away, just looked around peacefully. When they handed him to me, I wanted to nurse right away, but he wasn't acting interested. I didn't know enough to push the nurse to help me. We took a few pictures, the nurse and midwife left us alone, and my husband promptly fell asleep. I lay there, holding my son in my arms and literally seeing double. I was exhausted and knew only that nothing would ever be the same again.

In case you're wondering, I'll save my second birth story for later in the month!

No, I'm NOT Sorry!

One thing that drives me crazy is feeling like I need to apologize for the choices I've made as a mom. Well guess what? It's time for me to own up to what I've decided, and say - for better or worse - it works for me!

I'm NOT sorry I had two natural childbirths.

I'm NOT sorry I decided to breastfeed my children.

I'm NOT sorry I nursed my son for over a year and plan to do the same for my daughter.

I'm NOT sorry my son is not circumcised.

I'm NOT sorry my kids share a bedroom.

I'm NOT sorry I nurse my babies in bed.

I'm NOT sorry I plan on being done having babies.

I'm NOT sorry my kids eat lots of organics.

I'm NOT sorry they will be fully vaccinated.

I'm NOT sorry I like carrying them around in slings.

I'm NOT sorry they won't go to preschool.

I'm NOT sorry they both can't handle cow's milk.

I'm NOT sorry we refuse to put our kids in the church nursery on Sunday morning.

I'm NOT sorry we're so picky about who watches them.

I'm NOT sorry we sign with our kids.

I'm NOT sorry they're not in eight million programs.

I'm NOT sorry I don't like generic diapers.

I'm NOT sorry I rock my babies to sleep. Okay, yes, sometimes I am sorry about that one!

Mommy Time

I've needed a creative outlet for a long time. And thanks to my sister's new business, I've found just that! Here's what we were up to last weekend:

Our very first craft fair!

We made hair bows, clips, korker bows, bow holders, and more! It was totally crazy. Cuz I've got nothing better to do with my time....

And so, with that behind us, it's time for a little fun. Here it is - my very first contest! Answer the following question correctly and you'll be entered into a drawing for this prize:

a handmade "pony-o" (button is 1 1/2 inches),

suitable for Mommy's hair, or your little one's thick hair

Of course, if your hair is short, your daughter/mom/sister-in-law's cousin's hair is too thin, you don't like the color, or you don't want a pony-o, just don't play! Otherwise, answer this question for your chance to win. Contest ends June 6th at 8pm!

Guilty Mom has never been to

a. Austria

b. Germany

c. Slovakia

d. Hungary

What Should You Do With A Sleeping Baby?

Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet, eating...what her brother dropped on the floor. In our case, it was a Honey Nut Cheerio. When I realized something was rolling around in that little mouth I scooped her up and did a quick finger-sweep. Lovely. So now I'm thinking 'honey. Nut. Great.' A quick call to the pediatrician revealed that she should be fine, but that we should keep a close eye on her, just in case.

When she took an extra-long nap this morning I started panicking. Did her throat close up while she was asleep? Did she have some sort of crazy reaction and now she's...well, you know. My mind goes to these weird places. I start hashing out in my brain what I would do if I went in and found something wrong. Call 911? Start CPR? Scream? Stay calm so as not to up set the Little Man? Eventually I go in and scrutinize her abdomen, looking for that easy up-and-down movement. I don't see it. I put my hand close to her nose - and accidentally swipe her lip. Oops. Baby's awake. And clearly fine. I can tell by all the crying.

So, yeah. So far all is well. It's just too bad Mommy is so morbid!

Mommy's Weight Loss

It's amazing what a little time (and weight) can do. I weighed this much some number of years ago, and I couldn't stand my body. I scrutinized it and found every little flaw. I agonized over a pound gained and would skip a meal or two to make up for it.

But now, on the other side of childbirth (x2), with all those flaws and a bunch more (including stretch marks and appendix scars!), I am so much more content with the shape I see in the mirror. Some days I even feel really good about it! So if you see me strutting my stuff, be a good sport and send a whistle my way. It'll make my day - but I still won't be wearing a bikini anytime soon! Sorry to burst that bubble honey!

I've Made a Decision!

Yeah, I'm probably crazy to think that I'll actually be able to accomplish this with two little ones underfoot (or, in my lap, like at present) - but I figured I'd give it a shot. Bear with me as I attempt the impossible - forming actual cohesive thoughts EVERY DAY for a month!

[By the way, cheers to Dawn who has successfully completed this challenge with her own two running around!]