Toddler Blessings and Mommy Rambles

I know I am pretty darn biased but I am sometimes floored at how being Libby's mommy gets to be a better and better job by the day.

Today I have been overwhelmed with love and amazement of this sweet little girl.

She is growing so fast. It absolutely takes my breath away. 

Last night, she freely ran to me and gave me a hug and kiss. Grinning and yelling "MAMA!" She loves when momma and dada come home.  So happy to see us. 

She has named her pet lovie lamb, which we have diligently called "lovie" forever.  However, hence forth, it will be called "Numna" because that is Libby's choice.  Weird, yes.  But she named it herself. 

This morning at the grocery, she "helped" give all the items in the cart to the check out clerk.  This is her favorite part of the grocery experience.  That and the free cookies in the deli department.  Such a grown up action for such a little girl. 

This morning she was running around the park and picking her favorite things to do.... a far cry from the last time I took her to the park and she couldn't even walk yet.  Swings, slides, rocking bubble bee and repeat.  She was in heaven.

She is so sure and confident.  Qualities I pray she retains.  She has such a sweetness to her.  So many people who meet her comment on her sweetness and her openness. She dances with abandonment, she twirls and runs and laughs and lives.

Is is all perfection?? Heck no.  Definite stubborn streak.  Crazy mommy-itis when she's tired.  She is one-woman wrecking crew when it comes to my bookshelves, pantry shelves, drawers, her closet, etc.

I am just one thankful, grateful, blessed momma. 

Having Libby rocked my world in ways I never dreamed and it just keeps getting better day by day.  My heart is so full.  

Pure Joy

Roller coaster home search

Craig: interest rates are ridiculous.  If we aren't going to refinance, we need to move.
Meg: Lets move!


And then, this happened.....
Part 1
- Get excited, look at houses on the internet.....
- Find amazing home.... too old, too expensive, too much work.... think, think, think....

Part 2
- Then came the news we were going to have a baby!! House hunting in overdrive!!!!!!!
- Should we put in an offer on expensive/old/worn out house?????????

- More news.... we are not having a baby.  We have had a miscarriage.  Surgery.  Tears.  Heartbreak.

- Are we still moving????

Part 3
- Craig, the rock, holds my hand and tells me we wanted this before we knew, before the tears.  We should press forward.

- More hand holding.  More tears.

- Agree to look again.

Part 4
- 2611 Buena Vista --- pull up, love it.  walk up, love it.  walk in, love it.  walk out - true love??

- Think, think, think......

- Hands held, we decide to leap - offer in, offer accept, contract signed.

WE ARE MOVING!!!!!

Snack time!

Does this make me "crafty"?

So I decided to make a bow holder for Libby's hairbows.  Hold the laughter and snickers please.  This is coming from the woman who was terrified to have a girl because I very much don't do hair and don't do pink and don't do bows.  That being said, my little girl looks AMAZING in pink and ADORABLE in bows and frankly her type A mother needed an organized place to keep them all.

So that leads up to here.  Between Pinterest and my own frugal nature, I decided I could make a bow holder cheaper than I could purchase one.  This bow holder has 5 vertical ribbons for holding bows and hooks at the bottom for holding handbands and other hair accessories.  I'm officially a girl's mom.

Step 1: Buy the following items (preferably on sale)
            - wooden frame without glass or backing
            - spray paint for the frame
            - ribbon
            - hot glue supplies if you do not already own
            - cute embellishment doodad
            - screw in hooks
            - mounts

Step 2: Spray paint frame.

Step 3: Measure out spacing for ribbon (if you are me) and if you are a normal person, just eyeball where to want to mount the ribbon

Step 4: Go to town with glue gun.  Helpful hint: Initially I tried to mount the ribbon with my staple gun.  This resulted in destroying the front of the frame and several choice words to be muttered. 

Punctured front of frame

To the rescue

Finished gluing

Front side!

Step 5: Once hot glue dry, flip frame over.  Adhere doodad embellishment with more hot glue. And as Carrie Bradshaw, Seventeen magazine and our mothers taught us: if there's a little imperfection, just cover it up and keep on going.  What holes caused by enormous staple???

Doodad covering staple punctures

Almost done!

Step 6: To add hooks, first pre-drill the holes for the hooks using a power drill.  Next screw in hooks.

TADA!!!!! 

Now to mount the finished product.  I am putting this holder on the inside of her closet door.  Because doors are hollow, I am using the removable 3M hooks.

I will update post on success of 3M hooks if it is a flop.  But overall, one of my more successful projects!!

Santa Claus

 

Yup, it went that well.  Get to the mall in the rain, stand in small line for 30 minutes and then.... meltdown.  Ah well, here's the to memories.  

The best part was Santa serenading us with his banjo. Kudos to Hanes Mall, great Santa, friendly Santa staff and in the end, a Christmas moment.

Turkey Strut

Ready to run!

Ok.... its only a few weeks since Thanksgiving.... but I wanted to post about my Turkey Strut.  I have not run a road race since I was in High School.  And even then there wasn't a lot of running.  It could probably be said that I walked Cross Country instead of ran Cross Country the one year I was on the team.  But those were different days.

Since then, I've taken my health and my diet more seriously.  I lost 30lb and picked up a serious exercise bug.  Unfortunately, this part of my life has taken a bit of a backseat to motherhood but I'm running when I can.  The YMCA daycare freaked me out so I have not headed back to Pump Class, but, with the help of babysitters, my husband and my treadmill, I find time to work out as I am able.

I have been trying to run a 5K road race for a couple of years and somehow I always get "5K-itis".  The night before I get sick, the morning of the race its pouring rain or I get called into work.  I ended up cancelling my run again and again.  So here I am, ready and freaking willing to run this race come what may. 

Go Mommy Go!

And of course, Thursday morning, its in the low 30s out when I am getting ready to run.  Trying not to mentally freak out (but not having much success), I laced up my tennis shoes, checked my iPod and filled up my water bottle.  Craig and Libby came to cheer me on because we decided it was too cold to run with Libby.  Plus, there was a little bit of me that wanted to run this for myself.  I knew hands down I could run it with Craig pacing me and encouraging me.  I wanted to do this for myself and by myself. 

There were a couple of moments of panic as I saw everyone else in their proper weather running equipment and realized I forgot my running watch.  Basically, I just told myself to suck it up, turn up the music and run.

In the last 1/4 mile

And I did!!! I completed the 5K - goal #1 accomplished!!!!!

My goal time was under 35 minutes.  As I crossed the Finish Line I saw I had finished in UNDER 30 MINUTES!!!!! Good gracious its a miracle!!! How did that happen?!?!? I have never run that fast in my life!!!! I ran that race over 15 minutes faster than I EVER ran it in high school and I'm over 30 and have a baby.  I am proud of myself and glad to have my little exercise bug back.... maybe a 10K in the spring.... maybe a Disney Half Marathon in the future???

Walk This Way

Cookie! How did you end up on the floor?!?

I will rescue you Cookie!

Look Mommy! I got Cookie!

I love Cookie!

Here I come mommy!!

Silly Mommy

I have decided I should stop making any statements at all about my opinion on children, raising them, the toys they play with or the clothes they wear.  This could prove challenging as a pediatrician but I think for my own good, it would be a great idea.  I am tired of eating giant amount of crow and getting laughed at -- even though I think I'm the only one doing the laughing.

Like most women before they enter into motherhood, I had loads of preconceived notions of what type of mother I would be, what my children would be like, how my home would be a wonderful haven for them, blah blah blah.

Here are some of the dumbest things I've said.....

1) I will never have toys that sing and light up.  We will try to buy as many wooden toys as possible.  I want Libby to use her imagination and be creative.

Grrrrrrr..... I'm laughing at myself just typing it out!!!!!! As the songs from Libby's activity table are currently stuck in my head and I'm remembering firing up my iPod to play Kindermusik at Target today, I have clearly eaten these words.   I tried to stick to my guns initially. We bought the old fashioned stacker set that doesn't light up, we have lots of books and dolls - none of which make noise.  But Libby was bored.  Really bored.  Which led to frustrated mommy and baby,

So Libby now has a second activity table because her first one was all toggle switches and whirly balls -- no music or lights.  And she freaking loves it.  Our house will basically light up and sing after Santa gets here this year I'm sure.


2) I hope Libby doesn't get hooked on a theme or show so my sanity is preserved.

Again, HAHAHAHAHA!! It has already begun.  Grover, Cookie Monster and the Sesame Street gang are making appearances in our house and she loves it! Favorite books right now are all Sesame Street.  She picked out a Cookie Monster doll at Target (while my iPod was playing Kindermusik). And so it begins.....


There are so many more but these two seemed to shine the brightest today.  I know we are headed into full on toddler hood with tantrums, obsessions, melt downs, and craziness.  I am little hesitant but I definitely will just keep my mouth shut about how I think it "should" or "could" go!

And she's off!!!

Over the past week or so, Libby has figured out how to walk.  From a few halting, toddling step to full on exploration, it has all happened in a matter of days.  We are all stunned at how quickly to gained the confidence to take off on her own.  While our world is quite child proofed, we are marveling at Libby's walking!  Here's a little video to show off our girl!!


Libby walks to daddy

NYC get away

In October, Craig and I got away for a little grown up time. We headed to NYC for a long weekend visiting Erik and playing tourist.  We had so much fun!! Sleeping in, eating out, doing things that didn't involve pushing a stroller, sippy cups or picking up toys!!

Our first night, we stayed at Erik's apartment.  He has a great one bedroom on the Upper East side with a private patio.  Rachel and Erik hosted us for a great night out in his neighborhood and even got to visit Erik's old roommate Ashley.  We ended a great night drinking wine and visiting on Erik's back patio.

Who's the nanny and who's the mommy?

On Thursday, we majorly got our dork on by visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  First we walked up to Central Park from Erik's apartment and then walked through the Park to get to the museum.  We came across a really cool playground that is built into Central Park.  It was so cool to see all the kids playing and to think of NYC as a kid-friendly location.  I, of course, was scoping out the stroller brands and playing "who's the mommy and who's the nanny?"

In the Museum, we loved the Egyptian artifacts and the weaponry exhibits.  Craig really liked the old guns and swords. But the European art was one of the best collections I've seen.  And who knew a vacuum could be art??

Two Dorkus maximuses...  maximi?

Incredible marble work

Who knew?

I love wood inlay work

"I love swords"

Egyptian temple

Post-Museum we moved over to Rachel's apartment.  Sadly, she had plans to be in WDW for the weekend and we couldn't convince her to stay in town.  She AMAZINGLY offered up her fabulous apartment to us and we leaped at the opportunity! Rachel as a gorgeous loft apartment in Murray Hill, two blocks from the Empire State Building.  We felt quite posh.    After settling in, we met Erik and headed out for the night. 

Our first stop was the 9/11 Memorial.  While we knew it would be a difficult visit, it was something Craig and I were very much compelled to do.  While it initially looked like our visit would be cancelled due to a lightening storm, after a bit the storms blew out and the afternoon was beautiful.  The memorial was incredibly somber of course.  I was impressed how respectful all of the visitors chose to be; on our previous trips to Ground Zero, there had been many rude and disrespectful visitors.  It didn't surprise me that no one really talked but what did surprise me was that the noise from the waterfalls drowned out all of the city noise outside of the memorial.  There are sky scrapers being built all around the memorial - on the street all you hear are jack hammers, construction noise, and the hum of Manhattan.  But inside, all you hear is the water. Its eerie and somehow, appropriate.  My pictures don't do justice to the beauty of the memorial but I just couldn't fit in all inside a camera frame!

Erik provided us tickets to his show Memphis, which won the 2010 Tony for Best Musical.  He is the Advertising and Marketing Director for the show! His name is in Playbill!! We are so freaking proud of him!!!!!!!! 

Joining us for the evening was his friend Kat, whom he has known since high school in Charlotte.  They have reunited in NYC of all places! After the show, Erik and Kat took us to Hudson Terrace, a swanky rooftop bar where the drinks are as expensive as the real estate you are looking at! Luckily they had a Groupon!!

On Friday, Craig and I got super touristy and hit up the Empire State Building.  The view was amazing, but so was the line to get in, the line to get out, the line to do everything!!!!  But the Art Deco decor was beautiful and Erik had designed the lobby windows as ad space for Memphis - again, super proud!

Rachel's building - as seen from the top of the ESB

Erik's windows

Maximum tourist

After our touristy adventures, it was time to do some grown up weekend fun -- aka drink beer.  We met Erik and Kat at Eataly and went up to the rooftop bar Birreria.  AMAZING!! Gorgeous views of Manhattan - Flatiron Building on one side, Empire State Building on the other!!! Not to mention fabulous beer, wine and cheese.  I was one happy girl!!!

Next, we all headed to Brooklyn to the Brooklyn Brewery.  Delicious micro-brews and good music.

Saturday, we shopped in SoHo, watched football, and stomped around in the rain.  Saturday night, Erik, Craig and I toasted our lovely weekend with champagne on Rachel's roof - what a view! And lastly, had an amazing dinner out at Teqa.  The spicy cucumber margaritas were delicious!