Sprinkles! Everywhere!

It happened yesterday—the blonde moment I started this blog for. Baby M saw the big container of sprinkles (you know the ones you get from Walmart/Target with multiple types of sprinkles all in one with individual spouts) on the table.
Well, she had been a little fussy (up up up!) and I was trying to get laundry from the washer to the dryer. So it was easy to give her the container. Less than two minutes later, sprinkles decorated my living room.

Silence really means a lot when you have a toddler. I can't even be mad—I gave it to her, didn't I? C'mon, blonde, you should've seen that coming. On the other hand, I've learned that having a content toddler sometimes makes for serious messes, and now she's old enough to enjoy the cleaning up part!
{Lucky for me, only one section of sprinkles was dumped on the floor, meaning I still have plenty of sprinkles for the Christmas cookie baking}
There have been other moments lately... Trying to wrap a Christmas present while M was awake and in the "helping" mood; teaching her to feed the dog (the dog is always hungry now, or whenever M sees the closet door, but this one gets put on Daddy); leaving the fish food on a level she can now reach on tippy-toes and thinking she can't quite unscrew lids, WRONG! In fact I have a similar iPhone pic of her with all the fish food spread out in that same location while the dog happily licks away.
At least the sprinkles are edible for her...

Bad Math and Halloween decisions

I was re-pinning a sugar cookie pin on Pinterest and thought to myself, I really need to bake more sugar cookies so I can use all the 100 cookie cutter shapes I have... Brilliant! But reality knocked on my mental door and gave me some hated math:

Sugar cookies + Tafra + no restraint = Additional 5 pounds on hips/stomach per batch

I hate math!

My baby girl is now 15 months old, I am about 26 weeks pregnant and I still find myself wondering how all of this could be real. I had to overcome my first Halloween dilemma—I didn't dress M up when she was three months old—which boiled down to, how do we, who profess to know Christ, participate in a pagan holiday with our little girl while still holding to our beliefs?
I debated this for the month leading up to it. My husband grew up trick or treating, I did not. Yes, unbelievable as it may sound, I never trick or treated as a kid. My parents took my to the church fall festival and I got candy, but I never dressed up, never went up and down our streets asking for candy.
And really, I don't think I was better off or any worse than the kids that did.
So, at first I was going to do the same: What's good for the goose is good for the gander. After a discussion with my mother (Would you change your mind and let me? She said yes.), I was torn. I still didn't think it was that big of a deal. In the end, with a few rules (1. Costumes will never, ever be gruesome or violent, 2. There will be no trick or treating past age 12), we dressed the M Bug up and she went out with her cousins to collect candy.

AJ, CJ, M, and HJ (both girls were lady bugs!)

I also want to share this opinion piece from Focus on the Family's Jim Daly, because he sums up  how I feel about Halloween.
Thanksgiving, on the other hand, I'm looking forward to! My MOPS group had a speaker in to discuss traditions, and because my family is relatively tradition-less, share some of your traditions with me. I'm going to compile and pick a few I like to implement for my family this year. Thanks for your help!
 

November?!?

I've been using things off Pinterest a lot lately, and I decided to share my recent results 1. Because I haven't found the time to blog lately and 2. Because if you try it, at least you may not get the crazy results I did!
First, here's my ice cream cone cupcakes:

There were no actual directions (I'm a big fan of directions! Surprised? Probably not.) For my trial run, since I'm going to make these for a bake sale, was to just use plain ol' Betty Crocker cake mix, and I poured it into my cones at various heights to see where I needed to be. Clearly, my cones runneth over!
After this, I did find a Pinterest post that said to put the cones upside down over the cupcake batter, and though I might try that, I'm not really sure how they would bake well? If you've done this, comment and tell me how you did it!
Next was the Halloween popcorn, which was entirely unnecessary but cute so I made a fifth trip to Walmart to grab candy melts, and gave it a shot.

I'm not a food photographer, so I'm sorry this image is from my iPhone and just plain sucks, but the popcorn actually turned out fairly well! I ditched it at my sister-in-law's house (thanks Gwen!) because I had already eaten quite a bit. Popcorn may be a good snack by itself, but add some candy and candy corn, and it stops being a healthy snack.

People keep asking me if my little M has noticed my belly or understands she'll have a brother yet, and the short answer is: No. She may pick up on the belly the farther along I get, but even though we tell her she's going to have a baby brother, concepts are not quite something she grasps yet.
Others are also quite interested to hear how I plan to deal with the jealousy: One day at a time! The idea of having two children and dealing with what may or may not happen with M is something that I can't quite grasp, just like I couldn't grasp what it would be like with a first child until she actually arrived (Thank you Jesus for equipping me with the skills I didn't know I had to be a mom!)
The only way to look at it is, one day at a time! I want M to know she's loved every day of her life, and I'll do what it takes for her to understand that when her baby brother arrives (who is unnamed as of now). It's the best I can do as a parent!

You know you're a parent when: crayons pop up in unexpected places, like the bathroom tub!

Yes I'm showing! or, yes, I'm showing...

I'm pushing toward 21 weeks pregnant now. There have been two responses that are driving me crazy:
1. "Oh, you couldn't tell it." This from an older gentleman at my part-time job who I don't see often. He's a nice guy, really, but I want to punch him in the face. Because at this point in my pregnancy, telling me that I don't look pregnant sounds to me like "You are really fat."
2. "Oh, you look great, you're glowing." This one maybe doesn't drive me crazy but since I feel like I look like crap and I definitely don't feel like I'm glowing, it makes me a little nuts. It's easy to respond with a "Thanks!" but when you're walking around, constantly hiking up the belly band and adjusting your jeans, "great" is not an adjective you'd use to describe yourself.

It's only logical that this pregnancy would be different. I didn't show with Baby M until I was about 6 months along, and my belly popped out at 16 weeks with this little one {a BOY!}. I didn't even post a "belly pic" until I was 28 weeks!
I'm going to get real here: This does not excite me. I would be much more satisfied if my belly was displaying the adorable roundness that other (thinner) moms display so freakishly.
The reality is the only reason my belly is popping out is the extra pregnancy pounds I never lost from M and probably added on to those extra pounds that I had before I was pregnant, ever. Bah, humbug.
My dear friend said to me at one point during my first pregnancy that I was the only one she knew who was worried about weight gain during pregnancy. Well, let me put it this way: Those L-Bs don't come off easy and I knew/know that should the weight I gain be the right amount, shedding it shouldn't be difficult. Shut up already, "What to Expect When You're Expecting" e-mails!
Who really wants to chow down on spinach and carrots, every. single. day.?!
So to get back that feeling of "great", I have to primp. I choose to wear cute shoes or lipstick or something that makes me feel like some random person who fleetingly looks at me in Costco isn't looking because they're trying to figure out if I'm pregnant or well rounded (ha). Yes, I am wearing a bright shade of pink on my lips, thank you very much! Bright, isn't it?! feels nicer than Stop looking at me because you can't figure it out! At least ask if you're that interested!
Because I know we all have these moments while pregnant.  

...

Right?

Here's my get-the-heck-over-it pic. I never feel more 17 than when I'm snapping my own picture in a mirror. Which happens never. Except today.

Hot showers, after noon...

I got to take a hot shower today! And when I mean "hot," I mean, "almost-scalding-your-skin" hot, which I only get to do when there's not a toddler in the shower with me.
Why am I telling you this, you might ask? Well, I'm really just rejoicing in the fact that I was actually able to shower without my munchkin, because she was sleeping. The timing on my showers is clearly imperfect, because I should always plan them this way!
Today, it was even before 12 a.m.! That's an accomplishment, too, although it's embarrassing to admit it. Mommys all know that showering in the morning while baby is between 0 to 6 months of age can be impossible; over six months, and it starts happening more... At almost 15 months, shouldn't I have it figured out by now?
I'm only that motivated on days that I have to be somewhere early, and if I can schedule it, it'll happen later. There's just so much more to get done in the morning now that M is getting older! Making sure she eats and is clean while trying to get some work (housework, work-from-home work) done sometimes (a lot of times) pushes showers to after noon, maybe an hour or two before I have to leave the house for the part time job I have.
On the other hand, am I the only mom who has a problem with showering, only to spend the morning cleaning the kitchen and downstairs bathroom? Gross! Why get clean if I'm only going to get dirty cleaning? (Hello, oxymoron.)
Usually by the time I'm done cleaning anything, my hands are so dry from multiple washings and various chemicals that I need to bathe them in petroleum jelly to get the moisture back. (I'm okay with this, on principle—I at least know there are no bacteria or germs in my kitchen until the next meal is made. Go on, try finding a germ.)

Generic vs. Brand, or when to be cheap

What's your preference, generic or brand? Does it matter on the product? Here's my lists.

Baby products
Baby powder: Brand. Johnson's Baby powder smells better, enough said.
Baby shampoo: Generic. Parent's Choice or the Target generic works just as well.
Baby bottom ointment: This one is a brand vs. brand for me, and Desitin is just plain stinky and hard to get off your fingers, and Boudreaux's Baby Butt Paste (click the link and laugh at the site address!) doesn't reek and wipes off easier. Winner!
Diapers: I can't really argue here because I've had M in Huggies since I ran out of baby shower gift diapers and the hospital Pampers. They've been the same price as Costco generics, and I like them. No contest here.
Lotion: I'm totally undecided here. Johnson's smells nice but generic lotion isn't bad either.
Wipes: Generic. I buy them in bulk and they're big enough that I can rip them in half to use less of them. (Yes, I actually do that.)
Baby lotion: Generic. Unless you're attached to the smell of Johnson's, it's all the same. Plus, the hubby won't whine that he smells like a girl after putting lotion on baby.
Baby formula (if necessary): Generic. We bought Similac at first but when Costco's Kirkland brand is a full $12 less, it made more sense. I dare you to find one difference between M and a kid on Enfamil or Similac (or breast milk). I will add: I tried Gerber's formula and was incredibly displeased with it, so that's a "don't buy" for me.
Baby food: This one's tough; all I ever bought as far as stage foods was Gerber or Beechnut, and M didn't display any preferences or dislikes. So save the money and buy what's cheap.

Groceries
Peanut butter: JIF! Every time and for always. Does anyone actually consider any alternatives?!
Jelly: Generic. Smuckers is good and all, but Walmart's generic is decent. Caveat: Target's generic sucks!
Bread: I wish I could buy generic, but I go brand. It's just better.
Pasta: Generic. I really like Walmart's wheat noodles.
Spaghetti sauce:  I buy Hunt's, which is cheaper than the the store brand most of the time. It's also not too bad to eat.
Cheese: Generic. I think it'd be tough to find a difference between brand and generic here!
Butter: Stick butter—generic. Fake butter—Country Crock!
Flour/sugar: Generic! Another one that's hard to tell the difference.
Soup: If it's a cooking soup, generic. If it's for lunch, I like Progresso.

Mmm, banana bread. The only way I eat bananas.

So what's your list? Share it with me! What can't you live without and what gets put in the cheap list? 

An open letter to pregnancy heartburn

Dear pregnancy-induced heartburn,
You've made your appearance much sooner than I expected. In fact, most definitely would find your arrival at around three months pregnant as far too soon in advance; could you have at least sent a notice? I needed time to clean the house, or in this case, stock my cabinet with antacids.
I thought I'd have more time to enjoy the spicy foods that I love at all other stages of life (mainly, the not-pregnant ones) because you didn't show up with Baby No. 1 until seven months. Might I remind you I'm only barely four months along?
And who do you think you are, to show up even if I eat small, frequent meals with plenty of water and snacking? Do you regularly defy medical wisdom or is this just a "pregnant girl" thing?
Since I'm resigned to your arrival and it seems you'll be sticking around, I guess the only thing I'd like to make clear is that you are not welcome to stay post Baby No. 2. No offense.
Without love,
Tafra

I have these by my bed, in my purse, upstairs, downstairs, anywhere I go...

We made it through the night!

It's funny to write that title after M has been sleeping through the night since six months old, but of course I mean I made it through the night without her!
What was quite a revelation was how enjoyable a night out at a fancy restaurant without a baby could be (wow, did I ever take that for granted before the baby came along!). I've never been to the Melting Pot, so it was a fun new experience to sit down and eat a meal over the course of several hours.
I didn't call, I didn't stress. I knew M would be fine with her Grandma, I knew Grandma would call if something was terribly wrong. Hubby and I didn't even get home until almost 11, so it would've been absurd to go get her.
Plus, I think once I got a taste of that sans-child feeling, I enjoyed it. I love my baby, of course. There's no question! But an evening of being an adult was enjoyable.
Hubby told me to enjoy the night, to sleep in and not worry about the baby, but once the evening out was over, I was ready to have my baby back.
Sleeping in is almost a cruel joke to me—our male (neutered!) cat yowls at random during the night if he's not outside, and I threw a pillow at him last night. Hubby left for work sometime around 6, which is decidedly late for him but was still terribly early, and after that, sleep was sketchy. I was up by 7:30, cleaning a bit, before I was in Stella (my Jeep, yes I name my cars!) and on my way to my girl.
Baby girl, of course, had done as fine as I expected. Fought her bedtime, as per the norm, but slept well and woke up well. When I arrived she wasn't even that excited to see me (Ms. Independent is always ready to kill Mommy's sense of appreciation) but she did shower me with kisses a few minutes later (redemption! Little bugger.)
So we made it through the night, we made it through our first night of separation. What's next? Maybe Mommy and Daddy will have to take a few days away before Baby No. 2 arrives...

Is she ready?

Is she ready for a sleepover? And by "she", I mean me. Am I ready for my daughter to do a full night away from me? My knee-jerk reaction is "NO!"
The hubby and I are being taken out to dinner by his boss, which for us is doubling as an anniversary dinner since we celebrated our fifth on September 1 ("celebrated" is a misnomer... I actually worked the entire day, we had breakfast together and that was that). The dinner is also a fundraising event so there's no telling exactly how long it's going to take.
Next dilemma: I don't exactly have a long list of sitters. In fact, thus far, we've only had to pay one person to watch M—all other times, she's been in the care of family. Honestly, I really like it that way because I have a deep mistrust of people. That mistrust is fed by news reports of the evil human beings out there who abuse children and the fact that I worked at a prison for a year; I know what kind of horrible humans are out there!
So M is again going to be in the care of her Grandma this evening, but she's going to be at Grandma's house. We don't know how late we'll be out, so the option was presented of letting M stay overnight.
Ah, the dilemma. While I have no doubt that M is independent enough to be okay with it, I'm not sure if I can keep myself from worrying all night.
What if she wakes up and is scared by her environment? (She's spent a lot of time at Grandma's house.)
What if she gets sick? (Grandma raised three children of her own, I'll be she could handle it.)
What if something happens? (What exactly is "something", anyway?)
So should I leave my baby there overnight? I probably won't know until tonight, when we're driving home and I'm trying to decide if waking my baby up from sleep, putting her in a car, then removing her and replacing her in the crib is worth the several sleep interruptions and the possibility of a meltdown, or if leaving her with her grandparents overnight is better so she'll get a full night of sleep.
I never imagined I could be this torn!

How hard would it be to not see that face as the last thing before I go to sleep?

Parenting TOTD:
You know you're a parent when the thought of college tuition sends you into a minor panic (and your child is 17 years away from going to college.

A compilation of parenting thoughts

Oh no it hasn't been two weeks since my last post?! Oh, but it has. Yikes, to think I had wanted to post every day. Just like I wanted to complete that 30 day photo challenge...

So here's a random compilation of the things that have occurred to me lately:

• You're definitely parents when conversations (without the baby in the room) between your spouse and yourself include terms like "potty," "kisses," "kitty" and "shoesies" and are spoken in baby talk.
• I'd really love it if someone three times my size could pick me up and pop every. single. bone. in my back.
• Those commercials that show people supposedly talking to themselves then revealing a baby at the end are totally me at the grocery store with my baby. Goofy references and all.
• No matter how many times I tell M that she can quit wearing diapers if she learns to go potty in the toilet, she still isn't quite ready to do it, and it's still cathartic for me to say it while she's screaming bloody murder and trying to fall off the changing pad.
• My child is Ms. Independent, and sometimes, that makes me sad. Like when she leans away from me and laughs when I'm trying to kiss her goodbye. Or even worse, runs away.
• Sometimes when I'd really like the pregnancy hormones to take over and turn me into a bawling mush of tears, just to cause a guilt trip, I'm reminded that I'm a fighter, not a cryer, and that lets me know I'm still me.
• Having a house that looks like a toddler lives in it might cause me to develop a split personality. If I suddenly start cleaning your house, take away all sharp objects and just let me clean until the OCD personality calms down.

 Until next time, LOL {click the link!} and kiss your babies. <3

Don't talk to me about food!

Here's what nausea during pregnancy for me is like:
Think of food, feel nauseous. Food commercials? Change the channel! Hubby wants to tell you about the great burger he had at a lunch meeting? Leave the room in mid sentence, leaving him wondering why you're being so rude. Try to come up with ideas for dinner... and end up making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when hubby gets home because the thought of anything else prompted queasiness.
Eat food without thinking about what you're doing, and I survive—but do you know how hard that is?
I also do a lot of frequent snacking. Of course, I'm not complaining, because throwing up is a rare thing for me and I'm thankful, but I will be happy when the nausea stage passes.
In fact, I have never in my life been so impatient for winter, my least favorite season, to be here! This comes in a combination of 95% joy for the new baby and 5% really, really wanting to lose every pound of baby weight. Shallow? Maybe. But I was doing pretty good on the weight-loss thing, and when we discovered that Baby No. 2 was on its way, it was put on pause.
Back to the nausea: At least when mine ends my husband will get regular dinners again. It seems quite unfair that he gets to put together scrap meals because I have a pregnancy-induced hatred of steak, hamburger and cooking, but then I remember it's partly his fault I'm like this, and I don't feel sorry any more!

:)

{On a side note, I just learned the hard way why trying to coax a tired toddler into a nap by putting her on the futon with the dog is dumb... You figure it out. Bad mommy.}

You know you're a parent (especially of a girl) when: Seeing teenagers at any store sends you into "I would never let my daughter wear that!" rampage.

Wake up!

I left my baby locked in my car while she slept.
Okay, not really. But that's what my nightmare was last night and it scared me so badly, I remembered it. For some strange reason I had left her sleeping in the car while I went into a rec center (it looked like a combo of Castle Rock Rec and Westy Rec). It was apparently quite cold because I was wearing a heavy coat, and when I remembered that my child was in my car it seemed like I was running for miles and everyone or everything was in my way.
The police were at my car and oddly enough, a manager from the store I work at now, and as I was screaming "Where's my baby?" they were asking me why I'd left and putting me under arrest.
How'd you like to wake up to that?!
I spent an hour just laying in bed (after checking on her) waiting for M to wake up so I could hold her. That dream nightmare was so intense that I actually felt guilty, as though I had really left her locked in a car!
You'd think that any rational parent would never do such a thing, but I unfortunately recall a story from a year ago or so that a mother really did leave her child in the car, during the summer, and the kicker is she did it so she could go tan. Really?!
That somehow reassures me that I am a good parent, because I wouldn't ever leave M locked in a car by herself. I've been the mom who cranks the a/c, leans her seat back and takes a nap in the car with her baby, just so she could sleep a little longer. Leave the baby in it alone, especially with it off? Not on your life!
Hopefully I'm not the only mother who judges herself occasionally on the (bad) exploits of other mothers. I'm not... Right?


You know you're a parent when: Your alarm clock is a baby, not an alarm.

Well, the refrigerator is still kaput and the landlord didn't have a good plan, so I'm still without a refrigerator. M and I ended up eating lunch out (something I've been trying to avoid!) and I will not go back there... $9.66 for a turkey sandwich?!
I could've gotten two footlongs at Subway for that!
But I digress. The biggest challenge in this situation is having food that is healthy for the baby without being perishable, other than the string cheese and yogurt I have in the cooler. Which, by the way, is behaving phenomenally considering it's just a cooler with a wall plug in. Hasn't failed us yet!
M had banana and toast with peanut butter this morning, that I cut into strips then had the pleasure of watching her get peanut butter all over her pudgy little hands. I don't know why I didn't have my camera out?! But even though the compulsive part of me cringed, the other part enjoyed watching her munch away. I appreciate that M is willing to try any food we offer, and as yet has not refused anything. I'm also thankful for a lack of allergies!
M also has a new swimsuit that I picked up on clearance, mistakenly misjudging her size. I thought it would be big enough for her to grow into (it's 18 months) but no, it fits about right. It's adorable:

And it was the only suit that was a one piece—does any other mom have an issue with putting a toddler in a bikini?! If you don't, just think on this: There are thousands upon thousands of child sex offenders in our prisons—they're at public pools, too.
I'll stop short of a hijab but you will never find my daughter in a two piece. /steppingoffpodium
I wish I could say that lacking a fridge has put me into clever-mom-mode, but it hasn't. Trying to cook anything save for canned food without milk, butter, mayo, etc. seems to be almost impossible for me, because I'm not that good of a cook anyway. My hubby is the {good} cook in our house, but on days that he works 12 hours, it's super easy for us both to pick a restaurant. Those Guadalajara waiters know our family way too well...
So if you do have foodie suggestions until I have a fridge back, comment! My frozens are at a dear friends and I have limited milk, no eggs,  and no butter. Get creative people—what's for breakfast?

My one-day swimmer had my goggles around her neck during her nap and woke up with the wildest hair ever. It was so cute! She's actually chewing on a grape, but I love the expression. It says, "You always take my picture when I'm eating!"

You know you're a parent when: You have to wash your hands before using the restroom because there's a bunch of your baby's food on you.

Be blessed, everyone.

When a refrigerator quits

I had a day that I fully believe God designed solely to remind me that I need to lean on Him and trust Him with all my heart.
We knew something was up with our refrigerator, but today it just quit completely. Or, it blows air out but isn't doing it right. Either way, I had a freezer full of just-barely-cold meat and a refrigerator that was quickly losing its cool (pun intended ;).
The worst part of the situation is the amount of money in that refrigerator. I think God is seeing exactly how much I will worry about money before I either lose my mind or turn to Him. But since I've walked this path before, I think it made it a little easier for me to choose to pray instead of panic.
At this point, I've thrown away approximately $60 worth of various groceries. What I truly was concerned about was the meat, so I cooked it and it's now in a friend's freezer (thank you Gina!). By tomorrow, I'll have to empty out the remainder of the fridge, and things like barbeque sauce, pickles and other perishables will have to meet the trash.
That's a stressful kind of situation for a family that has to budget every last penny. Especially when Baby No. 2 is on the way, we have an obscene medical bill (unrelated to the new baby, and when I say obscene, I mean "what good is insurance if it only covers 24% of a medical bill?!) and my car needs tires.
So, clearly this is a trial, and honestly, I'm excited that it didn't take more of a winding path for me to get to the part where I give it all to God. I'm frustrated with the landlord and I fleetingly worry about having to take money out of savings, but that's part of the road, isn't it? If I don't completely trust God, I might as well not trust him at all. I believe I've even touched on that in a previous post!
So I choose to trust Him. I know He will provide and I'm going to continue to ask God to keep me from stressing about how we're going to make everything, because this could've been a far worse day than it was!!

Trusting God is a lot like little M trusting her Daddy to keep her from falling off the fence. We have to just climb it, and believe that He will be there! Be blessed.

Things I've learned while pregnant with a second child

1. The first pregnancy was far, far easier, and I'm not talking less nausea or sickness, or any physical things. It was easier because when I was tired, I slept. When I wanted to, not when Child No. 1 was sleeping. Yea, I'll sleep when Baby M takes naps, and I quit staying up late so I sleet at the same time M is sleeping at night, but how I miss those days when sleeping in was an option!

2. Nausea is actually worse because if the smell of food is causing the nausea, and you still have to cook Child No. 1's lunch or dinner, you will be nauseated. I experience a lot of food aversions while pregnant. First on the list is hamburger and steak, which is typically our main dinner ingredient. So dinner the past month has been sketchy not only for M but for the hubby, too. It's too hard on the budget to eat out every night, but I do end up buying a lot of WalMart and Safeway chicken so that I'm not having to prep anything while green at the gills.

3. It's less stressful carrying a second child because now, I know what to expect. My first pregnancy was all that and a bag of chips, but I was still a bit stressed because I was, in fact, bringing a child into this world and I had no clue how to take care of her. What would I do when she cried? I didn't want to change dirty diapers, I'd rather scoop horse poop... How do you bathe an infant? How am I going to save enough money for her college education? (Yes, I worried about that. Still do, actually.)
But in the end, I have now made it an entire year with my first precious baby, and she is healthy and happy. We've made it through the formula, the changing, the crying, the screaming, the sleepless nights, the sickness. Now instead of not wanting to leave the hospital for fear of actually doing it on my own, I plan on being in that hospital as little as possible. I'm thinking a "Have baby in a.m., be discharged by p.m." type scenario.

It's been several weeks since my last post, but since M's first birthday party, I've pretty much been recuperating. M and I came down with a flu last Wednesday and that knocked me out the rest of last week, and as I mentioned, (except for Olympic action) I've been in bed the same time as M.
Thankfully, her party went well and she had fun! I am not a food photographer by any means, and I slipped into Mommy-with-a-camera mode, but I'm sure I'll love these photos from here to the end.

Meira's new 4-wheeler

So excited to eat cake, she didn't want to blow out the candle!

Happy birthday Meira!

Baby's cake

Pony rides! Sox taking Myla and Jayden for a spin.

Birthday and breaking the news!

The past few weeks, I've been trying a variety of different ways to do something cute to announce that Matt and I are expecting our second child. There are so many cute things on Pinterest, I thought for sure I could do something as cute.
Well, the attempt has so far failed, but not for lack of trying. First I was going to do witty quotes on scrapbook paper, but I couldn't think of anything good for Matt. Then I was just going to do us holding our birthdays, because this new baby will be the only winter birthday in our little family, but M had absolutely no interest in her sign. She was far more interested in everything else she saw around our yard, like her slide, or the dog, or grass, or... You get the picture.
Then, there was having time to do a photo with Matt. When he was home, though, I usually was at work or we were busy doing something important. So then I thought, why not something like just the shoes we wear as an announcement? So I took a photo of my boots as a start.

But then I realized that since we don't know the gender yet (I'm only about 10 weeks) and I have no gender-neutral baby shoes, what would I do for the new baby? Maybe I over think things, yes?

So today is my birthday, and I thought I may as well spill the beans for everyone so that 1. I can talk about the pregnancy symptoms (hello, nausea, I did not miss you) and 2. It is rather ironic that for two birthdays in a row, I will be pregnant. I sense upcoming trials (two kids under two?! A little intimidating!) but God's timing is perfect, so I know that He has something in store for us all. 

Blessings!

When sleeping in 'till 9 is a special blessing

I am tired lately. Thus, I am really thankful that I am a mostly stay-at-home mom who works in the evening. Baby M was in bed by 8:40ish last night, I was in bed probably around 9:45.
M woke up at 6:15 and being the tired mommy I am lately, I made her a bottle, cuddled with her and let her drink hoping in my heart she'd fall back asleep. She didn't appear to be attuned to that desire, and was quite awake and willing to try to sidle off our (high) bed as she does when she's going down stairs, so I set her down, stayed right where I was and kept one eye on her while I laid there, comfy cozy.
She knocked the monitor down and was happily playing with that, and when I heard too much silence I looked down and saw her face down, rear up (lately, her normal sleeping position) in the dog's bed. Laughing to myself and wondering if she were really sleeping, I cautiously began to move and she sat quickly up. Nope, not sleeping. I laid back down, but kept watching.
She moved around a lot, sitting up, laying down, up, down, pulling Roxy's blanket all over her (yuck but who is going to take that from a happy baby? Not me.) Finally she was staying in the head down, butt up position long enough I though she was sleeping. She looked wide-eyed at me when I picked her up, fussed until I gave her the monitor again, then proceeded to go back to sleep curled next to me.
Bliss.

The fact that we slept until 9 (or maybe 9:15) and missed the news was really not all that disappointing to me—I got to sleep! Maybe my right arm was sore and asleep from the odd angle but that is totally worth it!
Mornings like that I almost feel guilty telling my hubby about, especially since he's been getting to work at 5 a.m. On the other hand, his horrid alarm wakes me every time and then it's usually an hour long process for me to get my mind to shut up and go back to sleep, so maybe telling him we slept late is my personal paybacks for waking me at obscene hours of the night.
Either way, sleeping in like that has lately been a particularly special blessing for me, allowing me to catch up on the sleep I missed (going to bed late, waking up from too much water before bed, hubby's alarm) while also getting to cuddle my soon-to-be one year old who refuses to cuddle when fully awake.
I typically am the "no feeding to sleep" mom, but I'll admit it: If it gets me even one extra hour of zzzz's, I'll take it. I'll just make sure she doesn't eat to sleep in the evening, and it all evens out.

Of the many photos I tried to snap of her in the little red headband with her patriotic suit, this was literally the best one. I admire the photographers who have figured out the tricks to keeping young children at enough distance that they can't touch your lens while getting close enough to shoot at 35 mm, because it's hard! Or, keeping the child from just getting up and walking to you with pudgy fingers ready for smudging.

Words for a wordless situation

I'm about an hour away from the Aurora theater where 12 people lost their lives due to senseless violence. When Columbine happened, I was a sophomore in the same school district as Columbine and we were locked in until the end of the day.
Colorado has seen its fair share of violence and evil. Sometimes I feel like there are no words to express the horror and sadness I feel when these things happen, but then I remember, there are many words—the Bible is full of them.
I love to see wounded individuals reaching out to God when their world is shaken, because God is not behind the evil that occurs in this world, the Enemy is. And when you seek solace and shelter in Him, hope grows in Him (Psalms 31:24).
Evil entered the world when Satan first tempted Eve. It began to rule the world once Adam and Eve sinned; their children succumbed to it (Cain and Abel), cities fell (Sodom and Gomorrah) and eventually God sent His only Son, Jesus, so that we could be saved from sin and join Him in heaven.
There is always hope, love and forgiveness for all who run to Christ. Tonight, as more details emerge and we see the perpetrator in court, I pray that all those affected by this tragedy seek the only one who can give them hope.

Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ. I pray that you be with the families affected by the shootings in Aurora, that you comfort them, strengthen them, and that they find solace in you. I pray that you also give them the strength to forgive, as you forgive us. I pray that any questions they have, that you put the right people in their lives to lead them to you or teach them to be closer to you. I pray for all those who were lost that night, that they knew you and one day I'll meet them in heaven.
Amen

Perfect

I named this photo "Perfect"

because she is!!

Notice the four teeth? The top two finally broke through the last week of June, first week of July. I can't believe she's going to be 1!
I talked about party planning in my last post, and it's still definitely going strong. I'm coming up with as many horse-themed ideas as possible: the cake will have a horse and rider running the barrel pattern, her mini cake will have a horse at pasture, I'm going to serve carrots and apples with the burgers and hot dogs and I'm thinking granola as the party bags (horse "grain").
Any other fabulous ideas, friends and readers? Comment below!

Unril you have kids...

...You will not put as much effort as any other party before in your life. Ever.
Sure, you might think you had party planning skills, back before life was full of friends who juggle work and a family just like you. It was super easy to throw a quick get-together together because everyone wanted to do something with you on a Friday night!
Now, everyone still wants to get together but it takes a whole lot more planning, and then, once you have a reason for getting together (M's first birthday!! Already?!), party planning commences.
I remember having really simple birthday parties when I was a kid—smores and running around playing tag, going to a movie with a friend, eating cake with a couple of friends. My mom was never into big to-do's about anything (still isn't!) but the thrill of M turning one, plus Pinterest and my own excitement for themes is running away with me.
At first I had slimmed the possible theme to The Little Mermaid or My Little Pony. Either worked—it was M's love of water and my own love of horses vying it out. I posted it on Facebook and MLP won the popular opinion, so that was my working theme.
Then, I started thinking about cake. Sure, I could order one and pay a lot for it. But since I'm working off a budget, I wanted to do it myself. I found a few examples of horse cakes, but the more I considered, the more I realized I'm too OCD to try a horse (if it doesn't look like a horse, I won't be happy). So the next best option? Making a sheet cake, icing it and putting horses on it.
Thus, I've devolved into a cowgirl/horse theme, a more generic and possibly more unique twist on what should be a really special day for me (because I doubt M will remember it!)
I did a test run of the small cake that M will get to destroy (is there a name for them?) this past week and it turned out okay, I learned to really layer my pan with a lot of Crisco so that all of it comes out, including the sides. I learned that I can make the majority of the frosting and buy the stuff to use for decorating because it's firmer, and finally, I learned you have to use a lot of dye to get the color you want in frosting!
That's a lot of work for a party my kid won't remember! But it's worth it. She always is.

Breastfeeding and pools

All right, mommas. I bring it up because it's happened at a pool I was guarding once and my lil' sister still guards, and had it happen today to her. You want to breastfeed in public? Fine. You want to breastfeed in a pool? Get outta town.
I want to point out something that I don't believe the Crusader Moms (any mom who finds a cause, no matter how absurd, and starts protests, wages war and generally causes a ruckus) think about: It is unsanitary for YOUR CHILD to nurse in a pool. Do you know what's in a pool, besides chlorine? Urine. Fecal material. Skin cells. Food particles from the snack you let your older kids have 30 minutes before swimming. If it's an outdoor pool: bugs, grass, sunscreen residue, sweat. There's a good chance another kid might've puked a little of his lunch up and not told anyone. Most people don't shower before getting in, especially those old men who just sat in the sauna for 20 minutes and need to cool off.
Do you really want the privilege of nursing your child in that?
Chlorine makes water safe to SWIM in. It does not make it an appropriate place to feed a child whose immune system is not as strong as yours. And believe me when I say, the pristine pools you see the Olympians swimming in is not your local public or neighborhood private pool.
Yes, mothers have the right to breastfeed where they want in Colorado. That doesn't make it right to breastfeed in a pool!
I won't even bring up the bodily fluid argument because it's a moot point, there are all sorts of nasty bodily fluids floating in that water. If you care about your infant, you will take the time to get out of the pool, wrap him/her in a nice fluffy towel and breastfeed on the sidelines. Oh, and it's probably not a bad idea to give the older kids a break, too, because children get tired in the water and it's better to be safe than sorry with your children!
Clearly, this debacle has become the vocal minority overruling the quiet majority—a majority of women don't feel the need breastfeed while in the pool, but that Crusader Mom and her group of "Human Rights" mommy minions have blown this whole thing out of proportion.
Crusader Mom seems to not care that others may be offended by her actions, and that attitude is harmful and blinding. All she sees are her "rights" while forgetting the those around her have rights, too. And typically she vents her opinions on a hapless lifeguard who only wanted to enforce the rules so that everyone at the pool is comfortable, safe and happy. (Side note: Stop taking out your issues on lifeguards. It's not nice.)
If you search for "breastfeeding in public pools" you find a lot of stories, and most of them end with pool management acquiescing to Crusader Mom. You'll also find a lot of forums where the question is posed: "Should it be allowed or not?" and the answers are ignorant "sure, why not?" and "I don't see why you shouldn't."
If you worry at all about your children being in a clean environment, then you would not add to the mess of a pool. You would breastfeed your child out of the pool for the sanitary consideration of everyone (I've only ever seen Mexican hotel pools allow food and drink in the pool so don't even throw that argument at me!) and most importantly, for the well-being of your very own loveable, messy baby! You would also take your kids home and make them shower in good clean water with soap, because even though the possibility of contracting illness from a chlorinated pool is slim, that stuff I mentioned earlier is on their skin, in their ears, hair, nose, etc. and it is pretty nasty when you think about it!
One closing thought: Swimmers do their very best to avoid inhaling/drinking the water they swim in, for more than just appropriate breathing reasons—they're in it enough to know that it can be nasty. So why put your baby in the position to consume that bacteria-filled water at the same time as their nutritious breast milk?!

Disclaimer: I support breastfeeding wholeheartedly. I support a woman's right to breastfeed in public. I do not believe that right extends itself into physically breastfeeding a child in a pool. These are my opinions, and frankly, if you don't share them, I'm always open to a little thoughtful discourse so comment below!

Most of all, let your kids swim! Water is one of the best things in the world for them (just scrub them after). :)

Providence and rain

Colorado has needed rain—anyone who lives here knows, and anyone who doesn't probably knows as well, because the fires raging across our state have been on national news for a while.
We've finally been getting rain, in some places, and sometimes, it's a lot of rain, which can cause problems in burn areas or just wash out the areas that are so dry. And I saw a post a friend of mine put on Facebook: "Couldn't we have this rain two weeks ago when the Waldo Canyon fire was burning homes?"
That would've been providence, wouldn't it? But is it any less so since God sent the rain now?
I'd say no. God sees the big picture. He knew Colorado needed the rain, but maybe He also was waiting for us to earnestly cry out to Him for help. Many people don't reach out to Him at all in times of trouble until we're desperate. Maybe he was waiting for that last holdout to say, "God, we need your help!"
Plus, I believe that God uses these situations to bring us closer to Him, and to remind us that through Him, nothing is impossible.
How often do we get to hear feel-good stories? Not often, unless they're attached to potential horror stories. Because it so often takes the worst in someone to bring out the best in someone else.
Take the Waldo Canyon fire: We don't know how it started yet, but authorities suspect foul play. There's your terrible human nature; someone was angry, jealous, insecure or maybe just foolish enough to deliberately start something that has devastating potential. This person's apparent misdeed, however, is bringing out the best in so many others. Like families opening their doors to complete strangers so they have a place to stay, or the donations and help that comes in all shapes and sizes that's needed so badly.
I do not think God whispered to that one person, "Go play with matches over there." He is not the reason we stumble. I do think the enemy told that person, "It won't hurt. What harm could possibly come of it? Go ahead, play with those matches." Satan is behind our sin, he loves it, revels in it.
But the great thing is that God takes whatever situation that Satan has created and turns it for better. People have lost their homes, possessions, pets, neighbors. But I bet God is there, carrying them just like that poem, "Footsteps in the Sand," suggests.
So now that we're getting rain, it's easy to look back and say, "But if..." or "But why..." Yet I say "Thank you!" because I can see God's hand working here in this state, and it humbles and encourages me.

Dear God,
Thank you for the rain. Let us remember that although we might never comprehend Your ways, You are always in control. Please bless those who have lost, and protect those who fight for our safety.
Amen


Waldo Canyon photos
Fire Ban

A little rain, a little shine

Yesterday did not start off in a way that might've made me worry. In fact, baby M had a great morning and we even got to go swimming with Grandma in the afternoon.
Once we were leaving though, the big gray clouds rolling in could've been playing an ominous tune, because they forecast nothing but trouble.
I was scheduled to do maternity photos with my friend Alise and her hubby, whose little bundle is due July 10, 2012. When I spoke to her, I said, "Pray it doesn't rain on our parade!" even though it seemed apparent there was no amount of praying that might stop this mighty storm.
As it came closer for me to go meet them, it started to rain, and hard. I found my phone, obviously wanting to touch bases with Alise, and found it mysteriously off. Sure, you'd think I just forgot to charge it, right? That would be the blonde excuse. But oh no, it was charged. It had sat on the charger all night. So the stupid thing mysteriously died, leaving me with no way to contact anyone except my parents' landline (I know, dinosaur.)
But does anyone memorize numbers anymore? I don't, except for the hubby's and the home number my parents have had since moving to Colorado. So the next step was trying to get Alise's number, which I knew was in my Facebook messages, which was easily accessible via computer, right? Wrong. Facebook is worthless if you cannot access it, which you cannot if the Internet your parents use is down.
So, the count is 1. Phone dead and 2. Internet down. What more could possibly happen? Well, how about walking out to your car ("Stella") and finding the door locked. Hmmm, that's strange, you might think. So you go ask your dad if perhaps he had locked it from some strange concern it might be stolen right in front of our eyes. But no, no he did not. Oh boy.
I go back out to Stella and go the driver's side door, and to my growing dismay, find it locked. Stella had locked herself. Key inside. CAMERA inside.
Yep, I sure wouldn't have cared if that thing had locked itself only with my key inside. But that camera? Alise and I live over 50 miles apart and she's due in literally 3 days, who knows when that baby will come?! I needed that camera!!
I guess it is good that I have my husband's cell number memorized because at least I could get a hold of him, no problemo. Crazy guy was just leaving work (he worked like 13 hours, bless his poor tired heart) and told me he'd go get the spare key and come to my parents' house.
That brings it to: 1. Phone dead 2. Internet down 3. Car locked with camera inside.
I jumped into my dad's pickup to hopefully track down Alise at our designated meeting space, not knowing if she had maybe decided to cancel due to rain, or maybe the baby coming, so I just hoped to see her. To no avail—so I went back and finally the Internet had returned.
Amazingly, the evening rounded itself out. The storm cleared, Alise and her hubby passed some time with dinner and visiting with me, my great rescuer hubby arrived and unlocked my car, and, being very thankful for late summer light, we got to take photos.

 This is photographer's favorite. I'm really thankful to Alise for being a good sport, being patient, and most of all, allowing me to take photos for her. I learned so much, it was absolutely invaluable. Thank you Alise!!
We may not have gotten to do playground photos (my original idea), but I think overall, it turned out just fine. And if Alise gets her way, her little bundle of joy will arrive sooner rather than later, so it's awesome that we did get this session in. Thank you, Lord!

Country meld—I'm a songwriter in hiding

I work part time at a place that plays country. I hate country music (as it is now). After four measly hours I'm ready to pull my hair out, and now, having worked there for over six months, I'm ready to clean out my brain if I could.
The problem with the music, besides the fact that it's "country," otherwise known as pop rock, is that it is the same, over and over and over and over.
So, when you have a problem of waking up randomly in the middle of the night and your brain starts working, you might come up with something like this:

Hey I'm a wildflower, growin' in the sunshine, 

soakin' up the way of life I was raised in,

runnin' barefoot, bloomin' in a summer shower, ponytail dancin', I can't help it,

I scream, at the top of my lungs, yea I come undone,

I'm stuck on you, whoa-oh, whoa-oh, stuck like glue,

you and me baby we're stuck like glue, whoa-oh, whoa-oh,

how come all the pretty girls like you are taken baby,

I've been looking for someone like you to save me,

would you walk to the edge of the ocean, just to fill my jar with sand,

just in case I get the notion, 

I see myself, like my mother doooooooeeeeessssssss,

when we owwwwwwwwned the night! 

Yup, it makes me want to scream too. (In case you're wondering: JaneDear Girls, Katie Arminger, Sugarland, Zac Brown Band, The Band Perry, Lauren Alaina, Lady Antebellum.)

There are two that I can even enjoy (The Band Perry & Lady Antebellum, although I can't say I like Lady Antebellum for any type of country music) but I would love to see Taylor Swift disappear from the scene completely and for all her music to just vanish.

Long, long ago I saw Rascal Flatts at their first Colorado concert (held at then-Six Flags Elitch Gardens) and I had loved them, right up until their third album and their music became unrecognizable as "country." I also saw Keith Urban before anyone knew who he was and guess what? Can't stand his music!!

If I didn't get a great discount on things I love like Wrangler and Ariat and get the chance to socialize with adults (yay!) it would be worth quitting! 

In the meantime, I'm going to keep praying my photography and freelance expands to the point where I don't need a part time job so that I can visit the store on occasion to buy feed. Until that happy day occurs, maybe I could get away with cotton in my ears?!

Baby loves her Papa

The older M gets, the more independent she is. I guess I could've expected that, but what I wasn't prepared for was for her to be so eager to get away from me. Point in case: She was so eager to go to her Papa this morning that she strained away from me to him, grabbed his shirt and began to leverage herself up to him.
She wasn't interested in a kiss goodbye, didn't care that I was leaving, nothing. While it's quite normal for M to be okay with me leaving her, this was more a "I don't care where you go, just let me go!" moment and while it didn't make me cry (shocker, considering those Olympic "Thanks, Mom," commercials can make me tear up), it did leave me a little flabbergasted. I climbed into my car and immediately texted my husband: "M didn't care that I was leaving her this morning."
His simple reply was "She loves you. Don't worry about it." Sure, don't worry. Don't worry that my 11 month old didn't even want a good bye kiss!!
Boo hoo hoo!
Yes, I'm certain that independence is healthy, I just wasn't ready for it to come at 11 months old! Maybe by preschool, or probably kindergarten, maybe even junior year of high school—but 11 months old?
Is she bored with me? Is she tired of me? Is she mad at me? She has definitely had "mad at momma" moments, especially when the cabinets finally got baby locks and I wouldn't let her play in my office trash can. This was unprecedented, and entirely unexpected!
To make it worse, she still wasn't interested in me when her Papa and Grandma dropped her off this afternoon! I gave her a hug, set her down to play in the grass, and the first thing she did? Crawled to Grandma to get picked up. Yup, seven hours away from her mom and I'm pretty sure if I stayed gone the whole day she wouldn't notice.
Strange, the things that I never would've thought could bother me before I became a mother. Pre-baby Tafra would probably scoff at the mother who worried that her child didn't care about her, and I'd likely have said "She's just independent!" Post-baby Tafra has wondered all day if her baby is Miss Independent or Miss I-Don't-Care-About-Mommy. And if it's the latter, I probably could cry!
Luckily, Papa and Grandma left and M played with me as usual. She's such a strong, personable baby, I know I'm blessed. But I might hold on to her a little longer every time she waves her arms at me to be lifted up—she probably won't let me do that very much longer.

Yes, I'm going to cherish these moments. I haven't had enough!

Day 11: Tiny Feet

Critique time! I'm not really thrilled about either of these images. What are your thoughts?

I'll bet there was something I could add to give them a little dimension, a little more feel. But, since I'm days behind on this photo project, I'm excited to have gotten a few toe shots in.
We walked to the park about 3/4 mile away from our house, and now that M is big enough to understand that eating gravel is not okay, I was excited to let her play in it. What made our little adventure interesting to me is we were about a hundred yards away from a couple and their child that appeared to be close in age to M.
As I drew nearer, I could see them stop and debate continuing straight (toward me and M) or turning left to go up the street. The chose to go left, and it appeared fairly obvious that the intention was to avoid crossing paths. It made me sad.
Here was the potential to make a new friend, someone who lives where I do that has a baby near in age to my own, and it didn't happen because of... shyness? Fear of dogs? (Roxy is a big pug...) I'm not sure what drove their decision but I thought it was a missed opportunity. Perhaps I'm a little bored (or lonely, call it what you want) but I definitely would be excited for M to have more interaction with babies her age. Alas, it seems our society is moving farther away from the "social" part of it.
Farther along our walk, we passed two kids with a "chiweiner"—part chihuahua, part weiner dog who were friendly and well-mannered. And when I say well-mannered, they moved out of the way for us to pass, and then when we passed them on the walk home, said "Have a good night!"
That surprised me, because it seems a majority of children lack basic social skills. I wanted to find their mother and say, "Good job!" Too many times I find myself focusing on the things children do wrong or that simply annoy me, and it's refreshing to come across kids like that. Even if it was just a polite moment, I think I'd enjoy hearing that my child is behaving well from a stranger.
Maybe that should be the topic of a 30-day challenge: See the best in the children you interact with. Ready, set, GO POSITIVE!

Parenting TOTD

Parenting TOTD (thought of the day):
I did not realize how serious my aversion to being dirty was until having a child of my own.
This realization occurred as my baby girl crawled all over our backyard, getting grass, cotton (the cottonwood in front is going crazy) and dirt stuck to her since she had been in the pool, then came over to climb onto me.
I let this occur, of course, because her happiness and enjoyment of the great outdoors has so far surpassed my obsessive need to be clean, but that certainly doesn't mean it didn't wig me out a little!
My particularly favorite must-be-clean obsession is feet. I loathe having dirty feet. I try not to let this little piece of dysfunction set me back too much because I love sandals, but once my feet are dirty, it does not take long for me to find the nearest hose, sink or bathtub to remedy the situation.
Luckily today M's wader pool is filled (five days straight of 100+ temperatures) and since it's full of cotton anyway I have no qualms about rinsing dirt and grass off of me. As long as the cotton doesn't stick to me, at which point I retreat indoors to the shower.
I know many days of dirtiness are ahead of me, so it will be interesting to see how well I can cope. Will my OCD be reduced to a shadow of its former self or will I merely have super dry skin from obsessive washing? We shall see.

It's been one week

since you looked at me, no wait. Not where I was going. It's just been one week since I last posted and I can't believe it because I've had so much I could write about. However, all that stuff to write about has been keeping me busy and/or stressed, so that's why I haven't blogged.
I had been planning my husband's surprise 30th birthday party for a while, and it took place on June 23. It actually was a success, which was a huge relief and still quite worrisome when I was waiting for people to show up and Matt was already on his way to the fire station where I was planning on surprising him.
So there were a few tense moments for me but he had no clue so it worked well:

There had even been a call when Matt's buddy Jarrett was helping shuffle people to the station and I though, No!!! Three of the guys went on the call and ended up having to go to the hospital with the dude because he shot himself in the groin. I won't even start on that, but how stupid can you be?!
His dad, uncle and cousin had the task of keeping him occupied all day, and what a challenge that was when he was worried he'd make me mad by not being home when I got off work! Little did he know!
We had a taco bar and party at his parents' house after, complete with firetruck cake!

He also got a baseball cake because Costco has limited choices.

 I even bought a banner that said "Happy 30th Birthday" and we kept it but I told him he couldn't use it for me in 2013 because I'd be celebrating my ninth 21st birthday, ha ha.

Another exciting development from the past week was M's first steps! June 21, 2012 shall forever be remembered as the day she took her first steps, five of them to be exact. I was so excited! And kind of bummed Daddy wasn't around to see but he got to see her walk later in the day. She's not completely comfortable doing it yet, so she's still crawling, but she's getting better every day!!

Hopefully I can somehow get back on track with my photo challenge that I let slip, but here's my crafty up-cycle of today:

I used one of the tins from M's food to create a new pen holder! I have a new L-shaped desk that gives me so much more space in my office (and even scrapbooking space!!) but it has no drawers so I needed to improvise.
Empty container + scrapbook paper + mod podge = pen holder! Awesome. Okay it's not perfect but when the wrinkles start to drive me crazy I'll just make a new one.

Day 10's actual picture!

Well, I'm waaaaaaay behind in this little experiment but I'm trying to play catch up:

Things like this happen when you're busy (babycleaningnetworkingbabycleaningworkingbabycooking) and I can't believe I haven't posted in almost a week! It also helps to be home at the same time as my husband.
My mom commented on the situation that's happened to millions of families this past weekend, along the lines of "everyone works so much and so often just to make ends meet, there is no getting together just to enjoy each other." How true?!
Matt works Monday through Friday but my schedule is erratic, and I usually work weekends. I also work evenings so that we don't have to pay a babysitter to watch M at all. It makes for precious little time together as a family, so yesterday we soaked it up!
My dad came down to have lunch with us and he doesn't get to see the baby as often as I'd like, so it was nice to spend time with him (silly baby spent most of the time napping...) And the hubby and I actually got to spend the entire afternoon with each other and M, not needing to go anywhere or do anything. It was awesome!
All of this boils down to one conclusion: Money cannot be the priority. Family must be. To make this a reality in my life (and after reading the inspiring stuff at thepeacefulmom.com—if a 6-person family can make it on less than $30,000/year, we can live well with what we're blessed with!) I've given myself a mental smack and am going back into broke-and-just-married mode.
 That, for us, means every single penny is budgeted with no wiggle room. It seems to be the reverse of what I said, but I believe that by budgeting and conquering our debt, our family will be first. We've already made the decision for me to stay home with M and only work part time (not including my building photography business) and from here out I am determined to make the best of what we're given. I'm so thankful that we are so blessed, and I won't let myself fall in to the "I wish" trap anymore—that's living in the world and I'm called to live outside it!
I know God has great things in store for me and my family. I can't wait to see what's coming up! 

Day 10: Holding hands with someone

Might have to try for Day 10 tomorrow...
Okay, mommas, you want your kids to swim, right? Here's what I think a good instructor should do:

1. Teach kids by showing them. If an instructor is teaching back floats, they should sit the kids out of the pool and show them what a good back float looks like. {Head back, chin up, relax your body, arms out, btw}. They should be very interactive.
2. Be looking at the child when they are with them one-on-one, and there should most definitely be one-on-one time! If an instructor is looking at her buddy on the guard stand while your munchkin is sinking during a back float, she is not paying attention to your child.
3. Make it fun! There's a reason kids love to swim, water is fun! A good instructor teaches by making the basics fun. Think "red light, green light" for kicking while still teaching kids that kicking shouldn't be a "soccer-ball" kick, it should be a "fish kick" or some similar analogy.

A great instructor should notice the details when your child is swimming. If she's teaching a preschooler to back float (apparently my go-to example), she'll probably have the child's head on her shoulder, or what I would do is physically hold their head while teaching them to breath deeply so that their body relaxes and chest rises. She'll notice that arms are stiff or legs are starting to come up. She'll know that head support is crucial when on the back because a scared child does not want water in their face, and it's perfectly possible to back float without getting water on the face. And she'll keep them in the float just long enough that they will either float by themselves (yea!) or learn that they can trust her with their heads and relax.

And here's a final tip for parents: When your baby is taking a bath and you're getting to the end of it, drain it (or if it's like my bathtub, it'll be low enough anyway) enough that you can lie your child on her back, so that her ears are in the water, but not in her face. This has two benefits: the water will completely fill the ears and accustom your baby to water, and she can see your face (which should be excited and encouraging, read this! The third benefit is that she'll be "floating" without ever losing support and still be in the right position for real floating.

If you ever have questions about swimming, please let me know, I'm happy to help. Also, these are simply my suggestions built from 8 years of teaching and going on 24 years of swimming, but they may not work for everyone! (Read: Disclaimer.)

I had a little girl a few years ago who had, the previous summer, achieved swimming the entire length of the pool. Quite an accomplishment, right? It could've been, but when I started teaching her, I quickly realized that she was in no way ready to do the whole pool. In fact, she wasn't even ready to put her face under the water!
The problem was her foundation was shaky. She was afraid to be under the water; she was scared to be on her back. We spent the entire summer in the shallow end of the pool fixing her foundation—how to do a bob, how to go from her back to her belly and back, what arm strokes should look like, etc.—and our summer ended with her triumphantly swimming on her back confidently and able to stay under the water longer than two seconds. She could've gone the 25 meters, but my goal was not distance, it was strength.
The moral of this story is: If you want your children to swim safely and confidently, don't be satisfied with any lifeguard at the local pool who's roped into teaching. Find someone who is good at teaching, because your child is worth it!

Day 9: Having a Meltdown or Crying

Okay this is from a week ago, but she didn't get upset today! It was a great, great day for both of us. Up at 6:40, a nice couple hours playing/cleaning, I read her to sleep for nap #1, she slept for an hour and a half, woke up cheerful and playing in her crib, I was able to shower even though she was awake (shocker!), a trip to Walmart (scored a few photo frames and some photography props on clearance, I don't know why people hate that store so much...), some time in the sun, and another read-to-sleep nap, which then allowed me to barbeque our dinner without any baby worry!
(That is likely the longest sentence I have ever written.)
If only I didn't get more bad news about our house-buying situation when I got home, this day would've been pretty nice. All I can say is, must be nice to live off the government, hope all those people enjoy themselves. :p

Day 6/7/8

Days 6 and 8 were a total flop for me. :( There was just no way to get M to play by herself long enough for Day 6: Crack a Door and Photograph What They're Doing (I tried to set up my tripod and photograph her directly after waking up from a nap but I was caught making too much noise, silly Mom!), and Day 8: Silhouette I just plain gave up on.
Day 7's photograph for Playing in the Bathtub pretty much expresses how I felt:

... but M was quite enjoying herself.
Yesterday while scrolling through Pinterest I saw a pin entitled something along the lines of "10 tips to make your kid a swimmer". It was interesting to me first because I am a swimmer, second because I was a lifeguard and taught swimming lessons for 8 years.
I clicked, and lo, it was also a "mommy blog" and the writer's husband, who also was a lifeguard and taught lessons, had guest written his advice for parents.
I was a lifeguard long before M was around, when this chic would've told you, "No, I don't want kids. Ever," without hesitation. That's the truth, I didn't. (M changed my life, but that's another blog post.) My distaste for kids was well known but I was considered a fabulous actress, because I could get any kid to swim.
Pre-mommyhood, I also had some pretty set opinions on why kids had issues in water, and I am pleased to say that now I am a mom, those opinions were right. Ninety percent of the time, in the kids I've taught, their fear of the water was caused by their parents.
I remember starting many parent-tot classes (parents in the water with their kids, usually age 3 months to 3 years) with this speech: "Welcome to parent-tot. You will be expected to GET WET in this class, so please be prepared. Your whole body, by the time we are done with each class, should be wet." That was just the beginning; my speech covered all the basics and generally a "you don't have to dunk them, but I encourage it" bit.
Typically, the older the child, the worst the fear, and I loved getting babies because (even though parents hated it—maybe I enjoyed making them squirm?) if I had them in my class at 6 months, I knew I could start them in the water right. Putting a child under occurred the first day, not to just get it out of the way but to get the parents familiar with the fact that their child would not drown after a few seconds in the water.
That was always the first mistake I noticed—freaking out if a child fell in inches-deep water face first. A parent's reaction is SO IMPORTANT. Yes, as I know as a mom, it is scary to see your child's face in water. But in the five seconds or so that it takes an adult to grab that child, he/she will not drown! In fact, they'll usually splutter a bit and if they don't look at their parents, they'll keep playing.
The desire to prevent drowning is very strong—I understand that better now—but babies don't drown in five seconds. This is what supervised swimming means—you sit with your child close enough to grab them if they go down but you let them explore!
So my number one piece of advice after my first number one piece of advice (GET IN THE WATER WITH YOUR KIDS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD) for parents: DO NOT LET THEM SEE YOU PANIC. If they fall face first, make your face say "Wow! Wasn't that fun?" while telling them "Blow bubbles next time!"

You, too, can have a baby that loves water!! :) But I make no promises about hats.

Perhaps tomorrow or sometime this week I'll write about what to look for in a good swimming instructor—because there are many, many teenagers teaching swimming lessons who are no good at it. 

Listening to: Nothing, because my iMac is overloaded with huge programs (Adobe!) and is having fits if I run too many apps. I promised it I'll get more ram but I just got a brand new lens and it may be a while...