She's Like A Puppy, Only Better

There are quite a few similarities between having a baby and a puppy.  Macy follows me around everywhere I go.  But instead of walking she crawls behind me.  And as I type this she is chewing on my couch cushion.  Earlier, I caught her chewing on my purse.  Just like a puppy.


I bet you're thinking, yeah, but she doesn't poop on the floor.  Oh, but she has.  About a month or so ago, she took her diaper off AND POOPED ON THE FLOOR.  Another time, she had such a big explosion in her pants her diaper failed and there was poopy on my floor.  I even snapped a picture.....

Am I a horrible mother for taking a picture instead of cleaning her up?  Well, I felt really bad about taking this picture because about 0.746 seconds later she stuck her hand in the poop.  In hindsight, I probably should have cleaned her up.  Ehh, oh well.  Now I have a picture for her memory book :)

She is also like a puppy in that she gets SUPER excited when I talk to her in a happy, high pitched voice. Just like a dog would.  If she had a tail, it would wag.  She also licks my face to show her appreciation.  It's her special way of saying I love you.  

But she is so much better than a puppy.  He smiles make my day and her laughs are infectious.  There is no better feeling than having her reach her arms up at me with a big toothy grin.  I have never been so proud of something in my life.  It's amazing to see her learn new things everyday.  Today she discovered how to whisper.  So she has spent most of the day whispering "da-da".  And I have spent most of my day tearing up watching her enthusiastically discover the world.  

Well, Hello Blog....

Yes, it's been awhile.  I am a bad blogger.  But I promise to be more frequent in my posting.  A lot has happened in the World of Macy in the past month and I am kicking myself for not chronicling it.  Here's a quick recap, Macy is crawling like crazy, she hates naps and her car seat and she claps every time she's happy.  Ahh, it's such a exciting time watching her grow up.  She is a happy little soul.

Anyway, here are a few pics I have snapped of her over the last month....

And for old times sake, here's a picture that makes me smile....

But I will be posting more often.  Promise.  So stay tuned!

Catch a Baby by its Toe.....

Since Macy is getting older, she is becoming increasingly mobile.  It's exciting to see her make all her milestones but it's also a sad reminder that she is growing up quickly.  Too quickly.  She is on the go every second she is awake.......even during diaper changes  ::sigh::  And today, I was forced to grab my baby by her foot as she was crawling away from me diaper less and covered in poop.

Ever since I brought Macy home from the hospital I have been changing her diapers on our bed.  The diaper changing table I bought for her nursery still sits unpacked in its box waiting to be returned to Target.  I have never assembled it nor have I ever missed it.  It's just more convenient to change her diapers on our bed with a water proof pad underneath her.  We have had a few mishaps over the last 8 months but nothing like today.......

I was feeding Macy her breakfast when I saw an intense look of concentration come over her.  I knew it could only mean one thing........she was leaving me a gift in her diaper.  Nice.  First thing in the morning nonetheless.  So, I carefully got her out of her highchair (because sometimes she leaves me a really big gift that can seep out the sides of the diaper) and brought her to my bedroom so I could change her diaper.  As soon as I got her poop filled diaper off she rolled over and took off crawling like a bat out of hell.  And she was covered in poop.  OMG.  In one hand, I had an impressive poopy diaper that was loaded to the max and the other hand was trying to catch my poop covered baby from brushing up against my pillows, my headboard, my sheets and/or the remote control.  All I could do was reach out and grab her foot and yell "no baby!!".  OMG, she screamed like she was suffering real abuse.  She wanted no part of the diaper change and she voiced her displeasure.  It in no way bothered her that she was covered in poop.  

So I reluctantly put down the poopy diaper, even though I didn't have a chance to fold it properly so the poop would not be exposed.  And I reached over and grabbed my diaper less, poop covered daughter so I could clean her up.  This is when the real crying started.  I think it's safe to say that this was Macy's first full on temper tantrum.  OMG, did she yell.  The more I wiped her butt the louder she screamed.  Finally, I got a clean diaper on her but not after having to use some wrestling techniques in order to hold her still.  Once her diaper was on I picked her up and she stopped yelling.  It was like nothing had happened.  

But whoa, I have never seen her cry like that.  I have heard from other toddler moms that diaper changes are when the meltdowns happen in their house.  If today was just a glimpse of what is yet to come, then someone please invent the DVD's series called "You Baby Can Use the Potty".  I want to hear about 3 month olds who use the potty unassisted on infomercials late at night.  I would gladly fork over $250 at 3:30 AM for that DVD series and be done with diaper changes all together.  

Who would have ever thought the child with this sweet little face could tun into such a monster in 2 seconds flat?

Why I'm Never Drinking Again.....

I've decided that I'm never drinking again.  After my experience on Saturday, I'm throwing in the towel and giving up drinking for good.  BTW, I say this periodically and inevitably I wind up drinking again.  Umm, yikes, with that last statement it sounds like I am a alcoholic trying to kick the habit.  But the truth is I hardly ever drink and when I do it's not very much.  Therefore, it's easy for me to get a little tipsy.  

Anyway, here's my story.  Nothing too exciting but I learned my lesson......

Every once in a while I have a day where I hit overload.  It doesn't happen too often (maybe once a month) but when it does, I need find a way to unwind.  Well, my overload day was Friday.  Macy and I ran errands, had a play date and went to the vet with one of our dogs (which BTW, is close to impossible to try hold a baby and control a dog by yourself.  But I managed......just barely, but I managed).  We planned to have a few friends over that night so I had the added stress of making sure the house was "company ready" and making sure we had enough food to feed everyone.  

By the time 7:30 rolled around (Macy's bedtime) I was looking forward to some kid free time.  Well, wouldn't you know that would be the night that Macy would fight sleep.  I guess it was my fault.  Since we had such a busy day prior, her nap time got moved back a few hours which screwed everything up.  Her schedule was blown and I was going to pay for it.  Ugh.  1.5 hours later, Macy finally gave up and feel asleep.  It was 9 PM and I had completely neglected my house guests.  I was ready for a drink.  

I guess it was my frazzled nerves that made me feel so daring, but I had three glasses of wine that night.  I was having such a good time acting like a normal person rather than a mom.  The wine went down easy and I knew I was going to pay for it come Saturday morning.  Thankfully I stopped myself at three glasses but could have easy gone for more.  I had a pretty good buzz but I remember my 7:30 AM wake up call from Miss Macy.  I knew if I didn't stop there I was going to be miserable.  So as a preemptive measure I took and Advil, had a sip of water and  prayed that my hangover would be kind to me in the morning.  

Come 3:30 AM I woke up DYING of thirst.  So I reluctantly got out of bed and went to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.  I took a swig and instantly felt the heaviness from the cold water in my stomach.  Ugh.  Great.  So I sat in bed for two hours debating on whether I should throw up or not.  You know that feeling after you have been drinking, right?  You have an internal debate regarding the pros and cons of throwing up.  And it takes total concentration not to burst into a violent puking attack.  "Maybe I would be lucky, puke one time, find instant relief, and wake up feeling like a million bucks" OR "I could open the flood gates and puke my brains out for hours on end.  Instead of waking up feeling like a million bucks the only thing I would wake up to was sore abs and a hangover."  Finally I feel asleep at 5:30 without puking.  

I am upset to say that I did not wake up at 7:30 feeling like a million buck but at least I didn't have sore abs either.  I just felt like shit.  And apparently, that Advil I took before bed did nothing but send my liver into overdrive because I had a wicked headache.  

Thankfully, it was a Saturday and Jason was kind enough to take over baby duty while I slept the first half of the morning.  I honestly don't know what I would have done had he been at work.  Unfortunately stay at home moms don't get a sick day.  

So from here on out, I swear to Gawd, I am never drinking again.  

And here is my obligatory picture of Macy!  She is such a happy baby..... 

 

Scratch That, My Kid WILL Eat!

I am proud to say that I have a eater on my hands!  I don't know what happened but she woke up Monday morning and decided that food is good.  I didn't post earlier about my excitement because I was afraid I might jinx it.  But now that we are going on Thursday, and she has had four successful days of EATING FOOD, I feel it's safe to announce it to the world (or to the two people who actually read this blog) - MY KID EATS SOLID FOOD!  


I am so incredibly excited, I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  And now the doctor won't report me to CPS because she is convinced I am starving my child.  


But there is one tiny problem.  And it's a problem with me, not Macy.  I am a control freak and I am having the hardest time letting Macy explore feeding herself.  Like, I have to restrain myself from wiping her down every 10 seconds because food is smeared on her face or ::gasp:: on her hand and who knows what she will touch.  Honestly, I pace around her high chair and sometimes I have to even excuse myself to the next room just to resist the urge to give her a good wipe down.  Am I crazy?  Am I the only mom who fights these urges?  I see plenty of other pictures of babies covered in food on other blogs or Facebook.  Do their mom's not have mini panic attacks while they're eating?  Surely, I can't be the only one?  


OMG, and why do they make fabric covered high chairs?  The only thing I can think about while Macy is eating (other than, OMG my kid is finally eating solid food) is please, please, please don't touch the fabric with your gooey hands.  I know this is ridiculous because what is the worst thing that happens?  She makes a mess, gets the fabric nasty and I have to stick it through the washer.  So what?  This rationale doesn't sound so rational as she is making a mess.  Yeah, I am cra-zzzzyyyyy.  


I know most of you are thinking I am ridiculous and on this, I would say you're right.  But I promise, I let my girl eat and I don't bother her.  I only wipe her down after she has finished eating.  But in the mean time, I have to practice self control.  I know, I have issues, this is something that will just take some getting used to.


Check out how cute she is.  Even if food is smeared all over her face.  BTW, she eats naked because I think worrying about getting her outfit messy on top of the fabric on the highchair would send me into a tailspin......

Happy baby.....

Party Planning Mode!!

Even though Macy's first birthday is over four months away, I have already started planning.  I love planning parties.  Planning my wedding was one of my most enjoyable experiences.  I just hate paying for parties.  Unlike my wedding, my parents won't be footing the bill (or for any of my parties in the future).  And unfortunately for Macy, her mother decided to quit her job so she could stay home with her so her parents are broke.  Which means I will have many DIY projects in my future.  Just so you know, I loathe DIY projects.  I would just rather pay someone for what I need.  But since we are down to one income, I don't have that luxury.  Even on a shoestring budget and many DIY projects, I am still looking forward to planning her first birthday.  


I have not decided on a theme yet.  I am torn between ladybugs or monkeys.  What I am sure of is the colors, which will be lime green, fuchsia and bubble gum pink.  I know you are wondering how I can pull off this color scheme with a ladybug theme, but I thought black and red was kinda "blah" for a 1 year old's birthday.  I found a picture of a cake that is more or less serving as my inspiration for the ladybug theme.....

Isn't this cake freakin' awesome?!  Yeah, I am sure the price tag is hefty as well.  But I have a plan.......my friend Mindy who lives in Tampa started making cakes as a hobby.  Well, it turns out Mindy really has a knack for this stuff and has recently opened up her own caking making business.  While it's not feasible for her to make Macy's cake, she has agreed to make the fondant decorations and ship them to me so I can add them to a cake I buy here locally in Texas.  


And if I decided to go with the monkey theme, I was thinking something like this would be cute for the cake topper......

For decorations, I have decided to make some tissue paper pomanders to hang from the ceiling.  This is A LOT more time consuming that I thought it would be.  Really, I would like to pay a florist for pomanders made of real flowers but I am oh-so broke and that's not an option.  Surprisingly, the pomanders have turned out better than I expected.  I plan on making 3 lime, 3 fuchsia, and 3 bubble gum pink.  Good thing I have four months until the party because I think I will need all that time to complete this project.  So far I have completed one green pomander and it took me about a 4 hours to complete.  But I have plenty of time and no money so it's my only option......

Not bad, right?  The color is a tad off in this pic so the pomander is not really dayglo green.  Now, I just have 8 more pomander to make......or 32 hours.  

Of course, no party would be complete with out the birthday girl decked out in her best birthday outfit.  I am planning on getting Miss Macy a tutu.  I think this will be the only birthday that it will be acceptable for her to wear one.  So what the hell, why not??!  Check out how cute this tutu is......

Of course, she would need to wear leggings underneath since her birthday is in December.  

Speaking of December, I hate that her birthday is right smack dab in the middle of the holiday season.  December 8th.  Ugh.  Poor girl.  So since both my family and Jason's family will be out for Thanksgiving, I think we are going to have her birthday party that Saturday after Thanksgiving.......11 days early.  Ehh, she won't know the difference but I really want her Grandparents to be able to partake in her birthday festivities.  

It's hard to believe that I am planning my baby's first birthday  ::tear::

My Kid Won't Eat

Macy is seven and a half months old and still isn't eating solid foods.  Well, wait.  I take that back.  She will  eat ice cream, popsicles and crackers.  Some diet, right?  But seriously, I need her to start eating.  I can only imagine the talking to I am going to get when I take her back to the Pediatrician for her nine month appointment.  At this point she should be eating three meals a day.  


I try.  I swear I do.  Every chance I get I try to get her to eat.  I have taken every approach under the sun for her to eat.  I have tried making home made baby food, I have tried Gerber baby food, I have tried Sprout baby food, baby puffs, yogurt, fresh steamed veggies, purees, you name it, I have tried it.  I have tried feeding her with a spoon, letting her feed herself, having Jason feed her, strangers, and still nothing works. Ugh.  I am at a loss.  What do I do?!  


I recently bought yogurt drinks and she takes those just fine from a bottle.  She enjoys the various flavors but she has ABSOLUTELY no interest in anything that doesn't come from a bottle.  I feel horrible as a mother when I hear other moms talk about how their kid is a porker and would eat the house if they could. Macy is growing and meeting her developmental milestones but at some point her refusal to eat will become an issue.  


I keep hoping that tomorrow will be the day that she makes the decision to eat solid food.  So please send all your food eating vibes Macy's way.


Eat baby, eat!