9 months = best.ever.

I think I have said before that 9 months has been the best one so far. Gianna thinks so too. She wants to show you.

Playing with boys is way too fun. Especially this cool guy.

 

I am too awesome to hold my own bottle. But playing with the bottle cap. Nothing better!

Playing with Mommy’s lens cap is my favorite. Who needs toys?

Finally they let me get in the big girl tub. I love it in there.

 

I got to play with some other friends, Olivia was trying to give me walking lessons.  Ben & Maggie watched the action while plotting how to get across the room unnoticed.

Also, Mommy & Daddy don’t know this, but playing with the electrical cords is really fun. They should try it, maybe they will quit telling me no then….

Just thought all of Mommy’s internet friends needed an update from me.  Maybe soon Mommy will post the video of me dancing, since that doesn’t come through well in regular old pictures, because dancing is my FAVORITE!!  And waving.

Those are some big shoes to fill

Blog Hop time again!!
( Remember last week's?)
Join the fun by linking up down there.... it's fun, I promise!  Or you can just leave some comment love for me and all the other participants

This week's topic: What aspects of your parents' parenting do you want to continue in parenting your own kid(s)?

I have said it a million times - while we were trying to get pregnant, during my entire pregnancy and throughout this crazy mommyhood journey - if I can be HALF of the mom that mine is, my children will be in great shape!  My dad, is a total douche, so my mom had to play double duty, and did it without even trying.  She is amazing.  I could go through my old posts and link to all of them here, but I have a feeling that would take up a lot of time....

Since I don't want to make this overly sappy - here is a list of things I want to do with my kids that I learned from my mom

• sing the unbirthday song and let her eat a twinkie and blow out a candle
• make sure she always feels safe
• always kiss her goodnight and tell her how much I love her
• teach her to be polite
• be her best friend
• believe in her, no matter what.
• sing and dance around the living room
• laugh
• trust
• eat dinner together, and do the dishes together
• read dr. seuss books to her, in my dr. seuss book voice
• make the ordinary days special

I talk to my mom everyday. I tell her everything. I trust her with my life.  She learned it from her parents, and I strive to pass on such lessons to my daughter. There isn't one part of her parenting that I don't hope to emmulate.

Wordless Wednesday

the best way to occupy the bug when making dinner!

*photo by tami musick

I’m too sexy for my love….

 

As if I haven’t shared enough about myself to you, my internets, there is always more.

I know, right.  WHAT could it be?  the suspense is killer.

Here’s the gig folks:

Andrea’s self esteem since having a baby = shitty. Shitty shitty shitty.  Why you may wonder, what with the fluffy belly, the double chin and the cottage cheese thighs? How could that not be the ULTIMATE in sexy?

I am wondering the same thing….. 

Since my husband thinks I am still the hottest thing on the block.

(have I told you lately that I love him? I do. And he loves my fluff. ::swoon::)

Back to the unsexy, unsure part of me.  All the assholes cool people out there will tell you how they fit into their pre-pregnancy jeans on their ride home for the hospital and about how they were even skinnier 6 weeks post partum than before they were with child.  And then, there are the normal honest people of the world who tell you about how they hung on to those pesky last 10lbs until their kid was 12, and by that time, those 10lbs were blamed on nachos and beer. 

(and by people, I mean anyone who has been pregnant. duh.)

(but, this totally applies to anyone that has ever let their self esteem, for any reason, get in the way of life.)

(and no, for the record, this is NOT a fish for compliments. it is just honesty.)

I am going to be honest here and tell you all that, before I got pregnant, I was like a lot of 20-something's.  There was always an extra millimeter of pudge here or there that I wanted gone.  Always another 5lbs to lose. But. I wore a size 4 and damn, I looked good. I felt good. I liked the way I looked, 6/7 days of the week. I had a tan. I had a flat tummy. I had good hair. I still had love handles, but it’s not a perfect world folks!

Now, almost 10 months after giving birth, 2 months away from having a ONE year old. (hold me…) I still have those last 5-10lbs to go. The fluff gets in the way of my pants. (but, I am back to single digit pant sizes, so yay to that) I am whiter than white and not confident enough to use the tanning package I got for Christmas. (yes, I am well aware of the side effects of tanning. I am also aware of the effect it has on how I feel.) I work out when I can, which is not nearly enough to satisfy me.  I do have some abs hiding  underneath the fluff – trying to coax them out by eating better. Unsuccessfully.  Clearly the love handles are still in full force. I can live with them.  My thighs touch in one spot. And that makes me angry. (this happened once after college and I vowed to work my thighs ass off – which I did – and to never let it happen again. Never say never….)

I got new hair, in hopes it would lift my spirits. Which it did-ish and I like it.  None of my clothes fit right, in my opinion, and that makes the mornings sucky.

Other people have told me that I look “great” and “skinny” and I just smile and say thanks. I truly appreciate their comments, I just don’t believe them.  The thing is, my husband tells me multiple times a day that I don’t need to change a thing, but why do I feel so crappy about myself?  

How do I feel good about myself? How do I see myself as others see me? This is my problem.  I have accepted that I will likely not look like I did before I had a baby, and that is ok. Seriously, it is. But why can I not accept how I look today? What am I missing?  I would do just about anything to see myself through my husband’s eyes. 

 

^ new hair. and blue eyes!!

Speaking of food....

A local mommy message board I am on, from here on out referred to as the ADMers, has lots of awesome bloggers like her, her, her & her - the fearless leader of this adventure.  We are doing a blog hop, and no, I do not know what that means really - but you can play too by clicking on the mcklinky down there. And, leave some love to all the other awesome participants.

This weeks topic: What is your child's favorite and least favorite foods? Are you Happy about it? What do you do to promote a diverse palate?

Fitting huh? I didn't even know this was going to be the topic when I wrote this post. Am that good, clearly.

Favorite food of G - fruit. carbs. puffs.  she is a freaking puff-a-holic. But for real, she lurves her some fruit. All fruit. Am pleased.

Least favorite food of G - veggies.  In fact, she dislikes veggies so much at the current moment that I can't even hide them in other food (like french fries...) because she will magically eat everything in her mouth BUT the veggie, stick her tongue out with it on there and then gag. Yes. I am serious.  I think this talent is genetic as I her aunts did the same thing growing up..... 

I am totally happy about her choice to love all things fruit. I am not happy about her dislike of veggies, clearly.

We try to just give her some of everything at every meal.  I don't force food on her, but I do make her try everything even if she spit it out the last time we had it.  As we have discussed, I want her to have a more diverse palate and open to any and all suggestions on how to make this a succes!

Now, don't forget to join us each week (add the mcklinky to your page!) ) And visit Paige to join in all the fun. (and for way better directions on how to play)