Wordless Wednesday

tools of the trade part 2

new age. new tools. same great cuteness.

part 1

Supply and Demand

We all know the old economic principle of supply and demand, right?
When the demand increases, the supply should also increase and vice versa.
Can I just tell you how not true this is for my love life? (and yes, by love, I mean sex).
I am finally feeling really comfortable (most days) with how I look, where my jiggly spots still are and that my hair really never is quite right.  But? My clothes are fitting great, my shoes fit even better and my husband thinks I am hot.  So finally, after a year, I feel good.  So good in fact I bought a 2 piece bathing suit! And I think it looks pretty okay on too.
My problem though, is that The Tired is still around and more fierce than ever paired with a huge pile of work.  Work being school work, work work, house work, wife work and mommy work.  Alotta workin’ goin’ on over here.
So we have The Tired, The Extreme Tired and The Work to battle if we are going to have The Sex.  After my last discussion with the internet on this topic, we instituted weekly sex.  It honestly worked.  The Pacific replaced The Sahara and life was good.
Good ole’ supply and demand in action.
And then life got in the way, per usual.
Now we are back at square one. Or negative one. 
Why does this happen? Why can I get over one barrier (self-image) and sort of another (Sahara v Pacific) to only replace it with The Extreme Tired and The Work. 2 steps forward, 3 steps back it is.  This makes for high demand with low supply.
The Sex is like a freaking prized jewel these days.  That’s what happens when things are in high demand right? They become more coveted?   Somebody tell my husband that until the Extreme Tired lets up and this girl gets some energy back.

Friday Night Leftovers

• I really like the fun visitors ICLW brings to my blog. Thanks for visiting, ya’ll come back now – ya hear?! (yes, i know that is corny)
• Gianna is just a goofball these days. She spent last night brushing her babies hair. We also put said baby in the bathtub with her because, well, she was messy when she ate her nutrigrain bar. Gianna got so mad at me when I tried to take the wet baby from her so she could go to bed.  A little water never hurt anyone….
• I really do not like all the humidity we are having for the sole reason that it is forcing me to use our AC. I really do not like having to be cuddled under a blanket in the summer time.
• My last big project of the semester involves me narrating a powerpoint presentation that I gave last week. The one I gave was 30 minutes long. My narration can only be 10 minutes. That should be an easy task…..
• We have all wood floors in our house.  I am not a huge fan of sweeping. Those two things do not go together.
• I am jonesing for a new lens for my camera.  And a new fun camera bag.  and some camera lessons so I can take better pictures.
• Why do I stay up late every night? By late I mean until 11. I am always tired in the morning. Some people never learn….
• One of my coworkers is ridiculously behind the times technologically. I feel like if you are in the work force today - you should know what Microsoft Office is and how to use its components. Telling me you don't know what powerpoint is and not being able properly prepare a document in Word is not making me respect you as a peer.... For gawd sake, ELMO has email. You should be able to put together a simple powerpoint presentation. It is 2010 - get with it.
• I had other things I wanted to write here… and now I can’t remember what they were. Typical.

Visit Danifred to play along

Sometimes dinner can be dramatic

So we all have heard my many woes about how G doesn’t like to eat 99% of food.  But, the girl loves her some fruit.

Loves it so much she will shovel 10 pieces of strawberry into her mouth at once, because obviously some strawberry monster is going to eat them if she doesn’t.

Which leads to the dinner time drama. She deemed her eggs “ucky” and wanted only her strawberries and plums. And she wanted to eat them at warp speed.  Or pack them away in her cheeks for later like a chipmunk.

If you tell her “slow down Gianna” or “one bite at a time, Gianna” she makes faces like this while trying to sneak in an extra nibble:

I apologize in advance, little one, that you inherited my Ugly Crier Gene.  Fair warning – everyone will know when you are upset for your whole life. No hiding it.  If you look close you can see the alligator tears on her cheeks.

I may or may not have provoked her with a “slow down Gianna” or two so I could finally get this face on camera:

 

This face she offered up all on her own. I tell you – who knew so much drama was involved in trying to prevent choking?  She gave me the extra pout/cry/whimper when I said “stop crying so you don’t choke on your food”. 

I did the ultimate no-no in mommyhood disciplinary action - I laughed. She always laughs when someone else does. So she started to cheer up.

The she found her wa-wa, which always makes her happy.  And we were jamming to some Justin Bieber – which also makes her happy.

All the drama that was Thursday Night Dinner Time began and ended in about 10 minutes. 

Thankfully it ended on a higher note than it started with.

Wordless Wednesday

I took my daughter to an Italian Festival and all she ate was grilled cheese.

**welcome ICLWers! hope you enjoy my crazy section of the internet**

Catch up and breathe

here is my typical bulleted post because this is all I am able to wrap my brain around at this very instant

• I turned in my last paper for the semester. 1 narrated powerpoint, 1 SWOT analysis, 1 more discussion/response and I am done for 3 weeks. Dear lord is it next Thursday yet?
• Speaking of school, on my three weeks “off” I will frantically be figuring out what practicum to take for 2 credit hours, completing and getting the paperwork approved. Not really looking forward to this part.
• Someone in our neighborhood has a dirt bike. that he rides all.the.fucking.time.  It is loud and obnoxious.
• the weather, in my opinion, has been blissful. I love the sun. the heat. all of it. I just need more time to enjoy it.
• Gianna is bursting at the seams with new words. We live with a pintsized chatty-kathy.
• Gianna is also on a water and fruit diet. and cheese puffs. It’s swell.
• I need to get like 2398476 pictures printed. I really really do.  My walls are bare and I dislike it.
• But I did catch up on my google reader so I am ready for ICLW to start this week.
• You guys. I am freaking exhausted. All I want to do is sleep. It kind of sucks, actually, to feel so crappy. Any tips to boost my energy? Or hours you would like to offer me so that I can still get all this crap done AND sleep?
• My husband must really love me. I have been crabby mcbitchy lately (hello, I am not handling the stress of my life well) and he just keeps on chugging. keeps on trying. keeps on being his sweet self.  and making me coffee in the mornings.

Friday Night Leftovers

• Yay! Leftovers are back! I have a lot to say this week.
• My summer classes are kicking.my.ass. Seriously. Is it July 29th yet?
• Speaking of class, I need to get my ass in gear and figure out my fall elective and capstone project because I am graduating in MAY!
• I have huge plans for my month off of school. Like decorating my house. Organizing shit. Putting the rest of the boxes away etc.
• My husband has been ahh.maze.ing this week. Came home to dinner on the table 3 nights. He bought me my favorite ice cream. He has had a challenging little girl on his hands this week and has done wonderfully with her.
• Speaking of that challenging little girl – she has started to get more aggressive.  Any tips on how to handle hitting/throwing?
• I need a bathing suite for our vacation and have no idea where to get one at. I really don’t know what I am looking for either,so there’s that.
• You guys. My daughter talks SO So SO much.  We were reading a book today and she started meowing! she impresses the shit out of me.
• I have been up far too freaking late the past few weeks, to the point where I am overly tired and then sleep like shit. I feel like I am running on E. All the time. another thing I am looking forward to next month – sleep!
• And? I have baby fever something fierce. Seriously. In no way are we considering TTC at the moment, but still, I think everyone I know is pregnant.

Join Danifred in the Friday Night Leftovers fun!

Wordless Wednesday

15 months

wt: 21lbs 2 oz  ht:30 1/2”

clothes size: who needs clothes when you have a cute baby butt? 

the other side of adulthood

So, when you are a kid you have lots of best friends, right?  Like one a day or something, if I recall. 

Then you get into middle school and have only one new best friend a week.

And in high school, maybe you can keep the same best friend for a while? Or maybe not.  But the ones you keep are usually pretty sweet and stay for a long long time.

I am lucky – I have one best friend from when I was FIVE! I am sure we were best friends and best enemies weekly for a long stretch there, but now, we are good.  We don’t talk much anymore what with stupid grown up shit in the way, but I know I can trust her and talk to her anytime I want to or need to. 

There is also the best friend I have had since birth. And the other one I have had since she was birthed.  My sisters and I are closer than close. I love them. I trust them. My life would literally crumble without them.

So, aside from those 3 people (and my husband, who is also a bestie), I have few people I consider real “best” friends.  I have lots of friends who I love and hang out with, but we haven’t gotten to the “life trusting” stage yet.

I had one person I was very close to, who disagreed with a decision I made in my life, and we just kind of stopped being friends. Until recently, we talk now but I haven’t actually seen her in YEARS!  We both grew a lot in our time “apart” and it is really nice having her in my life again, even if it is in a long distance type of way.

I also had 2 BFF’s, since high school.  One moved to Florida, but she is definitely still a BFF!  We are both not phone people, so we text and email and again – if she needs anything or vice versa, just consider it done.  I love her to pieces.  And it totally sucks that she moved far from me, but is totally sweet because HELLO? Florida vacay anyone?

The other BFF? Things happened, trust was broken, friendship ended. Which is really sucky because her daughter happens to be our goddaughter.  Seriously, when things went south between us, it felt like I was getting a divorce. I still miss her and I miss her daughter like crazy.  It’s hard to be so close to someone and trust them wholly (maybe that is a bad idea?) and then *poof* be mad at them forever and ever and never think of them again.  I can’t do that. I have no room in my life for drama or ridiculous behavior, but also? I am a forgiver by nature.  I always think “maybe I can just try to forgive the situation and we can still be friends” but I am not a forgetter.  So, really, it probably wouldn’t work out too wonderfully.  I recently emailed this friend to check on her daughter and just say hi, thinking of her etc.  I found myself wanting to open up and share what has been going on in our lives (hello! we were BFF’s for like 7 years or something who talked every day) but I held back.  Trying to just make it about the kids. (see? it IS like we got divorced. except I was denied visitation) .  Such an awkward and shitty situation to be in – and honestly, I have yet to see the “reason” (at least in respect to our friendship) behind what happened here, so that makes me just that much more frustrated by the whole sitch.

I don’t like this part of adulthood. The part where things can hurt you so badly that you can never go back.  Back in the day if she would have stolen my gummy bears, I would have written her a mean note, we would have hugged kissed and made up in all of 15 minutes.  Now? Not so much. I mean I can still write a mean note but who cares?  I can’t forget the things that have happened/been said, so I have to move forward.  So I will continue to mourn the friendship that is over, hope for better things in the future and that is pretty  much that.

It’s just hard to “start over” with friendships in your 20’s since most people are not restricted by 7pm bedtimes and temper tantrums. 

15 months: welcome to toddler-dom

It has been brought to my attention that my baby is appearing more every day to be a toddler.

And. I have to reluctantly agree.

6 months ago:

She was just learning to stand on her own two feet.  Just learning to pick up food to eat it. Refused to touch her bottle or sippy or otherwise provide liquid to herself.  I was so excited that I could put a little clip in her hair.

Now!:

 

She RUNS everywhere.  She asks for "wa wa peeez” complete with signs.  She ask for her “shhhs”(shoes) and wants to put them on herself.  She helps brush her hair, put on lotion and pick out what accessories to wear.  She knows what her “wubey”(lovie) is, when she wants it, and will get it when she is tired.  Same for her binky.

She talks non-stop adding words to her vocabulary every hour- she has so many words that i can’t keep track of them all.  My favorite is the ever-popular “ma-meeee”.  She definitely knows the word “no” and likes to mock us with it.  She has entered the stage where she will test our boundaries but so far she has been redirect-able.  I don’t know how much longer that will last.  She is constantly on the go. Dancing. Running. Spinning in circles. Showing off her lack of coordination (with bruises, scrapes and “boo boo’s” to prove it).  Animal sounds she knows: duck, puppy, lion, sheep – and she does them all in the same gravely voice!  Also? She is incredibly dramatic. About everything. It’s hilarious.

Some of her favorite things are her baby, “melmo”, books, her bobby pillow, shoes, “talking on the phone”, her “wubey”, swimming.

This 15 month old has it ALL figured out. Or at least she has US figured out.  One look from that pigtailed girl and we all jump. Or laugh. And we definitely all smile, because how can you not?

I can’t believe how much she has changed in just  6 months.  I also can’t believe how much FUN she is.  This girl lights up my world.Every.Single.Day.

summer time woes

It's July. It's summer. It's the "heat wave of 2010".

And I am stuck in my office, with a blanket wrapped around me beacuse it is so cold in here!

Maybe I am in the minority, but I LOVE when it is hot. You will never hear me complain about heat (humidity maybe) because I am a sun worshipper and would spend every single minute outside if I wouldn't a) melt or b) starve to death!

You know what has sucked even more about this particular summer?  The fact that my mom has a beautiful in ground swimming pool screaming my name and I have next to zero time to visit the resort!  Granted, I have gotten my swim (and tan) on a few weekends this summer, but not nearly to the degree that I would like.

Second sucky part? School.  I am taking 3 summer classes for my masters program and they are eating up all free time.  1 of the classes is over now, and it was fine. The other 2 will be over the end of this month and that time can't come soon enough.  I actually will get a small break before diving into the fall semester. Maybe I can finish painting my house or hang pictures or swim or enjoy my family!  Or prepare for our beach vacation in September!!

If only my office had a window so I could at least see the sunshine.  Since it doesn't, I just pretend it's storming and gross out everyday so that when I leave work I am excited by the heat and sun!

Wordless Wednesday

what is the cause of this mischievous look?

that pink blur is so excited to finally have a couch!

see? I told you she was excited!

Pickiest baby on the planet

With the holiday weekend and the awesome weather we have been having, almost every night you can smell the tasty grill food everyone is cooking.  And, maybe I have complained talked about Gianna’s extreme stubbornness when it comes to eating before?  My little peanut has always  been finicky about what she eats, even when we were feeding her baby food, it was clear what foods she liked and what foods she did not. 

And now? She has the most limited diet of any 14 month old I have ever heard of, and while she is not going to starve to death, she is defiantly not getting all the vitamins/nutrients she needs. Or at least I don’t feel like she is. 

Breakfast:

 

These are the usual suspects plus pancakes and french toast.  Oh, and granola bars.  Breakfast seems cool, we don’t have much issue there.

Lunch and dinner? Different story.

Usual suspects: PB&J, grilled cheese, chicken nuggets.  Throw in any fruit on the planet and some Annie’s snacks/goldfish/gerber crunchies and that is her diet.  She has eaten grilled chicken exactly two times, steak once and sometimes she will eat spinach quiche.  

Not exaggerating.  Not kidding.  Incredibly frustrating.

It’s not for lack of trying, either.  She is offered our usual dinner every single day.  Hell, she is offered more kinds of food on a daily basis than I can count.  What happens when she sees something on her plate she doesn’t like?  She either moves it to a different compartment on her plate or ignores it completely.  If you try to get her to eat it, she purses her lips together, turns her head from you, pushes you away, says “no no”.  (yes, all of those!)  If you manage, by some miracle, to get the food past her lips and near her tongue – 9.9/10x it never makes it past there and she spits it out.  I can’t explain the amount of stress, frustration and wine drinking this has caused me. 

The girl doesn’t even give food a chance! 

Pasta? Forget it.  Vegetables? Not a chance in hell.  Meat? Laughable.  Cheese? Don’t be ridiculous.

So? What is a mommy too do? 

My current solution is to just keep giving her whatever is being cooked, pray she eats it and if when she doesn’t, she can have fruit.  She usually just ends up eating fruit.  Any advice, or wine recommendations, are welcome.