My life is over

Can't believe I get to say this- my baby girl is walking. Not just walking, running actually. I have only been home from work about 3 hours and am exhausted from making sure she doesn't get into anything she isn't supposed to. Or making sure she doesn't try to plug in Jake's reclining chair. Yes, La-Z-Boy has reached a whole new level of laziness...Jake has a recliner that must be plugged in and has buttons to push to recline the chair. And Jennie has taken it upon herself to try to plug in his chair any chance she can. Or she puts the cord in her mouth. Either way, I'm about to throw the chair in the garbage seeing as how Jake never uses it and I'm sick of keeping Jennie away from it. Think he would notice if he came home from work one day and an entire piece of furniture was missing? Judging by the fact that he hasn't noticed all the t-shirts he is missing because no one dude needs well over 200 t-shirts. And he doesn't do laundry. Ever. Yes, Jake had that many when we moved in together nearly 4 years ago. Definitely doesn't have that many now...

But anyways, Jennie Jo is walking. She started the process last week- she would take a few steps here or there with assistance but was still pretty shaky. Fast forward to Saturday morning and I'm pretty sure she just made the decision of "Hey I got this". Because she did have it...ever since Saturday she has been ON THE MOVE. And judging by all the comments I have been getting, apparently my life is over. But wait, those same people told me that same thing when they found out I was pregnant. And those same people said the same thing when Jennie started crawling. And hey, my life did change. But it's definitely not over.

I have been having a really tough time the past few weeks, struggling with the stresses of daily life, the desire to have alone time, and the guilt of wanting alone time. I can honestly say that, other than a few minutes here or there, I haven't had ANY "me" time since July. And I'm the first to admit that I'm not one of those moms who is happy only being a mom. I have to work, I have to have date nights with Jake, and I have to have time to remind myself that yes, I am a person too. I have my own wants and needs. And it doesn't matter how many times people tell you can't feel guilty for leaving Jennie. I'm a mom. Guilt is my middle name now. Especially after the weekend I just had- between Jennie walking, Jennie teething (she is getting two teeth at the same time...ugh), arguments with Jake about certain home improvement projects, and other people in my life not realizing that I don't have time for their shit, I need for it to be Friday already. Jason Aldean & Luke Bryan in St. Louis with a friend of mine who hasn't left my side even after my life was supposed to be over? Yes please! And happy anniversary to you, Erika and LeRoy...here's to many years of happiness, love, laughter!

Here's me and some of my favorite girls in the world. I was 2 weeks away from delivering Jennie Jo and looking like a whale...my feet were HUGE after all the dancing that night, and it was all worth it! :)

Work vs. Life

Ever have one of those days where you wake up thinking "let's make this a great day!" then everything that happens following that thought does its best to prove you wrong? Yep, had a day like that today. And honestly, it was all work related, but because I take work so personal, it really, REALLY bugged me. Ugh. I'm not one of those people who can leave their work at work. I'll fix that one day.

So of course I come home in a bad mood, make dinner, sit down to eat it, and spill an entire plate of pasta all over my lap and chair. Awesome. I'm sitting in said chair and I still smell the sauce...just another thing to clean I guess. Add it to the list, along with laundry, emptying the dishwasher and vacuuming up all the damn dog hair that comes with having 2 huge dogs.

The worst part about all this- my daughter did something today that was so sweet I nearly cried when it happened, but in the split second it did, something else, much more negative eclipsed it (again, work related). I went to pick up Jennie from her classroom, and when I walked in she lifted her arms up in her "pick me up" gesture. When I did, she leaned in for a kiss. Now, by kiss I mean she leaned her head into mine, open mouth, tongue out and pretty much licked me. But she just learned how to "kiss" in the last two or three days. And, of her own will, she wanted to give me a kiss today. As I write this, I'm tearing up mostly because I realize how amazing that is...and how I let some other event from work overshadow its importance. I really do need to learn to not take my work so personally.

In 18 days, Jennie Jo will be one. In 18 days, I'll have a one year old. In 18 days, I'll look back on the last 365 days of my life and realize that even if it wasn't how I wanted it, or had it planned, this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing.

Life changing moments

So I have to share this with you all. And feel free to be very jealous.

I went to Wal-Mart last night. By myself.

End of story.

Nobody would understand how epic this was for me if you aren't a parent. Jake forgot to pick up formula on his way home from work last night, so after having dinner with my parents, I realized we needed some.

So I got in the car, without a carseat, diaper bag, or baby, and drove to Wal-Mart. Windows down, radio up...back to my old driving habits (meaning I drove like a mad woman).

I went into Wal-Mart, not needing to get a baby out of a car seat, get a cart, or worry about how I'm going to entertain Jennie in 20 seconds because she is already bored.

I picked up the can of formula, checked out, walked back to my car, and drove home. Again, windows down, radio up.

I seriously feel like I had a vacation last night. And now I'm officially a grown up.

PS- to residents of Rochelle, IL...I'm sorry if I disturbed you. Momma needed to listen to Jason Aldean, REALLY loud last night :)

11 months old

Today, Jennie Jo is 11 months old. In just one month, I will have a one year old. Mommy melt down ensues. And Miss Joyce, her teacher at the daycare, decided to tell me that she is "officially walking at 11 months". Ok, she isn't walking all by herself yet, but can take 3 or 4 steps. Again, another mommy melt down. EVERY parent I know says this- but once you have kids, time flies. You go from pushing out a 7 pound 9 ounce alien-looking thing to catching your 11 month old playing in the toilet water. Yep, happened yesterday morning. She can now say "da da", "ow", "hi" and when you say doggy she says "woof". Guess what? No "momma" yet. Every time I try to get her to say it, she either laughs or says "da da". I know most babies say da da first anyway because it is easier to form with the tongue and lips blah blah blah. I don't care. This girl can have an entire conversation with herself using only da da, fluctuating her voice up and down, enunciating, as in "DA da da dadada DA DA da"...but no momma. Any of you remember the first time your kid(s) said that magic word? The day that happens for me, there will be a blog post for sure!

Anyways, now that Jennie is mobile, life as I know it has changed. I can no longer just put her into her bouncy seat or jumper and wheel her around the house while I clean- now I have to pick her up, carry her into the laundry room or kitchen, speed load the washer or dishwasher, then turn around and chase her down before she tries to put dog food in her mouth or eat Jake's work boots. If I'm lucky, I don't have to carry her...I can call her and coax her on like a dog to follow me..."c'mon Jennie Jo! Come get momma!" Complete with leg patting...ridiculous. At that point, I usually have our two dogs following right along too.

Speaking of doing laundry- Jake, your load of clothes is in the washer still. From Tuesday. The laundry fairy refuses to visit until you re-wash those clothes since they stink from sitting in the washer for well over 48 hours now. Also, after you wash clothes, you have to put them in the dryer or hang them up to dry. Which means when they dry, you have to fold them and put them away. I know it has been a couple of years since you have done a load of laundry, so I wanted to remind you how it works. Again, the laundry fairy is on strike. And pretty soon the dish fairy as well as vacuuming fairy will be too because she is pretty angry about the laundry fairy not visiting.

Bed time fairy is making her rounds...Jennie is asleep, Jake just fell asleep on the couch. Hope she visits me soon :)

When are you ready?

I'm blogging before 10pm...this feels strange. Jennie decided that she only wanted to take one nap today, so she has been out for almost 40 minutes already. I'm hoping she is down for the night, not just taking an extended nap. Waking up at 2am is not my favorite thing to do anymore. Hell, it never was to begin with.

Speaking of 2am wake up calls, I think Jake is missing them. Guess who decided to pop the "are we ready for baby #2?" question on me a while back? Yea, that's right. NOT ME. Jake. Seriously, our relationship roles are so reversed, and apparently daddy has the itch. I knew it would happen sooner or later since he has been having a hard time dealing with fact that he will be a father to a one year old next month. Like, every time I bring up the fact that we need to start planning her birthday party, he changes the subject. But his question has got me thinking about what it's like to have 2 kids. Or 3, or 9, like I want. I'm having an inner battle with myself as we speak- I want a large family, but don't feel ready for our next baby yet. Jake jokes that he is going to get "the cut" after 2 kids, and I say he has to find me more baby-daddies then but how can I want a houseful of kids when I have a heart attack thinking about getting pregnant again? I had such an easy pregnancy with Jennie so that isn't the problem. Although I know alot of my friends who are pregnant right now are having a really hard time (yea Kim, your current pregnancy is scaring the crap outta me!) I guess everything that I'm afraid of is what EVERYONE is afraid with during all of their pregnancies. I think with your first pregnancy, the new-ness of the experience blocks out some of the negative thoughts.

Oh, guess what, Jennie is awake. And crabby. Looks like a long night ahead...

Wordless Wednesday

"Supermom"

I just watched a commercial for Steak-n-Shake that featured a mom driving her kids to the restaurant in a minivan, and she turns into a Cat Woman-looking, bat-out-of-hell-driving badass, complete with a maneuver in which she slides her minivan under a semi, shaving off the top of the vehicle. Then she ends up in front of Steak-n-Shake, all normal looking again, and the masculine voice over comes on: "Mom + Steak-n-Shake" = Supermom.

So, you become a Supermom by putting your kids in danger through reckless driving to get them some of the unhealthiest food on the planet?

Mmmmkkkk. I'll get right on that. I always thought being a supermom meant you can work 40+ hours a week, be home in time to get dinner on the table, get said dinner cleaned up and dishes done, start baths for your kids, all while looking impossibly gorgeous for your husband who is sitting on the couch? Sorry, my bad. I'll go buy a minivan now.

Ever since I became a mom I have despised the term Supermom. Seriously, who can live up to those expectations? I try, trust me...I work 8+ hours everyday, get home, start dinner, change Jennie's diaper and give her a bottle, and do the dishes that somehow, magically, appear from after dinner the night before and the whole day while we are both at work... (*cough cough* Jake, wash your dishes from breakfast please. Also, even though you do sometimes wash your dishes, you have to move the dirty bottles in the sink to do that. Just wash the damn bottles too!) And I do all that before Jake gets home. Like tonight- I made dinner, cleaned up dinner, we both did play with Jennie before bed, I got her pjs on, Jake tried to get her to sleep but she wanted nothing to do with him tonight so I was the one who finally knocked her out. Not literally. Now guess who is sitting here blogging while someone sleeps on the couch? I find it funny that no one has thought to coin the term Superdad. Probably because to be be considered a Superdad, all you have to do is change ONE poopy diaper.

Isn't it crazy how we have come so far when it comes to women's, and mom's, rights, and yet in this day and age, men are still considered "awesome" if they do change ONE diaper? In that case, almost every dad I know can call himself Superdad. But most of us moms struggle to even give ourselves credit in one area- wife, mom, friend, etc. I'm right there with you all, but c'mon, it wouldn't be fair to men if we could do EVERYTHING by ourselves, right? ;) So screw being a Supermom. I want to be the mom my daughter wants me to be. I want to be the mom my daughter just wants, period. She is growing so much by the day, and the independence is killing me. Never thought I would say that, either!

Wordless Wednesday

An introduction, and shameless plug :)

I am very honored that Kelly asked me to help with her coupon blog while she is out of town for the next couple days. Honored, and nervous as all get out! 1300 followers, compared to my measly 600? Hopefully both of our numbers increase over the next couple of days, as I would hope that some of my readers will "like" her page, and vice versa :) Here's just a little bit about myself, and how I know Kelly...

My name is Leslie and my blog is based on my experiences as a new mom to a 10 month old baby girl. And just as a heads-up, my blog isn't always as "family friendly" as Northern Illinois Couponing Moms, aka I curse. Alot. (You're welcome Kelly, didn't want to offend anyone!) but as long as I am a guest on NCIL, I vow to watch my language. Again, you're welcome Kelly. I have been working at a daycare in Davis Junction, IL for nearly 5 years now, and that is how I met Kelly. She brought her daughter to the center, and I taught her all kinds of naughty things to say and do, and I'm sure Kelly thanks me for that everyday. I really do miss having her daughter around- when you work with kids, there are some that you have instant connections with and her daughter was one of them. Kelly has become a friend to me, as well as a mentor, sounding board, teacher, and I think we have a mutual stalking situation going on- I religiously follow her couponing trips, and she is always commenting on my blog, usually something along the lines of "ahahahahaha, I so know what you mean!"

Couponing was never of interest to me until I realized that it's not just about me anymore, which was about the time I found out I was pregnant. When I was pregnant, I ate a lot of cereal. Let me re-phrase that: I should own half of Kellogg's and General Mills with the amount of cereal I ate while baking my cupcake. But I got all of the boxes super cheap, because Kelly taught me how :) And I never looked back- I'm not an extreme couponer, but I have cut my grocery bill by 50% at least, every month. But I also still consider myself to be a beginner- I make mistakes, or get home and realize I should have bought this with that coupon. Whatever...I consider any savings to be of importance, especially when I have to spend a ba-jillion dollars on diapers and formula every month. I also have to cut spending in some areas to be able to afford my hobby. And my hobby is Jason Aldean. I attend his concerts, and am a pretty big fan, to say the least...Kelly, you said I could put a picture of him up, so I am:)

(Me and Jason in Madison, WI, 2010)

Ok, enough about me. Can't wait to interact with all of you on NCIL, and let's hope it's a learning experience for me, and not a "Kelly's website is going down in flames because Leslie has no idea what she's doing" experience...

Wordless Wednesday

Enough said. Once you have a little one, you never get to "sit down" again...

Planning and plotting

One of the hardest things I have had to deal with since becoming a mom is the fact that you can't plan anything. Two reasons- babies don't understand the concept of time, and even if you do get out the door on time, something is bound to screw up your plans. Perfect example from this weekend actually...I had a meeting with a fellow blogger on Saturday morning, and had made plans to go to my parents house for the afternoon. Texted my mom and said I would be there around 12 or 12:30. My meeting got done right as I expected it to at 11:30, so I start getting the diaper bag, car seat, my purse, everything, ready to go. I get the diaper bag and my purse over my shoulder, get Jennie in her car seat on my arm, and get out the door into the garage. Crap! I just realized I have to pee. Then I get to thinking as I head back inside, that I hadn't peed since the night before. So I put my purse, the diaper bag and Jennie down and run to the bathroom. Do my business. Get all loaded up again, going through the garage, throw Jennie up into the truck. As I buckle the car seat in, I smell something. Crap! Literally...Jennie pooped. Back inside...and of course it would be the kind of poop that I have to change her whole outfit because both her shirt and pants were ruined. A new outfit and 12 wipes later, I load her and her stuff up again. Back in the truck, and at this point I realize I should probably check what time it is. It's 12:45. And it doesn't matter that all I was doing was going to my parents- I hate being late. But that's another thing you get over when you have a baby. You're either late to everything, or super early because you allotted way too much time to get ready.

Another thing you realize when you become a parent is that it's never just one thing that goes wrong. It's a domino effect, which eventually leads into Murphy's Law. And I take everything personally so anything that does go wrong makes me think it's all my fault and I start kicking myself. You can do better than that...you should have done this instead of that...how could you let this happen? It all runs through my head. Can't help it, but usually after it's all said and done, it's never as bad as I think it was. I have been feeling kind of down on myself for the past few days. Then Jake showed me a picture our friend, and my fellow co-worker, took of Jennie today, and it hit me- if I am such a bad mom, how come my daughter looks so happy here? Thanks Amber...it's the little things :)

One foot on the ground

Again, I know that as soon as I post this, it's all going to go to He**, but Jennie Jo has been sleeping through the night (like 10pm- 7am) for the past couple weeks. She does wake up about once a night to fuss, but always puts herself back to sleep. And you don't realize how valuable sleep is as a resource until you go without it. For days on end. While dealing with a fussy, teething, drooling, crabby beast. For now, I have forgotten that side of my daughter. And I will blame ALL of you if "the beast" shows up soon.

While reading a parenting magazine one day, I came across this question- "what is the worst thing you have ever done while sleep deprived?" For me, I think the right answer is drive. Seriously, they say driving while tired is worse than drunk driving. Which means 90% of the people on the road right now are out to kill you. Just kidding, but think about it. EVERY parent is sleep deprived, because as one mom of teenagers I know put it- "when I go to bed, I have one eye open and one foot on the ground". Even if all your kids are grown, sleeping tight in bed, you never know what's going to happen. Honestly, I guess I sleep like that too. Every fuss Jennie makes on the monitor, I sit straight up in bed and prepare myself to be awake for the next two hours. Hasn't happened in a couple of weeks, and again, it's your fault if it does.

On another note- my daughter is about to start walking. She is going to be a walking, talking toddler soon. She is going to be one soon. Yep, mini-mom-meltdown about to happen. I used to make fun of all those moms who were like "my baby is growing up"... I have turned into one of those moms. It happens. You think you won't be like that? Talk to me in 2 years when your child is about to turn one, and you still clearly remember the day you found out you were pregnant, and you cried because you didn't want it happening to you.

Don't ask me when the next cupcake is going to begin baking either. Just when I get to sit down and enjoy a couple of bites of the finished product, and you want me back in the kitchen? You must have one foot in the grave...

10 months ago

10 months ago...
I gave birth to the most beautiful girl in the world. I realized from the moment I found out I was pregnant, up until I went into labor, that motherhood can't be planned or plotted. It happens when it is supposed to, and that's all there is to it. 10 months ago, I knew immediately who would still remain my friend after I became a mom. Those who were at that hospital with me at any point are still in my life. Others have left, and that's ok. 10 months ago, my relationship with Jake changed. Years of just being together didn't matter anymore. We are now connected forever by a little girl. No piece of paper, no ring on our finger, no matter. She is living, breathing proof of our love for each other. 10 months ago, I realized that I don't matter anymore. My wants and needs aren't even secondary, they aren't even considered in my day to day life. She is my alarm clock in the morning, and I fall asleep listening to her sighs and breathing over the baby monitor every night. 10 months ago, I found out that it is possible to love someone more than words can say.
Jennie Jo Johnson, my cupcake :)...10 months old

One week later

So I began telling the story of my "oh crap I'm pregnant" moment on Friday, ending with the fact that I took my first pregnancy test with a negative result (or so I thought).

So we go on with out lives. Jake puts groceries away, we enjoy the rest of our Sunday afternoon and we go about our week like normal. Until Saturday, when I realize I still haven't got my period yet. 2 weeks late...starting to get worried. I tell Jake and he says we should go to Walmart and get another test, so we do and again I get the cheapest one I can find. Get home, I go upstairs to pee and this time I read the directions (whoa, what an idea!) and I immediately begin to shake- while holding the test. Yep definitely peed on my hand because I read the part where it says it doesn't matter if one line is not as clear as the other. Two lines = pregnant. I happen to look down as I finish peeing and the positive sign is already beginning to show on the test. Tears start...but I tell myself I can't cry because I don't want Jake to freak out. It could be two false positives. Right? I wipe my eyes, go downstairs and tell Jake
"It was positive this time"
"Are you sure?"- Jake
"Yea. I read the directions, and it says that it doesn't matter how strong the lines are. If there are two, then I'm pregnant. I guess I lied the last time." -Me
"Fuck this plus or minus shit! I want the one that says PREGNANT, NOT PREGNANT!!!"- Jake

Freaking out ensues. I tell Jake to calm down because if I am pregnant there's nothing we can do about it. And because I read everything you put in front of me, somewhere along the line I remember learning that if you are pregnant, your hormones are strongest in the morning so a test taken in the morning is more likely to give you the right result. I tell Jake this and we decide to run to Walmart first thing in the morning to get the PREGNANT, NOT PREGNANT test. I'm still in denial. Nope, not pregnant. Can't be. I'm on the pill, and I took it religiously every night at 9pm.

Sunday morning, bright and early we are both awake and ready to go (surprise, we both didn't sleep well that night). Go to Walmart, get the $15 EPT test to confirm/deny what I was starting to think was the truth. Get home, go upstairs and begin to pee. Pretty sure my pee didn't actually hit the stick before it was coming up..."PREGNANT".

The one and only time I wanted to throw up in my whole pregnancy was that moment. Seeing that word on the test. I didn't want to be pregnant. I immediately began to think Jake was going to leave me. He was 21 years old. His girlfriend is pregnant. Of course he was going to leave me. I go downstairs and show Jake the test. I don't remember much after that. I think we both may have cried, and I don't remember any words being spoken until I said I would call the doctor Monday morning to make an appointment.

Think this story is over? Not yet...

I don't want you to worry...

So I was having a discussion with a co-worker this morning about our "how we found out we were pregnant" stories. I have grossed you out with my birth story and also kind of given you an idea of how Jennie's nickname, Cupcake, came about. For alot of girls, finding out they are pregnant is a source of excitement. Not for me. Here is my honest-to-God recollection from the time I suspected I was pregnant to the day of our official announcement.

I don't remember the exact day, but it was a couple days after my birthday (January 26, 2011) and Jake and I were at Target. I should have had my period the week before but it hadn't come. Which is strange- ever since I got my first one in 6th grade, I have never missed and was always pretty regular. But I just figured it was because I had run out of my birth control. Back in December, my prescription had run out for the pill I was on, so I had taken my last one December 26th but just kept forgetting to go get my yearly physical and get my pills refilled. You're probably thinking, "well duh, if you weren't on the pill, then why were you surprised you got pregnant?" Don't assume everything til you know the whole story :) And why the date of my last pill stuck in my mind, I have no idea. Sooo anyways, Jake and I were in Target getting groceries and we walked by the "family planning" aisle. I told Jake I would be right back...went and grabbed the cheapest pregnancy test I could find. I told Jake "I don't want you to worry. I know I'm not pregnant but I just want to rule out everything since I haven't got my period this month yet." Seriously, don't worry. Telling a guy not to worry when his girlfriend grabs a pregnancy test...ha. ha. ha. Anyways...

We get home and go pee on the little stick. Most awkward thing ever (actually at the time it was. Trying to pee in a cup while 9 months pregnant is worse). After I'm done peeing I'm trying to figure out where to set the stick. Seriously, I'm supposed to sit something I just peed on on the sink counter? Gross...but I did. Wash my hands, hang out in the bathroom. Jake is still downstairs putting groceries away. Everyone says those three minutes waiting for the test to show it's answer are the longest minutes of your life. Nope. Not at all. Because I wasn't pregnant. No way I could be. Those few minutes actually went really fast. Looked at the window on the test...a strong horizontal line and a (very) weak vertical line. Heyyyy! Both lines aren't strong, so I can't be pregnant. I run downstairs, tell Jake everything's fine and we go on with our lives.

Ok, so obviously you know there's more to this story. And you will get to read about it at a later time...and a word to the wise. Read the directions on everything you buy.

One month off

Apparently I decided to take a one month vacation from blogging. Actually, it's because (surprise!) life got in the way. A promotion at work, teething, crawling (and almost standing up on her own- woahhhh), 2 dogs, and a house to take care of takes away from "my" time and I do consider my blog to be a part of those few precious alone times. I can reflect on what has been happening...I take a step back and realize all the hardships will pass. They will pass...please tell me they will.

Last night, we went to bed around 8:45pm, and by 10pm Jake was up puking. And he puked A-L-L night. The first time he got up, I went to check on Jennie and what did I find? She had vomited in her sleep. All over. Her sheets, blanket, shirt, boppy pillow, everything covered in vomit. I can handle alot of things, but like most people, the aroma of puke isn't my favorite thing to smell. And not very pleasant in the middle of the night. So I woke Jennie up and boy was she pissed...but seriously, how had she not woken up? When I realized what had happened, I'm really lucky that she happened to fall asleep on her side last night. All my first aid and CPR training came flooding back to me when I realized she could have drowned in her own puke. *Shudder* Never actually thought I would see something like that. But I digress...a 2nd bath for the night done, put her in her bouncy seat in the living room and turned on some BabyFirst TV (channel 9400 on DishNetwork, it's a lifesaver) and went to clean out her crib. Started a load of laundry and came back to get some snuggles with my baby girl only to find she had puked. Again. 3rd bath of the night coming right up...she was very confused by all the action at such a strange hour. Still not really sure what caused all the vomit from her and Jake both. Jake continued to be sick all night but Jennie was fine after an hour or so of snuggles on the couch together. She passed out in my arms and I (of course) was not in a comfortable position to sleep, so what's a mom to do? Oh yea, that's right, sacrifice her own sleep. So I switched from BabyFirst to The Girls Next Door on E! (c'mon, who hasn't wanted to be a Playboy Bunny?) until 3am when I decided that if I was going to be of any use at work today- hello 7am-6pm day!- I should probably lie down. Commence awkward slide down onto couch with Jennie in my arms...DON'T WAKE THE BABY! Mission accomplished...

How Jake made it to work today, I have no idea. He puked literally all night but was out the door at 6am for work and won't be home til after 6pm. Jennie hasn't had such a good day here at the daycare either. Refusing her bottles and napping most of the day is NOT like my daughter. A stomach bug? Another flu? Possibly bad food? Who knows. All I know is, this momma is tired. But guess what? My local grocery store is running their double-coupon promotion tonight, so I'll be there to try and score some deals from my little family. Such is the life of being a parent. Hopefully I haven't grossed you out too much :)

I'm gonna jinx myself

I don't even want to write this...I know that the second I put it out there for you all to see, it's gonna end. But here goes- Jennie has slept ALL night, every night, for the past week. From last Sunday night to this Sunday night, Jake and I have enjoyed 8-10 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Could be many reasons for this-

1. What we were dealing with a couple weeks ago was actually a growth spurt, and not a teething event. Unlikely...she has all the symptoms of cutting a new tooth, just no new tooth.

2. After witnessing my daughter nap through one of the most rambunctious days in her classroom (picture day at daycare= crazy kids!!) and the fact that she doesn't nap well at home, we realized maybe she likes lots of noise when she sleeps. So we put a radio in her room and ever since she has slept all night. I knew she was going to be a country music lover from the time she was in my belly- but the fact that she is sleeping while her "boyfriend" Luke Bryan and others sing to her makes me chuckle. So this is definitely a reason why she is sleeping.

3. You're gonna laugh at this one- she has an egg hanging above her door. Ok, maybe you're not laughing- maybe you're going "what the hell?!" Here's the story behind that- one of our friends is from Kentucky and she is always telling us old wives' tales from the south concerning babies and parenting. Her big one when I was pregnant was "don't buy a crib til after 20 weeks" (a superstitious story about losing a baby in utero before that time). When we visited her one day during the week of Hell I described in an earlier post, she told us to hang an egg inside one of her socks above her door. She didn't actually explain the story behind it, she just told us to do it. So we did. When you're in the middle of a hair-pulling, no sleep, screaming fit (and your daughter is doing the same) you'll try anything. So we did. And guess what- it worked. She has slept so good ever since. And guess what again? It's still there. It's been nearly 2 weeks...you would think it would start to stink. I'm going to be so worried when I have to change it out- what if it messes up the sleeping streak?! Nooooo!!!! Sorry if you come in our house and it smells like rotten eggs. But if it means my daughter is sleeping, let it stink.

Know any old wives' tales or stories concerning babies or parenting? Share them here...love hearing them all!

And this is my baby girl on her 7 month birthday :)

I'm happy to announce....

everyone, take a deep breath....

I SURVIVED!!! Yea, bet you didn't think I was gonna say that. What I'm trying to say is, I survived last week, one of the toughest of my new-mom life so far. From Sunday til Saturday, my daughter was kidnapped and replaced with a baby who didn't sleep, didn't eat right, and screamed...ALL. DAY. LONG. Pretty sure it was teething, but still no new tooth to show for it. I'm so happy my real baby is back- smiling, laughing, eating like a beast. I really thought that by Thursday night I was going to lose all my hair whether it be from her pulling on it while she was screaming or me actually pulling it out myself, but I'm intact.

A big thanks to my mom and dad for watching Jennie Saturday night while we held a birthday bash for Jake, Chris and Amber. We celebrated til 4am...it's been a LONG time since Jake and I have stayed up all night (for fun anyway). Tons of friends came out, lots of drinks were served (mostly to Amber lol) and I realized that I have some pretty awesome people in my life. Here is just a few of them :)

And I promise Chris is actually having fun...

Well, a short post tonight, since now my daughter is trying to tell us it is bath time- how is it 8:30pm already?!- hope I didn't scare ya too much with my big announcement ;)

Fighting it

Day 6 of teething. Jennie slept all night Wednesday and Thursday nights...last night was not so good. Jennie went to bed at 9, but woke up at 1:30am and was awake til about 3am coughing on all the drool that is caused by teething. She was fine when I was standing up, holding and rocking her. The second I put her down in her crib, she would fidget, wiggle and cough. Did this for about an hour and a half. Teething is such a hard thing to handle, as I've said before, mostly for one reason- the baby's worst pains always seem to happen in the middle of the night. And at 2am, it doesn't matter that millions of other babies are keeping their parents up for the same reason- you feel so alone when you look out your baby's bedroom window and see all the lights in your neighborhood out. Alone and helpless. There really isn't a decent product on the market to soothe those little gums...Tylenol does help, but Orajel doesn't do anything for Jennie and we still haven't had a chance to go get those teething tablets everyone is raving about. Mostly because I don't want to risk a meltdown in public with an inconsolably-in-pain baby. Going to lunch with some co-workers today...wish me luck!

Tonight is the epic birthday bash I have planned for Jake, his best friend (and Jennie's godfather) Chris and my best friend Amber, and I'm fighting the urge to tell my parents they don't have to watch Jennie tonight. I know they can handle her at her worst but that guilt of handing her over when I know she isn't at her best kills me. And as much as I'm looking forward to seeing all my friends I know my mind won't be 100% with them. Every mom gets those feelings when their child isn't around- you hear them crying when they aren't there, you all the sudden stop because you just know something isn't right. I'm sure it's going to happen multiple times tonight and hopefully I can fight the urge to text my mom to make sure everything is ok. Because it will be ok. But if you're at my house tonight and you notice that I haven't been able to get my phone out of my hand you'll know why. And then you can take a shot on my behalf- I deserve it after the week I had** :)

**I don't drink- that's why you can take the shot :)

Not again

My daughter is teething. Again. She had her first tooth pop through a couple weeks ago, and if she isn't teething, then somebody needs to return my happy, smiling daughter. A fever, unstoppable drool, inconsistent appetite, horrible gas...all of the above have contributed to a baby who, if she isn't being held or constantly entertained, is screaming bloody murder. And in the past 48 hours, it feels like she has slept a total of 30 minutes. Jennie's schedule is pretty easy to figure out- awake for 2-3 hours, then takes a 20-40 minute nap. Yesterday, she was awake from 2:40-7pm, when we finally put her in the car just to see if she would nap. She slept til we got to Walgreens in Rochelle (a 15-20 minute drive), was awake during our shopping trip, slept a little bit on the way home, then decided to NOT go to bed til 10:30pm. Oh, and guess who woke Daddy up at 3am, then woke mommy up at 4am, and Daddy got up with her again at 5am. Exhausted doesn't even begin to cover it.

What kills me is how different Jennie acts while teething. We get so many comments about how she is always smiling, or how happy or well behaved she is. One of her daycare teachers even said "She musta been born with a smile on her face!" But when she is teething, smiles are few and far between. And guess what- mother's guilt kicks in. Why can't I make her feel better? Why is she screaming like this? Do I give her Tylenol or let her ride it out? About a million other questions fly through my mind (and I'm sure Jake's too).

Hopefully soon we get this situation figured out because my life is this equation: teething baby + busy work schedule + no sleep in 48 hours = one exhausted set of parents. Jake's birthday is on Thursday, and I would love to give him a full night's sleep or a new tooth in his daughter's mouth. But guess what? We will more than likely end up getting home from work, taking turns carrying Jennie in circles around the house and possibly eating a cold dinner around 9pm. Happy early birthday babe :)