Archive | Family RSS feed for this section

When You’re a Wife and a Mom

21 Jun

I was recently thinking about all the funny things that happen to me now that I’m a wife and a mom.  Things that I probably wouldn’t have even considered doing before the kids or the hubby. I may make it sound like I’m complaining, I’m really not.  I treasure every gross, annoying, tiring and space-invading event that happens to me. For example, when you’re a wife and a mom:

  • Your body parts are no longer your own.  Andrew slaps my butt – now Nate slaps my butt. And, even though they are now closed for business, Nate still tries to reach down my shirt from time to time.  I feel so used.
  • Nothing is ever boring.
  • I no longer get grossed out when it comes to snot or boogers – even the really gooey ones.  I’ve watched Andrew blow his nose in the shower by holding one nostril to empty the other one.  I cannot rest until I’ve made sure every last yucky green guy is removed from Nia and Nate’s noses.  I will shove tissue after tissue up there and when that doesn’t work, I admit it, I pick their noses.  (Of course, making sure to let them know THEY are not allowed to pick their own noses.  What a good example I am, huh?)
  • I’m sure you’ve heard this one before but I can no longer go potty in private or in peace.  The kids follow me in most of the time and I’m forced to waddle off the toilet because I have to save the boy from falling over the bath tub or getting into the trash.  Even when the kids aren’t in there with me, the dog comes in and stares at me, breathing his warm, smelly breath in my direction.  It about drives me bonkers and I end up taking my frustration out on him.  I ask him, “Do you freakin’ mind?!?!”  He just keeps breathing on me.  Perv dog.
  • I cook breakfast, lunch and dinner almost every day.  Before married life, I pretty much only cooked some Ramen noodles or a tuna sandwich.  I was pretty much petrified to really cook a meal.  Now, I love it.  Especially when Andrew and the kids say “mmm.”  I never would have thought I would love cooking like this.  There is just something about it that makes me feel like I’m taking care of my family.
  • I’m at home during “talk show” time during the day and I don’t even get to enjoy it. I just feel bad watching tv when I should be reading to the kids or playing with them or taking care of house stuff.  Besides, who really wants to watch Ellen dance anyway?  Well, actually I do. I’ve tried recording the show but it’s just not the same.  There’s just something about watching a talk show in the middle of the day that makes it even better.  I can’t really explain it…I guess that’s why they’re scheduled to air then right?
  • You remember which sock is missing its partner.  It doesn’t matter whose sock it is.  If I see a pink ruffled sock at the bottom of the hamper, I say “there it is!” because I remember I washed a pink ruffled sock last week and couldn’t find its match.
  • It’s really hard to diet when you’re constantly surrounded by delicious food you’re not supposed to eat.  Cheese puffs, fudge-striped cookies, ice cream, frozen chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, french fries…

I could keep going but those are probably the best examples.  I wouldn’t trade in my titles for the all the peace and quiet and sanity in the world.  I feel so blessed and loved every day and it is because I’m a wife and a mom.  Thanks fam!

Tags: , ,

Our Little Mermaid

21 Jun

Nia is finally getting over her fear of going under water!  Today, she went under all by herself at swim lessons!  She was so excited.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get the full underwater event on camera, but I thought you would like to see the action I did capture.

Tags: ,

Missing Phone

20 Jun

Remember that toy phone I wrote about in the last blog?  The one that came with the playhouse?  The one I said I didn’t know where it was?  Well, I found it – or more, it found me.

As I was taking out the garbage, it beeped at me.

Yep, I had to dig in the garbage (past the dirty diapers and old food) because I could not knowingly throw the phone away.  Don’t worry, I doused it with Lysol wipes.

If you’re wondering how it even ended up in the trash can, you probably can guess.  Nate slipped it in there the other day.  I thought I saw/heard him put something in the can – but I wasn’t about to go garbage diving.  That was until I realized it was his phone.

The things we do for our sweeties.

Tags: ,

Tiny Homeowners

19 Jun

This weekend we bought the kids a playhouse.  It was Andrew’s Father’s Day gift.  He said it’s what he wanted because he knew it would make his kids and his babies’ mama happy. (Don’t worry, I still got him his very own gift too!)
Welcome to Our House
While the house is making everyone happy – there’s already been quite a few domestic disturbances to report. Nate is a wild man in the thing.  He climbs through the windows and he constantly tries to stand on that flimsy yellow table.  He also fights Nia for the little phone that came with the house.  Notice in the picture below that it’s missing from the wall?  Who knows where it is and we’ve only had it since Saturday!
A Happy Home
They really have been having a blast in there and Andrew and I have a blast as their next door neighbors.  (As long as they keep their music down and their grass cut!)
Hello There Neighbor

Tags: , ,

He Speaks!

18 Jun

Finally, the Boy is communicating by using something other than grunts and screams!  He’s been saying “uh-oh,” “daddy” and “doggy” for awhile now but nothing else.  It just seemed like he had no interest in speaking.  (I mean, why speak words when Caveman-talk was working just fine for him?)

Well, now Nate is working on being the next jabber-jaw of the family.  (Nia currently holds that title.)  He’s been saying “no, no, no, no, no” when I ask him to do something (and for right now it’s super cute).  He also says “baby” whenever he sees a baby doll or a baby doll toy.  I also think I recognized “hot” and “don’t.”  Hmm…bet you’re wondering what we say to him all the time huh?
 

Tags: , ,

Nia’s Cute Comments

13 Jun

“You’re the best momma/daddy.”  (I swear we did not bribe her to say that!  The first time she said it to me I teared up.  Now, it’s just super cute and usually comes with an extra-special Nia hug.)

“They’re speaking Spanish, huh Momma?”  (Said after she heard a girl talking to her mom in Spanish at the grocery store.)

“No sir Nathan!” (She’s a great little helper when it comes to the crazy man.)

“Momma, why did you tattle on me?”  (Said after she heard me telling my mom about her potty accident.)

“Let’s get the Snow White doll for Nate.”  (The boy has a major crush on Miss White.  He always picks that doll out of all the others so Nia decided she wanted to get him his own doll.)
 

Tags: , , ,

Doctor Drama

7 Jun

All I can say is I’m so glad it’s over.  When we were still there after an hour and a half, I began whining right along with Nia.  She would say, “I want to go home.”  I would reply, “Me too.”

I’m just not used to being at a doctor’s office that long.  Our appointment was at 9:30.  We were there at 9:25.  We did not leave the office until 11:35.  I just don’t understand it.  As if being there that long wasn’t bad enough – the two nurses came in at the same time to give both Nia and Nate their shots.  It was a nightmare.

Nate went first.  The nurse told me to lie him on the table and hold his hands.  She then put her body weight on his legs and stabbed his little leggies 3 times with the needle.  Angry doesn’t even begin to describe his reaction.  His screams only made Nia totally freak out and she had been so great up until then.  When he started to cry, she started to cry.  I didn’t even have enough time to calm Nate or Nia down before it was time for her FOUR shots.  I wanted to be sick.

I asked the nurse if I could hold Nia.  She told me Nia would need to lie down too. I told her that if I couldn’t hold Nia then I would take her somewhere else to get the shots.  I couldn’t believe I said that.  I’m really not that insistent or anything – it’s just I couldn’t stand to have my babies hurting or scared.  She was really nice and told me I could hold her but she was just worried if Nia should kick or hit because the needle could break off in her.  I realized that with FOUR shots coming, holding her was probably not going to make it any easier.  (Besides Nia was already jumping off the table when she saw all the shots so I figured I would not be able to hold her flailing limbs through FOUR shots.)

I just feel so bad for Nia.  She was such a sweetie during the visit.  She carried her favorite stuffed animal dog (Joey) and did everything the nurse told her to do and how do we reward her?  Scare the crap out of her by making her witness her brother’s pain, then hold her down on the table and put a needle in both arms and both legs.

In the end, we all survived.  We actually went on to have a really great afternoon at the pool with Monica, Sophie and Will.  Nia kept her shades on the whole time and just chilled in some swimmies and her “two-piece” (as she calls it).  Nate was a maniac and kept fighting me so he could be free and hit the waves.  Our pool time really made us all forget about the hell we went through just hours earlier (but the FOUR bandages on Nia brought it all back!).

But that was just my take on all of it – Nia’s is below:

By the way – I plan on doing a phone poll of other area doctors and see how they operate (as far as typical visit lengths, shot procedures, etc).  I’ve also learned a very valuable lesson from today’s doctor experience – if you have more than one kid and only one parent present – NEVER EVER schedule their shots on the same day!  WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Tags: ,

Dreading the Doctor

6 Jun

Tomorrow, I’m taking the kids to the doctor for their well visits.  I’m not only dreading this because they both will be getting shots, but I’m also stressing because I’m taking them back to that same doctor’s office I didn’t like.

Before you get disappointed in me for not changing docs – just know that we don’t have many choices.  Our insurance only covers two others within 20 miles of us and out of all of them the office we go to now offers more doctors and has Saturday hours.  I weighed our options and have decided to give it one more chance.  If tomorrow doesn’t go well then I will do what I have to do – whether it’s try one of the other Winder doctors or drive the kids 30 minutes away.

This time, I’m not so much worried about the wait time (we have an early appointment so logically you wouldn’t think we’d have to wait long).  I just am so afraid that they’re aren’t going to let me hold Nia while she gets her shot.  (With Nate they told me it’s safer for them to administer the shot if he is lying on the table.)  I hated that but then thought it will be ok because he probably wouldn’t remember it.  Nia will.  She’s so afraid and I’ve been trying to tell her exactly how it’s going to be – we even read a few children’s books about doctor’s visits and shots.  I plan to take some stickers, lollipops and toys with us so I will be ready to reward her and Nate for being so brave and also ready to pass the time while we wait. (Remember they don’t have any toys at this office.)  She’s also going to bring one of her stuffed animals for support.  I just wish I had something to help me get through it all too – two kids plus shots equals heartbreak for mom.

Tags: ,

I thought the house was clean…

22 May

then I saw Nia and Nate tossing their pricey toys aside so they could chase a dust bunny around the kitchen!

You wouldn’t believe how much that little ball of dirt entertained them.  They were giggling like crazy.

Unfortunately for them, their fun ended quickly.  As soon as I realized what they were doing, I grabbed the sweeper and stole their “toy”.

I will admit that there are some things I let them play with that they probably shouldn’t (car keys, hair brushes so he can bang up the house), but I draw the line at dust bunnies!
 

Tags: ,

Growing Up So Fast

19 May

Getting Braver Every Day

Nia started taking gymnastics lessons at the Y about 5 weeks ago and tonight she got to show her stuff with all the other little gymnasts during a “meet.”  It was so adorable and I’m so excited we got to experience it.  When she first started she was a chicken liver – now, she hardly hesitates to jump from one thing to the next.  She even walked across the balance beam all by herself for two steps!  It makes me sad to see her growing up so fast but then I’m also happy about it – she’s a lot of fun and it’s neat to see the little person she’s becoming.  Also, the more she learns about growing up, the more I learn about parenting (which is actually kind of scary).

In fact, this event gave me my first real taste of worrying about my child being left out of something.  At the end of the “meet” they passed out trophies to all the kids. Well, I had noticed that they left several of the gymnasts’ names out of the programs (Nia’s was one of them), so I was already bummed that they did that (I was suffering from the whole “how dare they forget my daughter?!?!” attitude).  Because of that, I automatically started stressing that she wouldn’t get a trophy.  They went in alphabetical order so that didn’t help the situation.  I just kept watching her stare at all the other kids whose last names fell between A and U – I wondered what she was thinking…”Wow, look at their shiny trophies…I hope I get a shiny trophy too…I wonder why I haven’t yet?”  Finally, her name was called – Andrew and I relaxed and she beamed.  She was so quick to jump up and run over to collect her shiny trophy that she didn’t even pose at the top of the mat like all the other kids did.  She just grabbed it, turned around and ran to sit down and inspect it.

Daddy & Gymnast

It just feels good to see her so happy.  She loves “bynastics” (as she calls it) and I love watching her have a blast.

 

 

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →