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The Good, The Bad and The Kid Locked in the Car

1 Jan

Before I leave you wondering…

Yes, I locked Nia in the car. I really did that.  I was one of those people.  I will tell you all about the hour of fun we had while waiting for Triple A to show up a few sentences later in this post because there was just so much that happened. I think it’s best to break out the bullet points!

  • The visit to my sister’s house was GREAT!  It was so wonderful getting to see her home and spend time with them there (and eat tons of delicious homemade cookies).  Even the drive to Cleveland was awesome!  Nate was like a completely different boy!  He didn’t cry at all!
  • As soon as we got to good ole’ Weirton, my mom and I hit the road to Pennsylvania to shop.  There weren’t even open handicap spots!  It was nutso!  I almost ran a stop sign too!  That should have been the first sign that my brain was struggling.
  • That same night Andrew and I headed back up to Pittsburgh to catch up with our friends Chris and Julie. Lola watched the kids for us so we were able to have some couple time.  Chris and Julie made it possible for me to do something I never did before – enjoy a Primanti Brothers sandwich! If you don’t know about them – they are YUM.  They put cole slaw and french fries on the sandwich.  Again, YUM.
  • The next day with Chris and Julie was also a great time. We took Nia ice skating and she had a blast.  She kept wanting to go around and around but it was getting harder and harder for daddy and mommy to go that slow and bear her weight.  I took some really cute pictures of her skating but sadly, I cannot share them. That is a “bad” that I have to tell you about but first, now it’s time to talk “kid locked in car.”   Yep, this is when I did it.  We were leaving the ice skating rink and I had the task of getting Nia buckled in as Andrew paid for parking.  It’s a long explanation of how I did it – but in the end all that matters is – I did it. I put the keys on the car seat, buckled her in and then closed the door.  All of that would have been ok if I didn’t have the doors locked and if Nia could get out of her child safety seat.  And she certainly was not learning how to do it through a window as her parents tried to mime to hert.  She kept saying, “Just come in and get me!”  We finally got through to her that we couldn’t come and get her – that a man was coming to help.  She tried to help.  She tried to pull her stay-puffed coat arm through the buckle’s strap.  Nope.  She tried using her Barbie to reach the lock.  Nope.  She picked up a book to read.  (She could reach that but not the keys!)  It’s so funny too because there I was so upset and she was totally fine.  Like, “Whatever – I’m waiting for the man to come.  Is he here yet?”  I love you Bean.  I’m so sorry I did that – trust me – it will NEVER, EVER happen again.  I’m sure I’ll do other bad things along the way – but you can take this one off the list.
  • Christmas was a wonderful day.  The kids loved opening presents (they had 3 rounds of opening that day) and Nate is at that age where everything he opens gets a “OH” and the really great things get a “WOW!”
  • The next day my sister and I braved the shopping crowds and scored big on some sales!  I loved being able to hang out with just her.  We haven’t been able to do that in a really long time and it was needed!
  • I also loved being able to celebrate Nate’s 2nd birthday with family. Even though he was pretty sicky that day, he still did great and blew out his candles like a champ!  (Getting us all sick in the process…)  After the party, we got to hang out with my good friends from high school Julie (another one) and Mary Lou and their families.  It’s so crazy to think that we all have children!  We’re like all grown up now and hardly get to talk but we can meet up like we just talked yesterday.  I love that!
  • Andrew and I got to have date night!  At the movies!  My mom watched the kids for us so we hit the theater to see “I Am Legend.”  We really liked it – but not the theater experience.  I’m sure I was annoying when I was a teen but come on!  Taking flash pictures, ringing cell phones and laughing loudly during the sad parts – a police officer came in to settle them down but it was during the last minutes of the movie!  I’m not sure when we’ll be back to a theater – why spend $20 there when we can just buy the DVD and enjoy it in the comfort of our own home and annoyances?
  • Coming home was also an adventure.  We had a luggage carrier strapped to the roof of the Malibu Maxx and it started pouring rain the last hour of the trip – that rain came in through our doors because of the way we had to tie the carrier to the car.  We were using a coffee cup to catch the drips!  It was also on the way home that I so stupidly lost one of our camera’s memory cards.  The one that had the visit to my sister’s on it.  The one that had Nia ice skating.  The one that had all the Christmas pictures on it.  I think it was on my lap and fell out of the car when I got out for a potty break at a gas station.  Andrew called.  Of course, it wasn’t turned in to the gas station. I’m still so sad over the whole thing and really mad at myself.  I will always have the memories in my mind, but still.

So there it is.  Christmas 2007 is history and a new year of laughs, horrors, love and adventures has started.  I can’t wait to share another year with you!  Hopefully, it will feature more of the good stuff – even though some of the bad is more fun to read!
 

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Headed for “Home”

21 Dec

After almost 8 years of living outside of West Virginia, I still refer to it as “home.”  I think it will always feel like it’s “home” but I really need to try not to call it that around Nia.  It totally confuses her when I say “When we get home…” She looks at me all crazy and says with a little miss thang attitude – “But we are already HOME Momma!”

With that said, we are headed for “home” tonight and I’m getting really excited!  Family, friends, presents and possibly some snow for the kids to enjoy!  We even bought them some boots, just in case!

Wild, Wonderful West Vir-Gin-I-A here we come!  YEEHAW!
 

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Advice that ranks up there with “wear protection”

22 Nov

“Now, there are just some things you get at the Wal-Mart.”

– Advice a mother gave her preteen daughter tonight while shopping at Publix.

 

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Never Too Old for Slumber Parties

16 Nov

It’s funny because if we still lived in Savannah, I would be able to enjoy the company of good friends whenever I wanted.  I would be able to call them up on any random day and say “let’s meet up for dinner.”  I would be able to spend any weekend afternoon at the park with them or brave the mall with babies in tow.  As much as I would love to be able to do those things, one thing living several hours away has done is require SLEEP OVERS!

I have always loved having friends stay over my house.  My mom spoiled me by letting me have anywhere from 5 to 12 pre-teen/teen girls keep her awake with our giggles and screams and New Kids on the Block song renditions (choreographed dances included).  Now that I’m older, the sleep overs have changed – we sure don’t stay up very late (1 am was insane!), we are now legally allowed to drink as much alcohol as we dare to, our conversations are about kids and money instead of which boy is cute and clothes/hair/weight – oh wait I’m wrong about that last one – weight is still a topic – but anyway – some things never change – like the comfort and security and sanity that good friends provide.

I loved getting to spend so much time with Ginger, Lee and Cami last weekend.  We didn’t even have to do anything and it was fun.  Watching the kids play – fun.  Sitting on the couch and chillin’ (often with laptops) – fun.  Heading out to Winder’s Fall Festival without knowing if it would be lame or not – fun (actually lots of fun).  It was just so awesome getting my “friend fix” for 4 days straight and being able to celebrate Ginger’s birthday with her.  I can only hope that we always try to do our best to share as many special events as we can together.  After all, Ginger was part of one of the most special events in my life (Nia’s birth) and it just feels so natural to have our families grow up together.  (And maybe even be able to watch our girls share more sleep overs!)

So Comfy

 

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I’m Blaming Disney…

11 Oct

(Even though I know, ultimately, it’s my fault since I’m the one who pushed the princesses on her for these past few years.)

Nia has a crush at school.  His name is Colin and she says he has a nice haircut and is cute.

WHAT?!?!?

ALREADY?!?!

Part of me thinks it’s adorable but the other part of me wants to shelter her from knowing all the hurt that comes out of crushes and young love.  This shouldn’t be starting so soon!  I had at least waited until I was in the first grade before I smooched my crush on his ear after saying to him, “I have to tell you a secret.”  Pretty sly, huh?

It just seems that 4-years-old is too young to even be noticing that someone is cute!  What makes the whole thing even worse is that she told me Colin doesn’t really play with her.  She says it’s because he plays with other girls that he thinks are prettier.  !!!!!!!  She told me that he liked her long hair better.  !!!!!!!!!!   Now, I don’t know how much of this I can believe since she says he never actually told her those things.  She’s, like, just assuming them or something but still!  The fact that she even knows to say something like “the other girls are prettier” – how heartbreaking is that?

I guess it has begun and there’s nothing we can do about it.  I just don’t think I can handle my baby girl feeling bad because of some boy (or anything for that matter).  Not now or when it’s really going to hurt.  I know it’s all a part of growing up and we all went through it – it’s just different when it’s happening to the people you want to protect the most.

 

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A Funeral, Family and a 3 Day Trip

3 Oct

We’re home.  The funeral service was beautiful and sad (Andrew’s dad gave the eulogy) and so many people came to say goodbye to Grandma over the two days she was shown – she was such a social butterfly and touched many lives with her personality.  I just wish she could have seen the kids one last time.

Speaking of the kids, Nia was a sweetie during it all.  There were 3 different showings over two days and then the funeral on the third day and she was so awesomely behaved I couldn’t believe it!  I mean, the whole thing is hard on us grown ups so I thought for sure it would be terrible for her – especially since she was pretty sleep deprived.  She told us she touched Grandma’s hand and that it wasn’t soft like it used to be and that she was very careful when she touched it.  She said it was her way of showing Grandma that she loved her.  How in the world does a 4 year old know that?  I asked her if anyone told her that and she said no.  She also told me that Grandma will wake up when Jesus comes to get her.  Amazing.  All I can do sometimes is look at her in shock.  She even did great in the car.  Sleeping for much of the way and never complaining.  She’s our angel.

As for Nate – well, he had his moments. Looking back on it, he was as well behaved as I could have hoped.  At the time though, it felt like I was running in circles.  The car rides and being quiet at the funeral service were hard things for him.  I had to take him outside for much of it.  Part of me felt sad that I didn’t get to properly mourn but then I thought that might be a good thing too.  He helped me keep my mind of the sadness of death and instead focus on the beauty and happiness of life.  That little boy – he might actually be an angel in disguise.

While the trip home was for Grandma’s funeral –  it did give us a chance to see family we haven’t seen in a really long time.  I’m so happy that my sister drove in from Ohio.  Even though we didn’t get to spend a ton of time together – it was so wonderful to see her and my nieces.  I needed a family fix.  I’m so thankful she came home and I can’t wait to see her, my brother-in-law (who was missed!) and the girls again soon!  We also got to see Andrew’s cousins that we haven’t seen since our wedding.  One of them is now getting married and she wants Nia to be a flower girl!  I’m so excited!

Other than all of that – here’s a few other things to note about our trip-

  • Spending 20 hours in the car within 3 days with two kids
  • 1 screaming baby boy who made sure we all knew how miserable he was being stuck in his car seat for those 20 hours. (We only really made one pit stop each way because we were driving through the night and if we let him out of the seat too many times – he wouldn’t want to get back in.)
  • Too many tears to count – crying over Grandma’s death, crying over struggling with the boy, crying over missing family
  • 1 strong White Russian that made me pass out in the chair of my living room while watching tv with my sister and devouring a bag full of those cheddar sour cream chips (not one of my best moments during the trip).
  • Tons of smiles and laughs watching the kids play with their cousins/Aunt/Uncles/Grandparents (my niece Gabbie and Nia had found some foot cushions at my house and had them on their faces!  Then they grabbed my mom’s shoes and purses and said they were “going to the doctor.”  Too cute!)
  • Several bittersweet reunions – we got to see family and people we haven’t seen in super a long time but it feels weird being happy to see them when your loved one is in the next room being mourned.
  • 1 warning from the West Virginia State Police for going 10 over the speed limit.  Andrew is like the luckiest person when it comes to tickets.  He always knows what to say – somehow he only spoke maybe 5 sentences to the officer but he managed to slip in “grandma’s funeral,” “used to be in the Army,” “when I was deployed to Iraq” and an appropriate amount of “sirs.”  Hey…he gave it a shot and it paid off!  I know it wouldn’t have worked for me!
  • Laughing hysterically at the boy and Andrew on the way home from WV.  Nate would go from screaming like a madman to calm just by Andrew saying very smoothly to him, “Nate, okay, okaaayyyy?”  Nate would say very softly back, “kay.”  I don’t know what it was but it was so funny!  Andrew had just asked him, “Nate, where’s your blankey?” to which Nate would scream, “NO!”  Andrew, “Where’s your thumb?”  Nate, “NO!”  Andrew, “Nate, okay, okaaayyy?”  Nate, “kay.”

Well, that’s it for now, okay?  Kay.
 

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It’s Just Sad to Me

17 Sep

Let me start by saying, I really do not like to judge/question other parents.  I mean, who am I to say someone is a bad parent?   For the most part, as long as you love your child, do the best you can to provide for them and genuinely care about their well-being than who am I to criticize you for not washing their crib sheets enough or for letting them drink a soda?  I do things wrong all the time when it comes to this parenting thing but I want to believe that as long as I keep trying to do my best to keep them secure, happy and healthy that I’m doing ok.

That being said – here’s what’s “just sad to me.”  Last week, I went to the urgent care because I thought I caught what the kids had.  As I was waiting, two women came in and they had four children with them.  One was around Nate’s age and was dressed in her nightgown (she was the sicky one), another two little girls seemed to be around 3 or 4 years old and they each were wearing a t-shirt and their britches.  Nothing else.  No pants, no shoes, no socks.  Just their shirts and their underwear.

I try to think why the women would bring them in like that.  Maybe they spilled their juice in the car on the way here and it soaked their pants, socks and shoes.  Maybe they can’t afford pants, socks, shoes.  (But the other child – an older boy – has pants, socks and shoes on – why don’t they?)  I try to think of all the practical reasons I could as to what would ever make me take Nia out in public like that.  I really couldn’t.  Because if I was in the exact situation, I would have one of the women stay in the car with the girls.

Ok fine – so I questioned them on that but that actually wasn’t the worst of it.  As I was going to leave, the little girls were running willy-nilly across the busy parking lot.  Oh yeah – did I mention it was raining too?  No shoes, no pants, rain and cars.  How could I ever find a reason this would be acceptable/understandable?  I know kids will be kids but it wasn’t like the woman with them was even trying to keep them safe.

I did say to myself – at least they brought the sick little girl to the doctor.  That shows they care, right?

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Partying Like It’s 1998 (but without the hangover)

11 Sep

WOW

2 of 50,000

The pictures don’t even half capture what it looked like at Saturday’s Dave Matthews Band concert at Piedmont Park in Atlanta.  It was INSANE!  Something like 50,000 tickets were sold.  That pretty much equals a crap load of drunk people and a thick cloud of smoke from a whole lotta pot.  Andrew and I were not part of either club.  We actually only shared 3 beers between us and I think it was best that way.  I think it was far more entertaining to watch the others than be one of them.  (I did enough of that during my pre-kid days anyway.)

Andrew and I were so excited to get to go to this concert.  We love DMB and the last time we saw them in concert was in 1998.  (Yes, at that concert I was one of the drunk club.)  This time was special because we did it for ourselves.  Not to go with a group of friends or drink until we were silly –  just to be together – by ourselves.  I had a blast with my hubby – rockin’ out to the music – people watching – riding the city’s public transportation (it was a “Go Green” concert and they made it so you couldn’t park anywhere near the event).  It didn’t matter what we did – I was just so happy to have that night with him.

DMB Dorks

It’s funny how even though we didn’t have the kids with us – we still had the kids with us. My mom stayed at home with them so her kid could go out and play but since Nia was sick, Andrew and I kept calling home to check on her and wondering if we should leave the concert.  My mom assured us Nia was ok and we decided to stay but it still felt wrong to have too much fun while our little girl was yucky.  It turns out though that she and her “Honey” (what she calls my mom) had a little slumber party of sorts.  Honey let her stay up late watching “Beauty and the Beast” and when we came home, Nia was fast asleep in her princess bed and Honey was crashed out on the couch.  It was a sweet sight after an evening of the usual crazy concert ones (I’ll have to write about my observations another time) and I’m so grateful for my mom and the chance to rock out again.

Concert Couple

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Tiny Girlfriends

13 Aug

So Sweet

This weekend Nia got to have a blast with her best friend from Savannah.  Avery and her parents came to stay with us and it was such a great time.  It just amazes me how much these two little girls click.  They went to the same daycare together since they were like six months old or something and were inseparable from the start. Their cribs were even next to each other!  Taking Nia away from her Avery was really hard for us but it seems (thankfully) the distance hasn’t hurt their friendship. 

As soon as Avery got in the door (around 11:00 pm Friday) Nia and her were hugging and screaming and destroying the house.  It was so awesome hearing them giggling at 7:00 am and watching them hold hands as they walked.  This was the first “sleepover” for both girls and they did great.  They actually went to sleep and they were in the same room!  They were playing really hard though and we did keep them super busy.

On Saturday, we went to Stone Mountain Park and stayed out until 11:00 pm watching a laser/fireworks show on the mountain.  Before that, the kids ran around like crazy in a big barn full of foam balls and nets to climb.

Best of Friends

On Sunday, we went back to the Georgia Aquarium (it was Avery’s first visit there) and had a picnic near the tank of the Beluga Whales.  (It was so crowded there we couldn’t find a table!  It all worked out for the best though – just look at what we got to see while we ate!)

Our Entertainment during Lunch

The girls played so well together and it was like they had never been apart.  Andrew and I got along really great with Avery’s parents too (even the big kids had a ton of fun) so I know we’ll be seeing more of them – I just wish the girls could grow up together.  We just have to do all we can to make sure they keep in touch and see each other as much as possible – it would just be so sad to not see where their friendship leads.

Munchkins

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Weighing on My Mind

6 Aug

I really didn’t want to blog about this but I’m now thinking that if I put it out there it might help me stay on track.  I’ve become inspired by my friend Roxann who is now successfully on her way to a healthier her.  Each week, she shares how her weight loss is going (you are doing so awesome Roxann!) and since I’m struggling with mine, I thought that if I wrote about my frustrations it would kind of kick my butt in gear to try and do better.

Three weeks ago, I was at my lowest weight since having either of the kids.  The scale read 135.6. It was an awesome feeling to step on that thing and have it glow those numbers at me.  Now though, the numbers are growing instead of shrinking and I’m getting a little discouraged.  Today, the scale told me I was 138.6.  That means I gained 3 pounds in 3 weeks!  With all the company we had last month I wasn’t watching what I was eating like I should have been or exercising like I had been and now it’s hard to get back in line.  I still weigh less than I did in April (144) but after seeing the smaller numbers it’s just a bummer.

I am using this blog to be the kickoff to my new attempt at a smaller me.  I don’t have much to loose – I just wanted to get below 130.  125 is ideal but I will be happy with 130 (so I tell myself now).  From this blog forward, I will follow my diet and continue to work hard at the gym.  I have a goal to lose a pound a week before we hit the beach in September – hopefully, this confession will help me stick to it!

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