Pinhead

There should be a 12 step program for this…

To what am I referring to??

Why, Pinterest, of course!

I, like many bloggers, have succumbed to the lure of Pinterest.  It is so fun to scour for links to great ideas, recipes, and photo inspiration, and then save everything in one place.  I’m a wee bit obsessed you might say.  If you want to join in my fixation, you can find me here. 

Here’s just a few of my recent pinterest finds…

Lovely white kitchen, love the open shelving and gold-tones:

Adorably cute check coat from Crew Cuts for my little lady:

Chevron + monogram + Greek key = LOVE

Cute idea for future family photo (as if we could ever look that coordinated and fashionable as a group!)

Great smoky eye (for all those exciting nights out I have.  Wait a minute….)

Of course, this can also be said of Pinterest:

The Escapades of Elvis the Elf

For those with young ones, do you have an Elf on the Shelf?  For those who haven’t heard of this little guy, it basically is a small doll Elf that “flies to your home” from the North Pole as a “scout elf” for Santa Claus.  Your little one names the elf and then the elf stays with you through the holiday season.  Each night, the elf returns to the North Pole to report to Santa whether you have been naughty or nice.  He then returns before your children awake in a new spot in the house.  Children are instructed to not touch the elf, otherwise he loses his magic. 

(Here’s the little guy – I’m not going to lie, dolls kind of freak me out, but he’s pretty darn cute). 

ELVIS the elf was welcomed into our household the morning after Thanksgiving and to say he was well received would be putting it mildly!  Alexandra was over the moon with the little scout elf who brought her a “North Pole Breakfast” of “snow doughnuts” and hot cocoa, as well as a few treats from Mrs. Claus – Alexandra loves Mrs. Claus more than Santa, I have no idea why!

Not only does Alexandra love him, she is determined to get a “nice” report every evening and has been on BEST behavior – Ryan and I wonder if we could adopt Elvis as another member of the family for use year round!  Seriously, we might be onto something….Cupid on a Shelf, Easter Bunny on a Shelf, Tooth Fairy on a Shelf….really the possibilities are endless. 

Elvis has had quite the thrilling week, getting into all kinds of mischief.  He took the dollhouse convertible out for a spin, unfortunately there wasn’t enough room for Barbie to call shotgun. 

Elvis and Baby Teddy also shared a spot of tea….

Elvis must have been jumpy from all the caffeine in his tea because he next attempted to climb a ladder up the side of the tree.

And was found the next morning with ice cream – really, who could blame him?

Of course, Alexandra believed that “banilla” was his favorite and insisted that I switch out the strawberry cone with a much bigger scoop because “ice cream is the best.”  Ah, she learns so fast, I have taught her well!

I can only guess the mischief this impish Elf will get into next….

Digging Out From Under My Rock

Ahem…..

Well, here we are, months, no, EONS, later, and I’m officially digging out from underneath my rock. 

I hope this message is not met with radio silence, and that there are a faithful few who still are curious as to what is going on in this crazy woman’s life!

It is no coincidence that the date of my last blog post coincided with my return to work from maternity leave.  I enjoyed a blissful 8 weeks of mommyhood with my new little man, Grayson – who isn’t so little anymore, but with the blink of an eye is now a staggering 9 MONTHS OLD!  (Don’t worry, I have oodles of photographs to fill this page with that document his growth from newborn to chubby leg baby boy over the course of my absence from blogging).  Adjusting from one small child to two was so much more challenging than I had ever thought it might be.  THEN, adjusting to two children AND a busy career was ALMOST too much for this woman to take (and truth be told, it is still a daily challenge).  After returning to work, I would try to be an attorney with her wits about her during the day, then come home and try to be a present, involved mommy to my little ones.  By the time they would be tucked into their beds for the night, I would find myself emotionally, physically and mentally exhausted.  As much as I missed catching up on all of your lovely blogs and filling you in on my adventures (or lack thereof!), blogging just didn’t make the cut of priorities, which fell in this order:

1. FAMILY

2. WORK

3. SLEEP

For months, if it didn’t fall under one of those three subjects, it just wasn’t getting done.  This would also include laundry, house cleaning, maintaining the up-keep on my roots, etc. 

But as time has passed, I have missed blogging a great deal.  I’ve missed documenting the fun, everyday little moments of my phenomenal little family.  I’ve missed putting my thoughts, feelings and ideas – whatever they are worth - out into the world.  And I’ve sorely missed the connections that I have developed with people who have stumbled upon my blog, leading me in turn to check out their wonderful blogs and resulting in formed friendships.   There have been at least a half dozen times over the past few months where I have sat down to write a post, but the more time passed, the more daunting a task it seemed to be and I talked myself out of it.  However, I have finally decided to “put my big girl panties on”, drag myself away from Pinterest (wow, that is a post in and of itself!) and throw myself back into the blog.

I’m happy to be putting a post on here for the first time in months – even if it is just filled with excuses as to why I haven’t blogged!  More to follow…..

So Little Time

Yes, I’ve been missing in action from my blog for OVER A MONTH. 

I looked back at the date of my last blog post and it made me laugh because I realized that it was just before I finished up my maternity leave and headed back to work. 

Needless to say, working full-time as an attorney while attempting to spend as much quality time with my little family as possible on the nights and weekends has led to very little free time for anything, including blogging. 

Seriously, I caught myself dancing up the steps the other night at the prospect of having 15 minutes to myself to TAKE A SHOWER.  Just pitiful, I tell you. 

I’ll be here, very soon – hopefully in the next few days.  I’m just trying to let the dust settle and get established in this all new routine, learning each passing minute how to better manage my time. 

And speaking of time, oh how quickly it flies by when you are a parent.  Look at the rapidly changing appearance of our little man, who is 3 months old today!

He’s literally changing every day before my very eyes!

The Love-Fest Continues and a Brain Dump

Sibling love is alive and well in our house…though I think it is a little bit one-sided! 

Before viewing, I should note two things: (1) Please ignore the sing-song voice I’m using to talk to the kids!, and (2) Please also ignore the gross observation made by my husband in the background.  I hope you’ll be so distracted by the cuteness of our kids that you won’t hear it!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Here’s some odds and ends that have been running through my mind which don’t really deserve a blog post of their very own, which I’m pouring out here in a “brain dump.” 

Before Grayson was born, I foolishly fell into the trap of thinking,

“What will I do with all my free time while he’s sleeping?”

Okay, take a minute to get a good laugh at that statement.  Why on Earth I thought this, I have no clue – it’s not like this is my first child or anything, so I know that free time for the mom of a newborn is severely limited.  However, this boy eats A LOT (he has gained 4 POUNDS in the 7 weeks he has been alive!), and I have quite a bit of time to flip through the channels while I’m nursing him and catch up on programs we DVR at night (when we have absolutely no time to sit down and watch TV). 

Last night’s “Modern Family” was freaking hysterical!  Everything from Cam taking over direction of the junior high musical to the interesting wrap that Phil has done to Claire’s van – priceless. 

There is a LOT of HGTV on in our house – it is the default channel in our household!  One show I love is Selling New York.  The homes are incredible, the realtors are interesting, and I never cease to be amazed at the price per square footage in NYC!

Ohhh….please tell me you have been watching “The Killing” on AMC.  One word, FANTASTIC.  I’m slow to catch on the AMC bandwagon, never having watched Mad Men or Breaking Bad, but I’m so glad I picked this one up.  Well-written, thrilling, just loving it. 

Wow – the folks on “Extreme Couponing” on TLC are, well……EXTREME.  These folks are teetering on the brink of needing to go on “Hoarders”, with stockpiles of thousands of grocery items stored in their homes.  It’s the thrill of the chase for these people – there was the guy who bought 1000 (yes, one thousand) boxes of cereal for $100.  Or the couple who bought 50+ bottles of mustard on sale, when the husband doesn’t even EAT mustard.  I’m not sure of whether I should be in awe of these people who can save a staggering amount (seriously, paying $10 for $400 worth of product), or completely disturbed by their obsessiveness….either way, I’m intrigued. 

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Finally, a co-worker sent me an email that I needed to share.  America’s favorite funny lady, Tina Fey, has the wittiest observations on pregnancy and parenthood, definitely keeping it real.  She is expecting a second child and looks absolutely fabulous. 

The following ran on NPR and is Tina’s “Mother’s Prayer” for her daughter – enjoy!

“First, Lord: No tattoos.  May neither the Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. 

May she be beautiful but not damaged, for it’s the damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the beauty.

When the crystal meth is offered, may she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half, and stick with beer. 

Lead her away from acting, but not all the way to finance – something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes and not have to wear high heels.  What would that be, Lord?  Architecture, midwifery, golf course design?  I’m asking you because if I knew, I’d be doing it, dammit. 

May she play the drums to the fiery rhythm of her own heart with the sinewy strength of her own arms, so she need not lie with drummers. 

Oh Lord, break the Internet forever, that she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers and the online marketing campaign for “Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed.”

And when she one day turns on me and calls me a bitch in front of Hollister, give me strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, for I will not have that nonsense.

I will not have it.

Bonding

I vow that I will post about things OTHER than my kids VERY soon, but please indulge me once more as I post a few pictures from a supremely sweet moment I caught a couple of weekends ago.  Alexandra wanted to partake in Grayson’s tummy time on his floor mat – which, incidentally, she seems more interested in than he does!

Sigh – aren’t they just about the cutest things ever?  I am biased, of course. 

Adventures in Hairstyling

Ryan and I often wondered what our babies would look like while they were in utero, but if there was one thing we were certain of, we knew they would have extremely thick hair as both of us have LOTS of it ourselves (Ryan’s stick straight, mine wavy).  And were we right – our daughter Alexandra has beautiful, thick, curly hair, and Grayson seems to have quite a bit already as an infant. 

See what I mean?!  The child’s hair has grown SO much in the past several months.  I noticed while she was in the tub the other night that, when it is wet, her hair goes all the way down her back and is getting dangerously close to Crystal Gayle territory, which means my girl needs a trim!  

Side note – please tell me ya’ll know who Crystal Gayle is?

Country singer who was fairly big in the seventies and eighties…younger sister of Loretta Lynn…and perhaps most famous for her floor-skimming hair, undoubtedly full of split ends.

Here’s hoping I didn’t lose you on that tangent!

Anyway, as I was saying …

While Alexandra’s curls are beautiful, the downside is that her hair is prone to become tangled – A LOT.  Just looking at it causes it to get tangled, and don’t even get me started about how terribly tangled it is after she has eaten something sticky and multiple strands of hair get caught in the stickiness!  Combing it out is no treat for her mommy (payback, I suppose, for the grief I’m sure my sister and I gave my mom as she combed out our own thick wavy hair).  I find it easiest to arm myself with a huge bottle of detangler and comb, then sit her down in front of a Sesame Street video on the computer, where her attention is diverted from what I’m doing. 

Most mornings I simply pull back her hair with a hair bow, as seen in the picture above.  Some mornings she will sit still long enough for me to do “ponies”, but those days are few and far between.  On occasion, she comes home from pre-school and her hair is styled completely differently.  In her last class, one of her teachers could craft the most beautiful French braids – boy, do I miss her!  Not sure why Alexandra would sit still for her hair to be braided, maybe because the other little girls were doing it, too?  (Oh boy, peer pressure hits already!). 

However, sometimes the results of her teachers’ hairstyling efforts are a little suspect, like one day last week.  Ryan came in with Alexandra and said, “Just wait till you see her hair.”  Alexandra ran up to see me with a huge smile on her face and what appeared to be two adorable ponytails with a perfect part right down the middle. 

I was confused, and asked Ryan why he would question this as her hair looked adorable, remarking that I couldn’t believe her teacher got such a straight and even part.  That is when Ryan turned her around and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. 

Yep, that’s a THIRD ponytail in the back of the head – or what Ryan and I have affectionately begun calling the “MULLET PONYTAIL.”  To make it even more interesting, the hair bow I had put in her hair that morning was strategically placed right on top of that third mullet ponytail (Ryan removed it before I could photograph it, unfortunately). 

Isn’t that a hoot?  I’m not sure WHY the teacher didn’t just part Alexandra’s hair into two ponies instead of three, especially when she was able to part Alexandra’s hair on the top so easily. 

All I could hope was that none of the mommies I knew saw Ryan that afternoon when he picked up Alexandra from pre-school, as I’m sure they were calling into question my hairstyling skills!!!

The First Month

Our little Grayson was one month old this past Wednesday – sorry, sweet boy, that I’m doing your one month post 5 days after the fact, but one day you will have small kiddos of your own and will know that things don’t always proceed on time! 

We had your one month checkup last Thursday, at which time Missy (the ARNP at our pediatrician’s office) looked you over and declared that you were “just perfect” – and I couldn’t agree more!  You weighed in at your one month at 8 pounds and 15.2 ounces, and measured 21 inches long.  You have gained almost 2 1/2 pounds and grown 2 inches since birth, which is not surprising given you have a VORACIOUS appetite and could nurse all of the time if I let you!  We are exclusively breastfeeding and I have to say that I feel some pride seeing you grow and knowing that your nutrition comes solely from your mommy. 

Even with that great weight gain, you are still a little peanut!  It is just in the past week or so that we have started moving out of Newborn sized clothing and into 0-3 month clothing, and they are still very big on you.  I’m not too worried about your size, though I am worried that all of the clothes we have for you for the summer will be way too big!  Grow, baby, grow! :) 

You have the prettiest olive skin (slightly flawed at the moment by a little bit of that baby acne that seems to afflict most newborns for a week or two), and a head full of dark blondish brown hair.  You have huge expressive eyes that are the deepest blue in color – so pretty – though I know the color is subject to change.  I stare into your eyes and often wonder if you will have beautiful blue eyes like your Daddy and sister or if you will have hazel green eyes like your Mommy – I’m going to bet on blue.  We are currently battling our SECOND round against conjunctivitis in your left eye, I will be so happy when it clears up.  We’re giving you drops in your eye and you’re such a trooper and don’t seem to mind too much when we have to give you the medicine. 

We are still on newborn diapers, and boy do we go through a lot of them!  With a hearty appetite comes a LOT of dirty diapers.  Your digestive system has caused more than a few chuckles in our household – I can often hear you passing gas from the next room!  Your burps are equally impressive.  What can I say, you are all boy!

We are not really on any set schedule right now – you are fed on demand and that seems to vary anywhere between 1.5 hours (yikes!!) and 3 hours.  I keep waiting for that 4-5 hour stretch of sleep during the night before you wake up for your next feeding, but so far, no dice!  You wake up every 2 to 3 hours to eat during the night, making for a very tired mommy.  You are currently sleeping in a bassinet in our room which makes middle of the night feedings much easier. 

When you are awake during the day, you are very alert and take in your surroundings with such a serious expression.  Your little brow furrows and we all crack up because you look like a little old man when you do that – sometimes I call you our little “Benjamin Button!”.  You are very observant, which I love.  I have been placing you on the play mat and you are starting to stare at yourself in the mirror.  We are also doing tummy time and despite your small size, you are very strong and love to stretch your neck so you can look up.  You also are a big fan of your bouncy seat (so is your big sis, she likes to pull the toys and dance to the music!), but you are not liking your swing so much.  Oh well, neither did your sis – you both preferred to be swayed back and forth in our arms as opposed to the swing!

You are not very fussy, sweet boy, but when you are not happy or you want something, you certainly let us know all about it! You are generally at your fussiest around 6pm to 7pm, though you are certainly not colicky like your big sis (thank goodness!).  When you are fussy, you like to be held and have us dance around the room, bouncing you up and down.  I succumbed and bought a pacifier, but so far you don’t seem to have much interest in it. 

Your big sister Alexandra loves you SO very much!  She really enjoys doting on you, generally calling you “Baby Brother” as opposed to Grayson.  She uses a sing-song voice to describe you, stating, “Look at his tiny feet!” or asking if she can “Hold Baby Brother’s tiny hands?”  She likes to hug on you and kiss your head, and I’m trying to get her involved as a helper in diaper changes.  While she is very sweet with you, unfortunately I feel that she is having some issues with adjusting.  She is much clingier to me, and at bedtime insists, “hold me, hold me, hold me!”  She also is acting out a lot more, but honestly I’m not sure how much of that is related to her getting adjusted to baby brother and how much of that is the Terrible 2’s/3’s. 

 

Sweet Grayson, you are such an absolute joy!  You are a very easy baby, which has helped with the adjustment from one to two kids, though it has still been more challenging than I had anticipated.  I just adore you and my heart bursts with happiness every time we snuggle together.  I can’t wait to see what the future holds for you!

March Madness & A Blast From The Past

Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather – our alma mater, the University of Kentucky Wildcats, defeated #1 seed Ohio State on Friday night to make it to the Elite Eight.  What a barn burner that game was!!!  Our household will be sitting on the edge of our seats on Sunday night when we take on North Carolina for a Final Four bid.  The littlest member of our family will be wearing these festive socks for good luck.  GO CATS!!!!!

On a random tangent, the most recent issue of Entertainment Weekly was in our mailbox this afternoon with my favorite vampire on the cover, talking about life after Twilight and the upcoming feature film “Water for Elephants” (I cannot wait for this movie, I just adored the book and am hopeful this cast will make a great film). 

The mag contained a book review of “Sweet Valley Confidential” – basically a look at the Sweet Valley High gang 10 years after graduation. 

If you are a woman of a certain age – as I know many of you who read my blog are – Sweet Valley Twins and Sweet Valley High were a part of your adolescence (along with The Babysitters Club!).  Almost every female I know my age has read at least one of these books.  Kind of makes me curious how Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield ended up!!