Mrs. MIA

Hey everyone!  I know I have been kind of MIA recently in the bloggerdom, but I am a relatively new mom so give me a break!  ;]  A lot has happened over the past nine months.  Let's take a look, shall we:

1. I gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, T.J.  He is the cutest baby in the whole wide world if you were wondering... and no, I am not biased at ALL!!!!  ;] Heehee!!

2. T.J. is now crawling QUICKLY, babbling up a STORM, getting into trouble, learning to respond to "no", pulling up on occasion, and saying "T.J" when we encourage him.

3. He has graduated to the big bath.  =[  His little blow-up ducky bath just isn't cuttin' it anymore.

4. He is eating Cheerio-like organic puffs and organic cheese/veggie puffs.

5. He is drinking water from a sippy cup.

6. Travis has been in production (no longer in training) at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney for almost a year (employed there for almost a year and a half).

7. Fall decor is up!  (Has been since probably before September but SHHH!)

8. We've already made our Tennessee Christmas plans where T.J. will hopefully get to play in some snow!

9. I am listening to Christmas music.  Your judgement will not help my addiction... I have been listening since August 1st (be happy I held off that long... yes... I know...).

10. I have been learning the guitar- I think I am actually doing pretty well if I do say so myself!  =]

11. I have been making a solid effort to read more books and watch less TV.  It is going well!  Since the beginning of this year I have finished a total of 8 books and am currently working on two (one fiction, one nonfiction).  I want T.J. to grow up in a home where he sees Mom and Dad on the couch reading together, not watching TV.  This is part of the reason we try to read multiple times to him a day.

12. Travis and I have started making monthly goals: 4 for me, 4 for him, and 4 for us.  This has really helped me to keep on track!

13. In more recent news, T.J. has plagiocephaly due to torticollis.  =[  It is simply a cosmetic issue, but we are going to get him started with a helmet because he is a boy and it will be more noticeable on him.  Stay tuned for cute pictures in the next month of my adorable baby bear sportin' his awesome helmet like a football star!  =]

14. I have been trying to get in some quiet time/Bible Study recently.  I need to get closer to the Lord, and without getting into His Word, there won't be much growth.  I am returning to my Beth Moore study, Breaking Free.  I didn't complete a lot of it before, so I am trying to go through it again with some more success this time.

15. I now weigh over 15 lbs less than I did when I got pregnant with T.J.!  I fit into some of my size 4 stuff, and I am feeling awesome!  Nothing more encouraging and empowering than when you can say "NO!" to a chocolate cupcake, etc.!  I figured now was the perfect time to lose the weight since I am still breastfeeding.  An extra 500 calories lost each day without having to do anything?  Don't mind if I do!  =]

I think fifteen is good, don't you?  Oh wait, dang!  I forgot one thing... ugh, there goes my nice little 15 point list.  Grrr...

16. I made a full card set for someone!  For those of you who don't know, I have launched my Facebook page for my little homemade card company, Cards for Cool Cats!  Wellllll, my husband's Aunt D is going to be undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer beginning October 11th (prayers are appreciated).  My mother-in-law asked me to make a set of 12 thank you cards for D to send out to people who send her things and show her kindness during this tough time.  It took me two days, but I finished 12 unique cards (none are the same) and a pretty little box to store them.  Please check out the Facebook page to see the full set: https://www.facebook.com/CardsForCoolCats.

All right, that should tie things up nicely.  =]  Hope you enjoyed my little update.  Just to keep myself accountable and you interested (PSH!  As if I NEED to try to keep you interested... I mean, I KNOW you have just been sitting there anxious for the past month WAITING for me to post again, right?  ...hello...?), I will give you a little heads up as to what the next post will be about... stinkin' preposition.

Heads Up
It's a bird!  It's a plane!  It's a POST!!!

Up next is "A Few of My Favorite Things": I will post a few pictures and descriptions of a few of my current favorite things ("current"... I am so fickle sometimes...), and then you can share some of your favorite things in the comment section.  We shall then battle to the DEATH over whose favorite things are better!!!!!  Muhuhahahahah!!!!  ...sorry... did I mention that 3 of the books I read were the Hunger Games trilogy?  kthanksbye!  =]

---Pretty please with sugar on top show me some love by giving me some feedback in the comment section and also by utilizing the "like" and"dislike" buttons (P.S. "Like" is the correct choice, btw... just... fyi... in case, you know, you were wondering...).  I would love to hear an update about your life- tell me what's been going on with you and your fam!  Toodles!---

Lessons From a Stay-at-Home Mom

Obviously I am no expert when it comes to parenting or being a wife or anything at all... except I am an expert at just being generally awesome.  Hahah!  Just kidding... kind of.

However, even though I am not nearly an expert or amazing at anything in particular- especially parenting considering I have been a parent for 7 months- I can still offer up a little bit of knowledge that I have personally gained through experience.

Let's begin:

1. Everyone has a different opinion about how things should be done.  It is your child.  God has given you instincts, friend... use them.  Every baby is different, and every parent is different.  Thus, there are going to be different methods of parenting, and guess what?  Unless you mess up royally, your child will probably turn out just fine.  Relax.  Hardcore on Baby Wise?  Your baby will be fine.  Hardcore on Attachment Parenting?  Your baby will be fine.  Personally, I like to mix it up- my opinion has always been "moderation is the key".  And you know what?  My baby will be TOTALLY AND UTTERLY DESTROYED!!!!  Now, see... if you believed that, you obviously weren't paying attention.  The real answer is, he will be fine.  =]  Okay.  Paying attention now?  Good.  Carry on then...

2. Everyone wants to brag about her child.  This irks me many times.  But it shouldn't. You know why?  Because the kid that doesn't walk until 13 months could end up being a surgeon, and the prodigy baby that starts walking at an astounding 7 months could end up being as dumb as a bag of rocks someday.  Sounds harsh?  Sorry, the truth hurts.  According to research I have done at least, their early development (early as in like... baby) doesn't really have any bearing on their intelligence and development later on in life.  So if you feel the need to brag about your baby's accomplishments, try to think how you would feel if another momma told you everything her baby has done and your baby hadn't quite made it to that point yet.  If that would worry you, then newsflash... it probably worries the other momma... so knock it off.  Obviously I know my child is just as smart and developed as the rest of them, but when mommas start the "Well, my kid is doing such-and-such" game, I start to unnecessarily worry about whether or not T.J. is up to par.  That isn't fair to anyone- especially T.J.  If it is purely an innocent comparison and just a fun topic both momma's are interested in discussing, then great!  That is a different story.  Alls I'm sayin' is, try to be respectful and considerate.

3. Don't worry if you look like poop on a stick, no one looks at you anymore.  Seriously, though.  It is amazing how when you are holding an adorable child, no one stares at you anymore to see how you look.  Sound depressing?  Cheer up, Charlie!  (...or you know, whatever your name happens to be.)  This is a good thing- be an optimist!  You can look like junkindoodles and a half and not have to worry!  Obviously I am exaggerating, but the truth is, you are a lot less the center of others' eyeballs' attention.  Follow those possessives?  ::phew::  Give yourself a pat on the back because I wrote that and it annoyed me.

4. It will never be about you ever again.  EVER.  "Mom!  Dad!  So happy to see you!  You won't believe what I have been up to; I-  You aren't paying attention to me, are you?  Nope.  Just took T.J. out of my arms and are snuggling him without even realizing I am here.  You don't seem to understand that I brought him here... to you... right now... why am I still talking to myself when no one is listening?"  Sum it up?  Grand.

5. Babies don't pay attention to what goes in their mouths.  I am sure you knew this one, but I find it interesting that I made T.J. a prune, banana, breast milk puree ::waits patiently for readers to finish vomiting:: and he gobbles it down despite the fact that it looks like cat diarrhea.  Oh, to be so innocent and carefree.  Brown slime?  Don't mind if I do!

6. A successful day is measured in naps and poops.  To clarify: naps and poops of the baby.

7. You and your spouse's main topic of discussion will probably be the quality and quantity of baby's poops and naps for some time.  This is okay.  But you may want to try forcing yourselves to discuss other topics.  I mean, yes, baby bowel movements and naps are interesting to discuss (not.), but you need to have some actual conversation about other stuff as well... such as baby's general behavior and the clothing he or she wore that day...  ;]

8. Babies have rough patches.  No one said parenting was easy.  And if they did, either they don't have kids or they consider raising 9 cats as parenting.  Your baby may go through a sleep regression... or maybe even ::gasp:: multiple sleep regressions!  You will live.  Suck it up, you probably got up more in the middle of the night to pee during your pregnancy than you do to care for your little love bug during a regression.  I know I did!  Your little snuggle bear may go through a rough teething time.  And why not?  They have sharp objects ripping their way through sensitive mouth flesh- sound painful?  It IS!  The point is: you will live, they will live, and things will always get better!

9. Get out of the house.  One of the best things I can do for T.J. and myself is getting out of the house- even if it is a quick 30 minute walk or an hour at the park with Trav when he gets home from work.  Being a stay-at-home mom, I can get completely stir crazy when I am stuck in our 2-bedroom condo for the entire day.  T.J. is a person, too.  He probably gets just as stir crazy- boring?  I think so!  Walking can be such a relaxing, fun way to spend some quality time in the fresh air with your child.  Whatever you do, just get out for a bit- it always helps us break up the day with something different.

10. Enjoy these days without inhibitions.  As a stay-at-home mom, I feel the need to make sure the house is clean and everything is done before I can really sit down and enjoy time with my baby boy.  Here's a plan... the dishes and laundry will always be there... babies aren't babies forever.  I have cherished so many days of snuggling with my son (especially when he was a newborn), making sure that I soaked in the time.  I can say without doubt that I got to spend significant time snuggling with him when he was bitty, and I don't regret it.  Guess what?  My house wasn't clean... I didn't look super put together.  But my heart was full and now my memories are as well.  Make time for the things that matter.

sldfgja;gasd;jsdlkfjsdl;kfjsd, That's All Folks!  (Betcha didn't know how that mumbled up jumble was spelled until now.  You're welcome.)

-Have anything to add?  Don't lie, you know you want to give your two cents (...or, who knows, maybe twenty bucks!)!  Utilize that lovely comment area to add your thoughts!  Gracias!-

Kitchen Cavern of DEATH!!!!

You know when you run the garbage disposal in the sink and it sounds like there is a little something in there?  Well that happened tonight.

So I did something stupid.  NO WAIT!  Don't leave!  My fingers didn't get severed, my hand didn't get mangled, and my body (nor anyone else's) was harmed in any way.  The only thing harmed was my ego.

So back to my stupid choice.  I turned off the disposal and stuck my hand down in there to fish out whatever was making the little clicking sound.  I know, I know... why would a sane person do that?  Well, my dear, you are forgetting one thing: I am in no way sane!  Two things you must know about my sticking my hand down there:

1. It is yucky down there.
2. It freaks me out.
3. I have this deathly fear the entire time that either a bug will find my hand down in that dark, gross cavern of the sink.
4. I have another deathly fear that the blades will magically turn on due to a black out or something and my hand will be mangled in some personal horror scene in the kitchen.

Did I say "two things you must know"?  Meh, two of them were bonuses... it's your lucky day.

Needless to say, my heart pumps a little faster the whole time my hand is in epic danger.  Thus, I am surprised that I didn't die of a heart attack when the dishwasher decided to drain WHILE my hand was in the sink cavern.  In case you don't know, that means that water begins to spray down inside the garbage disposal area!!!

...that's one way to cure constipation.

It's the Little Things

thankful:

thank·ful [thangk-fuhl]

adjective

feeling or expressing gratitude; appreciative.

I have just been thinking about how thankful I am for the little things people have done for me recently.  Sometimes the most simple gestures can mean so much to me.  I am sure you can relate.  It is like getting a homemade gift from your child- I haven't experienced this yet obviously (I know the kid needs to step it up, but sheesh, give him a break, he is only 6 months old!), but I have a feeling it will be something I treasure more than any store bought gift.  (Someday my teenager is going to read this and make me some really crummy gift that shows NO effort, and I am going to regret this post- hahahaha!  Just kidding... kind of...)  As I reflect on certain people and gestures they have made, it makes me so grateful to have such sacrificial, selfless people in my life.  So here is my list of the "little things" (and some not-so-little things) in my life that I am thankful for right now.  P.S. If you have done something totally awesome for me recently and I forgot to put it on the list, feel free to berate me publicly on the comments section.  I will surely fix my post free of charge- lucky you!  ;]  Heehee!

I am thankful:

1. When I can call up our family friend, Janna, during a crisis (like yesterday when my air conditioning broke and T.J. and I were sweltering in our 82 degree apartment), and her first response is, "I will leave in ten minutes."

2. When that same person offers to let my family of three stay at her home that evening if our air isn't fixed by then.

3. When my baby boy, T.J., wraps his arm around my waist when nursing and scratches my back.

4. When my son sleeps for over 8 hours at night and takes naps during the day.

5. When my dear friend, Alyssa, continues to make an effort to chit chat despite life tugging at us in all different directions.  Sometimes we are both so busy, but she is always there making an effort to talk.  I so appreciate her for this, especially since I have a baby and can sometimes be so scatterbrained when I am busy that I forget to keep in touch.

6. When my mother-in-law, Becky, babysits T.J. for hours so I can spend some time with my sister-in-law, Kristin, at the beach, etc.  It gives this stay-at-home mom a nice break to re-energize!

7. When my mom and dad, Frank and Marilou, come down to visit and spoil my family rotten!  My mom treated me to eye cream and face cream from CLINIQUE when she was down here!  Cah-razy!  She also bought most of the groceries, treated us to meals out, treated us to Starbucks, etc., etc., etc.!!!

8. When my mom comes to visit us and happily sleeps on an air mattress in our living room without complaint because we don't have a guest room.

9. When my mother-in-law and father-in-law treat my family to dinner on Tuesdays.

10. When my mother-in-law spends all day with T.J. and me on Tuesdays to get us out of our apartment and spend time with us since we don't have a second car.

11. When my mom and dad FaceTime with T.J. and me every day and can't wait to see him!

12. When my mom and dad motivate us to hang pictures at our apartment and get things done that we would otherwise be too lazy to accomplish.  They help us so much with stuff around the apartment!

13. When I come home from having a crazy day with the air conditioning dying, etc., and I find red roses in a vase for me from my darling husband, Travis.

14. When my friend, Rainee, invites T.J. and me to go to library time with her and her son, knowing that she has to pick us up since we don't have an extra car.

15. When my sister says, "I wish you lived closer."

:: What are you thankful for today?  Let me know what "little thing" or "not-so-little thing" you are grateful for right now in the comment section below... I will be so thankful if you do!  ;]  Okay... now I am questioning that word's existence since I have typed it so much now... "thankful" is still a word, right? ... I'm confused. ::

Uncle Russell

For those of you who don't know, on Friday, July 13th, T.J. and I were scheduled to fly to Tennessee in the morning.  I couldn't wait to see my parents and show them how much T.J. had grown.  Well, our happiness came to a bitter stop when I received a phone call from my sister at 4:00 in the morning.  You know something isn't right when you receive a call at that time.  The words still ring in my head from time to time... I can still hear my sister's exasperated voice breaking the news to me that our Uncle Russell had passed away suddenly and unexpectedly.  There is still a faint tightening in my chest when I think of that moment- not close, of course, to the feeling within me that morning.  I am not going to go more into my reaction because this isn't about me.  However, I will say that after I got to Tennessee, we all packed up and left that Saturday, drove 16 hours, and arrived in Texas on Sunday where the viewing and funeral were being held.  My sister, dad, and I all spoke at the funeral.  This is what I said:


What can I say about my uncle Russell?  Many things, but definitely this:  he was everything an uncle should have been.  He treated us as if we were his own kids- never forgot a birthday, a graduation, or a wedding.  He had such a great sense of humor and a sweet, loving heart.  I will never forget his generosity.  When my husband, Travis, and I were visiting my sister in Texas, Uncle Russell and Aunt Reba didn't even blink an eye before offering up their home to house us for the week.  I remember teasing him about his crazy technological gadgets- Mom called him the "King of Gadgets"- and I remember how easily he spoke to me and was genuinely concerned for me if I seemed down at all.  Many people couldn't probably have a heart to heart with their uncle, but we were lucky enough to have an uncle like Russell where we could be so comfortable with him.  My son T.J. never got to meet him, but he will hear much about him.  I know Russell would have loved T.J., and I know T.J. would have loved Uncle Russell.  Why?  Because he looks, talks, and acts so much like my dad, T.J.'s grandpa.  And I know that if he had gotten to meet T.J., he would have treated him as if he were his own grandson.  Every time I watched Uncle Russell, I could see my own dad reflected in his face.  I wish T.J. would have had the privilege of seeing that as well.  There is especially one thing from my childhood that I will never forget to tell my son- something so funny about my uncle.  And I will end with this- he would have wanted it that way.  He came to stay with us for a time in Danville, California.  And what I will always remember about him from that time was how he would sit on the couch watching TV and eating brown sugar straight out of the bag!  It was the craziest thing to me and I laugh about it to this day.  We will miss him greatly and love him always.

 He was gone far too soon- only 64 years old.  Please view his obituary here (written by my sister, Lindsey Portugal), and if you wish you can donate to the Alzheimer's Foundation in his honor.  His mother, my Grandma Johns, passed away from Alzheimer's, so finding a cure was always a cause in which Russell was interested.

Here is a video my sister created for the memorial service:

 

Goodbye, Uncle Russell.  We already miss you and will always miss you.  We love you.