My Night Out . . . to Come

Tonight Dave and I went out on the town . . . and we had a wonderful time - I'll expound and share some pictures soon, maybe when it's not so late!  But I have to say, that's one nice thing about being a parent - you definitely enjoy your time out a lot more than you did before.  Someday I'm going to write a book about all the things that I didn't appreciate enough before parenthood.  And the last line of it will be . . .

and my little Kate is all worth it!

The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

This post is going to be deep, very deep.  Take for example that there is a double meaning in the title . . . let me explain . . .

As I mentioned before, Kate and I are joining Dave for a business trip down to Las Vegas.  As much as I wish we could have flown, we drove.  I'm not sure I've mentioned how much Kate hates the car.  Let me rephrase . . . she LOATHES the car.  She has from the moment we put her in the car to take her home when she was two days old.  Apparently she holds grudges, because she still really hates it - a year later.

Our plan was to leave early this morning . . . unfortunately, due to some unforseen happenings, we didn't get to pack yesterday at all, so this morning was insane.  Dave was getting the car ready, I was throwing things in the suitcase like a crazy person, and Kate was taking them out even faster than I could put them in.  Let's just say that we didn't get out the door quite when we had planned.  (A word to wise parents - pack while your kids are asleep, if at all possible!)

I must say, though - Kate did much better than I expected.  We've made this trip, from Salt Lake to Vegas several other times, and they were nothing but miserable.  Today was a much different story.  She was pretty happy the first half hour, then we gave her a bottle and she went to sleep for almost 2 hours!!!  It was a beautiful thing, and a miracle, to say the least.  When she woke up we stopped for lunch.  When we hit the road she was happy for an hour, then took another nap, for another hour.  Unfortunately, she woke up a little before we reached Mesquite.  And that last hour, well, that was rough.  I had emptied out the entire diaper bag, given her my iphone, our water bottles, let her suck on my wedding ring (while it was still on my finger), and well - you can see we were getting desperate!  Needless to say, that last hour was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Once we reached the hotel, Kate was infused with energy.  I thought she'd want to go to bed early (Vegas time is an hour earlier), but instead she wanted to stay up and play, play, play.  Guess she needed to get out all of those wiggles she had to hold in during the road trip.  We took her down to dinner, and our sweet waitress brought Kate her own cup and straw.

After about three tries . . .

Way to go Kate - a not even a year old!

Decision Through Indecision

I've been approaching one of the largest dilemmas a parent will face:

What to do for the first birthday party.

Image from pro-party.com

Do I do just a family party?

A party with neighborhood friends?

How about Kate's other friends?

One big combined party?

And, well, you can see the pressure I'm under.

So let me explain the long and extenuating circumstances under which I made my decision.

Days kept on going and going and going by, and I realized I still hadn't sent out invitations.

And then, Dave told me he was going on a business trip and asked me if Kate and I wanted to join him.

I said yes.

And voila!  The decision was made.

We don't get home until Friday night, and Kate's birthday is on Saturday - the day of Kate's family party.

So the decision is:

Only a family party this year and not a friend party.

Maybe I'm a bad mom, but I figure that Kate won't remember anyway . . . I'd rather do a fun friend party when she's two or three when she'll be more aware and more likely to remember.

Oh, the pressure of being a mother.

:)

The moral of the story is: if you put off making a decision, you won't have to make one at all.

Simple Things

I love the simple things that kids entertained.  

Kate played with and in this storage box for an hour yesterday.

Up and Up

Symptoms:

- Sleeping excessive amounts

- Eating excessive amounts

- Growing excessive amounts

Conclusion:

Kate is undergoing a growth spurt.

Now I know that Kate sleeps more than most babies, I think that's a given.  She likes to go to bed between 6 and 6:30 (yes, that's pm), and she becomes very cranky if she's kept up past that time.  But the last few days she's been sleeping even more than normal.  Take Tuesday night for example - she went to bed at 6:15 pm, woke up at 5 am for a bottle, and then didn't wake up until 9 am!  Just in case you were wondering - that's 15 hours (!!!), not including naps.  I'm not complaining - that meant I got to sleep in until 9 am too!

Then, I went to lunch the other day and had to order Kate her own kid's meal - and she ate the whole thing!

And Dave and I could swear that she's taller every morning.  Very scientific, I know.  We'll find out whether that's true at her 1 year appointment next week.

So what am I to conclude?  Growth spurts are a very real thing.  I know that kids and especially babies are always growing, but growth spurts are a time when they do so at an accelerated rate - which is why they need more food and sleep.

Oh well, this growth spurt won't hurt Kate - at her 9 month appointment she was in the 5th percentile - hopefully this growth spurt will help to bump her up a little!

When to Clean Your High Chair

I do it whenever Kate's backside looks like this.

Just a tip.

Nativities on Parade

So, I wanted to show off my nativity collection - I love nativities.  My ultimate goal is to have them from all over the world, but it'll probably be awhile.  In the meantime, let me show you what I've got so far.  If you love nativities as well, enjoy the ride.  If not, at least scroll down to the bottom to see one you won't want to miss!

 This one is from Italy . . . Dave and I got it while we were on our honeymoon.  We bought it in Venice - it's all glass, which is what Venetians are famous for.  I love the simplicity.

Here's another one I love.  It was given to me by one of my best friends ever . . . she knows my love of nativities and gave it to me as a gift.

I can't remember where I got this one.  It's so small, and yet so perfect.  As you can see with the hinge, it can be opened or closed.

This next one is a gift I received from my in-laws last year.  It is unique and wonderful.  If you notice, it has 4 spaces around the outside for candles, and when you light them, it makes the paddles turn the nativity around.

 Here's a closer look:

 Here is one given to me by my brother- and sister-in-law, they sent it to me from Hawaii while they were stationed there.  It is carved from a coconut!  It's probably not going to surprise you when I say I love this one as well. :)

 And, another favorite.  I hope to eventually get all the pieces.

 A few closeups:

 And here it is, all together:

Yes, we finally got our stockings up!

Sigh.  I just love Christmas.

Okay, okay, and now for the GRAND FINALE - 

I received permission to share this with you and hope you'll love it as much as I do - 

How to make a kid-friendly creche:

Keep the spirit of the season in your home by re-purposing contents in the toy box to produce a viable nativity scene. Get the kiddies to help.

First, suspend your belief that only sheep and donkeys were present on that Holy Night. Giraffes, aliens, dinosaurs...why not? And in that vein, Joseph could be an astronaut, and Mary, Mulan. See where this is going?

Second, it helps to have a little toy baby to put in the center of a teething donut (from Darlybird!) but if you don't have either you could probably use a Lego guy and a real donut. (I like glazed.)

Third, use action hero guys to play the shepherds, (I beg you to defy that appropriateness). As it happens, these shepherds in particular are also excellent hygienists, but that's another biblical story for another holiday...

Fourth, it would also be appropriate to use your Made in Japan toys to represent the wisemen because everyone knows they came from the Orient! Thanks Dumo Kun and your twin and puppy. Their gifts, twin briefcases and myrrh are found in front of manger. They never forget the presents those wisemen, it makes them happy. See? See?

Fifth, if you believe in them, put a "floating angel" (Trompe d'oeil! It's really just a leg to a Connect Four game piece) blessing the blessed congregation.

Welp, there you have it. Five easy steps to a complicated creche. Easy to be destroyed, easy to be repaired--which is symbolic in away right?

Anyway, I think it's sorta sweet.

Thanks so much for letting me share this Jane!

Go visit Jane @ C Jane Enjoy It!

Through New Eyes

Image from wikimedia.org

Yesterday Kate and I went on a little jaunt to the mall.  The mall was packed, I was busy looking for a new coat, and the arm holding Kate felt like it was about to fall off (especially after what felt like several miles of mall!).  Needless to say, I hardly even noticed the Christmas decorations, let alone appreciated them. 

However, as I was rushing past the big Santa display, Kate twisted and turned, dying to get a closer look at the big beautiful Christmas trees and all the lights.  I stopped for a moment, and took her over by the trees so that she could see.  I was amazed at how beautiful the trees were - and how I'd been all too willing to rush by their beauty, without even giving them a second thought.

As I stopped to give Kate a closer look, I saw those trees through new eyes, Kate's eyes.  I noticed the sparkly lights, the frost-covered branches, the big bright balls.  It was truly stunning.  And I realized how fantastic it must seem to Kate - the tree so sparkly, and covered in huge shiny balls, many of them bigger than the size of her head.  How breathtaking for her to see something like that for the first time . . . how intriguing and wonderful!  And I was grateful to see it again for the first time in probably a very long time.

This isn't the first time this type of thing has happened.  Kate has opened my eyes more than once to beauty in things that I don't even notice anymore.  How grateful I am for my daughter who helps me see things through new eyes!

What has your little one helped you see through new eyes?

I Have Arrived . . .

Yup, it's true.  I'm sure you'll see me on the cover of Vogue soon - my hair windswept (or more accurately sleepswept), all natural (no makeup), walking down the runway (or kitchen tile floor) sporting some sweat pants and a t-shirt, an apron, with a broom and a dustpan in my hands.  Have you caught the vision?

The definition of having arrived is "to have reached a position of power, authority, or prominence," and while I guess you could define motherhood like that, I don't.

What I mean by "arrived" - is that I have finally reached a point in my life where I have to sweep my floor at least 1-2 times a day.  Being a floor sweeper doesn't exactly qualify as a position of prominence in my book, but maybe it's as close as I'll ever get.

Before Kate was mobile, I felt good about myself if I swept the floor once a week.  Now I do it daily for two reasons: 1) Kate is continually knocking (or throwing) stuff off of her high chair onto the floor - it's all I can do to keep up! 2) Kate currently believes that the area under her high chair is a treasure trove - not of rubies and diamonds, but of half-eaten crackers, yogurt melts, and discarded rice.  If I don't sweep daily, I'll pretty much spend my day chasing after Kate, trying to pry stuff (like crusty pieces of day-old grilled cheese sandwich) out of her mouth.   Not my idea of fun.

Ironically, while writing this post I've had to stop her twice.  Guess I'd better go do a quick sweep :)

 For now, it's the broom and dustpan to the rescue!

Any motherhood moments that made you feel that you had truly "arrived" as a mother?