Interrogation

NHV, like most two year olds, is one inquisitive little bugger.  The questions are about everything we do and eat and listen to and read and hear and see ... you get the idea, right?

The interrogation is constant and relentless and exhausting ...

What's his name?

What's dis song called?

Who sing dis song?

Where we go-ing?

When daddy be home?

What we ha-ving for dinner?

What's dat girl doooo-ing?

What's dat?

Where's mice baby doll? 

Of course, it's also a little thrilling to see the world through her eyes and little mind.  I love witnessing how much she learns everyday!

Well, it finally happened.  Natalie took her constant questioning to a whole new level this evening.

MB:  Honey, please don't spit.  It's yucky. No spitting.
NHV: Mommy say no spitting?
MB: That's right, no spitting.
NHV:  WHY no spitting, mommy?
MB: (shocked, amused)  Because spitting isn't nice.
NHV:  WHY spitting not nice, mommy?

Oh, boy, here we go ...
Natalie's new favorite word, "Why?"
My new most frequently used word - by default, "Because ... "

Won't be long, and I am sure to say, "Because I said so!"  Groan!

Nose Meets Dyson

Can you say, "Ouch?"

Ugh!  I guess this is what I get for attempting a little housework ... on a Sunday, no less.

While I was running the Dyson in the living room, Natalie was dancing/running/playing around and having a great time.  Back and forth I pushed that hardworking vacuum.  Round and round she ran.  I could just make out her giggles over the hum of the machine.

When ... BAM!  I pulled back the handle at the exact same second that Natalie ran up behind me.  The collision was hard enough to knock her off her feet.  I immediately dropped the vacuum, dropped to my knees, and scooped her up in my arms.  She was crying.  I was crying.  I could only imagine how much that hurt ... all the momentum coming to a stop on the side of her nose!

This is her nose later that evening.  Swollen with two red marks.  After some ibuprofen at naptime, she didn't complain about the pain at all - not even when I gave it a few gentle touches.  What a little trooper!

This is her nose two days later. The red marks have nearly healed. The swelling is much improved.  But she's left with plenty of black-and-blue on the side of her nose and in the corner of her eye.

And that, my friends, it what happens when nose meets Dyson.  

When a two year old's reckless abandon meets a momma's need to clean.

You can see more great photos and Word-less-ful Wednesday
posts here and here.

January - In Review

Time is passing by at an alarming clip ... days and weeks are a blur ... find myself wondering, 

What happened in January?

Highlights:

• celebrated my 35th birthday with Starbucks, a great nap, Chipotle, and cupcakes - funny, I don't feel like I am in my mid-thirties!
• ate and appreciated 8 meals provided by members of my moms' group - what an incredible act of kindness!
• enjoyed less rain, more sunshine, and warmer temperatures - hip, hip, hooray!
• had professional newborn photos taken of CJV - cannot wait to see the proofs
• got out of the house - with both little ones - on multiple occasions (see by the numbers below)
• attended my first Mom's Night Out since CJV was born - took her with me, but still ...
• researched, visited, and selected a preschool for NHV in the fall - had to win a lottery to secure her place!

By the numbers:

• appointments: 5
• play dates attended: 2
• play dates hosted: 3
• preschools visited: 4

• photos taken: ~180 
• blog posts written: 25
• birth announcements sent: 50
• thank you notes written: ~50

Books read for pleasure:

• The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
• Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Random Bits:

• addicted to The Bachelor: On the Wings of Love (wish it wasn't true)
• ate (a lot) more baked goods than I really needed to
• colored my hair (semi-permanent) to cover the gray

Photo:
And since I don't have a photo of myself taken during this January - note to self and CPV, take more pics of me - here's one from last year:

"When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child." ~ Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

It's no wonder my MommyBrain affliction is at an all-time high!  I am thinking thrice these days ;)

Sweet Frustration

Just look at that sweet face.  

How in world could that peaceful, adorable face 

be causing me such frustration? 

It's petty, really, and I know that.

It's just that she only sleeps like that when I either hold her or Ergo her or cuddle her in my bed.  When one of those three options are employed, she's a great sleeper.  In her bassinet, I can only count on about 30 minutes of peaceful sleep ... before she needs me to help her fall back to sleep. 

Today I feel like every moment of my free time is spent helping her to sleep and keeping her that way.  And I am feeling frustrated.

A big part of my current predicament is my fault ... but I rationalize it mostly because of her age and size.

CJV is still so young and small.  She's nearly two months old, but she's only weighing in the mid seven pound range - a weight that is typical of - if not smaller than - most newborns.  And so I continue to treat her like a newborn.  I hold her and cuddle her and watch her sleep.  I know that I should be empowering her to put herself to sleep ... that transition should probably be happening now.  But I am not sure I am ready to give her that slice of independence.  Part of me loves knowing that she so completely depends on me.

In the back of my mind and squeezing at my heart is the fact I won't be the mommy of a newborn ever again; at least we've semi-made that decision.  Selfishly, I just want to soak up every moment.

But, just as selfishly, I could also use a few moments to myself.  Oh, what's a momma to do?!

All About MEme: What Stop Sign?

 

with MommyBrain and SupahMommy

Oh, the dreaded flashing lights in your rearview mirror!

First, you convince yourself it's not you,

Glance at the speedometer, and

Make your way to the shoulder.

Then you start planning your elaborate excuse ... 

Late for MEme Monday? Jamming to KISS?

Go with the lash batting and cleavage showing ...

or turn on the water works?

There's that awful tap on the glass and lowering of the window.

"License and registration, please ma'am."

Ooooooooh! You're so...

----------------------------------------------------------

I know what it's like to be busted ... despite the fact that I've only been pulled ovah once in my entire life (knocking on wood) ... and it was a very long time ago ... so long ago that I don't want to do the math because it will be so depressing.  I'll just say that I was young, dumb, and newly licensed. But the memory of being busted lingers still in my mind.

I was driving a Pontiac T1000 (the most ridiculous name for a car) ... metallic blue with an after-market moon roof.  It looked like this, only blue:

The personalized plates read GO SLOW1 ... I'll give you the chance to laugh your ass off at that one ... or smile fondly, if you knew me back then.  My dad's idea of cleverness for this 16 year old daughter; a daily joke amongst my peers.  I called that car, "Spunky," which was more sarcastic than true.  And I loved that car ... bought with my own hard-earned money and enjoyed for two and a half years of high school.

It was the first day of my summer job, and I was driving my friend Kristen home.  I drove Kristen home A LOT.  For some odd reason, she never got her license - or drove a car - until she was in her early twenties.  She mooched rides relied on her friends to get her where she needed to go ... and apparently I was a good friend.

Anyway, I was feeling a little giddy ... perhaps giddier than usual ... it was a gorgeous summer day.  The Beatles were playing on through the cassette player.  The windows and moon roof were open.  Life was good.   We were about a minute from Kristen's house - tucked in the middle of a quiet little subdivision, and like I said this was a very familiar route for me ... including one of these ... 

... which I frequently rolled - blatantly ignored - just about every time I took Kristen home.  It seemed like a pointless stop sign; there wasn't ever any traffic coming in the cross direction.  On that particular day, I didn't just roll the sign.  I tooted my horn and blew right through it.  Within seconds of my ridiculously foolish action, I saw a COUNTY SHERIFF'S car pull into my rear view mirror.  Lights flashing.  I was so very, very BUSTED.  

Did I mention that I barely even slowed and I tooted my horn?  I am sure that sheriff was fuming!  I managed to drive the rest of the way to Kristen's  house and pulled into the driveway ... hoping - oh-so-naively - that perhaps the cop car would just drive by.

No such luck. 

At first I tried to play it off like I didn't know what I had done wrong.  And then I was like, "What stop sign?  I didn't see a stop sign."  He wondered why I honked my horn twice as I went through the intersection.  I didn't have an answer, and my hole was getting deeper.  The whole dialogue made me feel belittled and powerless.  I was in the wrong, but I also didn't like the way "my superior" was talking to me.

Suddenly, this little flame of anger grew in my gut.  I knew that he wanted me to cry.  He wanted me to plead for his leniency.  He wanted the satisfaction of making me grovel.  Perhaps it would've helped.  Perhaps he would've let me off with just a warning.  But at that moment, I was so enraged by his power trip ... and to be honest, the fact that I was caught ... that I became borderline defiant.  I was wrong but I wasn't going to admit that to him.  At some point, I even said something like, "I bet you just love it when girls cry.  Well, I'm not going to cry.  I'm not going to give you the satisfaction."  It felt so good to spat those words at him.  He smirked (the nerve!) and handed me a ticket for $100.  So much for all my plans for that first summer job paycheck.

Of course, as soon as he pulled away, I broke down and wept like a baby.      

--------------------------------------------------------

Now it's your turn.  Link up so I can stop by your place and read about the time you were BUSTED!

All About MEme Prompt: 2.1.10

 

with MommyBrain and SupahMommy

Oh, the dreaded flashing lights in your rearview mirror!

First, you convince yourself it's not you,

Glance at the speedometer, and

Make your way to the shoulder.

Then you start planning your elaborate excuse ... 

Late for MEme Monday? Jamming to KISS?

Go with the lash batting and cleavage showing ...

or turn on the water works?

There's that awful tap on the glass and lowering of the window.

"License and registration, please ma'am."

Ooooooooh! You're so...

----------------------------------------------------------

Tell us about a time you got pulled over.

If there are too many times to chose just one,

slow the f down give us a list of your top 5.

If you've never been pulled over (seriously?!),

tell us what you've done in your car that could get you pulled over!

(didn't mean that to sound so racy!)

If you're a goody two-shoes to the nth degree,

tell us a funny story involving a car!

----------------------------------------------------------------

We'll be looking for your links on Monday!

Be sure to come back now, ya hear?

Sisters in Pajamas

Both freshly bathed and looking so cute.

NHV was so excited to have the chance to hold baby sister.

CJV was ready to eat but did her best to enjoy the moment..

Both sisters managed to look pretty darn adorable!

You can see more great photos and Word-less-ful Wednesday
posts here and here.