Separation

My girl. My sweet...

 Funny face making...

Full of attitude... 

Little girl is sad. 

She misses her mama. She cries for me, calls for me. She has stopped sleeping through the night in her room because she wakes up and is afraid I'm not there. She wakes up screaming, and crying, "mama, uh oh", "mama, help me", "mama mama mama."

And there is nothing I can do about it. In fact over the next few weeks I'll be away more than ever. This masters is kicking my butt and it is making my sweet girl hurt. It sucks and we are sturggling. I hate...HATE...that she is learning so young that mama may not always be there when you need her.

But she will always love you. And IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII will always looooove youuuuuuuuuu (yeah...couldn't help it. But enjoy have Whitney, or Dolly, stuck in your head singing that for the rest of the day)

Oh Halloween...you are...

I'm hooking up with Northwest Mommy for Monday Listicles again. This week's theme: Halloween is....

1. Spooky
2. Little ones in adorable costumes
3. Not so little ones in slutty (fill-in-the-blank) costumes
4. Sugar highs
5. Candy corn and mellow cream pumpkins
6. Pumpkin shaped Reeses
7. A night full of giggles floating through the neighborhood
8. An excuse to decorate the front door
9. The only night people don't stare if I wear my devil horn barrettes
10. My darling girl beyond excited to dress up as a dinosaur

Pictures to come...promise.

22 Things Done

Today I'm going to join up with Mama Kat for the first time. The prompt is 22 things you HAVE done...

1. Fallen in love
2. Fallen out of love
3. Found out what love really is
4. Got married
5. Adopted the world's most amazing girl
6. Finally finished my undergraduate degree
7. Started my graduate degree
8. Saw Rocky Horror (with live actors in front of the screen) in London
9. Saw Rent at the Fox in Atlanta
10. Made lots of stupid choices
11. Made a few good ones
12. Screamed myself stupid at concerts
13. Woken up to the sound of waves crashing mingled with the breathing of my girl
14. Napped on the beach
15. Been to 5 other countries and lots of other states
16. Moved. A lot.
17. Lived in a haunted house. For reals, yo
18. Worked in a homeless shelter for women with minor children
19. Baked a cake from scratch
20. Baked a cake from a box and said it was from scratch
21. Found joy in the smallest things
22. Felt my heart swell almost to bursting the first time I held my daughter

Wordless Wednesday {Is it too early to wax?}

I don't mean to embarrass you love...but you have a little issue with your upper lip. Maybe they make baby wax and we can take care of it. Or maybe I just need to find you some mustard...

Top Ten Tips for New Mommies

I'm hooking up with Northwest Mommy for Monday Listicles again. This week's theme is Top Ten Tips for New Mommies.

 

1. Sleep when the baby sleeps. Seriously. Whatever you think you need to get accomplished while they nap can wait. You need sleep.
2. No one cares how clean your house is. If people are coming to visit I guarantee they don't care about the state of your house. Or the state of you for that matter. They're coming to see the baby anyway, so don't stress about being a good hostess.
3. Take any help offered. And don't be afraid to ask for it. People who are offering, genuinely want to help and won't judge you for taking it.
4. Save money on expensive clothes. If you want one or two special outfits, fine, but overall those first weeks and months will be covered in all manner of ickiness, and you stress a lot less if said ickiness is on a $3 onesie. You'll be holed up and exhausted anyway, so there's no need to have a fashion plate baby.
5. Never feel bad about asking your pediatrician questions. That's what they're there for...to answer your questions and ease your fears. I used to go in with my special notebook full of things to ask (okay who am I kidding...I still do that).
6. Talk to other moms. People who have gone before may be able to save you a lot of heartache trying to find products and solutions that work.
7. If you're feeling like there might even be the slightest chance you're dealing with PPD, TELL YOUR DOCTOR. It is nothing to be ashamed of...and nothing to play around with. Your doctor can help. And if that help involves medication, take it. It does not make you a bad mom or a bad person.
8. Document as much as you can. In the exhausted stupor that follows a new baby's arrival, you don't realize how precious all of the coos and quirks will be later. Take lots of pictures, videos and notes.
9. Snuggle. Snuggle to your heart's content. There is nothing better in the entire world than snuggling your new little love.
10. Take a minute. Remember to take a minute and a deep breath and soak in all the wonder of a new baby. It is a joy beyond words and you need to stop and bask in that occasionally. Even if it's just for the second it takes you to throw away a stinky diaper.

PYHO {Putting it Out There}

All the cool kids are doing it...you should too. Pour Your Heart Out with Shell at Things I Can't Say.

There's a lot I carry with me. An ever shifting mosaic of worries and wants. So I've decided to put it out there and let it go. Of course that's easier said than done. But you never know what will come your way when you share with others.

Here goes, in no particular order:

1. More kids. We really want any other children we adopt to be mixed like Pie. My ultimate dream would be mixed twins as our next kiddies. I have no gender preference at all. Boys and girls equally welcome :)
2. A job I love.
3. Financial stability for my family.
4. Husband's business to take off.
5. To actually sell the things I make. Not necessarily for the money, though that part is nice, but to share the things I love making with others.
6. To have more time with Pie. Between work and school it seems like I never see her.
7. To be comfortable in my own skin.

There's maybe a million other things I worry/think/stress about on a daily basis, but those take up the most space. So now I've shared, now I've put these things into the universe, and I can kick them out of my head. Good luck with that, right?

The joy of a list...

I'm hooking up with Northwest Mommy for Monday Listicles. This week's theme is guilty pleasures...and I have plenty of those...

1) Target Black and White trail mix. This stuff is the devil.

2) Food Network. I can't cook to save my life, but can spend all day watching FN.

3) Any number of reality shows...most embarrassingly Teen Mom/16 and Pregnant and America's Next Top Model.

4) Cake. In any form. Cup, pop, slice, sheet...you name it and I love it.

5) Cracking my knuckles. It's a terrible habit and one that really grosses some people out, but I can't stop. I've done it forever and can pop just about anything from my ankles to my nose. It gives me that quick relaxing fix when I need it. (I seriously had to stop typing that to crack all of the joints in my hands and my neck. Hehehe)

6) Blistex Complete Moisture. I call this a guilty pleasure because it's a bit of a problem. I have tubes of it everywhere. I typically have no less than 7 tubes open and in use at any given time. I told you. A problem.

7) Office Supplies. I buy an absurd amount of them. I have little sprees and then figure out what to do with them, instead of having a need and buying them to fill it. What can I say...Staples is my happy place.

8) Pinterest. I spend more time pinning than just about any other thing I do. I am seriously going to have to cut myself off. But if you want to follow and support my habit, you can here... 


9) Craft projects as a result of number 8. I pin, I buy the supplies, I fake clean them into the closet when people are coming over, I forget all about it. Rinse. Repeat.

10) Flip flops. Cheap ones. I buy crappy, cheap flip flops and wear them every day for about 8 months of the year. The ones I have on now were about $6.00, 3 years ago. They have absolutely no sole left and I almost busted ass in the rain last week, but I've got them on again. Sigh.

So that's it. There are many (many) others, but those are the top 10. What are your guilty pleasures?