Fa la la la la...la la la la

OOOOPS! I FOUND THIS IN MY EDIT SECTION TODAY. THOUGHT I ALREADY POSTED IT...LOOONG AGO. I'LL DOWNLOAD THE XMAS PICS SOON...I PROMISE!!!!

The highlight of our Christmas holiday was by far K realizing Santa Clause brought her a kitchen of her very own. The only mistake Santa made was setting it out next to the tree so she could see it first thing. Because of that, it took us TWO HOURS to open presents b/c we literally had to bribe, coax, and threaten to get K to open any of her other gifts. She was too busy cooking!!! So far, she has made cupcakes, soup, chocolate chip cookies, and supper for us. Oh, and tea. They were all very yummy. If you ask her, she'll tell you they were "mmm...deee-lis-us." Missy Miss had quite a Christmas. Tons of toys and a little brother who was too small to fight about what's his versus hers. Next year she won't be so lucky!



Little Mister also did well. He enjoyed sleeping through most of the present-opening, and nursing through the part he was awake! Not a bad morning I'd say! His favorite gift was his new bouncy seat/rocker. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa M! Oh, and plenty of clothes to fit his ever-growing belly!!!



Mommy and Daddy got a few surprises as well. The nicest one was Little Mister sleeping from 9pm-6:30 am Christmas eve morning. What a treat!!!! The other one was a four day weekend together. And another one coming up this weekend! Gotta love that!



Amazon.com didn't get a few things delivered on time, but THANK GOD that didn't include the kitchen. That would have been a true travesty. We had a lovely holiday, the kind where you just sigh and look at each other lovingly at the end of the day. Then crash out and sleep as long as you possibly can! Santa was very good to us all. We have two beautiful children, a warm home, and lots of family fighting to see us (don't ask...).



Here are some pics of our fun time together. Hope your holidays were as nice as ours. On to 2008!!!!

My thoughts

There are a few things I was reflecting on while I was out working on Saturday. I thought I'd share some thoughts with you....


1. Observed on a For Rent lighted sign posted in the front yard: FOR RENT ALL UTILITY'S PAID



One of my biggest pet peeves is when people make simple spelling errors (even though I make plenty myself). A bigger peeve is when people use apostrophes when things are just plural. Just plural, people! No ownership necessary!

2. Observed scratched into a bathroom stall door in Loogootee: WIPE YOUR ASS. Which begs the question, who exactly are the women that write on bathroom stall doors? I mean, I went through the impulsive-bad-decision making stage as a teen too, but seriously. Who does that? The funnier thing is when there are entire conversations written on walls. You know, somebody calls someone else a "ho" and then someone else writes something back to the first person even nastier. How much time do they have on their hands to stand around writing all this?


3. I love seeing all the Christmas lights and decor this time of year. Especially the outdoor versions. I could drive around for hours at night looking at all of it. Personally, I think all the blow-up stuff is tacky as tacky can be, but to each their own and all that (sorry if that is you). However, there is a house around the corner from me that puts out a lighted blow up PALM TREE every year. A palm tree? It irritates me. Seriously irritates me. I might go steal it . (If anyone can explain it, please enlighten me.)

4. There's nothing like letting your 2 year old daughter watch her favorite (and new obsession) cartoon Little Bear. She wanders around quoting lines from the cartoon, sings songs from it, and randomly calls things "Cubby." (Which is very cute) And then during an episode where LB finds his Grandfather's boxing gloves, he clocks his Grandfather in the jaw. Since my daughter saw that episode earlier this morning, she has hit me in the jaw with a closed fist at least three times. While angry. Yeah, that's always a good day. (Note: for all you On Demand people, it is the episode called "Attic")

Overheard at my house today

"Stop talking, Mommy!!!"

Sigh, it was just a matter of time...

J update

Current mood: happy

J had his two month check up yesterday and all is well! He is 10 pounds 14 ounces (25th percentile) and 23 inches long (50th percentile). He has lost most of the hair on the top and sides of his head, but it is still hanging around in the back. LOL The hair is growing back on the top and looks dark brown right now. His eyes are still blue and seem to be turning into the same color of blue as K's eyes. He is awake a lot more now (finally!) and smiles all the time. He is starting to find his voice and makes random yells which surprises all of us, especially him!

Snakes and snails...

And puppy dog tails. THAT is what little boys are made of.

Throughout my pregnancy and newborn-hood with J, I've been noticing the differences between boys and girls. Everyone says the second child is different from your first, so I wasn't sure if that was the case, or if truly, these are gender differences.

Here are things I've discovered so far...

Baby boys kick while in utero. Alot. Constantly. Not sweet little flutters or soft rolls across my belly; but swift, hard, make mommy bend over at the waist and gasp kicks. And they prefer to have their feet up under the ribs or even stuck in between them.

My son is a much calmer, less dramatic baby than my daughter. Enough said.

Baby boys cannot be clean, even for the two minutes following a bath. No matter how long it has been since he's eaten, J spits up as soon as I get him bathed, lotioned up and smelling good.
Furthermore, try as I might, with careful planning, feedings timed just right throughout the day, etc. I cannot make it out of the front door in a timely fashion due to baby boy. Even if it is just to run across the street to pick up big sis from Mrs. K's house, baby boy MUST spit up, pee, or "the other" enough to ruin an outfit and make him reek of unpleasant things. Making me stop, change him again, and get out the door later than I had planned. (Only to notice before we return home he has done it again....)

Baby boys can somehow circumvent their diaper and manage to pee and soak the entire backside of their outfit, without having left pee in the diaper. A trick that impresses me to tell you the truth.

Another difference is that J is constantly moving his arms/legs, etc., which causes him to wake himself up easily. Despite the tightest, best swaddling, he can get himself out of it in a Houdini-esque way in less than a minute. I may sign him up for the circus.

K or J?

Some say our kids look similar....

J at two months

K at 3 months

A belated thanks

Thanks for keeping that "new baby" smell this long. It fades all too quickly.



Thanks for having Mommy's smile. And thanks for finally smiling at Mommy.



Thanks for being so warm and snuggly when you sleep. I could hold you forever.



Thanks for singing at the top of your lungs every morning. Some day I will long for that sound when my house is quiet.



Thanks for being such a brave girl in your "big girl" bed. Thanks for sleeping so well at Great Gram's house (a place we haven't been in 8 months). You are one of the most courageous people I've ever known.



Thanks for reminding me every day that the world is full of wonder and fun. I just have to take the time to notice it.



Thanks for hanging out with my 80 year old Grandmother, our two kids, plus the two cousins (ages 4 and 2) while I went out Christmas shopping with my cousins.



Thanks for getting up in the mornings and getting our kids fed. And for accepting that try as I might, I am not a morning person.



Thanks for being the world's greatest Dad. Thanks for giving me the confidence to know that if I am not with them, you are. And they are just fine.


What are you thankful for?

Who's your daddy?

I, being the brave soul that I am, took both of my kiddies to Walus-martius (as my husband calls it) on Friday all by myself. It was a little daunting to say the least. Both kids fit nicely in the germ-infested shopping cart, but where oh where to put the purchases? Well, thankfully little boy "held" them for me in and around his car seat. Lord knows I didn't purchase too much. Actually spent less than $50...another true feat in itself!! Oh, and then there was my sweet princess saying "I got to GO, Mommy!" as I took her out of her car seat and placed her into the shopping cart seat. Great. Why did they put the family bathroom at the VERY BACK of Walmart? Perhaps there is one closer, but I knew of that one so off we went, with mommy driving VERY quickly down the aisles with her two bundles of joy gently bopping up and down in the shopping cart. The good news? We made it AND K peed in the potty. Of course, we had to wash our hands for about a half an hour in water as hot as she could stand, but I digress....

My funny story really is that as we were making our way down the main grocery aisle, a nice, elderly gentlemen stopped to speak to K. He commented on how lovely her big blue eyes were and wondered if her baby brother's were as blue? Anyway, K was hesitant to interact with him (Yay for wariness of strangers!), but as he walked away she said "Bye bye Grandpa!" Which made his day. So that's nice. Then the talk about Grandma and Grandpa began. K talks about them constantly and often remarks "I have TWO Grandmas" Now she even says, "I have FOUR Grandpas". So we pass an elderly woman and she said "Hi Grandma!" Which I thought was cute and hopefully the lady didn't take offense. She did look Grandma-ish after all.

So that's all fine and good and we are tooling along with my kid making friends every where we turn. Then, a Walmart worker (in my house we call them "WWs") was walking behind us. She shouts, "HIIIIII DADDDDY!" Now, this lovely, round fellow was pleasant enough but looked NOTHING like my husband. He was awkward, red faced and looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and die. I quickly reminded K, "No, that's not your daddy. Daddy is at work, remember?" Well, my sweet girl who is always up for a fun game of "teasing" smiled and said, "Noooooo Mommy. Daddy is at Walmart." Okay, whatever. On we go to put as much distance between us and the embarrased WW as we could. Oh, wait. He had already dismissed himself and was NO WHERE to be found. ha ha.

This is dragging on, I know. Anyhoo, off we go back towards the front of the store to check out and my little sweet one sees another gentlemen heading our way. She says (in a loud two year old voice that carries for miles), "Is THAT my Daddy, Mommy?" Seriously. I swear the piped in Christmas music stopped, the lights dimmed, and EVERY person within a 5 mile radius stopped and looked at us. I'm like "What???? No, honey. You know your daddy is at work." (insert nervous laughter) OMG. Then she continued...with every male she saw.."Is that my Daddy? There's my daddy, mommy!" and on and on. Good God.

I love two. And Walmart.

Useless chatter

Just got home from Walmart. Has anyone else noticed that in their toy aisles, if it isn't a Disney product, well, it just isn't there? I swear I can't even find BOOKS that don't have Disney characters on them, nevermind a decent kitchen set for K. Or Sesame Street...and don't get me wrong, I do love Sesame Street as it has already taught K tons. But seriously, I want to by my big girl a kitchen set sans Dora...should it really be so difficult to find? Or if I want to get my little boy some soft blocks, does they really have to have Elmo and Big Bird on them?



-Completely separate random thought-

In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit (I have detached myself from Thanksgiving altogether at this point), I now listen to Christmas music while in my car which is played 24/7 on 93.1 for those in my area. (Apparently, the station is undergoing a formatting change and decided to play Christmas music until the first of the year as they make the changes). Also, for those with Insight, channel 873 plays Traditional Holiday Music. Yep, I've already heard my fave (Nat Cole's The Christmas Song) about a dozen times, and I have to say.... it helps! I'm ready to Christmas shop and pick out a tree!!! Bring on the snow!!!

Two kids and a dog...

Current mood: accomplished

All have had baths within a 24 hour period. Yep, that's right! I must be the most talented mother on the whole planet! heh heh

What do you suppose it means when you tell your dog, "C'mon Molly! Let's go take a bath!" and she actually runs up the stairs and hops into the bathtub? Yep, you got it right. It means that it has been wayyyyyyyyyy too long since she's had a bath!!! (Or that she is so lacking in attention since the arrival of the two kids, she looks forward to the five minutes of my undivided attention!)

Pretty exciting day over here as you can see...

K update

Current mood: grateful

I thought some of you might appreciate an update about some of the funny/interesting things K is doing to make us laugh these days. I know we don't get to see our friends and family as often as we'd like, so this is meant to serve as a small glimpse into our lives these days.

1. K loves saying "A-ha!" as though she has found a secret clue that has been sought out by the greatest of treasure seekers for thousands and thousands of years. (It makes me smile a HUGE smile every time I hear it)

2. Her favorite movie is "Elmo's Potty" and she asks to watch it about 100 times per day. Mommy allows her to watch it once per day, after her nap. I don't know why I don't let her watch it more, I sing the damn songs in my head all day anyway...

3. K has been wearing "big girl panties" for the past ten days and has done awesome. We bought a child size toilet seat that attaches to the big potty and viola!...an instant attraction/motivation to K. (I have NO idea why I didn't think of that earlier instead of using that overpriced, little kid sized potty)

4. She loves to sing and perform (unless someone is watching her of course)... especially songs from Elmo's Potty (see above). However, if MOMMY sings along too, she says forcefully "STOP IT MOMMY" and then continues on her own. LOLOLOL (guess that says tells you about my singing)

5. She loves to color with markers. Unfortunately, she loves coloring body parts with markers. Most of the time, she keeps it on paper but sometimes if Mommy turns her head for a brief second (Heaven forbid!), Kate winds up with interesting color streaks in her hair, on her face, hands, feet, elbows, chin, ears, toes....

6. K loves her baby brother and asks where he is whenever she walks into a room and doesn't see him. She asks to hold him daily and offers him sweet kisses on his head. I enjoy this immensely and know that it won't be long before she'll be screaming at him to leave her alone and to STOP touching her stuff!

7. The birth of her baby brother has somehow rendered K unable to descend the stairs or get down off of Mommy and Daddy's bed without being held. Hmmmm....not as bad of a regression as I thought we'd have.

8. K counts to 30 (although often skips 16 and 26 for some reason) and identifies most of her ABC's. She also proudly comments when there are "two" of something. Most recently, she enjoys announcing to the world that she has TWO grandmas (She also has FOUR grandpas, but hasn't figured that one out yet. )

9. Ktalks about her friends from daycare constantly. Her little world revolves around G, M, L, and little M. Before she does most anything in her day, she comments that one or all of them are doing the same thing at that very moment. "G go potty on the toilet, Mommy?" "M eat green beans, Mommy?" "Where is L's baby, Mommy?" "Little M goes night-night too, Mommy?"

10. She loves playing upstairs right now. She loves playing upstairs by herself even more. Generally "upstairs" play consists of getting into Mommy's work papers, lingerie drawer, or make up. She also loves taking books off of the bookshelf in her room and reading them outloud to herself (or her babies).

Pumpkins and a Monkey

Current mood: content

After all this time, I finally downloaded pics of our trip to the pumpkin patch AND Halloween. Sorry they are all out of order...

As my MIL can attest, I had a BAD, BAD parenting moment on Halloween. Our dc provider organized a small trick or treat outing to a few of the neighborhood houses that afternoon so the kids could see each other in their costumes. K had had a long day and I had to wake her up from her nap to go to the festivities (a bad start).

She refused to put on her monkey costume...which I paid twenty friggin' dollars for. So I pulled rank, and MADE her. Yes, crying, kicking, sobbing, it was all there. I figured I was at least getting a picture of her in the $20 costume even if it was with a tear stained face and swollen eyes. I immediately felt guilty about it and had a premonition of future therapy appointments we'll endure... "And when I was two, my mom MADE me dress up like a monkey!!!"

Luckily, once the costume was on and she saw her friends waiting for her outside dressed in their costumes, she was willing to keep it on and go see what all this "trick or treat" business was all about. (Okay, a true confession is that I also bribed her with her first taste of M&Ms....I told you I was BAD)

Of course, the realization that she could ring a neighbor's doorbell, have them come to the door and go on and on about how cute she was, and then give her CANDY...well, next year I suspect it won't be such a hassle to get her into her costume! She has asked to go trick or treating every day since Halloween!!!

Seriously? Britney?

Criminey!!! Can there be a DAY that goes by without Britney Spears being in the news? I feel badly for her kids. It is sad to watch someone unravel...especially in public. She seemed to come from a fairly average, normal family and has totally lost her mind due to fame, fortune, and drugs/alcohol. Surely there are plenty of healthy people in her life who have talked to her about her actions and such, although I think I've heard that she's fired most of them and is estranged from her family. But alas, we are all adults and at some point, you just gotta suck it up and learn how to live like one. PARTICULARLY when you have kids. Lord help her. And those kids. Did I really just blog about this? I'm tired today...

At three o'clock in the morning...

Current mood: tired

You can:

~ Watch today's episode of General Hospital on SoapNet (yay!)

~ Learn all about the latest infomercial gadgets (my current faves are a ceramic pairing knife and collapsable hangers)

~ Wonder who else is up in your neighborhood by checking for lights shining in the windows of neighboring houses

~ Check out your friends' friends on MySpace to see who else you know and what they are up to
~ Laundry (if you are REALLY bored)

~ Catch up on the two foot high stack of magazines you never have time to read, but refuse to give up subscriptions to

~ Obsessively check out the GUIDE channel to see what "a-thons" you can get sucked into (sometimes Tori & Dean are on at 3am...yay!)

~ Get updated on the latest news stories in your local online paper or on msn.com..... then regret it because there is nothing happy about it

~ Change, feed, and burp your baby (duh!)

~ Wonder why more people don't email you real messages instead of just forwarding you a bunch of crap you don't want to read

~ Find more and more and more blogs to read and keep you occupied at 3 am!

J is here!

Current mood: ecstatic

J arrived on October 1, 2007 at 10:47 pm. He weighed 7 pounds, 10 ounces and was 20.5 inches long....our BIG BOY! (Especially compared to his "big" sis who was a mere 5.1 pounds and 19 inches). He was delivered via c-section and I'm happy to report his delivery was much less eventful than K's. We came home from the hospital last night (Thursday) and are making all the necessary adjustments. All of a sudden I am eating a blueberry scone at 10:30 at night as I type this b/c I will be up for the next SEVERAL hours and then will sleep through the normal breakfast hours.

Big sister is doing awesome and asks to hold "baby J" often and offers him kisses. Today she offered him a blade of grass out of the handful she was playing with while we spent some time outside after dinner. I consider that "success" in the mind of a two year old! I'll post his birth story later when I have a little more energy! Thanks for all your well wishes, positive thoughts, prayers, etc. during the past several months!

Tired talk

For those who don't have kids, let me warn you that part of the job of mommyhood includes getting up at 3:30 am with a crying two year old who had a bad dream. For those of us who are lucky to have "hands on husbands/ daddies", a quick jab of the elbow will get him up and off to rescue her from whatever looms in the shadows of her dark bedroom before our eyes even fully open. However, sometimes (particularly during the WORST possible times) daddy's just won't do and all sweet girl wants is "Mommmmmmmy!" (insert wailing) Having a daughter who has been a good sleeper the majority of her life, it's generally not a big deal as these episodes are infrequent. However, when you are NINE MONTHS pregnant, exhausted, and it takes HOURS to turn your mind off enough to fall asleep...well, let's just say, it falls under one of those "worst possible times."

My girl was up at 3:30 am and after almost an hour of cuddles, kisses, and rocking, was able to lay back down and drift off to sleep content with her sleepy lion (her equivalent of a blankie). And while I have to admit I did enjoy our time together last night...the quiet of the night, the smooth feeling of the rocking chair, memories of rocking her after 2am feedings just a couple of summers ago... I was not able to get myself back to sleep. Ever.

Today was looooooooong. The weather was beautiful, but I was too tired to play outside (refrain from judging me, please). I was exhausted all day long. My girl was well behaved today and easily entertained (as long as I let her eat play-doh and cereal all day), but I was not. I am restless. I am tired. Even now, as my husband snoozes in the recliner next to me, I am unable to slow down my mind. It's filled with useless information, to-do lists for the weekend, longing for a night out on the town with girlfriends, and well...preparations for BABY. Not to mention all the contractions I've had today, which are wreaking (?) havoc on my mental health, as I feel like I've been in a 10 hour game of "are they stronger? are they closer? is this "it"?" A game that I keep losing....

Okay. I am tired. Sorry for the mindless chattering...I am...well, you know, tired. I will watch The Bridges of Madison County for the 0.5 minutes I can sit down quietly before I jump up, organize a closet, work on a report for work, or clean something.

37 weeks

37 weeks tomorrow and considered full term! Yay! Great job baby J! Now GET ON OUT OF THERE! ROFLMAO

My check up at the doctor's office this morning went fine. 50% effaced but still not much dilation. I was up half the night last night with baby boy moving like crazy (which he doesn't typically do at night), having several contractions, and just generally feeling unwell. Today was a looooooong day.

Tonight is a full moon and we'll see if that has any effect. I'm not holding my breath. My guess right now is that he'll be born October 13th...just as scheduled. He doesn't seem as impatient as his big sister was!!! He'll be here soon enough...

Guilty pleasures

Current mood: giggly

Okay. So now that I am basically done working, I have gotten sucked into a new guilty pleasure that I have to confess. I love the show Tori & Dean Inn Love. gasp. Yep, it's true. I think it is so funny. And I was neither a big Tori Spelling or Dean McDermott fan. But now I am. The people who put the "a-thons" on the weekends, they really know what they are doing. That is how I got sucked into this show. There was nothing on, and then, all of a sudden, I happened upon FOUR HOURS of Tori & Dean.

Other guilty pleasures of mine include:

I have to eat popcorn EVERY time I go to the movies...no matter when my last meal was

I love McD's salty, fatty fries with a big ol' fountain coke

I am queen of pulling my car over in a parking lot, kicking my seat back, and taking a quick 20 minute nap...anywhere, anytime (A skill I developed during my pg with K when I was still driving all over southern IN for my job)

I have been known to skim my grocery money to ensure I have enough for a pedicure (That one cracks me up!)

Sometimes being able to watch General Hospital at 3pm totally makes my day (don't get me started about guilt)

The only time I clean the upstairs of my house is when company is coming to spend the night (insert evil laughter ROFLMAO)

Well don't leave me hanging out here all alone! Tell me some of your's too!!! I know you have some!!!!

35 week update

Well, I'll be 36 weeks on Thursday and things remain the same. I saw my doctor this morning and have not dilated any more. Ugh! I am a little frustrated since I've been dealing with contractions for the past TEN WEEKS. Not to mention the back pain, sharp lower abdominal pain, and the breathing difficulties.

Little mister is still way high (like K was) and is enjoying his time in utero. Can't blame him. Hanging out in a warm, dark, calm pool of water 24/7 sounds pretty darn nice to me.

So the waiting continues. I feel guilty for wanting him to hurry up and arrive due to my own anxiety and uncomfortable-ness. That's not fair, is it. So, I am going to sit back, relax, and enjoy the last weeks of pregnancy. His arrival is inevitable after all. And soon enough I will long for the feeling of the little (ha!) kicks and flutters of my baby happily swimming away inside.

Remind me of this when I am complaining of the back pain, sleeplessness, and inability to catch my breath in the coming week(s).

Most Overused Mom Phrases

I got this from a friend and thought it was funny! Add your own!!!


I've decided it would be funny for us moms to post our MOST OVERUSED MOM PHRASES!

Melissa: "Zip It!"
Lacy: Im not going to tell you agian!
Krystal:"It's not a choice!"
Laura: "No water messes in the house!!"
Ghetto Heart: " That was your LAST warning!"
Audra: "Because I said so!"
Caitlin: "I love you"
Heather H. " What did I just tell you ?
Tanqueray: " Wait till I tell your father !!!"
Misty~~"Stop hitting your brother/sister"
KAYLA~IM THE MOM THATS WHY!!
Jennifer~"the wall is not a coloring book!"
Amber- "Mister, You better not!!!!"
Yevonne- "1-2-3 that's it"
Amy- are you listening?
Jaimie:"That's it!"
Jennifer...im done i have had enough go to your room!!!!
beth. because I said.
Robin~ "You're Grounded!"
Samantha~" I said MOVE IT!!"
N~ "Use your words!"

Questions I ponder...

Current mood: blah


Why is it that every delivery that comes to my house arrives when K has been asleep for 45 minutes? Too long for her to put herself back to sleep, and way too short of a total nap, which leads to a crabby afternoon?


Why is it that every fall when the students return to IU, they look five years younger than the year before?


How come my daughter knows just when I am about to throw her little potty out into the street (or commit suicide), so she decides to pee in her potty all day long?


Why don't doctors know the answers to most of our medical questions?


Why do men insist on driving on the ass of the person in front of them and take off from a stop light like they are gonna win a race?


Why is it so surprising (and disheartening) to learn that people we've looked up to our whole lives aren't who we thought they were? How could they have so many flaws that we missed before?


Why is it that happy dreams fade so quickly when you wake up, yet disturbing ones stay with you all day long? (I'm having one of those days today)


If you have any answers, comments, or questions of your own to add, please do so!

Baby J update

Current mood: excited

Well today I went to my check up and am at 34 weeks. I'll be 35 weeks on Thursday. I am just starting to dilate, although am not to 1 cm yet. I've been having quite a bit of cramping and contractions the past 24 hours so I figured SOMETHING must be going on. Baby J's heart beat is strong and he is doing fabulous as always.

According to the doc I saw today (there are four in this practice and I am taking a turn seeing each one so I won't have a stranger delivering J when the time comes), she guesses that in the next week or two my cervix will dilate more and my contractions will intensify. At some point, whether it is when I call in due to pain, fear, anxiety, and contractions or during my weekly check ups to see how dilated I am, one of the docs will just "decide" to go ahead and get me in to deliver little mister.

That's both comforting and frightening. I am so anxious to meet my little boy, but have mixed feelings about coming to the end of my pregnancy. I love being pregnant. Even with all the drama and excitement. I loved every minute I was pg with K and have loved every moment with J, too. We have decided this will be our last baby (unless Powers bigger than us step in within the next year) so I am saddened to think about closing this chapter. I think we are making the right decision, but we are going to wait one year before doing anything "permanent" to make EXTRA sure we are done. (Well, Dan is EXTRA sure, but I am not so strong in my surety). :)


Anyhoo, it won't be long now and I"ll be posting at 3am about how sweet it is to hold this baby boy in the middle of the night, despite being more exhausted than I thought humanly possible.
I'm posting some pics of my belly for your viewing pleasure!!!

Dumpster diving

Current mood: contemplative

On Saturday, we dropped off a trash bag full of clothing at The Salvation Army. When we pulled up to the drop site, there was a little girl rummaging through the bags, holding up clothing that might possibly fit her. She couldn't have been more than nine years old. There were two adults also, a woman (her mother?) who looked like she'd lived a very hard life, and a man who was dressed as a woman (complete with painted on eyebrows, a denim skirt, and a blouse). They all talked among themselves and were clearly together.

What a hard life this little girl must live. I wonder what thoughts crossed her mind as she saw my little girl sitting comfortably in the air conditioned back seat, eating goldfish crackers, smiling happily at her daddy as he unloaded our car.

Who takes care of that little girl? Does she have new school clothes? Where does she sleep? Did she eat breakfast? Are these her parents? Does she have any toys or books?

How fortunate my daughter is to have her basic needs met. She will likely never know what it is like to be hungry, have no where to live, or wonder who/where her parents are. What if she had been born into this other little girl's family instead of our's?

How do we truly help others? Give them money? Donate clothing and food? Support local charities? Look them directly in the eye when we encounter them and truly acknowledge them as people, rather than quickly glance away because we are uncomfortable witnessing their hardship?

We, as a society, tend to look down on the impoverished, mentally ill, addicted, and those with unfortunate luck. When we turn our backs on them, how often do we truly think about the children in these families? Why should they live lives that are any different from our children?

I think it is important to think about such things from time to time. I hope you will do the same in your own life.

One step forward...

Current mood: hopeful

And TWO steps back!

As I have blogged before, we entered the world of potty training a few weeks ago. K had a pretty successful first week and we all felt good about her many successes. I thought "Wow! This is sooo easy. She'll be trained in no time!" Then suddenly, she began refusing to sit on the potty. Without rhyme or reason (that we could determine), she began peeing on the floor and not telling us. Every time we asked her to go, she'd scream "NOOOOO!" Sigh. Needless to say, I was frustrated.

After it became clear she was NOT going to participate in sitting on, standing near, discussing the potty, or even alerting us after the fact she peed on the floor, I put her back in pull ups. I was totally discouraged and felt like a failure. D and I decided that this was not an issue we could battle with K, so we just stopped discussing it and hoped a break would help.

She'd been back in pull ups for about a week, and then one morning this week she said "Potty, Daddy" and sure enough she went. No more successes after that until today. Today she actually chose to wear her big girl panties and has had three successes on the potty.

Lord knows I am trying NOT to get excited, but rather just "play it cool". I'm sure this will be a back and forth issue for us for a good, long while. Thank goodness for the small successes that keep a mother going...

Going postal

Current mood: irritated

We are fortunate to live near a small rural post office just a few blocks away from our neighborhood. We frequent it often as it is much easier than navigating through the large city post offices. Through the years, we have become acquainted with the ladies working at the small office as there are only two of them.

Yesterday, K and I went to the post office to send off a couple of packages. K was taking packing materials off the shelf and I was trying to keep them picked up (without success). In the meantime, I laid a $20 on the counter and asked the teller to send the packages the cheapest rate available. The total was $13 and change and I watched her take the $20 and place it in the drawer. Then I turned back to K, asked her to please put the boxes back on the shelf. When I turned back to the teller, she handed me a receipt and then asked if she could give K a coloring book. I said sure, that would be geat and she bent down to pick up the book. She handed it to me and I handed it to K. Then, I turned to the teller and said, "Oh! My change..." She said, "I gave it to you already."

Now it was chaotic due to my trying to keep K behaving within reason, etc, and I do have pg brain. But I was certain she had not given me the $6 and change she owed me. I told her I didn't think she did, but I'd look. She said she handed me a $5 and a $1. I pulled out my wallet and showed her I had three $1 bills in it...no fives. I emptied my pockets, and practically emptied my entire purse on the counter and said, "I'm sorry, I don't think you gave me the change."

She was clearly irritated and said, "Well, I've never done that before so that is hard to believe. Perhaps you gave it to your daughter with the coloring book." I checked the book and all around the floor and found nothing. I said, "Nope, I don't think so...besides, you owed me some coins right, and I definitely would have noticed handing K those."

She clearly did not believe me. I was feeling all embarrassed and unsure of what to do, but was also certain she did not give me the change I was owed. And it was SIX DOLLARS. If it were a buck or two, I would have just been like "Oh, okay" and went on. I just stood there and looked at her, waiting for her to give me the change. She said "Well, if you do find it, please return it to me as this has NEVER happened to me before" and she handed me the money she owed me. I reminded her that I come into this office all the time and would never try to short change them and that certainly, if I found it somewhere, I would happily return the money. She clearly did not care.

As I drove away, I got pretty mad. I mean, how dare she accuse me like that. I wasn't angry that she thought she gave it to me, b/c clearly she thought she did. But after I EMPTIED my pockets, purse, shook out K's coloring book, and showed her I had no coins or $5 in my wallet, I think she should have been a little more gracious about HER MISTAKE. Instead, I was left feeling defensive and accused.

As my husband put it, "They know us better than that! It's not as if you were trying to scam them by making money...six dollars at a time!" ha ha. Like I was heading up to Wendy's next, to try and score another buck off a poor sucker selling me a diet Coke. It makes me not want to return to my little post office around the corner. It also makes me want to return to the post office today and say, "Your drawer came out even last night, didn't it?" or suggest she check the footage on her security camera.

Ugh. Things like that make me sooo mad!!!

The biggest fan

Current mood: excited

As most of you know, throughout the past several years I have become a pretty avid Colts fan. Not the kind of fan who paints her face half blue/half white, but the kind who looks forward to Sunday and Monday night football each week and makes PLANS to sit and watch the game....every week except buy week. (Gasp!) Anyhoo, my intrigue began building about five-six years ago when D's previous company would treat us to an occasional game. That was three companies ago, but still luckily on occasion we score tickets through D's work.

He came home one evening last week telling me of a client who offered him pre-season tix to Saturday night's game against Detriot. Did I want to go? Uhhhh....lemme think....YES! So for $50 a piece, we bought the tix and planned a night out in Indy to celebrate our four year anniversary a few weeks early. K was off to Grandma's for the night.

After a wonderful dinner at our FAVORITE restaurant, P.F. Changs, we headed to the RCA dome for what will likely be the last time (for you out of towners, a HUGE new stadium is under construction). We knew our tix were in one of the endzones and were excited to watch the game from a new perspective.

Imagine my shock and delight when I realized that we had (for the first time EVER) to walk DOWN to get to our seats. Down....down....down....and still further, down. The smile on my face was HUGE as I realized we were sitting next to the tunnel where the Colts were going to enter and exit the field and would actually be close enough to see them. My smile turned to gasps when I realized OUR SEATS were in the THIRD row. The third row people! D and I were both like "Holy Cow!!" It was like sitting ON the field!

As we got down to our row, I see two little boys holding footballs over the rail and looked over to see who they were talking to. Oh, no big deal. It was just TONY DUNGY!!! I grabbed my camera and snapped a couple of pictures because I didn't know what else to do. It was like I was star struck. I know, I'M SUCH A DORK!!! (I'll post some pics on my page and you can see how friggin' close I was) Yes, I was THAT fan. Me and all the little boys in the section were salivating as the players came out of the tunnel, practiced in front of us, and we could hear and see EVERYTHING!

It was amazing. I was smiling from ear to ear the entire game. I could hear Peyton's calls, see his chicken scratches, hell, I could tell when he spit. ha ha! We got to see touchdowns, kicks, a few shoves, and just generally were a "part" of the game. It was sooo cool.

I know this may not interest most of you, but for a "new" NFL fan whose team won the Superbowl in only her fourth or so year of watching, this game was the highlight of my summer.
And was my honey embarrassed by his pregnant wife, eyes as wide as saucers, sitting there for hours with a stupid grin on her face? No, he just smiled and appreciated my joy. THAT is a good husband, ladies. I hope you all have one!

K at two

Current mood: grateful

Just a quick update (yeah, right!) on my " little" big girl! At her two year checkup, she came in at 33 1/2 inches tall and a whopping 22 pounds 11 ounces. She's still our little big. She eats like a champ as always and has been blessed by the Lord NOT to have my metabolism and body shape. She eats more than most of her friends and sometimes pregnant mommy (little boy has made my stomach about the size of a pea I swear!). She loves loves loves any kind of fruit and also eats most veggies. She's not too big on bread or potatoes, and gets finicky about meat sometimes. She thinks it is a big treat when we give her an ounce of juice mixed with 7 ounces of water. Her latest favorite food is .... ketchup!!

She is wearing size 2T clothing, although I suspect once we get into long pants they will hang on her. Oh well. K still loves being outside and was finally successful in blowing bubbles herself in the past week. (I won't mention that she holds the wand on top of her mouth and/or nose and therefore inhales as much soap as she spills. Oops! Did I say that?) Her favorite inside activity is "tea party". Daddy and I play it each 200 times per day it seems. She is still my big reader and some of her books I am actually considering buying new copies of because they are so worn. I love that they are worn though, because it just demonstrates her love of them all. Her favorite is Mouse Mess which she recites word for word. She also loves The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss and Little Quack's Bedtime.

I can never talk about my girl's favorite things without mentioning music of course. Her latest accomplishment was learning "Happy Birthday" which she still sings several times per day. We've been to lots of birthday parties this summer, and she learned it after everyone sang it to HER. Other faves of her's are "Row, row, row your boat " (which comes out like "butt" and cracks me up every time); "Ring around the Rosie", "Old MacDonald", and "The Wheels on the Bus".

We started potty training last week and she's doing pretty well with it. It seems to go in phases throughout the day. Today she had four early morning successes and then proceeded to pee buckets on the floor around lunch time. Mommy is tiring of scrubbing the carpet, but is focusing on the positives! She definitely gets it and tells me every time, she just struggles with going 2 on the potty and sitting long enough to completely empty her bladder I think. She'll get there!
This week she started going to my dear friend/neighbor Mrs. K's two mornings per week. She gets to play around with Mrs. K (whom she ADORES), her two year old son, and two-three other two year olds. It's a great time. K loves it and we feel very blessed to have the opportunity to send her to someone we love and trust completely...and who lives ACROSS THE STREET! How cool is that????

Well, that's the biggest news. K knows all about baby J and we've had several new babies around the neighborhood which I think has helped her realize what it all means. She talks about Baby J's room, clothes, bottles, and crib. I am very excited to see how our little family changes and grows in the next few months. Sigh. Life is good...

"Pee for two"

Current mood: amused

The potty training is ON at our house! It's been almost a week of scrubbing carpets with cleaner, endless loads of tiny panties, and coaxing, pleading, and bribing! Our funniest story so far follows!

K and I were sitting in my recliner coloring pages in her Pooh coloring book. Suddenly, I felt a warm rush of fluid in my lap and a sense of dread overcame me. I thought to myself, "OMG, my water just broke and I am only 31 weeks." I was stunned. I couldn't move and just sat there for a second with my mind racing a million miles a minute about where to send K, how quickly could D get home, and if the docs could stop my labor. Suddenly, I was jolted from my silent panic by my sweet girl's voice saying , "I PEEEEEEE MOMMY!!!"

My horror was immediately replaced by RELIEF as I wrapped my brain around the fact that my water had not broken. In fact, my two year old had peed all over me instead (and I was GLAD???) A day in the life of a mom...

Hard times

Current mood: sad

Where has my confident daughter gone? K, who has exhibited little fear in her life, has always had no difficulty staying with others, and has awed me with her confidence, is experiencing a BIG change these days.

She is downstairs crying right now because Mommy is staying upstairs and Daddy is making her breakfast. Who is this whiney child? Where is my big girl?

She has become the child with separation anxiety. I understand that her life has been turned upside down in recent weeks. I am not able to "run around" as much as in weeks prior due to the ongoing contractions; we've had people in and out of our house almost daily for the past two weeks or so-which is a help to D and I, but I think has caused confusion for her. Certainly our stress level has increased in recent weeks as the contractions get stronger and we try to keep the baby inside me calm and encourage him to stay put for at least another month.

Times are hard at our house. I am unsure how to help her right now. I vascillate (forgive my poor spelling) between giving into her increased need for cuddles, reassurance, and time together and just letting her stand at the bottom of the stairs crying for me for what feels like hours. Meanwhile, her daddy's heart breaks as she cries for Mommy to do everything for her. Our closest friends are quickly rejected by her in their attempts to help her walk down steps, get a snack, change clothes, or even go outside to play. Every well meaning attempt results in K having a major meltdown....one that ends with her clinging to me in desperation.

K and I typically have a lot of time together. I have been home with her almost non-stop for weeks now, but I struggle with this question: Should I spend even more time with her now due to this sudden change in personality? Or does this mean I should leave her to the care of others more often so that she regains her confidence that Mommy will always return home?

Sigh. I'm looking for words of encouragement and ideas on how to help her from all of you. Let me know your ideas and experiences...they are my source of sanity right now. I know you are thinking the same thing I am...the baby isn't even here yet (gasp!)

Bed rest....almost!

Bed rest...almost

Current mood: blah

Last week I ended up back in the hospital overnight. At one point, I was having a contraction every 6-8 minutes. Thankfully, no other changes "down below" were occuring, but it was stressful to say the least. They decreased during the night and I was able to return home in the morning. I saw my doctor again later that day in her office and she gave me the news I have been dreading..."I want you to be as close to total bedrest as you can possibly manage." Ugh.

I'm not saying I've done a great job this week, but I sure felt like a lazy bum. And if you ask my husband, I'm sure he'll tell you he has been doing EVERYTHING. So I was surprised on Saturday when I woke up from a nap having contractions...eleven within an hour! A warm shower, a big glass of water, and some more rest decreased them and I managed to stay out of the hospital that time.

I am 28 weeks this week. Every week feels like a milestone at this point. Thankfully baby boy doesn't seem affected by all the craziness my body instills, but I can't help but think at some point, all these contractions will start to take a toll on either him or "down below" and labor will REALLY begin.

In the meantime, I am trying VERY hard to accept help from others, something I am not good at in any way, shape, or form. I'm accepting help so that my husband can survive this. He is working every day and then coming home taking care of K and I, then doing housework and everything else. Thank God for him is all I have to say. And Thank God for family and friends willing to help...ahem, excuse me, willing to INSIST on helping, even when I am reluctant.

The beauty of two

The beauty of two
Current mood: impressed

While the age of two is definitely frustrating and leaves me scratching my head most of the time, it is also filled with extraordinary insights into K's world.

Did you know that a Little People horse harness, cookie cutter, and a plastic fence could be worn as bracelets? My daughter knows this. Did you know that a spoon could be a vacuum cleaner and that a child size vacuum cleaner could be fed, danced with, read to, and put down for "night night"? My daughter also knows these things.

She is so uninhibited in her play. She isn't tied down to the confines of "the right way" to do anything. She could care less who is around, what they think, or why they think it. I admire her perspective and most of all her imagination. My brain tells me that sooner than I will like, she will be begging for $100 dresses to be worn one time, insisting on hairstyles she sees in magazines, and refusing to eat certain foods because they are "not cool".

Until that time comes, I am going to keep on enjoying the peaceful world she creates around me (peaceful in the soulful sense, NOT the volume sense obviously!). I'm going to get on the floor and pretend to feed a crayon, put the puzzle pieces in the doll house, and be thrilled by opening and closing the dryer door..just as my two year old little girl does.

The insanity of two

My daughter is turning two in a few weeks and I have to say, this is a difficult stage for ME. I say that because a breakdown occurred at our house a few hours ago that included crying, blubbering, and high pitch, unrecognizable gibberish.... and it all came from ME.

K is in that developmental struggle between being a big girl vs. a baby. She has a strong will (to say the least) and is definitely in a phase of testing limits. While I knew two would be a difficult age for her, no one ever told me how it would impact ME. I didn't know I could so easily be reduced to tears of frustration and feelings of failure. I didn't know that as she struggled developmentally, I'd struggle even more by questioning every decision I make on a daily basis, as well as question my maternal instict and general knowledge base.

Sometimes I feel like the worst mother in the world. While I know I cannot take credit for her vivid imagination, her sweetness, or her accomplishments, why is it that I take the blame for the misbehavior, frustration, and moodiness that is "two"? It is every mother's delimma I suspect. At least, I hope. I hope this is normal. I hope I can keep trying to be the best mommy I can, and allow my brain to take over when my heart breaks during these emotionally charged times. My baby girl is growing up and while my brain tells me her struggle is normal, it is hard not to take some of her struggles personally.

Strawberries for sale

Current mood: amused


I was at the grocery store yesterday morning and noticed an interesting phenomenon. Above a large display of strawberries (in 2 pound containers) was posted: 2lbs / $4.00 Great! I LOVE LOVE LOVE strawberries thanks to this little kicking boy growing inside me, so was happy to find them!


Now next to the large two pound containers of strawberries, was a large display of one pound containers of strawberries. The sign posted above them read 1 lb/$3.50 or 2 / $5.00


Are there people who really buy the two 1 pound containers for $5.00? If so, who are they?

Movie nightmare

My husband and I are fortunate to have my mother living just 45 minutes away from us. She adores her granddaughter and gratefully keeps K on occasion for us. She kept her a couple of weekends ago so that D could work, I could have a garage sale, and we could enjoy a "date night".

We decided to eat a wonderful dinner at a local Thai restaurant and then go to a movie. (Is there anything else to do on "date night?") We decided to see the comedy "Knocked Up" and looked forward to enjoying the comedy. Much to our dismay, sitting next to us was two adults with their two children (ages 4 and 6?). We were surprised to say the least, but weren't quite sure how the movie would go; based on the storyline knew it was inappropriate for children that age.

FIVE minutes into the movie, we were both shocked and appalled by the amount of nudity. We were both VERY uncomfortable having these children sitting down a few seats from us. Have others seen this movie? It is a funny story premise and the acting isn't terrible, but I can honestly say that it was the most graphic movie I have ever seen in regards to drug use, nudity, sexual content, and foul language. D and I spent the entire movie wondering if we should say something to the parents down the aisle, who clearly were NOT uncomfortable with what their kids were seeing. For those of you who haven't seen it, I'm not talking about a pot smoking scene, sexual inuendos, and an occasional curse word. The movie was OVER THE TOP with drug scenes, sex scenes, and every other word seemed like it was "f*&k".

The movie was uncomfortable enough, but the fact that these kids were watching in the same room just floored me. We could have gotten up and left, but frankly, we were kind of waiting to see what would happen with this family. I debated the entire time on what to say to the parents and how to say it. Even after it was over, as the family was in the game room with the kids, I contemplated saying something to them. Nothing mean or rude, but just let them know that it made ME uncomfortable that their children were present at such a movie.

I know people take kids to movies at different ages and of questionable content...but for those of you who have seen this movie, you understand what I mean when I say, it was VERY obvious within the first 5 minutes that this was no regular movie. It bordered on soft porn. I don't even know what it is rated (I pray "R"), but given the front row full of young teens, I'm not so sure.

My questions are these: Should I have said something to the parents? If so, what does one say in that situation? What parents let their young teens see such a movie? (I assume most people aren't aware of how graphic it was, since we certainly weren't aware) Finally, am I just old???? :)

Pool Capers

Saturday, June 16, 2007

This is a long one, but I promise if you are a mom or have been a mom of a young toddler, you'll "get it". Do you remember the days in junior high when you were excited and terrified to go to the pool? You finally worked up the courage to go and then had your dream of lounging lazily poolside with your friends dashed by the drama of the mean girls being nasty to you? Well, as it turns out the same is true when you are in your 30's...at least it was for me.

The other day I mustered (?) up the courage to take my soon to be two year old to the pool....by myself....at five months pregnant. I was an anxious mess but finally managed to get her fed a light lunch, saturated her in SPF 50, and had her new bathing suit on; which my sweet princess calls her "baby soup". (How cute is that??) I got my pregnant butt into my maternity swimsuit....which lets just say it...maternity bathing suits are the ONLY time it is okay to wear a suit that has a built in skirt unless you are over the age of 60, but THANK GOD for that little skirt!!! I'm digressing here, but why in the heck would you tease a girl with allowing her to wear a built in skirt gracefully in her maternity suit and then provide NO SUPPORT in the boobage area??? What's up with that???

Back to the point...I get my skirted, floppy boobed, maternity bathing suit wearing, fat butt into the car complete with K and the needed accessories (2 towels, 2 swim diapers, one regular diaper, sunblock, water bottle for me, water bottle for K, snack for K, 3-4 small toys, a camera (!), additional cover up for me, cell phone, wallet, and the friggin' kitchen sink) only to find my sweet princess asleep in the carseat before we make it out of the neighborhood. At least it was a good excuse to sit in the pool parking lot for 30 minutes so that "she could get a decent nap in" before our fun day out at the pool. As it turned out, it gave me additional time to mentally prepare for our upcoming adventure. And as every mother knows, if you get 30 minutes of unscheduled quiet time, YOU TAKE IT!!!

Once we were inside the actual pool fence, we found a cozy spot on the concrete in the shade. No lawn chairs available for a pregnant mother, after all the pool had been open for 25 minutes already! I quickly scan the "baby" pool and count about 2-3 other kids K's age, the rest appear to be under the age of 1 or over the age of six. How annoying. I did notice many small clusters of moms lounging poolside at the water's edge or chatting away in the water. I naively thought to myself, "Well, how fun! I'll meet all kinds of nice moms here and K and I can become regulars!"

I get our towels layed out, K's hat on, take her cover up off and give her a sip of water. She is standing up and I immediately notice that there seems to be a leak because as she gulps down the water, there appears to be water coming from underneath her. Much to my dismay, I realize that the rumors are true and that in fact, swim diapers are NOT absorbant AT ALL and are designed to keep poop out of the water only. Great. So of course, I scramble and try to act like my daughter is NOT standing there PEEING on our towels as I put her swim shoes on and then we head off to the water's edge (after the peeing stopped).

My K is all sweet holding my hand in the very shallow end, uncertain of this gigantic pee-bathtub. I was relieved she was intimidated because so was I. As we both became more comfortable, I tried to catch the eyes of the cluster moms as they smiled politely and commented about how cute K was (I left her glasses on so she could see and because it is also a good ice breaker for me....) None of them would look at me, just kept on with themselves. Okay, no big deal. I think to myself some of the moms are obviously jealous of my license to wear a maternity bathing skirt with grace and style.

So off we go, maneuvering between the "way too old to be in the baby pool" kids in my opinion. My daughter is mesmorized by the big kids' antics and rebukes all of my clever attempts to try and interest her in playing in the shallow end with her measley toys. Instead, she walks around in chest high water as these hoodlums dive, jump, and dunk each other in a flurry of water, noodles, goggles, and calling each other names like "butthead, ass-munch, and dingleberry". Every two year old mother's dream! I was as close as humanly possible to her since the water was so deep and Lord knows I didn't name her "Grace" for a reason. She was happy, but I knew the time was fast approaching where she'd realize these big kids were not interested in playing with her, so between that and the deep water, I was a mess.

Finally, one little girl hands K a duck and says, "Here you go!" I gratefully smiled at the girl and silently thanked God for sending her to rescue me and my little girl from the nightmare we had gotten into. K, happy with the duck, agreed to go to the shallow end and play with it under the rain fountain. Off we go. She is happy as a clam and I am feeling less anxious and make another attempt at befriending a group of pregnant moms sitting in the water near the fountain. I smiled as they commented about K and asked the obligatory "when is your baby due?" to which one real peach stated "August" and then went on talking to her friend with her back to me. Hmmmm...I'm definitely noticing a pattern. Where are these women's children? Why are the snubbing me? Is there a secret club that I am not a member of? Surely not ALL women can be jealous of my license to wear the maternity bathing suit with the built in skirt. After all, these are pregnant women too. They could wear the skirt kind if they wanted.

I turn away, wounded, and feeling like an inadequate mom and woman. In the meantime, K is again mesmerized by the big kids as they have a way too large beach ball they are tossing around that comes into the fountain. Of course, she is TWO YEARS OLD so says "ball, ball, ball" and goes for it. I quickly catch it and tell her "No, honey. This is their ball, we can't play with it right now." To which she responds louder "BALL! BALL! BALL!! MY TURN MY TURN!!" I toss the ball to the big kids and try to get her back into the pretty rain fountain. No go. Off she goes to chase the kids with the ball, clutching her duck for dear life. I am panicking as I am going to have to get her into something else quickly or else a complete meltdown is coming as she thinks that (as we practice at home all the time now) in a minute it will be "her turn" with the enormous ball. Suddenly, a mom with a girl about 4 in hand approaches us smiling warmly. I think "Finally! A friendly mom who is coming to talk and K will be distracted by her daughter!" As it turns out, it is this little girl's duck that K has befriended and she wants it back. OMG. So I have to have K hand over her new best friend as well as explain why in the world it is not "her turn" with the ball. I watch as the woman and daughter turn and walk back to the other side of the pool, where the little girl promptly lets the duck float away again. I was sooo mad. K is screaming....she has endured way too much...I am on the verge of tears and I take her screaming and flailing out of the pool.

We head over to the concession stand area where I saw a sign indicating free sunscreen and figure she is due for another layer since surely we have been there for SIX HOURS by now. The lotion distraction didn't work and instead, she became mesmerized by the water again. Back to the pool we go and I get her involved in the water dam which she enjoys for about...oh, 20 seconds. She sees a bucket floating by and I nervously look to a dad and his daughter and ask "Is this your bucket?" That dad replies, "No, the toys in the baby pool are for everyone." Ha! I think to myself, "SUCKER!" Nevermind, because we had brought one of K's buckets and she certainly wasn't interested in any body else's bucket or her own. We make another lap around the pool instead. K stumbles amid all the waves of the big kids, and manages to go under before I can grab her. Granted, it's less than a mili-second that her face is in the water, but we all know the bathtub horror stories and they flash before me as I pick her up and make sure she is okay. Talk about anxiety.

I am completely exhausted and emotional and try and talk K into having a snack on our pee-soaked towels on the concrete. She refuses (but of course!) and goes into a full blown cry fest. I am DONE at this point and am quickly picking up the towels, snack, water bottles, sunscreen, toys, and kitchen sink and throw them into the bag. I have to literally hold K back as she is trying to get back to the water, crying "Water! Water! Water!" So yes, now we are leaving...my child crying as we leave the "baby" pool that is apparently for mean, lazy moms who don't want to watch their kids in the big pool, and head out to the parking lot. She stops crying by the time we are out of the gate, but my tears are just beginning to fall. Thank the Lord for sunglasses. Our fun afternoon turned into six hours of hell...well it felt like six hours. In fact, it was only about 20 minutes.

This was a looooong story, I know. Maybe not necessary for you, but definitely necessary for me. My summer dream of hanging out poolside with my sweet girl in her "baby soup" is over. I will not go back unless Daddy is with us...a sure sign of defeat, but I just cannot handle the loneliness and rejection. It reminds me too much of junior high. My experience leads me to the following questions:

When did women become so mean????
Why do they let any child over the age of 5 in a baby pool?
Why do they let kids bring any toys in, only to get confused among the "communal" toys and to confuse toddlers?
Why are there no other 2 year olds at the baby pool...well NOW I KNOW WHY!!!!
When did women become so mean????

Feel free to share your pool stories and others with me. It is a tough and lonely world out there, ladies! And apparently there isn't room in the pool for everyone!!! :)