A Toddler's Perspective

I am starting to think that while being one is quite fun, it is also quite frustrating.

At that age, you understand enough around you to get by and kinda get what people are saying to you, but you can't seem to say anything back to them.

You can point and make general sounds that can sometimes be figured out, but most of the time you're the odd one out. Or, in your opinion, everyone else is the odd ones out.

Bradley is experiencing this firsthand for sure. There are times when I am on top of whatever it is he's trying to tell me and there are other times, like the other day, where he just decides that the best way to express himself in this dire situation called life is to act like a flailing fish. Thankfully, these moments are rare and far between.

While all these new things are happening, I cannot help but wonder what goes through his little mind. He will come up to Jeremy or I and put his hand on our arm and talk to us so seriously.  All we hear is "WAH WAH WAH WAH WAH" (Charlie Brown... anyone?) and so we make up a response that seems to satisfy him. It makes me so excited for the time when he does talk with real words.

In the meantime, though, we get to see a little perspective via our iPhones. B loves to play with them and has figured out how to turn on the camera. So here's a little of his perspective. (All pictures were taken by Bradley.)

And if you happen to have your video button selected on your phone. This could happen:

Daily Photos {part duex}

Guess what? It is sunny and 70 degrees here.... in JANUARY! Can you believe it? Today is also the first sunny day in about 5 days. I'm waiting on B to wake up so we can go for a run outdoors.

In the meantime, I thought I'd catch you up on my daily January Instagram photo challenge.

(PART 1):

A normal shot of my bed. Just so you know, a week after this picture was taken I had a complete meltdown on the situation of our gross bedroom that is painted the color of poo. I told Jeremy I needed a happy place I could go after a long day. So he's letting me paint our room!! I'm hoping this turns into a complete room redo, but only time will tell.

(PART 2):

I love Alfred Hitchcock and couldn't help but pay tribute to him with another photo of where I sleep. Creepy, right? Yet another reason, we are painting our room.

Isn't that just the cutest face??

IN YOUR BAG:

I carry around my diaper bag 90% of the time. I am also OCD when it comes to keeping it organized and clean. So much so, in fact, that I go through it every other day to make sure all is where it should be and no other items have gotten mixed in.

I am currently part of a Journey Group through our church. The material is challenging and depending on the week can be a little overwhelming. But it has been a great way to connect to other women and grow.

Happiness is snuggling on the couch with my love after a really long day.

MORNING:

I started a semi-juice diet on the 16th. Then, I discovered that to continue forward and add veggies to it, I need a juicer. Thankfully, a friend is going to let me borrow hers and try out to see if it is something that I want to get serious about.

 

WATER

 

SOMETHING PURCHASED:

Time to start working on wall art for our living room!! I'm really excited to see how the room finishes up. 

 

SWEET:

An afternoon in the backyard.

I love them. I love them. I love them.

Have I mentioned the rain lasted for forever?

 

B's shoes were missing.

SOMETHING OLD:

Our home was built in 1920. We love it. It's full of character and charm. I am so thankful for it.

My guilty pleasures include a coke zero each day (sometimes two), anything sweet and chocolate, and the hotness on Vampire Diaries. 

Jenna Maroney and I

Netflix is awesome. Really. We love it. Actually, we love it a little too much according to our internet provider who cut off our internet over the weekend because we used more than any individual is allotted any given month. Yup. So they called us out and cut off our internet. They did turn it back on with a stern warning that if this problem were to persist, they have the right to drop us as a client. I thought about telling them I had rights too. But I was in a good mood and just laughed.

Jeremy said I need to go to Netflix Anonymous meetings. I told him I could quit watching it at any moment; I just choose to continue to use Netflix rather than real TV. He said I have a classic case of denial. I said the only thing I'm denying is commercials and trashy daytime television. What's wrong with that??

Anyways. As you can now assume, I do happen to go through shows pretty quickly on Netflix. And I may have tried to pause real TV thinking it was Netflix. But again. I am not addicted per se. I choose to watch shows via Netflix. (Are you buying it??)

Well, right now, my show of choice is 30 Rock. Have you seen this show?? It is absolutely hilarious. I now want to read Bossypants so bad because Tina Fey is amazingly funny. I'm a huge fan.

But my real connection is to Jenna Maroney played by Jane Krakowski. 

 (via)

Jenna used to be the star of the The Girlie Show only to be kicked to second place when Tracy Jordan was brought on board and the show's name changed to TGS.  So she's got issues. 

I connect to her because of her love of singing to any audience who will listen. Plus, she loves the attention she gets from it. It is also why she's so famous. Clearly.

I think I've mentioned my dream to sing like Kristin Chenoweth before. Well, I'll be honest. I can't really sing like her. And according to Jeremy I'm too old to get trained in how to. So I'm stuck with the voice I have current;y. Luckily, I can slightly carry a tune and I can sing in many different genres. 

I also now have an audience. Bradley. He loves my singing. I can sing about brushing his teeth and he just smiles and claps along. I can sing about the yucky trash and he'll dance. I can even sing the ABC's in opera and he'll listen. It really is wonderful. 

Jeremy said that I should insert a video here. I disagree because while it is my dream to sing to any audience that will listen and while I do pursue that dream while in our house, I am not bold enough yet to let everyone see that side of me. I just don't know if the world is ready for such a video to go viral and for me to get this awesome record deal and then actually become famous. 

So for now I will enjoy being a star in my home. 

I am one lucky girl. 

I didn't know I was pregnant

Let's be honest for a moment.

I have really thought for the last four months that I was going to wake up at any moment and be in labor.

I have woken up with occasional nausea. I have had funky "times of the month."  I have felt what I thought was braxton hick contractions. I have had restless leg syndrome return randomly. And then the other day I seriously felt a baby kick in my belly.

I kid you not. It felt like a baby in my belly...kicking. I was completely freaked. So I did what any normal person would do in this situation: I looked in the mirror to see if I had a "belly" and when I was unsure since I'm certain all women post-pregnancy have a slight belly, I ignored it.

I wished it away and went on with my day. Then, it happened again... and again... and again.

That's when I realized that if a baby was in my belly, I would have to be at least 5 months pregnant. This immediately caused me to conclude that my next stop would inevitably be as a star on the popular TLC television show I didn't know I was pregnant.

I was going to sit on the toilet in about 4 months and poop this crazy child out of my belly. Then, Jeremy and I were going to have to kick Megan out of our house, somehow put together a nursery in 24 hours, and try really hard not to have a complete meltdown.

And again I decided that I shouldn't mess with fate and should continue to ignore it. I was going to roll with the punches. Let life happen. And pray this would all work itself out.

Then, today, something magical happened. I opened my Reader to find this blog post.

Now, why did no one tell me that along with the occasional incontinence and about a thousand other post-pregnancy weird side effects, you could also experience what is called a PHANTOM BABY KICK?? I mean, really?? Really?? What crap is that?

Thankfully, I am not alone in the world. However, apparently this could also mean, according to Google, that I am psycho and wishing to go through hell pregnancy all over again.

Either way, I think I'll just keep ignoring it and refer to these moments as "gas."

Photo a Day Challenge

Have you heard of Instagram? It is seriously my favorite photo sharing app. If you don't have it, you must get it immediately. Then, you can follow me and I'll follow you and we'll be friends for life. The app is seriously cool.

Well, for the month of January many Instagram users are taking part in a 31 day challenge. We have a topic each day that we must capture in a single photo. Isn't that a great way to get to know each other?? Well, I decided to post on here the pictures as well.

Topic: YOU

BREAKFAST: 

I had sausage balls that morning. Yum!!

I ADORE: I adore my family so much. 

LETTERBOX:

I think it is so cool that our mail comes in through our front door and our mailman walks the street.

SOMETHING I WORE:

Scarves and coats are a wintertime must in my wardrobe. 

MAKES ME SMILE:

Baby mess makes me smile. 

I love looking around my house and seeing remnants that Bradley has been there.

FARVOURITE:

Gilmore Girls is by far my favorite TV show of all time. I own the entire series and watch through it all at least once a year. They just don't make TV like that anymore. 

MY SKY:

I love me a winter sky with bare branches. Unfortunately, this year these days have been rare. Yesterday, it was in the mid-70s and muggy... I was so disappointed. It felt much like a summer day. Not a winter one.

DAILY ROUTINE:

Each morning I get to wake this little guy up and it is by far my favorite routine. He is usually all smiles and wants to tell me all about what happened while we all slept. We talk, play, look out the window, play some more, and then get dressed for the day. 

 

CHILDHOOD:

I received Ziggy as a birthday gift on my first birthday. He slept with me until I got married. 

And now, he sleeps with Bradley. I love that we can share something like that with each other.

So there you have the first 10 days of the challenge. It is so fun to look at other people's routines and favorite things. I've really enjoyed it. Look out for the next 10 in about 10 days. :-)

A Picture Window

Warning: This post contains a lot of pictures. Proceed knowing that you will be saying "aw" and "how cute is that" a lot. Enjoy!

Bradley loves the outdoors. For his birthday, we got him a Radio Flyer wagon complete with cup holders and seat belts. Yesterday alone he walked up to it and tried to get in it four separate times. He rings the bell like Parker when he wants to go out. And when he is outside, he smiles and smiles and smiles. It's so much fun.

Well, at our house all our windows are too high for him to see out. He tries to stand on his tip toes but that doesn't work yet. Over thanksgiving while we were at my parents house, B discovered their huge picture window in their living room. And this is what followed.

 Parker couldn't resist joining in on the fun! He likes the outdoors too. I also love how you can totally see what their relationship is like from this picture. B LOVES Parker. He'll walk up to him and start talking him and give him kisses. Parker LOVES us.... and the outdoors. He's still trying to figure B out.