From One To Two

Of course no mother forgets that day.

I was twenty-three years old, I'd been married for all of one year and nine days, and I didn't have a clue what to do past giving birth.

And now here I am, two-and-a-half years later. I like to think I've got this parenting thing down--that I've got a handle on it. I might not be the Master Mommy Guru Of All Time, but we've got our lives, our schedules, our day-in and day-out stuff sorted. My house is even clean most of the time, and my toddler is even well behaved half of the time. Imagine that.

And yet.

I know everything is about to change: our lives, our schedules, our day-in and day-out stuff.

What it's going to look like, I have no idea. I've watched my friends who have two kiddos, and they don't seem to be losing their sanity. I know that while this time around will probably not be as life-altering and radical as the first, it will still be both life-altering and radical.

I find myself worrying. How will I handle the toddler on three-and-a-half hours of sleep? How will I snuggle and love on the teeny tiny and still make my toddler (and not to mention my hubby) feel loved and adored and cherished? Will I be as evil, when sleep-deprived, as I was the first time? What about my work schedule? If I have to get up at 5:30 AM now to get me and the toddler out the door and to work on time, what time will I have to get up between a newborn and breastfeeding? How will I go grocery shopping? What if the toddler is sick and we all have to go to the doctor and I have to sit in the nasty sick kids' side of the doctors' office with my newborn who isn't sick?

Okay. I'm psychotic. I know.

The truth is that schedules will be ironed out. Our lives will find some normalcy. And eventually, I will get a handle on things. The truth is that I have a wonderful husband and family to help me. I will be sleepy, but I will still make it into work and do my job well. And before you know it, I'll be back to lying to myself that I've got a handle on this whole parenting thing.

In the mean time, bear with me, okay? I'm soaking up my clean house, my organized schedule, and--of course--my favorite sidekick.

Baby Shower!

This weekend, my sweet, sweet friends threw a baby shower for me!


Hostesses, left to right: Bethany, Tasha, Bekah, Laura, (me!), Christi, Leanna, and Barbara

The shower was so much fun, and I felt so loved by my friends and family who showered me with love and gifts for my little Jack who will be here in eight short weeks!

The food was incredible, and everything looked absolutely adorable! It was the cutest decorations I've ever seen! :)



I will never forget how special and meaningful this shower was. With the cold autumn weather and the soft rumblings of thunder outside, and warm apple cider and good friends inside, it was absolutely, positively perfect!

And what made my weekend even more amazing? Our dear friends, Scott and Laura, drove all the way from Houston to be with us, so that Laura could come to my shower! It truly was a perfect shower and a perfect weekend!

Pumpkin Coffee Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze

I got this recipe from Pinterest, and whoa momma is it good! I'm definitely making this at Thanksgiving this year!

You will need:

• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 can of pumpkin (15 oz.)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice
• 1 box of yellow cake mix
• 1 tsp. of baking soda
• 1 cup of brown sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 4 tbsp. of butter, melted
• 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. of vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream

1. In a large bowl, mix together the water, pumpkin, eggs, 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice until well combined. Add the cake mix and baking soda and mix well.
2. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour batter into pan.
3. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of flour, and melted butter. Sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
4. For the glaze, combine 1/2 cup of brown sugar, granulated sugar, 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.
5. When cake is finished baking, poke holes in the top with a toothpick. Pour glaze over the cake in a zig-zag pattern. Serve cake warm!

So-Gal's Recipe: Chicken Tortilla Soup

The toddler insists on "sitting" at the "big boy table" now. What does this mean? My newly-upholstered chairs that I'm kinda/sorta in love with are now covered in crusty food remnants and stains. It also means that dinner has become 100% more entertaining. And when I get to share some yummy soup with two of my siblings dropping in for dinner, it makes mealtime even better. :)

You will need:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 2 cans of original Rotel
• 1 cup of dry black beans
• 1 can of purple hull peas
• 1 cup of baby lima beans
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cans of chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups of water
• Pepper
• Garlic salt
• Fajita seasoning
• Chili powder

1. Add diced onion, beans, Rotel, chicken broth, and spices in crock pot. Stir to mix.
2. Put chicken breasts into crock pot and submerge in liquid.
3. Stir occasionally, shredding chicken once cooked.
4. Cook on high for 7 hours.

Pumpkin Bread

Yay! It's officially autumn! Happy fall! My favorite season has finally arrived, bringing promises of football games, family time, beautiful colors, cooler weather, and--of course--pumpkin bread! :)

You will need:

• 2 cups of granulated sugar
• 1 cup of canola oil
• 4 eggs
• 15 oz. of canned pumpkin
• 3/4 cup of water
• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 2 tsp. of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. of nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease two standard loaf pans.

2. In mixer, beat sugar and oil until blended. Add eggs one at a time, mixing after each one. Add pumpkin and water, mix until blended.

3. Add flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin pie spice. Pour batter into prepared pans.

4. Bake 50-60 minutes. Check with a toothpick.

I love pumpkin bread! My favorite bakery in town makes the most mouthwatering pumpkin bread, but it's expensive. And after making this, I'm never going back, because this was just as good! My favorite way to eat pumpkin bread is to spread a little margarine on a slice and stick it in the microwave for just a few seconds. De-lish!

I love that this recipe makes two loaves. You can bake one for yourself, and then you can surprise a friend with a warm loaf of pumpkin bread!

And here's a picture of my fallish front door. . .minus pumpkins, of course! Gotta' wait 'til October for that! ;)

Happy fall, y'all!

From Fish And Fountains To Conniptions And Cupcakes

When I picked up the toddler after Bible study today, he was so excited to see me that it just melted my heart in a big ol' puddle on the floor. "YEEESSS!" he screamed, jumping up and down, "MOMMY'S HERE!!!!"

His teacher said, "He was hilarious today. He kept watching the other kids and saying, 'This is crazy!'" Yep, that's my child. :)

So after church, the toddler announced that he wanted to go to the park. Hello, read a momma's mind why dontcha'!? So we picked up a kid's meal from Chick-fil-A and headed to our favorite park!

And go right ahead and shake your head, click your tongue, and report me to the Bad Parents Association, because yes, I let my child have a soft drink for the first time ever today. I got him a Sprite, and I really didn't feel like ruining the gorgeous weather and sweet time with my angel with a fight over 8 ounces of a sugary drink. So there.

His first reaction? Well, his first reaction was to make a funny face. :)

Hehe! :) After a second sip, he said, "It's cold!" And then he decided it was the greatest thing ever.

The reason this is my favorite park is because it's completely shaded. The reason it's the toddler's favorite park is because of one thing: the fish. A tiny stream runs along the side of the park, and so naturally we go fishing every single time we're at the park. Of course, this involves standing on the bridge with nine inch twigs in our hands while my son screams at the fish.

"COME HERE, FISH!!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE FISH!?"



And finally, "Fish are takin' a nap." Okay, good enough for me. According to my two-year-old, the only reason we did not catch any fish today was because it just happened to be their nap time.

The entire time we were at the park, I was chilly. It was heavenly! But it did get me thinking that it was definitely time to ditch the summer sandals and get the toddler some good shoes for autumn/winter. So, we headed over to my favorite place to get the little one his shoes: The Toggery! Of course, I was able to bribe the toddler with the promise of a fountain that he could throw money into.

So, off we went in search of the fountain! The toddler ran around throwing pennies in and getting soaking wet. I asked him if he was ready to go into the store, to which he shockingly replied, "Okay."

As soon as we walked into The Toggery, he darted to the section full of trucks and tractors. And did I find the perfect pair of fall shoes for my angel baby? Oh, yes I did!

Paulo Brown Suede shoes by Livie & Luca! How cute are they? And now that I'm having another boy, I don't have to feel guilty when I spend more on my child's shoes than on my own! Bonus! :)

One little problem. They didn't have them at this Toggery. . .but they could hold them for me at The Toggery in the Heights. Okay, not a problem. They were cute enough, and I was willing.

One big problem. While I was sorting all this out with the sales woman, my child had found a Mater truck. Of course, we already have a Mater truck. But this was no ordinary Mater truck, this was a Mater truck from The Toggery--AKA, the most expensive Mater truck you could find.

source

I knelt down and said, "Buddy, we're not going to get this little Mater truck, because you have a really big Mater truck at home. This little truck is for babies. Now, if you can be a big boy and put it down, we can go get (um, thinking frantically here) . . . a cupcake. Do you want a cupcake?"

"Oh, sure!" he replied.

"Great! Then let's go put up this little Mater truck, okay?" I asked.

Tantrum of the century. He was actually sprawled out on his back at the entrance to The Toggery screaming bloody murder, "LITTLE MATER TRUCK! I WANT A LITTLE MATER TRUCK!" I finally managed to drag my child outside and onto a bench, where he proceeded to scream for everyone to hear. I just sat there, glared back at the people glaring at us, and dreamed of my cupcake I was no longer going to get.

Because a momma has to stick to her word, right? She has to be believable, right? If she says a cupcake for good behavior, then that is what she'd better stick to, right?

Unless you're 29 weeks pregnant. And suddenly the only thing in the world that can satisfy you is a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese icing from Cupcakes on the Ridge.

Oh, yes I did. After my child stopped screaming, I dragged his little behind into the cupcake store and promptly bought BOTH of us cupcakes. (Call the Bad Parents Association, I know.)

But, what can I say? Sometimes parenting is less than glamorous, and you're not as perfect as you dreamed you'd be when you could feel those tiny kicks and jabs and you got nine hours of sleep a night, dreaming of what your angel would be like. A holy terror who screams for Mater trucks and makes you bend promises? Yep. A best buddy who plays with you at the park and teaches you how to scream at fish and laugh your head off and make your life better than you'd ever imagined? Yep.