The Battle of the Sippy Cup

I'm on day five of the Battle of the Sippy Cup, and boy oh boy is my son putting up a strong fight. I started at nine months letting him play with sippy cups--bite on them, take a few sips here and there, just basically inspect them. Now, it's time to bid the bottle goodbye.

And this is so hard.

Because....it's not like anything else in that my son has to drink milk. It's not like taking away a pacifier, because a child can live without a pacifier. My current plan (that I've mostly stuck to--I had one slip up two days ago when I couldn't take any more screaming) is that I've been letting him have bottles right before naptime and bedtime. That's it.

So, I'm worried for about a bazillion reasons, but I don't know what else to do. We've tried seven different sippy cups, and I'm at my wit's end. I keep giving him the sippy cup over and over and over. Most of the time, he throws it on the ground or screams or swats it away. And then, sometimes, he takes it. And I think thank goodness!! On a funny note, he does a much better job of taking his sippy cup when he is around his older friends who are boys--funny how that male ego starts early (wink, wink, just kidding).

Also, I'm pretty much convinced that there's nothing you can suggest that I haven't already tried. Three times. So, onward we go though the baby may scream! Onward we go though I'm worried sick that he's not getting enough milk/liquids! Onward we go toward moving him away from that stinkin' bottle!

My friends keep reminding me that he won't leave for college still drinking out of a bottle. I'm trying desperately to keep that perspective. ;)

First Birthday Party

The only reason that I have time to type up this blog post is because my son is still so exhausted from yesterday that he has literally been sleeping the day away. I feel like I have an itty bitty again, with all the free time I've had today (except that I got a good night's rest....that does not go in itty bitty territory).

So, the birthday party was a HUGE success! YAY! I've only been planning since (don't judge) January. The theme was 'Welcome to the Jungle.'

First, we woke up at 5:30 and started getting ready. "Thankfully," Little Man was up to keep me company...

I got to work decorating the table...

I decided to do cupcakes instead of cake because I thought they would be easier for parents and kiddos to eat, no one would have to be responsible for cutting the cake, and because the cake that I wanted was $151.00. Are you kidding me?

So we had jungle cupcakes...

Then, I got the idea one day while failing to avoid the Little Debbie section in Walmart, to do Zebra Cakes!

Then, I did Jungle Trail Mix...

And, finally, Cheetah Food...

It was a delicious, jungle-ish feast! :) (On a side note, can I just say that having a kid's party at 10:30 is like the perfect time to have a party?)



So, as far as decorations go, I was busy, busy, busy! Thankfully, one of my close friends, Tasha, helped me out majorly. Like, I couldn't have done it without her!! (Thank you, Tasha!)

First, there was the wall of vines that took me forever and a day to finish...

Then, there was the birthday banner, jungle animals, and pictures of Nathan month to month...

The barrel of monkeys hanging from the light fixture...

The Welcome to the Jungle leaves...

I had fun decorating the back deck, too!...

There was chalk...

And bubbles...

And big, bouncy balls (which were part of the party favors...a big hit!)...

The weather decided to cooperate and be pretty much perfect for the first half of the party. Everyone played outside. It was so much fun!

Then it was time for some serious gift opening! The birthday boy didn't rip into the paper quite like he did at Christmas, but I think it was because everyone was watching him and he felt a little shy. He got some awesome toys, books, and clothes!...

He loved his big gift from Mommy and Daddy...

And then it was time for cake. Mickey's Special Affairs did his smash cake, and I was totally in love with how adorable it turned out! I stripped him down to his diaper, because I know my son. He is not afraid of a little mess. Or a really, really big mess, for that matter...

And yes, in case you're wondering, we did have to clear his nostrils so that he could breathe. This boy seriously loves some cake. This was all that was left...

So, whew!, the first birthday party is over! It was a blast! I am so glad that I gave myself so much time to plan. I know I'm silly, but I felt like more planning went into this than into my wedding (wink, wink)! On his actual birthday (June 29th), I'm sure I'll have some mushy-gushy blog post. I only cried twice yesterday. That's not bad, right?? (Can you believe he is still asleep? I never thought I would get to finish this entire blog post!)

Happy birthday to my sweet little angel!! :) What a wonderful, memorable day it was!! Thank you to everyone who came and made little man's day so special!





Video: Point to the Fan!

Summer Nights

This is the time where evening fades in the wake of a southern summer day and the sky bruises to black while we splash each other and dive off the end of the slide. I thought these days were long gone.

We come and go like the lapping of waves. One minute, intent on splashing the hell out of each other. Drowning each other. Floundering like fish in the water. Leaping from the side onto another’s back. And the next, we’re silent. We watch the sky fade from blue to pink to purple as the hydrangeas hang their heavy heads close to the water's edge. We listen as susurrous darkness settles in and the cicadas raise their open throats to the air. Fireflies dot in and out above our wet heads.

I can remember countless parties here, with music floating down to the pool. I can remember when we’d get back from the lake and jump in, like fish separated too long from their beloved water. I can remember sneaking out and skinny dipping. And now, nearly every evening, I return when I never thought I would. I never thought I’d be back in the Natural State—six years ago, I never wanted to.

Now, I relish it. I cherish every second that I get to have water fights with my brothers, like I’m fifteen again. These sweet summer nights are precious. We fight, we laugh, we do handstands and front flips. This is the sacred time of youth not forgotten but appreciated anew—when one has walked away and come back, still freckle faced, still happy, still yearning for the noise and the quiet that comes and goes with each minute as we swim like we always have: Young, eternized, and so very much alive.

Here We Go Again...

I never realize how tiring graduate school is until the summer months hit, and it suddenly occurs to me that I'm less stressed. Things seem not quite so overwhelming. I'm not as snippy-snappy. We have less YOYO dinner nights ("you're on your own"). In general, Momma is much nicer and (yikes, gunna' be truthful here) happier.

Yesterday, I started on my thesis. Gee whiz, here we go again. For my undergraduate program at Baylor, I had to write a 115 page thesis on rustic and bucolic language in postmodern and personal poetry. It was exhausting, but it was really fun. It was thrilling to hold my book in my hands; I was proud of my accomplishment.

Now here I am again, starting on another thesis. The thought makes me want to quit grad school in a second. It makes me want to say, "Nope. No thanks. Not walking down that road again. Check, please." But things are different this time around. I'm the one paying for my education now. I'm two-thirds of the way through the program. And the God-honest truth is that I really want this stinkin' Masters degree, even if it just about does me in.

The topic for my thesis is Tales from Motherhood. I'm creating a Tales from Motherhood blog that will feature about thirty stories from different women who have something to say about motherhood. Already I've laughed and cried with women and learned more about what being a mother truly is. (By the way, if you're reading this, and want to share a motherhood story with me for publication, please please please let me know!) I've just completed my first story, titled, "A Mother, A Hammer, and A Fireman." :)

One more year. I'm plugging ahead bound and determined to make it to May 2012 with a completed, defended, and bound thesis!

For the Love of Walmart

First off, don't judge. I know you wouldn't, but in case you get tempted to, don't. So here goes: I am absolutely, positively, over-the-moon in love with Walmart. It has become my favorite place on planet Earth. Literally.

As you may or may not know, the little one and I are together 24/7 (one of the perks of medical life), and so sometimes Mommy needs a break but has exhausted all of her options (Dinosaur Train, playing outside, the playroom, reading books, taking a walk, the park, food, milk, etc.).

This is when Walmart steps in.

Just about every day, and at least every other day, the hubbs will ask me something like, "Will you pick up some of my face wash?" Or I'll notice that we're almost out of milk. Or whatev. And I know--I know--I could nip into Walgreen's, or wait and just go one day a week and save blah-blah-blah in gas and it's safer and yeah yeah whatever I don't want to hear it.

"Of course I'll get your face wash, honey!" And there it is: my excuse to go to Walmart. I know I must sound insane. I know that most moms despise Walmart or going shopping with their little ones. And trust me, it's not because my son acts like some saint while we're in there that I love it so much.

It's big. It's cold. I can go in my workout clothes. As long as I throw the first thing I see at my son (a box of Oreos, a bag of turkey, a package of M&Ms) and he has something to entertain himself with, then we're golden. I walk up and down the aisles. I know all the old ladies that work at Walmart and how old their grandchildren are. I know where everything is. And the good thing is that ever since I got married, I've become more and more frugal (NOT in an annoying way), and so I'm not even slightly tempted to get anything other than the face wash. And who cares about the extra gas money to get there and back at least five days a week? Momma's happy. Baby's happy. And honey, you can't ever put a price tag--even with a rollback--on that. :)

Gone Fishin'

Just like some people cannot bear the thought of starting the day without a cup of coffee, my son is a sweet terror until he has his (entire) bowl of Apples and Cinnamon Quaker oatmeal. This morning, I was distracted because my husband was in the kitchen, thus my timing was off for shoveling the oatmeal into little one's mouth every five seconds. "Mow (More)," he said. And just as I was spooning mow oatmeal to give him mow, he reached down into the crevices of his highchair, pulled out an old goldfish, and popped it into his mouth. He proceeded to do this two more times during his breakfast when Mommy wasn't fast enough at delivering the food. That's right, my son is storing away food like a little squirrel. He's hoarding away his cheddar explosion goldfish for when the long, foodless seconds arise. :)

Three Years Ago

Journal entry from October 22, 2006: "Whoever marries this boy is a lucky girl!"

Three years ago today--that would be May 24, 2008--my sweet boyfriend (now hubby) got down on one knee at Cedar Falls and popped the question. I can still remember looking down, seeing him on one knee with a ring, and hearing him ask, "Will you marry me?" What a sweet, sweet day that was! :)


You can see the ring box in his pocket! :)



Cedar Falls