I Gotta Remember These...

At 14 Months...

• Holding her hands up in the air "Ahp" (UP!)
• Dropping her hands fast to her side "Dho (Down)
• "BaBa" Bottle
• "Mahma" Grandma
• As she points to framed pictures, or any photos "Momma" (Haven't figured this one out yet)
• "Baaboo" (Balloon) --My favorite
• "Ho Ho Ho" (at first it was Santa, now it's anything Red and White)
• "Tanta" (Santa)
• Waving her finger "Nou Nou Nou" (No no no)
• "BoOO" (Booches, or any dog)
• "Wa" (Water)
• Signing with scrunched finger touching "Moah" (More, please, I want, get it, give me)
• Can sign thank you (touching chin then bringing hand down)
• Where's your ear (points), nose (taps), teeth (smiles a big grin), bellybutton (lifts shirt points, then looks for mine)
• Grabs my toes to "tickle" mommy, chuckles when I start laughing
• Likes to put on chap stick!
• Picks up cellphones and holds them to he ear, starts to talk
• Likes to climb things. Hikes leg up to try to get up.
• Dances to music
• Sings

Saturday Lessons

As people often say, hold on to every moment you can, because they will grow up so fast. I tear up at the thought of this post. My baby has seemingly, overnight turned from a whining uncommunicative one-year-old in to a little girl. -Using a spoon for the first time with mommy.

I've had a rough week personally, and I found myself almost getting tired of the mom thing, the wife things, the everything thing. I would somber home, get through meal time, bath time, and bed time. Michael and I would eat and I would mope around in baggy sweats and depart to bed around 8:30 or so. I could have slept the whole week and not felt rested one bit! Needless to say I was happy to see Friday come.

Michael started off my weekend right: pizza and a movie tonight! Yes, please. I fought through a headache and a Friday night show then I was off to bed. The 5:00AM call from the little munchkin wasn't as bad as it could have been, so I volunteered it to be "my morning."

We enjoyed a bottle of milk (she still takes one at bed time and nap time, and every so often in the morning) then we played with toys, and books, and puzzles. She loves using her new walking ability as much as she can and she's learned to not start throwing a hissy-fit every time she falls. It's more like an "oh" and she grunts herself back up. I love it.

We woke daddy and took a Wal-Mart run and about 9:30 the baby was out. She's doing well with naps. On the weekend, she takes about a 1.5-2hr nap in the mid morning hours, about 5 hours after she wakes up. However, at daycare they're able to get her to wait until after lunch for a nap... I don't see how.

When she woke up we had a joyous lunch and then headed to the Library. I loved just watching her make friends with the other kids there. Slowly approach them. Trying to jump like the big four year olds can, going off on her own to show her assertive confident self (I don't need them, is what I say in my head). She's wonderful. -Library Hangout

The afternoon lead into us playing and and giggling. Very little whining and crying. She can sign so well, and this helps the communication gap most toddlers and parents experience I'm sure. She says words back to you, baaboo (balloon), up, down, Tanta (Santa).... She then followed a wonderful afternoon with a great dinner time and an easy bedtime (this is typical).

She's grown so quickly in such a small amount of time. She is so happy and full. She likes learning and as a mother you almost couldn't ask for anything more.

Thank you dear Bean, I love learning from you.

Major Updates!

OK, so I realize I probably win the award for longest go at not updating a blog, but life is crazy and that's the beautiful part of it!

So here's my bulleted updates!

Late July 2011 - The Bean fought an ear infection for about six weeks. We went through three strands of antibiotics and "tube talk". Luckily the last strand of meds (powerful enough to burn nose hairs) cleared it up.

August 2011 - I went back to school and enrolled the Bean back into the same daycare we were in last Spring. So far it's proven to be a good choice and I really like all the new teachers! Stella still loves the older lady who cared for her in the infant room and it warms my heart when Michael calls to say she went right to her and snuggled. Stella got moved to the Orange Room (mobile infants) early September.

Late August 2011 - Michael and I went on our first overnight-out of town trip away from Stella. My mom (MaaMaw) came up to stay with her. I called when we arrived in Chicago and MaaMaw informed me they were at McDonald's eating apples and chicken nuggets... Mike was a little upset by this, but I thought, hey what are grandmas for? Though I did have one deep crying spell the first night, we survived.

September 10, 2011 - Stella is a beautiful flower girl in our very wonderful friend's wedding, Justin and Jaime! She was a perfect little lady in the wagon pulled down the aisle. Jaime got her the cutest little head band.

Mid September 2011 - Stella finally starts crawling... I showed up to daycare one day and she turned and just crawled right over to me like it was no thing.... Been on the move ever since! --Orange room teacher moves Stella to one nap in the afternoon only, Stella's not really ready, which leads to early nights, 5pm bed times (daddy doesn't like this!)

Nine Month Check up - 97% in everything! Still proportionate, still big! (This is when we received the last strand of antibiotics and the ear infection finally got cleared up.)

October 2011 - MaaMaw came down and met us at a pumpkin patch! Dressed Stella in her finest orange and black and went on a hayride! Didn't make it to Halloween Trick or Treating, didn't even get a costume on her, was going to bed about 5:00-5:30.

November 2011- Had Thanksgiving with MaaMaw and then with Papa Martin.

December 2011- Christmas with Daddy's side of the family on 12/17. Then with MaaMaw -- Stella got a table and chairs, and fun knick-knacks. Papa got Stella legos, and a talking teddy bear. Daddy got Stella a princess couch!

One Year Check Up - Made it to over 100%, in everything! Again still proportionate, still big! Dr. called her cautious, smart, very loving. =)

January 2012 - New Years Eve Michael and I went out while MaaMaw stayed in with Stella. She is starting to get the hang of an afternoon nap... She is teething really badly, currently. I think I counted at least four different teeth trying to break through, this causes her to wake up from naps screaming and crying, she seems inconsolable. A little Advil will do the trick and if you can get the Ora-gel in there she calms down. She does great with eating. She loves fresh veggies and fruit, which is great!! I don't enjoy giving her over processed crap food, so I will honor her requests gladly, and probably learn from them as well. She started walking (not too confidently) but she goes sideways, because her right foot turns out slightly... I'm not going to worry too much about it, and mention something at her next Dr. appointment if it's still that way. She stays up until 6:00 now, Daddy loves the longer times in the evening he can play with her. She loves to drink water! Officially got rid of formula this month. Still takes a bottle to go to bed at night, Michael thinks that might end soon.

Blessings

I counted them recently; they are vast.

Thursday.

Shower. Shaved.

Library. Good Read.

QT. Water and Hot Tamales (A Fat Free Candy).

Pool. Suntan.

Ham and Swiss. Extra Pickles.

Pure Self-Indulgence. Twing of Guilt.

Stella. Teeth, Soon!

Airplane with Daddy. Belly Laughs and Giggles.

Thursday. Good.

Crazy is OK

Yesterday I finally got my stitches out. It started out like the rest of the days had sleeping, net surfing, errands, but at 2:00 I high-tailed it over to the surgeon’s office.

As I was getting them taken out, my surgeon, an older lady, plump, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes was talking to me about the difficulties of recovery. She mentioned numerous times my gallbladder was” hot, hot, hot, very infected” so it was a good thing to get out. But she also mentioned that bouts of depression following upper abdominal surgery are very common “So if you have crying spell, feel easily irritated, and/or just plain pissed off and you don’t know why, this very well could be it.”

Ahha!

When I was relaying the news to my mom her comment made me think… “So you’re going crazy, but it’s ok to be going crazy right now, that should make you feel a little better.” Interestingly enough it did. Something goes haywire and you don’t have an explanation for it you only consider your going crazy, but if someone tells you haywire things are normal for about six weeks post surgery, “going crazy” doesn’t seem so . . . crazy.

Depression is a fickle thing in the human life. I think I’m right to guess all of us, at least once, will go through depression spells. We lose a loved one, we get diagnosed with something, we hit our head on the car door after a long hard day a work, or we just drop our phone in the toilet and have no means of communication. Whatever the size of the wave of depression, we all can at least relate to the down-in-the-dumps, hopelessness feeling that is associated with something slightly taboo to talk about.

So I guess my mom’s right; the crying spells, the sleeping 3-4 hours during the day, the lack of interest in things, is to be expected after undergoing two surgeries, diagnosed with hypertension, and delivering a baby in less than a year… Currently (for four weeks) I’m cleared to “go crazy”!

Realization day….

I had a realization that this recovery week might not be 100% physical, but also mental. And I have a feeling Michael and my mom knew that, sneaky.

After the adventure and a night without A/C the morning started off well. It was 10:00 before everyone left so again I was left with the thought not too long to wait until everyone gets home. I dilly-dallied on the internet for some time, until realizing the Facebook status updates had become stagnant and then decided to take a bath. Yes, a good old fashion bath, I turned the water on as hot as it would go, squeezed a much bubble bath as I could, and melted in. I think I stayed there for at least a half hour, the water was chilled by the time I decided to rinse off in the shower, well worth it as far as mental recovery is concerned.

Made myself a ham and Swiss sandwich and ran errands, and by that time it was 2:30. I found myself upset I only would get about a 2 hour nap before everyone got home – again I think this was starting the mental recovery. So I tried to sleep, didn’t happen quite as long as I’d hope. Made a fruit salad and Michael, Stella, and I went to a friends for dinner. Life is hopefully back to normal sooner than expected.

Best part of the day Stella got fussy about midnight and we brought her into bed with us to sleep the rest of the night away. In love! (PS realizing Stella seems to really enjoy her daycare buddies)