My birthday fell on Mother's Day this year (like it does every 5-6 years). When I was little it made me upset. I mean, my mom is a mother every day, my birthday only came around once a year. Obviously I didn't get it. When I hit my late teenage and college years it made me sad for my mom. People remembered me, but my wonderful mom was getting forgotten. Well now that I am a mom - I kinda liked it. I used it as an excuse to do things I really wanted to do - since my toddler had no say in the matter. We woke up and cuddled. She gave me loads of toddler kisses - from both her and her stuffed animals. I think I got about a dozen kisses from the lion's butt - we will work on what end gives kisses in the future. Then we went to church. After church we got some lunch and headed up to my grandparent's house to watch baseball with my grandfather. My daughter had other ideas. She DEMANDED that Papa play catch with her. She was very insistent. He was more than happy to oblige. After the ball game we went to my mom's house and visited with her until she had to go to work. By this time my husband was off work, so we picked up him and went to the park to walk around and let our daughter play on the slides. We ended the day with a movie and more kisses from stuffed animals before she passed out.
PERFECT birthday and Mother's Day!
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun. Show all posts
Monday, May 13, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Toddler Games
So as this is Holy Week I found myself (mindlessly) singing Christmas carols to my daughter. I mean, why not sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer to an upset toddler in the backseat of the car on Holy Thursday? She didn't want to be strapped in, but how was she to know that if she could be patient for 5 minutes, we would be at the big park with the big slides and fun swings? All she knew was it was about 70 degrees outside and she had to be out there enjoying it.
So I got to thinking, what in the world are "reindeer games?" I mean Monopoly is listed in the song, but how would a reindeer play a board game? How would it move the pieces or roll the dice?
I may be unfamiliar with what reindeers play, but last night I got a good dose of "Toddler Games." You see, I had recently been sent a link to this blog about a lady who gave up screaming at her kids out of frustration and has successfully been able to be calmer and nicer to her kids and they have responded in kind. I am trying to be a better mommy and got to thinking that I could probably be kinder to my daughter when I am super tired and all she wants is more mommy time. Well yesterday was a pretty lazy day in our house (most Wednesdays are since Tuesday is the last of my three in a row night shifts), so it didn't surprise me when the little lady wasn't exactly sleepy at bed time. She hadn't gotten in her daily dose of maniac time. So instead of being highly frustrated at her for still being awake 90 minutes past her bed time I spent those 90 minutes playing Toddler Games:
-- Itsy Bitsy Spider - she has recently learned this song and the motions that go with it and LOVES it. Plus when the sun comes out and she starts swaying back and forth, sometimes she falls over and it is super funny!!
-- Rock-a-bye Baby - Lets just say this has always been a personal favorite of hers. She likes the actions and the fact she gets "dropped" - oh the giggles!
-- Ruffled Feathers - Since my little lady has always had a head full of hair, I occasionally (more so lately) will tussle her hair and say, "I'm ruffling your feathers." Which this of course makes her giggle. Well last night as I was laying next to her, she started ruffling my feathers. I started laughing so hard because I didn't think she would do it. I don't know why I didn't think she would do it - I guess it was just funny in the moment.
-- Making Baby's Nose Numb - I haven't been getting a lot of baby kisses lately. When I ask for a kiss or a hug I have been getting a lot of "no" head shakes. It saddens me, but I know she is just testing her bounds and I know eventually I will get my kisses and hugs again. Well last night I decided she may not be giving me kisses, but I am going to continue giving her some. I kept blowing raspberries on her little button nose. Well the vibrations had to tickle, because she would just start laughing, then pull away, rub her nose, then after a couple minutes she would put her nose against my lips again.
So basically I spent 90 minutes making my daughter (who really just wanted to sit on my lap and cuddle) laugh and squirm. Did she finally go to sleep - absolutely. When she was ready for sleep, she curled up on her pillows, tried a couple different configurations for comfort and finally settled on the original one, then went to sleep. She may never remember these times, but I will never forget them. Had I gotten frustrated with her and kept trying to tell her to lay down and go to sleep, I probably would have still spent 60-90 minutes wrestling with her and it would have ended with both of us in tears. This way, we both went to sleep with smiles on our faces and good memories.
So I got to thinking, what in the world are "reindeer games?" I mean Monopoly is listed in the song, but how would a reindeer play a board game? How would it move the pieces or roll the dice?
I may be unfamiliar with what reindeers play, but last night I got a good dose of "Toddler Games." You see, I had recently been sent a link to this blog about a lady who gave up screaming at her kids out of frustration and has successfully been able to be calmer and nicer to her kids and they have responded in kind. I am trying to be a better mommy and got to thinking that I could probably be kinder to my daughter when I am super tired and all she wants is more mommy time. Well yesterday was a pretty lazy day in our house (most Wednesdays are since Tuesday is the last of my three in a row night shifts), so it didn't surprise me when the little lady wasn't exactly sleepy at bed time. She hadn't gotten in her daily dose of maniac time. So instead of being highly frustrated at her for still being awake 90 minutes past her bed time I spent those 90 minutes playing Toddler Games:
-- Itsy Bitsy Spider - she has recently learned this song and the motions that go with it and LOVES it. Plus when the sun comes out and she starts swaying back and forth, sometimes she falls over and it is super funny!!
-- Rock-a-bye Baby - Lets just say this has always been a personal favorite of hers. She likes the actions and the fact she gets "dropped" - oh the giggles!
-- Ruffled Feathers - Since my little lady has always had a head full of hair, I occasionally (more so lately) will tussle her hair and say, "I'm ruffling your feathers." Which this of course makes her giggle. Well last night as I was laying next to her, she started ruffling my feathers. I started laughing so hard because I didn't think she would do it. I don't know why I didn't think she would do it - I guess it was just funny in the moment.
-- Making Baby's Nose Numb - I haven't been getting a lot of baby kisses lately. When I ask for a kiss or a hug I have been getting a lot of "no" head shakes. It saddens me, but I know she is just testing her bounds and I know eventually I will get my kisses and hugs again. Well last night I decided she may not be giving me kisses, but I am going to continue giving her some. I kept blowing raspberries on her little button nose. Well the vibrations had to tickle, because she would just start laughing, then pull away, rub her nose, then after a couple minutes she would put her nose against my lips again.
So basically I spent 90 minutes making my daughter (who really just wanted to sit on my lap and cuddle) laugh and squirm. Did she finally go to sleep - absolutely. When she was ready for sleep, she curled up on her pillows, tried a couple different configurations for comfort and finally settled on the original one, then went to sleep. She may never remember these times, but I will never forget them. Had I gotten frustrated with her and kept trying to tell her to lay down and go to sleep, I probably would have still spent 60-90 minutes wrestling with her and it would have ended with both of us in tears. This way, we both went to sleep with smiles on our faces and good memories.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Fostering Beauty
My husband and I are told with a certain consistency how cute/adorable/beautiful our daughter is. And we agree with them - but we are horribly bias in the matter. I mean, she is 1/2 our DNA each, so we have a self-interest in the matter. But the thing is, we know that physical beauty fades. We all age. Accidents and scars happen. Being cute/adorable/beautiful isn't what matters.
The beauty that we are attempting to foster - spiritual beauty. We wouldn't care if our kid was the most unfortunate looking individual on the planet as long as she is nice, honest, caring and God-loving. Besides being one of the most trusting and sassy little girls I know, she is very loving. She will give hugs and/or kisses to just about anyone who asks for one - but only if she wants to. She is sassy! High fives are almost a given. Waves, smiles, and giggles flow freely. She is the kind of kid that everyone wants and we are so blessed to call her ours. We started praying with her from the time she was born. At 16 months old she can already make the sign of the cross (well it is more of a face-palm followed by 3 chest pounds, but it is better than many her age can do), she knows when to bow in mass, and she has figured out the rhythm of when to stand and when to kneel during the stations of the cross (although this just seems to be a great excuse to play pew peek-a-boo with whatever unsuspecting individual decides to sit behind us - which is one of her favorite things about mass) Our hope and prayer is that she continues to grow to be such a great little person on the inside - because that beauty can grow and blossom into the type of person that everyone wants to be around. Physical beauty fades - a loving nature is forever.
The beauty that we are attempting to foster - spiritual beauty. We wouldn't care if our kid was the most unfortunate looking individual on the planet as long as she is nice, honest, caring and God-loving. Besides being one of the most trusting and sassy little girls I know, she is very loving. She will give hugs and/or kisses to just about anyone who asks for one - but only if she wants to. She is sassy! High fives are almost a given. Waves, smiles, and giggles flow freely. She is the kind of kid that everyone wants and we are so blessed to call her ours. We started praying with her from the time she was born. At 16 months old she can already make the sign of the cross (well it is more of a face-palm followed by 3 chest pounds, but it is better than many her age can do), she knows when to bow in mass, and she has figured out the rhythm of when to stand and when to kneel during the stations of the cross (although this just seems to be a great excuse to play pew peek-a-boo with whatever unsuspecting individual decides to sit behind us - which is one of her favorite things about mass) Our hope and prayer is that she continues to grow to be such a great little person on the inside - because that beauty can grow and blossom into the type of person that everyone wants to be around. Physical beauty fades - a loving nature is forever.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Bathtime for my little button pusher
My daughter gets to enjoy the joy that I had growing up.... experiencing the fun of having her grandma (my mom) living next door to my grandparents (her great-grandparents). I always enjoyed being able to run next door anytime I wanted. (And there was always a nice neighbor to get a cup of flour or a couple eggs!) So here are a couple fun stories from yesterday. My little stinker was causing havoc at both houses.
We went to Grandma's house first. Grandma fed her a banana, cheerios, and milk. Well since it has been a few years since Grandma had to deal with babies she has forgotten a few of the essentials. Like, if you give the baby food and don't sit by, a BIG mess will be made. Well that mess meant the little lady got a bath. So my mom undressed my baby, including taking off her diaper, THEN decides to run the bath water. (If you have never bathed a baby, she did that backwards, water should be ready before the diaper comes off). Well I don't know why my mom thought the baby would just sit next to her while she got the bath tub ready, but she thought this. My little ornery angel decided to take full advantage of her new freedom and took a couple steps, then realizing that she could cover more distance faster on all fours, fell down to a crawl and took off like a greased pig after food. She made it out of the bathroom, down the hall, and halfway into the living room (a pretty good distance in this house) before my mom caught up to her. When I heard the unmistakable sound of the pitter-patter of little hands on hardwood I look in the direction it was coming from only to see my little angel in her birthday suit giggling, smiling, and crawling as fast as she could with my mom chasing after her saying, "Come back here you little squirt! Get back here! Come back! And DON'T PEE ON MY FLOOR!" She got her bath and fun playtime in the tub. She was in heaven!
Later we walked next door to play with the great-grandparents. She crawled loads of laps around the house, giggling, and generally having fun. When everyone was trying to watch the Saturday college football games, she kept trying to change the channel. You see my daughter has learned to push the buttons on the remote and phone. She had made 6 phone calls from my phone the day before (that was before I took the phone away from her). Well at grandparents' house, she kept trying to get the remote, so my uncle gave her a remote from an old VCR player that was still in the house. She kept pushing the buttons, then would look at the TV to see what would happen. When nothing happened she got confused, yelled at me, then threw the remote. Later I gave her a plastic phone to play with. It took her about 5 seconds to realize it wasn't real, she yelled at me and threw it across the room. You see my little button pusher actually knows what happens when you push buttons and doesn't like it when she doesn't get her intended results.
We went to Grandma's house first. Grandma fed her a banana, cheerios, and milk. Well since it has been a few years since Grandma had to deal with babies she has forgotten a few of the essentials. Like, if you give the baby food and don't sit by, a BIG mess will be made. Well that mess meant the little lady got a bath. So my mom undressed my baby, including taking off her diaper, THEN decides to run the bath water. (If you have never bathed a baby, she did that backwards, water should be ready before the diaper comes off). Well I don't know why my mom thought the baby would just sit next to her while she got the bath tub ready, but she thought this. My little ornery angel decided to take full advantage of her new freedom and took a couple steps, then realizing that she could cover more distance faster on all fours, fell down to a crawl and took off like a greased pig after food. She made it out of the bathroom, down the hall, and halfway into the living room (a pretty good distance in this house) before my mom caught up to her. When I heard the unmistakable sound of the pitter-patter of little hands on hardwood I look in the direction it was coming from only to see my little angel in her birthday suit giggling, smiling, and crawling as fast as she could with my mom chasing after her saying, "Come back here you little squirt! Get back here! Come back! And DON'T PEE ON MY FLOOR!" She got her bath and fun playtime in the tub. She was in heaven!
Later we walked next door to play with the great-grandparents. She crawled loads of laps around the house, giggling, and generally having fun. When everyone was trying to watch the Saturday college football games, she kept trying to change the channel. You see my daughter has learned to push the buttons on the remote and phone. She had made 6 phone calls from my phone the day before (that was before I took the phone away from her). Well at grandparents' house, she kept trying to get the remote, so my uncle gave her a remote from an old VCR player that was still in the house. She kept pushing the buttons, then would look at the TV to see what would happen. When nothing happened she got confused, yelled at me, then threw the remote. Later I gave her a plastic phone to play with. It took her about 5 seconds to realize it wasn't real, she yelled at me and threw it across the room. You see my little button pusher actually knows what happens when you push buttons and doesn't like it when she doesn't get her intended results.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Daddy thinks it's funny!
My husband has trained our daughter to do what I call her little "parlor tricks." He says "clap, clap" and she starts smiling, giggling and clapping. When he says "dance, dance." She starts bouncing up and down.
I have taught her to give kisses and hugs. Also, I have her trained to giggle when I shake my head.
This being said, tonight I was laying on my back with my daughter sitting on my tummy when her dad called saying he was on his way home from work. When I put him on speakerphone he said, "dance, dance," and she instantaneously started bouncing up and down.... ON MY BLADDER that wasn't exactly empty.
She started giggling. He started laughing when he found out what she did. It was cute though. She was excited to hear his voice and couldn't contain herself. It was so cute. LOVE!
I have taught her to give kisses and hugs. Also, I have her trained to giggle when I shake my head.
This being said, tonight I was laying on my back with my daughter sitting on my tummy when her dad called saying he was on his way home from work. When I put him on speakerphone he said, "dance, dance," and she instantaneously started bouncing up and down.... ON MY BLADDER that wasn't exactly empty.
She started giggling. He started laughing when he found out what she did. It was cute though. She was excited to hear his voice and couldn't contain herself. It was so cute. LOVE!
Friday, August 17, 2012
Daddy's Little Girl
I like to watch my daughter. It is better than TV! She never ceases to amaze me. I have also noticed that she is kinda transitioning from a mama's girl to a daddy's girl. And why wouldn't she? He is the fun one. He sings silly songs. He has endless energy to bounce her (since he bounces his legs almost non-stop anyway as a side effect of his ADHD) He makes a great a great seat (I have a number of pictures of her sitting on his shoulders, head, arms, etc.) He's just a big teddy bear.
He took us to feed the ducks, geese, and fish at a local pond today (a favorite activity of both of us). It took awhile to wipe the grin off her face. She was bouncy, giggly, and all smiles. We even walked through a park and took some time stopping to smell the flowers.
How do you cap off a great evening? You come home, eat dinner, (get a diaper change of course), and then spend a couple hours singing Disney songs and bouncing on Daddy's legs.
We know you are jealous!
He took us to feed the ducks, geese, and fish at a local pond today (a favorite activity of both of us). It took awhile to wipe the grin off her face. She was bouncy, giggly, and all smiles. We even walked through a park and took some time stopping to smell the flowers.
How do you cap off a great evening? You come home, eat dinner, (get a diaper change of course), and then spend a couple hours singing Disney songs and bouncing on Daddy's legs.
We know you are jealous!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Welcoming committee chair in training
The little lady and I recently went to daily mass on a Friday at her Godfather's parish (and yes he was the presiding pastor). Well I didn't realize that NO ONE uses the "front" door of the parish and that everyone comes through the side door (stage left). Well we sat in the second to the front row where everyone would have to walk past us. I had her standing on the pew in front of me while I was kneeling in prayer (yes, I was holding on to her) and I couldn't figure out why it seemed like she was acting like a washing machine on the agitation cycle, so I opened my eyes and watched her. As each person walked in the door she would make eye contact, smile, and follow him/her to the respective seat choice to see if the person would smile at her. If she got a smile as her chosen target walked through the door, she would flap her "wings" (arms) and wait for the next person to walk through the door. Each person was welcomed with a huge smile - one that was irresistible.
Well today in mass (at our "home" parish) she decided to attempt to bring joy to everyone around us. There was a grumpy lady seated behind us. The little lady tried to play peek-a-boo, smile, giggle, and generally be adorable. While it didn't work to make the lady smile, everyone else in the rows behind us were smiling and enjoying her "antics". I even had an older gentleman came up to me after the recessional to tell me how much he enjoyed watching my happy baby.
Give it a couple years and she will be the church's welcoming committee chair person!
Well today in mass (at our "home" parish) she decided to attempt to bring joy to everyone around us. There was a grumpy lady seated behind us. The little lady tried to play peek-a-boo, smile, giggle, and generally be adorable. While it didn't work to make the lady smile, everyone else in the rows behind us were smiling and enjoying her "antics". I even had an older gentleman came up to me after the recessional to tell me how much he enjoyed watching my happy baby.
Give it a couple years and she will be the church's welcoming committee chair person!
Promises to my child
Who knew that having a child of my own would make me extra-aware of others parenting styles. (Doesn't it happen to every mother?) So here are my promises to my child based on the observations of others.
1. You will know you are loved. I will tell you at least once a day that I love you. I will do my best to show you as much (or more) affection as you need to know it. I don't want you questioning if you are loved - EVER.
2. You will know the meaning of the word, "No." I will not be afraid to use this word when it is needed.
3. You will not get everything that you want. But I will do my best to make sure you have everything you NEED. And you will know the difference between wants and needs.
4. You will know how to act in public. I will teach you what is appropriate and what is not. If you have difficulty with this concept - I am not afraid to leave whatever public venue we are at.
5. I will do my best to praise you in public and private and correct you as privately as possible. Now if your behavior warrants it, you will be corrected in public as well.
6. You will know the Benedictine teaching of moderation and utilize it in your life.
7. You will dress modestly as long as you live in my house. (and hopefully after)
8. You will know the importance of your faith.
9. I am always here to listen to your stories, concerns, and to kiss your boo-boos (real and imagined)
10. You will know the importance of personal hygiene. I will make sure you don't smell bad and look like you have bathed recently. Now if you come home covered in mud after playing hard with siblings or fishing with your daddy, I reserve the right to hose you off before letting you come inside to bathe.
1. You will know you are loved. I will tell you at least once a day that I love you. I will do my best to show you as much (or more) affection as you need to know it. I don't want you questioning if you are loved - EVER.
2. You will know the meaning of the word, "No." I will not be afraid to use this word when it is needed.
3. You will not get everything that you want. But I will do my best to make sure you have everything you NEED. And you will know the difference between wants and needs.
4. You will know how to act in public. I will teach you what is appropriate and what is not. If you have difficulty with this concept - I am not afraid to leave whatever public venue we are at.
5. I will do my best to praise you in public and private and correct you as privately as possible. Now if your behavior warrants it, you will be corrected in public as well.
6. You will know the Benedictine teaching of moderation and utilize it in your life.
7. You will dress modestly as long as you live in my house. (and hopefully after)
8. You will know the importance of your faith.
9. I am always here to listen to your stories, concerns, and to kiss your boo-boos (real and imagined)
10. You will know the importance of personal hygiene. I will make sure you don't smell bad and look like you have bathed recently. Now if you come home covered in mud after playing hard with siblings or fishing with your daddy, I reserve the right to hose you off before letting you come inside to bathe.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Daddy talks
I came home and found my husband taking a bathe (not something unusual). Since I was holding my daughter, when she heard his voice she smiled big, started bouncing on my him, and giggled. Again, nothing unusual. So we had this conversation:
Me (in a high pitched baby-like voice while hiding my face behind my child): Daddy, I have something to tell you.
Hubby: What?!? (along with a the general accompanying "oh crap, what happened" look)
Me (still talking like my kid) I kissed a boy
Hubby: Oh boy
It is at this point the baby looks away and refuses to look him in the face. She wouldn't look at him for quite a few minutes. It was very funny.
I think she knew she did something daddy wasn't going to approve of. This may have been the first of many daddy talks - but it was soooo funny and cute!
Me (in a high pitched baby-like voice while hiding my face behind my child): Daddy, I have something to tell you.
Hubby: What?!? (along with a the general accompanying "oh crap, what happened" look)
Me (still talking like my kid) I kissed a boy
Hubby: Oh boy
It is at this point the baby looks away and refuses to look him in the face. She wouldn't look at him for quite a few minutes. It was very funny.
I think she knew she did something daddy wasn't going to approve of. This may have been the first of many daddy talks - but it was soooo funny and cute!
Swim play date
The little lady had a play date in the pool with my friend Amy and her dear son "Junior". (Side note: Check out her blog - she's pretty resourceful!) The babies had loads of fun. My little lady proved herself a good flirt. Junior was a little scared at first at the little lady's forwardness. He is timid at first - needs to warm up to people. She is instantly friends with everyone. If he wouldn't have been scared off, she would have been all up in his business. She tried to kiss him (and I am not sure she didn't succeed at least once). EEEKKK!! I thought I would have a few more years before the kissing of boys would start! I mean a few months back she got kissed by a couple of boys, but this was the first time that SHE tried to kiss a boy. I repeat EEEKKK!
So this pool play date allowed the mamas to talk. Well kind of between Junior trying to crawl off a raft and my little lady doing her best snow angel impression and splashing me in the face. It has been way too long since our last lunchy-lunch date to chat, so we had some catching up to do. Since he is 7 months older than my little lady, I got to see what kind of ball of energy I can expect to deal with. Oh boy! I am not ready for that much energy! Good thing it will be a gradual increase!
So this pool play date allowed the mamas to talk. Well kind of between Junior trying to crawl off a raft and my little lady doing her best snow angel impression and splashing me in the face. It has been way too long since our last lunchy-lunch date to chat, so we had some catching up to do. Since he is 7 months older than my little lady, I got to see what kind of ball of energy I can expect to deal with. Oh boy! I am not ready for that much energy! Good thing it will be a gradual increase!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
Steps!
Who needs to crawl? Not my baby. She has given up on this annoying milestone. She can't figure out that if she stays on her hands and knees it is easier than if she tries to crawl from hands and feet (imagine bear crawling). Mostly all she has managed to do is face plant thus far. She has started pulling herself up on everything and taking steps using objects to stabilizer her.
Oh.... we are in for a handful with this one!
Oh.... we are in for a handful with this one!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Detoxing a baby
It's not what you think - I PROMISE!
So every time we go visit family our child gets very accustomed to being the center of attention. Since everyone loves her so much, she gets loads of attention. This is great. She becomes this social butterfly. Then we have to come home...... and OH NO!!!!! She expects all the attention and there are not enough people at our house to give it to her. She has to detox!! She becomes very sad and melancholy!
Here is a good example. We went to my sister's place for three days. My sister used my child as a human medicine ball (throwing her up in the air), carried her around, showed her off, made funny noises, and generally was a baby's ideal play buddy. You could not have made a baby much happier! Then we had to come home :( She has been trying to bounce like her medicine ball exercises she was doing with my sister. My arms hurt. I tried to put her down.... she whined. It will take 2-3 days for her to stop expecting my sister to come around the corner and play with her.
I would not trade seeing my sister for the detoxification that I have to deal with.
So every time we go visit family our child gets very accustomed to being the center of attention. Since everyone loves her so much, she gets loads of attention. This is great. She becomes this social butterfly. Then we have to come home...... and OH NO!!!!! She expects all the attention and there are not enough people at our house to give it to her. She has to detox!! She becomes very sad and melancholy!
Here is a good example. We went to my sister's place for three days. My sister used my child as a human medicine ball (throwing her up in the air), carried her around, showed her off, made funny noises, and generally was a baby's ideal play buddy. You could not have made a baby much happier! Then we had to come home :( She has been trying to bounce like her medicine ball exercises she was doing with my sister. My arms hurt. I tried to put her down.... she whined. It will take 2-3 days for her to stop expecting my sister to come around the corner and play with her.
I would not trade seeing my sister for the detoxification that I have to deal with.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Calling the priest....
I have learned that the words, "Oh, no, she never does that..." in reference to my daughter is usually viewed as a challenge to her and she promptly does it. One of the days I will remember this!
I was at my grandparents house today. The little lady was sitting on the floor playing quietly. I gave her my phone to play with (she likes to look at the pictures of herself). She has never called anyone - up until today. [Side note: some of the pictures are linked to phone numbers so when that person calls I see a picture of my daughter with that person. It makes me smile every time and is a quick way to see that whoever is calling is someone I know.] She was scrolling through the pictures of herself and came to a picture of her Godfather (who just happens to be a Catholic priest) holding her from her baptism weekend and she must have hit the "send" button because seconds after saying that she never calls anyone I looked down and saw the timer going and it said 20 seconds and counting and my daughter was chatting away. I looked at her and said, "What are you doing?" She laughed, smiled and I quickly picked up the phone. She had actually made the call and he answered.
I was pretty embarrassed! I had no reason to call him - and I knew he probably was busy working. The little lady decided she needed something to tell him that was very important and couldn't wait. Too bad neither one of us knew what she was telling him because it sounded like babble to the "adults".
There is a reason why I think she called him. Other than I gave her something that looked like a fun play toy with buttons. God thought he could use a smile. I was unaware that he was having a bad day, but he was. He enjoyed the fact that she called him and was chatting. Who can not smile at the sound of a baby chatting anyway? I believe God used my daughter to make someone's day better - and that is awesome. After apologizing for interrupting his busy day, he did express a hope that my daughter feels comfortable enough when she is 18 to call him up randomly and chat. So do I!
I was at my grandparents house today. The little lady was sitting on the floor playing quietly. I gave her my phone to play with (she likes to look at the pictures of herself). She has never called anyone - up until today. [Side note: some of the pictures are linked to phone numbers so when that person calls I see a picture of my daughter with that person. It makes me smile every time and is a quick way to see that whoever is calling is someone I know.] She was scrolling through the pictures of herself and came to a picture of her Godfather (who just happens to be a Catholic priest) holding her from her baptism weekend and she must have hit the "send" button because seconds after saying that she never calls anyone I looked down and saw the timer going and it said 20 seconds and counting and my daughter was chatting away. I looked at her and said, "What are you doing?" She laughed, smiled and I quickly picked up the phone. She had actually made the call and he answered.
I was pretty embarrassed! I had no reason to call him - and I knew he probably was busy working. The little lady decided she needed something to tell him that was very important and couldn't wait. Too bad neither one of us knew what she was telling him because it sounded like babble to the "adults".
There is a reason why I think she called him. Other than I gave her something that looked like a fun play toy with buttons. God thought he could use a smile. I was unaware that he was having a bad day, but he was. He enjoyed the fact that she called him and was chatting. Who can not smile at the sound of a baby chatting anyway? I believe God used my daughter to make someone's day better - and that is awesome. After apologizing for interrupting his busy day, he did express a hope that my daughter feels comfortable enough when she is 18 to call him up randomly and chat. So do I!
Friday, April 6, 2012
How do you make a priest smile on the most solemn day of the year?
The answer to this is....be my daughter. She is such a stinker pants!
So she and I went to veneration of the Cross today. She conked out on me on the drive there (no surprise there!) I didn't think anything of sitting in the front row like we always do. She likes to look around and I like to be able to see as well. During the readings and the petitions (even with all the standing kneeling associated with this service) she was like a very heavy and dead sack of potatoes all snuggled up under my chin. She was awake, but just cuddling. The guy beside me leaned over and whispered how cute and calm she was being right after the Our Father. She took it as a challenge - I SWEAR!! The second the priest starts to part of the service that is the quietest and most solemn she starts giggling, laughing, cooing. As the congregation is walking up to the altar for veneration she starts doing her snow angel interpretation (waving her arms and legs wildly like she is making the largest snow angel she can muster), cooing, laughing, squealing for joy....everything in her power to draw as much attention as she can get. I tried EVERYTHING in my power to get her to be quiet. Offered her the bottle - not interested. Binkie? - oh no, who needs that? She attempted to turbo launch it across the church. The binkie saver cord saved it from landing on the altar or the floor. Shhh'ing her only made her want to be louder. Offering her the little squishy bear in the diaper bag - yeah, she threw that on the floor. Turning her around to face me - no help. Turning her to face the stain glass window - no go! That just caused her to lean over backwards and about head dive onto the floor. All she wanted to do was dance and squeal for joy while facing the altar.
Did I mention that we were in the front row? Oh yeah. Father could have taken 2 or 3 steps and touched the top of her head. She was in his periphery. He LOST IT!!! He tried to remain solemn and straight faced, but failed miserably!! He was laughing, as was about 1/4 the church.
Why didn't I get up and go to the back of the church? Well on one side was a lady who required a walker to move (which was in front of her), so we couldn't go that way. She seemed to be the only person in the entire church who wasn't distracted by my overly happy child. The other way.....the procession line and the gentleman who was finding this very enjoyable and funny. Plus he couldn't stand well either.
What did I learn from this?
1. I am SO going to hear about this from Father. This story is almost guaranteed to be told sometime during a homily.
2. Sit in a pew with easy access to the isle. No more sitting in the middle of a pew that holds about 20 people.
3. Lent really is about the joy of the resurrection. My child just was a day and half early in celebrating.
Oh, side note: on the way home she was asleep before we got out of the parking lot! I guess she wore herself out with all that playing. That or she was just bored without loads of people to play with.
So she and I went to veneration of the Cross today. She conked out on me on the drive there (no surprise there!) I didn't think anything of sitting in the front row like we always do. She likes to look around and I like to be able to see as well. During the readings and the petitions (even with all the standing kneeling associated with this service) she was like a very heavy and dead sack of potatoes all snuggled up under my chin. She was awake, but just cuddling. The guy beside me leaned over and whispered how cute and calm she was being right after the Our Father. She took it as a challenge - I SWEAR!! The second the priest starts to part of the service that is the quietest and most solemn she starts giggling, laughing, cooing. As the congregation is walking up to the altar for veneration she starts doing her snow angel interpretation (waving her arms and legs wildly like she is making the largest snow angel she can muster), cooing, laughing, squealing for joy....everything in her power to draw as much attention as she can get. I tried EVERYTHING in my power to get her to be quiet. Offered her the bottle - not interested. Binkie? - oh no, who needs that? She attempted to turbo launch it across the church. The binkie saver cord saved it from landing on the altar or the floor. Shhh'ing her only made her want to be louder. Offering her the little squishy bear in the diaper bag - yeah, she threw that on the floor. Turning her around to face me - no help. Turning her to face the stain glass window - no go! That just caused her to lean over backwards and about head dive onto the floor. All she wanted to do was dance and squeal for joy while facing the altar.
Did I mention that we were in the front row? Oh yeah. Father could have taken 2 or 3 steps and touched the top of her head. She was in his periphery. He LOST IT!!! He tried to remain solemn and straight faced, but failed miserably!! He was laughing, as was about 1/4 the church.
Why didn't I get up and go to the back of the church? Well on one side was a lady who required a walker to move (which was in front of her), so we couldn't go that way. She seemed to be the only person in the entire church who wasn't distracted by my overly happy child. The other way.....the procession line and the gentleman who was finding this very enjoyable and funny. Plus he couldn't stand well either.
What did I learn from this?
1. I am SO going to hear about this from Father. This story is almost guaranteed to be told sometime during a homily.
2. Sit in a pew with easy access to the isle. No more sitting in the middle of a pew that holds about 20 people.
3. Lent really is about the joy of the resurrection. My child just was a day and half early in celebrating.
Oh, side note: on the way home she was asleep before we got out of the parking lot! I guess she wore herself out with all that playing. That or she was just bored without loads of people to play with.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
The only good thing about summer is...
BASEBALL!!!!
I am intolerant of heat. I hate being hot. I whine, I moan, I complain, and every family member I have knows that I don't like the summer. My favorite season is winter. Spring and Fall are nice when it is under 80 degrees (preferably under 75). That being said, the only good thing about summer (well Spring to Fall really) starts with baseball spring training and comes to a sad conclusion at the World Series!
I should probably back this post up a little and say there is a MAJOR stereotypical role reversal going on in our house. My husband is the better cook. I cook because I have to eat (and usually it is pretty simple meals.) He doesn't just cook, he creates. He reads cooking books for fun. He owns cooking things I don't even know how to operate. I love sports. I obsessively follow my teams. I have a favorite college football team. (My husband roles his eyes) There is a major obsession with my favorite college basketball team that probably needs therapeutic guidance. (He calls it pumpkin pounding and discourages our daughter from watching it) But the one that my husband is willing to tolerate is my love of the local baseball team. I don't follow professional football or basketball because I think they are a bunch of over paid pansies, but for some reason that hatred does not filter over into baseball. I love going to the professional games. Maybe it is the slow pace. Maybe it is the food. Maybe it is the good company one has while sitting watching, or maybe it is because the college baseball teams around here usually are not that great. Whatever the reason, starting in about 2 weeks there will be a game on 5 nights a week and Sunday afternoons. While I might only attend one or two games at the stadium, I will watch a large chunk of the games on TV. And hopefully my husband will join me and my daughter in this practice. I hope to not only teach her to love the games, but to be a good sport when playing them. I already know she is a fan of baseball - whether she realizes it or not.
You see I found out I was pregnant with her in late winter/early Spring. I already had a trip to Chicago to visit a few friends planned for April of that year, so naturally I took her with me. (It wasn't like we could be separated!) I was just starting the first week of my second trimester when I landed in Chicago. One of the things I wanted to do when I was in Chicago was to go to a game. I didn't really care if it was the Cubs or the White Sox. Well only the White Sox were in town when I was there, so we went to the Sox vs the Indians game. Well I didn't feel movement per se (it was too early for that), but I could feel some intermittent pressure when I would get excited or laughing too hard at things my friends were saying. Nothing to make me too concerned, but I think it was her way of showing she was enjoying my happiness at the situation. Since it was sooooo unbelievably and intolerably hot last summer, I spent more than my fair share of time laying on the bed under the ceiling fan watching baseball. I would talk to my daughter about the games. She could hear me cheering for the team. I even think she heard her daddy cheering them on at times. Fast forward to the end of the season. My team had no chance of making it to the World Series. I was aware of that. My husband has some family that are diehard Cards fans. I have some friends who bleed Cardinal red as well. So I jumped on the bandwagon. My team was done, so I started to enjoy a team that had a chance. (Hey, don't judge me! It allowed me to enjoy the game for a few more weeks!) Well I was at the end of my pregnancy. I would walk around a local park and lake to try to coax her out....didn't work. I did just about everything short of castor oil (I have my limits) to try to get her out. The only time I got good contractions was during the world series games. Starting with game 3, I would contract for 3-4 hours about 15-20 minutes apart, but only during the game and for a little bit after the game. They were going pretty good during game 6. She was even moving A LOT during games 5 and 6. I was sure she would be joining us after the 6th game. But no! I had to sign her eviction notice and be induced the morning of game 7. While it was a scheduled induction, the world series game was not why I was being induced - it is just a unique coincidence. Well labor got going real good and actively strong right about the time the first pitch was being thrown. She was born in the middle of the 4th inning. We spent the rest of the evening learning each others quirks and getting to know each other and watching the end of the game and the coverage after. (Since after she was born it was late and her daddy was exhausted we let him sleep.... the nurses were in and out of our room every hour throughout the night, so I was awake whether I wanted to be or not) I told a few of my Cards fans friends and family that I may have inadvertently birthed a Cards fan, but I will do everything in my power to get her to like the right team!
BRING ON THE SEASON OPENER OF 2012!
I am intolerant of heat. I hate being hot. I whine, I moan, I complain, and every family member I have knows that I don't like the summer. My favorite season is winter. Spring and Fall are nice when it is under 80 degrees (preferably under 75). That being said, the only good thing about summer (well Spring to Fall really) starts with baseball spring training and comes to a sad conclusion at the World Series!
I should probably back this post up a little and say there is a MAJOR stereotypical role reversal going on in our house. My husband is the better cook. I cook because I have to eat (and usually it is pretty simple meals.) He doesn't just cook, he creates. He reads cooking books for fun. He owns cooking things I don't even know how to operate. I love sports. I obsessively follow my teams. I have a favorite college football team. (My husband roles his eyes) There is a major obsession with my favorite college basketball team that probably needs therapeutic guidance. (He calls it pumpkin pounding and discourages our daughter from watching it) But the one that my husband is willing to tolerate is my love of the local baseball team. I don't follow professional football or basketball because I think they are a bunch of over paid pansies, but for some reason that hatred does not filter over into baseball. I love going to the professional games. Maybe it is the slow pace. Maybe it is the food. Maybe it is the good company one has while sitting watching, or maybe it is because the college baseball teams around here usually are not that great. Whatever the reason, starting in about 2 weeks there will be a game on 5 nights a week and Sunday afternoons. While I might only attend one or two games at the stadium, I will watch a large chunk of the games on TV. And hopefully my husband will join me and my daughter in this practice. I hope to not only teach her to love the games, but to be a good sport when playing them. I already know she is a fan of baseball - whether she realizes it or not.
You see I found out I was pregnant with her in late winter/early Spring. I already had a trip to Chicago to visit a few friends planned for April of that year, so naturally I took her with me. (It wasn't like we could be separated!) I was just starting the first week of my second trimester when I landed in Chicago. One of the things I wanted to do when I was in Chicago was to go to a game. I didn't really care if it was the Cubs or the White Sox. Well only the White Sox were in town when I was there, so we went to the Sox vs the Indians game. Well I didn't feel movement per se (it was too early for that), but I could feel some intermittent pressure when I would get excited or laughing too hard at things my friends were saying. Nothing to make me too concerned, but I think it was her way of showing she was enjoying my happiness at the situation. Since it was sooooo unbelievably and intolerably hot last summer, I spent more than my fair share of time laying on the bed under the ceiling fan watching baseball. I would talk to my daughter about the games. She could hear me cheering for the team. I even think she heard her daddy cheering them on at times. Fast forward to the end of the season. My team had no chance of making it to the World Series. I was aware of that. My husband has some family that are diehard Cards fans. I have some friends who bleed Cardinal red as well. So I jumped on the bandwagon. My team was done, so I started to enjoy a team that had a chance. (Hey, don't judge me! It allowed me to enjoy the game for a few more weeks!) Well I was at the end of my pregnancy. I would walk around a local park and lake to try to coax her out....didn't work. I did just about everything short of castor oil (I have my limits) to try to get her out. The only time I got good contractions was during the world series games. Starting with game 3, I would contract for 3-4 hours about 15-20 minutes apart, but only during the game and for a little bit after the game. They were going pretty good during game 6. She was even moving A LOT during games 5 and 6. I was sure she would be joining us after the 6th game. But no! I had to sign her eviction notice and be induced the morning of game 7. While it was a scheduled induction, the world series game was not why I was being induced - it is just a unique coincidence. Well labor got going real good and actively strong right about the time the first pitch was being thrown. She was born in the middle of the 4th inning. We spent the rest of the evening learning each others quirks and getting to know each other and watching the end of the game and the coverage after. (Since after she was born it was late and her daddy was exhausted we let him sleep.... the nurses were in and out of our room every hour throughout the night, so I was awake whether I wanted to be or not) I told a few of my Cards fans friends and family that I may have inadvertently birthed a Cards fan, but I will do everything in my power to get her to like the right team!
BRING ON THE SEASON OPENER OF 2012!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
St. Patrick's Day fun
St. Patrick's Day is always a fun day in our house. The celebration started extra early this year. My dear husband has been playing Celtic music and Irish drinking songs since mid-February. Both sides of our family have some Irish blood flowing through our veins. For the last 3 or 4 years we have gone to a local microbrewery and listened to a local Celtic band. This year was no different. The only difference is that we have the little lady. So I dressed her up in a shirt that said, "Irish you would KISS ME" and took her to listen to the music. Her daddy danced and sang with her for a couple hours. She loved it! They looked so cute it made my heart melt. How awesome is it that she has such a great daddy who adores her so much? She is a lucky little lady and she knows it!
Nicknames
My child may never learn her name. Why is this? Because we keep calling her by nick names. Here are a few of the good ones:
Chipmunk (her daddy gave her this name when he saw her on the ultrasound. She had and still does cheeks that could hide half a tree's worth of nuts like a chipmunk)
Pumpkin (she was born right before Halloween)
Sassy Pants (she has her mama's attitude)
Stinker Pants (she has the ability to do what we don't want her to do right when we don't want her to do it)
Fluffy Butt (Cloth diapers are thicker than disposables and she is so thin it makes her diaper look so much larger)
Tinky (my mom calls her this because my nickname was Tinkerbell and she is a little me - in personality, not looks)
Angel baby (She is our little gift from heaven)
Princess (she knows she rules this house)
Cutie Pie (her daddy calls her this)
Chipmunk (her daddy gave her this name when he saw her on the ultrasound. She had and still does cheeks that could hide half a tree's worth of nuts like a chipmunk)
Pumpkin (she was born right before Halloween)
Sassy Pants (she has her mama's attitude)
Stinker Pants (she has the ability to do what we don't want her to do right when we don't want her to do it)
Fluffy Butt (Cloth diapers are thicker than disposables and she is so thin it makes her diaper look so much larger)
Tinky (my mom calls her this because my nickname was Tinkerbell and she is a little me - in personality, not looks)
Angel baby (She is our little gift from heaven)
Princess (she knows she rules this house)
Cutie Pie (her daddy calls her this)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)