November and December 2010

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Hello Again

Wow, it has been over a month since I've blogged. Let me update you on what has been going on: work is crazy busy, I'm tired, the Beast is adorable, my house is a mess, the husband is doing well but is slacking off on picking up the dog poop, and the bullies are somewhere around here sleeping.

This past month has been insane. The Beast had a really horrible chest infection, Mickey had eye and nose surgery, I have been in trial, the husband's work has been insane. As I always say, I am going to try to be better about writing because I really do enjoy it; but, I make no promises.

And as a further cop out here are a couple of videos:

The first one is the Beast playing with his Christmas present from Uncle Chris. I can't get over that he's big enough to play with toys now.

And this one features a baby, a monkey, two bullies, and a whole lotta dirty laundry.

I told you my house was a mess and now there is video evidence to prove it.

And I just realized on the first video you can hear the husband nagging me to feed the dogs. Even though he is just sitting there on the couch while I am playing with the baby. Ok, so my house is a mess and my marriage isn't perfect. At least my kid is cute.

Six Months!

The Beast is six months old! He is 17 pounds and something ounces (I can't remember what the doctor said) and in the 50th percentile for weight and 28 inches long and in the 90th percentile for height. If I end up with a tall, skinny kid I am going to laugh (seeing as I am very not tall or skinny).

I can't believe he is six months old, he just such an amazing little boy and the light of my.....blah, blah, blah. Y'all he's teething. (Note the fake southern accent, means I'm freaking exhausted).

I always thought people were being overly dramatic when they talked about their babies teething but now I realize that they are not, they speak the truth - teething is pure hell.



He's not sleeping, he's crying, there is little I can do to make him feel better. Its frustrating, heartbreaking, and nerve wracking.

And the drool. So much drool. There is drool everywhere.



Last weekend was the worst of it. All he did was fuss, cry, and nurse. I didn't get much done that weekend. He seems to be getting a little better and starting to act like his usual happy self.

When he is not teething, he is a very sweet and happy baby. He is still not rolling but the doctor said she wasn't concerned with that. He can sit and is starting to manipulate toys. He makes funny little sounds and laughs a lot. Especially at the bullies.



And I'm going to give myself a little shout out here, the Beast is six months which means I have been breastfeeding for six months. I'm pretty proud of myself since I didn't think I would make it six weeks. It makes me happy that I am able to do this for my son and it eases my working mom guilt just slightly. I've become a stealth ninja pumper. I've pumped in parking lots, parking garages, bathrooms, and other people's offices. I've even started nursing in public. Mainly because I'm too lazy to deal with bottles. We are going to continue with breastfeeding with the goal of making it to a year. The Beast does get formula occasionally but I try to make sure that he mainly gets breastmilk. So far it is working for us.

P.S. These pictures of the Beast are totally crappy because I have a totally crappy camera. For those of you who are reading this (which is mainly my family), I want best buy gift cards for my birthday (which is coming up) so that I can finally buy the fancy camera I want. That's all I want. Best buy gift cards. Don't forget. No other presents are necessary. Just the best buy gift cards. So Dad, tell Mom that is what I want.

Another First

Today the Beast had his first solid. It wasn't exactly a solid, it was rice cereal with breastmilk and it was practically liquid. But he was excited and I was excited too. It is just another indicator of how big my little baby is getting. Which makes it exciting and scary.



We don't really eat around the Beast. Sometimes I put him in the high chair while I eat my cereal but for that to happen the morning has to be going absolutely perfectly and completely on time. My breakfast is usually cookies in the car or driving through McDonalds. And we don't eat dinner around him because I want to spend my time with him in the evening playing and having fun in the bath, not cooking dinner and eating.



Now I see the result of not eating around him, he had no idea what to do with the spoon or the cereal. I don't know if eating around him would have helped the situation but it was pretty funny to watch him just spit the cereal out.

I think he enjoyed chewing on the spoon the most. We'll try again tomorrow. I can't wait till he is ready for sweet potato, I love sweet potatoes!

Happy Birthday Captain America

Today is Captain America's 30th Birthday! What an old man! (Please disregard the fact that I am already 30 and will be 31 this March).

Happy Birthday to a man who is loving, wonderful, loyal, sarcastic, a great dancer, stubborn as a mule, the pickiest eater I have ever met, hard working, seriously smart, a great attorney, a fantastic father (to the Beast and the bullies), a dreamer, expert traveler, and just an all around great guy*.

I hope you had a great birthday and I promise you the next year is going to be amazing!



*If only he would do dishes and laundry, then he would be even greater. Maybe too great.

No Time

I am not an overly confident person. When driving, I always turn around, thinking I'm lost, just to realize that if I had gone just a little further on my original course I would have reached my destination. I change my outfit at least twice before leaving the house. Between my wardrobe changes and the Beast's spit-up, mornings can get pretty interesting. I'm no stranger to second guessing, changing my mind, and asking for other's opinions.

But one thing motherhood, particularly working motherhood, has taught me is to be confident. To be sure in my decisions, not constantly question myself, and not care what others think about my decisions. Because I am just too damn tired and stressed out and pulled in a million different directions at one time to be anything else.

You want to judge me because I went back to work when the Beast was 9 weeks old? Sorry, don't have time for you. I'm too busy being a lawyer and raising a happy, healthy baby. You think I'm poisoning my baby because I supplement breastfeeding with formula? Don't have time for you either; plus, if you think that you are insane. You think my house isn't clean enough? I don't cook enough? I don't eat enough vegetables? My baby should be in cloth diapers? Yep, you guessed it, I don't have time for all of you either. I'm busy listening to my baby giggle, winning motions, and laughing with my husband.

Don't get me wrong, all of my parenting decisions have been carefully researched, pros and cons weighed, and input received from the husband. I am confident in all my decisions so that I don't have to deal with those who question them. I don't claim to be a perfect mother. Or a perfect wife or a perfect lawyer. Heck, there are dirty dishes all over the kitchen, dirty laundry all over my bedroom, the Beast is wearing the same pjs he wore last night because I didn't' feel like doing his laundry, and I did most of my Christmas shopping online while at work today. And if you want to judge me for that? Too bad. I don't have time for that.