Saturday, April 30, 2011

Get Me the Duct Tape and Super Glue!

How is it that kids instinctively know exactly what constitutes "expensive/don't touch" stuff that they can't help but touch? So much for a safe and happy home...with little Miss on the move nothing is safe!  Next weekend will be spent in large part "Abbey Proofing" the house. For now we're using rubber band, chewing gum and some bailing twine to keep little fingers out of places little people shouldn't be. I did say I couldn't wait till she could crawl right?

I went onto the money sucking baby site today (dba Babies R Us) to see what kinds of gadgets there are to help place our possessions on baby lock down... I think it may be easier to place Abbey in a big bubble until she's got the walking, talking, hands to yourself behaviors that keep us all out of harms way under control. Although there are those "adults" in the world who have yet to mastered those skills!
It's a good thing she's so stinkin cute!


Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

As I've said plenty of times before, raising a child requires a lot of crap! There are things we are given, things we ask for and shit we just accumulate for babies.  Some things are nice to have, some things aren't necessary, some things are just a waste of money...but then some things fall into the can't live without, would like to kiss the person who created it, gotta have it, I don't care how much it costs, category - the jumperoo was one of those items.

This past week we had to say good bye to our friend the jumperoo, it was sad to see him go - his primary colors added a certain gene se qua to the ambiance of our living room. So with a heavy heart we disassembled the miniature kiddie carnival ride that had been taking up enough relestate in our living room to add an additional love seat to our existing furniture, boxed it up and stowed it away in the garage to pass it along to another couple in dire need of a baby holding contraption for their house.

I was so excited by the amount of space and clear view out the french doors into our back yard that I was motivated to clean the floor where many an item had found their final resting place under the jumperoo as well as clean the window where hand prints, nose prints and snot from projectile sneezing had collected.

After enjoying the spaciousness and cleanliness of the living room minus the jumperoo, we quickly started to long for those primary colors and more importantly for a contraption that would keep our little Miss contained and entertained while Mommy & Daddy had five minutes of adult time each evening. So with wallet open wide we ventured to the dreaded baby store to purchase yet another wonderful invention...what I refer to as the "equalizer"... I believe most parents know it as the exersaucer.

I call it the equalizer because now little Miss and BonBon are "equals" - when the dog runs, Abbey can chase; when the dog tries to lick her she can't reach her face; when Abbey has treats, the dog can help herself...they are in fact now equals.

This moving version of a stationary jumperoo is fantastic. Since little Miss crawls at high speed these days, this device keeps her up, away from all the dangers that our house holds and she's out of the reach of the dogs tongue which means all is right with the world.

On Easter morning, with the hint of spring finally in the upstate air, we ventured outside, mainly because between the baby dropping food on the floor combined with the long cold winter, our dog looks like a stuffed sausage and we humans are like wilting flowers dying for a few rays of sun. So with sweat shirts on and the exersaucer on the deck we enjoyed the few moments of warm morning sun and the fresh air while watching little Miss tear it up around the deck.

So without further ado, here's little Miss in her new mobile exersaucer...we said goodbye to one old friend and hello to a brand new world!

Friday, April 22, 2011

Mommy's Pearls

I know I can't be the only one who looks at their child and imagines the kind of person she'll be when she's grown. I doubt I'll ever stop doing this even when she's grown, although if I'm still blogging about it when she's grown she's going to disown me or have me committed.

We just got pictures of Little Miss in her Easter dress and as I sit staring at her playing with the long chain of pearls that her Godmother bought me as a bridesmaid gift I wonder...

Some day, many years from now, when my "Little Miss" has grown to be just "Miss," will she adorn these pearls? Will her eyes still be filled with wonder like they are today? Will she still have that same simple smile that reminds me of her daddy?

Sometimes I look at her so long I think she may turn to me and say "mom, I'm not the sun, look away!!" I just can't help it sometimes, she's growing so fast, I feel like I'm going to miss something.  Do all parents feel this way or am I just my kids personal stalker?  I guess I'll just enjoy every second while I can. I'm sure that some day, not all that long from now she won't want her Daddy and I starring at her "all googly eyed" - she'll want a boy to do that - that will be the day I hear hearts break - Daddy's, then mine! For now we'll stare, ogle, adore, and possibly spoil (just a little), and enjoy.



Mommy's Favorite - Little "Flapper"

"Come let me tell you your fortune"


Typical Little Miss


Daddy's Favorite - so serious (or tired)

Thursday, April 21, 2011

We've Found Drive

Like the little engine that could, after 252 days of life Abbey Jean Vincent has conquered forward movement! We are officially on the crawl! Up until today we had only had reverse but we officially put it in gear and are forward bound! All it took was our favorite veggie puffs and on hands and knees we got the sweet reward of food! Mommy & Daddy got the sweet reward of having the video camera in hand 18 hours out of every day...okay maybe not 18 but every hour little Miss has been up and moving it's been at the ready! And we caught it!

I'm sure at some point in her life I will have the Daughter - Mother talk about just how embarrassing I am as a parent and how I need to stop trying to document every accomplishment, but just so you know little girl - Daddy and I are and will always be your biggest fans!

See Gammy & Papa, we can crawl anywhere we want now...God help us!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Rockin' the Mom Suit

Little Miss had her very first swim lesson this past Sunday and I must admit that I had a semi-major, yet private, meltdown last week while considering the following:
  1. This is the first time in a swim suit post pregnancy - for those of you who like my body, ignore this, I however am still apprehensive so give me a break ok. 
  2. A germ infested, public pool - seriously, I know people pee in them and chemicals be damned!
  3. Are they going to make me throw my baby girl in the pool? cause if they suggest this I'm walking out!
  4. How cold is the water going to be? I know that kids don't mind water that will turn your toes blue but I don't particularly like cold water and I'm not sure Abbey will either.
In hind sight I must admit my mental breakdown over the entire event seems rather silly but I'm not saying I loved it...

After a fast and furious trip to the store I broke down and bought my first one-piece "mom" suit that covered the most important parts of the body, and made me at least look the part.  Though it broke my heart to give up my bikini thankfully I opted for the one piece because there wasn't one mom there, fit or fat that was rockin' a bikini so I would have totally stood out.  And yes, I had to check out the other mom's to see just how I measured up on the post-baby mom body scale. I went to Zumba Monday night and will be working out daily until my butt cheeks return to their originally higher location on my backside and the cellulite recedes from my thighs.

As for the anxiety attack over the public pee water, the pool smelt like salt water, not the chemically treated, burning my eyes out, public pool water I've experienced in the past, so not too bad. For the most part mine and Abbey's heads were above water. But we'll hear more on that in a minute.

Good news, it turns out there is no baby throwing in or around the pool.  I really didn't want to have to waste the $80 fee for the class by walking out the first day, but I would have.  We did however opt for "the dunk" - during an out of tune, off key, reverberating version of ring around the roses we did the "all fall down" right into the depths of the pool. Little Miss was a champ!! Not one tear, although her face did slightly pucker - probably due in large part to the not so tasty salt water, she did not stay disgruntled long. Upon returning to the surface she quickly started to giggle and splash her arms, another crisis diverted.

The pool water however, was in fact colder than I prefer, and after spending 20 minutes in it during our lesson, it was colder than little Miss would have preferred too. She let me and everyone in the pool know that she was down right sick of the cold water and with her little blue lips quivering and her bottom two teeth chattering we made our way rapidly to the locker rooms for a warm shower.   Can I just say that 75 degree water is fine when the sun is blistering your skin on a beach in Barbados but not inside a school building in upstate NY on a windy, cold, damp, April day.

All in all it was a good class and far less painful (for all parties involved) than I was previously fretting about. We got to spend some time with our girlfriends Becki and Bailey as well as meet new friends. I know, I know, let's get to the pics...


Mommy & Abbey - Happy Before Class

Abbey and her Peeps
Mommy and Abbey before the cold set in

Mommy & Abbey trying to pretend we're not cold

Abbey, Mommy, Bailey & Becki trying to snuggle to get warm


Now thanks to Easter weekend, we have a week off before the next class. Let's hope the water gets a little warmer between now and then!! 

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Gammy's 75th Birthday Gift

What do you get the lady who has everything? Her favorite baby wrapped in a bow! Gammy got just that on Saturday for her 75th! 

And what is the ultimate gift that little Miss gives her Gammy? Something she just couldn't muster before being dropped off at Gammy & Papa's house, and something she hasn't done any place else, something so special that Mommy's been trying to capture it on video for a month...can you guess what it is?

CRAWL FORWARD!!

So the day before Gammy's birthday we really tried to crawl, we practiced, we got pissed off, we backed ourselves into a corner, we gave up and even cried about it...



We try and try...




We cry about it too...




But it wasn't meant to be...that is, until we arrived at Gammy & Papa's for a birthday surprise and then all of a sudden we can crawl forward!! Is there a video camera around then? Of course not!

Has little Miss crawled forward since then? Of course not! Happy Birthday Gammy, can we stop by to crawl forward again?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Papa's Little Yankee

Not that there has ever been any question as to what team little Miss will support. Between Papa Vincent, Aunt Pattie, Mommy and a slew of other die hard Yankee fans that surround her, there is little doubt to her allegiance...so it's no surprise that when I was hiding my absolutely ridiculous post-workout hair under my favorite NY Yankee cap little Miss decided that she really needed the cap for her very own. Sitting proudly in her high chair she very cutely wears my cap...she really needs to get her own...hint, hint Papa ;-)

Friday, April 15, 2011

My Way...

Today I discovered my true north, my soul mate..okay, I already married my soul mate but this person is at least a woman after my own heart. As I sat thumbing through a recent copy of Redbook magazine I stumbled across an article about Mom's who we're doing things there way...raising kids the best the knew how, not trying to fit some sterotypical block of the perfect mom, something I think far more of us type A personalities need to work on.

The picture posted to her blog at the end of her pregnancy is the following...girlfriends who are still expecting their first little miracle - this too will be you shortly. The fact that she actually printed an eviction notice, posted it and snaped a picture makes her my new BFF.


I tend to be an open book myself and I find it refreshing when I find other women who can be so forward and down right brutally honest about the way life is. I've been blessed in this life but even so, there are things that light me up, tork me up and break me up...no life is perfect but we get one go round so enjoy, learn from your mistakes and laugh every chance you get!

Back to this article, I found this woman and her husband who have turned her once solo, bantering filled blog into their sole household money maker...god bless - I can't imagine enough people being so interested in me that I could make money off my blathering but hey you never know...by the time Abbey's 16 if I'm still writing people are bound to have heard about me by then...babe, let's get the ad space up and going!

I digress...

So this woman started blogging back in 2001 and continued to blog through failed jobs, failed relationships, marriage, children and all that life usually entails.  She leaves no topic untouched and she has a mouth like a trucker - like I said, a woman after my own heart!  I started reading her blogs from around 2004 since that's when her first was born and I have to admit her "Colored commentary" puts me to shame but it makes me laugh out loud so for anyone who is interested you can check her out at http://www.dooce.com/about

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Happy 8 Month Birthday Little Miss

Today is your 8th month of life and generally I write to entertain the masses but today I thought I would write specifically to you. These past 8 months have been a wonderful, crazy, beautiful, terrifying, whirl wind. I'm still in awe about how far we've come in such a short time and how truly life changing this journey continues to be. When I say we I'm talking not only about your Dad and me, but you and even the dog (hey she had to give up her place as numero uno in this house when you came along).

I've been addicted to this song that's been out on the radio for quite some time now but it first aired around the time I went back to work after you were born. For whatever reason, probably mostly hormones, it made me cry, smile, laugh, reminice and eventually take some of its message to heart.  The song is called "For the First Time" by the Script. You'll need to Google it or whatever you're do in 2020 to find old music :-) but for the sake of today's audience I'll post a video clip here:



For whatever reason this song spoke to me in a way that not many do (unless your Dad is singing them to me). The song itself was written about a couple going through hard times financially, and how the hard times are making them really have to work on their relationship and who they are as people...kind of like what you have to do when "you and me and baby make three"...
As I listened it reminded me of your Dad and I in a small way, and really all couples who are expereincing the trials and tribulations of first time parenthood (we have a lot of those such friends). All that we've been through as new parents, and how after you were born it really made us see one another in a totally new light. We've known each other for 8 years but when you came along the impact of being parents was one that was life changing - in ways that we expected and in ways we could never have dreamed of. Anyone who tells you that becoming a parent for the first time is easy is either 1. flat out lying, 2. doesn't care about their kids, or 3. is simply nuts.

Your Dad and I count our blessings often and one of those blessings is of course that your healthy, one other is that you continue to be a very low maintanence baby, good tempered, always happy - you eat, sleep, play and go about your business - of course having put this blessing in writting I'm surely jinxing myself!  It doesn't mean that the first few months of your life while we were figuring you out and figuring out this thing called parenthood, as well as learning to communicate with each other about the most important thing in our lives - all the while running on little to no sleep, ampt up hormones (mine), and our overall desire to love every minute with you, didn't take work, time and patience.

The one thing your Dad and I have is good communication, and your father has endless amounts of patience. Those two things plus a bottle of wine and he and I can do anything. The reason we wanted you so much was because we knew we had something special between us that we wanted to share with you.  I know that someday as you read this you'll know what an amazing man your father is simply by the type of father he's been to you...and I pray that you won't find your mother an incessant bore (or too big of a nag)!

We've come so far as a family in these past 8 months and have so much farther to travel on this journey. Your father and I have grown as people, not just parents, so someday when I'm ragging on you for not picking up your room or not doing your homework you can pull up this blog and remind me of all that you've done for Daddy and I...I'll thank you and then promptly make you do whatever it was I asked you to do in the first place...don't think for one second that nostalgia is going to save you from doing your chores little Miss!

BTW - you're days away from crawling at this point so all I said about being an easy, low maintanence baby could go right out the window the minute you go mobile!

Happy Birthday My Love,

Friday, April 8, 2011

Fish Face Abbey

Little Miss has learned yet another new trick, fish face Abbey, as we like to call it, made its debut this week. After enjoying her dinner of peas and chicken she decided to let me know that she was full by promptly pursing her lips into the "fish face" when I tried to insert another spoonful of baby food goodness into her mouth. Needless to say it beats the raspberry/fart sounds she was making to alert us that she was either done with the meal or wanting an alternative to what we were offering. It also prooves to be one more cute thing she does now :-)  Someday I'm sure we'll run into something we don't find so cute but for now we're enjoying her new discoveries and ways of "communicating"!

Enjoy!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Abbey Discovers the Arts

This weekend was a busy one...we started with a  recital on Saturday morning - of course I had to capture it on camera to share with the world. It's not everyday that your little one plays the piano for the first time! Little Miss had been harassing the dog and rather than have her continue to "pat her puppy" I put the piano that Michael played with as a child in front of her and let "the magic happen" - while she's no baby Mozart, she is entertaining and who knows, maybe she'll be a child prodigy after all!



To continue our musical weekend we drove up to Glens Falls, to the Charles R. Wood Theatre, on Sunday to watch cousin Kayla dance in the Adirondack Ballet Theatre's production of Alice in Wonderland.



I have to say as good as the performance was, it was overshadowed by little Miss's reaction to it. Michael and I could barely take our eyes off Abbey as she sat and stared in awe at the performers on stage. The music made her wiggle and wave her arms, the lights and pretty colored costumes made her eyes light up...it was magical watching her watch the performance. I do believe we have a future performer on our hands!