Surprises

motherhood is:

lifting up the toilet seat to be surprised by something 
other than an unflushed toilet bowl.

A Little Bit of Sunshine

Okay...I will say it. Texas isn't that bad.

I do miss using my back porch as extra fridge/freezer space.

Buuuut it's March and we are swimming! 

Diaries of a Mom

motherhood is:

noticing a noodle in the bottom of your water glass & not caring enough to fish it out. 

who knew uncle jake could influence his
niece all the way from utah?
shaking my head...

I'm getting in the swing of this stay at home mom business. 

I wasn't so sure it was my thing at first. 

I've always been a working girl and imagined myself continuing to do so.

However, my income contribution after deducting the cost of daycare wasn't justifiable. 

I would rather give up that little bit of extra money if it means being able to

 stay home and enjoy these precious few years with my baby(s) myself. 

That said, it is a lot of work! 

I seriously admire women who stay at home with multiple children.

It has got to be absolute madness.

There are some days I feel more exhausted and overwhelmed than I did at my old job.

I know I am sounding pretty wimpy, I only have one little nugget. 

But my petite version of madness is teaching me a lot.

It is shaping me as a mom & as a person. 

I've always had a crave for structure & organization.

As a parent, it's been really enjoyable for me to put my skills to use.  

I admit, I struggle when bedtime doesn't fall at the same time every night

 or our bath time routine goes a bit differently. 

But, as much as I try to control every situation, I've learned to let that stuff go.

This world is still brand new for my little girl and, although a routine is good to have, 

it's okay to just go with the flow & have uncertainty sometimes too.

Anyway, enough talking about my neuroticisms. 

The point is that after almost a month of living in our new house, 

I think we've developed a pretty regular schedule around here. 

It's just me and Lyla most days and I can't help but obsess whether 

I am doing the most I can to boost her development.

sidenote:

I've worked at a daycare before and the job is much more than just
staring at some babies while they munch on crackers all day.

The employees really do focus on your child's development.
At least, I feel the daycare I worked for did a good job of interacting with babies, etc. 

With that in mind, I really try my best to ignore my housework or personal errands 

and set aside some time exclusively for bonding & playtime every day for Lyla.

We also started going to story time at the library once a week and

signed up for a really fun tumbling class for babies. 

Whew. I know how to make myself sound like a crazy person.

Don't even get me started on my obsession with adequate nutrition.

But, just like any other job I've had in the past, I want to do my very best.

The only challenge is this job didn't come with any training & my boss is one year old.

She doesn't let me forget who is the boss either... :)

New Age

We are living in an era where people feel the need to capture 

every waking moment of their child's life on camera.

 Have you noticed the trend?

I'm just as guilty as any other parent. 
And just like other parents, I'm very biased too.

Is this a bad thing? Will my children develop an ego bigger than I've bargained for.

 It's hard to stop snapping pictures when every single movement my girl 

makes is the most amazing and/or cutest thing I've ever seen. 
I never really imagined myself being one of those people. 

After a few weeks of feeling isolated, I decided Lyla needed some

 interaction with other kids before she developed a social retardation. 

I found a "Little Gym" and we attended a gymnastics class for little tykes.

The picture above gives a glimpse of Lyla's attitude towards the class at first.

She was a bit uneasy. There was a lot of commotion---singing, dancing & instruments. 

It didn't take long for her to warm up though.

She was running around, squealing like a hyena in no time.

She even cried when the class was over & it was time to leave.

We are excited to go again next week!

I admit I have a picture problem. But I won't stop. 

I believe my infatuation will continue for at least 18 more years.

Perhaps after high school graduation I can begin the recovery process...

I'm sure by that time the world will offer a 12 step program for 
us technology/social media/children obsessed freaks.

Just Because

I am a little obsessed with this girl and I don't care who knows it.

Settling In

After several months and a few minor setbacks, 

we finally found a place in Texas we can call home!

It was great living with Charli & Jeremy over the past four months.

They really took us under their wing and 

never even complained once about us invading their space.

 Lyla is going to miss seeing her cousin every day too.

However, I do not recommend sharing a studio apartment as 

your primary living space with a one year old.

It does not do nice things to your sanity.

Our previous arrangements meant we turned out the lights 

and changed our voices to whisper level after putting Lyla to sleep.

Now we are back to the old routine of doing whatever the heck we feel like

 after putting Lyla to sleep in her own room.

It's wonderful and I'm feeling much better now about my sanity.

My stress level has lowered an enormous amount and I'm happy about that cause I was really getting concerned about how my mentality was effecting our little guy.

I think it's important for him to grow inside of a happy mommy!

There is lots of unpacking to do and honestly I am having fun doing it!

It's been like Christmas opening boxes to discover all my old belongings.

Oh, how I've missed them. 

The pictures below are from the afternoon Lyla and I spent unpacking her room.

She was extremely happy to find her books that were packed away in boxes.

We pulled out a stack when we first got to Texas,

but I think all three of us have those ones memorized by now.

She has taken a real interest in books lately.

I have always read to her, but up until recently, she never seemed that interested.

Now she makes me read a book several times in a row before she is satisfied.

She also enjoys reading to herself out loud. 

It is the most adorable thing and may have brought a tear to my eye.

(Don't laugh. I'm pregnant and can pretty much cry on command.)