Florida, day three

Also known as the day I decided not to get back into the water for the rest of the week...



Moving on, quickly...

Florida, day two

Fishing!

Florida, day one...

Scenes from a vacation...

Happy Days

Things I am grateful for this week:

- Watching Brigid dance to Lady Gaga with her stuffed cat and gold purse, after asking for her sunglasses, headband, and tutu. And seeing her get excited when 'Poke!' (Poker Face) comes on.

Also, my kid can name a Lady Gaga song after the opening notes. I'm not sure what this says about my parenting skills...

- The fact that B thinks I look like Snow White. Or she thinks that Snow White looks like me. Whatever it is, every time she sees Snow White somewhere, the excited pointing and the steady stream of 'mom-mom-mom-mom-mom' is pretty entertaining.

So what if my child is delusional? I will love her anyway.

- Steve taking the recycling out last night for this morning's pick-up, since I was too late in getting it out last week, and our garage was being overrun with old magazines and aluminum cans. I am especially grateful for this because I overslept this morning and came pretty close to missing the pick-up for the second straight week.

Yes, if I hadn't stayed up playing gin on my iPad last night, I probably wouldn't have overslept, but I'm going to say it was totally worth it.

- No line at the gas station this morning!

It's the little things that get me, I guess...

- Being able to take a vacation with my family.

Ok, I like the big things, too...

- And most importantly, receiving a cheerful diagnosis from Brigid's cardiologist.

Hands down, that won the week, right there. Yay, B's heart!

Happy Friday, everyone!

My two favorite people...

(My mother-in-law took this last night, before I got home from work. As one of our friends said the first time he saw Brigid, Steve will never be able to blame this one on the mailman, will he?)

A girl and her pony-tail...

Last night, I had a mom moment.

It hit me out of the blue, an idle thought as I looked at Brigid while we were watching Winnie the Pooh on an old VHS tape, internally celebrating the fact that she had actually asked to watch Pooh (the words! they're starting to come! so much excitement!), and admired her curly little pony-tail, all perfectly in place.

And then I thought, 'Wait a second, babies don't have pony-tails. What in the hell happened to my baby?!?!?'.

I find myself having those thoughts a lot these days, it seems.

And while I'm still not sure where that little baby that ran around my house as little as two months ago disappeared to all of a sudden, I'm having an awfully good time with the kid that replaced her.

So, if you need me, I'll be over here trying hard to focus on the fun we're having in the present, instead of wallowing in the fact that the next time I blink, she'll be heading off to college or something.

(Oh, who am I kidding...there will be wallowing. I wouldn't be me if there wasn't. Luckily for B, I'm a good multi-tasker, so we can do both at the same time.)

Heart of the Matter

We headed back to the cardiologist today, to check on the state of Brigid's heart condition...

...and so far, so good!

While the hole is still there (which we knew, since you can hear the murmur clear as anything, just by sticking your ear to the poor kid's chest), it isn't causing any problems with her heart valves, and there doesn't appear to be any chamber enlargement.

And she's just a really great sleeper, not a heart-issue-induced napper, which was almost the only thing that had us worried. And we don't have to go back for two years.

I can't even begin to tell you how grateful I am today...

Kisses

Sometimes, I wish that I could spend a day inside of Brigid's head, just to see what is going on in there. Because that child? She is a mystery to me...

She had her hand tapped once, almost six months ago, when she was reaching for something that she shouldn't have been reaching for, and now every time we tell her she's being a bad girl, she smacks her own hand and giggles.

(I know, this speaks volumes about how bad we are at disciplining the kid, since she laughs off all of our attempts, but there you have it...)

She insists on hearing the story about the ring Steve bought me, every time the glitter catches her eye.

She'll point at her hand and talk about the stamp she received on it, days after said stamp has completely disappeared.

She has a couple of toys that have been slightly chewed on by the various dogs in our house, and she will tell you exactly which dog chewed up which toy when she comes across it. And then she'll follow it up with a giggly 'bad!' and a smack of her own hand.

(I haven't quite figured that one out yet...)

She can only dance to Lady Gaga while wearing sunglasses, a headband, and a sparkly tutu. Because, of course you can't dance to Gaga any other way, right?

She knows how to work a number of Apple products.

She lays in the bathtub on her stomach, plugs her nose, and blows bubbles in the water. And when I tell her to STOP DRINKING THE BUTT WATER!!!, she laughs at me.

(My child laughs at butt water. I don't even know what to do about that...)

As Steve and I were putting her to bed last night, she instigated her first group hug between the three of us. And when I was done laughing at how she repeatedly pushed my face together with Steve's, forcing us to goodnight kiss each other, I wished for the first time ever that my life was a reality show. Because why is there not someone around filming me 24/7 when something as ridiculously adorable as a toddler initiated three-way Eskimo kiss occurs?

(Everyone be honest here...you just vomited a little in your mouth at the cuteness of it all, didn't you? I can't help it, my kid is adorable. Even if she does laugh about butt water.)

I've never considered myself a gushy person, and I know that my toddler most likely isn't doing anything any different than every other toddler out there, but I can't help it. I think she is just perfect, and I will tell you all about it if you let me get started.

Now, just remind me about this feeling the next time she goes all limp noodle on me in the middle of the mall parking lot, ok?

From the zoo, camera phone edition...

I'm sorry, I know I just posted zoo pictures yesterday, but this was too cute not to share...

I mean...come on!

Of course she gets everything she wants, whenever she wants it. Could you say no to that?

I don't stand a chance...

Look at the baby!

We took B to the zoo this weekend, to see the baby giraffe...

And other than a slight freak-out regarding a particularly scary (according to her, anyway) monkey statue*...

I'd say the day was a success...

 (searching for the secret stash of fruit snacks...which she found, of course. after the fruit snacks and a piece of cheese, we were shocked that she wouldn't eat lunch. go figure)

 

  (oof...mom needs a hairbrush, doesn't she? also, I hope this was after I disinfected that thumb...)

 (the mommy/baby monkey combo was not nearly as scary to B, obviously...)

Not pictured here? The panda stamp that she had to have on both hands. The ones she loved so much, that Steve and I both also had to have on both of our hands. That's six stamps right there, between the three of us. And she still hasn't stopped talking about them, ever since.

Obviously, we need to invest in a freaking ink pad, because I haven't seen anything entertain her for as long as those stamps. Who knew?



*are you allowed to freak out about the monkeys, while running around with your very own monkey lovey? I say no...

Stall Tactics

Brigid, grabbing my right hand and pointing to the ring that Steve gave me in the hospital right after she was born (while I'm trying to read a good-night story to her even though she's not quite ready to go to bed...): Mom-mom?

Me: Yes, that's mommy's ring.

Brigid: Da-da?

Me: Yes, daddy bought it for me.

Brigid: Born?

Me: Yes, daddy gave it to me when you were born. And someday, when it fits your finger, you can have it.

Brigid: giggles like a loon...

Wait five minutes, then repeat. Approximately 15 times.

She's crazy, that kid...but at least she's cute enough to get away with it.

(Once, during all of this, she grabbed my left hand by mistake, looked at my wedding ring, said 'nope', and went for the other hand instead. At least the kid knows her jewelry, I guess...)

Oh, hi there...

Hey, I was here today!!





(here would be the PGA Championship hospitality tents on the 18th green at the Atlanta Athletic Club, by the way...)

And now I'm heading home, all sweaty, dirty, and exhausted.

And I would absolutely do it again tomorrow, if anyone is offering...

Yeah, so this happened...

I don't even have the words to explain the hilarity behind my goofy little kid looking at Steve and I hopefully after her bath, asking 'Gaga?', and pointing adamantly at the CD player in her room.

(That would be Lady Gaga, of course. They were giving away free CDs in the breakroom at work one day, and he grabbed one. Who knew that it would come to this?)

And I most certainly don't have it in me to describe the heartbreak of watching the sad lower lip come out on that same goofy kid, when Steve told her that Gaga 'was sleeping', since it was closing in on 8:00pm, and we thought it was more the time for sleepy stories and less the time for dancing like a maniac around the room.





So, we'll just say Gaga woke up, and leave it at that...

Hey, I actually won one!

Someone apparently thinks naptime is negotiable...

Someone found out that she was wrong...

What Brigid Does

I've said this before, and I will say it again...I am absolutely terrified to have another child, because the one I have now is so very, very perfect that I'm afraid number two will be the spawn of satan himself.

(And now I've just gone and quadrupled the therapist bills for my imaginary second child, who's whole life narrative will revolve around not living up to his/her sister's completely random, and not due to anything I've done as a parent, toddler personality. I win at parenting, obviously.)

(But seriously, if you met Brigid, you would understand.)

(Actually, you probably wouldn't, because if you were meeting her for the first time, all you would most likely see of her would be the back of her head as she buried her face in my neck, crying because you dared to look at her.)

(She's shy, see? But it's so absolutely adorable!)

But, I'm also fully aware that instead of worrying about that, I should just focus on what I do have, and enjoy every minute of it. So if you don't mind, I will be over here enjoying my kid while she...

...sits quietly on her frog chair, entertaining herself with a book while daddy runs to the restroom.

...wakes us with a kiss when we fall asleep in the middle of playtime. (Parent secret: we're not actually sleeping, we just want a kiss...)

...begs daddy to sing If You're Happy and You Know It while she acts out whatever happy action he sings with bathtub Elmo. (For some reason, this often involves blowing her nose on Elmo, and covering her ears and screaming out loud, because my husband has a very bad sense of humor...)

...calls the dogs into her room for our nightly dance party, until they get too rowdy, and she makes them leave again with a hug, a kiss, and a 'night-night pey-pey'. (That would be a big goodnight to our dog, Peyton, by the way. B doesn't really call Riley by name, yet. In fact, her name for Riley sounds an awful lot closer to 'bad dog' than Riley, if you listen carefully. Go figure...)

...remains such a creature of habit that, just because I danced with her frog one night this week, I have to dance with her frog every night this week. (What can I say, her attention to details like this just slay me...)

...asks me to pick her up and take her upstairs with me when I get home from work so that she can 'play in mommy's closet' while I change into something less dry-clean-only for dinner/playtime/bedtime. (Apparently, 'playing in mommy's closet' involves dressing up in scarves, bracelets, and a hat, and posing for pictures against the bathroom door. I have no idea where that comes from...)

...is just an all around awesome person to hang out with on a daily basis.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm lucky, people. I am so, so very lucky to have her around, and I know it, and I am thankful everyday because of it.

I love that crazy kid...

Dress-up!

You've heard that quote attributed to the fabulous Ms. Coco Chanel, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory."?

Brigid does not subscribe to that advice, at all.

Unless that accessory is a shirt, I guess...

Getting Older

Apparently, once you hit a certain age, even something as simple as a toddler dance party becomes a full-contact, joint-jarring, intense cardio work-out.

Last night, we ended the day by dancing to J-Lo, Lady Gaga, and whatever country music Steve happened to stumble upon while our preferred dance music radio station happened to be at commercial. And when Brigid wouldn't agree to dance with me, I brought her stuffed frog into the mix, and old froggy and I cut a pretty impressive rug around the room.

And Brigid thought this was hilarious.

The wilder froggy and I danced, the funnier she thought it was. And the harder she laughed, the harder I danced around the room, because that kid has the best laugh. Ever. Steve tried to sit out the dance party, choosing to record Brigid's giggling fit (and trying to catch me on video in the middle of a particularly impressive dance move), but Miss B was having none of it. So Brigid and her monkey (her chosen dance partner for the evening) and me and my little green friend were soon joined by Steve, dancing with Babar and Grover.

Because Steve has skills, you know.

And this morning? Well, my legs feel like I spent an hour dancing barefoot around Brigid's bedroom like an idiot, of course.*

Apparently, I need to upgrade to some proper athletic footwear for bedtime.

*In my defense, I don't think all of my sore feet/sore ankles/sore ribs problems can be directly attributed to the dance party. I think some of it may have had to do with the barefoot dancing/sprinting/hurdling/kick-butt discus throwing I did this weekend on the Kinect. Because that is a work-out...

Things I did this weekend, instead of vacuuming my floors...

1) Took Brigid to the library, for a story time that didn't happen, because I didn't pay attention to the August library schedule,which shows the children's department taking two weeks off as everyone gets ready to head back to school. Instead, we read on our own, played a few games, and walked to Moe's for lunch, which was just as much fun. Also, I had to prevent Brigid from eating the sour cream with just her fingers. That kid is an odd duck.

2) Colored. While Brigid watched. Because coloring, to Brigid, means picking out a crayon or marker, handing it to me, and watching while I color whatever page we're working on. Like I said, odd duck.

3) Rocked Brigid to sleep. Mostly because I fell asleep myself while we shared our pre-bedtime time, but whatever. It still counts.

4) Played Lego Harry Potter on the iPad much more than is probably good for me. I am hooked, now, all because my brother-in-law's girlfriend suggested I might like it. She was right...

So, thanks for that, Christina.

Also, I may or may not have called her to ask for help on casting a particular spell. Because I am a HUGE nerd.

What can I say? It works for me.

5) Watched The Bachelorette: Men Tell All episode on DVR. See NERD, above.