Stop Growing...

Stop Growing already…..would ya?

I remember my Mom saying this to me at some point,

I thought she had totally lost it.

These days I am beginning to think she wasn’t all that crazy!

Maybe it’s that The Boss will be two in about 6 weeks,

Or maybe it’s because I've been visiting lots of babies,

Maybe it’s just something in the water?

The Boss has grown from a Baby to a full person overnight.

Mr. D and I stare at each other in shock at the things coming out of her mouth.

Full on sentences,

Preferences,

And just general conclusions of the events around her.

When I was on maternity leave with her, she was my little buddy.

Her cheery, loving personality made me smile everyday.

I would chatter to her and she would grin back.

It was like being out with my Bestie.

I told my Hubby that she didn't have a choice,

She had to my best friend from now on.

Now when I go out with her, it’s her doing all the talking,

And me grinning in amazement of what a beautiful little girl she’s become.

I love everything about this little girl.

I love…

• That she brings me a coffee from her kitchen every morning while I straighten my hair.
• When she sings along to the ABC’s and claps, stomps, and shouts hurray because she is “Happy and She Knows It”.
• How she yelled “zucchini” with excitement when the Japenes chef started chopping it on the grill at Benihana.
• That she asks “Okay Mommy?” if she hears a loud noise or if I drop something.
• When she yells “Bye” to each of her friends by name and waves to each of them when leaving daycare.
• That it’s a reunion of kindered spirits every morning when I go to get her up.
• When she grabs my face gently to give me a kiss and then hugs me, completely unprompted.
• That she is potty trained and is teaching every baby, stuffed animal and toy she owns to go potty.
• Whenever she sees a Starbucks cup, no matter where we are she says "Mommy's coffee".
• How much she loved Sea World...while other kids were bored and looking around she was yelling "Go...JUMP!" to the whales.  The people around us were killing themselves laughing.
• Her enthusiasm for everything we do!

Baby Girl if you are reading this, and I fear too quickly you will be, can you PLEASE stop growing?  It’s happening way too fast….Mommy’s not ready yet! 

This Weekend....

This weekend my older sister and I attended a Moms To Moms sale through our local momstown chapter.  I had never been to a sale like this but when I got the invite I was intrigue and grabbed my favourite experienced Mom.

I didn't really know what to expect, I have never really bought clothing second hand.  Since The Boss and her cousin are so close in age we have passed a few things back and forth but for the most part everything has been brand new.  I love to shop and keep up with the latest trends so this is not something I would probably do all the time, but this sale was great!

I picked up a dress and the cutest pair of sandals from Gymboree for The Boss among a few other cute things for play clothes.  If it wasn't totally creepy I would've asked the lady I bought most of my purchases from to be my new best friend.  I loved every single thing she had bought her girls, and I could tell from how much she had to sell that she loves shopping as much as I do. 

Since we are spending Easter in Florida, I thought this was perfect.  Bright, cheery and playful.  I bought another dress for The Boss from Children's Place and I didn't love it. It was $34 and although I purchased it on sale for $20 I still couldn't learn to love it.  Enter Mom to Mom...I picked up this sweet dress, that according to the seller was only worn once (It looks like it's never been worn) for $5.  That's right...I saved $15...just enough money to buy a cute matching purse right?

I have also already picked out her Daddy's suit and tie for Easter...they will co-ordinate perfectly,  and what's cuter than a Daddy and his baby matching on Easter.  Now what will Mommy wear?

These are the shoes I picked up as well.  Call me OCD but I took a Lysol wipe to them when I got home (they were immaculate when I bought them but it put my mind at ease).

 

I guess the moral of the story is that kids grow so fast, for every penny I save I can buy her that much...or buy Mommy something new.

 

New Wall Art...

Today, we were blessed with new wall art.

Today, The Boss redecorated by colouring on the wall, 

Yes, the wall!

I always wondered what "kind" of parent is so oblivious to what their child is doing?

Let me tell you "The Kind".

The Kind who's husband leaves at 6 am for work leaving Mommy to do the morning routine.

The Kind who worked all day and didn't get a chance to use the bathroom because it was so busy.

The Kind who rushes to get The Boss from daycare and then home to start dinner.

The Kind who forgot to take chicken out so she frantically tries to defrost it and get it in the oven.

The Kind who is scrambling to get dinner in the oven so she has time to get gas before getting Hubby. 

The Kind who knows if she makes one false move they won't be eating until 8 pm.

So who is this terrible parent?

It's a Mom.

Clearly, this could happen to anyone of us. 

We have a strict no colouring unsupervised rule at our house.

The crayons and colouring books are kept high so The Boss can't get them on her own.

But, today I was THAT "Kind" of Mom. 

I was busy so I handed The Boss the crayons to keep her out of the way while I ran around.

Today I was thankful for magic erasers.

Those things really are magic.

Dear Magic Eraser, thank you for erasing the mistakes of the day! 

For those of you who are feeling a little like I am today, a picture.

A friend posted this and I couldn't resist sharing.

I am excited to spend time with my co-worker this weekend.

Have a great weekend!

Ps. This post is by no means a slam on my Hubby but instead a reminder to all Mommies that we all have days like today.  We are so grateful for Mr. D's job but every once in a while I need a reminder that we are all "That Kind" of parent sometimes.

We avoided this for 14 months...

AMOXICILLIN!

Oh Goodness, just when you think you have this parenting thing figured out...

Baby comes home with a rash.

You might remember from my previous post that The Girl spent the weekend with my parents.  I mentioned she had a fever but that she was probably just teething...

do I blame all fevers on teething?  See this post.

When the girl started acting strange I blamed it on a thousand different things.
She's teething, she just had shots, she's teething, maybe she's just becoming a brat.  

Yes, I did actually say that.  When the girl turned her head and refused food, I thought she was showing me attitude.  

(In fairness to me, she said "NO!" in her squeaky I'm the Queen of the world voice 

and threw her head to the side) 

She even started to throw her head back and scream for no reason at all....

it looked a lot like a temper-tantrum to me, 

but not to to the medical profession.

A few of her symptoms did worry me but she wasn't screaming (thank-goodness) so it didn't seem like sickness.  

Her fever came and went, 

her appetite came and went, 

she slept one night through the night and then not the next, 

she even stumbled and tripped over her own feet, but again she does this on occasion...she's one!

While throwing one of these "temper-tantrums" I was referring to earlier,  I noticed her stomach was covered in a rash.  I flipped her over and sure enough her back was covered too.  

Oh no!

I did what ever good mother does and called my own mom, and then my sister (also a Mom). 

My Mom lives right around the corner so I threw the Girl into the car to get a "professional" opinion.  

We decided that I would take her to the clinic and get it checked.  All I could think of was what if I don't get this checked and it gets worse, then I will have a screaming one year old and a decision to wait it out or brave emerg...ugh!  Mr. D. works right beside a clinic so we told him where we were and he met us there when he was done. 

The doctor at the clinic asked lots of questions then checked The Girl out. 

It turns out she has an ear infection of some sort.  

When you say it out loud it all makes sense...

fever, loss of appetite, loss of balance, grabbing her cheek/ear...yup!  

How did I miss this? 

Sorry Baby Girl...next time you just might need to scream.  

Your brave, easy going temperament leaves clear symptoms unnoticed.

So, until seven o'clock last night we lost our amoxicillin virginity.  

It was a good run Girl!  

I gave her her meds and put her in the tub...there were clearly no hard feelings.  She splashed away and then cuddled with Mommy before going to bed like an angel.
Luckily, I have today off to nurse my Baby back to health. 

Happy Mother's Day!

I was asked to share at my church today in honour of Mother's Day.  I thought I would share with you what I shared with them.

The Boss is God’s example to me of his faithfulness.  To say she was a surprise would be an understatement.  Shock, fear, tears, anxiety and feelings of depression all followed the appearance of a little blue line, but I am getting ahead of myself.

My husband and I met while attending Liberty University in Virginia.  After dating for nine months we got engaged and married nine months later.  We lived in Virginia for a year before moving to Canada.  Fresh out of school, like any new graduate, we felt as though we had the skills that any employer would be foolish to turn down.  Finding jobs proved to be more difficult than we originally anticipated.  Unfortunately for us, our return to Canada was perfectly timed with the worst economic down turn since the great depression.  Determine to make it on our own, we moved out of my parents house and accepted jobs working the afternoon shift at a factory.  Soon after that The Hubby accepted a job with State farm, a job that would later prove to be part of God’s perfect plan for us.  At the time, although I was excited for him, I was left in the factory alone, seeing The Hubby midnight on Fridays until Sunday.  Not the picture perfect schedule for two newlyweds literally living on love.   I was often reminded of these verses

James 1:2-4

2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I ignored many of the traditional signs of pregnancy writing them off to stress, but when the fatigue, random carsickness, and small mood swings didn’t subside we thought we would take a pregnancy test just to be sure.  Never in a million years did I expect that I would actually be pregnant.  When the test came back positive I stared in disbelief …this couldn’t possibly be right.  I had just finished my Master’s degree, and was ready to change the world, before starting a family.  All the plans I had made would now have to change.  We didn’t own our home, I had a less than the perfect job, and Matt and I hadn’t done many of the things we planned to do before we had children.

I was not one of those lucky girls that glows throughout her pregnancy…in fact I was so far the other way I could barely look in the mirror each morning.  Morning sickness plagued me morning, noon and night.  I could often be found on the side of the road… you get the point.  I didn’t seem to be getting any breaks.  I was interviewing for jobs but the second they found out I was pregnant they ran for the hills.  Mr. D and I often questioned whether we made the right choice moving to Canada and feared the future. But God’s plans were bigger then I could ever imagine.  Four months into my pregnancy I started a job in communication and development for a camp in Muskoka. I was thrilled for this opportunity to put my schooling to use, but  even more excited that post pregnancy I would able to work from home and raise my child.

  

Again the Lord reminded me  that it was not my plan but God’s plan for me.  Part way through my maternity leave my position at Muskoka Woods changed making it impossible to work for them and raise a family.  Frustrated with my luck, I started my job search again.  This week I was offered a position at Beginning Pregnancy Care Centre fundraising and counseling women who are experiencing unplanned pregnancy’s.  God is using my gifts in fundrasing, my experience of being a mother and providing for our family in ways I would have never expected.  

God has shown his faithfulness from day one. Mr. D. and I have been so blessed with the support of family and friends.  Our parents, grandparents, and family all prayed us through my pregnancy.   Our friends supported us in ways they probably don’t even recognize.  Visiting our friends in the hospital following their baby's birth and then my sister and brother-in-law  with the birth of their baby girl a few weeks later eliminated our delivery and hospital jitters.  These veteran parents calmed our nerves and gave us advice on how to be prepared for our big day. 

God showed his faithfulness in Crestwicke’s nursery, a nursery that has virtually sat empty for years. The Boss was the third of four baby girls to be born this year.  These three babies add fresh faces in our Sunday school program and their Mommy’s have served as a support system for me.  I love exchanging milestones and clothing sales with my fellow Moms.

The Crestwicke community has also been invaluable in our lives both as Godly examples and through your support.  This congregation is full of Mother’s I desire to model my life after.   Mother’s who probably didn’t have all the answers when they got started but have trusted in the Lord to guide their steps.

I LOVE being a Mom.  God has blessed me with the most beautiful easygoing baby girl in the world.  In a season that seemed dark and scary The Boss has brought a freshness and new life. Her energy and enthusiasm reminds me daily to have faith like a child.   Everyday this little person taps me on the shoulder and says you are not in control, put today in the hands of the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5 


Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

I can’t be the perfect mother, and that’s not what’s expected of me.  Some days the house is a mess and the laundry doesn’t always get done, but I’ve learned take joy in the small things and enjoy every minute with my baby girl.  I put my day in the hands of the Lord and then hold on for dear life.  I often question if I am doing the right thing or if I am a good Mother, but at the end of the day when we put on our worship music and The Boss bobs to the beat and claps her hands we know she’s a child of God’s and perfectly cared for.