OMG..... I'm a Mom!

Geez

2011-03-06T22:55:00.001-08:00

Why are you still reading this? This blog has died!

I'm blogging HERE now.

You have to delete my subscription in your google reader, then put it back in as www.theOMGmom.com

Really! You're missing a post RIGHT NOW!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

You're Missing Out....

2011-03-01T06:37:00.001-08:00

...because I posted a new blog over on my real website: THE OMG MOM and if you're hanging out here thinking you're in the right place, YOU'RE NOT!

What's a girl have to do to get you to follow her new blog?

See ya over there! And if a few people could do me a favor and comment (the comment button is at the TOP of the post) and let me know they came over from here, that would be fantastic!!!

Thank You!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oops

2011-02-21T08:14:00.001-08:00

Ok I messed that whole thing up. Need to fix some bugs, so don't update your reader just yet. Won't work anyways!

I'll come back on here when it's all fixed. I'm going shopping this morning and i have to be somewhere at 10, so I'll deal with this after that.

Sorry. Im special.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Stop Reading Here

2011-02-21T05:23:00.001-08:00

If you're reading this, you're on my OLD platform on Blogger.

Leave now and go To The Wordpress Version and please comment there and let me know you come over so I can judge if this worked.

And stay there and never come back.

Come on! You're missing out on a new post already!!!

Also update your Google readers please!! No more posts from here!!

Tootles.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Maternity Sale!

2011-02-18T14:27:00.000-08:00

I'm cleaning out my closet and finally getting rid of maternity clothes. Your next question is probably "But what about for pregnancy #2?!!" Well, kids....no plans for that right now, and if I get pregnant in the next few years then I'd always planned on just buying new things. I was somewhat stylish during my pregnancy, so my loss is going to be your gain!

I go through PayPal, so if you're interested in any of the items, email me at omgmomblog AT Gmail Dot Com.

I purchased everything in the last 2 years (did not have to wear maternity clothes until month 5), so no smelly, out-dated clothes here! Smoke free & pet free home.

Old Navy Maternity (Old Navy was actually GREAT quality, if you can believe that!) Worn once to church.
$12 SMALL, Linen, Wrap Dress with Ruffled collar

Gap Maternity SMALL Blouses. LOVED these and wore them probably no more than 3 times.
$10 each

Gap Maternity Wrap Dress SMALL, cotton, LOVED THIS! Paid $59, worn to church and a graduation for a few hours. $25 or best offer

Target Liz Lange Maternity Dress. Super cute, cotton, size SMALL
$15 Great quality- I usually HATE Target brand stuff.

Buffalo by David Bitton FULL PANEL Pea in The Pod Maternity Jeans, X-SMALL- which I think translates to 28-29. Paid $120, would like $50. The bottom of the jeans were distressed to begin with, but I probably added to it since im short (5'4...and I rolled them up on the bottom).

Motherhood Maternity Blouse SMALL $10, SUPER ADORABLE and I usually think that store is cheesy. The cinched waist makes it very flattering when you have a big belly. $12 (it was $40!!)

Pea in The Pod Gray linen dress pants with FULL PANEL belly. Paid $80,, Would like $20 (bad pics, they probably need to be ironed). Size SMALL

Cropped Gray Dress Pants, Full Panel Belly! Size SMALL from Kohls. $10

Motherhood Maternity Tank Tunic w/Spaghetti Straps and smocked top. SMALL $10 Looked cute with the jeans!

Khaki Pants from Kohls Maternity $12, SMALL, Full Panel belly. Kohls was actually kind of pricey- I think these were $40.

If you are interested in anything, let me know. Prices listed or best offer.

Maintenance Scheduled!

2011-02-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

The blog will be down for a few days while I have some maintenance done....don't worry though- I'm gonna be back!

In the meantime, come say HI on my Food Blog.

Or, Follow me on TWITTER!

Or, just go read some of my friend's blogs that I have listed over there on the sidebar.

Or, go to my guilty pleasures- Lamebook and Damn You Autocorrect!.....super fun!

OR: GO HELP MY FRIEND Jenna/That Wife win something about photography and business...i dont know....something like that.....does it matter? She's cute and deserves your vote. Here's how you can do it:

Visit This Site, scroll down until you find "Jenna Cole," select her name (duh!), scroll all the way down in the SAME BOX, and then click "done."

That oughtta keep you busy for a while, kids.

Chat With Us!

2011-02-09T08:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight, Jenna (That Wife) and I will be on a cool thing called Tiny Chat. I think it's like a video chat where you can see us and hear us respond to your questions, but we can only see what you type. Kind of like BeeTV on Weddingbee. We're doing it tonight at 7pm PACIFIC TIME, so come over and say hi!

Here's the address: tinychat.com/thatwife

And here's a picture of me and Jenna from early 2009...how much does everyone just adore Jenna??

OOTD: Going Shopping

2011-02-07T09:45:00.000-08:00

If someone could PLEASE tell me how to take a self portrait, that would be great.

OOPS! The mirror is dirty.

Jacket: This one ($107!!)

Pants: LOFT Modern Skinny in Black ($30 on promotion)

Shoes: Fake Uggs (gift)

Shirt: Banana Republic ($28 on clearance)

Scarf: J. Crew (Gift from my sister)

And Mia:

Shirt: Janie & Jack ($7.99 on clearance)

Pants: Baby Gap Jeans ($26.50? Dont remember)

Shoes; Pediped Isabella in White $38

Bow: Gymboree $0.49 on clearance

OK....so the reason I put the prices there is NOT because I'm "uppity," its because I got a few requests to do so. I'm always curious how people spend their money on clothes, so i guess thats why people asked. I probably wont do that again because I think its a little pretentious (unless you're writing a post about buying cheap clothes).

Sundays With Mia

2011-02-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Almost every Sunday, the hubs watches Mia so I can either go to the store, the mall, get a pedicure or just read a book for a few hours. Its a nice little break, but I always miss her. Silly. He calls it "daddy day" and they go for frozen yogurt or go shopping or just go in the backyard and blow bubbles.

Yesterday while I got a pedicure they played hide and seek..only, Mia's version of the game is she hides under the covers in our bed and waits for the hubs to pull the sheets down and say "BOO!" Its like her favorite game ever! After that, we went to the outdoor mall and played in the courtyard with all of the other kids. No Super Bowl for us!

Here's a bunch of pictures that all look the same....I just couldnt decide because she looks so adorable in all of them. Its ok I said that because Im her mom, right? I always think its a tad obnoxious when people constantly say "Have you ever seen anything cuter than my baby???!!!!"

I have no idea who played in the Super Bowl, but I DO know who the winner of the day was. MIA!

OOTD: SAHM Chic

2011-02-04T14:12:00.000-08:00

NOT.

My Friend Kinzie Says has an awesome blog series where she posts her outfits and where she got each piece. She has a super important job and has to dress up for work, which was always my favorite part about working. Jenna is doing something similar, showing the pieces she got from a thrift store. Super interesting! They both looks so good- Kinz, I am LOVING your J Brand Skinny Jeans, and Jenna- you look great in belts!!

I've decided to jump on the band wagon...I love seeing what random people are wearing.

I really have no idea how to take self-portraits, so this is the best I could do.

Shirt- GAP

Pants- Express from TJ Maxx about 7 years ago

Shoes- Nike (they match my shirt) from Nordstrom Rack

*Try not to be jealous of how stylish I am.*

Mia is asleep, but she is wearing:

Shirt- Janie & Jack

Jeans- Gymboree

Hairbow- Target

Shoes (not pictured)- Pediped (pink Isabella)

Binky- NUK brand

Now was that fun, or was that fun?!

Dancing Queen

2011-02-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Young & Sweet, Only 17 (months)!

She LOVES Black Eyed Peas, and whenever I play this song (I think its a remix) she goes NUTS! She really loves music and can't control herself when she hears a good song....you should see her when Barney comes on TV. I should film that. SUPER adorable.

I know that's her halloween costume, but it's also pajamas and I love them so much that I make her wear them all the time.

They were getting kind of short, so RFT stepped in and gave us 6 pairs of Baby Gap hand-me-down pajamas in size 2T. DOesn't she look cute and comfy in her new PJ's?

We have a doctor's appointment in a few weeks and I know he's going to say something about the binky. WHATEVER!! She loves it. I'm not taking it away from her. How cruel! It's not hurting anyone and it makes her happy. I choose my battles in the house, and this won't be one of them.

Hope everyone has agreat Friday!

New Blog

2011-02-04T00:19:00.001-08:00

I have a new blog....and it's here!

Go and say hi to me!

XOXO!

Guest Post: Planned Pregnancy at 16

2011-02-02T23:07:00.000-08:00

When Rebekah commented on a blog post about how she had a baby at 17, I immediately emailed her and asked her to share her story. With Teen Mom on MTV being so popular and glamorizing pregnancy- wait a minute....while a lot of people are saying MTV is doing just the opposite, and showing how hard it actually is, I have to disagree and tell them to look at the bigger picture. These girls are celebrities, appearing on the covers of major magazines, making lots of money (Amber said she makes $250K/year from the show in a court document), and while the show shows their lack of money and education, they HAVE A TELEVISION SHOW. That asshole Jenelle beats her mom up and the TV cameras are right there to film it...and sell millions of dollars in advertising in the middle of everything. If their goal really is to make teens aware of the reality of the situation, they should make it into a documentary and not show these girls' names. Instead, it plays out like a soap opera, each girl a different "character" that people love, hate or love to hate, with people invested in their storylines.

But that's just my take on the show.

Rebekah was kind enough to share her story with us and gave us a very honest and candid look into her life. I don't want this post to start a shit storm of hateful comments, but I understand that there will be some very strong opinions about her story. I wanted to post this because I am always interested in the thought process and events leading to the decision for a teenager to have a baby. Boy, was I in for quite a shock.

Here is her story:

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I grew up in a big family. I was the second oldest of 7 kids, so I was always a big helper around the house and with my younger siblings. I loved kids from the start! I also had a pretty rough time in my childhood and was abused by several people from age 9 to 14. During and after that I struggled with self worth and went into a deep depression that nearly cost me my life. When I was 15 I met the man of my dreams! He was 19, charming, and could always make me smile. We dated for just over a year when we decided we wanted something more.

[Just want to point out here that I wasn’t the stereotypical teen mom. I got straight A’s in school and graduated only a semester late, never did drugs or drank, and the only person I had ever slept with was my current boyfriend.]

So, me at age 16 and him age 20, we decided to have a baby. Looking back I think I wanted something to live for, something that I could take care of. We got pregnant after the first try and were completely thrilled! Though telling our parents was the hardest part since we knew they would not be happy at all. My boyfriend’s parents had a really hard time with it, as did my Dad. My mom was scared for us but thrilled to be having a grandbaby. Before getting pregnant I had struggled with anorexia with bulimic tendencies so learning how to be healthy for the growing baby was hard for me. I was also still in school and had a job. Between prenatal appointments with my midwife, school classes, and work... I was exhausted.

My boyfriend was amazingly supportive throughout the whole pregnancy, I was lucky to have him. We found out we were having a little girl and named her Abrielle Ada, Abby for short. The pregnancy went well until the last two months or so. I was so swollen I couldn't wear flip flops and fainted almost every time I stood up. I had to quit my job and so my boyfriend was the only one working. We also found out that our daughter was breech. With the help of my midwife we turned her by 36 weeks, but by 37 weeks she was breech again. At 38+2 weeks we had to go to the hospital to have her turned by another doctor. I knew there was a chance we would have to deliver that day, but I don't think I actually believed it. I just kept my mind on turning the baby. The doctor tried several times-which by the way was the most painful thing I had ever experienced so far in my life-but Abby’s heart rate dropped and we had to stop immediately. After going over the risks my boyfriend and I decided it would be best to just deliver her that day.

I was devastated. I was so set on having a natural delivery and instead I was going to have a c-section. I was 17 at this time and scared beyond my mind. My boyfriend was there every step of the way. Then, July 8th, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. we delivered a beautiful baby girl. Every bit of fear left me. I heard her cry and our eyes locked and I just couldn't believe it. I had a baby girl. She was mine. I felt instant love. I knew that she had changed my life forever.

After 3 horrible days in the hospital I was finally able to go home. It was horrible to be honest. I could barely walk, the pain was so intense. My boobs hurt SO bad. Abby however, was wonderful. She slept 6 hours at night by the time she was 6 weeks old, she rarely cried, and she was very alert. I loved my little family so very much. But my happiness didn’t last. I went through a terrible bout of post partum depression. It lasted almost a year. I was terrified of telling anyone. I had to stop breastfeeding and because of the stress I had dried up. I felt like a complete failure. First-having a c-section instead of a natural birth, Second-only being able to breastfeed for 4 months, and Third-being depressed, again.

By the time Abby turned a year old the depression had lifted and I felt good again. I loved being a stay-at-home Mommy for my princess. When she was about 14 months my boyfriend and I decided to try for a second baby. We had always talked about having our kids close together and we didn’t want our age or relationship status to effect our dreams. We got pregnant soon after. My second pregnancy was NOTHING like my first. I was sick ALL the time. I constantly had problems. Early bleeding/cramping, bed rest, preterm labour, more bed rest, more preterm labour, low amniotic fluids, weekly ultrasounds. Finally, I was almost 40 weeks and had another ultrasound booked. I went and they measured but when the technician was finished she asked me to go to labour and delivery and talk to the doctor there. So I went and was told that if my fluids came back as being lower than a 4 I had to be induced as it wasn’t safe for the baby (that I had found out was a boy!). I went home and waited for a call. The doctor called and told me I had to come in right away as my fluid levels were dangerously low.

I was admitted to the hospital the night before my due date and was put on Pitocin during the night. By the next morning I was in some gawd-awful labour!! Worst experience EVER! I had problems clotting and was losing too much blood, the baby's heart rate dropped a few times, and the surgery room was busy! So after 14 hours of hard labour and 2 hours of pushing May 13th, 2010 at 6:06 p.m., Kalazen Lyric was born. We called him Kalan. It felt amazing to be able to trust my body and create and deliver a little baby on my own. I was on a high!

Right from the day Kalan was born he was colicky. I was still on a high from the birth for about 2 weeks, then it all hit me. I had a 22-month old hyper child and a 2-week old colicky baby. I became exhausted. I cried all the time, I had thoughts of hurting myself. I knew the post partum depression was back. This time however I sought help. I was able to go medication-free and saw a doctor and counsellor regularly. After 3 months, the colic stopped and the depression lifted. Finally I had myself back and I could enjoy my family.

Life was great! I had two amazing kids and a wonderful supportive boyfriend. And that pretty much takes us to now! I am 20 years old. My daughter is 2 and a half and my son is 8 months old. I love being a parent but gosh is it ever hard. I am so lucky to have such a supportive boyfriend, without him I wouldn’t be the person I am today. And my kids, they are angels. They changed me into the person I could’ve only dreamed to be. But really, it sounds great, but it’s not all fun and games. It’s not easy in ANY way.

It’s not easy in my relationship...

-we went through many periods of fighting

-we were engaged at one point but broke it off

-we NEVER go out on dates

-we rarely have the time or energy for sex

-we don't take care of ourselves since we are so busy with the kids

It’s not easy financially...

-all us moms know how much it costs to have kids

-if you are not a mom, you cant even begin to imagine all the costs. It’s not just about clothes food, diapers and baby gear!

-at the moment we have no income, we never know when we might have food in our cupboards or gas in our car. My boyfriend lost his job 2 months ago for taking too many sick days. (with kids getting sick, him getting sick, time off for the delivery, time off when i had PPD, time off when I got sick with a tumour, and countless other days off)

It’s not easy emotionally....

-I struggled twice with post partum depression

-my boyfriend struggled with depression

-we are constantly stressed

It’s not easy physically...

-I lost any body I did have

-my hips are forever ruined for having kids too early

-I have the saggy tummy, boobs, and anything else “regular” moms get. A younger body does NOT bounce back. DON'T BELIEVE IT!

It’s not easy in my friendships...

-I went from having tons of friends, to maybe 1 or two.

-I don't fit in anywhere. I can’t hang out with people my age because I have kids. I can’t hang out with Moms because I'm still too young. It’s VERY hard to find friends.

-Many people are still disappointed in me for having kids young and that constantly haunts me.

Overall there are many great things and many not so great things about being a “teen mom”. There are the facts. I do not represent anyone but myself. Everyone’s situation is different. The greatest part of being a teen mom is the same as being a regular mom! MY KIDS! I love them to pieces, they are my world. The hardest part for me, being completely alone. It’s so hard not fitting in anywhere and having no supports. I think that will change as I get older, and I hope it changes soon. Do I regret getting pregnant at 16? Nope, never. It was the best decision I could have made. My kids saved my life. If I didn’t decide to have a baby then, I would’ve probably died. Whether by suicide from the depression or heart failure from the eating disorder. I look forward to the future and can’t wait to watch my kids grow up!

Thanks Mandy, for giving me a chance to share my story

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I had some questions for Rebekah. Here they are:

1. You were 16, so you obviously were not employed full time with health benefits that would have included maternity coverage. Individual policies do not include coverage for maternity/labor+deliver. How did you manage to pay for doctor visits, ultrasounds, delivery and recovery in the hospital?

I was still in school and working as a cashier part-time and also a nanny. I went to a school for teen moms and so my hours were pretty flexible. But since I am in Canada I did not have to pay for healthcare at all!

2. You and your children's father are not married, but are obviously in a committed relationship. Do you think marriage is in the future? Why or why not?

My boyfriend and I see marriage in our future for sure! We want to be financially stable and own a home before getting married though. It seems selfish to do so now. Also we want the kids to be a bit older so they can understand why we want to be married and they can be involved!

3. How did you feel, at 16 years old, that you knew enough about parenting, or even yourself-a lot of us are still trying to decide who we are well into our 20's-to plan for a baby?

I had always been the “parent” in my family growing up. I thought I knew enough (I didn’t!). But I had an amazing midwife who helped me out with anything I needed to know. I also constantly read baby books and searched the internet so I could get an idea on what to expect. Looking back I should have made all the plans BEFORE getting pregnant! We kind of just talked a bit about it, got pregnant, then learned the best we could.

4. Education- are there any plans to finish your education? What about college?

I finished high school a semester late. I did it through homeschooling. So I graduated at 18. I do plan to go to college but not until my kids are in school themselves. I’m still not sure what I want to go for!

5. Knowing how hard it is, would you have waited to have children a little later in life?

Knowing how hard it has been, I think I might have waited. It would have been good to be prepared financially to have children.

6. What advice can you give to other girls your age who are considering having intercourse with regards to getting pregnant?

That’s a tough one! My advice, finish school, go to college, have a good job, THEN think about babies. There’s no sense it doing it all at the same time! You’ve got your whole life to create little miracles! A few years can make a BIG difference. If you find yourself like me, thinking a baby is your only way out of a situation, it’s NOT. PLEASE do not use a child’s life as a solution to anything. It makes things hard on everyone. I really don’t know what to say. Not everyone can be talked out of things. But if someone does get pregnant young, be RESPONSIBLE.

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So, it's a little different because she's in Canada and has free healthcare, but here in the states,where people really only have maternity coverage on a group plan or on an individual healthcare plan with a maternity "rider" (which is SO SO expensive that even WE cant afford it), im always interested to see how these teenagers pay for their prenatal visits and delivery. I think our bill would have been about $30K had we not had insurance. Even more so for C-sections. Every ultrasound was $250. Every appointment was $250. The epidural was $150 CO-PAY, so theres no telling what the cost would be without insurance. How do teens without a job or money pay for this? To be honest, we are holding off on a second child because we simply cannot afford it in our current lifestyle. We have health insurance, but since the hubs is self-employed and I am unemployed, we have it through individual policies, and not on a group plan. To add maternity coverage (which you must pay for for a full year before its covered- meaning, you pay the $500/extra per month FOR A YEAR, then you can get pregnant and they will cover it WHILE you STILL pay the extra $500/month on top of the $$$ you already pay for basic coverage). So, yeah. We- responsible adults in our 30's with master's degrees, can't afford another baby.

Can you tell that I am very sensitive about this?

I'm also fairly certain that at 16 I was an idiot (dad, I know you love me, but you have to agree here), and that I didn't know how to write a check, pay a bill, call long distance or apply eyeliner, so having a baby would have been too much for me. Kinda still is....when you think about it.

Questions?

Kids With Food/Milk Allergies

2011-02-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

Someone that reads my blog wrote to me a while ago when I was switching Mia from formula to whole milk (remember how crazy that was?) and asked if I knew anything about food allergies. I guess her son (or daughter?) was throwing up his milk and she was concerned that he might be lactose intolerant. While I'm flattered that she thought of me and put me on a list of "people that seem to know things," I really had nothing to offer her. By the way, the message of this blog should be pretty clear: I KNOW NOTHING, I DO IT WRONG, DO THE OPPOSITE AND YOU'LL BE JUST FINE. Right? (I do have fun learning from my many mistakes though....and Mia is the best baby ever on the planet.)

Anyways.

Enter New Friend Shannon. Her son, Devin (3), can't have milk or eggs so I asked her to write a little something for me about her experience. I asked her not to make this into a research assignment and to just simply share her story and what she did at the time, and how she handles it now. When he came over for Mia's birthday I felt really bad because he wasn't allowed to eat the birthday cake or cookies or any treats we put out for the kids since there were eggs in all of them. Shannon has found a way to work around it though, so here is her story of how she figured it out and what she does about it now.

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When Devin was a baby, I followed all the guidelines by the pediatrician in terms of when to introduce all new foods. At 9 mo I introduced Yo Baby yogurt to my son. He loved it. He got one serving of yogurt a day. He never really cared for cheese and I did not give him butter or ice cream. After his 12 mo check up, I slowly started to offer him organic whole milk with DHA. He was tolerating it ok in the beginning but them started to vomit it all up. I was trying to wean him from breast feeding so I was worried about his calories since he was not tolerating the milk. He then started to vomit any yogurt I gave him which was weird since he had eaten it before and was fine. Eggs were the same way. He had not eaten an egg before he was 12 mo because they were on the list of foods to hold off on. After 12 mo I tried to make him scrambled eggs and he started to immediately vomit. He also vomitted his birthday cake (eggs baked in.)

I took him to the pediatrician and had him tested for allergies. He was severely allergic to eggs and all dairy and was ordered to give him soy milk/products and avoid the allergens. This is VERY hard since everything kids eat has either dairy of some sort or eggs in them. Since he was under 2, I could not introduce peanut butter either. Devin had a very strict diet and I became very accustomed to reading labels and shopping at stores like Whole Foods and the organic sections in the grocery store since vegan products contain no animal based ingredients. This was a very costly allergy, but Devin was doing ok and seemed to like the soy milk and Silk brand yogurt. He has special cookies (Back to Nature brand) since they have no dairy or eggs and I have certain snacks in the house just for him.

He is now 3.5 and slowly growing out of the dairy allergy. He is still highly allergic to liquid milk, ice cream, cheese in excess amounts (a slice of pizza is too much), and most yogurts. He can tolerate a little bit of butter on toast, Danonino yogurt and a little bit of cheese. He can eat Goldfish crackers but not Cheezits. He is still highly allergic to eggs in any recipe. He vomits within a minute when he consumes too much dairy or anything with eggs. I got lucky that he never gets hives or anaphylactic shock, but he will get loose stools if he eats to much cheese and hasn't yet vomited.

He knows to always ask someone if it has eggs or dairy in it when handed something he is not familiar with. He is also trained to go to the toilet or trash can if he is going to vomit. Since it is an allergy to the food, there is no medicine that can be taken. A lot of people confuse dairy allergies with lactose intolerance.

I have to bring special treats with us to other children's birthday parties and BBQs since he can never have any desserts being offered. He is ok with not having any of the treats since he does not know what he is missing out on and he knows the consequence of eating that food that will make him vomit. I will be making him an egg free cake this year for his birthday since he really wants a cake he can eat. I tried last year and it was "ok" but not great.

I have asked the pediatrician why he has food allergies. I breast fed exclusively, I waited to introduce everything....yet he is handicapped by this. She has no answers. I asked is it smarter to go cold turkey and avoid the allergy all together, or include it in his diet in small amounts until he builds a resistance to the allergen. She told me that in his case the more I gave him the dairy, the stronger the allergy became which is why he was tolerating the YoBaby yogurt but started to vomit when I overloaded his system with cows milk. After I apparently overloaded his system at 12 mo, he rejected the smallest amounts of dairy. I am hoping he will out grow these both completely but only time will tell.

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Thanks, Shannon. Hopefully this was helpful to some people that are making the switch from formula to whole milk. If anyone has any questions, put them in the comment section and Ill have Shannon respond and answer.

If you want to read some fun internet articles about this, go here and here.

DO YOU HAVE A CHILD WITH SIMILAR ALLERGIES? Comment below and tell your (condensed!) story- how did you know, what do you do differently, did they grow out of it- or tell Shannon what she can expect in the future.

2011 Goals For OMGmom

2011-01-30T16:49:00.000-08:00

....And these are going to be realistic. None of that "Run a 5K" or "Give Someone A Hug Everyday" or "Go To Gym 3x/Week" crap. Cause that's what it is- Crap. Let's be serious....I guess I'm in some kind of shape to run a marathon, but I would much rather do it on a treadmill while watching American Idol (or, Sexy Steven Hits on Young Girls) or Twilight on my iPod in an air conditioned room without a bunch of yahoos cheering me on and handing me Gatorade. OK, they arent "yahoos," but the idea of running outside with a bunch of people with a number taped to my stomach has never appealed to me.

You know that really popular New Year's Resolution of "taking a picture everyday" and watching the progression at the end? That's the same as the hugs. It sounds like a good idea, but I cant always remember to do it, and Im usually only ever around Mia and she gets about 1,000,000 hugs and smooches on a daily base anyways, so that would be cheating, no?

And the gym...3x/week? HAHAHAHAHA. HA. LMAO. You know me, don't you? I don't "gym."

Instead, I'm going to be shooting for the stars....that I can almost reach. Not the ones that are so freaking far up in the sky that I'll need 4 NASA grade telescopes to even see.

And I'm a little late, seeing how it's going to be February on Tuesday. Woopsies.

:::Ahem::: Where was I?

Goal #1- Start A New Blog!
YES! You know how I always talk about how I can't cook and that 50% of our monthly income is spent at the Thai House and Mexicano's Tacos? Well, this is the year I learn to cook something. Anything. And I want to share those recipes with you. Even if I don't give you the step by step on every post, I'll at least post a photo of what we ate. I love when That Wife Jenna posts a photo of her lunch or snack or whatever because its like internet stalking. If I know what she eats, then I can *pretend* that we're real life friends. (Actually, we are real life friends and have hung out before...but dont worry, there's like 100 of you guys that I talk about in everyday life, like i just had lunch with you the other day.) But isnt that fun? Ok, so Im gonna do that. I can do it from my iPhone, so theres no excuses why I can't post. I want to learn how to cook healthy food so I don't have another Fat Summer.

Goal #2- Update Everybody Births!
Have you ever been to my birth story blog? It's a ton of reader-submitted birth stories, and we've got everything from home births to emergency c-sections. It's a fun read if you're pregnant! I started the blog because I was tired of searching for birth stories online, and some of the parenting sites (the big guys) kind of sugar coat things. I wanted real stories. The good, the bad and the really gross.
I havent updated it in a while for a couple of reasons. Mainly, I get people all the time that want to submit a birth story, but they wont agree to the standard terms and conditions that my lawyer BIL put on there for me...in case someone tries to copy and steal it and use the stories for bad. I think people were confused instead of just not being agreeable....the process is: go to the site, click on "contribute," and then fill out the form. Your story doesnt go in the form. I get the form, then contact you. Then, I can add photos for you and get it all uploaded. ITS SIMPLE!

Anyone want to send one in?

Goal #3- Switch to Wordpress
My friend, Marissa, is helping me do this and she will get major shout outs and links to her site (I have to ask her if its ok first!). I'm not sure if she knows how to design a blog though....? Anyways, I need some HELP! I need someone to do a simple blog design for my Food Blog (that I mentioned above) and for my new Wordpress OMGmom site. I wish the blogger one would carry over (I love it, Kelly! I want to keep it!).

Here's what I can offer:
A small amount of money...and I mean SMALL because I have no job.
OR
1 year free advertising on all my blogs. That's a $300 value at least!! =)

(Dont all jump at once.....**crickets**)

Goal #4- Stay At My Normal Weight
My normal weight is 125-127. My clothes fit that weight. Did I mention I cant afford new clothes? I have a "scary weight" in mind that I've had for years (we all have one, don't we?), and this past December, I hit it. I had a great time getting up there....but as I get older, my metabolism slows down and I need to remember that.

Goal #5- Contribute To Family Income
Not sure how this will happen since I'v never heard of a paycheck for "Most Hours Logged Watching Barney With A Toddler," but I WILL make it happen. So far though Ive got nothing....perhaps I should re-open my Etsy shop? Remember when I was doing that? Did anyone buy anything? I can only sew a straight line....so im a tad limited. (understatement)

Goal #6- Have a Monthly Goal
We think of new goals all the time, so I don't want to limit myself to doing only what I can think of today. Every month I'd like to have a new goal. For February, I'd like to gain 20 more Twitter followers. Are we Twitter friends yet? Well...let's be friends then!

My number one goal in life is to be a great mother for my daughter. My number one wish for her is that she's happy, however she chooses to live her life. Right now, my husband tells me that he's never seen a better mother and never could have imagined how great I would be at this. Right now, Mia is happy, healthy and social. All of my other goals can go straight down the drain as long I as I don't mess these two up. I love them both so much I could just BURST.

Thanks for being part of my 2010! It was an excellent year! Here's to making 2011 even better!

Confessions, Part ll

2011-01-26T14:36:00.001-08:00

The other confession? You know how I pissed and moaned about Mia sleeping in the bed with us and wrote a gazillion posts about how I was going to put a stop to that?

And then I bought that toddler bed and she was sleeping in it, even though it was still in our room? And I made a big huge deal about the whole thing?

Bwahahahahahaha

That lasted for a few days. And now she's back to sleeping with us.

I had to figure out what bothered me most about her being in our bed before I made another attempt at putting her back in the toddler bed. After talking it over with the hubs, it was clear to me that I was most concerned about what my mommy-friends thought and said about it, rather than her actually being in the bed with me.

I was able to let that go and be ok, if not somewhat proud (as weird as that sounds), with it and now I am so much happier and relaxed about putting her to sleep.

You know, my life is a LOT different than my friends lives. For one, I write a blog and I social network a lot to try and keep the blog relevant. No joke, but most of the "friends" I talk to throughout the day are you guys, my online friends, my Twitter followers, and most of all, my fellow Weddingbee gals. I don't know what I would do without people like Amber, Jenna, Kim and my other online mom friends. My 2 closest friends here, New Friend Shannon and RFT, are really amazing ladies, but they don't do Twitter and that stuff (Shannon writes a blog though!) and they have busier lives than me. Shannon has 2 kids and RFT has a full time job.

Mia takes one nap a day, anywhere from 12 to 1:30 for a couple if hours. No set nap time, I just let her go to sleep when she's tired. Sometimes she falls asleep in her car seat, and sometimes in the stroller if we're out and about and that's ok. She sleeps, and I get my errands done. Win/Win. But right now, I'm writing this post while she sleeps right next to me.

If I have a blog to write or some Tweets to read, I can do it while she naps. If I don't have that, then I can lay down with her and watch an hour of uninterrupted TV, read a book on my Kindle or look at the Internet on my phone. Or, the best part- I can take a nap with her. So, there's a win.

The hubs works most evenings, so Mia gets in bed with me. When he gets home, he likes to see her too since he works literally all day, everyday, and 5 out of 7 nights. It's fun to be a family and watch TV and chat, even if she's asleep. We really do like having her in here, as un-relatable as that sounds to so many people.

Once I realized that I was only concerned about what other people thought and not so much about the issue, that's when I decided to say "forget it" and let her sleep in here.

I have to admit, it took a while for me to fess up to my friends about it, but today I finally told RFT- and she laughed at me -but I was fine. I'm the only one fully understands my situation, and to be honest- it's a pretty great one. Mia is snoring really loud right now, but she's happy, I'm happy, and we'll probably do this for a while.

And puleeeezzeee don't give me that BS about how I'm gonna be sorry when she's 10 and still in our bed. I don't believe that or any of the other BS about social issues later in life. I never read (or read into) those kinds of things. You all know thats SO not my style!

There's my confession.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Where's That Jacket From??

2011-01-26T14:09:00.001-08:00

I keep getting asked where this jacket is from, even though I know I Tweeted about it. Why isn't everyone on Twitter with me??!!

It's from Gap and it's called the "moto jacket.".

Funny story about this jacket- The hubs went shopping with us one day and I pointed at it and said how much I loved it, but that it was $298 and I would NEVER spend that on a jacket. My friends even make fun of me because I have major anxiety about spending money on myself, or anyone else but Mia really.

He told me to try it on anyways so I thought "what the hell...why not?" I put it on and immediately decided it was the most flattering and perfect jacket I had ever put on and decided I couldn't not buy it, but I was going to wait until Wednesday because Gap was doing those Wednesday 40% off things.

I forgot to go on Wednesday and then again the following Wednesday and by the time I remembered, it was sold out of my size at all Gaps in Las Vegas. BUMMER. On Black Friday they did 50% off the entire store, so I went at 6am to get one, thinking the one in SAn Francisco area would have it. NO! No stores had one!! I called every store and even the ones in NYC and LA (if another Gap in another state has what you're looking for they will ship it to you for $6) and it was gone.

So imagine how excited I was when I opened a big box on Christmas morning with the jacket inside! Hubs bought it the next day after I tried it on in the store. (love him!) I was thrilled, but I also felt guilty because it was so expensive. I knew it was probably on sale by now and that Gap was offering 40% off sale prices so I tried to find another one and return mine so I could get the discount. I know that makes me sound really cheap, but I am cheap, and so us the hubs which is why I couldn't believe he bought it for me.

I finally told him to just return it because I couldn't justify the price. After he did his best at trying to make me keep it and forget about how much it cost, and I wouldn't budge, he returned it. BOO!

But then on my birthday I opened another big box and there was the jacket again! He found another one in my size and bought it and returned the old one (I never wore it and the tags were on), and the final price was $107!!! I still felt guilty about a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR jacket, but he told me to stop being crazy and to put on the jacket.

And I did and we went to Serendipity and had ice cream.

It's sold out online, but I saw them on eBay for $150 the other day. Just search "gap leather moto jacket."

Thanks, hubs, for being awesome.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Confession Day

2011-01-26T04:29:00.001-08:00

First I'd like to get this out of the way and just tell you so I can release some of the burden from shoulders.... I cheated on my diet last night on accident. But once I realized that I was cheating I kept doing it, which wasn't an accident. Hubs went to 99 Ranch- it's an Asian grocery store and totally too weird for me because they sell fish heads and they have them all out on display like "look at these fish heads" and they want you to buy them and serve them to your family for dinner and NO IT'S JUST TOO WIERD- and anyways he bought some crab and shrimp for us for dinner. He figured it's not carbs so I could probably eat it. I told him I can't have butter or oil and to just steam it, but he used olive oil and fake butter thinking it was the same thing as not having it at all. I didn't eat that much- maybe 10 pieces of sauteed shrimp- but OMG I feel guilty.

Wanna play a game?
Let's play How Crazy Is Mandy?

After dinner, Mandy:
A) complained for an hour about being fat
B) took a dose of Miralax to try and "cleanse" her system
C) drank 3 bottles of water to make up for the dinner
D) called RFT and admitted she cheated because she had to tell someone
E) tossed and turned all night with guilt and then got up at 3am and cleaned the entire kitchen with windex and and 409 and threw away all junk food and leftovers in a fit of rage
F) ha. All of the above and then some

If you chose "F" you win.

I must be crazy. The lack of Doritos and butter has made my system go into shock and now it's rebelling and making me a crazy person. I even read US Weekly's current issue about celebrity diets and decided that this diet was dumb and that I was never going to lose the baby weight and to just schedule a consult for liposuction and call it a day. (And win the lotto to pay for said liposuction.) Ain't that what Betheny Frankel did? The asshole editors thought it would be funny to bitch slap their core audience: the bored SAHM group, and post a photo of Betheny 2 months post birth in a bikini running on the beach. No fat. No flab. No hanging skin. No NOTHING. And where were her NatGeo boobs?? It was a candid shot and not a photoshoot so i dont think it was airbrushed. Thanks a lot US Weekly.

And Miralax doesn't work. I had it on hand for two reasons- 1: Mia was constipated once and the pediatrician said to put it in her bottle (omg constipation issue resolved immediately) and 2: diets make me irregular and my stomach has been in knots for a few days. I took an entire dose and nothing....I don't want you guys to think I have some kind of head issue and that's why I'm taking a laxative. I really do have a poop problem. I'm thisclose to taking caster oil. Anyone ever done that? TMI, by the way. Oopsies.

I'm not going to look at the scale for a few days. No need for depression on top of crazy now is there?!

The beginning of the day wasn't so bad though. I was strict with the diet and I was on the right track. Here's what I ate:

Breakfast: 2 eggs over medium, no salt or pepper. Green tea with Truvia.

Snack: Kefir shake with berries and then a handful of red grapes.

Lunch: taco salad, green tea
Recipe:
1 package of ground turkey - we use Jennie-O Lean
1 packet of Low Sodium taco seasoning
Brown together, makes enough for 4 salads.

Add to bowl of lettuce, fat free cheese, a small dollop of fat free sour cream (very small), tomatoes, onions, green peppers (or salsa)
Sometimes I add a half tablespoon of low carb ranch dressing by Walden Farms. It's not that good alone but it tastes ok in the salad.

Snack:
Steam fresh green beans and roasted brussels sprouts

And then that dinner. F. Why is it that I feel so guilty? Why am I up at 4am writing this blog post about exactly how guilty I feel? It's so hard being the only one in the house on a diet, ya know? Does anyone else do this to themselves?

Ugh. Pity party.

I have another confession. Stay tuned later today because this one is going to make me sound really dumb.

**thanks for listening to my rants

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The 17 Day Diet

2011-01-23T22:07:00.000-08:00

I dont have the book yet, so part of what Im about to tell you might be total lies, in which case you can blame RFT and a bunch of internet sites because thats where Im getting my information.

The 17 Day Diet is the new crash diet Im doing. I LOVE a good crash diet, especially those backed by Dr. Phil. You know it's gold & good when Dr. Phil endorses it, am i right? But the thing here is that its supposedly not a crash diet, but actually a healthy way to "eat clean" and cleanse your body. You're not depriving your body of any nutrients, you're just basically re-programing it to not rely on processed foods or refined sugars. Its similar to low-carb diets in that you're eating lots of lean meats and vegetables, but the difference is that this diet lets you have 2 servings of fruit per day (only before 2pm!!!) and 2 servings of a probiotics (yogurt stuff) per day. When I did the South Beach Diet a few years ago I lost a ton of weight, but I would pretty much do anything for a carb since I wasnt allowed to have any on the first phase.

Thats why this is better. Much, much better. I wont lie and tell you this diet is easy or that you'll hardly notice you're dieting because that's just mean. Especially if you're like me and eat Doritos for lunch on the regular. And, for disclosure reasons, I should tell you that on day 3 Mia was eating a cinnabon and it was all over her face and it was ALL.I.COULD.DO. to not lick all that sugar off of her face and hands. That's like rock bottom, isnt it? Right.

To start things off, you need to know that Cycle 1 is 17 days long.....so there IS a light at the end of the tunnel. Um, also, im not a doctor or dietician or Nutritionist or heck, I dont even go to a gym, so remember that this is just my review....and you should speak with your own doctor before deciding if starting a new diet is right for your own body.

I'm on day 5, but my menu hasn't changed much (only to save money by buying/making recipes in bulk...there are SO MANY easy recipes with ingredients in regular stores, not Whole Foods, and stuff you probably already have). Here's what I'm eating:

Breakfast:
Green Tea w/Truvia (Green tea is very very important on this diet!! Add TRUVIA, not Splenda....get a $1 off coupon on coupons DOT com.)
2 scrambled eggs with salsa....do you like my Cars plate? LOL

Snack:
Kefir shake= 2 cups Kefir Milk, 10 blueberries or any other berry, 1 packet of Truvia

Tips: Kefir is in a regular grocery store, $3.99ish, near the creams/milk/half & half
Only use PLAIN. Not the blueberry or the strawberry.
Go to their website, brand is LIFEWAY, and print a $1 off coupon
You can substitute the berries for a tablespoon of sugar free jam but either way it counts as one of your fruit servings.

Lunch:
Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Green Tea w/Truvia (i usually only use half a packet)

Recipe:

Ingredients

1 baked chicken breast, diced

1 scallion, diced

1⁄2 cup chopped red grapes

2 tablespoons chopped celery

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

2 to 3 Boston or iceberg lettuce leaves

Directions

Mix together all ingredients except lettuce leaf
Refrigerate until chilled
To serve, take one Boston or iceberg lettuce leaf at a time, spoon a heaping tablespoon of the chicken mixture into the center. Wrap the lettuce around the filling.

Makes 1 serving.

I usually make 3x as much so I'll have something to eat the next day. I know you're wondering what the "binder" is, but its just the EVOO. Instead of 1 tablespoon per serving I've been doing 1.5 (i like to live on the edge). Add lots of pepper. I promise this is good!

*Please note: The grapes count as fruit serving #2 so you can't eat this after 2pm.

Afternoon Snack:

Kale Chips

I dont have a good recipe for this, but this is what I used:

KALE CHIPS
4 handfuls of kale (curly or flat leaf)

Rinse and dry in spinner or dry well with towel. Remove stems and tear into bite-sized pieces.

Mix 1 TBS. olive oil with your choice of 1/2 to 1 TBS red wine vinegar OR 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar OR 2 tsp.lemon juice and chopped, fresh herbs. Drizzle mixture lightly over kale in large bowl and toss to coat.

Spread kale onto parchment-lined baking sheet (especially with a teflon coated pan)or use olive oil or non fat spray to prevent sticking.

Bake in preheated 350 deg.F. oven for 20 min

Dinner:

Chicken Vegetable Soup

Recipe:

4 baked chicken breast, diced into small chunks
1 1/2 cups cabbage, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (I used 3 carrots because I like them)
1 okra, sliced (buy in grocery store, I used 5 okra because i like it)
1 large onion, chopped
2 large celery stalks with leaves, chopped
1 15-oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 14-oz can fat-free chicken broth (I used 2 cans)
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Place all ingredients, except chicken, in a large pan and simmer for one hour or until vegetables are soft. Add chicken and heat thoroughly. Enjoy this soup for lunch or dinner. Makes 4 servings.

I added a bit of parm cheese on top for added flavor. Not really allowed...

After Dinner Snack: Yakult

This is my second serving of a probiotic. Can be bought at regular grocery store near the greek yogurt. SO DANG GOOD!!!

Aaaaand, as promised, here's my scale this morning:

You also need to drink 8 glasses (64 ounces, about 4 bottled waters) of water per day. I havent done that yet...I cant seem to get past 5 glasses per day.

Notes:

There are TONS of recipes to try. I went here to find a bunch of people posting the recipes from the book, plus modifications from other recipes to fit this diet plan. Its the discussion board from that TV show called The Doctors. Very helpful!

Id LOVE it if some of you would follow along with me and post in the comments what day you're on, starting weight, current weight and goal weight and any recipes in particular that you like.

For Example:

Mandy, Day 5

141/133.5/127

Ill be posting about this FREQUENTLY. Feel free to ask me any questions about my experience!

Diets Make Your Foot Get Cut Off

2011-01-22T22:34:00.001-08:00

I'm on the 17 Day Diet and I'm cranky. After days of bootlegging the diet info from RFT and this mom of 2, I decided to fork over $30 and buy the book. I'm cheap and I'm not happy about spending that money, but you all are about to benefit greatly from my splurge. I'm going to be posting the recipes and my daily menu (as suggested by the book) along with a picture of what my scale says. As of Monday, the day I started, I was at 141. You know, ok, that's a perfectly acceptable weight for 5'4 and for people that have always been that weight and have clothes that fit that weight. My clothes fit 125. I don't have money for new clothes and I can't buy cheap because it's a waste of money. But so I'm expecting to lose this weight in the next 3 months. That sounds crazy. I know. But I lose weight super fast when I stick to a diet, always have. Aaaand that sounded arrogant. Now I'm crazy and arrogant.

Add to that being hungry and cranky for 5 days and I AM A GOOD TIME. (I love you Snookie's friend Deena.) I'm so cranky from system shock and hunger that I actually told my husband his singing sounded bad and that he should sing a Beatles song for me (SACRILEGE!!!!!...Beatles songs should never EVER be covered unless you happen to be Rufus Wainwright singing "Across the Universe.").

I was about to end this post but then I remembered that I forgot to tell you the story of my foot.

A recipe in the book calls for low carb marinara sauce. Where in the hell do people buy low carb marinara sauce anyways? What is that? But oh guess what...found it in the old people dietary supplement section of my grocery store. I guess old people buy it because it was, swear to J, on the same shelf as Polident and soft vitamin chews.

It was $6 and basically tasted like stale ass in a jar. Take that however you want it.

Just don't buy it, ok?

Today I left the fridge open while I was cleaning it out and Mia got a hold of the marinara sauce and dropped it on the ground. PANIC AT THE KITCHEN!!! Not only was there sauce everywhere on the floor, me, Mia, the fridge, but now there was glass all over the place and Mia and I were barefoot. I made Mia leave while I cleaned up and I mean I CLEANED that stuff up. I even mopped and vacuum hosed it twice.

Here's where it gets dumb.

I stepped on a piece of glass in the process, then I shoved it in my heel even further when I put pressure on my foot. I'm special like that.

I couldn't get it out so I put a bandaid on it and hoped that after a few hours my body would just start rejecting it and it would magically pop out. By the way, I went to the Grey's Anatomy School of Medicine. Classes are every Thursday.

When it kept throbbing and continued bleeding I decided I better get the glass out so I used a nail cutter and sorta cut off a chunk of thick heel skin. That didn't hurt, promise. I should have stopped there, but I proceeded to wedge a metal fingernail file in the hole I created to try and boost the little tiny shard of glass out of there, since it was now dangerously deep. Once the top poked out of my foot I pulled it put with a pair of tweezers and OMG SWEET RELIEF!!

I thought everything was fine since it didn't hurt to walk on it anymore, but now it's throbbing again.

It's probably infected. And will turn gang green and need to be amputated.

All because of this stupid diet.

The scale said 134.5 this morning, but it was a different scale than the 141. I'm gonna meet in the middle and say I've lost 3.5 pounds in 5 days.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Gross Things That Happened While I Was Pregnant

2011-01-20T10:52:00.000-08:00

I just got an email from someone asking me to list all of the gross things that happened during my pregancy, so here goes. This might be TMI, but you already expect that, right?

Here are some of the things I've already posted about. You might have already read them, but some people have't!

The infamous red nail polish incident. (not gross, but embarrassing and ridiculous.)
When Banana Republic became off limits. (Again, not gross, just dumb.)
I was drunk at 9 months pregnant. Really. This happened.
I peed myself in public. THE WHOLE THING.

I wish I had a picture, but I got that awful black line on my belly called Linea Negra and it didnt go away until Mia was 5 months old. In addition, my belly button flattened out so bad that there was no indication that I ever even had a belly button to begin with. Hecka weird.

My feet grew. Not gross, but still sucky. They went back to their normal size 7 months later.

Smelly armpits. I started to sweat so bad when I was pregnant that I had to switch to Dove Clinical Strength deodorant. I would seriously leave work with big stains under my arms. I had a stuffy nose my whole pregnancy so I didnt smell anything, but I'm sure I was stank.

Leaky Boobs. WTF. How do I already have milk? I called the doctor and was like "hi, milk is coming out already am i dying." They laughed at me and said it was discharge of the pre-milk stuff and not to worry...and were probably hoping I would never call again. This was right on the heels of that other thing I called them about constantly.

Maybe that brings you up to speed? I hope there are some junior high school teachers reading my blog, printing this shit out and passing it around to the girls as PROOF that pregnancy wrecks you. I'd love to be a motivational (?) speaker for "DO NOT GET PREGNANT UNTIL YOU CAN AFFORD THERAPY" and then show them how fat I still am, what cottage cheese ass looks like up close, national geographic cover story boobs- dark nips and all, and a bald head. I'm still losing a handful of hair all the time since I gave birth.

Does anyone have anything they want to add? I love hearing your tales of embarrassment and OMG WTF's.

OK GO.

Weekend Funnies

2011-01-17T00:03:00.001-08:00

I turned around for literally 5 seconds and this is what I found:

And guess what? Danimal yogurt drink things don't come out of clothes or Pedipeds no matter how many times you wash or stain treat them.

My BFF Wendy, who also used to be my boss when I lived in Orlando and is, quite frankly, someone I was terrified of for a long time before we become friends, is in town visiting with her 2 year old. Mia has found a boyfriend, apparently.

We've eaten at Serendipty twice, In-n-Out twice, and our favorite restaurant, Chili's (which was a bit of a nightmare with two toddlers that either didn't want to sit down or refused to eat their dinner and wanted to wear it instead. Ok, those were both just Mia and the other kid was really well behaved......) and I think I've gained 6 pounds since my birthday.

Oh well. No better way than by eating ice cream and chili dogs with your beat friend, right??

I'm exhausted. What did you do this weekend? I'm going to do the 17 day diet that RFT is doing. Anyone ever done that?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

GILT GROUPE, YOU A$$HOLES!

2011-01-13T14:34:00.000-08:00

No more $25 for referring friends to Gilt Groupe? OH HELLZ NO!

Boo.

Anyone want to link me to another cool site that offers referral fees? I promise to buy something.

Gilt, Please start the credits again. Please!!! XOXOXO, Your most LOYAL customer, Mandy.

Seriously, I order from them at least twice a month. What gives??

EDITOR'S NOTE: Uh, 30 seconds after I hit "Publish," UPS knocked on my door with these:

In other news: Mia is cute.

Did She Have Acid Reflux?

2011-01-11T23:01:00.000-08:00

The short answer is.....I don't know.

The long answer is.....

I cant remember all the details, but when she was maybe 2 months old she just stopped eating. Like, no breast milk (the little I had left), no formula, no water....just didn't want to eat. I was still feeding her every two hours, 3 ounces per bottle, more if she wanted it, but she got to a point where she would only take half an ounce, if that. I was so worried about her that one night I just couldn't take it anymore and took her to the pediatric ER. A little extreme? Maybe. But I was a sleep deprived new mom freaking out at 11 at night and I needed to know RIGHT THEN that Mia wasn't really sick.

We drove to the hospital and were immediately seen by the on-call physician. He didn't really do anything besides asking a few questions and taking her temperature, but then again, I'm not sure was I expected. Maybe something like "let me take a saliva sample and see if it turns green when I put it in this cup of 'am i sick or not' gel." Nope. It never crossed my mind that she might have acid reflux, and since she wasn't projectile vomiting my brain didn't even think to look it up or ask the doctor. He told us she had something called silent reflux, meaning it burns going down and it burns coming back up, but she doesn't vomit. You can google it if you'd like to get a more "medical-ish" explanation. Anyways, he sent us home with some soy formula and a prescription for Zantac. I guess it was an infant dose.

A few days later we had a follow up with her regular pediatrician, and things seemed to be going well. She was taking more of her bottle, but giving her the medicine was like torturing her. It was gross, as expected, but she screamed whenever we gave it to her, which was the tough part. I mentioned this to her doctor, and he said to just keep trying and to stay with the soy formula if we thought she was taking it better. A couple weeks passed and I didn't see any improvement, so I took her off the medicine. I also took her off the soy and switched her back to regular because soy formula was making her extremely gassy.

SHE WAS A NEW BABY.

OMG. She was eating more and wasn't gassy and was a lot more cheerful during feedings. I have no idea what, if anything, she had, but I do know that she got better as soon as we stopped giving her the medicine. The doctor suggested that we give her rice cereal in her bottle to help keep her food down in case she started getting sick again, so we did. And every other night after that we gave her a rice cereal bottle at bed and she seemed to sleep better and longer, despite all the reports and studies that say rice cereal has nothing to do with babies and sleep.

I guess I should also tell you that my mother-in-law thinks she just needed to be burped better and that I was giving her medicine and taking her to the doctor for nothing....and she told the doctor as much when she went with us to one of the appointments. Looking back, I think she was 100% right.

What's your experience with acid reflux? Any questions? I'm definitely not a doctor, but I can always answer questions about my own experience.

Mia's Toddler Bed

2011-01-06T19:59:00.000-08:00

I'm tired of talking about how she sleeps, and I'm sure you are too, but people have been asking how its going so I thought I would finish the saga of Mia's sleep situation. Read more about it here, and all about it right here.

Now that you're all caught up...

We bought Mia a toddler bed from Wal-Mart for $45 (why it's now $59 i have no idea...) and I was a little skeptical at first. It was super cheap compared to the one at Pottery Barn Kids that I really wanted, but i just didn't want to spend $280 on a bed that she would hopefully only be using for a year. The reviews were mixed, but I figured since it was inexpensive and since Wal-Mart does have a pretty good return policy that I would just order it and test it out. It's actually pretty perfect! Her crib mattress fits right in, which is good because RFT just spent $300 on a new mattress for her daughter's bed and $250 on bedding. I don't have to do any of that because I'm using the crib sheets and quilt from PBK. I really hate spending unnecessary money unless its on something like $6 coffee or $3 movie rentals a few times a month on my iPod. I guess if i wasn't spending $50/month on coffee and $12/month on movies then I could have bought those stupid Uggs.

This is a blurry picture. If you don't like it, take it up with Mia, who dropped my lens that now has to be wiggled a few times before it will take a picture.

We put her bed beside ours and I know you're all thinking how backwards that is, but our house isn't baby proofed yet and I don't want her getting up in the middle of the night trying to stick stuff in the outlets or escape out of the baby gate at the top of the stairs. It's also still a little easier for me at this point to have her in our room because she still cries at about 2am and I'm just too lazy to go get her from her room...blah blah blah. **If I had a VIDEO BABY MONITOR it might be easier to determine whether she's crying because she's mad that she's alone in her room or because she's fallen out of her toddler bed into a big bucket of sharp objects.**

BUT, at this point, she's loving her bed. She literally takes my hand at night and leads me to her bed and says "night night." She also has a hoarding problem. See all those baby dolls? I put them there after I rescued them from suffocation. Mia likes to gather her baby dolls (she has 5) and put them in a pile, one on top of the other, and put the blanket over their heads. Sometimes she shoves them under her new bed. Hoarder! Good luck to the next baby (if there IS going to be one....not so sure at the moment..) because big sissy will totally treat it like a dolly. Also funny? She won't eat a bite of her food until the baby doll eats a bite. It goes baby bite, Mia bite, baby bite, Mia bite; And if i skip baby, she's all "NO MuhMuh! Baby!! Bite!!" like a crazy lady. *MeThinks* she actually does love those dolls though because sometimes in her sleep she'll hug them tight and say "beebee."

I'm hoping to move that bed into her own room in a few months, but you know me. I'll talk about it and hype it up and then never do it. And check back in a few months because I'll probably be reporting that the cheap ass bed broke because she jumped on it and I had to throw it away, meaning she's in our bed again.

I'm just keeping it real, ya know?

By the way, who else's little ones refuse to cover up with a blanket at night? Mia kicks them off as soon as I cover her.

Ice Cream and Birthdays

2011-01-06T02:40:00.001-08:00

For my birthday, all I wanted to do was go to Serendipty at Caesars Palace and eat their Strawberry Fields Sundae. Have you been there? Normally I would have a BIG problem paying $14 for a scoop of ice cream and a slice of cake, but OMG that dessert was worth every penny. We were supposed to go on my actual birthday, but the hubs made me dinner (lemon pasta with shrimp, drooooool...) and I was too stuffed afterwards to leave the house. Plus, I wasn't sure that I wanted to go to a casino in my "buffet pants." Do you have any of those? The pants you wear to a buffet so you can leave still breathing and without a muffin top? That's the number one thing I liked about my pregnancy- every pair of pants were buffet pants!

So we decided to go the next night instead. It was freezing in Las Vegas, so we decided to sit inside instead of our usual table in the courtyard. Confession: (and I can say this because the hubs doesn't read this) Mia and I went to Serendipity a lot this summer for sundaes and footlong hot dogs. So if I was wondering where all of my cash went, now I know. But generally, I'm kind of an opposite food snob and I hate expensive food.

I don't know why I didn't take any pictures of the inside of Serendipity. I was mesmerized by the giant glasses of chocolate and cream, I reckon. But after I devoured my cheesecake and strawberry sundae, it was time to leave because Mia needed to get home to her big girl bed. We're gonna chat about that tomorrow.

I did, however, make the hubs take out his cell phone and snap some pics of me and my favorite little dumpling!

Poor Mia has alien eyes because of the stupid iPhone flash. The flash on this phone is like the worst, right!?

And in front of the valet....

And after we ate. Notice the ridiculously happy grin on my face from the ice cream. Mommy loves junk food!

If you're visiting Las Vegas in the near future, you've got to make it over there! Email me and I'll go with you!

So my birthday was pretty fantastic. Low key, not too fussy, and aside from a small melt down over the phone with my dad about how old i was getting/looking and feeling like I have nothing to show for it (I am still a silly child sometimes I guess), my day was pretty perfect. RFT and I are going to the Beatles LOVE show this weekend and New Friend Shannon is joining us before hand to get a little bit liquored up at Revolution Lounge. Neither RFT nor I drink alcohol, so this should be interesting.....and cheap! NFShannon will have a lot of ammunition to make fun of us at play group.

I promise to bring my camera this time.

Thanks for all of the sweet comments on my birthday, everyone! I really appreciate everyone taking the time to say Happy birthday to a random mommy blogger! ;)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hello 30's

2011-01-02T22:44:00.001-08:00

Yep.

After turning 25 for the last 5 years, I've decided to embrace the wrinkles, saddlebags, and fuzzy slippers and turn 30 today.

I've also started using eye cream and anti-wrinkle cream that I picked up at I'm Getting Old DOT COM.

I bought myself some fancy tshirts at Gap to spice up my wardrobe, and thinking that I was starting to look pretty stylish, I was told by the hubs that just because my new black tshirt has a gold button on the sleeve does not, in fact, make it fancy. He said "if I gave you some more money would go buy some nicer clothes?" I was like "what...now I need a ballgown to go to the grocery store and play dates?" Sigh. This is my life now. AND I LOVE IT! Really though, could life be any more wonderful? I hope I always remember how happy I was on my 30th birthday. ;)

Anyways, back to me and my age. Oh wait- sorry- Kate Gosselin is on that Sarah Palin show. What a waste of oxygen she is. Also, she looks like a stripper on an off weekend when she wears mini-skirts and platform sandals and should really consider firing Britney Spears as her stylist. Rotten weave never looked good on anyone, honey.

But so for my 30th birthday i thought I would reflect on my accomplishments over the years. College degree, husband, awesome baby, had a job at some point, cute shoes, got a TIVO!, ability to BS my way into stuff, danced with Justin Timberlake at a night club. This list could get even dumber (if that's possible) if I don't shut my pie hole right this minute, but OMG let's pause to think about Justin.

That was fun!

I have no idea what, if anything, I'm getting for my birthday, but I do know that this marks the 6th year I didn't get those Ugg boots (classic tall, gray, size 7) for Christmas and the 20-something-th year that I got gift cards that were supposed to be for ME but that I ended up spending on someone else -and now i guess they get spent on diapers. That's a problem I am seeking help for. Do you think since Betty Ford is letting Lohan break free today that they have a spot for a poorly dressed and super complaining mommy person?

No really though, let's be serious.

I'm really happy with where I am and all of the blessings in my life. I complain on here and rant about um, everything, but this is my outlet for brain dumps and to spew nonsense. I love love LOVE my life and my friends and my family and I LOVE my e-friends. You guys rock! I want to invite you all to my house and cook you a delicious Lean Cuisine!

Maybe since it's my birthday you will do one of these things.

1. Follow me on Twitter Clickity Click!

2. Buy something from Gilt Groupe using My referral link so I can get my $25 credit and buy that Juicy crossbody bag. They have Juicy right now! And some super special fancy baby stuff you don't need but should get anyways! LMAO what a lame request. Ignore me.

3. Leave a comment saying hi and telling me how old YOU are and what your favorite birthday has been so far and why.

4. Send me a present. Here's what I want: those damn Uggs (classic tall, gray, size 7), a Clarisonic, a baby video monitor, the IPAD that nobody will buy me even though I've dropped like a bajillion million hints to the hubs (hubs says they are a waste of money and usually I am just as frugal, but F that bc I want it), a big silk flower pin from Etsy, glitter TOMS, something from your Etsy store....;) I'M KIDDING PEOPLE. Sorta.

Oh guess what. The universe threw me a bone and gave me snow on my birthday! Yay life!

And Oh My Gosh. I'm gonna kick Kate Gosselin in her weave if she complains about being cold one more time. YOU'RE IN ALASKA YOU HALF WIT.

Smoocheroos!

For my birthday, I'd also love 1,000 smooches from this little sweetheart.

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Success

2011-01-01T10:57:00.001-08:00

According to dictionary.com, success is defined as "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors."

In the OMG house, success is defined as "the kid can sleep in her own bed and I didn't get kicked in the stomach or wake up to the smell of stank all night diaper pee in my face."

"Night night, mama!" And then she laid down, snuggled her baby doll and her sippy cup and watched TV.

I'm gonna feed her a Lean Cuisine Mac & Cheese to show my appreciation.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Well Now, This Could Work

2010-12-29T21:26:00.001-08:00

After reading yesterday's comments, I took your advice and bought Mia a toddler bed. It's black, wood, matches the furniture in her room and will be here in 10 days. Her crib mattress fits into it so I don't even need to buy another one. Until then, I brought her crib mattress into our room and put it on the floor near our bed, in the corner of the room. No chance of me stepping on her, I don't think, and I put a fluffy pillow between her and the nightstand so she doesn't hit it when she thrashed around like a crazy person in her sleep.

I realize that this purchase falls into the category of "unnecessary baby shit" that I swore I wouldn't waste money on, but COME ON guys I'm not too keen on getting kicked in the ribs and crouching on a 3 inch section on the edge of the bed. I paid for this king sized bed (with my husband's credit card) and I'm gonna sleep in it.

At 8:30 I put her down on the mattress and sat on it with her while we watched Signing Time. When it was over, I snuggled her for a few minutes and she was O.U.T. out.

And hot DAMN she's still down there snoring.

It's a start. So when the bed comes in we will put it in her room and do the same routine. I'll snuggle her (I ordered one that supports 150 pounds-((WTF kind of toddler weighs 150 pounds??)), then quietly move back to our room after she falls asleep. Then gradually stop snuggling her until I can put her down and then let her put herself to sleep. I have a gate at the top of the stairs (we are upstairs), and her room is next to ours. The outlets are all covered (thanks to all of the concerned commented who were SURE Mia was smart enough to figure out how to slick something in them and electrocute herself), the doors to the other rooms are all closed and her room is baby proof-should she decide to get up in the middle of the night.

This is a WIN. Stay tuned for an update on how the night went. We're only an hour in but I'm optimistic.

Gosh, next I suppose I have to lose the mute button, I mean the binky. FML

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NO MORE CRIB

2010-12-28T21:59:00.001-08:00

Something happened tonight.

For the past week, I've been hyping this whole CIO thing (that's mommy-speak for Cry It Out) to try and mentally prepare myself for tonight. Our plane got in late last night and we didn't get home until 11ish, so the hubs and I agreed that last night wasn't the best time to start making Mia sleep in her crib. Also, my dad is in town (YAY MY DAD IS IN TOWN!!) and so ok nobody wants to stay awake all night listening to a baby scream her head off, especially grandparents that are sleepy and not used to a crying baby in the middle of the night.

My dad and step mom are on East coast time so they went to bed at like 6:30, and they said they couldn't hear Mia crying from their room (they are in the downstairs guest room, and Mia is upstairs with us), so when the hubs got home I declared this night to be THE night that we would start CIO.

I put her down, she screamed. I went in there, she calmed down. I put her down again and left the room to do some laundry, but this time she started crying super sad-like and saying "mama" through her tears. It was too pitiful for the hubs to take, so he went in and rescued her. She calmed down immediately, so I decided to try and rock her back to sleep, hoping that if she fell asleep in my lap that I could transfer her to the crib.

She did end up falling asleep, so after 20 or so minutes I got up to put her down in her crib. The rocking chair is right next to it- oh wait, here's a pic:

-so I got up, stepped over the Baby Alive doll that OMG totally randomly says stuff and freaks you out, and put her down. She was awake and crying before her head even hit the pillow!?!

Ughhh no way... "I can do this," I said, remembering all of the Tweets from my friend Amber over the last few days of their CIO struggle. Her baby did it just fine in 4 days and now she's happy in the mornings, and not pissed off at her mom like I suspected babies would be that were forced to cry in their crib.

I let Mia cry this time for 8-10 minutes before something told me to go in there and give her a hug. When I walked in the door I just about fainted when I saw Mia halfway out of the the crib, about to fall out. She had somehow managed to climb up the rails and get her leg over enough an pull her body up and over until she was sort of straddling the front of the crib. Her butt was hanging off the edge, and 15 more seconds and she would have been on the floor. It might not sound shocking, but it's a long drop and would have really injured her. I stood in the doorway and called for the hubs to come in and look at what Mia was doing, while pretty much hyperventilating and unable to move. I get that way sometimes- like in the car when another car is about to pull out in front of whoever is driving or about to hit us, I can't get the words out to say "look out for that car!". I just sort of go on mute and point and grunt. I don't know why I'm like that. Does that happen to you? Anyways, the hubs scooped her up and calmed her down again and brought her into our room to sleep with us.

If you remember, I've said before that he doesn't see a problem with her sleeping with us, but supports my efforts to try to get her to sleep in her own room. But after she almost fell out of the crib, we've decided that since she can climb out that she's too big for it and will continue to sleep with us for the time being.

I'm fully aware that lots of babies have fallen out of the crib and are just fine, minus a few bumps and bruises, but that's just far too much for me to handle and I won't put myself through it. Not now, anyways. She'll just sleep with us for a while an it will have to be ok.

That's ok right?

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HOLY INCREASE, BATMAN!

2010-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:00

UMMMMM Scratch the entire Christmas wish list I posted about a couple days ago.....

I'd like Santa to fund my health insurance for the year. THE DANG THING WENT UP $115/MONTH!! No, its not $115/month. It INCREASED by that much.

Health Plan of Nevada big wigs sure are a bunch of Richie Rich's.

Geez. Why does it cost so much to insure me and a 1 year old?? They increase it because they know i'll pay it, which is a win for them and a FAIL for me.

World-1, Mandy-0.

Rant over. Have to get on a plane now.

Smooches.

Anyone else have a rant for the day? Air it out, bitches.

Update On The Sleep

2010-12-20T21:21:00.001-08:00

I told you the other day that everytime I tell myself that "this is the night that we will make her sleep in her own bed" that I think of an excuse as to why I can't do it. Usually the excuses are lame, but this week I think I actually have a legitimate excuse.

Since we're going to be traveling for Christmas, I don't want to put her (or me) through the torture of crying for a few days, and then making progress only to go out of town where she has to sleep in the bed with us anyways. I'd have to start all over when we got back, right? By the way-the suggestions of having her sleep in a pack and play when we travel is no good because she's way too big for those now. Also, I can't move her crib in our room. We would have to take it apart to get it out the door and I don't see that happening because that's HECKA work! In addition, we would have to train her to sleep alone in her crib while in our room, only to have to just turn around and make her sleep alone in her crib in her own room. I can't be going through that twice!!!??

So anyways, she's still sleeping with us. Wanna know something adorable? Mia crawls over to the hubs every night and sleeps with her head on his chest. In the morning this is what she looks like:

I take the same picture of these two every morning. Same position. Sound asleep. This morning was awesome though because for some reason they both slept until quarter to 10. I guess that's the equivalent of a "Christmas bonus" for the SAHM crew, right?

Wanna know something not so adorable? Mia peed through her diaper in the middle of the night on my side of the bed and I had to sleep in pee sheets last night. I don't make it a habit of changing her diaper overnight, so usually she goes from about 8pm to 8ish am before she gets a diaper change. I think it's time to go up a size in the Pampers.

I mean, sleeping with your 1 year old that kicks you in the face all night and takes up the entire bed (a king sized bed!) while you crouch in the fetal position on the tiny edge that's left isn't fun in the first place, but add the pee sheets and OMG someone just kill me now.

I hope I don't suck as bad at potty training as I have at the sleep thing (and the binky thing, if I'm being honest.).

Also, FU to the email I got from someone who created a fake email address just to taunt me and said that the CIO method leads to brain damage. I told you before that YOU ARE A CRAZY FOOL and that I don't buy that shit, so stop with the helpful hints. Here's a helpful hint from me to you: get a life, asshole. And learn the difference between then and than. Arghhhhh pet peeve.

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All I Want For Christmas Is....

2010-12-18T17:50:00.000-08:00

Everything.

Duh.

No, really....If I had to just pick ONE thing, I think I would want a gift card to Gap. It's my favorite store and its the right style for me. Banana Republic is too fancy for my daily grocery store outing, and Target is just...I'm trying to stay away from Target. I cleaned out my closet and when I tell you I have 2 pairs of jeans, 2 sweaters and 4 shirts left, Im not kidding. I got rid of everything from maternity clothes to clothes I know will NEVER fit again to cheapo tops I've been holding onto from Forever 21 and Target. I am sick and tired of looking frumpy and I think a couple of new outfits might lift my spirits a little. I'm still a girl, ya know? I still get self-conscious when I have to go out in public when I know my clothes dont look good anymore. Just because I'm a mommy doesn't mean I've given up on style.

I know the hubs doesn't read this, but maybe the nice people at Gap might stumble across a random mommy blog and decide to make my Christmas a little brighter. I'd pee my pants if that happened.

Everyone has been asking what Mia wants for Christmas- actually, let me rephrase that- For some reason the hubs' family asked HIM what they should get Mia and he said either diapers or money for her bank account. Glad he ran that by me before telling them. Super glad. However, if they would have asked me, I would have suggested something that would make my life a little easier since she doesn't really understand Christmas yet. Before you start thinking how selfish that is of me, let me explain. For example, I'd really love to put Mia in a sign language class at our multi-gen center next year, but its mega expensive. I think for 8 classes its $200. She really loves watching Signing Time on PBS and the kid picks up sign language pretty fast, so I figured it would be something fun and educational for her to do in January & February. How does that help me? It's a chance to get out of the house. Plain and simple.

Or, like I've said before, a video baby monitor would be awesome so I could start getting her to sleep in her own room. They run about $180, but I would gladly take a used one. I know this is beating a dead horse, but she has GOT to sleep in her own bed if for no other reason than so SHE WONT FALL OUT AND GET A BRUISE ON HER FACE. Anyone reading this want to donate one to OMGmom? I'll send it back!

Wanna know what my secret wish is, one that I'm just way too embarrassed to ask for in real life? I would LOVE a "mother's helper" to come over like 10 hours a month and be my second set of hands so I can get things done around the house. Mia is walking now and gets into everything- today she took all the pots and pans out of the bottom cabinet while I made a casserole, and I let her do it because it was the only thing that occupied her long enough for me to cook-and its getting harder for me to something as simple as running to the grocery store without her getting fussy. Today we left after 15 minutes because she wouldn't sit in the cart and started to cry because she was bored. Here's the thing though, I know we can certainly afford to pay someone $10/hour for 10-15 hours a month to come help me, but I would never spend my own money on something I consider to be such a huge luxury. It would only be a luxury for ME, and I'm just not at that point in my life anymore where I would spend that kind on money on myself.

Now the hubs, on the other hand, I have no idea what to buy for him. I think I'm going to give him a card with a wad of cash. **Wife of the year!** I know he would love to take a trip to Maine/New England this spring, so maybe I'll start saving my airline miles for that. We were supposed to go before we got pregnant and then the baby derailed that vacation! Silver lining- now we get to take her with us! Score. Anyone at Marriott or the likes reading this that wants to send us a gift card for hotel stay??? (Fat chance but worth a shot...)

What are you asking for for Christmas? If you're baby is too young to understand Christmas, will you be getting them anything?

Tweet Tweet

2010-12-16T15:33:00.001-08:00

For those of you who aren't tired of my potty mouth and over-sharing, you can now get OMGmom on your Twitter feed! I'm back to tweeting pretty much everything.

Follow me here.

Say hi so I can follow back!

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The Sleep Situation

2010-12-16T03:51:00.001-08:00

For the 100th time.....

This is getting ridiculous. I get NO sleep at night and nothing done during the day. We've talked before about how Mia co-sleeps with us, and up until now it hasn't been a problem. But now...I'm thinking I did everything wrong and I really wish I could start over. I go back and forth between "she has GOT to learn to sleep in her crib at least for naps, and eventually overnight" and "nahhh, she's fine sleeping in here with us!" and I just can't seem to get it right.

Every night is "the night" that I'm going to buck up and just let her cry it out in her crib, and every night I think of an excuse to not do it. Wanna know my excuses this week? It's too cold in her room, we have to get up early in the morning, I don't feel like taking the bumper off, I have a headache and want to take some medicine to help me sleep and I might not hear her if she cries because she's launched herself out of the crib......and tonight *no joke* it was because I DVR'd The Santa Clause movie and I wanted her to watch it with me.

I take full responsibility for all this, too. I no longer think or say things like "she just doesn't like sleeping in her crib" because I know full well that I did this to her (and us).

Here's how it started- and ABF, I know you are starting to do this and I really hope you won't make the mistakes I made!!! It started out as a way to make her go back to sleep when she woke up in the middle of the night. I would try anything to get her to go back to sleep, and finally the only thing that worked was putting her in my bed. Was she hurt? Sick? Foot stuck in crib rails? NO. She just wanted to snuggle and she learned really early on how to manipulate the crap out of me. Of US, actually. The hubs is SO not a pushover, but he would be the one to go "rescue" her (as he called it) when she cried in the middle of the night 9 times out of 10. For the record, he doesn't see a problem with her wanting to sleep in here with us. He doesn't see what it's hurting and doesn't want to make her upset. Basically, he sees nothing wrong with spoiling her. I spoil her too, but at least I see how it's not the best thing for her. Hubs=total pushover when it comes to the baby.

Besides doing anything to get her to go back to sleep so WE can get back to sleep, we also travel a lot. We don't always stay somewhere with a crib, and since we fly most places, packing up the portable crib isn't an option and I don't want to pay $25 to check it at the airport. Oh lookie there- Another lame excuse. I'm on a roll. So there's that. I think that's logical, actually, but is that just me rationalizing it again?

The last reason is going to sound ridiculous and difficult for people to understand, but here goes anyways. I get lonely and I like her in here with me. Hubs works in the evenings half the week and I think I feel better with her in here. He doesn't have a regular 9-5 job like most of your husbands, so the lifestyle that comes with that (coming home at 6, eating dinner, bed by 10, up at 7) is pretty foreign to me. I prefer it the way it is, truth be told, although it obviously won't be like this for long. He used to transfer her to her crib when he got home, but now that we've trained her to only sleep with us (by us I mean MOMMY), she ain't gonna have none of that mess. Oh no way. She'll wake up and cry and carry on until someone rescues her because she knows my weakness and knows how to work me over.

I want to make her sleep in her crib. I really really do. I promise. I just can't seem to get my act together to make that happen. I know all I have to do is just DO
THE DAMN THING, but it's so, so hard to hear her cry. I feel like she's crying because she's sad and doesn't understand why her mommy doesn't want her in her bed anymore, even though I know that's absolutely ridiculous. I also keep telling myself that when she's old enough to understand what I'm saying to her-in about a year- that it will be easier to reason with her and explain why she has to sleep in her room. Someone on facebook or in the comments here, can't remember, likened it to trying to reason with your drunk friend at the end of the night when you want to leave the bar. That's impossible. (Hi Jessica, remember those days? Valdosta forever!)

I asked for a video baby monitor for Christmas because I think that will make a difference. If I can see her without going in her room, then maybe I'll be more at ease if I know she's crying because she's just spoiled instead of crying because she hurt herself. As it is, if she cries and I go check on her, she will hear me because the door is loud and because of the set up of the room, she'll see me. Once she sees me, the clock starts over and any progress (crying that let's up) gets thrown out the window.

I just don't know what to do, and I don't know if I'm even ready to do anything about it yet. I'm just so frustrated.

I do know this: I have to nap with her or she won't sleep, and at night after she goes to bed, my night is pretty much over. It's partially the reason for neglecting my goal of posting everyday. My computer is downstairs and I hate my laptop. She knows if I get up. And also? She has a bruise on her cheek from falling off the bed the other night because I was asleep and she rolled over to the hubs, who was downstairs making something to eat. She just rolled off the bed, hitting the edge of the nightstand on the way down. My poor baby! Good thing she doesn't go to daycare or they probably would have seriously questioned that bruise. That's the THIRD time it's happened so it's probably time to do something about it. And don't get me started on the bed rails because that doesn't prevent JACK! She would find a way to roll off the foot of the bed if I put the rails on the sides. I'm not going to put a rail on all sides of the bed like we're sleeping in a large adult sized crib, either.

Where do I start? And if this was you at one point, how the heck heck did you fix it (and what was your version of a "fix?") Am I ready to do this? This is when I'm really glad I blog because I can ask for help and you guys don't see the look of embarrassment and defeat on my face. I really need some advice and some encouragement.

By the way, mommy and daddy go to the guest room if we want to be alone. Because I know you're all wondering and want to ask...and have asked many times when I talk about this. LOL TMI? oopsies.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Box Baby

2010-12-10T01:54:00.001-08:00

Someone doesn't understand the difference between a new toy and the box it came in.......

...and I don't think she cares.

Who else has a kid that would rather play in the boxes? She played in that box for a good 45 minutes with her friend Riley and loved every second of it!

Then, I guess she wore herself out...(and mommy was tired, too).

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2010-12-08T03:05:00.000-08:00

I'm about to embark on a short journey where I make fun of crazy mommy group people, and I'm drinking the haterade, so if you can't hang, you might want to come back tomorrow for something more mild.

You all know by now that I started blogging because of all the "OMG I adore being a mom because my baby is such a perfect delight and joy!!!! She sleeps all night since birth!! She never cries!!! I am such an awesome mommy!!!!!!!!!!!" mommy bloggers because I started feeling inferior and needed a place to vent and complain and basically show that you can still be happy and have a good baby even if he/she cries all day and night, spits up on you, has projectile diarrhea on you while in Target (but only if you're both wearing a white shirt), and lives in a messy house with nothing but take-out boxes from the Pho place across the street.

I have a couple of good girlfriends I can relate to who also have kids that are crazy, loud, throw fits, talk back, etc., but somehow I got roped into joining a mommy group page on Facebook with a bunch of gals that are totally weird (and worse, are totally unaware of this fact). One of my best friends is the marketing director for the practice that I saw when I was pregnant with Mia and 2-3 times a week she asks a question in the status on the FB fan page to try and get a conversation going between the moms. Its such a great idea, and I've met a good group of girls that way, which I think is her goal- to bring people together. Some of the questions she's asked are:

Do you bribe your baby/child with anything to get them to go to sleep for naptime or bedtime?

After having kids, do you still put in the same effort to get yourself ready (makeup, clothes, etc), dropped a few things, or just given up entirely?

Finish this sentence: My favorite time of day with my baby/child(ren) is.....

The answers vary between honesty like "of course I bribe them....duh" and "I wish my baby would learn to sleep at night" and cheerleader-ish stuff like "Yay! I love having fun with the baby in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping and we're both up!!"

Those moms are cool. And I'm not talking about any of them here.

But then you get some GEMS like "I don't have to bribe my children to go to sleep because they know better than that!" and "No, I don't think it's right to let your children watch any television at all. We NEVER watch TV because I am a parent that plays with my child." There's like 3 moms that I swear just write answers like that to try to make it seem like they are A) awesome and you should be so lucky to have kids like hers and B) way better than you and you're doing it wrong. Or, maybe they just want to sound ridiculous.

But basically what I'm saying is:

BITCHES BE TELLIN' LIES!!!

Here's what frustrated the crap out of me the other day:

How do you deal with public tantrums from your baby/child?

I usually answer the question and make jokes about how my baby needs to learn how to change her own diaper or work the remote so I don't have to wake up and do it for her, and some people even find it funny....but for this question I knew the answers would be crap like "my perfect child has never thrown a fit." so I had to talk some shit right off the bat. I take the word "tantrum" not to mean "crying" in general, but rather throwing a fit and being overly vocal about not getting their way, or wanting a toy and getting mad when their mom says no. ALL babies cry in the store or at a restaurant, but theres a difference between a baby crying because they're tired or hungry, and basically losing their minds when mom and dad wont buy them something. Mia is a baby and doesn't understand stuff enough to have a tantrum, but she does cry in public.

My answer was :

Mia isn't at the throwing a fit stage yet-it's totally coming though-but I agree with Alicia. Just let them do it and ignore it. Parents who say "my kids know better than to throw a fit in public" are liars and should be slapped for making the rest of us look and feel bad.

Who else agrees with me though that when someone else's kid is throwing a fit or screaming in public you totally don't hear it? If Mia cries in the store it's all I can think about and I feel like all eyes are on me. But if it's your kid- I don't even hear it and it doesn't bother me AT ALL. I think if anything I'm just glad it's not mine and I'm feeling sorry for the embarrassed mommy.

That's honestly how I feel. Stop saying your kid is perfect, because he's not and I don't care if a kid is crying in Target because I'm just glad its not mine. Throwing a fit in a restaurant is different, but the grocery store or Target or something? No. People got pretty pissed off at me and decided they didn't agree AT ALL. One mom even wrote something about how lucky she is that her kids are not the "throwing a fit" type. BITCH PLEASE!!`

I'm really not one for cutting other moms down, but when it starts getting borderline ridiculous like that, you know I can't hold it in. I don't think its even the fact that their kids don't throw fits or they don't let them watch TV. It's the crazy way they talk about it- "there will never be a TV in our house because we are the type of parents that feel like we should interact with our children and they will never be exposed to the internet..." blah blah blah. Do people really feel this way? LOL. Hey lady- a little Barney or Signing Time isn't going to make your kid dumb and nobody is going to lock you up for having a kid that throws a fit. I interact with my kid a good portion of the day, but dude....I need that TV. I get annoyed when Mia cries at the Wal-Mart, but I need my lady speed stick and some tampons and I can't just leave my cart full of goldfish crackers and Cheerios in the middle of the store so you aren't offended when she cries. Get a life.

I think I relate to people better that don't sugar coat their lives. Don't you? Mommy liars are the worst.

Don't Let Me Fool You

2010-12-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

If you just had a baby and you're feeling guilty for being sluggish, or not being productive, or basically neglecting everything in your life besides that baby of yours, then remember this: You're not alone, and you shouldn't feel that way!

This is basically what I looked like for the first 3 months of Mia's life-

Snuggling her (well, she kind of refused to lay under the covers...still does, actually), waking up only to feed/change her or feed or shower myself, clutching my Blackberry and the remote control....

If your house is messy, don't worry about it. Your baby doesn't care. Your mother-in-law wont care. If you have visitors, they'll just have to understand that you can't put on a show for them, getting yourself and your baby dressed up for an hour only to have the baby most likely spit up on you or them. That creates more work. You'll have to undress the baby so she/he doesn't get a rash from the spit up, then you'll have to spot treat the outfit that got dirty. Probably have to spot treat the couch it landed on, too.

It's OK to be unproductive after you have a baby.

It's also OK to think you're doing everything wrong and text message your BFF, work friends, sister, etc., and complain or ask them to bring you some food.

Don't be a hero. Ask for help.

I got an email from a reader/brand new mom saying that she felt like a failure because while the baby is eating or sleeping, she reads new mom blogs. She said the bloggers (including me) totally made it look like we not only had everything under control, but that we somehow made it look like we went above and beyond "under control" and looked like super moms. Honey, I can assure you that yeah, even though I did hair and makeup in the mornings, that I just went right back to bed afterwards. My kitchen was a mess. I'm pretty sure there's still a Medela accessory under my bed from when I dropped it 14 months ago. I didn't invite people over to see the baby.

Its OK! This all passes and will be a distant memory once he/she turns a year old and you start seeing newborns. You'll want another one and conveniently forget how much work it was because that tiny baby is just so precious!

Maybe it would help her if people commented and said something to make her feel better?

3 Hours For THAT?

2010-12-06T00:24:00.000-08:00

AKA Santa Pictures 2010

What in the H possessed us to take Mia to see Santa on a weekend? And also to show up during his snack break? We stood behind the most annoying family ever on top of all that...and also, Mia hadn't taken a nap all day because we're trying this new thing called "make the kid sleep in her own bed cause she's crowding mine." RiDONK.

When we got there we noticed the line was longer than we expected and since Mia was asleep in the stroller, I told the hubs to go stand in it while I shopped. That sort of sucked because on the way there he said I could pick out some new clothes for him to buy for me since I just purged 3/4 of my closet so I could start over with classic/classy, timeless, well made pieces instead of the Target and Forever 21 I've been buying over the last year. I gained weight, then lost it, and now that I'm back down to my original weight (pre-baby), I still cant fit into my clothes. It dawned on me that while I might weigh the same, my hips are wider, some parts are bigger (ass) and some parts are smaller (boobs), so that's why my old stuff doesn't fit. I expect that it will stay like this for some time, so I decided to get rid of all of my clothes, save for a few work suits (in case....ya never know...I might get bored....), some Juicy suits, skinny jeans and pieces Ive bought in the last 6 months. That pretty much leaves me with nothing, by the way. Anyways, I guess the hubs wasn't going to buy me some clothes since he was standing in line. He did, however, notice that Gymboree was across from where we were standing in line and said "don't you want to go in there? There's a sale." I went in and only bought pajamas for Mia, which totally puzzled the hubs since I usually buy more than that, but I guess I *forgot* to tell him that I Cyber Monday'ed the shit out of Gymboree and now she has everything already. Oops.

I don't know where I was going with that.

While Mia slept, Santa came back from his break. Hiya, Santa!

Someone woke up from all the commotion. The kids in the line lost their minds when Santa showed up.

"But Mommy, pick me up."

Making friends with some kids in line. The kid in front had a big scratch on his nose and if his mom hadn't mentioned that he got it before today, I would have seriously bet cash money that my kid did it. She's kind of grabby these days, and combine that with the fact that she for real wont let me trim her nails OMG THEY LOOK SO STANK (bad mommy), she can claw at someone.

Daddy is a sucker and ALWAYS caves when she puts her arms up and says "daddy! up!" She's going through this phase right now where she only wants her daddy. I might be jealous, but then I remember that she reached for me first when she came out. That's right.

She really does have a fantastic dad.

I was super excited when I found this dress in Valdosta, GA with my stepmom. Love the smocking! Gahhhh I want to kiss this baby girl a thousand times.

We finally- 2.5 hours into this- made it into the cottage (by the way- it was the Norman Rockwell cottage. HOLLAH! We fancy.) and waited for our turn. This is when Mia started crying at the very sight of Santa. I would have been embarrassed, but pretty much every other kid under the age of 2 also had a meltdown when they saw the beard and hat, so I did my best to comfort her and reminded her that Santa doesn't bring PB Kids doll houses to little girls that make fuss fuss.

Didn't work. She hated him and clung to her mommy so tight! Mrs. Clause was supposed to be in the pictures, but HELLO did you sit on Santa and his wife's lap when you were a kid? No. No you did not. Weird. The hubs asked the attendant to have Mrs. Santa Clause step aside so we could have a picture with Santa ONLY. Man, looking back we sound hecka rude, but I just paid $15 for an almost 3 hour wait and 2 measly photos of Mia screaming her head off while Santa sits there with a grin on his face like he's just praying that no kids pee on him.

After we were done, the hubs and I decided that next year we were going to see Santa on a weekday, before noon. We had fun though, and Mia looked delicious, so it was a pretty good afternoon.

No Idea What This Post Is About

2010-12-01T21:05:00.001-08:00

To recap my day: An EKG, breathing test, breathing treatment, cold medicine, new inhaler, and a box of Kleenex...so far not a great day. Hopefully the RHofATL can cheer me up.

And NO, the answer is no. LOL u guys. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back to the Thanksgiving post and read the comments. So funny!

Oh wait, forgot to add that not only did Mia have diarrhea this morning that got on my hand when I changed her, but apparently it also got on my arm and I didn't discover it until I went to change clothes and proceeded to smear that shit in my hair. And no pun intended. Gah. And do any of you think I showered and started over? No. I took a Pampers wipe and wiped it off and went on about my business. Hope the tech nurse person at my doctor's office didn't smell it, and if she did oh well- I was probably the least stank person in there.

Now I'm watching some show called Modern Family while I wait for my laundry to dry and this show is dumber than that Glee show. Oops. Did I say that out loud? Well, EXPELIARMIS! to you haters with your guns blazing about that. (dork)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

This Day

2010-11-25T01:23:00.001-08:00

It's Thanksgiving here in the US, and today is the day we will all give thanks for our many blessings. Many families will gather together to laugh and share stories about all of the memories they hold dear, to feast and relax from a long week at a job they are lucky to have, and to remember their loved ones that have gone on to a much better life.

This Thanksgiving, I hope I remember to be thankful for every day that I get to spend with my daughter and my husband, and to not forget how truly lucky we are to have another day with each other. I'll be thankful for the good health of our friends and families, especially that of Mia's great grandmother in San Bruno, CA, and to let someone very special to me that just lost someone very special to her know how happy and lucky I am to have her in my life. I'll think of our friends and neighbors going through rough times and hope that they are enjoying a meal with people that love and believe in them and that they'll see better days in the near future.

If you're reading this, thank you for being part of my day and for taking the time to read and comment on whatever it is I'm writing about- even the mommy rants and complains.

Biggest thanks of all really goes to the hubs for giving me this little girl and for letting me stay home with her. There are just no words to adequately describe my love for her.

XOXO

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The TV and My Toddler

2010-11-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

I was recently on the wrong end of an "observation" about the amount of time I let my kid watch TV and I wanted to talk about it with you so you might be able to help me bitch slap someone for making me feel like a bad mom for a few minutes. Yeah, a few minutes. After that, I started laughing because I thought "UM, does she know how much Mia learned from Baby Einstein? A lot more than her kid, thats for sure."

So I know its bad and YES I've Googled it and have read more than enough on the internet about how television is rotting her brain, she's more likely to be overweight, how she isn't going to be as outgoing as her friend that never watched any television, how Barney is the devil....I did read all of those things. The problem with all of those "articles" is that only one of them actually gave me any sort of statistics from any kind of focus group, and those "statistics" (which were probably half made up) only varied by about 6%. I want to be completely honest (and meanie mommies, i would suggest that you GO FUG YOURSELF right about now), that 6% isnt enough for me to take away the television. I NEED IT.

I don't just sit her in front of it when I'm tired of watching her and I'm not treating it like a babysitter. I just use it to my advantage when I need it.

For example, sometimes she watches The Polar Express while she eats breakfast. I downloaded it, along with some episodes of Barney, on my iPhone for when we travel and I noticed that it holds her attention long enough for me clean and refill the sippy cups for the day, wipe down the counters, clean up after making her breakfast and eat my own breakfast before she starts getting antsy wanting to get down. That's about 20 minutes. No big deal.

Then, probably somewhere around 11am, I let her watch for another 10 -30 minutes so I can fold laundry or do some other chore. The television sometimes stays on during the morning even if we are playing with a toy or I'm reading a book to her because of the background noise. She's not really watching it, but its on.

The hubs is home most mornings and watches her so I can take a shower (hair, makeup....I do both everyday without fail because Im a *smidge* vain), so that's time away from the TV, but on the mornings when he has to work, I put her in her crib with some toys and turn on either Baby Einstein or this Canadian show called In The Night Garden, which has been accurately described by my friend Kasia as "what the world might look like if we all ate the magic mushrooms." Thanks, Auntie Rachael for the DVD! She's not at the point yet where I can just close her in her room or let her wander free while I shower, so confining her to her crib is my only option, and she likes the TV for noise, even though she doesnt really watch it. She mostly likes to play with her wooden train from Grandma & Grandpa Farm or hold her baby doll.

I know some other SAHM's do it "better" or whatever that means, and can go the whole day without turning on the tube, but how do they shower? How do they fill the time in the 16 hours that you're awake with a baby that doesn't have a vocabulary big enough to talk back to you? I'm all for trying something new, but OK that TV totally helps me out. It doesnt do my job for me, but it helps.

I think she's learned a lot from those Baby Einstein DVD's and you should see how happy she gets when she hears the Barney theme song. She starts dancing and tries to sing along, and she totally sounds like she's understanding the notes and melodies. We also have the My Baby Can Read DVD series, and she loves when the little boy comes on and says "Hi." I really think thats how she learned to say Hi, Bye, and wave her hands. Her favorite movie to watch in the car (if I turn on the DVD player while I'm running errands- it's probably really boring for her back there strapped to her seat!) is Alvin and The Chipmunks- the new one with Jason Lee. LOVES IT. Weirdo.

I think if I added it up, she gets about 1-1.5 hrs a day of TV, but sometimes she gets zero. That's probably too much, but sometimes I need the "assistance." I'm OK with it. She's smart and probably a little too outgoing and has a vocabulary of 10 words right now, which I'm told is pretty advanced for a 15 month old. She understands about 5 signs and knows where a few body parts are (and points to them, so cute), and she can fetch things for me- Like, if I tell her to give me the book, or the diaper, or her cup, she knows and understands and brings me the correct thing. Harvard should totally let her in as the first toddler to matriculate. Just sayin'.

So there it is. Come on, it's not like im letting her watch 16 & Pregnant. And GUESS WHAT- I'm no longer feeding her Kraft Mac & Cheese or bites of my Lean Cuisine. Can't say she's eating organic tofu with wheat grass juice or playing with all wood toys from some stupid tree in the rain forest jungle....but she's happy and THRIVING.

Does your kid watch TV? No? You should try it because its awesome.

Well Hello & OMG You Guys Are Funny

2010-11-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is Mia at her dance class. She loves music and dancing, so I signed her up and we go once a week. Of course, she's the cutest and the teacher's favorite because she follows her around and always wants to give her kisses...my sweet baby.

Sorry, lens issues....

She's also a little bossy and likes to....."help".....

And then she likes to tell the teacher girl things like "yo lady, you aint even reading it right. Let me do it for you because the kids are getting bored and starting to drop off.." And then says "you're welcome."

But isnt that dress cute? I do sometimes just want to eat her. Thanks Jadie for the adorable outfit!!

I don't know if you guys ever read the comments on here- OK, im telling you RIGHT NOW that that's where it gets interesting-but on this post people started getting a little too asshole-ish and bitchy for my taste so I started deleting comments. Then someone came back and apologized and then some of yall started attacking each other. CRAZY. It was hecka entertaining though, so thanks for that.

I'm OK and everything is great, I was just taking a break. I love that a couple of people wrote me and said they hoped I was ok. How sweet is that??! Truth is, Im just TIRED. Like, sleepy. Mia goes to bed and I usually fall asleep with her and I dont feel like getting out the laptop to blog...I guess that also makes me lazy, but lets go with tired.

Mia is doing a couple of new things, but today she bit me and I screamed in reaction- not because i was mad at her or because i was screaming at her- but because my kid has some chompers and it hurt really bad. Then, she looked at me terrified and started to cry and now I feel like a horrible person. To make it up to her, im currently letting her watch Barney on DVD, even though I had decided to ban TV watching because I was feeling like a bad parent for that.

We're going to talk about that tomorrow, so get your ammunition ready because the comment section will most likely go ape shit and some of the meanie mommies are going to bring out their super frigid/constipated attitude after reading it. Oh well. Love them for that.

WASSSSUUUPP BITCHES!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-08T09:20:00.000-08:00

This is a late posting, but I wanted to share our Halloween pics. Mia dressed as a skeleton, just like she did last year when she was a newborn! Granted, this isn't a "real" costume since it's just pajamas, but I just know that if I spent $30 on something with a hat or wings or something like that that my kid wouldn't keep it on, and I didn't want to waste money. Total cost for the "costume" was $6!

The pumpkin hat, socks and shirt are a different story and were not $6. Oh well.

Te hubs and I took Mia to an outdoor shopping area since none of the kids on our street Trick-or-Treat. It was way too crowded for us, so after a couple of dark chocolate lattes and a photo with Penn from Penn & Teller, we left. It was so crowded that it took us 2 hours to out of the parking lot, when normally it would have taken about 12 minutes total to get back home. Definitely won't be doing that next year! Halloween was great though and I loved spending time with my little family. The Christmas decorations are going up next week! Yay!

I haven't been around lately because I am working on a few things that haven't left any time for blogging, much less leaving the house. Mia has been going to bed a little bit later, too, and after she finally falls asleep I'm just done.

A few things though-

1. We are going to SFO this week to go shopping at a big Janie & Jack sale, which is EPIC and I can't wait to tell you all about it. I have to say a huge THANK YOU to my sweet friend, Jade, for letting us know about the sale!

2. I want to post about my favorite Thanksgiving dish, so be getting yours ready to post as well on your own blog so I can feature some of you guys!

3. I bought a new pair of jeans in a size 6 and I'm totally on a high about that.

Lens Issues

2010-10-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

My sweet daddy bought me a Nikon D40 a few years ago so that I could take better pictures for my WeddingBee blog, and along with the camera and the kit lens, he also got me a slightly fancier lens: 55-200mm f/4-5.6G. When I was pregnant I was trying to take a picture of my belly in a shadow outside and dropped the stupid thing while attaching it to my camera. FAIL. I think it was like $250 too...It still takes pictures, but they're blurry and sometimes the zoom out thingy gets stuck.

I want to buy a new lens. I plan to keep my trusty un-fancy D40, but I want a really good lens. My friend Heather always posts the most lovely photos on Facebook and on her blog, and I'm sure she has something super fancy in her camera bag, and I always get jealous of her camera skills. I know from talking to Jenna that I don't want a prime lens (because they dont zoom, right?), so if anyone has any suggestions on what I should get, leave them in the comments. I like the photos that show a whole room in the background, kinda blurred out, but the subject right up front and sharp.

Maybe you have one you want to sell to me?? While we're on that, maybe someone has a copy of Photoshop they want to sell as well....I use Lightroom right now and I like it, but I want to get a bit more creative.

AND THE BIG QUESTION: I want to move to Wordpress. Does anyone want to design a template for me in exchange for 6 months of free advertising?? =)

Here are a couple of pictures of Mia from this morning after our first "Mommy & Me" type dance class. I know she's wearing a sour puss, but she loved it. I'll blog about it in a couple of days.

Maybe I should create a forum for buying & selling mommy/pregnancy/baby stuff. Who would be into that?

I Do It My Way

2010-10-29T00:11:00.000-07:00

My sister knows everything. Seriously, she should have been a child psychologist or a pediatrician because she always knows the answer to every crazy question I ask her. Sometimes I even call her before I call Mia's doctor. She always laughs at me because as soon as she says "hello?" I unload something that sounds like this:
"Mia has a rash on her torso and Im not allowed to Google it and she had diarrhea the other day and a fever so what is it and HELP! because she wont stop crying."

You know, the doctor is great and all, and you should really call them with a real problem, but sometimes its best to get answers from your big sister. She has a 14 year old, so I'd say that just the fact that she's gone 14 years without losing her shit qualifies her for some kind of medal. I called her the other day because Mia is going through a temper tantrum phase. I'll tell her "no" and take something away from her (such as the iPod she took out of the dock, or the DVD she took out of the DVD player), and she just throws herself on the floor and screams. SCREAMS. Oh My Gosh. The kid is testing me or something because after she screams for a couple of minutes, she crawls over to me and puts her arms around my neck and sobs and then I find myself apologizing TO HER for saying no in the first place.

UM. What the hell? I'm totally getting PLAYED. In my defense though, she's super adorable and I can't stand to hear her cry because it breaks my heart. I know it sounds cliche, but as soon as you know that they can comprehend that you're mad at them, and they cry, as opposed to them being babies and crying about whatever it is they're crying about, you find yourself feeling terrible because it feels like it's your fault that they're sad.

So I asked my sister how I am supposed to discipline her without being "mean mommy" or doing this whole thing wrong and feeling like I'm going to ruin my kid and she goes "well, let's see.....Landon is 14 years old.....so as soon as I figure that one out, I'll let you know."

She's so right. There's not a "right way" or a "wrong way," there's only the "this is how I'm doing it right now because its the best I can do" way (Or maybe the occasional "aww hell....I'm gonna regret this later but right now I need a quick fix because I'm going to lose my shit in 3 seconds"). Sometimes you make the wrong moves and everyone knows it. Sometimes you do it right, and nobody notices. Sometimes you stay up all night questioning your decision to let your 14 month old co-sleep because your friends made you feel like an asshole for it, and sometimes you snuggle her and think about how wonderful life is with your baby girl sleeping next to you.

You can't win. I've decided that I can't win, so I'm taking myself out of the competition. I'm going to let Mia watch Barney and Signing Time in the morning so I can sleep late, even though the mommy people say that TV is bad bad bad. I'm going to let her sleep with us because she's just the best little snuggler in the world. I'm going to let her eat ravioli from the can once in a while because I'm too lazy to make organic tofu. I'm going to buy her a $58 dress and matching accessories while I wear a $10 waffle tee from Gap with a hole on the sleeve even if you tell me that I am being wasteful. And I'm going to let her throw a fit and know that she's just testing me, but still hug and kiss her afterwards so she knows how much I love her.

I'm going to do a million things that Dr. Sears and the mommy community would make me feel like a failure for, but I'm going to know that I am a great mom and that I'm just trying to do my best. Mia is happy, I am happy and my husband thinks I'm the greatest mom ever.

And when the hubs is in charge of dressing her and puts her in a pair of purple leggings with a pajama t-shirt and yellow socks, I'll try to relax and be grateful that I have a husband that helps me. Actually, that was a lie, but I'll work on not being huffy about it while I immediately change her clothes.

*All Photos By The Cohens.

How about you guys? Anyone else want to take themselves out of the bullshit competition and just be the best mom to their own baby without worrying about what the mommy people (and family members with opinions about EVERY EFFING THING) think?

Fashion Needs

2010-10-26T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have no style and that's OK. Mia always looks awesome and the hubs, well, he's just gorgeous. I, on the other hand, have a TON of clothes that looked good pre-baby, but just aren't appropriate anymore.

Normally it wouldn't bother me, but the hubs wants to take me to New York in a few weeks to go Christmas shopping and just hang out and have a vacation, and you KNOW I can't be showin' up to no New York City with yoga pants and a scrunchie.

I wanted to buy some Uggs, but Gilt Groupe had these today for much cheaper:

I like the color and the height, but I don't know how well they'll hold up in the weather.

And, like any regular day, while I was shopping for myself, I ended up finding a million things for Mia instead. Today they have Converse sneakers and some children's books. There goes my shopping budget for the month.

In other news, I gained 2 pounds while I was in San Francisco because I ate pancit 5 days in a row.

Today.

2010-10-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

So my post from yesterday.....I loved reading the comments and I actually didn't have to delete any of them, which was nice. But lets talk about that for a second- the comments. I delete them if they're mean because, well, its my blog and who cares if I really only like to keep the comments that have nice things to say? I don't need the negativity and I sure don't need to display someone's worthless abuse on MY blog, right? Haha..its almost comical that some people think I'm strange for deleting them or cant understand why I would wouldn't want harsh words staring at me on my blog? Isn't that silly?

Anyways. Ok. It was a hard decision, but I let the hubs take Mia with him to California. Let me just explain why exactly I had a hard time with it though. I noticed a trend in the comments and the people that said "go for it!!" often followed it up with "i don't have kids yet," and the people that said they would have a hard time with it as well said they had a little one of their own. Which is fine and great and everyone can do what works for them or whatever they feel is best for everyone in their circle. The people that honestly could not understand why i would have a hard time with it are not in my shoes, and NO, its not because they don't have a baby yet. Lots of women that have babies would be ecstatic if their husbands wanted to take the baby/kid/kids for an overnight visit by themselves. Everyone has their own style of parenting and their own personality and approach and dammit, OK, I get that I'm a helicopter and I micro manage the BEJEEZUS out of EVERYTHING and everyone, but for us and our family, I am the main care giver.

We don't have family close by us in Las Vegas, so we don't have a grandma or an aunt or cousin to come babysit or hang around the house and lend a hand. We have friends, but they all either have their own children to worry about or they are honestly not the parenting type (and I say that with an enormous amount of love for them). I'm at home with Mia while the hubs works an insane amount of hours not only on his fun job, but also on our own personal business ventures and his other jobs. He takes her on Sundays after church and they spend time together while I get things done around the house, or go shopping, or get my nails done or just relax and look at trashy TV that OMG is totally rotting my brain and I am obsessed with freaking Teen Mom and ok...now apparently I am ADD and going off on tangents. But, like most families, I am the main parent and he helps out whenever he has a free second/minute/hour/afternoon/day when he isn't working to put food on the table and a roof over our head. He's pretty awesome and we are so lucky. I know I have friends who say things like "we do this 50/50!!!!!" but sometimes that's not realistic if the dad works and the mom doesn't. I hope someone can understand and relate to what I'm saying here. I also think it's perfectly OK if the mom does 99% of it, but that's just my opinion.

As a result of those things, and from not really being the type to say "I need alone time" and get a sitter to be able to do everything I did before I had a baby, Mia and I are pretty much together all day, everyday. She sleeps with us (don't judge! I love it and we'll co-sleep for a long time and THATS OK!), so she's also with me all night (quite often though, we do transfer her to her crib and she doesn't mind it.). So for me to just go "yeah sure! awesome idea!" when the hubs suggested it was just not going to happen.

I thought about it awhile and read the comments telling me I would be ok (we all know Mia would be very well taken care of and the hubs would be wonderful), and I decided to just do it. I want to say I ran through a quick little list of reminders for him, but I can't because it's hard for me to give up control. I gave him a 2 page document with rules, reminders, a sample schedule, a complete list of medications and dosage info should she need Tylenol or Teething Tablets or butt cream and a list of what was in the diaper bag (milk, food, change of clothes, diapers, wipes, infant Tylenol, toys, binky, napkins, picture of mommy). I have to micro manage because I'm used to having a job and being in control or in charge or something or someone, and going from doing that for roughly 12 years to not working at all and spending my day with a baby who doesn't talk back, is actually pretty difficult. I'll micro manage anything! Sad.

Today was a really hard day for me not because I doubted the hubs' ability to take care of her, or because I thought Mia would be in any kind of danger, or be sad, or scared, or not cared for, but because I have never been away from her like this. I don't know who I am or what my purpose in life is without her. It sounds lame like I should get a life, right? I know. But the last time I was alone, like really alone without responsibilities, was April of 2009 when I was pregnant and the hubs had to go out of town. It's weird, ya know? On top of that, I felt really guilty for thinking things like "it's gonna be great because now I can run a ton of errands without having to get her in and out of the car seat!" or "now I can go to lunch and enjoy my meal." I felt guilty today while I enjoyed my frappucino. I felt guilty when I was having a good time shopping for new shoes. I felt guilty for laying in bed and getting excited that I would be able to sleep in tomorrow morning.

I tried to keep busy today, so I went to Caesar's Palace and drove up and down the strip a few times listening to Macca, GaGa and Jay-Z.

I inhaled a Pumpkin Spice Frapp-

I drove past the Tom Ford store and I DESPERATELY wanted to go in, but it was raining in Las Vegas (how fitting..) and I didn't feel like going through the whole valet/parking/walking thing.

Went to Paris! By the way- that restaurant in the Eiffel Tower is really good, but the portions are too small for how much they charge.

Not sure what possessed me to buy these, but I did and it was NOT good AT ALL. Bacon and chocolate? Put me down for a "no" so I can save that $12.50 next time.

And then, after a morning of crying (and now a day with puffy eyes), I took this picture to send to the hubs for Mia. He said she looked at it and smiled and said "baby." She calls me that for some reason. How cute is that!?

So I mean, yeah, its hard and today has not been the best day of my life, but its not as bad as I thought it would be. Ive called them a bajillion times (ok, like 7 times) and Mia has had a great day with her grandma and great grandma and aunts and cousins, so I feel better knowing she is in such good hands. Everything is fine.

I did eat a big piece of cake for dinner though because I eat my feelings.

I'm Here But I'm Freaking Out

2010-10-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

HI everyone. I'm still around. My blog had a bug and I had to delete all of the recent posts I posted with my iPhone using Blogpress. I have the new iPhone and I read online that there is an issue, so I encourage you to delete that app and download a new one if you use it.

Mia and I are going to California this week and we might go to NYC in a couple of weeks. I'm going to continue blogging, but there are a LOT of changes happening with this thing. Im finally leaving this crappy Blogger platform and going over to Wordpress as soon as I can figure out how to fix all of the bugs. Over at Wordpress I can block the people that hate their lives so much that thay have to spam the crap out of a random mommy blogger, so I won't have to worry about them anymore.

I did quit Twitter though. I'm going to get a new one, but there will be no more Formspring. Ever. Like, NEVER EVER again. Facebook page is still only for the 20 or so people that don't use email like the rest of the world..plus a few people I like to FB stalk.

I'm sort of having a nervous breakdown right now over our upcoming San Francisco trip though. Its a long story on how our flights weren't booked on the same day, but the hubs is flying out the day before Mia and I were supposed to go and he wants to take her with him. LIKE on a PLANE by HIMSELF without MOMMY. I'll be there the next afternoon, but OMG. At first I said HELL to the NO, but I think I'm going to end up letting him. I have to go to Jacksonville in June for my friend's baby's birth and I can't take Mia, so this would be a god practice for everyone. And when I say "everyone," you all know I'm really only talking about myself, right?

The hubs is seriously the best dad (besides MY OWN DAD!!!), and is more than capable of handling her for 24 hours without my help, but I'll miss her so much.

My friends have weighed in on this. New Friend Shannon thinks its a great idea because Mia and I are way too attached to each other. RFT thinks I'm crazy and said she would NEVER do that with her hubs and baby. I'm sure I'll get some opinions here too, so go right ahead.

My husband is BEYOND excited, though, and it's making him really happy that he might get to take her with him. I want to say yes just because I know how happy it would make him, and like for real- he goes out of his way to make me happy every single day. I sort of owe him one.

But anyways. Hi. I'm still here. Mia is still the cutest baby ever. I still have lots of mommy issues. I'll blog about them if you'll be nice. Is that a deal?

Am I freaking out over nothing? Would you let your husband take your NEWBORN ANGEL BABY on a flight to California for the night by himself without the mommy??

Plans Tonight?

2010-10-08T00:27:00.000-07:00

It's girls night, and that means Mia and I are going to chillax at home with frozen yogurt and a movie. I was STOKED when Disney announced this movie was coming back to DVD and was available for purchase because this was my favorite movie as a little girl!

Beauty and The Beast!!

Last night the hubs took Mia and I to The Carousel at Green Valley Ranch and then for pizza at Settebello. The carousel was a ton of fun and Mia loved riding with her daddy (I stayed on the sidelines and watched) and then we all dined on artichoke and prosciutto pizza. Well, Mia threw the bread sticks off the table and tried to eat her crayons, but I think she was having fun. She's a bit of a terror at restaurants. Today we went back to The District (Outdoor shopping area at Green Valley Ranch Casino) and met up with New Friend Shannon and her kids for lunch at Elephant Bar. While her kids were nice and quiet and sat in their highchairs without trying to escape, Mia had to sit in my lap (tries to escape from those) and climb on the table and try to eat the crayons again. At the end of the lunch, she dumped over an entire glass of ice water into my lap. Awesome. I was really embarrassed, but New Friend Shannon told me it was ok and was kind enough not to laugh at me. After that, the hubs and Mia spent the afternoon together while I went and got my hair colored back to dark brown. Great day!

Girls Night is going to be a blast. I love my girl and I love snuggling her!

Forgot to mention- Bride/BFF is NOT MAD at all. Not even one bit. She's my best friend and knew it took a lot for me to stay home. She thinks it's funny that so many people thought I was a bad friend and wants to say thank you to all the people who had kind words for me. It really was an awful situation and my nice blog friends made me feel better. =)

Embarrassed Together

2010-10-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

ITS FREAKING EVERYWHERE!

Mia is 13 months old and is super awesome. Really, she's perfect. I love everything about her even her temper tantrums.

But here are some things she does that I should be embarrassed about (apparently):
She sleeps with her binky and she needs her binky after every bottle.
She sleeps with me and the hubs.
She takes a bottle.
She doesn't have a set naptime and I let her fall asleep whenever she feels like it. Usually when I'm also ready for a nap.

I guess we can stop there. But you know what? None of those things bother us. I like snuggling her at night, I like taking a nap with her and the doctor says not to be concerned about the binky until 18 months.

But dang if it doesn't bother, like, everyone else! Even strangers!

Wanna commiserate together? What does your child do that the world thinks you should be embarrassed about? Hey, listen- trust me....if Mia was older then 13 months, that list would be longer. But for now, those are the things people get all bent out of shape over. I think people love reading comments/blog posts about this kind of thing because it makes them feel better about their own situation...and I am no exception.

So, share with me!

I Cook. Sometimes.

2010-10-06T21:55:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I didn't take pictures, but if you're wondering what we had for dinner this week, we had this chicken dish, and I also made this one.

Both were posted by my friend & fellow Bee, Stephanie, aka Mrs. Hydrangea. If you want some easy recipes that are made with stuff you have in your fridge and you can pronounce every ingredient, go to her blog. And she's preggers and super adorable. You'll like her, I guarantee it.

How To Lose Friends And Alienate People

2010-10-05T22:39:00.000-07:00

"But, why couldn't her husband take off work and watch Mia while she went to Nashville alone?"

We were supposed to leave for Nashville on Southwest Airlines on Saturday morning, getting us to Nashville in time for the rehearsal that night and my best friend's wedding the next evening. If you've been reading for the past month, you know that I've been looking forward to this wedding for a LONG time. I got all new clothes, got a good haircut, went on a diet, bought new stuff for Mia to wear, and even bought a bunch of maternity clothes for Bride BFF (who is preggers!). The hubs even got Mia the cutest little Burberry dress to wear to the rehearsal. Fancy! We were stoked! Our bags were packed, cash had been dispensed from the ATM, our plane outfits were laid out (on planes, put the kid in something without buttons or snaps for easy diaper changes like leggings and a tunic), we already took our baths the night before...We were ready.

On Friday (the day before we were leaving), Mia and I started feeling really bad so I texted my friend that Mia was vomiting phlegm and tugging on her ears. She also had snot running from her nose to her mouth, which is never a good sign. I, myself, was already on the verge of not being able to breathe out of my nose and my throat was on fire, but that really didn't give me any cause for concern because I can tough it out. I WOULD tough it out, I told myself. I don't matter. So, let's just take ME out of the equation.

Mia was vomiting, crying (Did I say crying? I meant screaming.), wouldn't eat, wouldn't drink milk and had the worst diaper rash I have ever seen. Did you know there aren't meds for infant colds? Its not like I could give her a Sudafed or a cough drop. I was getting worried, so I called the nurse at the pediatrician's office to see if I should bring her in. When she called me back, she said all of the signs sounded like a combination of teething and a cold and that I should just keep her hydrated and comfortable. OK? I know you're thinking "Why didn't you take her to the doctor???!!" but, let me tell you- Ive made that mistake too many times- taking the baby to the doctor for a cold, when all they tell you is she will get over it and give her Tylenol if she's uncomfortable. She's never been sick enough to warrant a prescription, and I honestly felt like this was the same thing. By this time it was 4:30 anyways and I figured she would be fine and we would fly out the next morning....no problems.

Hey, guess what? Babies only get sick after hours and on weekends. Doesn't it always seem that way, anyways? By midnight, Mia still hadn't gone to sleep and was really getting sick. She finally fell asleep at 2, but I was awake because I couldn't lay down because of the whole not being able to breathe through my nose thing, so at 4:00am I decided to take a shower, get ready and just pray that everything was going to work out. About the time I got out of the shower, Mia woke herself up coughing and then vomited on me again, worrying the hubs that putting her on the plane was not the best idea.

I was freaking out. It was 4:30ish and our plane was leaving at 9am. I basically had 3.5 hours to figure something out so that Mia could either stay home with the hubs, or change my flight to get in later in the day. Here's where it gets difficult. The hubs HAD to work and there was no getting out of his job that day. Long story, but he COULD NOT miss work, meaning if I was still going to get on that plane that I would need to fly my MIL in from San Francisco like, right then, to babysit. I do have friends that could babysit, but they all have children and I didn't want to put them in that situation- exposing their kids to my kid's germs. Well, there were no flights to get the MIL here, so I got on the phone and tried to change my flight to later that day. Nope. All sold out. Sunday not an option either because I wouldn't have gotten there in time for the wedding. OK....

So, I got on Delta's site and found a flight that would put me out later that day for $486 one way, but missing the rehearsal. I want to tell you that I bought it. And, looking back, I should have, but $500 after taxes is a LOT of money for a one way flight when I had already purchased another ticket. Let's not forget that I would still have to fly my MIL in, which would have been another $200. I SHOULD HAVE DONE IT.

But do you know how hard it is to leave your baby and go out of town, on an airplane, BY YOURSELF, for a weekend when you've never so much as let someone else put her to bed at night since she was born? How about add into the mix that she's sick and tugging at you to hold her and crying all night for her mama. There was just no way I could have left her. I want to say that, for the record, I did seriously consider leaving Mia at home and going alone and partying with my girlfriends, but reconsidered after I broke down in tears mid-sentence when I was telling said plan to the hubs about a month ago. If I couldn't even say it, how was I going to do it?

I had no choice, really. I had to stay home. My baby was sick and putting her on an airplane for 3.5 hours would have been cruel. Her eardrums could have burst from the cabin pressure and altitude, and we would have spent the entire weekend in the ER in Tennessee missing the wedding anyways. I am almost certain that would have happened. So after going over everything in my head about a dozen times, and crying to my husband that I was a terrible friend, and calling my dad at 5am crying to him too, I decided that Nashville just wasn't going to happen. You should know that if it was just me, and I didn't have a baby to think about, I would have gotten on that plane even if I was vomiting blood. But, with me being sick and the baby being sick, there was just no other way but to cancel and stay home.

I can't tell you how many times I cried that day and the next- pretty much everytime I thought about what my friend was doing, and how much I was sure I was hurting her-and I still feel like f I had more time, or if the peak of our sicknesses had come just one day earlier, that we would have been in better shape and could have toughed it out. Luckily, my friend is very understanding and said it was OK and that she understood, which is great- but I still feel like crap. Worse than crap, actually. Both physically and emotionally.

The bottom line is, when your baby is sick, you just can't leave them and you must alter your plans. Sometimes that means staying inside all day instead of running errands, sometimes it means cancelling your playdate, but SOMETIMES it means not getting on an airplane to go to Nashville to your best friend's wedding. Motherhood is unpredictable (which is the understatement of the millennium), and there will be times where you're forced to choose between your kids or your friends/work/everything else, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that choosing your child and their best interest is always going to win out.

And in the process you'll probably lose friends and alienate people.

I hope this has answered some of your questions. I would NEVER just go "ugh, meh, dont feel like it. Nose running. Tired." It took a LOT for me to make this choice, and she has to know that after 12 years. Im really sad though becuase I really wanted to be part of her day. To semi make up for it though, I had some $60 cupcakes delivered to her hotel room before her wedding. Turns out, the bakery I ordered them from, Dulce Desserts, is actually her favorite place EVER, so I won a lot of points. Big thanks to the owner, Juanita, for listening to my sob story and personally delivering the cupcakes within the hour.

And, please- excuse the typos because there's about 4 different medications running through my system right now and I'm so incredibly exhausted from lack of sleep over the weekend. I'll be responding to comments today.

Swan Creek Boutique Winner

2010-10-04T22:09:00.000-07:00

Something funny happened....I was going to pick a winner using the random number thing (and if you got extra entries, you got some extra numbers!) and Mia was beating the crap out of my computer and hit the "enter" button right after I put in the numbers. It gave me a number, but I thought I messed it up somehow, so I called my friend Wendy to pick another number and she gave me the same number the random thing gave me.

That probably makes zero sense. I'm sorry. I'm still foggy from the plethora of pharmaceuticals that are still swimming around in my body trying to heal me. NEWS FLASH: Theres not a cure for the common cold. Duh. And the neti-pot just totally clogged my ears again so it feels like my head is under water.

But I am happy to report that the lucky girl that is getting a $25 gift certificate to Swan Creek Boutique is:

Susie – (September 28, 2010 6:04 AM)

Olivia would look stinkin cute in one of those petticoats and hair clips! I wanna win!

Susie doesn't have a blog (well, I don't think she does....cause there isn't one linked to her comment), so hopefully she reads my blog again to find out she won.

IF YOU DIDN'T WIN: You're still in luck because Chantal, the owner of Swan Creek Boutique, is having a Grand Opening Sale! She is offering a 10% discount to OMGmom readers from now until October 31st! Time to get those pettiskirts!

And seriously, how cute is that baby girl with her balloons??

Congrats, Susie! Email me at OMGmomblog at gmail DOT com.

The Weekend?

2010-10-03T21:49:00.000-07:00

LOST.

Lost in a fog of Sudafed, baby vomit, Kleenex boxes, cough drops and about 17 steam baths.

Did you know that if you go in the bathroom with your sick baby, shut the door, sit on the toilet, and let it get really steamy that it opens up your sinuses? How many times did I have to do this over the weekend? Like a million. Then, out of sheer exhaustion from no sleep since Thursday night, not to mention the fact that being covered in baby snot and phlegm vomit makes a mommy pretty stinky, I just got us both undressed and got in the shower, letting the warm water run down her little back. It was an "a-ha" moment. Babies LOVE showers. It was the only thing that worked and actually calmed her down and put her to sleep, because, as you know, there's no medicine for infant colds. You can give them Tylenol- which I did- but apart from using the big blue bulb boogie sucker thingy, all you can do is wipe their nose and do whatever makes them comfortable.

Wanna know how fun that is when you, yourself, can't feel anything above your shoulders, save for your throat that's on fire and your ears that feel like they're filled with water? It's a party. And it's called Motherhood.

Welcome to it, everyone. It's not glamorous, but I can't tell you how rewarding it is when, after all that, they FINALLY take a bottle without gagging because they can't breath from all of the mucus, and drink the entire thing. And THEN, fall asleep.

I'm sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend. It's been a bad 3 days in Las Vegas. Yes, Las Vegas. Nashville never happened and I think I've broken down and cried at least 8 times today for missing my best friend's wedding.

How was your weekend?

A Message

2010-10-01T09:59:00.000-07:00

This is for all the haters on my blog, on Jenna's blog, all of the "anonymous" jerks, the mean girls that like to attack my WeddingBee friends and to all the Formspring haters:

Na Na Na Na Boo Boo. You suck and we don't.

So stick THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

A Few Things For Friday

2010-10-01T00:19:00.000-07:00

First, I love Janie & Jack. I even buy old lines on eBay. It's Rich Friend Tina's fault because she dresses her daughter soooo cute and OK, I have to keep up. Or try...but hey- Here's a 30% off coupon for everyone for their Friends & Family sale. Click here to print it out...or just use the code JJFRIEND from October 1-3 online at JanieandJack.com

Yay. Wallet empty.

Also, I had two hamburgers for dinner. Fail.

Aaaaand, Mia had a photoshoot with The Cohens, and here are some of my favorite shots:

Formspring is fun. Ask me more questions please.

And finally, I have a cold and so does Mia (i think) and we have to fly Saturday. That's not fun at all. I can't feel my face.

One more thing (sorry): Enter the giveaway again!

Diet Food

2010-09-30T00:27:00.001-07:00

...is gross, but I'd rather eat cardboard with ketchup than go to a gym and lose weight the old fashioned way. I probably care more about how I look and if my jeans fit than if what I'm eating is local/organic or whole grain or generally better for me than my 100 calorie meal of soup broth and celery.

After my Chick-Fil-A binge in Georgia last month I just felt tired and sluggish and large. I really can't show my face at that wedding I'm in this weekend looking all worn out like a mommy person when all of the other girls will be single and fit and cute and perky and I just fear that my combination of "run down chic" and a general bad attitude won't win me any friends. Plus, the bride hasn't seen me since Christmas when I was still 30 pounds heavier than when she saw me the last time (when she gave me a pass for looking chunky...thanks dear) and I really want to impress. Why I feel the need to impress a gal that talks to her cats like they're people, I dunno. I just do. Also, she pulled a Mandy and got pregnant right before the wedding and I don't want to scare her into thinking that it's normal to still be heavy a year after giving birth, especially when she knows how into my appearance I am.

Ok also if I lose a few pounds I'll feel cuter in my bridesmaid dress and when I know I look awesome, I usually have a way better attitude and am more social and fun. And shut up you know you all feel the same way too.

Anyways, since diet food sucks and I get confused with points and portion sizes mean nothing to me and I can't afford any of those diet meal delivery services unless I give up pedicures and online shopping (haha, no. Never.), I decided cutting carbs the quickest option. You know what else would have been effective? Those water pills. Well, they work but for some reason they give me big red splotches all over my body which is a big set back for me since, well, I'm a tad vain. Cutting carbs out of your diet is difficult when you live with an Asian that likes rice with his meals and a kid that eats Goldfish crackers and Cheerios all day long, but I HAD to do it.

Here's what I'm eating:

Breakfast- 3 egg omelet with full fat cheese and diced bell pepper and chicken. Top with full fat sour cream.

Lunch- salad with avocado, ground turkey, bell pepper, nuts (eww), cheese and ranch dressing.

Snack: Crystal Light

Dinner: chicken cooked in crock pot with fresh green beans and ice water.

I have to go with the full fat dressings and cheese because the low fat has more carbs. It's backwards. And unhealthy. I don't recommend this diet AT ALL.

But... When I did it before, I lost 14 pounds.

I've never been a fan of "slow and steady wins the race" and I much prefer easy fast fixes. I won't lie- if the hubs would let me spend my savings on lyposuction, I'd be at the surgeon faster than you can say "image problems."

But hey- that's me and I'm just keeping it real. I could say a lot more about this and tell you something funny my brother said about how people like you better when....no, I can't say it because it would send the haters into a fucking tailspin....so im gonna stop here.

And no hate mail about how I have issues. I get it. The whole blog is about my issues. Duh?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Great Grandma

2010-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

This is Mia and her Great-Grandma a couple of weeks ago. Mia hardly ever gets to see her since she lives in South Carolina. These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago on our East coast vacation while Mia was being a tad fussy. And by "a tad," I mean OMG she was crying for no reason and I wanted to pull out my eyelashes one by one. Good thing great grandma was there, and good thing Mia knows how to operate an iPhone. I downloaded a couple of episodes of Barney and the two of them sat there quietly and had a moment.

I was named after great grandma, by the way.

Everytime I show these pictures to Mia- and keep in mind this is the only time Mia has ever met great grandma-she tries to kiss the screen. I think it's safe to say a trip back to South Carolina is in our future. Maybe next year for the Beaufort Water Festival? Anyone ever been to that?

Well, Hi....I Caved

2010-09-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I reopened Formspring.

I know I said I wouldn't do it because someone really nasty (and kind of obsessed with me, i think...considering they were really specific about how they hated that I had Tory Burch shoes and a fancy purse which I dont think I ever mentioned so they must have really studied my photos...LOSER!) said something out of line and reminded me that internet bullying is TOTALLY NOT OK, but then I started getting 2-3, sometimes 10, emails a week saying that my Formspring answers were really helpful so I've decided to reopen it.

Under one condition-

I don't answer anonymous questions.

Here are some jewels:

Need to buy a dress to wear to a wedding. Don't like anything at jcrew, so do you have suggestions where else to look?

ebay. I just bought a BCBG dress from there. It was $198 in the store and $100 on eBay. JT and Company or something..

Did you have any "secret single behaviors" ? If so, have those behaviors returned now that you are home with Mia during the day? I used to sing and dance around the house ridiculously and am hoping to reinstate those behaviors when I am a SAHM :)

Yeah, I wear my Juicy bathrobe all day, but my hair and make-up are done. I also like to pop blackheads and tweeze my eyebrows while sitting on the counter in the bathroom. I kind of do that out in the open, though.

You don't understand wanting to be a single mom because you're so co-dependent you can't go out on your own and you miss her after an hour. Which is fine as long as you stop before she's I don't know... 20?

Exactly. You're exactly right. You know me so well.

And when exactly did I ever mention anything about being a single mom or wanting to/not wanting to be one? You're dumb.

Are you & the husband actively trying to have more kids or if it happens it happens?

If it happens, it happens. It wouldn't totally suck, but like I dont want to gain weight again when I just lost 2.5 pounds and only 4 pounds from my goal weight.

Im a tad vain.

how often do you weigh yourself?

twice, sometimes 3 times a day. Im obsessed.

Remember I told you I was vain? I wasn't telling lies.

Wanna ask me something? Go ahead

OMGmom Loves Giveaways: Swan Creek Boutique

2010-09-28T00:06:00.000-07:00

I think I have an obsession with hair clips and bows for Mia. Ever since that problem we had a few months ago, I make it my duty to dress Mia up like a very girly little girl. And I think I have found my new favorite: Swan Creek Boutique on Etsy. My e-friend, Chantal, makes these cute little tutus and bows and today she has very generously offered to giveaway a $25 gift certificate to her store on Etsy!

Mia has this one in candy pink.

Aren't those pettiskirts adorable? She makes them in all different colors and I can totally see Mia wearing a red one for Christmas with tights and her new gold Pedipeds. Oh man, I LOVE having a girl. It's like having a living dolly to play with and dress up, even if your family members have to constantly remind you that she is, in fact, a real baby and not a toy.

Whatevers.

Do you want to win? I know you do!!

To enter, comment below and tell us what you would use the gift certificate for.

Want extra entries? Duh. Yes, you do. I'll make it super easy peasy for you.

1. "Like" her on her Facebook page

2. Copt this Tweet: I'm entering to win a gift cert to Swan Creek Boutique http://bit.ly/9Wy72q via @OMGmomMandy http://bit.ly/ayPGr9

Commenters before 10am Eastern time (7am Pacific) get another vote, because on my blog we do stupid stuff like that.

Must Have List

2010-09-25T23:19:00.001-07:00

My BFF (not saying which one!) is PREGGO! Yay! It's her first baby and I'm trying to make a list of "must haves" for her. I've dished out a ton of advice already, but I'm just one person, and I can only tell her what's worked for us (me). Will you help me?

What is your must have item for pregnancy?

What is your must have item for baby's first year?

What did you find totally useless?

I'll compile all the comments and do a post about it. Pass this along to your friends and have them weigh in too!

Thank you!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Quick Updates, All In One Post

2010-09-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Lots of things are on my mind... but I feel like I am so scatterbrained that I can't write a whole post about any of them. So, here's a list of random stuff floating around in my brain.

I am on the South Beach Diet again. It's been 4 days since I've had a carbohydrate (well, sneaking some of Mia's Goldfish crackers doesn't count, right?) and I am cranky. Like, right now, I'm so hungry for some chocolate cake or the raw cookie dough in the freezer and I don't know how long I can make it before I cave and fail at another diet. I've done this diet before and lost a TON of weight and kept it off for a while, so I'm hoping to have the same results this time. I'm trying to drop 5 pounds before that wedding in Nashville next weekend. Are you laughing at me? I have goalz.

Mia now has 12 teeth, and the 13th one poking through is really bothering her. She wakes up crying in the middle of the night or her nap and I know it's the tooth. She's also got a MAJOR diaper rash and isn't interested in eating anything but yogurt or applesauce, so I now know what "teething" means. Until now, her teeth haven't really bothered her, or if they did she hasn't let us know. I thought we had dodged a bullet with this teething stuff, but no..oh no...here we are on the corner of "raw butt" and "crying at 2am" and I'm really starting to think I should have bought stock in whatever company makes Orajel.

This blog is written from my perspective, and I usually refer to myself when I'm talking about whatever is going on in our lives instead of saying "we," but that doesn't mean the hubs is not an active participant here. Did you know that every Sunday (that we are both in town, which is rare) he takes Mia for a daddy daughter day so I can get some rest or get my nails done of go shopping? At first I wouldn't let him have her for an entire afternoon, but now I find myself saying "here she is....see you soon! bye!" and wave, as opposed to crying, as they walk out the door. Am I terrible? Slightly.

Should I reopen Formspring? Thoughts?

I ate Chick-Fil-A 8 times in 14 days and now those skinny jeans don't fit. See first paragraph. BUT IT WAS SOOOO GOOD. Dear Truitt Cathey- Can you open one in Las Vegas? We got church here. We praise Jeebus and all that too. Shoot, I'll even work the drive-thru in exchange for some chicken mini's and diet lemonade.

I want to do a meet-up in San Francisco in October. I've gotten a ton of emails in the last few months from SF readers asking to do one since I'm in town so much. Anyone in?

What kinds of things would you like to know about re: babies/birth/motherhood/etc.? Any topics you want me to cover? Remember, I just spew out nonsense about my own experience and I really don't do research and provide reference links and usually I scare people away with the real stuff (not the stuff they sugarcoat in the baby books)..so keep that in mind while you take your notes.

**One more thing- CB: I think Mia and I will share a strawberry milkshake tomorrow and think about grandma Grace. Love you.

Fashion Smashion

2010-09-24T01:04:00.000-07:00

I'm going to Nashville next Saturday for my BFF's wedding and I am a bridesmaid. She's a very laid back bride and told us we could choose our own bridesmaids dresses, but said they had to be black. GREAT! I look AWESOME in black with my pale skin and Bobbi Brown pale pink blush and Chanel glossimer lip gloss in Spark. Those are my two staples for makeup, by the way. The Bobbi Brown blush color looks really good on any skin tone, really. I was hesitant to buy it, but the gal at the counter showed me how different it looks on both pale skin and tan skin and I was Sold! You should try it.

Anyways, I'm rambling now about blush color. Lame.

I went shopping today to find a dress and after trying on every dress at White House Black Market, Ann Taylor and BCBG, I found this little number:

This is a cell phone pic. And, Hello, Baby Mia in the background!

I like this dress and its the right price. Plus, it has POCKETS. I know most people would have gone for the strapless look, but I have a weird skin condition called tinea versicolor that gives me big ass skin splotches. It looks like sun spots- like you've just peeled after being in the sun, only on me it's permanent. It's all over my chest and it takes a while for it to clear up with medication, and I don't have time to treat it. So, strapless is usually OUT for me.

I have some black patent vintage looking peep toe heels that will go great with it, too. But here's where I need help- the accessories. She said we could wear jewelry, but just not gold (i didn't ask why not...i just do what I'm told). I'm going to wear my hair semi curly and half up, and I'm getting it dyed dark brown this weekend. I don't feel like it needs a necklace, but I would love to find a great statement ring or cuff bracelet to jazz it up a bit.

Here's what I've found:

This ring, "Dahlia" from Lia Sophia:

Do I know anyone that sells Lia Sophia? Wanna let me borrow this ring?? =)

The "Party Favor" by Lia Sophia

I think I like art-deco inspired pieces, which I just discovered because I've never been one to accessorize. I have no idea where to find good jewelry on the cheap. Suggestions? I SO wish I had a pair of black gloves to go with the dress....like, the short ones that barely cover the palm of you hand. That would be so 50's.

Embracing the Fug

2010-09-23T00:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Tara had an interesting blog post the other day and I wanted to share it all with you. In this post she writes about having to find a picture of herself for a blog friend to reference so she would be able to find her at BlogHer (so jealous she went). Click the link and look at her picture- doesn't her daughter look like Mia? They could be twinsies. Anyways, Tara was talking about how she's not good at posing for pictures and always deletes pictures of herself because she thinks she takes bad pictures. She should open her eyes, right? She's a beautiful woman and I don't know why she would think otherwise.

But guess what? I do it too. I talk about it a lot on here, but mostly it's my weight I'm not proud of. My post about Shrek and those wonderful shoulders made me feel better after reading through all of the comments and realizing you all feel the same way about your own appearance. I commented on Tara's Facebook about the post and admitted that I photoshop 50% of all photos I post of myself on here and on my own FB. I have freckles and blemishes and acne scars and pale pale skin....and I just can't think of a reason anyone needs to see that. I also have this weird wrinkle between my eyebrows THAT I WAS TOTALLY GOING TO BOTOX OUT, but had to cancel my appointment because I found out I was preggers! No joke, I went in for a consultation and they looked at me like I was certifiable. I was like "Listen, I have a wrinkle thing and I need you to botox it away." They said OK and we made the appointment for 2 weks later....well darnit, I got knocked up and now I still have that awful cling-on looking wrinkle. I'm not allowed to get a botox anymore because I am unemployed and the hubs won't let me work it into our budget. I am so loved.

The tagline on Tara's post was "Life is too short to go around feeling apologetic for the face you show to the world." She's so so right.

No BS Updates

2010-09-20T18:57:00.001-07:00

I can't read those emails from the baby websites..you know, you get them weekly or monthly- you know which ones I'm talking about, I just want to play nice and not slam them- but I can't read them anymore because they always make me feel like my kid isn't measuring up. For example, one of them said my baby should have started walking on their 10 month email and another said she probably wouldn't show signs of walking until month 14. Or, one said that letting her watch TV will basically rot her brain and gave me a list of impossibly boring alternatives that made me wonder what the he'll kind of mom has time for (or has a baby that will sit there and watch and listen) baby flash cards in 2 languages. Cause honestly, mine would try to wrestle me for the card so she could eat it, and then rip it to shreds and leave little pieces of it all over the house. The other baby email I got said TV was just fine and gave me a list of suggestions on what to let her watch.

So either I'm a great mom or terrible mom and my kid is either WAY ahead of the game or is going to be at a 3rd grade level when she's 12.

I don't hug trees and I don't research which toys are top rated for education and made out of some kind of non-plastic organic fish scales or wood from a special tree only found in the amazon or whatever the hell the hype is these days. I don't have time (or patience) to go on mommy message boards and talk to all those freaks about what they feed their kids (all specially portioned organic, of course-right?) because I can't stand their attitudes. You know what I'm talking about too. OMGmom doesn't fit in over there. My kid is cute and smart and all, but for fun today she put cheerios on the floor and picked them up with her mouth, without using her hands. Then she laughed and laughed and almost barfed them up.

So the questions I have are simple, and I could google them and find answers from strangers, but I want answers from you guys. My friends. From people I "know" and trust. Can you help me?

Television: does your kid watch TV? how old are they and what do they watch and how often? Mia is 1 and she can watch the same Barney DVD for 3 hours straight (learned that on our road trip).

Bottle: Mia still gets a 6 ounce bottle of milk (regular whole milk) every 3 hours or so. She's not interested in taking her milk from a sippy cup and believe me- I've tried lots of different kinds. How do I make the transition and how old was your kid when you weened them off the bottle?

There are more, but these are the two that are on my mind right now.

I think I'm going to start my own "no bullshit" baby newsletter with monthly updates about what your baby should be doing/learning. Like, "Month 1: your kid can poop like a champ and that's about it so ignore the mommy group freaks who say their one month old can roll over 3 times and smile and laugh without passing gas."

Help?

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4 Hours & $180

2010-09-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

...Or- My Day At Harry Potter Theme Park

So, since Orlando is a 3 hour drive from my dad's house and my BFF Wendy lives there, I decided it was a good idea to hop in the car with my one year old and make the trip. By myself. Just me and Mia. The drive is short and manageable to most people, but you know we only travel by plane and Mia is not used to road trips. If you remember, the one and only road trip we did (from Vegas to LA -3.5 hours) involved stopping on the side of the road more than once to dig poop out of her butt with my hand. This time though, since it was going to mean seeing Wendy and getting to finally fulfill my dorky dreams of getting into Hogwarts, I decided "what the hell!" and loaded up the car. My dad was kind enough to let us take one of his SUVs since it has a DVD built in so Mia could watch Barney (oops, I mean something very educational...) 85 times on the way down there.

We got there (no funny stories from the drive- just rants about how sucky driving is) in one piece and I was really excited to see my friend. After the Janie & Jack outlet- which sucked and was basically a regular store in the middle of an outlet mall- the only other thing I wanted to do was go to Universal and see the Harry Potter theme park. The hubs makes fun of me any chance he gets about reading the books, or how I made him go to the midnight showing of Order Of The Phoenix with me when it first came out- and he sort of (ok, flat out) refused to go with me to the theme park. He thinks my dorkness has reached it's peak.

I almost changed my mind about going since Wendy wouldn't be able to go with me because she is still recovering from surgery, and since it was 91 and HUMID (foreign concept to people who live in a desert), but I thought, OK, how often am I in Orlando and for how long have I wanted to go to this theme park? Never and since the day it opened, basically. I knew going alone would mean I wouldn't be able to ride anything and dealing with a crying baby and lots of ducking into stores to cool down (and to the lady that stared at me while I changed a diaper in the souvenir shop inside Dr.Seuss land: it was my last resort. The bathroom was gross with a long line and no air conditioner. I did what I had to do.), but I did it anyways.

And 4 hours and $180 later, we were back home. It was $87 to get in, $15 to park, $25 for the Hogwarts Express tshirt, $12 for butterbeer, $15 for pizza and bottled water, $10 for the HP Christmas Ornament, $12 for a Dr.Seuss thing for Mia.....And the 4 hours doesn't include waiting in line for tickets for 30 minutes and the 25 minutes we spent wandering the parking deck looking for my car.

It was HOT. And CROWDED. Well, the park itself wasn't crowded because everyone was huddled up inside the Harry Potter section. I didn't even get to go in the castle, let alone see Olivander's because the lines were so freaking long. And outside. With no fans. It was kind of small, too. Walking in, it looks HUGE, but once you get inside its tiny. I think I might have enjoyed it more if I was alone or without the baby because seriously my mind was on her the entire time.

I know you want to see pictures though...

The butterbeer was delicious and tasted like melted sugar cookie dough. I recommend getting it frozen because by the time you get one, you're drenched with sweat because the the line is LONG and outside. I wanted to take more pictures, but honest to goodness, it was so crowded that I just wanted to get out of there. After some ugly guy's backpack almost fell on top of sleeping Mia, I had had about enough and went back to Dr. Suess land so Mia could have some real fun....

Did you know that "real fun" means making the Cat in the Hat ride stop just for you? Yeah. It does.

Sword Fight

2010-09-17T21:39:00.001-07:00

I'll be having girls only.

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Orlando and No Blog

2010-09-16T22:17:00.001-07:00

I'm in Orlando FINALLY. We drove here today to visit my very good friend that I haven't seen in a long long time....and I've missed her so much that I didn't mind the 3 hour drive from my dad's house in Georgia and the DVD of Barney that replayed 14 times on the way here. I did forget about the stupid Florida toll roads though and I forgot to get off on the East West Expwy from the Turnpike, so I probably added another episode of Barney in there put of pure stupidity.

Anyways, dunno what happened to my blog post from yesterday. I wrote it from my phone then hit publish, and it got lost in cyberspace. I was honestly too tired last night to figure out what happened or write it over, so....sorry. It was something funny (or stupid, depending on if you're "anonymous") about something....rant....poop reference....Mandy feels entitled about something....something else....You know, the usual.

Tomorrow I go to the Janie and jack outlet and I promise to take pictures and give a full report.

Tonight we ate at my favorite restaurant, Chili's, and had chips and salsa-which are THE BEST chips and salsa you will EVER eat in your life and that's a promise with my friend and all of our children. The only photo I have is a terrible picture with bad lighting from my cell phone that clearly shows how tired Mia was.

And then I entertained her with the flip camera feature on the iPhone and we got this picture:

I look really glamourous after a day of driving. Try not to be too blown away. (kidding)

And Mia found a boyfriend.

So now I have to sleep.

But to answer the 30 questions about the skinny jeans pic, those are the Loft jeans. The Forever 21 jeans were $9 for a reason- the blue dye ran all over the place. My white shirt turned blue and so did a very nice pair of white Janie and Jack pants that Mia had on JUST from sitting on my lap. FAIL. Hate bargain shopping.

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2am Parties

2010-09-14T19:49:00.001-07:00

Nothing like taking a shower with your clothes on in the middle of the night while holding your baby because she is covered in vomit, right? Mia got a new tooth on top and she isn't feeling that great. I called her pediatrician and they said to just make sure she doesn't have a fever (which she doesn't) and to give her
Motrin if I wanted to, but that it's most likely just vomiting from teething.

She woke up a few times in the middle of the night crying, like sobbing, and she sounded like she was in pain, which is the saddest sound in the world to a mother. She started throwing up, so I held her over the toilet until she stopped, but discovered that there was still a good bit all over both of us. I manage to get her undressed, but there was just no way to take my own clothes off so I got in the shower fully clothed and just held her under the shower with the warm water hitting her back (on low) until she calmed down. She loves the shower, and in the middle of the night it was the only thing I could think of.

She calmed down enough to get out of the shower and put on dry clothes- and let me take off my soaking wet pajamas- and finally went to sleep at about 3am.

The things we do when we become mothers, ya know? I would do anything for this baby to make her feel better. And even being covered in vomit and poo doesn't make me feel differently.

Judging by this picture, I'd say she felt better by this morning.

She was a little clingy though, but whatever. I won't lie- I love to spoil her and I feel like I'm on top of the world when she says MAMA and only wants me.

What kinds of things have you had to do to make your kids feel better?

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I Should Have Called The Law

2010-09-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

So its been all over the news here in South Georgia about a baby dieing last week after being left in the car by it's digbat mother. Before I was a mom, I would just think "aww how sad" and move onto to something else, but now that I have a child, I feel like those sorts of things affect me personally. It really hits home, you know? I can't imagine something happening to Mia and if something did happen, I don't think I could go on. But then again, I would never leave my baby in a hot car while I went inside a friend's house, or the grocery store.....or, say...a children's clothing store.

Yeah, you'd think with the recent news of the baby that died in the car that this DUMB ASS woman wouldn't leave her kid in the car in the parking lot of a children' clothing store, BUT SHE FREAKING DID.

Here's what happened-

She pulled up, got out, left the car running, and went inside. I watched her and thought OK, maybe she was just running in or just going to the door to "holler" something at the clerk, but NO. She went in a browsed the racks. WHAT THE HELL??? Her baby was in a toddler seat like Mia's and was about the same size, so you can imagine how completely appalled I was, right? I mean, OK...the baby wasn't going to overheat because I'm sure the air was on, but SHE LEFT HER BABY IN THE CAR so she could shop. SHOP. Why do some people even have children? I don't understand.

Luckily my step mom was with me and could sit in the car with Mia while I went inside to be all WTF to this lady. I went in and said "Is that your car?" She said "yeah" and I was like "Well, um, your baby is in there by himself. Just wanted to remind you. I'll stand out here by your car and watch him while you shop." She gave me a dirty look and then went back to her car and left.

I should have followed her. No, actually, I should have called the police on her. Think about how dangerous that is for a second. The car was running, so the keys were in the ignition. Some random crazy could have noticed it and taken the car-with the baby inside-while that dumb ass woman was inside shopping leisurely.

I think I embarrassed my step-mom though. Oops. I just couldn't stand by and watch that happen. I really say this with my whole heart: If you do something like that, you shouldn't have kids. Get a babysitter. Or, better yet, take the baby inside while you shop. What an idiot. Think about all those people out there who can't have children so easily. I'm sure THEY would be more than happy to watch your baby while you shop.
I wish I had a picture, but I was literally DRIPPING with anger. What kind of mother does that?

Bald & Frizzy

2010-09-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

I'm reposting this because I REALLY DO NEED HELP. My hair is screwed and I'm $185 and a plane ticket away from tagging along with Rich Friend Tina to Bev Hills next time she gets her hair cut. NO CAN AFFORD.

I know a lot of you guys think I have good hair, but it must be the camera angles and lighting because the reality is that I have terrible hair. It used to be a good color until I started going gray at 22 (just on my hairline, in the front...perfect place to start) and then moved to Las Vegas where, if you don't jump in a giant bucket of moisturizer every day of your life, your hair and skin get unbelievably dried out. I always tell people who are coming to visit to bring an ENTIRE bottle of lotion and some lip balm because it's insane how dry your lips and skin get- to the point of being itchy-after being here for more than 10 minutes.

Also, its hecka expensive to get your hair done at a decent salon around here, so I've had to go 4, sometimes 6 months without even a trim and I've had to completely give up on getting my hair highlighted or colored professionally. Then, I got pregnant and took those WONDERFUL pre-natal vitamins and had hair like Rapunzel, and I thought my hair troubles were over. I even stopped using conditioner! I wish I could say the story ends there, but unfortunately, I experienced what many of my friends and other pregnant women experienced after they gave birth: Postpartum Hair Loss.

It freaking blows.

About 4 months after I had Mia, my hair started to fall out. But, no, it didn't fall out in the back of my hair or underneath....it fell out right in the front, smack dab in the middle, right on my hairline/part. Frickin' EFF. For a while I looked like I shaved or cut my hair realy short around my hairline in the front, which was awful, but now that the hair has grown back, it sticks STRAIGHT UP. In the FRONT.

The hubs says it looks like I've stuck my finger into an electric socket.

Here's some proof- and mind you, it's growing out and I try my best to tame it everyday...but I still end up looking ridiculous. Pay close attention to the hairline. See the whispies?

And that little strip of hair that looks like a bang? It's not.

So annoying. I've tried mousse, gel, hairspray, men's pomade....nothing freaking works.

Now, put me in humidity, and it lays down FLAT. See?

There goes my shot at being a hair model.

What do you use in your hair to make it less frizzy/ lay down flat?

Did you have hair loss after you gave birth? Um, how long until it grew back? Cause I look really dumb with a bobby pin in my hair all the time.

OMGmom Loves Giveaways: Designs by MuMu Winner

2010-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much, Amy, for hosting this giveaway. Mia wears her shirt ALL THE TIME because I love it so so much. Everyone go check out all of her college football shirts and holiday monogrammed shirts and ORDER ONE! =)

I loved reading all of the entries (some of you gals without kids crack me up!), but I am happy to report that I have chosen a winner....

And the winner is....

THIS GIRL.

Now go tell her I said Congrats!

Watch Out Roads

2010-09-10T16:35:00.001-07:00

My dad collects old cars- not junky ones on concrete blocks, the kind that are fully restored with leather seats that cost more than a room full of leather furniture.

Mia calls dibs on the 1955 Dodge.

He even has a 1700 sq ft "house" that he stores them in.

...complete with a vintage slot machine from Las Vegas....

....and a racecar on the wall, because..why not?

I think it's safe to assume that my dad's cool, right?

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OMGmom Loves Giveaways: Designs By MuMu

2010-09-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm extending this contest for another day, so enter again if you'd like to win!

Last week, while I was recapping Mia's first birthday party, I posted pictures of her wearing her birthday shirt. Remember how cute it was? It had her name with a cupcake with a "1" candle? Here's a silly picture to refresh your memory-

No idea what face she is making here, but it was right around the time of the poop ball problem so maybe that has something to do with it. Either way, she's cute. Right?

I was looking for a really long time for a shirt Mia could wear for her birthday party, and I just couldn't seem to find one in any stores or on Etsy that I thought would be perfect for her big day. Then, a friend and reader, Amy, of Designs By MuMu, showed me some of her designs and I was SOLD! The ruffles, the puffy sleeves, cupcake, HER NAME (I'm a sucker for monogramming).....Love it.

She's received so many inquiries about birthday shirts since I first posted her link that she's decided to host a giveaway on my blog! SO EXCITED!

Up for grabs today is a $25 gift certificate to her store, and it includes design, name AND shipping. It doesn't have to be a birthday shirt if you don't have a little one with a birthday coming up. It also doesn't have to be for a kid. Grown ups like shirts with their names on them too, right? This grown up does. She also does football team shirts, which is a HUGE deal in the South...and everyone puts their kids in monogrammed Auburn/Alabama/LSU/Georgia/Florida shirts. Hop on over to her Facebook page and check out the cute stuff she's working on for the holidays. I definitely see another order in my future......

Don't you love it??

To enter, you have to "like" her on Facebook & comment below and tell us what you would use to gift certificate for. You have until Thursday at midnight to enter and the winner will be announced on Friday.

Good Luck!

No Pets Allowed

2010-09-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Maybe if you've been reading this blog for a while you've picked up on this...I might have mentioned it a time or two...I usually get blank stares when I say this, but I am not an animal person. For some reason I don't get all silly when i see a puppy or a hamster or kitten...and if you have a dog and i walk by, I can guarantee that I'm not going to stop and want to pet it. I don't get the appeal. People usually act like I've just clubbed a baby seal when I tell them that- like it's the most awful thing they've ever heard anyone say in their life, so I've stopped making that part of my introduction. "Hi, I'm Mandy and I don't like animals" is now "Hi, I'm Mandy and I don't like terrorists." The new one seems to make me more friends. We don't have pets, nor will we ever. I don't like pet hair or pet food or pet smells...and I know there are animals that exist that don't have any of those issues, but let's face it- I kill house plants. How am I going to take care of a pet?

Mia, on the other hand, loves dogs. We're visiting my dad in Georgia and his neighbor has a dog named Bo that likes to come sleep under my dad's patio table. This is Bo:

I took Mia outside to play and out comes Bo to try and lick my baby. Mia spotted him....

And was a little scared at first:

But as soon as the dog came close, she screamed. Bo just sat there and stared at her so she could finish, and when she did, he put his paw up and Mia laughed. Mia also just learned how to stick her tongue out, so when BO was panting with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, Mia did the same thing. She really likes this dog.

Which makes me feel like an awful person because I'm telling you this with 100% certainty: We are not EVER getting a dog. I actually have an excuse, too. The hubs is allergic to almost all animals, and I can't put him in danger of getting sick. Doesn't that sound a lot nicer than "I'm not really an animal person?"

NO? Didn't think so. Oh well. Why do people have pets anyways? I guess a lot of people ask the same thing of people who have kids. They've never had one so they don't get the point.

Do you have a pet? Why or why not?

**If someone said "why do you have a kid?" I could write a novel. I love when people talk about their dog like its a human. I think it's hilarious.

And off topic- I've been in Georgia for less than 24 ours and I already have two bug bites on my leg. AND there are stupid little gnats everywhere!! I hate bugs.

Have Dolly Will Travel

2010-09-08T07:59:00.001-07:00

Her doll's name is Molly and she's her second best friend, besides me of course.

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It's That Time Again

2010-09-07T22:36:00.001-07:00

Bon Voyage!

Georgia bound....then down to Orlando to the Janie & Jack outlet and Harry Potter theme park. OMG I don't know which one I'm more excited about.

I'm sure there will be some airport weirdos at some point in my travels.

And thanks for the kind words about my love handles. I'm 17 kinds of crazy....I know it.

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Weight Loss Is Not For Lazy People

2010-09-06T23:53:00.000-07:00

...like me. Especially when there's noodles and goldfish crackers just sitting there (in the pantry, in the back, sectioned off into small baggies for Mia's snacks) screaming "You know you want to eat me so just do it already. You'll never lose those last 10 pounds!" It's a sad day when you feel like you're being mocked by a cheddar fish.

I remember when I asked my adorable (and gorgeous and petite and uber stylish and best hair and OMG she is perfection, literally) SIL how long it took her to lose weight after having her first baby 3 years ago, and I was silently APPALLED that she said "about a year." I'm so self absorbed and concerned about my appearance that I SWORE i wouldn't get fat and gain a lot of weight when I got pregnant. The one lesson I learned while I was pregnant was that whatever I thought I would do or feel or think, I did the opposite. I said I would exercise and go to yoga, but i made it 5 minutes into one class before I started feeling like a beached whale with a gas problem. Who the hell said pregnant women should go to yoga anyways? They play porn music and dim the lights and the last thing a preggo wants to think about is doing that. Am I right? And how am I supposed to do that pose where you lay on your belly and then stretch your back up? Maybe I was at the wrong class...the class for people who can actually bend like a Wetzel's Pretzel. I just looked ridiculous. When I was pregnant I also SWORE that I would wear cute maternity clothes, and not some rejects out of my husband's t-shirt drawer. Wanna know what my staple outfit was for the last 4 months? A pair of black cotton stretchy cropped gym pants and his Nike shirt- the nice one without holes. I think I actually wore that to work too, so I must apologize to everyone that had to look at me while I blasted our clients for not paying their bills. That was the best job, by the way- I got paid to yell at people. It's like my calling in life to be HBIC of something...anything....and get to Mind Eff people all day into paying their bills and then apologizing for not making a speedy payment.

Anyways, a few days ago I promised some unflattering pictures of myself if everyone would comment on what their favorite feature about their own appearance was, and today I shall deliver. I know I said bikini, but I'm leaving in a few days for vacation and I don't think I need to go into a semi-depression before my flight...so im holding off on the pic. I can't take the cyber-bullying from some anonymous asshat that likes to comment and say "You should NEVER post pictures of yourself like that..." It happens a lot, but you guys never see those comments because I delete them. So sue me for wanting to post comments on MY blog that say nice things.

Here is a picture of me and Mia at the pool a couple weeks ago:

I've definitely put on some weight since Hawaii in that picture. I was 139 (pre-baby weight was 122, 40 wks preggo weight was 170).

When I saw that picture, I knew I needed to cut back on the doritos and french fries. My friend Tamara told me that her theory is that if you eat more often during the day that you lose weight. I wont lie. I thought the B was crazy, but I tried it. This morning I weighed 134.5 after 5 days of eating 3 meals a day and 3 snacks. She for serious went to college.

I bought some skinny jeans (a nice pair from Loft and a throwaway pair from Forever 21 that was $9 and turned out to be hecka cute and really well made), and the hubs took my photo to share with everyone. Here I am, no sucking in:

And this is the belly shot:

Those jeans are a 29, which I am proud of. I still have love handles, but I think I look OK. Not sure where my boobs went though, so If you see them, tell them I'm looking.

And black toenail polish, of course. Because I'm Klassy.

Facebook: It's Like High School...

2010-09-05T00:05:00.001-07:00

....but a thousand time more frickin' annoying.

I have a Facebook. I'm just like the rest of you guys and I post pictures to half show off and half keep my friends up to date. You know you do it too so let's just move on. Facebook and texting were made for people like me because I hate talking on the phone and writing emails, and texting or uploading a photo with a short caption is like right up my alley (the one where I'm lazy).

I have something like 240 facebook friends. About 100 of them are my fellow Weddingbee bloggers, 20 or so are some of you guys, the rest are either real friends or people that I went to school with that I haven't spoken to-on facebook or otherwise-in 10 years. I'm friends with a handful of family members, but for the most part I decline friend requests from family. Why? It's simple. I hate watching my mouth. It's not that I'm saying anything bad or posting scandalous pictures of myself, it's just that I hate thousands of questions- questions that might require a phone call (oh stop it, I'm kidding)- and I just don't think my aunt that I've only met twice needs to know that I got a Starbucks pumpkin spice frap today. Aaaaand they don't need to get linked back to this blog where I drop F bombs and talk openly about childbirth cause it would seriously embarrass my dad at the next family reunion ......"oh, I read mandy's blog thing.....she sounds......great...."

But back to Facebook. I don't understand why this one girl from high school keeps asking to be my friend. I accepted her once and then she never spoke to me so I deleted her. She was really unpleasant to me in school....like she tried to make my life miserable at times BECAUSE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS ARE VICIOUS BITCHES, and I know I need to get over high school but she was especially Regina George-ish and I still don't like her. I don't think we need to be friends. My feelings are still hurt, what can I say?

I love some things about FB though. I really love when my BFF Rachael posts pictures of her daughter because they live in Canada and I never get to see her. I love when FB reminds me it's your birthday or anniversary because I never remember those things.

But I just don't think I'm required to be friends with people who weren't nice to me in HS. Are you friends with those people? Should I get over it and be their friend? Do you friend your family members?

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Motherhood Is the New Girls Night

2010-09-04T03:24:00.001-07:00

Typical GNO with my bestie on a Friday night.

First we went to Target for some shoes:

Got some great Mary Janes to wear with her new black skinny jeans:

But thought about getting these trendy shoes for the club (music class with mommy):

Then we ate dinner:

Then we had girl talk:

Then we watched Chick Flicks (ok, it was Barney), and someone crashed out. Must have been those milk cocktails we were throwin' back.

Like I said, Motherhood is the NEW girls night.

What did everyone do last night?

By the way, those Mary Janes were $10 at Target and also come in black. Loves!

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1st Birthday: The Recaps, Part 3

2010-09-02T22:58:00.000-07:00

We had to get Mia nakey nakey for her birthday cake, because if you remember, I hate dirty clothes and I really do spot treat, wash, line dry, and iron everything she wears (dont judge me). I didn't want her amazing birthday shirt to get stained with strawberry icing, so we took it off and let her roam around in her ruffle bloomers until it was time to eat cake. How cute are those?! She's carrying a pack of dried strawberries in her mouth...no idea why. Maybe because she's weird?

I know it's totally characteristic of me to have a birthday cake made for her party, but I wanted to make her cake myself for sentimental reasons. I really wasn't keen on giving her an entire full-sized cake to eat (destroy) by herself, so I made a smaller one using 8 inch round cake pans (the ones from Williams Sonoma-their signature ones- are the best. Get them.), and just used a cereal bowl top as a "cookie cutter" because we dont have small cake pans. Did that even make sense? No idea how else to explain it. Not a cook/kitchen/kitchen gadget person.

We sang Happy Birthday and put the cake on her tray (removed from cake stand)...and she was confused.

So we let her eat a rice krispy treat instead...which she loved.

"Mom, get me another one of these things to save for later so all the people don't eat them all...ok?" "No."

So glad Vivian caught us walking together! Doubly glad I hired a photographer (asked my sweet friend with a camera to snap photos).

After everyone left (and I mopped and vacuumed and windex'ed little kid fingerprints off of all the glass in my house), I let Mia dig into her gifts...which really means I opened them while Mia ate the wrapping paper. After I saw how much Mia enjoyed ripping the paper apart and taking the big pieces and playing "Peek-A-Boo" behind them, I'll NEVER bring a gift to a child's party in a gift bag.

Happy Birthday my little lady.

Oh Hi, I Am Not Smart

2010-09-01T22:36:00.001-07:00

I usually call my sister about sick baby stuff before I call the pediatrician for some reason- she's not a doctor, not a nurse, not a mom of 5 kids with tons of experience....she's just super smart and knows everything. We are complete opposites. She's ridiculously smart and confident and I am just the normal amount of smart. However, I can pretty much persuade people to do anything I want them to do, which is why I always kick ass at sales. What I lack in intelligence I make up for in charm and mind tricks. I'm a Jedi.

So anyways, I called her the other day and asked her how I knew if my baby had ringworm or not. I'm sure she laughs at me and wonders why I just don't call the doctor when I call her about this stuff. Which is often.

This is the picture I sent her:

While it was sending, we went through all the signs an treatment and side effects of ringworm and I started getting really upset. And I think my sister is still probably making fun of me with her friend Karen. But man I was so upset that Mia might really be sick and I started freaking out because it was after hours and she would have to go to the doc in the box and sit with dirty people. I'm not being rude here...the last time I had to go there after hours was when I was pregnant and thought I had temporary hearing loss after I got water in my ear. It wouldn't pop so I googled it, freaked out, drove to the night clinic and....well...$125 later they sent me home and told me I would be ok. But I waited in the waiting room for a really long time next to a lady that had dirty feet (she wore house slippers) and smelled like French fries, but carried a gucci bag. I wish I would have blogged my pregnancy.

Back to my sister though. Once she got the picture she was like "uh, are you sure she didn't just bite herself? They do that, you know." Huh? Yeah I'm sure.

But then she asked if Mia had a gap in her top teeth. She does... And she only has 4 teeth on bottom.....

OMG I am so stupid. That mark is from the outline of her teeth. Hy didn't I think of that? How embarrassing. SO GLAD I didn't take her to her doctor.

Just wanted to share a brain fail.

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Pink Shoes and 100.7

2010-09-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

Mia loves her Converse sneakers. In pink, of course.

Taken this weekend at the park near our house.

This is not a good day for Mia.

Right now she has a fever of 100.7 from the shots she got at her ped appointment yesterday, so she's just sort of hanging out in my lap. She keeps tugging at her left ear, which I assumed meant she had an ear infection, but her doctor looked at it and said there was nothing wrong. I gave her some generic Tylenol (still not getting the real stuff due to the recall...and you cant find it anywhere anyways. Good luck finding the generic as well...), put a cool rag on her forehead and now she's in my lap, burning up. The Barney "I Love You" song makes her stop crying, so we've been watching it all day. I think I hate this show, but if it makes Mia feel better, it's my favorite. Weird. He's Super-De-Duper ridiculous. Points if you got that joke.

I have a sheet with all of her shots she's gotten since her first pediatrician appointment and I can scan it in if it helps anyone...it's a ton of shots, and we still aren't finished, I'm told. I know I have readers that don't participate in the vaccines, but because of insurance and just a general feeling of "I dont think my doctor would put Mia in danger," I get the vaccines on schedule, and I get them all. Yesterday she got 4, which is a lot for a baby IMO, but she'll feel better soon. I hope....

Since I'm not allowed to Google anymore (hubs took those privileges away when I googled the birthmark on her butt and decided it was dangerous and freaked out...among other things....I'm also banned from WebMD), do you have any other remedies to bring a fever down other than a bath and a cool cloth?

CELL PHONE LOSER..OMG

2010-08-31T23:11:00.000-07:00

Wow. OMG. Just wow. Ok, so I have a picture from my cell phone, but it shows this jerks adorable daughters, so I edited it. And it's a little grainy...but here it is.

So, this all happened today at the pediatrician's office. I had to take Mia in for her 1 year well check and vaccines. We got there early, so I walked Mia around the waiting room while we waited for them to call us back. It's a pretty small room, and the only people in there were us, a couple without a child (interviewing pediatricians, I presume?) and a very young girl and boy with a newborn. It was quite obvious that the parents with the newborn were high school aged, and I'll be honest- I felt very sorry for them both. Now, I dont know them or their situation, and for all I know they could have really understanding (and rich) parents who will see that their lives remain the same- high school, prom, graduation, college, etc.-but from the outside, it appeared that they were teen parents thrown into a big grown-up world without a handbook. I know how hard it is for us- at least 15 years older than them- to balance life with a baby, so I can't imagine what they are going through. And it has to be hard, right? I'm sure they get judgement from every direction. But, they were nice and the teen dad was very polite to us when Mia went up to their baby and smiled. And it's not like they are on some reality show on MTV making idiots of themselves and throwing KFC containers at each other (oh, Hi, Amber and Gary).

So anyways, this jerk (see above photo) walks in with two absolutely precious little girls, holding what I swear looked like a beer can, but upon closer inspection turned out to be an energy drink. He came in all heroic or whatever and loudly announced to everyone in the waiting room "Oh man, it's so hard raising two children! Don't nobody in here have more than one. I'm tellin' ya. It's crazy." Yeah, um how do you think your youngest feels right now, jerk? She looks about 6 years old so I know she's smart enough to understand that you basically just said you made a mistake having two children. Ugh. Whatever. But then! THEN! He starts talking to the teen parents and says "You two look young. WHat do you have there?" (referring to the baby bundled in the car seat). "A baby boy," they said. "Louder...Cant hear you??" the jerk replied (um, how about Pardon? Or I'm sorry?). The poor teen mom repeated herself, but in a tone that said "please just leave me alone."

I was hoping that would be the end of it, cause I knew what was going to come out of the dude's mouth next, but it was far from over. The jerk was like "Well how old are you guys? A little young to be having a baby, dont you think? What are you...15?" It was so condescending. OMG the look of disgust on this man's face was so inappropriate.

I don't know what else he said because I interrupted him from across the room and said "That's very rude." "Huh?" "That's RUDE. And its none of your business how old they are, so leave them alone, ok?"

He just looked at me. Like, blank stare. I SILENCED THE JERK. And the teens looked up at me with a "thank you, we are aware of our actions and we are defeated and tired and thank you for sticking up for us" smile and I felt good about saying something.

I'm not rewarding the kids for being teen parents. I'm not saying it's ok. I just don't think it was this man's place to belittle them in a lobby of a pediatrician's office when it was none of his business anyways. I think it's a safe to assume that these kids just wanted to bring their newborn in for a well check without judgement, dont you think? I dont know. Someone needed to shut that guy up though, so for whatever reason, I felt that person was me.

Usually the hubs get really embarrassed when I cause scenes, but today after I told him what happened he said he was glad that I said what I said. You never know- maybe I made them feel better about themselves knowing there is an "adult" (and I say adult and have to remind myself that I'm one of them now...weird) that gets that they totally know what they are in for and the last thing in the entire world they need right now is to be made to feel guilty by a random asshole. She's a mother....and probably has enough to feel guilty about already.

I think i said the exact right thing at the exact right moment, which doesnt happen often.

Yay.