My shameful secret

Okay, moms - I'm reaching out and seeking advice, but before I do so I must reveal my shameful secret. Here it goes - please don't laugh. I'm sure some of you have been there.

I don't get to shower until 12 or 1 in the afternoon.

Now, read that carefully. See how I used the word "get"? I have always showered when Reese is napping - that way I know where he is, what he is doing and he is safe. Well, now he is down to 1 nap, which has its ups and downs. The big down - I REALLY miss my morning shower.

I have decided it is time to reclaim my shower time!! Working moms shower in the morning - and I'm betting a lot of them do it while their little ones are awake. Well, me too - I want that - so what is the secret??

Let me give you some background before you think I'm all gross and everything - I don't shower first thing in the morning because as soon as Reese gets up we have breakfast and go to the gym - makes sense right?

After the gym we come home to play until lunch and then down for nap. IF I do go anywhere it is Walmart or Target or the grocery store and well, lets admit it - there are ALL types there. In fact I'm proud of my workout appearance - at least I went to the gym. The other day I walked into Target and saw dozens of moms with their kids - and not a single one of them was in workout gear. Oh, no! They all looked cute and primped and ya know what - I'm not ashamed to say, I felt a little superior.

Okay, off my high horse.

Now I have had the occasional morning where we had to be somewhere early and I needed to take a shower. On those days I took him in the bathroom with me and he was still so fascinated with the shower and being in there that he just kinda stood there while I took a very fast shower. But let's be honest, that is going to wear off REAL soon.

So, mom's how do you do it? What is your secret to getting a shower in while your little one is awake? - remember I have a toddler who is full of energy.

Of course, I'm being a little fecicous here, and my questions are somewhat rhetorical. I have an idea of what to do, but I WOULD really like to hear from you - whether it's suggestions on how you keep your kiddos occupied while you shower OR if you've been in the same boat and have some fun stories to tell.

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We're conversing!!

It has been amazing watching Reese learn new words. I am utterly amazed at all the words he knows in his 18 months of life. Even more amazing is how he will hear a word, tuck it away in that little brain of his and bring it back out weeks later - SURPRISE!!

As amazed as I am at his growing vocabulary and language skills, I was blown away the other day. We had our first . . . . conversation. That's right - up till now it has always been one word here and there (with the occasional 2 words put together)- usually him requesting something or pointing something out, but the other day it turned into something more.

He innocently walked into the kitchen, pointed at the cantaloupe and said, "cant"
I said, "yes, that is a cantaloupe".
To which he replied, yes REPLIED, "have?"
I said, "No, not right now" and
he said, "later?"
You betcha buddy - we can definetly have that cantaloup later!!!

We had our second conversation 2 days later which was even cuter. I went to get him out of his crib in the morning and he said, "Dada?"
I said, "Dada's at work".
Reese said, "home"
I said, "No, he's at work"
Again Reese said, "Home, Home"
"I know you want him to come home, but Dada is at work, he'll be home later."
"Oh, NO!" said Reese as he threw his arms down at his side.

I could've hugged him to pieces that morning!!

How do they do it? How do they so easily transition from one word to the back and forth banter? Crazy!!! Amazing!!! And totally awesome!!!

Stay at home mom vs. working mom

So I was watching Dr. Phil today while getting some house work done and Reese was napping and I was astonished at the topic. They had both working and stay at home moms in the audience and they were arguing which was better - REALLY??? Aren't we past this yet???!!!

I guess at this point I should tell you my point of view on the topic - neither is better. Yes, I truly believe that. Staying at home is best for ME and MY family, that doesn't make it best for anyone else. An easy comparison in my mind is my child/family vs. my brothers child/family. I stay home - my sister in law works. My son is healthy, smart and very happy and my niece is healthy, smart and very happy. I challenge anyone to say that one of them is better off than the other.

I believe that a happy mom (really, happy parents) contributes HUGELY to a child's success and if working makes a mom happy - great - she'll be a better mom at home for it. If staying at home make her happy - again, same thing.

Obviously there are people who disagree with me, or there wouldn't be a huge debate about it on Dr. Phil today, but what I want to know is why we (women, society) feel the need to argue it out?

So what do you think - why are women so angry/hateful/ready to debate over whether stay at home moms or working moms raise better kids?

I have my own theory, but I'm curious to hear yours - so please share!!

Reality Check

Okay parents back me up on this one - at some point in time we have all looked at our babies (probably while rocking them to sleep) and thought, "Oh, I would just love to bring him to bed with me and cuddle with him all night!" Of course, those of us who aren't into the family bed thing (nothing wrong with it - just not right for eveyone, myself included) don't bring them into bed with us because we know how difficult it can then be to get them out of it.

Well, a few weekends ago, I had the opportunity to "cuddle" with my son all night - so for those of you who are tempted, let me fill you in on my experience.

Dan and I had decided to take a family trip to the Lake of the Ozarks - a last minute getaway. So last minute in fact that it was too late to get a condo, but late enough to get an awesome deal on a hotel. So I booked the hotel, very excited about our uber cheap deal and then it hit me - where would Reese sleep?? In a crib of course. Yes, I know they have them at hotels; however, I have a VERY routine oriented child and he is used to sleeping in his own bed, and even more so, by HIMSELF - with no one else in the room. Oh, boy! How was this gonna work out.

Let me tell you . .. . Not well. We arrived at the hotel around 7 pm. Spent some time looking around, letting Reese run around. Then we headed to the room to follow his bedtime routine as close as possible. We brushed teeth, read books, gave him his lovey and blankets and put him in the crib - and he screamed! We hid in the bathroom (yes . . .hid) and waited and he didn't calm down. After trying this twice we thought maybe we'd just hang out watch some tv and maybe he would just pass out and we could put him in the crib. Well he got super tired and we tried again with no luck.

So again, he came to hang out in bed with us and watch tv/look at books. Finally, around 11 - yes it took that long, he had fallen asleep. At this point we were too tired and too scared to move him, we just wanted him to sleep. So we decided he would stay with us.

Well, I was quickly reminded of why I moved my son to his crib and out of our room at 3 1/2 weeks of age . He is the most restless sleeper I've ever known! Several times during the night I was kicked, elbowed, slapped etc. Then he woke at 12:30 or so and wouldn't sleep. It was like he thought he had just had a nap. So we decided to try benedryl so we could all get some sleep.

For those of you who have heard that benedryl will help your child sleep for a plane, or car trip - I BEG to differ! Shortly after the dosage my child was running around the hotel room like a crazy, wild child. Apparently Benedryl has the opposite effect on him and makes him hyper. Oh, joy of joys!!

He did finally fall asleep and we were all extra groggy the next day, but we still managed to have a great time and the second night (although he still slept with us) went much smoother. Overall, it was a really nice (and believe it or not, somewhat relaxing) weekend.

So parents, next time you have the urge to bring your sweet baby to bed with you - just stay and rock them a little longer and do yourself a favor and put them in their own bed. You'll ALL sleep better for it.

On a side note - he would nap in that crib in the hotel room but not sleep there at night. Any thoughts on that?

We've got a climber on our hands

Recently Reese has discovered that he can climb!! Oh, joy of joy - just what I needed another instand heart attack.

It started off simple, climbing up the couch, then chairs, his toy chest, into cabinets, and attempting the bookshelves. Now he has more confidence and is taking more risks. A while ago he climbed a carseat at our friends that was on the floor next to a dog cage. He used the carseat to then get up on the dog cage and began jumping and screaming. Extremeley proud of himself. Today while I was sitting at the table I heard him playing in this toy tent he has, or so I thought. He was making some rather excited noises, when I turned around and realized somehow he had scaled the side and was getting ready to stand on top of it. By the way, it was also getting ready to buckle beneath his weight.

I swear I'm gonna go grey early - no doubt about it! I just hope I don't have another John Vincent on my hands. If you're not sure who that is see story below:



John Vincent, the man who climbed and BASE-jumped off the Gateway Arch on September 14, 1992, is on his way to jail for 90 days. Vincent originally pled guilty to the misdemeanor and was sentenced to a $1,000 fine, 25 hours of community service, and a year's probation. On December 19th, however, Vincent had to appear before a federal magistrate judge for violating terms of his probation, for failing to report to his probation officer, and for two recent encounters with the police. The judge revoked his probation and ordered Vincent to serve 90 days in jail, beginning December 29th. The assistant U.S. attorney noted in court that "Mr. Vincent has a serious attitude problem." A request for a delay on the jail reporting date made by Vincent's attorney was denied. [Deryl Stone, CR, JEFF, 12/20]

What will I do then!!!????

Another milestone

Today I bought Reese his very first lunchbox!

He is 15 months old and will be starting a Mommy's Day Out program in September. One day a week he will go and hang out with new friends he'll make and teachers who will encourage him and help him to learn new things. I can't believe my baby is going to go to "school". Okay, okay I know it's not really school, but it's away from home for a whole day - the same length as a school day! Don't get me wrong, I'm excited for him. I want him to have this experience and I believe it will be a very positive one for him, but it is a milestone that just shows how fast he is growing up.

I have to confess that the teacher in me was SO excited to buy him the lunchbox and his reaction was priceless. He grabbed for it right away, held onto it the entire shopping trip and kept saying "vroom, vroom". Too precious! I was so into the "back to school" spirit I even bought him crayons and markers to play with at home.

I have a feeling growing up with a teacher for a mom is going to be interesting for my children. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna get groaned at a lot when I get excited for back to school shopping and I'm positive I will be called a dork more than once. But I don't care - I love it!!

Absolutely Divine

My little boy Reese is currently 15 months old (hard to believe) and since the day he was born he has had a certain way about him. He has an amazingly happy disposition. I constantly get asked by others (even total strangers) if he is always so happy. In fact a couple weeks ago the manager at the gym stopped me as I was leaving (keep in mind - I've never spoken to him before - don't know his name) and said, "Can I ask you a question? . . . Is your little boy always this happy - does he ever cry?" I responded the way I always do - Yes he is and very rarely. We are very lucky and very much ill prepared when we have another child.

The thing that stands out most about Reese's personality is how, at 15 months, and really since just a couple months of age he is able to make others feel so good. I was reminded of this a few days ago while at a birthday party for a friend. My friends sister was watching Reese play, and suddenly he ran up to her arms open, HUGE smile on his face and gave her a big hug. He's only met her twice maybe, but this is very typical for him (he often runs up and hugs complete strangers - that's a whole other story). After the hug, she looked at me and said, "Boy he is good for the ego - he just makes you feel so special and loved!" and it's true he does. Of course I'm a little biased being his mother and all - but I do have others telling me the same thing over and over, so it MUST be true :)

The best thing about it, is it reminds me of someone else very dear to me. My cousin Deanna, passed away almost 6 years ago. She was older than my brothers and I, and even though we didn't see her very often - we felt very close to her. One of my favorite things about Dee was everytime we saw her she would break into a huge smile, open her arms and shout our names as if seeing us was the best thing that happened to her. It's amazing how good that makes a person feel. Of all the gifts he has and could acquire, I am so happy that he will brighten the lives of others with this particular gift.

As Reese greets people, including myself, I am reminded on a daily basis of my dear cousin Dee. What an amazing thing to see your favorite trait of someone who was so special to you and you've lost, show up in someone else so special. It's absolutely divine!

Outside the box

I have a playgroup that Reese and I get together with every other week. Well last week we visited one of the little boy's homes and they played in his playroom. I was immediately struck by how many toys this little boy (who is only 3 months older than Reese) had. I felt a little tinge of guilt as well. You know those thoughts that run through your head . . "Is my child bored, he doesn't have that many toys, maybe I should get some more, he doesn't have his own playroom either - does he need one." I quickly brushed that aside and reminded myself what a happy little boy Reese is - so he must be fine as far as toys go :)

When I got home later that day I was searching for a picture on the computer and came across these - which reminded me of how many "toys" he really has!!

Here he is playing with one of the bowls out of the kitchen cabinets! "Look mom, a hat!!"

And playing with the oven mitts. "Look at my HUGE hands :)"

And to think - I don't have pictures of all the measuring cups, tupperware and cookbooks he plays with. I think he's doing just fine - doesn't look bored to me. What a great reminder that things don't have to come in their typical package. Children so easily thinik outside the box because they have yet to learn the "rules" of the box. Too bad we adults have a little tougher time.

Why Pink Shamrock

Pink Shamrock??? What does that mean? Well, besides the fact that I think it sounds cool and different, it does actually have meaning to me. My husband and I were married on St. Patrick's Day 2007 and the colors we used were pink. Before you begin to take pity on my bridesmaids let me assure you that the dresses were a very classic black. Only the flowers were pink. St. Patrick's Day will always hold a very special place in my heart and my favorite color has long been pink.

Since I began the topic, I'm going to indulge myself in a little reminesing. My husband, Dan, proposed to me at a Bed and Breakfast in Hermann, MO. He had taken me there as a surprise not only for the proposal but also for a wine trail event they were hosting.

The weekend started off shaky. He was supposed to meet me at his mothers house after my last day of teaching for dinner. I was beginning to get more than a little upset when he was more than an hour late. Especially when his mother told me he was checking out a bike his brother had bought! When he finally arrived I gave him the evil eye (if looks could kill)! He told me not to worry we were going to go out and have a good time and he was sorry. I let it go.

Dan began driving, and I began to wonder where in the world we were going. Hermann is about an hour away from St. Louis. He also took a way I had never been before. Finally, we arrived and he pulled in front of a bed and breakfast. I looked at him with a confused expression???? Keep in mind I thought we were going to dinner for 1 night. He just smiled.

We checked in and went up to our room - Dan walked in first and as I followed I realized he had planned a very special weekend. The room was covered in rose petals and candles were lit. Then Dan dropped down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

The plan coming to fruition was Dan's favorite part - mine is the time and planning that went into it. That day he had packed for himself and me for the weekend, driven down to Hermann to set up the room and leave the camera for someone to document the occasion - and lastly he had stopped by my parents house to ask their permission.

It was a perfect weekend. I will remember it forever. I love you Dan and am so lucky to have you!