Powdergate and Why I Love Fridays

I'm am so incredibly blessed to be able to have the opportunity to work a four day work week.  Monday through Thursday I am able to work a little extra so that I can use that time to have a three day weekend EVERY weekend.  It is perfect for me, especially since Brianna was born.  Going back into the office following my maternity leave was so unbelievably hard for me so for a month or two I worked a five day work week because I didn't feel like I could stay away from Brianna any longer than my regular 7am to 3pm day.  I quickly realized having a free day every week to run errands, schedule doctor or hair appointments, and not make the hour commute into the office was something I really needed in my life.  For over two years now, Fridays are my favorite.  Friday is my day that I usually get some uninterrupted one on one time with Brianna.  Sure, there is typically some cleaning and laundry that is accomplished but it is the day that I get to pretend I'm living my dream of being a stay at home wife and mother.

When Tara started really struggling with childcare options throughout her pregnancy I was quick to volunteer to watch Graham on Fridays.  I loved her baby boy long before he was born and looked at it as a chance to spend some quality time with him every week.  Tara has always been there for me and she would come up every Friday night to have dinner, hang out and play some cards when Bri was super young which meant the world to me it because I was able to put Brianna down to bed and not have to miss any time with her and still could have a fun night.  Now, after having a fun day with Brianna and Graham on Fridays, Tara comes up after she gets off work and we have dinner and hang out.  It is the best.

(In this picture Brianna is wearing her favorite PJs.  They have a little cape so we call her SUPER BRI when she wears them.  Superheroes can be girls too... especially curly headed cute ones.)

Well that was a VERY long back story that leads into the eventful Friday evening we had last night.  Brianna and Graham were both little angel babies all day long.  Brianna was her normal crazy self and Graham was sweet and happy.  He is such a laid back baby and I spent most of the day cleaning so he would just hang out in whatever room I was in.  I began working on Brianna's room and Graham was playing in Brianna's crib kicking his little legs like crazy and "talking" to me.  Brianna was in the living room dressed as sleeping beauty and coloring and would peek her head in occasionally to make sure Graham and I weren't having too much fun without her.  I was organizing all Brianna'a hair products and random things like cotton swabs and thermometer covers.  Michael got home from work and said hello then jumped into the shower. I saw Tara walking up the front path so I picked Graham up and walked into the living room so he could greet his Mommy.

Tara opened the door and had a horrified look on her face.  I freaked out and though something terrible had happened on her drive from work.  She calmly took Graham from me and said "turn around".  When I looked down I saw this:

Brianna had somehow gotten a bottle of baby powder out of her bedroom when I was straightening up.  When Tara walked in the front door Brianna was standing in the middle of the living room SQUEEZING the baby powder over her head!!!  As soon as I saw her I screamed... Michael came running out of the bathroom, thankfully clothed since Tara was there, and thought someone got hurt.  By then, we all started cracking up laughing.  Michael grabbed Bri and took the two above pictures before putting her in the shower while I went to town cleaning up the layer of baby powder on every surface in my just cleaned living room and vacuumed up the remainder.  

At least we now know what Brianna wold look like as a blond... and truthfully I'm thankful these things don't happen more often in our house.  

When visiting the Lee house on a Friday you are much more likely to see this...

Or this...

And definitely lots of this...

I love these babies!!!  

Is it Friday yet?

Bye Bye, Bink!

My little girl amazes me.  Truly.  

Being an anxious person in general, I tend to also be anxious as a Mommy.  Shocking, right?  Most milestones we approach stress me out.  I worry if Brianna is ready.  I worry if she is on track.  I run through different scenarios constantly.  This long post is all about how Bri finally kicked her worst habit... and I'm writing about it so I remember all of the little details.  And I'm sure I'll wonder how I did this if baby #2 ever comes along.  

Well... everyone warned me... the sooner you break the pacifier habit, the better.  I made the mistake of letting her keep it much longer than she should have.  The time to get rid of it once and for all came months ago.  But I knew we were DRIVING to Florida in May for vacation and the thought of driving 16 hours each way without the assistance of her pacifier was enough to send me into a full panic attack every time. I decided that after our trip there would be no more pacifier (we call it a binkie or bink in our house) and I really wanted to start working on potty training as well.  We've been back for three weeks and I was getting more and more anxious.  I began reading blog after blog and any bit of research I could.  I was worried that I was going to psychologically damage my sweet girl and if I'm being honest I was stressing about how much sleep I was going to lose, staying awake with a crying baby.  

After reading about many, many methods I decided to go the "Binkie Fairy" route.  For the past week she has only been allowed to have the bink in the car and when going to sleep.  She liked the idea of having the fairy leave her a surprise but when we talked about how the fairy was going to take all of her binks to other little babies who need them she thought about this deeply and looked up at me with those huge, innocent, gorgeous brown eyes and said, "but I need it, Mommy".  And I melted.  As the week went on she grew MORE attached to the darn thing.  And I was officially freaking out.  

I have been trying to figure out what little gift would be appropriate.  What does a Binkie Fairy bring?  What would be exciting enough to her that would lessen the pain of losing one of her favorite comfort items? (Luckily her blankie (kiki) is her absolute favorite... and that isn't a habit I have to worry about breaking.)  I just couldn't decide.  

And then it happened.  Yesterday she didn't have her bink all day.  She had it for a few minutes while I was making dinner and she was resting on the couch but then at bedtime she was cuddling with her Daddy in our bed and she went to sleep without even asking for it.  When I moved her to her crib and she woke up she didn't cry for it and I didn't place one in her crib.  As I crawled into bed I figured I'd be up within an hour with a crying toddler.  I woke up three or four times throughout the night worrying about her.  But Brianna???  She slept.  All night.  Not one peep out of the little angel baby.  

Brianna was still asleep when I was leaving for work so when Shirley got to our house I let her know that today was the day.  No bink.  This wasn't a problem because Shirley is amazing and hasn't been giving her the bink except for nap time for months.  I gathered all of the pacifiers and put them out of sight and told Shirley to tell Brianna that Mommy would take her shopping for a surprise later this evening.  

When I got home from work Shirley said that Brianna only asked for it once and when she told her no, she was fine with it.  Brianna was super excited to see me and we headed out to Toys R Us.  I don't know that she has been in that store since she was a baby so her little eyes lit up and she was so excited.  Before entering, I explained that only big girls get to go to stores like this one.  I let her know that she could pick out some toys but that there would be no more binkies.  We had a blast walking down each aisle.  My girlie girl doesn't even discriminate against toys for little boys.  She loves them all.  She is so sweet though and asks before picking things up and always, always puts each toy back without even the slightest hesitation.  She ended up selecting a new baby doll, a little car seat carrier, and some lip gloss.  I also let her grab a few new bath toys which I've been meaning to pick up.  

Brianna and I both fell in love with this wagon!

Brianna's new baby doll and car seat.

When we got home she didn't waste any time... we played with her new baby and then had dinner.  She had a bath with her new toys and was tired because she didn't take a nap today.  I felt a little anxious about how the bedtime routine would go but it couldn't have gone more smoothly.  She asked for her bink once but when I gave her the new baby instead she was completely fine.  She fell asleep quickly and I was and am seriously in shock.  

I am so incredibly proud of what a good little girl she is becoming.  She bravely accepted this change and I am amazed.  If I'm being completely honest, I have to mention that this transition has left me also feeling a little sad.  Other than those dang diapers, the pacifier really is one of the last things that remain from that baby stage I miss so much.  How has it gone so quickly... seriously?  

I wouldn't be surprised if we have a few challenging moments over the next couple weeks, but I am ready for it.  My sweet girl is just a couple months away from being two and a half so now its time to get serious about this potty training business.  I know it won't take long once she sets her mind to it so in the mean time I will be attempting to remain patient and calm.  I am so in love with our little curly headed sweetheart and thank God daily for the incredible gift that He gave Michael and I.  We love you, Brianna!

Summer Is Here! Update and Florida Recap (Warning: it is long!!!)

A lot has been going on in the past couple months.  We have officially entered the months of summer and have already gone on our family vacation.  The end of May was the perfect time to visit Florida because there weren't too many tourists, the beach wasn't too crowded and the weather was perfect.  Plus we beat the tropical storm that Florida is still dealing with... I'm so thankful we missed all of that rain!  We ate a lot of yummy food, spent some time in the gulf and pool, and played lots of cards.  It was a great trip and I'm thankful for the memories we made.

Work continues to be the same for Michael and I.  Things are good but there are definitely days when we feel like we have had enough. I suppose that is normal... no job is perfect.

We FINALLY got some patio furniture for our deck a few weeks ago!!!!  I can't even express how excited I am about this.  Michael bought this house after we had been dating for about a year... so that means he has lived there for six years.  Every single year we agreed we would wait until the end of the summer season and try to find some really good deals on furniture for the deck and every single year we found other things to be more important.  I still have a lot of things on the list I feel like we need... okay, not need.... want.  Our deck has direct sunlight so I really would love a large canopy so we have some shade and Brianna can play out there without having to wear six layers of sunscreen.  Brianna has a Little Tikes slide and picnic table and a huge water table from her Aunt TT and I'm obsessed with being able to chill out there with my legs up reading a book while she plays.  Of course that is only when she allows me to read... girlfriend is bossy.

That leads me right into my bossy toddler update.  Brianna is growing into such a beautiful little person.  She is definitely in the middle of those "terrible twos" but they haven't been too terrible.  For the most part she is kind, caring, obedient, affectionate and HILARIOUS. Then all of a sudden if she isn't feeling well, is tired or hungry she can turn into a little monster.  She is definitely testing her boundaries and we have to have a talk about who is the boss and how important it is to follow direction and listen when an adult asks for her to do something or simply behave.

We have introduced timeouts which for the most part work pretty well.  Sometimes it backfires though because I will threaten timeout and she will look up at me and say "I want to go to timeout, Mommy".  Ummmm... what the heck.  How are you supposed to deal with that???  I've considered moving her timeout "spot" to a different location that takes her further away from me and all of her toys.  Hopefully that will help.

Another thing we've been dealing with is some mystery rash.  After Mother's Day I had to go out of town for work for four days.  When I got home Brianna had this insane rash all over her body and I was furious that Michael hadn't taken her to the doctor.  That meant I had one day to do all of our laundry, pack for Florida, and clean up the house before leaving that night for vacation... all while watching Graham (who I adore)... and then had to figure out how in the world to fit a doctor's appointment for Brianna into that madness.  We made it to the doctor and he was positive it was poison ivy.  We play outside a lot... especially when visiting family... so I was trying to figure where the heck it possibly could have come from.  Then I freaked out because she had been around Graham all day.  Thankfully, apparently poison ivy is not contagious from person to person.  SO I followed the doctor's instructions of Claritin by mouth and Hydrocortisone cream on the rash and he assured me that our trip to Florida would clear it up quickly.

We got to Florida on Saturday, spent Sunday and Monday at the beach and taking a boat ride and then Kim, Michael and I took Brianna to Disney World (Magic Kingdom) on Tuesday.  Her rash was sooooo bad by the time we were leaving Disney World that she was bleeding from scratching so much.  And every time I put sunscreen on her she would SCREAM.  We still had a lot of fun on a lot of rides and meeting some characters.  I'm so upset though that I didn't get a picture of Brianna in front of the castle.  In all of the chaos and stressing about the stupid rash we just missed that milestone.  So sad.

So Michael and I spent Wednesday morning going to six different Urgent Cares before finding on that didn't have a two hour wait and accepted my insurance.  Michael loved the doctor we saw and I didn't.  He didn't explain the cause of the rash (by this point I knew it was never poison ivy to begin with) and he expected Brianna to "lay around and watch movies for the remainder of our time in Florida".  Bri is obsessed with swimming and LOVED the beach and the warm ocean water.  How do you keep a child on vacation out of the heat and water.  He gave her an antibiotic and had us switch her from Claritin to Benadryl.  The Benadryl made her cranky and tired and my little girl isn't one to just sit and watch a movie.  We did our best and would let her go swimming in the pool as the sun was setting at night.  We still had a lot of fun but I hated that she felt so bad.

The rash is still hanging on.  The antibiotics have been gone for a while and I've been giving her Benadryl at night because that seems to be when her scratching is the worst.  If I forget to give her medicine before bed the rash is crazy the next day.  I need to get her back into the doctor but I'm so frustrated that I have to take time off work for something that they should have FIXED THE FIRST TIME!

This past weekend was a perfect one for me.  I always try to be thankful for what I have and appreciate the little things in life but this weekend really made me feel so happy and grateful.  Friday I got to hang out with Graham and he is at such a cute stage.  He is four and a half months old and such a sweet happy boy.  I LOVED playing with him and getting him to giggle. He rolling over and it cracks me up and terrifies me at the same time.  He loves his milkies and gets mad when you take it away to burp him.  He makes my heart so happy.  Brianna adores Graham as well but was cranky on Friday.  Graham doesn't take his eyes off Brianna when she is in the room.  And if she looks at him he breaks into the BIGGEST smile.  I could watch their interactions all day.  But when Miss Cranky Pants started getting tired she would get upset when he smiled at her.  What a stinker.  I begged Tara to take Brianna for the night and leave Graham with me :)

Saturday morning Michael took Brianna to visit his Dad and Grandma and to pick up his four wheeler. He was going to spend the day riding with at a friends farm and I was going to have a GIRLS DAY!!!!  While they were gone I took the longest shower and took my sweet time getting all girly for my date with Tara.  I'm pretty sure we were both so excited for this time together... we see each other a lot but its almost always with our babies.  Who we are obsessed with... so it takes a LOT for us both to have sitters and take time for ourselves.  I can't even tell you how happy I was to have this time. Brianna had a slumber party with my Mom and Dad and she was so happy about it.  When I dropped her off she was just like "see ya, Mom".

Tara and I started with Starbucks and pedicures.  Then we stopped at Kroger for supplies... you know... snacks and drinks :) Then we convinced Michael that he needed to go be our driver for the night.  We ended up going to Cabana on the River .  It was our first time and we had SO MUCH FUN!  It is absolutely gorgeous there.  I truly felt like I was in a tropical place.  The river was gorgeous and there was so much greenery (and palm trees).  We watched the sunset and listened to the live band.  And we drank and ate and drank some more.  Michael's friends Doug and Karen joined us and we spent the entire evening laughing and having fun.  It was such a great night and I can't wait to do it again.

Sunday we spent some time with my parents when picking Brianna up and then went to visit Grandma Peggy.  My house never got cleaned and I have a lot of laundry waiting for me but it is totally worth it for a weekend of fun.  This summer is going to be fantastic.  Between Brianna being at an age that she can do more and I feel more comfortable with her being with a babysitter, I'm starting to feel like my old self.  I can't wait for the rest of the summer and to continue making fun memories! I'm so thankful for Brianna and Michael and our friends and family that surround us making life so. much. fun.  I'm so happy that we are providing such a fun childhood for Brianna.  I'm so far from perfect in so many areas but I know she feels loved every single day.  I look at her and feel joy because joy is just radiating from her.

Now if we could just get rid of this stupid rash... any suggestions, friends?

*Sorry there are no pictures in this post.  Blogger is hating me.  I'll try to do a picture post soon!

Happy Birthday, Tara!!!

Tara, Tara, Tara... so much to say on this day of your birth :) 

I'm so very thankful that you were born.  How many people start out the history with their best friend from the day they were born.  Literally?  That's crazy.  Well.. technically... you lived 6 whole days without me.  That must have been hard on you.

I love that every memory I have either involves you or I can remember you being there.  You have always been there.  

I remember playing for hours and hours with our baby dolls.  Now?  Those dolls are real.  And we hang out with our babies and can sit and talk for hours. 

Time flies when I'm with you.  You make me a better person and I thank God every day for placing you in my life.  

And now I will share a very special gift... a few pictures from our past... you know you love it.  You can just thank me now that I didn't go back further than I did.  

Love

Sad day

Dorks

Twin Towers

Doesn't everyone get all dressed up and go to Bob Evans?

Our favorite place.  So many memories!

Happy Birthday, TT!  How is it that you keep getting better with age?  You are one of the strongest people I know.  I am proud to call you my friend.  You are so incredibly loved.  

More Brianna Love

I am so happy to announce that Friday was the day that Brianna and I ventured back to Target following our disaster Monday and it was a SUCCESS!  My baby girl SAT IN THE CART, earned some M&M's and as we were leaving I stopped by the customer service desk (where they DO have a "lost and found" as I mentioned in my previous post) and they had her kiki!!!! We all left happy.  Now... this wasn't a trip that Mommy got to browse the fabulously fun dollar bin or the outside sections for fun clearance finds.  We went in on a mission and left with the few things that were needed.  I just need to accept the fun Target trips will be a treat when I make it out of the house alone.  And I'm okay with that.  

Above are the pictures following this successful trip and you can see the fun Easter container or mini M&Ms and her kiki happily in her arms.  You know those cute cart covers?  They were a FAVORITE of mine until this toddler stage.  While I still wipe the cart down to the best of my ability there is no possible way that I can manage to get the cart cover on before wrestling my curly headed strong willed cutie into the cart herself.  I won't lie... seeing her in the cart without our cover makes me cringe.  But this is another thing that this Mommy will just have to get over!

I posted this next picture on Facebook.  Tara and Baby Graham visited our house a couple weeks ago and Brianna was obsessed with his car seat.  We have now temporarily repurposed ours as a toddler chair.  She loves it.  Toddlers are weird :)  She is wearing her dress up Sleeping Beauty dress and holding one of her favorite blankies.  How wrong is it that I think this is cute?  

Which leads me to another thought.  I love how I can't say Graham's name without saying "Baby Graham".  I think that nickname will stick for a while.  Some of Brianna's cousins still call her "Baby Bri" and I love it.  

This next picture is Brianna "reading" her special book from her Aunt Kimmie.  For those of you who don't know, Brianna's Aunt Kimmie lives in South Carolina.  But Kim thought ahead.  When I was pregnant with Brianna she recorded one of those Hallmark books (about a princess- fitting if you know my bestie) and I would play the book for my belly even before she was born.  Kim wanted Brianna to know her voice.  And she does.  And I think that is awesome.  Brianna is finally old enough to go grab this book off the shelf and have her Aunt Kimmie read her this story.  She knows how to turn each page just right so we hear every word.  And Kimberly.... just so you know... she hugs the book :)  

Is anyone judging me because there is a potty in our living room?  If not, maybe you would like to judge me because potty training scares me.  I like diapers.  A lot.  Public restrooms with a little one that touches everything is not my idea of fun.  So for now we are learning about the potty.  Occasionally sitting on it.  Or putting a dolly or stuffed animal on it.  And making it sound like a lot of fun.  So... sometimes the potty ends up in our living room.  

And one more iPhone picture of a sleepy girl.  I love this little profile and chunky cheekers! 

Have I mentioned I love her?  She lights my world. 

Perspective

When I was on my way home from work yesterday I was reflecting on how I need to be better about how much I let Brianna's two year old outbursts get to me.  Then this song came on the radio...

It Won't Be Like This for Long 

By:  Darius Rucker

He didn't have to wake up, he'd been up all night

Lying there in bed and listening to his newborn baby cry

He makes a pot of coffee, he splashes water on his face

His wife gives him a kiss and says it's gonna be okay

It won't be like this for long

One day we'll look back laughing at the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by, so baby just hold on

It won't be like this for long

Four years later 'bout 4:30am, she's crawling in their bed

And when he drops her off at pre-school she's clinging to his leg

The teacher peels her of him, he says, "What can I do?"

She says, "Now don't you worry, this'll only last a week or two"

It won't be like this for long

One day soon you'll drop her off and she won't even know you're gone

This phase is gonna fly by if you can just hold on

It won't be like this for long

Someday soon she'll be a teenager and at times he'll think she hates him

Then he'll walk her down the aisle and raise her veil

But right now she's up and crying and the truth is he don't mind

As he kisses her goodnight and she says her prayers

He lays down there beside her till her eyes are finally closed

And just watching her breaks his heart 'cause he already knows

It won't be like this for long

One day soon that little girl is gonna be all grown up and gone

And this phase is gonna fly by so he's trying to hold on

'Cause it won't be like this for long

And I was in tears.  It isn't the first time I've heard this song.  But it was a good time to hear it and be reminded that I am going to miss these days.  Brianna is learning who she is.  She is asserting her independence.  And all I can do is continue to guide her to the best of my ability.

So at 2:30am, my curly headed two year old woke up crying last night.  Michael went in to comfort her.  She usually just needs a hug and her blankie and she goes right back to sleep.  He got back in bed and ten minutes later she was screaming again.  I went in to try to calm her down but she wasn't having it.  Remembering my realization on the way home... I picked her up and took her into the living room to cuddle with her.  We don't allow her in our bed.  Around 3:30am I was really sleepy and she was still wide awake.  I broke our rule and took her to our bed.  She cuddled in between Michael and I, reached over and touched Michael and said "Hi, Dad." And then went right to sleep.  

We woke up this morning and for a moment fear crept over me.  What have I done?  She'll never sleep in her bed again! Then I saw her sweet face curled up against me and she looked so content.  It will all be okay.  She WILL sleep in her bed tonight.  And I'll be thankful in a few years for the memories I have of late night cuddles and how happy she was snuggling with Mommy and Daddy.  

It won't be like this for long!

I LOVE MY TODDLER

We all see that frazzled mom in Target with a screaming child and think, "Man, this lady is a mess.  Who let her have a child?"

That was me last night.  

I was the mom that walked in those big red doors and let my child convince me that sitting in the big part of the cart was acceptable.  And I fooled myself into believing that it was a good compromise.  Until I got to the diaper aisle and the diapers took up the entire cart.  Where does a toddler go at that point?  Mine? She got to walk.  What did I just say???  Yes, she got to walk.  

We made it to the beauty section where I needed to grab some mascara.  A two year old running free in the beauty section, you ask?  A disaster.  Of course, it is a disaster.  Only an idiot would allow such insanity.  I look away to make my selection for half of a second when I hear, "Here, Mom.  Hold this." What is "this"?  The lid to a bottle of hand sanitizer.  

So what do I do at this point?  I pick the screaming toddler up and walk as fast as possible toward the checkout.  I make it to the checkout lane after she nearly jumps over my shoulder, hand her a bag of M&M's and finally get her to peacefully sit in the area of the cart designated for toddlers.  Why didn't I begin this trip with that stupid bag of M&M's?

The patient cashier scans my $124 worth of merchandise and explains that she feels my pain.  She has a three year old.  I enjoy a big sigh of relief.  

Then I reach in my purse for my debit card.  That is promptly when I realize that my debit card is still in the back pocket of the jeans I wore to the movie theater Saturday night (for my obviously much needed girl's night out) which is where I placed it after leaving the theater to get a drink before the movie began.  

I had no credit cards with me.  I didn't have enough cash to pay for even half of the bill.  My first thought?  Do I have enough money for the diapers and the M&M's?  Nope... not enough.  She cancels my order and assures me that I can pay for everything, including the half consumed M&M's when I return with my card.  

I make it halfway through the door when I realize.  I HAVE CHECKS!  Who still uses checks?  Me.  I use checks.  And as I'm using that check?  Some lady who I let go ahead of me in line looks back and says, "Be patient, Mom."  I wanted to patiently punch her in the face.   

I make it to the car without assaulting anyone, including my toddler, and load everything in.  I pull out of my parking spot and the screaming begins.  One of Brianna's beloved "kiki's" (blankie) didn't survive our trip to Target.  And you better believe I didn't go back in to get it.  If she is lucky I'll check the lost and found when I'm there in a few days to shell out my next $124.  

And she has only been two years old for thirteen days.  I'm scared.  Very scared.