First Time Moms

I had to post this. Too funny not to.

Luvs (diapers) just came out with a bunch of new spots that talk to Second Time moms. In truth, the change shown (you'll understand once you watch) really happens around 9 months. BUT, those first 9 months... yep, very true!

Hope you enjoy and get a giggle out of these!

Slow Down....

So - this post is pretty heavy. Ok, not heavy but more serious than normal.

I found this article and I had to share it out. To be honest, I pretty much started crying reading it"

The overall theme - slow down and enjoy your kids.

After reading it I sat there thinking about all the times I've thrown on the TV or giving Cole my iPad so I can do 5 minutes of work... why? I'm not curing cancer or saving cute, small animals from a certain death... and I'm pretty sure Taylor Swift won't pull her album from Target if I don't forward the revised details of our social plan within the hour...

Take-away: It can wait. Go play with Cole.

Or after dinner last night... Cole wanted to sit in the parking lot and watch the ants. Sure, parking lots aren't the coolest places to hangout, but so what. Did we need to get home within the next 20 minutes or face a horrible fate!? Nope! But I didn't slow down my day enough to realize it... so I got a unhappy camper in the backseat all the way home... We had fun the rest of the night, but maybe those ants would have been the highlight of his night. Maybe he'd had gone to school the next day and told all his pals about watching the ants outside of Noodles & Co. MAYBE he would have someday cured cancer based on the migration patterns of ants that he learned that day...

Take-away: Sit your ass on the sidewalk and watch the ants.

Anyways - I guess I wanted to share the article and personal story in hope that whoever is reading this will stop... and slow down.

Brit

Dear Cole

Dear Cole,

Where do I start? First, you are seriously funny and oh-so cute. You are constantly making everyone laugh – your one-liners are perfectly timed and you give some of the best looks ever. I can’t tell you how much I enjoy my mornings and nights with you during the week. When you ask to cuddle or give kisses, my heart totally melts.

You are also one of the smartest kids around – for your age that is. Every day I’m shocked by something new you say or the questions you ask. Seriously kiddo, two-year-olds should not have memorized a book with 100 cars/trucks/planes/boats in it. You probably shouldn’t be telling me all the parts to an airplane and then all of the other things that fly in the sky. You probably aren’t supposed to be counting to 20, or spelling your name, or asking on-point questions based on your surroundings… But I love it and I look forward to the next thing that’s going to come out of that crazy head of yours.

You’re also creepily coordinated. You sprint around the house on your toes and then start doing line-drills like a pro. Your slap shots are getting scarily accurate and you’ve somehow mastered EVERY puzzle in the house. I don’t even want to tell you how good you are at the iPad because it might make your grandparents sad since you understand it better than they do. I’m not kidding. You not only know where all your games are, but how to find movies and videos on youtube. You also manage to rearrange ALL my apps in 2 minutes flat!

Your laugh has got to be one of my favorite sounds. It’s this throaty giggle that you can’t help but laugh along with. You also have this horrible fake laugh that you do when you think somethings supposed to be funny – or you want us to laugh at something you’re doing – but it’s just so hammy that I end up laughing at you anyway. And yes, I said hammy because you ARE a ham. The faces you make, your body language, even the fluctuation in your voice! I’m sure you got that from your father… J

With all that said, you are also the biggest pain the butt! I say this with a smirk on my face and a bruise on my shin. You have entered the terrible twos with a vengeance. Sometimes I think there’s some under the table contest going on at daycare – whoever can make their parent’s put them up for sale the fastest wins.

You’re initial reaction to the word “no” is to hit and kick. It’s not just the actions that scare me but this crazed look you get in your eye when you do it. I sometimes fear for my safety at night after receiving one of those looks. I’m not kidding. Why do you think that gate on your door gets tighter/higher every night?

Your Dad and I haven’t quite figured out how to break this issue you have with authority. We’re not at the end of our ropes… yet. It’s a good thing you have so many “God, I love my kid” qualities (as mentioned above) or you might have won that daycare bet last week.

I guess I just wanted to get this note out there where you’ll someday find it – I tend to throw most things in the house away - ask your dad, he says I’m not sentimental enough.

What I REALLY hope is that you find this when you have a two year-old who makes you both giggle and scream in a two-minute time span. Apparently your Nana found one she wrote about me… I’m sure I was perfect but I have a feeling I was just like you are now… not nearly as cute… but I was already potty trained so I guess I got that on ya!

Love you baboo – though I sometimes flick you off behind your back, you are no doubt the best thing in my life (don’t tell your dad)!

Love, Mama 

written: 3/10/13

Time for a Big Boy Bed

It’s official. Cole knows how to get out of his crib. The gig is up!

Last night, after putting Cole to bed (and after J reading him 2+ stories), he decided he still wanted to hang-out with mom and dad. So he took a silent journey:

Yes, our little ninja came strolling into the living room after climbing out of bed, over the gate and down the stairs…. With a look on his face that said “hey – no worries ma – just thought I’d come see what you’re doing. Aren't I cute?”

Needless to say, tonight will include a family trip to Becker Furniture to buy a twin bed and maybe some shackles. 

I Feel You

I've referenced our friend's Nicole and Justin's blog before - they have a daughter who just turned two and, much like Cole, has been developing a "personality". With that said, I have to repost the conversation she recently put on her blog... J and I have had the same one recently (minus the "second one" so don't get too excited) so it's nice to know we're not along:

Me: How in the world did she (pointing at our little monster) take over our house?

Justin: I have no clue. What just happened?

Me: What do we do? How do we get control back?

Justin: We don't. We start over with the next one.

Me: Oh dear. At least she is silent and not screaming...

(Hannah is staring at us smiling and trying to happily shove mini wheats in our mouths.)

Justin: She is possessed.

Me: It feels that way lately.

Justin: When should I schedule her exorcism?

Me: As soon as possible.

The reality of parenting a toddler. Argh.

Mom of the Year (part 26)

Cole has been showing off his raspberry skills all weekend so I decided to get it on camera... well, you'll see what happens next:

Would it be weird...

Would it be weird if I brought Cole to the nail salon... to get his nails done? Not polished or anything like that (I'm not trying to make him Emo) but to get them trimmed down. Every time I do it I seem to miss an edge and this is what happens:

Mom of the year award!

Jason Update: I wish I could tell you all about his ski trip, or have him write about it, but he's currently sitting at a truck stop in Dickinson, ND. Highway 94 has been closed since last night! Even if he were to get back on the road now, and have perfect driving conditions, he still wouldn't be home until 11:00pm.

Where's my wine?