Archive for the ‘motherhood’ Category

Abby’s party will not be perfect.

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Posted 09 Oct 2010 — by Mrs. Jenna
Category Abigail, baby business, motherhood

To say that I have a lot going on right now would be an understatement. Basement & bathroom remodel, the hubs belated birthday celebration, stomach flu recovery, planning & prepping for out of town guests, working 32 hours a week….all culminating with Abby’s birthday.

Oh…that’s right. I have a birthday party to plan.

Lately, amongst other things, extravagant first birthday parties are all the rage. Specifically in the (deep breath) mommy blogger sect. Everything coordinated, fancy favor bags, personalized water bottles, expensive cakes, decorations up the wazooo…the list goes on and on.

So, of course…I got caught up in it. Started scouring Etsy for the perfect handmade “Happy Birthday” banner. Brainstormed theme ideas. Ordered invitations from Tiny Prints. Imagined our dining table transformed into a favor/cake altar worthy of gracing the pages of Martha Stewart magazine.

Then life happened.

This week I entered a panic mode because not only have I not invited anyone save a few family members…I haven’t planned anything. ANYTHING.

Tonight, I decided that’s okay. Tonight I decided – that’s just not us. This is hardly going to be a party full of kids. We just don’t know that many people with children. And as much as I think a photo collage of a thousand dollar birthday party would look awesome in my blog…that’s just not how we are.

We WILL have a beautiful party. There’ll be balloons, food, a cake and a bunch of people who love Abby. (I’m sure there’ll be a few gifts too.) She’ll probably freak the eff out because WHO ARE ALL THESE PEOPLE AND WHY IS IT SO LOUD AND PRESENTS AND SUGAR AND SENSORY OVERLOAD.

So that’s that. When she’s older and wants a freaking princess birthday party, a princess party she will have. Until then, we’ll keep it simple.

*The obvious disclaimer: Big fancy parties are cool. In fact, some of my friends have thrown them. I’m not hatin’. They’re just not for us.

I’m exhausted.

2 Comments
Posted 05 Oct 2010 — by Mrs. Jenna
Category marriage, motherhood, not so much

I hate when I wish for entire weeks to be over, when it’s only Tuesday.

As I hinted in my last post – we got the bug over the weekend. Well, to be specific, I got it Saturday (along with the mom-& sister-in-laws). I thought it was a weird hangover caused by a mere 3 beers the night before. When I threw up at 3 in the afternoon, it just felt wrong. But I felt better. And then I felt worse. MUCH MUCH WORSE. The hubs kept Abbers away from me all night and slept in the living room so I could rest. I slept like crap, but felt better Sunday.

Monday morning, the hubs wakes up to find SURPRISE! He has it now. I have Mondays off, so I kept her in the living room and away from the sick room and she was happy as a clam. Teething like a mofo, but hyper and cute and cuddly as could be. We had an awesome day together. I chose to sleep on the couch as the hubs had, and put Abby down, only to have her wake up like, 6 times during the night. At 1:30, I brought her onto the couch with me where she slept on my chest for an hour before I brought her back to bed. It was so cozy, and I just figured she was in the clear, she’d survived without getting ill.

This morning, shortly after only finishing half of her bottle, she threw up. And I immediately felt like a failure.

I know it’s not my fault, and I know there’s not much I could have done to keep her from getting this, but I felt it anyway. The mother-in-law came over today to watch her, and sadly she was the one to get puked on. I then felt horrible that I couldn’t be home with my daughter when she was going to be at her sickest. Abby didn’t seem to mind to much, she was settled in nicely on her grandma’s lap with a book.

Then I tried to leave for work.

She whined and reached out for me.

I picked her up and tried my hardest not to cry. Especially in front of her, with her already being sick and upset. I teared up but kept myself together, gave her a gentle squeeze and she grabbed on harder, sensing I was going to try to hand her back to grandma. I let go, said “See you in a few hours, sweetpea!” walked out of the house and lost my shit. I cried the whole 2 blocks to the train.

I’m tired. I’ve eaten 3 pieces of toast, a bowl of soup, a bowl of cereal and a box of macaroni & cheese since Friday night. I don’t want my daughter to be sick. I want my husband to be back to 100%.

I want this week to be over.

Sometimes, when I get an idea…

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Posted 30 Sep 2010 — by Mrs. Jenna
Category Abigail, house stuffs, marriage, motherhood, The Hubs

With all the basement revamp talk happening (I refuse to call it remodeling because we’re only getting new floors and maybe a new coat of paint but yes A NEW BATHROOM (sort of)), I’ve been thinking a lot about our house and how we use it. I’m just so excited to get our basement back and have a space for entertaining and SPORTSSSSS and watching movies complete with our fancy sound system that we haven’t used in over a year {deep breath} that it made me RETHINK the fact that all this should be done with our dear Abbers in mind. As much as the hubs (whose birthday is today – HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLD BALLS!) would like to call the basement “The Man Cave” – let’s be real. I’m going to use it just as much. As is our Abbers. So let’s at least make it appropriate for all of us, mmmkay?

The other day I started thinking about a room down there that will still have carpet (since it has a door and thus, no cat pee) and how it has always been “the music room” complete with drums, bass, guitar, bongos blah blah blah I never go in there. I’m happy that the hubs has a room in our house where these things can go (even if when he plays he may as well be sitting right in front of me since it’s like, negative sound proofed), but suddenly I had a vision. A vision of the hubs and I watching a movie or entertaining friends while a football game is on…and Abby having that room as her playroom full of toys and play kitchens and dress-up costumes…and HOLY CRAP THAT IS THE BEST IDEA EVAR. And like in the movies, there was the screech of braking tires in my brain because that will more than likely never happen. Because…where would the precious drums and cymbals and other such equipment that gets used once every 3 months go?

{you sense my sarcasm here, right?}

I don’t want to take that room away from my husband. This is obvious mostly in the fact that I’ve never mentioned this idea to him, because I don’t want him to think I don’t understand how much he LOVES that he can have that room. I’ve run through scenarios where he puts the drums in the laundry room and I get that room for Abby…but the litter boxes are in the laundry room. I couldn’t expect him to play in there. I WOULDN’T. But…but…THAT ROOM. IS PERFECT. FOR A PLAYROOM.

A girl can dream. It’s a good thing for Josh that Abby doesn’t understand much that I’m saying yet and also doesn’t understand the concept of a dedicated playroom, because if I told her my idea? HE WOULD NEVER HEAR THE END OF IT. FROM EITHER OF US.

Sailing the seas of poop.

6 Comments
Posted 15 Sep 2010 — by Mrs. Jenna
Category Abigail, baby business, motherhood

With Abby fast approaching her 1st birthday, I’ve taken for granted the lack of blowouts and poop stories I had when she was younger.

HOWEVER.

The past 3 days have been nothing short of Pooptown. Like…poop. Lots of poop. Runny, disgusting, diaper rash inducing poop.

I’ll assume that the majority of you who haven’t closed your browser or skipped to the next post in your reader are parents yourselves, or at least pet owners. (We as a “community” are not so scurred of poop. Am I right? HIGH FIVE, POOP CLEANERS!)

Last week, a little cut on Abby’s finger started to look like it might be infected. Turns out, traditional methods of neosporin and band-aids are not recommended for babies who chew on their hands 24 hours a day. I know, you’re like…WHAAAAAA? ME TOO. So, like the good parent I am, I watched it…hoping it would get better.

Abby stayed the night at her grandparents house Friday while Mommy & Daddy celebrated Mommy’s second annual 29th birthday. While we were indulging in adult beverages, her finger blew up like, twofold. SO, Saturday included a trip to Urgent Care. We came home with a bottle of amoxicillin. By Monday, her finger was looking better. Also on Monday, Auntie Amanda picked her up to get her ready for her bath, only to announce, “She’s wet!” where we proceeded to notice the shit stains all over her pajama bottoms. A blowout. Of diarrhea proportions. OH GOD. DOESN’T LOOK GOOD.

So, she’s got the shits from the medication. Enter my dear mother-in-law. Due to a crazy scenario including a since-removed tumor, she no longer has her sense of smell. So, imagine her horror last night when she decided to check Abby’s diaper the old fashioned way by sticking a couple fingers in it to see if it was wet, only to pull out a poop covered mess.

Abby’s only got 2.5 more days of the medication. 2.5 more days to sail the seas of poop.

Also – even though she’s 10.5 months old, Abby had her 9 month check yesterday. Official stats: 30 inches long, 21 lb 13.5 oz. I’ve got myself a tall baby girl.

Absent…for good reason(s).

4 Comments
Posted 12 Sep 2010 — by Mrs. Jenna
Category blog bidnass, motherhood, other people are awesome, RAD, The Hubs

Yep, I’ve been missing. However, my bestie from the westie has been in town since Thursday, and we’ve been celebrating, catching up, and staying up way too late.

The celebrating has been for good reason also.

Tomorrow is my birthday. In fact, I will be:

I have reached the point where I welcome it. My twenties were good. However, they were not all good. But…for the most part good. I’m ready for 30.

Turning 30 has also brought this into my life:

My new tattoo. And that’s a shitty photo, but there it is. A peony (which reminds me of my grandmother’s front yard) and a marigold, the birth flower for October (for Abby…and my grandma). Below it is “Fig. 10-27,” for their shared birthday. Zach at Uptown Tattoo did it. The hubs got it for me for my birthday. And I couldn’t love it more. I was always apprehensive about getting a tattoo on my arm, because I’d have to love it. And I am in love. I almost feel complete having it. Does that sound weird? Oh well.

So – that’s where I’ve been. :) I’ll be absent for a bit more…work’s been insane and it’s my birthday week, so I have an excuse. :)

Hope everyone is having an awesome September!

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