All our Christmas shopping is done and wrapped. Now, it’s time to pack up as we head to my parent’s tomorrow til Christmas afternoon, which we’ll then drive to Reid’s parent’s house.
Jack hasn’t slept good at night for a few weeks now, which I blame all the other mothers (you know who you are, haha!) that were upset with my child sleeping 12 hours a night. They must have put something in Jack’s water. Regardless, Sunday night was by far the worst. We had flashbacks of Jack’s first few nights at home from the hospital. Reid and I took turns all night soothing Jack.
I took him to the doctor yesterday to find that he’s perfectly healthy and more than likely, it’s the teething. And I figured out that it was the Motrin that makes him hyper, so he’s back on Tylenol.
Having Reid home during his Christmas break from work means our house is spotless. He’s been cleaning since he got off work Friday! He even washed my car today!
Ok, time to start loading up the car and go running at some point, too.
Birthday weekend is coming to a close…and you know what that means….it’s almost time for Christmas!!!
Last Thursday night, Casey and Sheena came over for our annual Davis/Patton Christmas. We opened presents and watched SNL Christmas. Also, Sheena tried to teach Jack how to crawl. As the night went on, Sheena was actually crawling on the floor, showing Jack how it’s done. He almost followed her, too! haha! Oh, I must mention that they gave Jack his first travel coffee mug!
Friday, I started off my celebrating by going to “Arabland” with Deena. I probably need to stop calling it that, at least in public. It’s actually called Naji’s and it’s Deena’s Uncle’s restaurant.
This is why I go!!! Fresh pita chips!
Deena entertaining Jack while we wait.
My birthday and Christmas presents from Deena. She knows me well!!
Jack loved Deena’s mom!
Now, fast forward to Saturday.
I did have Dr. Pepper! Reid got one for me and poured me a glass when I woke up!
Jack trying to open my present from Reid. Seriously, this made my heart leap because this means he’ll be interested in his own presents on Christmas and I CANNOT wait!!!
I thought I loaded the picture, but I guess not. But Reid got me a really cute, vintage looking oven mit from Anthropologie (my favorite store) and a milk glass. Sounds odd, but they’re really cute and very exciting to me.
Then, we ate at O’Charley’s. Jack was very good; he even had a roll, some cheese from my salad, and a little chicken, which he hated.
On the way home, we saw a sign giving directions to “Santa on the Roof.” We followed them, thinking it’d be some bobo fake Santa on a roof waving that you just drive by and look at. We were wrong! It was unbelievable! The whole neighborhood had candles outlining the streets. Then, one house actually had a real Santa on the roof! The entire yard was decked out with Christmas decorations and people were everywhere.
It was cold!
In their garage:
They even had a live reindeer. Jack thought he was so funny. He loves animals. We really need to take him to the zoo.
Watching Santa
Apparently, they’ve been doing this for 20 years. I can’t wait to bring Jack back next year. He’ll love it even more. It was really good to see all this, too, because it got us all in the Christmas mood.
We finished out the night with more Dr. Pepper, popcorn, cake, and Up.
It was a great birthday!
Tomorrow’s my birthday and I can’t wait! Is it bad that I’m turning 25 and still get this excited about my own birthday??
Now, I’ve always rolled my eyes when my Mom would tell me, whether in person or over the phone, “24 years ago today I was cleaning into the wee hours of the night because I knew it was almost time. It was a Wednesday and blah blah blah.”
This year, I’ll try to be a little more understanding to her need to talk about all this because I wouldn’t be surprised if I do the same thing to Jack on his birthdays with his birth story. Although, I might need to sugar coat it a bit, haha!
Moving right along…here’s what I want for my birthday:
1. To sleep in. Last week I got to sleep in til 12 pm. I didn’t know I still had it in me to do that!
2. Dr. Pepper, as soon as I get out of bed.
3. Dr. Pepper on ice with a straw at dinner. I might just drink my daily calories in Dr. Pepper.
4. A cake with polka dots on it from Edgar’s, but I’ll settle for a single piece of cake from the Publix bakery because it’s just as yummy!
the end.
Do you feel awkward when you comment on a stranger’s blog?
I do.
Sometimes I think, “She doesn’t know me and this will seem weird” or “She already has lots of comments, so why should I bother?” It feels awkward to say, “I’ve been reading your blog for five months and I think you’re incredible!”*
I feel like a stalker.
I’m also on the other side of it. Meeting people in real life that recognize me from my blog. It’s weird only because I’m not used to it, but fun because I like meeting new people.
I write personal things here. And sometimes stupid things that don’t even matter. Regardless, if you’re reading this, you’re not a stalker. I know I’m writing publicly. I was informed recently that my last serious post about my spontaneous, short breakdown made a friend feel uncomfortable reading it, as if she was reading my mail or something. I guess I’ve read other blogs that have been gut-level honest and it never made me feel weird. Maybe that’s me.
The point is, and I have one, that I read this post recently that I found interesting about how reading people’s blogs is not stalking. Click here to read more if you’re interested.
The end.
Today has been incredible! Jack is going to bed and it’s the first time all day I’ve heard him cry or whine! Crazy, huh? He must have felt sorry for me when he read my blog yesterday.
We waited in line to see Santa:
Eating puffs while waiting on Santa:
This is what happens when you ask someone to take your picture and they don’t know how to use a camera:
Jack telling Santa that he likes what he’s done with his beard:
We ran into Heather, a friend of mine from high school:
We walked around the whole mall, or so it seemed. Now, just a few days ago Reid and I were having this conversation about how incredible it was to see pictures of other people’s children falling asleep while eating or playing and how that will never be Jack. But then, I saw the unthinkable happen…Jack fell asleep in the stroller while we were shopping and here’s the proof!
After the mall, we hit up Joann’s, Plato’s Closet, and the grocery store. I’m so thankful for a wonderful day with my wonderful little boy. Can you tell I’m in a good mood!?
That was the tail end of a conversation I had with Reid this afternoon while he was on the way home. Today started out like any other day, but in the end, I had some kind of breakdown. It reminded me of the so-called breakdowns I had when I first had Jack, but not nearly as bad.
Jack was so sweet today; so much so that I even posted on FB that I forgot he was in the room with me at one point b/c I was reading something and he was playing so quietly. As soon as I said this, we start playing together and I notice he’s rubbing his eyes, so it’s off to bed. He shrieked as if in pain, so I gave him orajel for his teethies and made sure he wasn’t hungry by offering food/bottle.
The crying went on and on and on. Backyardigans and puffs helped, but he still refused to sleep after calming down, but those tired eyes were staring back at me.
Now, before you think, “Wow, that doesn’t sound that bad.” It wasn’t THAT bad, I haven’t been sleeping great and had recently realized I hadn’t left my house since Saturday night, except to go to Publix, and I needed to shower because I smelled. I was planning to shower during the afternoon nap…but that nap never came. My life is so glamorous, eh?
And for some reason, the tears flowed. While I was rocking Jack, he actually laughed at me crying, which made me laugh.
It was one of those moments that I couldn’t figure out why I was crying, but couldn’t stop doing so.
As soon as Reid got home, I jumped in the shower to hide out and block out Jack’s whining. Stepping out of the shower, I realized I was already feeling better. Reid suggested I get out of the house and get dinner for myself so I wouldn’t have to cook and he’d just eat sandwiches.
I finally left. I was going to get a strawberry-banana smoothie, but the place I used to get them from closed down. So, I walked around a few shops there just to browse. I finally picked up a turkey burger and sweet potato fries from Baha Burger and headed home. I was completely refreshed. Driving by myself with the music blasting is calming on a day like today.
I read this tonight here and I completely agree:
“I don’t miss my job, or miss working, but I miss the girls I worked with and I miss the interaction with other people. I feel like motherhood can be a lonely job some days. I am not saying that in a bad way, but I am just saying when you go from working and being with people all day, as well as doing whatever you want after work and in the evenings, it’s just different.”
I usually keep Jack and I busy during the week. We like to walk around the Galleria or Target, or visit with friends over coffee. It’s good for me and I think it’s good for him, too.
I also haven’t been to the gym in a couple of days, and that usually helps me feel like I’ve gotten my “me time” in for the day.
Now, after typing all this, I can’t believe all that happened today because I’m already over it. I’ve even planned out our day tomorrow: I’m taking Jack to meet Santa in the morning! And we need to pick up a couple more Christmas presents.
Sunday night’s run messed with my head. I set out to do 3 miles (but only did 2.7 b/c I missed a street). After the first mile I was ready to call it a night and head home.
All I could think was “What am I doing this for!?” Then, it was “This is stupid, just go home. No one will know or care.” The only thing that got me through the run was the Glee soundtrack.
Sure, I want to lose weight and be more physically fit, but there are other ways besides running.
I couldn’t come up with an answer that really motivated me.
Here’s what I came up with…
1) I actually like running, sometimes; especially how accomplished I feel afterward
2) To prove to myself that I can do it
3) I like how it’s changing the shape of my legs
4) Lame, but a lot of my friends are runners and that makes me want to do it, too.
I’ve recovered from Sunday and will be running either tonight or tomorrow. I think it was just mentally a bad night. I love working out, but there are times I just have to force myself to do it; running is the same way.
What keeps you running?
I had every intention to blog about something non-baby related today. I even have two posts in my head, but I came across this video this morning and just thought it was so interesting. Non-parents-of-young-babies check back later for something more interesting.
Here’s my disclaimer: I’m not looking to potty train Jack any time soon. We’re still working on the crawling thing. And, honestly, I really don’t mind changing his diapers; it doesn’t gross me out like it’s probably supposed to. Does that make me weird? (Now, mind you, I don’t get excited about poop and love the smell, I just have a high tolerance, maybe? Don’t ask me to change your kids diaper, it’s only for Jack that I don’t mind.)
Baby Potty Training: When Is the Right Time?
She potty trained her baby at 6 months!!! I’m not sure if I think she’s a freak or a genius. I’m just so darn intrigued.
