walking 80% of the time, 100% of the time

Today, for the first time, Britton preferred walking to crawling. She's been walking A LOT lately, but in spurts. Today, staying home with Grandma to get ready for our trip to Disney World and the Disney cruise, Britton decided she'd had enough of the whole crawling thing and walked around. She even stepped over her blanket while walking and didn't trip! She also bent down to pick up a toy while standing and didn't fall down!

We still haven't consistently put her in shoes, as I don't see a point in shoes unless I need to protect her feet. Better for walking to actually feel the ground underneath her feet. And even the daycare that claims toddlers must wear shoes "because it's regulation" (whatever that means) hasn't put her in shoes since the first day.

Now I'm crossing my fingers that the awesome new stroller we bought for our trip will be put to use! If she insists on walking everywhere, it's going to be a long day at Disney World tomorrow :) Though, at least now I can see an end in sight to Britton's knee calluses.

No pictures of her walking because I'm not quick enough to get to the camera, but here's a picture of the new stroller (not really the same, I know).

party of two

So, the hub and I decided to go up to OKC to check on our house, clean it for the upcoming open house, and make sure everything was running as it should. I don't need to be surprised by a toilet that's been running for two months or a broken air conditioner, so it's worth the four hour drive (each way) so I can see with my own eyes that everything is working properly.

Turns out, we didn't really need to go because everything was still clean. But we justified the trip by saying that without us being there to turn the sprinkler on those poor dry plants out back, they surely would have died. And the hub did discover an ant colony in the front flower bed and promptly got our pest guys out to spray.

We decided to drive to OKC on Friday night after Britton went to bed, so we could divide up the trip and not get up at the butt crack of dawn Saturday morning. Grandma and Grandpa had no problem watching her so we could head out. We arrived in OKC around 11:30 Friday night just ready to get to bed. And we slept in the next morning until 8:00 a.m.! I know college kids may be saying that 8:00 a.m. is early, but I'm telling you it was sleeping in for us and it was downright refreshing.

And so Friday, August 27, 2010 marks the first night I spent away from Britton. Seriously. The hub has been on business trips so he has spent the night away from Britton many times. But I never have. It was weird. I kept thinking I heard her, and then I'd look down for the monitor and it wouldn't be there. Of course, since both Britton and the monitor were in another state!

She was more than happy to see us, and we were more than ready to see her, Saturday afternoon. And we got into a rousing game of "move the magnets from one door of the fridge to the other door of the fridge" and I tell you what - I was only gone 20 hours but I missed her.

as i overlook the obvious

Resgined that Britton's temper tantrums and downright ornery moods meant that I was destined to be a raising a bi-polar old man who can't remember the good ole days, I set to the internet to find a reason for the personality changes. Because I can't just accept that my daughter has the personality of Paris Hilton when she realizes her diamond shoes are too tight. No brats here, I tell you. Well, as we all know, the internet is NOT where to get good information. People give their anecdotes as FACT then we are left to believe them. Supposedly if I just throw a glass of ice water into Britton's face every time she starts a fit, she'll stop immediately. That was seriously some random mom's advice.

Since I'm trying to avoid emotional abandonment and mental scarring, I decided to relax and read a favorite blog of mine: dooce.com. And wouldn't you know that she had a post about her baby teething. Britton never really had a lot of trouble with teething. We almost missed her teeth coming in in the first place.

But she has been drooling like it's nobody's business. And she has lately been preferring her motrin in an IV drip, thank you very much. And poor Winnie is being chewed like a dog toy. Hmmmmmm.......

So I looked up teething timetables because at some point, she has to get more than the six teeth she has had for months, right? Yeah, turns out molars start coming in between 10 and 14 months. She's almost 13 months old. And it all started coming together and making sense.

I don't have a baby with an antisocial personality disorder. I have a baby whose molars are crushing her will to live, who probably appreciated getting bit at daycare today because the pain in her arm distracted from the pain in her mouth.

or-ner-y

Before I start, can I just say that I went to Kohl's last night and discovered:

(A) The Thanksgiving apparel is already out! It was 107 degrees today! And
(B) Shouldn't every proud Virginia Tech graduate parent own this onesie?!?! I immediately sent this picture to Jessica.



Anywho, on to the ornery one. Yes, the terrible twos are upon us at not even thirteen months old. Blame it on lack of napping, teething, a new daycare, the move, what have you, but Britton has been downright ornery lately. Not this sweet cheerful little girl...



The one who plays "naptime" with her nap mat and snuggles in looking angelic...



Oh, she tries to be happy. And for the most part she is. But there's something about keeping it together while at daycare (mostly by being distracted) and then happy to be home with mom, then after dinner the little demon has to come out. She throws herself to the ground, grand gestures of how the world is so unfair, grabbing for items she throws in protest once she clutches them, frustrated beyond belief that this mean mean mean world won't let her walk or verbally communicate beyond a few choice words. Like tonight, when Grandma and I attempted to get her into the bath, and because she wasn't allowed to take the toilet paper roll with her, her entire reason for living was GONE. Even though Grandma was showing her the bubbles, the little star that squirts water, a popsicle she could eat in the tub to soothe her gums - NO. She wanted the toilet paper roll and how mean and horrid were we to deny her the toilet paper?

I don't want to coddle her, soothe every last whimper for fear of my baby shedding even one tear, but I don't want to be heartless either. I've had bad days, when slamming doors and screaming obscenities are the only thing to subside the pain, other than a full-on cry-it-out session in the shower. And my sister, in all her wisdom, reminded me of the day I came home convinced I had had the worst day EVER, and wrote a list of everything that went wrong that day. She said I made it to 14 before letting it go.

So, I get it. And if I lived in a world where my teeth hurt, the morons that take care of me all day don't understand that I need to have 100% undivided attention, I get served food I don't want and don't get the bottle I do want, and I come up to everyone's knees, and I can't walk or talk, yeah - I'd be pissed too. On a regular basis. I try to tuck my ornery self away, forget about my troubles that day, and just give her what she wants or needs. And lately, that has been a 6:00 p.m. bedtime.

4th anniversary

It is my 4th wedding anniversary today! The hub and I agreed that with the chaos of moving and such, we would do cards only. Well, I got him a card. He got me flowers. Delivered to work, where we all ohhhhed and ahhhed over them! And work is where they will stay until tomorrow evening, because I need a little something to brighten up my office.



Aren't they beautiful? They smell fantastic too!

So, four years. So many moves. To four states. Eight cities. Five different jobs. One dog. One baby. Three houses owned. Too many rented. One borrowed. We've been through it all, good and bad, and come out stronger and better because of it. I love you more every day. I love US more every day. Here's to the next anniversary, and the next, and the next!

grass is always greener

I spent the drive to work this morning with a lump in my throat. Britton was ornery this morning, not just pouting and whining about getting her diaper changed, but downright tearful crying. So not like her, but I chalked it up to Monday morning blahs. But I didn't get to stick around to make sure she was ok, didn't get to put her down for her nap early so she'd feel better - none of it. Because she goes to daycare, because I go to work.

And I figured out why it bothers me more now. It's because she's becoming a person, with likes and dislikes, preferences of activities, and a wide range of activities at that, who gets a kick out of the littlest thing and lets out a laugh that sets my laugh off too. She is easier to read, yet sometimes stubborn as a mule. When I left her in daycare as a baby, I missed what I got to do - hold her, feed her, snuggle her. On a daily basis, things stayed the same - she cried, laid on the floor, laid in the crib, napped four times a day, ate every two hours, and smiled when she had gas bubbles. But now, I feel like I am missing out on so much more because each day she changes. Her favorite toy could be any of them at any given time. She discovers things with abandon. Walking from her chair to me is so exciting for her, and of course she basks in the applause and cheers from all of us. When she's in a good mood she beams.

This evening when I got her home from daycare I set her on the floor and she lost it. Screaming, throwing herself backwards, tears streaming. And it went on and on for so long I knew something was wrong. I could not distract her enough, snuggle her enough, anything I tried was rejected. And when Grandma got home she agreed something had to be wrong to get such behavior from Britton. I took my poor girl, diaper only, to the urgent care down the street. Because a mom who doesn't work has time to find a pediatrician in a new town. A mom who doesn't work wouldn't have had to wait until 6:00 p.m. to take her daughter to the urgent care because she would have had an appointment, and known hours earlier something was wrong. But I have no choice but to believe my daycare workers who chirp every day, "She had a great day!" Because I don't know any different. After checking out Britton, the doctor asked me the last time Britton pooped. I didn't know. I didn't know if my own daughter had pooped that day because the daycare sheet was sitting on the kitchen counter.

Turns out it's most likely constipation - a combination of too much cheese and bananas, not enough water, and stress of the move and new routine.

I rocked her tonight, with her bottle, snuggling her fresh from the bath, hoping her constipation, or whatever was causing her pain, would go away. And she chewed on her Winnie, let out beautiful sighs, and let me smooth her hair from her face. She let me be mom.

And I miss that. Because I'm missing that.

first haircut

We've noticed that Britton's long bangs are getting to the point of impeding her ability to see. And while I yank her hair back with a barrette, she now knows how to pull her barrette out, but not how to put it back in. She tries to put it back in by tapping her head with the barrette, but the darn thing doesn't cooperate. So we gave up and decided she needed her hair trimmed. Luckily Grandma is trained in hair, so she made the experience as painless as possible.

BEFORE, Britton rocking her Justin Bieber style, just like all the little middle school boys of today...



AFTER, being distracted by the Nintendo DS and her daddy (who distracted her AND handled the video camera), one little snip from Grandma and it was over...



Then we all celebrated with watermelon because that's what they do it Texas! Well, not really, but the watermelon was pretty freaking good. And she could see it without all that hair hanging in her eyes!

that's right, you're not from texas

One week after moving to Texas, we have finally settled into a kind-of routine. We are living with Grandma and Grandpa until our house in Oklahoma sells, as qualifying for and paying for TWO mortgages forces my brain into mini-strokes. Best not to pile on the debt, so we are taking advantage of their generosity, not increasing our bills at all, and paying down whatever we can to be in the best position possible if (when! when! when!) or house sells. Our fabulous realtor just got back from a week-long vacation, so I am fully expecting great things on the house-front, especially since she has to make it up to us that her not-so-fabulous assistant was as useless as a rock.

I started my new job with the same company (just transferred to our Fort Worth office) and every day I am learning new things. Which makes me tired and cranky, because frankly I hate exercising and learning a new job is like exercise for my brain. Apparently I was lied to when I graduated law school and was told all employment opportunities, even those way below my pay grade and skill level like this one, would be a piece of cake. Because, well, I made it through law school! I can do anything! Not so much. But the people I work with seem cool, and we are allowed to talk above a whisper and listen to music, so it's already leaps and bounds better than my old office. Whoops - I may have just disparaged my company with that last sentence, which violates their social media policy. But I'm leaving it in because if I get fired I qualify for unemployment. Vacation!

Britton started her new daycare, and while it is not nearly as fabulous as her previous one in that these teachers don't seem to worship the ground Britton crawls on, the place is huge and clean and licensed and SOME teachers seem like they are at least trying to earn their minimum wage. The others not so much, but then again if I can text on my phone all day, why shouldn't they? Oh, that's right - I'm not watching mobile children all day. But I digress...

Britton has made herself at home here, pulling out tricks we've never seen before. Like her basket of diapers, which has sat at the end of our sofa for months that she always ignored, turned into an awesome chair for a few minutes at Grandma and Grandpa's house.




And she ate spaghetti for the first time!




And we made popsicles and she ate that! Something cold and yummy - she turns her nose up at snowcones at daycare, but Grandpa's juice pops aren't half bad...



So not bad in fact that she was allowed to take the popsicle into the bath to finish it. I can't make this stuff up. But I also can't make the girl give up her popsicle when I want her to try new foods. Besides, I knew it wouldn't last long in the steamy tub.




So I'm still mapquesting my way around town, and my commute sometimes scares me because it seems that while no one in Oklahoma could handle driving when the road so much as slightly turned beyond a completely straight line, Texas drivers all seem to be drunk to me, even at 7:00 a.m. I'm sure not all of them are, but apparently a desire to be in another lane, REGARDLESS IF THERE IS A CAR THERE, means you can move over without a turn signal and everyone else just better be okay with that. The hub loves his new job, and he took me to see his office building last night. Let me tell you - it was AMAZING. Like a fancy hotel you know you can't afford or your friend's parents' house, that friend who got a brand new car on her birthday and refers to her "houses" a lot. The commute may be brutal, but the destination is incredible.

quick update

We made it to Texas and both started work yesterday. And Britton started her new daycare with minimal issues (other than not allowing her bottle, but that's another post). But we have no Internet yet, and I am writing this on my iPhone. I will update (with pictures!) when my computer gets reconnected.

1 year stats

The hub took Britton to her doctor's appointment, and she sadly had to get shots. None too happy about being measured, undressed, and placed on the table and made to lay down, she was downright shaking with rage when it came to the shots. She cried, but then let it go. Until she got home and decided that maybe her legs did hurt a little and she was tired and grumpy. Then the hub noticed she had a 30 minute nap today, and SOMEONE went to bed early.

The stats:

Weight: 24 lbs, 12 oz (90-95%)
Height: 30 in (75-90%)
Head: 45 cm (50%)

Sorry for the short post, but we're TWO DAYS AWAY FROM MOVING. Once we get our house staged, our belongings moved, and everything settled, I'll be back with pictures and more tales.

happy first birthday, britton!!!

Britton turns all of ONE YEAR OLD today! I am excited about the journey we have taken over the last 365 days, but I am also horribly nostalgic of the little baby Britton was, and I am stubborn to let her grow any more than she already has. But I can't stop it, can't make her stay frozen in time, so I have to let it go and embrace that the person she is becoming is a beautiful, smart, sometimes stubborn, always sassy, little girl.





Britton does not have her doctor's appointment until Thursday, so no stats yet. But I can tell you, the girl is tall! She has been doing well with her eating, adding meatballs, strawberries, ham, cheese, quinoa, and green beans to her very long list of "like" foods. We have not stopped the bottle for formula, but are starting to expose her to milk. Hopefully there are no tummy issues with dairy as before. Britton is so close to full-on walking, can take multiple steps without help, and can go from sitting to standing unsupported. She is talking more, saying "Dada," "Mama," "ball," "all done" (which her daycare told me about!), and a quiet sound like "daint do" for "thank you." She also notices herself in photos, and can scan through my iPhone and look at photos. I have no idea who taught her this, but I foresee a future of Apple electronics under the Christmas tree where I was certain there would be dolls. I shouldn't be too surprised, however, as she very much is her father's daughter.

Likes: Elmo phone, being tickled by Daddy, romping on our bed/in our pillows, feeding teething biscuits to Sadie, beach balls, music, my iPhone and all electronics, being outdoors, water play

Dislikes: Having her diaper changed (though if you give her a pillow for her head she'll tolerate it), snowcones, birthday cake!, chicken

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

one year ago

Exactly one year ago I was laying on our blue-grey sectional sofa, with the hub sprawled across the floor, watching television. For the life of me, I have no idea what we were watching, but it was Saturday night, so it probably wasn't anything good. We had spent the early evening walking around Penn Square Mall. I even pointed out that Motherhood Maternity was having a sale, and how I couldn't buy anything because I only three weeks to wear the new clothes. Little did I know that I had less than twenty-four hours.

The hub and I stopped by Braums on the way home from the mall where I threw caution to the wind, screw my gestational diabetes, and got a junior burger and their blackberry and cream with almonds yogurt. I remember we went to the Braums on Memorial, one we rarely if ever eat at. But we did, and then went home.

And that is where, laying on that couch, at 10:31 p.m. on August 1, 2009, I stood up and my water broke. I grabbed my pants and looked at the hub and he looked at me, and I swore I just peed myself. But I didn't. And that's how it all started...

first birthday party!

Cammy came into town last Wednesday night, ready to hang out with Britton and us, and do this first birthday party right! Thursday and Friday Britton went to daycare even though I was off work, so that Cammy and I could run a million errands and not drag Britton to every store in the greater metropolitan area. But that didn't stop Britton from wooing Cammy with her "I like to be outdoors in 103 degree weather" pout and beach ball skills every morning...




"Maybe I need to pull out Blue Steel?"




Then Saturday morning it was party time! We invited Britton's grandparents, great-grandmother, and friends to hang out for our "Beach Bash" theme birthday party. The hub fired up the grill in this unbearable heat to make hot dogs and hamburgers, and we also made deviled eggs, baked beans, pasta salad, and all the wonderfully yummy cook-out food you can imagine. i made Britton's personal you-can-destroy-it cake, which she didn't really destroy (or even eat) and the adult cake, which was a triple-layer lemon cake. And, of course, what child's 10:30 a.m. birthday party is complete without a margarita maker?







Present time! Britton liked looking at them, but the opening part wasn't her thing, so I opened for her. The Elmo phone we gave her was a hit because it's the toy everyone at daycare fights over. Cammy got her a baby doll with a laugh that becomes maniacal the more you play it (I'll be scaring the hub in the middle of the night with it later this week), along with some adorable clothes. And Grandma and Grandpa got her the Little People Barn & Farm, an easy chair, and a pink piano. And everyone brought such incredible gifts, it was really touching.





Also, this John Deere tractor was the hub's when he was a baby. As a child, he rode the thing 1000 miles, and spent the last couple of weeks stripping it, repainting it, putting it back together, and replacing parts and decals. We purposefully left some parts original (like the outside of the back wheels) to juxtapose the old and the new. We kept it in the laundry room to wheel out as a surprise at the end of present time, but FORGOT! So, we gifted it to her after her afternoon nap...





When it came time for us to sing "Happy Birthday" and for Britton to dive into her cake and cover herself with frosting goodness, she would have none of it. She at least sampled the icing, but wasn't very interested in the process.




Obviously not a fan of mom's cream cheese frosting...


So, we didn't force her to eat the cake and just let her down so everyone else could enjoy cake and ice cream. Britton found the true joy of the party watching everyone from under the table.







A first birthday we will never forget! Good times, good friends, good food, good memories...