It's Pumpkin Time!

Halloween is coming up (how did a year go by so quickly??) and that means it's time to start planning little G's costume. Last year was pretty easy. I found a super cute robot costume from Children's Place at the last minute so it was on sale. He was adorable, despite the fact that MIL thought he was a computer, whatever.

Here he is last year:

(Oh my God! Look at my tiny baby!! *sob*)

For some reason this year I just can't come up with any good ideas. I've scoured the internet and the stores and I'm coming up short. So far these are the few ideas I've come across that look even remotely good.

Max from Where the Wild Things Are


Tigger


Eeyore


An Owl


So far that's all I've come up with. Honestly? None of them are really striking me as "the one." Since G is still on the cusp of being a toddler I really want to be able to put him in something that's cute and sweet. My time to dress him the way I want to is limited. Before I know it he's going to want to be a ninja or vampire, which will be fine, but I want to get all I can out of this baby stage while it lasts. So... anyone have any better ideas?

Ready For Fall

The blog took a small hiatus while the family took a vacation to Florida to visit Husband's family. Florida in September is... hot. Like Hell, with steam. Our neck of the woods is so opposite weather wise that I actually had to buy summer clothes for the three of us. Hopefully I'll get around to doing a post on our trip soon, but for now I'm sticking to the Monday Fashion post.

Mid-September means it is time to start breaking out the Fall wardrobe. Although our area actually tends to have a few warm weeks around this time of year, I can't wait to try out a few new trends. One of them being flares. I remember when I was about 14 I swore up and down that I would never wear them, that they were utterly hideous. A couple years later they came into style and I found myself eating crow. Since then I have learned to never say never when it comes to fashion.

Once again flares have made a comeback in the fashion world. Like a lot of trends I suspect this one will go just as quickly as it came so I'm not willing to invest a whole lot in it, but I did want to try it out. That's where Target comes in. Always a good way to get your feet wet. Let's take a look at today's look shall we?

Cardigan: Marshalls (circa 2008), Flares: Target



When it gets too warm the cardigan comes off and voila, we have a cool summery look.

Top: Forever 21, Necklace: A vendor at a quilt show (circa 2006)

An attempt at showing my hair - don't mind me neighbor man, just taking pictures of myself...

A pretty good fit for jeans from Target. I also love the lace detail on the top.

This is called a Dutch braid, which is essentially an inverted French braid. Also note the makeup, I had a little lesson in eye shadow from my cousin. :)

After taking a series of ugly pictures (think bags under the eyes, double chins, weird angles) I decided to go ahead and just make some "ugly" faces on purpose. I think I need to work on my photography/modeling skills otherwise my pictures are going to look like this from now on...



Oh! And the shoes! Who could forget the shoes? (Pay no attention to my "garden" in the background.)

Shoes: Marshalls

I have to admit that these shoes are a little less than mom-friendly. They certainly aren't something I'm going to be chasing G-Man around in, but they are pretty. They also serve a purpose. Flares, in my opinion, don't look very good with flat shoes. Every pair of flats I've tried with the flares has made my legs look kind of squat. These definitely helped to elongate the gams. Also, they are a nice little pick-me-up. Nothing like a good pair of heels to make you walk a little taller. :)

As a side note, little G- Man must have been feeling rather pooped from our trip because he ended up taking a record breaking four hour nap today. Sadly this means he was not present for our fashion shoot. Instead I leave you with His Royal Cuteness on vacation.

Jamma Jamma Jamma, PJ!

It's Pajama Time!

Today is the kind of day that calls for PJs. It's ridiculously cold and blustery outside. G-Man didn't sleep well last night which in turn means Mama didn't sleep well either. Add that to the fact that my pants are a little snug and my face is all broken out like a teenager (WTF?) and I'm definitely not in a fashonista mood today. When I rolled out of bed this morning to collect G from his crib, only to find that his supersize overnight diaper had leaked all over, I was done before the day even started. Thus, I declared an official pajama day, and no, I will not be sharing pictures of our outfits. :P

Instead I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite outfits this summer and a clip of one of my favorite movies (which we are watching while all snuggled up on the couch).

On me - Top: Forever 21, Pleated Shorts: Target, Sandals: Ross, Sunglasses: Marshalls. On G - He's a Target baby all the way!


Maxi Dress: Target, G's outfit: Target

And now I leave you with possibly one of the best scenes ever! Gotta love Rupert Everett...

The Breakfast Club

Today's look is somewhat reminiscent of The Breakfast Club. Specifically... Judd Nelson:



Comfortable, casual, and slightly rocker/badass - all things every Mama should be. ;)

Boots: Steve Madden (Macy's Sale), Purple Socks: Target




Jacket w/Zipper Details: Costco, Dress as Shirt: Kohl's, Skinny Cargo Pants: Forever 21




Hat & Bracelet: Target


Belt: Target


In my neck of the woods layers are essential as is the ability to vary an outfit with a couple of quick changes.

Ditching the jacket for the warmer part of the day.


Here I switched out the shoes for a slightly more demure look. Added a silver headband and threw my hair up into what Husband lovingly calls "the hairball."



And the little baby rocker:



Will Sweep For Food!

Here We Go Again...

Just a reminder, this blog started off when I was pregnant and on bed rest. I started this blog to talk about everything I was going through, the good, the bad and the ugly. As a mom I'm still encountering the good, bad and ugly on a daily basis. So... just to make sure you all have fair waring, I will still be discussing the following from time to time:

*cervix
*uterus
*pee
*poop
*vomit
*diarrhea
*blood

...and probably a lot of other things that haven't even occurred to me yet. If you have an aversion to those things then turn back now.

Sometimes I'll be posting about what I'm wearing, or the cute thing that G-Man did, but other days I'm going to be writing about diaper blowouts and irritated uteruses (uteri?). Today is going to be one of those days.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. That oh so wonderful time when you get to don a paper gown in a cold office, stick your feet into stirrups (not the kind for riding horses) and make awkward conversation while a doctor pokes around in between your legs. Wait... that's not the most wonderful time of the year?? Hmm, yeah, I guess not.

I used to dread these appointments, so much so that I think I avoided actually going to one until I was twenty-two. Bad I know. But, ever since having a baby my sense of humility seems to have gone down considerably. Falling out of my paper gown? Who cares! Chatting while I'm being probed? Not a problem. Doing those things with my one-year-old squirming in his stroller? Not really my idea of fun.

This morning G-Man and I woke up a little late. Knowing that I had about 30 minutes in which to get myself ready, the baby ready and out the door, I jumped out of bed in a panic. I grabbed little G and plopped him onto the changing table and a tantrum immediately ensued. Lately he's had issues with me changing him. Husband can change him 'til the cows come home, but if I do it we have a total meltdown. It's a fight every.single.time. So, as G flopped and flailed all over the table, I did my best to prevent poop from flying across the room, wiped him up, strapped on a new diaper and got him dressed. Next I ran out to the living room and gave him some toys to keep him preoccupied and then ran back to the bedroom to get myself ready. When I returned to the living room I found the sweet little monster sitting in the middle of the floor, gleefully pulling tissues of of their box one at a time and then tossing them aside before grabbing the next. Gah!

After cleaning up the tissues I grabbed my coffee and some food for G and found a way to simultaneously guzzle and shove food into him at the same time. Once we were done with that I made sure the diaper bag was packed. Food for G, snacks, water, diapers, wipes, change of clothes, yep it was all there. We were finally ready. All I had to do was slip my shoes on and we were ready to go. Then, just as I reached for my keys the phone rang. After all of that my appointment had to be pushed back because Dr. M had a surgery go late at the hospital. They said they would call me back later to tell me when to come in. My friend was scheduled to watch G during my appointment but not wanting to leave her hanging I decided to just bring G whenever they wanted me to come in.

Fast forward to my appointment. ***Here comes the unpleasant stuff - yes, more unpleasant than a flying poop visual*** I brought G-Man into the exam room with me. I strapped him into his little umbrella stroller so he would be contained during the exam and then gave him a bunch of snacks. Food always makes him happy. Then, just before Dr. M came in I noticed a smell, a distinct smell... sure enough, poopy diaper number two. There I sat, in a revealing paper gown, with quite the dilemma, crouch down on the floor and attempt to change G (on the yucky floor) before Dr. M came in, or leave him as he was and hope he didn't get too stinky (or rashy). Ultimately I chose the latter scenario. So, in addition to lying there, paper gown failing to cover me while Dr. M chatted and probed away, I got to have the smell of a poopy diaper occasionally waft over me. Dr. M either didn't notice or was too polite to say anything. Probably just too polite.

I'll spare you the details of the actual exam and try to focus more on what we discussed. Unfortunately over the last few months my symptoms from Endometriosis have returned with a vengeance. I was pretty lucky in that my period didn't return until G-Man was 11 months old, but when it did I'm pretty sure my body decided to make up for it by bleeding for six weeks straight. Yes, you read that right, six weeks. Dr. M said that my ultrasound was mostly normal except that my uterine lining was pretty thin. She agreed that not taking the progesterone only pill anymore was probably for the best. Then she started discussing my pain. Her best guess is that I have some scar tissue building back up and that I have increased pain from my tilted uterus. This is where it gets really good. Her suggestion? Have all the babies we are planning on having and the go ahead with a laparoscopic uterine suspension. A what??

Essentially this is what a "normal" uterus looks like vs. what my tilted uterus looks like:



For more information check out this site.

"What is the treatment for a tipped uterus?

If you have a tipped uterus and are experiencing symptoms, your physician may recommend surgery to reposition the uterus. A uterine suspension can typically reduce the pain experienced during intercourse and/or menstruation. This surgical procedure is used to reposition a tipped uterus from its backward facing position to a forward facing position. The UPLIFT procedure is a newer and improved method of performing a uterine suspension. It has been proven to have fewer postoperative complications than other uterine suspension procedures. Uterine repositioning provides lasting pain relief in most cases of painful sex and in some cases of painful menstruation."

The alternative is a hysterectomy. Or I could just live with the pain. I guess we shall see.

12, 13, 14 (almost)

Where has the time gone? Have I mentioned that my baby is not really a baby anymore? At almost 14 months old he doing decidedly kid-like things. Sometimes it is so wonderful to watch him grow and learn and other times I just want to cry out, "No!! Stop growing!! Stay just as you are!!!!" Thankfully for everyone involved (even me) he continues to grow and learn each day. In fact, right now he's walking (yes walking!) around our living room babbling and laughing like a mad man, stopping only to pick up the occasional toy, inspect it and then toss it aside. When he catches me watching he tilts his head to the side and gives a big ol' smile. Quite the little man.

So what have we been up to the last couple of months? Growing, growing, growing!

Stats: Weight - 19lbs 12oz at 12 months and approximately 21lbs now. Height 29.5in (at 12 months). He just started fitting into his size 12 months clothes although in things like one-piece pajama sets he's starting to need the 18 months size because he's so long. I think he technically could still fit into the 9 months size pants around the waist (he's a skinny mini!) but he way too long for them so instead he'll have to deal with saggy pants. He was fitting nicely into size 3 shoes and then I noticed they were getting a little tight so I took him to get measured for new shoes. He's now a whopping 4.5/5 wide (you can thank Daddy-o for those wide feet little G-Man).

Walking: Little man is now walking like a pro. He keeps me busy chasing after him. I will say that certain things still trip him up (literally), like uneven/bumpy surfaces, needing to step up or down, or inclines. Yesterday we were leaving the house and he tripped over the threshold smacking his head into the doorway. There were tears. Lots and lots of tears. Also, when he tries to combine walking with any other task, like drinking water it's pretty much a recipe for disaster. He now has a lovely cut on his chin and lip from a run in with a sippy cup. Lesson learned, don't drink and walk.

Language: We're pretty sure G is fluent in some sort of alien language. It sounds a lot like "dooka dooka, DO da, gwee bah JOO mah!! It has a similar cadence and inflection to the English language but is quite clearly foreign. He points at stuff and gestures while he talking too. Pretty interesting stuff. Then there are the real words: go, bye-bye, hi, mama, dada, up, down, cold, water (wawa), banana (nana), that (dat), doggy (dahdah), belly button (bay buh un), I did it, I got it, all done, all gone. I know there are other words he says but for the life of me I can't think of them now. He can also do the sign for "more." I'm not big on the whole baby sign language trend, but he was getting frustrated (and so was I) during meal time so I showed it to him a couple of times and he picked it up pretty quickly.

In terms of comprehension, I'm pretty sure he understand a large percentage of what I say. He can follow pretty simple directions, i.e. come here, go get the ball, etc. When we ask him where his head is he smacks his head with his hands, he can also locate my belly button when asked. We're working on pointing to his nose, but he frequently ends up poking himself in the eye with one.

Other cute things: G loves to point at things. He loves to visit with our neighbor who takes him around the back yard for little nature walks. He points at everything and babbles away while he does it. He also recently learned how to clap (right around 12 months I think) and now he does it for everything. Sometimes I'll be watching TV and if people start clapping on there he'll stop what he's doing, luck up at me and clap very enthusiastically. He waves bye-bye (and sometimes for hello) pretty well, but it's usually after the person has already gone.

Every night Husband and I read G man stories and then Husband says goodnight, gives him hugs and kisses then and blows G kisses from the door. For the past few months I've been helping G blow kisses back. Yesterday, for the first time ever he blew me a kiss on his own. I actually think he's been trying to do it for a while but was confusing it with the fun game of patting his hand over his mouth to make the "wah wah wah" sound.

I have had terrible allergies since I got pregnant with G and for some reason they have never gone away. Because of this, when G was still pretty small I got into the habit of making a big production out of my sneezes. Right after I sneezed I would say "Achoo!!" and be super silly about it. If I didn't do it that way he would get scared. Now it's just habit for me to say "Achoo" after I sneeze and it still makes him laugh. This morning I walked into the living room where G was playing and I sneezed twice. He turned to look at me and before I could say anything he smiled really big and said "Achoo Achoo!" Smarty pants.

G loves TV. I'm a little ashamed to admit this one. I know the AAP actually recommends that children don't watch until at least two years old, but really I think I would have lost my marbles early on without a little background noise here and there. Luckily He mostly only watches when there is music playing. He loves the intro to The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That, Super Why, and Backyardigans. He squeals with delight, runs up to the TV and dances around (which is more like a funny little booty shake). Then when the music is over he goes back to playing. Oh and he loves the theme song to General Hospital.

A few pictures of my guy:

The birthday boy





My handsome little man

Monday Mommy Fashion

Well hello there blog world! It's been way too long since my last post. A lot has happened (hello my baby is almost 14 months!!) and I'd like to try to get back in to posting regularly. I've been toying with the idea of doing a weekly weight loss post, maybe including some pictures of the process but I don't quite know if I'm brave enough for that yet. So, instead I came up with the brilliant yet not very original idea of doing a weekly fashion post. We'll see how long that lasts. ;)

I confess: I have a momiform. That is a uniform that fits my mommy lifestyle pretty comfortably. Is it attractive? Probably not. Is it comfortable. Yes! Right after the little man was born I found myself living in "easy access" tank tops and sweats most of the time. Then if I had to go out I traded in the sweats for jeans. Cute, right? No, not so much, but it worked. Then I started following a blog called Ain't No Mom Jeans which inspired me to start putting a little more effort into my overall look. Slowly I've built up a wardrobe of affordable clothes that I feel are both comfortable and flattering. So... now my plan is to post a weekly look with all the details. I will say that I am not a model nor a professional photographer. Just your average Mama who likes clothes. You may not like my style and that's A-OK with me!

So, without further ado... What I'm wearing today:


Top & Tank: Target, Ankle length jeggings: Kohl's, Flip Flops: random shoe store in Miami circa 2007


Belt: Target


Makeup: My routine tends to be short and sweet, not much time for all the frills with a little one pulling on my legs, but what I use - Foundation: Clinque, Powder: Bluff Dust by Benefit, Under Eye Concealer: Simply Ageless by Covergirl & Olay, Bronzer: Benefit, Blush: Bourjois, Mascara: Whatever is on sale at Target :)

And finally, what the little man is wearing:


Overalls: Thrifted Levi's, Sesame St. T-Shirt: Target, Shoes: Stride Rite

On the move: