Going bald

I think I might be going bald. I would say I was going grey but since I was born with strands of grey hair that doesn't bother me. However, I do think I'm going bald because I'm quickly beginning to pull all my hair out.

Being the mother of a toddler is without a doubt exhausting. I spend more time trying to keep my son out of trouble then I do playing with him I think. He is everywhere and touching everything right now. Power outlets, surge protectors, the computer tower, the satellite box, the book shelf, every tiny piece of anything that isn't suppose to be on the floor, my shoes, my husband's boots, any unstable piece of furniture he can find, any anything else that you could think of that could hurt, maim, or kill Angel will find and/or do. He is your every day average toddler exploring the world around him and testing the limits his Mommy has set for him. I spend more time in my day saying "no, sir," "don't touch that," "come back here," I said no," "that's not safe," "that's dangerous," and my personal favorite "Angel Joaquin!" then any other phrase in a whole week.

If I walk into the laundry room he crawls in right behind me and goes for whatever he isn't suppose to have. If I go to the bathroom there he is playing with the scale. Into the bedroom and he goes right for my husband's PT shoes that are covered in mud. No matter where I go or what I do my little boy is on my heels and determined to wreck havoc right behind me.

In fact, it has taken me well over and hour to right this blog so far because I have had to save his life so many times. :-) Normally, I would have waited to write this but that was the experiment I was going for.

Laundry, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, dusting, cleaning of any kind has to be done while he sleeps or else he tries to "help" me. Picking up toys, well he watches me pick them all up then goes and pulls them all back out. If I leave the baby gate down to the kitchen he crawls in and decides to play with Lieu's water bowl, my poor dog.

The best part of all those is the tantrum that comes when I do stop him/save him. Big sad crocodile tears and the loudest crying imaginable. I can tell him no in the sweetest voice ever but because he has begun to learn what he isn't suppose to do it's like I've screamed at him at the top of my lungs. It's really funny because ten seconds later he will laugh at me.

I'm exhausted and stressed out and going bald because I'm pulling all my hair out! It sounds horrible, doesn't it? Being a mom is without a doubt the hardest job I have ever had (including working for Lowe's). Being a mom though is the most amazing thing I have ever had the privilege of doing. I wouldn't trade a single moment of it. Angel is my miracle and though he drives me to my breaking point at times he is the reason I smile every day, the reason I laugh and sing silly songs and tickle till we cry. He makes me happy and grateful. I wouldn't trade my worst moment with him for my best moment before him.

So I'm going bald. They make wigs for women with that problem. Maybe I'll go blonde!

So thankful

So as previously stated, I'm not much for Thanksgiving. It's really only good for the day off in my opinion. So the subject of this blog is kind of ironic I think. I want to tell you what I'm thankful for.

My mornings start exactly the same every day and the end exactly the same every day and I'm more than thankful for that. It's this morning that reminds me what wonderful things I have in my life.

I wake up every morning to the sounds of my son playing in his crib. I have woken up to those same sounds for almost eleven months now and I have been grateful for every one of those mornings. I'm grateful for how patient he is while I make his breakfast and feed our dog, Lieu. I am grateful for that smile that greets me when I open his bedroom door and the way he reaches for me to pick him up out of bed. I'm grateful for the way he babbles at me while I change him and how he snuggles with me when he drinks his milk. For the way he smiles at me while I feed him and the way we dance when he is done. For the giggles I hear when I put him in the living room to play and the way he claps his hands when I turn Nick Jr. on. That's the start to my day every morning, rain or shine.

I end my days the same every day too. Curled up on the couch watching TV with a man that loves me and that I love more than anything. We watch a show or movie and hold hands or cuddle. We talk about our days and what we want to do tomorrow. I'm thankful for that time I get with him at the end of our busy days. I'm thankful for the way he smiles at me after four years together. I'm thankful that he appreciates the meals I cook for him, the house I clean, the child we have that I spend my days raising. I'm thankful for the work he does, the crap he has to put up with and that he does it so our family can be better. I'm thankful for the way he always hogs my blanket on the couch and I have to pull it out from under him because that means we will with curl up under it together after I get it. I'm thankful for the way we brush our teeth together and how he kisses me goodnight every night. I'm thankful that the last thing I hear every day is "I love you."

I'm thankful for the way my days start and for the way they end and for all the things in the middle. I'm thankful for my dog, Lieu, who has been my best friend for five and a half years now. Since the day she was born, my little white tipped tail puppy, she had been my love. I can't imagine my life without her. I'm thankful for text messages from my sister that tell me my beautiful niece has done something new and wonderful. I'm thankful for my mom who is willing to send me her gas card so we can spend Thanksgiving together. I'm thankful for my dad who calls randomly just to ask how his grandson is doing and for my step-mom who took the time to call and find out what size he is wearing for clothes for Christmas. I'm thankful for a brother-in-law who took the time to get to know me when other members of his family had decided to hate me. I'm thankful for both of my nieces and the amazing little girls they are. I'm thankful the army for giving my husband a job and for Lowe's. Without Lowe's I wouldn't have half of the amazing things in my life and I wouldn't know the love and joy I have every day.

So many more things to be thankful but those are some of the most important. I'm thankful for the blessing that is my family, for the little boy who randomly looks at me with a toothy grin, for the husband who walks by and kisses me, for my dog who just wants to love me. My blessings, big and small. I wouldn't trade a single one and I hope as I get older I am always as thankful as I am right now.

Changing seasons

I love this time of year. I love the change in the air and the way the leaves fall. I love curling up under a blanket with my husband and watching my son crawl around in his footie pajamas. I love drinking hot chocolate and sipping warm soup. I love wearing big warm sweaters and wrapping myself up in my husband's arms to stay warm. With all these things in mind I add this, I hate being cold. I love all the things that come with it though.

I love racking leaves into a big pile and jumping in. I'm looking forward to the day when Angel is old enough to enjoy doing it with me. I love pulling on my fleece jacket I stole from my husband and going on evening walks with my family in the cool air. I love turning the heat and on getting my all too squirmy little boy to snuggle into my lap.

I love the approaching holiday too. So many things to look forward to and enjoy. I myself have never been very big on Thanksgiving. For me, I associate it with eating turkey and falling asleep watching football. I don't really like turkey and I hate football. So honestly, it's a day I could skip over. I do enjoy the other cooked goodies and the fact that my husband gets the day off so I will take it. This year we will be travelling to North Carolina for the holiday. Maybe I don't really like Thanksgiving but that doesn't mean I don't want Angel exposed to it and the family that loves him.

Then comes the fun of Christmas. Our first family Christmas with our son. I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait to decorate and play Christmas carols and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to Angel. I want to make cookies for him and do fun artwork. I want to take him to see Santa Claus and do milk and cookies on Christmas Eve. I know that for the most part he won't care about any of this. He won't quite be a year old yet. For me though, it's going to be the best Christmas ever.

I love spring and summer and swimming and be in the sun and going to the park and being warm. I love fall and winter though and the adventures that come with them.

So curl up with the ones you love. Your spouse, your children, your fur children, whoever you would like. Curl up with the ones you love and be thankful for the change in seasons that gives you a reason to curl.

Bits and pieces

So it was recently pointed out to me by my fabulous cousin, Lindsey, that I'm a lot more creative then I realized.

I know there are a millions little bits and pieces that make up me but I suppose sometimes I forget about some of them. I'm a writer by heart. I have been since I was thirteen years old. I can remember the exact moment I decided that was who I wanted to be. I'm also a photographer (though not nearly as good as my baby sister who does it professionally). I can still picture the first photograph I ever took that made me think that was something I really enjoyed. After ten years working with children I am a master at creative kid art. I have the pine cone ornament I hang on my Christmas tree every year that I made in high school with my first class. Crayons, paint, glitter, string, glue, macaroni. You name it and I can create something with it. Or at the very least help a really cute kid create a really cool picture.

There is something that I forget about on a regular basis though. Something I've been doing since I was five years old. My grandmother, my dad's mother, taught me how to crochet. When she passed away years ago she left me rolls and rolls of unused yarn so that I could continue to do what she had taught me. So here I am at almost thirty-three and I have continued to create with the skill she passed on to me. My son came home from the hospital wrapped in a blanket I made him. My niece spends her weekends playing with the purple blanket I made her before she was born. I'm in the process of making my previously mentioned cousin, Lindsey, a blanket for the little girl she is expecting. (Speaking of Lindsey, you should follow her blog. She's kind of awesome. http://morethanamommydiary.blogspot.com/) I love crocheting. I love creating something that someone can wrap themselves in. I love creating something that you can wrap someone you love in. I'm good at it too and I like getting compliments on my talent and I like that people appreciate the things I make.

So when my awesome cousin suggested I should sell the things I create I thought why not. I love doing it and you know what they say. Do what you love. So between being a wife, a mom, a writer, a photographer, and everything else I'm not making blankets. Find me on Facebook if you're interested. Wrapped In Love http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wrapped-In-Love/305100199517230.

Anyone the point in this post is to say thank you to Lindsey and to point out that there are a million bits and pieces to who we are. Don't forget about the ones you might not use every day because sometimes those are the pieces that make you the most interesting person in the world.