Stuff I'm Lovin'

Here's a little post about stuff I can not live without these days...

BabyMel Diaper Bag

I friggen love this thing and every time I take it out, someone always comes up to me to ask where I got it. This one woman at the mall last week even said she loved it so much that she wanted to buy it and use it as her purse! It's super cute and fits more things then I could possibly imagine. It's perfect for one or two babies {or, as a purse, apparently.}

Fisher Price Rock-N-Play

When we first brought Brynn home from the hospital, she refused to sleep anywhere but her car seat or her swing. It took about 3 days of dealing with that {or no sleep} before buying the Rock-n-play. She loves it, and as we all know: happy {and well rested} baby = happy mama.

Not only is it approved for nighttime sleeping, it has a 25lb weight limit {therefore, approved for monster babies} and is easy to travel with! We took it to OBX with us and we also take it to my mom's house everyday. LOVE. It reminds me of the "moving buddies" quote from Toy Story... "If you don't have one... GET ONE." ;)

Tommee Tippe Toddler Eating System

I don't know if you know this {yet}, but toddlers tend to throw their food. And their bowls. And anything else that's in front of them.

Well, in Carter's defense, he doesn't really "throw" his bowl as much as he pushes it away forcefully while saying either "all gone" or "Kai Kai!" {meaning he wants to give his leftovers to our dog.}

As soon as I saw this toddler eating system at Babies R' Us, I knew I had to have it. The place mat portion is made of a non-slip material that stays in place on any eating surface, while the matching bowls/plates, suction right to the mat so that the toddler {and sometimes the mama} can't remove it.

It's brilliant.

It also helps with the frustration Carter faces when he's scooping his food and the bowl/plate keeps sliding. We love it!

Garneir Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller

I decided to invest my $10 in this as soon as I looked in the mirror about a week after having Brynn. And boy, did I need it.

Not only does it contain minerals to help with the puffiness under my eyes {mainly due to lack of sleep} but it also has a tinted concealer to help with the dark circles too. The roll-on feature makes it easy to use, and I just keep it in my make-up bag and wear it daily {yes, I need it that often.} It's wonderful.

I'm sure I'll have more to add to this list soon...

Have you voted today? =)

Me Time

I think every person out there knows that "me time" is very hard to come by. It's even hard to come by when you're not a mom, let alone when you are.

Now, I'm not talking about time spent with the family, or time spent with your hubby... I mean spending time completely by yourself, doing something that you love to do.

When's the last time you did that?

Well, I'm lucky enough to get "me time" about one night a week and it's something that I really look forward too {no offense to my babies or husband, of course!} It usually occurs on Tuesday nights, right after my cuddle time with Carter. Once he falls asleep, I put him in his crib and head downstairs to make sure that Bob is okay with the baby {who is usually fast asleep in her swing.}

And then it happens.

Me time.

What do I do, you may ask? Well I usually grab a glass of wine {a true prerequisite of "me time"} and watch the DVR'd version of the latest Bachelorette {in my defense, how can you NOT drink wine while watching this show?? They drink wine the entire time!}

Yes, that's what I look forward too. Don't judge.

It may sound lame, but it's something that I love to do. Though, after next weeks season finale, I'll have to find a new show to watch. Or maybe I'll actually read that book in my night stand that I've started over about 5 times. Hmm...

Oh, and to all the Bachelorette fans out there.... who are you rooting for? I've been Team Roberto the entire show, but now I think I kind of like Chris! No matter what, I think Ali has two good guys to choose from...

Mom of the Year

I'm still wondering how we went from this...
...to this...
...in a matter of minutes.

Saturday started out like any other day. Bob and I had planned to take the kiddos to the aquarium and were really excited about it. We decided to let Carter nap first and then we'd head there around 2:30-3pm. Because Philadelphia was having their fireworks on Saturday, we knew the aquarium was open a little later, so we were really looking forward to going!

On the way there, I decided to call the aquarium to double check their hours. Turns out, they were still closing at 5pm and reopening at 6pm and charging a readmission fee! Ugh. We did not want to spend almost $50 to go to the aquarium for an hour, be forced to leave, wait an hour in 98 degree weather, and then get charged another $4o to come back in.

Not happenin'...

On to Plan B.

Because we were all dressed and in the car on the way to the aquarium, we decided to go to the zoo and park in Wilmington instead. The Brandywine Zoo is nice, small, and perfect for little kids... and the best part is, they only charge $5/adult and kids are free.

Much better.

Although it was hot, the zoo and park are completely in the shade. We had such a nice time walking around and Carter just loved it. We even got to see the tiger close up...

After leaving the zoo, we headed back to the car with plans to go to Rita's for water ice then maybe get some dinner. We started packing up our stuff and loading up the kids in the car.

While Bob was putting Brynn in her car seat on the passenger side, I decided to start the car and get the A/C going. I opened the driver side door and Bob grabbed the car keys out of his pocket and threw them up to me in the drivers seat. I started the car, put the A/C on full blast, closed the drivers side door, and walked around to help Bob with Brynn. Carter was already settled in his seat and ready for some water ice. :)

Then it happened.

Bob walked around to hop in the drivers seat just as I closed Brynn's car door. You guessed it...

The doors were locked.
With the kids inside.
In 98 degree weather.

Bob and I immediately went into freak out mode. Call 911. Now.

All I could think was... thank GOD I started the car and put the A/C on. I must have said it a million times in the 15 minutes we waited for the fire department to arrive. I was also glad that the city of Wilmington has a paid fire department, and not volunteers that would be forced out of their holiday BBQ's to come help some idiots parents that locked their kids in the car.

The park was packed, so when the fire department finally arrived... with the rescue squad... and all their sirens and lights on... everyone surrounded our car. I heard little kids say "look mommy, those babies are stuck in the car!"

Ugh... I felt awful.

I knew my babies were okay in the car, but I couldn't help but cry. I felt so bad for doing that to them.... I am the world's worst mom. I hope they don't lock me up or call DYFS.

The 1 firewoman and 10 firemen that were there trying to unlock our doors {from both sides} were SO NICE. They calmed me down and were joking around and racing to see who could unlock the doors first. It literally took the one guy 30 seconds once he started. He was my hero.

Once the doors were unlocked, I checked on the kids. They were completely fine. Brynn just stared up at me like "what's going on?" and Carter just kept saying "ut oh" "ut oh"...

...ummm, ut oh is right Bubba.

He actually really liked the lights and the fire trucks, so he was smiling the whole time.

So there you have it. The whole ride home, Bob and I were trying to figure out just how the doors locked. I was able to open the drivers side door 30 seconds before the kids got locked in, so it had to happen when Bob handed me the keys. One of us must have accidentally hit the lock button on the remote, either when Bob grabbed them from his pocket, or when I caught them when he threw them up to me in the drivers seat. That's the only way the doors could have locked.

Oh well... it was an accident. But it doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it.

Mom of the Year.

Rough Night

I had planned to write a long post today about some things that we've been up too, but I'm going to be completely honest with you...

I'm too tired.

Last night was one of the roughest nights we've had since we brought Brynn home from the hospital. And today has been pretty much the same. It's 4pm and I'm just getting a chance to sit down with my computer for more then 3 minutes at a time.

Miss Brynn did not want to sleep last night. At all. I still don't know what was wrong with her... your guess is as good as mine. She was up from 1:45am until about 5am. Mama's tired.

She wasn't really crying a whole lot... she was just very skwirmy and wide awake. Bob and I tried everything to get her to relax and fall asleep, but nothing seemed to work. Mylicon, feeding her, rocking her, shhhing her, burping her, rubbing her back and her belly... And that was only about half of the things that we tried.

Nothing. Worked.

And now I'm going to be completely honest with you {again}.... by 4:30am I started crying. I wasn't upset with Brynn at all... she's just a baby! I was just so frustrated that my baby girl wasn't happy and that I couldn't do a thing about it. I couldn't help her. That makes me so sad.

When Bob saw that I was upset, he immediately took over and made me lay down {which was impossible because, at that point, I was way past exhausted and wasn't really tired anymore.} I just wanted to help Brynn relax and figure out what was wrong with her.

By 5am, she finally fell asleep, thanks to my wonderful husband. By that time she was hungry again, so after a few ounces, she fell asleep eating. Well, that was until 6:30am when she got up for the day.

Again, mama's tired.

I'll try to write that post tomorrow...

Going from 1 to 2.

When I first got pregnant, I was scared to death about having a newborn and a toddler to take care of. I've heard horror stories about the difficulties of going from 1 to 2 kids, so it was hard to focus on anything BUT that.

Now that I've been a mom of 2 for three whole weeks, I can honestly say...

It's much easier to go from 1 to 2 than it is to go from 0 to 1.
Emotionally.

When I had Carter, I remember sitting on my living room couch on my second day home from the hospital, rocking him in my arms as he slept, and thinking oh. my. goodness... what have I done? My entire world has just changed in a single day. In a single moment.

Changed for the better, of course... but my life was just so... different. Gone were the days of leaving the house on time, enjoying carefree BBQ's and parties without taking care of a baby, going out to spontaneous dinners with my husband, and SLEEP.

There's nothing anyone can do to prepare themselves for that change. You know it's going to happen. You think you're ready for it. Then you bring your baby home and it hits you.

Life, as you know it, will never be the same.

However, when I had Brynn and brought her home I didn't have that "oh my goodness" moment. I've been through it before. Has my life changed? Hell yes. But it's not as big of a change as when I had Carter. It's almost like... "well, what's one more?" =)

I'm not nervous at all, I know exactly what she needs and how to take care of her. I know that sleep deprivation comes with the territory and I'm still amazed at how well I can function on so little sleep.

With all that said, now that I've been a mom of 2 for three whole weeks, I can also honestly say...

It's much harder to go from 1 to 2 then it is to go from 0 to 1.
Physically.

My life is crazy right now. After 3 weeks of being home with both kids, I can tell you that it's the hardest job in the world. There are zero breaks. You don't sleep all night and then you can't even sit down during the day. If one kid doesn't need you, then you better believe that the other one does.

Lunch is the hardest part of my day, and that's usually because I have to make at least 2-3 lunches for Carter before he decides to actually eat one of them. I've learned to start that process earlier so that I don't find myself feeding a baby while also taking chicken nuggets out of a burning hot oven at the same time.

In the afternoons, during Carter's nap time, I usually get about an hour everyday when both kids are sleeping. At the same time. And I don't know what to do with myself. I think most moms would rest or nap during that time, but I'm not a napper. I use that time to wash bottles, clean the house, do laundry, watch Ellen, ya know... the important stuff.

Coffee is my BFF.

So is wine.

And, although it is difficult to take care of a toddler and a newborn, it's still not as difficult as I anticipated. As long as you know you're going to be running around from morning til night, then it's actually kind of... fun. I get to spend all day with my two beautiful babies. I love every minute of the craziness.

And, let's not forget about the fact that the craziness has helped me get back under my pre-pregnancy weight just 10 days after having Brynn. I'll take that any day of the week. =)

What's my problem?

"Mr. Madison, what you have just said, is the most insanely idiotic thing I have ever heard. At no point, in your rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may God have mercy on your soul." - Billy Madison

This. This is how I feel ever since I've become a mom. I don't know why or how this happened. I mean, I did earn a 4.0 in my Master's of Education program, yet I feel like I can't add 2+2 without stopping to think about it. What is my problem? No one told me this would happen. That I would become 10x dumber after having a baby. Please tell me that I'm not the only one. Please?

I went shopping last night. My list consisted of fruit for Carter, a wedding card for Tim and Christina, shampoo, and paper towel. That's it. Four items. I came back home without the fruit for Carter. Now I know that everyone forgets stuff from a shopping list every once in a while, but "fruit for Carter" was the very first thing on my list. Not only that, but after walking around the store to pick up all my items, I checked the list to make sure I got everything. "Yep, I got it, lets proceed to the checkout." When I got to the checkout, I put everything on the conveyor belt and checked my list one last time- "fruit, card, shampoo, paper towel- I'm good." I get home, empty the bags, take one look at Carter who was happily playing on the floor and realize I forgot the effing fruit. No, I didn't leave the bag behind at the store- I didn't even go to the aisle and pick it up. This is the kind of stuff that I do on a daily basis. I feel so forgetful and like I can't even make a complete sentence. What is my problem?

As an undergrad I was a psychology major. Recently I've been thinking about 2 research studies that I was apart of. The first study concluded that people tend to remember items at the beginning and end of a list, but not the middle. Nope... not me. The second study concluded that rats that had babies were smarter then rats that didn't. The mama rats completed every assigned task better and faster then their baby-less counterparts. Nope... not me. I'm going against science people. Science.

So I ask again... please tell me I'm not the only one? If you're brave, I'd love to read your comments. To the shy readers... there's a poll on the side :)

***** EDIT ****

I just went to the bathroom for the first time since getting ready for work this morning {yes, I am a bionic woman that can hold my pee for long periods of time- even while 9 months PG} and my underwear was on inside out. Inside out. This is the stuff I'm talking about.