she's a rockstar...who picks her nose.

First of all, let me just say I LOVE MY DAUGHTER. I know, it's kind of redundant and boring to hear, but I totally do. Do you want to know why? I'll tell you: my kid is awesome. I wish I was half as awesome as my SidMo. She is a rockstar. She's hilarious. She is a humanitarian. Where is all this coming from? Indulge me in a few short stories.

Thursday night, we stayed with Daddy (it's complicated but it won't be for very much longer...we'll all be moving in together in the next two weeks or so). Justin is what you'd call a manly-man. He burps. He farts. He picks his nose and scratches his balls. He's just your typical average-A kind of guy. Well, SidMo is picking up on his lovely manbeast habits. She walks around constantly with her hand down the back of her pants. She sticks her finger up her nose just because she can. And she loves to fart - she'll hold a fart long enough to come find me or Justin so that we can be sure to HEAR THE FART.

"Hear that, woman? I can FART! What do you have to say about that?!"

So we're staying with Daddy, the three of us piled up in the bed watching some ridiculously insane cartoon about someone named Flapjack (I'd never seen it before); Justin and SidMo are curled up together, their fingers up their own noses, laughing hysterically about God knows what. They get the BRILLIANT idea to hold me down and pick my nose. Justin pins me against the mattress; SidMo starts sticking her fingers up my nose. The more I scream and thrash about, the harder they laugh. I seriously thought my child was going to die from laughing too hard. Her entire body was shaking from the giggles and she could barely see my face from all the tears running down her cheek. Her partner in crime a.k.a her father was also laughing to the point he collapsed on the bed and they spent a good 20 minutes absorbing their triumph. HA FREAKING HA. You just taught our child to rape her mother's nose cavities and now you're laughing about it??! Well...I guess it is a little funny. This is the moment I realize my child is going to be the prankster, the jester of the family. HELP. US. ALL.

That's one story down.

Today SidMo and I went to the mall, which for some ungodly reason is now being called the town centre. I'd be more accepting of this change if they didn't spell "center" like we're in mid-century England or something! Moving on - SidMo and I went to pick up mine and Justin's wedding bands and to mosey around for a Mama's Day gift for Gran a.k.a my mother. We rode the escalator about 97 times and did a good three laps around the mall. When we walked into B&BW I thought she'd go into hysterics. She took two steps inside the store and started going:

"Wotion? Wotion? Wooootttiiiooon!!!!"

You don't understand, my child LOVES lotion. Rub it on her hands, her feet, her back, her legs, her face, whatever! She could play in lotion all day. Well, of course the sales ladies were totally amazed that this half-pint of kid recognized lotion, so they started treating her like the queen of Sheba. She got about 34 free samples of different kinds of lotion and moisturizer. Anything she wanted, they'd pull off the shelf to let her try - even if they didn't have a sampler bottle sitting out somewhere. You would've thought she was Grand Poobha of B&BW! SidMo, of course, indulged everyone with little "oohs" and "aahs" and was even disapproving of some of the lotions they tried on her. In the meantime, I was running around trying to find something for Gran (something in warm vanilla sugar, because that's the only "flavor" that is acceptable). When the shopping was done and we went to leave, SidMo waved to her servants and even threw them a measly kiss over her shoulder; you would've thought that a rockstar was leaving the premises. They huddled by the door waving at her, making her promise to "Come back soon! We'll have more lotion samples for you next time! Byeeeeee!" PEOPLE, PLEASE. She's not even 2! Don't fill her head full of hot air yet (her father will only teach her to blow it out the other end at this point!)

So we go to Garfield's to eat because it's the only decent place to eat at the mall; plus it has the paper on the tables so the kids (and the Mommas) can draw on them with crayons. We're sitting there waiting for the food to come out, and SidMo decides she wants to dance. The only music I had available was the ringtones on my phone; she chooses "What's Your Name" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and proceeds to turn it up and dance in the booth. It wasn't good enough that only she was dancing; she had the table next to us dancing. And the waitress. And even me. She's a rockstar, ladies and gentlemen. Her mood is contagious. She treats most people around her like little peasants; but they all bend their knees to worship at her feet. And honestly, she wouldn't have it any other way.

rain rain, go away

It's been raining pretty much non-stop for three days now. And I'm beyond sick of it. I hate the rain and all its wetness. It makes for groggy days and soggy yards. Yesterday the sun actually came out in the afternoon and SidMo and I were able to get out and play in the pool of rain water standing in the yards.





You think that's weird? Maybe. We tried to go play in the creek that runs behind the house, but it was gushing for once in it's miserable life and we couldn't go near it. The horse fields were too mushy to get down and run around in, so we couldn't play with Jack. Both of us were bored to tears from being cooped up inside the past few days, so we found other ways of amusing ourselves.





It reminded me so much of being a kid, growing up down there on that same patch of land. I'm an only child and there weren't any neighborhood kids that I could really play with on a regular basis. Most of the time it was up to me to amuse myself; I cannot tell you how many countless hours I spent roaming around the yards, behind the barn and playing in the creek. We used to have all kinds of animals running around the place: ducks, turkeys, guineas, cats and dogs of all shapes and sizes. At one time, I think we had about 20 cats (until they all started mysteriously dying, but that's another story). My animals were my friends and together we did everything.





Sometimes I feel guilty for not having fancy playgrounds or exciting places to take SidMo on a regular basis to have a little fun. Our nearest Chuck E. Cheese is an hour away. Everything mainstream is an hour or more away. We can go to the playground at the school or hit up the games inside the Pizza Plus, but other than that we've got nothing. But that's okay - sometimes having nothing makes you see the beauty in everything.





As Sidney continues to grow and learn more about the world around her, I hope that I'm able to show her the fun side to everything in life. I hope I can teach her that being by yourself doesn't always mean you're alone. When I was a kid, we used to have to mow our nearly 1 acre tract of yard two times a week. It took forever and it was beyond boring - but up on that lawn mower I found my creative side. I'd monologue out entire plays and talk to myself like a total lunatic. I'd make up songs and sing them at the top of my lungs. I was free to be creative and free to hear myself be creative out loud. Sure, it was all while I was sitting on a lawn mower and no one could hear me - but I could hear me. When no one else could, I learned to listen to myself.





SidMo has got such potential to be amazing - I know she's going to do great things. And even if those great things aren't recognized by the world, I'll always know she's great. I've seen her grow from day one. I've been listening to her find her own voice and watching her follow her own feet. Right now she's in this little bubble that is her homegrown life; someday she might expand her borders and travel the world. But for now, she's got the yard and the barn and the creek to keep her busy. It's always been enough for me. I hope it's always going to be enough for her.

SidMo

As of today, SidMo is exactly 20 months old. I've felt this emotion before when she transitioned from 9 months to 10 months - she went from single to double digits in a day's time. Now she's gone from the 1's to the 2's, even though she's not technically 2 yet. But it's coming - it's just up ahead and to the left. Before I know it, I'll be putting 3's in front of the numbers. It's an odd feeling, watching her grow and realizing I can do absolutely nothing to stop the clock. She's changed so much in just a short 20 months, I can't imagine what the years will do to her.

But it's only a matter of time before the years have come and gone. I know this, even if she doesn't yet. And I'll remember this part of her life, even if she can't. These days don't really belong to her - they're more for my benefit than hers. Someday she'll have her own memory, her own life. But for now, I am her memories. I am her life. And I'm doing my absolute best to make it the best life I can for her. Happy 20 months SidMo - I love you, kid.



from a summer baby making my feet swell and my back hurt...

...to a 7 lb. cutie with a head full of hair and perfect skin...

...and now a dynamite toddler with even crazier hair and a smile to make me melt.

our puppies

Our second litter of Basset Hound puppies turned 2 weeks old yesterday. Finally all of them opened their eyes and their ears are starting to take a big turn south. They're looking more and more like Bassets and less and less like wet rats every day. Of course, SidMo loves the puppies. She didn't enjoy the last litter too much because she was only about 8 months old, but this time she knows where they are and she adores them! We have 11 squirmy puppies for her to love on and enjoy and so far, she's soaking up every second of their existence. I'm only dreading the days when we start to sell them and she has to say "good-bye". How do you explain that to an almost-2 year old? Here's some cute pictures of her first real puppy experience from this weekend. Her touch is not what most would call "gentle"...












To learn more about the most awesome breed that is the Basset Hound, click HERE.

judge me not

I don't want anyone to read this and think I'm creepy. I don't judge other Momma's and their ways so don't judge mine. I'll just come out and say it: Sidney and I take baths together. Now I have a list of the positives and negatives that go along with this.

PROS:
1. We are being greener by conserving water.
2. She lets me turn the jets on - it's a hot, bubble bath with jets!
3. We have SO MUCH FUN!
4. She's 100% safe - I'm right there with her and not tempted to walk away for anything.
5. It's educational on a million different levels...
CONS:
1. She's curious - very curious.
2. Sometimes she pees right in the middle of bathtime.
3. She's bossy - doesn't share her bathtoys with me!
4. It makes me 10x sleepier than I should be at 8:00.

So we take baths together - and this may be a totally "normal" thing that I don't know about. But most people start giving me the eye as soon as I begin a story with "Last night when Sidney and I were taking our bath..."

It was during last night's bath that I realized what my SidMo is destined to grow up and become when she's older: a massuese (or massage therapist). She's developed this new curiousity for my back...maybe it's the tattoo back there, I don't know. She forces me to sit up in the tub and then proceeds to rub/massage my back. It's fantastic! She's a miracle child! It's like she knows all the techniques - she'll rub straight up and down my spine, then do little circles on my shoulder blades. She'll even massage my neck below my hair. AND SHE GETS MAD IF I MAKE HER STOP. What kind of heaven-sent angel do I have here people? I almost feel guilty for suggesting bathtime because I know she's going to "work" instead of "play". But to her it is play - all the bubbles end up on top her head after she gets done with my back (I don't even have to shampoo her head anymore)! My child is amazing - and if you think this is weird, then I'm sorry. But as long as she's willing to give Momma a free massage then I'm not stopping her...would you? :)


can you blame us for loving bathtime so much when the tub is so big?!