Toddle Along Tuesday | 2012 Year in Review

Wow, what a year.  And HOLY CRAP, I can't believe it is already almost over!  I honestly feel like I spent most of the year merely surviving while also trying to keep E alive.  I'm not going to lie, 2012 was a year of amazing highs and incredibly difficult lows.

This is what I remember of the past year, for better or worse:

• January 2012:  Still on maternity leave and loving every minute of being a new mother.
• February 2012:  My maternity leave came to an end and I went back to work full-time.  I HATED it and have never been so miserable in a job in my life.  S and I start making serious plans to allow me to quit.
• March-May 2012:  A blur of not sleeping more than 3 hours per night and working full time.  I honestly can barely remember this time period.
• June 2012:  I resigned from my full-time job.  My employer was nice enough to let me resume the part-time position I had left when I accepted the full-time job, and I began working two days per week.  Near the end of June, I also signed on to join two friends in starting a new law firm.
• July 2012:  Things are crazy busy between working part-time at my old office, trying to get things started at the new law office, and enjoying my new-found time with E.  At the same time, things are deteriorating between S and me and we have the worst fight we've ever had.  I'm not sure our marriage is going to survive.  I am diagnosed with vaginismus and begin treatments.
• August 2012:  One of my two friends at our new law firm backs out of our agreement and admits that she had seriously misrepresented some information to the other two of us.  I withdraw from the partnership.
• September 2012:  I make the decision to start my own law firm.  Things still have not improved between me and S.  I begin therapy.  
• October 2012:  S and I are surviving.  I continue therapy.
• November 2012:  We celebrate E's first birthday!  S begins therapy.  Things finally begin improving between S and me. 
• December 2012:  Looking forward to what 2013 will bring! :-)

Toddle Along Tuesday | Mom Confessions

I was really excited for this week's topic, because I thought it would be fun to get some things off of my chest.  However, when I sat down to actually write it, I totally blanked.  I'm sure once I publish this post, I will think of a hundred more things I should have added to this list!

• Now that E is increasingly mobile, we have set up the Pack-n-Play in the living room and use it to contain her as needed.  I lovingly refer to it as "the baby cage".
• Sometimes I blow in E's face to make her smile in photos.
• I get irrationally angry when people I don't know/don't like try to talk to or touch E. 
• Last week, I was changing E on the changing table and she wiggled out of my grasp and fell the approximately three feet to the floor.  It was the first time something like that has happened, and it was entirely my fault.  She is fine, but it really scared all of us and I felt like the shittiest mom ever for days.
• Most days that I am home with E, I wear the pajamas/sweat pants that I slept in for the entire day.  And I don't even feel guilty about it.  
• Even though we started co-sleeping out of sheer necessity to survive, I actually really like it and will miss E's warm little body snuggling next to me when we finally do transition her to her crib.
• I will let E kiss me on the mouth and put her fingers in my mouth, but I would freak the hell out if anyone else (besides S) tried to do it.  
• I totally judge people who buy vowels on Wheel of Fortune. 
• ... I watch Wheel of Fortune.  And I'm not 80 years old.  I swear.
• And most nights, I let E watch it too (even though I really try to limit her screen time during the rest of the day).  

Well that's probably plenty for now.  I wouldn't want you to know all of my secrets.  ;-)  What are some of your mom confessions?

Toddle Along Tuesday | Hobbies

I've mentioned before on this blog, but one thing I do for fun is photography.  Unfortunately, due to my unofficial policy of not posting photos of my family's faces on this blog (gotta keep it anonymous!), I don't get to share many/any of my photos with you here. 

I don't even know when I really got interested in photography, but I do know I still have photos from photo shoots me and my childhood best friend took when we were in elementary school.  (I tried to find one of these gems to share with you, but they seem to be buried deep in boxes in my garage.  Sorry, readers.  I assure you they were true works of art!)

Film photo of my siblings, circa 2000.

I couldn't tell you what my first camera was, but I do know it was a super old-school film camera that made square prints.  My next camera was a 35mm Vivitar, and I literally used that thing to death.  After the Vivitar, I splurged and bought a Canon Elph, which was my last film camera.  My high school graduation present was my first digital camera, an HP-something.  It was FOUR megapixels, and the pinnacle of technology at the time.  (It was the length of my hand, and hilariously large by today's standards!)  My next purchase was a Sony Cybershot in 2006, and then I finally made the leap to a digital SLR, my Nikon D3000, when I received it as a Christmas gift from S in 2010 (BEST GIFT EVER!).

Belly self-portrait while pregnant with E.

Although I've always taken photos of literally everything, these days my main focus (no pun intended, heh) is children and families -- primarily, E. ;-)  I took belly photos each week when I was pregnant, newborn photos when she arrived, monthly photos to document her growth, and pretty much every other photo of her ever since!

One of E's newborn photos, four days old.

I love having the ability to capture so many moments in our lives.  Not to mention, I am saving us thousands of dollars in professional photography by taking so many photos of E myself!  haha  I also do the occasional newborn, family, or senior photo session for friends or family, which I also really enjoy.

Photo from my sister's senior photo session.

I love the creative outlet that photography provides, and I also enjoy the challenge of pushing myself to learn new techniques and improve my skills.  In my day-to-day life of laundry, dirty diapers, toddler-wrangling, deadlines, and client demands, it is one thing that I can truly say I do just for myself. :-)

Holiday Wish List 2012

I know, I know, I'm a whole week late on this.  But I still wanted to participate in the fun!  So, without further ado, my Christmas wish list!

Steam Mop

 

I have been wanting one of these for awhile now, once I realized E would soon be scooting around on our admittedly not-so-sanitary tile kitchen and bathroom floors.  Now that she actually IS rolling around all over our dirty tile, I want one more than ever.  My previous floor-cleaning routine involved vacuuming the tile and then Swiffering with Chlorox wipes, which is even more time-consuming than it sounds!  (I have the old-school Swiffer with the "catch holes" that hold the cleaning cloth/pad in place, so you can easily substitute a paper towel/cloth rag/Chlrox wipe instead of the insanely expensive Swiffer brand cloths.  I have been informed they no longer make 'em like this anymore, and with more recent models you can only use the Swiffer pads.  Bummer.)

Anyway, I really, really like that you can use a steam mop to sanitize floors without using a bunch of nasty chemicals.  That will let me cringe slightly less when E eats from the floor and sucks on her hands after rubbing them all over the tile.  Ok, so I will still probably cringe a little.  But yeah, a steam mop is my #1 must-have wish list item this year!

Slow Cooker

It is no secret in this house that I love me some crock pots.  (Yes, I know "Crock Pot" is a trade name and they are technically "slow cookers", but I grew up calling them crock pots, so crock pot it is.)  I seriously use them 3-4 nights per week most weeks!  For the past few years I have kept two on heavy rotation at all times.  Last year about this time, the crock pot S and I got as a wedding gift cracked and died.  It was replaced by a crock pot my step-sister got me for Christmas, woot!  Now, just a few weeks ago, the circa-1980s crock pot that S brought to our marriage (a hand-me-down from his mother) has also crapped out on us.  Time for an upgrade!

[Santa, in case you are reading this, my hypothetical new crock pot needn't be this exact model, but should be at least 6 quarts, and would be amazing if it had those handy travel clamps on the lid. Thanks in advance! ;-)]

Herb Mill

This blog post is making me appear waaaay more domesticated than I actually am.  Rest assured, I really am not as good of a home-maker as all of these wish list items would make me seem!  lol  But I do enjoy growing my own herbs, and this herb mill would come in SO handy for slicing them up to use in recipes.  Chopping them on a cutting board can be a pain in the butt, and I have a really hard time dicing them as small as I would like sometimes.  So, I think this would be a major time-and-sanity-saver!

DSLR Memory Cards

I take a LOT of photos, so this is a must.  This two-pack is a fantastic deal, and Lexar is great because their cards come with a free photo-recovery program which can recover your photos should the memory card becomes corrupted.  Amazing!

Memory Card Carrying Case

Because a girl's gotta keep her memory cards SOMEWHERE.

Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G Zoom Lens

My fantasy lens.  OH BABY.

Yes, it is extravagantly expensive, but a girl can dream, amirite?

[Note to S... Erm, I mean "Santa."  If you spend this much on a Christmas gift for me at this stage in our lives, I will skin you alive!  Unless you've won the lottery or something and neglected to tell me.  Or, if Santa really is reading this, then carry on... I will leave you extra cookies if you bring me this! :-)]

Toddle Along Tuesday | Holiday Wish List

{Melissa at Growing Up Geeky was so kind as to let me co-host Toddle Along Tuesday with her this week!  Thanks, Melissa! :-)}

Since E's birthday is barely a month before Christmas, S and I have been racking our brains on what we should get her for Christmas... and what we think we can hold back from giving her on her birthday here in a few weeks!

I've been shopping on Amazon for months now for fun toys I think she will enjoy, and we've come up with our must-haves for E's Christmas wish list:

Wooden Blocks

S and I both love that these Haba blocks are sturdy, non-toxic wooden blocks that will be not only a blast for E to play with, but will also be safe when she inevitably puts them in her mouth.


Melissa & Doug Wooden Food

E has a few Melissa & Doug toys already and she LOVES them.  I love them too, because not only do I love wooden toys, but I also think they are so creative and really encourage imaginative play.  I had a play kitchen and toy food that I loved to play with when I was younger, and I hope E will enjoy it also.  Which brings me to...


Play Kitchen

This just looks awesome.  Need I say more?


Play Tent

E's babysitter's daughter has a play tent that they set up occasionally, and E LOVES it.  I would love for her to have her own at home!  Also, how adorable is this tent that looks like a little house?!


Have you started planning your little one's holiday wish list yet?



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This week's Toddle Along Tuesday topic is holiday wish lists for your little ones! What is on his/her wish list this year? There are no rules here, except that you link up a relevant post (old or new) rather than your whole blog.

Toddle Along Tuesday | Baby/Toddler Obsessions

Right now, E is OBSESSED with pumpkins.  Which I suppose is appropriate, since it is decorative gourd season and all.

We took E to a pumpkin patch a few weeks ago, which we quickly realized was the first time she had ever even seen a pumpkin.  She looked around in amazement the entire time we were there, squealing and getting so excited every time she encountered a new pumpkin.  S picked out a perfectly large pumpkin for E to take home (seriously, it weighs about as much as she does!) and it has been E's constant companion since.  We have lovingly named him "Pumpy" and he lives in our living room with the rest of E's toys.

I love you, Pumpy!

E talks to Pumpy, hugs Pumpy, and shares her toys with Pumpy.  I told S we will have to buy E one of those realistic craft pumpkins, because she is going to be heartbroken when Pumpy starts to rot and gets thrown out.

This past weekend, we took E to another fall festival, where we got her two "baby pumpkins" (a.k.a. gourds) that she has also been loving to death.

Playing with her baby pumpkins while Pumpy looks on.

She is going to be horrified when she learns where pumpkin pie comes from...

Toddle Along Tuesday | Funny Habits

E is always doing hilarious things.  I choose to believe it's because she has such a great sense of humor already.  ;-)  But my favorite thing that she does is dance. 

By "dance", I mean she will sit and bob her head and wiggle her body any time music is playing... SO adorable!  The girl dances every time she hears music -- music we play for her, music from her toys, even jingles in commercials on tv.

I was so proud of her yesterday when someone on the Today Show sang "Santeria" by Sublime and she started jamming.  (Love me some Sublime!)  Then a Philadelphia cream cheese commercial came on immediately after, and she started dancing again.  lol

I love my sweet, musical girl!

Toddle Along Tuesday | Things I Actually Say

I haven't caught myself saying too many crazy things to E lately, but I'm sure that will change as she becomes even more interactive, haha.  Some things I have said to her in the past 24 hours...

"Did you make a big poops today?"

"What is that in your mouth?  Please tell me it's not a dead bug..."

"No, you cannot eat my laptop charger."

"Why do you still smell like pickles?"

Toddle Along Tuesday | Vacation

Toddle Along... Wednesday?  I was so busy yesterday that I completely forgot it was Tuesday.  Oops.  Which segues nicely into this week's topic... Vacations. 

I need one.

S and I have not been on vacation since before E was born.  Sure, we have road-tripped to visit my family, but that hardly counts as a vacation, especially since we are busy every second during said visits, trying to cram in time with everyone!

The last vacation S and I took was four months before E was born.  We took a trip to the east coast to Virginia and Washington, D.C.  It was a great trip, and S and I had a blast exploring all kinds of historic landmarks, museums, and of course, the White House and U.S. Capitol.  We even found time to visit the beach.  All in all, it was a great trip, and it was nice to have that time together before E was born.

S and I have been talking recently about taking a vacation, we just aren't sure when it could happen or how we could afford it.  With S doing his medical student rotations, he works 6-7 days per week at the hospital most weeks.  We are lucky to be able to plan a trip to the grocery story together, much less a vacation to a more exotic locale.  Oh, and then there's the whole we-have-no-money thing...

So for now, I will just dream of sandy beaches and cool ocean breezes, until the day comes when we can visit one again.

Toddle Along Tuesday | Unconventional Toys

There is one thing E loves more than anything else in this world.

My keys.

Of course, she has her own set of colorful, rubbery, sound-effects-playing keys, but they are no match for my REAL keys.

Oh the delicious metal.  The sweet electronic key fob (must cover in slobber!).  The tasty germs!

E loves my keys so much, nothing else matters once she gets them in her sights.  She is getting quite good at snatching them away from me, too. Sometimes I think she must secretly be a key ninja.

Success!

(No keys were harmed in the writing of this blog post.)

Toddle Along Tuesday | Mommy and Me

This is my first Tuesday home with E in quite some time.  I mentioned in my first post that I had been working part-time, then took a leap of faith on a business opportunity that ultimately fell through, and now am officially back at home the majority of the time.

Well, it was just last Tuesday that I drove to to the office for the last time, to tell my business partners I was quitting.  I tend to be a "play it safe" kind of gal anyway, so this whole experience of taking such a risk and failing was especially humbling for me -- as was saving face afterwards, when everyone I know, who was so excited and proud of me when they found out I was joining this partnership, excitedly ask me how things are going, and I have to tell them that it didn't work out.  I suppose if it had to happen, at least it was now and not years from now, when me quitting would have been significantly more complicated.

But I digress.

All of that to say, I am thrilled to now have more "Mommy and Me" time with E.  I had terrible guilt about quitting my old job to work part-time, specifically to have more time with her, and then running off to start this new venture which caused me to spend even less time with her than I had before. 

So now that we have more time together, I keep thinking of more and more fun things I want to do with E before the summer ends:

• play outside more
• take more photos, of her and with her
• have a playdate with our friends
• go to the zoo
• go to the park more
• read more books

That may seem like a silly list, but I just don't want to take any of these moments for granted. I am so thankful to have this time with her.  I had wanted to be a stay-at-home mom from the time I knew I was pregnant, but unfortunately we just couldn't make it work.  I know lots of families use daycare/babysitters and love it, but it just killed me to leave her all day, every day, and really only get quality time with her on the weekends.

Of course, we still have the kind of bond that only a mother and baby can have -- I am the one she wants when she is tired, sick, or hurt -- but I hated that for 10-12 hours per day, someone else was filling that role for her.  I love being able to just BE with her, and to watch her learn and grow and experience new things.  I love watching her little personality develop, and to observe the little person she is becoming!

And with that, I'm going to walk away from the computer, and go spend some quality time with my sweet girl.  :-)  Happy Tuesday!