What I Learned in February

1.  That RSV is medical code for "common cold" and is used so that, when Mamas of 1-month-olds are freaking out over shallow breathing and raspy sounds, there is a medical-sounding explanation.  It seems much more credible to say "Oh, ma'am, your baby has RSV" instead of "Its a cold."  The treatment is the same, and the little boy is recovering quite well.

p.s. - I had a baby boy.
January 23.
I feel like I forgot to share that...

2.  That I can survive on very few hours of sleep.  I forget this, between babies.  I forget that I actually can function with (3) 1-hour-stretches.  I also learned that I don't like it.

3.  That my husband is my absolute favorite human.  The kind of person who, despite him also not having much sleep, takes time to make sure our daughter feels loved, that she feels "pechial!" each day.  The kind of person who shovels the driveway three times in one day, who is kind to his crazy, sleep-deprived wife, and who has the most impressive biceps ever. <3

Helping Dada make his post-workout shake.
She's got special jobs, all that he taught her, and she takes them very seriously.
Especially the blending.
The blending is key.

4. That this girl of mine is growing fast.  SO fast.  And that she's a mini parrot now, and correctly (and emphatically) states "Oh my gaaaaaawsh!"  And that she knows my name is "Myiah".

5.  That I need to mind my tongue now, more than ever.  See above.

6.  That I can (and will) eat as many Cadbury Milk Chocolate Eggs as are available to me, even to frightening proportions.  There's a giant bag for sale at Wegman's.  I want it, I do.

7.  Galatians, y'all.  Galations (esp. The Message) is my jam.

Free.
Yes.

8.  That two year olds don't know when its their birthday, and that is best used to an exhausted Mama's advantage.  We celebrated a little bit every day, particularly when PACKAGES (similar to Golum's "Precious!") would arrive.  Eventually there will be a year when we have to up our game, but it was not this year.  Her birthday cake?  A handful of Nilla wafers with jam.  hashtag: thats how we roll

9.  Mama needs a new camera.  iPhone photos aren't cutting it.  Again, see above.

What'd you learn, friends?  Share with me, I'm stuck in the frigid cold with two babies.

<3 M.

What I learned in November

1.  I have a "very big [baby] belly".  That's apparently the medical term for it, as this judgement came from my OB after our talk about delivery options and projected baby size.  Its not big deal (ha! punny!), I'm just measuring 3 weeks ahead despite a solid expected due date.  Giant baby, here you come, 8 weeks and counting!

2.  I like having curtains.  I forgot this.  I do know about myself that I'm very much a "function over form" type of gal.  Above all else, it has to be practical.  And so when we moved it and there were already blinds, I didn't feel any necessity in also hanging curtains.  When I realized that the blinds weren't actually functional, and finally sprung for some drapes from TJMaxx's, I realized that adding homey touches in fact makes a place feel more like a home.  Who knew?!?  Of course, I didn't go so far as to be particular about my curtains or iron them before hanging (sorry Cori!!), but all the same, they make it feel so much more cozy in our house, I might even put some on the other windows!

3.  Its nice to have your mattress up off the floor.  See above, but substitute the words "bed frame" for "curtains".  Sometimes it can feel downright indulgent not to live like a broke college student.

4.  Thanksgiving is more difficult to plan when you have pregnancy brain and a toddler.  I did it, and I enjoyed it, but I wasn't able to totally throw myself into the planning and anticipation of it like I usually do.  Yes, there was this list, but then I forgot about it all for about 2 1/2 weeks.  Luckily, the food did not suffer.  All of the items that were supposed to go in the refrigerator and were accidentally placed in the pantry were caught before spoilage could occur...

5.  My daughter is a tried-and-true, to-the-bone, extrovert.  I do not understand this.  I marvel at it, really.  But she is, just like her daddy.  She draws energy from being around people, even strangers, and although she *can* play independently, she'd rather do it in the same place that you are, whoever you are.  Really, I do mean you.  Whoever you are reading this, she'd rather play near you than by herself.  I'm filing this one away under "Future issues with identifying 'strangers'".

6.  Shoveling snow while 7 mo. pregnant is ill-advised.  Dear lower back - I said I was sorry.

7.  I am not a black-Friday shopper.  I'm not a shopper under the best of circumstances, but I'm most definitely not a shopper at wee hours of the morning, and I have no patience for the inefficiency of waiting in line for 52 minutes (hypothetically) to get 30% off.  However, I do enjoy making friends when bound by the ties of shared misery and uncomfortable shoes. (Good luck hunting today, Mike!)

8.  Varied crafting keeps my mind more occupied.  Although I did get the chance to sew a lot of purse orders this month, I also took the opportunity to knock out a quilt or two, and even made a garland for Thanksgiving!  Its not gorgeous, and it likely won't stand the test of time, and I definitely did not get a good picture of it.  But once again, it made the place feel more homey, and apparently I like that.

9.  I have no willpower when it comes to pop.  If its in my fridge, its in my belly, end of story.

10. There should be IS (!!!!) some Christmas version of this candy.  I'll ask for nothing ever again.

<3 M.