Rear-ended

Before I get started on this, I should tell you that all are safe and sound, especially our Nylabelle.

Tonight, for the first time ever in my life, I was rear-ended. Paul, Nyla, and I were in the car driving to the library for some evening energy-spending time when we were hit by a car from behind. On a positive side, it wasn't at a ridiculous speed. But let me tell you, the inner lioness in me came out.

I was driving, and having never been in an accident before, I was in a state of shock when the car hit us. Paul was damn near out of the car already as I was pulling over to the side. I turned to Paul and matter-of-factly said, "Okay, don't be mad at them." These are words I should have directed at myself because at that moment, I peeled off my seatbelt, flew my door open, and screamed, "WE HAVE A BABY IN HERE!" I. Was. Pissed.

A long story short, the girl didn't say anything about why she hit us. She was pregnant so I'll give it up to pregnancy brain, but I bet homegirl was texting someone. Grrrrr. I gathered her information but refused to talk to her because I was so mad. Thankfully Paul is able to be the reasonable, sensible half of us because he was communicating with the girl. I, on the other hand, was fuming. FUMING.

After the whole scenario on the side of the road was over, we drove off and I started to cry. In an instant, all of these questions flooded my mind: What if Nyla had been hurt? What if she is hurt? What would have happened if her car seat wasn't on right? Is her car seat on right? What if she's not breathing right now? Every possible scenario came into mind. Thankfully, my girl is fine and well and happily played all over the house tonight when we got home.

I literally never EVER want to be rear-ended again. It's these type of things that scare me and make me not want to leave the house with Nyla. Of course I cannot be a hermit and there are things that are out of my control in life. It's just scary! What if something worse would have happened? My mommy fears are still lingering, I see.

How Did That Get There?

Nyla is now eating Cheerios. She's actually been eating them for a few weeks now, learning to chew and not just shovel and swallow her food. Of course, when Okie hears me get the Cheerios box, she comes running and politely sits next to Nyla, waiting for her share. These two!

Now, I know that Nyla sometimes can drop some of her snack because there will be four or five of them in her high chair when I get her out. Sometimes they're stuck to her buns, sometimes to her face. I've found them on her belly, underneath her chin (lol)...I've found Cheerios everywhere! But this is a new one.

On Monday, I changed her diaper before putting her down for a nap and when I opened her diaper, *tada* there was a cheerio in her buttcrack. A CHEERIO IN HER BUTTCRACK. I am at a loss for words. How in the hell did a Cheerio get into her diaper, into her buns no less? She has clothes on, most of the time a onesie with pants over it. It's not like she can figure out how to put them in her diaper. I mean, the Cheerio would have to maneuver its way down under her shirt, down through her pants and into a diaper, shimmy its way to her buns, and settle there. I just am dumbfounded.

And this isn't the only time it has happened; later that day, *tada* another Cheerio in the diaper! The next day, I found multiple Cheerios in there. What is going on?! Now it's a regular thing to find Cheerios in her diaper.

But I guess I should be grateful that it's nothing distressing. It's not like she's shoving them up her nose or anything. *knockonwood*

Stroller Derby

I will never go to the mall in the morning again. Especially not right when it opens because the Mall Walkers are there. You know, the Mall Walkers. The people who actively wake up in the morning, get their athletic gear on, and parade around the mall at warp speed. The average age of a Mall Walker is 77, but there is a growing population: people with babies.

At Washington Square this morning, within the first five minutes, I passed eight people with strollers. EIGHT. Apparently I don't know Mall Walkers' etiquette because I was getting the side-eye from everyone. Maybe I was on the wrong side of the walkway? Maybe I wasn't walking fast enough? I had Nyla in her stroller and thought I was doing fine. But I felt like I was in bumper strollers! These parents come straight at you like sharks with their strollers aimed like torpedoes. I had to dodge over 20 stroller-pushing people! They are walking like maniacs and will damn near run over anyone, including a fellow stroller-pusher like me!

And you know who I hate the most out of the Mall Walking Society of people? The two women today who, while they passed right next to me, sneered and gave me the up-and-down look. You know what, you two overachieving Mall Walkers? You are not all that, you and your yoga pants and Asics shoes.  Stop giving people dirty looks and move on with your parade. I am happy to just be strolling with my Nylabelle, thank you.

Going Above And Beyond

Paul and I are doing what it takes to get this girl comfortable in her bed so she'll sleep. Yesterday, we set off for Babies R Us and found her a fleece crib sheet that is super soft and snuggly. Then it was to Target for the baby radio that plays lullabies and also projects images of cartoon animals on the ceiling. Love it! The radio has different sounds; the weirdest one is definitely the heartbeat. I could see how it is soothing to a baby, but coming through our monitors in our room is kind of creepy.

I would literally stand on my head for 10 minutes every night if it would ensure that she would sleep all night. I would damn near do anything if it meant that she would sleep. Thankfully, for the time being, it seems like our new additions to her room are just what she needed. She slept all night last night! Woohoo!

**OFF TOPIC**
PS: Have you guys ever watched that Nickelodeon show "Fresh Beat Band"? That is literally THE worst of them. Ugh. Of course, being an English teacher, my favorite show is the OPB show "Word World" where they spell things and make them into shapes. I'm going to mold Nyla into a nerd, I think. 

I Need A Superpower

If I had to pick one superpower, I would select the ability to transport myself...silently.

When Nyla goes to sleep, her ability to wake up at sounds is wholly dependent on what is going on when she actually falls asleep. If people are talking and the television is on, she'll sleep through anything. But at night, it's generally quiet in the house. This means that any slight noise, no matter how quiet, will arouse Nyla from her sleep. She will literally wake up to a pin dropping.

I've decided that I need the ability to either levitate myself and slide out of a room, or I need to be able to transport myself at the blink of an eye. There's nothing more frustrating than successfully putting Nyla in her crib, only to have her wake up when I start to creep out of the room. I've tried to memorize where the creeks are in the floor, but sometimes I forget and that's the trigger. *creeeeeeeeeeeeek* Nyla's awake. Damnit.

I think I'm averaging four tries before I can finally escape her room! That's four times of rocking, four times moving into her room, four times laying her down in her crib, four times of patting her back, and four attempts at slipping out of the room like a cat. Sometimes I can get her down in three, sometimes I give up after five. Grrrrrrrr...

Nylabelle, I'm begging you. Let's just sleep tonight. All night.

Rawr

Okay, who turned our child's voice into an animal growl? Homegirl now no longer calls "mama" in a pretty, girly voice. She no longer cries like a normal baby does, with a constant note to her voice. Now Nyla screams and talks in a high-pitched growl. If you've never heard it, it's something special. I keep trying to catch it on video, but when she sees the camera, she stops and starts laughing. She takes after her mama that way. :)

But seriously, there's nothing like having a calm baby morph into The Hulk and start screaming "MAAAAAAMAAAAAA" with a gruff tone to it. Imagine a newly awakened bear coming out of hibernation, stretching and saying "mama." That's a pretty accurate description of our Nylabelle's voice right now. It's rough and rugged and has a little throttle to it. How ladylike.

Whoa, Flexible.

The other day in the car, I thought to myself, "Wow, Nyla is really quiet. I bet she's asleep." Since Paul was driving, I was able to turn around and take a little look at my girl. Homegirl was not asleep; she had managed (in the sitting position) to bring her entire foot up and put it in her mouth. This little position is just impossible for me to even understand. She just looked completely comfortable and had no issues with doing this. And she's concerned for sanitary issues: she takes off her socks before putting her feet in her mouth. What a good girl!

I turned to Paul:

me: Paul, I dare you to try to put your foot in your mouth and hold it there for ten seconds.


Paul: Um, no. I couldn't breathe.


me: Me neither. 

Don't judge us for being inflexible. You try putting your foot in your mouth and holding it there for an extended amount of time. It's hard!

I don't understand how babies are so flexible. When we change her diaper, Nyla likes to grab her feet again and put them both in her mouth. Talk about flexible! This means that the whole time I'm changing her diaper, I'm trying to avoid getting full-on sprayed with pee or salad-shooting poop.

I'm calling Cirque-du-Soleil. She's got a future with them.

Nyla and Okie Sitting In a Tree

These two girls are just peas in a pod! Okie has officially taken to Nyla and our girls are definitely friends. Since Nyla has learned to walk, she is constantly trying to chase Okie around the house. What a sport Okie is, she will just sit down wherever she is and let Nyla crawl all over her.

We knew our Okiedoodle would be a great big sister! Okie will lie on the ground and Nyla uses her as her own personal jungle gym. Over and back on Okie, pulling her tail, patting her head, trying to bite her nose, rolling up against her, slapping her back, crawling underneath her. These are the things Nyla most likes to do with Okie. And when Okie has had enough, she politely stands up and walks away. That doesn't mean that Nyla gives up though. She just crawls or stumbles toward Okie again to start it all over. It's pretty sweet when they interact.

PS: When I say Nyla is walking, I use the word "walk" loosely. It's more like an all-night drunk stumble type of walk, complete with frequent grabs for support and falls. Nyla also likes to run into things (walls, plants, stairs) because she hasn't figured out how to stop. That sounds like my 20's.

Shouldn't Practice Make Perfect?

You would think that after almost 10 months of multiple daily diaper changes, I would be perfect at getting it done in a timely and tidy manner. That is not the case. Especially with #2 diapers.

Why is it that I still get poop on my fingers when I change her diaper? I make sure to be careful, too! I cover my fingers/hand with the wipe and look before wiping. But still, there will inevitably be poop on my fingers. Curses! I even lift Nyla's legs all the way up so I can see almost to her back to make sure that the area I am going to wipe will be the only poo-infested area. But it never fails: I have the perfect swipe, and Nyla randomly tries to roll over, thus covering my fingers in doo-doo. Lovely.

I think I need to start wearing a Hazmat suit or something when I change her diaper. That seems like the only feasible way for me to stay poo-free during diaper changes.

One Moment

The last 9.5 months which were filled with every emotion under the sun, especially stress, frustration, and irritability, were eclipsed and erased last night in the middle of the night with one sweet moment.

Nyla had started crying in her crib again around 1:30 in the morning. No shocker there. I went to get her and put her in bed with us (I've given in for the time being since she's sick). We put our heads down on the bed to go back to sleep, and then it happened. Nyla rolled her whole body up to mine and put her arm/hand around my neck and breathed a total sigh of relief and comfort. Just that moment, right there, erased all the negative anything from the last months since she was born.

I can honestly say that little timespan with her wrapped around me was the best moment of my life. It was wonderful! This must be what parents are talking about when they say parenting is great! Parenting isn't all it's cracked up to be; the snuggling is, though! No parent enjoys the crying in the store or being trapped in a car with a fussy baby. No parent likes being barfed on or having to massage their child's anus to get him/her to take a dump. NO ONE LIKES THAT. But every parent loves those special snuggling moments! That is just the best feeling in the world.

Now Nylabelle, don't take this to mean that I would like to repeat all of the last 9.5 months. Let's keep our snuggle train moving forward please.

Miss Thang Is Trying To Walk

Make note of it: we have started 2012 with our monkey taking her first steps! At 9.5 months, our girl has decided that she would like to try walking. Whoa, whoa, whoa Nyla. This is a bit early! But alas, she doesn't care. She tries to walk from the couch to the chairs, from her table to the cabinets, from here to there. She is definitely trying to walk.

It's pretty cute. She can solidly take one step and stand, but anything after that is pretty disastrous. Now you're probably thinking, "Uh, Elizabeth. She's not walking, she's stumbling." But no, she is honest to God walking. She stands up, puts her arms out like she's walking a tight rope, sticks her tongue out in determination, and boldly takes a step. She smiles when she's able to stay standing without wobbling. But then she tries to take another step and it's all over.

Wasn't it just yesterday that I was getting excited about her rolling over? Slow down time...

The Humidifier

Since Uncle Woody is home, we have Nyla in our room now, crib and all. We won't even get started on how disastrous that is with us trying to get into bed silently. But since Nyla has been sick the last two days, we've had to have the humidifier in our room too. Holy humidity.

When you walk into our room now, you are transported into the middle of a bedroom jungle where it is 9,000 degrees and sweaty. Gross. It feels like we are sleeping in the middle of a rainforest. And it gets more humid by the minute! Bleh.

There is an upside. Since Nyla also got Mommy sick this time, both of us are breathing better at night. That's a good thing. Paul and I are also sweating to death...but whatever. It's all so our monkeygirl can feel better soon.

I'm not going to hope for a full night's sleep tonight...or the next few nights. Grrrr.....

Whoever Gave Nyla This Cold...

If I find out who gave Nyla this little sniffly nose and sneezes and coughs, I'm going to hit them in the genitals. A sick baby is just the worst. THE worst. Homegirl can't breathe through her nose, isn't sleeping, super grumpy during the day, fever going, nose running. It's just disgusting. And I feel so bad for her! My little monkey girl isn't feeling good...again!

Doesn't it seem like she's been sick a bunch of times? This is like the third or fourth time she's gotten a little cold. Bleh. But I researched online and more than one source said that babies and toddlers get sick between six and 10 times a year. 10 times a year! I can't imagine doing this no-sleep, no-breathing thing almost once a month!

Well, there is an upside to her being sick: I'm getting lots of snuggly time! Miss Nyla is very fond of falling asleep in my arms and snuggling when she's sick. Usually she's okay with doing a two-minute snuggle then wants to be left alone. But when she's not feeling good, all she wants to do is be with mama! YES! I love that part! I just wish I could have the snuggles without the boogers running down her nose and onto my shirt. Heinous.