Be Gone, Dreary Housewife!

Tonight, I am wearing high heels. I am putting my sweats aside, bypassing the jeans, opting away from my teacher shoes, pushing past my t-shirts and sweater sets, and I am wearing a skirt and a shirt that qualifies as a blouse. I am wearing a necklace with matching earrings. I am actually going to brush my hair into a nice ponytail and not the regular bird's nest that is on my head.

I will also be wearing control top pantyhose underneath a body-shaping Spanx and a tummy tightening tank top. Since my body's not right and tight anymore (literally), I gotta fake it somehow.

Hello Christmas party, Elizabeth Ellis is coming to you looking like the pre-baby-ish version of herself.

Separation Anxiety

Last week I went on a trip to Oklahoma to see my brother graduate from college. What an enormous accomplishment for Woody! I'm definitely a proud big sister!

I went to Oklahoma without Nyla because, let's be honest, what a nightmare having an almost-2-year-old on an airplane flight for a three day trip. So Paul and I decided she would stay home and I would go by  myself. Secretly in my head, I was saying "YES!" I could hear the George Michael song in my head: "Freeedooooommmm...FREEEEEDOOOOOMMMM." :)

Thursday morning, I headed out to the airport with my parents and aunt and uncle. It was about then that I started to get a little itchy about being gone. Then we sat down in our seats on the flight and I was getting extremely itchy about it. It's not that I don't trust Paul at home with Nyla; he's a wonderful father! I just was starting to feel extremely apprehensive about being away from my girl.

When the airplane began to push back from the gate, I started to cry. My apprehensions got the best of me and I waved my white flag: I was going to miss Nyla and part of me was terrified that something was going to happen to her or to me while I was gone.

I was sitting in row 17B (middle seat) and I was really trying to hold it together. I had one guy to the right of me at the window seat and then another man on the other side of me whose wife and children were across the aisle. And then there was me, tears streaming down my face. I was blotting my tears with my scarf and trying to maintain some sort of dignity through this crying episode.

Mr. Window saw me crying out of the corner of his eye and promptly turned his entire body so that he was straight up facing the window. Mr. Family Guy kept making "crying" hand signals to his wife and pointing at me. I'm relatively certain I made those two men uncomfortable, but I didn't care. You guys, I couldn't stop crying! I cried all through taxiing, takeoff, and 15 minutes into the flight...a good 30-40 minutes of crying.

Thankfully I was able to get through the rest of the trip episode-free. Whew! It was just that initial, "OMG-I'm-leaving-Nyla-and-something-might-happen-what-if-she-needs-me" freakout. After that, I was good to go!

I'm thinking she'll go with me on our next trip though...I missed my sweet girl!

Our Singer

Miss Nyla sang her first song today from memory...part of a song, at least. She sang the letters A through G today in the car. Clear as day, she just sang them out from her car seat!

I can't even begin to express to you how overly excited I got about this. My child, Nyla Ellis, terror of our house, animal monkey savage child, sang the first part of the alphabet un-prompted! We didn't have to sing the song to get her going, we didn't have to ask her to sing it for us. She just started to sing it to the other cars on the road.

My angel is growing up. Today she's singing the alphabet, tomorrow she's asking for money from her father. Awww...

It's a Pants-less Party

A week or two ago, I thought to myself, "Nyla should be self-sufficient. She should be able to take her own clothes off when we change into our jammies." I am now regretting that decision to teach her those skills. Homegirl now loves to take off her pants. LOVES it.

Case in point: $1 taco night on Tuesday. We went to the Mexican spot in Tigard and had tacos. Nyla happily had a grilled cheese and fries and then wandered around our table, people watching. Paul and I are talking to my parents, just visiting, and I saw her out of the corner of my eye. Miss Nyla was standing in the middle of the restaurant pulling her pants down. She pulls her shirt halfway up her tummy and then starts to fervently pull at the waistband of her pants. What do you do, but laugh and try to convince a 20-month-old to keep her pants on?

Let's just hope this little pants-less phase doesn't last into college.

School Pictures

Nyla had her school pictures taken a few weeks ago and we just got them today. Can you say adorable? 

Hey guys.

Now don't think that Paul or I did her hair. If we would have "done" her hair, it would look all amazonian and jungle, curling in all directions and falling into her face. Thankfully our girl loves for her teachers to do her hair, so they happily put it in pigtails for us. 

You look at that picture, look at it real closely. She almost looks angelic, like she could do no wrong. DO NOT BE FOOLED. That is the face of a monkey girl who loves to taunt and torment her parents and her dog. 

But alas, I adore her immensely. This school picture will take a place of honor in our home. It will be our constant reminder, especially when homegirl is acting up, that she is our little angel. 

Who Needs Wipes?

I had to take Nyla to an appointment today. I picked her up from daycare and she had just, literally JUST, had her diaper changed and we were heading straight to the doctor's office. When we got to the office, I started gathering my 8,000 things that I would need while we're there: snacks, toys, a book, a spare diaper, sweater (in case it was cold), a short sleeved shirt (in case it was hot). I was prepared.  My bag was chock full of distractions for Nyla and the last thing that I would have needed to grab were wipes. The only thing of wipes I had in the car was a massive bag of them...the bag that is filled with wipes that you use to refill your regular wipe-distributor. Great.

I stupidly thought to myself, "I won't need wipes. She won't poop...she just had her diaper changed." Guess what the first thing homegirl did when we got to the office was? Pooped.

Of course she would poop. Why have I not learned this yet? When in doubt, Elizabeth, take a hundred of whatever you are doubting. I should have lugged that whole damn thing of wipes in with me, all 475 wipes. But no, I decided against it and I was punished...again.

When will I ever learn?

**No, I didn't just let her marinate in her poo. I cleaned her up using regular ol' toilet paper...and it broke when I was wiping her, thus getting poop on my fingers. Day #602 of getting poop on my fingers. Seriously, I am not made to change diapers.**

Terrible 2's? How about Terrible 19 Months?

Let's talk about homegirl for a second, okay? Miss Thing has hit her stride with throwing tantrums. Her favorite thing to do? Throw herself face first into her chair and let her legs fly up in the air all while she's trying her damnedest to cry with *actual* tears. I love when I catch her mid-cry, looking at me like, "Is she watching?"

Even her daycare has noticed that Miss Nyla is...dramatic. She comes by that honestly from, ahem, me. But her level of dramatics is far superior to mine. I'm one to have a little fit when I don't get my way, then I realize that I'm a grown woman, and I put on my big girl pants, and move on with the day. Nyla will hold onto her fit for hours...HOURS. It's like once the bad mood starts, there is no end in sight. Everything is cry-worthy: socks on the floor, Okie not giving her a kiss, the teddy bear is upside down, she doesn't have enough broccoli on her plate...I put that last one in there so that you all know that I feed my daughter vegetables. :)

She might be a hellion, but she's our little hellion. And we like her just as she is.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Johnny

Tantrums

Our child is growing up. She is learning new things. New things that aren't always great for her to learn. For example, Miss Thang has learned how to throw a tantrum. We're thinking she picked this up from other kids, because she just started doing it out of the blue one day.

If you take something from Nyla that she's not supposed to have, like a rock, her tantrum follows. She will drop to her knees, lie flat on her stomach and start to cry, face-down on the floor. And not a cute little baby cry; it's a disgusting, shrilly, tongue-hanging-out cry. No tears, though.

That's her trick--she makes you think she's crying, so when you pick her up you realize there were no tears. But homegirl has gotten her way and now you're holding the baby. Hmph.

Mommy needs to put on her big girl pants and get down and dirty with this parenting thing. Say goodbye to sweet, doting, overnurturing Elizabeth Ellis--here comes Rambo Elizabeth, ready to parent and teach and be strong in my will to raise a respectable citizen of this country...with a few (million) kisses along the way :)

Bouncy Bouncy Bouncy

Now that Nyla is super mobile, she loves to chase Okie around the house. Wherever Okie goes, Nyla follows. I think Okie is amused by this, but I'm not sure. Sometimes she has this look:

Mom. Please.

But for the most part, Okie is a happy girl. She's got someone to be partners with, someone to get into trouble with, someone to feed her Mac N' Cheese. These two!

I think Okie has one thing she's not a fan of: bouncing. Nyla loves to bounce on her. Nyla will take her 26-pound body and bounce on Okie's stomach, on her head, on her feet, grabbing her tail and bouncing on her butt. And how can you tell Nyla to stop when she's screaming and laughing with such joy?! Nyla does redeem herself though; after her little bouncing-fest, she turns to Okie and gives her a kiss. It's pretty sweet. Then she kisses Okie again...and again...probably four times. We all know that when Nyla kisses, it's like she's trying to eat your face. So when Okie gets a kiss from her, it's full open-mouth, tongue lagging out. And Nyla won't close her mouth until Okiedoodle starts to lick Nyla's face. Gross.

Wow

Someone find me a sweater set! I'm turning into my mother!

Today I went to the tulip field with Nyla and my mom...and LOVED it! We had so much fun! We didn't do anything but walk up and down the rows of tulips, but it was great! The weather was awesome, there wasn't a ridiculous amount of people...it was just wonderful. But the best part for me was seeing my Nyla enjoy herself and swat at all the flowers.

We came home, ate lunch, and I did the unthinkable: I gardened. I physically planted flowers in the ground. By nature, I'm not a very garden-y person--I'm not know for my green thumbness. But today, I was feeling the inspiration! And of course, I had my Nylabelle with me as my little helper. "Helper" is the operative word here; she spent most of the time sitting on my newly planted florals.

All in all, even though I realize that slowly but surely turning into Kat, it was a wonderful day!

Joining the Ranks

I've officially joined the ranks of parents who flock to child-friendly

Ego Boost

This morning, I went into Nyla's room to wake her up. She looked so peaceful, lying in her crib, mouth open, belly hanging out, spread eagle, just off in lala land. It's painful waking her up because she looks so stinkin' adorable! But alas, mommy has to go to work, so awake she must be.

"Nylaaaaaaaaaaa." It's annoying how I call her name in the morning, but she likes it so I keep it going.

"Nylaaaaaaaaaaa" and usually by the second call, she wakes up. This morning trumped every morning up until now. She opened her sleepy eyes, stretched her arms up, started slowly rolling around her crib. She then stood up and grabbed onto the rails, looked up at me and said, "pretty pretty." The first words out of her mouth this morning were the best compliment in the world to me! In general, the only things she thinks are "pretty pretty" are earrings, Okie, and flowers. But this morning, mama joined that illustrious list of "pretty pretty" things. Love it!

I'm a Mess

So I thought that I would be totally fine dropping Nyla off at daycare on a daily basis. The first two weeks of work, things went great; I just dropped her off, gave her kisses, and was able to go on my merry way to work. The last two days have been awful for me! I have cried while driving away both days.  I didn't expect this to happen so long after she came into our lives. I mean, in the early months, it was expected for me to have some separation issues and to be a little teary. But 13 months later? And it seems like the tears are from out of nowhere.

I think it's because I realized that my time with her is so limited now. I stayed home with her for the better part of her first year of life; she was my buddy, my partner, my little sidekick. And now, no sidekick. No pal. No sweet thing during the day. That makes me sad. Yesterday morning, I was able to see her awake for a whopping 22 minutes, and that includes driving time to daycare!

And you know what made things worse? I dumped my full cup of coffee in my car. So not only was I crying over my baby, I also was crying over my Starbucks! Yesterday just was not a shining day for me.

What I do know is that my time at home with her at night is all about Miss Nyla. I walk in the door and we snuggle and kiss. She's only awake a few hours until it's her bedtime, so I try to get in as much Nyla-Mommy time as possible. Well, Nyla-Mommy-Daddy-Okie time really.

It's One or the Other

You can never get two things at once with Nyla. You either get one or the other.

Perfect example: this morning. Nyla slept through the night last night! Yes, we're still dealing with that. 13 months later, we're still having a little trouble with sleep. Not as much now that she's in daycare, but still having some wakeups in the middle of the night. Anyhoo, last night she killed it with sleep! Right on! This morning, I started my job at full time, so I needed time to get up and get dressed before waking her up. This is her "one or the other" moment.

I got out of bed to start getting ready, thinking that she wouldn't wake up for another half an hour or so. WRONG. Homegirl woke up and started talking just as my feet hit the ground. Instead of having a relaxing and quiet time for me to actually brush my hair and do my makeup, I now had to rush and had a little voice sqauwking at me, reminding me that she was awake. It's one or the other with her. Either take a full night's sleep or get time in the morning to get ready in peace. I can't have both, damnit.

In conclusion, if you see me out in public looking a little disheveled and out of sorts, don't worry. My child slept all night so I'm good!

ps: I missed writing my blog! So we're back! Welcome to the second year of mommyhood.

Nyla's Second Year So Far

So it's been a week since Nyla turned 1, and her birthday party was so fun! Lots of laughs, lots of food, lots of taking pictures of her eating a cupcake. Nyla was all about the frosting! It was super adorable!

But enough of the mushy stuff, let's talk about what's happened since she's turned 1:

1. She went to her yearly checkup and received 5 shots. Do you know what a child who just got poked in the thigh five times sounds like? It's deafening.

2. Also at the appointment, we learned that she is 31 inches long and 24lbs11oz. Our child is officially bigger than a standard Thanksgiving turkey.

3. She's slept through the night...once. Don't get me started.

4. She has a rash from drooling so much underneath her lips. Basically, she looks like a 12-year-old going through puberty on her chin...red bumps everywhere. Gross. Yes, I just said that part of my daughter is gross. Sue me.

5. We have expanded her food substantially. Now she won't eat her pureed food as much. She's all about sharing with you or with everyone. And she begs worse than Okie. If you're eating, Nyla will literally stand right next to you with her mouth open and leaning toward you. I will try to capture a picture next time.

6. And just today, we've started her drinking milk...cow's milk, as the pediatrician says. I'm nervous to do this since she's been on soy formula forever, but the doctor says it'll be all good so...real milk it is! We also got a mild shaming when we told our pediatrician that we put Nyla to bed with a bottle.

7. Also today, Nyla watched her first episode of Barney...and loved it. L.O.V.E.D. it! I'm thinking Paul will love this new chapter of her life. "I love youuuu, you love meeee.."


Here we go, into our second year of life with Miss Thing!

Birthday Wish: Granted

Homegirl is now 1-year-old. She enjoyed a lovely party with family, only missing my in-laws! BUT we're doing a 2nd party with them next weekend! Nyla will be happy because she will be able to devour another cupcake. See video below.

364 Days

What a difference a year makes. Hello, look at the pictures below! The one on the top is Nyla at 14 days old. The one on the bottom was taken yesterday, which would make Nyla 364 days old. Ridiculous!
            
                                
Look at how humongous she's gotten! Look at how different she looks! Look at how, over the course of a year, I still haven't learned to do my hair! :)

My Nyla's birthday is tomorrow. Mommy is going to be teary, I can tell.

When We Found Out

Well, as we come around to Nyla's first birthday, I better recount the night we found out we were pregnant so that it's documented somewhere for our girl in the future.

June 2010 was a big month for us. We moved to Lincoln City, both of us started new jobs, and we were loving living next to the ocean. Paul and I had been trying to get pregnant for over a year and it wasn't happening at all. There were a few false hopes, months where my period was late, but when those tests came back negative, I was devastated. I cannot accurately describe my sadness when we weren't pregnant. But Lincoln City was a new place for us and a new beginning! Who knew what could happen?

As we started into July, I started waking up in the middle of the night for a week straight feeling like dog doo. I literally had to talk myself out of barfing on Paul next to me. Seven nights in a row of nausea and fully-focused deep breathing. I would have thought something of it, but the nausea just disappeared.

A week later, my breasts were so sore. Okay, there's sore like there's a bruise on you; this soreness was ridiculous. I was almost in tears. That's right, I was ready to cry over my boobs. You would have thought I would have started picking up on these little changes in my body, but no. I think I was in denial and not wanting to get my hopes up. Then the tell-tale signs started showing: no period, nails growing extra fast and strong, senses heightened. I think inside, I knew I was pregnant.

Paul wanted me to take a test, but I couldn't do it. I just couldn't face a negative again. Even though I had a strong inkling I was pregnant, I didn't want to even consider being wrong. But Paul came home one night with tests and we decided to go for it.

I wouldn't let Paul in the bathroom with me. Before I went in, I told him, "Okay, let's prepare for a negative." Do you know that three minutes is a very long time when waiting for a pregnancy test to turn? At first, the negative line started to show. I felt the tears, I felt the desperation, I felt the depression coming.

And then my world flipped as the plus sign started to show through.

"Paul, give me that box." He says he knew right then. Talk about your world changing in an instant! For me, it was like the whole world tilted, everything was different immediately. I think we ended up taking seven tests over a few days just to be sure, since the doctor only saw pregnant women after 10 weeks.

When we told our families, we were about seven weeks along. The rest is history. 33 weeks flew by (except for the last three or four), and now here we are. Our babygirl is almost 1 and life is sweet.

*Now y'all. Don't be getting your hopes up about us having another one anytime soon. Everyone can pump their brakes about that.

Owning The Shame

Okay, here's the truth. I'm still wearing nursing bras. Yes, the bras with the snap down flap...still wearing them. I haven't nursed Nyla since she was six months. Hello, she's turning 1 on Thursday. Time to put away the nursing bras.

When does "ooh I feel so sexy?" come back? When does the desire to be super fabulous with my undergarments come back? I am making progress, though. Almost everyday I put on my makeup! I don't wear my pajamas until noon like I did at the beginning of this adventure! Now I need to take the next step and put back on some cute bras...or at least bras that don't have four inches of padding and a drop-top.

But here's the thing. I nursed Nyla. Nursing nipples look like something that should be on National Geographic. The last thing I need are my NatGeo nipples to be sticking out in public, which I think is my rationalization to myself for continuing to wear nursing bras.

I will persevere though; nursing bras, be gone (tomorrow)!

The Germ Addict

I think Nyla is addicted to germs. There are three things that Nyla will undoubtedly find in any room, whether it's empty or chock-full of people:

1. The garbage can
2. Any electrical outlets
3. The sickest kid in the room

Inevitably, Nyla is able to search out these things no matter where we are. The library is her favorite place to find these three things. It's like there are magnetic force fields around garbage cans and outlets and she is just drawn to them. I can't even count how many times I have to bring her away from them. And don't even get me started on sick kids in public. The other day, Nyla managed to make friends with the illness-infested child. Never mind there were six other toddlers there that she could have socialized with; she had to be with the sick kid. Gross.

My favorite blogger, Scary Mommy, said it best with her Valentine's Day card: