how to beat the damn heat

...go to the library and spend three hours there reading and coloring and reading and having an awesome, one-on-one time without having to deal with annoying bugs and sweat dripping from your entire body.

TILTW: 7.6-7.12

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Getting used to a new baby is much harder the first time around.

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I make for great cushion.

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I'm really digging Wordpress. When I was pregnant the first time in 2008, I started a blog on Wordpress. The pregnancy and my time on Wordpress didn't last long. I didn't find Wordpress compatible for me. It wasn't easy to find new blogs (maybe it just wasn't as easy as it is now?). And I knew several people on Blogger. I like my finallyMom blog here on Blogger. But I'm finding my voice on Wordpress. And I love it. I love that I can write more freely about stuff other than parenting and my dollface, Lovie. I love that I made the decision to separate the two. Still lots of writing here on finallyMom that may not pertain to parenting/Lovie, but now I can really focus on that at the other place. And Wordpress is just awesome. I love how you get comment notification on the dashboard and that you can reply right there and that if the commenter is on WP, they get notification of the reply. I love that they feature Freshly Pressed pieces from blogs. I love that I can so very easily search for new blogs. It's awesome. I won't move finallyMom there, but I really do love WP.

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I also am loving Feedly as my new reader (in addition to the reader at WP). Bloglovin is okay but I haven't visited in a while. I don't like having to click on each blog to get the whole story. And on feedly, I don't have to do that; it's very much like the old google reader. The only issue I have with feedly is that it didn't move my blogs over. I had to input each new link which was kind of a pain in the ass. But now that I have most of what I read in my feedly, it's AWESOME.

expensive, but priceless

I spent literally 28 hours over the weekend with a 3-week-old baby doll (and her mama and daddy).

When I wasn't snuggling up with said 3-week-old, trying to absorb that newborn baby smell, I was looking out their windows to views of the Statue of Liberty.

(they have the most AMAZING view of Manhattan when you walk outside to the riverfront)

It was a super short visit, but one that I will cherish and one that couldn't have been much longer due to missing my own sweet baby doll at home who actually scored a new bear that she got to pick out, dress, and name upon my return yesterday.

(I keep hearing this pink princess-y stage will end... WHEN?!)

That's right, I promised Lovie that when I returned from the little trip, we would all spend the day together doing something super special with her and she (no thanks to the HUB channel and their damn commercials) chose to go to Build a Bear Workshop.

It wasn't a cheap weekend, to say the least, but it was definitely pretty priceless:

Flying out to Newark, NJ for two nights, one day: $380.
Cabbing it to/from airport to/from apartment with sweet baby and amazing views: $90.
Snuggling with a newborn whose diaper I don't have to change: Priceless.
Going to Build-a-Bear Workshop: $47.
Coming home to a super smiley, happy-to-see-me Lovie: PRICELESS.

TILTW: 6.29-7.5.13

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My sweet love bug is growing up into such a sweet little girl. It blows my mind sometimes that she can be so awesome and that she can keep getting more and more awesome. She's got such a big heart, such a love for babies and animals and friends and family.

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I'm completely over the damn mosquitos this year.

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Next time we see a firework show, we need to pack lots of snacks, drinks, glow sticks and not get there too early.

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Going out to eat on the 4th is pretty awesome. So is going to Target.

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Working the day following a holiday sucks ass.

interview with...

Lovie turned 3.5 on Saturday. When I told her this, she lifted her hands a bit in the air, palms up, and proclaimed, "WHAT?! So are we gonna have a party and cake?"

Yeah, no. Sorry kiddo. It just means that we're halfway to another birthday.

I did interview her again though because it turned out so cute last time. I have it on video but this time there's a lot more personal information on it so the edited (took out how she spells her [real] name, took out street address) print version will have to do.

I present to you... Interview with a Three and a half year old:

click to enlarge

Oops, just realized that there's a bit of a space next to "orange fruit". I was going to put in a smaller text and in parentheses Cantaloupe. Man does she love that shiz. Also, can anyone guess what game she's referring to in number 12's answer? Hint: I'm on level 147.

Click here for the last interview from six months ago.

TILTW: 6.22-6.28

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I still hate summer, even when there's a pool involved. Okay, maybe it's not too bad if I can submerge my body in water all day long, but the reality is I can't do that every day so I still hate summer.

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It's not just the heat and humidity I hate, it's the fucking bugs. I hate bugs. Especially when they bite me and make my feet swell and leave strange markings on my body while creating itching itching itching... which results in a trip to Immediate Care for steroids and antibiotics.

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Fuck summer.

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We're halfway to Christmas!! : ) and halfway (tomorrow) to Lovie turning F O U R!!!

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i hate beer

So I decided to start a new blog. I'm NOT shutting this one down because the world would be so unhappy without Lovie updates and pictures, this I know. Rather, I'll post non-Lovie-related stuff on this other blog called, Other Than Lovie.

It's on Wordpress which I haven't used in like 10 years so ... this could all be very interesting.

Feel free to check it out. Or not.

It will mostly contain writings that don't really have to do with Lovie. I know there's lots of stuff here on Finally Mom that doesn't really pertain to her, but now maybe I can feel more open to my non-Lovie-related writing.

Only time will tell.

Anyway, I submitted a post to the fine folks at Yeah Write via the new blog. It's a little ditty that kind of might explain my disdain for beer.

teacher thank you gift

On Friday, one of the teachers at Lovie's school told me that her last day would be Wednesday (tomorrow). I looked at her and nearly cried. She looked at me and told me, "This is going to be so hard and I'm going to be such a mess on Wednesday."

: (

Miss Alice has been there since we started when Lovie was 9 weeks old. She's loved on Lovie from the get-go because she reminded her a lot of her baby boy, who happens to be a mere one week older than Lovie. But more than that, Miss Alice has been an amazing constant in Lovie's life at this school. She always has the biggest smile on her face, she always greets the kids with such warmth and love. And Lovie's always adored her.

I needed to let Miss Alice know how much we appreciate her and how much we're going to miss her so I searched Pinterest, of course, and found some cute stuff. Lots of cute stuff. And then I came up with this:

I stupidly neglected to get a gift bag to put the S'MORES in, so I had to reuse a shoe bag. Oh well.

 

I wanted Lovie to be involved with this as much as possible (she made the S'more suggestion too!) so I had her make a card, which is tucked inside the gift bag:

 

 

While the world definitely could use S'MORE teachers like Miss Alice, I decided to change the wording just a bit... as well as have Lovie recite the directions to make S'mores (thank you Angie for the brilliant idea!) and answer some questions about Miss Alice (much like I did for Father's Day):

 

 

My intention is to say thank you but wow is this kind of sad. I mean, do you see that last bit of detail from my interview with Lovie when she told me she'd "be's sad when Miss Alice leaving"? I hope we don't make her cry, but I also hope she understands what kind of impact she's had on Lovie the past 3.5 years.

While tomorrow is her last day, I had Lovie bring it to school to give it to her today. And that's when I learned another favorite teacher is leaving end of July!

No fun!

third time's the (not so) charm(ing)

Emptiness hinders hope.

Suffocates it.

Whiskey alone won’t release her.

So

with thick scars mutating her wrist,

she reaches for the bottle of pills,

slams them into her mouth.

Soon

 

she’d be free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TILTW: 6.15-6.21

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Near 80-year-old people who aren't computer literate, should NOT have a Facebook account. I could strangle the cousin who signed my father up for a Facebook account. Not because he has access to my personal life or anything, but because he just doesn't comprehend that every fucking update or photo posted by one of his "friends" is not directed at him personally. Holy mother of all there is I just don't know how to explain this to him. I wouldn't really be bothered by this accept for the fact that I am the person he calls to complain/whine/interrogate.

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I absolutely love my mornings with Lovie. I can remember a time not so long ago when I felt that every morning was a shitshow, that she was always such a pill because I had to wake her and who wants to be woken up when it's still dark out? But then I read somewhere that it's good for kids to wake up slowly. It's good to hold them and softly talk with them... or just hold them and rub their back. Basically just give them some intimate one on one time for just a few minutes before getting dressed and starting the mad rush of the day. I remember thinking that I didn't have time for this, that waking at 4:45 in the morning was the absolute earliest I could do. And I still get up then, but I also still cuddle with Lovie every single morning. I scoop her into my arms and we sit on the cheap IKEA Poang chair in her room and she burrows into me like she did when she was a newborn. Only now, of course, it's like holding onto 20 of newborn Lovie's. I rub her back and we talk. The cats come in and we laugh at them when they fight. We talk about whatever and then we try to "beat the clock" and get dressed as quickly as we can before heading into bed with Daddy to watch a few minutes of TV while I get dressed-- minutes before heading out the door. As long as we have those few minutes every morning, getting out the door is a breeze. And I just love that one on one time...When she looks me right in the eye with no TV, no Daddy, no toys. It's good for both of us to get moving in the morning.

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I really really really really like the McDonald's egg white delight breakfast.

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I booked a flight out to visit my cousin (whom I threw the virtual baby shower for) and her 9-day (today) old baby girl. I haven't been this excited about holding a baby since Lovie was born. I've always liked babies, but I never was too keen on holding them for too long before. Sure there's some nom-licious looking babies out there, but for the first time since Lovie was born, all I can do is think of holding and nomming on this baby girl. And I'll be able to do so in just two weeks.