Before I Was a Mom. . .

Today a comment was made to me that really hurt my feelings. A friend of mine was telling me about her most recent Girl Extravaganza Day . . . shopping, lunch, pedicures, cocktails etc. After she had given me a detailed description of her day, she said, "I would have invited you but, now that you are a mom, you do mommy things and don't really have time for your friends anymore."

I have to be honest, her comment stung. It hurt not be included. I spent a lot of time today thinking about her comment and what my life was like before I was a mom. I remembered something I had read awhile back and today these words reminded me why life now is a million times richer than before I was a mom.

Before I Was a Mom ...

Before I was a Mom...I ate in fancy restaurants. I had unstained clothing. I had long conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom... I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed. I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom... I cleaned my house each day. I never tripped over toys or ran my washing machine day and night.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about Immunizations.

Before I was a Mom... I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom... I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom... I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom... I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom... I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Eliza's Playroom

This week's edition of Kelly's Show Us Where You Live Friday focuses on playrooms. We created a downstairs playroom for Eliza in what is actually our formal dining room and we moved the formal dining room to what is actually the formal living room. This has worked out really well for us because it allows Eliza to have a place to play with all of her toys and it allows us to have a "toy free" family room.

This is what Eliza's playroom looks like first thing in the morning.

But this is what it looks like most of the time. I take the messiness as a compliment to mean "Mom, this playroom rocks!"

Swimmy Time

Today was our first day of Mommy and Me swimming lessons. Stephen had decided to take a three day weekend - so he came with us to take pictures. Eliza seemed to really enjoy her class. She was very friendly and said "hi" to all the babies. She did a good job during class but she did not enjoy being on her back - so I guess that is something we will need to work on.

15 Month Stats

Eliza had her 15 month check up last week . She is doing great.
Weight: 24 lbs. 8 oz - 75 percentile
Length: 31 1/2 inches - 75 percentile

Her doctor said her ears were looking great - so he said there was no need to continue our discussion about tubes in her ears . . . at least for now.

She is such a happy and energetic little girl. Here are some of her more recent accomplishments.

*Her vocabulary has increased - her newest words are "ball", "dog", "MoMo" and "Daddy".

* Her favorite word seems to be "No"

*She loves going to the library each week for story time.

*She LOVES spending time in the pool with her Dad - especially when he spins her around.

*She enjoys playing peek - a - boo with her Uncle Richard.

* She LOVES to see pictures of herself. She points and says "baby".

* She says "Bye" each time she gives someone a kiss - it doesn't matter if they are going somewhere or not.

*She LOVES to laugh and we LOVE hearing it.

Girl Genius

The book that I am currently reading on child development says that by age 24 months, a toddler should be able to identify 6 body parts. As you will see from the video below, at 15 months we are ahead of the game.

At this rate, I am sure she is destined for early admittance to Harvard. Although, I do hope that by the time she gets to Harvard, she will no longer feel the need to lift up her shirt to show people her belly!

Show Us Where You Live Friday

This week's edition of Kelly's Home Tour is bathrooms. Our house has two and a half baths but Eliza's bathroom is by far my favorite. I love that it is purple and has a very girly feeling to it.

Since the wall color is very vibrant, I decided to go with white accessories. I found the shower curtain at Target and I think it adds a very fun dimension to the room.

Although you can't see them, this room has a very nice ceramic tile floor and plenty of cabinets for storage. I one thing I would like to change in this room are the sinks. I am not really a fan of the shell shaped sink . . . but then again, honestly, who is? I am sure we will get to it one of these days, but for now the master bath is more of a priority. . . . . and unfortunately, it too has shell sinks.

Mommy Books and Baby Books

On Tuesday, Eliza and I made our first trip to our (new) neighborhood public library for story time. I was a little worried about Eliza's behavior, as we have had a rough couple of days,but luckily I wrong. She did great and she seemed to really enjoy being around all of the kids. This week's theme was animals and the stories were actually very cute. We both enjoyed Shamoo: A Whale of a Cow.

After story time we strolled around the children's section, which was quite impressive, not to mention hopping with excitement. There were kids everywhere - most of whom appeared to very engaged in their books. It made this English teacher's heart happy to see so many kids excited about books. While we strolled around we found three books for Eliza and she is now the proud owner of a Harris County Public Library Card.

While we were there, I also checked out two books for myself: Dare to Discipline and Toddler 911. As I mentioned earlier, we had a tough week, last week and I was in dire need of some reinforcements.

We both have great reading material and we will definitely return next week for another edition of story time.

These pictures were taken this morning after breakfast . . . girlfriend loves her books and yes I know she has her MoMo in her mouth. We have dropped out of MoMo rehab . . . .did I mention that last week was a tough one?

Eliza's ABC's

Here are a few little known facts about our girly girl . . .

A - Age: almost 15 months
B - Bed size: Crib
C - Chore you hate: Taking a nap
D - Dog's name: We don't have one . . . but Grandma and Grandpa have Buddy. . . I like to share my food with him. . . and he likes to lick my face
E - Essential item to start your day: Milk
F - Favorite color: Pink . . . it must be right . . . .since that is all mom ever dresses me in
G - Gold or Silver: Neither
H - Height: Unsure
I - Instruments you play: None . . . unless drumming on the coffee table counts
J - Job title: Daughter and Chief Mess Maker
K - Key to a Happy Life: Laughing every day
L - Living arrangements: Still live with my parents
M - Mom's name: Jennifer
N - Nicknames: Monkey and Liza Loo
O - Overnight hospital stay: Yes when I was born
P - Pet Peeve: When mom takes too long getting my food to me
Q - Quote from a movie: "He is looking for his son Fabio" - Finding Nemo
R - Right or left handed: Haven't made up my mind yet. . . . sometimes I feel like using my right hand . . . other times it is all about the left
S - Siblings: NONE . . . . and I like it that way!
T - Time you wake up: Pretty much whenever I feel like it . . . . but most mornings it is around 6 or 6:30
U - Underwear: Huggies
V - Vegetable you dislike: Green Beans
W - Ways/Reasons you run late: If I am late. . . .it is Mom's fault
X - X-rays you've had: None
Y - Yummy food you like to eat: Mac and Cheese
Z - Zoo animals you like: Giraffes and Monkeys

Thanks for taking a few minutes to get to know me

Our Weekend Trip

This past weekend we headed to the Hill Country to help Eliza's Grammy celebrate her 60th birthday. We had a great weekend. Both of my siblings were there with their families, and Eliza was excited to have some quality time with her extended family.

On Saturday morning we took all of the kids out on the boat. Eliza was not too keen on wearing her life jacket but she sure did like riding on the boat. She and her dad look very cool in their shades.




Joey is a very happy - go - lucky baby who didn't seem to mind wearing his life jacket. Not too much bothers this little man . . . EXCEPT having his diaper changed which apparently is the equivalent of water boarding.

Nicole loves riding on Grammy and Granddaddy's boat. She told me soon she would be old enough to drive the boat herself but this time she would let Granddaddy drive. I don't know about the driving part but she looked cute in her pink swimsuit.

Maryellen and John look happy and ready for some fun in the sun.

Natalie was VERY unhappy about having to wear a life jacket but she was happy to sit and cuddle with her Grammy. Don't you just love they way her pacifier matches her life vest?!?

We had a great time on the boat and I know Eliza looks forward to her next ride.

MoMo Rehab: Day 1

Eliza has always loved her pacifier (which we call MoMo). When she was an infant, we pretty much let her have it 24/7. The when she was about 6 months, I decided that we should slowly start weaning her off her MoMo. I had every intention that she would be pacifier free at 12 months . . . . . well we all know that didn't happen.

In January she got RSV, then ear infections, then thrush, then more ear infections and during her times of sickness, MoMo brought her comfort (and in all honesty it brought Steve and me a little peace and quiet). When she was sick, we let her have MoMo whenever she wanted and because of this she has once again become addicted to MoMo.

So today I decided that it was time to break our cycle of dependence and Eliza became an unwilling participant in MoMo rehab. I have decided that she can have MoMo at nap time and bed time . . . . I didn't think she (or I) was ready for cold turkey. She did pretty well this morning, she did ask for Mo a few times but I was tough and didn't crack. When I put her down for her nap, she was pretty excited when she realized that there was a MoMo in her bed. I anticipate that the road to becoming MoMo free may be trying at times but I know we can make it through this . . . . at least I hope we can.

Sleepy girl + MoMo reunion = a few quiet moments for Mom