The Pink Bunny

Bunnies have been in my life for as long as I can remember. It all started with Floppy, the stuffed pink rabbit that I was given as a baby. Floppy can be seen in photos that date back to my crawling days. 

The first time I truly remember Floppy is when I found him in a box in the basement of our townhouse when I was 5. I remember  thinking... how lonely for him all alone in this box. From that point on we were inseparable. I couldn't sleep without him for (yes I can't believe I'm saying this) 20 years. He followed me to sleepovers, trips all over the country, more than 10 countries, college... you get the idea. He was my piece of home, my comfort and my last grasp on childhood. 

A few years ago Dhrumil said it was him or Floppy... no not really :) BUT I did say goodbye to Floppy about a year ago. He now sits on a shelf and every now and then I have a glimpse of him and am reminded of my childhood and how amazing it was. 

I now have a new pink bunny... and her name in Mikayla. When she is older and asks why in the world did I dress her as a pink bunny I will tell her the story of my favorite stuffed animal in the whole world...

Lessons of a Seven Month Parent

1 - Parenthood and a type A personality doesn't mix
2 - When you think you are ready to leave the house, think again...
3 - When you smell something funky in the car its most likely to be ALL over the baby
4 - Change is your new constant
5 - You don't need 8 hours of sleep to survive
6 - It takes weeks instead of days to finish a new book
7 - Laughter is a part of every day no matter how tough it is
8 - It takes 5 days, instead of 30 minutes, to finish a post (ahem this one)
9 - Working as a team with your spouse is more important than ever
10 - Each new milestone, no matter how small, brings you closer to pushing your child out of the nest
11 - Leaving the house messy is ok as long as you have a happy baby
12 - Planning is a thing of the past
13 - The books are NOT always right
14 - Your baby isn't always like the books say
15 - Um just throw out the books and go by your gut and advice from loved ones
16 - The moments hen your baby looks at you with such love makes all the hard work that much more rewarding!

The New Jazzercise

Feel like you need to lose a few? Don't have time to get in your exercise? Don't look any further than your own baby. MOMERCISE!! Here is how it works...

Start with one baby who needs entertainment while you are cleaning the kitchen

Give her something to play with

Put away a dish, turn around, see "toy" on ground, hand it back, watch it go back on floor

Give new "toy" watch while baby throws it on floor

Notice both "toys" on the ground, baby staring, hand them back, see them thrown...

And so it will continue... lunge down grab toy, give back, turn around, put away dish, turn around, lunge for toy and continue for as long as it takes to clean the kitchen.

The Never Ending To Do List

I have always had a lot to do, but ever since we've had Mikayla it feels like the list is never ending. Those lazy Sundays with nothing to do are a thing of the past and I miss them. My days feel like a continuous cycle of things to do. I now I find myself starting a few different projects one after the other and then realizing I never finished the first project.

Today I decided to do something different... it was time to put down the list. Last night when I finally sat down to watch a movie with Dhrumil my legs hurt and I couldn't figure out why. Sure I went apple picking, but it's not like I walked miles. Today I realized the same thing and then it hit me... I haven't sat down all weekend. I have been going from one thing to the other and haven't stopped. Today at 3pm I decided to stop. Of course all things Mikayla never stop BUT I decided my straightening up of the house was done, the laundry that needing folding could stay in a pile another day and all of the other house projects that tend to throw themselves in my way were ignored.

It feels good... letting go. Can I do it again? Not sure. But I do know one thing... I will try to not let my to do list control me again.      

Sleep Saga

Conversation with a Norwegian male coworker today… Him: Baby sleeping?  Me: Not really Him: You sleeping?  Me: Nope Me: Well she sleeps through the night every few days or so… not sure what’s going on Him: It’s called the baby syndrome, not much you can do about it And there it is… I needed that as my AHA moment! This is what it is... so I'll just deal.