Not Me Monday--You've Got Mail

Do you hide in the kitchen and eat your child's goldfish on a daily basis? Have you bathed your child in a tub that's way past clean? Have you momentarily lost your child only to find her trying to play in the toilet bowl? No. Me either. To find out what everyone else has not been doing, head over to MckMama's.

I am not envious of my child's beautiful curls. I do not drive her crazy on a daily basis twirling her curls.
I have not given my child my obsession with the mail. She does not run to the door and squeal with glee if I simply say, "Do you want to get the mail?" A day without mail does not depress us both. That would be silly.

I do not force my child to carry the mail back up the driveway. That would break some sort of child labor law. Right?

I do not take Kenly's beloved mail away just so I can get her to look at me for a photo. That would be cruel.

I also did not watch as Kenly offered Chance, our dog, her snack. He did not take a lick and then she did not proceed to eat the dog slobbered goldfish. That would be gross.

I did not have to fish several stale Cheerios out of Kenly's mouth this week. She did not find the Cheerios on the kitchen floor that I've neglected for weeks.

Nope. Not me.

I don't want to.

I've always been a procrastinator in the worst sort of way. Need to write a children's book for my Children's Literature class in college. No problem. I had a semester to complete the project. When did I start and finish the project? The night before it was due. I wrote, illustrated, and bound the book in one night which created the need for 3am trip to Kinkos and extra money for a rush binding job. As a teacher my procrastination remained. When are grades due? If they were due at 12:00 on Tuesday, I'd turn mine in at 11:50. I rarely missed a deadline. What can I say? I thrive under pressure. At least that is what I tell myself. So, when Dr. Dephouse said he wanted Kenly off the bottle at 12 months, I shrugged and said, "No problem." How hard can the transition from a bottle to a sippy be? The answer....

HARD.

First, Kenly loves her babas. I love giving them to her. She sits still for about 5-10 minutes and lets me hold her. She plays with my hair and rubs my arm. The sound of the suction is strangely soothing....kind of like ether to my stressed mind and exhausted body. Feeding her is one of the highlights of my day.

Can Kenly drink from a cup?

Yes.

Do I want Kenly to drink from a cup?

No. My rawest, most heartfelt answer is a resounding no.

Please don't misunderstand. I want Kenly to grow up. I know how absurd it would look for her to be using a bottle on her first date. I want her to thrive and learn new skills. I want her to grow up. Just not yet. Please?

I've been thinking and praying about why giving up the bottle is such an issue for me. Why do I keep buying just one more can of formula? Shouldn't I want to save money? Why do I keep putting the "cold-turkey bottle banning" off for just one more week? I've finally come to the conclusion that I'm just being selfish. Not in a horrible way, but selfish nonetheless. I don't want the door to this era of Kenly's life to slam so soon. I feel like I missed too much. I nursed Kenly for three months, and then the shit crap hit the fan. I had goals and plans. RA decided that I would take a different route. Because of the pain of the disease, the disappointment of failing to nurse for a year, sleep deprivation of the worst sort, and some really wacked out hormones, I fell into a really dark place. The darkest place I've ever been. I wasn't me. I was a numb shell of myself. I feel like I missed the beauty of bottle feeding Kenly for a month or two.

I want that time back. I want to soak up her quiet hums and relish in the beauty of her porcelain skin instead of mourning something that was/is out of my control. I want a "do over."

But I know I can't have one. I have to relish the bottles I have left. I have to be the Mommy and help Kenly enter the new frontier--one free of bottles. It's my job, and I love every challenging, beautiful moment of it.


So enjoy the beauty of my baby growing toddler/little girl. She can melt your heart with a smile.

Toddler Fun

Kenly and I started a Toddler Fun class at the YMCA a few weeks ago. It's an hour of singing, dancing, parachute play, and toddler interaction. Well, that's the class in theory. Don't get me wrong...I'm not at all slamming the class. It is everything I've been looking for during the last year. I've even made a friend or two, so that's even icing on the cake. But imagine the pandemonium that ensues when you put 18 toddlers in a room and try to lead structured play. One child walks around with his finger up his nose. Another child tries to plan a great escape out the door to the classroom. Two children fight over a yellow ball even though there are 6 other yellow balls exactly like it in the room. Shanti, our instructor, is amazing. She's patient and gentle--two excellent qualities for dealing with toddlers. I've learned new songs and signs just by paying attention even when Kenly isn't. I spend a good deal of each class trying to teach Kenly to share and trying to keep Kenly from climbing on the window stoops or from stealing toys from one of the strollers/diaper bags in the room. Every Tuesday is a new adventure.

My favorite part of the class is watching the parents. All of us act a fool to try and draw our children into the activity of the moment. Imagine 18 moms/dads on hand and knee barking like dogs or mooing like cows. We're all in boat position rowing as we belt out "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," and what are our children doing? What ever they dang well please. Sometimes I wonder if they even know we're in the room. They do what toddles do best--explore every nook and cranny. Look up. Look down. Pick at lint on the carpet. Roll on the floor. Climb any stationary object. The chaos is liberating. Every adult should take a lesson from the toddlers. Stop trying to force everything. Stop trying to plan every moment. Stop and look around. You'll never know what you might discover.

Kenly loves "free ball" time. Shanti puts out about 25 slo-mo balls and the kicking, bouncing, snatching fest that occurs is the highlight of this girl's day. She's learning to share, and she can pick a yellow ball out of the crowd. She's even starting to understand the concept of helping clean up.
Kenly's favorite perch when she needs to check out for awhile is this window. The light must help her detox when she's overstimulated.

This is not a great picture, but Kenly loves the scarves too. Can you find Benny Bunny in this picture? He's never far away these days.

But, bubbles are the hit of the day for every kid in the room. I find it kind of funny that Shanti plays "Tiny Bubbles" during bubble time. Tiny bubbles in the wine. Make me feel happy. Make me feel fine are slightly odd lyrics for toddlers, but hey, it works. Perhaps the song is more for the parents.

Each class ends with a stamp on the hand. Oh the power of a stamp. Kenly gets and line every time.

Not Me Monday--Confession is good for the soul

Do you forget to brush your teeth for two days in a row? Have you been sleeping on the same bedsheets for a solid month? Is your fridge growing penicillin? Well, you're among friends. Head over to MckMama's blog to celebrate what you've not been doing.

I did not take several pictures of this pig's hind quarters at the NC Mountain State Fair because it reminded me of how healthy large my own rear has become. I wasn't thinking of posting it on the fridge as a reminder.I am not at all like the paparazzi. I don't continue to take flash photographs of my daughter even after she's had quite enough. I do not leave my support garments laying around. Said garment is not laying around because I take take it off as soon as I walk in the door. I do not frequently tell my daughter that bras are implements of torture. My tatas will not be sagging in three years because I refuse to wear said garment unless I'm forced too. This undergarment is not nicknamed "RoboBoob" by my darling husband because it actually adds a cup size to my diminutive chest. Said ugly, granny garment was not given that name six years ago. I wear much more flattering sexy garments on a regular basis, and I buy bras frequently instead of wearing "tattered tata toters."I did not introduce Kenly to the joy of ribbon fries at the fair. Who would give their 13 month old such greasy food? I did not eat that mound of fries all by myself and then eat 3 bites of a deep fried candy bar. I'm much kinder to my arteries and my stomach than that.
What have you not been up to this week?

Fall=NC Mountain Sate Fair

We took Kenly to the NC Mountain State Fair today. If you'll remember, she's been to the fair before. Last year Uncle Jason and Aunt Paula came with us, and we had a grand time. This year we only took Benny Bunny as a guest. Kenly enjoyed the carousel more this year. She even tried to say wheee. She loved all the noises, the foods, the rides, and the cool sights. We looked at some cows, ducks, pigs, goats, and horses. We watched two ponies get into a bit of a spat. One pony didn't like the other pony nibbling his butt, so a kicking match ensued. Don't worry...they were both put in time out before anyone got hurt.

Daddy rode the carousel with Kenly this year too. I think he loved it as much as Kenly.
Am I married to a funny man or what? Looking at this picture, I think Kenly looks like her Daddy.

We picked a grey horse because we knew it would make Mops proud. Our horse was the fastest too.

Kenly tried her hand at a fair game this year. She refused to pick a duck. She wanted to grab all the stuffed animal instead. At one point she almost pulled three tigers into the duck pond. She won a miniature pink rabbit.

And what would the fair be without a deep fried candy bar? See that ferris wheel in the background. According to fair lore, Elvis Pressley rode on that very ferris wheel. Could it be?

Kenly's Famous

Today we started our Toddler Fun class at the YMCA. While we were there, a news crew came in for some footage of children playing. Kenly made her TV debut today. If you'd like to see it, click here.

1-2-3 Wheee!

What's faster than a speeding bullet? What just zoomed past your head at the speed of light? Why it's Kenly? Can't you hear the squeals of glee? (Sorry for going all Dr. Seuss there at the end.)

Tiger Woods and Heartbreak

Since Kenly is so talented, we thought she should try her hand at putt-putt while visiting Nana and Papa in Tennessee. She looked like a natural carrying her golf ball and putter. She stepped up to the green. Papa taught her how to hold the putter. They sent the ball rolling and....

Kenly's heart broke. Her beloved yellow golf ball ran away.

She cried some more....

The she wailed a little longer. There were even tears. As soon as the beloved yellow golf ball was in hand again, her heart healed and life was good again.

I guess she won't be a golf prodigy after all. Can I be thankful now?

Not Me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not fail to shower again for two days this week because I was simply too lazy to make time for good personal hygiene.

I did not walk in last night to find my butt-naked 13 month old daughter squatting near her bed creating the largest puddle of pee I've seen since house breaking the dog. That would mean I was not watching my nude daughter closely as we prepared for bath time last night.

I did not eat my weight in a yummy dessert dip smeared on graham crackers made solely from cream cheese, powdered sugar, and chocolate chips. That would be irresponsible since I'm trying to lose weight.

I did not pass my screaming daughter off to her Nana multiple times while spending a few days with my parents in TN. That would be cruel, especially since Nana then slept half on the coffee table and half on the couch.

I did not leave the light on in Kenly's room during nap time AGAIN which caused her to refuse to sleep until I discovered my mistake. I'm not nearly that scatter-brained.

I did not hide Kenly's favorite book of the day because I have already read it eight times this morning.

What have you not been doing this week?

What's the best part about being a princess?

Kenly has a princess cell phone. When you press a button, it asks, "What's the best part about being a princess?" Well, I think I know (at least for Princess Kenly that is).

1. The best part about being a princess is having Mama or Daddy give you a bottle or a sippy cup. A princess does not hold her own bottle/cup.

2. Having your Mama feed you Cherrios like grapes as you recline on the couch watching VeggieTales. Rest assured, for all of you who are wondering, this will not become a habit. When the princess feels poorly (or she's cutting five teeth at once), I tend to pamper her. I do wish I had a video of her in repose, but you'll just have to imagine the princess in all her splendor...glazed TV stare and all.