It came upon a midnight dreary

Nighttime parenting-I'm just going to put it out there, I'm TERRIBLE at it.  Why? Because I turn into to one grumpy to put it mildly, impatient, and delirious person.  I think this comes from the fact that I haven't slept through the night in over 3 years, we co-sleep and my littlest little becomes the spawn of some insomniac demon.  SERIOUSLY, this is no joke.  I know ya'll are thinking "Oh, he can't be that bad", or "I know him in-real-life and he is so happy" and all I can say is.....okay, he's yours for ONE night or as many as you can handle.  This kid of mine, well I'm to the point of hiring a body double or stand in parent during the night and I don't even know if that kind of thing exists but if it doesn't I think I've just tapped into a part of the baby market that has been thus far ignored but so desperately NEEDED.   I think this idea is SO good, I'm ready to take it to Shark Tank.  Maybe this is the lack of sleep talking.

I don't think I can find the words to paint an accurate picture of what it is like to sleep with Baby J on a nightly basis but I'm definitely going to try-so sit back and enjoy the scenery of our nighttime dance unfold before you, complete with run on sentences and the most vivid language I can muster.

Baby J starts his night in the crib, goes down with ease (I mean, REALLY easy-rock him for a few, sing a song and pat his back for a minute easy) but still doesn't sleep through the night.  Annnnnnd then the startling screams and half awake whines start.  Baby J is restless, sooooooo restless.  He will physically attempt to roll me on my back and then proceed to turn my head sideways so he can lay his WHOLE head across my face.  He will also wedge his entire head under my chin slowing crushing my wind pipe while gently stroking my cheek, or he will do several 360's until he is nuzzled as close to me and in the crook of my arm, or sometimes he'll just jab my throat and poke me in the eyes to make sure I'm alive, or I'll roll over onto my side and will immediately feel his bowling ball head, knee or foot in my back.  Did I mention that when I finally get a good choke hold on him he starts kicking-just searching for some point of contact where he can inflict his nightly act of mommy terrorism.  Last night I got a REAL good head butt right to the nose, and of course expletives flew from my mouth in every direction.   That's just a tiny taste of as of late, I think I block out most of it or else insanity would be my new middle name.

Nighttime parenting is just HARD.  I'm not good at it, and I just want Baby J to sleep through the night (did I mention that he is 17 months old, and has been weened for almost 4 months now).  Maybe my expectations of getting a WHOLE night of uninterrupted sleep is shooting for the moon, but I honestly thought it would be a possibility at this point.  Maybe tomorrow night?  

Happy Burrrrrrrrrrrrrfthday

You say it's your birthday, and yes you would be CORRECT! I will now dub thee the smartest 2year old I know.  At least that's the fun little not so far from crazy town reel that plays in my head on the day of your birth, because in reality X-man is only sorta talking and it's definitely a LOT of jibberish.

*time out* I just have to share the most ridiculous commercial I just saw for a life size teddy bear (the cheese factor was truly up there with the miracle products sold on late night television)....that every girlfriend/wife/significant other is just DYING to receive on Valentine's Day. Cuz ya know, nothing says I Love You like a fluffy stuffed bear to convey the deepest feelings of your heart on V-Day...I think that maybe if I continue down this path I will just spiral into a negative rant about said "holiday", so *time in*

X-Man is TWO YEARS OLD today, I just can't believe that I gave birth to this dude (and that's exactly what he is becoming)two years ago.  He has taught me how to be a mommy, and he has also been my guinea pig for parenting tips sometimes gone right or not(stay tuned for my holier-than-though parenting book due out next to NEVER), he has such a quiet calm personality (I just can't wait for the terrible two's let me tell ya) and through my mommy rose colored glasses he has the most adorable little man face, like top model adorable.  Is it ok to say that I have had the most FUN being his mommy? This is not to say that we haven't had our fair share of challenges, and I'm sure there are plenty in our future.

I occasionally look through photos of him since the day he was born, and I couldn't tell you where the time has gone....pre-emptive warning, you are allowed to roll your eyes at my next statement.... It reminds me of that John Mayer song "Stop this train"......
you'll renegotiate

Don't stop this train

Don't for a minute change the place you're in

Don't think I couldn't ever understand

I tried my hand

John, honestly we'll never stop this train

And there you have it. As much as I want to burn every little tiny detail of every day of our lives with X-man it's impossible, and that just makes me want to bottle him up so he can't get any older. Another impossibility, I know.  So, Happy Birthday to my first little man.

Click here to view these pictures larger

Post Super Bowl post

Hmmm....The Super Bowl was yesterday....and if I had just read that I would have already closed the page, and added a snarky thanks captain obvious. I don't have a clue where this post is going, but I'll throw a Hail Mary pass at it and "win one for the Gipper" and see where that takes me (or maybe I should try for a Guinness record of most sports analogies inserted into a non-sports blog).

As already previously stated the blow out that was the Super Bowl was soooooo anti- climactic that I was ready for the never ending season of baseball to return with a quickness.  I really enjoyed watching P. Mann do his thing this season (disclaimer: I only only watch football on Sundays and still don't understand most of it) and was looking forward to ole Vince-e-poo Lombardi gracing his shiny pigskin into the hands of said QB.  Buuuuuuuut, didn't happen......so I indulged in something much better (no, it wasn't Downton Abbey)- the gluttony that is a Super Bowl smorgasbord of tasty, salty, spicy goodness.

We decided to host a small shindig in honor of the day and I spent all day in a flurry prepping food and floors (the amount of dog hair and dust bunnies hopping about was somewhat shameful....Queen of the domicile right here!) for a fun night of festivities.  Any who, in case you're interested in recipes I'm gonna share 'em....with the exception of the chili recipe because the large tome my brother wrote will not be re-typed by this girl anytime soon.

The menu:

Guacamole....I know, I know, everyone makes guac but I really love (so much I might wanna marry it) this recipe is 2-LEGIT-2-QUIT

Crock-pot drummies.  I didn't want an oven option because I wanted them to be ready and stay warm for several hours, so I did these.  They were tasty and very subtle, next time I will add more ginger and honey as the soy sauce was kind overwhelming the flavor.

Buffalo chicken dip, also in a crockpot because I love me some easy throw it in a pot and let it work some magic recipes.  I'm actually going to type this out because I couldn't find a link to the recipe I use....
1 whole rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded (rotisserie chicken is the BEST, not much more expensive than a raw bird....and hand-over-fist better than canned chicken, but if you prefer easy then used the canned stuff- equivalent to the amount of a whole bird)
1.5 pkg cream cheese, softened
1.5 cups Frank's red hot (the best hot sauce IMHO)
1.5 cups Hidden Valley Ranch.....I will go fist-to-cuffs with anyone who doesn't think this ranch is far beyond compare

-throw it all in the crock pot until warm and cream cheese is all melted and blended.

So yeah, I'm not a walking paid advertisement.....yet? *wink, wink*

I did serve the obligatory veggies and dip, which only brought down my level of gluttony a wee smidge of a hair. And some amazing friends brought all the provisions for a French75, yum yum yum.....so good and surprisingly didn't put hair on the chest. And another friend brought over the BEST brownies- such ooooeygooooeyfudgeynes!

Today the snow is falling in big huge clumps, and I'm kicking myself real hard for deciding to freeze the leftover chili....I will be enjoying more brownies though! I'll just have a second cup of my sweet nectar instead. (side note, I will NOT be writing anymore posts from the iPad, I know its completely random-which I admittedly am frequently-but the interface just S-T-I-N-K-S like 5 day old baby diaper! too much? whatevs)

That's my back yard peeps! Kind of obsessed with how google+ "animates" some of my photos!

The longest of walks down memory lane

I've been staying with my parents while my husband finished up the remainder of his training in Oklahoma up until our home closes in New Jersey.  It has been a wonderful experience for so many reasons, but today definitely takes the cake.....you see, my mom has saved SOOOOOOO many of our "things" from my childhood (almost receiving the gold medal in hoarding, but not quite) and going through it all has been very fun and nostalgic with a twist of sad longing for my youth (this adult responsibility thing really is for the birds).  Without further ado, I give you my YOUTH in a Wordless Wednesday:

*I don't care how old you are, Little People will always and forever ROCK

*1980 something neon grill or banana clip....you decide

*This top was actually my dad's when he was a kid

*I feel like this picture speaks very highly for itself, especially of my generally good taste in music

*I really did want to be a ballerina, but my mediocre training and pointe skills left something to be desired

*On the count of 3, everybody sing with me how they heard it through the grapevine....

*My very first backpack

Love,
K.

Case of the Mundays

Yes, yes, yes I know that today is Tuesday but the rainy icky weather has given me a double case of the horrible, no good, very bad Munday two days in a row.  Is that possible? Yes, or maybe I'm just letting the grey rain cloud hovering over my head give me a case of the frownies.  I've shirked my personal running goal for two days and replaced it with television (more than any one person should consume), hiding under a warm blankie and my mom's brownies a la mode with raspberries and chocolate syrup....overindulgent much? What happened to my beautiful fall?  The trees always turn too fast, but the wet weather has made them turn even quicker.  Blah! This is why I could never live in the pacific northwest. So, yeah....now that I've given you MY ray of sunshine for the past two days......I dare you to not smile at these cheesey faces.

Introducing Baby J and X-Man
Love,
K.