Dear Diary

Welcome Monday morning......................
Happy 4 months old Morgan! Yes a whole 4 months and you have changed so much that I understand what a seasoned mom says when time goes by to fast!! This morning when I sang the birthday song to you I swear you covered your eyes in embrassment because who sings a birthday song with a towel on their head while putting on their underwear?! your momma! But you cheered in delight when it was over and when I broke into the A-B-C song I could have swore your lips were moving to mock me. I just love mornings when you are full of smiles even though you wet though your diaper and pajamas. You are turning into your own little person your attitude is that of a diva it is your way or there is hell to pay. I have grown accustomed to your schedule of eating when you wake and then spending a couple hours at play or doing your favorite watching TV Noggin, then you get tired and don't like to be rocked to sleep but to be put in bed to kick a little then fall into sleep. You love your naps and take just as much as you need, it may be 30 mins or 4 hours. Bedtime is usually 7pm for you and it gives mommy time to catch up on TIVO, cleaning house, reading a book, or catching up on my own sleep. Most nights you sleep through the night til 5am, sometimes at 2am with a little bit of humming you put yourself back to sleep which is music to my ears, it puts me back to sleep too.
Today at work I finally figured out how to work the digital photo frame I got from Gramma & Grampa G. I can already tell it will be a distraction for me to watch you all day!! As I scrolled through pictures to download from my camera it brought back memories for me to see myself still pregnant in photos when I didn't know you were a little girl. And the day you were born sweet pictures of you and me for the first time as mom and daugther. The first time I put a bib on you it was as big as you covering all 5lb 8oz. Pictures of bath time then and now wow what a big change! Even pictures in your car seat you barely fit in and now we had to adjust the straps to the next level to make it more comfortable for you. (Thanks Aunt Kellie) Eating cereal for the first time sorry it caused you an upset stomach for 3 days, we will try again in a couple weeks, for now you are happy on formula. You have found your fingers and chew on them with much delight to soothe yourself, and I have noticed you like to touch your ears and the back of your hair. And although there was one sighting of you turning over I still haven't seen it, but I am sure you are capable. During playtime you are praticing sitting up and mommy puts toys in your hand but you haven't figured out how to shake them just yet. Can't wait to go home and take more pictures of you tonight.
Hears to you my beautiful daughter so full of sunshine, my only sunshine, my skies are never gray when you are with me. Happy Monday and Happy 4 months old birthday!!

The picture above was taken this weekend during our morning chit chat!

Return Policy

I am not a big fan of returning things to any store because I just don't like the hassle. Or maybe the inconvience of my time and apparently the time of the chick behind the counter who is getting paid to take the return. The blame for my utter dismay yesterday afternoon(and continued disguss this morning) is on the years of all those unloyal customers who have mistaken the return counter as a free for all. To all you patrons out there who have tried to beat the system and get something for nothing to you I am pissed off!!! Not to mention you have turned the chick behind the counter into some type of martor. She is trained to look you in the eye and shoot a joilt of guilt through your body and recite the return policy alligence. I know you are wondering why my blood is boiling over this issue, and I am going to tell ya......I don't like feeling guilty for returning an item at a store that I spend alot of money at, only to feel shame for returning something I know I am not going to use.
I have spent some time at the return counter in recent months because of baby showers rained upon me celebrating the up coming birth of my first child. My trips are to two stores in particular, one being the most popular Babies R Us, they know a new mom is not always thinking clearly and may not have everything organized with a new bundle of joy. So when you return something they are happy to give you in store credit with which they know you will use on any item in the store, if you have a receipt or not. This is fine usually when I return something I end up spending the money back in the same store again anyway. Unfortunatly not all things given to me at the shower were from Babies R Us. Most gifts came with gift receipts, some did not, and given all efforts on my part before going to the store and trying to match the items and receipts before hand I am sorry I just can't do it all.
The store to which I had no trouble with a couple months back has now branded me a marked woman.......Target. Yes, Target the store I always referred to as a classie Kmart for the modern day woman. The store I think of when I need basic necessities for my home, a new pair of shoes, cute cards, baby things, or now even basic groceries. All I wanted to do was exchange two packages of Luvs diapers for two packages of Pampers diapers. Instead I walked away with one package of Pampers and one package of Luvs diapers and a bad attitude not only to the bitch behind the counter but for the whole store in general. The return policy SUCKS!!
It goes a little something like this; walk into store chick behind counter happy to take the two packs of Luvs diapers and informs me that as long as the Pampers are $9.49 or more the exchange will be no problem. I hustle to the diaper aisle and yes the Pampers are a whole .05 cents more so far so good. Chick behind counter (I did not get her name but chick is much nicer than the word I would rather use and if I keep referring to the rather word I would rather use over and over, you might want to hail Mary to forgive your sins) she robotically asked for my drivers license. She scans one package of Luvs for return then scans Pampers for purchase, that will be .05 cents please. I hand her the change, she gives me a receipt and at this point I wonder why didn't she do both packages at the same time. Are you still with me....ok. When she scans the second package of Luvs OPPS you can't return this one......HUH???? Our policy states only 2 returns within a 12 month period for items without a receipt, you must have returned something else before your time. I think for a second when did I return.....oh back in December a number of items from the baby shower but with no hastle because I purchased what I wanted in the same department. I express my disguss with chick behind counter and her ignorance on scanning each item seperately. I hate to think she has one up on me I feel defeated and take my one package of Pampers and one package of Luvs which I feel like kicking all the way to my car cause it is not what I wanted. From now on if I ever step foot into a Target I will forever feel that I am wearing the scarlet "R" letter for customer over her return limit. So thank you to all the untrustworthy patrons of returns past you ruined my shopping experience at Target I hope you are happy!
Does anyone want to buy a package of size one Luvs or happily exchange them for Pampers?? Just kidding I am going to ol' reliable K-mart, sorry if I betrayed you my friend, can you kindly exchange my pack of diapers???

She Rolled Over!!!

Morgan has rolled over!!!!!! Just now as of 10:03am this morning!! Almost four months old (as of next monday) and she has officially rolled over. I know it is a small step for many more to come but I am excited to say the least! I have been warming her up, in the mornings when she wakes I have shown her how to tuck and roll(yes she sleeps on her tummy because that is the way she likes it) She is so smart!!! Call Harvard tell them to make room my baby is on a roll. She also knows where her bumble bees are on the wall in her room. I can be changing her and ask her "where are the bumble bees?" and she laughs and turns her head to see them. I missed the big roll because I am at work but I am happy to have a great baby-sitter and friend who alerts me to all her new milestones. I am blessed that she is not at some daycare where someone who watches children all the time would have blown off the event completely.

Morgan I LOVE YOU and can't wait to witness your new stunt when mommy gets home!!

Chance of Snow near 100%.....

Today: breezy, colder. A chance of flurries through late morning, then snow. Blowing snow by late afternoon. Accumulations 1 to 2 inches. Highs 16 to 20. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph until early afternoon, increasing to 15 to 25 mph, with gusts to 30 mph. Chance of snow near 100 percent. Wind chill readings down to around 5 below. Here it comes the winter wonderland we all know and love. I just love Michigan winters and how the weather man covers his ass with near 100% so if it goes over 100% can't say we didn't warn you, and if it is under 100% thank goodness he didn't say 100%. Do you catch my drift??(pun intended!) I personally think it looks beautiful with a fresh blanket of snow covering all of natures wonder. Almost like nature is all tucked in for a winters nap. Then it awakes to the sun welcoming the warmth and wishing for spring to return and bring color to the ground with flowers to distract your attention from all the mud covered slush. With the warmth brings a promise of summer that will once again thaw our bones for only a short while. Then the color turns into fall so that we can reflect back on sweating our ass off in the sun only to be reminded fall will cool you down. Then eventually old man winter sets in so we can anticipate a change once again. Or just bitch and complain like most of us in Michigan do, because we can. We all know that if you blink you will miss a season that you like best, and long to see again. If there is one thing you can talk about it is the weather. Though it doesn't get enough credit when credit is due. So tomorrow morning while your drive in looks a little like the view through the windshield of a silver Honda Civic. Take a minute to remember the time the weather looks it's best to you. It may make the time it takes to get from here to there a little more comforting, or it may just piss you off that your drive doesn't take you south of the snow belt and a little closer to the equator where it is warm and the salt from the city truck in front of you isn't sticking to your under carriage. Be safe driving and try decaf coffee tomorrow for some reason I am thinking your blood pressure will already be up.

How big is your UVULA?

Ok give it a minute.....are you sure?
As I mentioned in an earlier post I attend a girls club once a month. A circle of hens who get together for a night out and we entertain each other with monthly updates on family, have a little snack, and throw in a game for the fun of it once in awhile. Last night was one of those once in awhile board game nights ; behold a Hiliarious game that we just discovered ; it had everyone rolling for 2 hours, seriously I think I peed myself twice laughing so hard and lost my voice because I choked on my own spit more than once. I highly recommend this game for adults!! It really gets you thinking of what other people really perceive of you. So you can imagine my surprise when it was my turn and (while according to the rules of the game) I was reading off the cards that had been given to me. Object - to find a true statement and a funny statement so that the person who handed you the card can earn a token. Now mind you I have known these women for quite sometime and nothing surprises me anymore especially when it comes to humorous acts of woman-kind!
The card that I held in my hand took me by surprise it read"I have a large uvula", it took a minute and after the silence in the room I looked up and said "Is that?????". The crowd burst out in laughter!! I am hoping you are getting a visual and you are finding this funny because I feel and look like a big DORK! So I think half the room knew what it is and half did not myself included. So take sometime to ponder how big your uvula is or what it looks like and take a gander at it.......Your Uvula
Is it what you thought?? I didn't think so!!!! You may be just as dorky as ME!!

Happy Friday!!!

The Good, The Bad, & Down-right UGLY

The good - Morgan and me are warm and have been taking hot baths and showers for almost a week now. Our hot water tank has been replaced as of last friday-Thank you Unkie! and you not only saved us $250 on install of a new unit you also fixed this, that and the other around the house! Things you take for granted really mean alot when you go without for almost a week. In other news Morgan has been (and maybe I should knock on wood before putting this in writing) sleeping through the night, 10 hours for almost 4 days. I mean I can put her to bed at 7pm and have me time for almost 2 hours before I feel like sleeping myself. I am sure this rest will only last a short time before the teething starts but thank God for the reprive to let me catch up. I have time for my most loved past time TIVO!!
The bad - What started off as a good thing lead to a bad thing as of yesterday. Last friday in the midst of having the hot water tank installed the realtor called and wanted to schedule a showing on the house for monday, I jumped at saying YES! Well the agent came over monday afternoon and again on tuesday afternoon - same people both days looked promising. Well they had 3 homes they really liked and ours was one of them, unfortunatly they are bidding on a new construction. I learned this yesterday after our realtor called to follow up on the showing and throw in a couple extra things like the hot tub, but he was told maybe next time. Darn it please keep praying that we sell this place before I go completely insain!
The down-right UGLY - Me, myself and I have been wanting to get back on a routine of working out. Because frankly I can not stand the site of my flabby underarms, cottage cheese dairyeire(ass), and muffin tops not only over my bra but over the top of my pants. Usually in a time of stress I tend to eat things that are not so healthy or not at all. So you see when I am in the drive thru I think well I didn't eat dinner last night so the 5000 calorie breakfast sandwich won't matter so much. Wrong! Who am I kidding??!! Fatigue, lack of energy, and an inability to get going are my favorite excuses. If I ever want another man to even look at me I am going to have to do something about myself. How does a single mother tend to her child and herself without feeling selfish? I only have 2-3 hours with Morgan a day after picking her up from the sitters and driving home, I don't want to waste time on me that I could spend with her. Don't think I am going to spend the couple hours I mentioned above working out that is absurd, we can not mess with TIVO time! Besides I don't want to work-out before bed I need down time. Maybe I will try one of those work out videos that has mom and baby working out together....if I knew how to insert a link here I would. But this video workout uses baby as the weight or balance resistance. Sounds like fun and worth a try just wondering if Morgan will be as excited as I am? If not I guess we will have to wait until the weather gets warm in 4 months to go walking.

Boogers

How can a 2 pound head produce 5 pounds of snot?? My poor baby has been so congested for the last month. Unlike most babies she welcomes the sight of the booger sucker! I just can't spare the details......so after inserting the rubber device up my childs nose not only does it fill the nozzle but continues to oozzz out onto her upper lip. I laugh to stop her from crying so she sees me laughing and I only wish I hand two more hands to snap a picture of her laughing mouth wide open with snot hanging from her lip!! Sick I know but I think this is the only time I will find it amuzing, at 2 or 3 I am sure I will get tried of wiping her nose. So here is the pic after the sucking has stopped, Thanks mom for sucking the shit out so I can breathe!!!! Everytime I see that Mucinex commerical with the dancing boogers I just want to scream "GET OUT OF MY BABY'S HEAD!!" I can imagine she must be miserable, but she smiles and laughs just the same. I love you Morgan, your momma's girl, Tough!

Life does NOT suck

So it hasn't been the best week for me but I am trying so hard to convince myself that well it could be worse. My hot water heater has hit the shit bed!! I have gone this whole week with only one decent hot shower, thank you to my in-laws. Yesterday my father in-law spent most of his morning trying to figure out why the water heater was only heating one tank and going out. To his dispair the control panel is no good because of the hard water has built up on it over the years. Today my uncle is installing a new tank which is not cheap but alot cheaper than the car repair I had to suck up last month.
I don't want to bore everyone with my problems, really I am not that pesimistic. My life does not totally suck (note to self; be more optomistic)! My daugther and I are warm, well fed and are in fairly good health. I am more fortunate than some single parents who have to work two jobs and never get to see their children. I can afford a tank of gas even in the days of a shitty economy. And I don't have to work weekends! Which is great because this weekend is calling for cozy pants and snuggle time with my baby, it is going to be down right cold!! I am rich in love and concern of my family and friends, and really there is nothing more greater. Some one once told me that God never gives you more than you can handle, well he must think I am pretty strong. To that I say bring it on!!
May your weekend be filled with warm pajamas, cozy slippers, soup and hot chocolate!!