Only Getting Bigger

Sitting Pretty

Sadie is officially a sitter! She's been sitting well for the past two weeks, but she would get tired and throw herself backwards. Today, when she started to throw herself back, she would catch herself and find her center. So, I am officially saying she can sit up! OMG, she's growing up so fast! I remember calculating in my head when she would be 6 months old and it seemed SO far away. Now, it's the middle of the summer, and once fall comes and one thing follows another, I feel like her 1st birthday is coming way too quickly. This shouldn't be new to me, I HAVE done this before. It seems to be going so much faster this second time around. She's been doing great eating her dinner at night and yesterday I handed her a sippy cup and she knew exactly what to do with it. Grabbed the handles, put it in her mouth, and tilted her head back. I couldn't ever get her to take a bottle, yet she gets the sippy cup on the first try. LOL!!

I'm looking forward to a more relaxing week coming up. The past 2 were absolutely NUTS. Between Safetytown and swimming lessons, I feel like I got absolutely nothing accomplished. I hit the ground running the first week of summer, but now I am seriously slacking in my goals for the summer. I really want to get back on track, because there is so much I want to accomplish before September.

One is the new zero

Too true. Tonight, while Ben went to swimming lessons with daddy, I took Sadie with me to BJs. Did I really used to think taking an infant to a store was difficult? OMG, 4 year olds are SO much worse!! It was pure heaven. No whining, no asking for a bazillion different kinds of candy and toys. No running in circles around the cart. AND, get this........ I could actually steer the cart because it didn't have a plastic race car attached to the front! It was the quickest trip I've taken in years. I am fully aware that this newfound freedom to do my shopping in peace will be shortlived. Let's be honest, once the puffs lose their appeal to Sadie, I'm going to be right back where I started. BUT, at least by that point, Ben will be in school all day and I'll have those couple precious hours a week ALL to myself when Sadie goes to preschool. :::daydreams of relaxing child-free breakfasts at Panera:::

For now though, I'm going to enjoy snuggling my baby and getting random hugs and kisses from my little boy.

Flashback Friday

Wordless Wednesday

Driving Mr. Ben

Yesterday my schedule looked like this:

7-8:30: wake up, feed Sadie, shower, feed Ben, feed Sadie again, get kids dressed
8:30: leave to get Ben to Safetytown by 9 am
9-9:15: go to parent orientation for Safetytown
9:15: come home and put Sadie down for a nap
9:30-11: sew, do laundry, drink my "latte Da" ying yang coffee (the best EVER!!)
11: wake Sadie up from nap, feed, change her
11:30: pick up Ben from Safety town
12-12:30: feed kids lunch and put them both down for naps
3: wake BOTH kids up for a nap to get to swimming lessons by 3:30
3:30-4: make-up swimming class for Ben, feed Sadie
4-5: go in the pool with BOTH kids, change Sadie, keep Ben from running on slippery cement
5-5:30: swimming class for Ben
6: come home to Brandon asking "what's for dinner?"
6-6:01: slaps husband before taking Sadie up to bed

This folks, is why the kid limit around here is TWO.

Happy Father's Day!

Flashback Friday

What a difference a year makes.......

"Ode to Cracker Barrel" Oh how I miss your sheer and utter delish-ishness. It's been almost 2 days since last I enjoyed your tasty breakfast selections. Your awesomeness astounds me. As I lay in bed, getting sick on microliter sips of water, I dream of the day when I can once again enjoy your hashbrown casserole, turkey sausage, and 3 pieces of sourdough toast; your blueberry pancakes the size of my son's head; your biscuits drizzeled in honey; and dare I say, even your decaf coffee on cute little orange pods so not to be confused with caffeinated. I strategically plan my day around your convenient locations. Forget trips to the pool in 98 degree weather. Forget carriers that should be sewn and shipped around the world. There is a developing fetus that screams for you at all hours of the day and its desires MUST be fullfilled for fear of mass chaos and outrage by pregnant woman everywhere. I thank you so much for the foresight that your designers and decorators had to cover your ceilings in fans and walls with mounted deer heads and toys that my son has never seen before. It brings me much joy and relaxation when I can pillage your midget-sized bottles of maple syrup from under the nose of my inquisitive and mischievous 3-year-old, while he stares in awe at your redneck decor. As I cut pancakes into small bite-sized portions with my right "mom" hand and stuff crisp, yet moist strips of cheesy potatoes into my mouth with my left, I am once again at peace with the world. You even entertain my thrill for prize games that no one ever wins, by giving me sticker game pieces claiming I can win an RV or GPS system, meaning I would never be without you again. Oh Cracker Barrel, you are my savior. I shall never forget how good you have been to me. When I enter my second trimester and more foods come back into my life, please don't be sad. For it will be YOU that I read about in my pregnancy journal long after this child is staring at your ceiling fans with their older brother. So until we meet again- most likely tomorrow- I leave you with my sincere thanks for providing me some joy in this lovely and familiar world of "morning" sickness.

Mistaken Identity

:::GASP:::

Sadie is currently wearing her brother's old BLUE hoodie and Ben is playing with his sister's plastic tea set. OMG, the HORROR. Guess instead of college accounts, I should be contributing to "therapy funding" accounts.

Now, I know how annoying the 'ol "just wait" phrase is. Hell, I know I still get annoyed when people say it to me about kids older than my own. But damn, people have some serious hangups with issues that are just downright ridiculous. I really hate the way society puts stigmas on certain things, especially with kids. It's so hard sometimes to push aside all of the stereotypes that are out there. In fact, sometimes I feel like I may overcompensate, just to make a point. I feel like I push art and music on Ben, just to make sure he knows it's ok for him to like them. I'm a "big picture" kinda girl. I believe that fulfillment and happiness in life stems from a well-rounded, sum-of-it's-parts mentality. By having a healthy respect for how the world works and every individual's importance in helping it function. Keeping sight of what's truly important, and letting go of all those trivial things that just don't matter in the end. But, I digress......

I'm finishing the kid's closets and by damn, there are PLENTY of clothes that Ben has outgrown that are perfectly fine for Sadie. I know I'm going to disappoint the people at Carter's when I say this, but I don't think anyone is going to call CPS on me when they find out that a pair of my daughter's 18 month khakis were bought in the boys section. Not only is it incredibly wasteful to get rid of perfectly good clothes because your older child of the opposite sex wore them, but who has the time and money to go buy more clothes all the time? Did I miss the section of the parenting book that said girls are only allowed to wear clothes that are frilly and pink? It must be with the section on "how to stop whining", because I'm missing that part too.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Sadie. I think it's hilarious, but, wait.....what's she wearing?!?! OMG, it's Ben's blue and white sleep sack with the airplane on it. IDENTITY CRISIS.



I guess I should have went out and bought the "girly" equivalent right? Clearly that would have been a better use of my time in those first few weeks, above sleeping, eating, healing from pushing a baby out of me, and actually feeding and bonding with my child. Oh, and taking care of my older child, the house, the laundry............... It would have been so worth it too. Just to see her wear it 2 times in the two weeks it still fit her. Someone call Dr. Phil!

Maybe I'm cheap. Maybe it's the whole fact that I'd rather save my money for something useful. Maybe it's the fact that I'm a SAHM and don't have extra money to throw around.

Yeah, no, it's the fact that I'm an ADULT now, not some crazed teenager that will only wear clothes from the GAP for fear of embarassment and social suicide. At some point in my adult life, I stopped caring what other people think. I decided to go about my own business, do the best that I can with what I have, and just concentrate on being happy.

So the next time you see a frazzled father changing his newborn son into his older sister's pink onesie, give him a smile and a little chuckle as you picture the mountain of dirty, poop and spitup covered laundry sitting next to his washing machine. But if you still feel the need to judge, feel free to hop in your cheerio and juice-stained free car and drive on over to Kohl's to pick up a nice, brand-spankin' new 5-pack of BLUE onesies. I'm sure that little boy will be all-too-happy to leave nice a big stain of runny poop on it the FIRST chance he gets.

Wordless Wednesday (I love when people do this!)

My Sophie and Me

Sadie's Sophie the Giraffe arrived today and she LOVES it! It's simple, adorable, and handmade of all natural components in the French Alps. I love it too!

11,124 Days

A friend of mine was recently talking about a Korean tradition of celebrating the milestone of a baby reaching it's 100 day birthday. So I decided to calculate just how many days I have been living on this earth.

11,124 Days

Can you believe that? That number is absolutely ca-razy! What exactly did I DO for 11,124 days? Unbelievable!

Find The River

Hey now, little speedyhead,
The read on the speedmeter says
You have to go to task in the city
Where people drown and people serve.
Don't be shy. Your just deserve
Is only just light years to go.

Me, my thoughts are flower strewn
Ocean storm, bayberry moon.
I have got to leave to find my way.
Watch the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.

The ocean is the river's goal,
A need to leave the water knows
We're closer now than light years to go.

I have got to find the river,
Bergamot and vetiver
Run through my head and fall away.
Leave the road and memorize
This life that pass before my eyes.
Nothing is going my way.

There's no one left to take the lead,
But I tell you and you can see
We're closer now than light years to go.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
Fall into the ocean.

The river to the ocean goes,
A fortune for the undertow.
None of this is going my way.
There is nothing left to throw
Of Ginger, lemon, indigo,
Coriander stem and rose of hay.
Strength and courage overrides
The privileged and weary eyes
Of river poet search naivete.
Pick up here and chase the ride.
The river empties to the tide.
All of this is coming your way.

Origin of Species

I'm always fascinated how people come up with their screenname or blog titles, so here is the origins of mine.

Let's start with my screenname, Sweetfrogy. Back in the stone age, in 1996, I was a Senior in HS and finally convinced my mom to subscribe to a little thing called AOL. Now, at first, this was the time when we actually paid for internet BY THE HOUR. What a primitive time those teen years of mine. Could you even imagine?!? But then the glorious day came when internet access was UNLIMITED. So while everyone and their mother was trying to get online, you got to wait and wait and wait for that annoying sound of your computer FINALLY connecting the internet after an hour of trying to log on, only to be kicked off 2 minutes later by a phone call for your mom. In these early days, email addresses/screennames could only be 10 characters long, hence the presence of only one "g" in my name. Aside from my love of frogs, I couldn't think up any other cool names, so Sweetfrogy was born. Here I am, 13 years (good lord I'm old!) later and still using the same name.

The name for my blog didn't take long for me to create, because I feel like my life has truly come full circle. I grew up in a place that I couldn't wait to abandon for something new, and ended up in a carbon copy suburb in a school district not half as large as the one I attended. I started out my life in ballet, moved on to designing costumes for the company, and then working in a costume shop in college. Now, not only do I own a business that has me continually designing and creating new things, but I'm also a costume designer for Hershey Park. Every time in my life that I was unhappy, was a time when I put my creativity aside in pursuit of what I thought were more impressive goals. Full Circle seemed a fitting title for a life that has found itself back where it started, but richer and more beautiful than I could ever imagine.

D is for Dumb

Thursday night, well actually Friday morning, was quite an exciting time at our house. I got to wake up at 2:30 am to the sound of screeching tires and a loud thud. At first I couldn't see anything out our bathroom window because it was foggy, but I ran to find a phone because I was sure someone was injured and would be stuck there until morning. Of course, all the cordless phones in the house are either where I breastfeed Sadie on the couch or next to my sewing machine, so it took me a few minutes to actually FIND a phone. I went back to the bathroom window and saw another car doing circles at the bottom of the driveway and heard someone say "are you ok?". So I called the police. Of course as soon as I start talking to the 911 dispatcher the car drives away, loudly, as he drags pieces of his car along the road. Excellent. Stupid ass drunk driver. Brandon checked the damage, the cop took my statement, yada yada. THEN, of course Sadie slept until 5:30 am. I would like to punch that punk ass in the throat. We have some damage to one of the trees at the edge of the brush and lovely pieces of headlight and bumper strewn in the yard, but hey, at least the driver could drive away from the crime scene unharmed. :::doink doink:::

On a good note, Ben made it through his 2nd night with no diaper. WOOHOO!! He potty trained in literally one day back in Dec 2007, but he was still having random accidents overnight. At least he was using the cloth diapers and I could just add them in with Sadie's, because I would NOT want to still be buying super expensive pull-ups! WHEW, so glad that's over with and I only have Sadie in diapers. Good times.

Yesteray we went to Couslers and did our first rubbing for the library program. We didn't make it in time to go with the group, and of course, the directions had you walk all the way around the park, only to end up 50 feet from the playground. LOL!!! Jacob took us over to do the rubbing when we got there, so I guess technically we cheated, but at least I know what I'm looking for now. I never would have seen the post in the trees and it's completely different than last year. I think we'll try and hit another park on Monday.

Sadie is doing really well on solids and moved on to carrots last night. I'm really not used to a child eating so much food. It's crazy! I would have liked to wait until 6 months, but eating every two hours for weeks on end was making us both pretty cranky. Most importantly though, as evident this morning, the days of runny newborn poop are OVER!!!

My business is under control again and I'm super excited to be adding a backpack diaper bag to my line soon. I also took the plunge and order my snap press so I can start using all my cloth diapering fabric I've been purchasing. I'm hoping it goes well, but I am a little disappointed that I didn't think to start this process BEFORE I start CDing Ben. It was have REALLY been cheaper than disposables this way! Yeah well.

I'm off to make baby food and package 3 carriers to get out today while Ben is off eating pancakes and biscuits with daddy. I love Saturdays!

Life's 45 Lessons

Written By Regina Brett, 90 years old, of The Plain Dealer,
Cleveland , Ohio
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1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11 Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's,we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Sleep, how I've missed you!

I was able to put Sadie back down around 11 last night without feeding her and she slept until 4:30 am. Almost 6 hours of sleep IN A ROW! Pure heaven. I feel like a new woman! After dragging myself through yesterday half asleep, I SO needed this. Maybe the cereal is finally able to satisfy her insatiable appetite. Besides, waking up that early means I have to wait far too long for all my deal-a-day websites to post their new finds. LOL!!

I think I will finally be able to accomplish something today. I have 2 carriers ready to go out and only ONE order I need to fill today. YAY!! I have a sale going though, so that will change in the next few hours I'm sure. This is where I get myself into trouble. Instead of slacking off, I need to work ahead, but I don't. :::sigh::: Is working ahead even possible with 2 kids? I'm not sure it is. At least I can enjoy the next couple of months before I have TWO that are mobile. I have a mountain of laundry to fold, again, and diapers to stack. When will it end? :::another deep sigh:::

I am STILL rearranging closets. I have to finish Ben's clothes and move our old dresser into his closet. Then I need to organize all of Sadie's clothes after I separate all the new ones from above mentioned mountain of laundry. I'd like to get it done by friday, because then I get a new batch from Amy and I need SOME semblance of order before adding more to the chaos. I didn't know it was possible to own this many clothes.

I deleted a post.....for shame!

I'm not really sure why I deleted my entry from June 1st. Perhaps it was too painful of a reminder, or maybe it was not wanting people to read something so personal, but I've decided that I want it to stay.

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June 1st, 2009
23 years

On June 1st, 1986, my father passed away. It was a Sunday. He didn't come to church with us that morning and we found him on the bathroom floor, his crutches still leaning against the towel bar. It was a lifetime ago. He was 34. I am 30. The emotional heaviness that I feel is indescribable. For awhile it got easier....I think. The milestones came, 5 years, 10 years, realizing I had spent more of my life without him than with him in it. Then I realized that while time was passing, I was getting older, and he forever remained 34. Then I had Ben, and Sadie, and realized that I was only 4 years younger than he was when he died. This is the moment that my heart skipped a beat, a knot formed in my throat, and tears wouldn't stop flowing. What if I only had four more years to live? What if I never saw my daughter dance, or my son play football. What if I miss everything? What if I had to leave this world and couldn't remember their laughter or smiles? What if they had to live without me? How could I do that to them? Time is going too fast and I feel like I'm losing control. Will we remember when we're gone? When does enough time pass that no one will remember us? There's a point to all of this, right? Does it just end? Is it darkness like going to sleep, where everything just stops and there is nothing? How can anyone be ready to leave when there is so much more to see, to feel? I'd like to believe that there is something more to all of this, but do we need more? Do we just get this one chance to enjoy life and then it's over? That's it, that's all there is? Will mankind just fade into nothing as quickly as it came, making barely a mark on the universe? I'm scared, and sad, and confused. I want to know, I want to believe, I want to trust that everything will be ok. That everything will turn out exactly how it was meant to.

Really, they're cool!

Afternoon naps Sadie, you should try them. They.are.awesome!

Seriously, my daughter has revolted against taking any kind of nap after 1 pm. She's just like he brother, she loves the morning nap, about an hour after waking up. She'll take a 3+ hour nap in the morning. At least she's in a good mood the rest of the day, but then she crashes by 6 o'clock for bedtime. Now, I wouldn't be opposed to this schedule if she actually STAYED asleep. Ben did the same schedule, only he actually STTN! Really, sleeping through the night is cool too. Why does my daughter not want to be cool? I want to be cool. I want to STTN. Nope, I can't. BOOOOO!!!

Both of my darling, lovely, stinker children decided to wake up at 5 am today. Nope, wait, I'm wrong. It was 4:58 am. AHHHHH!!! Toothpicks? Coffee?? Anyone, ANYONE?!?!

5 months old

The official picky sticky shot.

Nibbling on her dress

Cute pose for mommy!

Awwww!!!

Happy after his mini tantrum because HE did not have a sticker on his shirt too!
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Yep, that's right, my little girl is already FIVE months old! Ca-razy. Seriously, I cannot believe it. I finally remembered to use my picky sticky today, even though I've had them for how long?

Siblings?

April 19th 2009

We rearranged Ben's furniture in his room, and instead of his bed being against the wall, it sticks out into the middle of the room. We decided we would show him how to make his bed in the morning, since he can walk around it. The poor kid was SO excited at bedtime because he thought daddy was going to show him how to actually TAKE APART his bed and put it back together with tools. He wanted to put it back together so that it would plug into the wall.......LOL!!!

Looking back.......February 20th

So we're standing at the checkout in the fabric store and here's the conversation:

Ben: Are we going anywhere else?

Me: No, just home.

Ben: Do you have to poopy when we get home?

Me (as I look around): No, let's not talk about that right now.

Ben: Mommy, do you still have diarrhea?

Me: :::DIES:::

Keeping tabs

As I've seen so many people do, I think I will begin to chronicle my children's milestones on this blog. Handwriting is sooooo 1999............... Let's be honest, with 2 kids, a home business, and at least putting on a good front that I do indeed clean my house--typing is MUCH faster.

Ben- On Monday, Jack, Kyle, and Ashlin came over to play and I have to say, I am amazed. It's fun to realize that your child is actually listening to you when you speak. It was hilarious to watch Ben play doorman at the bounce house wagging his finger "one at a time". LOL!!! Too cute! We went to Ashlin's house yesterday to celebrate her birthday and it's wonderful to see him interact and communicate with kids his own age. I am truly amazed at how his maturity level changed literally overnight when Sadie was born. He's an incredible big brother. Last night, while we listened to your Cars book on CD (your new favorite thing), our conversation went something like this:
Ben: (while petting my arm) I like you mommy.
Me: Even when I yell sometimes.
Ben: Oh mommy, that's ok. You are the best mommy ever!

It's all worth it everyone, it's ALL WORTH IT!

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Sadie- Today you decided that you LOVE to stick out your tongue. An image too cute to put into words! Your tiny little tongue, coupled with your huge blue eyes and long eyelashes makes it inpossible not to burst out laughing every time you look someone's way. You have spent 4 fantastic nights in your crib, sans miracle blanket, sleeping in an L-shape in your little sleep sack. When I fed you in the middle of the night, I found myself in tears because you are growing SO fast. You have changed so much from those nights you used to sleep on my chest on the couch as we cuddled in front of the fire all night long. I miss you being so tiny already.

Confident, Independent, and Creative

These are traits that I can already see blossoming in my almost 5 month old daughter. She is so laid back and content, no matter where we are or what we are doing. Even more than Ben was when he was much older. She's observant and self-sufficient, always seeming to make a connection with what she is doing. I think she is going to be creative and energetic like her brother, but with more self-confidence. It's amazing how different she is from Ben, but how some of the smallest things she does remind me of how he was at her age. I think she will be more outgoing than Ben, but more skeptical and less intrigued by the small things like Ben is.

It's an incredible experience watching your children grow up and change. I am thoroughly enjoying every minute I spend with them.