My Kiddo Is Mean

Alright, so my perfect, sweet, loving baby boy has a mean streak...and I don't like it one bit.

This kid has taken to hitting. He will hit me, the hubs, the dog - it doesn't matter - when he's mid-tantrum or just frustrated. At first (and we are talking just a few times) we laughed when he did this. I think it just caught us both by such surprise that we thought it was funny. Now? It definitely ain't funny.

And not only does he hit, but he throws things when he's mad too. And hard. Of course, we've taught him how to throw - like a baseball, a basketball, normal stuff - but we never intended him to use his throwing skills against us. And this kid can really throw a ball well...and hard! We have practiced with a real baseball and after a couple close calls, I've been hiding those real baseballs.

And these tantrums. Let's just say mama isn't pleased. When he isn't done playing with something and you try to pick him up - he arches his back and goes limp so he just about slides right through your hands. And now he's started kicking his legs. I thought this wasn't supposed to happen until like the terrible twos or something...not 14 months?

The other night I was the unlucky one who was caught in the middle of one of his little tantrums. I picked him up and he threw his head back HARD and caught me in the lip. Immediately, I could feel my lip swelling up. I mean, I've always wanted some Angelina Jolie lips, but this wasn't how I figured I would be getting them.

Any tips on how to make this stop? Do we ignore it? Hit him back? (Ok, I'm not really going to hit him back. Kidding here.) Tell him no? Help, please.

Why Didn't I Think Of That: Pool Noodles

I am in love with this idea.

Seriously...I was at TJ Maxx the other day looking at one set of boot inserts that cost $9.99. And when you have at minimum 10 pairs of boots that gets expensive.  Pool noodles? Well I'm not sure how much they cost but they have to be much less than $9.99 AND I can get a couple sets out of one noodle.

Now, if only I could find some of these bad boys. Unfortunately, in Nebraska we are out of the "pool" weather and the stores I've checked don't carry them. And even worse, you should see the looks I get from the store workers {store workers? Sounds so prehistoric, but what do you call them when they aren't clerks?} when I ask for them.

This is definitely on my to-do list.

Photo courtesy of Skyz Boutique

Doggy Woes

I have dreaded writing this post for some time. I feel like such a flake and a bad doggy mom and a quitter, but at this point in our lives, the hubby and I are looking for a new home for Maya, our puggle.

When Maya came into our lives six years ago, she was our first "baby." She was my Valentine's present from the hubs and I remember the day I saw her in the pet store and fell in love...so much so that I drug Nick down to see her that very day.

She was three months old, so she was considered "old" I guess as far as pet shop dogs go thus she was on sale. Our little "on sale" pup. I've always had a soft spot for the runt of the litter - whether it be a little piglet not getting love from her mama when I lived on the farm or the kid who wasn't the most popular growing up in elementary school...so this little nugget fit right in.

But she didn't make the best impression. When we got her into the play area, the first thing she did was pee....then a few minutes later, a nice poop. Really, dog? You can't just turn on the charm for 10 minutes?  She was just lucky I loved her enough to coerce him into getting her for me. Back then, that wasn't very difficult. =)

Soon after we sent her to doggy boot camp to get her initial training. And she came back just as naughty. But we didn't care. We were in love. I mean just look at this face...

Her first five years? She was the center of our lives and we spoiled her rotten. We sent her to doggy day care on certain days to get some play time. Every run or walk we took was for her. We added a doggy door so she could get out into the backyard easier. And we even celebrated her birthdays. 

Then, this happened... 

We were concerned when we found out I was preggo - how would Maya react? How would we react to Maya around our newborn? We tried to get her ready for his arrival...well, half-assed but the effort was there. And don't get me wrong, she's not terrible with him, it's just the dog hair and her hounding him when he has food in his hand and the barking when the doorbell rings or the front door opens and her licking his face All.The.Time. Sometimes it gets to be too much...and we get frustrated with her.

After long consideration we decided we would look for a new home for her. It's not to the point we are going to place a Free Dog ad on Craigslist or anything, but we figured we would get the word out and if someone we knew was interested, then perfect.

In conversation at work, I was talking about our doggy troubles and a co-worker overheard. He just happens to be IN LOVE with his puggle, Jax - seriously, he has two (now three kids) but all we ever hear about is the dog...he even mass texts pics of this little guy. And when he heard we may be looking, he mentioned that they had been talking about getting another dog to help calm down Jax....and that they really wanted a puggle. (Hello, could this be more perfect?)

In December, we took Maya over for a play date...and girlfriend was on her best behavior. Jax made her look good and I hear that she was the best cuddler with his then-preggo wifey and she loved her. The kids - they adored Maya and loved watching the two puggles run in the backyard together. So we chatted about what they were looking for and since they were expecting a baby in late December (have since had the little guy), they aren't looking to add another dog right away, but are very interested in bringing her by for a weekend here in the next month or so and potentially could be ready in March.

I don't know, folks, but we may have found the perfect home for our pup...as much as I feel like a big ole failure for giving up, it's really the best thing for her and for us.  And, come on, just look at how stinkin' cute they are together.

Jax & Maya

If I Had Unlimited Time

If I had unlimited time, I would...

Lay on the couch and read through my preggo blog. I find myself reading through the blogs of my family and friends who are pregs and I can't remember how I felt or what I was focusing on as they hit certain milestones.  I would also love to catch up on my fave blogs and find some new ones.

Clean and organize every drawer, cupboard and closet in our house. This started in January and we've done damn good at keeping up with it, but there's oh-so-much more to do.

Lord knows I'm no cook, but I do find I enjoy trying new recipes - cuz a girl's gotta eat - and I've picked up a ton of Cooking Light magazines in the past few months, but once they get home they sit on my side table and collect dust.

Speaking of magazines, I love reading magazines but never find the time to sit and read one. Unless you count the fact that I read every single US Weekly I get during the mornings as I blow dry or curl my hair. I cannot miss out on my celeb gossip. Actually, if there was a job that required knowing the most random things about celebs - like their kid's names or what they wore to the SAG Awards or who they cheated on whom with - I would be the bomb. I can't remember pertinent life information, but I  know that Gwen Stefani's kids are named Kingston and Zuma.

I have a massive list of DIY projects just waiting to be done. Some I've snagged from Pinterest and others from blogs I follow. People inspire me. They are way more creative than I will ever be. But I will do my best to copy them and pretend I am too.


Go visit my friend Clint's second baby girl. Major bad friend alert - she was born on the 9th and I have yet to meet her.


I'm also no Ansel Adams, but I love taking pictures. And I wish I took more pictures with my DLSR. The only pictures I seem to take any more are from my iPhone and posted onInstagram.

I desperately need to paint the upstairs guest bathroom. I was in there the other day and questioning why I ever thought the ugly pea-colored walls looked good. I also want to have the entire upstairs painted - this doesn't seem to fit in this post, because why can't I just hire that out - I just think about the time to take everything off the walls and moving all the furniture and that is a major undertaking.

Get a massage. This girl has some knots...and even if I didn't? It just sounds good.


Would it be bad to schedule the nanny on a Monday or take a couple days of PTO so I can rock some of these things out?

Sleep...Precious, Beautiful, Wonderful Sleep

Coming off a fun slumber party Saturday night where Nick, the babe and I laid out blankets and pillows on the living room floor and just chilled while watching a movie.  It makes me think our sleep problems aren't such a problem.

But they are....

I think Cruz is duping us. Playing us if you will...At night the kid will just not go to sleep. And it's more than likely our fault, we've created a bad environment where one of us will lay down with him on the couch (or in our bed...I know, I know) and try to coerce him to sleep. He drinks his milk or a water/juice combo and lays with us. Very rarely does he just automatically fall asleep. Oftentimes, he is passed between the hubs and I where we both try our hardest to get him to sleep. And the kid fights it. And its about a one hour process minimum. And it sucks.

I was talking with the nanny on Friday and she said that Cruz has done great with the nap plan they have been working on. At 11am each day, she lays him in his crib, pats his back for a few seconds, shuts the door and leaves. No crying, fighting it, nothing.

Huh? We "tried" this process once. Little man was dead tired and we knew it was minutes before he'd be sleeping. I put him in his crib, rubbed his back and then walked away. And the sobbing started. I shut to door - hard as it was - and it got worse. It took all of our might not to walk into his room, scoop him up and soothe him. "Let's give it 20 minutes," I said. The crying never even seemed to fade, he wasn't falling asleep, he was waking himself up more and was miserable. As soon as that 20 minutes was up, we rushed into his room and cuddled our boy.

So I dug in with J (the nanny) - "what exactly do you do differently?" She went through her process and it was exactly the same as what we had tried.

See, this is why we think the kid is playing us. He knows he has two suckers for parents. I'm sure you could say we spoil him - well, shoot, he's our first one. Give us some slack.

But now it's time to start getting him into a night time sleep habit. What's different nap time to night time? It's dark. We are introducing a nightlight - well bringing back the Cloud B Twilight Constellation Night Light. Sound and noise. It also features the same noises that the hub's iPhone app does.

Any tips from the mamas out there?

Tonight's the night. Wish us luck.

On My Mind

It's time for a little brain dump of what's been going on in my world lately...

Weather...has been kicking my ass this week. It really needs to commit to being cold or warming up, I'm tired of this fluctuation. Case in point, on Tuesday morning it snowed {traffic was a B and it took me 1 1/2 hours to get to work that morning, but that's beside the point}, on Wednesday I ran outside, on Thursday the minute you stepped outside it felt as though your fingers were going to fall off from the cold and yesterday I walked around without a coat. wth?

Work...as you know it's been quite the month at work and we just finished our 2013 plan presentation last week so I feel like this week I've been able to breathe a bit. While it's been major craziness, all of the work and time is justified when you receive an email like this {it came from the head of VIP marketing for the company...a woman I've idolized since I started working here 9 years ago}.

Luke Bryan....we got our tickets and are coming to see you in March. Can't wait!

Speaking of music...I had a chance to update my iTunes music the other night and I'm so excited for some new music and the new "running" playlist I created.  An eclectic mix with a little Hunter Hayes, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Biebs, Lee Brice and Taylor Swift....how can you not be excited about that??

Date night....finally came to fruition last night and we had a really good night together. Of course, we could only stand each other long enough to endure pre-dinner cocktails and dinner at Jams and then had to meet up with the crew - what can I say, we're social butterflies. Highlights include cappuccinos and turtle cheesecake for dessert, the new bar scene in Benson {Beercade, Krug Park, and some bar in the back of a convenience store} and a full night's sleep with no little someone to wake us up early. Beercade is def a cool concept - who doesn't love beer and old school video games - except that as soon as you stepped foot in the bar itself it smelled like a guy's college dorm room mixed with a strong case of BO and fried food. And was filled with boys who I can guarantee have only seen a naked girl on the internet, never in person.

Lot's-O-Beer at Krug Park

Brother's wedding...was an absolute blast. And so were making memories like these - candid with mom and my sistas, cake fight with the groom and bridesmaid, laughing so hard with my sister as we managed to cover our faces and dresses in delicious cake.

Little Man Update

Little dude's learning and development are on overdrive lately and I find it hard to keep up on all of the new things he is doing, learning and saying.

Juice is a new word for us lately (yep, we've introduced juice, I know bad mom alert) and it's just about the most adorable thing ever to watch his full, little lips pucker out as he says "jeeew-ce" (extra emphasis on the "eeew").

I'm not sure where he learned it, but he now does the "I don't know."  When I ask him where Maya is - hands out to the side as if to say "I don't know" while looking around for the dog. Where are your shoes? - hands out. It's so cute.

It's also been like Dance Party USA up in here. If there is music on, Cruz will bounce up and down and shimmy his hips to the music. He loves to dance.

And, he has started giving Eskimo kisses. The other night I showed him what they were and he never looked back. He was walking all over the living room giving Eskimo kisses to me, the hubs and even trying to land one on the pup - she wasn't having it though. This is a welcome gesture since he has recently stopped giving us kisses when asked. Instead, he leans his forehead down expecting us to kiss him there instead of the lips. It's enough to make this mama sad...so the enthusiasm for Eskimo kisses has been welcomed. 

Here are a couple of other things I'm loving:

Major photo overload from J, the nanny

The best thing while I'm working is to get a pic or video of little man while he's hanging with J. It brightens my day and makes me feel like if I can't be there with him, at least I can see him enjoying himself. 

 

Daily notes from the nanny

She also leaves a detailed note of their adventures, which is awesome. I love reading up on what they did all day long and what they worked on. She is really great (have I said that before?)

Helping mommy with laundry

Lately he has been quite the little helper - we do laundry, dishes, fold & hang his clothes and clean up together. He loves to help, though, most often the task takes double the time to complete, and I may complain outwardly to the hubs, but internally I love it. 

Eating mama's cooking We struggle to get him to eat much meat unless it comes in the form of lunch meat or a turkey dog, so imagine my surprise when he loved him some shredded chicken. I had intended it to be for our dinner that night - chicken taco salads - but after he tried it and then dramatically banged his hands together for "more" and rubbed his chest rapidly for "please" - it quickly become part of his meal that night too. 

Speaking of crock pot chicken - my SIL gave me this recipe for a quick and easy way to whip some of the yummiest chicken up for tacos, etc. Thaw out chicken breasts, toss them along with a small jar of salsa and a packet of taco seasoning into the crock pot on low for 6-7 hours (stirring periodically). The house will smell super yum and you will be wife of the year for making one of your hubby's favorite meals (well, at least I am - thankfully for me my husband's expectations of my cooking skills are very low).

Sneak in the good stuff

I'm not sure if others have problems with this, but little man does not LOVE all parts of the meals we prepare for him, so we find ourselves having to be a bit creative. For one thing, if you start him off with veggies he doesn't love (basically anything but peas) to ensure he eats them before the better part of the meal comes, you cannot let him see the yummy stuff. If he catches a glimpse of any fruit or pasta, you're screwed. He will not eat any of the veggies and will continue to beg for "more, please."  The other night, though, I outsmarted him and just stuck the veggies in the good stuff. He loves him some shells & cheese, so I threw in some steamed broc and voila! - he ate it. Score: mom 1, Cruz 0.

I feel like I'm kind of getting the hang of this mommy role. Some days are better than others, of course.

Nanny Diaries

I won't spend a ton of time yakking about our nanny on this thing, but....oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to scream it from the rooftop that I.LOVE.THIS.GIRL. (In the most platonic way possible, that is).  Seriously, I know it's rather soon to be so smitten with her, but she is great. Fantastic. Amazing with our little guy.

Last week was her first week taking care of our main man...and she did great. On Monday we had a bit of an orientation of sorts - walked the house, showed her where to find things, spent time with little man and got her ready for her week.

She has been a nanny for a while and has tons of nanny friends. On Tuesday, she asked me if it was ok to go for a play date at baby gym. Of course! My biggest worry has been that he will miss the interaction with other little kiddos, so this was by far ok.  And C loved it! She sent many pics and videos to help make the transition easier on me...

Baby Gym in La Vista

Trampoline fun!

J & Cruzer 

Fun with new friends!

 On Wednesday they headed to the Joslyn Art Museum for their toddler time. I'VE never even been to the Joslyn and I've lived her for 9 years. But girlfriend has already introduced my little man to the finer things.

Joslyn Art Museum

Chillin' with his new buddies

In front of a Joslyn staple - the glass sculpture in the Atrium

TOYS! Cruz & his new friend, Edie

On Thursday, the last day of their first week together, it was all about the Children's Museum...and this by far seems to be his most favorite place!

Omaha Children's Museum

Super Cruz! Pillow cape they made.

His fave thing...playing with the computer

Shopping!

 What a week for our little man! He did so many fun things and had such a great week with his new nanny, J. We cannot wait for what's to come!

Past Couple Mornings

We celebrated my little bro's wedding this past weekend {more to come on that} and it came on the end of a very rough two weeks at work. I was dying for some time away with my little family and, of course, my massively extended family. And enjoy ourselves we did.

And then Monday came...and it was tough. I wanted to sleep in. I wanted to spend the day relaxing with the hubs and little man, but that wasn't in the cards. I had just hired a new employee and needed to on-board him. On a Monday. My day off. =(

C and I got up early and while I checked my work email from the comfort of our couch, he caught up on a couple of missed episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

Monday was a blur of property tours, introductions and then running over to our career fair to interview some potential employees. All I wanted to do when I got home was rest...

Fast forward to Tuesday morning and I got up super early so I could make it to work and get to some emails before a day of meetings. Whelp, that was a great thought, except Mother Nature had something else in store. A mere inch of snow and you would think the whole city of Omaha just couldn't figure out how to drive. An inch. One inch, but accidents galore. It actually took me an hour and a half to get into work which meant I was stuck in my car and not able to do work. Ugh.

2012: Year In A Nutshell (Part One)

It's that time of year again...to reflect back on all that we accomplished and experienced in 2012 and the stuff  I thought we would do and didn't...

(Oh...and check out 2011 here!)

1. What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?


I raised an infant into a toddler. Definitely the highlight (and some of the lows) of the year. I also ran a half marathon. I definitely didn't go into the year thinking I would even consider running 13 miles, but I'm happy I did.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Resolutions aren't my thing...because I never keep them! Let's say my "goals" are to become more organized (this girl has a mess of a house!), run more and be the best mother, wife, friend and employee I can be.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Our friends, Justin & Crystal, gave birth to little Dax in August. And our besties Jeremy & Sirvan had Rocky in December...he is absolutely amazing and I can't wait for Cruz & Rock to be the best buds ever. I see a TON of family vacays in our future.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Knock on wood, but no. I continue to say that I am extremely fortunate in this department.

5. What countries did you visit?


None sadly. I'm definitely not making the most of my 40 Under 40 list where a ton of my wants include more travel. 

6. What dates from 2012 will be etched upon your memory, and why?

• January 10th - first day of day care/back to work
• March 2nd - initial bout with RSV - started the many rounds of illness 
• April 12th - little man got his helmet - it seemed like such a big deal at the time, but now just is a small blip in a year of amazing firsts for this guy.
• November 13th - Cruz's first birthday - celebrating his first year
• December 15th - Sandy Hook school shooting - this is the only post or mention I've made of this because I don't want to acknowledge this senseless, sick act of violence, but it has definitely had a major impact on me.

7. What was your biggest achievement of this year?

I'm proud of the fact that I was able to raise an amazing little boy while managing to be successful at my career and take on even more responsibility at work.

8. What's your biggest failure?
I always feel as though I fail at keeping in touch with people. Fortunately with most of my friends, they understand and have similar hectic lives, so when we do connect it's like we haven't been apart.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Thankfully, no illness on my part...little man owned that category. From an injury standpoint, I have to say the worst "injury" was the fact that I could barely walk after the half...and my calves ached for two weeks afterwards.

10. What was the best thing you bought?
We re-did the flooring in our house and it really made a ton of difference! I love the wide-plank wood floors and new, plush carpet - where we've spent a ton of time crawling around on with Cruz. (Thanks, daddy, for talking me out of wood floors throughout the whole house.)

11. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have to say that the fact that our family and friends were so willing to help us out through this entire year with caring for Cruz when we had to work, travel, he was sick or so we could get a little time to ourselves. They were all so amazing, and helpful, and always willing to drop what they were doing for us. We couldn't be more fortunate.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Those behind the many gun-related massacres around the country this year.

13. Where did most of your money go?
Of course kiddos are expensive - the helmet, illnesses, day care and babysitters due to my wacko work schedule.

14. What song(s) will always remind you of 2011?
Anything country. I listened to a lot of country music...my favorite would have to be "Take A Back Road" by Rodney Atkins. It made me realize that I just need to slow down and enjoy the wonderful life I have.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you: 
a) Happier or Sadder? much happier
b) Thinner or Fatter? thinner, but at this time last year I was only two months post partum
c) Richer or Poorer? richer in the best senses of the word

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Travel - Nick and I had a great trip to New York (1st time together!), Vegas with the fam this summer, Houston to see Angie (little man's first trip!) and other work trips in between, but I wish we would've done a family vacation with just the three or us or a beach vacay with just Nick & I.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?

Worry. I always was worrying about not working enough/working too much. I worried about little man. All.The.Time. Was he developing fast enough? Did he have to spend too much time in day care? Why was he sick all the time? Was I the best mama I could be? Always worrying.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

We spent Christmas our usual way. Laurel with Nick's mom on Christmas Eve Eve. Emerson with my fam on Christmas Eve. Omaha with Nick's dad & Janice on Christmas. It was so much fun being with little man since he actually knew what was going on and could open presents!

19. Did you fall in love with 2012?
I fell in love with many things in 2012. I fell in love with watching Nick with Cruz...he is a great daddy and C adores him. I fell in love even more (if that's possible) with Cruz. I fell in and out of love many times with work. I fell in love with our family all over again for all of the support they gave us throughout the year. I fell in love with running, which helped keep me sane or at the very least gave me a chance to think about anything else but life when I needed it.

20. What was your favorite TV program?

Sons of Anarchy was a fave for the hubs and I to watch together, but I also watched Kardashian's (yep I'm a fan), Grey's Anatomy (I was late on the Grey's bandwagon and just started watching two years ago), Shark Tank (LOVE!), Live w/ Kelly & Michael, the Today Show...to name a few.

21. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

No time to hate.

22. What was the best book you read?


Book reading really faded after maternity leave was over, but I jumped on the Fifty Shades boat and loved every one of those books, like most women in the world.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery?


Hmm - this seems a bit too deep for the music I listen to...

24. What did you want and get?
I was nominated to be part of the VIP Council at work and was one of three chosen out of our 40+ properties.

25. What was your favorite film of 2012?

I really liked Argo...and for the life of me cannot think of any others. My movie watching days were limited. Oh...and I loved Chipwrecked - Cruz's first movie. We went on January 2nd and he was so good!

26. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I was 31 and in NYC with the hubs. We got Dunkin Donuts for breakfast, went to a Yankees game and then to dinner at Bull & Bear at the Waldorf.

27. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2012?
Cas and comfy. I was working toward getting my pre-baby body back and there was a lot of extra skin and poundage in new areas that I wasn't sure how to dress.

28. What kept you sane?


Running.

29. What political issue stirred you the most?
Ugh...the election. I have to tell you I was so over the election. I'm not the best political citizen anyway, but it bothered me at how ruthless these public leaders were and how much money was wasted on their message.

30. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.
Work will always be there - slow down and make time for family. Cruz has grown so much this year and become such a different person and I cannot risk missing any of his major milestones. (You can see I had a battle with creating a good work/life balance, can't you?)

31. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.


"It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Come inside, it's fun inside
M I C K E Y M O U S E"

This song plays over and over in my head all day long oftentimes. This has been Cruz's favorite show all year and it's gotten us through many breathing treatments - his face lights up when he sees Mickey on TV. 

2012 was an amazing year...looking forward to an amazing 2013 and all it has in store!

A Little Scare

Yet again I have to apologize for my lack of posts...life has gotten the best of me and I'mhoping praying that the worst is behind me.

I haven't had the pleasure of my little "friend" for quite some time, in fact, I'm about 3 weeks over due. Obviously, I'm good not having it - that was one of the best parts of being preggo - but it has been weighing on my mind the past couple of weeks. It was made even more apparent when the hubs figured it out and did the math...and then told my sister over the weekend that he thought I was knocked up. And then she was all over my case.

That made me really curious. I mean, I've never been the most consistent in this area and dates fluctuate each month, but I've also never missed it by this long, except of course back in 2011...

It then became apparent that I needed to take a test and figure it out. I picked one up last night when I was out getting groceries and immediately came home and locked myself in the bathroom. I peed on the stick, turned it over and waited...and waited. I gave it a good five minutes and took a look.

I called little man into the bathroom, handed him the stick (trust me, I washed it off thoroughly) and told him to go give it to dada. I watched him Frankenstein-walk out of our room and toward the hubs in the kitchen. Then I heard, "no, no way. You're kidding me. Noooo." - as he figured out what C was holding. I poked my head out of the room just as I heard him breathe a big sigh of relief.

It was negative, obviously, but still a great joke to play on him. I know I got a few chuckles out of it.

And at least it's extremely clear where he stands in the matter.

Phew!

On My Mind

On My Mind is going to be a post where I brain dump some of the major, not so major and mind-numbingly dull things going on in my head. It's just how I think...

Dear Nanny - you're hired! Ever since our phone interview I've been a smitten kitten with you - girl's got skills. Can't wait until you start tomorrow and our life can finally get back on track.

Dear Clutter - you have been getting a major kick in the booty this week and that a$$-kicking will continue today. With the crazy that has been life these past few weeks, I've majorly neglected the casa. This week - per a great idea by the hubs {see, I do listen to him} - we have de-cluttered at least one cupboard per night. This was actually a really great idea because the whole project seemed overwhelming, but taken one at a time much more do-able. I def have myself a smart man.

Dear Hubby- we REALLY need some time alone together. I never realized how much of a negative impact having a child would have on our relationship. Now, don't get me wrong, it's not that serious, but we just need some time with each other while not having to juggle little man at the same time. I'm not down with us 'going out' but without each other.

Dear Brother - it's WEDDING WEEK for you and Ash! I'm so proud of you and the man you've become since welcoming baby girl D into this world and cannot wait to see you make an honest woman out of that woman of yours.

Dear Blogger - you're welcome for this break the past couple weeks. Don't get used to it. I found that by not having time to blog, I'm just not myself.

Dear Self - you've got a TON going on at work this week, but don't let it get you flustered or frustrated. It's just work. You will get through the 2013 plan presentation, meeting with your long-time work mentor on your own turf {can't believe she's finally coming to Iowa!} and putting a marketing plan together for the casino move. Even if you only have a three-day work week to do it.

Happy three day work week to me...and bring on the wedding fun this weekend!

14 Months Old!

Our little guy is developing like crazy - I have to say this past month has been one of the most fun with him. He is changing like crazy and has learned so much.

What's New With Cruz:

• Walking: Little man is FINALLY walking! I know I shouldn't be so excited because it means he is everywhere and harder to track down, but it just makes me so proud! I've felt he was going to start walking for the past two months ever since he became so brave with his walking toys and then pulling himself up but he just wasn't having it...until this past week. Now he's off to the races!

Practicing his walking skills

• Christmas: we celebrated little man's second Christmas and it was so much fun! He loved opening his presents and playing in all of the paper and boxes. 

Our family at Christmas

• Best Friends & Play Dates: Cruz's future best friend, Rocky, was born on December 17th to our friends, Jeremy & Sirvan. I cannot wait to watch them grow up together! Little man also had his first play date in December with Tory - I went to college with Tory's mama, Heather and have followed Tory through Heather's blog forever...they were so cute together! 

Jeremy, Sirvan & Rocky

Tory & Cruz

• Hitting:  his tantrums have continued (please make them stop already). When he is exhausted, he hits himself on the head and we are struggling with how to get him to stop doing this. We've read to hit him back...but I can't imagine hitting my son, so we've taken to telling him "no" in a stern voice and with a serious face. He also hits us. I don't think he's trying to be mean, but it definitely hurts. We use the same method as when he hits himself, but it doesn't necessarily help or he cries when we tell him "no" and then I feel bad. :)

• Talking: it's time for this mama to start watching what she says because Cruz repeats EVERYTHING we say. His favorite is to say "more" while signing it and "no, no, no" while shaking his finger (thanks Gma C!). He no longer moss when we ask what a cow says, but he does say "ruff" a lot. He also said "Teh-Tah" when Grandma D pointed to a picture of auntie Tessa. She is going to be so excited to hear that!

• First Haircut: our little ragamuffin is no more...Cruz got his first haircut in December by Ricky my stylist and he looks so great. 

Raggedy little man to...

....dapper stud!

• Learning & Development: he continues to sign as his primary way of talking - more, milk, please and thank you - and we have day care to thank for that. BUT we actually taught him how to sign "all done" and I'm pretty proud of that. Now he's saying "all done" while he signs it. He also learned how to give "knucks" in one day and now prefers that over high five and gives them out all day long.

• Nanny: we finally have hired a nanny! We will call her J - she is going to school for early childhood development and I think she is going to be wonderful. I cannot wait for her to start and for little man to get back to a normal schedule.

Happy fourteen months, little monster!

The real chalkboard artist!

Banning Resolutions

I promised myself I wouldn't make any resolutions this year.  I have NEVER kept one in my entire life and I don't know why I would change this year.

{Remember this little venture? Exactly.}

If I had made a resolution it would've been to get my butt organized, run more, work out 3-5 times a week, eat better, etc. And I would have failed miserably and it's only January 11th. I did not work out once this past week, unless you count the "leg lifts" I did when C was playing "tunnel" earlier this week.

I swear I had potential in the beginning. The year started off right. I got in a jog on New Year's Eve to prep for the Commitment Day run on 1/1.  It was cold, but I was excited that the trail around Lake Zorinsky was somewhat "runnable," except for the pile of snow I had to hike over.

After a late night at work on NYE, I woke up early for the Commitment Day run {all by my lonesome because everyone else I knew got to enjoy a night out with cocktails! Except you, Morgan, sorry girl.} and checked my phone...burrr.

I tugged on my cold weather gear, especially excited to give my new beanie a whirl {got it at Scheels a couple weeks prior} and drove downtown for the race. There were approx 400 other suckers out there ready to run it with me...and thankfully once we got started running, I wasn't shaking cold any longer. The race went quick and I finished in the top 10 of the girls, which is good enough for me, even if all the other people were more than likely hung over.

Best part of the morning:
The secret pics I took of the two girls doing the walk of shame from some dude's apartment that same morning...and they had to eventually walk through all of the 400 race participants in their fancy "club clothes" to get where they were going....best.thing.ever.

Here's to resuming some form of normalcy in my life and getting back to my workout routine!

We're Baaack.....

I cannot believe it's been this long in between posts...and I've been dying to blog! I've got a ton to update y'all on, so get comfortable.

First. Cruz is walking. I'm not kidding, our doll baby is FINALLY walking and it is so stinkin' cute! He's been trying so hard, for so long and after about 102,000 falls and many tears, he is doing it on his own.

Second. Work has been at it's worst, leaving me no time for me and not much for the fam.

Lastly, I've got a load of posts half started that I need to finish and post. Primarily my 2012 year end review, year in photos and then I need to complete Cruz's 14 month post! Keep on the lookout for everything!

What's New Around Here

It's almost been two weeks since my last post and I've been dying to get back on the blogging bandwagon.

Work has been a B these past two weeks and I will be one happy girl once this next month is over. I'm drowning in 2013 plan presentations, annual reviews, employee surveys, our casino move, arena events and interviews for five marketing roles, which means I'm down five employees. Argh.

My schedule the past week+ has looked like this:

• Wake up around 5-6am
• Get to work by 7-8am
• Work until 5-6pm
• Feed, bathe, play & put little man to bed by 9-9:30pm
• Go back to work via laptop until 11-12am
• Repeat...

My days have been packed with meetings, which means I have no time during the day to catch up on email or the takeaways from our meetings...hence, the late night working.

The highlight of my week was earlier today when grandma brought little man by for a visit...boy, did this kiddo win over the hearts of all the ladies in our office...and was such a welcome break for a frazzled mama.

This is C walking into a co-worker's office, pushing the door open & waving hello

Here is a great big cheers to only on more day of work this week...and then two {much needed} days off.