Wanderlust

Remember Me?

We made it! Yes, we made it through the holidays and Christmas was actually really great. Peanut enjoyed opening her gifts so much that we were both impressed with her ability to rip open boxes at lightening speed...and a little worried at her sense of entitlement as she looked around for the next gift. But true to her 9 month old nature, she enjoyed the boxes and paper more than her toys. At least for a little while.

My parents and sister drove up to Austin to have our Christmas the 22nd and 23rd. We made cookies, opened gifts and we all got along pretty well. I was impressed and hope that this bodes well for future holidays. AND the more time Peanut spends with them the more comfortable I get with the idea of leaving her with them for an extended period of time...like hours, maybe even -gasp!- overnight!

Literally, the day after Christmas the crap hit the fan when it comes to our 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid. We also got a computer virus and had some lovely mortgage insurance/company woes to take care of. More on that later but I just wanted to reintroduce myself since it's been soooo long since I posted.

Hello again Internet!

Can't Quite Keep Up...

I am so busy at work and I'm running around trying to finish everything for the holidays. Even though I have an incredibly supportive husband, men don't seem to have the mental to-do list that women have constantly running through their brains. They just aren't worried about whether or not the xmas cards are mailed on time, do we have enough laundry detergent for the rest of the week, what are the vaccines scheduled for our next well baby doctor's appointment, who can pick up the prescription before we run out of meds...etc.

I think this is what makes women so stressed out, especially moms. Anyway, I will resume posting more often after the holidays. Even though no-one is reading this yet!

All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth

It's finally happening! After months of off and on teething, one tooth has broken through to the other side. You can barely see it because her guns are swollen and red but you can feel it.

On Friday I stuck my finger in her mouth to let her chew - her favorite teether. I swear that I've bought out the entire section of teethers but this girl STILL prefers my finger above all else. Sigh. Anyhoo...when I stuck my finger in on Friday, I came out with a scratch. An actual scratch made by the tiniest bit of the top of a tooth. Woohoo! She is miserable, of course, but I'm so excited that the two bottom teeth are making their way up and out at Christmas time.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Bit Like Christmas

We bought our tree! It's Pumpkin's first Christmas Tree. Of course we ran out of time and didn't get to decorate it yet...or put ANY Christmas decorations up for that matter but the tree is up dammit.

Surprisingly, Pumpkin really wasn't too into the tree even when we got it up in the living room. The cats, now that's another story. I can tell they are going to be a pain in the booty when it comes to this tree. But I could not go without a real tree for her first Christmas.

I'm so excited to shop for her and decorate and bake cookies. This is also our first Christmas out of an apartment and in a real, live house. We get to put lights up and everything. Hooray! I'm such a dork when it comes to this kind of thing and I LOVE it all. I feel lucky to have a family of five to spoil this year (me, hubby, pumpkin and 2 kitties).

Time Time Time

Where did the time go? I can't believe I am 32, married for almost 6 years and I have an 8 month old. On top of that I own a home, 2 cars and have been in my professional job for 9 years. I am such an adult. So weird.

Gobble Gobble...On the Road Again

We'll be traveling to see my family for Thanksgiving since they are the closest relatives we have. Closest still means a 3-4 hour drive...everything really IS bigger in Texas including the drives.

I'm getting a little sad putting together my packing list and realizing the amount of things one needs to pack for an 8 month old. It's amazing that one tiny person could need so much stuff for a quick 2 day trip!

The list keeps growing as I think of things and I'm not sure everything is going to fit into my tiny Honda Civic Hybrid. On top of that, I just realized that peanut is pretty much too big for her current car seat. It's good up to 22 pounds and she has to be so close. I can't in good conscious drive all that way wondering if she is past the weight limit.

So, I start researching and looking into car seats. After much reading of reviews I choose the Britax Marathon Convertible. Hubby and I cringe at the price (there goes Xmas $$) but he dutifully goes to Baby's R Us last night to purchase. He gets up to the counter and is told they have been recalled! So what does he do...comes home and then tells me the next morning (I was already in bed with peanut).

So now I need to figure out our second choice and fast because we have to buy the thing, install it...and I have about 1 hour to pack a list a million items long for our 3/4 hour drive with an 8 month old crying in the back cause she can't nap in the car. NOW I understand why they say the holidays are stressful. This on top of buying everyone gifts..oy!

Trick or Treat!

I was so excited to take Peanut trick-or-treating even though she can't eat any candy quite yet. Well, the day before Halloween she came down with a cold. When I got home that night, I just couldn't squeeze her into that costume and force her to go door to door for my enjoyment.

I was so sad.

But once I saw actual kids in costumes coming out to trick-or-treat, I was soooo excited! This was our first Halloween in an actual house/neighborhood and not an apartment so it was a real thrill for me. I was out there with candy at the ready right at the first hint of darkness. I'm sure my neighbors all thought I was slightly crazy when the first little girl came out of her house across the street and I start shouting, "look, there's one...the first one on the block"! Yeah, I love Halloween.

We ended up just hanging out on our front porch handing out candy, and Peanut was thrilled to see all the kids and costumes. It was our first Halloween as a family and even though she was sick, it was perfect.

What Happened to Two Holes in a Sheet

I love Halloween. It is my absolute favorite holiday. And this year, I get to celebrate it with my daughter. I bought her this adorable white tiger costume.

The costume selection they have for babies is pretty awesome. But once you get up to 6 or 7, they start to look like they were designed by Britney Spears. Why do little girls costumes need to be sexy? That is wrong on many levels. I don't want to teach my daughter that her self worth depends on being sexy.

I get that girls want to be pretty. That is fine and normal, in my opinion. But these costumes go far beyond pretty. Pre-teens don't need options like sexy nurse, sexy pirate, etc. What about being a doctor or a Sesame Street character?

It seems like Halloween is just an excuse for women to dress slutty and that has now trickled down to little girls. If you are an adult and want to look like Paris Hilton, go for it. But don't try to push that look for our daughters!

What do you think?