is she a puppy?

now that our little girl walks, i think it is the cutest thing in the world to undress her in the morning and send her running into the bathroom with that naked little toosh to the tub that is filling with water. she absolutely loves bath time. she splishes and splashes and plays with all of her toys and just absolutely enjoys herself. it is adorable. well, back to her running in there with her cute naked toosh. it takes me a second after she begins running to throw away the dirty diaper and put her pj's in the hamper. by the time i make it into the bathroom, she is standing wide-eyed at the tub looking at the water and trying to hoist her tiny leg over the side of the tub. however, like a little puppy training to pee outside, she too stands at the edge of the tub and pees just a bit before getting into the water. luckily, the bathroom is not carpeted, so it is very easy to clean. since she is not potty trained yet (i know shame on us, she is 15 months and still in a diaper- just kidding), i of course don't mind that she has an accident tub side. and i am thankful that she does it tub side so i know i am not bathing her in pee water. could you imagine thinking your kid is clean and really you just washed her hair with pee water... gross. so i guess prior to bath time, the saying is true, "it just tickles the pee out of her!"

lump, bump, lymph...

well this past week had me a bit scared. i recently found a lump under my armpit by my breast. i was scared to say the least. of course, i immediately thought i was going to die and not get to see our little girl grow up... which is probably the worst feeling in the world. i called my gyno and made an appointment immediately. they took me the next day... at the earliest appointment time... (that means 30 minutes before the doctor ever arrives). i LOVE my gyno office. they are THE BEST! when i got there, the nurse (who was with me the day we lost zain- a whole different blog topic), took me back to do an ultrasound (shhh dont tell the dr... so you dont have to pay for it). within 2 minutes, she had the wand on my bump, and my mind eased as she said, "girl, take a valium, that is an infected lymph node, your body is covered with lymph nodes and it will go away... you are not going to die!" wooooohooooo.... thank the LORD! we went to the exam room to wait for the dr. to finally arrive (he makes hospital visits first of course). he felt around on my itty bitty titties as well and said the same thing... and that, " if you weighed 50 more pounds you would have never found that little bump." my mom was ever so nice to tell me that the only reason i found it was because it was bigger than what my boobs have shrunk down to be after a year of nursing a healthy little girl. yes girls, i am just about back into a training bra. anyways, with calmed nerves and the promise of another day here on earth with my family, i said my goodbyes and drove home, calling my prayer warriors and thanking them for sending up some much needed prayers of health to GOD. for those of you who dont know what an infected lymph node feels like, it is like a raisin (or at least mine was)... it moves around a little bit, not totally hard, etc. if you find one that feels like this, dont freak out like me, but do call your dr. to get a peace of mind.

don't leave meeeeeee

ok- if our little girl could actually speak in sentences, she would have said that this morning. instead i go the cry that makes no sound at all bc she just that ticked off. mothers, you know the cry... mouth open, tears falling, no sound, trying to catch their breath cry. today started my third semester at MOMS. i look so forward to thursdays. i am reminded that i have a huge, gigantic, supernatural power in my corner as i listen to the message flow from jean's lips. i am a momma. one of jean's sweet little momma's, and she reminds us weekly how we can not do it alone. (side not- anyone that would like to attend, please let me know. it is AWESOME and you will feel like you can accomplish anything when you leave- except mopping the kitchen floor. who needs to do that when there are dolls to love on and cars to push with your little one!) every thursday we trod up to bellevue to engulf her wisdom. the first pitstop, of course, is the nursery. ok, for those of you who don't know, i stay at home. when she wakes, i am here, when she naps, i am here, when she plays, i am here, when she eats, i am here, when she drifts off to dreamland for the night, i am here. no mothers day out, daycare, etc. so i admit someone is a little spoiled to their momma. i don't mind it one bit either as much as we prayed for this child! however, when i take her to the nursery, i have to do it with a quickness. as soon as i get ready to lift her up and over the door, she starts wailing like i am leaving her with the meanest, ugliest person God ever created. usually, it is a sweet little lady... but nonetheless, the wailing begins. today was like all others, but it seems the first time back after a break only makes it harder on her. i gave them her bag (complete with snacks), told them she got 4 shots yesterday and was still cutting molars, sorry, i'm off to hear jean. as i was walking out, other moms were coming into the drop off area and wondering what child could be making such a ruckus... i just smiled and kept walking, trying not to think that it was my little 17 pounder screaming like a ravished lion. ugh! it breaks my heart to know she is so upset when i leave, luckily she is all smiles when i come back. i know this will get better with time. she doesn't do it when i leave her with family members (like nana). if it weren't for the spiritual satisfaction i leave with, i don't think i could do it to her every thursday. so, anyone else have a little one that does this and how long does it last. i am just envisioning dropping her off her freshman year of high school and her running after the car for me. please tell me it gets better... before she gets married!

3 months... 10 ounces

well, today was the big 15 month check up for the little one. wow- 15 months... let me grasp that one first. didn't i just have her last week? anyways, after briefly saying hello to sily hily and her kids in the waiting room, we were called back to go through the routine. take all of her clothes off, put on a clean diaper, etc. i of course left her socks on bc it is colder than a witches titty outside today... and i didn't want to make her THAT uncomfortable. there's a new nurse today. i ask where the old one is... "she had her baby." WHAT?! was she even pregnant... guess i missed her bump a few months ago and hello next thing i know she's a mommy. ok- i guess i am not so quick on noticing these things. they measure her... 28 inches. ~i know you are all getting out your percentile charts to see where a 15 month old girl at 28 inches ranks.~ ok, let's take her to the weigh thingy and see how much she hates sitting in that cold chair in nothing but her size 2 diaper and cute pair of socks. 17 pounds and 8 ounces. WHAT? did you work that thing correctly? i mean i know you are new here, but are you telling me she only gained 10 ounces in three months. my kids, the one who eats everything in sight?...including the blazin' buffalo and ranch doritos! now, that you all have your charts out, you can pinpoint that my child has STILL not hit the charts in height or weight. so the pediatrician comes in. "e-llo, boot-i-ful baa-be. let me give kisses. oooh-no like strangers?" (she is from brazil and has a strong accent, but we LOVE her!) anyways, she says she is proportionate.... to what? a grasshopper. she is not concerned with her size (although my mom would beg to differ... even though she has seen the kid scarf down some food). well- if she isn't concerned, neither am i. my degree is in education, not pediatrics, so what do i know. moving right along, "today she will get four shots." WHAT? do you guys have fun torturing these small babies? FOUR! i realize i had gestational diabetes and had to prick my finger 4 times a day, but sheez louise! four shots in 1 minute. cut the kid some slack... hell no i don't want to give her the flu shot to make it FIVE! she's already going to look at me like i am some sort of demon raised from the pits of hell holding her little arms and legs down! from here, mothers, you know the drill.... "SCREAM, WAIL, WAHHHHHHH, SCREAM, BWAHHHHHAAAAHHAAAA!" all the way to the car, fasten her in, try not to touch the bandaids, that clearly DO. NOT. HELP! and give her the sticker... what in the crap is a 15 month old to do with a sticker, or the sucker for that matter while i am driving!?! we get home, she crams in some chicken nuggets, sliced pears, water, and motrin (since i gave the tylenol before we went and i don't want to OD the poor kid)... and it's off to lullaby land. good thing she gets a 3 month break before they come racing at her with needles again. any bets on how much she will weigh at 18 months. the pediatrician seems to think that her weight will start to table for a while since they supposedly go through a "no" period including, "no eating." we shall see. oh, and for the record, day 10, 5 teeth and counting.

one at a time... not a chance!

well- i regret not starting this blog sooner. you guys have missed out on so much ~in a day of the life of zoe~. well- let me catch you up to speed. at 11 months (september- labor day weekend to be exact), zoe decided to cut her first tooth. she ran her first fever (luckily, for only one day), she didn't really get runny poop, but she did get fussy. one night, i held her for one solid hour while she screamed the, "i'm in pain!" scream. it was not until the next morning that my mom informed me that, "you should have rubbed jack daniels on her gums... that's what i did with you." thanks mom- i'm lucky to not be an alcoholic now because of that... plus the information would have helped last night. within two weeks, this child had her first teeth. yes, i meant to write tEEth. how many did she get to be exact... oh EIGHT. yes, my friends, zoe popped eight little pearly whites through within two weeks. all four front top and bottom teeth. let me just tell you now... i would rather have had my vagina sewn up again, then to deal with the fussiness of a baby that teeth bring about. lucky for me, she waited until she was 11 months old. i breastfed her until her first birthday and luckily only almost had my nipple ripped off by those cute little teeth twice. adds a whole new meaning to the word-pain! since september, little miss teeth has not had anymore pop through.... until sunday. yes, folks, sunday began the countdown for this round of teeth. as of yesterday we have THREE new teeth... two of which are molars. for those of you who don't know, molars mean bigger areas of swollen gums, bigger areas for sharp white objects to have to protrude through, and longer periods of indecisive whining girl time...yes, friends, that is what a molar means. this is only day 5 so i will have to update you in 9 more days how many she gets this time. my hopes are for all of her teeth up until the 2 year molars. can anyone say, "this mommy needs a margarita!"?

well, it's about time...

ok ok ok. i admit it. i have been keeping up with your lives secretly for the past several months (since lucky got pregnant to be exact) through a link she gave me. i have enjoyed reading your stories (especially about your children) and relating to how they coincide with zoe. i actually have mentioned a time or two that i would start a blog in the new year (as a resolution)... well- here i am...let the journey begin. i have been thinking of what to blog about first and then it hit me, as it does weekly when i am out and about in public with society's random idiots...

~she came from my uterus!~
some of you may know that my husband is not caucasian. he is philipino. 2 years ago, we hopped into bed and we FINALLY were given the miracle of a baby. after nine months of baking her in my caucasian belly, i birthed one of the most beautiful "wilipinos" ever seen this side of the mississippi. everyone oohed and ahhed and we brought her home. for the past year, i have been going out in public with her, as most parents do with their children, to buy groceries, neccesities, or just stroll at the mall. what i am about to tell you NEVER happens when my husband is with me... only when i am alone with zoe. it never fails that on a WEEKLY basis(i mark a calendar- not really) someone will inevitably stop me and ask, "where did you adopt her from?" or my favorite, "we're going to china next week to get ours too!" HELLO people- number one- she does NOT look chinese! number two- just because i don't sport an island tan in the winter, and she does, don't assume it isn't possible that i could have had her. now as a disclaimer- i am not against adoption AT ALL, i think it is great!... my husband was adopted- if he had not been, we would have never met and zoe would not be part of my life. anyways, i usually give the calm response to these lovely people that, "my husband is philipino." usually, they get the picture. one day, a lady replied to that with, "people of that race usually are pretty small huh." (zoe hasn't hit the chart yet in weight, and barely makes the height for her age) i had to ask her, "what race would that be?" and she replied, "you know, non american..." hello- my husband did pass his citizenship test and i am a born and raised memphian- how is my daughter "non-american"??? whatever lady, turn around and buy your ky jelly and oscar mayer weiners. well, one day, i had had enough of the "adoption" questions. i was buying fabric at the lace cottage and a lady asked me, "where did you get her?" i calmly turned around and responded, "from my uterus." she stood in shock for a moment, swallowed hard, bought her fabric and promptly left the store. i think that i should make t-shirts with that slogan and wear them around in public. some people just never know when to stop, smile, and just say, "aww, isn't she cute!" no questions asked!