Doctor, Daddy, and Dinner

MY. LITTLE. GIRL. IS. ALMOST. 16. MONTHS??!!

That's been my thought these last few weeks, but it's gotten louder as the days have grown closer to the 11th (which is when her monthly birthday is).

Today was Kaleigh's 15 month appointment. Can you tell that I've been avoiding it? The girl is almost 16 months and I finally called in on Monday to make the appointment. I hate her appointments. I get anxiety the night before, and dread going in because she's going to get shots and cry. I hate when my little Bug cries. Sometimes I think it's harder on me than it is on her. Brian used to come with me until she turned 1, then he said I was on my own. Damn him.

So my kiddo is 32 5/8" long and weighed 26.6 lbs. HOLY NUTS. She grew over an inch in 3 months. She was 31.5" at her 1 year (which also was almost a month behind. Do you see a pattern here?)

She got her Vericella vaccine for Chicken Pox and the flu shot, which I was on the fence about, but decided to do. Brian and I also need to go get ours this weekend. When the nurse brought her shots in, she saw them and started crying right away. This means she's now old enough to remember and know the pain is coming, which made me super sad. She cried when they finally gave her the shots, and of course, had gone #2 in her diaper right before (literally scared the sh*t out of her, I guess), so she was double pissed from being poked and then having her diaper changed right after. Poor girl. I held her after and she calmed down. I decided to stay until she was ok because I didn't want to leave the doctor's office on a bad vibe. I don't want her to be "that kid" who screams at the mention of the doctor or when you walk in the door. So I held her and waited. When I asked if she was ok and she responded with a nod of her head and a sniffly "yeah," we walked out to find the nurse. I explained to Kaleigh that the nurse wasn't going to do that everytime, and that she was a friend. Kaleigh was fine with this, and proceeded to blow her a few kisses which made my day. The nurse gave her a couple of stickers and all was good!

We then went for ice cream afterwards since she was such a good girl. I got a single scoop of vanilla and shared with my kiddo, and it was a lovely Mother/Daughter time, though we've been having plenty of that!

Lately I've been having to play single mom. My husband owns his own company and has been working 15 hour (at the minimum) days for going on 2 weeks straight. NO JOKE. Kaleigh and I have been bringing him homemade dinners or having a quick lunch together so that they can see eachother.

So, tonight, when my husband finally made it home at a decent hour, Kaleigh and I, of course, weren't there. We were watching her cousin, Jack, like we do every Thursday. When we got home and she saw Daddy, she was more excited than I've ever seen her. It was almost magical. The best part is that she got her first real baby doll from Grams (my mom), complete with a change of clothes, a diaper, a bottle, a sippy cup, and her own bowl/silverware. Guess what Kaleigh and Daddy did while Mommy made dinner?! The greatest thing about this was that Brian was geniuinely excited to be playing with her, even if it meant dressing her Baby up in pink and making it "goo goo" and "ga ga" as he fed her from her little plastic bottle.

I loved having a family dinner at home again. Even though I hate where I live, it's times like these that makes me realize what's truly important, and it reminds me of how truly blessed I am.

Keepin' It Real

One of my Favorites:

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.
...
"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

-The Velveteen Rabbit

Okay, so, as previously stated AND promised: I am going to start blogging. I'm not even sure how to navigate blogspot yet, so, hang in there while I try to get my ish together.

Moving right along... the insert I shared with you above was especially chosen for my blogging debut after much thought and consideration. I chose it because it describes me perfectly right now.

I am going to be 31 years old in December. THIRTY ONE YEARS OLD. I no longer am in my twenties. I have to check the second box for an age bracket. If I wanted to, I could technically drive a mini van and get away with it. WOW. When did this happen?!

I remember so much as if it were yesterday - my first apartment, college (Go Cougs!), getting my first "real" job .... and now here I am.

You know when you're younger and you picture yourself in the future? Married. Kids. White picket fenced yard with house. Dog. Cat. Etc. I'm like any girl - I always had those dreams.. the "someday" dreams. But to think I'm actually here and that I've arrived is a total trip.

So I guess I chose the above insert because I'm becoming "real." Growing older, being married, and becoming a Mom (especially becoming a Mom), has really helped me on my journey to "becoming real."

I emphasize becoming a Mom, because, quite honestly, becoming a Mom has probably been the most amazing journey of my life. There are a very close second and third place journeys in there, but having a child is definitely at the top for me.

The irony is there was a time in my life where I really didn't know if I wanted kids, and was very on the fence about it. I guess He had other plans for me, and I was blessed with my little miracle, Kaleigh, who is now 15 months old. She's walking, talking, and is my favoritest little pal around. I love her more than words could ever even begin to describe.

My husband absolutely adores her, too. He wants another. Like now. Ha! So far I'm winning that battle, but don't know how long it will be until I surrender.

We're doing an addition on our house - we're adding an entire second story onto our rambler. Yes, we're crazy! We're doing it for two reasons:

1) Our house isn't very big at the moment, as it was my husband's before we got married. He waited too long to sell and the market fell, so not only is he upside down, but he's in a shitty loan to boot.

2) That being said, we're needing more space and to bring the value up.

Our goal is to be able to refinance once the addition is done. Wish us luck...

Now you know a bit what's going on with us. We live a crazy, wonderful life that I wouldn't change for the world.

So .. follow me if you dare on the journey of life and becoming "real!"