Orange you glad you read this post?

Pumpkin, pumpkins...all around.
On haystacks, as houses, all over the ground.

Orange, brown, green - so many colors to see.
But the cutest little pumpkin - oh my could it be?

Her first pumpkin patch for our sweet little girl.
Small ones, medium ones, some big as the world!

Smiley and cute - she looked so sweet!
She loved every pumpkin that she did get to meet.

Orange you glad you read this post?
We love our little pumpkin the most

!

Kodak moments

Isabelle trying cereal - think she likes it?

Hmmm...the lady seems to think it's ok...

Ok - try #2...

Rice cereal = FAIL

************************************************************************

Me and Owen

Me, Ashley and Owen at Taste of Deep Ellum

Ashley holding Star Crossed Lovers - Owen and Isabelle

Owen telling Isabelle a secret

Hoo, hoo is bored in the car....

I never...

Remember that game? Think back - pre-baby, maybe you were in college, or maybe you were just young and had no worries...

Never played?

A person says a sentence - and if you have NEVER done it - you pass on the alcoholic beverage but if you DID do it - you pound that alcoholic beverage :-)

Example:

"I've never parked my car on the street to drink (because I was underage...oops) an entire bottle of wine before going into a goth bar"

- POUND (yes...I did this...)

So blog readers - get ready to play

"I never ..." Mommy addition

And if you aren't a Mom yet - play anyway and answer in your head "I will never..." for when you do have a kid - then mark this blog post - and take it again when you have kids....you'll be surprised...

If you're brave - leave a comment with your answers or leave a comment on Facebook!!

Get your e-drink (Rum and Coke or just a Coke) and let's play!

Ready or not....POUND or PASS!!

1. I've never turned the radio up so loud in the car to drown out my kid's cries.

POUND

2. I've never slept in a puddle of spit up or throw up because my kid just threw up on my bed and I'm too tired to change the sheets or change my shirt.

POUND

3. I've never had baby envy. You know - when you look at another mom and her kid - the mom has on make up and isn't in sweat pants - you on the other hand haven't washed your hair in a few days and are still wearing the sweat pants and spit up stained t-shirt you had on a few days ago - and her baby is calm, quiet and happy - while your baby is screaming like she's just seen Voldemort.

POUND.

4. I've never faked it with my husband. Faked sleep. (Ha - you have a dirty mind blog reader!). The sleep when you hear the baby crying on the monitor but you are waiting until your husband stops his fake sleeping and finally gets up to check on the baby. Never mind you had been up with the thing 3-4 times already...but whatever.

POUND

5. I've never Googled my child's development or a symptom she had. Freaked out that she may have some serious disease then realized that maybe she's just drooly or that maybe she isn't supposed to do certain things for a few months - like crawling or talking or driving.

POUND

6. I've never Googled my child's development and thought she was a prodigy. Yup - the fact that she really looks at her books when you read to her - pretty convinced she's the next Doogie Howser.

POUND

7. I've never put the baby in the swing, the Pack and Play or in her Bumbo and let her cry while I updated my Facebook status. It is SO important to make sure all your friends on FB know what you had for lunch.

POUND

8. I've never put on a pair of my pre-pregnancy jeans, squeezed them up my thighs, sucked in - realized they won't fit now matter how many layers of Spanx I put on.

POUND and cry

9. I've never wished my husband can lactate so he can breastfeed and give me a break.

POUND

10. I never realized that having a baby would be so much work. More work than I ever could have imagined. More work than rewards...but look at your giggly, smiley, drool machine and think - man - I wouldn't change this for the world.

POUND, POUND, POUND!

Funny Man!

Craig makes me laugh.

EVERYDAY...

He's pretty shy when you meet him and he's not much of a talker - but the things he says sometimes - cracks me up!

Parenthood has provided him with all sorts of new material. He just spouts off one liners that I think are HILARIOUS....

Here's a few:

• We're at church and poor Isabelle has to go poop. And unfortunately - she's not very lady like yet - and her pooping sessions are loud. Really, really loud. So we're driving home and I ask Craig what can we do so she's not so "disruptive" when she uses the bathroom.

Craig's reply: "Nothing. It's not like we can put a muffler on her butt."

• I am getting ready to feed Isabelle. And I tell Craig I think breast feeding is weird. Really - it kind of is. My boobs are making milk. And my ladies are not as pretty as they used to be.

Craig's reply: "Carne con leche...milk meat. Meat making milk..."

• I tell Craig how big Isabelle is getting. I'm getting all teary eyed as I say how tall she is and how fast she's growing.

Craig's reply: "You think she's as big as Mini-me?"

But, no matter how much he makes me laugh - there's no comparison to how much he makes Isabelle laugh! Check it out!

Ouch

Ouch - can you feel it?

The pangs and the tugs?

You've felt it my fellow blog reader Mommy.

I feel it.

My heart kinda hurts today.

It's the mix of all sorts of emotions - sadness, excitement, pride, fear...

My last blog post we talked about sleep training with Isabelle. It's been tough - and I don't want to jinx myself - but my sweet girl did great last night. The first couple of nights was rough - crying for hours on end - but last night - I listened as my baby girl woke up and talked herself back to sleep.

Craig has an early morning commute and is on the road by 6:15am. So, I normally move to the guest bedroom that is next door to the nursery and shut off the baby monitor so Craig can sleep. So for the past month - Isabelle has been getting up all hours of the night so I would move to the guest bedroom around 1am and listen for Isabelle.

She'd cry and want to nurse - so I'd pick up my sleepy baby, we'd go into the guest room and I'd nurse her.

The still of the night - just me and her. Just one dimly lit lamp shining on the curves of her face. I'd listen to her sweet sighs. I'd stroke her face, let her little hand wrap around my finger, tell her I love her - and sometimes she'd open her beautiful brown eyes - look up at me and give me a big smile.

With her reflux problems - the doctor told us to keep her upright for at least 30 minutes to an hour. So - after she nursed - I'd prop her up in her Boppy that was on the bed. I'd snuggle down into the sheet, lay my arms across her, and watch her sleep until the hour was up.

Just me and her...

I am proud of her. I am excited that we made it through the last few nights and now she is sleeping much better - without her binky and the strangler - er - swaddler...

She's happier, more engaged, wants to play. She would rather be on the ground playing than in my arms. I can see it in her chubby little face that she's learning and growing. And I am so proud....

But, I feel it. Ouch - I feel it.

It hurts my heart.

There are not enough hours in the day to love her. I get every second with her minus nap time and potty breaks :-D I get to hold her as much as I want, love her til my heart feels like it's going to burst... But, sometimes I want to take Father Time into a back alley and give him a good beating. We wake up to start our day and the next thing I know it's time for bed. It's too fast. She's growing up too quickly.

And it hurts.

And it's exciting.

And it's sad.

And it's wonderful.

And it hurts my heart.

Treasure seeker

Since sleep around here is a valuable commodity - it's the treasure I'm searching for. It's more valuable than cubic zirconium, silver, gold, even diamonds.

I look for it everywhere - mid morning after breakfast, after lunch, mid afternoon, maybe try to find a snooze here and there before dinner, and *gasp* - I even look for it at night.

We're working with Isabelle on sleeping without her pacifier and her swaddle. I'm working, Craig's trying to sleep and Isabelle is crying.

I've heard a grazillion opinions on sleep training - and yes - we are training her. We want her to be able to fall asleep without sucking on the pacifier because :

• If she loses her binky - all hell breaks loose. You'd think she was getting tortured by the way she screams.
  
• Losing her binky while it's still normal hours is fine - but losing it at 3am - in the middle of a R.E.M. cycle or deep into a dream where I'm making out with Edward Cullen - erm - I mean - Craig.... NOT so fine...

And deswaddling....oh deswaddling...
My baby burrito is no more. Isabelle can roll while swaddled. But she's like "Zoolander" - she can't go left - really - she can flip from her back to her tummy, land face down, but then can't flip back over. Last week - I was woken up to the muffled sounds of my baby Bug face down. And more recently - she's found a way to wiggle her way out of the Swaddle Blanket and Miracle Blanket. Normally I'm fine with this - until I found her a few days ago struggling to detangle herself from the blanket that was wrapped.around.her.neck....NOT GOOD PEOPLE!

So - here we are. Not sleeping. I'm fine with it but let me share with you a few things that sleep deprivation has done to me:

• I put Splenda in my water instead of my coffee
• Baked a batch of muffins and couldn't figure out why they tasted so bad. Oops - guess I forgot the sugar. Started from scratch on batch #2 - tried batch #2...forgot the sugar AGAIN...
  
• I woke up in the middle of the night and put on my glasses. Was shocked when my glasses made my vision worse. Took off my glasses and saw clear as day. My heart started pounding - did Jesus come and make this blind girl see in the middle of the night? This dance continued - taking my glasses on and off - holy sh!t - I was healed....or I forgot to take out my contacts the night before.
• I was stopped at a 4 way stop in my neighborhood. I see the person behind me get out of their car and knock on my window. I hesitate but realize it's a girl about my age...so she can't be dangerous. I roll down my window and the girl asks if I'm ok. I look at her and say "Yes - why?" She said I've been at this stop sign for a while and haven't moved. I look at her and say "Oh - I'm waiting for the light to turn green..."

Sleep - I want it. I need it. We need it. We'll find this treasure...hopefully sooner rather than later.

4 months old!

4 months old!

123 days of greatness.

123 days of tears and laughter.

123 days - some sleepier than others.

123 days of learning - Isabelle learning to be a baby and a tiny human and me learning to be her mom.

123 days of hugs and kisses.

123 days closer to when she doesn't want to give kisses...

123 days closer to the day I watch her walk away and not turn back...

123 days of the best moments, the worst moments, and the memories I'll cherish forever...

4 month stats:
Weight: 12.8 lbs - 25th percentile
Length: 25 inches - 75th percentile
Awesomeness: 100th percentile

My Big Fat Filipino Weekend

Have you seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?"

If you have - you'll be glad to know that that movie is a good depiction of my life.

Craig's family is extremely small - no cousins and only 1 aunt.

I have 2 aunts and 3 uncles - I have close to 20 first cousins...just on my Dad's side.

There's a part in the movie where Toula - the main character - is talking to her American boyfriend about her family. She takes a deep breath and rants about how her family is huge, how they are involved in each others life...like TOO involved, how they eat and eat...

That's pretty much my family. I can't speak for all Filipinos - but sometimes I feel like I can. I don't know what it is - but when I meet someone for the first time and they find out I'm Filipino - they bring up how they know someone Filipino from work or from church or from school and if I know so, so...I graciously say - I don't think I do and then go home and ask my husband - if he meets a white person do they automatically bring up they know another white person and if he knows them...
Craig just laughs and says it never happens to him and then says it probably happens because Filipino people automatically make you family when you meet them.

I have more Tita's (aunts) and Tito's (uncles) than I can count. I've also lost count of those Tita's and Titos that I'm not related to - but still call Tita and Tito.

We eat and eat and eat. And then take a break and sing Karaoke and eat some more. If you come over to my house - be prepared to be asked if you're hungry. Then after you politely decline - be prepared to be asked 10 more times if you're hungry until you fold and eat something.

Don't know what that thing is that you're eating? Probably an awesome egg roll. Or maybe intestines or beef tongue. What...did you think Andrew Zimmern was the only one eating Bizarre Foods??

Have a weird growth or rash on your skin? No - we don't use Windex - come on now! We use Baby Powder. Have an itch, a bunyon, a hangnail?? Use Baby Powder.

Over laughers? Yup - that's us! We laugh and laugh and laugh, take a break from laughing and eat, get a tummy ache from laughing so hard - then stick Baby Powder on our stomaches to make them feel better :-)

But this weekend was on Filipino overload. My mom was inducted as the President of North Texas Association of Philippine Physicians. I am so proud of her! This organization provides health fairs for the North Texas area and travels back to the Philippines for medical missions.

This year - we (and we meaning mainly my family) organized a Black and White Cowboy Gala at Eddie Dean's Ranch in Dallas to raise money for the medical mission for February 2010. It was a hit! Imagine over 300 Filipinos and 3 white people - my husband and my sister's husbands - dressed in Cowboy gear ready to party it up. If there are a few things that go together better than peanut butter and jelly - it's Filipinos, Cowboy hats and line dancing....and line dancing they did...

And of course - nothing says medical mission like a Filipino Transexual Stand Up Comedian Singer. What? You don't have a gender ambiguous stand up act as the main entertainment at your events?

We had family from all over the world - come for the weekend festivities. Of course - my parents hosted lunch on Friday and lunch on Sunday for family and friends. Isabelle met more brown people than she can count on her itty bitty fingers.

I don't know what more you could have asked for in a Big Fat Filipino Weekend - food, laughter, family...and Craig in cowboy hat...priceless...

Isabelle get all gangsta at lunch

We keep it rill

Me and my sister Candice at the Gala

Me and my other sister Chonnie...and my cleavage - Holy Breast Feeding Batman!

Maddie and Sofia - my nieces

Garrett and me - it was a serious affair

Tita and my niece Kara - she got her grub on early

Can you say "Open Bar and Babysitter for Isabelle!"

Me and my sexy Cowboy - rowr!

My Mama - line dancing...happy times!

Umm...one too may beers...

time to cut me off...

We're in a fight

Isabelle and me....or is it Isabelle and I??

We're playing chicken. Who's going to budge first? I'm going to say Isabelle because she - after all - is just a baby.

I'm trying not to be angry at her. Isn't that awful? There have been moments the past few days where I look at my screaming child and wonder - WTH?

She's anti-sleep. She thinks she's a rock star and can stay up all hours of the night with no need to nap during the day.

She's probably teething or going through a growth spurt. Those are my two fall backs when I have no freaking idea what's wrong with her and she's extra fussy - I tell people "oh she's teething...oh she's going through one of those growth spurts." So pretty much she's been teething and going through this dang growth spurt for 3 months and 4 days.

So - I'm mad at a 3 month old baby. I know that her cries and her fussy, fussy, fussy, sounds are the only way she can communicate with me. I get it. But when you're in the trenches, suffocating, and are at the end of your rope - you don't want to deal. Never in a bagillion years did I ever think I would have to walk away from her. But I did. For her sake and mine. I put her in swing, red faced, open mouthed screaming, tears falling, arms a flailing, legs kicking...and this is the house that Jack built...

I walked away. Made sure she was still gasping every now and then...here again - the oxygen thing - very important. I walked away, sat down at the kitchen table, took a giant marshmallow, dipped it into Nutella, ate the Nutella covered marshmallow, traveled up to Heaven for a split second...wiped my mouth, washed my hands...ok she moved from the gigantic gulp crying to the short - "hee hee huh" cry...and shoved a handful of M&M's in my mouth....

Five sugar filled minutes later - I picked up the splotchy, tear stained baby.

I tell her I love her - and I do. I really, really do. I just sometimes don't love the person I become when she has her bad days. I find myself reminiscing about days of old - when silence was the only sound in my house...oh sweet silence.

Then, I remember that the days of old again...when I would pray for a Baby H. and wanted nothing more than to have a bundle of joy in my arms. Then - I wonder what my days would be like without the sounds of her coos, without the sounds of her laughter, without the sounds of her cries - her cries that mean that she's living and breathing and needing me....

I remember days of old. Remind myself that my bad today will also pass and pray that our tomorrow will be filled with laughter once again.

I look at my puffy faced baby girl...now hiccuping from her cries...kiss her tear stained face - and I call a truce.

Travel back in time with me - will you?

Take my e-hand - blog readers, climb in the DeLorean, and let's head back to:

October 13, 2008

One year ago from today...


I had developed a hobby in the past few months. I peed on sticks. I had recently gotten off birth control. Craig and I had discussed that we wanted to start trying for a baby in 2009 and hopefully be pregnant by 2010 - and of course - being in medical school - I knew my body would need to at least have 3 normal menstrual cycles before conception was a possibility. And - that of course could take at least a year - if not longer. I had been off birth control for a little over 2 months and being responsible - I would pee on sticks before I'd partake in libations. But, as usual, the stick would only have one line - pass me the Shiner Bock!

On October 13, after I booked a non-refundable trip to Europe - I was headed out to run errands and make a fancy dinner - complete with wine. I peed on a stick and rushed out the door. Of course - since I'd gotten used to only seeing one line - I didn't bother to look.

My day went on as normal and later that afternoon - I had to use the loo (I just booked a trip to London - I was learning their language). I do what you do in bathrooms and reached over to throw the pregnancy test I had taken early that morning.

Hold on. This one looked different.

Two lines? What does that mean, exactly? Maybe it meant...no...could I be pregnant?

There's no way! I know I wasn't on birth control but doesn't "pulling and praying" count as some sort of contraception method???

So - I did what any normal person would do - I went to the store and picked up 5 more tests - not the Dollar Store tests I had purchased before - but the fancy kind that actually read "Pregnant" or "Not-Pregnant."

All.five.tests.came.back.as.PREGNANT!

I called my doctor in a frenzy and he agreed to see me. His tests came back "inconclusive" so he went ahead and ordered blood work for me.

What was I going to do? We didn't plan on this happening. Not yet - we had no place to live - our lease was up in a month, I was still in school...

Craig walks in the door...I look up at him and start crying. "I'm pregnant. I'm sorry."

He looks stunned at first. Takes me in his arms and asks why I'm sorry. I told him I didn't mean for this to happen - like all of it was my fault or something. I am a planner. We had plans. And a baby wasn't one of them.

We took a walk and talked about it. I couldn't get excited yet - this wasn't the right time. God has a sense of humor, huh? Just when you think you're in control - He throws you a curve baby.

The next week I had bleeding and cramping. Now this - I knew wasn't right. My doctor calls me and tells me the levels don't look good and with the bleeding and cramping...he delicately tells me that "this one might not take."

At that moment - my world suddenly shattered. I didn't realize that this little embryonic creature had already nestled her way into my heart. I gasped as I cried, my fingers trembled as I called Craig to tell him what the doctor had said...all of a sudden - this baby was the only thing in the world I wanted...this was the right plan...this was the right time.

The doctor would see me in a couple more weeks to do a sonogram and check blood levels again. I continued to bleed, was put on partial bed rest and was warned again to not get my hopes up (too...late.)

But, blog reader, you know this story has a happy ending. We made it past the first trimester and the rest is her-story. Isabelle's story...

I can't believe it's been a year. You're given 9 months to prepare for motherhood - but nothing truly does. Nothing prepares you for the mixture of emotions - the exhaustion, the elation, the excitement, the frustration...the absolute joy a baby brings into a life.

Now she's about to be 4 months old. Four months have passed and I've already given her a million kisses, shed buckets of tears - both happy and sad, told her I love her so much that it sounds like a broken record....
The only plans I have now are to hold her and love her because I know one day she won't let me.

Now is the right time to capture and hold onto my memories of her - her sweet chubby hands, her big gummy smile, her contagious laugh, her absolutely delicious baby scent...and the content sigh as she nuzzles my neck as I hold when she sleeps.

One year ago today....

Friend to foe

An innocent meeting between our sweet little girl
As she entered into Play Land World...

"Oh hello Mr. Frog - how do you do?
Will you be my friend, I'll be nice to you?"


This is the Itsy Bitsy Spider - my favorite song...
If you're my friend, we'll play all day long!


Don't like that song -well this one's a must.
It's about wheels that go round and round on a bus!


You have a secret to tell me, my new friend?
Is it we'll be BFF til the very end????

Oh you're a dragon? What does that mean? Do tell...
You can huff and puff - and make my hair melt???



Oh crap you're a dragon - Mommy help!
Where is that dang lady - do I have to cry and yelp???


Mommy's too late - I'm too upset - watch the tears flow.
The frog/dragon thing - not my friend...but my foe :-(

Then and now...

Words and phrases are so different now that I have a baby

Then: Pre-baby
Now: Post war - erm - Post BABY :-)

"Run to the store"

Then: Leisurely get into the car without a list and head over to the store. Peruse each aisle, throw whatever your heart's desire into the cart - head over to the check out lane - oops - forgot an item - no biggie - stroll back and get whatever you forgot.

Now: With the baby - time it with the nap, it takes 7.2 minutes to get to the store, 1.3 minutes to get her in the stroller - and she takes an hour nap...so you have about 20 minutes to get your laundry list of items in 10 minutes (the other 10 minutes you're messing with the binky and trying to shut - ummm - quiet the crying baby) - decide you need to just get the necessities - diapers are a must - the baby can no longer wear your super absorbent Always pads, frantically run from aisle to aisle - decide Nutella is a must have, tell the check out guy just to throw everything in as few bags as possible, run out the door with the baby that's screaching at a decibel level that dogs are now turning their heads, pack the car with the groceries, drive home and breathe a sigh of relief...sh!t - forgot the diapers....oh well - you bought Brawny papertowels - that'll do til tomorrow

"I have nothing to wear."

Then: nothing is quite tight enough to show off your taut stomach and perky boobies - but you have a closet full of couture that will do for the night out at the bar

Now: um - nothing fits. For whatever reason - your body doesn't get that you already HAD the baby - and your hips are still wide enough for your baby to moonwalk through, your boobies are large and in charge, you're still holding onto about 5 lbs of baby weight in places where you didn't think you could gain weight, shirts are stained with spit up, laundry hasn't been done in over a week...yoga pants and nursing tank it is :-(

"Breasts"

Then: toys

Now: tools

"Blowout"

Then: ridiculous party fully equipped with kegs, trashcan punch, and jello shots to boot!

Now: diaper explosion of #2 that gets everywhere but in the diaper

"Getting ready"

Then: throw on Britney, pop open a Miller Light or pour yourself a glass of Merlot, soak in the tub, shave your legs, wash, dry, and fix your hair, carefully apply your makeup and coordinate your eye shadow to match your outfit - and still have at least 20 minutes til you have to leave and it only took you 45 minutes from start to finish!

Now: stick the baby in the bouncy, put the bouncy on the bathroom floor as you shower, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" as you shower in under 2 minutes - dry off quickly - nurse the baby, down for a nap - dry your hair -- crap baby's crying - run and pop the binky back into her mouth, finish drying your hair -- start your makeup - get half your face done when the baby is awake and is ready to be entertained - feed the thing and play with it -- down for nap #2 -- finish the second half of your face -- binky popped out again! -- find something to wear -- yoga pants and nursing tank it is -- baby wakes up --rinse and repeat...all of this in only 5 hours...

Late night

Then: You closed down the bar, now you're heading over for a quick bite at a cute diner, hear of a house party and head out once again til dawn...

Now: The baby was up every hour on the hour - again...for the 5th week in a row and your baby is only 4 weeks old...

"Hot meal"

Then: What I'd eat at dinner

Now: non-existent

"7 hours of sleep"

Then: a normal night

Now: a normal week

Life was good then...but it's much better now :-)

Will drive for birthday cake

We went on yet another road trip this weekend.

Ok - not really a road trip - but it sure as heck felt that way!

Our good friends the Mac's celebrated sweet Jonah's 2 year old birthday! I remember holding that sweet baby like it was just yesterday. Jonah had his birthday at Little Gym. Of course - Isabelle had to wear her workout gear since she was headed to the gym. But since she's so little, me and Craig had to help her with the gym apparatuses (or is the plural - apparati???).

Since we were heading over to other side of the metroplex - we also decided to visit my best bud Stacy and Charleigh (Craig was excited to see Joe - those two boys lurrrrrrrrrrve each other).

We miss seeing them - when we lived on the east side of town we'd see each other at least twice a month - now....sigh...not so much.

I am pretty sure if we lived closer - Isabelle and Charleigh would already be having sleep overs. Of course - us mommies - me and Stacy would probably be orchestrating games of "Light as a feather - stiff as a board," making up dance routines to Lady Gaga, and prank calling boys we like (pretty much we'd just call Joe and Craig and hang up a lot).

We miss our friends on the east side!

Isabelle looks like an Asian Gangsta in her Puma warm up (Craig calls this her Miami retirement outfit)

Me and Iz (so what if I want a pink velour warm up suit like Isabelle has)

Birthday fun!

The girls

Daddy and Iz (Craig was weirded out by the Little Gym - the parachute freaked him out)

Isabelle on the uneven bars (I just realized how scared she looks in this pic)

Olympics 2028 - here we come!!!

My Milk shake brings all the boys to the yard....

I think that song is about boobs, right???

Jugs

Knockers

Melons

Hooters

and in my case...ant hills {sigh....so sad}

Whatever you want to call them - this is the month to pay extra attention to your ladies.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Every single person in this world is affected by this.

If you're a woman - you got a pair.

If you're a man - you've got a pair, too.

Breast cancer affects men and women, people!

As a new mother, my breasts mean so much more to me. They are the lifeline for Isabelle. They literally keep her alive. They are nourishment when she's hungry and comfort when she's upset.

As a wife, they played an important role in the conception of Iz (wink, wink...). And my boobies are still fun every now and then :-)

As a daughter, my first hours of life I used my basic instincts to suck on my mother's breasts and I learned her smell, her touch, her love.

As a sister, an aunt, a friend, a woman - breast cancer affects me and all those around me.

My aunt died of breast cancer when I still very young. But, no matter how long ago a death is, missing a loved one feels fresh everyday.

So, as we welcome in a new season, take this time to remind yourself how important taking care of yourself is! As women (especially mothers), we neglect ourselves and put others before us. Self breast exams monthly and mammograms if once you're 35 years old yearly - is a way to put you first and reassure yourself and loved ones that you're doing whatever it takes to detect breast cancer.

Breast cancer is detectable and treatable!

If you are a member of Stroller Strides in Arlington/Hurst/Mansfield - I'll be handing out pink ribbons in honor of this special month on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. If you're in the area and never gone to Stroller Strides and want to try it - post a comment and come find me next week - and get your pink ribbon!

We can fight this battle together!

Mr. V.I.P.

Dear Stranger at the post office,
I know we just met. We saw one another as we pulled into the parking lot. It was a brief moment - but our meet cute was memorable. You saw me pull into the parking lot, probably saw the stroller in the bed of my truck and I'm almost sure you heard my sweet girl crying at the top of her lungs. I'm pretty sure you saw me try to get the closest parking spot so I wouldn't have to lug my person and my little person in the building - all 11 lbs of her sweet wailing-ness. But, yet - you pulled pulled your sporty, made for a family of 1 or 2, personalized license plate car into the parking spot that I was praying for.

No biggie - as we say in the Te-jas...a few more feet of walking never hurt nobody :-)

I'm assuming you're important. You're talking on your blue tooth very animatedly - although it looks like you're a crazy person talking to yourself- but I see that you're V.I.P. - the flashing light next to your ear and your cell phone attached to your pants. You sit in your car and although you're on the phone - I can feel your eyes on me as I climb out of my truck, snap open the stroller, take the car seat with the screaming baby (while singing a "The Ants go Marching One by One" - to get her to quiet down), snap in the car seat, juggle my letters, my purse - all with the pacifier in my mouth ready to pop it into the screaming baby's face.

I guess you're phone call is done because you get out of the car at the same time as I'm walking up to the post office door. I flash you my pearly whites as the universal sign of "hello." Hmm...you must not be from this universe because you choose to ignore me.

We're approaching the door at the same time. Now, Mr. V.I.P, I want you to know that I'm a modern woman. Heck - some may even call me a renaissance woman. I can do lots of things at once - including opening a door, pushing in my stroller, shhhing my baby, and juggling all the things I have in my hand. I don't expect any help - especially from someone as important as you! So, when you walked ahead of me (don't think I didn't see you quicken your pace), opened the door just wide enough so only you and a breath of air could get in - I wasn't offended. Nope - not me . And - just because I hold the door open for random strangers because my parents raised me right - I wasn't offended when the door hit the stroller, startled the already screaming baby, and nearly amputated my right arm (hey - that's why God gave us two arms right!).

Mr. V.I.P. - I guess you had some paper work to fill out because I got in line ahead of you. I know, I know - how come they don't have a First Class Line at post office for you. You have to wait along with lowly peeps like me and the elderly man in front of me. I hate that as you reached for the last form to fill out - the sweet older lady reached for it at the same time - whew - thank God you took it and didn't let her have it! I know - I'm sorry to have broken the sweet silence of the post office - my little girl was just having an off day. I got understanding glances from other strangers, a pat on the back from a nice older lady (I bet she was a mom - she had the "Iknowwhatyou'regoingthroughanditwillgetbetter" look), and even a kind gesture of the person in front of me letting me go ahead of them.

Oh, Mr. V.I.P. - I heard you sigh. I'm sorry that I'm ruining your post office experience.

But I want to thank you. You get called up a few minutes later, walk by me and my little one, and spoke a revelation.

"Maybe you should feed her to keep her quiet."

Oh wow - I didn't realize it. I carried her for 9 months, was in labor for over 15 hours, have spent almost every waking minute with this sweet angel for over 3 months...and never mind that she JUST ate...

I love unsolicited advice from people like you. I heart running into strangers like you that are so self-important. I love it because it makes me realize that I am going to do WHATEVER it takes to make sure my sweet girl doesn't resemble one iota of your being.

Sincerely,

Me