Creative Play Anyone?

So a few weeks ago I was so proud of myself, because I put together some really cute file folder games. You know some lovely laminated games on file folders with pieces that Velcro right to it. The kind that the same ladies who have color coordinated snack cups at church have. I was very proud of myself, and even more proud when Bugaboo found them and became enthralled playing with them. So enraptured was he by the new found games that I thought I could sneak away for a few minutes to clean the kitchen floor. Little did I know but in that time Bugaboo had found a new and even better feature of the little game pieces.

Yes they do stick quite nicely to a diaper, don't they?
In my defense I must say that Bugaboo does not spend all day in his diaper everyday, this was a special occasion inspired by this post over at Total Mom Haircut. We had a few minutes earlier been creating masterpieces with water paint.
I tell ya, he's not just a genius he is a creative genius.

Still getting older

So today I am getting ready to teach my class and I look in the mirror to make sure I look professional and grown up, so that people will take me seriously as I'm doling out parenting advice, and I saw it. There it was hanging out right out at the top my head like it had a right to be there or something. It was just looking at me, taunting me, waving lazily at my youth as it slid one more inch away down the slippery slope of life. And what you ask did I do about this intruder in my hair. This one single, wiry GRAY hair, I reached up and forcefully yanked it out. I will not be beaten that easily.

Huh?

So I just found out that it is time for my TEN year high school reunion, huh!?! When did that happen? I mean how can that be I'm only 22 right?...oh wait, and its not like I have a bunch of kids and live in the suburbs...oh wait.

O.K. fine I'm not as young as I used to be, at least I am proud of all I've accomplished in the last ten years, and I don't have to feel the pressures of all the high school social games anymore. Now, could somebody come over and watch my kid for the next few weeks, I have to write, and publish a best selling novel, or cure cancer before June 9th.

The Long Absence

So I know that I haven't been a good blogger for quite some time now. I have know one to blame, but myself, but well I just haven't felt quite up to it.

Fist there was this:

And that then there was two months of puking and feeling like a zombie, where I just didn't feel like doing anything.

And then The puking went away, but I still didn't feel like doing anything. And I mean NOTHING. The laundry was piling up, and I didn't care, I was even too apathetic to argue with SHane about what we should name the new bundle of joy. As far as I was concerned it didn't even feel like a bundle of joy. It was a strange feeling, and after a few weeks I started to worry that there was something wrong. I talked to my doctor, she thought the hormones were making me a little depressed, she prescribed drugs. I was scared of the drugs, not for me, but for the baby, what if they weren't good for this little one growing inside of me. I fretted about it all day. Then I prayed about it. That morning I woke up at four a.m. I couldn't sleep so I set up on the couch and flipped on the T.V. The discovery channel had some show about adoption on, this poor family had to wait four months to get there adopted baby from India. It was touching. Then I watched two episodes of A Baby Story. I felt happy for the happy families that were having babies, but I thought to myself 'they don't know what I know about childbirth. THey don't know that something can go wrong.' If you want the back story go here. That's when it hit me. That's why I was apathetic, that's why I didn't want to get to excited, this pregnancy was scaring me to death, and I didn't even know it. Deep down in the recesses of my brain, I was protecting myself by not getting to attached to this pregnancy. And then a new softly spoken little thought entered my head it said 'Nicole, what went so wrong?' And I thought of my little two year old bugaboo up in his little bed, sleeping. Yes he came two months early, and yes it was scary, but we did it, he's ok, he's a miracle.

It was like a magic pill...way better than the stuff my doctor prescribed. Realizing I had some major trauma and fear lingering in my past, helped me to face it, and when I faced it I saw that it really wasn't so scary. I can handle this, and I am so excited for this baby now.

I have felt tons better this last week or so, and I even have the laundry almost caught up. I can't promise I'll be a better blogger, I'm doing it on my own schedule, but I hope I'll be able to write more often...ok I'll at least post when the baby gets here.

And just for fun here is Bugaboo sleeping, isn't that the sweetest thing you've eva seen?

Babies Again

These were the most beautiful pictures of Shelah's new baby that I got the pleasure of making into announcements. Its actually been a few week since these were made, but I am just now getting a chance to post them here and in the gallery on the Song Bird website.









Isn't she the most divine little baby? I think that these have been some of my most favorite announcements to work on.

And remember if any of you folks out there need announcements, don't forget that I give lovely discounts to my bloggy friends...

Daddy's Boy

This was the scene this morning when Shane tried to use the bathroom by himself.
This...

and then this...

That little boy loves his dad, which is one of the many priceless and immeasurable benefits of parenting, unfortunately for Shane peaceful bathroom breaks are not also included in this benefits package.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Ok this morning I am feeling seriously grumpy...why you ask? Oh you bet I am going to tell you. First of all Bugaboo thought that it would be totally awesome if he woke up at the crack of dawn, yeah kid that was AWESOME. Then I had to spend my morning cleaning up the mess from the dinner that I made last night just before I ran out the door to go to work. GRRRR!

Do any of you moms out there feel like Sisyphus the Greek who was condemned by the Gods to continually roll a great boulder to the top of a hill only to watch it roll back down again? Only instead of a boulder its a big ol' pile of laundry, and unlike Sisyphus you don't get to roll it up the hill in peace you have to do it with a toddler attached to one leg.