WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: When You Just Want to Cry...

I used to be a big crier. Oh god, in middle school I would cry if I got a bad grade, if someone looked at me funny, or if a teacher reprimanded me for anything. In high school, I would cry when I broke up with a boyfriend, when I didn't get the role I tried out for in the school play, and when my parents wouldn't let me stay out as late as I wanted. In college, I cried when I didn't win the Hamblet Award at Vanderbilt, and...well, I'm sure there were other times. I just don't remember. I'm sure I cried a bunch after college too.

But since having kids, I haven't really cried very much. I cried in the hospital after having Baby T while reading a magazine that described an infant's age in stages, and I couldn't imagine him ever being older than he was then. When I was pregnant with Little M, I was very emotional, but I couldn't cry. In fact, my midwife thought maybe a good cry would bring on labor after my water broke and I wasn't having contractions, but I just couldn't do it.

This week, the same day I was complaining to Big T that there were toys all over the house and I just couldn't keep up with the laundry and clothing rotation, smoke started pouring out of the hood while I was driving both boys around town, and I frantically toted both boys and all of our belongings down the street to a generous friend's house. I kind of wanted to break down in tears. But I didn't.

Maybe this is why:

Drowned Toys

Bathtime Antics

A Noodle Hose

A Determined, Yet Sleepy, Fireman

Those Eyes!

Monkey Butt

This Sweetness

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Perspective

This evening, one of my friends helped me put things in perspective. I've had a rough few days, and I'm surprisingly exhausted (for the first time since having kids, of course). I've been attempting to sleep in in the mornings (not happening), and I even fell asleep on the couch a few times this afternoon, only to get "boinked" in the nose by Baby T every 15 minutes.

When I was given the chance to get out of the house tonight, this was my response:

Gaby Merediz 6:38pm Jan 20 Ugh. I'm stuck home with the kids right now. Ty won't get home till around 7, and then we'll have to deal with Tieren waking up more often than his brother because he is a crazy toddler! Why didn't anyone tell me the toddler years would be ridiculously harder than the newborn years? Give me a newborn to stick on my boob in the middle of the night any time. Give me a toddler who constantly wakes up, turns on all the lights, wakes up his brother, and tosses and chatters in bed with us and I go nuts. So I can't leave Ty alone with that right now. Especially because there is also the one who needs to be stuck on the boob periodically. Grrrr.... and WTF. And Grrrr....

Gaby Merediz 6:39pm Jan 20 Oh yeah, but thank you for the invite! I will be there in spirit as I chug some beers here on my own!!

And here I am (you'll be reading this on Saturday, but I can assure you I am writing it on Friday night), one beer down, some receipts recorded, Baby T in the crib (yup, you read that right), Little M ruining his spine in the pack 'n play, Big T asleep (I told him I would be in bed 15 minutes ago, and I'm now just wasting time), and I'm going to be woken up sometime in the middle of the night by the boob sucker, and several times by the crib-sleeping wackadoo toddler, and then again in the morning by the boob sucker. And then the wackadoo toddler will wake up the boob sucker.

But back to my friend, who just emailed me and reminded me that soon enough Baby T will be driving Little M to soccer practice. Way to put things into perspective.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: 12 Months

One year ago today, my water broke.
One year ago tomorrow, Little M was born.
I can't believe it has been a year.
Twelve sweet, snuggly, challenging, nursing, babywearing, singing, loving months of this:

Newborn

1 month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

8 months

9 months

10 months

11 months

12 months

Happy Birthday!

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WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: 2012 New Year's Coloring Page

One of my resolutions for the new year was to make more art. This includes the things I sew for my Etsy shop, but it also includes drawing. I have done several custom watercolor portraits over the past few years, but I haven't just sat down, relaxed, and doodled. One of the ways I'm going to keep this up during the year is by making coloring pages. Scroll to the end of the post to get your free 2012 New Year's Coloring Page!

In an attempt to get some pictures of Baby T actually coloring it, I set it down while he was eating breakfast.

See the coloring page next to the breakfast?

No mom! Don't take my picture!

Giving me a look.

Running and hiding and hamming it up.

A little later... still doesn't want his picture taken.

I don't want to say cheese!

Nooooooo!!!!

Even Little M was in on the cranky action.

So I colored it myself.

To get a free printable coloring sheet for your child (or yourself,) just CLICK HERE. The PDF file includes a coloring sheet as well as project ideas for parents to interact with their kids while they're coloring. Feel free to download and save it to your computer or print it--it's yours!


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