Tomato Soup

When I was younger I would spend part of the Christmas holidays at my Mom's house in Pennsylvania. Almost every year, she would make us grilled cheese sandwiches (always warm and gooey) and a hot bowl of tomato soup (she always put a pat of butter in it) for lunch. It is one of my favorite childhood memories.

I would try and replicate this meal after I returned home to Louisiana, and it never came out the same. Even now, it is warming and always makes me smile when I have it--but it's not lunch with Mom.

I rarely make it, for several reasons:

1. as my husband hates tomato soup, it requires two soups to be heated

2. I use whole grain bread instead of white bread...enough said!

3. It's just not as good at my house :)

Thanks Mom, for making a great lunch and such a sweet memory. I only hope I can make memories that warm the heart for my little girl.

The effect you have on children...

I like to think of myself as easy going, well as easy going as a control freak can be ;)

Today, however, I was not relaxed and calm because a stranger lost their patience with my peanut... Because she wouldn't be still!! During our photo session the photographer got louder and more impatient every time our new walker wanted to approach the camera or reach for the toy she was shaking at her.

I became more and more irritated after we left, how dare she! Don't you do this for a living daily? Do you not work with 12 month old children on a regular basis? How many children have you photographed that when a new toy is waived in front of them, DON'T approach the toy?

Needless to say, none of the photos taken today were our idea of masterpieces, yes our princess looks adorable in them but her face is sad and confused.

Upon completion of the shoot, the photographer was visibly offended that we did not like the pictures, and shocked that we didn't even have an interest in the free sheet we were entitled to. Why do I want to remember this day? The day my daughter was tempted/teased and yelled at to the point of a tired sadness, I'd like to forget it ever happened, not commemorate it!

Let me also say, we have used this photographer in the past and been happy with the outcome. Maybe she was having a bad day, extremely hungry for her approaching lunch, or some other reason, but her treatment of a child was inexcusable.

I did learn a valuable lesson today, this will NOT happen again. In the future, I will handle the situation differently. I will stop the act the moment it starts and remind the offender that my daughter, no matter her age, deserves your respect and guidance and if you can not give it to her we will be happy to remove ourselves from your presence.

The picture below is the best shot of the day, the only smile we got... Along with a cheap, crooked plastic #1...why wouldn't anyone want 1,000s of these? Lets all cross our fingers that our redo appointment, at another studio, goes much better!

Remember folks, just because the little peanuts of the world can't respond verbally to you just yet doesn't mean you can't hurt their feelings or cause a change in their mood. They are human too and feed off of the emotion that you show them, so lets show them love and patience and you will be surprised how they respond to you.

PS. Thank you to my loving husband who made my night all better with brownies and chocolate donuts :)

Tomorrow is another day, extra veggies for me please ;)

The worst week...

This has been the worst week thus far in my parenting journey. On Monday my precious peanut went for her routine monthly well visit (we started vaccinations at 6 months, so now we go monthly and get a shot and check up) and round 2 of her DTap shot.

Things went great at the doctor, Dr. Kate is the best, we got her new stats 10.5 months old, 20.3 lbs, and 30 inches long. It's official I'm raising the baby version of the jolly green giant! :)

She got her shot, we nursed, and we were in our way home. Tuesday morning we awoke to a cranky, feverish little monster. (who can blame her really, probably scared out of her little mind!) we started Motrin that day and rode it out. Was it the shot? Is it that her top 2 teeth just broke threw? (so far all our teeth come in pairs, so cute!) is she coming down with something? Allergies?

We went back and forth via text with Dr. Kate and settled on Wednesday evening, after almost 36 hours of fever-no fever-fever, that we would bring her into the office Thursday.

The girls at Dr. Kate's office are always do happy to see my little angel, but she wasn't her normal smiley self Thursday. She spent the visit with her head tucked into my chest, snuggling tightly to me. Dr. Kate recommended if the fever come back we start antibiotics, ugh! My worst fear! I am already giving her more Motrin than I would like to at this age and now more drugs!

Natural momma aside, I want my baby to feel better NOW! I want my happy, healthy girl back please!!! So I fill the Rx just in case.

Later that night, the mean fever monster comes back (b@st@rd!) and we start the meds and head to bed, the first full nights sleep we have gotten all week.

Friday morning comes and I think,"Yeah!, surely she will be 90% better", but no! Fever still there and the cranky monster has still taken hold over my happy princess.

We spent the day running errands and getting some air, and napping in the car, which seemed to help. Finally at about 3:00 we tried Tylenol instead of Motrin. I think that did it! About an hour later, a gallon of sweat and 3 incredibly messy (I'll spare you the details) diapers later, the fever broke!

So excited! Happy baby back, tottling around celebrating and BAM! falls and hits her cheekbone on her push toy! REALLY! The universe hates us, I'm sure of it now.

So now as we head to bed, her body temp and feel of her skin feels "right" for the first time all week, and we have a puffy, red boxer's eye to close out our first adventure into the land of the sick.

Hopefully tomorrow morning will bring a sunny day and a happy, healthy baby. Lord hear my prayer!

A Whole New World...

If you would have told me a year or two ago that this is what my life would be like at 35, I would have laughed at you. Not that long ago I was a happily married woman with a full calendar and no free time to be found. Friends would call to make plans and we would run all over the place to try to see everyone.

Now the one thing that hasn't changed is my loving husband, I am still happily married but now we have a beautiful 10 1/2 month old little girl. My husband is unemployed and I am under employed, I work a few hours a week on occasion at a local wellness center as a skin care therapist, quite a change from the 60 hour work weeks I remember a few years ago.

When we found out we were pregnant everyone said life as we knew it would change. They said we would become home bodies, and that our schedule would revolve around the baby. We laughed at them and said no way!!!

Well we were both right! Our life has changed, but for the most part our darling girl is easy going and rolls with the punches, but somehow everything else seemed to disappear. Our calendar is no longer full?

I am not sure what happened? When our friends had children it wasn't this way. I remember being at their home on weekends playing cards and BBQing, while taking turns rocking a crying baby or reading bedtime stories. So why is it that now that it is our turn everyone has disappeared? Wasn't it our friends who for the last 5+ years kept asking "When are y'all going to have kids?"

It is crazy how life changes. Some days it feels like just yesterday when I graduated high school or met my husband, but both of those events were over 10 years ago.

I should be great full for the life I have had, I have great memories, and have made lasting friendships.

It has just been an adjustment period to my new life, and not the adjustment I was expecting. Time seems to go so quickly now a days, where did the last year go?

So here we go, from this moment forward it is Reutzel party of three ready to take on the world. No more waiting on everyone else, no more relying on other people. We can do this on our own :)