Creeper

No more stationary. She's now all over the place. More photos to follow. For now, I need to catch up with Jellybean's adventures discovering everything she is not supposed to be stuffing in her mouth but is.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.8

So Purty!

Leah's first photo shoot was Friday. So purty, my little jellybean.

Finances

This topic comes up every so often with random friends. Bottom line? I don't do them. At all. My checking account always has $100.00 in it. Never more. Never less. In fact, my Debit/ATM card has been inactive since some time in 2008 and I didn't know this fact until a few months ago when I went in to use their penny arcade (Commerce, now TD, is the only bank you don't have to roll your own stupid change). Before I got married, I had no problems paying my own bills and at one point, doing it for a living for people who made way more than I did. I didn't have anyone to shove it off to. I, gratefully, do now (thank you, husband!). We also don't do bills together because it wouldn't work. Husband does things online and in his head. I don't do estimates. I need it hand-written in record and when my statement comes in, I need to know that it matches up exactly as I have it written down. If there's even a penny off, I will go through an "X" amount of weeks'/months' worth of statements to find that discrepancy. Really. A whole penny. It's obviously not the value. Why then? Easily explained. I'm crazy. I need things to be exact. If we were to manage this together, I would fight with him. He's also too controlled in his own way of managing so if I were to take over, he would hate me and we would fight. Besides that, he's a (sort of) CPA. Score! However, I do squirrel away every dollar that comes my way on the side. When I say every dollar, I mean it in the literal sense. At the end of the day, from wherever I've been, I collect all singles and put it away. I also steal them out of husband's wallet. He can obviously tell that he never has any change to buy a $2 cup of coffee without breaking a twenty so it's no secret that I do this. At the end of the month, I deposit it for my daughter. Anything of monetary value, I save for her. It's almost an obsession. Long story short, growing up, my parents didn't have that option. They were too busy making the rent on time. I know they must have wanted this for me. Why doesn't it get shared? Because there's always a possibility that if it is accounted for, there's always somewhere else it "needs" to go. This way, it doesn't exist. Maybe it can be her college fund. Don't need it? Great! Maybe it can be her first car. She bought her own? Maybe it can go to her wedding, her IRA, her retirement. Maybe *knock on a big fat chunk of wood* she may really need it one day. And it will be there for her. Okay, fine, it's a bunch of singles so it isn't much because she's all of 7 and a half months young, but here and there funds do find their way to me (again, thank you husband) and that also gets squirreled away. What happens to kid #2, #3, and however many I do end up having? I'm assuming those singles and random funds will have to be shared, but right now, it's all about her (sorry future children). I should be (am) truly grateful that I can even have an obsession like this. Call it what you will because everyone, including myself, have a theory as to why security of any kind is top priority for me above most else. The reason doesn't matter so much. The important thing is, I know that I am building something for her in my own little way to give her that (and every other) type of security and that makes me happy. It's almost like I'm giving her what I know my parents wanted to give me and couldn't so it's two-fold. I'm doing it for them as much as I am doing it for her. So the big stuff like food, rent, car, diapers, formula, and my daily 7-Eleven iced coffee funds fall on the husband and while I don't verbally thank him nearly as much as I should, I (hopefully) think he knows that I do. If you are reading this, which you probably are not because you don't do the reading stuff, Thank You, Husband. I forgive you for leaving your socks on the staircase for me to slip on and almost fall on my face. ;)

"Mommy, what is that on my head? Why do you keep putting it there?"

"Mommy, come look"

"I sit and play all by myself"

"I crawl too!" (slither)

"This is my daddy"

"Daddy, you're breathing on me!"

First Time

in a highchair at a restaurant. She's in a big girl chair.... *sniffle*

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.2

Jellybean, What Did You Do?

I walk away for no more than a couple of minutes, and ...

"But it wasn't me, mommy..."

Generally, I leave her in the baby jail if I have to walk away, but really, I wasn't going to be gone for more than 2 minutes! This is her time-out face...

She didn't seem to mind one bit. Probably because I was cracking up all the while. Ahhh, sigh. I'm a sucker for those cheeks. What can I say? And on the topic of those delish cheeks, I found the perfect onesie for her...

Happy Big One, Elise!

One by one, the babies are all reaching their big ONE birthdays. It's amazing how quickly time flies. Can it be that Leah's Big One is not so far from today? Big CONGRATS to Elise!

That lady in the background with the purple hair? She's a clown. She has a partner with red hair. They paint faces and blow little balloon characters and I am booking them for Leah's first birthday. However, they cost a bundle. A large bundle. I'm in the wrong business. If I didn't dislike clowns so much, I would consider putting on a purple wig with lots of glitter on my face. Okay, I wouldn't, but they make a killing if anyone else is interested in a new career.

I am officially convinced that baby's first birthday celebrations are just a form of torture for the newly turned one year olds. Look at her! Does she look even remotely happy to you?!

That below is purple-head clown's partner. She's busy blowing Leah a balloon flower. I don't know what that expression is on my face. Why do I always have some stupid look on my face in photos? I wanted to get my face painted, but I was afraid jellybean would start bawling at first glance so I held back from joining the line with all the other kids the length of my leg and smaller/shorter... In hindsight, I think I saved myself some embarassment.

She truly had a ball with the flower balloon. I was so afraid she'd bite into it and scare herself, I murdered it when we got home.

Again with the strange look... I never really thought of it in the past, but lately, I really hate how I come out in photos. It captures the most ridiculous of expressions. Or I just look so tired, it bugs me.

This is Ryan. His Big One is up next at the end of this month! Yay!

"BALLOOOOON, mommy, BALLOOOOON!"

"I'm bored, mommy"

And then it was time to go home.

Stylin'!

My jellybean woke up from her nap with hair standing on its ends. At least she didn't need a hair clippy to keep it from getting in her eyes. Photos don't do justice. I was cracking up most of the afternoon every time I turned to look at her. I can't say I tried very hard to get it to go back down just to have something to smile at. I know, bad mommy. My day was made brighter at her expense, but c'mon... Not even hub can get bed head like that. A wise decision not to get a boy-cut for me. It's cute when you're a little peoples. Not quite the style to aim for as a big peoples, but on this little girl? I heart it. It's still cracking me up. Maybe it's just because she's my jellybean, and not yours? Whatever. It's funny.

Regrets

Old friend and I got talking about things we do and don't regret. I think whatever direction someone chooses, there will always be some form of regret. It is going the direction you think you will regret less. Do I have regrets? Boatloads of them. I can't, however, say I regret much about how I got to where I am. I wouldn't trade this creature for the World. Happy belated (mommy got lazy, I know, I'm sorry) 7 months, honey bunny!

It's impossible to get a good photo of her lately. She won't stay still long enough. By the time I'm done clicking the button, she's rolled over, leaned over, face planted, etc...

So we tried again, after her nap...

Happy 7th Month!

She's taking up most (read: all) of my time now. I, happily, am at her beck and call. Updates of her month 7 photos to follow another day.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.4.9