You win some, you lose some...in public

Sometimes my kid is really good in public at dinner. I love taking him because I love going with Bryan.

(Old picture, but we had a great dinner that night, with a calm baby)

Tonight was not a good night for baby in public at a restaurant. 

As soon as we were seated, Bradley started hollering to anyone within fifty yards "Milk! Milk!" No amount of shushing could stop this.

In hindsight, this is where we should have decided hmmm maybe let's just go home.

But we stayed and ordered the mother effing milk. We gave Bradley a choice between hot dog, burger or chicken. Hot dog. Of course.

We wait and he happily is sucking on ice (classy) and drinking milk. We are actually enjoying an adult conversation with a well behaved toddler.

Until the food comes. Bradley doesn't want his hot dog. He wants French fries. But Bryan and I aren't giving in. "Eat some hot dog and then you get fries," we explain.

Commence screaming.

Omg. My kid has never done this. It was soooooo embarrassing! 

Screaming.

In a moment of stress, I offer him a French fry to stop the screaming. It works.

Then he grabs his milk, and instead of sipping through the straw, he tips yr cup back and spills milk all over himself! 

More screaming. Because: wet pants.

I'm so frustrated and Bryan's ready to leave. Bryan grabs Bradley and takes him to the car and returns with a pacifier and a calm, milk-soaked baby.

We get te check and get the hell out of there. Good lord! Whyyyyyy?! Toddler tantrums are the worst.

For the record, that was the best hot dog I've ever had. 

A slice of the weekend

Yesterday, Bradley was a mess of sick. I mean, gross. I hate when I have a runny nose. I hate blowing my nose. I hate tissues.

And I wasn't even sick! It just is not fun to wipe up someone else's snot. Especially when that person doesn't want you to wipe their nose. 

So I'm washing my hands millions of times and putting on movies and giving him way more crackers than usual.

It's pretty gross over here. We had to cancel a play date and a dinner with friends. 

But, today we went to the movies. We saw the Lego Movie! 

First, it was awesome! Loved it. Bradley loved it, then put his head on me and fell asleep for 30 minutes, then woke up to see the rest of the movie. 

During the whole movie, we would whisper "Le-Lo" (his version of Lego). Just over and over whisper it. 

After the movie, he was blown away by the people and all the kids. I tried to get his reaction to the movie on my phone and he just kept staring at all the people in the lobby.

Now back home for wiping noses and playing with Legos.

Also, here is a very cute Lego version of my family.

I'm as tall as my baby because the other lady Legos are zoo keepers, old ladies or a dancer w a tutu. Lego Duplo, if you're listening, make a cute mom Lego!

Life lately

Things have really settled in our new place. We've been here a little more than a month, and we have a good routine.

We visited Bryan at work, in the freezing cold in the snow. It was awful walking to his building, but it was really neat to see where he works.

I signed Bradley up for gymnastics in an attempt to make friends. Turns out, it's his favorite part of the week. And, if I'm honest, mine too! 

For thirty minutes, the toddlers climb on mats, walk on beams, hang from rings and bars, jump on the trampoline and jump/get thrown in/slide into a big foam pit. It's awesome! 

One of the reasons I picked this apartment to live at is the proximity to the mall, the Target and (slightly embarrassing) the Chipotle. Once a week, I take Bradley and split the kids two taco lunch with him. He eats one tortilla, beans, rice and cheese. I eat the other taco, steak and salsa. He gets his juice and I get my weekly indulgence of Dr. Pepper. It's also right after the gym, so I make sure to burn at least 300 calories to counter the 150 for the soda.

I threw away our trash and came back to see this adorable, tiny cool kid.

Bradley is a kid of few wants: juice, crackers, Legos and coloring. 

He's always on the move, and the only quiet time is naps and movie time (strictly for weekends and really good/really bad days). He was amazing at the grocery store, helping put things in the cart, counting and pointing out things for me (red! Yellow! Green! Leaf! Pepper!) even after an hour at the gym daycare.

He helped me with the groceries (carrying one bag of bread) and then brought me the muppet movie and said "peeeeeeas" how could I resist? So, we watched it and this was his face for an hour.

I just love him! He really is becoming so fun to hang out with and I am truly growing into my motherhood. I feel pride when he can do things that he couldn't a week ago, when he says please and thank you, when he answers my questions, when he builds a Lego stick, when he is obsessed with cute things like bananas and muppets and crackers.

Things are good.

Day in our Life: 18 Months

6:45am - Alyssa and Bryan wake up, Bryan showers, Alyssa unloads dishes 

7:00-7:30am - Bradley wakes up, Alyssa turns on lights and open curtains, morning cuddles and songs

7:30am - family breakfast of cereal, milk and fruit (weekends include bread/muffins/pancakes)

8:00am - change diaper, put on Bradley's clothes and get ready to go

8:15am - turn off lights, turn on roomba, all leave

8:30am - drop off Bryan on campus

8:45am - Alyssa and Bradley go to the gym, Bradley hangs out in the train room and I head upstairs to work out

10:00-10:30am - hang out at the gym either watching pool classes or go swimming together, then go home

10:45-11:00am - eat lunch (Wednesdays we do Chipotle!) at home, usually leftovers from dinner or sliced turkey. Current favorites: rice, turkey, peas and (if good) blueberries

11:30am - change diaper, Bradley takes a nap.

11:30-2/2:30pm - while Bradley sleeps, I have time to shower, do my hair & makeup, check email, clean, do laundry/dishes/bills, sometimes I nap, too!

2:30-3:30pm - play at home

3:30pm - run an errand (Target, post office, grocery store, mall, etc) on Wednesdays, we do gymnastics

5:00-5:30pm - drive to campus to pick up Bryan

5:30-5:45pm - drive home (Tuesdays and Thursdays we go out for dinner)

6:00pm - eat dinner as a family 

6:30-7:15pm - play

7:15-7:30pm - bath, books, songs and bed for Bradley 

7:30-10:30pm - grown up time! We watch tv, play games, or Bryan goes to the gym while I relax at home.

Pretty routine days. Sometimes I skip the gym and take Bradley to the library, definitely Tuesdays. We try to keep Bradley's home life structured since we travel so often. He really loves knowing what comes next. It's cute to hear him in the backseat say, "Home!" After the gym or "Dada" at the end of the day on out way to pick up Bryan. 

Brain Dump: Baby and Life Edition

There's so much swirling in my head. Bryan and I had a big talk about our short term and long term future and it was scary. I had some confessions to make.

First up, I am putting down roots. I am loving this new place. I love our city, love my job, love our friends, love our gym. I feel so at home here. Thankfully, Bryan does, too. (Sigh of relief).

Secondly, I want a house sometime in the next few years. I want a newly built house with enough room for all the future babies. I want a big living room and an awesome kitchen. And a garage. Bryan hadn't even considered it. Discussion.

And lastly, I'm still not ready for a second baby. This was truly terrifying to admit. I feel like once a baby turns 18 months, it's time to talk about the second one. Well, I'm not ready. Thank god, neither is Bryan! (Sigh of relief).

So I'm happily experiencing peace with my family. We have named this year: Happy Buckleys. We shall avoid the pain of a newborn, of moving, of Oklahoma, of breaatfeeding, of all that mess. We shall enjoy the beauty of our trio, our great sleeper of a baby, our awesome ability to travel/go out/host parties. 

I was terrified that Bryan would want another one. Before we had kids, we wanted kids 2 years apart, but now, I'm like no effing way! I am loving the freedom and we are finally enjoying all the hard work we put into Bradley (sleeping, eating, being good). 

I am so confused that it's Tuesday. It feels like Saturday, or at least Friday. I just can't believe how relieved I am that it's out there. And now, mom and my other friends, now you know. I'm not pregnant, not trying and I'm happy about it.

How I Dropped Six Pounds

BY BUSTING MY ASS! I started two weeks ago with a personal trainer at the big YMCA in town. They have free childcare while I do my workouts, so it's a perfect fit.

Some lessons learned:
1) Cook your meals at home.
I have really loved this because it aligns with my other goals of cooking for pleasure and saving money. My new routine is to shop on Saturday or Sunday (sans husband, sans baby!) and buy everything we need for the week, emphasizing on veggies. I buy a 6 lb. chicken and roast that on Sunday or Monday night for dinner with veggies. I cut up the rest of the chicken and split it 3 ways: one for Bryan's lunches, one for my lunches and one for the next night's dinner.

2) Hurt now for later.
On the first day, my trainer asked me about the food I ate and my workouts before that day. Were they delicious? Was it fun to just relax and skip the gym? Oh yeah. Well, life is about balance. I've got to weigh out all the decisions I made to get me where I am right now. Now's the time: eat right and aim to hit the gym everyday.

3) Just do it.
It's silly that I bundle myself up and my toddler up just to go workout for 30-45 minutes. But if I didn't, I never would go to the gym. I need to take care of myself, my body, my family. I am taking charge of my weight and my fitness and my diet.

That being said, I've lost 6 pounds, an inch in my neck and three inches in my hips. My pants fit again! They're tight, but they actually button now. I have a jawline in pictures again (still a little bit of a double chin), and Bryan is really impressed with how I look now. 6 pounds! That's it! I think it's a lot, but it's also not that much.

We have two big trips coming up in March, and I want to look fantastic. Also, this is MY time. I'm home, I have the time and the ability, and I have youth on my side. I need this. I need to be myself again, and I haven't been feeling like myself where I'm at. I was unhealthy, unmotivated and had no self-control. Now, after only two weeks, I had one Dr. Pepper and haven't really missed it. The food isn't that hard and the workouts are really tough but when they're done, I feel so powerful, so strong. And nothing feels better than stepping on the scale and seeing another pound gone!

6 lbs out of 29 lbs. I can do this!

Bradley Douglas: 18 Months

The time has come, the Walrus said, to talk of Toddlerhood.

18 Months came like 6 Months did: immediately with changes. I remember Bradley sitting up like no big deal on his six month birthday, and 1 year didn't feel that different from 11 months or 13 months. 18 months feels different.

My sweet little baby has grown up into a feeling-filled, dramatic toddler. I shall endearing refrain from calling him my baby, for he is now a toddler, officially a year and a half. I think he also graduates from X number of months old to being solely X years, X.5 years and almost X years. Which, after 18 months of counting months, I'm kind of relieved.

The biggest changes happened this week, and I shall share a la list form.
1) EATING! The week prior to this one, Bradley would eat a huge breakfast, half of a lunch and literally a single bite at dinner (sometimes not even). I am a very relaxed mom (much to the horror of some family), and I tried not to let his not eating bother me. I would think about him going to bed hungry, no dinner in his belly and feel badly for him, but I also figured that if he was hungry, he would eat. I guess he wasn't hungry...until the dinner before he turned 18 months. He had TWO huge plates of spaghetti. Then, on his 18 month date, he had three plates of dinner: what we were having (rice, edamame and dumplings), then a peanut butter sandwich, then a bowl of Cheerios, then grapes and an entire apple. Now he's eating like this at every meal. I am impressed.

2) Opening doors. Our new apartment has lever doorknobs, not round ones. He is not only tall enough now to reach, but he's smart enough to figure them out. There goes peeing alone (Note to self: lock the door.) 

3) Speaking in (tiny) sentences. He's always been eager to repeat what we say and learn the meanings of words that are important to him (more, all done, nurse, cookie, cracker, blueberry). However, this week, he said his second sentence (first was Hi Dad the week we were moving from Oklahoma): "Muh blue-blue peeeeeas" (More blueberries please). I almost fell off the couch. He can say (something he wants) peeeeas. Or more more (something he wants). I'm trying to teach him to add "Mom" or "Dad" to the end of "I love you" or "Goodnight" but he's not quite there. He loves to go to the window, say "Snow!" and then turn to me to say "Cold" which is close to a sentence.

4) Pronouncing different consonances in a single word. He has always repeated the first consonant sound in a word to mean the word (for example: muh-muh for Muppets, koo-koo for cookie, blue-blue for blueberries). Just yesterday, I taught him to say Muh-Pits, and if he concentrates, he can say it! If he's too excited, he'll revert to his Muh-muh.

5) Immediately repeating what we say. He is picking up new words (not sure how much he understands), but he can repeat everything from coffee to pillow to whatever we're doing/eating. We are definitely watching what we say - and censoring some of the podcasts we listen to in the car.

6) Critical Thinking/Making Connections. Yesterday, he was reading a book with me and pointing out things in the book. He saw a cherry and said Cherry! Then ran away. When he came back, he brought me the DVD of Wreck it Ralph and said "Ralph! Ralph! Cherry!" If you haven't see this movie, first go see it - it's awesome. Second, Ralph does eat a big Pac-Man cherry in the movie, but it's an insignificant part of the movie and lasts for maybe 30 seconds. I know every parent says it, but MY KID IS A GENIUS!

7) Growing Taller/Not Sitting Still. He is officially out of his 6-12 month pants! Woo hoo! Short legs Buckley has grown an inch and a half since January 4. He is now solidly in his 12-18 month pants without me rolling the bottom (I rolled the bottoms of his green pants for MONTHS). Also, I can't hardly get a good picture of him nowadays because he is constantly running or climbing or falling down or walking away. I keep on trying though.

8) He has weaned. This is such a hard thing to write about because it's very uncommon to nurse a baby past one year. Also, when I first started breastfeeding, my goal was 3 months. My journey has been the most unpredictable part of motherhood for me, and I'm still not sure what I think - or if I will breastfeeding my next kid, but that's another story. Regardless, Bradley has been nursing only in the mornings for a few months now. Just about 10-15 minutes of cuddles and nursing. I think it helps him wake up because he's not a morning person, but he clearly doesn't need the milk. But, he did seem to need me, that close bond. But yesterday (the day after 18 months), he just woke up and wanted to eat cereal with Bryan. Just like that, it was over. I'm ready (and have been), but it went without fanfare, without notice, without a look back.

9) Tantrums! Just random, awful, loud, horrible tantrums. Tantrums when I ask if he wants to play. Tantrums when I give him a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast. Random tantrums in the middle of playing. Tantrums that include flailing around on the floor. SO MANY FEELINGS. ALL THE FEELS!

Thus ends his baby chapter. He is our toddler now, our little man. He can eat by himself with a fork and spoon, turn on lights, throw away diapers, bring me a clean diaper, put his dirty clothes in the hamper, clean up his toys, put Legos together, pick out a movie, and give the best tiny hugs. He's in a gymnastics class now (and I'm not sure who loves is more, me or him!), goes to the library once a week and plays in the YMCA pool once a week.

They say it goes by fast, and I'm not sure if I'm being contrary just because that's my nature, but it feels like a lifetime ago since he was born. Even his first birthday feels like forever ago. I'm cherishing as much as I can, taking lots of pictures and videos and being in the moment when I'm with my Bradley.

Happy 18 Months to Bradley Douglas!

Snow day paradise

We love our new home. Love the new apartment, the new jobs, the new big city life, and I even love the snow.

We hate the zero and negative degree weather, but what we hate most is that awful freaking cold wind. 

This snowday is spent at our friends house. Here I am, lying on their couch blogging while watching Parks and Rec. Bryan and Isaac are writing a board game. Julia and both babies are down for a nap. It's glorious. 

We ordered pizza delivery for lunch, ate some of isaacs homemade bacon (amaaaaaazing), eggs, toast and fruit for breakfast. Last night, Bryan and I went out for a date and came home to get drunk and play poker. It is seriously the best.

It's been awhile since we had best friends. Pretty much since they moved away from Oklahoma. We are back, baby! As Bryan says, you gotta have friends.

Snowday highlights:

-Ginny saying, "No Bradley" all day about everything! Adorably bossy. A girl after my own heart!

-Bradley teaching Ginny how to make a pillow tower and then smashing it with a body slam.

-chair racing!!

-Babies playing together, moms gabbing about shopping and dads nerding out about economics.

Is this real life?!

Happiness.

Ive been slow blogging updates because so much has been happening.

1) Bryan started his new job

2) I started working out, and today I met my personal trainer

3) our friends here are moving so I've been watching two toddlers on different schedules (madness!)

4) updating insurance, banks, cable, bills, need to do DMV (yikes)

I'm just so happy here. The apartment is always clean. Maybe because it's smaller? Maybe because it's newer and I care more? Maybe because it started clean and it's easier to keep clean?

Well, whatever. I was putting on makeup while Bradley naps and I got this text from Bryan:

Bryan is happy. He's proud of his job, excited for the new classes and new (really smart) students. This makes me happy.

Happy New Year and New Year Resolutions

Hooray! I am blogging from a hotel bed with a sleeping Bryan next to me, heels on the floor. Where's the baby? Oh, he's eating breakfast and watching Monsters university with Aunt Cari and Uncle John. We left him yesterday morning, and it has been so nice to have some uninterrupted us time! The best way to spend New Years and our anniversary is without a baby! Ha

Needless to say, I am starting this year out happy! (Not going to lie: i can't wait to see him again and hope he comes running over saying mama!)

This year is a blank slate for us: new city, new job for Bryan, new job for me (Manager of the house/family), no new baby/no pregnancy, new school. 

We talked so much over the last 24 hours about this new year, and we are ao excited about the potential for change and new aspirations. Bryan wants to excel at his job, network with colleagues and be more attentive to email. I want to set up budget, organize our calendar, find friends, find a babysitter, find doctor/dentist/gym/haircutter/pediatrician, and teach Bradley new things.

And so, like millions of Americans, I have compiled a list of resolutions for 2014:

1) read 52 books, or a book a week

2) practice patience (in commutes, in conversation, in parenting, in my marriage, with weight loss, etc)

3) live in the present (stop planning so much, enjoy the now.) 

I am excited for this new year! It feels so fresh, so different and (I'll say it) so NOT Oklahoma.