Love your mother

You know I love to spend time outdoors (even if I'm not a mountain climber), so I couldn't let Take A Child Outside Week pass me by without doing just that.

Fly and I roped his friend Lancelot and his mama Guinevere (Star) into going to a local park that is mainly a swamp. It recently opened after being closed for two years due to a very bad storm.

Fortunately, it appears the swamp has survived.


A ruddy daggerwing butterfly


Beautyberry bushes

We even saw some wildlife!


Pileated woodpeckers


Um, yeah

Guinevere and I might have to keep trying to bring up the boys to love nature, though.....



PS [soapbox] Take A Child Outside Week is going on through Sunday, but any time is a good time to spend with your children in nature and teach them to love Mother Earth! [/soapbox]

Too much/too little

My friend Roo is coming over to watch Fly for a little while today so I can get some things done. I need to tweak my professional Web site and do some work on a new design project I took on for my church. That's super nice, but . . . .

The thing is, I know if I didn't spend time writing here at Growing A Life and reading blogs, I would have time for these things.

I lovelovelove blogging and the community of mamas I've come to know and love.

But it's getting harder to justify spending an hour a day on what is basically a hobby; unlike many successful mom blogs, I am not trying to make money with Growing A Life. Fly has always been a high-need baby, and I've complained chronicled how he doesn't like to sleep. Now Fly is growing into a high-need toddler who takes one short nap every day, and I'm worn down. If I spend his precious nap time blogging, then go to bed an hour after he does, that doesn't leave me much time for other stuff. (And if I don't go to bed right after he does in an attempt to get everything done, then I get six hours of sleep or less! Like almost every night this week.)

A month ago, JP offered to watch Fly more on weekends instead of doing the personal projects he wants to do. But two weekends of him not doing that (after which I reminded him of his offer) and two more weekends when JP freed me up for one hour each weekend, I can see I can't rely on him to give me more free time.

And so I'm just torn about what to do. I hear all the advice about making sure you're fulfilled as a mom so you can be a better person to take care of your family -- but I just don't know how to do that without help or without cutting something out. I hear stories of moms with two and more children, running numerous Web sites and seeming to keep their reali-world lives all together. I know a mom who has two sons, works as a nurse, takes classes toward an advanced degree and still finds time for herself every week. Many moms have successful home businesses. And I wonder how they do it!

If it was just a matter of writing blog posts, that isn't time consuming (for me). But, let's face it, to be a good blog citizen (blogizen?), you have to be a good commenter. And that takes a lot of time. I read about 80 blogs. I enjoy it. But maybe I need to focus more on my priorities. I don't want to stop blogging, but I don't know how to keep up this pace of all the things I have to do.

So I turn to you for ideas, help or criticism. Am I doomed to having zippo time to myself because I have a high-need baby? Should I just let him watch TV for two hours a day, as a friend of mine suggested? Or is it OK to let your friend/relative come and watch your child so you can blog (even if it's not that you actually blog while your child is being watched)?

How do you find time for yourself and doing the things you enjoy?

Or is there something I'm missing? I just need to get it all sorted out . . . .

What I'd Wear Wednesday

What I'd wear today if I could: some super-soft pajamas, to bed. All day. The past few days have been rainy and dreary. Maybe having some pajamas (like these bamboo softies from Hammacher Schlemmer) would tempt me to take a nap while Fly naps. Then I could just drift to a cozy sleep while listening to the rain come down .... Zzzz....

Laughing too loudly

Remember how I wrote that I am not good at making friends? That I can't go from friendly (which I am usually super friendly to everyone) to an actual friendship?

Well, one time, I made a friend easily. We were both new in our high school. Two new girls from other states just trying to figure everything out. I had a slumber party for my 16th birthday (I know!), and I invited her. I knew we were going to be friends when a small food fight broke out* (I think it was really just the flinging of uneaten pepperoni slices), and the two of us were the ones laughing the loudest. The other girls complained we were laughing too loudly!

Well, that friend has a new blog. And she's funny and has two cute boys. I mean sons. If you want to, go over and say hi to her.

*I don't advocate wasting food this way, but I guess I thought it was funny at the time....

Don't read this post if you don't want to see a breast

If my stepmother, Anne, knew I was doing this ... wait ... if any of the women in my family (except my sister) knew I was posting a photo of myself on the INTERNET! with my breast even partially exposed, well, have mercy on me.

But it's for a good cause.





In my state, I have the right to breastfeed my baby in public even if I might happen to expose a little flesh while making sure Fly is fed. All states have laws that allow a woman to nurse her baby in public, but the details vary. So why should it be any different to post online a sweet photo of baby nestled up to his mother? You see more flesh at the beach or even the gym -- and those people are advertising, not trying to feed a baby.

There's a huge online uproar now against Facebook for taking down photos showing women nursing their babies. And the uproar people are advocating deleting your Facebook account and telling Facebook exactly why. Well, I didn't have a Facebook account to delete. So I signed up. And then I deactivated my account, just for the pleasure of telling Facebook how backward they look. I'm not even going to link to Facebook in the post.

Learning to breastfeed Fly was really, really hard for me. Fly is a year old now, and I still nurse him (although I'm trying to wean him, and we're down to about three times a day). I have told people that I rank breastfeeding with getting my college degree in terms of how hard I had to work at it.

So you think I'm not going to celebrate a major accomplishment like that?! People take photos to celebrate milestones and to capture memories. Then they share their photos with one another, frame them, spend megabucks on srapbooking supplies to preserve them. Something as important as breastfeeding shouldn't be left out of that.

And that's why I'm sharing my photo.

Four seasons? Oh no, there are five

The fifth season is coming. I can tell because my mailbox was stuffed with catalogs. Yes, it's that time of year: catalog season. Those precious months before the gift-giving, shopping-spree holidays arrive are upon us. If you're like me and you don't have a mail slot right at your front door, you take a basket or even a Lil' Red Wagon with you to cart all the mail back inside.

Some of the catalogs are for JP. Some are for both of us.

Some catalogs are for me, and here is what companies think of me:



I am a parent who is concerned about buying safe products for my baby. Even if that means using car seat straps that look as though they could possibly choke him.



I need to improve my home decor and should be a gracious host to my family at Thanksgiving by spending $5,000 to turn my home into a beautiful, relaxing autumn-themed retreat.



I like to bake, especially pies, which I carry around in the back of my pickup and deliver to neighbors.



I like to shop for well-made, sensible clothing, which I wear while dragging a dead tree through the snow in the mountains.



I am concerned about my health, have a fun chick friend to work out with (by the sea!) and wish I could look 10 years younger.



Whoa mama!

Want to play along? Write a post showing the catalogs you get (not magazines, newsletters or anything you pay to receive), and I'll create a list here.

BTW, if you want to stop getting so many catalogs in the mail, sign up here.

But Mama gets all the sugar

After a little more than a year of parenting, I have learned a shocking truth: even though a child might have two parents, parenting duties aren't shared 50/50.

I know, you're laughing at me. Snickering at my naivete. Go ahead and laugh. I'll wait.

Still laughing? Wiping tears from your eyes? Here's a Kleenex. Really, I'll continue when you're done.

Finished?

Being a parent is a tough job. It must be especially hard if you're a single parent having to be both mom and dad to a child. Even when you have another person to share parenting with, though, it can still be difficult to adjust to the huge life change you have to experience in order to truly understand.

Like today. JP came home sick yesterday and didn't work today. All day, he lay in bed. He moped over his bowl of soup (that I prepared for him) at the kitchen table. He watched TV. He basically had the days off to rest and relax.

Fly and I were sick the week before his birthday. Did I get to sleep as much as I wanted? Did I get to lie around in my underwear? Did JP watch Fly? Ha! Now it's my turn to laugh. JP got two sick days, and I got a week of being sick. I know I sound whiny, but it's not fair. I've kept my vicious comments to myself (OK, I shared them with friends) so as to help JP recover more quickly.

When we have a party, I watch and take care of Fly. Same story for when we go on trips. And because Fly sleeps only about two hours more than I do in a day, I don't get much of a break.

I am really learning what it means to have no time for yourself.

I don't want to give the impression that JP never does anything. He's excellent at putting things together and fixing things when they break. He's super handy at all kinds of things. He takes care of the yard. But he helps me with Fly basically only when he feels like it.

I know that because I stay at home with Fly, my primary job is taking care of him and that JP's primary job is to work so we can pay our bills. I get that -- I really do -- and in so many ways, I'm thankful. However, it's been a huge adjustment to go from a couple of people in love who make decisions and plans together and who share everything together ... to a couple of people who apparently have split duties down a very defining line. There's a new invisible his/hers boundary where a mushy ours openness existed. This wasn't explained to me. It's not what I bargained for. It's what I have learned to expect, though. I know I will go back to work at some point, but that will likely be after these care-intensive baby years are over.

As I was crying on my friend's shoulder relaying these thoughts to my friend Roo, who has been through this, she acknowledged my feelings and tried to cheer me up by saying, "Yeah, but Mama gets all the sugar."

I get to hold Fly. JP holds his briefcase. I get to kiss Fly whenever I want. JP has to wait until he comes home. I got to see Fly take his first steps. JP got a phone call about it. I get the crying and the teething and the poosplosions and the sore nipples -- but I also get the biggest smiles and the little fingers that still wrap around my thumb, the satisfaction of singing Fly to sleep and the chance to take care of my baby the way I want to.

Yes, I get all the sugar, and I'm learning to lick up all the sugar in spite of the dust.

(Thanks to Scribbit for hosting the Write-Away Contest, whose theme this month is learning. And guess what? I won an honorable mention! Yay!)

What I'd Wear Wednesday

What I'd wear today if I could: this fun wrap dress from Banana Republic. Sing it with me: "She's a brick ... house!" This brick pattern on the dress is fun. OK, it's a brick-like pattern. Prints seem to be the thing for fall. I'm more of a solids person, myself. But some prints are fun. And I think they hide bodily fluids from small children a lot more easily.

Also, I love wrap tops and wrap dresses. They fit to your shape really well because you control that wrap part. With so many tops and dresses out there now that look completely shapeless (where's the fun in that?!), it's sooo good to know not everything for fall looks like a potato sack.

What's a nice blogger to do?

Because it has taken me nearly two weeks to acknowledge this:



I clearly don't deserve it.

But thank you, Brandie, ever so much. And Brandie, who earned the Nice Matters Award and passed it onto me, obviously is truly a nice person, because she has been so patient while waiting for me to write this post. She hasn't said a word. (Like, "Hey, remember I gave you an award? You haven't blogged about it. What's up with that?") Because she is a nice person.

And I quote, "This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

Oh, these blog awards! Such pressure to pass them onto others! Twisting my arm to pick seven -- only seven! -- of the 80-some blogs I read to find those I think are nice. What's a nice blogger to do? Do you play by the rules and pick seven (like maybe (Chelle, Nadine, Mamacita Tina, Guinevere Meadow, Fidget, Mama's Moon and Jodifur), or do you try to be nice to everyone and just say, "You're all nice! Nab this award for yourself -- you deserve it!"?


Anyway, I think being called nice is pretty special, but it shouldn't have to call to mind Victorian days as the award image does -- being nice can be modern, no? So I would like to offer my humble take on the award logo:



And I hope the originator will think it's nice and not think I'm being ungrateful. I'm just trying to be nice!

Free Shoes

Got your attention?!

Can you believe there’s a company that’s giving away 50 pairs of shoes every day until October 25?! Ryka is also giving away 50 tees, too. Please, do yourself a favor and sign up here. A hundred chances to win every day -- someone has to win! You would love these shoes and tees, too, because they are made just for women.

I was lucky enough to try out the MC2 Walk from Ryka. They are perfect for me, because every evening after dinner, JP and I take Fly for a walk around our neighborhood.








These are truly the most comfortable athletic shoes I’ve ever worn.

Me try teach child

Walking one-year-old. Won't nap in the morning. Must find things to do. MUST FIND THINGS TO DO! Using caveman English. Help! Must get out of house before vocabulary disappears!

Aha! Libraries. Books. Words. Go there to get vocabulary (and mind) back. Libraries have programs for little people. Even if they're not readers yet? Maybe. Google, click, click. Yes! Twenty minutes away. Let's go.

Oh, we're early. Meet other early toddlers and moms. This is looking fun. Flybaby plays with toys. Fly runs down aisles of books. Fly finds creepy old man sitting in corner of children's section! Gah! Come away, sweetie, let's go this way....

Wait, the program is starting. We have to walk past the creepy old man again. Pick up Fly, hum a happy tune and avert eyes.

Enter activity room. Look at the colors! Look at the children! Let's sit. Fly wiggles out of my lap. All right, then, you can play with your new friends. Say hi to the little boy with the stuffed lion.

Now we really have to sit because the librarian is starting the program. She is smiling. She is singing to a music CD. The CD is spinning in the oh-so-very shiny CD player placed at toddler eye level. Fly wiggles out of my lap. He approaches the singing librarian. BAM! BAM! BAM! go Fly's hands on the CD player. The music stops. Uh ... oh ... I fix it. There you go. Sorry, everyone. Music plays again.

Fly back in lap. I take his hands and do hand motions. I sing softly in his ear. Fly wiggles out of my lap. He approaches CD player. I scoop him up.

Repeat.

Repeat.

Repeat.

I give up.

I pass creepy old man. I pass books. I pass chance to share learning with child. Using caveman English. Me try another day.

Where are you, Jamie Lynn Drury?

I am not good at making friends.

I try to be friendly with everyone -- even strangers, when there's a good vibe there. But for some reason, it seems to take me a long time to go from friendly to friend.

Just ask Star/Guinevere. I think it was a good three months of seeing her twice a week before we actually knew each other well enough and got together just to hang out before we considered each other friends. Guinevere, however, can make a new friend in 10 minutes. She did so recently, in front of the library, when she and another mom showed up at the same time to find the library closed. So they went shopping together at the store next door and exchanged phone numbers. What drives me crazy about this is -- it turns out I have met this same woman and her baby three times already!

I have seen moms at Baby and Me class form bonds, hug, go out to lunch and host parties at their homes. I see them pair up at the mall. It just makes me feel rejected. Defective. And jealous, too, I suppose. What do they have that I don't? Maybe I'm just not as trusting as most other people? Maybe there is some latent shyness in my character?

Or maybe friendship means so much more to me than just that phone call, that kiss on the cheek when meeting, that playdate, that MySpace-era friend collecting to see who can get the most people to say they like you. When I make a friend, I feel it is forever (or unfortunately in the case of too many people I have befriended, at least until you move away and stop returning my calls, e-mails and letters). I have friends going way back....

My first friend was two years old. I was four. We lived next door to each other (when I was visiting my father and stepmother on weekends and in the summer). She was sassy and fun. As we grew up together, we made up games. We built a fort. I rolled backward down her front steps in her Big Wheel and cut my lip for the first time. I tried curling her impossibly straight blond hair with a curling iron and got a little too close to her scalp, so she sang, "Refry my brain, refry my brain!" to the tune of the Go-Go's song We Got the Beat. We had sleepovers all the time, and we'd talk about boys. We'd ride bikes together all over the neighborhood. We went trick-or-treating together, some years, like the year she put on a garbage bag and her older sister's belt and went as a punk rocker. Every time she had a birthday party, it was a chance to play Bingo at her kitchen table and walk a line with a potato balanced on the flat side of a butter knife. When we were dragged to the supermarket with her mother or my stepmom, we'd pretend to speak a foreign language. We pretended we were actually 10 years older than we were, and that we lived together in an apartment like Laverne and Shirley. We got into arguments almost every day, but we always made up.

Then I moved away. I remember writing but not getting a response back. New friends came into my life, but as they say, you never forget your first.

I don't know if my friend Jamie and I would still be friends if I hadn't moved away. It's possible we would have drifted apart as so many childhood friends do when they become teens and take separate paths. But of course I will always remember her.

Maybe Jamie moved away too, and is living a glamorous life in a city. Or maybe she is a mom now, with her own mom friends. Maybe she thinks about me once in a while. Maybe someday she'll Google her name and find this post, and contact me.

I am not good at making friends. And that might be why I think about Jamie from time to time.

I hope Fly will grow a friendship like the one I had with Jamie -- someone to make memories with and become a real person with. I also hope he doesn't stop there and is better at making friends than I am. The world can be an unfriendly place. But if you're the kind who can make friends quickly, the world is a lot more friendly, and life is a lot less lonely.

What I'd Wear Wednesday

What I'd wear today if I could: a pair of custom-made jeans from mejeans.com!

Just think of the possibilities. Jeans that you design yourself. They're your favorite color/wash. They're the style you prefer. You pick out everything down to the color of the stitching and how many belt loops you want. Then you provide like 10 different measurements so the jeans fit like they were made just for you. Well, they are! I've had this site marked in my favorites for a while and just rediscovered it. It's fun to see how many different ways you could design a pair for yourself.

There's a lot of custom this and that for kids -- now here's one for the moms. (Dads too.)

Speaking of dads, JP asked me last week if a certain shirt of his went with his jeans. I told him I consider jeans to be a neutral, even though they're blue. Dontcha think?

No longer a fraction

I would like to apologize to everyone who came here looking for a picture of an icing-smeared one-year-old eating his first birthday cake. Despite my best efforts, this is the best I could do:



Fly wasn't interested in the cupcakes I made. From scratch. Till 1 a.m. Which everyone else raved about. Lovingly baked in the cutest cupcake liners I ordered online.

Fly was, however, into the toys.



(A little advice for anyone whose child has yet to have a birthday: don't bother writing "please, no gifts" on the party invitations. Even though your child has so many toys that, placed end to end, they would almost make it along the entire eastern U.S. coastline, birthday partygoers feel compelled to bring the babe something. As long as children have birthday parties, consumerism will be alive and well.)

At least he was willing to share them with friend Lancelot.



Now there is actually a whole number associated with my child.



And I hope many, many more.

Happy First Birthday, Flybaby!

Growing and Giving day #5 -- Fly's birthday!

Happy birthday cake to Fly! He's a year old today. I don't know how I've gotten through this motherhood business for a whole year. Divine help, is all I can say. God is looking out for Fly by helping me. I'm not going to write a teary-eyed post about Fly or motherhood or watching babies grow into toddlers. I'm saving those thoughts just for him. Just as he and I have secret songs, just as I know his body language without needing words and just as I see myself in him with untrained thoughts, I feel those sentiments are for us to share. Even though I'm a writer, I don't feel I could communicate all of that in words, anyway. Becoming a mother, knowing the joy of watching a baby unfold and flourish into his own little being, realizing JP and I will be together forever in the form of our child -- it's all just Too Big.

I am so happy to celebrate Fly's birthday with you, though! And today's the last day of the giveaways, sniff sniff. I wish I had gifts for all of you. But today's Gap gift card goes to Oh Amanda! Fly picked her card today at random. Congratulations!

Little black book tell-all

Fashion quiz time! See how many of these statements you agree with.

1.) "I hardly bought any maternity wear ... instead, I just wore a lot of loose, comfortable jersey and cotton dresses, long tanks and tees, and bought jeans a few sizes too large for me normally and wore them low."--supermodel Heidi Klum (who strutted on the Victoria's Secret catwalk nine weeks after giving birth)

2.) "[A woman] should exude confidence, charisma; the beauty and style will happen on their own."--designers Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana

3.) "Without a doubt, the most stylish asset that any woman can have is confidence."--designer Donatella Versace

4.) "You should never stand still."--designer John Galliano

5.) "Be comfortable in your own skin. Don't follow trends. Only wear what looks good on you, but update it. Rock whatever you wear and smile, honey, smile!"--supermodel Iman

6.) "A woman is stylish no matter what she wears if she is comfortable in her own skin. I love when a woman is uncontrived and simple with a sense of inner strength."--supermodel Elle MacPherson

7.) "You have to figure out where you are going and what you have to do and then just go for it."--designer Diane von Furstenberg

8.) "Less is more."--designer Carolina Herrera

9.) The hallmarks of good taste are "all in the eye of the beholder."--designer Oscar de la Renta

10.)"Look for your natural inner animal magnetism. Be confident and have fun with fashion."--designer Roberto Cavalli

Whatever you agree with, it really doesn't matter. As many of these quotables point out, style is about being who you are and being an individual. I don't know about you, but I feel off the hook! (Although, I am still laughing over Heidi Klum's maternity wardrobe. And John Galliano's statement about never standing still? That's every single mom in the world!)

All of these fashion celebrities and others are in the new book The Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia. Garcia is the fashion director at Elle magazine and has also been involved in Project Runway on Bravo. Her little black book is a perfect place to start if you are feeling blah, revamping your wardrobe, looking for some fashion inspiration or in need of a relaxing, fun read. Other than the chats with designers and supermodels, this little black book does have practical advice such as what to wear for certain occasions (how to dress for a first date, for example, but unfortunately not how to dress for a first play date), and also the basic items every woman should have (a little black dress, a classic white shirt, cashmere cardigan or turtleneck, trench coat, jeans, a man's classic watch, diamonds, ballet flats, classic high-heeled pumps and a great bag). There are also tips on how to edit your wardrobe, choose accessories, how to find a good tailor and most importantly, how not to become a fashion victim! There's a fun guide to fashion by decade over the past century. All of it is enhanced by wonderful illustrations of fashion characters in every possible style of dress.

Basically, I love this book because it points out style isn't just for rich, skinny people. If you have confidence, you will look good in anything -- even a mom uniform worn while never standing still.

Growing and Giving day #4

One year ago today....

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHAAAA
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHYY
YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWHELP!

Yesterday when Fly refused to nap until 5 pm...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHAAAA
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
RRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHYY
YYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW
WWWWWWWWWWWWWBOOHOOWHYME!

Tomorrow is Fly's first birthday, and you can see things haven't changed much!

Aw, who am I kidding? Fly has changed. A lot. He's more than tripled his weight since he was born, and he's grown about 10 inches. He walks, he talks, he has hair! It's just a little bit sad that he won't remember his first birthday.

But here are some presents for you to remember! I relied on random.org again today because Fly decided to nap today! The iTunes gift card goes to Donna, and the gift book goes to Mrs. H. Enjoy!

What I'd Wear Wednesday

What I'd wear today if I could: a simple white button-front shirt. Actually, I wore one yesterday. (This one, a three-quarter-sleeve style with a hint of stretch, is from J. Crew.) You just can't beat a classic.

Wearing white might invite disaster when you have kids. But I figure, there's always bleach. Yesterday at lunch, Fly grabbed me with his pea-covered hands before I could wipe them, but the peas came out. No harm done.

What's your favorite classic item?

Growing and Giving day #3

Not much going on today. Fly and I are still sick. He hatehatehates the nasal aspirator. (I call it the nose squeegee.)

Even though my mother, Cammy, brought Fly some birthday presents with her, she asked me this morning where the closest Toys R Us is. I told her he truly doesn't need any more toys. And she responded, "Of course he needs more toys!" Spoken like a true grandma. So I pretended I didn't know where the Toys R Us is. But do you think that will stop her?

Things around here may be dullsville, but giving away prizes is exciting!

Today I used random.org to select winners; Fly wasn't interested in picking cards again. The rattlesnake package goes to Christine, and Myrna wins the Mickey Mouse DVD! Congratulations.

I added another prize to Thursday's giveaway. 'Cause it's my baby's birthday party, and I'll give if I want to....

What's popular with me

Guess what?! Light Iris has featured me this week in the "Popular with Moms" section. (Do you know what a silk cyber hippo is? Find out.) How fun! Thanks, Light Iris!

Growing and Giving day #2

Thanks for your well wishes on the cold Fly and I have. I'm thankful that at least it's not the worst cold I've ever had!

We tried again to get Fly's picture taken yesterday afternoon while JP had the day off. I'd say the whole ordeal was a nightmare. (My stepmother would call it a "comedy of errors," but I don't see any humor there.) Even though we had an appointment for 4 pm, we waited for 25 minutes because there were people ahead of us. Then, the power went out. When it came back on, the photographer didn't know how to start the computer back up again! Finally, Fly got fed up with the whole scene, and we had to leave before we'd gotten any decent shots...just as the biggest storm of the summer followed us home!

That did not make us happy.

But what does make me happy is giving away birthday presents!

Today's winners are Mean Mommy for the girls' sweater package, and Ginny for the princess DVD! Congratulations! Fly picked your cards at random this morning.

I really wish I had enough prizes to give to each of you! Sob!

Who's gonna win tomorrow's giveaways?

Weekend by numbers

1: Canceled photo appointment for Fly's first birthday portrait, because he is sick



2: Dozen chocolate chip cookies I baked because JP wanted them



3: Number of times I asked JP to open the oven door because it is stuck



4: Nights JP slept in Fly's room so I could get some rest -- hooray for me, I'm sick now too



5: Times I realized I really need to paint my toenails



6: Hours I slow-cooked food for Fly



7: Times JP talked to me about the freebie desk he brought home to refurbish by Tuesday



8: Bottles of vitamin water I drank



9: Times I felt sorry for myself that I am breastfeeding and can't take cold medicine



10: Nails I clipped on Fly's hands



11: Times I wondered how I'm going to do everything in time for Fly's birthday party!



12: Mushrooms I sliced to make chicken marsala



13: Total hours Fly actually slept on Saturday! A miracle!



14: Magazines and books piling up, waiting to be read



15: Nose buggies or snot strings I wiped from Fly's face



Infinity: Times I apparently forgot I am sick

Growing and Giving day #1

Happy Labor Day! We're spending it, well, laboring. JP is using his day off to do yardwork in prep for Fly's birthday party next Sunday. Me, guess I'll find some party prep to do as well. Plus, my mother and sister are in town for the week.

Anyway, I know you want to hear about today's Growing and Giving contest winners! Fly pulled pieces of paper out of a bowl and came up with these:

The boys' Gymboree outfit goes to Mom of a Munchkin, who has a beautiful daughter also turning 1!

And the Auntie Anne's pretzels gift card goes to the J. Ybrights. Enjoy!

You can still enter for the Tuesday-Friday giveaways.

"And now, I just want you to go to sleep, I don't wanna hear a peep"

JP and I have certainly had our issues with Fly and sleep (especially now that he is sick, when he broke his own record of being awake for 10 hours with an 11.5-hour marathon of fussing). As much as I pray Fly will eventually be a good sleeper, I know there will always be sleep angst. Which brings me to this hil-ar-i-ous video. Click, listen closely, and enjoy....