number two & classic

chicka was a little more crabby today. i guessed it was revenge getting me because i bragged that she wasn't crabby at all. as the day progressed it got worse. as i was feeding her dinner i saw something odd. tooth number two is poking through! poor chicka, not one but two teeth at once!


i probably just had one of my top three most embarrassing moments of my life! i have this fear since i'm kind of goofy, awkward and unusually happy that people think i'm not smart. okay here it goes:

i'm at the gas station. i want three things: gas, bottled water, one bill. i don't want to pay outside at the pump, go inside and pay again for water. i hit "pay inside", which i've never done, and it says authorizing. soon a woman's voice come over the intercom above me and says "mam, this is a pre-pay station. you need to either come inside and pay first or pay outside". "fine", i thought, "forget the water, i just want gas." i tried to cancel it but it wouldn't go. again the woman's voice comes on the intercom, "MAM, it's a pre-pay only, you need to come in and pay or pay now outside." i yelled as if she could hear me, "i'm trying!". i close my gas cap and head inside.

i tried to explain the woman behind the counter that i want one bill that has water and gas. she had a different voice than the intercom woman and told me the exact same thing, pay-first either inside or out. i could see i was getting nowhere. i wanted someone to explain how to pay now INSIDE. the intercom woman comes to me and asks if i wanted her to come outside and help me. i thought "no, i know how to pump gas!"

she started walking out the door. i followed her and tried to explain that i couldn't cancel it out. when we got there it had timed out and was at the beginning screen. she started pushing buttons and showing me how to pump gas in a sing-song voice [making me feel incompetent]. she then set it up and walked away...

i hit the grade, pulled the nozzle out of its holder and turned towards my car. my gas cap and lid were closed! [my car has a lever inside that you have pull to unlock the lid] crap, i can't put the nozzle back in the holder because it might cancel it out. i set it in on the ground, run around to the driver door, get in, pull the lever, and ran back. by this time it had timed out and it read "please see cashier". sh*t, i'm not going back in there. i looked towards the store and see the lady standing in the doorway staring at me! omgoodness, has she been watching me the whole time? did she see me set the nozzle on the ground and run around and get into my car?!

CANCEL! CANCEL! CANCEL! i hit. it finally cancels. as i'm holding the nozzle, i do it for the third time. i finally get to the "remove nozzle" stage. it won't go past that stage because i already had it in my hand before i started! it doesn't realize i already removed it. what do i do?! i look over and she is STILL staring at me!!!! i ram the nozzle into the holder and yank it back out so fast if you would have blinked you would have missed it... whew, it says "pick a grade". i pick the grade, cram the nozzle into the tank, turn my back away from intercom lady and pray for this ordeal to be over with. the gas could not fill fast enough. taping my toes and about to cry i yank it out as soon as it stops, run to my car and i swear i left black tire marks when i took off!

i can laugh now but i was two seconds from crying. classic. here's a clip of me in 40 years! [sorry it has ads]  i will, but i don't ever want to go back there again. long story and thanks for reading!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

disappearing act, daddy's gone & that guy

chicka's tooth is officially m.i.a.! i continually bugged her to open her tiny mouth and when i finally got a peak i noticed it had worked its way back down. booger. i can barely see it. what a mean and stubborn tooth. i outta give it a piece of my mind. i hope it works its way back up for good because i'm sure its agonizingly painful for chicka even though she doesn't act like it.

dada chicka is at training all this week and this makes me sad. its only the second time since chicka was born that he has been gone and i'm glad for that. last time it was in our home state and i got to spend that week with my parents. luckily this time, i get to stay with some relatives that live close by until he returns on friday. oh what a long week this will be because i never sleep good when he's gone because i love cuddling! a little too much in fact. i'm such a heater too and i'm sure dada is dying from heat and secretly trying to get away from me but its the only way i can get to sleep anymore. guess my pillow will be my new cuddle buddy for the week. if only it gave hugs and back rubs!

what is it that makes "guy" smelling stuff so hypnotizing?! i swear you give me a bottle of good cologne and i'm like a teenager with a sharpie, i will smell it til i can't see straight! i secretly and occasionally wash my hair with my husband's manly shampoo and use his pit stick just to so i can smell it all day. i'm weird and i'll be the first to admit it but i can't understand why i'm a junkie for the stuff.

every good thing has a downside: don't be that guy.

the guy that reeks of older gentlemen cologne that gets in my nose and won't get out. it turns me off. it doesn't matter how cute you are that guy. ladies, you know him.

don't use too much. if i can smell you upwind and outside from five feet away, its too much. every guy i've ever known that does that is sideways ball cap wearing d**che bag. ya, that guy.

don't be that guy that douses his car with it so when i get in i pray that its nice enough to keep the windows down, its a turn off. i don't need to be attracted to your car! on you is enough thank you.

be this guy:

spray just enough that i can smell it indoors when i pass you. i WILL do a double take, EVERY time. once, this guy must have known i caught a whiff because he turned around and saw my "afterglow". i was mortified.

put it somewhere unexpected, no NOT down there. like your hair. once, this guy at best buy bent down to get something on the bottom shelf to show me and he must have put it in his hair because the motion released the scent and it made me lean in a little too close [and i closed my eyes, yum] when he started to stand back up his head almost hit my face!

you get what you pay for. cheap cologne smells cheap and like alcohol. please invest it in. a little goes a loooong way. it might even make you feel like you look like this guy.

thanks for reading.

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

awake at 5 am & tree pose

this morning i randomly awoke without the crying out of my little one. confused i glanced at the clock. 5 am! chicka had not waken up all night! was i dreaming?! of course i ran to check on her... still passed out. i laid back down giddy and wide awake from proud momma syndrome. around 5:30 i heard her began to stir. a very soft lazy cry came from her room. i ran in, popped her paci back in and crossed my fingers. she finally woke up around 6:30! chicka,  my chicka, you did it. i'm so proud. here's a pic of chicka with snacks in her hair, she was an absolute mess right before church. she really needed a bath!

this morning before church we were hanging around outside since it was sooo nice out [compared to the normal 100+ degree temperatures we've been facing]. as i was letting chicka walk with my help she started to head towards the grass. her last encounter was NOT successful. she cried and demanded to be picked up refusing to touch her feet down. worried about ruining her good mood i cautiously let her adventure to the yard. putting one foot on the grass, chicka looked up for encouragement, thought about the second foot and decided it was a no go. chicka was stuck because she couldn't step back since her step forward was so huge. she would not put her other foot down for anything! it was too precious. what's a girl to do? she went into tree pose to save her other foot. sunshine from sunshine family yoga would be so proud! made dada run in and grab the canera to take some quick pictures before she got to upset!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

zoo day, bubbles, tooth fairy, hugs, ladies night & tube sock

friday was our typically weekly zoo day. the chimps were active, the lions were not, the hippo was sleeping against the glass again and we marched through the zoo until it was unbearably hot and humid. we would continually retreat into air conditioned buildings [once to even get a snack] until we finally gave in and left the zoo. chicka fell asleep in the car on the way home which meant i would get a peaceful lunch.

right after dada chicka got home on friday we were bored but we didn't want to be outside. we decided to bring the an outdoor activity inside, BUBBLES! at first chicka was confused and a little scared. then, she soon realized bubbles were fun, but tricky! they moved a little too quickly and would pop once she touched one. i can't wait to til i can watch her run around chasing them! i remember making our own bubble solution and trying to get the biggest bubbles, laughing and getting sticky with popped bubbles. its a memory that i will keep forever...

the "tooth fairy" came and visited us last night because chicka woke up with a "white head" under her gums! her first tooth! momma chicka was sooo proud. she gave us no warning either! she slept really good last night and wasn't even crabby. i kept bugging chicka to get a picture but she had no part in it! this is the best we could do.

i'm teaching chicka some sign language and so far i know she is listening but she hasn't really signed yet. she kind of puts her fingers together for more but today she i was sitting there telling her hug and helping her sign it and BOOM BOOM! she did it back! i was so happy and she squealed with delight. she kept signing it over and over and i gladly gave her hug after hug after hug!

2 ladies and i last night went to stoneware studios and had a ladies night painting pottery! they are closing and this is their last monthly ladies night. treats, snacks and drinks were abundant and it felt so good to be with good friends without our children for once. instead of constantly keeping our eyes peeled for the wandering child or our laps full trying to entertain our little ones we could concentrate on each other. its was so nice to talk and get to know each other more. learning about our past explains who we are today. getting close to people in wichita is important to me since i feel like i don't have any close friends here.

i will leave you this crazy commercial i just saw on tv. wow. i'm scared and humored at the same time. again, wow.

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

stroller yoga, wingnuts, grossology & lunch with little bear

yesterday, wednesday, was a busy day! it started with stroller yoga in the morning at riverside park with the usual routine followed by a picnic in the shade. carrying key-nibbling chicka back to the group after getting our lunch from the car i noticed there was no more jingling of keys coming from my chicka. sure enough my little chicka had dropped them in the un-mowed, honey i shrunk the kids grass! looking like a silly mom as i carried chicka sideways parallel with the ground i walked in circles trying to find them. what would dada say about this! luckily, with the help of another mom we conquered the jungle and found them! grass = 0, moms = 1. the day ended with a free wichita wingnut baseball game with our mom's group. we only stayed for two innings because of my infection and it was WAY passed chicka's bedtime but we were in the shade and they were winning. go wingnuts!

today met yoga friends of ours at the keeper of the plains to walk around since it was cloudy and then head to the exploration place to let the kids get their "exploration" energy out. 

 bah-dum-ching! 

we walked through the grossology exhibit which had lots of loud animated characters that scared chicka and little bear, chicka's yoga friend! we then headed to the tot section where poor little bear learned about karma and what a pain it can be. he was being a big boy by using chicka as a climbing/patting post and soon after a bigger kid than him smacked him with a duckie at the water activity! his poor boo-boo lip stuck out so far. boys will be boys!

"pardon me, but do you have any grey poupon?"

little bear's mom invited chicka and i over for lunch, what a fun surprise! i love feeling special enough to go to someone house. it was fun seeing little bear run circles around chicka, getting into the door that doesn't latch by spider crawling his fingers into the frame and inching the door open! what a smarty pants he is! chicka passed out in the car on the way home exhausted from time spent with good friends and i'm sure little bear did the same!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

pain, pain go away!

starting sunday night i was experiencing low back/hip pain that would radiate up to my shoulder and down my leg. two days later i finally gave in and called my hubby to come home from work and relieve me of chicka duty so i can go to the doc and get this taken care of. turns out i have bacteria in my urine, hooray, and prolly have an infection. i was hoping for a pulled muscle or pinched nerve and some pain meds... darn. gonna nip this in the butt before i end up in the hospital [again] with a kidney infection. think of me during your day and put a good word in for me to mother nature so i can get better. 

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

a day for fathers, diaper baby & new car seat

yesterday was father's day and we were so unproductive! i had a mom's night in the night before and got little sleep [but loved my second night out since cora was born] leaving me cranky and grumpy. sorry hubby bubby! chicka was feeling my vibes so i had to change or poor dada chicka would have not one but two cranky chickas to deal with! chicka and i, with the help of a friend, made dada a shirt to wear, secretly hoping it would make him embarrassed! to our dismay he wore it with pride, making my heart melt all over for him. thank you for being a great dad, father and friend! i love you and so does chicka.

chicka, being vanna white, and showing off dada's shirt and even giving us a smile! with the hopes of putting away clothes, cleaning the kitchen and maybe even cleaning a toilet or two we instead had a lazy day and played with chicka. it was a good way to spend father's day because its the little moments chicka will remember, not whether the toilet was clean.

chicka loves being naked as i'm sure most little ones do. we let her sit on the floor in the kitchen because she can really grip it and come to all fours! it scares me to death that she will konk her head but on the carpet her legs slide out from underneath her and she tends to fall onto her stomach. still no crawling but i'm sure she is on her way. someday chicka will wake up and it will just click! i'm surprised we are getting her to come to all fours. it was a struggle to keep her content enough but i think being naked helps!

we also made a trip to the store and after careful research done by dada [yes, he loves preshopping recearch] we picked out a new big girl car seat. we have yet to try it out but after dada installed it i just had to set her in it before her bath and bedtime!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

zoo

our mom's group today went to the zoo.

it was super hot - just standing there and i was sweating! i needed to shave so i could wear shorts [couldn't remember the last time i had so you know its been awhile] but instead of continuing the theme with my clothes for hot weather i chose i dark blue polo... walking along in the sun i began to think, "really? you really had your thinking cap on this morning!" maybe it was because i hadn't had my usual cup of coffee, darn hubby for not making it. that's right, my husband makes it because you make not think its possible to make a bad pot of coffee but it is. no matter how much i try i always manage to screw it up! oh, what a good little housewife am i? plus it tastes so good when someone else does it...zoo highlights: we got to watch them feed the tigers which is always a good show.

they have them jump up on the fence its really exciting.
the hippo's water was clear meaning we could see in and one was sleeping at the bottom. he was even facing us with his nose pushed up against the glass.

the kids were running around, laughing and generally enjoying the day. i always love seeing kids smile and laugh. they are so joyful and so in the moment.

the kids would find the misting fans and get soaked!

chicka passed out before we even exiting the zoo, making a happy momma. i was ready for a nap as well!

this turned out to be such a great day, despite the crazy heat!

sorry to make this blog post a mess! i'm playing around with photos and i eventually gave up, so you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

all fours, stroller yoga, friends & baby weight

today was the day i thought would never, ever come. chicka was playing with her ball and it rolled just out of reach. she was in a pretty good mood so she didn't began to whine for it. she started to rock/lunge back and forth to reach it and eventually rocked enough to lunge onto all fours! chicka sat there for a second, not sure whether the situation she was in was a good or a bad thing, until i said "yaaaaaay!" and then i got a smile. she even rocked a little until... she decided it was no longer fun and she started to scream bloody murder to have me help her get out of her situation, but at least we are making progress. especially since standing is all she wants to do.

its wednesday and you no what that means? stroller yoga! me likey some stroller yoga. met at great plains nature center again since last week was so crappy. this time we were halfway around the mile track and it started to downpour!

rain+crabby chicka = run, mommy, run!

so that's what i did. it felt so exhilarating! i was out breath by the time i got to the center but it felt so good. i realized how much i miss running. after we went inside it was story time. every wednesday the great plains nature center has a free story at eleven. when the story was over, we went to the aquarium were we sat down to sing some songs. all the little fishes are swimming in the water, swimming in the water... and hop-a-long yogi. a good time was had for all, despite the rain.

lately, chicka and i have been keeping pretty busy. good thing, because we get bored easily. seems the tides have turned and we no longer feel so alone. we are making reliable friends and i just wanted to take my time and blog space to thank you all. thanks!

okay, gonna be brutally honest. i hate the leftover baby weight. i knew my body would change with chicka but all this leftover skin and this flabby thing that i now call my tummy is unimaginable. [don't even get me started on celebrities and there post-baby body bounce back miracle...] i know they say it takes 9 months to put it on, blah, blah, blah... well, chicka is officially 8 months and i'm nowhere to taking it off especially since i have stopped exercising and am in a rut. i don't like the way i look. i have stopped eating healthy and its getting me in a funk/depression. i'm all or nothing with my life. working out, losing weight, feeling good and eating healthy or a junk food junkie couch potato. i need someone or something to get me started on the right track again. grrr. thanks for listening to my rant and sorry but i needed to gethat it out.

i like to leave it on a positive note. its wednesday and that means halfway done with the week!i also can't wait for my first mom's night in on saturday! so excited.

to get your chicka fix:

cruising the window

talking

trying to cruise the against the brick wall

getting dada's hair

laughing

love

my heart melts when i see this pictures. i can't believe how much she's grown and learned so far. i remember thinking if we keep her alive and well-fed we should be happy as a first-time parents. well, i'd say we are doing pretty good and then some.

"not me" monday, zoo day & the eighth month

idea from mckmama. where you admit some of your imperfections so you can laugh about yourself.

i didn't hit my chicka's head on the door frame going into the garage, finally calmed her down only to hit it AGAIN when i opened the door to the car. nope, not me.

i certainly didn't smirk at a lady wearing skin tight sweatpants clearly defining her girlie "junk" only to realize i was walking around with my fly open and baby vomit down my shirt. nope, not me.

i certainly didn't hold my chicka up to a sign at the zoo that said "dangerous animals" to get her picture taken by it. nope, not me.

___________________

must have gave dada what i had yesterday. headache and tummy troubles because he woke up with it this morning. after a restful morning i finally convinced him to get out of the house to head to the zoo [it was all part of my secret plan to get him walking because his tummy troubles are usually because of irregularity]. it was as cool as it is going to get all week and the sun was hiding so we got to enjoy the rest of the cool but humid afternoon at the zoo.

momma and chickabear scratching, hilariousbird in the jungle, proud of this shotlooking at the fishes

wasn't sure if it was a friendly or not

stretching our his wings

i thought he was going to bite me

____________________

dear chicka,

you are now eight months old. you have come so far from the tiny glowworm i held still on the c-section table in the hospital.

minutes old

10.14.2009

you can sit up, roll over, clap, shake your head no [and i think you know what it means], open and close your fist "HI", say dada, and many other things i could list but you have even taken a couple steps.

i'm sure one day i will look think back when you were only eight months and think of how much you have grown since then.

eight months

6.14.2010

it been a crazy ride so far but i wouldn't trade it for anything... not even sleep.

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

baby steps, walker & a whiny hiney

man, i skipped a day again! grrrr... at least i didn't give up like i would have on a diet if i skipped a day.

momma and dada chicka have some crazy news. we were at aunt d's & uncle p's and little chicka was standing by a footrest when she let go turned toward momma and took 1 1/2 - almost 2 steps! we all just stood there for a second in awe and confusion! she turned to everyone and starting clapping like she knew she had done something good! we all busted out laughing. so outta the blue... then i had to ask "those were real steps right?" "like, official first steps?" i teared up on the spot. never been so proud or so scared!

after that, aunt d and i finally convinced dada chicka to head to the next town over to a target and get a walker when chicka went down for a nap. i know the issues with walkers and how dangerous they can be and all the negative hype behind them. i've read it all. she will get plenty of floor time out of the walker and if it entertains her for five minutes while i put the dishes away. great! hoping aunt d would get some quality time with little chicka i left chicka there and headed out with dada and uncle p. we were all amazed to find chicka still asleep went we had returned!

when chicka finally awoke we plopped her in the new walker. taking her a whole 2 seconds to figure it out chicka was racing back and forth across the kitchen. reaching towards me every now and then i found it funny that chicka was trying to decide if her new independence from momma was a good thing [since i was her previous 'walker']. go and be free little chicka and give momma's back a rest.

today we shoved the table and high chair into the corner of our kitchen and let chicka have free roam there. she also chased me around while i emptied the dishwasher.
here's some pics:

getting some lil' crunchies from dad

coming to get mommahanging out by the window

chicka has become the worst whiny hiney lately! she will be eight months tomorrow, too young by my books to be acting that way. i believe its those mean non-existing teeth of hers. whenever something does not please her, no matter how little, those little chicka nostrils flare and a nasally hyperventilating "heh, heh heeeeeeh" whine comes out. to most it would be cute. to momma its a little sad. i consider dada and i funny and goofy people. princess chicka has been making more and more of an appearance these days... something i was hoping we could avoid. lets hopes its those teeth, dear goodness let it be the teeth!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...

headaches, my gym, zoo & crawling

dear blog,
sorry i did not write to you last night. i passed out at 8:30ish with a terrible headache.
please forgive me,
momma chicka

now that all is forgiven i can write about yesterday and today. yesterday was my gym with our mom's group. chicka loves to just sit and watch all the older kids run around and climb on things. she still isn't quite older enough to do anything but at least we get out of the house for awhile. got to see a few moms i haven't seen for a long time. good to catch up!

standing and observing

not more pictures momcute little kid from the group giving her a kiss, at least i caught that before my camera died

today we went to the zoo with some of the families from our yoga group. i smell a weekly event coming on! i was running behind, like usual, so i forgot my camera. sucks too because chicka was in a pretty good mood and so were the rest of kids. the lions were pretty active as well. note to frequent zoo visitors in our area: they feed them first thing in the morning [it isn't on the schedule] so by the time we got there they were feeling mighty good and frisky! i love going to the zoo. it seems that there is always something new to see.

childhood flashback: we went to the zoo A LOT when we were little, almost every weekend. we would have a picnic of packed lunches and feed the chipmunks. we had such a great time and i remember always being so happy, smiles all around. can't wait to pass that on with chicka when she is old enough to remember.

and finally, crawling. gotcha! no, she's definitely not. far from it but chicka wants to go, go and go! [and can't] it's so frustrating to see her brain go a mile a minute and her body lacking. she tries to use me as a personal walker by having me hold her in a walking position. i have helped her walk a little too much and i am paying for it. when i can persuade her to engage in tummy time it is VERY short lived. i've helped her unto all fours and she can stay there for a little bit. she is only barely shy of 8 months so i'm not concerned about her development. i'm just worried she will skip crawling and go straight to walking. i'm not ready for that kind of drama mobility yet! MOMMA DON'T WANT NO DRAMA! any moms out there with advice on how to keep an 8 month old entertained in tummy time is certainly welcome.

newest goal: finding balance between helpful and hindering. when you see your child struggle at something its so hard to sit there and let them do it. i know i am too quick to hinder my chicka. today i tried to play "what's under the bucket?" and when she couldn't get the bucket off of her toy she got REALLY upset and gave up and cried! [it almost made me cry too] it was so hard for me not to pull the bucket off and give it too her. i actually caught myself lifting it up and reaching for her toy. she eventually had a meltdown and then after some reassurance [and hug] she got it off all by herself. you go girl!

chicka chicka boom boom, i'll write again real soon...