Losing My Mind

What is it with summertime? It seems like as soon as the weather gets warmer my brain goes on vacation. We are so busy every single evening and weekend that I double-book our time and then have to scramble to get everything back in order. Mitch never knows if we're coming or going, and now with Lydia it's even worse because she needs to have regular naps and bedtimes which, with all our busy times are sure to be interrupted, leading to a cranky baby on top of our stretched time. 

Every year I get to the point with the crazy schedule where I am just ready for summer to be over. And it's always before I've really had any time to enjoy it! Argh. 

So, to my Bible Study ladies, I'm sorry to drop the ball on the party planning. To my family, sorry for the frazzled person who shows up at family picnics and reunions. To friends, sorry for the long times between hanging out. 

I'm ready for a vacation...from summer!

Happy Independence Day!

Hey all- remember to be thankful for a country that has freedom at its core!!! 

Diet Fail

So I've been doing Weight Watchers because I would like to get into better eating habits and get to a healthier weight before Lydia is old enough to really notice my bad habits. But it's not going terribly well right now. The past week I think I could have killed someone for chocolate. Really.

The food addiction is just that-an addiction. I eat when I'm happy, sad, stressed, relaxed, anxious, calm. It doesn't matter. I just eat. Sometimes I don't even really taste what I'm eating, I just want to eat.

I hate it. I'm 40 pounds overweight. 40 pounds! That's insane. And I think it's deeper than emotional eating. I think that there is a part of me that doesn't want to trust that I will be able to get the food I want or that treat I crave. Totally ridiculous considering that I've never been in want, and I live in the most prosperous country in the world with everything available to me. 

So where does this deep-seated fear stem? I'm figuring that out. In the meantime, keep the cookies away!!!

Happy Birthday, Sofie!

On Saturday we went up to Cleveland to celebrate our niece Sofie's birthday. She's one! What a cutie. Here are some fun pictures:

 Here's the birthday gal in pink!

  Getting some help from her experienced soon-to-be-two older brother, Cooper:                                                                                                

 Lydia hitting the root brewskie... What can we say?

And sharing some time with her Great-Grandma Oliver. Aren't they cute?

                                            

Reluctant Crawler

So Lydia decided to crawl... but only as much as she has to before she gets to something or someone which/who allows her the leverage she needs to stand! It cracks us up because her attitude seems to be, "Ok. Fine. I'll crawl, darn it."

AND she actually stood unsupported for about 3 seconds yesterday before her touche hit the floor. She was undaunted and just tried getting up again.

The real kicker is that we're at Mom and Dad's house. This means that we'll go home with a mobile baby. My house is so not ready...

More pictures to come. Some from Sofie's birthday party!

Scary Milestone!

Yesterday I put Lydia down for a nap, but she didn't settle in very well. So I waited my usual 15 minutes and then went upstairs to check on her and calm her down. Well, the little ornery thing was STANDING UP in her crib against the railing!! I about had a heart attack thinking about the "what ifs." See, the crib was still up at the highest setting because she isn't even crawling yet. She could have just catapulted herself right on out of it. Oh, my nerves.

When it comes to mobility, Mitch and I just aren't sure she's going to crawl. She gets into position, but then she tries to plant her left foot on the floor and push herself up. She seems to want to skip crawling altogether. That makes me worried because I need that little buffer to get the house more ready for moving-Lydia. Geesh. 

There are days when I miss my little baby, but she's so much fun and it's such a hoot to watch her learn that I can't be too melancholy about how fast she's growing. I'm learning very quickly how bittersweet parenting is.

And besides, when I need a little baby fix, I have a new nephew to cuddle! Here's a picture or two!

Facebook's Addictive Qualities

Ok. I joined Facebook after a browbeating by a friend who lives many states away. She declared that I HAD to be on Facebook and post many pictures of the baby. 

But Facebook is like KFC: there's something in it that makes you crave it fortnightly. Once I get on I can't get off! I have to read up and check up on all my friends. I look at pictures. I wonder what people are up to. I wonder why I'm terrible at keeping up with folks when I check out friends who are still friends from high school and college. 

Facebook has led me to an interesting discovery about myself: I don't hold on to many people in my life. I don't think I consciously mean to let people go, but I only get really close to a few people. Close enough to last. I don't have breakdowns in relationships or anything. I just tend to drift away...

Hmm. It's an odd thought.