Nosey people

I was at a cafe yesterday having lunch with my mom. As usual, we were having a very pleasant conversation when suddenly, we heard that one single noise that can quiet an entire room - and it did. Thud! The little girl sitting behind us (who was constantly going up, down, up, down, on her chair, off her chair, on, off, on, off...) missed the edge of her seat when she went to sit down, and she crashed onto the tile floor below. I saw it in slow motion. Feet, back, bottom, head, whack! Those of us sitting near their table instantly hushed. My hand flew over my open mouth. Together, we waited for the cry. And fortunately, it came. The precious little girl with curly blonde hair lied on the ground, staring up at her mom with big, teary eyes. Her mom, who, first of all (in my opinion) should have told her daughter to keep her hiney on the chair, slowly picked her up as though this was a common, everyday occurence. Or maybe she's just one of those mom's who doesn't freak out over a near-cracked head. Either way, you may have noticed that my title is "nosey people," and you're probably wondering why.

So, when everyone decided that it was okay to stop staring and start talking again (softly, slowly), my mom said, "She didn't hit her head that hard, because she's crying. That's always a good sign. It's when the kid isn't crying that you have to worry."

Me (totally distracted): "What?"

Mom (starting over, repeating herself): "She didn't hit her head that..."

The Annoying Lady at the table next to us: "Yes, she did."

Mom (looking at her, annoyed): "What?"

Annoying Lady: "She did hit her head."

Mom (totally annoyed and suddenly wondering how this woman entered our conversation): "I was talking to my daughter. I didn't say she didn't hit her head. I said she didn't hit her head that hard."

I guess she would have known that if she was fully listening. Instead, she heard what she wanted to hear and chimed in mid-sentence. How irritating! But not surprising. This is the same lady, who, just minutes before that, made a comment to me about Baby Boy. I was holding him, enjoying watching him look around at all the people. Baby Boy had missed his nap because there was just too much activity going on, so he was pretty sleepy. The same Annoying Lady said to me, "he's really tired." But, it wasn't in a tone that said, "oh, he's so cute, and he looks so sleepy." It was more of a tone like, "you're a bad mom for having him out and about when he's so tired." It was just that sort of sarcastic, judgemental tone that you don't want to hear from a complete stranger (or anyone else for that matter!). I'll stop complaining about the Annoying Lady. She was just annoying...I guess there are worse things.

Belly Fat

Okay, I've been going back and forth, back and forth, as whether or not to post a blog about this (hence the 4-day lapse in posts). Losing belly fat. We all know how hard it is, and though I've magically lost every pound of weight gained during pregnancy, I've gained some unwanted pudge in some areas and lost in other areas. For instance, my arms seem a little trimmer than before, but that darn donut-roll around the tummy got a little bigger. Sure, clothes can cover it, but just cause it's covered doesn't mean it's gone. It's not. So, I decided to join a gym. And not just any gym - one of those gyms that hold you accountable! I mean, it's a program where, if you go three times a week for a month, that gets you to the next level, which requires more visits to the gym and at least one free training with a personal trainer a month. Sounds easy, right? The saying "time is of the essence" holds very true in this case. Who has time for this? Well, apparently I am committed (to the gym, anyway), and then came the inner controversy about posting this blog. Now you can hold me accountable (gasp!)

My goal is to lose 15 pounds, and if I stick to the program, this will supposedly happen in 3 months. As they say, I will keep you posted, but wish me luck. And determination. And stick-to-it-eveness (is that a word?). And motivation. And the will to keep going. That's a lot of wishing.

Flying Boogies

I didn't think I would have anything to write on my second day of blogging, but I found a flying boogie very inspirational today. I'll explain. A few weeks ago, our dog, Cooper, ate our big, blue booger-sucker. You know, the one they give you at the hospital that actually works...not the cheap ones they sell in retail stores that can't suck a darn thing. But, it's all I had, so I have been trying since yesterday to get this one big boogie out of Baby Boy's right nostril. You know the one...dangles when he cries, pokes its head out just long enough to be sucked back in before you can get a good hold of it!

Anyway...we just got home after a nice long four-day vacation from seeing my grandparents in Oregon. After vacation, Baby Boy's sleep schedule is always off, so the first few days after getting home are generally rough. Well, today was the third day after our trip, and Baby Boy's schedule is almost back on track, but not quite. So, needless to say, he was fussy all day today. I mean the kind of fussy that makes you want to cry right along with him (which I admit I did!) I tried everything. I put him in his bouncer. He cried. Took him out, held him. He cried. Laid him on his mat. He cried. Put him in the jumperoo. He cried. Do you see a pattern here? So I thought holding him, snuggling him on the couch, would help. And it did...for a moment. I was lying on my back, knees propped, with him standing on my stomach (which he normall loves to do!) He stopped crying long enough to look around, deciding if he was still upset. He gave one more cry of frustration, which launched the darn boogie from his right nostril, splat onto my neck. I looked at him, he looked at me. No more tears.

For a few minutes, that is! His case of the fussies continued well into the evening. Bathtime is his favorite part of the day, and he kicked the bubbly water as he always does and enjoyed every minute of it. When his Daddy and I were tucking him into bed, Daddy said, "You know, you are my favorite person in the world." Baby Boy looked at him with his big blue eyes and I realized (maybe I should say I was reminded) that he could launch boogies at my throat all day long, and he will forever be my favorite person in the world.

To blog or not to blog...

A few months ago, I wasn't exactly sure what a blog even was. I had heard the word and knew it was something you did online, but that's about it. Now I suppose I'm an official blogger, if that's even a word. When I discovered that it was a way for me to share my thoughts and record life's silly moments, I thought these were reasons enough to get me blogging (is that a word?). So, I signed up and here I am. I won't lie and say I wasn't hesitant to do it. I was. I thought, "I really won't have anything interesting to write. I'm not that interesting." Then I started thinking of all of life's little moments - the happy ones, the sad ones, the ones that want to make you pull your hair out. Mine's full of those, so I thought, "what the heck?" There is one defining moment tonight that made me go for it.

It took me a good half hour to add all the layers of the lasagna I was making for dinner tonight because my 3 1/2-month old Baby Boy was fussy. Noodles, sauce mixture, cheese...noodles, sauce mixture, tend to Baby Boy, cheese...noodles, tend to Baby Boy, sauce mixture, cheese....and so it continued four times until I finally had a finished lasagna ready for the oven. By now he's screaming and ready for bed, so I say to him, "okay, sweetie, I'm gonna put you in the bouncer for one second while mommy puts the lasagna in the oven." He actually looked at me like he understood...until I walked away. The waterworks started, so I ran to the kitchen, shoved the lasanga inside and came back to scoop Baby Boy up. I fed him, put him down and tiptoed out the door. Five minutes later, he was crying again, and that's when I thought it was a clear-cut sign that I wasn't supposed to blog. I didn't have the time. (**Note** I write this as Baby Boy is lying awake in his crib, pulling his legs up toward his head and crashing them down onto the mattress - over and over again. I can see on the monitor that it jiggles the crib just enough to be amusing - I know this because he's smiling that precious nose-crinkling smile that melts my heart every single time.)

It dawned on me when I was eating my lasagna later on that maybe a blog was my saving grace. A time for me. A time to spend five minutes or a half hour every few nights sharing my thoughts if, for no other reason, to realize just how lucky I am to have the most precious Baby Boy in the world and our experiences together to write about. I have been meaning to write in my journal, but I've done so once in four months, so maybe this is a more efficient way to journal my thoughts and record my life. And for those of you who care, it's here for you to read!