The Place I Want To Be...

Sometimes life gives you a gift. Sometimes you overcome adversity and all the odds that were set against you, and you end up in the place you want to be. Everybody has a different "house with a picket fence", but mine is rather simple.

I want a family full of love where the highlight of my day is the smile on my son's face when he wakes up in the morning. I want a husband who puts being a Daddy before being a man of the world. I want conversation that ranges from the daily adventures of my baby to the current political climate. I want to enjoy a hot cup of tea with the man I love on a quiet Saturday night. I want to fall asleep alongside my child and his father. And most of all, I want to give thanks to God for granting me all of these things...because he has.

I remember telling my husband before he was my husband that I wanted to be a Wife and a Mommy more than anything in the world. And I remember him telling me that I would be the best Mommy there ever was. I'm not sure that I am, but I do love being a Mom and Wife and I love the fact that my husband gracefully allows me to get up every day and try to be the best I can be.

Sure, life throws you a new obstacle every so often...it happens to the best of us...but what if you could die knowing you had everything you ever wanted? Wouldn't that be enough? Without the fancy house or car or well bred friends with lots of money, what have you really got? That's why I let what I want most in life define who I am. Because it's never the things you can touch that mean anything, it's the dream that you are living that means everything.

My dream come true...

A thought from Dad

Sunny morning babysitting..

I’m sitting on the deck with my coffee and the little prince this morning and a number of things occur to me.  The first of which is always the same on mornings like this one.   “Thank You God, life is good…  In fact, I always feel a little guilty about my state of happiness when I think about the plight of my peers, most of who are contemplating their next big purchase on a morning like this or agonizing over how to pay for the last one.  (Poor Souls)   And where it is true that I worked very hard this week to afford myself this time with Sir Christian James, my thoughts will not be of work this morning but of adventures to come with those I cherish.   We will talk of sailing, and sandy beaches, of how extraordinarily graceful his mother is when she free dives among the sea turtles.  We’ll discuss the sound of sea birds, frogs, dogs and even roosters.   And I will read to him if only to see his expression with my many silly theatrics.  He will know beyond the shadow of any doubt that we are the luckiest guys on the planet because we are both loved by the same incredible young women.  And he will know that all good things are by the grace of a God he cannot see but can certainly hear if he listens with his heart.

I’ve spent most of my life thinking nothing could compare to Kowloon Harbor, the Champs-Elysées or sailing the Islands. I was wrong. No experience, fair or foul could have prepared me for the way I feel when I look over first thing in the morning and see this little man’s smile.

Morning Smile

Having a serious talk with Dad

Ken's Corner

When Ken and I got together, I knew we weren't "the normal couple". I knew that we were a little "unconventional" and maybe we did tend to go "against the grain". (Big surprise, eh?) So it came as no shock to hear my husband singing his own twisted renditions of nursery rhymes to our son.

Perhaps you've heard these musical masterpieces...

"This little piggy went to the market to get a bottle of scotch. This little piggy stayed home and scratched his crotch..."

or

"This little piggy went to the market to get a bottle of scotch. And this little piggy stayed home because he was on government subsidy so his lazy butt didn't have to do anything..."

If those arrangements were pleasing to you, listen to this heart warming interpretation...


"Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet eating her curds and whey. Along came a spider who sat down beside her and said 'What's in the bowl '*witch*'?"

And let's not forget about special moments like these...

"Three blind mice, three blind mice. See how they run, see how they run. They all ran after the farmer's wife who cut off their tails with a carving knife....Say, why are there three mice blind? What are the chances of having three blind mice in one litter? I don't understand why someone would make up such a stupid song."

*Sigh* Ken, what am I gonna do with you?

The Third Month

"Christian is three months old." Let me say it again, "Christian is three months old." I honestly can't believe it. How is it even possible that our little boy is a quarter of a year old? He has changed so much in just three months.

Christian has accomplished EVERY milestone for the third month BEFORE he was 3 months old! His most impressive milestone to date are his vocal abilities. He "talks" to Ken and myself all the time. It is super endearing and the highlight of our day. He is quick and easy with his toothless smiles and he is even sitting in his bumbo with ease. Things are so different now that he is able to do more than just eat and sleep.

Which brings me to my next point. I don't think we're going to blog by the month anymore. I think there are too many other things to blog about and we seem to cover many of the milestones with other fun blogs.

We continue to be super thankful for our little man. He is a smiley, happy, active boy who is always doing something to take my breath away.

Ken's Corner

Being a daddy isn't easy. The bond between father and child has to be "earned" as Ken says. And since Ken stays at home with Christian while I am at work, he more than earns the strong bond between them. When Christian is upset, all I need do to calm him down is nurse him. Ken has to try everything else in the book (because he doesn't have the "instant comfort equipment" that I do).

This is his "Routine" for determining the cure for a meltdown:
1) Check the diaper
2) Give him a bottle
3) Walk around the house (we call this "taking the tour")
4) Let him look at his mobile in his bassinet
5) Let him look at his mobile in his crib
6) Take his clothes off and let him be nakey nakey eggs and bakey
7) Walk around outside
8) Go for a walk in the carriage
9) Put him in the bathtub
10) And if all else fails...repeat steps 1-9.

And since Ken and I don't believe in letting Christian cry it out, Ken's day is usually spent doing all of the above activities multiple times. (Although Ken says that he has let him cry for 10 minutes a couple of times. That's hardcore, huh?)

*SIDE NOTE: Because Ken is willing to do a number of different things to try to calm our kid down, I am so thankful that he is his primary caretaker. If Christian was at a daycare would they be willing to do whatever it took to ensure my kid was happy and comfortable? I don't know the answer to that, but I'm willing to bet that most people would try 1 and 2 of the "Routine" and then throw their hands in the air in defeat.*

Not only does Ken put Christian's happiness and comfort first, but he and Christian have a super special relationship. I guess the reason I am so impressed by their relationship is because I don't think most dads would revel in spending soooo much time with their kids. But Ken enjoys every minute.

And I'm not sure if you all know Ken very well, but he's usually a pretty serious guy. But when he's with Christian he is so silly. Like, sometimes I wonder where my husband went when I overhear the "conversations" he has with Christian. For example...

The other morning I was getting ready for work and I walk in the room to find this...

And Ken saying in the sing-song voice he ONLY uses with Christian, "The Little Baboo (Ken's nickname for Christian) is a flying nun! Oh no! Baboo is a flying nun!" I mean, seriously, who does that? He is so random. I laughed so hard I cried!

And then another day when I called home during my lunch break Christian was having a fit. What did he say to Christian in his special sing song voice to help calm him down and reassure him that the world wasn't coming to an end? He told Christian, "You better stop crying or Mommy said she's gonna trade you for a jar of peanut butter." OMG. I couldn't stop laughing.

So, because Ken and Christian have such a special relationship, I am going to document some of the funny things that happen between them in a blog called, "Ken's Corner". I can't promise that it will be weekly, but it will be often enough to keep you smiling!

Mommy's Moment

I know that everyone wants to hear about the baby (and even if you don't ask me, I'll tell you all about him!), but what about the mommy? I promise that she disappear. So, I'll just check in and do a little update about what it's been like being a working mommy.

I have to say that I have been relieved to leave Christian with Ken everyday when I go to work. I am able to focus on my store knowing my son is in the best, most capable hands in the world. Plus, Ken is a great "stay at home Dad" even though he works, too. Check out this video as a tribute to stay at home dads! It's too much fun! Plus it's by my favorite comedian, Jon Lajoie.

My store is doing fabulously. Continuing on at the number one spot in the region. My assistant managers are learning and growing in their knowledge and skill set at an amazing rate! I am so impressed with them. I love going to work everyday knowing that they are as dedicated and driven to excellence as I am.

When I was pregnant I was in so much pain physically that it was hard to enjoy being at work. Now that I am not enormously pregnant, I am able to maneuver up and down ladders and walk twenty miles a day back and forth in my store without feeling like my feet are going to fall off and my hips are going to become disjointed. (Seriously, that is no exaggeration...) I love my customers again and all of a sudden I am not annoyed by the screaming children who run wayward through the clothing racks (probably because I have my own kid who can have a meltdown without a second's notice). Every kid that comes in is simply an extension of my baby boy who waits patiently at home for his mommy.

Ken and I are doing really well! We enjoy our son together so much. We do tend to put Christian's needs before our own, but he is needier than us. Duh! We always seem to find time to sneak off to another bedroom for intimacy and I have to say that it is uh.maz.ing. Seriously. It's like we just met...(partly because I am not quite as large and uncomfortable as I was...I'm more like a beluga and not so much like a humpback? Does that give you a good visual?)

As far as my personal feelings about myself are concerned...well, let's just say that I am not happy about the way I look. I feel fat. I really thought I would have no problem losing my baby weight within the 8 weeks I was on maternity leave. Boy, was I wrong! You don't just lose 65 pounds in a snap. (There. I said it. 65 pounds. That's what I gained...) And it doesn't help that I haven't curbed my eating AT ALL. It's like my body still wants all the things it wanted when I was pregnant. I literally have to re-program my mind before I can be successful in feeling good about me.


There is a significant amount of drama in one portion of my life that won't seem to go away...coucoughfamilycoughcough...but sometimes you just have to remove yourself from it and move on with life. Especially when I have so much going on and so much to be thankful for, the LAST thing I need are people who continue to rain on my parade. And I have to set a boundary and say, "No more!".

Anyways, that is my vent for now. I'm sure I'll have more later! Thanks for listening!

Attention All Fatties

It's true. I gained a couple of pounds while I was pregnant (Just a couple...gosh!) And when they tell you things like, "That weight will just fall off once you have the baby!"...they're lying. And I want to punch those people in the face for making me believe a fairytale dream that is NOT TRUE. (Feeling better now that I got that off my chest...)

So, because my fellow co-workers want to support me in re-discovering my waist line (because let's be honest, I don't know where it is!) we are competing in our own version of "The Biggest Loser". We tend to be just a little cheesy at work (I know that this probably shocks most of you...), so we have a poster posted in the backroom explaining the rules of the competition.

As we discussed the competition with everyone, we decided that it shouldn't be all about weight loss. (After all, not everyone needs to lose 50 pounds...not saying that I do, but then, maybe I am...) We decided that at the end of the competition we would all vote for the winner, and that the winner should be the person who achieved their goal to the greatest extent.

So, wish me luck! I have got to lose this weight. And it will be great to have the support of the people I work with (especially since I spend more time with them than anyone else...) I will keep everyone updated!