Happy Love Month

Call it a Hallmark holiday, but I LOVE Valentine's Day.  Heck, I might as well put a giant heart over the entire month of February.  We ate too much during 'Turkey' month, soaked in the magic of Christmas month, and made it through the long, bitterly cold, January month.  February is all about celebrating love, and this year, well, I'm exploding and melting in it.  

There's something about Valentine's Day that brings back sweet little memories for me.  I remember sitting at the kitchen table with Mom, transforming shoe boxes into little mailboxes that would hold treasured Valentine's cards from my classmates.  I remember Mom always setting the table nice for our annual Valentine's Day dinner, with red napkins, a vase of red carnations, and little presents on our plates.  I remember hearing a knock on the door one Valentine's afternoon, my 5th grade love, Dana, standing at the door with a smile and a single red rose.  And I remember spending hours getting ready for the high school Valentine's Day dance, a gold necklace, and a kiss goodnight in the driveway of my parents' house. 


There's something about this month that makes me smile a little bit bigger, and love a little bit deeper.   That makes me want to bravely try that tube of bright red lipstick I just can't pull off, cut out a million construction paper hearts, or eat conversation hearts until my stomach hurts.  And there's something about this month that makes me want to soak my baby's cheek in wet kisses and write love notes to my hubby on the bathroom mirror.

Cruz is feeling much better and after two welcomed snow days last week, I am finally feeling back to my old self again.  At almost four months old, I'm pretty sure Cruz is in one of my favorite baby stages yet.  It seems he has learned so much this month, and we're starting to see the makings of a personality.  The best part of four months, though, is the smile.  Life is complete when I'm staring into his face, and I'm quite certain there's no greater accomplishment than making him smile.  My favorite is after I pick him up from day care, pile him in the car next to my school bag, lunch cooler, laptop, and diaper bag, and close the door for our short trek home.  I pull in the garage, lug my bags one by one onto my shoulders, and open Cruz's door.  But before pulling him out of his car seat, he almost always flashes me this little smile, one that has the power to move mountains and forget to-do lists.  A smile that says, 'We're home, Mommy.'

We're home. 
   

 

Good stuff to come this week!  I've been making up for my lack of pictures last week, and had some fun in the kitchen yesterday.  I'm usually not much for baking (aka, cake balls), however, yesterday, I was Martha Stewart reincarnate.  

   

 

 

Happy love month!  

Recovering...

This weekend was about this...

 

and this...

 

This weekend was about getting better.  About sleeping late, staying in fleece footie pajamas all day, and pulling every book from Cruz's shelf.  It was about vapor baths in the morning, naps in the afternoon, and take-out for dinner.  It was about rejuvenating our bodies, our minds, and our souls, and attempting to 'get all better' before another work week came flooding into our lives on Monday.  The three of us needed the weekend so much.  We needed to refuel and recharge.

I'll admit, I held it together pretty well for the first three weeks back to work.  I was able to scoot out the door as soon as the desks in my classroom were straightened, and my lesson plans were printed for the following day.  I had some dinners planned in advance, a clean house, and even had work outfits planned and hanging in my closet.  I can do this, became my everyday battle cry and it even crossed my mind a time or two that the juggling act was actually better and easier than I expected.

And then we got sick.  Nights were spent on the couch, cradling a stuffy-nosed baby, and nursing a sore throat with lots of Vitamin C.  While dirty laundry, blankets, and ungraded papers began to accumulate before my eyes, our spirits (and DVR listings) dwindled.  I was bummed most of the week and desperately wished to trade in my boogie wipes and nasal aspirator for stroller rides and sunshine.  I felt myself sliding into a funk and wished for May instead of February.

The truth is, I now belong to this club.  The Mom Club.  In this club, we try our very best to do it all.  We want the pristine home, straight out of Pottery Barn magazine, with perfectly stacked pillows on the couch, and four glasses of freshly squeezed lemonade, complete with slices of lemon, sitting on a coffee table beside a crisp newspaper.  We want the early mornings of a bottomless cup of coffee and a jog, ample time for pampering and pedicuring, and a perfect hairdo and outfit as we head out the door and hop into our sparkly clean SUV.  We attempt to work all day, cook dinner every night, then unpack and re-pack lunches and school bags, throw in a load of laundry, grab the mail, give the baby a bath, play, clean, sort, and survive, all while trying to maintain the relationship that started it all. 

The truth is, no one does it like they do on TV.  It's the times when I'm trying with all I am to become the next Martha, I realize there's not a lot of fun in perfection.  I sit here with this baby of mine, sound asleep on my chest, amidst piles of pillows, blankets, and baby toys.  It feels good tonight.  Lived in.  Real.  Nothing really matters but the moment that is right in front of us.  And right now, this little Vicks baby with the rumbly throat and rosy cheeks is my idea of perfect.

So, as the snow storm of the century begins outside, I am thankful.  Thankful for what's done and undone, thankful for the times I feel together, and the times I fall apart.  Thankful for the end of a baby's first cold, and the start of a new month.  A month with a whole lotta love. 

February's here.  Love is in the air!

My stuffy-nosed baby boy...

I used to say I would never let my children run around with snotty, crusty noses.  Live and learn...

Cruz has been in amazingly good spirits!  He sure is a happy little boy.



Our new little pumpkin...

Two years ago, a silly looking Joe Dirt and skimpily-clad referee joined forces to celebrate a Halloween night that included a haunted house, some karaoke, and a few margaritas in the basement of El Mariachis, a little Mexican dive on College Hill, owned by none other than, Mama Mariachi. We played pool, danced with friends, and took pictures with other costume-laden strangers. This year, Halloween looked a little different at our house. It involved a pair of warm leggings and my favorite mukluks. Sitting on the floor, clasping warm bowls of chicken and noodles, snuggling a baby dressed in a white fleece sleeper with little orange pumpkins, and stopping to pause ‘Scared Shrekless,’ or ‘The Office,’ to grab a burp cloth, warm a bottle, or pump a fresh one. Yes, Halloween looked a little different at our house this year.

This weekend, we celebrated Cruz’s first holiday and we celebrated in style. Fall is one of my favorite times of year for so many reasons. I love the weather, the colors, the clothes, and especially the food. Each year, I try to outdo Martha Stewart by cooking as much comfort food as possible. Crock pot roasts and soups, breads, bars, cider, and anything pumpkin. This year, I wondered if I’d have the time or the desire to continue to cook after having a baby. And thanks to many special friends at Price Lab School, I haven’t needed to think about grocery lists for the past two weeks, as we’ve had meals brought to our house almost every night. Thursday night, however, I rediscovered my inner Pioneer Woman, thus beginning of weekend of wining, dining, and baby lovin’.

Home-Baked Cookies and Milk.

Although Cruz only enjoyed one of the two for his first Halloween, he did enjoy his first of many experiences cooking in the kitchen with his momma. I celebrated missing a Thursday night of parent/teacher conferences by spending some time with my boys in the kitchen. We filled frosty pint glasses with Sam Adams’ Winter Ale and sweet red wine, stuffed babies in oversized lambie chairs, and baked warm, gooey, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate chip cookies. The dimmed cabinet lights and the click click click of the kitchen timer created the perfect combination for Cruz to sleep through my baking spree. Beau made some life insurance calls and I filled baking sheet after baking sheet with my favorite secret recipe.

Nap time.

Beau decided to call it a no-stress Friday and cut out of work a little early. I ran a few errands and returned home to this…

So I made this…

Pumpkins.

Last year, Beau escaped Halloween without having to carve pumpkins with his holiday-obsessed wife. This year, we sat as a family in the middle of the kitchen floor, got arm’s deep in pumpkin goo, and carved Cruz’s first ever jack-o-lantern. Then, much to Beau’s distaste, I attempted to strip down Baby Cruz and put him in his very first jack-o-lantern to further torture him with another photo-op. The cold, slimy pumpkin intestines were nothing close to Cruz’s favorite Gap blankie, and before I could even stuff his little legs into the pumpkin, I realized it was not a good idea. We stuffed him into a bathtub of suds instead, then captured a few pictures of a sleeping baby and his personalized pumpkin.

Tricks or Treat.

Saturday afternoon, we took Cruz to my mom and dad’s to experience his first night of trick-or-treating. Although the wind was a little too cold for baby ears, we managed to get a few pictures of Cruz in his first Halloween costume. Although Cruz and Charly looked pretty cute in their puppy and penguin costumes, my little hot box didn’t last too long in his costume. All the pictures and clothes changing proved to be a little too much for our little puppy, so after his first bottle with Daddy, Cruz fell asleep for the remainder of trick-or-treating. We laughed at Charly as she attempted to get in on her own candy fun, snuggled with a sleepy Cruz, and enjoyed a night of tricks, treats, beef burgers, and cheesy potatoes. Mom was in seventh heaven to have both of her grandbabies at home and it was fun to see evidence of just how much our family has grown in a short year.

Five Little Pumpkins.

Call me a bad mom, but since Cruz has been born, I haven’t read one book to him. Sunday, we made up for it. Grandma Kelly gave Cruz a couple of Halloween board books in honor of his first Halloween and together, for about a half hour on the recliner, we memorized Five Little Pumpkins. Cruz was wide eyed and alert, listening to the rhymes and concentrating like a bookworm on the fat little pages filled with orange pumpkins. He especially loved the “oooooooooooooooo went the wind, and out went the light” chant, almost piercing his little lips in an ‘ooo’ motion to match mine.

Naps with Uncle Barbiturate.

As it turns out, Uncle Gabe really does live up to the namesake he gave himself. Gabe and Gina came Sunday morning to spoil Beau and me with an amazing lunch, and spoil Cruz to sleep with lots of cuddle time. While Beau and I stuffed ourselves with asiago and prosciutto stuffed chicken and caprese salad, Gabe and Gina got their baby fix with a happy little Cruz.

Superheroes and Award-winning Chili.

Every year on Halloween, our little neighborhood turns into a scene straight out of a Halloween movie. Costumes of all shapes and sizes parade up and down the streets, followed by parents pulling wagons, carrying flashlights, and rehearsing the common lingo of, “please,” “thank you,” and “trick-or-treat,” with their littles. This year, Fleur Drive was in extra good hands with the presence of three awfully cute superheroes.

It was Mom and Dad’s turn to help us with our round of trick-or-treaters, and once again, we snuggled with a sweet baby, and stuffed our faces with yummy fall comfort food, including Beau’s award-winning chili, and my favorite turtle corn. We sipped cider, listened to Uncle Taylor tell us about his gum-stuck-on-shoe costume, and filled and refilled our candy bowl as Iron Mans, princesses, dragons, and ladybugs flooded our porch and scared our kitty.

And as the last trick-or-treater stuffed his little gloved fist into our candy basket and the light in Cruz’s very first jack-o-lantern faded away, we rocked an exhausted little baby to sleep.

It was our first holiday with a baby and I definitely learned a lot. While simple traditions like carving a pumpkin may take a little longer, and trips to family may require a little more packing, babies have a way of making the holidays, like life, just a little bit sweeter and a lot more fun. It’s two little hands peeking from a little spotted suit, and a sweet little scrunched face peeking from under a puppy-faced hood that made this Halloween complete.

And blew the socks off of Mama Mariachi's margaritas any day of the year.

Happy FIRST Halloween Baby Cruz.