stop being tryndy
A name is an important thing to me. I love names! I love looking at name books and finding names. From the time I found out we were pregnant, I was searching for names.
We went through a lot of names. We had 3 names picked out for J; 2 for if she was a girl and 1 for a boy. The boy's name was Henry David and the girl's were Jillian May or Josephine Danielle. Jillian with a J and not a G. Yes, I hear you all loud and clear - that seems trendy. Changing the G to a J. I had my reasons. I did not want her to be called Gilly. Hard G, like on a fish. Okay? So not trendy, just a different spelling. Anyways. Loved all 3 names and we had a hard time picking between the girls names for J. I consider these names classic, not common but not trendy names.
I cannot stand trendy names.
To me, there is a difference between naming your child something you really like and naming them a popular name just because of its placement on some list. I sat through too many classes with girls named Sarah, Rachel, Jennifer and I vowed that my child would not have to a first initial to their first name to be distinct.
Another naming trend that is like fingernails on a chalk board to me is the usage of the letter "Y." Personally, if I was the letter y, I would feel used and dirty. The y has replaced many fine and suitable vowels in names. The y is becoming misplaced and the tool many parents use to set their child's name apart. Spelling it different with a y really doesn't make it a different name.
And then there is naming your child something that is so hard to spell and pronounce. Hubby has a really nice polish last name that includes lots of consonants together, very few vowels and even a z. I married into a hellish last name. I had a very nice name, which was easy to pronounce for 22 years of my life. I married into this horrid last name; I know the pain of hearing your name massacred and mispronounced. Our dentist's office so nicely put the phonetically spelling of my last name on my chart, so when calling out my name in a buys office, I will not have to hear my name horribly mispronounced. Why would I want to put a child through that for the rest of their life? A mispronounced first name AND last name? I may be a bitch at times, but I am not evil.
The reason for this rant is message boards asking for name help. I am so tired of trendy, out there names. Me, being the in your face type, will often add my two pennies into the mix. There is
one board that I found that does a great job in helping with a name. They actually helped me with the name Henry. But if you are a naming nerd like me,
here is a site that will make you laugh and cry.
Seriously folks.
growing up
J is growing up so fast. It is hard to believe that I was counting down the days till her expected arrival into this world a year ago. Part of me is sad that I did not savor each pregnancy pang or each case of heartburn or when J had the hic-cups in utero. Or that I did not burn to my memory the feeling of J punching my bladder in the middle of the night. I was so focused on the end; the end of my bloat and my swelling and holding my tiny baby in my arms. I miss being pregnant, but the end result is much better. Having J in my life truly makes me feel blessed. I could not ask for anything better.
It is amazing the rate at which J is growing up now. I thought 9 months of growing in utero was fast. All the changes weekly and daily that resulted in a human being amazed me, but seeing J change day by day and discover the world around her is thrilling. She is such a mover and shaker. She is so smart, so funny and so full of love. I love getting her up in the morning and seeing her flushed cheeks and her crazy bedhead. I love when she is cuddly and night and only wants me and the love I provide. I love seeing her bond with Hubby. I love seeing her bond with G&G. I just feel my heart burst with pride and love every time I look at her face.
A year. It has almost been a year. Wow, has my life changed, but it all has been for the best.
$2.99 of fun
J has become obsessed with balloons. She got one when visiting G&G 2 weeks ago from Applebee's. Of course it died by the next morning and she was none the wiser for it being magically gone.
I broke down and bought her a Spongebob "I Love You" balloon from the grocery store yesterday. She takes it everywhere. It was the first thing she grunted for this morning.
Her reaction to the simple balloon brings a sense of longing to me. I long for a time when my life was that simple. When the pure joy in something so little and silly could be found and enjoyed for hours on end.
It makes her happy. I've made her happy. I am happy to see a huge smile on her face because of a shiny, helium filled object that cost $2.99. Simple.
kinda like cinderella
My little baby has graduated to a big girl car seat. Actually, she probably could have been in one for a few months. It is just the fact that the car seat carrier was so much easier, especially when she would fall asleep and we could just leave her in there as we went about our business. The downside is that it was a pain in the butt to get her in and out of there when in the car. We could not keep her in there while shopping and such because the kids needs to know what is happening at all times. At.All.Times.
Hubby and I installed the car seat that we received from the baby shower almost a year ago. I hated it in my car. I could not get her tight enough in there thus the mommy warning bell was going off like mad. The plan was to return it, but we still needed one for Hubby's car. Picked one up and hubby installed or rather, tried to, with no success. So carseat #1 was transferred to Hubby's car and we were off to return car seat #2. We spent about 30-40 minutes trying out J in different car seats. Finally found what might be a good fit for her and in my car. Installed it last night and I am not 100% sold on it, but I feel like she is safe in her seat.
My mommy warning bells have gone off and the princess has found her glass slipper.
queen of procrastination
So I have realized that I procrastinate and I don't prioritize very well. This is odd, really, because I used to be on top of everything at all times. I never used to be this way and this is making me rethink my priorities. I think I spend too much time online. I also think I have issues starting something. In a way, I think it is a form of denial. I don't know really how else to explain it. When I think of something (or the many things) I need to do, my stomach gets all knotted and queasy and I get an anxious feeling. How weird is that?
One thing I must do when I get home is make a phone call. I also need to make a phone call tomorrow. I need a website quote by Wednesday. Yup. I have dragged my feet and procrastinated long enough. The mere thought of making phone calls is starting to make me break out in a sweat.
but i don't wanna!
Ever get roped into something that you absolutely do not want to do? After taking on said task and getting promises of help, the help disappears?
Yeah, that is me right now.
I was volunteered to do my high school alumni's website. It needs to be done by the 25th of this month. I have not started and the promised help and information is no where to be found.
I am dreading starting this. Only 13 days to do it in. Not my idea of fun.
daddy's girl knows
Nothing breaks a mother's heart more than hearing her child cry. This is why we have not tried having J cry it out at night. First off, her room is right next to ours and we can hear her. Not easy to ignore a screaming child. Second, A cannot let J cry. Cannot. Will not. It is one of my biggest deals with A. During the day when I am home with J, she fusses, cries and gets angry. Why? Because she cannot get her way. When daddy is home, he is a pushover. Fixes the "issue" right away. He is getting better, but still - she needs to learn.
Last week, the night wakings became too much. I never ever in a million years thought I would let my child cry it out. I did. She cried, screamed and threw a fit for an hour one night. Of course we went in there every few to 10 minutes to calm her down, but I have to admit that since we drew the line in the sand of when mommy or daddy with "fix" something in the middle of the night, it has been much better.
Until last night.
It was 2:30 am and J had awoken screaming. Of course, who is the first on the scene within seconds? A. J screamed and screamed. A went to get the Tylenol because we know J is working on breaking through her fourth tooth and amazingly she would quite down. A would go back into the room and she would scream. A went back downstairs to put away the Tylenol and she quieted down. A busted back into the room to check on her. Again, screaming. After 10 minutes of him shushing her, I got out of the warm bed and told him to get out. She is fine. Of course J screamed some more and amazingly after five minutes she stopped. J was fine, but knows daddy is a pushover.
I totally understand where this comes from with regards to A. He had a shitty childhood. Understood. But I know she can sleep through the night. She has done it all weekend when he was working some overtime. J can do it. Daddy just needs to let her.
date night
Grandma & Grumpa have decided to J once a month. Overnight. Yes, overnight, so that A and I can go out of a date or do things we used to do.
What is funny is that J fits into our lifestyle so well right now, that we do most of the things we used to. There are few things we don't - bar hopping, staying up till bar time and sleeping in. But for the most part J comes along with us on outings. This sometimes makes me feel like an odd parent. Odd isn't the right term for it, really. I feel like I get "looks" from other parents when they realize that I have not stopped my life for J. Or rather - WE have not stopped what we used to do before starting a family. We have continued on. Granted we do not do nearly all the things we used to, but our social life really isn't that much different.
I have my reasons why and so does A. Me, I have seen what 20+ years of raising a family and neglecting your spouse can do to a marriage. It doesn't have to be that way and yes, there is a healthy balance between the relationships between the spouses and between the kids and spouses. Sure, I'd cancel a date to go out with friends if J has a dance recital in the near future, but I vow to myself to always make time for A. We need it. Our marriage needs it. We went through a spell of not having time for each other. It got ugly.
So next Saturday is date night. Dinner and a movie. Dinner is set; movie is up for debate. A wants to see
Hostel. I would like to see
Brokeback Mountain. Any suggestions?
dancing queen
I have a mover and shaker on my hands. J loves to dance. It started around 7 months or so. She would bob to the music. It has progressively gotten more - intense, but that really isn't the right word for it. Let me put it this way, if there is music on the kid is bouncing up and down, swinging her arms back or the ever popular pelvic thrust. Yes, she loves to dance and will dance to anything. Anything. Her toys that play music, TV commercials, random bits of music only J can hear, but her favorite songs are something that I am a bit ashamed of.
My Humps and
Laffy Taffy.
Yes, I had the radio tuned to the Top 100 station as I was driving today to meet my mother. I look in my review mirror and see J jamming to My Humps. Song ended and so did J's dancing until Laffy Taffy started up. I laughed. Then I thought about if I'll be laughing when she is 16 and dancing to these songs. I shoved that thought right out of my mind and laughed some more. Got to enjoy her when she is young and innocent.
At least she has my rhythm; God help her if she had Hubby's. Kid would be doomed.
huh. i fell off the face of the earth.
Good to be back. Good to be writing again. Wow. Missed this. Missed venting. Missed just getting off my huge chest what has been going on.
I am in need of compiling a list of things I want to do in 2006. Yeah. We'll see that in like, oh, December! No. Seriously. The list is to come and more J stories. We are approaching the one year mark. My how my life has changed. My how I have become a mom. My how much in love I am with a little 14.9 pound cutie. My how I feel like I am not complete yet.
Anyways. Hello. Nice to be back and glad you saved me a spot.
