Blowing the dust off...

November 29??  Really??  Where the h-e-double hockey sticks have I been??  A better question is...where haven't I been?  I even think I visited hell at some point but I can't be too sure and my memory is slacking. 

I guess I am going to have to do a recap but...with time being a precious jewel...I will need to make my recap "in a nutshell" of a very small nut.

December - T finally realized his dream of purchasing an RV.  We took it to Kentucky over the holidays to visit my family...that trip is a whole blog within itself.  I will try to find time to write the travel journal.  It was good, it was...less than good...but it was quite a trip! 

H turned ONE the day after Christmas!  I was so over the moon about her first birthday but sure was glad I made her smash cake instead of ordering one...she wasn't into it at all!  As a matter of fact, she hated getting icing on her hands. 

January - after the RV trip, seemed to be a month of sick.  This house turned into a medical ward with H and I both getting sick after catching it from Tay.  We were sick - with 102 degree temps - for two weeks!!  H unfortunately was able to experience her first ear infection.  But, after the intense hell we lived through before that, the ear infection came and went without incident. 

Then I think we passed a little back to Tay.  Then, over Super Bowl, H caught another cold that fueled her temp up again and has had her nose draining a bad leak and a cough that sounded like an 80 year old smoker.  She still has a bit of that left that we are waiting patiently to exit.

I guess the big moment in February has been the peak of my motherhood.  At the Bad Mother's Awards, I will be given top honors for my recent stunt.  I was at the park with Ms H, my sister-in-law and her daughter L.  We were leaving and were stepping over one of those rope barricade things...you know, one of those metal ropes that go between the metal poles that section off the park from the street.  Anyway, my foot caught the rope while I had H in my arms.  Then she wasn't in my arms.  She was on the asphalt.  The sound and the visual will be forever plastered in that area of my brain that harbors my guilt.  It was absolutely horrible.  A mix of slow motion (feeling my foot get caught and knowing I needed to keep my balance and get my foot loose) and fast, time lapse motion that keeps me from remembering how she fell or what happened next.

She had some road rash on her face that has already subsided (this was this past Monday...yep, Happy Valentine's Day to H!!) and she doesn't seem to resent or hate me as much as I imagined she would.  I still feel like a total loser but have been trying to make myself feel better each day.

Hmmm, I thought admitting to this horrible act would make me feel better but reliving it isn't helping one bit!

Moving on...

So here we are...three days away from T's 32nd birthday!  I am stoked about the gift I got him...I will tell you about it after his birthday in case, out of sheer boredom or spare time that he certainly doesn't have right now, he reads this entry.  It is SUCH a great gift and I am a very poor gift giver!  I have always wanted to get that "perfect" gift for someone and now is my time!

H is on a new sleep schedule.  Dinner at 5 (we all eat at the same time), 6 pm bath and 7 pm('ish) bed.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  Ms H is taking more steps all the time.  She is essentially walking...with reserve.  She could totally do it but, since she has a lot of my personality, she won't do it full time until she knows she has it perfected.  She really is proving to be more like my personality everyday.  Still looks like her Daddy!

Her vocabulary is amazing...let me see if I can list what she can say the correct way and then I will list what she can say in her own way...

Clearly and correctly:
That, This
Momma, Mommy
Dada, Daddy
No (that's a fun one)
Duck
Dog
Cat (still a little rusty but getting there)
Ball
Bye Bye
Hi
Baby
Bits (one of our cats)
Nite nite
Moon
Nose
Eye
Book
Blocks (a little rusty but way close)
Shoe
Bowl
Spoon
Ba-ba (bottle...and here I am trying to wean her...)
Ma-maw (grandma)
Pa-paw (grandpa)
Nona (another one of her grandmas)
Tay Tay (her big sister)
...I think that's everything but I feel like I am missing something...

In her own words:
I doo da (I love you)
Neene (Please...and she used to say pease...not sure what happened there)
Na-noo (thank you)
Di-mama (Dishwasher - she helps me unload)
Wa (water)

It is pretty amazing how quick she picks things up!  She can point out the Steelers logo when I ask her where the Steelers are!  She shakes her head yes when she means yes and she shakes her head no and says no.  She can tell you she is one and I almost have her telling me she will be two for her next birthday.  She has put two words together for a complete thought.  It is all very amazing.

We are still working on the sleep through the night and the eating solids issues.  She did fantastic tonight with dinner.  I will admit to my frustration of being a short order cook only to find my hard work thrown on the floor for Jack to eat.  Her bottle obsession is obvious and one that will be hard to wean from but I know we will get there.  Some days I feel like I am a strike out - a failure.  Other days I feel like everything will be just fine in good time.  And those are the days that I thoroughly enjoy every minute with my family.  That is where I need to stay.

Wow - typing is some hard work when you haven't done it in so long.  I think I am running out of steam but I am glad to be back.  I am considering merging H's blog with this one.  It is hard enough for me to keep up with one (obviously)...I honestly don't think I can keep up with two.

Ok, I will leave with this challenge for myself.  I will blog again tomorrow night after putting H to bed.  Just a nice recap of the day or some random deep thought that I muster up during the day.

I must say...it feels good to be here!