TGI.....

It's not news that when you have a small child- your internal clock will not match the rest of the world's for at least three years.
While I was pregnant I could nap for DAYS. Lee used to work from 12pm to 1am, I worked from 8-5. Not only would I nap on my lunch break, I would come home have a bowl of cereal and crash on the couch from about 7pm to whenever Lee would get home, then drag my ever growing ass upstairs and sleep soundly until the menancing buzz of the alarm clock jilted me from my prenatal coma.
The day Hailey was born I think I got 3 hours of sleep total. The first week Hailey was born I maybe got 25 hours total, nothing consecutively just quick nods here and there. It was all we could do not to buy blackout shades and shut the world out if she actually slept a long stretch through the middle of the day. Our world blurred somewhere betweenthe Today Show, Divorce Court and that informercial with Montel Williams that looks like it could be a real show.
Now that Hailey is almost 16 months, she does sleep pretty well through the night. Her bed time is anywhere from 645pm-8pm, it depends on whether she's in the mood for Jeopardy and the Wheel... R, S, T, L, N....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...... She is at the point though, where she will let me know when she's ready to unwind. It sounds like a lame sheep has wandered into our living room. Maaaaaaaaaaaa. Maaaa...MAAAAAAAAAAAAA. It's all we can do not to break out into Lady Gaga when she really gets going. But I digress...

So here we are on Friday night, and it's 8PM. This is actually "late" . The Jersey Shore kids are just waking up to start their night by this time, and at our house anything spoken above a whisper gets a shoe thrown at it. In college 2, 3 hours of sleep- AWESOME- I could totally get through final exams on that, no problem. Then in parenthood, you're grasping at the hours and praying that if you do wake up in the middle of the night you at least have 4 more hours until it's time to get up. It may make you feel like an old lady turning in to bed for the night at 930, but I'd rather feel like an old lady at 930 than a bleary eyed witch at 7AM.

Covergirl

So it is a constant thought in my brain that I should put Hailey in modeling. I watch TV and see kids in commercials and 9 time out of 10 not only do I think, but I KNOW my kid is cuter than them. I like to think that I will get around to it sometime, but then I think, what if she's good at it and then flash forward 15 years and I have a little Hailey Miley Cyrus on my hands. And I just don't have it in me to be a mom-ager. I have no desire to be in a support group with Dina Lohan and Kris Jenner, nor do I have the tan.

But Hailey is just really coming into her own right now. It's weird to think that at 15 months old, she can somewhat already tell me what she's thinking. We've already established what syllables mean what and she fully understands and usually can complete the tasks asked of her, provided you end every request with , "like a big girl." Those are the magic words. And almost everything is responded to with a kiss...or a slap in the face... we're working on appropriate timings for both. She is an absolute girl when it comes to getting ready and shopping.. She loves my makeup bag and absolutely adores a good pair of sunglasses. But then again she also likes to eat dirt and chase the dog with her toothbrush. So maybe she's just well rounded?

Everyone says you need to set firm boundaries and make sure you establish your authority, but there are times when it is hard to keep a straightface when I'm trying to do all of those. When she looks at you with a face full of spaghetti-os or when she's not so secretly sneaking dog food into her pockets, or even when she has perfect fart timing.... THAT's RIGHT I SAID IT.... fart timing. How can you get mad at her when she calls for your attention in the middle of an argument with your spouse and she just rips it.... again, Lee has never been prouder.

There's Really No Excuse.

I would like to say that I have some super awesome excuse for not jotting down my thoughts since... when was it... OCTOBER? FAIL! Sorry. Raising a spider monkey of a child is no excuse for not having time to unload my topsy turvy brain on to a public internet site. Ok so... REWIND.... I'll go with the abridged version.

Halloween:
My sister and I had the great idea of dressing the dogs and Hailey as Alice in Wonderland. So one trip to Target and I had everything I needed ( naturally). Excpet when I went to put Hailey in her adorable little costume, it got stuck. Not the zipper... no no... the dress got stuck on Hailey's head. So much so I had to CUT.IT.OFF. So scratch that idea. So now the dogs are from Alice in Wonderland and Hailey is a make shift ballerina. The cutest darn thing I ever pulled off. It made me want to rush her to a ballet studio.

Hailey's First Birthday:
Pretty much your typical first birthday, all grown ups and high hopes of cake smashing... She had absolutely no interest in the cake and cried, and I mean CAH-RIED when we sang happy birthday to her. It wasn't until her presents came that she somewhat calmed down. As demonstrated in the photos below.

Thanksgiving:

Ok now this actually went off a lot smoother than any other event. Through Hailey's first year we kept meat pretty much out of the picture. I'm not a vegan or a commune farmer or anything, I just felt that since I breastfed her exclusively the first year and she ate nothing but heaps upon heaps of leafy greens that she'd turn out ok. I also was none to excited for that particular type of diaper change. Anyhoo... so as we sat down to the turkey table with Hailey's little high chair tray full of all the delectable fare that is Thanksgiving dinner I awaited her first choice. Her hand grazed over the sticky rolls, the potatoes, and the green beans... and she went straight for the HAM. Lee had never been prouder. *** she did however devour the spinach souffle... most of her ham went to the dogs***

(I will save a separate post for CHRISTMAS)

NEW YEARS:
Who are we kidding, we were all asleep by 9:30, and no that is NOT lame. This is Vegas- people treat this town like New Years all year long- I can debauch anytime...

And now we are just about to approach Valentine's Day, which will sadly be spent on a plane to Fargo ( yes that Fargo; yes I have seen the movie, yes they really talk like that and yes I'm aware it is currently in a tundra state) but we will be going for Lee's grandmother's funeral. She passed away on Thursday and will be sorely missed. So as we remember to celebrate US on Valentine's Day, we remember to love those who loved others to make our lives possible and send our thoughts and prayers to the Soderling family.

Margaret Soderling (1930-2011)