I succumbed ...

... to the draw of the Christmas season.

I put up everything but the tree (which I will do tonight) and the outdoor lights (which is Dave's department).

I normally wait until after Thanksgiving but we are leaving tomorrow until Sunday.

Of course, now I have Molly asking me "Is Santa coming tonight? Tomorrow?" We have a Christmas countdown but you need to recognize numbers before that means anything.

Snow!

Yes, I sent her outside in just a cute outfit to try for a Christmas card photo. It worked.



And with her snow munchkins.



Yelling "SNOW!"



Jacob wasn't home for any daytime snow pictures so his photo for the card was taken inside.



Maybe I'll add some fake snow to it.

Not Me! Monday

My Charming Kids blogger MckMama apparently has a weekly tradition of listing her (and others) "Not Me" moments. So I am jumping in this week. Drumroll, please ...



I most certainly did not spend part of my afternoon paying an almost overdue speeding ticket. And my daughter did not ask the police officer if he was a good cop or bad cop when he was writing the aforementioned ticket.

I most assuredly did not say "wine" at MOPS when asked what I was thankful for this season.

I most definitely would never get irritated with librarian on the phone when she told me I would have to either buy a new DVD case or keeping paying $1 a day -- even though I did return the actual DVD. And I did not find the aforementioned cover sandwiched between the TV and the side of the entertainment center.

So what did you NOT do today?

Rewind

I am an admitted book addict. I love to read and I can't help but adding more and more books to my library queue. Some of the books are okay, some are great and some really resonate with me. Enter Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch. The premise of the story is a suburban mother, disgruntled by her current life and haunted by memories of her ex, finds herself seven years in the past -- before the marriage, the suburbs and the baby. The best part: she is fully aware that she has gone back in time and has the gift of hindsight. She has the chance to rewrite her life or follow the same path. Raise your hand if you have ever wished -- even for a second -- that you could go back and make some different choices. The past is always prettier when you view it in reverse.

I'd have to go back a few more years then seven -- more like 13 years for me. Its not so much that I want to change my path but there are a few people I'd like to revisit. My entire college years were emotional for me. Where I had once been strong in high school, I suddenly felt unsure and upended. There were people along the way who I clearly wronged - or at least treated pretty badly. I wish I could do right by them. I made career choices that I wish I might have not made. Frankly, I was never cut out to be a journalist but I thought that's what I needed to do. And I will admit, there's a few boys I'd like to kiss again. I mean if I am going back in time, I might as well have some fun. ;)

But of course, there are no rewinds in real life. Plus I wouldn't really want to alter my course. This is my life -- the good, the bad and even the boring.

Obama

I hope this speaks to the state of race relations in the U.S. Even if I don't align myself completely with the Democratic ticket, I still think its amazing that a Black man was voted president. Amazing in a good way.

Someone on the news said it Dr. King's "dream" come to fruition. I don't think we are there yet but this is certainly a good start.

Day by day ...

It's the eve of Election Day and the nation is focused on change and the future. For most people, the future is this intangible "thing" that will take place next week, next month or next year.

But me, I'm a Mom, and I have to focus on today. If I start to look too far ahead, I might get dizzy.

So right now my focus is on how to get lip gloss out of Moo's hair and how to reassure Jacob that Fridays aren't horrible even if the tornado sirens will be tested.

Day by day ...

Not feeling the love ...

I am not loving my new pediatrician right now. We need to get Jacob into a developmental pediatrician. We can't get into one without a referral from our primary ped. Our primary ped would not refer until he saw the IEP. We sent him the IEP last week, we confirmed he received and still no call back. I called and said we really, really need the referral so we can proceed. Still no call. I am not sure what the acceptable time frame for waiting would be. Is this where I need to be the squeaky wheel that continually calls? Argh.

Happy Birthday, Miss Molly!

It is hard to believe that four years ago, I was in the hospital after having given birth to a teeny little baby girl named Molly. She was 4.5 pounds, much bigger than we expected her to be at 32 weeks, but still so tiny.



She spent two weeks in the hospital learning to eat and breathe; growing bigger; and generally learning to acclimate to world she was not supposed to be in yet. If I look closely at her heels, I can see the tiny scars from the daily glucose pricks in the NIMN.

We were blessed that her stay at the hospital was so short. Her first year was a bit rough with various illnesses as she built up her immune system. But today you'd never know she was a preemie. She's healthy, happy and full of life.

Happy Birthday Miss Moo. Mommy loves you!



P.S. This post is two days late but we were partying it up this weekend. ;)