the first birthday party

Wow. What a week. Laney turned one. We had friends and family from out of town. Count 'em five babies at my house! I loved watching the little ones play together. But, boy oh boy, trying to coordinate naps with that many babies is quite the challenge. As I write this, Laney is having a long catch-up nap in our now quiet house. Mike is also having one of those on the living room floor. Mike wants to hand out candy tonight, but I'd much prefer a lights-out quiet evening.

On Laney's birthday she was still feeling quite sick. She spent most of the day wanting to be held so I got some rare cuddles.

I planned on giving her cake at her party so on her birthday I just made some homemade ice cream for her. She enjoyed the ice cream, but the party hat, not so much.

On Friday, Laney's buddy came over for some fun. This was my attempt at being one of those mums who isn't afraid to let things get a little messy. The plan was to gut the pumpkins and then fingerpaint. Both girls hated it. They didn't want to get their hands dirty and wouldn't touch the pumpkins. Then, neither one of them wanted to touch the paint. Laney kept slipping in the paint which provided a little amusement. The only part the two of them liked was playing on the plastic sheet before we started and the bath at the end. 

 

Laney's birthday party was lots of fun. One of our friend's gave her a massive Winnie the Pooh balloon and she loved it. Loved it. She carried it around for basically the entire party. I will not show up at another one-year-old's birthday party without one.

She did need a little break or two every now and then though.

 
Watching her eat her cake was hilarious. She started by daintily picking at it. This was followed by hands free leaning over the cake and biting it, and finally full-on smashing the cupcake.

Thanks for all your birthday wishes for Laney! I can't believe she's one. And, don't forget to enter the 35$ CSN gift card giveaway. Click here.

1 approaches and a CSN giveaway

I've got some exciting news to share. I may not need that cardboard box after all. I have a job interview for a laboratory position coming up in November! I guess I'm going to need an outfit other than my frumpy everyday "mummy uniform."

But, the most exciting thing going on is that my baby is going to be one! We are going to celebrate her birthday with a little homemade ice cream and a birthday party on the weekend. I've seen a lot of really well done and fancy birthday parties on various blogs and part of me felt like I should be throwing Laney a party like that. After thinking about it, however, I realized that Laney is going to enjoy it regardless of matching (or unmatching) decorations. If I were to go all out it would be for my sake, not Laney's. Laney doesn't care. All she needs are loved ones, cake, and fun. So, it is going to be a basic party. And, I'm not getting stressed about it or spending a ton of money on it. Fancy parties are great and all, don't get me wrong. Maybe she will have one down the road, but not this year.

 Unfortunately, Laney got a cold this week so I'm really hoping that she will feel better by the weekend. This morning when she woke up she had green cement completely caked around her nose. I knew that there was no way to clean it up without a struggle and a large amount of tears so I just plopped her in the shower with me and waited for it to soften before wiping. Sorry for sharing. I am a mum though, you know. This wouldn't be a proper baby blog without mentioning bodily fluids in some shape or form.

And finally, my first giveaway ever! CSN is giving one of my readers $35 to spend on anything from one of their 200+ stores! Sorry for all the exclamation points, but it's free money! CSN has everything you could ever want from barstools to luggage. So check them out. I love online shopping and am always looking for new sites. Online Christmas shopping is so much easier than fighting crowds at the mall.

The rules (I know, I'm sorry, there has to be some, but I'll keep it simple)

The contest is going to be open from now until November 3 at midnight MST. Only Canadian and U.S. entrants. All you have to do is leave a comment wishing Laney a happy birthday. Oh and please make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you. One entry per person please. Winner will be chosen using random.org.

You have 48 hours to respond to my email or I will choose a new winner.

Bust

My sister and I decided to hold a yard sale on the weekend. I have been collecting things that I don't want anymore for awhile and thought this would be the perfect oppurtunity to get rid of some of it and also make a buck or two. I made $30. Anyways, I don't know quite what I did wrong, but I only sold about three items. And, a yard sale is a lot of work. I don't know that $30 really is worth the effort. Perhaps it was just too cold. I am keeping the stuff and will try again in the spring. Otherwise, I think I'm done with yard sales.

Do you have any tips for yard/garage sales?

Even though we didn't sell much, my sister and I had fun hanging out. Laney loved seeing her cousin too.

In other news, I got my top up pay from work. It was a lot more than I expected. God always seems to provide for us when we need it and I feel a little better about not having a job to go to right away. I have a possibility, but won't really have any more details until the end of November.

I also just want to thank all of you who have taken the time to leave comments in the past. I really try not to get caught up in how many comments I get, but I never anticipated how uplifting it is to receive tips, advice, and supportive comments. Thank you. I have never been one to plan my posts, but I do have a few "scheduled" ones coming soon. I have a really great (or at least I think so) idea for working on my weight loss through a series of posts, I have to finish the story of how Mike and I met, and I also have a giveaway coming up. I am hesitant about doing giveaways and am curious what you all think of them. I certainly do not want to become a review/giveaway site, but I think a giveaway every now and then would be OK. No?

Hay bum

Sorry about the title.

There is something about having babies that makes me enjoy every season, every breath just a little bit more. I have wonderful memories of my childhood and I want the same for Laney. In some ways, experiencing everything with her and watching the wonder in her eyes makes me feel like I am living a second childhood. With that being said, we have really been relishing this autumn. I love how the air turns crisp and provides a great excuse for sweaters and thick blankets to curl up with on the couch. Perfection would be Laney allowing me to snuggle with her under said blankets. Oh to dream.

What colour do you call her eyes? Are they hazel?

We went to a corn maze where Laney was able to hang out with some of her baby-buddies. They had this awesome inflatable balloon like thing. It was way better than a trampoline. And, what a workout! I need to find out if they make these in backyard sizes. Who needs grass?

 
Here is the reason for the title. Enough said.

As for the actual corn maze, my friend and I decided to do the little kids one. Yeah, we couldn't find our way through. We made an executive decision to avoid the large one as it supposedly takes about two or three hours to finish. With my direction sense I would probably need to take flares in with me to alert the search party after Mike noticed us missing later that night.

My thoughts these days are turning towards Christmastime. Mike is doing his best to delay my decorating urges until November. You see, I am not a Halloween girl. I have never liked the occasion (save for the candy and sometimes dressing up). I guess that is pretty much the whole thing though. No, what I don't like are the ghoulish costumes and celebration of evil. Laugh if you must, but I have always been extremely sensitive and would have nightmares as a child. I can't watch even the mildest of scary movies. I even find myself avoiding blog posts when I see Halloween in the title. I don't like the creepy decorations. I still don't know how we will "celebrate" on October 31 with our family. I kind of want to make it a family night where we turn off the lights, rent some movies, and eat pizza and candy. I know my kids might have other ideas as they grow, but we will take it as it comes. I'm up for costumes for my kids, just not the scary ones. Just thought I would explain why you won't find me excited about Halloween.

I will leave you with this. It didn't stick for long, but I expect that it soon will.

Why I quit my job

You may remember me freaking out awhile back about going back to work. The good news is that I can delay that panic as I don't have to go back to work right now. I quit my job! I know it seems crazy when you consider that I don't have another job lined up, we need the money in order to make our monthly payments, and there is no way I could make even close to my previous wage unless I can find another lab tech position. It was best for both me and my family, however. I won't be staying at home for too long. I am looking for a new position.

Quitting left me feeling like this!

I am a planner. I like to have everything figured out. I have worked since I was fifteen and have never quit a job without having another one to go to. Sometimes, it is good to make a decision that needs to be done without knowing how it's going to turn out. Part of me, wanted to stay at my job. I mean, it wasn't the greatest place, but it paid well and it was secure. But, I knew that this job would not be great for my family, especially because it leaves me feeling negative and frustrated most of the time (I might go into that another time, maybe after I have a new job). Ideally, I would have another job already, but life isn't always ideal. We have enough money saved to carry us over for a few months. I am going to have a job by then.

And if not, do any of you have a large refrigerator box that you're not using?

A very full week

I have this thing in which I don't like leaving Laney in others' care because I feel like no one will watch her as closely as I will. It's a pathetic control thing that I am having a hard time shaking. However, yesterday I wasn't watching closely enough. It happened partially because something threw me off my routine. Normally when I get Laney out of her crib after a nap, we walk down the hallway and I make sure the doors and the baby gate are closed. Yesterday Mike phoned right as I was taking her out of the crib. I ran down the hallway without closing the baby gate to answer in time. During the call I put Laney down, forgetting about the gate. A couch blocks my view so I can't see if the gate is open or closed from the living room. I can see Laney, but not the gate.

The next thing I knew, I heard a sickening thud. Then crying. I yelled and dropped the phone. I found Laney on the second to last step facing up. I grabbed her and she calmed down fairly quickly to my great relief (showing she wasn't injured). I examined her and she had a small bump on her head and her knee. I couldn't stop shaking. It actually took me hours to calm all the way down.

I almost wish I would have seen her fall, because maybe then I wouldn't have these imaginary reenactments going on in my head. You know all those detailed, slow-motion clips that play over and over? The list of possible what-ifs that accompany a near-miss? The overwhelming guilt. If only I had watched her closer, if I hadn't gotten distracted. But, maybe her fall would have looked worse than it actually was and it is better I didn't see it. She must have fallen pretty good to land the way she did and to only have a little bump or two.

In a way, it was a good reminder to me. No matter how closely I think I watch her, no matter how hard I try and control every little thing in her life, I am imperfect. I am flawed. I was reminded of this. I was also reminded that she does have someone who is perfect watching over her. That is cause for peace.

Besides me allowing my baby to hurt herself, we have had a lot of fun this past week. We've finally got the weather we hoped for all summer long. It has been a nice mix of beautifully coloured leaves and warm air. On one hand, I want to go running through sprinklers and on the other, I want to curl up in front of a fire, wearing my comfiest sweater, while cinnamon buns bake in the oven. Whatever season it currently is, it is beautiful and I have been trying to ensure that we make the most of it.

One reason why I am glad for this hot weather is the fact that I was finally able to catch this shot. All summer long I would glance back over my shoulder to see two pudgy little baby feet casually crossed. It always made me smile. When the cold weather came, I was disappointed to realize that I had not taken a single picture. I made sure to get a photo this week when we were able to get outside with no shoes or socks. Next year when we get to experience bare feet outside, there will be no baby feet to photograph. My baby is fast turning into a toddler.

This is our first autumn in our new town and I think our park looks delightful in this season.

Laney loves autumn too. She can't get enough of all the leaves on the ground. For every smiling picture I get of her, there are probably five of her trying to shove leaves into her mouth.

And oh how we love having cousins for Laney. Three girl cousins within three years of her to be exact (two of these within six months). We were blessed to have Isla out for a visit.

I wonder what she is thinking here. Thanks God for leaves to play with, I think.

I think it is bliss that I got my wish. Laney is a full-fledged walker and she was able to learn in barefeet on green grass.

Get out there and enjoy yourselves my friends.