Daring Young Mom

Who Needs New Moon?

Posted on November 7, 2009 by The Daring One

Love the lip-biting, love the science class scene, love that it’s an “accident.”

Posted in scaring the neighbors | 3 Comments

A Note to the Witch

Posted on November 5, 2009 by The Daring One

So there I was, writing a note to my alter-ego, excusing my daughter from the possibly harmful effects of my own parental choices. [read more at Parenting.com]

Posted in Random | Comments Off

Snazzy Jammies

Posted on November 4, 2009 by The Daring One

So things are moving along. Wanda is aging rapidly. We’ve moved her out of our room and I’ve decided it’s time to purchase some new Snazzy Jammies.

The problem is – I hate buying Snazzy Jammies. Now if you go to the Snazzy Jammie store to buy them, it’s not embarrassing because everyone in the store is there for the same reason, but who wants to spend that kind of money which only goes to pay for more of those life-sized posters right next to the kids’ play area at the mall?

No. When I’m looking for Snazzy Jammies, I usually look at Target or Kohl’s.

The problem is – Most people at Target and Kohl’s are not purchasing Snazzy Jammies. They are there looking for rain boots or a kitchen timer, maybe a roll of scotch tape. I like all of those things as much as the next person and so I usually try to camouflage my Snazzy Jammie purchase by spending way too much on sundries but, really, you cannot totally camouflage SJs. You just can’t.

A piece of Snazzy fabric may stick out from under your bag of diapers, giving your Snazzy-Jammy-Wearing ways away to curious bystanders. And at some point the checker will have to pull them out of their hiding place under the bathmat on the conveyer belt to scan them. She can either scan them discreetly or hold them up to the light, taking the hanger out with an eye-catching flourish and turning them from side to side in order to check out just how Snazzy they are. I’ve had both. I prefer discreet.

And I always feel like she’s looking at me a little too hard. Maybe she’s wondering if Snazzy Jammies should even come in the size I’m purchasing. So what if I’m wearing no makeup, have my hair in a bun and am sporting sweat pants. A woman carrying a mom-purse so big that it sets off the flashing “fasten seatbelt” light when she puts it on the passenger seat of her mini-van is still entitled to feel Snazzy once in a while. I think it’s in the constitution somewhere… or at the very least one of the amendments.

Posted in all about me, Love and Marriage, save me from myself, scaring the neighbors, shopping | 15 Comments

Day One – A Day of Buts

Posted on November 3, 2009 by The Daring One

Today Dan went back to work but we all survived.

He left for work while I was still sleeping and I was sad that he didn’t say goodbye, but he called shortly after I woke up to tell me he loved me.

I got Laylee to school on time but forgot to put in her hearing aids and told her to buy lunch instead of me making it.

My baby cried a lot but when I do this:

Sometimes she does this:

The sun shone in Seattle so I took Magoo outside to play but we came back in too quickly because the baby was cold.

I made dinner for my dinner co-op but I had to ask Erin to bring me some ingredients that I’d forgotten so I wouldn’t have to wake up Wanda to go to the store.

I survived all day but I did need to call on Stephanie for help getting Laylee from the bus stop after my hip seized up and I had to lie on the couch for an hour with pain killers and a heating pad.

Laylee and Magoo were definitely in sugar withdrawals today but they never completely melted down and they even helped a ton with the wee bairn.

I voted in the election but I didn’t get my vote in until 15 minutes before the “polls” closed.

We now all use absentee ballots instead of “polls” in Washington State but there was still a sense of civic camaraderie as the hordes of procrastinators met at the library to stuff their envelopes into one of the few vote boxes scattered around the county.

It was a rough day and I couldn’t have made it through without the help of my friends and the encouragement of my family but as I drove home tonight with my music blasting and the stars shining I was happy with no buts.

I think I can do this.

Posted in Random | 14 Comments

Reasons I’m Glad I’m Not a Celebrity Mom

Posted on October 28, 2009 by The Daring One

1. I would not like to claim the world record for “Celebrity Mom Hiding a Baby Bump for the Longest Time Ever Without Producing a Baby.” It seems that every issue of OK! or US Weekly shows a picture of some celebrity on the cover either “hiding” or “showing off” her baby bump. If she’s holding something in front of her abdomen… [read more at Parenting.com]

Posted in parenting | 2 Comments

McSquidgems’ Self-Infatuation

Posted on October 27, 2009 by The Daring One

Some might call it narcissism but I like to think of it as a healthy dose of self esteem. Our baby is in love with herself. Here she is at her one-month checkup. She screamed in the lobby and again after the appointment but the entire time she was near that mirror, she was absolutely enthralled with her own reflection. She already knows how cute she is. She is her own best friend.

Wanda cries more than my other babies did. She seems to have a sore tummy a lot and she squinches up her little face, pulls in her legs and cries. We’ve tried the Mylicon drops and this weekend I took her to a craniosacral therapist who worked on her and taught me some digestive massage techniques I can use at home.

She just has trouble pooping and digesting without pain. Her pediatrician looked at the great fatness she’s become and said he’s not worried about the fussiness since she’s thriving so well. That’s code for, “Dude. Look how fat she is. If she were really sick, would she be this squidgeable?” Indeed. Dan has nicknamed her McSquidgems and although I say she cries frequently, it’s not entirely true. She cries frequently if she’s not being held at all times and so we pretty much hold her unless she’s sleeping and sometimes even then.

We’re not sure if we’ll have any more kids and I’ve decided that there are far worse things I could do with the next year of my life than spend it holding this little person. She seems to agree. I think she’d hold herself if she could but I’m the next best thing.