Worn Out

Let me preface by saying this is merely a rant and venting.

Some days I am absolutely worn out. I've been sick the past probably 2 weeks and most recently got some sort of terror stomach virus that took me out for several days. Praise the Lord the worst of it was over the weekend and Craig could take care of Perri. On Monday we watched A LOT of tv as I was still worthless but couldn't do much of anything. Great parenting I know, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Craig is currently working two jobs (same company, just two positions). He recently got a new position but the person who is taking over his old position decided it'd be nice to take a two week long vacation during a BUSY time. Craig's been working his butt off and working LONG hours and not seeing Perri hardly at all. This, along with lots of rain and being stuck in the house, and some days I'm about to TEAR MY HAIR OUT. Having very little help and being sick and trying to take care of Perri and keep the house half way decent and food cooked is taking a toll.

It doesn't help that Perri has been throwing some monster fits and when I'm at the end of my rope, I just about snap. I love that little girl more than anything but sometimes I about can't take it.

I know all moms at times feel this way but it's just wearing me out right now with Craig not home and being worn down from being sick. And after I finally get completely over this bug I've got to go to the dr. to get my lymph nodes checked out. They've been really swollen for about 2 months now and still when I'm well. Could just be a beat down immune system but they've been swollen more when I'm well than when I'm sick so they worry me. I'd better be safe and get them checked too.

Hmm.. what else? I know I should have a ton to report on since I never post anymore but hopefully the videos suffice sometimes. We got new phones and the video is pretty good and it's just so easy to upload straight from the phone so expect more video. Perri LOVES watching herself on video and I need to sometime have Craig video her watching videos of herself. Pretty funny.

Also a prayer request- Craig's boss's son, who is 14, recently had moles removed and one was positive for melanoma. Luckily we're in Houston with world-reknowned MD Anderson so he went there after the mole being removed. They sadly found another large spot on his back with more melanoma and removed it and think they have it all. Anyhow, prayers are appreciated as I can't imagine going through this with a child!!

A couple pics of Perri recently to end with. If I put a hat or glasses on her or anything in her hair, they are ripped off in .13221 seconds. Her idea and they are on for hours. Ha!




P.S. In all seriousness, anyone have any good suggestions on parenting books? Would very much appreciate!

Perri's New Slide

After 4 consecutive rainy days we were finally able to move Perri's new slide outside. Her Lulu and Pops got if for her last week. She loves it!

Dancing Machine

Okay, sorry for the last of posting lately. We have been spending a lot of our time at the pool or in the backyard on the trampoline and I just haven't been good about blogging at all. I somehow take the time to read everyone else's blog, but neglect my own. Ha. I'll try and get a post up soon of some new pics and what we've been up to but for now I'll leave you with a video I took last night of Perri dancing. The kid seriously goes crazy when music is on and has even started this break dancing thing where she sits on the floor and scoots herself around in a circle really fast. It's pretty funny.

Also, please ignore me talking and telling her a million times to spin. Oops.

Just Call Me 'Mother of the Year'

Baby in diaper. Check
Baby drinking from beer bottle. Check

You cannot get much trashier than this

Or this

My explanation? We were playing in the backyard this evening and Perri got her dress soaked playing at the water table so I stripped her down to her diaper. A few minutes later she walks up to me holding a beer bottle and laughing. She apparently reached up by the grill and found an empty bottle sitting there. And I did what any good mother would do. Took it away from her and scolded her Started cracking up and grabbed my camera and took pictures.

Don't judge.

18 Months!

Wow how time flies! I can't believe Perri turned 18 months yesterday! She wasn't in the best of moods today so this is the only one of her smiling I could manage. Sorry for the horrible background.

What Perri is up to these days:

Weight: 22 lbs (10-25%)

Height: 32 1/2 in. tall (75-90%)

Head: 18 3/4 in (75%)

Shoes: Size 4 but they are still kindof big

Clothes: 12-18 months and a few 18 months but most are still big

Diapers: Size 3 but she's such a super soaker she has to wear size 4 Extra Protection at night. Those suckers are still about 10 lbs. in the morning!

Teeth: 10 but more about about to cut. All of the sudden they decided to finally come!

She is an absolute mess and BUSY. She does not stop until she is asleep. This is such a fun age but my goodness it absolutely wears me out. She can destroy the house in no time, but luckily is very eager to pick up and put everything back when asked. 

She is saying a lot of words and repeating most things I ask her to say and very good at following directions. Lately when I ask her if we need to change her diaper she'll run to the living room, roll over on to her back and lay there waiting for me to change her. Pretty funny. 

Tells everyone "bye bye" and then blows them kisses. Doesn't matter where we are or who it is. Checking out at the grocery, standing in the front yard and someone driving bye, even if she's leaving a room I'm in she'll tell me bye and blow a kiss then take off. She's also (finally) gotten to be pretty snuggly and loves to lay her head down on our shoulders or climb up on the couch and snuggle up. It's about time and we are eating it up!!

Obsessed with water and anything containing water. Her water table, Emma's water bowl, sinks, toilets, the humidifier, everything. The pools are starting to open up around here and we can't wait!! (or well momma can wait to put this body in a bathing suit...) but can't wait for playing at the pool every day! 

I'm sure there are so many other things I could post but then it would be a book so there's a quick update for you!

I'll leave you with our evening in pictures after I thought it'd be a good idea to buy her sidewalk chalk.

Mmmm afternoon snack!

(Excuse the runny nose, it's a permanent fixture right now due to allergies...)

(These are all super close and blurry because I was trying to take a picture and hold her arms down so she'd stop trying to eat the chalk..Hard to adjust settings with one hand)

"Hooray for the USA!" (Hey, at least she's patriotic while eating chalk)

Quickly followed by

Sweet Shot

I know it's Mother's Day, but here's a sweet picture I took today of Perri and her daddy. She was playing on the couch and kept wanting to lay down on him. Love it!

Random Thoughts

I haven't posted in forever because while I do like sitting and reading other people's blogs, sadly, when it comes to my own I don't feel like thinking up something to write and messing with the annoying blogger. Great attitude, I know. So I may from now on update as I feel and will probably be pretty random stuff or maybe just a bunch of pics.

Perri is turning into such a little girl and while I love this age and her hilarious personality, it makes me sad at how fast she is growing up. She is such a little clown and pretty much everything she does, is to try to make you laugh. She is constantly dancing and doing this funny tap dancing footwork thing or running around the house yelling at Abba (Emma). She loves to run around and scream at the top of her lungs, preferably in Amos's (our cat) face. He does not exactly care for her and last month bit her in the face.

She pretty much always has some sort of scrape or bruise on her forehead. Much of the time a scrape AND bruise or multiples bruises. She's always banging her head on something or trying to be funny (headbanging in the shopping cart and slammed her forehead on the handle...) and results in the bruises and scrapes. Last month I had to run upstairs and left her downstairs and while we do have gates, the one downstairs doesnt work at the very bottom of the stairs because of how the stairs are built so it's up three steps on the first landing. Perri was standing on the landing waiting for me and turned around quickly, lost her footing and fell down the stairs and landing head first on the tile. Immediately a knot popped out.

I was inside and Craig was in the backyard with her yesterday and he said she did a flip off the deck somehow. He said it was graceful though and she got up and went along playing. Today she was playing in the curtains and somehow slammed her forehead on the ledge. So what did she do when she recovered from this? She walked over and bit the ledge. Awesome, I know.

She's saying all kinds of words that I'm not even going to attempt to write them all out and will repeat pretty much anything you tell her to. The funniest though is how she says "please." I have no idea how she got this but it comes out by blowing a raspberry and then the "ease" of it. It's pretty darn funny.

My parents got her a water table and this is all she wants to do. She will stand at the window in the living room and get so excited when she sees it in the backyard and starting saying "please" over and over and signing "water." She absolutely flips out if I tell her "not now" and that she can play later. The girl loves water and can't wait to get in the pool with her and teach her to swim! My mom said I was jumping off the side of the pool and swimming to her at 18 months so I'm hoping we can get Perri doing that too!! Some pools opening this weekend down here but the one in our neighborhood doesnt until Memorial Day. But several of my friends here live in neighborhoods where there's is open on weekends now so I'm sure we'll be hitting those up with them until ours opens.

Emma likes the water table too. Her own giant water bowl.

Perri had her first trip to the dentist last week. As I expected, she did NOT like them in her mouth, as she hates us brushing her teeth, and I had to hold her arms down while they cleaned her teeth and examined them. She screamed pretty much the entire time and could've cared less about The Little Mermaid playing on the tv in her exam room.  Afterwards, though, she was all smiles as getting two new bracelets (the girl LOVES anything she can put on her arms, including bloomers, headbands, even cookie cutters..)

She loves to get in my headband drawer. I usually later find these all in her ball pit.

The dentist did promise me that she does in fact have bottom teeth and will be getting them soon! She has one molor on the bottom in addition to the front two but we were getting a bit worried she'd never get teeth down there!

And I'll leave you with some recent pictures.

Playing at the fountain at La Centerra, a shopping center here. During the spring and summer they turn on the fountains and kids play in them. So much fun! Love her in her 'kini. 

Decided she'd rather sit down and eat than play.

Her hair one day. It seriously would not lay down and stayed this way all day. It was lovely.

Just a cute one to end with!