On Teeth

As we were standing in line last night to check out of your favorite obnoxious electronic retailer, Sylvia informed me that her tooth was sore. She told me she had an apple at lunch and it's been bothering her ever since. Upon further inspection, I discovered it was loose. My baby has a loose tooth. How did that happen? I remember snuggling her close in her sling, burrowing my face in her sweaty neck, nursing in all hours of the night, holding her close and not letting her go.

But somehow, throw time and space and chaos and motion, somehow my baby grew. I closed my eyes are awoke with a small human, loose teeth and all (turns out both front teeth are loose). Her clothes grow tight on her daily, her vocabulary skills astound me every minute, her care for others is mind-blowing, her nurturing behavior is sweet, her flare for theatrics is endearing, her desire to be young and old at the same time is familiar, her eyes full of growing pains is sad, her powerful maturity and innate innocence is confusing, and her teeth falling out from her head made me start to cry right then in there, in the check out lane of said obnoxious electronic retailer.

You never know when life's most memorable moments are going to hit you, but when it happens, all modesty and shame flies out the door instantly. The cashier saw it, was so sweet to both of us, and told Syl, "good luck on getting that tooth out."

Good luck on growing up.

Caring

On a last minute date, I actually dressed somewhat normal and drank wine and didn't have to chop food into small bites. It was awesome.

But besides that, I have some serious wardrobe hatred going on. I'm here to confess the horrors of my closet, the demons of my underwear drawer, and the loathing of my attire. Now that I am making money to a small degree, I try and purchase something for myself every now and again. I now, it's the tiny things that count in life. When attempting to go out with my girlfriends last Wednesday (which is like my Friday night, btw), I couldn't find anything to wear. I had literally strewn my clothes about the floor and bed and ended up in the exact thing I had been wearing all day. Why? Because it was worn in, comfortable, and I was over everything else.

You see, I have what we all now of as the "mom wardrobe." It consists of nursing bras (oh no, friends, there have been no babies nursing on this rack for nearly 18 months), stretched out elastic-less underwear that has (embarrassingly enough) endured a pregnancy or two, nursing tanks (see above), work-out gear, some random tank tops that are long enough to cover any plumber's crack, a few skirts that are frankly unflattering and too big, some dresses that are probably too young for me, and 2 pairs of jeans (the pair seen above, which I always wear, and another pair that sing "mom jeans" every time I wear them). When shooting weddings, I have 2 nice pants and 2 nice shirts that get rotated weekly. It's not cool.

People, it's so not cool what's going on in my wardrobe. And here's the deal, I really can't invest much money into it, so it stays the lame way it is, season after season. Every now and again, I'll get a crazy bug up my ass (like I did on Thursday) and spend hours at the mall trying on clothes, only to walk away with 2 of the same sweater in different colors and 2 scarves. Really, JJ? Do I need 2 scarves and 2 sweaters? How about another pair of jeans so you can toss the too big mom jeans? How about a bra that fits your post-2-baby-boobs? How about some sexy underwear to remind yourself and your husband that you are a married woman that owns a home and somewhat cares?

I swear I used to care more about the state of my closet. I used to have time and reason to put a better foot forward. It has gone to the wayside way too long, and I need to revive that old spirit of being 1/10th fashionable.

How about you, what's in your closet? I have a feeling you are going to be relating to this quite a bit, because I know you are all busy moms...

Legos

To Costume

Starting my day with a shaky FB mishap, a crappy and expensive kitten appointment (for a cat I really didn't need), and a cold/rainy day is just a recipe for LAME soup. But alas, my friends, I'm moving on and getting over the funk! I can't believe it is already mid-October, where the hell did fall go? I have a very busy month, 16 shoots in all (wow) and am very much looking forward to the holidays (I know, I'm crazy for typing that).

This year, the kids both want rather simple costumes, both of which I could achieve if I dusted off that old sewing machine. Syl wants to be an Asian Warrior Somethingorother. I found a rather simple kimono pattern that is a serious of rectangles. Done. Easton has other ideas, ones that rotate on an hourly basis, for he is 2 and fickle. We were handed down a Superman costume built with padded muscles (hilarious!). Of course, he hates wearing it despite how much he loves Superman. Now I will make him a cape and call it a day. I'm not going to spend much time or money on him when chances are high he won't want to wear anything the day of.

Sylvia's school is hosting a costume/karaoke party which sounds lively and entertaining, except for the fact that it may require wearing a costume and performing karaoke, both of which I'll need to be adequately drunk for.

I keep seeing all these awesome family costume ideas but am too busy to be inspired to make them come true. Again, for yet another holiday, I'll live vicariously through the blogs of those with time and rip out seams in the few minutes I have to throw something together for my fam.

Knock Knock

I'm curious as to my company here lately. I know I'm not posting very often, for I'm tired and busy and have 20K other blogs/sites/posts to maintain. So what is it people, should I keep this up or toss it to the wayside? I love being able to return here and see old posts about my past few years, but the loathed FB is sucking up all my funny child quips. Anyone coming here still?

Time for The Leaves to Fall

Front yard fun time with leaves. Too bad we have to rake them now :)

He's Really a Boy!

I don't really care how many people have thought that Easton is a girl. Those long curly locks, those big blue eyes, that charming personality, all qualities that make total strangers ask "How old is she?" on a daily basis. No, the thing that was getting me annoyed was the hair in his eyes, him constantly pushing his hair out of his face, and the screams that ensued when I attempted to comb his knots out.

Now, after an 8 minute trip to the barber, Easton looks like an official little man. The charm is still there, the big round eyes present, and the hair is still curly, just a nit easier to maintain.

All I have left is an envelope of curls, which got me some strange looks at the barber shop.