Adventures in Babysitting

So I forgot to tell you, I babysat an infant for the first time on Saturday. I babysat in college and high school quite often, but never for someone still in diapers. I volunteered to watch my friend Heather’s little Avery if they wanted to go out to a movie or something, just because I think the whole reason I put a few baby things on my list was because I need some more experience with those little buggers.

Here’s what I learned:

1. If you try to take a bottle slowly out of the mouth of a baby who is falling asleep, she will immediately wake up and start sucking the crap out of it

2. Snaps on a onesie can be hard to line up on a girl who loves to kick her chubby little legs in your face (maybe she’s a future rockette!)

3. When a baby starts whining or getting fussy, you have this instinct to comfort them and make them quiet again. I don’t know how I could ever let them cry it out

4. Walking and swaying is very soothing to a baby but can be hard on your back

5. The black remote does not change the channel on their TV, it will cause the TV to say “No Signal”, and once you loose nick jr., you have to do all the entertaining yourself!

Overall it wasn’t too bad at all. Kind of scary to think of having one of those all the time, but I’d fill in for someone else in a pinch again!

But the funniest thing of all that I learned from this adventure didn’t happen until this morning when I read Heather’s blog.

Go check it out!

Bookie-Lou

I checked something off my list this weekend…I changed my very first diaper! We had a cozy girls night at my friend Heather’s house and now that Avery is older she was actually awake for most of it. She’s growing up so fast! We spent a lot of time looking through her clothes and boy she has a lot! Heather is a little fashionita, so I guess Avery will be following in her footsteps! Here's a pic of the little Bookie-Lou:



My friends told me I had to change a poopy diaper or it didn’t count, but luckily Avery didn’t work up a poop for me so it was just a pee diaper.

When I say I have never changed a diaper before I mean never. I didn’t know how to unhook the thing. I didn’t know what was the front or the back. I didn’t know how tight it should be. But Avery likes having her diaper changed and was a very cooperative little girl, so the whole thing was pretty easy. So- change a diaper- check!

In other baby news, I sometimes think about what I would want to name my baby if I ever have one. I REALLY want to have a little girl, actually 2 little girls. My mom’s maiden name is Lovejoy, so I want one girl to have the middle name Love and the other one Joy. As far as first names, I want to name one Lily because my name means “Lily of the Valley” and the other one McKenna just because I LOVE that name and it doesn’t seem to be too popular so hopefully it will still be unique if I ever get around to having a baby.

Knowing me, I’ll probably be cursed with all boys and I don’t really have any boy’s names I am in love with.

What are your favorite baby names?

Oh Baby!

Well, I had a baby themed weekend and got to mark something off my list!

It all started on Friday when I went shopping for a baby shower and my friend’s little boy’s birthday. Witty Guy came with me and it was quite hilarious. I kept asking his opinion of all the outfits and we spent a lot of time in the baby department trying to figure out what babies need. He was such a sport! He helped me with everything and even carried around the diapers and stuff. I meanwhile was obsessed with this little elephant blanket-rattle-stuffed-toy thingy I picked out. It was so soft and cute. I almost wanted to keep it for myself!

On Saturday I drove down to Greenville for a baby shower for an old friend. (I was Maid of Honor in her wedding 2 ½ years ago and have not seen her since then and had only heard through the grapevine that she was pregnant so I was kind of shocked when I got the invite, but that’s a whole other post.)

Anyway, I got to see a lot of old friends and catch up with them which was nice. Ok, so it was a little weird too and quite frankly after almost 10 years of showers for everyone and their momma, I am getting kind of tired of hearing about weddings and babies. Well, babies not so much, but weddings for sure. And somehow even though this was a baby shower, the topic of weddings was discussed at length. I’m not bitter, really, just tired. I’m trying to have endurance at this whole supporting all my friends thing, but it feels like a freaking marathon and if it is ever my turn they will have all lost touch with me or be too wrapped up in their own lives to support me. Eloping is looking better and better everyday.

Ok, sorry for the rant.

Anyway, after the shower I went over to my friend Megan’s house to meet her kids. She has a little girl, Lucy, who is 3, and a 10-month-old little boy, Bobby. I get a little nervous around kids just because I am never, ever around them. But I need to overcome that if I am ever going to have kids of my own!

It was crazy to see how much work 2 kids are too. I always thought I wanted like 4, but I’m now reconsidering. There is always someone needing something or wanting your attention but it is just like second nature to Megan. She just did it all with ease.

Little Lucy is so stinking cute and she knows it. And little Bobby crawling around was the most adorable thing ever. I was hesitant to hold Bobby at first, because like I said kids kind of scare me. But I did and it wasn’t bad. He is quite the wiggle worm and he even spit up on my leg, but it didn’t bother me much because I just found him so cute and fascinating. I mean what is going on in that little head of his?

Anyway, they had me stay for dinner and her husband JR cooked for us. After dinner I remembered my list and told Megan she could help me mark something off if I could just get Bobby to laugh. It wasn’t as simple as it sounds. He wasn’t having it with the tickling but then she suggested peek-a-boo and that got a little chuckle out of him and even a little snort! Make a baby laugh: check!

(Please excuse the poor picture quality. It was with my camera phone and I apparently can't get a clear shot with that!)

I’m saving the diaper change for little Avery who will be here in June. I’ve heard girls are easier than boys with that anyway!

The fact that so many of my friends are starting to become known as “mom” makes ME feel old!

But, any of you moms out there, please invite me over to hang out with the kids. Heck, I’ll even babysit…maybe…I’ll have to think about it. But I do need to get more comfortable around kids and learn how all this works because if I don’t, I may have a nervous breakdown when it comes to having one of my own!

Update on The List

I feel like it is taking FOREVER to cross the next thing off my list! (I’ve already told y’all I’m not patient at all!) I am also getting a little nervous because 2 years seemed like a long time when I made the list, but time goes by more quickly than you expect. And if I don’t get everything crossed off I am going to feel like a complete LOSER, so the pressure is really on. It would really help if I could find a money tree somewhere around here. I didn’t realize so many of these things are going to require a good chunk of change!

Anyway, here is an update on The List progress:

1. Get in the best shape of my life- the 5K training is helping with this a little, but I need to step it up! Maybe I’ll get a trainer? They really do help!
2. Try snowboarding – trying to get a ski trip planned for Feb. I guess I’ll be renting a board instead of skis!
3. Get a job I love – Still no word here. I am thinking about going back to school.
4. Take Cam to an agility class- no time or funds right now. But he did learn to “bow” recently (it’s so cute!)
5. Pay all my own bills (with no help from mom)- I plan on taking over my car insurance when I get a new car next year. (My lease runs out in April.) I’ll have to learn to budget better in order to take over the gas though, and hopefully prices will go down a little.
6. Ask out a crush- This would require an adequate crush. There are none at this point in time. Sad…I know!
7. Run a 5K- I might have to take a week off from training because I have the worst blisters on the back of my heels! Or maybe I could run in flip-flops?
8. Go to a water park and not feel self-conscious- luckily I don’t have to worry about this until at least next summer!
9. Kayak- too cold to kayak now, but I think a camping/kayaking trip in the mountains sounds fabulous!
10. Catch a fish- This can wait until summer
11. Open my heart to someone- Yeah, that would require a guy. (see #6)
12. Make a baby laugh- My friend in ATL is having a baby in Feb. Maybe I will get a chance to go out there to meet the little munchkin, act stupid and get a laugh out of him!
13. Change a diaper (no I have never done this) - I don’t want to think about this. But whatever baby laughs at me, I guess the least I can do to thank them is change their diaper!
14. Go on a mission trip- I found out about a mission trip to South Africa in December, but I looked it up on the website today and it costs $2500! That took the wind out of my sails!
15. Help a stranger- no strangers that need help have crossed my path yet
16. Find a doctor I trust- haven’t had time to investigate this yet, plus I have been pretty healthy, so there hasn’t been any motivation to do so.
17. Grow a plant- I’m going to wait until growing season for this (someone please let me know when “growing season” is!)
18. Upgrade one room in my house- My light fixture in my kitchen broke. I had already been thinking this would be the room I would re-do. So I guess I’ll do it one thing at a time. I’ll post some pics when I finally get a new light fixture!
19. Travel abroad- yeah money is an issue with this one. I might have to count Mexico as “abroad”!
20. Swim with a dolphin
21. Go skinny dipping- No…no desire to do this right now
22. Visit Washington, DC – I am trying to see if I can pull together a trip this spring to see the Cherry Blossoms.
23. Take a dance lesson- I did have a dance lesson from a 7 year old last week…does that count?
24. Sing Karaoke
25. Invest in the stock market- umm…have you seen the news? I don’t want to get on that roller coaster ride!
26. Kiss in the rain- Need I remind you? …THERE IS NO GUY in the picture right now. If I kiss my dog in the rain could that count? (Yet another reminder of how pathetic I am!)
27. Read the Bible all the way through- I signed up for this “Bible in a Year” email service. It emails you a selection each day and in a year you will have read the whole Bible! I also joined a Bible study group. We actually have to memorize a new verse each week. It takes me back to Bible School days!
28. Go see a movie at the theater- alone!- Nothing that I am dying to see right now
29. Attempt Surfing- Again…waiting for summer…too cold for the ocean right now!
30. Purchase 1 piece of expensive jewelry for myself- By the way, the other night I thought I lost one of my earrings and FREAKED out! It was just the icing on a bad day that I didn’t need! Luckily I found it in between the sheets on my bed. Note to self: Do not wear expensive earrings to bed anymore.

Oh and I finally finished my latest book! Check out my review of The Friday Night Knitting Club on my Bookshelf Blog!