Family Living: Abbott Style

Motherhood has taught me a sense of selflessness that I never understood before. I try to put my husband and baby first. That has not always been the case. When I got married, I still had a lot of growing to do. Becoming a parent thrusted me into a part of adulthood that I am enjoying. It is my absolute joy to be my kid's mom and husband's girlfriend, but which takes priority? I bring this up because yesterday a fellow SAHM brought this philosophical question to light. Over half of women polled felt that kids were more important, while 30% felt that a successful marriage was important. So often, we hear of stories where women become mothers and neglect themselves and husbands..... I suppose these stats show why. You might have to ask Ian, but I feel as if I am a better wife now that I am a mom. A lot of that is due to an adjustment in perspective. It truly takes a real man to support Haley and I the way he does, and I now have a level of respect for him that I nev...

Sometimes it is hard to admit when things are not perfect... 15 weeks ago, I became a mother.  About a year ago, I found out I was pregnant.  From that moment, I wanted to be the perfect mother.  I read...a lot.  Google became my best friend and worst enemy.  I wanted to do things right.  I took classes and became educated.  I decided to breastfeed and be a stay-at-home mom.  And for every excuse you can give me against those things, I can give you 5 better reasons or stastics for them.  I became...confident. After Haley was born, only 15 weeks ago, I was determined to be the perfect mother.  I never wanted to admit that I felt that I was in over my head or that I was overwhelmed.  But I was.  Sometimes I would slip and admit that she was fussy or high-maintenance.  But I never wanted to cue in too much that she was a difficult baby.  In my head I had decided... fussy baby =  bad mom I am not sure why I c...

Someone, take away my computer.  I should not be allowed to blog after midnight.  I should be sleeping.  I have a hot and sweaty date with the gym tomorrow morning and a very busy day.  But here I am.  I can't sleep. And I've been drinking wine.  Dangerous combination.. Let's talk about my third eye.  I thought I had gotten over it until someone so rudely pointed it out.  Ya, I am looking at you .   I have a huge zit.  Really?  Common, I am twenty-something, I thought the whole acne thing was over.  Not that I ever really had acne, I would just get one huge zit in the same place.  Right between my eyes.  I even had a high school teacher point it out before.  What kind of jerk high school teacher points out a zit on a high school girl's face?  Your just asking for a hormonal mess on your hands.  Good thing I had a sense of humor about it.  At that time, we teased and said I was a unicorn.  Bu...

Has it really been since late Monday night (Tuesday morning) since I've blogged?  Where has my week gone.  It seems like it's been forever since I've blogged.  I guess having busy days makes for a quick week.  I've made it to the gym every day this week for about an hour and then later helping my buddy off the bus.  Last night, Haley and I hung out with my little buddy all night and it was a good time.  He cracks me up and I love being able to just act like a kid.  We jumped on a trampoline, went out to eat, read books, colored and of course did homework.  I look forward to Haley someday being that age.  I have him again next Wednesday late (in addition to hanging out most days after school), to make up for the week I missed while out of town, and honestly, I am already looking forward to it. Speaking of Haley she rolled over yesterday while I was dropping her by my parent's for a visit.  I couldn't believe it.  She did it like an...

Jumperoo time!  Oh how I love being a mommy....

I knew better than to go to Wal-Mart at 5:20 on a weekday evening.  But at the time, I didn't really feel as if I had a choice.  A few days a week, I am helping out a friend by seeing her son off the school bus.  While hanging out with my little buddy, my daughter had a horrible blow out.  I threw her onesie in the wash, but couldn't get it dry in time for my evening agenda.  Against my better judgement I ran to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things including a new onesie for Haley since her other one was still damp.   Lesson learned, always pack an extra onesie. Because I didn't want my daughter to be rocking just a diaper, I covered her with a burp rag in her car seat.  Then I decided that I could put her in her stroller and pull the canopy over her, just in case I ran into someone, they wouldn't be able to tell that my I was white trashing my daughter up in Wal-Mart.  When I pulled into the parking spot, I looked up, and of course, there was someo...

Despite popular belief, being a SAHM is NOT easy.  I could go into all the trials and tribulations that I have discovered thus far, but I'll spare you. I have found, one of the most important things (besides great support from husband) is organization.  I am not sure how I would survive without this skill. Despite being organized, one thing I continue to struggle with is meal preparation. I contribute some of this to Ian's schedule.  Instead of eating dinner together, we eat lunch together each day.  Which means lunch is generally our "main" meal of the day.  The day usually slips past me quickly, and 30 minutes before he has to start getting ready for work, we are throwing something together. Now that Haley is 13 weeks old, we are going to start going to the gym as a family during the day (Haley is old enough to be in their child watch program).  With this added event during the day, I know the whole lunch situation will only get trickier. ...

Fact :  Colorado has the best road signs.   "Do not pick up hitchhikers, corrections facility ahead." umm..okay are we talking watch out for run away prisoners or what? "Don't be fooled, still another 4 miles of steep grade." "In case of flood, climb to safety."  Well I suppose it is back to reality.  Tomorrow we will take the 10 hour drive home...After almost a week of being away, I think I am actually a little home sick.  I miss my dog.  My bed.  And a nap routine for Haley.  

These pictures simply do not do the Royal Gorge justice.  It is spectacular.  Luckily the weather was also as beautiful as it could have been. Looking down at the Arkansas River The bridge Cheap Target shoes that I love so much.   We rode that.  It was pretty cool minus being smooshed against strange people that I didn't know. Haley being cute and taking it all in. At the bottom.  It was beautiful and we watch has people rafted down the Arkansas River.  The cages that brings you down to the bottom. Well, waiting patiently for the rest of the Abbott family to wake up so we can go to breakfast.  You would think I would be the one still sleeping since I took full advantage of the free wine last night.

Fact : When playing blackjack in Cripple Creek Colorado, you will loose.  However, it was the perfect place for me to get the courage to actually play a table game.  I think the dealer too much enjoyed taking my money.  Train ride through Cripple Creek Check out the love shack in the background.  Actually, Cripple Creek is an old mine town where over millions of dollars in Gold had been mined in the late 1800's.  It was neat seeing all of the old buildings and mine shafts.   Where is this light hair coming from? Enjoying bath time at the hotel. We spent a few days camping with my parents and then checked into a hotel for the remainder of our trip.  Because Ian works security at a particular hotel, we get amazing discounts at many many hotels.  We booked a few nights at a hotel, not really expecting much.  But WOW, we were blown away.  We are basically in an apartment.  Full kitchen an...

Mi Padre, pulling off an epic plank. My husband, also planking.... If these pictures have left you scratching your head, please refer to this earlier blog post.... planking Garden of the Gods I saw all the fun the Colorado natives were having rock climbing, so I decided to give it a shot.  Turns out,  cheap Target shoes are not ideal.  Ouch. Standing seriously close to the edge of a cliff as Ian is instructing me to take just a few more steps backwards. Elevenmile Canyon Grandma with baby Haley Balancing Rock Family picture To be continued......

I’ve been a walking heartache I’ve made a mess of me The person that I’ve been lately Ain’t who I wanna be But you stay here right beside me And watch as the storm blows through And I need you Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs God gave me you for the days of doubt And for when I think I lost my way There are no words here left to say, it’s true God gave me you Gave me you There’s more here than what we’re seeing A divine conspiracy That you, an angel lovely Could somehow fall for me You’ll always be love’s great martyr And I’ll be the flattered fool And I need you God gave me you for the ups and downs God gave me you for the days of doubt And for when I think I lost my way There are no words here left to say, it’s true God gave me you On my own I’m only Half of what I could be I can’t do without you We are stitched together And what love has tethered I pray we never undo Cause God gave me you for the ups and downs God gave me you for the days of doubt God gave me you for th...

Haley was in a terrible mood yesterday, from the moment she got up she was fussy.  Nothing seemed to make her happy.   Today (so far) she is all smiles and giggles.  I think today is going to be a good day.   So as school is about to start, the true weight of my decision to be a SAHM is setting in.  I went and visited one of my best friend's classrooms.  It's beautiful.  The bulletin boards, the new pens, the textbooks...all of it.  It was everything I had been dreaming of since I decided I wanted to be a teacher in 3rd grade.  I realized everything I had came to loath about teaching during my year of student teaching, I now missed.   I traded bulletin boards and new pens for dirty diapers and a breast pump.  I waited for the secret regret and remorse to smoother me.  I waited for the green monster to creep in.  Nothing.  All I felt was joy for my best friend.  Excitement for her new adventure. ...

Okay, so it's the only  pie I've ever made, but I did it.  I made a homemade apple pie from scratch.  And it is pretty delicious if I may say so myself.   I'm thankful Haley was asleep when I made it because she would have learned some new curse words.  But with some patience and guidance I succeeded.  Making pie crust is an art, and I am no artist.   Bad news of the day...Ian and I didn't win the lottery.  We bought our very first PowerBall ticket because we needed change at the gas station.  Maybe next time. Good news of the day...I got to preview our family pictures.  I am so excited.  They turned out so well!  I love my little family. Also, I got Haley laughing SO hard today during bath time. I caught some of it on video (but she doesn't laugh near as hard in the video as she was before I grabbed my phone to take video).  Okay, so I know how stupid I sound on the video, but for whatever reason sh...

I can't remember where I saw it but it's been stuck in my head for awhile now. I noticed the term "touche"  which is like a french term that means the following: An acknowledgement of the success, appropriateness or superiority of an argument, sometimes used sarcastically to mock one's opponent's absurd logic. I know what it means and how it is pronounced, but for some reason, my brain always reads "touche" as "touchy".  Touchy meaning: Oversensitive and irritable An interesting mix up.  Two other words I always mix up are "quiche" and "quickie", the mix-up, however, is not as ironic. I, on one hand, can be extremely touchy and irritable while tired.  I think I have been so tired lately that I don't even know that I am tired anymore.  I finally gave into a nice three hour nap today and woke up very refreshed and felt much better.   Today the Abbott family went and got pictures to capture Haley at...

I had a funny flashback today...well actually a few flashbacks.... Not my proudest moment of being a student teacher, but one of my favorites.  I had a particularly "creative" and difficult student.  He was street wise years beyond most.  One day he asked me about a particular term and its meaning.  You would have to know this boy to truly understand, but he is a master manipulator and he was enjoying the fact that he thought of a way to say a seriously derogatory term to a teacher without consequence.  With a flat affect, I responded with, "You know, I am not sure, why don't you Google it."  Oops.  Luckily I didn't receive any angry parent phone calls, but as soon as it came out of my mouth, I knew I should have handled the situation in a more professional manner with a lengthy teachery response about how the term wasn't appropriate in society let alone the school setting. Oh well. Anyways.  So after Haley went to bed and I fini...

Sorry, I didn't disappear..I've just been busy.    But, it's Monday, how fun is that? Here are the highlights to what we've been up to: Thursday was pretty mellow.  Haley and I went grocery shopping.  When Haley was first born,  I literally got stopped by every third person to admire the new little one.  It was fun, but made quick trips, long.  For some reason, I always end up blabbing with strangers.  I'm not shy I guess.  Now that Haley is getting bigger, people usually just smile and admire from a distance, which is nice because I can get my shopping done quicker.  Later, the Abbott fam enjoyed a quiet night in.  We watched "Source Code" which was a pretty good movie.   Friday night I ended up playing some sand volleyball.  I was shocked.  Let's be honest, I am not that great at sand volleyball to begin with.  My volleyball skills are mostly blocking and hitting.  Both prove to be difficult in ...

I found myself in a terrible...poor me kinda mood today. I know.....gag. We could blame it on lack of sleep. Hormones. The heat. Whatever. But I was in a no good rotten mood. I think everyone is permitted to have a day like that now and again. I could go into every detail but I will spare everyone, I would hate to be the usual "bore" (as I sense I've been told recently).....all that really matters is how the day ends. I am currently stretched out on the floor with my baby deep asleep on my chest and my little buddy next to me being a fantastic little helper. It's easy to get caught up on the negatives of each day if we allow ourselves. I refuse to live that way. Life is too short and too precious. When life hands you lemons...make lemonade... It is what, it is..(insert whatever other cliche that applies). So good ridden no good rotten mood. You are not welcome here anymore. Until next time..... Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

That is right, she is a proud Jayhawk.  Notice that she is holding her shirt and pointing to the Jayhawk.  Represent! (And she did that on her own, I seriously didn't even put her hands that way) Thanks Uncle Brandon and Aunt Alexa for her adorable onesie! Not much to update on.  Hanging out with my little buddy later today so Haley gets to spend the evening with her grandparents!  Lucky her!   Have a fabulous Wednesday!  

Good morning to all and happy Tuesday.   I am generally not okay with Tuesdays, but this morning, for whatever reason--I woke up in a fantastic mood!  Haley was a good sleeper as usual.  I got some decent sleep.  And when your a new parent--that is everything.  I never thought I would see the day that I would be up by 6 a.m. and call that good sleep.   I am not sure what today will bring.  I am in serious need of a Wal-Mart run but sadly it is so darn hot I find it hard to motivate myself to get out.  I don't think the heat has ever detoured me before--but it is dang hot out there.  On the flip side, the kid needs diapers--so I think that trumps all feelings about the heat.  Wal-Mart it is.   I still haven't printed my pictures either so I will work on that later this afternoon so I can get those printed when I go.   Anyways, Haley and I made our rounds yesterday.  First to her great-grandparents.  We had a lovely ...