Swimming

I tried to take Evie swimming today. It was our first time wearing our new swimsuits and swimming in our new pool. I slathered Evie with sunblock, put a hat on her and put her in her swimsuit. But alas, Ms. Evie was not having anything to do with the water. I stuck her toes in and immediately she made it clear that it was too cold for her and she wanted out. So I swam a little while she sat poolside playing with my watch and sunglasses. Grammy, Gramper, and I watched her from the pool as she joyfully sat playing. She really is a great little girl. But I did manage to snap a few picks of her in her swimsuit. Check her out!

R.A. Child Development & Human Resources

I'm a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.

I stole this idea from another Mom. I really like that job title. In a society that only values you for what you make outside of the home, I think this job title lends some credibility to the many Moms that stay home and take care of their children. I am a working stay at home Mom. I make money as a postpartum doula and as an art teacher at the local art museum. But when I define myself to others I typically say I am a stay at home Mom. Because that is my full time job. I do that other stuff part time.

I never thought I would have kids before I was 30 and I definitely never thought I would want to be a stay at home Mom. But here I am, 25 yrs old and staying at home with my daughter. And I love it. But I also love getting out of the house away from my daughter and feeling productive outside of my title as Mom.

As much as I want to say I am a SAHM* that feels completely fulfilled by motherhood it's just not true. I like working. Not necessarily in an office from 9-5 but, I enjoy the adult interaction and the definition of myself as more than a Mom. Not that being a Mom isn't a hefty job all on its own. But I am more than a Mom. I am me first. I am Mr. E's wife and Evelyn's Mom second. As any tried and true therapy alumni will tell you, you have to take care of yourself first, before you can effectively take care of anyone else.

So I am a SAHM, but I am me too. My identity is enhanced by being Evelyn's Mom, not dependant upon being her Mom. I am a person first. I am thwarting societies pressure for me to fit into the role of "Sublime Mother". And, I am setting an example for my daughter that she can be whoever she wants and still be herself too.

*SAHM: Stay at Home Mom

**This post was my best shot at talking about myself as a Mom. How did I do?

Welcome to the Parent Bloggers Network Blog Blast. You’ve still got time to write a fabulous post, send us the link (parentbloggers@gmail.com), and enter to win a $100 Spafinder gift card courtesy of Light Iris (who’s having one heck of a Mother’s Day contest).

RIP

Logo and Symca

Alright

I have some shrinky dinks to make this weekend. I also want to write a post about being a mom, and I want to take over the world. Hmm...

But first a good night's sleep =)

The Weekly 7

1. Lots of my blogging buddies seem to be going through some darker times. I just want to say bravo to them for being honest about what they are feeling. I hope they all get to feeling better soon. But I am a big believer in feeling your emotions all the way out. Trying to stop yourself from feeling an emotion is just making more trouble for yourself down the road. So go forth and wallow my friends. Brighter days will be back before you know it.

2. I am now officially the owner of a porch dog. And I couldn't be more excited!!!!!!! Bonnie, the puppy my Mom got when she got her 1st goat is now going to be my porch dog. My grandma is buying my mom the great Pyrenees puppy she has been eyeing for a while now. Yay for me and Bonnie and yay for my Mom and her puppy Dora! When Mr. E reads this he'll flip a little because he is allergic to dogs. Honey, don't worry, Bonnie is strictly an outdoor dog.



3. I got a manicure and a pedicure today for the first time in over 6 months. I feel soo purdy =)

4. Today was my last day helping my postpartum client. I will miss her and her family. They were always really sweet to me and they really appreciated what I was doing for them. I loved helping them and I hope I can help them with their next baby, if they have another.

5. BigBro is officially a married man. Oh my God!! I am just so happy for him and DocRom. Being married is by far my favorite thing that I have been so far in my life. Don't get me wrong, I love being a Mom, but I would never want to be a Mom without being married to Mr. E. I'm not knockin single parents btw, I'm just giving you my preference.

6. I ordered myself these items yesterday. I am really excited! The car seat is for my Mom's truck, the one that is in her truck now is old and broken, so we haven't been able to go anywhere in the truck. The bag (chocolate and pink) is for me, I have been eyeing it for weeks and I decided to treat myself, ya know, cuz it's Thursday ;)




7. In general I am feeling excited and really happy. I love that I get to help plan and attend BigBro's wedding. The best part is that I don't have to go through the stress of being the one's getting married. Sorry guys! While you're in Jamaica for your honeymoon you won't even remember or care about the stress =)

Seriously

Who can resist this?



And in other great news, check out what my Dad got me for Mother's Day.





My Dad is the BEST!!! Thank you for the bonsai! =)

WWJD May 8, 2007

Okay Dear Readers, no one asked for advice via WWJD Tuesday but, but, I sense a need for comforting words for a lot of my friends. So...I am going to give some (semi) unsolicited advice. Here goes.

There are a lot (A LOT) of things in this world that I don't understand. Illness, poverty (in a country that wastes more than any other, ever!), abuse (substance, emotional, physical, etc), just to name a few. Despite my best efforts I have been unable to avoid all of these things in my life so far. I am not even sure that I have learned anything from these bad/sad yet unavoidable things. If I press myself to remember the times I have dealt with these things.... I still don't know what I took away from my experiences except a sense of experience. For better or for worse I now know what it is like to watch someone get diagnosed with cancer and then to die from it in 6 months, despite (or because of?) surgery and chemo. I know what it looks like to watch someone throw their life down the hole because of substance abuse, physical abuse, and emotional abuse. I know what it looks like for people to be up to their eyeballs in debt and have no way out. What does all this experience give me? It gives me a goal. A goal to strive toward. A goal to reach for even when it feels impossible. My goal that I reach for when I feel down is simple. Keep going, keep reaching, keep believing that at some point, in some way, things will get better, somehow. That's it. Cheesy, optimistic, sugary, whatever. And what fuels my goal?

Her


And him


And them


















They are all worth it, they are all worth sticking around to see what will happen next. To hear the laughter, to see the smiles, to feel the hugs. So to my friends that I know are suffering right now, I hope that you find your goal and your fuel.

Hodge Podge

Dear Readers I have are some reminders for you all and a new contest with new prizes!! Here goes the hodge podge:

1. Don't forget to read this post and leave a comment with your results! There is one more prize still unclaimed, it could be yours =) BTW it is a personalized religious shrinky dink which reflects your quiz results, ohhh fun!

2. Also tomorrow is WWJD Tuesday, remember? Here is a link to last weeks so you can refresh yourself ;)

3. Don't forget about the Mothers in your life Dear Readers. This Sunday is Mother's Day so go out and get a card for the Moms in your life. Or some jewelry, chocolate, spa visit, day off coupon, bottle of wine...umm yeah I might have listed what I want for Mother's Day =)

4. Also I am now accepting applications for blogger friend of the week. What's this you ask? Well I just made it up and basically whomever leaves a comment everyday for a week on my blog will win a prize. And no, it won't be a shrinky dink. It'll be something even cooler! A friendship bracelet!!! Because you are my friend for reading and commenting everyday. You will also be featured in a post, with a photo if you want and some info about who you are and how you know me. Sounds cool right? Well at least to me it does. =)

Lavender Loves Her

Shout Out!

Hey y'all! Give up some major love to BigBro and Dr. Rom, they are planning their wedding and Dr. Rom is getting hooded (not a ghetto initiation y'all, a hooding ceremony cuz that's what you get when you become a PhD, yo!) all in the next 14 days!!! Just remember all the insanity you went through when you graduated from college...are you remembering, seriously, the stress, the anticipation, the joy at making it, the sorrow of it being over. Okay now add your own wedding on top of that. Do you remember planning your wedding? Not your elopement but your actual wedding with guests and out-of-towners and food and tables and chairs and hotels and in laws and the dress and the shoes and the dog and oh yeah, committing yourself for life to this one person and and and...

Are you seeing the picture? Send them some love cuz they need it! We love you guys!! =)

Call Me the BlogBurgler

So because of the sleep deprivation and my inability to think straight as a result of it, I am just going to rip off other bloggers great ideas for a while, kay?

Thank you again to Cara for this gem of a post idea.

This morning Mr. E (on the phone) asked me what the whole Humanism thing was about (#2 from yesterday's post) and where it came from (as in how did it enter into my life). Well Dear Readers it actually first came up when I read this excellent post. At the time I thought, "Self, this sounds pretty good, pretty right on." But I was a bit shy, I didn't want to jump into it. I think I was intimidated by its philosophical grandeur and it's impressive celebrity members. So I kinda forgot about it.

Until I read this post. I took this quiz and up popped Humanism again. This time I decided to jump in and swim around. Here's my top three results:

1. Unitarian Universalism
2. Secular Humanism
3. Neo-Pagan

So head over and take the quiz. Leave your top three in the comments. To make this extra fun I will award a prize to the first five commenters! And a prize goes to the first person to correctly guess what the prizes will be. =)

7 Things

1. I had my tarot read by grandma's fiancee today. It looks like Mr. E and I will have to move/be apart for a while (again!) but in the end we will be back here with family and stability (i.e. we won't have to move or be apart anymore).

2. I think I will now be claiming my religion as humanism. Do you see the irony in that?

3. Paying bills got a lot easier this month, thanks to the kindness of my parents letting us live here for cheap.

4. I miss Mr. E, he makes me really happy and I am in need of some fun this week. Evie is still sick and neither of us is sleeping well. I know it will be over soon but I would love to hang and laugh with my best friend. It would take the edge off this sleep deprivation thing for sure.

5. Family and friends visiting is great in theory but the reality is setting in for me that in a few weeks my immediate living space will be over run with people. I am not such a fan of that reality.

6. I have all my limbs and that is always going to be better than winning the Paraplegic Olympics.

7. I am just now realizing the depth and magnitude of this whole parenting thing. Holy shit!

Response to WWJD

Alright Dear Readers here we go! I am so excited!! Thank you Cara for bringing your problem forward for advice, I will do my best.

"Hi Jen (ok, so I knew that), I have a problem. I have been a member of a mothers group for almost two years, and I enjoy attending and making friends, but I have an issue. The parent organization is a christian group, which I was aware of, and was not concerned, and the group is sponsored by a local church. Childcare is voluntary and mostly through the church members. After the last meeting I went to pick up my child, and she had a Crown with a christian message printed large on it. I am not a christian, and I don't really want them indoctrinating my child in a religion I don't share. Should I simply stop attending, without saying why, or should I quietly speak to one of the steering committee on my reasons for leaving, and ask if the religious subjects be toned down in childcare? WWJenD?"

First off I am just like you. I am not religious and I have a hard time navigating among the "saved" as well. As far as your question of stopping cold turkey or speaking to the steering committee I would talk to the committee. In the last 9 months I have really come to realize the importance of having mommy friends. Real friends and mommy friends are sometimes one and the same but most of the time (at least for me) they are separate. I have found that even if I have different religious beliefs, or political beliefs, I need friends that understand what it is like to go through this crazy shit that we call motherhood. And despite our many differences I really enjoy and find satisfaction in commiserating with my mommy friends. I have even had the lucky experience of having one of my mommy friends become my real friend. And she and I couldn't be more opposite on politics and religion.

So my advice to you is to try to make the whole thing work because in the end you are the only one that can indoctrinate your child, one paper crown ain't gonna do it. Ask BK if you have any doubts. =)

Keep the questions coming ya'll, I'll post responses every Tuesday from now on.

WWJD

Well Dear Readers I feel like sharing more with you all. So here goes...my name is Jen. Whew, that was a relief. No more concealing my name, my moniker, my nomenclature de moi. So in honor of my soul baring I want to make today, Tuesday (and all other Tuesdays), a special day. So I give you...

WWJD: What Would Jen Do

I am Jen and I will answer your questions, so leave a problem/dilemma/wondering/mystery in the comments (or email me) and I will answer your query as best I can.

All names/email addys/etc will be confidential unless you want to bare your soul, like I did today. =)

Welcome to Tuesdays at Letters About Eve!

p.s. this was shamelessly stolen from Ms. Britt. Go check her out, she is vulgar, honest, sassy, in short everything that I am after a few drinks ;)

Love is in the air, or the water...

So we all know that BigBro and Dr. Rom are getting married this season, and we are all stoked!!! Well Dear Readers, add another date to your planners (how high tech am I?). Gigi and her boyfriend are going to marry (sort of). They are going to have a ring ceremony, they don't want to actually wed because it would mess up my Grandma's health insurance. Anyway, that is the big news over here. I am really happy for my Grandma, I think it will really improve her life to have someone to share her time with. And her boyfriend is pretty cool, he likes to fly planes and do photography. I still don't know him too well but my initial impression is that he is a really good guy and a great match for my Grandma. So there ya go, a nice dose of old people love just for you =)

GiGi is here!

Dear Readers it has been a crazy few days! Evelyn is still sick, her fever is gone but she still has the runs and now she has a wicked sore bottom. All this equals bad for her and me, but we will make it through. Any tips on good diaper rash cream/solutions would be great. I tried J&J diaper rash cream and it made her hurt 10x more, so for now we are sticking to plain old Vaseline.

In other awesome news, my Grandma is here =) YAY! She moved down here Friday from Indiana and I am thrilled! I love her so much and she is the only grandparent I have ever had a relationship with, and we didn't really get to know each other til I was 19 yrs old. Evie's GiGi is a fun, crazy lady. The only weird thing about her being here is her newest addition to her life, her boyfriend! Yikes! I have no clue how to handle the news and presence of my Grandma's boyfriend. He is a family friend and a very nice guy but it's weird, I've never known my Grandma with a man in her life. It seems to make her happy so I am happy for them. But I can't help but have many questions that pop in my mind that I really don't want the answers to...eeww!

So that's the news here Dear Readers. And how are you?

=)

There's a First Time For Everything...

Today marks the first time Evelyn has ever been sick. She had a runny nose when she was 3 months old (I think), but that was nothing. Today, Dear Readers Evelyn was a "double ender". The endearing term comes from the askdrsears.com website. In hindsight I can say that this all started yesterday. I had no idea what was coming at the time but looking back I can see the signs. Many poopy diapers, less food intake, etc. I became abundantly aware of the situation by 7AM this morning. I'll spare you the details, just suffice it to say I changed many, M.A.N.Y, diapers today. What made Evelyn a "double ender" today was when everything started coming up, out of nowhere, so to speak. I was caught totally off guard, and again I'll spare you the details but just suffice it to say I changed my clothes many times today. By 8PM things were getting worse, her fever was 103 and we couldn't get anything to stay down. Well, one ER visit later I can tell you that she is fine, this will fix itself and all I can do is wait it out...and keep changing everything, E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

This is the Dress

So this is the dress that I ended up buying for the wedding. I love it and I was pleasantly surprised that I have gone down a dress size. I have a gold necklace and earrings and now the gold sandals so I think I am done buying my outfit for the wedding. Yay! =)



And here is what Evie will be wearing for the wedding. Our reds will clash but oh well. I am proud to say that my best bud Despi got this dress for Evelyn while she was in China last summer, thanks Despi!!! =)

Ms. Independent

She is so close to walking, I think she'll be walking solo in the next month or so. She walks very well in her walker. She's getting better everyday at walking while holding my hands. Check her out.







But if I can get a hold of her she still lets me kiss on her. =)



They say these times are fleeting, it feels normal to me but time is flying. I can't wait til July when Mr. E can come home and see his little girl. She watches videos of him everyday, at least twice. She really loves her Daddy. And he loves her too. I am a lucky lady to have them both in my life.

So, what are you all thankful for?

Holy Goat!!!

Yes Dear Readers we are now officially owners of a goat. It was a very sudden choice made by Grammy today. She got a call from a local goat owner saying she could get a goat but it had to be today before noon. So we went...without any idea of how we would care for/contain/feed/train a goat. We really went thinking that we'd look at the goats and maybe get one next week after we had time to prepare. But then we got there and they said pick a goat and leave. So we rode straight from the goat place to the feed store to buy a kennel and food for our goat. How did we transport the goat you might ask. In our arms. Yup, that goat is such a sweety, she just let us hold her and didn't fight us at all. Her name is Abby and she rocks!!

After we got Abby's kennel set up.



We realized that she might get lonely by herself, so...



This is Bonnie, our shepard mix goat puppy. She lives with Abby and hopefully she will protect and shepard Abby and any other goats we decide to get.