Toothies..

Carter has a toothie coming in and I am very excited. Probably more excited than I should be.. but it's a milestone in my baby's life! :)

Little dude has been sleeping in his crib like a champ. Pretty much every night until about 4am. Score for him.. making me a proud mama!

I've been bathing suit browsing for the summer. Obvs I am so excited for warm weather and the beach. Now if only I can get my ass into shape and stop eating like crap. We did do pretty good food shopping tonight.. now if only I can make some time to go to the gym in between work, mommy, church obligations, the new mommy group I am looking to join, friends and family, and sorority stuff (that I hope to get back into this semester). Aah.. I love being busy but I also don't like missing my little dude when he isn't with me.

I'm tired. I need lots of sleep. I need a brisk walk tomorrow. and then perhaps a bottle of wine that has no calories in it. ha.. fat chance.

happy thursday evening.

Busy Weekend

Twas a busy weekend in the Ford household.. Friday evening Carter and I spent time with my mom. She had a procedure done last week that required her to take it easy... so we went over to keep her company and make her smile. Of course our night was filled with laughs, food, and drinks. That's what we do best.

 and 

Fabulous night.. obviously.

Saturday I woke up to the white stuff. Cold and wet and snowy. Yuck. But I had to drive to work anyway. On the way down the expressway, the snow disappeared. Awesome. I worked til 5 and headed home to get my little man. My father in law had him all afternoon and it was time for mommy to love up on him while daddy worked.

Sunday we headed up to PA to see little brother's Senior hockey game for Neumann University. It was their last home game so seniors were honored. Chris played the entire game.. and it was pretty intense. They won! Congrats buddy!

Today I was supposed to have jury duty.. but my number was dismissed.. so.. I had a mommy to herself day.. because Carter had me up all night. :( Little guy must be teething. So.. he spent the day with his Gram and Poppy and I relaxed a bit. Now to do it all over again tomorrow with work...

Off to relax.... while keeping the Rezzetti's in my prayers after Carol had a heart attack! :(

Getting a Mommy through the Day..

To my darling Aubs.. I miss you like woah.. and I want my jammies stat! :)

Being a mommy isn't always puppies and rainbows and all things pleasant..

Though, it would be nice.. especially if I had a cute puppy like those. Instead I have an old girl.. who seems to hate me and Carter. She eats everything that is mine and does not touch Jim's stuff. I guess she's out to get us. Don't let her cuteness below fool you.

To get me through the day, I like to believe that I start off with a nice huge smile from Carter. Some days I do... and some days I start off with tears.

I'd start off with this cry baby any day..

not so much this one...

Some days, we relax around the house and enjoy our toys and some trashy television. I'm really thinking that Maury needs to get some new topics.. how many shows can you have that says "Jon, you are the father of Jess, Kim, and Tammy's kids!"

After our Maury fix, we settle down to HGTV the rest of the day. Yes, I mean that channel is on for the remainder of the day.. unless I have to switch to cartoons..

this..

versus..
this..


I think Property Brothers wins.. and they are much more handsome. The way I see it.. One day I might end up with a beautiful kitchen like this...

instead of nightmares of this guy..



During the day we have diaper changes that end up as total clothing changes.. or roll around the floor naked and play with my diaper changes.


All while singing the famous ABC's and jumping like a nut in the Baby Einstein jumper. Which by the way, I totally recommend.
 + 

is our learning time.

Although by the end of the day, I'm exhausted and tired of the alphabet song and I look like I've been soaked by the shower (or just teething baby drool).

This smile always makes it better and totally worth it...
And then I end the evening with this...

one paci isn't enough.. we need two..

Just like mommy needs a nice glass of wine and her hubby..

Ahh.. the life of a mommy. HaHa..

Side tracked..

Whew..it's been a whirlwind of a week for me. Between taking care of Carter, figuring out our baptisms, working, planning his first birthday, and spending time with family.. we've been busy!

Good news.. after a little over ten years of classes and procrastination, I will finally be baptized and receive all of my sacraments that I need at this time to become a Catholic. Carter and I will both be baptized at the Easter Vigil this year. Don't worry... once we know times and specifics, we will spread the word to let everyone know! The same goes for his birthday..

Christmas pictures and a new calendar were ordered from shutterfly! :)

Things to be thankful for this week:

1. Life.
2. Health.
3. An old friend's baby who was born prematurely with some issues and needed surgery is doing very well. I've been praying for baby Lily and her family.

I'm sure I can think of more later... but I'm going to take advantage of a hot shower while Carter is sleeping!

*nighty*

Happiness is.....

1. a big smile from my little man when he sees me... and then puts his arms out for me..
2. a giant hug and a kiss from my hubby..
3. laughing until it hurts with my momma..
4. memorable ringtones, songs, and crazy times with my bff...
5. looking up to my big brother when i was growing up..
6. spending summers with my grandparents...
7. eating crabbies with my daddy..
8. sand in between my toes, ocean breeze in my hair on a warm summer day...
9. rain storms that either make me want to cuddle up in bed.. or clean the day away...
10. dawson's creek marathons..
11. midsummer's night candles and a hot shower..
12. the smell of fresh clean laundry...
13. turning up the stereo and singing like crazy to my favorite songs while driving..
14. a mother-in-law that i can talk to like she is my own mom..
15. prayer.. it has gotten me through the past six months..
16. waking up everyday, with a fresh start, food on the table, clothes on my back, and a decently healthy life, which is much more than some others have.

happiness isn't materialistic. life is about the people i can spend it with, the memories i can make, and the smiles i can give and receive. i'm so grateful for the love and support in my life and the amazing people that i surround myself with.

And another one bites the dust...

Another weekend in the books...

They really do go by very quickly.

We pretty much set the location for Carter's first birthday- thanks to his Uncle Mikey!! I'm getting more and more excited.

On another note, I go to a baptism class on Tuesday for Carter to go about getting him baptized soon.

Well.. not much to report tonight... moving on to another manic Monday!

Menopause

Menopause is something that I really didn't know about six months ago. Unfortunately, it's something that I was forced to learn about by being put into surgical menopause at the age of 26. Yes, I knew that menopause was something all women went through eventually and it dealt with losing estrogen and the ability to reproduce due to end of menstruation. What I didn't know was the effects it could have on your emotional and physical well being. In June, after the birth of Carter, I ended up hemorrhaging severely due to my uterus not being able to contract back because I had a rare infection/uterine atony/sepsis. After my c section, I went into cardiac arrest due to the blood loss and was revived by CPR. I had a lung collapse and had to have a chest tube inserted as well as being intubated on breathing support. The doctors did an emergency hysterectomy to get the blood loss under control since I was clotting in my uterus. I was sedated and in the ICU for four? days. I still had not met my son at that point due to a high fever. Doctors weren't sure if I would have brain damage due to the code. Luckily I am alive. The trauma has left me with constant thoughts of what happened to me, what could happen to me, and anxiety of dying. I also am still trying to figure out how my body is supposed to feel due to surgical menopause. According to doctors and websites, joint pain, fatigue, and anxiety are all common with menopause. So, here I am... Figuring out what is going on inside of my body.. And grieving the loss of what makes me a woman and the ability to not have any more children.