I Will Not Cry At Work

For the past few days, I have constantly been on the verge of tears. I work with Federal government agencies and library institutions whose fiscal year ends October 1. This means I have countless customers calling me with questions regarding their library software and billing statements before orders can be completed. If I somehow drop the ball, that means someone isn't going to be paid, which is not a good thing. I have worked 10-12 hour days and it still isn't enough. Someone always waits to the last minute, it seems. Needless to say, things have been crazy.

Then today, a government contractor proceeded to lecture me (when I was right) about the error of my ways and how he, as a librarian, knew "how to pay attention to details"...unlike me. So. I did the mature thing and was extremely courteous, even though I wanted to punch him in the face, and told him I would, of course, correct these errors of mine. I then sat at my desk and silently cried for 20 minutes. FUN. At least my coworkers are accustomed to my emotional outbursts by now, so I received no awkward stares or questions.

After willing myself to not have an anxiety attack, I left the office before this gentleman called back (as promised after he let me take a break to "think about things" AKA "how wrong I was") and headed home. Some things can wait, right?

As I drove home, the best feeling came over me as I realized Eliza would be waiting for me. She did not disappoint. I opened the door and she ran to me as fast as her wobbly legs would carry her. Motherhood is the best job I'll ever have.

I know many of you have seen this video, but I watched it when I came home and immediately had the spiritual, emotional boost I needed for the rest of the day. I love it.

So You'll Pay Me for My Garbage?

The past few weeks, Nathan and I have been decluttering. Parts of me blame the episodes of "Hoarders" and "Clean House" I have watched recently, but mostly, I just want to get rid of the things we aren't using. For instance, we had six leather armchairs (which were awesome) left over from the cafe days. They were outside getting ruined, so we decided just to get rid of them. This soon snowballed out of control as I began selling item after item on KSL (the online classified website in these parts that is far less sketchy than Craigslist).

X-box? Do we use you anymore? Do we play Rockband still? Sadly, no. SOLD.  Does Nathan need his old IKEA loft bed? I hope not. Suddenly, we're $200 dollars richer.

Dog cage (I found at DI for Toby for 5 bucks) sold for $45. Who knew those things were so expensive? My friend Julie. She told me: "Don't give that away! You can make 40 bucks!" So I did. Other dog kennel for flying sold for $20. Dog fence sold for $40. And it just gets better.

So, in two weeks, Nathan and I have sold over 30 items on the classified items. Our highest seller was Nathan's old Fender electric guitar.

It went for $200 in seven hours.

Second place goes to Nathan's bike I bought at a yard sale for $80. He was sadly too tall for it.

I sold it for $150 after some minor repairs.

But, my best sells were the stroller I found for free and sold for $20 and the IKEA highchair I bought for $5 and sold for $60.

I'm addicted. It's so much fun to get paid to get rid of old stuff and to make money garage sale-ing. Yes. That's a verb in my vocabulary.

Ruby, Ruby, Ruby!

Becca had her baby this week! Ruby was born on Tuesday, September 21st and is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. Her skin is so smooth and she isn't red or blotchy at all! I LOVE Eliza, but she was not nearly as cute as little Ruby at day 1. I'm just being honest here.

I thought I couldn't love Becca any more than I already do, but seeing my dear friend as a mother made me just cry with love. Congratulations to Becca and Kyle!You two are going to be wonderful parents.

Sunday Photo Shoot

Our lovely friend, Julie Wadlinger, offered to take our family portraits this weekend. I was thrilled with the results.

Eliza was not very cooperative throughout the shoot. She has been horribly cranky this past week due to teething. She was crying and irritable, so I was overjoyed when I saw there were at least a couple of pictures with her not looking miserable. Teething is nasty business. Hopefully, she will be a happier, toothier camper the next time we decide to have our pictures taken.

Busy, Busy

I love the sounds of my washing machine. Its constant hum reminds me I am accomplishing things even as I blog and take a break from cleaning.

I really need to get over this entire neurotic obsession with having a clean house. I am quickly learning toddlers do not like it when you put their toys immediately up after usage and that a messy living room may possibly become "normal."

Anxiety.

Eliza the Lollipop

After reporting Eliza's stats from her one year check up to Nathan, he affectionately referred to her as a little "lollipop"...like him. She is tall, skinny, and has a larger head. Nathan is convinced her proportions hindered her walking, stating: "I'd be really hard to balance if you were really tall, skinny, and had a big head."

Although she was in the 95th percentile for height and the 75th percentile for head circumference, Eliza's weight is only in the 50th percentile. However, our pediatrician wasn't concerned. It seems as though most doctor's appointments consist of making sure your child is safely cushioned somewhere in an average percentile and otherwise normal in outward appearance (but that is an entirely different post).

In other news, Eliza decided it was time to walk today. She woke up, I put her on the floor, and she just stood up as if to say: "I'm ready to do this now." And then the rest of the day, she was my little sidekick. I walked to the bathroom, she walked in behind me. I went to the fridge, she was almost hit by the door. I opened the washing machine door, and she was beside me, trying to get inside before I even knew it.

Hearing little baby feet on the floor is the cutest sound in the world....especially when it is followed by a happy giggle and not a thud, crash, or cry.

Party for Two

Throwing a party for a couple of one year olds was surprisingly stress free. Caitlin and I decided to keep things low key and had a few friends join us in the park for cake and ice cream.  

The children opened their gifts (the toothbrush was the biggest hit) 

and lovingly pushed each other around a little bit.

The cakes were free, courtesy of Macey's who gives away birthday cakes for first birthdays. However, please notice the abbreviation on our free cakes:

Eliza was less than happy to eat her cake wreck.

Little A dug into his piece with both hands and then covered his entire body with frosting.

 

Eliza, of course, thought this was funny...and remained remarkably clean.

Eliza is One

Eliza is a big kid today...well, a bigger kid at least. Her first birthday consisted of a trip to IKEA to purchase lovely gifts and a small joint party with her birthday buddy, friends, and family. It was pretty wonderful.

And then we came home. Eliza refuses to eat or sleep due to the discomfort of teething. Nathan just put her back into bed for the fifth time, and I believe she is finally sleeping. The past few nights have consisted of fevers, vomiting, constant chewing, and crying. Poor thing. I hope her second birthday brings less teeth (or no teeth at all).

On a positive note, I will post all the cute pictures and adorableness of today as soon as I have the energy. Must... sleep...now.

Notice the Curl

Eliza always looks as though she just woke up. I blame the tufts of curly hair that seemingly resemble bedhair.