To HEEL and Back

Read the title again. No, I didn't say "hell." I said "heel"... as in high heels! : ) This past weekend we drove up to a gorgeous wedding in Lake Keowee South Carolina. Of course Paige was in tow... but she did great! My big feat for the night? Getting back into a pair of heels after 12 months of flats. And let me say this... Mama's back in action! I stopped wearing heels at about 3-4 months prego out of necessity - my feet were swollen and all I felt like wearing were my Ugg boots or Crocs. And then once Paige was born, I still wore my Uggs or knit boots daily until it was "warm" enough for flip flops, which I have lived in since about March. But lately I've been yearning to throw on a pair of cute heels. The only thing that has been stopping me? Heels don't really go with sweatpants - which is what I wear on a daily basis. But just last week I decided to try and put on some of my fav old pre-prego jeans and was SHOCKED that they actually fit! But there was one issue - I got these jeans super extra long so I could wear cute heels with them. But God knows I wasn't going to get these suckers back off my booty so I cuffed them and threw on my flip flops. At the wedding this weekend I knew it was time to take the plunge... no, not into the lake (like the two mothers did post- reception! too cute!)... but into my first pair of post-prego heels. There is something about heels that make me feel so fancy : ) I was proud that I actually kept them on for the majority of the evening. But the truth is that black stilettos don't really fit into my role as Mama of the Year. Sooooo... I'm going to improvise and get these: http://www.zappos.com/dingo-sole-sister-tan-burnished Well - a version of these with a lower price tag : ) I figure I will get the "click click" of the heel I'm looking for with the comfort and security of a full shoe. Baby steps, right? And I'm kinda in love with these too: http://www.zappos.com/kenneth-cole-reaction-chip-trick-black-leather  But these would mean a complete rehash of my wardrobe... I have an idea for a new book! Here are the first few lines... (Like "If You Give a Pig a Pancake")

If you buy a mama a new pair of shoes...
She'll have to get a fun dress to go with them.
And when she puts on the dress she'll realize she needs some Spanx.
When she's in the Spanx section of the store, a bright yellow scarf will catch her eye.
After wrapping the scarf around her neck, she realizes she needs new sunglasses to complete the look
As she checks out her huge sunglasses in the mirror, she'll see handbags behind her in the reflection.
As she runs towards the new Jessica Simpson collection of bags, she sees a gorg black leather one.
But her new shoes are brown!
So back to the shoe section she goes.
And if you buy a mama a new pair of shoes...

Just 17 and Half More Years to Save for College...

Since Paige was born, I've been trying to figure out a good way to start saving for her college education. But then life happens and those plans go on the back burner. Who can think about putting moolah in an account for "down the road" when we need to buy diapers, pay medical bills, etc right now? But I'm determined to get something set up by her first birthday/Christmas so we can ask relatives to put money there instead of towards too many toys. Good plan, huh? Well... that gives me 4 more months to get my act together on this. But when there are so many options, I just can't wrap my head around which one is best. My mother-in-law gave me a great article written by Carmen Wong Ulrich which outlines the top for ways to save for college.. I found it online and here is the link: PARADE - 4 Smart Ways to Save for College

I think I'm leaning towards a 529 Plan.. but then I have to choose which one! The Parade article reccomends this site to compare 529 Plans: www.SavingforCollege.com

Have any mamas out there figured out what they are doing yet? I know I'm already behind the eight ball on this one, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!

And since this subject is kinda stressful, I decided to lift your spirits with a picture I took this morning...

When Muffin Tops Are Still Cute

A Change Will Do You Good

For some reason, I've been in sort of a rut lately. I think I was getting too comfortable in my daily routine. But I am the first to admit that I HATE routine. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. I constantly need to change things up, keep things interesting.If I always take a particular route to go to the mall, I will find a new way - even if its a little longer - to get to the same place. I have two Kroger super markets within 5 miles of my house - I recently started going to the other one with a different layout. Last week I surprised my unsuspecting husband with an "Extreme Makeover" to our front living room. I changed out the rug, switched around the couches - even bringing the leather love seat down from our bedroom (yes, by myself - don't ask me how!). I bought a cheap duvet cover for our bed to change out the red comforter. Tonight I dyed my hair. Actually, the process started last night. I bought a box of dark blond hair dye - but it turned an unfortunate shade of orange. So tonight I did it again - this time dying the top layer blond and the rest a dark chocolate brown. I'm actually kind of liking it! And tomorrow night we're going to trade in our Jeeps for new Toyotas (that was actually my husband's idea, not mine!) The funny thing is that both my husband and daughter are creatures of habit. They like things the exact same way, every single day. Paige couldn't stop staring at my hair this morning when she woke up. It seemed to throw her off for the first hour or so of her day. Daniel took 3 days to get used to the new living room arrangement. I think I'm good on the changes for now... but give me about a month and I'll be at it again!

Mommy Failure?

I kept going back and forth on whether or not I would share this... Which is probably why I had a mental block on blogging for a few days. I knew I SHOULD discuss, but I guess I just wasn't ready to. It's part traumatic, part scary, and part embarrassing. But after sitting with it for a few days, I figured I would go ahead and share - writing always makes me feel better : )

Since Paige was born I prided myself on being a pretty great mom. Yes, things get chaotic from time to time and I feel like my head is going to explode, but I think I do a pretty good job keeping everything together. I love gallivanting with her all over the place and taking the bumps of mommyhood in stride. Emergency diaper change? I got that. Need a quick bottle? No prob! I get a thrill out of juggling all the different parts of being Paige's mommy. So exactly how I let the following happen, I'm not too sure...

I was up in NY visiting family, and was just finishing feeding Paige her dinner. I had her strapped into one of those portable booster seats, which was then strapped onto a dining chair. I was gabbing away while wiping off her face and hands. I snapped off the tray, unhooked her straps, turned around to put everything down and... BOOM! Paige toppled out of the booster seat and onto the floor. The whole thing happened in a matter of moments - probably not even one full second. I turned around in time to see her falling out, but couldn't move fast enough to catch her. She landed on the kitchen floor on her hands and knees (kind of like a crawling position). All I remember doing at that point is screaming at the top of my lungs. I scooped Paige up in my arms - she was also screaming and crying. All I could say to her was, "I am so sorry baby. I am so sorry" over and over again. At that moment I felt like a complete failure as a mommy. HOW COULD I LET THIS HAPPEN?!

Thank God, Paige was fine. The only evidence of her fall was a scratched nose which healed in 2 days. 10 minutes later she was back to laughing and playing. It seemed as if she had forgotten about the whole incident. I, unfortunately, still can't get it out of my mind. It's like an internal dialogue, with one side saying, "It was an accident. Everything is ok." and the other side saying, "You fool! If you let this happen, what is going to happen next?" I can't seem to shake the guilt. : (  But I'm working on it. And I think writing about it will help.

Ain't mommyhood grand? : ) Guess I'm not Super Mom afterall.

Little Sickie : (

For seven months, I've been one lucky mama - Paige has been happy, smiley and healthy. By yesterday at 2 p.m. I was convinced someone had swapped babies on me overnight. She cried ALL. DAY. LONG. And not just whimpers. Full on wails. No smiles. No playing. No napping! By the time Daniel got home form work, I had just about lost my mind. We figured she was just adjusting to being back home (we had spent the week prior in NY). She went down at 9 without much fuss - and then at 11 p.m. the "fit hit the shan" if you know what I mean ; ) Her bloody-murder screams jolted us both out of bed and we ran into her room to find Paige hysterical, with both nostrils clogged up. Poor baby! She obviously had a cold, but luckily no fever. I'm sure she felt pretty bad, but I think the worst part for her was not being able to suck on her binky (she couldn't breath out of her nose, so she had to keep her mouth open). We did all we could to help her clear out her nose - saline drops, that aspirator bulb thingy (SO THAT'S WHAT THAT IS FOR! ), humidifier. She was finally able to go back to sleep and actually slept through the rest of the night.. but I could hear whimpers over the monitor every once in a while, probably tossing and turning wondering why the heck she couldn't breathe through her nose! I called the doctor first thing this morning, but they said it sounded like a run-of-the-mill cold, and to keep doing what we were doing. As long as she didn't spike a fever and kept eating, she was fine and it just had to run its course. BOO! Don't they have a magic pill for baby colds? Guess not : ( Does anyone know how long these usually last for? And has anyone had any luck with natural remedies? My Google search for ideas proved pretty lame.

Signed,
Sad Mama of a First Time Little Sickie