A whirwind of fun.

Here are two lovely pics from our Christmas celebration at my mom's house. It was so much fun to watch Griffin peak out from a huge pile of presents. I have about 500 pictures that I want to post but I'm feeling a bit lackluster after all of our celebrations.

With Griffin's b-day being on December 23, the insanity started very early. We had a Chuck-E Cheese b-day party for him on December 13 so that all of his friends would be in town to celebrate with him. The craziness started then and just came to a halt two days ago. Highlights included a HUGE Spiderman cake that was almost destroyed before we blew out the candles because we made the mistake of sitting it next to Griffin during dinner and he kept sticking his finger in the cake and licking the icing. Griffin also earned 385 tickets. That's a butt load of tickets!

We had a b-day party at school, complete with cupcakes, a presentation of his life, and a beautiful birthday ritual in front of his class that involved a sun on the floor with all of the months laid around it in a circle. He held the earth and walked around the sun 4 times as the children sang this wonderful little song about the 365 days a year of Griffin. I made a little poster with pictures of his sweet life so far. It was so Montessori and very moving.

Then on his actual birthday my Mom and I braved the Atlanta traffic and took him to the Georgia Aquarium. (Ok, I'll admit, we were a bit overindulgent about the b-day celebrations but I have mother's guilt for having him so close to Christmas) Griffin loved seeing the whale sharks and otters. It was a success.

Then, came a roll out of Christmas celebrations. Christmas Eve at my mom's house with my brother. Which was great because we scored a Wii! Christmas morning at our house left our living room looking like a wrapping paper war zone. ( We still have gifts in unopened boxes!) Christmas afternoon with Roger's family which involved 5 small children running around all hopped up on sugar. Then on Dec 27, we had one more celebration with Roger's BIG family.

PRESENTS! PRESENTS! AND EVEN MORE PRESENTS!

It was an amazing and quite exhausting holiday.

I am an awesome mom!

So...Griffin really did feel sick yesterday. I picked him up from school and the teacher said he had been complaining about a tummy ache. He then fell asleep during lunch at the table in the food court at the mall and took a 2 hour nap after that (he dropped his naps 2 years ago). He woke up hot and when I took his temp it was 102.5. YIKES! I ran him over to urgent care while shoving Motrin into his mouth.

Turns out he has bronchitis. Guess who is staying home from school today and playing video games as I type this?

Yeah...I'm the intuitive mom ever!

A mother's job is never done...

Listen people, I'm not one to complain about Motherhood. Most of the time, I flippin' love it. I'm the mom who gladly wipes my son's nose with the bottom of my $100 Anthropologie skirt. I'm the mom who picks up the same Star Wars action figures from the same spot on the floor everyday and I do it with a smile. For some reason today has just been one annoyance after another. Let me demonstrate for you. This will be therapeutic for me.

It all started bright and early at 6 am when my son (Cohen, the one that is in utero) woke me up with a few swift kicks to the rib. I tried to change positions but the kicking continued. As if he was saying "WAKE UP MOMMY AND EAT AN ENGLISH MUFFIN, WE'RE HUNGRY!" Then, I felt a small child wiggle next me. Griffin had crawled into bed with us at about 3 am and had proceeded to actively pursue sleeping on top of my head for the rest of the night. "Is it the day?" he asked very sleepily. "No, it's still dark outside, it's the night, now go back to sleep!" I replied. 10 minutes later we were in the living room and he was sipping on his morning smoothie. It was 6:10 am. I promptly put on Blues Clues and sat on the couch in stupor.

7 am rolls around and I decide to take advantage of the early start to the day and load the dishwasher. Against my better judgment I put on Spongebob Squarepants and escape to the kitchen. The problem with Spongebob (other than the fact that it has zero educational value and makes my son act like a hyper sponge that lives in a pineapple under the sea) is that it is on Nickelodeon, which is filled with commercials. Every 5 minutes Griffin would scream "MOM!" at the top of his lungs. I would run into the living room to find him wide eyed "Look at those cool shoes mom, can I have them?" I gazed at the television to see some crazy Sketchers tennis shoes with bouncy balls on the soles. He then proceeded to beg for a Chia Pet, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and a doll that actually pees in the potty. I escape back to the kitchen ignoring his pleas.

Then, he decides that he is going to pretend to be sick so that he can stay from school home and play video games all morning. I know that this was his plan because my child has an inner dialogue that comes out all of the time. He is constantly spewing out his grand ideas under his breath. As I pass by him to empty the hamper in the bathroom, I heard his plan being made. "I'll say I have a tummy ache." I heard him say. Then the symptoms started. "Mom, I have a little tummy ache." I gave him half a child's TUMS and our little bear stuffed animal that warms up in the microwave to sooth an upset stomach, just in case this symptom was real. "Mom, the inside of my legs hurt!" So I rubbed lotion on it and told him it was medicine that makes legs feel better. "Mom, my finger hurts!" I gave it a kiss and put a Spiderman band aid on it. "What would make you feel better?" I asked him. "Uh...to stay home from school and play Spyro all day."

Luckily, I managed to shove him in the car and successfully hand him off to his teacher. She can deal with his fake symptoms. I'm going to feel really bad if he comes down with a tummy bug and has a sprained finger. Anyway, now the house is quiet and all I want to do is curl up on the couch and watch the latest episode of The Hills. Heidi and Spencer will have to wait though. There are presents to wrap, cookies to bake for a cookie exchange, and thank you cards to write. The list goes on and on. This whole domestic thing is really getting in the way of my social life!

award

Mommy and child are both cranky and sick. I'll be back in business
as soon as I can breath again.

Emerson was such a bad ass!

"To the illuminated mind the whole world burns and sparkles with light."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I got bit by the Christmas bug...

Last year our Christmas tree was pitiful. We waited way too long to get it and it was one of three left at Lowes. It really was a pathetic little tree. It was concave and it kind of leaned a bit to the left. So you can bet your sweet ass that right after Thanksgiving I started to campaign for a Christmas tree. I wanted a glorious tree that was tall and fat. Well, I got it and I love it. We put on an Elvis Christmas album and pulled out all of the ornaments. It would have been perfect except that I made the mistake of letting Griffin play Spyro to distract him while Roger and I got the tree on the stand, put on the lights, etc. It backfired in a big way because he didn't want to stop to decorate the tree. He spent the whole time saying things like "This isn't cool, I want to play video games instead!" I mean, it's not like he's 13, the kid is only 4. So I put him in charge of the back of the tree where he could kind of hide behind it like he was in a fort and you know what? It worked. He got really into it and the back of the tree looks amazing! It's very surreal to start all of these traditions as a parent. I hope that it's not a tradition for Griffin to bitch and moan about how uncool the whole process is. I hope that I can keep him excited about all this Christmas crap until he's at least 7 years old.

I love my new Christmas tree so much that I named it Mitch.

The power of Swayze!

I had a moment to myself this morning because Roger is at his Dad's plantation and Griffin is at my mom's house. What would any red blooded American girl do with her free time but watch Dirty Dancing? Who doesn't love a little Swayze action?

Come to think of it...the guy has done some amazing work. Roadhouse is one of the best movies ever made. Ghost gets me every time. Let me tell ya, Dirty Dancing did it for me this morning. The dancing really is dirty and his black pants are out of control. It had been years since I heard him announce "NOBODY PUTS BABY IN THE CORNER!" Yes, I'd say that I used my free time very wisely.

I am woman, watch me leave your office!

I stumbled upon this wonderful picture that Erin took of Griffin when he was just a few hours old and it got me thinking. I am 22 weeks pregnant with my second one and starting to really meditate on the delivery of this baby. Every pregnant woman has a moment when they pause and realize that the baby has to come out somehow and more than likely she will be the one to push it out. It's a bit daunting. So I pulled out my Hypnobirthing book and I'm brushing up on my self hypnosis skills. I used that method for Griffin's delivery and all things considered (31 hour labor) it went really well.

I decided to get a doula after a conversation I had with Wynn at Chic-fil-a one morning. Yes, there was a chicken biscuit involved and maybe some hash browns. She told me about this amazing woman named Pat Nielson who is a doula and owns a really great pregnancy center for new moms that has kind of turned into a hub for us mommies. Hypnobirthing is a new practice and most OB's and nurses have never even heard of it so, I decided to use her so that Roger can focus on being my coach instead of running interference between me and the nurses.

Anyhoo...when I mentioned it to my OB, he said that I could not have a doula. He REFUSES to work with one and so does the majority of the Doctors in that practice. Pardon my French but, can you believe that shit? I politely said thank you and good bye and took my butt over to the midwives.

The Midwives is an amazing birthing center here in Athens. I met with one of the ladies and loved her so much that I wanted to crawl up in her lap and suck my thumb. I love the feeling in the office too. When I walked in, one of the receptionists exclaimed "OH MA GOD, I LOVE THAT PURSE!" while waving her hands in the air "MAY I HOLD IT?" As I handed it to her I had wonderful sense that I was home.

More importantly, they are going to support my quest for a natural birth, which honestly, is a quest that I would gladly have end with a nice warm epidural. I'm going to at least pretend that I can make it without drugs and maybe accidentally find myself able to accomplish this task. I want my doula rubbing my back, Roger hypnotizing me, my midwife slapping me in the face and gently saying "YOU CAN DO THIS!", and a nurse down at my crotch ready to catch my baby. Yes, I will have an army of support.

No smelly OB saying "I'm the doctor here!" and kicking my doula out of the room as I cry.

I am very pleased with myself for taking charge of my own birth experience and I can't wait to hold my little boy with my shining team all around me.

Thanksgiving 2008

We had our Thanksgiving feast at my mom's house. Her table always looks so dreamy. I think that she subscribes to Martha Stewart's magazine because it always looks so festive.

Roger got a Turkey as a gift from work so he volunteered to prepare it. We used a recipe that I saw on the Food Network with Herbs de Provence and Citrus. Which is a fancy way to say that we shoved Oranges, Lemons, Sage, Thyme, and Rosemary into the bird. It was a thing of beauty and quite an event. Roger set the alarm for 6 am to wake up and get a start on cooking it. He then managed to turn off the alarm and we all slept until 8 am. It was a mad dash to cook the Turkey. Slicing onions and lemons in a hurry and 3 and half hours of us gazing into the oven and telling the damn turkey to be ready by our noon deadline. It was done at 12:26 and we arrived a bit late but with a flippin' good Turkey.

My mom had these great place cards with prompts. Like..."name something you are thankful for." Griffin had scribbled a list and pretended to read it to us. He was thankful for many things and I will spare you the whole list but I will tell you that it included Egypt, the ocean, angler fish, Chuck-E-cheese, and Transformers. All very important and amazing things to be thankful for.

Other Highlights included
* MY OLDER BROTHER AND ROGER DRINKING LARGE AMOUNTS OF WINE.
*GRIFFIN ANNOUNCING THAT HIS IMAGINARY FRIEND ROCCO WAS SHY BECAUSE HE HAD NEVER MET MY BROTHER DREW.
*MY PARENTS OFFERING TO TAKE GRIFFIN FOR THE AFTERNOON.
*ROGER AND I WENT HOME, FELL INTO BED, AND NAPPED FOR 3 HOURS.

TURKEY COMA!

Leigh Spice

I got a haircut last night. Roger had the best reaction when I walked in the door..."You look like Posh Spice, you look spicy!" I must admit, for a pregnant woman with a huge ass, I am feeling a bit spicy today. Of course, it will never look this shiny or fixed.

It being Thanksgiving week and all I will take this moment to be grateful for good haircuts, Trucco Stained lipstick, and trying my hardest to pose like Victoria Beckham.

My little life...

Griffin has spent the majority of today in his underwear and jumping on the couch all afternoon. It's a glamorous life.
Don't be jealous!

Over the weekend Roger and I dropped the kiddo off at my mom's house and we saw Twilight. It was dreamy and made me want to go to prom with a moody 17 year old vampire. Instead, I came home and snuggled with my very own mortal of a husband. It was nice.

One thing that I love about Roger that he loves that I love about him is the fact that he owns every video game system from Atari up to X Box. (No, we don't have a Wii and we're not happy about it) He pulled out the Play station 2 and we have been playing the game Spyro. It's a game about a lovable Dragon that flies around this fantastic shiny world. Griffin loves it, I hate to admit. We spent some of the weekend on the couch as a family playing this silly game. The family that games together stays together!

So to wrap up...

Jumping on couch in underwear

Teenage Vampire Movie

Dragon video game


Welcome to my silly little world.

My heart swells with pride...

My little Indian sang every word to every song

And tried a pumpkin muffin.

It's been one of those days.

Here is Griffin explaining to me that he didn't mean to throw sand on me but that he was actually trying to throw sand onto Mars and it was just too far away so it hit me instead. How do you argue with that? After this picture was taken, he walked 3 feet and then started crying because he left his ball inside and we JUST HAD TO GO BACK IN AND GET IT MOM! After going in to get his ball, we instantly had to go back inside because he had to go potty. He cried the entire time he used the restroom because he really wanted to be outside playing with his ball. I'd say it was a solid 30 minutes of tears over nothing.

To him...it is all HUGE. All I can do is stand by waiting with a hug for when the tears stop falling.

The perfect mix.

A warm cup of hot chocolate.

A baby with super chubby cheeks.

A really messy girl.

A pleasant discovery.

And a beautiful light fixture above us.

All of this made for a perfect morning at Mama's Boy.

It's the little things

It is my turn to bring snack to school for Griffin's class. Every week they have a different letter that they focus on. This week happens to be the letter "C". I've gotten my creative juices flowing and have come up with some snack ideas that start with the letter of the week. Nothing like some good old fashioned graphophonemic connections for the kiddos.

So, if I had an apron, I would strap it on because I've decided to do something wild and crazy. I. am. going. to. cook. It's no secret that I am the worst house wife ever. Roger gets really upset when I say that but we all know it's true. I can grab a cookbook and cook a simple dinner but it's not exactly the Iron Chef kitchen at my house. Something inevitably goes wrong when I try to cook. The top of the salt falls off and ruins my dish or I put the burner on too high and burn the meal to a crisp. It's amazing really. I have made a few yummy dishes since I've set to the task of being a better homemaker. I think it is so funny that I find myself in this role. None of it comes naturally to me.

I want it to though. So, I am cooking snacks for my son's class that start with the letter "C" and it's almost silly how good it makes me feel to do so. Here is my menu.
Mon-Cheese and crackers (okay, that's an easy on)
Tues -Cinnamon bread with cherry preserves (I'm building up the nerve to turn on the oven)
Wed-Corn souffle (This one is especally good because it starts with a C and is Thanksgiving related)
Thurs-Cranberry crunch (Another Thanksgiving gem that involves baking)
Fri-Carrots and hummus (enough with the baking, geeze)

So there you have it. I am well on my way to becoming the domestic diva that I want to be and being the domestic goddess that I almost am.

We had a lunch date today

Today we were lucky enough to have non other than Henry Holmes come over to our house for lunch. This was a big deal for a handful of reasons. First of all, he came home from school with us and Griffin felt so special to ride in the car with his friend Henry. Secondly, I have an irrational fear of watching children that are not my own. Most of the time I am shocked that I keep my own child in one piece, much less being able to keep my friend's child alive. This is a conversation for a therapist's couch I know, I won't bore you with the details.

So I felt very brave when Wynn asked my to pick up her son from school and watch him for a bit while she worked. It went smashingly well for all of us. They had a great lunch and the both asked very politely if they could be excused. Henry became very concerned because he really wanted a princess to play with. He LOVES princesses. Our only princess came with a castle we bought for Griffin and she has been discarded because Griffin is much more impressed with the knights. Anyhoo...I diverted his attention to my mermaid costume that I wore last Halloween. Henry was very impressed with this costume and was thrilled to put it on. Griffin followed suit and requested his knight costume. It was a magical and cathartic afternoon.

A letter to my second born son...

Dear Cowen,
If you ever read this I want you to know how much I love you. When I was at the OB's office getting an ultrasound to find out if you were a boy or a girl the tech scanned your entire body as you kicked and squirmed in my belly. She said "Are you ready to find out if you're having a boy or a girl." I nodded and held my breath. As the image became clear, I saw that you were a boy and said out loud "That looks like a boy?" She nodded and said "You're right, it's a little boy!" I was so excited to know who you were.

I always thought that I wanted a little girl and at first, I mourned my childhood fantasy of having a daughter. I knew that having a son meant that I would never get to put pig tails in my little girl's hair or help my teenage daughter pick out a prom dress. At first, I let myself feel sad about that.

Then something amazing happened. After one week of lamenting the loss of a pink room and little purple leg warmers, you started to really move around inside me. The kicks got harder and I could really feel you wiggling in my belly. I started to feel YOU.

I have to tell you that after I had given birth to your big brother Griffin, the strangest thing happened. I would have him all dressed and the diaper bag full of bottles, diapers, a change of clothes, and all the things that a mom packs to take care of her baby. I remember one day, I had put him in his car seat and had my full bag with me, ready to run an errand. I felt like I had forgotten something in the house. I did a mental check list of all that I needed and I had grabbed everything. Then I realized that it was you. My next baby who would one day come to me. This happened to me on and off over the next 3 and a half years. A moment would pass and I would feel like something was missing. It was you. I was missing you.

So now, I am 19 weeks pregnant with the baby that I have been waiting for. As you grow and kick me, I am feeling overwhelmed by the fact that you will one day soon be in my arms. That you, sweet boy, are the soul that I have been waiting for. Not a daughter like I thought wanted. No, I'm realizing before I even meet you, that what I NEED is you. I will celebrate every inch of you. I will celebrate everything about you. I will have my two boys and we will have wonderful adventures together.

You Cowen...are perfect for our family. I can't wait to meet you.

I love you,
Mom

Things we say to our children.

"Griffin, get your hand out of your bottom!"

Today I counted how many times I was forced to say this...14 times. The child wants to stick his hand in his crack, constantly.

Brunch with the girls.

My wonderful friends Scarlet and Wynn offered to make me a birthday brunch. It was such a treat to spend time with two such amazing woman. We sat in the kitchen and drank coffee and chatted while the quiche cooked. Then we sat down to a feast. It was so yummy!

My baby is due one week before Scarlet's baby and i just couldn't resist the belly to belly shot. It's nice to be growing with another woman.
I must admit that these two girls keep me sane. I feel so blessed to have them in my life.

It was a good morning!

Birthday girl!

I had an amazing birthday yesterday. It was simple and quiet and lovely. I should start this Blog by celebrationg the new camera that Roger gave me. It's a Holga 135 and I can't wait to start snapping away.
Then my boys cleaned the kitchen together while I put my feet up and listened to the sweet interaction between them as they cleaned. An almost 4 year old is so eager to learn and help. Best of all, I didn't have to do any of the work. Something as simple as putting the dish washing soap into the dish washer becomes a shining moment of independence. It's a beautiful sight to behold.
My parents gave me a king size load washer and dryer. This is very exciting news for me on the Leigh vs. Laundry front. The washer/dryer that we had before was a small stackable that Roger had purchased in his bachelor days. Needless to say, I skipped around the house on and off all day doing loads of laundry in bliss. You know that you're a grown up when you are thrilled to receive a major household appliance as a gift and then proceed to happily do laundry on your birthday.

I decided that I wanted to eat a big ol' hunk of Gyro meat for my b-day dinner. Roger and I peeled ourselves off of the couch and ate at Great Wraps downtown. An old and messy establishment that has been in downtown Athens ever since I arrived here 15 years ago. We ate Gyros with fries dipped in Feta. It was a feast. Then we came home and watched Semi-pro on DVD. Griffin gave me it to me as a gift and called it a "funny basketball show".

Perhaps the best gift of all, last night we decided on a name for our new baby (which is a boy by the way, more on that later!) Our little guy will be named Cowen Taylor Hewett. Wow, it feels good to say that sweet name.

The name of the new baby...

According to Griffin it should Slap Hit Poo Poo Butt Hewett. I think it's a beautiful name. He must have thought of every bad word his little mind come think up. Last week he suggested Fireman Hamburger Hewett.

We find out next Thursday if it's a boy or girl, woo hoo! We will be thinking up more appropriate names, of course.

Family

My brother and his kids came to visit from Colorado last week. Griffin's cousin Nora is 5 months older than him and let me tell you, these two kids love each other sooo much. From the moment Griffin saw Nora at my mom's house, he refused to come home. He stayed the night over there every night she was there. They had breakfast together, they pretended to be pirates together, they took baths together. It was a beautiful thing to watch. Not to mention that I enjoyed the little vacation of having my evenings and mornings to just relax while he stayed at my mom's.

After they left on Sunday, we distracted Griffin with a trip to Chuck-E-Cheeses and it seemed to cheer him up a bit. Well, it all caught up with him last at about 6pm. His bottom lip pooched out and he said as he fought back tears "Why do people have to leave?" I sat next to him and put my arm around him, which seemed to annoy him more than anything. I said "It's ok to be sad that Nora went home." In which he replied, "I'M NOT SAD!" at the top of his lungs. I tried to coax him outside to play for a distraction but halfway through the living room he through himself on the ground and had a good cry. He crawled up in my lap and I just held him as he continued to insist that he wasn't sad between sobs. Eventually, he feel alseep in Roger's lap on the living room floor. We gently put him in bed for the night as he whimpered in his sleep and he slept for 13 hours. Poor little guy was feeling some big emotions.

That's the hard part about loving someone so much. I think that today were going to paint a picture to send to Nora in Colorado and he can insist with every brush stroke that he's not sad and that there is no way that he misses his lovely cousin Nora. Oh...to be 3 again!

Leigh vs. bath toys!

I have come to terms with the fact that I really am at war with my home. I want to be at peace with it, I really do. Yet, small battles lay before me everyday. This week...bath toys. I have never in my life seen so many bath toys fit in such a small tub with such a small child. They seem to multiply each night as Griffin insists that Shrek simply has to take a bath with him. Along with his entire shark adventure play set and let's not forget scuba Steve. I can't say no, after all, bath time was one my favorite parts of childhood. The more toys the better right?

Well, it's time for mommy to sort through the toys, invest in a good bath toy container, and reclaim my bathroom floor. My bathroom has looked like this for a week and a half and every time I go in there to powder my nose, I noticed that the pile has grown. For now, the bath toys are winning. I will win this battle and defeat the mess that lays before me. In the bathroom at least.


BTW...the laundry pile is winning to. Except now it is contained to laundry baskets that have folded clean clothes that never get put away. At least the dirty clothes are no longer contaminating the clean clothes.

The battle rages on!

I am a hilly terrain

Here I am...16 weeks pregnant and already I am as big as I was at 20 weeks when I was pregnant the first time. I am trying to be okay with this, I am trying to go with the flow.

My boobs are huge. I went to get a bra fitting the other day and I am a 38 D. I was a 34 B 16 weeks ago. My boobs look like huge baby bottles. I am a walking baby factory.

I have a dangerous craving...Chic-fil-a chicken biscuits in the morning. I am wearing those biscuits on my ass. Yes...my ass is huge.

I am growing a southern baby for sure. Lately I call it "biscuit baby." My self esteem is waning. I'm just a series of lumps. Just like Fergie said...My lovely lady humps.

A "Griffin's in charge" photoshoot

The other afternoon Griffin and i headed outside to play (remember my pledge to toss him outside more often?) I fetched the camera on the way out the door and Griffin instantly started posing and setting up shots. This is what went down...
That first shot is entitled "Hey mom, take a picture of me running up the driveway!"

This one is called "Oh, let's take a picture of me digging now!"

These shots are entitled "Now, take a picture of me jumping!"

The final shot is called "You gotta get a picture of my rock collection!"
It was a great afternoon.

R.I.P. Shiner

It's a bad week to be a fish at our house. 2 our fishes have come down with Ick. We lost our beloved goldfish Shiner last night. Poor guy fought until the bitter end. Now we have one other fish named Miracle who is in a bad way. He's just swimming in circles and then taking breaks in the grass then floating around and then spinning some more and then going limp. Poor guy should bite the big one by mid-afternoon. Long live our sweet little fishes!

I learned something amazing today

I enjoy looking up what my babies development each for each new week. I'm at 14 weeks and discovered something fascinating today.
"Your baby now has fingerprints! Believe it or not, he actually created them himself while swimming around in the amniotic fluid. As he moved his hands, the skin on the tips of his fingers formed unique ridges and folds. That's why no one on earth has the same fingerprints, not even identical twins! Cool, right? Baby's arms are now in proportion to his tiny body, but his legs are still on the short size in comparison."

Pretty amazing huh? I made fingerprints today without even trying!

What I am loving these days...

Here are some things that I am surrounding myself with these day to make me happy.

First of all, I am loving this artwork by Nikki Mcclure that I discovered at buyolympia.com. She uses an x-acto knife to cut her designs into paper. All of her images are so simple and honest. She has a deep connection to motherhood. These images make me feel strong and capable as I journey into this pregnancy and reminds me to take a deep breath and trust my body. It gently empowers me to feel the strength it takes to truly surrender to this process and try to enjoy to enjoy the loss of control..


I am also reading the best book. It's called Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. It is so masterfully written that it moves me to work on my own little story that I have brewing in my head. Barbara's writing is seductive and colorful. She makes me want to be a better writer. Here is a juicy little excerpt to make you want more.
"She opened her eyes then, to make this real and possible, that they were kissing and lying down in the cold leaves. falling together like a pair of hawks, not plummeting through thin air but rolling gradually downhill over adder's tongues and poisonous Amanitas. At the bottom of the hill they came to rest, his body above hers."
See what I mean? Beautifully imagery. I can't read it fast enough!

I was going to make this a longer post but I am still figuring out the layout of this Blog business and what you just looked took me about an hour to layout. I'm bored of this now and I'm going to sack out on the couch and watch The Hills on Tivo. My mom has Griffin for the night and relaxation is on the top of my list of things to do. So, I guess that sitting on the couch and drooling on myself should be on the top of this list.

Inspiration

So my friend MJ, who I find to be rather dreamy and talented, came over for a "kitchen cut" the other day. I love it when MJ comes over because we have those conversations that just flow and don't ever seem to stop. Long after her hair is cut and styled we will sit at my dining room table and just groove. It's refreshing.

Anyway, she told me about this great blog called SouleMama and I must say that this woman is on fire with creativity and beauty. I've taken to reading her older posts and catching up with her life whenever I have a free moment. Although I know that I will never be the type of woman who has a fertile garden or cans food for the long winter, I have my own sense of soul. My house is not littered with wooden toys but plastic Walmart toys that my son adores. I'm okay with this. Yet, I find this stranger's life to be intoxicating and it has inspired me to create a list of changes I'd like to make in my life or home.

Here ya have it...
1. Turn the TV off. This is a hard one. I have no excuse and I admit that I love PBS and let Griffin watch too much TV. He loves it of course as well as mom loves a break in the afternoon while he watches Clifford the Big Red Dog and I can drift off into my world. Yet, Clifford leads to Curious George and from there the shows unravel and before we know it, the afternoon is gone. No more. I'm gonna bust out Candy land or construct a Hot Wheels track.

2. I've got to worry less. Yesterday I found out that our tap water is contaminated with ROCKET FUEL! Holy crap...I'm growing a baby and I've been drinking ROCKET FUEL! Although this is horrible and scary, I can't dwell on it. Nor can I sit around and torture myself worrying about the war in Iraq or the "bailout" or whatever other crap is happening out there in the world. It's one thing to be informed and active. It's another to lose sleep at night over things that I have no control over. So I will buy bottled water and not obsess over this issue anymore. I hope!

3. We need to spend more time outside. Screw the mosquitoes and the heat. I need to throw my kid outside more and let him get down and dirty. With the arrival of fall will come cooler weather and a chance to soak in some fresh air.

Okay, that's all I got as of now. I need to go dye my hair and drink a bottled water. As the tiny epiphanies come and shake up my little world I will jot down my inspirations. No matter how simple or silly they may be.

Leigh:1 and Laundry:0

Laundry will forever be my plight. It is a cruel and indifferent pile of clothes that stare me down day after day. I have no problem tossing clothes into the washer. I can even handle putting them in the dryer. It is the folding of clothes that drives me crazy. I'll toss a clean load onto the bed and forget to fold it. When bed time rolls around, we toss the clean load onto the floor to mingle with the dirty clothes that are scattered all over the ground. Roger has a theory that if a dirty shirt touches a clean shirt then they are both dirty. So, the pile gets picked up and tossed into the laundry room. Clean and dirty clothes make love in a nasty pile in front of my washing machine and the cycle begins again when they leave the dryer and are tossed to the bed. They wait to be thrown back on the floor, never worn, always "dirty" somehow.

Well not this week! I have overcome my urge to not fold clothes and I owe it all to my mother. She has stepped in to put an end to the battle that I have going with the laundry. Since I have been pregnant and sick my mother and I have indulged each other. I let her come over in the afternoons and take over my house and she gets to fulfill a life long dream of teaching me how to run a functioning household. It's been the best thing to happen to my little family.

When I was a teenager I knew that my mom had the urge to teach me how to be a homemaker. She had so many secrets that she had learned from reading Family Circle over the years that she wanted to bestow upon me. Honestly, I didn't give a crap about that kind of stuff at the time. If she had tried to teach me the wonderful benefits of sprinkling Comet all over the kitchen sink I would have rolled my eyes and walked away. So, I can see a twinkle in her eye when she gives me a tip here or there as she floats around my house doing menial tasks. We are forging a new era as mother and daughter. Where she tells me where to put my clean panties and I do it with a smile. It's a beautiful moment, the passing of knowledge between my trips to the bathroom to throw up.

So, thanks to my mommy and the purchase of 5 laundry baskets that have been lovingly placed throughout my house. The laundry is clean and has been for one week. I'll keep you posted as the battle continues and I bask in the domestic glow that my mother has unconditionally shined upon me.

squishy brain

So I am all knocked up...10 weeks and 5 days worth of knocked up and my brain is working at half capacity. So why have I decided to finish my novel when I am in the throws of my first trimester? I am worthless. The other day I was trying to retrieve the words "crop circles" and my brain just stopped. It was if I was playing charades but with words. "Ya know..." I'd say to Roger. "The things in the cornfields that aliens build-uh-like a corn maze." Luckily with a reference to the movie Signs he guessed crop circles. Not before I was in tears from the lack of IQ points I know I've lost.

So...now I sit at my computer and struggle to find the words to my great American novel.

I'm a glutton for punishment I suppose.

Me vs. Laundry

I'm excited to start a Blog and I'm shocked that it took me this long to jump on my computer and muse. I am a journal writer by nature but since becoming a mom I find it to be more and more challenging to steal moments to actually write words down. Griffin loves to disrupt any epiphanies that I try to scribble in my journal. As I sit with pen in hand, poised to write my deepest darkest secrets, he stands behind me and plays with my hair while watching a cartoon. He leans on me and smacks me with his knees trying to get my attention. It's quite a challenge to have cathartic moments with a 3 year old on top of you. That's motherhood though...trying to grab a moment to grow without neglecting your little one.

I am finally accepting that I am a horrible housewife. the laundry is always stacked up, the house is littered with toys. Every single room is messy. But my child, who I tend to focus my energies is always clean and seems to be well balanced. I am actually fascinated that I'm starting to care about the condition of my house. For the moment I am resigned to pick up the same toys over and over. I am the master of "fake clean". I can have everything stuffed under the couch and all the dirty dishes tossed into the oven in 5 minutes. Whenever I really clean the house Griffin asks me "Who's coming over?" It's shameful.

Sometimes I get insecure that I am not living up to the domestic goddess that I should be. I asked Roger once when we were in South Georgia on a hunting excursion if he wanted me to bake a bundt cake and throw together a big country breakfast for him and his dad and fellow hunters. This one man's wife was always sending muffins and various baked treats with him to the cabin. I just knew that those men were pulling up hungry from hunting all morning to find me, outside with Griffin, throwing rocks in the pond, with nary a pot of coffee waiting for them in the kitchen. I mean Roger must have known when he married me what he was signing up for. So when I told him that I was sorry that they had to cook their own breakfast that morning Roger just smiled and said "When I married you I got roller coasters and glitter."

Well, hang on Roger, cause it's gonna be a wild ride!

28 Days of Happiness :: 1

My best friend Erin sent me this tiara for my birthday. I am in love with it and wear it around the house for no apparent reason other than it makes me feel delicious. I'll perch it upon my head as I do laundry sometimes or maybe while I'm cooking dinner. Who needs an excuse to wear something so fantastic?

This tiara makes me beyond happy.

Today is the first day of a project that I'm doing for the month of February. Each day I'm going to post a new photograph of something that makes me wildly happy. It's time for me to get acquainted with my new camera. Also, I'm feeling courageous enough to steal these small moments in my life and share them with you in the spirit of exploration.