Happiness Is...

If two years ago, someone had told me that happiness is as simple as a clean bathtub, I would have laughed out loud. Yesterday, I had an absolute sensation of exhilaration, purely from cleaning. Yes, that's right, I -- ME -- was excited about cleaning.

Over the past few months, I seem to have developed a knack for cleaning solutions that have previously alluded me. I figured out that Comet is ideal for a nice shiny bathtub. And now yesterday, I figured out how to salvage caulk from looking scummy -- with a nice bucket of bleach and an old toothbrush. That little discovery was like watching Midas turn things to gold, for me.

I've never been a cleaner, and it's not that my mother didn't teach me this stuff -- she always had a perfectly clean house. But she also wasn't married to a man whose ideal woman would be made of steam. I'm definitely faced with more cleaning challenges than she ever faced!

And meeting those challenges has turned me into a Monica... Hmmm, daunting.

Winter Fun

We've been very busy this winter! Here are a few of my favorite pictures...

Maddie helps Mommy fold laundry.

We chased a cat.

We played with some delectable toes.

Some decisions still need to be made...

Maddie loved Valentine's Day!

Mardi Gras 2010! Note the Fuzzy-ness (buttons gapping at the belly button despite being the right size!)

Getting closer to crawling!

See?

Maddie poses with Manny the dog, who bears a striking resemblance to the Saints mascot!

Someone has the giggles.

And the best for last...
My beautiful Maddie.

New Motivation

One of the many perks of my job -- besides it just being deeply satisfying and awesome! -- is that I get vacation. Right now I have winter break, which is not to be confused with spring break. Spring break happens in April. Maddie and I have been hanging out. Tuesday we went to visit GG, and yesterday I got some alone time while I went to see Katie's wedding dress (I'm the official bustler -- if that's a word!)

This week has also inspired me. I've started doing my yoga again. Maddie is now of a great age to sit and entertain herself, which allows me to squeeze in a little me time. I spread out my mat right next to her play mat (aka, the bear skin rug of the previous post). Maddie LOVES when I do downface dog, as she loves everything to be upside down (especially herself!) And she often leans forwards and pats my hot pink yoga mat. So yoga is now not the most meditative experience, but her excitement helps the time fly by. And apparently carrying around 20 lbs has made me a lot stronger, which makes yoga easier too! Maybe on Saturday I'll have Rob take some pictures of Mad's yoga excitement. Baby yoga should be next!!

Want to be my Valentine?

Is there anything more romantic than curling up with a bearskin rug? (And a duck?)

I thought it would be a struggle

I'm completely swamped at work. Here's what I've learned about myself. Remember how I used to write papers the night before they were due? Well I still do that, only now I get paid for it. I really did have good intentions, and if we count the time that I was thinking about writing, then I've been writing this assignment for weeks. So I knew I would have to do some serious work today. Plus Wednesday, being my at-home day, is also my cleaning day -- because surprisingly the answer to my question was "yes."

Last night out of the blue, Maddie woke up at 3:15 for her bottle and decided that it must be morning. So she then proceeded to refuse to go back to sleep. I was up until 5:00 am, which is the beginning of Rob's shift. But surprisingly after being up for 2 hours in the middle of the night, I found myself too awake to go back to sleep. I managed to slip in another 30 minutes or so before I had to get up for the day.

I anticipated bad things -- Sleepy Mommy + Sleep-deprived Baby = Cranky family and Messed-up Schedule. HOWEVER, I am happy to say I was wrong! Maddie has been her lovely self, with slightly longer naps (thus far). I've managed to finish all my writing for work, because apparently I'm just on a good tear. AND I've managed to clean most of the house already. I love when things work out that way, expect bad and get good!

Of course now, I've jinxed it and the rest of the day will suck. But I haven't even had coffee yet, so that will be my fall-back safety.

Enjoy this little treat!

Daddy are you taking my picture?
Take a picture of me with my duck!

Huh.

So that's what that feels like. Now I finally know what this thing called "winning" is.

Redact It

I have to redact my earlier statement. It turns out I was given bad information, and my brother actually is cheering for the Saints! Thank you, Jim! I shall hereby redact the part about breaking your quarterback and making him cry.

Who Dat?

Ah, the big day is here! We're pretty excited in this little corner of Buffalo, that for today shall be known as Storyville. In case you don't know, Maddie is a HUGE Saints fan.



Oh course, Rob is a Saints fan from way back in 1983, and I admit that I have been reborn a Saints fan, a convert for 4 years now.

Now, we have been informed that a certain brother of mine is cheering for Indy. We just think that's sad. Just because the Saints broke your quarterback and made him cry doesn't mean that you can't forgive and forget. Um, yeah and by the way, your boy Peyton is a born and bred Louisianan. Just ask Rob's sister Natalie -- she has a personal connection.

Oh yeah, and as one of my Tulane friends pointed out... The Who are playing at half-time. Coincidence? I think not. Who Dat?!?

Today is my favorite day of the week. Saturday is the only day when both Rob and I have off. Usually that means it becomes a mess of errands -- people to see, places to go, and groceries to buy. But today I honestly cannot think of a single thing we need to do.

On Rob's day off, he lets me sleep in. So this morning when I got up, I walked down the hallway to see Maddie standing there waiting for me. Jumping. What a nice surprise.

So today we'll be playing.

Decisions, Decisions

You know what I've learned in life? Decisions are hard. And now, Maddie knows the same thing.