Today was....off.

I said it.

Today was an off day.

And while I have a hard time posting this, I feel like mothers need support.

Mothers, espeically mothers of tiny people, need to know we're not the only ones out there that: 

Lose their cool.

Feel like bedtime is approaching like molasses. (AKA...reallllllly slow.)

Feel/Do embarrassing things.

So here I am...publishing my "off" day.

It didn't start out too off.

He woke up earlier than usual...so he lost about 45 mins of sleep there.

He was doing pretty good.

Didn't appreciate when the dog knocked him to the ground.

But that's understandable.

Most people wouldn't.

And then Papa punished his dog...so I guess we know the TRUE pecking order.

Kam wins. :)

But then after not being able to climb in the cat box and having the vacuum get put away (because those are really upsetting when you're 11 months)....it was nap time.

We are in transition.

That terrible transition from 2 naps to 1.

Not quite ready for 1.

Doesn't quite need 2.

And since he woke up so dang early, his nap

time was early as well.

I woke him up after 1.5 hrs so hopefully he would go back down for an afternoon nap.

This was him after nap...

All the cool kids read upside down.

A friend of my mother in law came over to see Kam and the new house.

He was a perfect angel for the guest...thank goodness.

Shortly after they went out to lunch he started saying, "ouch."

I stepped on the hot concrete and yelled, "ouch."

So for about an hour he kept saying over and over again: "ach, ach, ach, ach."

It was awesome.

It was right about now that all hell broke loose...slowly and painfully.

I could tell he was getting tired, but not tired enough.

So we went outside to get some stimulation.

As soon as I saw an eye rub and a yawn I raced back inside to get him down in what used to be the golden window for him to go down nicely.

That golden window has gone to trash.

So after being rocked and fed I set him in the crib and prayed he'd go down.

Nope.

10 mins later...

20 mins later...

30 mins later...

We've gone from whining to crying.

45 mins later...

We've gone to loud/aggressive crying.

55 mins later...

We've gone to screaming.

65 mins later...

75 mins later...

Still screaming.

I am not proud to admit that in this time I:

pinterested a lot.

screamed in to my pillow.

felt my heart break.

stormed up and down the hallway.

and of course...cried.

Angry to sad to ignore to really angry to really sad to really really angry.

WHY DOES THIS CHILD NOT WANT SLEEP?

I finally hit my breaking point.

I went in.

He, of course, acted all dramatic and fake coughed all over the place.

I picked him up and tried to cuddle him to sleep.

Yeah no...not happening.

Instead I got scratched in the face, head butted in the nose, and got ears full of screaming.

So after 20 mins of that I gave up and just plopped him on the ground.

To which he promptly yawned, rubbed his eyes, and laid his head on the ground.

And then started playing...crankily mind you.

Once I regained my cool, I hopped off the bed to be nearer to my 11 month old.

I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.  

This is how we ended up.

Still not asleep, but at least he wasn't moving or throwing a tantrum.

A few more hours of a rough, cranky baby and I was off to dance.

And what a welcome sight that dance studio was!

I felt all the stress leave my body.

(Of course he was fine for my mother in law.

Either that or he threw tantrums and she's just more patient than I am...haha.)

If you've made it this far...congratulations!

Why, you may ask, am I writing this super detailed post about a hard day?

Because.

It's necessary.

As I was texting some of my friends during this ordeal, I was so grateful to know they're fighting the same battles.

I was so grateful to know I'm not the only one who lets a little person get the best (errr...worst) of me.

I was so grateful for their support and friendship.

Us mothers...we have to stick together.

Because to those without kids...this seems like not a big deal.

I know how I felt before I had a baby.

"So he didn't take a nap...big whoop!"

"So he's cranky for a few days...he's a kid...who cares?"

But WE know why it's a big whoop and why it cares!

Because it makes us crazy!

Because it pulls out the worst side of us.

Because for some reason this tiny human makes our emotions run wild.

We become mothers we swore we'd never be.

And that's why I wrote this.

So hopefully one of y'all reading this will know you're not alone.

I've been loving this article that's been floating around on Facebook.

So even though I can't personally be there to help you out...hopefully this post does.

Cheers to those who've had a bad day!

Whether you're a mother or not...bad days suck.

So pat yourself on the back.

You made it through this day.

There's always tomorrow.

4th of July review

The 4th of July is one of my favorite days of the year.

I love the American flag.

I love patriotic music.

I love seeing the stars and stripes displayed in yards, windows, and clothing.

I love BBQs and watermelon.

I love feeling united with my fellow citizens as we all celebrate this being the home of the brave.

This year was so nice because I was able to actually have a 4th at home!

From 2007 until this year I haven't been able to have a "normal" 4th for a variety of reasons.

So this year we made it extra awesome.

First stop: the beach!

One of our ward families opened up their private beach for anyone from church to use.

So we spent the whole morning there looking for shells, digging in the sand, and splashing in the water!

After the kids took a nap we headed to our favorite pizza spot: Giuseppi's.

Then we went in to Shelter Cove Harbor because we knew it would get packed very quickly.

We hung around there looking at the vendors and listening to the musicians, until it was time to get on my dad's boat.

Things got a little rough around here.

Kameron didn't have a good nap and he was really hot and sweaty.

PLUS he's an 11 month old trying to crawl and climb on a boat that is not ideal for crawling and climbing.

But the trip still delivered us an awesome sunset, some dolphins, and of course some great fireworks to watch.

Until next year!

Thanks for being the land of the free, America!

11 month old Kameron!

Well...11 months has arrived.

It's so crazy to think about that just one year ago I was huge, drank Sonic Route 44 ice waters like it was my job, and sat in the kiddie pool section frequently.

And now here I am with an 11 month old baby.

He's sure a pretty cute baby. :)

Let's see...

This month Kameron has really gotten the hang of "driving." :)

He loves sitting the front seat of a car, his new car stroller, and was quite impressed with the golf cart while we were in Florida.

He just grabs the wheel, shifts it back and forth, and does this happy noise.

We all laugh every time because it's so funny.

His Grammie and Papa got him a sandbox, which has been fun.

I think right now he likes the process of getting in and out much more than actually playing in it...but whatever...

Someday he'll stay in it longer than 1 minute. :)

He pretty much will eat anything that isn't mushy.

So bananas and sweet potatoes are OUT.

His favorites are: goldfish, puffs, meat, broccoli, apples, squeezy fruits/veggies, and bread.

Oh...and Cheetos!

He had those on the 4th of July and kind of became obsessed.

I craved them my first trimester and ate...well...a lot of bags.

Just sayin...

He's starting to play and interact more, which has been fun.

He loves to play tag, peek a boo, pat a cake, and this game in his crib where he hides in the corner and laughs with delight when you tickle him.

His tantrums have hit a new level.

Not so awesome.

I seriously had no idea babies his age threw tantrums.

They should warn you.

And what's even more frustrating is that you can't reason with him.

You can just tell the poor kid is mad he can't communicate more effectively and is just upset.

He's started playing with his blocks more, which I LOVE.

He can stack 2-3 up.

He also is really great at putting the circle in the shape sorter.

This is his excited and frustrated face.

His eyes are how I can tell the difference.

He's becoming a little imitator and it definitely amuses us all!

I am proud to say: he loves the beach.

He likes the sand, he likes the sun, he likes the water...

It's awesome.

I can't wait until we can build sandcastles and play in the waves together.

He's still using his walker and cruises around from item to item.

He has started standing on his own now!

I know it's only a matter of time before those first steps come!

His favorite things to do are: read/flip through books, play in water, put phones up to his ear, climb, "drive," get tickled, go up and down stairs, and pull everything out of the cupboards/shelves/laundry basket.

I can't even believe our cub is 1 year in just 3 short weeks!

Even though he's transitioning into a toddler...he'll always be my baby.

Happy 11 months, Kam!

We love you.

You don't spank your best friend.

On our last (unexpected) evening on Hilton Head it rained.

A lot.

Like monstrous amounts of water dropped out of the clouds.

It was amazingly awesome.

I've missed a good Southern thunderstorm!

We were out at our favorite local seafood restaurant, Hudson's, when the heavens opened.

We all got soaked getting into the cars and then into the house.

Kameron laughed and thought it was quite the adventure.

We got him all dried off and down for a little nap.

I got bundled up in sweats (since my father keeps the house at like 50 degrees) and was hanging out with everyone in Krista's room.

I was swinging my niece, Laela, in the air.

(Again and again as per her request.)

Alex came by and swatted my bum.

Laela looked at him and said, "Hey!  Don't spank her!"

Alex said, "Why not?"

And that crazy, curly haired girl replied, "Because Kaycie is your best friend."

Krista and I looked at each other and all we could say was "ok...that was cute."

I just loved that a 3 year old could recognize how much Alex and I value each other and enjoy being with one another.

She saw that we have a special bond.

She saw that we are best friends.