Betty's Beautiful Life

January catch-up: 

Our daughter is just so pretty! Look at those baby blues and porcelain skin! 

This is a pic of us on New Years, We didn't do much...just stayed in and relaxed. Erin did bring us some fireworks that we played with. Here is Indie looking at her first sparkler. 

Up bright and early the next day and ready to play! 

Indie is such a sweetie. She loves giving cuddles and kisses. 

We were trying to get her used to the idea of sleeping or even staying in her bed, so we were hanging out in there with her. 

She was being a little ham! 

Playing in pink! 

I had a good relaxing day with a little comedy, carbs, cuddles and more comedy. That's my idea of a perfect day! 

Peek-a-boo! I see you! 

Indie loves bath time! It's a great way for us to bond too. 

Swinging makes her happy! 

My sweet bestie sent me this Pusheen mug for my bday! I love it!!! 

My parents came to visit me for my birthday. I didn't feel like going out, so we just stayed in and relaxed. ( That's becoming a pattern for me.) haha 

Mom brought me this HUGE super chocolaty cake. It was truly scrumptious.  

Lil sis and lil baby 

My dad posted this pic on facebook with a caption along the lines of "the original bald headed baby." haha Now, we know where Indie gets it. 

Me and my sweet baby girl  

surprise! 

We were trying to take a family photo, but this little wiggle worm wasn't having it. 

Jesse planned a weekend get-away for our  7 year anniversary. We went to Dallas, shopped at the gallery, and went to dinner at a fancy 5 star restaurant. Honestly, the trip was mostly about staying in the hotel and being able to "see" each other again if you know what I mean. haha 

While, shopping, I had to indulge at Lush and Sephora. I'm testing out my new makeup in the pic. 

Here we are at dinner. I was soooooo full! It was delish! 

My favorite part of dinner of course...dessert! This was a fried cheesecake egg roll with fresh fruit and a rich, chocolate milk shake. 

Hello room service!! Jes arranged for them to bring champagne and fruit. I was so not hungry after dinner, but of course, I still indulged! In my Dave Chapelle playing Rick James impression, "It's a celebration, bitches!"

Kinda sunny and come glare, but this was our view. 

I  friggen love room service. It makes me feel like a rock star. As a kid, when we stayed in hotels, we would always have to wake up early to try and catch the continental breakfast. lol It's much better having it delivered. 

Another favorite, BREAKFAST IN BED. In a bed that I don't have to worry about getting ketchup stains on the white sheets, or syrup and stickiness on the sheets, or crescent crumbs in the bed. :D 

I was feeling kinda Hollywood that day. I had time to myself again! And time with my hubby! I almost forgot what it was like. 

Jes wanted to stop and eat here because he heard a lot about it. We stopped in for a pizza. It was delicious! The vibe in that restaurant was really groovy. The decor felt like I time traveled to the 70's and was experiencing a colorful acid trip. I love mushrooms, and they were everywhere! 

I stopped at the Chocolate Factory too, and picked up some salted caramel cubes...SO GOOD!

As much as I love to get away, I was ready to pick up my little princess. 

She was ready to get back home and play. 

She is wearing her knee pads, because she crawls around like a busy little bee! 

It's becoming more and more difficult to take pictures of her because she moves so much! haha 

Looking pretty in Hello Kitty! 

My bestie sent another goodie (she spoils me and I love it :D)! 

I put too much on. I wasn't sure how much it would bubble up. I looked like a swamp monster, but my skin felt sooooo soft and smooth after washing it off. 

Back to the ole grind on Monday. Here's Indie riding to daycare. 

..and me being narcissistic at work. 

I still have to rock her to get her to go to sleep, and I'm so glad she wants and needs me to do that. 

Feeling and looking bright! 

Playing with Peppa Pig in her Piggy Pj's 

She is such a mess! 

9 Months old already! She likes giving kisses, dancing, music, piggie snort noises, cuddles, swinging and playing outside, crawling and exploring ,walking with her walker, bathtime, brushing her two teeth, and The Wiggles. She does not like wearing headbands, the booger suckers, being sick, and baby jail ( her playpen.)  

She is our world! 

More candids...as you can see, I have a fear that Indie will grow up and feel like she doesn't have enough baby pictures. 

Which is an obvious irrational fear as she has more baby pictures in the first 9 months of her life than I do of my entire childhood. haha 

Wearing her maraca wrist bands, playing with toys, and singing along with Wiggles. 

It's a beautiful life waking up next to these two. 

Queen Bee Betty

One thing I’ve learned since becoming a parent: everything is hard. Things that were easy before, aren’t, and things considered hard before motherhood become even more difficult. For instance:

Falling asleep- Okay, this shouldn’t be hard since I’m currently 8 months behind on sleep. The more experienced parents are probably like, “Ha? Only 8 months? Try 15 years behind on sleep!” Well, yes, we are all tired, some more than others. The reason I can’t fall asleep? The classic Mom worry, or maybe mine is better classified as “new-mom worry”.  First of all, I don’t have the most comfortable sleep positions (by choice…co-sleeping). Other than that, I google aimlessly to find solutions to problem, some of which I haven’t even encountered yet.  Here is literally my current google history: “What if my baby chips a tooth?”  “Nighttime Separation Anxiety at 8 months old,” “Transitioning from Co-Sleeping to Crib,” “Tips for getting baby to sleep in crib,” “Tips on getting baby to sleep,” “When can I give my baby juice?” “When do I wean my baby off the pacifier?” “When do I wean my baby off the bottle?” “Will my baby be bow-legged if trying to walk at 8 months?” “Husband and I can’t find time to have sex with co-sleeping baby,” “How much should my baby weigh?” “Is it safe to use Acrylic paint for baby footprints?” These are just a tiny smidgen of the thousands of new mom question I ask google. I sit there scrolling, reading, scrolling, hoping I will eventually close my heavy eyes and sleep like a baby…wait. Not sure where this saying, “sleep like a baby,” gets its origin. Refer to google questions.

Sleeping in itself (if you’re lucky enough to get it)-From personal experience, co-sleeping is a wonderful bond between baby and mommy. I love the feeling of her falling asleep in my arms, feeling the weight of her body give in and rest on top of me, watching her peaceful and beautiful face sleep, rolling her gently to the center of the bed, and feeling her warm, soft skin, and sweet baby breathe on my face all night. Okay, that’s the positive side; the side I would use to sell some type of baby sleeping product. The negative side, is no more night-time nookie, the fact Indie likes to lie horizontally, kicking mine or my husband’s backs all night long, and every little wiggle or movement wakes us up.  Not only is falling asleep a challenge but also staying asleep.  Before baby, you could have a conversation with me while I was sleeping, and I would wake the next morning having no recollection of it; in other words, I slept hard. Now, I don’t even sleep hard enough to dream. I’m constantly waking to make sure I’m not lying on the baby, or make sure she is a comfortable temperature, or I check to see if she is still breathing.  More experienced moms be like, “You still check to see if she’s breathing? Rookie.”

When you’re a new parent sleep is like Charles Manson’s parole-not going to happen.  Naturally, waking up in the morning is one more chore.  I used to put effort into hair and make-up before work. This week, I have literally worn a pony tail or some hair accessory that makes it look like I tried, but I really didn’t.  Turban headbands are my friend because I can push back my greasy, unwashed hair and hide it under something cute.

I never thought I would have to “schedule” when we go grocery shopping, but we do.  Most of the time, I just send my husband to the store, because it’s easier than loading up Indie. Sometimes, I even get to take a mom vaca to the grocery store. It’s like I glaze over and forget where I am. When I come to reality, I’m staring at products I would never consider buying. I’m just killing time…just to be away for a minute.

Work, work, work- Being a working mother is definitely the hardest. I have my full time job (aka being a mom), and then the second shift- my 40 hour work week job.  I am constantly pulled between wanting to be an individual, having time to myself (even if that time is spent scheduling appointments and balancing budget ledgers), making my own money, and wanting to spend all day every day with Indie. I feel guilt for leaving her with strangers at daycare. I feel I'm missing out on her life. I feel I don’t give my boss my 100% professional self because 99% of my mind is on Indie while I’m at work. When that other 1% kicks in, and I start getting work done, I see her pictures circling my desk, and start thinking of her again. Getting off at 5:00pm used to mean free time, but now it just means more work: dinner, dishes,  diapers, detergents, the list goes on. The weekend used to mean something completely different than it does now. I used to look forward to the weekends so I could paint, scrapbook, or other various crafting,  play piano, spend time with my husband, watch movies,  go out to eat, drink beer, and hang out with friends. Now, I can’t wait for the weekend, just so I can see my baby. It makes me really sad when I think of the fact the daycare workers see my baby more than I do. I want the weekend to come now, not so I can sleep in, but so I can wake up early next to my baby.

Oh, and moms or dads never get sick days. It kind of sucks. That Nyquil commercial nailed it.