27 March, 2012

Life With A Baby

Nothing very fun is going on these days in the household.

I've had just about nothing to blog about.

M got his school dates, and he's leaving in just a few weeks instead of a few months like we thought, but my whole attitude is 'git-r-done'. The sooner he starts, the sooner we put it behind us. I would have loved it if Shannon had been sleeping through the night a little bit better, but it's not like I'm going to force her, and I certianly can't ignore her if she cries. It's just something that I'm going to have to grin and deal with. I'm okay with that. Plenty of women do it all the time, and for a lot longer than a month or so, so I don't really feel like I have lisence to complain.

I was on my facebook account today while I was nursing, and I'm still 'friends' with a lot of kids I went to highschool with. They are always posting about wine nights, house parties, going away for spring break, and the newest fashion trends.

I, on the other hand, am in bed between 9-10 every night, enjoy weekends that consist of a trip to Wal*Mart for diapers, and have a song about poop. I'm very much sober when I sing this song about poop, and I sing it more than once a day.

If you had told me in highschool that when I was the age that I am now, I'd be married with a little one, I would have laughed right in your face.

Kids weren't in the cards for me. I did want a family, but I wanted it eventually. I wanted it after I had accomplished all the goals that I had for myself. I wanted it after I had a successful career in the horse industry, had shown overseas, and I have lived a little bit.

I wouldn't change it for the world now.

I love my husband with all my heart. I love my daughter with all my heart.

I'm not out at the barn everyday.

I traded my jean shorts and tank tops for sweatshirts and workout shorts.

My hair is constantly in a ponytail or a bun.

I don't get the chance to shower in the morning, or sometimes at all during the day.

It takes me an hour to get out of the house.

My only form of communication most days is about a foot tall and pees her britches.

The only horse shows I'll probably go to this summer are the ones I can broadcast on the USEF Network.

I put my keys in the freezer often, because I'm fairly sleep deprived.

I am no longer a stranger to 2 am.

I don't remember the last time I had a beer.

I can whip my boob out and shove it in a screaming mouth faster than a stripper could ever dream.

I sing a song about poop. Stone cold sober. Often.

I could totally survive with only one arm.

I wouldn't trade a damn thing for the world. I love every minute of being a Mom. Even when those minutes include being covered in poop, wincing because of the new decible level S has manage to achieve, or doing the walk n' bounce at 2 am because she's convinced she's starving to death.

I know that it's not for everybody, and I am a little jealous of my classmates who have a very small idea about responsibilty. Yes, they have important dead lines and classes to attend. I have an entire LIFE to attend to. A human being that can't do a thing for herself. Do I doubt that any of them could dial it up if they were faced with the same challange? Not for a second.

All it takes is one of those huge, gummy smiles or a giggle to make everything worth it. All the things that M and I have sacrificed. All the sleepless night, spit-up covered shirts, the added zip code that is my thighs, the absence of a social life some days, and the mess that my house has become.

It's all worth it.

You can have your parties, booze, and carefree-ness.

I'll take my daughter.  

21 March, 2012

Weekend Catch Up & One Month Monday!

We've been busy bees!

Saturday we took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL weather and did a little bit of shopping in town. I had to get Wil a new sheet for the warmer weather, and some polos since it'll be time to get back to work! We also kept up the hunt for my ATC gown, but no luck still. All the ones that I like are too expensive to just be worn once, and all the ones that are in my price range are ugly, or don't fit. We'll find one soon I hope, we still have about a month to go.

I also got to test out my sling at the Home Show we went to (admission was free, and M wanted to go and see the tractors. He's such a kid at heart.) and it was PERFECT! No trying to push through crowds with a stroller, or navigate tight spaces. I loved it. Shannon loved it too, she curled right up and slept the entire time.



I don't think that I would use it if I brought her clothes shopping, or to the barn, but it's great if you're just going to be walking around, or I'm trying to get stuff done around the house and she's fussing. She likes the sound of the vacuumm cleaner so the next time she's fighting a nap, I'm going to test it out.

M also found his dream piece of farm equipment.


It could be all his for the low price of $15K. I'd rather have a new horse, but I did admit that it looked pretty mean.

We also (finally) got a U.S. Army flag for the house. I've been wanting one for forever.

Sunday M's Mom came up to visit with Shannon so I went shopping with my Mom for a new top for a work function that I have to go to with M at the end of the month. We also have a piano recital for my sister's boyfriend on the same day, so it'd have to double. We didn't have much luck though. Shannon on the other hand, got lucky and we found her the CUTEST dress for the recital and possibly easter if we can't find anything else. The cute little poofy dresses are $40 each, and I can't justify spending that much on something that she's going to wear maybe twice, and probably puke/poop on. I also hit up the grocery store, since our cupboards are a bit bare, and I came across this stuff...


It's DELISH! 0 Calories, 0 Sugar, 0 Carbs, 0 everything... and only 3 ingredients that I could pronounce! It's super yummy, and not over powering at all. No nasty after taste or anything! I'm hoping I can find it in case form at Costco. They have a bunch of other flavors, but I was really wanting chocolate and this did the trick nicely! Yum, yum, yum!

I came home, unloaded and then turned around to the barn to clean up Wil and drop off her new duds. It was too warm for her to actually WEAR her blanket, but it's supposed to cool off again towards the end of the week. We also got through a whole mane re-do and a dirt knock off on the cross-ties, like a grown-up horse. When we attempted to trim up her billy goat beard, however, this happened....


And my damn clippers broke. She struck them right out of my hand the *beep*. I attempted to lay down the law, and slipped.

The end result, however:

Looking a touch like a mule.

Cookies make EVERY expression better.






She thinks she's pretty clever, but at least her mane is shorter, and she's not covered head to toe in mud. I was looking at some of the pictures that I took of her, and she really looks like a gelding I used to ride when we lived in Hawaii, named Vinny. Same color and markings, he was just taller by about 2 inches. I'll have to have M take a picture the next time he is down, so you can see how tall she really is!

Also...

Guess who was 1 MONTH NEW on Monday!


That's right! This bundle of adorable!

She's growing by leaps and bounds, sleeping through the night (almost), and is full of more and more smiles everyday! I love her to death, and wouldn't trade being her Momma for the world.

We spent her 1 month birthday driving all over the state visiting a friend whose son was in the hospital to have his tonsils out. That little boy was SUCH a trooper!

We also got the rest of her gDiapers, visited her Daddy at work, AND went to Dancing with the Stars where she discovered an intense love for ceiling fans. A very full birthday day!

<3

16 March, 2012

Poetin & Rap

The horseworld can really make me sick sometimes. People can get foggy eyed when it comes to money, and unfortuantly the people with the most amount of money are the ones that call the shots. Those people are not typically horse people. That usually isn't good news for the horses.

I read a blog post a little while back about a mare named Poetin. You can read the reader's digest version on that site. The basic idea of it is that the owners of this mare went bankrupt, and hid the mare from the bank. When the bank found and siezed her, she was lame. She was then sent to auction and filled with steriods so that she wouldn't appear so. Her mild lameness was said to be a mild injury to the seasmoid bone. When she arrived at her new home, 10 hours away, it was discovered that she was drastically lame and while her new owners tried their hardest to save her, she developed lamanitis (to the point where her hooves started to fall away) and had to be put down. She was cloned, and her eggs flushed. Her clone, a filly, is living in France.

My boss and I were talking about this a little bit tonight during chores and she agreed with me that the horse industry can be so full of sick people. The bank that owned the mare after she was discovered are the ones that filled her with steriods in order to make the sale. The mare's life and well being was blatently shoved aside for an amount of money. I'm not a PETA fanatic, but this is just plain wrong. The bank was obviously not equine friendly, and I am glad that the final owners of the mare have sued the bank. The 10 hour trailer ride would have been torture for the mare, not to mention being ridden and shown at auction. It really makes me sick.

All this took place back in 2005, and I know that I'm way behind the times, but it made me angry enough to want to blog about it, to get it out of my head.

On another, more spoiled note, I got to go do chores tonight at the barn, and Wil was actually snuggly tonight!


She wasn't even trying to bite me!

When she had her filly last spring, I was the one person in the barn that she would chase out of her stall, teeth bared and ears pinned. I couldn't even feed her in the morning without using the 'bob and weave' method.

Now she'll snuggle (for about 20 seconds) from time to time, and I make sure to never take advantage of our time. Gotta love those mares, eh?

Somebody asked me a few weeks ago, if my horse were a type of music, what type would she be?

I shrugged and grunted a little bit, but tonight as I was be-bopping along to Pandora Radio on my iPhone, while cleaning stalls, the answer hit me.

If Willow were a type of music, she'd be rap.  

Usually fast paced... Willow is the one rocketing around her paddock at a million miles an hour.

Full of bad words... It's not very often that I'm around Willow when the 'f' word isn't flying. "Ow! You F*$&% wench, don't bite me." "Willow, would you just f*$*# SLOW DOWN?" "Don't f*$&#^ kick me you wench!" You get the idea.

Not something you want around your kids... She's a mare. A hot mare. A huge mare.

You usually can't fall asleep around it.. rap because it's loud, Willow because you'll more than likely end up dead, missing a limb, or feeling very humble at the least.

If you can drown out the words, and focus on the beat, it's not so bad.... Willow IS an amazing mare, you just have to get past her 'tude.

It inspires you to move... Nothing lights your fire like 16.3+ hands of teeth coming at your face.

I love her to death though. I mean really... just look at her!


I'll shut up about my perfectly opiniated mare now.

In other news, Shannon is fussy as ever, but we're taking it all in stride. She's growing like a weed, and that's great news. She'll be mellow as long as I'm holding her. When I put her down, all hell breaks loose, and lordy can that kid scream! It makes peeing a challange for sure. Motherhood is great, and M makes the sleepless nights a little bit easier. We don't have a schedule, but the bumpkin will only be a month on Monday. I don't have expectations at this point, other than just enjoying her. Our house is pretty much clean, the baby is happy, and I'm learning to love coffee. 

All in all, life is great! I can't complain at all.

I'm off to spend way to much money on a new sheet for the Willow-monster, and enjoy some QT with my book!  


14 March, 2012

Word Vomit

I spend a lot of time alone throughout the course of the day, and while I don't think that it's a bad thing, it gives me a lot of time to think about the most random crud. That crud fills up my head, and then I can't sleep at night, so what better to do then unload all the randomness here. It really is the most random, non-important business.

1. I really, REALLY wish my hair would grow out. I swear it's been the same length since I got pregnant. Instead of having long, shiny locks of hair, like I imagined (because all the pregnancy books told me so), I have short hair that falls out in clumps. It's so sexy.

2. I can't wait to get back on my horse again, and get showing this summer. I CAN wait for, however, schooling in the warm up arenas. I'm lucky enough that I always seem to find myself on mares of the Alpha varity, so the seas always seem to part with a flick of an ear, but I hate dealing with the people who seem to be blind, deaf, and dumb to everything going on around them. I really think that a lot of people need 'student driver' bumper stickers for their horses hind ends. Also, don't get pissed off at me when my mare takes a whack at you because you rode up her ass. You can feel her attitude from across the arena, don't pretend like you don't see it. Dingbat.

3. On the topic of student drivers...they should have their own roads, or even towns. When my kid is screaming her head off in the backseat because she's hungry, I don't want to get stuck behind you going 5 miles an hour, because there is a raindrop and a half on the road and your scared. What do you do when faced with life decisions that are bigger than choose A, B, or C?

4. My kid enjoys being naked. All. The. Time. She can be screaming and crying, as soon as I take her diaper/clothes off... peace. Too bad she can't be trusted not to pee everywhere, or this would be a bedtime must. I have a feeling that she's going to be 'that kid' in kindergarten.

5. I love Dog the Bounty Hunter. I'm obsessed with the show. They look like they can be the most trashy, rough around the edges bunch that you've ever seen. Yea, I think that they go a little overboard with the bullet proof vests, and very large utility belts, but if you watch the show. Like really watch the show, they are such good people. They have such big hearts, and I think that they really have turned a lot of the criminals that they catch around for the better. Not only does Dog scare the bologna out of them, I'd never screw up again in my life if I had him coming after me, but with goodness too. I watched and episode yesterday with a pregnant lady. She was awful to them, evaded capture, was nasty when they caught her, but because she was pregnant, they rebonded her, and took her to the hospital to get checked out. I don't think that that's trashy at all.

6. Speaking of trashy... I think that the media, if they are going to focus on famous people (which there is no getting around... I'll admit I love my celeb gossip just as much as the next girl) they should do a little more focusing on Will & Kate, and a little less focusing on the Kardashians. I watch the shows, and I love Khloe. She knows what she wants in life, has a stable marriage, and I don't think that she's let the fame go to her head too much. Kourtney has her business mostly together. But Kim. Oh lordy lord. The train wreck that that girl is. And the leader of the whole shebang, Kris, is the worst enabler to her I've seen in my life. Will & Kate on the other hand. I strive for my marriage to model theirs, and I can only dream of having as much class as Kate has in her pinky toe.

7. Facebook needs to stop changing. Enough said.

8. I'm beginning to dislike my husband's job more with every passing day. It's nice that I can talk to him, and that he's not in danger, but crickets the unknowns are beginning to pile up. I suppose that that's the military life for you, but it's the most annoying thing ever when you're a person who likes to have a plan, and control. M says that I'll grow out of it, and I'll learn to handle it. I know that there is nothing that I can do about it, but this paragraph of whining has made me feel better. A little.

9. Coffee is my new best friend. Without it, I'd be insane.

10. I seriously married the best man on the planet. He was up with Shannon from 11-3 last night, so that I could get some sleep. He's a hero in more ways than one. Or two. Or fourteen.

11. I don't hate anybody, and I don't judge people based on their past. Unless they didn't something REALLY bad, like murder or rape. If you did that, your a scumbag and my view on your will never change. Luckily I don't surround myself with those kinds of people. I surround myself with my muchkin and my husband, because I really don't have a ton of friends. I go for quality, not quantity.

That's really it, for now. I'm sure there is more floating around in there, but being able to dump it all out onto this page has really made my brain feel a little bit emptier, so that it can fill right back up again.   

Off to tend to screaming baby (no I don't let her scream so that I can write this... that would be just wrong) and my screaming stomach. Milking like a dairy cow makes a girl HUNGRY!




12 March, 2012

Monday's Are All About Catching Up!

First off, let me catch up on my WIRS.

Fire by Kristin Cashore



This week, I read Fire by Kristin Cashore. It's the companion to Graceling (the book I read last week), and you don't have to read one to understand the other, which I thought was pretty cool. I've come to really like her writing style. This book read just as quickly and easily as it's companion, and the story line was fairly easy to keep up with. The only thing I didn't like was towards the end things started to get a bit 'soap opera-ish' with the scandals, affairs, and who is now related to who. It was a bit confusing, and I will admit, I did end up speed reading through the last few pages. I thought the ending was well done, and it had a few twists and turns that the reader wouldn't be expecting. I don't want to give anything away to people who might be intrested in reading it, but all in all it was a good use of my time. I got sucked in when I read it during nap time, and wasn't disappointed at all. She has another book coming out at the beginning of May, that I'm really excited to get my hands on.

:-)

This weekend was fairly mellow, as all our weekends seem to be. I'm such a homebody that I'm okay with that though.

Saturday, M and I started (after a fight) our cloth diapering trial. We're using gDiapers with the flushable inserts. Our first try flushing the flushable inserts ended up with them being not so flushable. It was my fault though, for not doing enough research. Turns out you have to tear the insert open, and dump the contents into the toilet, and then throw the outside away. I just chucked the entire insert into the toilet, where it promptly sucked up all the water, and then got stuck in the sucker downer part. At least we know that they are absorbant! M laughed pretty hard at me, but now that I know what to do, I'm determined to change his mind on the whole matter. The gDiapers fit her so much better than the disposable ones, and they hold a ton more. We ended up using the disposables on Sunday though, because we spent the evening at my parents house, and their septic system can be a bit fussy. It would be my luck that I flood us out on account of baby poop.

M and I also got to go out on a DATE on Saturday night. I real date, just the two of us! We let my Mom babysit, and went to Applebees. It was nice to get out and talk, just the two of us (and me not a raging ball of hormones) and I feel like we had a good time. I was able to talk to him about how I'm getting a little nervous about him leaving for training, and he was able to answer most of my questions. I ask him lots, constantly. It must be annoying, but he never lets on. He's a great guy.

Sunday he worked on his school work, and I cuddled with the baby while I watched Kevin Hart on Netflix. Crickets that guy is hilarious!! I was laughing my head off the entire time. I really recommend watching him if you're having a bad day. He had me in sticthes.

In the afternoon we meandered to my Mom's house for Sunday dinner, since my sister and her boyfriend are on spring break from school. I really love those two! I look forward to their visits all the time, and really enjoy talking with them. L has grown up so much since she left for college, and I'm really proud of her. She's turning into a lovely young woman (not that I didn't think that she would) and I really do enjoy spending time with her now. :-) P is a great guy too, and I think that he does a lot of good things for her. They make the most adorable couple, and I'm constantly reminded of Barbie and Ken. No lie.

M informed me that his ATC (Annual Training Conferance) is set to take place at the end of April, and there is a dinner shinding on Saturday night. It's pretty formal, so my dress search has commenced! After Shannon wakes up from her nap, and I get us showered, dressed, and ready to go, Mom and I are going to venture into B-town to do some looking. I have no idea what size I am anymore, and my body shape (read: hips, thighs, and boobs) have become a bit, shall we say, meatier. Everything is different, so I feel like I'm starting  from square one. It's not a bad thing, and I'm not complaining (I've always wanted bigger boobs!!), but I'm drawing a blank as to sizes and styles that'll look good now. I'm intrested and excited to go and try things on! I'm a lot curvier and I think (and M agrees) it's a lot sexier now!

Well the muchkin is up and hollerin' for some chow, so that means my blogging time is over.

:-)


09 March, 2012

We're Pretty Boring Here...

It's been pretty mellow since the last time that I posted, not much really happened that was exciting. Shannon and I did a lot of hanging out around the house. We visited the barn, the library, and my Mom at work on Wednesday, since it was almost 60 degrees! Unfortunately it was also beyond windy, so the walk that I wanted to go on didn't happen. Tuesday and Thursday were really yucky, so we had pajama days. Today was our first big girl bath though! Shannon seemed to really like it! :-)

I got to get out to the barn today, and I realized while I was cleaning stalls how out of shape I am. I used to be able to bust all those suckers out with no problem. Today, however, I feel like I just barely managed to wheeze my way though it. All the weight went away, almost overnight it seems, but in no way am I in the same actual SHAPE. I feel like I went almost backwards from when I got pregnant.

I'm so excited to get back to the gym and get the old me back, probably just in time for M to talk me into kiddo #2. I'm thinking that diamonds are going to be involved in that deal though.

Big diamonds.

Very big diamonds.

Other than that, I really don't have much to talk about.

My life is so beyond boring.

I think that the lack of sleep is killing my creativity. It made me put my keys in the freezer the other day. Good thing I never really go anywhere, and I managed to locate them BEFORE we died of starvation because our cupboards were empty.

Go me.

M is watching Alice in Wonderland. The newest one, on ABC Family. It makes me feel like I should have done some acid, or coke, before he turned it on, because I REALLY don't get it. It's not really anything like the original story, but is at the same time. I don't know... I'm thinking that my book is going to be the better choice of entertainment for the night, because they don't really advise using drugs while you're breast feeding. Apparently it's bad.

Just so you all know, I don't ACTUALLY do drugs. I've never even smoked a cigarette.

Okay, I had a cigar once.

Twice.

I was drunk.

I'm going to read my book now, this is starting to get ridiculous. 

06 March, 2012

2 Weeks Old!

I'm blogging this from my phone... How freaking cool is that?

Shannon had her 2 week Well Baby check up yesterday, and she's looking' fine! She gained all her birth weight back, plus an ounce, so she's a sturdy 6 lbs 2 oz! She also gained a half inch, putting her at 19 inches long. She's healthy has a horse, and overall a pretty happy kid. I'm so proud of her. She was a champ during the appointment, and never even really cried.

We went and visited her Daddy at the office after her appointment, and then we visited my Mimmie. It was such a nice visit, and Mimmie really appreciated spending time with her great granddaughter. All in all a good day.

Today was a pajamas and Netflix day, and she was a fuss pot most of the time though. I blame it on gas bubbles. It was our first day since she's been born that M didn't have us running all over the planet, and nobody came up to the house, so the quiet time was nice. I want to spend as much time like this with her, since it goes so fast. The laundry can wait, in my opinion.

I'm also starting to research cloth diapering. I really feel like it'll be the best for her bum. Unfortunately I have no support from anybody, including my husband. It really sucks, but I'm determined to do the best thing for her, and I'll do it no matter what. I'm her Mom, and it's my job. I wish M would be supportive, but he's pretty stubborn. I wish he would understand....but if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

I'm off to shower. Maybe tomorrow we'll have an adventure to the barn and find the library in this town.


04 March, 2012

WIRS, Among Other Things

When I have the time, I like to creep look around the blogosphere and see what other people are doing that make their blogs so popular. Mine has 25 whole page views at this point, and all of them are me. Anyways, one of the things that I noticed, is that there are a lot of people out there doing this WIAW, or What I Ate Wednesday. They post pictures and recipes of the healthy things that they have eaten, and other people can try them out too in their quests to be healthy.

I am a culinary failure in every single sense of the word. Even boiling water stresses me out.

Also. I am not healthy. The words kale chips make me want to just start knawing on my own arm.

I decided that I wanted to do my own spin off of this whole thing, and do a WIRS, or What I Read Sunday. I am a self proclaimed bookworm, and I'm not ashamed to admit it either. Its the only intellectual thing that I do (I was a very good 'C' student in High School, I preferred common sense to Algebra 2 and Biology, and after all, a 'C' is average right?), so I figure I ought to do it well. My goal is to read a book a week, and write what I thought about it. 

Simple enough.  

I can't promise that I'll be able to read a book a week, with a new baby and everything, but I'll do my best, promises and stuff.

So without further ado;

W.I.R.S #1

Graceling by Kristin Cashore


Graceling is the first of a series, and I got sucked in within the first few pages. Unlike a lot of fantasy novels Cashore doesn't weave a hugely extravagent web of characters and places making the book fairly easy to follow. She also doesn't give her characters those absurd 25 letter names that I can't even pronounce in my head. I finished it in a pretty short amount of time, and it never got old. I almost wish that it was a bit more challanging of a read so that it lasted longer, but sometimes you have to enjoy simplicity. It left me wanting more, and I can't wait to get my hands on the next in the series, and actually bought a copy with plans to re-read it. All in all it was a pretty good book, and I'd recommend it to anybody who likes the Tamora Pierce-type novels.

Ta-da!

It's like book club with myself!

In other, less pathetic news, my Mom came up and spent the better part of yesterday hanging out at the house, soakin' up the Nana time. It was nice, since M went back to work, and we had a bit of a rough night with Shannon. We're still getting used to this whole, up in the middle of the night stuff. We hung out, talked, got sucked into the PBS series Downton Abbey on Netflix, and ate our body weight in air popped popcorn (my favorite food in the world). It was nice to spend grown-up time with her, and she was able to hold the munchkin while I got the house picked up a bit.

M got home a little bit early, and his sister came up for the night. It's always nice to see her, we get along really well.

Today was M's second day working at the Gun Show (I don't know if it had a formal name or not). The Army had a recruiting table set up, so M and another recruiter from the station got to work it all weekend. Shannon and I went down to see him today after some quality morning snuggles, and meet up with his parents, so they could see her as well.

She even got to wear one of her new outfits that her Nana got her! She was stylin'!

Oh my the people at that thing.

There was a man who was walking around with a piece of paper stapled to a laynard around his neck. Written on the paper was an ad for a gun that he was selling. That's my best guess anyways. I didn't get to close. I was probably the only female there (with the exclusion of Shannon, as she wasn't there under her own power) under the age of 30, who still had all her teeth and whose legs were the same length. It was prime people watching. Better than the airport, but not quite as good as the county fair. I only say that because you can't openly stare at people, we were surrounded by large amounts of firearms.

M was able to sneak out for lunch, so that was nice, and when we got back, everybody was packing up, so he even got to ride home with us!

His parents came back here, to soak up some baby time, and I got to take my time in the shower. M tried to freeze me out a few times by doing the dishes, but I quickly set him straight.

I'm off to go eat some leftovers for dinner, and snuggle with my girl, while I continue to rot my brain (and annoy my husband) with more episodes of Dog the Bounty Hunter.

And remember,

Never lock your knees while standing at attention.

You'll eventually fall down and nobody wants to be 'that guy'.

02 March, 2012

Barn Day!

First off, I just want it known that my husband is an extremely loud and obnoxious typer, he's doing up essays for school, and if he doesn't finish soon, I may find an excuse to go to the store. His keys are seriously going to break into a zillion little bitty pieces.  

Now that that's off my chest.

We were surprised with the fact that he had yesterday and today off. Apparently we need to learn to count better.

My Mom was awesome enough to volunteer to take Shannon for a few hours this morning, so I can sneak in some barn time. It's been two weeks, and all you horse people know, two weeks of not cleaning stalls is a bit like torture.

That and I got very far behind on all the barn gossip.

It felt so good to get out of the house, and do something semi productive. Not that raising my child isn't productive, because it is, and don't get me wrong, I love every second with her.

 Even when she threw up on me at 3am this morning.

But when you spend 5-7 days a week at the barn, and then all the sudden you're sitting in the house with a screaming infant... you need a little bit of me time.

I was still pulling my weight at the barn 2 days before the little peanut was born, so it makes sense that I'd want to go back. That and Willow REALLY needs a beauty treatment. I dropped the kiddo off at my Mom's by 1030, and was at the barn before 11. Not to shabby in my opinion, since Shannon had us up every two hours on the dot last night (and of course has been sleeping all day today).

I helped B out with a couple stalls, and filled water buckets while she filled me in on all the barn gossip, which there was quite a bit of, then she left and I pulled Wil in for some beauty treatment. She looks like quite the wild thing.

Look at all that hair!


She made it quite clear that she preferred to be outside with her playmates, and almost kicked me right in the arm. Willow can be a real fruit loop, I'll tell you what. I love her a lot, but sometimes I'm convinced that that mare is totally bonkers. She stopped spinning and kicking and screaming when I pulled her buddy Donna in to give her some company.

She stood reasonably in her stall while I ran a brush over her, but I didn't attempt to pull her mane, since she hates it, and I was out in the barn all by my lonesome. Something told me that trying to balance on a stool (seeing as she's almost 17h, and I'm a very intimidating 5'3) while chasing her about the stall wasn't the best idea, so we'll wait on the hair styling until I have some backup. It was good for her to just come in and be fussed on a bit, seeing as how its been a while. If I've learned nothing at all, it's that taking the time to do ground work really pays off in the long run when you re-start them under saddle.

After the barn I picked up baby from her playtime at Nana's, and came home. She's a sleepy little thing today (Its tiring keeping her father and I up all night, I'm sure). I came up with the idea to do monthly pictures of her, in one of those cute little headbands with the flower, and I found a set on Etsy that will let me chose 12 different headband/flower combinations, so she can have a different one each month. I think it'll be a super cute way to commemorate her first year.

That's really all my afternoon amounted to. The little has been sleeping the afternoon away (I'm thinking growth spurt), so I feel a bit like I've been ignoring her, but I figure let sleeping dogs (or in this case, baby) lie. She's sleeping for a reason, and she'll wake up when she gets hungry...although it probably is time for a butt change. It's been nice to catch up on all my e-mails, and even research some joint supplements for Wil, who I'm guessing will need them come time for hard work. I was looking through my Omnibus and I want to shoot for the USDF bronze award this summer, if we are able to stay here long enough.

I'm off to go snuggle my girl (after she finishes growling at her father... she's decided that growling is a new fun thing.), and catch up on the episode of The Big Bang Theory that I missed last night, then get my fix of junk t.v. with some Dog the Bounty Hunter. I love that show. Who doesn't love badass Beth Chapman?!

Seriously.