Don't Call Me Mom

"Hey Mom, I'm gonna go upstairs and play in my room okay?  Okay!"

She had called me "mom" and  simultaneously asked/answered her own question within the same sentence.

All of a sudden she was fifteen.

Or, two-and-a-half.

Either way, she was growing up.

It's like that obligatory parent-moment when you blink and your chubby-thighed, squealing baby is a little person.  A little person who is smarter than her own good, making rational decisions, having opinions, bossing me around...

A little person who I want to stop.getting.bigger.

We have these moments now, me and my daughter - moments that I want to remember forever.  Like how she loves to sit on the kitchen counter when I'm cooking so she can help, or more like so she can take bites of anything and everything.

Or like how she loves to sing, totally uninhibited, at the top of her lungs.

Or like how she wants to talk to me, have real conversations, for the entire duration of any and every car ride.

And let's be real, my little girl was never a tiny newborn (see: 9lbs 14oz and yes, she came down the pipes)... But how did my baby grow up so fast?

I remember after she was born, everyone kept saying, "It goes by so fast!"  I mean, it was actually annoying how often people said that to me.  "Yeah yeah yeah, I know I know, take it all in, she'll be a teenager before I know it, yada yada yada."

But y'all...

They were right.

And it's so fun, having this person around the house now, rather than just a rolling, giggling baby.  A person who is a very vocal and opinionated part of our family.  And each stage brings more excitement and adventures and opportunities to learn and challenges and JOYS... 

Oh, the joys...

So I don't necessarily mind her growing up, I guess, because I look forward to how our relationship as mama and daughter will continue to bloom.  I just don't want to miss out on anything, miss out on any of these moments where I find myself falling even deeper in love with this perfectly imperfect little girl.

After that aforementioned "mom" moment, I sat CK down and held her hands and asked her to look at me in my eyes... which is what I do when I need to tell her something very important.

She got a serious look on her face, waiting to see what was gonna come out of my mouth.

"Cameron Kate, please don't call me 'mom.'  It's either mama or mommy, Ok?"

"Why?"  She curiously asked.

"Because, it makes you sound too grown up.  And I wish you could stay little forever.  So let's just stick with 'mommy' for now, okay?"

To which she replied, "OK MOM!!!"

And then she bounced down the hallway shouting at the top of her lungs,

"YITTLE FOREVER!  YITTLE FOREVER!  YITTLE FOREVER!"

You Should Know...

In light of me attempting to immerse myself in all things small-town-GA, I've been thinking a lot about my likes, dislikes, where I'll fit in, and if anyone will even want me as a part of their day-to-day world.

It may be narcissistic of me to think anyone cares, but I decided to compose a list of all things ME.  So, here, my friends (new and old!), are some random tidbits you should know...

*I hate to cook, and am terrible in the kitchen (see last post, ha!).  However, I love to bake... mostly because I like to eat any sort of uncooked batter/dough (helloooo salmonella) and also because every step is an exact measurement, which works much better for my Type-A personality.

*So I guess that was two-in-one since I threw in the little Type-A personality sidebar.  But it's true, unfortunately.  I can be pretty Type-A, OCD... though I do think I'm much more spontaneous and fun-loving than anyone believes!

*I kind of enjoy cleaning...

*And I LOVE grocery shopping.  Unless I have my toddler in tow.

*And speaking of that toddler, I'm obsessed with her.  She's pretty awesome.  And because of the hard times T and I have faced during our losses and constant battle with secondary infertility over the past 15 months, I am even more wrapped up in my daughter.

*I like red wine, a lot.  And beer, any beer, really.  But not liquor.  Well, except for margaritas... I looooove margaritas...

*I hate my feet.

*I think spending time with family and friends is just about as good as it gets.

*I fall asleep on the couch, every night, before we go to bed.  It's almost like I HAVE to fall asleep on the couch before I'm ready to go to bed.  My mom and sisters do, too... so blame it on my genes.

*I like to run, a lot.  It's my mental stress-reliever.  And also?  I run because I like to eat, more than I like to run.  (I would never be able to diet.)

*I find an immense amount of joy in doing things for other people.  Any hour of any day.

*I love surprises!

*No matter how full I am, there is always room for dessert.

*I consider myself to be a new-ish Christian.  Not that I haven't been a Christian my whole life, but I really and truly haven't explored Christianity, the bible, or my relationship with God until about seven years ago.  I have a lot to learn and a loooong way to go.

*I leave lights on, accidentally, all the time, and it drives my husband crazy.

*I think baths are kinda gross.  Unless there are bubbles and wine involved.  Then I understand.

*I love to sing, but literally have one of the worst voices you have ever heard.

*Country music is my jam.

*I could waste an entire day and one of my husband's paychecks in Target.

*I enjoy long road trips, as long as I'm not driving.

*I love the earth, but I hate when public bathrooms have hand dryers instead of paper towels.  Ain't nobody got time for that.

*I am a morning person, but am pretty much narcoleptic at night.

*Any sort of chips and dip is my weakness.

*And reality tv.  I'm a sucker for some bad reality tv.

*I wish I were crafty, but I'd rather pay someone to DIY for me.

*I really, really, really like olives.

*I'm a worrier.  One of my least favorite traits about myself!

*My hair used to be bleach blonde.  Many moons and too many highlights ago.

*I think when I grow up I want to be a college professor.

*Flying in a plane scares me.

*No matter how tired I am, I can never take a nap because I can't turn my brain off!

*I love the beach!!

*If you haven't already figured it out, I'm a pretty open book, about anything and everything.

*And I love having this blog as a creative, selfish, therapeutic outlet.  I'm impressed if you made it this far down my list of personal randoms!

Have a great week!!

So, This Happened...

This was the result of me attempting to cook... I always knew I didn't belong in the kitchen!

There was a knife, an avocado, lots of blood and parts of my body I never thought I'd see - which resulted in me being passed out on the floor.  Home alone with CK.

Fun times.

Anyway, this contraption, which is an attempt to get my finger to put itself back together, makes it pretty difficult to type.  In fact, this post has taken way too long to hunt-and-peck on the keyboard.

All of this to say... excuse my blogging absence.  I'll return when I'm back in one piece.

And for the rest of the week, we'll be ordering takeout.