10 Reasons Why My Baby is a Puppy in Disguise

This post is inspired by a dinner I had with one of my best friends where we spent over 3 hours sharing our mommy struggles and laughing so hard we cried.  Before PJ was born, I thought this parenting thing was a piece of cake.  Please, give me something harder to do like bridging the space time continuum.  I am a woman who can admit when she is wrong, and peeps, I was way off my rocker when I thought I had this parenting thing down pat.  Sure, Kylie had her moments, what kid doesn't, but she is overall a well behaved child who never gave us any reason to panic (minus the peanut allergy, which is completely out of her control).  By the time I was well into my pregnancy with PJ, Kylie was nearly 4 years old, in preschool, potty trained for 2.5 years, could sit still through a movie (shoot even 2 movies if we let her), dressing herself, feeding herself with little mess and had been sleeping through the night since she was 4 months old.  We were completely spoiled parents, totally naïve as to how far we could be pushed to the brink of complete insanity.  The first year of PJ's life was a complete blur to me, mostly due to the lack of sleep and zombie like status it caused trying to juggle a full time job, maintaining a household, a baby who needed to eat 24/7 like he was a squirrel stockpiling acorns for a long winter and last but not least, attending to the firstborn child as easy as she is.  On February 7, 2013 our world got turned upside down, sideways, then right side up again.  I wish I could say that it's a boy thing, why some kids make us work so much harder than others, but I have come to find out through sharing experiences with other parents that the mischievous gene affects both the X and Y chromosomes equally.  As such, here are 10 reasons why I often confuse my toddler with a dog.  (Not calling my kid a dog, I'm just saying he's got very canine like tendencies.)


1.  Eats out of the garbage
Apparently, I do not feed this boy nearly as much as he would like or fast enough.  Several times a day I find him dumpster diving for leftovers, pieces of plastic, paper, basically anything he can fit in his mouth, tastiness need not apply.  If you happen to know me and my penchant for cleanliness, then you can envision the horror on my face when I make this daily discovery. 

2.  Runs to the door at the sound of any activity
Whether it's Daddy coming home, the UPS guy, or a random neighbor kid looking to retrieve their soccer ball, I have to implore the "open the door just a crack, and use your left leg to hold the baby back" technique.  Is there a technical term for this?  If not, someone should trademark that, because all parents of runaway toddlers know what I'm talking about here.  If I didn't hold the dude back, he'd likely make a run for it shoes or no shoes, pants or no pants.  Imagine Will Ferrell in "Old School" running the streets naked, just in a diaper and 1/5 the size.

3.  Slobber much?
This occurred more so when he was younger, but still applicable today.  Why even bother with a bib? He can soak right through one in 30 seconds, plus the shirt behind it.  I've looked in his mouth sometimes wondering if he's some kind of mutant human with an extra spout that spews saliva.  Maybe I've watched too many X-Men movies and it's wishful thinking that all that excess liquid could be some sort of untapped super power.

4.  Chews on everything
I get it, the whole teeth phenomenon is new to him, but not sure how long my appendages can take all the nipping and biting.  If the state of his binkies (pacifiers for all you non-parents) are any indication of the level of strength his jaws are able to produce, I probably should just start using him to open all my canned goods.

5.  Basic Commands - Work in Progress
We're still trying to master the "No!" and "Sit still!" commands.  I know he understands what I'm saying, it's pretty obvious since he's looking at me square in the eyes with a devilish smirk on his face as he blatantly disobeys me.  Loves to play this game at restaurants too, as he proceeds to clear the table of any condiments, place settings, glasses, etc.  Needless to say, our family are not frequent diners of Spago or Morton's.  (More like Chuck E. Cheese and takeout.)

6.  Fetch
Nothing's more entertaining than watching your older child play "Fetch" with her baby brother.  In all fairness, the game started out as "Catch", but baby bro is still working out the logistics.  Running the ball back to the person who threw it to you is much more efficient than aiming and throwing it back apparently.  It could also possibly indicate a future as an NFL running back. 

7.  Lost Puppy
He's definitely not lost, just likes to follow me around everywhere.  And when I say everywhere, I mean anywhere.  I sacrifice an extra 20 minutes of sleep every morning so that I can do my bathroom business in private.  His eyes are still closed as he stumbles into the bathroom to take a seat on my lap every single morning.  Without fail.  Did I mention that it was every single morning?  It's like he's equipped with some kind of Momdar that sends a GPS signal when his skin is no longer touching mine.  Maybe my mutant theory about him and his super powers isn't wrong after all....

8.  ENTHUSIASTIC!
Everything is exciting to this kid!  He loves when I blow on his belly and it makes a farting sound!  He loves running around in circles!  He loves eating donuts!  He loves chasing the butterflies!  He loves to pop bubbles!  He loves peekaboo!  If he had a tail, it'd probably be wagging all the time! 

9.  Obsessed with the toilet
I've lost count of how many instances I've caught this boy splish splashing around in the toilet.  Thank goodness I don't use 2000 Flushes which turns the water blue, or else I might find him head first in there attempting to take a drink.  Refer to item #1, regarding the horror on my germophobic face when this occurs.   

10.  A Mommy's best friend
This is by far the greatest comparison.  Both my kids are indeed my best friends, and at the toddler age when they aren't quite aware of what friends are yet, Mommy is definitely numero uno in their book.  He enjoys our morning snuggles and watching Yo Gabba Gabba, discussing the latest adventures of DJ Lance and friends over a sippy cup of milk.  He helps me with my Target shopping by using his arm to swipe all the products into the cart (which will come in handy if we ever decide to compete on Supermarket Sweep).  He likes to share his goldfish crackers and grapes by hand feeding them to me like I'm Cleopatra (now that I think about it, I'm hoping it is before he stuck his paws in the john).  If I stub my toe or hurt myself, he's the first to kiss Mommy's "ouchies" just like I kiss his.  Best of all, he adores me just as much as I adore him, and there's no doubt that he'll be my best bud forever.

                                                        My pup and his puppy dog eyes

Procrastination Central or One Tired Mama?

  A little of both I believe, as it was my full intention to get back into this blog again a year ago!  No matter, here I am again filling you in on the latest from my world as a mommy to a fashionista and a fashionisto.  The babies are growing up, my sweet Kylie whom I started this blog for is now a sassy 6.5 year old 1st grader and her little chubby baby brother is now a somewhat slimmed down 2.5 year old ball of fire.  I love their growing independence and while they still take fashion advice from mommy, they are not afraid to voice their opinions in terms of their individual tastes.   

  So why the long lull in blog posts?  I think we all set ourselves up for failure when we say that once the kids are asleep, we can catch up on all the things we couldn't get to while they were awake.  Wroooong!  15 minutes into an episode of Real Housewives and I no longer have any functional control over my eyelids.  They pop open for a split second at the sound of a dramatic cat fight, then glue themselves shut 20 seconds later once the hair pulling ends.  (Only to re-opening again in a few hours to the sounds of slamming doors and pitter pattering feet of a sleepy toddler, stumbling into your bed for the 100th night in a row.)  Exhaustion aside, being a parent has it's pretty awesome perks.  Sure I can't take a whiz alone like most normal people, I may or may not have cheerios on my pants at any given point, and the term "personal grooming" sounds like some kind of Greek mythology.  But, what I do have is my own fan club comprised of 2 of the most enthusiastic and adorable people I know who think all my jokes are hilarious, shower me with affection 24/7, write me love letters about having "fun wit Mom at the beech" and more importantly think I am the most awesome human ever.  Can't argue with that!  I'm working hard every day at trying to slow down and appreciate these fan club years.  It's a struggle but I have to remind myself that 15 years from now, when I am actually accustomed to the lack of rem sleep, my fans will likely suspend their membership in favor of the Justin Biebers or Taylor Swifts of their era.  I'm pretty confident they'll renew their membership to the Mom Fan Club again once they've decided to change it to the Grandma Fan Club.  Which isn't slated to happen until at least 2040, but it's definitely something to look forward to.

My bad, that was a hibernation not a hiatus!

So what had happened was...my sweet baby girl (whom, by the way, just turned 5 a few months ago!!!) was starting preschool and I thought I would take just a short little break so I could focus on spending my free time with her. Turns out my definition of "short break" is a few years, eh tomato tomotto.  The good news is, I am back and there is a new little dude to blog about!  Kylie is now the proud big sister of Parker, aka "PJ", aka "PJ Fuzzy", aka "the crazy kid who only sits still when he sleeps", aka "your worst frenemy on a long plane ride" just to name a few of his monnikers.

 

As you can see, he is also quite the fashionista, or fashionisto as I like to say.  Besides the obvious difference in gender, these two could not be any more opposite. At one point, we were not able to locate this boy's neck due to his multiple chinerosis (not really a medical condition but it sounds better than saying you had a fat baby).  And that Bumbo seat was his worst nightmare because his monstrous thighs would cause him to be stuck in it until we pried him out with Vaseline and the jaws of life.  

Meanwhile, his 5 year old beanpole sister is still able to wear the same tutu she wore for her 1st birthday.  It is a size 6-12 months!  PJ eats like the apocalypse is coming tomorrow, while Kylie survives solely on cucumbers, goldfish crackers and Oreo cookies.  One likes to get her beauty sleep while the other wakes up at the first sign of daylight so he can get his grub on (no joke the boy can't speak but he can run like the wind to the fridge and point for me to open it to retrieve his yogurt).  

Something these two do have in common, as it pertains to clothing, is the inability to find proper fitting pants. Kylie is so skinny, anything that fits her waist look like culottes on the bottom.  PJ is so robust, that what may fit his waist, will have so much fabric bunched up at the bottom, I could make him a matching tank top with the excess.  First world problems I know, it could be worse, my babies could be wearing hand me downs from 2 seasons ago! (I kid, we are very fortunate to have what we have and participate in clothing swaps all the time).

Before my extended hiatus, I had mentioned that Kylie was beginning to turn into a mini me, and she has certainly fulfilled her destiny. 

No doubt about it, this girl is Christina 2.0!  Since she started preschool, I've loosened the reins and encouraged her to pick out her own clothes. For the most part she does pretty well, but there were a few times I wondered if the Ringling Brothers were her new fashion icons.  As Kylie would say, she "adores" dresses, anything in pink and would never leave home without the proper accessories.  I have groomed her into my own little miss fancy pants and I love it!

Well, that's the latest and greatest from my neck of the woods. Hopefully, my next post will come before I bear a 3rd fashionista! (Don't get any ideas, I'm not preggos...yet!)

Kylie's Big 2!

It's so cliche to say, but time really does fly especially when you have kids. One minute they're teeny tiny red faced little infants and the next they're jumping off the sofa, telling you to give them cookies for dinner. When I first started this blog almost a year and a half ago, I never thought of it as another way for me to document Kylie's growth, it was just a fun outlet to share my bargain finds. But re-reading some of my older posts really takes me down memory lane to a time that was not that long ago. Goodbye onesies and cute dresses, hello t-shirts, jeans and tennis shoes. Today is her 2nd birthday and I would be lying if I said I wasn't saddened that she is turning into a little lady so quickly. Although the one great thing about her growing up has been her speech development. She's definitely inherited a fond appreciation for cute clothes just like her mommy. If you give her a shirt or article of clothing that is to her liking, she's not shy to tell you "Oooooh, so cute!" or chuck it on the ground if it's not her style. As her personality develops, I'm trying my best to help her hone in on her fashion sense, much to the dismay of her daddy and our credit card bills.

Juicy Couture Graphic Tee ($14.99, Originally $32)
You just can't beat 50% off plus free shipping! Good thing I sign up for every email known to man, and am on the computer 24/7 like it's my job to look for deals. ;-)


True Religion Julie Jeans in Rebel ($70, Originally $106)
There have been many, many times I have wanted to splurge on a pair of designer jeans for Kylie, but was always shot down by the hubby or ridden with guilt for spending so much on pants that no one could tell if they were from Bloomingdale's or Target since she was always sitting or held. The consensus with her dad and I was that we would wait until she was walking, so people could truly appreciate the label on her tushy. Now that she's 2 and runs around like she just got freed from Guantanamo Bay, the world can appreciate her fine taste in denim. Good thing these puppies were on sale, no way I could justify $100 jeans for 2 year old in this economy, not that $70 bucks is chump change but at least it's not triple digits.


Lacoste 3/4 Sleeve Glitter Dots Shirt ($19.99, Originally $35)
The hubby loves his Lacoste and I'm personally indifferent to the brand's styles, but I was already getting something for him so might as well get a little something for the muchkin since they were having a sale and free shipping. Word to the wise, their kids clothes tend to run small so buy 1 to 2 sizes bigger. Apparently European kids are pocket sized, because even the correct size for Kylie runs too small, which normally is unheard of for her.


Juicy Couture Denim Leggings ($19.99, Originally $68)
Yep! You're seeing it right, these jeggings were over 70% off! How do I find these deals you ask? I don't find the deals, they find me.


Converse Jack Purcell ($28, Originally $35)
Not a fantastic deal, but I'll take 20% off plus free shipping. It was already hard enough to find these shoes in a size 5 toddler, in black as it was, so a little bargain is better than none at all. I was actually pretty excited for this purchase, I have always loved Jack Purcell's and wanted our family to wear matching shoes for her birthday party. Only downside is having to tie a 2 year old's laces every 15 minutes, it's like trying to go fishing with your bare hands.


And here is the birthday girl in all her glory! I want to wish my beautiful, intelligent, charming and silly little monkey a very happy 2nd birthday. You are the sunshine of my life, and even though I may spoil you just an ensie weensie bit, ok, ok I spoil you a lot, you deserve it for bringing your daddy and I so much happiness. Kisseys!

Arrivederci 2010, Bonjour 2011!

What a year it has been! So many ups and downs in our household, but in the end we've made it through together as one loving family. This update is a long time coming, and not as extensive, but being that Kylie is nearing 2 (you don't have to tell me twice, so fast I know!) her wardrobe is filled mostly with clothes for which I could care less if she spills spaghetti sauce or apple juice on. She also seems to age quickly, but ironically grows at a snails pace so there's still quite a bit of clothing we still have yet to remove the tags off of featured in previous posts. Never the less, no major gift giving event could ever be void of a little couture.

Juicy Couture Ruffled Tunic ($20.99, Originally $48)

I have to say, that it really does pay to shop early, I got a great deal on this tunic before Thanksgiving and scored on free shipping plus 30% off. People may think it's crazy to start so early, but I was done before Thanksgiving and never needed to fight the crowds for the holiday remnants. Thank you inventors of online shopping, you are my saviors!

Juicy Couture Embroidered Ruched Sleeved Dress ($34.20, Originally $128)

Purchased from one of my favorite online retailers, NeimanMarcus.com. You're probably thinking, "How bougie of you Christina." But wait! I saved an additional 30% off, got free shipping plus free gift wrapping. Time is money so adding in all those factors, Neiman Marcus has always been one of my all time favorite online retailers to shop over the holidays. Just because they are known for their designer duds and outrageous holiday gift offerings, doesn't mean you still can't snag a great deal!

Havaianas Sandals ($10.19, Originally $16)
I love how Kylie's little toesies look in these sandals and since she has outgrown the last pair she had (not to mention the left sandal is lost somewhere in nowheresville), I couldn't pass up this deal when I came across them.

Converse Chuck Taylor Slip Ons ($19.99, Originally $30)

Yeah for outlet shopping! I found a great deal on these cute slip on shoes (slip ons are a must for any toddler, unless you enjoy retying shoes every 5 minutes) for a pretty decent price. Just like her mommy, Kylie has quite the obsession with shoes. She's amassed just about a dozen pairs (pretty good for a girl who's not even 2!) and loves to strut around and play in her pretty shoes as well as anyone else's. It's wise not to leave your shoes out in the open in our house for too long, as they will quickly turn up missing and miraculously appear in Kylie's closet.

It is so amazing to watch a child grow and blossom into a little person. Even more amazing when they begin to mimic your actions and personality along the way of discovering themselves. Kylie has grown into my little girl so quickly, I can hardly believe she was just crawling the same time last year and now she's running circles around me. I love her budding interest for shoes, accessories and clothes, it's like I spawned a mini me! I cannot wait to see how her sense of fashion will develop as she begins to articulate her likes and dislikes. Being a mommy has brought me so much joy and happiness, and as I say goodbye to 2010, I look forward to the many adventures to be had in this new year. Cheers to new fashion finds in 2011 my friends!

And We're Back!

Wow, Summer just came and went in a flash! But after a brief hiatus, I am back in full shopping swing. My baby is now officially a walking and (sort of) talking toddler. Wish that I could say that we've been too busy shopping to blog, it's more along the lines of we've been too busy to shop! Shocking I know, but my petite princess still remains petite, fitting the same clothing she did 6 months ago. We have even spilled into a 2nd dresser for her despite doing 2 purges over the last several months. Luckily the weather has been getting cooler and cooler, hence the need for more "wintery" attire featured in this posting. You'll notice the presence of her daddy's influence in Kylie's wardrobe these days. He's taken a slightly more opinionated role in what she wears now that she's strutting her stuff solo without our arms blocking her fabulous attire. And when I say slightly, I mean daddy shows mommy what he likes, and mommy finds something quasi similar but less boyish and in pink.

Nicole Miller Tunic and leggings ($19.38 Originally $38)
I am beginning to love Nicole Miller's line of children clothing mostly because they always look and are constructed like adult clothing. Just like a good friend of mine loves when animals have human names like "Kevin" or "George", I love it when little kids are dressed like miniature adults. Since Kylie already follows me around all day like my shadow, she might as well dress like me!
Here's me and my little boo boo sporting her tunic with tights at a friend's wedding.


Hurley Sweatsuit ($19.99 Originally $48)
This is where the hubby's influence came into play. He showed me a purple, blue, green and white Puma sweatsuit, straight out of some little boy's closet circa 1977, that he wanted to purchase for Kylie. To which I replied "Oh My Geee, H to the No." And proceeded to purchase this adorable sweatsuit that is both sporty to his liking and stylish to mine.


Skateboarding is Not a Crime Onesie $12.99
Since the hubby is adamant about not wanting to raise an uber girly girl as I would perfer, I will on occasion oblige with the purchase of a more masculine band or skate/surf inspired article of clothing. So long as I can pair it with pink in some form, it's acceptable. Side note, not really sure what the meaning of this onesie is. If you put a circle with a line through the message of "Skateboarding is not a Crime" isn't that really saying "Skateboarding is Not NOT a Crime" thus actually stating it is a crime? Just to reiterate, this wasn't of my choosing. ;-)


Seven 7 Brown leather cowgirl boots ($19.99 Originally $32)
It was love at first sight with these boots for both Kylie and I. They are brown leather with rhinestone trim all around and the insides are pink zebra printed suede! I died as Rachel Zoe would say. The first thing Kylie did when we got home was take off her shoes and attempt to put on her boots. I had to run a few laps chasing her around the house just to get her to take them off before her bath.

If you couldn't tell, I have a little bit of New Joisey in my taste. Love me some leopard and zebra print, in moderation of course. A girl's gotta show off her wild side every now and again!

A Juicy June and July

I am a bit behind on the blogging as you can see. Summer approached so quickly and with birthdays, holidays and the like, my spare time has been consumed with planning weekend adventures for the little one leaving little time to peruse the aisles of my local Loehmann's. Shocking to hear I know, but as it is, her dresser already looks like it threw up a Bloomingdale's kids department so I had to cool it on the new clothing until we can finish redecorating her room. Ok, ok who am I kidding, I didn't really cool it. There's a few other outfits I purchased in the last few months, but just didn't have the time to take pics of to feature in this blog. There you caught me, I'm lazy. But it's summer, I have a walking, talking toddler and they don't call it the lazy days of summer for nothing. Here's a few of some of the highlights of purchases from the last month and a half or so, better something than nothing!

7 for all Mankind Cutoff jeans ($17.60, Originally $95)

Yet another one of my "so cheap I can't pass this up, even though they are waaay to big for her now" deals.

Juicy Couture Terry Pants ($10; Originally $48)
Can't go wrong with a track suit, as is evident in my own daily wardrobe. If you're going to wear sweats, they might as well be designer ones. Makes me feel "dressed up" even if the fanciest places Kylie and I frequent are the My Gym and Trader Joe's.


Juicy Couture Terry Jacket ($21.24; Originally $48)
Not entirely sure why the MSRP for the jacket and the pants are the same, yet the discounted prices are vastly different. Oh well, I'm not going to complain, a bargain is a bargain is a bargain.



Juicy Couture Terry Pants ($12.72; Originally $64)
Pants are all the rage this century, so might as well be in style and get them while they're cheap. Although for some peculiar reason, these pair look like they were made for a 4ft. tall 2 year old. (For those of you without offspring for a visual, that would be one giant sized toddler.) I suppose that explains why they were so cheap to begin with.

Nicole Miller Floral Tunic ($10; Originally $38)
This tunic actually comes with pants as well, but I bought a larger size so that I could make it into a dress which she wore for my birthday dinner. When she grows more, I'll slap on those pantalones and voila! Instant new outfit.

Hope the summer has been going well for everyone, it's been such a great few months watching my little baby turn into a young lady. It may be a bit of time again before my next post as she's beginning to be more mobile and nap times become shorter and shorter. But, I will make an honest effort to be more diligent on at least taking photos so that in some point in time they will be blogged about. Aloha Amigos until the next time!