Francesca Battistelli, "This Is the Stuff"

I was watching UP and this video came on and the song perfectly describes my next few posts and sometimes my life in general.



I lost my keys in the great unknown
And call me please 'cause I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

45 in a 35 sirens and fines
While I'm running behind
Whoa ho ho

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess,
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world
Whoa ho ho ho

Oooooh This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed
This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose
But this the stuff You use

Whoa whoa ho ho
This is the stuff You use.

I think Sarah would get this story, but I don't have her email and we all know I'm hopeless with FB so someone please...

pass this story on.


We're driving in the car, Layla sees a billboard and says, "That's the cowboy."

"What cowboy?" Rowan asks.

"The one from the show.  The one who sings 'Drunk on a Plane.'"

My heart sinks.  Crap!  I'm glad we listen to country, but I don't want my six-old year saying phrases like "Drunk on a plane."  But on the other hand, yeah, she recognizes Blake Shelton on The Voice billboard.  Sadly, he doesn't sing "Drunk on a Plane." which by the way is a great song.

Damien Storona

I love my mom, I may disagree with her, she may be insane... but I love her.

  - It's like he's inside my head.

The next night....

he was up for 15 minutes.  It's working!!!  Then he woke back up thirty minutes later and it took twenty minutes to put him back down.  The next night, he'll do better.  But of course, the next night he had the sniffles and then all bets were off.  And the following week when he was better, it just clicked for him and with no effort on my part he slept through the night.  #GreatestBabyEverBornon12/2

21 minutes

that's how long it took to cradle, comfort, soothe, cajole Teddy into believing he doesn't need a bottle at 4::14AM, he can wait until 6 or 7.  He's back down now sucking his pacifier.  Let's pray he stays asleep.

It's 2AM

and I awake.  I see this precious little baby and I have to hold him.  I pick Teddy up , cradle him in my arms, and it hits me.  Before He spoke the world into existence, He knew this moment would happen.  And that no one He had created before me or after me could do what I was dong in this very moment which is being a mother to Teddy.  I am humbled and amazed by that.  And very, very grateful.

From newborn to baby

Teddy used to wake up and immediately start crying because he was ready to eat.  Let me clarify, Teddy's waking up is a process, first the wiggling starts, then the stretching of arms, then his glove/sock covered hands try to run his fingers through his hair (except he has no hair and his tiny non-existent nails than scratch his bald hair, thus the gloves), he opens his eyes and then starts crying.

But now he does his wake up ritual and lies quietly, trying to take his socks off his hands.  He's got that one down pat.  And after his hands are free, he eats those little fingers and just chills.  Up to five minutes, he can lie quietly in bed until he realizes he woke up because he was hungry.

I used to take him into the kitchen with me to fix his bottle, but no longer because now he recognizes his bottle and starts squirming to get to it.  He wants his food and he wants it NOW!

He can scoot across the bed, when he's in the mood.  Ugh!  He even talks.  UGH!!  He coos, makes sounds, and that leads to making words, words leads to phrases and phrases to sentences and then the next thing you have is a talking, walking, thinking thought person who says things like, "Hey, give me all your jewelry and gold and we can make a golden calf."  Yep, he turns into one of those Israelites.

I tried to build a wall of silence around him, but people kept talking to him.  The world would be an okay place if people didn't start talking until they were 10.  How great would that be.  Jory is away at the greatest college in the world, Concordia College (Go Cobbers!) and I'm skypeing with the frosh and Teddy jumps into the picture talking to Jory.  Jory would be blown away hearing his little brother talk for the first time.  He'd be happy, I'd be happy because I would only have eight years of someone talking to me before he left for college.  Win, win all around.  But no, people insist on talking to Teddy and now this.  Can you believe I once was dying for Jory to talk?  Poor simple, naive first time mother, what did she know.  I posted on a parenting site cause Jory wouldn't say "mommy", and now sometimes that name is called and I ignored it.  First timers are crazy and cute.

My cone of silence around Teddy was a genius idea, if only others had supported me, particularly BTDT parents