tomorrow is the last day of the year...

Haven’t blogged in a bit, er….well, I’ve “blogged” but I haven’t actually taken the time to type anything note-worthy and post it. I figured I could at least do that one last time before 2011 is over. I have to say, 2011 has been a pretty dern good year. While mediocre, and for the most part, uneventful…that’s how I like it. All the entertainment mags and sites are doing it so I think I will as well. Let’s talk about what I think were some of the most important things to have happened in my life this year. First off, hey…I’m happy to be here. Can’t take for granted the life we are living, we’re blessed to have that. I’m absolutely and exponentially proud of my kiddo. She has grown and changed leaps and bounds over the course of the past year. She is just so smart and hilarious; she amazes me every single day. I feel so lucky that Asher and I were chosen to be her parents, it’s a perfect fit. We do make a great team. “This is a job for all the carebears.” – Sophie

Earlier this year marked a milestone for me, I had successfully (and surprisingly) breastfed my boo for over 2 years. Goal was 1 year, surpassed it and couldn’t be more proud of myself. What a great ability we are given as women to provide that kind of nourishment and care for our kids. What an experience.

While I can’t think of specifics, the best parts of this year have been the parts that include Asher and Sophie, they are my everything. And our families and their support. Nothing is more important than family. Love. Health.

(and great friends  P. Lizzle and Ahndrea, of course)

At the Willis household we have just had our first “real”Christmas. It was a HUGE deal this year. Sophie finally “got it” this year. Santa was a very real thing and boy he did not disappoint. The two prases “Sophie, you’ve got to do ____ or Santa isn’t going to bring you anything for Christmas” and “Sophie, Santa doesn’t bring you treats if you’re not a good girl” are a mother’s best friend. I’m going to wear them out until she realizes I’m full of sh*t…which will probably be a month from now. Can’t get anything past that girl.

And, let’s not forget….as of 6 days ago….SIX DAYS….we are (cold-turkey) PACI-FREE and (for the most part) POTTY-TRAINED! Thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you Santa for taking Sophie’s paci’s to kids who need them….and thank you stomach bug for indirectly aiding in the potty-training process. Couldn’t have done it without you.

Did I mention my kid is THREE? Whaaaaaaaaaaat?

I would like to document some of the things that Sophie is in to, or doing, OR saying right now…because mom brain doesn’t end when you actually push the kid out…it only gets worse.

Here goes:
-at any given moment she can go into “dog mode” or “cat mode” or “[insert character of the day] mode” and she’s pretty damn good at staying in character. future actress? probably.
-she can basically quote the entire ‘Ice Age’ movie
-she LOVES any & all things ‘Winnie the Pooh’
-she hates wearing her hair up, “I’m a girl…” she says
-if it’s not orange-flavored…she doesn’t want to drink it. unless, of course, it’s hot chocolate
-she is super into the ‘Care Bears’ right now – she is Tenderheart, I’m (usually) Cheer Bear, Asher is Grumpy Bear
-she likes playing drawing games or “Regular Show” games on the internet
-the only thing she actually LOVES to eat is chicken & rice
-she only wants to sleep with her Dada in our bed…she is her father’s daughter
-did I mention she’s PACI-FREE?
-she loves her “kids” Gray, Ella and Conner and “Brother Noah”

I’m sure there are TONS more things but, that’s just a short list. She’s such a sweet kid and she is seriously the best thing to have ever happened to me. She is what I am most thankful for in this crazy world…she makes everything better, puts things into perspective, she is our priority. Blah, blah, blah and more gushy mushy mommy stuff. I dig it.

Happy New Year, folks.
Catch ya on the flipside.

peerrrrrrrrrrnnisssssss
bonjour le peeeeen

adventure time

"i'm finn"

for the love of care bears

i just called my grandma's house and asked to speak to sophie, here's how it went:

me - "hey babe. what you doing?"
soph - "hey! i'm Tenderheart Bear, you're Cheer Bear, meme is Moon Bear, rengeddy is Water Bear and dada is Grumpy Bear...but he's happy."

[handed the phone back to my grandma]

LOVE that kid.

i needed this...

"What I’ve always seen from you is someone who cares very much about everything you do, at work or at home, and excels at all of it"

I received this compliment today. This, to me, means the world.
Some people know just when/what to say...when you need to hear it most.

(and, although she doesn't read my blog...thanks, Sarah)

"Look at Pooh in that damn bed." -Sophie

Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction.

pretty sure i ate from the wrong side of the mushroom...

this. is. serious.

If you are a manipulative person who does shady shit and you act suspicious,
I will look at you that way until you give me reason to see you otherwise.
I will always be suspicious of you.
I will always have a hard time believing anything that comes out of your mouth and the things you say and do will hold no weight as far as I’m concerned.
“Fool me once…” and it stops there.
If I catch you in the smallest lie, ever…then, well…you are forever a liar.
If you will take the time and make a choice to lie about something so trivial, something so small and un-important then I cannot help but think you will lie about anything.
I am an “actions speak louder” type girl and I will not apologize for that.

all dogs go to heaven...right?

i hope so because i don't know if i could deal if it were any other way. we unfornately lost another member of our family yesterday. this time, it was not expected. our dearest Mac. i do not have the mental capacity to put into words what i'm feeling today - i've almost not had a chance to really focus on the fact that he is gone. i honestly can't think about it other than a fleeting thought or else i'll get stuck in that place. and greaving over a pet is awful. all i can say is that i love you, Mac. you will be missed and we will always remember you and never forget the times we've had.

say hello to everyone for us.

privacy?

once you become a parent, it's true, your privacy goes STRAIGHT out the window.

can't even take a bath in peace, sheesh.

attention effryone...

Asher sent me a text saying:
“Sophie says you’re a crinkle.”

I called to asked him why.
He put her on the phone.

Me: “Did you call me a crinkle?”
Sophie: “Yeeaahhhhhhh.”
Me: “Why?”
Sophie: “That’s what you be.”
Me: “What IS a crinkle?”
Sophie: “Iiii dunnooooo.”
Me: “But I am one?!”
Sophie: “Oh yeaaaaaaaaahhh!”

HAHAHAHA.
Sophiebob Sillypants.

giggles

I called Meme (my grandma, she keeps Sophie) today just to check in.
She and Sophie were laying on the bed & they were both giggling uncontrollably.

Meme: "she's rotten."
Me: "y'all are both rotten!"
Meme: "like two peas in a pot!"

I do love that woman.

Potty Time! Excellent!

My little Queen Kerm (Sophie coined this phrase…we’re not sure what a “kerm” is…but apparently she is one…) has always kinda picked up on things and learned things on her own. I have been a little hesitant with the potty-training as I know that if you try to push it, it can backfire easily. It can even make the process absolutely NO fun for the kid and can prolong the process entirely. We bought a “frog potty” and put it in the bathroom when she was about 1-1/2 years old. She thought it was funny. We bought a little toilet seat (SPONGEBOB) that adapts to the regular toilet along with a pink footstool. She was weirded out by the Spongebob toilet seat. And if you so much as looked at it or talked about it, she would freak. Well…she’s quickly approaching her 3rd birthday [insert SAD FACE here] and I wanted to at least get things going a little. So, we’ve been talkin’ up this “Pee-pee Party.” Not much on bribing, but when it comes to potty-training, I think bribing is alright (in moderation, of course.) So, the word “prize” has been used a lot, as well as, “balloons.”

I tried a couple of Saturdays ago to force the issue a bit, telling myself, “Alright, Aims. We’re going to dedicate this day and officially make it Potty Day.” No way. She pee’d in the floor 3 times. She DID pee in the “frog potty” but she had her Elmo undies on while she did it. Hey, she tried, right? Well, bring on the work week and all plans are screwed all to hell.

Fast forward to September 9, bath time, and Sophie tells Asher, “change me” – yes, she’s in the bathtub, and no, she doesn’t wear diapers in the bathtub, despite what weirdness people think Mormons do :) (sorry, inside joke...had to) so Asher put her on the toilet, atop her Spongebob seat, and although she cried like someone was ripping off her leg, her Dada consoled her, telling her that everyone makes “stinkybread” on the big potty…and SHE DID IT!..................and we took a picture of it. And made a HUGE deal out of it. By the way, my daughter calls her #2 “stinkybread” and I promise you, she did not get that from anyone…that shit is all her.

In keeping with not pressing the issue, a bit of time passes and FF to September 17th. She’s playing in the bathtub, I’m sitting in the bathroom floor folding up clothes and she looks at me & says, “MAMA! Get. Me. Out. Change me!” and I grabbed her up, sat her on the Spongebob seat and, AGAIN. Stinkybread in the big girl potty! A LOT less crying and a LOT more joy from this one. NOW she’s excited. We took a picture of that one too. Lame? Only if you’re not us.

Last night, September 19th, I’m in the kitchen and I hear Asher calling me from the bathroom. This time Sophie had requested, while grinning from ear to ear, to get out of the tub so she could peepee. AND SHE DID! I think this girl’s getting the hang of this.

So, we sent the Spongebob seat with Sophie to MeMe’s house today. And I’ve gotten TWO phone calls FROM THE POTTY from Sophie telling me HERSELF that she peepee’d in the potty! And, there was no tears. Only excitement. And she told MeMe both times she needed to go.

I firmly believe that if you give them the tools, they can do anything. I think Sophie is getting more joy and reward out of this (without bribery from her parents) having done it herself vs. having us say to her every 10 min, “hey. You gotta pee?”

Way to go, babe!
One of these days this post will embarrass you. But, at least you’ll know how much your dad and I believed in you.

"I'm too sexy for my Willis"

I'm not letting Sophie have her chocolate munchkins until she uses the potty. But MY pumpkin munchkins are awesome. Is this considered child abuse?

apparently 'apparently' is my new favorite word. well, it's at least a close-second to 'indeed.'

movies! FINALLY!

i was beginning to wonder if i would ever be able to share in the joys of movie-viewing with my child...and it has begun. asher and i have tried multiple times and introduced multiple movies and sophie was never interested. until 2 weeks ago. i thought about how much i loved Winnie the Pooh as a kid. so, i downloaded it and put that sucker on dvd and it was instantanious LOVE. sophie LOVES Winnie the Pooh, "Pooh for short," she says (like the movie.) now she knows what that stuffed donkey and yellow bear she's had since before birth are all about. and she carries them with her everywhere now. so, after having watched Pooh about 75 times within the last 2 weeks, i began the appropriate-movie process again...and with success.
now we have, for our constant and on-repeat pleasure, a short list of movies:

-Pooh
-Toy Story (a HUGE hit)
-Toy Story 2
-Alice in Wonderland (THANK GOD SHE LOVES THIS MOVIE)
-A Bug's Life

who would have thought i would be so excited about this...excited enough, in fact, to blog about it...it's the little things :)

a recurring theme?

a donut for breakfast...

a donut-shaped moss for play...

hmmm....

come on eileen...er...irene...

Well, if you take my last post and add 3 days and a bunch of money spent on junk food (come on...we're not horrible parents, we did have appropriate food for the kiddo) and water and VIOLA we have a hurricane. Here's a shot of "Irene" making its way into Kinston around 8:15 am on August 26, 2011

Here's just one of the yummy delicous things we got to snack on (ps...only i eat this kind of shit)

Here's SoJack playing with a flashlight, being cute. We decided to play with flashlights after we had explained to her about 50 times why she couldn't watch Winnie the Pooh...which is exactly why, by the time another one of these emergency-type situations roll around, we WILL own a portable dvd player. And D batteries. Because apparently D batteries go just as quick as the milk and bread in Kinston. Who knew?!?

And while we were cleaning up Mom & Dad's yard, and by "cleaning up" I mean Katie and I were making Sophie a "Hobbit Hole" out of the big limbs that had fallen, Sophie was taking a capri sun break.
Man it's hard being a kid. In cute rainboots. Standing around. Getting bit by ants.

I cannot complain. We were only without power for a little over 24 hours...which was almost like 24 days. Blessed we were. When Hurrican Floyd smacked us hard back in '99, we were without power at my parents' house for almost a solid week. Not only that but we never wanted to get to Kinston so bad... This time, it wasn't nearly as bad as the city-limit folks had it. 6 days post-Irene and there are still a lot of people without electricity. Never taking it for granted again...and currently working on my "Emergency Must-Have" list.

A fuckin aftershock!? Alright, God. I hear ya.

"What abou tit"

I just cried a little when I thought about how much I would miss Asher & Sophie if I were on Big Brother. While watching of course, not just randomly :)

"People always think the grass is greener. Then they realize it was a moo cow over there crapping all over that grass." -Ahhndrea

There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"You're slow as shit up a hill." -asher

soph: "take your shirt and pantsies off and get in here!"
asher: "nooo"
soph: "it's possible!"

too many mother-uckers uckin with my shiii today.

apple, ball, cat, dog...

This blog isn’t supposed to be entirely about my daughter,

however, when something cool/funny happens, you know I’m gonna blog it.
So, apparently, I’ve been so busy over the past couple of weeks that I have either missed out on/over-looked the fact that my kid can write. Sophie has been a fan (and “fan” is an understatement) of the alphabet since before she turned one. She loves the letters. Big/small.

That they make words. The sounds they make.

I bet if humans could marry the alphabet she’d be the tiniest bride.
So, I sat down on the couch with her on Saturday and we broke out the generic Magnadoodle.

I said, “Sophie, let’s write some words.”

I got an excited reply, “OKAY MAMA!” and off she went.

Who knew? My kid can write.

And she’s 2 ½.

Get. Out. Of. Town.

I said, "Can you write my name?" and VOILA!

She said, "H-A-T, Hat. Haha! With a tiny T!"

We spelled this one together, sounding out the letters of the word.

She was most proud of this...spelling her own name.
Although the "S" is wonky, I'd say for a 2 year old, this is AWESOME!

I know that there are some folks out there who probably think that Asher and I are a couple of fruitloops who beat this into her brain. And to those naysayers...I say, um...sorry you feel this way. Let go of your insecurities and buy your kid some alphabet blocks. If they love them, super. If not...oh well. Each kid is different. I never expected Sophie fall madly in love with the alphabet. Can't even explain how it happened really. But, it doesn't matter. If she'd rather watch phonics videos on YouTube than sit in front of a two-hour Barbie movie, so freakin' be it!

Education is key, people.

what IS that?

It’s no secret that the PA Deptartment has always been referred to as “the toilet.”
Not because we’re shit but because everything ends in our department. The hospital experience starts with registration and ends with the billing….hence….the toilet. And also, people have a tendency to “dump” things on us…because we’re awesome and we can handle anything!

It’s also not a secret that, in our maze, we can smell anything that’s within a 65 mile radius of the hospital. We ALWAYS smell what’s cookin’. We always smell the generators running. And we always know when the crew is cutting the grass outside. Makes for some interesting conversation – as well as sneezing/coughing sounds (especially during allergy season.)
Today there was some conversation about a smell that was coming from somewhere. Of course we were all trying to figure out what it could be.
“Sewage?”
“alcohol-based?”

I initially didn’t smell it. But then it hit me. It smelled like salt water. Then…transformed into what I can only describe as “beach-ass.” Like rotten salt water. Ugh, it was nasty.

Boss Lady: “Amy?! Do you smell that?! Smells like something sweet!”
Me: “Uh. Beach ass with sugar on top, maybe?”

We all got a laugh out of that. Beach ayse.

I should have known better talking like that while Boss Lady was eating her lunch. She’s notorious for having a sensitive stomach. And here we go…I hear her gagging and making her way down the hall to the bathroom. I felt bad.

I told myself, “Aww…Aims, you shouldn’t have been talking about stanky ass while she was trying to eat her lunch!”

When she comes back from the bathroom…

I asked her, “my comment didn’t make you sick did it?”
To which she replied, “no, that black hair in my banana pudding did.”

And…guess where it landed…in the toilet.

"bathing soup"

Sophie came out of the bathroom last night in her usual after-bath attire…her diaper.
She ran back to the bathroom and, a few minutes later, came back to the kitchen where I was and she had on my bikini top.

“Look mama! Your bathing soup!”

Then she grabbed her crotch and said, “Where’s the trinket box…? Let’s go find it!”

Turns out a “trinket box” is actually a bathing soup bottom.
Kids really do say the darndest things.

planking

This picture was taken March 14, 2009...it took the world a little while to catch on.

F you Mittelschmerz >:O

twisted whiskers show

Tinyhead said, "When I get a headache, weeeelllll haha, it's only for a little while."

Talkin to Soph:
Me: "who does mommy look like?"
So: "me!"
Me: "what about grandma?"
So: "jesus!"
Me: "and granddaddy?"
So: "TOM BERGERON!"

ladies and gentlemen, we have religion.

In the bathroom this am, business as usual. Head upside-down blow-drying my hair and in comes a tiny human, hitting me in the rear with the bathroom door. In her hand is a picture of Jesus from the refrigerator door.

Me: “Aww, that’s a nice picture! Who is that?”
Sophie: “Mimi! Mimi looks like Jesus!”

My dearest Sampson,
You will always be so very special to me. You were more than just a “dog,” you were a friend. Aside from having other pets before you, you were mine. The best $50 I ever spent. I brought you home on Mother’s Day 2001. I’m not so sure my mother was happy about you that day, but I know that you have brought so much joy to me and to our family for the past 10 years. No regrets here.
I was so proud picking you up from Lisa Jackson’s mom’s place. The runt. The little jet-black, size-of-my-palm little guy. Not big as a minute. Taking you up to Hams and showing you off. I’ve known you as long as most of my friends from Hams…and you’ve been a better friend to me than most of them. You were there for me through my transition from college. Such a dark time for me, a deep, depressing and confusing time for me. As silly as it sounds, I could talk to you about anything – things that other people were tired of hearing or just didn’t want to hear. You were there through a lot of heartbreak, and I thank you for that.
You were an awesome judge of character. You liked people, for the most part, but the duds…you spotted them a mile away. I can think of about 5 people right off the bat that you just did not like…and they didn’t stick around long. They never stood a chance. With that said, I’m so glad you felt so fondly of Asher. He loves you so much. And I’m over-the-moon you were able to meet Sophie and that she was able to get to know you. Although we were afraid you might snap at her due to your “old age” and your sickness, I knew you wouldn’t do that to her. You knew she was mine and you knew she was good.
There’s no doubt that Dad gave you a hard time. He complained about you, you know that. But it’s only because you pissed in the floor…and according to him, dragged your thing across the floor all the time. He didn’t care. Those were shallow threats. That big man loved you, more than he’ll ever admit. You guys had your own relationship, much of which I was not around for…but I know that it was strong and that Dad is hurting.
Mom was, well, she was your mom. She fed and watered you. Took you out each day. Made sure you were well and if you weren’t she would see to it that you got the attention you needed. She will love you forever, SamSam. There are not enough words.
You have been with us for a long time now. Next year would be eleven years. That is 1/3 of my life. That’s a big part. You’ve been part of half of Katie’s life. She was 12 when you came home with me. So that’s saying a lot. That is a significant and important time to be part of someone’s life, throughout all of their teenage years. Escorting them into thirteen and being around when they creep into their twenties. What a proud dog you must be. You’ve been around and seen a lot. You mean the world to Katie, just know that. And there is no doubt on this earth that she loves you with all her heart. She’s seeing to it that you no longer suffer, Sam. That’s worth its weight in gold.
Don’t worry about Delilah, man. She’ll be alright. She will regret never really giving you a chance…if I were a dog; I would have jumped at the chance, even if you are a little short. I’m sure it will not be easy for her to adjust at first, but she, like the rest of us, is just glad to know that you will no longer be suffering. She’ll hold down the fort and protect us all…
Your breath was worse than the worst rotten-fish smell. So bad that it was a running joke. I think you were okay with it. As a matter-of-fact, I think you got a kick out of blowing it in people’s faces. What a jokester. You are such a loving and protective dog. I just can’t find enough words to express the feelings that I’m having right now. You’re the best.
I have so many fond memories of you, Sam. You will never, you can’t possibly ever know the love I have for you. I’m having a harder time dealing with this than I’ve had with most of the family that I have had pass. We come from a family where it’s no secret that we love animals. You were an exceptional pet.
Please tell everyone that we said, “hello.” You’ve got a good group waiting for you, bud. You’ll see. You’ve got nothing to fear. I just hope that you’ll continue to love us that you’ll never forget us. We’ll meet again one of these days.
To my Sam, with love.

work it out, friends.

i can't help but brag on my kid, okay...there's no denying that she's as smart as she is CUTE. sophie has an extensive vocabulary. she know's her alphabet like the back of her hand (probably better.) she knows the difference in the capital/lower case. she knows the phonics for each letter. she can count to 30 successfully, although nearing 30 gets a little weird... she also knows tons of sight-words. she can spell more words than she should be able to at 2 1/2. she knows all her shapes and colors. needless-to-say i'm amazed by this kid, each and every single day.

with all that said, i'm just so impressed that the kid already knows that the way to solve the worlds problems is to get together with your friends and discuss things diplomatically, in a round-table situation. i mean, seriously sophie...grow DOWN :)

I can't even formulate words my nose is so bloody stopped up:&

This is yesterday,

4:00: "ew. the damn allergies are giving me a run for my money."
5:00: "i'm off work, i'm supposed to be excited...but....dude, i feel kinda crappy."
6:00: at my parents house eating spaghetti, free food, not in a good mood, "damn weed allergies....."
8:30: "thank the Lord sophie is asleep, i can't breathe...my head does NOT feel right."
9:30: "Eff this. I'm going to bed..."

woke up this morning with... you guessed it...
the dreaded "SUMMER COLD"
YAY! just what i've always wanted.

UPSIDE?

this is the first time in THREE years (bc of pregnancy/nursing) that i've been sick and can actually medicate myself (sufficiently.)

BRING ON THE DRUGS.

who's excited?!

I AM! i'd be lying if i said i'm not totally pumped - starting next monday (07.25.11) at midnight, TeenNick will start airing their "The 90's Are All That" programming which consists of Clarissa Explains It All, All That, Kenan & Kel aaaaaaaaaaaaand....

DOUG!

One can only hope Sophie will be interested in Doug Funny as much as I am...I will be watching this one daily. How can anyone turn down that face?!

"He reminds me of a mix of Cuba Gooding Jr. & Turk, just not as cool as either."
-me (about a d-bag @ the car dealership)

damn. it.

i suppose touching someone else's nose with your nose out of anger is a preferable alternative to punching that other person in the nose out of anger. there is a lesson to be learned here, folks.

Thanks to outdoor allergies, I look like Rudolph. I bet all hermits have bad outdoor allergies.

"These finance officer's aren't going to know what to do with me. I'm gonna tell them we've got to go, that we've got to feed and water the baby" -Asher

After many months of contemplation and resisting conformity,
I’ve finally decided that now is the time.
I’ve been so will I/won’t I about it and voila…7000 blogs later, everyone and their mother/or not, respectively, has a blog.

And, now so do I.

My cohorts (Andrea and Paige) and I already have a blog that we share.
We actually just surpassed our 100th blog post.
You can find us at http://finetoothobservations.blogspot.com

Here you will find a less proper version of myself.
I’ll wax/wane philosophical and quote some stuff.
Surely I’ll be inappropriate more often than not.
Funny things, Elizabeth-isms and Sophie-isms and just everyday ranting will be documented and maybe (hopefully) a few interjections by my loving husband, Asher.
So, welcome. And enjoy…or don’t. Whatever floats your particular boat, cool?