Being a mom sure is hard work!  Especially when you just got your baby and you’re really not sure what to do with her yet.  Gracie’s new baby was a present from Grandmommy and Grandpa for her 2nd Birthday.  Gracie promptly named her Erica.  They’ve been pretty much inseparable since Gracie got her out of the box at the party.  Today when Gracie took a nap she wanted Erica with her.  Fine.  But then three hours later, I hear this horrified scream coming from Gracie’s room.  Apparently she had taken off her diaper under her dress and fell asleep on Erica.  When she awoke, she and all her stuff, including her sweet baby, was covered in pee.  Yuck.  So Gracie and Erica had a bath.  And I’m doing lots of laundry.  You know, just the usual stuff around here.

What a great little mommy!

This Mommy stuff is hard work! 

But then we got to play dress up.  Today’s a Cinderella kind of day!

This was the gift from Ma and Da.  She has Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.  This is why I love having a little girl.  You just don’t get any cuter than this!

Wow, I am exhausted.  The party’s over and Gracie had a great time.  She had her two best friends and her family with her to celebrate.  When I say family I mean Miss Meagan and Uncle Josh too, they are family.  Uncle Matthew called during the party but Gracie was preoccupied with entertaining here guests, sorry about that Matthew, it was a bit chaotic over here. Thanks to everyone who came and spoiled Miss Gracie rotten with all her new toys and things.  Gracie’s napping now, and so is Daddy…  Surprise.  There’s lots to clean up here, so I have to go.  But there’s new pics of the event in the gallery and here’s a couple to hold you over:

Gracie,

Happy Birthday, Angel.  I can’t believe how much you’ve grown!  I love you so much and I know you are going to be a success in every thing you set out to do.  I have known that from before the day you were born.  God has something amazing for you and I can’t wait to wait and watch for your life to unfold into the beautful story of YOU. With all my heart,

Mommy

Gracie started out the day demanding hot chocolate for breakfast.  And goldfish.  So yeah, it’s her birthday and she gets whatever she wants on her birthday (Moroz tradition.)  And last night when we went to dinner with Grandmommy and Grandpa, she received a gift from Mike, the owner of Little Mike’s (BEST onion fried burger anywhere!)–a $2 bill! She told him thank you and promptly said, “MY money!” Kid learns quick.  Her party’s on Saturday and Gracie can’t wait.  We’re also missing Daddy so we hope he comes back from his pastor’s retreat soon!  See you on Friday, Daddy! 

Tonight before church, Gracie and I just happened to drive by one of her beloved buffalos–so we stopped and posed for a quick photo op.  This is the Kerr McGee Buffalo.  They have been moving them, so we couldn’t find the Birthday Buffalo. Oh well. 

And Miss Robin brought a miniature cake for the birthday girl after dinner.  We sang Happy Birthday and lots of people from other tables joined in.  That was super cool for Gracie.  I am so thankful for such a loving group of people.  I love First Church!!!

Wow, doesn’t she look like Chris in this one?  More pics posted in the gallery. 

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“I have a toddler that just…”

“Yes, Ma’am we have dispached emergency vehicles.  Please stay on the line with us.”

Okay, so we wake up planning to go to Mom’s Bible Study.  I’ve got Gracie changed and I’m fresh out of the shower, with my towel on my head and things are going fine.  Gracie sees her two BooBoos from yesterday’s little incident with the pavement at the Y, and decides she needs band aids.  Fine, but not without the first aid spray. Apparently it stings, because the instant I put it on her little knee, she’s LICKING it off.  Uh, gross for one.  Second, it’s lidocaine.  And I’m no doctor here, but licking lidocaine doesn’t seem like the best solution to the problem at hand.  Looking at the package just kind of freaks me out because it says, “In case of indegestion, seek professional assistance or contact a Poison Control Center immediately. So I try in my Mommy Panic Mode to find the number to poison control with no luck. I thought screw it and called 911 so maybe they could connect me.  And boy, did they connect me. 

No kidding–2 minutes and 38 seconds after making the call, I had two firemen knocking on my door.  And then two more, then a couple cops, and then two paramedics.  Guess it was a slow day, ’cause every emergency vehicle within a three mile radius was crammed up and down my block making sure this little angel was okay.  Then here come the neighbors, knocking on the door and adding to the confusion of the eight men already in my house running around taking blood pressure and monitoring Gracie’s breathing.  Gracie thought it was all very cool and was glad they could all be here to celebrate her last day as a one year old.  Yah, happy birthday, you little monster.

Well, she’s not only fine, she’s great.  Just in case you’re wondering.  And she’s officially two tomorrow, so there’s no better way to end the year with a bang than to have lights and sirens and “big kids” come to greet you and hook you up to some funny looking machines.

So this is what it’s like to have a toddler, huh?  I’m adding Poison Control to my speed dial right now. 

The perceived culprit:

The REAL culprit:

We woke up early and went to the Y for my aerobics class.  Halfway there, she’s yelling “the Y! The Y!” and then we pull into the parking lot, and she REMEMBERS…the sheer terror of being in a new place with different toys and no one familiar.  She freaks a bit.  But nonetheless, we’re inside and she seems to do fine until I leave.  Let the river flow, man, that child knows how to get her mommy’s heart feeling guilty doesn’t she?  The whole aerobics time, I’m thinking about her crying, with that little pouty lower lip and the pure look of betrayal on her face as she chased after me to the nursery door.  About halfway through, I peeked through the curtain and that little blonde head of curly mullet was all I could see over the top of the bookcase.  Ah, she’s fine.  Why do I worry so much?  And they have free coffee there at the Y, but I opted to treat her this morning with a Dunkin Donut (and treat me with a cup of REALLY great coffee…) Chocolate with “prinkles” of course.  She kept greeting all the old people by saying, “Hi kids!” They of course, thought she was the cutest thing ever.  I’m like, “Yeah, she is, isn’t she?” Oh, to be humble.

As I was cleaning house for Bible Study last night, I realized the diaper champ was quite full and supremely stinky. I didn’t want to open it up and change the bag, thus letting out an odor second only to rotting skunk corpse, so in my haste, I just dragged it to the backyard and forgot about it.  Um…then…it rained.  Really hard.  And the Champ’s still out in that yard, I’m sure putting off a foul odor that will have my neighbors in all kinds of panic on the phone with a plumber that their sewer lines must have exploded. I’m not really sure what to do at this point.  Chris isn’t back for a whole week, and at that point, I’m pretty sure it will have decomposed by then.  Or have a fan club of every mouse, raccoon, and stray cat in the city. I’m in a real pickle here, people.  If anyone has one of those not-so-sensitive noses and is willing to dump it…or maybe just some advice would be nice.  Or maybe someone knows when the next big trash day is?