Dynamite

Jason and I returned from our vacation in Nevis, West Indies, two weeks ago. We had such a thrilling time. Emerson took her vacation with Nana and Grandpa Gross.

I must admit, and am honored to do so, that I have become one of "those" parents. You know the ones I mean...the mom, when asked about the status of her baby, gushes about her baby, brings out the "brag" book, etc. What I have noticed now, is that we run in circles in which everyone has children. So, no one seems to mind listening, as long as each gets their turn at it . And my perspective for the no-children folks is the same. I was one, so I know freedom is great, but now I also know a secret. For me, the secret is that freedom has its privelages and its price. The price is not having a heart that feels like it will burst at the thought of my daughter, my other little partner. So, while I always love my alone time with Jason, I equally love missing the "Tiny Tushka." (I nicknamed her that months ago because her hiny is so tiny!)

Any way, while on the trip, Jason and I, among other things, went deep sea fishing. As soon as we got far enough out and dropped lines, we hooked a fish, and I was the first to reel in, so after being hooked into the seat, I began reeling, and reeling, and thinking...wow, this is a great bicep workout. I reeled for about 20 minutes, and landed my first fish, a 25 pound Mahi Mahi. It was exhilirating. And Jason caught a Berracuda, which I learned has GIANT teeth (you can't tell in the below pics)!

What's good about the story for me is the lesson I re-learned. Everyone on the boat was yelling my name, encouraging me along, and making comments about my size and committment to reeling in the fish. I said, "hey, my motto for life, is 'dynamite comes in small packages.'" Size doesn't matter. That's the truth, a truth that I am teaching the Tiny Tushka.

Feeling strong, Carol

Eat more apples!

I think I need to begin eating an apple a day, as I have never been as sick as often as I have since Emerson was born. Everytime she gets sick, I get sick. We're two sad little women sometimes!

Last week we both had ear and sinus infections. It was so bad that I couldn't smell or taste for five days. It was terrible not tasting food, but I discovered something even more terrible than not smelling food...not smelling Emerson. I hadn't realized how much I love her smell. Then finally last Thursday, when I picked her up and kissed her head, I smelled my little Emerson's sweet scent. It was the best. C

Woman

So, I have started and stopped this new blog for 9 months now.
About a month after Emerson was born, I wrote my last entry on my
"Baby P and Me" blog http://babypiering.blogspot.com. However, I didn't publish it until about two months ago. I am not sure why except that maybe I enjoyed the first few months with my own quiet thoughts.

But something in me has changed. I come across, at minimum once a day now, something inspiring me to "write it down." And thus, I have transitioned my blog from "Baby P. and Me" to "Mommy Tales."





This entry is about how I feel as a woman now that life's journey has changed.

I feel different. I care about different things. I read different things. I watch things and people differently. My heart feels things differently than before. I feel more empowered about LIFE than I ever felt climbing the corporate ladder. I make no money, and I am richer than I have ever been.

My life is as scheduled as always, some things never change, but now it's about how and what I want to schedule. Time is fleeting. We must spend it with the ones we love doing what we love.
For me, right now, while I am blessed with time, I love to "smell the roses" with my family...
I love to change Emerson's diaper and watch her grab her feet.
I love to see her crawl towards Jaxx and climb up on his belly to feel his soft fur...wouldn't you, had you never felt fur before?
I love that she is little and strong.
I love to watch her concentrate on pulling herself up.
I love that when I walk into her room to get her from her nap, she is standing, peaking at me over the bars with her adorable grin on her face.
I love that when I say, "come here, Emerson," she smiles and crawls to me, and uses my pants to pull herself up.
I love that when she wants to be held, she throws her arms in the air to me and smiles.
I love to watch her expressions as she tastes new food.
I love that she squeals and smiles when she sees her Daddy walk in the door at the end of the day.
I love that she has a Daddy that loves her as much as mine loves me, as their relationship will be one of the most important.
I love that I smile and laugh more than I have ever in my entire life.
I love that I have time to workout during the day.
I love that I have time to volunteer at church and that I have time to join the JLP with all of its service opportunities.
I love that I have time to learn new things. I learned to knit!
I love that I have learned that it's fun to just watch Emerson play.
All of these things are different than before. And I love it. I feel more like a woman than I ever have.
-C