Junk Mail and Momma Bear vs DQ

I am trying to refinance my mortgage and holy crap... the stress of it all may just kill me.

And why do I keep getting so much junk mail lately?

Bayley's birthday party was a successful. Smaller crowd because it happened during spring break, but she got some really great gifts. I went overboard as usual but she LOVED it! I can't believe my little princess is TWO! YEARS! OLD!

She's speaking in 2-3 word sentences now and it's just precious. "Where dat?" "Who dat?" "Mommy okay?" "I want juice..." and so on. It's definitely calmed her tantrums somewhat. I am glad because the girl can THROW DOWN. My mom is her biggest fan and even she says that Bayley looks like the kid on tv and in movies who throws a monster fit in the middle of the store. Yes, that's my kid. It's always in Target too. Maybe all the red sets her into a fury. I don't know.

Speaking of childish behavior, there is a girl at daycare who is a teacher (we'll call her DQ)and she always says how Bayley is her favorite. She has two boys and so she really wants a little girl. She seems kind of fake to me because whenever a parent shows up she has to compliment the parent and the child. I notice she does it a LOT so it makes it seem disingenuous.

They have this sheet that they call "Toddler Talk" that tells you how your child ate and when they were changed. That's all great, but I really like to know if she slept and WHEN she ate, not HOW she ate. Bayley's old daycare had the perfect form. I spoke with all the main teachers in the room and asked if I could make up a new form. They all agreed and finally I did. I made it half a page instead of their whole page of wasted space, and made a ton of copies for them. The director and two of the main teachers loved it. I gave it to them Thursday. On Friday I took Bayley in for half a day of daycare and showed up while the kids were laying down for a nap. DQ apparently does not have an "inside voice" and practically shouted HI BAYLEY and then proceeded to tell me about how all the parents "hated" the new form and was it okay for them to go back to the old form? She had already pointed out a "typo" which I researched and it's NOT a typo (whiny and whiney are both acceptable) and then she said I needed to change "daycare" to "preschool" on the name. I just said that was fine. She kept going on and on and on about it and I cut her off and said, "That's fine, DQ. I was just trying to help out and save you guys some money." She said, "Oh, I know..." and kept talking. I just started talking to Bayley and got her things and left.

It's a daycare and you always encounter the Drama Queen (hence the DQ label. ha) with the childish behavior. I'm not trying to be all buddy buddy with the teachers but two of them have become my friends. One of them took care of Bayley at her old daycare in the infant room, so she knows Bayley since she was 6 weeks old. So yes, I have developed a friendly relationship with her. The other teacher Bayley LOVES and that teacher spoils Bayley. Bayley always wants this teacher to hold her and the teacher happily obliges. It's pretty cute. We have mutual friends in common and a lot of things in common despite our age difference (she's 19).

I've heard several things 2nd and 3rd hand so I take most of it with a grain of salt. However, one story is really bothering me and I talked to the director. I didn't tell the director the story, I just said that DQ makes me uncomfortable. The director said, "I've already spoken with another parent today that has a problem with DQ too. I'll be taking care of it." I thanked her and left.

The story? Well, DQ apparently is jealous that Bayley calls the other two main teachers "momma" sometimes. This doesn't bother me because Bayley knows that I'm her mommy and the teachers are not. These teachers do not encourage it, but they love Bayley to pieces. DQ took it upon herself to chase Bayley around one day, trying to pick her up (Bay was running away from her) and she tries to get Bayley to call HER "momma." This bothers me.

1. Do NOT chase my child down just so you can hold her. If she doesn't want to be held, and she's not in danger, leave her alone!

2. DO NOT try to get her to call you "momma" or anything other than your name. It will just set me into Momma Bear mode.

Random Stuff.

We decided to wait on the crib tent since Bayley hasn't tried to climb out of her crib since that one time. I think we'll just move on to the toddler bed when she does, though. I will have to put her baby monitor back up so I can peek in on her.

Been going through a lot of turmoil with my husband's ex-girlfriend, Z's mother. She's made a lot of changes and they are not for the better. Poor Z is suffering but she convinces him that these changes are exciting! I don't like seeing him used as a pawn and her worst qualities are starting to rub off on Z. While she makes these reckless changes, there's a wake of destruction and I'm cleaning up her mess.

While this mess goes on, I had the stomach flu last week and was m i s e r a b l e. Thankfully that only lasted a few days. Now I have a raging sinus infection and am going to the doctor tomorrow for antibiotics. Hopefully my face doesn't explode from all the sinus pressure in the meantime.

We're in the process of doing a home loan modification. It's very stressful because I like to get things done and not leave big things hanging in the air. They take their time and I am trying to remind myself that it will all be worth it in the end to have our loan modified with a lower interest rate, thus lowering our monthly house payment. That would be very nice.

School is keeping me busy. I'm taking 15 hours and all but one class is online so I try to work on it during the day at work or in the evenings after Bayley has gone to bed. So far I'm keeping my face above water, but I really need Spring Break to come so I can get caught up. I'm taking a day off of work to relax, enjoy the weather, and get some stuff done.

I dug Bayley's summer clothes out of the attic and she's still in a 6-9 month waist! The capris look more like long shorts on her, but at least they fit in the waist. The 12 month shorts and capris still won't fit. I'm sure she'll fit by the end of the summer, but DANG. She'll be 2 in 2.5 weeks! She can wear bigger shirts like 2T, they're just long on her. She has no summer shoes yet but a friend gave us a pair of white crocs in a size 5 that fit her, thankfully. Her little foot is finally getting into shoe sizes that I don't have to special order. I can buy them straight out of Target, Old Navy, Children's Place, etc. :)

I'll leave you with this:

Baby Tents

Joe took off work yesterday and Bayley was in her crib watching tv. Joe had just opened his Ecology notes and heard a muffled thump! then Bayley started crying. Joe, terrified, ran back to her room to find her standing next to her crib -- on the outside of it. Almost two years of baby jail and now my baby is an escape artist.

I posted this on Facebook and a friend suggested a Crib Tent. She said it has saved her sanity and her child still sleeps in the crib. I googled it and lo and behold, it appears I can prevent the toddler bed for another year! It looks like a white mesh tent that attaches to the top of the crib and zips from the outside, so I can lock her in there for another year.

I know this is really selfish, but I think every mom (and dad) will totally understand my reasoning. I love sleep. I really, really love sleep. And I like to sleep in on the weekends. I like to sleep at least 8 straight hours without worry, interruptions, or strange noises. If Bayley were to transition to her toddler bed now (her crib converts to a toddler bed then a twin bed), then I would be up worrying that she's destroying her room, found a way to open her bedroom door (she's still a teensy bit too short), and is roaming the house or found something that will harm her. This means I get NO sleep. Not a good way to go.

So, all that said, has anyone tried this Crib Tent? What are your thoughts on them? Am I just really selfish?

*The photo below is not Bayley's room. It's just a photo from the internet.

Me time.

Yesterday during the beautiful weather, Joe and I worked on cleaning and organizing the garage. He got onto me for not using my sewing machine. He said, "Use it or get rid of it!" It's been in a container in the garage for 2 years, untouched. So I drug the container inside and cleaned it off. I am going to put it on my antique sewing table that he got me for Christmas. I use it as a nightstand, but I am going to really use it for crafts and whatnot. I don't ever use it because I don't know much about sewing and I think I've forgotten how to thread it. I suppose now I can google it and get instructions on the internet. I also feel guilty doing crafty stuff now that I'm a mom and in school. There is always housework, homework, or Bayley wants my attention. I seriously need a girl room like Shannon, but since I can't have that I'll just have to figure something else out.

That being said, I've decided that I'm going to give myself some "me" time each day. It may only be 30 minutes a day, but it's going to be "do what I want guilt free" time. I can do crafts/sewing, self mani/pedi, watch tv, etc. But I can tell you it will NOT include:

• house work
• homework
• taking care of anyone/anything except ME

It dawned on me last night that I put off doing fun stuff because of that mountain of laundry waiting to be folded and put away, dishes needing to be loaded/unloaded from the dishwasher, clutter to be put away, Bayley needing to be played with, homework that is screaming at me to get done, etc. I never have time for it all if I want to be in bed by 9:30pm.

So I'm going to start ME time tonight after Bayley goes to bed. Joe has to study for a test so I can't do it during the time Bayley is awake.

I need to start getting up earlier and working out in the morning before I shower. That will take a miracle from God because honestly, I just would rather sleep. Would sleep count as ME time? I guess it would. Guilt free nap. :) That sounds realllly nice.