I think it’s the unseasonably warm weather that had me thinking about the beach today.  I stumbled on this picture stored on my computer for the last year-and-a-half.  It made me smile.

Greyson and I were on the beach the summer of 2010 when I was starting this little blog and my belly was getting bigger everyday.  We were debating baby names and I took a stick and drew this.  I kept changing baby initials to see which looked best.  As you all know, Charlotte Eva won out.

I was trying to be all sentimental and artsy.  Greyson ruined that when he grabbed the camera.  Deep down I love him for it.

Smart ass.

Since having a baby girl I have absolutely loved dressing her up.  It’s like having another wardrobe.  Her closet filled with tiny clothes delights me to no end.  Some days I get to pick out a frilly dress.  Some days I get to put her in a basic, comfy Carter’s outfit.  But, she’s always topped off with her signature bow.  I figure it won’t be too long before she’s fighting me about holey jeans and too-short skirts.  So, I try to dress her up how I like, while I can.

Miss C back in September at 10 months old donning a frock that's a prime example of Mama's matching mania.

When meeting new people or being out in public I like my child to look nice.  On special occasions she’s dressed within an inch of her life.  I love to show her off and show everyone how entirely adorable she is.  That’s not a bad thing, right?  Plus, well groomed child shows a conscientious, loving parent.  Right?

Today I went too far and I’m ashamed.

My mom picked up Charlotte from the Waddler Class today to have a Baby/Grandma afternoon.  I called to check in.  Mom laughed and said, “She is so messy!  Whatever she had for lunch, she sure enjoyed it!”

The original plan for the day was for Mom to bring her to work as I got off at 5:00pm.  I told her on the phone, “Let’s just meet at Starbucks.”

I told Greyson about this change.  He was a little surprised because he knew I had been looking forward to introducing my baby to my new coworkers.  He wasn’t surprised I wanted to meet at Starbucks because of my fervent latte addiction, but was curious as to why I didn’t bring Charlotte to work.

“Well, Mom said she’s really messy and got her lunch all over her clothes,” I said on the phone.

::pause::

Greyson said, “Really Amy?!  That’s terrible.  You can’t be like that once she gets older.”

He’s right.

The last thing in the world I want is for my daughter to feel like she’s not good enough, especially when it comes to her appearance. I want to raise her to understand that good grooming and dressing well are important in life, but don’t define a person.  There has to be a balance.

From now on I’ll introduce my girl to the world, ravioli and all.

She liked her dinner tonight too.

I’ve been a little quiet here lately.  I think I’m just getting used to the new job, new schedule, and subsequent new life.  I just haven’t felt like writing.  I don’t have much to say, mark the day.

I’ll share a few things though…

1.  The cough lingers with this little cold and I’ve been sucking on Ricola lozenges non-stop.  Charlotte lost her mind yesterday when she saw me open one and not share it with her.

2.  I’ve had Whitney Houston songs in my head for the last week.  Who hasn’t, right?  She’s all over the place, radio, TV.  You can’t turn on anything without “The Greatest Love of All” being pumped through the speakers.  (May she rest in peace.)  People who say her version of  “I Will Always Love You” is her best song ever are totally wrong.  “I Have Nothing” is the best.  Just try to prove me wrong.

3.  It’s snowing and I’m not heading into work for hours of snow coverage.  News people hate the snow.  I’m sure I’ll still be working tomorrow, but not at 2:00am in the cold.  YES!!!!  This was our deck tonight

You’ve all heard me pissing and moaning lately about being sick all the time because I have a child in daycare.

::cough cough::

Excuse me.  The snot has returned.

I’m now convinced Murphy’s Law of the Working Parent states something like this:  “Either you or the child will be stricken ill during the first week of new employment.”

I was rushing this morning and didn’t have time to use the Neti Pot.  Come lunch time I would have shoved a pen up my nose to pull out the nastiness that was congealing in my sinuses.  But, I was surrounded by my happy, healthy new coworkers.  I’m pretty sure they’re already picking up on the fact that I’m the sickly type as I heard some “Typhoid Mary” references when they heard my hoarse voice.

I rushed to the drugstore during lunch and found this…

Attractive, right?  Yeah, I don’t care.  This thing is AMAZING!  I love it more than my Neti Pot.  It’s the NeilMed Sinus Rinse squirt bottle thing.  For a measly $5 this little beauty saved my life today.

After I bought it I prayed the bathroom at the store was a one-seater with a sink.  Wrong!  I awkwardly filled it with one of the saline packets and warm water from the sink NEAR the bathrooms at the store.  Yeah, this old building had a unisex sink between the bathrooms.  I mean, can a girl get some nasal privacy!?!? An employee saw me doing this.  I smiled sheepishly and mumbled something crazy in my hoarse voice before dashing to the car.

There was no way I was douching my nose in the Ladies Room at my new job.  No way.

I drove to an empty parking lot.  I looked like I was doing drugs, or waiting to turn a trick as I stood in the bushes next to my car.  I didn’t care.  I just wanted to breathe.

Oh sweet salty water!

I watched the snot gush out of my nostrils into the bushes.  It felt so good I wanted to do it again.  I remembered the back building at my new office.  That had a one-seater!  Perfect!  I returned and slipped in the back building for another hit.

More snot came out.  I’m not even kidding you.

That’s when I heard the key in the lock of the back building.  Oh God!  I wiped off my face and grabbed the bottle.  My boss’ husband who often does building maintenance had arrived.  I smiled while closing the bathroom door and explained in raspy speech that I was “Checking out some equipment for tomorrow!”  I hurried into the equipment room.

He probably just thought I was taking a crap.  I guess it’s better for him to think that than know I was nose douching.

Disclaimer:  NeilMed has no idea who I am and in no way payed me to endorse their product.  However, I’m breathing so well, I’d be willing to work out a deal.

I had never given much thought to Jessica Seinfeld and her legally challenged Deceptively Delicious, but I’m thinking of downloading it to my Nook.

We’re hit and miss with vegetables in our house.  Some days Charlotte is fine with them.  Other days she tosses them on the floor.  The dog subsequently turns her nose up at the green things and waits patiently for anything else to fall from the high chair into her drooly jaws.  This leaves us forever scooping up peas, broccoli, or beans.

Out to eat this weekend I ordered Charlotte a grilled cheese off the kids menu.  I cringed when the waitress asked if I wanted the side of fries.  She offered steamed broccoli.  When Charlotte’s food came she gobbled up the sandwich and spit out the broccoli.

::sigh::

Then I did something I’m not proud of, but it got vegetables in my child.  “Excuse me, can I get a side of cheese sauce?”

I taught her how to dip the “little trees” into the cheese.  She thought this was wonderful!  Then Greyson and I made the mistake of laughing uncontrollably as she later dipped the trees in her hair, on her face, and on her clothes.

Most of the broccoli ended up in her belly thanks to the cheese sauce.  I’m not sure if this is good or not.  I’ll take any and all veggie-pushing tips.