Being a stay at home mom (SAHM)

(sorry my boob is almost hanging out, wasn't able to crop w/out cutting off Irina's body)

This is something that presents itself to me on a regular basis and I just needed to vent and get it off my chest.

Since the day we started planning to expand our family, Craig and I made specific choices in our lives that we thought were in our families' best interest. For instance we bought a home that would allow me to stay home and not have to work, and we purchased a 4-door car that would easily fit car seats. We feel very blessed with the opportunity that I have of staying home and bringing up our daughter. However, I have come across "friends", and I now use that term loosely because a true friend would never act like this, that feel it is their business to comment on my decision to be a SAHM. Not comment outright but artfully try to disguise their remarks as neutral or just their opinions. For the past year and a half I have endured input such as "don't you get bored, I'd get stir crazy", "I realize going back to work means someone else gets to deal with my kids" and finally "I didn't go to school to just stay home", and it really bothers me when people say just. I mean really...just?? What exactly did you or do you think SAHM do? Because I have never had a dull or boring moment raising my daughter. The truth is not everyone has the opportunity to stay home and not work outside the home; and that is fine but there is no need to make sly and sneaky commentary to make yourself feel better or to make others feel worse. It used to hurt my feelings but I realize mothers can be more childish than their own kids sometimes. I love my new career choice, you couldn't pay me to go back to work.

To all my friends

TWO FRIENDS WERE WALKING
THROUGH THE DESERT .
DURING SOME POINT OF THE
JOURNEY, THEY HAD AN
ARGUMENT; AND ONE FRIEND
SLAPPED THE OTHER ONE
IN THE FACE

THE ONE WHO GOT SLAPPED
WAS HURT, BUT WITHOUT
SAYING ANYTHING,
WROTE IN THE SAND ,

TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE .

THEY KEPT ON WALKING,
UNTIL THEY FOUND AN OASIS,
WHERE THEY DECIDED
TO TAKE A BATH

THE ONE WHO HAD BEEN
SLAPPED GOT STUCK IN THE
MIRE AND STARTED DROWNING,
BUT THE FRIEND SAVED HIM.

AFTER HE RECOVERED FROM
THE NEAR DROWNING,
HE WROTE ON A STONE:

'TODAY MY BEST FRIEND
SAVED MY LIFE'

THE FRIEND WHO HAD SLAPPED
AND SAVED HIS BEST FRIEND
ASKED HIM, 'AFTER I HURT YOU,
YOU WROTE IN THE SAND AND NOW, YOU WRITE ON A STONE, WHY?'

THE FRIEND REPLIED
'WHEN SOMEONE HURTS US
WE SHOULD WRITE IT DOWN
IN SAND, WHERE WINDS OF
FORGIVENESS CAN ERASE IT AWAY.

BUT, WHEN SOMEONE DOES
SOMETHING GOOD FOR US,
WE MUST ENGRAVE IT IN STONE
WHERE NO WIND
CAN EVER ERASE IT'

LEARN TO WRITE
YOUR HURTS IN
THE SAND AND TO
CARVE YOUR
BENEFITS IN STONE.

THEY SAY IT TAKES A
MINUTE TO FIND A SPECIAL
PERSON,

AN HOUR TO
APPRECIATE THEM,

A DAY
TO LOVE THEM,

BUT THEN ,

AN ENTIRE LIFE
TO FORGET THEM.

My BIG girl!

I was clicking away the other day taking pictures of Irina as usual when I realized that she's started losing her "baby look". You know, that gummy smile, chubby cheeks, and chunky arms & legs...she has gotten so big so fast! This was further confirmed when she weighed enough to be forward facing in her car seat. She has always been leaner than most kids and is just now making it to the 22lb mark...we waited to be sure she stayed at 20lbs for a while since it fluctuated in the past. She is running around all day mimicking all the things I say and do. She is starting to talk more and more, she understand so many things and I am totally loving this stage right now. I just cant believe she is turning into a little girl so soon...I'm a little sad. I miss my baby girl laying in my arms "cooing" at me, then again; I can't get enough of my big girl pretending to read an upside book. Motherhood is all its cracked up to be.

girls dont do that..

Since September 12, 2007 after my sonogram revealed I was expecting a girl; everyone had had something to say about little girls. "girls sit quietly and play so nice", "girls don't poop as much as boys", "girls don't climb on furniture", girls this, girls that! I just listened and thought they were right, I mean after all I'd never had a baby boy or girl. Nearly 17months later I can say that they were all full of crap. My little girl is a tom boy, loud, cant sit still and does stunt devil type jumps of the couch! She does have a sweet side, she loves to kiss people and now gives tight hugs- makes my heart melt! The other day she was playing quietly in a corner, (which is a warning signal to any mom) so I eased over to where she was. She turns and looks up at me with a huge smile, says "bzzzzz", opens her hand and shows me a dead june bug. It was still half alive and semi crawling with its head cut off...poor thing didn't stand a chance, Irina did a number on it. Girls aren't supposed to do that! She is supposed to pick flowers and put them in her hair! Craig and I joke around that she is a little monster..she is our kissing & hugging, bug decapitating baby monster. I love her no matter what she is "supposed" to be. She is the best Irina we could ever ask for. I just hope this is the last bug she kills...