Cake lady

Not a lot to report here. Work is about the same. Rachel is still crazy. She picks up a new word every day, it seems. Duane heads to his first motorcycle race of the season this Thursday, so we are excited for him, and I am excited for some Mommy-Daughter time too. I think I will take Rachel shopping for some more spring clothes. She is in between 18 months and 24 months right now though. She is tall, but her waist is still too tiny for 24 months! Though I prefer cooler weather, it has been nice to have some warmer days, because I think she likes to go outside and play. I need to make a habit of getting outside with her more than I do.

I made a bunch of cake last week for various occasions. The first was a practice smash cake for my friend's son Eli's first birthday party. She wanted a cake with small pendants on it, but she wanted them to be flat, not fluffy, so I wanted to show her how it would look with buttercream icing, rather than fondant (which isn't great for a smash cake). Then I made the smash cake itself and decorated a bigger cake that she purchased from a store to match. He looked like he really enjoyed the cake from the photos of the party. He dug right into it!

Then on Sunday, we celebrated with Kim's son Aiden for his 2nd birthday. Wow. TWO YEARS! I can't believe how time just flies. Aiden is quite the conversator too. Very articulate.

For Aiden's cake, I used the same shamrock pan I used for his 1st birthday party last year. Kim just wanted a slightly different twist on the theme this year, so I made a leprechaun with special icing that hardens into a candy and placed it on top of a more colorful shamrock.

I think it turned out well, though I wish I had been able to do a slightly better job on the smash cake for Eli. I just couldn't quite get the flags to be flat enough. :(

The next cake is in a week or so for Noah's 6th birthday party. My little dude is SIX! Wow. He wants a Darth Vadar cake. That is A LOT of black icing. We shall see how is goes. :) We also have another big event next Friday. We get to meet my brother's girlfriend. Yes, my brother the bachelor has a girlfriend. Hopefully his crazy family doesn't scare her away.

Perspective

So, I was having a really bad day yesterday. Things weren't going well at work, I have a busy week ahead, and I was just frustrated with how my life was going.

Then I heard that Layla Grace had passed away.

Nothing like a terribly sad story to put things in perspective.

I have been following the story of Layla Grace for a while now. She was about 7 months older than Rachel, and she was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when she was 16 months old. Before she was diagnosed, she was a beautiful and bubbly little girl with 2 older sisters and loving parents. Over the past several months, she went through a littany of procedures and diagnoses. He battle was well-documented because her parents shared her struggles with the world through their blog and Twitter. Soon, it became clear that Layla would not survive her battle, and her parents took her home to spend her last few weeks. According to the updates, she slowly faded away, finally going to "dance with the angels" yesterday morning.

I don't know why Layla's story affected me so dramatically. Even as I type this, I am tearing up. Maybe it's because Rachel is almost the same age. Maybe it is because I can't imagine ever having to watch my child suffer and pass away as I hold her in my arms.

But as I went home yesterday and held my daughter tight, one thing did become clear to me: all the things that made my day horrible meant nothing next to the fact that I have a beautiful and healthy little girl who means the world to me.

A friend of mine told me yesterday that I shouldn't worry so much about work, because my job is not what defines me. After hearing about Layla's death, that advice took a new meaning to me. I am not defined by this job -- I am defined by what kind of mother I am to my little girl. I am convinced that God put me on this earth to be her mommy and to teach her to be a good person. And I really believe that Layla Grace was put on this earth to be a message to the thousands of people who have followed her story: Live each day being thankful for those you love. Cherish the gifts you have been given. Life is precious.

Rest in peace Layla Grace. I didn't know you, but you have had such a huge impact on so many people. I hope you and your family can now be at peace.

A Case of the Mondays...

So I might as well admit it...I am in a full-fledged funk. It isn't like me. I am laidback and pretty good at finding the bright side of things in most situations, but for the past 3 weeks, I have been positively dreary.
I couldn't quite put my finger on why this started. One day, I just woke up feeling hopeless and sad. I figured it would pass, but each day just reinforced my negative mood. After about a week, I had to take a moment to sit back and analyze why my mood was so drab.
I think it is because I don't really have anything to look forward to right now. Normally, I will have vacation, or some big milestone or life plan to look forward to. But the rest of this year has very little on the horizon for me. While I can look forward to Rachel's 2nd birthday in June, and I am so very grateful for the 2 amazing years with my healthy and happy little girl, I can't say that this event has been enough to drag me out of this haze.
I don't have real vacation plans. I basically just live at work or doing work most of my day. I wake up at 5:30, I get ready and go to work (after dropping off Rachel), work till about 4:30, go pick up Rachel, go home, feed Rachel, play with Rachel for about an hour or two and relax, work until about 10 or 11, then go to bed, just to look forward to another day of the same.
The weekends? Well, I work, and I get time with Rachel, but I don't get out and do things very much. Duane has been working just as much as, if not more than, I have, so what little time we have, we are usually trying to relax and catch up on sleep.
Next weekend, I am looking forward to having a manicure/pedicure with my friends, but I really think I need to make some more time to look after myself. I am blue, and I need to adjust my attitude, because I am losing myself.
So I have been looking into various hobbies. I would really like to learn how to knit or crochet. These seem like hobbies I can pick up and put down quickly, and Rachel can't cause too much havoc with the materials (which is pretty much why scrapbooking is out of the question). I am also getting back into making my cakes, because it is birthday season. I would love to have more time to practice decorating techniques, but it can be hard to take the time needed to do this.
I am also going to take a photography class online through www.betterphoto.com. I want to learn how to take some better pictures with the high-powered camera I bought. That starts in April, so I am trying to rev myself up a bit for it.
And Duane and I have decided to move Rachel into our spare bedroom and switch the spare bedroom to the current pink room. We are also converting our front room into an office. So I am hoping that once these things get rolling, I will find my good-natured positivity again. I am enjoying looking at decorating ideas for Rachel's new room. So if anyone has suggestions, I am all ears! I want it to be girly (*GASP*), but not pepto bismol-esque. Then we will probably buy new furniture for the nursery whenever baby #2 comes along.
So I have accepted my funk, and I guess that is the first step toward recovery!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

I was looking at some old pictures of Rachel, and I came across this one from last Valentine's Day. I couldn't believe it! I hadn't noticed how much my little one has grown in the last year and how much hair she has compared to where she was a year ago.

The latest development in the Wood household is Rachel's interest in the potty. I don't think she is quite at the "potty training" stage yet, but she enjoys the concept. I bought her a second potty to keep downstairs, and she has taken a lot of enjoyment in pulling her pants down and sitting on it, then pulling her pants back up again. I also bought her some pull-ups to wear while she is home, so if by chance she does get the urge to try using the potty, she can.

It made me realize how beneficial socialization can be for little ones' development. Because I think most of Rachel's interest in using the potty stems from both watching her parents and watching the slightly older toddlers at the sitter's house. There are two 3-year-olds at the sitter's who are potty training, and the sitter has mentioned that Rachel is a little bit fascinated by watching them. It isn't the first time that I have seen Rachel take an interest in something because a child at the sitter's house has been doing it. And I wonder if she would be so far along in her development without that impact. I suppose we will never know, and there are plenty of kids who stay home with their mom or dad who probably are way ahead in developmental stages, but I am still in awe of everything that Rachel learns from watching other kids.

So it looks like we will start official potty training this summer (ideally when Rachel is wearing shorts more often, so it is easier for her to go on her own). If we can have her potty trained by December, I will be happy. I don't know what we will do with the money saved from buying diapers! But we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

Snow!

I love snow. I am one of those people. I think snow makes winter a whole lot more bearable, because it is pretty and pure and brings back tons of childhood memories for me. So whenever the weathermen are predicting the doom and gloom of a big storm, I get all excited like a 10-year-old kid hoping for a snow day.

Friday was that way for me. As others groaned while the flakes started to fall in Columbus, I smiled. My boss told us that we could leave early at our own discretion (have I mentioned how much better my new boss is compared to the last one?), so I stuck it out until 3 o'clock and then bailed to get Rachel from the sitter. Sometime around midnight, our power went out, then came back on, then went out again a bit later. But when you are asleep and warm in your bed, it doesn't bother you so much that the power went out.

Saturday morning, we awoke to what appeared to be just shy of a foot of snow. Duane started a fire, and I had a hot cup of coffee. Then I went out to shovel the driveway (after much argument from Duane because he said he would do it), and I got Rachel all bundled up in the snowsuit I bought her last year when it was on clearance for $10 (normally $65!).

I am not sure how Rachel liked the snow. She didn't have much reaction to it at all, except bewilderment. She couldn't walk in it because it was one-third of her height. At one point, she said "Brrrrrr." But overall, she dealt with it for the 15 minutes she was outside. Then I sent her back in and proceeded with shoveling the driveway. I didn't mind it, actually. I hadn't shoveled in years, and it was great exercise for me. The cold went away after 20 minutes because I was working so hard, and all the neighbors came out to shovel theirs (except the neighbor with the snowblower, but I can't complain too much because he ended up doing my half of the sidewalk), so it was pretty pleasant.

We even had a man on a frontloader come through to clear the court, and he was nice enough to clear everyone's approaches so that we could get out of our driveways!

Today, we woke up to a more frigid morning, and the snow had been covered up with a thin layer of ice. As a special treat, my mom had asked me to go to the OSU Basketball game with her. The doctor she works for was in the Bahamas for a conference (must be rough), and so he offered my mom his tickets, so she asked me. It was cool. I am not the biggest basketball fan in the world, but I enjoy going to the games whenever I am offered a chance. My competitive nature gets into just about any sport if I am at the game, so it was a good Sunday excursion. When I got back to my parents' house to pick up my car, my mom gave me my old baby doll cradle to take home. It has my name on it, and a mattress (read: long pillow) and pillow. When I brought it home, I showed Rachel what it was, and she has spent the afternoon loading her baby dolls in and out, saying "Nigh' nigh'."

Tonight, we are having a low-key Super Bowl experience. Duane made his turkey chili, and I plan to wind down the weekend watching the last of my football for the season. I don't know that I care who wins -- I guess I prefer the Saints since they haven't been there before. I like both teams though, so I won't complain either way.

Not a lot has changed for me this month, with one major exception -- I CAN SEE!! For the first time in 17 years, I can see clearly without the aid of glasses or contacts. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I can see the clock without fumbling for my glasses, inevitably knocking them on the floor and having to search for them. It's wonderful. I had LASIK at Bloomberg Eye Centers on January 7th. I can't describe to you how great this feels. People ask me how I feel, if I can see better than before. The answer: No. I see exactly the same as I did with my contacts. The difference: I don't have to put them in every morning and take them out every night. I don't get aches in my eyes when they start to go bad, and I don't have to invest $200 in contacts a year and $10 a month in solution anymore.

I am still working, still enjoying my new department, for the most part. Duane's job continues to demand a lot of his time, but we can't complain -- we have been blessed to profit in a time when a lot of people are suffering. We have the luxury of being able to go out and buy things that we need (and some things we want) when we need them.

trying to figure out what I want to change in my life. I am still trying to lose that last 10 pounds of baby weight. Try as I might, nothing seems to stick. I suppose if I ate better and worked out in combination, that would probably bring about better results, but I have trouble with the concept. I like to reward myself for exercising. :)

Aside from the physical, I know there are things I would like to change. For one thing, we are laying out plans for a major overhaul of the house. I worked up an Excel spreadsheet, room by room, of everything we would like to do to the house over the next couple of years. We aren't sure if we will stay here for the long haul or try to move before Rachel starts school. I think we would like to get closer to the Gahanna or Westerville area, if we can. But even if we were to move, the house needs some work, and we finally have the funds to support all of our lofty dreams. So the plan is to tackle one room every couple of months.

Personally, I would like to take up a hobby that will keep me happy. I don't have a lot of time to spare, so I want to do something that won't be too involved. I always thought I should try to learn to knit or crochet. That is something you can come back to at your leisure, without having to get a lot of equipment out or invest a lot of time in one stretch. I love my cake decorating too though, and I have been wanting to invest more energy into getting better at that.

Also, I have researched some camera classes online, because I have this fancy schmancy camera and I barely know how to use it. Hence, I get a lot of pictures of Rachel, but only a couple that I actually think merit the use of such an expensive camera. So I think I will enroll in the class next month.

Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by everything I want to change. It can give me anxiety that causes a lot of pent-up frustration. But I just have to remember to take baby steps and enjoy each day. I feel very blessed right now.

Speaking of blessed, here are a few pictures of the thing I am most grateful for when I wake up in the morning...my healthy little girl! She is a character. Her latest quirk is mean-mugging Duane and me and then bursting into laughter, then turning back to a mean mug again. She has learned "Please" (which comes out "Peas"), and we had to lock the pantry to keep her from breaking into it and stealing cookies when we aren't paying attention. She got baby dolls for Christmas, and she carries them everywhere with her. I forgot to take baby with us to the sitter's one day last week, and when she wasn't there when Rachel got to the car, I heard about it.

Bring on February!

Happy New Year!

I know I haven't posted since Halloween-time, but I have been very busy at home. I have had a lot of freelance work since August, which has been wonderful for me and my family. With that and Duane's new job, we were able to have a very nice Christmas with each other and our respective families. Normally, I try to buy nice things for the people I love, but I have to draw the line at a certain amount, and I feel like a cheapskate. I know that it shouldn't matter how much I spend, but I like to get nice things for the families -- especially for all the nieces and nephews. And now that Rachel is more aware of what kinds of toys she enjoys, it was really nice to be able to buy her some nicer presents, instead of the many clothes she received from Santa last Christmas. And then Duane and I got to buy real presents for one another as well, and we didn't exchange anything last Christmas.

I have also fully transitioned into my new position at work, and it is much better than I had ever anticipated. I like being part of a smaller group of people. It is a strange feeling, not working IN the actual math department. I felt like a big part of that group. But the first day I went back downstairs to look for something, no one so much as said hi to me downstairs. A few of my friends always stop me to chat, but everyone else acts like I am an alien. I never would have thought I would be so easily dismissed by the people I used to work so closely with, but there you have it. To add to the weirdness, Kim and I sit farther apart than ever before. We see each other far less than usual (only once or twice a DAY!), so the adjustment has been strange. But the job itself is great! It took aware the part of my job I disliked the most and added some other operations aspects instead, and I have really enjoyed it. The people are nice, my boss couldn't be much more of an improvement (if you know what I was going through in the past, you would be chuckling right now), and I really don't mind going to work every day.

Duane has also fully transitioned into his new job, and on top of the perk of a bigger paycheck, he gets to decide when he wants to work OT, and he doesn't have to deal with the distraction of working with family anymore, which has improved his relationship with his parents quite a bit.

On top of all the work stuff, Rachel has blossomed into quite the little lady. Santa treated her very well, and she received her very first potty. She isn't ready for potty training just yet, but she takes a great interest in the concept of using the bathroom, so we decided to put the potty out so she can grow used to it. The first night it was out, she sat down on it and smiled. Maybe we will have her out of diapers by the time we decide to have another baby! (Don't get excited -- it won't be anytime soon.)

At her last doctors appointment, Rachel was 21 pounds (12th percentile), 32 inches (52nd percentile), and had a head circumference in the 90th percentile. So my child is long and lean with a BIG head! HA! Maybe she is a genius. She has developed so much in the last few months, adding more words to her vocabulary and developing new talents and interests. She really enjoys coloring, music (she also received a piano from Santa), and playing mommy. She carries her cabbage patch baby around with her and gives her a bottle. She still loves to play tea party too! Her latest words include "Happy," "Cheese," "Go-Go" (she calls most dogs this, because the sitter's dog is named "Cocoa"), and the sound effect "Shhhhh." She is very good at repeating what you want her to say, in her own way. By far, though, she is most interested in food. She can now reach our door handles, and she is accomplished at getting into the pantry and trying to get her graham crackers out.

As for our Christmas, Duane bought me a bed (the headboard and footboard) and a television for our bedroom. It has been WONDERFUL. I used to look at our bedroom and sigh, because it looked like a bachelor pad -- just a room with a bed in it. Now it feels like OUR bedroom. I got him, well, a motorcycle. He bought a motorcycle from his friend to replace his current motorcycle, which he might sell, or he might keep it as a streetbike. I also got him a new helmet, some cologne, and 2 tickets to an OSU men's basketball game.

I have been on a mission to lose some weight since Rachel was born, but I seem to have gone in the opposite direction lately. I started walking on our treadmill while I watch TV. I figure I am watching TV anyway, I might as well walk. It makes me feel pretty good about myself, though I haven't lost weight yet, so I am going to have to start a diet to cut down on the junk. So stay tuned for updates. I need to lose about 15 pounds before I will be happy with myself.

Duane and I decided to have a New Year's Eve party this year. It was quite an endeavor, because we never do anything halfway, but it was a lot of fun. Usually we make plans with one couple for NYE, and the plans generally fall through because the other couple is sick or something comes up. It is just our rotten luck. So we decided to have a full-fledged affair this year. I don't think we will do it again next year, but we hope that one of our friends will pick up the reins and it can be a rotating thing. We had a great time -- it was just a LOT to handle all at once, so it isn't something we would do every single year. And I think I am ready to move on to a more tame atmosphere too. After all, I am turning 30 this year. I can still have fun, but I'm definitely not in college anymore. My body suffers more for my decisions more than it used to.

The most exciting thing happening now is my LASIK eye surgery scheduled for this Thursday!!! I went in for a consultation, and I was a little disappointed with what I found out about the price. Then my friend referred me to Bloomberg Eye Centers and I was much more impressed. It is a big step for me, and even though the surgery is relatively routined, I am a bit worried. But the prospect of waking up in the middle of the night and being able to see the clock immediately, without reaching for my glasses, for the first time since I was 12 years old...well, I will take the risk. And for an extra $100 per eye, I am going to be able to have my vision retweaked at any point during my lifetime. It is my "motorcycle" of sorts. Duane doesn't understand fully because he has near-perfect vision, but for those of you out there who wear contacts or glasses, you know how frustrating it is to wake up in a blurry haze. And if we do plan to have another child, I would like the comfort of waking up for midnight feedings without having to find my glasses.

So moving forward, I will try to be better about updating my blog. Hopefully I didn't lose my faithful readers during the hiatus!