Perfumania

I need a new perfume.

I don't wear it too often, but when I want to dress up and be fancy, I like to smell fancy, too.

Last weekend, I spent some time at Ulta smelling the scents.  I'm almost out of my Chanel No. 5, which J bought for me on my first, actual 29th birthday.  I need a change after a few years using the same fragrance.

So apparently, every designer and their brother, as well as their cousin's sister's kid, is marketing a perfume these days.  And each designer offers multiple scents.  How on earth is a girl to choose??

The answer is to take your time, spritzing bottle after bottle onto those paper scent strips.  (And FYI, they actually DO smell different when spritzed on the strip as opposed to just smelling the bottle.  Now you know.)  In between each scent, smell the provided coffee beans, to cleanse the nose palate, so to speak.  Spritz, smell, repeat.

I finally decided on a new scent.

Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche.  It's crisp and clean, with a little hint of citrus.  I love it.

Now if only the price tag weren't so painful.  For a mere $90 I can own the scent of my dreams.

But I gotta say- shelling out almost a hundred dollars for a bottle of perfume sure beats the alternative- Designer Imposters.

I spent most of middle school smelling of Malibu Musk- ah, the generic-scented memories!

Hybrid Girl

With my husband being who he is, and me trying desperately to raise a princess-lover...what are the chances that we end up with this hybrid?

Not bad, I'd say.

Girly Girl

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a girly girl.  I like dresses, and pretty hair, and accessories of all kinds.  I don't like camping or getting dirty, but I do like going to the ballet and also staying at fancy hotels.

Yep, girly girl.

And I have never made any secret about the fact that I simply HAD to have a daughter someday.  And that she must also be a girly girl.

And while I got my beautiful daughter, I know I cannot control her girliness.  She may be a tomboy who wants to play sports instead of going to dance class.  And you know what?  In reality, I'll be okay with that.

But for now, while she's still a tiny, opinionless being, I can control the girliness.

So I did this.

Way back when I was pregnant with the nugget, I told J that if the baby were a girl, I wanted to pierce her ears as a baby.  Not really liking the idea all that much, he told me I'd have to check with the pediatrician before he'd agree to such a thing.

Lo and behold, the first time I walked into the pediatrician's office, I was met with a sign that stated "We pierce ears!"  HUZZAH!  Not only was the doc okay with this procedure, he performed it himself!  Winning.

Alas, my first born was a boy, and no earrings need apply.

But then along came the little lady.  The doctor prefers to do the piercing around the 4-month mark, so I wasted no time in setting our appointment.  Now my girl has tiny sparklers in her tiny ears.  Cuteness!

In a few months when I'm allowed to change them out, I have my eye on a pair of tiny pearls.  You know, they are classy and go with everything!

Yep, girly girl.

*As a side note, can we talk about how red my girl's hair is looking in these pictures?  Trick of the camera flash, or another ginger in the making?  Almost ginger, perhaps?

A Little Cuteness for Your Sunday

Margot's first laughs.  Never a sweeter sound!

People Overload

I love me some People magazine.  I like to think of it as the intellectual's gossip magazine.  After all, it includes a few scant pieces on world events, and it includes a weekly crossword puzzle.  Gotta work the mind, yo.

For my 2012 29th birthday, J bought be a subscription.  Oh, how I loved getting that new issue every Friday.  Joy!  But as my 2013 29th birthday approached, along with Margot's due date, I suggested that he shouldn't bother to renew this year.  Because with two little ones, I had no idea when I would find the time to sit and read gossip magazines on a weekly basis.

Turns out, I was right.  I really don't have time to keep up with my mags.  How do I know this?  Because the folks over at People love me, and want me to be happy.  So they keep sending me magazines.

Here's my current must-get-through pile.

That's right.  These date back to April 1.  There were actually two or three older issues that made their way to the recycling bin before I had a chance to read them, thanks to a certain nugget spilling a certain Mommy's coffee all over them.

The funniest part is that at least once every few weeks we get a letter from People, begging us to resubscribe at a low low rate!

I think someone over at People needs to be fired.  This is just poor business.  But since I'm on the lucky end of this bad deal, I'll take it.

Margot: 4 Months

My baby girl is already four months old.  I simply cannot believe how fast the first year seems to fly!  Do I sound like a broken record?

This month, Margot's personality really began to shine through.  While it seems like Gabe is much like his father, I believe this little one is much like her mother.

When I was in school, I never got into any real trouble.  Never once was I given a detention.  BUT- I can't quite remember how many times I- and perhaps my parents- were spoken to about my inability to shut up.  Like, ever.  All the way into high school, I was somtimes made to move my desk into its own, lonely corner, so that I wouldn't be tempted to talk to my neighbors.

I fear that my girl is following in my footsteps.

In month three, she began to do a bit of babbling.  But this month, she has really found her voice.  And lemme tell ya'- it's LOUD.  She literally screeches, screams, and squeals.  But not in a sad or angry way.  In a listenupI'mhereanddon'tyouforgetaboutme kind of way.  It's hilarious, really.

She also has a bit of a temper.  She rarely gets to upset about anything, but when she does, look out.  You'd better plug your ears, because the screaming cry is coming.

I've only heard this cry three times, and I'm pretty sure all of them involved hurt feelings more than physical pain.  Daddy, Mommy, and Gabe have each been on the receiving end of Margot's wrath.

Speaking of Gabe- Marogt loves him.  She literally cannot take her eyes off of him.  He has only in the past week began to really acknowledge her presence, but I can already see the hero worship forming in her eyes.  Ah, love between siblings.

Other noteworthy events:

• Pictures were very difficult this month, because baby girl is constantly doing this:

Hands in mouth all. the. time.  Drooling like a faucet.  Teething has begun.

• Margot rolled over from her front to her back exactly one time.  And I missed it.  Hoping to see it soon.
• The little lady likes to sit upright now.  She enjoys the Bumbo.
  
• She currently weighs 15lbs 8 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long.  She is hovering around t he 90th percentile in both of these areas.  The girl is a giant.
• She continues to be an excellent eater and sleeper, and is still quite possibly the easiest baby on the planet.

We thank our lucky stars daily.

Have You Tried These?

When I was pregnant with Gabe, I became a little obsessed with desserts.  It didn't really matter what kind (although frosting was always a bonus), just as long as it was sweet.  I was pleased with this pregnancy that I didn't have that same craving.  (Although I did crave booze- better or worse?  I'll let you decide.)

But lo and behold, now that she's born and I'm in the breastfeeding season, I am once again in need of something sweet after just about every meal.

I will admit that whilst shopping for Easter basket treats for my littles, I stumbled across these:

They never made it into an Easter basket.  They simply became my after-lunch dessert.  For weeks, they were on sale, BOGO.  So each week at the store, I felt simply compelled to take advantage of the sale, lest I miss out on these seasonal treats. 

'Twas a sad day when Easter was over and the shelves were cleared in these delights.

And then I had an epiphany.  Just as Reese's puts out seasonally shaped chocolate peanut butter treats (which are FAR SUPERIOR to the original cup, by the way), perhaps Milky Way was doing the same thing?  Was there, perchance, a normal, everyday, run of the mill variety of this treat?

After searching the candy aisles at a few stores, I found that the answer is YES.

Milky Way Simply Caramel is the best thing to happen to candy since, well- regular Milky Way.

I have gone through more than one bag of the "Fun Size" confections.  I'm afraid I may be indulging this craving for quite some time.  And the best part?  I also get to indulge my craving for booze now, too.  Joy.

Middle of the Night Musical Musings

So am I the only one who wakes up in the middle of the night with a song in her head?

This happens to me ALL. THE. TIME.

Sometimes they are songs that I listen to often.  For example, the theme song from SuperWhy haunts me even in my dreams, and the background music from Monsters, Inc. is frequently the background music of my overnights.  These are songs that I hear frequently.  You know how toddlers love repetition?  Yeah.  Moms, not so much.

Then there are the songs that I am currently loving at the moment.  Sometimes they creep in.  Suit and Tie has popped up a few nights (have I mentioned lately how much I adore JT?), If I Was Your Man (I dig Bruno Mars) and even Thrift Shop.  Hey- don't judge me.  That song is EVERYWHERE, and it's catchy, dammit.

And just as a side note- it's SHOCKING that I even know this much current music.  My sister likes to remind me that I am in full-on "Mom Mode" and don't know anything about the here and now.  Sadly, she is right most of the time.

But I digress.

A few nights ago, this weird song was running through my mind again and again.  I absolutely cannot tell you the last time I heard this song.  It most certainly has not been downloaded onto my pod (unlike the aforementioned Thrift Shop- I said DON'T JUDGE ME!).  I can say with an almost guaranteed certainty that it hasn't been used in any advertisement lately, or appeared on any television show or movie.  So where did it come from?

Enjoy this gem from 1983.

I'm BAACK!

Today is the day when I resume normal blogging.  Apparently, after giving birth, I need a 3-4 month blogging hiatus, as that's about the same amount of time I took off after having the nugget.  I guess a few months are necessary in order for me to wrap my head around what life is all about with the addition of a new family member.  I suppose I can cut myself some slack there- right?

Anywho, I'm lining up some new posts now, and slowly getting back into the saddle.  I solemnly swear that this spot will no longer exist solely to update my two or three remaining readers (hi parents!) on the goings-on of my offspring.

So stay tuned!  More to come later this week!