Because it's Thursday (and I was asked)...

This is silly, but the hardest part of posting pictures is downloading the darn things from the camera.  I'll snap photos and then put the camera down and even though it take less than a minute or two, I'll put off downloading them.  Why?  I have no idea other than it's a chore and I flat don't like chores.

But, because I was asked by the lovely Scottie, whose hair I covet, I made an exception and did my "chore" today.  :)

There's been lots of nakedness in our house lately, as Carter is potty training.  He does great and hasn't had any accidents except that time C was tickling him and he said, "Oh no!  My tee-tee!"-- he dripped a little on C but then ran to his potty and finished the job.  He's also going on the potty at school, but he's also wearing diapers full time.  Should I just make the leap to underwear?  What's the next step?

Cooper's still not crawling.  In the last month, we've had a double ear infection and he's thisclose to cutting his two front teeth.  I just know when he's feeling good again, he's going to take off.  Or not.  Whatever.  Just as long as he starts sleeping past 5:30am!!

My beautiful water bug.

Carter and his Moo making meatballs.

Who needs to crawl when all you have to do is reeeeeeeach?

My baby.

To remember

In the car this morning on the way to school, I told Carter we had to go night-night and wake up two more times and then we get to go to the zoo with his friends.  He said, "I go nigh-night".  I'm so completely in love with that boy.

And Cooper?  He slept til 6:35.  HEAVEN!


Also, hi.

Two-Thousand Eleven; Resolution(s)

Since a new year is impending, I actually think I will make some promises for improvement.  Normally I skip that part because I know I won't follow through, but maybe if I write them down for the entire Internet to see, they might stand a chance. 

1. Lose (more) weight.  Clearly, gaining and birthing baby weight (and then some) in 2010 was not enough because, for Christmas, my sister bought me shirts in sizes so big, I don't even know what they are.  I've vented to everyone who would listen in real life and on Twitter about this already.  THEN, she followed it up with "they may be a little big, but maybe they'll shrink in the wash".  As a woman, it's terribly insulting for someone to not only buy me clothes that are too big, but clothes that are many sizes too big.  If my sister held up this shirt and thought, "Yes, that looks like Sara's size", then clearly it's time to change her image of me.  As a sidebar, my husband said he will be buying only size small or extra-small from here on out.
2. Get outside of my comfort zone.  Translation:  Leave the house with both children.  Carter is old enough now that he needs to go places and experience things.  It's so easy for us to stay home because it's easy, but in 2011, I want to flush easy.  I don't necessarily want to trade it for impossible, but I do think the more we go and do, the more likely my kids will learn how to act in public.  Or not.  But, in any case, we're going places in 2011. 
3. Write more.
4. Photograph more.
5. Get control of my kitchen chaos/lack of storage hell.  If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.  Two decidedly NOT type-A's live in this house, ifyouknowwhatImean.

CB x 2

Carter and Cooper

Everyone has been asking how Carter's done with the new addition of a baby brother.  I joked before I had Cooper that we were going to ruin Carter's life and I guess on some level, I really thought so.  But, I'm happy to report, we haven't.  At least I don't think so.

"Bayyybee" is the first thing Carter says in the morning.  He loves seeing his baby brother and has learned to gently soothe the baby by patting and saying "heyyyyy", just like mama.  I've been very surprised and very happy to see the transition happen.

I won't lie though, the first couple of weeks were tough.  Carter was almost angry in his actions.  Lots of "NO!", complete with slapping at us.  C was home from work the first week, but when he went back on week two, I implemented time out and Carter got more of what he really needed and wanted-- one on one time with me.  We had both missed it, I think.  Slowly but surely, my sweet boy returned.  Don't get me wrong, he's still runs balls to the wall while his eyes are open, but at least there's no anger-- just all boy.

As for me, I'm exhausted.  Not because the baby keeps me up, because he doesn't (hate me if you must).  It's more of having two boys all by myself.  Thank goodness the baby naps a lot during the day still.  And, I LIVE for Carter's nap time.  That is something that will not be missed!  It's really my only down time until bedtime.  It's my time to shower or get dinner together or nap (which I've done once but say I'm going to do every day).  C had to work a lot over the weekend and I got a taste of what my reality could be... I was so happy to have him home. I joke that there's no rest and recovery during this maternity leave... wait, that's not a joke. 

I have gained the utmost respect for a) single mother's who do it all, all the time and b) stay at home mom's.  I feel guilty for wanting a break- shouldn't I WANT to be with my kids all the time?  I won't go so far as to say I want to go back to work, because that would be a lie, but man.... help sure would be nice during the waking hours.

And, on another note, both boys were weighed yesterday.  Carter:  31lbs & 33.5" tall.  Cooper:  7lbs 15oz!  Whooooo for mama!

Easy Like Sunday Morning - 11.15.09

Sharing

I read this and loved it and wanted to remember it. What better way to remember than to share? I hope Ryan doesn't mind.

...Sometimes, the leaps are what count. Not the take off, not the landing, but that moment when you are suspended in the air, grinning like a fucking idiot at the one you love and praying that you're doing the right thing.

Thursday Things

• Last weekend was my first wedding anniversary. C and I laughed that actually being married opened up a whole new world of cards for each other. It's nice to be able to buy for my "husband".
• Can you believe it's been a year, only a year? I say that because on one hand it's FLOWN and on the other, it feels more like five years. Maybe it's because we squeezed five years worth of stuff into one (house, marriage, baby).
• Since the first anniversary gift is traditionally paper, we both followed that theme (unintentionally). He gave me a Paula Deen cookbook and a recipe journal, both of which are funny since I'm a hand granade in the kitchen.
• Every time I go to the store I ask if he needs anything. He always replies, "A sack full of money..." So, that's exactly what he got from me. I bought $100 in scratch off lottery tickets (just doin' my part, E). Of course, we would have been better off if I would've just put $100 in a sack, but the scratching was fun too. I think we won about $35.
• He also bought me my very first gun. I'm the proud owner of a bright and shiny .243 just in time for hunting season. Now all I have to do is try and hit the broadside of a barn, er- deer.
• Make no mistake, I'm pretty stoked about it.
• Speaking of, today kicked off my week of single motherhood. I'm a hunting widow while C is off to Colorado again. When he went last year, I was heavily pregnant (November) and thoroughly enjoyed going to bed early and eating cereal for dinner every night. Oh the difference a year makes, eh?
• My son has regressed to having newborn dirty diapers. Good Lord they're awful. It's been going on for two days- lets all pray he gets over it soon. I'll take nuggets any day.
• Speaking of my darling son, he is THISCLOSE to crawling, finally. He seems to be about a month behind all the other kids his age in his class at daycare. They've all been crawling and cruising for several weeks now... I blame his giganta noggin'.
• When I have another baby, I will be diligent in doing tummy time for the very very beginning. I really think it helps strengthen all these vital muscles used in sitting, crawling and pulling up. We didn't do as much tummy time as we should have with Carter and I think we're now seeing the results... of his giganta noggin', that is.
• I've committed to taking Amber and James' engagement pictures next month. I'm really excited about it, but really anxious about finding a good location with good light in order to get some good shots. That's all I'm going to obsess publicly about that, but just know my wheels are TURNING.
• I'm hosting a baby shower sprinkle this weekend at my mom's. It's at the same time as my high school's homecoming parade, so traffic should be fun. In my hometown, they shut down the major US highway for the parade which really pisses off the truckers. No one else seems to mind though.
• I planned for it to be at my mom's so she could help with Carter while I'm scurrying around doing hostessey things but, you guessed it, she's going to the damn parade. She claims she'll be back in 20 minutes, but WE WILL SEE.
• Hosting a shower is much more difficult than I originally thought, especially since no one is helping aside from my mom making the cupcakes. Yesterday I decided to also make a diaper cake WHICH I'VE NEVER DONE BEFORE.
• I agree that I'm loco. It comes with the territory.

food for thought

This beautiful thought stolen from vol. 25. Happy Monday!

Let's get it started.

• I like to give credit where credit is due, so I'm giving credit for that picture of me in the previous post to my wonderful husband. Everytime I see it, I'm so thankful for his skills in near beheading.
• I've got two new blogs for you. If you're not reading them, you suck. Not really, but I just discovered them in all the BlogHer hoopla and regret not finding them sooner. Here they are: BHJ and HerBadMother . Such breathtaking talent, these two.
• My son pulled an all-nighter last night and left his father and I with only three measly hours of sleep. Sleep, wake, scream, repeat. Awesome.
• Maybe it's the teeth. Maybe it's his congestion which kept him from his noodle (pacifier). Maybe he was just ready to wild rumpus til six seven in the morn'. In any case, I'm tired.
• I'm now a Scentsy consultant. If you don't know what that is, they're "wickless candles" that come in delicious flavors and warmers sized for your home to your office to your car. Give it a look and take a chance! If you don't like the flavor you get, I'll exchange it for something else. (I can't tell you how long I'll do that, but for now, in the beginning, that's how it's gonna be. I aim for complete customer satisfaction.) Everything in the current Spring/Summer catalog is 10% to make way for the Fall/Winter catalog, available September 1. There are manly scents too, W.... like "Hemingway".
• Consider Scentsy, a first step towards conquering fears.
• Dude, I got a Dyson. It's sad when the highlight of my weekend involves a new vacuum. But man, it's sexy.
• C and I are SO into Big Brother this year. I may have a slight crush on Jeff (along with the rest of America). Wasn't last night's episode hilarious with Chima, Natalie and Lydia CRYING over Jessie like he was DEAD? Geez. Get a grip, girls. Also, adios Chima, you crazy heifer.
• Two cheers for the Rangers taking the lead in the AL Wildcard spot! Neftali Feliz is my new favorite pitcher to watch-- he brings the crowd ALIVE with his 100mph tosses.
• I've officially lost 10lbs and am wearing pants I'd forgotten about which are currently a little baggy. Rock. On.

Diapers.com Coupon Code

I don't know why I haven't been using diaper.com all along. It's so much cheaper than Walmart or Target and if you spend $49 or more, shipping is free and usually arrives in 2 days via UPS. All it requires is a little planning ahead... surely I can manage that, right? When I registered, they gave me a code (SSBA9569) to share- $10 off your first order of diapers. Enjoy!

Fruit Salad

You know when you haven't written anything in a while and you think, "I really need to update that thing" but then the baby shits and your husband has reports to work on and you find yourself doing the 100 other things that need doing instead? Yeah. That's where I've been. Doing other stuff.

Other stuff that does not include taking pictures of my child. So, for those who only care about the pictures, you can leave now. He's still cute, you'll just have to take my word for it. I'm a bad, lazy mommy who hasn't documented his six month of life for crap.

Since my last confession:

• Carter has cut yet another tooth. On the top this time. What? Slow the eff down, son.
• He's also sitting. Albeit wobbly- it's definetly a sit. Seriously. Slow the eff down.
• He sat so good yesterday that I let him fall over without catching him and misjudged where his melon would land which resulted in a thud on the not so padded part of the pallet followed by a scream. Followed by a "DO I NEED TO TAKE MY CHILD AWAY FROM YOU WOMAN?"
• I also tried my hand at making baby food yesterday. The faces said it all and what they said was "This shit is disgusting. If you don't watch it, I'll make you wear it again, lady." Yes, I said, "again".
• My nomination for mommy of the year has been revoked.
• I got sick last weekend. Friday night I was pretty sure I was going to die. Saturday, I knew I was. I finally got to the doctor on Tuesday with symptoms completely different from Friday. Two shots fixed my fever... and effectively KILLED my milk supply.
• So now I'm dealing with that.
• But one thing I'm not dealing with is a sick kid. GO ME and my magic milk.
• I joined Weight Watchers. So far, I'm down 6.2 lbs. The sickness booster worked. Too bad my appetite is back with a vengance.
• Tomorrow is my Lasik evaluation. I'm all grow'd up and not scared of the laser now, Ma.
• In addition, my son bit me with his new fangled teeth. Dammit it hurt. I cried, I'm not going to lie. Now I nurse in anticipation.
• Did you know nipples could turn purple?

I know no one wants to hear about my perils of breastfeeding. I get it. Most of my (5) readers don't even have children. But, it's my life and thus, I'm writing about it. Believe me, it's only the tip of the iceburg so consider yourselves lucky.

The Night's Just Right

I thought, for once in the recent past, I'd actually write without having a doctor's appointment prompting me with news. Not counting today or the day of, my son will be here in 13 days. Lucky number 13, forever yo. My coworker said, "But what if his birthday ever falls on a Friday?!" Eh, it'll make him tough.

Lately my response to people telling me not to do something has been, "What's it going to do- make him come out?" At this point, it would be emergency surgery, but what I wouldn't give to have my hips back. It almost ticks me off that I'm going through all this "natural" childbirth pain- the normal stuff that happens to everyone- for naught. I've been lamenting to C about not being able to hold a 27 hour labor over his head, but I guess having a scar is just about as good. If "good" is even the right word.

The only part I'm anxious about is the surgery- just because it is major abdominal surgery and let's face it. I haven't been admitted to a hospital since I was five years old. My mother the health nazi will have me doing sit ups and walking several miles as soon as she possibly can, so I'm not too worried about the recovery. I'm a little worried about the possible harm I may do her, but that's the risk she runs.

Here's something I haven't told anyone-- we have a semi-complete nursery! We bought a crib and dresser and my beautiful bedding is all ready for my baby boy! C bought me a glider for Christmas that will be perfect for mid-night feedings and we replaced the ceiling fan. I'll take some pictures after I get the valances hung. Nothing is on the walls yet, but I'm working on it. Well, I will work on it at some point.

In all appearances, we're ready for the baby. A place for him to lay his noggin, a place to rock him, a place to change his stinky hiney, a place to swing him and a seat for him in the car. (My sister and mom bought us the carseat/stroller combo for Christmas.) And clothes- lots of precious little clothes, thanks to my dear friends. I've washed and folded just about everything I need, so now we wait.

All this talk inspired me to buy some Todd Snider. I've had some difficulty downloading it, but hopefully Amazon will be snappy in remedying my problem. I also bought Rodney Crowell's Sex and Gasoline. I guess I was feeling a little militant or something. So far, I highly approve of S&G.

I'm not doing a darn thing today and I almost feel guilty for it. I reckon it'll be ok, right? We have NO plans for NYE and I'm pretty ok with that. We'll probably buy some fireworks and try to light the world on fire. Yeehaw.

Whatever your plans are, please be safe. My hope is that all of my angels will have a kiss on NYE and a smile. Happy 2009... I'm positive it will not be boring.

Goodbye Snowman...

My baby's namesake has left us. You can bet I'll be grabbing my greatest hits album as soon as I can get to iTunes.

We live this life like what’s down here is what it’s all about. We’re temporary, son, like a wisp of smoke. - Jerry Reed


No, I will not actually be naming my child Jerry Reed, but how badass would that be?

I'm gonna love you back to lovin' me again...

I AM … blessed.
I WANT… more time.
I HAVE… two pimples.
I KEEP… receipts.
I WISH I COULD… take a daily nap.
I HATE… waiting.
I FEAR… the unknown. And taxes.
I HEAR… voices telling me what I should and should not do.
I DON’T THINK… I'll ever be thin again.
I REGRET… regrets.
I LOVE… completely.
I AM NOT… perfect.
I DANCE… rarely. Unless a shoulder wiggle counts.
I SING… classic country in the shower.
I NEVER… watch the news, but listen to GMA on XM daily.
I RARELY… go a day without doing dishes.
I CRY WHEN I WATCH… pitiful animal movies.
I AM NOT ALWAYS… right. Don't tell him though. ;-)
I HATE THAT… that weight-gain part of pregnancy.
I’M CONFUSED ABOUT… how to calculate PPV.
I NEED… Tylenol for this headache.
I SHOULD… go pee.

*I stole this. You should too.*

Another 2.5"

Every man's desire, right?

That's the amount of rain we've gotten on the Ponderosa in the last 24 hours. If you could see me, you'd see me doing a happy dance. Not really, but I'm doing one in my head. I don't know what kind of total that makes for the last week or so, but I'd say we're over 6", which was much needed in my neck of the woods. My pond was low and my grass was crunchy- the woes of living in the country, right?

Speaking of my head, it's congested. Apparently, that's one of the many curses blessings of pregnancy. Aw who am I kidding? It's a curse and it's driving me batshit crazy. I know Afrin isn't recommended especially because it's addictive, but it's my only salvation for the one-side-of-my-nose-that-won't-let-me-breathe. About 60 seconds after using, the rain stops, the clouds part and the angels begin to sing. I really am trying to use it sparingly, and have only used it for a couple of days, but find me a saline nasal spray that will light my world on fire and I'll switch. My child doesn't have a PRAYER when it comes to allergies, so I prefer to think that I'm teaching him early.

Yes, I referred to "it" as a "him", but I won't know for sure until Monday, August 25 at approximatly 2:30pm. Let's all say a prayer for "open leg vibes" so we can see the weiner that I know is in there. Good Lord if it's a girl, You better help us all.

We are in the process of painting our bedroom Chocolate Chip. We're also convinced that the paint smells like an M&M. And by "we", I mean "him", because (and I quote) "I don't know how to paint". Fine, whatever. I need to schedule all household projects during pregnancy- this rocks. The room looks awesome- dark brown walls with eye popping white trim. I can't wait for a finished product to post a picture of. No before pictures, but I'd rather not remember it anyway. He's also going to turn the built-in "vanity" that looks like it should be in a 1950s hotel room into shelves and storage. My man is so handy. IFyouknowwhatImean.

For those of you dying to know, Shiner in the dog house is going very well. I only feel guilty about once a day, but he's taken to it like a pig in slop. Especially with all this rain, I'm so glad he's got a safe and dry place to rest his paws. He's such a good boy. Kit, on the other hand, (remember, she's the princess?) is slowly losing her marbles. Last night, I opened the door and told her to go potty. She looked at me and without hesitation, ran out of the room and down the hallway to her bed. She did this not once, but twice. It left us both scratching our heads... silly dog. He finally convinced her to go outside where she took yet another dinosaur shit after getting into two leftover sausage patties and a breakfast taquito. Yes, it was my fault for leaving it on her level. Yes, I was pissed at her, but I really couldn't justify it because she did exactly what I knew she would do. So now she's perfect and predictable. *eye roll*

Part 3 - Surprise!

My goodness, where does the time go? This has been month end close and it has been nuts, but seriously- I'm a slacker and I apologize to my 10s of readers. Here's a rundown of what's been going on.

• I have a list of blog topics. Literally. It's on a little yellow sticky by my keyboard at work. Yes, I'm making this list from that list.
• Sometime last week, I had a delightful dream about John Mayer. Don't ask me why, because I was happily sleeping next to my handsome fiance, but it was John Mayer just the same. And he was in love with me. I kept asking him why me because he didn't even know me, but he never would answer. He was flying me all over for shows and giving me the star treatment and I happily went along- but I just couldn't believe that he was in love with me. Dreams, ya know?
• I'm currently digging a band called The Steeldrivers. They're a little bit country and a little bit bluegrass and a lot wonderful. Check 'em out.
• I have on my list to bitch about the lack of rain, but thanks to Eduard Eduord Eduorad that tropical storm, we've gotten a few showers on our crunchy grass. It's no longer crunchy, but I wouldn't complain if it were to rain say, all weekend?
• My nearest and dearest (save for my Cori and June) are gone to Idaho for Brauns and Ragweed and RRB. I should've gone, but let's face it. I've got other places to spend my money. I know they'll have a great time without me, though. Doesn't mean I'm not jealous, though.
• This should probably be it's own post/rant, but let's face it- that may take another month. In case you don't know, I've moved back to east Texas. Land of two lane roads and speed traps. But, most highways are 70mph. And that's what I drive + 2-3 mph. I would like to issue a statement to other residents of the roads I travel of this speedlimit and the fact that WHEN YOU PULL OUT IN FRONT OF ME, PLEASE NOTE THAT I AM GOING 70MPH, NOT 40, YOU M'EFFING, BACKWOODS, NO DRIVING, lovely, lovely people. It pisses me off to no end that waiting five seconds for me to pass is too much to ask, so I should be happy to slam on my brakes or defensively weave around you, hopefully not into on coming traffic. I'm carrying precious cargo, you fool.
• Speaking of, I'm pregnant. Surprise! (If you know my mother, please do not forward the link to my blog to your mom who will then read the whole thing and tell my mother about all of the un-lady like things I've said, mmmmk? Just tell your mom the news- no details about where you found out needed, ok?) I'm due in January and let this be the warning that baby talk will soon be invading this space. FINALLY.
• Also please know that just because I'm pregnant does not mean that's why C & I bought a house and are getting married. Yes, it's the ultimate shotgun trifecta, but it was all going to happen eventually- we just got put on the fast track. We can't be happier- and, well, you should be too.
• Sorry, SLM, for making you shit just now.

Goodbye July

It's 11:11am, make a wish. It's actually 11:16am now, but whatever. It was a good thought at the time.

I'm moved to our new house. What a wonderful thing to say. He and I moved most of his big things yesterday, so now he just has to pack the rest of the house. I wonder if I can get out of helping since I packed mine all by myself. Yeah. I bet.

I need about three weeks off to fully get this house in working order... but then, what are the next 30 years for? Still, we will pack as much work into our waking, non-working hours that we can, I'm certain.

Yesterday, we went to Lowe's twice in one day to buy such things as a new showerhead, replacement switchplates, a replacement toilet fill valve and flapper, a sprinkler head, and plumbers putty. OH! And a garbage disposal. Did you hear that? That clouds just parted and the angels sang. Garbage disposal, how I plan to love thee fully and completely.

Busy week at work + one hour commutes each way make for a tired girl. But, I have a new house to come home to... wonder when that will get old. Never sounds good to me.

Now taking recipes for pears and figs. Also taking bets on how long my evolution into Suzy Homemaker will take.

It's now 11:25am. Goodbye morning...

Update

I added a list of several favorite/friend blogs on the sidebar. Did you know blogger will let you import from Google Reader (there's that thing again!)? Sheer genius! Please feel free to recommend others or your own if I've somehow left you off.

Big news coming, people. Just warnin' ya.

MeMe, MeYou?

So I was tagged by Diane- thanks. I may sound ungrateful, but I really am because my blog fodder is lacking. I read tons, but never manage to get my thoughts to the screen in a timely manner. So for lack of a better post, here's my five habits.


Five Habits Meme

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Hmm... I would've been 18. I also would've just finshed high school and would be preparing to move to college in August. On any given Tuesday, I'd say I could either be found at the river or at the neighbors pool. I was a spoiled child, what can I say?

Five snacks I enjoy in a perfect, non-weight gaining world:

Campisi's Pizza - I can thank V for this obsession since she first introduced it to me back in 2004 or 2005.
Cheese Enchiladas
Red Rind Cheese (rediscovered this weekend- Heaven!)
Miller Lite
Buffalo Wings

Five snacks I enjoy in the real world:

Fiber One bars - Oats and Chocolate, please
Pretzels
Red Rind Cheese
Green Apples, preferrably Granny Smith
Calamata Olives... or any olive for that matter

Five things I would do if I were a billionaire:

Make sure our families are set, even my sister who won't work

Never worry about the cost of gas or mortgage payments

Travel and photograph the world

Buy the Texas Rangers and pay for decent pitching (ugh!)

Hire a personal chef, housekeeper and trainer

Five jobs I have had:

Summer School Teacher
Tutor
Sales Tax Auditor
Expense Account Auditor (so fun!)
Accountant

Five habits:

First thing every morning, I check Myspace. No access at work, so it's done every morning.

I'm obsessed with chapstick. So much so, that I think my tender, overly moisturized lips were chemically burned by the hot sauce at Wing Stop. Ooops.

C has turned me into a hair-face-body washer in the shower. Same way everytime. You don't want to wash your butt before your face, people! He's making me as neurotic as himself.

Google Reader! I think I've said enough. Although, I rarely check it over the weekend.... it makes for a very fruitful Monday morning.

I start every morning with a Diet Dr. Pepper. If I don't get it, the day is fouled.

Five places I have lived:

Nacogdoches
Tyler
Dallas
Pasco, Washington (no, I don't want to talk about it)
Joaquin

Five people I’d like to get to know better:
(Meaning, you're it!)

Addie Baby (or her mom)
Building My Ladder to the Stars
Going Away
Life On the Run (every time, I want to sing Bannnnnd on the Ruuuuun)
A Million Miles From You

Recommendations

Since I've divulged my google reader obsession, I thought I'd follow up with some of my favorite new finds. I have lots of photographer blogs that I follow just to gain inspiration, but I won't bore you with those.

• Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - I'm well aware that I've been missing out since oh, 2006, but I've finally given her a shot and oh my gosh. She is my latest blog crush. Recommended: Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - the story of how she met and fell in love with her husband.
• Bring the Rain - Nicole first recommended this one to me and it promptly broke my heart. Now, I find inspiration in every post and look forward to it. Recommended: The beginning Oh, and have some kleenex handy.
• Girl's Gone Child - A pretty irreverant look at motherhood.
• better now - because it is. I just love that.
• mackin ink - Diane over at Martinis for Two toasted mackin ink recently and I've been a fan and reader ever since. She's an American living in the Middle East and raising three beautiful girls. Her posts always include great art, too.
• Matt, Liz and Madeline - Thanks for the heads up, Meg. Liz, Matt's wife, died of a brain anneruism shortly after giving birth to their first child. His words, while simple, really show a great deal of love and heartbreak over now having to raise their first child alone. It's another one I read as quickly as possible. Recommended: If you haven't been here before.

So, there's a few to start with. I love new suggestions though. Feel free to leave one of your favorites in the comments. :) TGIF, everyone.