A First, First Birthday Party

Instead of our normal playgroup yesterday, we had a combined birthday party for Lydia and one of her friends who turned 1 last week.  Lydia's birthday isn't for another 3 weeks, but she had a great time playing birthday girl a little bit early.  We ended up having 17 kids at the party.  Thank goodness I have a big backyard!!

Everyone camped out in the sunshine

An attempt at "Duck, duck, goose", although some of the kids were really too young to get all of the rules :)

Next we played a floating ducky game.  The kids had so much fun splashing in the water. In fact, I think this was the thing that Lydia enjoyed the most!

Piñata time!!  Everyone loves candy!

Playing with a friend and a balloon.

The ducky cake, made by a friend of ours who has quite a talent with cakes!

Lydia's cake

Lydia working on her cake, with a LOT of help from mommy.

So many friends!

Thoughts on being a stay-at-home mom

Things have been pretty quiet around here lately.  Lydia started getting sick last week and by Friday afternoon her cough was getting worse and I was just feeling like I should take her to the doctor.  The diagnosis: croup.  The pediatrician gave her some dexamethasone in the hopes that we wouldn't have to make a trip to the emergency room that night, and asked to see her again on Saturday.  She had a pretty decent night on Friday, and also Saturday, but she still wasn't doing too well and her fever wouldn't stay down without dosing her up with ibuprofen every 6 hours.  Sunday night was rough, and Monday night was worse, as she had a LOT of mucus draining from her.  She woke up coughing and gagging from it.  Both Monday morning and today I wiped brown crusty mucus off her eyes ... and after noticing more milky white discharge in her eyes this afternoon I put two and two together and called the doctor and took her in yet again.  Now she has pink eye and a double ear infection, poor girl, and she's on antibiotics for the duration.  I'm grateful that she's on the mend now and there's nowhere to go but full recovery!

It's an experience like this that makes me so grateful I am a stay-at-home mom.  I'm glad I can be here for my daughter when she needs me, take her to the doctor on demand, and I don't have to worry about who's taking care of her when she's sick since I wouldn't (or shouldn't) take her to daycare.  I also love that connection I feel with her since I spend every moment of every day with her, and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what's wrong with her and how to help her.  Even though I worked in a daycare and the folks there work very hard to nurture and care for the children they serve, I truly don't understand parents who unnecessarily give their greatest treasures, their children, to other people to raise.  Being a stay-at-home mom may not be all that glamorous and outwardly profitable, but the intrinsic, unspoken value is immeasurable.

Lydia's favorite things

I've come to realize that getting to know your child's personality and watching them learn new things are the most enjoyable things about being a parent.  I get the biggest thrill out of seeing Lydia learn, grow, gain new skills and become her own little person.  I don't want to forget ANYTHING about my child growing up, so I've compiled a list of some of her favorite things/activities, currently, at nearly 11 months.

Lydia loves:

• Walking all over the house!  This is a recent accomplishment, as in the last couple of days.  She's been threatening to walk for what seems like forever, but for the past 3 days or so, she's really taken off and walks everywhere.
• Eating.  In fact, she loves it so much that she sings (humming, or mmmming) ALL through her meals.  I'm not exaggerating!  She LOVES food.  I'm don't remember the last time she spit anything out.
• Shaking her head and grinning when I say, "NO NO NO, Lydia!" (even when I'm being serious).
• Squirming instead of allowing me to change her diaper.  This becomes especially tedious when she's poopy, and I frequently end up wiping her bum while she's on her hands and knees. *Sigh* So far, the only way she'll stay still enough for me to put a diaper on is if she's sitting in front of the mirror on my dresser (where the changing pad is).
• Unplugging electrical cords and chewing on them.
• Trying to climb on the fireplace hearth, which is currently covered in pillows and couch cushions.
• Eating my Ensign.  I don't know why she always zeros in on that particular piece of literature, but I don't think any of my Ensigns from the last several months remain un-crumpled.
• Drinking her bathwater.  We keep two cups in the bathtub, one that holds about 8 oz. of water which we use for dumping water over her head and rinsing off shampoo, and the other, which would hold about 4 oz. of water, except it has a small hole in the bottom where the water drains out.  Lydia has actually become very proficient at drinking from a cup, and she will pick up whichever cup is available and begin to gulp bathwater unless we take it away.  I let her play with the small one, and even drink a little from it.  I figure, a little bathwater never hurt anyone!
• Pulling things off my open shelves in the kitchen.
• Dancing or waving her arms to music, wherever it may be coming from.
• Chewing on my phone, if she can get a hold of it.
• Pulling every single bow out of her hair.  Lydia's hair is getting long (down past her nose) and it really needs to be pinned back.  Not to mention, it's so cute pulled back!  But my child will almost always pull her bows out and chew on them.  I recently switched over to tiny elastic bands, the only problem being that instead of being able to pull those out (which she has only accomplished twice, I think) she ends up pulling so insistently, that she breaks off some of the hair and has short patches around the ponytail.
• Eating paper, or used tissues.  If it's a paper bi-product, it's tasty and fair game!
• Helping (un)load the dishwasher.  Doesn't every kid?
• Tormenting (that is to say playing with) the cat! ("kkkkkhhhh" as she calls her)
• Saying "mamamamama" and entwining her fingers in my hair when I pick her up.
• Squealing "dada" when daddy comes into the room.
• Pointing out the picture of Jesus on the mantel.

I LOVE my daughter.  I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father sent her to our family so I could be her mom.  Truly, being a mom is the best job I've ever had.