What a Birthday to Remember.

Twenty-five already? Tuesday was the big quarter century Birthday. The day was filled with melancholy memories and joyous celebrations. I can honestly say it was the best Birthday ever just for the awesome company I had. This was my first Birthday as a Momma, might not seem like a big deal, but the entire feel of the day was different (in a good way). Originally we thought to leave the baby with my Mom and take off on a day adventure to Hershey Park. Sounded like a nice break, then the day vastly approached and leaving spud with Grammy was a no-go (I couldn't bear to leave the babes). We went back to the drawing board to plan a nice day, somewhere local and baby friendly. Kurt & I love museums and art and we HATE the heat. We have always wanted to visit the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore. We went to Mr. Rain's Funhouse, the restaurant located in the museum last November for our Anniversary dinner-delicious food! I was way pregnant and couldn't stand the thought of being on my feet any longer than I had to so the museum was not an option. I wanted to share my Birthday between family time and then a Mommy Daddy date. I decided on Brewer's Art on North Charles Street for our grown up time. I had been there for happy hour in college, but never a real meal. The plans were set!

The day started off interesting, a water main break occurred in Baltimore the night before so we scrambled to make sure the museum would be open. Then our lunch plans down the Inner Harbor fell short and we escaped the city for a quiet Asian cuisine. Karson also decided the night before he wanted to be awake to wish me a Happy Birthday at exactly midnight. We watched my birth video and he was pumped for a family DVD marathon. After several attempts for bed, he went down and we all passed out. 5 am my birthday morning and BOOM! he was bright eyed and bushy tailed. We made it to the museum and he was awesome (just sat in his umbrella stroller like a little art critic), there was some really funky stuff there. Mom noticed that the majority of the artists had some form of mental illness, I guess that is what allowed them to think outside of the box. I wish I had the ability to let go of reality a little more when I'm crafting. Be a bit more abstract. I also wish I had the patience! Mom bought Kurt and I two day of the day tiles for our bar wall, we love em! I saw a Zoltar machine and I had to get my fortune, of course it hit home-"Now is the time to start that new project you have been contemplating. Your deliberation will pay off in the long run because doubt is the father of invention and key to knowledge." Could not agree more. Our Date night was fantastic, we re-connected and talked each other's ears off. The food was yummy and I have to say Kurt cleans up pretty well ;0) I told him I wanted another baby for my Birthday, hahaha that was before complete and utter exhaustion set in. We had a wonderful day filled with family, love, art, naps & a total food coma.

Enough of me! Karson has made leaps and bounds the last three days, just as I was beginning to wonder when all these milestones I read about were ever going to happen? When we were getting dolled up for our date, Karson was lying on his play mat completely content. I looked down to check on him and the little booger was on his belly, after he realized what had happened he completely freaked! He rolled over from back to front all by himself. We thought maybe it was a fluke, well darn it the little booger did it again!!! Best present ever. I have been working with him endlessly on rolling over, starting solids and holding his bottle. The other day I was not holding his bottle high enough and he politely took control and well since then has never looked back. I mean he gets a little lazy sometimes, but he is definitely on his way. Last night we went over to Mom's for a pizza party. I packed some apples just in case he decided to get a little crazy. Well he went crazy!!! He was eating them up. I couldn't believe it, the little boy that was projectile spitting rice cereal at us not even two days ago was scarfing these apples up! We will be attempting more apples tonight. I can't believe how fast my baby is growing. All of these monumental milestones will soon be just a sweet memory and I am not missing one of them! Camera in hand at all times. Oh lord I sound like my mother!





















Next up on the agenda: Getting Karson to take naps, especially without me. I don't mind most days because I need the naps in order to work nights, but when I don't have to work its such a waste of time. I do of course love that he wants to cuddle! I know sooner than later he will be on the move and not wanting Momma hanging on to him. Unfortunately or fortunately-depending how you look at it he is no longer into nursing anymore. I am trying to hang on for a couple more weeks. I know my body is sore and tired of it, but my mind loves the quiet time I get to share with my little boy. I know I have said it before, but I am so happy I pressed on and did not give up on breastfeeding. Than again, "quitting" was not in my vocabulary. My boy might be determined and strong willed, but guess what so are Mommy & Daddy!

The Napkin Napper & Temper Tantrum Pro.

Last night at dinner I watched a little family sit a couple tables from us. I thought to myself look at them, that baby is young and they are still living life. Good for them. So jealous. I remembered how for the first three months are Karson's life we were sequestered in the house. Just then, the baby let out a cry and continued for the next couple minutes. I saw the look on the parent's faces, I recognized the feeling, I saw the internal debate. Were they going to have to abort their meal or was this tantrum going to blow over. Like so many other parents Kurt and I have had our fair share of baby meltdowns in the most inopportune places. You know the kind of meltdowns...when people stop in their tracks to watch you do everything in your power to subdue the screaming monster in your arms. Thankfully most of these tantrums have happened when I've been out with my Mom. Unlike Kurt and myself, she has the patience of a saint. I can recall the most embarrassing, it goes back about two months now, but it is definitely one for the history books. We were out running errands, last stop was Michael's. We knew we were in for it, we were cutting it close to bedtime and this boy like's his night time routine! We decided to gamble anyway. We made it into the door when he began to scream at the top of his lungs, in an effort to get the bottle ready as fast as possible I drenched him, myself and his car seat. Breast milk splashed all over the floor. I felt so bad for the guy who had to mop up after us. Of course Mom had to tell him specifically that it was breast milk.That stuff is horribly sticky!!! At this point you could hear his scream echoing throughout the store. All eyes were on us, or at least they felt like it. I quickly snapped at my Mom and ran out the door with him. Couple minutes later and I was determined to buy what I came for. About ten  minutes later while in the baking aisle, my Mom left us to use the bathroom. As soon as she walked away the second wave hit. This time I only had one pair of hands, in addition to spilling the milk, I dropped an entire display of cupcake trays. I thought to myself the security camera is getting one hell of a show tonight. Just then, Mom came back and proceeded to tell me that she could hear Karson all the way in the back of the store, if you know Michael's, then you know how huge the store is. I was spent, he won. We purchased and got the hell out of dodge. Lesson learned. Tantrums are part of life, some worse than others. Us parents, we feel for each other. I wanted so bad to go to those parents and let them know it wasn't as bad as it seemed!

This morning at breakfast, Karson grabbed my napkin. Lately he is being known as the napkin napper. Of course, he put it non-stop directly into his mouth. Kurt freaked out and let him know this was not okay! He took the napkin from him and he started screaming. As an experiment I gave it back, he stopped crying. Holy lord it is starting already, temper tantrums for not getting what he wants! This child is going to be exhausting. Napkins are not for babies! Fourth of July we took it easy, I had to work that night and the heat beat us. We went to the Green Turtle for lunch. Kurt was holding boogie, when the napkin napper struck. I look up and before we know it Karson has half of the napkin ripped off in his mouth. Kurt swung into action and just about choked the poor kid in an effort to save his life. Turtle napkins are not made for the potent drool this kid produces. Another lesson learned. Test your napkins before letting your baby have it.

In other news I think I am going to take a swing at this whole handmade crafting business. Since the evolution of websites like Etsy and Pinterest, crafting is cool! Its about time other people got on the bandwagon. Since the beginning of my stay at home days, I have had the time to devote to some crafting projects, I've done a couple things for the house and a couple as gifts. Most recently I hand painted wooden picture frames and specialized them to fit the Father that they were going to. In one night shift at work I did seven frames. Pretty good. I need to fine tune my details and plan more constructively. I am very critical of my work, which makes for some aggravation. I don't want to get in over my head with this, I want to be able to still enjoy crafting. First, I need to see if there is a market for handmade gifts. I believe there is. Second, I need to see if anyone is interested in my crafts. I've had some positive comments come my way. Thirdly, I need to sit down with the husband and write up a business plan, marketing, advertising and all the money talk. Then, we will get to making a go of this. Who knows, it might be a fun way of meeting new people and getting in touch with my creative side. I'm done circling the drain, now I just gotta take a leap of faith. Kreations by Kasey coming soon!

The Napkin Napper Strikes Again!