the "I jus-hafta"s

I have come to realize that as soon as we came home from the hospital my husband and I also gave birth to a whole new world of language. Here we were with this beautiful bundle of joy, brand new to the world, and while we should have been focused on bringing our smart cards to the table we were acting as though we just failed kindergarten.

Oohs too cuutes?? Youuus too cuuutes!! Oohs does pee?? Ooh dizz sweets!

Just a glimpse of the ridiculousness. Which is to be expected, I mean, I know there aren't many new parents who are reading their four day old baby The Wall Street Journal. I think allowing yourself to be silly is partly what makes a good parent a GREAT parent.

All goo-goo and raspberries aside - I did pick up on one pretty interesting oddity that occurred shortly after the baby was yanked from my uterus. I noticed that my husband and I began to quite frequently use the phrase, "I jus-hafta". The phrase is most often uttered to the spouse having "free-play" while the utterer is holding/watching the baby.

Examples:
"I jus-hafta shave and brush my teeth"

"I jus-hafta go on the computer and check something real quick" {Sidenote: I LOVE "real quick" simply because it feels like you're inconveniencing the other person a bit LESS if they believe you will be SO FAST - a la Napoleon Dynamite: "Can I try really quick?" in the infamous bicycle scene}

"I jus-hafta finish doing these dishes and call my mom"
"I jus-hafta run downstairs and do my workout"
"I jus-hafta wash my face and file my nails"
"I jus-hafta take my vitamins and vacuum the living room"
"I jus-hafta finish burning the photos"

You get the idea. And yes, some are more elaborate than others - usually I am the dramatic one. I will sometimes add five things to the list. I didn't really notice Gregg doing this until recently but I always felt guilty as the words would leave my mouth. Seemed as though I was trying to get away with something when really I was just rushing off to a chore or task. It's not like either of us say "I jus-hafta go lay in bed and watch three hours of Boardwalk Empire while eating cotton candy." I should mention that neither of us feel as though playing with our daughter is something we'd like to be rescued from. I savor every second I have with her - BUT there are times when everybody needs a tag-in. Hence, the "I hafta"s.

   

The Scarlett Letters #1

I'm not usually so generic but I just thought about creating a series of posts about Scarlett. What better a name than The Scarlett Letters? Corny? Maybe, but adorable just the same. Deal with it.

These letters will be anything I want them to be at any given time. No restrictions, no rules. Maybe just a picture or a few lines about her day. Maybe a letter from me letting her know how much she has changed my life. Maybe a list of cutesy things that I found for her on the clearance rack. Ya never know, it's going to be a grab bag ... hope you enjoy them.

Here is the first ever Scarlett Letter:

Well, my big girl is growing SO FAST I can barely catch my breath. I just spent roughly two hours putting away most of her 3-6 month clothing. I have now organized everything into bins and I will admit I got teary while folding away the 0-3 month stuff. I held up the outfit we took her home in and I just couldn't wrap my head around it. She was THIS small?? Where did my baby go? I feel much better having everything packed up and labeled for a possible next baby girl or perhaps to give to a friend in need (if I can ever let these things go).

  

We were both under the weather last week so we've made up for lost time this week. I bought a bunch of new Dr. Seuss books at Target yesterday so Scarlett has been doing a lot of reading... 

We also had a theme day - the theme was hearts, mixed with Punky Brewster I suppose...

She had a little fleece vest spattered with colored hearts to complete the mismatched ensemble.

She's been playing with her feet a lot more these days. She seems to enjoy taking her socks off, thinks she's a big shot with her bare feet - haha - it's pretty cute...

 Scarlett is getting so good at staying on her belly and learning to play with her toys and move herself around. She gets frustrated and takes a time out to suck her thumb now and then but she gets right back at it...

(Sorry, some pictures are a little blurry due to movement, zoom 

and the fact that 99% of uploaded photos are taken with my phone)

And I'll close out my first letter with two last photos ...

^ Transitioning to a sippy cup

^ and I think she's done with the ol' bouncy chair

Hope you all enjoyed the very first Scarlett Letter. Please feel free to comment and let me know what your babies have been up to lately. What's making you proud? What's getting you teary? I'd love to hear it all!

spare time goal

Inspired by The Lightning and the Lightning Bug's prompt I have decided to let you in on a little secret. Well, it's not a true secret because I have told a few people. It's about what I am committed to these days. And no, it isn't my beautiful family - that's just a given. I will never be anything BUT committed to them. However, I have the determination bug again and this time it's a cute one.

I am working on a new children's book. For those of you that don't know, I have previously written a children's book that is yet to be published. (I am also committed to getting that published one of these days). The thought came to me while I was reading to Scarlett one afternoon. Ya know when something basically bludgeons you in the face with the force of a cast iron frying pan? That's how this idea made itself known. It was so simple and so obvious for me and I am one thousand percent committed to it. It does require a lot of effort, a lot of dedication and a lot of constant brainpower. I have all of those things available to me and I am forcing myself to use them beyond their limits. The first book I basically wrote in one afternoon. This one could take me a year. And that's fine; I am not giving myself a deadline. Deadlines seem to make everything feel like a rushed chore. This is my spare time goal, for fun and for a sense of accomplishment.

I am putting this out there because it helps me to focus. I have the drive and I have the creativity. I guess I could just use a little more free time. Even though I remain unemployed my free time is divided up between baby care, errands, showers, laundry, cleaning and meal prep. So how will I realize this dream? When Scarlett takes her 'used to be daily but is now more like once-a-week' marathon nap I race to the computer to tap out some progress. Otherwise I can write out a few quick blurbs while feeding her a bottle and watching Seinfeld reruns. I sneak a few lines on scrap paper as they come to me whether in my car or whilst writing out the grocery list. I keep a notebook close by at all times to record any lines that are not to be forgotten. And, as always, I pluck inspiration from everyday life.

I intend to report back to you in a few months with news of my major progress or by chance a celebration post upon completion of this project. Reading Dr. Seuss to my daughter is always going to take precedence over working on my book but I'll make it happen. Wish me luck! And I wish YOU luck in whatever you are working toward!