Baby Mine

The story of us...The Watts Family...and regular updates for those who are following...

12.26.2009

Dinner for tonight!

I think I'll make this recipe for dinner...Molly and I are SICK this Christmas weekend so we need some chicken soup. The roads are horrible, Todd had to work today and he'll work again Sunday, so I figured Molly and I can have chicken soup this weekend to help us get over this stuff. Here's the recipe...YUM!

Savory Chicken Soup

2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 to 3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
Optional: 2 onions, sliced
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
14-1/2 oz. can chicken broth
2 c. water

1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried basil

Place all vegetables in a slow cooker; add chicken. Pour in broth and water; sprinkle seasonings over top. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours, or on high setting for 4 hours. Serves 4 to 6.

9.30.2009

KATE + 8??? PUHleeeeeeeze!!

I just heard on the news that "Jon & Kate + 8" will now be called "Kate + 8".

What a crux!!!!!!

It doesn't make ANY sense!!!

JUST BECAUSE mom and dad are divorced does not NECESSARILY mean that Jon needs to be brought on in only "special appearances". UGH. This will set the scene for these kids' lives. TRUST ME. I KNOW.

In my day, it was "Patty + 1" but trust me, my dad DID come and get me every other weekend. He took good care of me while I was in his care, to the best of my knowledge, anyway. Sure, he had remarried and I had those WILD, STUPID siblings to contend with, but he was STILL my father and he STILL had a sort of parental claim to me. It wasn't like he was out of the picture just because he and my mother had divorced. Was he a great father? No. Was he a saint? DEFINITELY NO. Was he the best romodel? Again, NO, NO, NO. But still. He IS my dad and during the time that I was in his care before my mother died, he took good care of me. I remember him taking great care to cut up my eggs before I dove into them at breakfast. Did he HAVE to do that? No. Did he NEED to do that? No, of course not...I could do that myself. But still, I appreciate what measures he did take to make me comfortable and feel like a part of HIS family after my OWN family broke apart.

So. KATE + 8....I can't beLIEVE she let that happen. I just can't. In her shows, she ALWAYS has seemed fair and without judgment. To her husband, she has ALWAYS (ever since I"VE watched it) remained opinionated, yet open to his (FEW) comments. Still, whatever KATE says, Jon still has a legal access to his children.

The media makes me sick. I don't know if they're putting out the correct information or not, but certainly they have had their share of well-known UNtruths, and that just makes me sick.

GET WITH IT, GUYS!!!!!

Dad is STILL in the picture, even if he is not in the household. GET WITH IT!!! Not necessarily in MY childhood case, but I am seeing more and more that dads are getting the VERY short end of the stick when it comes to marriage dissolution where children are involved.

God bless,
Liz Watts

9.12.2009

ALERT...ALERT...New Post...New Post...

Well, I have been about 3 weeks without a computer that has my baby's pictures on it. I have a camera, but have NO CLUE how to load the software onto our new computer.. UGH. Mommy Liz is soooo not tech savvy...

Todd bought me a new computer to do my work on. Unfortunately, my programs canNOT be backed up (because they are copyrighted) so I have to wait until my savvy hubby backs them up for me onto our NEW computer. UGH. It has been a REAL struggle, lemme tell you, for me to go without blogging. I wake up with blog ideas in mind. I put her in cute outfits and have no resource with which to download pictures, events, etc. UGH.

Folks, I'm tellin' you...if your computer ever goes down...do NOT get VISTA. It is STILL giving me problems. I don't know what to doooooo!!!!! What so-called "master"mind at Microsoft designed VISTA???? Because it is worthless. There are many jobs I can't even GET because I now have Windows 2007 and Vista. UGH, for the third time. I HAVE TO UPDATE...why aren't THEY??! LOL.

On a HAPPY note, The Watts family attended a beaUTIFUL wedding at Brown Mansion in Coffeyville, Kansas, this afternoon/evening. It was absolutely romantic, beautiful, elegant. What else can I say? The bride, Amanda, looked gorgeous, and the wedding itself was THE BOMB. Seriously, it was like a spread from Martha Stewart WEDDINGS. Red and lavendar were the colors and at first I was like, "What??!" But it truly, TRULY, was beautiful, elegant, simple and full of class. We got pictures, but since we had to buy a new computer (and I dunno how to install programs) ya'll will hafta wait until Todd has time to do it and download everything.

Anyway, the wedding was absolutely gorgeous. I WILL be posting pictures soon. Since Todd and I are (unfortunately) "only" children, we (fortunately) have many "aunts and uncles" who GLADLY help with Molly Piper and seem to grab her up when we are in social settings such as this one. Tonight, Uncle Lanny's FIRST dance was with Molly. After that, she clapped and "danced" her way into others' hearts as the music in the 3rd story ballroom carried on. After that, when Molly grew tired and it was time for bed, we headed downstairs so Todd could pull the car up (as it was raining). Uncle Justin gommed onto Molly and began showing her off on the porch while Mommy and Aunt Pam visited about the TV shows we're addicted to (Jon & Kate +8 and Tori & Dean). LOL.

The Wann Crew, as always, were SOOOOO sweet. I just love all of Todd's friends...they are all so down to earth, sweet, and just plain ACCEPTING of people. They do not judge anyone.

The only thing better than tonight's plans were if The Watts Fam were in St. Louis enjoying the Cards game. We had tickets but had to forego due to weather/finances. Oh well. There's always NEXT year. I just hope the inconsiderate drunkards in the seats next to ours enjoyed having more space than they would have had if we'd have been there. UGH. I HATE to miss a Cards game, but this year, we've already been to one, so it's okay.

Next year, though? Watch out!!!! Molly will be yelling and cheering on her favorite Cardinal player, so loooookOUT!!!!! LOL. She is a LIVE WIRE, I'm telling you.


As for tonight? Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Landon Minor. May you be blessed and experience happiness throughout your journey! God bless and keep you...
Todd, Liz, Molly Piper Watts
xoxox

8.06.2009

Oh, WOW oh WOW!

Oh Wow!!!

I stayed home today to study, I did NOT go to Molly's 9-month checkup....but I am TOTALLY surprised and proud of her, all the same! I'm also extremely proud of Todd, who played pro daddy at the baby's checkup appointment, answered all the doctor's questions and managed to wrangle her in/out of the doctor's building, lunch and Wal-Mart, all by his lonesome!!! Todd, I'm so proud of you! Welcome...to my world!!! LOL!!!! hehehehehe

Anyway...our Molly Piper is doing so well! Here are her stats:
height: 28.5 centimeters (90th percentile)
weight: 23.8 oz (95th percentile)
Head circumference: 46 centimeters (95.33 percentile), yeah, she has a big mellon...big brain, that is! LOL

Anyway, she is doing FABULOUSLY!!!!!! We are so proud of her. And?? The big news? She has 8 count 'em, 8 teeth!!! We only knew about 6 of them, but perhaps this explains the fever of 105.3 we dealt with a couple of weeknds ago. Who knows?

Oh, and another milestone? Our Sugar Boogie is now sleeping BY HERSELF....in her OWN bed...for both naptime and at night...and we are SO proud of that!!!!!!! I turn on her "happiest baby on the block" CD and lay her down after she gives mommy and daddy some night-night kisses, and then we just leave her to her own devices. She might squeal a time or 2, but she is absolutely doing wonderfully if I do say so myself.

And me? I am excited but nervous to start my new job in a few weeks. I never intended to leave my baby with anyone else, but it is neessary for both my pocket book AND my sanity, the latter perhaps being my main concern at this point. I just cannot continue to be cooped inside this house with my kid all day, every day, for days at a stretch. It has really begun to show on my nerves and in my eyes and my skin: I'm a panicked, freaked-out, nervous wreck and I've done it to myself by not getting "out there" more than I have. What I have done i just not good enough, and so I must push myself to do more. I need people. I need adult conversatin. This is what I have learned from this experience. UGH!!! Oh, how I wish I could just be a content stay-at-home, work-from-home mommy, but alas, I have learned much in the fact that now, I know I canNOT do this and be satisfied. If I had the freedom financially to just sit around and stare at Molly and play with her, etc, sure, it might be a nice thing. But, I don't. I HAVE to work. I have financial obligations that I just simply cannot turn away from. Period. And so, I am doing what I need to do and I'm headed "back out there" to do it.

Is it bad of me to say that I'm utterly excitd about it????????????????

Until next time,
Elizabeth Ann Watts (unapologetic, too!!!)

7.25.2009

7.11.2009

Bad Mommy?

Well, I've gone and done it: I propped Miss Molly up with a bottle! This NEVER happens. Sure, she hold her own ba-ba like a pro, but I have NEVER propped her up with one. UGH, but today I DID. Bad Mommy or DESPERATE MOMMY???? LOL. Desperate to get some work done, I put her on the couch, turned off the lamp and at first she started out holding her bottle, as she always does. But since I was not right there with her, she fell asleep drinking the bottle. I feel horrible, much like I did when she fell asleep in her swing while I was working.
I know most mommies would be like, "YOU GO, GIRL", or "YEAH, that's how you do it!!!" But I just feel horrible....

...as a baby and child and then as an adolescent, I had HORRIBLE ear infections. I do not know if this was because BOTH my parents smoked around me or because they propped me up with a bottle only to attend to other things, but still, I do NOT want that experience for my daughter. Here is a heartbreaking pic of her on the couch, ba-ba propped up (AFTER she dropped it onto her prop)!!!!!!


Tell me: Am I BAD MOMMY or what?!!!?????!! I hope not, but I CAN handle the honesty...i think....(LOL)...

7.10.2009

REMEMBER........











Aaaah...just a few pictures to remember my "former" life....SO SIMPLE! SO open-and-shut! But....NOT so complete...NOPE...Not without my Molly Piper Watts.
No matter how challenging....no matter how frustrating, at least at times....No matter how heartbreaking (like when she falls and hits her face or head against something that causes an ouch...) ...NOPE...
I could not ask for more.
I miss my old life, but love my "new" one. Yep...she JUST NOW pulled my Bath & Body Words Wall Flower out of the socket....
*sigh*
...and a mother's work is NEVER done....
xoxoox
liz, molly, todd

Molly's First 4th...2009





Our very own Little Miss America! :)


Happy Independence Day, Molly Piper! We hope it was as special for you as watching YOU watch the fireworks display was as special for us...
Love, Mommy and Daddy







7.02.2009

Move, Mommy! I Can't See!







Molly absolutely LOVES Yo, Gabba Gabba!!!! It comes on Noggin several times a day. We always progam it for her, and today I pulled up their website. Why does this show MESMERIZE babies/kids like it does? Is it the bright colors? Is it the different segments? I don't know, but I hope I am doing the right thing by letting her watch it...it has a lot to do with music, which Todd and I both love, but it also teaches a LESSON (care, friends, share, etc.) and I don't know if she is too young for this or not but she ADORES the show and that's at least 30 minutes I can get to read, write my shopping list, unload the dishwasher or WHATEVER I need to do. Yesterday I was able to wash my face and brush my teeth while the show was on. Thank goodness for Yo, Gabba Gabba!!!!
Until Next Time,
Liz and Molly Piper Watts








What's Your DILL, Pickle?

It's official...
Molly LOVES dill pickles!





So far, we've given Molly a bite of vanilla ice cream, mashed potatoes and dill pickles. She hasn't refused ANYTHING so far! LOL...just like her mommy and daddy, she LOVES food...!!

6.27.2009

Lime Green = GREAT!

Such a sweet, sweet girl!!! We love you, Molly Piper!
Say cheese! Todd bought Molly the Disney Princess Music & Lights walker the other night after he got off work. She loves it, but at this point only goes BACKWARDS in it! hahaha

In this picture, she's looking up at my dad, who came over to see Molly. Tell me again: WHY is she smiling? LOL. She gets a kick out of him; I don't know why!


Molly, trying to be camera shy...trust me, THAT didn't last long. She LOVES the camera and just smiles and smiles whenever we snap her picture! She's so cute about it, so patient! Yay, Molly! Maybe you have your daddy's patience instead of mommy's IMpatience! Let's hope...


A happy baby girl, Miss Molly is! :)




Yeah, I'm chewing on my rattle...got a problem with that?

Here I am, ladies and gentlemen, standing up on my new toy bucket my daddy bought for me. It's bendy, so it does not hurt me when I fall into it like my old, hard one did. I love it! It's pink, which makes it only tha much better!


I'm soooo strong! I'm not even 8 months old and I can pull up, cruise the furniture, crawl, sit up, catch myself when I lose my balance while sitting, AND I am trying to put my leg up to "crawl" up onto the couch or foot stool! I can also push the foot stool around the living room, walking and pushing it as I go. It's so much fun!!! And, it's so much fun for my mommy and daddy to watch me do this!

6.25.2009

Miss Molly is petting the goats...or sheep...or whatEVER they're called. They may be sweet and cute, but that does NOT mean I know what they're called!
HEY!!! YOU!! I CAN drink from this 20-ounce bottle, you know!!!

Mommy and Molly Piper and Molly's hip-hop-anonymous (as in the flick Big Daddy) pool! LOL. Thanks, Todd, for blowing it up for Molly! You saw it and she TRULY enjoyed splashing in it.


Molly Piper, in her daddy's arms. Tulsa Zoo. June, 2009.



Good Morning, Sunshine! Tulsa Zoo, June 2009!

6.20.2009

I Miss My Old Life...

Yeah, I'm gonna say the thing you're not supposed to say....I Mis My Old Life....You know...the Life Before Baby......

NOT That I would rather be without Little Miss MollY...because that is just NOT so! I love her with all my heart and soul, but I DO miss my old life! I miss going out to dance. I miss Todd and my's "Godfather" nights when we'd eat homemade Italian food and watch the Godfather trilogy all night! I miss getting to go wherever, whenever I please. Uhhhh...I miss taking a shower twice (or at least ONCE a day, anyway!!!!).

With a baby, life is just different. Period.

Today, without Molly to worry about, I watched my FAVE movie, Sex and The City, like, 3 times! It was AWESOME!!! So much like old times that I didn't even have to stay awake during the boring parts of the movie! LOL.. Really, though, on a more serious note: I kept thinking just how sweet Molly Piper is, how much I missed her, and how I missed New York. I continued to think how I'd missed out on this entire life of fashion week, a great writing career, a great apartment, for what I could afford; I thought about the clothes that I would have accumulated, the friends I would have made...and it just clicked...

My life, now, is with Todd and Molly. Molly is first and Todd is next. Molly is my heart of hearts, absolutely. Todd is the reason I get up in the morning, and Molly Piper follows with a close second...it's hard to tell...but still, they are BOTH the center of my world...even if I DO live in Oklahoma rather than New York City, as I'd always pictured....but the one thing I can never, EVER give up is the picture of the NY Public Library...the way Madison Avenue is all abuz at 5:00 PM...the cupcake shop, Magnolia Street Bakery.... and alllllllllll those great, wonderful, beautiful bookstores that specialize in hard-to-find books in print and publications long exhuausted on amazon.com....Alas, I will miss NYC forever, and I will miss the perfect part of me that longs for NYC and only NYC...

Happy Father's Day!

What a pretty girl, picking on her baby wipes! LOL...She is in total FULL motion now, and we try and sit with her nad teach her everything about the world around her.
SugarBoogie and her daddy....I ADORE that sweet toothy grin! SSooooo cute...

Her "modest" look.....


She is SO joyful here! LOL. She'd crawled off her mats, as always, and continued to keep mommy HOPPING....WHO KNEW a mother's work was so difficult? LOL Not I!!!!! LOL She's sooooo worth it, though.



Standing sooooo pretty!




6.13.2009

What Do You Do When….

As a parent, whaddyou do when your high chair is recalled? Last night, I was reading this month’s issue of PARENTS magazine, and lo and behold, our high chair has been recallled! What do I do? Molly does NOT sit in it well; she slides down in it, actually. UGH!! Therefore, we are still feeding her in the Bumbo seat, but she soon will be too big for her pink Bumbo….

What about parents who don’t read the magazine or get updates about recalled baby products? I feel badly for them, that’s what. After all, as a parent, I want to KNOW what is going on with my baby and would never intentionally put her in harm’s way. Using a recalled product, however, IS putting a child in harm’s way…but not knowing about the recall? I think it should be a requirement that they advertise WELL that such goods are recalled and what to do to remedy the situation. Not EVERY parent comes from the same economic or cultural background, and therefore may receive such information in various places or areas…not EVERYone has access to the web, as foreign to me as that is, but still….ALLL families are different in their beliefs but ALL families deserve to have knowledge associated to or pertaining to their childrens’ health, safety and well-being, no matter WHAT their access level is to outside information or income, etc.

Okay. Now I’ll get off my Mommy SoapBox. LOL.

Mi Amore....whom we adore....

Molly Piper, the light of our lives...

Lookin' CUTE playing in her jumperoo.



And here again, in BLACK and WHITE!


And yet again in COLOR...jumping makes the picture fuzzy, though...


Mommy and Molly, watching TV.

Grabbing at her parrot on her jumperoo, Molly is a deeelight and such a joy to have in our lives...

6.12.2009

YEAH, I'm old....so what?

*we can roll from stomach to back.
*we can roll from back to stomach!
*we can reach "up" for people who want to pick us up and who good communication that htey WANT to pick me up!
*I can hold my own bottle!
*I can drink from a 20-ounce bottle (as reported by AA&UT but not witnessed by mommy and daddy....
*I am now using "regular folks'" detergent!!! (BIG milestone for daddy!)
*I am pulling up to the couch, the tin used for MOMMY's TABLE and the dog pin (as per Aunt Amy and Uncle Tony)/
*I can hold my own bottle...
*I love my G and I love my PawPaw very much!
*I believe that I love to watch Brutus and Devil Dawg get into "wrestling matches" while I try and doze off to sleep==the more noise, the BETTER!
*I want to meet my Uncle Butch very badly! My mommy thinks about him a LOT and I know she is concerned about his health...
*I can't believe I am 7 months old already. My mommy and daddy give me "double kisses: a lot and I smile my lucy toothy smile at both of them.....how precious am I???
*Uncle Tony, WHY do you have SUCH a hard time dealing with the bown my mommy thinks that I need? I know, I know: daddy does NOT think I need bows, either, but I simply DO! I am a girl, and girls find the need to accessorize, even at an EARLY age! LOL.
*While mommy and daddy prefer that I choose veggies over fruits, Aunt A and Uncle T tend to give me fruits and sweeter things rather than bland, veggie stuff....RIGHT? right. But... I still prefer green beans and squash as opposed to peaches and applesauce, as is on my FACE!!! LOL.
*I currently FIGHT sleep....OMG!!!! Only 1 day this week have I been able to put our Sugar Boogie to sleep....all the other nights, Todd has to do it, as I simply do not have th pateince or the stamina to survive Molly Piper Watts! LOL!
*I have started going to Aunt Amber's House 2 or 3 times a week, depending on how many days daddy has to work outside of the house that day...and I LOVE IT!!! Amber, if you're readin' this, you have GOT TO KNOW how much Molly enjoys you, Jessica, Abbi, Hunter and Wyatt.........truly, she LOVES you all and I simply do NOT know how to duplicate the same sounds at home.....SOOOOooooooooooo......we have been struggling wtih serious insomnia on
Any of our readers know how to combat sleepiness/sleepyness without bugging her family?
God Bless and Take Care.
Todd, Lz and Molly Piper Watts

COOL Mommy, but still waiting...

June already! My friend Cindy called today saying just that, and we cackled like old women and talked about how as we age the time goes faster and faster.

"Remember when you used to say, I'm five AND A HALF!"? she said.

I do remember.

And I remember thinking, boy, I'm eleven years old now. That's getting up there. That's more or less a teenager. I couldn't wait to be a teenager and drink cherry Coke at the drugstore and have a boyfriend with a ducktail and a fast car and a key chain with a funky fob. I thought cool would automatically descend upon me.I'm, uh, still waiting on that one.

Oh Gosh!!!

Oh my GOODness!!! My memory is HORRIBLE! I got an email tonight with these tips for avoiding latter-age memory loss. UH....what about YOUNGER AGE memory loss? LOL


*Get plenty of regular exercise to boost oxygen to the brain and reduce your risk of disorders that can lead to memory loss. YEAH, right! I KNOW I need to exercise more, but HOW do you do it with a 7 month old? I tried to buy a used bicycle trailer, but it had already sold by the time I got to the Children's Orchard...Only other exercise I can think of is mall-strolling (which is 20 miles away) or roller skating (I have both indoor/outdoor wheels for my sk8s but hafta havemy
*Pack your diet full of vegetables and fruits, healthy fats and whole grain foods. We eat a LOT of veggies at our house, and thankfully Molly LOVES them! Her daddy and mommy ALSO love veggies...in fact, in high school, her mommy was a vegetarian....so I guess she comes by it honestly.
*Keep stress under control, which will help make it easier to concentrate. Yeah....so, like, how do you do that?? LOL. Stress is my middle name....
*Get enough quality sleep each night. And HOW, do you propose, I do THAT with a teething baby who is also a NIGHTOWL?????? UH....guess I missed the chapter on that subject because nothing I do works. Only her DADDY seems to be able to put her to sleep as of late....maybe I am just not as patient????
*Avoid smoking, which increases the risk of vascular problems that can lead to stroke and reduce oxygen to the brain. Oh, ewwww. I will NEVER, I repeat NEVER smoke anything ever again in my life! At 5 or 6, I was curious and wanted to puff on my mom's cigarettes. She ultimately (after much debate) let me, and lemme tell ya, it was a GROSS experience. ICK! I think she let me take a hit simply to prove to me why she didn't want me to be interested in cigs, and it WORKED. It was a NASTY, DISGUSTING experience that I NEVER wish to take up or wish I had started before now. YUCK!! Why would you wanna inhale something so harmful? Lord knows I do NOT need reduced oxygen to my brain! I am ding-dong enough withough an abusive substance hindering me.....LOL.