Dairy Queen & Diaper Cream

  Finally.  Finally, finally, am I to the point in which I think I've got it together as an organized, on-the-ball new mom.  I can pack a diaper bag, suitcase, and load the Mom Mobile for a 5 hour road trip and make it to my destination with a happily napping baby.

  Dairy Queen screwed everything up.

  2.5 hours in to our return trip home, the P and I stop at Chick-Fil-A for chicken nuggets and a giant lemonade for me, and sweet corn casserole baby food for her.  I was proud of myself for ordering food, unwrapping a straw, and setting up a table, complete with high chair, all with one hand, as I carried an eighteen pound extension of me on my hip.

  Now, I'm not going to deny I didn't swell with pride when my fellow chicken lovin' restaurant patrons gushed over "little blue eyes".  (Their words, not mine).  I carefully dressed her in a soft pink, green, and white lace dress, matching bloomers with pink ruffles, and huge pink monogrammed bow.  Oh, and I just might have been wearing a pink dress myself.  Pathetic, I know.  But, this is what you do with baby girls.

  After lunch, we continued southbound.  I thought I'd treat myself to an iced coffee from none other than Texas' very own stop sign, Dairy Queen.  As I pulled into the parking lot, it became a reality that my 64oz lemonade had quickly and efficiently hydrated my body.

  "OK, I either potty dance uncomfortably the remainder of the two hours home, or I find a way to use the girls' room with an eight month old."  I thought to myself.  I chose the latter.  "Alright, I can do this!"  Why not?  The Chick-Fil-A lunch hour went so smoothly, surely, this too, would be a breeze.

  Baby on my hip, I hurried into DQ and pushed the door to the bathrooms open with my shoulder.  I try not to touch anything with my hands in a public bathroom for fear of catching an incurable disease.  I quickly realize this is going to be anything but easy and pleasant.

  Strike #1:  NO PURSE HOOK.  What the hell am I supposed to do with my beloved purple leopard print Betsey Johnson purse?  I run my hands under the bottom of my purse and feel four metal peg legs attached for such occasions.  I'd rather not, but I have no choice.  I silently apologize to my purse and reluctantly place it on the ground.  A disgusted shiver literally runs up my spine.

  Strike #2: UNNECESSARILY GIANT DOOR THAT OPENS TOO DAMN WIDE.  Why might this be a problem?  Let me tell you.  In order to shut the door properly, I had to back up, up, up until my leg TOUCHED the toilet bowl!  Another shiver.  Could have worn jeans, but nooooo, somebody wanted to be pretty princess mommy and wear in a pink dress like her baby.

  I will not go into detail how I maneuvered and contorted myself and a baby for the whole reason of visiting this bathroom, but I will tell you this.  As soon as I did...the baby did.  It was like our bodies were in perfect sync.  I made a mental note that I would have to change her in parking lot after I purchased a Mocha Moolatte.

  Strike #3:  NO PAPER TOWELS.  I hate hand dryers.  Anyways, I turned it into an exploratory opportunity for the baby and let her go to town under the heated wind.

  Strike # flippin' 4:  Every germ fearing public bathroom visitor knows why a lack of paper towels is nearly catastrophic, DOOR HANDLES.  This is were I'm sure P heard me say her first explicit.  Enter shiver number three.  There is not a skinny handle I can quickly grab, swing open, and then wipe my hand on my clothes like it is on fire.  It is a DOOR KNOB.  A sticky, grimy, trick door knob that does not open on the first time, thus ensuring ones' hand must grasp firmly for 2.5 seconds, or germ transmitting eternity, in order to open.

  Oh, and there were two doors.

  The only thing at this point that could possibly heal me of this experience is the original reason for my visit.  I grabbed my iced coffee and headed to the car.  Of course, it's an egg frying kind of hot day, so I am sweating and quickly losing my got-it-together-mom look.  I open the trunk which doubles as a traveling diaper changing table.  I am greeted with the most terrible looking diaper rash.

  It's 103 degrees and I am slapping extra strength diaper cream on my baby's hiney in a fast food parking lot.  I realize this is what my life has come to, Dairy Queen & Diaper Cream.  Soon, it will be Burgers & Boogers, or the inevitable finger point and loud declaration of some one who is large, elderly, bald, or missing a limb.

 Welcome to Motherhood.

Sometimes

It's just one of those days.

Ocho

  Sweet P is 8 months old.  Good grief.  We'll be having a first birthday before I know it.  Currently, P has not gained any weight in the past month.  She has grown an inch.  She is now 17.5 lbs and 28 inches long.  

  It would seem that a milestone is reached almost daily at this age.  Therefore, I am keeping busy because my baby is busy!  Dear Baby, this is what you've been up to:

• Waving "Hi" to 85% of the people you meet.  By the way, you have still not met a stranger.
• Wave Bye to 5% of the people you meet.
• "Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da Da!"
• You eat EVERYTHING I give you and have since you were 4 months old.  Thank you for loving food as I do.  It makes meal times pleasant.  You had your first peach yesterday.  I sat you on grand dad's porch at the river, and you bit into that little Fredericksburg peach with all your mite.  You cried later when you saw me eat one.
• Pulls to a stand.
• Pulls every bow out of your hair.  I'm ready for this little phase to pass.
• Pets  grabs wads of Chino & Julio's fur.  They sure are patient with you.
• Seriously considering this crawling business.  You can scoot backwards, turn your self all the way around in a sitting position, and assume the crawling position.  From here, you think, and think, and think about possibly moving forward, but you ultimately belly flop and frustratingly reach for whatever it is you wanted to crawl towards.
• Smiles sooooo big when you see Da Da Da Da Da Da.
• Most people comment on your eyes, how alert you are, and how well behaved you act at restaurants and such.  Almost always you're an angel, but you can raise hell when you wanna.  Naturally, might I add.
• You play keep away with me and your pacifier.
• When eating meals, you reach palm up for me to plant a kiss.  I love kissing that little hand!

  You are loved.  And because you exist, I know Daddy and I are loved, too. 

The Mayfields & Mumfords

   Ed celebrated a birthday.  Every May, I quietly rejoice that of all the random coincidences of the world, two unlikely people got together, and as a result, forever blessed this Earth with on of the most kind, gentle, intelligent and beautiful old souls I have ever met.  Happy Birthday, ECM.

  For Ed's birthday, I bought us tickets to a concert in Austin, TX.  I could never describe just how much I love this city.  In my early college years, I would road trip from San Antonio alone and park in down town Austin.  From here, I would proceed to wander the streets and let my mind do the same.  It sounds silly, but if my soul was a destination on a map, it would read, "Austin, TX".


  After bargaining with the Priceline Negotiator, we secured reservations for the night at the Mansion at Judges Hill. It drives Ed crazy that I gamble with negotiating where we will stay, but it's part of the adventure, I say!  Never do I bid more than a said amount, and as a result, we get to stay at some pretty cool places that we might otherwise not.  The hotel is dog friendly and scores an A+ in my book for being clean, abnormally quiet given its location between the UT campus and the Capital, AND serving fresh snicker doodle cookies upon checking in.  I would recommend this lovely hotel to anyone!


  Before the concert and after an interesting cab ride with a driver who probably left cursing the "infidels!", We ate a seafood dinner at Trulucks.  Y'all, I am by no means a salad eater.  I try to trick myself into eating one every now and then, but it is of no use.  I just don't care for them.  OH MY!  I couldn't put the fork in my mouth fast enough from the Sonoma Greens salad.  It is so simple, mixed greens, whole olives, chopped pecans, feta cheese, and a very light dressing that had a honey after taste.  My body practically went into shock telling me, "Shalayne, meet vegetables, vegetables, Shalayne."  YUMMMMM.  


  After my life changing vegetable experience, we walked down the street to La Zona Rosa for the grand event:

MUMFORD & SONS

A few photos:

Margherita Pizza in Fredericksburg, TX

Ed sketching my portrait.  I can't decide if it is sweet or not that he draws me looking like an Edvard Munch reject.

He loves guns

Just your everyday, average mutt chillin' in a sidecar.

I love you

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die
Where you invest your love, you invest your life
In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die

Where you invest your love, you invest your life

                                              

                                             "Awake My Soul"

                                             Mumford & Sons

Baby in a Box

It's here!  My Baby in a Box finally arrived!

My Favorite Least Favorite Season

  It's my favorite least favorite season, SUMMER!  I hate hot and sun, but sure do love my time off from work!  Three glorious months to do as I please.  I'm gonna:

•  Play with that baby girl and hold her as much as possible.
• Spend some much needed quality time with ECM
• Channel my inner hipster at the Mumford & Sons concert in Austin, TX.  So dang excited.  Haven't been to a show in FOREVER.
•  Actually finish reading the Great Gatsby
• Swim in the Devils and achieve something that resembles a tan.
• Establish and make official the "Sutton County Society of Free Thinkers."  Common interests of members include: Writing, star gazing from an old lawn chair in the middle of a parking lot, current events, philosophy, brain storming, eating copious amounts of BBQ, Corona con lima , and issues specific to our beloved West Texas.  So far, it's just ECM, myself, and the editor of our local newspaper.  (Andi Allen, I am extending a special invitation to you! :) )
• Brush up on my non existing German
• Attend a German wedding, visit a German farm and Amsterdam!  I want to ride bikes in the country side and drink a big ole' beer.  But not at the same time.
• Let Ed cook more red meat for me.  Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!  He's been feeding me blue cheese stuffed fillet mignon and rib eyes smothered with home made chipotle butter.  After 26 long years, I have found an appreciation for the cow.  Ed is mean on the grill!
• Research art ideas that are running around in my head.  One day, I'd like to make the jump from "some one who wants to be an artist" to legit artist.  Perhaps there is room in the art world for someone who wants to explore a connection of temperature on the days of man made catastrophic events, and those who are responsible, and their physiological response during such actions.  I'm pretty sure that is one giant run on sentence. 
• Eat a tomato from our first garden.
• Swim with Sweet P in Aunt Renee's pool.
• Take P for a walk down 4th Ave. in Mineral Wells, TX.
• Make the most out of every moment I have with all the wonderful people in my life.

Love,
Shalayne

I Can Feed My Own Dang Self

Authors Note:  I do feed my daughter more than 2 Cheerios.  She just prefers to wear the majority of them at this point: