A Judgement Call

Well...we had our first competition for winter guard this past weekend. It was fun, and stressful, exhausting and all of the other adjectives the comprise an activity like that.

We came in 10th out of 16 guards...a bit of a disappointment - not in the kid's performance or the show itself, but in the judging system. I think we have a beautiful show and our kids generally perform it well (it is still early in the season), so to get some of the scoring that we did is not only disheartening but a bit baffling as well.

I don't always agree with judging anyway, but I can often at least understand their point of view. This weekend left me a little dumbfounded - and not necessarily because we came in 10th. There were judging decisions I felt were questionable and I am sure I am not the only one.

It's hard some days to be the red-headed step child.

That all got me to thinking....

One of my first thoughts upon hearing that the child that I carried in my womb for 9 months was a girl was... "Oh, she can be in winter guard!" Guard has been such a catalyst for so many positive elements in my life, I would be overjoyed if Hailey would someday choose to participate.....or would I?

Do I have the inner peace and cool-headedness to watch my child participate in a 'judged event'? I can't even watch figure skating without screaming at the television - and I don't even know Michelle Kwan! Would I be able to have a level enough head to comfort my child on the ride home from an event where the judges have 'obviously been drinking heavily' before hand? Oh my goodness - Heaven forbid it be winter guard - an activity that I have prior knowledge of! I could tell the whole inebriated panel of morons just exactly where they went wrong.

No...let my daughter compete in one of the many activities which don't require someones opinion to receive a trophy. Some sport in which talent and skill are reflected solely on a scoreboard. That is my kind of car ride home.... "Honey, the only reason you guys lost is because the other team scored higher than you."

That I can handle!

5 Months Old!

Today, my darling daughter is 5 months old - almost half a year! I can't believe it!

To mark this occasion, I will list my 5 favorite things about Hailey at 5 months old:

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#1. She finally has control of her hands - and she is grabbing for everything! The TV remote, my glasses, her bottle, dad's lips, her pacifier, the dog's face - nothing is safe! More often than not, the hands that are doing the grabbing are all drooly (only a mother could love that...right?). "Head for the hills - the HAND is coming!"

#2. She still doesn't have a lot of hair, but it is growing in enough that she will have these huge fly-a-ways that stick straight up. When she gets these, you can't always be sure which direction to smooth down her 'comb-over' and you sometimes make it worse. Plus, when she wakes up from a nap, she has a little bit of bedhead - or - cribhead I guess.

#3. 'Torpedo Poops' (see "Pre-Blog Entry" Nov. 7) have now changed to 'Mystery Toots' - "Did she mess her pants? Is she smelly? Did she just fart or was there more meaning behind it? Only the diaper know for sure!

#4. She wants to DO stuff now! She isn't content to just be held, she wants to sit in her bouncy chair or on her tummy mat. She wants to sit up and lets you know it! You can see her thinking, watching taking everthing in. I am amazed when I see how she concentrates on things.

#5. The absolute best thing about her at this age - it doesn't matter if you have been out of her sight for 8 hours or 8 seconds, every time she sees you, she smiles at you like she hasn't seen you in years!

"OH IT'S MOM! Hi... How have you been! I haven't seen you in forever!!! Can I grab your glasses? I can? Thanks!"

Crayon Quickie

This made me laugh! My 'rejected Crayon color'

You are

It's a little too accurate...until she went on formula!

No News...Good News

I've always been a bit of a worrier. I don't think I am a maniac or a 'worse case scenario' gal...but if the dog is out of his mind barking, I'm looking out the windows and trying to figure out where the closest heavy object is.

Now that I have a child...holy cow...worrying is no longer a state of mind, it's a way of life!

Snowy roads, that before I would never have thought twice about, are not an option anymore...

at the grocery store, I feel like I have to have a hand touching her at all times...

life is just... different.

Even when she is not around I realize how much things have changed. I used to be a news junkie. I liked reading the news. Now, I can barely stomach it. Stories about the world we live in, reports on childhood obesity, bird flu, drugs - oh and heaven forbid an article where a child is in danger or has been harmed. Stories like that have always been sad, but now I actually can feel myself getting physicaly ill when I read that stuff. All I want to do is hug her and read her a Dr. Seuss book.

This year, I found myself actually making a New Year's resolution to NOT read news articles that I know will upset me.

Reading the news takes a LOT less time now.

I think you have to be crazy not to worry at all if you are a parent in this day and age. I guess the trick is to try and filter out the things that are real threats and make sure you know how to deal with them and how to talk to your kids about them.

In the meantime, I will sit with Hailey and read all the Dr. Seuss she can handle...except maybe The Lorax - that one scares me!

Holiday Catch-Up

It has been a while since I posted! Ack! Time has a way of slipping past you, particularly when your normal schedule is abandoned.

First off...Hailey's first Christmas was awesome! She had a great time. She got a lot of clothes from mom and dad (and Santa), tons of great books (without getting a single duplicate) and wonderful stuff from everyone.

By far her two most favorite gifts came from both sets of grandparents. Her Grandma and Grandpa Yost gave her a light-up, musical Pooh Bear which she immediately tried to suck the face off of. Grandma and Grandpa Weber gave her a rain forest 'bouncy chair' which is helping to save our sanity every single day! The best gift of all was to be around family and friends all day! She was a very happy girl and a very good girl all day long.

New Year's Eve - as is a tradition with hubby and I, we did nothing for New Year's Eve. We turned on the TV just in time to see the ball drop and give each other a kiss. Hailey was awake for her very first New Year's Eve, so she got kisses too.


As for after the New Year, winter guard started up again. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about, check out my first few posts from last year. We had guard camp from 10:00 - 6:00 for 4 days straight. My main job at camp is to get as much of the set painted as possible. This year we are doing a remake of the Beatles' song "Blackbird" by Sara Gazerek (it's beautiful). Here is a quick shot of a couple of the backdrops I did...

It is going to be a beautiful show. Their first performance is this coming Saturday. I have a really good feeling about this show and the group of kids we have this year! Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to go to all the shows this year because of Hailey.

2007 is starting out to be a really great year!