Mommy needs a time out

She loves jello

Yep, climbing on the table

One of my best friends, Bri, who convienantly lives across the street suprised my by taking Ireland out and about today, and let me tell you I need the break. I don't know what is going on with my child, but sleep does not appear to be on her agenda right now. Things in that area have been great for months. She goes down between 10 and 11 and gets up between 9 and 11 in the morning. Since I work til midnight and usually dont' get to sleep til around two (think about it, all you people with normal jobs, you can't just go to bed when you get home at 6 or 7 at night can you?) So this sleep schedule was working pretty good for me, I felt fully functional. Well the last week or two my monster has been alternating between screaming her head off at 3 am and getting up for the day anywhere between 6 and 7:30. NOT GOOD. Mommy feels like a zombie and a totally shit mom all day, then I have to go pretend to give a shit about my job all night. I have no idea why this is happening, but nothing is working. Her doctor Laura told me if she wakes up at night I need to just let her scream cause it's not gonna hurt her and she needs to learn. I have succesfully used this option one time. Every other time I have stumbled in grabbed her and deposited her in my bed where she immediately goes back to sleep. I know, I know, BAD! However all I can think at this point in the night when I have only been asleep for an hour is SLEEP, I want it and that's the quickest way to get it, until I am later woken up in the morning by being repeatedly hit in the face. I seriously feel like I did when I first went back to work after my maternity leave, and was just a walking zombie for months. I'm also struggling with the whole working single mom thing. I spend all day with Ireland before work, but I feel horrible leaving her at 4 and not being the one who gives her dinner or puts her to bed. Thank god for my parents because I would have drowned long ago without them, but I feel like it's hard to have any control when Grandma and Grandpa are just going to do what they want anyway. Not to mention the few days when Chris has her, I have no idea what goes on and it's like pulling teeth trying to get him to tell me anything that happens. I just feel lost right now I guess. I have to work obviously, I'm lucky to have the job I have it's ridiculously easy and the money is good. Also I know I couldn't handle being a totally stay at home mom, I would lose my mind. There is just no happy medium. So sorry about all the whining, it's just one of those days. In other news my sister's baby shower is April 8th, which I'm excited about, and Christy's is the begining of April too, can't wait for that either. Ireland has been cracking me up lately. It's been pretty nice out so we go for walks and to the park most days. She loves the slide and she loves birds and puppys. She waves to cars as they pass and tell them bye-bye. It keeps me on my toes cause the kid is quick. And she is an eating machine right now. Anything you have you must share with her, or you will get an earful, and let me tell you the girl can scream. She has developed this new ear-shattering shriek that sounds like nothing I have ever heard. It's like full on panic, and then you get the pathetic big sobs. My girl can throw a temper tantrum, and she's only 17 months. But she has the best laugh and the most beautiful smile. And I love her more than my own life. She will climb on anything and has no fear. Figured out how to get the dog gate open on the back porch and while I was trying to chase down the dog (who will kill any animal that crosses his path) she took a little tumble down the three stairs. Didn't get hurt at all, but scared mommy to death. New adventures everyday, and no sleep, that is our life right now!

Long Day

A Happier Moment

I need summer, now. I cannot stand this cold weather anymore. I think Ireland has a major case of cabin fever. Today was not a good day, she was just cranky and whiny all day, and threw a fit when Chris picked her up. I am just so tired all the time, no matter if I get any sleep or not, I can't shake off this constant exhaustion. I need the sun. I know it will help me. After Ireland went to her dad's tonight I went and got a mani/pedi and it was wonderful. So relaxing just what I needed after this weekend. Yesterday I saw that the one I used to see wrote 'sorry' in the dirt on my car window,drivers side of course. Just what I needed to see, just made me more sad, I really, really hate liars. I wish people could just be honest. I better stop this now, too much whining in my life today, it's catching. Laundry is calling my name.

More pictures

Just a couple more pictures. I got this tatoo a couple weeks ago, it's Ireland's name, obviously and under it says Mo Chroi, which is Gaelic for my heart. I love it, and yes, it hurt like a bitch. That makes number nine for me, but I can cover them all, and yes I still like them all. The first picture is a little tribute to my Grandma that just passed since she bought Ireland this Elmo hat last winter. My baby is such a goof. Love her

17 months!

Just playing with my puppy

My baby is 17 months old today! How did this happen? The time has gone so fast, but I love every minute of it (well maybe with the exception of her giving me the flu twice) She is turning into such a little person. We have finally learned to climb down the stairs. She's been climbing up them since she was probably 9 mo old but now we can get down too so we're all set. I still keep the gate closed of course, she's only allowed to do this stuff with someone else with her. She talks all the time, still not too much english though. She says mama, puppy, kitty, bye, hi, go way (to the dog) and uh-oh. And last week for the first time ever, she told me NO! I was hoping we wouldn't pick that one up for awhile longer, but no, I was giving her lunch and she decided she was done with it, she shoved my hand back and said 'no mama'. She has almost all her teeth and she just wants to run, run everywhere. Sometimes she's a picky eater, and sometimes she'll chow down whatever you put in front of her. She wants to drink milk all the time, but I'm really trying to make her drink juice and water. She'll go to town with water if it's out of a bottle we are drinking, she always wants what we have, but she really doesn't want anything to do with juice. She's still having pooping issues, but no more trips to the ER. She loves putting our shoes on and trying to walk around. It's adorable. She sleeps alot, she'll go to bed around 10:30 and she doesn't get up til like anywhere between 10 and 11:30 the next morning. I realize how lucky I am for this since I work at night, but sometimes I worry about her sleeping this much, what if somethings wrong with her that I can't see? Is this normal, maybe just a growth spurt, or maybe she just got mommy's love of sleep? Did this happen to any of you guys? That's not to say she doesnt' still have her moments of no sleep no matter what. Especially when she comes back from Chris's house, it always takes her a day or two to get back to normal, he always screws up her schedule. That's life I guess. So that's my girl in a nutshell right now. She's fabulous and makes my life worth living every day. I just want to say thanks to my friends that are always there for me through the good and the really, really bad, you know who you are and I love you. Damn daylight savings, got to get ready for work.