Every little thing

I always knew that when you have a child your every single decision about that child is somehow up for public debate (or so some people think).  I don't think I knew just how true this was until I had my own kid.  It's constant!  Formula, juice, baby food, ear piercing if you have a girl, circumcision if you have a boy, nail polish and the list goes on.  I can't remember if I've ever told someone what they should or should not do with their kid but if I did I am sorry!! I should have kept my big mouth shut.  EVERYONE seems to have an opinion.  Today I bought N her first nailpolish.  It's called "It's a girl!"  Seemed appropriate. When I am ready I'll paint her toenails, not for her but for me!  Just saying!

New Jobs, New Neighbors, New Everything!

So I finally did it!!! I found a new job! Wahoo! And to boot, it's one of the number one places to work in America!  I no longer think that getting my degree as an adult was a complete waste of my time as I had to have it for this job. Not that I really ever thought this but sometimes felt I was just spinning my wheels. 

New Neighbors? Yep! The crappy ones are moving out at the end of this month, hopefully whomever comes next will be respectful and considerate. Here's crossing my fingers for that! 

Dear Noelle....Part one

There are some things I'd like to tell you. Amuse me for a moment while your Mommy goes on a rant, actually this is more of a life lessons moment. I'd say most of these things I'm about to tell you come from my own personal experience and musings. A few weeks ago I read an article titled "Why women still can't have it all." Honey, I know what you are thinking (or at least I think I do), that women can have anything they want! That's true, I do think that women can have anything they want but I don't think they can have it all, at least not all at once,  which was the point of this article. No matter how much has changed, women are still responsible for having children and trying to balance a work life. It's so hard to try to be your best at everything. Your number one job is being a great wife and a great mom but you also have to try and be a good worker as well. Noelle, my point is this I want you to always feel like you can have it all, but maybe you just have to be more careful about when you plan to be at the peak of your career or maybe you choose to be a stay at home Mom, either way I'll always support you and love you. 

Next, let's talk about other women. I hate that I'm saying this but the truth is that women are often times other women's worst enemies. It is unfortunate but women don't support each other the way that we should. It's hard enough out there without not having the support of your fellow women. An example of this is the girl that always sides with the guys because she thinks it'll make her look better if she does, that somehow if she seems "more like a man" that she will get ahead faster when in reality it just makes her look ignorant. There is nothing wrong with being a woman and thinking like a woman. It's what makes us unique and special. I think this especially applies if you end up working in a male dominated field. Don't bring yourself down to their level and feel you need to "man it up" to get any respect. Be yourself, be a hard worker and respect the work you do. The rest will take care of itself. 

On the subject of other women let's talk about friends. Ugh, this is a tough subject for me. Over the years I have had my share of bad friends. The flaky ones, the ones who stab you in the back, the ones who are always looking for the bigger, better deal and the ones who just don't deserve you. Strive to be the kind of friend to someone else that you would want for yourself. The thing about friends is that it's not about quantity it's about quality. Your friends should always have your back, never abandon you for a guy, not turn into someone you don't recognize when they get engaged, they should be able to cry with you and stick around when things get tough as much as they would when things are at their best. It has taken me many, many years to find a few friends who are like this and I feel very lucky to have them. 

 I feel like this is a lot to digest so I'll stop for now. I know that right now you are only 3 months old (almost 15 weeks old!) so all of this may not mean a lot to you right now but your old Mom needed to say it while I have it on my mind and maybe one day you will be old enough to read it and understand. I want you to always know that your Dad and I wanted you more than anything in this world and we always want you to feel at home in your own family. Love, Mom :-)