See, we only have a long weekend to make it to the other side of the country, visit with family, see my husband’s cousin’s baptism and make it back to the Sunshine State. And it’s very important to my husband and me that we are there since hubby is the Godfather. I think he should wear a tux with a nice, red rose pinned to the lapel. Seriously though, I’m pretty sure my husband felt just as famous as Don Corleone when he saw his name listed as the Godparent on the invitation.

We have all been anticipating this trip for a few months now and can’t believe that in just a week, we’ll be on our way! But with all the excitement of preparing for freezing weather and possibly (hopefully) snow, I can’t help but worry about such a long drive up north with a 3-year-old. We plan to drive through the night both ways in hopes Aubrey will sleep for even a few hours, but that means Mom and Dad will be very tired as we drive through unknown territory.

For my daughter we plan to stock up on snacks, my hubby will load up on caffeine, and I plan to have a secret stash of sweets I can pull from if need be. The car has been prepared for winter driving with anti-freeze. And we have the GPS in place.

But with such a big yet short trip on the horizon, I’d love more suggestions on traveling such a great distance with a preschooler who can barely make it through a two-hour movie.

Wish us luck!

I worried that my daughter, being a little girl, would want and ask for a baby sister. But luckily, she said she would be happy with a brother or sister, adding she’d really love one of each. Ha. But only a few days later, my daughter began voicing her opinion…on baby names.

“Mommy, I know what we should name our baby,” she said to me one afternoon. “If it’s a boy, we can name the baby Rex. And if it’s a girl, we can name the baby Pearl.”

Why those names? She said Pearl is her favorite jewel, and Rex, well, “because of the dinosaur.” I definitely chuckled inside but told Aubrey I thought her choices were wonderful names, figuring she’d forget about her picks in a day or two.

Nope. No such luck. Aubrey refers to the baby in my belly as Rex and/or Pearl almost all the time. And when we talked about names over dinner last night, she couldn’t understand why we were even bothering to chat since the name, in her mind, has already been decided.

We explained to Aubrey that Pearl or Rex can be her special name for the baby. And she agreed, telling us that we (mommy and daddy) could also pick a special name for the baby. Whew. Big problem avoided.

But all in all, it makes me feel so happy to know how much Aubrey already cares for her little sibling. And the fact that she’d even take the time to help name the baby means the world to me. My biggest concern when deciding to have another child was that I wouldn’t be able to give Aubrey my everything like I have the past three years. But I think I am giving her something pretty big. I am giving her a baby Rex or baby Pearl who she can love her whole life.

It started Wednesday when I felt a nagging pain. But by that night, it was all I could do to even walk from the couch to my bed, hoping a good night’s sleep would make me feel better. Well, I was wrong. I tossed and turned all night and finally got up around 6 a.m. to let my husband know there was no way I’d be able to drive our daughter to school.

I had tried to hide my pain from Aubrey, letting her know my head was hurting but trying not to let her in on the extent of how sick I was feeling. But on Thursday morning, I just broke down and started to cry.

I’m not really a bigger crier. In fact, when my hubby and I were dating, he would always joke that he didn’t even think I’d cry on our wedding day. So I know Aubrey had never seen Mommy cry before. And I had never wanted her to. I think as parents, we want to be superheroes to our kids, never letting them see us when we are hurt or sick or having a bad day.

When my daughter heard me in tears on the couch, she left her cereal at the table and ran over to me.  She wrapped her tiny arms around me, rubbed my back and told me she loved me. And if you are a parent, I don’t even have to tell you how good that felt.

The whole event made me realize that it’s foolish of me to try to always put on a happy face and shield my daughter from how I’m truly feeling. I want Aubrey to know it’s OK for people to feel upset or even to cry. And that it’s good to talk about your feelings, not hide them.

The rest of the day, Aubrey did all she could to help take care of me. She kept her voice down, asked me how I was doing and offered to get me anything I needed. And she learned that even mommies can have a bad day.

So for the past few weeks, we’ve done nothing but get boxes, load boxes, stack boxes and get more boxes. Aubrey has been surprisingly excited and willing to help, so we’ve managed to get almost everything packed just in time. But man did I fail to realize how much we really had to pack.

There was junk shoved in the pits of the hell-hole we called our closet; there were more cups in our cabinets then we’d ever possibly need unless we plan to host a wedding in the near feature; and I realized I own enough shoes to wear a new pair pretty much every day of the year.

The point is we have a lot. And packing made me realize how thankful I am for how much we have. Like most other families, money has been tight for our family the past few months with added expenses and rising prices. And I know that personally, our lack of funds has made me feel like we are going without all the extras, like the unnecessary trips to Target and restaurant runs.

But when you start putting all your belongings in boxes, boxes and more boxes, you realize how much you really have and how lucky you really are to have what you have. We are certainly not going without, even though we may feel like we are sometimes. And I guess it took putting all our stuff in boxes for me to realize how truly blessed I am.

My husband and I both have jobs, and we have food to eat, clothes to wear and are able to move to a more spacious home. Right now, people are losing their jobs and losing their homes. I am thankful for what I have, and I guess it’s about time I realized that.

But I am starting to realize that the Halloween season has hit my daughter more than I thought. Last night, we had a special dinner-and-a-movie family night. We ran into Target, where my daughter picked out a new movie to watch (“Diego’s Halloween”), and then we swung by Moe’s to pick up some burritos. My daughter thought eating in front of the TV was the best part of the night by far.

My daughter loved seeing Diego dressed up as a bat and thought the monkeys covered in white sheets were super silly. But then came bedtime.

We did the normal routine –  PJs, teeth and bed – but after I tucked Aubrey in, she emerged from her room minutes later, almost in tears.

“I can’t sleep,” she said. “I hear scary noises.”

My heart just sank for her. I can’t stand seeing my daughter scared or upset.

“What scary noises did you near?” I asked her.

“I heard ghost noises,” she said, her bottom lip turned down. “There were people outside my window making scary ghost noises.”

I explained to her, as I’ve done before, that scary ghosts are not real, and that there is nothing outside her window. I tucked her back into bed, and upon her request, took the happy, glowing pumpkin decoration out of her room.

I will admit, I felt a bit of guilt last night. I have always gone out of my way to shield Aubrey from the scarier parts of Halloween. In our family, Halloween is about dressing up as fun characters and getting candy, not about scary goblins. But this year, I have been a bit more relaxed, like not quickly turning my cart the other way when we passed the talking skeleton display in Target.

But now, my guard is back up. Our babies have enough things to figure out in this world. I don’t want my little girl worrying about ghosts outside her bedroom wall.

We had been talking about the upcoming visit for days, and much to my surprise, Aubrey was incredibly excited to have the dentist polish her pearly whites. I, on the other hand, was a bit nervous. What if I hadn’t brushed her teeth enough or had missed some spots in the back, and now she already has cavities? Getting a 3-year-old to stay still and open wide isn’t always easy, as I’m sure other parents have experienced. And on the nights when she falls asleep on a car ride home, I certainly do not wake her to brush her teeth.

The dentist gave my husband and me some wonderful pointers, like if Aubs falls asleep before I brush her teeth, I can rub a very small amount of toothpaste over her back teeth to sit overnight. And Aubrey was thrilled to wear a pretty cool pair of shades to block her eyes from the light. But nothing could top her favorite part of the visit – getting “glitter” (a.k.a. fluoride) rubbed on her teeth for the finishing touch.

When I heard the dentist say, “Her teeth look great, very little plaque,” I was super relived, but unfortunately, the feeling only lasted a few seconds.

As the visit came to a close, the dentist made it clear that while Aubrey’s smile is perfect now, her mouth will be just too small for adult teeth. You’d think with the noise that child can make, her mouth would be big enough for a couple sets.

So around age 6, she’ll have to have baby teeth pulled to make room for her permanent teeth. And at age 11, she will need braces. As the dentist told us the news, the first thing that popped into my head was “How dare you! My daughter is perfect and so are her teeth!” But as I thought about it what the dentist was saying, I realized Aubrey will have to go through the exact same thing I went through as a child – teeth pulled and braces for a few years. Then all I could picture was a bunch of dollar signs.

My parents still remind me that I better always take care of my teeth considering the thousands they spent on them! I guess my hubby better change his jar labeled “Surfboard Relief Fund” to say “Aubrey’s Dental Fund.”

Aubrey goes to school until noon, which means I pick her up right around the time she and her classmates are suppose to be watching a movie before nap time. But when I walked into the classroom last week, Aubrey was sitting by herself in the corner of the classroom. At first I was taken back, worried she was in trouble and not allowed to watch the movie. But boy was I wrong.

My daughter had chosen to sit in the reading center with a book rather than watch the movie. She told her teachers she didn’t need to watch a movie and would rather look at a book. All I could think to myself was, really!? I was so proud of my little girl.

Lately, She and I have been talking about how while watching TV is fun, we shouldn’t watch too much. Over the summer she was watching way too many cartoons, to the point where that was all she wanted to do. So I have been really trying to show her how much more fun it is to play rather than sit on the couch. And she listened to me! Even when I didn’t think she heard what I was saying, she was listening.

The whole event really showed me how important it is to always talk to my daughter and let her know how I feel and what I expect from her, even when I think she may not be listening. Of course I told her how proud I was to see her reading a book, so now she always chooses to read a book rather than watch the movie, at school anyway. She does still ask for one cartoon when she gets home. I guess things come with time.

But there is one thing missing from this town as we prepare for the new season: cooler weather. When I walk outside, I am dripping with sweat before I get to the car. And when I take the dog for a walk, my clothes are sticking to me by the time I get home.

Fall is, by far, my favorite time of year. I love pulling out my pumpkins and candles from the closet and decorating my home.  Everything just feels so warm and cozy, like I should make a hot cup of something and snuggle under a blanket.  But the problem is, it’s still so warm outside that if drank a hot cup of tea then walked outside, I’d probably faint.

If we could just get the temperature to drop by a few degrees and maybe get a few trees to turn to shades of yellow or red, then at least I wouldn’t feel so silly hanging up autumn decorations. But no such luck. Weather.com is predicting our temperatures to stay in the high 80s for all of September. And as far as the low temperatures go, I wonder why they even bother with those.

But I guess I shouldn’t complain, since I will be more than happy to be able to walk out to my car without trudging through 5 feet of snow come December. I really enjoy living in Florida, but a little reprieve from the hot, hot weather would be nice now and then. Maybe it’s just me, but it always seems like people tend to be nicer and more patient as the temperature drops. I know I smile more when my body doesn’t feel like it’s had the life sucked out of it by the Florida heat.

But for now, until December comes and we have a day or two of cool weather, maybe I’ll just close my blinds, make some hot chocolate for the family and pretend like it isn’t a million degrees outside my front door.

I always joke about how I am positive my daughter will grow up to be a veterinarian. She has to pet every puppy she lays eyes on, she ooohs and awwws at every kitty in the pet store, she has fed horses, goats and chickens, and she has such a caring and loving nature. But I never thought she’d be over-the-top excited about buying and holding a lizard.

No, we didn’t buy one for our house. Are you kidding me? My husband is going to be teaching science this year, and apparently, that means he needs/wants/has an excuse to turn his classroom into a zoo! So we headed out to several local pet stores, including a reptile store, where we purchased a desert collard lizard.

Aubrey could not wait to get home so she could hold the scaly little creature. The minute we walked into the door, she sat on the floor with the aquarium, waiting for daddy to take the lid off. I think she knew mommy wouldn’t be getting the lizard out for her to see.  I had a lizard ride in my car and crawl on my living room carpet. Baby steps.

She held the lizard (who is now named Godzilla), let it crawl on her shoulder, pet its back and made little kissy faces toward it. She kept saying over and over again how much she loved the lizard, how she wanted to hold it all night and how she was “so brave” for holding the lizard.

We had to sit her down and explain to her that Godzilla would not be staying at our home; it had to go to Daddy’s classroom for his students to see. She wasn’t pleased, but I promised her we’d visit the lizard often to say hi. She must be crazy if she thinks I am going to keep a lizard in my house. Although, I will admit I wasn’t as grossed out as I thought I’d be. The thing is actually kind of cute in its own ugly little way. But I don’t think I could bring myself to feed it live crickets every other day.

So while my daughter did shock me tonight, I guess she only confirmed my guess at her future occupation – definitely a veterinarian, and certainly one that welcomes exotic pets. However, the dress code better allow her to wear a princess dress because that’s about all she wants to wear these days.

To see more pictures and  videos of Aubrey and Godzilla, visit GainesvilleMoms.com.

A few months ago, we adopted a wonderful dog from a local rescue. She was a happy, playful little puppy who loved to snuggle. But the only problem was, she wasn’t that way with Aubrey. She wouldn’t play with Aubrey, cuddle with Aubrey or really even pay any attention to Aubrey. As a matter of fact, our little puppy became a completely different dog when Aubs entered the room. She would become extremely tense, continuously nipped at her and would even snap at her with an awful I-don’t –like-you look if Aubrey came anywhere near her.

We wondered, day after day, how this precious little dog could be so wonderful around my husband and I, but so uneasy around our daughter. Because we all loved the dog very much, including my daughter, despite their dysfunctional relationship, we wanted to do all we could to help the dog and fix the behavioral problems we were experiencing.

Our vet suggested we try rescuing another dog, one that was more laid-back and willing to bond with Aubrey. He said adding another dog to the mix can often change the entire dynamic of the household.

The suggestion didn’t work. Now we simply had another dog to care for.

Still determined to make the situation better, we called an extremely knowledgeable and experienced dog trainer for private training session in our home, something we struggled to afford but knew we wanted to, simply had to do.
The trainer spent a great deal of time with our family and assessed our dog. The results were not what we had hoped to hear. She said our dog was absolutely wonderful, was extremely smart and would make a wonderful pet for the right family. But unfortunately, we weren’t the right family. The trainer said some dogs simply do not do well around young children. Because children are so unpredictable, they can often make dogs feel very tense and uneasy, causing them to act out.

I am not an overly-emotional person, but I cried for several days after hearing the news. And still, I tried calling other trainers and explaining our situation, hoping for some ray of light. But the news was always the same.
While Aubrey loved our dog so much, she was getting tired of being nipped at. And our dog wasn’t happy, either, constantly having to feel insecure in our house. So we did what we knew we had to do. We allowed the rescue to find our dog a new home.

I never thought I would become so attached to a pet. But this dog was our family’s first pet. And she and I had actually really bonded. I wrote a note of all the things she liked and didn’t like, and I sent her with a few of her favorite toys.  Believe it or not, just writing this blog is making me upset again.

I think about out first dog every day, especially since we now have dog #2 (Tebow) to care for, but I have to keep reminding myself that we did all we could to make everything work. I know she is a wonderful dog and will be so happy living with a great family minus young kids.

I did what was best for my family, for my daughter and for our dog. At least that is what I have to keep telling myself to get through this experience.

Here is a picture of Aubrey and our new dog, Tebow. While she took some time to warm up to the new dog, they are now best friends!