And the bad mommy of the year award goes too....

First, a brief introduction. I am Stephanie, married to Jesus (no, not JESUS but Hey-Seuss). His nickname in Mexico where he was born is Chuey (Chewy). Somehow, that translated to Chuky (CHOOO-Key) north of the border. Not sure why or how, but his family in Mexico calls him Chuey and his family here calls him Chuky and it somehow works. We have a cherished baby girl named Gabriella-Jo Carmen, but almost always referred to as Gabby or Gabs. We also have two loving mutts, Bella and Allie. As for me, I don't know of any nicknames other than Steph because people are kind enough to not share those with me to my face!

Our little family lives in Salt Lake City, Utah - although Chuke would love to change that location! SLC is an interesting place. I don't really feel like I have anything in common with it besides my family, but it works. We tend to stick out like sore thumbs here, but we hang out with other sore thumbs so at least we are in good company. So, you may be asking yourself, why bother with a blog? Simply answered, because.

When I was pregnant, I had so many plans. I mean BIG PLANS. I would take pictures of Gabby regularly and capture every change of her features. I would make imprints of her tiny hands and feet at birth, at 6 months and at one year to show how they grew. I would chronicle every milestone, create the greatest baby book ever, record each and every precious moment in print and film.....blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

Then came baby.

It started with the lack of sleep. I have NEVER been so tired before as I was those first few weeks. Now at nearly 10 months (Oh-My-God) either that has gotten better or my body has adjusted to exhaustion. Then came the reality of NEVER having longer than 3 minutes (and that is on a good day) to myself. Between wanting to be held and her constant breastfeeding, I am lucky if I get a shower everyday, let alone have time to write a paragraph of her amazing milestones uninterrupted! Add tendonitis from constantly carrying baby and her things, spit-up and snot stained clothes, adjusting to Gabby time which always runs at least 30 minutes behind real time, piles and piles of laundry and countless chewed up baby toys thanks to Bella and you can get a better picture of our life now.

Before I even knew it, my tiny little munchkin had learned to sit and crawl, cut 6 teeth, pulled herself up to a stand and begun singing "AI-OH" whenever Old MacDonald played. And, me being the bad mommy that I am had failed to record such miracles in a proper fashion. BAD BAD MOMMY!

In all fairness, it is not as if I haven't been busy this year! My life forever changed last year. I mean, 2004 started out with me being pregnant, having a baby, finding a daycare (which will forever more be referred to as "Gabby's School" in this blog because they charge tuition and that term invokes less maternal guilt then the alternative!), becoming a WOHM (Working Outside of the Home Mother for those of you unfamiliar with messageboard speak), etc. etc. etc. And, no, I never did get around to making Gabby her first Christmas stocking or religiously chronicling her every milestone. But, I refuse to give in to that guilty conscience inside of me that is screaming that I deserve the Bad Mommy of 2004 Award. I had too many expectations without enough hand's on experience. And, to my credit, I did give up a most desired possession (CHOCOLATE) for nearly 5 months because Breast is Best and my dear little Gabs gastrointestinal upsets meant that mommy could no longer eat diary, soy, eggs or nuts.

So, my New Year's Resolution this year is to write. Not everyday, maybe not even every week, but as often as I can. Even if it is just to say that Gabs sang "AI-OH" or cut another tooth. And, somebody reads my ramblings, great. And if nobody reads it, so be it. But, at least this blog can help me chronicle something of my daughter's early life and if nothing else, writing it can give me the outlet I need and aggrivate my tendonitis even more! So, Happy New Year from me.