Ratchet Chic & Friend

Dear Ratchet Chic & Friend,

Let me just say that you and your "Yes girl" are reason number 5,555,555,555 as to why I hate riding the metro; but, I digress. Why oh why did you decide to post up by me and then proceed to talk loudly inviting everyone to hear your conversation!?

Ma'am I don't give two craps about what someone did to you at work or how much you do and how little others do. It's called LIFE, and this may come as a shock to you but, IT'S NOT FAIR!

So, cry a river, build a bridge and get over it! And please get your ears checked because there is no reason for you to be talking that loud. Your flunky is standing right next to you and she's the only one that cares to hear what you got to say though I can't imagine why?! Oh and by the way have you ever heard of personal space? Guess not because you've totally invaded mine. Sigh...

Get it together!

Sincerely,

Tam (the always annoyed metro rider)

Something New

So since I can't give my undivided attention to two blogs I combined them into one and retitled my blog to: Pieces of Tam: My Life. Hope you enjoy reading my mommy product reviews and misadventures as a new mom! I'll also be adding my what I call Dear letters to the blog. People seem to get a kick out of them on FB.

My decision to combine the blogs is my effort in 2013 to blog more consistently and to provide a more rounded view of who I am and what goes on in the life of an every-day person trying to accomplish their goals.

Anyway enjoy my NEW (but not really) blog!

~Tam

Goodbyes and Hellos: The 2012 Review

Okay so I've been slacking on this blog. Clearly one of my goals (not resolutions) for the '13 is to be better about this.

Anyway 2012 was a very interesting year. If I had to pick a title to sum it up it would have to be as such: 2012, the Year of Goodbyes and Hellos. In 2012 I said goodbye to my job and hello to being unemployed. For many this would be devastating, but for me it was a breath of fresh air and an opportunity to find a job where I could advance, contribute and shine. I was very fortunate and blessed to have people in my corner to support me through this rough transition and by God's GRACE I said Hello to a new opportunity within three and a half months after my goodbye from my previous employer.

My biggest hello was to 30!!! Yeah that dreaded number that I've long since waited in utter agony for finally arrived and you know what....I'm FINE! 30 is not the big, bad, wolf I thought it to be. Turns out I was happy to say goodbye to my 20's. Since turning 30 I've felt more mature and hopefully acted that way as well...hahaha! :) 

I said goodbye to my son's infancy and hello to him becoming a more independent little person...i.e., toddlerdom! That little boy truly amazes me! I am so thankful and blessed to have him in my life. Watching him grow is my life's greatest joy.

Most importantly, I said goodbye to some people in my life. Actually, now that I think of it, it was only one person. Though I think of my friend often I also remember that "for everything there is a season..." and our season is done.

Secretly I think I said goodbye to my old attitude and way of thinking and hello to a more positive me. I'm happy about that because no matter what happens in my life I know that everything will work out for the best. I'm thankful for my new perspective and even more thankful for the people in my life who help me maintain it.

My last goodbye will be to 2012....its been real! It's been a great learning experience...one that I shan't forget! I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for me and my family.

We've Reached Toddler-dom!

So once again I have to say my baby is no longer a baby because he's officially ONE!!! I swear it's so surreal! I can't believe a whole year has gone by. Toddlerdom is bittersweet for me because I miss my sweet little infant son but then again I just love how much he has grown and changed in this past year. It's truly a blessing to see and I'm thankful that I get to see it and live it everyday! Okay so I know I owe some pictures but of course being the kind of Mom I am (the do-it yourself Mom) I didn't really take many pictures at his party because I was too busy running around making sure everything was perfect. But one of my family members did manage to capture a few with my iPad.

Anyway, the party was a sesame street themed bash complete with a fabulous looking and tasting cake and of course my homemade cupcakes (check out the pic below). So.....I won't take up anymore time blabbing, enjoy the pics!

L.J. splashing in his pool the week of his birthday! Very appropriate since it had been so humid and hot in MD

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

I guess L.J. decided that he'd had enough for the day!

Opening gifts with Mommy

LOL! L.J. is over it in this picture with his Dad

These are my labor of love for L.J. I got the idea from Pinterest. YES I made these myself!

So in case you didn't notice, L.J. got his first haircut! I wasn't there (THANK GOD) because I just felt like that was a moment L.J. should share with his father. I do have some hair trimmings though! I heard L.J. went off!! So I'm glad I wasn't there because he probably would have come home with no haircut. I hate to see him cry. But it was all for the best and I now LOVE the haircut. I was a little skeptical about it at first but my baby looks great!

And now last, but certainly not least, we are off to the Pedi today for his one-year check-up. I can't wait to get the confirmation from the Pedi to start L.J. on whole milk because we are OVER buying this expensive formula; makes me wonder if I should have BF'd L.J. longer??

A Time for Everything

So my baby is not such a baby anymore. Yes, I am a little sad as I realize I now have a toddler on my hands. Mr. L.J. eats what I eat, he walks, talks (hi, bye, mama, da-da, thank-u) and has loads of personality. It is so amazing to think that around this time last year I was just going out on maternity leave and anticipating June 17th. Of course June 17th would come and go with no baby in sight. Even then L.J. was doing things in his own time.

In exactly five days my son will be a whole year old! I'm so excited to plan the first of his many birthday parties. Of course this party will be attended mostly by family and friends. I can't wait for my little guy to go off to daycare and make some friends. Although I'm not looking forward to that weekly tuition, Hubs and I believe L.J. could benefit from being around other kids. Heck, I took L.J. for a playdate with his Godbrother Cameron (almost 2 years old) and ever since then L.J. has been a steady walker! :)

Anyway, I'll update my next post with lots of pictures and video!

Hello 30, You Look GOOD on Me!

Hello out there to those who still read my lil ole blog! So I've been the big 3-0 for about four days now and honestly....ITS NOT A BIG DEAL! LOL! I've been dreading this number/age for quite some time and when I finally arrive at its destination it was rather anti-climatic. Don't get me wrong, its weird to think to myself that I'm this old (yes I know "old" is relative) but I can happily and truthfully say that I'm glad to be here. Many people I know didn't make it to see 30 so I can't help but feel blessed to still be above ground, healthy, in my right mind, and surrounded by people who love me.

So, I would love to write a blog post and reflect on my twenties, but I haven't had time to even think about them. However, what I can tell you is 20 feels a lifetime ago; I was so immature and dating all the wrong people. I think the biggest take-away from my twenties was the life lessons I learned. And as much as I would love to hop in my pretend time machine and go back and prevent some of the stupid things I did, I can't because everything that happened then made me the fabulous 30 year old I am today.

At the moment the only thing that bothers me in life in general is my slowly moving (sometimes crawling) career. However, taking a lesson from my twenties, I may not be where I want to be when I want to be there, but I'll get there in God's time. And in God's time things are just so much better!

Anyway, stay tuned for my adventures in my thirties!

Grow Baby Grow!

Ilandus Jr.'s first Easter

So it's kind of hard continuing this blog when there is no commentary what so ever. Anyway, I will continue if only to document my son's first year of life. Obviously, I'm terribly behind. The last couple of months have flown by but here are some updates:

- as of L.J.'s last doctor's visit in March he weighed 22lbs exactly and he was 30 inches tall.
- the doctor advised me to start giving him food from our plates.
- he got another shot and some blood drawn.

Currently, L.J. is walking on the back of his walker and of course using the furniture to keep his balance. He did take a few steps on his own yesterday (a proud mommy moment) but for the most part he is still not confident enough to walk on his own.

He has five teeth with at least 3-4 more little teeth buds. At this point I can't help but feel like he's not a little baby anymore. L.J. has a bundle of energy! He's wild and fearless and gets into everything...I guess you can say he is a typical boy.

Since L.J. is getting older Hubby and I have definitely thought about moving him into a daycare center. I love and appreciate my parents for keeping my lil man all this time but for personal reasons as well as L.J.'s growth and development, we think its best for him to go to a daycare center. Problem is, where do we put him? There are so many centers in the area that we don't know where to start!!!

I did visit this one center with my mom and L.J. It's within walking distance to both of our homes, their tuition seems reasonable (childcare in my area is going to run you at least $1000 a month...sigh almost a mortgage payment), the center itself is bright and decorative, they have lots of activities and the curriculum seems on point. Best of call (don't judge me when I say this....) for an extra fee per month, you can login to the video surveillance system they have in each class and check on your child. I'm sorry but what a relief this is for first-time parents who are apprehensive about leaving their child with strangers. I suspect that I won't have the need to do this for long, but its nice to know that option is available. The center also has an open door policy so I, my mom, dad, hubby, close friends can drop by and check on L.J. anytime!

So far, that center is my #1 choice. I visited another center when I was still pregnant and didn't really get a good vibe from them so needless to say I won't be paying them another visit. I'm also interested in the center where my mom took me. Back in the 80's it was called Gerber day care center. Now, its called childtime. I checked their website and I like what I see so I'm hoping to pay them a visit in the coming week.

I strongly believe that soon after lil man's first birthday he'll be in a daycare center. I'm excited about it given that he'll be around other kids, he'll have a more structured environment, and best of all when I pick him up on my way home from work he'll be pooped! :)

Speaking of lil man's birthday, I've been on Pinterest (follow me) getting ideas for his birthday. I've decided to do a sesame street theme! I loved sesame street growing up and its as good now as it was back then. When L.J. is able to sit down and focus (for all of 5 mins if I'm lucky) he loves it too! I've decided I'm going to do the impossible and make my own sesame street cupcakes and smash cake for L.J. #killmenow LOL! I'll of course post photos and let everyone know how it goes...wish me luck!