Remember November

I stand by my blog title - Time flies when you're having fun! November must have been fun because I seriously can not believe its over. This month has been hectic but I know its been a cake-walk compared to what December will bring and I am excited for the challenge!
I am a big one for reminiscing , especially when it comes to my baby boy, and this month brings back memories of just 2 short years ago and how far we have come:

I know, I know TMI right? Well he was a planned baby, what can I say? LOL

He is 16 going on 17 months old already has 12 teeth , a few signs and as of Thanksgiving day finally>>> ONE WORD!!

That word is a special word, especially to our Lijah and makes me so happy that he chose it to be his first, even if it sounds more like YaWa it translates to LOVE but it means:

NOAH

For those who don't know the scoop: We refer to them as brothers but they are technically first cousins once removed. Noah lives with my Mother in Law ( Bubbas Mom, his Great Grandma) but we have shared custody of him with her and he spends the weekends with us. These two boys love each other SO MUCH its ridiculous! Its amazing. Its beautiful. I hope hope hope that their relationship is always so awesome.

Thanksgiving was different for us this year, in that I didn't cook, but instead we went and helped serve meals to the homeless and I hope thats a tradition we can continue from now on at our house. But we did have a turkey, a 25 pounder...

we've been plumping him up since last year...

I can't get over how fast time goes with him around I saw a quote that captured it well recently:

"For Mothers of small children, the days are long but the years are short."

SO TRUE!

Tomorrow is December 1st and its going to be a special day for me, I have spent many many an hour in this past year thinking about mortality and how precious children are. December 1st is significant for a few reasons:

1. My friend had her baby boy twins TYLER and PARKER on December 1st last year. Those babies are fighters. Their Mommy and Daddy fought on behalf of them to even conceive them, then fought to keep them safe in Mommy's belly for as long as possible. I talked with her on the phone almost every day while she was on bed-rest in hospital for a loooong time and we begged them to stay put till December. That they did. And not a moment longer! She called me early on December 1st 2008 and said "  it's a baby day!" . They fought in the NICU and both came home by early Feb I believe and are the sweetest lil dudes. They defied the odds and will continue to do so.

2. Another friend had her baby SLADE on that same day. Slade is a miracle too. In many ways. Her Mommy and Daddy had 2 boys and were hoping for a sweet daughter, it took quite a while for them to get pregnant again and when we found out she was the long awaited for GIRL , we all cried tears of joy. Little did we know how that little girl and her absolutely incredible smile would lift up that family the first year of her life , when they discovered a Tumor growing on her oldest brothers brain before she was 3 months old. Forester ( who is now 8) is fighting like a champ and after his surgery and lots of Chemo and things I can't even comprehend , he will come out strong and will always be a hero to me. He is incredible as is his entire family, if it were not for Slade I would not know them.

SO HAPPY BIRTHDAY SLADE, TYLER and PARKER for tomorrow!!

The 3rd reason is different. This child has a tragically different story , an equally amazing family , a place in my heart that I did not know was there for a little person who I would never have met but may have known as I am sure she would have been famous. Madaline Spohr . The reason why December 1st is significant regarding her, even her parents wouldn't know. Maybe its morbid , I hope not, thats not my intention but tomorrow my baby will be a day older than Maddie never got to be. And I am going to celebrate his life , embrace his silliness and stop and smell the roses, thankful for every single moment I have with him. Entering this crazy holiday season with the goal of making it special but not at the expense of making memories and those don't always require big parades, platters, parties or presents, but they do require people and plenty of time with them. That I can do. And that , I appreciate. 

Lucky 13

First, let me begin by explaining my lack of bloggage. For those who don't know its NaPoBloMo and so Bloggers who have the oomph are supposed to post once a day every day for the month of November! How cool... yeahhhh I 'm NOT one of them . I figured I'd not waste your blog reading time with my ramblings since you probably had a few others to catch up on. My friend Brittany @ www.mommywords.com is totally rocking it out.  Thats my excuse and I am sticking to it!

So now I have to tell you about my Friday the 13th. It was something let me tell ya... Let me rewind and explain the lead up : So it was to be my first weekend away from my baby, a MOMS WEEKEND AWAY in VEGAS! This is not just ANY group of moms, its was part of a group of girls that I love dearly. For 2 years we have communicated almost every day, in almost every way but never face to face- until now.
It sounds dodgy, I know I know, don't worry I get "the look" when I tell this to people, but if you know me for one, you know I met my husband online , so its not THAT unusual for me. But more importantly if you are reading this Blog you are probably in the category of people who are open to the greatness of an Internet community and if you have any doubts about its power, you need to research the current case of Anissa Mayhew - a Mega Mommy Blogger who had a stroke earlier this week and how there are thousands of people around the globe who are rooting for her, supporting her, praying for her and keeping the faith alive for her and her family.

I digress.

We planned this trip to Vegas long ago, and I was so READY for my weekend away but also slightly terrified at the prospect of leaving my boy for 3 full days. I left the house at 6am on Friday November 13th, aware of the date but I am not superstitious and it was too early for my brain to even deal with that anyway.
I was scheduled to fly from CLT to ATL and connect with a friend from ATL to LAS. I , in general have bad luck with flying. That said I always make it safely to my destination and back so its not THAT bad and boy oh boy I am grateful for that! They make me check my carry on suitcase due to lack of space, oh well as long as I can pick it up in Vegas.So we get out on the runway in CLT. I'm ready, I send my last minute text messages: " Departing Gate! C U Soon! " . Aaaaaand we wait...
Next thing we are heading back to the gate. Navigation Issues. Part is coming - from ATLANTA.
We all get off the plane and back in line at the gate and we wait some more. Missed my connection from Atlanta to Vegas and subsequently my friend/ flight buddy. I do get put onto a new flight and this one is direct to Vegas for CLT so thats a bonus and ultimately I would only be an hour later than my original flight arrival. So, new flight, new plane ( well not a *NEW* plane just new to me) , new airline, gate and departure time. New text : " OK lets try this again! Departing Gate, must turn off phone, C U soon!"
Kiss of death.
NEW PROBLEM. Right engine won't start, we kinda need that... So they tell us to wait on the plane while the look and see if they can fix it quickly. Hmmmm I am not-so-comfortable with the "quick fix" plan but my blood was boiling too much for me to get up out of my seat at that point. We waited over an hour while I watched from my window as 3 men fiddled with the engine until I saw one give the Pilot a thumbs up! I was happy but very nervous at his point. Text : " Looks like its good to go. If I die in a ball of fire coz I ignored the signs 4 me NOT to go. I will feel like a dumbass. ".
5 hrs and 1 drink no snacks and 1 Grand Canyon later , I landed safely in Vegas!!!

6pm EST and half a chicken biscuit all day, but I was not the only one who was hungry and disrupted by my flight drama. The other 7 Moms that came had also been upheaved by MY flight drama and had not eaten all day either- a GREAT way to impress your  *new* friends! oh and did I mention they lost my Luggage? Yup. Borrowed clothes , make-up and accessories and headed for the Strip that very night too. Luggage got delivered late that night.

In case you were wondering. I did NOT win a penny on the slot machines that Friday the 13th.

But I met some Lucky Ladies and we had a ball.