Sunny is sick with the stomach flu. When you’re little and under 3 feet tall they give it this really fancy name viral gastroenteritis.

Basically it means that you sleep a lot, scream during the times that you are awake, and ask for your Mama a 15,678,294,750 million times a day. Possibly the worst outcome of such a terrible illness is that you are not allowed to have your Milk- around here we call Milk “milka milka”- and Sunny wants some! Many of you may recall I stopped breast feeding Sunshine around 8.5 months, then reserved my pumped milk for times when she was feeling “under the weather”. But then it seemed weird to have a one year old and some pumped mama milk in the freezer, so on her first  birthday I forcibly offered her Mama’s Milk- to welcome her into toddler-hood. (That seriously happened, did I just grow weirder in your eyes?) She drank it and loved it and now it’s all gone.

In any case I’m out of Mama Milk and now the poor baby isn’t allowed cows milk, because she throws it up in these disgusting and stinky chunks. Too much information? Whatever, I feel like we’re all close friends and should be able to discuss vomit together

I’m praying that this bug is over and done with very very soon. I am told that as she starts preschool and the like she will be sick often, bringing home all sorts of terrible “bugs” with fancy names. This has got me seriously considering home schooling… So anyone with any advice on how to help my Sunshine cope with her very sick tummy, feel free to leave a comment below.

Speaking of comments, I got a comment the other day requesting more information on the YMCA that Sunny and I frequent, with the free daycare. We go to the Armory Y in Park Slope, but my guess is that plenty of YMCA’s offer similar babysitting and classes for your little one. If you can afford an hour per day into your schedule with work and a little one, I highly suggest it for your own sanity and health!

Last, but never ever least, a good friend called today with news that she is expecting! This is the third call of such a nature in  3 weeks! Congrats to all of you who are expecting new additions to your growing families. In am so excited to meet these little people. I can tell that Sunny is excited too because whenever I say the last names of our expecting friends I say “Now give me a high five” and she says “Five” ( which sounds more like “iiiive” ) and then we slap hands like we’re so bad-ass.

Way back in November I had family photos taken. I promised the results and here they are….

Choosing this years Christmas card was difficult due to the great backdrop  of Hilton Head Beach, but we went with Sunny in the white dress because it had that certain dramatic “flare” to it…it only got awkward when I received so many adorable, fun, and colorful Holiday cards. Maybe next year we too will go with stripes and polka dots and our fall photo- but I doubt it. Sunny will just have to learn to be the kid who has the Mother who dresses her her pearls, sends out dark gray Xmas cards, and color coordinates the Christmas tree.

We’re headed to Ohio, despite the snow, Sunny’s sickness, and the fact that it’s damn-near noon. God help my nerves on this 8 hour drive.

First  of all…..

Its been one hellofa Christmas here in Brooklyn.

My parents came up on Wednesday, my Mother got sick on Thursday, my daughter got sick on Friday, myself, Matt, and my Father got sick on Saturday evening.

By Sunday my parents started their drive back to South Carolina- trying to avoid the storm, a VERY VERY ill Matt, Sunny, and I went to the doctor were we thought Sunny might need to go to the ER for an IV, and the rest of yesterday was spent in and out of the bathroom and bed.

Its worth pointing out that in between all the sickness we had an outstanding Christmas. Santa came to our house! He left Sunny a beautiful handwritten letter and delivered her her very first car…which she refused to get out of and made my Father drive her and her “girlfriends” around all Christmas morning.

We left Santa a red velvet cake. Who knew he was such a big fan? We knew Santa must be southern at heart

My poor Sunshine girl- she loves the Holidays soooo much! She did her best to make the best of it all, and even though she hasn’t had one single piece of food in 4 DAYS she’s  still full of smiles.

Our holiday was full of awesome memories and true gratefulness for our togetherness. One day we’ll look back on the stomach flu we passed from person to person and laugh…we just won’t be laughing anytime soon.

Today we are supposed to be heading to Ohio to visit family, and we’re snowed in and still a bit under the weather-no pun intended. Hopefully we’ll get out soon and continue in the holiday spirit. I’m hoping your holiday was splendid and healthy, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!

PS. I’ll be back later with a “gifts” post. We were very good this year apparently- because between my parents and my brother & brother-in-law we got some fantastic gifts!

Finally! The cookie recipe! My amazing neighbor and friend Samarah ( who is Mom to baby Noelle, born Christmas Day) invited Sunny and I over to bake cookies the other day.

I took lots of pictures, but sadly, I didn’t get to get shots of everything due to someone throwing a tantrum and needing a nap in her crib- I’m not naming names.

For  the COOKIES you need:

6 tablespoons of Butter (softened)

1 cup Sugar

1 Egg

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

2 cups  All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 teaspoons Baking Soda

1/4 teaspoon Salt

5 tablespoons of Unsweetened Cocoa

1 cup of Milk

BUTTER CREAM FROSTING you need:

3/4 cup of softened butter

3/4 cup of powered sugar

6 tablespoons of marshmallow fluff

1 teaspoon of vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 400

In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda, & salt. Add to butter mixture, alternately with milk, beating until just smooth.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfulls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 400 for about 8 minutes or until firm to the touch. Transfer to cooling rack and let the cookies cool completely.

In the meantime, prepare your butter cream. In a small bowl beat butter, powedered sugar, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla together. Voila! Buttercream!

Spread the BOTTOMS of  1/2 the cooled cookies with buttercream filling. Top with remaining cookies, TOP SIDE UP. ( we’re making a little cookie sandwich people)

Eat and enjoy! They are yummy!!!!

SIDE NOTE: I thought you could skip the marshmallow fluff, but I was wrong. The marshmallow is what gives the cookie it’s personality. If anything skip the buttercream and just use marshmallow fluff in the center of the cookies.

Okay so the cookie post never got posted. I feel really bad about this however, just know as you pound your fist to the heavens, that I am living with some sort of virus, flu-like, super power.

Yesterday consisted of dropping Sunny off at my neighbors house so that I could lay down! Oh yes, you read that right- I the girl who doesn’t nap- had to nap for most of the day. Mind you in my better moments I managed to sweep, vacuum, and then mop the floors. I have no choice. My cleaning lady found a full time job, my parents are due here in a few  hours, and they’re coming to celebrate Christ birth- not watch me sleep in my sick bed while pawning Sunny off on the neighbor. Christmas is supposed to shine, to sparkle, and excite. It’s supposed to be bright and cheery and joyful. Here at casa-la-sick-Mama we’re looking more like road kill then glitter. Its as if we lost our housekeeper, cook, and nanny. My poor husband has had two straight nights of Domino’s pizza and my Sunshine girl has eaten more peanut butter and jelly then should be legal for a one year old.

Yesterday was my last sick day-the show must go on and I must make Christmas sparkle. If I have the time I might even post the cookie recipe. Stay tuned….

See this little face?

This is the face of a baby who had to go to the doctor this weekend, due to her eyes being swollen shut.

Sunny woke up Sunday morning to swollen, puss in her eyes. And oh yes it looked as pretty as it sounds. I called the emergency line at the pediatricians office and tried the explain over the phone how terrible my little baby looked/felt. The real emergency of course being that my baby was upset which of course upsets me!  Anyway as it turns out the doctor took one look at Sunny and said that she has The Pink Eye. I’m not sure where she got it or how she got it, but I’ve alerted all her little playmates Mom’s and  we’re staying far far away from other kids this week!

Lucky for me during this hectic weekend of preparing for parents arrival, shopping till both Matt and I dropped, attending Nancy’s Christmas Tree Trimming Party and hosting a dinner last night, I have fallen sick with the flu.

How, how is this happening to me rigt now? Remember last post when I told y’all about my beautiufl friend Nora who never complains. I promise you this morning alone I have broken the world record for complaints. If I had a tiny violin and the energy it takes to play it, I would play it just for myself. I’m sick you guys, I’m downright pathetic.

This is one of those times, and it’s not often I think this way, that I wish we had family near by. God, I must be sick- I never think like that!

Todays post was supposed to be a cookie recipe for the holidays, but I can’t load up the pictures or type out the recipe. So give me a few hours or tomorrow. I’ll get it up there.

T minus 3 days until my parents get here and the Holiday begins…I’m. So. Not. Ready!

I have always adored Christmas but I truly have lost my mo-jo this year! Yes we have the tree up, yes Santa has been very generous to Sunny this year, and yes my house is decorated for the holiday but no we have no Christmas card and no my house is not ready for my Mom and Dad’s visit.

In fact my parents coming up next week is about the only thing I’m currently looking forward to and not for the reasons you might think. Sure its great to have them here, I adore them! But I can’t wait for them to come to my house and fix things. There is a hallway in this house that is simply out of control. I do not have the energy or the the patience to deal with the over crowded hallway that has now become our “just shove it in the hallway”,  hallway. How festive right? How Christmasie!

Plus I find it very hard to concentrate on the Holiday knowing that in about a month my friend Nora will be delivering a new baby! You guys should see Nora she is super Mom. We spent tuesday together in Westchester Mall with the babies.  I watched her walk around pregnant with a one year old hopping from store to store buying gifts, entertaining Aidan and Sunny,  picking up sippy cups 500 times, and never once did she complain. In fact when it was lunch time I had to ask her if she was hungry. Apparently she has a feeding tube, because the woman never ask to sit down, use the restroom, or eat and she’s due in like 4 weeks. She’s like a ninja you guys!  I strive to be just like her when I grow up.

I can’t wait to hold new baby. In fact knowing that new baby is on the way is really inspiring me to get through the Holidays. Mine got all big and one year oldie- so Nora has perfect timing! Thank you so much for having new baby Nora, its really making this “Sunny turned one” thing way easier on me

***Side Notes, the waiter thought Sunny’s name was Kristen, hence Happy Birthday Kristen written in chocolate. He was so sweet but sooo wrong. ***

***Special thanks to Super Mom Nora who sent me these pics!***

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You guys, someone stole my future house in Jersey and totally decorated it for the Holidays!

If you are at work right now and ou find yourself avoiding your actual work, might I suggest flipping through the new Lonny Online Magazine, it’s  divine. www.lonnymag.com

Has anyone else been obsessing over watching The Sing Off ? I make my friends talk to me about it all of the time! I’m obsessed with Committed and Street Corner.  Don’t know what I’m talking about? Take a look here and here.

Dear Sunshine,

I love every little and big thing about you, I love you with my entire heart and with the force of almighty God. I thank you because  you made me a Mommy and honestly kid, that’s all I’ve ever wanted to be.  I don’t know what happens next Sunny. I’ve never thought to picture you as a 1 year old or two year old for that matter; having you has given me the priceless gift of living for the moment and future thoughts can not exist in this moment right here.

I would like for you to know that you are the most special creation on this Earth. You are wise and meaningful, brilliant and strong, perfect in every single way. I could never have imagined loving you the way that I do, but I promise you Sunshine I have never loved like this. How amazing is our Lord that he paired the two of us together. Your spirit glimmers and shines with the intensity of heaven; you smell like angle dust. I am so grateful, my girl, to be your Mother. Every moment I have spent with you has been my favorite moment. I welcome the next year Sunshine, and the 100 years after that. I wish for you all of the happiness that one life can hold.

You are what stars and clouds are made of, an unexplainable light shines around you. I love you with my whole heart and give thanks for you today and every day after. This life is so incredible Sunshine and this world is so big, it can hold you and Daddy, and me and all of our love in it and still we are able to create more.  I remember this day last year, it was just you and me in the middle of the night. I nursed you and then cuddled you in that small hospital bed. You had been outside of me for hours and hours, but there was this moment where I felt my heart drop to my knees. It was an awakening of sorts, and I knew I was in trouble. How could something so small and unexpected have such impeccable timing?

Last night when I kissed you goodnight, I did my best to say goodbye to you as my baby, but you’ll forgive me because its so hard. Nothing else in this life seems to age as rapidly as your child, in truth I don’t keep count of anything like I do you. I will never get over loosing you as my tiny baby, but I welcome you as my toddler. New babies are coming into our world soon, and it will be their time to be cuddled and studied by their Mommies. All you have to do my baby, is grow and thrive, and spread your light. It’s a big job but it’s part of growing up, don’t worry I will be beside you every step of the way.

I am told that this will continue to happen. You will grow by leaps and bounds and I will probably cry every year that passes. We have a good thing going here, so don’t be in too much of a hurry to grow up okay? If you can close your eyes from time to time, try and remember life just as it is in this moment. Listen to your Dad when he teaches you how to be happy and its okay is sometimes when you get hurt you let him give you little cuddles instead of me.

As you grow up I will from time to time steal sniffs of your head  (that’s totally normal by the way). Just today you said to me, “Mama!” and then you climbed up my leg, when I picked you up you hugged me rested your head on my shoulder and then looked straight into my eyes and gave me a kiss right on the lips. Greatest. Moment. Ever.

Oh Sunny, how my heart beats for you.

Happy Birthday my gorgeous baby girl you are my Sunshine, my one and only Sunshine girl.

Mommy

Yesterday we hosted Sunny’s 1st Birthday party.  It was so exciting to have our friends and their children in our home. Sunny has become very social in her old age- she LOVES her little friends. I can’t blame her, they are rather adorable.

I spent most of Saturday and Sunday baking and decorating cupcakes, making a onesie for Sunny, and cooking for our party.  I tried to resist giving Sunny a cupcake before the big Happy Birthday moment, but I just couldn’t resist- so she had oatmeal, banana, eggs, and a cupcake for breakfast!

After a quick nap it was time to change into our special birthday outfit. Uncle JC provided the adorable tulle and lace skirt.

The front of Sunny’s onesie says “ONE” and the back says “I DID IT”- this was Sunny’s first phrase and its just so fitting!

When all of our guest left we ordered rice and beans for dinner (Sunny’s favorite)  she has taken to getting very angry with me when I don’t feed her quickly enough. Shouting MAMA! DAT! (that)

Tomorrow is officially Sunny’s first birthday. I have accepted that she is turning 1 and that there is nothing I can do, nor would do to change that. She is healthy, beautiful, loving, fun, brilliant, and perfect in every way imaginable.

So many of you have read my random thoughts, commented on this blog, and sent your support to our family, thank you so much for reading and sharing and supporting us we move through this life together.  Being her Mom has  taught me that I am never to old to learn, given me free license to speak my mind, and reminded me that sisterhood is still the most special gift of all. You’re presence here, whether we have met in person or not, warms my heart and brings constant joy to my life. Thank you, honestly, for reading and for helping us arrive at one year with such positive energy and awareness.

Tomorrow I will post Sunny’s final 12 month rocking chair photo as well as a look back at this amazing year, I hope you will tune in for that And once that post is posted, we will once again move forward. I can not wait to see where her second year of life takes us.