Sunday, May 29, 2011

Life Lessons Learned From Baby Farts

Since this is my first post I believe it would only be fair to warn you all that I have a warped sense of humor and will do or say almost anything for a laugh. Remember Jill's post about me making up dance moves with my pants pulled up to my chest? I have to thank my father for passing along his humor gene to me.

Ok, that's out of the way. On to the topic of this post. Baby farts make me laugh. Before becoming a father I did not realize how little (or maybe how much) control babies have of their "release valve". Molly rips about twenty good ones almost every morning as she is waking up. My grandma always said there is more room out than there is in and that might be the truest statement you will hear today. Though the poots are cute, the little grins that often follow show that what is seen as distasteful later in life is actually very relieving.

By now you are probably wondering why in the world you have read this post about breaking wind. Well, I will tell you. What you are about to read may change your life. Especially if you are the girl that made my sandwich today at Subway. DON'T HOLD FARTS! It will ruin your entire day and everyone around you will think you're a jerk but really you just have gas. Let it out people. That anonymous Subway worker was not mad that I wanted a Spicy Italian. No. She had a gas bubble and needed relief. Every time your boss yells at you I hope you realize he is not mad at you because he is really just trying to keep his butt clinched. I am convinced this could be the key to world peace. I bet Kim Jong Il hasn't ripped one in at least 10 years.

So let's wrap this up. I hope you take away the two most important points: there is more room out than there is in and my daughter can not do anything that isn't cute.

-M

Gratuitous Cuteness

Molly Ruth started having her first real smiles between 8 and 9 weeks. Mother's Day was the first day she gave me several really good smiles in one day. Pretty great first mother's day gift, huh? Here are the first smiles caught on our real camera. (as opposed to the iPhone camera)


MR has also loved bath time ever since she got her first one. She has a pink Disney Princess clawfoot bathtub (that daddy picked out-only the best for his little princess) and she loves to be pampered, baby style.




Can't even escape the paparazzi during bath time...the troubles of being cute.

-J

Saturday, May 28, 2011

What the WHAT?!

This is a little section I'd like to call "What the WHAT?!" in which I point out something that is moronic, ignorant, or just plain annoying.

Today's topic falls more on the annoying side. Me no likey when Fast Food drive thru employees shove your food out the window, grab your debit card, and throw it back at you before you even have time to put the car in park. It's one thing to be efficient, but to make me feel like I'm a slow poke just because it takes more than 1 nanosecond to put my card back in my wallet and awkwardly fumble with the receipt (that I don't even need) is just ridiculous.

God forbid I pay in cash and they have to actually count some change (I love to throw in an extra penny to avoid getting pennies back and watch it blow. their. mind. It's like I asked them to recite the quadratic formula or something. Which, I can still do by the way- big ups to my 11th grade Geometry teacher Mrs. O'Donohue!)

But I digress. To the Bon Qui Qui s of the world who work in a service industry: never make your customer feel like they are an annoyance to you. This should be "How Not to Suck at Your Job 101" but sadly, it's not. That is all.




-J

Thursday, May 26, 2011

These are the moments I live for...

...dancing around the living room with Molly to Adele's "Rumor Has It."

...laughing at my husband's silliness as he makes up dance moves while wearing his pants up to his chest. (sorry Matt)

...watching people fall down. There is just something innately funny about someone tripping, stumbling, etc. I can still remember watching one of the original Tom Green episodes where he wore a fake head bandage, arms and leg casts, and walked on crutches on a busy city street only to fall down dramatically and watch people scramble to help him up. I laughed. Til. I. Cried. Here's a little reminder of the hilarity:

...hearing a well written, powerful song. I swear it's better than therapy and much more spiritual. Many of Patty Griffin's songs and, of course, Jewel's have helped me through a rough patch.

...watching Gotcha Day videos on YouTube. If you don't know what those are, just type in "Gotcha Day" on YouTube and prepare to bawl. (Don't worry, it'll be happy tears)

...taking the first bite out of a Godiva Open Oyster. Scrumdiddlyumptious.



-J

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

9 Week Photo Shoot

Our sweet friend, Allie Rudd, came by to meet Molly Ruth a few weeks ago and we ended up having an impromptu photo session! (Allie is a professional and takes pictures for a living) Boy oh boy am I glad she came prepared because the photos turned out beautifully. I'll keep this short and sweet because I know the photos are the best part. Enjoy!

-J

PS I know in our original post I said that I wanted this blog to be more than just family photos and random happenings, which is predominantly what it is so far. However, a good blog means being true to yourself and your interests and, right now, that means a lot of blogs will be about MR. Believe it or not, I do have other hobbies and things that occupy my mind and I assure you they will make their way to the blog eventually.








Saturday, May 21, 2011

Love letter to my daughter


My baby girl,

As I lie here in the hazy twilight of morning, I can't help but to stare in fascination at your beauty. Your perfect, fresh, untainted beauty. Warm, soft, pink skin sits beneath your head of curly, chestnut hair. Your tiny eyebrow furrows as you quietly dream. A smile slowly creeps across your face. Of what are you dreaming, my darling? Do you see animals and blue skies? Faces of angels? Or perhaps your grandfathers are whispering funny stories to you. Whatever the dream, I pray it's a sweet one. I pray you always know how beautiful you are to me. I pray you always feel wanted and know that you're needed. Being your mother has filled a void I didn't even know I had. Peace and joy bubble over where a heart-shaped hole once was. How can I ever repay you? I promise to always do my best to nourish your body, challenge your mind, and protect your heart. You are my baby, my love, my reminder that each day we are given a chance to value ourselves and care for others. Thank you for making each new morning an opportunity to love, learn, grow, and forgive. Thank you for being my daughter and for making each sunrise the prettiest one I've ever seen.

Love always, mom

Monday, May 16, 2011

Oh, Baby

Since most of our initial readers most likely know us personally, I figure I'll post about what, or who, is currently the center of our universe- Molly Ruth (MR for short). I wasn't able to do much toward the end of my pregnancy so I may throw in a few retrospective posts.

To briefly recap: She was born at 36 weeks 5 days after what turned out to be a difficult, somewhat scary pregnancy. I had a textbook (dare I say easy?) pregnancy up until 29 weeks when my doctor informed me at a regular OB visit that I was in preterm labor and needed to be hospitalized immediately. After a couple of days in the hospital, they had successfully stopped my labor and sent me home on full bed rest for the remainder of my pregnancy.

*Odd side note: You'll notice I'm wearing glasses while on bed rest. Around 24 weeks, I noticed my vision worsening and got glasses to help me drive. Now that pregnancy is over, my vision is back to normal. Funny side effect of pregnancy hormones I suppose...

Believe me, bed rest ain't as glorious as it sounds. Having to be horizontal all of the time, as in I could only sit up to eat and go to the bathroom, was excrutiatingly difficult. It was far more physically painful than I ever anticipated but the help I received from friends and family and my husband helped me through. And, with lots of prayer and support, MR stayed put for 7 more weeks and fattened up to a healthy 7 lb 1 oz by the time she made her debut. We love you Molly Rubins!



34 weeks pregnant, 2 weeks before delivery


Holding her for the first time


-J

Breaking the Ice






Well, we're finally here at our very own blog. Let me start by introducing myself. My name's Jillian. I'm married to Matt. And together we created Molly Ruth, our daughter who is 10 weeks old today (Happy Birthday Mollums!) Yes, this is another blog about a young family but my dreams are that it will be much more than just an electronic scrapbook of photos and random family happenings. I plan to rediscover my inner writer and the creative self I have buried through the years. I want to celebrate our triumphs but also share our struggles through this blog. Matt will also be posting and undoubtedly provide a little male perspective and a lot of humor. Bear with us as we find our voices and organize this baby- it's sure to be a little scattered (and not so fancy) at first.

I haphazardly chose the title "The Scott Box" because I wanted something short and easy to remember. I also liked that it sort of rhymed. However, upon further thought, I kind of like the idea of this site being a figurative box. For us, this will be a place to "store" memories and reflect. For you, the reader, I hope that this will be a "box" you can peak into, never knowing what sort of treasure (or trash) you will find. Hey, this won't always be a G-rated day-at-the-park blog. We are a real, imperfect, sometimes inappropriate family that is full of love, wonder, and laughter. Welcome, enjoy, and come back often to see what's in The Scott Box.

-J