Who knew amoxicillin could bring so much joy?

For possibly the first time in my life, I'm grateful it's Monday. Mondays mean time to get stuff done, get back in a routine and Madeline is back to normal which is so needed in this household.

We had a bad week last week. Madeline was not herself but more like a cranky newborn baby.

She was awake and crying through most nights and required much holding during the day. Thus, I got zip done and felt like I was back to June 2007 without a tiny baby as proof of my exhaustion.

When I took her to the doctor, he wanted a urine sample and asked if she would pee in a cup. To which I promptly responded, "If you can get her to pee in a cup, I'm taking you home with me."

Instead we used a pee-in-a-bag-yet-in-the-diaper contraption which was horrific for her and me. Many tears were shed between both of us before leaving with the diagnosis of a urinary tract infection and a prescription for bubblegum-flavored amoxicillin.

That stuff is amazing. It made her act normal within a few days and she loves it.

This little girl takes me by the hand, leads me to the fridge and asks for "Bubblegum, bubblegum!" about 50 times a day. I have no idea how I'm going to handle her sadness once it's all gone. I'm guessing that will be yet another bad day but we'll cross that lack of medicinal bridge when we come to it.

Thankfully, she's feeling much better and we both slept a lot this weekend. And when I say a lot, I mean tons. Gobs. We were more comatose than awake and it felt good.

Now we're back to normal which means the house needs cleaning, laundry needs washing and a million other things that were ignored last week.

I really enjoy normal. Especially normal Madeline.

Reason #7382 How Joe Has Changed My Life

Before I met Joe, I'm pretty sure I had never watched a single college basketball game. My family was all about Hoosier professional sports and I grew up cheering for the Colts and Pacers and attending the Indy 500.

But college ball? I'm a little shamefaced to admit I didn't even know what March Madness was just a few years ago.

But now I actually get excited for this time of year. I hope for upsets and pull for the underdogs. I fill out my bracket based purely on scientific research, such as on the teams' rankings, whether or not I've actually heard of their school and if I like their name. For instance, Gonzaga always makes it a couple rounds in my bracket because they make me think of gorgonzola cheese.

Plus Gonzaga is fun to say. Gonzaga!

Sports can be a little like a trashy reality show to me. I may never have heard of the teams before but give me five minutes and a little background information and I'll have to finish the episode, um, I mean game.

My excitement is also because I'm included in the intensely competitive family bracket tournament. I may know absolutely nothing about college basketball but I do love some good e-mail trash talk with my in-laws.

Also, based on my highly scientific, methodical methods, my bracket is tied for second place. So gorgonzola cheese has really paid off for me.

The only bad thing about the family tournament is there's no Trophy of Honor at the end. Because a big gold, glittery object always makes me in it to win it. (I'm being totally serious; that trophy was a thing of beauty and would have looked awesome in my dining room.)

Oh, and Memphis? If you could win the whole tournament, I would really appreciate it. Thank you.

What intimidates me most about motherhood

Please tell me you've also handled an emotional situation with a cupcake.

Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

But be beware clicking over because you will see an adorable photo that will send you into baby overdrive immediately. Consider yourself warned.

P.S. Beautiful photography skills + gorgeous baby Reese = Amanda Elpers Photography. Thanks Amanda!

There I go again embarassing myself

You know you've had a pretty good weekend when both days included 2 hour+ naps and a whole lot of absolutely nothing. But doing absolutely nothing hasn't stopped me before from blogging during "The Amazing Race" so why should tonight be any different?

A true highlight of my weekend was renting Twilight and painting my nails while Joe had a guys night. Surprisingly, he and his brother did not do the same.

I realize this Twilight confession lumps me into cliques of 14-year-old girls who have also been swept up by the series but it's true. I read all four novels in nine days last fall and was dying to see the movie despite the fact it's about vampires.

Actually, the use of the word "dying" is a bit of a stretch considering I wasn't willing to pay $9 to see it in the theater and, since I used a Redbox code, it apparently wasn't even worth $1 to me.

The movie lived up to all my expectations of poor acting, cheesy editing and cartoon-ish white-faced actors. So of course I watched it twice in one night.

In my defense, I like it more for the high school love story than the vampires. On second thought, that's not much of a defense, is it?

Lest you think my life is perfect, let me tell you what went wrong this weekend. First, I was sick so all my napping was medicinal, not just laziness. Well, maybe it was medicinal laziness but necessary nonetheless. I am feeling much better thanks for sleep and multiple movie viewings.

Second, I had the potty-training version of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" stuck in my head all weekend long.

"Don't put your toy in the toilet
or it's probably gonna spoil it
and your mom'll have to boil it
the toilet is for poop"

Madeline loves this book but it's starting to get on my nerves. I will never hear that glorious, patriotic song the same again.

So my life is not all peaches and rainbows. I think I just proved that quite clearly. Now I need to put the laptop down to watch "The Celebrity Apprentice" in an attempt to salvage what is left of this weekend.

Pride, Elmo and "Emmys"

Based on these items around our house, can you guess what we're doing?

• Sesame Street sticker sheets with all the Elmos picked off
  
• shocking hot pink poster board
• Antibacterial 409
  
• M&Ms (or "Emmys," according to Madeline)
  
• Disney princess under.wear
• grocery list: plastic gloves
• buckets of Purell
  

And if that isn't clear enough, Joe and I are now the proud owners of a foam Elmo potty seat.

Yup, we have begun. Madeline has been so enthralled with all things potty that, while I've heard the resounding chorus of, "Don't push her until she's ready!," I wanted to see if maybe she was ready now.

So she and I headed to Target Thursday afternoon and bought the Elmo seat. I had to practically mop up her drool.

When I set it on the toilet, she quaked with excitement and begged me to let her sit on it.

When she woke up this morning, the first thing she wanted to do was see if Elmo was there or if it was just a dream.

So she put on Cinderella and drank pink lemonade for the first time. She sat on the potty every 10 minutes and read book after book. After each time, she got a sticker and one M&M.

I think she had the best morning on her life.

Then Cinderella got drenched.

And Jasmine bit the dust.

Belle was the final casualty before we took a break for lunch and nap time. As soon as she woke up, she wanted back on Elmo.

And then The Big Moment happened.

Based on my excitement, you would've thought I finally had my much-anticipated epiphany on why everyone likes "Dancing With the Stars" so much. (I still don't have a clue about that.)

Madeline got two M&Ms and as we did the potty dance, I had visions of donating my diapers to friends and trying not to smile smugly while saying, "Yes, it's true. She was potty-trained in six hours."

And then I realized I was dancing in a small puddle.

Pride cometh before the puddle.

I know it's a long road ahead and, I promise, I'm totally fine with this being a process. Truly.

The idea of not buying diapers was pretty enticing until my mother-in-law casually mentioned that "potty-trained" really means "You-must-know-the-location-of-the-nearest-yet-cleanest-bathroom-at-all-times."

I'll admit it. I do enjoy the luxury of saying, "OK, I'll change it in just one minute."

And if you potty-trained your child in six hours, I'll take your diapers but I don't want to hear about it.

You can call me Katie O'Reilly

You might not know this but St. Patrick's Day is kinda a big deal to me. My family celebrates it big time. (Which is why this post is so late; I'm still recovering from a non-alcoholic-just-really-busy-but-fun-day hangover.)

Growing up, March meant our house was decorated with antique Irish sheet music and shamrock vases and the Irish flag was raised up outside. On St. Patrick's Day, my brothers and I ate warm slices of my Grandma's Irish soda bread recipe for breakfast and my parents always excused us from school so we could spend the day with my extended family eating, hanging out and going to the parade to catch one of O'Malia's green bagels.

Yes, that's right. I never went to school on St. Patrick's Day. I know.

I'm pretty sure Joe thought my family was c.r.a.z.y. when he first experienced this. Before he met me, he didn't think people actually went to parades. Or that people celebrated St. Patrick's Day without using it as an excuse to get trashed.

Now that I have my own family, the traditions will not stop with me. We had Irish soda bread for breakfast yesterday (and lunch and dinner and snacks... ) and met up with 29 family members who skipped work or school to watch the parade and hang out together the rest of the day.

I love that my family really loves this day.

The next two pictures were in my parents' backyard yesterday afternoon. I think they are just adorable. My sister-in-law Jenny is pretty talented with the camera. All the photos are hers. You didn't actually think I brought a camera, did you?!


By next year, Madeline will be old enough for the leprechauns to visit our house and turn our milk and toilets green. I'm already getting excited.

Proof that sometimes I do take pictures

I finally cleaned out the pictures on my phone. These are my favorites.

After playing at Blake's house one day, Madeline walked five steps into our house and laid down on the floor. I'm no mind-reader but I think she was pretty tired.

It used to annoy me when parents made comments like, "Isn't she the most beautiful child ever?" But that's the only caption I can think of with this picture. My apologies.

We read together. A lot.

In case you can't tell, Madeline is wearing a striped shirt, striped pants and striped socks. That's how we dress on laundry day.

(And I love Madeline's expression that clearly says, " I cannot believe you're documenting this horrendous outfit. I'm so embarrassed.")

rocking the smile as always

my Valentine's Day Coke

We're still working on the whole sharing thing.

While reading to Madeline and Blake, I thought I'd take a quick picture. Blake just keeps reading and Madeline totally looks like she's popping an attitude. Love this one.

The first 15 minutes of our trip back from Dallas, Madeline enjoyed strawberries and yogurt. And then threw up five minutes after this picture was taken. Oh, the joys of parenthood.

This was after a long process of trying to get Madeline to nap without her pacifier last week. She just wanted me.

While it was frustrating and I hate seeing her cry (which is why I went in every two seconds), I loved having her sleep on me. It was just like her first two months all over again. Except she's 30 pounds heavier.

But she finally transferred onto the bed. So I watched "Anne of Green Gables" on mute and watched her sleep.

The time my heart stopped beating

We've achieved a huge milestone at our house this past week. We got rid of the pacifier.

I honestly think Madeline has fallen asleep with it for every nap and nighttime since she was 1 month old. To say I was nervous about parting with it is like saying I didn't really think about eating a cupcake for breakfast this morning.

(For the record, I thought about it a lot and enjoyed every bite.)

With potty training around the corner, we decided to start the big girl talk with the pacifier.

Last Monday night, right before we put her down for bed, we had a pacifier ceremony. We rounded up every pacifier and she put them in a bag "for the babies." After she placed the bag on the porch, she got to eat five "big girl" M&Ms. Because what is a celebration without chocolate?

And surprisingly, she did great that night. And the next day's nap. And the next night. She only asked for a pacifier twice in the first two days and never even whimper when we reminded her the pacifiers were with the babies now.

I was pretty confident that Joe and I created the perfect child.

Then the terror started. She started waking up A LOT in the middle of the night, crying and distraught. It was not fun. She wasn't asking for her pacifier but she was definitely needing the comfort it gave her.

We came close to breaking down and giving her a pacifier since "the babies" never picked up our bag. But finally, our determination paid off. She slept great last night. Hallelujah.

When I laid her down for her nap today, she didn't fuss or cry but I could hear her bouncing around in her crib. Then I heard the worst sound in the world: a loud thwump, followed by silence.

I knew immediately she either bounced out or fell out of her crib. I was already crying by the time I reached her room.

She's banged up with rug burns but otherwise fine. I sat on the floor and we just held each other and cried for a little while until she fell asleep.

I am wondering if the big girl bed is also on our horizon.

One thing is for sure: we are heading into uncharted waters this summer. It could get interesting.

If you're interested in events from six days ago, keep reading

Posting this picture proves two things.

1. We made it back alive from Dallas.
   
2. Madeline is still rocking the smile.

While I was so excited for the wedding weekend, I was dreading the road trip with Madeline. Since she can get cranky after a morning that includes the grocery and Target, I was a little afraid 12 continuous hours might cause insanity for both of us. Because whether she liked it or not, we would have to do it all over again.

But she did wonderful. She found a good pattern of napping, watching a DVD, McDonald's playground stop, napping, DVD, etc. Madeline might disagree but I would do another trip in a heartbeat.

Have I mentioned before how much I love road trips? Yes, my kids are sure to have vacation horror stories that include hours in the car with their mom who insisted on listening to books on CD.

But I can guarantee that they will be loaded up on junk food because that's the only way I roll.

For this trip, Bill Bryson on CD nourished our souls and peanut M&M's filled our stomachs.

But let me take this time to talk about McDonald's. Before this trip, I never fully appreciated McDonald's playgrounds and Happy Meal toys. I do now.

I could never and will never get tired of their sweet tea. It keeps me coming back.

However, a general rule of the universe must be that the filthiest McDonald's has great service while the cleanest McDonald's has the worst, slowest service ever. (McDonald's just outside Memphis? I'm talking to you.)

I waited so long for my $1.29 double cheeseburger that by the time I got my sandwich (and I quote Bill here), I realized it was August and all my library books were overdue.

But enough rambling without saying anything. Here are my favorite pictures from the weekend.

P.S. I'm finally giving up on myself. I didn't even bring my own camera because I'm tired of lugging it around without taking a single shot. So thanks to Jen for the pictures.

Madeline swimming with her aunt while Joe and I power-napped to recover from driving through the night.

We were all pretty excited to wear flip-flops and actually see the sun. Oh, Indiana, you're killing me here.

I've mentioned before that Madeline can work a room to maximize her food intake. This is Exhibit A. (And yes, that is a Jonas brother on the left.)

If you look closely at the bottom, you can see that Madeline is wearing Janna's heels. She is a girly-girl. I love it.

I brought Madeline to the hair salon on the morning of the wedding and was a little worried she might not do well. But that's because I forgot people would be there.

This girl + an audience = a good time.

Some pretty gorgeous people went to the wedding. (And this is the prettiest church I've ever been in. And the most gorgeous wedding flowers. And the guy to the right of the groom is pretty hunky.)

And finally these two got hitched. It was perfect.

And for those of you who faithfully read my blog, yes, all the frozen cookies are already gone. Was it really an option to leave them in there?

Favorite. posts. ever.

For the first time, I'm writing a post ahead of time. Because this morning, I'm in 80-degree Dallas getting a manicure and pedicure. And if that makes you jealous, it's just payback for the agony Kristin's brownie post induced last week.

And since I cannot write ahead of time, I'm giving you a list of my favorite blog posts ever. Dramatic statement, I know. But I love them so so much and they must be shared. Enjoy.

"Oh, Patrick"
I Should Be Folding Laundry

"This Mama Loves This Baby"
No Small Thing

"Hey Mister, I'm a Letter Writer"
Such the Spot

"The Blue Bunny"
A Long Way from the Theta House

"When Gangsters Go PC"
Cake Wrecks

I would never make it as a truck driver

We did it. We're about to complete our first "through the night" road trip. We're about 30 minutes out of Dallas.Hallelujah.

Joe and I drove through the night because it was better than the alternative of driving while Madeline was awake.

In the end, it wasn't a hard decision but one that makes me feel like I'm a real parent now. When my family took vacations, we always started in the middle of the night. So I've officially arrived as a sleep-deprived but happy vacationing mom.

And because I love lists and am using only 15 percent of my brain for this post (the other 85 percent is concentrating on The Onion's Best Of CD), here's a list of what I experienced last night:

1: A rental car without cruise control stinks.
2. It also stinks when someone smoked in it and tried to cover up. (gag)
3. 16 DVDs and five books-on-CDs is over-packing in the entertainment department.
4. Especially when one discovers the joy of Sirius radio in said stinky rental car.
5. Anyone else think of Sirius Black when they hear Sirius radio?
6. Five minutes in stinky rental car makes me rediscover my love for my Honda.
7. Road trips = junk food to me which is why I inhaled two cookies, half a can of Pringles and generic Coke from 11 p.m. To 4 a.m.
8. I did not feel very good at 4:30 a.m.
9. I used to not tell a difference between Coke, Pepsi and generic cola.
10. My tastes have matured. I can now.
11. Marsh cola is not good. Especially at 2 a.m.
12. I really, really, really love GPS.

This was typed on my Crackberry while sleep-deprived so please ignore any typos or incoherant sentences.

Bob? Jillian? Don't read.

There's a good reason why I don't buy junk food or desserts at the grocery store: I can't stop once I start.

However, this doesn't solve all my problems. I still have flour, sugar, eggs and vanilla in my cupboards which is why I have 30 chocolate chunk cookies taunting me.

Must. Utilize. Self-control.

Anyways, staring at those cookies reminded me of a cookie-control attempt from several months ago. I read that a great way to not over-eat homemade cookies is to make a whole batch and then freeze most of the cookies four at a time in little freezer bags. That way you wouldn't eat all two dozen, nothing would go to waste and you would be able to pull a small bag out at night and have a delicious snack ready to go for the next day. Sounds great, right?

Except it didn't mention just how good my favorite cookie is when frozen.

Yup, Joe and I still managed to eat all two dozen in just a couple days - straight from the freezer.

But yesterday's batch will definitely last longer. For sure. We've become much more mature and disciplined over the last couple of months. Also, we're leaving the state and 20 cookies behind in our freezer.

But let's chalk it up to our discipline, m'kay?

Top 10 advice bits that stuck with me

10. "Always use Spell Checker. Always, always, always."
Cindy

9. "God, family and your education matter the most."
lived out daily by my parents

8. "You should start a blog."
Jen
(I never thought I would enjoy writing this as much as I do.)

7. "In the beginning, nap when she naps."
everyone and their mom

6. "The best way to eat healthy on a budget is to start small and specific."
Money Saving Mom
(For example, first incorporate fresh fruits and veggies daily, then whole wheat flour and pastas, then organic meats, etc.)

5. "God knows you need to know how valuable you are and He spends much of the Word telling us so if we will only read it.
Robert S. McGee

4. "Live like no one else so you can live like no one else."
Dave Ramsey

3. "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:4

2. "Do you like everyone you've ever met? No? Then it's OK if some people don't like you."
Mom

1. "You should meet my friend Joe."
my college friend Liz
(Sorry, it doesn't really apply to anyone else but it's one that kinda changed my life. Just kinda.)

If you're a list-lover like me, pop over to Oh Amanda for more Top 10 posts.

Holly Golightly I am not

My brother-in-law is getting married this weekend which meant one thing: I got to pick out a fancy dress for Madeline.

OK, it's not just that. I'm so excited to travel to Dallas, be with my family, eat plate after plate of Mexican food and watch two amazing head-over-heels-in-love people get hitched.

But let's be real, it also meant I had a legitimate reason to buy clothes for Madeline which is how I found myself overwhelmed by Janie and Jack's gorgeous spring dresses last week.

A very sweet salesperson was patiently helping me while Madeline ran around the store with Pooh. She wanted to know how formal the wedding was, what the colors were and if it will be indoors or outdoors. She needed all the facts before she could lead me to the perfect dress.

Finally, she showed me a dress. Believe me, it is really, really stunning and perfect and beautiful and I told the sweet salesperson so. Repeatedly.

And then I tried to oh-so-discreetly flip over the price tag.

It was a whopping $148.

It's more than my bridesmaid dress for the wedding. A dress that used 10 times more fabric and, I believe, is hand-sewn by Mr. David Bridal himself.

But really, where do you go after declaring your love for the perfect dress to the sweet salesperson? Straight to Humble Town by explaining $148 is just a little more than you were expecting to spend.

And then you go to the place that never judges you on bad-hair-and-no-make-up days and no-really-I-really-can't-spend-much-today days.

I went to Target. And Target did not disappoint.

After a quick stop in the Dollar Spot (because if you can walk past it without stopping, you must have amazing self-control and I would like you to teach me your secrets) and picked up this little dress.

It was $17.99. After I picked it up, I swear I heard a sigh inside my purse from my debit card.

I'm sure $148 is an amount some of you are willing to spend because it really was a beautiful dress. But to me, not worrying about Madeline tearing or staining her dress because it's only $17.99 is priceless.

For those of you who read People, US Weekly and maybe, just maybe, hit up TMZ, can you believe Rihanna and Chris Brown are back together?!