How to behave like a country baby

Play in paint.

Make a homemade gift for Mommy.

Cheese it for the camera.

Ride my trike in just my diaper.

Eat dirt.

Swim in the nude.

Play with my spaghetti.

Cuddle with Daddy after my bath.

Campus Installments: The time this poor college student asked me to go to Kyle Field Day

It has been eight years since I graduated from Texas A&M. I have over 10 years of professional experience in my field. Yet, everyone, and I mean everyone, still thinks I am a college student.

I guess I should take this as a compliment, but it also can get annoying.

Take for instance the very nice college student who, just the other day, stopped me as I was coming back from a meeting dressed in business casual to ask if I was going to attend Kyle Field Day.

"No," I kindly replied to him. "I'm old."

"What?" he asked. "Let me guess. You're 22."

My reply: "Wrong. I'm over 30 with a husband and a kid. I just work here."

"Oh," he says as I assume he's thinking how damn good I look for my age.

And I'm thinking how I must give my mother credit for how well I age.

"Well, this event is open to the general public. You can bring your kid and we'll have frisbees and kickballs and all kinds of fun events."

"My kid is this tall (and I proceed to hold the palm of my hand about eight inches off the ground), and she can't stand. Or throw frisbees. She eats them."

By this time the poor kid is probably wishing he would have never stopped me in the first place.

"Well, hope to see you and your family there. Look for me if you go."

And I thank him and smile as I walk off, thinking to myself, "I'm sure Brady would be so thrilled to know that I had been asked to look for a random college student at an event."

And then I really think how Brady would react. And he would be disappointed that I didn't get a free T-shirt or two out of the conversation.

Dang it. I was too busy making sure he knew my daughter was only eight inches tall at nine months.

Get your head in the game, Jenna. Get your head in the game.

10 Months with Kassidy

This was the best I could do to commemorate Kassidy's first Cinco de Mayo. Good thing she was able to spend her actual Cinco de Mayo hanging out with her cousins and friends on the back porch, trying to grab at live crawfish. And just so you all know, this blanket is straight from Mexico. I bought it in 2002 when I studied abroad for five weeks in Mexico City. So it's authentic people.

The girl officially has eight teeth and is on her seventh ear infection. Looks like she will be getting tubes before her 11th month birthday. Oh fun.

Kassidy has picked up two bad habits this past month.

She has learned the word "No" so well, that when we tell her not to do something, she looks at us, smiles, and turns around and tries to do it one more time. Already a rebel, I know. She's getting better at listening because she knows if she doesn't, she's going to get popped on her butt. Yes, Kassidy got her first spanking. Why? Because she thinks splashing and playing in Massey's water bowl is the most amazing past time ever. If I had known this, I wouldn't have bought her a $20 baby pool from Wal-Mart.

Her other bad habit involves her feeding her food to Massey. Except that I think it's cute, so I let her get away with it. She will literally be sitting in her high chair, grab a piece of food off her tray, look around and "call" for Massey, and reach down with her hand so Massey can lick it directly from her fist. I'm thinking that Massey is slowing moving from tolerating her to liking her.

She is still the friendliest baby you will ever meet and flirts with everyone. Even strangers. I have had more conversations with strangers in the past few months than I have had in my entire life. All because of the baby.

At least I stop to talk to them when I hear "Ah, she's so cute," or "Oh my goodness look at that beautiful baby." Brady just smiles and keeps walking.

Men.