Achieving Sleep Perfection

Superman has never been a bad sleeper...in fact, some may claim that he is a great sleeper.  I have spent enough days and nights near tears when he wouldn't fall asleep to say that he isn't a great sleeper, but I am not really complaining either. 

Lately things have been a bit rough on the sleep front and just like any other time something gets rough in my life, I hit the pause button and evaluate. 

What has been happening: Superman was sleeping 8:20pm-5:30ish, waking for a feeding and going back to sleep till 7:30-8am.  Then he started waking up a for an extra feeding around 2am and waking up for good around 7am.  He has also not been napping as well as he has in the past.  He has been waking up 15-20 minutes into the nap or in some cases, just refusing to fall asleep at all. 

Things that have changed recently: He learned to crawl and is working on pulling himself up to standing.  He just got another tooth and has been teething really hard for the last couple of weeks. I am back at boot camp which means the morning nap is later than it used to be.  He has started eating solids as part of his lunch.  He dropped a feeding after his nap.  He has also started not wanting to go down for a nap if he fell asleep in the car on the way home from an outing whereas he would transition with minimal difficulty before.

As you can see there are a lot of new things or things that have changed recently.  When I was thinking about all of this the first thing I thought was, "Wow, I need to cut this kid some slack! He is growing, changing, developing so much right now.  No wonder he can't sleep!" 

This certainly didn't help him start sleeping better, but I found that I was a lot more understanding of him and therefore a lot more patient (No, I am not a saint. There were still tears on my part on those days when he wouldn't sleep, but they were tears of sympathy and frustration versus just frustration.).  Thinking about all of this also helped me "let go" of any previous schedule we had and really listen to what he needed. 

I thought he might have needed more milk than he was getting so I tried adding back the nursing that he seemingly didn't need anymore and tried that for a few days.  That didn't change anything.  He would only nurse a couple of minutes at the most and he still waking up for the second feeding.   So I let him drop the nursing after the nap and then started offering both breasts every time he nursed.  After about 2 days he slept through the night again (well till 5:30)!  So I have been doing that now for a couple more days and things seem to be improving on the night sleep front.  Could it be a coincidence?  Sure, but it seems to be working so I am not about to change it.

The naps however, have not improved (YET), but that doesn't mean I haven't learned anything. 

One of the things I have realized is that he has settled into the nap after boot camp really well.  He ends up sleeping most days from 11:15ish-1 for his first nap.  If I try to put him down for his first nap earlier on non-boot camp days? He does not want to sleep.  He may be down right exhausted, but he will not nap.  So on non-boot camp days I am adding in an extra feeding where he is doing what I like to call a "NOB" or "nap on boob".  He isn't really nursing a ton, but he is resting and that helps him make it to the actual nap time.  When I first tried the extra feeding, he would fall asleep and I would try and put him into the crib for the nap.  Every single time I tried to do this? He woke up and wouldn't nap.  So I have had to give myself a little reminder when I start to think that he might just actually nap earlier this time, to resist the urge and let him "NOB" for a few more minutes.   If I am successful in resisting this urge? I am rewarded with a good first nap later that morning. 

I have also learned that I need to be back home before he starts getting tired.  This is much easier said than done, thus the reason I am still having some problems.  I have found that if he does fall asleep in the car and he isn't going to transition for his nap, I can play on the floor with him for 15-25 minutes and try again.  It doesn't always work, but it is always worth a shot. 

The final thing I have learned?  Do not let anyone or anything make really loud noises when he is napping.  I really hadn't stopped to think about what could be waking him up until I was upstairs when our dog Lola shook right in front of his bedroom door and Superman woke up.  Darn dogs!  I love them dearly, but I love my well rested baby more.   For whatever reason this does not wake him up when he is asleep at night, just when he is napping.  So, from this day forward dogs are going collarless during nap time.  

We also had a solicitor come to our door today and that got our other dog, Clyde, barking.  I was a total blubbering idiot to him.  I think my comment to him was: "baby.sleeping.dogs.no.stop.barking.pleasedon'twakethebaby.I need to go!"  So now I have hung this sign on my front door:

I was contemplating typing it up really nice and laminating it, but then I found this sign and directions on how to make it here at Samster Mommy.  Only problem is that I don't want them to knock either since my dogs would then bark.  Any ideas for what it should say instead?


TTFN,

Mommy C

I live in the "Land of Schedules"

I bet that most people in this world are capable of going through their life productively without a schedule or a list of to-do items.  I bet there are a whole bunch more people that just need a list of to-do items to be productive.  Sadly, I am not either of these types.  I know that now.  Now, that I know this...I can move forward.  Let me explain...

Hubby and I were going over all the Fly Lady stuff and I was feeling really overwhelmed with all that I was "supposed" to accomplish (Note: I realize now that more people than not have their husbands help with the big cleanings.  I was hoping to have his time at home to be free so we could go on adventures with our son instead of spending it cleaning.).  The first thing we decided was that maybe we did need to spend one nap time on the weekend working on the house.  It would still be less time than we used to spend on the house on the weekends pre-kid and it would lift some of the stress off of my shoulders. 

I still didn't know how much I was going to be able to accomplish each day and the three different pages of different lists were all too overwhelming for me.  So Hubby then had made a suggestion that I attach time values to each task so that we could see how much time is needed to get all the things done.  You should have seen me squirm at this idea.  I am sure that I could do hours of therapy on this topic, but for whatever reason assigning times to tasks sounded like the most constricting, controlling, awful thing to do.  But, I took a second and realized that he was probably on the right track so I got to thinking about how I function when I am teaching. 

When I am teaching I use a schedule.  I block out parts of the day for specific subjects and then break down those chunks of time with specific tasks that will help us reach certain objectives.  Sure I wrote down times for the chunks and thought about time for the tasks, but I never wrote down times for the specific tasks (I remember hating the fact that I had to write down those times when I first started teaching.).

So I thought maybe I could create a "lesson plan" for my week?  I could block out the times of day that I would be able to clean and fill in those blocks with specific tasks each day of the week.  That way I would know that everything would get done by the end of the week as long as I got things done each day. 

So I sat down and created my "lesson plan" and it felt great.  Not only did I feel like it was in a format that I understood, but I also was able to see that I could actually get everything done by the end of the week.  I was also able to go through the cleaning lists that Fly Lady has and get rid of a bunch of things that aren't applicable. 

I showed the schedule to Hubby and I could tell it wasn't his thing, that he would have done it differently, but it didn't matter.  He saw that things were going to get done and he was pleased. 

Hallelujah! We had a plan!  We are on the same page!  We are happy! 

I am sure that it is going to need some tweeking as we get started and maybe even more tweeking as Superman's needs change.  But for now, it is fabulous!!  I even have time blocked off so that I can work on my blog.

So what I want to know today is: what do you do to keep organized?  Do you have a to-do list? A routine that you follow?  Please leave me a comment and tell me, I would love to hear it!

TTFN,

Mommy C

Wordless Wednesday: Every Puppy Should Have A Boy

Erma Bombeck said that "every puppy should have a boy" and I can't agree more!

Fly away home...

I am a disorganized person.  I try really hard to be organized and clutter free, but sadly I fail miserably.  It doesn't help that I have ADD and am normally medicated.   Despite the fact that I have actually been off medication most of my life, I don't do well that way.  I went off the medication when we started trying to get pregnant and continue to be off them so I can nurse Superman.  That means I have been off for a whopping 2 whole years (but who is counting?).

I don't know why I think that now that I am a mother I should be able to be more organized and less cluttered.  Maybe because I believe in the 1950s house wife and want to be the 2010 version??  Okay, I know that sounds looney, but there is something perfect about having a clean home, the meals cooked from scratch, and the laundry done 100% wrinkle free.  I mean I am home now, shouldn't I be the one responsible for all of this?  Isn't it my duty to take care of Superman AND the house?

Well it turns out that you really have to find a happy medium somewhere (why does everything have to be a happy medium?).  After talking to several people I have learned that those 1950s house wives? Yeah, they ignored their kids for the most part.  One person told me that her mom sanitized her and her brother's nursery every single day and what did she do with her kids during this time? Stuck them in the play pen and ignored them.  She looks back and remembers her mom cleaning, not playing with her, reading books with her, or singing songs with her.  So how do I want Superman to remember me?  I want him to have memories of singing, and dancing, and playing with me. So the balance....I still need to do some cleaning, but not when Superman is awake.  So if I am going to accomplish all that I need to accomplish during his nap times and have some downtime for me, I need a system. 

I think I once wrote that I was joining Fly Lady and she was going to solve all my problems.  Well, she has this Fly Baby intro program thing where you add one thing everyday, but some days were lame and I just didn't get into it.  However, I still thinks she has the answers for me.  So, I am going to spend a couple of days reading through all the intro days, figure out all that I need to know, and jump in with two feet.  I feel like I can do it better when I know the whole scope of the program and can get started from day 1. 

If you don't know Fly Lady, I highly recommend checking her out.  She will teach you how to shine your sink and let me tell you...it is oddly satisfying.  Seriously.  The intro on her welcome page starts like this:

Are YOU living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome) like Franny in the pink sweats? Do you feel overwhelmed, overextended, and overdrawn? Hopeless and you don't know where to start? Don't worry friend, we've been there, too.

 How can I not feel like she can solve all my problems when she describes me to a T?? So stay tuned folks, I will give you updates ever so often about my progress.  In the meantime, if you are living in CHAOS? Go check her out and learn to shine your sink.  It will make you smile.  Promise.


TTFN,

Mommy C

Favorite Moments Friday

Happy Friday!!

Here are my favorite moments from the week:

• Superman is doing the army crawl!  He is actually getting better and better at not putting his head down on the ground as he moves his arms (which was hilarious to watch, but highly inefficient for crawling).  
• Chunky chunky!  So this actually started last week, but Superman has started chunky foods. He also has really started to enjoy the puffs and is awesome at getting them into his mouth now.  Sometimes he will just sit there with the food in his mouth and is we make chewing movements and sounds with our mouth, he smiles and mimics us by chewing really big.  It is very cute!
• As you may have read in the posts earlier this week, he is getting squirmy!! Changing his diaper and getting him dressed required lots of determination and speed! 
• We have a very opinionated little man on our hands.  When he wants something I just took away, boy does he throw a fit!  I have been working on swapping out things when he throws the fit if it is a toy and it works about half the time.  Most of the time? He just wants what he wants.  
• The cool side of this is that he will move to get to the toy that he wants.  When he is sitting, he will reach as far as he possibly, twist almost all the way around, or swap a toy from one hand to the other so he can grab something with the hand that is closer.  
• We have a bunch of colored, plastic balls that he likes to play with (along with his plastic cups).  He will grab different balls, cups, or other toys to bang together to see what sound is made or swap out balls so that they are the same color.  I was telling him that the balls in his hands were yellow and he put one of the balls down and picked up the yellow cup.  I don't know if it was just a coincidence or if he understood, but I was so excited and he knew he had done something pretty awesome based on my reaction.
• We are getting another tooth!! This will be number 7 when it breaks through.  It seems like this one really hurts him more than any other.  I have been having to try all sorts of new tricks.  My sister told me about wetting part of a washcloth and then freezing it.  He really like that last night.  Unfortunately, the downside to the teething is that he keeps biting me while nursing.  He drew blood two nights ago...yes, you read that correctly, he.drew.blood!  I am heading to the lactation consultant today with him to see if we can get some new tips on how to nurse with teeth (The biting is really the least of our concerns.  The upper teeth are rubbing on me and causing some problems). 

That is all for this week!   The Oregon International Airshow is this weekend so I am looking forward to seeing Superman's reactions to the planes (he loves watching the Intel and Nike planes fly overhead as they prepare to land in Hillsboro).  There are some really loud jets here so I am a little worried about his naps.  I will let you know how it goes next week!

TTFN,

Mommy C

Bad Mommy!

I was getting cocky.  Really cocky.  So what happens when you are getting too full of yourself?  Life throws something at you that shows you that you have no right to be cocky at all.  Two things happened in the last 24 hours that has knocked me back down to size...I just wish that Superman wasn't the one hurt in all of this.  Let me back up and explain what happened...

Superman and I are doing Baby and Me classes through the local parks and recreation program.  Our instructor seems nice enough and although the teacher side of me wants to critique her lack of differentiating for the younger babies, it is just a freakin' baby and me class so I know I am just supposed to bite my tongue. 

One of the things that really surprised me by this class is that we do "dolphin dives" with our children.  Having had been a lifeguard and WSI swim instructor, I thought it was standard that going under water with the babies during this type of class was not allowed.  (Editor's note: yes, prior to this class I had personally put Superman underwater, but I did so outside of a class situation and only if the situation was right- don't want to give the details, because I am not someone who should be teaching people how to do this.) So when she started doing the dives with the other parents (where she would dunk them and glide them through the water to the parent), I made an assumption.  I assumed (you know what they say about that right?) that either WSI changed their program OR she had further training that allowed her to do this in the class.  Yesterday, was Superman's turn and he did fabulous!! What happened just after it though, was not so fabulous. 

The instructor had just taken him from me and, thanks to Superman's lack of fear and big head, he face planted into the water.  He does this a lot and I have to be really cautious about it.  The instructor and I had talked about it a couple of times because I was really worried that something might happen if he was caught off guard.   Well...this time he was caught off guard and I think he was taking a breath in when he face planted.  After she brought him up he started sucking in for air, like he couldn't get it to go in.  He wasn't coughing like he should have been and was not recovering quickly.  The instructor continue to hold him in front of her and told him something along the lines of "you're okay" and after 10-15 seconds of him not recovering, I took him back and started patting him on the back.  The instructor looked at me and asked/stated, "he is okay now./?"  I said no I don't think he is getting air in.  I headed for the stairs to get out thinking that either I need more help or he might throw up the water once he does start coughing.  I looked at her and asked, "what should I do?" and she looked around and asked if he was getting air in now.  I finally tipped him forward as if he was choking and patted him on his back more.  I don't know if the tipping helped or the patty helped, but soon he was actually okay.  He seemed a bit shaken, but was breathing normally.  I was concerned that he be afraid of the water if we just left, so I got back in the water, but watched him like a hawk.  After class?  I went and spoke to the program director.  He and I chatted for a LONG time.  I wanted to know what training she had to do the dolphin dives with the babies because even though that wasn't what caused the problem, any person with that extended training should know how to respond to that type of situation.  Turns out all she has is the WSI certification...which might be okay if they have changed their curriculum.  But honestly? I don't think they have. The director is looking into it for me and will be talking with the instructor about how to better handle those situations.  As I left his office, I felt better because I was heard, but I felt worse because as Superman's mom it is my job to protect him.  I made some assumptions about his safety and I am mad that I didn't think this all the way out.  I am still going to be going to the class because he loves the water and it is an opportunity for me to help him be more comfortable in it, but I don't think I will be handing him over to the instructor anytime soon. 

So that is bad enough right?  I should so not be a cocky mommy after that, but wait...there is more.

This morning Superman and I were getting ready to go to boot camp.  I was dressed and ready and it was time to change his diaper and get him dressed.  He has become such a big wiggly worm when doing the diaper change that I have to watch him like a hawk now. In fact, I had taken to sitting him up on his changing pad as I gathered things from the dresser below him because he would stay seated in.one.spot. rather than trying to roll off the table.  Do you see where this is going?  Ugh.  So I was pulling out shorts from the dresser below him and he decides to dive for those shorts.  I caught him, but he still hit his head on the edge of the dresser drawer.  See?  BAD MOMMY!!! I was able to comfort him a little bit and he nursed for a few minutes.  I noticed that a small egg was appearing so we headed downstairs for some ice.  The only way I could figure out how to distract him while I put ice on his head was to turn on the TV to the Sprout channel (thank you Wiggles!).   So the bump is now gone, but I think there is going to be a bruise.  I did call the doctor's office just to make sure I did the right thing and to make sure that it was okay that he goes to sleep for his nap (because at this point we were so not going to boot camp).  They did say to call them if he starts vomiting or acting differently.  So right now he is napping.  I have gone in to check on him a couple of times and seems to be resting fine.  THANK GOODNESS!!!    (Editor's note: in case you ever have a similar situation- don't just do what I did because it worked for us, call the doctor just to be sure because every head injury is different and I don't really know what I am talking about). 


So now I am humbled.  I am reminded that I have flaws and that if I am not careful, those flaws can hurt my son.  I hate that!  So what now?  Well I am guilt ridden and will probably stay that way for a long time.  I am also contemplating ditching the changing pad all together so that this doesn't have any chance of happening again to me or my husband.  Now, does anyone have any tips they want to send me for not hurting my child in the future?  Maybe something that you learned the hard way (so I don't have to)?  Thanks!

TTFN,

Mommy C

Favorite Moments....um, Saturday?

It has been a long time since I have done a Favorite Moments Friday (I looked and the last one was in MAY!), but I came across a cartoon that made me realize that I need to take a day and focus on all of S's new developments.  So first, the cartoon:

Check out this awesome artist at "Mama is..."

 Great cartoon, right?  Well there are so many things that I want to remember that it has taken me two days to write the post.  Here are the things that have happened since May:

June:

• Superman turned 5 months old and began the journey of learning a bazillion new things in a very short amount of time. 
• The Farmer's Market started back up and we began making it an almost every week tradition to get our fruits, veggies, and meats.
• Hubby and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!
• Superman went to his first baseball game to see the Portland Beavers.  Did you know that they had a suite reserved for parents of young children?  It was awesome!!
• On Father's Day, hubby was giving Superman a bath and he pooped in the tub. It wasn't the first, surely wouldn't be the last, but it was his little gift to Dad on Father's Day.
• We had one of the worst Junes weather wise...so much rain!! I wrote about how there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad equipment.
• Superman began to roll over from front to back pretty regularly and I began to think that we needed to get him to sleep without the swaddle.
• So we began the process of "deswaddling" and I wrote about it here and here.
• As soon as we began to put Superman down to sleep without a swaddle, he began rolling from front to back!  It wasn't long before he began to be a rolling champ.
• We graduated from the Moms Group at the end of the month (and I wrote about it here).  Superman wasn't quite 6 months, but since the first Monday in July was a holiday, we weren't going to have class.  It was sad to leave the group, but I left with a really great playgroup and some even better friends. 
• I had to go get the breathable bumpers for Superman's crib because now that he could roll everywhere, he kept getting stuck with his legs in the slats of the crib.  The bumpers work great!!

July

• Superman turned 6 months old!!  I couldn't believe we were halfway to one year old.  The time is speeding past me and I really wish I could slow.things.down.
• July 4th we began a new tradition.  We headed to a local farm and went berry picking!  I look forward to doing it next year when Superman can help us eat the berries off the bushes help us pick the berries to take home.
• We flew to NY without my husband!  We began Baby Tour 2010 with two weeks at my dad and stepmom's house.  I wrote about the reason for our long visit here.
• While in NY, Superman learned how to go underwater in the pool.  My dad has a pool and we had a blast swimming almost every day.  I was a little nervous about putting him under the water, but after getting some tips from friends, it worked out great!! He no longer spits and sputters when he gets water in his face.
• He also discovered his feet while we were in NY.  I thought that maybe that fascination was going to pass him by, but he found those feet of his and loves them dearly now. 
• Superman had 2 teeth at this point and he began to teeth a few more while we traveled.  He also decided to try using those teeth on me and he heard "No biting Mommy!" several times.
• We headed to Lake George and went swimming in the lake AND revisited my old life guarding stomping grounds on the Hudson River.  He wasn't too sure what to make of all that sand. Fortunately, he didn't try to eat it.
• Superman tried ice cream for the first time.  It was just a very, very tiny bit the first time and then when his dad got to NY we tried it again.  We gave him a little bit more and he was pretty gassy the rest of the afternoon so we decided that maybe it was a wee bit too early for ice cream. 
•  We drove to NJ to see my moms, grandmother, aunt, uncle, and cousin.  My moms drove up from NC so that we could spend more time with everyone.  It was amazing to see Superman meet his Grandma G for the first time.  It was also really cool to see him with my grandmother (who is 95).  
• On the way back up to NY, we stopped in Philadelphia for the day. We saw the Liberty Bell and did a really fast tour of Constitutional Hall. We also did lunch at Pat's!
• Our final night on the east coast was spent at my cousin's house.  I know I keep saying this, but it was so much fun to see Superman with his cousins!
• We got home from the east coast and had 3 full days to prepare for my brother and sister in law's arrival with two of their kids (4 and 9).  
• We started Baby and Me swim classes and all the practice at my father's house was great.  He loves the water and seems very comfortable in it now. I just hope it stays that way!

August

• Superman turned 7 months old!
• Despite being born in January, Superman has never seen or touched snow until this month.  We went up to Mount Hood with our family and it still has a bunch on it...so he got to dip his toes into the snow thanks to his dad. 
• We went to the (ocean) beach for the first time with Superman (he had gone once before technically, but it was so cold that he barely came out of the car seat).  This time he did try to eat the sand!!
•  He is starting to crawl...well it is the army crawl, but you know what I mean.  He had done a little bit of it with my mom when we were back east, but nothing since then.  But now if you have a toy that he wants A LOT, instead of rolling for it, he will now do the army crawl.  Time to start baby proofing!

See...I told you there were a lot of things that have happened since the last one.  A bit overwhelming actually.  But now it is done and recorded and I can move on to new posts next week.  I hope everyone is having a fabulous weekend!

TTFN,

Mommy C

My Top 5 Summer Outings

Welcome back!  As I continue onto day 2 with 31 Days to a Better Blog, I look at creating a post in list format.  I had wanted to share with you some of my favorite outings with Superman and this seems like the perfect format so here we go....


5. Baby Boot Camp
There is nothing like getting in shape in the summer sun!  The fact that I can do it a bunch of other moms and bring Superman makes it the perfect activity for me.  Sure, I am going to do boot camp all year long, but getting outside and feeling the rays shine on our (sunblock protected) bodies is fabulous and just want I need to keep me charged all day.

4. Lunch out with my husband
I love being able to share my day with him and provide him a few extra minutes of Superman time.  Again, this is something that we can do year round, but is a lot more fun during the summer. We get to sit outside and watch the cars go by (one of Superman's favorite activities) while we enjoy an easy meal.

3. Jameson Square

If you are in the Portland area and haven't checked out Jameson Square yet, you are missing out!  This city park (read: FREE) in the Pearl District has a good sized lawn for having a picnic or hanging out and fantastic fountain that kids of all ages will like to play in.  Because of its beach style entrance to the fountain, I am able to have Superman sit in the water at whatever height I am comfortable with.  My nephews (4 and 9) loved laying down in the water and walking around with their hands.  This place will be a "must do" for many summers to come.

2. Oregon Zoo
     I doubt that I need to convince anyone that a zoo is a great outing with your children during the summer, but I will still share my favorite things about this zoo.  I love that it opens early!  My sister told me once that she never understood why kid focused businesses didn't realize that they should open earlier so parents can get them there before the first nap.  This zoo? They get it.  During the summer they open at 8am (although I could never make it there that early).  I have found that getting there earlier in the day not only fits into our nap schedule better, but it is a lot less crowded. 
     Another great feature of this zoo is it's train.  We have only ridden it once so far, but Superman loved it!   The 35 minute round trip ride through Washington Park spends most of its time outside of the zoo entirely (it goes out to the Rose Garden and back).  On the way out to the Rose Garden, Superman was looking around and squealing with excitement as he looked around.  On the way back, he slowed down and was sound asleep thanks to the repetitive motion of the train engine.  It was a nice little nap for him before we finished up the zoo for the day.
     Finally, my favorite thing about the Oregon Zoo is the animals (of course!).   I love watching Superman watch the water animal the most (I don't think he grasps what he is seeing with the other animals since they are farther away).   I imagine that it will get more and more excited as he gets older, so you can bet that this will also be on our "must do" list for summers to come.
 
1. Farmer's Markets
Portland does Farmer's Markets (and other similar markets) like no other city could.  The city itself has 7 farmer's markets and 1 arts and craft market that runs both Saturday and Sunday.  We live on the west side of the city in a suburb so we stick to the markets in Beaverton and Hillsboro.

Beaverton has my favorite Saturday market (they also run a smaller version on Wednesday).  We go with the intention of getting our veggies and possibly our meat for the week, but we end up coming home with so much more.  Breakfast is always a "must do" there and there are enough options that you could probably go every Saturday during the summer and never eat the same thing twice. 

Hillsboro (a suburb of Portland) has a market everyday but Monday and Friday (although Tuesday's has less produce and more food and music).  We love going to the Tuesday Marketplace whenever possible.  We bring a blanket to sit on, sandwiches for dinner, and sit and listen to the live music and people watch.


Do you have summer outings that are on your "must do" list every year?  Please leave me a comment and tell me about them.  I would love to get more ideas from all of you!


TTFN,


Mommy C

Joining 31 Days to Building a Better Blog: Day 1

Although I have been writing on this blog for months now, I still find myself struggling to get my thoughts on the screen.  I have been wanting to make writing a priority, but really didn't know how to go about it.  Enter the SITS girls and ProBlogger. 

Although not great timing, back at the beginning of July the SITS girls brought 31 Days to Building a Better Blog to the mommy blog community.  Obviously I was still on vacation, but thought that I would try to hop on the bandwagon once life returned to normal.  So the rest of the gals are on day 23 and I am on day 1.  A little late to the party? Sure, but "better late than never" has basically been my motto since I became a mom.

Day 1:
The first activity is to create an elevator pitch, one that describes what my blog and I are about and what "we" have to offer readers.  I had a little blurb on my profile page, but it needed some cleaning up.  Here is what I came up with:

Being Mom…Now is about learning to become a mom after so many adult years of being something different.

I am a 30-something mom and with that comes the challenges of being true to who I am as a woman while growing into my new role as mom. I write about my journey on this path in order to share my experiences with others as well as to help catalog the good, the bad, and the wacky events that happen in my family.


TTFN,

Mommy C

Oh Jealousy!

I am not normally a jealous person.  Sure I might admire a friend's new car or look up to a friend that seemingly is able to balance things better than I can.   But full-on jealousy?  The jealousy that puts a pit in your stomach and makes your brain search for something that is equally as awesome going on in your life so that you can validate that you are equally as cool?   Nope.  Not me. That is until I had a baby.  Now? I see a baby that can do something that my baby can't and I feel sick to my stomach.  It isn't like my baby is delayed or isn't doing some pretty cool things.  In fact, he has spent the last month learning new thing after new thing.  But I want my baby to be the best at everything, ahead of the game, and top of the class.  (I sound like a wild eyed, crazy lunatic...I need help!)

So yesterday Superman, hubby, and I went to a potluck for our playgroup.  You already see where this is going, don't you?   When I saw that one of the babies could crawl (and is only 4-5 days older than Superman), I was so overcome with jealousy.  I hate that I was jealous.  Superman has started scooted a little bit, but he still prefers to roll everywhere.  But seriously? I don't want him to crawl too soon because I am just getting used to the fact that when I put him down in one spot to play, he will not be in that spot when I return, not to mention the baby proofing that we need to do once he starts crawling!  The mom of this little boy then told me that he is also pulling himself up and standing for small amounts of time.  Again? I am a total jealous wreck.

I need to get over this fast because I can see where this is headed.  What happens if he isn't in the top reading group at school or the best athlete on his soccer team (and since he is my kid, both aren't likely to happen)?  I will not be that mom that pushes my kid to be better and better just because it makes me feel good.  I want to be the mom that lets my kid be an individual, fostering his creativity, and providing opportunities for him to learn and grow in his own time. 

When I first started thinking about this, I thought that I should think of all the wonderful things Superman does do so that I wouldn't be so jealous.  But really?  That is a jealous behavior.  So I have decided that when a mom tells me some amazing thing that their kid is doing, I am going to try very hard to be happy for that child and not compare him or her to Superman.  And if those jealous thoughts start to creep into my head? I am going to picture this wild eyed, crazy lunatic and remind myself that this is NOT who I want to be.

(picture is from kinneybrothers.com)

What do you do when jealousy strikes you?