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?