Category: moms

March 10, 2016

Personal Thoughts on Weaning

Rayna is my last baby. Everything she learns is the last “first” I’ll get. Her first steps, her first word, her first wave bye-bye are the last firsts our family will get to experience, making them absolutely delightful and incredibly bittersweet at the same time. It’s a weird feeling knowing the next baby we’ll have in our family will be our grandchildren, so many years from now. I try not to think about that.

This month, Rayna completely weaned. We have only been doing nighttime feedings since she turned one because I wasn’t ready to let go completely, but these past few weeks, Rayna was ready to let me go completely. The last few times I nursed her were a little more forced than I would’ve liked, so it was time. She doesn’t reach for a drink or eagerly cuddle up anymore. My good ole pump that saw me through two kids is long gone. I’ve gone through the last of our storage bags. I feel a little like I’m deserted on the side of the road…

At the same time, I am very proud that we made it this long, that we had a relatively successful journey that many women aren’t able to or don’t get to experience. But this letting go is hard…

See, nursing is a war. It takes profound persistence and pain, extensive google searches and middle-of-the night questions in mommy nursing groups. It takes complete unwavering dedication from just one partner. It takes excruciating pain going into it for the first couple weeks. It takes tons of reading and preparation and research. It takes working around pumping schedules at work and disappointment when someone steals your time slot in the pumping room. It takes memorizing dozens of rules about the where’s, when’s and how long’s of milk storage. It takes constant worry about how much baby is getting, if we have enough stored, if she’s drinking enough while I’m gone, if she’ll even take bottles, and on and on. It takes being the only one getting up in the night for feedings. It takes puddled shirts and let-downs in the middle of Walmart. It takes shopping for a new upper body wardrobe to suit the endowment. It takes nights of getting soaked and more pain. It takes not going away from home for more than two hours at a time for awhile. Rayna and I, we fought like bandits with bloody knuckles to get to this point, so it makes my heart bleed again to have to let it go.

Nursing offers the opportunity to stare into that beautiful face every few hours, every single day. It offers healing touch and the beautiful companionship of unconditional love. It offers nurturing and relationship building. It creates indestructible bonds of trust. It fine tunes a mother’s instinct and intuition. If offers wisdom about and complete immersion in the life of another person. It gives you those sweet moments of sleeping babies in your arms. Not to mention reveling in all the wonderful benefits of that milky medicine. (I was even able to contribute 278 ounces to the nourishment of another baby when my freezer got too full!)

If you study the science of breast milk, it truly is one of life’s miracles. The content of milk alone is enough evidence for me of God’s existence. It changes as baby’s needs change. It pumps out antibodies when it senses baby getting sick. It produces more fat when baby needs to grow. It just automatically produces exactly what baby needs with complete and utter perfection. And I won’t get to experience or appreciate this again.

This week, right now even, there have been tears. There have been heavy-laden sighs. There has been one incremental move away from my daughter’s dependency on me. It’s been much harder than it was with my son since I know this time I won’t get to do this again. I wasn’t ready for this…

The phrase “they get big so fast” is so overused and yet no one can stop saying it or ever will because of the heavy truth and continual astonishment behind it. They really do grow so fast…

December 14, 2014

How to Survive the First Days Home with Baby

I cried on the way home from the hospital when we brought both Kayne and Rayna home. I wasn’t sure I was qualified to be taking care of this completely reliant human and dress them and change them and feed them…every single day. I cried because I wanted to take all the L&D nurses home with me. Everything was taken care of at the hospital and they were so sweet to me. And it’s hard to imagine that you may not see your doctor, the person who has seen you almost every single week and held your hand every step of the way, ever again. It’s a strange feeling, but I know other moms understand what I’m talking about.

It’s been six years since I took home a baby and all the emotions and familiar thoughts came back to me full force. Bringing home a baby is the most emotional time in a woman’s life, and it can be extremely isolating and emotional. Not only that, but your hormones go from an all-time high level down to zero fairly quickly, sucking moms into a roller coaster of emotions. When your child is figuring out how ~~not~~ to sleep, it can compound the problem tenfold.

Those first few weeks home are such a raw, tender time in a mother’s life and need to be navigated delicately, but with every shred of strength that a mother can muster. That being said, here I’ll share my best advice from my experience for surviving the first few weeks:

1. Attend a mommy group right away. My hospital held a weekly group for new moms, and those ladies all had the same look on their faces as I did. We could ugly cry in each other’s company and show up unshaven and puked on in with our babies and feel like we’d been pulled into a warm hug. As a bonus, my group was run by a lactation consultant who freely gave breastfeeding advice, empathy, and even free goodies like milk storage bags. This group was a lifesaver, especially after my first child, when I felt more clueless and isolated than I’d ever felt in my life. You may not feel like you want to go, that the effort to get the baby ready is profound, but trust me, you’ll be glad you went!

2. Take people up on their offers to help. Make a short list of things that you can tell family the next time they ask to help. Ask them to do the dishes, cooking, cleaning or grocery shopping. Prepping snacks or freezer meals, picking your older children up from school, or mowing your lawn are excellent tasks for those who reach out when you and your partner are feeling like zombies. Offering to hold the the baby while you do those tasks just isn’t quite the same, so be ready with your list of orders.

3. Carve out adult time. This could be 5 minutes on the phone with your best friend or a quick coffee with your mom. Getting out and having just a few moments of “normal” time can be quite anchoring, even when you have to bring baby along. Stay in contact with your friends rather than go into hiding. It may feel extremely forced, but it gives you a sense of autonomy that can help keep you sane. It will be so worth it and it will give you the courage to do more and more with baby in tow.

I met a friend for lunch. Rayna slept right through. Since

she was still asleep, I stayed and read some personal

training material while I was there.

Date night with Hubster!

4. Remind yourself over and over again that the first two weeks are the hardest. It gets sooooo much easier from there. During the first two weeks (and maybe a little longer), the baby doesn’t know day from night and you’re just getting used to this astronomical life adjustment. It does get easier, it does get easier, it does get easier. I wish I could wrap my arms around every new mom and tell her that it will all be ok when it feels like you’re not strong enough. But the third week, at least for me, seems to be the golden number when some of the early struggles begin to fade.

5. Get outside. If the weather outside is decent during your maternity leave, make an effort to get outside, even if it’s just in the backyard or on the porch. Taking stroller walks was one of the most rejuvenating things I ever did with Kayne. As an added bonus, the outdoors were magic for my son. He’d be inconsolable for hours inside and then be completely fine the instant we walked outside. Not only that, I always felt so good after moving and getting out of the house.

Here we bundled up the baby in a stroller and took a short

hike through beautiful marshes.

6. Make time for some yoga or other mind/body practice. As soon as the doctor gave me the ok to exercise after having Kayne, I hid away every Saturday morning for an hour-long yoga session that made me feel so different before and after. Like magic, I felt grounded and peaceful and much more capable of tending to my son. I would encourage new moms to take this gentle, revitalizing approach to your recovery routine. I was pretty hardcore before I had him, so it was nice to slow down and get a little “me time” that made me feel like a better mom.

7. Join an online mommy group. Facebook groups with your birth month are golden. People will answer your questions within minutes and offer support and kind words (usually) and reassure you that they’re going through exactly the same things. You can even throw the wackiest question out there and probably get some great feedback. Nothing is off limits, believe me! You may even find a new mommy in your area to meet up with. I actually did!

8. Create little rituals with your baby: I adored Kayne’s bedtime ritual when he was just days old. We’d head upstairs to bed around 7:30, nurse, watch a little TV, turn out all the lights and just rest. With Rayna we usually do a bath (every other day) followed by a lavender oil massage. Then, I wrap her up in a swaddle blanket, turn on the white noise machine and we very quietly transition into bedtime. In the mornings, I always pull the bassinet or bouncy seat into the bathroom for a shower. Babies love the shower sound and momma doesn’t have to face the world feeling like a greaser:) With both my babies, we had some specific routines that made me feel better and eventually helped get us into a good groove and helped them adjust to life in the non-womb world.

9. Let go of your to-do list Right now, you need to make space for the unexpected, because everything is unexpected. And don’t worry about work and chores. Let them go for awhile. Your sole job right now is taking care of that beautiful little human. Don’t allow other pressures to deter you from that. I’m crazy type-A who always has a list of goals and dreams and can’t stand a dirty house, but in the big picture, my family IS my hopes and dreams and home. And the newborn stage goes by so fast, you have to fully immerse yourself in that and nothing else before you miss it. This is the time to step back from the outside pressures and focus on the ones inside your arms. You can still build your dream home business someday, but for today, just live for that precious little baby. It will take a huge weight off your shoulders.

10. Figure out the magic touch for your baby: Arm yourself with all the baby arsenal that typically soothes them: a rocking chair, rock and play, bouncy seat, swing, white noise machine (or app), and swaddling blanket. Find what works for your bambino right away (and try again later because it could change) and it will save you so many tears!!! By trial and error, we found that both of our babies slept better in the crib in their own room. You might find a pack and play or your own bed is where your baby sleeps best. Rayna loves to be swaddled and sleeps by the sound of crickets every night. One of our nurses told us that the white noise machine and swaddle blanket were the two things she always recommends to new moms, and they happened to be the two things that worked best for Rayna.

11. Give babywearing a try: Wearing your baby in a wrap might just offer you some shred of normalcy, not to mention the bonding opportunity the wrap affords you. Wraps sometimes allow you to get a load of laundry folded, since they leave your arms free. They’re really great for taking the baby out places. We took Kayne to the children’s museum and I “wore” Rayna around. She loved it and there was no way we would’ve navigated that place with a stroller. In their first days, babies often love sleeping in that warm little nest. I guess babywearing is a huge thing. Like a mommy movement. And there are heaps of babywearing groups on Facebook for support. I’ve seen lots of wrap DIYs on the likes of Pinterest. There are even babywearing workouts if you want to be crazy like that:)

12. Read this beautiful article that speaks all the perfect words for this space in time.

September 25, 2014

Gift Guide for Second Time Moms

Several weeks ago, I was spoiled with a baby shower for baby #2. I wasn’t expecting a second shower, but my mom and sister sweetly put one together for me since this baby is a different gender AND came 6 years after my first (many things have expired or have been pruned from the attic). To double up on the surprise, the ladies at work also threw me a surprise baby shower. I was thrilled! I didn’t have a registry made at all since these were surprises, which got me to thinking about how to buy for a second-time mom who may not have a registry.

After the first baby, moms typically have all the big stuff they need and know exactly what is necessary and what is superfluous. I hung onto all my furniture like our baby swing, bassinet, pack and play, crib and other big ticket items. Toys are probably already an issue in every momma’s house, so it may not be advisable to go that route either. So, this gift-buying business could be tricky in some cases. However, from what I’ve been gifted and brainstormed, I’ve come up with some great solutions in case you ever find yourself buying for a seasoned mommy.

Aside from cash (always a winner), here are some great gift ideas for the second or third+ time mom:

1. Updated car seat. Depending on how many years are between children and how safety standards have changed, it may be wise to get a new car seat. Make sure you know which kind mom wants by asking or checking her registry first. This is typically a pretty personal choice. My mom offered to purchase our car seat as her gift to us, she just had us pick it out and she paid for it. Score!

2. Baby book. By baby book, I mean some way to record all the baby news and milestones in a non-complex way. I did this for a friend the DIY way. I made her one book with the supplies to write her daughter a letter every year until she’s 18. The other was a milestone capture book. There are great school year baby books too that record all the major details of each school grade, with a folder to stash the most memorable projects. These are amazing gifts and are needed for each individual child. And of course, a fresh new scrapbook is something many moms can really appreciate. Here’s the one I was given (already stuffed with some memorabilia from the party):

I also really love this gift from my co-workers.

It has a slot for pictures for each month of baby’s first year.

3. Updated extras. New bottle nipples, bibs, crib sheets and burp cloths are great gifts for any baby. Baby #1 may have “soiled” all of hers or these items may have just plain worn out between pregnancies. Fresh ones are sometimes necessary, and really, you can’t have too many burp cloths.

4. Breastfeeding supplies. If you know what momma uses or has requested, this is a great option. Nursing pads, milk storage bags, and other similar supplies are always in demand.

5. Photo gift card. Popular sites like Shutterfly and Snapfish offer gift cards for prints and photo gifts. Pictures will still be a huge part of baby #2’s life.

6. Similar to the above, paying for an infant photo session is an excellent choice. Every child will have her own set of baby pictures, so this gift is very practical.

7. Handmade gifts: sewn quilts, hand-knit baby blankets, cross-stitched artwork, painted pictures and other personal gifts are some of the most treasured gifts a woman could ever have. I think handmade gifts are the best, no matter what occasion. We still have a hand-knit blanket and sweater set that Hubster’s aunt made for Peanut that we plan to reuse with Baby Girl and then keep forever. Peanut also has a beautiful quilt from his late great-grandma that will also be kept forever.

8. Etsy gift card: even if you don’t have a creative bone in your body, someone on this website does! And chances are mom already has her eye on special baby items. I know I do! Photo props, headbands, clothes, blankets, nursery prints and everything you can think of is on Etsy, with a personal handmade touch. Even better, if you can get a hold of mom’s Wishlist, you can buy right from there.

9. When in doubt, buy diapers and wipes. I would suggest buying size 2 and up. Babies are typically out of size 1 so quickly, it doesn’t pay to have more than a handful. I would be one perfectly happy momma if everyone showed up at my shower with diapers!

10. Freezer meals. This is another winner! Bringing family dinners or stocking her freezer with quick crockpot meals will save her sanity once baby arrives. You may want to check about dietary restrictions and allergies beforehand though so nobody gets sick and the food doesn’t go to waste.

11. Birthstone jewelry. Having family birthstones set into a bracelet, ring or necklace is beyond thoughtful. This may be tricky though with due dates that straddle the month mark. The birth month could change if baby decides to come earlier or later than anticipated. You could go with a family charm bracelet and offer to bring that last charm after baby arrives. Here’s a birthstone bracelet from when Peanut was born. It was part of a necklace/earring/bracelet set. We’ll have to come up with a clever way to add Baby Girl’s own stone to the mix.

12. Mommy relaxation. Massages and spa kits for mom are amazing gifts no matter which number of child she’s on, especially for the momma who has everything. Pamper her. You may even find her some luxurious slippers for the delivery room, a beautiful nursing scarf or a meditation CD (hypnobirthing anyone?). This type of gift will never go unwanted.

13. Free babysitting services. Sometimes the old “redeem this coupon…” trick is just what mom always wanted. Offering date night gift cards on top of that makes you a bona fide hero. It’s tricky to leave the house when there’s a new baby, so taking all the logistical details out of it for mom is very thoughtful.

14. New Clothes. If baby #2 is the same gender as baby #1, mom might already have a pile of clothes saved up. However, it’s always nice for younger kids to have a few of their own clothes instead of only hand-me-downs. If I were buying, I would go with clothing in larger sizes, maybe 6-12 months and up since babies absolutely fly through the smaller clothes.

15. Hand/footprint kit: This is another item that is special to each child. Find a clay or ink kit so mom can record the teeniness of those precious little appendages before they’re only memories.

16. Engraved treasures: We have an engraved Noah’s Ark piggy bank for Peanut that I’m sure he’ll keep forever. There are some really amazing baby gifts that you can pick out from places like Things Remembered. One memorable gift at a baby shower I went to was an engraved blue pin that the baby could wear for her baptism and later at her wedding (something old, something blue). Ah-mazing!

17. Write her a story: There are some amazing websites, such as Blurb, that if you have some artistic talent, would make crazy cool gifts. Writing and illustrating your very own story for the child, and then having it professionally printed, is such a neat idea. A lady at work wrote a story for each of her grandchildren one Christmas and had them printed, and I’m still so smitten with this idea.

18. Baby prayer book/cross: By far one of my favorite gifts was this beautiful prayer card set. The purpose is to pray over your child as they’re sleeping. I just find this idea so touching. My mom also purchased Baby Girl her own cross for her bedroom. Peanut has one too, over his door. And Hubster and I were given a hand-carved cross from his pastor as a wedding gift. These are truly treasures and great reminders about what truly matters.

19. Savings Bonds: My mom has always done this for several of my cousins on their birthdays. One of these cousins in particular lives far away and the family is very financially secure (i.e. already has everything/hard to buy for), so this gift is both really practical and really beneficial down the road for the child. I love this idea and plan to steal the idea next time I need a gift like that.

I hope this list helps you the next time you’re invited to a shower for moms that already have kids. It may also help you form a registry if you’re a second-time mom being spoiled with a baby shower you weren’t expecting. I love finding ways to give meaningfully to people that I love, so I’m always trying to keep these sort of ideas in the back of my head. Happy hunting!

I’ll leave you with a few peeks from my baby shower. Perfect weather. Perfect company.

November 1, 2012

Life in a Northern Town Part One

Weekend getaways are the perfect “reset” button, especially when you travel somewhere remote without WiFi. Ok, I just got a new smartphone, so WiFi is a new worldly wonder to me right now.

Our little family of 3 packed up and headed out on Friday, driving north to a city near Crivitz, WI. Let me define remote for you. A good portion of our trip exploring the area involved gravel and dirt roads flanked by endless miles of breathtaking forest. It was beaUTIful! We had been eagerly awaiting the trip, marking “x’s” on the calendar, and it was all so worthwhile.

I can’t get the song “Life in Northern Town” out of my head right about now.

Friday evening was all about investigating our surroundings. Right across the street from our lodge was a small clean lake that would be ideal for swimming in the summer. We found…

Deer tracks along the sandy beach

Mystical-looking mushrooms (what are these???)

Logs for climbing

Fields to chase each other in

Sand craters to play “house” in

Firewood for the pit

Pretty acorns with every step

Peanut photo opportunities

Cool fall colors: moss green and tans

And a cute nearby ice cream parlor called Phat Daddy’s. The Macadamia Nut fudge sundae with fudge sauce and two cherries was belly-achingly-good!

This simple trip turned out to be one of my favorites ever! Just being in the crisp autumn air, surrounded by nature everywhere, not having any to-do list whatsoever and watching my Peanut’s eyes light up at every turn were worth everything.

Check back later in the week for Part Two of our Northern Wisconsin trip.

October 9, 2012

Thrifted Goodies for Autumn

This summer, I haven’t been in a big thrifting/rummage saling kind of mood. Someone check my temperature!!! I guess it goes in phases for me. I did have one surge of thrift craving recently, and spent more than I’ve ever spent in a thrift store (which is steal el cheapo!). I made quite the haul, which has quenched my craving for weeks.

These three blouses will be perfect for the fall. Their colors, patterns and coverage speak to the changing seasons. I can’t wait to pair them with skirts and tights.

In fact, let’s play dress-up right now and put a few outfits together. I just couldn’t wait!

I love the tie and pattern on this vintage blouse. I bought the skirt that same day. It was a name brand made with high-quality stretchy fabric, and I didn’t even have to brave the mall. Score!

I just fell so hard in love with these shoes, that they had to come home with me. They were a little pricey for a thrift store, but they were brand new, so into my cart they went. The southwestern belt paired with the plaid shirt is super-cute. The two belts that I found just make me swoon. The leather one has the coolest design in it.

I also came away with two other pairs of shoes. I am always very picky and careful with secondhand shoes. I will not buy anything worn. I rarely even venture into the shoe section, but the three I found were all in unworn condition. It’s pretty amazing that I found three brand-new pairs that I loved and fit me in the same day.

Oh, that felt so good. A whole new fall wardrobe for under $40. I can live with that. This was one of the best thrift shopping hauls I’ve had in a long time.

If you’re curious to try out a new thrift shopping adventure, check out my thrift shopping guide for mommas on a budget Part One and Part Two.

August 4, 2012

Outdoor Movie Night Theme

A certain little boy turned four this week, and to commemorate this milestone, we decided to host an outdoor movie night for him and his tiny friends.

With a sprinkling of inspiration from Pinterest (of course!), we designed the party to be as fun but as low-maintenance and budget-conscious as possible. A few trips to the Dollar Store and we had ‘er made. On the list:

Red/white tissue paper
Alpha stickers
Theater-style candy (Twizzlers, Milk Duds, etc)
Popcorn
Kid-style party favors
Invitations
Red cups
Raffle tickets
Bottled water

To build the “concession stand”, we used a table and red and white tablecloth that we already owned. Then, we used Dollar Store tissue paper to create the background banners. The “Concessions” banner was as simple as cutting out triangles on a fold in the tissue paper, gluing them to a string, and attaching the appropriate letter stickers. The other banners consist of three sheets of tissue paper, folded in half twice and then cut and fringed along the bottom.

All theater-style treats were served in clear glass dishes decorated with red raffle tickets from the Dollar Store. We also wrapped the bottled water in raffle tickets.

We popped many-a-bag of popcorn. I found classic striped popcorn bags at a local party store. Goody bags for all the little guests were assembled with popcorn bags, playing cards, squirt guns and a few other do-dads. Mom made some puppy chow and we ordered a cupcake cake from Walmart. All set!

The movie played on a flatscreen we took from inside our house. This was in lieu of trying to source pricey projection equipment and erect a big white sheet. It worked out just fine. I recommend watching movies outside like this any time! We put out some blankets and seat cusions for comfy theater seating.

Not only did Peanut enjoy his birthday, so did the grownups. Even grandpa.

June 11, 2012

Peanut Picnic: Where the Deer Roam

Peanut and I have picked up where we left off in fall with our weekly picnics while Daddy’s in school. Peanut and I returned to the “scene of the crime” as we’ll call it. Just a few days earlier we kinda lost our dog at this very same park after he took off deafly after a couple dozen deer in the clearing. The incident was quite emotionally draining for all of us, but Titus returned happily to us without incident.

In my attempt to keep the incident from traumatizing the Peanut, we returned to the nature trail, just the two of us, to reinstate the place as “safe.” And to enjoy the beauty of the place in a more relaxed circumstance was just what we needed to return favor in the place.

The view was perfection:

Isn’t the crook of the neck the most precious, kissable spot on a Peanut?

Sandhill cranes chillin’ nearby

Check out this huge intricate fungus formation. Wow!

See, we’re quite happy with this nature area again. The boy’s face says it all.

He even brought a few “friends” to share the experience with.

There was certainly a lot to marvel at this time around.

Even Peanut wanted to take some pictures.

This happened to be the day after Mother’s Day. After a whole day dedicated to marvelling at the work of a mother, I saw this beautiful example of parenting in nature. Imagine having to wrangle all of these babies. One momma did lose track of two of her brood. She dropped everything and started squawking to find them. They happily peeped back until they were all rejoined.

This was one of the most peaceful evenings I’ve enjoyed in a long time. I love how taking our dinner outdoors changes the ordinary, everyday into something more remarkable.

March 15, 2012

Making Up Some Play Ground

How ironic is it that sometimes I have to look up how to play? Isn’t that just an intrinsic pleasure that we’re all supposed to know how to take part in? But once you become a parent, it’s difficult to feign interest in certain things again like dollies, fake tools and tiny racecars. I’ve always loved making forts and playing with building blocks, but thinking about new activities stumps me sometimes. Isn’t that just wrong, that we lose that sense of playfulness in our adulthood? And that we can actually lose our pleasure for it?

I took the kiddos, my son and nephew, to the library recently and found a book that lists 200 activities for children. As I perused the pages, my sense of wonder was aroused. How could I have forgotten sidewalk chalk and skipping rope (for purposes other than cardio benefits) and beachcombing and flower pressing?Remember those parachute things in gym class? Everyone holds a piece, fans it in the air, then lifts it up and sits under it? I want that excitement again!

A few nights earlier, one of our copies of Scooby Doo did the “babysitting” (you know we have to do this once in awhile) while I occupied myself with dishes and other menial tasks of adulthood. I was pondering adulthood, particularly parenthood, and how the extracurricular could become curricular again. How could it be that I needed to research this? I also had to look up the lyrics to some of those old musical favorites like Hush Little Baby. What the heck comes after that diamond ring momma was gonna buy anyway? I remember mom telling us about how dad used to sing us to sleep by Silent Night because that was the only song he could think of. And sometimes I’m at a loss too. After hearing myself sing Twinkle Twinkle for the 820th time, I need me some new material.
I started with fingerplays. I printed off a pattern for felt finger puppets and found a book with fingerplays in it. Since I vowed to train my brain to toddler level activity, I now find myself devising little children’s story plots and painting primary-colored illustrations in my head.

Here’s a little fingerplay you can enjoy with your baby or toddler. It’s a touchy-feely game that keeps them guessing, plays with rhythm and rhyme, introduces them to a few body parts and types of touch. Completely hands-on, no material required. Just wiggle your fingers in front of them and do what the lyrics say:

These 10 fingers they tap tap tap. These 10 fingers they snap snap snap. These 10 fingers they clap clap clap. These 10 fingers they fold in your lap.

These 10 fingers they squeeze squeeze squeeze. These 10 fingers they tease, tease, tease. These 10 fingers they tap your knees. These 10 fingers they freeze!

These 10 fingers they tickle your toes. These 10 fingers they open and close. These 10 fingers they touch your nose. These 10 fingers they put on your clothes.

February 25, 2012

A Crafty Sunday Evening

This past Sunday, I had a surge of motivation that led me on a crafting frenzy. I sewed four spit-up rags for my brand-new baby nephew, whipped up one pair of super-adorable infant pants (that were supposed to be toddler pants, but oops), put together a sewn yo-yo garland, finished up a “happy birthday” banner for a work friend, ironed some wrinkly things that had been laying around, and put the finishing touches on a few other projects. I hooked up the embroidery hoop and am now dreaming of designs for a way-too-cute little onesie. Boats keep coming to mind, because his daddy’s in the Navy. Maybe an anchor. We shall see.

This has got to be the best kind of therapy around. Nothing can beat me when I’m a-workin’. And there’s nothing like that feeling afterwards when you look in awe at all you did and wonder how you did it. I’m going to try and remember this feeling so that next time I’m feeling down, I can replay this little trick. I’m also going to remember a few little projects that I can slip in during those 10 minute increments I keep talking about. I just love spending my time productively.

My Peanut, meanwhile, was completely engrossed in pretend play behind me. When I was done at the sewing table, he climbed his little legs up there and pretended to sew, cut, fold and perfect his little sewing craft. He brought in his two “babies” and taught them too! Those four little spit-up rags we put together are sure wrapped in a lot of love.

January 5, 2012

It’s a Pleasure to be Your Momma

Our daily indoor trampoline date: I swore we wouldn’t keep it in the house

He calls out “momma!” at least 16 times per minute. Look at this. Try this. I’m thirsty. Follow me. Let’s be ghosts. Hide! I want one.

Yesterday it bothered me, to the point that I started to mimic him. Oh heavens, please forgive me. But today, I decided to be a little bit more contemplative and deliberate about embracing it. After all, I know that before I know it, there will come a time when he’ll be more inclined to talk to a garbage can than his own mother. That little tiny high-pitched voice will turn into a manly grumble. And I know I’ll miss these days and all that “momma”-ing.

So today, I’m going to embrace it. I’m going to wrap my arms around him and listen to everything he has to say, complete with eye contact and legitimate interest in his words. I’m not too jaded to hear what’s all been said before, because it hasn’t been said by this particular little human. Because there’s something truly thrilling about watching my boy learn all these new things for the first time himself.

There’s this magical glue that we mommas have that keeps our little ones at our sides and fuses our souls. There will be times when our children will be so far away, even if in the next room, but that momma bond is one tough cookie. It can survive the utmost tragedies and coldness (a la Gone With the Wind). And if anything is truly worth celebrating, it is this mother/child connection.

I know firsthand how much mommas mean, because I know what mine means to me. It’s enough to make a grown person cry. That sublime connection alone makes it such a pleasure to be this little man’s momma.

P.S. Speaking of little Peanuts: my husband told me today that our son knows the words to the Walker Texas Ranger theme song. Oh brother! Not sure I can embrace that one. Haha!