I have come to this conclusion---when God made Adam and Eve, he forgot one small detail. When women have children, they need a third arm.
It's something He overlooked--and He's a man--so I'll let it slide (they don't think of these things). But it sure would have been nice. As the baby grows inside of a woman during pregnancy, the mother should also be growing a third arm at the same time. And when that baby pops out, so does your third arm.
There are so many times during the day I wish I just had one more hand!
When I'm changing a squirmy baby's diaper, I need another hand to either hold a flailing leg or arm from plunging into poop, grab a wipe, grab a new diaper, quickly close the diaper before I get peed on, ETC.
I also need a third arm when I'm feeding my son. We're still trying to get the hang of how much formula he needs at a feeding--it ranges from 4-6 ounces. No fail, whenever I mix up 4 ounces, he is hungry for 6. Whenever I mix 6, he only eats 4. UGHHH! But when he needs more, and is screaming with hunger pains, a third arm would be very handy to unscrew the bottle, pour more powder in, get water, and shake, shake, shake (all while still holding the screaming baby).
When you do finally sit down to feed the baby, one arm is holding him and the other the bottle. That leaves no arm to do anything else--read a book, use the phone, change the TV channel, etc. I've pretty much mastered holding the bottle in his mouth by balancing it with my chin--but that I can only do for about 4.3 seconds which does not leave much time to get something done.
My son loves to go on walks. We go everyday unless it's raining. Sometimes if it's around nap time he's a little fussy until he falls asleep. This is when the pacifier comes into the equation. Have you ever tried to keep pushing a stroller (because if you stop, you have a screaming baby) while trying to hold a pacifier in a baby's mouth because he keeps spitting it out? I probably look like a real winner walking down the street trying to do this. I need a third arm!
A trip to the store would be easier with another arm. When I go to the grocery store, I am carrying the diaper bag, car seat with a 13 pound baby in it, and my reusable grocery bags. Most grocery stores have automatic doors--thank the LORD! But some stores (Shopko in Abbotsford, come on!) don't have automatic doors. Try carrying all of that stuff and open the door and the same time. Or get a cart from the parking lot to put everything in, push it to the door, and have to get a cart through the non-automatic door. Not an easy task. But with a third arm, it would be a breeze!
Life would be so much easier with just one more arm. But as a mother, you learn to adjust and find ways to do things with the two you have. That is why God chose women to be mothers (and that is why we do not have a third arm---He must have known we could handle it!)
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Paranoid
I am often a paranoid individual.
I will admit...this did not just happen overnight when I became a mother. I have always struggled with this. I worry about EVERYTHING. Just ask my husband...it drives him nuts. He is always telling me, "Stop worrying so much." I just can't help it.
But becoming a mother has only escalated my paranoia to an all new level. And I think the main cause of this is because of one thing....the baby monitor.
I have a love/hate relationship with the baby monitor. I admit, it's a pretty awesome invention. It makes life much easier as a parent. You can go about your day as the baby sleeps and not have to check on him constantly to make sure he's ok.
Wait...I never actually do that. Because even though I take the baby monitor everywhere with me (I should just superglue it to my head) I still find myself sneaking into his room to make sure he's ok. And I don't just do this once during naptime--I do it multiple times.
WHY, WHY, WHY can't I just trust the baby monitor? If he starts choking, I will hear it. If he wakes up, I will hear it. For some reason, I just can't trust the baby monitor. I've tried...just can't do it.
I recently went to visit my sister for a weekend. I obviously didn't take the baby monitors with me. So each time I put him to sleep and shut the bedroom door, I felt this heaviness in my chest. I found myself often checking on him as he napped to make sure he was ok. My sister was like, "What are you doing? If he starts crying, we'll hear him. He's fine." Well easy for her to say. She has two small children. I'm sure with her first daughter, she did the same thing. When the second one comes along, I think you get to the point where you stop worrying so much.
Just last night, I woke up at 2 AM and thought to myself--why hasn't Landyn gotten up yet? He went to bed early and I figured he would have gotten up by this time to eat. Of course, I had to get out of bed and sneak in his room. There I found him snoring loudly and in a deep sleep (he slept almost 10 hours last night!) I just couldn't trust that darn baby monitor.
One of these days, I know it will get easier and I'll lighten up a bit. But I will never stop worrying about my baby boy. He will be 18 years old and I'll probably still be sneaking in his room to check on him (but it will be to see if he is home by his curfew!)
Gotta go...just heard a hiccup on the baby monitor. Have to check on the baby! :-)
I will admit...this did not just happen overnight when I became a mother. I have always struggled with this. I worry about EVERYTHING. Just ask my husband...it drives him nuts. He is always telling me, "Stop worrying so much." I just can't help it.
But becoming a mother has only escalated my paranoia to an all new level. And I think the main cause of this is because of one thing....the baby monitor.
I have a love/hate relationship with the baby monitor. I admit, it's a pretty awesome invention. It makes life much easier as a parent. You can go about your day as the baby sleeps and not have to check on him constantly to make sure he's ok.
Wait...I never actually do that. Because even though I take the baby monitor everywhere with me (I should just superglue it to my head) I still find myself sneaking into his room to make sure he's ok. And I don't just do this once during naptime--I do it multiple times.
WHY, WHY, WHY can't I just trust the baby monitor? If he starts choking, I will hear it. If he wakes up, I will hear it. For some reason, I just can't trust the baby monitor. I've tried...just can't do it.
I recently went to visit my sister for a weekend. I obviously didn't take the baby monitors with me. So each time I put him to sleep and shut the bedroom door, I felt this heaviness in my chest. I found myself often checking on him as he napped to make sure he was ok. My sister was like, "What are you doing? If he starts crying, we'll hear him. He's fine." Well easy for her to say. She has two small children. I'm sure with her first daughter, she did the same thing. When the second one comes along, I think you get to the point where you stop worrying so much.
Just last night, I woke up at 2 AM and thought to myself--why hasn't Landyn gotten up yet? He went to bed early and I figured he would have gotten up by this time to eat. Of course, I had to get out of bed and sneak in his room. There I found him snoring loudly and in a deep sleep (he slept almost 10 hours last night!) I just couldn't trust that darn baby monitor.
One of these days, I know it will get easier and I'll lighten up a bit. But I will never stop worrying about my baby boy. He will be 18 years old and I'll probably still be sneaking in his room to check on him (but it will be to see if he is home by his curfew!)
Gotta go...just heard a hiccup on the baby monitor. Have to check on the baby! :-)
Monday, June 10, 2013
I am...my mother's daughter!
Last week I had to go to our church to fill out some paperwork. As I was filling it out, I was chit chatting with the secretaries. And both of them said, "Wow, if we weren't looking at you, we would have thought you were your mother. Your voice sounds just like hers."
Um....WHAT? I thought to myself---that can't be! Take it back! Say it isn't so! But instead I just smiled and laughed. As I got outside, I just had to chuckle to myself. Because, truth is, I am becoming more and more like my mother each day.
Now say that to me 10 years ago and I probably would have cried for days and went into a deep depression. When I was younger, I did not appreciate my mother and would have told you--"I am never going to grow up and be like my mother!!!" But as I get older, and wiser, I realize that becoming more like my own mother is not such a bad thing. My mom is one of the smartest people I know. I admire her for her hard work and the love she gives her family. I can honestly say that she is one of my heroes.
I know that I am turning into my mother when I makes lists. I LOVE making lists. If I don't make a list of what I need to do, I feel like I'll forget it. I am paranoid about missing things--appointments, events, etc. I put reminders in my phone like a crazy person. I don't just have it alert me an hour before the event--I have it alert me 1 day prior, 2 hours before, and at the time of the event. I make lists of what to get when I go shopping. I make lists of what I need to get done for the week. I make lists for my husband (he loves them...NOT). And I know that I got this trait from my mother who also makes lists for EVERYTHING. Growing up, during the summer, I always knew when I woke up and went downstairs to eat breakfast that on the kitchen table would be my "list". This list would consist of the chores I needed to get done before I could have any "fun". I always went through and did the easy tasks first so I could cross them off and it would look like my list was getting shorter. I know that once my kids get older, I will make them lists. Why break tradition now? (I am a third generation list maker--my mom got this trait from my grandpa!)
I also know that I am turning into my mother when I annoyingly rip the covers off my sleeping husband and yell "Rise and Shine, morning is a-wasting!" I think it's funny to do myself, but growing up when my mom did this to us on a summer morning when all we wanted to do was sleep in, I was SUPER annoyed by it. And if we didn't get up the first time, she'd keep doing it. I am totally going to do this to my kids once they are older.
Here are some other things my mom made us do that I will probably end up doing to my kids also...
One summer, she decided that my sister and I were not friendly enough. So we had to say hi to 10 strangers within the course of the day before we could play. My sister and I road our bikes around town each morning looking for "strangers" so we could say hi to them. The people in our town probably thought we were crazy riding around yelling "HI" to everyone. But it really did make us more friendly in the end.
One of my jobs I often had to do was dust. And let me tell you, there was no "cheater" dusting in our house. Sometimes I'd try to just move things and only dust in the front of them so it looked like they were completely dusted--I would always get busted! My mom would put on a white glove and "check" my dusting. If she got five finger tips full of dust, I had to start all over and re-dust until it was done correctly. I HATED dusting. But looking back at it now, she was just trying to teach me a lesson not to do things half-a$$ed.
I was very involved in our local 4-H Club when I was younger. Every year, we would sign up for about 100 projects to take to our county fair. Each year the fair is in August. But I would procrastinate and not start on my projects until June or July and then it'd be a mad rush to try and get them done on time. My mom would make me complete a certain number of projects a day leading up to the fair so that I'd get them all done. I complained and complained about this. I wanted to go outside and play with my friends! But now I am thankful for this. 4-H taught me so many life lessons--how to cook, bake, sew, and much more! My kids are definitely going to join 4-H!
I'm sure my mom is going to cringe reading this post. But I really do truly appreciate all she made me do when I was younger as it has shaped me into the person I am today. Love you, Mom!
P.S. Now that this post is done, I can cross it off my "To-Do List"!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Um....WHAT? I thought to myself---that can't be! Take it back! Say it isn't so! But instead I just smiled and laughed. As I got outside, I just had to chuckle to myself. Because, truth is, I am becoming more and more like my mother each day.
Now say that to me 10 years ago and I probably would have cried for days and went into a deep depression. When I was younger, I did not appreciate my mother and would have told you--"I am never going to grow up and be like my mother!!!" But as I get older, and wiser, I realize that becoming more like my own mother is not such a bad thing. My mom is one of the smartest people I know. I admire her for her hard work and the love she gives her family. I can honestly say that she is one of my heroes.
I know that I am turning into my mother when I makes lists. I LOVE making lists. If I don't make a list of what I need to do, I feel like I'll forget it. I am paranoid about missing things--appointments, events, etc. I put reminders in my phone like a crazy person. I don't just have it alert me an hour before the event--I have it alert me 1 day prior, 2 hours before, and at the time of the event. I make lists of what to get when I go shopping. I make lists of what I need to get done for the week. I make lists for my husband (he loves them...NOT). And I know that I got this trait from my mother who also makes lists for EVERYTHING. Growing up, during the summer, I always knew when I woke up and went downstairs to eat breakfast that on the kitchen table would be my "list". This list would consist of the chores I needed to get done before I could have any "fun". I always went through and did the easy tasks first so I could cross them off and it would look like my list was getting shorter. I know that once my kids get older, I will make them lists. Why break tradition now? (I am a third generation list maker--my mom got this trait from my grandpa!)
I also know that I am turning into my mother when I annoyingly rip the covers off my sleeping husband and yell "Rise and Shine, morning is a-wasting!" I think it's funny to do myself, but growing up when my mom did this to us on a summer morning when all we wanted to do was sleep in, I was SUPER annoyed by it. And if we didn't get up the first time, she'd keep doing it. I am totally going to do this to my kids once they are older.
Here are some other things my mom made us do that I will probably end up doing to my kids also...
One summer, she decided that my sister and I were not friendly enough. So we had to say hi to 10 strangers within the course of the day before we could play. My sister and I road our bikes around town each morning looking for "strangers" so we could say hi to them. The people in our town probably thought we were crazy riding around yelling "HI" to everyone. But it really did make us more friendly in the end.
One of my jobs I often had to do was dust. And let me tell you, there was no "cheater" dusting in our house. Sometimes I'd try to just move things and only dust in the front of them so it looked like they were completely dusted--I would always get busted! My mom would put on a white glove and "check" my dusting. If she got five finger tips full of dust, I had to start all over and re-dust until it was done correctly. I HATED dusting. But looking back at it now, she was just trying to teach me a lesson not to do things half-a$$ed.
I was very involved in our local 4-H Club when I was younger. Every year, we would sign up for about 100 projects to take to our county fair. Each year the fair is in August. But I would procrastinate and not start on my projects until June or July and then it'd be a mad rush to try and get them done on time. My mom would make me complete a certain number of projects a day leading up to the fair so that I'd get them all done. I complained and complained about this. I wanted to go outside and play with my friends! But now I am thankful for this. 4-H taught me so many life lessons--how to cook, bake, sew, and much more! My kids are definitely going to join 4-H!
I'm sure my mom is going to cringe reading this post. But I really do truly appreciate all she made me do when I was younger as it has shaped me into the person I am today. Love you, Mom!
P.S. Now that this post is done, I can cross it off my "To-Do List"!!!!!!!!!! :-)
Friday, June 7, 2013
Grateful
Today, as a mother, I am grateful for a healthy baby boy. I can't imagine if he were sick and there was no cure.
Check out www.savingtreyden.com to follow this family's battle with cancer.
My heart aches for them. Tears are flowing today. Please pray for them.
Give your child a hug and a kiss today. Hold them tight. Life is too short to take anything for granted.
Check out www.savingtreyden.com to follow this family's battle with cancer.
My heart aches for them. Tears are flowing today. Please pray for them.
Give your child a hug and a kiss today. Hold them tight. Life is too short to take anything for granted.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Snaps snaps snaps
I should have mentioned this in my first post. I'm not complaining about motherhood or about being a mom. I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sweet baby boy more than anything. This blog is just meant to be a funny way at looking at the joys of motherhood.
Sooo......
Becoming a new mom has made me discover one of the worst inventions ever on baby pajamas...
SNAPS.
Whoever decided to put 50 snaps on baby pajamas clearly NEVER changed a diaper at 2:00 AM while you're still half asleep. Just when you think you have them all snapped, you missed one. Or just when you think you have them all lined up perfectly and snapped correctly, you get to the last one and discover it doesn't have a partner to snap into. You have to un-snap them all and start over. Meanwhile, your newborn is flailing their arms and legs uncontrollably and screaming.
I do think that snaps are ok on certain baby clothes--cute little overalls or a one-piece outfit. Then they are a lifesaver so you don't have to take the clothes all the way off the baby to change a diaper. Perfectly acceptable in these circumstances. But on pajamas---NO. Hasn't anyone heard of zippers? They should be mandatory on all baby pajamas. Someone needs to tell this to all the major baby clothes companies.
Another thing the clothes companies need to know is that not all babies are SHORT. My baby is a giant at 6 weeks--23.5 inches. He's in 6 month clothes because anything under 6 months is not long enough for him. And some of the 6 month clothes are getting too small too, and I'm afraid I might have to bump him up to 9 months. Come on--seriously---a 6 week old baby in NINE month clothes? Some stores have a "big and tall" section for adults. I think that the baby section needs this also for "big and tall" babies.
While we're on the topic of infant clothes...congrats to all of you out there that have a baby girl. You might be able to actually find a decent outfit for her while you're out shopping. The girls section in the store takes up about 75% of the inventory and the other 25% is boys. And all the boys clothes either have a truck, dog, monster, or fire truck on them. I had to go and find a "nice" outfit for my baby boy for my husband's grandmas funeral. I went to four stores before I finally found something decent on clearance. It was a pair of khaki pants and a sweater. It was on clearance for $20 (wayyyyy too much but I needed it desperately) and originally was $58. WHAT?!?!? Who in their right mind would pay $58 for a baby outfit that was poorly made in China? I just don't get it.
I'll end this post on this note. Ever watch a baby poop? It's HILARIOUS. I've never seen a human being concentrate on something so intently. And it's so LOUD. I still laugh every time my baby poops. It never gets old!!! Have a wonderful day!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Why didn't this baby come with an instruction manual?
I decided to start a blog to capture all the "adventures" of this new journey in my life. I think it's mostly just so I have a place to vent to keep my sanity!
I am 29 years old and have a 6 week old beautiful baby boy. I am a first time mom and also a stay at home mom. I often think to myself on a daily basis--what was I thinking having a child?!?!? Why didn't this baby come with an instruction manual? Why did I quit my job to stay at home with him? No one tells you before you have a child how much work it is. No one tells you how much sacrifice it is. No one tells you that 3 hours of sleep will be enough to function on (in a zombie-like state). And no one tells you how rewarding it is when you look at your precious child and have never felt more love for anything in this world.
I have been with my high school sweetheart for almost 12 years. We have been married for 5 of those years. We waited over three years after we were married to start a family so we could "enjoy" life a little just the two of us--best decision EVER! When I look back to the days when we could just pack up in 2 minutes and leave for a shopping trip I think to myself how easy life was. Now a trip to the grocery store takes at least thirty minutes to get ready for--get baby ready and in carseat, make sure diaper bag is ready to go, get the dog inside the house, get grocery list, baby poops his pants, get him out of carseat and change diaper, get back in carseat, go to the bathroom quick, baby is crying and hungry, feed baby, change diaper again--by this time I have forgotten that I was going to attempt to go to the grocery store.
Some things that have changed since becoming a mom....
I never thought that the highlight of my morning would be when I find 5 minutes to take a shower. Those 5 minutes of standing in the hot shower are like I'm in HEAVEN--just forgetting about my lack of sleep, screaming baby, piles of laundry, and messy house. Then before I know it, I snap back into reality because the baby is crying in his bouncy seat sitting outside the shower. Gone are the days of standing under the water for 20 minutes until there is no longer any hot water. "Power showers" are now the way to go. And no fail, just when I get out and am drying myself off, I realize I didn't shave my legs--maybe I'll find time next week to do that when I might have time for a 6 minute shower.
They say--sleep when the baby sleeps. Yeah right. I'd like to meet the person who came up with that stupid phrase. If you sleep when the baby sleeps then when do you eat breakfast, do laundry, pay bills, make the bed, clean the floors, dust the house, vacuum the carpets, do the dishes, make lunch, check your email, go to the bathroom, shower, feed the dog, think about what you're making for supper, ETC? It seems like my baby can sleep for a three hour stretch and I'll be like a crazy person running about the house getting stuff done. But the moment I even think about taking a nap while he sleeps, then he decides that will be the day he will sleep until the moment my head hits the pillow and then wake up. So no naps for this mommy!
It's amazing how fast you can do things now as a new mom. Before becoming a mom, I'd do the laundry at a leisurely pace. No need to rush, right? I'd eat my lunch slowly--now I inhale it so fast so I can go get the crying hungry baby. Like I mentioned before, a 20 minute shower has now been decreased to 5 minutes. No more reading magazines while you go to the bathroom--who has time for that?
I'll end this blog entry with something to ponder...can someone please tell me how this happens? A baby is sitting on your lap, poops, and you go to change his diaper and the poop is all the way up the back of the diaper and up his back. The baby was sitting vertically! How does poop shoot up backwards? I just don't get it...
I am 29 years old and have a 6 week old beautiful baby boy. I am a first time mom and also a stay at home mom. I often think to myself on a daily basis--what was I thinking having a child?!?!? Why didn't this baby come with an instruction manual? Why did I quit my job to stay at home with him? No one tells you before you have a child how much work it is. No one tells you how much sacrifice it is. No one tells you that 3 hours of sleep will be enough to function on (in a zombie-like state). And no one tells you how rewarding it is when you look at your precious child and have never felt more love for anything in this world.
I have been with my high school sweetheart for almost 12 years. We have been married for 5 of those years. We waited over three years after we were married to start a family so we could "enjoy" life a little just the two of us--best decision EVER! When I look back to the days when we could just pack up in 2 minutes and leave for a shopping trip I think to myself how easy life was. Now a trip to the grocery store takes at least thirty minutes to get ready for--get baby ready and in carseat, make sure diaper bag is ready to go, get the dog inside the house, get grocery list, baby poops his pants, get him out of carseat and change diaper, get back in carseat, go to the bathroom quick, baby is crying and hungry, feed baby, change diaper again--by this time I have forgotten that I was going to attempt to go to the grocery store.
Some things that have changed since becoming a mom....
I never thought that the highlight of my morning would be when I find 5 minutes to take a shower. Those 5 minutes of standing in the hot shower are like I'm in HEAVEN--just forgetting about my lack of sleep, screaming baby, piles of laundry, and messy house. Then before I know it, I snap back into reality because the baby is crying in his bouncy seat sitting outside the shower. Gone are the days of standing under the water for 20 minutes until there is no longer any hot water. "Power showers" are now the way to go. And no fail, just when I get out and am drying myself off, I realize I didn't shave my legs--maybe I'll find time next week to do that when I might have time for a 6 minute shower.
They say--sleep when the baby sleeps. Yeah right. I'd like to meet the person who came up with that stupid phrase. If you sleep when the baby sleeps then when do you eat breakfast, do laundry, pay bills, make the bed, clean the floors, dust the house, vacuum the carpets, do the dishes, make lunch, check your email, go to the bathroom, shower, feed the dog, think about what you're making for supper, ETC? It seems like my baby can sleep for a three hour stretch and I'll be like a crazy person running about the house getting stuff done. But the moment I even think about taking a nap while he sleeps, then he decides that will be the day he will sleep until the moment my head hits the pillow and then wake up. So no naps for this mommy!
It's amazing how fast you can do things now as a new mom. Before becoming a mom, I'd do the laundry at a leisurely pace. No need to rush, right? I'd eat my lunch slowly--now I inhale it so fast so I can go get the crying hungry baby. Like I mentioned before, a 20 minute shower has now been decreased to 5 minutes. No more reading magazines while you go to the bathroom--who has time for that?
I'll end this blog entry with something to ponder...can someone please tell me how this happens? A baby is sitting on your lap, poops, and you go to change his diaper and the poop is all the way up the back of the diaper and up his back. The baby was sitting vertically! How does poop shoot up backwards? I just don't get it...
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