Being a mommy means...

…sitting up in a rocker at 4am for an hour because your baby can’t sleep.

…letting your lunch get cold because your baby got hungry sooner than expected.

…nuzzling freshly washed baby head.

…kissing baby as often as you want.

…watching your baby explore a new world – even when it means hitting himself in the face with the rattle he just learned how to grab.

…listening to your baby’s laugh when you tickle him.

Check back on Wednesdays for more "Being a mommy means..."

Is it possible?

Mondays.

Lots of people hate Mondays.  Until recently I was one of them.  But I'm starting to feel my perspective change.  Granted, I still strongly dislike my hubby going back to work after having him home for two days, but I am realizing that Mondays do not have to be blue.  Ever since I became a (mostly) stay-at-home mom three and a half months ago we have been trying to figure out a schedule.  I am told babies like schedules.  I am bad at schedules.  I am a freelance interpreter for a reason; things like my schedule always change and that keeps me interested and on my toes.  Doing the exact same thing everyday makes me NUTS.  So I have a hard time with the "babies do better on a schedule" idea.  We are working on the idea of naps, but that is about as much schedule as I can handle right now.  Except for Mondays.  Mondays have become almost sacred in the "stay home and chill" department.  We don't tend to go out on Mondays, we don't like to run errands or even be dressed by a certain time.  We chill at home.  We do laundry (ugh!) or dishes, or other necessary things here (like update a blog!).  And we chill.  We relax.  We just hang out.  I need this time to be a better Mommy.  J needs this time to recover from the weirdness of the weekend and have time with just me.

Yup.  I'm starting to like Mondays.

And I think J agrees :)

Cooking is fun

Cooking is fun.

I'm learning this more and more lately.  Coming up with a new creation or following a new recipe is an exciting project.  Also, I like to know what is in the food I eat and cooking for myself allows me to do that.  My husband and I have different cooking philosophies; I taste as I go and he tastes at the end.  I cannot stand his method!  He doesn't know until it may be too late if something needs adjusting!  But then again, with me tasting all the time I have a tendency to second guess myself continually.  I suppose there is something to be said for both, but I'll stick with my way, thanks.

Today I made up a dinner for some friends and my sister dropped it off at their house.  I will never get to taste it and I won't know if it was good or not!  Grr.  That's OK though.  I will just have to try it again here sometime.

My family is coming to my house Friday morning for breakfast.  I'm going to make baked french toast and I'm rather excited about it because it is so darn yummy.  There probably won't be any apples this time as I forgot to pick any up today.  Oh well, they will live.

Hubby is baking pies for tomorrow.

I love Thanksgiving.

Cooking is fun.

Thank you for reading my random disjointedness.  Trust me when I tell you that it might have been much worse.

Today, I am thanking God for my immediate family - those I grew up with, and those I married into:

Thank You for my Mom. She taught me so much growing up, and continues to teach and inspire me now that I'm a mom myself.

Thank You for my Dad. He is encouraging and smart and supportive.

Thank You for my sister, Dana. She is a wonderful mom and such an encouragement to me as a new mom.

Thank You for my nieces, Daisy and Fern. They are such fun and they love their cousin, J.

 

Thank You for my brother-in-law, Joseph. His quiet support and love are perfect for my sister and I love to see their marriage thrive.

Thank You for my brother, Josh. His pursuit of You is an example that inspires and encourages.

Thank You for my almost-sister-in-law, Molly. For the light she is in Josh's life.

Thank You for my sister, Jessie. Her passion - whether for movies, books, family, or You - is a wonder and a joy.

Thank You for my sister, Hannah. Her joy and laughter light my soul.

Thank You for my mother-in-law. Her quiet strength and love for her son and mine.

Thank You for my father-in-law. How much he loves J.

Thank You for my brother-in-law, Kirby. How he and Shelbs are reconnecting.

Thank You for my sister-in-law, Abby. Her excitement for life and passion for J.

Thank You for my son, J. Thank You for the wonder that he is. Thank You for the opportunity to raise him, the chance to love him. Thank You that he is healthy and growing on a daily basis.

And Lord, thank You for my husband. He means so very, very much to me. Thank You for his love, thank You for his companionship, thank You for his awesomeness.

One of these days I will get back to posting.

Learning

Things I never thought about doing/knew I could do while holding a baby:

- Make a pot of coffee

- Run a load of laundry/dishes (I can’t wash dishes one-handed yet, but I’m sure that’s coming)

- Cook (this gets awkward and I usually try to get someone to be my other hand but it is possible on some things!)

- Perform in a crowd of thousands of people (alongside my husband who was dressed as a tree)

- Carry an armload of books (here’s a hint: if you’re going to a book sale take a stroller)

- Use the restroom (yes he was in a sling at the time and no I do not plan to try this again but I now know it’s possible!)

I’m sure other things will come up. I am constantly amazed at the things my son is teaching me. Soon I’ll be learning how much mess a child can make in one sitting!

I want to be learning everyday! Someone once said that when you stop learning you’re dead – and I’m not gonna plan on being dead till it happens! Today God reminds me that His mercies are new every morning.  The old has passed away; behold the new has come. I want to learn from each day as it comes, then let it pass away behind me as I move forward. The mistakes, the wrong attitudes, the failures of yesterday are no more – they are washed away by His grace and He has given me a bright new day to try again!

What else might I learn today if I look for it?

Birthday

I am 28 today. Goodness. Not sure what to think about that yet, except realize that time is flying by like nobody's business. I am going to post a list of things I would like to accomplish by the time I turn 30. I stole borrowed adapted got this idea from a friend of mine. You can find her blog at http://badmommydiary.blogspot.com/

30 by 30

1.       Read 20 new books (not including children’s books which I can easily go through 5 at a time)

2.       Read 10 classics (I’ve realized how many of these I own compared to how many I’ve read and it’s rather embarrassing)

3.       Finish organizing old photographs into albums or scrapbooks

4.       Get rid of all those shirts that I keep saying I might wear someday but never do

5.       Learn to follow a sewing pattern

6.       Learn to walk on 5’ peg stilts

7.       Try 50 new recipes (this so far is going better than I thought it would, but I don’t know how that’s going to change when I have a toddler)

8.       Design and create my own costume

9.       Learn to crochet

10.   Direct Godspell

11.   Perform in another stage show

12.   Take a dance class

13.   Learn 3 swing dance aerials to do with my husband

14.   Simplify my life by getting rid of STUFF– I’m not sure yet what measureable to put on this to know whether or not I have succeeded

15.   Take walks at least 3 times a week – not sure how I’m going to do this in the winter time, maybe become a mall walker mom during the cold months?

16.   Set up a will/custody documents for J should anything happen to me and the hubby

17.   Spend time at least once a week with a friend

18.   Maintain an active prayer journal

19.   Lead a Bible study

20.   Read through the Bible completely (haven’t done this since Bible college and it needs to happen again)

21.   Buy a house (yeah, I’m not totally optimistic about this one, but I can try)

22.   Memorize 30 Bible verses

23.   Memorize 3 sonnets

24.   Get to know the ladies at my church better (ie: be more sociable)

25.   Clean out the garage enough to consider getting a deep freeze

26.   Consistently maintain an active blog

27.   Stick with cloth diapering

28.   Teach a sign language class

29.   Travel to a state I’ve never been

30.    Feel organized – if only briefly

 What are your goals for the next 2 years?