You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2010.
Tomorrow is my 28th birthday. It’s not such a landmark number. It’s not 10 (Double digits!), 16 (Drivers license!), 18 (Vote! Buy cigarettes! [Not that I did, but I could have]), 21 (Can legally drink!), or the “dreaded” Big 3-0. No, it’s just 28.
My 28th birthday is just going to be the cherry on top of what was a pretty awesome year.
I spent half 0f 2010 pregnant, preparing for parenthood and for the little life we were going to bring into the world. I was thrown beautiful showers by people I love. I celebrated my husband’s 30th birthday and two years of marriage with my best friend.
Owen’s birth in June topped anything I could have ever imagined. At 1:05 p.m. on June 26th I became a mother. A mommy. Owen’s mama. That moment redefined my entire life because suddenly, someone’s life depended on me. It gave me purpose like I had never felt before.
June through December has brought joy, tears, frustration, laughter, wonderment, exhaustion, fun and happiness. I have learned patience, acceptance, hell, I learned to feed someone from my boobs. That’s a pretty big deal. I watched fireworks in the car with my husband while my 8-day old son slept in the backseat. I changed a lot of poopy diapers. I got peed on a few times. More than a few times.
I had my first cocktail in over a year.
I was a bridesmaid in one of my best friend’s weddings. I lost 40 pounds of pregnancy weight and then some.
I shared holidays with people I love and watched my squishy little newborn turn into a real live boy who is so.much.fun. I also learned I could survive and function on very little sleep. Very little.
The events of the past year have shaped my life permanently, and I say goodbye to 2010 and my 27th year with a smile.
Happy New Year, everyone!
Dear Owen,
Yesterday you turned six months old. It completely blows my mind that you have been in our lives for half a year already. It feels both like you just arrived, and have been here forever.
I have loved you since the moment we learned of your existence, but Owen, I’m really starting to like you now. You’re so much fun! You start every morning with smiles and laughter. Your face lights up when you see me or Daddy and that’s enough to make our hearts runneth over with love.
I love watching you discover new things — toys, the dog, a piece of hair wrapped around your finger. This morning you spent 10 minutes intently inspecting a tag on your play mat like it was the most important thing in the world. Oh, to see just a glimpse inside your brain!
Your favorite toys include your toes, blocks, your walker, a set of plastic keys that used to belong to mommy and an alligator teething toy. You shout and babble and wave them around as if to say, “Mama! Look! TOYS!” You’re always talking up a storm, and some may disagree, but we’re pretty sure you already say “Hiiiiii” and “Ooooh-wa!”, which is basically your name. You little genius, you. You won’t roll over yet, much to my chagrin, but you sit unassisted and will reach and grab for anything around you. Including the turkey leg off our Christmas dinner table. Luckily, Daddy caught you in time.
You sleep a consistent 8-10 hours every night before waking and that has been a huge milestone. You also take two solid naps, but usually hold me hostage in my bed with you in order to do so. Right now, however, you are napping peacefully in your crib. It’s only been 20 minutes and you could very well wake up any moment, but this is a giant step!
We go to the pediatrician for your six-month appointment tomorrow, so I don’t know how much you weigh officially, but my guess is more than 25 pounds. You have the biggest, most delicious thighs I have ever seen! You also have the longest eyelashes imaginable and big full lips. You are going to be real trouble around the ladies, Mr. O. Oh man, I’m not ready to think about that.
This week you will have your first taste of rice cereal. Up until now you have been exclusively breastfed. Starting you on solids will be a very bittersweet moment for me. I am so proud of my big, healthy baby boy who is clearly interested in eating, yet sad that these will be your first steps of independence away from me. I know we have many more months of breastfeeding to go, but it will never be entirely the same. I love those quiet moments we spend together — especially when you stop nursing to look up at me and laugh, pat my neck or shove your chubby fingers in my mouth for a nibble.
Since you were born in June, you’ve experienced many first holidays already. Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas already! Each one was fun and special and one day I’ll show you the pictures of you grabbing Daddy’s beer bottle (stop that!) and shoving wrapping paper in your face.
This morning you woke up to your first blizzard; your backyard blanketed by snow. We stood in the window and watched Daddy shovel and I wondered if you realized things looked different outside. I bet you did.
Ah, you are waking now. A 28-minute nap in your crib. Baby steps, baby steps.
I love you, Owen Michael. From the tips of my toes to the top of my head. You are the best thing to happen to us.
I can’t wait to see what the next six months brings us.
Love you forever,
Mama
What is it about the holidays that makes people so pleasant? (Said with the biggest eye roll imaginable.)
Yesterday we went to get a bagel. O was asleep in the car seat, so Michael ran in while I waited in the car. It was still early and I wasn’t really awake yet, so I was just staring out the window. All of the sudden, there was a woman next to the driver’s side window (I was in the passenger seat). She was waving her arms maniacally, pointing and shouting at me.
“This is HANDICAP parking! You’re IN A HANDICAP PARKING SPACE UGGGGGHHHH!”
It took me a minute to register she was talking to me, and my confused face clearly pissed her off because she kept going. I began to gesture that there was no handicap parking sign, and she lost it, shouting “NO! NO!”, rolling her eyes and making disgusted faces at me. She stormed into the building and continued to give me dirty looks through the window, probably expecting me to move the car.
Now look, in her defense, it turns out we were in a handicap parking spot. BUT. There was no sign. And the marking on the pavement was almost completely faded away and oh yeah, covered in snow.
So maybe, just MAYBE, this was an honest mistake?
And maybe if she, I don’t know, came up to me and said, “Excuse me, do you know this is a handicap parking spot?” or something to that effect, I would have apologized and moved the car?
Now don’t hate me for this part, but what put the icing on this lovely cake was that she was forced to park a whole 8 inches further from the door (seriously, RIGHT next to my spot) in her brandy-new Audi, then got out and stormed right over to me no problem. I’m not saying she didn’t have a legitimate reason for needing a handicap spot, who am I to say what qualifies as a handicap? But it certainly had nothing to do with her feet or her mouth! Maybe this was the last straw for her. Maybe she was tired of people parking in handicap spots when they shouldn’t be. But I don’t think that excuses her tirade on me.
This reminds me on an incident that happened a few years ago right around the same time of year.
My friend and I were going somewhere one evening, and she parked on the street outside my house. When we began to hear someone laying on their horn for a really long time, I opened the door to investigate. There was a woman behind my friend’s car honking and honking. I figured she thought someone was in my friend’s car, so I made the “go around” motion from my doorway. She rolled down the window and yelled, “Is this your car????”
No, it isn’t, I told her. And then all hell broke loose.
“It’s illegal to park on this street! (It isn’t) There are SIGNS! (That say no parking during SCHOOL HOURS).”
And then the kicker.
“SOMEONE COULD F–KING DIE!!!!”
At this point, she was beat red and clearly losing.her.shit. As she threatened to call the cops, Michael attempted to go out and talk to her, but she rolled up her window leaving only the tiniest crack, and shouted obscenities at him. Ok, he said. Call the cops.
We went back inside and watched her through the window. The best part was that as she ranted and raved, she caused even more of a traffic problem, forcing people to go around her!
So what does Crazy do next? She backs into our neighbor’s driveway and turns off her headlights (as if we couldn’t see her?) and waits for the cop to arrive.
(At this point, my friend’s mother — who is a local police dispatcher — calls her up to ask what exactly the problem is. Why is her plate being reported for trouble at my house? It was comical.)
When the cop arrives, Michael goes out to talk to her, and the two are actually laughing. I see Michael point to Crazy hiding in the driveway, and the woman — now caught and seemingly embarrassed to be — turns her car back on and rolls down her window to talk to the cop. When she receives the news that nothing will be done, she peels out in a huff.
And then circles the block five minutes later to see if we’ve moved the car.
We hadn’t.
A clear case of the Christmas Crazies? What IS that?
– Yup, I failed at my own blogging challenge. Last week was just busy! But I think the point was to get me back into mostly regular posting, and it worked. For the most part.
– I’ve been toying with the idea of doing a video post, but I’m not sure I like the way I come across on film. You know how your voice always sounds weird on an answering machine? I think I sound like a little kid and I play with my hair too much. Maybe that’s a big NO for a video blog.
– Owen is sleeping so well that I hate to think about the next growth spurt/teething when he stops this lovely pattern. We’re down to one waking usually between 3 and 4, then back to sleep for a few hours before he comes in bed with us and sleeps till 7 or 8. This morning he was the last one up and Michael and I just lay in bed gazing at the little sleeping angel between us. Saaaaaapy, but true.
– O has also developed a mild case of baby eczema from the dry forced hot air in our house and it makes me sad to feel that soft baby skin all dry and bumpy. I’ve been slathering him in Burt’s Baby Bee lotion, but if anyone has a better recommendation, I’ll take it.
– Formspring is fun. Thanks for your questions!
– Clearly, this is a pretty lame Randomness post.
– Want to hear about poop? No? Oh well. Yesterday, it had been 24 hours since O had pooped and guys, that is a LONG time for him. This kid poops a ton and almost always out of his diaper. I don’t know what it is. I’ve gone up the next size in diapers. I’ve tried to keep him out of the sitting position if I know a poop is eminent. But still. STILL, he craps up his back. WHY? Is his little poop shoot oddly positioned upwards or something? You wouldn’t believe how many onesies I go through a week.
I have this system for stain removal because I can’t do laundry every day with the set up we have. If you need some poop stain solutions, I’m your girl.
(I never thought this would be something I’d be well-versed in. Poop stain removal. Who AM I?)
Anyway, so no poop. For 24 hours. This actually isn’t all uncommon for babies, but it is for my baby. He’s pretty routine. Morning, after naps, later afternoon. Pooptastic. But as the hours ticked on and no poop was coming, I began to worry that it was going to arrive when we were running errands or wake him in the middle of the night by puddling on his sheet or something.
In the end, it wasn’t that dramatic. He exploded in his jammies while my dad was holding him. Right up his back, of course.
It took a LOT of wipes to clean up this one. A LOT OF WIPES.
– He’s sitting and playing with blocks on the floor next to me right now. My little poopmeister baby boy. When did he get so big?
I don’t need anything for Christmas, other than some jeans that fit right, but if you ask me what I want, they’re kind of big-ticket items this year. Why? I guess because those are the things to dream about. So, if funds were unlimited, I would ask Santa for…
Diamond stud earrings that I would wear every day!
A fancy new HTC Evo (I’m a total phone junkie…good thing we have an unlimited plan!)
Pretty much everything about this bathroom (I really don’t like our bathroom).
New boots.
What’s on your no-budget dream wish list?
From Formspring: Hey Molly! What milestones do you and Michael look most forward to celebrating with Owen? Do you find that your perception of time has changed at all? Are you thinking about the future more than ever or are you mostly grounded in the present?
Initially, I answered the question like this:
Cliche as it sounds, time is FLYING. I would say I’m grounded in the present, but the present is ever-changing (if that makes any sense.) Every day I am fascinated when he discovers a new skill or toy…it’s amazing to see a person really grow before your eyes.
I’m most looking forward to his first Christmas, watching him taste food for the first time (although that will be bittersweet for me) and hearing his first real word. He already says “Oooooh WA!”, so maybe it will actually be his name!
And then came this weekend. See, we’ve been waiting for him to roll over. He used to, actually. When he was 2.5 weeks old he would roll from his belly to his back if he got really mad and worked up some momentum. And then he stopped, which didn’t surprise me, since he wasn’t even a month old yet. Since then, we’ve done a lot of tummy time, but he’s just not all that interested in flipping over. He’s done it on occasion, but then looks at me like, “Why should I do this? This is boring!” Instead, he prefers to lie on his back and roll from side to side, playing with his feet but not actually rolling over.
I wasn’t really worried about it, but my mom kept asking if he had rolled again, so I started to think maybe he should be! Maybe he’s developmentally behind! Is something wrong with him?!
I started to agonized over it; doing Google searches and comparing him to other babies his age we’re friendly with. Some were rolling, some weren’t. Ok…
Well, here’s a lesson I had to learn: all kids are different. If your five-month old hasn’t rolled over yet, he can still be one smart cookie. Observe:
Well, no wonder he doesn’t want to roll. Who wants to roll when you can SIT? Do you know what happens when you sit? You can reach things! Like the toys above your play mat, or the place mat at a restaurant (which rips! Do you know paper rips?!), or the fork right off of Mama’s plate. Sitting allows you to discover your world in an entirely different light and JEESH, Mama. Stop trying to make me roll over! I’ll do it when I’m good and ready.
The milestones are coming fast and furious and this one was a game changer. This whole making a human thing? Pretty darn cool.
Loving your questions! Keep them up. I’ve been answering them on the Formspring page. To ask a question, click on the link over on the left on the sidebar.
It was one of those days. Instead of going back to sleep easily after his 3:30 a.m. wake up, O was fussy and the house was so chilly that I didn’t want to sit up in the glider any longer. I brought him into bed with us, where he fussed on and off until after 5. Tired, cranky and cold (if Michael is covered and O is in the correct position to both nurse lying down and not be smothered by the comforter, I’m decidedly NOT covered.), I finally passed him off to Michael closer to six.
Later in the morning, it was a plethora of exploding diapers and spit up. So much spit up. I blamed his messy tummy on my decision to eat chili the night before. I should know better, beans don’t sit well with him.
We had a lunch date with a friend, but she had to push it back a little and we were approaching nap time. I didn’t want to reschedule, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t be the best lunch companion. I was right. As my friend tried to tell me about her life, my baby fussed; refusing all his usual distractions and alternating between hurling himself into my neck, and pinching it really hard with his little fingers.
I felt embarrassed. The lunch crowd was mostly college students and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I could hear myself apologizing over and over for his behavior, even though I knew I had no reason to. Five month olds aren’t going to be reasoned with, you know. When the meltdown began to escalate, I began to gather up our belongings — including Christmas presents my friend had so thoughtfully brought (something I had wanted to do in return, but had forgotten) — and cut our lunch short after just a half hour. She was understanding, but I felt bad.
Within minutes of leaving, he was asleep in the car…no surprise there. Thinking I had a window, I figured I would take the opportunity to take care of some business at the bank. I parked, opened the door, and popped out his seat. But the minute he felt the cold air he awoke SCREAMING and could not be consoled. I had no choice but to turn around and leave before even getting past the vestibule.
We arrived home, and he was happy as a clam. Of course. We played a bit before settling into bed for a rest. I caught up on some TV while he napped for a blessed two hours, and when he awoke, we had a fun evening playing together. A nice end to a rough day.
Yesterday the seesaw tipped and I lost my balance, landing ass-first in the dirt. Today, I’m going to brush myself off and jump back on.
I’m working on some real posty-type posts (I mentioned writing about my breastfeeding experience awhile back and have received a ton of emails asking me {nicely} to get on that. Who knew you were so interested! It’s in the works…), but in the meantime, I thought I would open up the floor to you guys and jump on the Formspring bandwagon.
So from now on, anytime you’d like to ask a question, go ahead! You can do so here: http://formspring.me/TLMoments and I will answer them as often as possible.
I’ll answer just about anything. And hey, it might actually lead to some good posts! (PS – be sure to check the Formspring page to see my answers…some good questions already!)
{Source}
I’m feeling a lot of love today. Love for my family, love for my friends. Love for my little chunky baby babbling away next to me.
So much love, in fact, it took me till now to write a post, because snuggling up next to that little boy, breathing in his baby scent and taking a nap together was just much more important.
Here’s wishing you all a day full of love!
It’s time I get moving on our Christmas cards, and for those like me who want a lot of options, but are dragging their feet, Shutterfly is a great place to turn. The card selections are virtually endless, and turn-around time is so quick! Last year I had my cards within two days of placing my order.
The only tricky thing is picking a card!
I like how this Merry Modern Christmas Collage Card has room for lots of different photos in a, well, modern design!
The Starlight Snowflakes card is a simple format to showcase a really cute face (and since O will be the star of our card this year, I think we’ve got that cute face covered!)
And this Joy to You card is a great way to wish all a happy holiday, not just a merry Christmas.
Now I’m off to try and decide which card will represent our family this year. Quite a task! Start the search for your perfect card here!
Disclaimer: I am participating in the Shutterfly Christmas Card Promotion. By writing this post, I will receive 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.com. And you can too! To participate, click here.
These Little Moments 
