life is dog-gone good

Back at the beginning of my son's life, it seemed I cried more than I smiled.  It could have been the probable PPD or the un-fun-ness of having a Colicky baby, but the bottom line...I wasn't loving motherhood.  In fact, I remember sending a text message to my neighbor that included a line something like, "This kid feels more like punishment than a blessing."

And then he grew up a little.

For those of you who may be stuck in the dark days losing hope for a fun future.  I'm here to testify:
It gets WAY better.

Our kid is fun, hilarious, and down right adorable.

He toddles like Frankenstein across our floor in his Superman PJs and my heart melts.
He laughs with his two tiny toothlings breaking through his gums.
He tackles our dog with gusto and is pleased with himself when his mission is accomplished.

Somewhere along the way our baby became a toddler--and it's awesome.
He even traveled in the car for more than four hours without stopping and was happy to take a break and pet our dog who was journeying with us!

I now truly consider myself blessed.  Our life is made richer because of Sam.  Thank you, Jesus.

Sam's first birthday is in 7 days!  Hip-hip-hooray!

12 from 12 on 12, 12, 12

In honor of December 12, 2012 (12-12-12), here's 12 parenting tips from a mom with 12 months of parenting experience.  Now that's a lot of twelves!

1.  Let it be.  
If baby is happy playing, let him play.  If baby is sleeping in one morning, let him sleep.  If you feel like he should be bored, but he's not, let it be.
2.  Be flexible.
Baby won't always do something how you want him to.  It's ok.  Be willing to adapt.  You will both survive better this way.
3.  Allow others to help you.
People will offer--don't allow your pride to prevent you from getting your dishes cleaned.  (We all have dirty dishes, it's ok, we don't judge you for it.)
4.  Most new moms feel just as insecure as you do.
It's normal to want to compare babies, but do your best to stop because it will just drive you crazy.  (P.S. My kid's just now cutting his first tooth--I think--and he's almost a year. You win!)
5.  Trust veteran moms.
It may hurt your pride and you may want to do your own thing, but why reinvent the wheel?  Sometimes they may have overly abrasive opinions, but sometimes they're right.
6.  Get movin'.
Go on walks.  Go on jogs.  Go to the park.  It's good for you.
7.  Be your baby's playmate.
Get down on the floor and make a fool of yourself.  Laugh and play with your baby.  It's fun.  What baby doesn't like a good air guitar concert?
8.  Take lots of pictures.
Even though at first it felt slow...it really does go fast.  And you probably won't remember it as well as you might think.
9.  Do free stuff.
Our library has story time for babies twice a week.  We love it.  It gets us out doing stuff that doesn't have to be budgeted.
10.  Expose your kid to lots of things.
...not like graphic violence...but music, nature, art, other kids...you get the picture!
11.  Eat well.  Let baby eat well.
Easier said than done, but start early with good food choices.  Don't get him hooked on sugary food because it's hard to turn back.  This may mean that you have to stop eating junk too.  When your baby gets old enough to want to eat what's on your plate, are you going to give him your cheese puffs or a piece of your whole grain bread?
12.  Make your house a safe place.
Sam and I both have more fun because everything that he has access to is safe for him.  The lower shelves of the bookshelf has kids books.  The DVD shelf is covered with chairs.  Trade in your "No, no!" environment for one of peace, safety, and fun.

guilty baby pleasures

Recently I had a friend ask a group of us (around a camp fire) about our "guilty pleasures."  Among the answers included were, watching Star Wars, skipping brushing our teeth before bed, and listening to gangster rap in our Escalade Camry.



Today, while feeding Sam breakfast in his high chair, I put my head to his as I often do and he leaned into it with enjoyment.  (Having trouble picturing this--think, Barry transferring his success in Baby Mama at the end of the video clip from YouTube!)

I realized I love doing that with Sam (and that I always think of the Baby Mama clip!) And that it is my "guilty baby pleasure."  He seems to like it and it makes me feel like we're hugging!

So, spill the beans.  What's your "guilty baby pleasure?"