So what’s up with seven year olds being pushed around in strollers? This is something I recently encountered on our vacation. I saw several kiddos, that in my opinion, were way too old and large to be in an umbrella stroller. If your child is actually quite a bit taller than the stroller itself than it’s probably a good sign that they don’t need to be pushed around in a stroller.

Ok enough ranting! Just thought I would share my thoughts on this. Sorry there is no pic to accompany this post. I didn’t feel it would be too appropriate to ask one of the parents to pose next to their middle schooler in the stroller.

Maternity Clothes
1st baby: You begin wearing maternity clothes as soon as your OB/GYN confirms your pregnancy.
2nd baby: You wear your regular clothes for as long as possible.
3rd baby: Your maternity clothes ARE your regular clothes.

Preparing for the Birth
1st baby: You practice your breathing religiously.
2nd baby: You don’t bother because you remember that last time, breathing didn’t do a thing.
3rd baby: You ask for an epidural in your eighth month.

The Layette
1st baby: You pre-wash newborn’s clothes, color-coordinate them, and fold them neatly in the baby’s little bureau.
2nd baby: You check to make sure that the clothes are clean and discard only the ones with the darkest stains.
3rd baby: Boys can wear pink, can’t they?

Worries
1st baby: At the first sign of distress — a whimper, a frown — you pick up the baby.
2nd baby: You pick the baby up when her wails threaten to wake your firstborn.
3rd baby: You teach your three-year-old how to rewind the mechanical swing.

Pacifier
1st baby: If the pacifier falls on the floor, you put it away until you can go home and wash and boil it.
2nd baby: When the pacifier falls on the floor, you squirt it off with some juice from the baby’s bottle.
3rd baby: You wipe it off on your shirt and pop it back in.

Diapering
1st baby: You change your baby’s diapers every hour, whether they need it or not.
2nd baby: You change their diaper every two to three hours, if needed.
3rd baby: You try to change their diaper before others start to complain about the smell or you see it sagging to their knees.

Activities
1st baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics, Baby Swing, and Baby Story Hour.
2nd baby: You take your infant to Baby Gymnastics.
3rd baby: You take your infant to the supermarket and the dry cleaners.

Going Out
1st baby: The first time you leave your baby with a sitter, you call home five times.
2nd baby: Just before you walk out the door, you remember to leave a number where you can be reached.
3rd baby: You leave instructions for the sitter to call only if she sees blood.

At Home
1st baby: You spend a good bit of every day just gazing at the baby.
2nd baby: You spend a bit of everyday watching to be sure your older child isn’t squeezing, poking or hitting the baby.
3rd baby: You spend a little bit of every day hiding from the children.

Swallowing Coins
1st child: When first child swallows a coin, you rush the child to the hospital and demand x-rays.
2nd child: When second child swallows a coin, you carefully watch for the coin to pass.
3rd child: When third child swallows a coin, you deduct it from his allowance!

 Do you need structure in your day or are you Mrs. Flexible? Personally, I think I need more structure in my day. It seems like I do better on days I have planned activities outside the house. On days I totally stay at home with the little one I feel like I waste the day away with out getting much done. Maybe on the days I have things planned I know I only have little pockets of time to get “house stuff” taken care of.  I know I have mentioned before that I am a type “A” personality and therefore I thrive on structure and a general plan.

Recently a fellow mom told me that she felt motherhood required you to be organized yet flexible at the same time. Those two things are hard to balance. Have any of you ever encountered anything like what I am experiencing? What works best for you?

 

Today’s technically my first Mother’s Day. I am extra thankful today for my little one and all the joy he brings to my life. I feel so blessed to have such a sweet, easy going little boy. His smiles come easily  and often.

I hope all of you have wonderful Mother’s day with your families. I am so very thankful for all the ladies in my life who have been “like a mom” to me. I am also thankful for my friends who I can go to for advice on being a mom myself. I would especially like to say Happy Mother’s day to Erin and to thank her for her friendship and for starting this blog for us all.

 

Note: This is a product endorsement!!!

When we picked out Noah’s carseat it was rated #1 for safety with the lap belt restraint. Lately we have had some issues with the carseat tipping over to the side. As Noah has gotten older and heavier we have noticed that the seatbelt is loosing on it’s own eventually. This usually occurs when I make any type of wide turn. This past week a friend( who has the same carseat) gave me a solution to my problem. The MIGHTY TITE!!!!! Maybe all you parents out there have heard of the product before or have seen it. The Mighty Tite is basically a heavy duty crank that attaches to the lap belt opposite the buckle side. You can tighten/crank it until the base literally can’t move. I think the base is supposed to have a little bit of give if you were to get into an accident so I don’t tighten to the insane level of tightness. This product can be used with the infant or toddler carseats and can be found at Babiesrus for $16.99. I wish I would have known about this product months ago. Noah just measured in at 28.5 inches yesterday at his Dr. appt. so we are off to Target to buy him his next carseat. FYI: some of the Britax carseats are on sale at Target through today and this is a rare occurence.

My little one has a cold.  She is very tired, but won’t sleep.  It’s gonna be a long night…

…This was the beginning to a post that I couldn’t finish, because I spent the evening going in and out of the little one’s room…cuddling her to sleep, over and over and over again.  But I can’t say that I was sad about that.  For being a mother of a busy, wiggly 8-month-old, I gotta get my cuddles in where I can.

Just as this blog post was never finished, I am realizing more and more that being a mom means that a lot of projects go unfinished, or at least set aside…indefinitely.  This blog, for example, is that thing that I desire to maintain, for no other reason than it brings me joy.  But when baby is sick, friends and family are visiting, and school deadlines need to be met, this is the first thing to go. 

I have a feeling being a mom will cause me to choose between the "have to’s" and the "want to’s" a lot.  Oh well…as long as the "have to’s" involve snuggling will my children, there is no contest. 

So recently I was at a restaurant and they didn’t have a diaper changing station in the bathroom. I don’t know about you but I am finding out that more restaurants/stores don’t have them as opposed to ones that do. It’s a bit frustrating to the  frazzled mom who discovers that you have a diaper blowout situation but no where to change the diaper. A few times I have had to use my trusty travel changing pad on the floor. I’m not too proud of this but you have got to do what you have got to do.  I actually think it should be mandatory to have the diaper changing stations in every bathroom. I understand some places aren’t that kid friendly such as super fancy restaurants but most of the kid friendly joints don’t even have them!

While I am on a ranting kick I would just like to also add that I don’t understand why baby boutiques don’t leave enough room around all of their beautiful baby displays for you to get a stroller through.   Several times I have gotten so frustrated that I just finally left the store.  If they want you to buy their stuff they might consider actually catering to their customer a little more. Most moms will be traveling with their little tots in tow and usually a stroller is involved. Most of the time this just happens at small baby boutiques but recently I was at an outlet mall and had this happen at a children’s clothing store. I have been to several of their stores in different states and always encounter the same problem. The clothes racks/shelves are too close together.  It’s not rocket science people!

Ok I am done ranting….for now!

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Its so hard going backwards!!!  My little girl has been doing an amazing job with her naps, and with that, her demeanor has changed.  She is happier for longer periods of time, and my husband and I feel a little less pressure to make her smile, and have had a little more time to just enjoy her enjoying life.  However, after the last couple of days, I feel like we are back to the drawing board.  She isn’t napping well, and she is waking up frequently.  Her once 7AM wake up time has moved to between 3 and 4, and I just don’t know where to begin getting things back on track.  I know that infants are creatures of habit and routine, but I had NO IDEA that they were so dependant on these things.  Our family visits were amazing, but I have a feeling its going to take a while to get back on track.  Whoa is me!!!  Do you ever feel that way? 

My good friend, Cara, told me about a website that I think will come in very handy for a lot of you aspiring Martha Stewart moms, or those of you who are cheap, like me.  It offers some VERY simple suggestions, recipies, and ideas for preparing meals for your little ones.  Happy mashing!

 

   I am not even officially sure I know exactly what the baby blues are but I think I am experiencing it. I thought if you were going to have the “baby blues” it was only right after your baby was born, not nine months later.  Lately I have been struggling with managing/balancing my time and roles in life.  Maybe that’s my problem.  The type “A” personality is coming out in all my roles and trying to micro manage everything.  I have been struggling with balancing my roles of wife, mom, friend, daughter, military spouse, etc…… You get the picture. I have always been neat, tidy, and organized and maybe that is not quite so obtainable now that I am a mom. I think trying to be a good wife and mom is harder than I thought it would be. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful husband and baby but I am really wrestling with my roles when it comes to my two favorite people. I know I will eventually find the right balance but in the mean time does anyone have any great advice or encouraging words to spare?

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