Thirteen Months and a New Perspective on Time

My blog has gone by the wayside; I have been enjoying the evolution of a little boy. A little boy who is no longer a baby, but a toddler. He turned 13 months on Friday and I am still in denial that so much time has passed. He is running around the house, playing, singing, dancing, talking up a storm (much of it gibberish, but more real words than I thought possible), exploring, investigating, and discovering. It is a delight to experience the world in a new way, seeing it through his perspective. Everything he encounters is new. And, it is exciting.

I am finally getting into my working-mom groove. Not that I don't encounter challenges, but I am becoming more adept at facing them head on. I can change a dirty diaper with deft skill, dress a wiggling body with the coordination of a rodeo champion and have my little guy fed, dressed and in his car seat in 30 minutes (sometime less). With our little guy walking, the biggest difficulty lately is watching him maneuver around furniture, walls, anything. His teetering steps with which he executes confidently always seem to be on the brink of, "timber!" He is gaining balance and coordination every day, but I still have moments where I gasp.

It isn't easy being a mom, but thrilling adventures seldom are a piece of cake. And, this truly is one of my greatest adventures. Every day is a new wonder, a new joy, a new accomplishment (for him and me). All of the things I relished before this little man came into my life seem rather pedestrian and ordinary. Time is no longer the commodity it once was.

I think about all of the extra time I had before we had the little dragon...I thought I was busy, but in fact, I wasted a lot of time too (watching TV, going to the movies, languidly reading away an entire day). I could have used that time to solve global warming or bring world peace (okay, maybe a bit too much, but you get the idea).

With all of the commitments before to boards, committees, volunteering projects, and more (and all for good causes)...the time I spend with my son gives me more happiness and fulfillment than I could ever imagine. Do I miss some of the things I used to do outside of work and home? Yes, at times. But, I will certainly be more mindful of how I commit my time in the future.

Time is much more precious. Something has to be pretty important to me if it is going to take me away from my new adventure of being a mom.

Going Mobile

When you have a nine-month old, the words, "going mobile," have a whole new meaning.

We went mobile a few months ago when little man started rolling all over the place. This was akin to one of those brick phones from the early 90s. He was mobile, but pretty much stayed in one area. We rolled all over the front room together...frolicking, giggling. We were starting to get anxious about babyproofing and started the process, but knew we had some time.

More than a month ago, he started crawling and we had upgraded to a clamshell phone with digital service. We were moving things up to higher ground because he started exploring, but he still stayed within a few rooms. He didn't roam too far. And, we were astonished at what he could do. We couldn't help but smile and encourage.

The last couple of weeks we have definitely gone iPhone, waiting for the iOS 7 upgrade (aka walking). Nothing can stop this speed demon crawler; he is FAST! He is pulling himself up on pretty much anything that is stationary, or has something he can grip (dad's pant leg, the bar on the wheeled highchair, bookshelves, handles on the dresser, um...anything). Note: some things make you go, eek...we are working to redirect him to safe places where he can pull himself up. His exploring has expanded to everywhere in the house. We are now moving things up much higher, latches are on the drawers and every socket has been plugged. In order to contain him so we can do things like laundry, going to the bathroom or starting dinner...we have set up an indoor gated area (also called a play yard). It has been a miracle as we adjust to his mobile capabilities. But, sometimes when you open up that gate, it feels like you are letting the bull go into the arena or a horse onto the racetrack.

We know that hands-free walking is not too far off. I am predicting that we will have the baby that is better, faster and stronger in a few weeks based on his balance, mastery of standing up on his own, and the speed at which he walks when assisted. We are excited, but also have quite a bit of trepidation. With greater mobility, comes greater responsibility (wow, I have been using a lot of taglines in this blog post). We are pretty certain we are ready for this new chapter as parents, but know the baby will throw some unexpected experiences our way.

Walking also seems to signify a new phase in our son's life...he will no longer be a baby, but a toddler. I am trying to come to terms with this. I feel like I just started adjusting to him being a baby. But, thinking about all of the things that are ahead for him -- the discoveries, adventures, and moments of wow -- I am also pretty excited! Just this weekend he had a long of list of new discoveries: playing with a guitar, tasting a pinto bean and french fry, hanging out in the backyard inflatable pool, pushing a wooden train at the bookstore, signing the word "milk," saying the word "crazy," and so much more.

I never thought going mobile would be so challenging, scary, fun, engaging, and life-changing all at the same time. Send on over the upgrade...I am ready. I think.

Lessons Over the Last Five Months

My son will be five months old tomorrow. Five months! This has been the quickest five months of my life...I can remember so vividly the day he was born. And, everyday of those five months, I have been amazed by all that my little boy can do. Not only has he evolved over these months, but so have I. I have learned a lot about myself.

1. I can function on six, five or four hours of sleep. I was able to accomplish things on small amounts of sleep when I was in college. But, as I have gotten older, sleep was an essential. Lately, I have been getting through an entire day of work after an evening that feels like I have spent it at a concert, not at home taking care of a breastfed baby.

2. I don't have to blowdry my hair. Taking the time to blowdry my hair used to be an essential. Not anymore. Now I do my hair by combing it out and putting curling creme through it. Blowdrying not required. And, I have gotten more complements on my hair.

3. I like shopping for clothes...for my son. I have never been one who relished a shopping trip. Sometimes I would find myself in the mood for a bit of shopping, but usually I would only do clothes shopping if there was a purpose. I now love shopping. And, mostly online. I enjoy finding a great sale and buying a dinosaur-printed onesie for my little guy.

4. I have an amazing husband. Okay, so this isn't about myself and I have always known my husband was a pretty phenomenal guy. But, watching him with my son...my husband is off-the-charts awesome. I am very blessed.

5. There aren't too many things I would rather do than play with my son. Sitting at work, I am getting through my to-do list because I cannot wait for the day to be over so I can see my little boy. I love playing with him. His giggle is infectious; it is the most wonderful sound on the planet. His smile can make anything bad from my day just fade away and seem unimportant. Time spent with my little dragon is the best. *note: I am pretty certain this one is cheesy, but I can't help it. My son and the thought of him turns me into a mushy mommy.*

6. I can slay any poopie diaper. While I was pregnant, I wondered how I would be around a diaper filled with massive amounts of waste matter. It has never phased me and I can change a diaper in record time. In fact, recently, after my son had surgery and was constipated for two days, I actually cried because he had a bowel movement. The smile of relief on my son's face, after two days of fussiness, brought me a great amount of joy.

This list can continue for quite a while because I have discovered a lot about myself over these last five months. I have done pretty well being a mom. It is one part of myself that I have come to love. Cannot wait to see what the next months will bring

p.s. My goal is to write in my blog more often. I have learned that I can accomplish a lot during my son's 30-minute naps, but getting to my blog has been tough. I am going to make it a goal of mine during Lent. Wish me luck.