J9 & Gman’s Favorite things!!!

It is kind of like Oprah’s list only this stuff isn’t free L. Here I give to you a few things that have saved my sanity, provided me with more sleep and generally kept Gman happy. If you are pregnant, or thinking of getting pregnant, or have a baby gift to buy for someone I highly recommend these life savers (also ironically all can be bought from Amazon).

1.       The happiest baby on the block. This book/movie saved DH and I numerous times over. It taught us how to calm Gman down in mere seconds using the 5 S’s instead of hours of rocking and walking and bouncing. Also the swaddle technique gave us extra sleep time or extra time to watch a sleeping baby because they are too cute not to.

2.       Fisher Price’s Rock n Play – This is worth every single penny and I do not know how we would survive without it? If your child is only sleeping/napping in short intervals this little rocker will pretty much double that time right off the get go. Plus its height is perfect for having it beside your bed and it folds up nicely for traveling with the little one. I don’t know why or how this works so well I think the hammock style of it mocks a mother’s arms and the incline helps babies with any kind of reflux, and the rocking allows you to transition your baby into it keeping some motion. Absolutely love it.

3.        The winkel – I was given this toy as a gift and as soon as Gman grasped the concept of grabbing and holding things this became his favorite toy. It rattles and is brightly colored and there are many places to hold onto it. Now at four months old you can’t stop him from trying to eat it.

4.       Fisher Price's Rainforest Jumperoo – Gman just started using this at four months old and he can’t get enough of it. It lights up and makes noise and he can spin around and look at different things. We get dizzy just watching him bounce. This sucks the energy out of him and often I’ll pick him up out of it and he’ll pass out in my arms immediately. I do believe this is a must have.

5.       The Waybuloos – Say what you will that babies should not watch television, but when mommy needs to eat or shower or return a phone call or email, this program out of the UK works wonders. They are creatures that float around and do Yoga and the episodes are 20 minutes long and my kid loves it.

Check back in another 4 ½ months as I’m sure this list will grow.

Mother's Day

Hey, remember me? I’m about to celebrate my first Mothers day and you know what I asked for? To sleep in and take a 3 hour bath. I’ve been dead tired, have had some serious back pain, and have been attempting to plan a wedding shower, a bachelorette, and getting all Martha Stewart crafty with DIY wedding projects.

Oh, and throw a trip to Myrtle Beach in there too (that deserves its own blog entry).

So you ask – how is it being a mother four and a half months in? Coming from someone who always thought I would never have children here is what I have discovered:

1.       You will miss yourself. I know this sounds odd, but you will. I miss my spur of the moment trips, my lunch dates, going to late shows, reading a good book for hours on end, cranking the tunes in the car, getting dressed and doing my make-up and hair every day, staying up to watch late tv shows, solo time with T, etc. I miss who I used to be, and hope that as my kid gets easier I’ll get some of those things back.

2.       Your kid screws with your body. Your hair falls out, and not just a little bit, a lot. So much so you are afraid to wash it for fear of going bald. Exercising sounds like a good idea, but A – I have no energy and B- would require 15 sports bras and C- have some pretty intense back pain caused from having/lifting/rocking/said kid. Long walks are as good as it gets these days. So at least I'm off work to go on those walks in beautiful parks.

3.       You will never sleep well again. I remember at the beginning I slept so little that when I actually had a dream one night I was excited that I had gotten that far into a good sleep. Sure you can go to bed when your kid goes to bed but when will you get any solo time for yourself to do anything or spend any quality time with your husband? I find the moment those eyes close I’d be running around frantically doing whatever I could because it can all be done so much faster if I do not have to watch Gman or carry him around with me. He now sleeps stretches of 6-8 hours at a time – but still what I would give for uninterrupted sleep.

4.       Baby bodily functions are not so bad. Right up until I had Gman thought spit up/puke/dirty diapers were horrid. Well they are, but I have never been so concerned with my child’s bodily functions to tell me he is healthy. I have become the baby wipe master! That being said if another person’s kid were to spit up on me, I would still be disgusted.

5.       Going and doing anything is difficult. It is time consuming and requires lots of planning and in the end you might not actually get to do or go where you had set out. If I could shop online and have everything delivered I would.

That is just a few, as I’m exhausted – 10pm on a Saturday night and I can’t wait to sleep. All things aside, there is nothing in the world I would not do for this kid. As much as my life has completely changed he is worth it all. Watching him learn new things and change every day has brought me so much happiness. He is the best thing I’ve ever done, and eventually he’ll get a brother or sister.

How could you not love this face? Yes, my child hangs out naked beside the tv remote all the time :)