Dear Crissy | Motherhood and Everything After

Mar 05 2010

Waiting for spring to be sprung

Posted in: Daily Life, Seasons Change Tags: Photos, spring, weather

I don’t think I have ever loathed a winter more thoroughly than I have this one. I am not sure if it’s just because I am extra cooped-up since having Evan, or if this season has just really been that heinous. For the past two days the sky has been blue, and the sun has been shining. Of course, it’s been shining on a blanket of snow that still covers our property, but it’s been shining nevertheless! Yesterday Evan and I pulled up some window and took a luxurious vitamin D bath. It felt so nice to soak up some rays. I’m pretty sure if it doesn’t warm up soon, my kid is going to turn into a vampire.

The photo above was taken last spring. I can remember that time so vividly, as I was pregnant, and finally moving out of the throw-up phase. It was so nice, but I fully demand that this spring and summer be even better!

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Mar 03 2010

Seven months

Posted in: My Kid Tags: Evan, milestones

My sweet, delicious, handsome baby is 7-months-old today, and I suddenly realized that we’re now on the fast-slide to his first birthday. To say that this makes me a little sad would be an understatement. I am so excited and proud to see him grow and mature, but wow, I also really hate to see him inch farther and farther away from that itty-bitty baby phase.

There is at least one moment during every day when I look at his sweet face and just try to freeze time. I want to be able to hold him in my arms like I do now, forever. I want to remember how sweet he smells and to bottle up all of those ornery little glances he shoots my way. No amount of photos will capture the true essence of him as a baby. Needless to say, I completely understand why people crave that second or third baby a few years down the line. There is nothing more fulfilling than squeezing your baby and showering him with kisses.

I am not sure how long it will take Evan to start walking, but he is so strong that he can now stand (supported) for long periods of time. It’s so strange to see him gaining even that kind of independence. He’s going to be cruising soon enough, and it’s almost time to REALLY start babyproofing our house.

His favorite thing to say right now is “ba-ba-ba” or “bla-blah-blah” but he can definitely say mama too!

I do a lot of fantasizing about summer. It’s been such a long, cold winter. It will be so wonderful to be able to take Evan outside this summer to let him experience the outside world. Spring can’t come soon enough!

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Feb 28 2010

My new favorite word is ROUTINE

Posted in: Daily Life, My Kid Tags: Evan, routine

For the first several months of Evan’s life, I found it nearly impossible to scrape up any semblance of routine. He was definitely NOT a good sleeper (not at night, anyway) and meals came around the clock. Most nights we didn’t even try to get in bed until 1:00 a.m., if not later. Life seemed like one big exhausting blur of diaper changes and crying fits. He was colicky at first, too, which meant that he was generally happy until time for most normal folks to start thinking about going to bed, and then BOOM–horrific screaming throughout the night.

The colic finally faded, but a routine was still hard to find. I’m not sure when it happened, or how, but eventually things started falling into place. Most days now, Evan’s routine follows a pretty predictable pattern. I know when he’s going to wake up, when he will need to eat and when he’ll be ready for his naps. My ultimate goal over the course of my day is to have him ready to get into bed at 9:00 p.m.

I never could have fathomed that I would be so thrilled and proud of having my child in a good routine. It makes me feel accomplished. I love being able to place him in bed at the same time every night. It’s also pretty darn amazing to have a couple of hours to relax before getting into bed myself. It makes ALL the difference in my mental well-being!

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Feb 25 2010

Featured blogger on NewParent.com

Posted in: Motherhood Tags: breastfeeding, Evan

I was contacted by an intern at NewParent.com last week about contributing to their site as a featured blogger. If you’ve ever sat in an OB/GYN waiting room, you’ve probably thumbed through the pages of a New Parent or Toddler magazines.

I chose to write a piece about my experience breastfeeding (or not breastfeeding, in my case) after Evan was born last August. Click here to read the full article!

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Feb 22 2010

Always rushing

Posted in: Daily Life, Motherhood, My Kid Tags: Evan, fail

I can remember hearing parents say: “It takes us two hours to get out the door!”, and thinking, really? Why? How hard could it be to throw your kid’s junk in a diaper bag, put a coat on him or her, and be on the road? Now that I have Evan, I can totally understand. In fact, I’m guessing that it takes me even longer than most to get rolling. Make it a day when Evan is supposed to be at the doctor, or an otherwise important appointment, and things are even more complicated.

I have been borderline late for every single doctor’s appointment that Evan has had. Two weeks ago, he was supposed to have his 6-month shots. We were staying at my mom’s house due to a power outage and poor road conditions in our area, and the night before his appointment I warned my mom that I am notoriously late for his doctor visits, and that we needed to be out the door at least 40 minutes prior to the scheduled time. Well, my dad had just installed a new “big boy” car seat for Evan in their car, and I stupidly did not do a test run with the seat before we tried to leave. Of course, it didn’t fit him right, and required the whole seat to be pulled apart and adjusted–something I had no idea how to do. I was certain that we wouldn’t be able to get it fixed in time for his appointment, so I called to see if they could work me in later. The receptionist snapped: “He won’t be able to get in for another month.” What? A MONTH?

Needless to say, I did my best to speed read the manual for the car seat, and was able to get it adjusted with just enough time to make it.

This is just one crazy thing that has caused me to ALMOST be late for his doctor’s appointments. I have another appointment tomorrow, and I am starting to feel anxious already!