Fingerprints

Sticky fingerprints all over the house,

evidence of a busy little explorer.

On the oven, the tv, even the windows,

they tell the story of our family.

So much for a clean house;

we have settled for the lived-in look.

Maybe today I'll wipe off those fingerprints,

but they will be back again tomorrow.

I have a feeling that one day I will miss them

on the oven, the tv, the windows.

But the fingerprints you've left on my heart

will stay there forever, dear little one.

Peek-a-boo, I see you!

This week has been crazy. Like, really crazy. Remind me to tell you about it sometime. But, I want you to know I haven't abandoned you completely, dear readers, so here's a cute photo of my little monkey man trying to see if his whole head will fit through the slats of his playhouse.

TGIF! Have a great weekend, all!

Toddle Along Tuesday: Bedtime Routine

Today I'm linking up with Melissa @ Growing Up Geeky and her cohost, Samantha @ On Pink Bears and Pacifiers for the Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop. If you've wandered over here from TAT, welcome! The topic today is "bedtime routines." Here's a little glimpse into our routine each night.

We've never set a specific bedtime for Colin, because he lets us know when he's ready to start the routine. Most nights, he is asleep by 8:30. He has always given off some pretty clear sleepy signals, like rubbing his eyes. When we notice the signs, we strip him down and run a bath. Bath time has been a nightly part of our routine since he was diagnosed with mild eczema and the dermatologist recommended bathing him often. He loves the bath, and he splashes around like crazy, plays with his toys, and reads his Baby Einstein bath book.

Rub a dub dub, who's that handsome boy in the tub?

After his bath, I scoop Colin up, dry him off, and go lay him down, either on his changing table or sometimes on the living room floor. We play peek-a-boo with the towel as I dress him in a night time diaper (we use Pampers Extra Protection dipes to keep up with his crazy amount of night time pee) and pajamas. If his hair looks out of control, I brush it. Boys are pretty dang easy in the style department, I have to say.

Once dressed, we sit on the couch together and he drinks some milk from a sippy cup. Then, he brushes his teeth (all four of them) while I supervise. We use a toddler toothbrush and Orajel Training Toothpaste, which is safe to swallow. Even so, we use a small amount.

Then, we make sure he has Puppy (his favorite stuffed animal / best friend) and a paci, and hubs and I give him kisses, tell him we love him, turn on his white noise machine and lay him down in his crib. We put him down awake and he is usually out within a few minutes. Sometimes he talks himself to sleep, and sometimes he throws his paci out of the crib loses his paci and we hear him saying "uh oh. UH OH." on the monitor. When that happens, he's usually not quite ready to sleep, so we'll sit with him on the couch and snuggle a bit longer until he's ready. When we time it right, he is awesome at falling asleep on his own and sleeps through the night. Please note: This was not always the case. During his first year, Colin rarely slept through the night. This is a fairly recent development and I am so grateful for it.

Sweet dreams, my little love.

So there you have it! What's your routine like? If you have multiple children, how has that affected bedtime?

A Sweet Moment

Tonight, Colin snuggled with his Uncle Clark until he fell asleep in his arms.

These are the little moments I don't want to forget. ♥

Mommy's night in

Tonight, my husband and brother were out of the house (at a NEEDTOBREATHE concert. We love us some NTB!), so it was just Colin and me. After feeding him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (Hush, you've fed it to your toddler, too. Besides, we are in desperate need of groceries), I was feeling ambitious and decided to take my little guy for a walk. I plopped him into the Radio Flyer wagon and off we went.

From another day, but you get the idea.

So there we were, having a grand old time walking around the neighborhood, and I decided I needed to remove Colin's socks, as it was really quite warm out. I turned toward him, let go of the wagon's handle, and ... (oh, I feel awful admitting this) the handle flew into the wagon and hit my poor baby right in the face. I felt like the world's worst mommy as he burst into tears, and I proceeded to pick him up and carry him home on my hip, pulling the wagon behind us. So much for the walk.

The rest of the evening, Colin pretty much looked like this.

Yes, that is Secret Life of the American Teenager on the TV. It's my guilty pleasure show; leave me alone. I know it's terrible. Also, yes, it is ironic that the dog appears to be laughing at my noticeably agitated son. Anyway. I wondered if the wagon handle to the face gave Colin a headache or something, and when he continued to fuss and cry off and on, I gave him a dose of Motrin for good measure. Finally, for a short time, I got some high-quality snuggles with my boy.

Shortly after taking this picture, Colin started rubbing his eyes like crazy, so I put him to bed. He immediately started crying, which is unlike him. So after a few minutes, I went in to check on him and could tell by the raunchy smell that he had pooped. Awesome. He cried through the diaper change and through the cuddling I thought might comfort him. Nothing worked, and he was rubbing his eyes again, so back into bed he went. Within minutes, he was asleep. Poor little guy. He spent the afternoon with Mema and Papa (Justin's parents) after they picked him up early from daycare today, and apparently he was worn completely out.

What did I do with the rest of my evening, you ask? I got drunk as a skunk, stripped down to my underwear, and took the neighbor's lawn mower on a joyride around the neighborhood.

No, not really. I ate a whole bag of popcorn, watched the movie Courageous, ugly cried, cleaned up the kitchen, took the bathroom trash out, and sat my butt right here on this loveseat to stare at Facebook, Pinterest, and Blogger. Good times.

And now it is 11:30 and my tired eyelids are begging to close, so off to bed I go. Good night!

 

Gains and Losses Since Becoming a Mommy

Throughout my journey to becoming a mom, and in my first 15 months of parenthood, my life has changed pretty drastically. Those commercials say it best: "Having a baby changes everything." It really does. There are moments of pure joy and moments of feeling like a failure; some days filled with desperate tears and others filled with blissful laughter. And my son isn't even two yet. It's been an adventure, to say the least. Here are some of the things I've lost and gained along the way.

Things I've lost:

• Sleep. My kid was definitely not the one who was sleeping through the night as soon as we brought him home. The sleep deprivation was rough and that's no exaggeration. Thankfully, he does sleep through the night now, but he doesn't sleep in. We're still up pretty early most mornings, even on the weekend.
• The ability to remember anything. What did I have for lunch yesterday? When was our last oil change? I have no idea. Apparently having a baby really screws with your short term memory (thank goodness for the little sticker they put on my car at the oil change place).
• Money. Kids are expensive. The cost of diapering and feeding your baby is only the beginning. Don't even get me started on daycare, baby gear, clothing, and trips to the pediatrician's office.
• Time alone. I can't remember the last time I did something by myself, but that could also be related to the short-term memory loss issue. (ha.) I have also started showering at night, which I do not actually prefer, but it is necessary for the time being (remember those early mornings I mentioned? Yeah, they'd be even earlier if I got up in time to shower and primp).
• Spontaneity. In our former lives, hubby and I used to jump in the car at a moment's notice and start driving without any idea where we were going. We would often end up at a restaurant or a store and talk, eat, people watch.. whatever. Now, we must "be spontaneous" when Colin is well rested and fed (unless we want to see him melt down in public), during daylight hours, and only after packing the diaper bag full of diapers, wipes, sippy cups, pacifiers, snacks, and toddler distractions.
• All sense of dignity. The thought of going to the gyno used to give me sweaty palms, and now it's no biggie. After being poked and prodded during my pregnancy and labor, and finally having my child surgically removed from my body, you can't hurt, scare, or embarrass me.

Things I've gained:

• The ability to love someone at first sight, deeply and unconditionally.
• Prioritization. Since becoming a mother, I have made a conscious effort to hold God and family closest to my heart, and to live my life in a way that reflects that.
• Perspective. Once upon a time, I was easily bothered by some pretty insignificant things. Now that I have experienced some of the highest highs and lowest lows, the little things don't get to me quite as much and I find myself more able to let them roll off my back.
• More respect for other parents. If there is one major lesson I have learned, it's that parenting is not a "one size fits all" type of deal. Every parent is different, and every child is different. What works for you may not work for me, and vice versa. Cloth diapers vs disposables; breast milk vs formula; non-medicated hypnobirthing vs an epidural; bed-sharing vs using a crib. Can we just agree that a happy mom equals a happy baby, and we all just need to do what's best for us and our babies without judging each other?
• A closer relationship with my husband. He's always been my love, but it's so amazing to see him in the role of Daddy. Navigating this together has really strengthened us, I think.
• The ability to handle all things yucky without thinking twice or gagging. This includes snot, vomit, pee, poop, and chewed-up food. In my former life, I don't think I could have handled any of these things. My husband is still working on this skill.
• The ability to say with confidence that yes, I want more children. Despite the tough moments, parenthood is so worth it. When my little boy reaches up to hold my hand, smiles so big at me, or runs into my open arms when I catch his eye at daycare, every hint of negativity melts away and my heart overflows with pure love.

Being a mama is just the best.

Wordless Wednesday: My Little Man