Not the Cook!

Anyone remember the 1990's sitcom Dinosaurs? You know, with actors actually wearing a dino costume that you either thought were cool or just plain creepy? It was Dad, Mom, a teenage brother and sister and then...the baby. Baby Sinclair's iconic line (if you can quote it) was....NOT THE MAMA!

Just go YouTube the show to see if you can get the joke. It still brings a hint of a smile to my face.

As Noah continues to grow, healthy and strong I might add, it's been weighing on me heavily about how important it is that I not become lazy and forget that there are so many things he needs to still learn. Especially when it come to food and eating. I have to remind myself that he can't eat from a bottle forever. I get my weekly emails from all these baby websites about what the average baby should or shouldn't be doing at his/her particular age. Obviously it's a guideline because "every baby is different". And obviously helping your little guy with his eating habits is a big topic that generally overwhelms me.

The idea of Noah needing to learn to eat other food items has been very daunting to me because I have never put myself and the husband on a strict food regime. Meaning, we eat when we get hungry so it's never the same schedule and if I didn't have something in mind to make for a meal, we just grab whatever is lying around. Plus we are the absolute worst when it comes to eating breakfast...which is mostly non-existent.

We can't do that anymore with a baby.

As a new stay-at-home-mom, I picture the ideal scenario in which we wake up as a family and have a filling breakfast and when the husband comes home we're ready with dinner on the table. Lunch just happens somewhere in there with me and Noah. My mom did it day in and day out and honest to God, I don't know how she did it. I AM NOT A COOK - in fact, I do not enjoy cooking. I bake....which isn't the same. The husband (when he gets the urge) can cook up a storm and invent everything from scratch. He probably should have gone to culinary school. I need a recipe. In fact that's one reason why I adore Pinterest because it's now my #1 go-to spot for recipes.

So just being honest, I'm trying hard to keep my anxiety to a minimum regarding the changes that are going to come, because of all the changes we needed to make as a family with the introduction of a child, this was always a big one. I'm surprisingly not concerned about him being a picky eater, it's more to the fact that he's eating the right things and discovering new foods at a good pace and us beginning to incorporate that into one big family meal.

I don't know why but every time it comes up my mind is screaming "NOT THE COOK! NOT THE COOK!" Only Noah's allowed to throw the tantrums now.

(Baby Sinclair Trivia: If you do go watch a video, can you guess who voices the baby? He currently voices a certain red, furry character that is internationally loved by kids. Makes you do a double take that's for sure!)

Germs and Other Nasty, Dirty Things

In a previous post I stated that I am not THAT mom, that I pick and choose my battles. Well time for honesty hour...here's one of them.

As you'll see below, Noah is comfortably situated in a colorful Infantino cart and high chair cover. Yes, I'm aware that sporting one of theses screams "NEW MOM" to all who see it. And you know what? I don't care! Ha!

Until he's a little older, this is one mommy-ism that I'm adamant about...high chair and shopping cart germs. I'm not talking about protecting him from all germs because I'm an advocate that being exposed to these little buggers every once in a while helps build his immune system, but I personally cannot stand how disgusting these things are.

I used to wait tables and not once do I recall ever wiping down a high chair, or seeing anyone else do it for that matter. And God only knows how many people have touched a shopping cart handle bar and rubbed their eyes or noses, etc and placed them right back where they started. I myself am guilty. (Anyone feeling grossed out yet?)

Now that Noah is sitting up (with support) we're ditching the car seat when we venture out to restaurants or the store and that cover is coming with us wherever we go. It may only be worth it for a few months, but it makes me feel that much better about taking him in public.

A First Ever Mother's Day

My best friend would always tell me that for her first Mother's Day she didn't really feel like a mom. In some ways I have to agree with her. You have a little bundle of joy who hasn't really done much to test any parenting skills but yet you're in full-blown mom mode caring for the little guy 24/7 which should justify earning that title a thousand times over.We've only had Noah for such a short time so there are instances where being a mom still seems too new.

Growing up, I remember making Mother's Day projects for my mom with my brother and of course most of the time it was my Dad's idea. One project in particular I specifically remember sneaking out of children's church with my dad on a Sunday morning to go make hand prints on a portrait-sized matte that contained a beautiful little poem. My mom still has it to this day. Once we got older, Mother's Day became an oasis for my mom (at least I hope so). We made sure she didn't lift a finger if she didn't have to and even though gifts become a little more unpersonalized, we still tried to make the day special.

In talking with the husband, I've always kind of stood by the idea that gifts for Mother's Day shouldn't really come from the dad. Frankly, I'm not his mom. But I'm in favor that the dad should certainly help facilitate (if needed) any gifts to mom from the children. I think at the same time it shows a good example of how to honor us as moms and why we have a Mother's Day.

That's what I would only request for myself anyhow. Of course each mom out there is different.

We had a special Mom's Day yesterday. After waking up with the baby, the husband took him so I could go back to sleep. Three hours later, I woke up and they were both gone. A text message on my phone revealed they had gone to the grandparents' house to do a little art project. When they returned, I came downstairs to a white canvas board that had been "painted" by Noah. And yes, I cried. Mostly because the thought came from my wonderful husband who is never much one for "holidays created by the greeting card companies". But you can definitely celebrate without buying into the hype of a holiday and I will forever cherish the gesture and pray it continues.

He's almost five months old and look how much talent the kid already has! Of course I'm not biased!

Expectations

"What's the one thing that is different than what you expected now that you have a baby?"

I get asked this question quite often. Maybe not this exact phrasing but in some form or fashion. And to be honest, there really isn't much of the "unexpected" that I wasn't prepared for that absolutely floored me about motherhood.

I knew it would be an adjustment to taking care of a child 24/7 instead of the few hours at a time I was used to with my nephews. I'd been babysitting since I was 13 years old and my first job was as an infant teacher at a daycare (try caring for four babies at a time by yourself), so I had plenty of experience on Baby 411. But at the end of the day, the babies went home to their moms and I went about my life.

I also knew that having a child would completely alter the course of our lives as a married couple. No surprise there either. I choose not to be naive and assume everything will be as it was and thanks to some close friends, they've helped keep me real. It can remain the same in some ways regarding our previous social lives, but having a baby is a season that I was prepared to gladly accept.

As for the adoption portion of it, I don't think any adoptive parent knows how to prepare for all the additional requirements post-placement that millions of regular birth families don't have to concern themselves with; plenty of "to do lists" on top of having a newborn. There's monthly updates, letters and pictures to the birth family, required doctors visits and home studies, court dates, lawyer fees and correspondence...the list goes on.

That all being said, I did come up with a short list of things I did not expect from having a baby that I took for granted before. Nothing life-altering, but it's always the little things that counts.

1. Car Seats and Car Rides
What baby does not LOVE to be in the car and drift off to sleep? What parents aren't thankful that they have a secret weapon for sleepless nights/naps when the baby just can't calm down? Not us and not Noah! I have never heard of a baby hating their car seat until Noah came along. The fussing starts the second we begin to strap him in and I have gone on many drives where all he can do is cry. We've tried timing things with naps and bottles. We've tried different style car seats. We've tried music and lights and toys. Nothing works. So I'm resigned that it's something he'll have to grow out of. Now we only go somewhere if absolutely necessary plus the occasional fun trip because let's face it, I can't be stuck in the house forever and eventually he'll have to learn to be okay in the car.

2. Medicine
I've heard story after story of parents tricking their kids to take medicine, etc., etc. We are actually lucky that for now, Noah has liked taking his medicine. That could range from Tylenol to Gripe Water, but the little guy kind of likes it. Maybe it's because I'm in his face giving him my undivided attention. We'll see how long this lasts.

3. The Outdoors
This isn't something unexpected; more like something I never really thought of before. Noah LOVES being outside. If he's crying, just go outside. If he's bored, just go outside. I guess I didn't really think of a baby playing outside until he'd be big enough to actually play, but Noah loves nature and looking at trees, feeling the grass and (like his mom) people watching from the front porch. 

It's not a long list, but if you ask me in person what it is that I find different about motherhood, then I'll most likely answer with one of these. It will be interesting to see how it changes overtime.

Crib Sheets Are An Art Form

We're in the fun stage of putting Noah's room together. At least "I'm" in the fun stage. My husband could almost care less as long as I stick with the theme (that's a whole other story). Noah isn't quite ready to sleep in his crib but as a first time mom that obviously does not deter me from having it set up properly!

Below is the end result but let me tell you, I spent a good 5 minutes figuring how to put the darned crib sheet on the mattress.


Attempt #1: Fingers pinched working one side of the mattress out of the crib and then realizing that the mobile needs to come off in order for me to really have a chance at getting this done correctly.

Attempt #2: Mobile is off. I'm pretty sure that this sheet does not fit. Yep, it's the wrong size. The stripes should be going horizontally.

Attempt #3: Let's try from another angle. Nope, I was right - there's no way this sheet will fit.

Attempt #4: Oh - I guess the sheet does fit. Stripes are supposed to lay vertically. Success!!!


The second half to this debacle was getting the sheet saver tied down to the head of the crib which required  pulling the furniture away from the wall to get the saver properly secure (my hands are too big to really do much through the slats on the sides)....a much easier concept to grasp than the crib sheet.

So here it is - the final product. And yes, the bear will be removed once Noah is old enough to start squirming around. Now to buy more sheets for backup!