SITS Sistas - Keep on a bloggin'!

Thought I would join in and spread the love.

I found SITS (http://thesecretisinthesauce.blogspot.com/) while blog-stalking my neighbor Summer. Even though we only live 2 houses apart, I can't wait to read new entries from her fabulous blog: http://www.lemusingsofmoi.blogspot.com/.

Through SITS I have also found some other sistas who I think rock too:

Fresh Mommy: http://tabithablue.blogspot.com/ has some beautiful photos and ideas.


Mama's Losing it: http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/ keeps me wanting to write.


Tiara's and Tantrums: http://trosehoney.blogspot.com/ cracks me up.


S Club 3: http://thesclub.blogspot.com/. I love it cause she has a little dude like I do and can really relate.

These ladies really help me keep the whole "mommy" thing in perspective.

Thanks for the support and the laughs!


Hugs,
Rachel

My Butterfly Effect

I can't tell you how long I have wanted to see the Sex in the City movie. Unfortunately, I had a 3 month old when it came out and rarely left the house. I suffered through missing it, while I watched commercials, heard about it on the radio, had friends see it and discuss it. I even had a friend who went to the NY premiere. All the while, I kept thinking, "THIS IS NOT FAIR!!! Why am I imprisoned in this house? Why can't I go out and drink Cosmos and be fabulous? Why does my hair smell like formula vomit?"

During my self-imposed imprisonment, I did however manage to Tivo "The Butterfly Effect." Having no desire to shock the poor teens working at Blockbuster, I just went with entertainment that didn't require leaving the house. As my husband and I watched it (in baby-sleeping shifts) I remember thinking it was just ok. Something to think about, but nothing really special. What was special was what followed....

The next day, I woke up with this note:

"Thinking about the millions of different paths life can take makes me remember just how lucky I am - for somehow our little paths crossed and have been intertwined ever since. I am completely and literally happy right where I am - with you, our little boy, the kitties, and our whole lives ahead of us. Love, Bri"

Somehow, despite my post-preggo grumpiness and questionable cleanliness, my husband wrote me a love note. Had we never watched the movie, I would have missed out on this.

Who needs "Sex in the City" anyway? I may not own a pair of Manolo's or be fabulously fashionable, but I found a sweet guy who loves me. Besides, Cosmos always give me a raging hangover anyway....

10 Fears

The following post is written as part of a blogging-world writing prompt. Kat over at http://mamakatslosinit.blogspot.com/ (a hilarious momma I blog-stalk), gives a few prompts to choose from each week and folks get to write about them and share. I have read many so far, but this is my first time participating....which leads me to my first fear....

I fear:

1. I suck at writing.

Mostly this blog is just me ranting and raving about Mommy life. I don't get much adult conversation during the day, so I don't care about grammar, punctuation or really even content. Its more about venting, and it's cheaper than Prozac. So I fear, that when people actually do read my entries, they think, "eh, BOR-ING."

2. Birds.

I know this is a weird one. But with pea-sized brains, scratchy feet and sharp beaks, these creatures are a recipe for evil. And, as an added bonus, they carry avian bird flu. AWESOME.

3. Germs.

I am not too neurotic about this, but this fear is definitely fueled by those damn Lysol commercials. You know, the ones where you "see" the virus spread from the toilet, to the hands, to the door nob, to the crayons, to the (ahhhh. must stop or will spend the next 2 hours spraying remotes and door nobs).

4. Ghosts.

Completely irrational, yes, I know. But my sis and I have a pretty spooky story about how we both frequently saw the same mysterious woman throughout our childhood (often in our house) and neither of us told each other about it until we were teenagers. My parents, who think we are nuts, never saw her.

5. My car will run out of gas.

I can't let the tank go below a quarter full. I start to sweat when that happens. Can't wait for the day when a own a fully electric car...though I will probably just worry about running out of battery juice....

6. I won't be able to have more children.

Again this is pretty irrational. I was also worried we wouldn't have our first child, so we started trying a little earlier than we planned. He was conceived THE FIRST MONTH we tried. My husband likes to brag about this, claiming his super-sperm only needs "one shot." I guess if they are that "super" I have nothing really to worry about, but I would like Noah to have a little bro or sis someday.

Another child will only add to my list of fears, which brings me to my next one:

7. Noah will:

choke, suffocate, be kidnapped, fall out of his high chair, drown in the bathtub, contract tuberculosis, be exposed to too much violence on t.v, become one of those teenage boys who wears girl's skinny jeans, etc.

8. I will outlive my child and husband.

Too morbid and horrible for explanation.

9. Any part of a fish will touch any part of me.

This one is sort of under the same line as birds, except that instead of sharp, pointy appendages, they have slimy, scaly ones. The thought of any fish (even a nice, sweet one like Nemo) brushing up against me makes my skin crawl.

On a side note, my husband and I went to Bora Bora for our honeymoon. AMAZING place to snorkel. He was a little frustrated at my opting for the "glass bottom boat adventure." Did I also mention he likes to surf? Poor guy. Hey, Bri, if you read this... I am still waiting for a swimming body-bubble (think giant space suit) to be invented. Then, it's sooooo on.

10. I will never complete my book which I started 3 years ago.

Which brings me back to fear #1. But hey, someday I might get there. Let's start with the small things. Maybe I should first try standing next to a bird, or put my toe in the ocean.....does it count if I wear a flipper?

Pennies for the Peanut

If you are a penny counting mommy, you are light years ahead of me. I usually shop for what's the most convenient with cost being the second consideration on my mind. I usually justify this an a completely irrational manner, such as "I don't spend money on Starbucks, so of course Noah needs another 50 dollars in Halloween onesies, etc" and "I don't shop for myself much anymore, so yes, weekly trips to the Right Start baby store in my neighborhood are necessary."

However, with all the crazy things going on in the economy, I have decided to try and be more responsible when it comes to baby spending. In this spirit, I have tried some new items I would like to review.

1. Pamper's Cruisers vs. Costco Diapers:

The feel of Pampers seems a little nicer, but that may just be because I know they cost more.

However, since wearing the Costco kind, Noah hasn't had any leaks or rashes and seems not to notice the difference. And Costco is way cheaper.

Winner: Costco

2. Target brand wipes vs. Costco Wipes:

Funny, but it seems whenever my son uses the Target wipes, he gets a diaper rash. Could be coincidence, but it's happened 3 times now. Costco wipes work well on bottoms, counter tops, cleaning the hair chair, wiping up spilled food, cleaning up mommy when she didn't have time to shower (maybe that's TMI).

Winner: Costco

3. Aveeno Baby Wash vs. Johnson's:

They both smell decent, though Aveeno smells more like "boy" to me. Ok, because I have a boy. However, even though its a few more dollars, Aveeno wins hands down. After repeated use, Johnson's dries out Noah's skin and the shampoo makes his hair stick straight up. Funny, but in a sad sort of way.

Winner: Aveeno

So far, those are the major three things I have tried. If you have any other recommendations let me know!

Tricks Are For Kids

Let's be honest, being a new stay-at -home mommy can be rough. It's amazing, cuddly, and sweet too, but some of the time, it can make you want to bang your head against the wall. Luckily for me, my son Noah has a "mama's had it meter." Every few weeks he uses this gauge to dole out a new accomplishment and keep mommy happy (aka from running away to Mexico...j/k!)

Flashback to February when Noah was 6 weeks old. The poor guy had some horrible reflux and gas. He wanted to nurse all the time (every 1 1/2 hrs) or so, then would grunt/cry/fart until the next feeding. It was a nightmarish cycle. My husband and I were both losing it from lack of sleep. After an especially horrible night where I thought I would have to staple my eyes open, he went to sleep for a whole 4 hours!!! When I went to his room to check he was still breathing, he was awake, laying there calmly. All of the sudden HE SMILED AT ME and my heart was so filled with love and happiness (and relief), I get tingly thinking about it right now.

I SO wish I had that on video. What I do have on video is Noah doing his first real wave to Mommy.

Neat trick, huh? Did you hear the excitement in my voice?

The whole morning leading up to this miraculous moment, Noah had been a teething mess. His top two teeth are coming in and he rotates between crying and banging his hand against his mouth. I had already given him Tylenol the past 3 days and I wanted his liver to get a rest, so I suffered through the morning in my pjs, walking Noah around the house.

Around 10am, he arches his back and throws his arms up (which translates to put me down, now!) So I think, "fine, sheesh, my back was hurting anyways!" He takes the next few minutes to crawl up and down the hallway in the opposite direction of me....and then he turns back to me and WAVES! Almost as if he was saying, "Thanks mom, I can handle it now, just checkin in to say hello." It was so sweet. Again, melty, mushy mommy heart.

This begs the question, are "tricks for kids" or are they for the mommies who really seem to need them?

No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed!

.....and they all rolled over and one fell off.

As a mother, I define myself by moments shared with my sweet little boy. Yesterday wasn't my finest...Noah fell face first off of our bed onto the (thank God it was carpeted) floor.

We were sitting having a nice "let's read a magazine together" moment on mommy's bed. AKA, I attempt to speed read snippets of articles in Glamour before Noah tears the page out. Not wanting to miss out on any snuggle time, my cat Hermione jumps up on the bed with us. Once she spies that Noah has already taken her favorite spot on the bed, she bolts back down in a huff. The next few seconds happen in slow motion....

1. Noah sports his "I WANT KITTY NOW!" face

2. His back legs become the inspiration for long jumpers everywhere as he rockets himself out of my lap, heading toward the side of the bed

3. Next frame is Noah's excited face as he plummets over the side, still reaching for the cat

(pause....this is where MY HEART STOPS)

4. Noah crashes to the ground head first, then body follows

After the initial (OH MY GOD), I swiped him up into my arms. He and I are both crying hysterically and I imagine the next 30 years with my son as a quadriplegic.

While I am dialing the ped's emergency line I notice he can still move his head back and forth. While I am on hold (grrrrrrrr, it's an emergency people! who has a hold button for this line?) he stops screaming and just whimpers a bit. As I talk to the nurse who assures me "babies are flexible," my sweet baby stops crying altogether and gives Mommy a smile. By the time I am finished memorizing the symptoms of a concussion, he is arching his back and then crawling when I put him down.


Phew. We both survived. But now I am plagued with a horrible case of Mommy Guilt.

Tell me something like this has happened to you. Or do I win "Bad Mommy of the Year Award 2008"?

Mommy Mania

My Favorite Phrase: "Time to Push the Crazy Back In"

Explanation: Like cotton stuffing popping out of a pillow, every once in a while, Mommy must cram the crazy back into her head.

Once again......it's time.
________________________________________________

Pre-baby I was a typically anxious A-type personality - I crave organization, I agonize over stupid details, I worry too much about what people think. Having a baby has added a whole new layer of crazy into my life.....NOW I STRESS OVER OTHER PEOPLE'S BABIES.

It doesn't matter that I don't know them, I agonize over stranger's babies. I worry over babies I see dangling over the shopping carts at Target, I worry about babies without hats or sunglasses, squinting in the sun. And I stress over that baby eating fries for lunch, how will she get her 2 serving of fruit and veggies? I also want to pick up every sad, crying baby I see and cuddle them. Ok, almost every baby...

I also stress over babies that I know. "That baby isn't taking enough naps, IT WILL GROW UP SLEEP DEPRIVED!" and "That baby is being pushed too hard, just give him the dang juice already, he doesn't freaking want to sign for it."*Note: Most of the mommies I know rock , so I am not talking about you.

I worry over mommies to-be-too. Showers are filled with thoughts like: "Why did so and so only get clothes for her baby, Why didn't she register for bottles, play yards, sheets, pacifers, nail clippers, etc? DOESN'T SHE KNOW HOW MUCH SHIT IT TAKES TO RAISE A BABY!?!?"


Of course, these thoughts run through my head as I let my 8-month-old eat Puffs of an unknown origin off the cat-haired ridden kitchen floor.



Does that make your Mommy alarm go off, or am I the only one who has to push the crazy back in?