Mothership Confessional

Today was one of those "mom days" where everything seems to be under control and going well. It was one of those days where you have little victories with your kid, so you start to feel like an awesome mom. Like, "yeah, I've got this!" Like Mary freakin' Poppins. And then the next thing you know, all your success comes crashing down and you feel like the sticky gum on the underside of a shoe. Motherhood is funny like that. Your day can literally turn on a dime. It's sooooooo  funny. (that's sarcasm, btw.) Here's my story. Read on, because I know  you'll relate!! This morning was like any other morning, the usual sleep-til-my-kids-wake-me-up-because-hubby-is-out-of-town with a little okay-okay-I'll-get-your-breakfast-going and then some alright-go-play-or-watch-a-show-or-whatever. Pretty standard morning over here lately. We had a music class to go to at the library, so I went upstairs to get myself ready. I needed a s...

Well, he went and did it - little Liam, little 8 pound, 5 ounce Liam , turned one year old!! We had a little party for him this weekend to celebrate. And I made one of those chalkboard posters for him, and it really made me stop and think about these last 365+ days with him. Liam was born 5 days early. My due date was February 27. He could have been a leap year baby!! How crazy would that have been?! He was heavy and I carried him low. I had lots  of pelvic pain with him. I remember during the last few weeks that I disliked squatting to get things out of the bottom of the fridge because it felt like he was going to fall out!! My sweet little boy entered this world via c-section, and it was pretty amazing. I was unconscious for Ava's delivery, so this was my second child, but really the first birth I actually got to experience. And it was love at first sight, for sure! My sweet little surprise. Liam is quite the little man! I can't get over just how m...

I find myself in shock  at how different this postpartum experience has been so far compared to last time. This time around, I have been  happy  and felt immediate love for my newborn and extreme contentedness  with our new family of four. It made me reflect on life after Ava's birth, and I now feel a little bad for myself that I thought that experience was normal  typical. Looking back, I think I may have had the baby blues because I definitely did not feel as happy as I thought I would be! I was a first-time parent. My baby was delivered via emergency c-section, so physically and emotionally I had been through a lot. Everything was new, and everything was scary. We were learning to parent one hour at a time. 7 days after surgery, I just can't believe how good I feel! I mean, of course I don't really feel good , but I'm getting around really well and a time or two I have not kept up with my pain meds and I hardly noticed. I might consider reducing my dose o...

I feel it is my duty as a preschool teacher and a mother to share about Love and Logic. This book is a game changer . As a preschool teacher, this was the training that gave me confident control of my classroom. The kids knew the rules, they knew the responses they would get from me, and they began to repeat my motto: "Friends who make good choices get to do fun things!!"  (They would say it so proudly; it always made my day!) All was good in preschool land. (Of course, there were still some days I was really, really  ready for 6:00!) So what is this Love and Logic, you ask? I will gladly summarize it, but the book will do a much  better job. It takes some time to get where it just rolls off your tongue and becomes second nature, but once it does...you will be astounded at how much less frustrated you will feel as the adult, and you will be amazed at how much easier it is to hand the control back to your child. And the kids will love it to...

So I've been thinking a lot lately. About "swim suit season". And this new "mom body" that I have. Has anybody else been thinking about this?! Grab your 2nd cup of coffee, surround your kid(s) with all the toys they have, and attempt to sneak away to reflect with me for a few minutes. I delivered Ava 9 months ago. On paper, 9 months seems like such  a long time! But the reality is, is that it has flown by faster than I ever thought it would! I had planned on getting into a workout routine once I was feeling normal (hahaha normal... what is that?!) so that I could lose all my gained weight during pregnancy and get some muscle tone back. Well, that didn't pan out like I had hoped. Most of my weight simply fell off. I think I sweated and peed half of the weight off in the first week! But now I still have this extra 10 pounds on me with my muscles buried somewhere underneath. Boo. And it really frustrates and annoys me. B...

This last month seems to have dragged on forever. And I guess that's a good thing, because I don't want Ava growing up too  fast! I'm pretty sure the reason it seemed so long was because of her sleeping issues. For a week and a half, napping was such a struggle. Her normal routine of being rocked to sleep and then carefully placed in her crib was no longer working...and neither was anything else I tried. So then I decided to sleep train her. Yeah. That was a long week, too!! But now she can put herself to sleep...without a swaddle...in her crib!!! !!!!! The majority of the time, she now babbles herself to sleep with only mild fussing. Once in a while she cries, probably because she'd rather play than nap. So life is a little easier since I don't have to wrangle a crying babe 5 times a day, everyday. Her naps are a little longer! She still naps for 30 minutes the majority of the time, but at least her 20 minute naps are a thing of the past! For now.....

Go ahead and get your coffee and have a seat. This post is a looooong one. Cry it Out is a very controversial sleep training method that I was TOTALLY against doing in the beginning. It didn't feel natural to me, and plus Ava was still so small that I felt she truly still needed me and her brain hadn't matured enough to have the skills to do it. I kept pushing it out of my mind, even though it would  make things easier. I have read that CIO should not be used because babies  need  you to help them fall asleep, and making them do it on their own creates a break of trust, a feeling of abandonment, and can "scar them for life". I read a study that claimed to have discovered that just because a baby stops crying does not mean the child is not still in distress, just that they have learned to be silent about it after CIO training. I have also read that when used properly and at the right time, CIO is teaching your child a necessary skill, just like any other life les...