The First Year

So far I absolutely love the first year of my son's life. He has taught me much in the ways of being a mother, I couldn't ask for anything better. This is a video I took of him yesterday while he was crawling out of the bathroom. I tried to get it while he was banging on the toilet and laughing but by the time I got everything ready, he was crawling out of the bathroom. It's about a minute long. I hope you enjoy it. I promise this week I'll have another good point to bring up other then a video to brag about. I'm definitely one of those typical mothers who takes lots of pictures! :)

Adventures in Mothering

In September I joined a group called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers). Because of circumstances and me messing everything up in the sense of getting wrong dates, etc. I haven't been going since December. Regardless this years theme is, "Adventures in Mothering." I absolutely love the theme, especially since it hasn't even been a year yet that I'm a mom.

Mothering does take you on several adventures from happiness, frustration, tiredness, broken hearts and growing up. There are times when I look around and realize, I am turning into my own mother. Of course there are things I do different like.....well right now I can't think of one, but I do know I do something different, right? And of course there are things that are most definitely the same, such as.....well who knows right now, but the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

In his eight months of life my little boy has grown in leaps and bounds. Today we were esctatic he stood up for the first time. Chris let go of his little arms and he was standing for quite awhile on his own, long enough where Chris was able to call me and I came running so I was able to see it. I did see it and I cheered and clapped like a little child. My baby boy smiled and laughed. Sometime we'll get it on video.

So in the lost world of staying at home with my child, I often forget about myself at times, many times actually. We have a daily schedule of:

7:30 Wake up, change diaper, give bottle
8:00 bowl of cereal, get daddy up
8:30 put dishes away from the night before, run over mommy's toes in Bradley's walker, pick up kitchen
9:00 Clean something, anything, make bed
9:30 Play with blocks, stuffed puppies, watch baby Einstein (if necessary), entertain Bradley
10:00-10:30 Change diaper, give bottle put to bed for first nap
10:30-1:00 Shower, clean, pick up, laundry, write, take a nap, return phone calls, pay bills (anything time permits really)
1:00 Get Bradley, change diaper
1:30 Feed Bradley lunch, pick up after lunch, clean kitchen again, fill dishwasher with dirty dishes
2:00 Try to entertain Bradley
3:30 Nap time
4:30 Bradley gets up, change diaper, give bottle, start dinner
4:45 Chris gets home, head to the gym (this is on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays)
6:15 Return home from the gym, eat dinner
6:45 Clean up after dinner, fill the rest of the dishwasher, wash dishes, clean kitchen again
7:00 Sweep, mop kitchen, give Bradley a bath if he needs it
8:00-8:30ish Try and get Bradley to sleep

Really somedays I have no idea where the day goes. So when my friend posted the Crazy Eights Survey and had my name on the list to fill it out, I thought I would and post it to see what I've actually done....here's the results.....


8 Things I look forward to:


1. Bradley's first steps
2. Alone time with my husband (no friends, no babies, just us)
3. Getting out of debt.
4. Spending time with my family
5. Saturdays - I just love them.
6. Having another baby,
7. Looking really good and in shape.
8. Definitely restful nights.


8 Things I did yesterday


1. Worked out at the gym for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
2. Revised some of my writing.
3. Got groceries.
4. Cried.
5. Mowed the lawn.
6. Talked to my best friend on the phone, plus talked and did text a couple other really good/best friends.
7. Watched episodes of "The Office."
8. Fell asleep on the couch.


8 Things I wish I could do:


1. Shop and never have to worry about money.
2. Eat all the food I want and never gain a pound.
3. Have a romantic evening, with no worries, hassles, drama, etc with my husband.
4. Have a perfectly clean house all the time.
5. Have more motivation (actually feel it, rather then telling myself) to workout and eat healthy.
6. Fit into a size 8!
7. Go on a family vacation for a few weeks.
8. Have beautiful family portraits taken.


8 Shows I watch on TV


1. The Biggest Loser
2. The Office
3.Law and Order - Special Victims Unit (there's a Florek who's an actor on there, I like to think he's my cousin)
4. Desperate Housewives
5. Judge Greg Matheis
6. The People's Court
7. Everybody Loves Raymond
8. Fox News


8 Favorite Books


1. Scriptures
2. Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Sedaris
3. The Children of Promise Series
Dean Hughes
4. The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd
5. The True Story of Hansel and Gretel
Louise Murphy
6. The Work & the Glory Series
Gerald N. Lund
7. The Giver
Lois Lowry
8. MA! There's Nothing to Do in Here!
Barbara Park


8 Things I love to do


1. Exercise (when in the mood and if not normally after I get to the gym and definitely after the workout I love it)
2. Cook/bake
3. Scrapbook
4. Writing
5. Spending time with family
6. Travel
7. Listen to music
8. Spend time with my husband


So how do these things relate? Well the answer is somewhat simple. After the adventures in mothering, your priorities change and what you can do. It's a humbling, yet rewarding experience. Sure this week is difficult with a crying infant but overall it's wonderful and I have gained a new appreciation for the finer and more simple things in life (although traveling with kids is not easy).

What Have You Done?

As I drive home from my babysitters house I pass a billboard that says, "What have you done for your marriage today?" I often think about this now and it has come up in several conversations, with friends and with my husband. Sometimes I think we don't realize what we do for our marriage, but all in all I think it should be recognized, maybe not on a daily basis verbally but as long as we recognize it. An online statistic for the divorce rates in the US stated, "40-50% of first marriages end in divorce" and "According to statistics, second marriages fail at a rate of 60-67 percent, and third marriages fail at a rate of 73-74 percent" (Ezine Articles). It later states that communication is an issue followed by conflicts and arguments then infidelity. I think all of these would probably go hand in hand.


Chris and I tend to bicker and have our own arguments from time to time. But what we do is I end up forcing us to talk, not argue, about it. We discuss how it makes us feel and normally end with an apology and kiss. As for communication it truly is key to any relationship. We try and keep open communication with the both of us and it tends to work out. Nothing ends up being a surprise, or very rarely and we support one another, whether right or wrong.

Last night Chris and I discussed what we have done for our marriage today. We talked about how we made each other feel, etc. It was good. Chris had a very hard time coming up with what he felt he did for our marriage. He has done many great things, he just had a hard time recognizing them, so I told him what I felt he did well for our marriage that day.

So now I ask you..."What have you done for your marriage today?" If not married how about a relationship of some sort.