Is Anybody Home?

I've been on a little break for the past week.  I'm going to call it a mental health break.  Sometimes when you've just been going and going and going and going, with seemingly no end in sight, it's important to carve time out to regroup.  I'm quickly learning how easy it is to wear yourself out as a new mother.  The other day I was so exhausted, I don't even know how I was driving (of course I wasn't driving with the baby).  I felt like I was on some sort of sleep aid, just floating around, not really plugged in to what was going on around me.  That day I knew that it was time for me to take a breather.  It's funny how after having a baby, my body can now go on an average of two months of minimal sleep and rest before crashing.  I definitely felt this one coming.  The more worn down I get, the longer it takes me to make simple decisions, like what shoes to wear, or  how to comb my hair.  Last week I paced back and forth on the condiments aisle in the store for 10 minutes trying to decide what salad dressing to buy ( it was a tie between balsamic vinaigrette and raspberry vinaigrette).  Then later that night, I found myself mindlessly channel surfing, not really watching anything, but just in a zombie mode.  I'm not even 100% sure that this post makes any sense, but I figure I'd better get back in the swing of things before my mental health week becomes a mentally checked out month.

Love is in the Air!

Valentine's Day is upon us!  The day dedicated to expressing heartfelt emotion and tokens of affection to our loved ones is here.  The baby couldn't care less about Valentine's Day, since he's showered with hugs, kisses, and high praises on a daily basis.  I can't wait until he gets older when we can bake heart shaped cookies together, send cartoon valentines to his classmates, and enjoy the all time favorite, "Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown" special (I'm experiencing some nostalgia here).  Then I know time will fly and before I know it he'll be a teenager and I'll be shelling out dollars for his little girlfriend's flowers and solicited to pick out which card she'll like the best.  But for now, I'll do my duty as a new mother and dress him up in a cute heart printed onesie, stick a Valentine's teddy bear in his hands, grab the camera, snap away,and save the pictures to keep him in line during his teen years!

Lights, Camera, Exploitation?

I took my baby boy to a casting call for a national ad today.  Now I am in no way one of those stage mothers who force their babies into makeup, baby toupees, and false teeth.  "Toddlers and Tiaras" absolutely makes my skin crawl!  I just wanted to take him to see what it would be like because he's just the cutest thing I've ever seen!  What mother doesn't think that about her baby?  But before I took him, his father mentioned to me that he had mixed feelings about him participating in this industry.  His concern awakened some reservations I had myself, about displaying my child for all the world to see for what...bragging rights on how cute he is?  I decided to ignore my preconceived notions and let the experience speak for itself. 

This casting call was actually nothing like I'd pictured it.  There wasn't a ridiculously long line of unruly toddlers with full portfolios of their commercials, model shoots, and print ads.  No stage moms parading their children around like prize winning pigs at the county fair.  There weren't agents swarming around looking for new suckers (I mean mothers).  There wasn't a table to pay to have a "better", more professionally appropriate headshot of your child taken for a mere $400.00 (I'm being sarcastic here).  There were just mothers there like me.  Many that I spoke to were doing it for the first time as well, just for the fun of it.  It was actually pretty relaxed and easy for a rookie mom.  The company was pretty discrete about the casting so there were only about 20 babies there while we were waiting.  We got there early so he was baby#5.  They did a brief interview, took his picture, explained the next steps, and it was over.  The whole process took about 30 minutes, which is good because he had about 30 minutes of calm behavior in him this morning.  That was it!  He didn't even get a chance to show off any of his many talents.... making a "stinky face", bouncing on his knees, playing a piano concierto, driving a car, etc. 

My conclusion is that there is nothing wrong with babies modeling, as long as it's done tastefully, professionally, its conducted through a reputable agency, and baby is happy.  If he doesn't get hired on this job, I probably won't take him to another one.  It was just an experience to write down in his baby book....and on my blog!

Going Batty for Baby: The Signs of Mommy Brain

Einstein said that "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results"...so when exactly is it that mothers go insane?  I mean, how many times will I continue to pick up the toy and hand it back to him only to have him throw it back onto the floor?  Four?  Five? Six times before I'm deemed insane?  How many times will it take for me to realize that he's going to kick his socks off no matter how much I say "keep your socks on man"?  I find myself having full on conversations with him while pushing him in his stroller through the mall.  His sporatic responses of "dada", "baba", and high pitched squealing are enough to keep me enthralled by "shared" dialogue of reduced prices and cute shoes.  Sometimes I catch myself and wonder what it must look like to people to see a woman discussing markups with an infant.  Our most recent deep conversation was about my taxes and whether or not my move to Georgia was deductible.  Why have I been reduced to trusting a 6 month old with my tax return?  When I was pregnant I talked to him all of the time, so I guess it doesn't matter much to me now that his babble is a little less than thought provoking.  I'm just glad that he responds at all!

Fighting Tooth and Nail: Living With a Teething Baby

So my little "angel"  is 6 months and teething.  And when I say teething, I mean gnaw-your-hand-off-or-whatever's-closest teething.  This may not be such a painful thing for some parents, but my baby is a breastfed teether, and let me tell you, those two things just don't go together.  Little man's breastfeeding days are definitely numbered!  He only has two teeth, but between those two teeth and his gums clamping down, it's like being caught in the locked jaws of a pitbull (just the thought of it makes me weep a little).  He knows exactly what he's doing, too.  At first glance into his innocent eyes you couldn't even imagine him to have any malicious, deviant behavior.....but a mother knows!  Any baby that takes a bite out of your chest hard enough to draw blood then looks up at you and smirks is definitely challenging you!  Then he'll get you in a kung fu grip and scratch you up with his little razorblade fingernails. I have to cut his fingernails almost everyday because they grow so fast...must be the breastmilk.  Some days it looks like I've been in a bar brawl from all the bite marks, scratches, and other war wounds on me.  Then after he's given me my lashing, he'll smile and give me kiss.  My mother says God makes babies so cute and precious so their parents won't leave them in the woods somewhere to fend for themselves.  Bless his heart!  Is anybody else going through this?  Can you call protective services on a baby?  People tell me he's so rough because he's a boy...who knew testosterone was so powerful so early in life!  Baby scissorhands, as his grandma so fondly refers to him, is the sweetest thing I've ever known, but he is definitely 100% boy!

Meet Me!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  Allow me to introduce myself to all of my prospective readers.  I'm a new mommy....make that a sleep-deprived, milk pumping, at times delirious new mommy. I write this blog to share how I've been surviving as a new mother so forgive me if the ramblings of my mind seem senseless at times...again, sleep-deprived.  Mommy blogs got me through my pregnancy, so this is my way of giving back to the next wave of new mommys out there.  Plus, today is my birthday so what better time to begin a new venture.

 I'm slowly easing into the age of web interaction.  I have both Facebook and Twitter accounts, both of which I am an inconsistent contributor.  But I decided that maybe writing specifically about something that impacts every waking second of my day would produce a better outcome.  Life thus far has been great, and as of July 2009, life has been a worldwind of change!  I'm referring to the day that my beautiful son made his grand entrance into the world.  I remember that day vividly.  All of the screaming, illy administered IVs, vomiting, low heart rate scares, and multiple epidurals pale in comparison to the first time I held him....or so I'm told, I was woozy from all the drama!  I'm just over 6 months in and feel as though I've been going through a brutal boot camp(I'm sure I'd be a prime candidate to undergo military torture at this point).  But the joys of motherhood and things as simple as his smile, laugh, and milestones more than make up for a little weariness.  As I continue to learn and experience new challenges, I hope that my journey is relatable, helpful, and maybe even a little entertaining.  I look forward to your contrbutions as well.  I have so much more to learn!  So stay tuned and we'll get this mommy thing right together!