Real Mom

I've been thinking about doing this for a long time so I'm finally going to start it.  I'm going to post real life things that happen to me as a mom.  I will title each post 'real mom'.   I would love for you to post comments about your experiences being a mom or dad.  Real life situations only please.  I was inspired to do this after reading the book "House Rules" about a child with autism.  The mom is a journalist and in one of her columns she writes about what a real mom is.  After having a false pictures of what motherhood would be like I very much related to her thoughts.  I always thought a good mom had everything together all the time.  That she could do laundry in high heels  with a baby on her hip and have dinner ready at 5:00.  As much as I want to be that I am so totally not so here goes...my life as a real mom.

A real mom has spit up in her hair and on her face when she wakes up on Mother's day.

A real mom runs out of the church service when the childcare buzzer goes off only to realize it was buzzing to say the child was fine.

A real mom has gone to the bathroom while carrying a sleeping baby in the Baby Bjorn.

A real mom can walk through the mall with spit up in her hair because after three attempts of getting the baby in the back carrier he spits up and at this point you don't care anymore.

A real mom can smell a dirty diaper from across the street.

A real mom loves every slobbery wet kiss.

A real mom goes shopping for herself and comes back with only baby things.

A real mom doesn't wear high heels and mini skirts and keep a sparkling house.  A real mom has dirt on her jeans, play doh under her nails and toys in her bed.

Mother's Day

My first mother's day!  I'm still not really sure I enjoy celebrating a day about being a mom.  I mean what's there to celebrate?  That I'm tired, have skin I never had before and extra thickness I never had before.  Or the fact that I will never have alone time again and I wake up every morning and go to bed every night with spit up somewhere on my clothes and thoughts of everything else in my head except anything having to do with me.

We actually really celebrated yesterday and it turned out to be a perfect day!  Really, I couldn't have asked for anything better.  Elias had his first haircut which he did great for.  We then took our first trip of the season to the river and Elias loved it.  He was so much fun.  As I sat on the sand and watched my handsome husband playing with my very cute son I realized that I am living my dream life.  Almost this exact weekend last year I sat on the very same sand with Elias still in my tummy and looked forward to the day I was living.  It was exactly how I pictured it.  Not many things happen how you picture them but this day did.

 After coming home and having a nap we took a walk and then picked strawberries for the very first time with Elias.  Again, just about this time last year I was picking strawberries with Elias in my tummy.






After having dinner we met some great friends for Rita's to end the day.   We put Elias down and Adam and I watched a movie and decided to top the night with one of my old college favorites.  Black olive and green pepper pizza.  Of course Adam had plain ol' pepperoni.  My real mother's day started with baby puke in my hair and all over my face.  Yesterday was my dream today is my reality.

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions but I am going to make a Mother's day resolution.  In the year to come I want to love Elias and my family with intense passion.  I want to pour my life into my son, spending every minute that I can with him, cherishing each moment.  I want there to be few times of frustration and many times of patience, few times of yelling and many times of learning, few times of anger and many times of love and understanding.  I want Elias to see me reading my Bible and praying.  I want him to feel like he is the most important thing in my world.

"Every child needs one person to be crazy about him" and I am crazy about my son.

Almost One

About to cut his third tooth and almost one I love my blond haired blue eyed baby boy so much.  He is so much fun and I can't wait to spend the summer with him playing outside, at the beach, and exploring all the new things for curious little hands.

Singing

Elias loves to sing.  At night I've been rocking him and singing to him has he drifts to sleep.  I love cuddling with him but the best part his hearing him sing along.  I made up a song several months ago that I would never dare sing for anyone else to hear but whenever he hears it he starts singing along.  Or he'll sing with me when I'm cooking in the kitchen.  Even at church he loves to sing worship songs and dance.  There's nothing sweeter then your little boy praising Jesus!

He is such a busy little boy, making sure mom and dad are exhausted at the end of each day.  This past week he starting hitting us and when we try to correct him he just gives us his big toothy grin.  Discipline is going to be very interesting for us.  He's equally as sweet as he is oniary.  As we were singing at church tonight he turned and gave me a great big kiss.  Sometimes when in the middle of playing he'll crawl over to give me a hug.  I love my little man!  Can't believe he's almost 1.

Yes! He's walking. He's taking 2-3 steps. We can't believe it! I have also decided I need to start taking Elias out by myself more so what better day then yesterday. We went to the mall to hit a 50% everything sale at one of my favorite stores, NY&CO. I have a woven wrap I use the carry Elias on my back so feeling extra brave I figured I would wrap him without help in the mall parking lot. Not so easy to do with an almost 25 lb wiggly boy. After three attempts I finally got him secure enough and was tightening the wrap when I feel something warm and chunky dripping down the back of my neck. Yep that's right I shopped in the mall with spit up in my hair. That's what divides the real moms from the wimpy moms. Or the stinky ones from the pretty ones.

Walking?? It won't be long now. Elias has started standing for a few seconds and is begining to take some lunging steps toward us. Watch out world, here he comes!