Ten Things

Recently, I took the Mom Pledge.  To me, the Mom Pledge means that I am dedicated to creating a safe and informative space on the Interwebs for moms to share their experiences without judgment, with support, and with creativity and freedom.  Since then, I have posted pictures of Jack eating cookies and being a butterfly.  And while that's nice and all, it doesn't have much to do with the substance of the pledge.

Yesterday, a friend on Facebook posted that her four(ish) month old Little Dude doesn't like pureed peas.  It made me smile, and I commented to suggest that she try pears and/or sweet potatoes, both of which Jack loved.  The speed and ease of my response took me aback a little bit.  

It was as if I read her post and immediately thought, "Oh, right.  Peas are tricky.  She should try other things that are a little sweeter, but not rely entirely on the orange purees, so that he never eats anything green.  I should suggest pears and sweet potatoes.  How cool that she's making her own food."

And with that thought, I felt like Such.A.Mom.  And it was awesome.

So, I jotted down my list of Ten Things To Share.  That means these are ten things that I was told, or learned the hard way, or figured out, but think are useful to put out there.  Feel free to like, dislike, borrow, or ignore. It's all good.

1.  Swaddling works.  We swaddled Jack like it was our job.  Because making him happy and sleepy was our job.  And it totally worked. We really liked the Kiddopotamus.  Miracle Blankets are cool, but the Kiddopatamus is EASY.

2.  Breastfeeding is not easy.  Forget all of those fuzzy, sepia-toned visions of nursing your baby while your endorphins surge.  Or don't, because that might happen.  But if it doesn't happen to you, it's OK.  Not all breastfeeding situations are created equal.  I'll leave it at that.

3.  Making your own baby food is smart, cheap, easy, and rewarding.

Baby food is cheap, but making your own baby food is cheaper.  And free of preservatives.  And fresh and delicious.  And it sort of makes you feel like SuperMom.  I recommend it.

Not gonna lie.  I enjoy a pea from time to time.

4.  Trust your instincts.  You know more than you think.

5.  Trust Dad's instincts, too.  He knows more than you think.

Look at us!  Just trusting our instincts.

6.  Reading is fun.  We've been reading to Jack every night since he was born.  Because it's part of our routine, and it's fun, and reading is important.  For all of us.  

7.  You are tougher than you think.  And you will slog through that poo-splosion to get to the other side.  Because it's your kiddo, and you just will, that's all.

Poo-splosion?  Who, me?

8.  Some days suck.  Because they involve non-stop crying/pooping/puking/throwing/no-ing/dog tail pulling/nerve-fraying/etc.  Dude, mama said there'd be days like this.

Really, Mother?  Now is the time to take pictures?

9.  Some days rock.  Because they involve non-stop cuddling/cooing/smiling/nursing/sleeping/playing/tummy time/etc.  

Around 4 months.  He was home sick and we did a photo shoot on the couch.
I'll never forget this day.

10.  Just when you learn something, all the rules change.  Numbers 1-9 are based on Jack's first 17 months of life.  But guess what happens on Sunday?  He turns 18 months.  Guess what else?  We are currently on a fast track into the unknown, which involves talking, potty training, cup-drinking, utensil-using, disciplining and other scary things like that.  So, my guess is that in a while, I'll have another list of hard-fought truths learned from doing hard Toddler Time.

Waiting in the orthopedist's office for his cast.
Riiiight.  Things are changing, people.

I guess...stay tuned?

Keeping it real in list format,
Heather