Countdown to Kickoff - September 4th

38 days!

Work it Mommy!

Being a working Mommy has its pros and cons. The thing that I'm most lucky about though is that I get to choose. I know that many people may think it's craziness that I would still work (though not FT) even if we were well off financially. It's hard to explain but I want to try.

It's really a matter of what kind of person you are - what makes you feel productive, happy, satisfied? For me, I've always been the type that needs to be active. I need a challenge. A challenge for me is my job. I love what I do and I think I do it well. I look forward to the day that Adam can understand the good feeling I get from a job well done. I think that is one of the most important lessons I can pass down to him. Anything worth doing is worth doing well.

I am a mommy first and foremost and having a job does not change that. In fact, in my house I think it makes me a better mommy. I get to feel productive outside of my home. I get to well-round myself. If I can feel confident in who I am it will carry over to mommy time and make me a more confident, stronger mommy. If the added hours will I was to do something that would stress and/or depress me that will also carry over. It's a big picture thing, I think.

It's such a difficult topic to summarize in a few paragraphs. It's a shame that mothers are judged on this choice. No one ever questions a dad why they choose to support their family the way they do. No one ever asks a dad how he can choose to leave his children to go to work.

I know that I am the best mommy I can be because I do what is right for my family not what others think I should have done.

And Time Marches On

There are women that become mothers without effort, without thought, without patience or loss and though they are good mothers and love their children, I know that I will be better.

I will be better not because of genetics, or money or that I have read more books, but because I have struggled and toiled for this child. I have longed and waited. I have cried and prayed. I have endured and planned over and over again.

Like most things in life, the people who truly have appreciation are those who have struggled to attain their dreams. I will notice everything about my child. I will take time to watch my child sleep, explore and discover. I will marvel at this miracle every day for the rest of my life. I will be happy when I wake in the middle of the night to the sound of my child, knowing that I can comfort, hold and feed him and that I am not waking to take another temperature, pop another pill, take another shot or cry tears of a broken dream. My dream will be crying for me.

I count myself lucky in this sense; that God has given me this insight, this special vision with which I will look upon my child that my friends will not see. Whether I parent a child I actually give birth to or a child that God leads me to, I will not be careless with my love. I will be a better mother for all that I have endured.

I know disillusionment as I have been betrayed by my own body, I have been tried by fire and hell many never face, yet given time, I stood tall. I have prevailed. I have succeeded. I have won.

So now, when others hurt around me, I do not run from their pain in order to save myself discomfort. I see it, mourn it, and join them in theirs. I listen. And even though I cannot make it better, I can make it less lonely. I have learned the immerse power of another hand holding tight to mine, of other eyes that moisten as they learn to accept the harsh truth and when life is beyond hard. I have learned a compassion that only comes with walking in those shoes.

I have learned to appreciate life. Yes I will be a wonderful mother. - Author Unknown

To Serve and Protect

The motto of police officers in the United States is "to serve and protect" but Chinese police officer Jiang Xiaojuan went way above the call of duty when helping her fellow citizens affected by the recent 7.9 earthquake.

When Jiang, the mother of a six-month-old, realized there was nothing for hungry babies to eat, she started breastfeeding them herself. At one point the young mother was providing nourishment for nine babies. You can read the story here http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/22/china.breastfeed/index.html

Some of the babies Jiang nursed had lost both parents in the quake and are now being cared for in orphanages. She is still nursing two babies, whose mothers managed to survive but stopped producing breast milk due to the traumatic conditions.

There's a huge lump my throat at the difference this woman has made in the lives of so many people. What an amazing woman.

That's my Boy!

The boy models well.

Sitting up unassisted - even if only a few seconds.

What a gorgeous face. I can't get enough of him.

Rice cracker #2 - already an expert!

Shoot - The Photo Shoot

Sorry - forgot all about posting the pictures from our photo shoot last weekend - enjoy!

My First Suitcase

Yeah! Adam finally found a suitcase he liked (ok, fine, one mommy liked). It's hard to tell from the picture (because you can't stop staring at that cute face!) but it's camouflage (sp?). It rocks.

What? What does his shirt say? It says "Live Fast. Nap Hard." Words to live by.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! We sure did. Adam and I had a photo shoot on Sunday so look for those pics soon.

A Rocky Start to the Evening

It looks like he's telling me a secret but he's really trying to swat me away. Adam was sooooo upset last night and the thing with babies - they don't talk about their feelings much. They just tend to cry it out and that's exactly what Adam did while mommy and daddy tried to console him.

Once we were all calmed down it was bath time. A good lavender bath always does a baby good. A lavender massage after a bath doesn't hurt either.

And finally, pj time. See his little hand holding on to mommy?

Not Justa Another Road

Stok'd

So I've been tired lately and that's weird for me. I don't think I've been tired since 1997. Granted, I do have a 4.5 month old baby but I don't think that's why I'm tired. And yes, I am in my fourth week back at work full time. That one could be it - all that extra brain power I wasn't using has zapped me finally. My brains out of practice. How sad!

So anyway, I've gone back to caffeinated coffee for my morning cup and it has been a huge help! Before I got pregnant I drank caffeinated coffee but never really felt any benefit from it. Guess 13 months without it everyday wiped that slate clean and I can once again enjoy the coffee buzz.

Which brings me to Stok. And this is a bit scary. Stok is a high caffeine shot that you ADD to your coffee. OMG. It comes in a creamer-like container and has the same amount of caffeine as a shot of espresso (40mg). Can you imagine adding a shot of espresso to your caffeinated coffee?

So, in order to try it I added it to my old stand-by, decaf. It seems to work just as a regular cup of joe. If you'd like to try it - Tom found it at Wawa. It's expensive online so I'll be Wawa-ing it if the need arises.

A Trip to The Farm

Adam had his 4 month check up tonight and here are his stats:

13lbs. 8ozs.

24 3/4" long

Adam is in the 25-50 percentile for both weight and height.

We can start cereal anytime Adam will let us (we've been trying already).

But best of all - Adam can sleep with his blankie and blue monkey. We just didn't feel right letting him without the Doc's approval.

Adam is resting with daddy right now. He was not happy about his shots (4 in all) and can you blame him? He's a brave little dude.

Getting to Know You

Isn't that an awesome smile? Aunt Barbie got that one!

Could he be any happier?

This is his first artsy photo. Doesn't it almost look like a self-portrait?

So this is my baby boy - enjoying his tasty fist. No - no cereal for me, mommy.

My hand will do just fine.

This is Adam and daddy at the WXTU Chili Cook-off. We ate chili for hours! No kidding - just one long winding line snaking around folding tables with pots of chili and dixie cups for tasting them. Not next year, but a nice adventure anyway.