Tag Archives: parenting

It’s the Little Things

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Sometimes I get really caught up in the whirlwind of parenting. I start thinking about all of the things I need to reach Charlotte, and I wonder how HOS and I will ever accomplish any of it. And then something happens to remind me that parenting is as much about learning from Charli as it is about teaching her.

Charli loves the kitchen. There is something about the sound she makes when her hands and knees hit the laminated floors that makes her smile so big.

I love how happy it makes her, but the kitchen is home to kitty food, cupboards full of “no” items and a hot oven. Not to mention, Charlotte is as bad as Bear now when it comes to the fridge. As soon as it opens, they both make a b-line for it.

Charli was playing in the kitchen last night while I was trying to make dinner. All you moms and dads know how sweet it is when your baby pulls herself up on your pant legs. But there is something inherently dangerous about an oven at 350, a mom wielding a large knife and a baby yanking on things and pulling on mom.

I emptied a bottle of grated Parmesan in my recipe, so I dumped some dry beans into the canister and shook it at Charli.

Game on.

That little girl was stoked. She sat in the middle of the floor shaking the bottle, whacking it on the floor and chasing it when it rolled away.

An empty canister and handful of beans made my daughter happier than most people feel when they eat chocolate chip cookies.

And that is pretty darn happy.

Last night Charlotte taught (reminded) me that it’s the little things in life. We often over look them, but they are what can bring us the most joy.

Smart girl.

Truest Love

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I think one of the great questions of humanity is how to know what true love looks and feels like.

I cannot accurately answer that question, but I vividly remember the few times I have seen it.

The first time, HOS and I were getting a sonogram to find out the sex of “lil’ red”aka Charlotte. HOS stared at the screen in wonder as the radiology the shower us the first pictures of our baby girl. I wish I could describe the look on his face and do it justice. Instead, I’ll just say that it was like he was experiencing joy, pride, excitement and awe in its fullest and purest combination. It brought tears to my eyes.

The second time, HOS was in Dallas for work and Charli said dada for the first time. Charlotte and I Skyped him that night, and just before the ended, she said dada. It doesn’t matter that we knew she wasn’t actually talking to him, but it doesn’t matter. That moment is magical. HOS had the same look on his face that he had at the sonogram.

The third time isn’t a specific instance. It’s a collection of moments when Charli is laughing, playing, singing or dancing and I catch a glimpse of HOS watching her. And he has that same look.

To this day, the way HOS looks at Charlotte still brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my lips.

I may be young, but I know I’ve seen what true love. It’s in the way HOS looks at our daughter. There can be no love greater.

Miss Talkative

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My daughter is talkative, animated and waves her hands around wildly while speaking. … She must have gotten those from her daddy. 😉

Moments To Remember, And Those to Forget

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We all have moments in our lives that we hope to never forget. Moments that touch us so deeply, and fill us with so much joy. We wish we could capture the memory, like if it were a home video – something we can replay again when we need a smile. Sadly, these happy moments often get lost. We cling to then like tattered old photos, hoping to regain a glimmer of that moment.

We also have those moments we wish we could forget. And no matter how hard we try, or how many happy memories come after, we just can’t forget. These are the memories that become like home videos.

Last week, Charlotte needed a bath so I brought her into the shower with me. At one point, she placed her little hand gently against my cheek and looked up at me with her big blue eyes. She looked at me like I was the most beautiful, amazing thing she had ever seen. And seeing her look at me like that made me feel like the most beautiful, amazing woman.

I pray that I never forget that moment for as long as I live.

Tonight, the exact opposite happened. I ran downstairs to grab some clothes and forgot to close the gate behind me, knowing that HOS was a couple steps away from Charlotte. It was an awful, terrible, heart-wrenching mistake. Charli has been following me every where lately, so I should have known she would try to follow me downstairs.

I heard a thump on the stairs and then I saw my precious, beautiful, innocent and unprotected baby fall. She fell all the way down our stairs. My heart stopped. In a split second, I envisioned every possible tragedy. And all feelings of being a beautiful, amazing women were gone and I was left feeling like the worst mother in the world.

Charlotte didn’t cry for more than a few minutes. She wasn’t even bruised. All I know is that God protected my baby girl in a moment of my own failing. And while I am forever grateful that she wasn’t harmed, my mind keeps replaying the image.

A constant reminder that every good memory is tarnished by any bad memory that can’t be erased.

Despite it all, Charli still gets excited when she sees me and cuddles into my arm when she’s tired. She still looks at me like I’m the best thing in the world. And I feel a little better.

Still Amazed

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Every day I stare at my daughter in wonder.

It’s been nearly nine months, but I’m still amazed that HOS and I created that precious little girl. And I feel so blessed that God gave her to us, happy and healthy.

Each day, I learn new things about her. She frustrates me at times – when she gets into the shoes, pulls on cords or eats Bear’s fur – but I’m mostly overjoyed.

I don’t know if I’ll spend my whole life looking at her, knowing that she’s my greatest accomplishment, and being surprised that she is mine, or if I’ll some day find some feeling of … acceptance … or peace. I don’t know the right word for it.

But right now, it feels like I’ll spend my entire life looking at this beautiful girl in complete and utter amazement, thanking God that she’s in my life.

Do you share this same feeling of wonder when looking at your child(ren)?

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Mean Mommy Award Goes To…

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It took us less than nine months, but we finally did it. HOS and I both made Charlotte cry, and on the same day!

How, you ask, did we achieve our first “mean mommy” and “mean daddy” awards? With two little letters …

“No.”

Charli and I were cuddling on the couch this morning when she reached up and grabbed my cheek and right eye with her dagger-like fingers. I pulled her hand away and used my stern mom-voice (first time, too). All it took was me saying “no.”

Her blue eyes got big and quickly filled with tears while her bottom lip started to tremble.

I’ll be damned if she didn’t win that fight. I swooped her up in a hug so fast and told I was sorry, but she hurt mommy. She buried her precious face in my shoulder and cried.

I felt like the worst parent.

HOS had a similar situation this afternoon while I was shopping. Charlotte is crawling!! (Video soon) and she managed to make her way over to pull on the cords in the entertainment center.

HOS told her no and the heart-breaking cry face commenced.

My best friend reminded me that it will likely get easier with time. … I’m just hoping Shane and I become a little less whipped so we can toughen up!

Riding in Cars With Phones

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First and foremost, happy Easter! We were blessed to spend a weekend in Nebraska with my family. It makes for a short weekend with lots of driving, but it’s worth it!!

Unfortunately, Charlotte has passed the age of sleeping the full six hours. We were lucky if she slept three. That makes for another three long hours.

I spent most if the to and from in the backseat trying desperately to keep Charlotte from fussing. We were about an hour from home today when I gave up and handed her my phone.

Easy fix!

It may be germy and breakable, but it’s better to deal with that than a screaming eight month old. … We tried.

Before I handed my phone to Charlotte, I turned on the camera. Here is my precious babe, riding in the car with my phone.

Tiny Clothes Make for Big Reminders

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You know that moment parents have when they look at their child and are astonished to find they are so big, so old, so independent?

I had my first one today.

A friend from work is expecting her first baby in a few weeks, a baby girl. Her baby shower is this Saturday, and she currently only has one onesie.

I offered to bring her some of Charlotte’s clothes.

As I pulled out each of Charli’s tiny outfits, I relived the memories of her first giggles and coos. And realizing how small and fragile that precious baby was.

My heart just ached with happiness for my amazing daughter and the memories and it ached with sadness that she is growing so quickly.

I’m so astonished by her. Every day.

I just wish I could slow it down a little.

From New Mom to New Mom

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One of my good friends has a pregnant friend. She isn’t in a relationship with the father, and he doesn’t seem interested in stepping up. My heart aches for her. As a new mama, I know how hard things can be, especially during the first few months, but I had HOS. We got through everything together. So I wanted to do something to help her out.

Baby showers were developed with the best of intentions. It’s an opportunity to provide mom with some gifts to take care of baby. I was blessed by three amazing showers. But like all moms, I received a lot of some things and not enough of others. To be fair, very few of my friends want – let alone have – kids.

When all was said and done, I had 21 bibs, 18 pacifiers (Charli hates them) and an infinite number of teething rings. I also received tons of great outfits, toys, diapers, wipes, etc. This is NOT a bash on showers. … More of a bringing to light of common issues.

After Charlotte arrived, I found a slew of things that I needed and didn’t know it. SO to help out this friend of a friend, I decided to put together a gift basket of items that I loved during the early months.

From New Mom to New Mom Basket

Shopping List (completely subjective
All of these items can be purchased at Target except the Halo Sleepsack, at least not that I’ve seen.

  • Halo Sleepsack Swaddle New Mom Gift Basket
  • Set of onesies
  • Infant Tylenol or Acetaminophen
  • Gas drops
  • Gripe water
  • Formula packets
  • Biodegradable disposable bags for diapers
  • Baby shampoo
  • Laundry basket
  • String or ribbon
  • Note cards

Basket Building

  1. I wrote a little mBaby Shampooessage on one note card for each item. It was either a reason for that item or some advice regarding that item. For example, on the shampoo I wrote: “Bath time is a fun bonding time. Baby only needs a drop of shampoo. (Use little to no lotion. He doesn’t need.).”
  2. Write a personal message to the new mom on note cards. Include a list of tips. One of my tips was “Make time for yourself each day, even if it’s just to shower.” Another tip was “Don’t Google! Too many scary results. Consult a friend or doctor.”
  3. Punch holes in the upper left-hand corner of each card.
  4. Using the string or ribbon, tie the card to the corresponding item.
  5. Place all of the items into the laundry basket. I realize that the laundry basket sounds like a silly gift, but HOS and I didn’t even think of it! Charli didn’t have her own basket for four months.
  6. Tie all of your advice cards to the outside of the basket.

Voila!

New Mom Gift Basket

The image I had in my head was much cuter than the end product. I’m still happy with the end result, though. And I hope new mom loves the gift!

Ok moms, I assume you’ll agree with me on this post, but I’d love to hear your thoughts. What is the number one item you would give a new mom?

Puppy Love or Something Like That

Aside

Today I had the dreadful experience of watching my precious daughter scream out of fear.

My only reaction was to instantaneously switch to “overly protective mom” mode and swoop up my crying baby.

*sigh*

My heart ached! But then I realized that I need to toughen up my kid.

Here’s what happened. …

Nothing about Charli’s day was routine, so the poor thing was just unsure about things. She went to work with me in Manhattan instead of going to daycare. My friend, Steve, picked her up and they spent the day together. Steve and Hillary have a small dog, Maggie.

Don’t worry, Maggie didn’t bite her! Quite the opposite. Charlotte apparently pulled a chunk of fur off Mags and tried to eat it.

Yum!

Despite that indiscretion, Maggie was loving on Charli by the end of the day.

Steve and Hillary dropped Charlotte off with me at my friend Andrea’s apartment. Andrea also has a small dog – an itty bitty dog, actually. Zoey is a mini dachsund, and the sweetest dog EVER.

Zoey also loves babies.

In typical tiny dog fashion, Zoey got very excited and decided to run when she saw Charlotte. Unfortunately, she ran right at my tired, hungry Charli and got in her face. …

I know it’s part of parenting, but I would wish that sound on no one. Hearing your baby scream and then cry from fear is one of the worst sounds I have ever heard. My heart broke for my little girl in that moment.

However.

Charli was scared of a dog that is smaller than our cat. This will not do. Charlotte and Zoey

I, myself, have only ever been bitten by one dog – a fat weiner dog – so I understand a little apprehension, but Charlotte was quick to cry around Zoey the rest of the night.

I would like to point out that Charli was being far too emotional and dramatic. … Then I have to wonder where she got it from. …

*NOT IT*

Obviously, not her mother!