Play-Learn-Grow-Repeat

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Almost six years ago, I became a mother.  The nurse placed a swaddled little boy in my arms and I instantaneously fell in love. My initial thought when I saw Jack for the first time was “he is perfect.”  I had a rush of emotions and was so thankful my child was healthy.  He had a lot of soft blonde hair, beautiful lips and a perfect complexion.  By far one of my happiest days.

Three years later, I became a mother for the second time.  Again, the nurse placed a wrapped little boy in my arms and I was overjoyed with delight.  His tiny toes and big blue eyes were so captivating.  I was so grateful for another healthy child.  Tate was the perfect addition to our family.

The next several years were full of adventure.  The boys discovered and learned many new things (and still are.)  We traveled and explored new places and made wonderful friends.  Experiencing things like school, sports and reading are all wonderful accomplishments for my kids.  Jack and Tate are growing up so quickly it makes me a little sad.  I miss the newborn phase and watching the boys walk for the first time.  I miss their chubby thighs and the independent attempts at getting just one Cheerio into their mouth.  But most importantly, I can’t wait for all the new experiences life will bring.

Although the last six years have been exhausting and stressful at times, I can’t imagine my life without these two cool kids.  I’m also appreciative of my husband who makes it possible for us to live the way we do, his hard work and helping hands.  Jack and Tate are my world, my pride and joy and I’m so happy to be their mother.

Happy Mother’s Day!

From Monday Mom – Neetika:
As I type this, I am sitting in the car in terrible traffic (not driving, of course!). We are on our way from home after sleeping over at my parents’ house. I intended on getting home early, making a cup of tea, and spending a lovely afternoon writing. We should have reached there a long time ago. And judging by the way we are sitting at a standstill, we will not be getting there any time soon.

Whenever I am in a situation like this, I am usually quite patient and calm. I immediately think of all I have to be thankful for and remind myself not to sweat the small stuff. With Haley in the car, that peaceful mentality goes out the window. I feel so badly because she was such a trooper for over an hour, which should have been a sufficient amount of time to reach our destination. In New York City, however, you can’t count on anything in terms of transportation. As far as I know, some sort of bike race is causing all of this.

As Haley has become increasingly antsy, she has complained about being itchy, her diaper, sitting in the car seat, and not being allowed to eat the plastic baggie holding her snack. It’s passed her naptime now, and it shows. She’s rubbing her eyes and yawning. The slow pace of traffic means she won’t be able to fall asleep in the car.

These sorts of moments are terribly frustrating. Still, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. Try telling that to Haley. She’s annoyed about the situation she’s in and she’s not afraid to show it. And I kind of admire that. Toddlers tell it how it is, and this stinks.

Hopefully by the time you are reading this we’ve made it home safely and have recovered from the rough ride. I hope you have a great week with wide-open roads ahead.

From Friday Mom – Erin:
Before Rory arrived, my husband and I ate out once or twice each weekend, sometimes more. Our social lives consisted of meeting friends for brunch, lunch, drinks, or dinner. When we found out we were expecting, we vowed not to let our growing family keep us from enjoying dinners out.

Despite that promise, after two attempts early in Rory’s life, I broke that promise. We had two large-group dinners when Rory was seven and eight weeks old, respectively. Each time, I spent the bulk of dinner staring at the car seat anxiously waiting for him to start crying. Each time, at least a portion of the group arrived 30 minutes late. Each time, we had to politely excuse ourselves early (after leaving cash to cover our portion of the check). Each time, I arrived home feeling taxed and stressed out.

This past weekend, we decided to change that. On Friday night, the three of us had an early dinner at our favorite neighborhood restaurant. We arrived early, asked to be seated somewhere out of the way, and ordered quickly. The quiet din of the restaurant lulled Rory to sleep shortly after we arrived, and we made it most of the way through our meals before he woke up. I was able to relax and enjoy a pleasant conversation with my husband, rather than worry the entire time.

On Sunday, we decided to press our luck and headed out to brunch at another local restaurant. We were not quite as lucky this time. We ordered quickly, but Rory stayed awake the entire meal. I had to change him halfway through my meal, and my husband had to hold him for the remainder. He was quiet once we got him out of the car seat. He really enjoyed watching all the other restaurant patrons, and we enjoyed watching him soak it all in. Our Sunday brunch was more hurried than our Friday dinner, but Rory was still very well behaved.

Getting two reasonably successful dining excursions under our belt has bolstered my confidence. This past weekend helped me realize how much my own stress (or lack thereof) colors our whole family’s dining experience. Moving forward, I will continue working on not letting Rory’s presence overwhelm me so that I can enjoy our meals out. After all, it sure beats having to cook!

From Wednesday Mom – Janelle:
Every year, May is a busy month for our family.  Our calender is full with Mother’s Day, my father-in-law’s birthday, my birthday, Memorial Day, my sister’s birthday, and Jack’s birthday  – as well as end of school year activities for both Jack and Tate.  School work, Soccer and Baseball games fill any time remaining. Even though it’s busy, I love celebrating these special times.

My husband has been working extra hard lately. The longer days mean more flights for him and limited help with the household for me. Thankfully, he returned home safe from a training detachment yesterday and is helping me play catch up with chores, to-do lists and providing paternal discipline that the boys really respond to. Tate’s terrible twos are getting the most of me, and I’m ready for this phase to pass.  My patience runs thin  – especially when our lives are busy.  For example, spending fifteen minutes to buckle Tate in his car seat (because he doesn’t like the strap touching his leg) doesn’t fit into our schedule some days.

Currently, Jack and I are working on planning his birthday party. We’ve started thinking about where he wants to have his party and who he would like to invite.  Jack changes his mind daily about the theme and location he wants. At some point I usually make the final call because we run out of time. Jack doesn’t understand that you must give guests enough notice and allow time to book a vendor.  If he has my planning gene, it hasn’t shown up yet.   As long as Jack and his friends have fun, it will be a success.

Happy May, everyone!