What Mother's day means to me

As anyone who has ever had any contact with me over this last year knows, I became a mother last May. I am very proud of my sweet little guy and know that he is the best part of me.
Over the last year, I have learned many parenting rules. (none of these came from those handy books devoted to parenting.)
And as my first official mother's day weekend starts, I would like to pass my wisdom on to you (especially to my friends who don't have children yet... this might be an eye opening event).

Motherhood is the ability to plan 20 different 'snacks' for a six hour period.
Motherhood is picking out outfits that will be changed or altered two to three times a days and that includes your clothes (baby = a messy sponge; they just spread dirty everywhere)

While eating out at a restaurant, your meal is entirely based off of what your child will nibble/graze off of your meal.

Once your child is able to eat solid foods, their meals have three courses: 1) crackers or cereal; 2) main course of food 3)some food that is tasty enough (a.k.a. 'dessert') to hold their attention long enough for you to shovel a few bites of food into your mouth.
A baby will only show love to you when their mouth is messy or their nose is snotty.

No matter how much money you spend on toys, babies will forever be more entertained with box that it came in or the paper it was wrapped in.

The super power for mothers is being able to determine what your child ate by the poopy diapers. (I am sorry that this is so graphic, but it is seriously so true)

While taking a shower, if your baby starts crying, you learn what parts need to be cleaned and what will wait, Example:shaving my legs is like a day spa event. (it happens only every so often because there isn't enough time.)
Now comes the part that sounds like a cheesy Hallmark card. While motherhood is the most rewarding thing in my life, it has also been the dirties, hardest, most tiring, worrisome thing I have ever done. And while I wouldn't trade anything for my little Baby, I want my lessons to be passed on to whoever is listening. Maybe it will help bring the whole parenting thing into focus for some other rookie/or soon to be rookie out there.

(*also I would like to give a special shout out to all the mothers in my life: My mother, my MIL, Yia Yia, Grams, and both my sisters. Thanks for always being such a great examples for me to learn this mothering thing from. Love ya! And Happy Mother's Day!)

Welcome Back!

I made it. I went a whole week (plus some) without blogging. I survived. And now I can't think of anything to blog about. GREAT! I hope this means that I have made the creative part of my brain lazy. Now it has no inspiration.
Let's see what happened last week...
Soder's computer hard drive died. (spending money is always fun, right?)

I got paid in Starbucks to make cookies for one of Soder's co-workers. (Making 'money' is always fun, right?)

We bought Baby a new 'toy' for his birthday. It is a baby hiking backpack for him to ride in. While I don't know how much hiking we will be doing, it is great for when I want to take both dogs on a walk at the same time. (Taking a baby in a stroller with two dogs in tow is a tricky feat, one, that I will not partake in.) So this is actually a 'toy' for me. (also a great workout accessory, carrying around an extra 30 wiggly pounds has to be great weight training, right?)

My mom had her first chemo treatment and so far not a ton of horrible side effects. (she has had some, but not every one imaginable.) But a positive note, if you are looking for beanies (for when she loses her hair) if you buy them in the springtime, you can get some really great deals.

I guess it is good to be back blogging. I am sure this next few weeks will be easy to blog about, we have my first Mother's day, Soder's Bday, some very dear friends visiting, Baby's First Birthday and our Seventh anniversary. Busy, busy, busy, but in a good way.

Break from my love....

No, I am not separating from my hubby or anything THAT dramatic. I am going to take a short break from my wonderful blog.
Just for a week or so.
I have been dealing with a lot of things including, but not limited to: my mother's illness, family relationships (family members that I have butted heads with and some some family members' relationship with my blog (meaning they haven't liked what I have written on here)), and coming to grips with some trust issues among friends. I have often wanted to write all about the problems in my life, but have withheld a lot of things because I have been afraid of hurting someone or having the wrong person reading it or not wanting to talk about it in the 'real' world with people.
I have been seriously shaken to my core after the past month and often when I sit in front of the computer I feel like I have to hit the delete button and edit what I really want to say. I know that this 'editing' is for the best, but it doesn't help me when it comes to MY problems. (And the most ironic thing of all is that I don't even know if the people who have effected my life (with the exception of my mother) will even get that I am doing this because of the negative actions they have had on me.
So for my peace of mind, I will be letting it be dormant for at least a week. (I know that doesn't seem like a lot since I haven't been posting a ton, but trust me I LOVE my blog.)
(And I am sorry that I haven't commented on other blogs as well, I have no motivation to do that either.)

Tulips, tulips everywhere!

I love spring flowers. The queen and king of them would have to be tulips and daffodils. I have planted more bulbs in my short 30 years than most people have. (My parents bought like 60 bulbs one year and I planted them one fall all in their front yard.) Needless to say, they are my favorite. Luckily, I live in a state that has a Tulip Festival every year. This year we were able to go and see the beauty of the area and it didn't disappoint. (Last year we couldn't go because it was too far from the hospital and I was too prego to enjoy it.) I loved the fields of daffodils. There were beautiful gardens there and also a breath-taking field of pink tulips. There was also a cute little boy that was with us that enjoyed all the activities (including tromping through muddy paths to get to the beautiful fields and riding the most of the time in the front carrier.) And of course there was the family portrait taken in front of the windmill (with the slight chance it could end up as our Christmas card come winter.) We had a great time and enjoyed the entire place. Next time we need to bring our galoshes and try to come on a less rainy weekend. (if that actually exists in the Pacific Northwest.)

Exhale!

The last two weeks have been the busiest I have ever been. After my trip to Utah, I had two days to recoup, (ie stock my kitchen shelves again and clean the house) before my inlaws came to visit. It was a great visit and was just the break I needed. Even though we were busy while they were here it was nice to have two sets of eager hands to watch the baby for me. Like I said before, while I was in Utah it felt like I was a single parent, running the show by myself. During this weekend, I got to spend a lot of time meditating in my kitchen, where I think I do some of my best thinking while making some pretty delish dinners. On Friday, we went to the Seattle Aquarium and had a great time because the weather actually cooperated with us and made it into a sunny spring day. On Saturday, we went to Bellevue for a little shopping and Kirkland for a little down time at the Lake. Sunday was a quiet day that ended with us taking them to the airport. It was a great visit and it really was refreshing to have some visitors here to not only get my mind off of everything happening in Utah, but to really make me happy to be back home in Seattle. It is always great to revisit your city with a fresh set of eyes. It makes you appreciate being at home and feeling like things are going to be ok. And now I can just relax and exhale because the next few weeks are going to be boring compared to the last two.

Walkin' Fool!

Baby took some steps today.... yes, we were setting him up to do it, but we can't just expect him to do it on his own without a camera ready. What a great way to spend a Saturday night.

Long over due post

This last week has been the most exhausting week of my life (long 8+ hours at the hospital, with one 11 month old and only one parent, TIRING!). It has been filled with drama, family time, and hospital rooms. My mother is still in the hospital, however she was moved out of the ICU last Friday. (thank heavens!) She has been working super hard on physical therapy and has had only a few minor setbacks (not eating enough, and a possible blood clot (that wasn't). Who knew that having your guts mushed around in your belly would make it hard to walk again? (or eat again, or have a clear head again....) I am so proud of her and how far she has come. She is coherent and able to carry on a normal conversation with you now (those drugs took a long time to work out of her system and she was gorked for much of the week.). I am very thankful that I was able to talk with her before I left to the airport today. (also another phone call tonight to her, as well, that made me realize that I need her because she is my go to person.) And while I was down in the 'Tah, I missed my home in the Northwest so much, but now that I am here all I can think about is my mother again. This time my thoughts are selfish ones like, when will she call me to chat again and when will she feel like her old self and we can talk about the unimportant things like celebrity gossip. Thankfully, my thoughts aren't like the ones last week when they were when will she be off the breathing tube or when will dialysis end. I am glad my mother's health is on the up and up and hopefully she keeps moving in a positive direction. Keep up the hard work and I will come down to visit again soon!