Call me crazy

I don't know how. I don't even know if it is medically possible. However, Mason has gotten cuter. I know it sounds impossible, but I kid you not. I had the pleasure of spending every waking moment with him over spring break, and it was not like the month I spent on maternity leave. This kid is C-UTE! Ok, ok, in all seriousness...he is cute and I know why. He's "maturing". Yes, he still wears some newborn clothing and may just be hitting double digit weight, but he's maturing. He is developing a personality. I don't know how many times a day Pat and I say "Look!" when he makes a certain movement or facial expression. Also, he smiles and coos all the time. Nothing is better than hearing your child's voice. I can't imagine him talking one day. I'm gonna be in utter shock. I'm assuming every mother, especially first timer, feel their kid is soooo darling. 'Cause I sure due. Even when he's ticked off he's a cutie. His little lip slowly rolls down until it perfectly pouts, then his eyes get glazed from the tears, he starts breathing fast, the the wail! Oh so adorable. I think he's gonna be a nice guy, kinda like his pop. I was too shy, and I hope he doesn't inherit that. He ain't a mama's boy, he likes anyone who want to talk to him. And don't worry, there are still spurts of feisty in him, so that must be here to stay. If you haven't met this guy, you need to! Well, seeing how I'm at work (yikes! Chillax...I'm pumping) I'd better keep this short. So, I'll leave you with some important words: If you haven't met MJW, you should because the kid is cute!.

Tiger, helicopter, hippe

Oops, this post was never published. Sorry so late. 
I know you're intrigued at this point. You're wondering what a tiger, hippie, and helicopter have in common. Is it the "i" and the "e"? Noooo. Unique school mascots? Noooo. They are parenting styles. I saw it on GMA the other day, and it got me to wondering. What kind of parent will I...uhhh we be? First off a quick definition of each, better yet origins. So this Chinese author recently wrote a book about how she was raised the "superior" Chinese way. She was expected to get all A's , could not attend sleepovers or playdates, could not participate in any extra curricular activities, was not allowed TV or computer games,  and had to play either the violin or piano. She adopted this tiger style of parenting for her kids, also. This style is the fast track to the Ivy League. Then they showed a kid who was raised by a helicopter mom. As you can guess the helicopter mom hovers over her child. They are there when you need them and don't need them. Always there. The kid on GMA did well because his mom was always there. Some helicopter moms even get apartments near their kids college! The last person was a hippie parented kid. Her parents never stressed her about grades, but she did well. She knew they expected her to do well, but did not have to voice it constantly. They didn't even care to see grades every time. So, what kind of parents will we be? I don't think there is a term for how we will be. We just know that Mason will know our expectations. I'll be darned if we hover over him. He will have to know how to be independent and responsible. I do understand the idea of hippies, so I'm sure I'll have a little more hippie in me than my other options. But I don't want him getting too comfy and thinking he does not have to divulge his academic life to us. And knowing Pat there are gonna be some things that he will have to do and we will not allow, thus making him a Daddy Tiger. So as I write this what do I learn? We're a lil bit of everything. Let's see how this turns out.

Working Mom

Shame on me! It has been too long since an entry to my ever so intriguing life! Well, maybe it's not so intriguing, but my fans need me. And by fans I mean all 6 subscribers who read this blog. Anyhow, as the title suggests, I am a working mom. I went back on March 2. I thought that the morning I woke up and had to leave Mason would be tug at my heart. Wrong! I was running so behind schedule I barely had time to kiss his toesies and tell him by. Having stayed home for 6 weeks with the kiddo I made some conclusions. I see how there are people who want to stay at home. And I also see how there are those who choose to be a working mom. Staying home is great because you don't miss a moment. You are there for everything. And this is beautiful. However, for me there was a time where I longed to do something adultish. Unfortunately, there are not too many people who are also home during the day, so you are forced to make small talk wit someone who does not respond. And while this is great for many moms, it was not for me. I realized that I kinda like working. I like being around people who converse with me, although many of them don't offer the infectious smile that Mason does. So, I am glad that I am in a profession where I get a break here and there, so I do have periods of time to catch some precious moments. I probably also Like working because I do not have a choice. So until we strike it rich, I will work and come home to my lil baby boy. It's a nice end to a long day. I can be around a bunch of other people kids who I am scared to touch because of illness, but I come home to my own and can cuddle with him all I want. I am sure by summer I will be yearning to be home and spend time with Mason, but for now I shall trek to my low paying job and come home to my fella.

Oblivion

Well, my sister had her baby, so Grandma and I went to see the lil bundle of joy. And while I noticed how precious he was and his head full of hair, I noticed something more. He was a newborn. I totally missed the newborn state for Mason. And this led me to another realization. My baby was a preemie! Of course I realized it when he was born at thirty weeks, but seeing Karson really put it into perspective. Mason was tiny. He had tubes galore hooked up to him. He could not breathe on his own. His heart had an open valve, a hole essentially. His blood count was closely monitored because his "crit count" was low. They were even talking blood transfusion. Yet, I was oblivious. I knew that he was a preemie, but I just saw him as a small baby. The severity never really crossed my mind. He had a long road ahead of him just to get out of the hospital. And preemies are not out of the clear just because they gain weight and go home. His development is more aligned with a newborn than a nearly four month old. This will be the case for a while. But when I look at him I see my baby. However, when we go to the mall I get "Ohhh he's so small". Small?! My baby ain't small! He has tripled his weight. He's a big boy. That's what I think, but really...he is small. He's the same size as my five day old nephew. He spent fifty days in the hospital. We could only hold him for short periods of time because he needed to be in his isolete to help regulate his body temperature. Our little man (what Pat calls him) has come a long way. I just didn't realize he had so many odds against him when he graced us with his early presence. We knew he was gonna be alright, which he was. So being oblivious was not bad in this situation. I'm really glad that he was oblivious to his prematurity, too.

I'm a mama

It has been three months, but from time to time it hits me. I'm a mom! This got me to thinking. What are the signs that let me know I'm a parent now? And while these things apply to me, I'm sure there are some other folk out there who can relate to at least one of my thoughts. Here are signs that let me know I am a mama:
- You find half completed tasks around the home two hours after you started them. The dishwasher left open, the orange juice left out next to an empty glass or a reply to a text that you never sent.
-You ask yourself "What day is it?" or "When was the last time I ate?" or "Did I brush my teeth today?"
- The last song you listened to, found yourself dancing to or sang was "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or some other lullaby.
- When someone asks you "What time did you get up this morning?" you look at them perplexed.
- Your purse is really a diaper bag or is it your diaper bag is your purse?
- You base errands on a feeding schedule.
- The last time you were rocking at 3a.m., you really were rocking.
- You have sucked a pacifier. (I swored I'd never do it, sadly I have)
- Your favorite scent is Dreft or Johnson's Baby.
- Your "good clothes" consist of anything that doesn't have milk or bodily fluids on it.

I'm sure I could go on, cause I keep thinking of the "signs" as I type. However, I'm gonna go hang with my lil man instead. After all, I am a mama.

Proud Parents

Parents are a proud people. Proud that their child scored a soccer goal. Proud they can read a chapter book. Proud they can write their name. So being a teacher with no biological kids, I was a bit over all this pride. Sure I can see the pride in your child writing their name, but some of that stuff seemed over the top... until November 6th. That's the day we became proud parents like millions of others. We, Pat and I, gush at everything that Mason does. We have been proud of every ounce he has gained. Grinned from ear to ear when he started drinking from a bottle. Ecstatic when he had normal urine output. Thrilled when the feeding tube was removed. I could go on. We could not be prouder! Pat was beaming when he realized Mason could follow him with his eyes. And you should have seen us when he began trying to hold his head up. We keep talking about the "big" milestones and how excited we are going to be when he hits them. We can't wait for him to hold his bottle or crawl or hug us. But these things are small potatoes compared to the pride kids can truly bring. He's going to start school one day and graduate and go to college. What pride we will have for those accomplishments. However, he's only three months. So right now we have a new moment of pride we're waiting for. Sleeping for more than three hours. That's gonna be the proudest we've been thus far.

Imagine

Here are ten things I never imagined:
 I never imagined I'd be a poo inspector. I look at each poo to make sure it's "normal". I have to, apparently poos will morph. I need to be in the know.
 I never imagined it would be so hard to remove a boogie from a baby's nose! An aspirator helps some, but it is still a challenge. So challenging that I actually thought of using Mason's finger to get a boogie out. (It was a quick thought, and I did not do it people)
I never imagined I'd be so comfortable with bodily fluids. Drool is a part of my life. You get everything on you as a mommy. The weird thing is you don't even care. The other day I had just dressed Mason when he began to spit up. I actually caught it with my hand so that I would not have to change his clothes!
 I never imagined it would be such a task to dress a baby! Here's why...the head! Their head is 60% of their body and it's soft. I'm nervous to put a shirt on it, and he's squirming. I thought it would be a quick pull and you're done. Wrong. I try to avoid shirts as much as possible.
 I never imagined I'd lose my memory at such a young age. I pride myself in the ability to remember things. But sadly, I forget what I am saying mid sentence. I even got my child's birth date wrong the other day!
 I never imagined I'd be so smitten by someone, especially so soon. Patrick and I had a long courtship...longer than most. And while I liked him, I was not smitten by him. But Mason, ohhhhh he's a dream! He can do not wrong. I can't believe how fast it happened. Everything he does is "cute", "precious", "adorable".  It's amazing.
When you're younger you have lots of thoughts about your future. You imagine your fancy well paying job or your glamorous wedding or traveling the world.  Last year I imagined we'd buy a house in 2011 and start a family when I was 30. Last your I never, I repeat NEVER imagined I'd be a mommy.  Never did I imagine any of these things. But you know what? I don't mind. I love my Mason and now I can't imagine life without him.