Parenting Wisdom

 To excel in parenting, protect the marriage.

 

Third Trimester

As my due date neared my feet and calves became more and more swollen. Every night Danny would massage what he termed "boats". Super sensitive, I know. Don't worry he made up for it the second day home from the hospital when he was sitting at the foot of the bed and exclaimed, "Look at those legs!" He was genuinely shocked at how good they looked.

We spent this time hunkering down and watching many hours of LOST. It is possible that subconsciously Declan's middle name came from one of the actors.

I do not miss the heartburn. Even now I'm eating foods that I used to love but had avoided for so long.

Throughout my pregnancy I read tons of books on pregnancy. What I should have been doing during the last trimester was reading books on newborns and what to do with them once they arrive. I was clearly in la la land when I thought that with all those hours of nursing I would be able to read about newborns once he got here. What I didn't realize was that I would mostly be feeding him with my eyes closed.

Part of the Parenting Team

How did people parent before Google? I would consider Google part of our parenting team as it is consulted on a daily basis.

Hold the Dairy Please

Turns out that we think this little dude has an intolerance to dairy like his Pops. So I will be focusing my dietary efforts on chocolate these next couple of months.

Glasses Thief

Second Trimester

Oh why didn't I do more during this time in my pregnancy! I mean Danny and I did tons of fun things together but what we did not do was prepare for a baby. We waited until I was huge and tired in the last trimester in order to accomplish things like buy baby stuff, taking baby classes, etc.

In the second trimester we found out we were having a boy. Confession: I originally wanted a girl but now that Declan is here I couldn't imagine anyone fitting more perfectly into our family.

While not specific to this trimester, I will always remember that Danny went to every single doctor appointment even my 3 hour glucose tolerance test. 

 At the condo in Orlando

One Handed Laundry

Sounds like it should be an Olympic Sport.

So if you can imagine the horror - we don't have laundry in our apartment. We don't even have laundry in our building! We have to truck down the street and around the corner to do the laundry. Hence my recent quandary - How am I supposed to do laundry with Declan in tow? As of late we've just been doing it on Saturdays every other week but it ends up taking forever and Danny usually has to do it. So I've been thinking a lot about how I would tackle that task with a baby. Now, this task would be a lot easier say if the laundromat closed later and I could do it after Danny gets home and was here to be with Declan but nope, it closes at 9pm. Oh I've dreamed of an elevator where I could just whisk my baby, me and a mound of dirty clothes out the front door but again, wishful thinking.

Which brings me to today. In the past, our laundry was pushed to a necessity when we ran out of underwear. Nowadays we are forced to do it when we run out of burp cloths (that little D is a spitter and can soak one in two seconds). So today I attempted a white load. Just a single load to test the waters of one handed laundry with a baby. I say one handed because with all that bending and leaning you have to have one hand on your baby's head/neck so as not to jostle him around too much.

And what was the outcome? Success! We now have clean whites and a healthy stack of burp cloths for Declan to destroy.

The chore became exponentially delightful when the kind laundromat employee put all the wet clothes in the dryer for me and then pushed my cart out the door and down the step as I was leaving. Hence one-handed laundry in our neighborhood is a team sport. Maybe next time I can get him to fold them as well?

Dare I attempt the darks tomorrow...

Morning Send-off

Declan and Mom in bed waving to Dad as he leaves for work. Thanks for working so hard - we love you!

Shopping at Macy's

Danny and I went shopping at Macy's for a long time on Saturday. I asked my Mom what a 'long time' is and she said 1 hour. 1 hour? That's child's play. Danny and I were at Macy's, along with every other tourist, for 6 hours. SIX HOURS!! We fed Declan twice while there and just like tourists, we walked out carrying multiple bags of Macy's loot. Danny went on a shopping spree and purchased a winter coat, two suits and a couple of dress shirts and in his true fashion he took his time.

Here are some pictures of down time in The Cellar at Macy's.

 

The Adventure Began

2011 was a wild ride with pregnancy and giving birth to Declan. I've been thinking about the little memories and experiences I wanted to preserve. I'll begin with my first trimester of pregnancy.

Back in February after work one day I found out we were having a baby. I didn't tell Danny right away, in fact, the two of us we went about our normal nightly routine - dinner, jeopardy, chatting, TV, etc. When we were finally all snuggled in bed for the night (probably around 1am) I whispered to him that I had a secret. Kind of drowsy he asked what it was. I paused and then told him we were having a baby.

Danny and I decided to wait to tell everyone that we were having a baby because my sister was getting married and she deserved the undivided spotlight. Looking back it was actually super fun to have this big news that just the two of us knew about.

I do not miss throwing up every single day. Thankfully only one of those instances was outside my apartment and even then it was in a trash can on 9th Avenue so it made me feel very New York.

Jeans Friday

Every day I complete at least one random task. Refill all the hand soap dispensers, clean out the junk drawer, etc. Today, Declan and I tried on all the jeans in my closet. Really it was just me, but I like to pretend Declan is interested in organizing and not just making messes. The purpose of this task was to see if there were any jeans I should throw out or give away. Declan has his eye on my closet so I'm in the process of purging.

I have a total of 11 pairs of jeans. I'm not sure how this compares to the average gal's closet but for a simple girl like me that wears the same pair all the time, I have no idea why I own so many. I tried on every one of them - putting 3 aside as my "wait until I lose that last remaining 5 pounds of pregnancy weight" and the rest were in the "okay I understand the value I saw in these when they were acquired" category. In the end I put back on my go-to jeans and realized once again that I am a simple gal and only really need one comfy pair of jeans. Well, let's call it two just in case Declan spits up all over me and washing is not an option.

I'll try all the jeans on again with a second eye later because I'm thinking I need to send 3-4 to a new home.

Have Baby Will Travel

This is how we roll.

Deliquent Blogger

Apparently in Danny's eyes if I go one day without a blog post that qualifies me as delinquent. I'm sorry mister - you got home at 11pm last night and I was with little D all day long. Don't you know that entertaining and lifting 12.5(ish) pounds over and over plus fighting that same chunky monkey to go to sleep for 2 hours can make a gal tired?

I told Danny I might be over blogging and he told me, "No, not yet."

...

I was told that staying at home would be a transition and to watch my weight because with all this 'sitting around at home' business I might start packing on the pounds. I'll be honest I was a little worried because no one wants another "Freshman 20/middle of the mission" Jennifer. Then I got to thinking, I sat around A LOT at work too. I mean I was sitting in that office chair for hours upon hours. 

Today Declan and I made cookies for the second time this week. I told Danny that I wanted to take a bunch to our neighbors upstairs and he said, "Oh no, leave them right where they are." I still plan on taking some but I decided it was time to dig through some boxes and find my workout videos. The only one allowed to get chubbier around here is this guy. 

MLK Day

Three day weekends together are AWESOME!

On Our Menu

Danny always tells me that I can write about things other than Declan. True, but why would I?

Well here's a list of what we've eaten the past three days:

Mee Noodle (Chinese) - Beef with Green Beans over rice and Vegetable Dumplings
Ponche Taqueria (Mexican) - Chicken Taco and Burrito
Lucky Burger (American) - Cheddar Burger and Sweet Potato Fries
Kiran (Indian) - Chicken Tikka Masala, Basmati Rice, Naan, Vegetable Samosas and Salad
Farmer's Rotisserie (Peruvian) - Half Roasted Chicken, Sweet Plantains, Rice and Beans and Salad
Merilu Pizza (Italian)- Eggplant Parm, Salad and Garlic Bread
Food World (Japanese) - Bulgogi Beef over Rice, Glass Noodles, California Roll and Salad
Qdoba (Mexican)- Ground Beef Nachos
Cafe Duke (Japanese) - Beef Bibimbap
Duane Reade (Convenience Store) - 2 large Fro-yos with Fresh Fruit and Brownies

Total price - approximately $15.

What's more amazing - the amount of money we spent or the amount of food we ate?

By the way, have I mentioned that I love living in a city where you can get all this within a couple of blocks from home?

A Thousand Years

Heartbeats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I’m afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt suddenly goes away somehow
One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

Time stands still
Beauty in all she is
I will be brave
I will not let anything take away
What’s standing in front of me
Every breath
Every hour has come to this
One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed that I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

One step closer
One step closer

I have died everyday waiting for you
Darling don’t be afraid I have loved you
For a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

And all along I believed I would find you
Time has brought your heart to me
I have loved you for a thousand years
I’ll love you for a thousand more

Growing Up

Before Christmas I cleaned out Declan's drawers and boxed up the newborn outfits that he's grown out of. It was bittersweet. I am sad that he will never be that small again and yet I'm excited that he is growing.

Good thing he has some real cute 3 month outfits.

Waking a Sleeping Baby

They say not to wake a sleeping baby. I'll be honest - I have done it and will continue to do it when necessary.

In case you were wondering, below is what I've found to be the easiest way to wake a sleeping baby:

Step 1: Turn off the lights
Step 2: Climb into bed
Step 3: Pull the covers over yourself

Guaranteed to work every time.

Becoming a Comedian

Declan is a smiley baby now. I love this stage!

I spend my day polishing my jokes, perfecting my baby noises, making funny faces and all around trying to get Declan to smile. Sometimes when I'm actually funny, he'll look away and then grin. It's like he's thinking, I can't let this lady see how much fun this is for me.

Declan realizes that the iPhone screen is just like the TV and that if he's quick I'll let him look at it for a second while I snap a photo.

Slow Sundays

I love Sundays because they give me a chance to slow down, refocus and spend the day with my family. While Danny was watching the NFL playoffs I decided to take a nap because Declan was playing and Danny could watch/entertain him. This is what I woke up to:

(Danny is under the blanket) Watch out - Dad of the year.

Also, Declan was trying to watch TV with us today. We don't allow him to watch so he put on his serious face to show us he means business.

Early Retirement

Yesterday I resigned from my position at CheetahMail in order to stay at home permanently with Declan. I have loved being a Cheetah for the past 3+ years and will miss the friends I have made and the daily learning experiences I had. Danny and I feel that it's best that I stay home with Declan and I'm really excited to devote my time to my family. Declan will only be little once and even now when I look at him he seems to grow right before my eyes. I'm grateful it is possible for us to have this option but mostly I'm grateful for a husband who not only supported me in this decision but actually pushed to make it happen. So here's to a happy and frugal 2012!

New Boss

I got a new boss today. 

More to come tomorrow when I'm hopefully feeling a little better.

Calling in Sick

Moms should not be able to get sick but I'm thankful to have a really good baby, an upcoming weekend and a doting husband.

More Evidence

Just in case you weren't convinced

Old Man in a Baby's Body

He's edible

Last Photo of 2011

Before we put Declan to bed for the last time in 2011 we took some pictures with the lamp light on. Declan ended up waking up at 11:30pm on New Years Eve so we were able to watch the ball drop together as a family. I love how I was able to kiss my eternal companion at midnight and then together we kissed our sweet little boy.

Window Shopping at the Mall

We went to the mall but we brought the cutest accessory with us so there wasn't much we wanted to buy.