Motherhood as a metaphor for, well, motherhood
My first Mother's Day was last weekend, and I have to say, it's like getting an extra birthday in a year. You wake up and you know that this is a day to celebrate you, and that feels pretty darn good. And in my case, you wake up at 5:45 AM because your little guy just can't wait to see his mom on Mother's Day. For the record, he rounded out the day with a few good naps, so he made up for that…
Happy 6 Months Old, Wally Ben! A letter from your mom and dad.
Dear Wally Ben, Happy 6 Months Old day! Time really has gone unbelievably fast, although it feels so long ago that we were meeting you for the first time. Your first six months were a wild adventure. Your dad and I have had so much fun getting to know you, and we're so grateful you have let us become parents by practicing on you. You have been a real sport about it! Together, we've muddled…
My Own Pregnancy Questions Answered Part 2 of 2
A few weeks ago I posted the first part of this blog, answering the questions I had a year ago about taking care of a baby. And now the rest of my mom-of-a-5 1/2-month-old answers: How often will the little guy eat? And what is formula? My theory right now is, formula means Wally can get up at night when the baby’s hungry. If that’s right, I’m good with that. Bah....mmmm....wha…
My own pre-baby questions answered: Part 1 of 2
I thought the other day about a blog post I wrote back in April. Back in the day when Wally V was just a we little chicken nugget, perhaps still with a tail, hanging out in my bump of a belly. The blog was called "Things I don't know," but perhaps a more appropriate title would have been "A teeny tiny smidgen of the millions of things I don't know about being a mom, or, I am a dummy!" So the…
Four months old—the best age yet!
Wally Ben is four months old. I love love love love this age! I should not write and publish this blog, as every time we claim something is good, Wally Ben hears us and does his darndest to make sure that it is no longer true. He likes to change things up, keep it interesting, be unpredictable. We were out to eat with Wally IV's Donno and Bops the other day when Wally said, "Eating. That's one…
Set the record straight...a great little baby!
Last weekend, my Grandpa said, "We sure love reading your blog. But you are giving Wally Ben a bad rap!" Wally IV said something similar: "People who haven't met Wally Ben probably picture him with little horns and a pointy red tail!" I figured my Complainy Complainerson writing had gone too far when all the comments on my most recent post were sympathy and poor Mollie. I appreciated all the…
Crying Sucks or, How the Controlled Cry Ruined My Saturday.
I don't want to bounce this little man forever. For one, Wally IV can't do the bouncing, as it hurts his back, so I am having to bounce him to nap around 3-5 times a day. At the recommendation of several people who commented on my blog, I decided to figure out how to get Wally Ben to fall asleep on his own. But I didn't want to start by just letting him cry unless I knew how to do it right. So,…
Update: The daytime nap is on track
After my "On the daytime nap" post I got so much great advice that I got the confidence to figure this nap "issue" out. Or at least to try. My first step was to get him on a better schedule. I had heard of the eat, play, sleep pattern before, and when someone mentioned it as helpful with the post-colicky baby, I decided to commit to it. We actually accidentally fell into a pattern of eat, play,…
My favorite baby items!
When I was pregnant, the most frustrating experience by far was registering. I explained the adventure in detail on my pregnancy blog here. I just had no idea what I would need as a new mom taking care of a new little life! After I posted that blog, I got tons of extremely helpful advice via email or messages from my Facebook friends, and even a few phone calls from people I hadn't heard from in…
On the daytime nap
It's no secret. Wally Ben is not the most peaceful of babies. People I run into ask me, "How's Wally Ben?" and I want to answer, "Great! He's amazing! The best-behaved baby on the block! I could write a book on how to have a perfect baby!" But alas, even though I firmly believe in my college English professor's theory that you should never let the truth get in the way of a good story, I have to…