Best of '09!

Yesterday I came down with the stomach bug and spent the day in bed (or in the bathroom, tossing my cookies), except for that one time in the morning before I realized how sick I was, when I hurled in my father-in-law's new truck.

Weee!

:(

The bug wore off as the evening wore on and I spent New Year's alone in bed, while Cubbie and my husband rang in the New Year with my in-laws' (who are very forgiving of those who vomit in their vehicles). I didn't feel sorry for myself--actually, it felt really good to just be in bed, resting, while my body recovered.

This past year was the most tumultuous year thus far. But, amazingly, we can stand at the end of it and look at the miraculous and wonderful things God has done for us. These are the two "Best of '09" that top my list:

1) Dad being miraculously healed of cancer and getting better every day

2) Finding out on Cubbie's first birthday that we were pregnant with Baby #2

How about you?

Have a lovely day!

Home Again.

Yesterday I woke up in a terrible mood.

I mean, a terrible mood.

I was snappy with my husband. I was impatient with my son. I was angry about every little thing that happened. I tried making breakfast for Cub, but we had been out of town for the past week, so everything I needed was either expired or non-existent. I moaned to my husband and he very nicely went out and brought breakfast back.

Friends, I was a bear. It was awful.

We ran some errands and I thought that would cheer me up, but it didn't. Finally, when Cub went down for his nap. I sat on my bed and tried to figure out why in the world I was so upset. It finally dawned on me that it was being home that was making me upset.

I know, that's a horrible thought, right??

Well, it was true.

For the past week, we had enjoyed an overload of family-time, food, and making amazing memories at my parents' house. And now I was back home with empty cupboards and a post-Christmas mess that was making me want to cringe. I realized that things were feeling kind of out of control, and ugh, that's an awful feeling. And really, I felt like we were kind of alone. I sighed and prayed and tried getting a better attitude. I hated being grumpy and I definitely did not want to be that way with my husband and my son.

I went to the kitchen to make some lunch and when I opened the cupboard that holds our measuring cups and baking items, I noticed that my vanilla had spilled all over the bottom shelf. It was a sticky, stinky mess! So much for trying to be positive!! I removed the shelf liner and cleaned everything up and then noticed that my baking cabinet seemed a bit disorganized. So, I emptied it completely and put everything away neatly.

And then I felt kind of better.

So, I got lunch started and got creative with our limited food supply. A few minutes later I had some grilled cheese sandwiches toasting on the stove. And I felt even better. Then, I sat down to make our grocery list and came up with some fun dinners for the remainder of our short week. By the time Cub had woken up, my mood had completely changed. Once I was able to take some baby steps in creating some order in my home, I felt better. I fed Cub lunch and we headed to the grocery store ... and I realized I had left my list at home. I hate shopping without a list. I inevitably buy food I don't need and forget the food I do need. But. I had a renewed outlook and I was NOT going to get grumpy again! So, I hoisted Cub on my hip and we shopped anyway, creating meals as we went. Cub did great and only got fussy towards the end of the trip ... right as the boy bagging our items asked me if I would like to take advantage of their drive-thru pick-up. Yes, I would! Thank you! Another positive thing, especially considering the rain that had started to sprinkle outside.

I came home and unloaded the groceries and began making dinner. I was missing my Mom, so I made her delicious meatballs for spaghetti and meatballs (I'm sure she would LOVE to think that making her meatballs helps me when I miss her--ha!). I called my father-in-law to see if he would like to join us (my mother-in-law is out of town) and my good mood just kept growing. My husband walked in the kitchen later to tell me he had invited his brother, too, and instead of worrying about having enough food, I scoured my cupboards and came up with a little extra pasta and tossed a can of diced tomatoes into the sauce to make it a bit more substantial. In an hour I had three hungry men eating my home-cooked meal, and one hungry adorable little man smiling at me from his little chair.

My empty house was now full. There were full bellies lounging in the living room and leftovers in the fridge. And one happy lady observing it all.

And all it took was a prayer and a change of attitude.

It sure feels good to be home.

Wordless Wednesday.

My parents have the cutest grandboys in the world.

(In my opinion.)

On Grandparents (Part II).

When Cub was a wee one, I wrote a post about grandparents and Cub's grandparents' particular role in his life. He was just a little guy when I wrote it and I emphasized how I felt that, if possible, it was greatly important for little ones to spend a good amount of time with their grandparents (notice I said "if possible"--I realize it isn't possible for everyone!).

Cubbie began staying overnight once-a-week with his grandparents when he was seven weeks old. I was breastfeeding and Cub still had one middle of the night feeding, but my husband's parents were all too happy to have him for that long. For my husband and I, those once-a-week overnights for Cub meant date nights for us. A good friend of mine once asked me why I felt that a date night was so important, if we had time alone after Cub went to bed every night anyway. It is important to us for a few different reasons. For me, as a stay-at-home Mom, it means a chance to dress up for my husband and to step out of our home and into the role of not just a wife, but into the role of my husband's date! Also, typically, when Cub goes down, my husband and I settle into our evening routine. I check e-mail, he checks stuff on his laptop, and then we watch a movie. While we're alone during that time, it doesn't necessarily mean we're going to have great conversation! Sometimes we do, but there are a lot of times where we're pretty tired and content with just some small talk to hear about each other's days. Going out of the house means time alone in the car (which always prompts good conversations for us), plus, being at a restaurant enjoying yummy food always brings about good talks, too. I think that being in a different environment brings about different conversations, which is good. Does that make sense?

But, beyond that, we realized early on that we had the ability for Cub to spend time with his grandparents--and that we had a responsibility to our parents to allow them to bond with Cub. We love our parents and have great relationships with them and now that we had given them a grandchild, they wanted to spend time with him! And we realized it was selfish of us to not give them that time. These were the reasons that prompted us to let him stay with his grandparents when he was so young.

Now, over a year after Cub first began spending so much time with his grandparents, I can say that YES, it was a good decision! Cub has gotten to know my husband's parents so well (mine live farther away, so he doesn't see them as often--even though he definitely loves them!). It's the neatest thing to see, as a parent. While Cub loves his Mama, he is IN LOVE with his Grandma. It's the sweetest thing to see! But, most importantly, through recent events in both of our families, my husband and I realized that we won't always have our parents around. And it would break our hearts for Cub to not know them, simply because we didn't make time for him to know them. And then it dawned on us that something could potentially happen to us, and how awful it would be for Cub to feel alone because he didn't know his grandparents like he could, as they would be the ones who would care for him in our absence. The decision for us was an easy one many months ago, but the brevity of that decision has weighed upon our hearts lately and we're so glad we made it and continue to make it as Cub grows older.

So, if possible, I would encourage all new moms out there to give their babies quality time with their grandparents (depending on the situation, of course). And by quality time, I mean time away from you! Especially if you had a good relationship with your grandparents. Imagine if you hadn't gotten to know them as well as you did, simply because your parents were afraid of letting you go. It wouldn't be fair, right? I didn't have a close relationship with my own grandparents because distance separated us, and I am so thankful Cub will know both sets of his grandparents. It is a huge blessing.

And girls, use that time as a date night if you can! It doesn't have to be anywhere fancy, but put on clothes that make you feel great and step out on the town on your husband's arm. Our favorite place to eat is The Cheesecake Factory, but it's a tad pricey for a couple on a budget! So, we hit it up every once and a while, but try to stay cheap the rest of the time. We've found this great little place in town that serves delicious gyros and we love it. It's not what you spend, but the time that you spend together. And, getting creative with your budget and your time always creates good bonding. :)

Have a lovely day, friends.

Gracious Regards.

I promise, pictures and details of our Christmas are coming! We will venture home in a few days and I can finally get everything uploaded and organized. Until then ... some other topics of interest!

One thing I love about blogging is the connections I make with other moms. That's actually most of the reason as to why I do it in the first place, really. Every week or so I receive an e-mail from a friend, an old friend, or a stranger, asking for parenting advice. I love it because the questions I receive are the same questions I remember asking at various stages throughout Cubbie's early months and in his first year. What to do if your baby hates the car seat, how much of a routine is too strict, what if their naps suddenly go awry, when is a fever too high, how long should you let them cry it out if you decide to do so, etc.

Last night my husband and I went and visited some good friends of ours from college who are expecting their first baby (a boy!). We spent the majority of the evening discussing parenting. We laughed at how, when we first met, dating was all that mattered. Then marriage and finding a job. And now, here we were, years later, talking about baby bottles and bedding. How things have changed! One thing our friends mentioned that they appreciated was how my husband and I were extremely passionate about parenting, but that we hadn't "lost" our identity through all of it, becoming unrelatable or only interested in our own baby. We told them that we think you decide what kind of parent you want to be before your baby is born. And it is good to set these kinds of goals, because once the baby is born, things DO change! But my husband and I have always been resolute about the fact that Cubbie joined our lives, not vice versa, and that there is always a balance between our role as parents and the other roles in our lives, primarily our role as friends. And part of that role as friends is to be available for advice and help when it is needed.

When Cubbie was first born, I thought I was supposed to already know everything. Ha! I put a lot of pressure on myself to handle everything on my own and if I was confused or had a question, I just had to deal with it because I was Caleb's Mom! I should know it already! And, while a lot of parenting is definitely common sense, I realized pretty early on that, as with every new life change, it is overwhelmingly important to talk to other people who have experienced what you are going through. I began to take the bits and pieces of advice I received and put them together to form a framework for what worked for us. We didn't use all of the advice and we inserted our own opinions here and there until we figured different things out as we went along, but the advice we used was definitely priceless!

And even now, we continue to ask for help when questions arise as Cubbie continues to grow and develop. So, new moms and readers and friends, keep the e-mails coming and continue to ask your friends for support. We've been there and you can do it!

Have a lovely day, friends.