E is for…

Endurance is something that you build upon as a parent over time, just like you would in sports. As a new mom you endure sleepless nights and take on tiring days, the more seasoned you become the more challenges you inevitably face. Parenting is by no means easy but continuing to move forward and making advancements for your self is what makes a great parent.

It is good to find ways to motivate yourself through the days, weeks, months, etc. During the day after a deadly tiring night focus on getting to nap time with baby and indulge in cuddling with your baby. When baby is teething look forward to the new foods you can feed her once her pearly whites have come in. After the millionth time of your son wetting his trousers take relief in knowing soon he’ll be able to potty all on his own and you’ll be free of diapers.

While endurance is enhanced with a positive perspective it is something you can build on and once you work on your patience and positive thoughts endurance will become more readily available. I don’t know if I would make it to tomorrow if I didn’t look forward to nap time, and R’s daughter-daddy time with M! How do you manage to endure tough times during your day?

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

What if?

On my drive home I usually have my radio dialed into 91.5, sometimes it’s great and I leave the car happy, other times I am definitely not as fortunate and walk around with what feels like a black cloud looming above me. I wonder what would happen if instead of focusing on all the madness and mayhem in the world, what if only the good was brought to light?

If we turned on the news and only the peace keepers and accomplishments of the world were displayed, do you think that would inspire good in everyone? If instead of death and destruction, beautiful gardens, forests and advancements for the world were broadcast, would the tone of the world be different?

Perhaps if that were to happen the effect would ripple magnificently into everyone’s lives. People would view each other as friends instead of enemies, their perspectives would be light and motivated towards good.

I would love to see just one day where the information on the news, internet and in my inbox were nothing but good. I would like to think that should or could that day come, things would take a turn for the better. Maybe that is a day far off or something no one really thinks of or cares for. I think a positive world could really make a difference for the self-esteem and motivation of our children and future generations. Wishful thinking?

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

D is for…

Determination is key in parenting. If you wish to be a good parent you must be determined to do so. Good parenting sometimes requires reading books, almost always requires making hard decisions and being selfless. If you don’t make the decision to be determined at what you choose you can easily get off track.

Parenting is hard and it is easy to say “I quit,” just sit on the couch, switch the TV on and  give up. If you make the choice to parent better, making that commitment makes you a better person.

The decision to be parent well should take place during pregnancy. A healthy start is key to good parenting. The choice not to drink, not to smoke and to eat healthy for the sake of baby take determination to carry out. These tasks aer not easy.

Nothing about parenting is easy. From shoe tying, potty training, discipline and every step in between take determination on your part to endure each task. If you encourage your children and show them you will not give up that will build more confidence in them.

Every step of parenting takes the determination to raise good people. It takes the determination to be better and do great for the future of your children. I believe we can all do it, all it takes is the conscious decision to be a good parent and not get discouraged through all the bumps along the way, parenting truly takes determination.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

C is for…

Cookie… haha Just kidding, C is actually for confidence. Being a mother confidence relates to just about everything in my day-to-day life, from what milk to buy to the amount of  Tylenol to give R when she is teething. Confidence makes a difference in everything when I deal with people, doctors, M and especially R.

If I did not have confidence I would spend my whole day consulting everyone else (I, of course don’t have all the answers so thank you Mom for all your help or R would not be as well cared for as she is now) and probably not get anything accomplished. Even when I go to the doctors I have to exhibit my confidence in my ability to care for my daughter. My doctor once told me R had thrush, I did not fully believe him but did fill his prescription. When I got home I found that it was just caked on breast milk, easy fix. Had I followed his directions and not exhibited the confidence in knowing my daughter I would have medicated her for no reason.

Confidence is especially key when it comes to everyone telling you the “right” way to raise your son or daughter. It is important you follow your gut and stick to your guns and follow through with conviction. Everyone (your grandma, your mother, your brothers, sisters and fathers, even complete strangers) will offer you their opinion and advice. Half the time these people have no inkling to what is right or wrong they just know what their end results were. While it is perfectly fine to take their advice into consideration be confident in your choice and don’t worry about whether their judging your or not in the end your opinion is the one that matters.

Have confidence in the skills you have, and in knowing that what you are unsure of you will learn. The most important things baby need are love, support, nourishment and you. Exude confidence when you give baby what she needs and the rest will follow.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

For Her First Breakfast

At around your baby’s four or five month check-up the doctor begins to tell you of the things you can start to introduce into your baby’s diet. It is very exciting to move through the list of foods but as baby gets older there are less new foods to try and worse there is a “Do Not Feed” list.

This list contain choking hazards but mostly common allergens: soy beans, nuts, dairy items, eggs and peanut butter. It isn’t until baby turns one that these no-nos are given the ok. It can be scary to introduce these at first but exciting at the same time.

When M and I finally introduced R to eggs she loved them. We scrambled them and waited for them to cool and placed R in her high chair. The bowl was placed in front of her and she began by gently poking and squeezing each rubbery mass. She finally placed the lump in her mouth and exclaimed a squeal of “MMMMMMMM.” Success she finished her first bowl and even asked for more.

I was eager to share peanut butter with her and yesterday I was FINALLY given the go signal. I positioned R in her high chair, grabbed a spoon and the jar. I was so anxious, what if she had an allergic reaction? I decided to grab the phone too, just incase. I dipped the spoon in, inserted it into her open mouth and listened as was again I was met with an exclamation of “mmmmmm“. What a delight, she asked for more again and again. It was all I could to do keep from laughing and she tongue moved in and out of her mouth. I grabbed her sippy cup of water. I couldn’t have been more pleased.

I was lucky she didn’t show any sign of a peanut allergy but be sure when you introduce new foods to keep a close and watchful eye just incase. We still have a few more items to introduce but I am  so happy that PB&J and eggs are both on the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

B is for…

Balance has to be one of the concepts it has taken me longest to grasp.  Not only has balance been hard for me to learn as a mother but as a woman, wife, daughter and friend. Even in this blog my balance can sometimes be off, for instance my attempt to squeeze two ideas into one entry (which I am correcting with this entry, only one “B” word today). Luckily, like most things is something that can be changed either with time or knowledge.

I think it is important as a new mother to take in what is occurring, the changes you make from being just a woman and often times a wife, to being a mother, a woman and wife. It is here that your balance is thrown off but with practice and complaints (or should I say constructive criticism) changes can be made and excellence can be accomplished.

Remember that while your brand new baby needs your attention so do your loved ones who received all your attention before. It can be hard to think of ways to include them but M and I found that our note dropping and eventual nights out alone were ways for us to reconnect. Not only do our nights out allow us to be closer again but also give Nomi (grandma) a chance to get to know R and bond with her.

We have covered balance with loved ones and I think as a mom too but one of the places I and other mothers I know struggled with the most is their ability to regain the time to themselves, I created this blog but even then I felt off. I started walking with my mother which has helped me a great deal to feel like I am taking care of myself. It is all about getting back to you.

It can be hard at first, learning to be a mother, a wife, a friend and a daughter but with all things it takes practice. While it can be frustrating at first once you have figured it out the transformation is great and very rewarding. Just remember nothing happens instantaneously and like all things great this will take time.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

A is for…

Acceptance in this case is a broad term that I am sure I could break down into smaller topics, but for our first letter and the sake of this exercise I am going to use acceptance.

As mothers and fathers there are many things we can not control or change. At first we try our hardest to find ways to bend or mold information and situations to our liking but often times we are left with the feeling of failure. I offer the solution of accepting that there are somethings you just cannot control or fix.

Obviously we are all adults and know this for the most part but for whatever reason when it comes to our young this idea escapes us. Sometimes it is something easy to deal with say no peanut butter before the age of one, although you may want to give baby peanut butter you just accept it is an allergen and wait until that lucky day baby turns one. Other times it is harder, doctor says baby isn’t gaining enough weight and needs to eat more. It is hard to accept that your doctor may be wrong and your intuition (we’ll save more of that for “I”) was right all along and your baby is healthy and happy and that is what matters most. 

In your bag of parent tricks my number one pick is anti-bacterial sanitizer. I do not know what I would do without my little bottle of Purell some days. It is great when R and I are on a walk and come to a park we can play and while there are no sinks around I know I can cleanse her hands and keep her safe. I always keep a bottle in my purse, diaper bag and in the car (which M always uses and never replaces). You never know when it may come in handy. Luckily anti-bacterial sanitizer is relatively cheap, you can find a bottle of  Target brand for under a dollar!

While I accept I cannot keep R safe from everything I know I can at least keep her hands clean with anti-bacterial sanitizer. I do my best to keep her safe and let her know she is loved and that is the finest I have to offer her.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

Happy 1st Birthday

It has been an entire year since the day I brought home R. She was so tiny and helpless when she was first wrapped up and handed to me.  She could hardly open her eyes and any warmth she received was generated by whomever was holding her.

That is not the case anymore. R is walking and you could say talking. She has a mind of her own and is smart as hell. She’s feisty like her mom, a lover like her father, silly like our entire family and the apple of M’s eye. She makes my world go round and some days I don’t know how I ever got along without her.

R makes me want to be the best person I can be for her and her future. I cried today as I acknowledge her growing in age. Each year takes her a little further away from me so I do my best to cherish each day. I love her more than life itself and she is the reason I live. Happy Birthday to my love.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

From A to Z

In spirit of the new school year I thought I would take the next twenty-six days to write about a letter and two corresponding words. The words will display something you need as a mother or father mentally and physically. For example: C is for Courage and Coupons. I will elaborate on each word and how it relates to life as a parent.

I hope you will stay tuned for the run of our Parent’s Alphabet.

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM

Makeup for Mommy

Being a stay-at home mom/nanny can be hard on my self-esteem at times. I wear unflattering, over worn t-shirts, pants that don’t fit and I usually don’t bother with my hair. I figure because I won’t really see anyone over the age of 12 there is no reason to waste my time. Now the problem with that mindset is that I end up feeling the way I look.

Some days for the sake of my sanity I throw on a little mascara, eye liner, straighten my mane and buy a new shirt to remind myself that while I am a mother I am also a semi-attractive woman. I notice that on these “special” days I feel better, exude a little confidence and find motivation I did not know I had. While it takes a little extra time, I think in the end it is worth it.

I encourage other women who find themselves in frumpy positions such as mine to challenge yourself to looking better to feel better. I think it is a healthy change that can hopefully affect other areas of your life: fitness, eating habits, dental habits, general health, who knows. I know that when I take the time to care for myself and make myself look better I certainly feel better, maybe others will too?

I am slowly but surely,

Learning2bMOM