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Adventures in Motherhood – post 1

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I figure that my first Mother’s Day is a good time to start a little series of posts about some of the difficulties, trials, surprises and delights of Motherhood that I have discovered on my path so far. These are just my own thoughts and feelings and stories that I would like to record and perhaps share with other mothers that might be experiencing the same things.

1. Loneliness. I know this feeling of loneliness will pass and I should enjoy all of this one on one time I get right now. And I am so grateful to be able to work from home and not have to drop my little man at a day care like so many other parents have to do. However, sometimes it feels like I never leave the house, and never have adult interactions with anyone other than Brian. I mean, I love my cutie pie and the chats that we have, but he isn’t the best conversationalist yet. Thank goodness for Facebook, sometimes it’s feels like my only connection to the outside world. :)

2. All consuming love. Sometimes it overwhelms me just how much love is in my heart for Arlo and for Brian as well. This family is something that at one time I could have never pictured happening and I am so so lucky and happy that I have these beautiful, wonderful people in my life.

3. I will do anything for this kid. In the dead of night when I hear a little voice through the baby monitor I jump out of bed to his crib, Brian sometimes never even hears him. As a previous deep sleeper I am really surprised by this about me. Even when I am super tired, my back hurts and he has been really fussy and I am almost at my wits end I never give up trying to help get that gas bubble out for him or make him happy. It doesn’t matter where I am or who is around, Arlo is my priority, I will sing to him in public, risk exposing myself and getting strange looks to feed him, and walk him around restaurants to calm him while he is crying.

4. Television will never be the same. I am brought to tears, sobbing tears whenever I watch anything to do with children getting hurt, dying, losing parents etc. etc. Everything I see and hear just makes me feel so much more, now that I have a little precious life to take care of. Life itself feels so much more important and special now and it pains me to see how much violence and hate there is in the world among men. When will we learn that love is all we need to make this world go round smoothly and happily.

5. Fear, Guilt and Anxiety. Arlo gave me my first huge scare as a mom this week. I placed him on my bed while I briefly went to the bathroom not 10 feet away, when he decided to do one huge roll and I heard a THUD and a SCREAM. I will never forget that sound and the feeling I had when I saw him face down on the floor. My heart sank. I was terrified that he was really hurt at first, then once I calmed him down and checked him over, I just had wave after wave of tears and guilt and felt like the worst mother in the world, apologizing to him over and over. Brian came home and we took him to the doc to get checked over. Mostly to get myself piece of mind to hear someone tell me he was ok and that I was ok and that this sort of thing happens to most mothers. I will have to start getting tough because I am sure this only the first of many tumbles and falls and bumps he will encounter. (ever since this he has been constantly showing off his newly found rolling skills, this little guy loves to be on the move, now I am much more prepared for it.)

6. My new perfume is called sour milk and spit up. Pretty much every shirt I own’s left shoulder gets this lovely little present within the first two hours of wearing it. Some days it’s not even worth changing, but there’s a point in the day when I turn my head to the left and want to vomit myself from the smell. Needless to say there is a lot of laundry.

7. I never thought I would find myself sniffing a butt like a dog. However, it has been done on multiple occasions to see if my little man has relieved himself or not. And every time I do it I think to myself… this isn’t weird in the least… and that is weird.

8. I can get frustrated and sick of dealing with my cutie pants sometimes. But after a little timeout (and a hot shower helps) I always miss him and regain my love and patience, although then also comes the guilt for getting frustrated in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle. :)

9. Time Flies. People always say that it will go fast and most of the time I am like, yea, yea, yea. But recently I took a look back at some photos of Arlo’s first month and I look at him now and wow, time is going by so fast. He is getting so big and making so many developments already. And I try to remind myself during trying times, that it really wont last and I wont get these moments back so enjoy them for what they are.

10. One thousand kisses a day is never enough. I could kiss and keep my nose and lips on my boy all day long! I love his smell and his chubby little cheeks.

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3 Months!

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Dear Arlo,

You are now three months old and growing ever so fast. Each day brings more adorable toothless smiles and cute new sounds. You even try to talk when your mouth is full, eating. It’s too cute. You started sleeping through the night when we were in Idaho, I couldn’t believe it when I looked at the clock and it was 6am when I was sure it had to only be 3am! We’ve established a pretty regular schedule, which I think is very nice that we have some sort of daily routines and rhythm. You go to bed by 8:30 usually and I wont hear from you again until 4am. Then back down after you eat until 7 or 8 if I am really lucky. Then you are up and smiley for an hour or two and then you get cranky and we go back down for a morning nap. Then up again at lunch time and usually another nap in the later afternoon. You enjoy bath time before bed too, you kick your legs like you are trying to splash, those legs are always moving! :)

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I believe you have begun to teethe a little because you are becoming a bit drooly and you like to put your hands and your newly discovered toy in your mouth a lot. You are doing so great with your hands and bringing your toy to your mouth, it’s so exciting! You even put your hands up on the bottle when Dad feeds you, you will be doing it all yourself in no time! I can tell you are going to be quite independent, little one and I will miss these days of taking care of everything for you.

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Your traditional “Diaper Head Hat” when Dad changes you. He’s a lot more fun than when Mom does. :)

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You are so strong! Sometimes I fear you might wriggle right out of my arms. You like to stand and you like when we have you take our thumbs with your hands and you lift yourself up from laying to sitting, then from sitting to standing. You are still pretty wobbly with balance but strong that’s for sure!

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You grip on tight with your arms when we hold you now too. When I rock you in the rocking chair and your arms are up around my neck and shoulder it’s like you are hugging me back and it melts me with happiness.

You like when Dad and I kiss each other in front of you and make kissy faces and noises. Oh, I can’t wait until you can kiss me back with intention! :)

You enjoy when I have you on the kitchen counter when I make my breakfast especially because I clang on the hanging pots above your head. You love the sound and give big smiles. I bet you just can’t wait until you can bang on all the pots and pans.

You rolled over from your frontside to your back this past week too!

You love your brother and sister as they do you. You like to watch them play around the house, you stare with such intent and listen when they are around, soon enough you will get to play and run around with them too little man.

We started Peace Baby Yoga class together and I am excited to continue. You seemed to like having all the other babies around just as much as I did! It was so fun to hear everyone’s unique voices. The baby next to us Quinn is two weeks younger than you and you and her had a sweet little conversation back and forth. It was cute.

I look at you Arlo and think to myself just how blessed I truly am. You amaze me and make me so proud to be your Mom.

xoxo

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Idaho Falls

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Two weekends ago  brought us some sad news. Brian’s grandfather Dewey passed away at the age of 92. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to ever meet him, although after our trip to Idaho for the funeral last week I feel like I knew him.

We left on Tuesday flying early in the morning. Arlo did a pretty great job considering, and he slept most of the way out to Salt Lake City. Then we drove the 3 hours to Idaho Falls. It was a pretty drive, the mountains are breathtaking and the wide open space is so different from our tree covered New England.

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We finally arrived and were welcomed by Brian’s Mom and Grandmother. I was so happy to finally meet her even though it had to be under these circumstances. Ruth (Brian’s Grandmother), heard about me one time when we were first dating and had a dream that Brian and I  were married. So funny how things turn out! :)

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While we were there Arlo and I got to meet lots of super people. Brian’s cousins, Niki,(who so graciously gave me my awesome new haircut while we were there) and her lovely daughter Maggie; Adee, (who was quite smitten with Arlo as he was of her as well) and her super cute kids Gavin and Molly; Brian’s Uncle John and Aunt Sarah; his Uncle Wayne and Aunt Caroline; his Uncle Paul; Brian’s Grandfather Leo and his wife Ruth; Brian and Susan’s childhood friends Natalie and Rachel and so so so many more cousins and aunts and uncles and family and friends. Of course then there was the meeting of Arlo and his 2 year old cousin Emma!

Emma is Brian’s sister Susan’s youngest and she is so very cute. She was constantly saying Bebe Arr.. .and Bebe Arlo. She loved her “real live baby doll” and it will be so fun to show these photos and videos to them when they are older! :) These two are going to be great pals. Check out this super cute video of Emma holding Arlo! https://vimeo.com/64693152 Password: AKM12813

Their was a lovely viewing for Grandpa Dewey on Thursday evening and they played a beautiful DVD of photos which we received a copy of. On Friday a funeral was held in his honor and the words spoken there were very moving and beautiful. Unfortunately I spent most of it alone with a fussy, hungry and tired Arlo in the Mother’s Room, however thankfully I could still hear the service as there was a speaker system in the room. In Utah and Idaho the highly Mormon culture there focuses so much on family, and I was so thankful to have these Mother’s Rooms at the Mall, Church, Really all over. They provide a great comfortable place to nurse and change your young ones. I for one think places all over the US should catch on to this! 

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Dewey was an amazing person with a life well lived. He married Ruth (Brian’s Grandmother) and accepted her 6 children as his own welcoming them into his family of 5 children already. He and Ruth were so happily married for 43 years, they were the cutest couple and set such a great example of what a happy marriage should look like. He was a very hard worker as a farmer in Idaho Falls and right up to the end kept himself very busy always doing projects and never stopping or slowing down in his older age. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, skiing, boating, bowling, square dancing, traveling and snowmobiling. Brian has very fond memories of the cabin they had at the lake and the times spent there with his grandfather and family. He had 25 grandchildren; 84 great-grandchildren!

At the cemetery we also got to visit with Brian’s father and introduce him to his grandson. I was so glad to be able to do this.

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After the funeral we went back to the church where they had a big potluck dinner for everyone. It was a great time for visiting with people a bit more and there was lots of yummy food. Of course about 10 different types of potato dishes as well as a big variety of Jello Salads. Which I thought was the dessert end of the table but no, they were just salads (even though some had marshmallows and all) The desert table was amazing too! I definitely ate way too much. Emma also enjoyed one of every kind of dessert too I think. :)

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We stayed up late playing Hearts with Brian’s Grandmother that night. I will always remember playing hearts for the first time with her, and I even had streak of beginners luck!

On Saturday we drove back to Salt Lake City where we stayed for the night so that we could fly out early Sunday morning.

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Fountain Statue in Idaho Falls

We stopped off at our favorite donut shop Krispy Kreme along the way to get breakfast. Arlo was super excited! :)

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When we got to Salt Lake City we went downtown to Temple Square to go check out the Beautiful Mormon Temple area. Susan and John got married here. There were a few weddings happening while we were there.

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It was a bit drizzly though so we decided to also check out the new and Amazing shopping mall they had there. It was an “outdoor” mall but with a retractable roof. Inside they had amazing fountains and even these rivers and ponds with real fish in them! It was awesome. Here is a couple of videos I took of the cool fountains.  https://vimeo.com/64925591 and https://vimeo.com/64925590.

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We had a great lunch at a place called Blue Lemon. Very yummy.

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There was also a Vans Store and since we don’t see those out in our neck of the woods we had to stop in and take advantage of Brian’s discount.

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(Little did we know Colin bought some vans this past week too and wouldn’t you know it, all the boys ended up having the same exact pair! Guess they all have the same good taste!)

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We also stopped in at Gymboree and got Arlo some sweet shades for the summer! :)

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Sunday morning we said goodbye to Salt Lake and spent most the day traveling the little guy did pretty well again. But towards the end he needed a diaper change and he was cranky and wanted to just be done! I can’t blame him it was a long day.

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All in all it was a great trip and we were happy to be back home again and welcomed with such beautiful spring weather this past week.

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Uncle Tim comes to visit!

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Two weekends ago we took Arlo and the kids for a walk on the trail in the big Jeep Stroller! The stroller is awesome, thanks mom! It even has a dock for our iPod so we can jam out on our walks. The kids rode their bikes and we all went down to check out the bridge and the river while we waited for Uncle Tim and Aunt Kerin to come and visit us!

They finally made it up on Saturday afternoon after some car trouble along the way and we had my Dad and Jodie over for dinner as well. Arlo finally got to meet his Uncle Tim and Aunt Kerin and I think he really enjoyed himself!

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It turned out to be a whole lot of fun especially once the Nerf guns came out. I think everyone became kids all of a sudden! Somehow Arlo ended up sleeping through all of this noisy craziness, good baby!

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On Sunday we had my Mom and Don come over to visit with Tim and Kerin and all of us too! It was so great to have lots of family at the house, I wish Tim lived closer because I miss him all the time. We had some fun playing with Brian’s latest toy that he got, his jumping stilts and even though I said I would never try them, once I saw Tim and Kerin both try I figured I better give it a whirl too! :) (Pictures to come) I swear my husband thinks he is 20 years old. I guess I  just have to hope he doesn’t get hurt.

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Arlo gives Papa Don big smiles! :)

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My Mom and Don so graciously offered to stay late after Tim and Kerin headed home and the kids went home and they watched our little guy while Brian and I got to go out to a fun movie date for the first time since Arlo arrived. We went and saw Oz, The Great and Powerful and it was really awesome. Arlo did great for his Grammy and Papa Don and probably didn’t even miss us. I missed him but I did a pretty good job of keeping relaxed and having a good time. A trial run for our concert in a couple of weeks when he will spend a bit longer with my Dad at his house. He is doing great at taking a bottle so we are thankful for that, now we will be able to get away for a bit here and there for some much needed Alina and Brian time! :)

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2 Months!

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Dear Arlo,

Time has passed so quickly since you arrived into our hearts and lives. Today you are 2 months old and getting bigger and smarter by the minute it seems. I stepped on the scale with you the other day and you are up to 12lbs! We will get the official measurements on Monday at your doctor’s appointment. You still fit in your 3 month clothes for the most part but we are now putting some 3-6 month on as well. Monday of this week was a very sleepy day for you, I do believe you are having some growth spurts! Speaking of sleep you are a great sleeper at night these days too. I put you down around 11 something after a feeding and I don’t hear from you again until 4 something. That’s about 5 solid hours you are giving me to sleep and I really appreciate it! Thank you! And then we give you your early breakfast and you are back to sleep again real easy for a few more hours. You are the best!

We celebrated your 2 month by joining Dad in a “Business Lunch” today. :) Thanks to “Aunt” Teresa for the snappy outfit! Then we came home and hung out with our fluffy friends.

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Here are some other things you are up to these days…

You smile a lot more, especially in the mornings and you make more squeaks, coos and cute baby noises. I can’t get enough of it!

Here is a video of you enjoying your bouncy seat while hanging out in Moms office.  https://vimeo.com/62776052 Password: AKM12813.

You love to be jumping with your legs or “walking”. You are so strong and I am sure will be really active once you are on the move and ready to hike with us in no time! Climbing up Mt. Daddy…
 https://vimeo.com/62776670 Password: AKM12813.

You hold your head up high a lot now during tummy time. You even are starting to tilt sideways like you want to roll over.. soon enough you will!
https://vimeo.com/62375067 Password: AKM12813.

You also love being held up airplane style. Daddy will lift you over his head and you will become quiet and content, he puts you back down and you will fuss and want to push up with your legs for another ride.

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You got sick with your first cold at week 7. That was really no fun. But the worst of it passed within a few days. You were a real trooper. And I think I held it together pretty well considering. The only time I felt truly crazy was trying to decide if I was for or against getting a vaporizer for you. And it allowed me more snuggle time with you because all you wanted was to be held by Mommy.

You are getting better at intentionally moving your hands and arms which is cool, soon you will be able to hold small rattles and toys, how fun!

You love it when we make the sound of a motor with our mouths/lips hard to write the sound but… bbbbrrrbbbbrrrrr it catches your attention even when you are fussy and quiets you.

You joined us at Colin’s Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby last weekend and it was your first outing with lots of people around. You did great. You even almost got stolen!! This one lady came over and wanted to hold you and so we let her and then I didn’t think I would get you back! She walked all over with you and seemed perfectly content holding you, you were content too and sleepy. Dad and I started to get a little nervous and had to help calm each other and laughed about how to ask for our baby back! When we did get you back you smelled like lady perfume, jeesh kid you are a ladies man already! Watch out! We all celebrated as Colin WON first place! I think you were his good luck charm this year! Great job Colin! :)

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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Thankfully Arlo has started to feel better from his cold that started friday evening. He still has a cough and sniffles but temp went down and his eating has resumed to the normal amount (which is a lot) and his mood is improving as well. He’s sleeping it off and taking his vitamin really well still. I hope it totally clears up soon. Hearing him cough breaks my heart.

This weekend we had the kids over, Colin had a cool thing on Saturday called Destination Imagination. Brian and Isabelle went to watch for the morning while I stayed home with the sick babe. Then Colin and Bri worked on building their pinewood derby car for the big race at cub scouts next Sat. The car came out great. I can’t wait to see it race! Hopefully we will win this year!

Today we enjoyed reading from our little Irish Blessings book in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. So I used this time for a little photo session of the kids. They are all so cute. Colin and Izzy are getting way too big, way too fast now though. We were checking out the latest photo album I had made up for them from last year and the difference one year made is truly amazing.

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He was hungry, he really does love his big brother!

My Irish Boys are so handsome!

 

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Goodbye 2PEAS… Hello Minivan

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It’s official, I am now old. Nothing has made this feel more real for me than buying a minivan. Not turning 30 years old, not becoming a mom, just the minivan that we purchased last week.

It seems as though every time I get a new vehicle it marks the end of one time in my life and the start of a new one and each time has come with a few tears shed. This time perhaps a few more than usual. I am not one who welcomes change with open arms, it takes me a bit to warm up to the idea of moving on. And this change came fast and furious and before I could even really process it.

We have had the Jeep Compass since around the time we got engaged. It has been a great little car for me and I loved it dearly, it was the nicest and newest car that I ever owned and I took pretty good care of it other than racking up lots of miles driving to work and back over the years. It was the pod for us 2 peas and we had some good times with it. It seemed to fit me and my personality as a small sport utility vehicle, I really loved it.

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We realized however that now with three kids every other weekend things were going to get a bit tight in the Compass and something would have to change eventually. Well eventually, very quickly turned into now. We had to rent a minivan for our family road trip to Six Flags Waterpark when Grandma visited. We rented a brand new Chrysler Town and Country. Brian’s mom always owns these vans, they are great! And to ride in a brand new one was really something. I had to admit, it was a sweet van and I really liked it.

After our trip we started to really realize how small and tight the Compass felt. So, Brian in typical fashion, started looking around on Craigslist and Auto Sites for just what was out there for used Town & Country’s. And we found what looked to be a really good deal on one and decided to sort of think about it and keep our eyes open. Well then one afternoon Brian comes home early from work and says, hey you up for a drive? We need to go up to Tilton and look at this van. They are getting lots of interest in it and the guy is waiting for us to come up and check it out. So, off we go.

And sure enough we like it and it is a great deal and we end up trading in our Jeep right there and then and coming home with a van. I made it through the whole thing pretty well but of course later it started to sink in and I got a little depressed in this big transition to the “Soccer Mom” vehicle. It is of course going to be great, I mean we have a decent sized family now and the sliding doors make it so nice to get car seats in and out etc. The dvd players are a nice perk for the kids for longer trips and the van drives really nice and feels very spacious for things like feeding the baby etc. But ITS A VAN!! haha Oh, did I ever see this day coming in my future, no not really. But all of a sudden here it is. Oh well, I am sure I will get over it. But one thing is for sure, I WILL NOT be decking it out with those silly family stick figure stickers. And at least we still have the Bus to make us feel cool, if it ever gets back on the road that is. :)

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So it’s farewell to 2PEAS and hello to our new FAB-5 mobile!