Aiden is working on his balance while sitting up. It’s funny to watch him slowly tip to the side and then use his elbow to keep himself sort of upright. He’s like, oh hey, I’m just gonna lean a little this way I hope you don’t mind. Keep talking to me, I’m still listening.
One of my weekly baby emails told me to sit him up in different areas of the house so he can see his surroundings upright for once. I’m sitting him on everything that has a stable surface and now he thinks everything is funny-looking. He’s like a cat, he stares at random things off in the distance and I wonder why the heck something over there is so interesting.
I’m also getting ready to start Aiden on solids. I was given a box of cereal but my friend said I didn’t need to give it to him, though I might try to incorporate it into the baby food I’ll be making. One of Aiden’s great aunts sent me a book of baby food recipes that I am eager to use. The food is so fresh I wouldn’t mind eating it myself… don’t tell Aiden I told you that.
In addition to that I think it’s a good time for us to learn some baby sign language. My friend brought up a good point that babies can use sign language to allow them to express their simple wants and needs in a nice manner instead of screaming and crying until I’ve gone down the mental checklist of what he could be fussing about.
Every mom has her diaper bag and every mom wants to carry less than everything but the kitchen sink. Some moms probably carry the kitchen sink with them, and bless them for having the strength to do so. I can’t.
I’ve been trying to carry the least amount of items for the baby whenever I venture out of the house. I try to do this by planning my outings as short as possible. A timeframe of between 2 nursings, a diaper change, and maybe a nap. IN YOUR DREAMS!, you say? I heard you.
I almost made the idea possible by using one of my oversized clutches that fit a few disposable diapers, wipes, a couple teething toys and other small items. It works. Then I found out a few friends have a mini diaper bag, looks like a roll-up toiletry bag or a small pouch with a handle, that they bring with them into restaurants and such. I looked up some websites online and found out that there are actual diaper “clutch” bags that can hold the few necessary items.
I checked out a variety of diaper clutches and saw ones made with nice prints and organic fabric, but priced more than I was willing to pay. I found this reasonably priced one by Bumkins that has Keith Haring‘s art printed on it. Haring is one of my favorite artists from the last 50 years so I had to have it. It’s the coolest baby-related thing I own. Thank you Bumkins!
I got a Bumbo for Aiden because all the mamas told me to. Well actually I’ve been wanting to get one since I was pregnant. It used to be all the rage in the last couple years and I wanted to be a cool mom who buys all the cool new things for her baby.
Anyway, it’s supposed to help babies sit up who aren’t able to support themselves yet. It’s great for average weight babies but mine is kind of on the chunky side so his thunder thighs fit a little snugly in the leg holes. He still sits fine in it, it’s just funny when I take him out of the Bumbo because I need to hold him up then squeeze his legs out of it or else it comes with him.
The unforeseen incentive to using a Bumbo? It makes Aiden poop. Constipation an issue? Use a Bumbo.
Let me suggest a few ways you can enjoy your weekend.
Eat a stack of delicious pancakes. The Single Lady Pancake by Joy the Baker. You don’t need to be a single person to have it, but it does make one incredibly huge pancake for one. Or a few smaller ones, whatever makes you feel more like a gluttonous behemoth.
Spend the afternoon watching Kung Fu movies. Hello there, Drunken Master.
Now that I’m taking care of my first child I feel as if I need to defend my baby’s existence in this world. Especially to people who don’t have children of their own. Not to say that I’m going to stop associating myself with all my childless friends, but I will admit I do feel more comfortable being around my friends who have children or I know are good with young ones. I feel like they understand when I talk of my frustrations with parenting and share stories that they can relate to. I don’t want to be that one girl trying to have a conversation with her girlfriends but can’t talk about anything besides what weird or funny things her child did in the last 24 hours. I’m still cool! I’m hip, I’m with the times!
…Right?
Somethingsomething pop culture, somethingsomething I know, right?!
Before Aiden, I loved the freedom of being able to go to Walmart or Target by myself to spend as much time as I wanted there. Everytime I enter the store I’d hear a child having a meltdown in the middle of the store and the mom trying to take care of her kid then thinking to myself, I’m so glad I don’t have children right now!
Now I’m on the other side of that situation. I’m the mom with a child about to have a meltdown. I’m the one having to drop everything to hold my child, do everything in my power to soothe him, to make him feel better. I’m the person who childless people will walk past and think to themselves, I’m so glad I don’t have children right now.
And you know what? It’s okay. It’s life. But I feel like I have to apologize for my baby and explain why he does the things he does. He’s new to this world. He’s fragile. He doesn’t know how to deal with things. You understand, right? You were a baby once. You cried while your mom was trying to shop and she had to put on a brave face while she did what she could to get you through it. Even if it meant allowing you to shake that noisy toy for what feels like 15 minutes straight or whenever the rest of us feel the blood pouring out of our ears just to keep you happy.
I really don’t know where i’m going with this. It’s 1 a.m. and my baby still hasn’t begun sleeping through the night, he has night terrors in the daytime, and I’m perpetually tired. But it’s okay and I love my baby.
One of my fears of becoming a new mom was that you wouldn’t associate me with being your mother.
For the first three months of your life I shared caregiving responsibilities with my mom and sister. My mom especially was dedicated to making sure you stayed a really happy baby and you took all your naps in her arms. I didn’t mind because it allowed me to eat my meals, take a shower once every few days, and take naps myself. She didn’t mind either, she loves being your grandma.
In your second month I nursed you every two hours. You were a hungry mofo, you know. Everytime I nursed, changed your diaper, bathed, or spend any amount of time alone with you I would remind you who I am.
“Hi Aiden! I’m your mommy! MOMMY.“
I basically reintroduced myself to you everytime we had contact.
Seriously, I was paranoidworried that my mom was spending more quality time with you than I was and in turn you’d see her as a mother figure instead of me. I was not going to let that happen. NEVER. I wanted to make sure you knew exactly who I was and didn’t forget it.
Now you know the word “mommy” whenever someone says it and you know whose face to look for. Mommy feeds you. Mommy makes you smile. You expect to be put to bed by your mommy.
I think my plan worked. A little too well.
I can’t even go out on a date with your dad because I need to be home by 9 pm or else you start screaming BLOODY MURDER!!!!!!!! AN OLD LADY IS TRYING TO PUT ME TO BED!! DOES NOT COMPUTE! DOES NOT COMPUTE!
You’re only 5 months old but you’re already manipulative and controlling. Congratulations.
I still love you and your thunder thighs. Happy 5 months!
Everyone and their momma who has an iPhone is going crazy with the Hipstamatic app right now to make their iPhone pictures look vintage. I don’t have an iPhone so I can’t use Hipstamatic for my photos but I can still HIP-ify my photos with the Poladroid program.
What I like about the software is that it makes my pictures look like the distinct Polaroid picture with the white border and the space at the bottom to write something. In addition it adds character to each photo by making the photo look like it was taken with an instant camera and the funny part is that it’ll add a “fingerprint” or two to really make it look like it was actually taken from a Polaroid and handled by a person. The program is easy to use once you download and install it. The interface is just a Polaroid camera image that is docked to your desktop then you can go into your document folders to find files, drag, and drop onto the camera for it to develop. It’s really fun to use, with sound effects and all.
When your Poladroid photos are “developed” you can add them to the Flickr group for others to see.
If you’d rather spend your weekend inside with an air conditioner or a fan directly blowing on your face while all the chumps go out in the heat, you can spend the whole weekend browsing Style Like U.
I’m completely obsessed with what people have in their closets, especially the most stylish people I know of and this website gives us a peek into what some of those people have in their wardrobes. There’s a long roster of names of the most intriguing people from Andrew Mukamal, our favorite assistant to Kelly Cutrone, to RZA, one of the founders of Wu Tang Clan, to blogger of Garbage Dress, Zana Bayne.
By the way, Kelly Cutrone shows us her closet at Bluefly Closet Confessions. And her little cutie Ava shows off her pink wardrobe too!
No matter how many people try to tell Aiden he needs to crawl before he starts walking, he ain’t listening. The boy wants to get up and go! As soon as he learned to support his own head so I can pull him up into sitting position, he wants me to pull him up on his feet.
Tummy time? No time for it. Learn to sit up first? Sitting is for chumps! I have to get out there because there are lots of gorgeous little ladies waiting in line to get at me!
I don’t know who this baby has been talking to but he’s growing too fast for me.
So I’m a big hugger. I like to hug people. I hug my family and friends and bffs and old classmates. I even hugged the nurse at Planned Parenthood who showed me there was a fetus in my belly when I was excited and confused and had suicidal thoughts running through my head.
Hugfest party of one!
Apparently now I’m also an arm rubber. I ran into an old classmate on saturday and I met his girlfriend who later became his fiance by the end of the night. I was a big ole bag o’ happiness to meet her and when I hugged him goodbye I also hugged his girlfriend then rubbed her arm. What the frig? It’s as if I can’t convey the love coming out of me well enough I have to show it in every hand gesture possible.
My boyfriend probably wonders why I watch so many cooking shows but haven't cooked him a meal. He likes my cake, though, isn't that enough?! http://twitter.com/miss_erma
