Cominatacha

One of my blogger pet peeves is when people apologize for taking time off from blogging. So, rather than bore you with a long-winded apology, I'll just say that summer and blogging didn't really work for me.

I read this post about a blog lifespan and considered ignoring this space entirely.

Then, Ingrid would reach a milestone and I wanted to blog about it. We went kayaking as a family for about four minutes and I wanted to blog about it. But I wouldn't take the time to put my thoughts down. Not anymore my friends. After three long months I now have a couch and somewhat of a routine. That means more posts like these are cominatcha soon:

• The Very Merriest of Mother's Days
• Two
• New Mom Care Package
• Five Things

Soon means soon. In the meantime, here's a little glimpse of the summer:

That's it for now. Baby steps my friends. Baby steps.

On Packing

Our upcoming move is quickly becoming a reality. Walls are bare, boxes are stacked in corners, donation piles are piling up. On one hand it feels cathartic to go through belongings, sort them, think about them and make the ultimate decision: keep or toss. On another hand, it's taxing and due to the milestones experienced in this tiny apartment - marriage, parenthood and dog-ownership - we have a lot to go through.

You know that feeling when you flip through an old photo album? You're happy to have the photos to cherish the memories but thankful that hairstyles and clothing choices have evolved. It's like that, but with stuff.

Tonight, we tackled the pantry. Mason jars of wheat germ and powered sugar were discarded. Then, I went through the cookbooks and the forgotten "meal planning" binder I once religiously maintained. Back before Pinterest, I loved going through recipes, testing them out and tucking away favorites. It sounds simple on the surface, but going through Valentine's Day menus and birthday dinners gave a little window into the countless memories built in our little apartment. Back when creating a several course meal was reasonable - I had the time to invest in such celebrations. Now, don't get me wrong - I'm no master in the kitchen - I just like the idea of researching recipes and have managed to come up with a few "wow" moments in kitchen. Even if I'm the only one enjoying the results.

I had a few baking blunder this month so stumbling upon these tried and true recipes make me remember that good things do come out of our outdated kitchen. By the way, is there anything more disappointing than burnt coconut macaroons or carrot cupcakes that don't rise? Of course there are - but dumping a tray of baked goods into the trash is a bummer.

Here are some of my favorite recipes that have been made countless times in our little home. Enjoy!

1 Cranberry Bread
2 Curried Couscous Salad
3 30-Minute Chili
4 Coriander-Chile Pinto Bean Dip

Favorite Moment During the First Week of Motherhood - Part Four

During my pregnancy, Dan and I learned that another couple we knew was also expecting. We had the same due date - April 1 (not kidding) - and were not going to learn the sex. I thought I would have a baby girl and she thought she would welcome a baby boy. We were both right.

We ended up taking the same parenting class at our hospital and exchanged giggles as we watched 1980's style movies featuring pregnant moms in tapered overalls and abnormally long fingernails.

Even though we had the same due date, they welcomed their baby boy almost three weeks early and Ingrid was a week late - making them a month apart.

Through those foggy first months of motherhood, we regularly attended a Mom & Baby Networking gathering at our hospital. She encouraged me to attend and I'm glad she did. Through this group, we were able to spend time with our babies, receive tips and encouragement to breastfeed and connect with other moms. Honestly, I looked forward to this class for a reason to get out of the house and to hear everyone's challenges and triumphs.

Just as having overlapping pregnancies with my west-coast girlfriend strengthened our friendship - having a new mom-friend in the area to recommend books and offer support was wonderful. She is level-headed and always offers a listening ear. In short, she's a sanity-saver, and a great mom:


One of my favorite moments of the first week was coming home from the hospital.  It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and my parents, my husband's parents, my sister, niece, and nephew were there with us. The best part, though, was when they all left. Just Chase, Connor, Lily (our dog) and I were home together for the first time. We sat Connor in the boppy on the kitchen floor right in front of the patio doors with nothing but a diaper on. The sun was streaming in the window and we just looked at him for no lie, like two hours. It was so amazing to see all his little parts and how he moved and how he yawned and how skinny he was. That was the first time where I was really like "Wow, we made this thing."

Favorite Moments During the First Week of Motherhood - Part Three

We welcomed Ingrid in April, and in August, our friends welcomed their first son. I loved being pregnant during the same time as one of my close friends (and two sister-in-laws!). Discussing doctor visits, pregnancy-to-dos and weekly progress was fun to do with someone who really "got" it. Then, after we had our babies, it was comforting to have someone to talk to about nursing and shot schedules. 

I know, really, really interesting stuff. But, I loved talking with her as she was "in the trenches" with me. She didn't have memories of these times - or ideas of how motherhood would/should be - she was there - and is there - in the moment. 

As she lives out west, it brought us closer and I'm thrilled because she's a great friend, wonderful nurse and amazing mother. 

• All of our family was scheduled to visit post birth so it felt really special to have my work family come and welcome my son to the world.
• Holding him skin-to-skin right after delivery. 
• Watching my husband hold our son for the first time, and lets face it, every time!
• Being able to hold and snuggle my little man all the time. Haven't been able to do that since.
• Seeing the calming effect that music has on my son.
• Feeling so proud when he passed all his tests. Lab tests, assessments, and the hearing test.
• The first latch.
• Our first walk outside. It felt like such an accomplishment.
• Our first doctors visit and his note that said "Welcome to the world. You're perfect."
• Thinking how do the days pass so fast when you're hardly sleeping.
• Learning how to swaddle.
• The excitement of telling our friends and family that he arrived!
• and of course, any meeting of family and their interactions was so special - grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, etc.

She wrapped up her email in classic mom-fashion: 

And he's up from his nap. Gotta go.


Man, that first walk outside was surreal. I remember walking outside of the hospital next to Dan who was carrying Ingrid and I wanted to laugh. After so much assistance in the hospital, you're sent home with a baby and a backpack of stolen hospital goods. (Why don't they sell hospital-sized swaddle blankets at Target?). 

More to come! 

Lipstick

Don't you hate when you can't remember what should-be memorable moments? 


Dan will reminisce about a particular meal or movie and I'll nod along thinking "I have no clue what you're talking about. I'll just keep nodding." But then other simple moments are etched so clearly for no apparent reason. They aren't memorable - but they are. Like this little odd-ball: 


A few years ago, some of my old college roommates and I were in Minneapolis for a summer weekend. I can't remember why we were there but for some reason I think it was the 4th of July so lets bank on my rock-solid memory and go with that. So, on some 4th of July weekend, we were laying out at my friend's roof-top pool, drinking cocktails and flipping through magazines. At one point in the afternoon, I looked up from a magazine, cut my friend off mid-thought and blurted "When do you think we'll start to wear lipstick?" 


Where the conversation went from there - one can only guess. But, after feeling like an ass for interrupting my friend, I really did ponder that fact for an embarrassingly long period of time. Like, paging through a People - not US Weekly - amount of time. I landed on sometime in my thirties.

Sometime after I bought a house, or got a dog - or did something responsible. Because responsible ladies wear lipstick and apparently that's the time period when I thought I'd get my act together - sometime in my thirties. 


Profound stuff, really. 

Awkward.

Well, I have a daughter, husband and a dog - and when I wear lipstick it sort of feels like playing dress up. 

I still feel like that young 20-something on that rooftop wondering what grown-up life would look like. Back then, I envisioned that as a grown-up life would look so much different - that bank accounts would be lush, vacations would be plentiful - that somehow I wouldn't trip over things so easily. 

Older meant wiser, smarter and somehow - more graceful.  

Even though 29 looks, feels and isn't how I expected it to be - just like moving into your first non-college apartment, going on your first big trip, getting married and having babies - it's not how you pictured it - it's so much better.