HIGH FIVE
1. Breastfeeding:
Wow. I went into this hoping to
breastfeed for a year, a goal which we have exceeded, but now I fear that I
am going to be nursing her before she walks down the aisle. But I do love it- breastfeeding has given me
a new appreciation for my body, an unbelievable bond with Carolina, and
deepened my commitment to nourishing my family with the healthiest diet I
can. Because let’s be honest, all fluff aside,
breastfeeding is hard work and I just can’t imagine letting Carolina turn into
a garbage disposal after all I’ve done to give her the best start I can. The time, the attachment-- all wonderful but
also overwhelming at times. And I can’t
even begin to count how many glasses of wine have been sacrificed over the past
year. A few have slipped through for
sure. And by few I mean sort of often.
2. Baby
wearing: Wow x2. How many naps would
have gone unslept, dinners would have gone uncooked, loads of laundry would
have gone unfolded, and moments of sanity would have gone unfelt had it not
been for baby wearing. Admittedly, my
little crouton has been getting a little heavy, but occasionally I throw her on
with a back carry when I need to cook dinner and her daily allotment for
tearing apart the spice cabinet has been exceeded. So I suppose the analogy
could be: baby wearing is to a secure cocoon as toddler wearing is to a
cage. I am pretty sure that is going to
be added to the 2014 SATs. (Note: I use
a Boba 3G infant carrier and a Sakura Bloom ring sling and would recommend
either.)
3. 7PM-2AM: I don’t know what this kid runs on, but sleep
has never been her strong suit. I couldn’t
tell you the last time she randomly fell asleep on her own. I see kids passed out in strollers out
shopping or at an event and I am blown away.
There are way too many people to wave at for Carolina to fall asleep in
a situation like that. But we have been
lucky that from about 7PM-2AM she usually sleeps great, which has done
unbelievable things for my sanity. We’ll
get to 2AM-6AM later.
4. A
Friendly New World: When I was pregnant and started showing (at around 2
weeks) I couldn’t believe how much nicer people became. I loved it. And I took advantage. Through my entire pregnancy, I used the “15
items or less line” at the grocery store every single time I went. Even with a
full cart. Nobody ever said a
thing. Now that I spend my days with the
most outgoing child of all time, this friendly new world has grown
tenfold. She engages with everyone. Sometimes crowds gather. She has a very magnetic personality; I am not
bragging here because none of it is from me.
By nature I am much more closed off and would prefer to remain
anonymous, but now we spend our days waving to strangers and touching the face
of any person on a motorized cart in the grocery store that dares get too close.
5. My New Sense of Time: I appreciate my free time much more than I did before having
a baby. I appreciate my alone time, my
time with Walter, my time with Carolina.
The schedule can be a little hectic, but overall I think I am more
present in whatever I am doing. Plus, I
can clean the house in about 1/8 the amount of time I could BC (before
Carolina), when I would take half hour RHONY breaks every time I needed a new
paper towel.
LOW FIVE
1. December-March:
This is pretty self-explanatory. I’m not
sure if hell is supposed to be hot, or if it’s actually a polar vortex and you
have a one year old to entertain.
2. 2A-6A:
If I ever get these four hours of sleep back uninterrupted, I might just be
able to take over the world.
3. Teething:
Am I the only one who never really knows if it’s really happening or not? Carolina
just cut tooth #8 and we have been thinking it’s been coming since
October. “She must be teething” is
really code for “I have no clue what’s going on right now” in our house.
4. The Internet:
The internet is terrifying and full of misinformation on babies. “Don’t google
it” might go down as the most used phrase in our house in 2013 (eh, it might be
tied with “mom I think she’s hungry”). I
should just stick to reading gossip sights that give me misinformation about
famous people. It’s much easier to absorb.
5. The Laundry:
Who is in charge of the calendar of the world? I am hoping we can add an 8th
day of the week called Laundry Day. I thought the poop explosion laundry was
bad, but add crawling and eating solid food into the mix and you have lost the
laundry battle before you even started. This, compounded with my husband’s obsession
with white undershirts that “smell really bleachy” and wearing new pajamas
every night, and I’m not sure if I’m doing laundry for my family of three or
Jon and Kate.
So there it is, my high five and low five of the first
year. It was really fun to think back
over the past 12 months in these terms.
I would love to hear what other mothers have to say about their high fives
and low fives of the first year… maybe I forgot something and we can add an “around
the back.”
