Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

O Christmas Tree! December 1, 2013

Filed under: Children's Ministry,Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 9:42 pm
Special Ornaments!

Special Ornaments!

Today was Christmas Tree day in the Scott household. I think everything this time of year means more now that we have Owen. Picking out the tree was a little tricky because it was super rainy. I was a little concerned about Owen getting wet, so I stood under a covered awning while Jeremy looked for the best tree. I looked it over quickly, but really I just trusted Jeremy’s judgement. He did well! We got the tree home and it needed to dry out a bit. It was hard to wait, but I filled the time watching a Hallmark Christmas movie. Go figure! Once the tree was inside, we got down to business. Owen was fascinated by the Christmas lights. It was fun to watch him as he watched Jeremy put the lights on the tree. At one point, I left the room and came back to find Jeremy explaining each special ornament to Owen. There was the Snowman ornament he gave me when we first started dating, the ornament we purchased on our honeymoon, the ornament we purchased in Leavenworth before Owen was born to celebrate our family of three and Owen’s first Christmas ornament. It’s been a fun progression. Our tree tells a story. It’s not one of those theme trees. Our ornaments are a mismatch from our years together and some of them we brought to the marriage. It represents “us” in so many ways. I love it!

Today was a big day in other ways as well. Owen and I went to children’s church for the first time today. I haven’t been in the classroom since the end of September since I was put on bed rest at the beginning of October. It was good to be back, but kind of weird. It was a little hard on my brain focusing on the kids and focusing on Owen. There were questions about if they could hold Owen and I explained that since everyone couldn’t hold Owen no one was going to. The kids accepted that well. Some of them really wanted to touch him and the pacifier. I’m not too concerned about germs, but at the same time I didn’t want him coming away from church with a cold or something. Once he is a little older he’ll head to the nursery, but the nursery staff suggested we wait until he three months to put him in on a Sunday. I don’t mind having him near me this month. He did well and lasted almost 2 hours before needing his poopy diaper changed and the next meal. Once again, another big milestone has been reached and both Owen and I survived.

It was good day all around! We are so blessed and these are fun times! The love this season and the milestones!

Holiday Helper!

Holiday Helper!

DSC08841

Daddy and Owen

Daddy and Owen

The Scott Family

 

Happy Thanksgiving November 30, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 11:20 am
Gobble Gobble! Our Little Turkey!

Gobble Gobble! Our Little Turkey!

Jeremy and I were very excited for Thanksgiving this year. It was Owen’s first official holiday. Yes, there was Halloween, but I view holidays as a day where things are closed and people spend time with family and friends. Plus, we missed the opportunity for dressing him up for Halloween so this was the first holiday were he had a “special” outfit to wear. Yup, we’re that family! Jeremy had picked out a cute turkey onesie at Old Navy and I was excited to celebrate the day with our little turkey.

I’m not sure it will be like this every year, but we figured that Owen is still pretty portable these days and can sleep about anywhere. We have no routine or set schedule. We figured that it would be possible to do both families for Thanksgiving and we would just work our schedule around Owen if need be. Things worked out better than I expected. There were fussy moments at each family gathering, but for the most part Owen did great. I was very pleased. Since these were the first extended family gatherings for Owen to visit, I was prepared for him to be passed around from family member to family member. He did well with all the hand offs and he had many admirers.

One of the things I was looking forward to the most this year was the new babies on both sides of our family. At my family Thanksgiving, I got to meet Forrest. He is my cousin’s newest addition and he is 10 days younger than Owen. It was great to have both October babies together. It’s so fun that Owen will have a little friend his age to run around with the future. At Jeremy’s family gathering, I got to snuggle more with my newest nephew, Nolan. Both Owen and Nolan were hot potatoes being passed from person to person. It was great to see Jeremy’s parents with both their little grandsons. They did a wonderful job sharing their love and attention.

The Scott Family

The Scott Family

There were two miracles that happened on Thanksgiving and flowed into the next day. Right now Owen is on a good sleep schedule. We’ve had many nights of 5-6 hour stretches of sleep. With all the simulation on Thursday, I thought for sure that Owen would have a good night’s sleep. I didn’t realize just how good he was going to sleep. Owen slept 8 hours for the first time! He got up for 20 minutes and then went back to sleep for another 3 hours! It was amazing. Truly a miracle in my book! The other miracle is the fact that his Thanksgiving onesie made it through the whole day without spit up or poop getting all over it. We had only one holiday outfit and two families to see. It wouldn’t have to been the end of the world to have him change in the middle of the day, but I wanted each group to see his little turkey outfit. It survived the whole day and he was still wearing it when we got home.

Things with Owen are going well. I’m starting to find my rhythm and things are starting to feel more natural. Motherhood is like learning a foreign language. It’s awkward at first and you know you’re not pronouncing the words quite right, but you know enough to get the job done. With time and experience, the words flow more freely and you find that you’re not thinking so much about if you’re doing it right. You’re just doing it. Because we’ve taken longer trips with Owen, I wasn’t too worried about this event being too long. My biggest concern was how Owen would respond to all the simulation and for the most part he did amazing. I’m glad that our families got to snuggle with him and have those moments. It was a great first thanksgiving as a family of three. I’m so blessed by our little family and I’m truly excited to see everyone again in less than a month for Christmas!

On a somewhat random note, everyone wanted to know how much Owen weighed at both gatherings. Because the babies are so close in age there was a lot of comparing the weights. I hadn’t weighed Owen in two weeks so yesterday I stepped onto the scale to see where our little guys was at. He is now 11 pounds even. Maybe it was because I didn’t hold him a lot on Thanksgiving, but yesterday he seemed bigger to me. It was like all of the sudden he grew up even more. I was laying him on the changing table in our room and noticed how long he is now. He almost fills it length wise now! Comparing my nephew’s face to Owen’s makes me realize that he really has lost that newborn look. He looks older. It’s a little mind blowing because the changes are so gradual to me and then all of the sudden I see the difference! Such a big boy these days.  One last side note, Owen slept another 8 hours last night! Two days in a row! Pray with me that this is the new trend! I could get used to this!

Happy Baby!

Happy Baby!

8 hours of sleep!

8 hours of sleep!

Yay!

Yay!

 

Over the Mountains We Go November 25, 2013

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 6:49 pm
Family Fun!

Family Fun!

This last Saturday, we loaded up the car early in the morning for our longest travels with Owen to date. We decided while the passes were good, we would travel over the mountains to see Jeremy’s brother’s family. It was a great day! I love watching my niece and nephew interact with their new cousin. Owen did amazing and I was really glad we made the trek over. It was fun to talk with them about the upcoming arrival of the next Scott grandkid. It seems like just yesterday I found out that all of the Scott households were expecting. Now Baby Nolan is here and in just a few weeks the next Scott will arrive. Being pregnant with my sister-in-laws was a very unique period of time and one I enjoyed. I remember at our joint baby shower in September, one sister-in-law mentioned that this was the last time we would all be together and be pregnant before the babies came. It seemed so far off that all our little bundles would be here and now two out of three have arrived. I love being an aunt and the joy just keeps multiplying. I also love that Owen has cousins. My niece and nephews warm my heart and I am so excited to learn soon if I’ll have another niece or nephew. Each one is so sweet and has their own personality. I’m looking forward to watching them grow up alongside my own son. I will admit that I’m slightly jealous of Owen. I never had a cousin that was my age. Well, I do, but he lives in the Midwest so I never had a relationship with him. That will not be the case for Owen. I am glad that he will have cousins close in age and close enough to visit. Even though the three hour drive can be a long one, seeing family and building those relationships is totally worth it. It’s so amazing to think the next time I see that branch of the Scott family tree they will be a family of five. These are seriously fun times. I knew being pregnant with these ladies was a special treat, but honestly the best is yet to come. Raising our families together is going to be such a joy! Yay for the baby boom and little ones arriving on the scene!

 

It’s coming!!! November 24, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 6:22 pm

IMG_3619I had this cassette tape when I was little that was all Christmas songs. “We-Sing-Christmas” is what I think it was called. It was a series of sing-a-long tapes with words books so you could… well… sing a long. Not rocket science. Anyway, on the Christmas tape there was this song about Christmas coming, a goose getting fat and something about putting a penny in an old man’s hat. It’s a random song, but one that has been stuck in my head this weekend.

Since Thanksgiving falls very late in the month this year, Jeremy and I decided to do our Christmas decorating on Friday. Jeremy put up our Christmas lights and we started to decorate the inside of the house. I will admit that I was torn. I don’t usually decorate before Thanksgiving, but this year if I wanted help, I needed to do this weekend. Next weekend Jeremy will be out chasing the beast (deer season for archery reopens on Wednesday). I usually do the decorating inside by myself and then Jeremy and I decorate the tree together. This year I took a wild guess and assumed that with Owen around I would need another set of hands. I was right. Jeremy actually ended up hanging with Owen while I put up a majority of the decorations. I was so grateful for Jeremy’s help because with him, I would have been hanging with Owen instead of hanging up stockings (with care, but not by the chimney).

IMG_3617There was a lot of debate in the Christmas aisle of Target. It’s a big decision choosing your son’s first Christmas stocking. A big deal! I found a stocking online that I really liked and it looked navy with a cute deer on it. However, in the store, it turned out to be purple. Now I have nothing against the color purple. It’s a lovely color. But… I thought about 5-6 years down the road and I saw a bigger Owen throwing a fit that his stocking is purple and that’s a girl color. However, by the time Owen is 6 the world might be so politically correct that he will never know colors are associated with certain genders. Maybe he’ll be asking me why he doesn’t have a pink stocking. This might be a battle that I will never win. This lead us to choosing a penguin stocking for him in the very gender neutral color of red. It’s Christmas. You can’t beat the color red (or green), it’s an instant winner. So now we have 4 stockings on the wall because yes, Toby has a stocking too. It’s fun to see the stocking collection grow. The funny story is that we don’t fill our stockings in this household. I do get a stocking from Santa each year, but it’s the strangest thing, it always gets delivered to my in-laws house. Santa must not know where I live or something. Anyway, next year we’ll probably do a stocking for Owen, but since his memory won’t include his first Christmas this “Santa” is saving the bucks for later. I have a feeling Owen will still get something from Santa – most likely at my in-laws. Just a guess…

IMG_3616I know some of you out there probably hate me right now for already having my house decorated and for blogging about it. I know for you I should be ashamed, not proud. Oh well. I will march to the beat of my Christmas drums. *Insert some pun about the little drummer boy that I am not creative enough to come up with right now* I love Christmas. I love this time year. I’m not ashamed of my love for Christmas music, Christmas lights, red cups, peppermint, Christmas shopping and more! By the way, I am happy to say that my Christmas shopping is officially started thanks to Amazon.com. No, it’s not the same as hitting the holiday decorated malls (another thing I love), but at least I have gifts on the way and that makes me happy. On Friday, I bought my wrapping paper, so I’ll be ready for those gifts when they come. I love wrapping presents!

As you can tell, there is very little I don’t love about this season. Egg nog. I don’t love egg nog. Too thick. Gross! So yes, there is my Grinch side. Don’t ask me to have a festive cup of holiday egg nog. Oh and ugly sweaters. My MOPS group is having an ugly sweater contest at our upcoming Christmas party and I’m doomed because I don’t own a single ugly sweater or “festive” sweater as they call it. The closest thing I have to a holiday wardrobe is penguin socks. If only it was a sock contest.

Well, that’s the update with me. I have a Hallmark movie to get back to. I’ve been watching all the new premieres on Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas. I’m fairly positive that if it was made before 2013, I have seen every Hallmark Christmas movie. Yikes. It’s scary to admit that. My only excuse is that one year I was very sick around Christmas time and watched them all. The only upside to being sick is endless movie watching… which brings me to my last point – I pulled out White Christmas and The Muppet’s Christmas Carol today. I wanted them on stand by for holiday cheer in the upcoming weeks. I know that are both on totally different ends of the movie spectrum, but both are classics in their own right. At least that is my humble holiday opinion.

 

Done with Doctors! November 22, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 10:32 am

I hate all things medical!!! I mean hate! I strongly dislike every time I walk into a medical office. In my mind these are places of torture. I have nothing against medical professionals, I just wish I didn’t have to see them – ever. As you can imagine this last year as been a fun one for me. Being pregnant meant regular doctors visits and blood work. I always look away like my arm is being amputated when I have to do blood work. It totally grosses me out. Many appointments and blood pressure issues led me to the whole giving birth hospital stay. If I thought giving blood was gross… well, let’s just say, I looked away a lot while in the hospital. No dignity. Everyone in your business. Somethings you just have to grin and bear. Once Owen arrived on the scene, we had multiple doctor’s appointment for him because of his issue with jaundice. During that season, I also got a UTI and had to go to the doctor for myself. Fast forward a few weeks, I just had my 6 week postpartum appointment. My regular prescription for my acid reflux is up and I have to go back to the doctor to get a refill and oh goodie, because it’s been so long since they’ve seen me they want blood work. Blood work is becoming the bane of my existence. And yes, we have Owen’s two month appointment in about a week. The Scott’s have been very medically exciting these days. I’m pretty sure our insurance company now assumes all incoming claims belong to us. They probably get the paperwork and groan “Again! What’s wrong with these people.” Yup, they know us by name, I’m sure. Oh well. 2013 has been a big year for us. I’m fairly positive will meet our deductible for the first time ever. I guess when we do something we go all out. Here’s hoping that Owen’s next appointment is the last doctor’s visit for this calendar year because I am done with doctor’s appointments and anything medical! Blah!!!

Side note: Jeremy is as healthy as a horse (I don’t get this expression). At least one member of our family isn’t a drain on our HSA. I’m slightly jealous. Arg.

 

Sad Dog November 21, 2013

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 11:45 am

TobyOne family member has felt the arrival of Owen more deeply than any other. That family member would be our Toby. This dog is a sensitive soul. He has always been very tuned into our schedule and our routine. If we divert from the regular flow of life, Toby lets us know. He usually isn’t too happy about it. So, you can imagine how he feels about our new way of life now. Many people asked us how we thought Toby would do with a baby. It’s a reasonable question. Toby was our “baby” for over three years before we had a human baby. We expected it to be an adjustment for all of us. Toby does well with Owen. He behaves himself just fine. However, something tragic has happened. I do believe we have killed Toby’s spirit. The spark has gone out of his puppy eyes. He knows that things are different and he can’t say he is happy about it. I think Toby likes late night feedings the least of all of us. He groans at us if we have to move him out of the way. He would prefer that we let sleeping dogs sleep. Understandable. I would like a little more sleep myself. There are moments where Toby will come up to me and sit on my lap or sleep by me during the day and I try my best to love on him in those moments. I want things to feel as normal as possible for him. I’ve also tried my best to take him for walks on sunny days because these are always great adventures for him and they tire him out. He is a happy pup on walk days. I’ve also feed him more people food than I should in the last six weeks. I’m trying to cover my guilt with scraps. I know that a day will come where Toby’s memory of the family three will fade and his new normal will be our family of four. But that time has not come yet. He still remembers when he was the center of attention. So far now I will keep bribing my pup in hopes that his sensitive soul will be encouraged and that spark will return. Poor sad dog!

 

34 Days! November 20, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:17 pm
It's that time of year!

It’s that time of year!

Once my countdown to Owen was over I knew I needed new countdowns in my phone to look forward to. Right now we are at 34 days till Christmas and I will admit that it is starting to feel like winter here in the Scott household. In true tradition, I have had way too many peppermint hot chocolates in lovely red cups. This last weekend Starbucks had a BOGO offer for holiday drinks, so we got free drinks three days in a row. Bliss! Another tradition is listening to Christmas music on the way to our children’s leadership conference. I love Christmas music and it was so much fun to sing along to my favorites on the drive up north. On Sunday, I pulled out my penguin dishes. Now these are more wintery than Christmasy so I use them from November through February. I love my skating penguins! They make me so happy! With daylight savings, the days are getting shorter and darker. The weather has turned cold. We’ve started having fires in our woodstove. I know it’s still fall for another month, but winter is creeping in and I’m happy to welcome it. Soon we’ll be celebrating Thanksgiving with family and then it’s decorating the house for Christmas. Jeremy is even planning on putting up our Christmas lights this weekend since the weather will be nice. These are good days! I love the holidays! Now all I need to do is start my Christmas shopping. Those who know me well know that I am usually done with my Christmas shopping by this time, but it’s a different year for the Scott household.

In other random news, here are more Owen milestones. On Friday into Saturday night, Owen slept for 6 hours! This was a first and it’s yet to happen again, but 6 hours of sleep is amazing!!! On Sunday, I spent a good part of my afternoon in Owen’s room sorting through newborn clothes and putting them in a box. Most of his newborn clothes are too short on him because he is such a long baby. I pulled out this three month clothes and got them ready for him to wear. Some of the three month stuff is still too big, but he is slowly growing into it. He is no longer wearing newborn diapers and newborn clothes… It made me realize that he is no longer a newborn! It’s hard to believe that he is 6 weeks old already. The days are really flying by. Another first would be the fact that I got two hours to myself on Sunday! Jeremy suggested I pump a bottle so he could take Owen over his parent’s house. Jeremy and his dad were both watching the Seahawks game so Jeremy figured they could do that together. What did I do with my free time? Well, in true Amy fashion, I cleaned the house. I also wrote thank you cards, pulled out the penguin dishes and loaded them in the dishwasher, baked pumpkin bread, ordered address labels, showered, and did Jeremy’s laundry. It’s amazing what I can get done in two hours when I’m not constantly checking in on a baby. This was my first time baking since Owen was born and it felt great to get back into the kitchen. Owen has been doing great taking a bottle from Jeremy once a day and the freedom that I means for me is very exciting!

Here are few pictures from around the house. Just a glimpse into our world right now.

Jeremy only changes one sock when it gets dirty! Not the whole pair!

Jeremy only changes one sock when it gets dirty! Not the whole pair!

My reading buddy!

My reading buddy!

Starting to like looking at toys - just not at that exact moment!

Starting to like looking at toys – just not at that exact moment!

Camo baby! Ready for a walk!

Camo baby! Ready for a walk!

Jeremy working from home! Surrounded by his boys!

Jeremy working from home! Surrounded by his boys!

 

The New Normal November 16, 2013

Filed under: Family Time,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:47 pm

Last week I told Jeremy that I was no longer interesting. All I do is feed the baby, change dirty diapers, clean the house and read books. When I’m home for days on end, this is what my life looks like. It has a certain flow to it, but it’s not too interesting to talk about when the hubby comes home from work and we have the “how was your day” conversation. However, not all days look exactly the same. I’m coming off of three very busy, active days. I’m learning that while it can be more complicated being out and about with Owen, I would rather try to do stuff with Jeremy than be home alone. This means that Owen and I attended an annual children’s leadership conference this weekend. Originally, I had said I would pass on going this year. It seemed like too much with a 5 week old baby… but then the days of being home alone kicked in and I decided to take on the adventure because I would be doing it alongside Jeremy and being together is much more fun – even if that means I’m feeding Owen in the Red Robin parking lot! I’m getting better about feeding Owen in the car. At first it seemed awkward and now it’s just a fact of life.

As life finds it’s new flow and it’s new normal, there are still a small amount firsts going on. This week was the first time I used the baby carrier around the house. Owen was fussy so I decided to try to a new tactic and went for the carrier. It was great because Owen eventually fell asleep in it. I was able to do an hour of house cleaning and calm Owen at the time. A definite win! On Thursday before our conference started, Jeremy on a whim decided to try California Pizza Kitchen for the first time. Of course, Owen was going on 2 hours since his last meal, so I felt like we had a ticking time bomb, but regardless, we went in and sat down. This would qualify as our first time at sit down restaurant since Owen was born. Maybe it’s because we’re so tired, but Jeremy was almost giddy in the restaurant. It was a big milestone moment. On Friday morning, I pumped and got some bottles ready for Owen. I figured we had a full day in public and it might be nice to not have to do all the feedings in a private location. Jeremy as able to feed Owen a bottle and I felt the call of freedom! We’d been waiting to make sure that breastfeeding was well established before giving Owen a bottle and he seemed to like it well enough. The joke is now I can go see Catching Fire in the theaters and leave Owen at home! Today was another a milestone day as we met the newest member of the Scott family. That’s right – Owen is no longer the youngest grandkiddo in Scott household. He now has a younger cousin, Nolan. Our little family went down to meet the latest addition. Nolan is adorable and I am one excited auntie! Being an aunt is even more fun now that I’m a mom. I loved seeing Jeremy and his brother both holding their sons. I’m looking forward to all the family memories that will be made as these little cousins grow up together.

Even though there are a lot of days that look the same, it’s all still one great adventure. I’m slowly getting more comfortable with being out and about. It’s a lot easier with Jeremy at my side. I really love parenting with him. These days as a little family are a treasure to me. Owen is doing great. He is growing! He last weighed in at 10lbs 7oz. He is also a lot more expressive now and we are loving all the faces he makes at us. For the most part he is a happy boy. I’m learning that I don’t have to be afraid of public outings or longer days, he handles them well. Things are finally starting to feel more normal and I am grateful!

Multi-tasking wtih the kiddo!

Multi-tasking wtih the kiddo!

More firsts!

More firsts!

Smiles!

Smiles!

 

Going Digital November 9, 2013

Filed under: Amy's Bookshelf,One Thousand Gifts Challenge,Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 4:47 am

It’s been a week since I purchased my iPad mini and I have to admit that I’m really liking it. I almost didn’t want to like it because that would make me less of a “book” person. But, I have been swayed to the digital way. I downloaded a free book app and I just finished The Story Girl by LM Montgomery. I love LM Montgomery and her books are free! I love free! I am on to The Golden Road and then it’s time to download Jesus Feminist by Sarah Bessey. Apparently, I will use my iPad to read Canadian authors! O, Canada! Good stuff! It’s been great to download free books and I didn’t miss the paper page as much as I expected to. This is a new age in my life. A turning point. As Anne of Green Gables would say, a bend in the road. Okay, I’m done with the Canadian references.

Other perks to my iPad would be texting, email and web surfing. Everything is so much bigger than my cell phone, so I’m guessing that is less strain on my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to email from my iPad because of the size. I figured it wouldn’t work as well as a full size computer, but it turns out that emailing on the iPad is pretty easy – even when I’m one handed! It’s great! I’m feeling more connected to the world.

The hardest part for me is when I go to buy Sarah Bessey’s book, it will be an electronic copy which means I can’t proudly display it on my bookshelf. I love looking at my books. They make me happy. I do believe that an electronic bookshelf will never move me in the same way. However, I will admit that for right now and the season that I am, I am giving in.

Right now I’m also contemplating a few other things that might need to go digital. I’m still using my prayer journal, but I’m finding that time to write in a journal is getting harder and that is one task that I really can’t do one handed. At least not well. I’m also still doing my gifts journal in my quest to count to 10,000 gifts, but this is the same issue as the prayer journal. It’s harder to multitask journaling right now.  I’m still doing it multiple times a week, but not daily. The prayer journal isn’t something that I think I want to be digital, but I’m contemplating moving the gifts journal into digital form as well. We’ll see how much of my life continues to become digital now that I have the iPad. At this point, I haven’t used the iPad for blogging, but I’m quickly moving in that direction as well.

So this hardcore book worm and journaler is slowly changing her ways. I want to fight it, but honestly, it’s letting me do the things I love to do in a new way. Using one device for all these things is simpler and it means I don’t have to surround myself with a book, a cell phone, a laptop and multiple journals. Before Owen, I was used to this pile of items surrounding me, but now it’s all on one device. Too weird! Who am I?!?!?! These are crazy times and they call for crazy measures!

 

This Is My Life November 6, 2013

Filed under: Parenthood — Amy Scott @ 7:18 pm
Hanging with the baby and the doggie!

Hanging with the baby and the doggie!

After very little sleep last night and no chance for a nap today, I decided I needed a little pick me up this evening. I decided that would come in the form of listening to Switchfoot, my favorite band since high school. Good music is good for the soul and my soul wanted to listen to Jon Foreman. One of the songs is titled “This Is Your Life”. The line in the chorus goes “This is your life, is it everything you dreamed it would be.” I laughed. No my life is not what I dream it would be. In fact, dreaming implies sleep and I’m low on that right now. My life is very different these days. Not bad, but different. I’m still adjusting even after 4 weeks of motherhood. I was sitting on the floor this evening, eating popped rice snacks, feeding way too much people food to my dog so he’ll like me, rocking my baby in the bouncer with one finger and I thinking “This is my life.” This is what I do. I sit on the floor unshowered, wearing the same pajamas I’ve been in all day – except I did change my shirt after Owen spit up on it early this morning. What a glamorous life I lead. The dark lines under my eyes might scare you. Fortunately, they don’t seem to scare Owen. Life is good, but wow, it’s an adjustment. Some things are very similar in my routine and some things have definitely changed. Here are a few examples of the dos and don’ts I’m currently living with. I do make my bed every day. I know it’s crazy, but I can’t stand an unmade bed. I don’t shower on a daily basis (as I already confessed). I do brush my teeth though! I don’t even check the landline when it rings – I just assume it’s a telemarketer. Note, if you want to reach me, call my cell or text! I do clean the floors every day. Two words: PINE NEEDLES! Moving on, I don’t care what people think about how I look. Normally, I would never have company over when I’m unshowered and in my sweats. Now, I don’t care. I don’t change Owen’s outfit every time he spits up on it. My OCD hates this, but I can’t change his outfit 4+ times a day. He wouldn’t like it. I do a ton of laundry. Yes, I did lots of laundry before Owen, but it’s doubled, no tripled since he arrived on the scene. Yesterday, I went to MOPS for the first time since Owen was born and I felt he looked so disheveled in his romper that is almost too small, covered in spit up, and yes, it’s stained from a blow out diaper. It was a fine outfit for around the house, but I didn’t have time to change him before I left. So much for presenting a well put together kid. Maybe next time. Also, I was supposed to bring a snack of fruit or veggies. I wasn’t brave enough to hit the store by myself so I had Jeremy pick up something for me. He grabbed grapes. The next morning, I planned to cut the grapes, but Owen woke up early and I didn’t have the time. Yet again, Jeremy came to the rescue and cut the grapes for me. Then in the chaos that is trying to get out the door – picture crying baby and crying dog – I almost forgot the grapes in the fridge! This is my life! I’m learning to embrace my new normal. On the bright side, Owen doesn’t seem too concerned that his mom is sleep deprived or frazzled. As long as I feed him, he loves me just as I am! He is continuing to grow and I take this as a sign of my new productivity. My to-do list might be shorter these days, but Owen keeps getting bigger and longer, so I’m doing something right! Hurray!