Some days I wonder if I missed my calling to be in the circus. It's on these days that I feel as if I am surviving the world's most insane juggling act. Today has been full of plans, lists, work..life in general.
So Savannah turns 1 year old ten weeks from tomorrow (oh my goodness I think my heart just stopped for a full minute...) and I have a huge amount to juggle between now, and then. At the end of this crazy semester I truly deserve a pampering on Mother's Day!
Currently, my house is a dusty, unorganized mess. Our basement is in the process of transforming from unfinished to finished. This has been a dream Carl and I had from the minute we bought our home, and I am so very grateful for it to be finally happening, but the amount of dust that comes from the pit of our house is extremely frustrating. I'm told it may only get worse since they haven't even done the drywall and sanding yet. So I have given up on even trying to keep the dust off the furniture. Not only do I have dust to battle with constantly, I also have unorganized clutter. For those who know me well, you are not surprised to hear me say that unorganized clutter is one of the most evil things in the universe. So this clutter has become my nemesis...extra furniture in the dining room, boxes in the office, a Christmas tree in the garage. Nothing is where it belongs.
Under normal circumstances, an unorganized house would only slightly ruffle my feathers (I do have a child now, no longer is my house the picture of perfection I tried to keep it at before.). However, two weeks from tomorrow Carl and I are throwing a 25th birthday celebration for one of our very dear friends, Patrick. He is such a wonderful person, and does so much to help others, that we want to show our appreciation to him with a birthday gathering. I love parties and I love planning parties, but they do require work. Pat and I are currently working on the menu (wines and hors'devours) and I am busy planning logistics (where will we put this unorganized clutter for the evening of the party if the basement isn't done?!) as well as making a list of "heavy" cleaning to be done. While it would be amazing to have the house in order and the basement usable for the party...it is beginning to look like that won't be the case. So I am deciding on how to present unorganized clutter in a way that says "organized, clean, contemporary". We'll see how that goes.
Also on the horizon of time...the Regional Science Fair at Fairmont State. I am the sole organizer/director of this activity on Saturday, February 20th. Last year we had around 75 projects, and it was quite the day. While I love the science fairs, it will come at a time where I would probably rather be home organizing my new basement. Also on the "work" front I have the West Virginia State Science Fair to organize/direct on March 27th. This fair is huge, and the winner is sent to the national fair (in San Jose this year). Again, it's a Saturday, and it is much more work than the regional fair.
As if I don't have enough things to juggle, I also am teaching an Engineering class at WVU. This semester my class has more than 80 students. So two nights a week I am home later than usual, and basically don't have time for the other side of life, except for playtime before bed with Savannah. I don't even want to think about the time it's going to take to grade 80+ tests! Thank goodness I have a TA for all those quizzes!
So another reason this unorganized clutter is running my life: the neighborhood yard sale is in April. Carl and I have a lot of stuff in the house that we haven't used since we moved in, and we still have things at my parent's house. We'd like to participate in the yard sale this year...leaving us with some extra cash to start Savannah's big girl room with (more posts about that endeavor later...yes there will be some major projects for Carl, and some major paint techniques once again!). So once the basement is done we want to basically reorganize the entire house and separate things to sell and things to keep. Again, this normally isn't too much of a stressor, except we are also planning this little event for Savannah...
As I have previously mentioned, Savannah is turning 1 in ten weeks. I have been thinking about her party since she was 6 months old...and now it's time to actually start planning. I am not going to go into too much detail now (wait until after the party with all of the amazing pictures!), but the theme is "Savannah in One-derland" based on Disney's Alice in Wonderland. I will be making a three-tiered cake, along with her smash cake. There are also several details to take care of...all of which officially start tomorrow with a major shopping trip to buy supplies. We currently have a guest list that is over 50 people...it has started to get out of control.
So on top of just running a household (the usual groceries, laundry, dishes sort of things...) I also have gotten myself into quite the busy spring! (Did I mention Savannah starts BabySplash tomorrow (and every Saturday until the end of April)? - pictures to come soon.)
So, yes, I am quite sure I missed my calling to be a juggler in the circus...but maybe by the time Savannah turns 1 I won't be wearing quite as many hats as the Mad Hatter!
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Nine Months after The "9 Months"
As I drive up I-79 on my drive home from work, I find that I have a lot of time to ponder life and parenting. The other day it hit me that Savannah is almost 10 months old, which means she's been in this world just as long as I waited for her to get here. After these nine months of blind parenting I have thought of a few things someone could have been kind enough to explain to me before Savannah actually arrived...
(1) The joy of nine entire months without a period will be short-lived once the baby actually arrives. Mother nature returns with a vengeance for at least 6 weeks...in a row! I suppose that is a less glamorous fact of pregnancy, but none-the-less I would have appreciated a warning.
(2) Having a baby is an amazing miracle, but the relationship between husband and wife will earn a few battle scars along the way. There should be a communication class offered to parents-to-be prior to the birth of a child. Verbal and non-verbal communication between Carl and I seemed to hit a wall shortly after Savannah became a part of our family. Even after these 9 1/2 months I wonder if Carl actually listens - I know he hears, but does he listen?
(3) The amount of isolation a breastfeeding mother feels is almost unbearable. If not for the fact that I was providing nourishment to my child, it would be unbearable. Everyone claims breastfeeding is such a wonderful, amazing, miraculous bonding experience...but no one tells you it also means you have to hide away (for those like myself who are among the more shy variety) every 2 hours to feed a little bundle of joy. Also left unmentioned: the rope you feel holding you down. During the first few weeks (before I began producing enough to pump and store) I had several days that I felt like I couldn't leave the house just for a quiet evening alone to shop or catch a movie because if I left without the baby then she would starve! Don't get me wrong - being able to provide nourishment for Savannah was amazing and miraculous. I intend to breastfeed all future children as long as I produce milk. However, is it possible to bond with your child without breastfeeding? Absolutely. Is breastfeeding more work than bottle feeding? Debatable. Is breastfeeding isolating and at times limiting? Most definitely yes. I'm just saying a word of warning would have been appreciated.
(4) All of the stuff you register for on your "Baby Wish List" as a "must-have" turns out to not be so "must-have". The little toy that encourages babies to kick and then crawl through it later? Savannah maybe laid on the thing once...never kicked at the toys, and it has since been stuck in the corner in her closet. The crib soothers that play nighttime music? Was slightly helpful when it worked, but not really a must-have. And the mobile on the crib? Well it was loud to crank it up, and then when it died she'd just cry, and when she was able to sit up we had to take it down so she wouldn't pull it down. Some things that I didn't consider a "must-have" that became "what-would-we-do-without-this"? The Einstein jumper. Carl and I would still be eating frozen dinners if not for this. She can jump contentedly for at least 30 minutes while I cook dinner. Twisty-bug. This little toy has got to be one of Savannah's most favorite noise making toys (and EVERY toy makes noise...). She instantly smiles at the sight of Twisty. This is a wonderful ace in my pocket for appointments at photo studios! I will note that my list of favorites and not so favorites differs between moms globally. So if you're pregnant - have fun and add all these "must-haves" to your Wish List!
(5) No matter how many kids you have raised, you can never tell a parent what to do with their own child. It isn't your place to tell them what they are doing wrong. If someone told you what you were doing wrong as a parent, would you appreciate it? Absolutely not. So the bottom line is this: little bits of advice are fine, especially when solicited, but if you think you know more about someone else's kid than the parent...take a look at yourself first. I'm sure you will find something you would like to do better as a parent...use that need to give advice for yourself.
(6) Those parenting classes that first-time parents take are not really as important as you would think. While I am sure we learned something from them, I don't know if they were necessary. When Savannah was being born I wasn't thinking "Thank goodness I took those birthing classes - I'm so glad I know the science behind this process!". All I knew was that I was in pain (drug-free labor and delivery) and that I was soon going to be a mom. So those classes maybe aren't needed. But I do recommend them to first-time-parents-to-be. Those classes are like a right of passage almost...something to be excited about and enjoy - even if you don't really ever use the information.
(1) The joy of nine entire months without a period will be short-lived once the baby actually arrives. Mother nature returns with a vengeance for at least 6 weeks...in a row! I suppose that is a less glamorous fact of pregnancy, but none-the-less I would have appreciated a warning.
(2) Having a baby is an amazing miracle, but the relationship between husband and wife will earn a few battle scars along the way. There should be a communication class offered to parents-to-be prior to the birth of a child. Verbal and non-verbal communication between Carl and I seemed to hit a wall shortly after Savannah became a part of our family. Even after these 9 1/2 months I wonder if Carl actually listens - I know he hears, but does he listen?
(3) The amount of isolation a breastfeeding mother feels is almost unbearable. If not for the fact that I was providing nourishment to my child, it would be unbearable. Everyone claims breastfeeding is such a wonderful, amazing, miraculous bonding experience...but no one tells you it also means you have to hide away (for those like myself who are among the more shy variety) every 2 hours to feed a little bundle of joy. Also left unmentioned: the rope you feel holding you down. During the first few weeks (before I began producing enough to pump and store) I had several days that I felt like I couldn't leave the house just for a quiet evening alone to shop or catch a movie because if I left without the baby then she would starve! Don't get me wrong - being able to provide nourishment for Savannah was amazing and miraculous. I intend to breastfeed all future children as long as I produce milk. However, is it possible to bond with your child without breastfeeding? Absolutely. Is breastfeeding more work than bottle feeding? Debatable. Is breastfeeding isolating and at times limiting? Most definitely yes. I'm just saying a word of warning would have been appreciated.
(4) All of the stuff you register for on your "Baby Wish List" as a "must-have" turns out to not be so "must-have". The little toy that encourages babies to kick and then crawl through it later? Savannah maybe laid on the thing once...never kicked at the toys, and it has since been stuck in the corner in her closet. The crib soothers that play nighttime music? Was slightly helpful when it worked, but not really a must-have. And the mobile on the crib? Well it was loud to crank it up, and then when it died she'd just cry, and when she was able to sit up we had to take it down so she wouldn't pull it down. Some things that I didn't consider a "must-have" that became "what-would-we-do-without-this"? The Einstein jumper. Carl and I would still be eating frozen dinners if not for this. She can jump contentedly for at least 30 minutes while I cook dinner. Twisty-bug. This little toy has got to be one of Savannah's most favorite noise making toys (and EVERY toy makes noise...). She instantly smiles at the sight of Twisty. This is a wonderful ace in my pocket for appointments at photo studios! I will note that my list of favorites and not so favorites differs between moms globally. So if you're pregnant - have fun and add all these "must-haves" to your Wish List!
(5) No matter how many kids you have raised, you can never tell a parent what to do with their own child. It isn't your place to tell them what they are doing wrong. If someone told you what you were doing wrong as a parent, would you appreciate it? Absolutely not. So the bottom line is this: little bits of advice are fine, especially when solicited, but if you think you know more about someone else's kid than the parent...take a look at yourself first. I'm sure you will find something you would like to do better as a parent...use that need to give advice for yourself.
(6) Those parenting classes that first-time parents take are not really as important as you would think. While I am sure we learned something from them, I don't know if they were necessary. When Savannah was being born I wasn't thinking "Thank goodness I took those birthing classes - I'm so glad I know the science behind this process!". All I knew was that I was in pain (drug-free labor and delivery) and that I was soon going to be a mom. So those classes maybe aren't needed. But I do recommend them to first-time-parents-to-be. Those classes are like a right of passage almost...something to be excited about and enjoy - even if you don't really ever use the information.
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