Mommypatter is having some major technical issues…

Posted on January 7, 2012 by

I hope I have not lost all my faithful, wonderful readers over these past few, quiet weeks — I have not forgotten about you. It has been terrible missing you, this blog, my computer time, my writing…

My apple laptop just faded on me one night, a couple of weeks ago… and as it turns out, the video card on my particular model is faulty. I won’t bore you with the entire long story, but apple is going to fix it for free, even though it is four years (and a month) old. Phew!! I don’t know what I would do without my computer. It’s been rough. I’m at the local library today, writing this to you. It was tough to get away and find time just to do this. I’ve been sick all week, and now, of course, the little guy’s sick too. Arggg. But, that’s the life of a mommy, right?

So, when my computer returns to me, I’ll be back on mommypatter — better than ever, I hope. I have lots to talk about, of course, and I can’t wait to catch up on my reading of your blogs too. I sure do miss those too. My little guy turns one in a couple of weeks, and I can’t help wondering — where did this year go? The first year is so much fun, is so full of new adventures, and milestones, but really does go super fast, right?

Thanks again readers, and friends for sticking around. I’ll see you when I get back online. Until then, keep enjoying life, love and all that good stuff!!!

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Mornings with the little guy.

Posted on December 21, 2011 by

He’s getting up later these days. Part of me says, ‘great’, let him sleep in if he wants, but I know better. Getting up late means going to bed later too, and that means less and less mommy time. Nothing seems to be getting done around here these past few days. So guess what little boy? Mommy is going to put you back on a new schedule again!!!

Early to rise, early to sleep — that’s what little boys need to do. Right! We need to nip this in the bud, once again, because I loved, loved, loved it when he was going to bed early, and sleeping through the night. And, taking two naps. Now, he takes one nap. Arrggg. They are always changing the game, and testing us though, aren’t they? But why does the game seem to change so fast around here?

Well, that’s all I’m going to say right now. He’s sitting right here next to me, having a poop in his pants… am I excited to change him? you better believe it! We’ve got a full day planned, of pure fun, and tiring him out to do. So, we must get on to it. Thanks to all my readers, who keep sticking with me, through the sporadic posts and all…

I still read all of my blogs from you though.. and am loving them, even if I don’t always have enough time to comment these days. It’s a great life line into the world sometimes, just to hear from the other moms around the world, during this time of year, or any time of year for that matter. 

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It’s never too late…

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

To write a post tonight…

I have been neglecting my blogging duties (off and on), low these past couple of weeks. And, while I can blame some of it on the holidays — it’s more than that. The winter blues might have something to add to the mix — it’s always harder to get things done, at the end of a long day, when it’s been dark out for hours and hours, and you’re really, really tired. But, more than all that, it’s just life.

Life gets busy, and stressful, and crazy sometimes, and let’s face it — if someone’s not paying me to do something, or if it’s not crying to be fed, or is dirty, or urgent on my long list of ‘to-do’s', then it usually gets pushed to tomorrow. Especially if it is something I enjoy doing. That just seems to be how it is, right?

We all know the story, and we all try to juggle and manage our lives. Some of us (not me), do it very well. But, I swore I was not going to be one of those moms who just had to do everything, at all costs, leaving me with nothing at the end of the day — or worse, leaving my family in the dust. No, I won’t do that. So, here I am — exhausted again, (what’s new?), complaining about it on my blog. But, it’s not so bad.

I love, love, love my life. And, that’s why I fight so hard to maintain and enjoy it. Not just the big picture parts of it, the everyday, little parts of it too. I look forward to waking up every morning and seeing my little guy (who just turned 11 months today, and looked at us funny when we sang him an impromptu ‘happy birthday’ song this morning). I look forward to seeing my hubby when he comes home from work every night, even though that means waiting up until after midnight sometimes, but it’s worth it. We have a lot to talk about these days, and it’s usually very good.

And, one of his first questions to me when he comes home — did you get your blog done today? What did you write about? Well, even if he doesn’t read them (he looks at the pictures though), I know that he cares. And, after it’s all said and done, that’s good enough  for me. Good night. I hope I blog again tomorrow.

 

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Hamming it up on a Friday night.

Posted on December 16, 2011 by

Why isn’t he sleeping? He should be in bed, asleep for hours by now. But no – he’s here, in the kitchen, with mommy, hamming it up for the camera. At least he’s in a good mood… good night. Mommy needs to find some way to get this little guy to bed, tonight!!!

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Eat, explore, discover toilet paper!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by

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It’s so great when you’re (almost) 11 months old. Everything is new to me. Just exploring your house is loads of fun. The day starts with a healthy breakfast of cereal, and soya formula (it tastes different, but mommy says it helps my tummy), bananas and of course, my favourite Elmo movie…

This movie is funny, and I love watching it over and over again, which is why I clap and laugh still at all the good parts. Mommy says she might not let me watch Elmo at breakfast anymore, and wonders if it’s a good idea or not. But, then I stay quiet for a long time so she and daddy can eat with me, and have their breakfasts too, and cups of coffee.

Everyday, mommy asks me what I want to do today, and everyday I tell her the same thing – I want to walk around and explore the house, and play with my doggie Buckles. She lets me do this, sometimes, but then stops me just when I’m having fun. I try to do what mommy shows me, and pet the doggie, but she tells me that I’m too rough, and need to be nicer. And he has shiny tags to play with too, and nobody will let me touch them. And they just dangle there, waiting for me to play with.

And, there’s so much I want to explore here. Today, I discovered this stuff next to the toilet, and unravelled it, and put it in my mouth, then played with it until it was in little pieces. Mommy told me not to put it in my mouth, but I put everything in my mouth. I thought the brown thing hanging from the wall was fun, and spun it in my hands over and over again. Then I opened and closed the bathroom cabinets, and door until mommy stopped me, again!

Then mommy said I could have a bath. I love taking a bath. She pours water on my head, and tells me to breathe, but I don’t like that. All I want to do is show her how good I am at standing up and walking around in the tub, but mommy says I’m not allowed to do that here. She makes me sit down every time I stand. But, my favourite thing to do in the bath is splash the water, and today I splashed the water really hard, and got mommy really wet. I think I got her extra wet because I was sitting up in the bath today.

And, then, for some reason, after my bath and another bottle, I was very sleepy, and mommy told me I had to go to bed. So…

he fell asleep in my arms again, dreaming of another day with Elmo, his doggie, mommy and daddy too. 

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Finally! A Date Night?

Posted on December 12, 2011 by

Well folks, it looks like momma and dadda are finally going to get a night alone, together, without the baby. How do I feel about it? Excited! Mostly…

Of course, we really need a night out, just the two of us. It’s been a long time coming, that’s for sure. But, leaving baby with someone other than me or daddy (for the first time), is going to be a little tough. Good thing we found somebody we trust, and have already seen with the little guy. And, it’s only for a few hours, and we’ll be in town, close enough to come home if we’re needed.

But now that the babysitter is officially hired, I’ve been thinking about the kind of things I might want to tell her about before we go. You know, things like, “make sure to always close the top gate, it’s tricky because it’s on an angle,” and “he always stands up and jumps around in his crib when he wakes up now, so make sure the front of the crib rail is always up”. Things like that. It’s driving me a little nuts. I don’t want to be one of those moms who puts up signs around the house, and leaves the sitter with a list of ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ — we hired her because we trust her, and think she can handle the little guy for a few hours. But, of course there are always specific things that you want to warn her about.

We have a little dog too, so she’ll have her hands full. But, she’s really great with him, and with the little guy too. And, I’m hoping this will be a good experience for the baby, and help him get used to other people taking care of him. Because, it looks like I’m going to have to go to work full-time in the near future, and that means that he’ll be in some form of daycare. So, this is going to be a good trial run for us. And, I hope everything works out really well, because my husband and I really need this.

Some couples never want to go anywhere without their children, and I guess that’s fine for them. But, we will never be that kind of couple, or that kind of family. Especially since, the day will come, when it’s just the two of us again. What then? Your children are eventually going to want (and have) their own lives, and so should the two of us, as a married couple. And, we do, or at least, we want to. But it’s been a little tough with a baby around this past year. But, now that’s he’s getting older, and we’re getting used to the whole ‘family’ thing, we’re starting to find our groove again. (Took us long enough).

So, I have less than a week to fret and fuss about the babysitter coming, and then, I just better go out and enjoy it. Because this is a big treat for us. We won’t be able to afford the time and money to go out again for a while, so I better be able to relax, and have some much-needed fun with my awesome, handsome hubby. And, that’s what I keep focusing on the most – the reason why we’re doing this in the first place. To have some fun! Cheers!

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Xmas is a distraction.

Posted on December 9, 2011 by

Now that Xmas is so close, life seems to be all about “waiting for Santa to arrive”. Everywhere you go it’s holiday this and that, from the music on the radio, to the television shows, to all the pics and blogs out there…

It’s a great distraction from the cold weather, the interrupted sleep that I’m still getting, and the long list of things I still have to do before the end of the year arrives. Xmas is such a fun thing to look forward to – especially with the little one this year – it makes the everyday stuff fun this month. It’s like we have a theme to live by for a month, and we’re going with it, big time. The “A” Family Celebrates Christmas: Big Time Fun Had By All. 

Deck the halls! Santa sleigh is on its way. Don’t forget to get some carrots for the reindeer — Just a few of the many things you’ll hear us saying over the next couple of weeks as the countdown continues. Our house feels warmer, somehow, now that we have our little tree set up in the window, with the gifts wrapped up underneath. And, I can’t wait to see the little guy’s eyes light up on Christmas morning when he actually realizes that he gets to open these brightly covered packages ‘for real’, and sees what’s inside. And, then gets to play with all his new toys that Santa, Mommy and Daddy have given him.

Yesterday, I took my little guy into the living room in the evening to help me turn the Christmas tree lights on, and waited for his reaction. It was the best reaction I could hope for, again. His little face lit up, watching the tree, the lights, looking at the gifts (once again). He just kept looking at the whole scene, then looking at me, smiling, and almost in disbelief and pure awe, as I kept assuring him that these were for him, and that it wasn’t long now until he could see what was inside.

Now I know he doesn’t understand time fully, and if I show him the tree and presents tomorrow, I’ll probably have almost the same reaction. That’s the beauty of young children. And, that’s what this holiday is all about for us this year, that look of pure joy on our little guy’s face. And, watching him experiencing something new and exciting for the first time. Because this is his first Christmas, and in a lot of ways, this really is our first Christmas too.

Today my little guy went exploring through our house, on the main floor – which has usually been off-limits to him crawling around in. But, since he’s older, and walking more, and because I just cleaned the floors, I figured it was time again to let him explore some new territory (and follow the dog around his).

He loved it, and explored the kitchen cupboards, the kitchen table, the hallway, dining room, and even tried to follow the dog out the dining room door. Then before I realized it, he was doing something strange as he watched the dog outside. Now, he’s only 10 1/2 months, so I didn’t figure it out right away, it was my husband who said…

“he’s barking like a dog! He’s imitating Buckles outside.” And, after that, all we wanted to do was keep getting him to bark, all morning, afternoon, and night long. He’s getting pretty good at it. Now our doggie, Buckles, has some competition. 

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