Scariest Day Ever...

...Or at least, the scariest day since bringing Monica home from the hospital:

Yes, that is The Grub sitting in the big kid seat in a shopping cart. Note the look of mild disgust and the fact that she isn't touching anything with her hands....settle down, Grub, I wiped the entire cart down with sanitizing wipes!

Normally, the central factor of any shopping trip is the Grub's car seat, which I place in the basket of the cart.  She stays strapped in and I can shop without worry.  Purchases are limited to the amount of items that I am able to strategically stack around the car seat without risking a landslide.

BUT..as you can see, today was not a normal shopping day as we were buying a BABY SUPERYARD!

JK and I talk daily about babyproofing. Or at least, I say a bunch of words (we should do xxx, we need to move xxx, she's going to start getting into xxx), and he feigns listening and nods at the appropriate moments. Then we each go about our business and pretend that Monica isn't just moments away from full blown crawling.

Unfortunately, those days are over. Monica is rolling and trying to crawl EVERYWHERE.  JK and I are already tired of jumping off the couch and chasing after her every time she ventures off of the area rug and onto the hardwood floor.

An acquaintance had posted a picture of a baby superyard on Facebook with the caption "Superyards: great for keeping kids in and dogs out!" We already have one of the add-on pieces that we use as a dog gate, and they are lightweight and snap together easily, so we figured we would give it a try.

What we did not think about is the size of the box for an entire superyard.  

Monica and I packed ourselves up and headed out.  When we arrived at Babies R Us, it was raining and all the carts in the parking lot were wet, so I took Monica out of her carseat and carried her into the store.  When I found the gate section and saw the size of the box for the superyard, I was stumped - this was not a small thing that I could carry in one hand while balancing her on my opposite hip.

Silently cursing at myself for not waiting for JK to get done work, I went and found a dry cart.  I thought I was keeping my cool, but I must have looked distressed, since a nice woman came over and offered me some sanitizing wipes.  She must have overheard me explaining to Monica that we were going to use the "big kid seat" for the first time.  The Grub might be big for her age, but it's only been about two weeks that she is able to sit unassisted, and I wasn't sure how she would do once we were in motion. 

While Monica was perfectly fine sitting up in the seat with the safety belt on, she was a little wobbly once we got rolling.  Then she started fidgeting.  And leaning.  And whining. I basically ended up walking the cart by pushing it with my body while I had my hands on her waist so she didn't rock back and forth like a little bobble head. Oh, and let's not forget the one pinky finger stabilizing the superyard which was balanced on the top of the cart.  I wish I had a picture of that, but our fellow shoppers were steering clear of us and our precarious arrangement, so I didn't get to ask anyone to partake in a photo shoot.  

She settled down once I let her gnaw on a cardboard package of bibs (yes, we did buy them!).  Somehow we actually made it through the store and the checkout line without incident.  I even declined the offered help getting everything taken out to the car - I had made it so far on my own, I could handle the last stretch!

We made it home and JK set up the superyard while Monica took a nap.  She woke up to a very fun surprise! 

Here it is! Our baby superyard with a cute little Grub saying, "Well, Daddy, aren't you coming in here to play with me???"

Daddy's offscreen saying, "Hold on, Grubster, let me grab your dog brother so we can get a cage match going."

We had talked about putting a blanket or sheet over the area rug to (a) soften the abrasiveness of the carpet, and (b) catch barf stains. Then JK had the genius idea that we could stretch a fitted bed sheet under the entire play area. It's a perfect fit!  

Monica had a GREAT time exploring her new play area.  She liked it SO much that she actually crawled going forward for the first time!  A super exciting ending to a super scary day!  Here are some pictures of her exploration...

Assessing the perimeter:

Hi, Mommy!

Playing with the caterpillar that JK won for her on the boardwalk last summer - yes, when she was still just a little fetus in mommy's tummy :)

She was laughing the entire time, I am just not good at catching her laughter and smiles on camera :)

JK and I definitely have some peace of mind with this setup.  We feel comfortable that she is safe and secure, and that we can leave the room for a few minutes to grab a drink or use the bathroom - all without worrying that we'll come back and find her under the coffee table, licking stray dog toys.  I just can't believe how big she is getting so quickly! 

The Frugal Grub

Let's play a game....where's Monica?




....

Oh, there she is!  Peekaboo!

JK and I struggle to come up with things to do with an infant on the weekends in the middle of winter.  We are very much looking forward to the spring when we can resume outdoor activities.  In the interim, our go-to activity is...drum roll please....a family outing to Costco.  Weird, I know, but it gets us out of the house.

Monica just loves trips to Costco - who doesn't love a good deal?  We're teaching her all sorts of lessons about saving money by buying in bulk.  Some basic guidelines include: taking the time to do a little math to confirm that you are getting a good per unit price, and identifying bulk household "needs" (as opposed to "wants").  Diapers meet both criteria!  We save about $24 on a month's worth of diapers.  We also get to enjoy the convenience that we are not running to the store to buy diapers on a weekly basis.

Anyway, this was Monica's third trip to Costco, and this time she actually made it through the whole store AND the checkout line before she started whining to go out to the car.  

Before heading home, there was even time for a quick driving lesson with Daddy:

 

Monica says, "I'm already wearing my prison stripes just in case we get in trouble for underage driving!" Haha, the Grubster can be quite the comedian!

Of course, after having so much fun, Grub staged a noisy protest against getting bundled up in her winter bear suit and being restrained in her car seat.  I graciously agreed to a compromise in which we would skip the bear suit, but I still ended up in the backseat entertaining her for half the ride home.  We couldn't really complain, though, because she was so well behaved while we were shopping :)

Adventures in Creeping

Check out who's on the move!  Monica is not actually crawling yet, but being able to get up onto her hands and knees is really helping her to pivot and move in all directions now.  I'm calling it creeping because she can now creep up on me when I'm clear across the room.  I did try to interrupt and let her know that it looked like she was setting herself up for head butt against the crib, and that this probably wasn't a good way to start out a creeping adventure. 

But...she set me straight the next day.  Turns out she was wasn't aiming for a head butting adventure at all, but rather, an under-the-crib adventure.  I ran to the bathroom for mere seconds and came back to this:

Hi Mommy, look, this is soooooo fun!!! 

She totally looks like a little grub crawling out of a grub hidey-hole right here :)  Guess I should probably throw that dust ruffle in the wash, just in case she's planning on spending a lot of time under there in the future.  

Love my silly little girl! Stay tuned for more adventures in creeping!

Just got this munchkin to sleep.

As I was smearing lanolin on her dry little cheeks and nose, I had a quiet chuckle to myself....remember the very beginning when I couldn't even BREATHE on her for fear of her waking up wailing? Remember just two short months ago when I was terrified because the simple act of placing her in her crib meant a screaming disaster? And now look at us, all grown up...I can dress her in a grub sack (sleep sack), slather her in moisturizer, and plop her in her crib, no sweat :)

Fantasy vs. Reality

Now that I've been a mother for five whole months (during which time I have become wise and all-knowing about parenting), I'd like to take a moment to look back in time at pre-baby Pregnant Melissa.  Pregnant Melissa had a lot of cute ideas as to how she would be spending her time during maternity leave, mainly based upon the unrealistic portrayals of parenthood that we see on television....

Situation:  Taking a Walk

Fantasy:  Pregnant Melissa had a lovely fantasy in which she saw herself pushing a stroller through the park in autumn, chatting with her newborn bundle of joy, and pointing out the beautiful changing colors of the leaves.  Melissa is trim and fit in her newly purchased outfit because she has lost SO much weight that even her pre-pregnancy clothes are too big.  For the duration of the walk, the baby smiles and coos quietly in the stroller, and adorable little woodland animals scurry alongside the walking path.

Reality:  Too scared to leave the house alone, I coerce JK into joining us to attempt a single lap around our block.  In the 20 minutes it takes me to flap around the house and prepare for the walk, I get all sweaty and worked up.  Which isn't really that big of a deal, because I've been wearing the same spit-stained t-shirt for at least three days.  For the first half of the walk, I am paralyzed with fear that Monica is going to start pooping or crying and we'll need to turn around.  Once we hit the halfway point around the block, I practically sprint the rest of the way home.  I collapse on the couch even sweatier than before, vowing to never leave the house again.

Situation:  Shopping and Running Errands

Fantasy:  Pregnant Melissa envisioned a leisurely stroll through Target to pick up a few household essentials.  On the way out, her and the baby stop at Starbucks to enjoy a refreshing frappuccino.  Everyone who passes by stops to comment on how the baby is so adorable and well behaved.

Reality:  Too scared to leave the house alone, we stick to group outings for the first two months.  JK shops and I nervously keep the stroller in constant motion, fearing that Monica will start pooping or crying.  Both things happen anyway.  I end up hanging out in the car, changing diapers and nursing, while JK finishes shopping.  It's just like being at home, except that we don't have the comfort our Boppy.  When I finally muster up the courage to go out on my own, it wasn't until I was in a store that I realized I can't push a stroller and a shopping cart at the same time, so I can't actually buy anything.  It's almost a relief because I'm too scared to have to wait in line.

Situation:  Cooking Dinner

Fantasy:  Pregnant Melissa just knows that her perfect baby will be taking all sorts of lengthy naps, during which she will have tons of free time to concoct exciting new gourmet meals for her husband.  She has been pinning recipes and stocking up on supplies to make fun and healthy new meals.

Reality: Whoever said that babies nurse every 2-3 hours, and sleep most of the time in between, was full of sh*t.  This kid eats every hour.  On the off chance that I might be able to snag a few minutes to prepare some food, there's no way in hell I'm actually going to get to eat it once it's done cooking, so I'm not wasting my time.  JK does his very best to prepare meals and deliver them to me on the couch where I have a baby stuck to my boob 24/7.  

   

Present Day State of Affairs - Life with a 5 Month Old

If you're a new mommy or mom-to-be reading this, take heart:  this phase where it seems like you can't go anywhere or do anything totally settles down after the first three or four months. I promise.  Things will ease up and you will be able to go out in the world again. Get out there and enjoy yourselves before teething begins!

For those moms who are still laughing at Pregnant Melissa's absurd fantasies - it's ok.  I'm laughing, too :) 

Monica's Five Month Update

I know, I know, I am a few days late posting Monica's update from her five month old birthday, which was on January 29th. But better late than never!

No doctor appointment this month, so no "official" stats on her weight and height for this update.  Just take my word for it:  she's growing like a weed - it's barely been a month since Christmas and I've already retired two new pairs of pajamas. 

Milestone updates:  Monica is able to sit upright, unsupported, for long stretches on her own.  She is able to catch and balance herself  with her hands to the front and to either side, but still tips over backwards, so mommy and daddy need to stay close by.  She is also working on transitioning from lying flat on her stomach to pushing up on her hip to get into sitting position.  Also, for the first time this week, Monica pushed up on her hands and knees to get into crawling position!  She hasn't actually crawled as of yet, but is rocking back and forth on hands and knees and ready to go any day now.  It's time to get serious about babyproofing!

Daily Grub Life:  Solid food sampling is in full swing!  Monica has enthusiastically incorporated two meals, breakfast and lunch, into her daily routine.  To date, she has tried both rice and oatmeal cereals, bananas, and carrots.  Next on the menu:  peas, pears, and sweet potatoes. 

The Sleeping Grub:  Monica has fully relocated from sleeping in the swing in our bedroom to sleeping in her crib in her own bedroom.

• Daytime sleeping:  two 1 to 3 hour naps each day
• Nighttime sleeping:  9:00 - 9:30 bedtime.  One nighttime feeding between 4am and 6am, then back to sleep until 8am or 9am. 

The four to five month time period has been wonderful as we're all finally settling into a comfortable day-to-day groove.  Here she is cracking up because she just knocked over her toy snail - happy five month birthday, baby!

 

Don't Carpe Diem

Three weeks ago, a Facebook friend shared Glennon at Momastery's blog post, 2011 Lesson #2 : Don’t Carpe Diem .  I immediately shared it as well, and it spread like wildfire among our mommy friends.  I have already re-read the post a half dozen times, and I'm linking it here so I can quickly refer back to it in the future.
  
The essence of the post is that all parents will inevitably run into someone (friend, family, or friendly stranger) who conveys the well-meaning message to Carpe Diem.  Seize the Day.  Enjoy Every Moment.  While we can appreciate the sentiment that our little ones won't be little forever, we're usually nodding and smiling and thinking to ourselves, Was I really supposed to enjoy this morning's diaper explosion that resulted in emergency bathing of two adults and a baby?  Then the panic sets in:  Am I missing out on some crucial part of the parenting experience if I'm not enjoying every moment? Am I a bad parent if I do not cherish every second that I spend attending to my child?

With the perfect blend of humor and truth, Glennon's post takes a fresh look at this topic and tells us that it is perfectly ok to not enjoy every moment; because, quite frankly, day-to-day parenting is an exhausting challenge.  Rather, she encourages us to recognize those those brief, beautiful moments that make parenting worthwhile.  When you glance up and see your baby smiling over at you, or you hear giggles and laughter coming from the next room, stop whatever you are doing and really look at your kids  Seize these moments.  Soak them in.  Record them in your memory.  And when you're strung out from sleepless nights, or you're wallowing in the the monotony and drudgery of daily parenting, tap into those memories to remind yourself exactly what makes parenting so special.     

I am sure, for years to come, I will be revisiting this post time and time again.  Whether your children are young, grown, or still on your "to do" list, this post is a must read.

http://momastery.com/blog/2012/01/04/2011-lesson-2-dont-carpe-diem/.


P.S.  I simply cannot wait until the first time I catch myself blathering the "enjoy every moment" message to a couple of brand new parents.   I'll have to try to remember to immediately turn around and refer them to this blog post!