Life is Good

The key to happy parenting: Sit back and enjoy the ride. Don't try to drive all the time. I decided to just give Riley the keys and let him take over for awhile and I am enjoying being a mother so much more. I'm letting him tell me when he's ready to hold his head up, eat, sleep, play, grab for a toy, etc. I think he's enjoying being a baby a little more now too.

We can't wait for the 3 day weekend to just relax and spend some quality time together as a family, it's going to be great! We're going to start it off by having dinner with Uncle Danny & Aunt Stephanie and then Monday we're going swimming at The Polk's. What's in between? We'll know when it happens.

So, the moral of the story? Sometimes is more fun to not be in control of everything, to not know what's going to happen all the time, and to just smile at the ceiling fan.

Song in my head: 'Hollaback Girl' by Gwen Stefani (cuz you can't get it out of your head)

Am I doing this right?

So, here I go with the inevitable questions: "Am I doing this mother thing right?" "Am I playing with him enough? Correctly?" "Is he doing what he's supposed to be doing?" "Am I doing everything I can?"
I've always known I am a perfectionist, and I wondered how that would come into play when I became a mother...well...I know now. I don't expect my child to be perfect, I expect to be perfect at parenting my child. I spend most of my day wondering 'What else should I be doing to further his intellectual/physical/social development?'. Should I get more toys? Should he spend 5 more minutes doing tummy time? I just want the best for my child and I know that it's up to me to give it to him, so I want to be sure I'm doing everything I can. I know I can do more.

We're going back to San Antonio the first weekend of June and Riley's going to be baptized. I'm already worrying about what to pack, what toys, do I need to buy a travel swing to help calm him when/if he gets fussy or will his bouncy seat be enough?

I read articles on websites and emails that are sent to me from various companies and sometimes they say stuff about favorite blankets or stuffed animals, books, etc. Riley doesn't have a favorite stuffed animal, he hardly touches them?! And books, he doesn't really care about them, he's happy looking at a catalog with me. Favorite toys? He doesn't hold them or really reach for them yet, he just wants to lay around and look at them dangling over him, or look at people, that really seems to be his favorite thing. I know we're not supposed to compare our babies with other babies, but that's what we have to do to determine whether our children are 'on track'...we don't see the doctor every week.

So, here I sit, still confused, still worried, ready to write down every little game, or toy, or book that is referenced in all these 'articles' so I can make sure my baby boy gets everything he needs and that he develops properly. I guess I should stop worrying about what's right and what's wrong and just hope do this mommy gig as well as I possibly can.

Tummy Time Troubles

I am working so hard with Riley to strengthen his neck muscles and get him able to explore his world from a different view! He does really well when he's on a shoulder, but when we put him down on a blanket he will lift and turn his head toward the blanket and 'root' to it, rather than looking up or all around. I've tried different blankets to no avail. I am now using a boppy pillow and the pillow that came with our Baby Einstein Activity Gym, he does better, but still only lasts a couple of minutes. My sister-in-law recommended a toy called 'Tummy Time Picture Show', but unfortunately it is not available anymore, so bummed. So, we'll just keep trying with what we've got, I know he'll do it when he's ready, and I don't want to push him, but I know that 'tummy time' is very important.
He does have a new 'gym' type toy...


Kick and you shall receive

and he loves it! When he kicks the bar above him lights up and plays music and he just smiles and coos...it's so cute...but then everything he does is. He also enjoys looking at magazines with mommy, so today we read the new 'One Step Ahead' catalog! Well, it's time to change his diaper and work on some tummy time.

Happy 2 Month Birthday!

I can't believe how fast time flies. Riley has changed so much over the past month, it's amazing. He is cooing and smiling all the time now...his little personality starting to show through. We can already tell he's a morning person, loves to ride in the car and look at his car seat toys, definitely enjoys: the sound of his Nonna's voice, his daddy's face and his mommy's cuddles. It just doesn't get any better than this.


2 Month's Old


Happy Mother's Day to me!

I have to say thank you to a friend for sharing with me the blog of one of her friends, who is also a new mother. I read an entry regarding co-sleeping and their struggles with it and I have to say, I agree with them 100%. Even though Riley is only 2 months old we are already struggling with this decision. See, he usually falls asleep somewhere, his swing, my arms, and we put him in his bassinet by our bed and he'll sleep there for 3-5 hours, no problem, but when he wakes up it is easier for me to just pull him into bed to nurse him and leave him there. I'll admit, a few times he's started out in our bed, but what can I say, I don't hate having him lying in bed next to me, staring up at me with those big, beautiful eyes...it's as if he saying, "I feel so safe here, mommy." and I have to agree with him. So although we know what most 'experts' would say about this (including our pediatrician), we're willing to take the chance of having him sleep with us for the next 7 years because right now it's a situation we all like.

Song in my head: 'Come Monday' by Jimmy Buffet (don't ask me why?)

2 Month Check-Up

10 lbs. 23 inches...Perfect Health...We are so blessed.
Of all the surprises of motherhood, including how we get through the day on such little sleep, the biggest surprise to me is how much it hurts me when my baby boy cries. I cried my eyes out during all those bilirubin tests the first 2 weeks of his life, his PKU test and when he got his first shot at 2 weeks, but I guess those made me stronger, because I can't believe I made it through his FOUR shots without crying. He was such a big boy, with a minimum amount of crying. I couldn't help but be proud...of both of us. Now, 4 hours later, the poor thing hurts, you can just see it in his eyes, and the crying now is almost worse than when he got the shots. So sad. This parenting jig is not easy by any means. God bless our own mothers and fathers, now we know what they had to grow through.

Song in my head: "B.Y.O.B." by System of a Down

Here he is...

Sleeping Angel

Here he is...our beautiful son Riley. Born March 13, 2005 at 11:33am, 7 lbs. 3 oz. 20 and 1/2 in. He will be two months old tomorrow. He is growing so fast and time will not slow down!

Mother's Day was Sunday, May 8th. It still feels a little surreal that I was celebrating as a mother for the first time. What a feeling! To be a mother. To be a parent. I don't think any other 'job', 'position', 'title' in the world involves such an array of feelings, contradictory feelings, as being a parent. It's amazing and I feel so blessed to be a mother! Riley is an absolute joy. I think only a parent knows what it means to love and hate the sound of your child's cry, to love and hate the fact that he can only fall asleep in bed with you, to love and hate that he's hungry every 2 hours, to love and hate how his bottom lips curls down into a frown when he's about to cry...it's those things that can be so tiring, so physically and emotionally draining, that you absolutely LOVE, it's those things that really make you feel like you are a parent. That you truly have walked through the door and crossed into another reality. One where you can stare at your child for hours, just waiting for that little smile they give when they start dreaming...and to make sure they are still breathing. One where you kiss their feet a thousand times a day, even though you were so 'feet-phobic' your whole life. To those mothers who read this...congratulations, as you know exactly what I'm talking about. To those who haven't reached this amazing point in your life, you have a lot to look forward to.

Song in my head: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day