Halloween, House & Reflections of a Learned Mom

Max was a dragon for Halloween.

We had fun with our families and trick-or-treating.

His dragon feet were his favorite...

And he even left his costume on! Yeah!

As requested, here is a picture of our house! (And Max)

As life goes by and each day I've been a mom longer, it's entertaining to look back and realize how much I thought I knew and didn't, or what I didn't do and should have, or even what I knew all along but didn't realize. And especially to look at my little boy grow up and know I must be doing something right! I was thinking this morning as I was doing dishes some of the funny things about mom-hood that would have been helpful to know (but not too detrimental not to). But entertaining all the same. Here goes:

What I never knew I always wanted:

1. Burp cloths, not the cute decorative ones, but the not-so-cute cloth diaper kind. I remember an early trip to Wal-Mart when I was still in the mom-fog buying a jumbo pack of these. The others were for church. Only.

2. Pee-pee Teepee. Yes, mom, we laughed. But how handy would that have been? Getting peed on in the face is an early joy of having a baby boy. And it hasn't stopped yet. He just laughs a lot now at the same time.

3. Nursing bras, more than one; nursing pads; more than a million. I think that one speaks for itself.

4. Maternity clothes. Because now my pants are stretched out and the butts are all saggy. Funny. I didn't feel like it was then. "It still fits!" Hmmmm. Make the investment.

5. A swing. Did Max even sleep in his crib the first six months of his life? No, no he did not. And I was debating even getting one! At least the crib looked cute sitting in the corner until then.

6. Crib guards or a non-teeth mark showing crib. I was a little late on that one. By the time I put them up, it looked like a Beaver lived in there. Then he pulled them swiftly off. Dang. I still need some refinishing ideas. Anyone? Anyone??

7. Comfy shoes. No high-heels. I didn't realize how excruciating most my shoes were until you spend 3 hours of church bouncing around in the halls. And I thought my feet hurt before. From a desk job.

What I never knew I didn't need:

1. Lap protectors. Ever buy these? I thought they were ingenious. Put them on your lap and when your baby spits up, it goes right there. Perfect. This was BEFORE I gave birth. Since when do babies spit up on a nice 2x2 piece of cloth?

2. Darling little button-up preppy shirts in size NB. Save the $20 and buy at least a 3 mo. Better yet, buy a 2T. It comes sooner than you think.

3. Baby training books. I knew exactly when my baby would eat, when he would take his nap, oh yes. The first night home and the next year after that would prove me very wrong. Why plant in my head that my baby should sleep through the night at 8 weeks? Why? Why!!!

4. Regular sippy cups. They look so cute holding the fun-shaped, bright colored, soft contoured little sippy cup that fits in the drink holders and in the diaper bag and gets compliments. So cute. For the first ten seconds. For the next ten minutes leaking on your couch and seeping into your carpet it's not so novel.

Now I have many non-leak sippy cups that don't fit in any drink holders. But I love them. Non-leak.

5. Snap-up sleepers bigger than size 3 mo. Does a toddler ever sit still long enough to do up 8 tiny little snaps? Ever? Zippers, baby, zippers all the way.

6. Teething biscuits. Gross. Have you ever tried one? And they're expensive. Kids want good food like the rest of us. You'd chuck it behind the couch too.

Well, there you have few of the things I've discovered in the course of being a mom. Hopefully it helps someone. Myself for sure. And it will if I ever have another baby. Ever.

Really, though, being a Mom is the best job!

Where else is there a learning curve quite like this? It's awesome.

Look at how far we come!!

Moms Rock.