How to "enjoy your kids"

"Enjoy your kids now. They grow up so fast."

Every time someone says those words to me, I usually have one of three mental reactions, depending on my emotional/spiritual state at the time (and whether or not I've gotten "pee pee'd" on yet that day):

(1) nod and say, "Wow, you're right. Thanks for the reminder."

(2) cock my head to the side and say, "And how exactly would you recommend that I do that?"

(3) hand my son off to them and say, "Here, YOU enjoy him for an hour. I'm going shopping."

I'm joking (about #3... sort of...), but Humor is good friends with Honesty, right? In other words, I'm laughing, but I mean it. How am I supposed to enjoy my child's childhood if I can't get past the dirty dishes, diapers, tantrums, un-plannable schedules, constant loads of laundry, lost sleep, crabbiness, etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.?

Sometimes, your kids get to you. (And I only have one. Oh brother. Moms and dads of two kids or more are rolling their eyes right about now...)

I'm twenty-six years old. I like skinny jeans, and stilettos, and vanilla lattes, and practicing the guitar, and salsa dancing, and staying up past 10 p.m. to finish the delicious book I picked up the other day. But I've also got a toddler, and so my likes and preferences are sometimes necessarily postponed, or adjusted, to fit the needs of my family. It's how it is (and yep, it is good)... but it's also hard to enjoy it. I'm good at faking it ("Ohhh, YES, Charlie and I just frolicked the day away. We are awesome, La La La!!!"), but not always so good at meaning it.

And so, just in case anyone else ever feels remotely the way I do, I've been working on a list of ways to really enjoy my baby boy. Granted, he's a 1-year-old, so this list will obviously look different for someone who has an infant, or a 3-year-old, or a 13-year-old. But, for what it's worth, here's what I've got:

*Have a tickle-fest when he's cranky. (Does this work with any other kids? Charlie's got such a one-track-mind that he can go from "MOMMY = DISLIKE" to "MOMMY = TICKLE = GOOD!!!!" in three seconds flat.)

*When you're in the middle of something, and he's whining and pulling on your pants, get down on the floor and play with him for ten minutes. Often, just sitting down and getting at his eye level gives him the attention he needs. (Sometimes, if I'm cooking or stirring things in a bowl, I'll get my stuff and put it on the floor, and let him help me.)

*Make a rockin' "to-do with my little guy" list, and pick something once a week. (Make Paper Airplanes. Take a Train Ride. Go to Starbucks, Buy Coffee For Me and Milk for Him. Go To an Art Museum and See How Long We Last Before We Get Kicked Out.) I try to tell myself, "Geez louise, woman, it's a gift to stay at home with your kids. Start acting like it."

*Go to a toy store and run around, pushing all the obnoxious toy buttons. (Charlie hasn't yet figured out that it's possible to actually take toys home with you. We'll see how long that lasts...)

*Keep a journal of all the funny things he does and says. (I'm terrible at writing in it, but I love looking back and seeing how much I've already forgotten about. Like when we got tired of him grunting in the car whenever he didn't like the song that was on, so we taught him how to say "Please," and now, all we hear in the car is, "Please. Please. Please. Please. PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEEEEEEEEEEEASE.")

*Make a baby box. Put his first shoes, his first haircut (is it weird that I kept his hair? oh dear.), his first whatever, inside and then ooooh and aaaah about how big he's getting.

*List the ways you've changed for the better since you've had kids.

*Go to the park. Play until he's ready to leave.

*Give him rides down the hallway in the laundry basket. (If you have wood floors, put a towel underneath, or else you'll scratch your floors. Ooops.)

*Pick a random, everyday-day, and take a picture every hour, from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep. Print the pictures out, stick them in an album, and write little captions. (You'll probably treasure this in the years to come -- or at least, your kids will. I'd love to have something like this from my mom, when I was a baby.)

There's so much more, but that should get me (and you) started. I'd love to hear your ideas, too -- how do you spend time enjoying your kids? How do you savor the moments you have with them, instead of just barreling through your steroid-pumped to-do list like a crazy person, running around with baby under one arm and laundry basket under the other? (Or, um, is that just me?)

At the end of the day, I'm learning that "enjoying Charlie" means putting his best interests first, ahead of my own. It's hard, and tiring, and Marty and I still get that cock-eyed stare from people who say, "Umm, you're not convincing us that having kids is any fun."

Fun?

If you want "Fun," go ride a roller coaster. (sheesh, you people.)

If you want "unforgettable, life-changing, incredible-and-horrible-and-wonderful, all at the same time"... well then, have a baby.

(And then, enjoy it. I hear it doesn't last forever.)

:)

cloth diapers: an insider's guide

Fair warning. 

This post uses the word "Poop" and "Stupid," and I talk about gross things. 

Don't eat a brownie and read this. 

Also, don't read this if you're already, or think you may someday be, afraid of babies. 

My intention is never to make anyone not like babies.

:)

I'll admit it: I use cloth diapers.

{sheesh. is this starting to sound like a mom blog or what?}

Before we start here, let me clarify something.

I am not a proud member of Cloth Diaper Mommas, Ltd.

Some of my friends love (LOVE) cloth diapers.

I do not.

I like them. I deal with them. And I love what they save me:

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

So, here's my story:

When I was pregnant, I first heard of cloth diapers from one of my coworkers {and now, dear friend}, Monica. I was skeptical. She, also pregnant at the time, was optimistic and motivated {two qualities I love about her, and, coincidentally, two characteristics that are relatively necessary for anyone inclined to attempt cloth diapering}. Her optimism/motivation rubbed off on me, and we started saving our pennies for the initial investment in diapers. {Cloth diapers run about $16+ a pop, brand new. yikes.}

We took a trip to a local diaper store two weeks after Charlie was born {He screamed the entire time we were there. It was our first family outing. It was terrifying, and hilarious.}, where we discovered Flip diapers. Basically, these aren't your grandmomma's cloth diapers -- you tuck a microfiber liner inside a waterproof cover, snap it shut, and BOOM, you're done. {That is, until you have to change it. That's another story.} But the Flips were cheap (compared to other cloth diapers) and user-friendly, and they "grew" with Charlie -- we've been using the same diapers since he was two months old, and it's looking like they'll last until he's potty trained (which, my friends, won't be anytime soon).

Here's what the waterproof liner looks like:

(Don't be intimidated by all the snaps; you get the hang of it eventually.)

And here's what the inside looks like, with the liner tucked in:

Now, most people are pretty passionate about this issue (either FOR, or AGAINST it). But, like I said earlier, we're just in it for the money. {Doesn't that sound terrible? What I should say is -- there's other things we'd prefer to spend our money on, rather than disposable diapers that just end up rotting in a landfill somewhere. Pleasant thought. Gross thought. Sorry!}

I wish I could tell you that I'm only doing it to help the environment... but I'm not. (I'd rather recycle everything I own, or only take showers once a week, or make a compost pile.) Yep, it's nice to think that I'm not contributing to smelly, stinky garbage piles. However, there are days when Charlie poops, and it's POOP {moms and dads, you KNOW WHAT I MEAN}, and I'm like, "Forget it. This sixteen-dollar diaper is going in the GARBAGE. MARTY, BRING ME THE PAMPERS."

But then, I clean the stupid diaper out (we're proud owners of a diaper sprayer), and throw the nasty thing in the laundry, and it comes out clean. And then, I take a deep breath, and carry on. Cloth diapering and I coexist for another day.

It's not for everyone. Moms who work outside the home would probably have a hard time getting their childcare provider on board with this one. People who throw up easily might not be able to handle it. {Advocates for cloth diapering argue that "you have to touch poop already. It's not a big deal." Well, they're sort of right, and sort of wrong. I've changed many diapers in my life, but never before have I had to scrape poop out from underneath my fingernails.}

Wow. This is getting yuckier by the minute.

But, because I take care of Charlie myself, and because I have the time and resources to devote to it... we do it. {Marty washes out the diapers too. He is amazing, and awesome, and I don't think he's ever complained about it.} And so, our pediatrician calls them "cadillac diapers," and we get funny looks, and yes, we use disposable diapers sometimes because we need a BREAK.

But, besides all of that, it's been a great experience for us.

And Charlie rocks the diaper poses, when I ask him to show them off:

mighty little micah

This is my cousin's son, Micah.

He was born nearly two months before his due date,

and he is a little miracle bundle.

I got to hold him for about thirty seconds yesterday,

before my own {mammoth-sized} baby started screaming.

It was bliss.

{Micah with his great-grandmother.}

i *heart* one-year-olds

Charlie was a tough baby.

He had his sweet moments.

But he was also very difficult.

Because of the tough first year we had with our little guy,

I'm loving him as a one-year-old.

One-year-olds are squishy, and curious, and funny.

They can eat pretty much whatever you eat.

They mimic what you say.

They're learning at a rate of 1,000,000,000 M.P.H.

They say funny things.

{For example, Charlie is always trying to say "Seat."

But his "s" becomes a "sh."

And his "eat" becomes an "it."

Put it together... ... ... ...yeah.

I'm constantly shushing him in the grocery store.}

Anyways...

Above and below are pictures of another adorable, brand-new one-year-old.

She's the daughter of my sweet friend, Heidi.

This little girlie smiles at everything,

which made our little photo shoot easy as pie!

See the tutu Heidi found?

Wowee.

I need to have a little girl,

and I will buy her 10,000 of these cute little tutus.

:)

p.s.

For any photographers/nerds {like myself},

this is the first shoot that I edited completely in Lightroom {as opposed to Photoshop}.

I've got a long ways to go,

but -- can you tell?-- 

I love the b&w presets. 

They are so stinkin' beautiful! :)

And,

since Lightroom costs significantly less than Photoshop,

I'm a huge fan.

More on Lightroom later, I think...

Happy Monday!

a little preview . . .

Here's a quick peek at what we've been up to this week -- photographically speaking, that is :)

Is there anything better than chubby baby-girl legs in a floofy tutu?
I think not!

dear charlie-warlie

dear Charlie {or Charlie-warlie, as we like to call you},

Today, you woke up crabby. Life's tough for a 14-month-old, sometimes; you've got big fat molars busting through your gums, and they've really been bugging you these past few days.

Before your daddy walked out the door to go to work, he was holding you and bouncing you {the one thing that would get you to stop whining}, and I looked at you -- how big you are -- and said to your daddy, "Is this really our baby? Seriously?" I still can't believe that you're ours. {And I mean that in a very, very good way.}

Some days, I live for your naptimes, because it's then that I can regain a bit of sanity before you're awake again, ready to terrorize the living room. But that's ok. I know from experience that we're in a bit of a phase... and before I know it, this phase will be long gone.

Want to know what I'm learning these days? How important it is to abide in Jesus, all day long. I can't do anything that has lasting, eternal value without His help. I really need His help, especially when it comes to you. You're a tough cookie sometimes...

But you're also a sweet, kind little boy. You know what "gentle" and "nice" mean. You love doggies and you're not afraid when they bark {even when it's right into your face}. You love flipping light switches, putting on your shoes, opening cabinets, knocking over block towers, and swinging at the park. You're smart, and you want to figure out how things work. You catch on quickly. You love to read books {especially with daddy, since he does the best sound effects}. You love splashing in the bathtub.

Today, I had to sneak into your room when you were sleeping to turn on the baby monitor. I stopped by your crib and looked at you -- there you were, sleeping peacefully, arms over your head, your blankie snuggled up next to you. And wow. It hit me again.

You're ours. Our very own Charlie-warlie.

See you when you wake up, little baby boy...

a whole year

It's midnight. My little guy turns one year old today.

If I had half a brain, I'd write a witty blog post about life with a one-year-old, or how crazy it is that a year with Charlie went by so fast {or slow?}, or about some of my favorite memories from this past year {teaching Marty how to explode peeps in the microwave, maybe? holding Charlie for the first time? yep, definitely up there with those peeps...}

Instead, I'm a ball of mush. Tired, floppy, brainy mush. I had a million things to do tonight to get ready for little Charles's big day tomorrow {you know, the day he's going to remember so much about}, and instead, all I did was make a big, blue frosting mess in the kitchen, watch my husband sweep the floor, and poke around on the computer, editing pictures and making slideshows that are really, totally unnecessary. I've got this urge to do something monumental, since, well, this is sort of a monumental day. And instead, all I've done is stay up late, and turn into a crab. {poor Marty.}


Happy birthday, Charlie-warlie, from your mush-brain mommy and your patient daddy.

psssst. You're our favorite :)


{Click here for a little slideshow I put together of Charlie's first 365 days.}

Cayden : two (TWO!!) years

Allow me to introduce you to the photo shoot that almost killed me...

Remember this little cutie from last September? Well, let me tell you something. Mr. Cayden is still absolutely adorable... but who knew that two-year-olds could run so fast? Cayden was everywhere, all at once, a total crazy whirlwind of little-guy-energy packed into one tiny body!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

{And I, totally not thinking, wore flip flops to the shoot...}

Cayden's mommy {hi Lauren!} and I ran all over the park for an hour, just trying to keep up with him. At one point, Lauren, being the smarter, more experienced mom than I, put Cayden in the swing {which is where we got some of my favorite shots of the day}... that gave us a twenty-second breather... and then he was out, and off again.

We ran, and ran, and ran.

I get tired, just thinking about it.

Also, at one point, he figured out that this crazy, sweating lady with the camera was following him everywhere, trying to get him to smile.

He decided, "Me no likey," and gave me this look:

Hilarious!

But really... Cayden is a sweetie-pa-teetie! One big grin, and he's on your good side for life ;) I'm so thankful I got to do this shoot {and not just because I got my exercise quota in for the week}! Cayden comes from the very sweetest family ever, and I'm blessed to call them my friends :)


Click here for the slideshow!!!

{Also, some of my more astute readers might note that I have an up-and-coming two year old on the way... planning on getting started on my calisthenics early.}

little ladies

I shot these photos late last summer, but -- due to a bit o' home renovation craziness -- just got around to posting them now. Aren't these two little cuties adorable? :)

Sugar and spice, and everything nice...

These little beauties make me giggle :)

Cayden : one year

Allow me to introduce to you a real looker:

This little guy just turned one, and it's safe to say that he's the very happiest one year old I know. His track record is smiles, smiles, and more smiles (seriously Lauren, does this child ever cry?!).

If my baby is half as good-natured as this little guy, I'll be a very happy mommy :)


For the shoot, we played around at the Morton Arboretum's children's garden. Once Cayden got his toesies in the little brook that meanders through the middle of the garden, he was in heaven:





Click here for the slideshow!