Megret on Motherhood

So, as many of you know, we are moving in about three weeks. This will happen in March, and the new baby will be arriving in early August. Sometime between now and then, we are going to move Gardner into a big bed. Dr. Treash recommends we let him get used to the new house first, keeping him in his crib (I agree). He then recommends that we let Gardner get used to his new bed for at least a month before baby arrives, so that he won't attribute the new baby coming to his getting "kicked out" of his bed (I also agree). My question is, should we set up the nursery furniture (his current furniture) in his new room at the house, then disassemble the crib again and move everything over? Or, should we put him into the baby's room for a while, then after we have his room entirely painted, outfitted, and ready with the double bed, let him move over into his brand new room? Easier would be the 2nd option, but less stressful for Gardner? Probably not. I just wanted to get ...

Last night, as Ken and I were putting Gardner down to bed, we finished up prayers and said, "Amen." Gardner let out a very emphatic, "Aaaahhh-meeeh!" to add that last little punch. Ken went giddy. "Oh, he's been saying that lately after we pray," I said, laughing. "But I haven't heard it yet!" Ken replied. I forgot again. Sometimes I forget that Ken doesn't hear and see everything I do since I'm with Gardner all day. Sometimes I need to just be quiet and let him experience these things for the first time in his mind, even if it isn't technically the true "first" time. I am so thankful that Ken was there to witness some of Gardner's important firsts....his first taste of cereal (and then carrots), his first time pulling up, and his first step! (He walked to Ken, which couldn't have been more appropriate!) The other little things that he learns daily (and he does learn daily!), I need to let Ken see on ...

Already, only 15 weeks into my 2nd pregnancy, I am having feelings of "I don't feel pretty anymore." A person who's always struggled with her self-esteem, watching my belly expand and my regular clothes get tossed aside doesn't do great things for my ego. Don't get me wrong....being pregnant is wonderful in and of itself just because I know its purpose....and what awaits me at the end of the nine month journey. Yet, I think, never more than during pregnancy does a woman need to feel beautiful. Ken tries so hard to make me feel that way. Sometimes words just don't do enough. For a while, I may revel in a compliment, but then a brief glance in a mirror will make those words die in mid-air, never sinking deep into my ears. Still, he tries harder. Today I'm heading off to get something different done with my hair, urged by him to do something for myself for a change. This weekend, for my birthday, he's sending me off for a manicure. I may not ...

Yesterday was an absolutely perfect day outside. It was close to 70 degrees, the sun was shining, and Gardner was up earlier than usual from his nap. "Let's go to the park!" I said. He knew what that meant, and he raced to the door, jacket on, to go. Five minutes and a short car ride later, we had reached the park/pond/playground near our house. I let him get out of his stroller, and he raced towards the swings, then changed his mind and darted towards the slide. I parked the stroller by a fence and stuck with him the whole time, as usual. It was just a matter of time before my perfect vision of our day was shattered. Older kids were taking over the toddler playground, hogging the slides and running chaotically to and fro. Gardner looked lost amid all of the craziness. There were bullies immediately evident among them; I heard other children lamenting to their mothers that someone had called them an "idiot," and tears and tantrums were everywhere. It ...

Gardner has been teething up a storm. The little guy is quite a trooper, I must say...it takes a LOT to make him cry. He has a high threshold for pain, I suppose, which is good. Yet when it just gets unbearable (or he is too tired to handle it well), he does run to me in tears for solace. I have had to rely partly on maternal instinct and partly on research to figure out how to "make it all better." With every child, it's different, I know. For Gardner, whenever he falls and busts his lip (I believe it's happened four times so far in his lifetime), he gets a popsicle. We withhold that treat for just such an occasion, and the tears immediately cease when he sees one coming out of the freezer. When he's teething (such as right now), I resort to a chilled teething ring, a nice cold snack of applesauce or other soft food, Orajel, Tylenol, and just a good cuddle and rock in the rocking chair. Baby Einstein never fails to console, either. Sometimes nothing will c...

We were over at some friends' last night (the Beaty's) while our house was being shown, and after dinner, it was Gardner's bathtime. After fifteen minutes of scrubbing and playing, he was squeaky clean, and I toted him into the den to get into his flannel PJs and brush his hair. Peyton's turn for a bath. He is old enough to do most of it himself, so he got started while the adults finished cleaning up dinner. Suddenly, Suzanne remarked that it had grown eerily quiet. We tiptoed back into the hall, opened the bathroom door, and saw this: Oh, wow. Needless to say, Gardner was extra-clean last night, and he went home donning a borrowed pair of PJs. :) Poor guy. I don't know how he was even standing up by this point, seeing as his diaper probably weighed in close to 50 lbs.!

(I hope that the title above doesn't have any secondary drug-related meanings. I am bad about being naive about that sort of stuff, so excuse my title if it means something other than what's totally innocent. :) Okay, on to the post.) Going anywhere with an energetic toddler requires lots of planning and forethought. I have been forced to have this ingrained into my head, and it's stuck for good. Nevermind the fact that this means it takes me at least 45 minutes of prep time before I can even lock the door and leave home. To keep Gardner pacified when in a store, in the library, or in a meeting (like I was in today), it requires a plethora of interesting novelty trinkets with which to entertain him. I keep so many things in my purse. I'd love to scale its size down, but I just don't know how I can now. It's insanely packed with nonrelated items such as pens, pencils, lipsticks, iPod earbuds, post-it notes, chapsticks, spare keys, calculators, and even ki...

Ken and I have gotten used to not being able to go places without people stopping to talk to Gardner. It's a given. I'd better be ready for the small talk and questions, cause it's coming. It has yet to get old. Ken jokes that Gardner literally stops traffic. It actually happened that way one morning. One beautiful spring Saturday morning last year, we were walking around our neighborhood, Gardner strapped in his stroller, gazing around. An SUV drove by, stopped, reversed, and pulled up beside us. "I just had to get a better look at your beautiful baby," the female driver said. Cars started to line up behind her as she went on and on, Ken and I being cordial yet curt so that she would see the drivers in her rearview. We laughed and laughed about that morning....still do. Even today, as he was thumbing through coupons he'd snagged from my purse as I stood in line at the post office, people were whispering to him and cooing to him. He would lean back, ...

Gardner has suddenly developed an extreme fear of the vacuum cleaner. I have no idea how or why this has happened. I was always so careful to vacuum when he was awake, even when he was a tiny infant. I would set him in his bouncer in the center of the dining room, and set to work. I would vacuum all around him, and with time, it even even lulled him to sleep (how, I'll never know). Even later, when he learned to walk, he would follow me with utmost curiosity as I pushed the vacuum cleaner from room to room. He would pick up the attachments that fell off along the way (those things never do stay on), and he would not go off and do his own thing again until it was once again tucked away in the hall closet. Suddenly, though, last week, I turned it on to clean up some cracker crumbs. In seconds, he was scrambling to the corner of the room, hugging the wall, crying hysterically. Only when I shut it off did he subside. I am trying a psychological approach, now, though I can't ...

Here is a photo of Gardner and one of his favorite playmates, Peyton. Even though they're 16 months apart, they play together perfectly. Even if I'm over there just hanging out, wanting to relax some and read a magazine while the two of them play, I just can't seem to do it. They intrigue me, how they run and play and laugh and imagine. Watching them is like watching a waterfall....you just can't pull your eyes away. It brings a smile to my face, and lots of joy to my heart. It takes me back 25 years when I was doing the same exact thing. Early friendships should not be invalidated. They can grow into lifelong ones. Prime example is my friend, Christy, and me. Our mothers were actually best friends and roomies in college. They remained close as they each got married and had a baby. Christy and I are 7 months apart, yet we were inseparable from the beginning. We played together even before we were able to sit up or walk. Our moms got us together for playdate...

....how many "firsts" for Gardner (and our soon-to-be-here baby) rest on my shoulders. It is not exhausting to think about....quite the contrary. It is unbelievably exciting. Sometimes I sit and think about all of the things that Gardner will do for the first time, all because of Ken and I. It's quite mind-boggling: - He will learn animal names for the first time (he's already going down that road) - He will learn his ABCs and how to count to 100 - He will learn his colors and shapes - He will have his first day of preschool, based on the school we choose for him - He will have his first dentist visit - He will see Disney World for the first time - He will be potty-trained - He will learn how to ride a bike - He will learn how to write his own name The list could go on and on and on. Most importantly, the first concept he has of God will be dependent on how we present Him. What an awesome, awesome responsibility and privilege. We may even be able to be the ones w...