Thursday, June 16, 2011

Well it's official- I fail at blogging!

Ethan is now 10 months old.  Aaaaaand the last time I posted an update on our sweet man was when he was 5 months old.  Thus the title.  Truth be told, I know exactly why my postings have been so spotty.  It's not that I've forgotten about the blog.  No, quite the contrary!  I can't tell you how many postings have been thought out, down to the pictures that will accompany them!  But (and this is a big BUT), I keep waiting until I can sit down and really concentrate on writing something well.  Something witty.  Something with a good layout, with plenty of pictures.  Ha.  All of you fellow mommas out there, especially the veterans, are probably clutching your sides with laughter at this point.  "Silly girl!  Don't you know that once you have a baby, free time becomes either a thing of the past!?"  Yes, I think I am finally beginning to learn.

It's not that I literally don't have free time...there's just a lot less of it, and it certainly looks a lot different today than it did this time last year! For example, when I do have a free moment (also known as the blessed, holy nap), a Sophie's Choice decision usually presents itself: should I do what I want to do, or what I should do?  While it is definitely a much simpler thing to scrub a toilet without a bebe climbing up my legs, chanting "Mamamamamama," I also prefer to drink a cup of coffee relaxed on the couch, while reading or catching up on DVRed TV shows, instead of blearily gulping it down with one hand, while feeding the wee one breakfast.  And so the choice presents itself: what do I do with that morning nap hour?  This type of decision making occurs during the afternoon nap as well.  And with the exception of those 2-4 hours of the day, I am a full-time baby entertainer!  So perhaps you can see how blogging has not quite made it to the top of the list.  :-)  If nothing else, my 2 month blog absence serves as a testament to how busy life with Ethan has become.  That's not a complaint, just the truth!

So I've decided that in order to be successful at this blogging thing, a shift in focus needs to occur.  Instead of waiting until I have the time to do it "right," I am going to work on squeezing in little postings whenever I can.  After all, it's not as though I'm being graded on this thing!  I am such a perfectionist freak that I've been treating my own blog, which probably has 3.5 readers total, as something that needed to be done, instead of something to enjoy.  And Lord knows a new mother like myself should not, I repeat should not, be adding things to her own to-do list!  And so I am going to make a very conscious effort to change that.  Here's proof: every single bone in my body wants to make this a massive catch-up post, in an attempt to make up for my wayward blogging ways. I want to write about every single milestone achieved, fun trip taken, and memory made within the past 5 months.  I really do.  I'm so neurotic, I even know exactly how I would do it!  I would divide it by month, with headings like "6 months," and "7 months"-- there would be pictures to accompany all of the text-- it would be lovely!  It would also take 19 years, and would put me even more behind, thus propagating a vicious cycle of perfectionist self-loathing, a constant dance of one step forward and two steps back.  So I'm not. going. to. do. it.  I will post a few pictures, hit a few highlights, and move on!    

I've actually had to have a very similar shift in focus-- a relaxing of standards, you might say-- in all areas of my life since becoming a mother.  I can no longer spend an entire day cleaning my house from top to bottom; instead, I've had to learn how to tackle chores quickly and creatively, fitting them in when I can.  Does this mean that my baseboards might stay dirty longer than I'd like them to? Yes. (My inner Monica is actually screaming YES!!)  But did the world implode?  No.  I know I've said this before, but one of the most unexpected benefits that came with motherhood (aside from Ethan) has been a forced recognition of my own limits.  From the first moment I learned I was expecting (not planned!), I have learned more and more that some things are out of my control- that I have to let go.  Granted, I've never actually been able to do it all, or control it all, but having Ethan has forced me to realize that I shouldn't even try to!  And although I can't change who I am- I'll probably always want to tackle one too many things- Ethan forces me to look at things from a new perspective, which is a good thing, even if it's uncomfortable for me.

So! Here's the "Cliff's Notes" guide to what's occurred in the interim, in no particular order:
- We cheered on Clay in his first marathon!  So proud of him!  Now he's working on training for a triathlon.
- Ethan went from scooting on his belly, army crawl style, to crawling, to pulling up and cruising along furniture!
- We went to the beach a few times- Ethan loved every single thing about it, just like his momma and daddy!
- Ethan graduated from purees to feeding himself small bites of food (I just dice everything now).  He has yet to taste anything he doesn't like.  The boy even eats crazy things like pickles, curries, even LEMONS if we let him!
- Ethan gained his first uncle!  We went to Tennessee to be a part of Rachel and Jason's wedding earlier this month- it was lovely!
- Friends have moved away, loved ones have passed away, but God is still good.
- Ethan attended his very first birthday party!  Also tasted his first cupcake.  He stole the cupcake of the kid next to him soon after.  Suffice it to say he was a fan of frosting! :-)
- He went to his first Easter egg hunt, and sat on the Easter bunny's lap.  Truth be told, he wasn't that impressed with any of it, with the exception of the crinkly Easter basket grass.
- We toured and enrolled Ethan in the "Mother's Morning Out" program at  FUMC - starting in August he'll go 2 days a week, from 9 am- 1 pm.  I know he'll love it!
-Ethan started distinctly saying "Ma ma" and "Deh deh"- other than that it's just a lot of squeals, screams, and sounds.  He's making the rolling "r" sound (like in Spanish class) all the time these days!  Cracks us up (I think he likes feeling his new teeth).
- He has 4 teeth, and more on the way!
- At his 9 month well-baby check up he weighed 20 lbs 2 oz (only 50th%, but he looks like such a little chunk!) and was 27 3/4 inches tall (about the 33rd%)

Well, it's been about an hour, and Ethan will be waking up soon, so I am going to go relax for a bit.  Pictures to follow!

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