Friday, March 25, 2011

I am officially one of 'those' moms



I have been dreaming about being a mom since I was a little girl playing with my dolls.  Then it continued as I was a big sister helping out with the 'real' babies.  I started getting paid to baby-sit for other people's kids around age 11, and made a career out of it after college as I became a full-time nanny. 

All of those experiences gave me invaluable knowledge about caring for children and helped me to form some ideas about what I thought I would do with my own kiddos.  As I watched other people parent, I observed lots of tips and skills that I admired and knew I would want to try to replicate.  I also looked around me and saw things that other parents did that I thought I would never do.  Never is definitely too strong of a word to use in this lifetime.  
  • I said I would never be one of those moms that wants to stay at home with her kids.  I saw my mom do it, and while I admired her so much for it, I thought that I was a career woman.  Now I take my son to work with me (awesome deal), and am looking for ways to pursue other forms of income so i can eventually stay home. 
  • I didn't think I would be one of those moms that takes her kids to the movies.  Seriously, why would anyone want to take their kids everywhere with them?  Wouldn't a nice quiet date night be awesome?  Sure, but I have a hard time leaving him with someone else (I'm trying to get better at this.....I really am!) and I am too cheap to pay a baby-sitter.  At least he goes to bed early and we have plenty of alone time then ;)
  • I didn't ever think I would be one of those moms that wants to feed her baby only natural or organic foods.  No, I am even crazier than that.  Just to make sure that I know what he is eating is wholesome, I am making pretty much all of it.  I even started making his rice cereal last night (from whole grain brown rice.....you just throw it in the blender before boiling it, and it turns out just like the boxed cereal you buy in the baby grocery isle), and made my first attempt at homemade yogurt.  I know, I am pretty radical.  lol

  • I didn't think I would be one of those moms that gets so comfortable with baby bodily fluids that I would walk around with spitup on me and not feel the need to change my shirt (what's the point?)  Oh and don't worry, I have resorted to using my sleeve to wipe my son's nose in a pinch.  Pretty gross, huh?
  • I swore that I would never be one of those moms that brings her baby to bed with her  (no offense meant to anyone that practices co-sleeping, it just isn't the right fit for us).  In our family usually everyone gets the best sleep when they are all in their own beds; but there are those nights (usually when sickness is involved) when if I didn't bring Hendrix to bed with me, I wouldn't get any sleep. 

  • I said I would not be one of those moms that buys more clothes for her child than he/she could possibly wear before outgrowing them. Well I like to shop.  And everything miniature is just so. darn. cute.  ;)
  • I said that I would refuse to talk to my kids in "babytalk".  It would be much better to teach them to talk like big kids........but he smiles and laughs when I get down on his level and imitate him.  It's way worth it to be a goober!
  • I never intended to be one of those  moms that decides to cloth diaper her baby.  Why would I want to carry poopy diapers around in my diaper bag all day?  Gross!  Well, I love my fuzzibunz ;)
  • I honestly didn't think I would ever want to own a minivan.  I assumed that it would probably happen at some point if we have a few kids......but after our first one?  really?  Now I can't imagine ever wanting to downsize.  
  • I had no idea how many pictures I was going to take of my child.  Professional photos every three months, and snapshots most definitely daily.  I have had to purchase an external hard drive for all my photos of Hendrix.  He is changing so quickly and I just want to document everything!  By the way, at just six months old, he already recognizes the camera and seems to know how to pose and smile.  So funny!
  • I was certain that I wouldn't be one of those moms that just stops going to the gym and 'lets herself go'.  I wanted to be a hot momma!  Well, let's just face it, there are parts of your body that will never be the same after going through pregnancy and delivery.  And secondly, who finds the time for the gym with a full-time job and a baby?  I think I have too many hobbies for in my spare time.  ;)  I am looking forward to nicer weather so those stroller walks can help me tone up a little.....
  • And finally, I told myself that I would not be one of those moms that talked about her kids all the time.  I was going to have my own life still, and I was going to be interesting enough in my own right to have other things to talk about.  lol  What I didn't know was that being a mom consumes you.  He is the only thing really worth talking about.  And you know what?  I am okay with that.
I guess I am just one of those moms.

4 comments:

  1. Really enjoyed your post Jennifer - thanks for sharing!

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  2. Love this post! We make our own baby food too, and Hazel has yet to touch a drop of formula, even though I work full time. I think all of us decide we won't be one of _those_ moms! But there's a reason there are so many of those moms.....

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  3. I love this. You're such a good mom regardless of what category you fall in but I think its pretty funny you fell into some of the ones you never expected. I guess that comes with the nature of being a mom. But whatever you're doing, keep doing it...you seem so happy! :)

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  4. Love this post! You are such a good mom! I don't think any of us could predict exactly how we'd turn out :)

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