Post Baby Thoughts

Obviously you have a different understanding of your own body after carrying another human being for nine months. You are capable of doing things you never imagined, and you followed along from your bun being the size of a peppercorn to the size of a chubby, real life human. I still catch myself looking at my baby and reflecting back to a year ago, when I was so excited and amazed that he was the size of a lemon. And now? Now he has wrist rolls and screams in excitement every 5 minutes. The female body is capable of amazing things, and there are some thoughts and experiences you just will not understand until after having a baby. We try, I know I did. But I now recognize the mutual appreciation and bond I saw all of the 'new mommies' from high school display for each other. Now that I am an official member of the mommy club, I thought I would share my insights that, despite warning after warning, never clicked until I was forced to stop in the middle of a run for fear of tip #1 below.

1. Your bladder will never be the same. Seriously. I do not know what the little munchkins do on the inside, but sudden jumping up, turning a jog into a sprint, or laughing too hard can all create a real problem, real fast. Say goodbye to sudden movements because you are not as in control as you used to be. I am almost 8 months post baby and STILL thought I needed a bathroom break in the middle of my workout yesterday. 

2. Am I pregnant? 

There are many benefits to breastfeeding, one of which is delaying A.F. from returning. This is all great and wonderful, but I have thought to myself more than once, 'I could be pregnant and have no idea'. I mean if morning sickness didn't show up and I took a long time to show the baby belly like I did with Jackson, who is to say I am not walking around 5 months pregnant and totally oblivious? Which leads me to...

3. Phantom kicks.

Those babies are real. Every rumble of my stomach leaves me convinced there is a 20 week old baby bouncing along inside of me. For the record, there isn't. But I have felt the sensation of a baby kicking many, many times, and this happens long after the real baby is evicted. It is a little unsettling, and also hits me with a wave of nostalgia that makes me long to feel actual kicks again. I have a feeling this is a vicious cycle.

4. No shame.

I remember being so worried about breastfeeding, especially once I found out I was having a boy (don't ask me why, because now the thought of breastfeeding a girl totally weirds me out. Fear of the unknown?) I was self conscious and scared to try in the hospital, but I overcame and my baby is a champ at eating. And now? Now if you don't want to see anything get out of the room because baby is hungry, mom is tired, and we are eating where we want, when we want. Ok I am being too confident here. My dad and brothers still get the boot when feeding time comes. But they get about a 2 second warning and then it is their own problem. A hungry baby waits for no one.

5. Bye bye booty shorts.

First off, my body bounced back pretty well after baby. I would say I am as confident as I was pre-human making in my skin, and for that I am thankful. However, while I am not wearing 'mom shorts' or driving a minivan, I do catch myself assessing every outfit with the question of whether or not it is mom appropriate. I don't show my belly. I have basically said adios to american eagle and their shorts that seem to grow shorter every year. I may not dress in typical mom fashion yet, but after having a baby approximately half of my old shorts did got tossed. Because my child doesn't deserve the embarrassment of me being that mom.

The list of life lessons, changes and realizations after becoming a mom really does go on and on. Does anyone else have any experiences or 'ah ha!' moments that happened after having a baby? When life gets stressful and you have been pooped on one too many times, it is great to know you are not alone!

Seven Months.

Our big guy just keeps getting bigger. Another month down, and I can't believe how he continues to change and grow. He is a busy little guy, which has made diaper changes the newly appointed most challenging task of the day. He loves to play, scream, and do anything that lets him hear the sound of his own voice. My only trick that works to bring the quiet; running my fingernails all over his little body, at which point little goosebumps appear on his legs, he becomes still as a statue, and stares at me with a gaping smile. Heart melting.
Age: 7 months

Height: 28.5 inches

Weight: 21.5 pounds

Milestones: He isn't crawling yet, but we can tell he is getting close. He is working sooo hard to get up on his hands and knees at the same time.

He has also learned how to scream. At this point it is still just screams of joy and excitement (read: no temper tantrums yet), and it's adorable. He was laying in bed with Mike while I got ready yesterday and I was listening to them and commented that Jackson sounds like a baby Tarzan. Jungle noises for the win.

Sleep: we tend to go about 2-3 weeks with sleeping through the night all night, every night, following by 4-5 days of random middle of the night snack and playtimes. I would blame the teeth, but he wakes up wayyyy too happy. Kid sees me standing over his crib at 1am and smiles and giggles, ready to party. At least I know he loves me, and just misses me, right?...

Best Moment: A few weeks ago, we finally had a day warm enough to go on a walk, and mama and baby were SO happy (maybe this was just a best moment for me, because helloooo sunshine!) We walked and chatted and giggled, and it was much needed. It has since been cold and miserable, but the forecast has me so excited to get back outside for some fun this week!
Worst Moment: Basically having a 7 month old and living in Minnesota. Or just living in Minnesota regardless. We have been feeling sooo cooped up lately. It's hard to feel like you can't leave the house with your baby. Hopefully the extreme cold is finally over.

Health: All is well. He and I both had a cold last week, but he sure didn't let it get him down! All smiles for this guy.

Eating: At his 6 month appointment we got the all clear to eat everything except for honey and milk, so it has been so much fun letting him taste what we are eating. He has tried just about every kind of fruit and loves it all. We bought a little contraption at Target that allows him to eat pieces of fruit through mesh all on his own, so that has been fun and a time saver for me when I want to cook and can just let him hang out feeding himself in his high chair.

In the past few days he has also decided he wants to feed himself, which has been challenging. He won't open wide for his spoonful of pureed chicken and rice (I mean how could you not that stuff looks delicious) because he is too busy searching high and low for any puff that may have dropped through the cracks. Last night I caved and scrambled an egg and he got to help feed himself, and wouldn't you know, after having a war to get him to eat the container of baby food, he scarfed down the egg in no time. So, this whole eating thing may get very interesting coming up here.

Teeth: two! They both cut through within hours of each other, and it is sooo cute. It is crazy how different he looks now that he has teeth. He loves to use his newfound chompers to munch on his crunchy Gerber cheesy puffs. He reminds me of a little squirrel when he does it. Too cute to handle.

Squershy boy, every day with you is an adventure, and I am so so proud to call myself your mommy!