Working Mom Woes

I’m sure it’s no surprise. I would love to be a stay at home mom, but I can’t. I’m not gonna lie….I’m super jealous of all my bloggy and twitter friends who get to stay at home with their babes. I hope that in the next few years we will be in a position for me to work from home or even better, not have to work.

We could have waited a few years before having a baby but ya know we didn’t wanna. Luckily the hubs knew how important it was to me to spend as much time with Turner Mc as I could and we decided I would return to work part time. With the new job my schedule is super random and a little excessive at times but I’m very thankful for the extra time I have with TM.

Even though I’m only working part time I miss TM like crazy when I’m away. I’m constantly wondering what she’s doing – if she misses me, is she eating enough, is she fussy, what about her poop – seriously, is she spending time on her tummy – you know typical mom worries. I know she is in great hands either with her daddy or with our super awesome baby sitter who treats her like a princess but obviously I think I’m the most awesome baby taker carer or whatever.

Am I the only psychotic mom out there?? You know the one who freaks about everything…the soft spot. Choking. Smothering. I worry about her while she’s napping. Will they check on her often? Make sure she’s still breathing. Not let her cry because I hate crying. Just typical neurotic crazy mom.

The hardest part of being a working mom is the fear that I will miss something. A first word, the first time she crawls, the first time she walks. I had a serious talk with TM about not doing anything unless mommy is there to witness it. And if she does something with her daddy that I’ve never seen before, he totally gets her to do it when I get home and pretends it’s the first time she’s ever done it. :) 

I love that I have friends – in real life and in the twitter world – who are also working moms. It makes it easier to deal with when you have someone who understands what it’s like. I feel guilty at times because I don’t know how TM feels when I leave her with someone else. Does she even care? Is she old enough to understand that I’m not there anymore? I dread the day that she cries when I leave her but I secretly long for it too. Sad but true. I want her to be happy when I leave her but not happier than when she’s with me. I know I’m crazy – it’s okay to let me know. I just feel like we have one chance to do this right and I’m so controlling that I have this need to be in control at all times.

I’m sure if I was a SAHM I would complain about needing a break – that’s just how it goes. But I do know that I wouldn’t trade the time I have with TM for anything in the world. Being a working mom is hard and it’s not even about trying to function after a sleepless night. It’s about trying to function when you’d rather be snuggling your baby.

Things I Miss About Pregnancy

I cannot believe I just typed that! And I know y’all are shocked. There are a few things that I do miss about being preggers!

*My last preggo pic and you can see how awesome my housekeeping skills are you know based on the cleanliness of the mirror……

If you are currently pregnant or are thinking of becoming pregnant these are the things you should totally take advantage of:

• pie – I ate an entire pie a day. And now that I’m not pregnant I can no longer consume an entire pie daily….without people thinking I’m crazy. At least when you’re pregnant no one will say anything to you!
• bitching – when you’re pregnant you can get away with being totally rude. Just blame it on the hormones. People are more forgiving when you are pregnant. Not so much once the baby arrives.
• sleep – there’s no sleeping once you birth the kid. For the love of all things holy - sleep people! Seriously, quit your job and stay in bed the entire 9+ months. Leave only to get more pie and to pee! 
• making the hubs do things for you – I could get my husband to do lots more for me while I was pregnant – not much but more than now. :) You are totally helpless while pregnant (at least I was) and I still don’t know how y’all care for a child while pregnant…..
• presents – yes I’m a horrible person and I miss getting presents. I could use a baby shower right about now….diapers are expensive!
• sanity – you think pregnancy brain is bad. Just wait till you meet 3-hours-of-sleep-brain.

I honestly have a hard time remembering what it feels like to be pregnant. I miss feeling the first flutters and those lovely kicks in the ribs. And the dancing on the bladder. However, I do not miss peeing on myself even though I must admit that doesn’t completely go away post pregnancy….just a warning.

TM 5 Months!

Turner McCartney turned 5 months on August 10th…..

Yes I realize I’m a failure as a mother and definitely a failure as a blogger! 

Let’s go over the deets! Other than the fact that she’s basically the cutest baby ever.

We both think 5 months is awesome!

Weight: 14 pounds

Height: 25.5 inches – homegirl is tall!

Clothing Size: Still sporting some 3 month clothes. 3-6 month fits great. And we’re wearing 6 month pjs for the length.

Diapers: Still in size 2 diapers

Feeding: Let’s see….she basically eats whenever she wants. She’s eating 16oz at the sitter’s house and nursing when we are together. She’s eating rice cereal now and doing awesome! She loves to eat and I promise she won’t miss a meal.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. I think it’s so crazy how her hair looks red at times. Mostly its strawberry blonde with a couple “thin” spots.

Sleep: I will go ahead and jinx myself and say bedtime is getting easier. She usually sleeps through the night and only wakes up when I have no one here to bitch at.

Naps are a whole ‘nother story. I hate nap time. Hate it. Who has a baby who can’t stand naps?? Oh that’s right. Me. If anyone can figure out how to overcome this anti-nap phase I promise I’ll share my wine and xanax. (okay so I’m not on xanax – yet) 

Favorites: The dogs. Especially Dayne! She also loves her some bath time and playing in her exersaucer. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in the mornings. She laughs and smiles anytime she hears the theme song. Or the hotdog dance music!

Fun stuff: I’m aware that I previously mentioned that my child is a genius but we must discuss the fact that she refuses to roll from stomach to back. She rolls back to stomach all the time. What’s the deal?

TM is sitting up on her own and she’s moved up to the ducky bath tub. She’s getting so big and I’m amazed at everything she does on her own. She reaches out and grabs whatever she wants. She holds her own bottle and puts her paci in her mouth. Let’s face it….she isn’t going to need me much longer!

4 Months Old!

Turner McCartney is 4 months old….okay was 4 months on July 10th. Yes I’m a major failure….

4 months is way cooler than the last 3 months! This is by far my favorite age!

Stats:

Weight: 13 pounds

Height: 24 inches

Clothing Size: Mostly 3 month clothes but some 6 month pajamas

Diapers: We just moved up to size 2 diapers.

Feeding: With the new j-o-b I’m back to barely keeping up! She usually eats between 12 and 16 oz at the sitters during the day and she’s nursing once in the am and twice at night. Sometimes she still gets up for a 2 am feeding.

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still blue. Her hair is strawberry blonde and it looks different every day. I think she might be losing some of her hair so fingers crossed for no bald spots!

Sleep: Oh how I loathe bedtime. Getting her to sleep is such a struggle but once she’s finally asleep she sleeps through the night. Maybe. Sometimes. Unless John Paul is at work. Then it’s up at least once a night.

Favorites: We still love bath time and I assume this will always be a fav. She loves strolling in her big girl stroller. Sophie the giraffe is another favorite.

Fun stuff: At 4 months we’ve tried out the bouncy activity center thingy and she loves that. She also really loves to watch TV. There, I said it. Judge me…..are you done?? Because she totally watches educational stuff like Baby Einstein and maybe she watches Disney Jr. Maybe.

She also sleeps on her stomach a lot. There’s no preventing it. She flips over in her sleep and she seems to sleep much better when we let her do her own thing.

She rolls over from her back to her stomach but she won’t roll from her stomach to her back which is super weird because it seems like that would be much easier. She’s starting to hold her own bottle some and just yesterday (August 1st) she sat up by herself without falling over! Yay Team Turner Mc!

So basically to sum it all up….my kid rocks! She’s a child genius and we can’t get enough of her!

3 Months Old

My kid totally turned 3 months old on June 10th. Yes her 4 month birthday was on Sunday. Don’t hate!

She totally looks scared in this picture but I promise she’s fine!

Stats:

Weight: I’m not positive but probably around 12lbs

Height: Again not sure but maybe 22.5 inches

Clothing Size: Still wearing some 0-3 and 3 month clothing

Diapers: Still wearing size 1 diapers

Feeding: Surprisingly, the eating has slowed down a bit. She eats about 12 oz at the sitter’s house during the day. She nurses once in the morning, once in the evening, and usually twice during the night. 

Hair/Eyes: Eyes are still bright blue. Her hair is strawberry blonde and it looks super red in the sunlight.

Sleep: My child sleeps great at everyone else’s houses. Naps are such a struggle at home. Bedtime basically sucks. It’s hard to get her to sleep and she’s getting up about 3 times a night.

Favorites: Bath time. It’s the highlight of our day. She loves her “Mr. Giraffe” toy and her bouncy seat. She is obsessed with her daddy and she loves their morning cuddles.

Fun stuff: TM is the rolling queen! You put her down and she immediately flips to her stomach. She’s awesome.

She smiles and “talks” so much more now. It’s the best thing ever. Her personality has developed so much and we are soaking up every bit of her! She’s extremely vocal and she’ll definitely let you know if you piss her off. And it’s not hard for you to piss her off. I’m not really sure where she gets her attitude…..

Turner McCartney you rock my face off! I have never experienced so much joy – it’s hard to remember this at bedtime and at 12, 2, 4, and 6am. I’ve never seen your daddy happier than when he’s holding you. You are by far the best thing ever. We love you so much!

SWW

So What if……

- I still haven’t sent out those damn birth announcements. I’m gonna do it….now that my babe is 15 weeks old. I’m including a recent pic since you know she looks completely different and all.

- I meant to schedule 3 month pictures for TM when she turned 3 months but I’m a total mom fail and it looks like we’ll be doing them closer to 4 months. Don’t tell!

- I’m thinking of moving the babe into her nursery. Yes she sleeps in her crib next to my bed. Go ahead and judge. I’m waiting till hub's next off pattern because I don’t want to sleep alone in my room!

- After the horrendous car ride a few weeks ago we’re considering going back to the beach next weekend. Hubs wants to go in case we can’t go again this summer due to my new job. I’m not convinced it’s worth it but he thinks it’s a fab idea! (and so do the grandparents)

- I’m totally nervous to start a new job. I’ve worked in the same office for 9 years and I hate change.

- We switched to U-verse and I haven’t cancelled our Direct Tv yet. I hate “break-ups.”

What are you saying SO WHAT to? Go link up with Shannon! 

Baby Mama Drama

Being a mother is the hardest and most rewarding experience. And seriously this is not intended to be an overly dramatic post. Just honest and maybe informative.

I love being a mommy and a lot of times I wish I could stay at home with Turner McCartney every day. But then on days where sleep is non existent, I’m thankful for the time I have away from the babe. And honestly I think it makes me love her more!

I always thought the hard part would be getting the baby through the vag and into the world. Wrong. Everyone says that your lives will never be the same and I promise they are right. For the most part. YOUR life will never be the same. You will sacrifice and you will never sleep again. You will spend your free time pumping, doing 17 loads of laundry, and washing bottles and pump parts.

You’ll lose the baby weight because there’s no time for you to eat. And when you find time to snack, your baby will immediately cry. You’ll learn to do things with a baby in your arms. You’ll multi task like never before. And while your life is completely changed, your husband’s life continues like normal. Sure he’s a dad now, but his obligations do not match those of yours.

Playing with the babe while you do laundry, wash dishes, clean the never ending sink full of bottles….all these things are helpful. He’ll change diapers and feed the baby and try to keep her entertained. But if he needs to shower he does. If he’s hungry, he eats. Needs to run to the store, done. You’re going to be lucky to bathe weekly. Trust me there are plenty of other things you can be doing while the babe takes a rare nap.

Bedtime will test your marriage like nothing else. If your baby naps and goes to sleep like a perfect child, please don’t tell me. Jealousy is an ugly thing.

I love my life as a wife and a mommy. I long for the days where I play with a baby all day and I survive on 5 hours of sleep a night. It’s hard but there’s nothing I would rather do. Except maybe eat. A baby changes everything….for the better.