Alexandra on Mommyhood

where did you come from?

alexandraonmommyhood — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:58:35 +0000

As Andrew nears 9-months, I sometimes looks at him and wonder… “Kid, where did you come from?”. Everyone always said the time would fly and that the months and years would pass before I knew it… but I never fully realized how true it is. Seemingly overnight, Andrew went from my little little one, to a crawling, laughing, babbling almost toddler. Each “stage” has been amazing, but this one now is increbily fun… and exhausting. Andrew is so full of life and personaility that barely a minute passes without him making me laugh.

long weekend

alexandraonmommyhood — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:47:35 +0000

Long gone are the days of throwing a couple of things in a bag, jumping in the car, and heading off for the weekend. Now a simple 4thof July weekend trip to my in-laws requires packing lists and schedule/timing discussions… do we leave right when I get home from work, even though Andrew will likely doze off during the 1 hour ride and then his whole sleep pattern will be thrown off? Or, do we wait until close to Andrew’s usual bedtime in hopes of being able to transfer our sleeping 8-month old from car to crib once we reach our destination?

Packing is a whole other story. I love my dear husband to death, but sometimes he can be completely clueless. He is home for the day, so volunteered to get most everything packed up so that getting out of the house will be easier tonight. Great, right? Well no, not considering that I had to write up a detailed packing list for him so he would have an idea of where to start… diapers, formula, food, clothes, bath toys, sunscreen, swim diapers, booster seat, stroller, and on, and on. As an added source of confusion for my husband, some of the listed items required him running out to our local CVS to pick them up. After writing up the list, pulling most of Andrew’s clothes together and putting out two bags out for hubby to use to pack things in, I finally gotmyself ready for work. As I was running out the door, hubby asks, "What kind of formula do I get?"… Really? Where have you been the last 8-months? Ugh. I am exhausted already and the long weekend hasn’t even started!

kid-free getaway

alexandraonmommyhood — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:16:34 +0000

For Memorial Day weekend, Chris and I headed away for a much needed 3-night, kids-free Caribbean getaway. Being the first time that we were leaving Andrew for more than one night, I was a nervous mess leading up to the trip. However, I knew without a doubt that all would be good once I was parked on a tropical beach, refreshment in hand. I am an anti-all-inclusive or big resort kind of girl, instead favoring more out of the way, lazy little beach towns. Our destination for this particular trip was Cabarete, a wonderful beach town on north coast of the Dominican Republic.

We had never been before, but I had read many great things about the town. After hours of my usual Trip Advisor research, I booked us a 2 bedroom apartment at the Hotel Alegria. Obviously 2 bedrooms was much larger than Chris and I needed, but at $80/night, it could not be beat. Cabarete is a quick 3.5 hr non-stop flight from Newark… perfect for a long weekend getaway. Once in the DR, it was then just a 20 minute cab ride into Cabarete. As soon as we arrived in town, I knew Chris and I would love it. It was not quite as “sleepy” as some of our favorite destinations in Costa Rica, but it had a great local vibe and no signs of your typical Americanized tourist desinations – no McDonalds or Starbucks.

We checked into the hotel… perfect by the way… and quickly made our way to the beach. Warm Caribbean water here we come. As soon as our toes hit the sand, all the stresses of the everyday melted away. Ahhh… its good to be on vacation.

The three days we spent there were just enough. Half way through the second day, we both found ourselves missing our little man. Many of our conversations turned to how wonderful it would be to come back withAndrew. Next trip will be the whole fam.

down the shore

alexandraonmommyhood — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 13:01:16 +0000

Yesterday we took Andrew to the beach for the first time. He loved it. He was completely mesmerized by the sand as he dug his hands into it. Chris and I were your typical first time parents, snap snap snapping away on the camera. All was good until Andrew took a huge clump of sand right to his mouth. Yum.

early bird

alexandraonmommyhood — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 12:15:36 +0000

5:15am. That’s his wake-up time. Nothing we can do about it. People ask, “have you tried keeping him up later?” or, “maybe you should feed him more at night to fill him up?”… yeah, none of it works. 5:15am regardless. We have gotten very used to getting up before the sun. In a way, it is actually nice. The first light of the morning, Andrew’s innocent gaze out the window, it is a wonderful calm before the start of another day.

wagon wheels yes, pasta no

alexandraonmommyhood — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:32:37 +0000

We have just started introducing Andrw to solid foods. So far so good… or somewhat good. He loves loves loves puffs, wagon wheels, yogurt melts and cut up bananas, but he is not so into the cut up veggies or pasta. Conveniently, the timing aligns perfectly with him figuring out how to scream for what he wants or throw a fit when offered something not to his taste. Ugh. We’ll get through this. Tonight we are trying sweet potatoes. Hopefully things will go a little better.

From me to we to three…

alexandraonmommyhood — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:28:45 +0000

From me to we to three… that defines my last few years. From single twenty-something to happy newlywed to mom. While each period was fantastic in its own right, nothing beats being mom to Andrew, my amazingly awesome 7-month old son. I have learned more in the last seven months than I ever dreamed possible… like how to calm a colicky baby, how precious an infant’s first smile is, how to exist on little to no sleep, or the fact that no toy is as interesting in a simple game of peek-a-boo, the phone you are trying to have a conversation on or the remote control.