Rain, Rain, Go Away!

The last few days around here have been wet, cold and soggy. 

Everyday the forecast has read : rain, rain, more rain, even more rain, some more rain, rain. blek.

All of this gloomy weather and being stuck inside is really starting to affect my mood. 

After that tease of Spring weather we had 2 weekends ago, we are so ready for some sunshine!!

The second half of today's forecast says that we are on the mend and can expect a brilliant weekend of sunny skies and 75 degree temps. 

Bring it on we say!!

8!

Today, Little Man is 8 Months! How quickly the time goes! 

I cannot believe that we are slinking closer and closer to his 1st bday. 

Last night the hubbs said that at times it feels like it was just yesterday that we brought him home but at the same time, it feels like he's been with us forever. 

I couldn't agree more. 

Maybe it's because since he's been here, we couldn't imagine our lives without him. 

Well maybe we could- it would definitely involve more sleep, less poop and a closet full of clothes for me that actually fit. 

Regardless, having lived on both sides, I'd take this side anyday.

Who Cares Who Saw It First?

So we have lots of exciting things happening around here in the land of Little Man.

As previously noted, he has successfully tried to escape from his crib for the first time, although his efforts were thwarted when we lowered his mattress to a height that is just out of reach... for now anyway.

His two front teeth are buldging through some stubborn gums that aren't quite ready to let them loose just yet but I feel that we are only mere days away from this happening, which will pretty much lock down LM's gerbil impersonation.

He has even shed his first drop of post accident blood on Dad's watch yesterday while I was at work. Nothing serious, although I'm sure the guilt that my hubby is suffering from is far worse than the actual injury ever had a shot at being.

However, the largest happening by far would be the progression of LM's movement. It would seem that he has finally jiggled the gear shift loose that has been stuck in reverse for weeks and thrown that sucker into drive. Yes he is finally crawling forward! This of course was relayed to me via TEXT MESSAGE. (gasp!) "What?!" you say? Yes, it is true, I MISSED IT!  (forgive me for a moment while I lick the still very raw wound and regain my composure.)

You see, yesterday I worked a marathon amount of hours and was out of the house early in the morning and didn't return until dinner time. This is the sign of a great day in my job but a sign of the worst day in the life of a new mother, who doesn't want to miss any of her son's firsts. I love my job because it affords me the opportunity to make my own hours, which allows me to spend quality time with my son without sacrificing my career. However, yesterday I cursed it.

No offense to my husband who is always on my end of this recent spectrum, in that he travels exstensively and often misses many of LM's firsts, only to share in them through a text message or video that I email so that he feels a part of it. I'm always ecstatically sending these milestones without realizing that while my husband is so grateful to feel connected to home while he's away, it also simultaneously makes him feel horrible that he's missing out on it happening live. I always reassure him that it's no big deal, "he'll do it again for you when you get home." I now see how little comfort that offers to the parent who can't be there to see it for themselves. In fairness, he did try to soothe the burn by offering a white lie in the form of a "don't worry, it's hardly noticeable, I mean only I really notice it." riiiight.

So I have to admit, yesterday I was heartbroken when I was alerted of this hugely exciting milestone. By the time I got home it was bed time and LM wasn't up to dazzling me with his new skills. I read him a story and snuggled him tight until he fell asleep, feeling like the worst mom ever for not being there to see him achieve something so great.

As if that weren't bad enough, this morning I had to race out to work again to tie up some loose ends from yesterday and missed most of the morning with him. Just when I was starting to feel disconnected and questioning whether or not I really am doing the best job of juggling all of my responsibilities and feeling fulfilled at the same time, my son did the best thing I could ever ask for.
At the sound of my voice returning from work, he became very excited and lit up like a firework when he saw me come into view and with that, feverishly crawled right to ME to collect his smother of kisses that I happily planted all over his chubby little cheeks. It wasn't until I loosened my proud, loving grip on him that I noticed that I had tears rolling down my cheeks.

You see, the most important thing is he's learning and growing everyday and that is an amazing thing to watch. With each new skill learned he seems so happy and excited to show it off, that watching him conquer all of these little hurdles in life is incredibly rewarding for all of us... no matter who gets to see it first.

Escape Artist

So I have recently woken up to this image of my son trying to escape from his crib.

Frightening.

Look at him being all stealth trying to stay out of sight of the camera. 

You're not fooling anyone Little Man, Big Brother is always watching.

Looks like we have some crib lowering to do.

Stop The Clock

Is it just me or is this year flying by? 

Sure I have probably said that before, as most people have, but this time I really mean it. 

Ever since the Little Man arrived I feel like time has shot itself out of a cannon and here we are. 

Just a few short months ago we were blessed with this new little bean. We spent most of our time trying to figure out the ins and outs of taking care of a baby everyday and catching a wink of sleep whenever we could. 

Now we have a little guy living under our roof with a huge personality who is so very busy all day long. His new trick is pulling himself up on the toy basket to stand up, finally signing back some of the words we have been teaching him and cracking up laughing every time the dog walks in the room. He's chock full of love and happiness.

While I love watching him learn and grow every single day, I also secretly wish I could stop the clock once in awhile and freeze some of these moments in time.  As I see him growing so quickly before my eyes, I feel a sense of panic that one day I'll wake up and he'll be all grown up and won't need me anymore. I suppose that's the point and a sign of a job well done but there are times that I do wish he could stay this little forever.

Stealing a smooch from a sleeping 2 month old Jax

The Best Medicine

Ever have the worst day ever?

Today is one of those days for me, unfortunately.

So bad in fact that as I was driving home from work this afternoon, I was using everything I have inside me to not break down in tears.

Then I came home and saw this face.

And suddenly I felt better. Funny how they have the ability to just wipe out anything and everything negative in a split second.

Today was the worst day ever. But now it's better.

 Thanks little man.

xo

Magpie Lovely

Has everyone discovered the Magpie Lovely site yet? I think they have some of the cutest things for the little ones. I was perusing their site today and came across a few of these cute finds.

You Are My Sunshine Pillow

French Alphabet Cards

Chelsea Dress

Vinyl Record Onesie

I Heart Mom Shirt

Owl Clock

Patiently waiting on my tax return, while I feel an intense spring itch to pick up a few new items!

Swinging Days of Spring

We had the best weekend. For the last few days we have enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures and lots and lots of glorious SUN. It felt like a warm hug from a favorite friend that you haven't seen in a long time. I'm so anxious for warmer days ahead now. 

We spent the entire weekend outside and loved every minute of it. We enjoyed walks along the water, our very first ride on a swingset and clowning around in the yard just feeling the grass beneath our feet. 

SPRING is finally here!

Back up and running

So we're back from our extended stay at my dad's due to the storm that trashed our area last week. I have to admit, I have a bunch of pics that I wanted to upload to accompany this post to show what we were dealing with but I seem to have misplaced the cord that transfers pics from my camera onto my laptop so unfortunately we're going photoless today. 

I thought about waiting until I located it but then I could potentially be looking at several days again before I could throw up a new post and I promised last time that I wouldn't do that anymore. 

What can I say, I'm a woman of my word.

Alternatively, I do have something to share that I'm SUPER excited about. I realize that posting the next few sentences may incriminate me and my cool factor (or lack thereof) but I "recently" discovered (and by discovered I mean actually used, because I have known about it prior to now) SKYPE.

Last night we "Skyped" my brother, sister-in-law and niece who are currently living in California and I have to say that I am OBSESSED. It could quite possibly be one of the greatest inventions of our generation. I almost cried from excitement of being able to see my niece while we spoke over the computer and have her waving and blowing kisses to me while we live so far away. It makes the distance seem less so. I can't wait to try it out with my Mom in Florida next. It's absolutely great!

The best part is the software to download is completely free! It's terrific if you live far away from your family, grandparents, etc.... and you want to catch up and let them see the little ones as they're getting bigger each day. Plus it keeps your image fresh in the little ones minds as well so they don't forget about you. 

If you haven't tried Skype yet, you should. 

To download Skype, click here.

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home......"

Sorry for the silence over here but I am actually coming to you from a satellite location.

In case some of you readers are not familiar with the Nor'easter that struck the tri-state area over the weekend, I'll be the official mouth piece to tell you that it was bad. The Wile family was forced to pack up and leave our home on Sunday morning because we have had no power, heat or hot water since Saturday night at 7pm as a result of the storm that trashed our area.

What started off as a tres romantique evening with wine and candlelight after the little man went to bed on Saturday night, turned into a cold wet reality on Sunday morning when we woke up and realized that not only had our services not been restored but also that our entire County now resembled that of a completely devastated war zone. Huge 100yr old Oak trees that our town is famous for came crashing down taking out power lines and crashing into people's homes (no damage to ours, thankfully!) due to the 50mph winds that blasted the area and rain soaked ground that gave way to huge root structures being lifted up out from the soft soil.

We have been lucky enough to stay at my Dad's farm out in the equestrian fairyland of Morris County until we're able to go back home. We're having fun making an adventure out of it but it does start to get tiring being displaced with a little one and so many responsibilities left at home. Still, we'll enjoy the mini-vacation while it lasts. Which, by the way, we're told may last until the weekend as there are still 90,000+ people without power in the area!

I'll try to post while I'm here but my Wi-Fi access has been spotty at best, so if you don't hear from us in a few days, we'll give a full recap once we're settled back at home.

Hope everyone else from the area is making out ok and that all of your friends and loved ones are doing well in the aftermath!

The Friday Highlight

Today's Friday Highlight is dedicated to a site where I have become so addicted, so obsessed, that I think they should have a self-help group devoted entirely towards the people who LOVE this site.

Etsy is THE place to buy or sell all things handmade. You can sell your wares if you are super talented, which is a great way to get your entrepeneurial biz off the ground, or if you are less than inclined in that area, pick up some beautiful handmade items to buy and enjoy the fruits of someone else's creative efforts.

Etsy sellers literally sell EVERYTHING you can imagine. I have purchased items on there for my husband for christmas, cute unique items for Little Man and even a few special scores for myself. But for the sake of the blog, I shall only highlight the area of the website that pertains to the wee ones.

As of today there are 14,998  pages of items for kids for sale!

I swear every time I go on this site either just to browse, or specifically look for an intended item, I fall so far down into a shopping crazed rabbit hole that I often don't even remember what I went in for.

If you haven't discovered the delight of Etsy yet, I highly recommend you do.

You can thank, or curse me later.

Some of the items offered up for grabs today

Fabric Wall Decals 

 

Penelope Dress

Portland Booties     

                                                  

Party Munchkin

                                                            delicate floral headband  
                                     

Bundle bunny

Overheard at Chez Wile

7:34am 

As I was racing around this morning having just given LM a bath since he woke up soaked and quickly trying to throw some clothes on for myself before our babysitter arrives and I have to leave for work, all while my son cries out for breakfast that I'm clearly late on making. I glance over at our daschund mutt Chino as he snuggles back into our bed, head under the covers because clearly all this commotion has disturbed his morning sleep.

Me: "In my next life I want to come back as Chino."

Hubbs (calling out from the shower): "That would be like winning Powerball!"

This guy has the life.

Not feeling the L.O.V.E ?

The last 7 months have been filled with endless amounts of Joy and Love since I had my son. Every day is an adventure with him and he has such an adorable personality that I find just about everything he does to be infectious. But that's how every mom feels about their new baby, right? Unfortunately that's not always the case.

While I have been enjoying just about every single second with my son, there have been moments along the way where the exhaustion, mountains of dirty diapers, a to-do list of things that never seem to get done and a weekly shopping list that resembles Groundhog Day every time I look at it- that were it not for my still lingering Baby Brain, I would have already had it committed to memory- can make even the most confident and blissed out mom feel tired or stressed.

Going from a twosome to a threesome can have multiple effects on your marriage, your life and your career. For most women this new endeavor is met with at first, some trepidation, then some nervous excitement, a little juggling and then ultimately an easy settling in. For others the responsibility, as well as the drastic change in lifestyle and as an individual, can be downright overwhelming. (Whichever side of the spectrum you fall on is completely justified.)

Being responsible for someone else's life, as well as their overall well being and shaping as a citizen can be daunting. It's a huge task, one you most certainly should feel ready to take on. Even women who feel this however before their baby arrives can start to second guess themselves, or their ability to succeed, which is totally normal. Add those feelings of uncertainty to a household where a colicky baby has just arrived and cries for several hours a day, a baby that even after several months still isn't sleeping through the night, perhaps a partner that isn't necessarily pulling their share of the weight, or just the shock of going from a full time career where freshly blown dry hair and cute spit up free outfits are replaced with days where finding the time to shower can seem downright impossible and it's no wonder that 1 in 8 women suffer from post partum depression.

While some women never reach a full blown state of depression, over 80% have reported feeling some level of highs and lows following the arrivals of their babies. Fortunately for most women, this emotional roller coaster is mild and usually remediates itself naturally, but along the way I'm sure many could use a few pointers on how to handle it all while, well, handling it ALL.

Enter Mindful Mommy, where Jennifer Brosnick, MSW is helping mothers-to-be as well as new mothers, cope with this new life change through a wide range of techniques, counseling and products. Mostly, through various Buddhist centric traditions, she teaches women who are either embarking on this new journey or whom are currently in the throes of it, how to live in the moment and ultimately enjoy the ups and downs that come with being a new mother.

No matter where you are in your life and journey as a new or expectant mother, it is truly a time to cherish as these little ones grow so quickly everyday and amaze us with all that they learn, see and do.

However, no matter how put together any woman may feel at times, the old adage holds true, it takes a village to raise a child and there is never any shame in reaching out or accepting help when you feel less like Superwoman and more like barely a woman on any given day. The fact is, we all have our moments and like the good times, we should embrace the tough times as well because it is in those moments where we ultimately find the most strength and really see what we're made of.

Adventures of Little Man

Here is a shot of Little Man at Madison Square Garden yesterday for the Big East Tournament.

Call the mom police.... I brought a 7 month old to a basketball game to cheer on our Alma Mater, St. John's University, as they took on and ultimately defeated UCONN.

And guess what? He LOVED it!

 Sadly, our fate during today's game vs. Marquette did not fare as well.

And by "NO" you mean...."YES?"

Just this past weekend, I was having an interesting conversation with some great friends about when and how we could start to implement some disciplinary structure into the lives of our little loves.

• At what point do they really start to understand? 
• What is considered a temper tantrum at 7 months? (For the record, I believe I'm starting to recognize them.) 
• How do you really teach these little ones- whom I'm pretty sure do not posess the ability to reason just yet, to stop doing that thing you wish they weren't doing?
• At one point do these exercises in discovery turn into bad habits?

Sadly, you won't find the answers to any of these questions here. I'm a first time Mom, remember? I have no idea what I'm doing!

I did however find this morning's post on Stroller Traffic to be interesting in regard to certain things we should take note of as we start to descend down the slippery slope of "NOville."

Turns out all that clapping and enthusiasm already has me off to a bad start....

We're back!

Sorry for the complete and utter lack of posts recently. The long hiatus was not intentional, life just sort of happened and managed to get in the way.

I hadn't even realized it had been as long as it had until a friend pointed out this weekend that she was wondering where all the new posts have been? I thought I was only a few days behind until I realized that my last post was on February 19th. Yikes, sorry about that. Doesn't look like I'll be dominating the blogosphere any time soon with that track record.

 Remember that time I mentioned my penchant for starting projects and then ditching them? I'll try not to let that happen here again.

In case you're wondering where and what we've been doing for the last few weeks, a quick recap I suppose is in order.

The Little Man and I made another journey down to the Sunshine State as the hubbs was traveling there on business, so we arranged to meet up and have a few relaxing days by the sea. It also provided a great opportunity for me to meet my new nephew Aimon as well, since they don't live too far from where we were staying. Aimon is such an adorable little nugget that I almost couldn't believe that my little man was ever that small. It really feels like a huge amount of time has gone by when he was that little but it was a just a few months! The time really flies, to see where he is now from where he started, is astonishing.

While yet another huge winter storm raged on at home dropping over 2ft of additional snow on our already snow smothered lawns, we enjoyed mild 60 degree temps while lunching alfresco and looking at the ocean. Remind me again why I live in the Northeast? Oh right, one word- O.C.T.O.B.E.R.
 But that's a whole other story.....

The sunsets were beyond gorgeous and we were even able to sneak in the LM's first swim on one of the warmer days as the pool happened to be heated to a balmy 90 degrees, essentially simulating a giant bathtub which made my son downright giddy, as there is nothing he loves more than his baths.

We spent the rest of the weekend enjoying some Spring walks on the beach and relaxing dinners after the little man had gone to sleep as well as just generally enjoying some nice family time away from the everyday grind.

After a long cold winter at home, it was just what the doctor ordered.