2011

When Phaeton asked me if we'd be staying up to ring in the New Year, I said, "Nah." Then Adeleigh farted. Now she's asleep. And Phaeton, with his headphones on, is dictating a play-by-play of some teenage-slasher-comedy flick he's watching on the laptop. I'm still awake, sitting next to the singing sock monkey that has taught Adeleigh the supreme power of screaming at the top of her lungs. I kind of want to squeeze the button on his hand right now, but I think that, along with the fireworks shooting outside, would give Rico a heart attack. So, I guess we're going to bed soon. But first, I need to reminisce about some of the defining moments of this past year.

January 1, 2011, New Year's Day. I don't remember that far back, so I asked Phaeton. His response, "Now this kid just fell into a woodchipper."
(sigh)

January
I found Phaeton a new job possibility at Starbucks. He applied and within a week, received an offer for Store Manager.

February
Phaeton started his new gig. The whole family was relieved and excited about the change.
Also, in February, I tried to get into couponing and visited a site that reeked havoc on our computer. We bought our first anti-virus software and paid hundred of dollars to retrieve all of the Adeleigh photos and documents off our old hard drive. Phaeton banned me from couponing because of the irony that in trying to save us money, it ended up costing us a fortune.

Springtime
We discovered the importance and happiness in swinging!

Adeleigh started eating solids, sitting up, and becoming more mobile. She also got to meet her Aunt Lori and cousins, Emily, Zach & Kara for the first time. I learned more about couponing the right way and started saving us hundreds of dollars on our grocery and household items.

Summertime
Adeleigh's personality really started to show.

She started crawling and like her Momma, learned how to eat like a lady.

She had her first trip to the zoo. Met her Uncle Bryce for her first time. Nana visited from Costa Rica. She ate her first chocolate cupcake and showed off her glorious belly for her first time at the pool.

She took her first bath in the big kid's tub. She played with all of her cousins at the first family reunion. She took her first train ride, saw her first butterfly, crawled on the grass. I went part-time at work to spend more time with her and found a new hobby in blogging. Adeleigh turned one! And she took more interest in the pets.

September

Baby's First Rockies Game for Daddy's Birthday

Adeleigh learned how to walk and soon after, run! She also learned how to bite.

October
Adeleigh's first haunted house and first time trick-or-treating.

The Holidays
Adeleigh's first balloon animal and Thanksgiving with the family.
Christmas fun and new hat and mittens for the snow.

It's been a fun, eventful, challenging and rewarding year. And we have some pretty monumental goals for the New Year.
First on my 2012 agenda, find a new career path. I'm ready to explore new and exciting opportunities. Phaeton wants to get his book published. His first draft is finished as of 5 hours ago, for those of you waiting to read it. A family goal is to move into a bigger home, so the monkey can have her own room. Us too :)

We both managed to make it til the ball dropped. Seconds before Ryan Seacrest asked, "Who will you be kissing?" I ran over to a half-asleep husband, sat on his lap and kissed him. He said, "Auld Lang Syne, Honey." I said, "What does that even mean?" He said, "I don't know, it's just what you say right now."
It's going to be a great year.

Happy 2012!

The Santa thing

This is the second Christmas in a row, the second out of two Christmases of Adeleigh's life, that we've not gone to see Santa Claus. Last year I don't even remember our excuse, but we justified it by saying that she doesn't know the difference at four months old. Besides, there's always next year. Because what awful parent wouldn't take their child to see Santa at least once before she's two? But just so we had a photo for her first Christmas with the dude, we pulled this together last-minute:

Then, we hurried and shoved Santa in the closet because Adeleigh's cousin was afraid of him.

It's Christmas Eve and we've done it again. We had planned on going to the North Pole theme park outside of Colorado Springs with family earlier this month but cancelled because we all had colds and didn't think it wise to stand in 20 degree weather for two hours with a sick baby. We further justified it by assuming she'd be terrified of him anyway, since there was that one time she cried at a a man with a beard. So, here's what Phaeton came up with this year:

That's the Santa from Miracle on 34th Street. He looks friendly.
I guess there's always next year!




While perusing through last year's Holiday photos, I found this to smile about:

And this to giggle about:

Matching Snuggies!

Things we've learned

Becoming a parent is the most beautiful, rewarding, and one of the most terrifying things I've experienced. Before Adeleigh, I remember thinking, "How am I going to be a good Mom when I don't know a thing about children?" or "How am I ever going to have time to be an involved parent when I already feel like there aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done?"

Well, one of the beautiful things about becoming a parent, is that there are millions of other women & men who are parents too. And one of the best ways to learn, is by sharing ideas with each other. So with the accumulation of advice we've heard, the things we've tried, and learning the ways of our own daughter, we've been able to make mothering & fathering our own. We've learned many things from other parents in our lives and hopefully been able to offer a thing or two for someone else.

Here are a few words of wisdom we've learned from others (along with a few experiences of our own) that have helped us along the way:

• Put a clean diaper down before pulling away the dirty one. -Denise
• Wrap Baby's crib with 2 layers of mattress covers and sheets. That way, if your baby leaks in the night, just pull the first layer off and you don't have to re-make the bed at 2 a.m. -Amy
• Buy a swaddling blanket with velcro on the sides if you have an escape-artist baby, like Adeleigh-Houdini. -Nikki
• Craigslist and hand-me-downs are a beautiful thing. -Autumn, Andrea & Amy
• It IS possible to travel abroad with a toddler. -Kristen  (We're working on making this happen.)
• Buy a portable Dvd player for long trips. -Rachael (Or just buy a mini-van equipped with TV screens. -Pete & Ellie)
• Tamanu oil works great for eczema and diaper rashes. -lady at Vitamin Cottage
• The Bumpo still fits! - Autumn
• Though time-consuming and messy, Pomegranates are special, and deserve to be eaten. -Julie
• While still at the hospital, shove as many newborn diapers in your bag as possible EVERY DAY! The cart gets replenished daily and nobody's keeping track. -our Baby class instructor, Kelly
• Girl time is essential for the soul. -Julie & Jessica
• It's okay for me to take the baby to daycare on my day off so that I can get a massage, pedicure or just go back to bed. -Sabrina
• My child is not the only one that rarely sleeps through the night. -Lyndsey, Julie, Amy, Autumn...
• It's okay for me to feel like I just don't have a clue what I'm doing sometimes. -Autumn & Julie
• It's normal to be so consumed in adjusting to motherhood, that you feel like you don't have time for much else. -Jessica, Amy & Julie
• I can be a devoted, committed mother and go back to work. -Caitlin, Amy, Andrea, Val, Jen, Lyndsey, Ellie, Lysette
• It's possible to create a make-shift crib on the floor using baby gates, blankets, a King-size bed with pillows shoved underneath and a baby monitor. -Danny & Phaeton (Not sure a doctor would recommend this one.)
• It's okay to hire a babysitter and go on a date every once in awhile. -Jen & Mom
• Buy 2 Boppy pillows. One to sit on and one for nursing. -Nurse Janelle
• Even though strawberries are in all kinds of baby food products, don't give them to your baby before age one. Strawberries have a high allergen level for infants. -Dr. L
• It's not necessary to treat every fever Baby has. A fever is a baby's natural reaction to fighting off infection. -Dr. L
• Even after 12 weeks of maternity leave, it's okay to feel like you and your baby still aren't on a routine. -Amy & Andrea
• You really can make it work with a dog, a cat and a baby in a one-bedroom condo. You can also love it. :)
• Sleep when Baby sleeps. Laundry and dishes can wait. But us Mommas need to keep our sanity. -Jen
• Accept help when it is offered. If it isn't offered when you need it, don't be afraid to ask for it. -Jen
• If you need to take a shower, call Samantha and she'll watch the baby. -Samantha
• When Baby is having a meltdown in the grocery store, odds are, the only one it's stressing out is you. -Dr. H
• A dust-buster is a smart thing to add to your Baby Registry.
• Fenugreek is the wonder-herb for helping produce milk. (I had best results with the liquid-filled caplets.) You know it's working if you smell like maple syrup. -Amy 
• Zip-up robes/mumus come in very useful when nursing. -Jessica  (I might also suggest having a few on-hand in case these become a common wardrobe choice while at home.)
• Though absolutely delicious, tuna sandwiches should be enjoyed in moderation while pregnant and nursing. -Dr. L, Dr. H, Nurse Brenda, Midwife Kelly, on-call doctor, the deli-clerk at Whole Foods (I asked a lot of people about this one and kept receiving a similar response.)
• If you're not satisfied with something someone tells you, it's okay to seek a 2nd, or 3rd opinion.
• There might be days where all your baby wants to eat is cheese. -Danny & Caitlin
• Even if you are having a summer baby, encourage your significant other to take sweats and a parka for the hospital stay. A woman in labor equals a room with the air-conditioning on maximum-freeze. -Phaeton
• It's not uncommon to receive unexpected hospital bills 15 months after your baby was born. (This justifies all the diapers and gluten-free brownies we pocketed during our stay.)
• Becoming a Mother transforms your identity. It changes you, in one of the most beautiful ways imagineable. -Mom, Lori, An, Amy, Julie & many other Moms I know
• Some babies don't like to put their feet on grass. -Pete

If you have any other tips you've found particularly useful, please share. We could use all the help we can get!

Thankful

Dear Adeleigh,

Your second Thanksgiving is just four days away, and there is much to be grateful for. In addition to the more identifiable things - like family, friends and good health - there are so many day-to-day blessings worth appreciating, whether it be a moment, a routine or just a feeling. So, if there's something I want you to always remember, not just around the Holidays, it's to count your blessings, no matter how small. Because they are plentiful.

• I'm thankful for the other Mommas in my life, including my own, who understand the daily joys and struggles of parenthood.
• I'm thankful for the women in my life who will be Mommas, for bringing some much needed love, beauty and innocence into this crazy world.
• I'm thankful for your Daddy, and for mine, for teaching (and most importantly showing) us ladies respect, appreciation and love.
• I'm thankful that when I'm stressed, you furrow your brow and say, "Dop it." Thanks for reminding me that life is only as difficult as I make it.
• I'm thankful that you love me no matter my faults.
• I'm thankful that when I sing or hum, you smile at me, then join in.
• I'm thankful to Julie and Chris for the Diaper Genie 2 Elite. Who knew there was something more supreme than the Diaper Genie 1?!
• I'm thankful for Netflix, for distracting you while I clip your nails.
• I'm thankful for the little reminders I get of you while I'm at work - like the half-eaten cookie buried crumbling in the bottom of my purse, your toy cell phone resting next to mine, or the lone sock I've found in my sweater pocket during a meeting.
• I'm thankful to have someone to trust you with when I can't be there.
• I'm thankful that you run to greet me when I walk in the front door. You always know just what I need.
• I'm thankful for the mornings to enjoy banana pancakes and Elmo with you.
• I'm thankful when you lay your head on my chest, even if it is just to suck on my zipper.
• I'm thankful for your perfect raspberry-blowing belly. And for your adorable raspberry-blowing-inflicted belly laugh.
• I'm thankful for the mornings where I wake up to you giggling and jumping on your bed. I don't need coffee those days :)
• I'm thankful that you rub your little feet against me while relaxing on my lap.
• I'm thankful for your purity.
• When I leave the room, I'm thankful that you follow me, even if it takes you twice as long to get there.
• I'm thankful that when you're playing on the opposite side of the room, you drag your toys over, plop on the floor next to me and continue playing.
• I'm thankful that you need me, because I need you too.

The last 15 months of my life has been the most defining, gratifying time of my 27 years so far. I have you to thank for that. And in that time, you've taught me just as much, if not more than I've taught you. Thank you, Adeleigh for choosing your Daddy and me to bless. You know we couldn't have it any other way.

Photo by Jessica Loucks 

Trick-and-Treat

I've often heard Phaeton talk about the interesting tradition surrounding Halloween - dress up in a costume, go door to door, say 3 little words which threaten to impose mischief or harm to people's property, and get rewarded with sugar. I've always found it interesting that to some, Halloween is viewed as a day to wear as little clothing as possible on one of the coldest nights of the season. But that's not what this post is about.
For Adeleigh's 1st walking Halloween, we took her to the city "Where the geese fly, and the bulls cry" (also known as the little town about 15 miles east, Severance). We wanted Adeleigh to go trick-or-treating with her 3-year-old cousin, Ashton (also known as Superman). We dressed her up in her Duck sweatsuit, grabbed her pink pumpkin bucket and headed out the door. She loved knocking on each house's door and loved greeting the neighbors. We'd tell her to say "Trick-or-Treat" which came out as "Ahh-doo" with a smile, and always elicited candy in her pumpkin. But to Adeleigh, the concept of collecting as many sweets as possible hadn't fully registered. After a few pieces were collected, and we were greeted at the door by someone new, Adeleigh pulled her gifted candy out of the bucket and offered it to the next neighbor. This always generated a giggle or two and the response of "You can keep your candy, and I'll give you a few more!" This happened a few times before she (and we!) began reveling in the abundance of chocolate. And then we realized, that our giving little girl, on her very first night of Trick-or-Treating, had mastered the art of tricking the neighbors into giving her extra treats! Atta girl!

My little teenager

Every morning when I drop Adeleigh off at daycare, I find myself lingering around, squeezing in as many hugs and kisses until the last possible minute before the work day. The routine usually consists of her walking back and forth between me and the toys about three times before I'm satisfied enough to finally peel myself away and leave.
She's been reaching all kinds of milestones recently, growing up faster than I'm prepared for. Crawling is too 1990's for her, she's now a speed walker. She speaks sentences, saying "Tee-too, Momma" (Thank you) or "I yuh-oo" (I love you) or "bi-do-rar-na-dee" (?????)
Last week at daycare, we reached a new milestone together. I was doing my usual linger, talking to our daycare lady, while Adeleigh was playing on the other side of the room with the toys. In behind me walked Adeleigh's little friend who's two months younger than she is. All the adults in the room froze as my daughter let out the loudest, shrillest, excited scream and we stood there and watched as her little legs hurried her cute little body across the room to the front door. I saw this as my opportunity to squeeze in my last morning hug and bent down with arms open wide as my smiley girl came running towards me. Only, she wasn't running towards me. She was aiming for her friend. And Momma was so in the way. So, Adeleigh put her chubby little hand up, placed it against the center of my face and pushed me out of the way. Now the adults were standing there in horror, watching, wondering what was going to happen next. Wondering if I was going to burst into tears. I didn't. But, Adeleigh didn't stop there. She proceeded to put her hand on the half-open door where I was standing, and tried to push it shut. I took the hint and stepped outside, pulling the door shut all the way. I watched through the door window as she, now that Mom was gone, could finally hang out with her friend and go flirt with boys.
While many other babies Adeleigh's age are experiencing separation-anxiety, clutching on tight to their mothers, my baby has decided to skip that fun kid phase and become a fourteen-year-old. Maybe she's ready for me to drop her off two blocks away from daycare, so she can walk herself and not look totally uncool kissing Mom goodbye? I am definitely not prepared for that. Maybe I should commend her sense of independence. Or maybe, when she's fourteen, I'll remember that one day at daycare. And when I drop her off two blocks away from high-school, I'll speed ahead and meet her at the entrance when she's with all her friends, curlers in my hair and say, "Honey, you forgot your lunch and your paci. And don't forget, after school we have fingerpainting class. I yuh-oo. Bi-do-rar-na-dee!"

Lovey

Long before Phaeton and I were planning our own children, our friends and family members were basking in the love and joy of parenthood. For years, every time someone we knew had a baby, we had our staple gift that we'd give: a Ty Pluffie stuffed animal (with sewn eyes, not button) and a board book. Both Phaeton and I worked for Barnes and Noble at the time, and both of these items were always plentiful in stock. Parents would report to us how much Baby loved cuddling with the Pluffie's soft fur. Our nephew, Ashton's animal was a Dalmatian dog named Dot who quickly became his "lovey". My sister Amy, and her husband Pat, stocked up for the years to come to ensure there would always be a clean Dot around.

Our nephew, Ashton at 14 months old, fast asleep with Dot.

When we found out we were expecting, we knew we needed to find an animal for our baby to fall in love with. Phaeton was still working for Barnes, so I made him promise he'd buy at least 3 of my favorite giraffe Pluffies, to hopefully become our baby's lovey. We'd keep one at daycare, one at home, and one in case of emergencies. There was one problem: Barnes and Noble recently stopped carrying Ty Pluffie toys. So I got online, made a ton of phone calls and found the local Motherhood Maternity had one more giraffe in stock. I figured that'd at least hold us over until Adeleigh arrived. I made them hold it for me and rushed over to buy it. My excitement quickly turned to sadness when I discovered that the one and only giraffe had button eyes. Worried of the choking hazard, I begged the sales lady to order me a giraffe with the sewn-on eyes. She probably thought I was nuts, but checked anyway and found Pluffies no longer available to order. What was on the sales floor was the last of the product they would carry - for - ev - er. I stood there for about 10 minutes looking down at the giraffe, his button eyes watching the lone tear that ran down my cheek, while Michael Bolton's "How am I supposed to live without you" played overhead. Then, I placed him back among his zoo Pluffie friends. Bye, bye forever Giraffe. I hope you find a happy home where the children won't choke on your eyes.

I was on a mission. Now on to Plan C. I got back online and after hours and hours of searching, found out that Ty stopped making Pluffies with sewn-on eyes. I found a lady on eBay who had stocked up on these Pluffies and had four giraffes left in stock. Smart lady she was. It's funny how when someone stops making something, it instantly costs three times the original price tag to purchase. My original $7.99 obsession became a $20 inconvenience. I sat in front of the computer, switching the Quantity back and forth between one and three...one, no three. No, Phaeton will flip if I spend $60 on three of the same stuffed animal. But what if we buy one, it gets dirty, and we have to endure 45 minutes of uncontrollable screaming while it's in the washing machine? Three. But what if she doesn't even consider it her lovey, then I will have wasted 60 precious dollars on a dumb toy?

I bought one. Then I found an online retailer with the button-eyed Pluffies for $4 each. I figured if we have a meltdown while Thread Eyes is bathing, Button Eyes will hold us over in the short run. So, I bought two, just in case. After inspecting them, I realized the button eyes aren't going anywhere. I think they are quadruple-sewn in. So, my choking hazard neurosis was completely unwarranted and not necessary. Then, with the help of Shay, I named them all Raffee. Adeleigh was going to appreciate the headache Raffee inflicted on Mommy because of how awesome, and soft, and not a choking hazard Raffee was! I had it all planned out.

Its funny how no matter what possibilities you plan and prepare for; you never really know what the future holds. I've learned time and time again, I can't force something to be, just because that's what I planned. So, no matter how much I tried making Raffee Adeleigh's lovey, she just wasn't ever that attached to him. She didn't mind his presence, but that sense of longing and needing him wasn't quite as apparent as I had anticipated. Pacifiers on the other hand - those have become a hot commodity in the Gaglio household. If there's a paci anywhere within 10 feet of Adeleigh's face, she'll find it. She'll double fist her pacis and switch every few minutes, just to keep it interesting. And fortunately, the paci she's attached to costs about $4 for a 2-pack, so replenishing our stock doesn't break the bank.

So here we were, with 2 extra Raffees sitting in their bags, un-needed and un-loveyed in the closet. Life goes on. More babies are born. So, out come the giraffes into baby gift bags, given to other adorable children, in other homes, where they hopefully will be loved.



And then, for the first time the other night, I saw the sweetest thing. And every night and naptime since, I've caught the two of them snuggling close, clutching on tight to one another. So I guess after a year of having her one and only Raffee lingering around, she's grown to love him more than I'd realized.

Michael Bolton's "How am I supposed to live without you" played overhead.

Baby Mike Tyson vs. Mommy's leg

There's been so much self-discovery and change with the addition of Adeleigh's budding teeth. She has seven teeth and counting, and she's looking so different with a mouth of growing pearlies. She loves it when we brush her teeth. So much so, that she wails and cries when we're done, as if we've just taken away her privileges and livelihood. I guess it's a good thing she understands the importance of good mouth hygiene at such a young age. So long as she doesn't use those healthy, strong chompers to outlet her frustrations onto the world.

The other night, she took hold of the remote during the middle of my secret indulgence reality show, Bachelor Pad. I quickly tried to replace the remote with a Tickle Monster finger puppet but the smart little cookie noticed. She wasn't satisfied with my swap. She promptly grabbed hold of my leg like a drumstick, placed her mouth on my calf and chomped down as hard as she could. As if biting Mommy is going to put the remote conveniently back into her palms and win her the match.

It's probably a good thing I don't breastfeed anymore.

My sweet boxer baby unleashing her fury on the pink Tickle Monster.

I am still human

There were a lot of things that I put on hold when I became a Mom:

Practicing yoga - Lotus position is about as far as I make it (without even realizing I'm doing it), while playing with my frequently Happy Baby-posed baby.

Watching movies - except for listening to StarTrek play in the minivan, I haven't done much of this. Although when Adeleigh was 4 months old, we took her to see the family-friendly, colorful, comedy True Grit and she screamed during the opening scene. Then she giggled during all of the serious scenes...and there were lots of them.

Reading my Nook - which came in very handy on my maternity leave because I could hold my baby with book resting on my thigh, and flip through the pages without any effort. Since those days, my exposure to reading has been with lift-the-flap and touch & feel books primarily. I've got every single kid's book in this house memorized because Adeleigh makes her daddy and I read every single book to her every single day. I secretly took half of them and stuck them in the back of the closet when she wasn't looking...Something tells me she's going to be a literature-buff, just like her daddy.

Discovering new music - I have Sesame Street and Fisher Price tunes stuck in my head throughout the day. Although, I have noticed that Adeleigh seems to dance more when Mommy's tunes are playing. She must appreciate my ridiculously good taste in music, I guess. :)

Shopping - for anything other than diapers, wipes, Diaper Genie refills, formula and food. I have gotten good at couponing and saving us money on items we already buy. None of that extreme couponing stuff though. Why would you need 108 bottles of generic Excedrin or 54 containers of yogurt, even if it only cost you 8 cents total? That's just not realistic. Instead, I've been stocking up with our 19 boxes of Kleenex, 72 rolls of toilet paper, 100 pens and 48 rolls of paper towels. Phaeton's argument - "As if we have the extra space." But my argument? "I found a good deal........ the last 5 times I went shopping. And now we're set for the next 4 years on those items." And after the next time I go shopping, we'll be set for another 8 years. Phaeton will appreciate my new hobby someday...maybe when we have a bigger place.

I know I didn't have to put all of my hobbies on hold. I'm sure I could've still found time for everything. But I've been so consumed with the discovery of this new and exciting chapter of life, of becoming a Mom, that all of those things have naturally taken a backseat. And I'm okay with that. Because in the process, I've found some new and exciting hobbies to nurture. It's been a year and I've decided that it's time I start easing bits and pieces of those "oldie-but-goodie" loves back into my life, taking a little more "me" time (other than my commute to and from work) and not feeling guilty about it.

So, the other day, I downloaded some new music because it was free. And it was actually pretty good! I was so excited, I listened to the album over and over and over again. Now I'm sick of it, so I need to find something new already.
Then, the other night before bed, I pulled my Nook out of the attic, dusted the cobwebs off and got excited to read my recent purchase, The Art of Racing in the Rain. I tried to turn my Nook on, but the battery was dead after months of not being fondled, so I had to wait another 10 hours while it woke up and re-charged before I could enjoy.
Next, since I had some birthday money to spend, I made plans to take 3 hours of shopping for myself last weekend. I've been so used to finding good deals that I found so much was out of what I would consider a "reasonable" price range. I came home after 3 hours with only 2 items for myself, another bag of diapers and only spent $13.00. Guess I'll just need to go shopping again soon. Bummer (wink wink).
Then, I started Netflixing new movies. Phaeton knows I love French films. So the other day, after Adeleigh fell asleep, he conveniently started watching Heather-bait, a French romantic-comedy called Russian Dolls. Naturally, I was hooked. Now I've got 85 titles in my Instant Queue and am trying to watch every spare moment I have. (This is one reason I haven't blogged in awhile. Also why I love these rainy days so I can stay inside and enjoy.) A few of my French faves - Amelie, Priceless, Happenstance & Heartbreaker.

While I'm still working on finding time for yoga again, I am taking baby steps at re-kindling my relationship with some old-loves (including taking more time to hang out with friends!!!), and I'm finding out how beneficial it really is. And while Mommahood is always going to be full of discovery and learning and making adjustments, I'm at a point where I feel more comfortable (and feel it much more essential) to take a little more time for me. Which, as I've been reminded time and time again, is just fine.

You're one!

Dear Adeleigh,

I can't believe you're one! It feels like it was just yesterday that your Daddy and I held your wobbly, little wrinkly 6 pound 13 ounce body for the first time. Now you're almost walking, starting to talk, eating cookies, talking on your cell phone and taunting Rico with your food. It's amazing what one year holds. All the growth, laughter, smiles, tears, smells, baths, bottles, late nights, early mornings, mistakes, lessons-learned and -learning, the memories. There are just so many of the memories. There were so many leading up to your first breath of life, and so many yet to come. This last year has been life-altering in a way that no one ever could have prepared me for. Life-altering in a way that can only be good, and beautiful.

For your first birthday, we went to the park by our home. We bought you some mylar, helium-filled balloons that you absolutely loved - especially the Elmo one. We were afraid you were going to pop it in your face by smothering him with your kisses and hugs. I'm sorry that I didn't tie your balloons to the picnic table tight enough...I tried to run after them, but by the time I made it ten feet, they were putting Balloon Boy to shame (had he actually been in the balloon). Daddy seemed to think that bringing helium balloons to the park on a windy day had an obvious outcome, but I didn't even consider the possibility.
We ended up switching tables because of how mad I was at that one. Actually, we switched because of the swarm of bees that were wanting to pollenate your perfect, always-gonna-be-my baby-sweet skin. One very persistent bee followed us to our new site and Uncle Pat punched him in the face and drop-kicked him into the lake for you. Did you know if you lift up Uncle Pat's goatee hair, you'll find a fist instead of a chin? You can thank Uncle Chuck Norris for protecting you when you know how to talk.
I'm sorry that the Happy Birthday sign we hung for you broke into 3 pieces when a gust of wind came through. At least we were able to salvage "Happy" and "Day" for a picture with you. Sort of...

After cake and presents, we made our way down to the water fountain. The sign overhead read "All babies and toddlers must wear rubber pants at all times." But we didn't have any rubber pants for you. I don't even know what those are, do you? So we just let you go in your Birthday dress.

My favorite part of your birthday evening was soon after the time of day you were born. I sat in the living room holding you close. Your face smooshed up against my chest, legs straddled across my belly. I remembered that at this time last year, you took up a third of this space. This will always be my favorite way to hold you. We started out sleeping this way. So you could hear a familiar heartbeat and easily transition from womb to life, and so I could always feel your chest rising and know that you were safe. It was a very sweet moment to share with you. One that no gust of wind could've taken away.

Happy Birthday Little One.

A Taste of Fort Collins

I love this town. It's one of the most beautiful places on earth. My 130,000 neighbors must agree. Even Walt Disney agrees - that's why he designed downtown Disney Land after Old Town, Fort Collins. One thing we love is all of the local fare and restaurants. I think we have the most restaurants per capita in the nation, so eating out never gets old.
For my birthday this year, I chose to eat at Bisetti's Italian Ristorante in Old Town. A meal at Bisetti's was long overdue. We used to go there about twice a year for special occasions, but hadn't been since I was pregnant.

Phaeton, Adeleigh and I walked inside, put our name in and were told it'd be a 30-40 minute wait. It'd be well worth the wait, and I had been craving Italian all week, so we were going to wait. We sat down in the bar and asked the bartender for a mug of hot water to warm up a bottle for the little one. Everyone at the bar looked our way. The bartender paused, then said, "Let me see what I can find." He brought back a pitcher of steaming water and took our wine order. I was feeling slightly intimidated. We sat down, I was holding Adeleigh, and we started to sip our wine. I began to question if this was a family-friendly atmosphere and whether or not we should stay. I didn't see any other children. I turned and asked Phaeton if he thought we should leave. I didn't want to disrupt anyone's quiet, romantic evening out. He said, "It's your birthday, who cares what these people think? No one will notice anyway." A lady and her husband walked by and the lady said, "Look! There's a baby in here!" As if a baby in a bar was out of the ordinary. She was being quiet and calm. She really is a very good baby. No matter how much anxiety I feel when we go out in public, she's always been so relaxed and content.

Adeleigh started to squirm, so we tried to entertain her with the plethora of pink things that we lugged into the restaurant, just in case. She was more interested in playing with the crisp, freshly printed wine list and shiny silverware though.

They called our name and sat us towards the back. There was no highchair at the table, so the hostess went to go look for one. I'm pretty sure she had to pull the highchair out of the attic, dust the cobwebs off and find the little Italian mouse family a new home.

We sat down. Phaeton grabbed the knife out of Adeleigh's hand, looked to me and said, "Drink your wine." The two ladies at the table next to us stared and said, "As long as she sits there like a good girl, we all can have a nice relaxing dinner." Adeleigh was being a good girl! A little squirmy was all. I wondered what they'd say if she had a meltdown....Then, she screamed. Not a bad scream, just an "I need some more attention" scream. We tried to distract her by pulling out more snacks and toys. The two ladies switched to a different table. Phaeton saw my anxiety building and said, "Drink your wine."

The hostess came back and said, "Would she like some crayons to play with?" I said, "Thank you, but no. She'll just eat them and then we'll be changing crayon diapers." We ate our appetizer and salad, then our pasta dish arrived. By this point, she was distracted by the chandeliers above. There was a stone-cold couple across the room she noticed and tried to get to smile by throwing her toys on the ground. They weren't amused. Probably because she was throwing her toys right in the path of the oncoming waiter that had their food. I ran over, apologized, picked up her toys, and sat back down. Phaeton said, "Drink your wine."

Then the Zombie growls started. I think she's watched one too many of her dad's movies. She was still being good, just a little loud. And we could tell she was getting tired. I didn't want people to have their nice, date night out interrupted by Zombie-Baby. So, Phaeton ate another bite of his pasta, grabbed the growling child and said to me, "You are not leaving this restaurant until you finish that entire glass of wine and the rest of my pasta. We'll be outside, but take your time." He gave me a kiss. "And Happy Birthday." What a sweet husband he is. I sat there for about ten minutes with my Malbec and two bowls of unfinished basil chicken.

Then, I looked over at the two ladies and was suddenly reminded that while we were in a fancy restaurant, we were still in easygoing, "Save the Poudre", butt-cheek baring Fort Collins. Their Birkenstocks paired with their Coach handbags gave that one away. What other city can you wear socks with sandals, Chacos with a wedding dress, high heels on a bike, cowboy boots with a mohawk and bolo tie and blend in? This is the town where, if someone cuts you off while driving, you never honk your horn. Instead, you blow them a kiss. However, if someone throws a water bottle in the wrong waste receptable, you give them the bird (but probably not where they can see you). I love this town. And people here are friendly and understanding. And I suddenly realized that it didn't matter that we brought our baby to a fancy restaurant. Because this is Fort Collins. And it was my birthday. And I wanted my family there.

I finished my wine. I grabbed the food to-go, grabbed a handful of Bisetti's yummy after-dinner mints (because it was my birthday, I could grab a handful) and walked outside to see my smiling husband and baby waiting for me. I gave them a hug. Then a bare-footed half-naked hippie rode by on his unicycle.

I love this place.

And I couldn't resist -

My almost 1-year-old Adeleigh and my 11-year-old Birkenstocks.

A Baby Bite of Mommahood

Today I realized that I might enjoy playing with Adeleigh's blocks more than she does. I built this awesome rainbow tower while Adeleigh sat by me working on her puzzle. Apparently A-bomb didn't approve because she crawled right over to my tower, disassembled it with one smack, and crawled back over to her puzzle. I had to hold back the lone tear that thought about falling.

After Godzilla fell asleep, Phaeton found me hard at work re-building the rainbow Mega-Block wonder. I'm trying to disguise it as a piece of furniture, so she might not notice it's overwhelming beauty and glory - and so she hopefully will be able to overcome the urge to destroy....

I hired a guard dog to protect its excellence.

I think I can

Didn't finish this until Monday, but I started it Saturday. And Julie, you inspired me to write about it, no matter how crazy I might sound...


Today is Saturday. It's two Saturdays before Adeleigh turns one. The New West Fest is going on in Old Town this weekend. Seven years I've lived here and not once have I gone to New West Fest. Almost one year I've been a Mom and not once have I gone to Old Town with the baby alone. Generally, I've always been one to avoid the crowds, even more so with a baby. When it comes to eating out at restaurants, our family is hangin' with all the 80-something-year-olds eating dinner at 4pm. Crowds mean more crazies, more things to watch out for, more time to wait. But today I took that chance. Alone. With the baby.
Yesterday, Phaeton reminded me that last year, riots broke out during the Earth, Wind and Fire concert at the festival. This morning, he reminded me again. "Just run!" He said. "If you see something happening in the crowd, just take the baby and run the other way." My nerves started taking over as I made the drive to the Mason Street parking garage and couldn't find a spot on the normally less-crowded first floor. I was crossing into unfamiliar territory - the second story of the parking garage. All kinds of scary things happen in parking garages...on the 2nd floor...in the middle of the day. What was I thinking?! I found a spot right by the elevator. But after getting the screaming baby all packed up in the stroller, I didn't take the elevator. Because all kinds of scary things happen in elevators of parking garages, right? I took the walkway, assuming that it would wind around and take me to the first floor. It did wind around, but it took me to a door of the Opera Galleria building instead. So here I am, approaching a door on a narrow walkway pushing a stroller and all I can think is, How am I going to maneuver this one - to gracefully open the door while pushing the stroller and make it through to the other side, alive? I remembered that time in Kindergarten, when the bathroom was all out of paper towels. I tried to turn the doorknob and my hand was too slippery so the knob wouldn't turn. I just stood there in the bathroom crying with wet hands until a teacher came in and opened the door so I made a mad dash outside. I hated that bathroom afterwards....
This moment reminded me of that time, only this one was not as wet, or tearful. But this time, a little boy walking with his family behind me ran ahead and held open the door for me. I guess I didn't need to be so scared after all. The walkway continued winding around and I saw the open stairwell to the right where the family all made their way. Further down the hall was the elevator. Guess I couldn't dodge this one.... Once I made it to the 1st floor, I found the exit and walked swiftly towards it while the boy waited for me and held the door again. Double thanks, little boy. The crowds started to appear on the streets. I headed south to cross Mountain Ave and stopped at the intersection. Everyone else was going. I looked up. The blue man on the street sign means I can walk now, right? Everyone else was, so I made the executive decision to walk. And I made it to the other side. Success!
Adeleigh and I met up with the ladies at Ingredient - Shay, Des, Amber, Val & Baby Brooke. Adeleigh and I weren't alone anymore! If I had to pee, there was someone there to keep an eye on Adeleigh. Someone I knew to open the door for us! We ate lunch, we ate frozen yogurt. We walked around the festival and people-watched. We walked around Old Town. It was a lot of fun! I saw other moms with strollers and admired them. They're probably used to this. They've probably done this thousands of times with their babies. I saw one lady holding a little baby, pushing a stroller that had another baby sleeping inside and crossing the street. She is amazing at multi-tasking!
I remember in the weeks after Adeleigh was born going to Sam's Club with Phaeton and our week-old baby. We saw a Mom (sans husband), dressed in a nice outfit, pushing the bigger-than-normal Sam's Club cart with 2 of her kids sitting in the bed of the cart, 1 younger kid facing out towards her, legs dangling, all while holding a newborn baby that was wrapped in the all-so-familiar hospital blanket. It must come more naturally the more babies you have - to just give birth, put on a skirt, pack up the family and go shopping all in one day. That'd be an eventful day! And so was today.
I was driving home with a sleeping baby, and all I could think was, I can do this. I did it. I made it okay with the baby. And I got out of the house. And I had a much needed day with the ladies. And there were no riots. So I think I can do it again - next year :)

Fuzz

I was born with a fro. I was also born with hair covering my entire body. I think lots of babies are. The difference between me and most babies? Mine stayed. Now I've passed that trait on to my daughter. I remember in Adeleigh's first months, admiring her little ears and the fine hair that extended off of them, like a little garden gnome. As she's grown, her ears have grown into her ear hair. Her shoulders have grown into their hair too. My favorite is the little soul patch of hair on her lower back. It's like a baby back tattoo. And I like to tickle it.

Our adorable hairy baby

My hair has taken on some interesting forms since the fro. In grade school, my poofy bangs would naturally take on a curl within the curl. Like a double rainbow on my forehead. Then, I remember the days of Sun-In, which gave my naturally dark brown hair a slight yellow tint. Then they discovered that Sun-In causes your skin to melt, so I stopped using it. Then, in high school, I had my sister highlight my hair blonde. It was cute until the dark roots started to grow out. My sister tried to touch-up the roots, and instead dyed half of my entire head of hair white, the other half orange, the other-other half, stayed my natural dark brown. I freaked. Mom let me call-out sick for school the next day because well, as a teen, showing up to high school with neopolitan hair was like, totally not cool. We made an emergency appointment with a family friend who was a hair stylist and paid her over $100 to fix my hair. Thanks, Mom. We decided if we were investing that amount of money to dye it, we might as well get creative. So, we did zebra stripes, a mellowed-out version. Chunky highlights with blonde and dark brown. Fun, until once again, the roots started to grow. I felt trapped. Now that I'd started experimenting with this drug called hair-dye, I couldn't stop. Years later I've finally gone au-natural - with the color at least. I've gone through phases of wearing it naturally curly and had another fro phase my first few years of college. My then-boyfriend told me that I looked like a poodle with my curly hair....just one reason he didn't remain my boyfriend. And one ridiculous reason I spend entirely too much time straightening it every morning.

I'd like to think that my hair looked better than a poodle's...


Picture taken from Wikipedia.org
........................


When Phaeton and I got married, my hair was the longest it had ever been, down to my shoulder blades. I've had a series of haircuts over 4 years to try and freshen up my style. Now that I'm a Mom, what better time to do another one of those "I'll never do that" statements than now? So the other day, I did the "I'll never get a Mom-Do" Mom-Do. It's the shortest it's been since my freshman fifteen and fro. And it's taking some getting used to, but I like that it's new. I bought my first round-brush ever to style it with and fumbled with it all morning the way Bambi fumbled with his legs when he was on the ice. Guess I need a little more practice.


Picture found on Google images


Phaeton has also had some interesting hair experiences in his day. Until he was seven, he had a full head of blonde hair. Over the years, it's grown darker like mine. In high school, his nickname was Jesus because of his glorious flowing Jesus-like locks and goatee. Also because every lunch hour, he'd re-create the miracle of chocolate milk coming out of his friend's noses. I remember once rummaging through pictures of him with different colored dos. I asked him today, "Didn't I see a picture of you with purple hair?" His reply was, "No, it was plum."        My bad.        He also experimented with platinum, copper and peroxide. I knew there was a reason I loved him so much.

In her first year, Adeleigh's hair has already gone from jet black to light brown. As it grows, she's getting a bit of curl. She's got so much to look forward to when it comes to her hair - the styles, the frizzies, the shaving. She's got so much to learn from our hairy experiences of growing up. Looking through old photos of her parents she'll learn all about different animals, influential people, colors and shapes - all through our hair. For now though, we can keep our cute little rascal's style simple.

I must be a Momma because........

...By the time my alarm goes off at 5:30am, I've already been up for at least an hour.
...Our furniture is slowly being replaced by the miniature version.
...Once we've decided to leave the house, it takes us, at minimum, another 45 minutes to get out the door.
...After shopping with Adeleigh in Barnes and Noble, I've come out to find my car doors standing wide open. (Pregnancy brain doesn't end just because pregnancy ends.)
...I can walk up 2 flights of stairs while holding my baby, the diaper bag, dog leash and all 7 bags of groceries. (Do not try this at home.)
...I'm lucky to have gotten one meal in for the day. Meanwhile, my baby has had eight.
...Coffee, chocolate and wine have become a main food group in my pyramid. (This one is not contingent on motherhood status.)
...I am no longer bothered by the incessantly crying baby at the supermarket.
...The house cannot, no matter how hard I try, stay clean for longer than 10 minutes.
...The songs I have stuck in my head throughout the day are "I'm a little teapot" and "Monkeys jumping on the bed."
...Our medical expenses have skyrocketed because I worry that every little bump, sneeze, tear and frown constitutes a doctor's visit.
...Only one person is allowed to lick my face when I say "kiss".
...Our family is bilingual in blowing raspberries.
...Getting out of the house to go check the mail feels like a mini-vacation.
...After breast-pumping in the car, it's not out of the ordinary to step out into public completely exposed after having forgotten to buckle my nursing tank. (Yes, this has happened to me. Fortunately, Phaeton tapped on the window loud enough for me to notice before I walked into Chipotle. Who knows how many people got a looksie first.)
...A poopy diaper deserves a celebration.
...Thunder thighs are considered cute.
...For the last year, my heart has been fuller than it's ever been.
...My husband exceeded all of my expectations of a man when he became a father. He still does.

And finally, I must be a Momma because...
...Despite how challenging it can be, I wouldn't change a thing.

The cutest thighs ever.

Four years

It's after 11pm on August 1, 2011. Today is our 4th wedding anniversary. The baby is asleep. Phaeton is watching some show with space aliens, 80's music and a guy with his pretty pretty hair pulled back in a ponytail. I should be getting ready for bed, but it's just so comfortable here. Even when we're not doing anything exciting, it's just nice to be in each other's company. There's not a lot of space around here, so it's easy to not be lonely. And that's one thing we love about living in a one-bedroom condo. Everyone is all so near. It's cozy.
We are trying to recall some of the funny moments in our relationship. The ones where, when we look back, the laughing brings us to tears. Like the time where I woke from a dead sleep and started screaming "Fire! Fire!" Phaeton jumped out of bed in his skivvies and ran into the living room. Ran back and yelled some obscenities my way, then crawled back into bed and put his earplugs in. For the record, I remember waking up and truly thinking I saw orange flames and smoke coming from the front room. Oops.
Or the time where, once again while sleeping, I carried on a full conversation with Phaeton about how he needed to immediately go find me some napkins because I was drooling all over the place. We don't even own any napkins. We're a paper towel kinda family. Phaeton told me all about our convo the next day. How sweet of him that at 2am, he actually contemplated going to the store to buy me some napkins. If that's not true love, I don't know what is...
...........
We met while both working at Barnes and Noble. He was my boss. I was a seasonal bookseller. Following the Holiday season, he had the option of choosing one seasonal to work in his cafe. He chose me.
My first night training in the cafe, I asked my boss if he was going to ask me out for Valentine's Day. He turned around, stuck his hand in the sanitizer bucket and kept it there for awhile. No response. I guess I caught him off guard? Then I handed him my phone number and he said, "I don't know if I can call you." What a responsible supervisor he was. So I said, "I'm not asking you out on a date or anything, I'm just giving you my number. Do with it what you want." He called me that night and asked me out for Valentine's Day. I guess he was planning to all along. :) We went to Mugs until they closed, then down the street to Waffle House to eat some hashbrowns and talk until 3 in the morning.

Now we have a baby, an almost one-year-old to share those experiences with. When I see Phaeton with our daughter, I'm more and more grateful that he called me that night. He's a wonderful Dad. A wonderful husband. Our days just get better and bigger and cozier. And now Phaeton's show is over, so we're gonna go brush our teeth.

The boss

Being a Mom has given me a new appreciation for so many things, including - family, work, relationships, on sleep, space, the lack of sleep and space, on getting time for me, or for us, on health, on the importance of having a glass (or 2) of wine with dinner. Having a child has made me realize that all the little stresses and annoyances in life, don't have to be so annoying (especially after the wine has kicked in). All those little things take away from my focus on all of the positive, on all that I have to be grateful for. It's not always easy though. Like, when I'm overwhelmed with work and leave a huge stack of unfinished business at the end of the day, I have to remind myself, It's not you're most important job.

Other than being a full-time Mom, here's my job situation. About 2 months ago, I put in a request to go part-time. I decided that working 40+ hrs/week away from Adeleigh wasn't cutting it. I felt guilty for every moment I couldn't be with her. I felt guilty for every moment where I was thinking about work, focused on anything other than my baby. (This is why Phaeton and I have only gone on 3 dates sans Baby.)
So, the company I work for requires a full-time recruiter. It's a busy job with a high demand and requires a great deal of focus. Going part-time in that job role just isn't an option, and it makes sense. But, I've been feeling that for where I'm at in my life, I can't devote the time, focus and energy to that role that is required. I've been struggling to keep up with the workload because I'm thinking about monkeys instead.

So one day at daycare, Adeleigh choked on a rock. Fortunately, her daycare provider knew exactly what to do and Adeleigh was fine. Whether or not we were okay is up for debate. Both Phaeton and I left work in a panic and when we showed up at daycare to give her a big hug and take her home for the day, there she was, bouncing and giggling and blowing raspberries like nothing had happened. We were both soaked in my tears. A week later, she had that scary-sick spell that made my hair gray. These back-to-back events led us to re-prioritize. Phaeton and I agreed that it was time for me to cut back at work a little bit. But my request for part-time was denied. We knew what our family needed right now, so I quit my job.
My boss and I had a meeting so I could explain what led to my decision. I explained it all. He asked if they created a part-time role within my department, a role with less hours, less stress, less responsibility, would I be interested. After much indecision and pulling my hair out and talking it through and asking for advice, I decided to quiet the background noise and listen to my gut....

Once the icecream in my belly stopped digesting, it all made sense. I can't pinpoint it to a particular thing, but I knew I needed to accept my boss's offer. My new job role and schedule starts this week. And while it will mean a pay cut, it'll give me valuable and more anticipated time with my daughter. I'm okay with that. Because she's my most important, and much cuter, boss.

A little perspective

Before we had a baby, we had no clue what to expect. We heard all kinds of advice and tips and words of wisdom. [Almost] everything was supportive and positive. Of course we knew it wouldn't all be butterflies and ice-cream sundaes, but we still loved imagining what the future held. We still do. And while [most of] the advice and support has been unbelievably helpful and eye-opening and much appreciated, nothing could have prepared us for the multitude of feelings, emotions and overwhelming sense of love that develops so naturally and effortlessly with becoming a parent.
So, to try and figure out that which was unknown, we tried to establish all of our answers to the questions about parenting before Adeleigh arrived. I think it's important to have a basic, general idea of some ground rules you plan on following, like not giving Baby honey, cow's milk, or cigarettes until Baby is at least one. But I also think it's okay to not follow all of the rules all of the time. Here are some of the rules I've broken: Don't sleep with your baby.  Don't let her watch T.V.  Don't pick her up everytime she cries (I'm getting better about this one, but it's hard). Don't let her have her pacifier after 9 months. Don't let her eat cupcakes. Don't forget to go on a date with your husband at least once a month. I'll stop there. So, what I've learned are that a lot of those "Oh, I'll never do (fill-in the blank here)" comments have turned into "Now I see why some parents buy leashes for their kids." Not that we'll ever do that one (or will we...?) but the motivation behind it makes a little more sense.

Adeleigh eating cupcakes

So, in eleven months, Phaeton and I have gone on 3 dates. This rule is harder to keep than we thought. We already feel that our time throughout the day is limited to spend as a family, so we try to spend every possible moment we can with Adeleigh. My mother-in-law describes it as "Being away from your baby is like having your arm cut off and not knowing what to do with yourself." That's completely how it feels. How can I enjoy a date when my arm is still at home eating sweet potatoes?
The first date, we didn't even know what to do with ourselves. But our friends, Jen and Eric strongly encouraged that we take some time while they and their adorable daughter, Harper watched Adeleigh. We drove from the north end of town, to the south end, probably stopped off at Target somewhere in there, ate Chipotle, I'm sure, and picked her up. It was the weirdest 40 minutes of my life...okay, maybe it was 4 hours. A much needed and appreciated 4 hours, but weird.

Harper and Adeleigh

(photo taken by Harper's mom)

We realize that 3 dates in 11 months isn't much. We just remembered that Monday is our 4th Anniversary. It's amazing to think about where four years has taken us! So there will have to be at least a 4th date before Adeleigh turns four, I mean one.

So part of what makes leaving her so hard is coming to the realization that though Adeleigh is an extension of us, she is her own individual little being. An eating, breathing, sleeping, pooping, crawling, babbling little person. You're probably thinking, Of course she's an individual. But really, this whole concept has taken some getting used to on my part. Especially during those months when Adeleigh was nursing, when I was her source of food, of life. The bond felt as though we were one. We were thriving off one another. And while the breastfeeding days have passed, that bond, that sense of truly needing someone, remains. And it grows everyday.
I'm starting to get it now that I've inherited the responsibility and joy of caring for my own "arm". It's hard to watch when your arm is crying, or teething or bumps its head on the coffee table. But, part of growing as a mom is allowing those aches and pains to happen and realizing that Adeleigh will be stronger because of them. I'm going to have a serious reality check when she starts driving, dating, going to college...One day at a time, Heather. Now I see why my mom was always so protective of her kids. She always wanted to know where we were, when we would be home, that we were safe, and happy. She was following the natural intuitions of being a mom, of having a connection to something, or someone, unlike any other. When I became a mom, I gained a greater appreciation for my mother and for all the protectiveness and worry she felt.

Eleven months in and there are days where I still don't quite know what I'm doing. You really do learn as you go. I try to take it one day at a time and do the best I can. Sometimes I mess up. And I guarantee I'll mess up again. But whatever happens, I won't let Adeleigh kiss any boys until she's at least twenty-one.

Evolution of Bathtime

Before we left the hospital with our new baby girl, we asked our nurse to show us twice how to properly sponge-bathe Adeleigh. This would be our routine for a few weeks until her umbilical cord stump fell off. Her first sponge-bath at home by Mommy was not a success. I don't know how anyone can possibly mess up giving a sponge-bath. But of course, I managed to screw something up. I didn't rinse her well enough and gave her a soap rash. When Phaeton got home, he had to rewash her the correct way. I was grateful that this whole bathing without a bath thing was temporary, because I sucked at it.

I couldn't wait until Adeleigh's belly button could be submerged in water. I wanted to cleanse the whole area and be rid of the shriveled up mutant that was still attached. One of my biggest fears was being home alone when Adeleigh's umbilical cord stump fell off. I had it all planned how it needed to happen. Phaeton would get home from work and do his nightly routine of cleaning around the stump with a Q-tip as instructed by the nurse. He'd be swabbing it and it would effortlessly peel off and jump into the trash. Nothin' to it. Everyone would still be smiling.
But that's not quite how it happened.

I was at home, just Adeleigh and me. I was wearing my comfy moo-moo half unzipped while I nursed her. When she pressed up close to me, I could feel the crusty little guy against my belly. I speak negatively of it, but I was starting to accept the thing as a part of my baby I'd have to grow to love, like an 11th toe. Adeleigh did her thing, ate some, fell asleep. I started to pull her away so I could zip up and when I looked down, I saw a normal belly button. It was so foreign to me. I was so confused. And then I started to piece it all together. If this peach button is here, that must mean that the yellow/green dead button, now disconnected, must be here too........I laid Adeleigh down and the search began. I found myself hesitantly looking around, afraid of where the little dude was hiding, like he might pop up out of nowhere onto my shoulder and startle me. I searched high and low and was finally about to give up. I walked into the bathroom, still half unzipped and looked in the mirror. There it was, dangling from my boob. Gross! I panicked, grabbed a tissue and threw that thing in the trash. Now I need a bath! Can you believe some people save those things in baby books?

After the belly-button bug had been disposed of, we were allowed to submerge Adeleigh in bath water. We were so nervous about giving her her first bath, we watched a video on Babycenter.com about proper technique. Being new parents and completely oblivious to anything other than what the internet says, we took it as gospel. We started watching as a "baby-bath expert and mother of 4" taught a new mom how to bathe Baby Farrah. A minute and a half into the video: "Never leave your baby alone." Check. "Make sure the bath water is warm. Aim for 90 degrees or less." We grabbed the thermometer and tested the water. 90 degrees. Perfect. "Not all babies love their baths as much as Farrah." I picked Adeleigh up, excited and nervous about what kind of a bath-baby she was going to be. We gently placed her in the water. Then, we heard the most heart-wrenching cry of her life. She was miserable. And cold. We realized that 90 is 8.6 degrees colder than normal body temperature. Of course she was crying. She was mad at us. And we were mad at Farrah, for making us believe babies like cold baths. Whatever you do, don't watch this video and believe it.
http://www.babycenter.com/2_video_1486858.bc

We started using the sling in the baby tub because it didn't submerge her completely, but we were still able to safely and effectively rinse and get her clean. We also started using warm water. This made everyone much happier. She would be so comfortable, that she'd oftentimes poop or pee all over the sling. So then we'd have to start over.
How proper of her to cover up for the camera -

We evolved to giving baths without the sling. At least if she peed, we couldn't tell. Out of sight, out of mind. Bathtime would be brief, just in case.

Ducky was a must companion for bathtime. If Ducky wasn't in her chubby hands, she was jammed as far as possible into Adeleigh's mouth. I wish I had a picture of that. If Ducky needed a breath of air and escaped to the water, it was a splash-attack to retrieve her and put her right back in-between Adeleigh's cheeks. Our pants were always soaking wet by the end. The not-so-cute part was that we'd have to go out in the cold and walk Rico with wet pants. And by "we", I mean Phaeton.

Adeleigh and Ducky

Now that Adeleigh has more balance, she uses the big kid tub. She loves it. And she jams as many toys as she can into her mouth at once. I think she's learning a thing or two from Cookie Monster.