Just waiting around

Now that I've actually had some contractions, I'm kind of waiting for this whole labor thing to get started. But, no. Corbin is quite content to hang out in the belly.

So I'm taking a chance to venture out to a birthday dinner for my awesome gal pal. If my water breaks, so be it, it will make the night more interesting, and we can laugh about it later. But I highly doubt that will happen. And since we're eating sushi...even if it did or contractions started or whatever - I'd still finish my dinner cause I LOVE sushi (although lately I'm confined to the cooked variety). Then I'd continue the whole labor thing. Cause Corbin - there are a few things Momma neeeeeeds, sushi is one of them, so you'll just have to wait. (Queso would be another, along with showers...momma likes showers - not so much for the cleanliness aspect but the alooooone time). I guess being not stinky is a plus too, but whatever.

Hayden has been a lot easier today, not quite as crabby. He was definitely missing all the attention he got from the grandparents yesterday. He was a cranky cranky baby. Er, toddler. *Sniff, my baby is growing up*

Today we got to play!!! We played with his toddler Legos - stacking and unstacking. Then I tried to teach him some new words. I put a few things in with the Legos basket, like a star, a little stuffed rooster, and a cup. We'd pull them out and I'd tell him what it was, "This is a star!". Then we'd put it back and I'd ask him to get the star. I think by the end he knew what a star was. The others didn't stick much. But we're working on it!

I'm trying to be more proactive about teaching him new words, since his comprehension is limited to only a few things. I'm not sure how much he should understand at this age, but learning more couldn't hurt! I think he definitely knows ball, blanket, dog, clock, baby and bunny. So I'm slowly showing him the names of his other toys. Mostly I think he just ignores me, HA! I did get him to say "star", of course it came out as "ar", but that counts!

He actually ate most of his lunch which is a small victory. He's become quite the picky eater (unless you give him fruit, he loves fruit), so mealtimes are battle times. Last night he wouldn't eat ANY of his dinner. So he went to bed with only milk. He's trying to hold out for fruit, he only wants fruit. But kid, you need balanced nutrition and fruit isn't going to cut it. The doctor recommended to feed him eggs, so I made scrambled eggs this morning...he wouldn't eat them. So we went back to our usual yogurt mixed with banana rice cereal. He likes that. It's a good breakfast, it gives him protein, calcium and plenty of needed vitamins from the rice cereal. So at least breakfast isn't a fight. But the other meals are.

I'm thinking of trying a boiled egg cut up. They say you have to offer the food over and over before they'll eat it sometimes. I've found that to be true. He has recently developed a liking for string cheese, but it took several times of me offering it and him spitting it out to get him to finally like it. But cheese can be hard on their little systems, so I only offer once a day at lunch or for a snack.

I haven't felt up to cooking specifically for him - especially when I know I could spend all this time making something he might not eat. So I haven't tried all the possibilities. Oh he does like mac-n-cheese...but really people? That's not the healthiest meal. So I've tried to avoid the mac-n-cheese. I may try a recipe I have for mac-n-cheese that's made with pureed veggies mixed in. Kind of a "trick your kids into eating veggies" deal. Which at this point I'm willing to do. But I need to go buy some veggies to puree...haha. Shopping is not something I do lately, that has fallen to Mark.

I'd love to have this baby, mostly so I could feel like a contributing member of this household again. I am able to keep up with most things, like dishes, laundry, taking care of Hayden, and picking up toys - but that's about it. And there are some days when all I can do is take care of Hayden - and even that slips into us watching TV most of the day - yuck. I have had a ton more energy this week though! Partly, I think, from the relief of not feeling sick anymore. Colds suck! So I'm caught up on most of my housework.

I read another blog this week and was really touched about how they explained motherhood and staying home. The choice of working/not working is such a huge debate with both sides being very defensive and sensitive about their choices. So this is totally not about that. Both sides fight hard to defend their need to either stay home or go back to work, and have to daily deal with the "opposition" that disagrees or is envious of their choice. I love all my mommies whether they work or stay home - it's a personal choice that every mother has to make. And even once you make it, you have to choose it again daily, and remind yourself daily why it is you made the choice.

For me that choice was to stay home, and when I find encouraging words that helps me each day to make that choice, I like to share them! So this is mostly for stay at home mommies who need a little encouragement today! But all mommies share the responsibility of taking care of your little ones (even if you entrust them to someone else for a little part of the day), so this could be encouraging to any mom.

I'm not going to list where the "ideas" or paraphrases come from because some of my more liberal mommy friends might fall off their chairs reading the other "stuff" that came along with this little tidbit. And I can't agree with all or even most of what this person says, but that doesn't make their encouragement any less valuable or true.

Often the world views "homemaking" and even "motherhood" as drudgery and holds it in low esteem, especially when compared to accomplishments made outside the home in one's career. No one praises you for the load of laundry done or the dishes washed, or the noses wiped. You receive no awards or bonuses for those extra 15 minutes of playtime you took with you're little one, or making that special dinner for your husband. You aren't paid at the end of the day or week for the efforts you made, and no one is counting the hours you worked on this task or that one. So when one looks at the "accomplishments" you make in the work place verses the seemingly repetitive tasks a mother finishes at home, you might get tempted to call it drudgery. Yet, that couldn't be farther from the truth.

Yes, it might be drudgery because the work is hard. Dishes, laundry, changing diapers, giving baths, working in the yard, and all the other manual labor is hard. No one denies that. But it is certainly not drudgery because it is dull. You are the jack of all trades in your home. At work you were a specialist. For instance, I was a quality assurance engineer. I tested software. I knew all about testing. I knew all about networking (the area of software our company made). But that was it. I knew those two things. I knew nothing about things such as electrical engineering or teaching, or psychology, or anything. I knew my little area.

But here at home, I am a generalist. I am a cook - maybe not the best, but it's passable; I am a teacher - teaching ABC's, words, morals to my child; I am a decorator - planning what best fits each room, making space for our new baby; I am a house cleaner - finding the safest and best possible cleaning solutions that make the most of my time; I am an event planner - inviting over friends, hosting parties, making play dates; I am a handyman - fixing toys, replacing batteries, investigating sink leaks, unclogging toilets; I am a doctor - dispensing medicine, diagnosing illness, investigating new vitamins and foods for optimal health; I am a counselor - listening to my husbands concerns, offering advice, giving comfort; I am a gardener - growing food for our family, planting flowers for beauty; in essence I am a wife and mother!

I get to dabble in a million different areas of life. I don't have to be constrained in one area. And I don't have to compete. In the world of "specializing" you have pressure to be the best, know the most, and compete with others daily on this. In the world of the generalist, I just need to know a little about a lot. I have nothing and no one to compete with. I can cook, but I'm not the BEST cook, nor do I need to be. I will work hard to raise our children, but I'm no parenting specialist, I do the best I can with the information and tools I have. I clean my house, but I'm not an HG TV host creating the optimal environment. I don't have the stress of competition, I have the joy of discovery.

We're not less because we're not specializing, we're more because our minds our opened to the whole world! Our homes do not need to be the closed off, monotonous, TV driven, lazy, boring places that one might imagine and even fall into, but a new avenue of discovery and dominion! Our homes can bring life, love, laughter, and joy into this world and we are the ones who will do it.

So adjust your perspective just a bit and move from drudgery to discovery. Discover how you can be a "home" "maker", not just a stay at home mom. We aren't just staying at home, we've been entrust with making a home.