All 3 of my babies ððð
Every new stage takes some getting used to. It usually begins with complete overwhelm and this one of mobility is no different. I feel like I’m drowning in a sea of floors that need swept and mopped, and mountains of dirty dishes and laundry, and random things that need re-homed. The last of which gives me major anxiety in my normal life, let alone this new one of confinement. Cleaning helps give me a sense of control and when I can’t seem to get anything accomplished, I start to spiral a bit (Thanks Marsha & Kim for talking me through it ð). Things were different when Quinn wasn’t mobile because if I didn’t happen to get the floor swept for a day (or two or three ðģ), he didn’t have the proof of it all over his clothes. It’s a constant struggle to do all the things I need to do while also doing the most important thing, which is spend time with him. He was having a hard time either working on another tooth or having a growth spurt so he was fussy at the drop of a hat last week. He would be fine playing on his own one minute and screaming the next. I spent one whole day feeling super frustrated about it and then regretful and sympathetic to him the next. Neither one is preferable since there isn’t much I can do for him. I can cuddle him and give him medicine when I think he needs it and that helps some. It sucks when he fusses all day with me and then gets excited to see Philip when he gets off work, it feels like he’s sick of me. Sometimes the feeling is mutual though so I get it ðĪ·ðŧ♀️ð.
I just feel like I can’t do it all and that makes me a failure. Do you know how many things babies put in their mouths? It seems like I can’t do anything for 5 seconds without him finding something to taste that I would rather he not. HE. LICKS. ALL. THE. THINGS.
Every time I think I have shit figured out, everything changes. I have this added pressure of feeling like I should know what I’m doing because I’ve worked in child development for the past 8 years. But you know what? I don’t always remember what he should be doing next. Probably because I’m trying to mop my floors and run the sweeper and fold laundry and do dishes and make meal plans and try not to contract a damn virus while leaving my house once a week. The worst part about this quarantine is that it is a state of mind, too. I forget that just because I can’t go see people, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there for me. The few FaceTimes we’ve had have lifted my mood immensely and I need to do that more.
I have a major case of Mom Guilt. I feel guilty about the amount of attention I give to the girls. I and the girls, especially Sansa, have become either obstacles that he must overcome to get to where he’s going or apparatuses for which he uses to pull to stand ðĪĶðŧ♀️. Sophie is not a fan of him climbing on her and we still get some growls but she’s learning to move when she doesn’t want him near her. She’s good about sharing her toys with him (much to my annoyance ð) when she wants to but the other day he happened upon her cactus toy and she went and took it from him ð. It was his first lesson in sharing ðð. I’ve started gating them out of his room while I pump because he likes to escape while I’m tethered to my spot but that also seems to be prime climbing time and I can’t wrangle him off of them and pump at the same time. I’m counting down the days until I’m done pumping ð.
Poor Sansa gets it from both of them ðĪĶðŧ♀️
Every week brings so many new developments. Changing his diaper and especially putting on pants is now a wrestling match. I’m about to put him in a figure 4. If you don’t know that move, google it. (Thanks, Michelle ðĪŠ). He has started clapping, waving (mostly unintentionally so far), dancing, crawling on his knees and apparently also on his feet in a downward dog forward shuffle type maneuver, and is FINALLY starting to eat some actual, non-pureed food. It all happened so fast. Just two weeks ago Philip put a piece of bread in his mouth and he cried. Today he ate beef stew and pizza on Thursday ðĪ·ðŧ♀️. He’s fascinated by everyone’s mouth: his, mine, Philip’s, the dogs’. He constantly tries to feel our teeth and sometimes even the hangy ball in the back of our throats—also known as the uvula but that word isn’t any fun. He tries to pull on our teeth and tongues, too. He even went after Sansa’s tongue the other day, which is always hanging out the side of her mouth and is an easy target. In child development there are time periods where certain skills are learned quite easily, known as windows of opportunity, and his window right now is open to developing the muscles to pull. Aside from just pulling to stand, he will lift both arms up in front of his face, clasp his hands together, and try to pull them apart ð. He likes to try to pull his washcloth in two. He pulled the toilet paper off the holder and shredded some while I was in the shower ðĐ. His favorite pulling activity though is on my hair ðĪŽðĪŽðĪŽ. I’ve created some activities for him to hone this new skill and I’ll be making a video and posting it to my Creative Kimpire YouTube channel soon, if anyone is interested ð. I have two YouTube channels now, that one, where I talk about making homemade toys, and one for yoga—Balanced Life Yoga. I’m struggling with learning about video editing and keeping up with making videos, cause ya know, I have a baby to chase around, but I’m trying!
Jello Dig! Unflavored gelatin and his toys stuck in it ð.
He liked it at first....
Until he ate some...
ððð
Poor kid. Don’t worry, Soph was there to help clean it up, as always ðĪĶðŧ♀️ð
Eating pizza for the first time=his dad’s proudest moment so far. Philip lovessssss pizza and makes it from scratch pretty much once a week.
ðĪĶðŧ♀️ðĪĶðŧ♀️ðĪĶðŧ♀️
Now that Quinn is an accomplished crawler, he is often exploring whatever room we happen to be in. He likes to sneak off to the trash closet while I’m doing dishes. If the sliding glass door is open to let the girls outside, he almost always makes a break for it. Until recently he would stop at the edge and not actually go outside but he’s past that invisible shield and is no longer scared to crawl on out to the deck ðĪĶðŧ♀️. I can see him in the reflection of the fridge and when he gets close I’ll start saying in a sing song voice “Quinn, Quinn, where are you? I can’t see you!” and he crawls back to where he can see me. It’s adorable and I hope it lasts ð. Speaking of adorable, he has mastered the cutest face I’ve ever seen. He scrunches up his nose and like does a huffing noise. It’s hilarious. To us he gets cuter every day but he must be past the intriguing “ohhh, there’s a ~*~baby~*~” stage because when we go for a walk and pass people (at social distancing acceptable range, of course), they are now starting to notice the dogs again and not mention him ðĪĢðĪĢðĪĢ. I’m glad it’s warming up so I can start using the stroller more often. We walk most days and to help keep him warm, I wear him in his carrier when it’s under 60 degrees, but man is that becoming challenging. It’s like doing weighted squats but my hips are adjusting and becoming stronger. Ever since I became pregnant with him I get hot so easily and I’m usually dying by the time we home.
He made it outside and was very proud of himself ðĪĶðŧ♀️
Master Mess Maker.
“What Mom?” ð
Uh oh. Lol
Just LOOK at that nose crinkle ðð
I recently had a conversation with Michelle and she asked me what’s something I’ve done that I was sure I wouldn’t do as a mom. I immediately knew the answer to that question because we recently started trying a transition to hopefully correct it ðĪŠ. Because I was a Parent Educator for so long I was very committed to Safe Sleep practices when Quinn was first born. I still believe that it is best practice….HOWEVER, for my sanity, there were nights that Quinn ended up sleeping in bed with me. He would always go to sleep in his bassinet but when he would wake up to eat and I would pump, he would often not want to go back to sleep when we finished, so into our bed he went. That would put him right out ð. Anyway, once he started being able to pull to stand, I worried that he would fall out of the bassinet trying to get to our bed. For four nights now he has gone to sleep in his crib, in his room, and he stays there until he wakes up for a feeding. I try to put him back there but have not been successful thus far so the sleeping in our bed is still an ongoing dilemma. It’s a start though. The first night in his crib was terrible for me lol. We have a nice camera so I’m able to check on him on my phone and he’s literally on the other side of the wall from me. When the dishwasher isn’t running I can sometimes even hear him breathe. It’s getting a little easier and he doesn’t seem to mind. His crib feels more like our bed than his bassinet so I thought it may not be too hard of a transition. The crib can be (and will be soon!) lowered, the bassinet can’t. Not to mention, he’s running out of room in it. He likes to roll around, especially in our bed. The bad part about that is, you know how I mentioned everything is an obstacle to overcome? Pillows are no longer boundaries to keep him safe ðĪĶðŧ♀️. Getting up to pee while he’s asleep is a scary sport. He was completely asleep this morning, looking particularly cute even, when I got up to let Sansa out. I can see him while doing that but then I needed to pee. I confirmed that he was still sleeping and went to the bathroom for a record breaking urination. I came back to find him on his knees, pulling on a sleeping Philip’s nose ððð. I mean, it was hilarious but worrisome, too. I don’t want to wake him up to take him with me if I can sneak away and back and resume sleeping! And this is why he needs to learn to sleep in his crib ð.
A lovely moment captured by my husband ðĨ°.
This. This right here. ðģ
The girls are being really patient with him, for the most part. Sophie is a great vacuum for dropped baby food. She also does an incredible nostril cleansing. It’s a service I would be willing to rent her out for. She practices on Philip almost daily and has really mastered her skills set. She gets all up in there, especially with my goading. I laugh every single time, usually until I cry. It’s quite amusing. Today the girls had to go get vaccines and nail trims at the vet and they’re doing curbside service where they come out to get your animals and then bring them back to you so people aren’t going inside. It was a bit of a hot mess because Sophie got loose when the vet tech got her out and it’s right by the highway ðģ. I got out and caught her so the whole social distancing went out the window ðĪĶðŧ♀️. Sansa’s nail got cut too short and luckily, I had a sheet on my backseat because it bled all over the place ðĐ. She, of course, jumped to the front seat, which did not have a sheet on it, and now my Jeep is a wonderful conglomeration of slobber, fur, and blood ðĪŽðĪŽðĪŽ. Another employee had to come out to put styptic powder on her nail and Sansa was soooo excited to see her, she kept licking her face and wagging her tail all over the place. I had to hold her butt down so she could get to Sansa’s foot. Poor Sansa has been quarantined for too long! She’s a social dog, she needs pets from other people, damn it! ðĪĢ
Everyone wants mom’s attention at the same time
Just chillin on the couch ð
Just making sure Quinn doesn’t wanna share that pickle with them ðð
I hope everyone stays safe and we can assume a new normal soon!
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