like father like son

Richard is a good dad.

The first thing he does when he gets home from work is kiss Cub's face off. Really. One time Richard looked in the mirror after snuggling Cub and noticed lots of white flakes in his beard. And corresponding red scratches on Cub's face. (He snuggles less aggressively now)

He folds Cub's diapers so they are "low rise" and not "grandma panties".

He says "rake 'er easy, cluck cluck" to Cub when he is inhaling his bottles. Am I the only one who thinks this is funny? Ten points if you can name that Disney movie.

Cub is lucky to have him.

dear grandma

I hope you feel better quick!

growth spurt

The Cub is going through a growth spurt. In other words, he eats non stop. He pounds 4 oz and before I can burp him and sterilize his bottle he is doing the hungry squawk again.

OR

He will fall asleep for 10 minutes. And I better not even think of putting him down or he will start the angry shriek AND hungry squawk.

A lethal combination. (It makes the leaves fall off the trees in our back yard).

So we blog together today. Very quietly.

P.S. My camera's battery died on Wednesday. Anybody know where my charger is?

the dinner hour

My new favorite time of day is the dinner hour. I used to hate it - we would get home from work and bargain with each other over who would cook. And what we would eat. Before we knew it, it would be 10pm and we would be starving so we would just order pizza. (Don't ever try to reason with me when I've got low blood sugar.)

It should be noted that I love pizza but after 3 years of it I began to smell like breadsticks. And I got kind of fat.

This is what is going on in this picture.

Cub is freshly changed and in a good mood.

Dinner is in the oven. (Homemade Mac and Cheese - get the recipe from Angie, you won't be sorry)

I am wearing my new uniform: ill-fitting yoga pants and a "transitional" top fashionably layered over a nasty faded t-shirt. Getting dressed has not yet been made a priority.

Music is playing. (Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johansson)

We are playing a game where I act like a doofus to try to get a smile from Cub.

Richard will be home any minute.

I think this is what heaven will be like.

P.S. Is homemade mac and cheese healthier than a cheesy pizza?

the making of a mother

(Bed head and eye bags are my fall accessories.)

Here is the thing about being a new mom. It can be painful.

The non-schedule of my newborn. My to-do list gets longer instead of shorter each day. The unpredictability. The change in lifestyle. Since when do I spend my internet time searching for the best deal on bulk wipes?

The instant Cub was born I promised myself I would be a better person. I held him (while he screamed his head off) and decided I would be the best mother in the world for him. I want him to be proud of who I am. Now, that requires me to make some changes that feel like serious work.

Last night I forced myself to shower for the day at 12:35am (does that still count?). Oh how I just wanted to collapse into bed instead. I made sure to condition my hair for extra long because lets face it, it was starting to sprout dreadlocks. While I waited for my Paul Mitchell Color Care to work its magic I thought about this:

Motherhood is an exfoliant. I'm shedding my old selfish skins: Old Habits. Old Ideas. Old Weight. Old Baggage. I'm trying to make changes for the better. It feels like I'm scraping down to the bone. Its painful but I will do it in the name of the Cub. Because I'm his mother.

Maybe that is what is so beautiful about motherhood? The months (and eventually years) of exfoliating?

So I'm starting from the bones up. I'm building very slowly.

And I'm liking who I see. Dreadlocks and all.