Single Mom Week

Since it's taken me almost a week to post a blog, obviously something is up.....right?

Well there is - it's called "single mom week"!

My husband is off a band camp 2 hours away and it's just peanut and me all week long (well - till tomorrow around 4pm that is).

This is my second single mom week this summer - I don't know how single mom's do it - I love my daughter but damn.....I need a break!  Combine that with the fact that my "stay at home mom" status is three weeks away from being over....and with vacation coming up next weekend - my butt is "sweatin the oldies" at my un-airconditioned school getting a Kindergarten classroom set up.  Oh - did I mention that I taught 4th grade last year......good thing I taught K for a year several years ago and I kind of know what the heck is going on with 5 and 6 years olds.....

Highlights of Single Mom Week?  None....I miss my husband and Kendall misses Daddy.

Kudos to you Single Mom's out there - you are my hero!

What the heck do I do with an award???

Thanks Lindsay at http://www.lifeas5.com/ and frackentay at http://duelynoted.blogspot.com/ for the Blog on Fire award! 

I guess now I'm supposed to write 7 things about me and pass the award onto 10 other bloggers.  So here we go........

1.  Since I just started getting into this "crazy business" of blogging - I don't know if I can even give it out to 10 people especially since 3 people that I'd give it to were already awarded with it.....grrr!  =o)  Maybe I'll pass it on at a later date.....or to the first 10 people who comment on this post - yeah I like that idea better!

2.  I am a habitual stomach sleeper.  It killed me when I could no longer sleep on my stomach during my pregnancy.  I'm still spending some time on my side and back but eventually end up on my tummy.  Now my daughter has figured out how comfortable it is and flips herself over in the middle of the night in her crib.  It's incredibly cute!

3.  I am super self-critical.  Everything has to be perfect (especially at work).....I'm starting to hate that about me.....

4.  I'm a sucker for (what other people would call lame) reality tv shows.  I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant, Toddlers and Tiaras, Bridezillas, Dance Moms, etc.  It's really bad.  Our DVR is packed full of them - not as much now since it is summer but will definately be when school is back in session.  My husband even commented the other night when he saw Dance Moms was taping....."really?!?!" was all that had to come out of his mouth.

5.  I worked at a Chick-fil-A for 12 years and I could still totally eat there everyday multiple times if I needed to. 

6.  I have a severe addiction to Cherry Coke - another reason why CFA is at the top of my list of places to eat....

7.  I hate to exercise but I know I should - one of these days I'll get with it....

Too many washcloths???

My friend Amy said one time, "I've never seen someone with so many washcloths on her baby registry."  That person, of course, was me.  Being a new expectant mommy, I wasn't sure what to register for or even how many of something to register for.  Now Babies R Us is pretty good at leading you in the right direction but sometimes you just see something you like, and then another thing, and another, and another.....it just snowballs. 

So here is me with probably 5 or 6 different sets of washcloths on my registry.  Did I have any idea that I'd get 99% of them....no.  Did I have any idea that I would actually need (or use) them....nope.  Now when Kendall was still only getting bottles, I didn't need the washcloths at all and considered getting rid of several of them.  But now that she is eating more and more food, it's amazing how quickly I go through washcloths!!!  They have definately come in handy.  I have a specific set of washcloths (thick ones) that are used only for baths - and then I have the thinner ones that are specifically for wiping her month, hands, arms, feet, etc.  where ever food tends to fly during each meal.

So I fondly remember Amy laughing at me because of the enormous amount of washcloths I registered for and received at my baby showers - but I guess the joke might be on her since I'm using them quite often now!

And so - there you have it..........Mommy Tip #2:  Washcloths are a necessity - don't let anyone tell you that you have too many!

"You're getting fat"

Last year before I really started to show during my pregnancy, my students (as well as other students) said nothing but, I think, started to wonder why I had started to gain some weight.  Now.....I didn't gain massive amounts of weight (31 lbs total) during my pregnancy but it was becoming quite clear that my belly was expanding.

One day I was walking into the cafeteria with my students and strolled past a table of 4th graders (I was teaching 5th grade at the time).  One of the students, who was known to tell it like it is in a blunt sort of way, looked at me and said, "Mrs. Gleason, why are you getting fat!  You should stay skinny!"  Definately a "caught off guard" moment, I turned to her - my two healthy hashbrowns in hand - and replied, "Because I'm eating this!" and continued heading towards the teacher's lounge.  I didn't want to out myself on the first mention from a student. 

Lord knows that the later conversations with the girls in my class are funny enough that I'll save it for another blog post.....

This is what I looked like when I was told I was getting fat - and the reason why we began the weekly belly pics! 

The Boppy!!!

The Boppy has been one of the best things that we could have purchased (or got for a baby shower gift for that matter).  The first two weeks of being home with Kendall consisted of me taking her (and the boppy) back and forth from her room to the living room to the family room - where ever we wanted to hang out that day.  Baby in one hand, boppy in the other.  It was quite a sight - considering there were times that I had two burp cloths, a blanket, my cell phone, and even possibly my laptop coming along for the ride. 

One night we needed some additional things for Kendall so my parents graciously volunteered to go to Babies R Us for us.  I handed them quite a list of things as well as my BrUs credit card.  Last minute I decided to add another Boppy to the list.  I was tired of dragging it everywhere since I used it for every feeding and didn't always want to feed her in her room.  Let me tell you - best purchase I have ever made!  We keep one in Kendall's room and one in our family room (where we spent 90% of our time when we are awake).  We always have it when we need it and now that we aren't feeding Kendall in our arms we still use it to lay her against on the floor while she drinks her bottles.  There are times where we even use it as a pillow as well.  It sure is comfortable and  might even be our travel pillow during our drive to NC in August. 

So my first piece of advice for new and expecting moms?  Buy or register for 2 Boppy Pillows and plenty of covers!!

Who says you have to be "on time"?

Apparently my daughter decided that she did not want to show up on or before Monday October 4th so, as I would on any typical day, I got up, showered, and got myself ready for work followed by taking our usual weekly belly shot.

I greeted my fourth grade students that morning the same as I did every morning and many of them came in expecting not to see me, but Kendall had other ideas as to when she wanted to meet the rest of the world.

Tuesday came along and....nothing.  I went to work again and did my same old routine.  We had our Dr. appt that afternoon and picked our induction day.  We decided that Thursday would be the day that we would like to meet our daughter.  Once again....Kendall had her own agenda.

Thursday morning we went into the hospital bright and early, got ourselves checked in and got myself dressed and ready for baby.

My doctor came in at 8:15am and went ahead and broke my water.  Now let's just make this clear - I was dilated a big ole GOOSE EGG.  Zero, Zip, Nada!  Not dilated one darn bit.  We knew from then on that it was going to be a long ass day and Kendall's idea of being "on time" was to be LATE!

There's a first time for everything.....

First time blogging...

First time giving advice...

First time writing things down for more than myself to read (scary!)...

and as my Blog title says....First time Mommy.

I became a Mommy in October 2010 to a beautiful little girl who is just the light of my life.  Her smile melts my heart and I love when she giggles at funny things that her Daddy and I do and her reactions to her puppy Charlie.  It's amazing to me how fast time has flown by now that she is 9 months old and how much I've learned in the last 18 months about how to be a Mom.  My hope is that this blog will not only help me tell the story of Kendall's life and the experiences we have with her, but also to offer some advice to any other first time Moms out there that want to read.  I don't believe that I am by all means an expert of raising a child, but there are many things that I've discovered that do or don't work for me that I feel are important to share with other Mommys to be.

So please feel free to read, to comment, and to question - I like to stay on my toes!  Happy reading!