Every mom will tell you that the day their lil' one is born, it's the greatest day of their life. After carrying him or her for 9-long months, you finally get to cuddle and kiss those cute little cheeks. But if you thought pregnancy was a delight, motherhood is another thing coming.
Now I'm only (almost) two years in to this whole "mom-thing," but on many occasions I've been told "You are the most patient mom ever!" Which has got to mean something, right? Well yes, it's code word for: YOUR CHILD IS CRAZY! :)
Elijah Arnell, my beautiful tanned babe, is my world. He makes me laugh and smile everyday, and is never without surprises for mom and dad! I should have known that my active boy in-utero would be just as wild and crazy post birth....I mean, it only took Eli 7 hours total at the hospital and 30 minutes of 'hard pushing' (thanks epidural!) before he made is rapid entrance at 12:15 am. And literally since day 1, he hasn't stopped moving.
Now I love my goofball with all my heart, but the truth bomb I'm admitting today is MY CHILD ABSOLUTELY DRIVES ME NUTS SOMETIMES. I honestly used to have "mom-guilt" about this, but no longer. ;) After venting with other parents, coworkers and friends, I think being driven crazy should be a bullet point under the "Mom" portion of our resumes.
To give you an example, let me run you through a typical day at the Scott household:
7:00-7:30 am: Eli wakes up (hopefully in his own bed)!
7:30 -8:30 am: Get Eli dressed and make breakfast before you hear him say "Milk!" or "Mmmmmm..." That means he's already hungry and you better get breakfast on the table ASAP or you'll have a whining babe
8:30 - 9:00 am: Assist Eli with using a spoon and not throwing food on the just cleaned kitchen floor...
9:00-10:30 am: Whatever we have planned - go to the library, the zoo, shopping, errands. Make sure to pack enough wipes, diapers, extra change of clothes, cup of water, and SNACKS. NEVER FORGET SNACKS! And have plenty of books/cars/misc. toys in the diaper bag or YOU'LL BE SORRY!
10:30-11:00 am: Eli usually eats a snack...or he doesn't...whatever...
11:00-12:00 pm: Continue with said planned activity or event for the day. Try to get Eli out of stroller to burn off some energy, but don't let him loose in a mall or you'll lose him!
12:00-1:30 pm: Fingers crossed Eli will eat whatever you had planned or cooked for lunch! He's actually a great fruit/veggie eater (depending on the day). And usual go-to entrees are deli meat, mac&cheese, hot dogs, fish sticks...asides from that you're on your own!
1:30-3:30 pm: ON A GOOD DAY Eli will watch Paw Patrol or Sesame Street and cuddle on the couch and take a nap. ON A DIFFERENT DAY Eli will just push through and try to stay up as long as he can. When this happens, we get outside or go to another fun event. BUT DON'T LET HIM NAP PAST 3PM! You will be sorry later!! :)
3:30-6:00 pm: This time-frame varies on the day. Sometimes we stay at home and Eli plays with his toys, we read books...or I let Eli have some quiet time and I finish specific chores. But definitely have to strategize where I'll be vs. the little troublemaker's location. Rule of thumb: always shut doors & cabinets, always have gates over stairs, always put the toilet seat down (just trust me on this one). And if there are random boxes or technically any objects in your home whatsoever, Eli will think it's a jungle gym and will climb...and eventually fall...and most likely cry (especially if he didn't have a nap)! Oh, and another snack or two will be in there somewhere! :)
6:00-7:00 pm: Cook dinner. While cooking, be sure to keep Eli off of kitchen chairs and tables. Make sure he doesn't touch hot surfaces in the kitchen or turn the dishwasher on unexpectantly. Also continue to leave gates in their places (same as previous time-frame). If you're lucky he'll find a book and flip through it (or tear it apart...or eat it... no biggie).
7:00-7:30 pm (or later): Eat dinner - always start with an avocado because he loves them! Then it's a free-for all what he decides to eat that day. He loved stuffed pepper filling with quinoa, but refused to eat taco meat another day...he's so weird.
7:30-8:00 pm: Bath time - with this kid's eczema we only give him a bath 2ish times per week. He thankfully loves being in the water, and pretends to swim when he's in the tub. Just make sure you clean every sticky part of him (or you'll for sure miss something)!
8:00 - 8:30 pm: This is seriously my least favorite part of the night...combing that kid's hair! Not only do I have to do one curl at a time, but since I have the wiggliest child in all the land, he needs to be preoccupied with Paw Patrol otherwise he'd have dreadlocks by now. Imagine trying to hold a hyperactive puppy still after a bath...that's the scene in our household a few times a week. I'll also need to lotion him (just as wiggly) and put his PJ's on (even more moving). Sometimes I give up on socks because what's the point...
8:30-9:30 pm: Attempt to get Eli sleepy without much success. Lots of books, lots of cuddles, turn off the lights. It's usually no use for this kid. He'll continue to run and jump and dance on couches. He'll also demand "Milk!" at this time of night, too. Giving him a glass of whole milk was our way of weaning him from breastfeeding 1 year ago, and he still insists on a late-night drink to this day.
9:30-10:00 pm: Rock Eli to sleep by holding him REAL tight! No matter how much he waves his arms, or kicks and moves and cries, eventually his eyes will close and he will be out. I'll lay him in his own crib and *fingers crossed* he'll roll over to his tummy and sleep through the night.
7:00 am: ....start back at the beginning! :)
I have to admit, I became extremely exhausted writing and reading the above timeline. I didn't mention all the wet and poopy diapers, the blow outs, avoiding random things he'll put in his mouth, the attempted potty training techniques or the questionable "Do I take him in??!" freak out moments (if he's sick or hit his head or whatnot). My point is, parenting is a FULL TIME JOB, (and also UNPAID). When I was single, I could be selfish and take up my whole day doing whatever I wanted. Netlflix, go out with friends, yoga classes at any time, impromptu vacations, work late or on weekends without batting an eye. Now? My entire life is centered around this tiny human. Not only him, but his daycare schedule, his feeding schedule, his likes/dislikes. Dee and I plan weekends specifically for him: Zoos, kid festivals, parks & playgrounds...instead of breweries and nightclubs.
But you know what's funny? While I may be the typical overly-tired mom 98% of the time, I can't imagine my life without Elijah anymore. Yes, it's cliche, but it's the truth. My favorite part of the day is waking him up or picking him up at daycare and seeing that big 'ol grin; also his funny run towards mom. Right now, Dee and I are his #1...and it's sad to think one day we won't be.
So my tips for getting through the first years of toddlerhood? Take some me-time. Even if it's only 10 minutes of reading or lounging or taking a bath...DO IT. I had no shame in taking an impromptu day off yesterday and just doing all the things I enjoy without any other commitments. Something I'm also learning to prioritize is scheduling date-nights. Taking time to focus on our relationship may be far and few between, but it's sooooo important.
While Elijah may drive me up the wall sometimes, I truly do love being a boy-mom to that crazy kid. And to those of you who care to ask when we're having another?? The photos below are just a snapshot of his personality and active self...idk how families manage multiples!
Elijah Arnell, my beautiful tanned babe, is my world. He makes me laugh and smile everyday, and is never without surprises for mom and dad! I should have known that my active boy in-utero would be just as wild and crazy post birth....I mean, it only took Eli 7 hours total at the hospital and 30 minutes of 'hard pushing' (thanks epidural!) before he made is rapid entrance at 12:15 am. And literally since day 1, he hasn't stopped moving.
Now I love my goofball with all my heart, but the truth bomb I'm admitting today is MY CHILD ABSOLUTELY DRIVES ME NUTS SOMETIMES. I honestly used to have "mom-guilt" about this, but no longer. ;) After venting with other parents, coworkers and friends, I think being driven crazy should be a bullet point under the "Mom" portion of our resumes.
To give you an example, let me run you through a typical day at the Scott household:
7:00-7:30 am: Eli wakes up (hopefully in his own bed)!
7:30 -8:30 am: Get Eli dressed and make breakfast before you hear him say "Milk!" or "Mmmmmm..." That means he's already hungry and you better get breakfast on the table ASAP or you'll have a whining babe
8:30 - 9:00 am: Assist Eli with using a spoon and not throwing food on the just cleaned kitchen floor...
9:00-10:30 am: Whatever we have planned - go to the library, the zoo, shopping, errands. Make sure to pack enough wipes, diapers, extra change of clothes, cup of water, and SNACKS. NEVER FORGET SNACKS! And have plenty of books/cars/misc. toys in the diaper bag or YOU'LL BE SORRY!
10:30-11:00 am: Eli usually eats a snack...or he doesn't...whatever...
11:00-12:00 pm: Continue with said planned activity or event for the day. Try to get Eli out of stroller to burn off some energy, but don't let him loose in a mall or you'll lose him!
12:00-1:30 pm: Fingers crossed Eli will eat whatever you had planned or cooked for lunch! He's actually a great fruit/veggie eater (depending on the day). And usual go-to entrees are deli meat, mac&cheese, hot dogs, fish sticks...asides from that you're on your own!
1:30-3:30 pm: ON A GOOD DAY Eli will watch Paw Patrol or Sesame Street and cuddle on the couch and take a nap. ON A DIFFERENT DAY Eli will just push through and try to stay up as long as he can. When this happens, we get outside or go to another fun event. BUT DON'T LET HIM NAP PAST 3PM! You will be sorry later!! :)
3:30-6:00 pm: This time-frame varies on the day. Sometimes we stay at home and Eli plays with his toys, we read books...or I let Eli have some quiet time and I finish specific chores. But definitely have to strategize where I'll be vs. the little troublemaker's location. Rule of thumb: always shut doors & cabinets, always have gates over stairs, always put the toilet seat down (just trust me on this one). And if there are random boxes or technically any objects in your home whatsoever, Eli will think it's a jungle gym and will climb...and eventually fall...and most likely cry (especially if he didn't have a nap)! Oh, and another snack or two will be in there somewhere! :)
6:00-7:00 pm: Cook dinner. While cooking, be sure to keep Eli off of kitchen chairs and tables. Make sure he doesn't touch hot surfaces in the kitchen or turn the dishwasher on unexpectantly. Also continue to leave gates in their places (same as previous time-frame). If you're lucky he'll find a book and flip through it (or tear it apart...or eat it... no biggie).
7:00-7:30 pm (or later): Eat dinner - always start with an avocado because he loves them! Then it's a free-for all what he decides to eat that day. He loved stuffed pepper filling with quinoa, but refused to eat taco meat another day...he's so weird.
7:30-8:00 pm: Bath time - with this kid's eczema we only give him a bath 2ish times per week. He thankfully loves being in the water, and pretends to swim when he's in the tub. Just make sure you clean every sticky part of him (or you'll for sure miss something)!
8:00 - 8:30 pm: This is seriously my least favorite part of the night...combing that kid's hair! Not only do I have to do one curl at a time, but since I have the wiggliest child in all the land, he needs to be preoccupied with Paw Patrol otherwise he'd have dreadlocks by now. Imagine trying to hold a hyperactive puppy still after a bath...that's the scene in our household a few times a week. I'll also need to lotion him (just as wiggly) and put his PJ's on (even more moving). Sometimes I give up on socks because what's the point...
8:30-9:30 pm: Attempt to get Eli sleepy without much success. Lots of books, lots of cuddles, turn off the lights. It's usually no use for this kid. He'll continue to run and jump and dance on couches. He'll also demand "Milk!" at this time of night, too. Giving him a glass of whole milk was our way of weaning him from breastfeeding 1 year ago, and he still insists on a late-night drink to this day.
9:30-10:00 pm: Rock Eli to sleep by holding him REAL tight! No matter how much he waves his arms, or kicks and moves and cries, eventually his eyes will close and he will be out. I'll lay him in his own crib and *fingers crossed* he'll roll over to his tummy and sleep through the night.
7:00 am: ....start back at the beginning! :)
I have to admit, I became extremely exhausted writing and reading the above timeline. I didn't mention all the wet and poopy diapers, the blow outs, avoiding random things he'll put in his mouth, the attempted potty training techniques or the questionable "Do I take him in??!" freak out moments (if he's sick or hit his head or whatnot). My point is, parenting is a FULL TIME JOB, (and also UNPAID). When I was single, I could be selfish and take up my whole day doing whatever I wanted. Netlflix, go out with friends, yoga classes at any time, impromptu vacations, work late or on weekends without batting an eye. Now? My entire life is centered around this tiny human. Not only him, but his daycare schedule, his feeding schedule, his likes/dislikes. Dee and I plan weekends specifically for him: Zoos, kid festivals, parks & playgrounds...instead of breweries and nightclubs.
But you know what's funny? While I may be the typical overly-tired mom 98% of the time, I can't imagine my life without Elijah anymore. Yes, it's cliche, but it's the truth. My favorite part of the day is waking him up or picking him up at daycare and seeing that big 'ol grin; also his funny run towards mom. Right now, Dee and I are his #1...and it's sad to think one day we won't be.
So my tips for getting through the first years of toddlerhood? Take some me-time. Even if it's only 10 minutes of reading or lounging or taking a bath...DO IT. I had no shame in taking an impromptu day off yesterday and just doing all the things I enjoy without any other commitments. Something I'm also learning to prioritize is scheduling date-nights. Taking time to focus on our relationship may be far and few between, but it's sooooo important.
While Elijah may drive me up the wall sometimes, I truly do love being a boy-mom to that crazy kid. And to those of you who care to ask when we're having another?? The photos below are just a snapshot of his personality and active self...idk how families manage multiples!
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