Ryder's 1st Christmas

It's a year of firsts in our household. First Halloween, first Thanksgiving, and now we are approaching the first Christmas. Ryder isn't old enough to understand the holidays and he definitely will question his parents later for dressing him in goofy holiday outfits. I am looking forward to the years to come when he will fully appreciate these days on the calendar. We are hosting Christmas Dinner at our house which will be our first time hosting a holiday. I am lucky that I have all of my family in town and that nobody has to travel. Wishing everyone the most wonderful holiday season!

Broken glass and poopy pants

Let me just tell you about my night the other night. I get home from work and put my pump on the counter, the milk in the fridge, and Ryder in his highchair. I am starving and will have about 30 minutes to eat before Ryder will be screaming for his dinner. Grilled cheese sounds quick and easy. I go to move my pump off the counter to clear some counter space. Didn't realize the strap from my bag was wrapped around a wine glass from the night before. CRASH! Glass is everywhere. I get that all cleaned up and start making my grilled cheese. Meanwhile I can hear that Ryder is filling up his diaper in his highchair so while my grilled cheese is cooking away I decide I can quickly change him. I pick him up out of his highchair and realize his pants are wet. There is poop smeared all over him, my work clothes, and the highchair (how do you clean the freaking straps?!?!?). Great! Take him to strip him down and somehow manage to get poop on the wall and all over the changing table. At this point the easiest solution is putting him in the bathtub. I take him upstairs naked holding him at a distance and he is laughing at me. He knows exactly what he just did. As he is kicking and splashing I smell something burning and realize my grilled cheese is still on the stove. At this point I just laugh and realize there will be many more nights like this. :)

Where do I begin?

So it has been a good 5 months since I last blogged. Where have I been? Completely consumed by motherhood and working full-time. I always thought that being a stay-at-home mom was the hardest job in the world but I have discovered that being a working mom is even harder. I do all the things that a stay-at-home mom does (cleaning, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, meal planning, etc.) and also have to report to a job away from home 40 hours per week. It's exhausting and at times makes me want to break down and cry. I no longer have the luxury of being caught up with Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, or any other favorite TV show. I find myself going to bed as soon as I put Ryder down and get to read my book for maybe 10 minutes before I succumb to the sleep monster. I hired a maid service and fired them in the same day because Trevor was uncomfortable with someone coming into our home when we aren't there. Well then who the hell is going to clean??? I thanked my mom the other night for just being the best mom in the world. She was a working mom with three kids and did everything (that I have just listed above) without complaining. She's Superwoman. I don't have those powers and am happy to admit that it is all just too much. Trevor grew up with a mom that stayed home. I grew up with a mom that worked. Wishing there were some kind of nice balance. But enough about me...my little man Ryder is 5 1/2 months old. I can't believe how quickly he is growing. He now eats rice cereal, 1st stage baby foods, and now a bottle of formula each day. I am still breastfeeding but my days are numbered. My supply has really gone down since returning to work and it is just getting more and more exhausting to schedule time to pump. My goal has always been 6 months and I am pretty sure I can still make that considering it is only two weeks away. I will be ready to put the pump on the shelf for a while. I am ready for baby #2 although I want to have my body back to myself for at least a little while before we start trying again.