So much to talk about, so little time!

You would think that since I’m at home all day long that I would have all sorts of time to do things. Well guess what folks, that’s not the case at all! :) And what’s worse is that my time with Ryan is flying by and soon I’ll have to go back to work, super yuck!

Anyway, with my griping now over, it’s time to go through some of the milestones that Ryan, Dave, myself, and the rest of the family have had over the last couple of weeks. So, here they are:

• Ryan was baptized! It was such an awesome experience and all of our family and friends were there. My brother Craig was his godfather and Emily, Dave’s daughter, was his godmother. The mass was very beautiful and the party after at my parent’s house was great. Thanks to everyone who attended!
  

We love the little guy!

• I got my sense of smell back! Sure, this might sound pretty trivial, but it’s been pretty crazy for me because of everything I can smell again. I had no idea how much I couldn’t smell things until I could start smelling them all again. Some pleasant things I’ve encountered so far are Dave’s cooking, the flowers outside, Ryan’s cute baby smell, fresh brewed coffee, and baked chocolate chip cookies. Some horrible things I’ve smelled so far are Ryan’s gross poop diapers, the skunk outside, garbage, and bad perfume!
  
• Ryan kinda slept through the night a couple of times! I say kinda due to the fact that it wasn’t the whole night that he slept, just part of it. For the past few nights, he’s been sleeping about four or five hours straight. Hopefully, the trend continues and he eventually gets up there to like six or seven hours, that would be so wonderful!
  
• Speaking of sleep, we’ve figured out a sleeping schedule that let’s both Dave and I get more sleep. The thing is, more doesn’t necessarily mean enough sleep and there’s been times where we’re like the walking dead. We’re getting through it though and what I’m taking from it is that what doesn’t kill me will only make me stronger! Hear my roar!
  
• I worked out for the first time! It was both fantastic and horrifying. I mean, it felt great to get moving again and workout, but then it was not so great when I couldn’t breathe and wanted to stop after like five minutes. Oh well, baby steps I guess.
  
• Ryan ate rice cereal! Yes, the little guy is only seven weeks old, yet he has such a super huge appetite that we had to try something to fill up his little tummy other than formula. He totally likes it and it’s so cute when he eats it! It’s like, num, num, num…rice cereal all over his face and then eventually, he swallows a little bit. Dave and I feed him together because it’s definitely a two person job!
  
• I’ve managed to figure out how to go grocery shopping and run errands all on my own with Ryan in tow. It’s a bit of a chore since his car seat is so freaking heavy! So my game plan at every store we go to is to park next to a cart rack with carts in it (because if there are no carts, what good would that do?), get a cart, put Ryan in said cart in his car seat, and then head into the store. We’ve been to all sorts of places together and now when he gets fussy at wherever we might be, I either bust out the nookie or the bottle and we’re good to go!
  
• Ryan has out grown some of his clothes! I knew it was going to happen and the fact that it’s happened this quick is pretty crazy! We now have a box for all the stuff he can’t wear anymore and plan on donating it to people in need. 

Scooch, scooch, scooch!

• The little guy has started to scooch across the floor, can almost roll over, moves his arms and legs like he's swimming, and with some help, can stand up. Granted with the standing, he can’t do it on his own, however, his little legs are super strong. Basically, he just stands on my lap while I hold him and looks around. It’s cute! 

• I’ve learned how to cook and make Dave dinner now and again. Tonight, I’m trying this crazy pasta bake thing that I’m going to create from scratch, we’ll see how it turns out!
• Ryan now smiles when he’s happy and has all sorts of facial expressions from grumpy face to pouty face to what the hell are you doing face to the I’m a cross between being happy and not happy and the I’m tired face, but don’t want to go to sleep! It’s interesting to see the little man he’s becoming and how expressive he can be. I just love being able to watch him and take it all in!

Well, that’s just a few milestones that we’ve all had over the last couple of weeks. Sorry that I haven’t posted more, but like I said, I’ve been super busy. Hopefully, I’ll be able to start blogging on a regular basis again. So until next time, it’s Carla the tomboy and new mom saying farewell!   

We like the Olympics!

As a kid, one of my favorite things to do was watch the Olympics on TV. Whenever it was on, whether it be the summer or the winter games, I was hooked and there was nothing anyone could do to pull me away from the TV until it was over. I would watch it even if there was a chance to go to Chuck E. Cheese on the line! Then, when the Olympics did finally end, you could see me doing laps around the yard like the track and field runners or sledding down my parents’ hill in the backyard pretending I was doing the luge. So having the Olympics on during my maternity leave has been really kewl because it gives Ryan and me a special way to bond. It lets me relieve my childhood a bit while being able to spend time with him. :) 

Okay, let me say that I understand that the little guy can’t really watch the Olympics with me, but it does give us something to do together when he just feels like being held and kept close. I hold him, make him feel comfortable and secure and at the same time, get to watch people pursue their dreams. We have been watching during our play time as well. It’s kind of funny actually since I picture him swimming when he’s kicking up a storm during tummy time or when he’s on his back swatting away with his hands, I think about him boxing or something. I know, it’s all pretty premature, but it’s still fun to think about!  

Now since the Olympics are on pretty much day and night and on a whole bunch of channels, we’ve been watching all kinds of events these past few weeks. One of my favorites so far, and Ryan’s too, would have to be team handball. Really, team handball is where it’s at because it’s a cross between basketball, soccer, and football. Bodies are flying all over the place and it’s just interesting to watch. Another sport that has kept my attention is women’s soccer. In the past, wasn’t much of a soccer fan, yet watching the US women’s team play has been entertaining and when the team won the gold medal over Japan, it was an inspiring site to see. I also enjoy watching track and field, especially the field events. The pole vault is crazy! It takes a lot of balls to fly high up into the air to try to get over a bar only to clear that bar and fall onto a padded mat. I tried it once in college and once was enough for me.

Not sure what's up, but at least they look happy!

We don’t like all of the sports that are on the Olympics though and sometimes I wonder why they’re even considered a sport at all. Case in point, synchronized swimming. Sure, you have to be fit to do it, yet it’s not timed, it’s judged and all of the swimmers look so darn creepy. I don’t know, it just puts me off for some reason.  Table tennis kind of baffles me too. It’s more of a hobby, like a way to pass the time from my perspective. Just something to do when you’re bored and to have it be a sport pretty much boggles my mind. They don’t sweat or anything and at one point, I woke Ryan up with how hard I was laughing when men’s doubles table tennis was on. There wasn’t enough room for them all to be around that little table, it was just comical. And I don’t mean to make fun, I’m just saying.

When the Olympics come to an end, I’m going to be a little sad, yet in two years we’ll get to watch the winter games and in four years, we’ll get to watch the summer games again. It’s something to look forward to! With that, I must be off! It’s time for Ryan and me to go for a little walk. I say little because I’m still not able to do a whole bunch, however, there will be a time when I’ll be doing triathlons again! So, until my next blog post, it’s Carla the tomboy, and new mom, saying farewell!  

Never thought that would happen…

I mentioned awhile back on Facebook that Ryan’s umbilical cord fell off and we couldn’t find it, well guess what, we still haven’t found the icky thing and it makes me wonder where the hell it went? What I find kind of interesting is how it really, really, really bothers me that we can’t find it and the reason being is that I actually wanted to save it and put it in a memory box that I’m keeping for him. That in itself is pretty darn gross. I mean, who saves something like this. Well, a doting mother does and what I’m discovering is that this tomboy is turning into a one!

It’s just kind of strange since I never thought that I would A., Become a mother and B., Become one that obsessively dotes over her child. He’s so cute and all I want to do is take pictures of him, show him off to people, and track his progress through this weird thing that we call life. Take the two below pictures as an example, the first shows his weird belly button with the umbilical cord attached to it. Then the second shows what his belly button looks like after the umbilical cord has fallen off. I think it turned out well! :) 

 

Ryan's umbilical cord is still attached!

Now it's not!

In the past, I would have found it to odd for any parent to care about what his or her child’s belly button looked like. I mean, who really cares. It’s a belly button, it really doesn’t serve a purpose, and who gives a flip what it looks like! However now that I’m a parent, I get why any parent would care given that, that’s your flesh and blood and you care about whatever your little guy or gal does! So, it seems pretty normal to me to be interested in any subject related to my child as is the case with other things that the little guy does. Like, Ryan can hold his head up pretty well now without face planting, he kicks with the best of them, and sometimes during tummy time he’ll even wiggle himself across the floor. Seeing him grow and get stronger has been such a unique and rewarding experience, all I can say is that I’m truly blessed.

My only fear of being a doting mother is that I’m going to turn into one of those over the top, psycho soccer moms and I definitely don’t want that to happen. I’ve seen too many of them over the years during my high school reporting days and they creep up in other sports too. They scream, complain, and are all over the place! There are dads who act the same way too and it’s not a pretty sight! They not only embarrass themselves, but they embarrass their kids and it’s just not a good thing! So, it’s my ultimate goal not to become one!

Well, the little guy is starting to wake up and that closes my blogging window for today. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer and until we meet again, it’s Carla the new mom and tomboy signing off!