04Feb
This is my son, Bean Man.
It used to be that he could be contained. We could sit him on the floor or throw him in his crib and he stayed there. In one place. Where we put him.
Now, not so much.
Now, there’s lots of moving. Lots of free movement. Movement that Chris and I have no control over.
And then there’s this…
And that quickly leads to this…
Which is just the beginning of this…
And we all know that this eventually leads to…
…Yep. We have standing. Standing up in our crib.
And, of course, standing up in our crib means that Chris spent last night lowering the mattress to the bottom setting so that Beaner doesn’t get so excited that he jumps ship.
I realize that eight months into this whole parenting gig, I should be used to change. Babies change every single day. Every morning Bean wakes up, something’s different. He’s bigger or he’s smarter or he’s trying new foods or he’s playing with different toys. Every day is change with a baby. I should be used to this by now.
And, most days, I am okay with all the change. Most days I’m even excited about it. I mean, this is way more gratifying that growing a houseplant. Bean gives kisses and high fives. My houseplants could never do that.
But some days, all the change and growth in Bean is almost scary. What if I can’t keep up with him? What if I’m not giving him what he needs at each new stage? What if…
Just when I think I’m going to go crazy with all this change, Chris gives me this sweet little smile and tells me, “I just love him.” And with those little words, I can handle the change. I get excited about all the change. I’m ready for the next change.
Except for the standing. I don’t know if even Chris can prepare me for the standing…
Tonight, Chris and I took Bean Man to one of my favorite places. Le Cracker Barrel. As a misplaced Southerner living in New England, Cracker Barrel has provided just the kiss of sweet tea that I sometimes need in my blood stream to survive.
They have also provided me with hashbrown casserole. Thanks be to God.
This was all part of Operation Keep Beanie Awake So He Sleeps Through the Night. And it worked perfectly. We had such a nice, leisurely dinner just the three of us. Well, until Chris got so engrossed in the peg jumping game on the table that he forgot we were there with a small child who likes to throw lima beans at his mother. I had to ask him to put down the pegs and remind him that his duty in this whole dinner out thing was to protect me from flying vegetables.
He didn’t really care because the peg game kept telling him he was an egg-no-ra-mous. That’s really degrading to someone with a Masters degree from Yale. Or so he kept reminding me.
After we got our Southern food fix on, we moseyed on out to the gift shop. Have I ever told you how much I love Le Cracker Barrel Gift Shops? You can always find the most clever little gifts in there. Chris has a grandmother who collects John Deere tractor merchandise and that is one of the only places that carry that stuff. And the things in the gift shop are always affordable, too. Its one of those places though that I never think to go to find a particularly thoughtful or cute gift unless I happen to be in the restaurant already. I should fix that. I found some cute stuff in there.
Bean found this hat and faithful steed, who we named Pork. (Get it? Pork and Bean?)
But, sadly, Bean said the cowboy hat was merely a sad reminder that Valentine’s Day was coming up soon and we had still not received an invitation to The Pioneer Woman’s ranch. He just couldn’t handle the hat after that…
While Pork the Steed and the cowboy hat were excellent finds, I think I hit the jackpot myself. I found these adorable ceramic measuring cups.
Aren’t they just the cutest? I love their little beaks.
And I love their little tails.
Let me tell you about my latest obsession with ceramic measuring cups. It all started with Paula Deen. She uses a beautiful set of ornately painted ceramic measuring cups sometimes on her show and I think they are gorgeous. And then for Christmas this year, I gave my BFF, Emily, a great set from Anthropologie.
After that, I started keeping my eyes peeled for them. I like them because for one thing, they aren’t that common. Especially when you make up your mind you must have them. Suddenly, they disappear into that black hole along with every great pair of shoes you wanted to buy, but didn’t at the time and then you could never find them again.
I hate that hole.
But tonight at Le Cracker Barrel, I was finally able to put my little paws on my very own set.
My favorite part about them is that the biggest cup is 2 CUPS! WOW! I only have one two-cup measuring cup (cup, cup, cup, cup, of, of, of, of, cup, cup, cup, cup, of, of, of, of, cup a’ tayyyy) and I always find it so useful. I’m so glad that now I have another!
And the sizes go right on down the line all the way to the ‘ittle bitty 1/4 cup. Ain’t he cute?
I loved the measuring cups so much that I bought an extra set to share with you all! Now, I know this isn’t some huge, wonderful giveaway, but you know. Its Wednesday. And its probably cold wherever you are. And wouldn’t it be nice to warm your house up with something freshly baked using some super cute, brightly colored measuring cups?
I’m convinced they make the food taste better.
So, to enter to win this giveaway, leave a comment telling me 2 things.
#1 – That you went to The Bloggies website at some point and voted for Marriage Confessions for Weblog of the Year (and no cheating on this part or the measuring cup birds will poop in everything you use them to bake with for the rest of your life).
#2 – What your favorite utensil in the kitchen is.
The giveaway will close to comments at 8:00 PM on Thursday, January 28. I’ll post a winner on Friday.
There. That’s easy.
HAPPY WEDNESDAY!!
Bean has been in daycare for four months now. That’s so hard to believe, but at the same time it feels like he’s been there a lot longer. Having Bean in daycare was a hard decision, but a necessary one for our family. And it is just another example of how sometimes the hardest things are really such a blessing. To sum up our daycare experience, I’d have to say its been fantastic. Not just great. Not just wonderful. But fantastic.
You can use about a million different criteria for choosing a daycare, but after being in ours for a few months now and having such a positive experience, I’ll tell you the things that I love about our daycare and that I would look for again if I had to search.
I love that Bean’s class isn’t huge. There are six babies in the nursery that are kept by two full-time teachers and usually one other part-time aid. Having a smaller class, especially with infants, is nice because Bean gets a lot of attention. Sure, there are times when they have to let him cry for a little bit while they tend to other babies, but to be honest, I’m sort of glad. It has taught Bean even at this early age that he isn’t the center of the universe. He never has to wait for some good hands-on loving for very long, but those short periods of waiting are teaching him how to entertain himself, how to soothe himself, and how to be patient. I can see this in his little personality already and its something that I don’t know if I would have had the self-discipline to teach him myself.
I love that Bean has two consistent teachers every day. Throughout the day, there are part-time girls that rotate in and out of the nursery. And usually at some point or another, other teachers from different classes spend a few hours in the nursery each day, if for no other reason than to get their baby fix. But he has two teachers who are with him every day, and I could not have asked for nicer, more nurturing people to care for him. They are soft spoken and yet funny and relaxed with the babies. I have walked in before to find a room full of chaos, and in the middle of it all Bean’s two teachers are smiling and calm and seem to really be happy in their jobs. And I know that Bean can sense that confidence and happiness. He goes to those two women instantly and happily when I drop him off in the mornings and while the idea of him being happy with anyone else use to just make me so upset, there is no better feeling than knowing that when you leave your baby with someone, they will be happy to spend their day with them. And, unlike I had feared, Bean doesn’t prefer them to me. He might love them and like being in his classroom, but the minute I walk in the door, he only has eyes for me. Also, having the part-time teachers rotating in and out of the classroom has allowed Bean to get comfortable with strangers and people he doesn’t know that well. He isn’t a jittery baby and he hasn’t shown any signs yet of being scared of strangers. He is a little shy, but he doesn’t cry when I pass him to a friend or someone he may not be familiar with and I think that is because he is used to seeing people come and go in his class.
I love that I am allowed in any of the classrooms at any time of day. Bean’s daycare’s open-door policy makes me so happy. I am welcomed and encouraged to roam around any of the classrooms in the center at any time of day. I love the transparency this gives. I know all of the other teachers by name and they know me and who my son is.  I just love walking in to pick up Bean and have every teacher happily greet me by name and ask about my family or work or whatever. It not only makes me feel secure that nothing is going on in that center that I don’t know about, but it makes me feel like I’m dropping Bean with close friends or family and not a daycare full of strangers.
I love that Bean has been exposed to children and adults of all races and ethnicities. Chris and I have a pretty wide-ranging group of friends. We have friends of all races, religions, sexual preference, etc. But its hard to introduce Bean to all of those things because most of them don’t have children of their own. With Bean being in daycare, he is around teachers, parents, and other children all of different backgrounds. In fact, one of Bean’s favorite teachers at his daycare is a young African American girl. He adores her. And so now, every African American girl that he sees, he reaches his arms out to be picked up. And somehow, that made me feel really proud of him. I want him to grow up exposed to all types of people and I want him to not see any of them as different from him. I think daycare is his first lesson in equality and, even at seven months old, I think that he is already taking that in.
I love that our daycare teachers are so honest about his daily disposition. I never get reports like, “Bean had a good day today.” Instead, its always things like, “Bean had a really good day today. He ate all of his sweet potatoes, but didn’t really want his applesauce. He also cried a little more than usual, but I think that was because he skipped his afternoon nap.” And sometimes its more like, “Bean had a really terrible day today. He cried a lot and even though we tried rocking him and cuddling him a little more, he was just in funk all day.” I know that those seem like horrible things to hear about your child, but I love that they are so honest. Good, bad, or otherwise, I know that they’ll tell me what is going on. I would be skeptical if I always got a sunny report, and hearing if he has had a particularly rough day helps me gauge how his evening will be. I also love that his teachers will sometimes call me at work just to tell me random things about his day. The first time he ate a full serving of solid food at daycare, I got a call with both of his teachers on the phone, cheering and telling me how much he ate and how he ate it! It was the greatest call! And, likewise, they will also call if they feel like something is off. If he’s running a fever or if he’s had runny diapers or even if he’s just crying a lot and they think I might need to come see him. They don’t call for these things unless its something they really feel is important, but they also don’t hesitate to call for something and I really appreciate that.
I love that there are extra sets of eyes watching out for Bean’s wellbeing. One of the hardest parts of living so far away from my family is that I don’t have other people around Bean enough to be able to tell when something is a little off. And, as a new mom, I was really nervous that I wouldn’t recognize the signs if something was wrong. Having two steadfast teachers who spend time with him every day is wonderful because I can talk to them about how he’s doing. When I worry about him not reaching a particular milestone, I always talk to his teachers about it. And they usually reassure me that all babies are different and that Bean is doing just fine and they promise to work with him on it a little every day. Or, if I think that something medically is wrong, they are an excellent second opinion before I go in to see my pediatrician. When Bean was about three months old, he started really screaming when I fed him his formula. After talking it over with our daycare teachers, they asked if I had talked to the doctor about the possibility of acid reflux. I had no idea if Bean’s reaction was normal or if it was really an issue. I didn’t have any other baby to compare him to! But at their urging, I talked to my doctor and we switched him over to a soy-based formula. He never made a peep when he ate again. Bean’s teachers aren’t pushy and they never make me feel like I know any less than they do (though I’m sure that’s the case!). They just talk with me like a friend or family member would and together we work through things.
It is true that its tough to put Bean in daycare. Its been four months and I still sometimes tear up on Monday mornings when I drop him off after a really great weekend. Or, like this morning, when Bean was attached to my hip and didn’t want me to leave. That’s rough. And, yes, I cry sometimes. But I never worry. I never question my decision. And I never consider any other possibility. I love that Bean is in daycare and I love the daycare that we have chosen.
So, if you’re a new mom or an expectant mom and you just have that aching in your heart every time you think about daycare, I understand. I had that same panicked feeling, too. But just know that it can be a truly fantastic experience for you, for your family, and for your baby.
14Jan
This week has been a pretty hectic one. First, Bean was in the hospital. Then, my sister came to town to take care of Chris and I while we took care of Bean. Then, my sister got Bean’s stomach virus and has spent the last 24 hours throwing up in my bathroom. Oh, and tomorrow we’re supposed to be hosting a group of people at our house all weekend and we can’t cancel because they all bought plane tickets to come visit.
Yeah. Its been really intense.
So intense, in fact, that Bean has decided he just doesn’t have time for clothing.
Don’t let that smile fool you. Bean upchucked like a college frat boy about five minutes before this picture was taken. That’s the thing about babies though. They bounce back so quickly.
Bean has been in la nude a lot this week because the minute I put him in clothes, he throws up all over them. Poor Bean Man.
But on the flip side, he does love the wind on his man boobies.
So, if my blog posts have been sporadic, its because I’ve been busy. I’ve been busy buying Gatorade and making toast for my poor sick sister. I’ve been busy wiping up throw up off of Bean’s bare little belly.
But mostly, I’ve been busy tickling these little ribs. Because more than being Dr. Mom, I’m just his Mom.
And that’s what we do. We tickle ribs and we buy the Gatorade and we wipe up the throw up so that our babies can focus on more important things.
Like man boobies.
(Don’t forget to enter to win a Select Comfort pillow over on Marriage Confessions Reviews! Winner will be selected on Sunday evening and announced on Monday morning.)
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