One Small Step for Mankind... One Major Leap for a First Time Mom!

It’s February… By very nature, it tends to be a boring month. People are still in the post holiday slump, not wanting to use up precious vacation so early in the year, and generally the weather is touch and go…. So what’s one to do, in an effort to add a little excitement to the monotony??? Well, when you’re as wild and crazy as I am, you tackle life’s major obstacles, navigating the unknown, tapping into faith and sheer determination to accomplish the task at hand…in other words, moving a 21 month old from the safety and confines of the crib we’ve all grown so comfortable with, to the freedom and adventure of a big boy bed! I know, I know… the build-up was hardly substantiated, but cut me some slack, parenting is a compilation of major milestones from the multiple firsts you make it through in the first year, to a slightly more spread out schedule as time progresses.

With junior’s impending delivery creeping up, Kevin and I had been discussing whether we wanted to brave the unknown and work Caleb out of the crib to avoid having to purchase a new one… but with SO many additional unknown’s looming on the horizon, we thought cutting the kid some slack and leaving one constant in his life might be appreciated. Well, Caleb seemed to have plans of his own. About a week ago, he started balking at us putting him in his crib, indicating he’d rather sleep in the twin bed in his room. Without a gate, I couldn’t comply… for the past 12 months at least, I’ve watched what can only be described as ‘contact sleeping’, where Caleb and his crib would wage a nightly war to see how many sides of the crib he could run into while sleeping.

The stage was set for Saturday night… I purchased the gate, and armed with the information gleaned from “Nanny 911”, on how to teach a toddler to stay in his bed, I was ready! Certain he would test his new found boundary and follow me out the door after books, I let him know big boys got three tries but if he couldn’t stay in his bed, I would have to put him back in his crib. Imagine my surprise when our first attempt was a SUCCESS!!! My surprise was immediately tempered by my overwhelming humility ;) where I was the obvious hero, and my sheer parenting genius had triumphed! My ego was only slightly deflated when around 10pm we heard a telling ‘thrump’ upstairs, waited the requisite 10 seconds to move, sure tears were to follow…. Silence…

Went upstairs to find my parenting genius had allowed my little man to fall out of the bed headfirst, and somehow the little guy slept through the entire episode. I laughed out loud, got the camera to snap a picture, then lifted him back to his bed… Rinse and repeat about an hour later, when I learned I should lay him in a different direction so he doesn’t wake up with a nice concussion . Couple tweaks to the bed on Sunday, and I think it’s safe to claim victory over the crib!

In retrospect, I’m able to concede I was lucky as hell, and am thanking my lucky stars for the blessing that is Caleb and his demeanor in accepting change, holding out hope that with all the change yet to come, he’ll navigate it with as much composure.

Hello Hormones...

Status quo for me is no muss no fuss, low to no drama. I don't cry... well at real life anyway... Get me a good Extreme Home Makeover, or a night in with a good Drama, and the waterworks let loose. For the most part, in an agrument, I can keep my head cool, and stay on point.

This however, is the status quo version of myself... who I seem to have misplaced.

The replacement is this pregnant lady that see's a Wendy's and NEEDS a frosty, is convinced if I can't get ahold of my loving devoted husband while he completes a major school project, that he's left me for the harlot he keeps, and that no employee EVER has been faced with the trials/tribulations I'm encountering on a daily basis.

The trouble with all of this, is I SEE the change, I acknowledge this crazy lady is NOT me, but despite my best efforts at rational thinking, sanity continues to ellude me. So I've resorted to the "woooo saaaa" relaxation chants I picked up on from Martin Lawrence on "Bad Boys", hoping a few deep breaths will clear the hormone induced delusions! I take solace knowing that I don't embrace crazy and use it as a weapon of mass destruction against those I love... rather I say... "hold on, having a crazy moment" and whether out of respect or need for self preservation they heed my warning.

So here I wait, currently plotting the demise of the service gentleman for making me 'schedule' an appointment for an oil change, knowing full well the 2 hour wait is standard (Ever heard of call ahead seating, take a hint dangit!), and day dreaming about a Frosty, cheese quesadillas, a #10 Jimmy John's sub, and a little Rudy's Country BBQ to top it all off. I will continue to fight the good fight, and maintain the modicum of status quo girl I know and love... and understand. Eagerly counting the weeks/days/minutes when she can rightfully reclaim her hold on reality, and excersise better self control in the face of delcious treats!

Anticipation

There is so much more “About me”, than I could fit into the 1200 character allotment provided by Blogspot, but I figure as I start up this blogging effort, those who choose to follow can learn the rest as I figure it out :). For instance, I neglected to comment on the fact I maintain the maturity of a 5 year old, and resort to countdowns starting months in advance of an event I’m anxiously awaiting. My reference here, is for the countdown I began roughly 5 years ago, that now seems just a stone’s throw away, Kevin’s Graduation!

Now that I’m within reaching distance of the goal line, my entire perspective has become distorted, and it seems as though the last 5 years passed in the blink of an eye, yet the mere 4 months that stretch out before me, an eternity! Why is that? Anticipation. My name is Julie and I am addicted to anticipation. I’m constantly counting SOMETHING down, and if its two far away for me to focus on, I have to put something in between to hold my focus until it gets a little closer (in this case, we’re counting down to Kevin’s Spring Break, the halfway point of the semester).

As I type that paragraph I hear the sage wisdom about ‘wishing your life away’ and ‘patience being a virtue’ replaying in my subconscious. I have to wonder though, as people age we tend to hear them refer to missing that ‘youthful exuberance’ and casting that nostalgic smile as they watch toddlers rip into presents… So if my anticipation manifests itself in ‘youthful exuberance’… am I really wishing my life away, or did I just manage to hold on to some of the better characteristics of childhood?

The cynics to this theory hold firm that I’m merely immature, naïve, or even ignorant. They see the buildup, my anticipation, as merely the prequel to a letdown… The toy will break, the honeymoon will end… To them, I think Conan O’ Brian captured it best in his farewell speech from “The Tonight Show”:

“All I ask of you is one thing: please don’t be cynical. I hate cynicism- it’s my least favorite quality and it doesn’t lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen”.

I’m not everyone’s cup of tea… which by the way… best realization ever to embrace, and for most, likely only possible post high school/collegiate careers, but I’m quite content with my maturity level in the face of TOTALLY AWESOME events! So to any/all cynics that may stumble across this blog, I ask you politely to respect my point of view, sit on the sidelines reading my updates, and wait for the train wreck that you are certain will be my life… try not to be TOO disappointed when things actually work out :).