Hope you didn't get pinched today!

This little guy remembered to wear his green!

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

If there was a Blog Protective Services organization, someone would surely call them for this neglected slice of the interweb!  

I have so much I fully intended on writing about: the struggle of breastfeeding (an eon ago!), Coleson's January and February re-caps, the fresh paint in my living room, my unfiltered look at motherhood, a new bread pudding recipe I baked for my mother-in-law after her surgery,  my progress on my sister's bridal shower decorations, and a homemade bridal survival kit that I love.  As one of my favorite blogs said it best, I guess I prefer starting a new project to writing about an old one!   Or, to be fair, sometimes Coleson's nap time is just too precious for computer time.  To show you how behind I am, I even started a post about my new year's resolution only to abandon mid-post several times, the cursor sadly blinking, to do frivolous things like crash with exhaustion or shower.

I considered writing a final post to conclude this blog for good because I hate the idea of it developing digital cobwebs and being frozen on a post written months previously.  It just seemed kind of sad to end it without one final thoughtful post.  

But I changed my mind because I don't think I'm done with this space yet.  

I want to keep it up, and try to write once or more per week, until at least Coleson's first birthday if not longer.  As a certain bossy sock likes to remind me, Coleson won't be this little for long, and this blog is definitely my virtual scrapbook for future me who won't be able to remember just how chubby his cheeks once were. 

 And I think any medium that can be about me as a person, not just me as a mama, will be refreshing.  Also, I realized it gives me a kick in the ass to get more projects done.  It's lame to use "Huh!  I can blog about this!" as inspiration for, say, revamping my living room, but whatever works.

Speaking of which, might as well start by sharing my latest project.  You might remember my living room with dark frames and Slumpty Dumpty, the pea green couch.  Man, do I rue the day that I made this purchase... ugh!

I hate the color of that couch.  Nothing else, with the exception of the pillow on the brown chair, really goes with it.  I decided I needed to hang some new art and move the family photos to other parts of the house.  Not wanting or able to spend any money, I reverted to paint sample, the freebie art craze all over Pinterest that I've already done once for my bedroom.

So I made four more free paint sample art pieces in similar shades to Slumpty and the throw pillows and hung them over the couch, hoping to make the green make more sense:

I kinda love it!  It looks a bit modern and much brighter and almost beachy.  I hung the frames a bit higher than normal so Coleson wouldn't tear them off the wall when he gets to standing age. 

 Oh, and I changed out the side tables.  That was my early birthday present from Dan.  They were majorly on sale at Target (under $80 for both during the decor sale!)  I think they do a nice job of further distracting from Slumpty!

ignore price tag!  I was debating on returning them when snapping these pics, but decided they lighten the room.

I'm happy with the change!

A Shower is in the Forecast

My little sister is getting married! 

Bethy, on the off chance you are reading my blog (ha!), stop here to avoid spoiling any surprises.

Not Bethy?  Good!  Continue:

I've been planning her shower even before she was engaged.  That's my idea of a good time- ha ha!  When someone from my work mentioned to me that family members are not supposed to throw the shower because it seems like begging for gifts, I rolled my eyes.  Who makes up these rules??  I want to throw one of my favorite people in the world her bridal shower, dammit! I have basically hogged this planning process and sent her a little package for Valentine's Day to reveal her shower invitation and the theme, just for fun.  Here's what she opened:

Bethany requested that the shower be in early spring because her soon-to-be-sister-in-law moves to Germany soon, and she didn't want her to miss it.  So even though she is getting married in November, we ended up planning a shower for April.  The theme?  April Shower, of course!  (To be extra cheesy, the official theme is An April Shower Brings Wedding Flowers. Six months later, that is.)

The invite:

On the back, I wrote this poem:

Before the Miss will become a Mrs.,

Let's shower her with love and our best wishes!

The forecast calls for a luncheon;

Yes, there's an April shower in sight!

We are so happy for our Bethy,

for she has found her Mr. Right!

The colors are pink and orange for the shower, so I bought a box of corresponding thank you cards and addressed the envelopes to all the guests, to save her time.

I wrapped a lollipop like a dahlia and attached the theme to it:

 I packed it up with pink crinkly stuffing and voila!  Just a little package to get her excited!

 I've been hot gluing pink raindrops from tissue paper clouds and ordering pink watering cans online and finding the perfect umbrella to use as a guestbook (?) and trying to search out orange pinwheels in the shape of flowers.  Let the private Pinterest board action begin!

Lost Sock

I added this January pic (3 months!) because I realized I never shared it.  Plus, this post needed some cuteness!

Staying at home is a little like the movie Groundhog Day.  

I mix up a vat of formula at night, label the bottles, rock Coleson when he wakes up at 2am, and sing Zippity Do Da while rolling up the shades as the sun rises to help develop his circadian rhythm. 

 Watch him glug down bottle after bottle.  Diaper changes. Let him stroke the fur in Pat the Bunny. Tummy time. Naps. Activity Mat.  Meltdown #1 and #2.  

Bath time.  Massage time.  Stories. Feel creeped out when the mom in Love You Forever uses a ladder to climb into her adult son's bedroom.   Suddenly, think of Norman Bates and his mother.  But then I get to the end and well up with tears in spite of myself.  Circle of life, you know?

 Lullaby.  Prayers.  Swaddle.  Go downstairs to mix a new vat of formula.  Repeat.  

It's too easy to muddle through the routine and forget to really soak this time in, to preserve it for the future when I miss kissing the downy hair on the nape of his neck and peeling lint out of his baby rolls.  So, I try to constantly remind myself to take mental snapshots of Coleson. 

Click!  I try to savor a mental shot of his his face breaking into a grin while he kicks his feet at the floor piano mat.   I know someday I'll miss the annoying, mechanical Ring Around the Rosies music that blasts from this Fisher Price toy.   

When his eyes widen at the view of our snow covered street, I hold him there for a long time and think, "What is it like to see such pure white snow for the first time?" and try to peep out through his eyes.   The houses suddenly look extra magical all blanketed.

Click!  He squawks in protest when doing tummy time on my stomach.  "You're okay! Don't be such a baby!" I croon, feeling clever.  He squawks again... and then barfs down my cleavage.

Touché, Coleson.  Looks like you had the last laugh on that one. But I reason that at least it already is a funny mental video I can play back when you are slamming the door of your room one day.

Yes, I realize I am sentimentalizing my baby's vomit.  I've become so soft!

Everyone's #1 advice (besides to sleep when the baby sleeps) is the same.  Person after person has trilled, "Enjoy every moment because it goes by so fast!"  

But, of course, even with an actual camera, it's hard to hold on to every experience.  I'm already nostalgic for how he used to fall asleep on me.  Correction:  I sobbed "I can't eeeven calm my bay-beeee!" to Dan one night when Cole flailed and become agitated the more I rocked him. A photo of him snoozing in the crook of my arm is not the same as actually hearing his sleepy sigh, feeling the weight of his sack of potatoes body. 

 I realize I'm more like the aforementioned creepy mother who crawls through her son's window than I thought, but Coleson could fall asleep on me every evening for the next few years, and I still wouldn't store up enough memories of holding my sleeping baby.

 It's kind of like the children's book The Snowy Day (to borrow from another one of Coleson's bedtime stories). After a day of having a blast making snow angels and funny footprints, the little boy puts a snow ball in his pocket to treasure as a souvenir.  He's dejected when it melts away. 

But to enjoy every moment?  That's a lofty goal, don't you think?  I don't always "live in the now", as psyche 101 students and self-help books put it.    Nope.  I wonder what student my colleagues are bitching about in the resource room as I sanitize all the little parts to the Dr. Brown's bottle.  I have to force myself to put down my cell phone when Coleson's feeding, realizing I am missing his gaze as I browse french toast recipes on Pinterest.  I think "Please answer... please answer" when I dial my sister during Cole's naptime. I feel cabin fever as I fold laundry, annoyed by the pea green paint in our dining room.  Why did I pick such a drab color?  It always looks like a cloudy day in here. 

That's the deal, though.  I'd wager that even the most zen minded person can get distracted and forget to enjoy every moment when folding an Everest pile of underwear.

I guess that brings me to the title of this post.

One of Coleson's little socks has made a home in my top dresser drawer.  Dan must have put it there after mistaking it for one of my white workout ones while sorting, and it has stayed nestled there for the past month.  The first time I grabbed it and crammed my toes in, I was confused for a moronic millisecond, all Why has my sock shrunk to doll size?  But then I remembered the twelve pound little guy sleeping in the other room, smiled, and returned it back to my drawer.

When I root around for a pair to go running, I keep accidentally grabbing it, realizing it doesn't match mine, and tossing it back in. I smile every time I'm inconvenienced.  Coleson's other sock is going to stay mate-less because I'll never be returning this one to the nursery's dresser.

It's almost like this sock has its own know-it-all personality, squealing... 

LOOK HOW tiny I AM!  

Can you BELIEVE you have a baby so small?  Gosh, I'm even baggy on him right now!  

Coleson won't fit in me for long, you know??  

Enjoy every second because it goes SO fast!"

So I'm told.  

It's the end of January...

do I know where this month has gone?  Nope.

2013 has been a monumental year, so it deserves the annual re-cap, even if everyone is already moving on from reminiscing and singing Auld Lang Syne and have started to slack on their resolutions and watch Downton Abbey episodes rather than driving to the gym.  Or is the latter just me?

Anyway, here is 2012 month by month:

 

In January...

Went to the most depressing party ever:  here

Finally had an HSG: here

Took in a little culture:  here

 In February...

I found out I was pregnant!!!  But I was paranoid and didn't tell anyone else besides Dan.

Love inspired post:  here

 In March...

Turned 32 (and randomly watched the nerdiest hobby:  a game of Quidditch):  here

 In April...

Honored Dan's late father:  here

 In May...

I finally revealed my pregnancy!!!!  here

Dished about first trimester:  Here

 In June...

Revealed the sex of our baby with pastries:  here

In July...

Discussed a health scare:  here

In August...

Finally documented our June trip to San Francisco:  here

In September...

Finished the nursery:  here

Mouth resuscitated one ugly baby:  here

In October...

Shared baby shower:  here

Explained why pee was in my fridge:  here

COLESON WAS BORN:  HERE

In November...

Birth Story:  here

Time starts being measured with his firsts!  First Thanksgiving:  here

In December...

First Christmas:  Here

What. A. Year.

Two Months

Hi, Coleson!

Two months old, little man.  This has been the shortest and longest eight weeks of my life.  Being on maternity leave is such precious time with you.  You still occasionally fall asleep on me, but it's less often.  Whenever you do, I always stop what I'm doing and watch you and then slightly recline to nap as well.  I don't think there is anything better in the world than a mother having her baby fall asleep on her.  You occasionally thrash and let out the sweetest little baby sigh when I squeeze you in tighter to console you. Soon, I know you'll be too stimulated by living for silly things like taking naps on mama and will need to go to your boring crib to sleep, so I am soaking this time in while I can.

Daddy and I breathed a sigh of relief when we read in Baby 411 that six to eight weeks is usually the height of fussiness.  You can go from "Yeah... I guess I could eat" to "WHY ARE YOU TWO CLOWNS STARVING ME!!" in less than two minutes.  You also have the occasional flailing-legs-screeching fit at 2 am after you've been changed, fed, rocked, and cuddled.  One time, Daddy crawled back in bed at 4am after one such freak-out.  When I asked how you were, he mumbled, "Finally asleep.  I had to put him in the car just to calm him down. I drove around town for an hour and then thought, 'Where would be open?' So we ended up at Krispy Kreme."

That is how your Daddy stress ate two jumbo chocolate iced, kreme filled doughnuts at 3:30 am.

It's neat to see Daddy being a father.  I heard him over the monitor reading Good Night Moon to you once.  

"'Good night noises everywhere.'  The End.  Hmmm... What did you think of that Coleson?  It seemed to be good on pictures, but light on plot development.  You agree?  Would you give it two pacis down?"

You'll laugh at him one day, promise!

There were so many firsts this month.

You finally learned the concept of peek a boo and smile widely... but only when mama does it to you, which is cute.  You grin when Daddy wiggles his fingers at you, and makes an ambulance noise, but not when I do it.  I think it's neat that the two of us each have our own thing going on with you for now.  We're going to start trying to outdo one another just to see who can entertain you the most.  Cirque de Soleil skits to come...

  You charmed the pants off an entire office Christmas party while they were all playing flip cup ( you brought your own bottle), and, of course, Kate and Mark who came for a visit.  They have an adorable boy who you will get to meet soon!

Daddy and I took you to meet Santa.  You snoozed the entire time, but woke up later when we took more photos:

You had your first Christmas, which included more toys than FAO Schwartz and lots of cuddles from everyone.  

Grampy's voice is one of your favorites.  He can always get a smile out of you.

Oh, and you tried to suck Mimi's cheek when you got hungry on Christmas Day.

 Speaking of hungry, you have quite the appetite and have gained at least two more pounds.  We go to the doctor's on the 30th and are excited to see how you've grown.

Everyone is looking out for your little habits.  Daddy and I were chuckling at family members who were already widely speculating about your personality.  "He's an extrovert!  Look how interested he is in other people!"

I don't know if we can apply Myers Briggs to you already, but I already found myself doing the same thing during tummy time when you fought to keep your head up and kept trying again and again and again.  "What tenacity! What courage!"

The truth is we have no idea of your personality yet, and that's okay.  We just love studying your expressions, taking in your habits,  watching you begin to grow up already.  It's heart-breaking, and precious, and wonderful.

We love you, Coleson.

Anne Geddes, Perverted Santa, and the Nightmare Before Christmas

Oh, hello!

It's been a while, I know.  But you've been busy making merry too, right?

With Coleson's first Christmas, I was determined to make it special, which meant doing all of traditions and adding several new ones... even if he slept through most of them.  My sister-in-law Em pointed out that he was too young for most toys and can't even hold his head up properly, so the best way to have fun with him around Christmas is to go "full-on Anne Geddes and shit."

Her point:  dress him up in a million fun Christmas outfits and take pictures:  

Santa Coleson:

Kissable Coleson:

And my favorite outfit... Dapper Coleson!

Is this not the cutest onesie ever??  It was the sweetest gift, and he looked so cute in it!  Comfy and dressy!

This was also the year of our first Christmas card.  Never have sent one out before,  but I decided since it was Coleson's first, I could indulge.  I wanted to make it funny and kinda creative so I chose an infographic template that broke down our year into random facts.

Without further ado, here's our Christmas/ New Year's Card this year:

I just loved it!  It was kind of graphic and cool while being a bit different than the usual Christmas card.

We used this picture from our venture out to visit Santa.  Yes, our little guy is wearing a Santa outfit, thank you very much.

The top part summarized our trip to wine country and Dan's crushing disappointment with the Redskins' performance this year:

The bottom part summarized the somewhat perverted Santa visit we had.  See under "Three Things About This Photo":

Dan and I did our usual tradition of visiting the fancy schmancy Jefferson Hotel to see their annual gingerbread creation.  This year's was a 400 pound gingerbread sleigh covered in thirty pounds of ribbon candy and over four hundred Jelly Bellies.

As you can see, Coleson was riveted.

We also did our annual Christmas light tour.  This year,we found a bizarre and oh-so-creative house that paid tribute to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Anybody seen that movie where the Halloween characters try to take over Christmas?  The owner must be an artist because he created larger than life sculptures of characters from Christmastown:

See the wreath on the door?  Attention to detail, I tell you.

He carved out over thirty Christmas and Nightmare Before Christmas jack-o-lanterns and lit them up:

Yes, Santa is being kept captive in the background:

     Of course, we finished by going to our favorite house: the one an elderly couple always decorates in memory of their son, who loved Christmas.  It is such a labor of love.

I'll skip over details of our family Christmas, but will say if you haven't played the adult version of Headbanz while drunk then you need to!

This was the year when Bethany got engaged (yay!  Already planning her shower and Bachelorette!!), so there were a lot of funny gifts to her.

Coleson must have been good because look at all the loot Santa brought!  

Hope your holiday was full of love and happy memories!