-Golda Meir
Speaking of time, ALOT of it has gone by since I last blogged! Bear with me, I am pretty rusty at this blogging thing. It's been MONTHS since I did anything remotely involving this kind of creativity. In this time quite a lot of things have happened! My beautiful, amazing son was born on December 10th, 2012 at 1:08 PM after close to 40 hard hours of labor, 3 1/2 hours of pushing and an emergency C-Section!
Also in this time I have started my cloth diapering adventure and I am proud to report that it is going GREAT! I absolutely love it. To me it feels like no extra work and I really love how the system I invested in works. Disposables leak on me on the rare occasions that I use some of the MANY diapers I was given (because people were SO sure that cloth diapering wouldnt work for me, or that i'd give up) where my cloth diapers have never done so. Washing them is a breeze, and I use my diaper sprayer to rinse out the heavier messes. It feels as natural as can be and I am proud to tell me that I am a cloth diapering Mommy. Granted I realize that me being at home full time makes this process easier, but I just love it! I get so many compliments on my diapers from strangers all the time, from the doctors office to Mommy groups to women in public changing areas in restrooms! They comment on how cute they are, how different they are from what they think of when they think of cloth diapers, and how quick they are to utilize even out on the go! Needless to say cloth diapering is a huge success in the Pope household!
I am also embracing SAHMotherhood. Adjusting to the role and trying to fight the battle of building a routine and schedule for not only my son but for myself as well. It's one thing to build a routine for Chase, that in itself is a big enough challenge, but quite another to challenge myself to set tasks that I want to accomplish etc, etc. I build weekly schedules only to find that they are dashed by Chase's whims! But I don't discourage easily, and so I build looser schedules with more leeway. I make tentative plans with other SAHM and working friends but always with the disclaimer of "IF Chase sleeps good and we dont have any odd sleeping behavior." Because my son is a GREAT sleeper who will pretty much sleep all through the night with maybe a wakeup once for a little snack and then go right back to sleep. Chase routinely sleeps all through the night without fail, save for the nights before we have a doctors appointment or Mommy date. Then he decides to wake up randomly, although I'm still very fortunate in that he goes back to sleep fairly quickly.
I try and challenge myself to keep the house in good order, to cook at least twice a week, and to make myself get out of the house with Chase at least once or twice a week. I also challenge myself to go somewhere by myself at least once every two weeks for at least an hour to get some refresh time and come back with renewed patience. Its amazing how much of a difference an hour once every two weeks makes. Not to mention that I need a minute here and there to gather my brain power since I seem to be certifiably Mommy-Brained, and cant remember ANYWHERE near as much as I used to be able to.
All in all, time has been good to me thus far. I adore being a mother, have gotten the hang of breastfeeding (LOVE it) and have mastered the task of cloth diapering in a matter of 8 weeks to what I think is a pretty satisfactory level.
Still, that little tick-tocking villain is lurking at my heels. Every day I notice Chase changing a little more. It's the little things like when he's nursing his feet touch the bed or couch now while laying across me. Or that he smiles at me and watches me carefully, even seems to be "talking" to me in conversation form of his own, which I adore. Its stealing minutes and seconds of my son being young and me enjoying this time with him. And so the reference to this quote. I MUST govern time, lest it govern me. I will drain every drop of enjoyment out of every second with my sweet, sweet, precious baby boy. I WILL be productive to a level that makes me feel accomplished and productive but doesnt detract from time with my child. I will try or do anything that helps making me being at home full time less of a stress for my husband and my family. I will enjoy every second with my family before time, like the thief that it is, comes in and changes everything.
Its with a sense of urgency that I write this blog. An urgency to embrace Chase's childhood, to accomplish my own dreams in order to make his life better one day, and to love my husband deeply enough to try and make sure to spend time with him as well. Time is a thing we cannot buy, its a thing untamable, unchangeable, unstoppable and without a rewind option. I plan to make the most of every second of it that I have! I hope you do the same!
