This is the first of five posts over the next ten days as part of Momalom’s Five for Ten. Each participant writes about the same topic everyday–today’s topic is about courage! I thought that this would be a fun exercise to get to know other bloggers! If you want, stop by & visit all the participants. I hope you enjoy! I look forward to stopping by each of your blogs & getting to know you as well over the next 10 days!
Once he fell asleep, I decided that I better go to bed as fast as I could because I was suspecting the worst from him in the middle of the night. I washed my face, I brushed my teeth, changed clothes, got into bed, turned out the lights, laid down, closed my eyes….and then BURST INTO TEARS!!!
If you think about it, I have had this child attached to me physically either by umbilical cord or boob for the last 20 months. We have never spent a night apart & now I was having to face the fact that my little baby had yet again taken a huge step from infancy to toddlerhood. (I’m also thoroughly convinced that every single babynapper out there got a memo saying that my child, my beautiful baby boy, was now sleeping away from his bat, crazy, paranoid mother & it was time to come get him!)
As I lay in bed last night convincing my husband that Lboy was going to be taken from his crib from the phantom babynappers (don’t watch Oprah I blame this fear on her) or that he was going to suffocate in his sleep, I started thinking about all of the other things I’m going to have to let Lboy do–things that will take courage on my part so that he can do them without me hovering over him (more courage than letting him sleep alone.)
Someday, he will learn to run & I will have to watch him fall down, get hurt & teach him to get back up again. Watching my baby cry takes courage. Someday he will have to go to kindergarten & he will be nervous around all those new faces & I will be nervous for him. And I will have to have courage to know that he will be alright & know that it’s best for him.
Someday he will go to college, make mistakes, get his heart broken, choose a degree, graduate, choose a career, choose a wife, make bad & good choices–I will have to have courage to allow him to do those things & hope that by giving him the freedom to make his own choices he will be a better person for it.
For me as an A-type personality, paranoid, control freak a mom, I’ll have to remember to use courage when raising him & letting go of those mommy reigns. And today, I will use some courage to remember to take it one day at a time & enjoy the fact that he’s still only 11 months old & still likes to play in his Daddy’s baseball caps…
Great post! I just kept nodding my head.
that made me tear up.. i was thinking about my baby & i haven't even had to watch him cry yet!! I'm an emotional wreck.
ps- whitley told me about how logan gets super jealous & freaks out & pushes todd away anytime you guys are affectionate w/ each other!! I think this is HILARIOUS & you should post video and/or write about it so i can enjoy seeing logan get pissed off at the fact that someone else is getting his mama's love. HAH! the joys of motherhood.
Thank you!
Yeah it's bad! lol Now it just makes Todd & me laugh–in the beginning it was frustrating but now it's just funny! I'll see if we can't get video of it & I'll write something about it! Thanks for the posting idea!
Oh & pregnancy will make you an emotional wreck–I would watch "A Baby Story" on TLC & would watch those women give birth & when they would meet their babies for the first time I would BURST into tears! I had to stop watching them after a while!
Awesome post! I might have to join in! Hubby and I stayed up super late last night talking about this exact topic concerning our kids!
I agree with making as much stuff as you can. I did buy the cakes, but I made the cokeios. We did simple food like fruit kabobs and cheese and crackers. For the goodie bags, I made these candy trains since it was a train theme that I found online we ended up having thousands left over but oh well we enjoyed them! At bradens party all the kids wanted to help with presents, so I would suggest making a large area for gifts so they can all huddle around and help . We moved all of our furniture out of the living room at our old house and it was perfect lots of floor space. Let me know if I can help you with anything!! I love to do crafty projects or if you don’t feel up to running a quick errand or whatever .I’m just down the road!
I think that is the hardest thing we do as a parent, letting go. I have a difficult time letting go of alot of things. The past. The present. It is with ambivalence that I watch my own daughter grow, knowing in the future, she will be dancing on her own.
Nice to meet you. Five for Ten paved the way.
Since they are too little to open gifts the onpnieg of the presents is not as much fun as you would think I would have something else for people to do while yall open gifts. We had a video playing of pictures from the first year and set it up where people could easily talk and not feel like they had to give 100 % attention.Also if you will be inviting a good amount of kids that are about the same age remember that everyone has a nap time at different times. We learned this at a bday party for a friend whose lil one was a few months older. Everyone had to leave before they got to everything. So for C’s party I did everything at the beginning and that way if they needed to get someone down for a nap they could and if they wanted to stay and play they could.Good luck, it is so fun!
Thank you!–did y'all come up with anything enlightening?!
I have to remember I can't always be in control–it's a hard thing to teach myself every.single.day….thanks for stopping by! I just went over to your place–good post!
I love this. You hit on all the points when us mommies need courage. I'm so glad the sleeping on his own, is going well. I think I might join in on this 5 for 10.
Aww..I just want to give you a big hug and tell you it's all going to be okay. Really. It will. You will survive it all, and so will he. P.S: I didn't move X out of our room til he was over a year, so I know exactly how you feel!
I have a vague memory of that sleep training cry it out phase. I'm amazed that it isn't more vivid because it was so terrifying at the time!
What an awesome atnevdure and I amhappy you were wearing your cute snowshoes! jk You look right at homefor your first snow romp! Lookslike it was fun for mom too!
Yes! And he's actually doing better than I am–he's asleep within minutes. It's just me! lol
He slept 12 hours last night, woke up once! I'm so proud of him–it's me that's having all the problems! lol
Thank you! It's not fun for me having to learn how to sleep by myself all over again–it's very weird!
Good for you guys! Each night will get easier. And the transitions will, too.
If I sit still and block out the distractions I can remember back to the days with my firstborn. And the emotional whirlwind of teaching him to sleep through the night. It's heart-wrenching, it's exhausting, but it happens. It does happen. With most kids I know. And then you'll move on to a new set of exhausting challenges. So thinking about all of this in terms of courage and strength and letting go is the really the best type of attitude to take with you, in my humble opinion.
Good luck to you and that sweet boy. And get some rest!