Accomplishments

While I was incredibly proud of myself for taking the baby on a twenty minute walk all alone, I was thinking about how my definition of an "accomplishment" has drastically changed. I tried to think of what I would formerly consider an accomplishment, and it took me about half the walk. So we can cross "thinking" and "remembering" off the list for sure. I guess things like race PRs, good grades, doing well at work, things like that.

Nowadays, it's a horse of a different color. Babies really are all consuming. While we were trying to figure out what to watch on TV the other night, we realized that neither one of us knew what day of the week it was, but we did both know when Dalton last ate, peed, pooped, and how long he had been asleep. You really have to think for two people, even if one is tiny, so brain-space wise, something's gotta give.

However, in terms of my new definition, this week is essentially equivalent to a Nobel prize. Just take a look.

1. I wore the baby. Sounds easy, but I had to watch a YouTube video on how to use the Ergo. Twice. And to further complicate things, the baby in the video wasn't crying or squirming or really doing anything at all. Come to think of it, it didn't even seem like a real baby, it was more like an Olsen twin from season 1 of Full House.

The positioning gave him unlimited access to his hands, which is a big deal in his world. He loved life.

2. I wore the baby a second time, and left the house WITHOUT ANOTHER ADULT (which inspired this post, as mentioned above). There was a false start, when I realized I couldn't hear him over the traffic and couldn't feel his breathing with the wind, but after going back inside and verifying that he was breathing, we did enjoy a successful nap/walk.

3. We rounded out the week three for three, and I took Dalton on a car trip, again just the two of us. It was terrifying, but I had to remind myself that he actually had been with me every time I'd been in the car since we rang in the year 2014. He was probably even safer in a car seat and not near an air bag. Still frightening though.

I hadn't driven in over 3 weeks, so it was a real adjustment.

We went to a new mother's group hosted by the hospital.

This was actually the day before on a playdate with Carolyn and Nathan, but if I had asked to take pictures of a stranger and her baby for my blog then I would never make new friends and that's hard enough for me as it is.

He was a champ, so we kept it rolling and went to the farmer's market and Trader Joes, and I wore him (and he slept) the whole time. I kept waiting for someone to stop me and be like "hey! Give me that baby! Having a baby is for real adults. You can't just be walking around in public, wearing that baby, thinking you're a mom."

I don't know if I have a bit of hipster in me or if it's just more stuff white people like or what, but I just love this farmer's market. It's only open Thursday afternoons, so I can usually only go in the summer, and all summer I fantasized about how Dalton and I would go together on my maternity leave, and I was so excited to finally be living the fantasy. Dream big.

4. My incision hates me so much less. I showered and it didn't hurt. Furthermore, I moved  past my fear of my guts spilling out and didn't even sleep with my ab binder last night. (Apparently ab binders are a thing to shrink your belly, but that's not what this is, mine is from the hospital and designed to cover my incision and help me heal from surgery.) Last week, I was in constant pain while the binder was in the wash. This week, I washed it and didn't even feel the desire to put it back on. I'm not sure this is technically an accomplishment, but it's my body putting itself back together, so I'm counting it. I didn't even have to eat any organic kale for it to happen.

~Imagine a gross incision picture here~

5. I pumped and Dalton had a bottle. Pumping was scary for reasons that are better also left to the imagination.

The only possibly appropriate picture.

That's actually his fourth bottle. Just saying.

I know a baby doing something one week is far from a guarantee that they are solid on that skill, but this really went a long way towards reassuring me that I won't have to choose between quitting my job and selling an organ to make ends meet or starving my child. Not that I was worried or anything.

 6. I gave this kid a bath. All by myself. The neighbors didn't even call social services. So, so much screaming.

7. I walked to the store, bought ingredients, and cooked dinner for us. That's the first time since Dalton was born that I cooked anything but banana bread or lactation cookies. I made pesto chicken stuffed peppers, which I highly recommend by the way.

8. I made a date for a night out. I'm going to see Mockingjay the weekend it comes out (the end of November). It doesn't really count since Dalton will be with Eric, but it will still be the longest I'll be away from him and that's scary, which I realize sounds crazy if you don't have kids (it did to me).

9. I'm still devoted to promoting whooty awareness, but now I'm also working on disproving the idea that boys clothes are less cute than girls. Check this guy out.

A little froggy! It has a tongue sticking out that you can't see.

Another thing I used to think sounded crazy was "he/she is growing so fast!" at weeks old. It's not crazy.

Work it.

Let's all brag and share accomplishments and hug and post gold stars!