Changes

A lot has happened in our little family since my last post. I was recently laid off from my job in Marketing Communications. Part of me went into immediate panic mode - no health insurance, no 401k, no white envelope every other week that was the main reason for doing the work I did. On the upside I gain a lot, mainly much desired time with my son.

All the sudden I found myself a stay at home mom with no immediate plans for a new job (who hires in the 4th quarter anyways).

Life is definitely much different now. What we spend our money on now has to be more carefully considered, I now cut coupons like it is going out of style and I have a new appreciation for how much work it is to stay home.

I know I am not alone in this round of lay offs. Are there any other previous working moms that now find themselves SAHMs? How are you adjusting to being home all day, anythings that surprise you?

I noticed that I love to talk but my eleven month old is not so great at maintaining a conversation yet, thus I end up calling my fellow SAHMs ALOT.

Second, I have lost 10 lbs. I think it might have something to do with not being around an all you can eat ice cream machine and loads of treats around every cube. The downside is that with no extra income I find myself pulling my pants up all the time.

Being home with Max is a dream come true, I just wish it happened because we suddenly found ourselves financially secure and realized that this is the perfect time to quit. While we aren't suddenly financially secure we are doing fine and I can't think of a more perfect day than one that is spent with Max.

Baby Olympics

I know the Olympics have been over for a while but for the 2012 games they should include a couple more events. The first one is the diaper changing event. I blissfully look back on the time when I was excited to see my son roll over, now it takes all I have to keep him still long enough to get one side secure. I pray for 15 seconds of calm or end up pulling out everything on the changing table to distract him.

Why don’t they make pull up diapers in the smaller size that you could easily slip on and then undo on the sides when they are dirty? Think how much easier this would be. Max could be in his favorite position, standing, and I could get his bum covered without breaking a sweat!

In addition to the diaper change event they could also have the outfit snapping event. This event would have to take place in the wee hours of the morning after only three hours of sleep. I always have to redo some button on Max’s outfits, no matter how many there are. The constant movement and wanting to stand on his part doesn’t make it any easier to get him dressed. As he gets more and more mobile sweat pants and t-shirts look more and more appealing as baby clothes.

Do you have any events that you would like to see added to the next games?

My Son the Swiffer

Anyone with dogs that shed knows this time of year is rough. I have two golden retrievers that are losing their summer coat. We need to vacuum about three times a day and even with the much loved FURminator (http://www.furminator.com/) it is clear we are on the losing side of this battle against dog fur.

Normally I wouldn’t mind so much but now with Max crawling he has become our own version of the Swiffer. Set him on the floor and we soon see how much the vacuum missed. On the surface everything looks fine but we soon realize that the dogs need another good brushing when we pick Max up and see a fist full of hair. I sometimes think Max is actually better at picking up the dog hair than our vacuum.

Luckily, winter will be here before we know it and I can then look forward to the dogs losing their winter coat.

Same Store, Different Name

Has anyone else every noticed the similarities between Babies R Us and PetSmart? I know there will be some readers out there that will be upset over the comparison of pets and babies but even though pets will never hold a place in your heart like your child does, you have to admit the stores share some similarities.

When you first bring your little one home you have to make a stop and pick up all the essentials of having a new baby in the house. At PetSmart it happens to be bowls, leashes and collars and at Babies R Us it is cribs, strollers and bottles. The style of each defines what kind of parenting personality you will have. Are you going to crate train (for the dog of course) or will you need that $300 breast pump (I REALLY hope only for the infant)? Since having a new baby in the house can get expensive, maybe PetSmart will start a registry system like Babies R Us to help out the new parents get all the “essentials.”

I know my dogs love going to PetSmart, I don’t think my son even realizes where he is yet. That didn’t stop my husband from trolling the aisles looking for a toy that would capture my son’s attention – just like we do at PetSmart with our dogs. How many balls have made there way into our PetSmart cart because the dog got so excited? I blame the placement of the tennis balls near the ground. Maybe in a year we won’t be able to leave Babies R Us without a new book or loud battery operated toy (hope it is the book).

It feels wrong to go to either store with out your little one – either to show off how cute they are or highlight their good behavior. Once you are there you quickly realize that the whole trip would have been faster and easier if you had left them at home.

Both stores also have stations for any accidents that may happen. Granted the Babies R Us station is in the mother’s room, but like the wet clean up areas of PetSmart you can breath a sigh of relief knowing they are there – just in case.

I guess since our dogs were our babies before our human son arrived it makes sense for there to be these parallels. We want the best for all our little ones and if it means buying toys that will turn them into the next Einstein I find myself getting it, even though I know my son would be just as happy with a measuring cup and my puppy with an old tennis ball found at the park.