Another Abandoned Blog

Blogging has fallen to the bottom of the priority list lately as I try to juggle being the mother of an active, walking, falling, whining, running, babbling, nose running, coughing, door opening toddler and managing the "busy season" at work. Life has become a never ending exercise in organization. That pile of paperwork never seems to get any smaller. And since they pay me to work, it must come before blogging.

I have really missed the creative outlet blogging gives me. Each day, when Cutie Pie does something unbelievably cute, I think to myself, "That would make a great blog."

For instance, when Cutie Pie and Da Da invented the "I'm going to get you!" game. I have never heard a sound so beautiful as the giggles and laughs coming from my husband and son playing together. It makes tears come to my eyes just thinking about it.

Cutie Pie has also been discovering new and exciting things around the house. No matter where he is and what he is doing, he keeps one eye on the bathroom door. And if someone should absent mindedly leave it open, Cutie Pie makes a beeline for the toilet, which he thinks is the Best Toy Ever! The best part is that Mommy immediately picks him up when he touches the toilet and washes his hands, another treat. Cutie Pie has begun to associate the toilet with water play. Lucky me!

The most exciting thing to happen lately was when Cutie Pie learned how to open the screen door to the backyard. He loves swinging that door wide open and walking out into the yard all by himself. He's such a big boy now. Unfortunately, he's not always sure on his feet and the other day he tumbled head first into a pile of dirt one of the dogs had just created. Cutie Pie was covered, he even had dirt in his eyes. I resisted the urge to immediately wash him off because it was the first time my baby boy had ever really gotten dirty! Not to worry though, he got a bath soon enough. Which of course, just made his day. Let's hope he doesn't realize that getting filthy gets him a trip to the bathtub or he'll be getting 8 baths a day!

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com

Splish Splash

Bathtime with Cutie Pie has become downright dangerous. He no longer fits in the sweet little baby bath he used since he was born. Now he's a big boy and he sits in the big bath tub. Well, maybe I shouldn't say sit. It's more like wiggles/crawls/falls.

When Cutie Pie hears the bath water turn on he can't wait to jump in. I can tell he's excited because he seems to throw all this body weight against my arm closest to the bath tub as if he's trying to get me to drop him in the tub.

We tried the bath seat thingy that hooks to the side of the tub then keeps the baby in a sitting position. It didn't work for me. Wet babies are too slippery to maneuver in and out of a seat. Cutie Pie takes his bath without the aid of any safety devices. We had to put little frog decals on the bottom of the tub to minimize the slipping and sliding. Before we had help from the frogs, Cutie Pie would just float all over the tub like a little ice cube.

He loves to play with his little bath toys. They keep him occupied while Mommy tries to rub soap all over him. Washing Cutie Pie isn't easy because he doesn't stop moving. My first priority is to keep him from putting his face under the water. Any time spent not playing lifeguard is used for washing. Keeping Cutie Pie clean is not always easy. Who knew a baby could get so much gunk on him?

I read somewhere that I shouldn't drain the tub while Cutie Pie is still in it because it will make him afraid of the drain. But removing the water from the tub is the only way I can convince him to get out when bath time is over.

http://theadventuresofcutiepie.blogspot.com/

The Neverending To-Do List

Once upon a time and long, long ago, there lived a grown woman with a spotless house who made delicious and creative dinners. She dedicated time and energy toward her job. In her spare time, she planned exciting vacations, which she paid for with her extra money.

It all seems like a fairy tale about a far away dream land. I've only been a mother for five months and already my reality has been shocked into a world of sleeplessness, multi-tasking and guilt at not being able to do it all. Right now, as I type this with one hand, I am pumping breast milk, planning dinner in my head and feeling guilty that I'm not doing something more productive like cleaning the bathroom. Thank goodness I don't have one of those fancy breast pumps that lets you walk around hands free, or I'd be cleaning the bathroom right now!

In the old days, I would get up on Saturday morning and clean the house. A few hours later, the house would be "clean" and I would be free to do whatever I wanted for the remainder of the weekend. Yesterday, I announced to my husband that there is no longer a such thing as "clean." It's just a Neverending To-Do List that must be accomplished during those rare moments when Cutie Pie is sleeping or happily enjoying the attention of someone else. The very act of cleaning creates its own chaos which must also be cleaned! I wish we could afford a maid. But then I'd have to clean for that too.

Right now, on my Neverending To-Do List is Spring Cleaning. I've got a day of dusting, window washing and closet cleaning ahead of me. I've got those high plant shelves in my house. You know, the shelves that are way up next to the ceiling? I have absolutely no idea why builders think these are a good idea. You have to buy all kinds of junk to put up there so they look nice but it can't be stuff you might actually want to use because it's too high up. Then you have to get up on a ladder to put things up there. I used to ignore it because it we don't use any of the decorative junk up there. Besides, it's so high you can't even tell if there's a little dust. But after time, it must have built up because every now and then a ball of dust will come rolling off the shelf and into my otherwise clean house. It's particularly embarrassing when we have guests over. So today, I will be dragging the ladder around my house and pushing dust off the shelves and onto my floor. I've tried to use a vacuum to dust up there but it's too big and difficult to reach the ceiling. Since there will be dust balls flying about, I've had to take Cutie Pie to school today. He's already got a stuffy nose and I don't want him to have to breathe dust in the house.

It may seem like I am complaining about Spring Cleaning but really I am a little excited about working on a project at home alone. I just wish the house would stay clean when I am finished. Alas, each task I accomplish today will just fall back to the bottom of the Neverending To-Do List.