Note to self: (and maybe to you too?)

I had started to feel discontent, envious, and even lazy on a regular basis. So I sat down and had a talk with Alex about it. During our chat I came to this conclusion: Life -and motherhood in particular- is not a competition. I realized that I need to remind myself this, sometimes more than others. In this age of digital sharing, (facebook statuses, mommy blogs, twitter) it's even easier to get caught up in how well, and how much better, others seem to be doing.

So I'm working on changing my thinking in these areas:
*My baby: as long as he is healthy, happy, learning, and growing I do not need to be comparing when he reaches milestones, how long he sleeps at night, and how fast his motor skills are developing with other babies So maybe he isn't very good at tummy time, isn't sitting up on his own, and still nurses to sleep at night. He is a very happy little man (most of the time) laughs on a daily basis, is smiling directly at us, growing like a weed, loving bath time, sleeping through the night, and starting to play with his toys. Every baby is different, and every mommy needs to know that and stop comparing her baby to other babies.

*My house: as long as it is relatively clean, regularly vacuumed, and there aren't just huge piles of "stuff" and dishes and laundry I can be content. Sometimes I still get really nit-picky, I have always been a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to cleanliness, especially when something is my responsibility. My husband has been a big help with keeping things done. He's really good at just noticing if the dishes need done and getting that taken care of. He's also a big help with laundry.

*My "business": I'll admit it, I kind of failed in this aspect. I'm not very outgoing, not good at networking, not very good at hounding people (or feeling like I am) so I may have a business page and a whole basket full of handmade headbands, but it seems that it's going nowhere. I may work on it again at some later date, but for now I'll leave home based businesses up to the people who are actually making sales.

*My weight: as someone who has always struggled with weight issues and body image, this has been the hardest thing not to compare or envy. Especially with so many women having had babies around the same time that already lost all of or more than their pregnancy weight. I had a very hard time recovering from my c-section and am just now starting to feel like I can do everything I did before. So it's really slow going. I need to remember that as long as I am happy, getting enough sleep, able to take care of myself and my family, and am working on losing weight in a healthy manner, I need to stop comparing to other women.

Happy mommy and her growing baby

I guess that's about it! Have you ever had struggles with comparing?

I never expected to

As much as I intended to not turn every post into something about Jacob, my life consists of little else these days. So, today's treat: a few things I never expected to laugh at.

*Accidentally spraying milk everywhere when Jacob gets distracted while nursing.

*My baby getting red in the face while crying. There are times when I can tell he's just mad about something...and the little guy is just so stinkin' cute, even when screaming mad.

*Poop in the bathtub, not pretty.

*The fact that Jacob's in his third outfit for the day...whether from diaper blowouts or spit up, sometimes he goes through more outfits in a day than I did when I was a teenager.

*When Jacob starts rooting while Alex is holding him, leaving little wet spots from his tongue. Oopsie!

*When the "sprinkler system" goes off between diapers. There's really very little I can do except clumsily try to get something in the way of the stream (usually the new diaper) then clean up the damage afterwards. It used to distress me when it happened, but I've found it's much easier to laugh. Who knew babies could get such distance!

* When I get out of bed because I hear the baby making a bunch of noise, only to find he was just grunting to toot in his sleep. Another case of it being easier to laugh than to cry.

What about you other mommies out there? What do you find yourself laughing at? Being a mommy can be a messy job!