DIY Fail

I had this genius idea.  A radical, homemaking idea that would trump all past projects.  I would make my own laundry detergent.  It would be healthier.  It would be better for the earth.  It would save money.

So I did my research.  I made a cute container.  I grated Ivory soap and carefully mixed it with Borax and Washing Soda.  And then I broke our washing machine.  After several floods, we realized the soap was clogging the machine.  Thank God Jason was able to take the whole thing apart and fix it.  And he did not hassle me at all for my mistake.  Just gracefully picked up some store bought detergent and encouraged me to stick to paper crafts and cooking.

(I'm taking his advice and making homemade refried beans this weekend.)

Things I would never do as a parent, Part II

Adding to my list of things I said I would never do, and then did, because hey, parenting is harder than it looks.

- Let my child use a life jacket at the pool (near-drowning is how you learn to swim)
- Buy my child hot chocolate at Starbucks
- Go to Disneyland (we will go to Yosemite, dammit!)
- Get annoyed when my toddler asks, "Why?" 1,000 times a day

And here we are, chillin' at the park, 17ish weeks pregnant (these are from a few weeks ago).

And if you are looking for a laugh-out-loud read, check out Letter to My Pregnant Childless Self. Here is a quick excerpt that cracked me up:

While we are on the topic of useless shit (pun intended) that you are obsessing over, it seems as though you are sitting around wondering if you’ll poop on the table during delivery. Guess what? When the time actually comes, you won’t care if fecal matter ends up on the ceiling as long as they get that baby the hell out of you faster than a teenage boy gets off on the latest Victoria’s Secret catalog.

Oh, and that book you’re reading on natural birth? Quit wasting your time with it and pick up a copy of What the Fuck Do I Do with this Baby?

20-week ultrasound

On Monday I had my 20-week ultrasound.  Sadly I had to go alone because Jason and Truman had been projectile vomitting over the weekend (super fun).  Truman's sex was a surprise, but we decided to find out this time.  The ultrasound tech took forever measuring my fluid, my ovaries, and my placenta . . . and I wanted to growl out her, "Let's look at the baby already!"  Finally we got to the good parts, little clenched fists, little feet dancing on my cervix, a fast and steady heartbeat.  And then the undeniable fact that this baby is a boy. 

Brothers. 

I spent a few minutes in the quiet ultrasound room mourning the fact that there would be no girls in our family.  And I wondered if the tech noticed.

And then I smiled when I imagined brothers.  Wrestling.  Tearing apart my house.  Eating on my good couch.  Sharing a room. 

Half-way home, little gecko.  We can't wait to meet you. 

Christmas at Grams

Christmas Eve gift opening

Reading the story of Christmas

Happy to be at Grams

Christmas morning gift opening

Making snickerdoodles

Playing with Dad's old legos

More legos

Christmas Eve at Home

Pleased as punch about ski passes from Santa

Baby bottles! For Truman or for Mama?

Becoming a pro at unwrapping gifts

We didn't forget you

Legos!

A new costume from Aunt Jenny and Aunt Megan

Homemade robot shirt from Truman's Aunties

New books!

Delivering Chritmas goodies to our dear neighbor

17ish Weeks Pregnant

The best part of pregnancy this time around is how little there is to do.  While I do want to prepare physically and mentally for the birth itself, there is simply less to do/think about with #2.

As I look back on the planning/anxiety during my pregnancy with Truman, I have to laugh at myself.  Did I really insist on interviewing pediatricians when I was seven months pregnant?  I can still remember our current doctor’s reaction when I asked her to explain her philosophy on vaccines.  (Uh, vaccinate your child you dumbass.)

And the birthing classes, with the birth videos that had me curled up in the corner of the room with my hands covering my eyes.  And the hours of internet research on car seat safety.  And the dutiful collection of baby gear.  I am thankful Jason and I experienced this rite of passage together, and I am thankful this time around is much more simple.

The to-do list is really quite simple.

·         Exercise and eat healthy

·         Put the crib together

·         Figure out the cloth diaper plan

·         Agree on a name

 

Getting crazy

What is new at the Shutt house:
- We are working on a simple Christmas. Less running around, more sitting by the fire.  Less presents, more time together.  Less work, more play.

- I have updated my hopes and intentions for 2013.  I could not come up with 13 goals so I went with my top seven. Click here.

- Chillin' with Truman, our favorite roommate.  His favorite game is to imagine we are babies and/or baby animals.  Typically this involves hiding from beavers who want to bite us (?), building a cave/den/tunnel, and crying for our mommies.  Other favorite activities include legos, flying like batman/spiderman, painting (but not paper, anything but paper), and jumping on furniture.

- Talking about baby names, delighting in baby kicks, planning for birth, and thinking about how I will fit a crib in Truman's room.

Recipe for the best sandwich in the world

Rye bread (it has to be rye)
Cream cheese (veggie cream cheese works too)
Radishes, sliced thin (they make the sandwich, don't skip them)
Red pepper, sliced thin
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)
Jalepenos

That's it. This is the best sandwich in the world.

Things I will never do as a parent

This is a list of things I said—Pre-Truman—that I would never do as a parent. 

       ·         I will never let my child eat in the car

·         I will never change a diaper in a public place

·         I won’t let my child play on the floor of a restaurant

·         No weapons!

·         On commuter ferries, I won’t let my child run and scream

·         I will never open up a snack food in the grocery store to pacify my child and then hand the clerk an empty wrapper

 

This list makes me laugh and humbles me because clearly I had no idea what I was talking about. Things change when you have a squirming, crying little one in your life.

A look back at 2012

Below is the list of my hopes and intentions for 2012, and quick recap of what actually happened.  

1. Start a running routine again. Take some long weekend runs. Run from one end of the Island to the other.

I think I ran once. And I had to stop to pee. The experience did inspire me to do waaay more kegals. In fact, I am doing them right now. I did start walking more. I just feel sluggish and out of shape, so I am trying to fit in yoga and walking Franco as much as possible, even when I don’t feel like it.

 2. Go see live music with Truman.
Just writing this down helped us make an effort to see live music.  We went to Caspar Babypants a couple of times, music in the park, square dancing with friends at Seabold Community Center, and few other things here and there.  He is not the first one on the dance floor, but he is fascinated with instruments and music.

3. Write a dozen letters. To my godparents, my Irish family, and the old people in my life who don’t use the interwebs.

Total fail.  About once a month I would tell myself to buy some nice cards/paper.  Never did.

4. Advance my latest business idea: the Earthquake preparedness kits for B. Islanders (watch out Red Cross, this kit includes organic food and a spare Ipad battery).

This was somewhat of a joke, but I do feel more prepared in our own life than I did one year ago.  We have lots of water and lots of flashlights stocked up.

 5. Walk the Dungeness Spit

We did it! We didn’t make it too far because the toddlers ruled the day, but it was truly beautiful and a gift to see this part of Washington.

6. Workplace goal: Be an awesome manager. Do more, talk less.

I am not sure if I was awesome, but I have changed my attitude.  I realize that managing people is such an important part of my own professional development and that it is not just about counseling other people, but also about removing roadblocks so people can do their best work.  I think I was scared to really try to be a good manager, because I thought I would fail or that people might not like some of the hard decisions I had to make, but somewhere in 2012 I got over that.

7. Refuse to use single-use plastic bags.

I continue to be really committed to this.  I think it is the very least we can do, especially in light of all the bad environmental news this year about the health of the oceans, air, and soil.  Jason – without any pestering – is slowly getting on board too. (P.S. Our town banned single use plastic bags this year, so it makes it a lot easier to remember your reusable bags when you get charged for paper bags.)

8. Reserve Mondays for Truman.

Again, just writing this down made it happen.  Lots of time on the floor.  Less time cleaning the floor. Lots of time being present in the moment and asking, “what do you want to do?” and less time running stupid errands.

9. Over-deliver on my promises and commitments to others. (And stop making so many damn promises!)

I have become much more aware of making too many social plans.  I know in the moment, I desperately want to connect with friends and loved ones, but when the calendar rolls out, and I am totally booked, I am miserable and filled with guilt (for leaving Tru).  This year I said no more often and I tried to be honest with myself.  Can I really go out to dinner with a friend on a weeknight?  No, but I could fit in a long walk after bedtime.  Do I really want to party hop on Saturday night? No, but we could choose one social gathering and be fully present.

10. Spend less time comparing myself to others and more time comparing myself to my previous self.

Ha ha!  Always a challenge.  

11. Finally make the trip to Stehekin, Washington (http://www.ladyofthelake.com/).

I intentionally gave up this hope in exchange for our two week trip to Chelan and Bridgeport.  We unexpectedly bought a canoe and Stehekin was not the ideal location for the canoe.  We had an amazing time, and we might do the exact same trip again this summer.  Stehekin is still on my list. . . one day. . .

12. Give up dairy for a month. Just to try it and see how I feel.

Thought about it.  Then bought a huge block of Tilamook cheese and made nachos for lunch.  With a glass of milk.  And ice cream for dessert.  Arg.  This much dairy is not natural for humans – I know.  Bad habit that I will save for another year. J

 Coming soon: 13 in 13!