Rant & Promise

>rant< When a Big 10 vs MAC game is more important to you than family, I truly feel sorry for you. When you choose to attend such an unimportant football game (as opposed to watching it on tv) rather than attend a major family event then I truly feel sorry for you. When your family comes together to celebrate the first year of a life that miraculously survived without brain damage and probably should not have survived at all and you miss it to watch a not so great Big 10 team play a really bad MAC team, then I feel truly sorry for you. Tomorrow I will wake up and not be angry, but I will pity you for not realizing that it is your family who you count on at times of need and that a football team doesn't care about you anymore than the other 106,200 people that will be in attendance that day. >/rant<

>promise< Dear Aiden. I promise that I will always be there for you and anyone else that you deem worthy to call family. I promise to teach you the things that are really important in life. I will teach you that family is an institution that was denied your ancestors and should be celebrated at every possible moment. I promise to teach you that how you treat people and the priorities you set in your life are two of the ways that people will judge and measure you as a man. This is a mother's promise to her son. >/promise<

On The Move

Life has been so crazy the last seven weeks. I started school again and it has been a very strange experience. In some ways having a kid has made school easier, but it also has been more difficult. I think it is easier because I can no longer go out and spend my day hungover. It is harder than I thought it would be because Aiden has become mobile.

Late in May Aiden started moving from one side of the room to the other like a bolt of lightening. It was one thing when I could sit him down somewhere and walk away, or even look away. Now I really do not have the option to study or do anything when I am home alone with Aiden.

The good news? Aiden is mobile! It is a lot more work, but I honestly love it! I love that he gets excited and comes across the room in order to give me hugs and kisses! Since he has become mobile he has become such a momma's boy and I LOVE IT! I honestly even miss him at night after he goes to bed.

Starting on Wednesday Aiden will be even more on the move. We are starting swim lessons. He loves to kick and kick and kick and I can't wait to see how he takes to the water. Too bad I will have to get myself into a bathing suit in order to find out! lol

They're Here!

No, not the aliens. Aiden's first teeth! Over a week ago we were able to see a change in his gums and now the new teeth have finally cut through. Aiden is never troublesome. He is almost always a happy baby. Even while teething people commented on how happy he is. I am just happy that this is over. Aiden might have been a happy baby through this process, but he wasn't his normal self. It all be nice to have my Aiden back:)

"You'll See Lots Of Animals When You're At The Zoo..."

(Title comes from Aiden's Fisher-Price toy)

(The strap to the stroller was far more
exciting than the polar bears)

Today Rod and I took Aiden to the zoo for the first time. It was an experience. Aiden, being the wonderful baby he is, sat happily in his stroller with little fuss. Actually, he slept through half of it. So, what was the actual experience? It was a very good reminder about how much I hate large crowds were more than half the group is small children!


This is actually not the fault of the children. It is really amazing how many people yell at their kids in public! I understand being frustrated, but I do not see how screaming at the child will actually solve anything. Do not get me wrong, there are times when I think a strong voice is necessary, but these children were not in mortal danger. The kids were being kids. That's all! If you do not like how your kids behave at the zoo....don't take them to the zoo!!! If they can't behave then don't take them! Simple. If they become out of control then it might just be time to take them home. Screaming at them will not change anything except ruin the day for yourself, the child, and everyone that has to witness this.


Granted my child is only seven months old. I have never had to deal with a tantrum so it is possible that I will respond the same way as the parents I saw today. All I can say is that I sincerely hope that I will find a better way. I think that children throw tantrums because they are frustrated about something. Maybe they are tired or hungry. Yelling will not solve that. Maybe they really want that $30 stuffed animal....if the child has been good and you can afford it why not? If you can't buy it and the child gets upset yelling just won't help.


How about the next time we see a parent yelling at a child we go up and start yelling at them and tell them to stop screaming while we yank them by the arm. How do you think they will respond? Do you think this will calm them down?

"Aren't You Getting Up?"

You know it is going to be a bad day when you wake up and realize that you have already failed to meet several of your day's goals. Aiden woke up a little after 7am which is not normal for him. I figured that we mind as well give him a bottle a little early (he usually wakes up at 8am) and we put him back to bed.

By the time I woke up again it was around 11am! This means that I did not workout, shower, eat breakfast, or give Aiden his cereal as I had planned. Not to mention Rod woke up and got out of bed before I did and got Aiden. I was so tired and already felt so defeated I pretty much just laid in bed thinking about the day and what I was going to do now! The problem was that I honestly just could not pull myself out of bed even though I was feeling guilty that Rod was taking care of Aiden instead of me. Then it happened, "Aren't you getting up?" As if I was not already feeling bad enough he comes at me like that?!

I actually wondered if I heard him correctly. I also figured that I might have misinterpreted his tone. So, from bed, I asked him what he meant by that. He meant it how I thought. The funny part is that the reason he was asking is because he needed to put the laundry away and unload the dishwasher. (He's learning!) The part that is actually funny to me is that for nearly seven months he has been badgering me about cleaning. There was not much understanding for the fact that I was taking care of Aiden all day. Now all the sudden a person can't do both at the same time!

I guess the real question is, has he actually realized that it is hard to get things done when you are taking care of a baby? Or, was he just mad that I was still in bed? I am thinking the latter. I say that because his tone was not asking for help, but more of a scolding. He pretty much walked to the doorway and made his little comment while he walked away. Who needs to put pressure on themselves when they have a baby daddy to do it for you?

Well, if nothing else...at least he is actually doing the three things around the house that I have been asking of him.