What we need is more . . .?

I've always loved people watching.

Maybe it's because I'm drawn to people's stories, watching them unfold, intersect, and weave themselves together.

Maybe it's the fact I grew up in a place where winter lasted far longer than most appreciate and I spent many a Saturday hanging out over breakfast with my dad and the guys or coffee with the neighbourhood men and needed something to occupy my time that wouldn't get me into too much trouble.

Either way, it's fascinating to watch how people's personalities come to the forefront in different situations.

Here enters Peanut.

Seriously the kid's three months old and has personality to spare. I've never seen smiles appear so readily only to disappear the minute Mama or Papa bring out the camera. I've never seen a stuffed dino or frog get so much loving so early (The dino's rather infamous around here for the amount of smiles it can coax out of our son).

The most surprising thing Peanut has done so far though?

He has a favourite diaper! Honest.

Now, I realize some cloth diapering mamas out there have their favs and will debate them tirelessly. WAHM creations, big brand standby's, local company's, the list goes on and most cd'ing mama's (and a few papa's) have no problem sharing these in great length. But Peanut has his own opinion.

He fusses when I pull out a disposable if we're running behind on laundry and need to go to town. He'll smile when he sees his cloth return. However, the day I pulled out a Hipkiddo is one I won't forget.

I prepped  the diaper as usual, let it dry and stuck it in rotation for the next change. Peanut didn't make us wait long (such a helpful boy) so thus arrived our chance to test this newest addition to the stash (which, incidentally, mama managed to win in a monthly draw). I kid you not Peanut sighed and wiggled happily as soon as it was on his bum. Kid loves that cow print diaper.

Heaven help us when he can actually verbalize what he wants ;)

Some days you just need a pick me up

Thankfully mine came in the form of a visit from a friend, a hubby who supports and loves me beyond what I ever could have dreamed of, and Youtube performances from last night's So You Think You Can Dance. I'm still torn on who should win this season.

Here's praying Peanut sleeps well and his tummy stops giving him so many issues. Hope you enjoy these videos too :)

Happy New Year, Maybe??

Depending on your culture, experience, or past there are many ways to mark the passing and beginnings of a year. January 1st, birthdays, and anniversaries are all marker with which we note the passing of time and the freshness of opportunities.

For a life that has been surrounded by academia one of the larger markers comes in the form of September and the academic calendar. As a seminary wife, living in a college town, and all my siblings (birth and marriage) in school this one can even trump New Year's Eve :)

After a summer of adjusting to parenthood in our sleepy little village, a place where it was actually quiet enough to hear the crickets chirp and the neighbours up with their own little one it's odd to see the streets flood with young faces as they learn to navigate the halls I once called home.

I was always a card carrying nerd (still am, my child is destined for the life of a nerd, mwahaha). I loved this time of year. The adventure of new classes, new subjects, new supplies. I eagerly poured over syllabii anticipating research projects and assigned text books, blissful in the deliciousness of academic rigour and a good cuppa. 

Maybe that's why, this year, I feel so lost.

It's hard to enter a time of eager, communal excitement and realize that instead of delving into new psych books and youth models that my research now revolves around diapers, teething, and when to introduce solids. It's world shifting when late nights are no longer due to hanging with friends, writing papers, or out with the hubby but instead wrapped around a dear little soul who cries his heart out for reasons unknown (still looking into the teething potential or late rallying colic). 

It's still odd that instead of hanging out after church or wandering to the coffee shop, a quick jaunt to the post office can require strategic planning which still may be outwitted by 24 ish inches of humanity.

What's a new mom to do?

As a student studying counselling and youth work my professors always stressed the necessity of self-care. Being the eager little perfectionist I tend to default too, this was a lesson I often glossed over in an effort to pour more into my assignments. Interestingly enough, it's motherhood that's showing me the importance of this oft overlooked skill.

As a mom, especially as a Christian mom, it's so important to spend time in community, spend time in prayer, and spend some time outside the identity of "peanut's mama" or "DH's wife" because, while these are both roles I love dearly, the person I am outside of that mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally need to be nourished and acknowledged too or else I cannot function as wife and mother.

Now the challenge is finding the time and the community .. .

A Long and Winding Road

It feels slightly surreal to be sitting here typing.

Actually it feels fairly naughty. 

After all, my almost 3 month old whom I'll affectionately refer to as "Peanut" is mostly asleep, this is a fairly rare occurrence as the little guy has yet to grasp the wonder that is napping and as EVERYONE in the medical community says "sleep when they sleep" (oh the irony when you're the parent of a nap avoidant child). In fact as I type this, my dear hubby is wandering to the nursery to soothe the poor kid (does anyone know if it's possible for teething symptoms to start at 12 weeks?!)

I'll never deny the need for sleep. In all honesty, having a child  has actually made me even more pro-sleep than I was before children. For the sake of my sanity, however, the time to write must also be factored in to life's rhythms. 

So, here will be my new tales in the life of a SAHM and seminary wife with all my usual zebra, geeky goodness thrown in for good measure. Here's to new beginnings.