My Thoughts on Becoming a New Mom

Happy 3 month birthday Dominick! We've made it this far and I've learned so much about being a new mom already.  I've come up with 5 major things I've learned since this precious kid came into our lives.

1. Being a mom is HARD! I had no delusions going into motherhood that it would be a piece of cake, but wow how unprepared was I that it would be this hard.  Everyone told me not to worry about anything except for feeding the baby; that was my only job... yeah right!  Not only do I need to worry about baby eating, sleeping, and pooping, I also have to deal with the emotions, the hormones, the house somewhat resembling a place where civilized people live, and oh yeah, what about feeding myself! There is so much that goes into being a mom that are just the basics.  Not to mention the anxiety and stress that comes when baby isn't having a good day and has been crying for so long you're afraid he might resent you when he gets older.  

2. I can't compare myself and my baby to other mommies and their babies.  This one is a hard one for me because luckily for Dominick and I, we are blessed to have many friends who are in the same life stage as us (which means we have lots of play dates to attend).  Just because other mommies I know have it more put together than I do, and just because some babies have been able to sleep through the night since week 8, and we have yet to reach that milestone, doesn't mean that I'm doing anything wrong or Dominick has something wrong with him.  If I constantly go around wishing and envying the lives of other moms I'm just going to drive myself insane.  Every baby is different and every mom is too.  So even though DJ hasn't slept through the night once and even though I generally don't get my day started till noon and even though I shower at 10:00 pm doesn't mean that we're doing anything wrong.

3.  I am not super-mom.  I have wanted to be a mommy since I was like 14 and the desire grew stronger when my sister was born when I was 16.  I have always envisioned myself as this mother who was super-mom, the do it all, happy baby, clean house, great job, put together always mommy.  Well sorry past-Kristina, that didn't happen.  I have a to-do list that grows longer every day and some days, like yesterday, I just don't do anything at all.  My main goals everyday are to brush my teeth, shower at some point, and make sure that Dominick (tries) to eat.  That's all I can ask myself of at this point and each day is different.  For example, today I did feel a little like supermom, going to the grocery store by myself, dusting and vacuuming the living room, washing, folding and putting away laundry, Dominick and I went for a walk to the park, and I even cooked dinner.  But tomorrow won't look like that at all, and that's okay!

4.  It's all about time.  As a mom, your day is a constant 3 hour cycle: feed, wake, sleep (the Ezzos would be proud!)  So I basically take about an hour for the feed/wake part and those 2 hours that Dominick sleeps (if he actually sleeps) is my time to do anything and everything I need to, which unfortunately in the last few weeks includes pumping (sorry if that's TMI).  So if I know that I have plans to meet up with anyone, or need to run errands, I have to center my whole day around that.  I generally don't plan more than one event per day because of this whole "time" thing; so, if I haven't gotten around to seeing you since baby Dominick has been born, I apologize! I'm still learning to manage my time wisely with him.

5.  Being a mom has brought so much joy in my life.  Okay, lessons 1 through 4 make it seem like I'm hating motherhood, but that isn't true at all.  I LOVE being Dominick's mom.  I'm even tearing up as I write this, just thinking about his precious smile he gave me before we put him down to sleep tonight.  I love that he lights up when he sees my face or hears my voice.  I love that I get to watch him grow and develop every day.  I love that one day he'll be able to wrap his arms around my neck and tell me he loves me.  I love the joy in Scott's eyes when he walks through the door and sees Dominick's face.  I love love love being Dominick's mom.  Lessons 1 - 4 are hard ones to learn as a new mom, but it's all worth it because of lesson 5.

So there it is Dominick, we've survived the first 3 months of your life and I can't wait to see you grow for the next 3 months, 3 years, 30 years, and so on.  I love you dearly, and I am thankful that God has blessed us with you in our lives.  Happy 3 months, Dominick James!

Day 13 - Going on a Walk

Today I am thankful for walking.  In the beautiful sunlight with the company of my dear friend, Ashley, her son, Ryder and her dog, Kona, I went for a stroll in San Jose.  Last year, Ashley was training for the Susan G. Komen 3 day walk and I was able to join her and Kona for some of her walks (she would walk like 10 miles in one day and I'd walk 4 with her).  It was an awesome bonding time with her and great exercise for me.  She just gave birth to her first child in September and today was our first walk we've had in a long time and it was great catching up with her and spending some quality time with Ryder and Kona.

Before we started our walking routine all of our outings revolved around eating food (remember my post from day 9, yeah I'll refer to it a lot).  But now we get to spend time being healthy and enjoying each others' company.  I am so thankful that I can spend that time with her but also that I can enjoy God's wonderful creation while we're out and about.

Day 12 - Sleeping in

Another one of my favorite things is sleeping, so today I am thankful for sleeping in on Saturdays.  For a while I was waking up at 6 on Saturdays but could barely pull myself out of bed at 7:15 on weekdays.  Thankfully I am sleeping pretty well these days and have been enjoying a few extra hours of sleep time.

Day 11 - Singing in the Rain...

On Day 11 I am thankful for the rain.  I know the rain bugs most people but I love the smell outside after it has rained.  I have started to really enjoy the fall over the last several years so rain = fall = KC is happy.  I might even invest in some awesome rain boots this season :)

Day 10 - Go Sharks!!!

I am thankful for the San Jose Sharks! On Thursday evening, Scott and I got to enjoy the entertainment of the Sharks vs. the Wild.  I love going to Sharks game and I finally got to go to my first regular season game on Day 10.  It was an exciting game and I even got two free tacos from Jack in the Box (did you just read my post about how I love food?) I love to wear teal and cheer on this hardworking team.  I love going to games with Scott because he's so passionate about them.  I'm so thankful to live in a city with them as my team!

Day 9 - I love to eat, eat, eat....

On Wednesday our women's life group had a potluck and everyone brought different and delicious food.  We had sausage, pasta salad, vegetable pizza, mini quiche (which is my favorite!!), salad with maple syrup dressing (!!!), fruit, chips and fresh guacamole, oatmeal cookies and an assortment of desserts from whole foods.  Kristina was a happy camper that night.  I love food (have you seen my Yelp reviews?) and on Day 9 I am thankful for it.  I love to cook and I love to eat.  It's probably a big problem of mine but I can't help it; God made food soooo good!  I generally like crispy foods, like fries and chicken strips, but most of all I love sauces. I will cry and throw a fit if I don't have any sweet and sour sauce when I get my chicken nuggets.  I dip pretty much anything in ranch.  After we got back from our Italy trip I was craving seafood all the time.  Even before I finish my lunch I will ask what we're having for dinner. I can eat peanuts at any time of the day.  I generally save my favorite foods for the very end, so I can savor the taste.  I like to eat a piece of starch with a piece of meat, must be my Filipino side.   Food, food, food, food, food... I think about food a lot. Mine is a happy belly.

A special thank you to my food loving friend Krystle who prepared my pasta salad for me the night before because I was too busy.  We share a love for food and when we're by ourselves it's generally the topic of conversation.  She is an amazing cook from paella to pumpkin cheesecake, garlic bread to tres leches cake.  My stomach and I are happy to have her in our lives :)

Another side note: I saved myself a few little quiches after the potluck since they are my faves but unfortunately they are also a favorite of Brian's.  So yesterday when I went to eat them I noticed they were gone... in Brian's stomach.  I felt like that little kid whose mom said she ate all his candy.  I wanted to cry and hit a wall.  Thankfully he bought me more :) Don't mess with me and my food.

Cozy Cozy

Phew! I had to do a bit of catch up there but here I am on Day 8 and it is freezing in my house.  So today I am thankful for Scott's warm robe and the fact that I am going to jump into bed with a fleece blanket.  I am also going to put on some fuzzy socks, long pj pants, an undershirt and a long sleeve shirt.  I just love love love to be warm! One of these days I'm going to starting wearing this little number again.... No guarantees that Scott will wear his.