Vegan Mama: August 20th 2010

Mom's Stuff:
I'll be the first to admit it - I'm a control freak. Most of the challenges in my life stem from my "need" to have control over things I have no actual command over. In high school I had a complete meltdown when I broke my hand and couldn't play basketball, although I had been able to fight through the pain of the broken hand just fine before I knew the full extent of my injury. At work I have broken up fights between teenage boys, (or worse, teenage girls), been cussed out and yelled at by co-workers, all of which I have dealt with rather well. But if my free-period gets taken away by a last-minute subbing emergency? Chaos!! Crisis!!! Needless to say, having a baby has been a lesson in how to chill out. LP doesn't really care what my plans were - if he needs something he needs it now. While we have a schedule that he generally follows (he is really a very awesome baby) I am often reminded that I'm not actually the one in charge. And now, just when I was getting used to the idea that this little, cute, innocent being was actually the person who decides when I wake up, when I sit and feed him, when I leave the house, I have to get used to the fact that I will no longer be in charge of the house the way I have been for the last six months. My husband (already the best dad ever!) is taking over baby duty starting next week, and he is going be LP's primary caregiver. He is so much more relaxed and logical about dealing with baby stuff, and he will also have our house, if not spotless, at least well-organized. We have also tried to divvy up housework in a way that makes sense, which means he will continue to be in charge of laundry (because I usually forget to check pockets) and will start to be in charge of dinners (which has usually been my job). We are incredibly happy to have the financial ability to be in this situation, but it is going to be a big adjustment for both of us. I'm lucky to now have two guys in my life that keep me sane and remind me that the curve-balls that disrupt my sense of order not only can be dealt with but can also be the best moments in life.

LP's Stuff:
In the almost four weeks since I last blogged (yikes!) LP has advanced leaps and bounds. During our west coast tour he quickly moved from scooting to crawling, to be followed by sitting up. Now, when you put something he wants away from him, he goes right for it, quick as lightning. At one friend's house we used a yoga mat as a baby treadmill and just lifted him and brought him back to the beginning when he reached the end of the mat. He just got faster and faster every time. Now, at home, we have set up a baby play area that is penned in. LP can just sit and entertain himself for quite a while with all his new toys (most of which were obtained from his Nana and Papa on the aforementioned trip). But then, every once in a while he realizes he is in a pen, and goes to the gate and pulls himself up to standing. He doesn't have the strength to knock down the gate . . . yet. After a week at home he got back to his usual schedule of napping 2-3 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours in the afternoon and he is finally back to sleeping through the night (from 7:30 - 5:30 - other parent friends, don't hate us!) He still loves being around people and he really enjoyed a trip to a local pond today where he got a chance to "swim" (i.e. float with mom!) Our other big accomplishment this week is getting LP to use a sippy cup since he just would not deal with a bottle. We figure that we now, at least, have a way for dad to feed him when I head back to work next week.

Food and Fitness:
Well, I've been somewhat lax about working out, even though I have no excuse with the G-man being home. I'm going to try and get more into next week now that LP is back to a more normal eating schedule. We have been pretty good about cooking, especially with our farmer's market fare. The G-man made some amazing pesto from our basil garden, and I tried a really yummy recipe for spicy italian tempeh and broccoli from Veganomicon. On the menu tonight is tempeh BLT's and salad for mom and dad and "homemade" (i.e. home-blended) sweet potatoes for LP.

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