July 14, 2014: Today I'm grateful for...

...beautiful days at the lake with friends. 

We had a spectacular sunny weekend. Saturday was spent with a good friend at the beach....my son's first time touching the ocean water. It was a lot of fun....and I'm so happy to have seen Jessica Lee on her birthday. We were SUPER wiped by the end of the day, and passed out at like, 7 pm...but it was a great day.

Sunday we spent the morning tidying up and watching the world cup final, and then we went to have an early dinner at Buntzen Lake with a few old friends. Another first for James...and he loved it! He was super happy in the lake, even though it was a little cold, it was blistering HOT out so it was great. It was nice to reconnect with friends that we don't always have time or get to see....kids take a lot out of us, and they require a lot more energy to travel with, to pack up, to prepare for....it's a lot of stuff.....and a lot of time...so it's harder to make time for each other. It's tough at times to keep friendships strong when families expand, so it's important to make time for the people in your life. To keep things strong, and working. We had a wonderful time!

July 11-13, 2014: Today I'm grateful for...

This past Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I really was so fortunate as to have been allowed a few extra hours of sleep! 

This past weekend, I was extremely grateful for my MOTHER. The saint. She's pretty incredible. For those of you who don't know, my husband and I live at home. We live with my parents, my brother, my 2 dogs, and the foreign exchange students (sometimes 1, sometimes 3)....so it's a bit of a crazy situation! The most amazing part, though, is the fact that we have this symbiotic relationship going on....we help each other. And this last weekend my mom really really helped me.

The worst part of having a new baby is by far the lack of sleep. There are so many wonderful things about being a new mother, and there are also some really crappy things. The problem is that most of the time, mothers only show you the shiny parts...the smiles...the laughing....you don't see the breakdowns, the fussing, the nap fighting, the reactions, the poops, the poop exposions, the getting peed on and getting barfed on....and having to wake up in the middle of the night and FUNCTION. Over and over and over and over. It does eventually get better, but for me, sleep is just so important...I honestly don't know that I could ever cope with a second baby. This first has been hard enough...but I guess it's too early to tell. 

WELL.

Didn't my mother wake up with my son all three days??? She allowed both husband and I 7-9 hours of sleep all three days, and she takes him all of the time during the day too! She loves it, she loves time with him and takes him often....but the mornings....the mornings are enough for me. I had the WORLD'S BEST weekend, I felt refreshed and so happy. I felt like I didn't have a care in the world. I didn't think too much about situations, I felt clear headed...it was amazing. I know it can't happen all the time, after all, he's my son and ultimately my responsibility, and I take that role seriously. But once in a while, boy oh boy does it help. 

My mother. The saint. Love her with all my heart. She drives me nuts, but I don't know what I would do without her. Thank you mom. x 

July 10, 2014: Today, I'm grateful for...

...canned tuna. Seems silly........and today, I was actually a little upset with my husband, because for the second time this week, he neglected to think about me while preparing lunch. A little upsetting, considering it's been the week from hell (teething baby + HOT weather = zero sleep). 

Many people who have been giving me a hard time about how irritable I've been...they just don't get it. And I understand...this is the sort of thing you only get if you go through it. The hormonal fluctuations...the mood changes...a REALLY whiney, cranky baby....the changes in your body, in your mind, in your genetic make up...put that together with the fact that a) you never sleep and b) you heal for up to a year after a c section. I wish people were more sympathetic...and more supportive...but a lot of my friends, they are just not there yet. So I am trying to be more understanding. Unfortunately, post partum depression manifests in different ways for different people...and for me, it's showing it's ugly face in the form of rage. Anger. A lot of anger. It's turned me into a monster at times. So for those of you wondering how hard it is for me to find something to be grateful for every day, it's VERY hard. But I think seeing the good helps put things into perspective. BUT I DIGRESS....

My mother suggested I make tunafish sandwiches....and you know....they hit the SPOT.

Today I was really grateful for that delicious tuna. It was seasoned just right, had tons of little capers, and some delicious crunchy celery. Nice crispy toast...a little mayo...man. It was perfection. So very glad mom suggested it. 

#OHYEAH

July 9, 2014: Today I am grateful for...

Today I am grateful for the days during which I have the opportunity to sit outside with my mom and my son, enjoy some sunshine and the sound of the wind chimes, and maybe pick some blueberries. 

Nothing complicated today. Just that. 

July 8, 2014: Today, I am grateful for...

Today I am grateful for the amazing neighbors I have. Mom and I had the chance to visit with a new neighbor and it got me really thinking about the idea of community and what it really means, and how that idea has been reborn in the neighborhoods in which I grew up.

These particular neighbors offered James all of their son's old toys...mega blocks...lego...toys...games...puzzles....a HUGE box of all sorts after he was born. And now I pass many things on to my other neighbor who just had a little boy....two huge ikea bags FULL of boy toys and clothes. I am just so grateful that our area is FILLING with kids...that playgrounds are teeming with new adventure...scraped knees...sports....singing...it makes me so happy to know that my son will have many friends as he grows up. We have people we can party with once a year at our block party, we have people we can rely on to keep our homes as safe as possible...people we trust with backup keys...people we share history, and now make history with. 

I end the day with a beautiful meal on my patio with my family, thinking about how lucky I am to be living where I am living. Thankful to be raising my son in the community of my own family......how grateful I am for the help everyone sets forth...and for the love of family everyone here shares. 

July 7, 2014: Today, I am grateful for...

Today I am grateful for children's Tylenol. 

Any new mother who has experienced a teething, purple crying child after a HOT summer day, a hot, emotional day for mum....will be grateful for the same thing.