We had a great weekend. Nothing particularly exciting happened, but we were just a little family running errands and getting things done. My doctor is allowing me to get out of the house more as long as I take it easy and don’t try to lift Hudson and his car seat by myself. I’m still a bit uninspired for posts because we’ve got so much going on, but I’ll just let you in on what’s going on at our house.

• The new Sonic Cherry Limeade Chiller is delicious. If you love the original Cherry Limeade you’ll love this. I heard on Twitter last night that the Strawberry Limeade Chiller is equally delicious. I’ll check that out today.
• I’m now addicted to two new TV shows– as if I had any room in my life for more television. Yesterday I watched Hung on HBO and Drop Dead Diva on Lifetime. Lots of fun– and obviously the return of good Sunday night television.
• Todd and I (along with Hudson) joined Sam’s Club (and yes, Sam’s is supposed to have the apostrophe “s”) on Saturday. Love it. Can’t wait to go back. I just wish that I had endless amounts of storage so I could buy everything in bulk. The only downside is that they don’t carry the Pampers that we use– just the Pampers Swaddlers and Pampers Cruisers.
• I finally replaced the horrible Blackberry Pearl that I’ve had for the past 20 months. Todd gave it to me for Valentine’s Day in 2008 and it was great for one whole day. Since then I’ve struggled with it on a daily basis and was having to take the battery out to end a call because it wasn’t responding to the buttons. Ridiculous. So we just replaced it with a Blackberry Curve. RIP you horrible Blackberry Pearl.
• Fiona got a ridiciulous haircut. Her hair had gotten so long and it’s so hot outside. Every time she would come in from outside she would smell horrible. I called the groomer and just asked them to cut her hair as short as possible without shaving her. She is a tiny little dog and only weighs 10 pounds or so, but all that hair gave her some volume. She looks like she lost half of her size to the groomer!

• Hudson will be six weeks old on Friday. I can’t believe it. Is this supposed to be a magic age or is that eight weeks? He’s pretty great now, but any little secrets for more sleep would be great. He has been sleeping in his crib since the day we brought him home and I love that. I’ll write more about that process later– for those of you that are interested.

• While Todd was playing golf yesterday and Hudson was sleeping in his swing, I attacked the pantry. I love to organize and I love to throw away crap that we don’t use. Our pantry is now beautiful and there’s a place for everything. I wonder how long it will stay that way.

How was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?

Can I just say that? I know that I’m supposed to say that and I know I would be a totally horrible person if I admitted that I didn’t like being a mom, so of course I have to say that I love being a mom, right? (whew–that was a long sentence!) But I do. I love it.

I love this little boy so much and that’s obvious. What’s not to love? He’s so sweet and such a cuddler. And he relies on us for everything. We are everything to him and vice versa. But there’s the less obvious things… the things about being a mom that work with my personality and strengths.

I’m crazy organized. I love calendars and schedules and feel lost without them.  So much about being a mom is all about being organized and scheduled. This little guy has the most accurate internal clock. He wakes up every three hours during the day. On. The. Dot. I knew today that he would wake up around 4:45 to eat and then at 4:45 he started stirring and his little eyes popped open. There’s nothing unpredictable about that.

So every three hours, I change him, feed him, burp him, and hold him. Sometimes he falls asleep and lets me put him in his crib or bouncy seat. Other times he falls asleep and won’t let me put him down and really wants me to hold him for that nap. But for the most part, our little three hour routine is the same. We have these wonderful little charts that we fill out for all of his little daily events so we can track the times of everything during the day. I love charts!

I’m not saying that I know every single thing that’s going to happen and that nothing unpredictable happens. There’s plenty of unpredictability in this. Like sometimes I don’t know that he’s going to just have an “off” day and cry for two hours. He has never cried for two hours straight, but we’ll soothe him and then about fifteen minutes later he might start up again. I can’t say that’s my favorite part.

I do love that he already knows that I’m his mama and that I’m the best at soothing him. That’s what moms are for. It’s still hard to believe that I am his mommy and that at this point in his life, more than anyone else, he wants me. (When he’s old enough to stop using me for food, he’ll want his daddy more!)

I don’t want this to sound like this job is a walk in the park. I’ve already mentioned in a previous post that this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Having this much responsibility is always scary and it is 24/7 responsibility. I can’t ever check it at the door… at least not until we’re ready to leave him with a babysitter for the night. I miss hanging out with our friends. I didn’t get to go see My Sister’s Keeper with my girlfriends because I haven’t healed enough to go sit in a movie theater and I just wasn’t ready to leave Hudson for the night. I miss restaurants and great food. I miss my old pre-pregnancy body. I miss buying clothes that are a size 4 and have accepted that it’s going to be a long time before I can do that again.

But those feelings are always short lived. They come and then they go because I know that the days that I have at home with this tiny boy (not so tiny at 12 pounds, but you get the point) are limited. The movies, the restaurants, and the friends will always be there, but I’ll never get these days back. When we have our future children, I won’t be at home alone with them. Hudson will be there and he’ll demand my attention. So I’ll be sharing my attention with two children. I’m not in any rush to get out and get a baby-free night. I know I will be someday. The day will come when I say to Todd that we absolutely have to get out and do something that adults do, but for now I’m enjoying just being at home.

And here’s your daily fix of sweet Hudson’s face. There are a few more new pictures on the Baby Hudson page. Enjoy!

A lot of people offered unsolicited advice about pregnancy and motherhood and I tried to let a lot of it go in one ear and out the other. One of my mom’s clients, however, offered some unsolicited advice via email and I printed that email off and saved it. She was a new mother at the time and was basically letting me know the lessons that she was learning as a new mom.

These are the things I’ve learned so far. I’m not suggesting that anyone use what I’ve learned, but I’m using this as an opportunity to track my thoughts and using it as a bit of a journal.

You’re on your own timeline, schedule, and comfort level.

Other new moms may have gone out to dinner with their new baby when they were just two days old. Some have been taking them to church when they’re only a week old. It all depends on what works for you. We have taken Hudson to three places: his doctor, my doctor, and my in-law’s house. One reason is because I ended up having another follow up surgery after the delivery and have been put on bed rest except for taking care of the baby. Leaving the house and driving wasn’t an option until yesterday. Tomorrow Hudson will be four weeks old and I think we’re going to venture to a baby-friendly restaurant for the first time. I have to try not to let myself think, “Wow, so-and-so was out with her baby weeks ago and we’re still at home. I hope nothing is wrong with us.” I remind myself that all that matters is what makes us comfortable. And right now I’m enjoying just being home with our baby.

Don’t forget about your dogs.

This has been really hard for me and I’m shocked. Our dogs were the loves of my life before the baby came and they’re still really high on my love list. It’s just so hard because Fiona (the little one) really wants to cuddle with the baby and cuddle with me. She can because she’s small and she’ll fit on the couch. Poor Boudreaux is so big that he just has to sit on the floor and watch. His tail wags really big when he gets close to the baby and I’m so excited about the day that Hudson is crawling, laughing, or walking so he can interact with Boudreaux. Because I’m still recovering, I can’t take the dogs (or the baby) for walks and we’re all just cooped up inside. That will change soon, but I just feel bad for changing the dogs’ life so drastically. They sure do love him, though!

Your life is going to change. Accept it.

The days of checking my Google Reader ten times per day are long gone. The days of responding to an email right when it comes in are gone. The same goes for returning phone calls. I used to seriously wonder why it took my mom friends so long to call me back or email me back and now I know. If you’re not a mom, it’s not a good feeling to know you owe so many people a phone call. Also trust me that you don’t want me calling you back when you’d have to have a baby screaming in your ear. It’s better to just wait with me for a quiet moment. 

Your husband wasn’t born with “the instinct.” 

This is very true and I’ve heard it’s true for all husbands. Women have a way of knowing what the baby wants or needs while men need to be reminded, “His diaper may need changing.” It’s okay, though. We all have to learn and figure it out our own way. 

Your baby is always listening and learning. Talk to him.

I sing and read to Hudson constantly. And I love it. The easiest way to quiet him is to sing softly in his ear and within ten seconds he stops and just stares at you while you sing or read. He knows his mommy and daddy’s voices and seeing that recognition on his face is priceless and wonderful.

Just as Hudson is learning every day, so am I. The mommy job is the hardest job I’ve ever done and there’s never a dull moment. Heck, lately there’s not a free moment. Kudos to all the mommies out there that I’ve unconsciously underestimated. What is the best advice that you would give a new mom?