Another month has gone by. Whooosh!
Henry and I have been doing well. Thank goodness I formed so many strong friendships with the women from my prenatal yoga class. We all get together for a monthly brunch, and we plan other events throughout the month. Further, I get together with two women and their babies every single Tuesday for a walk, talk, and lunch. I think I might go insane if I were a stay-at-home-mom without that kind of outlet. Honestly, I am not much of a baby person (although I love you dearly, Henry, and you shouldn’t take it personally!).
Since Henry was two weeks past his due date and I was able to work right up until the very end (I went to work on Friday and went into labor on Saturday), I only have to go back for the last three days of school. It’s going to be very stressful to try and wrap everything up in such a short amount of time. I have to help the third graders put together their portfolios, supervise the children as they clean the entire classroom, get all the materials and shelves wrapped up for summer cleaning, pack all my stuff since I won’t be returning next year, facilitate the children as they plan our end-of-year party, and put together all the cumulative folders for the office. Eeek!
Instead of getting stressed about what’s coming up, let me start by reflecting on this past month and the intentions I set for myself:
- Be the best mother and teacher I can be for my son, Henry: I’m doing my best, day in and day out!
- Maintain consistent posting on my two blogs: Yes!
- Advertise for the next Purposeful Conception Course: Preparing Your Mind, Body, and Life for Pregnancy: Yep!
- Send printed photos to the grandparents, like I promised to do every month for their Christmas presents last year: Yep!
- Study Spanish for 20 minutes every weekday (I do this while breast feeding): I’ve been kind of spotty, but I am trying.
- Attend a Montessori class twice a week with Henry and learn as much as I can: Yep!
- Plan a fun potluck picnic for the next silent film at Discovery Green: Yep!
- Plan a reunion for my childbirth class: Check!
- Pump and store enough breast milk for a night away with Matt (while my bonus mom and bonus brother stay with Henry): I’ve decided that I don’t want to pump. I know, I know, it might seem kind of crazy to commit myself to being by my son every three to four hours for an entire year. But, for me, I would rather make that commitment (with the knowledge that we may have to resort to formula if some kind of emergency arises) than pump. Seriously, I do not like pumping. I feel like I would need to do it regularly, so that it doesn’t mess with my milk supply (I am very susceptible to plugged ducts), but I don’t need that much milk on reserve, since I am staying at home with my son. I don’t want to commit to regularly getting out the pump, getting myself all set up, devoting even more time to having a sucking sensation on my nipples, and then getting everything cleaned up. And since you pretty much have to pump every time the baby is sucking on a bottle, I would rather just cut out all the middle steps and feed my baby from my breast. It means that Matt and I will just have to settle for date nights instead of date getaways for the year. But we’re okay with that. Plus, once Henry has an earlier bed time and sleeps longer between feedings, we’ll be able to extend our date nights if we want. It will get tricky if I decide to take on some educational consulting work to supplement our income, but I’ll just have to get creative and make it work. I would rather do that than pump (but that’s just me!–all my friends are fine with pumping).
- Send birthday cards to my friends/family: Yes!
- Walk frequently and go to yoga once a week: I went to yoga two weeks in a row and didn’t go after that. No good excuses. I just wanted to be at home. At least I’ve been walking pretty much every day with Henry and Hoss.
- Finish my book outline!: Oy vey. I am going to start falling seriously behind on my personal schedule for finishing my book if I don’t get my act together. However, this goal took a back seat this month, due to the next bullet point.
- Finish evaluating the charter applications for the state: Yes!
- Be patient and forgiving with myself: I’m working on it.
In addition to that list, I also consistently read a self-development book (for our little
book club). I also took care of some of the house beautification items that were on
this list. I put away the birthing ball, got new dishes and glasses from IKEA, replaced two of our dying plants, got a new rug for the living room, used a lot of our gift cards, and asked my friend to store the comfy/cozy chair we’re not using. But looking at that lists reminds me that I still have a lot to do!
Here are my intentions for the upcoming month:
- Be the best mother and teacher I can be for my son, Henry. I have to remember that all the time and energy I put into parenting now is an investment in our future together. Specifically, I want to help Henry learn how to take naps on a bed instead of in a carrier or wrap. I also want to practice asking open-ended questions (e.g., “What did you think about that book?) instead of closed-ended questions (e.g., “Did you like the book?”).
- Maintain consistent posting on my two blogs
- Actively participate in Purposeful Conception: Preparing Your Mind, Body, and Life for Pregnancy
- Send printed photos to the grandparents, like I promised to do every month for their Christmas presents last year
- Study Spanish for 20 minutes every weekday (I do this while breast feeding)
- Attend a Montessori class with Henry and learn as much as I can
- Plan a fun potluck picnic for the next silent film at Discovery Green
- Make a video about implementing Montessori in the home
- Go on a date with Matt
- Write the first chapter of my book
- Travel to Florida with Henry for my brother’s graduation
- Wrap up the end of the school year with my students
- Read a self-development book and a parenting book
- Create a new header for my Feeding the Soil blog
- Declutter our house
- Plan a fun Father’s Day surprise
From the Nikki McClure Calendar
4 Comments
Anaïs
I can't wait for this one "Make a video about implementing Montessori in the home"!!
Onnie
Hi Sara – if you don't want to pump but you have found yourself with "overflow" from the breast Henry's not currently using while you're nursing, you may want to build an emergency stash using something like the Milkies Milk Saver or the Phillips Avent Breast Shields (one model of which can hold milk residual). That way if you happen to make any extra milk, it won't be lost inside a nursing pad but can be frozen and saved for later, instead of formula (ultimately, dollars saved) – and you can give it to Henry in sippies or cups when you start solids (if you're getting toward that "four month mark", where you ought to use up your frozen supplies), or donate it to needy preemies or other babes. You could even just do it for a month or so to just build up a stash and then give yourself a break after. But kudos to you if you are able to nurse exclusively for twelve months or more! And especially kudos for trying to make your life stressful – pumping then storing then cleaning is a chore, and ultimately can lead to excess waste (like disposable milk bags, having to buy a "new" pump instead of a recycled old one for fear of disease transmission (the risk of which is almost impossible, especially with all-new fittings), etc). Good luck!
Onnie
Oops, I meant "life less stressful" – sorry!
MacKenzie
Just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone with not pumping. My little girl just turned one and I have never pumped. I don't have anything against it, I'm just too lazy to bother 🙂 Yes, my husband and I have had to get creative with date nights but that only adds to the fun instead of always relying on "dinner and a movie."