My son is 2 years old

My sweet son turned  2 on the 19th of May. To sound a little cliche "they" say time flies and that "life will change" after a child joins the family. The cliches are true. I have experienced so many high and lows over the last two years. From not having the birth I had desired and struggling to breastfeed to watching Saylor learn to crawl, walk, and now run.  When I look back at his newborn pictures I hardly recognize him compared to now. His appearance has changed greatly.

Saylor at 10 weeks old

Saylor on his 2nd birthday




I spent a few months just after Saylor's first birthday questioning all my parenting choices only to realize that following my heart and "gut" felt best to me. After I reached this conclusion I was able to relax and enjoy my son more. Around the same time I started to learn about attachment parenting and this information made my heart sing. I had found a way to define how I was parenting. I don't prescribe to all the details of attachment parenting. I do however feel if I must label my parenting style this fits me best.

Some days I wake up and look at my sweet boy and have a sense of wonder how do I have a 2 year old? The time has flashed by and every moment is full of something. Every day we play, learn something new, have a range of emotions and experience. I am looking forward to a life time of living with my son.

Self Sacrifice in Motherhood

Tonight as I was going through the motions of getting Saylor and I ready for bed I had something flash through my mind. A key element of motherhood is sacrifice. I suppose this thought started to simmer earlier in the day when my husband and I had a discussion about the yard work he needed to do and my urge to be creative in the studio. Ration won out and he did some yard work and then I was able to work in the studio after which was a good compromise.
I think I have know that sacrifice is part of motherhood for a while although I have just made the connection and given it a name.

What have I sacrificed as a mother?
-quiet alone time
-creative time
-my body although it gave me my son and I am working on acknowledging that and I can do something about the weight by getting more active and eating better
-sleep
-time with my husband
-work - by choosing to stay home with our son I no longer work full time and this has had a huge impact on our family finances but we feel its worth it. I have started to work one day a week with my mom caring for Saylor while I am away thus avoiding daycare and its costs.

This isn't a complete list of my sacrifices nor is it a list of complaints. I love my son and motherhood. Each new phase of life is full of different challenges and I am learning to adapt and come to terms with those sacrifices and challenges that exist right now. A good example of both of those is the fact that at this moment I am typing one handed and holding my sleeping son in the other.
When I did an online search on sacrifice and motherhood I found many results from my search. Here are a couple links to a few blog postings I enjoyed. http://www.squidoo.com/a-mothers-sacrifice
http://www.professorshouse.com/Family/Children/Articles/The-Sacrifices-Of-A-Mom/

I would love to hear from other mother's out there, what are your thoughts on sacrifice and motherhood?

Project Happy Week #6

This week seemed to zip by even though I spent most of it at home. So this week this week that made me smile were....
-Saylor out side in the park...laughing and playing we had such a good time I didn't even reach for the camera
-my husband playing guitar
-Pete taking Saylor out for almost 2 hours so mommy could have a much needed break in that time I completed a project and did a little blogging.

Project Happy Week #4 and 5

Last week I completely missed writing down my happy thoughts for the week and I nearly missed this week as well. I have had some health issues flair up and that's where my focus has been. Fortunately I'm on the mend now so that is something I am happy about.

-free firewood
-my son's continued interest in using the potty
-my mother's involvement and support in our lives
-mild winter weather
-dedicated studio space
-my loving and supportive husband

For week 6 I am going to be more aware of the things that bring me happiness and take a few pictures along the way.

Project Happy Week #3

Well it looks like I missed week 3 of Project Happy Week 3 on my blog. I had some health issues flair up and that has dominated my mind for several days foruntantly its under control. The biggest thing that is making me smile these days is watching my son learn to use one of these...

In case you aren't familar with this item its a Beco Potty . My son often urinates on the floorw hen he gets out of the tub so we started to offer him the potty instead. Now he is peeing on the potty a couple times each day.  

Project Happy week #2

This is the original link to Project Happy . Here are a few things that made me happy this week.

- time at the park on a mild winter day in January

-drinking a cup of tea while its still hot
-sleeping in and cuddles with Saylor while he woke up
-beautiful pink roses from hubby

- while Saylor was assisting me to transfer the clean diaper laundry from washing machine to dryer he took a wash cloth and wiped his diaper area...was so funny made me laugh out loud..he was fully dressed at the time

Mindful Parenting Collaboration week #5

I have been so imersed in being my son's mother that I rarely pause to care for myself. The challenge for the fifth week of the  Mindful Parenting Collarboration was to take time for yourself. Mindful Parenting Collaboration

I did spend some time in the studio being creative. For me this time is energizing and meditative. I try to become absorbed in what I'm creating and truly enjoy the time. Another activity that feels like a luxury is a shower on the weekend. My husband is home and  I can shower  with door closed and by myself instead of my son sitting in his high chair just outside the bathroom door waiting for me to finish.

Lastly I have fine returned to work one day a week. I have returned to work due to our financial situation. I hadn't expected the time at work to feel like I was doing something for myself. I don't like to be away from my son for any reason. So far the two days of work have gone by swiftly and  I feel that I am making a contribution to our finances.

Please hop over to Mccrenshaw to read her reflections on week 5. Also don't miss the other blogs participating in this event they are listed at the bottom of the post.