Claire

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Just a second

Claire just turned one.

She's constantly babbling, learning new things every day, and surprising us with her daily discoveries.

For instance, I found out she's an avid climber this week when I turned my back for a second (isn't it always "just a second"?), and returned to find an empty highchair. Aaghh!!! No baby! What happened??? I didn't hear her fall or cry....oh, there she is -- standing straight up waving at me underneath the highchair. She climbed right out when I turned my back.

In the last month I've learned that she can climb out of her high chair, climb off the bed, and climb into our storage ottomans. Oh, and turn on my cell phone. All of this, of course, while my back was turned for "just a second".

Which leads me to wonder -- What is she learning when my back isn't turned? When I'm sitting right in front of her, not seeing any physical activity, just what exactly is going on in her mind? I know this age is an amazing one, where they begin to soak up everything, but it is seriously MIRACULOUS. What is she learning from me, from her dad, from everything around her, that isn't as obvious? This week was the first time I noticed her "noticing" a not-so-innocent scene from a TV show we were watching. It wasn't horrible, just not something I'd share with a five year old, so what impression did it leave on Claire, at one? I'm not going to dwell on it too much -- just thinking about it a little more seriously now. And hoping that when it really counts, I don't turn my back for just a second, thinking everything's just okay.

Tear Down That Wall!!!

North State Industries Superyard XT Gate

I really can't live without this gate.

It keeps her safe and it keeps our electronics safe too.

We got it for a pretty good price -- if you go to Babies R Us, just remember to bring a 20% off coupon (if you sign up for rewards, they send them pretty frequently in the mail).

I like this gate more than some others because it's easy to buy extensions and pretty easy to set up (once you get the hang of it).

It keeps Claire pretty entertained too --- she's constantly trying to figure a way around it!

It's Never Too Late

The Boogin Head Pacifier Clip

Okay, so FINALLY, after 9 months of searching, and losing, and searching, and losing about 25 pacifiers, I got smart and ordered one online that would fit our little princess' pacifier of choice -- the Soothie pacifier. It's the one they give infants in the hospital and my husband liked it the most because it's all one piece, thus, less chance of bacteria growing in little holes. They are easier to clean, but impossible to keep track of, and they bounce like rubber balls when they hit the floor. So for anyone else with a special pacifier, I recommend the BooginHead pacifier clip -- it's pretty universal, and stays clipped very tight. Which means less bending over and searching for me!

You can find them, and other cool things that keep track of baby stuff here:

www.booginhead.com

(I like any product that helps keeps things off the floor, because it's difficult for me to bend down and reach)

LOVE means SOMETIMES having to say "I WAS WRONG"

Some people, myself included, wondered how in the world I was going to keep up with Claire once she started crawling. Well, here's the solution: this old, ugly, worn out office chair that my husband found in the dumpster.

When he wheeled it into our front room more than a year ago, I thought "NO!!! NO more TRASH in our front room! We don't need another chair, this one's ugly, when am I ever going to use it???".

Well, I was wrong. It's the PERFECT chair for me as a mom. When Claire started rolling around, and I couldn't leave her on the couch anymore, I didn't know how I was going to manage with her on the floor all day. But lo and behold, the trashy black chair became my favorite piece of furniture. So, I had to tell my husband I was wrong. I hate that.

Anyways, here's out it works: when Claire is on the ground, and starts to whine for me to pick her up, or if I need to change/feed/cuddle her, I just mosie on over in the chair (wheels are great!), and lower my two hands, with pointer fingers extended and say "UP, UP". Claire obediently grabs my fingers, and I can easily pull her to a standing position, then pick her up onto my lap.

Sometimes being wrong is a good thing.

Sorry -- April was a CRAZY month!

First off, apologies for neglecting my new blog! I have plenty of good excuses, but they all boil down to procrastination, so I guess they're not that good! Well, now that we are a 2 computer family (yay!!!!), I can blog when Steve's at home and we don't have to fight over computer time :)

So, this post is dedicated to SUMMER! It's here, and I'm so happy! Summer can be brutal in CA, but not when you have a pool nearby. What do I love about the pool??? I can carry my baby and swing her around and play, and never tire out, because I'm in the water! Weightless, free, wading.

Claire's getting heavier every day (she's a baby, so she grows). But in some ways things are getting easier. She's more coordinated now, and can stand straight up, which makes getting her in and out of the carseat easier than when she was just a dead-weight infant. She also holds her head up so well that I don't have to worry about that while I'm lugging her around. It's crazy how as she gets more independent, so do I, in little ways.

We've been taking lots of walks lately, because it hasn't been too hot. I work at home 3 days a week, so on those days, I try to get out and exercise a little. Now I can add the pool to our exercise routine. I'm lucky to have a girlfriend who lives close by to help me with Claire while we're at the pool. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking her by myself. We had a lot of fun, and I hope we do it a lot this summer!

Adaptation

"How do you carry her around???" That's usually the first question friends/family/complete strangers want to know about me being a mom. The answer is:

I don't! That's what strollers/Daddy/Grandma are for!

I mean, really! Look at those chubby thighs! At nearly 17 lbs, the kid already weighs a fifth of my total weight. She's half as long as me. Granted, I carried an extra 22 lbs being pregnant, but it's completely different when the little person can actually squirm around and reach out of your arms.

So, I've had to adapt.

I loved the newborn stage because I really did carry her around quite a bit. I could carry her around the house, get her out of her crib easily, and I never worried about dropping her. Now, I worry constantly that she'll struggle right out of my arms and onto the floor, and CPS will come knocking at my door. (Please, readers, do not call CPS on me--I still carry her around the house, but I'm much more focused and careful now.)

Like any mom, strollers have been a major blessing in my life. The first five months, Claire slept in her Stokke stroller at Grandma's. (We were at Grandma's a lot) It was easy to lift her out by myself, because it was basically just a very tall bassinet. Ever since she was born we've also been using the Graco Snap N Go because it's easy to plop the carseat right into it, and it's so lightweight, a child could put it in the trunk of the car. The umbrella stroller is a must have for walks around the neighborhood, to get the mail, and to bring Claire out to the car when I have to go out with her alone. I love my strollers because they give me independence.

I still envy moms who can easily swing their kid from hip to hip while swiping their credit card at the grocery store. But hey, at least I won't get back problems, right? So, while I can't easily carry my baby in my arms, I do hold her in them every day, on my lap, comfortably reclined on the couch.

This Abled Mom

Hi. My name is Jackie, and I'm "This Abled Mom."

When I found out I was pregnant, like any normal person, I ran to the Internet for all the answers to my many questions and concerns. Smart, huh? I found some helpful, some crazy, and some pretty common-sense answers to most of my concerns. But there was a void of information for "differently-abled", "handicapped", and dare I say, "disabled" mothers.

My search for "disabled mother/parent/parenting, etc." always ended in page after page of help and information for parents of disabled children. What about the help for disabled parents? I found there was little, if any, out there (on the web).

Maybe I should start a conversation, I thought. I'll share what I find works (yay strollers!) and what doesn't (baby bjorns, bummer!) for me. And maybe others will share their tips for making motherhood a little easier, whether you're disabled, differently abled, of perfectly-abled.

So here I am. This my story. I hope it helps someone out there with theirs.