Lessons

"I swear I'm old enough to babysit....trust me"

He may not be old enough yet, but he will be soon enough. Having two kids has allowed me to learn some impressive new mom skills. We ventured back to Fontenelle Forest this week. It was a typical morning on a typical August day and then it happened!....Mallory's first blow out. Dang it, why does it have to happen 1/2 a mile into a massively wooded forest area? The answer? To teach me a new mom lesson. Jeff has a saying "adapt, improvise and overcome. This little mantra was on repeat as I fumbled with the baby Bjorn, diaper bag, a poop covered baby and a "helpful" two year old. The old Jen would have thrown in the baby wipe and ran home crying, but not the new and improved version...oh no! We still had terrain to cover and a poop covered newborn/mom were not about to stop us. So I shimmied Mallory out of the soiled onesie plopped her on my lap/changing table and we were back in action in no time.

More lessons learned: Jeff and I have continued our "self feeding 101" for Brady and let me tell you he has passed with flying food and colors! He is now eating with a fork and landing 90% of his food in his mouth. Of course ketchup is still doubling as hair gel, but it's a good look for him. We are so proud of him and can't believe how well he is doing. The lesson? NEVER DOUBT him. I didn't think he was capable of being so independent. I am ashamed of myself for not giving him the opportunity sooner. At this rate I'm going to give him a whirl behind the wheel. haha!

Final lesson: Expect nothing different for Brady than I would for Mallory . As parents we are the first to set limits for our kids. Of course some limits are necessary, but just make sure they aren't holding them back!

ps. Happy 1 month birthday to our little girl!