The Best Part

The rate of developmental growth that has happened in 3 months is beyond fascinating. I’ll go more in detail in the “All About Dre” section but I am so fascinated by everything that he does. This is random, but the best part is watching him learn how to feed himself, seeing his determination to pick up food on his own, and how satisfied he looks once he accomplishes his goal is priceless. The fact that he can finger feed himself also makes meal time easier because he’s more independent and we can all eat together! It’s still a little challenging because Dre like to throw food under his high chair to save for later when we aren’t looking, but it’s all good. But of course, the best thing ever in these 3 months has been hearing Dredyn call me by my new government name, Mom. Sometimes it’s “Ma”, Mama, Maaaaam(screaming) but my favorite has got to be Mom. I answer him every single time I hear any variation of my new name so he learns that’s me.

The Hardest Part

This is starting to get redundant but I now have a 10 month old with newborn sleeping habits. Still up every 1.5 to 2.5 hours. But these 3 months it’s been even tougher. Honestly, if he doesn’t start getting it together, Pre-School is gonna be rough. I’ll for sure be getting a call that my kid is falling asleep in class. Some nights are better than others, but even when he naps, he’ll wake up and wait for us to rock him back to sleep. At night, it’s strictly for food, but sometimes turns into a 3:30am, 2 hour turn up because he’s bored, can’t sleep, or fussy. This has tested my mental strength in so many ways but we’re just going to keep pushing through it. In like 5 years from now, I’m hoping Baby #2 reimburses me with some sleep.

All About Dre.

I guess I should’ve known what I signed up for when I got impregnated by an athlete who has a family of athletes. I’m pretty sure that equation equals an athlete. This kid likes to move. I mean, climbing, jumping on the bed, standing, random yoga poses, flipping in and out of his ball pit, bear crawling, using his walker to RUN. He literally does everything but walk. He’s taken 2 steps max, but then he drops and crawls the rest of the way to his destination. He’s still eating purees but they’re always paired with some form of finger food: pasta, eggs, cheese, organic fruits/veggies, chewy granola bars, PB&J’s, gluten free pancakes, and fish. He’s gotten a lot better at independent play which I think is vital in a child’s development. Dredyn absolutely loves books; he flips pages on his own, he will grab a book and bang it on the ground until he gets my attention (his cue that he needs my story telling services), he even just started pretending to read on his own and will translate each page into his own language and flip the page when he’s done, lol. He can say, Ball, blue, duck, and Best of all Mama & Dada.

9 Months IN VS. 9 Months OUT

Oh how time has flown. The number 1 thing everyone told me was how fast the 1st year goes by, and I honestly think fast is an understatement. I catch myself at least once a day looking at newborn pictures and videos of Dredyn because I just don’t want to forget; I want time to stop. Another major thing that has occurred is increased Post Partum Depression symptoms. When I work up the courage to dedicate a blog post to this I will explain what I’ve been going through but I’m just not quite ready. Something that has also grown really strong is my motherly instincts. It’s like I can hear him cry before he cries, if that even makes sense. It’s so crazy how long 9 months of pregnancy can feel compared to 9 months of motherhood. I remember the day before I got induced I was in my living room balling my eyes out to my mom because I wanted to sleep on my stomach and I was tired of being so short of breath,; I was so over it. Now 9 months later, I would give anything to go back in time and see Dredyn’s face for the first time all over again. All in all, regardless of how fast the time has flown by, seeing Dredyn learn new things, mentally and physically develop, and simply watching him become his own little, adventurous person is the most beautiful, rewarding thing.