Rookie Moms

If you’re looking for more photo ideas, we’ve got ‘em:

1. Milestones- smiling, pushing up, reaching for an object, holding a toy
2. Gift outfits- the more ridiculous, the better the picture
3. Where your baby hangs out- the background of your house will also be fun to look back on in 25 years

Whitney’s (paying) job sometimes includes being at photo shoots for baby products. She recently informed me that professional photographers keep a bib on the baby until the last possible moment to keep the outfit fresh. It’s up to you to decide if drool is part of the moment and should be recorded.

Sometimes I see 3-year olds around town dressed in wild combinations of stripes, gingham, rainbow tights and superhero capes. I wonder when my baby will look that creative and charming. Then it dawned on me. Here’s how to increase the creativity in your infant’s wardrobe…If your baby is grabbing, he can help pick out his own clothes, just like a willful preschooler.

We start at the bottom and work up:

• Let the baby “choose” from two or three pairs of socks. The idea is that whichever ones he touches (grabbing or sucking is ok too), he wears. You might need to hold them close to his hand if he’s not flapping or waving his hands about.
• Now allow him to pick from two shirts.
• Let him pick pants, hats, and any other accessories.

Now you can brag that baby picked out his own clothes. Good mommy.

Try to schedule a mental break for at least a half hour a day. Every day. The world will still turn if you are not hands-on and you might as well get used to the idea now.

If you’re not into meditating, here are some simple ideas for chilling:

1. A cup of tea and your journal
2. A trashy magazine and a snack
3. A phone call with a good friend

I think zoning out in front of the TV or internet, while okay, do not really count toward reclaiming your sanity…

Before having a baby, I never knew how ridiculously hard it would be to structure a desirable workday and eek out a fair wage. I was writing to my old college roommate today and I was going to list my loooong laundry list of constraints for finding a new job when it occurred to me that I was only bound by one (seemingly impossible to meet): that I be home to care for my son by 2:15 pm.

Many other amazing moms that I knew from the days of full-time employment are similarly flummoxed by trying to find a new balance of work and life. It sucks.

If you used to work outside the home and you are now wondering how to juggle childcare, health care, wage earning, quality time, and all that shite with an evolving set of priorities, check out the great information and petition at Moms Rising. You can print out an excerpt from the book and create some bedtime reading for yourself.

Or you can buy the book, the Motherhood Manifesto, and find out what America’s moms want and what to do about it. What a good Mother’s Day gift for yourself!!