Natalie is 5-months-old and I love being a Mom.
My favorite part is when she giggles and smiles at Jeff and I. She also does this new thing where she snuggles her face into my shoulder, which is pretty great too. I don’t think I have ever felt more loved in my life. The feeling is awesome.
I like to think about the day when Natty starts talking and what she will say. Right now I imagine it’d be something along these lines:
“I hate when you try and put clothes on me. It’s the worst.”
“I really would prefer if you’d stop putting me on my tummy for 10 minutes at a time. I’m really not planning to crawl anytime soon and once I decide I want to be mobile I’ll most likely skip right to walking cause I’m fancy like that.”
“I love being outside and I’m probably going to freak out when the temps start to drop here in a few weeks. Are you prepared for that? Like, did you buy me mittens yet?”
“Those peaches you make for me are pretty tasty and I’m a fan of that applesauce stuff too. But without hurting your feelings, I wouldn’t be mad if you stopped trying to spoon avocados into my mouth. Protein is overrated.”
“Bath time, on the other hand, is the best and I feel like a champ because I sit up now. But let me warn you, just because my bottom half is below the bubbles and you can’t see it, I still pee every. single. time.”
“I have no hair and winter is coming. Buy me more hats.”
I also imagine our daughter being very thoughtful and considerate so she’d ask me, “Hey Mom, how’s your new job going?”
And I’d tell her that it’s going really well and that I love it. I feel at home at Steelcase. I’m starting to settle into my role and routine a bit more and this week I even got invited to have lunch with a working moms group. It was kind of neat to connect with other Moms in the same boat.
My days are flying by which means my mind is being challenged – it’s a good thing. I find that most days I don’t even think about being a wife or a mom until it’s time to pick up from daycare. Once we’re home and before bedtime, I’m savoring the hours we’re together as a family – lately hanging out on the porch or taking a walk around the neighborhood.
Life is good in Kladder-land and we wish you the best as we all sail into fall over these coming weeks. Hooray for football, chili, and... ohmigosh sweaters.