Confessions of a First Time Mom
Hello, my name is Alexa Soto, and I am a Gideon-aholic. I can imagine a support group where mothers who are addicted to the smell of their baby's neck, and the chubbiness of their cheeks, stand in a circle and confess that they haven't vacuumed their bedroom in months because they are too busy blowing raspberries on their baby's tummy. I would be president of this group, but I would never attend meetings because I would be busy inhaling Gideon's head.

Yesterday, I had off from work, and I was so sure that I would spend the majority of the day cleaning and scrubbing my house until it sparkled and planes would see it shine from the sky. However, first I had to feed and change Gideon, and then we decided to take a nap together, and when we woke up there was much laughing to do while we played with bear and Aretha the lamb. We had a full schedule of "Super baby", where Gideon pretends to be flying(he actually has little choice in this game), and "Look in the Mirror" where the cooing never stops. It was so much fun. However, the drawback is that there are dishes in the sink, and laundry baskets full of clothes to be folded in the kitchen. I did manage to clean the sink and toilet in the bathroom, and moved one laundry basket from one room to the other. Pathetic, huh? Those are the days that I wish I could just stay home. Who would have thought that I would be craving to be a stay at home mom? Here I thought we were all modern and hip, with Alex as the primary caregiver, and Alexa coming home everyday saying "Honey, I'm home!". But I am jealous of Alex; of the time that he gets. I know Alex doesn't have it easy. He tries to balance taking care of Gideon, and his work, and sometimes his work suffers. And he is usually up past midnight trying to finish up. But still I am jealous.

List of things I have learned as a new mom:
1. Stock up on batteries. Or buy stock in batteries. Every baby gadget and toy requires batteries. And some need AAA and C batteries at the same time. And they run out constantly and we don't have a recharger, so we are spending literally hundreds a year on batteries. Batteries are my new nemesis.

2. Babies KNOW when they pee on you, and they think it's funny. Gideon has managed to pee on everyone in the family at least once. He totally cracks up when he does it. I think it's the "Oh my God! Gideon..nooooo!!" cry that one makes, and the flapping of the arms that is the funny part.

3. You CAN have too many onesies. I was told by some that you can never have too many. But I have discovered that he has already outgrown brand new clothes that he didn't get a chance to wear. He is 25 inches long, and has been wearing 6 month clothes since he was 3 months old.

4. Having a baby has made me less of a wuss. I used to be scared of silly things, like being in social situations, or public speaking, or yelling at the after school teenagers. Now, watch out! I was able to stand in front of my whole church congregation, and speak about Gideon's surgery.



If I see a "teenage situation" at the library, I am literally jumping out of my chair to deal with it. I think that now that I know what real fear feels like, I know that I can overcome the small stuff. Ok, so this post is over. Sorry it was so long; just had alot to say. Oh, one more thing:

I need help, right?