The First Year: Mold Free

  With my rookie year of motherdom coming to a close, I have been reflecting a lot on all the joys, struggles, and lessons learned of being a new mom.  To be honest, I can't believe I am already at this point and that my little guy is soon to be a year old; today is his 11 month!  What a tremendous joy and blessing it is to be Dominic's mother, truly.  Over the next month, I hope to share those musings of our first year together (post-womb).  And because I'm in a ranting type mood (let's face it when aren't I) I am going to kick it off!

  Since the very moment of conception, Dominic has been his own little life force to be reckoned with.  Like all people before him and since, he is unique in every way.  Sure he does lots of the same things other babies do, he even once said "goo goo ga ga" (so cliche), but overall he has a mind of his own and does things on his own timetable in his own way.  I don't think it is terrible to have standards and charts with norms, but we are doing ourselves and our children a disservice if we live by them.  Dominic has almost never done things when the baby books say, many time he is early but I don't think that means he is "smarter" or "better" than other babies, it just means he is different.  This is why it is so frustrating to me when people are constantly asking if he is doing this or that yet and sometimes even trying to pressure him to do said action and comparing him to other babies they know.  I guess I'm pretty laid back about it, he will do it when he is ready.  Don't get me wrong I love working with him and teaching him new things but I try not to get frustrated when it takes a little longer than I thought it would.
  My little guy is certainly in a weight category all his own.  If I payed attention to the growth charts I would be one worried sick mom.  Instead I look at my baby and see he is healthy and happy, and I look at the fact that Geoffrey and I were both tiny growing up and still are not very "big" people so his size makes perfect sense.  We are so blessed to have a pediatrician who measures our son on his own chart and never pressured us to supplement.  Still some people have worried about his weight, just because there are babies on the other end of the spectrum that are 3 months old that weigh as much as he does now.  To be honest I have no idea what he weighs now as it has been 2 months since he has been weighed.  I guess I don't see the point, as long as he is healthy what does it matter?  I have accepted him, and this is just the way he is.  He is little and I love my little guy!!
   My point being with all this: there is no perfect mold of what a baby should be.  Every baby crawls different, eats different, talks different, sleeps different, weighs different, walks different, and acts different.  I think that is so cool!  When people say to me that they have never seen a baby do "that" before, I say that's because they've never met Dominic before.  He is his own little life force to be reckoned with and never ceases to amaze me.  I am sure other mothers would say the same about their little ones.