Mama What?

There are less than nine weeks to go before Kingston arrives. Less than eight if you consider the c-section date my due date.

I am SO ready to no longer be pregnant! While I can not WAIT to meet Kingston and love him and be his Mommy, I feel sad that these are the last days and weeks that Hunter will have me all to himself. Writing this is actually making me cry because I don't verbalize that feeling very often nor do I consciously think about it.

At least living here and having family so close will allow me the opportunity to leave Kingston home when I want to do something special for Hunter and vice-versa. Not that they'll often be apart in that type of scenario but I'll have that option.

Hunter has grown so much in the past 14 months...he's become quite the little toddler,

 especially lately now that he's walking. It's so strange to think that for half of his short life I've been pregnant. A part of me is anxious to be my "old" self again and be able to be the active mom I was when he was still in infancy. He didn't need it as much then but I had such a high energy level and I look forward to sharing it with him again once I am not lugging around an additional 40 lbs.

As far as updates go, Trav has been doing some consulting for a past employer so he's been busy and had some new-found "purpose" in life. He comes home by dinner so I'm a happy gal. What makes me even happier is hiring the Mother's Helper last weekend. Woohoo! She comes for 4 hours per day (in between Hunter's 2 naps) to be my "hands" since carrying Hunter and caring for Hunter has become a challenging task to take on solo. 

While Trav is at work, my helper comes...that's the deal. It works well for us because Trav needs time to focus on his consulting project and I am physically unable to care for Hunter all day so both of us have some relief. 

Yesterday she and I took Hunter to the park where he met a cute little 1-year old named Samantha. They sat on the swings and cooed at each other for about an hour before we came home. 

I have lots of Orlando Momma friends with babies Hunter's age range but we've yet to see a lot of each other because it's taken so long for me to get settled. Now that I *finally* unpacked my last box this afternoon, I plan on getting together with them more often. 

The weather here is beautiful, breezy, and sunny. Hunter's been swimming twice since we arrived, even though it's WAY chilly in the pool. He seems to love it!

The hardest adjustment has been missing my WNY Mommy friends. I talk to some of them every 4 days or so but it's not the same here...when I go to my corner grocery store I don't run into any familiar faces. Ok, I take that back. Two days ago I ran into a friend I hadn't seen since I was 18 -- BUT it's different nonetheless. 

Another challenge is trying to find a balance for Hunter between Grandparent-love which includes partially ignoring my instructions added with continuous attention...this is turning Hunter into a whiny baby and it's frustrating to say the least. I tried so hard to keep him even-tempered (when I could) back home but now there is interference. As soon as Hunter whines, even if it's just because I am putting him on the floor after changing his diaper, someone will inevitably say "What's the matter baby?" in a coo-ey voice and it's over. We get full on pouty, quiver lips and crocodile tears. That is NOT the baby I've been raising for a year!

Overall, I can honestly say our move down was the best choice for our family. I needed the support from my Mom and Dad. We were no longer tied to NY through Trav's job and had the opportunity to take advantage of our free time. Our parents are getting to see more of Hunter, which is SO important to me. And we're living in a family-friendlier climate. Maybe one day we'll be back up in NY but until then, I feel like this is where we belong. At home.