Baby Massage

As a new mom, these are the things that you read about giving your baby a massage...

It helps to soothe your baby.

Helps create a bond between parent and child.

Your child will look forward to this one-on-one time.

What a load of crap. I started giving Gabriel a massage when he was 2 weeks old. At the peak of our "massage experience," when Gabe was three months old, he merely tolerated me massaging him. Mostly, he would fuss and kick and try to roll away. Today's massage consisted of me chasing him around the house naked with a bottle of baby lotion, hoping that he wouldn't pee on the carpet I just had cleaned. FYI- he was the naked one, not me.

All he really wanted to do was pull every toy out of his closet and pile them in the middle of his room. Apparently it's very important for him to take "inventory" of his belongings at least twice a week. So, this leaves me wondering, how much else have I read that is pure crap? I have 14 different books on baby-rearing (not including the name-your-baby books). Think of all the time I wasted sitting around on my pregnant butt, just reading. In retrospect, I should have slept more. This kid is exhausting.

If I step on one more lego, I am going to lose my mind.

Sometime between Christmas and Gabriel's first birthday our house no longer became our home, but became Gabriel's own private little play land. Amongst the inflatable ball pit and the convoy of ride-on vehicles, I have lost control. Every drawer, shelf and corner is full of hot wheels, books, animals, and balls. So, if you are up for an adventure, come over and visit. But please call first, otherwise, I may not be able to find the front door.

Everybody else is doing it....

Well, here we are, a year into parenthood and I am finally getting around to posting our blog. Since everyone else is doing it, I thought that I could give it a try as well. Gabriel is doing well, walking, climbing and getting into everything. Grandma Kathy says he reminds her of Uncle Ryan, which honestly scares me a little, because I am just not sure I have the energy. I always thought that it wasn't fair to the parents that kids gain their abilities before they get the brains to know whether or not they should crawl off the end of the bed, climb up the bookcase, you get the picture. Anyway, enjoy our blog, I will post as often as time permits.