Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Adventures as a New Stay-at-Home Mom

I've never liked cooking.  It takes so much time and effort--and the product of all that time and effort is gobbled down far too quickly.  If I spend an hour or two working on something, I don't want it to disappear in less than ten minutes.

Many of my friends have told me that I will like cooking more now that I am a stay-at-home mom.  They say it's no longer a chore when you actually have time in the day to plan and prepare the meal.  Plus, it's "rewarding" to know that you are making something delicious to be enjoyed by your family.

I decided to test their advice, and I've attempted to make two meals in the last several weeks.

Attempt #1: Chicken Pot Pie



Attempt #2: Sloppy Joes


I don't know if it's the oven or just me...but neither of these meals turned out too well.  The experience was rewarding for neither me nor my family.

Something that I do love is baking!  Baking is the best because the entire process is edible--from chocolate chips to cookie dough to finished product.  Yesterday, I made cookies with my nephew, Callum, and we had much more success than I did with either chicken pot pie or sloppy joes.

Yes, I am wearing Callum's chef hat.
Callum also appreciates the cookie dough...in fact, he was eating so much of it that I had to scold him.  After telling him to stop about five times, I said it a bit more brusquely, and he started to cry and ran to his mom.  She was snuggling my baby (who was super fussy yesterday) on the couch, so she suddenly had two little criers on her lap.  I think she loved it.


It's so nice to have family in town now that Noah is here.  I have a cold, and it's hard to get better when you aren't getting too much sleep at night, so Sarah watched Noah for me yesterday while I took a long nap.  While I was sleeping, she tried to take some photos of him with her fancy camera.  He wasn't so thrilled about the "posed" shots.


I am still planning to blog all about the experience of Noah's adoption, but it feels like a daunting undertaking, so I haven't even started yet.  Maybe I'll get to it by his one month birthday.  He had his two week doctor appointment yesterday, and he is porking up quite nicely.  He was 7 lbs 4 oz when he was born, and yesterday he was 8 lbs 7 oz.  Little chubber! :)  They stabbed his heel to take a blood sample, and he was super ticked off.  I think that might be why he was fussy for the rest of the day.  Poor guy.

Overall, I think we are adjusting well to our new life.  Ryan is working crazy hours, so he's not around as much as I'd like, but when he is, he sure loves his little dude.  I found them napping together on Sunday, and it was about the cutest thing I've ever seen.



I get lonely being home all day and part of the night without Ryan--I don't really have any friends here yet--but Noah keeps me company and Ryan assures me that his super busy schedule is only temporary and he'll be around more once his current rotation is over.  In the meantime, thank goodness for my sister and sweet little Noah!

Life is good.

14 comments:

  1. Don't give up on the cooking. However I am totally with you that baking is WAY better! :) Your little guy is just so sweet! I love the sleeping photos with daddy. Miss you!

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  2. Love the sleeping photo and that little baby's hair!

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  3. I love his hair too! And I agree with Noah; I wouldn't be thrilled to be propped up in a basket either!

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  4. I love Daddy/Baby snuggle pictures. Too cute. Also, this is critical--Noah will only be tiny brand new baby size FOR NO MORE THAN ANOTHER 6 WEEKS. (This could be more like 3 weeks if he continues porking up. :D) SO--definitely get some professional shots taken. I have tried to do them myself and I have done my kids no justice. It doesn't have to be super fancy--JCPEnney has done fine for us--but that tiny little rolly skin just doesn't last. Get some cute pics. And then--post them here! :) Can't wait to see.

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  5. So cute. That callum is pretty cute too. Keep us updated! Miss you!

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  6. I don't find cooking rewarding at all. Baking, yes. Cooking, no. I leave that to Logan whenever possible! Love all the pics! My boy is so cute! :) (As are your boys!) See you tomorrow! We just need to beat the loneliness together.

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  7. um... hate to break it to you, but cooking is ALWAYS a chore.. i hate it more now that i have kids and stay home. it's just one more thing to do.... haha. i know what you mean about being lonely. i think being a stay at home mom is kind of lonely some days. glad to know all is going well. i love noah's little face.

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  8. I am with everyone else. I have been a SAHM for 7 years and still do not find cooking rewarding. Sometimes I really have a good meal that I like, but mostly it is a chore. As for being lonely, it will get better. The first baby is always the hardest especially early on. I found myself reading the coupon ads to Benny just to hear a voice in the house. I also started going to ward play groups even when he was little. it gave me time to visit and he liked watching the kids play. Your doing great I am sure. Baby Atticus is a doll. I love his hair!

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  9. Thank a lot for making me ridiculously jealous. Wish I was there! Had to start work today instead . . . Yuck!

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  10. Our newborn photographer was incredible and had so many tricks up her sleeve like having hot water bottles warming the spot where baby girl was about to be set and space heaters blowing warm air on the babe the entire time the photos were being taken, etc. It was like watching a magic act.

    And I am in complete agreement (as it seems like everybody else is too) that baking is WAY better than cooking.

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  11. Noah is adorable. We are so happy for you guys.

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  12. Cooking is ok if you can manage it while the baby is sleeping/not fussing. I've found that kind of works; I also will put J in one of his chairs in the kitchen, turn on the tunes, and manage to cook that way. P.S. CROCK POT. And Julie has great, quick recipes on her site.

    As for the loneliness, yes, I'm dealing with that, too. Fortunately I have family around as well, but I actually went on the Internet and found mommy groups in my area. It's helped a lot...I don't go to all of the meetups, but there are a lot to choose from. I'm sure there's at least one group in your area...maybe try that?

    Meantime, it does look like you're happy and surviving nicely!

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  13. Thanks for sharing this great news, Rachel. What a lucky little boy Noah is!

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  14. NOW look. You have TONS of friends!! Isn't that great?! So glad you moved here...and LOVE that you moved close enough to easily join our morning workout group. :)

    oh. and I still hate cooking too. I don't have a lot of hope cause my MOM still hates cooking even though she's been a stay home mom for 27 years! ugh. At least she's good at it now, even if she doesn't love doing it. That DOES give me hope! haha!

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