Where There's an App There's a Way

So, if you know me, you know I just recently got my first iPhone.  I was somewhat familiar with it's capabilities from family and friends who have already been using one, but seriously - this thing is freakin' amazing! I am declaring it the new Mother's Helper.  Here's how my iPhone gets me through the day...

6:30am Alarm goes off.  I think about getting out of bed to sneak in a work out before Jon Jon wakes up.  I hit snooze.

7:15 Jon Jon and I snuggle on the couch watching Chuggington.  I slyly check my emails, the weather, and some news headlines because actually watching Chuggington is a little hard to take.

7:25 Jon Jon realizes I'm looking at my phone and he starts pointing at it yelling "Meow! Meow! Meow!"  Jon Jon wants to play with the kitty, a.k.a. the Talking Tom cat app.  So we talk to the kitty for about 15 minutes and make him purr, or Jon Jon's favorite, make him fart.  But the cool thing about this app is that Tom the cat repeats everything you say, so Jon Jon has fun saying all his favorite words to Tom and giggles when he says them back.

8:30  Jon Jon is still in his PJ's with his super cute new slippers on, so I snap a pic and quickly email it out to Daddy at work, and Grandma and Grandpa.

9:00 I make a shopping list in the notes section of my phone.  I'm great at making shopping lists, but awful about remembering to take them with me to the store.  But I am very good at taking my phone everywhere I go - so, voila! I even get super OCD at the store by erasing each thing as I put it in my cart, because I'm also good at forgetting things, even when they are written down in front of me.

11:00  While at Walmart I use my RedLaser app to scan the barcode of some screen protectors I want to buy, only to find out I can buy it for half the price online! Moms love to save money! (More money for facials!)

12:30 I use the My Fitness Pal app to record my calorie intake so far for the day.  I have 9 more pounds to lose to reach my goal weight (note - this is not baby weight - this is married weight! Damn you fabulous husband and your need to eat dinner every night! :)  And can I also mention that it is near impossible to only eat 1200 calories a day!!! Geez!!!!!! But this app is seriously easy to use, and it has over 400,000 foods preloaded with calorie and nutritional value making it a snap.

1:30  Jon Jon is napping so I decide to park it on the couch for a little bit and play some Words With Friends, an interactive scrabble game.  I've never been very good at Scrabble, but I have found this to be highly addictive.  And you do learn some new vocabulary... who knew that "qi" was an actual word?! Maybe one day I learn what it means.

Did I mention that I have used my Facebook app at least 10 times by now?

5:00 Time to start thinking about what to make for dinner as I stare at a package of chicken breast and wonder how to make it fabulous.  Enter the Epicurious app.  Using the "low calorie" filter, I have my answer: Farfalle w/ Chicken, tomatoes, caramelized onions and goat cheese. MMMMM.

6:00 Dinner is cooking and Jon Jon, Jon and I have a dance party using my Pandora app.  I highly recommend making an "I've Got a Feeling" channel. Woop woop!

9:00 Jon Jon is fast asleep and Jon and I relaxing in front of the TV, watching some old movie that has an actress about which I keep saying "What is she from??!!!"  Not being able to take the guessing game any more, you guessed it, I use my IMDB app to look up the movie and the actress and satisfy my curiosity.  Yay! I can sleep now.

9:30 Play a little more Words With Friends and then decide to call it a day.

Oh, wait.  Must check Facebook one more time...

And to think I've only had my iPhone for 2 weeks.  How did I ever live without it?

Relax. It's only parenting.

They say that being a parent will teach you many of life's important lessons; patience being at the top of the list.  But I guess it's an ongoing lesson, because I'm still working at it.

Jon Jon has been a little late to do everything - well all the big stuff.  He was late to crawl, late to walk, late to talk, heck the kid was even late coming out of the womb! Clearly he is not in a big hurry to do anything. Some people have told me he seems like an old soul, so maybe if he's done it all before, he's not in a great rush to get it done again.  Who knows. And I shouldn't say he's "late" - he's on his own schedule, which according to my pediatrician and 27 different parenting books, is just fine.  So why do I worry?  Well I'm a Mom - isn't that my job? And I kind of feel like Jon Jon knows it and is playing some cruel joke on me, seeing just how far he can push.  It's like, just when I feel like I've reached my breaking point of frustration, or worry, he performs like a circus pony and eases all my fears.

So now that I've been through a few cycles of I-had-nothing-to-worry-about-in-the-first-place lessons, why can't I relax?  I wonder if all moms are this way.  Maybe because he's my only, and has all my focus, it's easy to sit and obsess over everything little thing he is or isn't doing.  I wonder once he has mastered all the basics like running, jumping, talking, putting his cup on the table when he's done with it instead of throwing it on the floor, etc... what will I worry about next?  Will he make friends at school?  How is he reading? Will he be the last player picked for kickball? And will the girls like him? Ok, I can see that this worrying will never end, it will just get more complicated.

I have gotten a little better.  I don't check the "should be doing....will probably be doing...may even possibly be doing" lists in my What To Expect book as much as I used to.  I try hard not compare him to the other kids in his playgroup - being slightly grateful that there is no one his exact age, making the comparisons less relevant.  I am learning that worry and impatience often doesn't get you anywhere faster, and having some patience can possibly make the journey a little sweeter.  Last night Jon Jon was having trouble getting to sleep, so I laid down with him in bed, letting him fall asleep on my chest.  It hit me hard that he was only going to be little once, and I should soak it all in while I can.  And I said a little thank you to him for teaching me once again, to stop and smell the roses.