On My New Title

 I am still beyond mesmerized at the whole process of procreation. Yes, I learned all about it in grade school, but when the miracle of life is upon you; you truly realize how miraculous bringing a child into this world is.

Miraculous and also draining, in a positive way. Being a parent takes every thread of your being, a fact that I truly did not understand until having my own child. I certainly knew that becoming a parent would entail a lot less sleep, that I most likely will only make-up once she is 18 and out of the house. Who am I kidding? I believe there are nights that my parents still lose sleep over me and I am well over 18! But draining because I no longer live each day for my own fulfillment, but that of another tiny human who is depending on me for her everything!

To say it simply, my life has forever changed since the birth of my daughter Violet. I am beyond honored that God blessed us with our living doll and look forward to watching her grow and develop.

At present, she certainly can distinguish my voice from others and has been smiling since birth. We have a little diva on our hands, as she much prefers being held and may have learned to fake cry. We have caught her on more than one occasion "crying" and smiling simultaneously, specifically when she has been placed in the Mamaroo for all of 5 minutes and we come to retrieve her. (She enjoys it for small bursts, and then desires to be held once again!)

I know it will be some time until she calls me "mommy," but in the meantime I am enjoying this little nugget more than I could have ever imagined.

Her brother, Prince, is slowly coming around to sharing the spotlight. Coach and I are certain that they will be the best of buddies in a few months. You know, especially when she begins eating table food! I can already imagine him on face cleaning duty!

If you have been following for some time, thank you for sticking around as I got the hang of this thing called motherhood. If you are new, welcome.

Until tomorrow,

Michelyn Cynthia (aka "Mommy")

Becoming A Calm Mom: Strategy #1

Are there any current moms or moms-to-be that have read this book, Becoming a Calm Mom?

In one of my "buy every baby book on Amazon" tirade, I purchased this book! In efforts of not shaming myself, I will not disclose the number of pregnancy and baby books that I have read to date, but will say that I may be losing count on my fingers! I know, there are so many books about parenting, being pregnant and everything else in between that I am not even certain how anyone makes a living off writing them. I mean, aren't there enough already for sale?

With that being said, I have really enjoyed the strategies outlined in Dr. Ledley's book. Maybe this is because she is a cognitive behavioral psychologist, of which I would also categorize my own theory of practice.

So why did I buy the book, ha?

Whether you are physician, psychologist, nanny, or whatever, the act of becoming a parent for the first time is daunting and overwhelming. I was intrigued by the idea that six strategies could aid in reducing stress and anxiety.

After reading the book, I like the six strategies outlined by Dr. Ledley, and would argue that these six strategies can be used not only during a parent's first year of parenthood, but in life generally.

So with that, I figure I would share the six strategies. I believe you will agree that anyone could benefit from her strategies as reducing the stress in your life.

Becoming a Calm Thinker

1.       Become aware of your thoughts. “What am I thinking right now?” 2.       Question your thoughts. “Does this thought make sense? Would I say this to my sister or my best friend? Is there a different way to think about this situation?” 3.       Answer the questions posed in the previous step. 4.       Come up with a Calming Statement that summarizes what you have learned after capturing your negative thoughts, questioning the thoughts, and generating answers to your questions.

  Ledley, D.R. (2009). Becoming a calm mom: How to manage stress and enjoy the first year of motherhood. Washington, DC. American Psychological Association.

Question of the Day: Have you tried using the first strategy, become a calm thinker, to lessen your stress?

Michelyn Cynthia