The Caitlin Moss Blog

My family makes my world go 'round. Wow. What a year 2011 has been. Definitely a year of change - a new baby, a big move, and a new house. I have learned so much in the past year - I tolerate certain things more and tolerate other things less. Here are a few things I've learned this year that are becoming daily reminders: The post-partum hormones don't go away. My heart has gone completely soft these days. I remember sitting on the couch when Isaiah was 5 days old struggling with his first pediatrician's office to get an appointment, then having to sit on the phone with insurance to figure something else out. I was tired, emotional, and irritated and just started crying. I said to my mom, "When do these hormones go away?" Her response: "Never." And they don't. The littlest things make me cry. I cry tears of joy, sadness, and frustration depending on the day and sometimes all emotions at once. So now I've learned to judge the over emotional/f

Recently I had a friend ask me if I was looking at getting back into writing. My initial response was no, but I'd love to. I'd love to one day write a book, I'd love to write for a magazine again, I'd love to wake up every morning, throw on some slacks and rush to the office. But for now, what I love doing is under the roof of my home. I love waking up with tired eyes and cuddling in bed and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse until someone's too bored to cuddle anymore. I love my dress code for work is sweats, uneaten food, and messy hair. I love that most days I pray for a shower and if any household chore gets completed that's an accomplishment. I love making sure my son is well fed, clean, dresssed cute, and most of all, happy. I love making this house a home and counting down the minutes until my husband gets home from work. I love watching Isaiah crawl to the door with his little bum waddling as he goes to greet his daddy. I love that my life is very full and

As Darren, Isaiah, and I settle into our new home sweet home, I have reflected on a conversation we had about two years ago. I remember so clearly sitting on the couch in our two bedroom apartment in San Diego, talking about how we were growing tired of the San Diego lifestyle. As we went on and on complaining about the things we didn't like about San Diego and wondered when and if we'd ever make it back to Washington, we finally agreed to be happy no matter where we are. We promised to never be unhappy with each other because we're unhappy where we live. And so we never have. Sure I was so READY to get out of San Diego and it was my biggest hope to move to Washington, but I've always been SO happy with my life with Darren even in our small apartment and being in limbo at my parent's house. Now that we are settling into our own house with our (maybe one day) growing family of three, I have never felt so incredibly blessed. But I've also realized home isn't a

I survived. While I can't see myself riding solo on an airplane with a baby again, it honestly wasn't awful. Ther's something about air travel that makes me nervous anyway. I'm not the type that's prescribed valium but there is a certain level of anxiety I get when boarding, taking off, and landing. Now that I was traveling with a bundle of cuteness, I didn't want to be THAT mom with the hysterical child. Here's how it all went down... First, I got to board early. Awesome. But as they were taking my ticket they didn't having the name of my traveling infant. After a brief scolding I told her I was never asked and I sure wasn't hiding him. Oh well. Then when we got to our seat and got settled, everything was fine until Isaiah had a meltdown. Seriously, he was mad! I tried giving him his bottle (which I brought because I wanted to be discrete and not flash the teenage boy sitting next to me). Nope. Then I tried his pacifier. Nope. When in doubt, get him

It's no secret now! After three and a half years in San Diego, we are moving home to Washington. While we have absolutely no regrets about living here or all we experienced, we sure are happy to be going home. Here are a few things we've done during our last days here... ...visited Lake Murray ...played with my giraffe ...celebrated dad's birthday ...loved on mama ...acted cute ...visited friends ...went for walks ...went to Old Town San Diego ...went to the beach ...helped mom pack ...went to dinner with friends ...hung out by the pool ...met Grandpa Moss ...met Aunt Carmen and Uncle Matt

I never knew how much love and family could change my perspective on...well, everything. When I graduated from college (two and a half years early) I had BIG dreams. I was going to have a big job, a big California house with a pool, and drive some kind of big luxury vehicle with leather seats - a husband and kids would come later. Then along came Darren and the move to California. I quickly realized my life would not be complete without him. Long story short, we got hitched and started to build our life together. All of a sudden MY goals became OUR goals and they reflected a more frugal and practical life than I dreamed up my last semester at WSU. And now we have Isaiah. The perfect addition to our life. He fills places in my heart that I didn't even know I had with so much love and joy! Every day I feel like I'm going to explode! How did I get so lucky? Why did God choose me of all people to have the most incredible husband and father to the most wonderful little baby? While I

Isaiah is already 6 1/2 weeks old and I'm finally getting my groove back. Now that we've both passed the six week mark, we're running out of excuses to stay cooped up in this little apartment. I'm not just starting to feel better, I'm starting to feel great! I've been exercising (I even wore my skinny jeans today!), spending alone time with my wonderful super-hubby, and feeling more comfortable about the little "field trips" I take Isaiah on. Now that I'm passed feeling the relief of no longer being pregnant and dealing with the recovery of post-partum, I've been able to reflect on becoming a mother. There isn't really one way or word to describe the process. We spend nine long, emotional and sometimes torturous months growing and carrying a baby that we love automatically without even knowing who he/she is or even looks like. I know personally I spent every free moment imagining who Isaiah was going to be and what he was going to look like

Hello mama's and mama-to-be's (since most of you reading this are)! I just wanted to tell all of you THANK YOU for all the love, support, and advice about breastfeeding. Since my post about my struggle with it, I've received emails, messages, and phone calls with such great encouragement. It's so relieving to know I'm not alone with this issue. Many women struggle with breastfeeding for the same reasons I do (I guess we just don't talk about it very much). I guess it's a little taboo to say it out loud but I'm glad I did because I wouldn't feel this much better about it had I kept quiet. Feeling nauseous (caused by hormones), smothered, and just not enjoying the feeling is completely normal and common! Thank goodness - I'm not an alien! I've decided to really stick it out. I've had my hiccups in the short time I've been doing it so far but I have no health reason to quit now and my mama didn't raise no quitter. Plus, I think Isaia

Our pride and joy - love this face! These days I really have been praying for patience. Not as a parent (I think I'm doing OK with that - it helps having a baby that is practically perfect!) but with a few other things I'm struggling with since Isaiah was born. Let's face it, I'm not the most patient person. I couldn't wait to grow up and graduate college; I received my bachelor's at age 19. I couldn't wait to get out of Washington; I took the first internship I was offered in sunny San Diego and moved one month later. I couldn't wait to get married; I was engaged for only 2 months. I've always been eager to get up and get things (whatever they might be) going! While we're slowly developing a new routine for everything with the newest addition to our family, there are two things in particular that I'm struggling to wait for. First off, I don't like breast feeding. This is REALLY hard for me to admit (I only just told Darren a few days ago

...for me at least! The entire time I was pregnant I received a lot of advice - good and bad. It's ALWAYS nice to hear what happened to other people/what worked for them but, let's be honest, when it comes to someone who isn't a parent or isn't a parent you'd like to be, their advice can just be stupid. I know everyone is different but I'd like to share my experiences. For those of you that would like to hear it, here are a few things that have come up during the first few weeks for me that I wish I had more of a warning about/didn't expect: 1. The hospital is NOT fun - everyone told me being in the hospital after delivery is great. You have all the extra help and resources, etc. No thank you! I didn't get any sleep while recovering because there was constantly someone in our room - checking my blood pressure (yes, I was woken up for that on many occasions), checking on Isaiah, cleaning the bathroom, getting your food orders (seriously, bring me a PB and

I am fully aware this is not the most flattering picture of me but I think it's hilarious so why not share it? I'm definitely HUGE!(Excuse the sports bra - we had 89 degree weather this week)