I'm not the average mom. Deal with it.

Oooh, that's a bitchy sounding title, isn't it?  I can tell, this is going to be a good post, filled with righteous opinions, some of them unpopular, and a touch of indignation.  That's how I like to start my day.  So without further ado,

My son wears a necklace.  Deal with it.

To recycle an image from this week's Wordless Wednesday:

I can't believe the (I'm-a gonna say it) shit that I take over this necklace.  That's an amber teething necklace. Baltic amber has been used for centuries to ease pain in adults and children.  Children can't pop a couple of aspirin when their little gums ache (and with all of the recalls, we wouldn't want them to anyway), so if something little like an amber necklace can give him some relief, yes sir he's going to have one.
Plus, admit it: that's darn cute.


We cloth diaper.  Deal with it.

There's no denying that cloth is cute and that's enough reason to put our babies in cloth.  The economic and environmental benefits are just gravy.  No, it isn't gross or unsanitary, nor is it hard work.  Our clean diapers smell like 'Nilla Wafers instead of perfumed plastic, and my baby's backside is rash-free.  I'm not asking you to do our laundry, and it's the right choice for us.

Sometimes, we cosleep.  Deal with it.
Ooh, this is a hot button here, where the City of Milwaukee Health Department has waging a war against cosleeping for months.  I know the dangers of cosleeping, and I know there are ways to do it safely. We use the Snuggle Nest cosleeper.  I think Jack is a much more content baby because of it.  He has slept through the night since about 8 weeks old, and he has no problem sleeping in his Snuggle Nest, or his Pack n Play, or in his room, or in our arms. 

Yes, I work full time.  Yes, my husband stays home with the baby.  Deal with it.
This one is tough, particularly for my husband.  He gets the "oh realllllly" eyebrow from the older set who believes that dad needs to be the breadwinner and mom needs to be the bread baker.  This arrangement works best for us.  I spent seven years going to college and then to law school, and I have a career that I enjoy.  My husband is skilled in a trade that he can do from home.  This arrangement works for us and my son gets the benefits of a financially stable household with a hands-on parent as the primary caregiver.  This works for us.

My son is my world and I want to bring him everywhere.  Deal with it.
I am one of "those" parents: I believe that there are very few places that I go that I wouldn't want to bring my son.  I spend entirely too many hours away from him every week, so leaving him with a babysitter so I can do something like to go the museum is just out of the question.  Yes, I realize he isn't getting much out of his museum tour (as a very "helpful" museum employee pointed out last time we were there) but he likes being around people and he likes the change of scenery.  I get that he won't understand the importance of this amazing Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, but he is seeing all kinds of new people, bright colors and lights - this is fun for him.  If he had started to fuss, I'd have taken him somewhere quiet - I won't let him disturb others for my own convenience.  But if he can quietly take in an experience in a location that won't be harmful to him, I see no reason for him NOT to accompany me to a nice restaurant, to a gallery, to the art crawl, or any other event just because it isn't geared towards children.
And I realize that this will change when he gets older and develops his own interests, but for now, he is happy to spend time with his momma no matter where we are, and I'm going to make that happen every chance I can.

Wow, that all looks so...bitchy.  I'm actually awfully nice, but I guess sometimes, it all has to come out somewhere.  I guess that's why moms blog.  Happy Friday, everyone!