By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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When you are taking care of a baby, it can be very helpful to have an extra set of hands. Sometimes it is a relative who visits from out of town, sometimes it is a doula, nanny or babysitter, sometimes it is a husband or wife, and sometimes it is a close friend lending a helping hand.
I never expected my toddler's hands to be as helpful as they are so early on. Now that our baby is a little older, he can feed her Cheerios, tip her sippy cup up, swing her in her swing, press buttons on her toys, and most importantly, play with toys while she watches.
I definitely find myself relying on my son's help more and more during the day. While our baby watches him play, I have a wonderful window of opportunity to check email, fold clothes, or just sit down for a minute and get off of my feet. I don't know how long I have until he starts requesting babysitting money, but I'm going to enjoy this phase as long as I can.
How has your older child given you a much needed extra set of hands?
