The Delaney and Waylon Diaries

MamaMinutes is a Best of Blogs finalist!

MamaMinutes was recently named one of ten terrific finalists in the Best Parenting Blog category of the 2006 Best of Blogs Awards. Voting, now open, runs through Friday, April 13 (you can vote up to once a day). If you haven't checked out the group of talented women (who were kind enough to ask me to join them) at MamaMinutes and what we're writing about about parenting, head over to meet the ladies and then be sure to vote for us!

And congratulations to my fabulous friends who've also been nominated: Leslie at Mrs. Flinger, Nicole at Sitting Still and Mari at Best-laid Plans.

Sucking it up (or in, as the case may be)

Our gym started offering swim lessons in their brand-new, indoor pool so I thought I'd check into their program. Now that Delaney's almost two I think she'd really enjoy the Aqua Tot, "mommy and me," classes they offer. The schedule looks good and the price is right. There's only one problem: I'd have to wear a bathing suit in public.

Becoming a mother gave me a confidence in my appearance I'd never experienced before. Well, it's either that or the fact that I have less time to care about what other people think. Whichever it is, I'm glad. Except when I'm faced with wearing a bathing suit in front of other, certainly more fit, people. Sure, I wore a suit on my honeymoon but we were in the tropics. It was either wear one or wear nothing at all and I wasn't about to subject the friendly islanders to that. I was also smaller then and not sporting a post-partum bowl full of jelly in my midsection (it was more like a bowl full of oatmeal and, therefore, so much more appealing).  And although I weigh a bit less now than I did when I got pregnant, pregnancy had a sinister way of rearranging things so my flaws stand out even more than ever.

My fantastic plans to drop 20 pounds in a week haven't gone the way I'd hoped and yet the swim class registration deadline swiftly approaches. It's time for me to suck it up (and in) and get over my self-consciousness. I need to find a suitable suit with spandex in all the right places and stop obsessing about what others might think. Delaney definitely won't care if my belly pooches out a little (or a lot). She'll be way too busy bobbing around, splashing her mama and having fun. That is, after all, what it's supposed to be about.

It's all about the 'tude (or the toddler)

You'd think that Roger catching a horrid virus last week, me struggling through a sinus infection, Delaney's most recent bout with barf and my deeply ingrained fear of flying would have me all riled up just days before our big trip to Indiana. But you'd be wrong. Because, my friends, while I have been busy making lists and buying supplies and wrapping up projects for work, I've also spent plenty of energy employing the gentle art of denial. It's a powerful thing and works so well that I may not even realize I'm on a plane until I feel the wheels lift off the ground. Oooooh. Wait a minute. Just writing about the wheels made my stomach lurch and my hands clench. I guess I've got some work to do in the denial department.

Everyone's telling me to relax. They're telling me not to worry. That flying is way safer than driving. That all I need to do is change my mindset--adjust my attitude--to get through the experience. I've spent the last two weeks fervently trying to burn positive, happy images into my brain of the three of us laughing and enjoying our flight bound for the frozen tundra (The snow is several inches deep and the high will be 15 degrees the day we arrive. This south Texas girl ain't ready for negative wind chills, but that's a whole other whine). But no matter what kind of positive imagery I try, the fear still lives in me.

My only hope is that I'll be so busy entertaining Delaney--supplying her with never-before-seen toys; bribing her with snacks that are normally forbidden; figuring out where to find her a dairy-free lunch at Houston International in 10 minutes or less; doing the diaper tango in the airport bathroom--that I won't have time to dwell on my own silly neuroses.

Since becoming a mother I've learned that it's not all about me (Shocker, I know.). I'd lived a spoiled and selfish existence up until that point so it was a welcome and life-changing lesson. Delaney gave me the gift of clarity about what's truly important. She's my focus. And from all the stories I've heard lately, toddlers demand your full attention when flying. Maybe Delaney can give me another gift by distracting me from my fears. It's a tall order for such a little person but I have a feeling she's up to the challenge.

Meet the mamas

My latest post is up at MamaMinutes. Swing by and take a look. Peek around the site. Meet the other mamas, get to know them and see what they're writing about. I promise you'll have fun.

Join me over at MamaMinutes

The smart, savvy, sassy and wonderfully entertaining ladies over at MusingMama.com and MamaMinutes have graciously invited me to join them as a contributor. Visit MamaMinutes where I've posted an Open Letter to Eva Longoria, who recently became engaged to San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker.