An interview with me

My friend at Crunchy Domestic Goddess sent me these interview questions.. SO fun! Here it goes:

1) You've got 18 months of being a mama under your belt now. What one or two things in this journey called motherhood have surprised you the most?
I think what has surprised me most is the ups and downs of it all. The highs are so high and the lows can be devastating. I am surprised at how wide the emotions swing. When he frustrates me, I feel overwhelmed and ill-equipped. But then there are those moments where I am equally overwhelmed by loving him so much and feeling like I don't want these days of him loving me so intensely to ever end. Motherhood is equal parts hard and life-changing and yet the most rewarding thing ever!
I guess another thing that has surprised me about motherhood is how isolating it can be. A good friend of mine and I were pregnant at the same time and our babies were born 3weeks apart. We talked a good game about how we would hang out with our newborns together and spend so much time together. I think we maybe saw each other once a month for the first few months of our babies' lives. It was too easy for me to just stay home and not add any extra work on myself by going on long outings with my newborn/baby. Once I broke out of that a little and as my son got a little older, I started to realize that motherhood is easier when you do it in community. Being able to share your struggles and have a shoulder to lean on makes all the difference in the world. And being able to be that shoulder for someone else feels good too, like I am helping ease the burden for my friend even if just a little. We all need each other.

2) As a seasoned baby wearer, what advice do you have for mothers who are looking to purchase a baby carrier?
Ask around. What do your friends use (so they can help you if you need it)? Ask yourself when and where will you be using it most of the time and find a carrier that will meet those needs. Learn what advantages there are for different styles. And choose one that you will feel pretty wearing. It's like the ultimate mommy-accessories... your carrier and your baby! :)
My biggest piece of babywearing advice though... Don't give up or be intimidated after trying a carrier only once. So many people tell me they tried a sling with their baby and he/she seemed too squirmy and so they must not have liked it. It takes mama and baby a few tries and maybe a little direction in order for everyone to feel comfortable. But it is SO worth it! The benefits are immeasurable and the convenience is a must. The learning curve is small but you do have to give it a little bit of effort to get the most out of ANY carrier you choose. With just a little practice though, you will be on your way to cuddling your baby and doing your grocery shopping at the same time!

3) What little known fact about you might surprise some of your readers?
I am a fan of hip-hop/ top 40-ish music. It is my guilty pleasure that I don't really feel that guilty about. I love to turn my radio on and dance to a hip beat of Justin Timberlake or old-school Britney or N'Sync (not many better dance songs than "Bye,Bye,Bye"!). I love to dance and anything that has a good beat, I am so down. I also love James Taylor though - so mellow and smooth and fun to sing along with. I think music is such a strong outlet for emotion, of all types. I have days when I want to dance and sing with Kanye West and then I have days when it is Fernando Ortega and Chicago. Depends on my mood and my activity of the day.

4) Chocolate or vanilla?
Vanilla actually. Vanilla ice cream (preferably BlueBell for my Southern friends!) with fresh berries on top and a generous helping of whipped cream... yum!!

5) Let's say you are going to be stranded with your family on a deserted island for 90 days. What 3 things would you take with you and why?
Stranded,eh? ... and my family is there? ...
I would bring suntan lotion so we could get good tans but not burn (no sense in coming home pasty), a "Deserted Island Cuisine" cookbook so we wouldn't get bored with meal planning, and my laptop (I don't think me or hubby could go 90days without e-mail and internet). O.K.- I don't actually own a laptop, but a girl can dream. :)

Practical answer: a dry flint to start fires for warmth and cooking/ purifying water, a tarp for shelter and fresh water collection, a book of local wildlife so we could know what was safe and friendly and what to stay away from. This is the science -nut coming out in me.

That was fun, Amy! Thanks for sending those. I hope y'all enjoyed reading my answers as much as I did thinking about them.

Now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment including the words "Interview me." I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don't have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.