Bunchland

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

I didn’t worry too much about my toddler going to see a pediatrician for his delay in speech. My family doctor has always been very thorough and would rather get a specialist involved then blow something off. Even when the pediatrician wanted to see my son again three months later, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I couldn’t come to the first appointment but I made sure to come to the second, armed with a mother load of questions like, well, most mothers.

The appointment was casual. The pediatrician viewed my son playing and interacting with us. She asked a few questions, we asked a few. When she measured his head, checked the range of motion of his hips and looked at his frank and beans, I questioned it, but didn’t get much of an answer.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

Daddy is officially my son’s favourite parent. I knew it was coming. I saw the signs. We can both make Jr. laugh, but it’s Daddy who usually gets the I’m-laughing-but-I’m-not-making-a-sound-just-shaking-because-it’s-so-funny laughs while I usually get the pity tee-hees. We can both rock our son to sleep at night, but it’s usually Daddy’s rocking that takes Jr. to Zzz town. I was coming to terms with all of this, but what happened last week was too much for my heart to bare.

After spending a weekend tearing up our basement and only getting to see my son for two hours or less a day during the week, I realised I needed to take some time off school to be with my family. It was getting hard to focus on respiratory pathologies when all I could think about were fish kisses from my lil’ man. And different kinds of kisses from my big man. I decided to stay home from school for a few days so my family could enjoy my company, and my classmates could enjoy some time away from me.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

Sure, Christmas is alright. There’s tasty baked goods, family dinners, A Christmas Story and gifts, but where’s the spookiness? Yes, a large man dressed in Coca-Cola colours creeping around and eating your cookies is a tad spooky, but it’s no Halloween. October 31st has ghosts, goblins, freaks and free candy. The Pettit household loves Halloween so much, we’re planning on making a eerie advent calendar filled with ghoulish goodies to help count down the days.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

Ahhhhh yes, Thanksgiving long weekend. Just kicking back and thinking about everything I’m thankful for. Show up at a relative’s place, eating enough to audition for Woman vs Food, finding room for dessert and napping on the couch. This is what Thanksgiving used to be like before Jr. came along.

This Thanksgiving we had to have three family dinners. Three. Back-to-back. There were no couch naps. There was barely any couch sitting. Two dinners were at family member’s homes. Homes with drawers full of knives and ground level plants and pets that expect petting and not fur pulling. One dinner was at our place. I made the traditional Thanksgiving tuna casserole, which is tuna, peas, a can of mushroom soup and plain potato chips. My mom made this every year for decades since we didn’t eat turkey, and she has passed the Thanksgiving tuna torch on to me.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

I have multi level to-do lists. What to do this hour, this day, this week, this lifetime. I’ve always written to-do lists, even after I forgot one at my first job and my co-workers and boss read the day to-do list which included “shave everything.”

As I wrote an updated life to-do list during a particularly boring class, I was trying to figure out when the best time to have a second child would be. Working for a while before working on #2 would be nice. It feels like forever since I’ve seen the bank account go up instead of down. I think it might be hard to get into my career and pull out of it just as it’s picking up. Establishing a career and having #2 a few years later would be hard as well. I’d be scared of losing clients and, let’s face it, I’m no spring chicken. Trying to start a career with a giant belly might scare people away. I started seriously considering getting pregnant this week.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

Each marriage is a tiny society with its own rules, laws and regulations. Something that’s enjoyed by one couple might be punishable by death (or castration) in another relationship. There are minor offenses and crimes that can tear societies apart. Adding children means more rules and regulations have to be created so the society can run smoothly, or as smooth as it can with the addition of lawless savages.

George and I weren’t married for long before I was pregnant, but we had lived together for a while. Our living, breathing society had its basement membrane all laid out. We both enjoy telling the other everything, and I mean everything. The time someone in a stall beside me said “pssst” and I said “yes” even though it turned out to be the person’s fart I was talking to? My husband was the first to hear about it. I say the same stuff to my friends that I do to George and that works for us. Some societies need a little more mystery and less fart stories.  Read more...

Megan Pettit shares stories from a new mom

I like to think of myself as a social person. I have no problem chatting with strangers at a party. Stick me at the wedding table with the randoms and I’ll be busting a move to Beyonce with my new friends before the bouquet toss. But talking with other parents while I’m out with my toddler is something I haven’t quite mastered yet.

Some might think that having a child makes you less social because you’ll be staying in a lot more. Sure, you probably won’t be bar hopping with your friends every weekend, but you will be going to the park an awful lot, and you will be talking with other parents.

Jr. loves seeing other children and has no problem going up to them. His version of being social is squealing and flapping his arms around. While this goes on, I talk to the adult that is accompanying the child my son is flapping for.  Read more...