5 Scary Things

With Halloween just around the corner, thoughts often turn to the spooky an the scary. I'm not afraid of ghosts or goblins or even zombies (OK. Maybe a little, cuz they want to eat my brains!) I'm more afraid of real things (and sometimes just reality in general). Some are silly, some not.

That said, here are the top 5 things that scare the bejeebers out of me:

1. Spiders -- Not all spiders, but brown recluse, black widows and others that can do real damage with their bites. And the harmless, but aggressive ones who will coming running right at you. It's just not right for something to think it can take on a human thousands of times its size.

2. Miller moths -- This is a totally irrational fear, again of something many, many, many times smaller than I am.

3. Small spaces -- As I've gotten older, I've become more and more claustrophobic. I can barely read an account of someone being trapped in a small space without feeling a tiny bit panicked. Maybe I'm turning into Edgar Allan Poe.

It's scary how much I love this little guy.

4. Road ragers -- And there are so many of them on the road. Where is everyone going in such a hurry that they're risking their lives to get there? I'm usually driving with my son. Which takes us to ...

5. Something terrible happening to my son -- This is the scariest of them all, and probably the most realistic. Terrible things happen all the time. The best I can do is protect him when I can and try not to dwell too much on it.

11 More Things I've Learned

When Milo was just slightly more than 1 year old, I wrote 11 Things I've Learned As a Mom.  Milo is now nearly 2, so I give you 11 more things I've learned as a mom.

1. I can endure one more viewing of a movie or TV show if it makes my boy happy.
2. I can -- and readily do -- share food with my child, even if it's the last cookie in the package.
3. Hearing my son say, "Mama" for the first time was one of the most thrilling moments in my life.
4. Watching my son hit milestones is bittersweet. I am so happy with his progress and so sad that time is flying.
5. Even when I'm impatient, I'm way more patient with my kid than I would have believed 10 years ago.
6. I haven't found -- or made -- any additional time to blog. Despite my best intentions.
7. Boogers are way more gross than poop, pee or even vomit.
8. Even though boogers are gross, I am capable of wiping my son's nose with my bare hand. If I really have to.

9. As much fun as it is to talk to a toddler, talking to other grown-ups on a regular basis is the only way I will stay sane.
10. Dinosaurs are totally awesome ... as are fire trucks, trains and helicopters.
11.  Love for this kid continues to grow beyond what I believed was my heart's capacity.

11 Things I've Learned As a Mom

1. I'd rather have eight hours of uninterrupted sleep than a million dollars.
2. A happy, healthy baby is more important than nice hair and a flat stomach.
3. Everything in my life -- good and bad -- has led me to this point. And I wouldn't change a thing.
4. A book can be read every single day and still entertain a 1-year-old.
5. I can walk miles and miles in my own living room, chasing a toy truck while being pulled along by my boy -- and enjoy every step.

6. I'm capable of feeling more love than I even knew existed.
7. Toddler hugs are the absolute best.
8. Toddler giggles can make me laugh no matter what else is happening.
9. I have wonderful, loving, supportive friends and family.
10. The smallest acts can amaze me when performed by a child.
11. Actually making time to blog as a mommy is way harder than I thought it would be.

10 Things I Learned from Pregnancy and Child Birth

1. I love and trust my body. As someone who has had body issues her entire life, I was happy to discover I loved my body during pregnancy. I may have felt huge toward the end, but I never felt fat. I knew my body was doing what it needed to do to help grow my baby.

2. The best advice comes from friends not "experts" on the Web or in magazines. Magazines and Web sites have their usefulness, but nothing compared to the advice my good friends gave me. The best piece of advice: Don't believe everything you read.

3. My family and friends are the absolute best. From presents to food to a baby shower with an awesome cake, my friends and family have gone above and beyond what I thought possible. I never believed myself deserving of such attention and affection.

4. Bonding really does begin in utero. The minute I saw Milo, I knew him. We had so many conversations before he was born -- some just me telling him to stop with all the wiggling, some deep and full of emotion -- I didn't have any trouble feeling connected to him after his birth.

5. The best laid plans of mice and men often go askew. It was great to have an idea of how I wanted my baby's birth to go, but Milo had his own idea of how to enter the world. And as I said before, it didn't matter how he got here, he got here.

6. I am no less a mother or woman for having a C-Section. One woman I talked to before Milo was born told me she had a scheduled C-Section and never truly felt she was a mother because of it. I feel for her and wish she didn't believe that. I think any woman who has carried a child and/or given birth in any manner should truly feel like a mother. And any woman who has taken in someone else's child for whatever reason should truly feel like a mother. And any woman who hasn't had or raised a child shouldn't feel any less like a woman because of that. I think the Mommy Club attitude should be abolished.

7. The sleepless nights of pregnancy prepared me for the sleepless nights of new motherhood. Milo is a good baby most nights and lets the S.O. and me sleep for two to three hour stretches between feedings. I'm actually sleeping better now than during my third trimester. (Don't tell Milo I said that!)

8. The S.O. is my biggest supporter. While that doesn't come as a surprise to me, I want to say that he has been a bigger help than I thought possible -- from anyone. Not because he's ever been unwilling to help me with things but because I had no idea how hard a C-Section would be. He does most of the diaper duty (heh, doody) and gets up with me in the middle of the night when I feed Milo. He even gave him a bottle the other night so I could sleep a little longer. He has also fallen completely head over heels in love with his son. He is the epitome of the doting father.

9. Pregnancy is the easy part. For all the morning sickness, restless nights, achy joints, etc., pregnancy is still a hundred time easier than actually having and raising a baby. Still, looking back, I enjoyed pregnancy. That said, I don't think I'll be doing it again.

10. I can love another person with an intensity that borders on scary. I love this little man so much it's impossible to describe. I love pizza. I love the S.O. I love my dog. But nothing compares to the love I feel for my child. Even with the highs and lows of my post-partum hormones, even with the frustrations of every-hour-on-the-hour feedings and diaper blow-outs, I love him so much. I never knew I could love someone like this. But take a look at that picture above and tell me how it would be possible for me not to love him like mad.