It’s always been really important to us to have Parker around other kids her own age. When I was working, I applied for group day care as soon as we got pregnant and was promptly put on a long wait list. J Now that I’m home with her, I make sure everyday we have a play date, group class, park visit or story time to attend.  Parker is one social butterfly…as long as mommy is her wing man.  So this co-op is a new experience for her.  Two hours two times a week, sometimes without mom.

Leading up to the big day, I talked about how much fun it was going to be, how many friends she’d make, that she’d get yummy snacks and that I’d come back to pick her up when it was all done.  Today, my adorable 16 month old toddler popped out of her stroller, sippy cup in hand and walked into her first day of cooperative playgroup without glancing back at me.

OK, she eventually looked to see if I was still there, but she was a natural!  It was mom who felt awkward.  I guess I should have been giving myself pep talks.  I didn’t know what to do with my empty hands as I walked home.  And once I got there, the silent house felt strange.  I still raced through my shower just in case I got the call she needed me and after I cleaned up her breakfast, I didn’t know what to do.  I had had fantasies of what I would do with these two hours to myself but they were all failing me now.  Apparently, this co-op experience was new for me too!

When I went back to pick her up, she was happily involved with some friends and it took her a minute to see me.  When she did, she threw her hands in the air as she ran over to me breaking the silence of my past two hours with new sounds that were music to my ears, “mama mama mama!”

-Jolynn is a Sitter2mom, fitness professional, and mother of Parker. Her and her husband moved to D.C. about a year ago from the big city! 

I just made my first solo trip since my daughter was born, and if it wouldn’t have required a complete packing overhaul involving a much larger suitcase and waking her up in the middle of the night to get her things, I probably would have given into my nerves at the last minute and taken her with me.

In my daughter’s 15 months on this planet, I have left her overnight with her grandparents just one time and my husband and I couldn’t get home fast enough we missed her so much.  However, that time my husband and I were just a quick 50 minute drive from home.  This weekend I needed to fly hours away….there would be no quick return if I missed her, if she had a meltdown or worse, an emergency.  What’s more, in her first few months of life I was working so she was used to me leaving now and again. Now I’m a stay at home mom so she is with me all the time!  And let’s be honest, I’m with her all the time.  I was just as worried about myself as I was about her.

The truth of the matter is, I was attending a funeral…not ideal for a newly walking toddler who explores everywhere and comments on everything, we have also just made the tricky transition from two naps to one and sleep timing is critical right now so not great for a weekend of time zone changes and travel during bed times, and she is cutting THREE molars.  It just seemed a better idea for her to stay at home with my husband on her turf with her schedule in tact.

Let me tell you, it turned out to be a fantastic idea for everyone!  My husband and daughter had a wonderful weekend together going to parks, playrooms, and restaurants, on walks, shopping for flowers and simply hanging out at home.  These three days of uninterrupted daddy/daughter time were particularly priceless because he works such long hours that he sometimes doesn’t get to see her for days in a row.  The first thing he said to me upon my return is, “Our daughter is amazing.”  Of course he already knew this, but being the only one with her all day long allows you to take in every magical moment.  And those moments are non-stop.  So for me, this weekend was about pausing.

I learned that no matter how much you love your child, a little break can be a good thing.  On the plane I read magazines that had been collecting dust by my bed for months, I ate meals before they were cold, I worked out in the hotel gym, I had conversations with adults, I wore a dress with heels and makeup and I even stayed out past 7pm one night!  I also talked non-stop about my daughter, showed her pictures to people, pumped every six hours and video chatted with her each day.  I missed her like crazy, but I took advantage of my mommy time.  It was a little recharge that every mom can use.  So while I now understand the hesitation to take some time alone, I also understand the benefits.  And when my little peanut woke up an hour earlier than normal on the morning I returned home, there was no waiting to see if she fell back asleep, I ran right in and hugged her….I don’t think either of us could wait a minute longer!

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. Her first child, Parker,  just turned a year old this January. Jolynn, her husband Rob, and Parker recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.

Now I belong to a different kind of gym…the kind with brightly colored soft steps and ramps and scarves and shakers.  That’s right, the only regularly scheduled class I attend is my daughter’s and the running I do is after her!

That doesn’t mean I don’t work out, but when I do, it looks a WHOLE lot different these days…

Most of the time I used to spend working out, is now spent rocking out to toddler tunes, attending story times and play dates, making messes and cleaning up.  I no longer have the luxury of multiple workouts in one day, so I have to be more strategic.

Now Parker and I workout together, we go to mommy & me exercise classes or take advantage of the rolling hills where we live and the invention of jogging strollers!  If the weather’s bad (seemed like every day this winter) we use the stairs in our home for cardio and I use her (plus some free weights) for strength training.  Lifting 20 pounds of baby weight is a nice challenge…add the wriggly instability of that weight and I’ve got a fantastic workout.  I hold her for squats, I chest press her little body and give her kisses with each rep, and bicep curls with a baby are a real challenge!  Why do I do all this?  Because it’s important to me to set an example of active living and it’s always been important to me to move.  I get cranky when I don’t get to exercise!  YES, I’ve had to adjust what exercise looks like for me these days, but I have a toddler.  I’ve had to adjust what a lot of things look like for me these days.  That’s part of motherhood.  The important thing to me is that I don’t abandon exercise entirely because that’s abandoning a part of who I am and what kind of example does that set for my daughter?

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. Her first child, Parker,  just turned a year old this January. Jolynn, her husband Rob, and Parker recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.

It takes a village….

It’s true!  Now, that village does not have to be family, but if you’ve got it close by, lucky you!  We moved to be closer to ours and it is wonderful, but I’ve also discovered the power of moms’ groups.  As soon as we got here, I joined the neighborhood MOMs club and searched Meet Up for every mom’s group in the area with similarly aged children.  A new parent thinks their child’s sleep, eat and poop habits are fascinating, but your friends without children will not.  I’m not saying dump your friends, just expand your circle.  Believe me, you NEED someone to talk with about these things because it’s helpful to see what’s working or not for others.  It’s also good for your sanity!  Finding parents of similarly aged children is key because when it comes time to get together, a 15 month old naps very differently than a four month old (do four month olds even nap?!) and if your kids can enjoy similar activities, it makes a nicer get together for parents too!

Let something go….

To make space for something new, we must let something go.  It’s a rule I’ve never been able to follow with shoes, but I have whole heartedly adopted with parenthood!

So that I may be the type of parent I want to be, there are simply not enough hours in the day to do all of the things I did before Parker was born.  This is not just because I was in perpetual motion before she came with a to-do list that was always a mile long. This is simply reality.  It’s also true that I would RATHER play with her, teach her, nourish her, love her than do certain other things I filled my day with before she was born.  Parenthood forces you to prioritize and that’s a good thing.

Write it down NOW….

I always heard to write down your birth experience as soon as possible even if you’re tired, because you will forget it quickly and you’re not going to get more rest anytime soon.  So true!  What I hadn’t read about was quickly recording Parker’s experiences.

One of the best gifts my mom gave us was a calendar to keep in Parker’s room so that as she did things liked smile for the first time, roll over, eat solids, sit up, etc. we would have an easy place to quickly record it.  Every day she does something I want to remember and if I waited to put it neatly in her baby book, it would never happen! She is learning things so quickly and changing so fast, that I don’t want to miss a moment.

Be flexible….

I love a good list and a well constructed plan, but babies could care less about those things!  Can I just tell you about my thorough birth plan?!  However, my daughter had her own idea about how and when things would go down, and that is pretty much the story of my life now.  I plan activities all the time for us, but I don’t get too attached to them because I know that a nap or lack thereof or a mood or an explosive diaper could change everything.  Guess what?  I’m ok with that because I chose this life!

Relax and enjoy…

BEST. ADVICE. EVER!!

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. Her first child, Parker,  just turned a year old this January. Jolynn, her husband Rob, and Parker recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.

I was prepared for the countless hours scouring Pinterest for first Birthday party ideas. I knew I would spend several late nights making decorations.  I figured that I would drive myself crazy looking for the perfect “1″ candle. But I did not expect the tidal wave of emotions that came over me that day (those days, really) surrounding her birthday.

I was happy to be celebrating such a big milestone, but I realized my baby was becoming a toddler and that made me sad too. Of course, I want her to grow up, but I also want my baby.  I love holding her in my arms and giving her a thousand kisses a day, it’s fun to feed her and watch her reactions, and the best part of my day happens when we dance around the room to Disney show tunes. I know that very soon, she will not let me do these things because with a toddler, comes fierce independence. I also know that’s the goal….an independent, fantastic adult human. It’s just that I love this time we’re having now and I never want it to end. I also can’t wait to bake cookies together and make crafts and watch her dance in her first recital. I know there are amazing things ahead, I’m just feeling nostalgic for the amazing times we’ve had.

Happy First Birthday baby girl!!

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. She just had her first child, Parker, with husband Rob last January. She and her family recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.

It was so wonderful to watch her experience something new and REALLY savor each moment.  She was focused on nothing but her new treat and the person who was supplying it.  It made me wonder what my life would be like if I could be so present in each moment instead of always looking ten steps ahead.  What if we all didn’t bring our phones everywhere so we could talk, text, email or manage social media 24/7?  What if instead of taking pictures of our lives and posting about them, we just lived them?  I am just as guilty of this as anyone and I LOVE sharing photos of Parker, so I’m not preaching. I’m simply wondering what if…  I know adults have more responsibilities than infants so we multitask.  I get that our longer lives have given us more experiences to flood our minds with thoughts.  But sitting across from my little girl in her high chair, I wondered what it felt like to be so thrilled with such simple pleasures and if I could be present enough to realize it….and then Parker proudly showed me her stash of cottage cheese in her mouth.  I stopped wondering.  I did take a picture of her though

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. She just had her first child, Parker, with husband Rob last January. She and her family recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.

For Halloween last week, we attended a mommy & me yoga class costume party; I made Parker and her little friend matching hair bows for the day, we “marched” in a neighborhood costume parade and the three of us dressed up together to trick or treat at my sister’s. I don’t remember when I had a better Halloween!

Bert, Ernie, and their Rubber Ducky

I’m already working on her Thanksgiving morning family 5k turkey trot outfit! Then comes my personal favorite, Christmas!? Fuggetaboutit!!!

Yes, I have made my husband crazy all year long making sure we properly commemorate each first holiday with pictures and cards and and outfits and gifts, but firsts only happen once and and I want them all to be special for our daughter. I want her to look in her baby book decades from now and see how we celebrated the first year of her life. I want her to feel as loved as I did when I looked last year, seven months pregnant, through the baby book my mom made me.  So I will continue to search for her perfect gift, dress her in the cutest outfit and take her to fun events!

Yup, firsts only happen once and she is mine….I want to enjoy every precious moment.

-Jolynn Baca Jaekel has been a fitness professional for more than a decade. She just had her first child, Parker, with husband Rob last January. She and her family recently relocated from NYC to Washington D.C.