Motherhood Over 35: Month Three

By Kathy Zucker

This month, my newborn daughter turned three months old and I lost a close family member.

Credit: Kathy Zucker

I could spend a lot of time mulling over the cycle of life and cursing its timing, but instead I decided to focus on building memories. For the first time since I left for college, I spent Fathers Day with my dad. My husband departed on a business trip in the wee hours of the morning so I decided to bring the kids over to see their grandparents in Brooklyn.

By a random coincidence, my siblings were available so we all converged on our childhood home. There were 12 people crammed into the small living room that day, with seven staying overnight for an impromptu slumber party.

That evening, my dad said it had been the best Fathers Day ever.

In many ways, I have recreated my New York City childhood by raising my kids in Hoboken. We live a short car ride away from extended family members and spend weekends either taking the kids on indoor museum outings during bad weather or farther afield to outdoor activities like state fairs, zoos and hiking in parks during the summer months. Sometimes relatives join us on outings; since we live near each other the arrangements tend to be relaxed, impromptu affairs.

Having three children, one of them a newborn, definitely complicates matters. The baby has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now, waking for one groggy late night feeding before going back to sleep for the rest of her 10-hour shift. I was concerned that she would be restless in a new environment but she slept through like a trooper.

Naptime was another matter since the older kids kept rampaging through the room and waking her up. But the award for worst sleeper goes to my son, the middle child. He cried all night to go home and had an accident in his diaper. And once we got home? Cried for two solid hours to go back to his grandparents’ house.

In postpartum news, I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight after losing 23 pounds in two and a half months. Last summer’s wardrobe still does not fit since my body has new dimensions, but I am hoping a summer of swimming and hiking gets me back into cute tank tops.

My oldest child continues to be a dream big sister, gently attentive and helpful with the baby. She has been getting called a lot recently for modeling jobs and was photographed for the Hanna Andersson winter catalogue. She lost her first tooth this month, which does not impact her modeling since it was a bottom front one. We will have to take a hiatus when she starts losing top teeth, which should segue into the baby starting her modeling career since she was signed by the big kids’ agency, FunnyFace Today.

The kids are out of of school for the summer (kindergarten graduation was poignant) and we have embarked on a full roster of activities. It has been complicated figuring out our schedule since I am officially back from maternity leave, but I am enjoying spending time with all three kids.

Kathy Zucker, serial entrepreneur and mother of three, writes about juggling career and family in an urban setting. See what Kathy is up to at her blog and on Twitter @kathyzucker.

Tags: new mom