Thursday, December 23, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
12 Days of Christmas... Day Five
The Christmas pickle...
Whether this tradition really came from Germany or not, I also like this idea. I have read different ways to do it, but my favorite is to put the pickle ornament on the plate of cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. When Santa comes and puts out the presents, he will also hide the pickle ornament somewhere on the Christmas tree. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning wins a special extra present or treat from Santa. To prevent fights or tears among siblings, it's probably wise to let everyone get a treat and to let the official winner have a nicer prize.
Whether this tradition really came from Germany or not, I also like this idea. I have read different ways to do it, but my favorite is to put the pickle ornament on the plate of cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve. When Santa comes and puts out the presents, he will also hide the pickle ornament somewhere on the Christmas tree. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning wins a special extra present or treat from Santa. To prevent fights or tears among siblings, it's probably wise to let everyone get a treat and to let the official winner have a nicer prize.
12 Days of Christmas... Day Four
One Christmas tradition I'm looking forward to starting when G's a little older is "Elf on a Shelf." The idea is that the elf "watches over" your children throughout the day and reports back to Santa at night to let him know how they are behaving.
My nieces have one that they have named Bristy and are really into it. My sister and brother-in-law move Bristy to a new spot in the house each night when the kids go down. They are so excited when they wake up to try to find him. It is funny to hear them when they are playing with each other say things like, "Bristy is watching you!"
Such a simple yet genius idea!
My nieces have one that they have named Bristy and are really into it. My sister and brother-in-law move Bristy to a new spot in the house each night when the kids go down. They are so excited when they wake up to try to find him. It is funny to hear them when they are playing with each other say things like, "Bristy is watching you!"
Such a simple yet genius idea!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
12 Days of Christmas... Day Three
Another batch of sweets I made the other night during my baking kick. I got this recipe off another blog but modified it slightly. If you are a fan of a coffee, chocolate and minty combination, these are for you.
Mint Cappuccino Crinkles
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 T. instant coffee crystals
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 c. vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 bag Andes mint baking chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In bowl, beat butter.
3. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
4. Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined.
5. Beat in the flour.
6. Add mint baking chips and mix well.
7. Put the 1/4 c. granulated sugar in a separate bowl.
8. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar to coat well.
9. Place cookie balls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Mint Cappuccino Crinkles
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 c. cocoa powder
1 T. instant coffee crystals
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 c. vanilla yogurt
1 1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 bag Andes mint baking chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In bowl, beat butter.
3. Add brown sugar, cocoa powder, coffee, baking soda and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
4. Beat in egg whites and yogurt until combined.
5. Beat in the flour.
6. Add mint baking chips and mix well.
7. Put the 1/4 c. granulated sugar in a separate bowl.
8. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar to coat well.
9. Place cookie balls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Monday, December 20, 2010
12 Days of Christmas... Day Two
I was bit by the baking bug last night and made three different kinds of goodies.
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter mini muffin pans.
2. Knead cookie dough and pb just until swirled. Press about 1 rounded teaspoon of dough into each cup of mini muffin pans. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. Cool slightly in pan.
3. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Place a chocolate kiss in the center.
**I got this recipe from "Good Morning America." Lesson learned: Do NOT fill the muffin tins more than 3/4 full - otherwise they cook over the top and it's really hard to get them out of the tins without messing them up.
Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies
1 package (18 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury sugar cookie dough @ room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 package (8.5 oz) Hershey's Kisses
3 12-cup mini muffin pans
1 package (18 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury sugar cookie dough @ room temperature
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 package (8.5 oz) Hershey's Kisses
3 12-cup mini muffin pans
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter mini muffin pans.
2. Knead cookie dough and pb just until swirled. Press about 1 rounded teaspoon of dough into each cup of mini muffin pans. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are light golden brown. Cool slightly in pan.
3. Remove from pans to cooling rack. Place a chocolate kiss in the center.
**I got this recipe from "Good Morning America." Lesson learned: Do NOT fill the muffin tins more than 3/4 full - otherwise they cook over the top and it's really hard to get them out of the tins without messing them up.
Four Months!
Time just keeps flying by and I realized today that I will go back to work in two weeks. TWO WEEKS, people! How is that even possible that it's already time? It makes my heart sink a bit just to THINK about not being with my sweet little man during the day. I love the luxuries of being a pseudo stay-at-home mom: taking naps when he naps, staying in my pjs for as long as I please, watching TV if I so choose, etc. It has been nice. Sniff, sniff.
I won't let myself (or this post, for that matter) get too wrapped up in my woes of returning to work because I have more important things to blog about. Such as my not so little baby turning four months old! Seriously, how did this happen? He is a bundle of sweetness and I am always so flattered when our pediatrician remarks (at each and every visit, nonetheless!) that G is such an easygoing baby. Thank you, Grilled Cheesus for giving me a chill little babe! Glee anyone?
This past month has had its own share of "firsts."
-First plane ride
-First walk to the park to ride in the "big baby" swing. He LOVED it! He laughed and smiled the whole time. :)
-First time in the walker (that he can actually walk in, albeit very slowly!)
-First encounter with Santa
Most of my attempts in taking pictures of my little stud result in photos with his hands in his mouth, with him looking away, or with him trying to sit up or move.
Every once in a while, I will get a good one of him when he is too busy to care.
This month has been my favorite so far because his personality is starting to emerge. He "talks" now, which is so hilarious. Normally he wakes up crying and grumpy for the first minute or two, but yesterday after one of his naps, I found him in his crib with his head up "talking" to his sleep sheep and bunny lovey. Soooo cute! He also belly laughs from time to time and smiles constantly. He is becoming much more active but is still cuddly. He continues to not be a fan of riding in the car and I feel like it's only getting worse. The other day he started wailing before I had even backed out of the driveway, so I try not to run any errands that are more than 20-25 minutes away from the house. Let's face it - a mama can only take so much screaming.
He is at the stage where he has started to play with things. He reaches for things and can grasp them - we rotate among his tummy time mat, bouncer, walker and various other toys (I'll do a post on these later this week) throughout the day. He prefers to be standing, so I am anxious to see how he likes the jumperoo once we move back to our house.
He is becoming easier to put down most nights, but his night awakenings are inconsistent. Some nights he will go 4 hour stretches and other nights it will be every 2 hours. I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass." G is an awesome napper, so I can't complain too much as I get to catch up on any lost sleep during this time ... until I go back to work, that is. Argh!
We had his check-up this morning and here are the little dude's
4 month stats:
weight - 15 lbs 14 oz = 75th%
height - 26 1/4 inches = 90th%
head - 95th%
Compared with his last doctor's visit, G had a HUGE growth spurt the last couple of months. He has always been a chunky monkey, but he grew 3 inches! Maybe there is hope after all that he will be taller than both of us. The doctor joked and asked us if we had been stretching him because it was quite a gain to make in such a short amount of time. He still has his huge noggin' ... no surprise there! :)
Dear G Man,
You are growing so fast I can hardly believe it! I LOVE the little person you are becoming. It makes my heart so happy to know that you are mine and that there are still so many things to discover about you in the years to come. I can't wait to see what surprises are in store for me in the next month! I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
I won't let myself (or this post, for that matter) get too wrapped up in my woes of returning to work because I have more important things to blog about. Such as my not so little baby turning four months old! Seriously, how did this happen? He is a bundle of sweetness and I am always so flattered when our pediatrician remarks (at each and every visit, nonetheless!) that G is such an easygoing baby. Thank you, Grilled Cheesus for giving me a chill little babe! Glee anyone?
This past month has had its own share of "firsts."
-First plane ride
-First walk to the park to ride in the "big baby" swing. He LOVED it! He laughed and smiled the whole time. :)
-First time in the walker (that he can actually walk in, albeit very slowly!)
-First encounter with Santa
Most of my attempts in taking pictures of my little stud result in photos with his hands in his mouth, with him looking away, or with him trying to sit up or move.
Every once in a while, I will get a good one of him when he is too busy to care.
This month has been my favorite so far because his personality is starting to emerge. He "talks" now, which is so hilarious. Normally he wakes up crying and grumpy for the first minute or two, but yesterday after one of his naps, I found him in his crib with his head up "talking" to his sleep sheep and bunny lovey. Soooo cute! He also belly laughs from time to time and smiles constantly. He is becoming much more active but is still cuddly. He continues to not be a fan of riding in the car and I feel like it's only getting worse. The other day he started wailing before I had even backed out of the driveway, so I try not to run any errands that are more than 20-25 minutes away from the house. Let's face it - a mama can only take so much screaming.
He is at the stage where he has started to play with things. He reaches for things and can grasp them - we rotate among his tummy time mat, bouncer, walker and various other toys (I'll do a post on these later this week) throughout the day. He prefers to be standing, so I am anxious to see how he likes the jumperoo once we move back to our house.
He is becoming easier to put down most nights, but his night awakenings are inconsistent. Some nights he will go 4 hour stretches and other nights it will be every 2 hours. I keep reminding myself that "this too shall pass." G is an awesome napper, so I can't complain too much as I get to catch up on any lost sleep during this time ... until I go back to work, that is. Argh!
We had his check-up this morning and here are the little dude's
4 month stats:
weight - 15 lbs 14 oz = 75th%
height - 26 1/4 inches = 90th%
head - 95th%
Compared with his last doctor's visit, G had a HUGE growth spurt the last couple of months. He has always been a chunky monkey, but he grew 3 inches! Maybe there is hope after all that he will be taller than both of us. The doctor joked and asked us if we had been stretching him because it was quite a gain to make in such a short amount of time. He still has his huge noggin' ... no surprise there! :)
Dear G Man,
You are growing so fast I can hardly believe it! I LOVE the little person you are becoming. It makes my heart so happy to know that you are mine and that there are still so many things to discover about you in the years to come. I can't wait to see what surprises are in store for me in the next month! I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
12 Days of Christmas... Day One
I've decided to post 12 recipes, craft ideas, etc leading up to Christmas, hence the title. My inspiration?? I've been hit with the baking spirit, I'm trying to cook dinner more often (isn't that what I always say ;) ), and I keep seeing really cute Christmas crafty ideas on other blogs.
My older sister made these yummy pork chops right after she had Baby Z. It was one of those super mom kind of days - she had a newborn less than 2 weeks old, had been home all day with all 3 kids (all ages 5 and under), AND managed to make a delicious home cooked meal that she happily let my prego self indulge in. I was not only impressed with her mommy skills but also with the grub!
Last week I asked for the recipe and was just as happy with them the second time around, especially since they are so easy to make! Enjoy!
Mama Z's Delicious Pork Chops:
8 center cut pork chops (I usually have 4 large pork chops, not 8, but you can do whatever)
butter
1 can button mushrooms (2or 3 oz)
1 env. dry onion soup mix
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon garlic
1 cup sour cream
brown pork in butter in skillet- remove
brown mushrooms, add soup mix/wine/broth/garlic- stir till well blended
add pork chops, cover and simmer 45 min or until tender
stir in sour cream and cook until heated through
My older sister made these yummy pork chops right after she had Baby Z. It was one of those super mom kind of days - she had a newborn less than 2 weeks old, had been home all day with all 3 kids (all ages 5 and under), AND managed to make a delicious home cooked meal that she happily let my prego self indulge in. I was not only impressed with her mommy skills but also with the grub!
Last week I asked for the recipe and was just as happy with them the second time around, especially since they are so easy to make! Enjoy!
Mama Z's Delicious Pork Chops:
8 center cut pork chops (I usually have 4 large pork chops, not 8, but you can do whatever)
butter
1 can button mushrooms (2or 3 oz)
1 env. dry onion soup mix
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon garlic
1 cup sour cream
brown pork in butter in skillet- remove
brown mushrooms, add soup mix/wine/broth/garlic- stir till well blended
add pork chops, cover and simmer 45 min or until tender
stir in sour cream and cook until heated through
Friday, December 10, 2010
Sleep is for suckers
Arggggg....
This was my night:
8:45 - Baby finally asleep and in his crib
11:45 - Baby wakes up; fed 2 ounces; goes back down
1:45 - Baby wakes up; comforted; goes back down
3:00 - Baby wakes up; comforted; goes back down
4:00 - Baby wakes up; diaper changed; fed 3 ounces; goes back down
6:30 - Baby wakes up; brought into bed with mama; goes back down
7:45 - Baby wakes up; the day begins after mama realizes that baby has peed through all the sheets on the bed; diaper changed; baby poops in fresh diaper with big smile on his face
Is it too early to have a drink?
grumble, grumble, grumble :)
This was my night:
8:45 - Baby finally asleep and in his crib
11:45 - Baby wakes up; fed 2 ounces; goes back down
1:45 - Baby wakes up; comforted; goes back down
3:00 - Baby wakes up; comforted; goes back down
4:00 - Baby wakes up; diaper changed; fed 3 ounces; goes back down
6:30 - Baby wakes up; brought into bed with mama; goes back down
7:45 - Baby wakes up; the day begins after mama realizes that baby has peed through all the sheets on the bed; diaper changed; baby poops in fresh diaper with big smile on his face
Is it too early to have a drink?
grumble, grumble, grumble :)
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Thankful Thursday
Soooooo very thankful for this little man and all of the faces he makes...
I just want to eat him up!
***Picture quality not so great since taken on my iPhone.
I just want to eat him up!
***Picture quality not so great since taken on my iPhone.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Deck the Halls
Oh Christmas, how I love thee!
I love seeing the lights on houses start to pop up around the neighborhood and light up the streets when I go running at night. I love trying to find the perfect gifts. I love the craft bazaars, cookie and ornament exchanges, and copious amounts of sweets that I always endeavor to bake. I love watching the same movies this time of year (Miracle on 34th Street (the old one) and White Christmas) and drinking hot chocolate by a warm fire.
This year I am even more excited for all things wrapped in red and green. Having children changes everything - including the holidays. I honestly felt giddy when I saw Santa's "workshop" set up in the mall last month knowing that we would soon be taking G to have his first photo taken. Normally I would walk by and smile at the children waiting in line or maybe not even give it a passing glance. But now? I have begun to appreciate things with a childlike fascination again ever since I was inducted into parenthood.
That being said, I can't wait to start our own Christmas traditions with G. I would have to say my personal favorite tradition is the annual ornament. My mom always gets us each an ornament that is specifically chosen to symbolize us over the years... a soccer ball, a Longhorn, etc. Each of us has a box with all of our ornaments inside - the ones we have received and the ones we made in school. This year she got us our first "family" ornament with all of our names. I know that with all of the ornaments to come in the years ahead, this one will always have special significance to me.
Another important tradition I grew up with was the Christmas stocking. This was always a HUGE part of Christmas morning because the stocking always held the best loot from Santa. We had the usual orange, candy, and mixed nuts, but there were also good finds and part of the fun was seeing what everyone else received. Originally I thought it would be good to wait until the after Christmas sales to get G's stocking, but I decided to check out ebay just to see what they had. Not only did I find a stocking, but it's already monogrammed with his name on it! And I "won" it for $10! I was surprised to see so many stockings on ebay that already have names on them ... not really sure why that is, but I'm happy with my purchase. :)
Reading everyone's blogs about their own holiday decorations has helped put me in the mood to bust out my own décor. Sadly, this year I won't be pulling out all of my tubs from storage because we won't be moving back into our house until mid to late December. I REALLY wanted to go to a tree farm to pick out a tree, but that will have to wait until next year. The bright side... G is too young to care about any of it anyway. Instead I get to watch my mom decorate their house for the holidays - something she is really good at! They are putting up three trees: one fancy, one Longhorn tree, and one with all of the "homey" ornaments. I don't think I'll have three trees anytime soon, but I do love the idea of having different themed trees throughout the house.
P.S. This year's Santa visit was a success! I coached G to tell Santa he wants to be able to sleep through the night. Oh wait, that's my Christmas wish... ;)
I love seeing the lights on houses start to pop up around the neighborhood and light up the streets when I go running at night. I love trying to find the perfect gifts. I love the craft bazaars, cookie and ornament exchanges, and copious amounts of sweets that I always endeavor to bake. I love watching the same movies this time of year (Miracle on 34th Street (the old one) and White Christmas) and drinking hot chocolate by a warm fire.
This year I am even more excited for all things wrapped in red and green. Having children changes everything - including the holidays. I honestly felt giddy when I saw Santa's "workshop" set up in the mall last month knowing that we would soon be taking G to have his first photo taken. Normally I would walk by and smile at the children waiting in line or maybe not even give it a passing glance. But now? I have begun to appreciate things with a childlike fascination again ever since I was inducted into parenthood.
That being said, I can't wait to start our own Christmas traditions with G. I would have to say my personal favorite tradition is the annual ornament. My mom always gets us each an ornament that is specifically chosen to symbolize us over the years... a soccer ball, a Longhorn, etc. Each of us has a box with all of our ornaments inside - the ones we have received and the ones we made in school. This year she got us our first "family" ornament with all of our names. I know that with all of the ornaments to come in the years ahead, this one will always have special significance to me.
Another important tradition I grew up with was the Christmas stocking. This was always a HUGE part of Christmas morning because the stocking always held the best loot from Santa. We had the usual orange, candy, and mixed nuts, but there were also good finds and part of the fun was seeing what everyone else received. Originally I thought it would be good to wait until the after Christmas sales to get G's stocking, but I decided to check out ebay just to see what they had. Not only did I find a stocking, but it's already monogrammed with his name on it! And I "won" it for $10! I was surprised to see so many stockings on ebay that already have names on them ... not really sure why that is, but I'm happy with my purchase. :)
Reading everyone's blogs about their own holiday decorations has helped put me in the mood to bust out my own décor. Sadly, this year I won't be pulling out all of my tubs from storage because we won't be moving back into our house until mid to late December. I REALLY wanted to go to a tree farm to pick out a tree, but that will have to wait until next year. The bright side... G is too young to care about any of it anyway. Instead I get to watch my mom decorate their house for the holidays - something she is really good at! They are putting up three trees: one fancy, one Longhorn tree, and one with all of the "homey" ornaments. I don't think I'll have three trees anytime soon, but I do love the idea of having different themed trees throughout the house.
P.S. This year's Santa visit was a success! I coached G to tell Santa he wants to be able to sleep through the night. Oh wait, that's my Christmas wish... ;)
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thankful
Early last week we packed our bags (side note: I may have packed way too much... some things never change. Sigh.) and headed to upstate New York and Connecticut to visit R's side of the family over Thanksgiving. It was really just a good excuse to do the "baby tour" and show off our handsome little man to those who hadn't met him yet. "You've gotta see the baby!" Seinfeld anyone?
I realize that once you become a parent, it's inevitable that you will take the back burner and your child will always be in the spotlight. Not being one who covets the center of attention anyway, I am more than happy to oblige.
So now for my obligatory post-Thanksgiving, but still very thankful, "thankful" post. Redundant much? :)
I am thankful for:
-My sweet baby boy who was such an AWESOME traveler. Not a peep from him on the plane - he was mostly sleeping and when he was awake, he was smiling and happy. I crossed my fingers for no poops and no crying on the plane and had both of my wishes granted. I was so glad we weren't one of "those" families - the ones you see with the screaming baby that is being walked down the aisle of the plane. I am sure that people who saw us at the gate were hoping they wouldn't have to sit near us, but I can assure you that those who did had zero complaints.
-R being extremely helpful during the trip. He was always willing to help out whether it was getting G to sleep, taking G in the mornings so I could sleep in and recover from the sleepless nights, or holding up a blanket on the plane so that I could nurse in privacy. I am so glad he is actively involved in the parenting department.
-Our lovely family members for housing and feeding us. Let's be honest - I don't cook much as it is, but it's still wonderful to have all of your meals taken care of. R's stepfather went all out and cooked four course meals with beautiful table setting. It was pretty incredible. I am salivating just thinking about his cooking...
-Home. While sometimes our routine can become monotonous, it has its comforts too. I was happy to come back to the crib, swing, bouncy, infant bath tub, etc.
-Not having to go to work on Monday. The worst thing about the holidays are when they come to an end and it's back to the grind. I am so fortunate to still have one more month at home with my favorite little man.
While there is nothing quite like home, it was really nice getting to see everyone and having them meet G for the first time. We survived four airplane trips and a two hour car ride from NY to CT.
Given that it was a trip of "firsts" in many ways, I also learned some things along the way:
1. I don't need to pack quite as many outfits for G. I anticipated numerous outfit changes because of diaper leaks, the occasional spit up, etc., but I failed to think about the washer and dryer that would be available to us. Doh!
2. Nursing in public is still not my favorite. Having to do it in public on an airplane ranks close to the bottom. It is so awkward in the tight, confining seat with a stranger practically in your lap. On the way to New York I had a window seat with R next to me. On the way back, totally different story. The first leg we both had opposing aisle seats. Luckily it was only an hour flight and G slept the whole time. The second leg we were scheduled to be in different rows, BOTH center seats, for a FOUR hour flight. That was not going to fly (yes, pun intended) with me, so R was kind enough to get our seats changed at the gate.
3. United is not family friendly. They do not allow families with small children to pre-board. Ummm seriously? The flight attendants were very nice though, with the exception of one crabby lady.
4. Considering that G is still not the best night sleeper at home, he is far much worse when we travel. He slept in the bed with us (pack-n-play way too heavy and not worth carting around) and wanted to nurse every hour to hour and a half ALL through the night. Traveling G = grumpy mama in the morning.
All in all, I would have to say that it was a wonderful trip. Neither one of us had to go through the full body scanner at the airports or have our "junk" touched via pat down. I missed spending Turkey Day with my family, but holidays will forever be divided now that we have G. Both of R's grandmothers do not travel so they got so much joy out of seeing the baby. It was well worth it. And we came back to my parents' house where they still had leftovers in the fridge... yum!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Welcome to my crib
Ever since my days as a prego, I have learned two important things about people:
1) People will feel like they can ask you anything, even if it is none of their business.
2) People will judge you based on your answers, even if it is none of their business.
One of the most popular questions new parents often get is, "Does your baby sleep through the night?" This question is usually accompanied with, "Where does your baby sleep?"
Until a month ago, G had always either slept on me or with me in bed at night and in his swing during the day. Yep, you heard me right. I knew the day would come when I would transfer him to his crib, but I wasn't too concerned. It worked for us and, admittedly, it was easier to nurse him in the middle of the night with him right next to me.
We tried the pack-n-play. Fail. I wasn't ready to let my one month old cry for more than 15 minutes and I wasn't ready to Ferberize him at such a young age.
When we moved over to my parents' house for phase II of construction I decided to try a modified version of sleep training. The room we are sleeping in over here has a crib and I wanted to get him accustomed to one sooner rather than later before I go back to work.
G's pediatrician recommended putting him down for his naps during the day in the crib before attempting the switch at night. This wasn't immediately successful but it got better with each day and his naps in the crib got longer until he finally is taking all of his daytime naps here. We discovered that he prefers sleeping on his tummy and feel comfortable with this (even though it's recommended that babies sleep on their backs to avoid SIDS) because he started flipping himself from back to tummy on his own.
Nighttime is a whole different story because of his lovely witching hour(s). He is much more compliant during the day than he is in the evening but he is getting easier with every passing day. I put on the same cd and the same ocean wave white noise, nurse him, tell him goodnight, and put him on his tummy. Sometimes he is still awake and sometimes he is already asleep.
He doesn't sleep through the night yet, and although it would be nice to get more sleep on my end, I know that it will happen when it happens.
I have learned from my brief experience with parenthood thus far that you have to do what is best for you, and more importantly, for your baby. Some people swear by different sleep training methods and others have their own routines.
So far, I feel like we're doing just fine...
1) People will feel like they can ask you anything, even if it is none of their business.
2) People will judge you based on your answers, even if it is none of their business.
One of the most popular questions new parents often get is, "Does your baby sleep through the night?" This question is usually accompanied with, "Where does your baby sleep?"
Until a month ago, G had always either slept on me or with me in bed at night and in his swing during the day. Yep, you heard me right. I knew the day would come when I would transfer him to his crib, but I wasn't too concerned. It worked for us and, admittedly, it was easier to nurse him in the middle of the night with him right next to me.
We tried the pack-n-play. Fail. I wasn't ready to let my one month old cry for more than 15 minutes and I wasn't ready to Ferberize him at such a young age.
When we moved over to my parents' house for phase II of construction I decided to try a modified version of sleep training. The room we are sleeping in over here has a crib and I wanted to get him accustomed to one sooner rather than later before I go back to work.
G's pediatrician recommended putting him down for his naps during the day in the crib before attempting the switch at night. This wasn't immediately successful but it got better with each day and his naps in the crib got longer until he finally is taking all of his daytime naps here. We discovered that he prefers sleeping on his tummy and feel comfortable with this (even though it's recommended that babies sleep on their backs to avoid SIDS) because he started flipping himself from back to tummy on his own.
Nighttime is a whole different story because of his lovely witching hour(s). He is much more compliant during the day than he is in the evening but he is getting easier with every passing day. I put on the same cd and the same ocean wave white noise, nurse him, tell him goodnight, and put him on his tummy. Sometimes he is still awake and sometimes he is already asleep.
He doesn't sleep through the night yet, and although it would be nice to get more sleep on my end, I know that it will happen when it happens.
I have learned from my brief experience with parenthood thus far that you have to do what is best for you, and more importantly, for your baby. Some people swear by different sleep training methods and others have their own routines.
So far, I feel like we're doing just fine...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Three Months!
How on earth did 3 months already whiz by?
Exactly one year ago Little G became a blip on the radar, although I would be clueless about it until 4 weeks later. I had just returned home from South Africa and was anxiously counting down the days until Thanksgiving Break. I was looking forward to our camping trip to Big Bend, and, more importantly, several days off work. I was not even thinking about the possibility of a baby. No way. No how. If someone would have told me that I was pregnant, I would have thought they were crazy! Funny how things change! Little did I know then what BIG changes were in store for me.
Speaking of which, the changes from months two to three have been so fun to watch! It will be interesting to see his growth measurements when we go back to the doc for his 4 month appointment.
G is slowly getting over his Mama attachment, though he still prefers me if he is hungry (duh) or upset. He still LOVES: bath time (and has managed to poop in the bath a few times - he seemed quite content about it but the clean up was DISGUSTING), blowing spit bubbles, and being in the sling, swing, or bouncy.
I am having trouble keeping up with his growing demand for food. He is getting more formula these days because I can't seem to give him enough.
He is wearing 3-6 month sized clothing, except in Ralph Lauren (6 mos) or hats, and wears size 2 diapers.
The biggest accomplishments this past month have been:
-rolling over front to back AND back to front
-sleeping in a crib!!!
-smiling regularly
-cooing
-finding his hands
Dear Boo Boo,
I can't believe how big you are getting! Your smiles are, by far, my favorite part of the day, and Daddy and I can't wait to hear you start laughing. You smile when you see me and it makes my heart melt. You are starting to "talk" to us more and more and I love to hear your little voice.
You are still an easy going, content baby most of the time. You are much happier if someone is near you as you like to be a part of the action! You haven't started sleeping through the night yet, but you are sleeping in a crib, and that in itself is a HUGE milestone.
One year ago I didn't even know about you. Now I can't imagine my life without you. You make me laugh. You make me smile. You make my days so much happier. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
p.s. I can't seem to take a picture these days without him blowing spit bubbles!
Exactly one year ago Little G became a blip on the radar, although I would be clueless about it until 4 weeks later. I had just returned home from South Africa and was anxiously counting down the days until Thanksgiving Break. I was looking forward to our camping trip to Big Bend, and, more importantly, several days off work. I was not even thinking about the possibility of a baby. No way. No how. If someone would have told me that I was pregnant, I would have thought they were crazy! Funny how things change! Little did I know then what BIG changes were in store for me.
Speaking of which, the changes from months two to three have been so fun to watch! It will be interesting to see his growth measurements when we go back to the doc for his 4 month appointment.
G is slowly getting over his Mama attachment, though he still prefers me if he is hungry (duh) or upset. He still LOVES: bath time (and has managed to poop in the bath a few times - he seemed quite content about it but the clean up was DISGUSTING), blowing spit bubbles, and being in the sling, swing, or bouncy.
I am having trouble keeping up with his growing demand for food. He is getting more formula these days because I can't seem to give him enough.
He is wearing 3-6 month sized clothing, except in Ralph Lauren (6 mos) or hats, and wears size 2 diapers.
The biggest accomplishments this past month have been:
-rolling over front to back AND back to front
-sleeping in a crib!!!
-smiling regularly
-cooing
-finding his hands
Dear Boo Boo,
I can't believe how big you are getting! Your smiles are, by far, my favorite part of the day, and Daddy and I can't wait to hear you start laughing. You smile when you see me and it makes my heart melt. You are starting to "talk" to us more and more and I love to hear your little voice.
You are still an easy going, content baby most of the time. You are much happier if someone is near you as you like to be a part of the action! You haven't started sleeping through the night yet, but you are sleeping in a crib, and that in itself is a HUGE milestone.
One year ago I didn't even know about you. Now I can't imagine my life without you. You make me laugh. You make me smile. You make my days so much happier. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
p.s. I can't seem to take a picture these days without him blowing spit bubbles!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Confessions of a New Mom
I'll admit - there are some nice perks to being a mom. Especially when it comes to the holidays. Halloween was our first holiday with Baby G - getting to pick out his costume and going to the pumpkin patch.
But the BEST holiday (at least in my opinion) is fast approaching and I am giddy just thinking about it! Christmas will be here before you know it, and there are so many things I am excited to do for the very first time
... pictures with Santa, new stockings for the family, a REAL Christmas tree in our home, G's first ornament, and of course, the all important Christmas card.
I love receiving snail mail and you can't think about Christmas without thinking about the quintessential Christmas card. I want ours to be absolutely perfect because I know it will be displayed (hopefully) in many a home over the holiday season.
Being the avid online shopper that I am, I have scoured the web searching for the best place to make this über important purchase. My two requirements are very simple: a photo card and a card that is within my price range but doesn't skimp on cuteness or quality.
Not only have I found the perfect website that fits my taste and budget, but they also offer other products that are very tempting!
These three cards from Shutterfly caught my eye immediately:
I personally will probably opt for the "holiday card" as opposed to the "Christmas card" because I want a card that encompasses all religions, but their Christmas card selection is just as nice.
You can view their holiday card selection here and their Christmas card selection here.
If you are looking for something special for Grandma and Grandpa or other relatives, I think the canvas wall art and photo calendars would also make wonderful gifts for those who love to look at your baby as much as you do. :)
Another fabulous perk from Shutterfly? They are offering Bloggers 50 free holiday cards! Find out more information here.
I am SO relieved that Shutterfly will take care of my Christmas card needs... now all I have to do is get the perfect family photo!
But the BEST holiday (at least in my opinion) is fast approaching and I am giddy just thinking about it! Christmas will be here before you know it, and there are so many things I am excited to do for the very first time
... pictures with Santa, new stockings for the family, a REAL Christmas tree in our home, G's first ornament, and of course, the all important Christmas card.
I love receiving snail mail and you can't think about Christmas without thinking about the quintessential Christmas card. I want ours to be absolutely perfect because I know it will be displayed (hopefully) in many a home over the holiday season.
Being the avid online shopper that I am, I have scoured the web searching for the best place to make this über important purchase. My two requirements are very simple: a photo card and a card that is within my price range but doesn't skimp on cuteness or quality.
Not only have I found the perfect website that fits my taste and budget, but they also offer other products that are very tempting!
These three cards from Shutterfly caught my eye immediately:
I personally will probably opt for the "holiday card" as opposed to the "Christmas card" because I want a card that encompasses all religions, but their Christmas card selection is just as nice.
You can view their holiday card selection here and their Christmas card selection here.
If you are looking for something special for Grandma and Grandpa or other relatives, I think the canvas wall art and photo calendars would also make wonderful gifts for those who love to look at your baby as much as you do. :)
Another fabulous perk from Shutterfly? They are offering Bloggers 50 free holiday cards! Find out more information here.
I am SO relieved that Shutterfly will take care of my Christmas card needs... now all I have to do is get the perfect family photo!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Top Ten Tuesday
Okay, so it's not really a top ten list, per say, but just ten random things that don't really make a cohesive blog entry.
1. Mr. Pooper is back! Whatever plugged the G Man up has officially passed because his pooping has returned to normalcy and he now goes once or twice everyday. While I'm not a huge fan of changing these diapers (R and I usually play rock-paper-scissors to determine who has to change them ... 2 out of 3, of course), I am thankful I don't have to rely on the suppository anymore to force it out! TMI? Probably so. :)
2. Diaper leaks. Instead of not pooping, he now has diaper leaks. ALL. OF. THE. TIME. It is so annoying! We (me and G) end up changing outfits twice a day, on average. It happens at night for the most part, I think, because he sleeps on his side if he is in bed with me. I've googled the problem and some moms suggest putting a cloth diaper cover over the regular diaper. I know it's not a diaper size issue or a diaper brand issue. The most frustrating time it happens is in the middle of the night - oh good times!
3. Rolling over. We have a strong little boy! Either that, or he is just really advanced for his age. According to the "average baby milestones," rolling over from tummy to back happens at around 3 months and rolling over from back to tummy happens at around 5 months. G has already accomplished both just shy of his 3 month birthday! He does it best when he is angry, and of course, we get excited and want him to do it again and again. This is only the beginning of him hearing, "Yaaaay! Do it again!," over and over. Sorry kid! We joke that his ability is due to the fact that his head is so big - all he has to do is lean and the weight of his head probably carries the rest of him!
4. My good friends M & C got engaged this past week! We are soooo excited for them and I can't wait for their wedding! They invited us on a boat cruise this past weekend to help celebrate. G cooperated, the weather was beautiful, and we were with good friends on a momentous occasion - life is good!
5. I think I could be a millionaire if I could somehow invent a boob flavored pacifier. G will get hysterical at night if he is overtired and only ONE thing works at calming him down. I know he's not hungry, but he still wants it to calm himself down. A boob flavored paci would make both our lives so much easier!
6. I have been attending a boot camp M, W, F mornings from 6-7 a.m. for the past month. I HATE getting up early in the mornings, but it actually works out nicely since I am sleep deprived anyway. I can leave G with R before he has to start working for the day AND I get my work-out in and come home and shower while G is sleeping. I have definitely noticed some of my muscles starting to show themselves again.
7. While I was prego I had a hard time fitting into my normal shirts because of my big 'ole belly. Now I have a hard time because of my lovely lady lumps. So frustrating!
8. Another body part that grew during pregnancy were my feet! My running shoes have been bothering me, so I went to get some new ones and sure enough, a half size bigger! I am anticipating some sad moments when I start trying to squeeze my flintstone feet into shoes that I would rather not part with.
9. I've already told you how my kid has a huge noggin' (90th percentile, remember?). I bought 2 knit beanie hats months ago in anticipation of our upcoming trip to the northeast over Thanksgiving. One hat barely fits his gigantic head even though it's a 3-6 month size. The other hat I purchased from etsy.com from this seller and I tried it on him when it came in the mail. This picture was taken when he was just one month old...
Yeah, he probably won't fit into that one either. Tear :(. I guess that's what I get for assuming he would not have a head larger than a 6 month old by now.
10. Last night I had to take G with me to my soccer game because R plays cards on Monday nights. This is the second game G has been to - the first one I'm not sure if I can count him as a spectator since he slept through the whole game in his stroller. I thought I had planned it perfectly... G was exhausted but I was able to keep him up so that he fell asleep immediately in the car on the way to the indoor center. Of course once we got there 15 minutes later, he immediately woke back up and would not go back to sleep. We only had one girl sub, so I played most of the game while he screamed in different teammate's arms unless I was the one on the sidelines. I'm trying to teach him the difference between cheering and screaming. So far, not good. He then SCREAMED all the way home in the car and we both past out in the bed together exhausted from our night. Today he has been kicking his legs differently, which I attribute to him being a soccer player in the making.
1. Mr. Pooper is back! Whatever plugged the G Man up has officially passed because his pooping has returned to normalcy and he now goes once or twice everyday. While I'm not a huge fan of changing these diapers (R and I usually play rock-paper-scissors to determine who has to change them ... 2 out of 3, of course), I am thankful I don't have to rely on the suppository anymore to force it out! TMI? Probably so. :)
2. Diaper leaks. Instead of not pooping, he now has diaper leaks. ALL. OF. THE. TIME. It is so annoying! We (me and G) end up changing outfits twice a day, on average. It happens at night for the most part, I think, because he sleeps on his side if he is in bed with me. I've googled the problem and some moms suggest putting a cloth diaper cover over the regular diaper. I know it's not a diaper size issue or a diaper brand issue. The most frustrating time it happens is in the middle of the night - oh good times!
3. Rolling over. We have a strong little boy! Either that, or he is just really advanced for his age. According to the "average baby milestones," rolling over from tummy to back happens at around 3 months and rolling over from back to tummy happens at around 5 months. G has already accomplished both just shy of his 3 month birthday! He does it best when he is angry, and of course, we get excited and want him to do it again and again. This is only the beginning of him hearing, "Yaaaay! Do it again!," over and over. Sorry kid! We joke that his ability is due to the fact that his head is so big - all he has to do is lean and the weight of his head probably carries the rest of him!
4. My good friends M & C got engaged this past week! We are soooo excited for them and I can't wait for their wedding! They invited us on a boat cruise this past weekend to help celebrate. G cooperated, the weather was beautiful, and we were with good friends on a momentous occasion - life is good!
5. I think I could be a millionaire if I could somehow invent a boob flavored pacifier. G will get hysterical at night if he is overtired and only ONE thing works at calming him down. I know he's not hungry, but he still wants it to calm himself down. A boob flavored paci would make both our lives so much easier!
6. I have been attending a boot camp M, W, F mornings from 6-7 a.m. for the past month. I HATE getting up early in the mornings, but it actually works out nicely since I am sleep deprived anyway. I can leave G with R before he has to start working for the day AND I get my work-out in and come home and shower while G is sleeping. I have definitely noticed some of my muscles starting to show themselves again.
7. While I was prego I had a hard time fitting into my normal shirts because of my big 'ole belly. Now I have a hard time because of my lovely lady lumps. So frustrating!
8. Another body part that grew during pregnancy were my feet! My running shoes have been bothering me, so I went to get some new ones and sure enough, a half size bigger! I am anticipating some sad moments when I start trying to squeeze my flintstone feet into shoes that I would rather not part with.
9. I've already told you how my kid has a huge noggin' (90th percentile, remember?). I bought 2 knit beanie hats months ago in anticipation of our upcoming trip to the northeast over Thanksgiving. One hat barely fits his gigantic head even though it's a 3-6 month size. The other hat I purchased from etsy.com from this seller and I tried it on him when it came in the mail. This picture was taken when he was just one month old...
Yeah, he probably won't fit into that one either. Tear :(. I guess that's what I get for assuming he would not have a head larger than a 6 month old by now.
10. Last night I had to take G with me to my soccer game because R plays cards on Monday nights. This is the second game G has been to - the first one I'm not sure if I can count him as a spectator since he slept through the whole game in his stroller. I thought I had planned it perfectly... G was exhausted but I was able to keep him up so that he fell asleep immediately in the car on the way to the indoor center. Of course once we got there 15 minutes later, he immediately woke back up and would not go back to sleep. We only had one girl sub, so I played most of the game while he screamed in different teammate's arms unless I was the one on the sidelines. I'm trying to teach him the difference between cheering and screaming. So far, not good. He then SCREAMED all the way home in the car and we both past out in the bed together exhausted from our night. Today he has been kicking his legs differently, which I attribute to him being a soccer player in the making.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Say It Ain't So*
(*side note: You are supposed to read the title like the Weezer song, not in a Southern drawl)
It finally happened. We swear up and down as teenagers that the day will never come. There is NO way that is EVER going to happen to ME! If I could, I would go back in time to my skinny adolescent self and tell her it straight... not that she would believe me.
Rewind to last night - 11 p.m. G Man had been fighting sleep (no surprise), but Mama had won the battle at last. And then I heard it. Teenage voices from outside my window yelling.
And then this conversation with myself ensued:
"What the .........?!?"
"Why are they outside at this hour causing so much noise?!?"
"What are they doing on OUR driveway and in OUR yard?!?"
"Are they playing hide-and-seek?!?"
"Don't they know there are kids trying to sleep?!?"
"One, two, three.... seventeen kids! You have got to be KIDDING me!"
"I am going to go out there and tell them to be quiet. Don't they know how late it is and I have a 3 month old I'm trying to get to sleep!!!"
OH. MY. GOD.
I've become my mother!
sigh.
It finally happened. We swear up and down as teenagers that the day will never come. There is NO way that is EVER going to happen to ME! If I could, I would go back in time to my skinny adolescent self and tell her it straight... not that she would believe me.
Rewind to last night - 11 p.m. G Man had been fighting sleep (no surprise), but Mama had won the battle at last. And then I heard it. Teenage voices from outside my window yelling.
And then this conversation with myself ensued:
"What the .........?!?"
"Why are they outside at this hour causing so much noise?!?"
"What are they doing on OUR driveway and in OUR yard?!?"
"Are they playing hide-and-seek?!?"
"Don't they know there are kids trying to sleep?!?"
"One, two, three.... seventeen kids! You have got to be KIDDING me!"
"I am going to go out there and tell them to be quiet. Don't they know how late it is and I have a 3 month old I'm trying to get to sleep!!!"
OH. MY. GOD.
I've become my mother!
sigh.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Addicted.
They say the first step to recover from an addiction is admitting you have a problem, right? Since G has yet to utter his first words, I will be his spokesmama. We have a problem. Big problem. My sweet little man has an addiction problem. A boob addiction.
It sounds so simple and innocent but it is anything but. His cries at night are only soothed by the human pacifier, aka ME! It is not fun although he seems to enjoy it immensely. He will be sooooo overtired and all of my other usual tricks (sling, swing, pacifier, etc. etc.) do not work. But put the boy on the boob and he will pass out almost immediately! Arg! Not to mention he wants to nibble on me throughout the night and I am declaring we have an emergency on our hands! I am entering him into a recovery program and will keep you updated with his progress.
It sounds so simple and innocent but it is anything but. His cries at night are only soothed by the human pacifier, aka ME! It is not fun although he seems to enjoy it immensely. He will be sooooo overtired and all of my other usual tricks (sling, swing, pacifier, etc. etc.) do not work. But put the boy on the boob and he will pass out almost immediately! Arg! Not to mention he wants to nibble on me throughout the night and I am declaring we have an emergency on our hands! I am entering him into a recovery program and will keep you updated with his progress.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Two Months!
Sooo this post is only two weeks overdue! What can I say? Life seems to keep getting in the way of my blogging...hehe.
It is amazing how much changes from one month to the next, heck, even from one day to the next! Instead of my slumbering one month old, I now have a smiling and cooing two month old that chews on his hands and blows spit bubbles. Some other fun random facts about my love bug:
He loves to grab my shirt when I nurse him and he is almost rolling over from his back to his tummy. He still loves his baths and has started to cry when I take him out - so pitiful, it's hard not to laugh! He has outgrown most of his 0-3 month clothes, but can still wear some of them, especially the shorts and pants. BIG milk belly, small waist. :) I was sad having to already pack up his outgrown clothing and hope to have another baby boy some day (not soon!) so I can pull these cute little outfits out again.
He had his first cold a couple of weeks ago. Sick babies = no fun. Not only can they not verbalize what is wrong, but they HATE (at least mine does) the bulb syringe that you have to use to suck the snot out of their noses. It will be nice when he can blow his own nose! This was probably my first test run in anticipation for the snotty noses I am sure he will acquire soon enough because of daycare.
I have to cut his nails CONSTANTLY because they grow so fast! He is no longer the world's greatest pooper, though. Instead of several times a day, he has cut back to only going once every 3-5 days. We were concerned but the doc says it's normal around this age to change in frequency and to only be alarmed if it is hard and "pellet like." All parents will probably agree that you never knew you would care so much about poop until you had a baby.
2 Month Stats:
weight: 13 lbs, 10 oz = 75th%
length: 23 inches = 50th%
head: 90th%
He definitely has his daddy's noggin! R likes to say, "Big head, big brain!" We can only hope, babe! It only makes sense why my postpartum recovery was not the most fun experience of my life. Thankfully my body has fully mended and now I am working on losing the prego jello - 5 pounds to get to my pre-prego size and then I want to lose 25 more after that! Yes, I know I will probably never be satisfied with my body image, but I can certainly say that I have come a long way as far as body appreciation.
Dear Boo Boo,
Life with you just keeps getting better. I LOVE the mornings when you are just waking up and you look at me with the biggest grin. Now that you are smiling at things other than your beloved ceiling fan, Daddy and I will do anything to get you to smile. You are in a phase when all you want is Mama sometimes, which I'll admit can be frustrating if I have had you all day long and want a break to check my email, take a shower, do the laundry, etc. I have to remind myself that one day you won't want to be held and one day I won't be able to smother you with my kisses. I will gladly be your main squeeze for as long as you'll have me if you promise to let me keep loving on you as you grow older, even when you think you're too cool for me. You can never be too cool for you mom - that's just how it is. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
P.S. Please don't be in such a hurry to grow up too too fast!
It is amazing how much changes from one month to the next, heck, even from one day to the next! Instead of my slumbering one month old, I now have a smiling and cooing two month old that chews on his hands and blows spit bubbles. Some other fun random facts about my love bug:
He loves to grab my shirt when I nurse him and he is almost rolling over from his back to his tummy. He still loves his baths and has started to cry when I take him out - so pitiful, it's hard not to laugh! He has outgrown most of his 0-3 month clothes, but can still wear some of them, especially the shorts and pants. BIG milk belly, small waist. :) I was sad having to already pack up his outgrown clothing and hope to have another baby boy some day (not soon!) so I can pull these cute little outfits out again.
He had his first cold a couple of weeks ago. Sick babies = no fun. Not only can they not verbalize what is wrong, but they HATE (at least mine does) the bulb syringe that you have to use to suck the snot out of their noses. It will be nice when he can blow his own nose! This was probably my first test run in anticipation for the snotty noses I am sure he will acquire soon enough because of daycare.
I have to cut his nails CONSTANTLY because they grow so fast! He is no longer the world's greatest pooper, though. Instead of several times a day, he has cut back to only going once every 3-5 days. We were concerned but the doc says it's normal around this age to change in frequency and to only be alarmed if it is hard and "pellet like." All parents will probably agree that you never knew you would care so much about poop until you had a baby.
2 Month Stats:
weight: 13 lbs, 10 oz = 75th%
length: 23 inches = 50th%
head: 90th%
He definitely has his daddy's noggin! R likes to say, "Big head, big brain!" We can only hope, babe! It only makes sense why my postpartum recovery was not the most fun experience of my life. Thankfully my body has fully mended and now I am working on losing the prego jello - 5 pounds to get to my pre-prego size and then I want to lose 25 more after that! Yes, I know I will probably never be satisfied with my body image, but I can certainly say that I have come a long way as far as body appreciation.
Dear Boo Boo,
Life with you just keeps getting better. I LOVE the mornings when you are just waking up and you look at me with the biggest grin. Now that you are smiling at things other than your beloved ceiling fan, Daddy and I will do anything to get you to smile. You are in a phase when all you want is Mama sometimes, which I'll admit can be frustrating if I have had you all day long and want a break to check my email, take a shower, do the laundry, etc. I have to remind myself that one day you won't want to be held and one day I won't be able to smother you with my kisses. I will gladly be your main squeeze for as long as you'll have me if you promise to let me keep loving on you as you grow older, even when you think you're too cool for me. You can never be too cool for you mom - that's just how it is. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
P.S. Please don't be in such a hurry to grow up too too fast!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
How YOU doin'?
Hey ladies! How YOU doin'? I can't help but think of Joey's famous line from "Friends" whenever I dress G in this onesie.
I told R the other day that I'm going to teach G not to hit girls. His response? "I'm going to teach G how to hit on girls." Haha!
I told R the other day that I'm going to teach G not to hit girls. His response? "I'm going to teach G how to hit on girls." Haha!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Road Trip
We survived our first road trip this past weekend with both baby and puppy. I admittedly wasn't too thrilled about the idea of 10+ hours in a car with both of them, but I was pleasantly surprised.
In the past few weeks, G has acquired a lovely witching hour syndrome from around 7:30-8 until 10 or 11. I'm not sure why they call it the witching hour when it lasts for hours. If you have never heard of this awesome phenomenon, I found a great website that explains it in detail here.
We are looking forward to this particular phase of his ending, but I have to remind myself to take it all in stride and to soak up every minute, both good and bad, while it happens because it really does go by fast. It seems like I blinked my eyes and my sweet little newborn somehow is going on 10 weeks old.
So yes, the witching hour. While noticeably exhausted, G is hard to console and will just not go to sleep without a fight. A big fight. I have found that it is much better if we can get a jump start and start our soothing techniques before it rears its ugly, witchy head. And by "our" techniques, I really mean mine. Aside from his cantankerous evening 'tude, G has also grown into a new phase called, "All I want is Mommy."
At first it was endearing. "Awwww, I TOLD you he was going to be a Mama's boy." But now it's kind of annoying. He has a serious attachment to me that bothers R when G wants nothing to do with him. I told him that if he could lactate, he would probably be a frontrunner for G's love and attention.
Having a newborn already makes a mama feel like she has an extra growth because the baby is always on you, near you, etc. With G's attachment, I feel like I can't cut this growth off... it just doesn't want to go away! Don't get me wrong, he still cries and is fussy with me at times but substantially less than if someone else holds him. I think part of it is because I know him so well and know what he likes/dislikes, but it was never this bad before. He used to sleep on R just fine - not so much these days. The boy knows what he likes and he likes his mama!
Going back to the road trip... we decided to leave around 7:00 at night to get a head start on G's witching hour and thought that he would sleep better if we drove through the night. The dog was quiet and the baby slept: operation success! I sat in the backseat next to him, and I think that helped out a ton as well. He slept for most of the 13 hours that it took to drive to Kansas City - 3 extra hours with construction traffic, bathroom stops, doggy stops, baby feeding stops, food stops, etc.
Our time there was another story, however. G wasn't terrible by any means, but the change in environment threw him for a loop. We didn't have his swing, and that is where he normally naps during the day if he isn't napping on mommy. I didn't realize until this trip how much we love the swing! Instead of taking his normal day naps, G was awake for most of the day. We took several walks in his sling (which he also loves) and he would fall asleep, but once you sat down or tried to transfer him from the sling to the bed, he was INSTANTLY awake again. Yes, good times.
We drove to KS to drop Oliver off at training school and to visit R's parents. Phase II of construction is about to be underway, and just like last time during Phase I, we will be staying with my parents where it is a no dog zone. I don't think the average dog has received as much training as Oliver! He has so far been to 2 other training schools for a total of 5 weeks, and now he is going for 7 more. I'm expecting him to be able to scoop his own poop by the time it's all said and done. :)
It was my first time in the midwest (not counting airports) since I had been to Iowa in the 5th grade for a funeral. The weather was beautiful and the neighborhood R's parents live in is absolutely gorgeous. They live right on the state line but on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Everything there was so green and the trees were amazing. I don't usually say that about trees, but I did get some tree envy after being there for the weekend. We just don't have trees that compare to those in Texas.
We didn't stay long because R had to be back at work. I must say that I love that I didn't have to worry about work. Not that G isn't work, but you know what I mean. The drive home was even more fabulous - G cried all of 20 minutes MAYBE the whole time. I switched to the driver's seat a couple of times to give R a break, but G would start to fuss and R couldn't console him. He quickly wanted to retain his driver status and G quickly calmed down once I was back there again.
Besides realizing how much I depend on the swing for relief, I also realized that I don't take enough pictures! Most of the time I end up taking pictures with my iPhone because it is the closest thing nearby. I didn't take ANY pictures while we were there, so I've decided to make that a goal of mine.
I'm not sure when our next road trip will be. As good as G was in the car, I will still prefer flying any day. :)
In the past few weeks, G has acquired a lovely witching hour syndrome from around 7:30-8 until 10 or 11. I'm not sure why they call it the witching hour when it lasts for hours. If you have never heard of this awesome phenomenon, I found a great website that explains it in detail here.
We are looking forward to this particular phase of his ending, but I have to remind myself to take it all in stride and to soak up every minute, both good and bad, while it happens because it really does go by fast. It seems like I blinked my eyes and my sweet little newborn somehow is going on 10 weeks old.
So yes, the witching hour. While noticeably exhausted, G is hard to console and will just not go to sleep without a fight. A big fight. I have found that it is much better if we can get a jump start and start our soothing techniques before it rears its ugly, witchy head. And by "our" techniques, I really mean mine. Aside from his cantankerous evening 'tude, G has also grown into a new phase called, "All I want is Mommy."
At first it was endearing. "Awwww, I TOLD you he was going to be a Mama's boy." But now it's kind of annoying. He has a serious attachment to me that bothers R when G wants nothing to do with him. I told him that if he could lactate, he would probably be a frontrunner for G's love and attention.
Having a newborn already makes a mama feel like she has an extra growth because the baby is always on you, near you, etc. With G's attachment, I feel like I can't cut this growth off... it just doesn't want to go away! Don't get me wrong, he still cries and is fussy with me at times but substantially less than if someone else holds him. I think part of it is because I know him so well and know what he likes/dislikes, but it was never this bad before. He used to sleep on R just fine - not so much these days. The boy knows what he likes and he likes his mama!
Going back to the road trip... we decided to leave around 7:00 at night to get a head start on G's witching hour and thought that he would sleep better if we drove through the night. The dog was quiet and the baby slept: operation success! I sat in the backseat next to him, and I think that helped out a ton as well. He slept for most of the 13 hours that it took to drive to Kansas City - 3 extra hours with construction traffic, bathroom stops, doggy stops, baby feeding stops, food stops, etc.
Our time there was another story, however. G wasn't terrible by any means, but the change in environment threw him for a loop. We didn't have his swing, and that is where he normally naps during the day if he isn't napping on mommy. I didn't realize until this trip how much we love the swing! Instead of taking his normal day naps, G was awake for most of the day. We took several walks in his sling (which he also loves) and he would fall asleep, but once you sat down or tried to transfer him from the sling to the bed, he was INSTANTLY awake again. Yes, good times.
We drove to KS to drop Oliver off at training school and to visit R's parents. Phase II of construction is about to be underway, and just like last time during Phase I, we will be staying with my parents where it is a no dog zone. I don't think the average dog has received as much training as Oliver! He has so far been to 2 other training schools for a total of 5 weeks, and now he is going for 7 more. I'm expecting him to be able to scoop his own poop by the time it's all said and done. :)
It was my first time in the midwest (not counting airports) since I had been to Iowa in the 5th grade for a funeral. The weather was beautiful and the neighborhood R's parents live in is absolutely gorgeous. They live right on the state line but on the Missouri side of Kansas City. Everything there was so green and the trees were amazing. I don't usually say that about trees, but I did get some tree envy after being there for the weekend. We just don't have trees that compare to those in Texas.
We didn't stay long because R had to be back at work. I must say that I love that I didn't have to worry about work. Not that G isn't work, but you know what I mean. The drive home was even more fabulous - G cried all of 20 minutes MAYBE the whole time. I switched to the driver's seat a couple of times to give R a break, but G would start to fuss and R couldn't console him. He quickly wanted to retain his driver status and G quickly calmed down once I was back there again.
Besides realizing how much I depend on the swing for relief, I also realized that I don't take enough pictures! Most of the time I end up taking pictures with my iPhone because it is the closest thing nearby. I didn't take ANY pictures while we were there, so I've decided to make that a goal of mine.
I'm not sure when our next road trip will be. As good as G was in the car, I will still prefer flying any day. :)
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
While most, if not all, pregos cannot WAIT for their pregnancy to finally end (!!!) once the countdown is in the single digits, I have found that there are some things that I do indeed miss about those 40 weeks.
The Good About Pregnancy:
-Your female issues (not including mood swings, etc.) are gone for 9 months! That is definitely something to cheer about!
-You look forward to all of the milestones of pregnancy: hearing the heartbeat for the first time, the first ultrasound, feeling your baby move for the first time, finding out if baby is boy/girl, registering, setting up the nursery...
-People for the most part go out of their way to help you once you are showing.
-Your healthy appetite gets masked behind your baby bump, so you don't have to worry about your clothes being too tight after a good meal - you're already in maternity clothes!
-TIME. While you do have someone depending on you, he/she is still in the womb so you can pretty much go about your life as normal.
-Sleep. As much and as often as you want to.
Don't get me wrong... I wouldn't trade G in now to have any of those things back (though don't ask me when he's been crying for several hours.. hehe, j/k). I remember how weird it was after delivery to not have him in my belly anymore. I had grown so accustomed to bending over carefully, putting my hand on my belly to feel him move, etc. that it was still a habit for the first few days afterwards.
It was GREAT to bend down with ease (once everything had mended properly of course) to tie my shoes and to hold him in my arms and SEE him move.
I think it's only human nature to want to pick and choose, but it never usually works that way unless you are at a buffet. Life comes with the good, the bad, and the ugly, and in this case, I will take all three please.
The Good About Pregnancy:
-Your female issues (not including mood swings, etc.) are gone for 9 months! That is definitely something to cheer about!
-You look forward to all of the milestones of pregnancy: hearing the heartbeat for the first time, the first ultrasound, feeling your baby move for the first time, finding out if baby is boy/girl, registering, setting up the nursery...
-People for the most part go out of their way to help you once you are showing.
-Your healthy appetite gets masked behind your baby bump, so you don't have to worry about your clothes being too tight after a good meal - you're already in maternity clothes!
-TIME. While you do have someone depending on you, he/she is still in the womb so you can pretty much go about your life as normal.
-Sleep. As much and as often as you want to.
Don't get me wrong... I wouldn't trade G in now to have any of those things back (though don't ask me when he's been crying for several hours.. hehe, j/k). I remember how weird it was after delivery to not have him in my belly anymore. I had grown so accustomed to bending over carefully, putting my hand on my belly to feel him move, etc. that it was still a habit for the first few days afterwards.
It was GREAT to bend down with ease (once everything had mended properly of course) to tie my shoes and to hold him in my arms and SEE him move.
I think it's only human nature to want to pick and choose, but it never usually works that way unless you are at a buffet. Life comes with the good, the bad, and the ugly, and in this case, I will take all three please.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Teach Your Children Well
I don't normally like to discuss serious topics on my blog, but all of the recent stories on the news about bullying that has resulted in numerous teen suicides has really struck a cord with me.
We all know (some all too well) how cruel kids can be and how much of an impact peer relationships have on children. Admittedly, I have been the victim of name calling but also the perpetrator. My parents taught me well, and while "kids will be kids" to a certain extent, we need to have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. Most of them time parents have no idea what goes on in their children's lives at school and behind closed doors. That is what scares me the most.
Now that I am a mom, I fear the day that G is hurt by someone else's words or actions. Even worse, I cringe thinking of him hurting someone else with his words and actions. As parents, it is ultimately our job to step up and teach our children how to be kind and loving people, how to accept people despite any of their differences and how to embrace them as they are.
We live in a society that preaches tolerance when we should be teaching acceptance. You can turn on the news on any night to find stories of violence resulting from political, racial, religious, sexual or gender differences.
I don't want G to grow up. I want to keep him sheltered from the hate and hurt that everyone at some point in their life experiences. I want him to stay innocent and pure. But I know that he will grow up and if I can do one thing right in my life, it is to teach him well.
If everyone had the heart of a child, imagine what the world would be like.
We all know (some all too well) how cruel kids can be and how much of an impact peer relationships have on children. Admittedly, I have been the victim of name calling but also the perpetrator. My parents taught me well, and while "kids will be kids" to a certain extent, we need to have a zero tolerance policy for bullying. Most of them time parents have no idea what goes on in their children's lives at school and behind closed doors. That is what scares me the most.
Now that I am a mom, I fear the day that G is hurt by someone else's words or actions. Even worse, I cringe thinking of him hurting someone else with his words and actions. As parents, it is ultimately our job to step up and teach our children how to be kind and loving people, how to accept people despite any of their differences and how to embrace them as they are.
We live in a society that preaches tolerance when we should be teaching acceptance. You can turn on the news on any night to find stories of violence resulting from political, racial, religious, sexual or gender differences.
I don't want G to grow up. I want to keep him sheltered from the hate and hurt that everyone at some point in their life experiences. I want him to stay innocent and pure. But I know that he will grow up and if I can do one thing right in my life, it is to teach him well.
If everyone had the heart of a child, imagine what the world would be like.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Finally Fall
It's hard to believe that G is already 7 weeks old and more importantly that it's finally fall! We don't really have a fall season in Texas per say, but the cooler temps (highs in the low to mid 80's and lows in the mid 50's) have been a welcomed relief. This weather, by far, is my favorite of the year - perfect for keeping the windows open and the candles lit and the ability to run in the afternoons without feeling like I'm going to pass out from the heat... love it!
The holidays are quickly approaching, which only means that my days of staying at home with my sweet boy will also fly by... tear.
I have been dreading the idea of putting the G'sta in daycare, but I know that it's inevitable. With wait lists on my mind, I decided to make some calls and set up a few tours this past week. They all seemed decent, but I would like to check out a few more places before I make a final decision. The thought of strangers spending more time with my baby than me makes me really sad, but I know he will probably adjust better than his mama will.
My doc recently gave me that "all clear" to resume all activities I had abandoned after the delivery (some I had already given up during pregnancy... hehe). I was most excited about returning to the soccer field. My ten months off have been my longest length of absence from soccer since I started playing at the ripe age of 4, and the time off was definitely felt in my lungs and legs. I put in a couple 3 mile runs this past week as well - I have never felt so slow in my life! The half marathon I signed up to run in February is looming over my head, so I know I need to start putting in the miles if I want to accomplish it to my expectations. I don't think this year will be my PR by any means, but I also want to run it in a reasonable time.
I guess it's time to break out the BOB and make Little G my training partner!
The holidays are quickly approaching, which only means that my days of staying at home with my sweet boy will also fly by... tear.
I have been dreading the idea of putting the G'sta in daycare, but I know that it's inevitable. With wait lists on my mind, I decided to make some calls and set up a few tours this past week. They all seemed decent, but I would like to check out a few more places before I make a final decision. The thought of strangers spending more time with my baby than me makes me really sad, but I know he will probably adjust better than his mama will.
My doc recently gave me that "all clear" to resume all activities I had abandoned after the delivery (some I had already given up during pregnancy... hehe). I was most excited about returning to the soccer field. My ten months off have been my longest length of absence from soccer since I started playing at the ripe age of 4, and the time off was definitely felt in my lungs and legs. I put in a couple 3 mile runs this past week as well - I have never felt so slow in my life! The half marathon I signed up to run in February is looming over my head, so I know I need to start putting in the miles if I want to accomplish it to my expectations. I don't think this year will be my PR by any means, but I also want to run it in a reasonable time.
I guess it's time to break out the BOB and make Little G my training partner!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Pooptastrophe
Today's pooptrastrophe is brought to you by the letter 'G'.
I have learned from weeks of practice with Little G to give it some time after I hear the initial squirt because one of the things he just looooves to do is poop in a clean diaper. And sometimes the next clean diaper after that. But today will go down in the history books.
Urbandictionary.com defines poop as:
"a large, atrocious enormous blob of brownish stuff that comes out of your a** in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes crawling out, other times catapulting out, creating huge splashes."
Yes, you read that right. Catapulting out. Creating huge splashes. That is what went down (or out, rather) this afternoon. I was almost done cleaning him up when he let out a squirt. A HUGE squirt that came flying out all over his changing table and all over me. I wasn't even standing that close to him - my body was a good foot away from the exit. It's like they teach you in driver's ed: leave enough distance between you and the car in front of you. Well, the same principle applies to diaper changing. I kept my distance and had the clean diaper underneath to cover the danger zone, but my safety measures were not enough. I wasn't adequately equipped to handle today's situation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the evidence*:
*Beware - graphic image below!
It was AWFUL. The amount of poop that came out in addition to what he had ALREADY released was insane! And the force! I stood there dumbstruck (and covered in his poop) for a few seconds before calling for back-up. G decided to add some more (the more the merrier, right?) and to top it off with a nice pee. Thank goodness I had already contained his "business."
But seriously, do I need to start wearing this when I change his diapers from now on???
Little G is a lucky little boy that even after all of that...
I have learned from weeks of practice with Little G to give it some time after I hear the initial squirt because one of the things he just looooves to do is poop in a clean diaper. And sometimes the next clean diaper after that. But today will go down in the history books.
Urbandictionary.com defines poop as:
"a large, atrocious enormous blob of brownish stuff that comes out of your a** in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes crawling out, other times catapulting out, creating huge splashes."
Yes, you read that right. Catapulting out. Creating huge splashes. That is what went down (or out, rather) this afternoon. I was almost done cleaning him up when he let out a squirt. A HUGE squirt that came flying out all over his changing table and all over me. I wasn't even standing that close to him - my body was a good foot away from the exit. It's like they teach you in driver's ed: leave enough distance between you and the car in front of you. Well, the same principle applies to diaper changing. I kept my distance and had the clean diaper underneath to cover the danger zone, but my safety measures were not enough. I wasn't adequately equipped to handle today's situation.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the evidence*:
*Beware - graphic image below!
It was AWFUL. The amount of poop that came out in addition to what he had ALREADY released was insane! And the force! I stood there dumbstruck (and covered in his poop) for a few seconds before calling for back-up. G decided to add some more (the more the merrier, right?) and to top it off with a nice pee. Thank goodness I had already contained his "business."
But seriously, do I need to start wearing this when I change his diapers from now on???
Little G is a lucky little boy that even after all of that...
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Sleepy Sunday
G seems to believe in the notion that Sunday is the day of rest...
Apparently Oliver is buying into the idea as well...
Apparently Oliver is buying into the idea as well...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
One month!
Baby G's one month birthday has already come and gone (sniff, sniff)! People are always telling me to enjoy the time we have with him because it will fly by, and it definitely has.
Little Butter Bean's one month stats:
weight - 10 lbs. 11 oz. = 75th%
length - 22.25 inches = 50th%
head - 50th%
Yes, our little guy loves to eat! Good for baby but tiring for momma. I would also eat all day long if my waistline could afford it and my rolls would look that cute. He is well on his way to becoming the athlete we hope he one day becomes. Well, R is also hoping he becomes a mathlete as well. :)
What you should know about Baby G:
-He is a very calm and laid back baby. Everyone who meets him always comment on how easygoing he is, and it's true. He has been like this from day one and my fingers are crossed that this trend continues!
-He rarely fusses and only cries when he is really unhappy about something.
-He likes motion - he LOVES his vibrating chair, swing, going for walks in his stroller and riding in the car. He does NOT like it when the car stops at a light or stop sign and will voice his complaints to the driver.
-He loves sleeping on someone and we are working on getting him to love sleeping in his pack-n-play just as much. :)
-He loves laying on his changing table and watching the ceiling fan.
-He has some of the loudest burps and farts I have ever heard from a baby... these are sounds that only a mom could truly think are cute.
-He loves having his hair washed and blow dried.
-He no longer fits into his newborn sized clothing.
Dear Baby G,
Now that you are here, it's hard to imagine life without you. Four short weeks have somehow managed to transform everything that I once knew. In many ways it has been an exhausting adventure, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. You are, by far, the best thing that has ever happened to me. When our eyes locked for the first time, I immediately felt this incredible bond that cannot be put into words. You will always be my little buddy, my love bug, my sweet lovey. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
Little Butter Bean's one month stats:
weight - 10 lbs. 11 oz. = 75th%
length - 22.25 inches = 50th%
head - 50th%
Yes, our little guy loves to eat! Good for baby but tiring for momma. I would also eat all day long if my waistline could afford it and my rolls would look that cute. He is well on his way to becoming the athlete we hope he one day becomes. Well, R is also hoping he becomes a mathlete as well. :)
What you should know about Baby G:
-He is a very calm and laid back baby. Everyone who meets him always comment on how easygoing he is, and it's true. He has been like this from day one and my fingers are crossed that this trend continues!
-He rarely fusses and only cries when he is really unhappy about something.
-He likes motion - he LOVES his vibrating chair, swing, going for walks in his stroller and riding in the car. He does NOT like it when the car stops at a light or stop sign and will voice his complaints to the driver.
-He loves sleeping on someone and we are working on getting him to love sleeping in his pack-n-play just as much. :)
-He loves laying on his changing table and watching the ceiling fan.
-He has some of the loudest burps and farts I have ever heard from a baby... these are sounds that only a mom could truly think are cute.
-He loves having his hair washed and blow dried.
-He no longer fits into his newborn sized clothing.
Dear Baby G,
Now that you are here, it's hard to imagine life without you. Four short weeks have somehow managed to transform everything that I once knew. In many ways it has been an exhausting adventure, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. You are, by far, the best thing that has ever happened to me. When our eyes locked for the first time, I immediately felt this incredible bond that cannot be put into words. You will always be my little buddy, my love bug, my sweet lovey. I love you to the moon and back.
Love,
Mama
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Things I have learned in the first month
So first of all, WOW. I cannot even begin to believe that it has already been 4 weeks since I went to the hospital and came back home with Little G... in my arms! I keep wondering when the surreal will start to be real? I still have moments where I'm like, "I'm a mom - crazy!!" But don't worry, while I find that it's crazy that I am a mom, I'm not a crazy mom. :)
Okay, so things I have learned in the first month...
*Pushing out a baby with an epidural is really hard.
*I wasn't exactly prepared for the soreness my body (ahem, certain areas) would endure after pushing out said 8 lb. 4 oz. baby. Thank goodness for prescription pain meds!
*BFeeding is THE hardest thing I've ever done. Both mentally and physically. I haven't experienced any drastic mood swings or postpartum depression, but I HAVE cried over BFeeding. And it wasn't because of the pain, which there was. I'll save this gem for its own post.
*Pumping can make you feel like a cow. It is not in the least bit attractive, but I know I am giving G the best milk for him and it's free - bonus!
*BMilk = gold! I have never cared about ounces as much as I do now, so I hate to see any of it go to waste. I had to pump and dump for the first time after enjoying a couple glasses of wine with dinner. It was very sad to see 6 ounces of the boob juice go down the drain. (side note: You can buy the milk screen strips at Walgreen's to test the alcohol content of your milk if you indulge in some adult beverages. I am probably just an anal first time mother b/c I'm sure G would have slept through the night if he had those 6 ounces! hehe)
*Once you've had the baby, your post baby body isn't the same. I've lost 20 of the 30 pounds I packed on, but the weight that is left is proportioned differently now that there is not a cute little baby inside. It is much more jiggly and much less cute. Clothes that once fit you at the same weight during pregnancy now fit differently.
*Mother nature really does prepare you for getting less sleep. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was going to bed regularly at one or two in the morning because I wasn't tired. I currently don't get much sleep during the night, but I play catch up and nap with G when he naps during the day as much as I can. It's a vicious cycle, but I know it will even out eventually... I hope!
*Babies LOVE to poop in freshly changed diapers. I think my PR so far is 4 or 5 diapers in one changing. It seems like once I change him, G will immediately start pooping in his clean diaper... sometimes while I am STILL changing him.
*Little boys can pee a great distance if they get a chance. :)
*Staring at your baby NEVER gets old! The first night in the hospital I could not sleep even though I was so exhausted because I could not stop staring at him in amazement. I don't keep myself awake staring at him now, but I do enjoy watching the "baby tv" more than any other program.
*Everything is harder with a baby. This one came as no surprise though. It would be nice if there was a drive thru for anything just for moms. Right now I'm dealing with the hassle of the car seat, stroller, diaper bag, etc., but I know this will just transition into transporting a cranky baby, tired baby, sick baby, etc. Oh the joys of motherhood!
*Everything is easier if you have a good partner in crime. R has been supportive and helpful - I am very lucky and thankful.
*The only thing cuter than your baby is watching your baby with his daddy. The two of them together is priceless.
*And this one I saw on someone else's blog and liked it:
"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."
-Anonymous
Okay, so things I have learned in the first month...
*Pushing out a baby with an epidural is really hard.
*I wasn't exactly prepared for the soreness my body (ahem, certain areas) would endure after pushing out said 8 lb. 4 oz. baby. Thank goodness for prescription pain meds!
*BFeeding is THE hardest thing I've ever done. Both mentally and physically. I haven't experienced any drastic mood swings or postpartum depression, but I HAVE cried over BFeeding. And it wasn't because of the pain, which there was. I'll save this gem for its own post.
*Pumping can make you feel like a cow. It is not in the least bit attractive, but I know I am giving G the best milk for him and it's free - bonus!
*BMilk = gold! I have never cared about ounces as much as I do now, so I hate to see any of it go to waste. I had to pump and dump for the first time after enjoying a couple glasses of wine with dinner. It was very sad to see 6 ounces of the boob juice go down the drain. (side note: You can buy the milk screen strips at Walgreen's to test the alcohol content of your milk if you indulge in some adult beverages. I am probably just an anal first time mother b/c I'm sure G would have slept through the night if he had those 6 ounces! hehe)
*Once you've had the baby, your post baby body isn't the same. I've lost 20 of the 30 pounds I packed on, but the weight that is left is proportioned differently now that there is not a cute little baby inside. It is much more jiggly and much less cute. Clothes that once fit you at the same weight during pregnancy now fit differently.
*Mother nature really does prepare you for getting less sleep. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was going to bed regularly at one or two in the morning because I wasn't tired. I currently don't get much sleep during the night, but I play catch up and nap with G when he naps during the day as much as I can. It's a vicious cycle, but I know it will even out eventually... I hope!
*Babies LOVE to poop in freshly changed diapers. I think my PR so far is 4 or 5 diapers in one changing. It seems like once I change him, G will immediately start pooping in his clean diaper... sometimes while I am STILL changing him.
*Little boys can pee a great distance if they get a chance. :)
*Staring at your baby NEVER gets old! The first night in the hospital I could not sleep even though I was so exhausted because I could not stop staring at him in amazement. I don't keep myself awake staring at him now, but I do enjoy watching the "baby tv" more than any other program.
*Everything is harder with a baby. This one came as no surprise though. It would be nice if there was a drive thru for anything just for moms. Right now I'm dealing with the hassle of the car seat, stroller, diaper bag, etc., but I know this will just transition into transporting a cranky baby, tired baby, sick baby, etc. Oh the joys of motherhood!
*Everything is easier if you have a good partner in crime. R has been supportive and helpful - I am very lucky and thankful.
*The only thing cuter than your baby is watching your baby with his daddy. The two of them together is priceless.
*And this one I saw on someone else's blog and liked it:
"A baby will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for."
-Anonymous
Thursday, September 9, 2010
These are a few of my favorite things...
My list of my favorite maternity/pregnancy/newborn related things thus far:
**Maternity clothes - There are plenty of expensive boutique type stores with really cute clothes, but I never wanted to pay too much for something I wouldn't fit into forever (hopefully..hehe). Most of my wardrobe from the past 10 months came from Target (I LOVE the Liz Lange maternity line), Old Navy maternity, and GAP maternity. I also found that you can get away with wearing many items that are just a size larger than I would normally wear and my regular jeans unbuttoned with a maternity band.
Hands-down my top two essential items from the maternity section of my closet:
1. Liz Lange maternity tanks - I wore these practically everyday. Very soft and most importantly - LONG. Love these!
2. Be Band Maternity - also sold at Target. Allows you to still wear your regular jeans unbuttoned until you reach the stage where you really do need to wear maternity, aka "pouch," pants.
**Newborn Items:
1. Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing - Amazon.com sold this for the cheapest price I could find... you just have to be patient and keep checking prices online. G loves this swing and naps in it happily. Sleeping baby = happy momma.
2. Fisher Price My Little Lamb Infant Seat - We registered and received a bouncer seat, but it is too high off the ground and not as newborn friendly. It will be great for G when he is older, but for now we are borrowing this seat from my parents. It's another place G willingly naps in contentedly and is much lower to the ground, soft and cozy for the little ones.
3. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - These blankets are my favorite! Pricey but worth it! They are very versatile - I use them as swaddlers, burp cloths, etc. Plus they are light weight, which is great for the heat in Texas, and much longer than your average blanket.
My list seemed longer in my head, but I guess that's all I have for now. I'm sure the baby "must have" list will continue to grow as G gets older and I gain more momma experience. :)
**Maternity clothes - There are plenty of expensive boutique type stores with really cute clothes, but I never wanted to pay too much for something I wouldn't fit into forever (hopefully..hehe). Most of my wardrobe from the past 10 months came from Target (I LOVE the Liz Lange maternity line), Old Navy maternity, and GAP maternity. I also found that you can get away with wearing many items that are just a size larger than I would normally wear and my regular jeans unbuttoned with a maternity band.
Hands-down my top two essential items from the maternity section of my closet:
1. Liz Lange maternity tanks - I wore these practically everyday. Very soft and most importantly - LONG. Love these!
2. Be Band Maternity - also sold at Target. Allows you to still wear your regular jeans unbuttoned until you reach the stage where you really do need to wear maternity, aka "pouch," pants.
**Newborn Items:
1. Fisher Price My Little Lamb Swing - Amazon.com sold this for the cheapest price I could find... you just have to be patient and keep checking prices online. G loves this swing and naps in it happily. Sleeping baby = happy momma.
2. Fisher Price My Little Lamb Infant Seat - We registered and received a bouncer seat, but it is too high off the ground and not as newborn friendly. It will be great for G when he is older, but for now we are borrowing this seat from my parents. It's another place G willingly naps in contentedly and is much lower to the ground, soft and cozy for the little ones.
3. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - These blankets are my favorite! Pricey but worth it! They are very versatile - I use them as swaddlers, burp cloths, etc. Plus they are light weight, which is great for the heat in Texas, and much longer than your average blanket.
My list seemed longer in my head, but I guess that's all I have for now. I'm sure the baby "must have" list will continue to grow as G gets older and I gain more momma experience. :)
Friday, September 3, 2010
THE story, Part Two
Once I got my epidural and settled in, things seemed to go rather quickly. Leading up to my due date, I was anti-epidural for many reasons. Not so far anti-epidural where I absolutely ruled against having one (obviously), but enough so where I wanted to try to go as long as I could without one. The only exception was if I received pitocin, and then I knew I would more than likely readily accept the epi.
My reasons for not wanting an epi? You are restricted to the bed, you lose feeling down below (both good and bad, I'll admit), and in general, slows down labor.
It wasn't terrible having to stay in bed, but I did have to shift from side to side and I would have preferred staying in the rocking chair. I did lose all feeling down below (duh - that IS its purpose!), and this was a wonderful relief in the beginning but did prove problematic come pushing time.
At 2:00 the doc announced that I was 10 cm and ready to push. I immediately started making calls to the family because no one other than R was at the hospital at that point. 2:00 turned into 2:30 and then 3:00 before I actually STARTED the pushing phase. Apparently the hospital is commonly short staffed on the weekends, and so I had to wait a full hour before there was enough staff in the room to start pushing.
Since I couldn't feel anything it wasn't a big deal, but I can't imagine not having pain meds, wanting/needing to push, and not being able to for an hour! Not cool.
3 o'clock is when the marathon (more like half marathon) began. Pushing is hard work when you can't feel anything and it's your first time to go through the gauntlet! I could not tell what I was doing. AT. ALL. Thankfully, the epi started wearing off and I could actually feel the pain of the contractions, and more importantly, could tell when I needed to push and how I should push.
I pushed for two hours and one minute before Baby G finally made his way out. I know two hours isn't uncommon for first time moms, but it seems like forever! My labor nurse (that I really did love) kept encouraging me and telling me that I was almost there. My inner voice was screaming, "I'm obviously NOT almost done because you've been telling me that for over an hour!"
We tried all sorts of angles, positions, and techniques to get him out (which I will not go into detail on), and I am very thankful for her patience and encouragement. R was also great and cheered me on the whole time. According to my mom and my best friend who were both in the room as well, R at times got more into the pushing than I did. :) Hehe... I promised him that those videos would never surface on the web.
So when you go through your childbirth class, the instructor usually tells you to focus on something during the pushing. What helped to keep me motivated? Sushi! Haha! Sad, I know! Sushi was THE hardest thing to give up during my pregnancy and I had already told R that my first meal post labor would be some raw fish. Yum! So yes, I agree that you should focus on something that will REALLY get you through the pushing phase. It works! And my sushi dinner was soooo delicious afterwards! It probably didn't hurt that I was starving and would have eaten anything.
Once G finally made his way out, all I felt was extreme relief that it was finally over and happiness that he was here. I was so so tired by that point - there were no tears of joy, just deep sighs of sweet relief. :)
Poor boy had a bit of a cone head but was otherwise perfect... all 8 lbs, 4 oz of him! Okay, so I know I'm a little biased.
All in all, my L&D was a positive experience and I would definitely do it all over again in a heartbeat. With that being said, I'm going to give my body and my sanity a few years before I'm popping out another, but it is so very worth it.
My cup runneth over.
My reasons for not wanting an epi? You are restricted to the bed, you lose feeling down below (both good and bad, I'll admit), and in general, slows down labor.
It wasn't terrible having to stay in bed, but I did have to shift from side to side and I would have preferred staying in the rocking chair. I did lose all feeling down below (duh - that IS its purpose!), and this was a wonderful relief in the beginning but did prove problematic come pushing time.
At 2:00 the doc announced that I was 10 cm and ready to push. I immediately started making calls to the family because no one other than R was at the hospital at that point. 2:00 turned into 2:30 and then 3:00 before I actually STARTED the pushing phase. Apparently the hospital is commonly short staffed on the weekends, and so I had to wait a full hour before there was enough staff in the room to start pushing.
Since I couldn't feel anything it wasn't a big deal, but I can't imagine not having pain meds, wanting/needing to push, and not being able to for an hour! Not cool.
3 o'clock is when the marathon (more like half marathon) began. Pushing is hard work when you can't feel anything and it's your first time to go through the gauntlet! I could not tell what I was doing. AT. ALL. Thankfully, the epi started wearing off and I could actually feel the pain of the contractions, and more importantly, could tell when I needed to push and how I should push.
I pushed for two hours and one minute before Baby G finally made his way out. I know two hours isn't uncommon for first time moms, but it seems like forever! My labor nurse (that I really did love) kept encouraging me and telling me that I was almost there. My inner voice was screaming, "I'm obviously NOT almost done because you've been telling me that for over an hour!"
We tried all sorts of angles, positions, and techniques to get him out (which I will not go into detail on), and I am very thankful for her patience and encouragement. R was also great and cheered me on the whole time. According to my mom and my best friend who were both in the room as well, R at times got more into the pushing than I did. :) Hehe... I promised him that those videos would never surface on the web.
So when you go through your childbirth class, the instructor usually tells you to focus on something during the pushing. What helped to keep me motivated? Sushi! Haha! Sad, I know! Sushi was THE hardest thing to give up during my pregnancy and I had already told R that my first meal post labor would be some raw fish. Yum! So yes, I agree that you should focus on something that will REALLY get you through the pushing phase. It works! And my sushi dinner was soooo delicious afterwards! It probably didn't hurt that I was starving and would have eaten anything.
Once G finally made his way out, all I felt was extreme relief that it was finally over and happiness that he was here. I was so so tired by that point - there were no tears of joy, just deep sighs of sweet relief. :)
Poor boy had a bit of a cone head but was otherwise perfect... all 8 lbs, 4 oz of him! Okay, so I know I'm a little biased.
All in all, my L&D was a positive experience and I would definitely do it all over again in a heartbeat. With that being said, I'm going to give my body and my sanity a few years before I'm popping out another, but it is so very worth it.
My cup runneth over.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
THE story, Part One
Sorry for the temporary leave of absence ... we've been a bit busy these past two weeks. The reason? This man...
Yep, Little G decided to make his grand entrance one week early! I guess he had had enough of all of the smack I was talking about him on this blog, so he decided to stick it to me. Literally.
I woke up, as usual, in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I went back to bed and reached for my phone. I heard this strange faint popping noise and then felt a small gush of fluid. My first thought was, "Huh, that is weird. I JUST went to the bathroom, so I don't think I peed my pants." However, I wasn't entirely convinced that my bag of water had really broken because it wasn't a huge tsunami AND it seemed impossible with the Little Man still being positioned so high up.
Nonetheless, I didn't really think I had peed my pants because: (a) I had just gone to the bathroom and (b) I haven't peed my pants since childhood. What is one to do in these situations at 4 a.m.? Get a second opinion! I called my sister, hoping she would be awake since she has a newborn. Thankfully she wasn't awake but did answer my call. :)
After hearing my story, she thought it was my bag of water. I felt better since now I was ruling out that I hadn't wet the bed, but now it was starting to seem surreal that I might actually be having a baby (!) within the next 24 hours.
My mom must have heard all of the movement from downstairs (side note: we were still staying at my parents' casa while our house was construction zone) because she came up to make sure I was okay. Without explaining why, I asked her to smell the wet spot on the sheets. She couldn't smell anything, so I officially ruled out urine as the culprit. Thanks, Mom, for being a good sport and smelling the bed sheets at 4 in the morning.
I then started calling R repeatedly because as luck would have it, he had gone over to our house that night to move things up to the attic and had crashed there. He was not answering his phone, so in the meantime, I was packing my hospital bag (yeah, I know I should have already done this...) and calling the nurse line to see if they thought I should check in.
The doctor on call recommended that I head to the hospital, and R finally answered his phone and came to get me. It was still very surreal knowing that the next time I would come home would be with a baby. Eeek!
We got to the hospital and got checked in. I had to change into one of their glamorous gowns and they did a test to confirm or deny my water breaking assumption. The first test came back negative, which of course made me feel like an idiot and at the same time disgusting for peeing in my pants. They did a more thorough test and that one came back positive (woohoo!). Besides the embarrassment of thinking that peeing in your pants = your water breaking, I would have NEVER lived that one down and would have endured endless teasing from my family. Thank you Baby Jesus that it wasn't the case.
The doctor then checked to see where I was at and decided that I should have pitocin since I was only 1.5 cm dilated. I had already made up my mind to have an epidural if I ended up going the pitocin route, and although I was a little bit disappointed I wasn't going to try the "au naturale" route that I had envisioned, I knew I would be a lot more comfortable getting the good stuff once things really cranked up.
My labor pretty much went like this:
7 a.m. - 1.5 cm dilated, got pitocin to speed things up
9 a.m. - doc broke my water, since I was only slowly leaking and the bag was still intact
10 a.m. - 3 cm dilated
11 a.m. - 4 cm dilated, got my epidural
2 p.m. - 10 cm dilated and ready to push! Everyone was very surprised with how fast I progressed. I guess my body reacts kindly to pitocin.
One of my good friends was asking me what the contractions felt like, and I really had a hard time remembering the pain. I have heard before that you block out the memories of the pain post labor, and I guess what they say is true! I remember them being A LOT more uncomfortable laying down than sitting up, so I chose to get out of bed and sit in the rocking chair. I kept my eyes closed throughout most of the labor process so I could concentrate on my breathing and not on the pain. Once I got my epidural, I was restricted to the bed but couldn't feel anything. Some positives to that, but also some drawbacks.
More on that later...
Yep, Little G decided to make his grand entrance one week early! I guess he had had enough of all of the smack I was talking about him on this blog, so he decided to stick it to me. Literally.
I woke up, as usual, in the middle of the night to use the bathroom. I went back to bed and reached for my phone. I heard this strange faint popping noise and then felt a small gush of fluid. My first thought was, "Huh, that is weird. I JUST went to the bathroom, so I don't think I peed my pants." However, I wasn't entirely convinced that my bag of water had really broken because it wasn't a huge tsunami AND it seemed impossible with the Little Man still being positioned so high up.
Nonetheless, I didn't really think I had peed my pants because: (a) I had just gone to the bathroom and (b) I haven't peed my pants since childhood. What is one to do in these situations at 4 a.m.? Get a second opinion! I called my sister, hoping she would be awake since she has a newborn. Thankfully she wasn't awake but did answer my call. :)
After hearing my story, she thought it was my bag of water. I felt better since now I was ruling out that I hadn't wet the bed, but now it was starting to seem surreal that I might actually be having a baby (!) within the next 24 hours.
My mom must have heard all of the movement from downstairs (side note: we were still staying at my parents' casa while our house was construction zone) because she came up to make sure I was okay. Without explaining why, I asked her to smell the wet spot on the sheets. She couldn't smell anything, so I officially ruled out urine as the culprit. Thanks, Mom, for being a good sport and smelling the bed sheets at 4 in the morning.
I then started calling R repeatedly because as luck would have it, he had gone over to our house that night to move things up to the attic and had crashed there. He was not answering his phone, so in the meantime, I was packing my hospital bag (yeah, I know I should have already done this...) and calling the nurse line to see if they thought I should check in.
The doctor on call recommended that I head to the hospital, and R finally answered his phone and came to get me. It was still very surreal knowing that the next time I would come home would be with a baby. Eeek!
We got to the hospital and got checked in. I had to change into one of their glamorous gowns and they did a test to confirm or deny my water breaking assumption. The first test came back negative, which of course made me feel like an idiot and at the same time disgusting for peeing in my pants. They did a more thorough test and that one came back positive (woohoo!). Besides the embarrassment of thinking that peeing in your pants = your water breaking, I would have NEVER lived that one down and would have endured endless teasing from my family. Thank you Baby Jesus that it wasn't the case.
The doctor then checked to see where I was at and decided that I should have pitocin since I was only 1.5 cm dilated. I had already made up my mind to have an epidural if I ended up going the pitocin route, and although I was a little bit disappointed I wasn't going to try the "au naturale" route that I had envisioned, I knew I would be a lot more comfortable getting the good stuff once things really cranked up.
My labor pretty much went like this:
7 a.m. - 1.5 cm dilated, got pitocin to speed things up
9 a.m. - doc broke my water, since I was only slowly leaking and the bag was still intact
10 a.m. - 3 cm dilated
11 a.m. - 4 cm dilated, got my epidural
2 p.m. - 10 cm dilated and ready to push! Everyone was very surprised with how fast I progressed. I guess my body reacts kindly to pitocin.
One of my good friends was asking me what the contractions felt like, and I really had a hard time remembering the pain. I have heard before that you block out the memories of the pain post labor, and I guess what they say is true! I remember them being A LOT more uncomfortable laying down than sitting up, so I chose to get out of bed and sit in the rocking chair. I kept my eyes closed throughout most of the labor process so I could concentrate on my breathing and not on the pain. Once I got my epidural, I was restricted to the bed but couldn't feel anything. Some positives to that, but also some drawbacks.
More on that later...
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