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.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
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!
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