Blog Shout-Outs

So lately when I’ve been reading random blogs, I’ve thought to myself…dang, if only I could write like that…

Here are some memorable quotes from posts that definitely made me smile:

Pantley (NCSS) advocating ‘no cry’, Weissbluth advocating ‘let ‘em cry! GET ER DONE!’, and Ferbster sort of in the middle, but more Weissbluthy, who came up with this ‘graduated extinction’ which only prolongs the torture for everyone.  The only thing worse than ‘graduated extinction’ would be if I were to dangle my naked breast over the crib every 10 minutes while he was trying to fall asleep.  You know, so he would know he was not alone.  That the boob was with him. -Finding Zen

My hair is another story…not on my head, but my face. They say that when you are pregnant your hair gets thicker because it isn’t falling out as much. Well, why do I have a beard now? I should say, more of a beard than before I got pregnant as I am also a hairy person (I am laughing out loud as I type this…I should post a photo of myself so you don’t think I am the bearded lady…I am not bad looking I swear!). I also feel like I have more hair under my arms than before, and even after shaving I still have darkness there. It is a mystery.-Boston Baby Mama

As I pushed Jane along today, two trucks passed me from behind. I glanced at the first and the driver, still wearing his hard hat, waved at me. Immediately behind him, in the second truck, a chubby man in a plaid shirt says “how YOU doin’”. My initial reaction was a look of disgust, I mean YUCK, I hate it when men cat-call… and how stereotypical that it be two construction workers?!?! THEN, and within milliseconds, I started smiling, like huge smiling. WOOHOOO!!! I just had a baby 5 months ago… BRING IT ON BOYS! Beggers can’t be choosers! I never thought the day would come that I would not only appreciate, but crave, the typically unwanted attention of construction workers! -Mommy Brain

…and I could hear him messing with the door knob. I ran as fast as humanly possible to the stairs for fear that he was standing at the top, ready to barrel roll down. That wasn’t the case. Instead, he locked me in the basement. So, for the next 10 minutes, I proceeded to beg, plead with, and bribe my 3 year old to unlock the door. He just kept trying to turn the knob and I’m like, “Turn the silver, strip thing in the middle of the knob. See that sideways little thingy? TURN IT!” He finally did.-The Dirt on Davis

I am a semi decent cook, but had a serious brain malfunction. The plan was to make ‘home made’ mac & cheese (recipe: here). I had a moment of dyslexia when reading the recipe because instead of 2 CUPS COOKED macaroni noodles, I used 2 POUNDS of UNCOOKED macaroni.- Danielle’s Dish

…he said. “The sounds are so pretty that sometimes it makes me cry a little bit.” When you find beauty in something, don’t be afraid to allow yourself to feel it with all of your heart. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that take our breath away. In a life full of moments, capture the ones that push you to the edge, the ones that make you cry just a little bit. Those are the ones worth savoring.  I said, “You know, sometimes songs that are really pretty make me cry a little bit, too.”  He smiled and started humming along with the tune. -Lisa Ashby

A female co-worker and I asked our male co-worker if he would mind “flopping his unit around”. Of course we meant would he mind changing the order of his unit plan; unfortunately, it sounded like a proposition for his man candy to hang loose. He said he didn’t know about the other men of the department, but he wasn’t flopping his unit around for anybody. Thanks Mr. W. Please don’t file sexual harassment on us.-Fictitiously Delicious

1. “Quit judging! I direct deposit my tithe.”

2. “Sorry I cut you off. I’m a Christian, but I drive like an agnostic.”

3. “My other car is a chariot of fire.”

4. “In case of rapture, I’m not sure reading this bumper sticker is a top priority for you.”

5. “Another Sunday Morning Jogger/Saturday Night Church Attendee”

6. “God created it. The Bible said it. My wife and I are doing it. SEX.”

7. “A hedge of protection is my car insurance. Seriously, I’m uninsured.”

8. “I’ve got GPS. God Prayer System!”

OK, that last one was a little cheesy, but that’s what happens when you write Christian bumper stickers.-Stuff Christians Like

Apparently Rob snapped this photo when I wasn’t really ready, although now I kind of like it because of the expression I have on my face while looking down at my belly. Something about it says, whoa, what the heck is goin on here? Exactly how many DQ blizzards have I eaten? Oh right! It’s not the ice cream, it’s a baby! A BABY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE HER WAY OUT OF MY CROTCH IN TWO WEEKS!-Cheap Therapy

Splurge

Since it was raining today, I thought I would get a little bit of exercise by walking around at the mall.   Somehow Sephora sucked me right into their store. I started thinking of how my lack of sleep has caused some pretty creepy dark circles under the eyes and maybe a nice eye cream would do the trick. One of the “professional skin care specialist” analyzed my skin type (without make-up I might add…how lovely!) and told me about a product by Perricone MD.  Of course I was waiting to hear what the price tag was since most things in Sephora are quite pricey, and she said that the lovely Vitamin C Ester Eye Serum goes for $50. Wow. Maybe it’s just lack of experience since I’m an amateur eye cream purchaser, but that seemed to be expensive. That’s when I asked if there was anything else affordable, and she went into detail about the active ingredients, and that this is “all natural” and all that salesman hoopla, but then she asked if I wanted to try it on one eye to see its effectiveness. So, I tried it. It actually worked! Well, at least it looked MUCH better. So, I’m going to give it a try and maybe on the days when all I have time for is throwing on a hat, sweats, and my bare face goes without make-up, I won’t look like something the cat drug in.

Saturday Night Ramblings

~ Life is much better with some SLEEP!  So happy that Parker decided to extend his evening sleepy time last night so Mom and Dad could have a break!  Could this be a trend?  Let’s us pray.

~Cold rainy days are great for reading.  Little Parker and I ventured out for our first trip to the library together.  Lots of new books to read before nap and bedtime.  I can hardly wait!

~Can you believe that Parker is over four months old?  Craziness.

~We decided this week that it didn’t make since for Parker and I to go with Dan to California for his company “Bob’s Club”.  It was a sales contest that he won that got him and the family three nights in the St. Regis in Orange County.  However, we recently found out that the weather would be in the 60s (not exactly lay on the beach weather) AND, it would throw Parker for a loop with his sleep schedule…and having him wake up at 4am every night until he adjusts just in time to go home, and re-adjust again just didn’t seem worth it.

~In lieu of the California trip, for our five year anniversary in March, we decided to plan a trip to FL for a long weekend.  Parker will be older then, we’ll be in the same time zone, AND the weather will be MUCH nicer too.  Right now we’re thinking of the Hilton in Clearwater, but we haven’t decided for sure.  Up for suggestions!

~We finally have Parker on a good nap and evening routine (I think…ask me in a few more days).  Hopefully this time it’ll stick. We had to bump up the feedings to every two hours this past week because of nursing issues I was having yet again.  Uggh…  at four months you would think that I would have this breastfeeding thing down pat, but apparently just like anything, there’s always something new to learn.  Due to stress and lack of sleep, I was having problems with my let-down reflex, which of course Parker was very aggravated by, thus making my supply go down, and the cycle repeating.  Learning to relax is something that I have a problem with(shocker huh?) since I can be anxious at times…especially when it comes to making sure my son is getting enough to eat.  Now I see why breastfeeding seems to lend itself better to the more “free spirited” type of Moms! We ordered a scale, and now we’ll at least have some peace of mind.

~I love my husband.  He’s such a big help.  Today he went grocery shopping for the family and he made us dinner!  Yes, I’m Loving  it!  Can you do this every week?  Please? *wink*

~We’re officially apart of CWK small group (Couples with Kids) hosted by the Valencias.  Its so nice to be apart of such a great group of friends.  Right now we’re reading Shepherding a Child’s Heart, which has been very insightful (the few chapters that we’ve read).  We’re so excited to grow and learn from such strong Godly (not to mention down to earth and fun) parents.

~Last week our friends Jody and Melissa welcomed their second baby boy Jake into the world.  He is such a cute little munchkin! Congrats guys! As they say in Alabama…Ya’ll did well! =)

~Consignment season is approaching!  All  bargain savvy consignment addicted Mamas beware!  If you see a tall blonde Mama sporting some running shoes and a laundry basket on a rope…that looks like me, just go ahead and scooch over and make some room!  If anyone would like to join me (not that there would be much convo during shopping time, it’s all down to business then), let me know!  I don’t know what it is, but lately shopping for Parker is SO much more fun that shopping for myself.  Hopefully this doesn’t turn him spoiled rotten. Hmm… oh, well.

~A few weeks ago I spoke to my boss at AOS USA about coming back to work full time.  Dan and I decided that going back full time just wasn’t in the cards right now for us.  Fortunately, they offered me to work on a contract basis on local projects.  This will be great because I get to stay home with my son, but I also get to work with some fabulous people and do what I enjoy.  Once the projects start to pick up and I’m needed, I’ll be happy to put on my workin’ shoes again!

~I just have one question…When is it going to get warm again?  I’m starting to get the winter blues. It’s this very reason why I could never live up north.  I can’t even take the winter in Hotlanta.  The only positive thing I can think of is that I can cover up my “extra fluff” under chunky sweaters and overcoats.  I really can’t wait for nice warm stroller walks, pool time…oooohh pool time!  Won’t Parker look so cute in a little floaty, and his little teenie swim trunks, and his sun hat…I can already smell the chlorinated water & sunscreen *Sigh* My heart flutters at the thought.

Sunday Slim-Down & Sleepy Low-Down

Sunday Slim-Down

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about my slim-down goals.  So here I am.    Fortunately the weather has been nice this week and Parker and I, along with the dog have been able to get out and enjoy son nice walks around the loop.  Dan is back to traveling throughout the week, so I haven’t been able to visit the gym in a while.  Over the last month I’ve been able to loose about 4-5 lbs (four on a bad day, five on a good) and squeeze myself back into my old jeans! Yay! That was a great accomplishment, although far from my goals I have set.  However, I’m still happy that at least I’ve made some progress.  I’ve found that I can burn quite a few calories just doing housework.  Which, I never got too much into while I was working full time since we had the help of a cleaning crew.  In fact, I’m seeing just how much I can work up a sweat by scrubbing the shower and moping the floors and pushing the vac.  Ahhh…the life of a stay at home mama. Who knew?  All those peeps that thought we just watched our soaps and did carpool….Puleeez.  Just wait until little Parker becomes mobile and is crawling all over the place.  That’ll be a workout in itself.

I’ve been looking into some things that Parker and I can do together that would be fun, and started looking into the Oh Baby Fitness to see about enrolling in a few of their classes.  They’re not cheap, but it may be fun to do a few times just to change up the week a little bit.  Since it’s wintertime and the weather isn’t always nice, we have to come up with some new ideas.  I’ve also found that the more I stay busy with either chores or activities outside the home, the less I’m “snacking” and making poor diet choices.  I also have more chance  of walking more throughout the day and being active instead of staying indoors and playing on the playmat with Parker.  I’ve also heard that Gymboree has Play and Learn classes.  Has anyone been to any of these?  They sound like a lot of fun.  I’m so excited about the days ahead with my little boy!

Sleepy Low-Down

With holidays and family visiting I have to say that the sleepy low down is that he wouldn’t go down. Well, let me rephrase by saying, he refused to go down for naps.  Fighting them to be exact.  Among all of the excitement of Christmas, family visiting, unfamiliar places, and throw in a three month growth spurt and low milk supply and you have a baby on sleep boycott!  I think after things calmed down a bit, I had real high expectations that things would get back to normal in no time, but sadly they didn’t.  The naps are back to normal.  He’s taking two 1hr45min naps and one catnap in the evening.  He’s been doing great with them, but he’s been going through the typical four month sleep regression at night.  It’s crazy to think that after about a month and a half of sleeping through the night, that he would start to wake several times a night for no apparent reason.  The first thing that went through my mind is “what did I do wrong?”  “Is he hungry? Newly aware of surroundings? Teething? Ear ache? Separation anxiety? Is he off his schedule? Too attached to his paci?”  I went down the list, and did quite a few trial and errors to see if we could get him to sleep longer.  We’re still working through some of those now.  Right now I’m trying to focus on the things that I can control.  I can control his feedings, when he goes to bed, and how I respond to him when he cries.  Lately I’ve been feeding him about 8x a day.  That way, when he does wake up at night…I know, it’s not because he’s hungry (unless he’s going through another growth spurt!).  We adjusted his bedtime to earlier so that he’s not overtired and gets only two hours of awake time from his last nap to his bedtime.  We also are implementing the Ferber method, letting him fuss for 6-7 mins, listening to his cry to make sure it’s a mantra cry and not a “I really need you” cry.  I use to cringe at the thought of the Ferber method but the more I read about it, I find that he doesn’t advocate letting the baby cry for hours.  Also, this is the method that a lot of pediatricians recommend once the child is old enough (between 4-6 months) to self soothe.  We also have the benefit of watching the video monitor to make sure that everything is okay.  We originally thought he was becoming too paci dependant, but after letting him fuss a few nights when he woke up, after less than three mins of fussing he fell back to sleep without his paci, so there goes that theory.  He likes to have it to fall asleep, but he has proven to us numerous times that he will do just fine without it.  I stumbled upon this site and found it reassuring when I find myself kicking myself for things not going perfectly:  http://www.babysleepsite.com/sleep-training/baby-wont-sleep-your-fault/

The perfectionist in me wants everything to just fall into place so I can have the perfect little sleeping baby who is attentive, happy and playful when awake, and sleeps long and well during bedtime, but when I examine it a little closer I start to realize that just like anything, it’s not going to be perfect.  I don’t sleep well every night.  I’m not always happy and attentive during my awake times.  I have my “days”… and in no way does this reflect what kind of Mom I am either.  I need to trust that God will work this out… and learn to relax and let it go and take it one day at a time.  Hopefully through the trials and errors, we will ease into something that works just right for us.

Two pennies for my thoughts

Being a Mom is such a learning experience.  Just when you think you have it figured out, life throws you a curved ball.  The hardest thing is trying to decipher information that you hear and read as being fact, or just a theory from someone who thinks they know your child.  Here are some classic ones:

Just give them a little rice cereal.  That’ll help them sleep through the night

My 2 cents: Actually, the AAP recommends waiting until six months because their digestive system isn’t ready for them yet. So, that’s what I plan to do.  I can’t tell you how many people on the Baby Center forum that have their four month old on solid foods and then post on how they don’t understand why their child is all of a sudden waking up numerous times a night.

Your baby no longer has a nutritional need for a middle of the night feeding after 3-4 months of age.

My 2 cents: Every baby is different.  I know that sounds like a classic response, but it’s true.  It depends on whether your baby is breastfed or bottle fed.  A mom’s milk supply is different every day, and a baby could take in less milk during the day, thus needing more at night.  You can’t make them drink more during the day (unless they’re bottle fed) because when you breastfeed they only eat when they’re hungry.  If they don’t get the calories they need during the day, then they’ll want to get them at night. KellyMom.com says this:

After the first few months, your baby will begin to associate the breast with far more than just a way to satisfy hunger and thirst. It becomes a place of comfort, security, warmth, closeness, and familiarity. The act of nursing is not just nourishing; it is nurturing. Keep in mind that these needs are every bit as real as baby’s physical ones, and having them met is every bit as needful to baby’s overall development.

Your baby should be getting X amount of naps for X amount of time at X age.

My 2 cents:  While I think it’s great to get your little one on a routine we (when I say we, I mean I)should be realistic about the length of nap times especially for babies under six months.  Most doctors agree that most babies are “short nappers” up until six months of age.  Sleeping long periods (naps and bedtime) is a milestone just like crawling, walking etc.  I think establishing a routine is a great thing, but I believe in taking the time to learn YOUR baby’s sleep habits, because it may not be “by the book” and sometimes that’s okay.  I’m preaching to myself as I type, because I’m all about “oh, he’s suppose to sleep one and a half hours exactly…crap! he only slept for an hour and wouldn’t go back to sleep…what did I do wrong”  The answer is NOTHING.  Sounds so simple eh?  I guess I’m just a bone head.

If you leave your baby to cry it out, they will have issues with feeling insecure and abandoned.

My 2 cents: Those that know me know that I haven’t been a  fan of the cry it out method.  Mainly because I don’t feel right leaving my child to scream so I can have “order” to my day.  However, I think it’s important to again learn your baby.  I’ve found that if I let my son do a “mantra cry” that this is a perfectly acceptable way for him to settle himself into a good sleep.  I also feel that age is a factor too.  All babies develop at different rates, but I do believe that there is an age that is too early to let a baby cry it out…even a mantra cry.  Each Mom has to figure out what time crying it out will work best for their baby.  As for the debate of whether or not crying it out will leave your child feeling abandoned and insecure, I think that this can certainly be the case with some instances.  Like anything…some things can be WAAAAY overdone.

You should never rock or feed your baby or have them depend on a pacifier in order to fall asleep

My 2 cents: If there’s anyone that knows about sleep associations it’s me.  After replacing the billionth pacifier in one night…I clearly realized that it was an issue.  Let’s say that there are certain things you need order to sleep every night (blanket, pillow, etc.) and in the middle of the night, you wake up and all of a sudden it’s not there any more.  Would you get up and get it in order to sleep?  Most people would.  Same thing for some babies.  I think it’s perfectly okay to rock your baby to sleep or offer a paci if they sleep through the night no problem.  However, it becomes a problem when they come out of deep sleep into a lighter sleep state and in turn needs the thing that got them to sleep in the first place several times a night.  It’s not an issue the first few months because you have to wake up to feed them anyways, but later you start to wonder if they’re waking because they’re hungry, or if what they associate with going to sleep is no longer there.  Eliminating the sleep associations helps decipher what the real issue is.

If I keep my baby up more during the day, then they’ll sleep better at night

My 2 cents: Those who have had sleep issues with their baby know that sleep begets sleep.  Have you ever noticed that when you’ve had a lot of sleep at night that you feel tired during the day?  In contrast, if you don’t get enough sleep, hormones are released to help you stay awake longer.  The same thing happens in babies.  If they sleep well during the day, they sleep well at night.  It doesn’t seem like it would be true, but it totally is.  If your baby is overtired,  they are much more likely to have several night wakings and also be harder to go to sleep in the first place.

When you breastfeed, you should only feed on demand

My 2 cents: I don’t agree that the only correct way to breastfeed is on demand.  I think a lot of Moms (especially first time Moms) find security in having some sort of a routine so they can keep track of feedings and make sure their little one is getting enough food (and keep their naps regular too).  I believe that babies find security in predictability, and erratic feedings could cause erratic sleep patterns, thus complicating things later down the line.  However, I do agree that abiding by a strict schedule can damage the nursing relationship with your little one.  Especially when those growth spurts sneak up on you.  It’s reassuring to have a routine in place because it can often help determine what’s going on when the baby has fussy periods.  You don’t have to “guess” that they’re hungry or tired, you know already how many times they’ve been fed and napped.

I clearly don’t have all the answers.  Just a first time Mom sharing my two cents of experience.  It’s all such a learning experience, and I intend on taking advantage of my trials and errors and so that I can hopefully be the best Mama I can be to my little man.

Nightlife with a four month old

Life has been super crazy lately.  My milk supply has gone down, which has made nursing my little guy extremely exhausting.  I’m trying to listen more to his cues instead of going by a schedule since my supply is so low.  Once it gets back up, we’ll be back on a routine of sorts. We are also weaning him from swaddling since he has learned to roll quite a bit.  Here is a glimpse of our night life.

This is Parker’s point of view:

8pm- Hi daddy, sure I’m ready for bath time

8:05-Oooh, warm tub.  Daddy makes the tub water just right.  Wow, daddy is a horrible singer, but I love how he scrubs my belly.

8:15-Hi Mommy, dry me off please…agooooo, goo goooooh, thank you. Nice and dry.  Ooohh, cold lotion, oh, belly time. Yay…goooh..eeeek…EKKKKK! gooo.  I love my baby massage…ooooo EEEK!

8:20-Be gentle when you dress me Mommy…Wahhhh!!!…I said gentle..suck suck, ooh, passie…thank you mom.  Oohh.. you sing much better than daddy…suck suck…*grunt” grunt…hungry…grunt grunt.  fuss…

8:25- Reading Winnie the pooh again mommy?  When will this novel end? …Grunt grunt…I hope she’s feeding me soon…maybe if I cry she’ll stop reading and feed me….Waaaah!!

8:30-Oh, big bottle.  Yum,Gulp! Oh, what is this new stuff I taste? Not mommy’s milk…gross…ooh, getting sleepy.., Oh, yeah, bottle…suck, suck, gulp…

8:38-That’s it?  That’s the end of the bottle?  Wahhh!..oh, pacie, thanks Mom.  Mommy, you forgot to swaddle me!  Waaaah!…Waahhh…Oh, mommy hand on belly…nice rock.  Who is this Jesus person she speaks of while I’m trying to sleep?  Why is she asking him to help me sleep through the night?  Aw, Mommy is leaving…Heavy eyes…deep breath…feeling very tired…zzzzzzz

12am-What was that sound?  Where’s my paci? Wahh..Wahhh!!!! Oh Hi daddy…thanks for giving me my paci…zzzzzz

2am-*grunt grunt* I’m hungry…and wet! Wahhh!  Oh, my sholder is wet too…I must’ve spit up all over myself…Waaah!

2:02- I’m REALLY hungry!! Wahhhhh!  Oh, Hi Mommy! I’m hungry! Why are you changing my diaper first?  You have to change my clothes too? I said I’m hungry!…fuss fuss..

2:05- Oooohh…boobie!  *Gulp, gulp* finally!

2:10-Feeling tired….zzzz…Why did you tickle me? Oh yeah, boobie…gulp…zzzzzzz

3am- Where am I?  I thought I was with Mommy? Waahh!!  Ooo…paci…thanks daddy! zzzzzzz

4am- I can’t sleep…it’s dark in here…Waaaaaaahhh!!!  *suck, suck* thanks for the paci daddy! zzzzzz

4:10- Did Daddy leave?  Waaaaaaaaah!!….Oh, Hi Mommy!  Is it time for milk?  Oh, paci..

4:15- Wait…I want milk…I’m hungry…Wahh!!!

4:16- Hi Mom, I’m hungry.  Oohh…Thank  you…gulp…gulp…zzzzzzzzz

5:30- Agooo…*giggle* time to play.  Agooo….Can they hear me?  Waahhh!

5:32- Hi Daddy…I don’t want paci….waaaahh!  I said I don’t want it…

5:35- Hi Mommy…Where are you taking me?  Oh, nice big bed.  There’s daddy too.  Oh, maybe I will go to sleep….zzzzzz

7am-Where am I?  I’m hungry…oh, Hi mommy. Gulp…gulp…

7:15- time to play!  Oooh, mommy doesn’t look very good.

7:20- I love my play mat…Gooooo! Eekk gooo!  Ahhh gooo!  Good Morning to me!

8am-Is it time to eat again???? Oh, Good Morning Lizzie…Yuck, cold wet tongue on my face!

Feeling like a crappy Mama

I knew the day would come, I just didn’t think it would come this soon.  I thought my crappy Mama period would be sometime in his childhood when I slipped and let him watch a movie that was too violent, or when he gets to be a older back-talking teenager, and I loose my cool and yell, but no…it was going to be MUCH sooner than that, that I would feel like a crappy Mom.  It would be now.

It all started around Christmas.  Parker all of a sudden started waking at night.  We had been spoiled because he had been consistently sleeping through the night (8:30pm-5am, since some people have different definitions of STTN) since about 10 weeks old.  So, I started to go through the mental list of the reasons why this was happening.  I had recently changed his feedings from seven a day to six because seven feedings meant feeding him every 2-2.5hrs during the day, and he was spitting up ALL the time, so we thought that he was being overfed.  Plus, everything that I was reading said that most babies reduce their feedings to about six feedings around three months.  Since he was starting to take his naps much better, I didn’t find the need to wake him more during the day to fit an extra feeding in, so I adjusted his routine to six feedings.

Fast forward one week later.  He’s still waking several times at night.  Where we would give him the pacifier, and he would drift back to sleep.  So, this led me to do another CRAZY (crappy) Mom thing.  I thought since he was waking several times a night because his paci fell out of his mouth…maybe we should wean him from his paci.  Sound insane?  Well, you’re right.  It was  insane.  None of us slept a wink all night because we were constantly in there trying to soothe him every other way but with a paci.  My thought was, if I could just get him to go to sleep without his paci, then when he wakes up and doesn’t have it, then he won’t need us to come in and give it to him.  Well, it was a good thought in theory.  EXCEPT… infants have the need to suck.  That’s how they self soothe.  So, he was still waking up, except this time MANY more times, and my dumb ass took away the only thing that makes him soothe himself!

So, where did I get this idiot idea from?  The internet.  Sometimes I think that our parents had it much better not knowing what the hell they were doing and just following their gut instead of reading all the useless BS that is on the internet these days AND reading all these silly books that say you can have a breastfed baby sleeping 10hrs a night by 3 months old. Needless to say, we ended up giving him back his pacifier.  Dan practically had to knock some sense into me.  (I’m so glad he intervened) He wasn’t really down with the idea to begin with, but he was trying to be supportive of what I thought was the right thing to do.

Fast forward a few days later and we had teeter tottered between giving him six and seven feedings during the day, and adjusted his awake times during the day to see if it would in turn give him more sleep time at night. That didn’t work.  I sought out the advice of others on forums and blogs, and they confirmed that the six feedings should be sufficient for him, so we decided to keep it that way, and find out if there was something else that was causing him to wake.

Here we are a couple of days later and the crappy Mama syndrome hit me.  Why isn’t he sleeping through the night?  What is it that I’m doing wrong?  He USE to sleep though the night.  What has changed?  Instead of trying to find “opinions”…at this point I just wanted facts.  I went to La Leche League site, and posted a thread on their forum about my feeding and sleeping delimma.  Of course, I knew that I would find a bunch of crunchy moms that believe in attachment parenting, no schedule, baby wearing, hippies, but nevertheless… I also knew that they know a heck of alot about breastfeeding too.  This is where I found out that it is recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics that infants average about 8 feedings a day up until they’re six months of age.  Yikes!!  Then it dawned on me… OMG has my precious son been hungry all this time at night when he’s been waking up, and I’ve just been giving him a paci?  I”m the worst Mom on the planet!  I started to think about it and it all made sense.  Since he’s older, he weighs more, he needs MORE milk.  I was reducing the feedings and not giving him any more quantity.

Sounds so simple when I look back on it and I begin to wonder how I made this crucial mistake to begin with.  It began with trying to figure out how many times other people on my forum with babies Parker’s age were feeding their little one, not taking into consideration that they may be formula fed, which takes MUCH longer to digest than breastmilk, which takes about 90 mins.

So, I’ve learned that I need to trust myself and try to listen to my son’s cues a little better.  I just want to know that he’s growing and thriving and being absolutely everything he can be.  I think it’s so easy for first time Moms to wonder what other people are doing with their babies instead of focusing on the individual that your baby is.  We have never met two adults that eat, sleep or interact with others the same, so why do we expect our babies to?

Lesson Learned!  Now hopefully I won’t have any more crappy Mom moments for years to come! (Hey, a person can dream right?)

Post Christmas Update

So, we had a wonderful first Christmas with Parker.  He got plenty of love from family and friends.  We enjoyed the candlelight service at Stonecreek, and we had a great dinner with my Mom and Sister.   We later went over to my aunt Angie’s house to see the Ashby family for our annual Christmas Eve get-together.  My aunt Rachel who lives in Boston flew in with her family and it was great to see them and see how much her family has grown.  We did our traditional reading of the bible story and the kids opened presents.  Good times were had by all.  Some family wasn’t able to make it, and that saddened a lot of us.  It is my hope that they were able to enjoy the holiday even in the midst of a very difficult situation.

Some of you may be asking: What happened to Sunday Slim-down and Sleepy Low-down?  Well, I’ve decided that it is just too much pressure (not to mention it doesn’t really make for good reading) to do a post every week.  So, I’m going to try to update you all on my progress monthly as originally planned.  I’m hoping that monthly will allow me more time to really start to see results.  I was told recently  that breastfeeding puts your body into a pseudo-pregnancy state, which can make it more difficult to loose weight.  It was a little reassuring to hear that since I’ve still been teetering around the same weight, and it has been over a month since my original “I’m going to put the smack-down on weight loss” post (well, not exactly titled that, but close).  Not to mention that even with me exercising and watching what I eat, it can get a little depressing not to see the scale go down and then have to write about that fact.

BUT  you know what?  I think I’m coming to terms with it a little bit.  I’m not by any means going to settle for this weight.  I’m still going to push myself to loose weight and get to my pre-preggo bod and beyond, but I think what I’ve learned recently is that my priority right now should be to be a good mom, and be a good wife.  If I’m stressing all day about trying to fit in a workout, or beating myself up for not loosing weight, then THAT isn’t good either.  I guess what I’m trying to say is that I need to be positive and try to cut myself some slack since my little one is only three months old, and we’re still having “those days”, which make life…well,… unpredictable.

My focus for the next few weeks is trying to put myself on a schedule.  I know that sounds really silly, but now that I have Parker on a good routine…I’m trying to put myself on one so that I can get things accomplished around the house.  We decided in order to save money, and since I’ll be at home, that I will be doing the household chores instead of hiring maids.  With that being said, I’ve been using my trusty outlook calendar to see what chores I can do on what days all while fitting in some time with my little man, grocery shopping, working out, cooking dinner, and spending time with my husband.  As I mentioned above, some days can certainly be unpredictable with a three month old, but having a task list of the weeks “to-do’s” will help me feel accomplished and organized by weeks end.

On another note: Parker and I did the Mommy and baby fitness DVD, and LOVED it!  That will definitely have to be on our “to-do” list for each week, maybe even a few days a week.  I love finding new things for us to do together.  I’ve also read that you can start your child on infant sign language as early as six months, so that will be something that I will look forward to doing with him.  Right now, he really enjoys sitting in my lap and watching me while I help him clap his hands, sing, play “ride that pony”, and reading to him.  He likes his belly time too, but he has such a weak stomach and spits up so easily, that it has to be done  WAY after a feeding.  He LOVES his bath too.  I think that’s probably his most favorite part of the day.  Dan and I take turns when he’s home, but we love to make up silly songs to sing to him and he has little animals that squirt water that he loves to play with.  He likes to kick his feet in the water all while smiling and giggling.  It’s SO adorable.  If there wasn’t so many creep-o’s on the internet, we’d post a video of it.

We updated his monthly picture on Christmas day.  It’s so hard to believe that he’s over three months old now!  We can’t wait to see what this next month brings.  Every day we love watching him learn new things and develop his own little personality.  It’s such a blessing.

2009 Year End Thoughts

As December wraps up I begin to reflect on the year.  We’ve had an amazing year!!  Even with the economy in turmoil and the financial crisis that is going on, God has still blessed us this year in so many ways.  Here are just a few:

~We were Elated With Joy when we heard about our little squiggles was growing inside me

~ We were sad to let our Summer girl go, but we know God has blessed her with a new home and family

~ We celebrated four years of marriage in March by taking a trip to Asheville, NC

~We successfully raised money for the Crohn’s and Colitis foundation of America and joined with friends and family to “Take Steps”

~ In April we found out we were having a boy! We picked out the furniture and the paint for the walls.  We were excited about this next chapter in preparing for our little one.

~Naheed and I went to see Turisa get married in DC. We had a great time touring the city in the double decker bus.

~Dan and I had a Babymoon to remember when we went to Hawaii for 10 days.

~ We had four wonderful baby showers for little Parker

~ We learned a lot as we prepared for our little one.  We took several classes through the hospital including childbirth preparation, breastfeeding, baby basics, carseat safty, and infant CPR

~ We enjoyed spending the weekend in Dahlonega in August to celebrate our birthdays.

~We were overjoyed to welcome our little big boy into the world

~ I have been very blessed to be able to stay home with Parker and enjoy watching him grow and learn new things every day.

~I am blessed to be married to a wonderful husband, a Mom to a great baby that brings me joy every day, and supporting friends and family.

Thank you Lord for a wonderful year!

Sunday Slim-Down & Sleepy Low-Down

Sunday Slim-Down

I can’t believe it’s already Sunday!  Where has this week gone?  One place it has gone…COLD!  Sadly, that means saying goodbye to our lovely strolls around the loop and walks in the park.  This past week I didn’t get to the gym at all, unfortunately.  Mainly because of the traveling, Christmas shopping, wrapping presents, and just getting other errand done in my free time.  However, I did manage to keep my diet in check and really watch my calorie intake.  While we were in Orlando, I made an effort to walk a lot and do things that took my mind off of eating.  I know, it’s sad that I have to do that!  Even though I STILL haven’t lost any weight, I’m really happy that I’ve managed not to gain any extra.  I normally pack on my normal Thanksgiving 5, along with another 5 for Christmas.  That is NOT happening this year!!  While I was at Target this week, I found this DVD MOm and Baby Fitness.  So, now that I can’t get outside during the day to walk with Parker, I thought we’d try bonding over yoga, pilates and finish it up with a baby massage.  I’ll keep you posted on how that goes this week!

Sleepy Low-Down

So, I found out what happens when a baby gets off schedule…!!  He’s a cranky baby!  Traveling to Orlando had it’s ups and downs.  On Tuesday we got our traveling under way at an early 8am.  He had his 7:30 feeding, but it usually follows an hour and a half of active awake/play time.  Well, we had to leave, shortly after he got into the car, he fell asleep.  This was the start of problems.  I fed him right on time (10:30) for his next feeding in the crown room at the airport, and shortly after his feeding…he had a complete meltdown crying and screaming.  I felt so bad because there were business men in there taking conference calls and working on their laptops.  We certainly got our fair share of dirty stares.  Just passing it off as indigestion, we tried our best to soothe him.  The soothing sent him right back to dreamland about 10-15 min later.  Which we were okay with because at least he wasn’t screaming.  That was until we got to the airplane.  Dan got upgraded to first class, and he thought it would be better for me to sit up front with Parker in first class, and he could take my coach seat in the back (they couldn’t upgrade me because I had a free ticket using points)  So, while the plane was taxing out to the runway he starts crying again.  I had this stupid moby wrap, which in theory is really great and comfortable, until you have to get the damn thing off of you by yourself with a screaming baby…and people staring.  One business man across the aisle asked if he could help… that’s when I noticed that I had put my jacket on over the wrap, and needed to get that off first.  I gave him this stare like, No thank you, but then he quickly pulled on one sleeve freeing my arm so I could help get him out of this origami knot that I made around my body.  Then I had to inconspicuously nurse him, before his cry turned into fits of rage.  Fortunately there was no one sitting to my left at all, but until he latched on, I felt as if everyone was staring, as if to secretly tell me that if I don’t shut that baby up soon, there was going to be a BIG problem! Fortunately, that did the trick and as I gazed at my watch, I realized that it had only been a mere hour and a half since his last feeding, and it was then that I knew his schedule was screwed for the day.  The flight was a little over an hour and he nursed at take off and landing.  By the time we got to the hotel, he was so overtired, that he cried for what seemed to be forever!  Poor baby!!  As soon as the crib arrived, we broke out the sound machine and swaddled him, and he got all the snoozin’ he needed until dinnertime.  He slept so well that night too.  It had been a while since we slept with him in the same room.  We forgot about all the baby sounds they make that can keep you up.  The next morning, he was a new baby!  He was the happiest I had seen him in a really long time.  He’s been taking his naps really well lately, and he’s been getting much better about letting me put him down awake, so he can fall asleep on his own.  He has always been good about that at night, but for some reason hasn’t been as good for naps, but he’s getting better!