Why Can't They Know How to Eat

Thank goodness none of us remember our early moments of life, what traumatizing memories those would be!! We flop into a world full of bright lights and loud sounds, we are poked, prodded and pushed on and THEN....a giant boob is shoved in our faces to eat!!!!!!!!! WHAT?!?!? Those little minds have got to be reeling thinking 'what happened to my belly button tube, that was so much easier, put me back in'.  And if you are like me, you are thinking 'why did they just cut that cord that made feeding them so much easier, put him back in'!!

*Like I said, traumatizing*

It is pretty amazing how God made our bodies.  We have hormones that tell our uterus its 'go' time, we make the best out of 10 centimeters (which is not much) and then we become a 24/7 dairy for that sweet little person they put in our arms.  It is amazing to me that our bodies know exactly what the baby needs and when they need it.  Colostrum and milk generally don't make their BIG entrance until needed.  First comes the colostrum, which is beyond nutritious for the baby.  The problem I have with colostrum is that there wasn't much that came out which resulted in my son trying his hardest to figure out how to eat and not getting much in return.....he probably felt underpaid for his hard work.  But, as underpaid as he may have felt, he had just eaten the cream of the crop and his immune system was better for it, you are welcome son!

*Enter stage left - A jersey cow......your milk just came in*

OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!! How come no one told me about this!!! I was wishing for a pin to pop them just to relieve some of the pressure, holy cow (pun intended).  What was BIG to my baby before just....got....bigger and things had just got a bit more complicated.  I mean, have you ever tried to squeeze a newly aired up basketball, you can't......get the picture.  I was in pain and in denial that someone was supposed to get their breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, midnight dinner, 3am snack, 6am pre-breakfast and repeat despite my pain.  Warm compresses, bags of frozen peas and 800mg Mortin were tricks I used to manage my dairy farm.  The ring leader of this circus was a little baby who was learning how to eat.  I kept asking my husband, why can't he just know how to eat???  He knew how to poop, sleep and cry, WHY COULDN'T HE HAVE KNOWN HOW TO EAT?  And even though he did it every 2.5 to 3 hours, he still seemed to forget how he did it the last time.  AYE

Breastfeeding is not for whimps my friends!!  Labor was easier for me than this breastfeeding thing has been.  First off, I put my Boppy in the closet and bought The Brest Friend.  The Boppy was not a good fit for me but this, THIS made all the difference.

My new pillow helped tremendously but Jackson did not latch properly (which is key) and I had a list of other issues, I won't get into, that continued to hinder the process from getting easier for this mommy/son duo!  I was frustrated and knew this was not working for us.  I still wanted to make sure my son was getting the best of the best.  Especially because, I had it and it was free.

Thank goodness I bought the Medela Pump in Style breast pump!!  Gotta have the double one, you have two don't ya??



This machine pictured above is my saving grace!!  Baby gets good food and mommy knows exactly how much he is getting!! Win-Win!  Pumping is an extra step but it has been good for this momma and in turn good for Jackson.  Happy mamas are important to babies.  In the beginning my OB encouraged me by simply saying 'breastfeeding is not for everyone'.  That phrase took some of the pressure off of how I had been feeling in the midst of all ups and downs I had been having with Jackson's eating.  At the end of the day I had to do what was best for me AND baby.  We better for it.

I still think they ought to know how to eat when they come out.

One Day, Son

One Day Son, your sweet little hands, that grasp my finger ever so tightly, will be bigger than mine.

One Day Son, the little feet that I kiss, will walk a thousand steps on a college campus.

One Day Son, you will wake me up to tell me you are home safe, not because you are hungry.

One Day Son, the smile that melts my heart, will brighten your wife's day.

One Day Son, the voice you are learning to use, will praise Jesus.

One Day Son, those eyes that show you your new world, will show you so many of God's Glories!!

One Day Son, those arms that have no coordination, will hug me with intent (and I can't wait).

One Day Son, those chubby little legs, will make you taller than me.

One Day Son, that mind of yours will be set on many goals.

One Day Son, your ears will listen for the voice of God and you will heed his call.

One Day Son, one of your fingers will wear a wedding ring.

One Day Son, you will be all grown up and I will wish for the days that I could hold in my lap, rock you when you cry and watch you when you sleep.  I love you and can't wait to watch your life unfold.  May the Lord bless you 'according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus' Phil 4:19. (and those are some seriously good riches)


July 4, 2011



I Should Be Bald

Its a good thing I did not pull my hair out during the first 2 months of mommyhood because IT IS ALL FALLING OUT NOW!!! 

Did you know that post pregs you lose all the luscious hair that you have had for 10 months???

They say daily hair lose is about 50-100 strands of hair and that losing 200 strands is considered excessive.  Well, people, I officially am considered excessive.  I think I am losing 1000 strands a day.  It is quite troublesome.  I should have spent more time with my hair while I had it those 10 months that I was a human crockpot.  My hair brush was magically empty for all that time and now I have to clean it twice a day.  I am finding hair everywhere.  Its on the outside of my shirt, the inside of my shirt, on the baby, in the baby's hand, I even found a piece in the kitchen sink......don't let me cook you dinner right now, I'd need a hair net!!! WHAT IN THE WORLD......I should be bald by now!!

What is that saying, 'you don't know what you have till its gone'......

You know who else is losing hair, Baby J!!  Its horomone thing from what I have read.  My little man had some serious hair when he was born and now it is thinning, big time.  He has old man hair!!!  I find little baby hairs all over the place.  So if its not my hair I am pickin' up, its his.  Those sheet savers for cribs protect from way more that spit-up.....I should have used mine.  After this next load of laundry I will surly put that down to catch all his little hairs and 'save his sheet'.  I wonder what his hair will be like when it grows back in???? It already seems lighter to me. 

This hair loss is being accompanied by some craddle cap, which is kinda gross to this mama.  Craddle Cap is scaling, dry lookin' skin patches on the very top of baby's head.  Its like dandruff, kinda.  Now, generally, I am a 'picker' but have refrained from doing so on his head.  The doc says its nothing to worry about and that it doesn't hurt baby.  Its more us mommies who have a problem with it.  She said if I really wanted to, I could shampoo his head more frequently and rub it a little more with a washcloth.  I have even read that you can apply a natural oil like olive oil, let it sit then wash it off with baby shampoo.  If the Cradle Cap symptoms spread beyond the scalp, its time to call the Doctor!!

There is my lesson for the day! Pregnant ladies, love your hair while you have it!!!!

3 months - Insert New Baby Here

I spent the first 2 months of Jackson's life in sheer survival mode.  In this state of mind I was doing things I said I would NEVER do......just to make it past another day.  "I never liked the taste of crow but baby I ate it" as The Band Perry sings.  I have learned to not make such bold statements about what I will or will not do with regards to a situation that I have never been in.  *mmmmm love me some humble pie*  

I had a million people telling me 'it will get better, I promise' and while it is I appreciated their encouragement, I started to hate that phrase because it felt like NOTHING was getting better.  Words of that nature are unable to be received properly by a new mommy, there is no light at the end of the baby vortex at that point.  I started to struggle with feelings of inadequacy because things were not getting better.....didn't everyone just say things would get better?? Why hadn't that started for me?

Two months brought some relief as Jackson cracked his first smile on purpose.  Its amazing what a little crooked smile on his face did for this mama's heart.  I thought back on the phrase 'it will get better' because at that moment it was a little better.

'I lift my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth' Psalm 121:1-2

We hit the two and a half month mark and it felt like we were on a high speed rail to a happier place.  His play time started lasting longer, his jags of crying started to shorten and he was coo'ing more than crying.  I thought back on the phrase 'it will get better' realizing it was better.

'The God of heaven will give us success' Nehemiah 2:20

This brings me to three months.  I love three months.  Three month old Jackson is nothing like 2 month old Jackson, I have a new baby.  Don't get me wrong, I loved 2 month old Jackson but I actually GET 3 month old J so much more.  His play time is now interactive, he talks with me, smiles in response to me, sits in his Bumbo and loves when I sing (God bless him)!  He is sleeping at night and less gassy.  I think back to the phrase 'it will bet better' and think......'it HAS gotten better'.

'Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask, or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us' Ephesians 3:20

Three months was my magic number.  It was the moment it all came together for me. (well at least for now)  From now on I will be telling my new mommy friends, to wait for three months.
Happy 3 month birthday son - You, me, daddy and Jesus - we did it!

Date Nights....remember those!

Now if you laughed when you saw the title because you don't even use those two words anymore, I can relate!  Becoming a new mommy hit me like a MAC truck traveling at 75mph that I didn't even see coming.  I went from being a social butterfly to being a couch dweller and master of the DVR in 2.2 seconds.  It was a shocking change for me and I felt like I needed to have a mini funeral for my 'old life'.

*insert funeral march song here*

In this time of FB, text and Twitter it was hard for me to sit on my perfectly indented couch holding my newborn reading about all the fun things my friends and family were up to.  No one hates to miss out on a party more than me and I believe I have passed this trait onto my son because he fights sleep as if he doesn't want to miss the party!! *great*  Now, more than missing time with my friends I was missing time with my husband big time.  We hadn't eaten dinner together in weeks because one of us would hold our fussy baby and the other would scarf, then we would switch.  We hadn't sat together on the couch in weeks because there were bottles to clean and a baby to bounce.  We hadn't watched a movie together because we were both too tired.  And the sound of my breast pump always drowned out any conversation we attempted to have.

Are you in this boat??

A newborn temporarily interrupts marriages and I say 'temporarily' because our son is almost 3 months old and I feel like we have time for our marriage again.  I think one of the biggest mistakes we could make during these next few months is not finding time for each other.  The first month or two warrants a free pass due to the survival mode you both are in but once things even out its important to find each other again.

Outings as a family are the new normal but you can't forget about those date nights - just you and your husband!  Date nights stretch us as new mommies - we have to LEAVE our babies *dun dun dun* but girlfriend, we GOT to!!  For the sake of our marriages, we got to.  For the sake of our sanity, we got to.  Even if its just for an hour, get dressed and go on a date with your husband.  I needed it.  I needed to be alone with my man without have to binkie anyone to finish my sentence. 

My guy got us tickets to a concert for our first outing and it seemed like too long to leave my 3 week old....I was nervous!  Leaving my baby was like a 12 step program.....
  
Step 1 - A sitter I trust, someone who has raised kids - GRANDMA! 
Step 2 - Over packing his diaper bag with every amenity he may need and I repeat OVER PACKING 
Step 3 - Including the Dr's exchange # as well as the Urgent Care # for emergencies
Step 4 - Double check with my hubs - 'are you sure we should leave him'
Step 5 - go over my over packed bag with Grandma so she knew where everything was

And so on....you get the picture!!   I was not afraid to look like a wild animal as I explained to my 'babysitter' what the baby needed.  It was like I had forgotten that my babysitter had, in fact, raised 3 healthy kids (my husband included) because I still felt the need to explain everything I had packed, AYE!!!  She knew it made me feel better so she just smiled and listened.  Well, it was a fabulous night and guess what....Jackson survived without me!!!! Ahhhhh sweet release!  Getting over that first night away was the first hurdle and from that point on it has been a breeze.  We have gone on many dates since then. *so there is hope for new mommies*  Cheers to date nights and finding our marriages again in the midst of Planet Newborn!!

Tim McGraw!!!

*HAPPY*



I GOT CRAFTY

I am not a very crafty person.  I like crafts, I just don't do them very often.  I read a ton of crafty blogs and have a ton of crafty friends and one day I would like to be as crafty as them!! My good friend Whitney has a wonderful crafting blog that I LOVE to look at, she thinks of everything.  Can I be like her one day?  You can see how fabulous she is here: http://franklyspeakingtoo.blogspot.com/.  So, in my nesting state of mind during the last months of my pregnancy I decided I was gonna get crafty. 

Can I take a short moment to praise that 'nesting' time....I would have never done this project without that insane need to clean, make and organize.  I wish I felt like nesting all the time but the baby is here now and that fabulous nesting hormone is gone.  With that said, this may be my only blog post that has a craft theme!! HA 

It was time to put all my blog reading to use and try something of my own!! I had an empty wall in my sons room and did not know what to put on it.  I couldn't find anything I liked and if I liked it, it was naturally a billion dollars.  I saw this idea of 'Scrabble Tiles' on a blog I read and knew I could do it!  *I do not remember which blogspot I saw this on so I can't reference it.*

First I arranged my inspiration ( I love Scrabble)

I had bought canvas (2 pack of 8X10) that was on sale coupled with a coupon at Michaels (goal = saving $)

Painted them with left over paint that we used on the walls in our house (remember I am saving $$)

Got my CRICUT on with some vinyl that was specifically made for the CRICUT.  This vinyl had adhesive backing that made the application to the canvas easier.  I borrowed the CRICUT (saving $) and used another coupon for the vinyl at Michaels (saving $) 

Cut my letters and their 'point values'

Measured to make sure they were all 2 inches from the bottom of the canvas

Peeled the adhesive backing off and place the letters onto my canvas based on the measurements.  Then finished each Scrabble tile with Mod Podge - Matte Finish

Let dry and then hung them (well my husband hung them)............TA DA!!!!!

It was the perfect addition to Jackson's sports themed room! I am so proud that I crafted.  That feeling of accomplishment is probably why people who craft, love to craft....what satisfaction!!  I hope to get my craft on again soon.....no promises though.

2 years and a 2 month old

We celebrated our 2 year anniversary last week!  Where did the last year go.....oh that's right I was pregnant for most of it therefore I legitimately get to ask 'where did it go' because when you are pregnant you can't remember anything!  I like to call it 'swiss cheese brain' due to the gaping holes in your memory.  WebMD says its not scientifically proven and I say, psssshhhh what do they know anyhow!!! Its real....and I had it.

One thing I did not forget was my anniversary (just all the days surrounding it, HA).  It was too wonderful of a moment and a day, that when I think about it, I get on my knees and say 'who am I Lord that you would bring me this far'. 

A year can bring about a world of change......last year (1yr) we were roaming San Fransisco.....this year (2yr) we were getting a babysitter for our 2 month old and grabbing dinner!! 

Can't wait to see what our 3 year anniversary will bring!  Pour out your blessings Lord!!!

Top 10 New Mommy Stuff

Mommies, we need things too!!! Some of this is not pretty but its the truth!

I present to you my ideas:

1. Tucks - the big container, trust me....think about what you just did
2. Thick Maxis - take what you can from the hospital but you will need more
3. Sleep - at least try to get some when offered
4. Dermaplast - I only needed the can from the hospital and I used it liberally
5. Nursing Tank tops - I have survived with 3
6. A good breast pump - go cadillac and get the double pump - use gift cards, its worth it
7. DVR - if you don't have it and if your budget will allow for it, just get it for the beginning months
8. Nursing Bras - the kind that are all cotton, no underwire. Comfort is key!!
9. Your mom and/or mother in law - saints
10. Motrin - take whatever prescription your OB gives you, cross your fingers is 800mg!!

Did I forget anything?