So about 3 weeks ago, I laid it all out on the table. A lot of people gave me a lot of support and positive feedback which was awesome and made me feel great. And then I went back to my normal way of life and didn't change....
NO I DIDN'T!!!!!!!
For the past 21 days I have been eating healthy and working out. 15 out of 21 days I have worked out for at least 30 minutes. One of those days I ran a 5k - in 25 degree weather at 8am. 2 of those days I have done an hour and a half of Bikram Yoga....105 degrees the whole time. I have also done 30 Day Shred, Power Pilates, a Tony Horton work out, ran 2 miles, and this is just the start!
I signed up with a trainer...who by the way is super hot and awesome and happens to be one of my best friends. I will be working out with her once a week. But she already has me journaling my food each day and gives me feedback about my choices. Just by doing that I have learned so much! Like I don't eat enough, I don't eat close enough together, I need to vary what I eat more and incorporate some slow digesting carbs.
I took my "Before" pictures as well. If you want to know what you really look like...put on a sports bra (ladies) and a pair of bike shorts and take pictures of yourself from the front, back and both sides. Oh yeah..it was humbling. You can hide and camouflage a lot with the right cuts and colors of clothes but there is nothing to hide in that get up.
So at this point, I've lost a few pounds - 4 to be exact. I think my clothes are starting to fit better/differently. I feel much better about myself even if the scale hasn't changed dramatically. I might have to throw that m-effer out so I can stop obsessing about it. But I am starting to look forward to each work out and trying new ones. I also love not having food guilt. Waking up and not thinking "ugh why did I eat that crap yesterday" is a great feeling.
Anyway this is where I am and I figured I would share. New Years Resolutions are right around the corner...why don't you make the decision to change for yourself? You won't regret it.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The big FAT truth
The big FAT truth is that I have been making excuses for myself for too long.
Here they are:
1) its baby weight
2) its my metabolism
3) its because I'm hypothyroid
4) its hereditary
5) its just because I am built this way
6) its because I'm in my 30s
These are just some of many reasons that I weigh more than I want to or to be honest more than I should.
Who wants to admit that they are their own problem. Certainly not me.
While I'm at it here are some of the excuses I made for why losing weight is so hard...
1) i don't have time to exercise
2) i have to cook for sophia and bill too
3)i don't have time to count calories
4) i don't have the energy
5) i hate the gym
6) its too hot, cold, windy, rainy to run.
7) its just not my thing
8) my back/neck/ankle/shins hurt....
So I've wasted days, weeks, months, YEARS not taking responsibility. Starting a diet, joining a gym, hiring a trainer and all the while not fully committing. Not fully accepting responsibility.
I am not quite sure what clicked for me about 2 weeks ago but this little idea kept gnawing at me. I just couldn't shake it. I just couldn't let it go. I kept thinking...you CAN do this. You can lose weight. You can get fit. You can be healthy. You can stop eating things you don't really need to eat. You can exercise regularly. You can make time for yourself.
Maybe it was this article I read where some super fit, health guru that I would usually ignore got straight to the point. He said (in a nutshell) your kids aren't going to love you less if you give a little time to yourself to be healthy. This part sticks with me most-
"The next one is for you moms, and I think I probably should have hired some security before I go into this, but here goes. Killing yourself slowly is not what your kids need or want from you. Your children will not get together at Christmas in 30 years and say, “It was totally worth it to have to bury mom so young. At least she got us to karate, ballet, T-ball, and piano lessons all on the same day while still keeping the kitchen immaculate and doing the laundry. If that laundry would have piled up we never would have forgiven her!”
So what kind of role model am I going to be for Sophia if I don't eat healthier? Don't get more active? Have body issues? Have self esteem issues connected to my body?
Maybe it was my friend Chelsey - who has 2 kids, works full time, bakes for the pre school class parties, spends quality time with her friends and family and WORKS OUT ALMOST IF NOT EVERY DAY. And she looks amazing by the way :) But seeing her post her runs, her workouts etc on Facebook made me look at fitness differently. She inspired me. (thats right General :)
Maybe it was the blog article my friend Taylor wrote (who by the way WON Expedition Impossible...the reality competition on tv this summer) about eating Paleo that made me look at the way I eat and think hey I CAN do that. Why do I need processed food or grains or dairy? I will be honest and say I miss cheese the most...but I'll live. I feel better about what I eat each day. It feels so GOOD not to have food guilt at night or the next day!!!
Maybe it was my friend Anna, who is a certified trainer but also works full time, is going to school and finds time to work out. Its a part of who she is. She drove to VA and did a TOUGH MUDDER just because she was compelled to do it. Thats 9 miles of firey obstacles folks. No joke. She is a badass. And she will drive up to PA to run/walk 2 miles with me just to be my athletic supporter ;)
Maybe it was wanting to wear cute knee high boots and skinny jeans like all the cool kids. Maybe it was wanting to be IN the pictures this spring. Maybe it was wanting to not avoid my reflection most days. Maybe it was the quote "What you eat in private, you wear in public".
Maybe it was all of these things.
So here I am putting it out there. So if I fail i can't make excuses. I am here to say I AM DOING IT. period. And if that can be inspiring, helpful or just interesting to anyone else. Well why not share it. And this time if I fail...I fail because of me. Not any other reason. And I am NOT ok with that.
Tiffany
Here they are:
1) its baby weight
2) its my metabolism
3) its because I'm hypothyroid
4) its hereditary
5) its just because I am built this way
6) its because I'm in my 30s
These are just some of many reasons that I weigh more than I want to or to be honest more than I should.
Who wants to admit that they are their own problem. Certainly not me.
While I'm at it here are some of the excuses I made for why losing weight is so hard...
1) i don't have time to exercise
2) i have to cook for sophia and bill too
3)i don't have time to count calories
4) i don't have the energy
5) i hate the gym
6) its too hot, cold, windy, rainy to run.
7) its just not my thing
8) my back/neck/ankle/shins hurt....
So I've wasted days, weeks, months, YEARS not taking responsibility. Starting a diet, joining a gym, hiring a trainer and all the while not fully committing. Not fully accepting responsibility.
I am not quite sure what clicked for me about 2 weeks ago but this little idea kept gnawing at me. I just couldn't shake it. I just couldn't let it go. I kept thinking...you CAN do this. You can lose weight. You can get fit. You can be healthy. You can stop eating things you don't really need to eat. You can exercise regularly. You can make time for yourself.
Maybe it was this article I read where some super fit, health guru that I would usually ignore got straight to the point. He said (in a nutshell) your kids aren't going to love you less if you give a little time to yourself to be healthy. This part sticks with me most-
"The next one is for you moms, and I think I probably should have hired some security before I go into this, but here goes. Killing yourself slowly is not what your kids need or want from you. Your children will not get together at Christmas in 30 years and say, “It was totally worth it to have to bury mom so young. At least she got us to karate, ballet, T-ball, and piano lessons all on the same day while still keeping the kitchen immaculate and doing the laundry. If that laundry would have piled up we never would have forgiven her!”
So what kind of role model am I going to be for Sophia if I don't eat healthier? Don't get more active? Have body issues? Have self esteem issues connected to my body?
Maybe it was my friend Chelsey - who has 2 kids, works full time, bakes for the pre school class parties, spends quality time with her friends and family and WORKS OUT ALMOST IF NOT EVERY DAY. And she looks amazing by the way :) But seeing her post her runs, her workouts etc on Facebook made me look at fitness differently. She inspired me. (thats right General :)
Maybe it was the blog article my friend Taylor wrote (who by the way WON Expedition Impossible...the reality competition on tv this summer) about eating Paleo that made me look at the way I eat and think hey I CAN do that. Why do I need processed food or grains or dairy? I will be honest and say I miss cheese the most...but I'll live. I feel better about what I eat each day. It feels so GOOD not to have food guilt at night or the next day!!!
Maybe it was my friend Anna, who is a certified trainer but also works full time, is going to school and finds time to work out. Its a part of who she is. She drove to VA and did a TOUGH MUDDER just because she was compelled to do it. Thats 9 miles of firey obstacles folks. No joke. She is a badass. And she will drive up to PA to run/walk 2 miles with me just to be my athletic supporter ;)
Maybe it was wanting to wear cute knee high boots and skinny jeans like all the cool kids. Maybe it was wanting to be IN the pictures this spring. Maybe it was wanting to not avoid my reflection most days. Maybe it was the quote "What you eat in private, you wear in public".
Maybe it was all of these things.
So here I am putting it out there. So if I fail i can't make excuses. I am here to say I AM DOING IT. period. And if that can be inspiring, helpful or just interesting to anyone else. Well why not share it. And this time if I fail...I fail because of me. Not any other reason. And I am NOT ok with that.
Tiffany
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Today was a Good "Mom" Day
Have you ever had one of those days at work when you are firing on all cylinders? Everything is clicking and you feel great. Putting out fires with style and grace. Impressing coworkers with your brilliance. Getting well deserved praise from your boss. Aren't those days great? Well you have "good mom" days like that too. Minus the coworkers and praise...
Everyday as a mom is a good day. But lets be honest...some days I am a just a better mom than other days. I know that sounds bad but its the truth.
Everyday as a mom is a good day. But lets be honest...some days I am a just a better mom than other days. I know that sounds bad but its the truth.
But some days I am able to do more, be more patient and be the best mom I can be. I have no idea why one day I wake up like this instead of my normal mom self. As a normal mom, I am loving and caring. I change diapers, wipe snot, clean up "uh-ohs", kiss boo boos, you name it. I make breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus snacks, run errands, clean and do household chores. I play silly games and read the same book over and over.
So what makes a "good mom" day as opposed to every other day? I do it all with more grace and patience than normal. I am all smiles in the face of the worst tantrum(s). I do not flinch when hit or kicked while changing a Code Red diaper. I am immune to the "I don't wanna nap" tears (which only last 5 seconds after I leave the room). We go to story time, go the to the playground, take a walk on the trail, play in the backyard and have the yummiest snacks. Homemade grilled cheese sandwiches cut with cookie cutters for lunch and brand new homemade muffins for snacks.
Who knows...maybe its just that I feel like I am doing a better job than normal. Maybe I really am doing a better job. Either way, when the end of the day comes and I am enjoying my mommy time (aka glass of wine)...I feel like maybe I deserve it a little more than normal.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Parenthood: A Horcrux or The Giving Tree?
Its been a trying week or two here in the Malstrom household. My little tiny terrorist has been sick. A sick toddler equals a lot of grumpiness and not a lot of sleep...and the toddler can be tricky too.
Needless to say I have discussed the helplessness you feel as a parent when you can't make your little one feel better with several people and have some how had parenthood compared to the two following literary references.
1. A Horcrux
Now if you are a Harry Potter nerd like me (like you have read the books WAY more than once, not just seen the movies)....you are well versed in the Horcrux concept. If not, here is my pedestrian rundown of it....
A horcrux in the magical world is a powerful dark magic where the magician splits his own soul and places it into another object. Therefore if the magician is killed, he can come back using the small part of his split soul. Voldemort being uber evil, did this seven times. It involves killing someone in the magical world to create a horcrux. Bad stuff.
So you are probably wondering how this concept was compared to parenting!? Well I was explaining to someone how when you hear your baby crying, as a mother you feel a physical ache or pain and you immediately want to fix it. I went on to say "Having a baby is like taking a part of yourself or your soul and putting it outside of your body and watching it walk around". Kinda like a horcrux.... Now, rest easy and know I did not kill anyone to have my baby (unless you count my previously carefree pre-baby self :). But having Sophia was like taking a part of myself and safely tucking it away in someone else. In her I will always have innocence, the ability to not make the same mistakes and feel an unconditional love I never thought possible. My soul outside of my body...thats Sophia, my little horcrux.
2. The Giving Tree
Now I am pretty sure everyone knows "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein. It the touching story about a little boy and his tree. The tree loves the boy and as time passes the boy grows and no longer wants to swing in the trees branches. So the tree gives the boy his leaves, apples, branches and finally his trunk. And the boy grows old and sits on the stump. Its a touching tribute to love.
But that is not how it was presented to me recently. A much more jaded person than myself said "You know what parenting is like, its like being the effing Giving Tree". As the parent, you are the tree and the little boy is your child/children. You selflessly give and give and the little person takes and takes. In the end you are the stump.
Well I am not that jaded, yet. But I do see that as the tree, you love the little boy so much that you want to give him whatever he needs to be happy. You put your child's needs/wants happily before yours because if they are happy, you are happy.
Needless to say I have discussed the helplessness you feel as a parent when you can't make your little one feel better with several people and have some how had parenthood compared to the two following literary references.
1. A Horcrux
Now if you are a Harry Potter nerd like me (like you have read the books WAY more than once, not just seen the movies)....you are well versed in the Horcrux concept. If not, here is my pedestrian rundown of it....
A horcrux in the magical world is a powerful dark magic where the magician splits his own soul and places it into another object. Therefore if the magician is killed, he can come back using the small part of his split soul. Voldemort being uber evil, did this seven times. It involves killing someone in the magical world to create a horcrux. Bad stuff.
So you are probably wondering how this concept was compared to parenting!? Well I was explaining to someone how when you hear your baby crying, as a mother you feel a physical ache or pain and you immediately want to fix it. I went on to say "Having a baby is like taking a part of yourself or your soul and putting it outside of your body and watching it walk around". Kinda like a horcrux.... Now, rest easy and know I did not kill anyone to have my baby (unless you count my previously carefree pre-baby self :). But having Sophia was like taking a part of myself and safely tucking it away in someone else. In her I will always have innocence, the ability to not make the same mistakes and feel an unconditional love I never thought possible. My soul outside of my body...thats Sophia, my little horcrux.
2. The Giving Tree
But that is not how it was presented to me recently. A much more jaded person than myself said "You know what parenting is like, its like being the effing Giving Tree". As the parent, you are the tree and the little boy is your child/children. You selflessly give and give and the little person takes and takes. In the end you are the stump.
 |
| Stump? |
So after 2 weeks of minimal sleep. Hours of fever checking, snot wiping, medicine administering and tear wiping....am I the horcrux or the tree?
Both I think and neither. But happy nonetheless.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
"Vacation"
So, we spent a week at the beach with a 16 month old...notice how I didn't call it vacation?
My idea of vacation includes quiet, relaxation, sleeping in, and adult beverages. Oh, we had plenty of adult beverages....just not the rest of it.
Apparently 16 month olds do not subscribe to the sleeping in model of vacation. Sophia shared a room with us on this vacation and we learned the following things:
1. Sophia is a very light sleeper.
2. Creaky floors, doors and beds will wake her up.
3. Sophia thinks 5:45 am is a wonderful wake up time on vacation even though she wakes up at 7am at home.
4. Sophia sings to herself in the morning when she wakes up. We knew this but learned that you can't sleep through it when its at the foot of your bed.
5. Saying "sshhh" only works until your 16 month old "shhhhs" you back!
6. Bill is a very good guy and got up most of the days when Sophia did letting me sleep in....although that was probably in his best interest, seeing as I am a nasty piece of business without the proper amount of sleep.
Once we downed several cups of coffee each day...it was off the beach. And in Sophia's case, off to the races! She LOVED the beach. The sand, the water, the sea gulls, all of it. She was non-stop for 2 hours at a time each morning and then again in the afternoon. It was awesome! And exhausting.Bill and I had to tag out every 20 minutes or so just to keep up.
Some babies are afraid of the ocean, not ours. She would run head first into waves breaking on the shore if we weren't there to grab her. She took a couple of headers into the waves and still wasn't deterred.
Sand became Sophia's new best friend and my worst enemy. She would roll in it, dig in it, pile it on herself, fling it this way and that. She was like a pig in well you know. I learned a valuable lesson from a friend....BABY POWDER! if you put a little one your hands or theirs and rub it in, sand falls off! Thank you Erica! Sophia also became accustomed to cold hose downs before we entered the house every day. And she learned what its like to go commando in her bathing suit :) I learned that any diaper, swim diaper or not is really just a glorified sand trap. So my daughter had the most adorable plumbers butt for most of the week :D
Sea gulls (aka DUCKS according to Sophia) became a huge attraction. Sophia would see one, point, yell "Duuss!" and go running. And I mean running. Her little chub legs were pumping and she didn't stop. Finally when the "duus" would get smart and fly away, I would have Sophia wave bye bye and back to the water we would go. This only happened 20-30 times each day.....
Midday we would have 1 to 1 and a half hours of vacation in the form of nap time. Sitting on the beach or on the deck, relaxing and doing nothing. It was awesome. Then the beach tornado would wake up and we would do it all over again!
I will say that Sophia learned a TON of new words at the beach: boat (boa), bird (which replaced duck), plane (pane), bye bye, fish (fissss), Parker her cousin(par-per), and many more. It was very fun :)
Bedtime would come and Mommy and Daddy would pretty much collapse in a deck chair with a cocktail or 4 and then drag ourselves quietly to bed so as not to wake the little beach bum. And the next day it started all over again!
Now we are home and back to sleeping in our own beds (heaven). Sophia is sleeping until 6:45....vast improvement. And I am wondering what our next beach "vacation" will be like.
My idea of vacation includes quiet, relaxation, sleeping in, and adult beverages. Oh, we had plenty of adult beverages....just not the rest of it.
Apparently 16 month olds do not subscribe to the sleeping in model of vacation. Sophia shared a room with us on this vacation and we learned the following things:
1. Sophia is a very light sleeper.
2. Creaky floors, doors and beds will wake her up.
3. Sophia thinks 5:45 am is a wonderful wake up time on vacation even though she wakes up at 7am at home.
4. Sophia sings to herself in the morning when she wakes up. We knew this but learned that you can't sleep through it when its at the foot of your bed.
5. Saying "sshhh" only works until your 16 month old "shhhhs" you back!
6. Bill is a very good guy and got up most of the days when Sophia did letting me sleep in....although that was probably in his best interest, seeing as I am a nasty piece of business without the proper amount of sleep.
Once we downed several cups of coffee each day...it was off the beach. And in Sophia's case, off to the races! She LOVED the beach. The sand, the water, the sea gulls, all of it. She was non-stop for 2 hours at a time each morning and then again in the afternoon. It was awesome! And exhausting.Bill and I had to tag out every 20 minutes or so just to keep up.
Some babies are afraid of the ocean, not ours. She would run head first into waves breaking on the shore if we weren't there to grab her. She took a couple of headers into the waves and still wasn't deterred.
Sand became Sophia's new best friend and my worst enemy. She would roll in it, dig in it, pile it on herself, fling it this way and that. She was like a pig in well you know. I learned a valuable lesson from a friend....BABY POWDER! if you put a little one your hands or theirs and rub it in, sand falls off! Thank you Erica! Sophia also became accustomed to cold hose downs before we entered the house every day. And she learned what its like to go commando in her bathing suit :) I learned that any diaper, swim diaper or not is really just a glorified sand trap. So my daughter had the most adorable plumbers butt for most of the week :D
Sea gulls (aka DUCKS according to Sophia) became a huge attraction. Sophia would see one, point, yell "Duuss!" and go running. And I mean running. Her little chub legs were pumping and she didn't stop. Finally when the "duus" would get smart and fly away, I would have Sophia wave bye bye and back to the water we would go. This only happened 20-30 times each day.....
Midday we would have 1 to 1 and a half hours of vacation in the form of nap time. Sitting on the beach or on the deck, relaxing and doing nothing. It was awesome. Then the beach tornado would wake up and we would do it all over again!
I will say that Sophia learned a TON of new words at the beach: boat (boa), bird (which replaced duck), plane (pane), bye bye, fish (fissss), Parker her cousin(par-per), and many more. It was very fun :)
Bedtime would come and Mommy and Daddy would pretty much collapse in a deck chair with a cocktail or 4 and then drag ourselves quietly to bed so as not to wake the little beach bum. And the next day it started all over again!
Now we are home and back to sleeping in our own beds (heaven). Sophia is sleeping until 6:45....vast improvement. And I am wondering what our next beach "vacation" will be like.
 |
| Our Little Surfer Girl :) |
Monday, August 8, 2011
Momma Said
There'd be days like this: WARNING...this is not a warm and fuzzy day in the life of a mom post. Its more of a FML post...don't feel compelled to read it. Sorry bear with me...
If you know me, you know I'm an animal lover. I have 3 pets and would have the equivalent of Noah's Ark if I was allowed to (Bill is sane and won't let me). Anyway, I donate to every animal related cause possible and have to change the channel when sad animal commericals come on because I can't stand it.
So, today when I accidentally ran over a cat that ran out in front of my car...I pretty much lost my shit. I cried the whole way home and now realize that I will have to drive back by it tomorrow on my way to work. I am already dreading it and want to go back now to bury it but know that I will never recover if I try to do it and won't be able to even if I try. I am tearing up just thinking about it.
When I got home my lovely daughter decided that 16 month olds DO NOT need to nap and threw the first all out nap rebellion in recent months.
Then my brand new iPhone 4 basically shit the bed after a routine software update and I had to restore it to factory settings and then fortunately since i backed it up...reload it.
Shortly after that I was 5 seconds to late letting my dog outside while she was hunch backed and making "horking" noises to then puked all over the kitchen floor and the area rug by the door she didn't make it out. Sophia found this to be an amazing sight and got very upset that I wouldn't let her play in it and pitched a fit. While trying to keep her from the pile of puke, I stepped in it.
I am going running (its actually more like a fast shuffle but whatevs). Then I am drinking my dinner and going to bed.
If you know me, you know I'm an animal lover. I have 3 pets and would have the equivalent of Noah's Ark if I was allowed to (Bill is sane and won't let me). Anyway, I donate to every animal related cause possible and have to change the channel when sad animal commericals come on because I can't stand it.
So, today when I accidentally ran over a cat that ran out in front of my car...I pretty much lost my shit. I cried the whole way home and now realize that I will have to drive back by it tomorrow on my way to work. I am already dreading it and want to go back now to bury it but know that I will never recover if I try to do it and won't be able to even if I try. I am tearing up just thinking about it.
When I got home my lovely daughter decided that 16 month olds DO NOT need to nap and threw the first all out nap rebellion in recent months.
Then my brand new iPhone 4 basically shit the bed after a routine software update and I had to restore it to factory settings and then fortunately since i backed it up...reload it.
Shortly after that I was 5 seconds to late letting my dog outside while she was hunch backed and making "horking" noises to then puked all over the kitchen floor and the area rug by the door she didn't make it out. Sophia found this to be an amazing sight and got very upset that I wouldn't let her play in it and pitched a fit. While trying to keep her from the pile of puke, I stepped in it.
I am going running (its actually more like a fast shuffle but whatevs). Then I am drinking my dinner and going to bed.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Things I Don't Want to Forget
Sophia is growing and changing so quickly that I want to remember everything little thing. Here are some of the things she is doing right now that I love and don't ever want to forget...
Nap Time for Loveys - Sophia loves to take her stuffed animals, lay them on their bellies, cover them with a blanket and pat their backs so they go to sleep. Its adorable. She does this at every nap time and bed time and if she finds a rogue towel or blanket any time of the day.
Dancing - currently it is an arm swinging from side to side move that transitions into a full out twirl. She also throws in a hand shake here and there. The best part is the full smile and the giggles that go with it.
Reading- Sophia "reads" books constantly. Mostly its just turning the pages but the book is always right side up. She also talks like she is reading the book. Most recently she has been able to accurately and consistently point to objects on the pages of a book (i.e. Where is the ball? Where is the cat?)
Dog Watcher- Our poor dog Stella is Sophia's BFF (the reverse is not true however). Sophia finds Stella's collar and finds Stella to put it on her. This mainly means that she repeatedly puts it on Stella's nose and laughs. She also pets her and lays on her to give her hugs. Stella kindly tolerates all of it. She is a saint.
Cat Finder- New favorite past time...find the kitties. The kitties are not a fan of this game but it happens none the less. Poor Vinnie can't decide if he likes her attention or not...which usually means he is cornered and "patted" excessively and his tail becomes his own kitty leash.....
Wagoneer - Sophia has a small Little Tikes wagon that she loves to pull around our house. She puts Minnie and Mickey Mouse in it and tours the main floor aimlessly. She has a very determined and simultaneously proud expression on her face as she goes. As I am typing this she is doing this exact thing in the kitchen, only she has one of my flip flops in the wagon :)
Talking-
Here are the words Sophia currently says:
Dada
Mama- but only when she feels like it ::eye roll::
Delda- for Stella our dog
Ditty- Kitty
Duck
Bubble- pronounced Buh-bbllle for bubbles
Ball
Whats Dat- prounced wah dat? for everything and anything she points to all day long
Diaper- pronounced Die-da. Which she goes and get from a bin when she wants to be changed.
Book- pronounced buuh
Uh-oh - which she says very dramatically "Uh OOOOOOHHHH"
Hi
Yes
No
Nite Nite
Good Job- Pronounced jood jaa :)
Pointing to Objects- Ok so she points to everything so you can tell what it is which can get old but its so amazing to watch her absorb everything. She also points to things when you ask her where they are. She knows where all the words she can say are. And also where lights and doors are. Where upstairs and downstairs are. Where her eyes, nose, hair and belly are. And where the chinese lanterns (I call them lanterns) are hanging in her room.
Cheerleading- Sophia is her biggest fan! If she does something that she is proud of or that I say Good Job! to....she claps and says Yay!!
Taking Flight- When she is very intent on getting somewhere she puts her head down and her arms up and back behind her and gets up on her tippy toes and books. Its looks like she is trying to fly :)
Hugs & Kisses- When Sophia hugs you she lays her head on your collarbone and pats your arm at the same time. She gives kisses 2 ways. She blows kisses and say Muah. And she gives big sloppy open mouth kisses too :)
Nap Time for Loveys - Sophia loves to take her stuffed animals, lay them on their bellies, cover them with a blanket and pat their backs so they go to sleep. Its adorable. She does this at every nap time and bed time and if she finds a rogue towel or blanket any time of the day.
Dancing - currently it is an arm swinging from side to side move that transitions into a full out twirl. She also throws in a hand shake here and there. The best part is the full smile and the giggles that go with it.
Reading- Sophia "reads" books constantly. Mostly its just turning the pages but the book is always right side up. She also talks like she is reading the book. Most recently she has been able to accurately and consistently point to objects on the pages of a book (i.e. Where is the ball? Where is the cat?)
Dog Watcher- Our poor dog Stella is Sophia's BFF (the reverse is not true however). Sophia finds Stella's collar and finds Stella to put it on her. This mainly means that she repeatedly puts it on Stella's nose and laughs. She also pets her and lays on her to give her hugs. Stella kindly tolerates all of it. She is a saint.
Cat Finder- New favorite past time...find the kitties. The kitties are not a fan of this game but it happens none the less. Poor Vinnie can't decide if he likes her attention or not...which usually means he is cornered and "patted" excessively and his tail becomes his own kitty leash.....
Wagoneer - Sophia has a small Little Tikes wagon that she loves to pull around our house. She puts Minnie and Mickey Mouse in it and tours the main floor aimlessly. She has a very determined and simultaneously proud expression on her face as she goes. As I am typing this she is doing this exact thing in the kitchen, only she has one of my flip flops in the wagon :)
Talking-
Here are the words Sophia currently says:
Dada
Mama- but only when she feels like it ::eye roll::
Delda- for Stella our dog
Ditty- Kitty
Duck
Bubble- pronounced Buh-bbllle for bubbles
Ball
Whats Dat- prounced wah dat? for everything and anything she points to all day long
Diaper- pronounced Die-da. Which she goes and get from a bin when she wants to be changed.
Book- pronounced buuh
Uh-oh - which she says very dramatically "Uh OOOOOOHHHH"
Hi
Yes
No
Nite Nite
Good Job- Pronounced jood jaa :)
Pointing to Objects- Ok so she points to everything so you can tell what it is which can get old but its so amazing to watch her absorb everything. She also points to things when you ask her where they are. She knows where all the words she can say are. And also where lights and doors are. Where upstairs and downstairs are. Where her eyes, nose, hair and belly are. And where the chinese lanterns (I call them lanterns) are hanging in her room.
Cheerleading- Sophia is her biggest fan! If she does something that she is proud of or that I say Good Job! to....she claps and says Yay!!
Taking Flight- When she is very intent on getting somewhere she puts her head down and her arms up and back behind her and gets up on her tippy toes and books. Its looks like she is trying to fly :)
Hugs & Kisses- When Sophia hugs you she lays her head on your collarbone and pats your arm at the same time. She gives kisses 2 ways. She blows kisses and say Muah. And she gives big sloppy open mouth kisses too :)
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Beware the 4th of July
Beer, BBQing, friends, family, fireworks...whats not to love about the 4th of July? I always loved the mid summer holiday because there was so much to do and so many people to hang out with.
Then I had a baby....
Don't get me wrong... I still like seeing friends, family and the beer and the BBQing. But the fireworks....I hate them. I am sure as Sophia gets older and oohs and aahs at them, I will love them once more. But for the past 2 summers I have lived in fear that they will create a meltdown or even worse...wake her up at night.
The thing about fireworks is that every single redblooded male wants to drive up to PA and buy the biggest most obnoxious ones they can find, get tanked and set them off....5 feet from my house. No bueno.
And up here in Podunk, PA the locals think MIDNIGHT is a good time for the town fireworks show. Yes, seriously. And no I couldn't make this stuff up. So last night at 12:01 AM, they had a 20 minute long fireworks display that was being set off approximately 1/4 mile from my back door.
I'm moving.
Then I had a baby....
Don't get me wrong... I still like seeing friends, family and the beer and the BBQing. But the fireworks....I hate them. I am sure as Sophia gets older and oohs and aahs at them, I will love them once more. But for the past 2 summers I have lived in fear that they will create a meltdown or even worse...wake her up at night.
The thing about fireworks is that every single redblooded male wants to drive up to PA and buy the biggest most obnoxious ones they can find, get tanked and set them off....5 feet from my house. No bueno.
And up here in Podunk, PA the locals think MIDNIGHT is a good time for the town fireworks show. Yes, seriously. And no I couldn't make this stuff up. So last night at 12:01 AM, they had a 20 minute long fireworks display that was being set off approximately 1/4 mile from my back door.
I'm moving.
Friday, July 8, 2011
The 15 Month Rebellion
I recently received my monthly "Your baby/toddler/kid is blank months old" email from babycenter.com....Here is what it said:
Doing errands around town is harder than ever with a pint-size explorer in tow. Being strapped down in a car seat or stroller is the last place your toddler wants to be: Expect an earful — usually accompanied by an arched back and flailing arms and legs — when it's time to buckle up.
You know what I thought.....Oh good its not just my child!!! Pint size explorer...more like pint sized terrorist!
Up until recently, we could take Sophia anywhere and have no problems. Dinner, shopping, parties etc. She was happy to go on the adventure and hang out. Now she is 15 months old and apparently the party is over....
She wants NOTHING to do with strollers or high chairs. She will tolerate the car seat mostly because I toss a ton of toys in her lap and sing ridiculous songs to her until the car noises lull her to sleep.
Bill and I took her out to dinner the other night. Nothing new, we do it every couple of weeks (yes I actually cook 5-7 nights a week...even I am amazed). Set up the high chair, placemat, toys, crayons, sippy cup and snacks and we thought we were good to go. WRONG. oh so wrong. Sophia's contentment lasted about 15 minutes. And we even had a intelligent server who asked what we wanted for her before we even ordered so it would be out long before our food. This was a first and I was amazed. Alas...it did not matter.
Step 1 of Sophia's rebellion was to start throwing stuff on the floor.
Step 2 was to start bucking in the highchair like she was riding an arabian stallion.
Step 3 was to bang anything she could get her hands on as loudly as possible on the table and when moved away from the table on the high chair itself.
Step 4 was to start pulling up the table cloth as high above her head as she could. Would be cute if it didn't upset everything on her side of the table.....remember the toys, crayons, sippy cup etc...
Step 5 was to start the fake crying/whining routine
Step 6 was to kick and flail her legs willy nilly and hard.
Note: This all happened in under 5 minutes
Finally we thought ok, lets minimize the drama and let her out of the high chair and Bill will walk around with her until her food comes.
THIS WAS ULTIMATELY OUR DOWNFALL.
Do not make this mistake. It was great at first. Everyone smiled at the oh so cute little girly toddling around the salad bar pointing and saying "dat" and her doting father who told her what "dat" was every time. She was quiet pleased with herself and was blowing kisses and waving to the servers. Everyone was charmed.
Then the food came and we tried to put her back into the high chair.....
And the rebellion was won by a 31 inch person with the lungs of a full grown opera singer. The battle was over in a mere 15 seconds. Parents were defeated, toddler was triumphant.
As soon as the first wailing scream left our little "angel"s lips...we were done. Bill immediately took her out the doors and I sat deflated looking at our full plates of food whilst asking for to go boxes. Yes, I wanted to stay. Yes, I know this happens. But NO I was not going to be that family with that baby that won't stop crying in the restaurant. I hate those people and I refuse to join their ranks.
So the babycenter email 2 days later made me feel much better. But we will be steering clear of any meltdown inducing situations for a little while :)
Doing errands around town is harder than ever with a pint-size explorer in tow. Being strapped down in a car seat or stroller is the last place your toddler wants to be: Expect an earful — usually accompanied by an arched back and flailing arms and legs — when it's time to buckle up.
You know what I thought.....Oh good its not just my child!!! Pint size explorer...more like pint sized terrorist!
Up until recently, we could take Sophia anywhere and have no problems. Dinner, shopping, parties etc. She was happy to go on the adventure and hang out. Now she is 15 months old and apparently the party is over....
She wants NOTHING to do with strollers or high chairs. She will tolerate the car seat mostly because I toss a ton of toys in her lap and sing ridiculous songs to her until the car noises lull her to sleep.
Bill and I took her out to dinner the other night. Nothing new, we do it every couple of weeks (yes I actually cook 5-7 nights a week...even I am amazed). Set up the high chair, placemat, toys, crayons, sippy cup and snacks and we thought we were good to go. WRONG. oh so wrong. Sophia's contentment lasted about 15 minutes. And we even had a intelligent server who asked what we wanted for her before we even ordered so it would be out long before our food. This was a first and I was amazed. Alas...it did not matter.
Step 1 of Sophia's rebellion was to start throwing stuff on the floor.
Step 2 was to start bucking in the highchair like she was riding an arabian stallion.
Step 3 was to bang anything she could get her hands on as loudly as possible on the table and when moved away from the table on the high chair itself.
Step 4 was to start pulling up the table cloth as high above her head as she could. Would be cute if it didn't upset everything on her side of the table.....remember the toys, crayons, sippy cup etc...
Step 5 was to start the fake crying/whining routine
Step 6 was to kick and flail her legs willy nilly and hard.
Note: This all happened in under 5 minutes
Finally we thought ok, lets minimize the drama and let her out of the high chair and Bill will walk around with her until her food comes.
THIS WAS ULTIMATELY OUR DOWNFALL.
Do not make this mistake. It was great at first. Everyone smiled at the oh so cute little girly toddling around the salad bar pointing and saying "dat" and her doting father who told her what "dat" was every time. She was quiet pleased with herself and was blowing kisses and waving to the servers. Everyone was charmed.
Then the food came and we tried to put her back into the high chair.....
And the rebellion was won by a 31 inch person with the lungs of a full grown opera singer. The battle was over in a mere 15 seconds. Parents were defeated, toddler was triumphant.
As soon as the first wailing scream left our little "angel"s lips...we were done. Bill immediately took her out the doors and I sat deflated looking at our full plates of food whilst asking for to go boxes. Yes, I wanted to stay. Yes, I know this happens. But NO I was not going to be that family with that baby that won't stop crying in the restaurant. I hate those people and I refuse to join their ranks.
So the babycenter email 2 days later made me feel much better. But we will be steering clear of any meltdown inducing situations for a little while :)
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sing, Sing a Song, Sing Out Loud....
If you know me, you know I can't sing. If you know my husband, you know he is a worse singer than I am (sorry honey, its true.) You might also know that I taught elementary school for 9 years as well. I was the non-singing elementary school teacher. There was no Wheels on the Bus or London Bridge going down in my room. Why? Because I worked hard to earn the students respect and one out of tune rendition of Grand Old Flag would chuck it right out the window. I lip synced and hummed and it got the job done.
Then I had Sophia.
Now I sing about EVERYTHING. I have made up songs that I sing daily just to make it through the tedious necessary tasks that my toddler hates. I have a "brush your hair" song, a "eat your veggies" song, a "time for school" song. My personal favorite is the "put on your pajamas" song....which is actually the hokey pokey. "You put your left leg in, you put your left leg out". Whatever, I know its crazy. But it makes Sophia lay calmly while I put on her footie pajamas instead of squirm and kick like a spider monkey. So I sing.
I sing in public too. When I don't even realize I am doing it. Like in the grocery store when I want Sophia to make it 5 more minutes so I don't have to abandon my shopping cart full of stuff. I have been known to not only sing Wheels on the Cart (oh yeah I modified it to keep up with the times) but to do jazz hands and possibly some foot work to keep that little girl giggling through the line.
Not only do I sing, but my husband will sing as well. Ask him about Old MacDonald having goats and fish on his farm (yeah they don't make noises) but he rocked it out to get through an iffy bath time one night.
My point is...whatever you aren't before you have kids....isn't what you are after.
"If you're tired and you know it, chug coffee!" I'll leave you with that classic morning time ditty from my kitchen....
Then I had Sophia.
Now I sing about EVERYTHING. I have made up songs that I sing daily just to make it through the tedious necessary tasks that my toddler hates. I have a "brush your hair" song, a "eat your veggies" song, a "time for school" song. My personal favorite is the "put on your pajamas" song....which is actually the hokey pokey. "You put your left leg in, you put your left leg out". Whatever, I know its crazy. But it makes Sophia lay calmly while I put on her footie pajamas instead of squirm and kick like a spider monkey. So I sing.
I sing in public too. When I don't even realize I am doing it. Like in the grocery store when I want Sophia to make it 5 more minutes so I don't have to abandon my shopping cart full of stuff. I have been known to not only sing Wheels on the Cart (oh yeah I modified it to keep up with the times) but to do jazz hands and possibly some foot work to keep that little girl giggling through the line.
Not only do I sing, but my husband will sing as well. Ask him about Old MacDonald having goats and fish on his farm (yeah they don't make noises) but he rocked it out to get through an iffy bath time one night.
My point is...whatever you aren't before you have kids....isn't what you are after.
"If you're tired and you know it, chug coffee!" I'll leave you with that classic morning time ditty from my kitchen....
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Rebel thinking.....what's so wrong with 1 and done?
Sophia is over a year old so that prompts many people to begin asking "When are you going to have #2?".
First of all don't get me started on the "whats next" phenomenon. As soon as you get serious with someone its "when are you getting engaged" then "whens the wedding" then "when are you having a baby" then "when are you having another baby". It has always been a concept that bothered me. Why must there be a next thing? What is wrong with finding a stage in life you are most comfortable with and staying there? I mean look at the Duggars is there really a need for kid #20 or #49 ?
Anyway, I guess the general concensus is once you have one kid you must want to have another. But what if you don't? What if you want to be a party of 3?
I am an only child by birth (I have had a few step brothers and sisters along the way). Many only children feel like they were "jipped" by not having siblings because they missed out on a life experience as a result. I am not one of those only children. I am sure having a brother or sister is awesome. I have just never felt a loss or lacking in my life as a result of not having one.For whatever reason people think once your baby is 1, its time to start thinking about the next one.
Um, toddlers are exhausting. The game changes every day. What they can do, say, destroy is ever changing and you just try to keep one step ahead at any given moment. Adding an infant to the mix seems like crazyness to me. More power to you if you want 2 under 2! You deserve warrior status, a key to the city, a lifetime supply of diapers and a new Keurig. No question.
But what is so wrong with not wanting that. If you say "one and done" people look at you like they must have heard you wrong. Now I have not fully committed to "one and done' but I have been very open with the possibility. I have also told most of my friends and family that I won't even entertain the possibility of #2 until Sophia is at least 2 years old. Clearly my one furiously twitching eyelid and clenching and unclenching of my fists when I say it has been convincing and no one has asked....yet.
I just wonder why I would have to defend this concept if that is, in fact what happens with my family? Why is deciding to focus your parenting, effort and love on one precious child something that is so unexpected? Is it truly insane of me after a night where I was puked on three times, spent 3 hours sitting upright in a chair holding a miserable 22 lb baby, only to survive the following day by drinking an unhealthy amount of coffee and covering my whole body in Germ-X to think "I don't know if I want to go through this again"? I think not.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Life Before Baby vs. Life After Baby
One could say that I enjoyed my twenties. One could also say on some nights I enjoyed them a little too much. I continued in this fashion until the ripe age of 30 when I found out (somewhat unexpectedly....) that I was pregnant. And if you ask me how this might have come about, I blame the Party Block's pool bar for opening early and serving me a stiff bloody mary or 3.....
Anyway, as soon as the stick said "pregnant", my current foot loose and fancy free lifestyle came to a screeching halt. No more cocktails, late nights or crazy antics. Unless you count Maalox, insomnia and hormones....
I ,being a truly delusional pregnant woman thought that once I had the baby, life would get back to "normal". Bahahaha! I can laugh at this now because its been 14 months and I know that normal is whole different can of worms.
Late Nights-
Before Baby- Out and about until the bar/restaurant/club closed down and kicked you out. Maybe a late night diner experience and then maybe even a late late night at a friends house.
After Baby- You're baby won't go to sleep so you have been up all night in a rocking chair. Or you stay up past 10-10:30 watching True Blood and realize that early morning wake up is coming for you....
Date Night-
Before Baby- Long leisurely evening doing whatever the hell you and your significant other feel like. Usually this is dinner, drinks, in the city or maybe an overnight to AC or OC or where ever. You have no responsibilities, its the weekend and you clocked out at 5 on Friday.
After Baby- Date night revolves around bedtime, location and a babysitter. If you are lucky (like we are) your parents will come to your house for babysitting and that makes it easier. That way you don't have to pack up all the baby stuff, drive somewhere, unload it etc.
Once the babysitter has arrived, get in the car and get where ever as quickly as possible. Get there and promptly both parents make sure their cell phones are turned on and up and placed prominently on the table "just in case". Enjoy dinner and maybe even get a drink....if you have an easy going babysitter. But then get home at a decent hour, relieve said babysitter and go to bed because morning comes quick. I distinctly remember that my 5 year anniversary dinner was at 4:30 so that we could get home before the 8 o'clock bedtime/feeding/disaster...
Sleeping In
Before Baby- I was a sleeping in master. If I was ever in a pageant, sleeping in would be my talent. I was able to block out all noise, light, alarm clocks etc and sleep in until the late hours of the morning on the weekends and right through classes back at SSU. As long as I got where I needed to be or needed to get done, done....sleeping in was a given and all other things worked around it. It was glorious. I now look back on my sleeping in pre-baby lovingly as a special time in my life.
After Baby- hahahaha! sleeping in....what the hell is that?
I get truly excited any day of the week when I wake up after 7 am. I am not in the habit of setting an alarm because I am a stay at home mom and also because I have a built in 32 inch tall 23 lb alarm in the other room who promptly begins waking up around 6:30 everyday.
Now I do have a very considerate husband who lets me sleep in on the weekends. Sounds great....except it does not mean the same thing. Sleeping in now means 8:30am, maybe. It also includes the door being shut, the bathroom fan running and a baby who is not crying or running around shrieking just because. If any of those things are not properly executed, there is no extra sleep.
Naps
Before Baby- Stayed out late last night? Don't have much going on today? Why not take a nap? On the couch or in bed. Doesn't matter. No alarm clocks necessary. Just sleep till you want to. Wake up, feel relaxed.
After Baby- "Naps" are something that only truly happen for babies. Yes they say "nap when your baby naps". Great concept except that is the only time you can get anything done. Like bathe or eat or clean. Yes you can occasionally catch a nap during the day but its more like the continuation of the sleep that you got in 2 hour spurts the night before. Eventually the nap schedule gets more defined and you can nap but by then you're getting a decent amount of sleep and you use this time to execute household chores that are impossible with a mobile 1 year old around. Like vacuuming or unloading the dishwasher. Or you pound coffee to keep up with the whirlwind disaster that is a 1 year old.
All in all, EVERYTHING changes when you have a baby. Normal becomes getting up early, functioning with less sleep, running around trying to keep up with whatever new stage develops overnight and then doing it again the next day. Its exhausting and ever changing and so much cooler than you ever thought possible.
Now I do have a very considerate husband who lets me sleep in on the weekends. Sounds great....except it does not mean the same thing. Sleeping in now means 8:30am, maybe. It also includes the door being shut, the bathroom fan running and a baby who is not crying or running around shrieking just because. If any of those things are not properly executed, there is no extra sleep.
Naps
Before Baby- Stayed out late last night? Don't have much going on today? Why not take a nap? On the couch or in bed. Doesn't matter. No alarm clocks necessary. Just sleep till you want to. Wake up, feel relaxed.
After Baby- "Naps" are something that only truly happen for babies. Yes they say "nap when your baby naps". Great concept except that is the only time you can get anything done. Like bathe or eat or clean. Yes you can occasionally catch a nap during the day but its more like the continuation of the sleep that you got in 2 hour spurts the night before. Eventually the nap schedule gets more defined and you can nap but by then you're getting a decent amount of sleep and you use this time to execute household chores that are impossible with a mobile 1 year old around. Like vacuuming or unloading the dishwasher. Or you pound coffee to keep up with the whirlwind disaster that is a 1 year old.
All in all, EVERYTHING changes when you have a baby. Normal becomes getting up early, functioning with less sleep, running around trying to keep up with whatever new stage develops overnight and then doing it again the next day. Its exhausting and ever changing and so much cooler than you ever thought possible.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Baby Talk = Speaking in Tongues
Sophia has started talking! Its so fun to see her yell Da-Da and run for the door when Bill comes home. She has named our dog "Delda" (aka Stella) and calls all dogs that now. She also has mastered the adorable and very repeatable "Uh-oh" and uses it mostly in context as she chucks things from her high chair.
Now when babies starts making the ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma, da-da-da-da-da sounds it doesn't mean that they are talking. They start doing this at like 4 months and inevitably some mom or grandparent will say "So-in-So is SO advanced, they are already saying da-da". Um no they're not. They are babbling and simultaneously spitting but not actually talking.
Eventually they start using the same sound or "word" repeatedly and consistently to refer to something. These days Sophia has become extremely demonstrative and runs around and points at everything while naming it something in her language. Its adorable. But I am quite tired of being called da-da....
Anyway, most recently she has begun to ramble on in what I call the boogety language. I have been trying to get it on video for a while now and finally succeeded. So here you go....boogety boogety boogety :)
(it takes a minute to load...sorry!)
Now when babies starts making the ba-ba-ba-ba, ma-ma-ma-ma, da-da-da-da-da sounds it doesn't mean that they are talking. They start doing this at like 4 months and inevitably some mom or grandparent will say "So-in-So is SO advanced, they are already saying da-da". Um no they're not. They are babbling and simultaneously spitting but not actually talking.
Eventually they start using the same sound or "word" repeatedly and consistently to refer to something. These days Sophia has become extremely demonstrative and runs around and points at everything while naming it something in her language. Its adorable. But I am quite tired of being called da-da....
Anyway, most recently she has begun to ramble on in what I call the boogety language. I have been trying to get it on video for a while now and finally succeeded. So here you go....boogety boogety boogety :)
(it takes a minute to load...sorry!)
Its not the best example but I am sure that you can tell she is speaking extremely fast using her own language and clearly thinks we are having a conversation.
Things They Don't Teach in Baby Class (Part 2)
Daylight Savings Time- You are probably wondering why this of all things is on my list. Well, I had no idea that DST was such a bitch until I had a baby. The "fall back" happened when Sophia was about 5 months old. We FINALLY had a schedule and a bedtime routine. She was consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. Until Daylight Savings Time....
As a college kid I loved 'fall back' because the bars stayed open an extra hour and I got an extra hour of sleep. Well as a parent of an infant I hated it. I had no idea that when the clocks magically jumped back one hour that my sweet little baby would that that 5:30 am was 6:30 am and be up for the day. But it happened and it took a week of bedtime adjustment to get her to go to sleep at 7pm and wakeup at 7am instead of 5:30! After the fact one of my friends said "oh yeah, you should keep them up an extra hour so they wake up at the normal time". thanks friend.
Babies R Us - Have you ever been a Babies R US (BRU)? I had never bothered until I was pregnant. And when I finally went in...mind blown. It was like a Bed Bath & Beyond....but ALL baby stuff. Aisles and aisles of bottles, cups, pacifiers, and all things baby. I had never felt so out of my element. Don't worry guys, its not just you. Females however will immediately start scouring the internet, baby books and picking their mommy friend's brains about what is what. These days I am a BRU expert and can spend hours telling you the difference between Chicco and Graco infant car seats or Dr. Browns vs. Playtex Drop In bottles. I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars outfitting Sophia in new gear (fortunately for my bank account, there isn't one close) But man that first time visit is NO joke.
Bedtime Routines- Now although they don't touch on this in baby class, there are literally HUNDREDS of books about bedtime and baby sleeping. You can spend hours researching a how to get your baby to go to sleep, stay asleep, sleep long, sleep later, sleep period. Here is my advice....get a bedtime routine going when baby is about 3-4 months old. Do that same routine every night no matter where you are. Same time, same order, same thing...over and over again. Yes its tedious. Yes its usually too early. Yes you can become a slave to it. So why do it? Because now Sophia can go to bed anywhere if we use that routine. Its been tested in Frederick, Long Island, OBX, OC, grandparent sleepovers, etc. It works every time. Do it....you'll be glad you did.
As a college kid I loved 'fall back' because the bars stayed open an extra hour and I got an extra hour of sleep. Well as a parent of an infant I hated it. I had no idea that when the clocks magically jumped back one hour that my sweet little baby would that that 5:30 am was 6:30 am and be up for the day. But it happened and it took a week of bedtime adjustment to get her to go to sleep at 7pm and wakeup at 7am instead of 5:30! After the fact one of my friends said "oh yeah, you should keep them up an extra hour so they wake up at the normal time". thanks friend.
Babies R Us - Have you ever been a Babies R US (BRU)? I had never bothered until I was pregnant. And when I finally went in...mind blown. It was like a Bed Bath & Beyond....but ALL baby stuff. Aisles and aisles of bottles, cups, pacifiers, and all things baby. I had never felt so out of my element. Don't worry guys, its not just you. Females however will immediately start scouring the internet, baby books and picking their mommy friend's brains about what is what. These days I am a BRU expert and can spend hours telling you the difference between Chicco and Graco infant car seats or Dr. Browns vs. Playtex Drop In bottles. I could spend hours and hundreds of dollars outfitting Sophia in new gear (fortunately for my bank account, there isn't one close) But man that first time visit is NO joke.
Bedtime Routines- Now although they don't touch on this in baby class, there are literally HUNDREDS of books about bedtime and baby sleeping. You can spend hours researching a how to get your baby to go to sleep, stay asleep, sleep long, sleep later, sleep period. Here is my advice....get a bedtime routine going when baby is about 3-4 months old. Do that same routine every night no matter where you are. Same time, same order, same thing...over and over again. Yes its tedious. Yes its usually too early. Yes you can become a slave to it. So why do it? Because now Sophia can go to bed anywhere if we use that routine. Its been tested in Frederick, Long Island, OBX, OC, grandparent sleepovers, etc. It works every time. Do it....you'll be glad you did.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Why There are Minivans
I am not a minivan driver. I plan to NEVER be a minivan driver. With that said I know lots of my friends have crossed over into minivan land recently and sadly admit that its their dream vehicle. And as we prepare for a 3 day weekend at the beach I must admit I understand why....
Babies = a TON of stuff
Now, I will say that this summer we are schlepping down a considerably smaller amount of baby gear than last summer. Sophia was only a few months old for our first beach trips last year so we took TWO SUVS. Yes for a family of 3 and a dog. 2 large vehicles. Why would we do this? Here's why:
PNP (Pack and Play- aka portable baby crib)
Stroller
Bathtub
Bumbo Seat
Toys
Play Mat
Diapers
Monitors
Clothes
Bottles
Formula
Baby Food
Bibs
Diaper Bag
Boppy (baby pillow for feedings)
Plus you know all of our stuff and a 70 lb dog. It was great. Plus once we got down there I obsessively worried about the sun. Because you can't put sunblock on babies under 6 months of age and they overheat easily. So much of my beach time was spent...inside.
This summer we are bringing 1 bag each, 1 baby toy bag, 1 stroller, 1 PNP, and 1 bag of misc. baby stuff. It will all fit in the cargo area. Oh and of course Bill's surf board on the roof. Nice. (70 lb dog will not but thats what in laws are for, right?)
Babies = a TON of stuff
Now, I will say that this summer we are schlepping down a considerably smaller amount of baby gear than last summer. Sophia was only a few months old for our first beach trips last year so we took TWO SUVS. Yes for a family of 3 and a dog. 2 large vehicles. Why would we do this? Here's why:
PNP (Pack and Play- aka portable baby crib)
Stroller
Bathtub
Bumbo Seat
Toys
Play Mat
Diapers
Monitors
Clothes
Bottles
Formula
Baby Food
Bibs
Diaper Bag
Boppy (baby pillow for feedings)
Plus you know all of our stuff and a 70 lb dog. It was great. Plus once we got down there I obsessively worried about the sun. Because you can't put sunblock on babies under 6 months of age and they overheat easily. So much of my beach time was spent...inside.
This summer we are bringing 1 bag each, 1 baby toy bag, 1 stroller, 1 PNP, and 1 bag of misc. baby stuff. It will all fit in the cargo area. Oh and of course Bill's surf board on the roof. Nice. (70 lb dog will not but thats what in laws are for, right?)
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Why Sleep is Never the Same
When you are pregnant, lots of people give you lots of advice. Most of it is annoying and almost condescending. But the most annoying one is "get your sleep now!!" usually followed by an all knowing chuckle. I remember being pregnant and thinking yeah like I can store up all the sleep I get now and use it later, thanks.
I now have an almost 14 month old and she sleeps pretty damn good :) She has been sleeping 11-12 straight hours a night for about 8 months now. We were lucky and she followed the typically sleep extension progression that all the books said. She started soothing herself to sleep at about 4 months (i.e. we didn't have to hold her or rock her to sleep anymore) And we only had to deal with 1 week of "I learned to stand up so I won't go to sleep anymore" drama. All in all we have been pretty damn lucky on the sleep front.
But after you have a baby you NEVER sleep the same again. Maybe when they leave the house for college?? I don't know.
Here is what I do know: (yes I know every kid is different, this is based on my experience)
1-2 months - You are up every 2-3 hours. 4 hours if you're lucky. You never knew you could appreciate 4 straight hours of sleep in your life. This goes for men too! Whether your wife is nursing or not, when your little baby lets out that "what the hell? Where am I? Why am I alone? I'm hungry!"cry in the middle of the night...you'll wake up too. Those of you who say "I can't function on less than 8 hours of sleep"....uh YES YOU CAN. Its at this point that coffee becomes more than a beverage and more like a salvation.
3-4 months - You start getting 5-7 hours straight if you are lucky. Some still only sleep in 3 hour stints. But you are so used to getting no sleep that you wake up thinking something must be wrong, panic and check on the baby. Then the baby looks so peaceful, you stay and watch the baby too long. Now you are wide awake. Great. Inevitably when you finally settle back in, the baby wakes up.
5-6 months- This is when many babies turn the corner and really start sleeping for 8 hours or more at a time. Now depending on when your baby goes to sleep at night this can be wonderful. Sophia went to bed at 7 so she still woke up at 2 or 3 am. However, she also started getting teeth at 5 months. Teething is the anti-christ and mortal enemy of sleep. A teething baby wakes up to a sore achy mouth all night long and in response cries and cries and drools and cries. So you will be up all night long. You may cry and drool as well. Hope you got a comfy chair for the nursery...you will spend many hours not sleeping in it.
7-9 months- SLEEP! Around now Sophia was done with middle of the night bottles. She started sleeping 12 hours straight every night. She did this earlier but I know that at this point she was doing it consistently. Its wonderful. The first time your child does it, you might freak and worry. The 2nd time they do it, you think please don't let it be a fluke. By the 3rd,4th and 5th time...you are joyous. You feel the need to (and do)post about it on facebook and brag to your friends.
** Don't forget evil teething can interrupt this wonderment at any time**
8-10 months- For us this time frame went from fantastic sleeping back to what we called the "Bedtime Battle". Before we figured out that little 4 month old Sophia did not like to be rocked to sleep anymore there was a harried week or 2 of us almost losing our minds at bedtime each night. The local wine shop had an increase in sales because I would have a glass of wine or 3 after bedtime each night just to calm down.
At 9 months Sophia had discovered how to pull up on stuff. So cute. So deceptively cute. Its cute until its bedtime and you put your wonderful little sleeper in the crib and expect the normal, roll over go to sleep routine. Oh no. Not any more. That kid can stand!! The crib is a cruising baby's dream. Until they figure out they are exhausted and don't know how to sit back down....then its a nightmare. Stand up, cry, repeat. Even when you put the exhausted baby down, they stand back up. At this point you consider trying to explain why this is silly to a baby...then you realize you are losing it. Eventually we had to CIO (Cry It Out). It sucked. Doesn't work for everyone. Daddies tend to be the weak link (Sorry Bill). But if you stick to your guns, it works in a day or two. Unless you have a stress puker (a baby that stresses out when you let it cry and pukes instead. then you have a crying baby covered in puke and you have to start all over again.) I thank my lucky stars that Sophia was not a stress puker.
12 months - Your now toddler has made it back to the typical sleep routine by now. You have become accustomed to the occasional teething interruptions. Things are good. So why aren't you sleeping like you did pre-baby, you ask? Because after a year of not sleeping like a normal person, you are conditioned to sleep lighter, hear every sound and wake up. Also babies don't understand the "its the weekend so we sleep in" concept so whenever your kid wakes up during the week, thats their weekend wake up time. And randomly they will wake up at like 5:30am for no reason and so will you.
Now I am only 14 months into parenthood, so I am hoping or have been told that it keeps getting better. And I know when she is a teenager, I will be dragging her out of bed. But all I know is that I never appreciated how truly blissful it was to go to sleep whenever I wanted with no chance of being woken up unexpectedly at 3:18am. Or how what a true gift being able to sleep in on your day off for a long as you want really is. Because once you have a baby...you never sleep the same again.
I now have an almost 14 month old and she sleeps pretty damn good :) She has been sleeping 11-12 straight hours a night for about 8 months now. We were lucky and she followed the typically sleep extension progression that all the books said. She started soothing herself to sleep at about 4 months (i.e. we didn't have to hold her or rock her to sleep anymore) And we only had to deal with 1 week of "I learned to stand up so I won't go to sleep anymore" drama. All in all we have been pretty damn lucky on the sleep front.
But after you have a baby you NEVER sleep the same again. Maybe when they leave the house for college?? I don't know.
Here is what I do know: (yes I know every kid is different, this is based on my experience)
1-2 months - You are up every 2-3 hours. 4 hours if you're lucky. You never knew you could appreciate 4 straight hours of sleep in your life. This goes for men too! Whether your wife is nursing or not, when your little baby lets out that "what the hell? Where am I? Why am I alone? I'm hungry!"cry in the middle of the night...you'll wake up too. Those of you who say "I can't function on less than 8 hours of sleep"....uh YES YOU CAN. Its at this point that coffee becomes more than a beverage and more like a salvation.
3-4 months - You start getting 5-7 hours straight if you are lucky. Some still only sleep in 3 hour stints. But you are so used to getting no sleep that you wake up thinking something must be wrong, panic and check on the baby. Then the baby looks so peaceful, you stay and watch the baby too long. Now you are wide awake. Great. Inevitably when you finally settle back in, the baby wakes up.
5-6 months- This is when many babies turn the corner and really start sleeping for 8 hours or more at a time. Now depending on when your baby goes to sleep at night this can be wonderful. Sophia went to bed at 7 so she still woke up at 2 or 3 am. However, she also started getting teeth at 5 months. Teething is the anti-christ and mortal enemy of sleep. A teething baby wakes up to a sore achy mouth all night long and in response cries and cries and drools and cries. So you will be up all night long. You may cry and drool as well. Hope you got a comfy chair for the nursery...you will spend many hours not sleeping in it.
7-9 months- SLEEP! Around now Sophia was done with middle of the night bottles. She started sleeping 12 hours straight every night. She did this earlier but I know that at this point she was doing it consistently. Its wonderful. The first time your child does it, you might freak and worry. The 2nd time they do it, you think please don't let it be a fluke. By the 3rd,4th and 5th time...you are joyous. You feel the need to (and do)post about it on facebook and brag to your friends.
** Don't forget evil teething can interrupt this wonderment at any time**
8-10 months- For us this time frame went from fantastic sleeping back to what we called the "Bedtime Battle". Before we figured out that little 4 month old Sophia did not like to be rocked to sleep anymore there was a harried week or 2 of us almost losing our minds at bedtime each night. The local wine shop had an increase in sales because I would have a glass of wine or 3 after bedtime each night just to calm down.
At 9 months Sophia had discovered how to pull up on stuff. So cute. So deceptively cute. Its cute until its bedtime and you put your wonderful little sleeper in the crib and expect the normal, roll over go to sleep routine. Oh no. Not any more. That kid can stand!! The crib is a cruising baby's dream. Until they figure out they are exhausted and don't know how to sit back down....then its a nightmare. Stand up, cry, repeat. Even when you put the exhausted baby down, they stand back up. At this point you consider trying to explain why this is silly to a baby...then you realize you are losing it. Eventually we had to CIO (Cry It Out). It sucked. Doesn't work for everyone. Daddies tend to be the weak link (Sorry Bill). But if you stick to your guns, it works in a day or two. Unless you have a stress puker (a baby that stresses out when you let it cry and pukes instead. then you have a crying baby covered in puke and you have to start all over again.) I thank my lucky stars that Sophia was not a stress puker.
12 months - Your now toddler has made it back to the typical sleep routine by now. You have become accustomed to the occasional teething interruptions. Things are good. So why aren't you sleeping like you did pre-baby, you ask? Because after a year of not sleeping like a normal person, you are conditioned to sleep lighter, hear every sound and wake up. Also babies don't understand the "its the weekend so we sleep in" concept so whenever your kid wakes up during the week, thats their weekend wake up time. And randomly they will wake up at like 5:30am for no reason and so will you.
Now I am only 14 months into parenthood, so I am hoping or have been told that it keeps getting better. And I know when she is a teenager, I will be dragging her out of bed. But all I know is that I never appreciated how truly blissful it was to go to sleep whenever I wanted with no chance of being woken up unexpectedly at 3:18am. Or how what a true gift being able to sleep in on your day off for a long as you want really is. Because once you have a baby...you never sleep the same again.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Things They DON'T Teach in Baby Class (Part 1)
1. Teething - Oh don't get me wrong, teething is in all the books and you hear other people talk about teething. Its not like you don't know what it is or what to expect to an extent. What you don't know unless you've had a child before is that teething lasts FOREVER. Case in point: Sophia got her first 2 teeth at 5 months on the dot. Somewhat early in the teething range but still nothing unusual. She is almost 14 months and is still teething. And she isn't even close to done. She currently (as of today) has 13 teeth! And 3 of them are the dreaded molars. But she still has 7 more to go before she is done. She should have all of her baby teeth by 3. Yup 3, I am hoping by 2 so that we only have 10 more months of this..... (what its actually like to have a teething baby is a whole other blog in its self.)
2. The musical toys - Ahh yes the adorable musical toys. Babies love them! Press a button, something lights up and a song plays. Press another button or lever or handle and you get another light and another song. Fantastic.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat....well ok you get the point. You will here the same songs...wait not even songs, parts of songs, over and over again until you think you may go insane. Some toys must be hidden. Some toys must be turned off (until they figure out how to turn them on...) some toys must die. Any toy creator who makes a toy with only 1 volume level....LOUD is a sadist. I'm talking to you maker of the Vtech Ladybug toy!!
3. 3 feet down rule - This rule applies only when your precious little baby is suddenly mobile. Not the cute- rolling- around-mobile. I'm talking on-a- mission-to-move mobile. Actively crawling to start with. If you have a toddler or crawling baby you know the 3 foot down rule. If not ,here it is...look around the room you are in right now. I am sure it looks lovely. Now look at the bottom 3 feet of this room....what do you see? Probably normal, non mobile baby stuff. You may have even put the outlet covers in already (good job). Now I'll tell you want you see....disaster waiting to happen. Bahahaha (evil laugh)!!! Why? Because all the stuff that looks normal will become problematic once your very inquisitive baby can move. I am sure you know outlets and cords are bad. But what about all the other stuff?
Bookshelves with books or dvds below 3 feet become tons of fun for a toddler. Pull them out one by one and chuck them over their shoulder or carry them off into another room.
Anything with a door or a handle? Yeah that will be opened and whatever was "safe" behind it isn't.....ask my friend about her son and the box of tampons....lol.
What about things you don't even think about...like the dishwasher? Ever try to empty a dishwasher with a crawling/walking baby around? Ha! They go right for the knives in the bottom cutlery section faster than you can blink. Dog water bowls = water amusement park. Dog food = baby food. I could continue but I think you got the picture....
4. Baby food - The baby food stage is so fun. Introducing new things to your baby and watching their instantaneous reactions is wonderful. Thats why there are so many "baby didn't like green beans" pictures on facebook. Or whatever new food is introduced. The look of pure joy, hatred, shock or disgust is priceless each time. Now what you don't know is that some baby food is delicious. If you make purees yourself you will realize this quickly. I have one friend in particular who I am pretty sure made extra sweet potatoes for herself each time. And also some toddler foods are quiet tasty as well....Crunchies are actually cheese puffs. Healthier for sure, but also come in a variety of flavors! Even cinnamon maple.....however I prefer, I mean SOPHIA prefers mild cheddar.
Now this topic is endless and I have an actual list of things to add to this but it would take forever, so for now you will have to make due with installment #1. I am sure my 5 readers will be waited on bated breath for the next installment ;)
2. The musical toys - Ahh yes the adorable musical toys. Babies love them! Press a button, something lights up and a song plays. Press another button or lever or handle and you get another light and another song. Fantastic.
Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat....well ok you get the point. You will here the same songs...wait not even songs, parts of songs, over and over again until you think you may go insane. Some toys must be hidden. Some toys must be turned off (until they figure out how to turn them on...) some toys must die. Any toy creator who makes a toy with only 1 volume level....LOUD is a sadist. I'm talking to you maker of the Vtech Ladybug toy!!
3. 3 feet down rule - This rule applies only when your precious little baby is suddenly mobile. Not the cute- rolling- around-mobile. I'm talking on-a- mission-to-move mobile. Actively crawling to start with. If you have a toddler or crawling baby you know the 3 foot down rule. If not ,here it is...look around the room you are in right now. I am sure it looks lovely. Now look at the bottom 3 feet of this room....what do you see? Probably normal, non mobile baby stuff. You may have even put the outlet covers in already (good job). Now I'll tell you want you see....disaster waiting to happen. Bahahaha (evil laugh)!!! Why? Because all the stuff that looks normal will become problematic once your very inquisitive baby can move. I am sure you know outlets and cords are bad. But what about all the other stuff?
Bookshelves with books or dvds below 3 feet become tons of fun for a toddler. Pull them out one by one and chuck them over their shoulder or carry them off into another room.
Anything with a door or a handle? Yeah that will be opened and whatever was "safe" behind it isn't.....ask my friend about her son and the box of tampons....lol.
What about things you don't even think about...like the dishwasher? Ever try to empty a dishwasher with a crawling/walking baby around? Ha! They go right for the knives in the bottom cutlery section faster than you can blink. Dog water bowls = water amusement park. Dog food = baby food. I could continue but I think you got the picture....
4. Baby food - The baby food stage is so fun. Introducing new things to your baby and watching their instantaneous reactions is wonderful. Thats why there are so many "baby didn't like green beans" pictures on facebook. Or whatever new food is introduced. The look of pure joy, hatred, shock or disgust is priceless each time. Now what you don't know is that some baby food is delicious. If you make purees yourself you will realize this quickly. I have one friend in particular who I am pretty sure made extra sweet potatoes for herself each time. And also some toddler foods are quiet tasty as well....Crunchies are actually cheese puffs. Healthier for sure, but also come in a variety of flavors! Even cinnamon maple.....however I prefer, I mean SOPHIA prefers mild cheddar.
 |
| Sophia's "What the heck is cereal" picture ;) |
Now this topic is endless and I have an actual list of things to add to this but it would take forever, so for now you will have to make due with installment #1. I am sure my 5 readers will be waited on bated breath for the next installment ;)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Daycare: Who Cried More?
I have been lucky enough to be a stay at home mom full time for the past year. Being able to see Sophia change and grow everyday for 13 months has been an amazing honor. It has been the most rewarding, demanding, under appreciated, exhausting, exhilarating job I have ever had. I was able to build and nurture a bond with my daughter that is my happiest achievement.
With that said, after a year of talking to a human being who does not talk back (yet) for the majority of my days and living in a quaint town where I know no one....I needed some adult time. I am sure I will look back and cherish those first 13 months of me and Sophia time as she grows. However when you realize that you haven't left your house for 2 days and you are wearing the same combination of yoga pants and t-shirts on a daily basis, you begin to crave the "outside" world a little bit.
I was lucky enough to land a part time 2 day a week job at a local contractors office. Good pay, flexible schedule, hot boss...whats not to like?
My husband, Bill is my boss and has been very supportive of me going back to work on a part time basis, especially since it helps our bottom line and gets more done around his office. I on the other hand get to drive to work and drink Starbucks on the way, sit and do computer work (and chat on MS Messenger with my friends....shhh!!) and feel like I am only responsible for me and the tasks at hand for 10 -ish hours a week. Its great!
Whats NOT great is the daycare drop off process....
Now let me say that we found a WONDERFUL daycare center 5 minutes from our house that takes 1 year olds part time. Its brand new and the director is wonderful and has a masters in Early Childhood which warms my elementary school teacher heart. Bill and I were very impressed with the center, the director, the staff and our neighbor's son goes there as well and they had only great things to say. So, all in all we got lucky and are very happy with the "school" Sophia goes to twice a week.
With that said....the first couple of days of daycare drop off is HORRENDOUS. There is no way around it. There is crying. Lots of crying. Baby crying. Mommy crying. Scared crying. Guilt crying. Separation anxiety crying. Just crying crying. And since my little miss is very aware at 13 months, she KNOWS I left her. She isn't a little baby blob who may sense that I am not immediately around but that she is safe. She can look around the room and say "not the momma, not the momma" and cry. :(
Needless to say every day for the first 2 weeks that I dropped her off I was a mess. As soon as she started sobbing, I would sob. I cry on my way out of the building, to the car, in the car, on the phone to anyone crazy enough to take my call (thanks Bill & Val & my mom). I would then make the mistake of going back to check or calling to check too soon and continue crying. I so wanted to run into that room, grab my baby and bolt.
But I didn't. And I am SO GLAD that I didn't. For the last week, Sophia did not cry one little baby tear and I didn't cry any big giant I'm a bad mommy tears. She had fun! Lots of fun! And I have started my refrigerator art gallery of pictures made with painted hand and feet prints :)
Everyone said "It gets better" and they were right....even though I didn't want to believe them.
With that said, after a year of talking to a human being who does not talk back (yet) for the majority of my days and living in a quaint town where I know no one....I needed some adult time. I am sure I will look back and cherish those first 13 months of me and Sophia time as she grows. However when you realize that you haven't left your house for 2 days and you are wearing the same combination of yoga pants and t-shirts on a daily basis, you begin to crave the "outside" world a little bit.
I was lucky enough to land a part time 2 day a week job at a local contractors office. Good pay, flexible schedule, hot boss...whats not to like?
My husband, Bill is my boss and has been very supportive of me going back to work on a part time basis, especially since it helps our bottom line and gets more done around his office. I on the other hand get to drive to work and drink Starbucks on the way, sit and do computer work (and chat on MS Messenger with my friends....shhh!!) and feel like I am only responsible for me and the tasks at hand for 10 -ish hours a week. Its great!
Whats NOT great is the daycare drop off process....
Now let me say that we found a WONDERFUL daycare center 5 minutes from our house that takes 1 year olds part time. Its brand new and the director is wonderful and has a masters in Early Childhood which warms my elementary school teacher heart. Bill and I were very impressed with the center, the director, the staff and our neighbor's son goes there as well and they had only great things to say. So, all in all we got lucky and are very happy with the "school" Sophia goes to twice a week.
With that said....the first couple of days of daycare drop off is HORRENDOUS. There is no way around it. There is crying. Lots of crying. Baby crying. Mommy crying. Scared crying. Guilt crying. Separation anxiety crying. Just crying crying. And since my little miss is very aware at 13 months, she KNOWS I left her. She isn't a little baby blob who may sense that I am not immediately around but that she is safe. She can look around the room and say "not the momma, not the momma" and cry. :(
Needless to say every day for the first 2 weeks that I dropped her off I was a mess. As soon as she started sobbing, I would sob. I cry on my way out of the building, to the car, in the car, on the phone to anyone crazy enough to take my call (thanks Bill & Val & my mom). I would then make the mistake of going back to check or calling to check too soon and continue crying. I so wanted to run into that room, grab my baby and bolt.
But I didn't. And I am SO GLAD that I didn't. For the last week, Sophia did not cry one little baby tear and I didn't cry any big giant I'm a bad mommy tears. She had fun! Lots of fun! And I have started my refrigerator art gallery of pictures made with painted hand and feet prints :)
 |
| Handprint Flower |
 |
| Handprints and 1st Macaroni Necklace |
Everyone said "It gets better" and they were right....even though I didn't want to believe them.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Sophia's 1st Birthday Party
I can't believe Sophia will be one tomorrow. What a year! Its had its ups and downs but it is just so amazing to watch an infant grow into the little person who runs around this house all day.
To celebrate this momentous occasion we had a family and friends birthday party at our home. I chose a ladybug theme because 1) Sophia was a ladybug for Halloween 2) She loves ladybugs (or seems to be drawn to them) and 3) thats what I wanted and I am pretty sure I only get to choose for this one and maybe the next one lol :)
Anyway, I had a lot of fun planning and prepping for the party. It was nice to put my teacher abilities to good use. It was like setting up my classroom for the year except it was for one day and it was my house. Needless to say I may have gone overboard but I think I teetered nicely on the sane side of tastefully done :) If I didn't no one told me otherwise (which is both nice and wise of them!)
Here are some pics of the house and the party and such. I forgot to take pictures of the table with food on it of course and lots of other stuff as well but you get the gist!
To celebrate this momentous occasion we had a family and friends birthday party at our home. I chose a ladybug theme because 1) Sophia was a ladybug for Halloween 2) She loves ladybugs (or seems to be drawn to them) and 3) thats what I wanted and I am pretty sure I only get to choose for this one and maybe the next one lol :)
Anyway, I had a lot of fun planning and prepping for the party. It was nice to put my teacher abilities to good use. It was like setting up my classroom for the year except it was for one day and it was my house. Needless to say I may have gone overboard but I think I teetered nicely on the sane side of tastefully done :) If I didn't no one told me otherwise (which is both nice and wise of them!)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
SAHM: Not for the faint of heart
SAHM: acronym for Stay At Home Mom
Seems like a simple job from the outside in. Stay home. Be maternal. Be a mom. Get stuff around the house done. Whats the big deal, right?
WRONG. It is by far the hardest job I have ever had. Period.
On a good day, its the most fun and rewarding job you can find. Full of smiles, giggles, adventures and fun. There is nothing better than seeing your baby/child do anything for the first time. Be there to catch them right before they have a disastrous fall, roll around on the floor and give endless kisses and hugs. That smiley little person, happy as can be. Loving you, loving life.
On a bad day, the toughest among us consider a small padded room with 1 window and peace and quiet as a possible reality. One of my friends said in a facebook status "my husband may come home and find his wife sitting in the closet, gorging herself on chocolate, rocking back and forth, and laughing maniacally..." I can totally relate.
Tuesday was one of those days. Everything was trying. Sophia did not want to be put down...she is at least 23 pounds....there is only so much carrying one mom can do. When she was on her own, she did EVERYTHING she was not supposed to. Pretty sure "No Thank You" were the only words I said ALL DAY LONG. Climbing on the stone fireplace, throwing food, cups, bottles, trying to climb the stairs, pulling off the corner covers from the stone fireplace, banging on the glass cabinet doors, refusing to nap...the list is endless. When I took her away from any of these things, she cried, yelled and I think at one point tried out a tantrum. Oh and she had a horrible night the night before so I was functioning on about 5 hours of sleep. It was in a word....exhausting. In a few more words...exasperating, frustrating, crazy, maddening.
Now when you have a bad day at work, you go vent to a co-worker. I have no co-workers. I have a dog, 2 cats and the aforementioned trouble maker.
Now when you have a bad day at work, you go vent to a co-worker. I have no co-workers. I have a dog, 2 cats and the aforementioned trouble maker.
Thank you Bill for taking my phone calls and calmly listening to your harried wife vent about the misery that was my day. Thank you Val for letting me vent via email during nap time. I made it through that day thanks to you two and nap time silence.
Wednesday was a great day. It almost makes me forget Tuesday...almost.
 |
| Sophia aka Trouble |
Friday, March 4, 2011
a list of mom stuff
1. There is definitely some sort of snot, milk, formula, spit up etc on your shirt and you shrug wipe at it with a diaper wipe or your sleeve and go about your business. This includes being out in public.
2. You have a profound love for you coffee machine. (My Keurig & I are engaged.)
3. You have more grey hair. Yes literally. At least for me its true.
4. Yoga pants are a staple in your wardrobe and not used only for exercising.
5. One of your arms has quickly become stronger than the other.
6. You know what baby food tastes good and what tastes like vomit.
7. Long hair = hair cut or in my case constant pony tail.
8. Necklaces are a now considered a possible choking hazard. Not for the baby but the from the baby accidentally choking you.
9. You park near the shopping cart return in every parking lot.
10. You know that diaper wipes can clean up anything and will use them accordingly.
11. You know the song to any random Disney or Nickelodeon song. In my case its the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Come inside - Its fun inside! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E)
12. Doing anything alone and not in a hurry is relaxing. (Especially Target)
13. You are the last one to actually eat at most meals.
14. Businesses that have drive throughs become your favorites. My town has a drive thru Starbucks and a drive thru CVS. I love them.
15. Things that annoyed you before you had kids don't even register now. Example: Repetitive noises would drive me insane. Sophia LOVES to bang things together ALL DAY LONG...not phased.
16. Via Jess Nusbaum - and during this nap, how much time do i have? do i leisurely enjoy my coffee or do i blow dry my hair for the first time in a month? hmmm... is that baby food in my hair, too?
17. I find baby socks everywhere and regularly I pull them out of my purse.
18. Realizing I am out in public with a baby bow in my hair....why? Because my daughter rips them out of her hair repeatedly and I end up sticking them in mine without thinking about it around the house and then I do the same thing out in public. I am so cool.
19.
These are just the ones that came to mind as I typed. I will update I'm sure.
2. You have a profound love for you coffee machine. (My Keurig & I are engaged.)
3. You have more grey hair. Yes literally. At least for me its true.4. Yoga pants are a staple in your wardrobe and not used only for exercising.
5. One of your arms has quickly become stronger than the other.
6. You know what baby food tastes good and what tastes like vomit.
7. Long hair = hair cut or in my case constant pony tail.
8. Necklaces are a now considered a possible choking hazard. Not for the baby but the from the baby accidentally choking you.
9. You park near the shopping cart return in every parking lot.
10. You know that diaper wipes can clean up anything and will use them accordingly.
11. You know the song to any random Disney or Nickelodeon song. In my case its the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song. (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Come inside - Its fun inside! M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E)
12. Doing anything alone and not in a hurry is relaxing. (Especially Target)
13. You are the last one to actually eat at most meals.
14. Businesses that have drive throughs become your favorites. My town has a drive thru Starbucks and a drive thru CVS. I love them.
15. Things that annoyed you before you had kids don't even register now. Example: Repetitive noises would drive me insane. Sophia LOVES to bang things together ALL DAY LONG...not phased.
16. Via Jess Nusbaum - and during this nap, how much time do i have? do i leisurely enjoy my coffee or do i blow dry my hair for the first time in a month? hmmm... is that baby food in my hair, too?
17. I find baby socks everywhere and regularly I pull them out of my purse.
18. Realizing I am out in public with a baby bow in my hair....why? Because my daughter rips them out of her hair repeatedly and I end up sticking them in mine without thinking about it around the house and then I do the same thing out in public. I am so cool.
19.
These are just the ones that came to mind as I typed. I will update I'm sure.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
First Steps!!!
Sophia has been showing some interest in the idea of walking for the past week or so. Mostly she would cruise to the end of something and then let go and promptly fall to a crawling position. Let me say that I am AMAZED at her fearlessness...she just lets go and hopes for the best...I am sure there is a lesson there with some corresponding proverb or cliche' in there.Anyway, she basically falls onto her hands and knees and goes on her merry way. No fuss, no crying.
So, Bill and I have been doing "practice" walking with her when he gets home from work. We put her between us and get her in a standing position and prompt her to "walk" to mommy or daddy. Its ADORABLE and she can take few steps before we have to catch her. The pure joy on her face is to die for. But we haven't considered these steps her "first steps" because we are prompting and encouraging and facilitating them.
This morning we girls were hanging out in the kitchen, drinking coffee and having girl talk. (So really I was chugging coffee because she decided to wake up at 6am and she was babbling like a banshee). And she started cruising down the counters on our island towards the oven. Now the oven is a main attraction because there is this cute little baby in there that does the same thing that Sophia does and screams and laughs at her.... Anyway, I noticed that Sophia appeared to be cruising with an intent purpose so I whipped out my iPhone just in case.
Next thing I know she gets to the end of the counter where she would usually drop down and crawl the 3 feet to the oven but she does not drop. She steadies herself, shimmies forward and lets go....and walks!!!! It was so awesome! It may have only been 3 little steps but as a mom your heart explodes in excitement and pride. You have just witnessed your child take the first steps of the millions in her lifetime. There is nothing like it.
Monday, February 28, 2011
"Cruising": Another Thing That Has a Totally Different Meaning When You Have a Baby
So am sure that all of my rabid blog fans are wondering why haven't I been blogging. I know my friend Val has been.... :)- I have two words for you... crawling and cruising.
To my non mommy friends, crawling is a obvious thing. Baby on all fours getting around. And thats true however 1) Babies can crawl FAST and 2) Crawling leads to Cruising.
Before I had Sophia I had no idea what "cruising " meant outside of getting on a big boat to drink frozen drinks and have fun or driving around your town when you are 16 with nothing to do. Well, if I had known I would have been more worried for this stage.
Cruising means your previously easy to keep an eye on baby is now almost always getting into something that you don't want them to. Cruising is the stage between crawling and walking when babies figure out how to pull up to a standing position and walk while holding onto something (the couch, the table, the dog...whatever).
So now suddenly seemingly everything is accessible! Today, Sophia spent almost an hour cruising the walls of the kitchen. Yup, I said walls. Imagine my tiny little 10 month old, spiderman style against the wall slowly making her way from the wall to the windowsill to the door to the bookcase. Cute, right? Yes of course but as a mom that means you are constantly there to say "No Thank You" when she tried to swing on the curtains Tarzan style, use her high chair as a push toy, play in the dog water bowl and pull the table runner with a vase of flowers on it off the table.
Needless to say, blogging time has been hard to come by ;) As you can see.....
To my non mommy friends, crawling is a obvious thing. Baby on all fours getting around. And thats true however 1) Babies can crawl FAST and 2) Crawling leads to Cruising.
Before I had Sophia I had no idea what "cruising " meant outside of getting on a big boat to drink frozen drinks and have fun or driving around your town when you are 16 with nothing to do. Well, if I had known I would have been more worried for this stage.
Cruising means your previously easy to keep an eye on baby is now almost always getting into something that you don't want them to. Cruising is the stage between crawling and walking when babies figure out how to pull up to a standing position and walk while holding onto something (the couch, the table, the dog...whatever).
So now suddenly seemingly everything is accessible! Today, Sophia spent almost an hour cruising the walls of the kitchen. Yup, I said walls. Imagine my tiny little 10 month old, spiderman style against the wall slowly making her way from the wall to the windowsill to the door to the bookcase. Cute, right? Yes of course but as a mom that means you are constantly there to say "No Thank You" when she tried to swing on the curtains Tarzan style, use her high chair as a push toy, play in the dog water bowl and pull the table runner with a vase of flowers on it off the table.
Needless to say, blogging time has been hard to come by ;) As you can see.....
Monday, January 17, 2011
Stand up, Sit down...Fight, Fight Fight!
I remember my dad telling me the story of when I figured out how to stand up in my crib and how it was a complete debacle because I wouldn't go to sleep. Every time my parents laid me down and left the room, I popped right back up and talked and yelled until they came back in.
At no point during this story did it ever occur that Sophia would do that....rookie mistake. Sophia figured out to pull up on things last week. We made it about 4 days before she realized this also applied to her crib.
At first we reverted back to the tried and true method of holding her and rocking/swaying her to sleep. I must say its very sweet and special to have your child fall asleep on you. However, after 4 days of doing this for 2 naps per day and bedtime...the novelty again wears thin. If you would like to know why that is so do the following:
Get 20 pound sack of potatoes. Begin swinging a 20 pound sack of potatoes (which also has arms to grab at your face and neck and a mouth full of little teeth just wanting to chomp down on something) side to side slowly for about 20 minutes. Then slowly as not to wake the very sensitive potatoes, lower the bag into an awaiting crib. Finally release the potatoes into said crib without jostling them or upsetting or startling them. If you cannot do this successfully, repeat!
Needless to say that last night Bill and I were over this new Sophia development. She was not. So, we decided no more rocking.....sounds SO easy. Yeah right. It took about 45 minutes of the following: Kiss Sophia good night, put her on her back in the crib, leave the room. Watch on the video monitor as she promptly flips over, crawls to the crib rail, pulls her self up and celebrates by talking, squealing etc. Eventually she begins to tire so she starts whining. Go back in, kiss, put down, leave. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. You get the idea. Finally, she thankfully gave up on us and sat down on her butt, rolled onto her belly and went to sleep! Sneaking little thing has been able to do that all along :P
Thursday, January 13, 2011
It's A Nap Time Miracle
Location: My house
Time: 3:02 p.m. January 13th, 2011
 |
| Sophia's Motto |
A miracle has occurred. Ok maybe not to most people but to me, hell yes! I will say that although Sophia is a great baby and very easy going...she seems to detest afternoon naps. Morning naps , no problem...9:00 right on schedule she goes down and goes to sleep. Afternoon naps are a whole different story! I feel like I need to put on my battle gear for afternoon nap time. Nap time battle gear would include....earplugs, advil, waterproof vest, a harness to help with rocking/swaying, and a victory shot if successful.
Anyway today, nothing worked. Rocking, swaying, sound machine, mobile, no mobile, snuggling, you name it. I had lost nap time battle #52 ( this number could be higher, its just an estimate because if I kept track I might loose my mind). I gave up and decided we would have a bottle (no I didn't have one but I shot out of a bottle may have been nice) and then I would put her in the car and drive. Driving ensures passing out. However, I had nowhere to go, I am sick and I am tired. But driving was inevitable and much preferred to the grumpy baby that would have emerged around 4:30. So, I went with that plan and gave Sophia her bottle which she now feeds to herself.
And suddenly the miracle began to happen...she started falling asleep while she drank her bottle....in a brightly lit room...without any rocking....nothing. I leapt into action!!! Snatched her up, went upstairs, finished the bottle in the rocker and she was ASLEEP! YES!!! After 1 and a half hours from starting nap time, Sophia was asleep! Thank you nap time angels..this blog has been made possible by you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)