We celebrated my son's birthday just a few days ago. It's really true, time does fly. I have no idea where that first year went. I can say that with ease looking back on it, but during the day to day, many of them felt too long. A year ago I was just leaving the hospital with this little person who needed me for absolutely everything. I am glad to say we have come a long way, after many sleepless nights, crying, and seemingly never ending days.
So I was trying to think about what's happened in the last year. Sometimes it just seems like this is always how it was and other days there are glimpses of what life was like before a baby. I still don't feel like a parent. I don't know when that happens, but I am sure it's around the same time they start verbalizing that more (mama, dada, etc). I know I am responsible for a little man and I worry about him pretty much always and maybe that's what it feels like to be a parent. I wouldn't know.
But if I stop and think of all the things my son has accomplished over the year, it really is quiet amazing. He went from being this helpless tiny bundle to a babbling, cruising, drooling toddler. His first word was kitty ("Gigi") and he current favorite toy is a dustpan and small dust broom. He still doesn't like getting ready for bed, but he does like bath time most of the time. He thinks flushing the toilet is a riot and playing in the cat water dish is just something to do when mom and dad aren't looking. He knocks over Sparky on a routine basis, but has learned to start petting him nicely ("Be nice to kitty"). He has four teeth and is working on the next two. He loves macaroni and cheese.
He really has been a wonderful baby, but I am not going to lie, those first 6 months were the hardest. Months 6-9 were a little easier, but we were still getting up in the middle of the night for feeding. At month 9 we slept through the night and it was glorious. We have been enjoying pretty much solid sleep for a good 3 months, although now it feels like we never got up in the middle of the night. It's amazing what you get used to and how fast you get used to it. At month 9, I stopped pumping during the day and at month 11, I stopped nursing altogether. That had it's pluses and minuses. We saved a load of money on formula and washing bottles, but it was demanding and it's a sole source job.
We still have a hard time leaving the house with everything he needs. Diapers, wipes, emergency pacifier if he gets out of control, change of clothes, snacks, water bottle, food, bottles, toys, stroller if needed. Of course you also have to plan around naps. We are still at a solid two naps which I think is great. They are great when you need to get household stuff done, but they are a pain when you need to go places. Usually we can plan it so he is in the car for at least one of the nap times, but we are rarely in the car long enough to make it really count. It's a give and take thing.
So the first year is over and we survived. I think that's really what the first birthday celebration is all about. :) The good mews is I remember a lot more of the laughs and smiles than the really bad days (and we have had them). I think that's why people end up with a second. Haha!
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Baby. Show all posts
Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Making Your Own Baby Food
This may seem like an intimidating idea, but trust me, nothing could be easier to make. I wish all my meals could be as simple as the ones for a baby. During a visit to the pediatrician's office we were told some enlightening things about baby food. The first of which is they do not need to start with cereal. Silly uneducated me thought that was what you had to do! She actually suggested avocado as a great first food. The added bonus being you can eat whatever they don't. Fabulous!
We actually did choose to make avocado Colin's first food and it was probably one of the best decisions we made. He actually liked the avocado and, as we later found out, on the mess scale, it's pretty low. He did still manage the get it all over him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as cereal. We decided to make that the second food so in a pinch if we had to, we would know it would be ok to give that to him. I am glad I bought a small box because I can't see going back to that EVER. On the mess scale that was probably oh, about an 11. I think the only way we are going to finish that box is if it gets mixed in with other real food.
After that episode, I decided to go educate myself on what a baby needs and great first foods. Aside from avocados; apples, sweet potatoes, and bananas are great too. My dad sent a big care package of apples from the family orchard in NY, so those were immediately used to make the first batch of food for him. Surprisingly, they were very easy to make. I chose the boil method, where you peel, core, and cut up apples and place in a pot. I added a small amount of water and cooked for about 15 minutes or until they were breaking down to mush. That's when you know they are ready.
For the sweet potatoes, I scrubbed them and stabbed them with a fork. Wrapped them up in tin foil and baked in a 400 degree oven for an hour. I didn't have time to puree them yesterday, so I put them in the fridge and did that today.
You basically blend them up until they are smooth. You will probably need to add a little water to get a decent consistency. I think I added maybe a half a cup for two sweet potatoes. I just kind of eye balled it.
You should get a pretty smooth puree which you can then portion on into ice cube trays. For me, my ice cube measurement is roughly a tablespoon, so that works out pretty much perfectly. Place all your puree into your trays and then freeze. Once they are froze you can use a knife to pop out the cubes and place into a Ziploc freezer bag. Two potatoes gave me 30 cubes of food plus 2-3 servings which I didn't freeze since I will be using them for a few days.
Between this and the apples, I have plenty of food to keep him fed for a while. Total hands on time was maybe an hour for each food. I am using the Wholesome Baby Food website as a reference/guide to making food for Colin. I think it has a lot of good information and recipes. Lentils will probably be one of the next foods to get prepared this way as they are rich in iron and provide a great base for adding in other foods. Good luck!
We actually did choose to make avocado Colin's first food and it was probably one of the best decisions we made. He actually liked the avocado and, as we later found out, on the mess scale, it's pretty low. He did still manage the get it all over him, but it wasn't nearly as bad as cereal. We decided to make that the second food so in a pinch if we had to, we would know it would be ok to give that to him. I am glad I bought a small box because I can't see going back to that EVER. On the mess scale that was probably oh, about an 11. I think the only way we are going to finish that box is if it gets mixed in with other real food.
After that episode, I decided to go educate myself on what a baby needs and great first foods. Aside from avocados; apples, sweet potatoes, and bananas are great too. My dad sent a big care package of apples from the family orchard in NY, so those were immediately used to make the first batch of food for him. Surprisingly, they were very easy to make. I chose the boil method, where you peel, core, and cut up apples and place in a pot. I added a small amount of water and cooked for about 15 minutes or until they were breaking down to mush. That's when you know they are ready.
For the sweet potatoes, I scrubbed them and stabbed them with a fork. Wrapped them up in tin foil and baked in a 400 degree oven for an hour. I didn't have time to puree them yesterday, so I put them in the fridge and did that today.
I peeled the sweet potatoes, which is really easy after they are cooled. The skin just peels off almost on it's own. Then I dropped them into my food processor.
You basically blend them up until they are smooth. You will probably need to add a little water to get a decent consistency. I think I added maybe a half a cup for two sweet potatoes. I just kind of eye balled it.
You should get a pretty smooth puree which you can then portion on into ice cube trays. For me, my ice cube measurement is roughly a tablespoon, so that works out pretty much perfectly. Place all your puree into your trays and then freeze. Once they are froze you can use a knife to pop out the cubes and place into a Ziploc freezer bag. Two potatoes gave me 30 cubes of food plus 2-3 servings which I didn't freeze since I will be using them for a few days.
Between this and the apples, I have plenty of food to keep him fed for a while. Total hands on time was maybe an hour for each food. I am using the Wholesome Baby Food website as a reference/guide to making food for Colin. I think it has a lot of good information and recipes. Lentils will probably be one of the next foods to get prepared this way as they are rich in iron and provide a great base for adding in other foods. Good luck!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Colin's Quilt
I finally made the time to finish my son's first quilt not all that long
ago. It took a while with everything else I was doing, but he now has a
place to play and drool on. :)
I was having a hard time picking THE quilt pattern for him. I really wanted a sailboat pattern, but the ones I found I wasn't happy with and so I ultimately settled on a pattern I had used for my friend's little girl. I opted for frogs instead of butterflies this time, but it was still fun trying to pick out all of the fabric I was going to need. You really need to have a clear vision of what you want your finished product to look like to pick good fabrics. So far I'd like to think I have had pretty good luck. :)
Over a couple of weeks I did all of the cutting and initial block making. This quilt takes a few steps just to get to the image show below. For each of those green-blue-white blocks, I had to sew two larger blocks into two smaller squares for each color combination (green-blue and blue-white) and divide them each time. Then for the final assembly, sew the two different combinations together and split them once more to get the final block. It's a lot of small steps, but if you find your groove it doesn't take too long.
The easier pieces of the block are just the straight white blocks and even the motif centered blocks. The motif centered (frogs) are a little tricky just to make sure you have enough fabric and can get the character centered how you want them. This one was slightly easier than the butterflies, but still a bit tricky.
Once you get all 9 blocks together you get the one bigger block which becomes the true block you work into your pattern. I alternated the pieced blocks with what are referred to as "snowball" blocks. I guess someone thought that's what they looked like at one point. In any case, once you get the lined up and sewn together, you start to see a fun larger pattern emerge.
The final top layer step is to add borders. They really make the quilt come together and give it definition. Once you get that part together, you can start to assemble the quilt with your top layer (quilted), the filling (typically cotton batting), and then your backing (typically a solid fabric). This was the first quilt I decided to machine together, so it was a bit intense putting it through my machine. But the good news is, I now know I can do it, and it gives it a somewhat professional look to it.
Quilting truly is a labor of love. I am sure my little man is going to make all kinds of messes on this quilt, but I also know that it will be a keepsake no matter what shape it gets to be. :)
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Colin's First Big Trip
We recently embarked on our first big journey with Colin to the grand old state of NY. We tried to pack like we were still going to be in civilization and I think we did ok. We used pretty much everything and I don't think there was anything were we said, "DOH! Why didn't we bring that?" And the bonus, everything and everyone fit pretty comfortably in the Prius for this trip.
The reason for this trip was Rob's grandfather's burial ceremony so not the happiest of occasions, but we were still able to introduce Colin to a fair amount of relatives and friends. This includes his Uncle Bill who was so excited to meet him, I am pretty sure he hopped out of the car as it pulled in to park.
There was a good amount of traveling even when we got to NY, but Colin did really well with being in his car seat. He didn't sleep the whole time and nor did we want him to, but he did doze on and off like a normal day. Over the course of the long weekend we did manage to do some tummy time, although by the time mommy grabbed the camera he was getting upset about it.
We also managed to get to the diner where my parents eat every Friday night. Everyone there ooed and aahhed over him (as is appropriate with such a cute baby :P). Rob was trying to keep the little man entertained while we waited for a table.
On Saturday we had a small picnic for immediately family and two of my past co-workers/friends from Syracuse and their little ones.
We even got a couple of family photos of everyone together at the same time.
On Sunday we packed it up and headed back home. The trip took longer coming back than it did going, but we made it. I don't think I ever really appreciated how much stability a routine can bring with an infant. But the take away is that we survived and we now know we can travel with him and it won't be the end of the world.
The reason for this trip was Rob's grandfather's burial ceremony so not the happiest of occasions, but we were still able to introduce Colin to a fair amount of relatives and friends. This includes his Uncle Bill who was so excited to meet him, I am pretty sure he hopped out of the car as it pulled in to park.
There was a good amount of traveling even when we got to NY, but Colin did really well with being in his car seat. He didn't sleep the whole time and nor did we want him to, but he did doze on and off like a normal day. Over the course of the long weekend we did manage to do some tummy time, although by the time mommy grabbed the camera he was getting upset about it.
We also managed to get to the diner where my parents eat every Friday night. Everyone there ooed and aahhed over him (as is appropriate with such a cute baby :P). Rob was trying to keep the little man entertained while we waited for a table.
On Saturday we had a small picnic for immediately family and two of my past co-workers/friends from Syracuse and their little ones.
We even got a couple of family photos of everyone together at the same time.
On Sunday we packed it up and headed back home. The trip took longer coming back than it did going, but we made it. I don't think I ever really appreciated how much stability a routine can bring with an infant. But the take away is that we survived and we now know we can travel with him and it won't be the end of the world.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Baby Quilts
Where on earth do I find the time to do these things? When I figure it out, I will let you know. But mostly I suspect it's my lack of ability to sit still and do nothing. Most of the time it seems like such a waste. I have a lot of things I want to do in my free time, but I just prioritize the hell out of it. It helps to have a loving husband who is supportive of my insane need to do some of these things. :)
Anywho, it's been a while since I made a quilt, but all these people are having babies and so my baby quilt book is starting to see some exercise! The first batter up is Sarah who is having a shower this weekend. I asked her a while ago what, if any, kind of theme she was going with. Jungle prints, courtesy of inherited baby stuff from family members. Awesome, I can work with that. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and let my mind wander as I picked out a pattern and fabric to go with it. The patterns in the book always explain how to re-create the exact quilt shown, so I have to think outside the mold a little if I like the basic pattern, but not their prints (pretty much how all of them are).
I pieced it together Friday during the day while everyone was out of the house. After Colin went to sleep, I stayed up hand tying it together. My husband thought it would be a good idea to record this process.
Looks just like I know what I am doing! :) This morning I finished making the binding and attached it to the quilt. I find myself always going to look for the YouTube Video I found a few years ago to help me figure out how to get it to meet up and lay flat. It never makes sense when I watch it, but it works every time! Finished product:
And while I was at it, I decided to make some pacifier clips in case they need them. I found them to be a life saver from having to play, "pick the pacifier up off the floor and rinse" every 5 minutes. I found the pattern on Pinterest and it worked out pretty well.
I am sure there will be a few more posted here before the year is out. It seems people have really caught onto the baby fever!
Anywho, it's been a while since I made a quilt, but all these people are having babies and so my baby quilt book is starting to see some exercise! The first batter up is Sarah who is having a shower this weekend. I asked her a while ago what, if any, kind of theme she was going with. Jungle prints, courtesy of inherited baby stuff from family members. Awesome, I can work with that. I went to Jo-Ann Fabrics and let my mind wander as I picked out a pattern and fabric to go with it. The patterns in the book always explain how to re-create the exact quilt shown, so I have to think outside the mold a little if I like the basic pattern, but not their prints (pretty much how all of them are).
I pieced it together Friday during the day while everyone was out of the house. After Colin went to sleep, I stayed up hand tying it together. My husband thought it would be a good idea to record this process.
Looks just like I know what I am doing! :) This morning I finished making the binding and attached it to the quilt. I find myself always going to look for the YouTube Video I found a few years ago to help me figure out how to get it to meet up and lay flat. It never makes sense when I watch it, but it works every time! Finished product:
And while I was at it, I decided to make some pacifier clips in case they need them. I found them to be a life saver from having to play, "pick the pacifier up off the floor and rinse" every 5 minutes. I found the pattern on Pinterest and it worked out pretty well.
I am sure there will be a few more posted here before the year is out. It seems people have really caught onto the baby fever!
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Welcome Baby Colin
It's probably no surprise to anyone, but our son joined our family back in April and has been pretty much the center of our lives since. His arrival was pretty textbook, although I wasn't expecting to have a relatively short labor (12 hours from first pain to delivery) the way I have heard many of my friends talk so I was shocked when after 5 hours of labor I was already 6-7cm which I had labored through at home. We got to the hospital in the middle of the night at the next morning, out he came!
The hospital stay was nice and all the doctors and nurses we saw were great. Definitely a positive experience and the food wasn't half bad either! Before we knew it we were home with him and trying to figure out how to be parents for the first time. Believe it or not, while they don't come with an instruction book, instincts kick in from somewhere and help guide you. That and there are only so many things that can be troubling them at such a young age. Diaper wet? Fed? Tired? Gassy? That pretty much covers 90% of all problems.
He has been a good baby and has slept at night from the start and has been pretty content. I am not going to lie though, there were a few periods in there where I thought he was a colicky baby and I was going to loose my mind. However it turns out he really didn't like me eating dairy, so I cut that out of the diet pretty much all the way (how I miss ice cream). It has since helped a lot. Of course, mom lost her mind and ate some broccoli the other day and was reminded in short order that that's not appreciated either. The growth spurts at 2 weeks and around 6 weeks were the hardest, but we got through them. Now we are in the "easy" zone for a few months before he starts teething.
While I would love to be home forever with him, we have bills to pay and I need two way conversations that don't involve poop. Day care started a few weeks ago and he seems to be adjusting to that well. We got him trained to take a bottle a while ago and that helped immensely. The ladies at day care have been great and have been loving on him a lot. He seems pretty happy when he gets home and that makes for happy parents.
The question people want to know the answer to most - Are you getting any sleep? The answer is yes, but (there's always a but) it's nothing like the sleep you get before you have a baby. So while yes in fact he does sleep for 4-5 hours (sometimes 6 if we are super lucky) at a time, you still have to wake from a dead sleep to get up, wake up enough to feed him, and then get yourself back to sleep. It's not always as easy as it sounds. Now that he is sleeping in his crib it's a bit easier because I don't lie awake listening to him until I know he is totally passed out again. I have also gotten to know when he will and won't be happy when I put him back in his crib. Like I said, it's a learning process and he is a good teacher.
So with that, I will share a few of my favorite photos for now and tell you all to just stay tuned as we go through this new (and very long) chapter in our lives about parenting. :)
The hospital stay was nice and all the doctors and nurses we saw were great. Definitely a positive experience and the food wasn't half bad either! Before we knew it we were home with him and trying to figure out how to be parents for the first time. Believe it or not, while they don't come with an instruction book, instincts kick in from somewhere and help guide you. That and there are only so many things that can be troubling them at such a young age. Diaper wet? Fed? Tired? Gassy? That pretty much covers 90% of all problems.
He has been a good baby and has slept at night from the start and has been pretty content. I am not going to lie though, there were a few periods in there where I thought he was a colicky baby and I was going to loose my mind. However it turns out he really didn't like me eating dairy, so I cut that out of the diet pretty much all the way (how I miss ice cream). It has since helped a lot. Of course, mom lost her mind and ate some broccoli the other day and was reminded in short order that that's not appreciated either. The growth spurts at 2 weeks and around 6 weeks were the hardest, but we got through them. Now we are in the "easy" zone for a few months before he starts teething.
While I would love to be home forever with him, we have bills to pay and I need two way conversations that don't involve poop. Day care started a few weeks ago and he seems to be adjusting to that well. We got him trained to take a bottle a while ago and that helped immensely. The ladies at day care have been great and have been loving on him a lot. He seems pretty happy when he gets home and that makes for happy parents.
The question people want to know the answer to most - Are you getting any sleep? The answer is yes, but (there's always a but) it's nothing like the sleep you get before you have a baby. So while yes in fact he does sleep for 4-5 hours (sometimes 6 if we are super lucky) at a time, you still have to wake from a dead sleep to get up, wake up enough to feed him, and then get yourself back to sleep. It's not always as easy as it sounds. Now that he is sleeping in his crib it's a bit easier because I don't lie awake listening to him until I know he is totally passed out again. I have also gotten to know when he will and won't be happy when I put him back in his crib. Like I said, it's a learning process and he is a good teacher.
So with that, I will share a few of my favorite photos for now and tell you all to just stay tuned as we go through this new (and very long) chapter in our lives about parenting. :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Lessons Learned from Pregnancy
As of tomorrow I will officially be at 40 weeks (aka - my due date). During the past 9 months I have learned a thing or three about being pregnant through my experience. I thought it might be educational/humorous to share them with you. Here they are in no particular order:
1. I have acquired a unique ability to seek out public restrooms. Note - Not all are created equal.
2. People will say the stupidest things to you that makes you question their intelligence. I had a lady who stopped by my desk days after I was out with a severe cold and offer me advice on how to get rid of my "pregnancy cough". Even when trying to explain that I had a cold I was getting over she seemed to think that wasn't relevant and that I for sure had this pregnancy cough. For those that are curious, should you ever get this, you should drink onion water. Yes, onion water, whatever the hell that is.
3. Related, people want to comment on your progress. I have heard it all which I take to mean no one really has a clue what's "normal". I have been told, "You shouldn't be that big for 5 months!" Two days later I heard, "Wow, your small!". I was told, "You're bigger than you were yesterday!" as if that makes ANYONE feel better. I have also been told, "You don't look pregnant from behind." The scary thing is these comments have all come from women. I like the positive comments, but what on earth makes a woman think that another woman wants to hear how huge she is really blows my mind. Trust me, she is well aware she is growing, more so than you are.
4. You get to know your doctor(s) and staff very well, especially towards the end when you are in there every single week. Hopefully you like them and it's convenient to your work/home.
5. Having cravings is partly something you always have and partly pregnancy related. I mean I crave things on a routine basis, but rarely do I allow myself to give into those because otherwise I would be in very poor health. However, I will say, there were a few things I craved that I couldn't get out of my head like fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Those kinds of cravings I would call pregnancy related and you kind of allow yourself to give into them because otherwise you will go insane. But now I "crave" ice cream and some sweets, but nothing like before where I couldn't shake it. I think I have fallen into the "I am pregnant and I don't care, I want it. " mode, which is not dissimilar to my routine cravings I had before I was pregnant. Of course I tell myself at 8/9 months pregnant, I've earned the right to have something I want.
6. Sonograms are pretty darn nifty.
7. There is WAAAAAY too much literature on pregnancy. We have about 20 books or so in our living room that are all about pregnancy and the first year. I have read a total of zero of them. I get weekly updates from BabyCenter and I am good to go. This is perhaps because I don't have a long attention span. Also, during pregnancy, your body is kind of on auto pilot. It's not like you have to concentrate properly to make a baby. You just need to remember certain things like taking vitamins, not getting drunk and laying off the street drugs. Sure there are other things you probably need to know, but again, short snippets from BabyCenter and some advice from friends was all I needed.
8. Pregnant people (who are like me) don't want to be touched. I didn't want to be touched when I wasn't pregnant and not much changed during the last 9 months. Related, I was asked if someone could bring in a stethoscope to listen to the baby. Umm, what? No.
9. Everyone and their brother wants to know if you plan to breastfeed as if it's any of their business. Some exclusions to the people who can ask are close friends and family. However, I have had total strangers ask me and I really don't understand why they are even asking. For one, I think it's completely rude to assume it should be public knowledge and that every woman on the planet wants to share their choice/talk about it. For another, I think it's a very personal choice and it's every woman's right to choose what works for her without judgement from complete strangers. There will be judgement no matter what is chosen, so just leave it alone.
10. There are a crap ton of decisions to be made during the course of pregnancy. One of the most stressful is possibly what kind of care you plan to have for your baby after they are born. Some sources will tell you you should have been looking before you got pregnant so you can get on waiting lists for "reputable" places. Other places can make you feel like if you aren't spending 30% of your income on your child's care, you must wish them a hard life. I would say educate yourself and be honest with your expectations. At 9 months old, I am just hoping the day care feeds him, cleans him, and returns him to us in the same state we left them in. If you are hoping for a genius by the age of 2, perhaps you need to plan a bit more than us.
11. Learning to ask for help and letting other people do things for me has been hard. I am so independent it's been a real learning curve. Of course the further you are in pregnancy the less you are able to do just by your physical limitations. I am still holding out on tying my own shoes. Thank god for long arms and stairs to sit on when I put my shoes of for the day. Some people are better at this than I am, and kudos to them.
12. I miss my adult beverages, not for the getting buzzed and happy feeling (although that's quite nice sometimes after a real shitty day), but just for the variety. I dislike drinking soda a lot and I am so tired of fruit juices and water. Lemonade and iced tea have been helpful, but I just want to be able to have a glass of wine with pasta.
13. When you are pregnant and people ask you how you are doing, they generally mean it.
14. I am a back sleeper and can't wait until I can just lay down and not worry about cutting off blood flow to my body/baby. Side sleeping is going ok, but my ears hurt more than anything and I feel like they are constantly in need of cleaning. I am not sure if it's just the side sleeping that's triggering so much ear wax or if it's more hormones, but yuck! Also trying to get out of bed is a challenge during the later stages of pregnancy, especially if you are swapping sides each time you get up to pee.
15. Overall pregnancy hasn't been that bad. Some people complain to complain about these kinds of things. Sure it's no bed of roses and no, I wasn't incapacitated by morning sickness, but I did have a baby sit on my sciatic nerve for about a month or so, so there is always something that makes your situation unique. There are no two pregnancies alike. I think if you are willing to admit some things are beyond your control and roll with it, you'll be better off in the end. Besides, it's not like it lasts forever (thank the heavens!).
1. I have acquired a unique ability to seek out public restrooms. Note - Not all are created equal.
2. People will say the stupidest things to you that makes you question their intelligence. I had a lady who stopped by my desk days after I was out with a severe cold and offer me advice on how to get rid of my "pregnancy cough". Even when trying to explain that I had a cold I was getting over she seemed to think that wasn't relevant and that I for sure had this pregnancy cough. For those that are curious, should you ever get this, you should drink onion water. Yes, onion water, whatever the hell that is.
3. Related, people want to comment on your progress. I have heard it all which I take to mean no one really has a clue what's "normal". I have been told, "You shouldn't be that big for 5 months!" Two days later I heard, "Wow, your small!". I was told, "You're bigger than you were yesterday!" as if that makes ANYONE feel better. I have also been told, "You don't look pregnant from behind." The scary thing is these comments have all come from women. I like the positive comments, but what on earth makes a woman think that another woman wants to hear how huge she is really blows my mind. Trust me, she is well aware she is growing, more so than you are.
4. You get to know your doctor(s) and staff very well, especially towards the end when you are in there every single week. Hopefully you like them and it's convenient to your work/home.
5. Having cravings is partly something you always have and partly pregnancy related. I mean I crave things on a routine basis, but rarely do I allow myself to give into those because otherwise I would be in very poor health. However, I will say, there were a few things I craved that I couldn't get out of my head like fried chicken, breakfast sandwiches, and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Those kinds of cravings I would call pregnancy related and you kind of allow yourself to give into them because otherwise you will go insane. But now I "crave" ice cream and some sweets, but nothing like before where I couldn't shake it. I think I have fallen into the "I am pregnant and I don't care, I want it. " mode, which is not dissimilar to my routine cravings I had before I was pregnant. Of course I tell myself at 8/9 months pregnant, I've earned the right to have something I want.
6. Sonograms are pretty darn nifty.
7. There is WAAAAAY too much literature on pregnancy. We have about 20 books or so in our living room that are all about pregnancy and the first year. I have read a total of zero of them. I get weekly updates from BabyCenter and I am good to go. This is perhaps because I don't have a long attention span. Also, during pregnancy, your body is kind of on auto pilot. It's not like you have to concentrate properly to make a baby. You just need to remember certain things like taking vitamins, not getting drunk and laying off the street drugs. Sure there are other things you probably need to know, but again, short snippets from BabyCenter and some advice from friends was all I needed.
8. Pregnant people (who are like me) don't want to be touched. I didn't want to be touched when I wasn't pregnant and not much changed during the last 9 months. Related, I was asked if someone could bring in a stethoscope to listen to the baby. Umm, what? No.
9. Everyone and their brother wants to know if you plan to breastfeed as if it's any of their business. Some exclusions to the people who can ask are close friends and family. However, I have had total strangers ask me and I really don't understand why they are even asking. For one, I think it's completely rude to assume it should be public knowledge and that every woman on the planet wants to share their choice/talk about it. For another, I think it's a very personal choice and it's every woman's right to choose what works for her without judgement from complete strangers. There will be judgement no matter what is chosen, so just leave it alone.
10. There are a crap ton of decisions to be made during the course of pregnancy. One of the most stressful is possibly what kind of care you plan to have for your baby after they are born. Some sources will tell you you should have been looking before you got pregnant so you can get on waiting lists for "reputable" places. Other places can make you feel like if you aren't spending 30% of your income on your child's care, you must wish them a hard life. I would say educate yourself and be honest with your expectations. At 9 months old, I am just hoping the day care feeds him, cleans him, and returns him to us in the same state we left them in. If you are hoping for a genius by the age of 2, perhaps you need to plan a bit more than us.
11. Learning to ask for help and letting other people do things for me has been hard. I am so independent it's been a real learning curve. Of course the further you are in pregnancy the less you are able to do just by your physical limitations. I am still holding out on tying my own shoes. Thank god for long arms and stairs to sit on when I put my shoes of for the day. Some people are better at this than I am, and kudos to them.
12. I miss my adult beverages, not for the getting buzzed and happy feeling (although that's quite nice sometimes after a real shitty day), but just for the variety. I dislike drinking soda a lot and I am so tired of fruit juices and water. Lemonade and iced tea have been helpful, but I just want to be able to have a glass of wine with pasta.
13. When you are pregnant and people ask you how you are doing, they generally mean it.
14. I am a back sleeper and can't wait until I can just lay down and not worry about cutting off blood flow to my body/baby. Side sleeping is going ok, but my ears hurt more than anything and I feel like they are constantly in need of cleaning. I am not sure if it's just the side sleeping that's triggering so much ear wax or if it's more hormones, but yuck! Also trying to get out of bed is a challenge during the later stages of pregnancy, especially if you are swapping sides each time you get up to pee.
15. Overall pregnancy hasn't been that bad. Some people complain to complain about these kinds of things. Sure it's no bed of roses and no, I wasn't incapacitated by morning sickness, but I did have a baby sit on my sciatic nerve for about a month or so, so there is always something that makes your situation unique. There are no two pregnancies alike. I think if you are willing to admit some things are beyond your control and roll with it, you'll be better off in the end. Besides, it's not like it lasts forever (thank the heavens!).
Friday, April 13, 2012
Twiglet's Nursery
The making of Twiglet's nursery has been a bit of a journey. We already had the room picked that we would convert when the time came, so that part was already determined. The hard part was waiting until we found out what we were having and THEN getting together a game plan. I think it's very easy to just do what everyone else is doing, order a room in a bag, and call it a day. Unfortunately this is not how I work. For one, it costs too much to do it that way and for another, it lacks personality and creativity (for me).
In keeping with the "theme" of the rest of our house, we decided to kind of do a coastal/sea theme. I didn't want 100% under the sea because I didn't like that, but I did want sea turtles and whales to be a part of the room. We settled on painting the room a shade of blue that's in a lot of the rest of the house and adding some stripes. That was the starting point I had and then things kind of came together one piece at a time. We knew what we were going to use for the dresser (my old craft dresser which was a kids dresser that was being put to the dumpster by a stupid rich lady years ago, so I stole it and have been using it ever since). We just needed to repaint it and find some knobs for it. I had never bothered putting knobs on the entire time I was using it, but I thought it might be nice to get some now. :) Etsy turned out to be extremely useful for that project. There was also a kitchen cart I had from IKEA that it nice and open and would be perfect for a changing station, so that was also taken care of. My parents had decided they want to buy the crib, so that was a huge purchase off our minds. Rob's parents purchased the glider and so all the major pieces of furniture were covered. My sister surprised me with hand drawn pictures of sea creatures to hang on the walls. Absolutely love them! The letters were paper mache` ones from the craft store we painted to match the room. The starfish idea came later in the process. And all of the fabric was purchased from fabric.com (using coupon codes of course). For roughly $250 we trans formed the room into a cute baby boy's nursery.
So here's what we started with:
And this was the progress that was made along the way:
And here is the finished product:
Now all we have left to do is add Twiglet and we will be complete!
In keeping with the "theme" of the rest of our house, we decided to kind of do a coastal/sea theme. I didn't want 100% under the sea because I didn't like that, but I did want sea turtles and whales to be a part of the room. We settled on painting the room a shade of blue that's in a lot of the rest of the house and adding some stripes. That was the starting point I had and then things kind of came together one piece at a time. We knew what we were going to use for the dresser (my old craft dresser which was a kids dresser that was being put to the dumpster by a stupid rich lady years ago, so I stole it and have been using it ever since). We just needed to repaint it and find some knobs for it. I had never bothered putting knobs on the entire time I was using it, but I thought it might be nice to get some now. :) Etsy turned out to be extremely useful for that project. There was also a kitchen cart I had from IKEA that it nice and open and would be perfect for a changing station, so that was also taken care of. My parents had decided they want to buy the crib, so that was a huge purchase off our minds. Rob's parents purchased the glider and so all the major pieces of furniture were covered. My sister surprised me with hand drawn pictures of sea creatures to hang on the walls. Absolutely love them! The letters were paper mache` ones from the craft store we painted to match the room. The starfish idea came later in the process. And all of the fabric was purchased from fabric.com (using coupon codes of course). For roughly $250 we trans formed the room into a cute baby boy's nursery.
So here's what we started with:
And this was the progress that was made along the way:
 |
| Gallon of Behr paint - $34 |
 |
| Accent paint - Had dark blue, $17 for quart of the green (Behr) |
 |
| Re-purposed dresser getting a new coat of paint |
 |
| Art work from my sister - free, Frames - $8 each with coupons from Michaels |
 | ||
Bed skirt fabric -
|
 |
| Curtain Lining and fabric - Premier Prints Coral White/Chartreuse $57 with enough left over for an accent pillow case (yet to be made) |
And here is the finished product:
 |
| Starfish - $3 each with coupons from Michaels, picture hanger backs were hot glued onto the back to hang them in the wall. |
 |
| Book Sling fabric - Turtles Green/Blue ($12 for 1.5 yards, way more than was needed, saving extra for quilting project), Curtain hardware - $4.50 (used coupon), dowel rods - $3 |
 |
| Paper Mache` letters - $2 each |
 |
| Knobs from Etsy $22 |
 |
| Lamps - free from Rob's parents, new lamp shade ($10) and socket ($4) |
 |
| Mortimer!! |
Now all we have left to do is add Twiglet and we will be complete!
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Day Care Search
First, let me say this is probably my least favorite part about having a baby. Knowing that you take the time to create this little tiny human and you get a ridiculously tiny amount of time (in the grand scheme of things) before having to turn them over to a care provider (strangers) so you can continue to earn the income necessary for the majority of people to function.
I have now been to 3 day cares, which probably is considered way to few given I am 6 months along, but none of them have wait lists, so I am not really THAT concerned. Basically I want someone who is competent, will pay attention if our child needs them, and returns them to us at the end of the day in more of less the same state we left them off in. I don't really care what kinds of things you are going to teach a 10 week old baby. For the most part, they sleep, eat, and poop. I love looking at the curriculum at each place because they sound like your 8 month old baby will be able to identify colors and count. How about we work on crawling? I will consider this more important when they are slightly older and can actually be taught things.
In all three of these cases I have been less than impressed with how they have presented themselves. I can't decide if this is a lack of training or they just generally think it's not important. Most will show me the room our baby will be in all day and then run through charts, changing station, and point out the cribs. At one place they went a little more in depth on what kinds of things you as a parent might get from their day, photos, an art project, etc. and some activities they do that's a little bit different like sign language on Fridays. But then they just turn to me and say, do you have any questions? All I can think is, you do this for a living and presumably have more than just me coming by to check out your place and you can't fill in any details beyond the state requirements? What the heck do other people ask? Is there an FAQ somewhere?
Maybe I am thinking there's more to this than there really is, but none of the places have really put their best foot forward in terms of wowing me. I am not asking to be wined and dined, just show me why you are the place we should trust with our infant. I should also say, none of the places sent me away screaming or thinking that if I were to pick that place, our child would be in danger. It's a room that can be sanitized, everyone gets their own crib, they all have sheets to track your child by, requirements for food you bring in, and there's a certain teacher ratio they maintain. I just thought there was more to this whole day care search than what it has presented me with so far.
One of our friends pointed out also that we won't really know how the day care is until we start to use them. I am ok going in with the notion that we don't have to stay in one place forever, but it's just annoying that they are a little lacking in presentation. Maybe if I had $2k a month to drop on day care, I would see a difference, but umm, that's not in the budget. We also don't have days upon days to take time to go see every last single place on the planet. See we need day care because we WORK during the day. I guess we will find a few more places, but hopefully one will shine through as a clear winner. Hopefully.
I have now been to 3 day cares, which probably is considered way to few given I am 6 months along, but none of them have wait lists, so I am not really THAT concerned. Basically I want someone who is competent, will pay attention if our child needs them, and returns them to us at the end of the day in more of less the same state we left them off in. I don't really care what kinds of things you are going to teach a 10 week old baby. For the most part, they sleep, eat, and poop. I love looking at the curriculum at each place because they sound like your 8 month old baby will be able to identify colors and count. How about we work on crawling? I will consider this more important when they are slightly older and can actually be taught things.
In all three of these cases I have been less than impressed with how they have presented themselves. I can't decide if this is a lack of training or they just generally think it's not important. Most will show me the room our baby will be in all day and then run through charts, changing station, and point out the cribs. At one place they went a little more in depth on what kinds of things you as a parent might get from their day, photos, an art project, etc. and some activities they do that's a little bit different like sign language on Fridays. But then they just turn to me and say, do you have any questions? All I can think is, you do this for a living and presumably have more than just me coming by to check out your place and you can't fill in any details beyond the state requirements? What the heck do other people ask? Is there an FAQ somewhere?
Maybe I am thinking there's more to this than there really is, but none of the places have really put their best foot forward in terms of wowing me. I am not asking to be wined and dined, just show me why you are the place we should trust with our infant. I should also say, none of the places sent me away screaming or thinking that if I were to pick that place, our child would be in danger. It's a room that can be sanitized, everyone gets their own crib, they all have sheets to track your child by, requirements for food you bring in, and there's a certain teacher ratio they maintain. I just thought there was more to this whole day care search than what it has presented me with so far.
One of our friends pointed out also that we won't really know how the day care is until we start to use them. I am ok going in with the notion that we don't have to stay in one place forever, but it's just annoying that they are a little lacking in presentation. Maybe if I had $2k a month to drop on day care, I would see a difference, but umm, that's not in the budget. We also don't have days upon days to take time to go see every last single place on the planet. See we need day care because we WORK during the day. I guess we will find a few more places, but hopefully one will shine through as a clear winner. Hopefully.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Snagging a Great Deal
As many of you know, we are making room for one more in our lives come April and with that means needing a LOT of new stuff we don't currently have. Thankfully my parents have taken care of the crib, but that's unfortunately one small piece of the pie. But also thankfully, there are people on Craigslist that have plenty of nice stuff they want to sell for cheap. :)
Last Friday I happened to be goofing off and doing a "I wonder what's on here today" search and stumbled across a posting for a used BOB Stroller. Friends of ours bought one for their daughter and love it. They were demoing it at the reunion over the summer and how fabulous it is. I have heard great things about them from other sources as well and so I emailed the lady. She said I was the first one to respond, so I got dibs. We went to take a look at it and ended up buying it. They retail for $300-$400 (MSRP on this model is actually $469, but I doubt people pay that) and we snagged it for $65. It's been used and you can tell with some sun slight sun fading and worn spots where little feet go, but overall it's still in great shape. I think she thought I was nuts when I said, oh I bet I can put it in the wash, but haha, jokes on her! I got it in there about 30 minutes after I got it home.
Leave an engineer alone with a screwdriver and curiosity and you'll find yourself with pieces of whatever used to be assembled. :)
This was actually remarkably easy to take apart and get all the fabric off of it to wash. The hardest part was looping the pull cord through the backside of the fabric.
A few times in the washing machine and BAM! Looks like new! The cats have sniffed it a few times, but largely ignored it. Guess it will sit and wait until this spring, but at least it's one more thing off our prep list. :)
Last Friday I happened to be goofing off and doing a "I wonder what's on here today" search and stumbled across a posting for a used BOB Stroller. Friends of ours bought one for their daughter and love it. They were demoing it at the reunion over the summer and how fabulous it is. I have heard great things about them from other sources as well and so I emailed the lady. She said I was the first one to respond, so I got dibs. We went to take a look at it and ended up buying it. They retail for $300-$400 (MSRP on this model is actually $469, but I doubt people pay that) and we snagged it for $65. It's been used and you can tell with some sun slight sun fading and worn spots where little feet go, but overall it's still in great shape. I think she thought I was nuts when I said, oh I bet I can put it in the wash, but haha, jokes on her! I got it in there about 30 minutes after I got it home.
Leave an engineer alone with a screwdriver and curiosity and you'll find yourself with pieces of whatever used to be assembled. :)
This was actually remarkably easy to take apart and get all the fabric off of it to wash. The hardest part was looping the pull cord through the backside of the fabric.
A few times in the washing machine and BAM! Looks like new! The cats have sniffed it a few times, but largely ignored it. Guess it will sit and wait until this spring, but at least it's one more thing off our prep list. :)
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