On this day last year, I was an even NEWER mama than I am today, as O was only around a month old then. I've spent a lot of time this weekend reflecting on this new role that I have undertaken. Motherhood has changed my life in many expected ways. I knew there would be late nights, lots of crying, gross bodily fluids, etc. What I really had no concept of was how much I could love another human being. Don't get me wrong...I love my Ben like crazy, but this is a different type of love. I would pretty much do anything for this person that I am raising. I also had no sense of the amount of responsibility I would feel! It is so important to me to raise Olivia to be kind, empathetic, and loving. I can't say that I know exactly how to go about doing that, but I think that modeling those qualities is a good way to start. I suppose this is why 'attachment parenting' has really struck a chord in me. That was another big surprise...I thought I would be a very traditional parent but the actions of a 'traditional parent' as it is often described doesn't feel right to me. That's another thing! I'm really learning to trust myself and follow my instincts. By nature, I'm a Nervous Nelly and am constantly second guessing myself. I know I'll do a lot of things wrong as a parent, but I feel like if I trust myself and do what feels right, I can't mess up too badly :). In fact, my role as mommy is probably the role that I feel most confident in. This is the perhaps the most surprising thing of all. Anyway, just feeling a little sentimental today. :-)
Olivia, thanks so much for letting me be your mommy and for allowing me to learn so much from you everyday. The last year with you has been amazing, and I love thinking about our future years together.
Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's in my life. I appreciate all of your support, and I love that I have strong, knowledgeable women to turn to. I hope you have all been as spoiled today as I have been. You deserve it! :)
Much Love.
---shan
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
This and That.
So, I think I've proven that I'm pretty much the worst blogger ever. If you're reading this, grab a drink and a snack, because you're in for a lotta catching up! ;-)
First and foremost, I need to tell you about my baby girl who is now ONE YEAR OLD! I can hardly believe this. Her birthday party was April 9, and we had a great turnout! Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate, and a special thank you to G. Sheri for all of your help with putting all the food together/set up/tear down/etc.! Here is a photo of Olivia on her big day!
You might notice the carpet burn and the mark by her eye...this is because for the first time EVER, the morning of her party, Little O decided to crawl (yes, have I mentioned she's finally crawling!) off of our bed. It was pretty terrifying for all parties involved, but she was no worse for the wear. Livi had her 12 month appointment with Dr. B and he reports that she is doing well! Almost 19 pounds, and the good news is that her iron levels are within range. Still low, but within range. We've been pushing the solid foods, and so has Lula. I think Liv is also getting pretty close to walking, so that is kind of exciting! It's hard to believe that this time last year I had a newborn babe. Wow, time flies.
Ben and I are doing pretty well, too! He has been working a little bit of overtime, which is nice. Sedlacek has offered me a full time position, so I will be starting that the first full week in June. I'm going to miss being on inpatient psych, and ESPECIALLY my awesome co-workers there. This will be good for me because I'll now have full time hours going toward my licensure rather than part time. So that means I should get my license more quickly, which is great! Once I'm an independent practitioner, look out world! ;-D
Okay, so in the name of full disclosure, I want to be honest. If you care enough to read this blog, chances are you are aware that I'm in eating disorder recovery. For the past well, awhile now, I have been in full blown relapse mode. I've been aware of this for some time now, yet always had an excuse as to why I should continue the behaviors. I finally came to the point last week where I felt I needed to reach out for help. So I called my therapist, who is amazing. She got me in right away, and although it was uncomfortable and not what I wanted to be doing, I went and disclosed what has been going on to her. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Well, honestly I'm experiencing a lot of guilt and shame about what I've been doing. For me, being open and honest in the past has played a role in reducing those feelings of guilt and shame. Also, secrecy is a huge part of me being able to stay in my illness, and by being open it gives me more accountability. SO. There it is. I'm making an honest effort to get back on track. It's HARD. Thanks for reading.
Okay, I told you this was going to be a long one. Have you finished your snack and drink yet?? Ha! Anyway...here are a few more photos of Livi, from her 12 month photo shoot! OH! And I'll try and be better about updating this blog. I'll TRY and post after the weekend..since it's Mother's Day :). So excited!
She's cute, right??!! Look at those little feet! Hard to believe she can even walk on those things!
XOXO
---shan
First and foremost, I need to tell you about my baby girl who is now ONE YEAR OLD! I can hardly believe this. Her birthday party was April 9, and we had a great turnout! Thanks to everyone who came and helped us celebrate, and a special thank you to G. Sheri for all of your help with putting all the food together/set up/tear down/etc.! Here is a photo of Olivia on her big day!
You might notice the carpet burn and the mark by her eye...this is because for the first time EVER, the morning of her party, Little O decided to crawl (yes, have I mentioned she's finally crawling!) off of our bed. It was pretty terrifying for all parties involved, but she was no worse for the wear. Livi had her 12 month appointment with Dr. B and he reports that she is doing well! Almost 19 pounds, and the good news is that her iron levels are within range. Still low, but within range. We've been pushing the solid foods, and so has Lula. I think Liv is also getting pretty close to walking, so that is kind of exciting! It's hard to believe that this time last year I had a newborn babe. Wow, time flies.
Ben and I are doing pretty well, too! He has been working a little bit of overtime, which is nice. Sedlacek has offered me a full time position, so I will be starting that the first full week in June. I'm going to miss being on inpatient psych, and ESPECIALLY my awesome co-workers there. This will be good for me because I'll now have full time hours going toward my licensure rather than part time. So that means I should get my license more quickly, which is great! Once I'm an independent practitioner, look out world! ;-D
Okay, so in the name of full disclosure, I want to be honest. If you care enough to read this blog, chances are you are aware that I'm in eating disorder recovery. For the past well, awhile now, I have been in full blown relapse mode. I've been aware of this for some time now, yet always had an excuse as to why I should continue the behaviors. I finally came to the point last week where I felt I needed to reach out for help. So I called my therapist, who is amazing. She got me in right away, and although it was uncomfortable and not what I wanted to be doing, I went and disclosed what has been going on to her. You're probably wondering why I'm telling you this. Well, honestly I'm experiencing a lot of guilt and shame about what I've been doing. For me, being open and honest in the past has played a role in reducing those feelings of guilt and shame. Also, secrecy is a huge part of me being able to stay in my illness, and by being open it gives me more accountability. SO. There it is. I'm making an honest effort to get back on track. It's HARD. Thanks for reading.
Okay, I told you this was going to be a long one. Have you finished your snack and drink yet?? Ha! Anyway...here are a few more photos of Livi, from her 12 month photo shoot! OH! And I'll try and be better about updating this blog. I'll TRY and post after the weekend..since it's Mother's Day :). So excited!
She's cute, right??!! Look at those little feet! Hard to believe she can even walk on those things!
XOXO
---shan
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Oy Vey!
It has been a bit of a rough weekend around these parts! More specifically for our little O. Disclaimer: Read no further if you are not interested in hearing about the disgusting parts of being a parent! So on Friday, Livi had an exorbitant amount of poop come out of her little behind. She normally fills her pants only a few times per week. I can only assume this is the result of a recent chiropractic adjustment she has had. We are working with Dr. Ledger on a part of her back that she believes to be problematic, and Dr. Ledger said that the nerves there are the ones that feed into her digestive system. She's always had extremely hardcore gas that gives her fits, and it looks like this may be correlated. So ANYWAY, I digress. To recap, O had mad poops on Friday. This left her with the worst diaper rash she's had in her 11 months on this planet. We tried our usual regimen of more natural diaper creams that work well with our cloth dipes. These did not even touch it. So we bought some disposables and pulled out the big guns. This included lots of bathing, not wearing a diaper for an extended period of time, using breastmilk, no disposable wipes (we don't use many of these anyway) and lots of thick diaper cream. I'm glad to say that this is MUCH improved this morning!
Yesterday, Olivia started to have this nasty green goop in her eye that kept coming and coming and coming. Gross. This morning her right eye was gooped shut and we couldn't get it open until we did a warm washcloth on her eye for a few minutes. It looked like it was spreading to her other eye as well. So we took her to Urgent Care just to be checked out. Now, I don't like dogging doctors, and especially the ones who work for the same hospital that I do....BUT these urgent care docs are not the best. She did diagnose Livi in 1.5 seconds with a infected duct. Okay, fine. But then she called in an ointment for the eye as well as an antibiotic to the pharmacy. Ben goes to pick these things up and when he gets home I see that the ointment she had prescribed is for skin infections. Upon further investigation and reading the label, it says "Do Not Use in the Eye." WHA?? I called Mike up at the pharmacy and he said well it's not going in the eye it's just going on the lash. Well, yes Mike. However, do you think that putting ointment on an 11 month olds eyelashes is going to be an easy task? Some of this ointment will inevitably end up in her eye, whether I put it there or not so it's probably not the safest thing. He had to call the doctor back and have her prescribe something else, so we're back in business now. This is reminiscent of the time that I was prescribed a steroid by an urgent care doc who knew I was breastfeeding that was NOT safe for the baby. Moral of the story here, folks: You are your own advocate, and if something doesn't seem/feel right make sure you're checking it out! --End Rant!-- :-D
So anyway...Miss O is now hopefully on the mend, and today is celebrating her 11 month birthday! She's amazing in so many ways. I think we're getting closer to crawling. The chiro said that sometimes when babies develop earlier (crawling/walking) they may not be quite as ready for it mentally because they don't necessarily have that sense of danger developed quite yet. She thinks that Livi will be crawling soon and when she is she will be very ready for it. I definitely agree. She's a cautious little bugger--with the exception of when she takes what we have dubbed her suicide death leaps (where she was holding onto something, but lets go of it expecting us to catch her!).
I am in full party planning mode for the big first birthday and am loving every minute of it! I hope that as many of you are able to come and celebrate with us as possible.
xoxo
---shan
Yesterday, Olivia started to have this nasty green goop in her eye that kept coming and coming and coming. Gross. This morning her right eye was gooped shut and we couldn't get it open until we did a warm washcloth on her eye for a few minutes. It looked like it was spreading to her other eye as well. So we took her to Urgent Care just to be checked out. Now, I don't like dogging doctors, and especially the ones who work for the same hospital that I do....BUT these urgent care docs are not the best. She did diagnose Livi in 1.5 seconds with a infected duct. Okay, fine. But then she called in an ointment for the eye as well as an antibiotic to the pharmacy. Ben goes to pick these things up and when he gets home I see that the ointment she had prescribed is for skin infections. Upon further investigation and reading the label, it says "Do Not Use in the Eye." WHA?? I called Mike up at the pharmacy and he said well it's not going in the eye it's just going on the lash. Well, yes Mike. However, do you think that putting ointment on an 11 month olds eyelashes is going to be an easy task? Some of this ointment will inevitably end up in her eye, whether I put it there or not so it's probably not the safest thing. He had to call the doctor back and have her prescribe something else, so we're back in business now. This is reminiscent of the time that I was prescribed a steroid by an urgent care doc who knew I was breastfeeding that was NOT safe for the baby. Moral of the story here, folks: You are your own advocate, and if something doesn't seem/feel right make sure you're checking it out! --End Rant!-- :-D
So anyway...Miss O is now hopefully on the mend, and today is celebrating her 11 month birthday! She's amazing in so many ways. I think we're getting closer to crawling. The chiro said that sometimes when babies develop earlier (crawling/walking) they may not be quite as ready for it mentally because they don't necessarily have that sense of danger developed quite yet. She thinks that Livi will be crawling soon and when she is she will be very ready for it. I definitely agree. She's a cautious little bugger--with the exception of when she takes what we have dubbed her suicide death leaps (where she was holding onto something, but lets go of it expecting us to catch her!).
I am in full party planning mode for the big first birthday and am loving every minute of it! I hope that as many of you are able to come and celebrate with us as possible.
xoxo
---shan
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Been MIA!!
Oh my sakes!! Has it really been an entire MONTH since I last blogged?? Where does the time go? The weeks just fly by and weekends go even faster! We have really been acting like hermits for the past couple months on weekends. We haven't been up to see family or anything and have honestly just been enjoying our time at home together. The hours that we spend together are so few and far between during the week that the weekend is really the only time we have, so we can be selfish about sharing it with others :). Also, when you start roadtripping that's an awful lot of time in the car. Blah.
Anyway...things are pretty good here. Ben and I were able to get out for a "day date" for Valentine's Day! Grandma Mary drove down to babysit O for a few hours, and we had lunch at Biaggi's and then went bowling! We haven't bowled just the two of us in YEARS. It was pretty fun, and we both agreed that we need to make the effort to do that more often. It's so hard balancing the hubs, the kiddo, the job, and everything else. It feels like it will always be a work in progress. I think this is definitely my BIGGEST struggle as a mama. It has definitely improved over the nearly 11 months that Olivia has been on this planet, but I'm not where I would like to be. I want to get to the point where I don't have the mama guilt when I'm at work, and the "not working hard enough" guilt when I leave the office on time. How does someone maintain a successful career without it being all-consuming? Even though I really enjoy my job and feel passionate about it, my family will always be my number one priority. Even if that means leaving a few things for the next day's "To-Do" list. Does that mean I'm not dedicated? I dunno. I don't think so. I FEEL like I'm dedicated. It's a fine line to walk. Ohhh....I ramble.
Let's talk about Livi. She is nearly 11 months old....WHAT??!! I'm in the beginning stages of planning her FIRST birthday! This is pretty unbelievable to me. I have chosen a theme and am starting to get really excited :). If you know me, you know I love things like this! I am still trying to figure out an outfit for Little Miss Thing to wear, but I guarantee...she will look adorable! ;) Still no crawling. I think we're closer. When laying on her stomach, she can move backward and turn herself every way but she still won't move forward. Solids are going better. Lula has been very consistently giving her solids at daycare everyday, and I think this has been really helpful. She's still hit or miss at home, and she'll usually eat better for Ben than for me. I did give her some steamed broccoli last night and she seemed to enjoy that :). I've been asked a lot if I'm going to continue breastfeeding after Livi is 1. The answer is yes. Ideally, I would like for her to self-wean, but I know sometimes that doesn't happen for awhile so that may not be the best choice for us. We'll likely switch her to bottles of cow's milk after she's gone through my stockpile of breastmilk in the freezer and I might stop pumping altogether at work and only nurse when we're at home together. Just depends. I guess we'll have to see how everything shakes out.
Okay, this has turned out to be much longer than I anticipated...here are a few recent photos of my gal!
The flash is bothering her in these photos below, but you get the idea! You can also see her little teeth!!
----shan
Anyway...things are pretty good here. Ben and I were able to get out for a "day date" for Valentine's Day! Grandma Mary drove down to babysit O for a few hours, and we had lunch at Biaggi's and then went bowling! We haven't bowled just the two of us in YEARS. It was pretty fun, and we both agreed that we need to make the effort to do that more often. It's so hard balancing the hubs, the kiddo, the job, and everything else. It feels like it will always be a work in progress. I think this is definitely my BIGGEST struggle as a mama. It has definitely improved over the nearly 11 months that Olivia has been on this planet, but I'm not where I would like to be. I want to get to the point where I don't have the mama guilt when I'm at work, and the "not working hard enough" guilt when I leave the office on time. How does someone maintain a successful career without it being all-consuming? Even though I really enjoy my job and feel passionate about it, my family will always be my number one priority. Even if that means leaving a few things for the next day's "To-Do" list. Does that mean I'm not dedicated? I dunno. I don't think so. I FEEL like I'm dedicated. It's a fine line to walk. Ohhh....I ramble.
Let's talk about Livi. She is nearly 11 months old....WHAT??!! I'm in the beginning stages of planning her FIRST birthday! This is pretty unbelievable to me. I have chosen a theme and am starting to get really excited :). If you know me, you know I love things like this! I am still trying to figure out an outfit for Little Miss Thing to wear, but I guarantee...she will look adorable! ;) Still no crawling. I think we're closer. When laying on her stomach, she can move backward and turn herself every way but she still won't move forward. Solids are going better. Lula has been very consistently giving her solids at daycare everyday, and I think this has been really helpful. She's still hit or miss at home, and she'll usually eat better for Ben than for me. I did give her some steamed broccoli last night and she seemed to enjoy that :). I've been asked a lot if I'm going to continue breastfeeding after Livi is 1. The answer is yes. Ideally, I would like for her to self-wean, but I know sometimes that doesn't happen for awhile so that may not be the best choice for us. We'll likely switch her to bottles of cow's milk after she's gone through my stockpile of breastmilk in the freezer and I might stop pumping altogether at work and only nurse when we're at home together. Just depends. I guess we'll have to see how everything shakes out.
Okay, this has turned out to be much longer than I anticipated...here are a few recent photos of my gal!
The flash is bothering her in these photos below, but you get the idea! You can also see her little teeth!!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
It's been awhile...
Hello Friends! It's been awhile since I last blogged! Not a lot has been happening here, really. We lead a pretty boring life :). Livi and I went to New Hartford to watch Jake play basketball on Friday. We were good little cheerleaders, and O looked pretty great in the little DNH shirt Grandma Laura got for her!
The rest of the weekend has been spent relaxing. These are truly my favorite kind of weekend. O and I got in a nice little nap today. There isn't anything I love more than snuggling my little love!
Some updates on O:
The rest of the weekend has been spent relaxing. These are truly my favorite kind of weekend. O and I got in a nice little nap today. There isn't anything I love more than snuggling my little love!
Some updates on O:
- She is starting to get in her left top tooth. I suspect that the right one won't be far behind! I'm a little nervous about this, breastfeeding wise!
- She can stand assisted like a champ.
- She has started becoming interested in trying to pull herself up. She still can't manage to move her legs that well or figure out how to push herself up, but she's actually TRYING. Still no crawling!
- Lots of babbling, waving, and she has even repeated "bye" a couple of times!
- We found a food she likes!! Hallelujah!! Ben gave her some of his scrambled eggs this morning and she actually took them and ate them and opened her mouth for more! We have given Lula permission to start giving her solids at daycare, so we're hoping that if she is able to eat with the other kiddos she'll be more interested.
And some recent photos... :)
-----shan
Monday, January 17, 2011
*Update*
Good news!! We got O's labs back today, and her iron doesn't look nearly as low as the doc thought. It's still on the low end, but this means we can do regular iron supplements (not the prescription) and only have to do it one time per day. Yay! I'm so glad. I had visions of crazy constipation and gas in my head...So, we're very happy about that. Dr. Booth wants to see her back in 6-8 weeks to check her levels again.
Livi has started doing a little bit of "cruising" between the ottoman and her musical table. She likes to move back and forth between them, and sometimes even gets brave and cruises over the mommy as well! Her balance is getting really good and I'm pretty sure she would stand at something for hours if we let her! We're pretty sure she said "bye" on Sunday. We were saying goodbye to Mary and Mark, and they left but we were still trying to get Livi to wave...she would wave and then so softly she said "bye." We got her to say it a couple of times, but of course not since then! :) My girl is SMART!
xoxo
---shan
Livi has started doing a little bit of "cruising" between the ottoman and her musical table. She likes to move back and forth between them, and sometimes even gets brave and cruises over the mommy as well! Her balance is getting really good and I'm pretty sure she would stand at something for hours if we let her! We're pretty sure she said "bye" on Sunday. We were saying goodbye to Mary and Mark, and they left but we were still trying to get Livi to wave...she would wave and then so softly she said "bye." We got her to say it a couple of times, but of course not since then! :) My girl is SMART!
xoxo
---shan
Sunday, January 16, 2011
O's Well Baby Check: 9 Months
Olivia had her 9 month well baby check on Friday. Her stats are as follows:
Weight (with clothes and cloth diaper on): 16 lbs, 5 ounces
Height: 27.5 inches
This puts her in the 10th percentile for weight (down from 25th at 6 months) and the 25th for height. Dr. Booth wasn't too worried about this, he said she's probably working on growing up instead of out right now, and she hasn't fallen off of her growth curve too much.
Developmentally, she's doing well. I told the doctor that O's favorite television show is Wheel of Fortune, and he laughed and said, "What is she? A 68-year-old woman?" He said he was going to check her fingers for tar from cigarettes because the stereotypical WOF viewer is an older woman who smokes!! LOL!! He cracks me up. Anyway...Dr. Booth wasn't concerned about the fact that she's not crawling. We told him that Livi doesn't like solid foods too well, and that it's nearly impossible to get her to eat anything. He told us to keep trying. At the 9 month check they do a heel stick in order to get a blood sample to test hemoglobin levels. Dr. Booth told us that he expected Livi's iron levels to be a little low since she's not really eating solids. He left the room to get them and came back in to tell us that her iron is REALLY low. Normal range for babes is around 9, and she is at a 6.7 and is anemic. The doc said that he's concerned enough to have a full blood work-up done, so we got sent over to the hospital to do that, and he prescribed her an iron syrup that we have to give to her. He also wants us to really start pushing solids. He believes it's a nutritional deficit, and not something underlying, but said that's what the blood work will determine. As a breastfeeding mama, it's hard not to feel like this is something that is my fault. Dr. Booth assured me that it isn't and it's fairly common for breastfed babies, but it's still difficult.
Annnnyyyywaaaay. We went over to Mercy Hospital (it's a heck of a lot different going in as a "patient" instead of a staff member there, let me tell you!) to have O's blood taken. I was super nervous about this, because I hate having my OWN blood taken, and I really wasn't too thrilled about watching my 9 month old baby go through this! The first lab tech pricked Liv's heel and started squeezing and NO blood was coming out. So she kept squeezing and squeezing. And O kept screaming and screaming. Finally, I asked if we could try something different because OBVIOUSLY that was not working. She said that they would have to stick her again. I said that was fine...she barely even noticed the needle...it was the squeezing that was getting her upset anyway! So she had another (more experienced) tech come in and I asked if nursing Livi would help. The tech said that it was a good idea and I should try it. So I got Liv involved in a nursing session, and she stuck her again and started to try and fill the 3 vials that she needed. The first few minutes Livi would pull off and cry (and I was terrified of a bite!) but then she settled down and actually fell asleep! It took the gal a good 15-20 minutes and for 3/4 of the time, O was snoring like a 300 pound man (she's sick and congested!). I'm definitely grateful for the boobies, once again. :)
Test results will be in tomorrow, hopefully. I'll update then.
---shan
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Ramblings of a Sleep Deprived Mama.
WELL. It has been a rough few days around the Wilson household, folks. Ben has been working 12 hour days, which leaves me in charge of dropping Livi off at Lula's and picking her up, which Ben typically does. In order to do this I've had to adjust my work hours two days this week. Not a huge deal, but a little difficult. To say that Big O has been sleeping poorly the last several days (weeks??!!) is an understatement. Our rough schedule is as follows:
9:00-Midnight: Livi sleeps in her crib, I get 3 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Midnight: Livi wakes up, comes into bed with me, nurses a little and promptly falls back asleep. (This sounds good, right?!?)
Every 30-60 minutes thereafter: Livi wakes up crying and thrashing around quite a bit. Eventually she'll settle down and go back to sleep again. I wake up EVERY TIME this happens.
This is rough. First of all, I feel terrible for Miss Thang. I mean, when she wakes up she seems terribly uncomfortable...that's my interpretation of the thrashing and crying. She doesn't typically do such things. She has been extremely cranky in the evening as well. She is WHINY. This is not like her. My girl has a pretty sunny disposition most days. Second of all, I feel terrible for MYSELF. I mean, I'm the walking dead. A zombie. It took me two coffees to get through my day today. That's the thing about being a work outside the home mama...you're still expected to be at work and resume normal activities. I still had to teach class, facilitate a group, hold individual sessions with clients, and push paper. There's no getting around it. This is HARD. That's all I'm saying. I absolutely love, love, LOVE being Livi's mom. But somedays are super rough. To top off the day, O cried when I took her from Lula. Ouch, my heart. :-( And she has a bad diaper rash. Mommy guilt, does it ever end? Today I'm having a bad mommy day. If you've read this far into this blog, you're probably wondering why you've done so. You didn't come here to read my negative blog! Well, I promised this blog would be honest and about our lives...and sometimes you just. have. a. bad. day. It is what it is.
Now, as a little pick me up, and your "cookie" if you will for reading to the end, let me share a video of my girl that I took a few weeks ago!! The iPhone has a camera that you can turn on yourself and see yourself, and that is what Livi is responding to. Enjoy!! ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpqZbrEJJS0
----shan
9:00-Midnight: Livi sleeps in her crib, I get 3 hours of deep, uninterrupted sleep.
Midnight: Livi wakes up, comes into bed with me, nurses a little and promptly falls back asleep. (This sounds good, right?!?)
Every 30-60 minutes thereafter: Livi wakes up crying and thrashing around quite a bit. Eventually she'll settle down and go back to sleep again. I wake up EVERY TIME this happens.
This is rough. First of all, I feel terrible for Miss Thang. I mean, when she wakes up she seems terribly uncomfortable...that's my interpretation of the thrashing and crying. She doesn't typically do such things. She has been extremely cranky in the evening as well. She is WHINY. This is not like her. My girl has a pretty sunny disposition most days. Second of all, I feel terrible for MYSELF. I mean, I'm the walking dead. A zombie. It took me two coffees to get through my day today. That's the thing about being a work outside the home mama...you're still expected to be at work and resume normal activities. I still had to teach class, facilitate a group, hold individual sessions with clients, and push paper. There's no getting around it. This is HARD. That's all I'm saying. I absolutely love, love, LOVE being Livi's mom. But somedays are super rough. To top off the day, O cried when I took her from Lula. Ouch, my heart. :-( And she has a bad diaper rash. Mommy guilt, does it ever end? Today I'm having a bad mommy day. If you've read this far into this blog, you're probably wondering why you've done so. You didn't come here to read my negative blog! Well, I promised this blog would be honest and about our lives...and sometimes you just. have. a. bad. day. It is what it is.
Now, as a little pick me up, and your "cookie" if you will for reading to the end, let me share a video of my girl that I took a few weeks ago!! The iPhone has a camera that you can turn on yourself and see yourself, and that is what Livi is responding to. Enjoy!! ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpqZbrEJJS0
----shan
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Happy New Year!
Welcome 2011!! Ben and I have never really gotten into New Year's Eve festivities too much, and now that we have Livi around, we really won't be going out on the town partying! We spent the evening at home. We ordered in some food (Texas Roadhouse!) and played some games, which has become a NYE tradition for us. Ben beat me pretty hardcore at Phase 10 (it's hard to talk about) and I got him back at some old school Dr. Mario on the Wii. :) New Year's Day was spent with my dad and Sheri. Ben and my dad watched a lot of football. I ate too much and got a bellyache. :-( You just can't resist some of Sheri's goodies!! Here's little Livers wearing her shades and her New Year's onesie! It doesn't get much cuter than this...
Today has been spent in the best way possible...hanging with my loves. Days like this are the best...there isn't a lot that HAS to be done, and so you can be pretty darn lazy if you want to be! Ben got up with O this morning at 4:17 am (yes, I keep track of these things!) so I could sleep in since Liv and I had a rough go on Friday night. This morning, Ben cooked us pancakes for breakfast. He made a little tiny one for Liv and we gave it to her, but she pretty much liked squeezing it and holding it and NOT eating it. :) We also tried Cheerios today, and she couldn't have been less interested in them either! I'm pretty sure she is the only baby I know who has an aversion to nearly all food--she only likes to eat little tastes of chocolate and sometimes crackers. We also managed to cook a 10 lb ham (our first ever!), and I baked!
Strawberry Jello Cake Cupcakes!!
Today is also my mom's birthday! Happy Birthday, Mom! She text me a photo of her when she was a babe, and there is quite a resemblance to Livi! What do you think?
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| Laura--6ish months |
Aaaaanyyyway. There isn't too much of interest going on in our world. Just those little everyday things that I enjoy so much. :) Happy New Year!!
-----shan
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