Monday, October 31, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Why Do I Blog?
I decided to join in on a blog link-up! Basically this post will be to introduce myself to new readers, so if you've been here before you probably know a lot of this info.
I've been blogging for about 5 years. First on a blog I named "Pretty In Pink And Green" which I deleted years ago. I started this blog in 2008 and since then I've gotten engaged, married, been pregnant, and given birth to our beautiful son Landon. I use this blog as a scrapbook of sorts for our little family. I write monthly posts on my son's growth and milestones, which I plan to print and give to him when he's older, I write about any trips we take, the occasional recipe, and funny incidents that happen, or whatever is on my mind. Blogging started out as a little hobby, but is now something that I truly love to do and I've "met" some wonderful people in this community. I've always been bad about keeping a handwritten journal, so blogging is my digital version of that and it's been a great way to keep track of the big events of our lives.
I will be 27 in December (2 days before Christmas), I've lived in Fairfield County, CT my entire life, and we have no intentions of leaving here anytime soon. I taught middle school special ed. (writing, study skills, and health) for 5 years, but now I stay at home with my little boy. I've been married a little over 2 years to a wonderful man named Jeff who I met on match.com 5 years ago. We got engaged July 18, 2008 and were married July 3, 2009. We welcomed our son Landon James into the world on June 3, 2011 and he's the greatest joy of our lives. Right now this blog is mainly about my son and my new journey into being a mommy because my entire life right now is taking care of my son and that's OK. If you want to learn a little more about me, you can click on the tabs at the top of my blog :)
I look forward to "meeting" some new bloggers from this link-up! If you're new, please leave a comment and say hi! :)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Don't Worry Baby
*Post title from The Beach Boys. Anyone know that song? It's one of my favorites by them.
I read a post on Kelly's Korner recently about worrying and it inspired me to write a post of my own on that topic.
I've always been pretty anxious. I'm a worrier by nature and it's not pleasant, but it's how I am. Becoming a mom has made my anxiety go through the roof! I worry about Landon's health and well-being all the time. Am I teaching him enough? Is he happy? Is he eating enough? Does he get enough sleep? Why is he pooping so much today? Why isn't he pooping at all today? Why is he crying so much today? Why won't he nap? The list goes on and on.
My newest worry is a big one. Landon can roll both ways now and rolls onto his belly the second he's put down on his back. We've all heard the "back to sleep" campaign to reduce SIDS and everyone puts their babies on their backs to sleep because of it. I did too, but once your child can roll on their own, there's not much you can do. The first night Landon did it, I kept flipping him back over, but he'd wind up on his tummy again anyway. I got no sleep because all I did was check to see if he was on his tummy, and if so, was he breathing? He has wonderful neck control, so I knew deep down he wouldn't suffocate, but it was really very scary for me. Logically I knew if he couldn't breathe he could move himself into a better position and I've actually watched him lift his head and move it in his sleep. Lots of other moms told me the same thing and not to worry about it. It took me about a week to get used to him sleeping that way and trust that he wasn't going to die on me while he slept. SIDS has been my biggest fear since day 1. Now that I'm a bit calmer, I can see that he actually sleeps much better on his tummy, so we're both more well rested (now that I can sleep again) which is great.
I don't write a ton about religion on here, but I do pray and we try to go to church when we can (our attendance has been bad since we had a baby, we really need to get back into it). I prayed to get pregnant, I prayed for a healthy pregnancy and baby, and now I pray for my son every night, and I've been praying extra hard now that he's sleeping in a way deemed "dangerous" for babies. My pregnancy happened easily, the pregnancy itself was uncomplicated, my labor and delivery were great, and my son is healthy. I got everything I wanted and I really need to remember to trust in God that my child is and will be just fine and not to worry. It's SO hard to put my trust into anyone else because I am a control freak, but I'm trying and it is comforting to know I can pray for Landon whenever I feel the need to. It literally helps me sleep at night (and we all know how precious sleep is for new moms!)
I look at this little guy and realize that I will worry about him for the rest of my life, but I definitely need to keep it in check.
I read a post on Kelly's Korner recently about worrying and it inspired me to write a post of my own on that topic.
I've always been pretty anxious. I'm a worrier by nature and it's not pleasant, but it's how I am. Becoming a mom has made my anxiety go through the roof! I worry about Landon's health and well-being all the time. Am I teaching him enough? Is he happy? Is he eating enough? Does he get enough sleep? Why is he pooping so much today? Why isn't he pooping at all today? Why is he crying so much today? Why won't he nap? The list goes on and on.
My newest worry is a big one. Landon can roll both ways now and rolls onto his belly the second he's put down on his back. We've all heard the "back to sleep" campaign to reduce SIDS and everyone puts their babies on their backs to sleep because of it. I did too, but once your child can roll on their own, there's not much you can do. The first night Landon did it, I kept flipping him back over, but he'd wind up on his tummy again anyway. I got no sleep because all I did was check to see if he was on his tummy, and if so, was he breathing? He has wonderful neck control, so I knew deep down he wouldn't suffocate, but it was really very scary for me. Logically I knew if he couldn't breathe he could move himself into a better position and I've actually watched him lift his head and move it in his sleep. Lots of other moms told me the same thing and not to worry about it. It took me about a week to get used to him sleeping that way and trust that he wasn't going to die on me while he slept. SIDS has been my biggest fear since day 1. Now that I'm a bit calmer, I can see that he actually sleeps much better on his tummy, so we're both more well rested (now that I can sleep again) which is great.
I don't write a ton about religion on here, but I do pray and we try to go to church when we can (our attendance has been bad since we had a baby, we really need to get back into it). I prayed to get pregnant, I prayed for a healthy pregnancy and baby, and now I pray for my son every night, and I've been praying extra hard now that he's sleeping in a way deemed "dangerous" for babies. My pregnancy happened easily, the pregnancy itself was uncomplicated, my labor and delivery were great, and my son is healthy. I got everything I wanted and I really need to remember to trust in God that my child is and will be just fine and not to worry. It's SO hard to put my trust into anyone else because I am a control freak, but I'm trying and it is comforting to know I can pray for Landon whenever I feel the need to. It literally helps me sleep at night (and we all know how precious sleep is for new moms!)
I look at this little guy and realize that I will worry about him for the rest of my life, but I definitely need to keep it in check.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Initiation into Mommyhood
*This post is about poop. If that grosses you out, don't read it :)
There's lots of firsts for a new mommy: The first time your baby smiles or laughs, the first time your baby rolls over, the first time your baby sits up on their own, etc. There's also some not so pleasant firsts, like the first time your baby shoots poop across the room or blows out a diaper and is covered in poop, the first time your baby spits up all over you, etc. I like to think of these firsts as an initiation into mommyhood. I've experienced several of the firsts listed above, but not all (Landon can't sit up on his own yet). I experienced a new one yesterday at Target and it was not pretty!
I've gotten more comfortable with going out with Landon alone in public. I had Jeff to help me at first, and then as I grew more confident, I started venturing out with just Landon. I've never really had an issue, which has been great. If we're going out for a longer period of time, I bring a bottle of pumped breastmilk so I don't have to worry about feeding him in public (nothing wrong with doing that, I just don't like to.) Landon always behaves and is really only fussy when he's tired or hungry. He loves people watching and going out, so I try to do it as much as possible. Yesterday we went to Target so I could get Starbucks (decaf soy mocha) and a few other things I needed for our Halloween party this weekend. When I'm alone, I put Landon in the Ergo carrier so I don't have to deal with a stroller and a shopping basket by myself. It works great and Landon loves being in there. As I lifted him out of the car seat to put him into the Ergo yesterday, I noticed he smelled like poop. No big deal, I've changed him in public bathrooms before, so I figured I'd take him inside to the bathroom and use their changing station. Then I noticed his pants felt wet and when I took my hand away, it was covered in poop! There was no way I could get him inside, I had to change him in the car. Luckily, I'm pretty good about being prepared and had a change of clothes, plenty of wipes, extra diapers, an old shopping bag for the dirty diaper and wipes, and a wet bag for his soiled clothes. There was poop all down one of Landon's legs and all over the bottom of his onesie and pants. He's had worse blowouts and I was grateful there was nothing up his back. I cleaned him off, changed him, and miraculously managed to not get poop anywhere in my car. We went to Target, (where I washed my hands very well in the bathroom) got what we needed to get and went back to the car, no problems.
Then, as I took Landon out of the carrier, he started crying and I knew what he needed. He was hungry and I didn't have a bottle for him because I knew we'd only be gone an hour or less, but with the whole poop incident, we took longer than I expected. We live about 10 minutes from Target, but I knew he'd scream the whole way home, so I took out a blanket, covered myself and nursed him in the backseat of my car. Of course one side wasn't enough, he HAD to have both or else he would have screamed the whole way home. Once he was finally done eating, he passed out in his car seat and we drove home. I was exhausted after all of that!
While I can still say that Landon's behavior in public is wonderful (I know there will come a time when it's not though), I can no longer brag about the fact that Landon's poop timing is always great because he does it either right before we're leaving or right when we get home. As difficult as it was to deal with alone and in public, I'm proud of myself for just kind of rolling with the punches and being prepared enough to handle it and not freak out. If this happened when Landon was a bit younger, I probably would have cried. It was just another initiation into mommyhood and I know I will be able to manage it even better the next time, because it will happen again.
Up next? Landon blowing out a diaper in his sleep and waking up covered in poop. It's only a matter of time until that happens. Hopefully Jeff will still be home to help me :)
There's lots of firsts for a new mommy: The first time your baby smiles or laughs, the first time your baby rolls over, the first time your baby sits up on their own, etc. There's also some not so pleasant firsts, like the first time your baby shoots poop across the room or blows out a diaper and is covered in poop, the first time your baby spits up all over you, etc. I like to think of these firsts as an initiation into mommyhood. I've experienced several of the firsts listed above, but not all (Landon can't sit up on his own yet). I experienced a new one yesterday at Target and it was not pretty!
I've gotten more comfortable with going out with Landon alone in public. I had Jeff to help me at first, and then as I grew more confident, I started venturing out with just Landon. I've never really had an issue, which has been great. If we're going out for a longer period of time, I bring a bottle of pumped breastmilk so I don't have to worry about feeding him in public (nothing wrong with doing that, I just don't like to.) Landon always behaves and is really only fussy when he's tired or hungry. He loves people watching and going out, so I try to do it as much as possible. Yesterday we went to Target so I could get Starbucks (decaf soy mocha) and a few other things I needed for our Halloween party this weekend. When I'm alone, I put Landon in the Ergo carrier so I don't have to deal with a stroller and a shopping basket by myself. It works great and Landon loves being in there. As I lifted him out of the car seat to put him into the Ergo yesterday, I noticed he smelled like poop. No big deal, I've changed him in public bathrooms before, so I figured I'd take him inside to the bathroom and use their changing station. Then I noticed his pants felt wet and when I took my hand away, it was covered in poop! There was no way I could get him inside, I had to change him in the car. Luckily, I'm pretty good about being prepared and had a change of clothes, plenty of wipes, extra diapers, an old shopping bag for the dirty diaper and wipes, and a wet bag for his soiled clothes. There was poop all down one of Landon's legs and all over the bottom of his onesie and pants. He's had worse blowouts and I was grateful there was nothing up his back. I cleaned him off, changed him, and miraculously managed to not get poop anywhere in my car. We went to Target, (where I washed my hands very well in the bathroom) got what we needed to get and went back to the car, no problems.
Then, as I took Landon out of the carrier, he started crying and I knew what he needed. He was hungry and I didn't have a bottle for him because I knew we'd only be gone an hour or less, but with the whole poop incident, we took longer than I expected. We live about 10 minutes from Target, but I knew he'd scream the whole way home, so I took out a blanket, covered myself and nursed him in the backseat of my car. Of course one side wasn't enough, he HAD to have both or else he would have screamed the whole way home. Once he was finally done eating, he passed out in his car seat and we drove home. I was exhausted after all of that!
While I can still say that Landon's behavior in public is wonderful (I know there will come a time when it's not though), I can no longer brag about the fact that Landon's poop timing is always great because he does it either right before we're leaving or right when we get home. As difficult as it was to deal with alone and in public, I'm proud of myself for just kind of rolling with the punches and being prepared enough to handle it and not freak out. If this happened when Landon was a bit younger, I probably would have cried. It was just another initiation into mommyhood and I know I will be able to manage it even better the next time, because it will happen again.
Up next? Landon blowing out a diaper in his sleep and waking up covered in poop. It's only a matter of time until that happens. Hopefully Jeff will still be home to help me :)
Monday, October 24, 2011
Before Becoming A Mom, I Never Thought I'd...
Be so concerned with someone's poop
Have such lengthy discussions with my husband about poop
Get so emotional over sick children, child abuse stories/deaths. They always made me sad, but now that I'm a mom, they really upset me
Be able to function on so little sleep for so long
Be OK with not having a rigid schedule like I always expected to have
Go to the bathroom with a baby strapped to my chest in a carrier
Be able to do almost everything 1-handed if needed
Miss my baby when he sleeps
Check my son several times each night to make sure he's breathing
Understand why parents get emotional when their kids hit any milestone, big or small
Actually enjoy breastfeeding. It sucked so much for the first couple months, but I love the bond we have now and I will so miss that time when it's all done.
Sing ridiculous songs and make silly faces all day and love it
Love my son this much. I knew I'd love him obviously, but you truly don't understand the love a mother has for her child until you become a mom yourself.
Love my husband even more. Seeing him as a father has made me love him in a whole new way.
Be quite this anxious about my son's health/well-being. As a mom, you are allowing your heart to walk around outside of your body. (I read that somewhere. Isn't it such a great analogy?)
What did you not realize you would do before becoming a mom?
Have such lengthy discussions with my husband about poop
Get so emotional over sick children, child abuse stories/deaths. They always made me sad, but now that I'm a mom, they really upset me
Be able to function on so little sleep for so long
Be OK with not having a rigid schedule like I always expected to have
Go to the bathroom with a baby strapped to my chest in a carrier
Be able to do almost everything 1-handed if needed
Miss my baby when he sleeps
Check my son several times each night to make sure he's breathing
Understand why parents get emotional when their kids hit any milestone, big or small
Actually enjoy breastfeeding. It sucked so much for the first couple months, but I love the bond we have now and I will so miss that time when it's all done.
Sing ridiculous songs and make silly faces all day and love it
Love my son this much. I knew I'd love him obviously, but you truly don't understand the love a mother has for her child until you become a mom yourself.
Love my husband even more. Seeing him as a father has made me love him in a whole new way.
Be quite this anxious about my son's health/well-being. As a mom, you are allowing your heart to walk around outside of your body. (I read that somewhere. Isn't it such a great analogy?)
What did you not realize you would do before becoming a mom?
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Losing The Baby Weight
In general, I tend to lose weight relatively quick, but I also gain fast. I do have to watch what I eat and exercise to stay at an average weight. I do not have the build to be skinny. I consider myself a bit of a pear shape because my hips and thighs are kind of big. I've tried many things to make them smaller, but it's just the way I'm built. I have to wear a size 10 or 12 in pants because of my lower half. They're usually a little big in the waist, but it is what it is.
I was worried and convinced that when I got pregnant, that my hips, thighs, and butt would vastly expand and I would look huge all over. To my delight, that did not happen this time around! I carried everything in my belly, gained 32 lbs, and lost 15ish lbs of that weight before I even left the hospital (almost 10lbs was baby haha). Obviously, my old pants and a lot of clothes didn't fit yet, I still looked 4 months pregnant. Landon was born in June, so I spent the summer living in cotton empire waist dresses, or nursing tanks and cotton gaucho pants. I also had a few tank tops that were flattering, but that was basically it. Nothing else fit. All of my baby weight was off by the time Landon was 2.5 months old, but I still wanted to lose 10 lbs that I was working on when I found out I was pregnant last fall.
Once fall came along, I had lost all but 4 lbs of that 10 lbs. I decided to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans. They fit decently when I was standing, but when I sat down they cut off my circulation and I had a huge, squishy stomach roll. Not cute, so I decided to wear maternity pants for awhile. They're super comfy and no one knew unless I told them. I tried not to beat myself up about it because it's normal to be wearing maternity pants for months after giving birth. When I was visiting my mom the other day, she commented that I looked thinner than I did when she last saw me 2 weeks earlier, and I noticed my maternity pants were literally hanging off my butt, so I decided to weigh myself the other morning. I was shocked to see that I was at my goal weight! I tried on my old jeans again and they fit both while I was sitting and standing! I'm thrilled to be in normal clothes again!
My stomach is still squishy and my legs are a bit bigger than I'd like, but considering that I didn't do crap to lose all that weight, I can't complain. I did try to exercise with my 30 Day Shred DVD, but I fell off that wagon a few weeks ago when somehow I hurt my back and Landon decided he didn't want to take naps that lasted longer than 20 minutes anymore unless he's sleeping on me. I don't diet because there's already so much I can't eat because Landon can't tolerate it in my milk and dieting too much can screw up your milk supply. Basically, I've been eating crap and being lazy and I lost weight. How does that work? For me, breastfeeding is magical. I always thought women who said they lost weight from nursing were full of it, but now I'm one of them and I get it. Landon nurses constantly and takes everything I have, so I am burning a ton of calories just by feeding my child and as a result, I eat like a horse and still don't gain weight. It's awesome and I will miss this when it's done and I actually have to watch what I eat and exercise. I also think having to cut out dairy has helped because I can't eat my true love, cheese.
I am well aware of how lucky I am. I know others who breastfeed and still are struggling to lose weight and are working their butts off to do so. I wish everyone had it as easy as I did. Who knows how it will be for baby #2 though. I will be older and that baby might not have the massive appetite Landon has. We'll have to wait and see!
I was worried and convinced that when I got pregnant, that my hips, thighs, and butt would vastly expand and I would look huge all over. To my delight, that did not happen this time around! I carried everything in my belly, gained 32 lbs, and lost 15ish lbs of that weight before I even left the hospital (almost 10lbs was baby haha). Obviously, my old pants and a lot of clothes didn't fit yet, I still looked 4 months pregnant. Landon was born in June, so I spent the summer living in cotton empire waist dresses, or nursing tanks and cotton gaucho pants. I also had a few tank tops that were flattering, but that was basically it. Nothing else fit. All of my baby weight was off by the time Landon was 2.5 months old, but I still wanted to lose 10 lbs that I was working on when I found out I was pregnant last fall.
Once fall came along, I had lost all but 4 lbs of that 10 lbs. I decided to try on my pre-pregnancy jeans. They fit decently when I was standing, but when I sat down they cut off my circulation and I had a huge, squishy stomach roll. Not cute, so I decided to wear maternity pants for awhile. They're super comfy and no one knew unless I told them. I tried not to beat myself up about it because it's normal to be wearing maternity pants for months after giving birth. When I was visiting my mom the other day, she commented that I looked thinner than I did when she last saw me 2 weeks earlier, and I noticed my maternity pants were literally hanging off my butt, so I decided to weigh myself the other morning. I was shocked to see that I was at my goal weight! I tried on my old jeans again and they fit both while I was sitting and standing! I'm thrilled to be in normal clothes again!
My stomach is still squishy and my legs are a bit bigger than I'd like, but considering that I didn't do crap to lose all that weight, I can't complain. I did try to exercise with my 30 Day Shred DVD, but I fell off that wagon a few weeks ago when somehow I hurt my back and Landon decided he didn't want to take naps that lasted longer than 20 minutes anymore unless he's sleeping on me. I don't diet because there's already so much I can't eat because Landon can't tolerate it in my milk and dieting too much can screw up your milk supply. Basically, I've been eating crap and being lazy and I lost weight. How does that work? For me, breastfeeding is magical. I always thought women who said they lost weight from nursing were full of it, but now I'm one of them and I get it. Landon nurses constantly and takes everything I have, so I am burning a ton of calories just by feeding my child and as a result, I eat like a horse and still don't gain weight. It's awesome and I will miss this when it's done and I actually have to watch what I eat and exercise. I also think having to cut out dairy has helped because I can't eat my true love, cheese.
I am well aware of how lucky I am. I know others who breastfeed and still are struggling to lose weight and are working their butts off to do so. I wish everyone had it as easy as I did. Who knows how it will be for baby #2 though. I will be older and that baby might not have the massive appetite Landon has. We'll have to wait and see!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Baby Nicknames
I tend to shorten everyone's names, especially when I was a teacher. Oddly enough, I don't shorten Landon's name because I think calling him "Lan" sounds weird. I do have several nicknames for him though and I have no idea where they all came from! They just kind of come out of my mouth when I'm talking to him and I use them so much that even my husband has started using them too haha.
We call Landon:
We call Landon:
- Bub/ Bubs
- Lovie/ Lovie pants (no idea why I say "pants")/ Loviekins (again, where do I come up with this stuff?)
- Sweet boy
- Sweetheart
- Love bug
- There's a couple more but I'm too embarrassed to share them :)
At this rate he's never going to know his real name! Of course, I don't use these names with him in public, but I will be sad when I have to stop using them when he's older and tells me he hates them!
What kind of nicknames do you give your kids?
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Roly Poly
Landon would like to show everyone his new trick. Ignore my silly mom voice:
Every time I put him on his back, this is what he does now! He's been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and he started rolling back to belly at 17 weeks (he's 18 weeks old now).
Every time I put him on his back, this is what he does now! He's been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and he started rolling back to belly at 17 weeks (he's 18 weeks old now).
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Landon's First Time At The Pumpkin Patch
At my insistence, we took Landon to the pumpkin patch yesterday! I had a super cute outfit for him to wear, but it was unseasonably warm (high 70's) so I had to put him in something cooler. He will have to wear that other outfit once I change him out of his costume during our Halloween party in a few weeks. I still made him wear his pumpkin hat though! We had a lot of fun, got a pumpkin, and made some memories, which was the whole point in going. Landon won't remember this trip, but Jeff and I will and he will have the pictures to see when he's older :) This is definitely going to be a family tradition and I can't wait until next year! He will be a little over 1 and probably running all over the place! I've always wanted to do these types of things with my child(ren) and I'm so thankful those dreams are coming true! I love my little family of 3!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Pinterest- Halloween
I've become obsessed with Pinterest (I'm MrsMelissaKaz on there if any of you are on there, follow me and I will follow you back!) and Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I've found some adorable ideas on there and I wanted to share them with you.
This is adorable for a pumpkin carving or Halloween party. From here.
I really love this wreath from here.
This is a really beautiful Halloween table from here. I love glittery pumpkins and have a few on my dining room table.
Brilliant idea for a party from here.
Finally, how cute is this drink for a Halloween party? Found here.
If you're on Pinterest, what are you pinning right now?
This is adorable for a pumpkin carving or Halloween party. From here.
I really love this wreath from here.
This is a really beautiful Halloween table from here. I love glittery pumpkins and have a few on my dining room table.
Brilliant idea for a party from here.
Finally, how cute is this drink for a Halloween party? Found here.
If you're on Pinterest, what are you pinning right now?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Landon is 4 Months Old!
Dear Landon,
Another month has gone by already and you are officially 4 months old. You are at a really fun age now and I am enjoy watching you grow up.
You are becoming much more interactive with your toys, which is wonderful. You still love your playmat, and you will grab at the toys with both hands, hold them, and put them in your mouth. Everything you hold goes in your mouth, including your own hands! You are really loving your Manhattan Winkel, which is really a teething toy, but you still enjoy chewing on it even though you aren't teething yet. You also move around like crazy! I never find you in the same place on the playmat as where I put you!
Your neck control is great now! Tummy time is really fun because you always keep your head lifted so I can look at you, and you also like to roll over sometimes. You can roll both ways now. You've been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and you just started doing back to belly at 17 weeks. I've put you in your Bumbo seat, and you're not really a huge fan of it for more than a few minutes, but you look adorable in it!
We put you in your exersaucer last week for the first time. You're a little bit too small for it, but we put a bunch of blankets in the seat with you for support and you really seem to love it! Your favorite toys are the giraffe and lion puppet.
You have found your voice and love to scream with delight! It's so funny and adorable! You are making more and more sounds and you're "talking" all the time. You're also a huge flirt and love to smile at everyone.
You finally went to church for the first time a couple weeks ago. Everyone was so excited to meet you! Mommy is a bit overprotective, so you didn't go in the nursery yet, but you slept through the entire service in your Ergo carrier.
Your mommy and daddy are huge Yankee fans, so of course you have a lot of Yankee gear. You finally fit into some of it, just in time for the playoffs!
You also watched your first Jets game and we took a family photo in our Jets gear.
You got to meet your cousin Troy when we went to Pennsylvania with you for the first time a couple weeks ago. Troy was turning 1, and Uncle Todd and Aunt Kim had never met you. It was a great day!
Stats:
You weigh 17 lbs. 6.5 oz. and are 26.5 in. long
You are in size 3 diapers- Pampers Cruisers
You are in size 6 month clothing. Some 6-9 month or 6-12 month things fit you as well.
You are still eating every 1-2 hours. I think that just might be the way it goes until you start solids in a couple months.
You are having a rough patch of sleep where you are up every 2-3 hours. The Dr. said it's normal, so we will just wait this one out.
You are at such a fun age now, and we cannot wait to see what you do next! We love you very much and you have brought such joy into our lives.
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
Another month has gone by already and you are officially 4 months old. You are at a really fun age now and I am enjoy watching you grow up.
You are becoming much more interactive with your toys, which is wonderful. You still love your playmat, and you will grab at the toys with both hands, hold them, and put them in your mouth. Everything you hold goes in your mouth, including your own hands! You are really loving your Manhattan Winkel, which is really a teething toy, but you still enjoy chewing on it even though you aren't teething yet. You also move around like crazy! I never find you in the same place on the playmat as where I put you!
Your neck control is great now! Tummy time is really fun because you always keep your head lifted so I can look at you, and you also like to roll over sometimes. You can roll both ways now. You've been doing belly to back since 11 weeks, and you just started doing back to belly at 17 weeks. I've put you in your Bumbo seat, and you're not really a huge fan of it for more than a few minutes, but you look adorable in it!
You finally went to church for the first time a couple weeks ago. Everyone was so excited to meet you! Mommy is a bit overprotective, so you didn't go in the nursery yet, but you slept through the entire service in your Ergo carrier.
Stats:
You weigh 17 lbs. 6.5 oz. and are 26.5 in. long
You are in size 3 diapers- Pampers Cruisers
You are in size 6 month clothing. Some 6-9 month or 6-12 month things fit you as well.
You are still eating every 1-2 hours. I think that just might be the way it goes until you start solids in a couple months.
You are having a rough patch of sleep where you are up every 2-3 hours. The Dr. said it's normal, so we will just wait this one out.
You are at such a fun age now, and we cannot wait to see what you do next! We love you very much and you have brought such joy into our lives.
Mommy and Daddy
Sunday, October 2, 2011
2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
I've seen this recipe going around Pinterest, Twitter, and various blogs. I used the recipe I got from the Kimberly's Korner blog.
All you need is:
*1 can of pumpkin
*1 box of yellow cake mix
Mix them together. I used my stand mixer, then mixed them together with a spoon afterwards to make sure everything was thoroughly mixed.
These were good. Very good, but they do taste way more like yellow cake than they do pumpkin. Some pumpkin pie spice might help. I might try putting chocolate chips in them next time too. You can put powdered sugar on these, cream cheese frosting, or eat them warm with butter. So easy and delicious!
All you need is:
*1 can of pumpkin
*1 box of yellow cake mix
Mix them together. I used my stand mixer, then mixed them together with a spoon afterwards to make sure everything was thoroughly mixed.
Put the mix into a cupcake tray.
Bake for 16-20 minutes at 350*
These were good. Very good, but they do taste way more like yellow cake than they do pumpkin. Some pumpkin pie spice might help. I might try putting chocolate chips in them next time too. You can put powdered sugar on these, cream cheese frosting, or eat them warm with butter. So easy and delicious!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Stay-At-Home-Mom Responsibilities
I'm very blessed to be able to stay at home with my son. This is what I've always wanted to do ever since I was a teenager and would babysit for various families. We're very fortunate that my husband has a job that allows me to stay home without us taking an enormous financial hit. Sure, my income was nice, but if I went back to work, the majority of that money would go towards daycare, so what's the point? I've definitely put some high expectations on myself and I do feel kind of bad when I don't meet them, but if Landon is having a hard day, laundry might not get done, or the dusting might have to wait. I don't beat myself up over it, but I do try to fit everything in. I've never been happier though and I feel this is the job I was meant to have. I don't miss teaching at all.
I feel that all of the housework and laundry (I don't do ironing though because I never iron my own clothes because I use Downy Wrinkle releaser, so Jeff handles ironing his stuff in the morning before work. I'd probably ruin his clothes if I tried to iron them anyway!) is my responsibility. Caring for Landon is a full time job, but I can do these other household things while he naps or is playing. I also wouldn't think Jeff did a good enough job cleaning and would re-do whatever he cleaned anyway haha! I try to do one room each day, but sometimes it just doesn't get done and then I have to kind of double up the next day. People have told me to hire a cleaning lady, but I think that's a bit silly since we don't have a huge house right now and I'm not working outside the home. I also do some cleaning on weekends while Jeff plays with Landon.
I try to cook dinner every night, but this one is hard to do. Jeff gets home at various times, so it's hard for me to have dinner cooked by the time he gets home, and Landon tends to be fussy in the evenings. It's not so easy to cook dinner with a baby strapped to you in a carrier. We've done leftovers, chicken nuggets, or take-out more than I care to admit, but it is what it is.
Obviously the primary care for Landon is my responsibility. I feed him, change him, play with him, take him to the Dr., etc. Unless he works super late, Jeff bathes him and of course plays with him once he gets home. We also both play with him and take care of him on weekends, but I'm the only one who can really feed him unless I pump a bottle. I also hold myself responsible for Landon reaching milestones and for exposing him to as many different things as possible.
Jeff works pretty long hours, handles our finances, household repairs, killing bugs, some cooking, and he is of course active in raising our son and spending time with him, bathing him, etc. Jeff also does the grocery shopping because I hate doing it and rush to get in and out, so I never use coupons or look for sales. It drives Jeff crazy, so he just does it himself. Works for me :)
I think both staying at home and going back to work present different challenges for moms. I personally would not be able to handle both taking care of my son and going back to work, so I give working moms a ton of credit and I don't know how they do it all. I'd be interested to hear how other stay-at-home-moms or working moms divide up the household and child responsibilities, so let me know what works for you and your families!
I feel that all of the housework and laundry (I don't do ironing though because I never iron my own clothes because I use Downy Wrinkle releaser, so Jeff handles ironing his stuff in the morning before work. I'd probably ruin his clothes if I tried to iron them anyway!) is my responsibility. Caring for Landon is a full time job, but I can do these other household things while he naps or is playing. I also wouldn't think Jeff did a good enough job cleaning and would re-do whatever he cleaned anyway haha! I try to do one room each day, but sometimes it just doesn't get done and then I have to kind of double up the next day. People have told me to hire a cleaning lady, but I think that's a bit silly since we don't have a huge house right now and I'm not working outside the home. I also do some cleaning on weekends while Jeff plays with Landon.
I try to cook dinner every night, but this one is hard to do. Jeff gets home at various times, so it's hard for me to have dinner cooked by the time he gets home, and Landon tends to be fussy in the evenings. It's not so easy to cook dinner with a baby strapped to you in a carrier. We've done leftovers, chicken nuggets, or take-out more than I care to admit, but it is what it is.
Obviously the primary care for Landon is my responsibility. I feed him, change him, play with him, take him to the Dr., etc. Unless he works super late, Jeff bathes him and of course plays with him once he gets home. We also both play with him and take care of him on weekends, but I'm the only one who can really feed him unless I pump a bottle. I also hold myself responsible for Landon reaching milestones and for exposing him to as many different things as possible.
Jeff works pretty long hours, handles our finances, household repairs, killing bugs, some cooking, and he is of course active in raising our son and spending time with him, bathing him, etc. Jeff also does the grocery shopping because I hate doing it and rush to get in and out, so I never use coupons or look for sales. It drives Jeff crazy, so he just does it himself. Works for me :)
I think both staying at home and going back to work present different challenges for moms. I personally would not be able to handle both taking care of my son and going back to work, so I give working moms a ton of credit and I don't know how they do it all. I'd be interested to hear how other stay-at-home-moms or working moms divide up the household and child responsibilities, so let me know what works for you and your families!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)