Monday, August 23, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 8 WARNING: GRAPHIC PHOTO
A photo(s) that makes me sad is located here. I am not going to post it on my blog, as they are graphic pictures, but you can go to the blog site and see them. They are photos of 2 babies strapped down to be circumcised. Then it shows a freshly circumcised penis. If you follow me on Facebook, you might have seen me reposting some articles there. There is NO medical reason for circumcisions, and no medical organization in the world recommends it. Yet, doctors still do them. And even more astoundingly, parents CONSENT without having done ANY reading or ANY real research. Asking a couple people that are friends about it, is not research... Last year the rate for circumcisions in the US had dropped to 33%. There goes that locker room statement. Europe and most of the rest of the world does not circumcise their newborn males. Anyways...I know I'm preaching to the choir for the most part.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 7
Wow! An entire week of posts featuring ME rather than just my kiddies! Impressive! Day 7 is a photo that makes me happy!
Oh wait! It is my kids that make me happy! This is Claire and Alex chilling outside. Claire is on my phone talking to probably Holly or my Mom!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 6
Day 6 of the 30 Day Challenge is making a list of 20 of my favorite things!
Favorite Smells:
1. The smell of cookies or bread baking. YUM!
2. The smell of freshly cut lawns. SUMMER!
3. The way the air smells when it's ready to rain. FRESH!
4. The way sheets/bedding smells the day it's freshly out of the dryer. CLEAN!
5. The way my babies smell after a bath and lotion. MAGIC!
Favorite things to touch:
6. The feel of velvet
7. The feel of baby soft skin
8. The way bars of soap feel when they are wet....slimy, yet clean!
9. The feel of warm pavement on cool feet
10. The feel of silk!
Favorite things to eat (I am a choco-holic.)
11. Milk Chocolate bars
12. Chocolate Ice cream
13. Chocolate Pudding (homemade of course)
14. Oreos
15. Coconut MnMs (Do not try them. Highly addictive.)
Other Favorites:
16. Lake Michigan
17. Sleep
18. Computer time
19. Adult conversation with no interruptions
20. Hot baths
If you haven't already started doing the 30 day blog challenge, here is the list of things to post about. I look forward to reading your posts.
Favorite Smells:
1. The smell of cookies or bread baking. YUM!
2. The smell of freshly cut lawns. SUMMER!
3. The way the air smells when it's ready to rain. FRESH!
4. The way sheets/bedding smells the day it's freshly out of the dryer. CLEAN!
5. The way my babies smell after a bath and lotion. MAGIC!
Favorite things to touch:
6. The feel of velvet
7. The feel of baby soft skin
8. The way bars of soap feel when they are wet....slimy, yet clean!
9. The feel of warm pavement on cool feet
10. The feel of silk!
Favorite things to eat (I am a choco-holic.)
11. Milk Chocolate bars
12. Chocolate Ice cream
13. Chocolate Pudding (homemade of course)
14. Oreos
15. Coconut MnMs (Do not try them. Highly addictive.)
Other Favorites:
16. Lake Michigan
17. Sleep
18. Computer time
19. Adult conversation with no interruptions
20. Hot baths
If you haven't already started doing the 30 day blog challenge, here is the list of things to post about. I look forward to reading your posts.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Well-Children Exams
We were driving and the car was on a bumpy road. A new song came on with a good beat and Claire shouts, "Mommy, The car is dancing!"
I asked Claire, "What would you like for lunch?" And her reply? "I wanna eat poopie!" Everything is funny if it has poop or pee in it. She know sings, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Poop" "Old McDonald Had a Farm with a poop-poop here, and a poop-poop there...everywhere a poop-poop!" Also making it's way into her musical repertoire is "Out came the sun and dried up all the poop, and the Itsy-Bitsy Spider climbed up the poop again." It's like mad-libs. But only poopier. Then she will sing "abcdefghijklmnoP(giggle, giggle) P!!! P!!! PEE!!!"
Today we went to Claire's 3 year-well child exam. I cracked up at the man sitting in the lobby eating MnMs and drinking Pepsi while reading The South Beach Diet. I could give him a couple pointers. Then he pulled out a bag of peanut MnMs. REALLY?! Wow. Then we went over the hospital to have Claire's blood drawn. I'm having her tested for basic seasonal and basic food allergies...maybe that has something to do with the night wakings? Can't hurt. She had a great lab-tech. She did not even cry when she got stuck.
Claire's favorite lunch request? A peanut butter cup...but not the kind you are thinking of...she wants a cup with peanut butter in it. I had filled a 1/4 measuring cup with a little peanut butter to dip apples in one day, and now she asks for it all the time. She likes to eat the PB with just a spoon, but who doesn't? :) And finally...Claire is no longer labeled failure to thrive or "slow weight gain!" Yay! :) The doc said she was just fine. No check up until she turns 4!
Another funny thing Claire likes to say is when she wants to wear tennis shoes instead of sandals. She says, "I want shoes that hide my toes and keep them secret!" She will also say that her hand is "sad" and I need to hold it. It's too cute.
She also calls coins, "Coinys" which sounds like "COIN-KNEES" which is super funny.
If she sees a "pimple or zit" on someone she calls it a "ZIMPLE" which is her combo of "ZIT plus the ending of PIMPLE." I love it.
Today at the hospital lab, we say an old man when we were walking in, and "She goes, "HI! YOU LOOK LIKE DOPEY!" You know, from the Snow White story! Then she wanted to know why that wasn't nice. See, we got a set of bibs for Alex's drool. One of them had Dopey on it. I told Josh that I didn't know if I wanted him to be wearing a Dopey bib cause then people might think, oh, he's dopey. And Claire immediately knew how to use this word, and said, "Hi, my little dopey Alex."
Her check-up went well and the doctor was impressed at how well she could talk and even say things like, "Mommy, be quiet, it's my turn to talk!" When I was trying to talk to Dr. W. That cracked the Dr. up!
She was also very concerned when one nurse took Alexander to weigh him on the baby scale in another area. She kept saying, "Why they taking my brother? They gonna bring him back?!" It was sweet.
Alexander was 27 1/2 inches long (99%); weighed 19.10 (99%); and his head was 17 1/4 around. He is a very busy boy. He has been grasping objects and bringing them to his mouth for a good month. He started rolling from tummy to back right before 2 months and started rolling the other way about a month ago. He is still slow, which is good, but he is amazing with how he will scoot around. Like he will do a 360 on a blanket on the floor. If he is on his back, he can pick up his body weight by pressing down on the floor with his feet. He is a very strong little kicker. He also kicked my belly a lot more while prego with him vs. Claire.
Alexander is very laid-back. He loves to laugh and smile, and be held. He is a great sleeper and is only waking up 1 or 2 times at night. (THANK YOU LORD! :) because Claire still wakes up a lot!) He tolerates Claire being very close and in his face all the time. He had his first taste of solids. An orange MnM. Yup. Thanks to Claire. Luckily, she was just holding it in his mouth and he was sucking on it, but boy was his tongue orange!!! And I'd had this discussion with her several times since my mom said someone fed my little brother a Cheerio and he wasn't latching right when he nursed. So in her defensive, Claire explained to me that he wasn't "eating it" he was just "sucking on it." Sigh.
Alexander is wearing mostly sized 12 month clothes, but has moved to 18 month is some smaller sized items. Yeah. He is gonna be big, but Claire was also 19 lbs by 4 months, 24 lbs at 9 months, then 23 lbs at 15 months and was labeled FTT, so whatever. She is fine now! Alex is wearing size 3 diapers during the day, and I put him in sized 5 at night since the sized 4 Huggies overnights were still leaking thru. I refuse to change him at night. It wakes us both up too much! The size 5s should last for awhile. Claire was in size 4s last winter when she potty trained and 5s at night, but I also remember buying her size 5s at around 7 months for a few cases, before her thighs thinned out! :)
Claire loves gum. LOVES IT! But so do I. Recently I shared that I took her in for a dentist appt and that she had 4 cavities. Well, we got a referral to a peds dentist, and I wish we would have just started there. She only has 2 that needed to be filled, which she had done there and did absolutely great! The issue is I was only brushing 1x per day and definitely not for a full two minutes. They gave me a sand timer, so I can time the brushings.
And by the way. Alex will get teeth sooner than Claire. He already has some white showing on his gums, and is drooling and mouthing his hands more than Claire ever did. She didn't get teeth until well into her 10th month.
And a little update on me...I'm taking an anti-depressant safe for nursing and I think it's really helped. Seriously, go get yourself to a mental health professional if you think you have post-partum depression or depression, because you probably do! Stay healthy!
We've had so many appointments this week, it's ridiculous. We also went to Claire's meet the teacher night. It was fun! I can't wait for her to start preschool! She is excited to. I wish I could say I could nap during the preschool sessions, but I'll probably be running errands with just Alex and stuff like that. The clothes for both of the kids are such a mess right now. Alex has outgrown seriously about everything in his dresser. I need to sort through it and get it ready to give to my sister for her little guy, Nolan. I can't wait to get rid of it either!
NO MORE BABIES HERE! I always wanted four kids. Then I had Claire and I said NEVER AGAIN for the first 12 months of her life. Then I had Alex, and now I'm saying NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN EVER. TOO MUCH WORK! LOL! Besides, I want to be able to give them lots of 1-on-1 attention and well, you know, maintain my own sanity.
Another nursing milestone for Claire...nope, she hasn't weaned...lol. I decided the issue that I wasn't against nursing, I was so "depressed" and feeling overly tired. Taking away a comfort to both of us was not going to help. Besides, it would be good to get Alex through his first year without his sister getting him sick...and a good way to do that is to keep letting her get an immunity boost from me. I never offer, and I do refuse sometimes. She can wait pretty well know. Sometimes she will forget, but mostly not. Remember that list of all the foods/cups of water she would drink. Not so much anymore. She barely drinks a cup of water/day...and maybe one cup of juice. I usually throw out the 2nd half of the cup. One day she ate just a few bites of apple.
Today: breakfast--didn't eat anything offered. Lunch--offered 1/2 cut up hotdog, with ketchup on the side, a few chunks of cheese with crackers, and orange segments. She ate 2 orange slices dipped in ketchup. Yum? Then she ate about 4th of a cracker. That's it. Oh, she did have a tiny dum-dum sucker after her blood draw, but did not want anything else all evening. Yeah...except to nurse. So I've heard that some kids with allergies will nurse more to ward off the allergies and their body "knows" this. So I can't want to see what the allergy results are. Oh, but the nursing milestone: She can nurse with GUM in her mouth. Yup. She tucks it under her upper lip. I knew she had it in there because she would pop off, chew for a second, then go back to nursing...I was like...give me your gum. She said, "I don't have gum." Because she knew I'd trash it ;) So then I said, "Where are you putting the gum when you nurse?" Since it wasn't in her fists. She pointed to it. Hahaha...starting to learn how to "lie" but not quite! They say that if a baby isn't mother-lead weaned by about 18 months, they will usually nurse until 36 months which is a common time for child-led weaning. So I'm waiting ... tomorrow she actually turns 37 months. I doubt she'll wean though ;) She's a huge comfort nurser and never would take a binky. Alex isn't a big comfort nurser, I've noticed already. He obviously get enough, though, since he's my great big chunky monkey! :)
Last weekend I drove up to my parents, picked up my mom, and then we drove up to Madison for my cousins baby shower. We stayed in a hotel with an indoor water park. CLAIRE LOVED IT! I must have taken her down a water slide there about 50 times.
So that's just some of what we've been doing lately and what's been going on with us. If you haven't already started the "Blog" challenge and you blog, I'd love to see you do your challenge and learn more about you! :) How's that for a bunch of random things? LATER!
I asked Claire, "What would you like for lunch?" And her reply? "I wanna eat poopie!" Everything is funny if it has poop or pee in it. She know sings, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Poop" "Old McDonald Had a Farm with a poop-poop here, and a poop-poop there...everywhere a poop-poop!" Also making it's way into her musical repertoire is "Out came the sun and dried up all the poop, and the Itsy-Bitsy Spider climbed up the poop again." It's like mad-libs. But only poopier. Then she will sing "abcdefghijklmnoP(giggle, giggle) P!!! P!!! PEE!!!"
Today we went to Claire's 3 year-well child exam. I cracked up at the man sitting in the lobby eating MnMs and drinking Pepsi while reading The South Beach Diet. I could give him a couple pointers. Then he pulled out a bag of peanut MnMs. REALLY?! Wow. Then we went over the hospital to have Claire's blood drawn. I'm having her tested for basic seasonal and basic food allergies...maybe that has something to do with the night wakings? Can't hurt. She had a great lab-tech. She did not even cry when she got stuck.
Claire's favorite lunch request? A peanut butter cup...but not the kind you are thinking of...she wants a cup with peanut butter in it. I had filled a 1/4 measuring cup with a little peanut butter to dip apples in one day, and now she asks for it all the time. She likes to eat the PB with just a spoon, but who doesn't? :) And finally...Claire is no longer labeled failure to thrive or "slow weight gain!" Yay! :) The doc said she was just fine. No check up until she turns 4!
Another funny thing Claire likes to say is when she wants to wear tennis shoes instead of sandals. She says, "I want shoes that hide my toes and keep them secret!" She will also say that her hand is "sad" and I need to hold it. It's too cute.
She also calls coins, "Coinys" which sounds like "COIN-KNEES" which is super funny.
If she sees a "pimple or zit" on someone she calls it a "ZIMPLE" which is her combo of "ZIT plus the ending of PIMPLE." I love it.
Today at the hospital lab, we say an old man when we were walking in, and "She goes, "HI! YOU LOOK LIKE DOPEY!" You know, from the Snow White story! Then she wanted to know why that wasn't nice. See, we got a set of bibs for Alex's drool. One of them had Dopey on it. I told Josh that I didn't know if I wanted him to be wearing a Dopey bib cause then people might think, oh, he's dopey. And Claire immediately knew how to use this word, and said, "Hi, my little dopey Alex."
Her check-up went well and the doctor was impressed at how well she could talk and even say things like, "Mommy, be quiet, it's my turn to talk!" When I was trying to talk to Dr. W. That cracked the Dr. up!
She was also very concerned when one nurse took Alexander to weigh him on the baby scale in another area. She kept saying, "Why they taking my brother? They gonna bring him back?!" It was sweet.
Alexander was 27 1/2 inches long (99%); weighed 19.10 (99%); and his head was 17 1/4 around. He is a very busy boy. He has been grasping objects and bringing them to his mouth for a good month. He started rolling from tummy to back right before 2 months and started rolling the other way about a month ago. He is still slow, which is good, but he is amazing with how he will scoot around. Like he will do a 360 on a blanket on the floor. If he is on his back, he can pick up his body weight by pressing down on the floor with his feet. He is a very strong little kicker. He also kicked my belly a lot more while prego with him vs. Claire.
Alexander is very laid-back. He loves to laugh and smile, and be held. He is a great sleeper and is only waking up 1 or 2 times at night. (THANK YOU LORD! :) because Claire still wakes up a lot!) He tolerates Claire being very close and in his face all the time. He had his first taste of solids. An orange MnM. Yup. Thanks to Claire. Luckily, she was just holding it in his mouth and he was sucking on it, but boy was his tongue orange!!! And I'd had this discussion with her several times since my mom said someone fed my little brother a Cheerio and he wasn't latching right when he nursed. So in her defensive, Claire explained to me that he wasn't "eating it" he was just "sucking on it." Sigh.
Alexander is wearing mostly sized 12 month clothes, but has moved to 18 month is some smaller sized items. Yeah. He is gonna be big, but Claire was also 19 lbs by 4 months, 24 lbs at 9 months, then 23 lbs at 15 months and was labeled FTT, so whatever. She is fine now! Alex is wearing size 3 diapers during the day, and I put him in sized 5 at night since the sized 4 Huggies overnights were still leaking thru. I refuse to change him at night. It wakes us both up too much! The size 5s should last for awhile. Claire was in size 4s last winter when she potty trained and 5s at night, but I also remember buying her size 5s at around 7 months for a few cases, before her thighs thinned out! :)
Claire loves gum. LOVES IT! But so do I. Recently I shared that I took her in for a dentist appt and that she had 4 cavities. Well, we got a referral to a peds dentist, and I wish we would have just started there. She only has 2 that needed to be filled, which she had done there and did absolutely great! The issue is I was only brushing 1x per day and definitely not for a full two minutes. They gave me a sand timer, so I can time the brushings.
And by the way. Alex will get teeth sooner than Claire. He already has some white showing on his gums, and is drooling and mouthing his hands more than Claire ever did. She didn't get teeth until well into her 10th month.
And a little update on me...I'm taking an anti-depressant safe for nursing and I think it's really helped. Seriously, go get yourself to a mental health professional if you think you have post-partum depression or depression, because you probably do! Stay healthy!
We've had so many appointments this week, it's ridiculous. We also went to Claire's meet the teacher night. It was fun! I can't wait for her to start preschool! She is excited to. I wish I could say I could nap during the preschool sessions, but I'll probably be running errands with just Alex and stuff like that. The clothes for both of the kids are such a mess right now. Alex has outgrown seriously about everything in his dresser. I need to sort through it and get it ready to give to my sister for her little guy, Nolan. I can't wait to get rid of it either!
NO MORE BABIES HERE! I always wanted four kids. Then I had Claire and I said NEVER AGAIN for the first 12 months of her life. Then I had Alex, and now I'm saying NEVER EVER EVER AGAIN EVER. TOO MUCH WORK! LOL! Besides, I want to be able to give them lots of 1-on-1 attention and well, you know, maintain my own sanity.
Another nursing milestone for Claire...nope, she hasn't weaned...lol. I decided the issue that I wasn't against nursing, I was so "depressed" and feeling overly tired. Taking away a comfort to both of us was not going to help. Besides, it would be good to get Alex through his first year without his sister getting him sick...and a good way to do that is to keep letting her get an immunity boost from me. I never offer, and I do refuse sometimes. She can wait pretty well know. Sometimes she will forget, but mostly not. Remember that list of all the foods/cups of water she would drink. Not so much anymore. She barely drinks a cup of water/day...and maybe one cup of juice. I usually throw out the 2nd half of the cup. One day she ate just a few bites of apple.
Today: breakfast--didn't eat anything offered. Lunch--offered 1/2 cut up hotdog, with ketchup on the side, a few chunks of cheese with crackers, and orange segments. She ate 2 orange slices dipped in ketchup. Yum? Then she ate about 4th of a cracker. That's it. Oh, she did have a tiny dum-dum sucker after her blood draw, but did not want anything else all evening. Yeah...except to nurse. So I've heard that some kids with allergies will nurse more to ward off the allergies and their body "knows" this. So I can't want to see what the allergy results are. Oh, but the nursing milestone: She can nurse with GUM in her mouth. Yup. She tucks it under her upper lip. I knew she had it in there because she would pop off, chew for a second, then go back to nursing...I was like...give me your gum. She said, "I don't have gum." Because she knew I'd trash it ;) So then I said, "Where are you putting the gum when you nurse?" Since it wasn't in her fists. She pointed to it. Hahaha...starting to learn how to "lie" but not quite! They say that if a baby isn't mother-lead weaned by about 18 months, they will usually nurse until 36 months which is a common time for child-led weaning. So I'm waiting ... tomorrow she actually turns 37 months. I doubt she'll wean though ;) She's a huge comfort nurser and never would take a binky. Alex isn't a big comfort nurser, I've noticed already. He obviously get enough, though, since he's my great big chunky monkey! :)
Last weekend I drove up to my parents, picked up my mom, and then we drove up to Madison for my cousins baby shower. We stayed in a hotel with an indoor water park. CLAIRE LOVED IT! I must have taken her down a water slide there about 50 times.
So that's just some of what we've been doing lately and what's been going on with us. If you haven't already started the "Blog" challenge and you blog, I'd love to see you do your challenge and learn more about you! :) How's that for a bunch of random things? LATER!
30 Day Challenge: Day 5
My Favorite Quote -- It's actually a prayer, but I say it counts! ---
The Serenity Prayer:
God, grant us the...
Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.
The Serenity Prayer:
God, grant us the...
Serenity to accept things we cannot change,
Courage to change the things we can, and the
Wisdom to know the difference
Patience for the things that take time
Appreciation for all that we have, and
Tolerance for those with different struggles
Freedom to live beyond the limitations of our past ways, the
Ability to feel your love for us and our love for each other and the
Strength to get up and try again even when we feel it is hopeless.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 4
Day 4 is my Favorite Book!
It's hard to pick a favorite of any one "thing" in this culture of overload, but I am going to limit myself to just sharing one favorite each day of this blog challenge. I would have to say my favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Why? Because I hated it in high school, but reread it after and loved it. :) It just goes to show that time and experience change everything, and it goes to prove "You can never read the same book twice!" I loved teaching it to my juniors even more. It's really cool to see what others get out of it.
It's hard to pick a favorite of any one "thing" in this culture of overload, but I am going to limit myself to just sharing one favorite each day of this blog challenge. I would have to say my favorite book of all time is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Why? Because I hated it in high school, but reread it after and loved it. :) It just goes to show that time and experience change everything, and it goes to prove "You can never read the same book twice!" I loved teaching it to my juniors even more. It's really cool to see what others get out of it.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 3
Day 3 Challenge - Your Favorite Television Program -
Mine would have to be GLEE currently. Watch a quick video clip here see a taste of all the fun drama. I also love the musical feel of the show!
Mine would have to be GLEE currently. Watch a quick video clip here see a taste of all the fun drama. I also love the musical feel of the show!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 2
Day 2 is my favorite movie -- It would have to be The Sound of Music and you can watch a trailer of it by clicking here. Super catchy songs, and I am named after the main character! How do you solve a problem like Maria?
Monday, August 16, 2010
30 Day Challenge: Day 1
My favorite song was/is the song that Josh and I danced to at our wedding 9 (!!!!!!!!!) years ago called "Truly, Madly, Deeply" by Savage Garden. I am going to embed it here, so click on the play button to watch it or if you use a feedreader, click here to watch the lyrics. It's also a super-relaxing song.
30 Day Challenge
My friend Mary from HS is doing a 30 day blogging challenge that she heard about here. I challenge you to join in the fun. I will do this every day for the next month along with some other posts here and there.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Butterfly Funeral
Today Claire found a butterfly stuck in the front of my car. She was excited! We have a butterfly bush, and she loves to watch the butterflies flit around. She knows that if she gets too close, then they will fly away. She said, "Oh it's so pretty! Then...why isn't it moving? Is it dead?" Like she knew...just from seeing dead worms outside. We've encountered a dead baby bird this summer on a walk. That was sad :( So she wanted to take it home. So I decided this was a good lesson. So we brought it home. I found a small white jewelry box for a casket and had a little funeral for it. We buried it under a tree in the front yard. She has probably asked me a 100 questions about it tonight. And I try patiently to answer them all.
I try not to say things like, "Just because." You know, I read a blurb in a magazine one time that the average 3 year-old asks 70 questions/hour. So her rate must be 170 questions/hour. I've been working on getting her to extend her questions, so they are not just "Why or how?" Because that's like "Why what?" Ahh...fun!
So I haven't posted in awhile, I know, because sometimes life gets going and the thing is, if I miss one night of blogging, then I miss another, then suddenly, a week has slipped away, then another. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't blog because nobody reads it, then I let it go for awhile, and it's a good remind that...wait! There are fans!
Claire had her 3rd birthday. Alex has turned three months, and is closer to 4!!! He weighed in at 19.9 today at the breastfeeding group. He is my little chunky monkey. He is wearing the Huggies size 4 overnight diapers. Claire wore size 4 diapers in January when she potty trained!!! He has actually leaked a couple times with those though, so the next overnight pack will be size 5s! During the day he is in size 3s. His clothes range from a few bigger 6-9 month sizes to 18 month onesies. He is very long. The 12 month ones are getting hard to snap in the middle!
This is going to be a conglomeration of topics rather than several separate posts. Another reason I haven't posted in awhile is that I have been recently "labeled/diagnosed" or whatever you want to call it with PPD or post-partum depression. I feel like I wanted to share this sooner with any of my dear readers, but I haven't really known how to present it. So whatever, now you know! And actually, I've been on meds for about 3 weeks and I feel like they are working. I don't feel intensely angry anymore. My depression took the form of anger and mood swings. I'll probably be posting on this more later. But I've probably had depression my whole life. It was actually a relief to hear this label. Like I had a reason to feel how I was feeling.
Anyways, I saw a perinatal mood specialist in Indy. So that's like all she does. Talks to crazy post-partum, hormonal women. :) And oh, guess what. I have OCD with intrusive thoughts which is anxiety. Like I stress about germs and strangers touching my kids. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)...yes... I am obsessed with keeping my kids healthy! Like, have you seen all the crap I post on facebook about breastfeeding! It's very common for people who are deeply involved in a cause to have OCD ... or is it the other way around? Anyways, it always hurt my feelings growing up when people would call me a neat-freak or perfectionist because I didn't see that in myself and don't. Like all I see is how dirty my house is when it's really not that bad....
And man, do I get grossed out going to public restrooms. I like libraries and hospitals. They know how to clean bathrooms. That's about it! Anyways, here's what I want to know...they say that you should get your teeth cleaned ever six months. You should have a yearly physical every year around your birthday, so you remember. And you should have a yearly well-woman exam, etc...what about a head check? Why is America never saying...get your mental health checked?
I think there is a lot of "stigma" attached to mental issues or labels, like if you're depressed, you can't do anything, but lay around your house all day on the couch. I'm the opposite. I don't like being alone. I go to the Children's museum 1-2x a week to get out and visit with other moms. Here's the funny thing...I'm starting to recognize the staff and other regular members!
Anyways...why the sudden "revelation"... I guess I was just feeling incredibly overwhelmed and tired and like I.could.not.do.it.all. It's a lot to take care of a kid all day everyday, plus all night. Parenting is endless. Don't get me wrong. I love my kids so incredibly much, but it's sad when I think of running to the store for 15 minutes as "me" time. Or taking a shower alone is "me" time. Haha!
I usually take a bath with one or both kids...it's just like once you sign up for a kid, the whole thing doesn't become real until you have a squalling baby (and a toddler in your arms!)
So let's talk about anger. I always had a focal point for anger. I think some people get angry and get the road rage with driving. My anger that I can remember was always in school. I mean...I got pretty much straight As. My OCD made me a great student!!! I got a full-ride to college on an academic scholarship and did great there as well. I am very focused on grammar and spelling and can't stand it when I see grammar errors on Facebook, etc. I know sometimes I get sloppy with commas and stuff on there, but I still notice it and post it anyways. It's my way of being a rebel. :)
So during school I would be angry about certain classes or assignments or teachers I didn't like or different things we were doing that drove me nuts. I hated my 8th grade English class with passion. Beowulf. YUCK. I hated Chemistry. I hated Calculus. And on and on. I was super angry about stuff. I would obsess about homework and assignments and then stay up late working on stuff. I would be pissed when I would get stuff "wrong" or lose points, etc.
Anyways, it's very common for when you have depression to pick a focal point for anger. So here's when I realized I had issues, after Claire's birth I now know I had PPD. I was so so so angry about the cats. Yoda and Snuggles. I was angry about having to clean the catbox. I was angry about the fur and hair the left everywhere. I was angry that they would get too close to baby Claire and get their paws on her...or even walk on her or her stuff. Those same paws were in the litter box! EW! So it got to the point where I was so mad about them, that we gave them away to a dear friend from college. Anger about that was then gone.
So then, my focal point changed. I began to obsess about Claire's birth. The cats were gone by about the time Claire turned 6 months. I was so angry about her birth experience and things not going how I wanted them to. I went to a LLL enrichment meeting at Broadripple and the topic was birth stories. I shared mine and was crying the whole time. I was the last one to share, and said I didn't want to share. Another leader said, take your time, and encouraged me to talk about it. It was actually very healing for me to talk about it in a safe environment with women I knew about it.
After I had shared, one of the leaders came up and talked to me about post-partum depression. Shortly thereafter I went to my OB and got a script for Zoloft. However, I didn't get it filled. I think I only ever told Josh. He said that I basically didn't need it. I know he wasn't trying to "hurt" me or anything, but we as a society are so so so uneducated about perinatal mood disorders like PPD. I would cry every time I went to a website about PPD because the list of symptoms to me where like, check, check, check, check.
I honestly didn't start feeling better until she was about 18 months old. I started working out and lost some weight. But I guess I would still get angry and in debates on facebook and elsewhere about breastfeeding, etc. So sorry about that ;) It's my obsession. Truly.
So then around her 2nd birthday, I got pregnant with Alexander. We were trying of course. But then after he was born, I was starting to feel some of the same things like I did with Claire. I'm afraid to walk by the top of the stairs because I'm afraid I might drop him, and walking down the stairs is worse. I'm afraid to have other people hold him. I'm afraid of lots of things. I'm afraid if Claire splashes water on his face that he might get water in his lungs. But my parental worry goes over and above the normal worry. Like part of my intrusive thoughts is playing out weird scenes in my head. Anyways....I'm working on not worrying about things like, ew, gross Claire just picked up a dead butterfly!
I honestly feel like I am sleeping better. I haven't cried for about 2 weeks. I feel like my head is clearer and my thoughts aren't jumbled. If you think you have had PPD, you probably do. And you might have depression too. It's ok. You have to take the step. Call me/email me/etc if you are local and I'll get you the hook-up with the Clarion counselors. WORTH IT. Step one. One day at a time. Know you want help. Know that this too shall pass ;) Know that you can do it. And you are doing it. Seriously, 1 in 7 women have PPD. It is the most common complication of childbirth. And the most commonly undiagnosed because it's so misunderstood. It's a chemical imbalance plain and simple. Pregnancy changes your body chemistry so much. Then it takes MONTHS before your body goes back to normal chemical levels. Add in sleep deprivation...fun! And nobody knows sleep deprivation until you have a baby that needs you all.the.time. It's normal though, and that's what babies do and need.
And I'm obsessed at not letting my babies cry.for.a.single.dang.second. I feel like it's incredibly wrong. Like why in the freaking hell would you sign up to be a parent then let your baby/child cry? Seems so inherently wrong. Not only that, but when I hear them cry, it actually gets inside my head and I.can't.stop.it. That's why if Claire still needs to nurse at 36 months and still asks for it, then I let her. Basically, I was feeling very angry at Claire. I knew that something was wrong .... with me!
It wasn't right to feel so angry at my sweet little Claire about crying or needing something when before Alex was born (enter PPD) I wouldn't have cared about it a lot at all. I was also having a lot of mood swings. Like, very hard to not cry at stuff. Stupid stuff, too. So that's not normal!
So what if somebody says they think that they have PPD to you? Encourage them to get help. Get an evaluation and get meds that work for them and a person to talk to who is "outside of their circle" so to speak.
Don't say it isn't real. That's like telling somebody with strep throat that they don't have it. That's emotionally cruel.
Don't ask if they're feeling ok or better? That's kind of vague and annoying, although I know it's generally not meant to be. Ask more specific questions if you really want to know or care.
Don't ask if you can do something without plans to follow through. Better: Hey, "I want to help. I want to bring you dinner or come clean your bathrooms." And no, I'm not asking for this of anyone, those awesome souls of you who have already done this after Alex was born or more recently, thank you a thousand hundred times over again and again, or if I've chatted on the phone/emailed with you, etc. You know who you are ;)
I guess flakiness is one of my pet peeves. Like I remember the girl in 7th grade that borrowed lunch money from me 2 times and never paid me back. Really, why did I do it a 2nd time. I'm nice. And I still can't let it go. Really. What the heck!
Anyways, if this is totally random and jumbled, forgive me, but if you're still reading then I know you care ;)
Here are some fun things Claire has said lately:
"Momma, baby cows come outta them Momma's butts" in reference to watching a baby calf be born at Fair Oaks Farms. We are working on pronouns still!
Today she threw a band-aid on the ground. I told her to throw it on the ground. I said, "Claire, where is the trash can?!" And she replied, "Wherever you left it, Momma!" Good answer, as that is what I tell her whenever she asks me where a certain tiny toy is that she can't find. I'm thinking she might need glasses.
She has a 'sidewalk' for her playhouse. She calls it an "8" or "B" sidewalk.
We go outside first thing in the morning or after we eat supper. We have no big shade trees in our newer neighborhood. We might go out for 5-10 min. when we get the mail midday, but then it's too hot! So we came back in recently and Claire was pleading to go back outside. She goes, "But Momma, I promise that I won't get too hot!"
Claire was trying to describe "That Fun Place" to me. I was having a hard time figuring it out. It's like Chucky Cheese, although we have yet to take her to CC yet! I asked her if it was before Alexander was born. She adamantly said, "NO! YOU WERE PREGNANT." Haha! :) I guess he was around if I was prego.
So anyways...I am fine. I am the same old me basically! I want the best for my kids, and I am OCD about it!
Alexander is the little baby boy that stole my heart. He weighed in at 19.9...I can't believe it!!! My little big baby! He sleeps great, nurses great, and seems super laid back. And it's not just my observations, but others have noticed this too.
Confession: I broke a rocking chair at church while I was sitting in it, nursing Alex. That was pretty crappy. Sigh.
Confession: I spanked Claire on 3 different occasions since Alex was born. It felt awful. It didn't work. I'm never doing it again, and I'm very sorry to my sweet baby Claire! There, I feel better having admitted that. But man, I said I never would, and I never will again. She said, "Momma, No hitting! That's not nice." She's right. I need to talk. She's totally old enough now to understand and ask "WHY!" about stuff.
Confession: I had a cleaning lady come recently. Why do I feel guilty? I feel like I should be able to do it all. I feel OCD about not wanting a stranger in my space, touching our stuff. Snooping? Stealing? But it's a friend of a friend, so I feel ok about it.
So the cleaning lady comes Tuesday. Wednesday, yesterday, I dumped 8 cups of soup with meat and veggies all over the counter and floor and me. 8 cups is a lot. Dump one cup on your counter and see. OH MY GOD. I was so pissed. I threw away all three kitchen rugs (ok, they were 10 years old) because I didn't want to mess with them. Then I had to clean up my 1 day old mopped floor. Super pissed.
Then. Claire was playing around the house in a swim suit. Fine. Whatever. She can wear what she wants when we are home. That's fine as long as she is happy and dressed! So she went to the bathroom and couldn't get the suit off in time. She peed all over the 2 rugs in the bathroom. So I threw away the 2 bathroom rugs. They were also old to let you know and the backing was falling off. SUPER ANNOYING. So then I had to remop that floor after spraying her off. I also threw away her swimsuit. I feel wasteful ;) But it was a garage sale suit that had lost the elastic and was not staying up anyway. Seriously? What do you do with that kind of stuff? Does Goodwill recycle clothes/rugs like that? Who wants to wash them to donate them!
Also, Josh's Grandma Peggy died around Claire's third birthday. :( Super sad. She was a great lady and will be missed. I will miss chatting with her on the phone.
Some other fun things post-Alex:
Claire tried the soap in the bathroom. As in ate some. When she does stuff "wrong" I try to always remember to ask why. She said, "I wanted berry yogurt." Sure enough, there were berries on the bottle of soap.
Alex had his first taste of solids. It was an orange MnM. Via Claire. Yup. He had a super orange tongue. Of course at this age they suck anything in their mouth. She didn't let go of it though. She said, "He's not eating it, Mommy. Just licking it." Sigh. I thought I had that chat with her.
I buried a butterfly today and talked to Claire about death. It was actually pretty amazing and a good way to talk about God. I thank God everyday for the 2 greatest gifts on earth, my sweet baby Claire and my sweet baby Alexander.
Anyways, I'll let you go. Now, who read that to the end?
I try not to say things like, "Just because." You know, I read a blurb in a magazine one time that the average 3 year-old asks 70 questions/hour. So her rate must be 170 questions/hour. I've been working on getting her to extend her questions, so they are not just "Why or how?" Because that's like "Why what?" Ahh...fun!
So I haven't posted in awhile, I know, because sometimes life gets going and the thing is, if I miss one night of blogging, then I miss another, then suddenly, a week has slipped away, then another. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't blog because nobody reads it, then I let it go for awhile, and it's a good remind that...wait! There are fans!
Claire had her 3rd birthday. Alex has turned three months, and is closer to 4!!! He weighed in at 19.9 today at the breastfeeding group. He is my little chunky monkey. He is wearing the Huggies size 4 overnight diapers. Claire wore size 4 diapers in January when she potty trained!!! He has actually leaked a couple times with those though, so the next overnight pack will be size 5s! During the day he is in size 3s. His clothes range from a few bigger 6-9 month sizes to 18 month onesies. He is very long. The 12 month ones are getting hard to snap in the middle!
This is going to be a conglomeration of topics rather than several separate posts. Another reason I haven't posted in awhile is that I have been recently "labeled/diagnosed" or whatever you want to call it with PPD or post-partum depression. I feel like I wanted to share this sooner with any of my dear readers, but I haven't really known how to present it. So whatever, now you know! And actually, I've been on meds for about 3 weeks and I feel like they are working. I don't feel intensely angry anymore. My depression took the form of anger and mood swings. I'll probably be posting on this more later. But I've probably had depression my whole life. It was actually a relief to hear this label. Like I had a reason to feel how I was feeling.
Anyways, I saw a perinatal mood specialist in Indy. So that's like all she does. Talks to crazy post-partum, hormonal women. :) And oh, guess what. I have OCD with intrusive thoughts which is anxiety. Like I stress about germs and strangers touching my kids. OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder)...yes... I am obsessed with keeping my kids healthy! Like, have you seen all the crap I post on facebook about breastfeeding! It's very common for people who are deeply involved in a cause to have OCD ... or is it the other way around? Anyways, it always hurt my feelings growing up when people would call me a neat-freak or perfectionist because I didn't see that in myself and don't. Like all I see is how dirty my house is when it's really not that bad....
And man, do I get grossed out going to public restrooms. I like libraries and hospitals. They know how to clean bathrooms. That's about it! Anyways, here's what I want to know...they say that you should get your teeth cleaned ever six months. You should have a yearly physical every year around your birthday, so you remember. And you should have a yearly well-woman exam, etc...what about a head check? Why is America never saying...get your mental health checked?
I think there is a lot of "stigma" attached to mental issues or labels, like if you're depressed, you can't do anything, but lay around your house all day on the couch. I'm the opposite. I don't like being alone. I go to the Children's museum 1-2x a week to get out and visit with other moms. Here's the funny thing...I'm starting to recognize the staff and other regular members!
Anyways...why the sudden "revelation"... I guess I was just feeling incredibly overwhelmed and tired and like I.could.not.do.it.all. It's a lot to take care of a kid all day everyday, plus all night. Parenting is endless. Don't get me wrong. I love my kids so incredibly much, but it's sad when I think of running to the store for 15 minutes as "me" time. Or taking a shower alone is "me" time. Haha!
I usually take a bath with one or both kids...it's just like once you sign up for a kid, the whole thing doesn't become real until you have a squalling baby (and a toddler in your arms!)
So let's talk about anger. I always had a focal point for anger. I think some people get angry and get the road rage with driving. My anger that I can remember was always in school. I mean...I got pretty much straight As. My OCD made me a great student!!! I got a full-ride to college on an academic scholarship and did great there as well. I am very focused on grammar and spelling and can't stand it when I see grammar errors on Facebook, etc. I know sometimes I get sloppy with commas and stuff on there, but I still notice it and post it anyways. It's my way of being a rebel. :)
So during school I would be angry about certain classes or assignments or teachers I didn't like or different things we were doing that drove me nuts. I hated my 8th grade English class with passion. Beowulf. YUCK. I hated Chemistry. I hated Calculus. And on and on. I was super angry about stuff. I would obsess about homework and assignments and then stay up late working on stuff. I would be pissed when I would get stuff "wrong" or lose points, etc.
Anyways, it's very common for when you have depression to pick a focal point for anger. So here's when I realized I had issues, after Claire's birth I now know I had PPD. I was so so so angry about the cats. Yoda and Snuggles. I was angry about having to clean the catbox. I was angry about the fur and hair the left everywhere. I was angry that they would get too close to baby Claire and get their paws on her...or even walk on her or her stuff. Those same paws were in the litter box! EW! So it got to the point where I was so mad about them, that we gave them away to a dear friend from college. Anger about that was then gone.
So then, my focal point changed. I began to obsess about Claire's birth. The cats were gone by about the time Claire turned 6 months. I was so angry about her birth experience and things not going how I wanted them to. I went to a LLL enrichment meeting at Broadripple and the topic was birth stories. I shared mine and was crying the whole time. I was the last one to share, and said I didn't want to share. Another leader said, take your time, and encouraged me to talk about it. It was actually very healing for me to talk about it in a safe environment with women I knew about it.
After I had shared, one of the leaders came up and talked to me about post-partum depression. Shortly thereafter I went to my OB and got a script for Zoloft. However, I didn't get it filled. I think I only ever told Josh. He said that I basically didn't need it. I know he wasn't trying to "hurt" me or anything, but we as a society are so so so uneducated about perinatal mood disorders like PPD. I would cry every time I went to a website about PPD because the list of symptoms to me where like, check, check, check, check.
I honestly didn't start feeling better until she was about 18 months old. I started working out and lost some weight. But I guess I would still get angry and in debates on facebook and elsewhere about breastfeeding, etc. So sorry about that ;) It's my obsession. Truly.
So then around her 2nd birthday, I got pregnant with Alexander. We were trying of course. But then after he was born, I was starting to feel some of the same things like I did with Claire. I'm afraid to walk by the top of the stairs because I'm afraid I might drop him, and walking down the stairs is worse. I'm afraid to have other people hold him. I'm afraid of lots of things. I'm afraid if Claire splashes water on his face that he might get water in his lungs. But my parental worry goes over and above the normal worry. Like part of my intrusive thoughts is playing out weird scenes in my head. Anyways....I'm working on not worrying about things like, ew, gross Claire just picked up a dead butterfly!
I honestly feel like I am sleeping better. I haven't cried for about 2 weeks. I feel like my head is clearer and my thoughts aren't jumbled. If you think you have had PPD, you probably do. And you might have depression too. It's ok. You have to take the step. Call me/email me/etc if you are local and I'll get you the hook-up with the Clarion counselors. WORTH IT. Step one. One day at a time. Know you want help. Know that this too shall pass ;) Know that you can do it. And you are doing it. Seriously, 1 in 7 women have PPD. It is the most common complication of childbirth. And the most commonly undiagnosed because it's so misunderstood. It's a chemical imbalance plain and simple. Pregnancy changes your body chemistry so much. Then it takes MONTHS before your body goes back to normal chemical levels. Add in sleep deprivation...fun! And nobody knows sleep deprivation until you have a baby that needs you all.the.time. It's normal though, and that's what babies do and need.
And I'm obsessed at not letting my babies cry.for.a.single.dang.second. I feel like it's incredibly wrong. Like why in the freaking hell would you sign up to be a parent then let your baby/child cry? Seems so inherently wrong. Not only that, but when I hear them cry, it actually gets inside my head and I.can't.stop.it. That's why if Claire still needs to nurse at 36 months and still asks for it, then I let her. Basically, I was feeling very angry at Claire. I knew that something was wrong .... with me!
It wasn't right to feel so angry at my sweet little Claire about crying or needing something when before Alex was born (enter PPD) I wouldn't have cared about it a lot at all. I was also having a lot of mood swings. Like, very hard to not cry at stuff. Stupid stuff, too. So that's not normal!
So what if somebody says they think that they have PPD to you? Encourage them to get help. Get an evaluation and get meds that work for them and a person to talk to who is "outside of their circle" so to speak.
Don't say it isn't real. That's like telling somebody with strep throat that they don't have it. That's emotionally cruel.
Don't ask if they're feeling ok or better? That's kind of vague and annoying, although I know it's generally not meant to be. Ask more specific questions if you really want to know or care.
Don't ask if you can do something without plans to follow through. Better: Hey, "I want to help. I want to bring you dinner or come clean your bathrooms." And no, I'm not asking for this of anyone, those awesome souls of you who have already done this after Alex was born or more recently, thank you a thousand hundred times over again and again, or if I've chatted on the phone/emailed with you, etc. You know who you are ;)
I guess flakiness is one of my pet peeves. Like I remember the girl in 7th grade that borrowed lunch money from me 2 times and never paid me back. Really, why did I do it a 2nd time. I'm nice. And I still can't let it go. Really. What the heck!
Anyways, if this is totally random and jumbled, forgive me, but if you're still reading then I know you care ;)
Here are some fun things Claire has said lately:
"Momma, baby cows come outta them Momma's butts" in reference to watching a baby calf be born at Fair Oaks Farms. We are working on pronouns still!
Today she threw a band-aid on the ground. I told her to throw it on the ground. I said, "Claire, where is the trash can?!" And she replied, "Wherever you left it, Momma!" Good answer, as that is what I tell her whenever she asks me where a certain tiny toy is that she can't find. I'm thinking she might need glasses.
She has a 'sidewalk' for her playhouse. She calls it an "8" or "B" sidewalk.
We go outside first thing in the morning or after we eat supper. We have no big shade trees in our newer neighborhood. We might go out for 5-10 min. when we get the mail midday, but then it's too hot! So we came back in recently and Claire was pleading to go back outside. She goes, "But Momma, I promise that I won't get too hot!"
Claire was trying to describe "That Fun Place" to me. I was having a hard time figuring it out. It's like Chucky Cheese, although we have yet to take her to CC yet! I asked her if it was before Alexander was born. She adamantly said, "NO! YOU WERE PREGNANT." Haha! :) I guess he was around if I was prego.
So anyways...I am fine. I am the same old me basically! I want the best for my kids, and I am OCD about it!
Alexander is the little baby boy that stole my heart. He weighed in at 19.9...I can't believe it!!! My little big baby! He sleeps great, nurses great, and seems super laid back. And it's not just my observations, but others have noticed this too.
Confession: I broke a rocking chair at church while I was sitting in it, nursing Alex. That was pretty crappy. Sigh.
Confession: I spanked Claire on 3 different occasions since Alex was born. It felt awful. It didn't work. I'm never doing it again, and I'm very sorry to my sweet baby Claire! There, I feel better having admitted that. But man, I said I never would, and I never will again. She said, "Momma, No hitting! That's not nice." She's right. I need to talk. She's totally old enough now to understand and ask "WHY!" about stuff.
Confession: I had a cleaning lady come recently. Why do I feel guilty? I feel like I should be able to do it all. I feel OCD about not wanting a stranger in my space, touching our stuff. Snooping? Stealing? But it's a friend of a friend, so I feel ok about it.
So the cleaning lady comes Tuesday. Wednesday, yesterday, I dumped 8 cups of soup with meat and veggies all over the counter and floor and me. 8 cups is a lot. Dump one cup on your counter and see. OH MY GOD. I was so pissed. I threw away all three kitchen rugs (ok, they were 10 years old) because I didn't want to mess with them. Then I had to clean up my 1 day old mopped floor. Super pissed.
Then. Claire was playing around the house in a swim suit. Fine. Whatever. She can wear what she wants when we are home. That's fine as long as she is happy and dressed! So she went to the bathroom and couldn't get the suit off in time. She peed all over the 2 rugs in the bathroom. So I threw away the 2 bathroom rugs. They were also old to let you know and the backing was falling off. SUPER ANNOYING. So then I had to remop that floor after spraying her off. I also threw away her swimsuit. I feel wasteful ;) But it was a garage sale suit that had lost the elastic and was not staying up anyway. Seriously? What do you do with that kind of stuff? Does Goodwill recycle clothes/rugs like that? Who wants to wash them to donate them!
Also, Josh's Grandma Peggy died around Claire's third birthday. :( Super sad. She was a great lady and will be missed. I will miss chatting with her on the phone.
Some other fun things post-Alex:
Claire tried the soap in the bathroom. As in ate some. When she does stuff "wrong" I try to always remember to ask why. She said, "I wanted berry yogurt." Sure enough, there were berries on the bottle of soap.
Alex had his first taste of solids. It was an orange MnM. Via Claire. Yup. He had a super orange tongue. Of course at this age they suck anything in their mouth. She didn't let go of it though. She said, "He's not eating it, Mommy. Just licking it." Sigh. I thought I had that chat with her.
I buried a butterfly today and talked to Claire about death. It was actually pretty amazing and a good way to talk about God. I thank God everyday for the 2 greatest gifts on earth, my sweet baby Claire and my sweet baby Alexander.
Anyways, I'll let you go. Now, who read that to the end?
Friday, August 6, 2010
I haven't forgotten
Hmm! Yes, I still have a blog. I think this is a new record! Three full weeks and no posts. More soon!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
We have a cousin!
Welcome to the world, NOLAN ANDREW SHERWOOD! Born this morning at 10:05! He was 22 inches and he weighs 9 lbs. 1/2 oz. What a big boy! :) The most amazing thing was I was able to "listen" to the birth via the phone since she lives like 10 hours away. Holly delivered at a midwifery center and had calm relaxing music. They kept telling her good job, etc. I could hear Holly breathing and a little of what was going on in the room. Then I heard the baby cry and it was amazing! :) What first time Mom has a baby ON THEIR DUE DATE! WHOA! And totally natural...go Holly!
Claire will be glad to have another little baby to give kisses to in addition to Alexander!
Alex was also very excited about his new baby cousin and wants to know if they can lay next to each other soon! :)
Claire will be glad to have another little baby to give kisses to in addition to Alexander!
Alex was also very excited about his new baby cousin and wants to know if they can lay next to each other soon! :)
Monday, July 12, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Big Girl Room
Thought I'd post some pictures of Princess Claire's room! Here is her big girl bed!!!
She's buried in there reading her book:
She calls the Princess Canopy her "pink forest!"
New curtains, rods, and tie-backs. My desk is no longer in front of the window. Now I just need to get the filing cabinet out of there!
A big thanks to Oma and Opa for helping get things set up and giving Claire these things for her big 3rd birthday! :) (WHOA! She is gonna be three so soon!)
She's buried in there reading her book:
She calls the Princess Canopy her "pink forest!"
New curtains, rods, and tie-backs. My desk is no longer in front of the window. Now I just need to get the filing cabinet out of there!
A big thanks to Oma and Opa for helping get things set up and giving Claire these things for her big 3rd birthday! :) (WHOA! She is gonna be three so soon!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)