The Milestones- they are a comin'

The goose sat unassisted for the first time this morning so New Year's Eve is already quite the party in our household. This is an achievement given Grace's ample size and the amount of fat that must be supported by muscle. Interestingly enough, New Year's Eve 2003 was the first time Gavin rolled over. Ahhhhh, New Year's Eve used to be celebrated with loads of liquor and the kissing of random boys in bars. Now it is a day of baby milestones. I know writing this will cause WVU to denounce me as an alumni but I do like the milestone celebrations far better.










Just thought I would share what Grace's first unassisted sitting reminded me of. My sister had a t-shirt with Fat Cat Capsizing and that t-shirt ran through my head with every fall. Bad mommy. Baaaaaaad mommy!

Two-peat!

She likes them, she really likes them!!!

Tonight was another grand success with the sweet potatoes. She giggled and laughed and gobbled up the whole jar. Although about a half an hour after eating them she let out a giant burp and I panicked- totally expecting an orange vomit eruption- but fortunately it was just air. I forgot the fear that comes along with solid food spit-up. Especially orange solid food spit-up. Next fear to conquer? The solid food diaper! Can't get much worse!!

Famous last words???

Potatoes have never been so sweet

After a week of trying to get Grace to just taste rice cereal or oatmeal mixed with breastmilk, I hung up the fortified iron cereals and tried sweet potatoes and she LOVED them!! She was grabbing at the spoon and opening wide and seeing as how she has no idea how to eat off a spoon, out came her little tongue and she tried to slurp it off like how she suckles. It was abso-freakin-lutely adorable!! She ate an entire jar of Earth's Best sweet potatoes so today is a red letter day! 40 calories went into my baby that were not provided by my body. There is a slight glimmer of hope that I will not be her sole source of nutrition for the next 18 years.

Don't get me wrong. I am actually enjoying breastfeeding this time around. I go the LLL meetings and wear my purple bracelet with pride but I am ecstatic to be able to meet my baby's nutritional needs with something other than my boobs. I am in no hurry to see her grow up, either, especially considering the fact Lloyd and I have decided that she will be our last baby; but milestones such as the first meal eated from a spoon just make me giddy. It was so sweet to have my boy in his bosster seat eating Barilla pasta and baby carrots and my girl in her high chair eating sweet potatoes from a spoon. Cut me some slack, folks. I'm a pediatric registered dietitian. Of course this kind of stuff makes me high.

Now if only I could get her to sleep (sheepishly hanging her head as Gracie dozes in her swing and sets out for another night sleeping on the family room floor next to the swing)........ Baby steps, right?

More on sleep

I bought the No Cry Sleep Solution with Books A Million gift cards I received as a birthday/Christmas present (thank you, Heather) but unfortunately, I'm too tired to read it, nevermind put the process into action. Actually, I did read it while pumping yesterday (pumping three times for twenty minutes equals a whole hour of reading) and I am on page 96 but I can't stay wake during the endless night nursings to put it into practice.

Last night at 1:00 am I began nursing Grace and started the countdown from one-one thousand to ten-one thousand (at ten-one thousand I'm supposed to unlatch her and press my finger to her chin to get her to sleep without the boob) but I fell back asleep at one-one thouuuuuuuu. The author actually expects me to keep a nightime diary of awakenings!?! WHAT???? I want to sleep not journal!

I don't know what to do. I mean, is sleep really that important? I can wear my cranky, sleepless bitch attitude very well. Just today my dental hygenist told me my skin looked beautiful and a parent of a patient told me I looked awesome to be the mother of two young children! I'm doing okay on the outside so does it really matter that every cell on the inside is dying a slow, cruel death thanks to my 6 month old requiring my boobie in her mouth from midnight to 6 am?

I'm an American, by God. I deserve a quick, overnight fix to all of this!!

Sleepless in South Carolina,
Amanda.

How NOT to start a conversation with me

"You want to know what my biggest pet peeve with you is?"

Argh. Yes, please enlighten me. After working all day, pumping three times and spending 2 hours trying to get Grace asleep, I really want to hear about how I peeve you.

Oh, and for the record. I already knew it pisses you off. Why do you think I do it?

Merry Christmas

G-mail #6

Hey y'all! I'm 6 months old!!! Can you believe it? One whole half of one whole year! So much has happened over the past month! I celebrated my first Thanksgiving and although I didn't get to partake in any of the yummy food served up over at Aunt Suz's, mommy ate tons and tons so I had Thanksgiving meal flavored breastmilk. YUMMY! Mommy ate an extra serving of daddy's cheesecake just for me!

I can roll over really good. I roll from my belly to my back and from my back to my belly and I roll and roll and roll to get to whereever I want to go. So I'm mobile now and I get to where I want by rolling. Big brother laughs at me and says "whoa, whoa, whoa" everytime I roll. He is so silly. he likes to reach out and hold my hand when we are in our carseats and he just laughs and laughs over everything I do. Sometimes he gets jealous but he always hugs me and kisses me goodnight and when I cry he always comes to me and says "uh-oh" so I know he loves me. I love him. I'm so lucky to have such a good big brother.

I had my first experience with a babysitter. Mommy and daddy went to mommy's company Christmas party and they left me with Aunt Suz. Now don't get me wrong, Aunt Suz is one rockin' lady but I am ALL about my momma and dadda and I cried and cried. I know mommy and daddy need big people time but come on, I was barely 5 months old and my whole world revolves around them. I promise one day I'll be happy when they go out and have big parties when I'm not supposed to but for right now, I'm so sad when they go bye-bye.

We just had a big ice storm and we lost our power for a few days and it was COLD in our house so we went to a hotel. I spent the night in a hotel!! Can you believe it??? We didn't sleep much and big brother kept trying to play in the bathroom (what is it with that kid and playing with toilet paper and flushing the toilet??) but we were together and we were warm so it was ok. Mommy and daddy said holiday inn was a bunch of jerks for jacking up the rates so we went stayed with Aunt Suz the next night. Her brother and his family were there and we had a really good time. Aren't we blessed to have such good neighbors?

I still don't sleep a lot at night because I reverse cycle and nurse almost all night but mommy is so proud to have exclusively breastfed me for 6 months. Since I just turned 6 months, I got to try rice cereal for the first time and BLECH!!!!! Give me the boob, mommy! What was she thinking????

Well, Christmas is almost here and mommy loves to talk about some cool dude named Jesus. I don't understand it all now but I know my name has something to do with it so that is really special. I know mommy and daddy will send lots of pictures of my first Christmas day! I wish I could spend Jesus' birthday with all of you since it is such a special day but like always, all my wonderful friends and family are kept close in my heart.

I love you all. Talk at ya next month!

Grace.

Mix Tape

So I was out in the garage the other day looking for Christmas cards and I found a mix tape I made way back in high school circa 1992. Since my car is THAT cool, I have a cassette player in it and I listened to in on my drive to and fro work today. Ahhhh, the memories and ahhhhh, the bad taste in music. Here are a few highlights.....

End of the Road (Boyz II Men)- Break-up song with high school beau.

I'd Die Without You (PM Dawn)- my and my high school beau's song (don't worry, I'm gagging, too)

Humpin' Around (Bobby Brown)- there is no excuse for ever liking this song but if memory serves me correct, it made for some awesome makeout music in the back of a Grand Cherokee at Foxchase

Casey Jones (Grateful Dead)- for a nanosecond I was a pseudo-hippie along with my BFF Kelly Kaufman.

These are the Days (Queen)- song I performed my senior dance final to. I still remember the routine and after enough seven and sevens, I'll be happy to perform it for you.

How You've Grown (10,000 Maniacs)- song Nikki G peformed her dance final to. Apparently, this was our practice tape.

I Did It For You (Kenny Loggins)- song my mom played for me when she was divorcing my dad (interestingly enough, it was the song he wrote for his daugher, Amanda, when divorcing his wife). Totally sweet sentiment on mom's part but dude, I lived with you and dad. No explanation for divorce required.

Closer I Am to Fine (Indigo Girls)- still an awesome song. I probably liked it then because it was catchy but I like it more now because I really dig the Indigo Girls.

Instant Karma (John Lennon)- I would like to say I had a moment of clarity in high school and actually liked good music but truth be known, Instant Karma was used in a 1992 Nike ad campaign and therefore, uber trendy. I was a sheep.

Dyslexic Heart- thanks in part to my obsession with the movie Singles, I had a deep and short lived love affair with all things Paul Westerburg. That song still rocks and it makes me think of Emily.

The Lullabye Song (Billy Joel)- I''m not sure why I liked this song so much but it means so much to me now. I nearly cried thinking of my kiddos. I guess I'm as cheesy now I was then. Nice to know some things don't change.

One more day

Only 24 hours until Grace is 6 months old and I reach my first big breastfeeding goal- exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months. This has not been an easy task considering Grace’s superhuman size and corresponding appetite or the fact I went back to work full time after only 9 weeks and must pump three times a day. I do complain about her constant nursing at night but I have no doubt that her reverse cycling and penchant for milk straight from the tap has allowed us to reach this milestone with no supply issues. While this by no means marks the end of your breastfeeding relationship as I hope to nurse her until she is at least two years old, it does mark the end of exclusive breastfeeding and the beginning meals that involve more than a simple unhooking of the nursing bra and lifting of the shirt.

Why the big brew-hah-hah over 6 months? The AAP revised their recommendations during my pregnancy with Grace to encourage exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 month and there are many benefits to delaying solids until six months or later. Plus, Lloyd said he didn’t think I could do it and proving him wrong is a full-time job in and of itself. I think for me, however, the fact that I was unable to do this for Gavin and I still feel that hurt with every cell in my body is one of my main reason for wanting to make sure I did this for Grace. Well, for Grace and for myself. I didn’t want to feel the pain of not mothering the way that I know in my heart I was meant to mother and I do see breastfeeding as way more than nutrition.

Do you think this is what Jesus asked for for His birthday?

Officially a Mom- With a Cold

On Thursday I got my first cold after having two kids. I have the whole nine yards- runny nose, sore throat, constant sneezing. I thought the toughest part about being sick with two kids would be now that I'm a mom, there is no mom to take care of mom and I still have to take care of two kids even though all I want to do is curl up under the down comforter with my kleenxes and hot tea and sing a la Ferris Bueller-

"When Amanda was in Egypt's land, let my Amanda goooooooooo"

Taking care of two kids while sick, however, is not my officially a mom moment. My officially a mom moment has to do with sneezing. That's right. I pee a little everytime I sneeze. You really wanted to know that, didn't you? It seems that birthing two kids has done a little number on me and Kegels be damned, I pee when I sneeze.

I shall never sneeze again.

POOP! Poopity poop poop poop!

This is wrong on so many different levels.

How in the name of all things holy did this come out of my breastfed baby's butt?



Those people who say breastfed poop doesn't smell? They lied. I'm dying of a massive head cold and have more snot in my nose than Grace has poop in her diaper and I still smelled this little gem all the way across the room.

Perhaps the size of the poop is relative to the size of the arse. This is one heck of a baby arse. My girl is bootylicious and you all definitely ain't ready for this jelly.

ICE! Unfortunately, not the bling kind!

We have been without power since about 3 am on Thursday morning compliments of an icn storm. We tried to tough it out at the house but around noon on Thursday, Gavin's lips turned blue and we knew it was time to head to warmer pastures. We found a hotel room about 45 minutes away but at $90 a night we could only afford to stay one night. By the way, two adults and two kids two and under crammed on a hotel room without cable is about the closest thing to hell on earth I have ever experienced- post partum hemmorhoids excluded.

Yesterday we returned to the house to find every house in the subdivision had power excpet for four- one of which was ours. I went to work briefly on Friday more or less to drop off the $150.00 worth of Omaha Steaks that were slowly thawing in our powerless deep freeze. The majority of my breastmilk stash was lost. All that work. All gone. I'm still trying to come to terms with it.

We stayed at our neighbor's house last night and there was another family there, as well, bringing the kid total to seven and the adult total to six. I'm sick with a cold and spend my nights breastfeeding Grace for hours on end so I was unable to participate in the party but I'm pretty sure that 3 or 4 bottles of wine were consumed in an attempt to cope with the cramped quarters! The power came back on yesterday around 9 pm but I was already in bed. I am so happy to be home even though it smells like sour milk and dog pee. I think I missed the computer most of all. What did I do before internet?

I have MISSED you internet! Let's never fight again, my schmoopy woopy!

Tis the season for sensory seeking

Gavin's senses are celebrating Christmas early this year....

Makes me think of him

This

You think I'd leave your side baby?
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave down when your down on your knees?
I wouldn't do that

I'll do you right when your wrong
I-----ohhh, ohhh

If only you could see into me

oh, when your cold
I'll be there to hold you tight to me
When your on the outside baby and you can't get in
I will show you, your so much better than you know
When your lost, when your alone and you can't get back again
I will find you darling I'll bring you home

If you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
and in no time you'll be fine

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know me better than that
You think I'd leave you down when your down on your kness
I wouldn't do that

I'll do you right when your wrong
I-----I, ohhhh, ohhh

If only you could see into me

Oh when your cold
I'll be there
To hold you tight to me
Oh when your alone
I'l be there by your side baby

This is the part where I talk about boobs and sleep

I'm tired. My boobs are tired. I need sleep. My boobs need sleep. I don't know what to do besides sit here at the computer drinking a seven and seven while I should be sleeping. I thought for sure we would have made more strides with Grace's sleep habits (or complete and total lack thereof) by almost six months. A week after she was born and I was totally sleep deprived, I kept telling myself only 5 months and three weeks. 2 months after she was born and I was even totally-ier sleep deprived, I kept telling myself only 4 more months. Now 5 3/4 months after she was born and I am totally-est sleep deprived, I keep telling myself why the frickin'frack son of a motherless goat is she not sleeping at NIGHT unless she has one boob in her mouth and is playing tune in Tokyo with the other!! For some reason I had it in my head that by six months she wouldn't need me as the human pacifier anymore and she would actually take, oh I don't know, a 5 or 6 hour respit at night. All the sleep books say she should be sleeping at least 12 hours a night so I don't think 5 or 6 hours is too much to ask. She needs her human pacifier more than ever!

I just spent 2 hours trying to get her to fall asleep in her cosleeper and she wasn't having it. I tried heartbeat sounds, white noise, a light show on the ceiling.... I even laid on my bed and hung my boob over the cosleeper hoping she would fall asleep nursing in the cosleeper and somehow I would escape after she drifted off to sleep. She drifted off to sleep but I had barely reclaimed my boob for myself when she woke up howling. Don't tell the attachment parenting police on me but I let her cry it out for about 20 minutes while I gave Gavin a bath and put him to bed.

After Gavin fell blissfully to sleep in 2 seconds flat, I nursed Grace again and waited until she was totally asleep only to have her wake up screaming within one nanosecond of being placed in the cosleeper. She is now dozing in her swing and I say let the mechanical mother do her part. She can sleep in the swing for as long as she likes as far as I'm concerned. I won't worry until she tries to take it with her to college.

New Gold Bricks, I Mean Carseat

Gracezilla has already surpassed 20 pounds at not quite 6 months so the time has come to say goodbye to the Graco bucket seat and say hello to the mack-daddy, can I get a what-what, go'head ya'll I'm ya motha, Britax Boulevard. This carseat costs more than I'm worth. If we were to put her carseat and Gavin's Britax Wizard in my car, both carseats would be worth more than my car. Sad, isn't it? The carseats, however, stay firmly planted in Lloyd's Ford Escape for two reasons. Safety. I have a 1997 Nissan Altima with a check engine light that glows brighter than the dirt encrusted headlights. Then there's sanity. It would take an act of God for me to be able to install a carseat and with Lloyd's family history of heart disease, we really don't want to push him too hard.

Here is Gracie loving her new digs and sporting more body fat than eveyone in our family combined.

Einsteining- Guilty As Charged

As someone who has all too often turned to the magical powers of Baby Einstein for a little peace and quiet, I laughed my ass off over this bit by A Little Pregnant. In my defense, I only allow one video a day (nevermind the fact I turn the sucker on repeat play) and I use it so I can get some much needed housework done and nurse Grace for the umpteenth million time without big bro crawling all over us. I don't know why Peggy, Sarah and I never came up with the idea for Baby Einstein during our four years at WVU seeing as how the videos would have made for one awesome trip.

For your viewing pleasure.

Have the kiddos close while you watch because honestly, I think the Gavinator enjoyed this clip better than any Baby Einstein video out there. He cried when it was over so I had no choice but to hit repeat play.

The Look I Thought He Had To Be an Angst-Ridden Teen To Give

The Freaks Went Out the Other Night

The party was a lot of fun. God bless Aunt Suz for minding the monsters while we went out. Lloyd and I sat at a table with a lesbian couple, a conservative Christian couple, a single black woman, and a Japanese couple. That was the most diversity I have seen since I moved to SC. Who were Lloyd and I? We were the young, drunk couple.

What I Want For Christmas

The husband asked me to, so I'm making a list of everything I want for Christmas. All I really want is 36 hours in the day, to be a stay at home mom, a 7 day cruise with the husband once Grace is weaned, and 72 degree temperature all year round but alas, I'll make my list with the material goods available here on earth!

Whitestrips
Ok, so not the most romantic gift but my I drink about a pot of coffee a day to endure all my sleepless nights and the teeth are taking the brunt of it. White smile, please.

Brown boots
Of course, my brown boots would be the Payless or Shoe Carnival version of these but I need some new brown shoes. Actually, what I really need is a visit from Stacy and Clinton and $5000 Visa check card with my name on it but in the meantime....

Earrings
I collect jewelry from Laughing Mango designs and I would like a pair of the square cut glass bead earrings.

Fiestaware
I was actually cruising the Homer Laughlin homepage for Fiestaware pieces I would like to have and I came across Baby's First Fiestaware and I have to have it for Gracie!

NOT the negligee , I want the body. This baby making business is rough on the old abdominals.


A new watch. Gavin broke my last Swatch.

Some new music. Not sure what but something new and something not lullabies or Little People related.

The Freaks Come Out At NIght

Woo hoo! The husband and I are going out tonight! Our first date since March. We're going to my company's Christmas party. Last year I won the grand prize- a digital camera. This year, I'll just be happy if I can go an hour without changing any diapers or feeding someone with a body part. That's the thing about never getting out into society- you forget how to act. I have no idea how to behave in social settings anymore (you may be asking yourself "what's new?" and let me remind you that nobody asked you!). I have my fingers crossed I don't try to spit wash my boss's face or burp the administrator. Who is the sucker who got conned into watching the little monsters while the husband and chow on free food and drink expensive liquor? Our neighbor, the wonderful Aunt Suz! She is just happy to have access to cable for a night. I don't know if a night of free cable is worth it but we love her for it!

This About Sums Things Up

One of the nice things about having one of each is that one will always be there to bail the other one out!

I Survived the Christmas Portraits and All I Got Was This Blog Entry

So we did the whole every three months/Christmas portraits at Sears last night (coming to mailbox near you) and the ONLY way we could get the Gavinator to participate was to feed him trans-fat laden cookies and crackeres, let him play with shiny balls, and throw things at him. You all better appreciate our Christmas cards this year because I broke a friggin' sweat. A sweat I say! As usual, Grace was mello yellow and Gavin was Pookie (New Jack City) on the highest crack high ever.

Speaking of Christmas, can I give a shameless plug to the two most adorable things I want for Gracezilla this year? I want this and this Too cute. Our plan is not to buy her any toys because the same toys we bought for Gavin in 2003 are the same hot toys now. Unfortunately, the Gavin throws a fit anytime we let Grace anywhere near something that belongs to him so he may just be our giant, screaming wrench in our Christmas gift-giving plans. Today I gave her a teething toy that had never belonged to him- it was a gift from his cousins- and he ripped in from her grasp and crossed his arms to tuck it under his pits and screamed "NONE!!!!!!" (translation: hell no, beeeeeyyyyyaaaaaaccchhhhhh!). I'm in for a long 18 years, aren't I?

I'm tired so I'm off to veg on the couch before Grace awakes screaming after realizing there is not a boob in her mouth. For the past few nights she has given me two beautiful, wonderful, orgasmic hours of uninterrupted bliss for me to channel surf and eat candy before she wakes up. 5 months old and I consider two hours sleeping through the night. There is something wrong with me.