I am back! I really hope one day I can start blogging more regularly. I just get so focused on work and being a mommy it is hard to find time. Often I feel very stressed and top that with my OCD issues of having to have a clean/organized house, I do not have time to blog. I am going to try harder though :)
So since I last blogged a lot has changed. I am going to start with one major change that has occurred recently.
Parker is now the big 1 and we had his 1 year old check up on his birthday. Dr. Simpson said we could do away with bottles and formula. I was ready to take this step but was a little worried about Parker being ready. We introduced a sippy cup to him a while back ago and would he would drink juice/water out of it with meals. We had never tried formula in it due to we always gave him the formula in a bottle. Well, he had started becoming very attached to his bottle. He would even get mad at you if you did not make it fast enough :) He really relied on it for nap time and bed time. So I knew we had a battle ahead of us.
Around 9 months I was actually ready to do away with bottles because I could see his attachment growing. Someone talked me into not taking the bottle away just yet so we didn't.
So after the appointment I decided it was time. (I was growing very tired of washing bottles anyways!) It was now or never! I told my mom that it was game time and Operation No More Bottles for Parker was starting. She of course was hesitant to start it while he was with her, but I told her she had to try. So that night I decided to give him his bed time "bottle" in his sippy cup. Well, that was a huge failure and it ended with him winning. The next night I tried again and once again did not win the battle of him drinking from the sippy cup. I even tried opening it up to show him it was the same as what was in his bottle, but no luck. On that night of trying to get him to drink it from a sippy cup I did not even give him a bottle and he went to sleep with out anything. So I decided if he could skip a night time bottle he could do it all day. That was Thursday night and during the day on Friday he did have two bottles (he was being watched by a little pushover... his G). Once I got him Friday afternoon I said no more bottles. I once again did not give him a night time bottle and he actually drank more from the sippy cup this time but just a little. It was a sign of progress! So Saturday rolled around and I decided it was "cold turkey" time. I was determined not to give him a bottle. He did get a little more cranky about two times but he went the whole day with out a bottle. I knew Sunday would be more of a challenge due to he had to go to the church nursery. Right now he is not a fan of the nursery so I was a little worried about leaving him in there with no bottle. To my surprise he did great and survived. I knew then that if he could survive the nursery with no bottle he could survive everyday with out one. Since that day we have not looked backed and he has not had ANY bottles. So we are officially weaned from a bottle and it is WONDERFUL! He drinks everything from a sippy cup now and it did not make a bit of a difference. The operation seriously took all of 24 hours.... I was shocked! The cold turkey technique worked great for us and I am so glad I decided to take the plunge.
After a full week of not having a bottle I officially packed them away and MADE my mom pack hers away as well!
We decided to transition to a toddler formula for now due to Parker HATED whole milk. We hope to transition off the formula soon, but thought it would be best to stagger the two transitions. We are also considering not using a cow's milk product.
Overall, the experience was stress free and easy. I am so proud of him for taking it all with stride and handling it with ease. Maybe potty training will be the same?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Breast-feeding.... MY Story
I want to begin this post with two points:
1. The title of this post is MY Story. The key word being my!
2. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1
This post has been a work in progress and at first was just going to be for my personal self. After a lot of reflection and various situations, I decided to publish my post. I started this blog to be honest about all aspects of parenthood, so why shy away from the issues that tend to be controversial. I have been working on this post (mostly in my head) for quite some time. So here goes.....
I want to start off and say that this is MY story and if you do not like what I have to say, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ IT! Please do not be negative towards my views and story, as I try to not judge your views.
When I got pregnant one of the first questions people would ask me was "Are you going to breast feed?" It was like that was the golden question. My answer was always that breast feeding was my plan and I was going to give it a shot. I was lucky enough to get to stay home for the first six months of Parker's life. So my goal was to breast fed for at least those six months. I researched and prepared myself for the goal of breast feeding Parker.
As usually plans always change! Parker came and breast feeding began. In the hospital Parker did not care to latch on or seem that interested in breast feeding, but I was determined to keep trying. So I did! Once we got home nothing got better. Parker still would not latch and if he did he would only nurse for a couple of seconds. He HATED nursing. Yes my child HATED to be breast fed. You can ask my mom and my husband and they will both tell you, Parker wanted nothing to do with nursing. I promise I am not exaggerating. He would scream and scream the whole time I tried to nurse him. This of course frustrated me and at times made being a mommy hard. Breast feeding was a huge stress and made me not enjoy mommy-hood. No, nursing Parker was not fireworks and the most amazing bonding time that you hear other mothers talk about. It had turned into a time that I dreaded and hated. Yes, I hated breast feeding.
After a lot of thought I decided that breast feeding was causing stress, so I pumped for the first time. I had decided to just pump and give Parker what I pumped in a bottle. I was only able to generate a SINGLE ounce from pumping. That is right, I was not creating enough milk to feed Parker. After two weeks of no change in the amount I was able to create, I decided it was time to stop.
Here is where things got complicated.... I was afraid to tell my mom and husband that I was not going to breast feed/pump anymore. I was afraid.... but why? The reason... pressure. No my husband and mom did not put pressure on me.... I put pressure on myself. More specifically the world put pressure on me.
When you are pregnant, you hear a lot about breast feeding. You hear breast is best (no I am not saying it isn't). Everyone talks about how much better your baby is going to be if you breast feed and that if you breast feed you are doing what is best for your baby. You hear people talk about how great/healthy their baby is BECAUSE they breast fed. There is a feeling placed on you that you SHOULD breast feed. What an enormous amount of pressure placed on you before your child has even entered the world.
So I am hear to say why not support each other instead of pressuring one another (and at times even judging)!!! If you do not want to be judged if you breast feed your child till they are two, then please do not judge us on our decision to not breast feed. Also, please do not talk about how great/blessed your child is because they are breast feed or never had to have formula. (Off my soap box.)
Breast feeding is not an indication of how good a mommy you are. So it is okay if a) you do not want to breast feed or 2) you try it and stop. YOU are your child's mommy so your decision of what/how you want to feed your child is all that matters. Do not let the opinion of others make you feel as if you are not a wonderful mother. They are just opinions/ judgements.
It is funny how many people opened up to me about their desire to not breast feed or dislike only after I opened up. It was like they were afraid to be judged and often mothers told me they were judged for not breast feeding. I just think that is awful and should not happen. We should try and support each other as mothers. We all raise our children differently and no one (or way) is perfect. So if someone out there does not like the idea of breast feeding then please do not be afraid to admit it!
Parker is a HEALTHY/ amazing child who only received breast milk for two weeks. I do not look back on my decision and know that I made the right choice for the both of us. I do not see myself as a quitter (yes I was called that ) but as a mother who cared about the well being of her child (and self).
So please world instead of judging/pressuring let's support! Everyone needs to make a decision that is best for you and your child.
Disclaimer: I left out a lot of what I wanted to say due to it was more feelings based! Also, for the record I am not against breast feeding just against pressuring people and judging mothers who do not breast feed. Not breast feeding your child till they are two is not the end of the world nor does it make anyone a bad mother or a your child any less blessed/wonderful/healthy :)
Just MY story!
1. The title of this post is MY Story. The key word being my!
2. "Do not judge, or you too will be judged." Matthew 7:1
This post has been a work in progress and at first was just going to be for my personal self. After a lot of reflection and various situations, I decided to publish my post. I started this blog to be honest about all aspects of parenthood, so why shy away from the issues that tend to be controversial. I have been working on this post (mostly in my head) for quite some time. So here goes.....
I want to start off and say that this is MY story and if you do not like what I have to say, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ IT! Please do not be negative towards my views and story, as I try to not judge your views.
When I got pregnant one of the first questions people would ask me was "Are you going to breast feed?" It was like that was the golden question. My answer was always that breast feeding was my plan and I was going to give it a shot. I was lucky enough to get to stay home for the first six months of Parker's life. So my goal was to breast fed for at least those six months. I researched and prepared myself for the goal of breast feeding Parker.
As usually plans always change! Parker came and breast feeding began. In the hospital Parker did not care to latch on or seem that interested in breast feeding, but I was determined to keep trying. So I did! Once we got home nothing got better. Parker still would not latch and if he did he would only nurse for a couple of seconds. He HATED nursing. Yes my child HATED to be breast fed. You can ask my mom and my husband and they will both tell you, Parker wanted nothing to do with nursing. I promise I am not exaggerating. He would scream and scream the whole time I tried to nurse him. This of course frustrated me and at times made being a mommy hard. Breast feeding was a huge stress and made me not enjoy mommy-hood. No, nursing Parker was not fireworks and the most amazing bonding time that you hear other mothers talk about. It had turned into a time that I dreaded and hated. Yes, I hated breast feeding.
After a lot of thought I decided that breast feeding was causing stress, so I pumped for the first time. I had decided to just pump and give Parker what I pumped in a bottle. I was only able to generate a SINGLE ounce from pumping. That is right, I was not creating enough milk to feed Parker. After two weeks of no change in the amount I was able to create, I decided it was time to stop.
Here is where things got complicated.... I was afraid to tell my mom and husband that I was not going to breast feed/pump anymore. I was afraid.... but why? The reason... pressure. No my husband and mom did not put pressure on me.... I put pressure on myself. More specifically the world put pressure on me.
When you are pregnant, you hear a lot about breast feeding. You hear breast is best (no I am not saying it isn't). Everyone talks about how much better your baby is going to be if you breast feed and that if you breast feed you are doing what is best for your baby. You hear people talk about how great/healthy their baby is BECAUSE they breast fed. There is a feeling placed on you that you SHOULD breast feed. What an enormous amount of pressure placed on you before your child has even entered the world.
So I am hear to say why not support each other instead of pressuring one another (and at times even judging)!!! If you do not want to be judged if you breast feed your child till they are two, then please do not judge us on our decision to not breast feed. Also, please do not talk about how great/blessed your child is because they are breast feed or never had to have formula. (Off my soap box.)
Breast feeding is not an indication of how good a mommy you are. So it is okay if a) you do not want to breast feed or 2) you try it and stop. YOU are your child's mommy so your decision of what/how you want to feed your child is all that matters. Do not let the opinion of others make you feel as if you are not a wonderful mother. They are just opinions/ judgements.
It is funny how many people opened up to me about their desire to not breast feed or dislike only after I opened up. It was like they were afraid to be judged and often mothers told me they were judged for not breast feeding. I just think that is awful and should not happen. We should try and support each other as mothers. We all raise our children differently and no one (or way) is perfect. So if someone out there does not like the idea of breast feeding then please do not be afraid to admit it!
Parker is a HEALTHY/ amazing child who only received breast milk for two weeks. I do not look back on my decision and know that I made the right choice for the both of us. I do not see myself as a quitter (yes I was called that ) but as a mother who cared about the well being of her child (and self).
So please world instead of judging/pressuring let's support! Everyone needs to make a decision that is best for you and your child.
Disclaimer: I left out a lot of what I wanted to say due to it was more feelings based! Also, for the record I am not against breast feeding just against pressuring people and judging mothers who do not breast feed. Not breast feeding your child till they are two is not the end of the world nor does it make anyone a bad mother or a your child any less blessed/wonderful/healthy :)
Just MY story!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
10 Months...
Parker you turned 10 months 10 days ago. So I am a little behind but better late than never! I am writing this post as I sit and watch you play with your millions of toys that you got for Christmas. You truly are a blessed little boy and an even more blessing to your Mommy and Daddy.
You currently weigh around 21 pounds. At your 9 month check up you were about 28 1/2 inches long. You wear a size 4 diaper. You wear 9 month, 12 month, and some 18 month (pants) clothing.
We still do not keep you on a set schedule which has worked out best for us. It is funny because before you were born I thought I would be a "schedule" person and told myself I was going to be strict about it. Somehow that all changed and it has worked just fine. I think it would be a little difficult to keep you on a strict schedule because everyday is different for you. Plus we like to sleep in on the weekend and so do you! In general you are very predictable and nap around the same time each day.
Speaking of naps.... this is still very inconsistent. You take GREAT naps at Mother's Day Out. They some how get you to take a 2-3 hour nap EVERY time you go. One time you napped pretty much they whole time you were there :) I have asked what their tricks are and if they will come get you to nap on the weekends. But in general you take at least an hour nap otherwise. You still take 2 to 3 naps a day, which is wonderful.
You still love to eat! You only get table food now and are doing a great job at feeding yourself. I cannot remember the last time you had baby food. I try and make sure you eat healthy choices but you have had the occasional "bad" foods. I love getting to be able to feed you real food! You have your favorite foods (watermelon) but in general there has not been really anything you refuse to eat. You still get about 4 bottles a day. You are becoming very attached to your bottle and we refer to it as your "crack." We are almost to the point of not having to buy any more formula, might throw a party on that day. You also get juice/water during the day and you drink from your sippy cup like a pro.
You still go to bed around 8 every night without a fight. As long as you are not battling teething or and ear infection you sleep great at night. If it is a work day I wake you up around 6:30 and if it is not a work day you sleep till around 7.
You enjoy going to Mother's Day Out three days a week and your teachers are wonderful. They say you are an angel while there and you love to play with all the toys. You got to stay for Extended Hours three times and your teachers said you had a blast staying longer. We are thinking about letting you stay extra every once in a while. Mommy enjoyed letting you stay because I got to pick you up one day and it was a joy to see you smile real big when you saw me.
You of course love going to your G and Gar's house every morning. You and your G love snuggling on the couch and napping together. She says I spoil you but I would have to argue that she spoils you more. You also love playing with your Gar in the afternoons when he gets home. I still feel extremely blessed to have this option and do not know what I would do without it.
You currently have 8 teeth, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom. You got all 8 teeth in 2 months! In general the only time your teeth seemed to bother you was at night, which caused some long nights :)
You got your 3rd and 4th ear infection. The third one was rough because you face swelled up. It stayed swollen for almost 3 days. Your 4th infection was a doozy. It did not phase you at all, just a snooty nose. The first 3 infections were all in your right ear and the last one was in your left. Dr. Crum said she is not ready to talk about tubes just yet and that is fine with us.
You crawl around GREAT and pull up GREAT. Overall, you get around so well. This of course causes you to find ways to get into quite a bit and at times in trouble. You are very busy and do not sit still very long. Every once in a while you will pause and lay down and it is so cute. This only last about 10 seconds though :) You just love to crawl around and explore the house. You have mastered how to open cabinets and drawers. You have found the toilet and enjoyed playing in the water a couple of times. The fire place was also not off limits to your exploration! Every once in a while you will let go of what you are holding on to and stand on your own for a little bit. In general you don't seem too interested in walking and that is fine. You don't pay to much attention to the TV (which Mommy is happy about) but you LOVE to watch Sesame Street videos on the iPad/iPhone.
You are a happy and fun loving baby and are so much fun to watch! Your little mind just goes and goes. I have a feeling you are going to be all boy :) When put into a new situation, it takes you a little while to warm up and feel comfortable. So you are a little hesitant and that is fine. You still love to cuddle to go to sleep and I LOVE that. You LOVE your Daddy. You still love Jasper but lately have been all about Dixie. Dixie of course wishes you would forget about her :) You love to be on the go and watching everything around you. You "talk" all the time. Of course you say the dada and mama sound all the time but I am pretty sure you do not know what they mean yet. At times you even love to scream for fun! I love to tickle you because you giggle and smile real big. There is so much that I love about you.
Parker I cannot believe you are 10 months old and I am starting to plan your first birthday party. You truly are a joy and such a wonderful baby. You are laid back and easy going. Mommy and Daddy love you more than anything!
You currently weigh around 21 pounds. At your 9 month check up you were about 28 1/2 inches long. You wear a size 4 diaper. You wear 9 month, 12 month, and some 18 month (pants) clothing.
We still do not keep you on a set schedule which has worked out best for us. It is funny because before you were born I thought I would be a "schedule" person and told myself I was going to be strict about it. Somehow that all changed and it has worked just fine. I think it would be a little difficult to keep you on a strict schedule because everyday is different for you. Plus we like to sleep in on the weekend and so do you! In general you are very predictable and nap around the same time each day.
Speaking of naps.... this is still very inconsistent. You take GREAT naps at Mother's Day Out. They some how get you to take a 2-3 hour nap EVERY time you go. One time you napped pretty much they whole time you were there :) I have asked what their tricks are and if they will come get you to nap on the weekends. But in general you take at least an hour nap otherwise. You still take 2 to 3 naps a day, which is wonderful.
You still love to eat! You only get table food now and are doing a great job at feeding yourself. I cannot remember the last time you had baby food. I try and make sure you eat healthy choices but you have had the occasional "bad" foods. I love getting to be able to feed you real food! You have your favorite foods (watermelon) but in general there has not been really anything you refuse to eat. You still get about 4 bottles a day. You are becoming very attached to your bottle and we refer to it as your "crack." We are almost to the point of not having to buy any more formula, might throw a party on that day. You also get juice/water during the day and you drink from your sippy cup like a pro.
You still go to bed around 8 every night without a fight. As long as you are not battling teething or and ear infection you sleep great at night. If it is a work day I wake you up around 6:30 and if it is not a work day you sleep till around 7.
You enjoy going to Mother's Day Out three days a week and your teachers are wonderful. They say you are an angel while there and you love to play with all the toys. You got to stay for Extended Hours three times and your teachers said you had a blast staying longer. We are thinking about letting you stay extra every once in a while. Mommy enjoyed letting you stay because I got to pick you up one day and it was a joy to see you smile real big when you saw me.
You of course love going to your G and Gar's house every morning. You and your G love snuggling on the couch and napping together. She says I spoil you but I would have to argue that she spoils you more. You also love playing with your Gar in the afternoons when he gets home. I still feel extremely blessed to have this option and do not know what I would do without it.
You currently have 8 teeth, 4 on the top and 4 on the bottom. You got all 8 teeth in 2 months! In general the only time your teeth seemed to bother you was at night, which caused some long nights :)
You got your 3rd and 4th ear infection. The third one was rough because you face swelled up. It stayed swollen for almost 3 days. Your 4th infection was a doozy. It did not phase you at all, just a snooty nose. The first 3 infections were all in your right ear and the last one was in your left. Dr. Crum said she is not ready to talk about tubes just yet and that is fine with us.
You crawl around GREAT and pull up GREAT. Overall, you get around so well. This of course causes you to find ways to get into quite a bit and at times in trouble. You are very busy and do not sit still very long. Every once in a while you will pause and lay down and it is so cute. This only last about 10 seconds though :) You just love to crawl around and explore the house. You have mastered how to open cabinets and drawers. You have found the toilet and enjoyed playing in the water a couple of times. The fire place was also not off limits to your exploration! Every once in a while you will let go of what you are holding on to and stand on your own for a little bit. In general you don't seem too interested in walking and that is fine. You don't pay to much attention to the TV (which Mommy is happy about) but you LOVE to watch Sesame Street videos on the iPad/iPhone.
You are a happy and fun loving baby and are so much fun to watch! Your little mind just goes and goes. I have a feeling you are going to be all boy :) When put into a new situation, it takes you a little while to warm up and feel comfortable. So you are a little hesitant and that is fine. You still love to cuddle to go to sleep and I LOVE that. You LOVE your Daddy. You still love Jasper but lately have been all about Dixie. Dixie of course wishes you would forget about her :) You love to be on the go and watching everything around you. You "talk" all the time. Of course you say the dada and mama sound all the time but I am pretty sure you do not know what they mean yet. At times you even love to scream for fun! I love to tickle you because you giggle and smile real big. There is so much that I love about you.
Parker I cannot believe you are 10 months old and I am starting to plan your first birthday party. You truly are a joy and such a wonderful baby. You are laid back and easy going. Mommy and Daddy love you more than anything!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
8 Months
So I know every time I say I am going to be better about blogging.... I end up getting carried away in life and forget. I really promise I am going to TRY and do a better job.
So here is an update on everything Parker!
Parker you are now a whopping 8 months old!!! I cannot believe how quick it has gone by and there is only 4 more short months before your first birthday. You weigh about 19 1/2 pounds and wearing 6-9 month clothing. You are wearing size 3 diapers.
Overall, you are a fun loving, happy, easy going, sweet, shy baby. You have changed drastically since the 4 month post (obviously) and change everyday. You are officially crawling EVERY WHERE and love to be on the move. You are happy and content to just crawl around the house and see what you can get into. You also LOVE to pull up on anything to stand. The first place you pulled up on was the bathtub one night, so Daddy immediately went and lowered your bed. Thankfully he did because about two days later you were standing up in your bed one morning when Mommy went in there to get you! You constantly have a bruise on you somewhere. You like to think you are bigger than you really are, so you get hurt frequently. This of course breaks my heart. We also have to keep the dog's water bowl up now, because if it is down you go straight for it and love to splash around. You LOVE Jasper and giggle at him all the time. We love to tickle you because it always produces smiles and giggles!
You have a total of three teeth now. You got the left,bottom, center tooth first around 7 months. A little later you broke two teeth at one time. One on your top and the other center bottom one. Overall, teething has not been too terrible for you. You were a little cranky right before you broke the two teeth at the same time. Your poor G had to handle you that day and she was REALLY glad to see Mommy come get you right after she got off work! I am pretty sure another one of your top teeth is working it's way out.
You LOVE to eat and luckily are not a picky eater (hopefully this continues). We feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner with bottles and snacks in between. We do not follow a strict schedule with the times we feed you. You are a go with the flow baby and this allows freedom (which Mommy loves). You have had several table foods (thanks to your G) and get mad if we are eating around you without giving you some food too. One night you even got to chew on a pizza crust and LOVED it. I hope you continue to be a great eater and look forward to only feeding you real food. I have been saying when you turn a year old, we are going cold turkey from the bottles! I am OVER washing and worrying about bottles. We will see how that goes :)
You still go to bed regularly around 8:00pm without a fight (hope this continues too). We give you a bath and bottle around 7:30 and by 8:00ish you are done! As far as night time goes, you are not consistent with your sleep patterns but it is not horrible. You sometimes get up once a night and sometimes not at all. Some nights you just need rocking back to sleep and other nights it requires a bottle. Lately, some nights I have waited to see if you will put yourself back to sleep and you have!!! Pretty much you are ready for a bottle around 5:00amish and will go back to sleep till it is time to leave around 6:20ish during the week and sleep till 7:00ish on the weekends. Your naps are still very inconsistent in length but you do nap! You typically take 2-3 naps a day. We do not follow scheduled nap times either but you take them around the same time each day.
You have had two ear infections back to back around 6 months but luckily have been healthy since. You do get a runny nose every once in a while but that is all. Hopefully we can stay healthy for a while!
You enjoy going to Mother's Day Out three days a week and I have been extremely pleased with your teachers and school. You go to Green Valley Baptist Weekday. They seem to really love on the babies and take great care of you. One day another baby bit you!!! I of course freaked out for about 5 minutes but the teacher came out in me after that and I was okay. You of course were not phased by it at all. Your teachers say you are very calm and easy going. They say you typically like to take it all in and watch. I love that you get to play with other children and will learn how to interact socially.
You love going to your G's house every morning and smile when you see her! I of course love having her take care of you. I get tons of pictures during the day and we even FaceTime each other every once in a while. You also got to come up to the school and meet Mommy's students one day. G takes excellent care of you and Papa Gar plays with you in the afternoon. I feel blessed to have this option.
Parker you are a true joy and I love you to pieces. My favorite thing is to sit back and watch you think. I can see your little mind at work and I love it. I think you have a shy side and at times can be hesitant. However, you can be very sociable and love to smile and talk to others.
My other favorite thing is that you know who I am!!! You smile at me all the time and reach for me. I can still remember the first time you reached for me while someone else was holding you. Can I just say that will forever be one of my most fondest memories. Now you will crawl towards me and I love that as well! I of course think you reach and smile at me more than you do for anyone else, but I am sure your Daddy would disagree.
We love you more than anything and thank God everyday that he gave you to us!
So here is an update on everything Parker!
Parker you are now a whopping 8 months old!!! I cannot believe how quick it has gone by and there is only 4 more short months before your first birthday. You weigh about 19 1/2 pounds and wearing 6-9 month clothing. You are wearing size 3 diapers.
Overall, you are a fun loving, happy, easy going, sweet, shy baby. You have changed drastically since the 4 month post (obviously) and change everyday. You are officially crawling EVERY WHERE and love to be on the move. You are happy and content to just crawl around the house and see what you can get into. You also LOVE to pull up on anything to stand. The first place you pulled up on was the bathtub one night, so Daddy immediately went and lowered your bed. Thankfully he did because about two days later you were standing up in your bed one morning when Mommy went in there to get you! You constantly have a bruise on you somewhere. You like to think you are bigger than you really are, so you get hurt frequently. This of course breaks my heart. We also have to keep the dog's water bowl up now, because if it is down you go straight for it and love to splash around. You LOVE Jasper and giggle at him all the time. We love to tickle you because it always produces smiles and giggles!
You have a total of three teeth now. You got the left,bottom, center tooth first around 7 months. A little later you broke two teeth at one time. One on your top and the other center bottom one. Overall, teething has not been too terrible for you. You were a little cranky right before you broke the two teeth at the same time. Your poor G had to handle you that day and she was REALLY glad to see Mommy come get you right after she got off work! I am pretty sure another one of your top teeth is working it's way out.
You LOVE to eat and luckily are not a picky eater (hopefully this continues). We feed you breakfast, lunch, and dinner with bottles and snacks in between. We do not follow a strict schedule with the times we feed you. You are a go with the flow baby and this allows freedom (which Mommy loves). You have had several table foods (thanks to your G) and get mad if we are eating around you without giving you some food too. One night you even got to chew on a pizza crust and LOVED it. I hope you continue to be a great eater and look forward to only feeding you real food. I have been saying when you turn a year old, we are going cold turkey from the bottles! I am OVER washing and worrying about bottles. We will see how that goes :)
You still go to bed regularly around 8:00pm without a fight (hope this continues too). We give you a bath and bottle around 7:30 and by 8:00ish you are done! As far as night time goes, you are not consistent with your sleep patterns but it is not horrible. You sometimes get up once a night and sometimes not at all. Some nights you just need rocking back to sleep and other nights it requires a bottle. Lately, some nights I have waited to see if you will put yourself back to sleep and you have!!! Pretty much you are ready for a bottle around 5:00amish and will go back to sleep till it is time to leave around 6:20ish during the week and sleep till 7:00ish on the weekends. Your naps are still very inconsistent in length but you do nap! You typically take 2-3 naps a day. We do not follow scheduled nap times either but you take them around the same time each day.
You have had two ear infections back to back around 6 months but luckily have been healthy since. You do get a runny nose every once in a while but that is all. Hopefully we can stay healthy for a while!
You enjoy going to Mother's Day Out three days a week and I have been extremely pleased with your teachers and school. You go to Green Valley Baptist Weekday. They seem to really love on the babies and take great care of you. One day another baby bit you!!! I of course freaked out for about 5 minutes but the teacher came out in me after that and I was okay. You of course were not phased by it at all. Your teachers say you are very calm and easy going. They say you typically like to take it all in and watch. I love that you get to play with other children and will learn how to interact socially.
You love going to your G's house every morning and smile when you see her! I of course love having her take care of you. I get tons of pictures during the day and we even FaceTime each other every once in a while. You also got to come up to the school and meet Mommy's students one day. G takes excellent care of you and Papa Gar plays with you in the afternoon. I feel blessed to have this option.
Parker you are a true joy and I love you to pieces. My favorite thing is to sit back and watch you think. I can see your little mind at work and I love it. I think you have a shy side and at times can be hesitant. However, you can be very sociable and love to smile and talk to others.
My other favorite thing is that you know who I am!!! You smile at me all the time and reach for me. I can still remember the first time you reached for me while someone else was holding you. Can I just say that will forever be one of my most fondest memories. Now you will crawl towards me and I love that as well! I of course think you reach and smile at me more than you do for anyone else, but I am sure your Daddy would disagree.
We love you more than anything and thank God everyday that he gave you to us!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Back To School
It has been a while since my last post and there is a good reason why...I went back to school work! My six months of maternity leave ended on August 13th and it was bitter sweet. I LOVED being able to stay at home with Parker for six months but honestly missed work. I feel blessed to have a job that I honestly love and still enjoy. Yes there are days I get frustrated with my job and days where I wish I was at home with little man. But overall, I feel my passion is teaching and enjoy being in the classroom. Teaching is a rewarding job and I cannot imagine doing anything else with my life. Getting up, going to work, loving on my "school" babies, and feeling accomplished is something that makes me happy. My Kindergarten students need my love and I need their love. So for now being a Stay at Home Mom is not in my job description. YES I LOVE being a mother and love spending whole days with Parker. Right now though I still want to teach. So that is my choice and I respect women who are Stay at Home Mommies. I know some people will not understand that and that is okay.
I will say my choice to be a Working Mom was helped by the fact that my mommy, Parker's G, keeps him during the day. I truly think that if I had to put him in childcare, I would have a harder time going back to work. For that I know I am GREATLY BLESSED to have an amazing mother who will keep my son Monday-Friday 7:00-3:30. I will be dedicate a whole post to her one day, she deserves it. I could not do it without my mom.
So overall the transition has been extremely smooth. Parker typically wakes up around 5:00am (although lately it is a little earlier!) I feed him and then he goes back to sleep while I get ready. I get ready and then we leave around 6:20am. The great thing about the mornings is I do not have to get Parker ready in the mornings. All I have to do is pick him up out of the bed and put him in the car, PJ's and all! This helps greatly. We then head to my parent's house and I drop him off with his G. I try and leave work by 3:15 so that I can see his sweet face by 3:25.
Each week I pack a bag of his clothes that will last the whole week and leave them at with my mom. That way I do not have to worry about outfits everyday. My mom has bottles, formula, and baby food at her house. So I do not have to worry about that either! It really is great and once again I know that I am blessed for this situation. I thank God all the time for allowing this to happen.
Another great aspect about having Grandmother Daycare is that I get pictures of Parker all day long! We even Facetime each other during my breaks. So I get to talk to him and see what he is up too.
Parker goes to Mother's Day Out three days a week for four hours. This allows my mom to have a little bit of a break :) It also allows him to socialize with other children, which I feel is important. Overall, he seems to be adjusting to his new life great.
The only negative is me and time. I am so used to be able to stay at school and get work done as long as I wanted. I also would go up there many weekends and do some work. Of course all of that is out of the question now because I want to spend time with Parker. So I have been trying to be as productive during the day as possible. I have been managing just fine with this but it is difficult some days. I have a wonderful parent that helps me out every week with copies, so that helps greatly.
So overall going back to work has been great! I think it allows me to really treasure all the moments I have with Parker. I am counting down the days that he is ready for Kindergarten and can go to work with me and then I will get to see him all day long!
A HUGE thank you to my Mommy and Parker's G for offering to keep him. You have no idea how much it means to me and him. One day there will be a post dedicated just to you! I love you mommy :)
I will say my choice to be a Working Mom was helped by the fact that my mommy, Parker's G, keeps him during the day. I truly think that if I had to put him in childcare, I would have a harder time going back to work. For that I know I am GREATLY BLESSED to have an amazing mother who will keep my son Monday-Friday 7:00-3:30. I will be dedicate a whole post to her one day, she deserves it. I could not do it without my mom.
So overall the transition has been extremely smooth. Parker typically wakes up around 5:00am (although lately it is a little earlier!) I feed him and then he goes back to sleep while I get ready. I get ready and then we leave around 6:20am. The great thing about the mornings is I do not have to get Parker ready in the mornings. All I have to do is pick him up out of the bed and put him in the car, PJ's and all! This helps greatly. We then head to my parent's house and I drop him off with his G. I try and leave work by 3:15 so that I can see his sweet face by 3:25.
Each week I pack a bag of his clothes that will last the whole week and leave them at with my mom. That way I do not have to worry about outfits everyday. My mom has bottles, formula, and baby food at her house. So I do not have to worry about that either! It really is great and once again I know that I am blessed for this situation. I thank God all the time for allowing this to happen.
Another great aspect about having Grandmother Daycare is that I get pictures of Parker all day long! We even Facetime each other during my breaks. So I get to talk to him and see what he is up too.
Parker goes to Mother's Day Out three days a week for four hours. This allows my mom to have a little bit of a break :) It also allows him to socialize with other children, which I feel is important. Overall, he seems to be adjusting to his new life great.
The only negative is me and time. I am so used to be able to stay at school and get work done as long as I wanted. I also would go up there many weekends and do some work. Of course all of that is out of the question now because I want to spend time with Parker. So I have been trying to be as productive during the day as possible. I have been managing just fine with this but it is difficult some days. I have a wonderful parent that helps me out every week with copies, so that helps greatly.
So overall going back to work has been great! I think it allows me to really treasure all the moments I have with Parker. I am counting down the days that he is ready for Kindergarten and can go to work with me and then I will get to see him all day long!
A HUGE thank you to my Mommy and Parker's G for offering to keep him. You have no idea how much it means to me and him. One day there will be a post dedicated just to you! I love you mommy :)
Monday, July 16, 2012
To Smock... Or To Not Smock
Smocking+Little Boys= ?
When I found out I was having a little boy, one of my first thoughts were no hair bows and dresses. To be honest I was a little sad! I soon realized that you could find TONS of cute clothes for boys too. But then came the question: Are smocked outfits okay for boys? Well, I never doubted that smocked outfits were perfectly fine for baby boys, but my husband had another idea. He of course was not so keen on the idea of smocked outfits. As you can imagine he does not see them as very boyish. I personally think ALL babies are precious in smocked outfits. So started the debate between the two of us. He of course mentioned that he was worried I was not going to dress our little boy manly enough!!!
I grew up in the south and Vestavia..... smocking is seen on all little boys and girls. Parker was only going to be a baby once and I felt comfortable putting a smocked outfit on him at least till two years of age. Lyle finally gave in and now thinks the outfits are cute. Of course he would rather see him in a football/baseball outfit everyday.
I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion and some people are not keen on boys wearing smocked outfits. I just think he looks so handsome and cute in them!
So I say Little Boys + Smocking = Pure Cuteness!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Four Months...
Four Months...
The BEST month so far!
Parker is such a happy baby this month!!! He smiles and giggles all the time and is becoming a little bit of a mess. I can already tell I am going to have my hands full when he gets older :)
He had his four month check-up this month. He weighed 16 pounds (75th%) and was 26 inches long (90th%). Looks like he is going to be a tall boy like his daddy! He did great with the two shots he had to get. He did not even cry until the second shot was over. He only cried for a couple of seconds and then was fine. He even did great afterwards while Mommy and G shopped. Dr. Stone said he looked great!
Sleep: Parker is still doing great with the whole sleeping at night. He goes to bed around 8pm. Around 7:30 I give him a bath and then a bottle. Right after he finishes the bottle I rock him for a little while and he goes right to sleep. In general he does not fight going to bed. I hope this is always true :) I only have to get up once to feed him around 2:30-3. He still goes RIGHT back to sleep after he eats. This month he also slept through the night for the first time (8pm-5am). It was great! He is not consistent at it yet but I think he will be very soon.
Naps: Ha ha.... naps are still very inconsistent. Sometimes he will nap for over an hour and other times only for 30 minutes. The positive is he does nap! During the day he can still only go about 2 hours and then is ready for a nap. Sometimes it is less than 2 hours depending on how long his nap was! I am really hoping one day we can be more "scheduled" about his nap times.
Food: He is still drinking a 6oz bottle about every 3 hours during the day. He also gets some cereal around lunch time. He LOVES to eat! We are going to start baby food soon.
First: Parker took his very first trip this month to the beach! He did great. I will say not being able to put sunscreen on him does make things a little more challenging. He enjoyed the beach but LOVED the pool. He is a water baby! Another first was sleeping through the night.
Likes: baths, being outside, his jumperoo, watching Jasper, his bottle, being rocked to sleep, his fingers!
Dislikes: being hungry, being tired
Overall, Parker is a wonderful baby and it is a joy to watch him change on a daily basis. I am really going to miss spending my days with him when I go back to work.
The BEST month so far!
Parker is such a happy baby this month!!! He smiles and giggles all the time and is becoming a little bit of a mess. I can already tell I am going to have my hands full when he gets older :)
He had his four month check-up this month. He weighed 16 pounds (75th%) and was 26 inches long (90th%). Looks like he is going to be a tall boy like his daddy! He did great with the two shots he had to get. He did not even cry until the second shot was over. He only cried for a couple of seconds and then was fine. He even did great afterwards while Mommy and G shopped. Dr. Stone said he looked great!
Sleep: Parker is still doing great with the whole sleeping at night. He goes to bed around 8pm. Around 7:30 I give him a bath and then a bottle. Right after he finishes the bottle I rock him for a little while and he goes right to sleep. In general he does not fight going to bed. I hope this is always true :) I only have to get up once to feed him around 2:30-3. He still goes RIGHT back to sleep after he eats. This month he also slept through the night for the first time (8pm-5am). It was great! He is not consistent at it yet but I think he will be very soon.
Naps: Ha ha.... naps are still very inconsistent. Sometimes he will nap for over an hour and other times only for 30 minutes. The positive is he does nap! During the day he can still only go about 2 hours and then is ready for a nap. Sometimes it is less than 2 hours depending on how long his nap was! I am really hoping one day we can be more "scheduled" about his nap times.
Food: He is still drinking a 6oz bottle about every 3 hours during the day. He also gets some cereal around lunch time. He LOVES to eat! We are going to start baby food soon.
First: Parker took his very first trip this month to the beach! He did great. I will say not being able to put sunscreen on him does make things a little more challenging. He enjoyed the beach but LOVED the pool. He is a water baby! Another first was sleeping through the night.
Likes: baths, being outside, his jumperoo, watching Jasper, his bottle, being rocked to sleep, his fingers!
Dislikes: being hungry, being tired
Overall, Parker is a wonderful baby and it is a joy to watch him change on a daily basis. I am really going to miss spending my days with him when I go back to work.
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