WHEN WILL IT STOP!?! I'm guessing due to teething, Bella is grinding her teeth. It's also a really loud grinding. So much so that it reminds me of nails on a chalkboard. I don't know what to do about it! I suppose I could call my doc, but what are they going to tell me? Um, that's bad. Probably. Is there anything you can do about it? Not really. So how do I cope?
Well, that just takes alot of Woo-saw's and maybe some time doing dishes with the baby playing in the bouncer. I just can't imagine that it feels good. Although, it has caused her second top middle tooth to surface. Within the week, Bella will have six teeth. Despite the fact that she hates solids, she'll be ready for them nonetheless!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Mommy Advice
I’ve been thinking lately. I like to do that about twice a month or so. Get my brain to stretch a little J. Anyway, I’ve been thinking about families and they’re dynamics. I’ve also been thinking about some of my friends who are about to have their first babies. Thinking of those ladies who are about to have a new dear one, I asked myself not what advice could I give them, but even what advice would I give myself if I met myself about half way through my pregnancy. I figure, anyway, that is the advice you would probably give some one who is about to have their first child.
For me, that answer is easy. I never really expected anything to be a certain way during my pregnancy or during labor. When I woke up with those horrible stomach pains, I just kept telling myself, anything can happen just take it an hour at a time…..and get me that epidural. It worked out, because they talked about vacuums, c-sections, and some other things that you don’t usually go into labor expecting to hear about. It was nice that it didn’t phase me because you really don’t need the extra stress in the middle of delivery.
However, when it came to actually having Bella out and ready for me to take care of, I had a lot of expectations. All of those expectations were blown right out of the water immediately. She was in the NICU for a week and most everything has been a struggle ever since.
If I could meet myself at what would be about a year ago now, I would tell myself that there is no need to have expectations. Read all you want, learn the norm, but don’t ever assume that that is the way things will be. You can’t know for sure, so its best to be mentally prepared for many situations. I’m not saying that you should automatically assume the worst, but having an idea of what is possible as opposed to thinking that you are going to have a perfect baby who is going to do everything early and have absolutely no problems ever is a little ridiculous.
So, I want to ask the mommies who’ve had their kids, what would you tell yourself if you met the 5 month pregnant version of yourself?
For me, that answer is easy. I never really expected anything to be a certain way during my pregnancy or during labor. When I woke up with those horrible stomach pains, I just kept telling myself, anything can happen just take it an hour at a time…..and get me that epidural. It worked out, because they talked about vacuums, c-sections, and some other things that you don’t usually go into labor expecting to hear about. It was nice that it didn’t phase me because you really don’t need the extra stress in the middle of delivery.
However, when it came to actually having Bella out and ready for me to take care of, I had a lot of expectations. All of those expectations were blown right out of the water immediately. She was in the NICU for a week and most everything has been a struggle ever since.
If I could meet myself at what would be about a year ago now, I would tell myself that there is no need to have expectations. Read all you want, learn the norm, but don’t ever assume that that is the way things will be. You can’t know for sure, so its best to be mentally prepared for many situations. I’m not saying that you should automatically assume the worst, but having an idea of what is possible as opposed to thinking that you are going to have a perfect baby who is going to do everything early and have absolutely no problems ever is a little ridiculous.
So, I want to ask the mommies who’ve had their kids, what would you tell yourself if you met the 5 month pregnant version of yourself?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Another kid? Are you crazy!?!
Having a baby is great and all, but I'm not a big fan of all the changes its done to my body. Really, its just one change. I can deal with the pot belly. I can deal with the emotions. What I can't deal with is the irratic periods! That's right. It's gross. Most women hate it. And I have no idea when its going to attack again. I've had one since I stopped nursing Bella and I am due for another. And no, I'm not pregnant again. Yes, I know for sure. I understand that its not abnormal to have a change in cycle between having children, but that doesn't make it less annoying.
Having this issue though, has led me to ask myself a question. When is it an appropriate time to have another baby? The answer can't be the same for everyone, but there must be some general consensus that you can come to on a case by case basis. Thinking about it, some questions come to mind that might help make the decision. Do you think you can handle having two children close together? Do you think you could handle having a newborn and kids in school? I honestly don't think one is easier than the other because kids of all ages have their issues that you have to help them through. Do you feel financially stable enough to afford another child? Paying for one is alot, so paying for two or three could prove to be pricey. But, there are also hand me downs that can help reduce costs. What effect will this have on your current child/children? I suppose this can also have something to do with how old they are. Under a couple years old, I doubt they know the difference. If they are in school, they have less time to consider that the attention they usually get all to themselves is being divided to another person.
All things considered, I honestly don't think I'd care one way or another. Yes, Bella has already had a rough first few months, which will probably continue to be a rough first year, but why should I be afraid to have another kid because of that. The hope is that Bella will get better, and who knows if another child would have the same problems, worse problems, or no problems at all. For me, the answer to the question "When should we have another baby?" is that there is no right or wrong time to have another baby. The best gage I can go by is my own feelings and my husbands feelings. I know that isn't true for everyone, but, for me, that answer fits.
Having this issue though, has led me to ask myself a question. When is it an appropriate time to have another baby? The answer can't be the same for everyone, but there must be some general consensus that you can come to on a case by case basis. Thinking about it, some questions come to mind that might help make the decision. Do you think you can handle having two children close together? Do you think you could handle having a newborn and kids in school? I honestly don't think one is easier than the other because kids of all ages have their issues that you have to help them through. Do you feel financially stable enough to afford another child? Paying for one is alot, so paying for two or three could prove to be pricey. But, there are also hand me downs that can help reduce costs. What effect will this have on your current child/children? I suppose this can also have something to do with how old they are. Under a couple years old, I doubt they know the difference. If they are in school, they have less time to consider that the attention they usually get all to themselves is being divided to another person.
All things considered, I honestly don't think I'd care one way or another. Yes, Bella has already had a rough first few months, which will probably continue to be a rough first year, but why should I be afraid to have another kid because of that. The hope is that Bella will get better, and who knows if another child would have the same problems, worse problems, or no problems at all. For me, the answer to the question "When should we have another baby?" is that there is no right or wrong time to have another baby. The best gage I can go by is my own feelings and my husbands feelings. I know that isn't true for everyone, but, for me, that answer fits.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Too bad babies can't have the nitrous
Like clockwork, Bella has been walking up around 4-5 hours after she first falls asleep. You might think, oh well, she must be hungry or maybe she's having a growth spurt. Well, I can tell you she isn't hungry and perhaps it is a growth spurt coming around, but I think that would be just a coincidence. The real culprit here is teething. And let me tell you, teething's a bitch! I could give this child a rattlesnake and she'd try to chew on it (as if I would touch a snake, HA!). Her gums are very red in a few spots. Then there's the bits of gum at the point where the tooth will pop out that are now a very light flesh color because the pressure of the incoming teeth is causing the blood to go elsewhere. Its pretty miserable to see where that pain is coming from and hear her cry and scream about and not be able to do a thing about it.
Although for me, the worst part of all of this isn't necissarily the early morning wake up calls that force me to walk her around for 15-30 minutes before she'll go back to sleep. The worst part is that she just hates to eat. She'll take like 2 ounces of formula and then tap out! What's that about!?! She already has trouble eating and we don't need the extra aggrevation! I hate knowing that she might lose some weight if she won't eat properly. Then there is all the screaming that comes along with the teething, which leads to lots of air bubbles and lots and lots of gas. Its pretty obvious that those gas bubbles hurt, alot. I'm just hoping that these teeth will come in as a nice cluster and then slow down alot so we have some time between these obviously traumatic events!
Although for me, the worst part of all of this isn't necissarily the early morning wake up calls that force me to walk her around for 15-30 minutes before she'll go back to sleep. The worst part is that she just hates to eat. She'll take like 2 ounces of formula and then tap out! What's that about!?! She already has trouble eating and we don't need the extra aggrevation! I hate knowing that she might lose some weight if she won't eat properly. Then there is all the screaming that comes along with the teething, which leads to lots of air bubbles and lots and lots of gas. Its pretty obvious that those gas bubbles hurt, alot. I'm just hoping that these teeth will come in as a nice cluster and then slow down alot so we have some time between these obviously traumatic events!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Welcome to the Club, Specialist!
It's official. I have an extremely lazy child! We went to get Bella's Barium Swallow test done today and it was a definite success! The whole idea was to see if she was aspirating when she drank her formula. Good news is she is not! However, she does have weak tongue muscles. Because of this, she has a harder time eating formula efficently. I can't say that I'm unhappy about this because if there is a problem, then there is a solution. The solution in this case is a speech pathologist. I had to laugh when the X-ray tech suggested going to ECI, because Bella is already with ECI. All I had to do is give my handler at ECI a call and tell her I wanted to use a speech pathologist. No extra cost. No need for a referral.
Hopefully, this particular expert will be able to help us with exercises to get her strength up in her mouth. That way, eating won't take an hour and she'll eat more at a time! It seems to me that the doctors think that this should be fairly easy to fix, especially since we are tackling the issue quite early. Who knows? This could have also impacted her speech at some point if we didn't do anything about it. It probably wouldn't be anything major, but we don't need to worry about it now (assuming this therapy works)!
I am amazed at the amount of assistance I've been given for my child. At this rate, we are going to be seeing doctors or specialists at least once a week, every week, for quite some time. I think that if we go a month without seeing someone in one of those categories, I would have a panic attack! For now, I'll just take all the advice I'm given and use the resources that are made available to me. And maybe, with the next baby, I'll know so much about baby ailments that I will only need my pediatrician. Not that I don't like our specialists, I'm just thinking that, at this rate, I'm probably going to be a specialist, too :)!
Hopefully, this particular expert will be able to help us with exercises to get her strength up in her mouth. That way, eating won't take an hour and she'll eat more at a time! It seems to me that the doctors think that this should be fairly easy to fix, especially since we are tackling the issue quite early. Who knows? This could have also impacted her speech at some point if we didn't do anything about it. It probably wouldn't be anything major, but we don't need to worry about it now (assuming this therapy works)!
I am amazed at the amount of assistance I've been given for my child. At this rate, we are going to be seeing doctors or specialists at least once a week, every week, for quite some time. I think that if we go a month without seeing someone in one of those categories, I would have a panic attack! For now, I'll just take all the advice I'm given and use the resources that are made available to me. And maybe, with the next baby, I'll know so much about baby ailments that I will only need my pediatrician. Not that I don't like our specialists, I'm just thinking that, at this rate, I'm probably going to be a specialist, too :)!
Friday, May 14, 2010
I don't need your stinkin' books!
If there is anything I’ve learned in the past 7 months (really, the past year and a half), its that you can’t rely on books to give you the answers in matters of intuition. What is a matter of intuition? Anything that does not have a straight forward answer. Think about your English classes and how you would answer questions about the meaning of a book. Not straight forward at all! That’s exactly what I’m talking about. There’s always multiple answers and you aren’t usually sure which is the best one. So, you generally use your intuition to choose your answer.
Well, I’m not trying to talk about English today, I’m thinking about matters of babies and parenting. For every book that was printed about parenting, you could have just saved a tree. Now, I did buy the books on pregnancy and parenting because I have always been the type of person that needs confirmation from a plethora of sources before I’m fully convinced of the answer. Of course, looking back after only a few months, I realize that no book contains the answers for my questions. Hell, no doctor can even do that 100%.
Then there’s the internet. If I ever wanted to be scared out of my mind, I’d look my inquiry up on the internet. EVERY SINGLE FRIGHTENED PARENT IS ON THE INTERNET! I go to the internet to see if other parents have experienced similar issues as myself and my baby and all I find are answers about life-threatening illnesses or life-long illnesses. Its refreshing when I finally find a sane and rational parent. Its normal to be worried about your baby, but not everything is a do or die situation!
Really, I try to use the internet to confirm my suspicions. I am starting to feel more comfortable with Bella and I can tell what the problem may be when she begins to feel sick or upset. I am starting to trust my intuition and if I have a problem that I don’t feel comfortable solving on my own, well that’s why we have pediatricians! The books I’ve read have told me nothing but what to GENERALLY expect and that simply does not fit my child and I. It may fit many parents, but if I had to guess, I would say that for every parent that has a typical experience with his or her baby, there are 3 parents that are not having the typical experience.
So read the books if you want, but when push comes to shove, you know your baby better than any book ever will!
Well, I’m not trying to talk about English today, I’m thinking about matters of babies and parenting. For every book that was printed about parenting, you could have just saved a tree. Now, I did buy the books on pregnancy and parenting because I have always been the type of person that needs confirmation from a plethora of sources before I’m fully convinced of the answer. Of course, looking back after only a few months, I realize that no book contains the answers for my questions. Hell, no doctor can even do that 100%.
Then there’s the internet. If I ever wanted to be scared out of my mind, I’d look my inquiry up on the internet. EVERY SINGLE FRIGHTENED PARENT IS ON THE INTERNET! I go to the internet to see if other parents have experienced similar issues as myself and my baby and all I find are answers about life-threatening illnesses or life-long illnesses. Its refreshing when I finally find a sane and rational parent. Its normal to be worried about your baby, but not everything is a do or die situation!
Really, I try to use the internet to confirm my suspicions. I am starting to feel more comfortable with Bella and I can tell what the problem may be when she begins to feel sick or upset. I am starting to trust my intuition and if I have a problem that I don’t feel comfortable solving on my own, well that’s why we have pediatricians! The books I’ve read have told me nothing but what to GENERALLY expect and that simply does not fit my child and I. It may fit many parents, but if I had to guess, I would say that for every parent that has a typical experience with his or her baby, there are 3 parents that are not having the typical experience.
So read the books if you want, but when push comes to shove, you know your baby better than any book ever will!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Clint the Jedi!
Today's post is about the coolest little boy I know. His name is Clint, and he's a Jedi. His mama, she's a Jedi too. I don't know about his daddy, but I do know he's a cool guy! Anyway, Clint is a Jedi. In fact, one day he walked up to his mama and told her, "When I grow up I'm going to be a Jedi, and fly away from this place. I'll miss you mom." He knows how it goes, obviously. But the thing about Jedis is that they have issues too. Unfortunatley, Clint is no different.
Clint is having some trouble with his S's, and as he will be getting into school in a year or two, now is the time to get it fixed! The only downside to getting it fixed is that there is a possibility of surgery. However, Clint's doctors think that there's a strong posibility that surgery won't be necessary! You see, as George Lucas would say, "The force is strong with this one." I figure, when it comes to issues like this one, it can sometimes boil down to mind over matter, and Clint has a strong mind. So does his mama for that matter. She will do what she has to to encourage him in his speech therapy in the hopes that he won't need the surgery. After all, no mom wants to see their baby go through that.
Clint's mom, Heather, has been a huge inspiration to me. She's probably the most down to earth, sweetheart mama that you would ever meet. And her kiddos are just the same. I keep that in my mind often. If I'm relaxed and go with the flow, then my enviroment will help my kid follow suit. And with Steve, ya know, trying to be a Jedi ;), Bella is sure to follow suit!
In the meantime, I'm focusing my energy on sending Clint positive vibes! We gotta protect our Jedi knights in their time of need. So, rock on Jedi Clint, and may the force be with you (even if it is the force of healing :)!)
Clint is having some trouble with his S's, and as he will be getting into school in a year or two, now is the time to get it fixed! The only downside to getting it fixed is that there is a possibility of surgery. However, Clint's doctors think that there's a strong posibility that surgery won't be necessary! You see, as George Lucas would say, "The force is strong with this one." I figure, when it comes to issues like this one, it can sometimes boil down to mind over matter, and Clint has a strong mind. So does his mama for that matter. She will do what she has to to encourage him in his speech therapy in the hopes that he won't need the surgery. After all, no mom wants to see their baby go through that.
Clint's mom, Heather, has been a huge inspiration to me. She's probably the most down to earth, sweetheart mama that you would ever meet. And her kiddos are just the same. I keep that in my mind often. If I'm relaxed and go with the flow, then my enviroment will help my kid follow suit. And with Steve, ya know, trying to be a Jedi ;), Bella is sure to follow suit!
In the meantime, I'm focusing my energy on sending Clint positive vibes! We gotta protect our Jedi knights in their time of need. So, rock on Jedi Clint, and may the force be with you (even if it is the force of healing :)!)
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mother's Day
Seeing as this is my first Mother's Day, I only had a vague idea of what to expect. I know that my mom always got cards and flowers. Occasionally, we'd get her a gift, if we knew what on earth she wanted! It's hard to buy for someone after the first, oh, 15 years! You start to run out of ideas cause they have EVERYTHING!
Well, I'm not so difficult I must say. I like two big things that you can get for every holiday: gift cards (mostly to Target, iTunes, or Carter's baby store) and chocolate! Not to say that a hug and a kiss don't work just as wonderfully! I love being loved even more than material goods. However, if you feel the need to give me a gift, those two are no fail situations. I got one of those two things today. Steve got me a gift card for a spa day whenever I choose to go out for one. Pretty sweet if you ask me. But the icing on the cake (which icing is totally the best part) was the card that he made for me.
He drew up an adorable card and on the inside, he traced my daughter's hands so they would form a heart. It is so cute! And of course, its adorable thinking about him trying to trace her hands cause I know that she was not happy about that!
Other than that, we actually didn't do anything too out of the ordinary, and I'm totally greatful for that. We spend every Saturday running around town to see grandparents and go to church, so I like spending Sundays in, only going out to get groceries! At this very moment, the baby is napping, Steve and I are on our computers, relaxing, and a nice quiet dinner is soon to follow! After such a great first Mother's Day, I can't imagine how awesome they'll be the older my little girl gets (and once we add more kiddos to the family).
To all the mothers/soon-to-be-mothers/trying-to-be-mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!
Well, I'm not so difficult I must say. I like two big things that you can get for every holiday: gift cards (mostly to Target, iTunes, or Carter's baby store) and chocolate! Not to say that a hug and a kiss don't work just as wonderfully! I love being loved even more than material goods. However, if you feel the need to give me a gift, those two are no fail situations. I got one of those two things today. Steve got me a gift card for a spa day whenever I choose to go out for one. Pretty sweet if you ask me. But the icing on the cake (which icing is totally the best part) was the card that he made for me.
He drew up an adorable card and on the inside, he traced my daughter's hands so they would form a heart. It is so cute! And of course, its adorable thinking about him trying to trace her hands cause I know that she was not happy about that!
Other than that, we actually didn't do anything too out of the ordinary, and I'm totally greatful for that. We spend every Saturday running around town to see grandparents and go to church, so I like spending Sundays in, only going out to get groceries! At this very moment, the baby is napping, Steve and I are on our computers, relaxing, and a nice quiet dinner is soon to follow! After such a great first Mother's Day, I can't imagine how awesome they'll be the older my little girl gets (and once we add more kiddos to the family).
To all the mothers/soon-to-be-mothers/trying-to-be-mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
But how can you hate fruit!?!
It's true. My child hates solids. Everytime I try to feed her something new, she makes these awful faces at me like I'm feeding her dirt. In fact, she now shakes her head when we try to get the spoon in her mouth. While this is absolutely hysterical, its kinda sad. I know that alot of the suggestions I've heard are don't force it on her, try again in a couple of months, but I'm not even sure she'll want them then. We tried sweet potatoes first and that was the only food she got remotely interested in. Squash she just spit out constantly, then she got a cold and was spitting up all the time. We won't go back to squash for a while! Then I just tried bananas with her. I thought, "Ok, its something sweet! Maybe that will help." HA! It did nothing. She liked them less than the sweet potatoes.
On the bright side, she is starting to take alot more formula! Instead of the dinky 4 ounces every 3 hours, she'll now take anywhere from 6-8 ounces in a feeding! That has made me so very happy. She still takes an hours to finish a bottle most of the time, but she's getting more than enough formula and that's all I can ask for! I'm hoping she actually hits 20 lbs by the time she's 1. At the rate she's going, she'll be about 18, which is still good, but I want a little chunkier baby! Right now, she's still a little bit on the super model side of things. No pot belly on this baby.
ECI comes out on Monday, then the following Monday we are having a Barium Swallow test done to see if she's having any swallowing issues that would hinder her eating her food a bit more quickly like babies do normally. Hopefully, it isn't anything major, but still, I hope that we can figure something out to work out our issues! And hopefully, ECI coming out will be a success. Although, the closer we get, the more Bella is actually doing. We've mastered going from back to tummy. She just can't go the other way to roll around the floor :). Her arm strength is building up, as well. She attempts to get up on her hands AND knees while on her tummy, but her arms need to be a bit stronger for that. As for sitting up, she's still toppling right over when I sit her up and let go. Oh well, we're taking baby steps (figuratively for now!) and I'm totally ok with that!
On the bright side, she is starting to take alot more formula! Instead of the dinky 4 ounces every 3 hours, she'll now take anywhere from 6-8 ounces in a feeding! That has made me so very happy. She still takes an hours to finish a bottle most of the time, but she's getting more than enough formula and that's all I can ask for! I'm hoping she actually hits 20 lbs by the time she's 1. At the rate she's going, she'll be about 18, which is still good, but I want a little chunkier baby! Right now, she's still a little bit on the super model side of things. No pot belly on this baby.
ECI comes out on Monday, then the following Monday we are having a Barium Swallow test done to see if she's having any swallowing issues that would hinder her eating her food a bit more quickly like babies do normally. Hopefully, it isn't anything major, but still, I hope that we can figure something out to work out our issues! And hopefully, ECI coming out will be a success. Although, the closer we get, the more Bella is actually doing. We've mastered going from back to tummy. She just can't go the other way to roll around the floor :). Her arm strength is building up, as well. She attempts to get up on her hands AND knees while on her tummy, but her arms need to be a bit stronger for that. As for sitting up, she's still toppling right over when I sit her up and let go. Oh well, we're taking baby steps (figuratively for now!) and I'm totally ok with that!
Monday, May 3, 2010
But I like being a tree....
Apparently, Blizzard thinks its a good idea to take my class and "improve" it. However, I don't think the changes are all that great really. I mean, the most fun part of being a resto druid is jumping around as a tree, throwing out rejuves and lifeblooms. Now, what is Blizzard gonna do? Take away tree form! That's just rediculous. It's cool to be a druid for that reason. I like shape shifting. Not to mention, shape shifting gets you out of sticky situations like ice traps and other movement imparing effects. People know that when a tree pops up, its me! And I'm coming to kick ass on the heals! Now, I'm just gonna be another cow.
Whatever, Blizzard you are driving me crazy. I suppose its a good thing mommyhood takes up enough time that I don't have to live with the weird changes you're making.
Whatever, Blizzard you are driving me crazy. I suppose its a good thing mommyhood takes up enough time that I don't have to live with the weird changes you're making.
