I started thinking today about buying things for babies. What of this and that people should buy? What brands do I prefer? What colors work well together? What kind of clothes different people might prefer? And something seems to always stick out to me when I look through baby websites or the aisles of a baby store: gender association. For some, its very important for their child to be decked out in the colors associated with their gender. For others, its very important to do the opposite. Then there are many parents who are stuck in between. Quite honestly, I think its easiest for these parents.
If you aren't very discriminate of what you buy for your child, then your options are fairly limitless. If you're obsessed with having all pink for a little girl, then you are limited to about half of the baby items out there. Same if you're obsessed with having all blue for a boy. Even if you want to go all gender neutral, your choices become quite limited, particularly for clothing (from what I've noticed).
I have tons of pink for Bella, but that mostly pertains to her clothing. Reasonable parents who expect to have more children will choose many of their toys and other such items in neutral colors so that they don't side with one particular sex. In fact, most toys do come in gender neutral colors. It just makes sense because there may be multiple children playing with these toys and chances are there are boys and girls in that mix.
The other factor is what have you been given from others. If someone offers you some clothes for your baby girl and they're all very pink, should you turn them all down because you want to stay strictly gender neutral? I guess you can...but I'd think you're a little crazy! Same goes for toys. Why can't a girl play with a dump trunk or a boy play with an easy bake? I don't know. A free toy is pretty awesome if you ask me, no matter what it is, for the most part. Hand me downs can be a huge blessing, especially if you want to save a bit of money. There's no reason to pass up the opportunity!
For myself, even before I found out I was having a boy this time around. I thought about some things that made sense to have gender neutral in case I wanted to reuse them for a little boy. Bella's walker, her high chair, her infant car seat all are in neutral colors, among other things. Even some of her clothing is gender neutral and I've set it aside for Jude. However, I also think that its great to let a little girl have pink things, just as its great to let a little boy have blue things. Bella's sheets are pink. A lot of her clothes are pink or in a girly style. Her big girl car seat is pink and brown. Why not!?! She's a girl and she's going to need some of these things at the same time as Jude anyway. Let her have pink!
One day she's gonna be old enough to have a preference for the way her clothing and personal items look. When that day comes, if she wants blue, by God, I'll get her blue! For now, I'm going to give her all kinds of things that have different gender associations. So long as she doesn't show a great distaste for whatever the item is, she should have clothes and toys and other things that are all of the different colors and styles under the rainbow!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
That fever's a #^&%~!
Bella has been sick before. A couple of times. Not quite like many other babies who are sick often. But we haven't had to cope with a nasty fever before. This is decidedly not fun. Of course, what makes it worse is that there really isn't anything that you can do for her. She has to get over her bug on her own just like we do when we get a stomach bug or something of that sort. It makes it difficult when she's upset and there's no solution.
This bug has also kept her from wanting to eat any solids for a day or so now. While this may not be a huge deal for some, it kind of is for us. Bella has had so much trouble getting to eat solids that any set back seems like a major set back. Even with the vomiting, I thought she was going to stop taking bottles. Thankful, that wasn't the case, just the case for last night.
So, for the next couple of days, we're going to be loving on some pedialyte and enjoying extra formula. If anyone knows anything to help reduce a fever besides the normal Tylenol (which doesn't really seem to do too much anyway), I'm taking suggestions :)!
This bug has also kept her from wanting to eat any solids for a day or so now. While this may not be a huge deal for some, it kind of is for us. Bella has had so much trouble getting to eat solids that any set back seems like a major set back. Even with the vomiting, I thought she was going to stop taking bottles. Thankful, that wasn't the case, just the case for last night.
So, for the next couple of days, we're going to be loving on some pedialyte and enjoying extra formula. If anyone knows anything to help reduce a fever besides the normal Tylenol (which doesn't really seem to do too much anyway), I'm taking suggestions :)!
Friday, November 12, 2010
The Tantrum Factor
I'm at a bit of a loss. I'm obviously a very irritable person and don't cope well with people who overreact or whine a lot or are being extremely illogical. Well guess what. That would be my daughter. So how on earth am I going to handle this!?
For right now, when Bella is throwing a tantrum I tend to talk to her and tell her that everything is ok and there's no need to cry. As if that does any good... I have been thinking of other ways to handle this to nip it in the butt. I'm not going to be very sympathetic to her if she's crying for a ridiculous reason when I have a newborn who's crying for a very good reason. This is definitely a difficult task because Bella is so young. She understands crying gets her things but she doesn't understand that crying isn't the only answer to not getting what you want. I know that eventually she should be able to, but I'm sure we're still a little ways off from that.
That leaves the question of what to do. The only good thing I can think of is to set her in her crib and let her work out her anger on her own when nothing else will fix the problem. Sometimes kids cry for no reason. We've all heard it. But as they get older, you have to have some kind of solution! And I don't care what you say about crying it out. It seems to me that sometimes, that's just the way it works. Your kiddo wants to cry and there is nothing you can do about it. So, instead of getting frustrated that she won't stop crying, I just set Bella down and walk away for a couple of minutes. If she doesn't stop crying, then I can come back when I'm better composed again and try to soothe her some more. Its not going to help her if I'm sending off vibes of anger and frustration.
I don't know if its gonna work, but eventually somethings gotta give. To maintain my sanity and hopefully help Bella get past this tantrum phase, I'm going to work on finding ways to communicate to her that tantrums aren't the answer. I'm sure one day, when she's a bit older and starting to understand concepts more than just words, it will make sense to her. At least that's the hope :).
For right now, when Bella is throwing a tantrum I tend to talk to her and tell her that everything is ok and there's no need to cry. As if that does any good... I have been thinking of other ways to handle this to nip it in the butt. I'm not going to be very sympathetic to her if she's crying for a ridiculous reason when I have a newborn who's crying for a very good reason. This is definitely a difficult task because Bella is so young. She understands crying gets her things but she doesn't understand that crying isn't the only answer to not getting what you want. I know that eventually she should be able to, but I'm sure we're still a little ways off from that.
That leaves the question of what to do. The only good thing I can think of is to set her in her crib and let her work out her anger on her own when nothing else will fix the problem. Sometimes kids cry for no reason. We've all heard it. But as they get older, you have to have some kind of solution! And I don't care what you say about crying it out. It seems to me that sometimes, that's just the way it works. Your kiddo wants to cry and there is nothing you can do about it. So, instead of getting frustrated that she won't stop crying, I just set Bella down and walk away for a couple of minutes. If she doesn't stop crying, then I can come back when I'm better composed again and try to soothe her some more. Its not going to help her if I'm sending off vibes of anger and frustration.
I don't know if its gonna work, but eventually somethings gotta give. To maintain my sanity and hopefully help Bella get past this tantrum phase, I'm going to work on finding ways to communicate to her that tantrums aren't the answer. I'm sure one day, when she's a bit older and starting to understand concepts more than just words, it will make sense to her. At least that's the hope :).
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Just let it go
Its 6 am and I've already had a breakdown today. I think that this is just going to be the way things are from now on and I ought to get used to it. I understand that I don't have a very stressful life, but I don't seem to cope well with any stress.
Sometimes you just want to give up.
Sometimes you just need a vacation.
Sometimes you just want to walk away.
Then you realize that it isn't an option and you move on.
Just because you can't handle it does not mean that others have to suffer because of it, especially your kids. Whatever ails you needs to be pushed aside and you've got to do your job. Remember, its not about you anymore and you don't need to be selfish, even when you want to. Just let it go.
Sometimes you just want to give up.
Sometimes you just need a vacation.
Sometimes you just want to walk away.
Then you realize that it isn't an option and you move on.
Just because you can't handle it does not mean that others have to suffer because of it, especially your kids. Whatever ails you needs to be pushed aside and you've got to do your job. Remember, its not about you anymore and you don't need to be selfish, even when you want to. Just let it go.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Someone put the wreath up!
How early can you start decorating for Christmas? Well, Steve's rule is right after Thanksgiving. For me, if I had things to decorate for Thanksgiving with, then that would be an acceptable answer. However, I don't even have a fall wreath to put on the door! I am itching to decorate. The only thing that keeps me sane about it is the fact that I'm fairly large now and Bella is still so young that I don't have to worry about her remembering all of this. I figure you decorate enough to take some good pictures and all is well.
This also brings up the matter of how much do you do to decorate. This year, I would like to actually decorate outside. Get some lights in the bushes, maybe on the house! Perhaps find a couple of lit up figures to decorate the front yard. And I've already got the wreath for the door. You don't have to do much to decorate well. Now, when it comes to having school-aged kids....that's when the decorating becomes crazy. And that is certainly something I am excited for! Only a few more years, right?
This also brings up the matter of how much do you do to decorate. This year, I would like to actually decorate outside. Get some lights in the bushes, maybe on the house! Perhaps find a couple of lit up figures to decorate the front yard. And I've already got the wreath for the door. You don't have to do much to decorate well. Now, when it comes to having school-aged kids....that's when the decorating becomes crazy. And that is certainly something I am excited for! Only a few more years, right?
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
3 months left and counting down......
I am still finding it hard to believe that I really am having appointments every 2 weeks now. I still feel like I have a long time before I'm actually having this baby. But, its true. I am 1 day away from being in my 3rd trimester and I am 3 months to the day from my due date.
Some mommies despise going to the doctor so often. Its such a hassle to go up there only to be seen for a total of 5 minutes to find out everything is just fine. But I am the opposite. I love it. I absolutely love going to my doctor. To me, there's a camaraderie between all of the other pregnant women that come in. Most of the time I end up talking to someone about their experience, sharing stories. I also like knowing that I'm on track and hearing the heartbeat. I even like getting my blood pressure taken. Its like a competition with myself to see how low it will be this time. Not that I want it to be dangerously low, but I am notorious for having a healthy low blood pressure, even being overweight.
The other thing is that I don't even find myself waiting long for my short appointment. My doctor's office seems to be really efficient. Even today, I had a glucose test but I was only in the office for an hour. I got in early to drink the solution and exactly an hour later I got pricked on the finger. The test results are instant as well, so no waiting there. I just had to wait an hour for the glucose to go into my system. The appointments themselves are so easy now. I hardly have an questions even with having a completely different pregnancy experience. I don't know if its just that having a child now makes me worry less about the little things with this pregnancy or if its something else, but I'm far less stressed out about the little aches and pains.
One thing that is still a pain about the appointments is being weighed. I have an issue with sweets. A big one. Its a huge surprise that I'm NOT diabetic. But, you can see my love for sweets in my weight gain. Pregnancy is truly a wonderful time for me to show self restraint in this department. You want to gain weight, but you don't want to gain too much weight. So, its up to me to control my urge to bake and make sure I eat a healthy and balanced diet. With the home stretch in view, this is even more important. You gain most of your pregnancy weight in the last trimester because the baby's growth goes into overdrive. So, my goal for this holiday season is to control my urge to eat every pie, cake, or candy that comes my way and to make sure that I eat a balanced diet to make sure that Jude is gaining good weight and not just sugar weight.
3 months left and counting down......
Some mommies despise going to the doctor so often. Its such a hassle to go up there only to be seen for a total of 5 minutes to find out everything is just fine. But I am the opposite. I love it. I absolutely love going to my doctor. To me, there's a camaraderie between all of the other pregnant women that come in. Most of the time I end up talking to someone about their experience, sharing stories. I also like knowing that I'm on track and hearing the heartbeat. I even like getting my blood pressure taken. Its like a competition with myself to see how low it will be this time. Not that I want it to be dangerously low, but I am notorious for having a healthy low blood pressure, even being overweight.
The other thing is that I don't even find myself waiting long for my short appointment. My doctor's office seems to be really efficient. Even today, I had a glucose test but I was only in the office for an hour. I got in early to drink the solution and exactly an hour later I got pricked on the finger. The test results are instant as well, so no waiting there. I just had to wait an hour for the glucose to go into my system. The appointments themselves are so easy now. I hardly have an questions even with having a completely different pregnancy experience. I don't know if its just that having a child now makes me worry less about the little things with this pregnancy or if its something else, but I'm far less stressed out about the little aches and pains.
One thing that is still a pain about the appointments is being weighed. I have an issue with sweets. A big one. Its a huge surprise that I'm NOT diabetic. But, you can see my love for sweets in my weight gain. Pregnancy is truly a wonderful time for me to show self restraint in this department. You want to gain weight, but you don't want to gain too much weight. So, its up to me to control my urge to bake and make sure I eat a healthy and balanced diet. With the home stretch in view, this is even more important. You gain most of your pregnancy weight in the last trimester because the baby's growth goes into overdrive. So, my goal for this holiday season is to control my urge to eat every pie, cake, or candy that comes my way and to make sure that I eat a balanced diet to make sure that Jude is gaining good weight and not just sugar weight.
3 months left and counting down......
