Phil's birthday was Sunday and we got to talk to him. He had a great day and got to celebrate with the Birthday Party in a box we sent him. He had a Shrek party this year.
Here's a fun picture from our walk today...
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Saturday, October 27, 2007
A tribute to my mom - inspired by Lisa
Ok, so I was reading a friend of mine's blog from Wednesday before she went in for her scheduled induction. She was writing about how she was rubbing her belly and imagining all the things her daughter would do in her life and then started thinking about how her mom must have done the same thing when pregnant with her, and her grandma before that, and on and on.
You know, having a child yourself makes you appreciate everything your own mother went through with you. So, I guess I've started to take my mother for granted a little less and now I understand what she went through (having had 6 of us) with a little more empathy. And, especially the 3 younger ones of us, who she cared for day in and day out by herself. I mean, she was working, going to school and taking care of 3 little people! I only have to take care of 1 little person by myself and I'm exhausted!
It's so strange that for 34 years I never gave it much thought, that whole parenthood thing. I thought, "oh fun, we get to have a baby!" never once considering how life changing it would actually be. And not just life changing from the standpoint of having a little buddy to tote everywhere with you! I mean, emotion changing, viewpoint changing, experiential learning type of stuff.
So, for all the sacrifices you made to care for your children, specifically me, THANKS MOM!
You know, having a child yourself makes you appreciate everything your own mother went through with you. So, I guess I've started to take my mother for granted a little less and now I understand what she went through (having had 6 of us) with a little more empathy. And, especially the 3 younger ones of us, who she cared for day in and day out by herself. I mean, she was working, going to school and taking care of 3 little people! I only have to take care of 1 little person by myself and I'm exhausted!
It's so strange that for 34 years I never gave it much thought, that whole parenthood thing. I thought, "oh fun, we get to have a baby!" never once considering how life changing it would actually be. And not just life changing from the standpoint of having a little buddy to tote everywhere with you! I mean, emotion changing, viewpoint changing, experiential learning type of stuff.
So, for all the sacrifices you made to care for your children, specifically me, THANKS MOM!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
I feel so behind!
I haven't updated this in a week I guess and I feel so behind!
Every day, something new happens. Last week, she seemed to have found her feet and this week, she keeps working on using her hands better. I'm amazed at the progress she makes every day. She has those link toys and once I give it to her, she'll grab it and put it straight into her mouth.
As for the feet, she deliberately lifts each one and it looks like she's figuring out how to use them, too. It's funny, I thought she'd get more excited about discovering her body and how to use it, but it's not that big of a deal to her, I guess. She just seems to expect to be able to use them.
On Saturday, Terri is going to come over and take more pictures. I figure with Halloween and Thanksgiving approaching quickly, now is the time to get some more taken. She's got a couple of cute little outfits to wear for Halloween. (The plan is that if she is awake, she'll be helping me answer the door. We've got 10 lbs. of candy for the kids in the neighborhood - yes we get TONS O' Trick or Treaters here!)
Every day, something new happens. Last week, she seemed to have found her feet and this week, she keeps working on using her hands better. I'm amazed at the progress she makes every day. She has those link toys and once I give it to her, she'll grab it and put it straight into her mouth.
As for the feet, she deliberately lifts each one and it looks like she's figuring out how to use them, too. It's funny, I thought she'd get more excited about discovering her body and how to use it, but it's not that big of a deal to her, I guess. She just seems to expect to be able to use them.
On Saturday, Terri is going to come over and take more pictures. I figure with Halloween and Thanksgiving approaching quickly, now is the time to get some more taken. She's got a couple of cute little outfits to wear for Halloween. (The plan is that if she is awake, she'll be helping me answer the door. We've got 10 lbs. of candy for the kids in the neighborhood - yes we get TONS O' Trick or Treaters here!)
Thursday, October 18, 2007
March of the Grandparents (last week)
Then Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Jim came for the weekend on the 11th (My 2 month birthday)
Peepaw visited on Wednesday the 10th...Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Shots, yuck!
Mackenzie got her 2 month shots yesterday. Poor baby got 4, two in each leg. Her poor little face turned so red and she screamed while they were giving her the shots. Once they were done, she was ok, but she needed to sleep. She also got an oral vaccination for Rotavirus (some form of major stomach flu that hospitalizes children - it's a new one).
She was fine when we got home and ate normally, then we both took a nap together. When she woke up from that one, she cried and cried and cried and didn't want to eat and just wanted to be held. She had a little temperature, but I've been giving her Tylenol every 4 hours to help her feel better. I'll tell you, IT WORKS!
This morning she woke up crying just about the time she was to get her Tylenol and then once it kicked in, she was ok. Poor baby.
Of course, I had a MAJOR mommy guilt moment when I picked her up from Mom's Morning Out and she gave me this big old smile. I knew deep down inside that she had to get shots later in the day, and I broke down into tears! It was such a horrible feeling. Just think, we get to do it again in January!
She was fine when we got home and ate normally, then we both took a nap together. When she woke up from that one, she cried and cried and cried and didn't want to eat and just wanted to be held. She had a little temperature, but I've been giving her Tylenol every 4 hours to help her feel better. I'll tell you, IT WORKS!
This morning she woke up crying just about the time she was to get her Tylenol and then once it kicked in, she was ok. Poor baby.
Of course, I had a MAJOR mommy guilt moment when I picked her up from Mom's Morning Out and she gave me this big old smile. I knew deep down inside that she had to get shots later in the day, and I broke down into tears! It was such a horrible feeling. Just think, we get to do it again in January!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
How I felt yesterday
~Quiet down cobwebs~dust go to sleep~
~I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep~
Or my version.....
Quiet down puppy dogs - dog hair go to sleep
I'm holding my baby (for 6 hours) and babies don't keep
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Bedtime Routines
Ok, so bedtime seems to be getting easier. I've been trying to push it back from 8 to 9 and ultimately want a 10 p.m. bedtime. Tonight was like clockwork. I've been trying to do things in the same order each night but just a little later each night. So, tonight, we went on a walk (we actually did this earlier, since it's starting to get dark earlier....) and then came home had some tummy time and watched the Daddy video. Normally, those two things are daytime activities, so I think I bought myself a little time with them.
So here's the bedtime routine - I'm trying to get a book read somewhere in here, but tonight she didn't let me...... It's so simple. We go in the bedroom, change the diaper, put on some PJ's, turn off the light, turn off the living room light and sit in the recliner to try to read a book. Then, we go to the couch, feed the baby, and she falls asleep. Now, I just have to put her to bed in the crib.
I started her a little bit in her bedroom today at naptime. She was asleep and I put her down, and then she woke up and cried, which she normally doesn't cry when she wakes up, she normally lets out a little whimper. So, we'll just keep trying until it doesn't scare the heck out of her. :)
So here's the bedtime routine - I'm trying to get a book read somewhere in here, but tonight she didn't let me...... It's so simple. We go in the bedroom, change the diaper, put on some PJ's, turn off the light, turn off the living room light and sit in the recliner to try to read a book. Then, we go to the couch, feed the baby, and she falls asleep. Now, I just have to put her to bed in the crib.
I started her a little bit in her bedroom today at naptime. She was asleep and I put her down, and then she woke up and cried, which she normally doesn't cry when she wakes up, she normally lets out a little whimper. So, we'll just keep trying until it doesn't scare the heck out of her. :)
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Bye Bye, Binkie!
Ok, so yesterday we were at the post office and on the way home, Mackenzie seemed to have discovered that the wiggly thing on the end of her arm was what pulled the pacifier out of her mouth. We were stopped at a red light and I looked back into the little mirror I put back there and she seemed to really be thinking hard about that thing and how to get the pacifier string out of her clenched fist.
Well, the next time I looked back there, the fist was being jammed into her mouth without the string, so she must have figured something out! She's been jamming her fist into her mouth for the past couple of days, and I made the comment to Phil (in an email) that once she figured out how to get her thumb to stick out so she could suck on it, I thought that old pacifier might be history.
I tried giving the binkie to her last night before she went to sleep, and she took it reluctantly. In the middle of the night, I heard her smacking and rooting around with her fist by her mouth. I tried to give her the pacifier and she wanted nothing to do with it.
This morning, she was in her swing, watching Daddy on t.v. when she got really quiet, so I went to check and she found that thumb! I know she's wanted it since we were in the hospital! (there's one picture of her thumb in her mouth from the hospital). I am trying to capture a good photo, but whenever I get close, she moves it away.....
It is adorable for now, until she needs braces. And you can't really cut off the end of her thumb to make her stop sucking on it, like you would a pacifier...... Hopefully it's temporary!
Well, the next time I looked back there, the fist was being jammed into her mouth without the string, so she must have figured something out! She's been jamming her fist into her mouth for the past couple of days, and I made the comment to Phil (in an email) that once she figured out how to get her thumb to stick out so she could suck on it, I thought that old pacifier might be history.
I tried giving the binkie to her last night before she went to sleep, and she took it reluctantly. In the middle of the night, I heard her smacking and rooting around with her fist by her mouth. I tried to give her the pacifier and she wanted nothing to do with it.
This morning, she was in her swing, watching Daddy on t.v. when she got really quiet, so I went to check and she found that thumb! I know she's wanted it since we were in the hospital! (there's one picture of her thumb in her mouth from the hospital). I am trying to capture a good photo, but whenever I get close, she moves it away.....
It is adorable for now, until she needs braces. And you can't really cut off the end of her thumb to make her stop sucking on it, like you would a pacifier...... Hopefully it's temporary!
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Getting sick with a baby
Ok, so even the thought of being sick with a sinus infection and having to care for an infant sounds like a lot of hard work. I mean, isn't it enough that I don't get a full nights' sleep ever anyway? Imagine trying to recover from being sick. I am just hoping that whatever I have that seems to not be draining well past my neck actually goes away instead of blowing up full force! I've been drinking the OJ, taking some sudafed and using the saline spray, as well as taking my prenatal vitamins. I can't take anything more than that, except of course, Tylenol, but I don't need that at the moment. (fortunately, everything is still clear!)
We had a big big day yesterday and she sure let me know about it last night! When she gets a little "over done" during the day, she will cry and tell me all about it before going to bed. Last night wasn't the worst I've ever seen. She only cried for 40 minutes, but then it still took another hour and a 1/2 to put her down. (She had to eat, I had to burp her, she started crying again for a couple minutes, etc.) Now, I am awake at 4 a.m., I think out of habit, waiting to see if she wakes up for her 6 hour feeding. I am actually hoping she will sleep until 6 this morning, since she didn't go down until 10:15.
Today is the Heart Walk here in Fay. and if we're feeling up to it, and can get our act together so early in the day, we may go down and walk it. Lord knows I could sure use the exercise, now that the Dr. has released me to do such things. We took a 2 1/2 mile walk the other day around the park in Hope Mills. There's a great path that is 1.1 miles around, then a smaller path attached which is like .6 miles. I figure that going up there is a cheaper and healthier alternative for a daily outting than going to Walmart or Target or anywhere else really. But I guess since I weigh what I weigh, I actually burn more calories walking than I did when I weighed less. How's that for thinking positively? :) Another good thing is that now that my milk supply has regulated itself (and I am no longer soaking everything I wear) I am not craving sugar in every form anymore. For the 6 weeks, all I wanted was cookies, brownies, candy bars, milk, juice, you name it! Now my blood sugar doesn't seem to be fluctuating quite as much. Thankfully. I can eat like a normal person again - except that my timing depends on the little one.
We had a big big day yesterday and she sure let me know about it last night! When she gets a little "over done" during the day, she will cry and tell me all about it before going to bed. Last night wasn't the worst I've ever seen. She only cried for 40 minutes, but then it still took another hour and a 1/2 to put her down. (She had to eat, I had to burp her, she started crying again for a couple minutes, etc.) Now, I am awake at 4 a.m., I think out of habit, waiting to see if she wakes up for her 6 hour feeding. I am actually hoping she will sleep until 6 this morning, since she didn't go down until 10:15.
Today is the Heart Walk here in Fay. and if we're feeling up to it, and can get our act together so early in the day, we may go down and walk it. Lord knows I could sure use the exercise, now that the Dr. has released me to do such things. We took a 2 1/2 mile walk the other day around the park in Hope Mills. There's a great path that is 1.1 miles around, then a smaller path attached which is like .6 miles. I figure that going up there is a cheaper and healthier alternative for a daily outting than going to Walmart or Target or anywhere else really. But I guess since I weigh what I weigh, I actually burn more calories walking than I did when I weighed less. How's that for thinking positively? :) Another good thing is that now that my milk supply has regulated itself (and I am no longer soaking everything I wear) I am not craving sugar in every form anymore. For the 6 weeks, all I wanted was cookies, brownies, candy bars, milk, juice, you name it! Now my blood sugar doesn't seem to be fluctuating quite as much. Thankfully. I can eat like a normal person again - except that my timing depends on the little one.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Yucky colds
Well, we both have a cold this week. Mackenzie got hers on Monday. She had the runny eyes, sniffles, and a little cough. We didn't get to go to Mom's Morning Out on Tuesday. I debated about it, and then thought better of giving it to everyone else, plus getting her something else on top of it, so we stayed home and cuddled with each other on the couch.
Today, I feel like the crud is going to get me, but I'm trying not to let it. :)
We heard from Phil the other day. He called kind of late for him. We got to talk for about 40 minutes and then we got cut off. He sounded good, but tired. I think he just wanted to hear Mackenzie talk. So, he talked to her and she whined a little and he said that made his whole day!
His birthday is coming up on Oct. 28, so if anyone wants to send him a birthday greeting, his email is philip.raymond@us.army.mil.
Today, I feel like the crud is going to get me, but I'm trying not to let it. :)
We heard from Phil the other day. He called kind of late for him. We got to talk for about 40 minutes and then we got cut off. He sounded good, but tired. I think he just wanted to hear Mackenzie talk. So, he talked to her and she whined a little and he said that made his whole day!
His birthday is coming up on Oct. 28, so if anyone wants to send him a birthday greeting, his email is philip.raymond@us.army.mil.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Jodie and David's visit
Look at how big and bright my eyes are! I look like my daddy!
I really enjoyed having Aunt Jodie and cousin David here. Thanks for all of your help!
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