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| Meeting my sweet girl for the first time. |
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Day 10: Throwback Thursday
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Day 9: Three Things to Three People
To Former President George Washington:
Thank you for the sacrifice it took to start this great nation. Sorry for what we're turning it into. I hope that some day we'll remember what freedom really is, why it is so important and why your generation fought so hard for our country.
To the men and women in our military:
Thank you for your service. We sleep well at night knowing that there are people that are willing to risk their lives to protect our country. We aren't all as brave or selfless as you are.
To the homeless shelter and gospel mission workers/volunteers:
I'm so thankful that you spend time in the trenches of our city streets. You meet a need that is never ending. You give hope to people in a sometimes hopeless situation.
Thank you for the sacrifice it took to start this great nation. Sorry for what we're turning it into. I hope that some day we'll remember what freedom really is, why it is so important and why your generation fought so hard for our country.
To the men and women in our military:
Thank you for your service. We sleep well at night knowing that there are people that are willing to risk their lives to protect our country. We aren't all as brave or selfless as you are.
To the homeless shelter and gospel mission workers/volunteers:
I'm so thankful that you spend time in the trenches of our city streets. You meet a need that is never ending. You give hope to people in a sometimes hopeless situation.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Day 8: Personal Entry - Tidbits
1. We are staying with my parents for the week, just to visit. It is so fun to see your family enjoying your baby and vise verse. Blake's parents live very close by (about a mile) so we try to see them often too. It feels like a vacation, even though we're mostly just hanging out. I can't wait until she's old enough to enjoy the farm animals here and other fun grandparent activities... but we won't hurry the sweet baby snuggles away either. It's funny how much more it seems like she naps when there are so many people ready to hold her and soak up her smiles.
2. Blake might get furloughed at the end of next week if the government doesn't end soon. Actually, starting next Monday, every day it stays closed is a day he will go without pay after that week (based on their estimates of how long it will take for money to come through). Even though our savings will take a big hit from him not working I would be happy to sacrifice weeks of pay if it means a better outcome than raising our debt ceiling (again) and accepting the Affordable Care Act as-is. What would be really frustrating is if we go several weeks without pay but still end up stuck with the ACA and continued over-spending and increased national debt. I know. I just went there and got political... sorry.. it's my blog ;).
3. If Blake does get furloughed, I'll take some on-call work. It both scares and excites me. As funny as it sounds, I kind of shut off my SLP brain when I ended my last job. I know it will probably come back like riding a bike, but I might be a little slow at first and I might fall head over the handle bars. It is a little exciting though, to think of turning my brain back on and making some money again :).
4. I recently (a month ago) found out that Emerson and I have a genetic mutation on the MTHFR gene, found on chromosome one. MTHFR is short for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. The gene is named for the enzyme it produces, which processes amino acids and activates B vitamins. It is also responsible in part for the production of glutathione, which plays a role in liver function and detoxification.
While I'm still learning a lot about what this means for us, so far, it means that our bodies cannot utilize typical B vitamins and has a difficult time detoxifying. It means we need to take special B vitamins that are already activated (bypassing the need for the enzyme) and we need to be careful about what goes in our bodies. Fortunately, we are all ready pretty careful about trying to eat healthy and clean, so this isn't a big change. The really key thing here is that folate (commonly referred to as its synthetic counterpart - folic acid) is a B vitamin (B9). As we all know, folate is critical to a developing fetus. Emerson probably used up most of my folate stores and so it is pretty important that I take the activated form of folate (methylfolate) in order for my body to rebuild its stores before we try to get pregnant again. I still have a ton to learn about this genetic defect and how it might effect us and how to prevent long term effects from it (which my mom seems to be demonstrating. She just got tested but it seems pretty clear that I inherited it from her).
Maybe not exactly a tidbit.. A simple google search of MTHFR will tell you that it deserves a blog post of its own (or several) but for now this is my summary. It has been what consumes my discretionary researching time and I'm wishing I'd taken organic chemistry or bio chemistry (or whatever would help me understand all this genetic, enzyme etc language).
5. Emerson used to talk nice and sweetly, often while looking deep into my eyes. While she still does this from time to time, her talking now has turned more into squawking. She works up to these loud noises and then startles herself and wonders where that noise came from. Although I miss the coos and goos, it's fun to see her discovering new things.
6. A few weeks ago now Blake went tuna fishing and his share of the catch was five tuna. We now have enough canned and frozen tuna to feed us for over a year (77 half pints canned and a couple dozen frozen tuna steaks). On top of all the (delicious) tuna, we also have a ton of salmon, cod, sea bass and halibut. We are so set for fish! However, we are a little short on freezer space now!
7. Emerson still dislikes the bottle. As we say for her, the bottle is not her favorite. She tolerates it when she has to, which is pretty rare and probably why she still only tolerates it. She also snacks more lately and it's hard to get her to focus and eat a good meal.
8. I was talking to Blake's grandpa's wife (they got married the year we did!) and she was telling me that both of her kids sucked their thumbs, one was born that way and the other didn't start until almost 4 months. She said that the latter kid quit on their own before they were one but the one born sucking their thumb had the habit for years. I've heard this scenario from several people now and I'm feeling a little better about the whole thumb thing. She still sucks her fingers and fists too, but when she's hungry, she finds the thumb. Pulling it out continues to be pretty ineffective, but maybe it keeps her from getting too used to it? We'll see. The thumb saga continues.
2. Blake might get furloughed at the end of next week if the government doesn't end soon. Actually, starting next Monday, every day it stays closed is a day he will go without pay after that week (based on their estimates of how long it will take for money to come through). Even though our savings will take a big hit from him not working I would be happy to sacrifice weeks of pay if it means a better outcome than raising our debt ceiling (again) and accepting the Affordable Care Act as-is. What would be really frustrating is if we go several weeks without pay but still end up stuck with the ACA and continued over-spending and increased national debt. I know. I just went there and got political... sorry.. it's my blog ;).
3. If Blake does get furloughed, I'll take some on-call work. It both scares and excites me. As funny as it sounds, I kind of shut off my SLP brain when I ended my last job. I know it will probably come back like riding a bike, but I might be a little slow at first and I might fall head over the handle bars. It is a little exciting though, to think of turning my brain back on and making some money again :).
4. I recently (a month ago) found out that Emerson and I have a genetic mutation on the MTHFR gene, found on chromosome one. MTHFR is short for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. The gene is named for the enzyme it produces, which processes amino acids and activates B vitamins. It is also responsible in part for the production of glutathione, which plays a role in liver function and detoxification.
While I'm still learning a lot about what this means for us, so far, it means that our bodies cannot utilize typical B vitamins and has a difficult time detoxifying. It means we need to take special B vitamins that are already activated (bypassing the need for the enzyme) and we need to be careful about what goes in our bodies. Fortunately, we are all ready pretty careful about trying to eat healthy and clean, so this isn't a big change. The really key thing here is that folate (commonly referred to as its synthetic counterpart - folic acid) is a B vitamin (B9). As we all know, folate is critical to a developing fetus. Emerson probably used up most of my folate stores and so it is pretty important that I take the activated form of folate (methylfolate) in order for my body to rebuild its stores before we try to get pregnant again. I still have a ton to learn about this genetic defect and how it might effect us and how to prevent long term effects from it (which my mom seems to be demonstrating. She just got tested but it seems pretty clear that I inherited it from her).
Maybe not exactly a tidbit.. A simple google search of MTHFR will tell you that it deserves a blog post of its own (or several) but for now this is my summary. It has been what consumes my discretionary researching time and I'm wishing I'd taken organic chemistry or bio chemistry (or whatever would help me understand all this genetic, enzyme etc language).
5. Emerson used to talk nice and sweetly, often while looking deep into my eyes. While she still does this from time to time, her talking now has turned more into squawking. She works up to these loud noises and then startles herself and wonders where that noise came from. Although I miss the coos and goos, it's fun to see her discovering new things.
6. A few weeks ago now Blake went tuna fishing and his share of the catch was five tuna. We now have enough canned and frozen tuna to feed us for over a year (77 half pints canned and a couple dozen frozen tuna steaks). On top of all the (delicious) tuna, we also have a ton of salmon, cod, sea bass and halibut. We are so set for fish! However, we are a little short on freezer space now!
7. Emerson still dislikes the bottle. As we say for her, the bottle is not her favorite. She tolerates it when she has to, which is pretty rare and probably why she still only tolerates it. She also snacks more lately and it's hard to get her to focus and eat a good meal.
8. I was talking to Blake's grandpa's wife (they got married the year we did!) and she was telling me that both of her kids sucked their thumbs, one was born that way and the other didn't start until almost 4 months. She said that the latter kid quit on their own before they were one but the one born sucking their thumb had the habit for years. I've heard this scenario from several people now and I'm feeling a little better about the whole thumb thing. She still sucks her fingers and fists too, but when she's hungry, she finds the thumb. Pulling it out continues to be pretty ineffective, but maybe it keeps her from getting too used to it? We'll see. The thumb saga continues.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Day 7: What Musical Artist is Really Important to You?
I'll warn you now, this is going to be a boring post. In keeping up with the blogging every day for 30 days thing.. it was bound to happen.. and here it is.
My post last year on music basically sums up my history of music interests.. so this is a hard prompt question to answer but I also don't have much else on my mind to write about.. so here goes.
I have a hard time picking favorites. I can never pick just one thing. So picking a favorite band or artist is just as difficult. However, in their wording this prompt with the description of 'most important to you' makes it a little different than just a favorite.
I guess I have to say that the band or musician that teaches me something or helps me focus more on God is most important to me. Who that is, I'm not sure. It might be Matt Redman because I do love most of his songs lately, and 10,000 Reasons is still a favorite. But I also several other Christian artists and even a few secular artists.
I really have commitment issues with this kind of thing, so that's a close as I'll get to picking a 'most important' artist.
My post last year on music basically sums up my history of music interests.. so this is a hard prompt question to answer but I also don't have much else on my mind to write about.. so here goes.
I have a hard time picking favorites. I can never pick just one thing. So picking a favorite band or artist is just as difficult. However, in their wording this prompt with the description of 'most important to you' makes it a little different than just a favorite.
I guess I have to say that the band or musician that teaches me something or helps me focus more on God is most important to me. Who that is, I'm not sure. It might be Matt Redman because I do love most of his songs lately, and 10,000 Reasons is still a favorite. But I also several other Christian artists and even a few secular artists.
I really have commitment issues with this kind of thing, so that's a close as I'll get to picking a 'most important' artist.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Day 6: Five Places I've Been and...
I feel like we need some pictures so I changed this post a little. So here are five places I been and five places I'd like to go.
We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity do to some traveling while we both worked and before starting our family. Here are the top five places we've been (in chronological order) with a bonus picture of the place I went to without Blake.
I'll be honest, I miss traveling. It is weird to not have plans for our next trip and to pass by the travel section at the library. We're still getting adjusted to one income and enjoying our current trip down the road of parenthood. One day.. we'll travel again ;). And here's our list of places we'd like to go (in no particular order):
1. Ireland
2. France
3. England
4. Norway
5. Africa
We feel very blessed to have had the opportunity do to some traveling while we both worked and before starting our family. Here are the top five places we've been (in chronological order) with a bonus picture of the place I went to without Blake.
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| Tricote, Haiti. These sweet kiddos are ten years older now! The little boy taking the picture did pretty good considering it was only the second time he'd ever taken a picture. What a life changing trip this was! |
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| 1. Venice for our first anniversary |
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| 2. Greece, leg two of our first anniversary. This was in Santorini |
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| 3. Sydney, Australia and the South coast of New South Wales for our second anniversary |
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| 4. Rome, Italy for a late third anniversary trip. |
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| 5. Israel. This is on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. |
I'll be honest, I miss traveling. It is weird to not have plans for our next trip and to pass by the travel section at the library. We're still getting adjusted to one income and enjoying our current trip down the road of parenthood. One day.. we'll travel again ;). And here's our list of places we'd like to go (in no particular order):
1. Ireland
2. France
3. England
4. Norway
5. Africa
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Day 5: The Meaning Behind Your Blog Name
The Speechaholic
I dread coming up with names for things. I tried to start an etsy store a million times but always got stuck on the name. It took me a year to start this blog because of the name.
The Speechaholic came about because at the time that I started this blog I lived, breathed, ate and drank speech therapy. I had two or more jobs and loved what I did. I also talked... a lot... and so it seemed fitting. I was addicted speech therapy and speaking. My goal was to be the best speech-language pathologist in the world (then I lowered my goal to just the USA, and then even lower to just at my place of work) ;). I wanted to write textbooks and get my PhD. I wanted to change the world.
I knew I wanted to be a speech therapist since my junior year in high school. One of my elective classes was to volunteer at a special needs preschool (that happened to be housed on our high school campus). I was working with a little boy with Autism (who is probably about 18 now!) and one day his speech therapist came in to work with him. I loved how she interacted with him and how she explained her goals and activities to me. The next week I had come up with some new ways to work on her goals with him and she was impressed. She told me I should look into speech therapy and that I would be good at it. Before this, I thought I'd just be a teacher because I like helping people/kids learn and I didn't really know what else to be. This SLP (who's name I can't remember but I do remember her face) continued to encourage me through my junior year and by the end of the year I'd started figuring out which colleges had the best speech therapy programs.
The thing I love about speech therapy is that it combines science and language (and mostly no math!). I love that you needed to know everything from muscles and neuroanatomy to grammar and vocabulary. I love that you can work with a variety of ages and in a variety of settings. I felt like my brain was made for the field and it just fit me.
It has been a rewarding career with it's ups and downs due to paperwork and red tape, but overall I'm so thankful that I have the training and experience. Someday I'll pick it up again and maybe I'll still write a book or get my Phd. Maybe I'll still change the world... one kid at a time ;).
I dread coming up with names for things. I tried to start an etsy store a million times but always got stuck on the name. It took me a year to start this blog because of the name.
The Speechaholic came about because at the time that I started this blog I lived, breathed, ate and drank speech therapy. I had two or more jobs and loved what I did. I also talked... a lot... and so it seemed fitting. I was addicted speech therapy and speaking. My goal was to be the best speech-language pathologist in the world (then I lowered my goal to just the USA, and then even lower to just at my place of work) ;). I wanted to write textbooks and get my PhD. I wanted to change the world.
I knew I wanted to be a speech therapist since my junior year in high school. One of my elective classes was to volunteer at a special needs preschool (that happened to be housed on our high school campus). I was working with a little boy with Autism (who is probably about 18 now!) and one day his speech therapist came in to work with him. I loved how she interacted with him and how she explained her goals and activities to me. The next week I had come up with some new ways to work on her goals with him and she was impressed. She told me I should look into speech therapy and that I would be good at it. Before this, I thought I'd just be a teacher because I like helping people/kids learn and I didn't really know what else to be. This SLP (who's name I can't remember but I do remember her face) continued to encourage me through my junior year and by the end of the year I'd started figuring out which colleges had the best speech therapy programs.
The thing I love about speech therapy is that it combines science and language (and mostly no math!). I love that you needed to know everything from muscles and neuroanatomy to grammar and vocabulary. I love that you can work with a variety of ages and in a variety of settings. I felt like my brain was made for the field and it just fit me.
It has been a rewarding career with it's ups and downs due to paperwork and red tape, but overall I'm so thankful that I have the training and experience. Someday I'll pick it up again and maybe I'll still write a book or get my Phd. Maybe I'll still change the world... one kid at a time ;).
Friday, October 4, 2013
Day 4: Likes/Dislikes
10 Likes:
1. Period British Movies
2. Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt by Lindt
3. Toffee Nut Lattes (with Salted Caramel coming in at a very close second)
4. The color gray
5. Pumpkin pastries
6. Farmer's markets
7. Puzzles
8. Snowflakes
9. Down pillows
10. Sunsets
10 Dislikes:
1. Stickiness
2. Earwigs
3. Mixing my foods together
4. Toes (mostly other people's)
5. Peas
6. Dub Step or heavy metal
7. When people use numbers n single letters 4 words in text n email (is there a name 4 that?)
8. Perfume
9. Nail biting
10. Profanity
1. Period British Movies
2. Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt by Lindt
3. Toffee Nut Lattes (with Salted Caramel coming in at a very close second)
4. The color gray
5. Pumpkin pastries
6. Farmer's markets
7. Puzzles
8. Snowflakes
9. Down pillows
10. Sunsets
10 Dislikes:
1. Stickiness
2. Earwigs
3. Mixing my foods together
4. Toes (mostly other people's)
5. Peas
6. Dub Step or heavy metal
7. When people use numbers n single letters 4 words in text n email (is there a name 4 that?)
8. Perfume
9. Nail biting
10. Profanity
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Day 3: Personal Entry - Mommahood
I'm three months in and loving every minute of it. I just can't get enough of that sweet face! There have been some aspects of being a mom that surprised me and some that are as I expected. In general, I wake up every day (and sometimes night) thinking that this is the best job I've ever had and how lucky I am to do it full-time.
- I thought I'd be so super sad with every passing phase (and I am a little), but really, I find that I'm excited to see her growing and look forward to getting to know her more. Who will this smiley baby turn out to be like, what are her quirks and what will she look like as a toddler, little girl, young adult etc. I think this is partly because we plan/hope to have more babies.. the last baby will likely be a different story.
- I might regret saying this, and probably her personality has a lot to do with it, but it's easier than I expected. I guess I thought that day one would be hard and that it would just get harder for awhile, but it's been a pretty natural change and transition. Again, she's an easy baby and I do recognize that it does get harder with mobility, attitudes, free will, toddlerness etc. as she gets older. I just found myself surprised by how normal life still seems (you know that thing where you say something on the internet and then it comes back to bite you.. lets hope this doesn't happen here). Sometimes I'd look in the mirror and notice that I'm still just myself but holding a baby. I thought that I'd, I don't know, look different or feel very different, like the weight of the world on my shoulders or something. Instead, I'm just me. We're just us but with a baby. Sure we have made some changes but they haven't been that drastic or life altering. Not sure if that makes sense.
- This kind of goes along with the thought above. I didn't 'feel' like a mom, or feel like I looked like a mom until one day when she was about a month old and I realized we were late for an appointment. I hurried to get her into the carseat and dashed out the door. Halfway to our destination I looked in the rear view mirror and realized I didn't have a stitch of make up on. I scrambled through the diaper bag in my mind, wondering if there was anything I could use to help ... which of course there wasn't. I did put a little of her coconut oil on my eye lashes hoping it would give them some effect of mascara (it didn't). So I shrugged my shoulders and thought.. well, I guess this is what it's like to be a mom... and I really felt it at that moment. Since then there have been a few other times when I've felt that way, like when she spits up all over me and I'm already a day behind on showering and I am wearing the same clothes I slept in when Blake gets home etc. I also feel a little more like a mom now that she has started to cry when other/unfamiliar people hold her. She pretty immediately gets happy again once I take her back and that makes me feel like a mom too.
Some of the surprises:
- I can't believe how fast her fingernails grow! A silly thing but I am really surprised by how frequently I need to clip them. I'm also surprised at how quickly the darn clippers got dull!
- Her poop doesn't stink to me (now her three day old diapers on wash day.. that's a different story). I was surprised at how quickly she maxed out the absorbency of her newborn all-in-ones and we had to start doing 'night time diapers' (our next level BumGenius 4.0 one-size diapers) which are a little big on her but allow for more inserts. They still seal fine, but it's so much stuff between her legs and they go up her back so far! A small price to pay to keep her pajamas and bed dry at night.
- I'm not nearly as tired as I thought I'd be, even in the middle of the night when she still woke up. I do have tired days from time to time, especially when she was going through a growth spurt. However, for the most part I'm fine. I was pretty groggy during night wakings for the first month, but now I feel like I might be getting too much sleep (just not consecutive sleep).
- I love nursing. I didn't think I'd hate it or anything, I'm just surprised by how much I love it. I love watching her nuzzle in and how her hands relax as her tummy gets full. I love the shape her mouth makes when she eats. I love how she'll look up at me from the corner of her eye and crack a milky smile and then suck faster to catch up. I love the look she gets on her face when I lay her on my lap and she knows what's coming.. and if I take too long the little 'harumph' she makes to let me know she's waiting. I love it in the morning and I love it in the night. I love that it is a special thing between us and that I can comfort her in this way. I just love it. Now that she's pretty independent in latching and knows her way around, it's such an enjoyable part of our lives.
- I thought I'd be so super sad with every passing phase (and I am a little), but really, I find that I'm excited to see her growing and look forward to getting to know her more. Who will this smiley baby turn out to be like, what are her quirks and what will she look like as a toddler, little girl, young adult etc. I think this is partly because we plan/hope to have more babies.. the last baby will likely be a different story.
- I might regret saying this, and probably her personality has a lot to do with it, but it's easier than I expected. I guess I thought that day one would be hard and that it would just get harder for awhile, but it's been a pretty natural change and transition. Again, she's an easy baby and I do recognize that it does get harder with mobility, attitudes, free will, toddlerness etc. as she gets older. I just found myself surprised by how normal life still seems (you know that thing where you say something on the internet and then it comes back to bite you.. lets hope this doesn't happen here). Sometimes I'd look in the mirror and notice that I'm still just myself but holding a baby. I thought that I'd, I don't know, look different or feel very different, like the weight of the world on my shoulders or something. Instead, I'm just me. We're just us but with a baby. Sure we have made some changes but they haven't been that drastic or life altering. Not sure if that makes sense.
- This kind of goes along with the thought above. I didn't 'feel' like a mom, or feel like I looked like a mom until one day when she was about a month old and I realized we were late for an appointment. I hurried to get her into the carseat and dashed out the door. Halfway to our destination I looked in the rear view mirror and realized I didn't have a stitch of make up on. I scrambled through the diaper bag in my mind, wondering if there was anything I could use to help ... which of course there wasn't. I did put a little of her coconut oil on my eye lashes hoping it would give them some effect of mascara (it didn't). So I shrugged my shoulders and thought.. well, I guess this is what it's like to be a mom... and I really felt it at that moment. Since then there have been a few other times when I've felt that way, like when she spits up all over me and I'm already a day behind on showering and I am wearing the same clothes I slept in when Blake gets home etc. I also feel a little more like a mom now that she has started to cry when other/unfamiliar people hold her. She pretty immediately gets happy again once I take her back and that makes me feel like a mom too.
And some things that are kind of how I expected:
- Mommy guilt. I feel guilty for not getting much done around the house because I held her so much.. or I feel guilty for putting her down to get housework done. I try not to let this get to me, but it's funny how it still creeps in. I think this is why we give our kids so much guilt when they're older.. payback ;).
- I could stare at her and hold her forever. I can't get enough! Even though it is nice when she takes a good nap and I can be productive, I find that I missed her sweet cheeks when she wakes up.
- I don't miss work one tiny bit! Granted it's only been a few months, but so far... I love being home and I even enjoy the solitude (again, this might wear off). I have found that just recently I am missing that routine and some of the social aspects of working, but I really don't miss work. I'm also slowly building in social aspects and routine into life so it might just be a slow transition. I'll need to do some prn work now and then to keep my brain working so that if I ever do go back to work I'm not totally lost, but it seems like such a different world. I feel like I lost that part of my brain. Maybe it will come back if I do work a day (hopefully!) and maybe doing continuing ed will help.
- I do in fact love cloth diapers! Although the new has worn off, I'm loving my healthy, money-saving, green choice and so far we haven't used a disposable (that's my goal.. to never use any.. we'll see how we're doing come night time with a toddler and with the last kid) ;).
- Blake is a wonderful daddy. Not only is he supportive to me, he's great with Emerson. She adores him too. She'll sit in his lap and reach her hand up to grab his goatee and is just plum happy. She always smiles when she sees him and he was the first one to get giggles out of her. Someone tried to explain how wonderful it is to watch the person you love, loving your child but it's hard to do it justice with words. It's incredible.
- I can't wait to teach her things! I know I'm teaching her things now but it's just so fun to watch her little world expand and see her growing and thinking and learning! And I love being the one to teach it to her!
So there you have it. Some of my thoughts about mommahood so far!
- Mommy guilt. I feel guilty for not getting much done around the house because I held her so much.. or I feel guilty for putting her down to get housework done. I try not to let this get to me, but it's funny how it still creeps in. I think this is why we give our kids so much guilt when they're older.. payback ;).
- I could stare at her and hold her forever. I can't get enough! Even though it is nice when she takes a good nap and I can be productive, I find that I missed her sweet cheeks when she wakes up.
- I don't miss work one tiny bit! Granted it's only been a few months, but so far... I love being home and I even enjoy the solitude (again, this might wear off). I have found that just recently I am missing that routine and some of the social aspects of working, but I really don't miss work. I'm also slowly building in social aspects and routine into life so it might just be a slow transition. I'll need to do some prn work now and then to keep my brain working so that if I ever do go back to work I'm not totally lost, but it seems like such a different world. I feel like I lost that part of my brain. Maybe it will come back if I do work a day (hopefully!) and maybe doing continuing ed will help.
- I do in fact love cloth diapers! Although the new has worn off, I'm loving my healthy, money-saving, green choice and so far we haven't used a disposable (that's my goal.. to never use any.. we'll see how we're doing come night time with a toddler and with the last kid) ;).
- Blake is a wonderful daddy. Not only is he supportive to me, he's great with Emerson. She adores him too. She'll sit in his lap and reach her hand up to grab his goatee and is just plum happy. She always smiles when she sees him and he was the first one to get giggles out of her. Someone tried to explain how wonderful it is to watch the person you love, loving your child but it's hard to do it justice with words. It's incredible.
- I can't wait to teach her things! I know I'm teaching her things now but it's just so fun to watch her little world expand and see her growing and thinking and learning! And I love being the one to teach it to her!
So there you have it. Some of my thoughts about mommahood so far!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Day 2: Your Day in Great Detail
3:19 AM wake up to baby who is asleep but wildly sucking on her fist.
3:20 AM wonder why baby is hungry since she usually sleeps till after 5. Groggily feed baby
3:29 AM realize that baby's diaper isn't on right and that she has peed on me.
3:32 AM change baby's diaper and pjs and my pajama pants and rock baby for a few minutes
3:46 AM lay baby back down.
3:47 AM go to laundry room and switch diapers from washer to dryer.
5:17 AM wake up to baby who is sucking wildly on her fist.
5:18 AM feed baby.
5:32 AM lay baby back down and get up to get a drink.
5:34 AM go restart the dryer full of diapers so baby will have something to cover her sweet bum later.
5:36 AM go back to bed
6:31 AM wake up to kiss and hug husband goodbye
6:31 and 30 seconds - go back to sleep
7:32 AM wake up and worry that I slept late. Set alarm for 8:00 and write a reminder.
8:00 AM hit snooze on alarm and decide if I have time to sleep in more or if I *really* need to get up
8:05 AM decide I really need to get up and I do so.
8:06 AM go to the bathroom, wash my hands and brush my teeth. Take my vitamins.
8:11 AM dig work out clothes out of the clean clothes basket that isn't put away yet. Get dressed,
8:20 AM make a piece of toast and eat it while filling water bottle
8:22 AM reminder does its job and I get diaper liners to give to friend to try with her cloth diapers
8:24 AM move baby from bed to car seat - baby wakes up. smile at baby :)
8:25 AM grab diaper bag and get us in the car
8:32 AM meet friend for Wednesday morning hike up Badger Mountain.
8:34 AM after greeting friend and putting on carrier, take baby out of car seat and realize she pooped
8:35 AM change baby's diaper and clothes - bundling up for hike
8:44 AM get baby tucked into the carrier with blanket for hike
8:49 AM get on the trail and realize baby wants to nurse, continue walking/nursing until baby is asleep
10:11 AM get back to car, say goodbye and head home
10:17 AM get diaper from dryer and change baby's diaper. Talk, smile, laugh and watch her giggle.
10:32 AM read Snuggle Puppy and play with baby. Get diapers out of dryer and put away.
11:25 AM feed baby and lay down for nap
11:49 AM run a hot bath with epsom salts
11:58 AM get in bath with cup of hot cider after gathering book, phone, baby monitor and a peach.
11:59 AM revel in gloriousness of hot bath, book and cider.
12:27 PM hear baby wake up on the monitor. Get out of bath, rinse off in shower.
12:30 PM get baby up and smile. Talk for a bit and then get dressed.
12:40 PM finish reading chapter for book study and eat the peach with baby in lap
12:58 PM walk to neighbor's house and sit in living room
1:02 PM discuss chapter in this book about Titus 2:3-5. Share baby with neighbor, change diaper etc.
2:03 PM walk back home
2:06 PM feed baby and lay down with her for a nap
3:23 PM wake up with a headache and a smiling baby
3:36 PM decide to get up and change baby's diaper.
3:41 PM play with baby and eat a late lunch
3:56 PM lay baby in floor gym for tummy time and get dishes done.
4:10 PM lay baby down for nap and check email
4:18 PM start writing email but get distracted by googling and facebook.
5:32 PM remember that tonight is the first of six parenting classes required for the OBCW* program
5:33 PM wonder where hubs is and realize he's getting a hair cut. Make a cup of tea. Start blog post.
5:55 PM look up address for the parenting class and realize it starts at 6 not 6:30. Crap!
5:56 PM thankfully baby is waking up. Put her in carseat, grab diaper bag and dash out door.
6:02 PM pass hubs on the road, wave, and call to explain why I'm gone.
6:18 PM arrive late to first parenting class and feel like an idiot.
6:19 PM find seat and realize it was a good class to be late to; topic: communicating with your infant.
6:20 PM open notebook and fill out paperwork.
7:13 PM think to self about how the presentation was well done and accurate. Pack up.
7:14 PM apologize to instructor for being late and consider telling her I'm an SLP. Opt not to,
7:15 PM head out to car and buckle baby in etc.
7:22 PM remember that the new Yokes' grand opening is today and decide to go in hopes of prize
7:30 PM nurse baby in car because she's been wildly sucking her THUMB. She just wanted a snack.
7:36 PM wander around Yokes with baby. Decide to shop there due to bigger natural foods section.
7:53 PM check out and head to car, buckle baby in etc.
8:08 PM arrive home, greeted in garage by hubs. Discuss parenting class and new Yokes.
8:16 PM eat dinner,feed baby and watch TV with hubs
8:55 PM change baby into nighttime diaper and pajamas. Rock for a bit and feed her. Lay her down.
9:18 PM grab computer and snuggle up on couch with hubs. Try to finish email from earlier.
10:31 PM hear baby on the monitor and hubs goes to get her. Not sure why she woke up crying.
10:38 PM hubs gives baby to me to feed her after we got some video of her cute pouty face.
10:56 PM hubs decides it's time for bed, get ready for bed and feed baby some more
11:23 PM lay baby down to self soothe with close monitoring for thumb sucking and cont blog post
11:59 PM publish blog post with excessive detail of day with plans to finish and send email.
*OBCW (Our Babies Can't Wait) is a local program that piggy backs on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program (which is nationwide) which provides a free book every month for the first year of your baby's life (or every month after you sign up until they're one). The local program (OBCW) provides a free book every month until your baby is FIVE! Pretty cool huh! You just have to attend five of the six parenting classes. The classes seem pretty basic but maybe I'll learn something.
3:20 AM wonder why baby is hungry since she usually sleeps till after 5. Groggily feed baby
3:29 AM realize that baby's diaper isn't on right and that she has peed on me.
3:32 AM change baby's diaper and pjs and my pajama pants and rock baby for a few minutes
3:46 AM lay baby back down.
3:47 AM go to laundry room and switch diapers from washer to dryer.
5:17 AM wake up to baby who is sucking wildly on her fist.
5:18 AM feed baby.
5:32 AM lay baby back down and get up to get a drink.
5:34 AM go restart the dryer full of diapers so baby will have something to cover her sweet bum later.
5:36 AM go back to bed
6:31 AM wake up to kiss and hug husband goodbye
6:31 and 30 seconds - go back to sleep
7:32 AM wake up and worry that I slept late. Set alarm for 8:00 and write a reminder.
8:00 AM hit snooze on alarm and decide if I have time to sleep in more or if I *really* need to get up
8:05 AM decide I really need to get up and I do so.
8:06 AM go to the bathroom, wash my hands and brush my teeth. Take my vitamins.
8:11 AM dig work out clothes out of the clean clothes basket that isn't put away yet. Get dressed,
8:20 AM make a piece of toast and eat it while filling water bottle
8:22 AM reminder does its job and I get diaper liners to give to friend to try with her cloth diapers
8:24 AM move baby from bed to car seat - baby wakes up. smile at baby :)
8:25 AM grab diaper bag and get us in the car
8:32 AM meet friend for Wednesday morning hike up Badger Mountain.
8:34 AM after greeting friend and putting on carrier, take baby out of car seat and realize she pooped
8:35 AM change baby's diaper and clothes - bundling up for hike
8:44 AM get baby tucked into the carrier with blanket for hike
8:49 AM get on the trail and realize baby wants to nurse, continue walking/nursing until baby is asleep
10:11 AM get back to car, say goodbye and head home
10:17 AM get diaper from dryer and change baby's diaper. Talk, smile, laugh and watch her giggle.
10:32 AM read Snuggle Puppy and play with baby. Get diapers out of dryer and put away.
11:25 AM feed baby and lay down for nap
11:49 AM run a hot bath with epsom salts
11:58 AM get in bath with cup of hot cider after gathering book, phone, baby monitor and a peach.
11:59 AM revel in gloriousness of hot bath, book and cider.
12:27 PM hear baby wake up on the monitor. Get out of bath, rinse off in shower.
12:30 PM get baby up and smile. Talk for a bit and then get dressed.
12:40 PM finish reading chapter for book study and eat the peach with baby in lap
12:58 PM walk to neighbor's house and sit in living room
1:02 PM discuss chapter in this book about Titus 2:3-5. Share baby with neighbor, change diaper etc.
2:03 PM walk back home
2:06 PM feed baby and lay down with her for a nap
3:23 PM wake up with a headache and a smiling baby
3:36 PM decide to get up and change baby's diaper.
3:41 PM play with baby and eat a late lunch
3:56 PM lay baby in floor gym for tummy time and get dishes done.
4:10 PM lay baby down for nap and check email
4:18 PM start writing email but get distracted by googling and facebook.
5:32 PM remember that tonight is the first of six parenting classes required for the OBCW* program
5:33 PM wonder where hubs is and realize he's getting a hair cut. Make a cup of tea. Start blog post.
5:55 PM look up address for the parenting class and realize it starts at 6 not 6:30. Crap!
5:56 PM thankfully baby is waking up. Put her in carseat, grab diaper bag and dash out door.
6:02 PM pass hubs on the road, wave, and call to explain why I'm gone.
6:18 PM arrive late to first parenting class and feel like an idiot.
6:19 PM find seat and realize it was a good class to be late to; topic: communicating with your infant.
6:20 PM open notebook and fill out paperwork.
7:13 PM think to self about how the presentation was well done and accurate. Pack up.
7:14 PM apologize to instructor for being late and consider telling her I'm an SLP. Opt not to,
7:15 PM head out to car and buckle baby in etc.
7:22 PM remember that the new Yokes' grand opening is today and decide to go in hopes of prize
7:30 PM nurse baby in car because she's been wildly sucking her THUMB. She just wanted a snack.
7:36 PM wander around Yokes with baby. Decide to shop there due to bigger natural foods section.
7:53 PM check out and head to car, buckle baby in etc.
8:08 PM arrive home, greeted in garage by hubs. Discuss parenting class and new Yokes.
8:16 PM eat dinner,feed baby and watch TV with hubs
8:55 PM change baby into nighttime diaper and pajamas. Rock for a bit and feed her. Lay her down.
9:18 PM grab computer and snuggle up on couch with hubs. Try to finish email from earlier.
10:31 PM hear baby on the monitor and hubs goes to get her. Not sure why she woke up crying.
10:38 PM hubs gives baby to me to feed her after we got some video of her cute pouty face.
10:56 PM hubs decides it's time for bed, get ready for bed and feed baby some more
11:23 PM lay baby down to self soothe with close monitoring for thumb sucking and cont blog post
11:59 PM publish blog post with excessive detail of day with plans to finish and send email.
*OBCW (Our Babies Can't Wait) is a local program that piggy backs on the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program (which is nationwide) which provides a free book every month for the first year of your baby's life (or every month after you sign up until they're one). The local program (OBCW) provides a free book every month until your baby is FIVE! Pretty cool huh! You just have to attend five of the six parenting classes. The classes seem pretty basic but maybe I'll learn something.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
30 Day Blog Post Challenge: Day 1
I've decided that October is blogging month. I've recently found myself picking up my hobbies again and so it's time for some blogspiration. I was going to post my list of challenge prompts... but then I decided I didn't want to be held accountable to the prompts.
I am loosely following a list though. I was going to type up my own list but I'm just going to run down this one and change them if I decide I don't like the one that is written for the day. Such a rebel, I know.
So here goes: Day One - Write some basic things about yourself.
1. I have blond hair and blue eyes.
2. I love beverages. I could drink myself through the day between coffee (still decaf), tea, tea lattes, homemade chai tea, decaf espresso lattes, green juices, fresh fruit juices, cider, milk kefir, raw milk, kombucha with chia seeds, sparkling lemonade and (my most recent addiction - thanks Julie) LaCroix sparking water (I started with lemon to make sparkling lemonade, but then I found orange and I fell in love. I also tried berry and it tastes like cleaner to me. I haven't been brave enough to try any other flavors after being burned by berry). Oh ya, and plain old filtered water. And very occasionally, wine (which pretty much had gotten the boot between pregnancy and nursing). There really aren't enough hours in the day to drink all the things I love. Sometimes I crack open a refreshing Orange LaCroix and start making a cup of tea... oops. They both sounded good at the same time.
3. I have gotten into horrible sleeping habits. It's a viscous cycle. I stay up late, I sleep in later, I stay up later, I sleep in even later. It doesn't help that I have an infant because she sleeps nearly straight from ll pm to 11 am (for now.. I hear these things can change). So even if I stay up until 2:00 AM writing a blog post, I can still get plenty of sleep since after the 5:30 feeding I just pull her into bed with me (Blake is up about then). We both barely wake up for feedings. I really need to change this, but I know I need to make it happen on my own.
4. My favorite color is blue.
5. My favorite part of the day is when EJ wakes up. She stretches or scrunches and then the moment she catches your eyes she lights up with a smile that penetrates to your soul. Man I love her. It's like Groundhogs Day (the movie) but better because this happens several times a day :).
6. I have two brothers and two sister-in-laws - one is my brother's wife and one is my husband's sister.
7. I don't have any pets and I'm pretty happy about that.
8. I like even numbers.
Now it's time for bed!
I am loosely following a list though. I was going to type up my own list but I'm just going to run down this one and change them if I decide I don't like the one that is written for the day. Such a rebel, I know.
So here goes: Day One - Write some basic things about yourself.
1. I have blond hair and blue eyes.
2. I love beverages. I could drink myself through the day between coffee (still decaf), tea, tea lattes, homemade chai tea, decaf espresso lattes, green juices, fresh fruit juices, cider, milk kefir, raw milk, kombucha with chia seeds, sparkling lemonade and (my most recent addiction - thanks Julie) LaCroix sparking water (I started with lemon to make sparkling lemonade, but then I found orange and I fell in love. I also tried berry and it tastes like cleaner to me. I haven't been brave enough to try any other flavors after being burned by berry). Oh ya, and plain old filtered water. And very occasionally, wine (which pretty much had gotten the boot between pregnancy and nursing). There really aren't enough hours in the day to drink all the things I love. Sometimes I crack open a refreshing Orange LaCroix and start making a cup of tea... oops. They both sounded good at the same time.
 |
| Homemade chai... so delicious. I wasn't a chai fan until I made it myself and could tweak it. Why would I make it if I wasn't a fan? Good question. Because my mom is a fan and I found a recipe. The recipe called for cardamom pods, which, as it turns out, are very hard to find. I found some in Israel... so then I really had to make it. And now I love it. It's the perfect Fall beverage because it has all those great Fall spices, like apple cider, but has significantly less sugar (or none) and therefore doesn't give me a headache. And now you have the world's longest caption. the end. |
3. I have gotten into horrible sleeping habits. It's a viscous cycle. I stay up late, I sleep in later, I stay up later, I sleep in even later. It doesn't help that I have an infant because she sleeps nearly straight from ll pm to 11 am (for now.. I hear these things can change). So even if I stay up until 2:00 AM writing a blog post, I can still get plenty of sleep since after the 5:30 feeding I just pull her into bed with me (Blake is up about then). We both barely wake up for feedings. I really need to change this, but I know I need to make it happen on my own.
4. My favorite color is blue.
5. My favorite part of the day is when EJ wakes up. She stretches or scrunches and then the moment she catches your eyes she lights up with a smile that penetrates to your soul. Man I love her. It's like Groundhogs Day (the movie) but better because this happens several times a day :).
6. I have two brothers and two sister-in-laws - one is my brother's wife and one is my husband's sister.
7. I don't have any pets and I'm pretty happy about that.
8. I like even numbers.
Now it's time for bed!
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