I toyed with the idea for a while…I thought that I would like to try to put up Ads on my site and then I found out that WordPress doesn’t allow ads.
Then I thought, well, whatever I’d probably only make 2 cents at the most since they only work if someone clicks on them or uses the search box and it can’t be me, or a robot… Not really worth it to set up a new blog when I’m so comfortable w/ how things work here…
Then I was playing around on blogger…and it’s been updated since I last tried posting there about 1.5 years ago…
There are some features I like better here and a few over there but after weighing them out I have decided to make the switch. so if you like what the ad is selling, click on it, but otherwise ignore it please… (i’m not allowed to ask you to click on the ads or use the search box, so i won’t)
I’m keeping this page up until I can figure out how to transfer these posts over…which I may never do.
The humerus.
My stomach is still a little queasy from just hearing about it and then uuugggggg….this picture!
This is my brother’s arm. He apparently had a rough landing snowboarding this morning.
This isn’t the first time he’s had to be driven 30min down the mountain to visit the ER, but this is by far the most severe.
My brother is one of the toughest and happiest guys I know but MAN…no one is smiling after something like this.
Josephine doesn’t look very much like any of my baby pictures or any of my sisters’ or mom’s either. After I saw this picture of my mom and her brothers I figured out who she looks like. Almost exactly like.
Which is a good thing too, that she looks like someone in my family. I’ve seen a baby picture of her father and I don’t remember it all that well, but I don’t think she looks all that much like him either.
Baby, where did you come from?!
You have become much more intense of a person this month.You laugh more, eat more, cry more, kick way more, sleep less, and talk more than you ever had before. Oh my goodness the talking!
In the mornings it’s usually just the two of us and we play with for a few min after breakfast then when you look like it’s time to wind down I read out loud from one of my child development books.One morning I read that you should be cooing and gurgling and when I looked over at you, you blinked, thought about it, and made the most distinct gurgle.A few minutes later you started cooing sentences, paragraphs even, like you were saying Hey, just let me know when you get to the chapter that says I should be walking and fixing sandwiches, I’ll be ready.
(turn up your volume for this one!)
Something else the books say is that you should be starting to grab on to things.So far you will hold something we put in your hand but you show absolutely no interest unless it’s someone’s finger.You smack yourself in the face with my chapstick and then fling it behind you, but when you’ve gripped my finger my hand usually gets pulled strait to your mouth.Sometimes though, you try to pull yourself up if you are lying down.
You hate lying on your back.I noticed in the hospital that you would sleep sounder when you were on your side.When we got home, the only time you stayed asleep when you were on your back was when you were snuggled in the lap pillow we keep by the couch.I’d put you on your back like I’m supposed to when I’d put you in your bed, but you never slept very long that way.When you are awake it isn’t any different.You want to be standing up all the time.I have a feeling you’ll skip crawling and be an early walker like your mama.
On the topic of sleep: Until recently the basic routine was that you would sleep in your own bed during day-time naps and sometimes start there at night.You would always wake up when I got into bed so I’d bring you in next to me to nurse and snuggle.At night you’d only sleep soundly, like at the hospital, if you were snuggled next to me and on your side.You aren’t exactly mobile, but sometimes when you fall asleep next to me I don’t want to risk waking you so I just scoot you over and somehow within minutes you are right back at my side, head in my armpit.I didn’t know it at the time, but I needed you there with me as much as you needed me there with you.
Last week I put you to bed and you stayed asleep when I came in and got into my bed.Then you were still sleeping, and still sleeping, and I was peeking over at you every few minutes waiting to see you start waking up, but you didn’t.I tried to sleep, but I woke up every 30 minutes feeling like I had forgot something.Finally around 2:30 you starting to wake up and when I reached over to you I breathed a “finally” and pulled next to me.The next few nights were similar.You slept a little longer each night and I woke up fewer times…then this weekend you seemed very uncomfortable and were a major grumplestilskin (teething? Please no, not yet) so we went back to our old routine complete with you waking up 4-5 times a night instead of once or twice. Awesome.
This month you totally gave up on your thumb.Instead, you try to fit as many fingers into your mouth as possible and sometimes you get one too many and sort of gag yourself.You don’t mind though, and there is so much drool that anyone who comes near you should probably be wearing a rain coat.
You turned three months old on Easter. Your first Easter!I totally made you a basket even though you wouldn’t know the difference if I hadn’t.I probably wouldn’t have bothered if it were just the two of us, but it’s not, grandma is here and if I hadn’t declared that I would take care of your basket she would have…
I’m going to list what was in your basket.Not because I think anyone reading cares, but because I want to be able to come back to this post in a few years and remember what a dorky mom I was from the beginning.
Bunny hat that aunt Kelly gave you when I was just barely 4 months pregnant
Two foam visors from Michaels that I had your aunt Martha put together for you
Yellow duck wrist rattle
Pink head bow because everyone thinks you are a boy, even when I don’t put you in blue!
A chirping chick toy from grandma
A chirping bird toy from great grandma
Big white rabbit from great grandma
A lot of other things happened this month.You met one of your great grandmothers, we started taking walks in the stroller every day, and you have started to laugh out loud at us.There have been great times of singing and laughing as well as hard times of crying and spitting and I know (I know) there are days ahead that will be a million times better as well as a million times worse.So far I knew you would have times of being uncomfortable because of gas or shots or being just plain tired, it was still hard for me to see you upset, but I knew it would be and that seemed to help.What I wasn’t prepared for however was the packing away of the clothes you have grown out of.
I never sympathized with women who talked about how their babies grew up too fast.I always thought “hey what you have now is pretty awesome too; you wouldn’t want a baby forever!”And I don’t, I don’t want a baby forever, but I’ve already forgotten what you felt like in my arms when you were just 6lbs instead of this enormous 13lbs you are now.The good thing is that even though I’m sad to pack away some teeny tiny onsies, I always feel better when I look at you and see you put something in your mouth or hear you babble and laugh, or reach any other milestone.
It’s only been three months, but it’s already been three months.
I have been trying very hard to post something the last several days but something was wrong somewhere in the Internet…
hmmm…now what was I going to post about?
the front tire of the stroller is flat and I haven’t gone to get a patch kit yet, so that’s a bummer.
Oh! so what do most first time moms do the last few weeks/months of their pregnancy? They research everything. Everything. I spent a great deal of my research time trying to pick out the best way to diaper my baby’s butt.
I’ve been using a variety of disposables that were given as gifts, and then some Seventh Generation chlorine-free diapers that I bought myself. I was nervous about cloth diapering right away because it was new to me and breast-fed newborns poop like a million times a day. Then when I was recovering slowly from the c-section the last thing I wanted was more laundry…
I’ve spent a great deal of Josephine’s nap time lately re-researching cloth diapering and I have changed my mind about using prefolds and pins, and I’m just going to use all-in-ones when they get here. Mostly it’s about the $$ investment, I thought I had some prefolds to start with, but I now realize they aren’t absorbent enough, they are basically super burp rags.
I’ve been playing on eBay.
So a bunch of these all-in-one diapers should be here any day now. I’m pretty excited. EBay is my new best friend. I might be wining a few more Fuzzi Bunz too, but that auction hasn’t closed yet.
See how excited Josephine is?
She’s wearing an old dress that grandma saved. That’s the only reason she’s wearing it. She just seems like she’s going to be a bug-catching, dress-hating, tree-climbing tom-boy…or maybe I’m just hoping she will.
I had a decent post started about what I’m doing to try to be healthier. Then when I clicked the save button, WordPress hiccuped and lost it. Then I was pissed and didn’t want to write it again, plus I had this 12lb person screaming in my ear.
This past few days my grandmother was here to visit and meet Josephine.
Josephine is doing awesome. She has so much to say now.
I believe I will be switching to cloth diapers part time when she graduates out of her current size 1s. I already have a case of size 2s that I’ll use for overnight and leaving the house to start and stick to plane cloth and pins at home. My cousin bought me two Fuzzi Bunz and I’ll eventually get enough reusable all-in-one diapers to stay out of disposables full time.
No matter how many books you read, how many moms you talk to, or how many classes you take, you are never prepared for how much you want to talk about poop after you have a baby.
I have cut nearly all trans fats out of the household. I’m trying to give up carbonation but my sister keeps buying Dr Pepper.
I’ve had a couple things on my mind to post about when I found the time.
First, thanks to everyone who reads and leaves comments. I always read them. I am writing this blog for two reasons: to document my life and it’s changes so I can look back and see how far I’ve come, and to share with anyone who cares what is going on with me and Josephine. I love that you guys want to know what I have to say and I’ll try to find something interesting to write about other than poop.
I’m working on a post about infant baptism. Stay tuned.
Have you seen Hot Rod? it’s terribly funny. This is the best scene. sort of, it’s been re-mixed, but it’s still pretty funny.
Hey, if you know a mom that’s a pretty good mom, and maybe she just needs a little help sometimes. and you get a little grumpy sometimes and take it out on whoever is around. and it’s usually that mom and her daughter that are around. and maybe that mom needed you to either ignore or clean up a few drops of pee that got on the couch because really, a few drops of pee is nothing in her world of projectile poop and vomit. Do Not under any circumstances complain to someone that you shouldn’t have to deal with pee on the couch because ‘She’s Not My Daughter’. if you do, that mom will hear it and will not be able to get it out of her head for days. even though she knows you were just being a turd, she’ll be totally bummed for a while. and she will forget what she wanted to blog about in the first place.
Yesterday you turned two months. You are two months old. Two whole months! Since leaving my belly you have put on nearly 5lbs.I’m not happy about that at all either; I want more time with my 6lb baby.Speaking of my belly, remember when you were in there and all you did was kick and kick mama?Yeah, not much has changed except that you are now kicking from the outside.Whenever we snuggle in bed you seem to never fully stop moving and it’s usually your feet that are finding their way to my middle.I can tell when you are sleeping, waking up, trying to poop, or wanting to eat based on the rhythm of your kicking.
This month you found your thumb.You had stumbled on it earlier, but now you bring your fist to your mouth with a purpose.You don’t always succeed in getting your thumb in your mouth though, sometimes you have to settle for a finger or even just the side of your hand because you can’t quite un-clench your fist on demand yet.I offered you a pacifier several times but you will have nothing to do with it.You have however, fallen to sleep several times with grandpas finger in your mouth.
You love to stand up.You figured out how to lock your knees at about three weeks old, but now I can tell you really like it.You calm down when I stand you up and once you stood on your own for almost 2 seconds!
You also really like baths now.Sometimes I sit in the bathtub with you and hold your head while you float on your back and the whole time you have a giant smile on your face.We just started making bath time a nightly ritual.I used to bath you in the morning after you threw up breakfast, but you hold your food down better now.
We have a bit of a routine now and you are showing your personality and preferences more and more.The morning is my favorite time because it’s just the two of us usually and you are in a fabulous mood, full of smiles and laughter.We get up slowly and sing songs to each other for an hour or two before you fall back asleep and I rush to get a shower and breakfast.The whole day is usually fun until late afternoon; when grandma and grandpa get home from work and your aunt is home from school you start getting agitated.You do not like a lot of people in your face, or a lot of noises; it makes preparing and eating dinner somewhat of a hassle. Like your mama, you would rather sit back and have some quiet time than be in the middle of a commotion, but everyone else in this family seems to thrive on activity and yelling to each other from different floors of the house.
I’ve taken you shopping and out to eat several times now.I plop you in the sling and you stay quiet, usually asleep, the whole time we are out.People are always commenting on how good you are as if a 2 month old can really misbehave.Still, after we get home from an outing I feel like I’ve been holding my breath because it’s always in the back of my mind that you could totally flip and turn me into that mother that gets dirty looks from all the childless men and women.I think maybe you are behaving so calmly now because you are storing up for when you’re 14.
I know you can’t know how much I love you now, and probably won’t until you have children of your own, but I will always do my best to make sure you feel as much love as possible.
*I don’t consider myself much of a story teller, but when I explained to my mother why Josephine wasn’t in her PJs one morning she laughed pretty hard, so I’ll try to re-tell it the best I can.*
For several nights in a row now Jose has slept from 10pm to 4am, eats, then sleeps from 430am to around 8ish. After she eats at 4 I change her diaper and she rarely, rarely, poops when she’s sleeping at night.
On this particular night (last night) Josephine woke up at 12 to eat and then again at 4, then again just before 6am. She barely woke at 4, so I did the same and didn’t actual get up to change her until the 6ish feeding. To my surprise there was a little poop in the diaper so I took my time in the dark wiping down her little butt as she lay on my bed.
Now, the majority of the time Jose has a tell when she has to poop. She grunts, not a constipated grunt, but sort of like someone waking up from an intense dream, and she kicks her legs in unison rather than in a bicycle motion. I tell you this because 99% of the time I see the signs and know not to take the old diaper off just yet, (or if there’s time, to hold her butt over the toilet) the other 1% of the time she just immediately fills her new diaper and I have to start all over.
Can you tell where this story is going?
Last night, as I undid her diaper and got a new one ready, she was asleep, laying still. Perfectly still, except for her rhythmic breathing, Perfectly Still. The wipe in my hand was balled up and I was just about finished cleaning her off when I heard a toot. I wasn’t even sure at first if that’s what I really heard, then there was another one. Crap. Everything was happening so fast. I put the balled up wipe and my hand over her butt as I tried to hurry the new diaper under her butt, but I couldn’t quite get it situated right. Before I knew it she had unloaded more poop than the diaper would’ve held anyway. It was everywhere, I had no idea this tiny girl could projectile poop so strongly. I cleaned my hand on a burp rag near by, pulled out more wipes and a third clean diaper, got her cleaned up and stripped her PJs off just in case. I wiped up what I could, washed my hands, then laid down towels in the bed and we went back to sleep for 2 more hours.
My trash can and sheets look like someone had a diarrhea party.
Who has a diarrhea party you ask? My two month old daughter, that’s who.
Just because you have 5 family members with you at the hospital when you give birth, and all five of them own very nice, working cameras, don’t expect they’ll think to take pictures on their own.You have to fight through your epidural and general disorientation due to the excitement of giving birth and tell each of them that you’d like photographic proof you were actually in the hospital.That the stork didn’t just fly in the birthing room window and drop off a baby girl while mama was, I don’t know, at the mall maybe?
Enchantingly Ludicrous 