How I met my husband!

The point of this essay was to work on using descriptive words. I thought it was okay, nothing amazing. I am sharing it because, well, it relates to the blog. This is the night, over 6 years ago, that brought my husband and I together. This is why George Huddy Albert exists. Pretty relevant right? It is the final of the essays I will be sharing until next semester. Stay tuned, because I promise to share some George anecdotes in the next few days. Hint: He is crawling, standing, speaking and using the potty at 8 months!



"I want to meet someone too!" I had been out of a serious relationship for almost 6 months and thought a new man might spark the interest of my ex.


"Sure, I'll introduce you to George." Richard said.

"Oh! No! Please, can I have George! I like his name," Katie chimed in.

"No! Katie, you are with Kirk! You don't need anyone!" I was determined. But a George? I could imagine a fat, balding man in a white t-shirt, with a grease stain, eating potato chips out of the bag while watching "Hot Cars, Hot Chicks" on some MAN network.



Two days later, I was groggy and drugged. The room was lit by fluorescent bulbs and the harsh, artificial light made the white walls look like waterfalls of wet paint. My mother was sanding my hand and sounded worried. She rubbed more anxiously as her voice grew in pitch. She was worried. The doctors wanted her to let me slowly wake up. But I am her daughter. Her one and only child. She needs me to wake up and I'm scaring her. I open my eyes and see the terror on her face.



"Mom, water?" I manage to say with my cotton filled mouth.

"Stacey, how do you feel? Everything went well. You can go home now." A man in a mask is helping me to stand and exit the room.



We walk down the sterile, scarcely lit hall to a dark, gloomy waiting room where my two best friends, Jessi and Katie await. I smile and tell them "All done!" With what I think is a smile. My face is numb. And this cotton in my mouth is squeaking against my teeth.



The moment we hit the car, I yank the cotton out and declare "I need a drink!"



After I pour water all over me in my attempt to quench my thirst with a numb face, we head home. I spend the drive feeling the stitches in the back of my mouth where my wisdom teeth were impacted. Gross. But I do kind of like the salty taste back there. Blood.



When we arrive home, my mom ushers me to bed, Jessi leaves and heads back to her house, and Katie joins me in my room.

"So, still going to have George come to the bonfire?" She asks.



"Oh! I have to call Richard and let him know I am up to it! I can't wait!" I jump up and make my phone call. When I am done, I sit back on the bed.

"Yep! Tonight at 9! Bonfire at Uncle Jays. I'll give Kory and Richard directions once Richard picks up George."



"Okay. Can we take a nap? I'm tired and I'm not even the one drugged up." Katie says, already closing her eyes.



I was riding a roller coaster. My heart went up, it dropped back down, my intestines slid to the left, to the right, my stomach was in my throat, it was in my toes. I was anxious to meet this George, but my face felt like Muhammad Ali had popped me one. But I needed something new. Something refreshing.



As I got dressed, I contemplated the clothes I was pulling out. A pretty, frilly shirt? No. A comfortable shirt with a band name splayed across? Yes. If he liked music, it'd work, if now, well, who doesn't like music?



Once I finished dressing, I realized I was late. I began to rush around and finally, I was ready.

We were to meet at my uncle's for a bonfire and Richard was supposed to be following me, but he was also running behind. I knew he had George with him and had needed to stop by his neighbors really fast and I was anxious. With Katie in my passenger seat and my mom in the back, I drove down to Richard's house anyway. As we approached I saw two figures walking down the blue, dark street, one had Richard's cocky gait and the other, I was pleased to notice, walked like a normal person.

I felt no flutter. My heart didn't skip a beat. My excitement was gone. I didn't know why I had been looking forward to this. He was a normal, average guy.

As he got in the car, he exchanged pleasantries with my mother and I checked him out in my rearview mirror, nothing special. Glasses. His nose had a wide bridge and he had very large lips and shaggy hair.

We drove the short drive and met up with a few more friends along the way.

At my Uncle's, my cousins were eager to roast marshmallows and throw things into the fire pit.

We went behind the house and the fire was already started, the pit is wide enough and deep enough to fit a large car, possibly a truck. As we approached the fire I felt the heat hit me like a tidal wave of comfort. I was surrounded in this warmth and it felt like love was wrapping it's arms around me.

We sat by the fire, George sitting quietly to my right, and told stories. But I couldn't stop looking at George. He seemed to be glancing at me out of the corner of his eye but he wasn't saying much. Finally, I offered him a marshmallow.

"No, thank you." He said in a polite tone with a slight hint of a southern accent. Suddenly, it felt like the fire's heat had increased. It's hug was tighter and almost suffocating. I looked into George's eyes and his met mine and I was suddenly falling into the fire, and he must have fallen right with me, our eyes still locked.

I can’t tell you what happened next. I honestly can’t remember. That powerful moment changed my life and 6 years later, I am celebrating my third wedding anniversary and raising George’s gorgeous son. I guess, we are living happily, ever after.

        Thanks so much for reading!

Breastfeeding In America

In America, only 13% of infants are exclusively breastfed at 6 months of age according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Around 73% of new mothers start out breastfeeding, but by 4 months, only 33% have continued (U.S.A.). Breastfeeding has multiple benefits for an infant, lower risk of multiple diseases and childhood illnesses and provides optimal nutrition for a growing infant. The benefits also extend to the mother who is less likely to develop certain cancers after breastfeeding, with her risks lowering the longer she breastfeeds. Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed an infant, because so few mothers in America are doing it, America should adopt WHO and UNICEF’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.


The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have partnered together to create the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI). The BFHI is a detailed plan to give hospitals in all countries the tools to help increase breastfeeding rates. BFHI offers 10 steps for hospitals to complete to be considered “Baby-Friendly”. The steps all have a distinct purpose and way that they will aid new mothers, the community and mothers who have already established a nursing relationship.

The first step to completing WHO’s BFHI is to write a breastfeeding friendly policy for the hospital and communicate the policy to all staff regularly. Medical training, even for physicians, only briefly covers breastfeeding. In fact, in the book he wrote with his wife, Dr. William Sears admits that he had minimal knowledge prior to having his own children. When a nursing relationship is at it’s weakest is when medical professionals are often sought out. In the first few days of life, any small amount of criticism or doubt placed in a mother’s mind can destroy her confidence in nursing. Medical Professionals in birth centers and hospitals need to be prepared to offer encouraging assistance so as not to hinder the nursing relationship. Another instance when a mother may need support is when she or the infant are going through medical trouble such as childhood illnesses, the routine flu, or something more. Medical professionals need to be prepared to deal with these issues in a way that encourages the mother to continued nursing and they need to know about medications that are appropriate for a nursing mother to take. All staff will need to be aware of the rights of nursing mothers. With competent medical professionals who are trained in their policy, hospitals can expect nursing mothers to be more comfortable receiving services there and for pregnant mothers to seek out physicians affiliated with their hospital (babyfriendlyusa.org) (WHO).

The medical staff will need to be aware of the breastfeeding policy, but the actual health care providers will need to know steps to assist in implementing the policy. They must learn the anatomy of the breast, the benefits of breastfeeding, steps to establishing a healthy latch, how to evaluate a latch and how to care for the mother and infant without damaging the nursing relationship. The more closely a provider will be working with mother’s and infants, the more training and information they will need (WHO, babyfriendlyusa.org).

All soon-to-be mother’s need to receive information on breastfeeding, regardless of their intentions. Just because a mother thinks she would prefer to formula feed, does not mean she has the facts on breastfeeding. Women are frequently given false information by well meaning family members and friends, it is a health care professional‘s responsibility to ensure that she has the correct information to make her decision with. Information should begin with how her body is preparing to nurse during pregnancy, information on colostrums and the size of an infant’s stomach at birth, information on growth spurts, health differences between formula and breastfed babies as well as the thousands of benefits to her child if she does choose to breastfeed. While health care providers may not condemn or make a mother feel guilty for not breastfeeding, they should ensure that any and all questions are answered and all basic benefits are understood (AAP, WHO, babyfriendly.org).

Within the first hour of it’s life, an infant’s natural instinct is to begin “rooting” or sniffing and feeling around for a nipple. It is characterized by the distinct “eh” sound the infant makes as they do it. Their body and the mother’s body have a biological connection and are made to respond to each other’s cues. Hospital’s that wish to become Baby –Friendly should do everything in their power to assist new mothers in latching their babies on within the first hour. Dr. William Sears and Martha Sears say “Studies show that early-contact newborns learn to latch on more efficiently than babies who are separated from their mothers. This is a time when baby will be in a quiet state of alertness, the optimal behavioral state for interaction with you,” in their book, The Breastfeeding Book. The health care providers should ensure that the latch is correct and that any questions and concerns are taken care of before they leave the new mother and infant. If the infant is not well enough and needs to receive further medical care, the first latch should be established as soon as medically safe (Sears, AAP, WHO, babyfriendlyusa.org).

Whether a mother is separated from her newborn or already successfully latching, health care providers need to explain how to continue the breastfeeding relationship. They should explain growth spurts, feeding on demand, how to check that baby is getting enough milk, pumping and not judging your supply by how much you pump, the amount of milk a newborn baby needs and necessary steps to ensure that the nursing relationship is positive. This information will help boost a mother’s confidence in her body and allow her to continue nursing. Mother’s often experience insecurities in regards to their supply, so health care professionals need to make sure they are leaving mother’s with confidence in their ability to nurse and provide them a way to gauge if their infant is getting enough. If a mother is confident in her body, her body is more likely to cooperate (Sears, WHO babyfriendlyusa.org).

For the first 6 months, WHO recommends giving an infant only breastmilk unless medically necessary. For hospitals to gain BFHI they must agree to only give newborn infants breastmilk, no sugar water, water or any other substance. They also need to communicate this with new mother’s to prevent cereal bottles or other harmful things from being given to infant’s. Many people do not understand that an infant’s stomach is the size of a marble at birth and that colostrum can fill that. They may believe it is necessary to supplement but health care professionals should ensure mother’s that there is no medical reason to do so. There are several health benefits to this practice and it must first begin in the hospital (AAP, Sears, WHO, babyfriendlyusa).

Hospitals must encourage mother’s to breastfeed on demand. Breasts work on “supply and demand”. If an infant is suckling the breast the breast“knows” it and will begin milk production. Howver much an infant sucks, is how much milk will be made. If a mother is feeding everytime her child shows “cues” (small signs indicating a need) for hunger and feeds until the infant has finished, the breasts will make the correct amount of milk for that specific infant. Attempting to put an infant on a feeding schedule can alter this system and possibly destroy a mother’s confidence in nursing and cause malnutrition in the infant (Sears, WHO, babyfriendlyusa.org, Laemmy).

Nursing from a breast requires work. The infant must create a strong suction while using it’s tongue to stimulate the nipple. WHO asks that hospitals seeking BFHI refrain from giving pacifiers and bottles to infants who will be breastfeeding. The ease of the bottle will deter the baby from wanting to work for milk or colostrum from the breast. Pacifiers satisfy the sucking instinct, an instinct designed to help an infant help it’s mother’s milk to come in. If that instinct is artificially satisfied, the infant may not want to suckle the breast and the milk may not come in. Bottles and Pacifiers should be delayed until a healthy, happy, nursing relationship is established (Sears, WHO, babyfriendlyusa.org) .

Out of 30 developed countries surveyed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, America was the 5th least likely country for an infant to be breastfed in. The top 3 countries, Norway, Finland and Sweden, have breastfeeding rates of nearly 100%. “The incidence of exclusive breastfeeding and its duration tends to be higher/longer in countries with long periods of maternity/parental leave,” (OECD) suggesting that returning to work is a major contributing factor to low breastfeeding rates. In other countries, there are laws and regulations on employers to allow mothers to pump. Many follow WHO’s Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding, which suggests “Governments should enact imaginative legislation protecting the breastfeeding rights of working women and establishing means for its enforcement in accordance with international labour standards,” with the belief being that if women are more comfortable pumping at work and their employers allow it, they are more likely to continue breastfeeding after their return to work..

Breastfeeding rates in America are significantly lower than most developed countries, despite the fact that breastfeeding provides optimal health benefits to both mothers and infants. If America were to adopt WHO’s Strategy for Infant and Young Child Feeding rates would rise, but ultimately, the relationship needs to begin before birth. Breastfeeding is the healthiest way to feed an infant, because so few Americans are doing it, America should adopt WHO and UNICEF’s Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative.

The Dangers behind Cry It Out

Parents are told by doctors, sleep training books, relatives and friends to leave their babies to cry, but neuroscience tells us that this can cause lifelong damage to children. The idea for allowing a child to cry it out comes from a misunderstanding that infants know how to manipulate us. Social and emotional development will not progress normally in infants who are routinely left to cry it out. If parents were to respond to their infants in a timely manner, social and emotional development would proceed on target.


Infants need to form an attachment, based on trust, with at least one primary caregiver for social and emotional development to progress normally. An Infant learns to trust when they are responded to in a timely manner and with compassion. “The infant normally internalizes a neurobiological image of the behavioral and emotional characteristics of its caregiver that later regulates important features of its brain function” (Kraemer). Without that specific caregiver, the infant does not have one specific image to internalize. An infant needs a positive, compassionate caregiver to replicate in order to grow emotionally and socially.

Letting babies get distressed is a practice that can damage children and their relational capacities in many ways for the long term, according to Darcia Narvaez, Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Collaborative for Ethical Education at the University of Notre Dame. Infants who are routinely left to “cry it out” are more likely to be “anxious, uncooperative and alienated” and to grow up to be insecure (Narvaez). The emotional effects on an infant so young can dictate their emotional plain for the rest of their life.

By ignoring the needs of an infant, a caregiver is teaching the infant that it’s needs do not matter. This is going to alter the development of self esteem. The caregiver is also ignoring crucial cues. Infants give a variety of cues letting us know what they need. Infants show when they need to have a bowel movement, urinate, are too warm, too cold, or hungry in a variety of ways, each one being slightly different for each infant. If a caregiver is not looking for these cues or is ignoring these cues, they could be destroying or preventing a bond between infant and caregiver,

Infants need nurturing in order to thrive. Leaving an infant alone to cry is not nurturing. When a newborn infant is away from it’s mother, it gets distressed. When an infant is distressed, it releases the stress hormone cortisone which can damage and alter DNA as well as the neurons responsible for communication between receptors in the brain (Narvaez). In a study on rats, whose brains often react similar to humans, it was found that “If in the first 10 days of life you have low nurturing rat mother (the equivalent of the first 6 months of life in a human), the gene never gets turned on and the rat is anxious towards new situations for the rest of its life, unless drugs are administered to alleviate the anxiety. These researchers say that there are hundreds of genes affected by nurturance” (Narvaez). This study suggests that the way a caregiver treats an infant could alter, not only the infant’s DNA, but also, the DNA of the following generations and could predispose the entire family for anxiety or other emotional issues.

Infants do not cry to manipulate. They cry to communicate. At birth, infants use a variety of cues to communicate, from sounds meant to indicate hunger or movements meant to indicate the need to be held, but when these basic needs are not met, they will become increasingly agitated and will cry to indicate their distress, not to manipulate. Parents are told it is wrong to respond to their infant’s every need, but in the beginning, responding is crucial to forming a bond.

If a mother is the caregiver, her response is preprogrammed. Mother’s are biologically programmed to respond to their infant’s cries. “Upon hearing her baby cry, the blood flow to a mother’s breasts increases, accompanied by a biological urge to ‘pick up and nurse’. The act of breastfeeding itself causes a surge in prolactin , a hormone that we feel forms the biological basis of the term ‘mother’s intuition.’”, according to Dr. William Sears, the man behind the Attachment Parenting movement.

Having a bond or a secure attachment to an infant you are the sole caregiver of will have benefits for both the caregiver and the infant. Caregiver’s have lower levels of stress hormones suggesting that they are more relaxed and comfortable in their role (Dewar). Children who had secure attachments with a caregiver are more likely to score higher on intelligence tests later on (Dewar). Studies also suggest that children with secure attachments will score higher on “communication, cognitive engagement, and motivation to master new skills” later in life (Dewar).

When an infant is left alone to cry, whether in a crib or elsewhere, there are many dangers beyond emotional damage. Infants bones are not as strong as an adults and more likely to break if trapped in a crib rail, or pressed under them. Also, cribs can malfunction and harm a baby while the caregiver is ignoring the cries. The cry of pain is the same no matter what the cause, emotional or physical.

While ignoring an infant’s cry, a caregiver is conditioning themselves not to respond to the infant. This is creating a habit which can be hard to break (Narvaez). Studies suggest that establishing these habits within the first year would be the worst time as the majority of an infant’s brain is grown within that that time (Narvaez). It is during that time that the majority of damage can be done.

Infants are not brought into this world to inconvenience adults, they are here to be loved and nurtured until they grow up to be caregivers themselves. If a caregiver is patient and responsive to an infant, the infant will typically progress normally socially and emotionally. Any advice to the contrary will be damaging to a new caregiver. Social and emotional development will not progress normally in infants who are routinely left to cry it out.

            Mothers, please remember, just because you have made a mistake, it is never too late to change your parenting philosophy!

Essay Post #1: How To Establish a Proper Latch

For my composition class, I was given several different types of essays to write. I chose to do them on topic I am passionate about: Breastfeeding, not letting a baby Cry It Out, more breastfeeding and the story of how I met my husband. I plan to share all of these essays in a series, starting tonight. I will be sharing them on Lactastic Mommies, my facebook, as well as Baby's Breastie and Badass Breastfeeders of NW Ohio. All wonderful pages devoted to supporting breastfeeding mothers. Here is the first essay.

When a woman is about to become a mother, she is given endless advice. Most women know that breast milk is best for babies, yet rarely are they told that breastfeeding is not always easy. Breastfeeding can be rewarding for both the mother and the baby, but getting a healthy latch can be difficult, these steps should guide a mother to a healthy latch.


When you are preparing to nurse your baby, first, you must get comfortable. It is a mother’s natural instinct to want to comfort her infant, but the letdown occurs only when a mother is relaxed. Nursing sessions can last thirty minutes or more and you don’t want to spend all of that time hunched into an uncomfortable position. Get yourself comfortable by propping your arms up with pillows, resting your feet on a nursing stool or trying multiple nursing positions.

Once you are in a comfortable position it is time to place the baby. You want to bring baby straight in towards you. His body should be coming in sideways so your stomach and his are facing each other. He should not have to turn his head to the side or arch his neck in order to get to the breast. At any age, it is harder to swallow with your head turned towards the side versus having your head straight.

Get baby into a comfortable position. Babies love to be close to their mothers and nursing is the perfect time to incorporate their need to snuggle. Pull baby close and wrap his around you and support his with your arm that will not be supporting the breast you intend to offer. If baby is flailing, try swaddling or resting your hand or thumb on top of any arms that are getting in the way.

Once everyone is comfortable, it is time to present your breast to your baby. Cup your breast in your palm and place your thumb past your areola to form a sandwich. This should project your nipple forward. Baby needs to take the majority of the areola into his mouth. To stimulate baby to open his mouth, use your nipple to tap him on his lower lip or chin. If he is stubborn, it may be necessary to squeeze your hand and thumb together and express a drop or two of milk or colostrum onto your nipple or finger and rub it along his lips.

When baby has opened his mouth, aim your nipple for the center of his palate and pull your infant to you, not your breast towards your infant. You want to make sure you are aiming upwards towards the roof of his mouth. Your baby’s gums should be past the nipple and taking in as much of the areola as it takes in order for your nipple to be pressing against his palate. Your milk reservoirs are in the areola, not the nipple. The areola needs to be stimulated.

To make sure your latch is sufficient, examine baby’s lips. Are they both folded outwards rather than in? If not, remove your breast by inserting a finger to break the suction, and then try the latch again. Your latch should not be painful. In the beginning, you may feel a burning sensation as baby sucks, but it should be in the center of the nipple, never around the areola.

These steps should help a mother establish a healthy latch which is the most important part of nursing. There are many medical cases that can hinder breastfeeding, but a bad latch should not be one of those reasons. Breastfed babies receive over four hundred ingredients from breast milk that cannot be found in formula. They have higher immunities, closer bonds with their mothers and a healthier digestive system. Breastfeeding can help a mother lose weight, lowers her risk for multiple medical conditions and helps the body repair itself from pregnancy. Every woman deserves the opportunity to nurse her child and every child deserves the chance to nurse from her mother, hopefully, with these steps, they will have a positive breastfeeding experience.

    Thank you for reading and Happy Breastfeeding Week! I hope all of you are meeting up for a Big Latch On Event!

Huddy, you are my everything. You are a breastfed, intact, bedsharing, Moby Wrap lovin' boy and I can't wait to hold you all night.

I am taking classes online and spending half the night on the computer or reading and my biggest regret is that I am not with you. I don't like leaving you, ever. I lock my keys in the car, forget things and can't focus without you. I just love the person that you have made me. Thank You for being my son.

Oh, and tomorrow, be have. You hate to wake before 10 am and we are waking you at 830 for Daddy's surgery. If you aren't too tired, I promise to take you to the art museum where they are having a special tour just for babies!

Also, you are nearly 8 months old, STOP PEEING ON ME! Everyone knows you do it on purpose!

Wow! I get virtually NO page views anymore.

Sorry for being such a slacker. I exist and so does Huddy.

He is a big boy of 7 months now, but let's do his 6 month post first.

At 6 months:
Huddy has:

• 2 teeth! The first popped up the Sunday May 6th and the second Wednesday May 9. Teething was rough. Sinus infection, our first sickness. Rash. Very clingy. Slight Fever the Friday before. Awful stuff.
• An obsession with pulling hair. He does it to pull himself to you, pull you towards him, and just for the heck of it.
• Biting. Fun stuff. Luckily, he has done very well about not biting while nursing. (commence the knocking on wood)
• Been snuck into the ICU via a Moby wrap and a tall cousin. shame on us but he needed to see his Graham Cracker.

He Likes:

• Grandma. LOTS!
• Graham Cracker. She has spent the last month going from Hospital to Rehab Center and back to the Hospital. Huddy does NOT like that. He prefers to see her every 2 weeks for shopping.
• His Happy Napper. No clue what it is from, but it is a penguin Graham Cracker got him and it sings a very annoying song that he loves very much.
• Skinny-Marinky-Dinky-Dink
• Broccoli. It is his favorite food. Second fave is steak.
• Standing.

Dislikes:

• Shots. We delayed his 6 month shots until 7 months because he does the hold-my-breath-till-i-turn-blue-thing. I hate that.
• Mean voices. Grandma growled as she told a story and he cried. I guess that means we don't yell enough in this house? 90% of our yelling is play so yeah, probably his issue. But when I yell "Moose! I am going to put you in the washing machine!" and then George yells "F*** you" every few minutes when he is playing video games, our neighbors probably think we are disfunctional as can be.
• When Daddy works past bedtime. NOT okay anymore. (Daddy goes to 2nd shift next week, this is going to suck)
• Baby food. We are doing BLW but we thought we'd try baby food. He isn't a fan. Pretty sure it is a texture thing since he actually puked when I gave him mashed potatoes.
• The CAR! He hates having to sit back in his carseat. The lounging isn't cool once you master sitting up. I bribe him with car keys and then pray he sleeps. Otherwise, I go through a bag of 15 or so toys in the 15 minute car ride to my mother's.

He was 16 lbs. 14 oz. and 27 inches long. 50th percentile for weight and 75th for height. He is a boob man. He eats real food maybe 3-5 meals a week and refuses that when teething. The boobs are his saviors.


7 months!

• He is STANDING. By himself.
• Okay, he STOOD by himself for 10 seconds, 5 seconds, 8 seconds, 7 seconds and 11 seconds in the last few days. I am guessing he will be walking by 10 months.
• He refuses to crawl. At all. He makes it obvious that he CAN he just chooses not to. Heck, he can climb.
• Speaking of climbing. You know where he does most of his climbing at? My bed. Our bed I guess. Daddy started encouraging this (yes, DADDY) when Huddy went through a stage where he only slept 1 hour at a time (like a month long growth spurt) between nursing. Then it became him sleeping the first 4-6 hours in his bed and then the rest in our bed. No biggie since Daddy leaves at 5 am. It is now to the point where his crib is sidecarred to our bed and he sleeps maybe an hour a night in it. I like having him sleep in our room. LOVE it. I don't like him in our bed. At all. LOVE snuggles. But I like to spread out and toss and turn and wiggle! This is no longer allowed.

And that is all we get for 7 months because Huddy is waking up. Goooooodnight

Diapers.com

Okay, I am obsessed, I know, but Diapers.com has saved us tons! We are now even using Soap.com!

I am taking part in their refer-a-friend program where you get $10 off your first purchase of $49 or more, and as a first time user, that will also get you free shipping and probably half a million other discounts. We just got a ton of diapers for $80! I'd guess around a 4 month supply.

So go here:

use code: STAC1659

Not valid for existing Diapers.com, Soap.com or BeautyBar.com customers. Some restrictions apply.

and save!

Also, for every time you go through this referral, they are donating $30 to Best Friend's Animal Santuary! SO GO!

5 months

I had 3 different photographers take Easter pictures for us.
For the 1st, it was $100 for 8 prints. It would have been $300 for the rights to the pictures. No.
For the 2nd, the shots sucked, the photographer DOUBLED the price when I went to go pick them up and she made it clear that we were not as important to her as her client who had an appointment after us since she pushed us out the door when they showed up early.
These pictures are from the 3rd who was very patient with our boy and who only charged $125 for prints and the rights to these pictures! Guess who has already had 3 people book with her because I raved about her? I am a mom. Hear me roar!

The biggest thing George is doing at 5 months old? Eating! Go watch!

We are doing Baby Led Weaning. He eats what he wants by grabbing it (In the video the banana slipped from his hand so I helped him out...bad mommy) and getting it in his mouth.

He also weans off the breast when he is ready. Which will hopefully be in a few years. Yep. I hope to breast feed my boy as a toddler and tandem nurse if I am lucky enough to get pregnant before he self weans.

Activities:

• He loves his piggies (toes). He has to be swaddled to sleep because the moment he is laid down, his pigs go in his mouth and he can play with them for hours. Without falling into a full sleep. For hours. Swaddle him and he is out in minutes.


• He loves to nurse. Duh!


• He leans for what he wants. Running water? Lean. Grandma? Lean. Daddy? Lean. Moose? Lean.


• He sits up by himself for over a minute when he wants to. Do not try to get him to do this for pictures. He refuses because he can.


• He rolled over 5 times so he could get from one side of his playmat to the other (we have a 5 foot by 5 foot alphabet puzzle that he plays on and I can disinfect if anything....wonderful...happens on it)


• He has a bi-weekly shopping date with his Grandmothers. My mom and grandma take us out and we shop until we drop. Unless Great Grandma (Graham Cracker for future reference) has to have a blood transfusion. Then we make them drop us off before they head to the hospital.


• He grabs my hair or ears or skin and pulls me in for a smooch! Very sweet. In a forceful kind of way.


• He loves to bite. Totally teething. My knuckles seem to be his favorite thing to bite and they feel sore constantly.

Likes:

• Broccoli


• Sweet Potato (but we think it aggravates his reflux)


• Patty Cake


• Honeydew


• Cats. Even though they avoid him like the Hair-Pulling-Plage-He-Is.


• Dogs. He loves to pet them and pull their ears. Moose is very tolerant of this but doesn't hold still. My mom's beagle will hold still, but she has very sensitive ears and although she tolerates it, we know it is too much for her and try to prevent him from doing it. Other dogs? No. They aren't fans. But he will yell at Moose if she walks away from him.


• Kids. He loves watching kids play. Or eat. Or cry.


• His frog. Stuffed Frog that ribbits.


• Fish Tanks. He likes to watch the colorful fishies.


• Momma.


• His Daddy. George told us about his horrible work day one night and Huddy laughed hysterically after every sentence.


• Johnny Cash. Always has. Always will. I can sing every song from his greatest hits, word for word. All the songs in order.


• Bath time! It is the best time! I can't wait to take him swimming!


• Walks! We walk twice a day. Once for coffee and once to watch kids play.


• Books! He loves to look at them, be read to and "read" them himself.


• His Graham Cracker. When she was at my Uncle's for a few weeks after her blood transfusion we went to help my mom clean her house (84 and still lives on her own) and he looked at her chair, where she ALWAYS is when we walk in and she wasn't there! Huddy says that isn't acceptable! He hasn't gone over 2 weeks without seeing her in his entire life. Pretty proud of that. And she even picked him up from my lap and held him! She gets lots of smiles too.

Dislikes:

• Being Swaddled. He is okay once it is over. But he hates that I take away his piggies and make him hold still.


• Mommy studying. I am headed back to school in June and he can't stand to watch me prepare for my pretest.


• Dogs barking. Who isn't annoyed by this?


• Sitting back in his carseat. He will sit in it. But sitting back to get strapped in? AWFUL!


• His stroller. If he has to ride in just the stroller part and can't see me? End of the world!


• Car rides when he isn't sleepy! We are attempting to time our life around naps. Otherwise I get the screaming baby in the back. I guess once you learn to move, sitting still sucks.


• Daddy being a bed hog. After sunrise, Huddy thinks he needs to be awake. But he is still too tired (he goes down with the sun and tries getting up with it) so I bring his butt into bed with us so he will see me sleeping and sleep all snuggled with me (he is my snug-a-bugga). But if Daddy doesn't work, we don't have much room. So he doesn't sleep as well for the last 3 hours (he usually isn't ready to get up until 930 or 10) and tends to be a bit cranky.


• Moose walking away from him. If he is talking to her or petting her, she had best stay or he will call her mean names in Baby Language.


• Mommy walking out of the room. I thought he was too young for this, but since he also picks things up with just his thumb and index finger, I guess all kids just do things when they want to. He always wants me, my mom or George.


• Shots. I can't handle them. He stops breathing, turns colors and then when he does start breathing again, 30+ seconds later, he screams bloody murder. It tortures my Mommy Heart.

Something I want to remember:

When I tell him I love him I say "I love you with all my Mommy Heart. On the day you were born, my heart grew to twice it's size and became a Mommy Heart so I could love you twice as much as anyone else."

George says it sounds like it is from The Grinch but I love it and have said it since we came home from the hospital.

Today

Today marks 44 years since Martin Luther King Jr. was killed for demanding Equality.

As a mother, equality has become so important to me. With so many teenagers committing suicide due to bullying, I am scared. If we do not acknowledge every single person's human rights, which I believe the right to join lives in marriage is, these children will continue dying. We must show our children that everyone has Equal Rights so that we are not segregating our LGBT youth any longer. We need to show this by allowing marriage for all. We need to show this by always reminding ourselves to only judge by the content of someone's character and not by their religion, looks, physical capabilities or sexuality. We should not speak down to others, even our children. We should never put someone down, it may be as low as they can go. Some days, I think we should all begin our day with THIS to remind us of what this man was calling for.

Justice should be a reality for ALL of God's children.

I knew...

I knew I would make a good mother. I am not being conceited. I just knew.

I knew I would give my heart and soul to this little boy. And I think I always knew I would have a boy first.

I knew I would be the mom who couldn't wait for nap to be over so I could kiss my son's perfect cheeks.

I knew my child would be spoiled.

I knew I would be a very independent mother. I was raised by a single mother.

I knew I would be fiercely over protective.

I knew I would love him so much it hurts.

Parenthood has a lot of unknowns, so sometimes, I want to remember that I always knew the important stuff.

Four Months

As of today, his professional pictures are not here yet. And I don't want to ruin this post with cell phone pictures. But I will do a picture post soon.

Abilities

• He can roll both ways but still only does it in his sleep or if he gets mad.


• He sat up for over 10 seconds last night using his arm to prop himself up. He is only 17 weeks! I think this is huge!


• He laughs at me. Constantly!


• He knows where milk comes from. While talking to the neighbor, he got hungry and stuck his hand in my shirt to grab at his "mommy bottles".

Likes

• Crawling on top of me. He puts his body weight on his legs and pushes into me if I am sitting with him. Then I fall back (the 1st time it shocked me and I really did fall back) and he scoots around on top of me to find his boobs. He takes a drink, laughs, and starts biting, licking and sucking all over my chest and neck like a little baby vampire. And I laugh the entire time so he raises his head and laughs. Then to dismount he rolls. And he rolls hard! Almost like he throws himself off of me, so I have to have my arm crooked to catch him.


• His blankie. I wanted a lovey for him and to test if he would like a blanket I gave him one of the receiving blankets from the hospital. He now takes that ugly blanket everywhere. Luckily, the hospital sent 4 or 5 of them home with us, so I always have a clean one.


• Moby Wrap. We figured out how to nurse in it last night (I now have G's. Yes, my milk has given me mammaries of gigantic proportions) and he got to nurse and look over my shoulder at the boys playing basketball in the park.


• Walks. We have had an unusually warm winter here. And it has been in the 70's for several days now, so whenever we are bored we hop in our stroller and walk. He loves it.


• Moose. She is his bestie. He was talking to her as he sat in his activity center and she walked away and he yelled at her until she came back and he could talk to her again. He also tries to bite her nose. Every. Time. He. Sees. Her. Poor pup.


• His Daddy. Daddy told us a story about work the other night and this boy laughed after every sentence. Daddy gets the biggest smiles too.


• His Aunt Amanda. George's sister is wonderful to stare at I guess. I need to get her over here to occupy him so I can clean soon. I just text her to ask what she is doing. The weather has been so nice I haven't cleaned at all. All week


• This weird toy. It is a very colorful teething ring and the center piece turns if he licks it and so he will sit anywhere (cracker barrel) and lick it and turn it for LONG periods of time. He also got to pick out his own toy yesterday when we went up town on our walk. He picked a lion rattle. He seems to like lions since he also picked a lion hat over a penguin hat and a lion shirt over a duck shirt. And they're brown. So it can't really be the color. I swear, he is just a genius.


• Water. He swims in the tub. I am a paranoid mommy so I hold his head but he floats and kick kick kicks. I can't wait to get him in the pool.


• TV. I am against this. I read that tv exposure in the first 3 years raises aggression by age 5 by .16. I memorized that and quote it to my mom, grandma and George who insist on letting him watch tv. He likes The Doctors. EFF!


• His pack and play. He has a Baby Trend one with a monkey mobile. He thinks it is for kicking and playing. We bought it for my mom's house but he usually isn't there that long so he has only used it for play.

Dislikes

• What a horrible mom I am but I tried giving him formula. He was eating like a starving man, had a growth spurt that lasted over 2 weeks (he ate every hour by day and every 3 hours by night) and I was tapped out. So I gave him 3 ounces of breast milk and 1 ounce of formula. He sipped 3 times and gagged and refused it. Now he won't even take breast milk from a bottle.


• Strangers touching him. He is too young to understand strangers but he prefers my mom, husband and myself. But his Great Grandmas and Aunt Amanda seem okay. Oh, and I go to the gas station and get my coffee every morning. And I went there for my root beer cravings during pregnancy. So they are our family and play with him. Seriously, I think id trust the 1 girl to babysit. Sad.


• This is going to sound really weird but....that is it. He doesn't really have too much he doesn't like. Oh! When I do dishes! He HATES that.

Notes

• He is the slowest waker upper ever. He needs snuggled for at least 10 minutes upon waking.


• He loves the logo on my coffee cup


• He likes when old ladies talk to him. But no touching unless he knows them.


• He is helping me write this. By playing with my elbow. Now licking my arm.


• He loves to read. 3 books a night and a few by day. He is trying to read them himself too. He holds them and on the board books he turns the pages.


• He got zantac for his reflux but has only taken it 3 times successfully. It tastes like cleaning supplies. I had to gargle with water and chocolate milk and brush my teeth to get rid of the taste. When we go to our pharmacy next we are having them flavor it.


• He now knows my sounds. He hates the sound of me texting. He stirs in his crib when I stir in my bed. I am currently working on his room since his Daddy got a new job and is working 72-80 hours a week.


• I have picked his birthday party theme and have begun planning it and buying stuff for it. Curious George. We are using card tables to set up street vendors with pizza and hot dogs. Then he will have a cake of Curious George holding the balloons and being lifted into the sky.


• SUNGLASSES! If the sun shines in his eyes, he freaks. Not a cry, a freak out. So he wears Baby Shades and he loves them. He leaves them on and looks so happy when I put them on. These get lots of laughs and comments.Pictures to come.

The reflux! He has 1 bad day every week or so. But if I avoid all the yummy fruits, he does fine. I miss my fruit.

Overall, he is a pleasant baby who only really gets mad if he is sleepy, hungry or the sun is in his eyes. He also is letting me type this even thoug he needs more nappy time.

Gulp

I did it. Spur of the moment. I had discussed sharing this blog with my FB and I did. Just about everyone I know now has the ability to read this. And I have probably said a harsh word or two about them. Mostly during the rough patches or when the hormones got to be too much.

But my Grandma was even tagged in it, so let's see how this goes. Now to remind myself to wake up early on Fridays and post something for Friday Night Leftovers so I can say I am actually blogging again. I WILL do it.

And if anyone complains, I will just have to grow some thicker skin.

I placed an order on Diapers.com Saturday. I got 4 packages of Seventh Generation 35 packs for $37.99! Making the account was easy! I was amazed! I managed to make the account, place 2 orders, and still have time for lunch and some more online shopping all in a 90 minute nap! I was so impressed I decided to tell you about it.

Why Seventh Generation?
I knew they were a steal on diapers.com but I actually assumed ordering diapers from diapers.com was going to be a pain, so I was buying them in the store for roughly $14. Why did I buy them? George leaked through all other diaper brands. ALL! Pampers, Huggies, Luvs, Kroger brand, Target brand, Babies R Us brand, he leaked. The first time I used Seventh Generation, he went to bed and slept 6 hours and he never leaked. Then he worked his way up to 8, then 9 and now 10 hours without a diaper change and he doesn't leak. Even better? These diapers are great for the environment.
The pulp is chlorine free and based from wood and sodium polyacrylate. )Sodium Polyacrylate is pretty general in the disposable diaper world.) They are fragrance and latex free. Free of Petroleum Based Lotions (on their website, Seventh Generation shows how many gallons of petroleum they have saved and how many trees).
Seventh Generation's modo is "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seventh generations." Which is from the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy. So all of Seventh Generation products are created to be quality while still reducing the negative impact most products, like diapers and soaps have on the seventh generation.

These diapers are pretty amazing. We did buy some Nature BabyCare diapers at the same time. 4 packs for $38.99. They are supposed to be cheaper, but apparently, not when it comes to diapers.com and that is the only place I have found them. So far, they are okay. They have flowers on them, a negative for a boy. And a strange smell. Seventh Generation does not have that. And since they are NOT cheaper and so far, I don't like them better (the smell bugs me. Reminds me of a factory or home improvement store) I think I will end this review with a SEVENTH GENERATION WINS!

So if you have a child in diapers, make a diapers.com account and order! The more you order, the more you save. I got $5 off and free 2 day shipping. And our UPS guy even brought the box to my front door and helped me pull it inside (8 boxes of diapers make for a pretty big box and it was rainy and nasty). If you struggle with the diaper brands who consider themselves "top dog" and charge you an arm and a leg so you can have something for your child to pee in, buy Seventh Generation.

Hate to be cheesy but I almost said "Buy Seventh Generation to Save our Seventh Generation". And since it is true, I included it down here.



Seventh Generation never paid me for this, nor did diapers.com. Neither one knows I am writing this although I do intend to tag them on FB as I post this link and to tag them on Twitter. I am obsessed with both at the moment.

Oh, and the baby is great and stared at the Lorax on the Seventh Generation diapers. He apparently approves. (Usually the diapers are all brown and he probably wondered why his diaper wasn't like his other diapers.) He is also wearing a size 3. He is 15 lbs and I figured the size 3's start at 16 lbs so I might as well order them big.

3 months

My boy is 3 months today. HURRAY!

I am finally comfortable in my "Mom Skin".
I have left him 3 times. Once to go grocery shopping, once to go to dinner and once for a quick trip to my moms.
He and I survived all 3.
I am frustrated by how nervous George still is when he is alone with him. He can't get him to sleep. No matter what he does. Well, he did it once. A month ago. But it took an hour of trying.
So I have to leave while Huddy is asleep. Then make sure I am back before he needs to go back to sleep.
My mom on the other hand, is awesome. She can get him to sleep better than I can. She still gets frantic when he starts to get upset.
He now recognizes my mom. It is awesome to see him light up when he sees her. He also Facetimes with her on the phone.
He is 26 1/2 inches long now. 12 lbs 7 oz and adorable.
All of our friends have chubby babies and he is just LONG. I think it needs to soak, better go grab that.
He only rolls over in his crib. Once on the floor. That is it. But he gets mad when he is half asleep and can't remember how to roll over. We laid in bed and watched him work SO HARD to roll over until he worked himself to a cry and we finally got up and rolled him over.
We are waiting until he shows an interest in eating before we start cereal. But if he doesn't show any interest by 10 months, I will probably offer him cereal then. He needs to be able to eat the amazing Curious George Birthday cake I plan to make for his GIGANTIC FIRST BIRTHDAY! Yes, I have started planning it on pinterest and it will be GIGANTIC.
Oh, and Aunt Flo came when he was 6 weeks old. He is now 13 weeks (although only 3 months) and she has not returned. Dreading the idea of a BFP. George is making me test next week. UGH. Oh, and we are buying a new car since a convertable carseat barely fits in my Focus. If we have #2, there is no way another carseat can fit. Plus, we'll need a double stroller. And one will not fit in my trunk. No way. So, this year, George is getting a car. If we have #2 before next April, I will just take George's new car after the baby is born. That way the kids and I won't be trapped at home. But either way, next April, I am getting a minivan. I checked out a Pontiac Montana. LOVED it.
And I always knew I'd end up with a van. Huddy's up. Bye Bye!

Update I Forgot

Wow! Three posts in 1 day!

I never did update on my sister's pregnancy. She lsot the baby right around the time Baby George was born. I am thinking this child was a blessing and a sign. Hopefully he/she has shown my sister that she needs to be responsible.

It is always sad to lose a baby. I hope that my sister receives this message.

Pictures! 1 month

Here are the pictures from George's 1 month photo shoot in December. Puppy!

He's sleeping in a cloud!

Possibly my favorite!

He is so sad and cute and pathetic and adorable when he cries!

Such a handsome boy!

Tough man!

Goofy Face

Giant feet. In these, he wore size 1. He now wears size 2 shoes. He NEVER could wear newborn.

Someone got sick!

Huddy got sick. He took a 3.5 hour nap on Tuesday. Then slept for 8.5 hours straight and then another 4 hours. Which is 2 hours more than usual. And he usually only naps for 2 hours.

Then yesterday morning, about an hour after eating, he was having floor time and we were giggling and goo'ing and all of a sudden he gagged, so I picked him up and he hurled all over me. Then I got us both cleaned up and he did it again.

He only took 3 15 minute naps and he threw up twice more so I called the doctor. They wanted me to watch his temperature. So 2 hours later I took it. 99.7! Poor Baby! So I got the okay to give him tylenol and thought he'd rest. Nope. He would cry/scream anytime he wasnt on my shoulder and being walked around. So I did that. For 2.5 hours. Walking around the house. He barely ate. Only 3 ounces, from a bottle, not the breast, every 2 hours. He usually eats a boob, every 1.5-2 hours and every 2 hours I can pump 5 ounces and I know my pump doesnt empty my breasts as well as he does, so I figure he gets 5-7 every 2 hours.

Then we did his bedtime routine. It made him happy too. He seemed to be feeling better and laughing while I lotioned him and squealing when I kissed him. He fell asleep quickly and I laid him down and made myself a tv dinner (I hadnt ate all day and just wanted to eat and go to sleep) while I talked/vented to my mom.

The moment I sat down, he woke up and screamed. So, I had to eat and walk around the house while holding a baby. Luckily, he had woke Daddy and Daddy took him. I laid down because my back and arms were killing me. Before I knew it, Daddy had put Huddy to bed! For the first time ever! It was an hour and half past his bedtime, but he went down and he slept like a champ. One 7 hour stretch and then one 2 hour stretch. He would have slept longer but a certain dog decided to rub against the crib to scratch herself. At 6 am. By then he was feeling fine but still drowsy.

Then we went to the doctor and he was totally fine by then. But he didn't get to go back to sleep until the car ride to the doctor around 830, so he came home and napped really well.

Today, he squealed and said "hiiiiiiiiiiiiii" to the doctor. She agrees he is adorable. Oh, and he now rolls over BOTH WAYS. Nine weeks old. Has rolled from back to belly at 7 weeks and belly to back as of Tuesday night. He has done back to belly 3 times and belly to back just the once. Our doctor said he is just gifted.

Hey!

Hey! Remember me?
Still here.
I tried uploading some pictures but Blogger is apparently having some issues today.

• Bambino had his 2 month appointment yesterday.
  


• He is 25 inches long (tall boy)
  


• 11 lbs 7 oz
  


• Still breast feeding.
  


• We call him a Hippo because well, he is a Hungry Hungry Hippo.
  


• He now squeals in delight once or twice each day. Even today and he has shots
  


• He thinks Tylenol is disgusting and I must be crazy trying to give it to him. He has spit it out 4 times and only taken it successfully twice.
  


• He got 3 shots yesterday and decided that NOTHING is worse than a shot and nothing makes it better. Boobies did not help at all. He cried until he fell asleep. Then he slept for 2 hours, even though he was in and out of the car several times. Then when we got home, he ate and passed back out. For the first 24 hors after his shots, he was awake a total (adding up all the time he was awake, or half awake, to nurse and get his diaper changed and get some medicine) of 5 hours. He was extremely tired. He also puked today. Which is considered a "mildly severe" reaction to one of his shots so if he does it again we have to head to the hospital. But that was 4 hours ago so I doubt it will be an issue again.
  


• He puked whiel Facetiming (talking on the phone and able to view the other caller, aka skype for Daddy's iphone) his Grandma. I say she got him too excited.
  Seriously, we were also air drying his privates (he has a diaper rash in his folds so we are trying to let him wiggle around and move without a diaper for an hour a day) while he was on the phone with her and she kept showing him her dogs and talking to him (he already thinks the iphone is amazing to look at, but when a person talks TO HIM on it, he is amazed beyond wiggles) and telling him to pee on me, and then he squealed, looked at me, lifted his head, turned to his side and projectile vomited.
  


• Have I mentioned he rolls over? And the doctor timed him. He held his head up for over 4 minutes before she declared him a champ. He rolls from back to belly anytime you lay him down to sleep on his back. He also holds himself up on his arms in the morning so he can look at me and shout "haaaaaaayyyyyyaaaaa" to let me know that this is NOT drill and he really does want up. He ALMOST rolls from belly to back. He got to his side and then came crashing down onto his belly and got REALLY mad.
  


• He will follow my voice all over the room. Unless he is busy looking at his pink bug. His paternal Great-Grandma found a pink bug that hangs from his carseat and he has an addiction. It gets carried everywhere and will keep him distracted for long periods of time (I manage to get dressed, brush my teeth and sometimes wash my body all while he stares at this thing) no matter what his mood is.
  


• He slept 8 hours the other night. 8.5 actually. But I woke up after 6 and panicked. So I laid in bed and watched him for 2 hours and had just fallen back to sleep when he woke up and asked for his paci. Which he request twice more before I finally got him up.
  


• He goes to bed at 730 every night. I wish it were a bit later. Usually he sleeps until 1 or 2 am and then eats, gets his bottom changed and goes back to sleep until 5, eats, then goes back to bed until 8 and then he goes up to visit his Daddy who has gotten home from work and is ready to play. Sadly, after 30 minutes, Huddy declares that he wants more boob and more sleep and sleeps another hour.
  


• I am thinking of a Curious George themed First Birthday party or an "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" Party. With all kinds of muffins instead of cake.
  


• Yep, already planning it.


• His Valentines Day themed 3 month pictures, his Easter themed 5 month pictures and his Summer Time themed 6 month pictures are also already planned.
  I breast feed...I have a lot of time to think.
  One last attempt at a picture. At least 1.

See that cute boy? I made that.