NaNoWriMo!!

NaNoWriMo begins today!

For those not familiar with it, it is National Novel Writing Month. I'm supposed to write every day for the entire month of November, at the end of which I will hopefully have a rough (very rough) draft of my first novel.

I am an aspiring writer, as some of you may know, so I don't think I need to tell you how very excited I am about the prospect of transferring my vision onto the page.

But I had to take a moment out of my busy writing schedule to share a few cute pics with you. After all, this blog is about firsts, if nothing else, (it being a mom blog and all), so without further ado, Baby Boy's first Halloween ...


















Oh yeah, and his first trip to the pumpkin' patch ...




I'm in love.

Ok, back to business.

Wish me luck!

So Much Going On ...

Ok, so it's been a while, I know. There's so much to tell, I'm not sure where to start.

First of all, I'm still moving but not to the bloggy knoll I was hoping for. It turns out the illustrator who was designing my new blog-home is no longer available. So instead of moving to shiny new custom-made digs, I'll be moving to a fixer-upper. I'll still be hosting my housewarming though so please keep your eyes open for more information on that.

In baby news, (this is a mom-blog y'all), my lil chocolate chip took his first flight! And I'm happy to report he did wonderfully! He didn't fuss on the outbound or on the return flight home.


The only problem we had was with the car seat the rental car company provided. He's not a fan of being strapped in anyway, but he literally screamed every time I put him into the rental. Note to self: Next time, bring your own car seat!!

I also discovered a great baby rental service that rents baby gear for your destination so you don't have to bring all those extras with you. I was able to rent a walker and a huge bag of toys for the lil one, and it was all dropped off at my hotel, ready and waiting when I checked in. Unbeknownst to me, there are services like this available all over the country and even internationally. I used Baby's A-Go in Boston, but you just need to google baby gear rental and the name of your destination city and you should get a huge list of locations to choose from.

Let's see, what else? Hmmm ...

Baby Boy is now 7 months old!! I can't believe how quickly time flies!! Everyone says it but, like most things, it just doesn't register until you experience it yourself. He's almost 20 pounds and 29 inches. He's cruising already, which means I've got to watch him every second, and he's drooling everywhere, which I'm sure means teeth are coming soon.

Note to my new-mom readers - Fevers are pretty much the norm during this period. Doctors will tell you that babies don't get more than a low-grade fever with the onset of teething but I can tell you that's not the case. Of course, you should check with your own physician if your child has a fever over a 100.4 but my son has had several fevers lately, all due to this teething. His temperament is fine and he continues to be playful but he's more often than not got a bit of a fever. There's also lots of poop.

And finally, thanks to all the ICLW'ers who are dropping by for the first time. I'm not officially participating this month since I'm working on my move but please feel free to leave a comment so I can stop by your place as well.

Chat soon!!
MAK

Baby Stats

Lil Man got his six-month shots today, as well as a flu shot for good measure. He cried when he got them and I cringed, per usual, but he was cool within 30 seconds, so all's well that ends well.

Not much time right now for more than just a quick update on his stats so here we go -

Weight: 18 lbs, 8 oz. (75th percentile)

Height: 28 1/2 inches (95th percentile)

Eating: 1st Stage/2nd Stage Fruits & Veggies; Rice Cereal

Crawling: Everywhere

Standing: Not on his own but definitely testing the waters. (He's been pulling himself up to standing for about 2 weeks.)

Talking: Constantly ... and LOUDLY! hee hee!

So that's it for now. I leave with you with some gorgeous baby goodness.

~ M

Moving Update

Just a short update on 'moving day'.

It's looking like I'll be moving a little bit closer to November versus the October move I initially mentioned.

(For those of you not familiar with my move, please click here for details)"Moving".

Which means that my housewarming will be put off as well. Oh well, good things come to those who wait, isn't that what they say?

Rather than make you wait for the actual move, I thought maybe I should reward your patience with a little hint about the "housewarming".

So here goes:

What's like a coat of paint, a big ole hug and is full of wonderful things to say?

Any idea?

Fresh & new... warm & fuzzy?

Nothin'?

Full of wonderful things to say?

I'm accepting your guesses in the comments section.

")

Happy Blogoversary... TO ME!!!

Two years ago I decided to started blogging about my TTC journey. I knew I'd want to be able to look back over my experiences during that time so it seemed like the obvious thing to do.

Now, looking back over all the posts I've written, I'm so happy I took the time to document everything it took to make me a mommy.

As a special blogoversary 'gift' to my followers, I thought I'd share some of my favorite posts from both of my blogs, Ova-EZ & Mommy 'Hood.

If even one person gets inspired/overjoyed/empowered/moved to tears, then I've done my job.

")

So link up, check 'em out and please feel free to pay 'em forward.

HAPPY BLOGOVERSARY!!!!


1st comes love, then comes marriage...

My Horizon

Wonder Woman

Juneteenth

Message Received

Honeychild - A Haiku

Are You there, Lord, It's Me, MAK

4 Months Old

Change

Change

Six Months.

SIX MONTHS?!?!

Where did the time go?!?

Six months ago I had no idea what I was doing. I had no clue what it took to be a mom, or even if I could really pull it off.

But here we are, six months later, and we're doin' it & doin't it & doin' it well. (If I do say so myself - LOL!)

But seriously folks, six months ago today I gave birth to a child I only ever dreamed of having, and started my journey into the 'hood. I didn't know then how much my life would change. I didn't understand how much I would love this little person. I didn't know how truly overwhelmed I would be simply by looking into his eyes. I had no idea how much it would please me to have him look back into mine. I mean really look at me and know I'm his momma. I couldn't have understood how huge my heart would feel inside my chest, or that the love inside it would feel like it could burst through at any moment, just because he smiled at me. I didn't think that seeing him roll over for the first time could make my heart jump & skip a beat at the same time. Or that hearing him cry could break my heart so easily.

I couldn't have known how jealous I'd be of any other person he smiled at, (including my hubby), or how equally happy it would make me to see him be so open to others. I didn't understand how wrapped up my own happiness would be in his, or how empty I'd be when he wasn't around. I didn't think I could possibly be any more anxious for the end of a work day, or any more eager to do it all.

I didn't know how much my life would change.

But I can tell you it changed for the better.

Something to Write About

There's so much going on, I'm not sure where to start.

I'm in the process of trying to simplify my life, clearing out the clutter, making things more efficient. Why, you ask? Because I'm gearing up for November, which is NaNoWriMo.

For those of you unfamiliar with it, NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. As you may or may not know, I'm not just a mommy-blogger, I'm also an aspiring novelist. And this November I'm going to attempt to write an entire novel in 30 short days. I know, I know, that's crazy. But I'm nothing if not crazy so, of course, I signed up.

I've got to complete at least 50,000 words between November 1st and November 30th. That sounds really daunting, and it is. But the good thing is that content and structure and even plot don't matter. The only thing that matters is getting the novel written so you end up with a rough (very rough) first draft of your novel. This rough (very rough) draft will then be a jumping off point for you to begin the long (very long) editing process.

So in order for me to be able to accomplish this feat, I must have a clear mind. And in order for me to have a clear mind, I must have a clear house - or, at the very least, a clear pathway to the bathroom.

But I digress.

Ahem ...

This clearing out means completely changing my surroundings - everything from the shower curtain in the bathroom to the sheets on the bed. The old throw rugs are getting tossed, as are the drapes in the living room. Out goes the old bed frame, and in comes the handwritten wall decal as a headboard. I even change the scent in my plug-in oil warmers.

Clearing everything out gives me a chance to periodically re-order my life. It's like a reset button or, (wait for it ...), a fresh piece of paper upon which I can write my prose.

(Don't you just love when you come full-circle like that?)

Aside from all the reorganizing and decluttering, there's lots of baby stuff going on. (This is a mom-blog you know.)

Baby boy is getting so big and hitting all kinds of milestones. He's crawling all over the place and even pulling himself up onto furniture already. I thought I had another 4 or 5 months before this stuff started happening! He's only 5 months old! We just had our first family photo shoot, and it was wonderful to be able to capture what a rambunctious little boy he is.

As for his appetite, solids are now on the menu. His faves at the moment are sweet potatoes, pears and applesauce. He's not a big fan of peas and squash just yet, but we're going to try again soon.

Other than that, my main concern is keeping him occupied and engaged. I'm constantly getting him new books and toys so he won't get bored. His favorite toy hands-down is his stuffed lion from his daddy's alma mater. He absolutely loves it. He also loves playing with his basketball and the pully-frog thing that hangs from his bouncy.

Hitting all these milestones is hard work so it's not hard to believe that we literally have to wake him up in the morning. He's so happy, and he sleeps so soundly and peacefully that I know we've got to be doing something right.

Now that's something to write about.

ICLW

Hi there!

I'm so glad you decided to stop by and check out my blog. In a nutshell, I'm a thirty-something wife and mommy. I struggled with infertility and fibroids for several years before conceiving my beautiful baby boy,and documented the latter part of that journey in my blog, Ova-EZ. Now that I'm a baby mama, I'm writing about all things mommy here in the 'hood.

Please feel free to go back and read through the posts on my old blog. I'm doing the mommy thing now but I never want to forget the road that brought me to this point, or the lessons I learned along the way. Hopefully something I've written may help someone else feel a little less alone.

That said, I should let you know that this blog is only a pit-stop on the way to my final bloggy homestead. I'll be moving into my "dream-blog" sometime in October. Until then I will continue to post here so please check back for updates on "moving day", and the very special "housewarming" I have planned. (I'm so excited about this and can't wait to share it with you!!! squee!)

So, go on, take a walk around the 'hood, and please, please, please leave a comment so I can drop by your blog, too.

Happy ICLW!!!

Dream "House"

In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been posting regularly. But it's not because I have nothing to say.

I mean, I could tell you all about lil man's latest feats - how he's gearing up to be a first-round draft pick for the Lakers come 2027; how he's mastered the art of the baby spoon - on his first try, no less; or even how we discovered he has a penchant for lion-taming.

But I'm trying to save all that for when I reach my final destination.

Oh wait, let's back up a bit.

whirr-r-r-r (sorry, the tape's rewinding)

I'm just passing through mommy 'hood. This blog is sort of a pied-à-terre, a place for me to lay my head while my dream house is being built.

My new and final blog-home will be finished sometime in October, (April @ April Showers Blog Design is hard at work building it as we speak), so for now I'm busy shopping (for topics) and (post-) designing, and trying to save all the juicy, awe-inspiring, jaw-dropping posts for when I finally move in.

I'm not ready to unveil the name of the bloggy knoll where I'm going to end up, but I will say that, from atop its bloggy peak, you'll get a much better view of my experience as a wife, an entrepreneur, and most importantly, lil man's mommy.

I will continue to post here for the time being so please check back for updates on "moving day", and the very special "housewarming" I have planned. (I'm very excited about this and can't wait to share it with you!!! squee!)

I hope you'll stick around and join me for the ride.

It's going to be a doozy.

xoxo
MAK





"Dream House"

Teething Troubleshoot

I had to take baby boy in to the ER early Wednesday morning. UGH!! So scary! He had a fever of 100.5 but he felt like he was on fire. By the time we got to the ER his fever had hit 102. I heard that and was so thankful we'd brought him in when we did.

They gave him some tylenol and then had us wait to have him checked out by the doc. We got there at 5:30 a.m. and didn't leave till after 10:00 a.m. The wait stunk but they were thorough, even taking a urine sample from my little one.

They couldn't pinpoint any one thing. His eyes and ears were fine, and he didn't have any congestion, but the doctor said that it was probably a little virus. I personally think he's teething. He's been chewing on anything he can get his hands on and the drool, well, let's just say he goes through several t-shirts a day and leave it at that.

The good thing is that his fever has broken and he's doing much better now. He is still a bit cranky because of the teething though so I'm opening up the floor to your suggestions.

What remedies have you used to get your little one through these 'teething times'?

Baby Stats

Baby Boy had his 4-month shots on Tuesday and, as usual, I almost had a breakdown.

I can't bear to him cry if he's hungry, let alone if he's getting stuck all over the place with needles.

UGH!!

I'm cringing now even thinking about it. He cried a bit more than last time which only added to my angst. He was a trooper though, and one 4 oz.-bottle later he was good to go.

Anyway, it's over and done with, and we don't have to go back for another two months.

Haaal-le-lu-jah! (yes, I'm singing.)

The only good part about these doctor visits is finding out how Baby Boy is doing and growing.

Here are his current stats:

Weight: 15 lbs. 5 oz.
Length: 26 1/2 inches

Dr. P. checked him out and said he's super healthy and strong. She also said he's in the 92nd percentile and is on his way to being very tall, just like his Daddy.

That made Daddy very proud.

(insert sniffle here; wipe tear from eye)

In other proud papa news, Baby Boy, his daddy will tell you, is now rolling over and sleeping on his tummy. He's been rolling over during play time for a while now but the sleepy-time rollovers were a bit of a shock and a little unnerving, (for me at least). That's because he hasn't been sleeping through the night for the last few weeks. So seeing him facedown, not moving or fussing was a bit scary.

It may not seem unusual for a baby not to sleep through the night, but this kid's had the sleep-thing down since 4 weeks old. Turns out he's just too big for his bassinet.

His bassinet is pretty big but we knew the day would come when we'd have to retire it and get something bigger. We can't yet put him in his crib because it's too big for our loft. (We're looking for a house but that's another post entirely.)

In the meantime, he's been stretching his arms in his sleep, hitting the top and sides of the bassinet, and waking himself up. Needless to say, we needed to make other sleeping arrangements fast.

Enter the Pack-n-Play.

Baby Boy has now been sleeping comfortably and through the night since Monday.

And the Angels sing.

4 Months Old

Dear Baby Boy,

You're 4 months old now - 16 weeks and 2 days old to be exact - and every day you reward me with some new sound or trick or look or move.

I didn't know 4 months would affect me like this but you're doing things I didn't know a 4 month old could do.

For example, I had no idea a 4-month-old baby could have the wherewithal to actually pee on someone and laugh about it.

But you did.

I had no clue that a 4-month-old baby could literally have a conversation with me every day after "school". A true "give-n-take" where you tell me how your day went and I tell you just how much I missed you.

But you do.

Nor could I comprehend even for a second that a 4-month-old baby could be so enthralled by a tv show, that he would reach up, unhook one of the toys hanging from his playmat because it was blocking his view, and go right back to watching the show without missing a beat.

But, um, yeah, you did that, too.

I didn't know playing airplane would make you giggle so much, how tickling you would be one of your favorite pastimes, or how simply looking at your daddy would make you smile.

I thought I would hold you and change you and feed you sometimes. That I'd lay you down in your bassinet and watch you sleep, oohing and aahing at how peaceful you looked. I thought I'd revel in your brand new baby smell and spend my days wondering how I ever lived without you.

Well, that's exactly what I do.

But I also want to pick you up even if I've just put you down. I want to keep you awake as long as possible just so I can look into your eyes. I giggle and play and make funny faces, all in an effort to amuse you. And I'm happy to say, I am now fluent in baby-talk.

I want to do everything for you. I want to make sure you always have a full tummy and fresh laundry. I can't wait to give you sippycups full of milk and juice, and bake cookies and cupcakes for you to take to school. I want to wear a long flowy cape and put an "S" on my chest, so I can call myself SuperMom and keep your world safe.

I want to do all of these things because you're 4 months old now - 16 weeks and 2 days old to be exact - and every day you amaze me.

Weekly Recap

I know it's been a while since I've posted. I've just been caught up in the business of being a mommy, I guess. But there have been a couple of noteworthy occurrences so let's recap:

Baby's Bouncy:
I bought the baby a new bouncy. Well, that's my word for it anyway. It's really more of a stationary walker-type contraption that he can sit in and bounce. His feet touch the floor, and when he's able to do so, he'll be able to turn 360 degrees in his seat. There are toys all over the tray and overhead for him to play with, and it plays music every time he touches one of the toys. He loves it! He still prefers his fisherprice playmat, but I think that's mostly because he's got a bit more growing to do before his feet are completely flat on the floor. I prefer the bouncy because it keeps him sitting up instead of on his back all the time. He can see more of what's going on around him and I like that. Watch for my review of this product coming soon to my review page.


1st rollover:
Over the holiday weekend we had a lot of places to go, people to see so we were in and out of the house quite a bit. While I was getting ready for one of these outings, I had to put the baby down on his playmat for a few minutes. Here's what happened next:

Hubby, on his way down to pull the car around ~ "Did you dress AK yet?"

Me ~ "Yes."

Hubby ~ "Ok, I'll be waiting downstairs when you're ready."

Hubby left and five minutes later I heard the baby fussing. I went to get him to put him in his car seat and saw him on his tummy on the mat. Why did hubby ask if he was dressed, I thought. He must have seen the baby when he put him on his tummy. Weird. Anyway, I packed up the baby and left to get in the car.

Me ~ "Why did you ask if the baby was dressed? Didn't you see him when you put him on his tummy?"

Hubby ~ Crickets

Me ~ "Well?"

Hubby ~ "I didn't put him on his tummy."

Me ~ Crickets

Lil man did his first rollover and we both missed it.

UGH


1st Bout of Jealousy:
During one of our holiday outings, I was holding my friend's baby on my lap. This baby is about a month older than my son. My sister-in-law was holding my boy on her lap, directly across from me. Well, AK saw me cooing and cuddling with this other baby, and he was not happy about it. Long story short, he started out with a little scowl on his face, and ended up with his bottom lip stuck out to there in the most pathetic little pout I've ever seen. When his bottom lip started to quiver, I lost it. I started crying. Really, I was sort of crying and laughing at the same time - crying because I didn't want to hurt my baby's feelings, and laughing because, well, it was so silly for me to be crying over something so ridiculous. Anyway, I gave the other baby back to his mommy and scooped mine up, and all was, once again, right with the world.


So there's my recap.

How was your week?


~ MAK

What you REALLY Need...

Every new mommy has 2 lists:

The list of things she thought she needed AND the list of things she actually ended up using. And it's every new mommy's responsibility to pass that info along to the next new mommy.

If you're a new mommy, too, then for sure you're busy with your brand new bundle of baby love, so let's skip right to the list of stuff you're actually going to need, k?

Onesies. Lots & lots of onesies. Babies live in these and they grow out of them very quickly.

A Nipple Brush. You've got to clean your bottles but the nipples must be cleaned especially well. Dr. Brown's bottles come with a small wire cleaner especially for nipples.

A Microwave Sterilizer. You've got to sterilize everything before you use it so a sterilizer like the one Avent makes is a great find. You can sterilize bottles, nipples, paci's, etc., right in the microwave. 5 minutes and you're done.

Burp Cloths & Bibs. Babies are messy. 'Nuff said.

Receiving Blankets. At least 2 large ones so you can swaddle your baby. Swaddling saved us many a sleepless night. Lil man has been sleeping through the night since he was 4 weeks old and it's because we only swaddled him at nght. It helped set him up in his bedtime routine. Swaddling = sleepy time.

Enfamil Travel Packs. If you're formula-feeding, these are a life-saver. They come in packs of 20 and are good for 4 oz. bottles.

Diapers.

A Rectal Thermometer. You WILL have a fever scare and you WILL need to have an accurate temperature reading. Rectal thermometers give the most accurate reading.

Baby Tylenol (Acetaminophen). Great for the fever that ensues after baby's first shots.

A Humidifier. Lil man has had a couple of colds and the humidifier is a huge help.

A Baby Swing. The swing was an integral part of our bedtime routine in the beginning. He no longer needs it to go to sleep but it's great for when I have laundry to fold or dinner to make, too.

Carseat/Stroller Combo. Graco makes a great pair. The car seat locks right into the stroller so you can take the baby anywhere right from the start. I don't know about you, but car seats with babies in them are heavy. Because he's still so little, I usually leave the car seat locked into the stroller. All I have to do is strap him in and I'm out the door. And when I have errands to run, I just take the car seat out, put it in the car and fold the stroller up. I don't have to figure out how I'm going to carry the carseat & baby, my purse and whatever shopping bags I've accumulated either. I pop open the stroller, snap lil man's seat in, and throw the bags in the stroller's storage bin. Easy As Pie.

That's the bulk of my list. Baby nail files, saline drops and the bulb aspirators that the hospital give you also deserve an honorable mention.

What did I miss?

Share your must-haves in the comments section.

Thx!
MAK

It's That Time Again.

WELCOME ICLW'ers!!

I'm so glad you decided to stop by and check out my blog.

In a nutshell, I'm a thirty-something wife and mommy. I struggled with infertility and fibroids for several years before conceiving my beautiful baby boy,and documented the latter part of that journey in my blog, Ova-EZ. Now that I'm a baby mama, I'm writing about all things mommy here in the 'hood.

Please feel free to go back and read through the posts on my old blog. I'm doing the mommy thing now but I never want to forget the road that brought me to this point, or the lessons I learned along the way. Hopefully something I've written may help someone else feel a little less alone.

And now, since we just met, here are some things you may not know about me:

1. I'm a HUGE Twilight fan. But who isn't?

2. I'm an author. No, the book hasn't been published but I wrote it. So, yes. I AM AN AUTHOR.

3. I'm a huge believer in "Name It & Claim It." (Hence, #2 on this list.)

4. I'm ambidextrous. Not only can I write with both hands, but I can also write backwards.

5. Sometimes I dance when I eat.

6. I studied Latin for 6 years. Yes, LATIN.

7. I have an eidetic (photographic) memory for faces and words, and I can spell like nobody's business.

8. Haiku is one of my favorite forms of poetry.

9. I was dropped on my head as a baby and given my last rites. (Hence #4, 5 & 7? Maybe. It's anybody's guess.)

10. I have 8 brothers & sisters.

That's all I got. That's it. Nothing else.

Now go on. Get out of here. Go check out the other amazing ICLW blogs and make sure to comment!!

xoxo
MAK

Love

In the last 3 months AK has learned to fold his hands, hold his head up, and bat at his toys. He's grabbing things and talking, and even sleeping through the night. And last night during play time he laughed out loud.

(swoon)

He loves to chat with me about his day. He gets just as excited about a poopie diaper as I do, and his favorite thing of all is getting wrapped up in a towel after his bath.

All babies are cute. But I had no idea I would be so utterly captivated by the toothless grin that greets me each day when I push back the hood of the bassinet and say, "Good morning."

He gets so happy when I say "I Love You". He pulls my hand to his chest and raises his head so I'll pick him up. And when I have him in my arms and hug him, he hugs me right back.

He has singlehandedly swept me off my feet.

I. Am. In.
LOVE.

Are you there, Lord, it's me, MAK...

I know You are.

I came upon a photo I used to surprise hubby with the news I was with child. It was a random photo of a baby I thought was cute. I pulled it off the internet. Just a cute little photo of a child captured as he slumbered.

I created a screensaver for the computer so he'd see it as soon as he sat down at his desk. Nothing extravagant, just a simple "Congrats, you're going to be a daddy!" and the picture.

I surprised him. It was sweet. He loved it.

Unfortunately, not too long afterward, I lost the baby. After so much time and effort, I'd lost our child, and hope, at the same time.

Then, a few short months later, I found out I was pregnant again. No surprise for daddy this time, just a quick fearful tap on his shoulder as I showed him the positive pregnancy test. Fearful because I didn't know what to expect. It was so soon. Would this time be different? We accepted the news and waited, hopeful.

Nine months later we welcomed our little miracle into the world and thanked You for the beautiful blessing you bestowed upon us.

I knew You had answered my prayer for a child. We wanted a baby and You gave us one.

I didn't understand then that You had given me the baby I prayed for.

Just yesterday I was going through all of the photos we've taken of the little guy. I want to use some for a book I'm writing for him. It's a children's book about how he was born, and I needed pictures from my pregnancy too. That picture I used for my husband's surprise was in with some of my pregnancy shots, right next to a photo of my new baby boy.

That's when I knew You answered my prayer.

Not a prayer.

My prayer.




"Baby Boy & Hubby"


"Internet Baby"


Amen.

Milestones

So baby boy finished his 1st week of daycare.

Whew!

What a relief.

I thought that between the two of us there'd be a whole lot of tears, sniffles & whining. Turns out I was the only doing any of that.

Actually I did pretty well. I only called about twice a day to check on him but I did show up early to pick him up. He, on the other hand, was amazing. As a matter of fact, by the 3rd day he was giggling every time I put him in the car seat. It was like he knew he was off to do his thing while I did mine. "Yeah, Mommy. You do you and we'll hook up later."

Crazy.

I started him at daycare this week since I'll be going back to work on the first and I thought it would be overwhelming to do it all at once. Practice makes perfect as they say, and I wanted to make sure the transition back into my old routine goes smoothly.

The other huge thing this week is that he's got a few new tricks. I don't know if he's picking it up from other kids or if it's just time for him to meet these milestones but here they are in no particular order:

He's chewing his tongue.
He's blowing crazy bubbles all the time.
He's folding his hands.
He's grabbing at things.
He's talking up a storm
and
He's lifting himself up off the floor during tummy time.

He's 9 and a 1/2 weeks old... Amazing!

Have I said lately how proud I am to be this kid's mom? Seriously, I love him something awful.

I'd love to hear from you. Please share your baby's milestones in the comments section.

The Reason

Dear Hubby,

I'm so happy to be your wife and even happier to be the mother of your child. I married you because I love you. I married you because you're as close to the fairy tale as it gets for me. But mostly, I married you because I knew I wanted to have a family with you. I knew in my heart as well as my head that we could have the kind of family together that I could never have if we were apart. And now that AK is here with us, I see, I understand that he is the reason we met, the reason we fell in love and the reason we married each other.

It was meant to be.

I love you both so much!

Happy Anniversary, Hubby!!

xoxo
M

Baby Stats

Here are baby boy's stats to date:

DOB: March 23, 2010 - 3:19 a.m.
Weight: 7 lbs. even
Length: 19.34 inches

Doc appt (3 weeks):
Weight: 8 lbs., 8 oz.
Length: 21 inches

Doc appt. (2 months):
Weight: 11 lbs., 12 oz.
Length: 23.75 inches

Mommy Milestone #1

Baby boy got his 2-month shots today.

I was so nervous for him so hubby had to be the one to hold him for the nurse while she gave him his shots. He cried like I knew he would but only for a minute and then he was done. Actually, he was smiling right afterward.

Three shots in the leg and my lil man was smiling!

He's such a big boy already!

This was one of the first big mommy milestones and overall I think I did pretty well.

Ok, so I wasn't the one holding him while he got his shots. I hate needles so I couldn't watch my baby get stuck and then cry. But I didn't cry either, (not out loud anyway), and that was because I wanted to stay strong for my lil man.

I'm so proud of him, and truly so proud to be his mom. Not because he didn't cry too much but because he innately trusts us enough to know we're there to comfort him when he needs us.

It was hard to hear my baby cry but I had to be there, and I'll continue to be there for him.

Always.

The Color Blue

WOW!

2 months already!

I have to tell you, being able to say that is really ironic. In the beginning I was so overwhelmed, every second seemed like an hour; every hour a day. I got to the point where I constantly felt like I needed a break from my baby. I had no idea motherhood could be this overwhelming!

I honestly believe that no amount of advice from other mothers can ever truly prepare a woman for this role. It really is specific to the individual mommy and her child. I think that's why I was so caught by surprise at how much work being a mother takes.

I'm going to save the details of my labor and delivery for another post. Suffice it to say that labor wasn't as bad as I expected but delivery was far worse. I dilated to almost 6 cms and stayed there for 7 hours, after which the doctor decided I would need to have a c-section. The c-section was a nightmare and resulted in me having to be sedated. I was pretty much a basketcase but, again, that's a story for another post.

Thankfully, the result was my healthy, bouncing baby boy, Austin, who arrived at 3:19 am on March 23, 2010.

Success!

The first week was great. I felt comfortable being a mother, and even thought I could do this mommy-thing no problem.

WRONG!

I went home on the 5th day and by the 7th day was crying more than my newborn baby boy.

The Baby Blues had arrived.

I cried in the morning. I cried at night. I cried when my husband left for work and then again when he came home. Most of the time I wasn't sure why I was crying or even what I was crying about. I certainly had moments of doubt, moments where I questioned whether or not I was capable of actually being a mother. I had other moments where I actually questioned whether or not I even wanted to be a mother. That sounds terrible, I know. But it's the truth. Those times were almost always followed immediately by complete and utter guilt for having thought such a thing in the first place, and then, of course, more crying.

In the end, it turned out my biggest problem was breastfeeding. Well, not the breastfeeding itself, but the pumping. No matter what I tried, I wasn't able to collect much milk at all. I went through 2 pumps, several lactation consultations and all kinds of family advice, but nothing seemed to help. I was so stressed out about not being able to pump that I began to feel increasingly more trapped in a very dark place. I felt like I couldn't get out - like I'd never get out. I couldn't come and go as easily as I could before I had a baby. I couldn't do anything without having to plan it around his feedings. Certainly my life had changed in a major way and it was now no longer my own. But not being able to pump meant no one else could help me either. I could never be too far away from him. I alone would have to get up with him each and every time he needed to be fed. I wouldn't be able to put him in daycare. I wouldn't be able to return to work. Etc., etc. The weight of this responsibility only made the dark place I was in even darker.

So I became obsessed with pumping. I put the pump on before and after every feeding in an attempt to find the right time to express enough milk to store for my child. I was convinced that if I could just find the right time or combination of relaxation techniques, I'd be able to fill at least half a bottle. And that half a bottle would represent my ability to feed my son successfully, and that in turn would give me just the right positive reinforcement I needed to be able to continue doing so. I was also cleaning and sterilizing and drying the pump, and all its parts, after each attempt because the lactation consultant scared me to death with tales of mold and pumps gone bad.

Ultimately I wasn't able to do it. I started hating to attach the pump so much that I started to feel negatively about having my son latch on as well. Once that started, I knew I was done.

I made the decision to exclusively formula-feed and it changed my world. My spirits started to lift. I stopped crying as much, and I finally started to feel like I could do this. I could be a mother.

I could be Austin's mother.

The decision to stop breastfeeding was not an easy one to make, but it was the right one for me and my child. I wish I could have figured out how to make the pumping work for us, but the fact that I didn't doesn't make me a bad mom.

On the contrary.

Recognizing that I had a problem and taking action to prevent that problem from escalating into something more serious makes me a great mom.

Now that we're past all of that, the seconds no longer seem like hours, and the hours no longer seem like days.

Now there's never enough time to spend with my baby.

Welcome to My 'Hood

I'm a mommy.

I can't believe I'm actually able to say that now. It's been a long road, (which you can read all about in my old blog, Ova-EZ), but I'm here now in the 'Hood and I've never been happier.

For those not familiar with my journey, I'm a first-time mother so this blog will be dedicated to all things "mommy". I guess that means pretty much everything, huh?

For this first post I just want to say that being a mother is so much more than anyone could have ever explained to me. It's so much more demanding, so much more intense and so very much more rewarding than I could have ever imagined.

There are constant feedings, sleepless nights and, in my case, even some baby blues. But there's also an endless amount of love. A flood of emotion like you've never known, that shows you what a true gift the responsibility of taking care of another life can be.

My goal with this blog is to document all of it, so my son will be able to look back on this and know how much I love him.

This is for you, AK.

Mommy loves you!