It's a quiet day here at the homestead. It's dark outside. Rain is predicted for this part of Georgia. I hope it's a good thunderstorm. I just love a good thunderstorm. As long as it's only a thunderstorm, none of this "tornado warning" nonsense.
Bug is playing on her play gym. It's almost her nap time. But I wanted to capture this moment. It's a sweet moment. A special moment.
Thank You, LORD, for this beautiful gift you have given us. She is truly a blessing.
eating: every 2-4 hours still; exclusively breastfed
tummy time: beginning to love it more and more!
happiness: starting to smile more and more and talking up a storm; we're starting to have "conversations" now!
loves: cuddles, Lamaze toys, play gym, looking at herself in the mirror or phone
sleep: between 6 and 8 hours a night depending (however, last night little bug woke up every two hours wanting her paci); officially in the crib!
Bug has gained 2 pounds in the past month! Her rolls are getting more and more pronounced! They're just adorable! She still hasn't accomplished the whole rolling over thing. She makes it to her side and then gets really frustrated when she can't make it the rest of the way. Maybe she'll accomplish the feat this month!
This was her last day in 0-3 month clothing, and believe me, it was a tight fit. She's officially moved into 3-6 month clothing. She needs something bigger to house all her rolls. I'm in the process of changing out her clothes once again. It makes me sad to pack away all of her little clothes. She's getting bigger and bigger.
Bug has started "talking" to us and having conversations! It's the best thing ever! I love hearing her talk and seeing her smile when we respond to her.
She loves her fingers and looking at herself in the mirror. She's also started drooling tons and tons. We've had to bring out the bibs so her clothes don't get completely soaked. I'm hoping it's still too soon for her to be cutting teeth! I'm not ready to go through that just yet...
The hubs and I went on our first date without baby this past month. Bibi and Papí watched Bug for us. The hubs had the night all planned out. He surprised me with tickets to go and see Mary Poppins at the Fabulous Fox Theatre! It was a wonderful night, but I was happy to see Bug by the end. And smart man took me to a theatre where I could text my mom every few minutes to see how she was doing.
She's always playing with her hands now! I love the way she holds them together.
She's officially in her crib and sleeping great (for the most part...we won't count last night).
Dear Bug,
You are such a joy! Such a gift! I thank God every day for blessing us with you. You're learning up a storm these days and even mimicking our facial expressions! We love you so much Bug. We're a family because of you. Every month there's something new you've discovered and it's so much fun seeing the joy on your face as you discover it. You're ready to take the world on, but please slow down just a smidgen. Your daddy and I want to cherish every moment we have with you and we don't want you to grow up too fast!
Bug is asleep. She actually didn't fight going to sleep tonight. Just a short bicker, but it was settled quickly. Now I'm sitting here, listening to the Braves game (Go Braves!) and looking for things for the house.
Is it crazy that I miss my girl right now? She's quietly sleeping in her crib just down the hallway, but I still miss her. I like her to be in my sight so I can just look over and we can share smiles. I know this is silly. I can't have her by my side 24/7 for her entire life...But I can't help but miss her when she's not with me.
This whole being a mom thing is a new thing. A wonderful thing. It's during these quiet times that I can reflect on the wonderful thing that is being a mother (have I used the word thing too much?). I'm loving being a mother, especially a mom that gets to stay at home. I love getting to experience every day with my girl. Every day is a new day filled with new experiences for her. I love watching her discover new things. She is so close to finding her feet! I love seeing her face light up and hearing her coo. I even love her sad and pitiful faces! She seriously has the cutest sad face you've ever seen! And her pouty lip stretches for miles! It's just adorable. Then again, I am biased.
I just love being a mommy and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
1. Fisher Price Rainforest Melodies & Lights Deluxe Gym - This little play gym has kept Bug entertained for hours while I busy myself around the house cooking and cleaning (or updating this blog). The lights and sounds keep her mesmerized. Both of us just love this!
2. Skip Hop Bento Tote Diaper Bag - I personally love this bag! I can fit everything in it. Plus it's easy to tote around and it has a place for everything.
3 & 4. Lamaze Toys - Bug absolutely loves batting at these. I love the rings on #4. She swats at those and grabs at them and holds on for dear life. Plus they make noises as she hits them. She just goes to town with these, giggling and cooing. It's adorable!
5. Fisher Price Infant-to-Toddler Rocker - This is a new toy for the Bug. She watched as her daddy put it together and her face just lit up when we put her in it. The first night we put her in it, she played so hard she fell asleep. It was adorable! Plus this is great to pull into the kitchen with me, so she can hang out while I cook and do dishes.
6. Alva Baby Diapers - I am loving our cloth diapers by Alva Baby!! They are so soft and adorable! I really just can't get enough of them! (I know I said there would be a post on how I care for my cloth diapers, and it's on the way!)
Bug's Easter basket contained: bubbles, an outift + shoes, a sock monkey bunny, the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit, a rubber ducky, and her first "Bun Bun" made my me :)
Our first Easter as a family of three!
It was a crazy weekend. The hubs's family holds a sunrise service every Easter on the hill behind their house. We try and go every year. In fact, we've only missed one service the entire time we've been together and that was because we were moving. So I was religiously watching the weather to see what I needed to pack for Bug. Did I mention this was going to be her first time spending the night away from the house? I was a nervous wreck! So rain was predicted, but we were praying and crossing our fingers that everything would be okay. Otherwise, Bug and I would have to be camped out at the house while the hubs joined the family.
So I packed everything up and we headed to the in-laws. It rained as we drove up there. Not a good sign. Thank goodness it stopped though, but not enough to have service up on the hill. It was too muddy to take the vehicles up there. So the service was moved to the arena across the street. That meant Bug and I could go! We got up before 6 and I prayed that she'd do alright. She had slept wonderfully that night, so I was hoping that it would bode for a good day. We got ready and made the trip across the street. I decided to wear her in the Infantino, and she fell right to sleep as we sang hims and watched the sunrise. It was absolutely precious to be holding my baby girl as we sang praises to God.
After the service, we joined everyone back at the house for breakfast. They were all anxious to meet the newest addition to the family. We ate a quick bite to eat and then had to run. We had to be back at our home church for the 9:30 service. So we changed and ran. Thankfully we were only a few minutes late. It was a wonderful service. We stayed for the 11 o'clock service to work with the kiddos. Then it was off to my parents' house for lunch and then the hubs's grandma's for dinner.
It was wonderful to spend the day with family and friends. Bug was exhausted when we got home and ended up screaming crying herself to sleep. But in the end we had a wonderful Easter.
When the hubs and I started dated we did the usual "family talk." The first thing I said is that I wanted to stay at home and raise our kids. My mother did it and I loved that growing up. I wanted the same thing for my kids.
And now I have joined the league of women that is comprised of stay-at-home-mommies!
Bug and I on my first official day as a stay-at-home-mom.
It took a lot of prayer and a lot of God. Okay. It took a ton of God. All God. We've been working for the past year to trim down expenses and the hubs has been trying to take on extra work so he can make up my salary. He was almost there when Bug came into the world, but we weren't there just yet. We had 12 weeks to see if I had to go back to work for the end of the school year. I honestly didn't want to. I couldn't even fathom leaving my little girl with someone else, even if it were family members and only for 6 weeks. The thought killed me. I didn't want to miss her first giggle or the first time she rolled over. I couldn't bear it.
Two weeks ago, another job came open. It was honestly all God. He was orchestrating everything to give us that extra push to get me home. I'm crying write now as I think about how He worked to make my dreams come true.
It's not easy being home though. Now the hubs is bearing the entire financial burden. He has to provide for us. But, as he's told me multiple times, he wouldn't have it any other way. He wanted me home with our girl as much as I wanted to be home. Yes, he's working 14+ hours a day and yes it's hard on us...but it's worth it. And we fully believe God is orchestrating a way for the hubs to be able to spend more time with us. God has already made it to where the hubs gets to be home with us on the weekend!
To help out, we've switched to cloth diapers in hopes of saving money on that. Also, we've limited our driving to one car. This saves money on gas for us. I do get the car once a week to make a grocery run or run other errands. And if there's a pinch, my mom comes by after work and watches Bug while I borrow her car. So far it's worked out great and saved us a lot of money. I'm thinking about couponing as well (any couponers out there with any advice?) to help with grocery costs. We've also refinanced our house, that's where we're getting money for the renovations, to help reduce our monthly payments.
Being a stay-at-home-mommy means that we won't ever have nice things. We don't have cable TV, we don't have nice cars, we don't go out to eat, we don't have all the luxuries, but it is all worth it. To both of us. We feel it is important for me to be home. We feel that God is calling me to be home. Even though it's going to be tough, we know that God is going to provide for us as long as we listen to Him and follow where He leads us.
Well, we're a week in with this whole cloth diapering adventure. How am I feeling?
I'm still loving it!
We're doing cloth the majority of the time. The only time we switch to disposable is if we're going to be gone for the day. This past Saturday we made a day trip to South Carolina, so we made the trip in disposable. But Sunday, when we went to church and small group, we made the trip in cloth. They did spectacular!
Like I said, I'm still pretty much smitten with these things! I love that they seem to be so much softer on her bum.
her first time in camo!
Plus I think they just look cute on her bum!
I'm still getting the hang of the whole caring for them thing, so give me another week and next week's post will cover the diaper's care!
Well, Bug passed the 13 lb mark! She is such a chunk and I love it! Also, she's starting to roll over! Or at least try to. She made it all the way over once while we were laying in bed, but typically she just makes it to her side and can't quite go the whole way.
We also have a mover!
I found her halfway off her mat! I just love the look she's giving me! So adorable!
She's still in 0-3 month clothing, but can also fit into 3-6 month! I put away all of her newborn clothes...and cried. But I found some really cute summer clothes that are 3-6 month that I'm excited for her to wear, so it made it all better.
We've also started transitioning her to her crib. So far she's spent two nights in there. It has altered her sleeping a little. The first night she woke up every 3 hours, but last night her long stretch was 4.5 hours. I'm thinking she might be going through another growth spurt. I am ready for her to get back to her 6 hours though! ** I'll do a whole post devoted to transitioning **
This was at our 2 month check-up. She did awesome! Then came the vaccines...She got her first shot. She screamed...I cried...It was not pretty. Of course, I think it hurt me more than it hurt her. We got home though and I decided it would be a day of cuddling. So that's all we did. Cuddle. I thoroughly enjoyed my day of cuddling! All she wanted to do was sleep and I was a-okay with that! I love having my Bug sleep in my arms!
Today my girl is back to her old self and just as happy and smile-y as can be!
Dear Bug, I am just loving our time together! Each day you do something new! Even though I'm sad to see you growing up so quickly, I'm loving each new stage! You're no longer my newborn baby, but you've grown and are developing your own personality. I love that you're a little stingy with your smiles. It makes them so much more special when you give one. I love kissing your cheeks and "talking" with you!
It's been such a great ride, Bug! You fit our family perfectly and I'm so excited to see you grow up!
Okay...so there's this photo contest going on on Facebook (of course). The picture with the most "likes" wins a free photo session!
So if y'all could help a girl out that would be great!
Just click here and like Cynthia Sparks Photography. Then find her album "Contest | Full Session Giveaway" and look for this adorable picture:
and "like" this picture! We would really appreciate it! I mean who couldn't vote for such an adorable face? I may be biased though.
Thanks in advance for the votes!
Also, as everyone knows, there's a big hoopla going on with Google Reader and how it will be leaving us (tear) so I too am making the switch to Bloglovin'! So you can now follow my blog with Bloglovin!
Today I'm over at Homegrown and Healthy writing for their two weeks of Everything Baby series. I wrote about my initiation into Motherhood...They are also having a giveaway for some awesome things Baby! There are lots of prizes for our readers...Maybe one of you will win ;) I sure do hope so!
This weekend was a rough one. The hubs was down with a stomach bug and I was left taking care of him and the baby girl. Now this was our first bout of having sickness in the house with a newborn and I was completely conflicted with what to do. Normally I don't let the hubs being sick bother me and I typically go about normally. But I've never had a new baby to worry about.
So I played single parent for the weekend. It was rough. The first night the girl and I spent the night in the living room. I "slept" on the couch. I use the term "sleep" lightly. It was a rough night. Though the girl slept, I did not, and then I woke up smelling like dog (that's where my dog typically likes to lay when we're not looking). So the next day I cleaned up the guest room so that we could get to the bed and sleep in there. The second night the girl decided not to sleep, so I didn't either.
From Friday morning to Sunday night, I barely got any sleep. Maybe 2 hour snatches here and there. Most of the time I was running here and there taking care of the girl and the hubs. To help me out I got out the Bumbo and gave it a try.
She loved it. Thank goodness!
The hubs is now on the mend and back at work. But it was hard when he was down for the count. I didn't know what to do. I hated having to divide my attention between the two and I hated even more that he couldn't hold or be near our girl. Most of the time I made a mess of things and became completely overwhelmed. Luckily, the girl made gave me lots of smiles to help calm me down.
It seems that the girl and I have avoided the illness (knock on wood) so we're going on as normal now. I've started a deep cleaning of the house so that we can continue to avoid sickness...speaking of which, my girl is sleeping, so rather than write this post I probably should be cleaning. Priorities right?
I've only got a few minutes before Baby Girl gets up from her nap to eat. It's in this silence, while my little love bug is sleeping peacefully that I realize just how blessed I am. It's in these moments that I just sit and look at her and am just consumed with love.
Well, she's starting to wake up. Now for cuddles while she eats and then bedtime routines. I just love this time with my love bug!
It's hard to believe my baby is already a month old! You can check out her one month update here.
1. Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle 'n Swing - This has been a lifesaver. It sits in between our living room and kitchen, so that when I'm working I can just put Baby Girl in there to swing and I can see her no matter what room I'm in. She absolutely loves her swing. The speed is adjustable, it plays music, and has a bird mobile that she just loves to look at. And the best part is that it is not battery operated! It has a plug in! I just love this swing!
2. Moby Wrap - No matter what, I recommend getting a wrap or sling to carry your baby! I just love being able to carry my baby hands free. Plus, she still likes to be close to me.
3. Fisher Price My Little Snugabunny Rock 'n Play - My all-time favorite gift (thanks guys!). This has been a lifesaver. It's what she sleeps in and the best part is that it's light weight and compact so we can take it with us wherever we go! I love how it cradles her. It's kind of like a hammock, so it makes her feel more secure as she's sleeping. I like that we can take it with us right now. It's a lot less bulky than a pack 'n play so it's easier to transport. Eventually we'll have to upgrade, but for now we're sticking with the Rock 'n Play.
4. Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller - I love this stroller!! We've only taken her out in this once, but I love it! It's such a smooth ride and really easy to operate. I love how easy it is to fold and store. And I think Baby Girl liked it. At least, she fell to sleep immediately.
5. Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets - These have been great. Though Baby Girl isn't a fan of being swaddled, these blankets have been great to cover her when she's in her swing or her car seat. They also make a great cover-up for breast feeding in public. I love them because they're not too hot so they don't smother her.
6. Safety 1st Infant Car Seat - I love our car seat. It's easy to install and to put her in it. The one thing I read about them when we were buying car seats was that it was heavy, but I haven't had a problem with the weight at all (I see it as a way to build muscles).
I'm excited to see what toys will make their way onto the list next month as Baby Girl grows. It's fun watching her develop and grow and discover new things!
It's hard to believe you're already a month old! I'm loving every minute of this stage of your life! You're such a precious gift and I fall more in love with you every day (if that's even possible). You love to cuddle and be held. In fact, one night this past week you woke up screaming, but the instant I had you in my arms you went straight back to sleep. So you joined us in bed for a few hours. It was so sweet to have you cuddled up next to me. I just love it!
You went through your first growth spurt and through us all for a loop. We had you on such a great schedule, and then you up and decided to change it on us. Oh well. You're definitely keeping us on our toes. I love discovering life with you. Your coos and "talking" are just precious! You're really developing those lungs.
We started you off on tummy time, and I don't think you know what to do with yourself. You'll stay there for a minute just as happy as can be talking up a storm, and then the next minute you're done. It's precious.
Things you love:
Mommy
Daddy
Eating
Your swing
Your Rock n Play
Your mat
Eating
Daddy
Mommy
Daddy and I just love you, Baby Girl and we're so excited about watching you grow up and learn new things! Just don't grow up too fast okay?
This whole being a mom thing is surreal. You start preparing for mommyhood when you start talking about getting pregnant. Then the instant you get pregnant, preparation kicks in hardcore. You have nine months to really get it in your head that you are going to be a mom! It should sink in then...that in nine months (give or take a few days/weeks) you are going to be responsible for a little person.
At least that's supposed to be how it is...right? You're given nine months to prepare for the change...
But how do you prepare for the change?
I knew it was coming. I had nine months to prepare. So why does it all still seem so surreal. Ever since we brought Baby Girl home, I feel like it's only temporary. I feel like I'm babysitting someone else's child and that eventually I'm going to have to give her back. This feeling seems to be the strongest at night. Whenever we both wake up for a feeding, I feel like I'm in some sort of dream. That the little girl in my arms that I love so much isn't mine.
Of course, I know this isn't true. There's no denying this little one. She's definitely mine, and I'll always claim her. I guess I'm still adjusting to this little person being here. And you know what, I think this feeling is okay. I think it's normal. At least that's what I'm telling myself to make me feel better...
Do any of you other first time mommies feel the same way? Or those that remember being a first time mommy, did you ever feel like this?
See, there's no denying this sweet face...she has my eyes and the hubs's everything else. I mean, she is our child! And I'm happy to keep her ever day ending in "y"!
(the first picture is of me as a newborn and the second is of the hubs)
January 14th came and went. Baby Girl's due date. I woke up like every other morning, got dressed, and went to work. It's a good thing I did too, because there was a lot that I needed to get done. Of course, going to work on your due date comes with a lot of comments. I kept getting "You're still here?" and "When's your due date?" I just laughed at it all and walked around a lot. I was determined to get this baby here ASAP. I got home and had contractions here and there, but every time I thought something was getting started they just died down and disappeared. I was a little disappointed, I didn't really want to go to work the next day. But of course, that's what was in the cards.
January 15th comes around. I had a doctor's appointment at the end of the day. So I left work early, yes I was still at work, and went in for a check up. I finally let them check me and I was at 3 centimeters dilated. Progress! They also hooked me up to a monitor to check to see how Baby Girl was handling things. Everything seemed perfect. I was having contractions, and Baby Girl was doing just fine. They decided to strip my membranes in order to hopefully get something started, they also scheduled me an ultrasound for the 17th. You see, I was measuring 43 weeks at 40 weeks. A little big. So we scheduled it for Thursday morning so the hubs could go with me. Mom met me at the doctor's office and we decided to head to the mall to get things going even more. Still nothing happened...
January 16th was pretty much the same...I went to work, walked around, and told everyone "Hopefully I won't see y'all tomorrow." I had taken a half day already for the doctor's appointment, and I was kinda hoping they'd just tell me to head straight to the hospital.
The morning of January 17th comes and the hubs and I get ready to go and see the doctor. I suggest grabbing the bag just in case they send us on ahead, but the hubs said no. His logic was we can always stop by the house on the way to the hospital. So I agree and we head to go and see how our baby girl is fairing. We get there and I'm starting to get nervous. I just want to go to the hospital and have this baby! We get called back to the ultrasound room and get ready to see how big this baby girl really is. Turns out, she's perfect size, nothing to worry about in that sense...but we had another problem, her fluids were really low. The lowest fluids can get is 7, and that's where they were. The ultrasound tech said we would most likely be induced today...Okay, we say and we're walked to go meet with the doctor. She walks in and immediately says those magic words, "Head to the hospital." She didn't even check me, all she said was "I'll see you again in a little bit." I wasn't planning on being induced, but that's what baby needed and that was okay. I was ready to get baby girl here.
So the hubs and I head home to pick up the hospital bag and I grabbed something quick to eat. I knew I probably wouldn't get anything to eat once I got to the hospital. I called my mom to tell her the news. She then sent out the word to family. Next was to call work and tell them I wouldn't be coming in that day, or for the next 12 weeks for that matter.
We get to the hospital and check in. Mom beat us there and had already been up to the room to pray over it. It was perfect and I'm very thankful she got there before us to pray. There was a certain peace when we got there. They started me off on the lowest level of pitocin and my doctor came in to break my water (such a weird feeling!) and check me. I had already progressed to a 4 from when they last checked me. Progress! This was around 12:30.
Contractions started to pick up. It was kind of fun to watch them peak. Is that weird? We passed time by watching TV. I can't really remember what we watched. I do remember that the hubs tried to show me a youtube video during the middle of a contraction. I didn't really appreciate it at the moment.
Here's the video, to give him credit, it is actually quite hilarious...I just had to watch it again after the contractions were over.
Soon the contractions got really intense. I asked for some Demerol to help me out. I was able to take a little "nap". I say nap, really I just laid there with my eyes closed and breathed deeply. When I woke up I called the hubs over to talk about an epidural. I said I would go as long as I could without one and I felt that I had reached that point. Not only was I having contractions, but I was throwing up. I couldn't handle both. Epidural it was. So the anesthesiologist came and got me some medicine. But it didn't take fully. I felt everything on my left side.
Before I knew it, I was at 10 centimeters and it was time to start pushing.My little girl was here at 8:31pm. I was in labor for 7 hours and pushed for 1 hour. Clearly my little girl was ready to be here, she just needed a little push. I do feel like if we had waited one more day she would have decided to come on her own, but we did what was needed and I wouldn't change a thing! My baby girl is here and she's perfect.
I did tear, and there was a little meconium in the water, so it was another hour before I got to hold her. That about killed me. I wanted my little girl in my arms! But I had to get stitched up and she needed to be cleaned up and checked. After we were both deemed presentable, she was in my arms and nursing. It was perfect.
Bibi and Papi (my parents) and Grammy and Dedu (the hubs's parents) all came in to meet our little angel. It was such a sweet moment.
I'm just so happy to have my little girl here and I'm loving every moment with her!
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