I Have All the Answers

Ok, maybe not. But I have figured out one thing. If you ask for help In regards to raising a child you can find a positive and negative to every answer! It's really overwhelming for first time moms.

Let me just say I have an awesome baby. Very mild tempered, rarely cries, nurses like a champ, etc... I am very proactive. I want to know everything about my child before it happens. I don't like surprises. (Having a baby is one big surprise. Expect the unexpected.) I like to google, webmd, baby center, everything.

"Should I breastfeed?"

-yes, breast is best!

-no, it's too much work

"My baby hates his crib. What should I do?"

-let him sleep in his bouncer in the crib.

-it's too dangerous to let them sleep in a bouncer for too long. Keep trying the crib.

My latest search:

"How to get your baby to sleep through the night."

-let them cry it out

-never let them cry it out. Go in pick them up and when they stop crying put them back down, do this over and over until you are within an inch of your sanity. 

So I decided to throw it all out the window and do my own thing. I know my child better than anyone. So here is what I figured out through trial and error.

BABY E MUST DO:

*swaddle-he is a wild man and wakes himself up with flying arms

*NO pacifier when he goes into the crib-he spits it out and then cries until it's back in his mouth

*formula right before bed-my little man drinks breast milk unless it's bedtime. Then he gets a bottle of formula...it leaves him full for longer

*cant be overly tired-he is unbearable if he gets too tired. 

*follow an evening routine:

5:00-5:20 nurse

5:20-6:00 play

6:30-7:00 nap

7:00-7:20 nurse

7:20-8:00 play

8:00-8:15 bath and then swaddle

8:15-8:30 daddy gives him a bottle, burps, and rocks

8:30-while he is still awake I lay him in his crib and turn on his fan and light up frog with music. Within 5 minutes he is sound asleep

We have been doing this routine everyday for a month. Now normally he wakes up sometime between 1:30-3:00 for another feeding. BUT last night Baby E slept until daddy's alarm went off at 5:00 (he sleeps in the side room off our master suite (it's definitely not as nice as it sounds...think pea green carpet and wood paneling) I fed him real quick and put him back in bed until 7:00. It was awesome. Except, I had a mild heart attack when I woke up at 4:45 realizing he hadn't woken up yet. But once I heard him breathing I did a happy dance.

Yay Baby E! I'm proud of you. 

3 Months Old!!

He is getting so big.

My Big Boy

I realize I haven't posted a picture of my darling son in awhile. Since he is about to be 3 months I better get on the ball.

3 months old

Weighs 15lbs...big boy

Loves to eat

Can roll from his tummy to his back

Laughs at his daddy

Best time of day is the morning...he laughs and giggles while we get ready for work

While mom and dad go to work he goes to Miss Connie's-lucky boy gets all the attention because he is the only kid

Loves bath time with mommy or taking showers with daddy

Sleeps 5-7 hours at night

Can hold his head up 

Beginning to like tummy time as long as he is on the boppy

Getting baptized on February 9th

Kinder Quote of the Day

"You look kinda nice today Mrs. Burns (that's what she calls me)." ---student lets call her Darlene

"Oh, do I?"---me

"Yeah, kinda."--Darlene

Gee thanks! 

9:30am

"Mrs. Burns I'm afraid it's happened. I had an accident. I tried to get to the bathroom but it just came too fast."--Darlene

Looking at her pants I saw no signs of an accident.

"Was it a potty accident?"--me

"Yep!"

Sent her to the nurse. 

30 minutes later door flies open and Darlene's mom shouts from the doorway.

"Sorry Mrs. Burns (not you too) Darlene has been constipated and I guess it just all came out at once."

"Oh, ok"--me

Little boy on the carpet..."whose Mrs. Burns?"

3:00pm

Darlene comes walking in from the bathroom crying. 

"Darlene, did it happen again?"--me

"Yes, I must still be sick. It's just comes out fast."

#poorgirl #goingtovomit #passthehandsanitizer #iloveteachingkindergarten

Why Can't Weight Come Off Like It Comes On?

Today is weigh in day! I'm down 3.8lbs! Yahoo! 

Nothing Tastes As Good As Being Skinny Feels...that's some crap! Wine and snickers tastes pretty darn good!

This is the worst picture of me but I have to document my weight loss journey. 

I'm also sitting in a closet "working out". Ok, so I might be pumping but it's pretty much like working out. Anytime I want to eat something bad I can come to this post and it will motivate me to eat some carrots instead of having 3 brownies like I did during my birthday week. Whoops! 

We All Have That One Friend

Unfortunately, I am that friend! I thought that baby brain was supposed to go away as soon as you have the baby. In my case it has gotten worse. In the past 5 days I have...

*While taking my last drink of water, I lose the grip on the bottle and hurled it towards my lunch partner. Spilling water on my shirt and all over the table.

*You know how you have a flip lid on the to go coffee cups? If you tip it too far back the lid touches the bridge of your nose. Therefore, I walked around with coffee on my nose for most of the day. Until a sweet coworker told me. Did I mention she didn't tell me until after lunch. :)

*Trying to hook up my pumping contraption is easy but when you are in a time crunch it gets tricky. Before school starts I have less than 15 minutes to hook up, pump, cleanup and get my milk to the fridge. Well unless i want my kiddos to get an education on how mammals feed their young. To say its a rush is an understatement. This morning as I was trying to attach the tubing into the bottle I looked like an amateur juggler.  Bottles were flying!

The best for last...

*Teachers know that time at the copy machine is valuable.  We stand around it like a pack of wolves ready to devour a juicy piece of meat. This morning I headed into the office to fight for my turn at the machine. I saw the most glorious sight. Not a teacher in sight. No one to stand behind you and sigh. No one to ask if they could interrupt to make just 1 copy. No one to say, "Not to rush you but how many more do you have?"  I had a little skip in my step as I headed over to take my turn. Until...I tripped over something on the floor (I could have sworn there was something on the floor). I hit the machine with a big bear hug. I then slid down the machine like a bird hitting a window and sliding all the way down. I quick popped up before anyone saw me and that's when I realized my knee and ankle hurt. Darn it, i was hoping I to escape from injury. I was in pain but all I could do was laugh. Mainly because not one teacher saw me. Heard me? Yes. Saw me? No! Even though I had to walk with a limp...Me:1 Copy Machine:0

"Instead of thinking of yourself as a klutz. Think of yourself as a performance artist." Unknown

To My Husband

Thank you Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

*Thank you for making it possible for my husband and I to be together.

*Thank you for making it possible to marry the love of my life. (Kansas never had a law against it but so many other states did.) 

*Thank you for showing people that love is the only way.

*Thank you for allowing my son to one day go to a school with people of all colors.

*Thank you for teaching us "to judge not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."-MLK

I Have a Dream...

*i have a dream that one day C and I can see more smiles from the strangers that we meet instead of glares and eye rolls that we are often greeted with. 

*i have a dream that no one will use the word disgusting when describing our marriage

*i have a dream that my son will never be called one of the insulting names that they refer to children of interracial couples.

*i have a dream that our girls will remember that love is the most important thing in a marriage and not race.

*i have a dream that our daughters and son will remember that their parents taught them tolerance of others.

To my husband....

Thank you for never seeing the color of my skin.

Thank you for never letting the opinions of others deter you from loving me. 

Thank you for going along with me and pretending we didn't hear the mean comments from others. Thank you for marrying me. 

Thank you for giving me a beautiful baby boy. 

Thank you for making me a step mother to two beautiful daughters. 

Thank you for being my best friend. 

Thank you for bringing me closer to God. 

Thank you for listening to my needs and working your hardest to meet them.

Thank you for being the best father to our children!

Thank you for being you!