4th Birthday Morning

Every birthday deserves a little pizazz and fun.  And we certain had a bit of fun with Simon's 4th birthday yesterday. 

He woke up to balloons all over his room*...

Then he had "flaming" French toast and a little singing...

He needed to practice blowing out his candles anyway.  And I might have let him have a little frosting on his breakfast.  It's his birthday...Not like I let him eat like that every day, right?

After breakfast we had a bit of party prep to do which included some cleaning.  Simon watches his shows on this end of the house so we needed him to help clean it up.  And we hid his birthday present too...

 Sadly, there was nothing in the box except a map...

Tony held it up for him to see -- it was a picture of his new bed -- and he exclaimed, "It looks like a place to sleep!"

 And off he went to find his treasure...

 Down the hall...

 And, following the arrows on his map, looked under his new bed...

 "It looks like something to ride!"

And he just couldn't wait to ride it!

More birthday awesomeness to come...I just can't believe my baby boy is FOUR!

*This picture wasn't actually taken when he woke up.  You can totally see the scooter wheel in the background.  Ha!  Silly Mama didn't have camera ready when he first got up.  In truth, he was a little weirded out by all the balloons.

On Motherhood

Four years ago I celebrated my first Mother's Day.  I was nine months pregnant with my son, five days shy of my due date, and nine days away from his birth.  I was counting and timing contractions and waking up every morning wondering if this would be the day that I'd meet him.  If this would be the day that I'd finally hold him in my arms.  If this would be the day that I'd look into his eyes for the first time and say, "Hello, little man.  I'm your mama."
This year, I celebrate Mother's Day as the mama of two precious little ones:  The sweet boy who entered my life four years ago and the precious little girl who completed our family four short months ago.  The children that God has entrusted into my care.  The children that I call son and daughter. 
Becoming a mom changed my view on life.  Having a daughter has changed it yet again.  Don't get me wrong, I love my son with all my heart.  I can't imagine life without him and there's a part of me that would be incomplete without him.  But there's also a part of me the she fills in a way that I can't even really explain.  The bond between a mother and daughter is just different.
I worry about being a good role model for her.  I worry about raising her to be confident and secure.  I worry about all the ways that I can (and will) fall short. I look at her and see this precious creature and think how can I possibly do this right?  Or even just good enough?
As I stroked her head one night a few months back, exhausted after a few hours of trying desperately to soothe her cries, it hit me: my mom did this for me too.  She stroked my hair.  She kissed my forehead.  She rocked me and soothed my cries at 3 am.  When the world was dark and dead and all she wanted was to crawl back in bed herself, she held me close.
Just like her mother did for her.
And just like one day, Lord willing, my daughter will do for her children.
That right there is the bond between mother and daughter.  Each generation birthing and caring for the next.  Doing an often thankless job and questioning whether we're even doing it right.   Hoping that we're doing what is best for the children that call us "mom."  Stumbling ahead on a terrain that we know little about but taking comfort in knowing that our mothers have already walked this ground.  We may not parent the same way.  We may hold slightly (or drastically) different ideals.  But we are bonded nonetheless.
I know that one day my daughter will look at me, roll her eyes, and think I so don't want to be like my mom.  I know, because I once thought the same thing.  But I know now, there are far worse things because I am like my mom in a number of ways.  I hear it in my voice.  I see it in my actions.  I feel it in my desires for my children. 
Yes...There are far worse things than being like my mom.  And I hope that one day she feels the same way too.

She Hulk

Rose is a little spitfire.  A better and more accurate way of putting it: she's a rage ball.  Oh, good Lord!  When she's not happy you and everyone within earshot will know it.  People outside of normal earshot probably know it too.  Everything and nothing has the potential to send her into a rage.

And the rage makes her stronger.  We call her "Rage Ball She-Hulk" for a reason.

The progression typically goes like this:

Upset.  More upset.  She-Hulk-Rage.

See the similarities?

Do you see it now?

3 Months

Yes...I'm a week late getting this posted.  I can't believe my baby girl is three months old.  Granted, she's as tiny as some newborns but still!  These last few months have flown by.  We've had our challenges but we are settling into our new normal.

Here's my 3 month old little lady...

This was also her first time in the grass.

 

And, of course, her tutu pictures...

 **Next month my babies BOTH get photo shoots!  4 years old for Simon and 4 months old for Rose.  I could have some fun with that....

Tummy Time

I'm so behind on blogging!  (Brace yourselves to hear that a few time over the course of the next year.)  This whole balancing work, home, marriage, two kids, and everything else is taking some time to figure out.  I guess it's only been three months and it just might take a bit longer than that.  Right?

Anyway, we've been having some great times playing on the floor with Rose.  It's actually really funny: Simon like "tummy time" way more than Rose does.  If I ask her, "Do you want some tummy time?"  I'll often hear Simon saying, "Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" as he excitedly rushes into the living.  I think he sees it as time for him to play with Rose.

Rose's very first tummy time and Simon decided to show her his big train puzzle.

A few weeks later she had tummy time inside his pillow cave.

She was not pleased when I snapped this picture though.

He introduced her to Daniel Tiger.

She wasn't pleased by that either.

(Have I mentioned my daughter is a rage ball?)

He introduced her to Horton.

She either doesn't trust Horton or doesn't like Baby Bear on her back.

I'm not sure which.

And more recently we played catapult over her.

She didn't mind that so much and Simon thought it was hilarious.

She's now met Snoopy.

 And been given a "Pouncing Kitty Blanket."

She is so loving that!

 

And at the very end of our floor time Simon sang and played her a song.

 Okay.  So it's not all tummy time but he loves it just the same.

The Colicky Mom's Fitness Plan

The Colicky Mom’s Fitness Plan

Results guaranteed!

 January 2013

(Before)

March 2013

Just 10 short weeks later!*

And this is how I've done it...

The Workout:

You’ll need: 1 colicky or otherwise fussy baby.  (Weight depends on size and age of child.)  For each exercise you’ll need to hold child close to your torso – Football, cradle, or upright holds will all do.  Just find what works best for you and your colicky little munchkin.

Exercise 1:  The Pacer

You’ll need at least ten feet of clear space.

Starting at point A, walk 5-6 paces to point B.  Pivot.  Return to point A.

Repeat.

This is an excellent exercise to build stamina and endurance.

Exercise 2: The Sway

Place feet approximately shoulder width apart.

With a steady motion while tightening your abdominal and gluteal muscles shift your weight to your left foot.  Relax your muscles and then flex them again as you shift your weight to your right foot.

Repeat.

This exercise helps to strengthen your core.

Exercise 3: The Bounce

Place feet approximately shoulder width apart. 

Bend knees slightly.  While tightening your thigh and gluteal muscles bend your knees further.  Now straighten your legs.  This should create a light bouncing rhythm.

Repeat.

This exercise also helps to strengthen your core.

Exercise 4: The Combination

Once you’ve mastered the above exercises experiment with combining them. Add a sway at both pivot points of The Pacer.  Add a bounce to the steps of The Pacer or to each weight shift on The Sway.  Combine all three with a bouncing sway at each pivot point.

Repeat exercises nightly for best results.  A 2-4 hour workout is ideal.  With this simple regiment you'll not only be able to comfort your child but you'll also build endurance, strengthen your core, and lose weight.


The Diet:

The diet a be described in two words: Dairy Free.  Cutting dairy is a common first suggestion for breastfeeding moms who are dealing with a colicky baby.  (I've also been told that gluten can be the culprit.  So that would be diet option 2.)  It is amazing the number of things you cannot have when you cut dairy out of your diet and there is no halfway with this.  You have to cut it all in order to really see if it makes a difference.

A few suggestions:
1.  Almond Milk.  It is delicious!  I'm not a big milk drinker but it does a great job taking the place of milk in my cereal.  Plus, the caloric intake is minimal.
2.  Avocado.  I seriously miss cheese in my sandwiches.  Especially when my boys are eating delicious grilled cheese sandwiches and I have turkey and various vegetables.  Put a few slices of avocado on that sandwich and grill it.  The avocado gets all warm and smooth.  It's not the same as cheese but it's so good and makes me miss the cheese a little bit less.
3.  Read labels.  Thank God for labels!  There are a lot of foods that have a helpful "allergy warning" on them as well.  I've discovered some unlikely dairy-free foods  -- like Oreos! -- and I'm so incredibly happy that there are excellent dairy free creamer options.  Mama needs her coffee!
4.  For general cooking, some things are easy to just leave cheese or sauce off of but that can get dull after awhile.  The suggestion I overwhelmingly got from a group of mom's was to look for vegan or paleo recipes.  I'm not going to follow either diet completely but the recipes are excellent starting points.
5.  Ice cream lovers?  Switch to sorbets.  I love a good raspberry sorbet.  Or mango.  They might be high in sugar but they make a delicious sweet treat.  And, unlike most ice creams, I can't eat a full serving in one sitting.
6.  The best online resource I've found is Go Dairy Free.  So many good recipes and tips.

According to our pediatrician you should give the diet at least a month to work.

The truth of the matter: I'm not completely convinced that Rose truly has "the colic."  I know she's needier than Simon was.  She's also very attached to Mama and likes to be held all the time.  Honestly, it's just as likely that she's hungrier in the evening since my supply of breast milk is lower at that time of day.  (Very typical according to my lactation consultant.)  I went back to work at about the same time that I cut dairy from my diet so it's hard to tell if it's the lack of dairy or definite 4-5 oz feedings that have helped.  Though...the workout I described above does help to calm her when I know she's eaten at least a decent amount.  Time will tell and, regardless, she should outgrow this phase.  Gotta keep a sense of humor in the midst of the screams though.

*Hopefully I'll be able to post these two pics plus another real after pic later this year.  I haven't managed to start a real fitness plan but I do have a few goals but more on that another time.  And don't mind the crazy hair in the 2nd picture...I'd just gotten out of the shower and was getting ready for work when I decided to snap a few pictures.

Easter Eggs!!

I haven't dyed eggs in I don't even know how long.  It was one of those fun things I looked forward to doing with Simon after he was born but, well, I hadn't done it with him yet. I wasn't ready to do it with him the spring before he turned two and last year I was recovering from gallbladder surgery right before Easter.  (Hard to believe that was nearly a year ago!)  This year it became a must so I hard boiled some eggs today and we had fun dying them with....

...Kool-Aid!!!  That's right!  It's really simple: a 1/2ish full mug of water plus one package of Kool-Aid.  (Cheap too!  I spent less then two bucks on eggs and Kool-Aid.)  I chose orange, green, and red as our colors but you could easily do purple, pink, and yellow as well.

We pulled out some spoons and I showed Simon how to carefully put the egg on it...

 ...and then lower it into the mug.

 Checking the progress...

 One of the green ones soaking...

He had so much fun!

"Eat all the eggs!!!"

And here's what they looked like after dying them...

They're not as super bright as some of the egg dye kits you can buy but I have to say they turned out pretty nice.  Plus, there was no vinegar-like smell stanking up my house.  Ick!  And yes...we only did ten eggs.  That's the number of eggs that fit into my pot and, truth be told, I don't like hard-boiled eggs so Tony and Simon have get to eat all of them.  I didn't want to make too many and have them go to waste.  It seemed like the perfect number for Simon to dye too.  Enough for it to be fun but not so many that he got bored before we were done.  

I look forward to doing this again next year and for many to come.