Packing Anxiety Attack

When it comes to packing, I am one of those women that cannot pack lightly. I have tried many times to limit my load, but every time I do, I usually become really disappointed with my wardrobe choices. So to prevent future frustration at my failed outfit selection, I always pack more than I need. 

Enter a baby into the picture. We no longer have the luxury to over pack. Especially since we need to get on an airplane for the trip home for Christmas. For about two weeks now I have been compiling a list of all the things I need to pack for the baby, for myself and all the presents we need to bring home. (The hubs can worry about himself. ;) (Love you, Hun!) This list has been edited multiple times. Things have been deleted because we can buy them when we land.--Granted there isn't a snow storm. Dear Winter Storm Draco Malfoy, (Yes, I gave the storm the last name of a Harry Potter character, so what.) please go easy on MN and WI. I have added things to the list that I think are necessities that probably aren't...Don't forget that nightlight!

Sunday night I pulled the list up on my computer and did a "practice pack" where I started putting all of Harper's clothes into a suitcase. It went pretty well, but then I realized I had only packed her clothes and they took up half the suitcase dedicated to her. That's about 1/16th of the baby packing puzzle. There are a lot more items on my list that have nothing to do with clothes. So tonight we will be turning the "practice pack" into the "for realsies pack" and hopefully there will be room for my stuff. I've decided that I'm only going to pack 4-5 outfits for myself (I think Harper has 12) and do a load of laundry during the week. Since I will be seeing each side of the family for about 5 days, each family will only see my outfits once. Oh the horror if I wore something twice! (I'll probably end up wearing my one pair of sweatpants I packed all week.)

The only thing that is preventing my packing list from being a lot longer is the fact that my mother-in-law does daycare so she has a lot of the stuff we need and Harper is the 8th grandchild for my parents so they have a lot of baby things as well.

Here is my list for the baby. 

Clothes:
White sweater dress
Black sweater dress
Purple dress
White snowflake dress
White dress with red sweater
Red snowflake onesie with black sequin pants
5 long sleeved onesies
2 jeggings
5 PJs
hat 
fleece body suit
2 fleece jackets

Hygiene:
comb
nail clipper
shampoo and soap
teething gel 

Feeding:
5 bibs
5 burp rags 
6 bottles
formula
oatmeal
bowls and spoons
breastfeeding shall (in carry on)
 
Transporting:
car seat
stroller

Plane:
diaper bag with changing pad, diapers, wipes, diaper rash cream, disinfectant, tissues, change of clothes, toy

Entertainment:
bumbo
pacifiers
book
ball
Sophie
Penelope
Pink Fleece blanket
  Pooping:
Diapers
wipes
plastic bags for diaper disposal

Other:
nightlight
blanket

Moms, what am I missing?

I'm already preparing to write a post about how horrible it is to fly/travel with a baby and also list out everything I should have packed.

Merry Christmas to everyone if I don't get a chance to write another post before Tuesday! 

Picture Time!

 

L M N O Please Stop Crying

I know that every baby grows and learns at their own pace but I get concerned that Harper is behind because she hasn’t rolled over yet. She’s almost 4 ½ months old. I’ve read that babies start rolling over between 3-6 months, but when I see on Facebook that babies younger than Harper are already rolling over this mommy starts to freak out.

To combat this, Hubs and I have started doing daily tummy time with Harper…something we should be doing anyway. She hated it when she was 1-2 months old so we stopped for awhile. Now she can hold her own for about 10 minutes before she has had enough. During tummy time we try to encourage her to roll over by putting toys on one side that she would need to roll over to reach or we even push a leg over to show her how to roll over. Both haven’t gotten us anywhere and so we continue to wait for her to learn at her own pace like good parents do.

Something on a similar note. I get worried that we aren’t socializing enough or teaching Harper enough and she will be behind.  The logical side of me says this is plain silly, but the worrywart side of me tells me to fix this ASAP.  I’m surprised nightmares of Harper being behind haven’t taken over the “I forgot my locker combination and my class schedule” dreams that still haunt me at night.  So to put myself at ease I started singing to Harper. I decided the ABCs was the perfect song choice since it’s educational and I know all the words. :) Most of the time Hubs is around and chimes in with me. We have discovered that the ABCs ARE MAGICAL. She loves it when we sing this to her. If she is in a good mood, she laughs and smiles and coos along. If she is in a bad mood, she stops crying and listens to us sing.

We probably went through 10 rounds of the ABCs on the 10 minute trip home last night just to keep Harper from crying. I will do anything to make my baby happy, even if it is singing the same song over and over and out of key in public.

PS--I know it is cute when kids say elemeno instead of  L M N O, but I obnoxiously enunciate these letters to prevent Harper from what-being cute???  I hope the real reason is to prevent future turmoil of having to rid her of the elemeno habit.Something is wrong with me.

PICTURE TIME!
Quote from picture: "But Mom, I don't want this toy to go to my cousin for Christmas. I really like it as a pillow."

Soooo all the people that read this blog get a sneakpeek at our family photos that I took. Yes, I'm that talented with a camera timer. ;) I won't be posting these until this weekend. So you should feel special. The rest are ten times better than this one so keep a look out!

Mommy Isn't an English Teacher

So a random thought popped into my head while changing Harper's diaper. Why does having a child cause you to speak only in the third person? 
"Mommy is putting socks on you now," and "Harper, why won't you smile for Mommy?" are examples of sentences that have left my mouth. 

I even talk to my husband like this. "Daddy, can you get Mommy a glass of water." 

Not only do I refer to myself as Mommy to my daughter and husband, but I also call myself Mommy in my head. I caught myself thinking yesterday, "If Mommy goes to the store this weekend remember to get garlic salt." I do this ALL the time. I'm surprised I haven't referred to myself as mommy to a coworker. 

I have also caught myself dropping the "G" on "ING" words and saying things like "Whatcha doin?" and "Harper, you got stinky feets." Come on Sarah, let's use proper English.

Why do we moms do this? Maybe not everyone does and I should rephrase this to why do I do this? One thing is for sure: Harper will have bad grammar, and it's all Mommy's fault.

Pictures! Pictures! Pictures!

Only two. Sorry! I hope to get pictures with Santa this weekend!

Mean Mommy

The husband and I have coined the phrase "Mean Mommy" when I do something to Harper that she might not like. For example, accidentally scratch her with my fingernail or put her down to play when she really just wants to be held. I always apologize to her and say "Mean Mommy is sorry! Maybe Nice Mommy will be back tomorrow."

Although Mean Mommy does make an appearance every now and then, I have become the bad mom that doesn't let her child cry. I've always thought I won't be that mom that will drop everything at once when even the slightest sign appears that her child might start crying, but to my own dismay, I have become that mom. I HATE seeing tears streaming from my daughter's face. It just breaks my heart. If the small act of picking my baby up calms her and makes her happy well then I'm going to do it! Why let her suffer, right? Well last night, Mean Mommy paid a visit and she caused some tears.

Let's first start with Wednesday night. This week Harper started this new thing where she gets tired around 7pm. (Usually she goes to bed between 8:30-9:30.) So Wednesday night she fell asleep in my lap and I decided to put her in her crib around 8pm. And what happens, she wakes up as soon as she's in her crib. WIDE AWAKE. Great now we have to start all over. I tried all my tricks and couldn't get her to fall back asleep until 11:30pm. So now I think, "Ok, she's asleep this late. She should sleep in." Wrongo. She was up at 5am.

Now fastforward to last night. Same thing happened. She fell asleep at 7:30, I laid her in her crib at 8pm and she woke up. She would not fall back asleep AGAIN and this time she was fussy. The only thing that would prevent her from crying was when the husband and I would hold her while standing. Since we got minimal sleep the night before, Nice Mommy left the house around 11:30pm and Mean Mommy replaced her. Mean Mommy decided to put Harper in her crib, close the door, set the timer for 15 minutes and see what happens. The first 5 minutes killed me. She was screaming. I'm just glad I couldn't see the tears. After 5 minutes, my sleep deprived body was ok with the screaming. I just kept telling myself it was for the greater good. When the 15 minute timer went off she was still screaming. "Oh great it didn't work," I thought. I went into her room, picked her up and she laid her head on my chest. I felt instant relief. I knew it was only a matter of a 5 minute rock and she would be out. And she was...until 7am! I may be inviting Mean Mom over more often in order to keep Nice Mommy sane.

Side note: of my co-workers introduced me to a blog that I have fallen in love with. Check it out. It's worth the laugh. People I Want to Punch in the Throat:: Over Achieving Elf on Shelf Mommies

Time for a little picture action!

New Mom = Time Management Issues

Now that I am a mother, I am having a hard time with time management. This is the reason it has taken me so long to write a new post. Sorry, Katrina. :) I cannot find time to fit these three pre-baby activities I used to enjoy on most weekdays:
working out
cooking dinner
sleeping

Now when I get home from work all I want to do is spend time with Harper and Dale. By the time I do get free time around 8:30pm when Harper falls asleep, I am just too exhausted to do anything or Harper has fallen asleep on me and I just enjoy cuddling so much I can't bare to put her in her crib until I go to bed. These pre-baby activities that I now refer to as nuisances just aren't as important to me as they used to be. This is NOT GOOD for my body. I've gotten to the point where I do need to make a change or else I'm going to gain back all the weight I lost three years ago. I think a lot of this new schedule I need to make will rely heavily on weekends.


Oh let's not forget the other random things that occasionally happened on weekdays that probably won't be making an appearance during the week for a long time:
Shopping at Target
Grocery shopping
Walking to the Cow for ice cream
Getting my hair done
Happy hour

Can we please just add three hours to every day so I can fit everything in? Wait that probably wouldn't help because I would just spend those three hours cuddling Harper more.

Any moms out there that can offer some advice? I'm open for any help you can provide.

In other news, Harper had her 4 month doctor's appointment yesterday. Already, I know. She weighs 14lbs and is 24 1/2 inches long. She got two shots in her leg. She is a trooper. She cried more about me laying her on the doctor's office table than when she got the shots. All I had to do was pick her up and the crying stopped. Man, does she like to be held. And by held I mean you have to be standing while holding her. None of this holding her while sitting business. She's too smart for that. Her pediatrician said we can start giving her cereal. Then in three weeks we can introduce veggies. She is getting too old!

Harper also got to meet three of her cousins and her Aunt and Uncle over Thanksgiving. She was loved on by everyone and was very entertained by the boys. Even her tough middle cousin was continuously asking if he could hold her. It was very heartwarming! It was really nice to spend the holiday with family. I hope they enjoyed my Thanksgiving cooking and decide to come again!

Picture Time!

This One's About Poop

I think all new parents should have a checklist called "The Baby Poop List." This list contains all the different poop occurrences you should expect as a newbie parent of a pooping machine. We got to check two off the list this week. 

First one: baby diarrhea. You would think all baby poop is diarrhea while breastfeeding. Well that's not exactly the case. Baby's poop while breastfeeding is like a pudding consistency, (hungry anyone?) but it also has weird texture in it that looks like small seeds-something only baby books will dare tell you. This week Harper had pretty liquidy poop which of course caused me to mildly freak out. I called her pediatrician who told me to buy some over the counter probiatics to put in her bottle. We are only two days in but I think it's helping. 

Second one: diaper blowout up the back, almost to the baby's hair. I was taking a nap when Dale called me upstairs to help him with Harper's diaper. I was surprised to see a majority of the poop was not in her diaper, but all up her back and almost in her hair. It was pretty gross and we both knew we weren't going to get out of this one without getting it on ourselves. After a quick discussion on the best strategy to get her clothes off of her, we were able to remove her dress, give her back a wipe with baby wipes and plop her in her bathtub with only a small amount of poop getting on our hands. I'm pretty amazed the distance the poop covered. You would think with gravity, that type of blowout would be impossible. But let me tell you it can happen. I've seen it with my own eyes. Don't worry, I didn't take any pictures of this phenomenon. Now we have a clean baby and a reason to do a load of her laundry for the third time this week.

Here is the complete "The Baby Poop List":

• Diaper blowout on the left side
• Diaper blowout on the right side
• Diaper blowout in the front
• Diaper blowout in the back
• Diaper blowout in the car seat
• Diarrhea
• Constipation
• Blood in poop
• Pooping while getting diaper changed
• Poop that hits the wall while changing baby
• Poop while getting a bath

I'm pretty sure I've missed a few. Feel free to add some in the comments section. We haven't had the pleasure of experiencing all of these and knock on wood we won't!

PICTURE TIME!

 

Pumpkin Patch Fail!

Yesterday was so beautiful that we decided to go to the pumpkin patch so I could take fall pictures of Harper. I wasn't sure how this photo shoot going to go since she can't sit up yet.In the patch I found two pumpkins located next to each other that could hold her up. Dale and I propped her up against them and I got in position to take her photo. I started to take the first picture when it happened, Harper took her first fall sideways into the dirt. And it wasn't just dirt, it was also pumpkin vines with prickers on them. Your first reaction is, "Oh no, my baby could be hurt, I need to help her." Your second reaction is guilt after you see the damage, hear the cry and see the tears...all because you wanted to take a picture of her by pumpkins. She only suffered a few minor scratches and probably years of therapy to get over her fear of pumpkins. After five minutes of her crying and me feeling terrible, we found two pumpkins closer together that worked perfectly to keep her in place. I think the pictures turned out good. I posted the best on Facebook. I only really got the same shot 100 times since I was worried she would fall again. I figure next year will go better as long as she isn't running away from me. I also assume there will be many more falls and injuries in her future. I just hope I'm there for most to make her feel better.

It is amazing the things moms and dads will do to make their child laugh. If you had a camera set up in our living room, you would be entertained for hours. Wednesday night my crazy, silly thing was dancing and I was pulling out all the stops. I was using full out jazz hands, the one dance move where you have your hands on your knees and as you push your knees together you cross your hands in front of them, the moon walk, the running man and just some random movements, all of which were entertaining Harper. I'll do anything for a laugh and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I'm trying to prepare Harper's wardrobe for winter. Do babies not wear coats until they are 12 months? I haven't really found any for a baby smaller than that. That's a lie, I did find a really cute one at babies R us, but it was too fancy to buy. I think babies wear something called a baby bunting. I don't think they are cute at all, but I guess if it keeps your child safe I have nothing against them. I'll have to do more research before I buy one. I'm hoping my winter car seat cover is enough or I find a coat.

Here are some pumpkin patch pictures and Harper cheering on the Packers!

Almost 3 Months In and I've Learned Some Things

Ok, I know I will be learning things throughout this journey of motherhood, but I wanted to share a few things I've learned so far.

Feet are your second hand. Wait...we have two hands so third and fourth hand I mean. You will be amazed at the acrobats you can do to pick things off the floor or table with your feet while holding a sleeping baby.

Old people (and I mean OLD) don't have a filter in public and will tell you what you are doing wrong. Dale has gotten stopped on two separate occasions by old ladies. One scolded him for not covering Harper with a pink blanket so people knew she was a girl and another was shocked that we would dare take a 5 week old out of the house. "20 years ago you wouldn't take a baby out of the house until they were 6 months old." Lady, if we still did stuff that was acceptable 20 years ago, babies wouldn't be in car seats and I'd still be listening to Ace of Base on my Walkman. (Maybe not all too hateful.) I'm so sick of the "is your baby a boy or girl question that I won't leave the house without a barrette in her hair. They even ask when she is wearing purple so the barrette is a must!

I never understood how people, moms especially, could get so upset the first time or week they had to drop their baby off at daycare or the first night away from their child. Well the daycare first week was not fun. It was hard to trust well essentially a stranger to take care of my baby for the next 8 hours. Sure, she's been doing this for 30+ years but does she know what to do when my baby cries? Is she prepared to rock her to sleep every time she's ready to go down for a nap? Is she going to have enough of my breast milk to keep Harper satisfied? These questions and many more were all I could think of the whole first day back at work, plus I missed the crap out of her. When you spend 2+ months with someone you grow attached and don't want to lose them. This feeling of protection and love (different from the love I have for my husband since I know he can take care of himself) was new to me. I'm not sure I will ever be 100% ok with dropping Harper off at daycare but for now, this mommy is managing. Now for the first night away from her..we will have to handle that hurdle when it comes.

Showers are a luxury. I'm pretty sure I've become that stinky lady that doesn't realize she smells. When I'm at home with Harper for the day I'm lucky if I can squeeze in a shower. you have to prioritize items to do while the baby sleeps and shower often doesn't make my list. Don't worry coworkers, now that I'm back in the office full time my daily routine includes a shower. For awhile I was content with every other day or the occasional longer, yuck. Good thing Dale can't smell and Harper has no choice.

A trip to Target to pick up a prescription turns into a cart full of clothes/toys for Harper.  I'll admit, I could never leave Target with just a prescription in the past. That purchase would normally include a new shirt or running shorts for myself. But now, it's all about stuff for Harper. Today's visit was no exception.  I ended up leaving with three toys, four pairs of baby socks, a tiny skirt, three pairs of little tights and a 2T shirt. Yes, a 2T shirt that my daughter can't wear for 2 years. My rationalization...It's sooo cute and on clearance. This opportunity won't happen again. Fingers crossed I still like it in two years.

Dale is an amazing father. I always knew he would be, but I think there is that fear in the back of every pregnant woman's mind of "will the father feel the bond/connection to the baby right away?" Dale was instantly in love. He had tears in his eyes the moment Harper arrived. (I'm sure he loves me telling people that.) He has been a huge help to me by constantly getting me things while I'm feeding Harper. He has no problems with getting spit up on or changing her diaper. Let's face it, wiping up someone else's poop is true love. He also enjoys having her fall asleep on his chest most nights. Every night we have the same routine: we put her in her crib, Dale leans over and gives her a kiss and I say, "Goodnight, Peanut Butter. We love you." I know it's a corny ritual but it's just us being us. I think it kills Dale to go to work each morning. I know he would much rather stay at home with his baby girl. Something that did shock me was he started posting pictures of Harper and changing his status message on Facebook. Both of which were unheard of. Not to mention that I had to show him how to update his status. (Once again I'm sure he loves that I'm sharing that.) One thing is for sure, Harper is going to have her daddy wrapped around her little finger.

Babies have the strangest ability to gather tons and tons of lint between their fingers and toes. It is crazy how often I am cleaning them out. Where does all this fuzz come from and why doesn't that happen to adults? 

I love coming home and smelling Harper. Very strange...I know, but she has this baby smell that I can't get enough of, especially if I've been gone all day.


Most importantly I've learned that being a mom is awesome and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Now if you ask me again when she is a teen, I might have different answer. Ok, probably not. :)

Cute pic time!

Hello Blogging World, It's Me Sarah

I have officially decided to join the blogging world (I'm only 10 years behind).  I have tried blogging in the past and have failed multiple times. I've decided to give it one more try for several reasons that I'm about to force you to read.

1) Everyone is doing it. (Yes I would jump off the bridge too.)

2) I don't think I really had anything to talk about until now. I'm excited to share my random new mom thoughts, stories and adorable pictures with anyone that will subject themselves to my blog.

3) Blogging gives me an additional outlet to keep my family and friends updated on our lives that are happening thousands of miles away. Living in Baltimore really kills me. I miss my family and friends all day, everyday. Harper hasn't met half her family yet and she is over two months old. It is really hard to only see your family 1-2 times a year. I hope this blog helps my family and friends stay up-to-date on what is happening in our lives and especially Harper's life.

4) And finally, I can only post so many pictures of my adorable baby girl to Facebook before people start blocking me. I love Harper and want to share her with the world but I understand people are at different stages in their lives and may not want their newsfeed cluttered with pictures of my daughter sleeping in five different positions on my chest or in the latest new outfit I bought her.

So if you have some free time and want to read the ramblings of a new mom, please follow my blog. I promise not to hold back on the cute pics! Here is my disclaimer...I have been known to divulge too much information. So if things like poop, mucus plugs or toe nails falling of gross you out, this isn't the blog for you and you should stop reading now. You probably should have stopped before that sentence... If you have never had a baby you are probably looking mucus plug up right now. It's one of those wonderful pregnancy things no one talks about...but I will!

I can't end a blog post without a cute picture of Harper. Love her!