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March 31, 2008
Mommy Worry
I've written about Mommy Guilt and Mommy Comparisons, but I haven't said much about Mommy Worry. Mommy Worry is a dehabilitating, paralyzing fear that grips your heart and won't let you go. It began when I found out I was 9 1/2 weeks along before I even knew I was pregnant. What all had I done in that 9 1/2 weeks. I knew of cat litter boxes I had changed, cigarettes and coffee I had consumed. Had I drunk any alcohol? I had a cold - what all drugs did I take? I was so very fortunate to be laying on the ultrasound table looking at my baby within hours of finding out she was there. Next came fears over my age, of premature labor, and delivery complications. Then SIDS. SIDS is a big one. Other than putting them on their back and not allowing any smoke in the house, there's not much you can do.
Next is autism. Signs of this don't usually appear until about 18 months. So I have 9 more months to worry about this. No one knows why it happens - only that it is happening more frequently. Many scream that it's the vaccinations, but the primary ingredient they blamed it on has been removed from vaccinations for years and the rate of autism continues to increase. They seem to agree that it is some type of hereditary problem compounded by an environmental toxin. Since we don't know as much about this as we do SIDS, I don't even have a single preventative measure I can take to reduce her chances. She's either going to become autistic or she isn't and I just have to wait and see.
I've always admired relaxed, happy-go-lucky parents. I've always wished the uptight ones would just calm down a little. I wish I would just calm down a little.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 10:30 PM | Comments (2)
March 27, 2008
More weird advice
Yes, I know it's not necessary to report every piece of weird or bad advice I hear, but some of them are just too funny to not pass along.
I was reading my baby food cookbook over the weekend, and her suggestion was to put a piece of plastic under the high chair so you could "recycle" the food that the baby drops. Pick the food up off the floor and feed it back to the baby.
As if I could get to it before the dog does anyway.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 07:19 PM | Comments (0)
9 months
Mandy had her 9 month well child visit today. Her height continues to be in the 95th percentile, but her weight has dropped to the 25th percentile. The doctor is not concerned, but I sure would like to see her put on a little weight.
Every since I weaned her, she's been having trouble with meat. So we're taking her back off meat for about a month. Not what I wanted to do since I'd like to get some weight on her. It's hard to be chunky when you can only eat fruits & vegetables. The only fat I've been able to think of is avocados & I give them to her every day. Not sure what else I can do. I'm going to check with Dr. Google for vegetarian baby food recipes & see if I get any ideas there.
Other than that, everything looked good.
The doctor had apparently had a stressful day. One patient upset with him and another 10 year old acting like a 4 year old over shots. He walked in & said "boy, am I glad to see you." That was reassuring. For all my complaining about her sleep and my hundreds of questions, I'm still apparently at least a reasonable patient.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 05:34 PM | Comments (2)
March 26, 2008
Oh - and she got some new clothes
Imagine that.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 11:03 AM | Comments (0)
On a happier note
This is my kitchen floor:
It was worn out when I bought the house 15 years ago. You can't tell from the photo, but it has nicks, scratches and cuts all over it. The worst spot is where we tore it installing the new dishwasher:
It's also stained very badly. There is no getting it clean anymore.
I particularly hate the fact that the previous owners built up the kitchen floor so that it is an inch higher than the dining room despite the fact that there is no divider between the rooms:
But soon, very soon, it will be replaced with a couple hundred of these:
We bought this tile 2 1/2 years ago. We chose our paint colors specifically to coordinate with it. That purchase started the whole renovation process that has consumed our every spare moment for the last couple of years. For the last year, I have been worried that I'd never see it except for the rare and awkward visits to the garage. But now, the contractor is lined up, the grout is picked out and while the exact date is not set, I fully expect to have my new kitchen floor within the month. I refer to it as my kitchen floor, but we are putting it in the kitchen and the dining room since it's really one large area.
Yes, we are in debt up to our eyeballs. Yes, my income is at it's lowest since I was a teenager. But if we get to keep it, we'll have one nice looking house!
Posted by Wifeepoo at 10:58 AM | Comments (0)
So many accidents, so little time
This is our safety gate:
It only works when closed.
There's no point in trying to describe my emotions as I heard the thump, thump, thump, whaaaa that occurred while I was distracted on the phone the other day because it's simply indescribable.
It has renewed my concern over this huge safety hazard:
This is the gap between the bottom of our railing and the floor. Had she gone down this, she would have had a straight fall all the way to our basement. So today, I'm going to Lowe's for a piece of plexiglass to cover this entire section of railing.
We thank God that she is perfectly fine. One small bruise on her forehead. I tried to photograph it, but it wouldn't even show up on the camera:
Posted by Wifeepoo at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)
March 25, 2008
the blue outfit
We finally got some shots of her in the blue outfit I like so well:
And I LOVE this group of pictures!
Who would have thought of taking a picture of the back of her head? But it's so adorable!
Posted by Wifeepoo at 05:22 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2008
My husband networked our computers. This enables us to have access to each other's files. Out of curiosity, I peeked around his pictures the other day. Imagine my surprise to find these:
I didn't even remember him having a camera in the operating room. So many details of that day are fuzzy to me.
Here are some more:
This is the first time I saw her.
And this is the first time I held her.
Now how exactly is it that he never got around to showing or sharing these photos with me? Had he not networked us in the hopes of being able to use each other's printers, would I have ever seen them? How does the male brain work? Can anyone tell me?
Posted by Wifeepoo at 08:56 AM | Comments (0)
March 21, 2008
Mandy's explorations
Mandy is exploring her world. At least once in the morning and once in the evening, we take a tour of the whole first floor. We start in the living room, go into the bathroom and stand by the tub a while, then we head to my room where she stands at my cedar chest, and finally we crawl back to the kitchen.
A few things she has learned in her travels:
Metal dog dishes make a TON of noise when banged together or against the floor.
Toilet paper seems to just unroll forever!
The black handle on the toilet makes a huge water sound when you pull on it.
Every morning we play a fascinating game of "bottles" while I take my bath. I put a bottle on the side of the tub and she knocks it back into the water with a big splash. Another favorite game is to knock down the blocks I have stacked. But nothing beats playing with her kitty cat. We have 4, 2 of whom want nothing to do with her, one who will come around until she starts getting rough and one who will take anything she wants to do to him. He gets in her playpen and just lays there while she's falling all over him and grabbing handfuls of belly flesh or ear.
She's also starting to feed herself a little. She's pretty good with the little puffed up snacks they have for babies. The other thing we have tried is rolling pieces of banana in graham cracker crumbs. She did pretty well, but of course, she looked like she had been breaded by the time we were through.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 10:31 AM | Comments (0)
March 20, 2008
She's weaned
It may not seem like a big deal to some, but the decision to wean a baby is a big one and very emotionally charged. I really didn't have a choice. I've been fighting a waning milk supply ever since I moved her to her crib, and it's just gotten harder since she's been eating solid foods. I've drunk the tea and tried nursing her more frequently, but it just kept going down. For those of you that know, it's very telling that I quit cold turkey and at no point suffered engorgement. And I didn't expect to. If I wasn't uncomfortable after 9 or 10 hours of her sleeping, I didn't expect to be uncomfortable at any point.
Honestly, she doesn't seem to notice. Maybe it's a good age for her. She's older than the newborn instinctively rooting for mother to eat and she's younger than than the child that can ask for it or even lift the shirt themselves. Frankly, I think she's just happy to have plenty to drink, even if it is that nasty hypoallergenic formula. She seems to think it's fun when I shake the bottle and likes playing with the bottle when she's thru drinking.
And I think it must be a good age for me, despite the fact that I wanted to go the whole 12 months. When I thought I was going to have to wean her at 4 months because of her allergies, I just sobbed when I gave her a bottle. It was very emotional for me. Now, I'm just glad that I know for sure she's getting enough to drink, and that the quality of her beverage is the same all the time. I was very good on my diet, especially in the early months, but it's about impossible to never have a touch of diary, soy, nuts or eggs. Some little bit of one of those is going to slip into your diet no matter how diligent you are.
The sad aspect for me is not that I'm no longer nursing her, but rather that she's as old as she is. She's already 9 months old for crying out loud. If it weren't for the protein intolerance that made our lives hell for 4 months, I would love to just re-wind the clock and do it all over again. I want to go back to a little one month old baby sleeping endlessly in my arms. The stage where you're excited when they open their eyes or grab a finger. Which is not to say I'm not enjoying this age, because I am. She's simply the most charming baby I've ever seen. Seriously - we usually draw a crowd wherever we go as women oh & ah over my happy, pretty baby. It's just that it's going by so fast. I wonder why they're only babies for a year or two (depending on your definition), but they're teenagers for about 6. Seems like we oughta be able to reverse that ratio.
So - I know you're dying to ask - what all have I enjoyed since weaning her. Well, it's only been a day & a half, but I've had a taco salad, a pizza, and the grand prize today - an ice spice coffee drink from Panera bread. I haven't indulged in that particular treat since I found out of I was pregnant because of the caffeine content. On my list of soon-to-consume goodies is a calzone from Lupis, a mocha moolatte from Diary Queen, and anything from Cancun restaurant.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 03:09 PM | Comments (0)
March 18, 2008
I didn't do that
My husband has been paying the bills for at least the last 5 years. He really resisted the check card movement and tried his best to get me to write out checks rather than paying with the card. I didn't even try to keep writing checks - too much hassle. Invariably, there are charges on the statement that I have failed to tell him about. Every week he's asking the question "what's this charge." I've always heard keeping some mystery is good for a marriage, so I just keep him guessing as to whether I've purchased something or whether there was a fraud purchase.
But last week, it finally wasn't my fault. There were 3 separate charges, two of them from out of the country, in three different company names, all done on the same date. Scary. Guess it can happen to anyone. It's for sure we don't have a tempting amount of money in the bank.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)
Saying a long goodbye to protein intolerance
I believe Mandy is outgrowing her protein intolerance. I've been eating nuts for a while with no ramifications; although, I've never had any proof that nuts bothered her. But more exciting is that soy no longer seems to bother her. One of the worst episodes we've had since the diagnosis has been when my husband brought home Japanese food and I ate it without thinking. After she was obviously bothered, we had a "duh" moment in which we realized Japanese food was surely full of soy. But I've enjoyed that same meal several times recently, as well as some Chinese food, with no apparent effect on her.
Unfortunately, she's still sensitive to dairy. I got brave and ate a piece of cheese last week (it was so worth it!) and a small patch of eczema popped up on her leg. But hopefully it won't be much longer. She's even eating meat with no apparent problems.
And actually, if the formula she needs wasn't so nasty, I'd probably go ahead and wean her. Honestly, it smells like a rotten egg. It's no wonder I've never gotten her to drink more than 2 ounces of it. I've had milk supply issues on and off since I moved her from my bed to her crib. It got even worse when she started eating 3 or 4 meals a day. I'm tired of that particular fight and I'm just ready to put some milk in a bottle and give it to her.
Which surprises me. I was so very emotionally attached to the nursing. For the first six months, I was even wondering how far past a year I would go. I didn't see me ever wanting to stop. Just part of the process I guess.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 06:18 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2008
Happy Easter
Someone has way too much time on their hands - and quite a sick sense of humor.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 05:45 PM | Comments (1)
March 14, 2008
It's a year of firsts
Unfortunately, this is not a good first. She has her first injury.
I fell down my steps while carrying her. Pergo is a fairly slick surface anyway, plus I was wearing house-shoes that don't provide much traction, plus my railings switch sides - you have to hold on with your right hand during the first half of the stairs and your left for the second half. When you have something in your arms, it's pretty unlikely you'll stop at the landing and switch it to the other arm. Although I might from now on.
I managed to land on my back, hoping she wouldn't get injured at all, but her head smacked the door jam. It was just a horrible moment.
I started to call the doctor, but while they had me on hold, I felt pretty silly sitting there holding a baby who was grinning at me. So I hung up.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 01:11 PM | Comments (0)
March 08, 2008
Introducing
the red-neck wagon:
Posted by Wifeepoo at 05:06 PM | Comments (2)
March 07, 2008
Mommy comparisons
Along with "mommy guilt" I also decided to not engage in "mommy comparisons." Kids develop at different rates and I'm not going to sit around worrying if my kid doesn't walk as quick as yours nor will I brag if she walks sooner. I think a lot of moms get their validation by their kids progress, and I also think a lot of them lie.
Case in point - I was on a message board at BabyCenter.com and the discussion was whether or not discipline was appropriate for an 8-month-old. One lady was a strong advocate of it and said "when my daughter was 8 months old, she was already throwing away trash when someone was done with it." Really? Did she hold it in her mouth while she crawled to the can? Exactly how did she perform this task?
I'll be honest, my daughter doesn't know the difference between trash and other objects. As a matter of fact, she seems to prefer some trash to her regular toys. I think it's only fair to wait until she's walking to expect her to throw anything away.
Posted by Wifeepoo at 05:09 PM | Comments (0)