Maecy called me up this morning - her water broke in bed and she's on the way to the hospital. So I am ready to go at any second just in case I need to pick up mom or keep Maecy company or just need to visit Mateo. Mila is packed and we're ready to go. So as I am sitting here a little bored, I've done some research on the stork signs and I looked at Luke's blog book. Here's an old list of 100 things... Interesting to see what I've done in the last 5 years...
Bold are what I did before 2010. And the red italic is what I've done since.
1. Started your own blog (how about "re-started")
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland (... One day... One day we will make it there.)
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped (I guess I was counting Worlds of Fun, "The Ripcord")
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightening storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables (I'm counting mom's gardens that I did help plant and watered a few times... Barely ate any of it though. Too many worms and too much lettuce.)
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitchhiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill (yes, but only because Luke was)
24. Built a snow fort (how about igloo!!)
25. Held a lamb
26. Went skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon (still a fatty, so that's a "NO!" - my goal for the next five years.)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (I'm lucky if I hit the ball...)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (hey, I did work on ancestry.. I'm getting there.)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (re-learning Spanish)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
43. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
44. Visited Africa (Ebola! Ebola everywhere! So no.)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (I should.)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (that's on the same list as Hawaii I guess)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class (Not me, but Luke has! I took Zumba...)
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching (in Kansas? Are you serious??)
63. Got flowers for no reason (I have a good husband)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I'm counting cord blood. I did that with Mila)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check (never again!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar (too scared. I ate raw sushimi.)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (I think the chance has passed for that.)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (Yes! Brand new to me! From the car dealer.)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (it takes dedication)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I ate the squirrel mom shot. #onlywithmom … but for this to count, I'm choosing fish)
88. Saved someone's life
89. Had chickenpox
90. Sat on a jury (Two years in a row! One car crash with medical bills and another with a robbery in Basehor where I knew just about all of the witnesses and they still let me on the panel.)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (we're so nerdy...)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (every time I watch a judge on TV!)
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day
So this means I'm 38/100.
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Growth
Strange how our minds and memories work, and generally how life itself works out.
Lately there's been a lot of discussion about first child (the oldest, which I am), second child, and if you are blessed enough to have one, the third child and so on. So I've been thinking a lot about similarities between Luke, me, and other older siblings that we know like Veronica and Natalie Gutz. And similarities between Maecy and Mila, Aldo, etc. And how I'm going to need some time before we even consider having a third child.
The Alvidrez family is the exception. They're all crazy.
Anyway, we were hanging out with Maecy the other day telling stories about how much trouble she got into growing up. A lot of it had to do with poop or eating unsanitary things. Once she ate gum off of a tire. Yummy! A few times she has dirtied up bathrooms. And she's gone without underwear a lot! I don't think I ever did anything really bad except make her sing "shake your booty" in public (on a table at McDonalds). But really hashtag... #peopleofMcDonalds is basically the same as #peopleofWalmart ... People expect nuts to walk through their doors. Is Luke my easy child and Mila my little trouble-maker? We shall see.
But the purpose of this post was I was going to talk about growth. With Luke every milestone was new. We had no idea what to look for, what to expect, what to savor. With Mila I see the stages. I see the on-coming of milestones. And I appreciate them more and more. The newborn only lasts so long. Mila probably 2 weeks. To all those future mommies and daddies out there take as many pictures as you can of your newborn. The tinyness and essence of newborn only lasts so long. I knew Mila grew out of the newborn stage almost immediately. I can see subtle changes this time around a lot better than with Luke. Mila has this little peacock patch of hair that grows a little more each day. She had chunky legs now with more rolls than the Pillsbury doughboy (not really... but she does have rolls). But I can tell when she's growing long or filling out because when I change places in the middle of the night to feed her (crawling over one side to the other) I look down and notice... She's bigger than yesterday. And before I could see big milestones but now I can break them down into weeks. She's really starting to coo now. You appreciate every raspberry they blow. It only lasts so long and the next day they're talking... Repeating your name "Mommy... Mommy... Mommy..." in your ear a hundred times... And then you hear them less because they go to school all day, but thank goodness the days are quicker... But then one day they're grown. Married at 30 (not 13, Luke) with their own kids and days pass so fast.
How did this post get to be so depressing? Ok, I'm going to go appreciate the day with my kids now. Kids. That's plural. Hasn't entirely sunk in yet.
Lately there's been a lot of discussion about first child (the oldest, which I am), second child, and if you are blessed enough to have one, the third child and so on. So I've been thinking a lot about similarities between Luke, me, and other older siblings that we know like Veronica and Natalie Gutz. And similarities between Maecy and Mila, Aldo, etc. And how I'm going to need some time before we even consider having a third child.
The Alvidrez family is the exception. They're all crazy.
Anyway, we were hanging out with Maecy the other day telling stories about how much trouble she got into growing up. A lot of it had to do with poop or eating unsanitary things. Once she ate gum off of a tire. Yummy! A few times she has dirtied up bathrooms. And she's gone without underwear a lot! I don't think I ever did anything really bad except make her sing "shake your booty" in public (on a table at McDonalds). But really hashtag... #peopleofMcDonalds is basically the same as #peopleofWalmart ... People expect nuts to walk through their doors. Is Luke my easy child and Mila my little trouble-maker? We shall see.
But the purpose of this post was I was going to talk about growth. With Luke every milestone was new. We had no idea what to look for, what to expect, what to savor. With Mila I see the stages. I see the on-coming of milestones. And I appreciate them more and more. The newborn only lasts so long. Mila probably 2 weeks. To all those future mommies and daddies out there take as many pictures as you can of your newborn. The tinyness and essence of newborn only lasts so long. I knew Mila grew out of the newborn stage almost immediately. I can see subtle changes this time around a lot better than with Luke. Mila has this little peacock patch of hair that grows a little more each day. She had chunky legs now with more rolls than the Pillsbury doughboy (not really... but she does have rolls). But I can tell when she's growing long or filling out because when I change places in the middle of the night to feed her (crawling over one side to the other) I look down and notice... She's bigger than yesterday. And before I could see big milestones but now I can break them down into weeks. She's really starting to coo now. You appreciate every raspberry they blow. It only lasts so long and the next day they're talking... Repeating your name "Mommy... Mommy... Mommy..." in your ear a hundred times... And then you hear them less because they go to school all day, but thank goodness the days are quicker... But then one day they're grown. Married at 30 (not 13, Luke) with their own kids and days pass so fast.
How did this post get to be so depressing? Ok, I'm going to go appreciate the day with my kids now. Kids. That's plural. Hasn't entirely sunk in yet.
The Hair Tuft
<3 My Kids <3
Saturday, October 10, 2015
TMI & TBH
We're 2 months old today!
So cutting to the chase.... Here's my "Too Much Information" statements:
And now "To Be Honest"... People weren't talking about post-partum while I was dealing with it and now that it's over and I would and am willing to speak out about it, everyone is. I'm not on some bandwagon speaking out about an issue, I actually went through it. Why does it come out now as an actual issue?
To be honest... I could use some sleep. But Mila is doing great anyway.
To be honest... It's hard being at home all day. And with a baby at your hip 24/7. Seriously attached. She likes me best. (To be honest.) it's only hard though because I have to look for things to do that I can do with her. Like projects. Well I can't read much. I get tired of watching tv all day. I get stressed looking at all the cleaning around me. And I desperately want to get a fit body again.
To be honest... I'm 210 lbs. Daaaaang. I have the weirdest belly button, an overhanging excess of skin, and my belly is stretch mark city. I desperately want to exercise. But it is so hard with a two-month-old and I'm not making up excuses. I ran the other day (I had to wake up early to do it and I had to have Aldo to watch Mila and Mila had to be in a good mood) and I could only go half way running because I couldn't breath. That's not good. I'd like to walk but it takes more time. How convenient that winter is coming and the weather is getting colder. I would go to the YMCA except that I think 2 mo. is too young to leave a baby in a nursery with people you don't particularly know.
To be honest... I love being a mom. I think my favorite time is when they start talking because 1) you finally can ask what they want, but mostly 2) they have such sweet voices and 3) you get a better idea of their personalities. We're going to have our hands full with Mila. She's already "talking" by cooing and moving her hands.
To be honest... I'm least looking forward to teething. The other day she got her two-month-old shots. (By the way she weighs 11lbs. 4oz. and measures 22.25in.) She was cranky all day, her little chubby legs were so sensitive. I can only imagine teething. And she's already sucking and slobbering on my shoulder.
To be honest... (This is a Luke update) I have THE smartest kids. Aldo and I went to Luke's first parent-teacher conferences. As a kindergartner, the kids are expected to know some of their letters and hardly any of the sounds they make. Luke is reading Dr. Seuss. He's writing entries Ina journal with full sentences where other kids are labeling with a word here and there or putting down the first letter for the first sound. Luke is being put into the enriched group in English and Math. We had to ask are we pushing him too hard?... Is it too much that we're already having him count money?
So cutting to the chase.... Here's my "Too Much Information" statements:
- Breastfeeding is so weird. Once you get passed the soreness stage, you're just nipping all day. Through sweaters even! And during odd times (your baby doesn't have to be awake or hungry for this to happen) you might suddenly get a tingling feeling like they're being pulled on. So weird!
- How long do you bleed for after giving birth? With Luke I stopped pretty quickly up until I started taking birth control and then bled every single day. This time I haven't taken anything yet, and just earlier this week I stopped wearing the panty liners. Our bodies are so strange I tell you! And nobody warns you of these things.
And now "To Be Honest"... People weren't talking about post-partum while I was dealing with it and now that it's over and I would and am willing to speak out about it, everyone is. I'm not on some bandwagon speaking out about an issue, I actually went through it. Why does it come out now as an actual issue?
To be honest... I could use some sleep. But Mila is doing great anyway.
To be honest... It's hard being at home all day. And with a baby at your hip 24/7. Seriously attached. She likes me best. (To be honest.) it's only hard though because I have to look for things to do that I can do with her. Like projects. Well I can't read much. I get tired of watching tv all day. I get stressed looking at all the cleaning around me. And I desperately want to get a fit body again.
To be honest... I'm 210 lbs. Daaaaang. I have the weirdest belly button, an overhanging excess of skin, and my belly is stretch mark city. I desperately want to exercise. But it is so hard with a two-month-old and I'm not making up excuses. I ran the other day (I had to wake up early to do it and I had to have Aldo to watch Mila and Mila had to be in a good mood) and I could only go half way running because I couldn't breath. That's not good. I'd like to walk but it takes more time. How convenient that winter is coming and the weather is getting colder. I would go to the YMCA except that I think 2 mo. is too young to leave a baby in a nursery with people you don't particularly know.
To be honest... I love being a mom. I think my favorite time is when they start talking because 1) you finally can ask what they want, but mostly 2) they have such sweet voices and 3) you get a better idea of their personalities. We're going to have our hands full with Mila. She's already "talking" by cooing and moving her hands.
To be honest... I'm least looking forward to teething. The other day she got her two-month-old shots. (By the way she weighs 11lbs. 4oz. and measures 22.25in.) She was cranky all day, her little chubby legs were so sensitive. I can only imagine teething. And she's already sucking and slobbering on my shoulder.
To be honest... (This is a Luke update) I have THE smartest kids. Aldo and I went to Luke's first parent-teacher conferences. As a kindergartner, the kids are expected to know some of their letters and hardly any of the sounds they make. Luke is reading Dr. Seuss. He's writing entries Ina journal with full sentences where other kids are labeling with a word here and there or putting down the first letter for the first sound. Luke is being put into the enriched group in English and Math. We had to ask are we pushing him too hard?... Is it too much that we're already having him count money?
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Current Status
Aldo
Age 27, working at Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City, KS as a Floor Manager. Also currently running a Teen Bible Study series on the Holy Spirit. And those two things pretty much take up his time. I'm currently looking for a different job for him. Something 9 to 5, weekends off, still close by and maybe a pay grade up.
Myself
Age 27, working from home (still basement of my mom's house) on my laptop doing the monthly newsletter for the local library. They love me there and offered me a position. Actually they offer me my job back almost every time I go in. But this time they offered for me to bring Mila and work in back. They were serious. So I'm actually considering it. Aldo says the church leadership wants me to be the secretary (crazy right?!) but I haven't heard any official word on that.
On top of those things - what else does a stay-at-home-mom do? When I was "stay-at-home" with Luke, I wasn't really, because I taught homeschool at someone else's house. So I still had a "job". Now I have a whole lot of free time, but it's restricted. Because Mila is so spontaneous. A friend recommended I find a hobby. So as to not go insane here's what I came up with:
Age 27, working at Nebraska Furniture Mart in Kansas City, KS as a Floor Manager. Also currently running a Teen Bible Study series on the Holy Spirit. And those two things pretty much take up his time. I'm currently looking for a different job for him. Something 9 to 5, weekends off, still close by and maybe a pay grade up.
Myself
Age 27, working from home (still basement of my mom's house) on my laptop doing the monthly newsletter for the local library. They love me there and offered me a position. Actually they offer me my job back almost every time I go in. But this time they offered for me to bring Mila and work in back. They were serious. So I'm actually considering it. Aldo says the church leadership wants me to be the secretary (crazy right?!) but I haven't heard any official word on that.
On top of those things - what else does a stay-at-home-mom do? When I was "stay-at-home" with Luke, I wasn't really, because I taught homeschool at someone else's house. So I still had a "job". Now I have a whole lot of free time, but it's restricted. Because Mila is so spontaneous. A friend recommended I find a hobby. So as to not go insane here's what I came up with:
- Take piano lessons.
- Plan a Eurotrip. Or s trip across all 50 states.
- Listen to the Bible all the way through.
Piano lessons were inspired by Mila's long, beautiful piano fingers. Obviously I can't take lessons until she's able to take regular naps, but it's on my bucket list anyway. I've started research on Europe go-to places by watching documentaries (it's difficult reading books with s baby at home). Eventually, and yes it will take a while, I'll get a budget together, which will be our savings goal. Very long term. At least five years away. I guess I should mention saving for a house comes first, and before that paying off debt (thank you Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University), but for now it's on pause. And so far I've completed Genesis on my Bible listening.
Luke
Age 5, attending school at Basehor Elementary, Monday through Friday. He really likes it. Especially anything to do with library and reading (He's my child for sure). I hear from teachers that he's doing really well and seems as happy as can be. Today though he got off the bus crying. This little Violet girl is a nuisance - he told me the other day that she tattles on him and lies about him all the time. And then today she scratched him on the ankle and made him bleed at recess, then hit him on the bus twice. After questioning Luke intensively, I found out that he didn't initiate anything or antagonize, actually the opposite- he asked her politely to stop and that he didn't like when she hit him - it sounded like those "I Messages" we were taught in school when I was little to help with bullies. Did I mention how I have the sweetest kid?! On another note, I'd like to put Luke in sports or something. Maybe swimming lessons again. We'll see. Unfortunately until the bills are paid, we're penny pinching so extracurricular activities are hard to find.
Mila
Wakes up anywhere from 4-6 am. Falls back asleep until somewhere between 10-Noon.. And that's when we do "Tummy Time". We were taking naps together from 3-4 pm, but as of late I've been skipping out on that. And this week she's been waking up early and fussing when we pick up Luke. All the way until 6ish. That's rough. I've also been trying to take her off of formula and going solely breastmilk (succeeded the two days in a row), but yesterday and today at this fuss time the only thing that seems to make her happy is 2oz. of Enfamil. We'll get there. And the end of the night is guess work. Some days she's asleep by 10 and others by 3 o'clock in the morning.
Current cuteness: She smiles at me. She laughs in her sleep. She tracks me across the room. And today we played the cooing copycat game. I love when her eyebrows furrow up. There was a lot of furrowing today.
I Did Something Good Today
... I chose to hold her instead of put her in the swing.
Moms... Dads... Hold onto your babies for five more minutes. Go in for the extra hug and blow a special kiss. Read another bedtime story. They're kids for only so long. Take every opportunity to enjoy this time you have together. You may not have another chance; it's not promised.
... Annnnnd that's how I got the "Mom of the Year" Award. Just kidding.
Moms... Dads... Hold onto your babies for five more minutes. Go in for the extra hug and blow a special kiss. Read another bedtime story. They're kids for only so long. Take every opportunity to enjoy this time you have together. You may not have another chance; it's not promised.
... Annnnnd that's how I got the "Mom of the Year" Award. Just kidding.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Getting in the Swing of Things
All things have now kind of leveled out. It's still unreal to me that we have a baby, but at least we're starting to figure things out.
Mila didn't have colic - she had a bit of gas, so we burped her better and watched how and in what position she drank from bottles. There were times when she would only drink the foamy top right after shaking a formula bottle, and I would especially burp her then. When it wasn't gas, she was just fighting a bit of sleep, so we would rock her, bounce her, wrap her, burp her, change position constantly, all to wear her out and get her through it.
Since then, she had a growth spurt, during which time she stopped drinking as much, also at which time I was on my menstrual cycle and didn't know it - both can cause a decrease in breastmilk supply. So we had a breastmilk supply scare. For two days I nursed, nursed, nursed and pumped, pumped, pumped in between. I was down to .5mL on each side. Now I'm at 2mL each (my guess because I'm hardly pumping, more trying to just nurse and not use formula). I should pump in between still to keep my supply up just in case though.
My birthday has also passed. It's crazy how time goes by. One minute you feel like you'll never mature (I'm now 20 in a 27 year old body) and the next you look around and realize you're as old as your parents and you've caught up to them because you now have the same amount of kids they have and you're music is now "oldies". Wow! As of late, mom has been out of town frequently so I've been taking care of the birds. Wake up at 6:30am, put on camo boots, open coop door, water in all buckets from the well faucet, let out the small birds in the corner who are separated at the moment and in that "transition" stage, feed them all outside (scoop laying brownish-grayish cracked-looking stuff, scoop corny pebble feed, and one scoop whole corn), feed small birds inside coop, let them all out and tie up rope, collect eggs. Today doing the chores (I'm also taking care of the dogs and a lame duck in the garage) I realized that when I was younger I didn't grow up on a "farm" per se. I vaguely remember pigs at my Grammy and Granddad's house. It was more of a "wildlife preserve" because my uncle raised cougars, peacocks, sugar gliders, etc. My other uncle had horses. My Grammy had her outside dogs and barn-full of raggedy old cats (I have no idea where they would come from) that seemed to never die. ... I'm getting away from the point I was trying to make... Anyway, today it occurred to me that both of my kids will be able to tell their children about the farm they grew up on. All thanks to my mother who we currently reside with. It was kind of a sweet thought. For a moment I felt privileged. Not all kids grow up on farms. I'd say a lot that I know grew up urban or inner-city, and it very well seems like that's where the world is leading toward. I thought of this picture I have of Luke when he's not yet one. He's sitting on the ground, right outside the chicken fence, attempting to feed the chickens with these measily handfuls of straw. I thought maybe someday I'll have a picture of Mila doing that exact same thing. And how many parents do I know have an original picture like that...? I've been planning a photo session, well two actually; a newborn photo session and one with the whole family in denim once Mateo arrives. All the poses and backgrounds whether baby or family are same old same old - people who declare how much they're city people take pictures in front of barns and in sunflower fields. Tell me how that explains anything memorable about your life (sorry for my brief moment of "hater" sarcasm). At least the picture of Luke in front of the fence, feeding the animals, meant something. And gosh do I dislike those dumb animals.
I'm trying to remember if something big happened lately that I'm just not recalling...
Sorry, my mind is blank. Maybe someday I'll be able to actually finish one of these blog entries on the same day I start. Difficult when you have an actual subject to talk about and then your train of thought gets interrupted and you forgot where you were going with it when you finally come back.
All in all, Mila is starting to recognize faces. Of course she knows my voice. She's smiling at my face. I love it! Has her favorite sleeping spots: my armpit in bed, under my neck, or in the swing. Luke is holding her more and more and the other day Daddy almost had Luke carry her to me by himself. Luke was nervous. It was the cutest thing! I think he thought he might drop her.
Time to go! When the little one wakes up, like that everything I'm doing stops and that's the end..
Mila didn't have colic - she had a bit of gas, so we burped her better and watched how and in what position she drank from bottles. There were times when she would only drink the foamy top right after shaking a formula bottle, and I would especially burp her then. When it wasn't gas, she was just fighting a bit of sleep, so we would rock her, bounce her, wrap her, burp her, change position constantly, all to wear her out and get her through it.
Since then, she had a growth spurt, during which time she stopped drinking as much, also at which time I was on my menstrual cycle and didn't know it - both can cause a decrease in breastmilk supply. So we had a breastmilk supply scare. For two days I nursed, nursed, nursed and pumped, pumped, pumped in between. I was down to .5mL on each side. Now I'm at 2mL each (my guess because I'm hardly pumping, more trying to just nurse and not use formula). I should pump in between still to keep my supply up just in case though.
My birthday has also passed. It's crazy how time goes by. One minute you feel like you'll never mature (I'm now 20 in a 27 year old body) and the next you look around and realize you're as old as your parents and you've caught up to them because you now have the same amount of kids they have and you're music is now "oldies". Wow! As of late, mom has been out of town frequently so I've been taking care of the birds. Wake up at 6:30am, put on camo boots, open coop door, water in all buckets from the well faucet, let out the small birds in the corner who are separated at the moment and in that "transition" stage, feed them all outside (scoop laying brownish-grayish cracked-looking stuff, scoop corny pebble feed, and one scoop whole corn), feed small birds inside coop, let them all out and tie up rope, collect eggs. Today doing the chores (I'm also taking care of the dogs and a lame duck in the garage) I realized that when I was younger I didn't grow up on a "farm" per se. I vaguely remember pigs at my Grammy and Granddad's house. It was more of a "wildlife preserve" because my uncle raised cougars, peacocks, sugar gliders, etc. My other uncle had horses. My Grammy had her outside dogs and barn-full of raggedy old cats (I have no idea where they would come from) that seemed to never die. ... I'm getting away from the point I was trying to make... Anyway, today it occurred to me that both of my kids will be able to tell their children about the farm they grew up on. All thanks to my mother who we currently reside with. It was kind of a sweet thought. For a moment I felt privileged. Not all kids grow up on farms. I'd say a lot that I know grew up urban or inner-city, and it very well seems like that's where the world is leading toward. I thought of this picture I have of Luke when he's not yet one. He's sitting on the ground, right outside the chicken fence, attempting to feed the chickens with these measily handfuls of straw. I thought maybe someday I'll have a picture of Mila doing that exact same thing. And how many parents do I know have an original picture like that...? I've been planning a photo session, well two actually; a newborn photo session and one with the whole family in denim once Mateo arrives. All the poses and backgrounds whether baby or family are same old same old - people who declare how much they're city people take pictures in front of barns and in sunflower fields. Tell me how that explains anything memorable about your life (sorry for my brief moment of "hater" sarcasm). At least the picture of Luke in front of the fence, feeding the animals, meant something. And gosh do I dislike those dumb animals.
I'm trying to remember if something big happened lately that I'm just not recalling...
Sorry, my mind is blank. Maybe someday I'll be able to actually finish one of these blog entries on the same day I start. Difficult when you have an actual subject to talk about and then your train of thought gets interrupted and you forgot where you were going with it when you finally come back.
All in all, Mila is starting to recognize faces. Of course she knows my voice. She's smiling at my face. I love it! Has her favorite sleeping spots: my armpit in bed, under my neck, or in the swing. Luke is holding her more and more and the other day Daddy almost had Luke carry her to me by himself. Luke was nervous. It was the cutest thing! I think he thought he might drop her.
Time to go! When the little one wakes up, like that everything I'm doing stops and that's the end..
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Not Technically Colicky
3 Weeks
If it's not one thing, it's another, right?
So for the past week or so (at age 2-3 weeks) Mila has had a time of "fussiness" where nothing is making her happy. I go from holding her upright with her head on my shoulder (sometimes patting her on the back or butt, sometimes not), to holding her sideways (sometimes back facing the floor, sometimes not), to sitting up, to eating, to changing her, to shhh-shing her, to singing, to bouncing, standing up and dancing, and all over again. She fights sleep so hard. Now, she's awake from around 6:30 am (right before Luke gets up for school) til about 11:00-Noon. It's really hard to get her down for that midday nap. And again she's awake from 8:00-9:00 pm all the way til almost 1:00 in he morning. That part is really difficult because if I'm the one staying up with her, first I'm exhausted from having her all day, and second, everyone else in the house is asleep and peaceful... And that's super frustrating when all you want is someone to offer a few minutes of relief. And it's heaven when she finally sleeps. Another thing I've forgotten about is the back and shoulder pain. It never goes away or "lets go" fully. And it's from holding her in these positions for hours trying to get her to fall asleep, and also from blocking her with my arm in bed, either from rolling off the side or separating her from Aldo's body. There's no rest for a mom. Just know that. If you don't have kids and you're considering it, it's something you may want to think about. And you have no money either. Dang, kids are expensive - delivery (hospital, doctor, anesthesia, shots, birth certificate, and those cute first pictures you might want), diapers, formula, pediatrician appointments, and then later toys and school.
Other than all that, she's great! I got her to smile today as she was laying on the floor. I can't remember what it was I did though. Some kind of sound. I just repeated what she did and spanked her legs as I did it. She smiled twice. Wahoo! Still unsure if this kid is going to like me. She gives me faces where her eyebrows come together all the time. Furrowed brows. Or she just stares. With her big grayish, blueish, brownish eyes.
On another note, Luke is doing great in school. We had one mishap already where he told on himself that he got a couple of warnings (all the way down to orange on the behavior scale), but by the end of the day he was better and ended up on green. (He got in a pencil fight.)
Oh and before I forget, Mila got her first "Oops! That might leave a mark..."-Boo Boo. I asked Luke to pass me one of the puzzle books and he tossed it over to me without looking. It cornered Mila right in the forehead. My eyes opened wide in hesitation... What is she going to do?... And she started crying. Luke was immediately apologizing. He didn't mean to hurt her of course. Just wasn't paying attention.
As a Kindergartner (because I know these things change)... As answered by Luke -
Favorite Movie/TV Show: Scooby Doo
Favorite Song: Scooby Doo theme song (but really it's "You Spin Me (Right Round)")
Favorite Book: Captain Underpants (which we are currently reading)
Favorite Food: Corn Dogs
Favorite Candy: Suckers (surprised he didn't say chocolate or Mom's candy or Reese's)
Favorite Animal: Tiger
I didn't ask him this, but if I did... Favorite Toy: Legos
That's all I have for now. My days are pretty boring. It's my birthday tomorrow! But we're not doing much. Mom's out of town on a horse thing, Aldo's schedule is blacked out for Labor Day, so I'm sending Luke to spend the night at Maecy's with Juan's nephews... It's just me and Mila. Another bonus to becoming a parent - you're getting old and you're reminded of it. At least I don't have grey or white hairs. Aldo has one on his head, one in his eyebrow, and one in his chin hair. Ha! Happy 27th pretty mama! You're doing super and holding it together!
If it's not one thing, it's another, right?
So for the past week or so (at age 2-3 weeks) Mila has had a time of "fussiness" where nothing is making her happy. I go from holding her upright with her head on my shoulder (sometimes patting her on the back or butt, sometimes not), to holding her sideways (sometimes back facing the floor, sometimes not), to sitting up, to eating, to changing her, to shhh-shing her, to singing, to bouncing, standing up and dancing, and all over again. She fights sleep so hard. Now, she's awake from around 6:30 am (right before Luke gets up for school) til about 11:00-Noon. It's really hard to get her down for that midday nap. And again she's awake from 8:00-9:00 pm all the way til almost 1:00 in he morning. That part is really difficult because if I'm the one staying up with her, first I'm exhausted from having her all day, and second, everyone else in the house is asleep and peaceful... And that's super frustrating when all you want is someone to offer a few minutes of relief. And it's heaven when she finally sleeps. Another thing I've forgotten about is the back and shoulder pain. It never goes away or "lets go" fully. And it's from holding her in these positions for hours trying to get her to fall asleep, and also from blocking her with my arm in bed, either from rolling off the side or separating her from Aldo's body. There's no rest for a mom. Just know that. If you don't have kids and you're considering it, it's something you may want to think about. And you have no money either. Dang, kids are expensive - delivery (hospital, doctor, anesthesia, shots, birth certificate, and those cute first pictures you might want), diapers, formula, pediatrician appointments, and then later toys and school.
Other than all that, she's great! I got her to smile today as she was laying on the floor. I can't remember what it was I did though. Some kind of sound. I just repeated what she did and spanked her legs as I did it. She smiled twice. Wahoo! Still unsure if this kid is going to like me. She gives me faces where her eyebrows come together all the time. Furrowed brows. Or she just stares. With her big grayish, blueish, brownish eyes.
On another note, Luke is doing great in school. We had one mishap already where he told on himself that he got a couple of warnings (all the way down to orange on the behavior scale), but by the end of the day he was better and ended up on green. (He got in a pencil fight.)
Oh and before I forget, Mila got her first "Oops! That might leave a mark..."-Boo Boo. I asked Luke to pass me one of the puzzle books and he tossed it over to me without looking. It cornered Mila right in the forehead. My eyes opened wide in hesitation... What is she going to do?... And she started crying. Luke was immediately apologizing. He didn't mean to hurt her of course. Just wasn't paying attention.
As a Kindergartner (because I know these things change)... As answered by Luke -
Favorite Movie/TV Show: Scooby Doo
Favorite Song: Scooby Doo theme song (but really it's "You Spin Me (Right Round)")
Favorite Book: Captain Underpants (which we are currently reading)
Favorite Food: Corn Dogs
Favorite Candy: Suckers (surprised he didn't say chocolate or Mom's candy or Reese's)
Favorite Animal: Tiger
I didn't ask him this, but if I did... Favorite Toy: Legos
That's all I have for now. My days are pretty boring. It's my birthday tomorrow! But we're not doing much. Mom's out of town on a horse thing, Aldo's schedule is blacked out for Labor Day, so I'm sending Luke to spend the night at Maecy's with Juan's nephews... It's just me and Mila. Another bonus to becoming a parent - you're getting old and you're reminded of it. At least I don't have grey or white hairs. Aldo has one on his head, one in his eyebrow, and one in his chin hair. Ha! Happy 27th pretty mama! You're doing super and holding it together!
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