Last week, we tried to go to story time. Bear was crying before we even got in there but I just managed to get him to calm down right before it was starting. Once we got into the bookstore, Z started to cry and basically wanted to be anywhere in the bookstore except for story time. So, I practiced my new skill: knowing when to leave and just say, oh well, we'll try another day. As I was packing up the stroller on the sidewalk I realized that I had no idea where the Z's brand new Spiderman baseball cap was. I started looking everywhere for it wondering, did it fall off when we were pacing to get Bear to stop crying?? Or did it fall off in the grocery co-op that we were in before we came in to the bookstore? I decided to start there so I peeked in the front door to try to look for it. Z started sob because apparently he thought I was going to leave him, so one of the nice girls who work there came to help me.
Me: I'm trying to find my son's hat, have you seen it?
Nice Girl: Is it like the Spiderman hat?
Me: It is the Spiderman hat.
Her: Like the one on your head?
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it was on my head. Granted it was on my hat on my head so it's not like I didn't realize I was wearing a hat, but it was still a pretty amazing moment. I just laughed and laughed and laughed. What else could I do?
Monday, June 29, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
One Month Old!
The tiny fellow is growing like a weed! It's been a big month of adjustments for us all but I feel like every week we get through, things get a tiny bit easier. It's amazing how different #2 is compared to #1. Way less anxiety! Most of the time I feel like I've got a handle on the situation as far as caring for Bear's life needs, which is great. If only I didn't also have a toddler to balance with Bear, things would be pretty easy peasy. C'est la vie.
*A Note: Joe is massively busy and we've had a lot of visitors so he hasn't gotten a chance to edit the pictures he took yet so I'm just going to put in some placeholders for now. *
Approximate stats:
9lbs 3oz (weighed at the River Falls Hospital's Baby Cafe)
At least 22 inches
No sign of hair loss yet.
Eyes are lightening up a bit and still blue
The Good
Bear is a pretty laid back baby unless he is hungry. He loves to roll onto his side and that is his preferred sleeping position. He has rolled from tummy to back several times, which terrifies me. He's very strong and can lift and turn his head. He's very alert and likes to stare at lights and windows. He's starting to add more sounds to his repertoire instead of solely crying. He's been a champ at breastfeeding from the get go so there have been no food or weight concerns like with Z, which has been nice.
The Bad
The worst as far as Bear is concerned was worrying over his jaundice and having to use the billiblanket, which, in the grand scheme of things really isn't that bad considering what other terrible possibilities could exist. However, I hated that stupid thing and believe strongly that it should not be called a "blanket" since a plastic light sheet thing with a giant, heavy cord is not remotely like a blanket.
The hardest thing in general for me is how to best care for Z when I have a baby wanting to nurse every couple hours. That's been a real challenge for me. I feel guilty about not spending enough time with Z or focused on him but I know that we all just have to get used to this new family dynamic where Z is not the center of our world anymore. I also feel guilty toward Bear because, unlike Z's newborn days, I don't spend hours letting him nap on me or carrying him around all the time because I need to attend to Z as well. I know this will get easier as Bear becomes more independent, but this first month has been tough, and I'm guessing the next couple will be as well.
This first month of breastfeeding has been going well, but not perfectly or easily, that is for sure. All I can say is OUCH! But it's getting better. We're learning to latch without pain and I'm experiencing less pain in general. Again, the toughest part is entertaining Z while Bear eats (and takes his sweet time).
THE AWESOME
I can never be thankful enough for my healthy kids. Sure, we have tiny hiccups here and there but the fact is we are completely blessed. Bear is so healthy and adorable. I'm looking forward to getting to know who he is. Infants are cute and squishy, but they are not very interesting. I know now that this little squish is going to turn into a unique and fascinating little person and I can't wait to see that start to unfold.
I feel like I need to say thank you again to all the people who have helped and supported us through this first month, sent us gifts, brought us food, texted, called and just been awesome. It was really appreciated and made things so much easier.
*A Note: Joe is massively busy and we've had a lot of visitors so he hasn't gotten a chance to edit the pictures he took yet so I'm just going to put in some placeholders for now. *
Approximate stats:
9lbs 3oz (weighed at the River Falls Hospital's Baby Cafe)
At least 22 inches
No sign of hair loss yet.
Eyes are lightening up a bit and still blue
The Good
Bear is a pretty laid back baby unless he is hungry. He loves to roll onto his side and that is his preferred sleeping position. He has rolled from tummy to back several times, which terrifies me. He's very strong and can lift and turn his head. He's very alert and likes to stare at lights and windows. He's starting to add more sounds to his repertoire instead of solely crying. He's been a champ at breastfeeding from the get go so there have been no food or weight concerns like with Z, which has been nice.
The Bad
The worst as far as Bear is concerned was worrying over his jaundice and having to use the billiblanket, which, in the grand scheme of things really isn't that bad considering what other terrible possibilities could exist. However, I hated that stupid thing and believe strongly that it should not be called a "blanket" since a plastic light sheet thing with a giant, heavy cord is not remotely like a blanket.
The hardest thing in general for me is how to best care for Z when I have a baby wanting to nurse every couple hours. That's been a real challenge for me. I feel guilty about not spending enough time with Z or focused on him but I know that we all just have to get used to this new family dynamic where Z is not the center of our world anymore. I also feel guilty toward Bear because, unlike Z's newborn days, I don't spend hours letting him nap on me or carrying him around all the time because I need to attend to Z as well. I know this will get easier as Bear becomes more independent, but this first month has been tough, and I'm guessing the next couple will be as well.
This first month of breastfeeding has been going well, but not perfectly or easily, that is for sure. All I can say is OUCH! But it's getting better. We're learning to latch without pain and I'm experiencing less pain in general. Again, the toughest part is entertaining Z while Bear eats (and takes his sweet time).
THE AWESOME
I can never be thankful enough for my healthy kids. Sure, we have tiny hiccups here and there but the fact is we are completely blessed. Bear is so healthy and adorable. I'm looking forward to getting to know who he is. Infants are cute and squishy, but they are not very interesting. I know now that this little squish is going to turn into a unique and fascinating little person and I can't wait to see that start to unfold.
I feel like I need to say thank you again to all the people who have helped and supported us through this first month, sent us gifts, brought us food, texted, called and just been awesome. It was really appreciated and made things so much easier.
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
An Act of Kindness
I was reading an article about how four women's lives were completely derailed when random strangers called the police on them for child neglect instead of having a conversation with the mothers. All of them were instances of moms in a hurry leaving their kids in the car while they ran into a store. "Good Samaritans" would see the child and call the police. In one case the person actually took video of the mother getting out of her car and waited for her to come back before calling the police and reporting her. They never spoke to her, just reported her. She ended up getting a year of community service and probation for endangering a minor. I'm not saying that I think it's a great idea to leave your kid in the car. I'm actually so paranoid that there is no way I could do this, even for 5 minutes, no matter how tempting it is (hauling two kids into a store with you for a 5 minute errand is the WORST, am I right?!), but I also don't think immediately calling the police is the answer if the child looks safe and not in distress.
The author ended the article saying that she was in line at a store where a mother with toddler twins and an infant was struggling in front of her. All three kids were melting down and the mom was desperately trying to soothe them.
When I got to the end I was crying (no shock there considering I cry about basically everything right now) and was reminded of an instance I wanted to share.
I was grocery shopping with Z. This is one of his least favorite activities. We had made it through and were in line. He'd been extra good and as a reward (and also because I was planning to get him one anyway) he'd gotten to choose one of those big rubber balls. He was clasping it happily until I was in the middle of unloading groceries when he gave it a toss and I groaned inside because chasing his ball at 8 months pregnant was not going to be fun, not to mention I wasn't sure how I was going to get past the cart to get it. Much to my relief, a man who was getting in line behind us retrieved it. I was so grateful and thought to myself, "there are good people in this world!" But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He then proceeded to play with Z the entire time I was checking out. They threw the ball back and forth, he made funny faces. Z was laughing hysterically and having a great time. I was completely overwhelmed by his kindness and thanked him profusely. He just smiled and said, "I have two boys at home, I understand."
I worry about interfering with strangers, but after experiencing that I decided that I would always offer a little help like that man did for me. He made my life so much easier through that simple act of kindness and we all need help sometimes. It's tempting to judge and feel superior to other parents when you see their kids having a melt down or being complete brats, but I certainly know that it could be me on any given day. Toddlers, especially, are unpredictable little creatures, but any kid is just a human. Humans have bad days. When we see that meltdown happening, we are given a chance to help someone. I want to be that ray of sunshine in someone's day.
The author ended the article saying that she was in line at a store where a mother with toddler twins and an infant was struggling in front of her. All three kids were melting down and the mom was desperately trying to soothe them.
The screaming grew louder. The line grew longer. Confronted with the spectacle, I did what everyone else in line was doing; I pretended not to see them, scanned the other aisles for a shorter line, silently wished I’d just ordered the items I needed on Amazon, and obsessively checked the time on my phone. I was about to move into another line when another woman, shopping by herself, stepped up to the mother’s cart. I (and probably everyone within earshot) expected the worst: the recording phone, the nasty comment or piece of unsolicited parenting advice. It was as uncomfortable as it was inevitable. We are, after all, all wandering judges. But instead the woman without children smiled and asked, quite casually, if she could help, then without waiting for an answer, began unloading the woman’s cart, playing peek-a-boo with the toddler. The mother began to thank her, but she wouldn’t hear of it.“Really, it’s nothing,” she said, and smiled. “You’ve got your hands full.” (Kim Brooks)
When I got to the end I was crying (no shock there considering I cry about basically everything right now) and was reminded of an instance I wanted to share.
I was grocery shopping with Z. This is one of his least favorite activities. We had made it through and were in line. He'd been extra good and as a reward (and also because I was planning to get him one anyway) he'd gotten to choose one of those big rubber balls. He was clasping it happily until I was in the middle of unloading groceries when he gave it a toss and I groaned inside because chasing his ball at 8 months pregnant was not going to be fun, not to mention I wasn't sure how I was going to get past the cart to get it. Much to my relief, a man who was getting in line behind us retrieved it. I was so grateful and thought to myself, "there are good people in this world!" But that was just the tip of the iceberg. He then proceeded to play with Z the entire time I was checking out. They threw the ball back and forth, he made funny faces. Z was laughing hysterically and having a great time. I was completely overwhelmed by his kindness and thanked him profusely. He just smiled and said, "I have two boys at home, I understand."
I worry about interfering with strangers, but after experiencing that I decided that I would always offer a little help like that man did for me. He made my life so much easier through that simple act of kindness and we all need help sometimes. It's tempting to judge and feel superior to other parents when you see their kids having a melt down or being complete brats, but I certainly know that it could be me on any given day. Toddlers, especially, are unpredictable little creatures, but any kid is just a human. Humans have bad days. When we see that meltdown happening, we are given a chance to help someone. I want to be that ray of sunshine in someone's day.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)