So I hadn't really gotten to share this...
I left off my story at us searching for a nanny. We had over 70 applicants to our posts on care.com and sittercity.com. Most of them worthless. It began with Nanny 1. Nanny 1 had great credentials but signed her emails "Ms. ____" which I already didn't like. I do not want grownups to refer to themselves that way to other grownups. Anyways, I already held my grudge and then Nanny 1 came in a smelled like smoke. She could have just turned around and walked right back out. (and yes, her profile said non smoker)
I loved Nanny 2. Nanny 2 was a few years younger than me, engaged, and had a 15 month old girl. We sat and talked to Nanny 2 for hours. When Nanny 2 left, I realized I wanted to be friends with Nanny 2, not hire her.
In the background of all this, there was Nanny 3. Nanny 3 wrote the most eloquent emails I have ever read. She was educated, retired, and away from her own grandkids. Perfect. I was DYING to meet Nanny 3. When I did, I was disappointed. Nanny 3 was very sweet but quite overweight. She could not get around very easily. Roman is wild now, I can't imagine in a short time when he can walk. My heart was broken that Nanny 3 did not live up to what I anticipated.
We had put a lot of stock in meeting Nanny 3. So we went back to the drawing board and interviewed Nanny 4. Nanny 4 originally wanted to watch kids in her own home, and then had written me back to tell me she had reconsidered. I LOVED Nanny 4. She was the whole package. A teacher, tired of teaching and financially able not to. Perky, warm, smart. Mother of a highschooler and college student. We offered Nanny 4 the job. She took a week to reply, only to say no, that she really just wanted to watch kids in her own home. REALLY?!?!?! Waste of time.
By the way this all took place over a month. Ugh.
So before Nanny 1, before before Nanny 1,my friend Elizabeth had said her friend was a nanny. She, now referred to as Nanny 5, has a son that is four months older than Roman. That made me very nervous and not very interested. Then, I honestly had forgotten about it. So Elizabeth reminded me and since nothing else had worked out, I made plans to interview Nanny 5 after our vacation.
While on vacation, hippie daycare called. They informed me of progress and I began to reconsider them. The money being one big reason. After vacation, we interviewed Nanny 5. I really liked Nanny 5, but I could not get over her son. And I was reconsidering having a nanny at all for financial reasons. I asked Nanny 5 if she would watch Roman until the hippie daycare opened. She had been offered another job and didn't want ours if it had the potential of ending in a matter of weeks. Fair enough.
That week I started working whenever I had someone to watch Roman. I spent Wednesday at home in tears most of the day. I had let myself be convinced that I could live with him going to Baptist East daycare until the hippie daycare opened. I guess I convinced myself. The entire day of crying and depression didn't seem very convincing. The next morning Elizabeth watched Roman. I told her about our decision and she really made me reconsider. She reassured me about her friend (Nanny 5) and her son. She really helped me see things clearly. I talked with friends and family and the load already began to lighten. I called and hired Nanny 5, LINDSEY, that night. That evening was filled with more smiling and laughter than Warren and I had seen out of each other for days.
So Lindsey started last week and things have been great! It is so relieving to have someone I trust and feel comfortable with watching Roman.
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
Super Nanny
Our plan all along has been to go to the daycare at Warren's work. I visited last summer when I was pregnant and thought the preschool program was great. However, in the past few weeks I have been very seriously panicking about leaving my boy. I mean, with anyone. I have spent every day with him for four months and I cannot imagine not being with him. Don't get me wrong, I love my job. Honestly, my ideal would be to work part time. Which we can't afford and if we found a way, I doubt my boss would let me. So along comes childcare. I was freaking out and sporadically crying about leaving Roman anyways. And I got this image in my head of Roman crying in a crib all alone, as such....
This was breaking my heart. One day I was perusing facebook and saw that Mama's Hip had posted about a new childcare center being opened. It is supporting a national program called Lively Children. I read up on it and was OBSESSED. It is all about organic food, nurturing the baby, free play, home like atmosphere, only TWO babies etc. It was out of the way, but I didn't care. I got an appointment to meet with the director and so super excited. However, when I met with her I was terribly disappointed. She was really nice, but just kind of out of it. I mean she was an intelligent lady, and I think she would love on my baby, but I just couldn't imagine her running a daycare. She did not instill confidence in me and Warren. That said, we have not completely discounted this place, just sort of put it on the back burner.
I emailed my doula Kim, who always knows the right thing to say, and she definitely encouraged me. I decided that my invented crib crying fantasy was no reason to discount our original plan. So I went to Warren's work yesterday to check things out. I left Roman with Warren to be ogled by the nurses and stopped in the daycare. I had a lovely, reassuring chat with the manager. I had a smile on my face as I walked for her to show me the 0-6 month room. When I walked in I could feel my face drop. I had to will myself not to throw up. There were two adults and ten babies, a ratio I was prepared to accept. However, there was not one baby, NOT ONE, being played with. They were the most lifeless looking little things compared to my (and my friends) babies. Two babies were in cribs asleep. Two were in cribs staring at the ceiling. Two were in Boppies staring at a wall. One was getting a bottle without being cradled. A few were in swings staring into space. It was heart wrenching. I fought back tears and tried to get out of there as soon as possible. When I left I texted Warren not to ask how it was, that we would discuss later. I didn't want to cause a scene at his work. But when I walked in, Theresa and Kristen, his closest co-workers had funny looks on their faces and asked how it was. I just started crying. Kristen hugged me and I just cried.
Obviously, I got my ish together and moved on. So now we are looking for a nanny. We have a job posting on both sittercity.com and care.com. We have had one applicant I am very interested in already. So wish us luck!
This was breaking my heart. One day I was perusing facebook and saw that Mama's Hip had posted about a new childcare center being opened. It is supporting a national program called Lively Children. I read up on it and was OBSESSED. It is all about organic food, nurturing the baby, free play, home like atmosphere, only TWO babies etc. It was out of the way, but I didn't care. I got an appointment to meet with the director and so super excited. However, when I met with her I was terribly disappointed. She was really nice, but just kind of out of it. I mean she was an intelligent lady, and I think she would love on my baby, but I just couldn't imagine her running a daycare. She did not instill confidence in me and Warren. That said, we have not completely discounted this place, just sort of put it on the back burner.
I emailed my doula Kim, who always knows the right thing to say, and she definitely encouraged me. I decided that my invented crib crying fantasy was no reason to discount our original plan. So I went to Warren's work yesterday to check things out. I left Roman with Warren to be ogled by the nurses and stopped in the daycare. I had a lovely, reassuring chat with the manager. I had a smile on my face as I walked for her to show me the 0-6 month room. When I walked in I could feel my face drop. I had to will myself not to throw up. There were two adults and ten babies, a ratio I was prepared to accept. However, there was not one baby, NOT ONE, being played with. They were the most lifeless looking little things compared to my (and my friends) babies. Two babies were in cribs asleep. Two were in cribs staring at the ceiling. Two were in Boppies staring at a wall. One was getting a bottle without being cradled. A few were in swings staring into space. It was heart wrenching. I fought back tears and tried to get out of there as soon as possible. When I left I texted Warren not to ask how it was, that we would discuss later. I didn't want to cause a scene at his work. But when I walked in, Theresa and Kristen, his closest co-workers had funny looks on their faces and asked how it was. I just started crying. Kristen hugged me and I just cried.
Obviously, I got my ish together and moved on. So now we are looking for a nanny. We have a job posting on both sittercity.com and care.com. We have had one applicant I am very interested in already. So wish us luck!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Work It On Out
Two weeks ago Christie left for Ecuador and left in my possession her p90x dvds. I have had several friends do p90x, but I have always hated on it. I would say that if you did any workout for an hour a day you would get fit. Which is true, but I have decided p90x is awesome. I just finished up week two today. I saw results after one week. I am already so much more toned. Now if I could just get my diet under control (oh those Kashi cookies!) I think this baby weight would go away. Not to mention Tony Horton looks a lot like my best friend's husband. See..
Tony
Jeremiah
Eerie, right?!?!
Earlier today I was changing Roman on our bed. First mistake, right? I get the diaper undone, and he promptly begins peeing. A long, upwards stream. What do I do? I tried to catch it. CATCH IT. PEE. That was my genius automatic response. As if one can catch pee. Or should. Needless to say that was an epic fail. My bedspread is currently in the washer.
Friday, June 24, 2011
A Bad Day
Ok so this post is for anyone out there who ever feels like a bad mom. I just got done propping up a bottle for Roman to eat. Why was I committing such a big no-no, you ask? Well because I was about to burn the house down.
Here goes, so yesterday started off fabulously. Roman napped, I worked out, things are great. When he woke up he had a decent scratch on his face and was crying about it. I swear I just cut his nails last week! Anyways, I decide to mess with that later and feed him. We had to go to the bank but he was being such a sweet boy and so calm that after he finished eating I decided to trim his nails before we left. Big mistake. I am usually terrified of trimming his nails, but yesterday was going beautifully. I did a great job and he barely noticed. I'm getting a little cocky at this point, when all of a sudden I realize I have just clamped down on all skin. My reaction time is faster and I look at Roman. He looks at me, his reaction slightly delayed, and starts WAILING. I panic and freeze. After a second I get my head out of my butt and grab one of his teethers to put on it. Still wailing. I rocked him. No good. I try distracting him. Nope. I called my mom who very calmly told me to get a cool washcloth, put pressure on it, and give him his pacifier. Now I understand that her advice was quite simple, however I was incapable of coming the the conclusion myself. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I have blood all over my face. Roman finally calmed down and fell asleep, clearly traumatized. I manage to wipe the tears (my own) and blood from my face and get myself together. I laid him down and he promptly woke up. I decide to try the bank.
Roman has now forgotten his finger. We leave to go to the bank and I swear I pull as close to the ATM as possible and I CANNOT reach the thing. I put the car in park, stretching my arm and finally practically crawling out of the window. I pinch my arm on the door lock and I am pretty sure I was about to dislocate my shoulder. People are in line behind me and I feel like a royal idiot. What happens next? The ATM spits my card back out at me telling me that my pin number is incorrect. This is our old account, we just left it open because our car payment comes out of it. So it is beyond me what my old pin number was. So I go park and drag Roman, who is so big, that carrying him in his carseat is the hardest workout I've ever done, into the bank.
Shortly after we make it home, he went down for a nap. We were meeting with a daycare director last night, so I had told Warren I would cook dinner in the afternoon and then we could just reheat it. I started to saute chicken and immediately realized I had too much oil in the pan. It is splashing out on me and causing a bunch of smoke but I got the vent on and the chicken cooked so fast it was okay. When I got the chicken out of the pan, the oil continued burning the pan so I shoved the pan under some water. An enormous steam cloud bubbled up and I realize that I am about to set off the fire alarm. And the baby is asleep. I run around turning on fans and opening doors and windows. The condo is filled with smoke. Somehow I avoid burning the house down or waking up Roman. I get the vegetables on (I was making Thai chicken wraps, mmm) when I hear Roman. I leave the vegetables, get him changed and a bottle, and I realize if I feed him I am going to ruin dinner. The vegetables were almost finished and if they were left the would have burned, gotten soggy, or worst case scenario, caught fire. Roman, the impatient three (four today!) month old that he is, was screaming his head off for a bottle. Leading me to grab a Baby Einstein octopus, prop a bottle on it, and finish dinner. Sans fire.
Here goes, so yesterday started off fabulously. Roman napped, I worked out, things are great. When he woke up he had a decent scratch on his face and was crying about it. I swear I just cut his nails last week! Anyways, I decide to mess with that later and feed him. We had to go to the bank but he was being such a sweet boy and so calm that after he finished eating I decided to trim his nails before we left. Big mistake. I am usually terrified of trimming his nails, but yesterday was going beautifully. I did a great job and he barely noticed. I'm getting a little cocky at this point, when all of a sudden I realize I have just clamped down on all skin. My reaction time is faster and I look at Roman. He looks at me, his reaction slightly delayed, and starts WAILING. I panic and freeze. After a second I get my head out of my butt and grab one of his teethers to put on it. Still wailing. I rocked him. No good. I try distracting him. Nope. I called my mom who very calmly told me to get a cool washcloth, put pressure on it, and give him his pacifier. Now I understand that her advice was quite simple, however I was incapable of coming the the conclusion myself. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I have blood all over my face. Roman finally calmed down and fell asleep, clearly traumatized. I manage to wipe the tears (my own) and blood from my face and get myself together. I laid him down and he promptly woke up. I decide to try the bank.
Roman has now forgotten his finger. We leave to go to the bank and I swear I pull as close to the ATM as possible and I CANNOT reach the thing. I put the car in park, stretching my arm and finally practically crawling out of the window. I pinch my arm on the door lock and I am pretty sure I was about to dislocate my shoulder. People are in line behind me and I feel like a royal idiot. What happens next? The ATM spits my card back out at me telling me that my pin number is incorrect. This is our old account, we just left it open because our car payment comes out of it. So it is beyond me what my old pin number was. So I go park and drag Roman, who is so big, that carrying him in his carseat is the hardest workout I've ever done, into the bank.
Shortly after we make it home, he went down for a nap. We were meeting with a daycare director last night, so I had told Warren I would cook dinner in the afternoon and then we could just reheat it. I started to saute chicken and immediately realized I had too much oil in the pan. It is splashing out on me and causing a bunch of smoke but I got the vent on and the chicken cooked so fast it was okay. When I got the chicken out of the pan, the oil continued burning the pan so I shoved the pan under some water. An enormous steam cloud bubbled up and I realize that I am about to set off the fire alarm. And the baby is asleep. I run around turning on fans and opening doors and windows. The condo is filled with smoke. Somehow I avoid burning the house down or waking up Roman. I get the vegetables on (I was making Thai chicken wraps, mmm) when I hear Roman. I leave the vegetables, get him changed and a bottle, and I realize if I feed him I am going to ruin dinner. The vegetables were almost finished and if they were left the would have burned, gotten soggy, or worst case scenario, caught fire. Roman, the impatient three (four today!) month old that he is, was screaming his head off for a bottle. Leading me to grab a Baby Einstein octopus, prop a bottle on it, and finish dinner. Sans fire.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Sweet Baby
I am sitting here looking at my sweet boy, thinking about how fast this is all going by. Today Roman had his first laugh. It seems like yesterday when I held him in my arms the first time. There are so many things I don't want to forget. Like how he curls up against me and we rock, cuddled cheek to cheek, as he falls asleep. The way I am the only person who can get him to sleep, and how just at that time he'll cry for his mama. The sweet smell of milk on his breath. His wide beautiful smile. Him curling his arm around his bottle, trying to figure out how to hold it. His long conversations with himself in the mirror and his fascinated coos. His eyes following me around the room when he plays on his mat. I could go on forever. I am just feeling quite reflective and very thankful today for my sweet boy.
In other news, our builder FINALLY got his loan to build our house. Yes, the house that was supposed to be finished May 1. I designed my kitchen yesterday and selected my flooring today. Yay!
Roman is teething and I have had a heck of a time finding Orajel without food coloring. But luckily the Little Remedies brand makes some! Orajel make a "natural" brand with cloves, but from the look on Roman's face it is awful. That poor baby fussed last week while his Nana had him, all while gnawing on his fist. It also seemed to help that we increased the giant's food intake. I can't WAIT to go to the doctor at the end of the month and see how much Roman the Giant weighs! Oh and also to ask Dr. Corba about the heat. Roman scared the crap out of me last weekend at the Farmer's Market. I had him in the Bjorn and he started doing this scary wheezing. Christie and I looked at each other, both of us just totally freaked out, and she just started ripping him out of the carrier. It was early and not too hot yet, so I'm not sure what the deal was. Anyways, I would like some summer safety advice other than "Stay Inside".
Well my week at work wasn't too bad, and now I'm back home and will try to post more :)
In other news, our builder FINALLY got his loan to build our house. Yes, the house that was supposed to be finished May 1. I designed my kitchen yesterday and selected my flooring today. Yay!
Roman is teething and I have had a heck of a time finding Orajel without food coloring. But luckily the Little Remedies brand makes some! Orajel make a "natural" brand with cloves, but from the look on Roman's face it is awful. That poor baby fussed last week while his Nana had him, all while gnawing on his fist. It also seemed to help that we increased the giant's food intake. I can't WAIT to go to the doctor at the end of the month and see how much Roman the Giant weighs! Oh and also to ask Dr. Corba about the heat. Roman scared the crap out of me last weekend at the Farmer's Market. I had him in the Bjorn and he started doing this scary wheezing. Christie and I looked at each other, both of us just totally freaked out, and she just started ripping him out of the carrier. It was early and not too hot yet, so I'm not sure what the deal was. Anyways, I would like some summer safety advice other than "Stay Inside".
Well my week at work wasn't too bad, and now I'm back home and will try to post more :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Mother's Day
I had a lovely first Mother's Day. Warren made me pancakes for breakfast, we went on a picnic at Cherokee and snacked on my favorite cheese, Truffle Tremor, and we had a yummy mexican dinner followed by blackberry peach cobbler. I got an adorable birdie charm bracelet and a cute purse with an embroidered bird. I am one lucky mama. And the icing on the cake was that Roman rolled over for the first time Mother's Day afternoon!!! We also got the sweetest visit from our downstairs neighbors, a couple about our age with a 6 month old. They brought us cookies and me a mother's day card. How precious!!! So obviously, I must start doing baby stuff with her.
bracelet
picnic
baby zen
braceletThis weekend was also exciting because (and no I'm not going to say the Derby) our friends Lee and Tricia are selling their house. They live on the same street as we lived/will live. So Ashley caught wind of this (through an immediate phone call by yours truly) and her and Jeremiah are making an offer!!!!! To quote Ashley, "All my childhood dreams are coming true!" Lee and Tricia have an adorable house and I of course love the neighborhood.
Speaking of houses, allegedly they are going to start building ours soon. Considering it was supposed to be finished May 1, I really hope they get this show on the road. I have been selecting things at Lowes and will be very excited to take pictures when I finally have a house to take pictures of.
Annnd speaking of pictures, I recently went to pick up the photos from Roman's newborn photo session. I must say, I love Jessie Kreich-Higdon. She is a doll. When I picked the pictures up, we sat and talked forever about pediatricians, bullys, music class, and all kinds of other mama stuff. I just enjoy talking to people who are the same speed as me in regards to parenting. I think I might start going to this new mom's group at Mama's Hip for the same reason. They also have Mommy and Me yoga, hosted by Owl Tree Yoga that I might try as well. Oh and I am going to sign up for the Music Together summer session. I have GOT to get out of this condo, can you tell?
Jessie and I were talking about pediatricians because I am sorry to say, but after stringing us along, our pediatrician said that we could not been seen without the pertussis vaccine. Now, I know she has other patients who are not vaccinated so I am not quite sure what is going on with that. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that when I took Roman in for his two month checkup, our doctor, who is in practice by herself, was out and there was a substitute doctor who was NOT a fan of us skipping the DTaP and the Hep B. I am wondering if she said something to my doctor. I am working up the nerve to call them back and be assertive. I would still like to go there, mostly just because I don't feel like looking for another doctor.
My OB, now there's a good doctor. The Reglan worked great. I never made MORE milk than ever, but I consistently made daily what I had made at my best on my own. However, I have been off it for two days and have NO milk. My OB is writing a prescription for domperidone, which I have to order from a compounding pharmacy in North Carolina. It has less side effects than Reglan, which is great, but I think I am going to have to pay out of pocket for it. Which is not great.
I found out last week that I have to go back to work. So I can keep paying for all these drugs I am taking! My benefits expire May 27th. So I have to go back that day. It won't be too bad. It's a Friday and an overlap day for me and the sub. Mom will have the baby. They we are going to go to Murray for Memorial Day, see my adorable niece's dance recital, and bring Joy back here with us. I have to work with kids Tuesday-Thursday and Friday is teachers' last day. So Joy will watch Roman all week. Fred's going to come get her and help out as well. My visit at work last week went well. It was nicer than I thought to see my coworkers, and not as nice as I thought to see my kids. They were CRAZY! Thank goodness I only have to go back for a few days!
Warren is talking about going back to school. To learn, not to teach :) He is setting up to take his GRE and apply to grad school for his Masters in Public Health. Baptist East pays for his school so it sounds good to me.
Christie had a dentist appointment today and is coming to hang out the rest of the day! Yay!!!!
Speaking of houses, allegedly they are going to start building ours soon. Considering it was supposed to be finished May 1, I really hope they get this show on the road. I have been selecting things at Lowes and will be very excited to take pictures when I finally have a house to take pictures of.
Annnd speaking of pictures, I recently went to pick up the photos from Roman's newborn photo session. I must say, I love Jessie Kreich-Higdon. She is a doll. When I picked the pictures up, we sat and talked forever about pediatricians, bullys, music class, and all kinds of other mama stuff. I just enjoy talking to people who are the same speed as me in regards to parenting. I think I might start going to this new mom's group at Mama's Hip for the same reason. They also have Mommy and Me yoga, hosted by Owl Tree Yoga that I might try as well. Oh and I am going to sign up for the Music Together summer session. I have GOT to get out of this condo, can you tell?
Jessie and I were talking about pediatricians because I am sorry to say, but after stringing us along, our pediatrician said that we could not been seen without the pertussis vaccine. Now, I know she has other patients who are not vaccinated so I am not quite sure what is going on with that. I suspect it has something to do with the fact that when I took Roman in for his two month checkup, our doctor, who is in practice by herself, was out and there was a substitute doctor who was NOT a fan of us skipping the DTaP and the Hep B. I am wondering if she said something to my doctor. I am working up the nerve to call them back and be assertive. I would still like to go there, mostly just because I don't feel like looking for another doctor.
My OB, now there's a good doctor. The Reglan worked great. I never made MORE milk than ever, but I consistently made daily what I had made at my best on my own. However, I have been off it for two days and have NO milk. My OB is writing a prescription for domperidone, which I have to order from a compounding pharmacy in North Carolina. It has less side effects than Reglan, which is great, but I think I am going to have to pay out of pocket for it. Which is not great.
I found out last week that I have to go back to work. So I can keep paying for all these drugs I am taking! My benefits expire May 27th. So I have to go back that day. It won't be too bad. It's a Friday and an overlap day for me and the sub. Mom will have the baby. They we are going to go to Murray for Memorial Day, see my adorable niece's dance recital, and bring Joy back here with us. I have to work with kids Tuesday-Thursday and Friday is teachers' last day. So Joy will watch Roman all week. Fred's going to come get her and help out as well. My visit at work last week went well. It was nicer than I thought to see my coworkers, and not as nice as I thought to see my kids. They were CRAZY! Thank goodness I only have to go back for a few days!
Warren is talking about going back to school. To learn, not to teach :) He is setting up to take his GRE and apply to grad school for his Masters in Public Health. Baptist East pays for his school so it sounds good to me.
Christie had a dentist appointment today and is coming to hang out the rest of the day! Yay!!!!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Ahhhh...quiet.
I just got the boy off to sleep. I am working this week on tracking his sleep, so I can try to start getting him on a schedule. I even made a spreadsheet on google docs that I must say makes me feel a little psycho. There are colors for eat, sleep, and awake. The schedule is really for me; he seems to do just fine. I just really need to start getting out of the house more and would like to be able to kind of plan when to do it. Plus I cannot begin to explain how the time blurs together and Warren and I can't remember when he slept, when he ate, when he needs to eat again, etc. Speaking of eating, that is about the only time my grumpy butt baby is ever happy. He doesn't cry much, but he is a fussy little thing. He fusses awake, he fusses asleep, and he even fusses towards the end of his bottle. He fusses in his swing, he fusses on his playmat. He fusses when he farts, which is alarmingly often (like I'm not quite sure it's normal!). He fusses changing clothes, he fusses changing diapers. Joy says it's the Thomas in him making him so grumpy. He won't really openly smile at you either, the best you get is a little smirk. EXCEPT he will grin it up at Warren everyday when he gets home. Me...never. We had family photos taken this past Sunday by the wonderful Jessie Kriech-Higdon (more about that later!) and she posted some teasers yesterday. There is a photo where you look and think, "Oh how cute, look at Roman smile." But I know the truth. That is no smile. A yawn, a noise, or something made him open his mouth up, but it wasn't a smile. Anyways, the photos are precious. My little man looks as handsome as can be. I will post her teasers later. So Kentucky had a good run. They were undefeated since Roman's birth, making it all the way to the Final Four, but on Saturday Roman's good luck ran out. I was just happy they made it as far as they did because I got some good use out of his newborn UK outfits :) He has now offically outgrown anything newborn size and I have a whole bag full of clothes he outgrew. It is so crazy. I am so afraid it will all go by so fast I won't be able to remember. He went to the doctor for his one month checkup last week. He was 9 lbs 6 oz. I think he seems abnormally strong still. He can roll from side to side and if he's on his belly he can scoot a little. He also is pulling at my hair. Hard. With a death grip. It's funny too when he lays on his playmat he hits the dangling animals until he gets really frustrated and starts fussing. I think he is ready for some mobility to kick it. I hate to break it to him, but he still has awhile. I am getting really excited for Easter. It will be Roman's first big holiday. (I do not count St. Patricks Day as a big holiday until you are of drinking age.) While Joy was here she and I went and I got Easter baskets for the whole family from World Market and lots of stuffers. We are going to Murray and I am so excited to see everyone and especially for Roman to meet his cousins! Not that he'll know, so I guess it would be better to say for his cousins to meet him :) Eventually I hope to have more to say than the play by play of Roman's every move, but right now we've been stuck inside due to weather and age :) So that's all I've got.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Month One Memories
There are a few moments from the past month I might try to forget (hormonal crying, sleep deprivation, etc.) but for the most part I feel like there are precious minutes that I fear will slip away from my memory if I don't write about them. For starters, Roman is exceptionally strong. (Doctor's opinion, not biased mom's.) And he is a fighter, kicking and squirming and throwing his head (which he can control already) around, prompting Joy to buy him a bunch of swaddlers and proclaim dealing with Roman is like wrestling monkeys. So for now it is sticking. I don't know if I have called him Roman enough times to count on one hand, it's just Monkey. My crazy little Monkey <3 Oh and about how strong the Monkey is, he is also rolling from side to side. I know NOTHING about babies, but this seems to impress those who do! Roman has already outgrown several newborn outfits, but only lengthwise. So most of the time he has on enormous outfits that fit just right down to his big feet. The boy's socks are all too short, but loose. He also enjoys clawing his own face with his massive hands, which do not look like baby hands at all. It is just like he has four year old hands or something. Looks wise, he definitely favors Warren, but as he picks up weight in his cheeks he looks more like me. I don't know how I feel about that fact, kinda feels like I am insulting myself! He has Warren's mouth and I often see Warren in the faces that he makes. That is my favorite Roman activity. Watching the faces he makes, usually right after he eats. I need to videotape it-not because anyone else would care to see it, but just for me! When he was about a week old we just woke up one morning and his eyes looked different. They had magically developed that under eye puffy thing that people with deep set eyes have. That is also Warren, I don't have deep set eyes. I guess I never wrote much about the first two weeks. First of all, the hospital. Ick. If we have any more children I am pretty sure I want to have a home birth. It really wasn't that bad, and as a first time mom it was nice having the nurses checking on you and getting everything for you. The on staff pediatrician at Clark was awful. She acted as if we were irresponsible idiots for declining some of the newborn care procedures that are completely unnecessary. As if I did not thoroughly research every decision before I made it. She is also the one who made us stay the second night. Ugh. Once we were home, I could not have made it without Joy. She was here for a week feeding us, running errands, cleaning, and doing everything for us so we could take care of Roman. There was a lot of crying that first week. Mostly because of breastfeeding, which was an epic fail. I tried different positions, products, met with a lactation consultant, everything. There just seemed to be too many cards stacked against me. The pain was unbearable and made me not even want to hold Roman for fear he would want to nurse. Then on top of that, the poor boy wasn't getting enough milk. Which I learned makes newborns lethargic, not crying. So he was too tired to eat, making him be more tired. Finally, he was so out of it we couldn't get him to wake up at all, even after undressing him, clapping, singing, and tickling his feet. That's when we popped open the formula. I am still pumping, but chalking it up to an epic fail was my turnaround point of tears stopping and me being a happy mama. After Joy left, my first week by myself started off well. By day two I had things pretty down pat. I complained to Ashley of being bored in the afternoon! Then that night I got a fever. After it reached 102.5, I went to the doctor the next morning (causing Warren to miss yet another day of work) and I had mastitis. By the next day everything was fine though and it's been going pretty smoothly ever since. Minus a few disastrous bodily function episodes! But I think that just comes with the territory.
This week was an adventurous week. My goal for the week was to get him to sleep, especially for naps when I am here by myself, without being held. That was successful. Kristen 1, Roman 0. He is also now spending an hour or so on his playmat listening to Children's Folk Music on Pandora. We also made our first trip out together. The day he was three weeks old we went to Target. Woo-hoo! The cute thing was that when we were there a lady was looking at Roman and asked me how old he was. "Three weeks today," I replied. She asked if it was our first trip out and I told her that indeed it was. She said, "Let me tell you something. 27 years ago, on the day my baby was three weeks old we made our first trip out and it was to Target." Today I think Warren and I might try to take him to the grocery for the first time. Sounds terrible. Roman celebrated his first St. Patrick's Day on Thursday. We went to Christie and Ian's (Roman's first trip to someone's house!) and had a delicious dinner. Also, being that it is March Maddness we have had many UK outfit photo ops.
As far as being at home, I don't really like it right now. I guess it will get better when he is older, but right now I get REALLY bored. The weather is getting nicer, and he is getting older, so hopefully we can start getting out more. I am really bad at talking to him when we are here all day too. I try, because I know it is good for him, but it is a struggle for me to try to talk to someone who neither understands, nor can respond. The flip side of this, is that me and that boy are bonded. When his belly hurts, I am the only person he will calm down for. I know weird little tricks to take care of him. It makes me sad for Warren, because I know he hates leaving everyday, but at the same time I would be lying if I said I didn't like Roman needing his mama.
Warren's mom is coming back today for work/a visit. While she is here I want to try to get some family photos of us. Amazingly, a lot has changed in the two weeks since she left. No more tears, Roman is fattening up and more lively, we are capable of feeding ourselves, all sorts of accomplishments. Yeah, be impressed :)
This week was an adventurous week. My goal for the week was to get him to sleep, especially for naps when I am here by myself, without being held. That was successful. Kristen 1, Roman 0. He is also now spending an hour or so on his playmat listening to Children's Folk Music on Pandora. We also made our first trip out together. The day he was three weeks old we went to Target. Woo-hoo! The cute thing was that when we were there a lady was looking at Roman and asked me how old he was. "Three weeks today," I replied. She asked if it was our first trip out and I told her that indeed it was. She said, "Let me tell you something. 27 years ago, on the day my baby was three weeks old we made our first trip out and it was to Target." Today I think Warren and I might try to take him to the grocery for the first time. Sounds terrible. Roman celebrated his first St. Patrick's Day on Thursday. We went to Christie and Ian's (Roman's first trip to someone's house!) and had a delicious dinner. Also, being that it is March Maddness we have had many UK outfit photo ops.
As far as being at home, I don't really like it right now. I guess it will get better when he is older, but right now I get REALLY bored. The weather is getting nicer, and he is getting older, so hopefully we can start getting out more. I am really bad at talking to him when we are here all day too. I try, because I know it is good for him, but it is a struggle for me to try to talk to someone who neither understands, nor can respond. The flip side of this, is that me and that boy are bonded. When his belly hurts, I am the only person he will calm down for. I know weird little tricks to take care of him. It makes me sad for Warren, because I know he hates leaving everyday, but at the same time I would be lying if I said I didn't like Roman needing his mama.
Warren's mom is coming back today for work/a visit. While she is here I want to try to get some family photos of us. Amazingly, a lot has changed in the two weeks since she left. No more tears, Roman is fattening up and more lively, we are capable of feeding ourselves, all sorts of accomplishments. Yeah, be impressed :)
Monday, March 14, 2011
First Bath
Roman recently had his first bath. As you can see from the photos, he LOVED taking a bath (insert sarcasm here). Warren got the lovely job of scrubbing the boy down. After I snapped a few photos, my job was to pour the water over Roman. Before his bath was ready, I got peed on and then immediatly after his bath he peed through his diaper on Warren. Oh and to get ready for the bath, Warren and I googled "How to Give Your Baby a Bath". Ahhh parenting in the 21st century :) Oh and finally, makeup isn't happening for me these days, as you can see below! Enjoy!
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