Friday, July 30, 2010

Back to reality

Wow...I cannot begin to tell you how awesome our cruise was! Even when the weather was bad (3 days!) we still relaxed, worked out, and had grown up time (wink, wink). Like I've said before, we dated for 6 years before we got married and then it took us 6 more years to get pregnant. That's a lot of alone time. Having a baby has been a huge adjustment and it has changed our relationship a lot. To tell the truth, we cried a lot on this trip...and talked about G all the time...but we were stuck on a ship and in foreign countries, so we were forced to focus on US.
G has changed sinec we've been gone. He makes new funny faces, has new eating habits, and stands up with help. He still won't crawl, but loves to pull up from a sitting position. Of course now he's also getting frustrated because he can't walk. And he's teething.
Now I have only 2 days until I start part of my job...and on the 18th I'll be back full time teaching. It'll definitely be back to reality.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Freaking out!

quick update about last post: The person I emailed actually emailed me back a few hours after I posted. I won't even flatter myself that maybe she reads this blog...she apologized for taking so long and I know she works, so I'm sure she's been really busy. Her blog is super successful. Anyways, I'm sad to say that she actually doesn't live in the same city as me. We both live in big cities, so all of the places she mentioned we have too. I'm bummed, but I'll get over. I still love reading her blog!

So what am I freaking out about? Well tomorrow my hubby and I are leaving to go on a cruise.
For 8 days.
Yikes!
Don't get me wrong...I am soooooo excited because we love to travel and we're going to places we've never been to before. The great thing about cruises is that you really don't have any choice but to relax. You don't have to be anywhere that you don't want to be. Too lazy to go to dinner? Order room service (24 hours a day!). Don't want to see a show? Stay in your room and watch a movie (hopefully not "Alvin and the Chipmunks" on repeat like our last cruise LOL). Swim when you want. Have sex when you want. And the thing I'm looking forward to: WORK OUT when you want! You have people cook for you and clean for you. I'm giddy.
But I'm also freaking out...because unlike our last cruise, this time we have a precious 7 (almost 8) month old who is going through so many changes. What if something happens? What if we miss his first word? Or first tooth? Or him standing alone? (He's already standing with very little help).
I've got to calm myself down. It's going to be okay. Everyone tells me this is the best thing for us.
And it's too late to turn back now.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Shot down

I am in desperate need of mommy friends. And G is in need of baby friends. So, after much sitting around feeling sorry for myself that I have neither of the 2, I took matters into my own hands.
First, I emailed a mommy blogger whose blog I really like. I've mentioned her on here before. I was pretty sure that she lives in the same general vicinity as me...and her son is only a month older than G. She seemed to have the same sense of humor as me. And in many of the pictures she posts, I see the exact same baby things that G has. So I emailed her. I asked her about her true opinion about Nutrisystem (which she has used to lose a good amount of weight) and I asked her if she knew of any good mommy groups in this area.
I don't know...maybe I sounded like a weirdo. Maybe she has too many mommy friends already. Whatever it was, it's been a week and I haven't gotten a response.
The other thing I did was joined a mommy webgroup for my area. I've posted replies to several people's "introductions"...I posted an introduction of myself...and I joined a few groups. I haven't made it to any meet ups (there's only been one for my area so far anyways), but so far this isn't looking too promising either.
So, how do you meet mommy friends?

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Peekaboo!

I don't even know if anyone noticed that I hadn't blogged in almost a month...but I'm back. I took a semi-break from the internet...mostly because I just haven't had the time to get on here. I have a blog on another network that I've had for 5 years...but it's like a ghost town on there. Any guesses why? Yea...because of Facebook. I'm not going to lie...I have a FB...and I actually LOVE my FB. It's super easy to use, especially on a Blackberry. I post pix almost daily. I update my status whenever I think of something whitty or if I'm doing something exciting which you might be surprised to know is usually several times a day ;) But there is one thing I don't like about FB.
ALL OF MY FRIENDS (and "friends") and a lot of my family members have FB too!
I love how easy it is to keep up with everyone...and see pix of what they're up to...but the down side is that I can't blog on there. I don't want them knowing my every thought and secret. I don't want to hear their replies to everything I say.
So in case you're wondering what I've been up to...here's a quick summary:
  • School ended on June 10. Basically our school bribed kids to come because our attendance was so bad in the fall. We literally gave out raffle tickets and had drawings for gift cards and ipods. I heard our attendance was still really low though.
  • My grandmother's burial was June 19. We packed up a Dodge Journey and hubby, G, my mom, dad, and I all went to NY. (Well, we actually dropped my dad off in Vermont to see his family, but that's a blog in itself.) It was a great time, but very short. We were there from June 15-20.
  • On the way home we stopped in Hoboken, NJ to visit Carlo's Bakery from TLC's "Cake Boss". One word: amazing! Such a fun little pit stop...but I will never take I-95 to or from NY again. It has been years...and it's so much worse than I remember!
  • Ever since we got home from our trip I've been non-stop mommy. I'm having so much fun spending time with G, but it is DRAINING! Whoever thinks that being a SAHM is just an easy job for women who don't want to work needs to think again.
  • We had a yard sale and tried to get rid of a lot of stuff G has outgrown. We made almost $200 but I ended up consigning and ebaying the rest of the stuff. If I have time tomorrow I will have a post about consigning...you must read this if you are a new mommy!
  • I have joined a local mommies group and I'm hoping to meet some soon!
My summer is going to be over before I know it. We are busy the next few weeks and then I start work again. Yikes!

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

1/2 birthday

I absolutely cannot believe that G is 6 months old today! Where has the time gone? Before I know it he'll be blowing out his first candle and *hopefully* digging into his first cake. I say hopefully because I hate it when the parents have to show the child what to do. I want him to just dive in with both hands and get it all over his face trying to get it into his mouth. That would make me smile :)
So at 6 months, here is what G can do:
  • sleep through the night (I said can...it doesn't mean he always does though)
  • smile, laugh, and make random noises
  • put everything he gets ahold of in his mouth
  • eat stage 1 fruits and veggies
  • roll from tummy to back
  • give hugs
  • sit from a laying position with help (he gets stronger every day!)
  • pull plastic rings off the pole
  • jump in johnny jump up and sit/stand in the exersaucer
  • pay attention to several books before getting bored
His personality is coming out. He likes to act shy sometimes. He is quick to let you know when he's bored! It also seems that he knows to look to me rather than my husband if he wants to be held. I see a lot of myself in him.
Who has ideas of things to entertain kids at this age? I'm running out of things quickly!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Things I never thought I'd do (until I became a mommy)

I realized that I've been skimping on the confessions lately...and as I was catching up on blogs from Foxy Pink Cheetah (access her blog here) I saw that she mentioned me in her blog awards:
Diez: Confessions of a first time mom. Another refreshing blog. Blogs honestly about being a mom for the first time and everything that goes along with it.


 
It made me feel SO GOOD. In one of her other entries she says: "For some of you long-time readers, you know that I make fun of "mommy-blogs." Only the ones that suck, though. Here's the thing: if you're being true to yourself and your personality and you blog about your kid, awesome!"
 
So it made me feel even better that she'd mentioned me. I guess one of the reasons that I don't update this blog every day is that I don't want to brag about my son all the time. (Well, okay, I do...what mom doesn't...but I know people don't want to read about that ;) Lately life has been pretty uneventful. I get up at 6 (after pushing snooze for 30 minutes), work until 3 or 4, and come home to entertain G...which is becoming more difficult because he can't do a whole lot on his own...like sit. There's not much you can do if you can't sit on your own! We read a few books, play with some toys, bounce in the exersaucer, and watch Nick Jr. Yikes...yes, my son is 6 months old and watches TV! I always said that I didn't want him watching TV at a young age, but I can't help it...sometimes it's the only thing that will keep him entertained. In my defense, I usually watch it with him and I sing along or repeat the words (like on Dora or Diego).
 
Here are some other things I never thought I'd do:
  • let my house get cluttered with all kinds of toys
  • spend lots of time looking for a certain plush toy from a certain show on Nick Jr.
  • say "Swiper, no swiping"
  • talk to every parent that I see with a baby that looks remotely close to G in age
  • ride in the backseat with G if hubby is driving
  • give up buying clothes for myself so I can buy an outfit for G
  • let G ride in the infant carrier without being strapped in (I really can't believe I've done this...and I've only done it twice...but when you've had a fussy fussy day and your baby finally goes to sleep, you avoid what might wake him/her up!)
  • give up watching shows that used to be favorites

Sunday, May 23, 2010

My son has stage fright

So far we haven't been able to capture any of G's tricks on video. It's like the minute that camera is on, he forgets what he's supposed to do. Today my mom called and left me a message telling me that G rolled over from tummy to back. (I missed it! So sad!) Hubby and I tried to get him to do it again, but after 6 minutes of just watching/videotaping him fussing on his tummy, we gave up. Hopefully we'll have better luck tomorrow.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Scare of the day

I was standing in my kitchen tonight and thought I smelled gas. My mom mentioned that she thought she smelled it earlier in the day (thanks for mentioning it) so I called the gas company. The last time I did that was back in college when we lived in a townhouse in the ghetto we fondly called "Little Mexico". The firetrucks came a blazin' within 5 minutes. This time, the guy told me to leave the house but stay visible and he'd send a technician out. It took almost an hour for them to get there! I wouldn't have been so upset if I didn't have G out there with me. He'd been yawning for the past 3 hours, so I knew he'd want to go to bed soon. Plus he tends to get cranky from teething around 7 or 8, so I was worried...but he actually surprised us and did really well. Our neighbors across the street who we'd never met before invited us over to sit on their porch chairs and then even invited us inside when I mentioned that G smelled stinky. They happened to have a spare diaper for when their grandson comes over.
Everything ended up being ok and I'm thankful for nice neighbors.

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Serious matters

OMG


Yesterday my husband informed me that there are only 66 days until our cruise.

WHAAAAAAT???

Yea...it seems like just yesterday he'd booked it and we had 120 days...and I kept thinking "Oh, I have plenty of time to lose weight and look HOT."

Um yea...so I am embarrassed to admit that I have dropped the ball and I am so not beach ready. Well, I haven't completely dropped the ball...I have exercised 5 days out of the week (with my PE classes)...and I did South Beach for a little while...but I like carbs and I know the human body NEEDS carbs for energy. And along the way I've had a few too many glasses of sweet tea and some bad food choices here and there and long story short, I am only down about 10 pounds...and 8 of those were during a week when I had a 24 hour stomach virus.

So, as Ming Ming (from my oh so favorite Nick Jr. show "Wonderpets") would say:

THIS IS SERIOUS!

I am going to force myself to keep a food and activity journal.

I am going to work out EVERY DAY.

I am going to eat right.

I am going to drink 64 ounces of water a day.

And I am going to plaster pix of my current self and former best-shape-of-my-life self all over our house.

The scale may not lie, but the camera tells the whole truth.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Traveling with a baby: Part II

Subtitle: The airline industry is jacked up

So I mentioned in my previous blog that we didn't fly back home. We ended up renting an SUV for $500 and drove it one way back to Charlotte. It's ridiculous why we had to do that...

When we got tickets for mom, G, and me we were planning on coming back on Saturday so I'd have a day to recouperate before going back to work. We thought that if grandma took a turn for the worst and mom needed to stay and take care of her that we'd just reschedule mom's ticket for a later date and G and I would still come back as planned. Our tickets were almost $1000 for 3 round trip and my aunt made sure to get the $18 insurance on each ticket thinking that would make it no problem to change the flights.
Well, my grandma ended up passing away on Wednesday night. (7 hours after they let her go home from the hospital.) The funeral was scheduled for Saturday morning and there was no way we could make our flight. On Friday when I went to pick up Robert from the airport my aunt called and said Expedia was telling her it would be almost $1000 to change the flights. I tried to talk to a ticket guy in the airport and he told me it would actually be $3000. I didn't have a whole lot of time to figure this out because the viewing was in a few hours...so I decided to just rent a car and drive since it would be cheaper.
*I think it's SO RIDICULOUS that we had to do this. I still haven't written letters to Expedia or United, but you better believe I'm going to.
Thank goodness the guy at Alamo rentals was nice and gave me a free upgrade to a Tahoe. That thing was super nice.
Crazy us decided to leave at 5pm on Saturday and drive through the night so hopefully G would sleep. I must say...except for one meltdown at dinner time he did really well. However, we were so tired that we had to stop several times for potty, caffeine, and stretch breaks...plus a 2 hour nap in a hotel parking lot. It took us almost 24 hours to get home!
I thank God for letting me survive those trips...and guess what...in June we're driving BACK to NY for the burial and a family reunion! Yikes!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Traveling with a baby: Part I

I used to be one of those people at the airport who shuttered when I saw kids waiting to board a plane. I wasn't sympathetic at all...in fact, I probably uttered some snide remarks loud enough for the parents to hear me. Wow...if I knew then...
In my last blog I mentioned that my grandma was really sick and that my mom (G's caretaker) was going to go to NY asap to help take care of her. Well in a sudden turn of events, we got a phone call the next Monday saying we needed to get up there pronto. Yes, we as in mom, G, and me. They weren't sure if we would even make it in time.
So, plane tickets were booked, bags were packed, and within 12 hours we were headed to the airport.
YIKES
Am I the only one who feels the need to pack everything and the kitchen sink when I take G out of the house? Now that I'm a mom I go by the Boy Scouts' motto: Be prepared...for everything. That's not easy when the airline industry decides that they need to charge per checked bag.
I managed to fit 5 days of clothes for G and me, baby food, diapers, bibs, and burp clothes in one suitcase ($25). For carry ons I had his diaper bag and a toy bag. Plus we toted his travel system and pack-and-play (which thankfully United didn't charge us for).
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6am. We left the house at 4:30. G was peacefully asleep. We managed to get checked in and to security by 5:30. This is where it got fun.
I want to reiterate that G was peacefully asleep. In his carrier which was in the stroller. I was the next in line to put my stuff on the xray belt and the old man says "You have to take him out of the seat and put the stroller and carrier on the belt". WTF? I hate to pull the old do I look like a terrorist card, but geez. I'm all for safety, but isn't there a better way? Doesn't everyone know NOT TO WAKE A SLEEPING BABY? I think I would be a much better sport about this whole thing if I'd known ahead of time. There are tons of reminders about the 3-1-1 rule (3 oz. of liquid per container and they must fit in a 1 quart ziploc bag)...but nothing about taking your baby out of the seat. And to top it all off, I had a 4 oz. tube of Baby Aveeno sunscreen that I forgot to take out of the diaper bag and I was okay with having to throw it out...but they let me keep it! So apparently I could smuggle something destructive in my baby stroller, but not in a tube.
So anyways, I removed G from the seat and of course he woke up. Then I had to get all my crap resituated. We made it to the gate at 5:55. When I stepped through the plane entrance I saw that we were on the tiniest plane ever. 4 seats per row divided by an aisle and I could definitely see the back row. If someone crapped in the bathroom the whole plane would smell it...and if G had a meltdown the whole plane would hear it! As I struggled with my 20 baby in the car seat I looked at my fellow passengers, smiled, and said "I think I might be the person everyone hates on this flight."
Of course they say your kids will make a liar out of you and thank God G did. He was so good! Of course in DC we didn't even get a gate...I had to carry him down the stairs onto the tarmac and then back up the stairs for our next flight (on another tiny plane and he was fabulous for that flight too!)
It wasn't horrible, but I don't want to fly with him again any time soon. Stay tuned for more of this story...we took a different form of transportation home!

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Huge predicament

My grandmother is really sick with cancer. She lives in NY. My mom is one of four daughters...2 live near my grandma, one lives in Cali and my mom lives in NC. For my whole life we've only gone to NY every 2 years to visit relatives, so obviously I don't feel super close to my extended family.
My aunts have requested that my mom (who has been a nurse for 30 years) come to NY to help take care of my grandma since she probably won't be around very much longer. Obviously I want my mom to spend time with her mom. There's just one problem...

My mom is G's caretaker while we're at work.

Yea...this is complicated. My mom has her own apartment (the lease is up June 12) but she stays with us during the week because she doesn't have a driver's license. So, in case you haven't figured it out...here's our list of things to do ASAP:
  • find a day care for G (I am dreading this...and I don't know if I'll be able to find one who will take him for only 7 weeks...hubby and I are both teachers and that's how long we have left in school).
  • box up and move all of mom's stuff to storage (I am also dreading this...she has a lot of crap!)
  • get mom to the airport
I know these are only 3 things, but the first 2 are HUGE. Trust me, I have not taken it for granted that I've had my mom (i.e. someone I know and trust with the most important thing in my life). We also have a good situation as far as payment because a 5 star day care would cost us $800 a month. We're getting by with paying mom's rent ($605) and her utilities (about $100). It's a great situation...and now it's gone. I want to hyperventilate just thinking about leaving G with strangers.

I'm also upset because we tried to go to NY during Christmas break (which would have been crazy since G was only a month old...but we had 2 weeks off to go) and spring break (which was last week), but my aunts said it wasn't a good time. Now hubby and I absolutely cannot go until June 16...and if we don't make it in time I'm going to be devastated.

Prayers would be much appreciated.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Confession #21: This blog isn't as great as I imagined it would be

There are a couple of reasons that I think this is true...
#1: I have no idea how to design a nice webpage. I look at the webpages of all the people under my favorites (which by the way, if you haven't checked out "Heir to Blair" she is my absolute fave mommy blogger) and they're so cute...and mine is so BLAH. Anyone know how to fix this problem? (besides paying someone!)
#2: I have pretty much NO time to blog. I leave for work by 6am and get home any time between 5 and 8 at night...and of course I want to spend time with G when I get home, so that leaves no time for this unless I stay up late (like I am now) and in that case I usually regret it in the morning. I may have to resort to trying to blog during my planning period, but right now I have about a million and 1 things I need to accomplish by the end of the week.
#3: I actually don't think I have that many great things to say. Okay, that's not true...but I didn't want to only have 2 reasons that this blog isn't as great as I imagined it would be.

Improvements to follow, I promise!

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Confession #20: I don't know how to balance being a mom and a wife

First off, let me say I'm sorry that I have not been updating this daily like I originally intended. Life has been so busy...blah blah blah.
I've been thinking about this post for a while...what I would say...what I would not say...and I don't think that I have all the right words, but I will try. I honestly feel like no one will understand, but hey...I promised I'd be honest.
My husband and I prayed and prayed and prayed for a baby. We had all but given up...and then *surprise* I got the positive.
Hubby was AMAZING during my whole pregnancy. He basically waited on me hand and foot and we were so excited to be starting a family.
When G was born, it wasn't anything like I'd imagined. I was induced, tried to have him naturally, and then had an emergency C-section. Hubby got to hold him first. And I'd definitely never felt such intense pain as I did in those next few days. They say that women forget the pain...that's the only reason why they have another baby...because they've forgotten how much it hurt. I wonder how long it takes to forget, because I am so not there yet.
Anyways, in the hospital we were so caught up in the joy of being new parents. When we got home of course we had to learn how to do this parenting thing. G was very fussy...and it took a while to learn the tricks of how to calm him down. My husband couldn't deal with the crying/screaming, so I did a lot of the caretaking on my own. I didn't mind at all...I cherished every moment that I had with G.
Now that he's getting bigger, I'm trying to teach him and play with him more. For the most part, he isn't terribly fussy...until around 6 or 7 at night which of course is the time hubby gets home from tutoring. He also gets fussy sometimes 30-45 minutes before feeding time (which is a whole other post in itself). I try everything I can to calm him down which usually involves holding him and/or dancing with him. Of course hubby thinks that I need to just let him cry...he thinks that G is going to learn that if he cries he'll be held...and maybe that's true...but if hubby gets so upset when G is hysterical, why wouldn't I try to calm him?
It just seems that hubby and I are living in 2 different worlds now. My world is consumed by G as soon as I get home from work. Hubby separates himself either by doing work (which he legitimately has) or watching TV downstairs to stay away from the crying.
I just don't know what to do...I love my husband so much...but I love G so much too and right now they don't seem to be meshing.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Confession #19: I've already left G for the weekend

I feel like such a bad parent, but this weekend I took 15 teenagers to a convention 2 hours away and left G with my mom. My SIL thinks I'm crazy...she was all "you need to get away from him so he can get used to other people" and "you need to put your marriage first" (hubby went as a chaperone, so we did get to stay at a hotel together). I know she's right, but I know lots of moms who waited until their child was a year old or older before they went away.
My hubby has booked a cruise this summer and G is staying here...so I guess I'd better suck it up.

When did you first leave your child overnight and what were the circumstances?

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Stay strong

Wow...
I don't know if it's from starting SouthBeach or the 24 stomach flu I had where lots came out but nothing went in (except a frosty...totally not SB approved, I know) or the calories I've been blasting doing the "30 day shred" every day or what...but...
I lost 8 pounds last week! I am so freakin' excited! I'm not doing my measurements again for a few more weeks, but I do weigh myself every Monday.

I teach a Modern Fitness class 1st period and female weight lifting 3rd period, so I get 2 work outs a day. I have 8 girls in MF, and for the most part they've been doing pretty well. I told them from day one that we would be doing the 30 day shred for the whole month of March to get us ready for spring break. We're in the middle of week 3 and they are
trying
to
break
me!
They whine whine whine and beg to do "something else". I know they really want me to give in and say "ok, you can have a free day."
HECK
NO!
I am determined to do this thing and dang it...if I'm doing it, they can do it too. I keep reminding them that they are athletes (I have 4 softball players and 1 soccer player in there) and I just had a baby 3 months ago. I think they're tired of hearing that, but
I
will
not
give
in.
Geez...teaching is a lot like parenting, isn't it? :)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Confession #18: I don't really look forward to weekends anymore

For many many years, weekends were when hubby and I could spend some quality time together. (Remember, we dated for 6 years before we got married and then were married for 6 before I got pregnant). We'd do whatever...walk the mall, go for a 5 mile jog, watch movies all day...or my personal fave: go out to eat at Moe's and then go to Borders, get a stack of my favorite trashy magazines and a frozen drink and read for hours.
Now that we have a 3 month old we don't get to do that anymore. Even though his fussiness has improved A LOT, weekends still seem to be bad. It's like he's saved it up all week and then it rears its ugly head. For the past few weeks he hasn't pooped at all on Friday and then Saturday he fusses a lot. (Any ideas why this might happen week after week?) Fortunately, he did poop yesterday but he's been fussy today. He's taking a nap right now (and daddy is too) but since he's already been a fussy gus, hubby doesn't want to go out in public. Not sure what we would do, but I'd be content just walking around the mall. I might go tonight while hubby and his brother are at a men's church conference.
Anyhoo...I'm hoping this all clears up soon because starting next week we have a full calendar for about the next 6 weekends!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Confession #17: I had my first "I look like a terrible parent" moment

The little man had a cough and congestion all weekend, so I took him to the pediatrician on Monday. Our appointment was at 2, but we sat in the waiting room until 2:30. It was so freakin' hot in there...and G started fussing...which quickly turned to all out screaming. I tried all my tricks...none worked. I took off his shirt in case he was too hot...didn't help. Other parents were giving me the look of pity. Finally the receptionist asked if we wanted to bring him back to a cooler room. Yes! (So basically we got put in a holding cell.)
A few minutes later, we were taken to the real examination room. He continued to scream. The doctor came in and she held him and he calmed down a little bit. When he started fussing again she said "Do you have a bottle? Why don't you feed him?" Well he'd just eaten 2 hours before that...but I made a bottle and of course he calmed right down. Thank God he weighs almost 17 pounds at 3 months or she'd think I was starving him. (read this about a couple who recently starved their baby...horrible! http://www.seattlepi.com/sound/414761_sound82817997.html  )
So as if that wasn't bad enough, today I was talking to a student and she said "I heard Geoffrey didn't have a good visit at the doctor the other day." Huh??? How did she know?! Well apparently a girl in her class was in that waiting room and saw the whole scene and said "Mrs. J looked like she didn't know what to do."
Yea little girl...I hope your baby is perfect. We'll see how easy it is when you're the mom.

No...I'm not bitter.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Confession #16: I sabotage my own weight loss

I could write a novel about my weight ups and downs...but I'll spare you. All I want to admit is that I have a bad habit of not taking the time to pack a good nutritious lunch and then I end up eating candy that I have stashed in my office. I rationalize it by saying "well I worked out hard today". I got this great idea this weekend that I will do South Beach again. It worked for me about 5 years ago...not sure why I ever stopped. Anyways, I told myself that since I'm probably bloated due to PMS I'll probably gain tomorrow...and therefore I've eaten a few things that I shouldn't have. And of course I've loaded up on carbs since I'll be giving them up. But yesterday I also took my measurements and YIKES...if I want to look half way decent this summer when I go visit extended family I've got to do this...I can't keep putting it off!
Furthermore, since I've promised that this will be a very honest blog, I'm going to publish my current weight and measurements. (Encouragement would be much appreciated!)
Current weight: 222 (I was 195 pre-pregnancy and 250 when I gave birth to G)
Waist: 46
Chest: 40
Thighs: 23
Biceps: 12
Pants size: 18
Anyone out there reading who is trying to lose baby weight also???

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Confession #15: I think I really am just a b****

I've been teaching for 7 years...this is my 3rd at my current school. Last semester I taught freshman health all day. I've taught freshmen before, but we spent half the time in health and half in PE. Since I was pregnant in the fall, I switched kids with the PE teacher. I didn't realize that being in a classroom for 18 straight weeks with freshmen can be hell. They got on my nerves EVERY DAY. Of course I blamed it on my pregnancy hormones, but it got to a point the week before my due date that I went to my OB and said "write me out of work or I might hurt someone". Of course then I found out that I had high blood pressure which led to my induction...I blame it all on those kids.
Anyways, now that I'm back at school I'm not teaching any freshmen (yay!). For the first few weeks everything was great. I was excited to be out of the classroom and in the gym and I'm actually working out with my classes. But lately I've been slipping back into the groove of everything/one annoying me and snapping at people for crazy stuff. There is a strong possibility that it's PMS...I am on my 3rd week of pills after all. (Isn't it funny that everyone says they're PMSing while their on their periods...hello, it's called PREmenstrual syndrome LOL). I guess I'll have to follow up on this post and see if my bitchiness goes away.

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Near catastrophe

Lately, G has not been enjoying his Fisher Price Rainforest playmat. However, there is one "toy" (a mini stuffed monkey) that I can still use to entertain him. Said monkey's name is MoMo. MoMo has been misplaced a few times already, but I found him without too much searching. Today we almost lost MoMo for good.
This weekend we went 3 hours east to my hometown to visit family. On the way back, G slept for most of the ride, but we did have to stop to feed him. MoMo was hanging on the handle of the infant carrier by his tail, as he usually does. Hubby took out the seat and we went inside. About 30 minutes later, on the way back to the car, I noticed a big redneck truck with a few big hitches on the front. I notice a small orange stuffed animal with big eyes stuffed in the hitch...it looked just like MoMo! I showed hubby and he insisted that it wasn't...but it was! My mom went over and snatched it and we got in the car and left.
I can't even imagine what we'd have done if we lost him...whew!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Confession #14: I'm already stressing out about G becoming a teenager

I know this seems silly because we haven't even celebrated his 1st birthday yet, but being a high school teacher I am constantly hearing about things that go on. If you have kids, trust me...there is a LOT going on that you would never dream of. I went to high school in the mid-late 90s. Yes, people were having sex. Yes, people were drinking and using drugs...but the feeling I get is that it's way more rampant now. I don't think you would believe the things that I could tell you that I hear from students and I would never post them on here because if I did I could get fired...but if I found out that my son was doing those things I would #1 be very sad and #2 I would probably send him to one of those boot camps.

I think as a society we need to make a lot of changes. First of all, kids need their parents. Teens don't need all this freedom...they need family time. You might be a single parent and if so, I have tons of respect for you. My mother-in-law raised 3 boys alone and I have no idea how she survived...but guess what. She wasn't out dating all these men and leaving her boys to do whatever. She was working to put food on the table and doing the best she could. I have a student who is having serious issues right now and a lot of it is exaccerbated (SAT word!) by the fact that his/her mom has had several failed marriaged and is constantly off galavanting with some guy.
Second of all, we have got to take this trash off the TV and radio. Have you listened to the lyrics of these songs??? I remember in high school the worst song I'd ever heard was "Put it in your mouth" and now that's basically EVERY song on the radio! Then we turn on the TV and everything is so sexual. I can't lie...I enjoy watching "The Bachelor" but geez...going to the fantasy suite about 2 weeks after you met someone? Most sit-coms are centered around everyone jumping in and out of bed with each other. It just gets worse and worse. Rather than taking the time to talk to our kids and LISTEN to our kids, we'd rather let the TV or computer entertain them.
Third, kids need to have strict supervision when using the internet. It's SO EASY for them to access porn...and once they see it they easily get addicted. Then you have Facebook, Myspace and AIM where kids can write whatever and put pictures of whatever.
I also don't think kids need phones with unlimited texting...unless they have a plan where the parents can see all of their texts.
Lastly, and probably most importantly, we (parents, teachers, society) need to be stressing SELF-RESPECT. If kids had respect for themselves, they wouldn't be doing the things they're doing. Again, we don't talk and listen...we just assume that they're going to have sex so we get them birth control. Abstinence doesn't have to be about just avoiding pregnancy and STDS...it should be a way to strengthen and improve your character. It's about not giving yourself away to anyone and everyone who wants it. And it's about developing meaningful relationships with other people that don't have to be all about sex.
A few years ago, I had a guest speaker come talk to my 9th grade health classes. She talked about sex and abstinence in a way that every young person should hear. Unfortunately, she moved to Arizona, so I can't bring her in any more. Sometimes I want to quit my job and speak like she did...but I doubt I could afford to.
Please parents, talk to your kids...don't let them learn everything from other kids. And they need YOU.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Confession #13: Sometimes I feel like a single parent

It's really hard for me to put this out there, but here it goes...

Right now I'm laying in bed with the cat while my husband is sleeping on the couch downstairs. We haven't spoken in a few hours. If you asked me why, I couldn't really give you a good explanation. Here are the events leading up to him sleeping on the couch:
G was a little fussy this afternoon. I came home to pick him up and then took him back to school with me because we had a basketball playoff game. He fussed before we fed him, but then he was good. Hubby surprised us by showing up. G fussed at first but I think he didn't recognize daddy because he was clean shaven (he usually has a goatee and partial beard). Then he was good for the rest of the game. At the very end of the game I had to get the water coolers and when I came back, G was crying VERY loudly. Hubby stormed out of the gym. He gets "embarrassed" when G is loud. Whatever. I picked G up and he calmed down. He fussed a little as I put him in the car, but was quiet the whole way home. Hubby stayed downstairs slamming cabinet doors and acting immaturely until he realized no one was paying him any attention. I got G ready for bed and fed him with my mom.
That's it.
I've avoided blogging about this for so long.
And for right now I'm going to refrain from rehashing so many things because I've been praying and I have seen lots of improvement on hubby's part. But in this moment I'm reliving all the negativity.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Confession #12: I want an Extreme Makeover!

Way before "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" there was a regular "Extreme Makeover" show. They took regular people, flew them to Beverly Hills, and had plastic surgeons redo whatever they wanted. I loved the show so much that when I was in college I drove all the way to Atlanta for a casting call. You wouldn't believe how many people were there! I filled out the application and then they called groups of about 10 people to the back, lined us up, and asked each of us what we wanted done. I said a nose job and breast implants. I actually was told to come back for an interview that afternoon. (I broke my nose in 6th grade from a car accident. When I tell people that, they always say "I didn't notice until you told me." WHATEVER...obviously it's pretty bad if they let me progress.) I didn't get a call back after the interview. Of course part of me is sad...I could've gotten my nose fixed for FREE! But as far as the boob job, I'm kind of glad I didn't get it back then. But now there are several more things I would like done.
If they ever bring that show back, here's the list of what I'll request:
Nose job
Breast implants
Tummy tuck
Laser hair removal
Liposuction of hips and inner thighs
Porcelin veneers

Wow...I sound like Heidi Montag. I think it's funny that she went from wanting to be a mom so badly to getting 10 procedures done...I wish her luck in keeping that body if she ever does get pregnant!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Confession #11: I'm addicted to coupon and freebie sites

I think when you create a new email address just for junk mail to be sent to and then you purposely sign up for junk mail, you might have a problem. *blushing*
I have recently discovered that there are lots of blogs dedicated to finding great deals, free samples, and coupons...and I have to admit that I check them frequently. Some day in the near future, I am *hopefully* going to have a mailbox full of free shampoo, mineral makeup, whitening strips, laundry detergent, and other random things that I can't even recall right now. When they do begin arriving, I'll be sure to brag all about it ;) Check out my blog list to see some of my favorites.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

What I miss most...

from my life before G:
10. My pre-baby body...not that it was all that great, but it wasn't all saggy and stretch-mark-y like it is now
9. Spending money on whatever...now we spend a ton on formula!
8. Snuggling up on the couch for hours at a time with hubby and watching movies
7. Sleep...although the night sleep situation has been *knock on wood* awesome lately
6. Being able to fix a meal without worrying that G is going to have a breakdown and having to abandon it
5. Road trips...need I say more?

WOW...I thought this was going to be an easy post, but I actually am having a hard time thinking of 5 more things. I just love my little boy so much...I miss him so much when I'm away from him! Maybe a better topic for today is the Top 10 Things I Love the Most about G (so far):
10. The way he holds the bottle while I'm feeding him
9. When he gives me an unexpected smile
8. How cute he is in every outfit I put on him
7. When he holds my finger
6. How determined he is to belly scoot
5. Snuggle time
4. Watching him lay on his activity mat
3. How soft his hair is
2. His coos
1. The thought of all the fun things to come in the future!

Monday, February 15, 2010

The formula mystery

I'm not really sure what made me choose Similac as my brand of choice when I knew breastfeeding wasn't going to work out. Maybe it was the free gifts that they provided during each trimester of my pregnancy. Just kidding...I did read the information that was included and it seemed like the Advanced EarlyShield was a great choice. It says it's the closest to breast milk.
When we realized G had colic, my husband wanted to switch to Enfamil because they have one called Fussease which supposedly helps with fussiness and gas. We went through one can and didn't see a difference, so we went back to Similac AES. Our pediatrician later told us that it can take up to 2 weeks for a baby's digestive system to get used to a new formula.
We stayed with Similac AES for a while and then my husband decided he wanted to try soy. We got Parent's Choice soy (which was half the price of name brands!), but G seemed to get worse...so we went back.
After that switch, it seemed like his poops were different. They were harder and he spit up A LOT more. (The doctor says that babies spit up more between 2 and 6 months of age). Hubby did some more research and found out about Similac Alimentum which is marketed as a "hypoallergenic" formula for food allergies and colic. Of course, wouldn't you know it...it's flippin expensive! We started out with a bottle of the pre-mixed stuff...what a pain! It has to be refrigerated! Then we found the powder at Babies R Us...it's $26 for a 16 ounce can compared to $21 for a 23 ounce can of AES. It annoys me that it's not part of the deals because it's a small can. (Right now you get a $5 gift card from BRU when you buy two 23 ounce cans of Similac).
At first I thought the Alimentum was great. His poops were back to normal and he seemed to burp easier...but it doesn't seem to help the spit up. Sometimes he doesn't spit up at all, but other times he spits up A LOT.
I don't know if we'll ever find the perfect formula for him.With all the choices out there, it'll drive a new mom crazy. I'm ready for real baby food!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Shake, rattle, and roll!

My son is at the age where he's a lot more alert and seems to want to see everything he can, but he's not quite big enough for an exersaucer. He's just now able to start gripping one of the rattles we got him, but it doesn't interest him all that much. Infantino makes an awesome product for babies who want to make some noise but can't hold heavy objects...they're wrist rattles! We have 2 sets...a pig and a cow and a chicken and cow. G loves it when I let him grab my fingers and then shake really fast. I say "shake your bacon" and "make a milkshake" or "shake your steak"...no vegetarians in this family! When I went to the website I saw there's a set with a monkey and an elephant...I'll be looking for those next. I think he'll be able to wear these for a few more months.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Confession #10: I've never seen "Back to the Future"

My favorite moments with G are when he's snuggled up with me and it feels like we're the only 2 people in the world. I look at him in awe that I helped create someone so precious and beautiful. This afternoon, despite the thoughts of him not wanting to go to sleep tonight, we took a nice almost 3 hour nap together. It started in the rocking chair, but then I moved to my bed with him. He was so nice and warm and the cat even joined us.
I know one day I will look back on these days and really miss them...but I have to confess that I'm ready for him to be able to do stuff. I feel like all I do is feed, burp, and change him with a little bit of trying to entertain him. He is much more alert now, but it's like I'm just trying to keep him content. He'll lay on his play mat, watch his mobile, or have "tummy time"...but not much else. I want to be able to play and read books, go to the zoo or the park...and have play dates. It snowed last night and I just longed to go out and make snow angels and have a snowball fight.
Robert and I have always loved to travel and be active...and we can't wait to have adventures with our little man. Does anyone have a time machine? Preferably one that will let me come back and visit these snuggly times whenever I want to.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Helpful hint: Perfect your swaddle

If you have a baby with colic, I highly recommend that you get the book "Happiest Baby on the Block" ASAP. If you're like I was, you're desperate enough to do anything to get the crying/screaming to stop. Someone mentioned the book to me and I happened to see it at Target. My husband didn't want me to get it. It's like he didn't think that anyone could possibly know what we were going through or how to help. Actually I take that back...he took a lot of advice from his co-workers, but didn't want to see what a doctor with lots of experience had to say about it. (Our pediatrician had never read the book and she didn't have a whole lot of good advice). But I digress...
I read the book (a very easy read) and I swear it changed my life. No, your child's colic won't be magically cured...but you will be able to handle it so much better. If you'll use his steps, it will work! I'm not going to tell you what all of the S's are, but I have to say that the swaddle is so important. My son's "shh" of choice is the hair dryer. If he's screaming from colic (meaning I've already fed and changed him and tried several things to entertain him and he's still upset) I take him in the nursery, turn on that hair dryer and he snaps right out of it. Sometimes I have to run that hair dryer on and off for an hour.
I have found that the way that I get him to sleep the longest is when he's swaddled nice and tight.
**One big hint is if you are swaddling a larger baby like mine, regular receiving blankets are too small. I went to Wal-mart's fabric section (which is available at very few Wal-marts now) and bought a yard of flannel material. It's plenty big enough to wrap him up like a cute little burrito**
My little man slept ALL night last night...and he was swaddled!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Brand I Love: Chicco

I'm not really sure what made me want to choose Chicco (did you know it's pronounced Key-co?) for my travel system, but I did. One time at Target I saw a lady with it and I asked her how she liked it and she told me that she originally had a different one but hated it. She got this one and loved it and all her friends switched over. That sealed the deal for me. We got the gray and green color combo. Let me tell you...I LOVE IT! The main reason is that it's so easy to use. I have a funny story about the first time I decided to use it.
I'd been cooped up in the house for several weeks and just had to get out. I decided to head to the local Mills mall with G. I'd never used the stroller before and had no idea how to fold it up, so I went to their website where I found a great video of how to fold it up. It was so easy! I packed it in the trunk, loaded up G and went on my way. When I got to the mall, I unfolded it and tried to put the carrier in it. It wouldn't fit! I tried several times, but it was really cold outside so I went ahead and pushed the stroller with one hand and carried him in the other. As soon as I got inside, I tried again, but to no avail. Finally I saw a woman headed towards me with a stroller...a Graco...but I didn't care...I immediately called to her. "M'am...do you think you can help me?" It took her about 10 seconds to find the little lever you have to push to put down the backrest that would be up if he were bigger. Voila...the carrier slipped right into place! I felt like such an idiot.
When he outgrows this carrier, I will be buying a different convertible car seat...more about that later...but for now I love my Chicco!
**BTW, Buy Buy Baby has a bigger selection of colors than Babies R Us!**

Does anyone have experience with any of their other products?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Confession #9: My son's name is already a pain

I've wanted to remain as anonymous as possible with this blog, but the information I am about to reveal will make it obvious to anyone who knows me who I am. Nevertheless, I promised to make this an honest blog and this is what is on my mind to write about today.

My husband and I met the summer after high school at my first job ever at Toys R Us. We went on a double date (he was with my best friend and I was with a guy that I would rather forget about) and ended up having great conversation and flirtation the whole time. I left for college soon (about 2 hours from my hometown), but I wrote him a letter and he wrote back immediately. The rest is history.

Needless to say, Toys R Us has a special place in our hearts. Ever since I can remember, we've said that if we had a boy we'd name him Geoffrey after the giraffe that is the mascot of Toys R Us. And although when I was younger I'd always envisioned myself having a little girl to dress up and play dolls with, I've also had the feeling that it was destiny to have a boy. It feels good to know that there is a special meaning behind our son's name. My husband's middle name is the same, only spelled the traditional way (Jeffrey if you haven't figured it out).

Most people have a nice reaction when I tell them why we named him the way we did. "Awww...that's so sweet!" The male students at my school have had a different reaction. "That's so gay." "You named him after a giraffe?" "That's not how your pronounce that...look at geography...his name is G-off-ree."

Although I ignore them (after all, they're teenagers...what do they know...they wanted me to name him Onyx!), I have to admit that it is a pain to have a name spelled differently than usual. I actually LOVE the spelling, but every time I have to tell a stranger his name, I automatically follow it with "G-E-O..." Seriously...every time. And then I feel compelled to tell them why it's spelled that way. "He's named after the giraffe at Toys R Us because that's where my husband and I met."

Quick funny story:
The day after I gave birth I was laying in the bed and the lady who types up the birth certificate called me to find out his name.
"Geoffrey...G-E-O..."
"What?"
"G-E-O-F-F-R-E-Y"
"What's the father's middle name?" (of course after asking for his first name)
"Jeffrey...J-E..."
"What?"
"J-E-F-F-R-E-Y"
I'm sure she thought I was C-R-A-Z-Y.

Monday, February 8, 2010

It's official: I'm committed to Pampers

**I want to take a second to say hi to my new followers. For any moms who read this and are not members of Mom Bloggers Club, you should check it out! So far I've had lots of nice women stop by!**

I know I mentioned the Pampers Gifts to Grow program which I really love, but it was time to switch G to size 2s (at 9 weeks old...yikes!) and I had 2 packs of Huggies that were gifts and I thought I'd give them a try. Something about them just got on my nerves. Maybe it was Mickey and Minnie on the front (don't get me wrong...I love Disney, but they look like generic versions of the characters), or the texture (oh those Swaddlers are so soft!), or the absence of the wonderful strip that turns blue when the diaper has pee pee in it. Whatever it was, I was thankful that it was a rather small pack of diapers. I will never stray from my Pampers again. (The other pack of Huggies will probably be regifted...just like a pack of Parent's Choice wipes that I couldn't bear to use after suffering through several already ;)

So, if anyone from P&G happens to read this and you need a new spokesperson, feel free to send me all the diapers you want. My son is adorable, I promise!

**If you go to this site, you can sign up for coupons and samples from Proctor and Gamble (makers of Pampers and lots of other great products!)**

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Confession #8: I'm *literally* pulling my hair out

I promised this would be a very honest blog...and I know I haven't been writing long, but I'm going to just come out with it. I have a form of OCD called trichotillomania which involves pulling my hair out. There are different types of trich...some people pull the hair on their head (not me...I inherited my mom's baby fine hair, so I'm already self-conscious enough about that...I don't have much to pull!) while others pull from the pubic area or arm pit (again...that's not me). I pull my eyebrows and eyelashes. I remember doing it when I was about 8 years old. I don't remember why I did it...but I pulled out almost all of my eyelashes and my mom noticed at dinner and flipped out. She thought they wouldn't grow back. Well, she was wrong. They did grow back...again and again and again. I have pulled on and off since then.

I hate to admit this, but it's gotten worse since I've had the baby. I guess it makes since...OCD is an anxiety disorder. I guess this means that I'm anxious about being a mother. And let's face it...there's a lot to worry about. I just want to be the best mom I can be and when you have a baby with colic you worry that it's something that you've done. After a long bout of G's screaming I sneak off to the bathroom and inspect my eyelashes and eyebrows to see which ones "need" to be pulled.

Somehow, someway I am going to get this under control.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Confession #7: I think I'd go crazy without my Blackberry!

My husband got a Blackberry way before I did...and I used to get SO annoyed that he was always looking stuff up on the internet or checking his email. Then I got one...and I have to admit that it is VERY addicting! I think now, more than ever, I am addicted to Facebook. Since I had a C-section, it was painful to get out of bed and move around a lot...so I think that's when it started. While I was stuck in the house, that was my link to the outside world. During feeding time I have mastered how to hold the bottle with one hand and the Blackberry with the other...and I look forward to catching up on all the status updates. Now that I'm at work all day I don't get to check Facebook until usually late at night because we're trying to play with G and keep him up until at least 9 or 10 so he'll sleep well (and long).
I'm really looking forward to my little man growing up...and I know that it'll be time to put the Blackberry away...but for now, it keeps me entertained.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Confession #6: I've had to eat my words a few times

I already admitted that breastfeeding didn't work for me and I definitely thought it would be easy as pie. So that's one thing that I've had to admit I failed at.
Ever since I was old enough to know what an epidural was, I've said I don't want one. It's not so much that I wanted to experience natural childbirth...it's more like I was terrified of the thought of needles in my back. So over the course of my life I've stuck by this notion...that the pain of childbirth couldn't possibly be worse than getting a shot. Of course when I got pregnant I continued to stick by my guns and I told anyone and everyone that I wasn't going to have an epidural. Some people were very supportive and told me I could do it...but most people thought I was crazy. "Demand the drugs right when you get there" was the general consensus. Well, most things about my labor were different than I'd envisioned. First off, I hadn't dilated at all by my 38 week appointment. Then I started having high blood pressure which led to me being induced. I had to have cervadil first which was very painful for me. The nurse couldn't even check me to see if it was working, so she suggested the epidural. I gave in and boy am I glad I did! The needles weren't that bad and once it kicked in...WOW...I've never experienced anything like it. I could feel people touching me, but felt no pain whatsoever! I ended up having an emergency C-section, so I am really glad I'd already had the epidural. The last thing I needed after finding out the news was to have to go through the needles at that point.
The other thing I'd been very adament about is that I didn't want to have just one child. I am and always have been an only child and I honestly hate it. I've given my parents grief about them not giving me a sibling (although it's really not their fault...my mom had health issues). But guess what...now that I've been through childbirth, I really think I can't do it again. I know they say that you forget the pain...and maybe it's just too soon...but the recovery is definitely still fresh in my mind. Adoption is looking really good.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Confession #5: I can't even take my own advice

Wow...after I just wrote a whole blog about not buying tons of clothes, guess what I did today. I bought 6 long sleeve onsies and 2 pairs of pants for my son! *blushing*
Yea...Children's Place has a $2.99 sale right now and Target has the cutest separates for $3. I couldn't resist!
Then I also proceeded to buy 4 outfits for a co-worker whose wife just had a baby. But guess what...they had a girl...and I never get to buy girl stuff. I got a variety of sizes and I'm giving a gift receipt...plus a huge box of Pampers wipes to make up for it :)

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Helpful hint: Resist the urge to buy lots of clothes

I will be the first to admit that I LOVE BABY CLOTHES. I couldn't stop myself from buying everything cute I could find. Sometimes I think it might've been a lot worse if I had a girl (because there is so much more cute girl stuff!) but I aso think that it might've been the thrill of the hunt for boy stuff. For a while I was on ebay all the time looking for stuff. (Of course, always new, with tags :) I also went to consignment shops. Let me tell you...if you haven't figured this out yet...Carter's has the monopoly on baby stuff in mainstream stores. It doesn't matter if it's Babies R Us, Target, Kohl's...wherever....it's all Carter's. Even stuff at Walmart is from a "division of Carter's".
Anyways, think of it this way: your baby is going to be growing very quickly. Not only that, but you're basically stuck in the house for the first few weeks anyways. My son wore mostly pajamas. He's 8 weeks old now and I'm already packing away the 0-3 month stuff...and some he's only worn a few times.
Just some thoughts:
  • Get at least a few newborn items...even if you have a big baby like mine, he will still need some newborn stuff...but don't go crazy.
  • Definitely think about seasons. I couldn't resist buying certain items and now I'm not sure if he'll get to wear them.
  • Pajamas with snaps are a PAIN in the middle of the night...look for those with zippers. My son is just now fitting into the sleeper sacks (that say 0-9 months) and I'm so happy! Thank goodness we just had a cold front!
  • People love to buy baby clothes. See what they get you at your baby showers before you spend your money on them.
  • Leave tags on stuff until you know s/he is going to wear it...clothes are worth more money with the tags still on them!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Helpful Hint: Baby store discounts

I'm not an expert by any means, but I would say that Babies R Us probably sells the majority of baby items out of all baby specialty stores. I personally am not a big fan of Babies R Us. The customer service leaves much to be desired and I feel like I'm buying something that everyone else has (see, I told you I was a snob;). I also don't like their return policies. However, I do shop there a lot...mainly because everything's all in one store and they have a great "rewards card". If you don't have one SIGN UP NOW. It's free and you earn points every time you buy stuff. I've only had a card for 6 months and I've already earned about $20 in gift certificates. (I would have more, but my husband forgot to have them swipe our card when we bought a $400 crib). They also send TONS of coupons and have a program where when you buy 9 value boxes of Pampers, the 10th one is free.
If I had a choice, though, I'd shop at Buy Buy Baby. It's owned by the same company that owns another store with triple Bs...Bed Bath and Beyond. The customer service is EXCELLENT and they have a much larger selection of items...and not the same old stuff you see at Babies R Us. It is a little more expensive, but the great thing about Buy Buy Baby is that you can use Bed Bath and Beyond coupons! We're actually going to use a 20% off coupon to buy another car seat when he grows out of the carrier. (I'll talk about what car seat we're going to get later :)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Confession #4: I'm kind of a snob

My sister-in-law is very frugal. I guess I am too when it comes to certain things. I don't mind saving money by buying the generic Tylenol, body wash, pasta or canned vegetables...and maybe a few other things. But there are a few things I won't compromise on: cream cheese (must be Philadelphia), orange juice (Tropicana in the jug or Simply Orange), ice cream (Edy's), and toilet paper (Charmin).
When it comes to my baby, I want the best. For formula, so far I have only bought Similac. Other people tell me that the generic brand is the same and costs half as much, but I'm going to talk to the pediatrician before switching. For diapers I love my Pampers. I did have someone buy me newborn Huggies which I used when I ran out of Pampers...and the thing I liked about those was there was a little space cut out to go around the umbilical stump. I wish I'd used Huggies for the newborn stage because with Pampers you have to fold them down.
The funny thing is, out of all the baby things that I thought wouldn't matter what brand you got, wipes was the top of the list...and boy was I wrong! If you are a first time mom, take this piece of advice:
DO NOT BUY PARENT'S CHOICE (Walmart brand) WIPES!!!
In my experience, they stick together and you end up using 3 or 4 which probably ends up being the same price as if you'd used 1 Pampers or Huggies wipe.

Monday, January 25, 2010

Helpful hint: Fisher Price should stick to toys

We bought some Fisher Price window shades because they were inexpensive and cute. Guess where they are now...in the trash! They are really difficult to pull out and now they won't go back in. I want to contact the company and see if they will give me my money back, but I haven't found where you can email them...of course you have to call and I haven't made time.

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know if their diapers are any good? My instinct says no.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Helpful hint: Pampers Gifts to Grow

If you're like me, you love free stuff. Well this isn't completely free, but you can earn free stuff. I wish someone had told me about it when I was pregnant. If you're using Pampers wipes and/or diapers, you should go to pampers.com and sign up for a *free* account. Then start looking on the boxes and wrappers for the codes. You go put the codes in the website and earn points. The points earn you free stuff.
FYI: The codes are kind of hidden. If you buy a huge box of Pampers, they come wrapped inside and that's where you find the code. If you buy the plastic tub of wipes, the code is etched under the lid (and kind of hard to read). If you get the value box of wipes, the code is on the individual wrappers.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Confession #3: I want to be a M.I.L.K.

If you read the title and you've heard of a MILF, you might be puzzled. You read it right, though. Don't worry...I don't want to be a mom that young boys have sexual fantasies about. The "K" stands for know. What I mean is that I hope that my son's friends want to come over to our house and hang out. I want them to feel like they can talk to me if they don't have that with their own parents. I can help everyone with homework. They can come have dinner with our family. You get the picture...I want to be the "cool" mom. And I want my son to be proud that I'm his mom...not hiding when I come to pick him up at school or come to his games.

In some ways this does have a little to do with physical attractiveness. I do want to be the pretty mom in cute clothes...not the overweight one who should be on "What not to wear" or "How do I look?"

Wednesday will make 8 weeks since I had a C-section. On Monday I will be starting a workout program that I designed that involves tough 1 hour workouts Monday-Friday. They involve walking/jogging for 20-30 minutes followed by some sort of workout video (mostly those from "Biggest Loser"). I am very excited to see what kind of results I can achieve.
I will update on my progress once a week on here. I've already got my "rewards" picked out.
After 25 pounds I will get a spray tan.
After 35 pounds I will get a pedicure.
After 50 pounds I will get a hair cut and highlights.

Celebrities might be able to get to their pre-baby weight in 6 weeks, but I'm doing it the way that the average woman could do it.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Confession #2: Failure to latch

I don't breastfeed and I feel horrible about it. I tried...but I don't think I tried hard enough. I did have trouble with my supply, but the truth of the matter is that I never gave it 100 percent. When the lactation consultant came in the hospital room I was tired and in pain from my C-section. I didn't really want to be bothered. And if you REALLY want me to be honest, a lot of it had to do with my husband. When G screamed instead of latching on, hubby didn't encourage me...he kept saying that it wasn't going to work. When I pumped on the couch he complained about the sounds. When I tried Fenugreek he told me to stop because it was making me constipated, but I really think he just wanted me to stop because he thought it was a hassle. I mentioned that I wanted to go back to the hospital and see the lactation consultant, but I needed him to drive and he never wanted to make the effort.
If you want to breast feed, take a class...get as much help from the LC as possible...and know that it is not as simple as whipping out your boob right after labor and feeding your baby. It takes work.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Confession #1: I don't know everything

As of right now, my husband and I are currently not speaking to his oldest brother and his wife...which also means that we are not in contact with our niece and nephew. It sucks. I am not going to get into the details of why, but in the exchange of emails that occurred leading up to this situation, my sister-in-law informed me that I am haughty and a know-it-all.
We have differing opinions on lots of things...especially parenting issues...and I never thought I was acting like I know everything.
In the past 7 weeks that I've been a first time mom, I have learned A LOT. And I know I will learn a lot more. I will make lots of mistakes. But here, in front of you, God, and everyone I want to say it:

I don't know everything

Bear with me as I share my confessions and opinions. Feel free to share yours, even if we don't agree.
This is the official launch of "Confessions of a first time mom"