Serenity

Serenity
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Tuesday, January 29, 2013

My baby is 2 months old!

Today my baby girl is 2 months old!! 2 months old!! Where have the last 8 weeks gone?? They have flown by so fast!! At 2 months she is outgrowing newborn size diapers and newborn size clothes. Many things that fit just a couple weeks ago, are now too small. It makes me sad, but I know it means she's happy and healthy and growing like she should!

She is holding her head up more when she's on your shoulder and her sleeping pattern is a little bit better now too. It's so sweet to listen to her coo and "talk"!  She's eating close to 6 ounces now and we have started laying her down in her crib at night to sleep. How's that going? Well, let's just say it's going to take a while to make that a smooth transition. 

We've been signing simple signs with her and even though she is too young to be coordinated enough, we like to believe she tries to mimic us! We've focused on "mama", "daddy", "food", and of course, "I love you". 

She doesn't seem to be a fan of "tummy time" although I am trying to give her a bit more of it every day. She loves her monkey mobile that plays music and lights up! She loves music and sometimes she will "dance" to whatever is playing! 

Her 2 month check up is next week and I'm eager to find out how long she is and how much she weighs!

My baby girl is absolutely the most precious, sweet baby! Of course, I'm quite partial! :)

Here's to celebrating all the milestones month 3 will bring to us!

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Snippet of my Life Map from 2010


Originally written in 2010.....

".......Nothing extraordinary happened in my childhood. Became a Christian when I was a child but it wasn't until Look Up as a teen that I began to understand what it meant to really live for Christ.  I was always highly involved in all aspects of church so I knew all the right answers etc.

So I grew up in church (Nanny made sure of it); was home schooled until high school; graduated in 2004 from SHS; went through two major church splits. Got married (first time) in 2005 at twenty and completed that divorce by 25. And I've been in 4 churches in my lifetime.

I really didn't pay attention to watching God work in my life until the last two years. I've watched Him bring amazing goodness out of a heart-wrenching and devastating church split which became this amazing group of people called Catalyst. I've watched Him bring me from the pit of despair with my divorce to life after. To finding joy and hope again. I've watched Him provide for me over and over when it seemed like nothing was going to work. I've watched him do amazing things in all our lives over and over. And I truly believe that in the early stages of my divorce that if it hadn't been for Catalyst, I may have seriously fallen into depression. That’s how devastated I was. But looking back and knowing what I know now I am eternally grateful God pulled me out of that relationship when He did and I’m so glad I chose to cling to Him through all of it. I wouldn't be who I am today if it hadn't been for that. The love and the encouragement and hope that Catalyst has poured out on me has been amazing. ......"

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Lessons from a Month of Mommy-hood

Our baby girl is five weeks old already! I cannot believe how fast time has passed! Seems like just yesterday I was trying to determine if the cramps I felt were real contractions or not!!

Even though I've only been a mom for a little over a month, there are already many lessons I've learned that I want to write down so I remember them for the next baby we have!

In a month of Mommy-hood I've learned:

  • To breastfeed a LOT while in the hospital! I don't think I fed her near as much as I could have, which would have helped establish my supply I believe. 
  • To pump starting immediately to build up a "freezer supply" of breastmilk. I wish, wish, wish I had done this from the beginning!!
  • To use the "natural ways" to increase breastmilk right away & have those items on hand before the baby is born. 
  • To get involved with a La Leche group before birth!!
  • To take a "natural birthing" class and a breastfeeding class (and/or meet with a lactation consultant).
  • To eat better (starting during pregnancy) and drink a LOT more than normal!
  • To use cocoa/shea butter from the beginning of pregnancy. To note, I am not ashamed or embarrassed by my stretch marks--they are a symbol of the child I carried and grew to love even before she was born!
  • To have more than one or two newborn size outfits. Our little girl was (and still is) tiny, and while this might not be everyone's case, I only had a couple onesies that fit her when she came home. 
  • To have a can of formula and a couple bottles with slow-flow nipples on hand just in case breastfeeding doesn't work out before you're ready to introduce bottles.
  • To have a couple different brands/types of pacifiers on hand. Baby didn't like the ones we'd been given, so we had to buy a different type for her. 
  • That, while it may cause nipple confusion in some babies, sometimes a pacifier can calm not only the baby, but the parents as well. 
  • To have witch hazel, pads, liners, and "adult" wipes on hand for the aftermath of birth!
  • That the pads and mesh panties the hospital has are lifesavers those first few days!
  • That Motrin and stool softeners are your best friends in the days after birth!
  • To linger in that first shower after birth...it feels soooo amazingly good!!
  • To not end up on your back during labor. The pressure and pain increased significantly when laying down. I believe if I had been able to get up and walk around a bit more towards the end, that I would not have been in so much pain.
  • To not let the doctors and nurses insist on the "purple pushing" way...(pushing while holding your breath and they count to 10...it decreases oxygen to you and baby).
  • To make sure that the doctor on call has a chance to view our birth plan before delivery takes place. The doctor on call was great, but wasn't aware of our birth plan (I don't believe) and a few things I wanted didn't happen.
  • That you can never have too many burp cloths, diapers, or wipes!
  • That doubles of everything are a-okay...especially if you have a 2 story house!!
  • That a sound machine or soft music can be your best friend at nap and bedtime!
  • SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!! (I still have not mastered this!!)
  • To act like its no big deal when people flip out because you went through all of labor and delivery with NO pain meds!
  • To not allow your household to be deathly quiet when baby is sleeping. We have made sure that baby has been exposed to all sorts of sounds when awake and asleep. This child will sleep through most anything once she's truly asleep...or asleep in our arms!! 
  • That my baby girl is worth everything bit of pain I went through!

I'm certain there are so many more things that I will find to add to this list as life with baby rolls on!! I am so excited to be a Mom and am loving everything about it...except for the sleepless nights!! There is nothing like it in the world!!