Monday, January 14, 2013

Dearest Peanut #4


 Dearest Peanut,

You have recently found your voice for better and for worse! You sit and "talk" all day long. My personal favorite is waking up in the mornings to your sweet voice. You look at us through the crib bars talking as sweetly as can be. When we come over you will squeal with delight and give us a great big toothless grin! As if you missed us while you were sleeping and are overjoyed to see us!


 You love talking and being part of the action already. Along with that you also hate missing out on all the fun. In fact, talking is your newest trick to prevent falling asleep. When your tired you will start talking even more. It's as if your thinking, "if I can just be cute for long enough they will forget about bedtime!" Sadly, this doesn't work because your grumpiness begins to show through. Your "talking" turns from sugar to... well...umm...something that is much less desirable. For instance, the last few nights you have screamed (till blue in the face) because we took you out of the tub sooner than you desired. At first we thought you had a tummy ache or got lotion in your eye (we felt terrible about it) but we soon found out the truth! If we stuck you back in the tub your screaming would instantly stop and a smile would appear! Just. Like. Magic.

You definitely know your mind and are not afraid to share your feelings! I am truly grateful I have a daughter who has such a strong personality! I would rather you had too much personality than not enough! Just remember that "you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."




Lots of love,

Mom

 PS. I am sure the neighbors have loved the increased volume that has come with your increase in talking! 



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

4 tips to aid with the transition to parenthood


Becoming a parent has provided me with the most exciting, wonderful, terrifying, and frustrating experiences of my life! Especially, during those first few weeks when exhaustion and hormones are taking their toll! I remember crying (one of the many times during those first weeks) and thinking, "I can't even sit! How in the heck am I supposed to take care of this baby? Let alone trying to feed her with these rock hard balloons attached to my chest!" Thankfully, that phase has past and things are going much more smoothly! I was recently asked by a friend, who is expecting their first baby, if I had any advice. I pulled from my experiences and from what I have observed professionally while working families to come up with a list. I came up with four main ideas that will help with this transition to parenthood.

1 - IF IT'S NOT WORKING TRY SOMETHING NEW

Sometimes we get so focused on what the experts say that we throw our common sense out the window. If forcing your baby on a schedule isn't working then stop! If your newborn grunts so loudly in their sleep that you can't get any, then co-sleeping might not be beneficial. Give something a fair try but if it’s not a good fit for you and the baby then try something new! Sometimes a trick that didn't work in the past works now and vice versa. For example, in the past we would have to wrap peanut in a blanket in order to get her to eat but now she eats better with both hands free. Our old trick stopped working so we adjusted.


2- NEVER SAY NEVER

In order to survive those early days you might find yourself doing things you never dreamed you would. Things you might have even sworn you would never do! Before peanut was born I didn't plan on giving her a bottle until I started going back to class. The Germ was very supportive and got up with me at every feeding to help when he could. Even with his support nursing was still difficult. When exhaustion and a screaming baby were taking their toll on me I had him give her a bottle. Yes I still wanted to nurse and cried because I felt like a failure for giving her a bottle, but I NEEDED A BREAK! Getting six hours of uninterrupted sleep did me wonders mentally, spiritually, and physically. Peanut didn't suffer from the dreaded "nipple confusion" and she still nurses just fine.

I believe as long as everyone is safe and healthy, then it is just fine to change your ideas. Keeping your sanity and enjoying your baby is far more important than sticking to some vision you created in your mind while pregnant.  I know many people who had to have their baby sleep in a swing in order to keep their sanity.



3 - FIND JOY IN THE JOURNEY

When The Germ and I first got married we decided to enjoy whatever stage of life we were in! College students with no money - great! We will have fun doing spontaneous and cheap vacations over summer break. Yes we were impatient for the future and ready to be done with our low paying jobs but we never forgot to enjoy the journey. When Peanut was first born I remember crying in the shower because I was having a hard time adjusting. I was worried that we would have a screaming baby FOREVER! I soon realized that I wasn't enjoying being around Peanut anymore even though I loved her tremendously. That realization made me feel so sad because I wanted to enjoy being around my sweet baby! I reminded myself that I was on a new adventure going through unknown territory. Difficult times are part of every adventure and I needed to focus on the good parts of the journey. Yes, I mourned the loss of only having to worry about The Germ and myself because life seemed so simple then (it really wasn't). I also looked forward to when Peanut could sleep through the night. These feelings were completely normal and often arise when a big change occurs but I reminded myself she will only be this little 6 pound baby once. Soon the dread I felt when she started crying was replaced by small moments of joy- the smiles she gave while sleeping, how far she would arch her back when she stretched, and the little squeaks of contentment when she was done eating. Focusing on those small moments made the changes in my lifestyle easier.


4- TALK TALK TALK

Communicating honestly to your spouse/significant other helps with the transition. Asking for their help, thanking them, and expressing your love will make life more enjoyable. Hearing The Germ tell me how much he loved me and appreciated what I was doing made me feel valued. Asking The Germ to help with Peanut instead of trying to do it all on my own took some of the burden off my shoulders. There were times when we had to “tag team” the baby. I would try calming her and when I began to feel frustrated he would take over. There were nights when this would go back and forth several times until we were able to calm her. TOGETHER we found what worked best for the Peanut, NOT by doing it alone. Also, talking about our struggles and fears helped us find ways to ease these feelings. 


Becoming a parent is not easy but it is worth it! Those early days may be full of tears, hormones, and no sleep but you’re not alone. Parents all over the world are taking home their newborn baby, wondering how they are going to do it. Hopefully, remembering these four things will aide you as you begin this new adventure!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Dearest Peanut #3

Dearest Peanut,

I can't believe how fast you have grown and changed! It is amazing to see how fast these changes occur. I am afraid to blink for fear that I will miss something! I wanted to let you know some of my favorite things you are doing at this stage in your life (2 1/2 months).


I love how you smile big cheesy grins when you think your about to have a bath and how you get angry when we take you out to soon! Your sporadic splashes followed by your look of surprise is highly entertaining! The warm water is so relaxing that you frequently tinkle in the bath. In fact one night we had to refill your bath four times and the last one ended up being on the lukewarm/cool side (dad was doing the dishes at the same time). Needless to say you HIGHLY prefer warm baths.


I am also amazed at how much you wiggle! You never stop wiggling and moving, even in your sleep! In fact you love being in motion! You love to be played with 'rough' whether it is pretending to be an airplane with dad or dancing to The Muppets, mahna mahna song with mom. Movement can help soothe you when your feeling sad, mad, uncomfortable, or overstimulated. You need motion like you need air! Sometimes the only way we can get you to eat is by bouncing you. I wonder if this is because I didn't stop moving when I was pregnant. You must have enjoyed the four wheelers at 25 weeks and biking at 37 weeks gestation!


You recently found your fist and have been gnawing on it ever since. Your left hand must taste better than your right but if your right presents itself you won't deny it the privilege of being eaten. You even eat your fist through the blanket if your swaddled. I must admit the noises you make while sucking on your fist make me jealous, my fist isn't near as tasty!


You now hold your head up for longer lengths of time and look around to see what is going on. Your eyes light up when we sing to you, currently your favorite song is Mary Poppins -Jolly Holiday. You even try to mimic us as we sing. You are also currently sporting a reverse ombré mullet going from blonde to red. You are in fact the blonde version of your daddy in both looks and personality. Your always happiest when both dad and I are home.

Thanks for being our peanut and for sleeping 9 hours every night!

Your the best!

Love,

Mom


PS. I am sorry about the shots!