Schools out for Summer!

It hit me this morning. I woke up and realized I didn't have to go to work! (Well, I did have to go in for a few minutes and sign in, but that hardly counts!). Words can not express how excited I am about this first summer with Lily. We are going to have so much fun.

At one point I got a bit freaked out when I looked at my plans for the summer. Between travel and summer school, my calendar was already full! This first week off is quite busy as my friend Star is coming to town and we are going to VA for my nephew's second birthday. We also have some plans to go to visit our family over the July 4th weekend and an Ocracoke trip the first of August. It's all very fun stuff, but I was feeling my summer slipping by too quickly before it even started!

Thus, I went back and forth about whether or not I wanted to teach summer school. I've taught the past three years, and actually really enjoy it. It's good money, good hours (8-12), and a good opportunity for me to get to know my upcoming struggling students. At first I had signed up to do the whole month of July, but started to feel remorseful and proposed my teaching partner teach half. I wasn't sure if the school would let us, but everyone agreed! Thus, I only teach the last two week of July. That gives me a full five weeks free (give or take some vacation)!

I can't wait to to take Lily to the pool, to the museum, and to hang out with all of her little friends! Not to mention having time myself to do things around the house and hang out with my friends! It is going to be quite lovely.

So Much is Changing!

Attack of the Crawling Lily from splattergrits on Vimeo.

I think I say things like this a lot, but babies sure do grow up fast! I really can not believe how much Lily is growing and changing. This has been a big weekend for change.

Josh and I spent a big part of the day yesterday researching and shopping for a "big girl" car seat because she is quickly outgrowing the other one. We've also been buying her some new "advanced" toys, as she is finding the old ones boring. In the last few days she has started going from her belly to sitting up all by herself, scoots everywhere she wants to go on her tummy (see video!), and is eating finger foods!

This morning, I went in to get her up and found her standing in her crib smiling at me and bouncing! For the first time this morning she also clapped her hands and said the equivalent of "yay". We sat her in the floor and she scooted over and pulled herself up on the couch to look at us.

It is crazy, she is doing so many new things every minute! She has started using a bit of baby sign language, is quite mobile, and even seems to understand "dada" and "mama". It is incredibly fun to see her learn so much. I have a feeling the next few years of watching her little brain soak everything up are going to be a blast!

P.S. Thanks Auntie Star for the babylegs, they are protecting her knees from floor burn!

Making Baby Food

When I started this parenting thing, I swore that I would make all my own baby food. That hasn't happened. After two early failed attempts (mixing sweet potatoes with spoiled breast milk, and making a banana puree that quickly turned brown and which Lily wouldn't eat), I stuck with the jars for a while.

It wasn't really the failure thank kept me from making my own. It was more the ease of pre-made baby food. Everyone says that making your own food isn't hard. They say "just puree up whatever you are making for the family". Well, during the day I work, and I needed something easy to leave for the nanny to feed her. I didn't want her to have to worry with preparing meals for Lily. In the evenings, I hate to admit it, but what "the family" eats isn't really that baby friendly. We tend to eat out a lot or get take out. Not exactly what I want Lily to be eating.

I think the Super Baby Food book was also a problem for me. I got so frustrated with that book and all the contradictory recommendations, that I think I was somewhat afraid of making my own food. It is much easier to just grab a jar from the pantry to feed her, especially if we were going out. Plus, I buy the organic Earth's Best baby food, so I know it doesn't have anything strange in it.

This summer, however, I really want to do better. I have time, which I think has been my main deterrent. I have also fed Lily many new things and discovered that they haven't hurt her in any way, so my fears of that are no longer a factor. I've also found a great website, wholesomebabyfood.com, that has lots of good information and recipes. Unlike Super Baby Food, it is well organized and realistic, not alarmist!

So, this morning I started the day pureeing frozen peas and mango for today's meals. After church, I was off to the farmers market to stock up on wholesome, fresh, local fruits and veggies. Tomorrow my baby food making blitz begins! My plan is to make a bunch of food cubes to freeze. Wish me luck!

A Scary Night

Anyone out there had a baby with croup? That is some scary s#*t! Pardon my language, but it is!

Last night I put my seemingly normally healthy baby to bed. At 1am I awoke to her crying and gasping in the monitor. Her breathing was really ragged and she had a cough that sounded like a barking seal. I woke Josh and we called the 24 hour nurse advice hot line.

After listening to her breath over the phone and determining that she was struggling to breath both in and out, she advised us to take her to the Emergency Room. At around 2am we were on our way.

The ER was surprisingly efficient. Apparently that is the norm when a baby is having trouble breathing. We signed in and in a few minutes they took us back to a room (well, a curtained off section of a room) where the respiratory specialist came to give her an epinephrine breathing treatment to help open her airway. Then they gave her a long acting oral steroid to help keep it open.

Then the waiting began. Because she had that epinephrine, we had to wait a minimum of three hours for them to monitor her breathing. By 4am, she was already doing much better. She fell asleep in my arms, despite the interesting conversation going on in the curtain next to ours, and slept for a quite a while.

At around 5am, a nurse came in and said he had to take her temperature, rectally. Seriously...this poor baby is finally calmly resting and you want to take her temperature. Yes. So that woke her up and made her a bit upset, but I calmed her down and fed her. She then proceeded to play, happily sitting with me on the bed for a while. She was quite cute and the nurses were taken with her. One brought her a "hospitality" bag with a cute blue and white stuffed dog and a rattle. We waited (and listened to the guy next door).

As the magic 6:15 drew near we weren't sure if anyone would come, but the awesome Pediatric resident (who just happened to finish at William and Mary the same year we did) showed up with our paperwork just a little after. We headed out and I was surprised to see the sun up as we got in the car. This wasn't exactly what I had in mind for my Tuesday night, but at least Lily seems to be doing fine now. She (and we) have been sleepy all day, but her breathing is much improved.

Have you heard of zulily?

Have you heard of zulily?

Can you say, awesome?! It's my newest obsession. They offer daily deals for moms, babies, and kids! Most of their offers are from small businesses, and they even have a bunch of great organic and handmade stuff! Like Groupon, you sign up your email (free membership) and they send you deals each morning. Some expire that day others are good for several days. This may be a dangerous website for me!

If you have kids, or kids you shop for, you really should check it out. CLICK HERE to sign up!

P.S. It doesn't hurt that Lily is in their name! :)

Car Seat Survey

Hey all you moms and dads out there. Lily is quickly outgrowing her carrier car seat. She is way too heavy to carry around in it, rarely falls asleep in the car anymore, and is just getting too big! It's time for us to look into a new seat for her. I'd like a convertible one so that she can still be rear facing for at least a year. We are going to have to have at least two, so I'd prefer them not be ridiculously expensive. Do you have any recommendations? What are your thoughts on new versus used? Anyone have one they are ready to move out of?

Time to Babyproof!

Well, it happened. We failed as parents. At least in part. Two nights ago, while we were cleaning the kitchen and cooking dinner, Lily was in her walker tooling around the family room. She found her way to the lamp by the couch, and, before Josh could get to her to stop her, she pulled it over. It shattered on the floor leaving her standing in a pile of broken glass. Yikes! Luckily there were no injuries, but it certainly was an eye opener.

It seems that our little girl is growing up. She is becoming strong and mobile quickly. A few weeks ago, she couldn't get around at all. Now, by rolling or scooting, she can get wherever she wants to go. She seems to know what she wants (usually things she shouldn't have: electrical cords, DVD's, fish food, etc) and goes after it! It's time for us to get started baby proofing.

At first Josh said he thought we didn't need locks and such, but could just teach what to do and not to do. I think there is a bit of truth in that. My nanny and I had a conversation today about telling her no and replacing the off limits item with something good for her to play with. Still, I think there are some things we need to do!

Last night we bought a new TV stand that has doors that keep all of our electronics away from her little hands. Our old one was pretty unsafe because it had a glass top that didn't attach which she could easily pull off when she starts pulling up, which she is already starting to do. We've put plug covers in all of the outlets she can reach. Tomorrow my nanny is bringing some cabinet locks and things that she has left over, but we'll still need a few more and gates for the stairs.

Anyone have any baby proofing advice? Does anyone have a cabinet lock or gate style that they like?

Teen Moms

The High School where my church meets has quite a few students who either have children or are expecting children. As part of our ongoing efforts to really be part of the school community, we have recently started looking for ways to support these girls. As soon as this was mentioned in church one Sunday, I teared up and knew that I was supposed to help. Today I decided to take the day off work to attend our first event, a "baby shower".

We took tons of diapers and gently used clothes, along with lunch for the girls. I wasn't sure what to expect. While these women are moms, they are also still high school students. The counselor had to go and "remind" many of them to attend, but once they did, what happened was beautiful. I think that being together in one space helped them see that they are not alone. Although shy at first, they soon dived into searching for clothes for their little ones and conversation with each other about motherhood.

It was obvious who was expecting and who was already a mother, and not just because of the belly. There was a noticeable maturity among those who already have a baby they are taking care of. I'm not surprised. Being a mom brings with it a whole new set of concerns and joy and until you experience it, you really have no idea what you are in for.

I was somewhat surprised to see one of the fathers come with his girlfriend to the shower. I'm proud of that young man even though I don't know him. It can't be easy for a teenage boy to come into a room full of girls looking at baby clothes, heck, I don't think Josh would have done it. It really got me thinking that all of these baby's have dads. Perhaps we need to look more into ways that we can support them as well. Being a dad isn't easy either and there is lots of evidence out there about how important having a good dad is.

I hope that seeing us there, struggling with our own babies fussing, being hungry, spilling things, etc. they see that no one has it all together. The point is that we all realize that parenthood is a challenge, but that having people, be they your peers or elders (wow...I hate that word, I am not old enough to be an elder, but I couldn't think of another word that would work), to talk about all of the struggles and joys with makes the whole journey a bit easier and a lot more fun. I know I'm blessed to have lots of other moms in my life.

Overall, I can not imagine being a high school student and a mother. Motherhood is a tough gig even when you are "grown up". I'm impressed that these girls are finishing school and doing their best to be good moms. I want to do anything I can to support that. We have plans to do more "showers" in the future as well as large group outings and a mentor program. I'm so excited to see what God does in the lives of these young girls and their little ones.

Mama

This past week, Lily turned 8 months old and started saying mama. The thing is, she only says it when she is upset. When she is happy, she chants "dadadadada", but when she is upset, she screams "mama". My nanny says it's because she wants comforting and mamas are for comfort, whereas dadas are for fun.

This got me thinking. Perhaps mama is a natural innate sound that a baby human makes when in need of comfort, much like a baby kitten meow or a baby bird chirp. Perhaps that is why the first words used for mother are so similar around the world. Interesting!

It also made me think that perhaps I underestimate my baby girl. Perhaps she really does know who mama is and calls for me when she wants comforting. She certainly does say dada more when he is around. Not exclusively, but more. Mama, however, seems to come out more when I'm not there than when I am. Who really knows. I just like that she says it! :)

Post Script to Overwhelmed

Warning: Boys, you probably don't want to read this post.

So...you know how I was feeling so overwhelmed last week. It was really rough. I had lots of tears and fears. Turns out...there is a good chance it was all hormonal. After "Aunt Flow's" visit with her red suitcase over the weekend, I feel so much calmer and more myself. It's amazing how that happens. I think I had forgotten about her. That is one big benefit to being pregnant!

Overwhelmed

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? I think I thought I felt overwhelmed before I had Lily. I had no idea. Don't get me wrong. I love her. I love being her mom. I love Josh, I love being his wife. I love my job, I love my friends, I love my family, I love my house. I have lots of things that I love, but all of those things also bring with them responsibilities.

Last night I hit a wall. I felt very overwhelmed by all of my responsibilities. The thought of having one more little thing to do was just too much. The last two weeks have been incredibly stressful at work. With testing, remediation, and retesting, I feel like I've spent two weeks torturing seventh graders. That is a responsibility I don't want and don't like, but I still have to do it. There have been a ton of details to work out and very limited time to do it. It has been perhaps the most stressful week of my professional life to date. Because it was so stressful, I came home exhausted. I played with Lily and took care of her, but had little energy for anything else. Thus, my other responsibilities suffered.

I just feel like I have so many responsibilities that I'm doing a crappy job of all of them. Last night, out of shear frustration, I decided to make a list. I made a list of all of my responsibilities. The ones that I do every day, the ones I do once a week, and the ones I do every now and then. I'm not sure why I made the list. Maybe because naming a thing makes it easier to deal with. Maybe so I could show it to people and they would understand all I feel responsible for (which I did). Maybe so I would hopefully find things I can cross of that I'm not really responsible for (which I didn't). I'm not sure if the list was helpful.

My only solace is that I only have ten more days of work and then all of the stress and responsibility related to that are gone. Suddenly I'll have eight more hours a day to take care of my other responsibilities. June 11th can't get here soon enough. I just pray I make it!

A Weekend Full of Adventure!

This past weekend was full of fun family adventures. On Saturday, we went for our first ever family hike. We put Lily in the backpack we got from the REI garage sale and set off along the Eno River to Bobbitt's Hole. It was really a lovely hike, although the cicadas were so loud at times we had to shout to hear each other over them. I carried Lily out to the swimming hole. Unbelievably, she fell asleep in the backpack and slept a good chunk of the way. I thought it would be tough to carry her at first because my balance was off, but I quickly got used to it, and even enjoyed it. Bobbitt's hole was beautiful and we definitely plan to return and swim there soon. When Lily woke up we had a little snack and then headed back with Josh carrying her. All it all, it was a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

Then, yesterday, I took Lily on her first trip to the pool. I got her all dressed in her rash guard swim suit, plopped on her hat, and slathered my pale baby in sunscreen (any tips for putting that stuff on their face). At first she was not a fan of the cold water, but as I eased her in and let her get used to it, she began to enjoy it and even splash around a bit. I put her in her awesome covered float and she immediately kicked back with her feet up and relaxed. She also quite enjoyed trying to grasp the water with her pincher grip and drink it! A few times she splashed herself in the face and giggled. It was super cute.

I am seriously looking forward to summer. Three more weeks and I'm home with my baby! We are going to have such fun!

My Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday. My mom sent me a message saying she remembered the day I was born, and it really got me thinking. Why, on our birthdays, do we not call our Mom's and thank them! I know the idea is that we are celebrating that we survived another year of life, but to me that is sort of morbid. I think that instead, we should use this day to say thank you and celebrate the person who gave us life!

I know that for me, the day Lily was born is one I will never forget. When I celebrate with her, I know I will remember and celebrate my own joy as well. I think both my mom and I have a special day worthy of celebrating every May 19th. So, every year, from now on, on my birthday I'll be calling my mom to thank her and celebrate with her!

Another Cool Birthday Idea: I have a friend who's mom calls her every year at the time of her birth to wish her a happy birthday! I think that is an awesome tradition. So, this year, at 11:41pm on September 28th, I'll be whispering to Lily "Happy Birthday" as she sleeps!

The Pinch

Apparently developing a strong pincher grasp is a developmental milestone. Lily has certainly mastered it! It's really fun to watch her pick up her puffs and put them in her mouth. She also tries to pick up almost anything including carpet and buttons of shirts with her little fingers, super cute!

The only problem is that with this new grasp, she has also learned how to pinch skin! She has started this annoying little habit of pinching me in my arm pit when I'm nursing her. It really hurts. Her little fingers are super sharp and it really hurts. It's worse if I'm just wearing a nursing tank and she can get bare skin (which is usually the case first thing in the morning), but she also pinches through a shirt!

I've tried telling her no and holding her hand, but she gets frustrated. I've tried giving her a toy to hold instead of pinching, but she usually drops it and resumes the pinching. When she isn't pinching my under arm, she reaches for my face. I'm just not sure what to do about it. Any suggestions?

I was telling a friend about it and she says that her son slaps her belly with his free hand while he's nursing. Hilarious! Do any of you have any funny stories of what your babies do while nursing?

First Words!

Ok...so I'm pretty sure Lily said "da da" on Thursday night. She had been a bit sick all week and was pretty fussy at bed time. Josh was holding her and trying to soothe her and saying "daddy loves Lily" (one of his favorite sayings which has accompanying hand motions, so cute!).

She looked right at him and said "blah blah". We both sort of smiled and said "da da" back to her. She repeated it a little clearer "dlah dlah". This continued for a while with us saying it and her repeating. It was awesome!

The next morning she did it again. She has said it a few more time since then, maybe not quite and maybe not totally intentional, but still...first words! Yay!