Yesterday it was suggested that I do some research on some of my practices and opinions when it comes to raising Clayton. I can appreciate this recommendation. Children are ever changing and developing, as should be my methods and practices. I am thankful for respectful advice from others even if I don't always agree. I never know when that advice will come in handy along this journey. I very much respect that others have opinions that may be different from my own. With that being said, there are a few genuine questions that I have about "Cry it out" in effort to do the suggested research.
Let me preface this with two things....
1) I am not writing this as a public forum to bash others that may be for or against "CIO". It is my hope to receive only respectful opinions or advice. I don't wish for myself or others to be hurt in the process of my inquiry.
2) Let me paint a picture of what "CIO" looks like in my house. First off, Clayton rarely cries in general. He sometimes has a quiet fuss or whine. We have a 10 minute rule when it comes to Clayton crying himself to sleep. We only started this in the last couple of weeks when we moved him to his own crib. In the past 2 weeks, I think I can count on one hand the number of times that I have actually had to set my mental 10 minute timer. Of that handful of times, I think he has only made it to the 10 minute cutoff 2 times. On a typical night, he has usually stopped crying by the time I can walk down the stairs. I have tried rocking him to sleep fully but he is wide awake the minute he hits the crib and we start all over. We have found that if we put him down sleepy and sometimes a little fussy, he falls asleep much easier.
So with those two things in mind, on to my questions....
Riding in the car is pretty hit or miss with Clayton. There are days when he loves it and there are days that he cries until we get where we are going. I don't put him in the car with out being fed and changed, etc. so I know his basic needs are met. For people who do not believe in crying it out, what do if your child is crying on a car ride? There are times that I am driving some place that could potentially mean Clay crying longer than our night time 10 minute rule. Do people that are against CIO pull over on the side of the road and comfort their children, do you go home, do you let them cry it out until you get where you are going? If you pull over or go home, how do you ever get anywhere or get things done? If you let them keep crying until you get there, how is crying for 20 minutes on the way to the grocery store different than letting them cry themselves to sleep at night?
This is a question that I have been curious about since the first time we put Clayton in the car. I never felt comfortable asking on FB because controversial topics tend to become a comment war and feelings get hurts. Maybe this is a better way to ask my questions since you can remain anonymous if you choose.
So again, I welcome respectful comments. We are all adults so I would hope that noone would take this as an opportunity to put others down for their opinions. I am simply curious as to what the recommendation would be for a car ride with a crying baby if people believe that CIO isn't the best practice. I can not confirm or deny that the answers would lead me to change my opinion but perhaps someone might have some feedback that would be helpful to me as we are on the go a lot. A car ride is just not something Clayton can avoid.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Worst blogger ever!
I am basically the worst blogger on the planet. I have all these grand plans of blogging at least once a week about all the great things my kid is doing (eating, sleeping, pooping and peeing....you know... the usuals). To be quite honest, I never take the time to sit down and write. I usually just take time to sit down and drink a glass of wine :)
Okay, on to the Clayton part...
At about 2 and a half months right now, we have one happy little boy! At his 2mnth check up he weighed in at 10lbs 8oz which was an increase of 8oz from the week before when we went in to have a cough checked out. He was in the 90th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight so we have a tall skinny one. This kid is growing like a weed! By now, (about 3 weeks later) I wouldn't be surprised if he was up to about 12.5 lbs. All in a span of a week, he jumped from 6 to 8 oz bottles, slept through the night consistently and moved to his own crib. It makes me really sad that he "grew up" that much, that fast. At the same time, I love watching how he has developed this little personality. I no longer have to cross my fingers and hope for a smile. I now know exactly what it takes to get an ear to ear grin.... this week it seems to be his Mama singing Nicki Minaj. I think I would laugh too :)
One thing that I've found interesting since having Clayton is the advice that people give you when you have a baby (and yes, I know that I am guilty of this as well). Don't get me wrong, I am forever grateful for advice that people give me because people have the best intentions and a lot of times it really comes in handy. However, many times, I feel like I can't relate. I always feel like I am the opposite of every mom I know right now. I don't have any interest in video/movement monitors, I don't feed on demand, I took him out in public when he was a week old, I've left him with a sitter way earlier than I thought I would, I fully believe in "cry it out" etc.... When I was pregnant, I said that I wanted to be some kind of combination of a laid back mom and a super scheduler. (I know that is somewhat of a oxymoron but I will explain) A lot of people said things like "just wait and see, scheduling isn't so easy", "it's hard to be laid back when you worry about every little thing", "everything will be so different once he is here and all of your plans will go out the window." Those things couldn't be further from the truth for me. I have no doubt that's how things are for many people and I know that people mean well in saying those things. I have always known that I would be a strict sleep/eat scheduler. Since the day Clayton was born, I woke him up to feed him at very specific times, we then played and he went back down for a nap. (Read Babywise if you are interested in scheduling, is has some good pointers.) We have done this every single day with out fail. Now, 2 months later, he is a great napper. He tends to wake himself about 10 minutes before every feeding. Even if I have to wake him to eat, he is rarely cranky. He is a great sleeper at night. At most, he cries for about 10 minutes before giving in and is fast asleep. He drinks the full bottle most times and usually makes it the full span between feedings. Don't worry, I feed him early if not. That is the scheduler in me. The laid back mom part is the fact that he can follow this same schedule ANYWHERE. I've made a point to keep our lives from being restricted by his schedule as much as possible. I will do everything under the sun for my child but I fully believe that I can meet his every need with out being confined to my house for his 4 hour naps. I take him everywhere with me. He has learned to sleep in any crib, basket, pack n play, stroller, car seat, or pallet on the floor with almost any amount of background noise (except applause.) And if by chance his whole routine is thrown off ( i.e. yesterday I had a friend visit, went grocery shopping, and took Clay to his first baseball game) the beauty of the habit is that I don't need to panic and neither does he because the next day we will reset and get caught up. He and I both love our schedule but we go with the flow of the day and fit the schedule into whatever the day holds. I haven't always received the most positive feed back from people about our feeding/sleep scheduling but I have one happy, healthy little boy and he has two very happy, non-sleep deprived parents.
Clayton is so easy going and worry free. The most stressful part our day is making sure the diaper bag is packed to my standards before leaving the house. I love being a mom and I love this kid more than I could have ever imagined.
Okay, on to the Clayton part...
At about 2 and a half months right now, we have one happy little boy! At his 2mnth check up he weighed in at 10lbs 8oz which was an increase of 8oz from the week before when we went in to have a cough checked out. He was in the 90th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight so we have a tall skinny one. This kid is growing like a weed! By now, (about 3 weeks later) I wouldn't be surprised if he was up to about 12.5 lbs. All in a span of a week, he jumped from 6 to 8 oz bottles, slept through the night consistently and moved to his own crib. It makes me really sad that he "grew up" that much, that fast. At the same time, I love watching how he has developed this little personality. I no longer have to cross my fingers and hope for a smile. I now know exactly what it takes to get an ear to ear grin.... this week it seems to be his Mama singing Nicki Minaj. I think I would laugh too :)
One thing that I've found interesting since having Clayton is the advice that people give you when you have a baby (and yes, I know that I am guilty of this as well). Don't get me wrong, I am forever grateful for advice that people give me because people have the best intentions and a lot of times it really comes in handy. However, many times, I feel like I can't relate. I always feel like I am the opposite of every mom I know right now. I don't have any interest in video/movement monitors, I don't feed on demand, I took him out in public when he was a week old, I've left him with a sitter way earlier than I thought I would, I fully believe in "cry it out" etc.... When I was pregnant, I said that I wanted to be some kind of combination of a laid back mom and a super scheduler. (I know that is somewhat of a oxymoron but I will explain) A lot of people said things like "just wait and see, scheduling isn't so easy", "it's hard to be laid back when you worry about every little thing", "everything will be so different once he is here and all of your plans will go out the window." Those things couldn't be further from the truth for me. I have no doubt that's how things are for many people and I know that people mean well in saying those things. I have always known that I would be a strict sleep/eat scheduler. Since the day Clayton was born, I woke him up to feed him at very specific times, we then played and he went back down for a nap. (Read Babywise if you are interested in scheduling, is has some good pointers.) We have done this every single day with out fail. Now, 2 months later, he is a great napper. He tends to wake himself about 10 minutes before every feeding. Even if I have to wake him to eat, he is rarely cranky. He is a great sleeper at night. At most, he cries for about 10 minutes before giving in and is fast asleep. He drinks the full bottle most times and usually makes it the full span between feedings. Don't worry, I feed him early if not. That is the scheduler in me. The laid back mom part is the fact that he can follow this same schedule ANYWHERE. I've made a point to keep our lives from being restricted by his schedule as much as possible. I will do everything under the sun for my child but I fully believe that I can meet his every need with out being confined to my house for his 4 hour naps. I take him everywhere with me. He has learned to sleep in any crib, basket, pack n play, stroller, car seat, or pallet on the floor with almost any amount of background noise (except applause.) And if by chance his whole routine is thrown off ( i.e. yesterday I had a friend visit, went grocery shopping, and took Clay to his first baseball game) the beauty of the habit is that I don't need to panic and neither does he because the next day we will reset and get caught up. He and I both love our schedule but we go with the flow of the day and fit the schedule into whatever the day holds. I haven't always received the most positive feed back from people about our feeding/sleep scheduling but I have one happy, healthy little boy and he has two very happy, non-sleep deprived parents.
Clayton is so easy going and worry free. The most stressful part our day is making sure the diaper bag is packed to my standards before leaving the house. I love being a mom and I love this kid more than I could have ever imagined.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Still feel like I'm dreaming (a few days late)
A month ago I was handed this little guy....
And today my little boy is one month old!
Some days I wake up feeling like this month has been a dream. Motherhood has been much more than I could have ever imagined. Before Clayton came into our lives, I prepared myself for horrible sleepless nights, postpartum blues, high levels of stress and lots of tears. The past month has been beautiful. Everyday has been filled with love, happiness and laughter with only little moments of tears. Even at my most anxious moments (Is he still breathing? Is he doomed for man-hood if I don't handle his circumcision properly? Why hasn't he pooped in 48 hours? Did I really just cut his finger with nail clippers? My kid only sleeps upright, Baby acne has caused his eye to swell shut, Suddenly he's started puking up a 5am bottle) I can't help but look at his sweet little face with a warm heart and a smile.
My delivery was smooth and flawless. With a scheduled c-section, I walked in with hair and make up done, well rested, and excited. I didn't know they had even started the procedure until they were almost done. The minute I heard him cry, I was flooded with emotions. I was happy that he was safe but instantly started to question and worry about every little thing. It took about an hour to get him in my arms. In that instant, I felt calm and complete. My little guy was perfect and healthy, I was a mom, and we had our little family together in one room. Clayton had minor issues with the birth. His lungs had excess fluid that needed suctioning. Between that and a little TLC from his Mama, he was good to go! The day he was born was wonderful pain-wise. I was still on all of the surgery medications, so I felt great for meeting my little man and all of our visitors. The next day was quite the opposite, but every day after that got better.
Clayton is such a good little boy. He rarely cries unless you are changing his diaper or he is hungry. Even then, it is more of a fuss than a full on cry. From day 1, he has done a great job adapting to the feeding/sleeping schedule. This boy loves to eat and loves to sleep even more. Sleeping at night the first week wasn't so smooth but he's adjusted well. Normally, he will eat every 4 hours during the day at 6 hours at night. The first night we let him wake himself, I stayed up making sure he was alive every few hours but now I really can't complain much about a lack of night time sleep. For the first 3 weeks, he would only sleep in his car seat, bouncy seat or on one of us but he has become much more adaptable recently.
He's changed so much since he was born. He has gained weight at lightening speeds it seems. He's increased his food intake and length of sleep times. He responds to Mama and Daddy's voices, grabs for his toys, picks his head up, and just today started smiling (because he's happy and not because he's farting). He requires more and more attention from us and not just sleep anymore which I love because I have every excuse to fore-go being productive to put a smile on his face instead. My little man is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a minute!
Clayton is so easy going he makes it easy for me to be a stress-free and laid back mom....in most areas... I am a strict schedule follower, even on the go. We try to be on the go as much as possible which means there have been many feedings and diaper changes in the car. I have my own routine for repacking the diaper bag at night so I can grab and go at any minute. As long as I plan ahead with supplies, I feel like the more we get around, the more flexible he will be with restaurants, car trips, errands, etc. No matter how laid back, of course there are plenty of things that I worry about. I just find that he helps me relax and therefore those things are far less consuming (plus there is always Google....which usually makes me feel better)
In the past month, my entire house has been filled with baby equipment, countless loads of laundry and a dishwasher that seems to be running non-stop. I've never been so careful to keep dog hair off things, I wake up even when he doesn't, I see friends far less, I put everything I am doing on hold for his needs. I've never laughed so hard over pee, poop and puke. Even with all of that, I can not imagine our lives with out this little boy. Everyday with him has brought pure happiness to our lives. I'm so happy to wake up and face the day....knowing each day has another adventure in store.
And today my little boy is one month old!
My delivery was smooth and flawless. With a scheduled c-section, I walked in with hair and make up done, well rested, and excited. I didn't know they had even started the procedure until they were almost done. The minute I heard him cry, I was flooded with emotions. I was happy that he was safe but instantly started to question and worry about every little thing. It took about an hour to get him in my arms. In that instant, I felt calm and complete. My little guy was perfect and healthy, I was a mom, and we had our little family together in one room. Clayton had minor issues with the birth. His lungs had excess fluid that needed suctioning. Between that and a little TLC from his Mama, he was good to go! The day he was born was wonderful pain-wise. I was still on all of the surgery medications, so I felt great for meeting my little man and all of our visitors. The next day was quite the opposite, but every day after that got better.
Clayton is such a good little boy. He rarely cries unless you are changing his diaper or he is hungry. Even then, it is more of a fuss than a full on cry. From day 1, he has done a great job adapting to the feeding/sleeping schedule. This boy loves to eat and loves to sleep even more. Sleeping at night the first week wasn't so smooth but he's adjusted well. Normally, he will eat every 4 hours during the day at 6 hours at night. The first night we let him wake himself, I stayed up making sure he was alive every few hours but now I really can't complain much about a lack of night time sleep. For the first 3 weeks, he would only sleep in his car seat, bouncy seat or on one of us but he has become much more adaptable recently.
He's changed so much since he was born. He has gained weight at lightening speeds it seems. He's increased his food intake and length of sleep times. He responds to Mama and Daddy's voices, grabs for his toys, picks his head up, and just today started smiling (because he's happy and not because he's farting). He requires more and more attention from us and not just sleep anymore which I love because I have every excuse to fore-go being productive to put a smile on his face instead. My little man is growing so fast, I don't want to miss a minute!
Clayton is so easy going he makes it easy for me to be a stress-free and laid back mom....in most areas... I am a strict schedule follower, even on the go. We try to be on the go as much as possible which means there have been many feedings and diaper changes in the car. I have my own routine for repacking the diaper bag at night so I can grab and go at any minute. As long as I plan ahead with supplies, I feel like the more we get around, the more flexible he will be with restaurants, car trips, errands, etc. No matter how laid back, of course there are plenty of things that I worry about. I just find that he helps me relax and therefore those things are far less consuming (plus there is always Google....which usually makes me feel better)
In the past month, my entire house has been filled with baby equipment, countless loads of laundry and a dishwasher that seems to be running non-stop. I've never been so careful to keep dog hair off things, I wake up even when he doesn't, I see friends far less, I put everything I am doing on hold for his needs. I've never laughed so hard over pee, poop and puke. Even with all of that, I can not imagine our lives with out this little boy. Everyday with him has brought pure happiness to our lives. I'm so happy to wake up and face the day....knowing each day has another adventure in store.
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Ready, Set, GO.........
Well, in less than 24 hours I will be holding my sweet little boy in my arms. It is really hard to believe that over 9 months has passed by already! The end of this pregnancy hasn't been any easier than all of the rest of it except for the fact that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Everyone has been asking me if I am ready or if I am scared. The answer to that is "Is anyone ever really ready?" I feel like I am as ready as I could be. I've read books, I've asked a million questions of family and friends, I've acquired all of the needed supplies and put together all of the equipment. In that aspect, I am ready. In terms of being ready when I walk out the door of the hospital this weekend, I have no idea, but am I scared? No. If I were having a natural delivery, I think yes I would be terrified of the unknown. Having a scheduled C-Section is so comforting to me. I am a planner. I know exactly when it is going to happen and what they are going to do. I survived a bowel resection surgery 3 years ago so I feel confident about getting through the recovery period. What I'm scared of are things that I won't have the answers to for years to come. I am scared of passing on some of my health problems to this baby. Crohn's disease is something I would never wish on anyone! I'm scared that I won't do a good job of teaching him to be a gentleman, to treat women the right way, an being a contributing member of society. All of the things that scare me about having a baby are so far down the line. The things that will happen tomorrow and the following weeks, I have never felt more confident. Clayton in 15 years scares the hell out of me!
So before I walk into that hospital at 5:30 am tomorrow... here is my final pregnancy update. Baby updates to follow!
Size of our baby: Your guess is as good as mine. He was estimated to be somewhere between 8 and 9 lbs at birth so we will find out tomorrow! Either way, I think we have by passed newborn size clothing and diapers. Stash those away for the next baby :)
Total weight gain: All in all, I didn't really gain more weight than I think I should have (despite my love of night time desserts). I don't think anyone will ever say they are happy with their pregnancy weight but I think I topped out at a good well rounded number that is a good starting point for post-baby weight LOSS!!
Maternity clothes: At this point, even my maternity clothes are too small. I stick mostly to sundresses, yoga pants, and tank tops.
Stretch marks: ONLY ONE!!! and it's not even noticeable to anyone but me!
Sleep: Sleep comes in one hour increments. If I could find a position that is comfortable, then I wouldn't wake up as often and I wouldn't have to pee as often. Viscous cycle. I've been waking up for good around 4:30-5 am every day. I guess this baby is getting me ready for my 5 am check in at the hospital tomorrow!
Best moment this week: Kyle showing up on the front porch home from Kuwait to surprise me!!!
Movement: There is no stopping this kid! He hasn't slowed his movements down one bit! In fact, he is moving WAY more than he has in the past several weeks. ALLL DAY AND ALLLL NIGHT!
Food cravings/aversions: I've never really had pregnancy cravings this whole pregnancy. Okay fine, there was a week around Thanksgiving that I ate a "Gobbler" from Wawa every single day and I typically have pizza several times a week... and dessert of some kind every single night. But even with that list of favorites, I never craved anything specific until someone mentioned the food item. Then it was an over powering need to eat that food! Yesterday I could have cared less what we ate for dinner. Kyle said Chicho's pizza then changed his mind to Greek food. Greek food would have been totally fine had he not muttered the secret word "pizza" first!
Belly button in or out: Belly button is in!!
What I miss/What I am looking forward to: Miss: I miss days with out pain somewhere in my body and I miss sleep. Looking forward to: Having my family all together in one room tomorrow :-)
Weekly Wisdom: I will forever stand by the fact that I do not like being pregnant. There are certainly a few things that I will miss. I will miss feeling my baby move around in my belly. I will miss the awesome afternoon naps from the first trimester. I will miss not feeling guilty about what I eat. I will not miss all of the rest. I will most definitely go through all of this again for a 2nd baby. Pregnancy has not been THAT BAD! It hasn't been miserable. It's just not something that I love. There are days and weeks that are miserable but on the whole, it's a means to a pretty amazing end.
So before I walk into that hospital at 5:30 am tomorrow... here is my final pregnancy update. Baby updates to follow!
How far along: 39 weeks and some change
Size of our baby: Your guess is as good as mine. He was estimated to be somewhere between 8 and 9 lbs at birth so we will find out tomorrow! Either way, I think we have by passed newborn size clothing and diapers. Stash those away for the next baby :)
Maternity clothes: At this point, even my maternity clothes are too small. I stick mostly to sundresses, yoga pants, and tank tops.
Stretch marks: ONLY ONE!!! and it's not even noticeable to anyone but me!
Sleep: Sleep comes in one hour increments. If I could find a position that is comfortable, then I wouldn't wake up as often and I wouldn't have to pee as often. Viscous cycle. I've been waking up for good around 4:30-5 am every day. I guess this baby is getting me ready for my 5 am check in at the hospital tomorrow!
Best moment this week: Kyle showing up on the front porch home from Kuwait to surprise me!!!
Movement: There is no stopping this kid! He hasn't slowed his movements down one bit! In fact, he is moving WAY more than he has in the past several weeks. ALLL DAY AND ALLLL NIGHT!
Food cravings/aversions: I've never really had pregnancy cravings this whole pregnancy. Okay fine, there was a week around Thanksgiving that I ate a "Gobbler" from Wawa every single day and I typically have pizza several times a week... and dessert of some kind every single night. But even with that list of favorites, I never craved anything specific until someone mentioned the food item. Then it was an over powering need to eat that food! Yesterday I could have cared less what we ate for dinner. Kyle said Chicho's pizza then changed his mind to Greek food. Greek food would have been totally fine had he not muttered the secret word "pizza" first!
Belly button in or out: Belly button is in!!
What I miss/What I am looking forward to: Miss: I miss days with out pain somewhere in my body and I miss sleep. Looking forward to: Having my family all together in one room tomorrow :-)
Weekly Wisdom: I will forever stand by the fact that I do not like being pregnant. There are certainly a few things that I will miss. I will miss feeling my baby move around in my belly. I will miss the awesome afternoon naps from the first trimester. I will miss not feeling guilty about what I eat. I will not miss all of the rest. I will most definitely go through all of this again for a 2nd baby. Pregnancy has not been THAT BAD! It hasn't been miserable. It's just not something that I love. There are days and weeks that are miserable but on the whole, it's a means to a pretty amazing end.
Best day of my life.... so far :)
At about 17 weeks, Kyle left on a 6 month deployment to Kuwait. We planned on getting pregnant before he left and we knew all along that there stood a pretty good chance that he wouldn't be home for the birth. As bad as I wanted to be a mom, that was something I was willing to chance. I knew the whole time that having a baby with out him would be one of the hardest things that I've ever done. But I also knew that I am strong enough to get through that and I have awesome support from friends and family to help me. That doesn't change the fact that I wanted him here more than anything in the world. In the beginning, we thought there was no chance of him coming home. He put in for leave anyway just in case. He told me that he would only have about 24-48 hours notice on his leave being approved. This week I found out about two different guys being sent home from Kuwait. I figured that if his leave had been approved, he would have been on one of those flights. Little did I know, my husband is the best secret keeper alive. For the past 3 weeks, he and most of our Coast Guard friends have been keeping the most amazing secret ever! Kyle was coming home!
On Monday night I was a little annoyed that Kyle "forgot to call me"...or so I thought. Turns out, he was on a plane. I had no idea that he was coming home until about 8:30 am. I got a text message from his phone which made me curious as to why his phone was reactivated. Even then, I didn't put too much faith into it. I called him back and didn't reach him. I figured maybe the deactivation period on his phone had expired or something. It had started to rain so my plans of getting the car washed got ruined. Good thing too because about 10:30 am the dog started barking at the door. Come to find out, Kyle was standing on the front porch!!! I immediately started crying and gave him the biggest hug of my life! I am pretty sure he followed that up with something along the lines of "wow that thing looks bigger in person" Totally Kyle... Love him!
I knew that I would be okay having this baby with out Kyle here. We had a plan in place for how he would see the baby and where we would stay to get the most help. Now we just altered the plans. I feel great about having this baby and I feel like everything is exactly the way it should be now. My family is in one piece <3
On Monday night I was a little annoyed that Kyle "forgot to call me"...or so I thought. Turns out, he was on a plane. I had no idea that he was coming home until about 8:30 am. I got a text message from his phone which made me curious as to why his phone was reactivated. Even then, I didn't put too much faith into it. I called him back and didn't reach him. I figured maybe the deactivation period on his phone had expired or something. It had started to rain so my plans of getting the car washed got ruined. Good thing too because about 10:30 am the dog started barking at the door. Come to find out, Kyle was standing on the front porch!!! I immediately started crying and gave him the biggest hug of my life! I am pretty sure he followed that up with something along the lines of "wow that thing looks bigger in person" Totally Kyle... Love him!
I knew that I would be okay having this baby with out Kyle here. We had a plan in place for how he would see the baby and where we would stay to get the most help. Now we just altered the plans. I feel great about having this baby and I feel like everything is exactly the way it should be now. My family is in one piece <3
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Missing my baby daddy
When I got pregnant and people found out that Kyle was deploying the first thing people said was "wow that's bad timing!" I would then reply with, "actually it was planned that way on purpose." I even had someone go so far as to say "That's the biggest mistake of your life!" (wow it seems like all of my posts are about the ridiculous things that people have said to me...this one turns around keep reading)
Kyle and I had a plan to get pregnant before he deployed for several reasons. One being the timing financially (deployment pay is one of the perks), the timing as far as me being off work for the summer and the biggest reason being my mom's retirement (She is our full time day care..woo hoo!!!) So while I might not have known what to expect by being pregnant with out my husband home, the plan really couldn't have worked out any better for us.
Through this pregnancy, I've come up with quite a few reasons why it is a good thing to be pregnant while your husband is deployed. Here goes...
Kyle and I had a plan to get pregnant before he deployed for several reasons. One being the timing financially (deployment pay is one of the perks), the timing as far as me being off work for the summer and the biggest reason being my mom's retirement (She is our full time day care..woo hoo!!!) So while I might not have known what to expect by being pregnant with out my husband home, the plan really couldn't have worked out any better for us.
Through this pregnancy, I've come up with quite a few reasons why it is a good thing to be pregnant while your husband is deployed. Here goes...
- I can only sleep comfortably by taking up the whole bed. If he were home, we would be sleeping in separate rooms by now.
- I typically get hungry for dinner about 4pm. KP wouldn't even be home from work for another 3-4 hours. There would be a constant struggle over dinner times.
- I like to eat strange things for dinner while pregnant. Kyle likes a main dish and coordinating side dishes. I haven't made a meal like that since the day I got pregnant.
- I have been able to decorate and organize the entire nursery with very little approval needed from the hubby AND he has still loved everything I have done so far.
- No one questions the number of times I've been to Target to "stock up on diapers" (Come on people, we all know no one goes to Target JUST for diapers!)
- Kyle hates blood and guts but my mom is oddly really excited about watching my C-Section. Win for Kyle! (Don't even try to tell me "Oh, it's different when it's your own kid. You don't care about the blood and guts." Trust me... he would still care. He can't watch Grey's anatomy with out wanting to puke)
- When you are forced to communicate through a daily email or gchat conversation, there really isn't room for the surge of emotions and mood swings that come with pregnancy. I firmly believe that this type of communication keeps those mood swings at bay. If there's no one here to be moody for, being moody is pointless! For the most part, I've been a happy camper :)
Friday, April 27, 2012
33 weeks baby update
How far along: 33 weeks
Size of our baby: Clayton is now over 4 pounds and roughly the size of a pineapple
Total weight gain/loss: Total gain: I am now up to an extra 34 pounds. Eeek... a little more than I was hoping considering there's still over a month to go. BUT, I really don't care. I am healthy and my baby is healthy, I will deal with the weight gain later!
Maternity clothes: Dresses are the most comfortable thing I own right now. I am wishing that I wasn't so pasty white and looked better in them but that is okay. I am outgrowing a lot of the pants/capris that I have been wearing most of the pregnancy and a few of my maternity t-shirts are starting to get too short.
Stretch marks: None so far! Woo Hoo!!
Sleep: Sleep is hit or miss. If I take afternoon naps, I can't sleep at night so usually I just try to go to bed early instead. Occasionally I am tired enough to sleep through the whole night but most nights I am up several times to pee.
Best moment this week: My birthday last week was pretty awesome and my prenatal massage was great too. However, I have to say that the highlight of the week was finally getting through the mile high piles of things to do on my desk at work. I am now feeling like I am finally organized enough that I could leave at any time and someone could pick up where I left off!
Movement: Tons of movement! Clayton is head down with his feet hanging out in my ribs all day. The first couple of movements each day are a great reminder that he is alive and well. After that, he needs a little nudge to get out of my lungs so I can breath! Fortunately, he still understands that his Mama likes to sleep at night and saves all his movements for the daytime.....which is NON STOP :-)
Food cravings/aversions: Still love pizza and sweets more than anything! Fast food breakfast could suck me in real quick but I don't wake up in time to get it (fortunately)
Belly button in or out: Belly button is in but is getting really flat. I would still be surprised if it ever pops all the way out.
What I miss/What I am looking forward to: Miss: Wine, my much larger non-maternity wardrobe, my husband. Looking forward to: 5 weeks left of work! Weekends now free of travel so I can finish up the last of the things on my to-do list, my niece being born in a few short weeks...or days :-)
Weekly Wisdom: You have to find a way to laugh at all of the rude things that people say. Most of the time, these people have never been pregnant or they are so far removed from pregnancy that they don't realize how rude they are. The ones who might know they are being rude are just idiots and we should laugh at them anyway!
Milestones: 5 weeks of work and 6 weeks until baby! C-Section scheduled for June 8th!
Symptoms: I pee 500 times a day... that's my main complaint. Most other things are gone or sporadic.
Maternity clothes: Dresses are the most comfortable thing I own right now. I am wishing that I wasn't so pasty white and looked better in them but that is okay. I am outgrowing a lot of the pants/capris that I have been wearing most of the pregnancy and a few of my maternity t-shirts are starting to get too short.
Stretch marks: None so far! Woo Hoo!!
Sleep: Sleep is hit or miss. If I take afternoon naps, I can't sleep at night so usually I just try to go to bed early instead. Occasionally I am tired enough to sleep through the whole night but most nights I am up several times to pee.
Best moment this week: My birthday last week was pretty awesome and my prenatal massage was great too. However, I have to say that the highlight of the week was finally getting through the mile high piles of things to do on my desk at work. I am now feeling like I am finally organized enough that I could leave at any time and someone could pick up where I left off!
Movement: Tons of movement! Clayton is head down with his feet hanging out in my ribs all day. The first couple of movements each day are a great reminder that he is alive and well. After that, he needs a little nudge to get out of my lungs so I can breath! Fortunately, he still understands that his Mama likes to sleep at night and saves all his movements for the daytime.....which is NON STOP :-)
Food cravings/aversions: Still love pizza and sweets more than anything! Fast food breakfast could suck me in real quick but I don't wake up in time to get it (fortunately)
Belly button in or out: Belly button is in but is getting really flat. I would still be surprised if it ever pops all the way out.
What I miss/What I am looking forward to: Miss: Wine, my much larger non-maternity wardrobe, my husband. Looking forward to: 5 weeks left of work! Weekends now free of travel so I can finish up the last of the things on my to-do list, my niece being born in a few short weeks...or days :-)
Weekly Wisdom: You have to find a way to laugh at all of the rude things that people say. Most of the time, these people have never been pregnant or they are so far removed from pregnancy that they don't realize how rude they are. The ones who might know they are being rude are just idiots and we should laugh at them anyway!
Milestones: 5 weeks of work and 6 weeks until baby! C-Section scheduled for June 8th!
Symptoms: I pee 500 times a day... that's my main complaint. Most other things are gone or sporadic.
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