No Better Time Than the Present

To write a post that is. Today was a good day. Despite the fact that aaron was up at 8:30am instead of 10am. Sometimes if I am lucky, the baby sleeps till 10am! But that usually means he goes to bed after 10pm at night which makes for a long day. I feel like I got a lot done. I went to my PPD group, I cleaned my kitchen with the exception of the floors (that’s on tomorrows to do list) I took a few hours out for myself did a little shopping, went to a lake that I had never been to on a hope, and prayer and fumes ( I miscalculated my gas as I didn’t realize how far this lake actually was, nor did I know there wouldn’t be a gas station on the way) I made dinner, and Eric and I took the baby for a walk. I managed to get through the day without an emotional outburst or crying fit. Not that this happens every day but somehow it usually comes to pass on a Friday or a Sunday… I need to blog more. I have so many posts floating around in my head. It would be optimal to post when I am having a bad day and use my blog as an outlet.

One thing I want to ask any of you mothers reading out there is if you have any advice for a baby who likes to go into blood curdling, raging crying fits? Lately when I breast feed Eric if he doesn’t get latched on ASAP he freaks the f*** out. I think this is due partly to the fact that he is my child and an Aries. (When I didn’t get my way as a toddler I would throw tantrums to the point of pulling my hair out. [I hope he doesn’t do this] I don’t know how my mom explained why her toddler had bald spots. Maybe she told them I had alopecia.) I used to be able to side nurse him at night laying side to side but lately he will have none of this. He will turn his head looking for his boob, but the second it isn’t in his mouth it’s meltdown time. I used to be able to get him on his side but he won’t have any of this either. Sometimes he get so worked up I just have to let him cry for 5 minutes because no amount of rocking, soothing, bouncing, singing will calm him. Then offer him the breast again to calm him which works because he is so upset he forgot what got him all upset to being with. We give him a bottle at night so he sleeps longer could this have anything to do with it s a bottle is easier and he doesn’t have to work for it? We use slow flow nipples on the advice of a doctor who is very knowledgeable on breastfeeding so he will continue to work when he’s at the boob. So if any of you have any suggestions please comment away.

Random

I am a very bad blogger! I have so many posts going on in my head when I am lying down to sleep at night that never get written. Maybe I should start sleeping with the laptop. My excuse is currently sleeping in my bed, My son Aaron. I just seem to bed tired all.the.time. For awhile he would sleep 6 hours for the first leg of the night, then it was between 4-6 hours, sometimes now its 3 hours. Eric wants to start Aaron on solids already, I am not for this. He read somewhere that if a baby is 15 lbs and 4 months old they can be started on rice pablum. My son is on the cusp of being 15 lbs and will be 4 months on August 1st. I, am fine waiting until he is 6 months old, but the fiancé is pressing the issue, he thinks Aaron will sleep better. I am breast feeding him and supplementing him with formula before bed which makes him sleep longer. At the moment his sleep schedule is all messed up, which admittedly is my fault. I took him over to my dad's for a few days and kept him up later. In my defense, I have a lot of socializing to get in when I am there to even out the loneliness here. Which Is why I initially started to blog when I moved here a year and half ago.

Well the boy is up from his nap which means my little post is doen for now.

10 years ago today...

I was 16. And I am remember this day very clearly as I got my drivers license on June 30th, 1998. I can't believe how fast 1o years has flown bye. And oddly enough I remember the events (or most of them) of today pretty clearly. Oddly enough I had my road test at the same time as a close friend, I passed, she failed therefore I wasn't able to celebrate at the DMV because she was so down. Instead of driving home with my driving instructor I ended up going home with said friend and her mom (who followed her to the DMV as her road test was with the same driving school I was in, and her mom wanted to be there in case she failed.) My dad picked me up from her house and I picked up another friend and went on my first adventure by myself to the beach! It was only later that night after dropping everyone off at their places that I realized I was driving by myself for the first time! I was a little freaked out, but made it home alive.

And here I am 10 years later on a day just as hot, a day which I did not drive or go to the beach. Instead my partner did the driving and I got a CT scan instead. Oh how much has changed in 10 years.

Why I love Tim McGraw

This is why I love Tim McGraw! Did I mention I was a country music loving Grey's Anatomy addicted Canuck who is secretly American at heart. (I'm half American.) And to think I considered going to this concert as it's near Seattle WA and I am only a few hours from Seattle. (But I didn't think taking 12 week old infant was a smart thing to do.) It can also be viewed on Youtube here.

Co-Sleeping

Is a controversial topic to most people, parents and non-parents in my opinion; to each their own. It doesn't work for me. Before Aaron was born I knew I didn't want to do it because it wasn't a habit that I wanted to have to break him of later on in life. The 1st night in the hospital he was in the little clear bassinet all swaddled on his back. We were only in the hospital one night. The second night home I laid in the guest with him all.night.long. Because all he wanted to do was nurse as my milk hadn't come in and I way to tired after 42.5 hours of labor to sit up and feed him. Needless to say I was a zombie the next day.

On his third night of life, I got the idea to sleep him swaddled in the horseshoe shaped breast feeding pillow. This lasted about 2 weeks. He would sleep in the bed with me, in his own area. Being a new mom, I wanted to be able to see him in the middle of the night. Eventually he was put in the bassinet next to me after I got over not having to see him and settled on hearing him. (We were sleeping with a night light.) This lasted maybe 2 weeks, I was very sleep deprived as I am a light sleeper and every little grunt or snore would wake me up. Especially an hour before he would wake up for his next feed he would be grunting and squealing and it kept me up. When he was about a month old I moved his bassinet to his own room, where he still currently sleeps but in his stroller. How did we arrive to this you might wonder? He was always inclined a little in his bassinet (me being afraid he may choke on his own vomit, silly new mother mistake) and then we went on a road trip and used his stroller as a bed and my son got used to sleeping on an incline. So when we came home and he would only do 2 hours in his bassinet it was back to his stroller because he will do up to 6 hour sleep stretches sometimes 7! So I am not one to mess with that! But now that Aaron is 13.5 lbs I think that he needs to get used to sleeping on his back because he is getting to be a big boy and will be ready for his crib soon.

As for co-sleeping when I was pregnant my sister said "Wait and see till your a mother, you'll do anything to sleep yourself." (She co-slept with her 3 kids and had a hell of a time breaking 2 of them.) Now that I am a mom I wish I could co-sleep with my son, but I can't sleep with him next to me I will often side nurse him at night but put him back in his room when he is done. I wish I could so I could have more of a bond with Aaron but I just don't sleep well with him in bed with me. (My fiancé is currently sleeping in the guest room due to a hacking cough he has at the moment, in case you are wondering where his sleeping arrangements fit in.)

Some how I feel odd that I am not able to co-sleep with my baby and that I am missing out but I don't know what I can do to make it work so I see it as one habit of not breaking him of. I still usually wake up right before he does because my mommy clock is in tune with him. I wear him as much as I can and I will nap with him during the day in bed, some how I can sleep like this but not deeply and in the mornings often I will wheel his stroller in the room as it is darker in our room and he sleeps longer this way.

Do you co-sleep with your baby?

Inspired Post

I could write about my latest meltdown, or my post partum depression, or recent visit from my in-laws that was cut short, but I would rather write about a lighter subect on baby slings. This post has been inspired by this blog that I read.

Currently I am trying to decide on a sling/carrier for my almost 3 month old son Aaron. I have at the moment 5 carriers/slings in the house. I am turning into a carrier whore. I started off with a Snugli I used a few times with my niece last year, followed by a Baby Bjorn. Neither which provide good support for me and I've been told that baby carriers that support babies by their crotch isn't good for their spines (not that I've researched this or had time to.) I then got a Momo Sling (ring sling) which is great but it has a lot of fabric and I find it bulky.

This week my dad got me a Hotsling, which the one time we've really used it I loved it. I need to re-watch the DVD and try him in the different holds. He was sleeping the one time I used it, but I want to try it with him awake. He likes facing outwards in the Baby Bjorn. I really want a carrier which is comfy for me the wearer and Aaron. So now enters an Ergo carrier that I am currently borrowing from La Leche League, so far he hasn't taken to it nor has he the Hotsling as when I try in it when he's awake he just screams... I am hoping I am catching on a bad moment. Because I just want to wear him when were out and not have him make a fuss. Plus I would like to be able to breastfeed him when we're out without sitting down somewhere. So I am thinking it will probably come down to a Beco or an Ergo. I don't have a Beco in my possession but have used my friends and we both loved it. The downside of the Beco is that the designs tend to air on the girly side and the 4th Generation Beco has been discontinued and I haven't heard good things about the Butterfly Beco, but I haven't tried it. The Ergo so far I like it. I just need to get Aaron to like it. And on the plus side Daddy can where him in it too. And Daddy wouldn't be caught dead in anything girly.

Well this post shall be wrapped up. Aaron is in bed for his 11pm bedtime (a time I am not crazy about, but he's stuck on it for the moment) which means its my bedtime too. If I were normal I would be able to co-sleep with my son, but because I am such a light sleeper it just doesn't work for me. That is something I would like to blog about soon. And my new love BOB which I just want to have but can't bare to spend the money on.

Today

For once I feel that I actually accomplished a lot while my son had his 3 hour nap. Usually I sleep especially since I have been pegged with a nasty cold/flu/sore throat combo and haven't been able to rest properly.

In no particular order I went the store, washed my car, detailed upholstery in my car, got a shag in, cleaned the bathroom to bottom and did a load of laundry. To most accomplished housewives, this is probably nothing. But for me, this is a miracle. (The in-laws are coming tomorrow so this may be what really lit the fire under my ass)