Sam's Easter Mini Session

Sam is a funny guy. He is a real crack up at home. Laughing, smiling, playing peek a boo. But when a professional pulls out her camera, he's all business. Really makes them earn their pay by not cracking a smile. For Sam's latest session, we used Sara Eaton Photography. I love her natural lighting and her closest of outfits for babies! Hopefully next time he won't be so stingy with the smiles.

What I've Learned in 10 Months

Spring has arrived and Sam is now 10 months old! Here is what I have learned in 10 months:

1. Snacks will be a food group

At some point, your healthy little eater will stop eating baby food, will push organic food pouches out of his face and only eat french fries, string cheese, or yogurt melts. Tonight I offered him a food pouch, an apple, shredded cheese, zucchini, peas, carrots. He basically pushed it all over the counter and then just intentionally dropped it on the floor. He ended up eating about 5,000 bites of Kyle's pizza after all my healthy efforts. Whatever.

2. Forgetfulness

I used to remember everything. Mostly. And then I had a child and forgot to get my 9 year old niece a birthday gift.

3. Sleeping

You will start to wonder if your child will ever sleep through the night.

4. Mourning

You will realize that the big "1 year" birthday will be approaching. Quickly. Maybe it's the double digit sticker you put on his onesie. Maybe it the days ticking by on the calendar. Maybe it the "i am one" shirt you bought on Etsy and then cried about.

5. Trip

You will start planning your first baby free trip for a friends wedding in Mexico and have a slight panic attack. I changed the days from 3 to 2 on Expedia, picked the lastest flight out, earliest flight home and then panicked again and just shut the computer.

6. All Natural

I spent $6.99 on a bag of all-natural chicken nuggets at Reasor's. The bag maybe has 15 nuggets in it. But the child won't have anything to do with wholesome, nutrient packed baby food so I had to feed him something.

7. You will think 7:30pm is late 

It actually didn't take me 10 months to figure this out. Sam has started sleeping about 2 hrs in his crib when I first put him to bed (sometimes less, never more) and the key to that is a perfectly timed bedtime and a not exhausted mother. That means going to dinner with our friends at 7:30 on a Friday night ain't happening. And it it does, it feels like 3am when you get home at 9pm and still have to put a baby to bed. I remember not eating until 8pm on Friday night & then drinking at a bar until 2. We stayed up until 11:30 last night & I almost died. My body barely makes it past 10 these days. 

8. Speaking of sleeping...

Sam slept a decent stretch in his crib last week. Yay, or so you would think. I laid in bed, wide awake looking at the monitor every minute or so. The minute he woke up, I went to his room, picked him up and brought him to our bed. I was asleep in less than 3 min. I'm pathetic. And I can't help but laugh at myself. 

What I've Learned in 9 months

Sam has now been living outside of my body for as long as he was inside of my body. I remember thinking that he would be such a fun, crazy, energetic baby at 9 months. I am very rarely wrong (ask my husband!) and I was certainly not wrong about Sam. He is a very energetic, busy baby! Here are some things I have learned in 9 months:

1. He will have a snotty nose

You know that kid you've seen running around with snot dripping down his face. And sometimes that snot is radioactive green. And you think "Ewwww gross, wipe that nose!" Well, believe me you will wipe that nose and then go to throw out that tissue and when you turn around it will be dripping out all over again and inevitable someone will be looking at him at that moment.

2. Choking on something

You will cut up his food, maybe even put it in the food processor but he will still find a way to gag/choke on a cracker and you will start to panic about halfway into the 3rd gag. And then he will hack it up..all over you.

4. Date night still feels weird

9 months old and it still feels very strange to be without him.

5. Husband out of town will be weird

I used to roll my eyes at women that said they couldn't sleep well when their other half was out of town. And then I got married and slept in the same bed as Kyle every night and I started to understand it. And now when Kyle is out of town and it is time to go to bed in the house all by myself with Sam and its dark and cold and scary, I just really wish I had my husband home. This past month Kyle was gone and Sophie stood at the front door and barked incessantly making me think someone was outside and it freaked me out! I locked all the doors and set the alarm at 7pm and had to turn it off/on every time I let Sophie out to pee.

6. Feeling genuinely needed/loved by your baby

When Sam was a baby, he needed me to survive. He still needs me in that way but it is changing every month. He needs me to fall asleep (I know, I know...sleep train him...shut it!), he needs me to help him learn how to work his new toys, he needs me. He loves me. He is so happy when I come home from being gone. He is always just so thrilled to have me around.

7. Snow Days

While other moms might dread snow days because there little crazies will be trapped in the house all day, I crave them. A day in the middle of the week to just stay home and play with my baby...yes please! Thankfully I have been getting a few of these lately!

8. They will learn things

Sam is starting to actually learn things that I teach him. Such as giving a kiss, waving, peek a boo.
We are currently working on high fives, and saying "bye bye". It is unbelievably rewarding to see them master something!

18 lbs and 28.75 inches
"A person's a person, no matter how small." - Dr. Seuss 

Stop Judging Me

Get ready, this post won't be pretty. 

To the countless people that tell me "cry it out is the best way to get him to sleep through the night", please please please stop. My child is not your child. My child screams bloody murder & sobs and I didn't bring a child into this world to let him cry himself to sleep alone in a dark room. It worked for you but it might not be the right choice for us. I have made a very conscious effort to not complain about sleep deprivation (my husband is exempt) because I know complaining opens me up to your unsolicited advice. So for the last time, stop telling me to let him CIO. 

To the women 2 tables over at the restaurant looking at us repeatedly. Yes, Sam is eating rice (basically just making a mess) & {gasp} watching some silly Fisher Price app that he loves. Sam doesn't love many things (sleep, car seat, his father during bedtime are not at the top of his list) but he loves this cute, little app. Colorful, dancing animals bounce around to music...what's not to love? Anyway, please stop judging me. I never thought I would be the mom that had a baby watching an iPad in a sushi restaurant but then I had a baby so here's to not having a clue what you're doing. Thank you, ipad, for 10 min of "shoveling sushi in my face" time. 

To the old(er) lady at the park, mall, Quiktrip, etc that says (as she touches Sam's feet) "mommy needs to put some socks on you!" Look lady, it's 65 & sunny and he's riding around in a hot box car seat in a black SUV. He's good. And he's unfortunately much like his mother- hot natured. 

To the random chick sitting next to me at dinner, shut up. It started out nicely: she commented on how cute Sam was (duh!) and then said she had a 9 month old at home. After a few glasses of wine, we ended up sharing stories of having breech babies. But instead of just listening to mine, she got all judgy. You see, she's a chiropractor so she automatically assumed she knew my  sitch (that's slang for situation- I'm feeling saucy tonight). Yes, I had a c-section (which I was none too thrilled about) but I wasn't induced by my doctor or pressured or taking the easy way out. I wanted to push that little bugger out but he had different plans. Also, HE (the big man upstairs) had different plans. And I'm ok with it now. She said several things that pissed me off: I shouldn't have had a c-section, my doc should have let me go to 40 weeks and done an ECV to try to turn him, I am an excellent VBAC candidate (thank you, chiro but I'll decide that) and my fave- if I was determined enough to have a vaginal birth, it would have happened. Here's an easy rule to live by: don't judge someone else's birth story/choice. I never dreamed I would have a c-section. Ever. Never. And it happened. And I lived. And that stupid chiro next to me had an ECV at 39 weeks, baby flipped and she had her dream vaginal birth. And we are both good mothers with different birth stories. Stop judging me, chiro girl (whose name is also Heather). 

To the woman today that commented on Sam's red, swollen eyes and said "you know green snot means infection." Actually it doesn't. And I called the pediatrician and he couldn't fit us in today. And the nurse never called me back. And actually I feel terrible that his eyes are gunky but he's not running a fever, in a good mood & I'll take him to the doc on Monday. Zip it or I'll smear his green snot on your face. 

There are a few more I could write about but I had a great date with my husband tonight & honestly this blog is killing my good vibes. Just be nice to others. We are all doing our best. 

Peace and Love (as my hippie Montana sister-in-law would say). 

What I've Learned in 8 Months

I decided I should write this post before Sam turns 9 months so here goes: 

1. You won't relax on vacation 

Remember the days when you went to the beach with a book, that oil spray to increase your chances of getting a tan, and a bluetooth speaker? Well, replace that with 30 prep time for swim diaper, non-toxic 50spf sunscreen and sound machine in case he decides to sleep on the beach. Yeah, sooooo relaxing. 

2. You will buy baby food and it will be a waste 

Sam loved baby food at first. He never ate enough to finish a whole pouch or plastic carton but he was all about it. Now? Get that baby spoon outta that gunk and just give me what's on your plate. Lately I have been throwing out opened baby food because I am still trying to see what/when he will eat it. 

3. You miss things 

I have missed a few events that I never anticipated missing. Sick baby, exhausted mother, Kyle not home from work so no one to watch the baby. Sometimes you just miss things. 

4. One day does not equal everyday 

One day Sam napped in his crib like a champ. The next? Cried every single time his little red head hit the mattress. Sam is very consistent about not being consistent. I am constantly trying new things because nothing ever works long term. Except the boob, he never tires of the boob. 

5. Momma 

He said it, I swear he did. And my mother in law heard it. 

6. Doggies

Having a little fur companion for Sam has been so great. Sophie loves him and he loves crawling after her and trying to tear her ears off. 

7. There will be a blowout 

My mom (thank the Lord she was with me) and I were eating. I mentioned he hadn't pooped. I saw it as we were walking out of the restaurant. It. was. everywhere. That poor bathroom will never be the same. 

8. You will hear the laughter

But you won't know the context. So many times I have been in the other room, upstairs, etc nursing Sam or putting him to sleep while everyone else goes about their bizness. We were recently on vacation and every night I went upstairs to put Sam to bed and the party continued without me. One night I took a Corona with me so I could feel like I was included. It can be hard to feel like you are missing out but I know my presence is still there and in these moments, I am simply being a mother. 

Happy 8 months, you tiny ball of energy. 

I never knew I could do so much. 

Oh, and Amazon Prime. Get it. 

What I've Learned in 7 Months

Sam has reached 7 months of living and breathing on this earth. Here are the things I have learned in 7 months:

1. Holidays will mean more

I have always loved the holidays. But having a child brings in more joy than I anticipated. And he's only 7 months old! Now I can relate to how our parents felt when they picked out our Christmas presents and filled our stockings. I had such fun picking out presents for Sam (and I didn't let myself go overboard!) and on Christmas Eve I put him to bed and then filled his stocking and displayed his present from Santa. I know he won't remember a thing about this Christmas but I certainly won't forget it.

Seeing Santa 

Being Santa

2. You will maybe have a small understanding of what your parents sacrificed 

I'm not sure if it was the holidays or what but I am starting to realize that I thought I had an idea of how much my parents loved me and what they did for me but I really had no idea. The sacrifice that parents make is not understood until you are living it for yourself. And my mother is still sacrificing for me 31 years into my life. It never ends.

3. You will buy/have more toys than you ever imagined 

I was just talking to my parents today about the insane amount of toys that Sam has. And he has never been a baby that was really into any toys for more than a few minutes. And yet I still want to buy him this and this.

4. You will realize how quickly times passes

I can't believe that I have been a mom for over half a year. Those first few months really take it out of you and maternity leave puts you in this wonderful state of "I had a baby so I have no idea what is going on in the world" and then you go back to real life, work, etc and the days start going by and you look up and your baby is sitting up and pulling up in his crib.

5. They get mobile 

I just mentioned some of Sam's new accomplishments which are sitting up like a boss and pulling up. He isn't exactly crawling but will get 1 good knee-elbow movement and then fall to his belly and army crawl. He is a maniac and pulls up on everything and then just lets go.

6. Zippyz

These  jammies are the jam. 3 snaps at the top and then a zipper the rest of the way down so you don't have to unzip him all the way to change a diaper. It has been really nice in this cold weather to keep his little nippys warm while I change his diaper. I got these on sale from the Steals and Deals on the Today show. Love that segment. Kickee Pants are my other favorites.

7. You will want to kill your husband...again. 

Kyle has a work lab in Vail, CO (boooohoooo) and he went up a day early to ski with a friend (booohooooooo) and I want to cut him. Basically because I am super jealous and I want to go to Vail and ski and not have spit up on my new clothes but I'm a mom and Sam still only wants me when he goes to bed so I win. Loser. (Kyle started reading my blog...hi honey...I love you 😘) 

8. You will think farts are cute 

When Sam is trying to crawl or pull up  and he lets out a little (or mighty) fart, I can't help but smile. Oh the innocence.

9. You will still be overwhelmed 

I wish I could say that work has gotten easier for me and that I like getting out of the house but the truth is that I still struggle daily with being a working mother. My job requires a lot of planning and I just don't have the brain power that I used to. My mom is my savior for helping me feel at ease when leaving everyday. I try to plan ahead and do anything I can to make things easier on myself but some mornings are just harder than others.

10. You can accomplish things you never thought possible 

On the flip side, I can do things now that I never knew I could. I can nurse Sam while vacuuming. I can shower, put on make up and fix my hair with a baby crawling all over my feet/legs in the bathroom floor. I can work, mother, wife and still manage to buy Christmas gifts for 12 family members and ship to 2 out of town addresses. Oh, and I wrapped everything. Bam.

Loving him some Olivia

That face. 

Mmmmm...green beans 

7 months
Not sure of weight (I guess about 17 lbs)


 “Mothers and their children are in a category all their own. There’s no bond so strong in the entire world. No love so instantaneous and forgiving.”- Gail Tsukiyama

What I've Learned in 6 Months

1. Find your own pace

You can see so many moms on social media, etc that craft, go to play dates, make homemade peanut butter oatmeal chia seed blah blah blah squares and feel like you are a lazy bum that can't keep up. That's not true. I've never been a crafty lady, so I probably won't start now. I happily purchased Sam's Halloween outfit and I anticipate that I will for the upcoming years. Sam hates car rides so I am never too eager to jump in the car and take him somewhere. If I have someone with me or the car ride is very short, then I will. So find your own pace, do what makes you comfortable. I've missed out on many things because it just was too much for us to take on. And that's ok.

2. Buy that baby a softer sheet 

Sam's nursery is upstairs and really cold. Every time I put him in bed, his face would touch his cold sheet and wake him up. So I bought this sheet and it is so soft that I wish I could climb into that crib with him and sleep on it. I'm pretty sure Sam wouldn't mind me sleeping in that crib with him.

3. Make yourself a priority

I know you have heard this one before along with others such as: sleep when baby sleeps, let the dirty dishes stay in the sink, & cherish every moment, it goes too fast. But sers, try to find some time, any time, and do something that you want to do. It doesn't have to be much, but even the smallest of things can make you feel refreshed. It seems impossible and sometimes it is, but it is still worth a try. 

4. Do what works 

I used to be a stickler for "how it should be". Hahahaha!!! Babies really screw with that. Give that up, girl. Go with the flow. We are currently sleeping in our guest bedroom upstairs so I can be closer to Sam in his nursery down the hall. I was not into going up and down those stairs several times a night. However, since Sam has started napping/sleeping in his room, I have lost a few more lbs!

5. Phantom baby kicks 

I meant to touch on this one months ago, but for several months after you have a baby you will feel "kicks" and for a millisecond, you will forget that you are no longer pregnant. It's weird. And it makes me miss being pregnant.

6. Rings 

Kyle gifted me with my second wedding band when I had Sam. And at that time, I couldn't fit my swollen fingers into my rings. I was worried that my fingers would never be able to fit back into my rings but after about 6 weeks, I could squeeze them on. But there were times I could barely get them off. But by 6 months (actually before that) the rings slid on and off exactly like they used to.

7. The things you will try

As you know, Sam hates the car seat. I have tried everything. Sound machine strapped to his seat, iPad propped up playing videos, toys hanging from the handle. And then I read that you might tape a picture of yourself up so they can see you. And that is exactly what I did. I didn't care how ridiculous it may appear, a nice 5x7 picture of myself taped up on my leather interior. But I was willing to do anything! Would have been nice if he actually stopped crying though...

8. Family 

Your heart will swell every time you see your family enjoying your baby. And your friends, too. 

                                

15 lbs 13oz (17 %)
27.25 inches (75%)

"A person's a person, no matter how small." - Dr. Seuss