Death to the Bumbo

Give me Liberty or give me... Well if you're my son then liberty came at the cost of a pea sized bump to the head. This week my ever advancing child decided that he would go ahead and let himself out of his Bumbo by throwing himself over the edge. Great.. Yet another restraint product I can take out of my ever shrinking arsenal of things I use to keep Max busy so I can use the bathroom.



The first death was our awesome bassinet. As soon as Max figured out that swaddles no longer could contain him the bassinet had to do bye bye. He kept hitting his arms on the side and it would wake him up.



Then we lost the vibrating bouncy chair.At five months old Genius baby figured if he arched his back and threw back hard enough that he could flip the chair thus almost freeing him if it weren't for those silly straps.



The third death came from the most amazing, beautiful perfect thing we own, the swing. The swing suddenly became to slow and to boring for genius baby and he figured out how to sit up the thing, making it dangerous and not usable. This loss was the first loss that broke my heart. Max's swing for the longest time was the only thing that would put him to sleep. He slept in that swing A LOT. It was one of the priciest swings on the market but it is the one baby product that I would buy again if forced.



The most latest goodbye I put off as long as we could. We just now said goodbye to his infant seat and with the handy infant seat with the lightweight Graco Snap&Go. These two products have been lifesavers and I will miss them until we have our second child. I miss the convenience of carrying a sleeping baby into the house or a restaurant.



Babies are force to be reckoned with.. What products do you miss?

Times they are a changing....

Hindsight is generally 20/20. Take for instance this quote:

"I was EXTREMELY adamant about was that I was going to make Max's baby food"

HA.. If I knew then what I know now I may have saved myself some sleepless nights and near panicked times when I thought Max was choking. Every time I make him food he coughed, choked and acted like he's about to vomit. For months I thought something was wrong with him. I talked to his pediatrician, nutritionist and even went as far to visit an ENT to see if he thought Max may have palate issues. As it turns out, Max just didn't like the food I made. At the suggestion of his nutritionist I bought some baby yogurt and he plowed through it with such vigor you would have thought I was starving the poor child. No choking, no coughing.. nothing. He squealed and squealed and practically attacked the food. After witnessing that show I decided to buy some jars of baby food to test my theory.

I offered him home made sweet potatoes and he coughed and turned red. I offered him Earths Best Organic Chicken and Sweet Potatoes and once again he practically attached the spoon. I was unaware that a seven month old child could hurt your feelings.. but he can! I don't know why he didn't like my food. I made it based on a few different instructions. I stopped adding formula and started using butter. I made it the exact same consistency as the jarred stuff but.. no dice. So I guess we'll stick to the earths best organic food. Gerber products tend to have more sodium and we LOVE LOVE LOVE the Yo-Baby 3 in 1 yogurt meals. I have Max eating pears, green beans and yogurt and apples, sweet potatoes and yogurt. He's getting so stinking big and cute that I just can't stand it.

We also had the pleasure of going to a gorgeous wedding this weekend. As I was eating my cake, my little dive bomber decided that he needed to be included in the festivities and went straight for my cake... He actually succeeded and now I fear for the worse. He also tried to knock punch out of the brides hand... I'm not sure what I'm going to do with him!

This little life we've created changes so much. I hope that I can nurture him to be the best person possible... Even if he doesn't like my food!

10 Habits of Happy Moms

I found this on Yahoo and thought I would share..

Here are 10 things happy moms do--so remember these tips in your day-to-day life!

1. Find time for yourself
Happy moms know they deserve a little time to themselves. When you know you're going to have a little room to breathe later on in the day, it's easier to take on everything that's in front of you. Our formula? Take 2 hours out for yourself every 3 days.

2. Don't make a happy baby, happier!
We all do it...you see your baby's head at what you're sure is an unnatural angle snoozing in their car seat. You just know they'll be happier if their head was straight. So you move them. And they wake up. Then they scream. Or, you see them playing happily in the sand. You just know they'll be happier if they played on the slide. So you interrupt them and move them to the slide. And they're angry. And they let you know they're REALLY angry. Here's the thing, they were happy. It can be hard to do, but if your kid's not complaining, leave them be! Happy baby = Happy Mommy.

3. Embrace the mess
So your house doesn’t look like something out of a magazine. That just means it’s cozy! Your children have hands coated in dirt from the playground and faces coated in spaghetti from dinner. It’s not gross—it’s an adorable photo op! Life is about how you look at things. Next time that pile of laundry that’s been sitting on the chair for three days starts to get you down, just remember… it’s probably feng shui.

4. Make time for your friends
Your family can survive without you while you make time to see friends. You are a woman with your own identity and its imperative that you and that identity go out for some margaritas once in awhile!

5. Stop blowing yourself off
While you may be the one taking care of everyone, it doesn't mean you can't also get what you want. Help your family realize your needs are as important as theirs and when mom is happy, everyone is happy, but when mom is not....

6. Get in the zone
Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.

7. Remember your dreams and goals
Everyday we are encouraging our children to reach their full potential. But sometimes in the midst of being a parent we forget about our own dreams and goals. The best thing you can do to encourage a child is to lead by example –happy moms hold on to their dreams and goals and don’t let go.

8. Be lighthearted
Don't be the uptight mom. Be silly and dance with your kids to their music or tv show tunes. Be romantic and pull your partner into a waltz. Dance in slippery socks in your kitchen while making dinner.

9. Bend the Rules
One of the best parts of making the rules is occasionally breaking them. Maybe it’s taking your child out of school for half a day on their birthday, or waking them up in the middle of the night to see a sky of shooting stars. Happy moms know how to turn the mundane into fun.

10. Mind your own business
Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Stop seeking the validation of others and be confident in yourself.

What I wish I knew

Almost seven months ago my life was turned upside down. All at once I was hit with motherhood earlier than I expected, a sick baby my own health issues and the lack of preparation for ALL of these things. What I wish I knew then and what I want to tell all new mommy's is that IT GETS EASIER.

For those of you who have read our whole story you know that Max was a preemie that spent the first 30 days of his life in the NICU at Texas Childrens Hospital. At the time I thought this was the most horrible month of my life and now... seven months later I don't even remember most of the time we spent there. What I remember are Max's milestones. The amazing things he accomplished in a short period of time. I hardly remember that I spent 16 hours in un-medicated labor and the pain associated with trying to stop preterm labor. The latter is still in my mind and I would never wish magnesium sulfate on anyone. While these were so horrible at the time, they passed. Life went on and we've all healed. I healed stronger than I was before I started.

The first month home quickly became challenging. In order to bring Max home I was required to feed him every three hours, even if he didn't wake up to eat. This was to get rid of the jaundice that he still had upon his release. This was so hard, we were already so exhausted from just spending a month at the hospital almost round the clock. We went home many of the nights but more often then not we stayed at the Ronald McDonald house that was provided for the parents of preemies. So bringing him home we were thrust into this schedule that was just so difficult. But just like a rough labor and c-section combined with a sick newborn that too passed. I wish I knew how much better life was going to get... I never had postpartum depression but I did have the baby blues. Just so you know.. It's okay to cry. It's okay to not be the perfect mommy. Every mom has those moments in which you just want to pull your hair out, stomp your feet and just boo hoo. Those who claim they don't are probably lying.

My kid is perfect. HAHAHA.. He's actually far from perfect but to me is the end all be all perfect little boy. However perfection comes in the form of the child that you practically have to force to eat, force to sleep in his own bed and pretty much force to do anything he doesn't want to do. I love that my child has a mind of his own but sometimes it's more than I can deal with. Earlier this evening (Halloween) Max was fussy, didn't want a costume on and pretty much just wanted to be held. It was hard, I will be honest and say I'm not used to meltdowns. Now that he's getting so independent, meltdowns have happened at least once a week. I don't know if this is going to pass but based on past experiences, I'm really hoping so.

Maternal instincts should not be mistaken for knowing exactly how to be a mom and how to be perfect all the time. There is no such thing as a perfect mom. The key is to be as loving and nurturing as you can be while remembering that you are raising a person who should be able to be themselves. I don't want Max to be a mini-Brittney or mini-Chris. I want him to have his own thoughts and own ideas. I wish I knew the kind of person Max was going to be.. All I know is that I want to do the best job possible.

Tv and Torticollis

When Max was three months old we started noticing that his neck always tilted in the same direction and he made no effort to turn it the other direction. We let it go for a few weeks and tried to see if he could fix it on his own but when we realized it wasn't working we turned to PT.


Max on the Fourth of July. 3 months old.

Max Was diagnosed with Right Sternomastoid Torticollis which basically means his trap muscles woulnd't let his neck turn left. The easiest way to explain it is that the muscle on the right side of his neck is to short, causing him to tilt to the right and also preventing him from turning his head to the left. It also keeps him from being able to lift his arms over his head. not getting this fixed could lead to life long issues. After I got over calling him baby Zoolander (he couldn't turn left) I had to figure out how to get my THREE MONTH OLD how to exercise. I'm 25 years old and hate to exercise.. How do you make this tiny person do it? Easy Peasy actually, You bribe them with television.



Max on August 4th. 4 months old and still tilting his head


I always thought that I would be one of those moms that outlawed TV and bad books and high fructose corn syrup.. turns out I'm not. The only way to get Max to exercise his neck during tummy time was by letting him watch TV. Now I'm not going totally out of line with this, All he's allowed to watch is PBS... and Teen Mom. I can't help it if he's in love with Maci. After tonight though he is actually banned from Teen Mom as well. Who would have thought that Elmo and Big Bird would help him with his neck?



Tummy Time helping him hold his head up (This is Sesame Street)




So now the only problem we have is that he is ADDICTED to TV. He's only allowed to watch it during tummy time IF he's having a hard time.. but if he even sees a TV screen he's addicted. He even LOVES my iPhone. Crazy Boy.




It's hard to believe that he's going to be six months old on Monday. Its been more that six months since I was put in the hospital on bed rest and this almost six months since this miracle boy made it into the world. He's such a great kid. I only hope the next six months are just as much fun.

Baby Food

I am such a bad blogger. I think I'm finally starting the get the hang of writing as well as keeping up with class on top of my already full time job of being Max's mommy. So hopefully my posts will be more frequent.

When I found out I was going to be a mom something I was EXTREMELY adamant about was that I was going to make Max's baby food.. sans cereal. While its possible to make baby cereal I didn't feel to strongly about trying to recreate dry cereal. Max's Daddy has been interested in this process as well but we really didn't know where to start. Max's nutritionist gave us some helpful advice about what to start with and when to start.. but everything else has been trial and error. This was Max's first attempt at rice cereal. He actually did pretty good!



So armed with a small amount of information and a ton of ideas i set out on my adventure of making food for Max. Today was my first day and actually.. I think I did a pretty good job. The first thing I needed was a food processor or chopper that pureed food. I bought a cheap little one for ten bucks at HEB. Food processors can get pricy but this chopper actually works really well. I decided to start with something easy and made sweet potatoes. After a ton of googling I baked a sweet potato until it was soft and then cut it in half and put it in the food processor. His nutritionist recommended adding formula to thin out the food and to boost the calories since he's still under weight.





After making the food I had the problem of trying to figure out how to store it. Turning to google I learned the best way to store homemade baby food was in ice trays, because each cube equals a one ounce serving. I actually ordered these really cool baby food storage containersbut until they get here I'll just keep using the ice cube trays. All you have to do is freeze the food and pop them out a cube at a time for a perfectly measured meal every time.




I mixed his food with Barley Cereal (which he hated) the first time. After that I've alternated between Rice Cereal and Oatmeal (which I accidentally bought with probiotics and upset his belly) and he loves the rice cereal.



After going though all of that.. Max LOVED the sweet potatoes. He hasn't quite gotten the hang of eating from a spoon but he seems to really enjoy playing with the food. He's such a happy guy and it doesn't take to awful much to make him happy.. but playing with the food made him really giggle. I love seeing him smile.




This mommy stuff is all trial and error but I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING. Max is the only reason I keep going in all that I do. The best part of me will always be him.

Its On

So the wild rumpus has definitely started. Everyone tells you how hard having a baby is going to be... but until you're there you really can't fathom the reality of the situation. Now that I'm living with an infant I've realized just how much my life has changed... It'll probably be awhile until I enjoy a hot meal again. My showers are limited to five minutes and reading now consists of Dr. Seuss, Maurice Sendak and Shel Silverstein. In other words.. It's on.

However being a mom has taken me away from another huge goal. Aside from being an amazing mom, more than anything I want is to be healthy. Not just healthy but I want a banging body. Saying it sounds so vain and superficial but I know that I'm not ugly. But seriously.. being overweight simply isn't attractive.I want to be healthy and attractive. Simply put.. I want to wear a size six.

So how do I do this? I think the easiest (not to be confused with quickest) and healthiest is going to be Weight Watchers. It's a plan that you can follow for the rest of your life but it also provides accountability. I also want to start taking Max on walks and jobs when my niece starts back to daycare. Right now it's a little hot but I think in the evenings we can do it.

Vanity may be a part of the reason that I feel this way but I truly want to be healthy for my son. As I said in my last post I feel like it's hypocritical to urge your children to be one way while not practicing what you preach. I don't want Max to ever feel the pain of being teased for his size. It's not funny and the pain lasts. I know. It's happened to me my whole life. It's not the words that were said to me that hurt so much. Looking back it's much deeper than just words. I realize now that what hurt so much was that another human being could be so hurtful over a person's size. I got many painful words said to me even when I was at my thinnest. No mother would ever want that for their child. I know my parents don't want that for me.

I want my son to be proud of how far his mother has come and the obstacles he's overcome. Max is going to be built like his daddy. Tall and lanky. But it doesn't mean he's automatically healthy. I really want Max to start healthy and stay healthy. Corny as that sounds... actually it's really corny... It's the label on his formula. Small sidetrack right quick.. I read an article today saying that kids that were supplemented with baby formula in the first 15 days of their life were almost guaranteed not to have a cows milk allergy! Thats good news for formula feeding mommas!

As of right now I'm not to concerned with Max being overweight. He's actually still underweight and probably won't catch up for another three or four months... I really hope that I can catch him up and then let him maintain an average size. That kid is so amazing and theres nothing I wouldn't do for him.