Teething, Growth Spurt, Mood Swings,... Demonic Possession,... It's Anyone's Guess!

     We just returned from a very successful trip to Shreveport, LA for Sophie's Baptism.  She travelled well, she adapted to new surroundings like a seasoned globe-trekker, she worked the post-Baptism brunch like the party hostess that I believe she was born to be.  We were so proud!
     Truth be told, I haven't written much lately because life has been good.  No crazy shenanigans.  Pretty even-keeled stuff, which is great for day-to-day living but not so interesting to write about.  However, all that was about to change.
     We drove home the 3 hours from Shreveport to Dallas gloating about how well our little angel behaved on the trip, how pretty she looked on her big day and how good she was being in the car.  We got home, still wrapped in our stupid reverie, went about our day, got our gal down for bed and .... all hell breaks loose.  There is a saying, "don't count your eggs before they're hatched."  Well, I get those old sayings now.
     My husband and I drift off to sleep with visions of happy travels dancing in our heads when the 2am screaming wake up call comes a knockin'.  Yes, our good sleeper was awake, sitting up in her crib and screaming bloody murder.  Two trips in to rock her, multiple lullabies (some I must admit had some curse words inserted in them as the hours wore on) the smallest dose of baby Tylenol and a diaper change later (2 hours had passed) I'm now storming around the house.  My husband, who had been in bed until now, wisely jumped out of bed like a scalded cat (without lecturing by me!) and hurried in to help.  Last attempt was a bottle.  Maybe I should have come to the bottle conclusion sooner, but she hasn't needed a middle of the night snack in awhile so that obvious solution did not come to my sleep deprived mind until much later. 
     Husband administers the bottle because I'm about to willingly run into traffic at this point, and gets her to bed....finally....at 4:15am!  And then she's up again at 6!  Yea parenthood!
    Well, 3 days later, filled with fussy baby, interrupted sleep and zombie-parents, I give my gal a serious mom-daughter pep talk stating that this grumpy phase is now over and we are kicking it to the curb.  I'm not going to lie, I did resort to singing Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" in order to emphasize my point.  I may have taken liberty with some of the lyrics as well, so I am infinitely sorry to Dee Snider and all 80's metal heads.  However, Twisted Sister's genius lyrics (plus some of my own) seemed to have worked.   A couple of hours post pep talk/sing along I took my gal to run some errands.  She falls asleep in the car for like, 30 min., wakes up, smiles, laughs and is a delight again.  The clouds have parted and the angels are singing.
     Now can someone please explain the last 72 hours to me?!!  Yes, yes, yes I've read all about teething (which we are in the thick of), I've read about growth spurts, but maybe,...just maybe, she decided to be an a-hole for a few days?  I mean we all have our "off days".  However, I have to hand it to her yet again, it's a rare (wait, I mean NEVER) occurrence that I get to go on a multi-day "bitch fest"with the response to my actions being even more love and affection, being fed foods that I am known to love, and getting gently rocked to sleep for every bedtime and nap.  I'm telling you, this girl is good.  Its good to be a baby.

     Moral of this story: My husband and I have survived another strange "spell" of babyhood.  Our happy gal is back and the demon has again left to go party with another baby. 

Sorry "other baby!"






     

Honey, I Didn't Know Your Head Could Spin Like That!

    I married a stereotypical, All-American, "guys guy."  He grew up in a small town in the south where athletics and football, in particular, are King.  I think it's quite fair to say that he is athletically gifted, as he excelled at basically every sport he played, and the first day of football season (LSU and pro) is better than any holiday and birthday combined.  And, his close knit band of guy friends would walk into traffic for one another if necessary.
     Yep.  He is definitely a guy's guy.  So when it comes to the ways of the woman he is particularly unskilled and uneducated.  Now don't get me wrong, and he will kill me for writing this, but he was quite the little ladies man back in the day.  However, that experience didn't aptly prepare him for the true lifestyle, with all it's intricacies, of the female.  So, naturally, he was blessed with a little daughter.  Talk about being thrown into the deep end of the pool!
     It has been quite entertaining for me, these past few months, to watch this burgeoning relationship develop between my little gal and her daddy.  I now understand how little girls get their dad's wrapped around their little fingers because I have had a front row seat for this evolution.  The, previously, bumbling and uncomfortable dad has quickly become the object for most of Sophie's  laughs and smiles.  Daddy is definitely the funniest person on the planet.  Then we get the smile, followed by the bashful head turn, burying her face into my shoulder, then peeking at dad again with a giant smile.  My God!  This girl is a master at 9 months!  I'm in awe.
      However, she has her work cut out for her, because daddy still has a lot to learn. To go into all the in's and out's of being a girl and all the things that baffle mankind would take novels in volumes so I'm just going to touch on the most recent "Big Ugly Surprise" as I like to call it, that my husband has had to face.  CLOTHES!
One of my favorite subjects, one of my husband's least.
     So our 500 degree per day Texas weather has finally started to turn.  BUT, horror of horrors! Our daughter is not sufficiently wardrobed for the upcoming fall season.  She has more options than I thought possible of adorable, very hot weather appropriate clothes but nothing for Fall.  Pretty standard stuff for anyone with a new child.  However, this seemed like a giant mystery to my husband who thinks that Sophie has more clothes than Rachel Zoe.  The fun part for me was when I got to inform him that she would indeed need a whole wardrobe, EVERYTHING! As she has nothing for cool weather.  I thought he might pass out on the spot.  (I forgot to mention-He is also very knowledgeable in the finance dept. and very spend conscious so this is a concept that is very hard for him to wrap his brain around)  However, the REAL fun came when I informed him that she would likely need a new wardrobe for every upcoming season for the next several years as she grows like a weed and will, in no way, fit into last season's clothes. WOW!  Head spinning commences!
     You know the saying, "youth is wasted on the young."?  Well I say, "fashion is wasted on the young!" If someone were to buy me a whole new wardrobe every season for the next several years I would be the slap-happiest gal I know.  I can guarantee that my Sophie could care less about her new duds.  Sigh.  Oh well, at least I'm enjoying it.
     So for my parting words, I offer advice for my husband and daughter.  To my husband: Breathe, deep breaths, Relax, you have a girl and there will be so many things that you get to look forward to paying for that you need to just accept it and go to your happy place.  To my daughter: work really hard at that Pro tennis career that daddy has all planned out for you so that you can, maybe, someday, pay him back.
     As for me, I just sit back and enjoy my husband getting schooled by a 9 month old and him loving every minute of it!
  

Vacation's Over Folks!

Sophie and Wrigley hatching their plan

     After a much needed and appreciated break to beautiful Jackson Hole, my husband and I returned back to the Dallas desert refreshed and renewed.  We came home to a clean house and happy baby who was sound asleep for the night.   Our big boy lab was thrilled to get all the attention to himself since Sophie was already asleep.  My Mother-In-Law and vacay babysitter bragged to us how good and sweet our little girl was and how she slept like an Olympic champ while we were gone.  Life was good! And then the witching hour of midnight rolled around.
     I seriously think that my child may be psychic.  Although she was passed out cold for the night when we got home, somehow, somewhere in the dark recesses of her brain she just knew that mom was home.  AND, she might possibly have formulated a diabolical plot to punish me for going on vacation without her.  AND, I do believe that she got our dog in on the plan too.
    My husband and I,worn out from travel, headed to bed early for the night.  As the clock chimed midnight my sweet girl woke like a shrieking banshee.  30 minutes of rocking later she was back asleep and I collapse into bed.  Then 1am rolls around, shrieking bandit returns.  Back to rocking.  Wash, rinse, repeat again at 3am and 5 am.  My dog then revealed his crucial roll in the plot, and for his roll he truly deserves an Oscar.  At 5am, on the dot, just as banshee is making her final wail before getting up for the day, my sweet, goofy lab proceeds to gag and vomit on his dog bed in our room.
     Ahhhhhh, it's good to be home.  And just in case you weren't 100% completely sure, vacation is OVER!

First "Big People" Vacation Post-Baby. Ahhhhhhh

Sleep.  Glorious sleep.  I had forgotten what you looked like my dear, sweet friend.  I think back on the time that we used to spend together.  Why have you decided to abandon me lately?

Yes, I am well-rested.  I am currently on vacation with my husband, sans baby, for the first time since our dear girl was born.  She is happily carrying on at home with grandma.  We thought about leaving her with our very capable Labrador but grandma volunteered so we conceded.  I kid!

Anyway, the first vacation away from your little one is an interesting experience.  First of all, I definitely went with one foot dragging.  After all, she is so little.  But I must say, once on that plane with one glass of wine in me, I was ready to go.  I chatted up the poor man next to me like we had been best friends forever.  (See, my hubs was in coach, me first class :) )  It was then I learned that I have been somewhat starved for adult conversation.  Anyway, to the man seated next to me, thanks for being an interesting travel companion and for allowing me to talk your ear off.

I then realized how very much I enjoy eating out at restaurants and not being on a time constraint.  It is a bit nice to not have a baby in a highchair next to you who will occasionally yell out as loud as she can.  Heaven!  However, I have also learned that I miss that little rugrat more than I could possibly imagine.  Our trip conversation has been peppered with, "When Sophie is bigger she will love ... (fill in the blank with various vacation experiences)."

One interesting revelation, I have never been more aware of my own mortality than on this trip.  Leaving behind your child makes you worry like some insane hypochondriac on speed that it could be your time to dance with the reaper, and what would happen to your child if that occurs.  First I was concerned about the flight, but that ended up fine.  However, today we had an interesting occurrence.  We are vacationing in Jackson Hole, WY (I hadn't mentioned earlier) and we have been doing a great deal of hiking.  Now there are Beware of Bear and Wildlife signs all over but you always think, "Whatever.  I'm not going to see anything."  Well let me tell ya, that is a stupid way to think!  Today, while hiking in Teton Natl. Park, I was ahead of my husband and rounded a curve only to come face-to-face with a moose.  My uneducated mind 's first thought was, "What is that horse doing on the trail?"  Ummmm, no idiot!  That is a big ole' wild moose!  So, my cool self did what you are not supposed to do: 1) Yell your husband's name 2) Snap a pic 3) Turn you back on said moose and hightail it in the opposite direction.  In case you want to know how a moose reacts to that type of behavior, they charge.  Yep, we survived a moose charge.  At the time he charged, I had maneuvered around my husband and he stood between me and the moose.  Surprisingly, he did not mess his pants.  Yay husband!  As it turned out the moose was just sending a warning, as he charged as far as the trail then turned off and went happily munching tree leaves.  Glad he was happy, because he left us both on the verge of a heart attack.

Moral of the story, don't mess with moose.  Not worth it!

And To Think, Being Up Past 2am Used To Mean A Successful Night Out!

   Our little Sophie has hurdled yet another milestone.  After feeding her her morning bottle 2 days ago I discovered a sharp little protrusion jutting out from her bottom gums.  Yes, her first tooth has made it's glorious debut!  While I'm so proud of her, and aware of how fast these baby moments are all going by, I did reflect for a brief moment at how simply this little tooth made it's appearance.  I mean I had heard some horror stories from friends about their little ones getting their first tooth.  These stories ranged from tales of fevers, numerous and frequent poo's, complete lack of sleep, and inconsolable crying.  Needless to say, I was not really looking forward to teething.
     So here I am thinking, "Wow! That was easy!" But, as I should have known, Sophie was saving the good stuff for a more inconvenient time.  It began that afternoon when she absolutely, almost psychotically, refused to take her afternoon nap.  We actually had to resort to putting her in the car and driving around the neighborhood for 45 minutes while she snoozed.  Haven't had to pull out that trick in awhile.  Later that night, after she went down for bed, she decided that the party was just getting started at midnight.  Let me tell you, we have become way too accustomed to sleeping through the night, because that midnight crying wake up call was very much like being punched out of deep sleep by Mike Tyson.  She then continued the fuss parade from 1am-2am and had one last hurrah at 5:40am.  So much for easy teething!  Silly silly first-time mommy!
     Once again I have learned some valuable lessons.  1) Never get too comfortable in your routine because 7 month-old's don't really "do" routines 2)Teething is really super-awful for these little folk and I feel very sad that there isn't more I can do to ease her discomfort 3) Just accepting the fact that I don't have an active social life anymore and that I really should just go to bed at 9pm because it makes getting up at 1am much easier 4) I, at one time, fully expected to be up at 2am on a weekend night?  Remind me how that was fun because it really sucks now! 5) While I've never been the sappy sort, if I have to be up at 2am, there is a certain sweetness to cuddling my little gal in her quiet room and, finally, 6) I now get why it's called "cutting" teeth.  It doesn't just describe the physical act of the tooth cutting through the gums.  It also describes the "cutting" into your daily life.  Such as, "cutting" into my sleep, "cutting" into my daytime routine, "cutting" into my sanity! 

One tooth down!  19 baby teeth left to go! 

Welcome To Paradise Hubby!

     First time parents + two adults who have minimal exposure to children of any age (yes, we were the ones who looked annoyed when you sat down near us with your child on a plane!) + three months of screaming colic once the precious bundle did arrive + 2 weeks enduring wife's postpartum depression = not a happy husband/daddy!
     I thought I'd take a moment to describe life for my husband post baby.  However, to do so, I have to go back a few pages.  When I met my husband he was a commitment-phobe to the extreme.  He really wasn't all too excited to label himself "in a relationship", was the one who all his friends said would be the last to marry, really didn't think he wanted kids and definitely didn't want a dog (but if he did that sucker would be outside!)  Well, never one to back down from a challenge, I decided that this was my dream man! 
     Now, wait a minute, before you cast judgement from what I just wrote, please keep in mind that we are talking about a good-looking, well-employed, single guy in his 20's, living in Dallas, TX at the time I met him.  He was living high on the bachelor life.  There is a show getting ready to premiere on Bravo called "Most Eligible Dallas", while I'm sure it will be obnoxious beyond belief, at one time, you could probably have cast my husband on this show.  (Oh my, he's going to be so embarrassed and mad at me for that one!)
     Anyway, first came relationship.  Since we are happily married, that obviously worked out.  I can proudly say that he was among the early ranks of his friends to get married.  And, some (I love you guys dearly) are still swinging the single life.  Then came dog.  Our Wrigley!  Oh my goodness do we love that boy!  And that "outdoor" dog idea was soon promoted to "indoor but not on furniture", to "he can do whatever he wants because this is his house and he's family!"  Then came baby.
     This deserves a new paragraph.  We didn't jump right on that baby train.  We thought, "let's stop preventing and see what happens."  Well, you know what happens when you stop preventing? You get pregnant!  After the initial fear, worry and shock that accompanies all positive pee sticks we were pumped.  We took the classes, got the nursery ready, had the showers and then came baby.  She was precious, little, adorable and hubs was just getting warmed up and then came colic.  I literally then watched my husband turn into a Transformer.  Whenever that screeching bundle was handed his way Mr. Roboto would emerge.  The most stressed out, jerky movements would come from my normally laid-back, composed man.  Since I stayed home with her during the day once my husband would get home, often, I would need a break.  Just to stress how comfortable he was with her, my "break" would normally consist of him holding her while they followed me around the house!  And to think, all I wanted was 1 hour of quiet to watch Grey's Anatomy!  My needs were simple at best!  And it lasted 3 months!
     Once the colic storm passed my husband behaved much like I would imagine a spooked cat to act.  He would come in for a peek, then the baby would make a squawk and he would jump back and retreat. However, to be fair, we both emerged from the colic battle victorious but not without scars and post-traumatic stress. 
     A few months have now passed and we have an even-keeled, awesome tyke on our hands.  While we still have our, "I can't believe she doesn't cry all the time anymore" moments, we have settled into life with our gal.  She's been so cool to get to know.
     So, to wrap up.  Ways that I know my husband is down with baby now.  1) He kisses her non-stop when he holds her (very cute). 2) Mr. Roboto has left the building. 3) She literally poo'd in his hand the other day (thank the Lord I wasn't home!) and he handled it like he's been poo'd on regularly his whole life.  He even figured out the complicated equation of how to get the baby to the changing table while not getting the poo hand on her. Get the hand cleaned up enough with baby wipes so that he could change her, set her in her crib, and get his hands washed.   Seriously, that scenario should be an SAT question. And finally 4) If I go out to run errands while she is napping and leave my husband at home with baby I no longer get frantic, panic calls alerting me that she has woken up and I should hurry home.  Ahhh, life is bliss!

Ladies and Gentlemen, What You Are Witnessing Is What We Call A Miracle!

     We are currently on night #6 of the new bed time routine.  We are putting our little gal to bed earlier with the expectation that she will sleep longer.  Now, in my world, which I do believe to be the "real" world, that did not compute.  However, let me tell ya, it DOES work.  At least, it has in our house.
     Now, 2 weeks ago, if you would have told me that putting my sweet girl down earlier for the night would produce less night time crying and allow her to sleep longer I would have promptly told you, "Of course! And if I drink MORE Cabernet at night it will not make me feel like Sophie's dirty diapers the next day, but instead it will allow me to feel like Wonder Woman!"  Definitely a study of opposites at play.
     I must say, I don't rightfully know where to bestow credit here. The earlier bedtime certainly does not seem to be hurting anyone involved.  In fact, I have been able to sit and watch evening television again, and cook dinner, and go to bed early.  Ahhh bliss!
     The other factor at play in Sophie's successful sleeping is the fact that I don't rush in at every peep.  I must state again that I know that seems like an obvious step but it has been the hardest one.  I liken my "rush to every cry" response to a story that my husband once told me.  When he was young, a game that he and his friends liked to play consisted solely of throwing rocks at one another.  I KNOW!  But, no, I didn't marry a "short bus" guy.  However, he and his friends would take refuge in the ditch-like gullies that flanked his friend's driveway.  One group would take cover on one side of the driveway and the other group would be on the other side.  They would then throw rocks as hard as they could at one another.  I asked him what the purpose of this game was.  Apparently there was none.  In my opinion, the object was "Don't die."  He fully admits that it hurt, that they knew going into it that it would hurt, and yet they happily played it anyway. Hmmm, maybe he is a short bus boy.  I mean, how many lobs to the head can one take before they become a bit, shall we say slow.  Just kidding, love you hon!
     Anyway, my response to Sophie's night cries were much like this game.  It hurt (both of us with fully waking up), I knew going in it would hurt, and yet I did it anyway.  Well, I finally stopped the madness and acted like the cool, level-headed, haute mama that I always pictured myself to be.  Turns out, Sophie didn't "need" me.  What she needed was to be left alone to learn to go back to sleep.  And, I must brag, she is a genius at this skill.
     With absolutely no "help" from me (because my "help" was actually a hindrance), my sweet girl has become a healthy sleeper! Hallelujah!  Now, it has only been 6 days but that is like a year in Sophie time.
     Now I wonder if that whole "opposites" effect actually does work with increased Cabernet consumption.....

And Here We Go....

     I last left off with my little Sophie going swaddle-free at night for the first time.  The first two nights were awesome, amazing! She slept so well and actually slept a little past 6am, which hasn't happened too often in our house thus far.  We were like, "what the Hell has been our hold up here?!"  Then the bottom dropped out.
     On the 3rd night she woke up screaming like she was literally on fire.  However, as the night progressed I began to seriously question if demonic possession was at play.  Since we had no head spinning and no split pea soup projectiles I guessed we were OK.  She woke around 11:30pm ready to rumble and didn't stop the crazy parade until 1am.  She then fell into an exhausted slump but was up and at 'em at 5am.  We live very much in the city but I swear I heard the rooster crow at that hour.
     The next night was pretty drama-free (which we welcome around here!) and then came super fun night number 5.  She woke at 9pm, 11:30pm, 2am, 3am and then seriously lit it up at 3:30.  At that point, and countless futile attempts to calm her down, my husband and I decided to implement the cry it out technique.  It was ugly, it was hard, and it worked! One hour of misery later, we had a peacefully sleeping babe who slept until 7am.
      She, again, came out of this event unscathed.  Wish I could say the same.  Another sorority mate, Becca, suggested a book "Healthy Sleeping Habits, Healthy Child." We hit up Barnes and Noble quick today and bought that baby up. 
     So here is where I bestow some more "tips".  The book made me feel much better because it states that post-colic children's number one symptom is sleep disturbance. Makes sense to me, and since I'm dealing with a post-colic babe, I'll take it.  It suggests an earlier bedtime for a nighttime waking baby.  So that is what we did tonight. It also states that you should not jump and run in at every cry.  I know, I know, that seems obvious.  But I have had 3 months of navy seal-like colic boot camp where every fiber of my being is tuned into that cry and conditioned to do WHATEVER I can to make it go away.  So, even though colic is gone, it's hard to let go of my training.  However, I have renewed confidence after reading this book. 
    I believe that I will help her learn to sleep.  When she's a teen she will thank me!

As always, I will keep you posted.

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That.

Since I am so badly overdue on writing, I am going to attempt to catch up on a few past events in one post.  So, bear with me here. 
I had my first baby-free trip in May.  I wish I could say it was to some far-off exotic locale with spa treatments and Michelin Star restaurants but, sadly, no.  It was to Wichita, Kansas for my cousin's wedding.  Let me tell you, at this point after 6 months of interrupted night time sleep, I would have found a mattress under the freeway overpass to be heaven.  So, the 2 nights of uninterrupted sleep (as well as the lovely wedding with family) made the trip so very worthwhile.  And, I have turned into an old lady apparently.  I used to relish the days of open-bar events.  I now find myself saying, "I can't drink too much wine or I won't sleep well!"  It is a wild moment when your parents stay out but you go back to the hotel to sleep. Oh how the times have changed!
I did miss my little gal like crazy and had these visions of an overwhelming happy little tyke when I got home.  Reality was slightly anti-climactic.  I guess you can't expect an Oscar caliber performance for a homecoming from a 6 month old.  However, I did get a big smile so that worked for me.

We then took our first road trip to my hometown of Kansas City.  Picture this, hubby, me, baby and 90 lb. lab plus a week's worth of luggage and one enormous dog bed crammed into the 4-Runner driving down the highway.  If anyone spotted us on the road they probably thought we were evacuating from somewhere.  Sophie did so great on the trip and it was awesome to have her home.  We did learn some lessons however: 1-An 8 hour trip to KC takes approximately 9 1/2 hours with a 6 month old
2-There is nothing more frightening on this Earth to Sophie than the jet-engined powered hand dryers found at major McDonald's rest stops along I-35.
3-You get alot of dirty looks from a lot of scary looking people when trying to change your screaming child's diaper in the restrooms of such rest stops as she is reeling from the terror of the hand dryers.
4-You decide that it is just better for everyone to change your child's diaper in the car for the remainder of the trip.
5-It is NOT a good idea to introduce peas to your 6 month old while on vacation. She didn't like them and they didn't like her (as judged from the 4 nasty diaper changes necessary on the ride home to Dallas!)

Finally, tonight is the first night of no night time swaddling.  In the past month the swaddle has become the bane of my existence.  My child has been breaking out of it like the Hulk but then turns into a crying mess without it.  Since she really can't have it both ways we began no-swaddle naps.  After a rocky beginning she finally seemed to handle it and possibly prefer it.  So, tonight is the big test.  Last night was a comedy of errors at best.  It reminded me an old "I Love Lucy" style comedic routine.  Baby breaks out of swaddle about 4 times before folks go to bed.  Mom (me), goes in and re-swaddles baby.  After 4th time mom says, "No more! Let's just let her be."  Folks turn out lights.  5 minutes later baby starts crying.  Mom goes in and re-swaddles, baby appears to be asleep, mom goes back into bedroom, looks at monitor, baby is free again and awake.  Now repeat this 4 times in a row with no break and you will get a taste of the fun I had last night.  I am officially OVER the swaddle.  Let's just pray that she is too. She has been asleep for and hour and a half and so far, so good. 


I will keep you posted!

How To Age 20 Years in One Minute

     I did my research and it is universally agreed upon that the fastest creature on Earth is the Peregrine Falcon, which can dive out of the sky at a speed upwards of 200 miles per hour.  I would like to dispute this apparently well known fact and add my daughter, Sophie, to the list of contenders.
     Before I get into the "Why?" of the above statement I must say that I almost didn't write about this incident.  However, to be fair to the "reality" of this blog, I think it is necessary to report the good and the funny with the scary and the bad.  I know that I have said that you have to try to find humor in the hard situations of parenthood but what happened last night is hard to find funny.  However, I will try to inject some humor if possible.
     Last night as I was getting my little gal ready for her bath I learned the lesson of  "I should have known better."  Ever since Sophie was a teeny tiny little squirt we have laid her on a towel on the bathroom counter to undress her before bathtime, and again to dry her off and get her into her p.j.'s.  This has worked out pretty well up until last night. 
     Sophie has become very skilled at rolling over which is where the "should have known better" lesson comes into play.  I knew that she should probably not be set up on the counter anymore and I have kept a very close distance and eye on her when she is up there.  Last night after getting her undressed I pivoted to the side to turn on the bath tub water.  The sound that I heard in the split second that my back was turned will, literally, stay with me forever.
     In that fraction of a second, the world's newest fastest creature - Sophie, flipped herself off the counter landing SMACK on her back on our saltillo tile bathroom floor.  The pandemonium that ensued would probably make it onto America's Funniest Home Videos.  You know that cry that little kids do where they turn apple red, their faces are scrunched, mouth open but no sound comes out?  Well, that's what I got.  When the wail did finally come to her it was a doozy!
    My wonderful neighbor is a Dr. so he got a madwoman crazed phone call from me.  He ran over and took a look and advised me better to be safe than sorry and head to the E.R..  Flash forward to me driving down the highway, bawling, with an actually quite composed baby in the back.  I must say that Sophie handled the whole incident with much more grace than I.
     Long story short, one CT scan later we were in the clear.  She just sustained a bad bump, possibly a very mild concussion, and we were sent home.  She had a bottle and went to sleep while I felt like I had gone 10 rounds with Mike Tyson and basically stayed up all night listening for any little peep out of her.  I do honestly believe that I may have aged about 20 years!

Lessons Learned: 1) No more counter tops for little one, 2) I know now that I go into Autopilot mode in a crisis seeing as the details right after the fall are a little hazy to me, 3) Apparently my body still works even when my heart stops beating 4) Sophie is the world's fastest creature in my book. 4) Kids are pretty darn resilient little things.

I have to thank: Presbyterian Plano ER - the nurses and Dr. Holland, our pediatrician Dr. Thai - who calmed me down while I was crying and careening down the highway to the hospital, Mark and Glen for being the greatest neighbors and, most importantly, my little angel Sophie for being one strong chick.  You may look more like your dad but you are as hard headed as your mom!

To Swaddle or Not To Swaddle? That Is The Question.

     If you have read any of my previous posts then you know that our little Sophie suffered from a colic-rager the first 3 months of her life.  Since we tried everything except voodoo (which I would have resorted to if I thought it would have worked) to calm the savage beast that was our child, we have been big advocates of the swaddle.  Swaddling, in our case, really did help calm her down for naps and bedtime.  We used the Aden + Anais muslin swaddles for their breathability and stretchiness.  We would wrap her up like a little cigar and she would settle right down.
     Well, we are almost to her 6 month birthday.  Colic left the building 3 months ago but the swaddle remains.  What was once a blessing has now become our curse because Sophie can not and will not sleep without being swaddled.
     Last week we implemented Project No Swaddle in which we decided to forgo the swaddle at naptime (I'm waaaay too big of a weakling to attempt it at night yet, I need my beauty sleep!).  I was ready to go and fired up over getting Sophie over the swaddle.  My sorority-mate, Brenna, was going through the same thing with her son so I recruited her (long-distance as she is in Chicago) to be my wingman through this difficult process.  We wrote back and forth each day discussing our success and failures.  SIDENOTE- Ladies!  A Wingman is very helpful for surviving motherhood obstacles with grace and sanity! So thank you Brenna! 
     First off I must say that Brenna is a stronger woman than I as she went swaddle-free at night as well.  And, I must say that she mostly shared success stories while I shared failures.  Her little guy seemed a bit more open to the idea of going free-arming during sleep than my gal.
     Here is how it went down in my home.  Sophie would get very sleepy for her nap.  I would rock her (which I don't normally do to get her to sleep) but I wanted her good and asleep before I put her down.  I then got her in her sleep sack and put her down.  She would sleep about 30 minutes and be up rubbing her face, waving those little arms and being generally miserable.  Poor lady just can't do it.  Those arms are a great and powerful mystery to her.  Although I try to explain to her that they are attached to her body and that SHE controls them she just doesn't seem to get it!
     Five days later of basically no napping we finally gave up on Project No Swaddle.  Brenna is still going strong!  Go Brenna!
     We determined that Soph is just not ready for the big time yet.  I, personally, am trying to adopt a more go with the flow attitude to this motherhood gig and, let me tell ya, that can be hard at times.  Anyway, we are taking a more organic approach with the swaddle and letting her work it out.  As my neighbor Annette told me, "You aren't going to have to swaddle her to sleep when she is 15."  My gawd I certainly hope not.
     In the meantime, as I have also stated before, you have to laugh at tough situations or your just won't make it through.  So, I downloaded Run DMC "It's Tricky" and my husband and I had a great time watching the video monitor, listening to that song, and watching Soph wave those arms around.  She may have a future in break dancing.

Happy (Very Belated) Mother's Day! And I Swear You Can't Make This Stuff Up!

     I want to wish a long overdue Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and especially to the new mothers. 
     I don't know what I really expected for my first Mother's Day but I must admit that hazy, happy visions of sleeping in, followed by brunch, maybe a shopping trip to Northpark (all by myself!) or a spa package dreamily ran through my head.  Reality, as it tends to be, ended up being far more colorful.
     I swear the following is all true, even I'm not creative enough to make this stuff up,  but I'm now going to walk you through my memorable and "hit you in the face with a frying pan" real first Mother's Day.
     I am the wife of a die-hard sports freak.  Not just a "fan", not a "fanatic" but a true blue FREAK.  I am a football widow.  I am a fantasy football survivor.  Basically, I am an awesome wife for putting up with the level of freakness that goes on in this house.  For example, we did a slide show of photos at our rehearsal dinner and about 75% of the photos of the two of us were taken at some sporting event.  Anyway, you get the idea.  Well, as luck would have it, the Dallas Mavericks (of which we are season ticket holders - Freak) happened to be in the playoffs vs. the Lakers the weekend of Mother's Day. So my husband invites a friend in town, who shall remain nameless, but you know who you are.  They go to the game Friday night of Mother's Day weekend which means I'm babysitting, home, alone.
     Oh Wait!  I'm not home alone! I'm also home with my dog who has an ear infection and is on steroids.  Poor poor baby has to go pee about every 10 minutes due to the steroids and I can't let him in the backyard because we have 3 baby bluejays who have taken up residence, can't fly yet, and who my dog would promptly kill if he was allowed out there.  So every time he has to go to the bathroom I have to bjorn up the baby and leash up the dog and head out to the front yard.  Let me tell ya, it wasn't a beating at all!
     Saturday comes around and we still have our guest in town because now the boys are all meeting up for Fantasy Football Lotto!  REALLY!  So, yes, that means that it's me, baby and over-peeing pooch again.  However, to make it a little more interesting, our guest uses the guest bath, flushes, and every toilet, bathtub and shower in the house begin to overflow.  So now I'm home alone (b/c the boys have lotto), waiting for a plumber with the over-peeing pooch and baby who is getting cranky because it's past bedtime.  Once the plumber fixes the problem and baby goes to bed I then got the honor of cleaning all the poo water off the floors, toilets, tubs and showers.  IT WAS AWESOME!
     This brings us to Sunday, Mother's Day.  Well guess what? The Mavs have another home game.  Bye bye hubs!  Off to the game again which again leaves me with (say it with me) baby and over-peeing pooch.

I deserve a medal!

Hope you all had a good one that did not require Lysol-ing your entire house.

Tips

     In my first post I stated that I would share any tips that have been helpful throughout this adventure.  Well, here are a few.

In regards to a colic baby.  Here is what worked for us. 

-I stopped nursing at 3 months and we put her on Enfamil Nutramigen.  I don't know if we just reached that golden age of the colic stopping or if the formula did the trick, but she did soooooo much better after the switch.  Of course I was hesitant to stop nursing so soon but this worked for us so I'm not gonna question it.  Buyer Beware!!! - Nutramigen is stinky and the spit up is stinky, be warned.  We have since moved to regular Enfamil Infant and she is doing great.

-She was prescribed by our Dr. .5ml Prevacid twice a day.  This stopped the spit-ups that shot out of her nose which made us all much happier.  She will probably be on this for at least 6 mos.


-Swaddling!  Do it!  She felt secure and it truly helps her sleep.  We use the Aiden and Anais brand.  They are large, which makes for good wrapping and they have a stretch to them which allows for a snug swaddle.  I have also heard good things about the "magic blanket" and the Summertime swaddles that velcro but I have not personally used those.

-Babywise.  OK, I'm on the fence with this one.  On one hand, it was good to have a schedule as a guide.  But, on the other hand, our baby was a little more of a challenge and a schedule just didn't work with her.  You can make yourself (and your baby) a little crazy trying to fit into a schedule.  Sometimes you just have to let nature take it's course.  DO NOT feel bad if Babywise does not work for you.  There is nothing wrong with you or your baby if their methods just don't pan out.  However, I do have friends who swear by Babywise and have happy, healthy babies who sleep great.  So, if it works for you - Awesome!, if not- no big deal.

-Baby Einstein Takealong Tunes!  OMG!  This toy, which plays classical music and lights up, was a miracle!  That is really all I can say.  You have to get one. She stopped crying instantly and would watch those lights dance like they were the most interesting soap opera ever!

-Vacuuming.  I would put Sophie in the Baby Bjorn and vacuum. She seemed to like the noise.  Now, there is only so much time you can vacuum. But it worked for us.

-Music in general.  Calmed the savage beast.

Overall, just hang in there.  It will get better and the happy baby you envisioned will emerge.  For us, it took 4 months. We are just starting to meet the fun, cute Sophie that we dreamed about.  I promise, you DO NOT have the unhappiest baby in the world.  I thought this many times and wondered what the Hell we were doing wrong.  Sometimes all it takes is time.
- 

Welcome Home Baby! Part 3 (Final)

     We leave the pediatrician's office with me, still an un-medicated, starving,exhausted, stressed out wreck and now have to head to the hospital to get my sweet Sophie's blood drawn to check her jaundice levels.  I must insert an apology here to Dr. T.  I did leave a banana peel in your parking lot.  I was so very hungry and a banana was the only snack I could quickly grab from home.  Remember that this level of tired and miserable will make you act out of character.  I hope that no one took a cartoon-like fall on behalf of my littering.
     MIL and I get baby to hospital and begin the super-fun process of check in.  I swear, my oral French finals from college were easier than this check-in process.  We then get escorted to the lab waiting room where the only available seats were the toddler-sized table and chairs.  Let me tell ya, my booty plopped right down on one of those pint-sized chairs and I swear I have never been so grateful for seating in my life.  Even if it was approx. 12" off the floor. 
     My MIL, who is now quite worried about me, goes off to find me some sustenance.  (Don't worry about Sophie, she's been fed and has been sleeping soundly.  Good for her!)  She returns with O.J. and a chocolate covered marshmallow Santa. (It is Christmas time after all)  Screw any brunch I've ever had. That dang Santa was the best thing I ever ate!
     A heel prick for Sophie proves that she is indeed jaundice and not just a pretty tan like we had hoped.  We then, finally, get sent home and now have to wait for the magical jaundice man (because in my stupor I swear I do NOT remember where this man came from) to come to my house to deliver Sophie's Bili-blanket.
     I have never heard of a Bili-blanket but it sounds just like Aladdin's magic carpet.  In reality, not so much.  It's like a plastic paddle attached to a hose attached to a whirring machine. It does glow blue, which is kind of cool.  But your baby does look a bit nuclear when you have to stick it under their clothes and up against their skin.  Oh! But the extra special bit of fun is that this blue light paddle makes your baby poo and pee like a machine.  Who would've thought?!!!
     24 hours later our little gal was a healthy shade of pink and pale.  Bye bye magical machine.  And "officially" welcome home Sophie!

Welcome Home Baby! Part 2

      After a very long day we leave the hospital with strict instructions to get our little gal checked by her pediatrician the next day because she was bordering on jaundice.  We head home where my fantastic mother-in-law (yes, I did use the word "fantastic" to describe my MIL.  I'm a lucky gal right?)  has prepared a great salmon dinner for us.  However, reality and sleep deprivation are starting to kick in to full gear so, really, I could have been eating dog food and probably not known the difference.  Then it is time for our first bed time as a family.
     Now, I don't know how many of you have slept in a room with a newborn but they sound alot like little warthogs while they sleep.  Our gal did indeed sleep pretty well that first night home but the grunting piggy noises didn't exactly lure us to sleep.  Also, as a nursing mom, you feed your newborn about every 3 hours (that's from beginning of feeding to beginning of next feeding).  And, since they take about 30 min. to eat, well you do the math as to how much actual sleep you get.  For a person who would list "napping" as a fave thing to do, this was a slight shock to my system.
     I get up the next morning (ungodly early) and call the baby doc who tells us they can fit us in in 30 min.  Cue the circus music and let the show begin!  Panic!  Get baby up! Get baby dressed! No, that onesie isn't buttoned up correctly but there is no time to fix.  Yep, I think her diaper is indeed wet but again, no time to fix, will change her when we get there.  Make-up for me, who are you kidding!  Hair brushed?  Nope, put on a hat.  Teeth brushed? Nope, get some gum.  Breakfast? Forget about it.  Oh! And did I mention that I got home too late the night before to pick up my pain meds (C-sect. recovery) from the pharmacy?  So I'm going on little-to-no sleep, no breakfast no pain meds.  Awesome!
     Roll into the Dr.'s office late, of course,and kind of looking like a crazy person with my baby in an outfit half buttoned and a wet diaper.  I'm surprised social services weren't called.  Get into the exam room and, guess what? It's time to feed the baby. Whip out the boob because at this point pride has left the building. Now keep in mind, this is the first time I have met this pediatrician.  You can imagine what kind of first impression I must have made when he walked in to the disheveled mess that was waiting for him in that exam room.  I must say, the way he let it roll off him, I must not have been the first mom to come into his office looking like the hot mess that I was.  So, for making me feel like I was perfectly normal and not taking a ride on the crazy train, Dr. T has become one of our favorite people!

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Welcome Home Baby! Part 1

    Now bringing home your first born child should be a milestone, magical moment.  Well, let's go over how it went down at my house.
     To preface, my parents were planning on being at my house (visiting from Kansas City) when we got home.  And as every first time mom knows, you need your momma during this time because you are actually coming home from the hospital with a BABY!  Seriously, I don't know if we thought this one through very well.  I mean, we didn't even know where to set Sophie down when we got home.  Poor girl!
     However, the day before we left the hospital, my father, who was graciously watching our 90 lb. lab, took the dog on a morning walk.  I get a phone call from my mom a little while later saying that she and my dad were on their way up to the hospital to see Sophie and I but they may take little while because they have to stop by the ER first.  What?!
     Turns out, our sweet and normally calm dog decided it would be pretty funny to see his grand-pa do a face plant on the sidewalk and promptly brought him down faster than Daniel getting his leg swept in Karate Kid!  A trip to the ER and an X-ray later my dad comes in with a cast, dislocated finger and cracked pinkie finger.
    So, mom and dad had to head home to Kansas City early because dad had to meet with a hand surgeon to have a plate put into his finger!  This leads to the inevitable hormonal break-down on my part because my parent's are leaving me with a baby!  Cue the wonderful, foreign nurse who holds onto me while I cry and tells me that it is perfectly normal while my terrified husband looks on wondering what has happened to his strong and feisty wife.  Poor thing now has two crying women to deal with, me and Sophie.  Oh happy days.

Stay tuned for Part 2.


   

The Demon Colic!

     So, as I mentioned in my first post, our little girl (Sophie) developed colic around 1 month after she was born.
     I refused to believe that colic was indeed what we were dealing with for quite some time.  (I think denial will come in handy throughout motherhood :))  First we thought it was reflux so she was put on Prevacid.  That did help with spit-ups, especially the powerful "shoots out the nose" kind, lovely!  Obviously that made us, and Sophie, happy.  However, that was short lived as the inevitable conclusion of colic reared it's ugly head.  Colic is defined as 3 or more hours or inconsolable crying for at least 3 days a week for approx. 3 weeks.  Well, let me tell ya, we blew right past those parameters. 
     We (maybe) had 2 hours at most where she did NOT cry while she was awake, every single day for about 2 1/2 months.  There isn't enough Cabernet in the world to get you through something like that.  However, you do get all kinds of helpful advice.  Such as: put the baby on the dryer-Nope! Scared the crap out of her (literally)!, put the baby near the exhaust fan of your oven-Not effective when she cries louder than the actual fan sound!, run the vacuum-Kind of worked but, realistically, how much can you vacuum?, Drive the baby around-Hmmm, I've been told it's not wise to get behind the wheel of a car when you are drop dead exhausted, run the hair dryer-Yes, I do enjoy blow drying my hair as a miserable little red-faced munchkin sits in front of me and screams.  I don't know why more salons don't offer that option with their blowouts.
     My favorite, "you just need to get out of the house with that baby, she's probably just bored."  Reeeeaaalllly?  First off I have done everything except fly from a trapeze suspended over her crib in order to entertain her but, you are right, she's probably crying 12 hours a day out of boredom.  And secondly, I know how much I enjoy being out in public with unruly children so, Sure! Let's just subject random strangers to the fun of a colicky baby.
     So, needless to say, outings were few and far between.  On the plus side, I now know that I can handle house arrest if I ever commit some low-grade crime, and it is super easy to navigate through my house now because I wore paths in the floors from walking and bouncing Sophie for hours on end.
     Also, I think my husband and I should seriously consider trying out for The Amazing Race because the level of teamwork that went on in this house would rival any pro-sports team!
    Well, at approximately 3 1/2 months of age colic seems to have moved on to party with some other poor, unsuspecting baby.  Which, while I'm sorry for that poor family, I'm doing the happy dance.  Our gal seems much more content, but she still has some sass, which I'll get into later.

Beginnings!

     OK.  So I'm new to this whole "Blog thing."  Which I'm sure everyone says.  However, since I've never read a blog I wouldn't really know, would I? 
   An introduction:  My name is Courtney and I started this blog as a response to my recent adventure into first time motherhood.  My baby gal is almost 4 months old and, while I love her dearly, it has not been the rainbows and magic experience that most women will have you believe it is!
     It is funny that once you have a baby you suddenly hear horror stories from your friends that you never heard before pre-children.  These amazing women that you drank with, and partied with, and shopped with, and lunched with, and cried over men with, these women who know your darkest secrets and dirtiest deeds failed to school you on the realities of motherhood once they joined the club!  Oh no, they saved those secrets until you became a "mom for life" as well.
   I am not afraid to say that I did indeed suffer from some baby blues.  Let me tell ya, that is NOT a dirty word, and I'm not ashamed to talk about it.  I was a miserable wreck of a human for about two weeks post birth.  Let's break it down, after 20+ hours of labor (and back labor which is awesome! j/k), 2+ hours of pushing and an eventual C-Section, my wrecked body was sent home with a jaundiced, but otherwise adorable, little gal.  (We thought she had an amazing tan skin tone, whoops!)  So, I was not exactly the happiest of people once I arrived home to lack of nurses and lack of sleep.
   Fast forward 1 month.  YAY! We now have reflux and colic to deal with! Anyway, you get the idea.  I don't want to give away too much too soon.
    My goal with this blog is to approach the challenging realities of first-time-motherhood with an honest and, hopefully, humorous approach.  Because if you can't laugh at this stuff then you are in for a long haul.  I want moms who are afraid of the fact that motherhood is way harder than expected to have a place to come and not feel judged. I will share my stories, experiences, and any somewhat useful tips I have thus accumulated along this journey.  I hope for a positive experience with this blog and ask that you bear with my stream of conciousness approach.

Let the adventure begin!