Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Lilypie First Birthday tickers

Monday, March 21, 2011

Walkers and I Don't See Eye to Wheel.

I have never liked walkers for babies.  Every time I see a baby in one, I just want to grab that baby out and let them move on their own. I didn't even know about it being outlawed in Canada (I wish it was here too) or that the AAP was against it (source.)  I have just never liked the idea of a baby using something other than themselves (of course with help from people and furniture and such) to learn how to be mobile. 

I want my son to rely on himself to learn to walk and to learn how to balance the right way.
(They delay those things anyways source).
I don't want my son to cruise around the room and bump into things at high speeds.
(can move 3 feet in 1 second!-source)
They cause many injuries to babies who use them even with the parent watching.
(He is already going to get banged up enough learning to walk. source )

Anyways, I just don't like them and that should be that. 


Of course, my Mother in Law doesn't see my view, instead she has him using a walker without asking me first!!! When I found out today I was so angry! I nicely made it clear I don't like them and she totally shrugged me off! What the stars??? I don't want to be rude, and she is a free babysitter and is getting old (turning 65 next month), but she should respect my wishes when I say I don't like something and I shouldn't even have to explain myself (I didn't go very deep, but told her I wished him to learn all this on own and she just went "blah, yes he does" and didn't even let me try to say much.)

Luckily, Boo Boo is only over there 3 days a week for 4 hours, so if all else, he won't get much walker time, but it still pisses me off about it. Maybe I should just have hubby try to take the wheels off.

All I know is that this isn't quite over yet, and I will get rid of that darn thing before another baby gets hurt! (one baby in the family fell down the stairs in one last year!)

Am I overreacting? Are these sources I pulled just BS? I don't think so.
Nope. 
Another thing about "old school" that frustrates me.



Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Fake A$$ People

Oh my stars, sometimes I hate the internet...
I go on babycenter alot, but since it is by phone, I don't get to comment and post often, but when I heard about this 'baby Ben" who died from cancer, of course I was sad! And I put Boo Boo in blue for a slideshow and now to find out it all was fake. How flipping sick!
If I ever post a pic of Boo Boo or future kids on BBC again, I will watermark them.

Luckily I am not really an active member, but still. It is gross that people get a kick out of these things...


That was one rant for me, I got a couple more coming up...stay tuned!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Month 6: Goals and Accomplishments

Wow, 6 months old already...in another 6 months we will be celebrating his first birthday. CRaZy!!! So much happens so fast that sometimes you don't have enough time to enjoy it!

What has Boo Boo accomplished in Month 5?
  • Eats like a pro now! He LOVES food like no other! He will now open his mouth when he sees the spoon. Just this week he started to grab at the spoon and help guide it to his mouth. haha. (All I did was feed him with a spoon.)  **Goal of mine**
  • Can play peek a boo! He pulls his blankey up over his face, than laughs as he pulls it down and you can "peek a boo!!" He loves playing it! So darn cute! (Just gave him his own blanket to play with and played with him.)  **Not a Goal of mine**
  • He is really starting to get into toys now and grabs them (and phones haha).  (Just kept giving him toys to play with)  **Goal of Mine**
  • Can sit really good, but you still need to be right there as he still topples over. Gets better by the week!!! (Just kept working with him, putting him in front of a mirror as helped a lot!)  **Goal of Mine**
  • When either on back or tummy he can turn (as in turn directions from facing the wall to door, etc) and he is kind of scooting, but not really just yet.  (It's a working progress, but I keep giving him tummy time and letting him have flat back time to kick around and move that way)  **Goal of Mine**
  • Feet to mouth. He can bring his feet all the way up tries to eat them. (Just encouraged him to play with his feet)  **Not Goal of Mine**
What I think Boo Boo can accomplish in month 6:
  • Sit great unsupported. He gets better by the day. Just keep working at it.
  • Scooting/starting to crawl. I really want him to crawl, so he gets as much tummy time as he lets me before he starts screaming.
  • sleep good at night, only waking up a few times. He still wakes up 3-4 times and I think it can get better.
  • Say another word. He hasn't said a new word in a few months, so I think it is time for a new one :)
  • Recognize a few baby sign language words. It is hard, but I will keep at it because I think it will be good for him.
  • play with his toys more. He is finally starting to get into them, so I will just keep letting him play.
Realistic goals for Month 6:
  •  Sit unsupported. Today alone he sat for at least 10 minutes (with me sitting behind him) before he toppled over, so he is getting better by the day!
  • Scooting. I think if he isn't crawling, he can hopefully be scooting! I can't wait!!!
  • Say another word. He loves to talk!
Overall, I have a smaller number of goals this month because learning to be mobile takes a lot of work and so that is basically what we will work on! I want him to learn to be more independent but know I am here for him as well! I hope that as spring comes, we can start taking a few walks in the stroller and have fun!

6 more months until he's a year! AHHH!!!!! :) 

    Thursday, February 24, 2011

    Teething

    Yep, it has begun...

    Bottom of Boo Boo's gum has a bumpity bump bump! He is always got his finger in his mouth or he wants his pacifier. He hasn't really fussed fussed yet, but last night he kept waking up every 2 hours and I had to give him his pacifier to go back to sleep.

    Hope it goes fast for him...

    He doesn't like any of his teethers, he spits them out like it tastes bad or something. I am not sure if I want to spend the money on amber or not.  I guess we will just go with the flow.

    Wish us luck ;)

    Sunday, February 20, 2011

    Mom Hair...Those Dreadful Words...

    I have been doing fun things with my hair since Middle School.  From crazy color bangs (that didn't show up well on my dark brown hair) to bleaching parts and adding fun colors that way, to just having bleach parts, and than red hair for a couple years.

    When I started dating Hubby I went back to my natural hair and have never really looked back. I am really starting to miss out on my fun hair! I know I am a mom and a wife now, but I am still only 22 years old and I want something fun!
    I have always had bangs and after Boo Boo was born I started growing them out! It's working good so far and I can't wait for them to be all grown out.


    Side note: HOLY DUCK hair loss! I feel like I am going bald. I am sick of this postpartum hair loss already! When will it end? Thinking of finding good vitamins and hoping that helps. Hubby keeps saying stuff about my hair like I can help it or something. Like I really want my hair to fall out? I am sick of it as well!


    Anyways, next month or so when my bangs are about grown out, I want to do something more that is not "mom hair". I have been dying to dye my hair (haha) for a long time now, so I think I am going to do it! I see all these girls with the bottom half of their hair dyed a different color and I REALLY want to try that! Don't care what others say, I am going to go for it! I just can't decide what color because I do want to keep my brown on top. So either blonde or red on bottom....hmmmm. I am thinking more blonde and if it doesn't look right I can try red right away.

    Can't wait! I will post a picture up when I do it!
    No mom hair for this one!!
    =D

    Wednesday, February 16, 2011

    Enjoying The Simple Things

    I live in Wisconsin so today was the first day I was able to take Boo Boo for a walk around the block in his stroller. It was still kind of cold, but doable for a walk none the less! Even though he was born late August, by the time I healed from surgery and everything it was too cold for walks.

    Of course he slept the whole time =/

    But it was that simple thing I really enjoyed.  It reminded me of my pregnancy walks talking to him about anything that was on my mind.  Boo Boo knows things that no one else does.  Even though he will never remember, it is still a nice feeling to share with him.

    Than the summer will come and as he turns a year old he will be walking and doing things on his own already.  Time is going by so fast that I am not sure if I am ready for an independent baby! I am as excited as can be about it all, but part of me will really miss this first year. Learning everything together has been an adventure to say the least! And in about a week he will already be 6 months old! 

    The simple things; like walks, talks and coos, singing about the moon. Making him smile with my smile is the best.

    Come Spring time come! I can't wait for more walks and to show Boo Boo the Earth coming to life! It is my favorite part of the year! I don't think I could live anywhere that didn't have spring time.

    Time to go feel the breeze and have fun with my Boo Boo! Looking forward to it :)

    Monday, February 7, 2011

    Ending The Cycle...Circumcision

    With the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade that just approached, it really got me thinking even more so than after Boo Boo was born on whether I did the right thing by circumcising him. I am very pro-choice and about keeping woman's reproductive rights, but it never fully measured that I was being a hypocrite to my own son by voiding him of his! What was wrong with me for doing such a thing? Will I ever be forgiven by my son? Can we finally break all these cycles and let humans of both genders have reproductive rights?


    While I was pregnant with Boo Boo, I had so many decisions to make that at the end of the day I always ended up with huge thinking headaches! Sometimes I couldn't sleep because I couldn't shut off my brain along with being uncomfortable.
    Breastfeeding, bottle feeding, diapers, clothes, cribs, toys, and so on. You name it, I had to think about it for 9 months on whether I was for or against it. To be honest I didn't always let hubby have a say either. So after we found out it was a boy and the doctor asked us about circumcision, I looked right at him for once and let him answer. I simply thought " I don't have a penis, I won't decide." But I should have taken it a step further and not let hubby decide either, that it is my son's choice, and his alone.

    Like I said, so much else was running through my brain. Hubby wanted it done, everyone I know had it done and never heard a complaint, so it really didn't seem like a big deal to me anyways. I kind of pushed it back into my head to re-open after he was born.

    I had a friend try to convince me not to circumcise. I don't know why, but I thought all that was silly. When I should have taken the time to really research it, I just did a quick biased one, thought it would be fine, and went on searching for the best cloth diapers to use. I was so clueless. Also, hubby wanted none of it. I guess, it was his way of saying that there was nothing wrong with his manhood. Yep, men and their manhood...Hubby is true to that one!
    Again, I was pregnant, uncomfortable, and thought it was just what most boys did. I figured I would give the final answer after he was born and left part of me open for not having it done.

    So Boo Boo was born via cesarean and that first 24 hours was a blur! A good 12 of it I was drugged and another 12 recovering from being drugged. I am one who hates being drugged and only would take Ibuprofen after that first round of drugs they gave me, because boy was I out of it! I took that pain over being drugged, but glad to not have that initial pain right afterwards. 
    Anyways, I was recovering from the drugs when they came to take him for the circumcision. I didn't even get to think! So a yes was said and off he went...

    While he was recovering from his circumcision I knew I made a mistake, but I told no one. Not even hubby. It was like one of those things that no one talked about and kept hushed. I wondered how many other mothers felt this way and didn't speak up as well. It was as if it was a situation that if I didn't talk about it, it didn't exist. I didn't want hubby and everyone to think I was overreacting or to tell me to give it up. I knew that what was done was done.  So I just kept it to myself and acted like it was all okay.


    Thankfully it went off without a hitch and his doctor said he had a great one. Never any issues. So I am blessed for that after hearing what can go wrong with many boys.

    Changing his diapers, oh my stars! How could I have done this to him? The bleeding, and you could tell he was in pain! I felt like a horrible mom! Here I was a new mom and I already felt like the world's worst mother for putting him in pain.  I could barely breastfeed him (luckily a nipple shield fixed that) and now I put him in pain for no good reason at all. Hormones running through me, man it was crazy. Not talking about it didn't help as well. I just did my best to think about his being healthy and focused on that. I figured I would talk about it when I was ready.

    Now I am ready.

    Sometimes when I change him or bathe him, seeing it still makes me feel a little guilty. But it gets better. I hope to be brave enough to talk about it soon outside of my blog. But it's hard. It is hard to admit you made a mistake that you really can not fix. It is hard to know that others around you won't feel the same way you do. It is hard when you know you need to stick up for your child, but you don't know where to start. It is hard being a first time mom and knowing that you will continue making these mistakes. How do you know the best choices for your kids? How do you find the right answers, will you ever? Do you just hope that you aren't setting them up for failure? Is that hope enough? Is is even worth feeling guilty over something like this? These are some questions I ponder many a times. Making it even harder to come forward on this subject. At least, this is the case for me.

    I can't change what was done. I can't just focus on the past. All I can do is move on and educate. Thinking my friend was crazy, she wasn't! Now I can join her in on the "craziness" so to say. Sometimes it takes learning those lessons the hard way. No one is perfect, I know I am far from it. I am just lucky to have a happy and healthy growing boy and keep learning along with him.  That is all any parent can do. I just hope that more people can learn about this BEFORE it's done. So that one day it will no longer be.

    I now know any future son(s) of mine will remain intact, I know this without telling hubby. I probably won't really talk too much to him about it unless we have another son. Sometimes I bring up things about future kids and he always says "let's focus on the one we got", so I do my best to follow that, as there is no need to argue about what ifs, etc.

    I will join the fight in getting rid of circumcision for newborns all together. Just like I will always fight for women and the right to their own reproduction. I won't shy away. I won't be embarrassed to say "yes I made that mistake, I won't ever again and I hope you don't either". All we can do is take what we learned and make it better going forward.  Some learn the hard way, others don't.  Some won't open their eyes until its too late, others just won't understand. All we can do is educate and hope for the best.
    My friend had hoped the best for me, and I failed. But that doesn't mean it's a lost cause and to not keep trying. The rates of circumcision get lower and lower, so it is working! Don't give up now, never give up for choices for everyone, both boys and girls. 

    I don't see anything wrong with a boy wanting to be circumcised, and they should have that choice themselves after looking at all the pros and cons to do so. But for a newborn boy, I don't think it should be so, and I hope in the future that it isn't even an option at birth. That we let them decide for themselves when they are old enough to do so. Also, for me, it just seems so wrong to put a newborn baby through that after they just went through the long and tiring birth process.

    I will sit down with my son when he is old enough to understand. I don't want him to think there is anything wrong with his manhood, but I want him to understand that I made the mistake to not let him fully decide for himself, and to hopefully open his eyes to it all. To hope that any grandson(s) of mine will be given that choice if it is still being done to newborns when my son is ready to have kids.
    To end the cycle. 
    That is all I can hope for in my family...

    This was very hard to me to come out and say. Especially this being a heated topic. (Yes, a boys penis is a heated topic, who would figure)?  I would never attack someone who decides to do this to their son, heck I did! But, whether you feel the same way or not, in the end I hope my story at least helps others to FULLY research before hand, and to do so open mindfully.  Don't just push it to the side like I did. And if you do decide to circumcise, of if you decide not to, you know that you did the best you could to find out about it and feel confident in your decision. 

    Need some websites to get started? Here is a few I found (though I found them too late...)

    **This one is my favorite and easiest to read**
     Other good ones with lots of information:



    It took me days to write this out and many emotions came through. As I sit here with my 5 1/2 month old son, I am so thankful to have him in my arms. I still kick myself over and over on this subject. As me being not very old school, I still wonder how I fell through the cracks on this one. And I am somewhat angry at the other mothers of boys surrounding me not speaking up after putting their baby boy through that pain and why they still agree to it after witnessing such a thing. And I am somewhat angry at my husband for wanting his son to go through the same pain he did even though he doesn't remember it. Just angry right now as I type this after all these sad, guilty, and frustrating emotions have been going through me for 5 months. 

    Being a mother is like no other. I had no idea how it would change me, and now I am starting to see those changes. 

    Please forgive me son, although I may never forgive myself, I hope that you will forgive me...

    End the cycle