A new baby is like the beginning of all things-wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities

"A baby will make love stronger,

days shorter, nights longer,


bankroll smaller, home happier, 


clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, 


and the future worth living for."


I love my little man and can't believe how fast he is growing.


Going from the 7 pound little guy in the NICU with tubes and wires to over 12 pounds at just two months old. He loves time in the moby wrap, luckily big brother got over it being his carrier. We are still going strong with our breast feeding.  Stuck it out through strictly pumping for the first few days, and then both of us getting thrush.   it was a rocky start but is very rewarding. Having a supportive family makes a huge difference in breastfeeding.  Even my kids will offer me a glass of water when I am sitting down feeding the baby.

Already a Biter

My son Maxx got his first tooth at one week shy of being 8 months old. I am positive my daughters all had multiple teeth by 8 months. I'm not complaining. I was actually dreading the day his teeth would come, they always want to test their chompers out on human flesh like little zombies. It's usually my poor defenseless Mommy flesh that is on their menu. My husband believes that Maxx was holding back on growing them in because when teeth appeared was when I stopped breastfeeding with the Nadia.

It wasn't the teeth appearing that scared me off breastfeeding. I had stopped breastfeeding Nadia after getting repeatedly being bitten while nursing her. It was so bad on many occasions that I was left bleeding and dreading the next time I would need to bare my tender bits to her. At the time I didn't know any better that she wasn't nursing but instead messing around when she would hurt me with her chompers. I didn't know I had never breast-fed a child that had teeth. With each baby I have breastfed I have been able to nurse longer and longer with each one.

Appearance of the tooth

I was sitting around after dinner watching tv while the little man cruised around the front room in his regular super army crawl. He pulled himself up on our coffee table as he always does to see what he could throw to the ground or check for any papers he could attempt to eat. Instead he started chewing on the edge of the table, so I pull him away and began playing with him. He grabbed my hand and started gnawing on it as usual. I felt something scratching me, so I inspected his mouth thinking he had some contraband. I was in shock to see a tooth since not even minutes before he had no teeth at all.

I started yelling OMG a tooth! My oldest kids come running and ask if I had lost a tooth. (being stuck in the losing tooth mode) Which is understandable considering in the past two months my two oldest daughters have lost around 10 teeth combined. (leaving our 4 yr old jealous of the all tooth fairy earnings) Once they found out it was baby Maxx's first tooth, they instantly started cheering. This little man is gonna wonder why he feels the need to have lots of cheering and applause.

I was going to wait until daddy got home from work to tell him but I can't keep a secret/surprise. Daddy was on speaker phone when I told him about the new tooth. After crowing with pride about his little man becoming such a big boy, he then asks me if this means breastfeeding will soon be coming to an end. Before I could get a response out Maxx was vigorously shaking his head no. When hubby didn't get a response because I was giggling too hard, he repeated his question and Maxx shook his head no all over again when daddy mentioned breastfeeding ending. We have our answer and will continue to breastfeed hopefully to 1-year-old. Little man shows no signs of wanting to give it up. Hubby says it is the boobies addiction that most men have it's just starting early.

Abuse of tooth power

That little tooth was not even 24 hours old and Maxx had try it out on my poor defenseless nipple. This time I knew what to do though. I still said ow because it still freaking hurt. I immediately told him no bite and set him down away from me and ended the breastfeeding session. He startled at me screeching ow but then laughed. As soon as I told him no bite and set him away from the boob you would think it was him that had just been bitten. Maxx was howling down the moon, all while giving me the most pitiful looks. For the sake of my poor nipples I stuck to my guns and again told him no bite and handed him a toy to play with instead. Less than a minute later, he had given up the howling and had turned his pitiful looks to glares of indignation.

Have you had to handle a biter? How did you overcome it?

Tip: When breastfeeding and your child bites you, tell your child "No Bite" and end the nursing session.  Set them down away from you. (near toys to play with since they were not eating but playing when they bit)  Try again in 10 minutes. 

Related Articles

• The Tooth Fairy Drops By (lauramaly.wordpress.com)
• Breastfeeding tips - All Information (umm.edu)

Christmas Already?

The season of craziness begins earlier every year. It was only a few days before Halloween and my local stores were already stocking their shelves for Christmas. On the day of Halloween I ran out to grab some more candy to find the store taking all Halloween items off the shelves before it was even noon. Couldn't they at least wait a few more hours and then trick or treating would be in full swing? Maybe they get some sick joy watching people frantically trying to make last purchases as they whisk all the remaining Halloween stuff into mystery carts full of random items. With them ripping down the displays so early it just added to the already hectic feeling inside the store. Every year they clear those shelves earlier and earlier.

I'm not knocking starting early with you Christmas shopping, but I don't want to see fake Christmas tree's before we even get out of October. I started my christmas shopping months ago. Nothing crazy just one or two presents that I would come across in my usual shopping. I'd have no issue if they had started with stuff like wrapping paper and gifting stuff, but I still don't see any of those useful items. Instead they have christmas tree's and stockings.

Maybe I am more sensitive about this because I have a December birthday and we don't decorate for Christmas til the beginning of December or even the start of the 12 days of Christmas countdown.

Before we know it they will be going directly from school supplies to Christmas displays. Have we even given Santa a chance to check his list once let alone twice before we are having the season shoved down our throats?

When do you decorate for Christmas? How about Christmas shopping, have you not began yet or are you already finished? Are you like me and vow every year to start early and you make a point to get a few presents early but you finish most your shopping in the last month?

Related Articles

• Is It Time To Start Christmas Shopping? (blazingminds.co.uk)
• When Should Christmas Advertising Start? (socyberty.com)

Basket-case

I've been a bad blogger lately, I have been so busy with life that I didn't have the mental capacity at the end of the day to come up with coherent thoughts.  I've been waking up in time to walk my oldest girls to school for their early morning instrument ensemble and then having trouble falling asleep at night.  With being a stay at home mom I still feel like there is never enough hours in a day.  (even with insomnia)  I keep trying to remind myself that Halloween is just the warm-up act for the insanity that is the Holiday season.  I can't lose my grip on my sanity just yet.  There are still a few more months to go before we are safely through the season.

My husband has taken a few days off from work and you would think that having him home would make things easier. I have found it isn't true at all.  It may just be me but I can't seem to get that much of my housework done with him home.  We end up sitting around watching tv or joking around.  Not a bad alternative but my house needs serious cleaning daily with four kids, 2 adults, a parrot and two hamsters living in it.

To help make cleaning easier I use the basket method.  When cleaning my front room I take a small laundry basket and put everything in it that does not belong in that room. Tidying everything up as I clean.  When I get everything picked up in the room I put away all the items from the basket and then continue with another room.  I love using small laundry baskets to clean but laundry is one of my least favorite household chores to do.

I love small laundry baskets.  Everyone in my house has one with their name on them.  When doing laundry I gather the baskets I place the laundry in each basket as I fold.  Then I have my children put their laundry away.  Even my four-year old tornado puts away her laundry.  Sometimes it inspires her to have a full-blown outfit change, but it's one less basket of laundry I have to contend with.

Clicker Training Hamsters

I am a sucker for animals that need a home. Our African Grey parrot Mezmo is a rescue bird. (He came to us just last December) Mezmo had some behavior problems but after serious clicker training he has changed drastically. It took some work with great guidance from a set of Bird Tricks DVD's I purchased. My only regret was not buying the DVD's sooner.

My youngest sister is moving out-of-state soon and I guess her friend thought it would be the perfect chance to pawn some angry hamsters off on someone. (someone she may never see ever again.) After accepting them my sister realized that there was no way she could take the hamsters on the long move.

In turn our family recently acquired 2 dwarf hamsters with cage and supplies, from my little sister. They are two girl Dwarf hamsters, one is white with pink eyes and the other looks just like the picture. Her friend's kids had stopped handling them as often as they should due to other newer pets in the house, which was why their mom got rid of them. The hamsters are not very well socialized and they will bite. They are very aggressive when treats are given. I think they had also been teased. We are going to try to do clicker training with them. Clicker training is a great trust building activity. It has worked very well with our parrot.

I learned what I know about clicker training from the DVD's we purchased from Bird Tricks. After some research on the web I found someone using clicker training for hamsters as well. Rodents being a food reward type animal clicker training the hamsters will be very similar to the bird. I will just use what I learned from the DVD's and adapt the training for small animals and not a bird.

My goal is to get the hamsters to the point that my kid's can hold them without the hamsters attempting to bite them. As a family, we plan to go visit the nearby pet store this weekend and pick out some new accessories for the hamsters' cage. Our oldest two daughters want to name the hamsters as a family this weekend as well.

Related Articles

• Is a Hamster a Good First Pet? (brighthub.com)

Fall is here... finally

It's fall according to the calendar but someone hasn't gotten that memo to the weather.

I miss experiencing the changing of the seasons. There is no change of seasons living in Las Vegas, just hot and dry or colder and windy. It has me looking back fondly on the years we lived in Tennessee. I spent hours raking the leaves to the curb for collection by the city that's turned into mulching. Raking was a mindless and repetitive chore, but I loved every second of it. I loved watching as my scenery changed daily, breathing the crisp fresh air, and watching the squirrels hurriedly store their nuts. With all the enjoyment I got out of raking there still was no leaping with wild abandon into piles of leaves for me, the fear of some random creepy creature hidden beneath the crunchy layers restrained me. That very fear of creepy creatures was born from being chased by a snake while mowing the lawn one summer. It was a harmless snake but I still shudder just looking at pictures of snakes.

This will be yet another year when my kids will have to omit portions of their full Halloween costumes due to the oppressive heat. I remember growing up in Utah and having to plan our costumes around whether we could fit our winter coat under it or not. You were no longer just a fairy princess but a fairy princess with a glandular disorder. I recall longing to wear the costume without the extra multiple layers for warmth. Looks like I got my wish, in my usual over active overachiever style. Which is really better though, being so hot that you can't wear the adorable full body zip up fuzzy costumes or so cold that you need mittens or risk your first fall cold? Just another instance of the grass being greener.

One thing I am very grateful for this year is that there will be a VERY long weekend around Halloween for both my kids and husband. We may have to tolerate the ridiculous heat 9 months out of the year but at least we get October 30th off from school and work all thanks to Nevada Day. This year the kids will get a long 5 day weekend to recover from their Halloween antics. It wont be a break for me because I will be the one sleeping with one eye open to guard the candy stash. If left unguarded they will slowly sneak off with it into their own secret stash that ends up being the cause of their sudden lack of appetite before dinner is even cooked or cause of their complaints about tummy aches. Let's hope our 4-year-old learned a lesson about sneaking too much candy after she experienced chocolate puke episodes. I doubt she did learn anything from it, which is why I get to become the candy warden.

Even with the craziness of Halloween, candy thieves, bake sales, fall festivals, catalog fundraisers. (does my 5th grader really need to sell Tupperware?) Autumn is still my favorite season. With the start of fall comes my favorite scent filling the stores, apples and cinnamon. These scents combined sends me into a baker's frenzy. Just one whiff and I want to bake cinnamon rolls, pies, turnovers, crumbles, baked apples and so much more. I could go on for hours about the baked goods that dance through my head with the slightest hint of these smells.

If you enjoy the cinnamon scent as much as I do you should try this simple way to fill your house with its wonderful aroma. With the cooler weather comes the use of home heating that in turn dries out the air, which can lead to many problems including dry skin, sinus problems, and much more. This simple air-freshener restores the humidity to the air while making your home smell wonderful.

Simmering Potpourri

Just add a tablespoon or more of ground cinnamon in a pan of simmering water and keep adding water as it boils away. Or use a small crock pot with the lid off.

Make sure not to let the mixture run dry.

Some variations include: 1 cup of apple cider or orange juice added to the water, and ground cloves instead of or in addition to the ground cinnamon and even adding a sliced apple.

Baby Books and Milestones

As a crafty mom I would love to have the baby books filled out for my children as the milestones occur. Being a busy mom of 4 kids I know that isn't realistic. I have come up with a way for me to have the best of both worlds, a complete baby book and be on top of my day-to-day drudgery. (yes, dishes and laundry I mean you.)

I hang a large wall calendar, out of reach of little sticky fingers, but in a convenient spot for myself. As my children grow and reach their different milestones I can quickly jot them down on the calendar. Later I can transcribe them to my baby books when it is a more convenient time. (usually after bedtime)

I've saved little silly sayings from my kids and even taped a small envelope from the first haircut to a calendar.

Now that my older children are in school they are constantly bringing home art work or other papers they are proud of. (Make sure they put their name and date on the back of the artwork as soon as you see it. At the least the month or even school year) Ever year I make a folder with their name, grade and teachers name on it. We will fill this folder throughout the year. At the end of the school year we pick out the papers and art that meant the most to us. One piece of art makes its way to a special frame on the wall. (turning a part of the hallway into my own children's art gallery.) The remaining stay in the folder for the day I can transfer them to their own special book of works.

Finger Painting Recipe

One of the most messy but still very fun crafts I've done with my children at any age is finger painting, or even footprints with the baby.

Finger paint

Ingredients

1/2 cup cornstarch
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups cold water
food coloring

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium saucepan. (leaving out the food coloring until later)
2. Cook the mixture over low heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and thick. Once the mixture has thickened remove the pan from the heat and let cool completely.
3. After it's cooled, divide the finger paint into storage containers depending on how many colors you would like.
4. Add a few drops of food coloring to each container. Mix the coloring in very well. Your paint is ready for play!
5. Cover tightly when storing.

Tip

I use old baby food jars to store the paint in. Your children can help mix the food coloring in by shaking the tightly closed jars.  It was very easy to clean up and only left the slightest tint on the baby's foot, but not the hands. (weird, I know) Nothing that a good bath time wont get rid of.

Breastfeeding in public (warning - offensive content) (via B O H O M A M A M O J O)

I recently posted about this subject myself. But the visuals provided here make the point so much clearer. Even though in Las Vegas it is legal for a woman to breast feed uncovered in public even if nip ends up being flashed, I have been harassed before for breast feeding in public while covered. I was horrified because I live in a city where there are billboards of more naked than clothed people, more magazines boxes for girlie ads on more streets than newspaper boxes and panhandlers on the main strip handing out flyers with only edited stars to cover the nipple. I hope that one day my girls wont have the same censure for breast feeding that we face today.

Women who breastfeed are constantly indecently exposing themselves. It really is quite offensive and someone should make it stop. Look at this gal, did the modesty gene skip her? Wait...Well, this is a bad example. Let's try again. Hmm...Just a minute. I'm sure I can find better ones than these... Eh, still not offensive enough. I'll check one more time. That is better. LOOK AT THAT! I see about a half inch of boob. DISGUSTING. UGH. Look at that … Read More

via B O H O M A M A M O J O

Hell Week ~ Motherhood version

This past week has been what could only be described as hell week the Motherhood version.  I feel like I unknowingly pledged to join some secret society and forced to pass some horrendous tasks.

With summer vacation coming to an end and the countdown to school starting my kids have, to put it in simple terms, lost their freaking minds.  They shredded my sanity in the process.

Little Mister is in a full-blown teething fit lately.  The teething tablet were lost. ::cry::  I tore the house apart looking for them since they are a $6 bottle of teething miracle.  The bottle was more than half way full, so I refused to buy another.  I stubbornly believed I would find that bottle.  After a 3 hour screaming jag on his part and a crying fit on mine did I buy a new bottle.  It was only after the last of my sanity slipped away I gave in and bought that new bottle. Why didn't I do this sooner?  I got an even bigger bottle, with almost twice the tablets for only 50 cents more.

My toddler tornado seems to believe that turning 4 means you double up the terrible twos.  She has been on a tantrum frenzy lately.  If she isn't having a meltdown she is having a pout fest.  With her older sister's back she spends a good part of her time doing everything in her power to annoy them.  Taking special things from their shelves. (she climbs on precarious self built structures to get to their precious collections)

She recently got extremely angry (picture a cute but very angry troll jumping up and down) because her older sister was holding little mister and wouldn't pass him to her.  She tried tattling that they weren't sharing brother. (like he is a toy) When that didn't work she screamed at her sister to go away she wanted her brother alone again.  The start of school can't come soon enough for the toddler tornado, then she will go back to crying when they go to class. (gotta love the drama that comes with 3 girls)

The tweens, Are experiencing nothing short of being possessed by some psychosis lately.  It leaves them bickering with each other over the smallest things. "That's my pet shop!" (out of the hundreds they own they fight over one.. worst part is it's one of the doubles.)  When they were toddlers they would tell anyone who listened that they were best friends.  Now, they spend more time as mortal enemies.

The tweens also recently got back from a month with their Nana who doesn't have the same type of household expectations as I do. Don't get me wrong I'm no clean freak or obsessive organizer. (I haven't arranged my movies in alphabetically order since having kids.) I do have some expectations though. I now get to spend my time turning them back into productive members of our household.  I get to re-teach them that their dirty clothes will not crawl their way to the laundry hamper themselves.  We limit TV times for a reason.  They should not sneak around and watch after being told to do a more enriching activity. (like practicing multiplication facts.)  Making your littlest sister cry is not an acceptable way to pass the time.

I ended up having a huge meltdown yesterday. Of course my brother shows up just in time to see it. ::embarrassed:: I was hormonal, tired, stressed and in desperate need of a break.    Four kids on summer break and no break in sight for mom makes for a very cranky mommy.  It's not that I don't ask for a break from the kids.  I do!  But for me to actually get one I have to go on strike or wait until everyone else is asleep to get some me time.  For a while now I have taken my me time in the early morning and using it to workout.  Unfortunately recently the kids have woken earlier and earlier leaving me for no personal time in the mornings to workout without an audience or kids badgering me about breakfast in the middle of my workout. Or even worse getting under foot.. (I hurt my leg due to a kid blanket that the kids left on the floor right behind me during a workout.)

I love my kids! Just because I vent about their meltdowns (ok so them causing my meltdowns) don't think I don't love them. Every parent needs a break.  More so for the ones that are the stay at home parent. My job's shift isn't over in 8 hours, I get no vacation time, no sick time, and no pay. (unless you count payment in hugs, but it's easy to forget those when the hug giver is standing in front of you in the midst of the biggest tantrum you have ever seen)

School will be starting again. Very soon I will be back in the middle homework battles, school projects and parent teacher conferences.  Before I know it I'll be looking forward to the first school break when we wont need to wake early or use a daily calendar for what to wear that day.  (No dresses for P.E. or favorite outfits worn on Art days)

Just don't get me started on what all these schedule changes are going to do to our parrots behavior.  It's like a having a bad toddler that doesn't handle change in their schedule AT ALL. Fun times.

Be the Right Kind of Village

They say it takes a village to raise a child.

What they really mean is it takes a supportive village to raise a child.

There are many choices a mother has to make for their child.  These choices will not only affect the child but the mother's life as well. It is her job as a mother to make those choices for her child and your job as the village is to support her... or shut up and get out-of-the-way.

• Exclusively Breast feed or supplement with Formula
• Formula  or Breast feed
• Cloth diaper or disposable
• Co-sleep or cradle
• Circumcision or intact
• Vaccinate on schedule or Delayed schedule Vaccinations
• To vaccinate at all
• Home-made baby food or Store bought jars
• Attached parenting or CIO

No matter what the parents choose it is their child and their parenting choice.  What does it matter if they name their son Christian or Damien.  As long as they love and nurture that child.

Support a Mom! Motherhood is hard enough without the criticisms of others.

Most of all remember that unsolicited advice is really just criticism with a nicer name.

World Breast Feeding Week Aug 1-7

Imagine yourself after a long day finally sitting down to enjoy your long-awaited meal. When suddenly someone walks up to you irate. They proceed to tell you that watching you eat is offensive and you need to place a blanket over your head to finish your meal.  Ridiculous right?  Many people do this very thing to children being fed by their mothers.

Why in our culture is ok to sell every item imaginable using a woman's body, but the image of a child nursing is horrifying? Breasts are used to sell everything from beer, perfume, hamburgers, and even to increase box office ticket sales.  Yet, as soon as a mother uses her breasts for their natural purpose of nurturing her child there are people practically frothing at the mouth with hatred.

Set aside your judgmental ways and applaud those women for nourishing their child in a way as old as time.  Stop trying to shame them into nursing in filthy restrooms.  Would you want to take your lunch in a public restroom?

In honor of World Breastfeeding week show a breast-feeding mother your support not censure.

A Good Parent

Today I was reading a blog post  Bad Mother Manifesto .  It really rang true to me how much pressure is put on us to be perfect parents.  If you get the chance go explore Her Bad Mother.  It has many great posts about motherhood.

Success by Martin Buxbaum

SUCCESS
You can use most any measure
When you're speaking of success.
You can measure it in fancy home,
Expensive car or dress.
But the measure of your real success
Is the one you cannot spend.
It's the way your kids describe you
When they're talking to a friend.

This is one of my favorite parenting poems. It always makes me smile and reaffirms I have made the right choice to be a stay at home mom and support my kids.

The Unwilling Night Owl

Early to bed and early to rise. That was my motto. Since having kids... It's changed a LOT and not willingly.
I now find myself struggling to fall asleep and once I do get to sleep it's even harder to stay asleep.

I've tried warm milk... ::GAG:: I don't like that stuff when it's cold.. it's so much worse when warm.  Counting sheep til I lost count and am really tempted to poke my eye out with a  spork.  List making to slow or even stop the thoughts that swirl through my head constantly. Mostly to do lists... As a stay at home mom to 4 kids I can always think of something that needs doing.  Warm baths seem to energize me and a shower is much worse.  What am I to do?

I catch myself spending all day yawning, but then I get to take very few naps.  The slightest noise disturbs my sleep or as my husband says, "You startle awake from a mouse fart."  Some days I can sleep in until 10 am. At the same time can it really be considered sleeping in if you aren't asleep but instead are pretending in the hopes you can trick yourself into falling back asleep?

As I type this I realize there are many factors to why I can't sleep.  I'm sure there are more but there are some that are a constant cause in my insomnia battle.

Having a new baby in the house I wake throughout the night and constantly check on him.  Maxx is exclusively breast-fed and seems to go from one growth spurt to the next with very little time between.

If only that were all that kept me from sleep.

My husband has a job that his schedule flip-flops throughout the year. Most the year he is working from 2 P.M. to 10 P.M.  but during the summer and winter school breaks from school he works 4 A.M. to Noon.  Throughout the year I stay up and wait for him because I can't sleep without him next to me.  Then during the flipped schedule I have a tough time falling asleep because he's already comfortably in bed snoring away once I finally get the house settled to bed.

With Maxx teething lately he's been up hourly throughout the night.  His constant need to soothe nurse has me worn out.  To make matters worse he's started refusing his pacifier lately.  So I have become the pacifier unless I prefer a little angry person yelling at me.  If it wasn't for Hyland's Teething tablets I would have run away to join a circus by now.  Some parents say they don't work for their children.  I pity those poor souls.  In our house they are miracle pills. My son just has to see the bottle and he perks up and opens his mouth ready for a dose.  My daughter did this too when she was little and teething viciously.

Maybe one day I will be the early bird catching her worm again.  For now I will be the content mama night owl off to obsessively check her flock "one last time".  Let's all hope I get more sleep soon or I am gonna be one nutty mama.

And for those that argue that Hyland's Teething tablets can't safe if they have Belladonna in it.. Please read this very informative post explaining their safety from a great natural mama site.

Everything Birth ~ The Safety of Hyland's Teething Tablets

My Baby-Wearing Experience and What an Experience it has been

I haven't always been a baby wearer.  In the past I was more of a baby holder. I always said that your baby will only be small enough to be held for so very little before you are going to need to chase them down for your hugs and cuddling.

My problem has always been with the carriers.  Either you are going to be spending WAY too much for something that will get bodily fluids on it or it is reasonably priced and uncomfortable to wear.  On top of that, other carriers I've had in the past were horrible to clean and didn't support the baby very well.  The final straw for me with standard baby carriers was when I pinched my youngest daughter with the closures on my last standard carrier.  After the tears cleared Daddy just said "she must be too big to be worn" and we moved her to a stroller. I sadly gave up baby wearing with her.  Every time she rode in the stroller I mourned the time spent being close to her without having to sacrifice productivity.

When I became pregnant with my son I was determined to find a better carrier. Even against my husband's complaints. "Don't you own enough carriers?"  No.. not enough of the right one.  Stubbornly I searched for my dream carrier. Supportive for my back and child, easy to clean, and it must grow with my baby.

After endless amounts of searching and comparing I finally found a carrier that intrigued me, the Moby Wrap.  I wondered how could one long strip of material secure my baby to me.  Thank you for the clarification goes to all the video's online showing the many ways to wear your baby safely in the Moby wrap and even all the way to toddler years. I convinced my husband to let me order just one more baby carrier and he actually agreed.  I think it was the promise that it was the last item I was ordering in my online baby shopping frenzy.

The carrier arrived even before my son did.  I resisted the urge to try it out, even though my 3 yr old would have still been within the weight limit.  My big belly and aching back wouldn't have been in on the fun.

Once my son was born I was excited to put it to use.  I will be the first to admit it took some getting used to and lots of reference to the booklet that came with it. My husband even helped me get it on myself and the baby inside safely the first few times. I think it was more because he didn't trust a long strip of material to hold the baby well enough, rather than him just being helpful.

My son went from fussing  to asleep in less than a minute. It frightened my husband when our son went silent that fast.  He thought something was wrong.  When he leaned in to check on the baby he shocked to watch baby Maxx snuggle closer and let out a little sigh.

I will be the first to admit that at 4 months old my son is very different from any of my daughters were. Not just the usual gross little boy stuff... stinky farts and already amused by them. He is a much calmer and happier baby than his sisters were. I never even thought it was possible to have a happier baby then his big sister was.   On the rare days when he is being grumpy all I have to do is hold up the Moby wrap and ask if he needs some Moby time. As soon as he sets his sight on the Moby wrap he is all smiles and giggles.  Once inside he's either fast asleep or calmly quietly observing the world around him.  Daddy is even amazed at the difference the Moby wrap has made.

If I could go back in time.. I would own just one carrier.  I found the perfect one for me. It may not be the same for everyone, but it's the one I can't live without. Although I may get a second Moby wrap for wash day...  Just don't tell my husband.

Growing Great Sharers

I can't point to any one thing and say Yup, that's what did it! I just know that I can proudly say I am growing great sharers.

My older two daughters being only 15 months apart have never known anything but sharing. They shared everything.. from clothing to toys.  Even the things I didn't want them to.. like lollipops to colds.

Nadia is 6 years younger than her older sister but even she is great at sharing. When she is given a special treat she will ask for a treat for her sisters as well.  Some days she's not as direct.  Instead she will say,"My sisters sure would like this too." And just look up at you smiling.  When I give her a stick of gum, I tell her, "here is one for you" and she will add, "and two more for my sisters too?"

Maybe, it's because while her big sisters are at school when we go shopping I let her pick out special surprises for her sisters.  It could be their Littlest Pet Shop collection that they all play with and collect together.

I don't know what it is exactly that made this possible, but my heart swells with pride each time it happens.

Hmm, maybe I need to add a just bragging about my kids category.

Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms

I came across this today and had to share it.


Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms

Would you nurse her in the park?
Would you nurse him in the dark?
Would you nurse him with a Boppy?
And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,
I would nurse her in the dark.
I'd nurse with or without a Boppy.
Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with your seat belt on?
Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?
Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,
I will nurse her `till she's full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?
Can you nurse and feed the group?
It makes her healthy strong and smart,
Mommy's milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?
Would you nurse her in the rain?
In front of those who dare complain?
I would nurse him at the game.
I would nurse her in the rain.

As for those who protest lactation,
I have the perfect explanation.
Mommy's milk is tailor made
It's the perfect food, you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,
Avert their eyes or even giggle.
To those who can be cruel and rude,
Remind them breast's the perfect food!

I would never scoff or giggle,
Roll my eyes or even wiggle!
I would not be so crass or crude,
I KNOW that this milk's the perfect food!

We make the amount we need
The perfect temp for every feed.
There's no compare to milk from breast-
The perfect food, above the rest.

Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,
Mommy's milk is such a treat.
Human milk just can't be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,
On the street or in your face.
I will not let my baby cry,
I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.
It's not about what's good for you,
It's best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse her in my home,
I will nurse her when I roam.
Leave me be lads and ma'am.
I will nurse her, Mom I am.

Confession of an accidental Co-Sleeper

Yes, I admit it...  I co-sleep with my son.  Not throughout the night, but from his 4 am feeding to 7 or 8 am when my older girls wake up the household.  I fought co-sleeping when he was still that brand new little ball of cuteness and grossness all at the same time.  Not quite a real person, but a ball of needy loud mess.  (don't get me wrong I love all my babies, but I love them even more once they get more of a personality.. like he is now.)

Not just the fear of SIDS held me back from co-sleeping (although it was a HUGE one).  After listening to horror stories about my brother-in-law trying to sleep with his parents until he was almost 10.  Than the guilt hubby laid on me for buying a beautiful gliding cradle only for it to gather random baby stuff I needed to survive another night.

I held firm about not co-sleeping until baby Maxx was just over a 1 month old.  My  lack of sleep had caught up to me.  I was falling asleep at random times and my brain felt like it had short circuited.  I would find myself starting sentences only to end them in either a snore or some other completely random thought.

One night after another bout of marathon nursing I fell asleep with my son curled up next to me in bed.  I woke in a panic a few hours later. (it was the longest he had slept since being out of the womb) He was perfectly fine snoring away just like daddy.  I knew then that some major changes had to occur before I could sleep comfortably again...

I removed any spare pillows and even stopped sleeping with a blanket.  Maxx never ever sleeps in bed with us if either of us have had any alcohol. (I still haven't had my first drink since getting pregnant.) We always keep the ceiling fan running. (it's been proven to reduce SIDS) Even though hubby hates some of the changes, he goes with the flow knowing they are for my sanity.  These minor changes have made it so that I can comfortably and safely continue to exclusively breastfeed no matter the time he demands my attention.

I will admit that Co-sleeping has gifted me with the best Mother's Day I have ever experienced.  Just last Mother's day, I woke up to the smiling face of my 3 month old son.  He was just laying there watching me expectantly but with such joy.  When he saw  that I was awake his whole little body exploded with excitement.  It was the first time he had really smiled at me, Just for being me.. not doing something silly.  Just being his Mom.