Category Archives: Becoming A Parent

Experiences of becoming a first time parent.

Jun 13 2012

In His house

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A bit of dictionary background before I divulge, bare with me, it will all come together in the end!

Dictionary.com defines religious as the following:

1. of, pertaining to, or concerned with religion: a religious holiday.

2. imbued with or exhibiting religion;  pious; devout; godly: a religious man.

3. scrupulously faithful; conscientious: religious care.

4. pertaining to or connected with a monastic or religious order.

5. appropriate to religion  or to sacred rites or observances.

The site defines spiritual as the following:

1. of, pertaining to, or consisting of spirit;  incorporeal.

2. of or pertaining to the spirit  or soul, as distinguished from the physical nature: a spiritual approach to life.

3. closely akin in interests, attitude, outlook, etc.: the professor’s spiritual heir in linguistics.

4. of or pertaining to spirits  or to spiritualists;  supernatural or spiritualistic.

5. characterized by or suggesting predominance of the spirit;ethereal or delicately refined:

After reading both definitions, I’m not sure which one I fall under. I guess I have always thought of myself as a more spiritual person than religious. I say that because, in terms of my own beliefs, I think I can define spiritual better than religious. I believe there is a higher power that is responsible for life and everything on earth and I believe our souls/spirits move on to another place when our bodies can no longer sustain life. I will admit, I cant understand much of what is written in the bible. I might understand 10% of it. Which is why I dont like talking about this kind of thing. I dont know enough about the bible and I dont know how I feel about the bible and the things that are written in it.  Dont get me wrong, I have tried to sit and read the bible but without someone who really understands what is written helping me interpret it, I retain nothing, I understand nothing. Just like when I was in school. I was never good at studying and my grades where a direct reflection of that. But in school I didn’t really have the drive to retain anything. Hence why it took me almost 8 years to get my Associates degree.  But when it comes to the bible I do want to learn, understand and interpret the writings.

A few weeks ago my husband, son and I started attending Sunday service at The Rock of KC. It has been 10+ years since I have been to church. Back then it was for different reasons; If I didn’t get up and go with the family, I was grounded. I didn’t understand why my parents made my brother and I go to church. It was a burden to us. I know my parents had good intentions in taking us to church. As an adult with my own child, I am starting to see those intentions reflected in my own decisions. Today I have other reasons for going. Since our son was born, my husband and I have talked a lot about religion, the church and what it means to us and what we want our son to believe in and be a part of. It makes me a little sad that our son has not been baptized yet. I want to know that if he is taken from us that his soul will go on to a better place. I believe in my heart that he will, but I feel like I need the church and God to confirm it. OK, so now that I am on the verge of hysterical crying from typing that…let me regain my composure… Since we have been going to church, it feels good to be a part of that kind of community again. It feels good to be a part of something bigger than myself. We have made some amazing friends and with Pastor O’Rielly teaching the word of God, I am starting to understand what my relationship with God is all about, which was the whole point all along.

And when our son is grown and old enough to make his own decisions on the matter, I hope that he has learned from us and sees how this choice has bettered our life, until then he’s going to church with us or hes grounded ;)

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Jun 6 2012

No rest for the weary

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It has been a long time since I have blogged about being a parent and all the wonderful things that go along with it. Watching my son grow and blossom into a little boy is so rewarding. Every little milestone he reaches; rolling over, crawling, feeding himself, using a sippy cup, cruising along furniture and hopefully soon, walking. It all makes me so proud and fills me with joy to know I played a part in his development. I love that little guy to the moon and back!

But, as with all good things, there are the not so good things. Like no sleep…Lately Michael has been waking up insanely early. Like this morning, 4:00am!!I hear him whining so I opened my eyes and realized it was still dark and thought to myself, it must be midnight or something. Nope, it was 4:00am! So I rolled out of bed, changed his diaper and promptly put him back to bed. Only to hear him again 45 minutes later. Finally at 6:15 I gave up and got out of bed for the day. Wish I could figure out his sleep cycle. I think sometimes something wakes him up in between cycles or he has a hard time staying asleep in between cycles.

Needless to say, today we are working on a new nap/bedtime schedule. So far so good.

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Sep 22 2011

Interesting find

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I ran across this article on Yahoo today, 10 Things New Parents Don’t Need. Even though we have most of this stuff…95% of it, I’m sure we could have been just fine without it. Good to know when baby #2 comes around.

1. Designer Nursery-I totally agree. My husband took a bunch of pictures of animals at the zoo, then manipulated them in Photo Shop then had them printed out and we hung those up instead. When our son is older he can even learn what the animals are and be able to recognize them. As for rugs and sheets, we just have a few crib sheets and that’s about it. We have white walls now, but in the new house we will paint his room, what color I don’t know yet.

2. Bedding-The only thing in my sons crib right now are a teething tow and the box with diapers and wipes in it. No blankets and no stuffed animals. We do have breathable bumpers up though because he kept getting his legs wedged in-between the bars.

3. Changing table-Our changing table came with the crib. He has just about outgrown the changing table. Once he does, we will change him on the floor and the changing table will be for storage.

4. Bassinet-We didn’t have a bassinet, we used the Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper. It worked out great, even though he outgrew it fast.

5. Expensive New Born Clothing-HA! Newborn clothing is a waste of money. My son was in the newborn size for maybe a week. I don’t know how they determine the size of a newborn, but they are not all alike or the same size. Its wiser to stick with 0-3 months or 3-6 months.

6. Video Monitor-I don’t agree with this one. I think having a video monitor is better. That way we can see if he is really awake or just making noises in his sleep. Also, what if he spits up in his sleep and you don’t know until the next morning? With the video monitor you will know exactly whats going on with your baby.

7. A High Chair-I agree. We don’t plan on getting one. They are bulky and take up too much room. We are going to get a seat that fits on a regular chair.  Something like this Fisher-Price one.

8. Diaper Warmer-We never got one. Don’t see the point. Yes I’m sure a cold wipy on your parts doesn’t sound appealing but the discomfort doesn’t last long ;)

9. A lot of anything-Multiples of things like diapers in varies sizes, wipes, range of sizes in onsies, and things that you will go through quickly are necessary. A million bottles and a million blankets are helpful but not always needed.

10. Diaper Genie-I love our Munchkin Arm and Hammer Diaper Pail has been a life saver. I love being able to just drop the diaper in and close it up. It keeps the stinky smell form escaping too.

So when it comes down to it, get the things you will need to make becoming a first time parent easier. We all know its a rough ride in the beginning, but it does get easier.

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Jun 9 2011

All wrapped up

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Being snuggled up close to my son is the greatest feeling in the world. I know he enjoys being closed to me too. Feeling my warmth and hearing my voice calms him when he is upset. That’s why I love the Moby Wrap. It lets me hold him close while still being able to do things like laundry and bake. There are so many different ways to use the wrap and its so easy to use. It comes with an instructional book on all the different wraps, there is even one for Daddy!

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Jun 7 2011

Rub-a-dub-dub

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I love bath time. Growing up I loved being in the water, whether it was swimming or taking a bath, I loved it. I was hoping my son would be the same. So far he seems to like taking a bath. As long as you keep him warm he is just fine. We went with the Safety 1st Deluxe Infant-to-Toddler Tub. It works out great. We put it in our tub and fill it up with water then pour water over him. Our sinks are too small for the tub right now. Once we get a house I’m sure we will be able to put the tub in a sink.

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Jun 5 2011

Let’s play!

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There is nothing I love more than seeing my sons face light up and a huge smile spread across his face. He loves to lay on his Fisher-Price Rainforest Melodies and Lights Deluxe Gym. The lights and sounds keep him entertained for a while, his attention span is a little short these days. As he gets older he will appreciate it more. We are still working on tummy time on the mat too. After about 10 minutes, he either has a fit or falls asleep.

We also have the Carters Bumble Bouncer which he seems to like also. As I said before, he was actually sleeping in that when he was a new born because he wouldn’t sleep flat on his back.

And last but not least we have the Fisher-Price Swing and Seat which is like crack to him. He usually falls asleep as soon as we put him in it. He loves to be moving and that swing does the trick.

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Jun 3 2011

I see you…

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Like spying on your neighbors? Well I’ve got the perfect tool for you…no I’m just kidding! We have this great baby monitor that my mom got us. Its made by Levana. You can see perfectly in the day or night. The only flaw  is that you can’t hear anything until your little one gets really loud. The little coos and squeaks dont come over the speaker very well.  The camera part has to stay plugged in to work but the monitor can be charged and carried around. I haven’t checked the range on the monitor just yet, but I hear it gets great range.  The base of the camera is magnetic and can be moved in just about any direction to get the perfect view. It also comes with a mount so you can attach the camera to a crib rail. Over all we love it!

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Jun 1 2011

Eat, Sleep and Poo…

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Eat

I wont be the first to admit I was terrified of breastfeeding. As easy as it may look, its not that easy. You cant just push out a kid and throw em on the boob and expect it to go perfectly. It takes a lot of patience and educating yourself beforehand. I took a few classes and read a book before my son was even born. I am so glad I did because its going very well. When it came to pumping and bottles, I chose the Medela Swing. We tried the Medela bottles for a while, but Michael was spiting up a lot all the time and taking in too much air. A friend of mine uses Dr. Brown’s natural flow bottles. We have permanently switched. They are SO much better than the Medelas. He might spit up a little bit once a day, if that. So I pump into the Medela bottles then pour the milk into the Brown’s bottles. Works out great.

Sleep

Sleep is one of those things that you dont really appreciate until you dont get any. Before our baby was born, my husband and I talked about the sleeping arrangements for our little one. Since I was going to be nursing, I wanted him close to me for easy access. And besides, I couldn’t imagine having my newborn sleeping anywhere farther than arms reach away from me. We had a few options to consider, sleeping in the bed with us…that went out the window immediately, sleeping in a bassinet next to our bed, or sleeping in our bed in a co-sleeper. After reading tons of reviews and talking to friends and family, we decided to go with the Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper. At first it was tough because he wasn’t used to sleeping flat on his back. When he was more upright he slept just fine. There were a few nights we had him sleep in his Carter’s Bumble Bouncer because he was more upright and seemed more comfortable. After a while he got used to sleeping flat on his back and now, we swaddle him up and he almost sleeps through the night. Soon he will out grow the sleeper and we will move him to his crib. Until then, I will turn on the Sleep Sheep to ocean waves and watch my son drift off into a deep sleep.

and Poo…

Ah diapers, my favorite subject…well not really. Dont get me wrong, I dont mind changing diapers, its the leaky diapers I dont like. At our baby shower we must have received 10 different packages of all different types of diapers. At first we liked the Pampers Swaddlers because they have the green line to indicate a wet diaper, but after always having to change his clothes because he kept peeing through the diapers, we switched to Huggies. I like how the Huggies have the elastic band around the waist to keep leaks in. He has yet to leak through one of those. We still prefer the Pampers Sensitive Wipes though. Granted, when you have a boy, the position of his “member” in the diaper will sometimes determine the outcome of the wet diaper. Down is the best position for maximum absorbency in the diaper. I have also learned that if his diaper doesn’t feel wet, chances are it isn’t. So if you dont want to get peed on, wait till the diaper feels wet to take it off. Oh and be sure to cover the little guy when you are changing him, they sometimes poop and it can be forceful enough to shoot all over your shirt and behind you on the carpet…speaking from experience.

 

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May 25 2011

Parent must haves

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So here are a few of the things that I, as a new mom, I cant do without.

When we first talked about having a baby, a pacifier was out of the question. I didn’t want our baby to be addicted to them. But let me tell you, they have been a life saver. MAM Start Orthodontic Silicone Pacifier are the best. They are wide to allow his little nose room and they come in different sizes for when the child gets older.

 

Another must have is the Halo Innovations Sleepsack Swaddle. Although sometimes Michael doesn’t like it, he likes to be free and stretch, there are times when we put him in it and he is out like a light.

And lets not forget about the amazing Boppy Bare Naked Expandable Miracle Middle Pillow. I love using this to nurse. It keeps him close to me and its soft cushion is comfy on my legs. You can also use it to support your little one up, while he is within your arms reach of course.

We have had Michael sleeping in our bed with us in the Summer Infant Rest Assured Sleeper. He does pretty well in there. I dont recommend trying to make this work in anything other than a king size bed. It takes up a bit of room.

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