Wednesday, October 15, 2008

So, I skipped September...

I've been busy. Let's head back to September...

The day after Labor Day this year, 12 weeks to the day that I had my daughter, I headed back to work. I was definitely less than thrilled, and oddly though I Exclusively Pump, I walked out the door that morning without my pump in hand. And so, I was late my first day.

The landscape of my team changed quite a bit in the 12 weeks that I was gone. The greater landscape of the account team that I'm a part of changed drastically as well. Finally, there are new changes that are on the horizon. I'm hoping for its for the better.

But the big news...we closed on a new home yesterday. On our road trip, we had the opportunity to be in an enclosed space and just talk. My main problem was with the storage unit that we'd been renting for a year. I wanted to stop paying for it and so the challenge was out there: either we invest in a shed, or we're out of this house in a year or less.

Our new home has two master bedrooms. One on the first floor, which is huge and a second on the second floor which is also huge and very private. Two other bedrooms round out the first floor - one for each of the girls. There is also a shed in the back yard, so our space issues have been solved.

Now our main concerns in the coming weeks are fixing up our current home to get it ready to sell, and moving. In the past few weeks, our current home has had foundation repair, a new air conditioning unit installed, and we're planning on increasing insulation, fixing cracks in the walls and cleaning the carpets. I'm not sure how much we'll be able to create a lot of curb appeal, but we've been watching a lot of HGTV, so hopefully we'll get it right the first time, as it is my goal to have this house sold by the end of the year.

Thankfully we're not carrying a mortgage on our current home, so we have a little bit of time to get it ready. And down the line, ideally, we would refinance in order to get a better mortgage payment once we have a bigger lump sum with which to work with.

As for moving, we have been collecting boxes from grocery and liquor stores since our offer was accepted and all the paperwork was turned into the lender. My husband has been packing a little bit each day, and we have two rooms full of boxes ready to go. Go him! We're planning on making the "big" move at the end of this month.

Baby updates:

Em is now 4 months old. Unbelievable. We are delaying and staggering her shots. At two months, she received her first DTaP and IPV. At three she was supposed to have PCV and HiB. After rescheduling three times due to vaccine backorder, we just skipped it. This past Monday, she received her second DTaP and IPV, and we will try for her first PCV and HiB next month.

As of Monday, she weighed in at 13lb 9oz and was 25 inches long. She is now attempting to sit up on her own, and carries on conversations with us, her mobile, the walls...Tummy time is less unhappy for her. She loves to laugh and "dance". She and Daddy have a great time during the day while Mom's at work.

The best news is that she started sleeping through the night all on her own a week before I went back to work. She goes down at 11 pm and is back up again at 9ish the next day. Perfect!

Next post - how we moved with a baby - OUR way.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Road Trip Tips + Baby Update

Road Trip Tips and Upcoming Flight Plans (with links)

1. Don't bring the stroller unless you're sure you're going to use it. We used it once, and we didn't really even need to use it then. It took up a lot of room that we could have used to...you know, see through the back window.

2. Stop to eat/feed at least an hour before your child's upper limit of going without eating.
Ember can go up to 5 hours during the day without eating, if she's sleeping. She slept once the car hit 50 mph, and would wake up if the car slowed down only if she was hungry. We had a bad bout outside Chicago in traffic that we couldn't do anything about. It was like Speed. So we tried to not go more than 4 hours before we stopped to feed her. We took her out of her seat when we took her to eat so that she could stretch her legs as well. Last but not least, we fed her before we went anywhere, and as soon as we got to our destinations.

3. Don't try to save expressed milk unless you're staying with people the whole time.
I pump. I have an overage of about 10oz a day. It KILLS me to think about dumping the overage ever. But, after a week on the road and stressing about freezers, the cooler and the icepacks, we hit a hotel without a fridge. Even though the description said that it could be requested for the room, we weren't going to be able to get one until the next day and the milk would be bad. So I dumped 50oz on the spot, and dropped the number of pumps a day to reduce the waste, and still dumped about 5-6oz a day. A week after our return, I've almost returned to my normal production.

4. Bring double of what you need for the baby unless you have access to a washing machine, and skip bringing a load of toys. Also, a small baby does not need a pack and play to go anywhere - the Eddie Bauer Travel Bed was just fine. Pack light. Nuff said.

5. As for changing, she isn't too fussy about having a full diaper, so we changed her every time we fed her. Always before, and sometimes after if we were reasonably sure she'd filled her diaper during the stop, and made liberal use of diaper rash cream to curb any rashes if we saw them beginning. I brought along a pack of diapers for the trip going, and my friend in CT had another pack on hand, so we had enough for the journey home. DO pack a changing pad. I'm not comfortable (yet) changing in a parked car, so it was invaluable for changing in places with iffy cleanliness or no changing table at all.

I'm planning on flying back to NY for a week with just myself and Miss Em next spring. I've already purchased (at a STEAL!), the Kelty Kids Kangaroo Child Carrier on Ebay. I'm planning on purchasing the Sunshine Kids Travel Bag to carry her carseat, as I'll be renting a car, but will be traveling with her in my lap on the plane. Add to that the Eagle Creek Pack Folder and the MSR Pack Towel which my very thoughtful husband purchased for me after reading about how much I coveted them on my blog, and all I'll need to pack is a small duffel bag for the two of us. I'm pretty excited. I'll of course let folks know how well that went, along with product reviews.

Baby Updates: Growth, Milestones & Shots

Miss Em is now 9 weeks old today. I can NOT believe it. She now weighs 11 lbs and is almost 2 feet tall. She loves to sit and stand (with assistance) and grins a whole lot. She LOVES her Bumbo. Those things are hit or miss according to the reviews. In this house, its a hit. My parents are both waiting to see when she'll walk, as according to them, I REALLY walked (instead of scooting, etc.) when I was 8 months old. She tries to laugh, and her baby talk is now multi-syllabic.

She had her first shots ever yesterday. I was pretty sad about that, but I know she needs them. We're staggering some, and delaying others, and her pediatrician's office is cool with that. Sure, we'll be paying more for co-pays, but I would much rather pay more money and not pay with her health. She was pretty good about the shots. A few shouts of protest, and it was all over and forgotten. The nurse was surprised at how quickly she quieted. Her only reactions to her shots were a very low fever (it got as high as 99.2) and she's a little sleepier than usual.

As most of you know, I'm normally a platelet donor. Since I found out I was pregnant, and am now exclusively pumping, I have not been able to donate. But, as I mentioned earlier, I have about a 10oz overage of milk a day. Em takes in about 20-22oz a day, and I produce ~32oz and even had a day when I had 40oz. Today, I donated 250oz to Mother's Milk Bank of North Texas. That's over two gallons. I still have about 30oz in the freezer, and 10oz in the fridge. I love being able to help other moms, I really feel good that its not going to waste, and I will continue to donate as long as I can.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

Twelve weeks of maternity leave + new baby = Two Week Road Trip

When else would we have this kind of time?

I suppose the crunchy thing to do would be to teleconference so that relatives could see the baby "live", but as we're not crunchy around these here parts, we are gassing up and taking our brand new crossover from our location in the DFW area to five destinations in the midwest and northeast.

This isn't our first large road trip. We've done a 4-day weekend one with just my husband and I up to St. Louis, MO, with a one-day side trip to a town right across the river from Louisville, KY. Then, my husband, stepdaughter and I "toured" the midwest in about 9 days - that same town near KY, then north to South Bend, west to Wisconsin, then back to Indiana for a show by one of our favorite bands and back home again. My '97 Corolla was our trusty steed for both of those.

Then last year, as we'd promised the kid that we'd take her to Disneyworld (she was 12 at the time), we hit the road this time with my brother in law along for the ride as well. This trip took us a week. And though the ride was 17 hours both ways, we did it both times in a straight shot with just bathroom/drink/meal stops along the way. The 2006 Corolla did us proud, though the kid and my BIL could have stood to have more room in the backseat.

Now, with baby and the kid in tow, we will be hitting a town outside of Nashville, that same town in southern Indiana, a suburb of Chicago and then on to NY and CT. We will be showing off the baby, obviously. This trip will take us 12-13 days, and we will need to meet the kid's mother at the end of it in Kentucky for the family road trip that she planned with the kid's aunt and grandmother.

Our crossover has real room for seven people, but since there will only be four of us, the third row will be folded to accomodate our trip supplies as well as clockworks for the grandfather clock my dad gave me that we'll be picking up in Illinois, and an Exersaucer that my best friend in Connecticut picked up for free for the baby.

We're already exhausted at the prospect of being on the road for that long. But, how do you pack lightly while still preparing for every eventuality with the baby?

Here are some sites that I consulted so that we can fit it all in:

Unclutterer
Travelite FAQ
The Four Hour Workweek's Guide to Traveling the World in 10lbs or Less
Onebag

I covet the Eagle Creek Pack-it Folders, and the the MSR Packtowel, but I have yet to actually purchase any. Perhaps for that European tour I've always wanted to go on. Incidentally, that would include England, Ireland, Scotland, Spain, France, Germany, Italy and Greece. Someday, I will have two months to set aside to do such a thing.

For road tripping with a baby, I found these helpful articles from:

Just Mommies
About.com
the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

For the Smidget, I have already packed clothes, and will be using the large diaper bag for her toiletries, and her toys. A smaller diaper bag will be with me always in the large tote which I purchased from Old Navy that will be doubling as my purse. Hopefully, that is all we'll need for her.

I've got the packing list, and we leave on Tuesday July 22, and will return on Sunday August 3 or Monday August 4. A post-mortem and an update from the Smidget's 6-week and 2-month doctor's appointments will come soon thereafter.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Two Week Checkup

Two week checkup:
Height: 20.5" (Growth: 1")
Weight: 7lbs 6oz (Gain: 1lb 4oz from last checkup; 9oz from birthweight)
Head: 13.75" (Growth: 3/4")

Head and weight are in the 10th percentile for her age, but for her height, she's in the 25th. Doc said she's just skinny, but perfectly normal. She lost her stump last night, and we're attempting to hunt down some neosporin in the house for the redder areas. Doc prescribed some saline drops as she's been a little congested. Got to love going from a sterile environment of the womb to atmospheric pollution.


After some careful thought, and repeated tries to the contrary, I've decided to stop trying to breastfeed "from the tap". We saw a lactation consultant last Thursday, and we fixed the latching issue we were having. However, I suspect the week and a half on bottles with pumped milk has caused Em to be a bit of a lazy nurser - its harder to get food from the tap than it is to get from even the "slow flow" nipples for bottles.

It was taking up to an hour to feed her, due to still working on the latch and sticking with it long enough to get the juices flowing, and trying to calm the already frantic baby who is too young to understand sticking with it, and keeping her hands and arms out of the way so that she CAN stick with it. Once the hour was up and she seemed done, putting her down proved that she was still hungry, but completely uninterested in the tap, to the point of screaming at the top of her little lungs while I desperately tried to pump enough to satisfy her hunger. After that, she was content, but all of the activity kept her so riled up that she wasn't going back to sleep. Once she was finally asleep, there would be an hour or less before she would wake up for her next feeding.

I know I can continue to try, but it is exhausting for her, and draining, both physically and emotionally for me. And because we had a few good sessions (45 minutes, full & satisfied, off to sleep immediately) mixed in with the bad, I kept trying. But, I've reasoned that she has the rest of her life to fight for things...she shouldn't have to fight to eat at this age, even sometimes. So, despite hating having to pump, and deal with the mess of bottles, etc., I've decided that its well worth it for both of us for me to pump, and give her what she needs when she needs it, and have a happier baby, and a less stressed out momma.

I'd rather spend some of my time pumping and cleaning, to be able to feed my baby calmly, know how much she's taking in, and cuddle with her and enjoy her once she's done. Even a few days of obsessing over whether she was eating enough, calming her down when she was freaking out over being hungry, and then attempting to coax her to sleep was too much for both of us. I hated feeling guilty about watching her wake up happy and ready to eat, because I knew that before she went to sleep, that there would be a battle, and my happy baby would be nowhere to be found until she woke up again. I felt like we should be on the cover of "Better Baby Torture Through Breastfeeding Monthly".

We've hit a growth spurt, so she's woken up hungry a couple of times before I expected it, but having a bottle with breastmilk ready to go helped tremendously. It seems contradictory, as breastmilk is the ultimate "ready to go" food. But because of all of our troubles, it just isn't, and its hard to watch my poor girl try desperately to eat and not feel guilty about making the both of us go through so much to get it done, when I know I could have just had a bottle ready. But, I know that in a pinch, we CAN nurse, so I don't have any more anxiety about being caught without a bottle on hand.

My supply is great, and I refuse to feel guilty about pumping, instead of continuing to push the breastfeeding issue. Nothing a lactation consultant can say or do will fix the problems we were having, and all I'd get from one is "just keep trying". I'm grateful for the help that we did get, because it was invaluable and I wish we could have gotten a better start, so that it could be easier on both of us for her to get her meals on tap, but she's still getting the good stuff, and we're both enjoying each other tremendously, and that's all I ever wanted.

So, to sum it up, we're doing well. Baby is healthy and happy. Mom is considerably less stressed after making a hard non-crunchy decision, and is thus healthy and happy. Dad is doing well and is currently asleep as he took the overnight shift last night, and so is also healthy and happy.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

In a vacuum?

Never. Not when on the internet.

So, I got my first comment ever on a blogspot blog, and it was a from an anti-circumcision person. Thank you, specialaffinity for your opinion, and the link to a study about pain and infants, with regards to circumcision.

I still remain unconvinced, and would like to see counterstudies done regarding pain in infants in countries where circumcision is NOT the norm. One study, just like one link, will not convince me of anything. In any case, I'm not currently having a boy, so it is a moot point to me, and it honestly doesn't make a difference to me one way or another whether a boy of mine is circumcised.

For anyone else, this is what I'm talking about. I have already done much of my own research, and I'm satisfied with it. As someone who holds a bachelor's and a master's degree, I am satisfied that I am capable of DOING research. I've read opinions and studies, and done my own first hand investigation on many topics. Yet, people who feel motivated by a cause feel the urge to let me know that I'm wrong, and feel that I must be (re)educated so that I will "see the light".

This doesn't just hold to child-rearing, but that is a rant for another day. Happy Mother's Day!

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

What spurred the creation of this blog...

As I mentioned, I am an active Livejournal user. Within Livejournal, I am a member of 100+ communities, and I read 25+ feeds daily. The particular pregnancy community of which I'm a part is a fairly good resource. The breastfeeding community that I'm a part of but don't watch on a regular basis is a decent one. But, as I mentioned, there are many (LOUD) proponents of attachment parenting online, and in one day I was hit by two.

I made the monumental misstep of mentioning On Becoming Babywise in the pregnancy community and had a few members not only tell me I should burn it, but one actually attempted to get me to "further educate" myself, by giving me...ONE LINK to read through.

I'm sorry, I've done my research, and I'm satisfied with it. I'm not a child, and I don't need an Internetz person to hold my hand and tell me how I should or shouldn't raise my child. Especially if the link you show me shows opinions from people who either have no reading comprehension or are giving recommendations based on what they think the book says.

For the record, I really do think a schedule makes sense, not only for giving stability to the baby, but to be sure that the family can live with having a new member that will already be turning the household upside-down. Babywise does NOT recommend keeping baby on a rigid schedule, based solely on the clock, nor does it recommend baby going hungry. Anyone who thinks it does obviously can't read.

God forbid I mention The Ferber Method. I seriously think I might be strung up. I'm sorry, but I really do believe that unless CIO (cry it out) happens, children CAN'T learn to self-soothe and it will be hell for anyone besides the parents to get the child to bed. Ever.

In the breastfeeding community, someone was actually nice about her preachy-ness, posted some links to some helpful advice without the overt implication that I was stupid, which I totally appreciated...but shared her favorite breastfeeding article, which at the end violated Godwin's Law. How is that even possible??? Yeesh.

I'm sorry, but I've already decided how I'm planning to feed my child. I can't possibly breastfeed when I go back to work. So I will pump. I don't need people telling me that:
1) I'm evil for going back to work because I can't feed on-demand.
2) I'm evil for introducing a bottle so my baby can have expressed breast milk.
3) I'm evil for not wanting to feed on-demand even in the beginning in order to keep a schedule for my husband when I do go back to work. I'm sorry; going from on-demand to a schedule would be more of a detriment to my child and a disruption to her life.
4) I should feed on-demand all night long and have scheduled feedings during the day. If I'm going to be working all day, I'm going to need sleep.
5) I should feed on-demand through at least two years. I know WHO recommends it but honestly? On-demand is already out, and if I'm lucky enough to have a supply and NOT have another child at the time, the kid's going to get it in a sippy cup, and not through 15-20 "snacks" throughout the day like some of the women said their 2-3 year olds were getting.

So, that's what spurred me on. Next post will either be my rejection of other AP (attachment parenting) objectives, pointing out the crazy of them, or pulling out some scientific research for some debunking.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Why I'm not "crunchy"

I am a first time mom, due to give birth in 6 weeks, give or take a few days/weeks.

Of course, like any excited new mom, I've been doing a lot of research, attempting to figure out how to proceed with the raising of a new human being. My mother in law is deceased, and my mom is unlike any other mom on this planet. Perhaps I'll go into that some other time. Suffice to say, I'm still here, and despite how differently she went about things, she did a decent job with me - I just know that as a resource, her advice won't be what I'm looking for. SO, my resources are: my best friend with twin girls who just turned 2 this past March, my husband who has a 13 year old (henceforth to be known as "the kid", as that's what we call her) and the Internet.

All of which have their pros and cons. Best friend? Newer info, but she's dealing with two at once, which is very different from having one at a time. Husband? Much older info (according to him, the mandate was side sleeping when his daughter was born), and its been a while since he's been confronted with an infant. The Internet? What a scary, scary place for a new mom.

One of the new trends (I'm unsure of whether or not its new, or its gaining more popularity than it had in the past, or if the people who subscribe to it are just really LOUD) is Attachment Parenting, as described by many experts such as Dr. William Sears.

According to the Wikipdia article, Attachment Parenting can be described as follows:

Per Dr. Sears' theory of attachment parenting (AP), proponents such as the API attempt to foster a secure bond with their children by promoting eight principles which are identified as goals for parents to strive for. These eight principles are:

Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting
Feed with Love and Respect
Respond with Sensitivity
Use Nurturing Touch
Engage in Nighttime Parenting
Provide Consistent Loving Care
Practice Positive Discipline
Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

These values are interpreted in a variety of ways. Many attachment parents also choose to live a natural family living (NFL) lifestyle, such as natural childbirth, home birth, stay-at-home parenting, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, babywearing, homeschooling, unschooling, the anti-circumcision movement, the anti-vaccination movement, natural health, cooperative movements, and support of organic food.

However, Dr. Sears does not require a parent to strictly follow any set of rules, instead encouraging parents to be creative in responding to their child's needs. Attachment parenting, outside the guise of Dr. Sears, focuses on responses that support secure attachments.


And all of this sounds great. Until you get to the actual practioners of said parenting style, who seem to ignore the last paragraph there.

I will go ahead and state how I feel about each topic above:

Home Births: They say that "This is how women did it from the beginning of time." I say, the mortality rate of women throughout history thanks to birthing does not warrant not taking the precaution of having access to emergency equipment and procedures if necessary.

Breastfeeding: If you can do it, do it. If you think you can't do it, keep trying. If you still can't, at least you tried. I can't see NOT wanting to, with all of the benefits it affords. And with as expensive as sprogs can be, saving money on formula is NOT a terrible thing. I was breastfed longer than the 6mo-1yr recommend, and it is VERY rare that I pick up whatever is going around. This is the Nouveau Crunchy topic I feel MOST strongly about, so while I'm very for it, I don't think its evil to bottle feed if its just not possible to breastfeed. I plan to pump after I return to work, and my goal is 6 months exclusive, and at least 6 months after that supplemental.

Babywearing: I'm very excited to be able to do this. Mostly because there are some areas and situations when a big honking stroller would just be more of a pain in the ass. My husband will not be wearing the baby, either in a sling (like me) or in a baby backpack. I'm ok with this.

Vaccinations: I'm for them, but the aggressive vaccination schedule with all of the new vaccines that have come into play since I was a child makes me wary. Why do brand new immune systems need to learn how to make antibodies for 6 diseases at once? Thankfully, my GP will be my kiddo's GP, and she and her partner at her practice are all about listening to patients. My kiddo will get vaccinated for necessary things. From what I can tell, maybe about 90% of what's there is necessary. More research shows that certain vaccines can have two or three doses depending on the brand that is used, so I plan to ask for the brands that have the fewest number of shots needed. Finally, my kiddo will be caught up with her counterparts by the time she hits school, just on a different schedule. Obviously, if there are certain guidelines that HAVE to be followed, ok. But, there are some where there is a range. Then why bother rushing it?

Anecdote: The kid has been sick at least four times since December. Her pediatrician noticed on a follow-up visit, when she was coming off her last bout with sickness (say maybe 2 days well) that she was due for all of her 12 year vaccines, and she needed them done before 8th grade. So the brilliance shown by both the doctor and agreed to by her mother with no input from her father? 5 vaccines AS she was coming off of sickness. She was out of school for another day (which she COULD NOT AFFORD), and her arm hurt like hell for days, and still hurt a bit even week later. If I were there, I would have thrown a fit, and told them they damned well better wait for summer time to do that in case she has a reaction.

Male Circumcision: I'm not vehemently against it, nor am I vehemently for it. I know there are videos out there that are very graphic that are used to convince people against doing it, but I'm not going to watch them, because I KNOW its a cosmetic thing. And I know it must be painful. But its also a preference. At the very least, if its done as a baby, there's no trauma of remembering the surgery.

Female Ear Piercing: In the Philippines, at least where my mother is from (Metro Manila), girls have their ears pierced at birth and threaded with string until they can get earrings. The doctors at the hospital where I was delivered would not do it. Luckily for my mother, my pediatrician was Indian, and ear piercing for girls is a cultural tradition there as well. My first holes were pierced when I was 3 months old. I never had a problem with them, they never grew funny, I wasn't allergic to anything. When I wanted more piercings at 14, and Mom wouldn't take me to get them done, I did them myself, with earrings and no ice. She was mad, but didn't make me take them out. Both sets healed up fine, and I still have three sets of holes in my ear to this day that I love. My GP and her partner are both Indian, and I don't foresee any problem getting my girl's ears pierced. And she will have pierced ears.

Anecdote: The kid wanted her ears pierced when she was 10 or so. Sparing the details, it took three tries, more time than it would take to pierce twenty 10 year olds, and she still has no holes in her ears. After the second attempt, I swore that if we had a daughter, she would have her ears pierced as a baby, because she wouldn't remember, and it wouldn't be as much of a hassle. It will take an extra 30 seconds to clean earring holes when doing any other cleaning activity with the baby, so its not that big a deal to me. As for the kid? Jeff has put his foot down and will NOT be paying for another attempt, and has said if she wants her ears pierced, she'll pay for it herself after she's 18.

Cloth Diapering: No. Whether its disposable or cloth, there is still an impact to the environment, and it will cost as much either way if I do disposable or if I do a delivery service and I'll still have to clean poo. Frankly, I'm going to be about convenience. Disposable all the way.

Homemade Food: Why the hell not? One, its a money saver, because all someone has to do is take a hand blender and mash up whatever everyone else is eating. Two, you control what's in the food. Three, it probably tastes better than jarred. Four, the baby will be more likely to eat your cooking when they actually move to solids, and be more accustomed to real world food.

Stay-at-home parenting: We're doing this because we figured out that we would have to put a direct deposit from the school where my husband works into a day care were he to continue working. Its purely economic.

Co-Sleeping: Baby will be in our room for space reasons for at least a year or two at the most. Baby will NOT be in our bed, because 1) I don't think its safe 2) My husband doesn't think its safe 3) There really isn't room for a third in our bed 4) We both don't think its healthy, and that it will form attachment for sleeping with mom and dad and it will be too difficult to get the kiddo into their own bed. In cultures where co-sleeping is the norm, chances are, there is little to no room for a baby to sleep anywhere else, and in some instances, safety away from mom and dad is probably a bigger issue.

Homeschooling (unschooling): We will likely be homeschooling. The public schools in our area are not very good, despite the teachers' and principals' best efforts. We don't have money for private school, and there aren't any charters close enough to us to give a whirl. I don't understand the concept of "unschooling" much except that it seems to put the child in charge of what the child will be learning. If you keep reading this blog, you will find out why I think that's a bad idea.

That's it for now. If you've made it this far, congrats. Next post will be my trigger/motivation for starting this blog.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

The Inaugural Post - For Not Crunchy

I have a Livejournal with a mix of public and friends only entries, and a couple of other blogs (one public, one private). I've found that through the internet, there has been a rise in "crunchy" "attachment parenting" styles.

If this works for you, fantastic. But, do not under any circumstance assume that someone who doesn't necessarily subscribe to all tenets of attachment parenting is stupid or unenlightened for not doing it the way you are.

The purpose of this blog is to observe, bring to light, and sometimes even snark women (and sometimes men!) who really think its their purpose in life to tell you what a bad parent you are for doing or NOT doing XYZ.

Next post: My background, and why I feel the need to vent.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Backdating - 4/8/08 - Update-y

So much has happened since the last time I posted.

On Christmas, we let the kid know that she had a little sibling on the way. She was excited.

In January, I made the terrible and hard decision to let my nearly 18 year old kitty go. Kidney failure is a bitch, and for cats, there's no coming back from it. I was also given a promotion that I'd been angling for, for over 6 months.

In February, we found out 1) That we're having a girl and 2) She was bigger than we expected, and my new due date is 6/16. I was also given yet another opportunity at work to transition to a team where I'd have a larger scope, and more chances to actually use the MBA I'm still paying for. I took that opportunity, and am now beginning the transition process.

In March, we purchased baby gear. Crib/changer combo and "travel system". Best friends purchased bedding and a breast pump. I also do NOT have Gestational Diabetes but I am slightly anemic. And very sadly, a friend's wife, who was due at the same time as me had their baby, and the baby did not make it. Words can not describe anything about how I feel about it, and I can't even begin to interpret how they feel.

So now its April, and I have yet to get into nesting mode, but my husband gave me a not so subtle reminder that I had a blog that I should update.