OMGs, an update!

Yesterday I had a friend ask me the status of the blog, because apparently there is still at least one person out there who checks up on (I know, I'm shocked too!) -- I have her excuses like "I've been busy" and "I haven't been able to find the motivation to just sit and write" and I guess both are legit... but still, unnecessary.

I started this blog as a memoir of my pregnancy, and it grew into an account of my daughter's life, so you would think I would want to keep it up to date with all the pertinent information in connection to her development, right?

Man, that's harder than you think....

The busy part is legit - I'm back to working 4 days a week, Tuesday through Friday. Mondays I am home with Sam, and it's not as relaxing and chill as it used to be anymore. At nights, by the time she falls asleep, I'm pretty much ready for bed myself, and then the weekends are jam-packed with the stuff we didn't get done over the week itself, PLUS we're into the summer months, so it seems like there's always something else going on outside or elsewhere.

I know... excuses, excuses, excuses...

I confess, it's not like I'm not logging on to Blogger. I do keep my cheatsheets in unpublished posts about topics I really do want to write about. And believe you me, this list is getting long. I think at this point I have 7 unpublished entries waiting on pics and further details... so it's not like there isn't plenty to talk about either.

A part of it, too, is I think I feel intimidated? I browse over other moms and moms-to-be's blogs and mine just feels so insignificant. There's no rhyme or reason to it, I don't keep up with a theme or a pattern, and hell I'm using a pre-made blogger template... booooooring!

But again... this is be being stupid and just trying to make excuses for my laziness.

So this is my promise to you, my loyal fanbase (I make with my fingers crossed behind my back) -- I will TRY to post more, and make more of an effort to update this blog. In my opinion, TRYING is just as good as DOING, so long as the effort is there, right? Right.

Oh, May... where did you go?

Ok, so it appears as if I didn't post a single time in the month of May. I guess when you have a child that's more mobile than not, it's hard to find time to just sit down and type. I do find myself more distracted these day...focusing is hard.

So what happened in the month of May anyway? I'm trying to remember...

Sami turned 8 months...

I know, Sam.... it's crazy!

Umm.... she's now able to sit up all on her own! She can't crawl yet, but she's definitely getting up on all fours and rocking, putting one hand out in front of her as if to move, and then falling on her face. Which also led to a scab forming on her nose for a good week because she scraped it against whatever floor she was trying to move across, using her head as a 3rd leg, almost like a tripod. It's actually really funny to watch.

And to top it all off, she's starting to pull her self up on things!

So now we HAVE to lower the crib, and the bumper has most definitely come off. This girl is ready to move!

And with Memorial Day come and gone, with temps up in the 90s, we broke out the kiddie pool for the first time!

And there's more... a lot more.... but right now I have a baby girl who's getting bored on the floor in her play corner, so I shall have to continue this later!

now, about me...

In the words of Linkin Park, I'm waiting for the end to come...

... actually, it's already here.

Today is the first day in the last 7 months and 5 days that I have not breastfed Sami. And it's very, very strange.

We knew we were getting to this point... at least I did. After cutting my feedings back to once a day (in the mornings) and no longer pumping at work, I knew that my supply was eventually going to start disappearing, and sure enough, Sami was struggling to be fed Friday morning, so I knew. I was going to keep trying... but I knew.

And then Saturday she was sick, so we didn't give her anything but Pedialyte that morning. And then Sunday we were out of town, so she wasnt going to be getting anything from me anyway... so yeah, this two days, plus me being sick, and buh-bye supply.

Oh well. 7 months was a good run. I should be proud of what I've accomplished, not dwell on what I no longer have. Besides, I was only going to feed her until she was a year, tops, and that's only 4ish months away... :o

Happy Easter!

teething must-haves

As we're going through another bought of teething, I figured now would be as good of a time as any to show off what's worked for us during Sami's hardest times. A Top 5, if you would...

#5 -- refrigerated teethers

I vaguely remember growing up and having these myself when I was younger, so my first instinct was to get some for Sam so she could use them while she was teething. But believe it or not, she wasn't much of a fan. In fact, the only time she would ever use a cold teether was when she was borderline inconsolable, and at that rare moment she wasn't a chilled reverse pressure. Beyond that, she could have cared less.

#4 -- the RaZ-Berry teether

I learned about this teether through my friend when her own daughter was going through teething. I remember seeing it and thinking how clever it was, so it was definitely on my must-have list for a while. Now, I guess it comes in a variety of colors -- a Blueberry, and two clear raz-berries... pink or blue respectively. It's great though because it has the look of a pacifier, with bumps on the "razzberry" to help soothe gums. The oversized "leaves" are always fun to chew, and the handle is ridged for added relief. I love multi-purpose baby items!

#3 -- Baby Oragel

Dear Oragle. You are, in fact, my teething savior. The only reason you are not in the #1 spot is because I can't/don't use you every day. Despite what one of the pediatricians may think (*eyeroll*) Oragel has been a fantastic help with teething. At first we bought the swabs, because we thought it would be easier to apply rather than sticking our fingers into her mouth, but every time we used them, we noticed that almost 1/4 of the tube wasn't being used. So then we bought the regular version, but we realized we weren't using it during the day as much as at night to give Sami relief before bed, so then we switch to the nighttime version -- a little more potent, a little longer lasting, and it's been as close to instant relief as we can give her ever since. Again, we don't use it every night because we don't have to, and it does cause a LOT of drool (as if teething didn't cause enough on its own), so other than it being a medication, that's the only downside I have.

#2 -- Baby Banana Brush

 

Another wonderful suggestion from a friend, I thought this was ingenious. It's a toy. It's a teether. It's a training toothbrush!

 

 #1 -- Sophie the Giraffe

 

We don't go anywhere without Sophie. Despite it being a $25 purchase (though luckily we received ours as a gift), Sophie is worth every penny. Non-toxic so every part of her can go in Sami's mouth, soft, flexible, easy to grip, and it squeaks... I don't think I could ask for better teething relief! A must-have for every parent with a teething baby, and if you know someone who's pregnant, make sure you give them one at their shower!