She has 2 teeth growing in on the bottom, it is so cute...and we have waited long enough for them!
She is eating more table food, mainly soft bread and mashed potatoes/bananas. It is pretty cute watching her pick up the little bits with her 2 tiny fingers :)
She has recently received her first pair of real shoes, hard soles and everything. She does not like wearing them. She cries while trying to maneuver around in them. She much rather carry them around, put them in her mouth, and bang them on tables.
We are transitioning into cooler weather clothes. It would help if the weather was so back-and-forth though. I do look forward to getting her all new, cute clothes...and a coat!
She has a new carseat now, still rear-facing for now. I believe by her birthday we can switch it around...she hates car rides and I am hoping she will like them better once she can see and interact with others in the car.
She has learned how to drink with a straw. It comes from all the sharing (mainly from her Aunt Hannah) of drinks with her. She has her own little cup and straw now and uses it 100x better than a traditional sippy cup. Oh, and she still won't hold her own bottle unless she is laying on the ground. Even then, she rarely lays and finishes it all.
A lot of "ba-ba's" and "ma-ma's" some "da-da's" in there more.
We are teaching her "up" when she wants to get up... outstretched arms included. ;)
I have also been teaching her how to turn on and off the light switch. She now reached out for it as we pass it in her room. Pretty cute. :)
Still loves pacifiers and can put them in and out like a pro.
She has discovered the wonderful game of throwing her toys...well, more like dropping them overboard. Constantly.
Nap habits are changing...and shortening. :( Don't like that...I am hoping it is a phase into a new pattern and that it is not the new pattern itself.
Standing and walking are not too far off I have a feeling, and I will keep you all posted of that development for sure.
Looking forward to all the changes in the next month, then the next update will be at 1 year! Gosh. Goes by in a blink, doesn't it. ;)
Been a little while, but not that much has happened.
I decided to change vets for Phoebe. Long story short, they
wouldn’t allow me to order her meds from 1-800-pet-meds (which is MUCH more convenient
and cheaper) so I said “buh-bye.”
My MiL had a birthday and I think we did a good job of getting
her a present she enjoyed :)
Lorelai turns 10 months old on Friday! But, I will make a
separate entry on that later.
I have made plans to catch up with an old childhood friend
on Wednesday. I am looking forward to that! I also will meet another close
friend next week; I have missed her! Now I just need to see my fellow mommy
friend and her little girl…somehow weeks and weeks have gone by and I haven’t
seen my pals!
Speaking of babies, a family friend was due last Wednesday…and
still no baby yet. I heard a rumor that she is being induced in a couple days?
Let me know if that is true…you know who ;)
I want to take some more pictures of Miss LEL, I have to get
used to her new schedule first…well, actually she has to decide on one first.
Again, I will elaborate more later.
Christopher has been working a lot! I wish we can do something
fun to relieve some stress. He does have some time off at some point, maybe the
3 of us can do something out of the ordinary :)
No more house update for now, maybe before Christmas we can
accomplish a few more on our to-do list. I do love how things are coming
together though.
My back hurts! I woke up a few nights ago with a huge
backache and it’s been bothering me ever since…I am trying to do all those
things you are supposed to do for a bad back, so let’s hope that helps.
I am so happy TV shows are back! I have missed them.
Cooler weather expected by the weekend, maybe boots?
Sweaters? I am crossing my fingers!
Well I am done for now. I will update most likely
Friday/Saturday about my baby girl…and possibly before if I get a spare moment.
Hope you all are having a good Monday!
Attention! It is official, Lorelai has not only 1, but 2teeth! The first bottom tooth broke through last week and the second broke through over the weekend. I cannot wait until they grow in! Little baby teeth are so cute! All you can see right now (logically) is the top of of them and I keep checking them to see how much they have grown in everyday. Lorelai is getting a little fussy over me sticking my fingers in her mouth, haha.
I did go buy both infant motrin and teething tablets...I got to be honest, neither one proved to be too helpful in soothing her, but it's good to have. So, at 9 1/2 months she finally has little teeth, the streak is broken! :P
Now I am waiting for her hair to grow more...I want pigtails for her 1st birthday! *winkwink* That would be too sweet :)
I have to keep in mind that her birthday and Christmas are less than a month apart, so I have to figure what should be done for her birthday and what else should be done for Christmas. I also want somethings that can grow with her over the next year (at least). Especially because there isn't really an occasion in between where I can update her toys with her changing development.
Moms with kids that are 1 or older, what did you do for your kids? What was their favorite toy? I know kiddos are all different but I am just looking for ideas right now...thanks!
Recently I got around to watching a film I had been
interested in viewing for quite some time now: The Business of Being Born. It
is a documentary about how we deliver babies in America. Now, I didn’t
know exactly what I was getting into when I pressed play…honestly I just love
babies and love learning about pregnancy/labor/newborns/etc. I learned that the
film was made by Ricki Lake and it showcases her feelings and experiences with
her 2 childbirths. 1 in the hospital with a OB and 1 at home with a midwife.
About 15mins in, I started to feel myself tense up. I felt
like this movie wasn’t comparing and contrasting the different methods of
giving birth, instead it was proclaiming the “right” way and the “wrong” way.
RIGHTWRONG
-Having babies at home -Having
babies in a hospital
-All natural, no epidural/pitocin -Inducing labor
& having an epidural
-Squatting, standing, all fours, ANYTHING -Laying flat on
your back
But laying flat on
your back
-Having a midwife and a doula -Having a OBGYN
Now looking at this list, which column do you relate to
more? I fall exactly into the “wrong” column…which, as you can imagine, makes
me a little defensive and confrontational. I think what makes it worse is the
undertone of “if you were educated more on childbirth, you would do things our way.”
*Ahem* Well, Ricki…I don’t agree with you.
You all claim throughout the movie that it is a personal
choice, a memorable time, and a time where mom is in charge…yet you CONSTANTLY contradict
yourselves during the film! You say that America is the only country where it
is “normal” to have babies in hospitals (remember, that falls in the “wrong”
column). You say that most all other countries use midwives instead. Germany,
France, England, Russia, Italy, etc. You also say that America has the highest
newborn death-rate (of an established country) in the world. I can’t believe
that. You say that women should NOT have an OBGYN deliver babies because they
don’t really know what they are doing…”they’re doctors, trained surgeons and
all they will do is pump you full of drugs and then push you to have a
c-section.” (grumble)
I don’t know about every woman’s experience, but out of all
the women I have talked to, no one was pushed to do ANYTHING they didn’t want;
and my Dr. knows how deliver babies, thank you. She has been delivering babies
for decades! She even predicted what my body would do and how much my baby
would weigh…down to the ounce. She was exactly correct on everything. Oh…did I
mention when the movie was “proclaiming these facts” they were using all male
doctors? Interesting…I still think even male doctors can deliver a baby just as
well, just saying, there were very few women being interviewed. (Unless they
had bad hospital experiences, of course.)
They then attacked the medication aspect. Traveling back 50
years, the started using old techniques as part of their case. They talked
about, what I will admit, sounds like a terrible method of “twilight sleep”
using a detrimental drug…made and produced in Germany. -Wait. I thought Germany
was one of the countries we were using to promote midwives. We are forgiving
ignoring the fact that they created this awful technique and yet condemning
America for using it? Seems odd.
They then slammed the use of Pitocin, saying it “squeezed
the baby too much.” Um…hello? The baby is about to be squeezed and pushed out
of human being…it’s going to happen no matter what. Then the epidural. Yep, you
guessed it, it’s evil. It effects the mom’s ability to anything at
all…apparently. And laying on your back? That is the most “unnatural position”
to give birth…and the doctors will not let you move….? That’s when the Dr.’s
evil plan has really kicked into gear. Now you can’t push, can’t move, they
have trapped the baby in you, and you are “forced” to follow the Dr.’s orders.
They call up the OR and “make” you have a c-section…and since you are so
“out-of-it” from the epidural, you consent.
*Sigh* There are so many things I have issues with. I hope
you all read the previous paragraph with a heavy dose of sarcasm.
I was in a hospital. I had Pitocin. I had an epidural. I was
laying on my back. Guess what? I wanted to be induced because my baby was 8lbs
8oz, with a head over 14in in circumference over a week early! If I had waited for
her to come on her own, she would have most likely been over 9lbs with an even
bigger head! That’s not a small issue…at all. I had an epidural. It hurt! I
know Pitocin makes the pain more intense, but I planned to have pain relief
early on before we even talked about induction. I broke my foot a few years
ago, I took medication for that. No one wants to hurt. You can’t make me feel
bad for not wanting to be in excruciating pain. I was laying on back…that’s
unnatural? That seems to be the most natural position to me. Not once did I think "I want to get up and bounce around." Even if I wanted
to, they would have let me. There was room for the baby to come out
either way. Just barely (jk).
My Dr. never once mentioned c-section, neither did the
nurses. I know not all doctors, nurses, and hospitals are the same. I am sure
there are scenarios very close to their claims, but to say that ALL hospital
births are the same is a flat out lie. To say ALL home births are better is an
even BIGGER lie. (I have heard horror stories :\) They admit that high-risk moms should not have home births…doesn’t
that seem hypocritical? With that statement they just admitted it’s good to be
in a hospital! -Wait. Isn’t that where they have more complications and deaths?
Didn’t you give us that “fact” earlier? Plus, how are you going to know if you
are high-risk? You’d have to go to the “dreaded” OBGYN for that. *gasp!*
I was glad I was in the hospital. (if you are squeamish,
sorry, skip ahead) I had trouble clotting after birth and needed medication
before I lost too much blood. Even then, my blood pressure was dangerously low
for a day or so after until my body could produce more blood. I was faint every
time I got up from bed…they had to monitor me before letting me go home.
Lorelai needed some oxygen to help her little body get into an effective rhythm
of breathing. She was observed until this was achieved (which was long, thank God). She didn’t need to go
to the NICU or anything, but if she did…it was there for her. I also needed an
antibiotic in my IV before birth because I am a carrier for strep B and, if
contracted to my baby during birth, she could have developed SERIOUS
complications. I learned this by going to my OB and getting tested for it...otherwise I would have never known I carried this potentially fatal bacteria (to baby only).
After all said and done…Ricki Lake herself ended up having
her home-birth baby laying on her back after her midwife forcefully told her she wasn't going to take her to the hospital. Contradict yourself much Ricki? I think this whole film got confused on their own message.
I didn't mean to rant too much, I just felt like the documentary was
telling me I was stupid and wrong for choosing the things I chose. If you say
it is a personal decision, then back off. If you want a midwife, go for it.
If you want an OB, go right ahead. If you want any combination of
the two, more power to you. It is a personal decision; do not push your own
feelings on others. To all my pregnant friends and relatives out there: do your
research and choose the best path for you! There is no “wrong” way…just the one
that is right for you!
M.LEWIS
P.S.- Sorry for all the quotations, italics, and parentheses. ;)
Well, I am sure you all are aware of what tomorrow is: the 10 year anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon and the plane crash in the fields of Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001. It seems so long ago, and yet so fresh in my mind. I watch the news stories and coverage on the events and people from 10 years ago. The hardest stories for me are the ones where a child has lost their parent...the hardest of those are the babies born just mere days/weeks after 9/11.
The popular question this anniversary is such: Where were you on September 11, 2001?
I was 14. I was sleeping soundly in my bed when I remember my mom burst through my door, "Megan wake up, a plane hit the World Trade Center. This is a big deal." She opened my blinds to let my room flood with light and then exited. I remember laying there with my eyes still closed thinking in my half-awake state "What? Trade Center? Like stocks? Does she mean wallstreet?" As bizarre as that sounds, remember, I was only 14 and was not familiar with the buildings in NY.
From the time it took me to get up and get downstairs the other plane had already hit the other tower. I never saw a live view of the planes hitting the towers. I saw the "recap" of each building swallowing the airliners hundreds of times though. I remember trying to piece together the sketchy information they were receiving minute by minute. Reports of an explosion at the Pentagon, smoke seen billowing from a wooded area in Pennsylvania...one thing I recall quite clearly was "My God, what next?"
I saw the buildings fall one by one on the screen. I heard the screams and saw the horror on the people's faces. Right before the towers collapse, I saw the people jump. I didn't fully understand why it happened and what it meant, not only for the present time, but for the months and years to follow.
Al Qaeda took gladly took full responsibility. Osama Bin Laden was then hunted for almost 10 years and was recently killed. While most American rejoiced in his death, I believe in a statement I read from a friend of mine a few weeks ago...when we want justice we really want judgement. I hope Bin Laden received the most serious of judgments.
We have made progress. We have healed some, but I don't think we will forget, we will just adapt. We will accept the fact that we live in a world where anything and anyone could be used to kill us. They have baseless motives and an unsettling honor in dying while taking the lives of others.
Above is a bracelet I made 10 years ago following the few days after September 11. (I believe it is the second one I made for the first broke.) I wore everyday until the first anniversary. I wanted some small way to show my support and patriotism. I tucked it away in my jewelry box until this past week. I am wearing it again and will plan to do so every anniversary to remember the lives lost and the changed country.
I do have a notebook full of newspaper clips, emails, pictures, poems and other memorabilia I am still trying to locate. I can recall some of my collection and will share some of it with you now. I will also post some new things I came across that touched my heart. God Bless America.
Lady Liberty
I wonder what she thought As she stood there, strong and tall. She couldn't turn away,
She was forced to watch it all.
Did she long to offer comfort As her country bled? With her arm forever frozen
High above her head.
She could not shield her eyes She could not hide her face She just stared across the water
Keeping Freedom's place.
The smell of smoke and terror Somehow reduced her size So small within the harbor
Has America gone crazy? Maybe I am just older? Or maybe I am
a parent now…either way, I am pretty fed up. I really despise politics. You
can’t imagine how much I dread the next year
of this bickering. Everyone sounds like bratty 3 year olds, pointing fingers,
calling names, placing blame, and they all claim to do it for “the good of the
people.”
Politics aside (sort of), my main gripe for this blog comes
from a jewel of modern-day television: Dancing with the Stars. First
off, I hate the show. I saw a commercial for it years ago and I thought “That
will never last.” Sadly, I was wrong. (One of the few times;) )
Apparently it is an American favorite. Apparently it is a
family show? I don’t know what kid would be interested in it for more than 30
seconds…I can’t even stand it for much longer than that. Regardless, a new
season is starting up and they announced the new cast; a pretty controversial
one at that. People usually gossip and talk about the group of people they
announce but this year it’s different. A particular group of people have taken
aim on one individual: Chaz Bono.
In case you live under a rock, Chaz Bono was born Chasity
Bono (daughter of Sonny and Cher) and went through transgender surgery to
become a man recently. While Chaz does not have all the male parts, nor will he
ever have the male chromosomes; but if you were to pass him on the street you
would not think twice. He looks like a man, sounds like a man, dresses like a
man…you wouldn’t think anything about him….or so you’d think. Certain “mom”
groups have come out boycotting Chaz and DWTS for casting him. They claim he
should not compete on this “family show” for he is sending out the “wrong”
message to their children.
…What message is that? That he is a human being who is
allowed to dance?
Sheesh. Sure, you ignore the fact that over the past years
the women on the show wear barely-there outfits made out of see-through fabrics
and strategically placed sequins. You don’t care that the men have gone
shirtless, pantless, or somewhere in between. The contestants have shimmied
parts of their bodies you would assume would be against family values; they
have used songs with questionable lyrics…but no one peeped. Now suddenly we are
all concerned about our kids and what they are exposed to?
What is so damaging about Chaz? Why can’t you explain to
your kids who he is and what is story means? Any kid old enough to ask
questions about the term “transgender” should be given the truth, right? Whether
or not you condone it, it exists, and your kids should hear the facts from
their parents. We live is a world where it is becoming more and more likely
they will meet someone like Chaz, or Carson Kressley. Who? Oh yeah, there is a gay
man on the show this year too. Haven’t heard anything about that, huh? He was
on “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.” Yeah, he is out and proud…you would be
able to tell that from talking to him for 30secs. Why hasn’t he gotten any crap
from anyone? I’m sure he’s next.
I can’t speak for every mother but I plan to be honest and
straight-forward with my kids. I plan to answer my kids’ questions as honestly
as I can (considering whatever age they are). I don’t want my kids to hear
rumors and false information from other kids or sources. It is my job to fill
them with life’s facts. Why are we trying to hide things from them? Why are we
suggesting people like Chaz should be pushed into the shadows and barely
whispered about? They are people too. They deserve the same opportunities, the
same respect, and the same freedoms as everyone else. That goes for everyone in
the LGBT communities.
I know a lot of people who are uncomfortable about the “gay
lifestyle” and all the other people who are not “mainstream” and this saddens me.
I have known quite a few people who are gay and they are wonderful people. They
are kind, giving, compassionate, and courageous. They would do anything for
anyone…and let’s face it; they wouldn’t be given the same. I feel I need to
bite my tongue about my views some times to keep the peace, but now I have
Lorelai…and I feel the responsibility to show her to stand up for what you
think and what you feel. I feel that all people deserve the same inalienable
rights. I feel that no one can say what another person should receive based on
religious or personal beliefs. I feel that you should have your own opinion,
but should not shove it down people’s throats…especially when your views are
closed-minded and hurtful. What happened to liberty
and justice for all?
Before anyone thinks I am on some “liberal rant,” let me say
I am not a democrat; Nor am I a republican My views do not fit nicely into one
column. I am a registered independent…and couldn’t be anything else. I just think it is crazy that people are trying to twist their views into the mold of such a show. This is not a beacon of family morality, it never was. Keep that in mind when the women come out in their "outfits" and dance their routine of shakes and shimmies...try to think "family values?"
Dance away Chaz, I am one mom who supports your right to
dance just like everyone else. Who would have thought one silly tv show would
cause so much controversy? Come on people, RELAX! It’s Dancing with the Stars!
*sigh*
In usual baby-fashion, Lorelai liked playing with the box from her new carseat. She was too cute not to snap a few pictures. If only she would stop moving so much :P
Yes, that's a Cheerio...she wanted to have snack in there
A little washed out, but I love her confused little face ♥
