Tuesday, August 21, 2012

It Ain't Like in the Movies!

I was watching a TV show the other day and the woman was giving birth.  After having two children of my own, I can safely say labor is nothing like what they portray on TV!

On this particular show, the woman was sweaty and her hair was soaking wet--as if she had just gotten out of the shower.  And she had her three closest friends in the room with her (just happened to be two women and a man--her husband was deployed).  They were just standing around her, telling her she was doing great and keep pushing.  She sat up a little, screamed for a second and the doctor pulled out this beautiful (somewhat large) baby that looked slightly damp.

Yeah.  If only.  Let me tell you, yes, labor is hard work.  You will probably sweat.  A lot.  But you most definitely will not look like you just won a wet T-shirt contest.  If your hair is dripping with sweat, it will not look nice.  It will be tangled with knots that will take you days to undo.  And your friends in the room with you?  You'll probably kick them out because the sound of their voices is too annoying.  They think they're encouraging you, but really they're just making you angrier and angrier.  And ask Brad, when I was watching this episode, I kept yelling at the girl, "Drop your chin!  You can't push like that!"  It's a lot more work than they make it seem.  And when that baby comes out, he is all slimey and yucky.  Seriously.  Only a mom would want to hold something like that.

But oh man.  When you do hold that little ball of slime and mucus it's just amazing.  You fall in love instantly.  You suddenly realize that the world is so much bigger than you ever thought before.  And your heart is more full than it has ever been.  It's like the whole world stops because of this little baby that you are holding.  And you don't even remember how bad labor was.

Until you see it portrayed completely wrong on TV.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

World Breastfeeding Week



Last week was world breastfeeding week.  I'm part of a local online attachment parenting group.  Two weeks ago women from the group volunteered to have pictures taken of them breastfeeding in different places in and around Chicago.  The pictures were to be used in promotional material for a breastfeeding seminar.  I volunteered to have my picture taken.

Some people might be wondering why I would do this.  Yes, I'm an advocate of breastfeeding.  I believe that it is the best thing for both baby and mom and that a woman should be able to breastfeed her baby wherever and whenever she wants.  Women should not feel ashamed of breastfeeding.  They should be encouraged in their breastfeeding journey.  New moms, especially, need to be educated about breastfeeding.  If you choose not to breastfeed, that's fine.  It's your choice and we all need to learn to accept whatever method a mom chooses to feed her child.  But as for me, I choose to breastfeed and I love it.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

3 months


I cannot believe my baby boy is 3 months old already!  I seriously can't imagine our lives before him.  It's as if he's always been part of our family.  For the most part, Judah is a very content, chill baby.  But he does have a bit of a temper.  He can go from 0 to 60 in no time flat.  If he wants something, he wants it NOW.  But he's usually fine just chilling.  He loves sitting in his bouncy seat and talking to the animals (seriously, those guys are hilarious!).  He loves his big brother, too, and always smiles when he's around.  This month, Judah has discovered his hands--they are always in his mouth!  I think we might have a thumb-sucker on our hands here, but I'm trying to encourage the pacifier.  Here's what else Judah has been up to this month:

*At his doctor's appointment, Judah weighed 14lbs. 9oz.  And he was 24in. long.  Healthy little boy!

*We went to the DuPage Children's Museum with Grammie

*Judah met some of Daddy's family from Oregon

*Judah went on his first trip to Grand Rapids.  One of Mommy's college roommates from Canada was in town so all us roommates got together with our kids.  It was great getting to see everyone again, and there was lots of kids for Judah (and Micah!) to play with.

*Judah went swimming for the first time at Palos Pool.  I wore him in my water sling the whole time--he did great!

*Judah's first VBS!  Once again, I taught Bible stories for Vacation Bible School.  Judah came with me.  He spent some time in the nursery and some time teaching the kids with me.  He was great the whole time.

*Auntie Heather was Judah's first baby sitter.  She watched him while Mommy and Micah went shopping.  She said he slept almost the entire time, which disappointed his cousins a bit.

*Judah had another baby sitter--Grammie!  She watched him while Mommy and Daddy went on their first date since he was born.  He was very good for Grammie and Mommy and Daddy were glad for some time just the two of them!

*We all went to the beach.  Judah got to chill out a bit.  I wore him in my water sling again and we took a little walk along the shore.  Afterwards, we did a little shopping at the outlet mall.  Then, headed to Oma's house to watch the Olympics.

College Roommates
          

All of our kids

Chilling out while Micah plays with water and ice.

Sleeping at the splash pad.

Playing at the park. :)

Talking to his friends in the bouncy.

Chilling at the beach.

Going for a walk on the beach.