Six Months

Let's take a pause and sob because my baby girl is six months old.

SIX MONTHS OLD.

That's half a year y'all. HALF A YEAR. I want to both laugh and cry at the same time. I honestly cannot believe that my baby is a half of a year old. It feels UNREAL.

This time last year, I was somewhere around 13 weeks pregnant. I had just seen my baby girl for the second time, and captured this cute video of her. Looking back... wow, I can't believe she is now 6 months old!!! I know I've said that already. But dang. Six months.

So, what are you up to baby girl?
- You're still in size 2 diapers
- You still fit into MOST 3-6 months clothes, but can comfortably wear 6-9
- We now know you are allergic to Kirklands, Pampers and Luvs diapers. I REALLY need to cloth diaper you.
- You had your first cold, and were PISSED OFF ROYALLY whenever Momma or Mamaw came near you with saline drops.
- You still wake up randomly at 4 am in the morning ready to play.
- You still eat ANYTHING we get close to your mouth. Except peas. Still not a pea fan. You can self-feed yourself some stuff, and you heart the cereal puffs like nothing else.
- Your favorite food is still banana's.
- You eat MUCH better for Mamaw than for MMomma.
- You ADORE water bottles. You want to play with them, and drink out of them, and then get it all over yourself.
- You love being worn. Which makes me happy.
- You're still a Momma's girl, although in the last month you HAVE let Mamaw put you to sleep for naps!
- You consistently roll over now! And are SO FREAKING CLOSE to sitting up unassisted. You can for around 30-45 seconds tops before you start to topple.
- You're starting to fall asleep in your carseat occasionally!
- Still no teeth!

I love you baby girl. As you continue to grow and mature, and break your Momma's heart... I'm so proud of you, and how much you're growing. I love sharing meals with you, I love hearing your squeals and your hearty laugh. I when you turn and open and close your hands to me. I love when you try to push my shirt up yourself because you cannot wait ANOTHER SECOND to nurse. I love when you cry and scream when someone's holding you, then turn and grin at them REALLY big once Mommy gets you. I just love you. More than I can express.

Love, Mommy

Let's recap

with a bullet post.

- I am a zombie right now. If spelling/grammar is bad, you have been warned.
- We took Keevie to her first opera on Saturday! Yes, I know I'm bat-**** crazy for taking a 5 1/2 month old to an opera, but she did really well! My sister was singing as 1st Lady in Mozart's "The Magic Flute", so we had to go! Keev only screamed once (and let me tell you, it was a GOOD scream), so we ran downstairs and met a very drunk, very gay, very tall man who made faces at the baby (and got her to stop crying!) and was VERY loud.
- Keevie is officially over puree's. She still eats them, but would much rather we just give her little bites of food. She's getting WAY to big WAY to quickly.
- She has a cold. No real fever, just a very stuffy nose, and a cough. She's not sleeping, like, at all at night...so neither am I.
- I'm a HORRIBLE mother. I set her in her bouncy, at 3 am when she's wide awake, and turn on a kids show, and TRY to go back to sleep.
- She rolled over again yesterday! Then wouldn't do it anymore.
- We closed on our house on Monday!!!!!! I seriously could NOT be more excited about this one! Unfortunately, it rained last night, so I don't know if they'll start dozer work today or not.
- Carl and I now have 5 more mouths to feed! Our cat (that Carl brought home) had five baby kittens on Sunday. We're planning on keeping 1 in our new house.
- I have a lot of stuff I want to post, just no brain power/time to post it.

Wordless Wednesday

Catch up on Keevia!

Well. Keevia seems to be growing soooo quickly (I know, every Momma says that), that I want to write down some of her achievements before I forget them.

As of yesterday, April 12th, Keevs could successfully roll from belly to back (and did so three times)!! I recorded her on her mat, on her belly, for 14 minutes. She did nothing. I then turned off the camcorder, got up, went and did laundry. I came back, she was on her back....grrr. So, I laid her on her belly again (camcorder on charge) and away she rolled! She wouldn't, however, show Daddy, Papaw, or Mamaw later that day. She did, however, roll over when I laid her on Mamaw's bed while I got clothes!

She also is no longer allowed to be on Mommy's bed unless Mommy is there, because she can turn herself 180 degrees and it scares me! She rolls belly to back, turns around in circles, she'll be crawling in NO time. *sniff*


She eats like a CHAMP. Seriously, anything Mommy eats she better be able to eat. Here's a list of all the things she has eaten (that I can remember):

Peas (DISLIKE. Only food she's turned down, haha, that's my girl!)
Green Beans
Carrots
Banana's (ZOMG she loves them)
Sweet Potatoes (another high on her list)
Mashed Potatoes
Shredded cheese (We were out to eat and she was BEGGING for my salad)
Pears (possible allergy)
Apples
Yeast Rolls
Subway Bread
Tirimisu (don't ask)
Ice cream
Butternut Squash
Oatmeal (Ok. She can eat "big people" oatmeal, but baby oatmeal makes her spit up)
Rice Cereal (Can't eat it. She screams.)
Peppermint Candy
Rice MumMum's
Banana and PeachMango Cereal Melt thingies
Apple juice with Water
Popcorn

I THINK that's all. She puts it away! And she's sooo cute when she wants something. She grabs my water bottles in both hands and takes them straight to her mouth. My house is going to have to be SPOTLESS once she can crawl, as everything goes straight to her mouth.

I think that's all for now. She's sleeping MUCH better (Thank you, oh mighty chiropractor) and I need to take advantage of that fact. I leave you with pictures!

A tooth?

The pedi says its a ridge in her gumline.... but it looks toothish to me! It's up so high though... I dunno!

Activist Lactivist

I'm an activist. I am extremely passionate about a lot of thinks. Jesus, Breastfeeding, baby wearing, natural child birth, Abortion, Adoption, Home-schooling... I could go on. But, this week a study came out that backed one of my passions.

I'm definitely not the first to write about it. Right now, in most circles, it's a huge controversy. I'm okay with being controversial. Here's the gist of the article.

Breastfeeding saves lives.

Period. Exclamation point. In fact, the article that was published in the journal "Pediatrics", and then later reported by CNN on Tuesday, stated that an estimated 911 babies die each year because they were not breastfed.

"Well." You might say to yourself, "That's all fine and well, but what can you expect from third world countries? People die there from diseases and starvation all the time!"

I'm not talking about a third world country. I'm talking about America. Where we have all the medical advancements and technologies, we still lose 911 babies a year. Because of one thing, their mothers don't breastfeed. These babies are dying from SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), pneumonia, and necrotizing enterocolitis (a condition that causes the intestines to die).

If you want to talk numbers, we can do that too. $13 billion. Is that a big enough number? According to Pediatrics, that's the amount of money that could be saved every year if mothers breastfed for the minimum amount of time (which they suggest as being 6 months). The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends breastfeeding for one year. The World Health Organization recommends two. I plan on breastfeeding for two years.

We have a rise of "I tried to breastfeed, but I didn't make milk" in this country. A lot of this, I believe, is because starting at the hospital, formula is shoved down new mom's throats. In our hospital room was a free Similac sponsored bag for new breastfeeding moms. It included a few bottles and a insulated bag to keep the bottles cool. Because it's such a crime to breastfeed in public that you have to pump and take bottles with you everywhere you go. Oh, and formula samples and coupons. Just in case you want to supplement in the first few weeks and possibly wreck your supply.

The biggest cause, in my humble opinion, that women don't succeed at breastfeeding? I think there are two. Lack of support and fear. It becomes an endless cycle. The mom doesn't have the support they need to feel confident in their bodies and confident in their bodies ability, and they become afraid that they are starving the child, then they don't have the support to reassure them that they're doing fine, and the cycle just continues and continues.

Did you know a baby only needs to receive a teaspoon of colostrum per feeding for the first few days? You heard me right, a TEASPOON. God knew what he was doing when he created the mother/baby relationship.

And I'm not saying this should be on the mothers shoulders. I think the medical community as a whole has sabotaged breastfeeding for a LOT of moms. I'm sure there are lots of moms who would have liked to have breastfeeding, but were told they shouldn't, or couldn't.

I'm also not trying to make you feel guilty if you did exclusively formula feed your child. I'm just trying to make it a more socially acceptable behavior to do what's best for your baby. To feed them how God made you to feed them.

Finally, want to be totally selfish for a minute? Do you know the benefits for Mom that breastfeeding provides? Not many do. In 2007 the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) released a study that said that Mom's who breastfed had lower rates of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.
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So, be sure to research your options. Even working mothers can successfully pump enough milk to feed their babies. Seek out that support! Contact lacation consultants, the La Leche League, or just ask your friends. My Mom was my biggest support when I started because she had breastfed me. You CAN do this!

If you're not type A...

You may not understand this post.

I'm so anal. We got asked to take a friend of ours to Lexington today for a doctors appointment. No problem! We had some house paperwork we were going to do... but thats easily pushed back. So, I started planning last night.

I pick out my outfit, Keevia's outfit, Keevia's spare outfit, what food I'm going to pack for her, what bibs, what blanket, etc. I remind myself that I need to get Sophie from the shop, as well as her other sleepy paci. I plan on going to Hancocks fabric to help feed my new obsession (more on this tomorrow), I start contemplating what books to take for the hour and a half car trip.

Then, our friend calls and says her husband is going to take her to the appointment.

I was disappointed! Not because I wanted to make the trip, but because I had packed everything in my brain (NOT in real life, just in my head) and now I had to "unpack" it, and stop my brain from trying to plan.

This, THIS is why I'm FREAKING THE JUNK OUT because I can't decide on paint colors.

My name is Shaina, I'm type A, and I have a planning problem.

Sleep, perchance, to dream?

For some reason I don't understand... I hate going to sleep right now. Like, really despise it. I put it off and put it off (and it's not helping my sleep deprivation).

I think part of it may be that Keevia doesn't go to sleep until 9:30-10. Then, I use the next 2ish hours to blog, read, de-compress, spend time with my husband, etc. I don't like going to bed because that means the end of that time. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE every minute of my day with Keevia, but I also NEED that decompression time. I NEED balance in my life.

Then, once we are in bed, it's a crapshoot of whether or not it'll be a "good" night or not. The last couple of nights haven't been good. I don't know if its a developmental thing, a teething thing, or a chiropractic thing, but she's SO STINKING SQUIRMY. Saturday night she didn't make it into her co-sleeper at all, and I may have gotten 2-3 hours of consecutive sleep without her kicking me or squirming all around. It makes me dread night time.

But then, the morning comes, and we're laying there, face to face, and her little smile lights up my whole world. I just wish I could think of that more in the middle of the night when I want to cry from no sleep.

Thankfully, we usually have 1-4 bad nights, then she's fine. I tried to get her into the chiropractor for an adjustment, but our CP wasn't in today. If she does better tonight, I'll forgo it.. if she doesn't do better, I'll call tomorrow.

Oh, and side effect of my antibiotic? Insomnia. Wonderful.

Color choices

Okay. So. We're buying a double-wide. Slowly. This means, for the first time in our marriage, and really my life, I GET TO PICK PAINT COLORS!

So. I've made a decision on all of one room. Okay, two, but I haven't looked at paint chips for the bathroom yet.

If you read Big Mama, I just want to CURSE her. I mean, I love her, but suddenly she has placed the idea of a turquoise kitchen into my head. And it's grown. And now I almost want to curse the paint chips because there are NONE of them that live up to the pre-conceived notion I have in my head, of a probable nonexistent paint color.

This is my home-to-be.



This is the color I want my kitchen to be (mostly, I think. Maybe). Under the chair rail in the dining room area is going to be a more chocolate brown than what it is.

I have ABSOLUTELY no idea what color to pain the bedroom. We were thinking cream, with one wall in a burgendy/dark red... but then I want it to be warm and inviting and I don't know if that conveys warm and inviting... and then I like blue in there, but the kitchen is turquoise, and the living room (which opens into the kitchen) is going to have to be a different shade of blue so I think that's probably to much blue, then I like the IDEA of green, but I don't have a clue what color of green I would pick because I'm SO picky about colors, and other than that, I have NO FREAKING CLUE.

Can you tell this is driving me crazy? I'm a planner. Totally and completely driving me crazy that I don't know every detail of what I want to do. I can't even pick between paint chips!

And now, you have glimpsed into my insanity.

I hate antibiotics.

Okay, that's not true. I don't really. I just hate having to TAKE antibitoics.

Last Wednesday I had an appointment with my midwife (well, the midwife that delivered Keevia, because I'm no longer partial to her or to Melissa, they both ROCK). Don't get excited, I'm not pregnant. Nor did I THINK I was pregnant.

I've had some pretty weird symptoms for the past, oh, 7ish months. I mentioned them SEVERAL times at different pregnancy appointments, but they always said they were just yeast infections. Yeah, not so much. I've treated about 50 yeast infections in a 7 month period. Okay, not really, but it feels like it.

Please skip this paragraph if you have a weak stomach, are male, or don't want to know the details of my va-jay-jay. You have been warned I was having HUGE amounts of discharge. Like, 3-5 pantyliners a day full. Which is weird for a breastfeeding Mom. Normally, you're drier. I also had a fishy-smell to it. Some days it was yellow, some green, some white, some clear. If I failed to wear undies and a panty-liner, I would have SO MUCH discharge that it would cause me to get a rash on my thighs. It was also extremely sticky.

Grossed out yet? I thought so.

So, I went to the midwife. She took a swab of it, and went to look at it under the microscope. She came back and said I had a RAGING bacterical infection. So bad that A) she was sending it out for cultures of strep, staph and e-coli. I don't think any of them were positive, as I never heard back from her (and she said she would switch my meds if they were). Also, B) She usually gives an oral treatment OR a gel treatment. I got both.

So, I take my prescriptions (why do I always try to spell that word per instead of pre?) and go home (after having a granuloma removed as well. It wasn't nearly as painful as I thought it would be, considering she basically did a chemical peal on my girlbits). I got them filled the next day (late in the afternoon) and then forgot about them until 5:30pm. I finally go "hey! need to take my meds" open the bag, and see a lovely warning on the side of the bottle.

"WARNING: Do not take if you are breastfeeding" FABULOUS! Yes, I'm breastfeeding. Yes, my midwife knew this. No, I am not risking it. So, I had to wait til the next morning to start them (after calling the midwife).

And now? Now I feel like crap. The antibiotics are obviously starting to breakdown the infection, and I feel horrible. Worse than I did BEFORE I started them. But, I have had fewer symptoms...which is wonderful. And I know I'll feel better in a few days... but these first few days make me hate antibiotics.

Oh, and you're welcome for the nice color of green that is decorating your face after reading this.

5 Months

A week a day late. But we have the deed to our house, so, you'll have to forgive me. Letter to come when it's not midnight thirty that I write this...

Keevie! At five months you:
- Still can't sit up completely unassisted, but are SO CLOSE!
- Love laying on your back and playing with your dangly toys. You still hate tummy time!
- Can almost army crawl, and, as of tonight, have rolled twice from belly to back... but I don't think you knew you were doing it...
- Want to eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT. If I sit down with food, you want to eat it. Period. We went to the eat Chinese last week, and I didn't take anything with me to feed you (it was an impromptu meal) and everytime I would take a bite (you were on my lap) your mouth would open. Just tonight, as I ate some last minute pancakes so I could take my meds, you HAD to have a bite or two, as you would get SO excited when you saw me cutting it up.
- You especially love Banana's. They are like, your total fave. Oh, and ice cream... you love your ice cream!
- You are now in size 2 diapers... but if we randomly find some size ones around the house, you can still wear them!
- Still snugly in 3-6 month clothing. Which is funny, because Mom ALWAYS told me how you would outgrow your clothes so super fast... and you haven't (okay, 0-3 you kind of did. You were in NB for 6 weeks, and then 0-3 for 6 weeks... but you've been in 3-6 for a while now!).
- You hate socks, shoes, or having your feet covered in general. You are so your Momma's girl.
- We bought you a walker, and, sadly... it's to big. You are able to stand and eat your baby food now though!
- You love to grab my face with your hands and give me big, slobbery kisses.. that or try and eat my face.
- I still say you're cutting your upper right eye tooth, although the Pedi said it was just the ridge in your jaw... It looks like a tooth to me! You're also cutting your bottom middle tooth, and your bottom right eye tooth. Poor baby!
- You take medicine SO EASILY! Seriously, you actually open your mouth for the droppers and take them without complaint.
- You still sleep in your co-sleeper at night to start off with, and then come in bed with Momma somewhere around 3:30-5
- You've finally started letting Mamaw back you and put you to sleep (occasionally!).
- You LOVE the dog, and the dog is super protective of you. She constantly wants to give you kisses, and gets upset when we don't let her! I'm excited that she'll be your protector in a little while! You love watching her, wherever she is!
- You still heart your bouncy and tolerate your swing.
- Although we don't let you watch them very often, you are in LOVE with the Backyardigans. A sure-fire way to get you to sleep when NOTHING else works is to put you in the swing and turn on Backyardigans. I LOVE YOU DVR.
- You have this hilarious habit of screaming when someone has you, then smiling at them as soon as Momma gets you. I love it.
- You've started playing with the water when Momma showers you.
- You don't hate your carseat as much!!! You actually fall asleep in there occasionally!
- You still LOVE being naked.
- You are so cuddly, I love it.
- You're my world, baby girl!

Up from the grave he arose!
With a mighty triumph ore his foes,
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
And he lives forever with his saints to reign.

He arose!
He arose!
HALLEJUAH CHRIST AROSE!

A referral

No real post from me right now, maybe soon. I've rediscovered my love of reading, and its taking over my soul right now.

However, I invite and implore you to go and read MckMama's recent post, entitled "In which I rant about socialism and chicken" it sums up my thoughts on the matter of new health care reform VERY nicely.

That's all for now folks (I didn't even manage to get a newspaper article out this week. It's been CRA-ZAY.)