So What Wednesday

SO WHAT if I parent so much differently than I thought I would. We do what works for us. Matthew defies all of my expertise so things are constantly changing around here to make things work.

• Tummy time is a rare occasion that I'm trying to make more frequent. Seriously, my kid screams bloody murder after a few minutes and will not calm down at all. So, we do it infrequently and are working on it. Yes, he can roll from belly to back, he just chooses not to.
• We're not on a schedule. He changes it up daily and I'm really hoping with the new house it will fall into place a little more.
• We rarely let him cry-it-out. This is mainly because he's swaddled and overheats if he screams too long and once he gets to a certain point, he does not calm down and it makes it so much harder to get him to go to sleep.
• We feed him solids sporadically. I wanted to do baby led weaning, but he doesn't bring things (other than his hands) to his mouth so that's not working. We're hoping to try that later, but for now, purees once per day-ish is fine.
• We're not cloth diapering...yet. We had a brief stint and I loved it, but my father-in-law keeps buying us disposables so that's fine. We buy some too and I figure when we're in the house, we can figure it out from there.
• Sometimes I co-sleep for naps. If he's on his second nap of the day and is fighting it, we snuggle up and we both love it. Yesterday he slept for another two hours snuggled up with me and it was wonderful.

As a parent, my job is to do what works best for my family and right now that's changing a lot, but we work with what we've got. Our little man is opinionated and just like his momma...a little sensitive sometimes and that's ok. He needs a little more attention and enough going on to keep him busy and he's good to go.

I love learning new things about him and his developing personality and I'm being stretched in a good way by being his mom. Some days are challenging, but we're moving forward and every awake time is a new opportunity.

Holding Him Close

Today I am holding my baby a little tighter. I'm not mad that he woke up to eat twice last night or that he screams at me when I change his diaper because of his diaper rash. I'm just happy he's with me.

Hearing the news about Harper Young yesterday gave me a lot to think about. I've been following Lora since before her pregnancy and was praying so hard for her, Harper, and their family. I really get attached to fellow bloggers in a way that makes you hurt for them and feels like you have friends all over the world that you've never met.

So many things have happened in the past year or two that is really changing my way of thinking and reacting. When Matthew got up last night, I changed him, fed him, and just held him and prayed. I was tired, but he's my baby and he's here and that's all that matters.

Today has been filled with emotions and my husband even wanted to read their story. We believe in the power of prayer and believe in miracles. Our baby is our miracle given to us and we are not taking that for granted for one second.

If you would like to donate to the Young Family, there is a fundraiser going on. Click the link and you will be taken to the page to donate. https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/7hWRe/tw/12rVH6

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day around here is usually pretty low-key. I don't ask for anything and since our little guy is just a baby, we didn't get him anything this year either. I was hoping for my husband to have another snow day today, but the government was open on a 2 hour delay so off to work he went!

So far, our special day has consisted of a visit to the doctor and a trip to Target. My husband has my wallet so my mother-in-law had to accompany me. Matthew did get something...a diaper rash that turned into a yeast infection/rash and some prescription cream that will hopefully do the trick!

I don't have a super cute picture of Matthew wearing red or hearts or anything, mainly because he's been a fuss-bucket the past two days due to a stomach bug he has. Yes, it would be super cute to have one day, but I'm not so sure he's in the mood for a photo shoot.

I'm pushing to go out to eat either today or tomorrow, but either way, we'll be celebrating it more low-key this year. Hopefully next year will be a little less eventful!

 

Here he was this morning when he woke up happy and ready to play! Hopefully this afternoon and evening will be just as happy :)

Processed

With only being a couple of weeks away from the settlement on our house, I've really been thinking about what things we should be changing. It's no secret that my in-laws and I do things a tad bit differently and that's been a source of contention at times.

One of the things I was really moving towards when we lived in our apartment was to eat less processed foods. Now, don't get me wrong, I love me some boxed muffins and stuff, but there are so many things out there that are full of unnecessary chemicals and preservatives and it really bothers me. As with anything, it's all about finding and creating a balance.

I love food, but I've noticed that I'm sensitive to a lot of things which makes it very difficult. I'm even allergic to sweet-n-low and try to avoid sweeteners in most things. Some days I have a dairy sensitivity and I can get a stomach ache with so many foods. It's annoying really and it makes me want to change the way I'm eating.

I'm excited to say that I've looked into getting low-pasteurized, hormone and antibiotic free milk! It seriously makes me SO excited to try. Of course, it's more expensive, but I figure that I can work it into the budget if it really makes a difference in the way I feel.

I'm tired of always feeling bad and I've been eating clean for a couple of weeks now so that's helped. I'm not sensitive to grains, but know that whole grains are healthier in general and I want to try to make my own bread again...just so I know exactly what's going in to our food.

I've chosen to make Matthew's baby food so that he has the same benefits as well. I'm slowly working towards getting some organic veggies into his diet and for some foods we have chosen to purchase organic purees or jarred food because they are grown in a controlled environment and is supposed to be safer (root vegetables?).

Either way, adopting a healthier lifestyle will benefit us all and I can't wait to teach Matthew how to have a healthy relationship with food!

The Days Are Long...

"The days are long, but the years are short."

 

 

That's the quote that keeps running through my mind lately as my now six month old little boy is challenging me to my core. He is such a joy, but let's be honest, some days he's a hot mess!

 

With Matthew getting older, he's learning that he can play and not sleep which is...awesome. I'm sure you can sense my sarcasm, but really though, he will be exhausted and will fight his naps with everything he's got. It's becoming a battle in the late afternoons around here as he cries while he's awake and screams when you try to put him down for a nap.

 

I'm trying to remember that he's only little once and this is just a phase. I'm getting better at that. When he fights his naps or bedtime, I find myself going to him, rocking him, holding him, and telling him how much he's loved. I know he doesn't understand my words now, but he can understand that I'm choosing to be with him and comfort him in those moments.

 

Just when I get frustrated or annoyed with him not sleeping, he looks at me with his sweet, blue eyes and smiles and I melt...just for a moment, and realize that it's all worth it.

 



House Update

We have some great news! Since my last post explaining about our current reality with my husband working long days and our offer not being accepted, things have definitely turned around! Yes, my husband still works long days (and that will probably always be the case, but his job is definitely worth it) and we're still with the in-laws, but the house that we wanted and didn't get...the buyer fell through and we were able to re-submit our offer and they accepted it!

We currently have a contract on the house and should be settling at the end of the month! Yes, in less than 30 days (if we're on time with closing), we will be homeowners! Things around here have been a bit crazy with getting everything done, but we are SO thankful this is working out in our favor.

We've been busy with inspections, the lender, insurance agent, getting out of the short sale contract (which we still haven't heard anything from the bank and they have four days to make a decision), and looking at paint swatches and furniture. We're currently waiting to hear back from the sellers to see if they will repair what we requested and should hear back today.

I've been happily putting paint swatches up and running around to Ikea and really beginning to think about what we need and what we want in the new house to really make it ours. We're both looking forward to getting our furniture out of storage and not having enough to furnish the house! I will have a sewing room and that makes me beyond happy.

So far things are looking good to close on time, but that's all out of our hands. The sellers have moved out already so we're just waiting to have everything settled with the loan and repairs, then we're set to go!