Honesty

Brytin: "I didn't get in trouble for play fighting in school today."

Leslie : "Does that mean you didn't do it, or that you didn't get caught?"

Brytin: "Well you caught me once and then I only did it one more time, and I didn't get caught."

Leslie: "Thank you for being honest."

posted from Bloggeroid

I Want to be the Mom You Deserve

Your body, heart, mind and soul are so perfect - untainted. I want to preserve your perfection innocence and beauty as long as possible.

You deserve a mom who never hurts you. You deserve patience, fun, security and nurturing.

I want to be the mom you deserve. A mom who respects you, cherishes you and guides you towards success in life.

I need to be the mom you deserve because anything less would be an injustice to you, your father and your Maker. You are an unexpected miracle with a smile that shows me a slice of Heaven. You are a precious gift, borrowed to me for a time.

In order for you to become the man you were created to be, I must be the mom you deserve. I won't be perfect, but that's okay because perfection isn't what you need - real is. Through my mistakes, we will learn how to admit our shortcomings, make amends and move forward. Thru my successes we will learn humility, self worth and celebration. We will never have millions, but we will always have family, love, hope, joy, trust and faith. By the grace of God, I WILL be the mom you deserve.

posted from Bloggeroid

posted from Bloggeroid

Pregnancy Insight

While I was pregnant, I couldn't write much. I did, however, make some notes in my most awesome smartphone. I did this in hopes of posting some of it once the carpal tunnel went away. The numbness in my hands isn't entirely gone, but my hands are usable again :)

Anyway, here is something quick I wrote in February.

Pregnancy. Despite what books and women tell you, there is no normal. Every woman has an opposing opinion, because every woman had a completely different experience.

It's your first lesson in following your instinct and intuition. As a mother, you will be INUNDATED with advice, opinions, and peoples' various experiences. I recommend that you listen, think about what they are saying, read between the lines to hear what they are not saying, and then, accept what fits or works for you.

posted from Bloggeroid

Breastfeeding

Bfing is such a wonderful experience. Yes, the first couple days (or weeks for some mothers) is difficult. Yes, the first few seconds of the latch on hurts. And yes, I have had to breastfeed in public due to my poor planning.

But truthfully every minor inconvenience is worth it. He looks at me. He makes adorable noises. And often times, the second he smells me, he stops crying. I dont want a momma's boy, but I must admit it feels good to have a son who is addicted to me.

Im assuming that the benefits of breastmilk over formula are negligible. I know there is a big push for BFing now, but babies have been fed formula (including myself) and thrived. But the experience of BFing is second to none. A mother's determination to give her son the best start to life as possible. The son's appreciation for food, skin to skin contact, and undivided attention. And a husband's encouragement and support.

I chose BFing cuz it's free. I'd say being "frugal" has finally paid off.

posted from Bloggeroid

Incubating

There has been a lot of hub-a-loo in the last five minutes regarding Lady GaGa incubating as she entered the Grammy Awards.

I haven't the slightest idea what her publicity angle is, I'm too old to try to understand the thinking process of a mega pop star.

I can tell you that in the last five minutes, my job as an incubation chamber has become more important to me.

I've been lying in bed for a couple hours because my feet are swollen from yesterday's activities with the Royal Aces.

My carpal tunnel has been acting up the last week or so. My hands and ankles are ginormously swollen. I have a difficult time sleeping more than a few hours at a time. Bending over is very uncomfortable, almost painful.

But despite all of this, my baby needs to incubate in my belly for as long as is necessary. Every additional day that Baby B is safe and secure in my womb, he is stronger to face the challenges of this world.

I'm not quite conveying the breadth and depths of my emotions, but maybe I don't need to.

Lady GaGa enjoys the publicity involved in some ridiculous interpretation of the natural job of a uterus. I enjoy lying here rubbing my belly, feeling my baby moving, and knowing that I am doing everything I can to protect my unborn child.

posted from Bloggeroid

"Some Crazy Sci-Fi Sh#@"

I was reading Lindsey's Baby Blog (Feb 7) and felt relief knowing someone had put into words the craziness that is a moving baby inside a belly...

By week 22 (Nov 19ish), I was feeling Baby B's movements pretty regularly. In the morning, s/he kicks a few times to say "Hello." Throughout the day, there is some movement to help me remember that I will soon have to be "instantly interruptable."

And then in the evening, when I am lying on the couch (FEET UP!), there is more kicking.

Unfortunately, the baby REFUSES to allow anyone to feel it's kicks. Chris felt it once, and then Christmas Day, the baby had the hiccups so he couldn't help but allow Chris to feel his presence. Jan 12, Brytin felt the baby kick ("It feels like a hiccup").

But mostly, the minute someone (besides me) touches my belly, the baby instantly moves to the deep recesses of my abdomen, not to resurface for hours. We had settled for feeling the baby when he is close to my abdomen wall and trying to guess which body part it was...

"This is your big old belly. This is the baby inside your belly."


In the last week, however, the rolling has begun (aka the crazy sci-fi shit). My belly moves. It's WEIRD. Fun, because Chris can see the movement too, but WEIRD. I love it and I wouldn't trade this time of my pregnancy for anything in the whole wide world, but seriously, it is WEIRD.

According to my day-by-day pregnancy journal, in week 33, "the volume of amniotic fluid has reached its maximum. As baby grows, there will be less fluid and more baby and thus you will feel considerable movement from within."

And by "considerable movement" they mean gymnastics :)

"What Mothers Do" by Naomi Stadlen

An excerpt from an awesome book I have been reading:

(page 69) "Mothers sometimes feel they will 'spoil' their babies. They fear that their babies will manipulate them into coming 'just for attention,' and that they will grow into children who will expect their mothers to keep putting everything down for trifles. This doesn't seem to happen. If a baby is crying for attention, he seems to need it. If an older child has become manipulative, it is nearly always because he hasn't been able to get what he needs by more straightforward methods. Moreover, one can see how a baby who has been given attention when he cried for it develops into a generous child, who is sensitive to the feelings of other people."