I just feel so blessed that I thought I should share. Yesterday afternoon (early evening) I went out to see a movie with a friend and we took Autumn along! Yes, you read correctly, I took a 3 1/2 month old to the movie theater and she did wonderfully! She was awake for the first 30 mins of previews and the intro to the movie, then she ate (breastfeeding in a movie theater? CHECK!) and then she napped...through the whole movie!
I noticed other young children there. In fact, a couple behind us had a 3 yr old - I turned around to reassure them that I generally have a good baby when out in public, so they shouldn't hear so much as a peep out of her. They didn't care! They said, "We have a 3 year old, we understand!" I thought about this whole scenario later in the evening.
We went to see "Alice in Wonderland" which is NOT a young children's movie this time around. Yet there were several adults there to see it who had brought their young children. GOOD FOR THEM! These parents were obviously out to see the movies themselves. Sure...a 3 yr old would see a talking white bunny rabbit, a man that can be familiarized with a clown (Johnny Depp....swoon!), and a pretty cool looking dragon! BUT, the movie was geared towards older children and adults and that's who was there to truly see the movie. But did that stop parents from bringing their kids out? NOPE! (NOTE: I do not generally condone children viewing adult movies, UNLESS they are young enough to not grasp the adult themes and they still get something fun out of it - hence, the cute white rabbit with the pocket watch or even the talking dog that were characters in AIW)
Anyway, my whole point is...I needed an afternoon away...but NOT away from my baby. I may need a night out...but NOT without my baby. Having a baby has NOT changed what Shawn and I do, but how we do it. From the basic things like grocery shopping or the more complex things like going out to dinner or the movies...I can BRING my baby. I don't need someone to come over, so I can explain in detail my child's routine and leave them for hours at a time. I don't need an extended break from my little girl. Do I sometimes need 30 mins to myself? Sure. And when that happens I ask her Daddy to take over and spend some quality time with her. Because that is who she needs...US! She gets plenty of social exposure, so I'm certainly not smothering my child or afraid to expose her to society, but she doesn't need to be in anyone else's care for extended amounts of time just because I feel like getting out. (NOTE: This is totally NOT against anyone who works during the week and has to send their children to daycare...obviously, you have a family to take care of and those are necessary sacrifices!)
Will the day come when Shawn and I go out on a date alone? Yes. But not right now. She's 3 1/2 months old! I like the fact that she needs me to be around every few hours for a feeding. I ENJOY that. Being there for her need is not a chore. I take so much pride in the fact that when we go for her checkups they tell me her weight gain is fine and I'm doing a GREAT job. This tells me that her and I are in tune with one another and that we're working together to help her grow up strong and healthy. I'm more than her food source, I'm her LIFE source. Now, everyone makes their own choices when it comes to breastfeeding/bottlefeeding and to each his own - I support every woman who makes the decision for herself based on what is best for her situation - but personally, I love it! It makes me feel great as a Mommy. The reward is priceless:o)
Anyway, the whole point to writing this is...my baby is not a burden. I may look at the clock at 530am and dread getting out of bed, but the second I see her smiling face in the crib and hold her in my arms as I feed her...I am in heaven. I treasure each and every day because I know they will not last forever. And right now, in this moment, I am not ready to leave her behind so that I may enjoy my own moments. She IS my joy, she IS my moment. She is not my tag along or the third wheel...she is my baby that I feel blessed enough to take with me when I experience fun of life. My moments are better because she is there with me.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
3 (1/2) months!
I'm doing a really poor job updating this blog. I've actually started another blog - with a 101 challenge - that I've been putting a lot of effort into. And then I've also been updating Autumn's photo site from Shutterfly when possible - since our family & friends are linked into that. I'll just have to put more effort into updating this blog.
So, where has the time gone? It seems like Autumn has done so much since her 3 month check up!
On Friday (May 21st) she rolled over for the first time! I did not catch it on video and she has yet to do it again (but she's come REAL close). It just takes practice, practice, practice!
We've moved into our "big girl" booster-like seat when we're in the kitchen. Normally, when we're in the kitchen, she has been laying in her bouncy seat, which we place on top of the kitchen table. But last week I decided to get out her First Years Feeding Seat and try it out. It's like it's own little chair that attaches to the big chair and it has it's own tray. Autumn sits in the chair, not fully reclined because I feel like she's strong enough to sit up more, and I put a few toys on her tray.
She's definitely reaching for toys. When she does spend some time in her bouncy chair she enjoys holding this multi-color Infantino jingle ball. When she's in her booster seat she looks at her photo book with multi-color patterns, her rattle that blinks colors, and a soft block. She's learning to reach for things and bring them to her mouth (and knock them off the tray to the floor! Fun times!). She cannot sit up herself yet, but when propped up she pulls herself forward and does great. For example, I place the Boppy behind her for support of her back and her arms on each side, but instead of letting her head just rest back she pulls herself upright to look around. She's a very strong little girl and I know that once she's mobile, there will be no stopping her!
She now goes to sleep holding a soft security blanket to her cheek. She has a tendency to flail her arms and hands about, knocking her pacifier out of her mouth and causing many issues at sleepytime. So, I figured that by giving her a small blanket she cuddles it and it keeps her hands busy and then she goes to sleep. Right now we use two blankets - a pink Winnie-the-Pooh blanket bought by Will and a red knitted security blanket made by my friend, Heather.
We've been spending a lot of times outdoors or at playdates during the week. It's important for us to be social - for her benefit and mine - and we've enjoyed the time out of the house. Bowling is done for the season, which Shawn and I are very thankful for. Summertime is approaching, meaning that my work schedule will vary from week to week and also some vacation time is coming up. I really hope we can start to save up some money to go a few places - visit some relatives...make it to the beach. I cannot wait to take our little girl to the beach! Exciting times ahead, for sure!
So, where has the time gone? It seems like Autumn has done so much since her 3 month check up!
On Friday (May 21st) she rolled over for the first time! I did not catch it on video and she has yet to do it again (but she's come REAL close). It just takes practice, practice, practice!
We've moved into our "big girl" booster-like seat when we're in the kitchen. Normally, when we're in the kitchen, she has been laying in her bouncy seat, which we place on top of the kitchen table. But last week I decided to get out her First Years Feeding Seat and try it out. It's like it's own little chair that attaches to the big chair and it has it's own tray. Autumn sits in the chair, not fully reclined because I feel like she's strong enough to sit up more, and I put a few toys on her tray.
She's definitely reaching for toys. When she does spend some time in her bouncy chair she enjoys holding this multi-color Infantino jingle ball. When she's in her booster seat she looks at her photo book with multi-color patterns, her rattle that blinks colors, and a soft block. She's learning to reach for things and bring them to her mouth (and knock them off the tray to the floor! Fun times!). She cannot sit up herself yet, but when propped up she pulls herself forward and does great. For example, I place the Boppy behind her for support of her back and her arms on each side, but instead of letting her head just rest back she pulls herself upright to look around. She's a very strong little girl and I know that once she's mobile, there will be no stopping her!
She now goes to sleep holding a soft security blanket to her cheek. She has a tendency to flail her arms and hands about, knocking her pacifier out of her mouth and causing many issues at sleepytime. So, I figured that by giving her a small blanket she cuddles it and it keeps her hands busy and then she goes to sleep. Right now we use two blankets - a pink Winnie-the-Pooh blanket bought by Will and a red knitted security blanket made by my friend, Heather.
We've been spending a lot of times outdoors or at playdates during the week. It's important for us to be social - for her benefit and mine - and we've enjoyed the time out of the house. Bowling is done for the season, which Shawn and I are very thankful for. Summertime is approaching, meaning that my work schedule will vary from week to week and also some vacation time is coming up. I really hope we can start to save up some money to go a few places - visit some relatives...make it to the beach. I cannot wait to take our little girl to the beach! Exciting times ahead, for sure!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
3 months!
Autumn was 3 months on Sunday, Mother's Day! We enjoyed our day by spending the early afternoon at the flea market downtown, just walking around, and then the rest of the afternoon and evening at Aunt Tara & Uncle Tony's. Over the weekend she was actually somewhat fussy. I thought I had noticed a spot on her gums that was irritated - teething?! ::gasp:: Today was her 3 month checkup. She received two shots - PCV & HIB. She was NOT happy, but she took them like a champ, downed some generic tylenol, and is now sleeping happily.
She weighs 12.6 lbs, but hasn't grown in length at all, which is perfectly fine. The doctor is very happy with her weight gain and that means that our breastfeeding is still going awesome. I'm always worried about that.
She's still sleeping through the night. And right now I thinks he's starting her 3 month growth spurt because she slept FOREVER last night!
Things are slowly winding down around the home. School is officially over for the semester - A+ & B were my grades. I'm already feeling less stressed. And only two more weeks of bowling - after tonight just one week. Tonight is super stressful because it's position round - everything has to be JUST right & I have to finish collecting money. Next week is a lot easier. I'm doing more reading for myself, which helps me zone out for a little bit each day. I thoroughly enjoy getting lost in a good book. Financially things are still tight, but we're managing. I think we're almost past the "catch up" phase and soon we'll be able to start putting a little money to the side for other things.
And that's about it for now. Let's hope the rest of the day & the week continues to go well!
She weighs 12.6 lbs, but hasn't grown in length at all, which is perfectly fine. The doctor is very happy with her weight gain and that means that our breastfeeding is still going awesome. I'm always worried about that.
She's still sleeping through the night. And right now I thinks he's starting her 3 month growth spurt because she slept FOREVER last night!
Things are slowly winding down around the home. School is officially over for the semester - A+ & B were my grades. I'm already feeling less stressed. And only two more weeks of bowling - after tonight just one week. Tonight is super stressful because it's position round - everything has to be JUST right & I have to finish collecting money. Next week is a lot easier. I'm doing more reading for myself, which helps me zone out for a little bit each day. I thoroughly enjoy getting lost in a good book. Financially things are still tight, but we're managing. I think we're almost past the "catch up" phase and soon we'll be able to start putting a little money to the side for other things.
And that's about it for now. Let's hope the rest of the day & the week continues to go well!
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