Tag Archives: baby

4 Months

10 Dec

Sweet Baby K,

Can I call you that forever? I’m sure you’ll protest when your 35, but for now…you don’t have much of a say in it 😉 Happy 4 months to you, dear boy. I hope I haven’t failed you. This month has been another tough one for you. You spit up a lot, you have trouble napping, and sometimes you scream out in pain. We’ve been attempting to fix the latter with medicine and I hope you’re feeling at least a little better. I don’t want you to hurt, ya know?

You have begun to laugh out loud this month and my, oh my, if it isn’t the cutest thing in the whole wide world! It makes my day every time I hear it.

You are also grasping at your toys on your play mat now. You can hold them pretty well. You’ve also learned to take your paci out of your mouth, which I’m not as pleased with because you can’t seem to put it back in.

I fear you’re becoming very attached to your mommy and daddy because we never leave you with anyone else. Secretly, I enjoy being the one you want and need. But I also worry that you won’t be very independent as a young un because of our preferences. We want you to feel secure and confident as you grow!

You are so close to rolling over! We love to try to help you, but you can’t seem to maneuver that big ole cloth diaper over all the way. It frustrates you to no end. You get that from both sides, Baby K. We, too, find it annoying when we can’t do something we want to be able to do. If you rolled over, I think it might not be fun for you because you still don’t like tummy time. Despite this, you are doing great in holding your chest off the ground with your hands.

I’m really proud of you, K!

Happy 4 Months to you! I promise every birthday won’t come with a bunch of shots.

Love you to the moon and back,

Mom

 

Mrs. K- shower ninja?

6 Dec

After a good study with the ladies at PWOC, a lunch with my hubby, and a drive home with my little darlin’ in tow, I realized…I should probably take a shower. I think it has been a day and a half. I know…ew. I hopped in the shower- all the while trying to convince Baby K that this was going to be SO MUCH FUN! I don’t think he was buying it, though as he was stretching out his legs, raising his arms and attempting to escape his bassinett. If he could speak, I’m sure he would have said, “Hold me, woman!”

Despite the challenges, I turned the water on to give it time to get warm.

With the rock-n-play pulled up to the door of my tiny bathroom, I began to wash all the dirt spit up off. With the help of the super loud yet soothing fan in the bathroom, my soon-to-be four month old drifted off to sleep within minutes. Oh, joy! A shower with no screaming. It must be my lucky day.

But then, I realized- How in the sam hill am I going to get out of this bathroom?

The bassinett was blocking my only exit. I turned off the water, dried off, and contemplated my exit strategy. Could I jump over? Probably not.

I could climb the sink. That seemed like an ordeal, though.

Finally, I quietly pushed the door back as far as I could get it, threw my phone onto the bed in the next room, and sucked in what the good Lord gave me. I still can’t believe I made it. There were only inches to work with. I felt like a ninja.

So, what did I do with the valuable alone time I was allotted today? I came to regale you all, of course! But now I think I’ll get to work on my blessings list for today. Happy Tuesday, y’all!

dates, screams, and things

29 Nov

As you know, Baby K had some visitors this past weekend! His Lolly and Pop paid him a visit. As they rolled into town, Captain J and I rolled out for a date night that was a long time comin’. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt to have conversation in the car. I couldn’t possibly describe to you how fantastic it was to hold my husband’s hand as we strolled into the theatre (instead of being attached to the car seat and diaper bag!). It was a much appreciated reprieve and some time we needed to re-connect. By the movie’s end, though, we were ready to get back to our sweet boy. We canceled our dinner plans and headed home to snuggle with him.

We found out later that our little man screamed the.entire.time.

Bless his heart. (More on this later)

Anyway, what movie did we see you might ask? Well, Breaking Dawn, of course! It pained me to have to wait so long to see it, but that’s how it goes when you’ve got a child. I couldn’t go gallivanting off to the midnight premier like we did with Harry Potter. I must say, I felt just fine seeing it at 4ish in the afternoon. I must be getting old.

The movie was pretty good. The first part was too lovey-dovey-pukey for my likin’, but it got better as the movie progressed. I love where they ended it! The books will always have my allegiance, though–much better than the movies as per usual.

Look! I got my picture made with Edward!

And I’ll quit talking about the Twilight series now because I know many of you do not give a hoot about my thoughts on the matter.

Let’s talk of K Baby, shall we? I told you he screamed all night while his Lolly and Pop watched him. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Sure, he has good days, but most of them are bad for him. He screams out in pain. He cries. He fusses. But sometimes he is completely inconsolable. 😥 It breaks my heart.

Today I went to PWOC and the ladies in my small group witnessed first-hand what the doctors were calling colic. They assured me that it wasn’t colic- that it was a scream of pain. We ended up taking Baby K back to the doctor (4th time!) and finally got a different answer, along with some medication. I really hope it works. Remember those guilt notes I talked about? Go ahead and tack on feeling bad about not standing up for him more when I knew something was wrong. I just accepted their answer of colic and let him cry. 😦

I’m hoping his reflux is remedied by the medicine now. We should see a difference in a couple of days.

That’s all I’ve got for ya. I’m exhausted!

Next time I post, I’ll be back with the winners of my latest giveaway!

Love you, mean it.

-Mrs. K

Real Talk

25 Nov

I’ve mentioned before that I read that Moms as a collective group are pretty hard on one another. What about bloggers? What about other Mom Bloggers? I was reading one of the blogs that I subscribe to and she mentioned that instead of talking about how our kids take a lot out of us, we should be thankful that we even have them. Of course! But my blog is my space on the internet and I don’t hold back when I write. Besides, I don’t think there are enough people who write honestly about the stresses and trials that parenting can bring. I don’t think this lady meant anything by it and I’m not upset if she did, but it just made me think about the message mothers are sending out about life as a parent.

Is it too cookie cutter? Do we make it seem easy breezy?

Research suggests that couples with young kids often report much lower levels of happiness than couples who do not have any kids (See this evidenced here). Some parents are quick to tell everyone how great their children make them feel on a daily basis, but they are really feeling quite unhappy. Don’t hate the messenger, folks…it’s just what research seems to show over and over. I thought a lot about this while I was pregnant and I wrote some freelance articles on the topic, but I wanted to bring it here, too.

My blog is a place that I never want to misrepresent myself. My relationship with God is lacking, although I talk about Him and the goodness He has showered over my life. My marriage is far from perfect, too although I tend to gush about the love I have for my husband quite frequently. And parenthood is hard. I’ve never hidden that from all of you who read my blog. There are some days that I feel like I’m barely functioning in my role as a mother. Other days are blissfully sweet and easy. It changes every single day. My love for Baby K does not, though. I love him more than anything in this world and that is something that will be lifelong.

But I think it’s important to talk about what stresses me out, how hard parenting can be at times, AND the joys of raising a baby.

This is my blog and it is a good representation of my daily life. I’m not sugarcoating anything.

Baby K has given me a purpose in this world when I didn’t seem to have one. I’m incredibly grateful that God chose me to be his earthly parent. I wanted him more than any of you all know. I didn’t write much about our struggle to get pregnant here because there are some things that my husband and I agree will not be discussed on the Internet. That’s just our personal decision. You can talk about whatever you want on your blog. It’s your place! But I don’t think I have to tell you how much my sweet little boy is loved. He is my life.

But I do have my struggles. That’s what makes me human.

And I have good news, too! Apparently, the more children you have, the happier you are as you grow older (See Reference Here). This is excellent news for me because Captain J wants about five kids! I think I’ve talked him down to three, though 😉 It doesn’t matter how we get these bundles of joy whether it’s adoption or natural, our children will be loved and cared for more than anything in this world. My life has changed so completely since the birth of Baby K and I truly wouldn’t have it any other way.

And that’s real talk.

My Monday Ramblings

21 Nov

It’s Monday and that can mean only one thing. We’ve survived another week around here! Thank you for listening to me whine, sharing in my joys in life, and being all-around good bloggy readers. Y’all are fantastic. And you know what? I want to show my appreciation! That’s why I’m hosting another giveaway very soon. You’ll want to get in on this. The retail price of the mysterious item is around 40 bucks. Get excited, people! I’ll tell you more about it soon.

Today I have plans to do laundry, go to the grocery, clean, continue decorating for the most wonderful time of the year, and loving on my sweet fam! I might even wrap gifts. Whoa. Ambitious, eh?

For now, I’ll leave you with a pic of my cute little gift from God-

Happy Monday to ya.

Welcome to the Army (and Motherhood)

18 Nov

Every time I sit down to write, Baby K starts his wailin’. I think he hates my blog. Or productivity, as my school work has come to a complete hault.

It’s okay, though because now I know I’m not a completely terrible parent. Doc says he’s got a touch of colic. Without going into too much detail about K’s eating habits (you’re welcome, Dave), I will say that he is eating way too fast and it’s causing the spit up, gas pains, and the like. I’m going to start working on different techniques, but honestly…

I didn’t come here to talk about my son today. I’m exhausted. Drained. Emotional. Drained. Drained. Drained.

Hubby is back from a stint in the field (finally) but it matters very little because he is working on his Master’s, too so when he comes home he has to do that. My relief comes when I get Baby K to sleep at night. I love my little man so much but he is quite needy (my sweet little id) and after doing this by myself a lot lately, I need a break. I need to go some place I won’t be summoned by screaming cries. I need to put on makeup and feel pretty again. I need to enjoy a meal instead of just scarfing something down while bouncing the baby on my hip. Mama needs, too.

I knew this was going to be hard- raising a child. But never in my wildest dreams did I picture myself being a parent in a military family, away from family who could provide a break if need be. Today was just another day that I thought to myself again, “Welcome to the Army”. Everything seems to be harder here.

Lesson Learned

16 Nov

We all have these certain pearls of wisdom that we feel the need to pass onto others before we pass on.

Here’s mine:

When calling the pediatrician, the first sentence is key.

My husband taught me this. Yesterday, I was concerned about the baby for various reasons so I put in a phone call to his doctor. After being passed around several times, I spoke to a nurse who was none too concerned with the symptoms I was listing. She seemed more concerned that her phone call duties had lasted over a minute. Feeling frustrated, as I have on many occasions in dealing with doctors, I hung up the phone with an appointment in three weeks. Three weeks!

This morning I begged and I pleaded with Captain J, “Will you just call them? They’ll listen to you!”

A few minutes later I had an appointment for 10:20 this morning.

“How did you do it?” I asked.

He then explained to me the importance of leading with the absolute worse possible scenario he thought it could be. He said, “I basically told them his toes were about to fall off. It’s what ya gotta do.”

There ya have it.

And this is what I find myself doing this dreary morning- headed to the hospital for little man. More later. 😉

3 Months!

10 Nov

K Baby,

Three months today! You are at the cutest age. I love our precious moments in the morning when you are all smiles and ready to start the day together. You’ve become my sweet buddy. We spend a lot of time together. Your dad has had to work a lot lately and he misses you so much while he’s away. Sometimes he’ll call me in the middle of the day, just to tell me he was thinking about your sweet little face. We love you!

Your sleep habits are pretty great at night. You sleep for about 12 hours, waking up only once to eat. I feel much more refreshed when I wake up now. Thanks for that.

You have begun talking a lot more. You seem to be so surprised when you make a noise and I do believe it’s the most perfect sound in all the world. Your dad is convinced you said hello the other day in response to him. You’re a total genius. The other day I caught you on camera following a direct order from me. Who knew you would turn out to be the smartest 3 month old on the planet? We’re so proud! 😉

This month I started nursing you again and it is going well. I secretely enjoy how much you depend on your mama. I want to treasure every single moment because I hear that children grow up too fast! I think that you might be the most documented child on the planet, too because I take at least 5 billion pictures of you each day on my smart phone. I could stare at your sweet smile for hours. I love the way you clasp your hands together when you’re sleeping or concentrating on something. It’s too cute, Baby K.

I’m so thankful that God has chosen your dad and me to be your earthly parents. My prayer is that one day when you’re older you will recognize that God is your Heavenly Father and that you need Him even more than you need me now. Love you to the moon and back.

Love,

Mama

Home Sick Part 5,348

5 Nov

Thanks for all the encouragement on my last post. It means a lot 😉

Today was a fairly good day until the bottom dropped out a couple of hours ago. I don’t really want to talk about it. My head hurts, I’m frustrated, and exhausted so I’ll probably just go to bed or lay on the couch and half-heartedly cheer on Bama. Perhaps the source of my annoyance is J’s job. He’s in the field. I never enjoy when he leaves, but now I really don’t like it because I have no break from little man. Seriously, props to the single moms…I have no idea how you do this full time. I think the difference is that if you’re raising a child alone, you hopefully have a support system around you. I suppose I have that, too- with all of my TWO friends in the area. I’m so thankful for Jen and Melissa…seriously. I’d go nuts without someone to talk to.

I just really miss home when J leaves. I know he’s my home now, but when he is gone, no matter how short of a time, I long for Tennessee. My family is one of those Leave It To Beaver families. There’s no drama, everyone likes one another, and everyone lives within short driving distance to one another. Everyone except me. And tonight- that really sucks. Most days that really sucks. I miss them all so much.

I’ll quit complaining now. I AM thankful for Captain J’s job because it allows me to stay home with my sweet young un, but tonight I dream of the day he’s a civilian again because I can hear Rocky Top calling my name…

Grad School Gloom

3 Nov

I have always enjoyed going to school. Even when I was pulling an all-nighter while working on my college thesis, certain I wouldn’t make the morning deadline. I even liked school when all of my data that I had entered into the computer was suspicioulsy erased less than 24 hours before my final research project was due and I had to start completely over on the analysis. I didn’t mind working tirelessly in the 24 hour computer lab all by myself even though I was pretty afraid of the dark of being alone on a ghost town campus in the wee hours of the morning. I lived on coffee and a prayer. I had the help of many wonderful friends that knew exactly what I was going through and could offer support, statistics refreshers, and breaks to our favorite bar hangout. Life was good. School was good and I excelled.

Now, I feel like quitting.

I don’t want to be a quitter. And I’ve always wanted to get my Master’s, but right now I just feel this tug towards something that I’m realizing is more important to me–motherhood. I feel like garbage when Baby K is crying and I’m frustrated because I can’t type out coherent sentences. I used to have so much time to really focus on what I’m writing. Now, I get ten minute incriments, like the one I have now and that’s hardly enough to create a paper that I’m proud of. I continue to do well, but it’s at the cost of my house and my sanity.

I know I need to stay the course, for lack of a better term. I know I need to have something to rely on if (God forbid) I find myself in a situation where I will need to support K and me. And I know that I’ll be proud when I do accomplish this goal of mine. Right now, though? It sucks. It’s terrible.

On top of it all, Captain J is headed out into the field again. Very soon. Like on my birthday soon.

It’s times like these when being a military spouse is so hard. I’m going to be alone with a fussy 3 month old while attempting to make good grades in an online class that has so much busy work. Sleep is a thing of the past. And I have to do all this without coffee now b/c it upsets Baby K’s tummy. This mama is stressed and feels like giving up.

I won’t though. Not yet anyway.