What a Week!

It is always amazing what a difference a week can make in your life. Last week I was struggling with so many things but I have decided to really try hard to focus on the positive aspects of this whole journey. I have improved leaps and bounds from the 6 months since Molly was born. She is the light of my life, most of the time. This blog is about being honest, parenting is hard and not always rewarding but what is these days?

Refocusing

When you have a child it is really easy for that to take over your entire life but sometimes you need to remember to step back, focus on your relationship, friendships, the core elements that make you, you. This weekend I went on a really great lunch date with my husband where we ate warms meals with both hands simultaneously, it is surprising how rare that occurs for us these days. It was okay that we talked about Molly for most of the meal but we got a break and we decided what to talk about, not out of necessity but preference. We also did a little family outing to the barbershop and our local deli where was have been practically family for years. I have been able to get a good bit of knitting done (holidays are coming up!) My husband and I also managed to play some video games together, something we loved doing pre-Molly. My creative juices have been gearing up and I have so many ideas of stuff I want to make/create and it is great to feel that way again.

Food progress

Hooray for apples! Molly is really starting to like applesauce which I find to be a huge relief since I really enjoy apples, although we haven’t graduated to my favorites, Granny Smith.

I have also purchased some bananas that we will be trying out, possibly even allowing her to feed herself. At her 6 month check up today we were given the all clear on foods so we will start to experiment more and while I’m apprehensive I find that I’m also excited to see what she likes and dislikes. Also on the food front I will be stopping my milk intake to see if that helps with some of her digestive issues. We believe that is a huge factor of her sleep problems and so we have decided to first focus on resolving the tummy trouble before attempting sleep training again. On the carrot front, if you can remember the carrottastrophy, she isn’t a fan of cooked carrots in purée form but she enjoys gnawing on raw carrot sticks and she looks adorable doing it!

Here she is even holding her own bottle! We are just starting to try out sippy cups!

Today's Helpful Hint: if you are buying multiple packages of diapers tape the receipt to the side of one of the packages in case you need to exchange them for a bigger size, then you don't have to go searching!

On a sad note we will be moving this blog to WordPress, so the website will be mommyandmolly.wordpress.com. I will continue to keep you updated with the new page.

Sweet Potato Success

I am officially declaring sweet potatoes a success! I plan on making some apple purée and possibly even some mango purée this weekend (mangoes were on sale at the grocery store).

Stumbling at Sleep Training

Other than the first night we haven't been having much success at getting Molly to bed earlier than 10/11pm nor getting her to fall asleep in her crib. It is driving me to tears practically every night to listen to her cry and scream even for a few minutes. I feel terrible and guilty about it because I'm just trying to help her but it isn't working. It is truly heartbreaking to listen to your child cry. With permission from our pediatrician we put her back on her acid reflux medication and hopefully that will help. I don't know if I'm strong enough or patient enough to sleep train her but we will still keep trying a little bit at a time. 

Strides

Besides the sleep training I have actually managed to get some things done around our place and Molly has been working on growing up fast. It only took me since March to get curtains sewn and up in Molly's room. I'm really proud of how adorable they look.

Molly is working really hard on her teething and loves her teething corn! It was recommended to us from my cousin's wife who has one for their son.

Molly is even working hard at trying to feed herself from the bottle! She has been grasping at the bottle and trying to hold it practically since birth but now she is getting my successful at holding it up with milk in it! My little girl is growing up!

"I Need Help!"

Story time:

When I was a very young child I shared a room with my older sister so that she could yell for my parents when I tried to climb out of my crib. I was a perpetual climbing and one of the first phrases I was taught as a child was "I need help!" It came in very useful. I have a few stories that are often told about me, how my parents would hear me say the phrase and look over but couldn't find me only to then realize that I was hanging high up on a book shelf. Another time, when my Aunt was babysitting my sister and I, her stairs were blocked with a baby gate and I decided I wanted to go upstairs anyway so I climbed the outside of the stairs. When I asked for help my Aunt came running to see me hanging off the stairs over her marble floor. Needless to say I was a bit of a dare devil as a child. 

The reason I'm telling you these stories and memories are because of the realization that although "I need help" was one of my first phrases as a child I have found it increasingly harder as an adult to ask for help. The past week or so has been as hard on me as, how I remember it, from when we first came home from the hospital with Molly. I have been doubting my ability to be a mother, understanding my child and her wants/needs, contributing to my little family, and not suffocating myself with pressure. The word "should" is a killer. There are so many expectations of what parents provide for their child, how they provide it, development milestones, on top of being an adult, paying bills, making meals, doing laundry, and trying to keep a child that can't communicate effectively alive.  I know that a lot of the pressure I put on myself isn't always realistic much less having the expectations set in stone. Molly will develop at her own rate and I should be there to guide and support her. I try to give my best everyday but sometimes my best is not making it out of drool covered pajamas or showering that day, but as long as she is fed and in pretty good health it is a successful day. We, as a society, do not live in the communities that foster a village raising a child. It is difficult to raise a child with no support, but I'm incredibly blessed to have the copious amounts of support, I just need to relearn how to ask for help again. 

Enough with sad stuff, today's Helpful Hint: An inexpensive way to put bumpers on furniture is with pool noodles, simply cut through the ring and creating a "c" from the "o" and wrap in around sharp edges of furniture.

Weekend Warriors!

Sleep Class

I've been very excited about this weekend because I would have a chance to attend a Sleep Class to help us with Molly's sleeping issues. Although we had a good day this week it wasn't easily repeated. The class was great and very informative! I highly recommend that you check out our teacher's (Mara Post of Mara's Sleeping Beauties) website and Facebook pages to learn about her free info sessions. Yesterday we started trying to implement the strategies learned but I was having a hard time listening to her cry while trying to falling asleep but it was worth it. She ended up falling asleep, with a little help from my husband, by 9pm and slept until 8am this morning. It was really nice because it allowed me to spend some time with my husband without Molly diverting our attention. I did breakdown crying badly while listening to her cry, I questioned whether I was doing what we learned correctly, whether there was something else wrong and she wasn't just fighting sleep, whether I was selfish for just wanting some quality time with my husband, but as parents sometimes we have to do hard things for progress in the long run and this was one of those times.

After the class we stopped by a used bookstore and picked up some cute books for Molly. Here is a picture of Joe reading a book to Molly. This always warms my heart!

Saturday Afternoon

In the afternoon I started to make the sweet potato puree. Low and behold Molly didn't hate it (my interpretation since she didn't immediately spit it out or make a disgusted face). She isn't quite sure what to make of it but ate, for her, quite a bit, which is also more than the carrots and yellow squash. She always wants what Daddy is eating. I think it helps that we sometimes, not the whole eating session, let her touch it and put some in her mouth so that she can get used to the texture.

Sunday, Sweet Potato Day 2

Tonight I fed her the sweet potato. I even ate a little bit myself which is huge! She kept grabbing at the spoon so finally I let her feed herself and as a result, it is all over her nose! Amazingly adorable! Very little of the sweet potato was spit back out so we are getting better at eating and hopefully will start to like a few foods.

 

Tonight we (Molly and I) are still struggling with the sleeping but it's getting better. No tears from Mom (#momcomplishment) and while I sat it the room, showing Molly my support, she tried to self soothe with her fingers (I could hear the muffled cries and see some fingers in the mouth). I had to leave the room after 18 minutes of her crying and when I picked her up she let out a huge burp, so apparently she was upset about her gas. Dad then got her to sleep but she just woke up a few minutes ago so Super Dad is getting her back to sleep, we'll see how it goes. I never want to know this parenting journey without my awesome co-parent! 

Helpful Hint: Make lists! It is really hard to try to remember stuff when you are exhausted and have a million things running through your mind. There is also a great sense of accomplishment when you can cross even the littlest tasks off the list.

It's a Sleeping Miracle!!

The past couple days have been rough. Molly has been fighting taking any naps during the day and fighting going to sleep at night. Dad and I are exhausted! Last night though there was a sleeping miracle! Molly went to be at 11pm and slept until 8:30am (which used to be her normal sleep schedule) and today took multiple hour long naps! We are still feeding her a few bites of carrots to get her used to the taste but she still doesn't enjoy it. Dad and I are excited about going to a sleep class for babies tomorrow so we can get advice on helping her sleep better.
Here is a cute picture of us in our matching Hufflepuff gear!

Night Out with the Girls

Last night Molly and I went out with 2 of my best friends to Panera for dinner. I suggested my friends walk ahead when we arrived since it would take me some time to get Molly into the stroller and get the diaper bag. I got in line to order and a woman in front of me was admiring Molly. She apologized for staring but I told her I completely understood, my daughter was adorable. A minute later as we were all still waiting to order she leaned over and asked me if I'd be offended if she bought me dinner. I told her that she didn't have to but she insisted. It was one of those moments that absolutely restores your faith in humanity and that maybe the world isn't as awful as it appears sometimes. The past month has been rough with my PPD and this was a ray of light in my dreary weeks. It absolutely made my week! Molly was a big girl and sat in a high chair. Here is a picture of her getting a loving kiss from Auntie Tara.

A Good Day

Today was a good day. I know I've written that already but I need to keep reminding myself that each day is different and to appreciate the good ones. Huge #momcomplishment and #mollycomplishment was that we went grocery shopping and Molly rode in the cart as you can see from the picture below. This is a huge deal because I used to have crippling anxiety just driving anywhere with Molly and going by myself to stores with her. Now I can drive around without having white knuckles all the time and having to remind myself to breathe. She had a lot of admirers in the store. Everyday I'm getting braver and braver. We also picked up a sweet potato and an apple to make into separate purees for Molly to try in the next week. Hopefully she will enjoy them.

 

Helpful Hint: While it is important to trim your child's nails it doesn't have to be done all in one go. I was very anxious about possibly cutting Molly's tiny fingers but I told myself to just cut one fingernail at a time. The clipping can be spread out throughout the day or week, do it at your own pace. 

Remember:

I Can't Wait to Have Patience!

I have never had patience as a child and I find that it is sometimes worse as an adult. I frequently sing the opening lines to this song (a relic from my childhood) to remind myself to have patience and did not look up the song until just now to share with you.

When a parent is sleep deprived having patience is difficult, now if you never had patience to begin with it, it can be even worse! I find that I get frustrated easily with Molly because she cannot communicate yet, even if I teach her baby sign language. As mothers we are frequently told that everything will come naturally, understanding your child, breastfeeding, child rearing and many more things but it doesn't. I hate not knowing what it wrong and how to fix it for Molly. I have tried identifying her different cries, go through the list of items and activities to that could fulfill her needs but her needs are constantly changing with her attention span. One solution might fix the problem one time and not the next. It really doesn't help when your hormones react to a crying child. I will admit that I am looking forward to hitting a period of time where things are a little more consistent for a little longer than 3 months. I just have to focus on meeting her needs and taking deep breaths.

Activities with Your Child

Other fellow SAHM (Stay-at-home-moms) will know that having a schedule can be important in providing structure but it isn't always easy to know what to do each and every day while making sure the schedule doesn't become monotonous. Here are a bunch of ways to get out and about with your kiddos that are usually free!
-check with your local library about any child activity classes (a great place to meet other parents!)
-find any local museums or zoos
-visit a park or playground (to find a local park or playground visit KaBoom! for their Map of Play)
-check out your city or county recreation department for classes and activities
What are your favorite resources?

Helpful Hint: Make sure to have a wet/dry bag in your diaper bag. What is a wet/dry bag? It is a bag (instead of tons of ziplocks or plastic grocery bags) that has 2 zippered compartments, one side to hold soiled clothing and the other side to hold clean clothing in case your or your child needs a change of clothing while out and about. I purchased mine from BoopitaBoutique, please check her out!

Sunday Funday

Today's eating adventure was much more successful with Grandma Jane (see below) and Daddy taking the reins. Molly ate a little bit of carrot puree from both. Dad's method, I believe, is ingenious, but not something I could do! He ate a little bit of the puree which led Molly to, of course, want some. She wasn't particularly thrilled with his devious ways but was tricked into eating it multiple times. No projectile vomiting this time!

Checking out the Lost Dog

 

For a late lunch we visited the Lost Dog in Alexandria where Molly enjoyed watching various sports games on the television. This is a novel experience for her since we don't own a television (we just don't really watch it and what we want to watch we can usually find on Netflix or can visit a bar).

As you can see we are all riveted. 

Welcome Fall!

Watch out, it's also allergy season for some. I want to take the time to recommend the Nose Frieda! It works every time getting the really difficult boogers out, better than the bulb at the hospital.

It has truly been a nose changer! 

Helpful Hint: If you really want a cute fall picture with pumpkins but can't make it out to a farm (or if you're allergic to hay like this mom) try getting pictures of your kids (best for babies due to their size) with pumpkins at wherever they are sold. We plan on visiting a church selling pumpkins or even a bin at the grocery store*!
*only do this if you feel it is safe, at our local store the pumpkins were sitting on little steps which makes it safer and easier.