Thoughts from One Mom to Another

Thursday, April 7, 2011

FATspiration Tip #2

Keep pushing yourself!

This is my second week of eating healthier and exercising regularly. I must be perfectly honest. It's different this time. I've started thousands of diets, and I usually don't make it through the first week. I don't know why I've suddenly developed will power, but I have.

There are tough days, but I think that's what makes WW a good program for me. If I need to indulge in a sweet treat, I can. I'm training myself to think about it first though. Sure, I would rather eat chocolate all day than fruit and veggies, but are the points worth it? For me? Right now? No.

This brings me (again) to my second FATspiration tip.

KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF! Don't give up. Make yourself get up off your rear end and exercise. Make yourself experiment with food until you find healthier options you can actually enjoy. Yes, it's hard, but it gets easier. If you get past the 3rd day, you can keep going. You may not want to, but you can. :-)

FATspiration Tip #1

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The Teething Monster (Symptoms and Remedies)

Dear Teething Monster,
I appreciate you coming in waves. I know you mean well. You're trying to give us a break here and there. I get it... but for the love of God, please just get it over with already.
Thanks,
Me

I haven't been posting regularly this week as my daughter has been teething. It is brutal, and I'm exhausted. My little angel has transformed into this screaming demon child. Of course, I don't mean that, and yes, I feel terribly sorry for her, but my goodness. I had to sit her in her playpen for less than 1 minute to stir dinner this evening. My husband heard her screaming down the road as he walked home from work. All doors and windows to the house were closed. We've been dealing with this whole teething thing since she was 4 months old, but it would come in waves and has never been so intense. Why has this week been so bad? I found the culprit. There is a tiny little hint of white on her bottom gums. :-)

This brings me to the topic of today's post. If you think your baby might be teething and are looking for signs and ways to help, you're in the right place. Most babies begin teething between 4 and 7 months, but ALL babies are different. My daughter will be 10 months tomorrow and still has no teeth surfacing. Again, please note that I am not a pediatrician; if your child is experiencing a high fever or seems to be suffering from some sort of ailment, please consult your doctor.

Signs Your Baby May Be Teething

Excessive drooling
Fussiness
Irritability
Trouble sleeping
Fever
Runny nose
Coughing
Decrease in appetite

Possible Ways to Help Ease Baby's Discomfort

Chilled teething rings
Chilled pacifiers (This is a trick I learned from my sister. I use the Soothies pacifiers because the entire thing chills and my daughter likes to chew on the base. She hasn't used pacifiers in months but likes to chew on these. Soothies also makes teething pacifiers, but I've never tried them.)
Baby Orajel (Naturals or the original formula)
Clove Oil
Infant Acetaminophen and/or Motrin
Teething Tablets
Chilled baby food
Water (to rehydrate)
Use a clean finger to rub gums
Snacks that Baby can chew (arrowroot cookies, Gerber Graduates snacks)
If your baby develops a rash from the drooling, pat the skin dry, then coat with petroleum jelly or Aquaphor.
Comfort and Love :)

The most important advice I can give is this:

Be patient. Take deep breaths through the crying and remember your baby is experiencing major discomfort. It isn't his fault that his gums hurt and your schedule isn't working out as planned. :-)

For further reading, visit the sites listed below.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Precious Pictures

I'm exhausted today. I spent ALL day yesterday experimenting in the kitchen. The apple cake I tried was a dud. However, the lasagna I made was amazing! I actually made the tomato sauce from scratch, and it was delicious. I used a Weight Watchers recipe but added ground turkey to half of the lasagna so my husband would have some meat. He liked it as well and still doesn't believe it was a WW recipe.

I'm too tired to think of a clever post for today, so I'm just going to upload some very cute pictures of my very cute daughter. :-) Enjoy!

Friday, April 1, 2011

Ultimate Blog Party 2011!!!

If you haven't joined the Ultimate Blog Party at 5MinutesforMom, you should check it out. There are thousands of other blogs to explore and new blogging friends to meet. This is my first year as a participant, and I'm excited. :-)

If you're just now discovering my blog, let me tell you a little bit about me and the topics I discuss here at Stories and Advice for Moms. I originally started this blog a few months after my daughter was born. I had been teaching high school English, Speech, and Drama for 3 years, gave birth to a GORGEOUS baby girl on June 7, 2010, and decided to take a year off to stay home and care for her.

My husband and I have been living and working on the Navajo reservation in AZ since graduating college and getting married in 2007. We are in an isolated, rural area and far away from family and friends. We've been given this amazing gift and are on our own to try to figure out how to take care of her. :-) As a new stay-at-home mom with no family around to help, I spent hours researching lots of mom information on the internet. I became overwhelmed with all of the information out there and decided to start a blog where I could summarize the key information many new moms are seeking. That was my intention. :-)

Little did I know, this blog would help me overcome my postpartum anger and insomnia. Many of my earlier posts cover all of those postpartum issues that aren't so glamorous. I write about the ugly stuff we deal with but don't really hear too much about. :-)

In addition to writing about PPD, I also share stories about my little girl, baby development, DIY ideas, recipes, and my most recent challenge... losing the baby weight! :-) Well, maybe it's not "baby weight" that I'm losing, but it's a good cover.

My most popular posts are listed to the right. Check them out if you're interested! You can also search my blog for other topics. Please feel free to join the "followers" along the way! If you leave a comment, I'll follow you back. :-) Thanks for stopping by!

Suddenly My Baby is a Little Girl

I am entering yet another new chapter in my crazy life and I am doing so with incredibly mixed emotions. It seems as though my baby has turned into a little girl overnight....

Our little Emma has developed a distinct personality and is starting to turn into a toddler. Don't be deceived by the lack of hair. :-) She's making calculated decisions, discovering her surroundings, and expressing emotions. She claps when she's happy and proud and cries when trying to manipulate situations. She's amazing.

I'm excited for her. She is so happy exploring things on her own and developing new skills. The selfish part in me is a little sad that I'm already losing the little baby we brought home from the hospital. I'm sad that she won't be depending on me every second of every day. Sad that this is only the beginning of a whirlwind of change. However, it's awesome to be a part of it. :-) I'm blessed to be able to share each of these new steps with this beautiful little girl.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stylish Blog Award!!!

Thanks to Kagi, at Sweetened By Kagi, I have received a Stylish Blog Award! She passed this award along to me today, and I am excited to be a part of it. Thank you so much, Kagi! Check out her blog for some awesome ideas for creative and adorable sweet treats. For all of you moms out there, she has some really cute Elmo themed cakes and cookies. :-) Thanks again, Kagi!

Here are the RULES that come along with winning this award:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Pay it forward to 15 bloggers that you have recently discovered.

4. Contact bloggers and tell them about their award!

**********

{7 Random Facts About Me}

My favorite foods are tomatoes, macaroni and cheese, and taco salad.
I'm obsessed with music and LOVE to sing.
I rock a pretty awesome clarinet! :-)
My sister is my best friend.
I want to be a cosmetologist.
Janis Joplin is my favorite female performer of all time.
I think everyone needs to know and live the message in Matisyahu's "One Day".

Should I Let the Baby Cry at Night??

Who knew this topic was such a controversial issue?? Last night, as my daughter delved into the 24th minute of screaming cries, I entered this topic into my search engine and began reading. I had no idea how many mothers are so passionate about their perspectives on this debate. I was just searching to see what I would find. After reading the terrible things mothers have said to each other, I've decided to write about it and provide unbiased pros and cons. *** This question shouldn't be asked until the baby is old enough to sleep through the night in his or her crib. Obviously, young babies need more feedings regardless the time of day.

First, I would like to preface this with the fact that not a single parent in the world wants to be told they're abusing their kids or setting them up for emotional and physical turmoil. This debate, for example, seems to encroach upon that territory. If you do not let your child cry at night, I respect it. If you do let your child cry at night, I respect it. As long as the child is being loved and properly cared for, these are your decisions as parents. I go with my gut on these things, and you should as well. Ultimately, you know what is best for your little ones.

For me, I was letting my daughter cry because she has recently started waking up the second her body is lowered down into her crib. Once she realizes where she is, she stands up and cries. Last night was the 3rd night in a row, and I don't want her thinking we're going to run in there every single time. My husband doesn't get to spend much time with her during the week as he works so many hours. Because of this, he thinks it's OK to spoil her on the weekends. I know he misses her and hates working as much as he does, so I've tried to be patient. Saturday, however, he rushed to her side as she cried in her crib and let her sleep in the bed with him. After about an hour, I put her back in her room and didn't hear a sound until the next morning. The following night was HORRIBLE. She cried and cried and cried. Finally, I brought her to bed but only because I could not physically stay awake any longer. Around 2am, I put her back in her crib.

Last night, I decided we should wait and see if she stopped crying. I hate letting her cry and can't stand her being upset, but I do NOT want her climbing into bed with us every night as she gets older. It's common sense to know if we continue allowing her to sleep with us every time she cries, this behavior will continue to repeat itself. As we let her cry last night, the cries turned to screams and gasps for breath. Yes, I want to comfort my child. I'm not a monster. It got more difficult the longer the cries lasted, so I thought would search and see what other moms were saying about the issue.

After reading some feedback, I began to feel even more guilty about letting her cry. I still didn't want to reward the behavior, so I waited until she had stopped for a few minutes and checked on her. She was still standing there... defeated... but standing. Since she had calmed down, and blank faces from internet posts had made me feel guilty, I picked her up and cuddled her back to sleep.

Should I have felt guilty though? No. I know my kid. People can say it's impossible for a baby to be manipulative, but my kid is very manipulative. I know in my "gut" that I should have remained strong and let her soothe herself. She's almost 10 months old. She's very smart and independent. It's OK. As I said, this is my personal story about my child. Your parenting style may be different and your child's needs may be different as well.

After reading the various arguments floating around, I've decided to construct them into 2 lists below. The first list is why women say we should let the baby cry and the second, why we should not let the baby cry. I've also included a few links you can check out for more stories and advice. If you've found this post via a search engine, please note I am not a doctor or medical professional. I merely research and summarize. :-)

Why It's OK (Supposedly)

Baby needs to learn to soothe himself
Baby won't develop the behavior of "controlled crying" in order to manipulate situations in the future
Baby will learn to comfortably sleep in his crib
Sometimes babies just cry
Need to learn to cope with separation anxiety
Schedule

Why It's Not OK (Supposedly)

Babies cry because they need something (not feeling well, diaper, food, comfort, sleep, etc.)
Emotional insecurity - Baby may not think the parent will be there when needed
Baby may not feel loved
Intense separation anxiety
Some people think it is selfish.
Baby will learn to associate the crib with fright and being upset rather than comfort and sleep.

Again, I am not saying I agree with each of these points. I think it is up to the parent to decide what is best for their child. Much of the response to this question seems to be one sided. If you're wondering whether or not it's OK to let your child cry, don't let anyone guilt you into deciding one way or the other. Read what you can, but ultimately, you know what is best.

For additional reading, click the links below.
Storknet
Boston.com Article
BabyCenter
MedHelp