I was reading a blog about a mom with a bunch of kids who was trying to do her school shopping and one thing led to another and by the end of it she was covered in poop and when she tried to run back inside the store to wash her hands she found the toilets were broken and when she got back out to the car she discovered all of the stuff she'd just shoved in the car (around the 5 boxes of crap her husband had left in there - thank you darling) had all fallen out on the road.
I like to listen to what some may consider inappropriate music. Mostly rap from my younger days, and perhaps a metal song or two sprinkled in for my listening pleasure. (But never around the children. Its my dirty secret, and I play it really loud when I'm alone. And even though it's always the radio edit version, I feel like a teenager and like I'm really cool and still relevant.)
Whilst I was reading about this mom's experience, I was reminded of a event in my own life. I was shopping in Home Depot. I could have been with a family member who was visiting. Maybe my sister? I don't remember, to be honest. Anyhow, I had the two kids, Lexi and Addie. And, while we were going about our merry business, Addie did some major business. I mean, like, all over her body. It was up her back and down her legs and in every nook and cranny. I think some may have even made it on the ceiling. There was no way I was going to get away with using wipes to clean the mess.
So, I considered my options, and decided to give her a bath. In the Home Depot bathroom. I stripped her down in one sink, filled another with some water, let her "play" a bit while cleaned the one I'd used to get her nekked (and good heavens it was n-a-s-t-y), washed her good and clean and dried her off with the paper towels.
And now, when I rap "The Humpty Dance", I rap, "I once got busy in a Home Depot bathroom."
8.14.2013
8.11.2013
Where We're At: Sofia
Oh man, am I slacking. I typically write these little summaries of the kids every few months, and I haven't done much of anything for poor Sofia. Sure, I've taken lots of adorable pictures, but I haven't written much about her. Truthfully, I've done this in the past, in large part, as a way for me to revisit certain ages so that I can remember what worked and what didn't work. Sofia is our last so I really don't give a crap need to worry about that anymore.
But, I do wanna remember some of the little things that make her who she is as a baby. I have exactly 18 minutes so I'm gonna try to jam it all in.
Sofia is independent and driven. She is already trying to crawl and is successfully making her way around the house. She is 5.5 months old. All of my kids are early with their motor skills, but she is the earliest. I'm happy for her because she likes being able to get around. I'm sad for me because my life will suck for the next year while I try to wrangle her.
She eats Neocate because of milk/soy allergies. She doesn't eat much - maybe 4.5 oz every 3.5-4 hours. Sometimes, it's only 3.5 oz. She's horrible to feed. And I mean, it's just a pain to feed this kid. She looks around. She squirms. She tries to roll over. She's so uninterested in eating. She can't quite hold her own bottle or I'd just throw it at her and let her fend for herself. I really can't wait until she's off the bottle and at the table with us. We've started her on solids. Rice cereal was a problem so we waited a couple of months and went straight to sweet potatoes. She likes them and we'll be adding different foods here pretty quickly.
She still gets Prilosec three times a day. I still crack open the capsules and make our baby "crack" lines. I put each dose in cupcake liner and pour it into a syringe filled with apple juice. She loves it and her reflux is managed pretty well.
She does not sleep through the night. She still eats around 4 or 5 a.m. This is the longest we've ever had a kid need to eat in the middle of the night. We're kind of getting sick of it 'cause we really like to sleep and we want to start doing that again.
Sofia is a slobbery kid. And a spitty kid. Ugh. She spits up all. the. time. Super gross. If she wasn't my own kid, I wouldn't want anything to do with her. She is also a very loud child. She likes to yell. Not because she's sad or mad or hungry. Nope. She just likes to hear herself. She just straight.up.yells.
She is somewhat high maintenance in that she's not content to just hang out for very long in any one place. Again, with the independence and being driven. She's pretty much over this being a baby thing.
One milestone that has been life changing is that she doesn't hate the car anymore. In fact, when she's fussy and we're trying to get out the door, we put her in the car seat (she's back in the infant type you carry) and let her chill while we get organized. She rides quiet most of the time and is happy to hang out in there when we are doing errands, at church, etc. I'm super, duper, like doing a cartwheel happy about this because school starts tomorrow and driving around with a screaming baby is worse than water torture.
I happened to be reading a baby summary of Addie at this age and I could have almost just reposted it for Sofia. Addie was a little more easy going, but otherwise, they are identical. Sofia doesn't like to cuddle at all. She wants to face out. I still dream feed her and I'll try to sneak a cuddle in after she finishes her bottle. The minute I put her up on my shoulder to snuggle, she jerks her head up, and pushes away from me. I mean, from a dead-mouth-gaping-open sleep to straight-up-stiff-arming me. Then, she gets mad and cries. I put her in her bed, she rolls over, and falls immediately to sleep. She puts everything in her mouth. Her hunger and sleep cues are just like Addie's were - a mild whine that escalates to shrill screaming in a matter of minutes if she's not fed or put to bed when she's tired or hungry. She is a pretty smiley baby. She giggles a little bit now and then. When she's excited, she breathes in and out really fast and waves her arms wildly about.
We are all pretty enamored with this little girl - spit, slobber, and all. Her sisters are wonderful to her. They love her, squish her, and make her giggle. They genuinely enjoy her being in our family. She has really rounded out the bunch.
As parents, we are more mature about the whole baby thing. We know it's finite. We know that the difficult moments are just that, moments. We know that it does, without a doubt, get better. That the rough patches last only days or a couple of weeks until she's onto the next thing. We know that we'll blink and it will be a year from now and she'll be a toddler, using words, and fighting for independence. We so look forward to doing all the things we've been waiting to do as we've been immersed in the "getting them here" phase. We're done with that mission, and now we're moving into the "enjoying our kids" phase. They are growing and becoming capable and trustworthy little humans. They are adventurous and eager to learn about and see what is going on in this world. There is something so fulfilling about being a family, building those bonds ofsuffering joy, and experiencing this life together. We're so glad that Sofia is finally here; she's completed us.
But, I do wanna remember some of the little things that make her who she is as a baby. I have exactly 18 minutes so I'm gonna try to jam it all in.
Sofia is independent and driven. She is already trying to crawl and is successfully making her way around the house. She is 5.5 months old. All of my kids are early with their motor skills, but she is the earliest. I'm happy for her because she likes being able to get around. I'm sad for me because my life will suck for the next year while I try to wrangle her.
She eats Neocate because of milk/soy allergies. She doesn't eat much - maybe 4.5 oz every 3.5-4 hours. Sometimes, it's only 3.5 oz. She's horrible to feed. And I mean, it's just a pain to feed this kid. She looks around. She squirms. She tries to roll over. She's so uninterested in eating. She can't quite hold her own bottle or I'd just throw it at her and let her fend for herself. I really can't wait until she's off the bottle and at the table with us. We've started her on solids. Rice cereal was a problem so we waited a couple of months and went straight to sweet potatoes. She likes them and we'll be adding different foods here pretty quickly.
She still gets Prilosec three times a day. I still crack open the capsules and make our baby "crack" lines. I put each dose in cupcake liner and pour it into a syringe filled with apple juice. She loves it and her reflux is managed pretty well.
She does not sleep through the night. She still eats around 4 or 5 a.m. This is the longest we've ever had a kid need to eat in the middle of the night. We're kind of getting sick of it 'cause we really like to sleep and we want to start doing that again.
Sofia is a slobbery kid. And a spitty kid. Ugh. She spits up all. the. time. Super gross. If she wasn't my own kid, I wouldn't want anything to do with her. She is also a very loud child. She likes to yell. Not because she's sad or mad or hungry. Nope. She just likes to hear herself. She just straight.up.yells.
She is somewhat high maintenance in that she's not content to just hang out for very long in any one place. Again, with the independence and being driven. She's pretty much over this being a baby thing.
One milestone that has been life changing is that she doesn't hate the car anymore. In fact, when she's fussy and we're trying to get out the door, we put her in the car seat (she's back in the infant type you carry) and let her chill while we get organized. She rides quiet most of the time and is happy to hang out in there when we are doing errands, at church, etc. I'm super, duper, like doing a cartwheel happy about this because school starts tomorrow and driving around with a screaming baby is worse than water torture.
I happened to be reading a baby summary of Addie at this age and I could have almost just reposted it for Sofia. Addie was a little more easy going, but otherwise, they are identical. Sofia doesn't like to cuddle at all. She wants to face out. I still dream feed her and I'll try to sneak a cuddle in after she finishes her bottle. The minute I put her up on my shoulder to snuggle, she jerks her head up, and pushes away from me. I mean, from a dead-mouth-gaping-open sleep to straight-up-stiff-arming me. Then, she gets mad and cries. I put her in her bed, she rolls over, and falls immediately to sleep. She puts everything in her mouth. Her hunger and sleep cues are just like Addie's were - a mild whine that escalates to shrill screaming in a matter of minutes if she's not fed or put to bed when she's tired or hungry. She is a pretty smiley baby. She giggles a little bit now and then. When she's excited, she breathes in and out really fast and waves her arms wildly about.
We are all pretty enamored with this little girl - spit, slobber, and all. Her sisters are wonderful to her. They love her, squish her, and make her giggle. They genuinely enjoy her being in our family. She has really rounded out the bunch.
As parents, we are more mature about the whole baby thing. We know it's finite. We know that the difficult moments are just that, moments. We know that it does, without a doubt, get better. That the rough patches last only days or a couple of weeks until she's onto the next thing. We know that we'll blink and it will be a year from now and she'll be a toddler, using words, and fighting for independence. We so look forward to doing all the things we've been waiting to do as we've been immersed in the "getting them here" phase. We're done with that mission, and now we're moving into the "enjoying our kids" phase. They are growing and becoming capable and trustworthy little humans. They are adventurous and eager to learn about and see what is going on in this world. There is something so fulfilling about being a family, building those bonds of
8.03.2013
Every Member a Missionary
Me {via FB to a long time friend of mine who does not belong to the LDS church}: Hey, We are going to the beach next Saturday. It's in Capitola (never been). It's with church so there will be gobs of kids there. It would be a long drive, but I want to extend the invite. We'll be bringing the canopy, food, games, etc. You'd just need to show up. I was thinking you guys could come here and we can go together - or if you'd rather not ride in a car with all of the loud kids, just caravan -. No pressure, but I keep thinking I should invite you so I am!
My friend: Oh that sounds like fun! Next Saturday as in the 10th? {insert smiley face}
Me: Yeah. New Brighton beach.
My friend: Don't think I've ever been there
My friend: Oh that sounds like fun! Next Saturday as in the 10th? {insert smiley face}
Me: Yeah. New Brighton beach.
My friend: Don't think I've ever been there
A few minutes later...
My friend {tentatively - it's palpable, even in writing}: So tell me more about what is planned for that day? Just people hanging out or a church function?
Me {chuckling inside}: Just hanging out. I think there is going to be a sand castle contest, beach volleyball, and something else if people want to do it. Snacks provided.
But, the ocean is right there so we will be baptizing anyone we can capture and get into the water.
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About Me
- Riddlez
- What started as a way to communicate with far away friends and family has become a place for this horse trainer/HR manager turned stay at home mom of 3 girls to hold on to a bit of her own identity. It's my take on the ins and outs, the ups and downs, the thoughts and feelings, the mistakes and triumphs of this family as we bumble our way to eternity.