On behalf of Woman’s Hospital and our Mommy bloggers, we would like to announce the birth of Molly Ann Kyle! She was born on Monday, May 14, 2012. She is welcomed by her parents, Kelly and Chris Kyle, and proud big sister Lucy. She weighed in right at 8 lb. and is 21 inches long. Mom, Dad, Big Sister and Baby Molly are all doing great! Congratulations and Best Wishes to the Kyle Family! We look forward to watching Baby Molly grow!
As an infant, Ridge slept like a champ. He’d sleep from feeding to feeding without much trouble. At the time he was sleeping in a small crib in our room. However, when we started introducing him to baby foods, he got in the habit of waking up with gas around 10:30 or 11 and would end up sleeping in our bed. This method was mostly a survival technique in that if Ridge slept next to me, I could pat him back to sleep periodically through the night when he woke up without too much effort on my part.
After about a month of this middle of the night bed swapping, I decided it was time for him to start sleeping in his own bed, in his own room permanently. Ridge had no problem falling asleep in his bed upstairs; however, he did have trouble staying asleep in his bed. He would still wake up at least once during the night with gas, usually around 11 p.m. After a week of this, I modified his diet a bit to see if he would sleep better. It worked; however, he was used to waking up at the same time every night and moving into our bed.
After a few nights of trying to rock him back to sleep I decided to try the tough love method and let him cry it out a bit to see if he would learn to be a better self-soother and fall back asleep. Up until this point, we didn’t really let him cry too much at night for fear he’d wake his brother whose bedroom is next door.
This cry-it-out method was kind of hit or miss. A few nights he’d cry for a bit then go back to sleep, a few nights I rocked him back to sleep, and a few nights I relied on a late night bottle to do the trick. After a few weeks of this, I awoke last Thursday morning in sheer amazement when I looked at the alarm clock and noted that it was 5:30 in the morning and realized I had been asleep ALL NIGHT. I rushed up stairs to be sure Ridge was ok and there he was sleeping soundly in his crib.
Just like that, the day all mother’s wait for had arrived, the day your baby sleeps all night in their own room. It was nothing short of miraculous. We’ve had three nights just like that in the past week and I couldn’t be happier. It only took nine months but who’s counting right?
Oooh Life! You’re never in one stage for long, huh? There are so many BIG transitions between 17 and 30. I remember graduating from high school and being so afraid of the huge tasks ahead of me. Before I knew it I was a college student learning how to study. Then I was an “adult” on my own learning how to survive in the real world. I remember loving living on my own for the first time and having my own place and doing whatever I wanted. It was so freeing! Then you fall in love and you adjust to sharing everything—which really isn’t much different from living with college roommates. And now, it’s like reverting back to living with your family as a kid: nothing is yours. You share everything with your kids and husband. The circle of life!
There’s always a period of “What am I doing? What’s going on?” before we all find our perfect little fit. Brian’s transition into becoming a Daddy was natural—he’s always been great with kids. I think his perfect fit is with
toddlers (more so than newborns at least); although he is great with babies and kids of all ages. He just seems to be able to entertain Camille so well and he is so patient with her. I’m not nearly as good with her as he is. I think my perfect fit is with older kids (hence: high school teacher as career path), so I haven’t transitioned into a perfect fit yet. I’m still in the “what’s going on?” phase most of the time. But, we survive and do well and have a great time. Camille’s a riot and Maggie’s a sweetheart. I was always so afraid to transition into being a Mom because I didn’t want to lose my sense of “me.” Sometimes I feel like I have and that I don’t have much of “me” left…but is that really a sad thing? I’ll have plenty of time for “me” when my kids move out and it’s just me and Dr. B. again. I wouldn’t trade being a mom to these two girls for anything.
For now, we have transitioned into a good routine with naps and eating and play time and we are stabilized for now. We have managed to transition from one kid to two without much of a crazy period. Now we can look forward to transitioning into different stages of growth. Potty Training is coming up. Oooooh, I can’t wait to blog about that craziness. We’re already having potty time. Camille says potty and goes to the bathroom and sits on the lid. Nothing happens, but at least she’s getting comfortable sitting up there and being in the bathroom. Soon we’ll have to transition into being bigger disciplinarians. Ugh. Time out for throwing a block is so much easier than time out for being mean. It’s easy to teach “don’t throw”, but how do you teach “don’t be jealous”?
I feel like a student all over again: the challenges ahead seem so overwhelming and difficult. I feel like I’ll never make it and will do a horrible job. Of course, when you start tackling those challenges it seems a lot less scary—you just roll with the punches. Here’s to hoping we don’t actually have to do with literal punches.
Side note: Transitioning back to work was a piece of cake this time around. Yay! Just 8 days left of work anyway.
Tomorrow is an incredibly sentimental holiday, Mother’s Day, which will also mark the third time I celebrate as a mother. While sometimes my two and a half years of motherhood seem short, there are other times when I am certain it should be counted in dog years. It is hard work, but I can’t remember what life was like before I became a mother. I know I was well rested, napped frequently, had a clean house, spent too much money on completely unnecessary things I just HAD to have, and the list goes on.
Life is funny. Once I drank the Kool-Aid there was no looking back. When I was pregnant I knew something big was about to happen, but I didn’t fully understand it. Sure, I already loved my unborn child more than anything in the world…but I hadn’t experience “that” moment yet. It took meeting my little man before things became real. When he was born, I held him for 5 second, max, and didn’t see him again for two days because we were both in bad shape. During my stay in the ICU I saw a couple of pictures and finally sent J packing with strict orders, “Do not come back into this room until you have video proof there really IS a baby,” I demanded. At that point those 5 seconds O was in my arms seemed like a dream, but sure enough I saw the video…there was a baby. Each day away from him pushed me further into denial…he couldn’t really be that small.
Husband: “So, what do you want for Mother’s Day this year?”
Me: “Wait, what?” (Confusion…then big smiles!) “That’s right! I am a mother this year!!”
I have been so busy trying to figure out what to get my mother and my mother-in-law for Mother’s Day that it completely escaped me that this year…I get to be included! Now that I am officially a mom, I feel like I am in the club or something. It’s pretty special! Last year on Mother’s Day, I was pregnant with Baby Key. Even though I felt like a mother already at that point, having Baby Key on the outside makes me a 100% certified MOM.
Between jobs, family trips, and…well, just keeping our heads above water…we have been so busy and I have not really had the time to think about what I want to do on my special day. Quite honestly, the best gift anyone could give me would be sleep. I feel like I run on empty these days, though I think I might be getting used to it. (Do you ever really get used to that little sleep?) I have just resigned myself to the fact that I might be tired for the next several years. Ideally, I would love to sleep in and do nothing…and not feel guilty about it.
My husband asked me for ideas for a Mothers’ Day gift this past week, and I immediately laughed to myself – does he want realistic suggestions, or my true wish list? Here’s both!
Realistic:
1. Dinner and a movie – eating a meal without a child in my lap or taking food
off my plate would be nice.
2. Flowers – something that looks pretty and will last a little while to brighten
up my office.
3. Massage – no explanation needed for this one.
My Wish List:
Here’s to Mother’s Day, a day we celebrate and recognize the endless amount of hard work, love and dedication of mother’s everywhere.
Here’s to my mom, an uber-fantastic, highly energetic and inspirational mother who has always been a great example of the type of woman and mother I wanted to become. She was a stay-at-home mom who raised three rambunctious children with the utmost care and attention. She nurtured us without smothering us, encouraged us without pushing us, and disciplined us just the right amount to keep us on track in life so we would grow up to be respectable adults. Once we were well on our way to adulthood, she returned to the workforce and is now a very successful development director, who never passes up the opportunity to help or encourage someone along the way. She’s also a grandmother, or as we call her, mamee’, to seven children who range in age from seven to zero.
Mother’s Day is coming up for those of you who aren’t calendar friendly (me!!!)! I have already had to look up the date three times. This week is also teacher appreciation week. I think it’s very appropriate that these are close together since Moms and Teachers have so much in common. However….how did Moms only get a day and Teachers get a week?? Moms are with these kids for the rest of their lives, not just the rest of the school year! I’m not really upset about this since I am both.
Moms…do I really need to discuss the reasons Moms should be so greatly appreciated? Shouldn’t it be enough that you were a parasite on your mother for 10 months? If not, isn’t it then enough that you came out of her body in a less than pleasant way? Still not enough? How about the fact that she woke up to feed you every two to three hours for a few months? Then she lost her hair from the trauma of your birth…and no one wanted to be around her because she was a hormonal mess…and she did all of this happily because that’s how much she loves you. Could there be bigger love??? I mean…let’s not even visit the teenage years you put her (or are going to put her) through. And then you leave her and start your own life. Can you tell I’m still in the hormonal mess stage?? Goodness.
The similarities between my two guys are striking. Not so much with regards to their looks, although each respective side of the family will be happy to argue which genes are more dominant, but their interests and personalities. Watching J interact with Owen is so special. Most of the time it feels like my heart might literally burst, and other times I see where boys pick up their “boy” behaviors (learning first-hand from the very creator of the aforementioned behavior). Then, there are times when I peek through the window or crouch behind furniture with my hand over my mouth; nothing ruins a pure moment like laughter and knowing that you are being watched. My two guys are hysterical…the things they talk about, the way they play…as I’ve said before, there is never a dull moment in our house. While I’m sure you believe me, I’ve collected concrete evidence to back up my statement. Let’s review, shall we?
In the past couple of weeks, Baby Key has started drooling uncontrollably. I mean, seriously, one second he is in a fresh outfit and then next, it looks as if I just ran him through a sprinkler with all of his clothes on! We were just getting to the point where we didn’t have to use bibs all of the time since he had stopped spitting up so much. But now that the drooling has started, we are using them again!
I know most other moms think it is probably ridiculous that I say this, but I am so excited for Baby Key to start teething! I am excited that he his growing and getting bigger. I am also happy because this means that we can expand the food selection that we offer to him. Granted, the general fussiness is not exactly fun for everyone, but knowing that it is only temporary is getting us through it. Plus, we have found some fun products that have helped ease the pain for him.
Here are my 3 favorite products for a teething baby:
Jeffry and Sadie are old enough now to recognize logos and what they mean – and, of course, the golden arches logo of McDonald’s is the first one they learned! Early on, they would ask for “chickie nuggets & finch fries” when we would pass one on the road, and couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t stop at each one we passed. On the weekends, I started bringing them for lunch on Saturdays – mainly just to get out of the house for a little while, and to let them blow off some steam in the play area. The backyard is great, but an air-conditioned play area just feels better sometimes!
Everyone knows that time flies and it seems that the older you get, the faster it goes. The same can be said with having kids, the more you have the faster time moves. With kids, the passage of time is more noticeable because you watch them grow and literally see time passing as they go from babies, to toddlers, to children and then beyond. As a parent you are so busy raising your kids and all of the things involved with that grand task that you don’t have time to stop and think, and when you do, it’s surprising how much time has passed.
I’m somewhat shocked that my first child is now 2.5 years old and growing up more and more everyday, let alone that my newborn is now closing in on the 9-months mark. It seems like just yesterday I was fumbling my way through my first pregnancy clueless as to how my life would change once I actually became a mom. Now I have two adorable little boys who seem to be on the fast track to adulthood. I know all moms feel that way, like time passes too quickly and your babies grow up too fast. I think the fact that I work full-time, and away from the kids 8 hours a day makes this realization even stronger. The hours I spent with them are so precious and pass all too quickly.
Farewell Maternity Leave. Hello four weeks of work before summer. Again I say: Thank God I am a teacher. How do people work all year long and only have a couple of weeks off? I couldn’t do it. I will take teenagers and their attitudes and quirks any day.
Okay—back to the point: I have to go back to work this week. Last year I was so ready to go back to work. I was even excited! I still cried when I had to leave Camille with my Mom (yeah—not even at daycare and I cried), but at least there was that energized feeling. This year I just don’t have it. I don’t want to leave my baby or have to get back into an early morning routine. I don’t want to have to wear business casual dress clothes every day (because everything is still either too big or too small and I feel like a bag lady regularly). I don’t want to have to pump twice a day at work (because it’s boring and someone will walk in on me, I just know it!). Whine. Whine. Whine. Did I mention that I am also suffering from a feminine scourge that we all deal with on a monthly basis? Yes. TMI, but seriously. Just in time to start work. Not only do I have soft belly and back fat reserves for days, but now I’m also bloated and cranky. My poor, poor students. At least it’s just four weeks.
Just as the weather warmed up, out came a familiar site. No, it wasn’t the typical sights of Spring, but an old favorite Halloween shirt. My now 6-year old, Edwin wore it religiously for two years ago. I considered throwing it away when he outgrew it, but I couldn’t do it so I packed it away for his little brother. And here it is now: Halloween in April. It doesn’t bother me near as much this time. I actually find it sweet.
Seeing the shirt again reminded me of this blog post that I wrote a few years ago.
Enjoy!
I have a lot of friends standing on the edge with their two kids, trying to decide if they will take the plunge for Number 3. We’ve actually become the poster family of what can happen when you go for just one more. Our Number 3 has 20 fingers and 20 toes and we wouldn’t exchange them for a crust-free sofa.
