I love being R's mommy. It is the best job in the entire world. It pays in smiles and snuggles, but to me that's worth a million times more than Bill Gates makes in a year. R is my world and I would never trade a second that I spend with him.
However...motherhood is also one of the most exhausting things I've ever done. The last two days our sweet baby has had 1-2 screaming fits out of nowhere. It's frustrating and scary to have our baby screaming literally till he's red in the face. Of course he can't tell us what's bothering him so we spent 10 minutes tossing ideas back and forth, while comforting R, till we finally settled on an air bubble.
That's right...
An air bubble.
Within those 10 minutes he had burped 3 times and passed gas a handful of times and then suddenly all was well with the world again.
It's crazy how a small thing can cause such a major meltdown. Now I'm not complaining, mind you, because I, myself, have experienced the same issue and it's not pleasant. But Lordy be...the panic an air bubble can cause in both baby and mommy. By the time R's second meltdown was over today both he and I were ready for a good night's sleep.
I guess we'll chalk this one up as another lesson of parenthood thus far: the rogue air bubble.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Surprises everyday!
One of the things that I love most about being a mother is all of the new developments I get to witness each day.
Around 6 weeks, we noticed that R was starting to smile, intentionally, at us. Talk about the warm and fuzzy feelings!
Around 9-10 weeks, and especially now in week 11, he's starting to "talk" more and more to us. He'll even hold a conversation of sorts with us. It's so neat to watch him come into his own personality.
We've seen him roll over (albeit on accident, we think, since he hasn't done it since), roll to his side, lift his head 45 degrees during tummy time, and so much more.
But the things that really get me are the stunts that catch me totally off guard.
Take today for example, I put R in his swaddler for his nap. The boy loves to be swaddled. Now if you haven't seen a Summer swaddler, it's basically like a blanket with strategically placed velcro to ensure a snug swaddle. Two hours later, when I hear he's awake, I walk in to get him. What I don't expect is to find that he has escaped his swaddler. Both arms are out of the swaddler and it looks as though he's gotten it unvelcroed as well. He's 2.5 months old. How has he accomplished this?!?
It looks like we won't be in the swaddler much longer. My baby is growing up so fast.
Around 6 weeks, we noticed that R was starting to smile, intentionally, at us. Talk about the warm and fuzzy feelings!
Around 9-10 weeks, and especially now in week 11, he's starting to "talk" more and more to us. He'll even hold a conversation of sorts with us. It's so neat to watch him come into his own personality.
We've seen him roll over (albeit on accident, we think, since he hasn't done it since), roll to his side, lift his head 45 degrees during tummy time, and so much more.
But the things that really get me are the stunts that catch me totally off guard.
Take today for example, I put R in his swaddler for his nap. The boy loves to be swaddled. Now if you haven't seen a Summer swaddler, it's basically like a blanket with strategically placed velcro to ensure a snug swaddle. Two hours later, when I hear he's awake, I walk in to get him. What I don't expect is to find that he has escaped his swaddler. Both arms are out of the swaddler and it looks as though he's gotten it unvelcroed as well. He's 2.5 months old. How has he accomplished this?!?
It looks like we won't be in the swaddler much longer. My baby is growing up so fast.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
To teethe or not to teethe...
That is the question. The million dollar one actually.
Looking at my sweet baby boy I now see a face full of drool, swollen gums, and a fussier than normal baby. He's only 2.5 months old and so many people tell me that he couldn't possibly be teething yet. I beg to differ. Reading up on teething provide so many different perspectives. Some claim a list of "symptoms" while others claim there really are no distinct "symptoms." Either way, if I've learned anything thus far in parenting, it's that I should trust my gut. Mama knows best. And this mama says my boy is teething.
Now when it comes to teething this early I find that I am a lack for pain relief methods. We don't want to give R any over-the-counter remedies and so there isn't much I can do for the little fella. We have Hyland's homeopathic gel for his gums, but the instructions say that it shouldn't be used until 4 months of age. We also have Sophie the teether, but again we aren't supposed to bust her out until 3 months of age due to the possibility of a latex allergy in babies.
So what's a mama to do? For now lots and lots of cuddling and comforting. And you know what? That's just fine with me. My baby will only be little for so long and I want to cherish every moment of his babyhood just as I plan to cherish every moment of his childhood and adulthood. We're only given so long on this earth and I plan to make sure that R knows his mama loves him and is never too busy to spend quality time with him. He is my #1. The laundry, dishes, and cleaning can wait. Oh darn...;-)
Looking at my sweet baby boy I now see a face full of drool, swollen gums, and a fussier than normal baby. He's only 2.5 months old and so many people tell me that he couldn't possibly be teething yet. I beg to differ. Reading up on teething provide so many different perspectives. Some claim a list of "symptoms" while others claim there really are no distinct "symptoms." Either way, if I've learned anything thus far in parenting, it's that I should trust my gut. Mama knows best. And this mama says my boy is teething.
Now when it comes to teething this early I find that I am a lack for pain relief methods. We don't want to give R any over-the-counter remedies and so there isn't much I can do for the little fella. We have Hyland's homeopathic gel for his gums, but the instructions say that it shouldn't be used until 4 months of age. We also have Sophie the teether, but again we aren't supposed to bust her out until 3 months of age due to the possibility of a latex allergy in babies.
So what's a mama to do? For now lots and lots of cuddling and comforting. And you know what? That's just fine with me. My baby will only be little for so long and I want to cherish every moment of his babyhood just as I plan to cherish every moment of his childhood and adulthood. We're only given so long on this earth and I plan to make sure that R knows his mama loves him and is never too busy to spend quality time with him. He is my #1. The laundry, dishes, and cleaning can wait. Oh darn...;-)
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Okay, so let's try this again...
About a year and half ago I decided to start a blog. However with our new living situation (a then recent move) and becoming pregnant with our son, I lost track of the blog. Instead of starting up again on that blog, I've decided to start over completely.
Let me start by introducing myself: my name is Liz. I am a Navy wife to my handsome Sailor husband and an extremely proud mommy to our sweet baby boy, R. I feel incredibly blessed to have been given the beautiful family and life that I have and I thank God everyday for all it.
How on earth did I come up with the blog title, you say? Good question. Herons are migratory birds and that was part of the reason I picked the name "Flying Like a Heron" for the blog. As a military family, we are constantly on the move and will be until my husband either decides to rejoin the civilian world at the end of a contract or retires from the Navy. Either way, R and I are along for the adventure and will support him 100%. We haven't been in the Navy too long yet; however, I can tell you from the experiences we've had thus far that being a military family isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard having your loved one gone on birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. It's also hard having them work strange hours that the rest of the Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00 world isn't working. I will tell you though that it is worth it. We are so blessed to have a steady paycheck and a place to live. I'm also very happy to report that my husband is doing what he loves to do and THAT alone makes every moment worth it.
I guess the other thing you should know about us before divulging too much further into our lives is that we are into natural living. To us this means that we eat mostly organic or natural foods and try to avoid chemicals and preservatives. We also take vitamins and use homeopathic remedies and believe strongly in natural birthing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and making our own baby food (when the time comes for R to start solids). This will more than likely be a reoccurring theme throughout my posts so I may as well be forthright with it now.
Here's to hoping that try #2 is a success with the blog.
Let me start by introducing myself: my name is Liz. I am a Navy wife to my handsome Sailor husband and an extremely proud mommy to our sweet baby boy, R. I feel incredibly blessed to have been given the beautiful family and life that I have and I thank God everyday for all it.
How on earth did I come up with the blog title, you say? Good question. Herons are migratory birds and that was part of the reason I picked the name "Flying Like a Heron" for the blog. As a military family, we are constantly on the move and will be until my husband either decides to rejoin the civilian world at the end of a contract or retires from the Navy. Either way, R and I are along for the adventure and will support him 100%. We haven't been in the Navy too long yet; however, I can tell you from the experiences we've had thus far that being a military family isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard having your loved one gone on birthdays, holidays, and special occasions. It's also hard having them work strange hours that the rest of the Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00 world isn't working. I will tell you though that it is worth it. We are so blessed to have a steady paycheck and a place to live. I'm also very happy to report that my husband is doing what he loves to do and THAT alone makes every moment worth it.
I guess the other thing you should know about us before divulging too much further into our lives is that we are into natural living. To us this means that we eat mostly organic or natural foods and try to avoid chemicals and preservatives. We also take vitamins and use homeopathic remedies and believe strongly in natural birthing, breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and making our own baby food (when the time comes for R to start solids). This will more than likely be a reoccurring theme throughout my posts so I may as well be forthright with it now.
Here's to hoping that try #2 is a success with the blog.
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