Kate is 6 months old :) She weighs 17 1/2 lbs and is 26 1/2 inches. That's the 80% percentile - she's a healthy baby (obviously, look at those cheeks!) Yay, Kate! I love this baby!
Pursuing Dreams
5 months ago
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
$10 = Lots of time, less sweat, & less noise
That's right, for just $10 you can have lots more time, sweat less and have less noise in your life. How? Buy a new hair dryer.
I can't tell you how long I've had mine, maybe 3 years, but I just got a new one and I can't believe the difference. It's the same model, same wattage, but wow, a totally different experience. I bought it for $10, it's nothing special, but it went so much faster, it was a lot less heat, and it was markedly quieter. Awesome.
I read in the instructions (yes, as if I haven't been drying my hair for 25 years, I read the instructions) that you are supposed to clean your hair dryer with the vaccum cleaner every so often for maintenance. Anybody doing that??? Makes sense, it does fill up with dust and then it can't suck in as much air. I think I'll just replace it every year instead.
I can't tell you how long I've had mine, maybe 3 years, but I just got a new one and I can't believe the difference. It's the same model, same wattage, but wow, a totally different experience. I bought it for $10, it's nothing special, but it went so much faster, it was a lot less heat, and it was markedly quieter. Awesome.
I read in the instructions (yes, as if I haven't been drying my hair for 25 years, I read the instructions) that you are supposed to clean your hair dryer with the vaccum cleaner every so often for maintenance. Anybody doing that??? Makes sense, it does fill up with dust and then it can't suck in as much air. I think I'll just replace it every year instead.
Canceled, Cancelled
In case you are curious, both are correct spellings.
If you are going to pick one, two l's is the American spelling, and one l is the British spelling.
But I'd say both are acceptable.
If you are going to pick one, two l's is the American spelling, and one l is the British spelling.
But I'd say both are acceptable.
Advice everyone told me about being a mom
The advice I heard the most from people was "Make sure you sleep when the baby is sleeping." I'm telling you, everyone told me that. It's very good advice, but people don't do it. I did it, and I'm going to tell you how...
In the beginning, which is the hardest part, it took 12 hours of my day to get 8 hours of sleep at night. Babies eat every 3 hours or so, so that means you can get 2 hours of sleep at a time. So what that looked like was, if I went to bed at 11pm, I didn't get up for the day until 11am. I think there are lots of lies you can believe here such as "It's 11am, I shouldn't still be in bed." That may make you feel lazy. But I believe in prioritizing sleep. Especially after you have a baby. I didn't really have post-partum depression (which stats say 80% of women have), but I can tell you the 2-3 times I did struggle emotionally were days I slept less than 8 hours. I think they are connected (but I'm not an expert on post-partum. I am an expert on sleep, though, so keep reading...)
So, yes, I didn't get out of bed until 11am. Why? Because while napping on the couch is good (I did that too - and if you're keeping track, that means I was sleeping 10+ hours a day), it's not the same as lying in your bed and sleeping. It's just not. And, I still made my life work. I showered everyday, I went out and did things with people, I kept my house organized, etc. What I'm trying to say is, I still was able to do the things that were important to me. And I think that's largely BECAUSE I was sleeping.
Now, I'm only speaking about my experience as a first time mom. When you have more kids, I'm sure you need a whole new plan. But also, you know what you're doing at that point. Learning how to be a mom is hard work. I've learned how to do many things in my life, and I'd put this at the top of the list of challenging skills to learn. And my advice is, while you're learning the new job, get lots of sleep.
In the beginning, which is the hardest part, it took 12 hours of my day to get 8 hours of sleep at night. Babies eat every 3 hours or so, so that means you can get 2 hours of sleep at a time. So what that looked like was, if I went to bed at 11pm, I didn't get up for the day until 11am. I think there are lots of lies you can believe here such as "It's 11am, I shouldn't still be in bed." That may make you feel lazy. But I believe in prioritizing sleep. Especially after you have a baby. I didn't really have post-partum depression (which stats say 80% of women have), but I can tell you the 2-3 times I did struggle emotionally were days I slept less than 8 hours. I think they are connected (but I'm not an expert on post-partum. I am an expert on sleep, though, so keep reading...)
So, yes, I didn't get out of bed until 11am. Why? Because while napping on the couch is good (I did that too - and if you're keeping track, that means I was sleeping 10+ hours a day), it's not the same as lying in your bed and sleeping. It's just not. And, I still made my life work. I showered everyday, I went out and did things with people, I kept my house organized, etc. What I'm trying to say is, I still was able to do the things that were important to me. And I think that's largely BECAUSE I was sleeping.
Now, I'm only speaking about my experience as a first time mom. When you have more kids, I'm sure you need a whole new plan. But also, you know what you're doing at that point. Learning how to be a mom is hard work. I've learned how to do many things in my life, and I'd put this at the top of the list of challenging skills to learn. And my advice is, while you're learning the new job, get lots of sleep.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Advice no one told me about being a mom
This tip is for future moms. If you aren't one, don't bother reading.
Here it is - the big thing I wish I would have done before and during pregnancy: lift weights to make my upper body stronger. Why? The single most important reason - breastfeeding. At the beginning, you have to hold the baby in the same position 8-10 times a day for 30-45 minutes straight. And once you get the position right, you can't move. They make special pillows to help (boppy is good), but you still need upper body strength. Breastfeeding is hard for many reasons at the beginning, and if you have upper body strength, it's one less obstacle to overcome. I was so concerned about whether or not I could or should be doing aerobic activity, and in the end I don't think that mattered. But weight training would have been clutch. Plus, it helps you carry the car seat which weighs 10 pounds + whatever the baby weighs (currently Kate is closing in on 20 lbs, so that's almost 30 lbs.) But the issue is the longevity in the same position while feeding her at the beginning. Don't make the same mistake I did.
Here it is - the big thing I wish I would have done before and during pregnancy: lift weights to make my upper body stronger. Why? The single most important reason - breastfeeding. At the beginning, you have to hold the baby in the same position 8-10 times a day for 30-45 minutes straight. And once you get the position right, you can't move. They make special pillows to help (boppy is good), but you still need upper body strength. Breastfeeding is hard for many reasons at the beginning, and if you have upper body strength, it's one less obstacle to overcome. I was so concerned about whether or not I could or should be doing aerobic activity, and in the end I don't think that mattered. But weight training would have been clutch. Plus, it helps you carry the car seat which weighs 10 pounds + whatever the baby weighs (currently Kate is closing in on 20 lbs, so that's almost 30 lbs.) But the issue is the longevity in the same position while feeding her at the beginning. Don't make the same mistake I did.
The palm of her hand...
When my parents were watching Kate last week, they got her dressed and ready for the day. I shouldn't have been shocked to see her in the shirt reading "Who needs Santa when I have grandpa." She definitely has her grandparents eating out of the palm of her hand. She is so loved - what a blessed little girl.
1-0
Kate's Ohio State-Michigan record is 1-0. Go Bucks!
Brett always sings the Rocky theme song when I put her in this velour workout suit. funny
Patience, mom
It is so fun when Kate does new things. This week, all the sudden, she learned how to sit up. She went from 10 seconds alone to 20 minutes alone overnight. Seriously - that's weird but great.
She also learned how to roll over. I went into her crib and she was on her stomach. She was soooo proud of herself. It's funny - she probably could have done it on the floor if I would have let her struggle longer. Apparently I've been coming to her rescue to soon. I've got to show more patience.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
You All
Does anybody know the correct spelling of the abbreviation of you all. I always write y'all because in most contractions, you put the apostrophe where the letters are missing (example - does not = doesn't.) However, I most often see people write it as ya'll.
Although I've lived in Ohio my whole life, Southern Ohio is way different than Northern Ohio. I feel like I used to live in the "North" and now I live in the "South." I've acclimated to my new culture by picking up the word "y'all", but I may be spelling it wrong, and I don't want the other Southerners to think poorly of me.
Help.
Thanks.
Although I've lived in Ohio my whole life, Southern Ohio is way different than Northern Ohio. I feel like I used to live in the "North" and now I live in the "South." I've acclimated to my new culture by picking up the word "y'all", but I may be spelling it wrong, and I don't want the other Southerners to think poorly of me.
Help.
Thanks.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Go Buy This TODAY
I am a peanut butter connoisseur. I would guess that I eat peanut butter more than anyone you know. I LOVE peanut butter. I'll put it on anything - pretzels, graham crackers, carrots, you name and it probably tastes better with peanut butter on it. I love a toasted peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. Yummy.So here's the dilemna - my good friend Alison Seddon has been talking about how partially hydrogenated vegetable oil should be illegal and is probably going to kill a large % of our country. I believe Europe has already outlawed the stuff. The problem is, this stuff is in THE ONLY peanut butter I find palatable - Jif. Until now...
I was starting to feel like death was a high price to pay for peanut butter, but I wasn't willing to try that weird natural stuff (sorry, I'm just being real here.) But then, I saw Skippy Natural and thought, alright, I'll give it a whirl; worst case, I'm out $3. Friends, I have to tell you, this stuff is DELICIOUS!!! It tastes BETTER than regular Jif. It's won lots of "chef's best" awards, and I give it my stamp of approval as well. And, I have to say, Jif has a slightly weird aftertaste, I think it's probably that crazy hydrogenated stuff, and this stuff tastes, well, like real food. I'm not going to tell you it's lowfat (because it's not), but at least it's not hydrogenated. And, you don't have to refrigerate it or stir it up like the other natural peanut butters. So go for it - try it for yourself TODAY - you won't be disappointed!
In case you're curious, hydrogenated defined: "To combine with or subject to the action of hydrogen, especially to combine an unsaturated oil with hydrogen to produce a solid fat." I don't know, but "solid fat" is probably not a recipe for success...
Friday, November 07, 2008
Delicious!!!
We decided to give Kate some cereal, and she LOVED it! I forgot how exciting food is!
Here she is grabbing the spoon from Brett - Give me more of that Delicious-ness!
Here she is grabbing the spoon from Brett - Give me more of that Delicious-ness!
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Foiled by Time Warner
I still can't believe this...I have a story, but a little background is necessary before I dive in.
I believe that fasting is an important discipline. It's good for building self-control. It teaches us to put down our desires and rely on God. While I've been pregnant and nursing, I've looked for things to fast from other than food. Media seems to be the best because I feel like I "need" tv, internet, etc. So, practically what this looks like for me now is, I refrain from using media on Mondays.
Well, this week, I just plain forgot. When I realized it, I considered just fasting on Tuesday instead. But No! The election is Tuesday! I HAVE to watch all the juicy coverage. So Tuesday, I'm all revved up watching CNN all day. (Of course they have nothing to report except the weather's good for voting.) The time is drawing near, and at 5:30pm, my cable goes out. THAT'S RIGHT - Time Warner turned off our cable. When I called, they said they mistakenly thought we hadn't paid our bill; but they couldn't fix it until the next day. So there we were, no election coverage. Luckily, I have a car and Nikki lives a mile away. I watched a lot of it and then went home to poor Brett who was watching local coverage on our 2" battery powered TV (which as a side note is a WONDERFUL thing to own - we use it in the car, when the power goes out, when the cable goes out, etc.) But in all of this I wonder, was God trying to tell me something???
I believe that fasting is an important discipline. It's good for building self-control. It teaches us to put down our desires and rely on God. While I've been pregnant and nursing, I've looked for things to fast from other than food. Media seems to be the best because I feel like I "need" tv, internet, etc. So, practically what this looks like for me now is, I refrain from using media on Mondays.
Well, this week, I just plain forgot. When I realized it, I considered just fasting on Tuesday instead. But No! The election is Tuesday! I HAVE to watch all the juicy coverage. So Tuesday, I'm all revved up watching CNN all day. (Of course they have nothing to report except the weather's good for voting.) The time is drawing near, and at 5:30pm, my cable goes out. THAT'S RIGHT - Time Warner turned off our cable. When I called, they said they mistakenly thought we hadn't paid our bill; but they couldn't fix it until the next day. So there we were, no election coverage. Luckily, I have a car and Nikki lives a mile away. I watched a lot of it and then went home to poor Brett who was watching local coverage on our 2" battery powered TV (which as a side note is a WONDERFUL thing to own - we use it in the car, when the power goes out, when the cable goes out, etc.) But in all of this I wonder, was God trying to tell me something???
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