Happy 5 Months Hailey Marie!

Hailey is officially 5 months old! She loves to "rock", to roll onto her tummy, to reach and grab things, to watch the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, can sit on her own, and is trying really hard to sit up on her own! 

A Mother's Love

      

 Nichole Nordeman-"Slow Down"
Here’s to you 
You were pink or blue 
And everything I wanted 
Here’s to you
 Never sleeping through 
From midnight till the morning 
Had to crawl before you walked 
Before you ran 
Before I knew it 
You were trying to free your fingers from my hand 
‘Cause you could it on your own now somehow
Slow down 
Won’t you stay here a minute more I know you want to walk through the door
 But it’s all too fast 
Let’s make it last a little while 
I pointed to the sky and now you wanna fly
 I am your biggest fan
 I hope you know I am
 But do you think you can somehow 
Slow down
Here’s to you 
Every missing tooth
 Every bedtime story 
Here’s to Barbie cars, light saber wars 
Sleeping in on Sunday 
Had to crawl 
Before you walked 
Before you ran 
Before I knew it 
You were teaching me 
The only thing love can 
Hold hands through it
 When it’s scary, you’ve got me
Slow down 
Won’t you stay here a minute more 
I know you want to walk through the door
 But it’s all too fast
 Let’s make it last a little while
 I pointed to the sky and now you wanna fly 
I am your biggest fan
 I hope you know I am
 But do you think you can somehow 
Slow down
Please don’t roll your eyes at me
 I know I’m embarrassing
 But someday you’ll understand
 You’ll hold a little hand 
Ask them if they can 
I am your biggest fan
 I hope you know I am
 But do you think you can 
Somehow Slow down
Slow down

This song has gone viral over the last several days amongst the motherhood community. It does not only relate to mothers, but to fathers and grandparents as well. I wanted to share this video because it is beautiful and I feel it is the Anthem of Motherhood. I know every parent feels this way towards their child: the immense love, being proud, and feeling like time is just slipping through your fingers too fast. I dare you to watch the video without crying your eyes out. I am not going to lie, I have watched it at least twice and I produced enough tears to fill Niagara Falls. 

Hailey is almost 5 months old and I think WOW, where have these months gone? I remember looking and holding her for the first time like it was just yesterday. Is this how it is going to feel when I am watching her graduate high school, when she leaves home, and when she gets married? 

I have a feeling no matter how old she is, I am always going to see her as the little baby she is now. 

I look forward to all the wonderful moments that I am going to feel so proud and sad at the same time. I am going to cherish each and every moment I get to have with my daughter and hold them close to my heart. 

I love you Hailey Marie. 

*Slow Down's music video and lyrics are  property of Nichole Nordeman.  

Couch Potato Syndrome

              Lately, I don't feel like doing anything, by anything I mean exercising. I have my moments when Hailey is awake that I think, "When she goes down for a nap, I am totally going to work out." Do I actually carry this thought out? NO. Later comes the guilt after the day is over and I think "I really should have did a quick 30 minutes of exercise."
            Last Monday, I did attempt a 30 minute kickboxing workout, but this resulted in me back kicking my ankle into my coffee table and rolling on the floor with silent tears and explanatives trying to escape from my mouth while Hailey was napping in her room. Complete and utter failure at my first attempt of getting the exercise ball rolling. I'd have to say this is pretty typical of me, I am completely a klutz.  Have I mentioned that I have really weak ankles? No, seriously, for real! It runs in my family, you can ask my mom and grandma, they have them too! Despite this part of my genetic make-up that I cannot ignore, I usually have motivation in abundance to exercise (This was BEFORE Hailey).
         I have lost 45 pounds since having Hailey, but I still have about 40 pounds to go. I wasn't at an ideal or healthy weight when I got pregnant. So Woo! Go me! I've lost my pregnancy weight! But....(I hate that BUT) I still have more to lose. DAMN!
        Between taking care of Hailey, doing my schoolwork, and trying to keep up with the house chores, when I have a spare moment I tend to sit mindlessly on the couch while the Sprout channel plays on in the background and Hailey is pulling out my hair and placing slobbery hands all over my face. I know, I have just provided you with a great mental image.  Another great mental image is imagining yourself as a potato when you look in the mirror. This has happened to me, but it was during a moment late at night and exhaustion was taking over.
        I think one reason for my lack of motivation to exercise has to do with the fact that I am okay with myself now. Keyword being "now". I have a "mom bod,"anyone looking at me can tell I had a baby and that it was fairly recently. I don't want to be one of those women who feel bad when they look at their bodies post pregnancy. After all, my body produced the most wonderful gift in the world, my daughter. Yes, I am larger than I might want to be, I have stretch marks on my stomach and legs, and my hair is falling out; but this is all okay. It is and was all worth it because I have a beautiful little girl to love and care for each and every day for the rest of my life. 
       Eventually my body will get back to an ideal weight; it may take me a few months or perhaps a couple of years. I am not in any rush. I want to be healthy. I can be healthy by managing to work out a couple of times a week and eating well. I don't feel pressured by my husband, he looks at me like I am the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. He feels what other's may view as "flaws" as beautiful attributes.
       Mothers, be happy with yourself. You have done something amazing, you created a life! Take your time and don't feel upset when the weight is not coming off as fast as you would like. If you have a goal to achieve, it will be achieved over time.Don't feel bad when you have a moment to yourself that you aren't using it to exercise. Love yourself at all times.

Pears: The New "Crack" for Babies?

I hope my post title got your attention!
          Hailey's newest food is PEARS and it is the equivalent of a toddler consuming 100 pixie sticks-the paper sticks full of colored sugar. Pears are not a bad thing when given in the morning, perhaps a little bit of pear mixed in with some oatmeal cereal. Now at night time? That is a whole different story! If you want to be up most of the night with your baby, then please give your baby pureed pears for dinner! Huge mistake on my part last night and I had to learn the hard way!
           I have never seen Hailey THIS hyper! She likes to rock back and forth as if she is on a rocking horse (she usually uses my knee since she is too small for a rocking horse). Last night she was rocking super fast and kept trying to fly out of my hands and was giggling non-stop. That girl's cheeks must have been hurting by the time she fell asleep, she had been smiling so much! I couldn't help, but laugh and smile with her because her giggling was infectious. Now in hindsight I wish I had gotten this episode on video. I could have shared it with all of you.
         Hailey finally wore herself out and fell asleep slumped over in my arms and I was thinking, Thank you God! I was exhausted from her "cracked out on pears" state! My arms have never had such an amazing workout! I woke up this morning and took a look at these babies in the mirror and thought, "Wow! Look at these guns!" (I know you are picturing me do this as we speak, try not to laugh! Alright, it is okay if you do!)
        Hailey has had many first foods already- she is almost 5 months old and she has only reacted (in a good way) to two foods: AVOCADO and PEARS. When eating avocados, she would attack the spoon, reach for the bowl, and smiled A LOT. Babies have such funny reactions to new foods, it is quite enjoyable for me and her daddy to witness her exploration in the food world.

This is Hailey after her first taste of avocado. As you can see she enjoyed it immensely. I think it is great that she loves avocados, after all they are very healthy for you and it is something I usually always have in the house because I enjoy them too.

 I am making all of her food at home with organic fruits and vegetables. You can make A TON of baby food this way. It is very cost effective. The next foods on the list for Miss Hailey are Peas and Green Beans! Tomorrow is Hailey's last day of Pears-out of the trial period to see if she reacts or is allergic to them. It may be awhile before I give Pears to her again.  

Anyone have any funny pictures of their baby's 1st reaction to a new food they would like to share? :D 

Shedding Chipmunk's Agony

                               
             

          I have always had thick and wavy hair. My hair usually grows fast and I like to keep it long. When asked what is the feature I like most about my appearance, I state that I am proud of my hair. I'm the type of girl who never wears makeup and my socks usually never match. I am vain about my hair, I am not going to lie. Then pregnancy happened and my hair became out of control! My brunette locks were shiny, even thicker, and growing at rapid rates;I was loving it.
         
         What the heck happened? 4 almost 5 months post pregnancy and I think I am going bald! And where is the shine?! I shed before, that is what happens when you have long and thick hair. You gotta keep Drain-O on hand in the house at all times- you will have to drain the plumbing in the bathtub and the sinks every couple of weeks. This was a shock to my husband when we first started living together; now he is used to it!

          Hair is coming out in large clumps. I haven't found any bald spots; Thank God! I just find my hair everywhere and Hailey always seems to have it in her hands. I have to admit, I am generally a hairy person; I usually have more hair than most people. I used to feel that my arms were too hairy and now there is next to no hair on them, at all! This discovery of the loss of hair on my arms has prompted me to do some research. Yup, I "googled" this particular situation.Side note: not upset about the arm hair  loss, this is a plus!


                         


         
         REST EASY EVERYONE! I HAVE GOOD NEWS! This is a normal situation to have during and after pregnancy at least according to the Baby Center website. The gist of it is this, your hair is growing while some of your hair is in "resting phase". When your hair is done "resting," it will fall out due to it being replaced by new hairs. I am not going bald! YAY!

       Due to increased Estrogen levels when you are pregnant, the growing stage of hair is longer which results in pregnant women having beautiful hair. The opposite happens post-pregnancy when your Estrogen levels drop, Your hair and mine will get back to normal eventually :) If you would like more information, please check out the Baby Center's article that I read and got this information from: Postpartum Hair Loss.

      Hopefully in the next couple of weeks my hair will be back to normal and what I consider fabulous!

Freedom of Parenthood without Judgement

            My mom brought up a video in conversation a few days ago that she had watched on Youtube.com involving a woman who was teaching her baby to swim. Mom told me she had thought about sharing this video on Facebook, but thought better about it and decided not too. I asked her why she had decided not to post the video and she stated, " I felt you would have been offended especially since I agreed with the video."
       
          Well, this raised my curiosity! I am not offended by much so I thought this video must be offensive! Mom started to describe the video to me: a mother had her baby sitting on a stair located in a pool, she let her baby fall face-forward towards the pool and let her wade there for a few moments on their stomach while she was close by until the baby flipped over on it's back. The baby then swam a little bit and made small noises that some viewed as distressed. In the commentary section of the video, there were many upset, some judgemental comments.
     
          I was not offended by this video of a mother teaching her baby to swim, but by the fact that my mom had decided not to share this video due to what she felt my opinion may be.

         To be honest, no I did not necessarily agree with that mother's particular methods of teaching her baby to swim, but I am not offended by it, nor am I judging the mother's parenting techniques. I do think there was a different way to go about getting the same end result. Here is what I would have done: While holding onto Hailey's sides, I would gently lay her towards the water. Standing close to give her a feeling of security, Hailey would wade for a few moments on her own. If I did not see Hailey turning over onto her back I would then intervene.

         I think it is wonderful that mother wanted to start teaching her baby a very valuable and important life skill. In my personal opinion, I feel that the mother's technique could have been more gentle. Allowing the baby to fall towards the water could have hurt the child's face at the distance she was falling and could have been considered frightening for them.

      I do not mean that my way is right and the other mother's is wrong. The point is, we are parents and we have a right to parent as we see fit. Each baby is different and unique. That particular mother felt her child would learn best from the "fight or flight" response. The mother was still close by to her child and aptly watching them. I am not going to judge that mother and deem her "unfit". I give her many kudos for taking an active role in educating her child.

        Remember, we are all mothers. We all deserved the benefit of the doubt. We all deserve equality and respect from each other; after all we all have the greatest job of them all- raising our children. 

    Lastly, no one should ever be afraid or hesitant in sharing something with others that they feel strongly or have an opinion about.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, it is okay to be on the opposite side occasionally. It is often interesting to hear other's opposing thoughts and opinions. We are human, these differences are necessary.

Does anyone have a story to share where that they felt another mother judged them and assumed the worst?

Here is The Mother' Hood Official video featured on YouTube.com, not only is the video amusing, it shows the "Mommy War" plain and simple. There are a million different types of mothers out there, but when it comes to a baby in need; everyone goes running. I love the message this video is sending! Similac did a wonderful job! Enjoy! 

The Human Chew Toy

           Yes, you did read my title of my post correctly, "The Human Chew Toy."  Perhaps you are wondering what I mean by this. If you are a mother or have a child then you may already know and are waiting to see how I describe this particular phenomenon. It occurs when you have a child between the ages of 4-12 months ( I have to hope this stops at some point!) and they are in what we call the "drool phase".
         
        This phase could mean many things; your child could be teething or just has excessive saliva, who knows really?  Hailey could be teething, if she is; it has been about a month and no tooth has popped in for a surprise visit...long process it seems like.

       My daughter has a quirky personality and is starting to show her funny bone. Again, these moments mainly happen on the changing table, it is quite a special place for a parent and a baby; remember those in depth conversations I told you about? A lot happens on the changing table besides the obvious.

        Hailey has recently started grabbing and holding onto my arm and bringing it to her mouth. When I catch her doing it, she gives me an innocent and somewhat blank look until I call her out on her little "scheme," then she gives me the biggest smile and thinks it is funny that I caught her in the act. Not only does she do this with my arm, but my hands and fingers.

       I swear she almost gave my thumb a hickey yesterday! Normally I do not let her gnaw on any of my appendages, but she caught me in a vulnerable moment; I was exhausted. I wasn't aware of her sucking until I felt drool sliding down my hand and my thumb was starting to hurt.

     In my one moment of weakness, I believe I have become Hailey's favorite chew toy. Her teething toys no longer appeal to her; the keys and her water ring lay rejected in the living room sadly awaiting her return. Perhaps now is the time to purchase Sophia the Giraffe, the ultimate teething toy and every parent's secret weapon!

    Since I am now aware to her game, you would think Hailey would get the hint and give up on me being the new favorite. Nope, my brilliant child thought to resort to deceivement. Hailey loves her hands, she likes to try to stick her entire fist into her mouth at all times. She often holds one of my fingers in her little fist. Hailey decided to try to get to my finger by sticking her fist in her mouth. Get that, my finger was hidden in her fist! My baby is just so smart! I had to laugh at her cunning and brilliant plan.

    This is a perfect story that gives you a sneak peek at what my life is like everyday. I hope you thought this story as funny as I did. It is not fun to laugh by yourself, so please laugh :D

P.S. Next post may be of a more serious nature. I am allowed to switch it up sometimes! Just fair warning!

                                                                                                                    Toodles!
                                                                                      (As they say at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse!)

Hello All!
         
            My name is Alexis and I am a stay at home mommy(SAHM), used to be full time Licensed Practical Nurse. What an adjustment this has been! I have been working since I was 15 years old. My new job has similarities to my old one: next to no bathroom or food breaks, hair is a mess, I am on my feet all day, feet and back hurt, and I'm taking care of someone-that someone being the most special and important person in my life.
           
         Not only have I stopped working, but my husband and I have moved our family away from the city and down into the country to live in a gated lake community. Literally nothing here except the Food Lion grocery store and a few other minor stores.
         
        I have to say though, I LOVE being a SAHM, it gives me the chance to be home with my daughter Hailey who is almost 5 months old and go to school full time to achieve my Bachelor's degree in Nursing. I have many hobbies, too many to count; but I do love reading, crafting, and I do some photography on the side. Check out my other website if you would like to see some of my work: Alexis Callaway Photography.

       So, I know what you are thinking: Oh gosh another mom blog! I know there are a million of them out there on the big interspace of the Web and it is a total cliche for SAHM's to blog, BUT I think I may have something else to offer the world of blogging. This is not just a mom blog, but a blog to share other things such as crafts, recipes, daily adventures and mishaps, etc just to name a few. The piece of the resistance(said in fake French accent) is an insight into my mind. Woo Hoo! Big deal, I know! You are all so lucky!
       
       Bear with me, the majority of the time I only have my baby to talk too. You can slowly start going nuts when you basically talk to yourself and hear the Sprout channel playing in the background all day long. Don't get me wrong, I live to have those in depth conversations with my daughter that consists mainly of coo's, babbling, and smiles; love those smiles! Did I mention all of these conversations seem to happen while on the changing table? Very deep conversations while cleaning up a mess, often we talk about saving the arctic animals and sometimes Hailey likes to pretend to be a mob boss who needs to take care of "business". It is a lot of fun when you get to make up what you think your child's responses are while they are babbling; one of the many ways I amuse myself during the day when I am not cleaning, cooking, studying, etc.
   
         I guess all that is left to say is enjoy my blog and I hope I can continue to amuse all of you and keep my sanity as I continue my adventure as a SAHM. If you like what you read and might want to read future posts, please follow me on Google+.
     

Hailey at 4 months and 1 week old. She's a "cool" girl!