TMI blog!

This post should probably just be read by the ladies :)

Yesterday Josh and I realized Michael needed some more diapers.  I remembered I had a coupon for them and made sure to grab it.  We ended up going to Sams Club.  I didn't think they took coupons, but it was worth a shot.  So we headed over to the diaper isle.  To show my failed attempt at breastfeeding I also had to get tampons.  Now here's the problem; I felt like I would have some crazy mom come up and say I was horrible for not breastfeeding him, even though I still am.  This fear stems back to when Michael was two weeks old.  I got new visiting teachers around that time.  They came over one night, one of them brought her 1 1/2 year old daughter.  One of the first questions she asked was if I was breastfeeding.  I told her I was but it wasn't working out because Michael had to have a bottle in the NICU.  Anyways she continued on and on about how beautiful breastfeeding was, how it's the only way to take care of your baby.  You probably know the type.  I wanted to scream 'take your toddler, and go back to your co-sleeper'!

Anyways...I was mortified of women, no, moms, giving me weird looks because usually tampons are associated with not breastfeeding, even though I still am.  So off I go to get diapers when Josh says loudly "are you going to get tampons?"  Yep, right in the diaper isle.  I don't blame him, I haven't needed them since we've been married, so he doesn't understand not to say anything. 

So I get the diapers and the tampons and get in line.  I put my coupon down on the box of diapers.  The guy ringing us up didn't give a second look at the tampons (exactly why I went to a guy cashier) but looked at the coupon for a minute.  He leaned way over and said nicely' "we don't accept coupons."  You know the way someone says something to you when they are trying not to embarrass you?  Anyways, I didn't really care about that to begin with!  I was happy to get out of there without some crazy mom jumping down my throat. 

When we got in the car I realized something, apparently coupons are now a bad thing.  Why?  I'll admit I've never seen Extreme Couponing, or any other shows like that, but I know there can be a bad stigma about them.  I wondered why that guy had to lean over and act like he was embarrassing us.  So apparently trying to save a little is now considered being cheap?  When did this happen?  Maybe it's a sign that the recession is over!

When will they get it right?

I've been thinking a lot lately about all of the things that have changed since I was born.  Mostly because I get conflicting advice ALL the time!  So here's what I've figured out:

1.  Sleeping positions.  I slept on my stomach, as did my sisters.  I don't know the percentage of SIDS then and now, but I get the feeling in the next 10 years babies will be on their stomachs again.

2.  Eating.  This seems to change every few years.  When I was a baby I was started on rice cereal at 1 month with an infant feeder.  Now that isn't recommended.  Now it's 4-6 months.  However, right now there is tons of new research being done.  Not starting kids on solids until after 6 months.  Letting them start off by feeding themselves (usually bread and mashed food with their hands).  Also rice cereal is being replaced with other grain cereals.  Even Michael's doctor told me to choose what I wanted to do because their is conflicting research.

3.  Baby powder.  Did you know that baby powder causes resipatory infections and UTI's in babies?  I didn't either!  The only safe baby powder (it's still now recommended) is the cornstartch kind because it has bigger particles in it that are harder for babies to inhale. 

P.S.  I always heard that if you are blond, you can use baby powder in your hair and get away with not washing your hair.  I wonder what problems that causes.

4.  Spanking.  I was spanked, I deserved it.  Besides it now being considered a form of child abuse if it happens too often, there were studies done that show it linked with substance abuse, anger-management problems, and future abuse.

5.  Teeth.  I've always had relatively good teeth, even though I despise milk!  But now dentists are saying children should see a dentist at 1.  They are also saying parents shouldn't kiss their kids on the lips (I ignore this!) because it can spread germs.  O ya, don't forget that you need to wipe off your babies gums before they get a tooth.

So are doctors really making advances?  Or are they just guessing and hoping for the best?

Parenting Decisions

I think this came up between Josh and I when Michael was moseying around in my stomach.  We came to the decision that Michael will go to private schools.

Before you think I'm crazy, let me explain myself.  I went to an advanced middle school and liked it better than high school.  I went to my public high school for two reasons: lacrosse and I had no way to get twenty miles across town.  My high school was nice, but I had to fight to get into advanced classes.  I was a year ahead in English, meaning that my senior year I had to get really creative or else I wouldn't graduate on account of not having completed enough English credit requirements (I know, really??  It's not like I failed a class).

We also think private schools are better (besides the snobbish air that we are hoping isn't quite so bad in Utah).  The classes move a little faster, the teachers are usually better, and they always have higher ACT or SAT scores. 

No matter how many kids we have, Josh and I will send Michael to a private school for sure.  We also might only send Michael.  Now you can say he is getting special treatment, but there is some reasoning behind this.  Naturally Michael will be a little more advanced than the average child.  He usually has my undivided attention (to the detriment of my grades...), and a decent portion of Josh's.  I''m not saying other children won't be as smart as Michael, what I'm saying is that Michael will hit milestones before the others (like reading, Michael will probably read 6+ months before the average age).  Why not let him have that advantage?

What about the rest of our kids?....We haven't decided.  It really depends on the child.

Our decision

We are moving to Salt Lake.  Josh was offered an amazing job that will work with his school schedule.  We will miss Logan....wait, no, we won't.  We will miss our friends in Logan, especially the Simms!  (We will miss the Morris's too, but you are moving too and don't fit into the Logan catagory anymore)  So lately we've been trying to hang out with people, pack, and figure out what's going on! 

Anyways...

Our living situation is a little hazy right now.  We're hoping to have better details about it before we leave.

Oh yeah, we are moving May 5th, the day after finals.  So if we seem aloof we are sorry.  We are trying to pack things we will need for the next couple months, and then everything else.  It doesn't help that I've determined everything belonging to Michael to be essential.

To end in style...

(Michael Scott singing here) "Goodbye Logan, it's been nice, but we've found our paradise"

5 months

For the past week or so I've been on an emotional roller coaster with Michael.  I'm so happy he's growing up, laughing, smiling, and doing new things every day.  But I miss my little boy!  I miss my small baby!  Okay, okay, he's still tiny, but I still miss when he was first born.  So enough with me blubbering, here are Michael's fun facts!

• He rolled over, not sure if wrote this on last months post
• He said his first "unofficial" word.  When I say 'hi' he usually makes 'i' sounds back to me.   So he happened to make an 'h' sound before an 'i' sound.  We don't count it but it was pretty cool.
• He's discovered his fingers, particularly his thumbs
• He reaches for and tries to grab toys
• He's ticklish!  
• He started solids, he hated green beans and they made him sick, but he loves sweet potatoes
• He wiggles everywhere!  He turns 180 degrees in his crib
• He kisses back!  When I go to kiss him he will grab my face and open his mouth really big.  Sometimes he tries to stick his tongue in my mouth....don't know where that came from
• He smiles and giggles all the time
• He drools, buckets and buckets of drool.  The reason there isn't a picture yet is because he has a rash on his face from all the drool and I'm trying to get rid of it :P
• He can stand up as long as he's holding on to something, he loves standing next to the ottoman in his room because if I put toys on it he can play with them with one hand and hold on with the other

Michael is doing pretty good.  I had a horrible scare today.  Michael was screaming when he woke up from his nap, I went in to grab him and noticed a big white ball in the back of his throat.  So off to the doctor we go.  Michael has a cyst.  Right when the doctor said that I wanted to cry because I remember how bad my cyst was.  I remember being on horribly strong pain pills and still not being able to walk, or lay down, or sit.  But there isn't anything we can do now.  It might go away with time, or it could get infected, or it could get bigger and need to be removed.  The problem is it isn't something you can check every day.  I got lucky to see it, and the doctor had to force a tongue depressor down his throat.  So we are hoping it slowly goes away.  Luckily he doesn't seem to notice it, and it doesn't bother him!

Decisions, decisions

In the next few days, possibly hours, Josh and I have to make major decisions that could change our whole....LIVES.  Actually, Josh has to make some decisions.  I just have to say something positive or negative here or there and I've contributed.  I feel a little bad for my hubby.  I'm in no way saying this because I want anything different then what we have right now, but I remember how much easier decisions were before Michael.  So I can't imagine how much easier these decisions would be if Josh was still single.  Not only is he having to look out for himself, he has us right behind him.  I feel bad that he has that responsibility on him.  I hope he knows he's appreciated!  I'll let you know what we're doing with our lives soon :)

Green Bean Catastrophe

I wrote a post a week or two ago about trying rice cereal.  Well I tried again, and failed.  I had a hunch that maybe it was just the taste, so I decided to not exactly follow the doctors advice and try green beans.  He didn't like them, but at least we could get them in his mouth and he would swallow them. 

On day two Josh gave him just green beans, no cereal.  Well it turns out that Michael doesn't tolerate green beans very well.  He puked them up...in my hair.  He also had a little rash around his face and a little above his butt.  So much for green beans.  I was feeling discouraged, but I decided to try rice cereal again on day three.  He ate it!  He didn't enjoy it but he ate it!  So while the green beans were a failure (if you ask Josh who hates green beans, it's because he's just like daddy) it somehow helped him eat rice cereal better.  Maybe he realized that rice cereal tastes 10x better than green beans.  I don't know how exactly it helped, but it did.

I don't know when I'll try green beans again.  According to Josh the answer is never.  But I will eventually.