Let's Talk Teeth

My teeth that is since Sarah is still toothless as of right now. I went to the dentist today, technically yesterday since it's almost 2:00 AM. *Cue scary music* I HATE the dentist. I know going to the dentist is a common fear, but just knowing that I have an appointment coming up makes my anxiety level through the roof and my patience level sinks lower than the basement. I even have a great dentist, she's is such a sweet lady.

My anxiety comes from two things. One is the noises that the dental tools make. I cannot stand the sound of drills or the little scraper thing. It just makes my toes curl to even think of it. If I could find some way to block out the noise of getting my teeth cleaned or worked on, the dentist would be more enjoyable for me. Not that it's ever an enjoyable thing. This brings me to reason two. I seriously drew the short straw in teeth genetics. I have the WORST teeth ever. Every single visit to the dentist involves some type of work. Fillings, root canals, crowns, caps, sealants. I have had it all baby. Not fun!

I could brush my teeth 20 times a day and still have cavities. Anyway my visit today was prompted by a broken tooth. :( I was eating a cookie last Sunday and suddenly it was crunchy. Never a good sign. I felt around in my mouth and discovered a newly broken molar. So they got me in on Tuesday to see it and smooth it out. I was in ZERO pain from it which was great but I had to wait a week to get my crown. My 4th. :(

So after 2 1/2 hours of dental work, (this included my cleaning), 6 1/2 hours of lingering numbness, and a very swollen left side of my mouth, I have a temporary crown. I am happy to say that it wasn't too bad. The worst part was the numbing injection. I go back in two weeks to get my permanent crown and fill two cavities.

Oh and apparently breaking teeth is contagious. My dad broke his tooth eating skittles tonight. (He is 50 and has had like 5 cavities his whole life) So be kind to your teeth! Does anyone else have this fear of the dentist or is it all just me?

Things I Should Have Been Told

So at Sarah's last pediatrician appointment we were given a sheet of developmental milestones she should accomplish before her next visit. One of the things on that list was "non-crying verbal communication i.e. cooing". Cooing sounds cute and cuddly doesn't it? It sounds like the type of sound that would warm a mother's heart and that someone could listen to over and over again right? Apparently Sarah decided that cooing wasn't edgy enough for her, she needed something a little more intense.

My child cooed for two days shortly before she turned two months old. That was it. Those sweet sounds lasted for 48 blissful hours. Now she's a yeller and a screamer. Her voice is permanently stuck at maximum volume. It doesn't matter how she's feeling, she yells. In order to express any type of emotion or mood she yells, sometimes right in your face. She has her happy screams and her unhappy screams as well as tired and hungry yells. It can make a public outing slightly difficult when your child thinks that yelling is a perfectly acceptable way of communicating. You try explaining to the lady in the frozen food aisle that yes you know your baby is screaming but it's because she got really excited and just wanted to let you know. It can be difficult to tell the difference if you don't look at her facial expressions. And even then it can be tough if you haven't spent a lot of time around her. Everyone in our family seems to think this is either funny or cute. All I can think of is a toddler that still screams to communicate. Here's hoping this is just an infant thing.



Happy yell

Unhappy yell

25 Years of Life

Today is Ryan's 25th birthday! I am so lucky that this man was born. He is an amazing blessing in my life. To celebrate him, we are going over to his mama's house for a big birthday dinner. Asian shish kabobs anyone?

Unfortunately Sarah has been kind of moody this week and I haven't had a chance to get my birthday shopping done. So I am calling in reinforcements (my sister). She's going to come with me so I have help in case of any major meltdowns. If need be I can just leave Sarah with her so I can do my shopping in peace without having to worry about lugging an infant carrier into the store with me.

So here's wishing Ryan a big happy birthday! I'll post pictures of his party later. Love ya babe!

How A Year Changes Things

One year ago today I was blessed with this

Little did I know how crazy my life would become in the year since. I lost a job, experienced morning sickness for 16 weeks straight, got a seasonal job, got stretch marks, gained 50 lbs, had hugely swollen ankles and feet, had Sarah, had sky high blood pressure, lost 40 lbs (still have 10lbs hanging around), became a stay at home mom, and moved. What an action packed year and to be honest I wouldn't want it any other way! My baby is such a blessing (even when she doesn't want to sleep until 4:00 am) and a joy in my life. All of the frustrations and discomforts of pregnancy were so worth it to have her. 

It's hard to believe that this (my favorite maternity picture)

resulted in this.

Here's hoping this next year is full of joy, adventure, and surprise like the past one!

Thankful Thursday

Yesterday I was able to attend a breakfast sponsored by Kansans for Life. My dad just recently got involved in politics and he has been endorsed by this group. He was given a table of eight to fill and invited me to come along. To be honest I wasn't too thrilled about it. The idea of getting up at 6:00 am so that I could get there by 7:00 am did NOT appeal to me. It looked even less exciting when my baby decided to not go to sleep until 4:00 am. I didn't want to let my dad down though, so I got Sarah up and dressed myself and made it there by 7:15. As I was driving there, I kept thinking this better be worth it. It so was!

 The guest speaker was Abby Johnson who is the former director of Texas Planned Parenthood. She was tapped to run the new Houston Planned Parenthood which is the second largest abortion clinic in the western hemisphere. It opened in May and is the specialty clinic for abortions up to 28 weeks! She got up and explained how she had gotten involved and started working for Planned Parenthood. Basically she was told that the goal of this group was to make abortion a rarity and that in all actuality Planned Parenthood was saving lives because it provided a safe place to have this procedure done. After 8 years of working for them, she left. She had been having doubts about the organization for awhile (like when she noticed her education budget was staying stagnant but her abortion budget was increasing each year), but the last straw was witnessing an ultrasound guided abortion. I will spare the details here, but it was heart wrenching to hear it described. My mother heart broke in two. An ultrasound is supposed to be a special moment to see your child, not a tragedy that helps facilitate its death. 

I learned some absolutely heart breaking things at this breakfast. Abortion is the number one surgery performed in the USA. Most counselors at Planned Parenthood are given scripted answers to give to young women wanting an abortion. They tell people that a fetus can't feel pain until 28 weeks when in fact it is much sooner. Miss Johnson said the scales fell away from her eyes and she knew God was calling her to leave and try and stop this. A direct quote from her "The most dangerous place for a baby to be in America is inside the womb."

As a mother I just disagree with abortion on so many levels, especially late term. I felt Sarah kicking around 17 1/2 weeks. A fetus can live outside the womb around 24 weeks. My sister's husband was born at 28 weeks gestation. So using those facts the mother most likely would have felt the baby by 28 weeks and it could have lived. Not only does my mother heart disagree with it, my Christian heart does too. Abortion is murder. PERIOD. I am so thankful I was there and got yet another opportunity to be truly grateful for the gift of my daughter.

Wordless Wednesday

Breastfeeding At An End?

So breastfeeding is NOT easy! There are tons of problems that can come up. Sarah and I did well for the first two weeks, but then something happened. She either forgot how to latch properly or I had supply issues. It could have been a combination of both. Anyway she started losing weight and the pediatrician wanted me to start pumping and giving her bottles so we could keep track of the ounces that she was getting. We did this and Sarah just never took back to nursing. So I went to exclusively pumping. I hooked up to a pump every two to three hours (in the beginning) and fed Sarah on the same schedule. It was slightly chaotic.

This was not the way I had envisioned my breastfeeding experience, but I learned to adapt. I had to be medicated for low supply issues because I could barely keep up with Sarah's appetite. I had no freezer stash and was only one meal ahead at all times. It was so stressful. The first time I took Reglan it worked magnificently. I didn't experience any of the side effects and my supply went way up. I was able to be about 3 meals ahead of Sarah at all times and had even built up a decent amount of frozen milk.

After about two months, I noticed my supply starting to dip again.I had to use my frozen supply and went through all of it. I was getting barely 5 ounces a pump and Sarah eats about 6 ounces. So I called the OB to ask for another dose of Reglan. This time I suffered every side effect. Depression, anxiety, exhaustion, and dizziness. I slept for nearly 18 hours straight, not by choice. I just didn't have any energy. So I stopped taking it. Now my supply is dwindling even further and we have had to supplement with formula a couple of times.

It took me awhile to be okay with supplementing. I had to come to terms with the fact that my ideal situation didn't work out and that plan B failed also. But I learned that it's not my fault and I shouldn't be ashamed. As long as my baby is fed and healthy, everything is okay!

I Saw God Tonight

God is evident in so many places in this world if only people would look around. Ever noticed a sunset, the intricacy of a flowers petals, or the majesty of the mountains? Personally I feel that God's power is most noticeable in the face of a sleeping baby. I am currently wide awake sitting on my couch. (Note to self 10:30 pm naps make for long nights.)

Anyway my daughter is sleeping away in her bouncy seat (turned off) and I keep finding myself staring at her beautiful face. She's so peaceful and innocent. It's absolutely mind boggling to me that she was crafted together inside of me. But that's God power for you. Everything about her, from her long eyelashes to her tiny toes, was planned by our Father and wonderfully designed. Now it's my job as her mother to teach her about the God that cares so much for her. To help her build a relationship with the God that loves her so much He sent his Son. It's my duty to help her understand the magnitude of His love and grace. The God that made her and gave her a loving family is the God that will never let her down and will always be there for her. 

I am so thankful that He chose me to be her mother and Ryan to be her father. We will do our very best to carry out the job that God entrusted us with when he gave us the precious girl. I know that with the love we have for her and the love He has for her, this little baby is destined to do amazing things in life.

Here's a song I love, for those that have never heard it. 

I Saw God Today - George Strait

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

Look what Sarah did!

"Oh hi Mom"

"I think tummy time should be done now" She stayed like this for about 20 seconds. So funny

"Told ya I wasn't sticking around"

My baby rolled and I caught it on camera!

Watching "Colors of the Wind" clip. She LOVES this song. It's my go to calm down method. You can sing it, just play the song, or watch the video. All of them work

Sitting in her chair. All the dark yellow on her shirt is drool. I have a little drool monster.

Cheesing for the camera! Look at those eyes!

Happy 4th of July

Thanks to all of our service men and women who make this country what it is. Sarah is showing her patriotism today.

Attempt At a Photo Shoot

So we tried to be artsy and creative for Sarah's 3 month photos. It didn't quite work out the way we planned. I think we will try again with Daddy's new fancy camera instead of Mommy's digital one.

Here she is thinking that she likes this idea. Notice the large flower. I'm working on making her some pretty headbands. I'm not that great yet.

I got the bright idea to put her into a picnic basket. She liked playing in it at first. (Notice the drool)

Then she decided that picnic baskets weren't made for babies to play in.

If I held her in it she seemed okay though.

Now she seems to get the idea a bit.

I love the expression on her face here.

I think she was trying to tell me that she was done with this adventure.

Sarah's 3 Month Update

My baby is officially three months old today! I can't believe that we have gone from this

to this.

She has changed so much in such a short amount of time. And it's not just her that has changed, but me too. I honestly don't know what I did with all of my time before she arrived. I love being her mother despite the fact that I sometimes get overwhelmed or grumpy when Sarah is having a bad day or being extra clingy. She has
brought out so much good in me and showed me the meaning of patience. I never thought I could be so calm and collected when an infant was screaming. I just patiently look for the answer to her problem. Anyway enough about me, here are some things about my sweet baby girl.

Sarah's "Stats"

• She has great head control now but does bobble when she gets really excited. Her Gramps (my dad) calls her a bobblehead when she does that and she thinks it's so funny.
• She coos and babbles a lot. She even yells when she really wants your attention or is very angry about something. She has started making this funny gargling sound too.
• Tummy time is no longer her mortal enemy. She tolerates it and can push herself up fairly well. She raises her head and chest up with her little arms. 
• She supports her weight on her legs when being held. It's so fun to watch her "stand".
• She likes to be moving constantly. This means she herself is wiggling or the person holding her is bouncing or walking with her.
• Bath time is a favorite activity. She likes to splash and kick in the water.
• She really likes toys now. She hates being bored. Her play-mat is one of her favorite things.
• "Colors of the Wind" is her favorite song. Seriously I don't think we could be in the car for more than five minutes if I didn't have this on a CD. She instantly calms down as soon as she hears the intro.
• She still loves to lay on the table and kick and play.
• Her laugh is changing from a little cough-like sound to more of a real one.
• Her bottles are between 5 and 7 ounces now. She eats them slowly over time totaling about 30-35 ounces a day.
• She likes swinging in her swing and doesn't immediately go to sleep when in it

I am planning on trying a 3 month photo shoot tomorrow so be on the lookout for those!