Better Together: September 2013

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Hashtag momlife

I don't actually hashtag much, except as a joke in texts. My favorite of late has been #momlife.

Group text with four of my best friends questioning my daughter's bowel movements. #momlife

Can't have more than a beer or two (or wine or whatever) until after I pump the last time at night. #momlife - As a side note, I'm not an alcoholic, I swear... just a weekend imbiber. ;)

On a related note, it seems my existence revolves around my pumping/Greer's feeding schedule. #momlife

Staying up until midnight qualifies as living on the wild side. #momlife

My babysitter called me Mrs. Thank you for being polite but please just call me Kristin. #momlife

But the real #momlife is what happens to your heart. You can hear it over and over but you can never truly know until you experience it.

You can love someone so completely that their well being comes before anything else without a first thought, let alone a second. #momlife

Tragic stories about kids being sick or dying have always gotten you but now they punch you in the face, make you gasp for breath, and it takes literally everything you have not to completely break down as you fight the Niagra Falls of tears and a lump the size of Mount Rushmore in your throat, because now you really cannot imagine and never want to know what that feels like. #momlife

When your child looks at you and gives you the biggest, cheesiest grin, your heart simultaneously bursts into a thousand pieces and melts into a puddle of mush. #momlife

Mommy guilt (need I say more?). #momlife

To finally understand how your mom loves you. #momlife

It's a #momlife but someone has got to live it. I'm happy it's me and especially that I get to be momma to my Greer girl.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Well, hello there!

Not much time to tend to le blog lately, but it's Labor Day, the baby is napping, the chores are mostly done, and it's raining in Atlanta (big surprise there). So, hopefully a big blog catch up it is. I had plans of keeping a private journal for Greer to have when she got older, but that hasn't happened, so hopefully I can at least keep record of some thoughts here and then transfer them to a yearly album. Here goes nothing...

Greer turned the big 5 months on August 28 and big she sure seems these days. The biggest thing that has happened (in my view, anyway) since I last updated on her going-ons is that she has become a stomach sleeper and now miraculously naps in her crib! YES! The swing was great, but its day has come and gone and for that, I am thankful. She's even taken to napping in the pack n play at Mr. Craig's after putting up quite the fight at first. Since I seem to think in the form of bullet points and lists these days (okay, I've always been like that), here are some of Greer's favorites, milestones and other randomness at five months old:

She's a thumbsucker... pretty much only when she's tired, but she found the thumb and she likes it.
Rolls from back to front consistently... doesn't roll from front to back as much, but she can. I guess she just likes her tummy better these days.
Sitting unassisted for short stints... just re-discovered the boppy as it's the perfect thing to catch her when she loses her balance.
Really reaching out and grabbing things now... no more sitting on our laps when we eat without being hyper-vigilant of what she might grab hold of.
Loves getting her feet into her mouth.
Really starting to chew on things, especially Sophie, a lot. This comes with lots of drool, as you can imagine. She can soak the shoulder of my shirt in 0.3 seconds flat. I don't feel any teeth getting close to coming through, but we are definitely teething.
Sleeps anywhere from 12 to 14 hours usually! Only 14 on the weekends when she can sleep in. Average wake up time is 7:30 and she is usually down by 7:30 in the evenings.
She has the best little laugh.
Just started giving us this big, cheesy, gummy grin that involves squinting her eyes. It's pretty cute.
To take a little pressure off of me, I am starting to send one bottle of formula (organic of course, and I'm still not 100% on board with this but I need to get over it) to Mr. Craig's. It's only been twice last week so far, but she seemed to like it. I'm not producing quite enough to satisfy her anymore, so this allows to me stock some away and hopefully drop one pumping session when she's down to four bottles per day. Pumping 3x at work is a total pain and then I am pumping at night because I'm not producing enough to give her a full feeding. Such an internal battle I fight every day as to how long I will keep doing this. I want to breast feed and I want to give her breast milk but I am over pumping. Hence the hoarding of milk in my freezer. And also why America needs to get with the program and not force new moms back to work so soon.
Likes to play in her new (to us) jumperoo and doorway jumper. Also likes the exersaucer at Mr. Craig's. Doesn't like that she can't figure out how to get the toys attached to it into her mouth.
Has added Asheville, NC to her list of travels.
Seems to be getting better with other people that aren't mommy, daddy or Mr. Craig.
Turns into Fussy McFusserson when she's tired and over it. (True for any baby, I suppose.)
She's finally outgrown most of her 0-3 month clothes. She's just too long for them now. Dresses still fit.

I am sure I'm missing some things but that's all I can come up with for now. We sure love that little nugget!! (Pics are out of order and my blog time is about up...)