Don't Judge Me: My Son Sleeps In His Crib

This morning, I read an article called, "Why Co-Sleeping Works For Us, Even If It Scares You" By Brooke Dowd Sacco. While I am absolutely fine with her decision to co-sleep, what I am NOT OK with is comments like this, "I didn’t expect to be able to take off my mom hat between the hours of 7pm and 7am. I’m running a 24 hour operation here." Her statement implies that because my son sleeps in his own room, that I'm somehow not his mother at night? Because he sleeps soundly for several hours at a time, in his own room, that I'm 'off duty'?! 

Here's another comment that irked me, "To me, my daughter is more important than a perfect night’s sleep." Oh, right. That's why I put him in his crib, because he isn't important. Actually, he is important. But he isn't the center of the universe. I happen to have two other boys, two dogs, a home to keep, a full time job, and a HUSBAND! I can't go to bed at 7 pm with the baby, and ignore all of my other responsibilities! Ms. Sacco has a husband, who obviously supports her co-sleeping with their daughter. "In the beginning, when my husband and I discussed where our daughter would sleep, he was happy to hear she wouldn’t be alone in her room downstairs." My son's room was an addition, created by splitting our bedroom in half. So he is extremely close to me. Not that his room being downstairs would be ideal, but it would not lead to co-sleeping.

She continues, "No matter how many times she (her daughter) needs me during the wee hours, he (her husband) wakes up well rested, and for us, this is a good thing. He has to get up and go to work 5 days a week. Happy husband, happy life?" Well, Brooke, I have to get up at the wee hours and go to work. But even if I did stay home, I would not be able to handle not getting any restful sleep. I wouldn't be able to fall asleep with him in my bed- since my husband moves CONSTANTLY in his sleep. I would be worried about the baby! 

Everyone's situation is unique. Some mothers work, some stay home. Some do both, and are home with the children during the day and work at night! Some babies sleep in their parents' bed, some sleep in cribs, and some are in the room in a bassinet. No 'one way' is perfect, and all of us are doing the best we can. This article made me feel like 'my way is right, and your way is wrong' which helps NO ONE. 

Now, please be quiet, my baby is sleeping.

Last Saturday... 11.1.14

I woke up and said, "Soccer at 9:30, right?" The hubs responded, "Yup... that's what you told me." And so began our 'typical' Saturday. It was our day to bring snacks for the soccer team, so after I got a shower- I spent some time putting together little bags of goodies, packing a cooler with mini Gatorades, and packing the diaper bag for #3. We had everything- chairs, the snack, J's ball, extra clothes for the baby. What could go wrong?! Well, soccer was at 12:30, not 9:30. You would THINK I would check my calendar before driving to the field... but nope.

 

The hubs decides that it's a perfect time to head to Costco, since it's not exactly close to where we live. "We're already out, ready for soccer- and we have THREE HOURS!" So, off we went. After taking our sweet time, and filling a shopping cart- we went to check out. Hubs starts to pat his shorts, and the pockets in his sweatshirt... "Um, do YOU have my wallet?" "No." "Hmm, I don't seem to have it!" We are in line, at this point- ready to check out. With perishable food, three children, and a long line behind us. I ran out to the car, to see if I had my wallet in the diaper bag. I usually do, but today? No, of course not.

 

We ended up applying for a Costco American Express card, so we could pay for our groceries! Then, we drove about 30 minutes home- with just enough time to drop off the food and get to the soccer game. I open the garage, and run inside to put some food on the counter. The dogs are both sitting in the front entry way, and looking up. I think it's odd, but I'm in too much of a rush to really process what they are doing. As I re-enter the kitchen, I notice that the backdoor has been open. This. Entire. Time. Then I hear wings beating against glass. CHIRP CHIRP. A panicked little bird had flown into our house, and was stuck against the windows in the front of the house. Out of my reach.

 

Hubs runs upstairs, to grab his wallet and gets dive bombed by the freaked out bird. It ends up in the bathroom. "Close the door!" I end up climbing into our bathtub and opening the bathroom window to let the darn thing out.

 

HELP!

THEN, finally, we get to the soccer game. Little J's team loses, and I have one too few goody bags for the 'younger siblings' so he has to graciously give own bag up. Well, at least we my college football team won that day! Just another Saturday at our crazy house...

 

Electric Eels soccer team, Little J is far right

 

 

 

Here he is!! The newest member of the family

Did you miss me? I have been a very bad blogger! I haven't posted anything since June 23, so it has been 4 whole months. I just wanted to check in and let you know that I had my third baby boy on July 31 and he's doing great! He was 8 pounds and 21 inches long. The delivery went very smoothly.

Our sweet little baby at the hospital, right before we headed home!

He has been suffering from acid reflux, and is already taking Zantac to help keep his stomach settled. He also has to sleep at a slight incline, and his formula is specially designed for acid reflux. But with all those 'fixes', he is doing MUCH better and sleeping pretty well at night. He still doesn't seem to want to sleep during the day, but I hope he will eventually get there.

He is all smiles at 2 months old. His tummy feels so much better!!

I'm back to work now, and things are getting back to 'normal.' On one hand, it feels like everything has changed in the past four months... on the other hand, not much has changed at all! We are a family of 5 now, and the two older boys just adore the baby. I hope you forgive me for being away so long, since I posted cute baby pictures. More to come! 

MMG: Another Weekend of Unrest 6.23.14

Hello!

On Friday, I got to attend the summer birthday celebration for Little J's class. He was a bit confused, "It's not my birthday, is it?" But it was nice to be able to see him enjoying his classmates, and the beautiful southern California weather. Even Mayhem got to participate, which was really nice for him! 

Since our downstairs is still under construction, we've ALL been spending way too much time in the master bedroom. Some of us are enjoying the 'special privilege'... Below are some shots of Ms. Kallie enjoying her time in bed with Mayhem and Momma. Crazy dog...

Then there is this bed hog, Ms. Mollie. Unfortunately, we discovered another large lump on her this weekend. She'll be going in to get it removed tomorrow morning. :( Poor thing. 

Sunday was the US vs. Portugal World Cup game, which was a great game! I have to admit I fell asleep during some parts, I am very pregnant! And while I was cheering for the US (of course), I was enjoying watching this man! 

Cristiano Ronaldo in US vs. Portugal World Cup Game 6.22.14
Image Source: http://www.justjared.com/tags/2014-world-cup/

Thanks to Leeann and Kimberlee for featuring me this week!

How was your weekend, did you watch the World Cup? 

Heroes of the City: Baby App Ages 0-2

In March, I reviewed a Heroes of the City app, which contained 9 different games for kids ages 3-6 years old. Heroes of the City recently released a new Baby app for children 0-2+ years. Their goal was to create a great app for small children that is entertaining, educational and inspires children to be creative. The app is totally free, without advertising and has no in-app purchase. Everything in this app is especially designed for the youngest children. 

In order to property review this app, I downloaded it on my iPhone and had Mayhem test it out. He loved it! His motor skills are still developing, so he gets easily frustrated with some of the 'big kid' games and apps that his older brother plays with. This app is tailor-made for the younger crowd. The Baby App has a game where you simply tap on balloons to pop them- which sounds simple, but that's the point! Mayhem enjoyed playing that, because (I think) he could do it all by himself. 

Another item that he enjoyed was the painting (bottom left icon), because you can color in the Heroes of the City characters. It kept Mayhem busy while his brother was in swim class, which was great! I actually got to watch Little J swim! The center bottom icon was a shape matching game, which I saw him playing for a short time also. 

I would recommend this app to anyone looking for a 'first app', to see how your toddler can handle the touch screen. It is great for the younger crowd, especially if they like the Heroes of the City books and DVDs! 

Links for the app are below, for iTunes or Google Play:

App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/heroes-of-the-city-baby-app/id860084935?mt=8

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rutaett.HeroesBaby&hl=en

MMG: More Remodel Progress! 6.9.14

Photos of our remodel in progress: Left- new kitchen window and new cabinets being built,
Top Right- lower cabinets being built, and Bottom Right- freshly painted laundry room! 

Happy Monday! I can't believe another week has flown by. This weekend, I missed a family gathering (it was across the country, and I'm not able to fly) for my Grandmother's 90th Birthday!! I wish I could have been there to celebrate with her, and the family- since this was a major milestone! Happy Birthday, Grandma! 

Instead, I spent the weekend selecting a granite slab, tile, tile pattern, laminate flooring, and appliances. I know that sounds like fun to some people, but when it isn't something you had planned on doing... it's not very glamorous. On Saturday, my husband worked until noon- so we rushed over to a location about an hour away from home, with two tired boys. Luckily, they were very well behaved and we were able to get a great deal on the granite for our kitchen! We're seeing some real progress in the kitchen with new windows and cabinets going in! See the photos above. 

Quick Baby Update: I'm now 32 weeks pregnant, so this remodel needs to get wrapped up soon- so I can start nesting! Looking at my June calendar, this month is going to FLY. It's packed full of birthdays, BBQs, our wedding anniversary, a visit from Mom and Dad, J's last day of school, etc.! 

How was your weekend?!

MMG: Progress to Report! 6.2.14

Happy Monday! This weekend went WAY too fast! But first, an update on our 'flood status' from last week. We moved back home last Wednesday, because it was just too difficult to deal with the two dogs in a hotel- and also, because everyone was stir crazy. In other words, we moved home so we could use our backyard and sleep in our own beds. The entire first floor of our home is still wiped out- although, we do have a refrigerator? And, several of you have asked what exactly happened- and it was the dishwasher supply line. It burst, and flooded the entire first floor while we were sleeping. It wasn't actually a slab leak.  

We are working on getting quotes from contractors to repair all the damage, and once we settle the amount with the insurance company- we can get started on fixing everything. We have 9 weeks to get it all back together, because that is when Baby Boy is due! I'll wait until you stop laughing... are you done? OK. So, here's how our weekend went! 

Friday, I worked from home- while two contractors measured every square inch of my downstairs... and a handy man fixed our (unrelated) leaky toilet upstairs. And, of course, Mayhem was not feeling well- this is the only picture I have from the entire weekend. It just about sums up my Friday. Luckily, he bounced back quickly and was able to keep up with us this weekend.

Saturday morning, we had swim class and then headed straight to the tile store to look at new granite counter tops and tile floors for the impromptu kitchen remodel. That basically took all afternoon, but we agreed on a floor style, cabinet style/color, and a granite color. So we made progress! Now we need to get the insulation replaced and drywall repaired, so we can paint the entire first floor and then replace the flooring! Baby steps. 

Sunday we went to Laguna Beach for the morning, and had brunch with friends and walked around. It was so nice to get out of the house, and be in the gorgeous California weather for a while. I really needed that! How was your weekend?