The ups and downs of daycare

The ups...
I walked in to see a little boy sharing a teething toy with Gwenan. He cried when I picked her up to take her home.

The downs...
It takes exactly 2.5 weeks for you and your baby to get the first daycare fever.

8 seconds

The amount of time it takes for you to turn around, understand and respond to your husband who is holding your daughter with poo dripping on him, the chair, and the floor in the doctor's office while he mouths the word "help".

The luck of the draw

My husband pulled the short straw.
Our darling daughter had a BM that required the immediate use of the washing machine.

The younger the better

I think it's much better to be a parent when you're young - mid 20's or so. I happen to be 33 which means that I've pretty much been cursing like a sailor without any real consequence for 15 years. It's really hard to stop.

Breast milk or bust?

Some coworkers and I decided it's time to stop breastfeeding when...

1. Your child can ask for a snack
2. Your child is dexterous enough to unbutton your shirt and start feeding themselves
3. You just want to keep your buxom new figure

I'm sure there will be more to add to this list.

3rd pediatrician's visit

15lbs 2oz
26 1/2 inches
All is well :)

Things to watch:
"log rolling" = your baby rolling all over the place (she's got this one down already)
more determined grabbing

What is formula?

As babies can't have cows milk until their at least a year old....what the hell is formula?

The subtlety of TSA

I am a real working mum now after having completed my first business trip. Sure it was just a day trip to NC - but with a hungry child at home, there was significantly more planning involved. There was time to pump in the morning at a cafe and time in the nursery at RDU airport before heading back. Nursing is not glamorous - but luckily I wasn't in a bathroom stall.

My favorite moment would have to be at the security checkpoint in RDU where I had 4oz of breastmilk. I had read that the TSA would not make you test your milk but your responsibility as a traveling mum is to let the guard know that you are carrying breast milk. So take off your shoes, unpack your laptop, remove your plastic baggie with chapstick and hand lotion, and proudly state "I have breastmilk".

Apparently, no one travels with breastmilk through RDU. The guard took one peek at the small cooler holding the breastmilk and jumped back as if someone had flashed a camera about 2 feet from his eyes and announced to the screener that "This bag has liquids...It has breastmilk." Upon reflection, he turned and said "Did I say that too loudly?"

It's a good thing I don't scare easily and enjoy making a scene.

Walkin' in a spiderweb

I was warned that my hair would fall out sometime around the 3 month mark. I was also warned that it would keep falling out for months. However, what I was NOT prepared for was my hair sticking to my clothes, my arms, and my face leading me to feel much like I am constantly walking through invisible spiderwebs. One day I will scream.

You've only got one shot at this

It doesn't seem fair to anyone that your earliest memories are all traumatizing.

Why don't you remember your birthday parties but vividly recall falling off your bike and getting gravel lodged in your knee? It's a little overwhelming to think your rookie parenting mistakes will be forever immortalized, not your triumphs.

August milestones

Aug 4th - She rolled over back to front and back again!!!
Aug 4th - We figured out she's started teething

Aug 8th - Blackberry, peach picking AND her first hay ride
Aug 10th - First time with a babysitter who wasn't a grandma

Aug 11th - First day at daycare
Aug 11th - First business trip for mum - only away for 11 hours :)

Aug 17th - First trip to the pool
Aug 19th - First taste of rice cereal

The binary of baby

Is my baby eating? 0/1
Has my baby peed today? 0/1
Has my baby had a bowel movement (a BM!!)? 0/1
Is she crying more than normal? 0/1

As a parent, you're looking for 1110. These 4 bits of data is all your pediatrician cares about too.

My husband read an article saying that parents overstress about their babies' poo...well if you look at it this way, it's one of the 4 core communications that your baby is normal. So when your baby hasn't had a BM in 5 days, that tends to become the focus of all your attention whether you like it or not.

The future is now

As soon as your baby becomes more aware of their surroundings (~2months old), you start guessing what they are going to be when they grow up.