Failing

I knew it wouldn't be easy.  I knew there would be lots of tears and sleepless nights, some missed memories and milestones and more than a few lessons learned... motherhood is a journey.

And being a working mom is really really hard.

Being a mom who works overnight is just plain crazy.

I have enough seniority to work a regular 8 hour day shift, or a 12 hour day shift... but I chose to work a 12 hour overnight shift for a few reasons... better money, less time around the boss, more time to study and most importantly... more time with my little girl.

This sounds like a great idea in theory, but in reailty, it just doesn't seem to be working out quite like I had planned.

Truth be told, lately, I feel like I am failing... or coming dangerously close to doing so.

When I come home from work, all I can think about is sleep.  I try to nap when Kennedy naps, but it is never enough.  When she wakes up from her nap, she is so happy to see me and excited to play with me and I am just... exhausted.  I spend my days just wishing the time away until her next nap.  I put a movie on the iPad, hand her a few toys and try to close my eyes.  "Just five more minutes" is my mantra as I beg her to sleep, to be still or at least to be quiet while I try to sleep just a little bit more.  I drag myself down the stairs and heat up a cup of coffee, often reheat it 4 or 5 times before I actually manage to drink it.  Most days I doubt a coffee IV would even be able to perk me up after a short 2 hours of sleep.

The days are flying by in a sleepy haze and I find myself wondering...

Is it worth it?

I mean, I really have no choice but to work and I have come to terms with that.  But my schedule.  This crazy 12 hour overnight schedule... is it really working for us?  True, I technically get to enjoy more days off... but in a matter of quality vs quantity I'm torn.  Do the extra days off really count if I can barely stay awake enough to actually enjoy them?

I don't want to wish away the days of my daughter's childhood.  They are already flying by way too fast as it is.  I want to enjoy every single sleep deprived moment... but that is easier said than done when you are chugging along in zombie mode with 7 hours of sleep over 3 days. 

I'm not complaining.  I'm really not.  I'm questioning my decision.  Did I make the right choice?  Am I doing ok?  Am I failing her?  How can I possibly make this work?  (Overnight mamas feel free to help me out here!)  CAN I really do this?  Heck, can I even make it through today?

In my sleepy stupor, I hear her tossing books around her nursery while I curl up on the recliner chair and struggle to keep my eyes open.  I hear the Evil Puppy toy sing in between moments of dozing off.  I wonder if she would be better off, be happier if I worked days and she spent her days at day care like other children with working mommies and daddies.  Would she learn more?  Play more?

Then she climbs up on the recliner chair with me, curls up on my lap and just sits.  Quietly.  I kiss her forehead and she gives me the biggest smile.... and I know that I am doing the right thing.  I can sleep later, when she grows up, but right now... whether I am awake or barely hanging on by an undercaffienated thread... I am here with her.  And that is what matters.

God I love this kid.

Another Moment, If I May...

It's 5:30am.  It's Saturday.  I'm on vacation

Three very valid arguments for the fact that I should be sleeping.

... But I'm not.  I can't.

I've been awake for a while.  Maybe an hour, maybe two.  I woke up originally with a burst of creativity and a project that I just *had* to get done right away for Kennedy's birthday.

Kennedy's birth... day....

As I was cutting and measuring away in the early hours (no one should ever be awake at this hour... especially on a Saturday... especially on vacation... especially ME... but I digress), it started to hit me.  I pushed it aside and kept Martha Stewart-ing away.  When I finished, I made a cup of coffee and headed to the nursery.  I started putting away the pile of clothes and diapers that I neglected last night, but before long I found myself sitting on the recliner, with Kennedy's baby book in my lap.

Bawling.

How is it possible that she is turning one already.  How??  I'm not ready!!!

I stared at the pages full of facts and firsts.  She was born at 9:46pm, I remember it like it was yesterday.  She weighed 8lbs 10oz and had a head full of dark hair.  She was beautiful and perfect.  She still IS beautiful and perfect.

I held her coming home outfit in my hands and marveled at how tiny it was.  How tiny she was (even though 8lbs 10oz is hardly a tiny babe at all) when she wore it.  It is just a simple white sundress with tropical flowers.  I picked it out as my one "girl" outfit, since we didn't know whether we were having a boy or girl.  It was way too big on her, but it was such a pretty dress I wanted it to be the one she wore home anyway.

This past year I have learned so much about her.  She does not like to sleep alone, not even for a nap.  She loves baths, loves Finding Nemo, loves to "read" (flip through her board books and yell), but doesn't like to be read to.  She loves french fries and Dunkin Donuts hash browns, something I am not crazy about.  She is super smart, signs "milk", "more" and "puppy"... and equally curious, always finding new things to stick in her mouth or dump in Lucy's water dish.  And Lucy, oh my gosh she LOVES Lucy.

She is my baby girl.  She will always be my baby girl.

But my baby girl is growing up.

There is a famous quote by Rajneesh (no idea who that is, but s/he had a way with words) that goes... "The moment a child is born, the mother is also born.  She never existed before.  The woman existed, but the mother, never.  A mother is something absolutely new"

I have never really considered myself an emotional person, but ever since this beautiful little girl entered my life, I have become a new person.

A mother.

I have found myself often overwhelmed with emotions (case in point: the fact that just typing out that quote had me in tears).  I cry at nothing, at everything, but mostly I cry over her.  Happy tears, sad tears... usually a combination of the two.  I cry when she does something for the first time or when I think it may be the last.  Or lately, I cry when I even think about her doing something for the last time... like say "ma ma" or whine for me to pick her up.  I wonder how much longer she will want to cuddle in bed with us.  How many more nights she will fall asleep nursing and reach for me in the middle of the night.  How many more sweet baby giggles I will get.  I wish this phase could last forever, but I know these baby days are numbered.

I have been writing weekly updates and snapping pictures like it's my job since she was born.  I wanted to record and remember every single little thing she does.  You see, I have this fear of not being able to remember things.  Dementia/Alzheimer's runs in my family and at work I see patients all the time who cannot remember things or even worse, people.  My husband jokes often that I have the worst memory in the world and while it's a bit of an exaggeration... I'll admit that I am quite forgetful.  I don't care if I forget that the laundry has been in the washer for 4 hours, I don't care if I remember to send the electricity bill on time (although I probably should), and my phone an car keys could seriously use some sort of tracking device... but I do care that I remember these precious days with my baby.

I know I will remember the milestones, the birthdays, the special occasions... but what about days like today.  Today, a random Saturday... the day before her birthday party and two days before she turns one.  Today is not a momentous occasion.  It's not her birthday yet... according to the calendars, it's really just another day.  But I want to remember today.  I want to remember how peaceful she looks laying in her daddy's arms, with her puppy at her feet.  I want to remember the faces she makes in her sleep and how she reaches to hold onto my finger when I touch her hand.  I want to remember forever how absolutely heart-burtsingly (yep, that's a word) amazing it feels to be a mommy... to have a baby.

So when I finish writing this post, I am going to sneak back into my bedroom and watch my sweet baby girl sleep.  I am going to soak it all in, commit every moment to memory.  Memorize her sweet face as she dreams about milk and her puppy (what else do babies dream about, right?)... I'll laugh as she makes funny faces and sleep eats.  I will play with her tiny fingers and smile as they grasp mine; even in her sleep she holds on tightly to my hand.  I'm going to run my fingers through her hair and remember how baby soft it is.  

Every day I get to spend with this little girl is a special one.  Every day I get to be a mommy is a day I never want to forget.  The days of her being my sweet little baby are coming to an end soon... how soon I don't know, but right now all that matters to me is that we have today.  Today she is still my baby and today, I will remember.  Forever.

I'm Having A Moment

Watching Kennedy toddle around the house earlier (cutest thing ever, by the way) something occurred to me: I can't remember the last time I saw her crawl.  It has only been a day or two... Or maybe three.  I'm sure.  Wait maybe I'm not so sure.  Anyway... It hasn't been very long, but I can't remember it!!  I remember watching her crawl, heck I can even remember the first time she crawled, but I can't remember the last time.

Wait the last time?  Does that mean she is never going to crawl again?

Waaaaahhhhh......

My baby is a toddler.

::cue tears::  ok let me be honest, I practically sobbed on my steering wheel the whole way home from school.

Oh my gosh... How did this happen?  When did this happen?  WHY did this happen??

I waited so anxiously and was so excited for her first steps.  I couldn't wait for her to walk around and hold my hand.  Now... Well now I just want my teeny tiny little baby girl back.

So after I wallowed in self pity at the thought of my little girl growing up, marveled over the fact that her first birthday is right around the corner and cried some more at the idea of her one day not needing me anymore... I pulled in the driveway and opened the door to find her stumbling and toddling her way over to me yelling "mama, mama."  She couldn't get to me fast enough.  As I knelt down to pick her up, I had to push away the thought that there will come a day where she doesn't run into my arms or call me "mama"... A day where I won't be able to scoop her up and hold her close.  And I, of course, cried some more (when did I become such a cry baby anyway?). 

I realize that she does need me.  She will always need me, maybe someday more than I need her... But that is unlikely.  And that day is definitely not today.  This wobbly little toddler is my world.

I cuddled her extra tight tonight.  Time is just flying by way too fast.  I wish i could slow it down.  We have so many more memories to make.  I must do better at savoring every moment and remembering every little thing.  There will be so many more firsts... And lasts for us.  I don't want to let another one slip by.

I still can't believe she is here and that she has grown so much.  She walks, talks, signs, feeds herself (although still nurses like a little piglet... I dread the day that she wants to wean)... But no matter how big she gets and whether she is walking, running or driving a car... She will always always always be my baby girl. 

This is what i found when i went to check on her just now.  I think she will always be Daddy's little girl too... Don't you?

BLW: 2 Months In

So if you've been following my blog (all., what, 9 of you... lol)... you know that we have decided to use the Baby Led Weaning method of introducing solid foods to Kennedy.  After some research (one of my favorite websites for BLW... The Mush Stops Here), we decided that this was best for her and for us so at about 5 months we offered Kennedy a Mum Mum cracker here and there to gauge her interest in food and her ability to chew/swallow.  Then at about 5 1/2 months, we just went for it.  At 2 months in... I would call it a huge success!!

Hummus and Crackers

 We started with naturally soft foods like avacado and banana, but quickly progressed to different textures.  Now, at 7 1/2 months, Kennedy eats whatever we eat with a few exceptions (extra salty or spicy food, unhealthy processed or junk food, soups).

This is a quick recap on lessons I learned along the way and my thoughts/feelings on BLW.  As I'm sure you know already, I'm a big fan.

Peaches

 Lesson #1-  Spears are your friend.  At first, I was nervous about Kennedy chewing/eating large pieces of food, so I cut her avacado into small chunks.  Terrible idea.  Within minutes she had mashed it to a pulp and there was no hope of her picking it up herself.  I then scooped some of the mush onto a spoon for her.  She was able to more or less feed herself with the spoon, but it defeated the purpose of BLW since I had to load it for her.  I also think that she was actually more interested in chewing on the spoon and the avacado just so happened to be in the way.  Either way, she at least got to taste some of it.  I learned quickly that I needed to cut everything into large spears or french fry shapes that were easier for her to hold.  Once I did this, she was able to pick up her own food and bite of small pieces.  As her grasp gets better, I can cut the pieces smaller.

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

 Lesson #2-   BLW should be called BLFW (Baby Led Family Weaning).  I have always considered myself a healthy eater and generally prefer fresh, healthy foods.  Enter cute little perfect baby who eats my food... now nothing I eat is good enough (in my mind) for her.  Then I got to thinking... if it isn't good enough for her... why is it good enough for me??  Now I find myself striving even harder to make better food choices, shop healthier, cook healthier, eat healthier, live healthier.  I want to be around for her forever, you know?
A few examples... 

• I enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables, always have... but Kevin does not.  For a while I didn't buy many (especially during the winter when they are super expensive) because I could only eat them so fast and I hated throwing food away.  Now I buy lots of fresh fruits and veggies both for myself and for Kennedy.  What I don't plan to eat in a day or two, I wash, slice and freeze on a cookie tray.  There are always fresh or frozen fruits and veggies available for us to snack on now.  And I am encouraging Kevin to pick up this habit.  Slowly but sure;y, it seems to be working.
• I find myself reading labels, researching and asking questions about my food more than ever.  When I shop, I prefer the farmer's market.  This time of year, my choices at the market are limited so I try to choose wisely at the grocery store.  We are just not able to afford 100% organic, so I focus on the "dirty dozen" when I choose what to buy organic and what to buy regular.  Learn more about the dirty dozen here 
• I have always tried to bake or grill my meats, but on occasion (usually when I am running short on time) I will toss it in a sautee pan for a quickie meal.  Now I take the time to bake it because I know it is much better for all of us.  
• I have traded in the margarine or fake butter for coconut oil or real butter.  I cook everything in coconut oil and use real butter only when needed for flavor.  No more fake stuff.  Ever.  When I actually stopped to think about how I had slacked off in this department and fallen victim to convenience and price, I was pretty annoyed at myself.  We have a great farmer's market that sells real butter... why was I buying that other junk anyway?
• I find myself experimenting more with spices and seasonings and cutting back on the salt.  Salt is not necessary in her diet and it really isn't necessary in ours either.
• Kevin and I are admittedly cheese-aholics.  Rarely do we have a meal without cheese.  Unless I wanted to turn my super pooper into a once a month pooper (NOT a good thing), then I knew we needed to cut back on our beloved cheese.  We could never cut it out completely and it is good for baby girl to have some... but we are making a conscious effort to keep our cheese addiction in check. 

Biscuits with Blackberry Jam

 Some of the benefits I have found...

• No baby food.  That stuff is nasty anyway.  Did you know that one 8oz jar of bananas contains more sugar than a Mountain Dew?  Yuck.  And mushy ham, peas and potatoes?  Seriously?  Blech.
• Family dinners can be enjoyed by the whole family.  At the same time.  Mommy feeds mommy.  Daddy feeds daddy.  Baby feeds baby (and sometimes baby feeds the dog, but that's ok).  It's a beautiful thing.
• Dining out is easier.  No need to lug around baby food, then figure out how to warm it up (because IF you are going to feed your baby mushed up ham, peas and potatoes, at least make it hot).  Then when your meal comes you can actually eat, rather than feed the baby while your meal gets cold.  You just order and give your baby some of your food.  Once they are eating enough, order them a child's plate.  Done.
• Less mess... well... sort of.  The kitchen may be messier, the baby may be messier, but at least you're not trying to shove spoonful after spoonful of mushy mess into their mouth only to have it (so kindly) returned back to you.
• Watching them figure out this whole eating thing is just so very cool.  Really.  It's amazing how smart they are and how much they know about themselves and their bodies already.  They eat what they want, they stop when they are full, they learn how to chew and swallow very quickly.  We truly don't give them enough credit.  :) 

New Mom Lesson Learned: Traveling with a Baby... Top 10 Things I Wish I Would Have Known

So a few weeks ago, Kennedy and I took our first trip to Florida together to visit my side of the family.  Daddy had to work, so it was just me and baby cakes flying alone.  I learned... a lot, but these 10 things I really really wish I would have learned before our trip.  Actually, let me give myself a little credit here... a few (and by "a few", I mean 2 or 3) of these things I actually did know beforehand.  Most, however, I learned the hard way and a little too late.  Hopefully my lessons learned can help out another mama who is getting ready to take her first solo trip with a little one.

1. Book Smart-  And if you are like me, you might just need someone to tell you "Don't be an idiot."  A little back story...  Normally, I work evenings.  I am NOT a morning person.  At.all.  Thankfully, baby girl is not really into mornings either.  We usually wake up around 8:30 or so and hang out, take our time getting ready for the day before I head off to work.  Why oh why oh why did I think it was a great idea to book a 7am flight?  Smack me.  WHY??  Well, I *thought* (insert stupid "should have known better" chuckle here) that if we got up really early then baby girl would be super tired and sleep on the plane.  Then, we would get there by 10am and still have a whole day ahead of us to enjoy.  BAHAHAHAHAHAHA.  So here is what happened... Alarm goes off, I'm still in a sleepy stupor, Kennedy thinks she should nurse and then go back to sleep, Kevin and I are flying around the house getting everyone dressed and assembling last minute things like snacks and such.  We go to the airport at about 6:45am... for my 7am flight.  Yeah.  Worked out real well.  NOT.  Needless to say we missed out flight (which brings me to #2)... but first, let me just say that you need to book a flight at a time that works for YOU and your little one.  If you are normally awake, put together and out the door by 6:30am... then a 7am flight would probably work just fine.  Otherwise, stick with a flight that would actually fit into your normal schedule.
2. Arrive early-  Duh, right?  But seriously... We fly in and out of the Syracuse airport, which happens to be about the size of my pinky toe.  Kevin and I both have flown several times and never taken longer than 30 minutes get from car to plane.  Stupidly, we assumed this would be the case for this flight as well.  Even though all of the airport guidelines and such recommend 2 hours early, I thought we could arrive at 6am and be just fine.  Well, we didn't arrive at 6am, but even if we had, we may have still needed some extra time.  Think about it... you have to remove the car seat and/or from the car (if you are like me, the last time you did that was... well... never) and pack that away into your not-so handy dandy car seat bag.  Then you have to figure out how you are going to drag car seat bag, luggage AND baby (oh and don't forget your diaper bag and carry on) through the airport to the ticket counter.  Daddy can only watch helplessly from the car as he pulls away, otherwise the airport parking nazis will ticket or tow him immediately.  Then, it never fails, when you do get to your gate, baby decides to have a massive poop-splosion that requires a change (outfit included) before boarding.  Then, when you get her cleaned up, she wants to eat.  So... yes.  Bottom line.  Arrive at LEAST 2 hours early, if not more depending on the size of the airport.  Not just to get through security, but to give yourself time to get everyone cleaned, fed and comfortable before boarding.
3. Wear Your Baby-  Baby.  The fashionable new hands-free accessory.  :)  This one (pats self on back), I knew ahead of time.  I babywear all the time anyway, but knew for sure, that I would be wearing K when we traveled for a few reasons:  She sleeps really well in the carrier, I want to keep her close and I wanted to have both hands available.  I bought an Ergo for our trip, but it didn't arrive in time so I used our Maya ring sling.  Bonus- the Maya has a pocket sewn into the tail.  I put our IDs and boarding passes right in here so I didn't have to dig through the diaper bag for them when we needed them.  Getting through security was a breeze.  I just popped her out of the sling, tossed the sling in a bin with the diaper bag and we waked through.  I put her back in the sling and was able to nurse comfortably and discreetly no problem.  About 5 minutes before boarding, I got up and walked around and swayed with her until she dozed off.  I kept her in the sling on the plane and she slept about half of the flight.  I was even able to nurse her on the plane, in the sling, without any problems.  Worked out perfectly!
4. Two Words:  Curb.Check.-  Yeah... shoulda woulda coulda.  I wish wish wish we would have arrived early enough to take advantage of the curbside check-in.  Since Kevin couldn't help me carry anything in, I attempted (ha!!) to drag the car seat bag and large suitcase (and diaper bag, and baby) through the airport to the ticket counter.  I made it about 1 foot every 5 minutes before I had to adjust, reposition, take a deep breath and schlep on.  Thankfully, after about 15 minutes, someone took pity on this pitiful sight and offered to help.  I am normally too proud to accept a helping hand (big lesson learned here, see #8), but I was already starting to break a sweat by this point and was very grateful.  I could have avoided this all together, though, had we just curbside checked the car seat bag and suitcase.  "But what about the car seat?  I have heard it's safer if you gate check it"... I don't get this.  I see people all the time dragging their car seats around the airport.  Why??  If you gate check it, it still goes under the belly of the plane... I don't get the reasoning.  I did buy the car seat bag to protect it from dirt and scratches, but i checked that bad boy as soon as I could and was happy to see it go.  One less thing to fight with.
5. Pack Smart (and Light!)-  I originally planned to bring her stroller with us and gate check it, using it like a shopping cart through the airport.  At the last minute I decided to just leave it at home and I'm so glad I did.  I can't imagine folding it down and getting it through security, while holding her and wrangling a diaper bag and camera bag... all by myself.  You also *can* take a carry on and a diaper bag (counts as a personal bag)... but then that is a suitcase and a bag and a baby you have to manage.  It's just not worth it.  We brought one large suitcase and fit everything for K and I into the suitcase.  Things like diapers and wipes... I only brought what I needed for the diaper bag and bought more once we got there.  Dealing with the car seat bag and the one large suitcase (and diaper bag and baby) was more than enough for me.  Another carry on suitcase would have just been absurd.
6. Pack Everything But The Kitchen Sink In Your Diaper Bag-  Contradictory, much?  Yep.  But... just when you think you have everything you need (and have ENOUGH of everything you need)... you get stuck in an airport for an extra 4 hours.  True story.  Then, all of a sudden, skimping on packing the diaper bag to try to keep it nice and light was a horrible idea.  Think you packed enough diapers and clothing changes?  Thank again.  Think you packed double what you need?  Great.  Now pack more.  MORE!!!  You may know your baby's routine by heart and know just how many diapers and extra clothes you need to get through your flight... but... what you can't account for are delays, cancelled flights, extra blowouts and the number of things you will drop on the floor (hence rendering them automatically useless).  We made it by the skin of our teeth... but in retrospect, I should have packed at least one extra outfit and at least 2-3 extra diapers.  Just in case.  Also, pack an outfit change for you... or at bare minimum at least an extra top.  Why you ask?  Well... sitting on an airplane for 3 hours next to a complete stranger while you reek of baby poo is... well it stinks (Ha!  Get it?  It stinks!).  So yeah... take it from someone who has endured that embarrassment.  Pack a shirt for yourself.  
•  *A little side note here.  I found myself really wishing that I had brought a back-pack style diaper bag instead of my super cute purse style.  It would have just made the hands-free business even easier.  I wouldn't buy a special diaper bag just for traveling (unless you travel a LOT) if the one you have functions well for you at home... but... if you own a back-pack style diaper bag, I would most definitely take that for traveling instead.
7. Buy A Million Booginheads-  What the heck is a Booginhead?  THIS... is a Booginhead.  Best.Invention.Ever.  They are intended for pacifiers (and they make some to fit around sippy cups too!), but they can be used on just about everything.  I brought 3 with us and could have easily used 3 more.  As I'm sure you know.  The airport and airplane floors are no man's land.  Once a toy or pacifier hits... it's dead.  Gone.  Bye-bye.  Well... since baby's love to throw things on the floor (or at least mine does) and you can only pack a finite number of toys and pacifiers... this presents a bit of a problem.  Insert Booginhead.  I clipped a toy, a pacifier and a burp rag to her.  Problem solved.  She can attempt to throw them on the floor as much as she wants, but they don't go any farther than the 6 or so inches that the Booginhead allows.  These things are wonderful!!
8. Ask For Help, Ask For Favors-  Don't be afraid, too proud or too shy to ask for a helping hand.  And if/when you are traveling without your little squish... be the one to lend a helping hand.  When you check in or get to your gate, ask the representative if the flight is full.  Let them know that you are traveling with a small baby and would really really appreciate extra space if there is any available.  We lucked out and ended up with a whole row to ourselves on the way down. 
9. Borrow, Borrow, Borrow-  Staying with family??  Pull some strings.  Ask grandma or grandpa or whoever you are staying with to ask around for loaners.  My mom was well prepared when we arrived.  She borrowed several things (pack and play, jumparoo, bumbo seat) from a friend in her yoga class.  She also scoured garage sales and CraigsList for a cheap stroller.  If you are not staying with family, call your hotel ahead of time and see what they have available.  Most hotels have portable cribs and some have other baby items available free of charge or for a small rental.  Popular vacation destinations even have baby item rental services that will deliver items to your hotel.  I would never recommend borrowing or renting a car seat (for safety reasons), but things like strollers, pack and plays and toys are just fine. 
10. Keep Your Cool-  So you packed and planned and you've got books and toys... and your sweet little prince or princess decides that here... on this hot, crowded, uncomfortable airplane and now... 30 minutes into a 4 hours flight... is the optimal time to have a melt down.  Stay calm.  Babies can sense our anxiety and it only makes a bad situation worse.  Smile, speak softly, hold them close, rock them, bounce them, give them a paci, make silly faces.  Do whatever you can do to calm them down.  Getting embarrassed or upset isn't going to help the situation at all.  And worst case... apologize to your neighbor (who is thinking next time they will happily fork over the extra $200 for kid-free business class) and offer to buy their headset... or a stiff drink.  Crack a joke about it.  Make the best of an awkward situation.  Chances are... there are at least a few people on the plane who can empathize with you.  True, right now they may be thinking "Thank God that's not MY kid"... but trust me... at one point it likely was their kid.  No one is perfect.  So... don't let the eye rolls and icy "shut that baby up" stares get to you.  Smile, keep calm, be polite and people will soften up.  Next thing you know the melt down will be over, baby will be smiling and acting all cute and stuff.  People will be cooing at them and saying how precious they are.  Amazing, but true.  :) 

Hope you find this helpful!!  :) 

New Mom Lesson: Never Trust A Naked Baby

Allow me to preface this by saying that I live in a zoo (and I am, admittedly, one of the animals).

So tonight I was getting ready to give little Miss Kennedy her bath...

Actually... let me back track a moment... before we went for our walk this evening, I checked Kennedy's diaper... dry (strange... it had been over an hour and I had nursed her half an hour ago).  After our walk I checked again... still dry (hmm...).  So THEN...

I was getting Kennedy ready for her bath.  I got her all undressed (even removed her D-R-Y diaper) while Kevin filled her tub.  I made a quick pit stop with my naked baby in the nursery to grab wash cloths and a towel.  As I bent down, she started to pee... and pee... and pee some more.  There was no where for me to go, nothing for me to grab to cover her and I darn sure couldn't make her stop... so I did the only thing that made sense at the moment... I tried catching it... with my bare hand (yeah, because that makes sense... catch the pee in my hand).  I *knew* she had been saving her pee for hours just waiting to ambush me.

Kevin walked past the nursery and peeked in... there I stood with a naked peeing baby in one hand and a the other hand cupped overflowing with pee.  He looked confused... and horrified.  I just shrugged my shoulders and laughed and laughed... what the heck else could I do anyway?

So he just shook his head and said "Welp... looks like you need a bath too" and walked back to the bathroom to take her baby tub out and just fill the whole bath tub.  All of a sudden I hear "No!  Come on... LUCY!!" so I head over to see what is going on now.

Yep... you guessed it... Lucy had jumped in the bath tub and was happily drinking the bath water.

Yep... a freaking zoo.  :)