Stinkerpants Giveaway

I am totally in love with Sara's designs at Stinkerpants Designs. I have been eyeing an ABC poster there for weeks. Lucky for me, my mom wants to purchase it today. :)

Sara is doing a giveaway to one lucky winner. Go to http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/living/2009/08/25/stinkerpants-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-2556

or to
http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/living/2009/08/25/stinkerpants-giveaway/comment-page-1/#comment-2556

for details.

So much has happened in the last few months...

I have been reminded a few times how much I have lagged in blogging lately. Not really surprising to me. I tend to be a huge procrastinator. Shocking, to those that know me. ;o

Benjamin has changed so much in the last 2 months. The biggest milestone is that he has learned to crawl and pull himself up. I am afraid that he seems to have my knack for banging himself into things. For me it is my extremities for him it is his head.

Not a day goes by that people don't tell me how cute you are. I would usually chalk it up to bs, but it is so true. Every day someone comments on your beautiful long eyelashes. You got that from the Millers. Thank goodness my Grandpa passed on that awesome trait.

You are truly an easy baby and I feel so lucky to be your mama. You have 6 teeth and eat like a champ. Love most veggies and fruit. You are now getting shredded chicken, cheese, and toast. You seem to have my carb addiction too. You love grilled and cheese quesadillas.

You are so in love with your Daddy too. I have heard that boys are always Mama's boys, but you reach for your Daddy whenever you see him. Every night after your bath, you practically jump out of my arms to get to him. Can't really blame you, Daddy gives great hugs. :)

You also have a lot of new baby friends. You don't seem super interested in playing with them. You mostly just wants to poke them, steal their toy, or pull their hair. This seems to be more of a Cerruti trait. ;)

Much to my chagrin, you seem to have Daddy's personality too. You are stingy with the laugh and smile. Luckily, you aren't like this at home. I hope you have a little bit of Mommy in there too. It is good to laugh and not take everything so seriously.

You love bath time, crawling after Chewy to get his toy, trying to pull Lola's hair, and chewing on a pacifier.

Your first birthday is approaching and it actually makes me a bit teary eyed. Where did the year go?

There is not a day that goes by that I don't feel blessed.

MAMA!

Yesterday was Benjamin's 7 month birthday. He also chose this day to say his first word. "Mama." I can't tell you how excited it makes me that he chose this to be his first word. You hear that "dada" is easier for them. I assumed he would say that first.

Actually it has been a running joke in our house that his first words would be "CHEW CHEW" followed by "NO!" These are the words spoken most often by Brian and I when we are trying to stop Chewy from doing something wrong. ;)

Of course, I wasn't even in the room when he chose to say mama. I was putting away laundry and daddy was holding him. I heard it though and it warmed my heart. He repeated it over and over for his Daddy. Just smiled at me when I tried to get him to say it again.

What I didn't expect was that I would feel awful hearing it at 5:15 this morning. Benjamin woke up wet. I had to change his pajamas and any mother knows how much a baby hates to be changed in the middle of the night. Usually Benjamin cries. It makes me sad. This morning he chose to say "MAMA" over and over again as if he was begging and pleading with me to stop. It seriously broke my heart. Made me want to cry.

Anyway, they say they grow up too fast and to enjoy it while you can. I believe "they" are right.

I've hit an all time low. TMI

So Benjamin is not much of a napper. If he does nap it usually involves falling asleep while nursing. He unlatches and will sleep for about 45 minutes to an hour. I cherish this time. I can type on the computer or eat lunch if it is already prepared.

Anyway, imagine how bad I felt when just minutes into said nap, I had to go to the bathroom. Bad. I knew that if I woke him, he would not go back to sleep. My dilemma was that I would have to let him sleep on my Breast Friend Pillow or put him in his crib where he would cry and be generally unhappy for hours. This seemed like a no brainer to me.

What I didn't mention is that I sometimes don't rehook my bra when he unlatches. So this time I decided to get up and Benjamin took his sleepy opportunity to latch on again. So here I was Breastfeeding while on the pot. Gross and possibly unsanitary to say the least.

Seriously I am the person that has the worst stage fright when it comes to going to the bathroom when others are around. Even if they are rooms away.

Moral of the Story-You never know what lengths you will go to for a sleeping baby.

The Sisterhood of Motherhood?

I have always disliked women ripping on women. I never understood why a woman blames another woman when their spouse or significant other cheats. That woman didn't take a vow. She obviously is just another woman with low self esteem and is willing to take some one's sloppy seconds. I am not letting a woman off the hook for it, I am just saying she isn't the one you should have a beef with. I digress.......

When it comes to Motherhood, women become extremely judgemental and catty. There are so many options and everyone thinks that they are making the best choice for their baby. Should I breastfeed or bottle feed? Should I use cloth diapers, co-sleep, go back to work full-time? There are so many questions and no matter what choice you make, you feel guilty for making it.

It all starts with your birth plan. Are you going natural? If not expect to hear from a few(or more) about how natural is the way to go. I fell into the trap and had misgivings about caving and asking for an epidural. I felt a little better later when others mentioned that Pitocin also made contractions come fast and hard. I still cried about it a week post baby because I felt like a bit of a failure.

I feel bad that any woman would feel judged in a group of her peers. I mean really? Are you so sure of every choice you make about being a parent?

Honestly, the things I remember about what make my Mom a great mom have nothing to do with the choices she made when I was an infant. My mom is a great mom because of all of the wonderful memories I have. Here are a few....

1. My earliest memory is of my mother walking me to preschool. We would sing "Nobody loves me, everybody hates me. Think I'll eat some worms."
2. My mother was always there for me. She worked full time, but always answered her phone at work and talked to me.
3. My mother had no problem with driving me to dance, to the mall, or to the movies to meet my friends.
4. She listened to me chatter on incessantly about my friends and what they were up to. She also listened to me talk about my latest crush. Believe me I had a lot of crushes over the years.
5. My mother also had to endure living with a very unhappy family when we were uprooted and moved to another state.
6. I respected my mother so much more when I had my own baby. There was a new understanding that I find hard to put into words. Most importantly, I was able to sleep while my mother rocked and comforted Benjamin. All new mothers know how important their sleep is. ;)

Anyway, my point is I don't have any recollection of my mother having a super easy and med free birth. I don't remember her breastfeeding me for 14 months. I don't remember cloth diapers. What I do remember is that she loved me with all she had and that she made the right choices for HER. In the end shouldn't that be the right choice for your child?

The Days of Sleeping Through the Night Are Long Gone.

Benjamin has decided that he no longer requires sleep. The doctor thinks I should start stuffing him with solids. Day one of that experiment proved futile. I am so exhausted, but I am thankful that we experienced 5 1/2 months of good sleeping.

I have found a correlation between my mood and the state of my hair and skin at that very moment.

If my hair is freshly highlighted and cut, I feel great. If my skin is clear and balanced, I feel great. My hair is a mess and my skin couldn't be any worse, I feel like sh!t.

I can't see a dermatologist today and I can't get my hair done until next week, I think it's time to go shopping. Momma needs a new pair of shoes.