Smelly Beautiful Feet

I have always loathed Feet. They have never been cute or appealing to me. They usually are smelly and when people don’t take care of them…eww…I’ll stop there. Well, I have recently had an epiphany. I have found that no matter how overweight you are, unless you are retaining water, your feet remain the same size. What a beautiful thing. I have grown to appreciate my little toes, because they are just that, little. Not only are they little, they are pretty darn cute. Just thought I’d share my change in perspective with you. It’s time to start appreciating the little things.

Motherhood..in the raw

Okay, so I would be surprised if anyone even read this blog anymore. As you can imagine I have had my hands full. Precious Judah is growing so fast and is such a joy. He's on a marvelous schedule and is sleeping 8 hours at night! I am so thankful!
I figured I would take the opportunity to share what motherhood has been like these past 3 months. For those of you who will be mothers one day, hopefully this will help you out on your journey. The things I have to say may be the things that mom's don't normally tell you because they're not so glamorous...but I think you deserve to know. So here goes....

1. Inter tube tubby. It's true what they say, you're life completely changes, but what many people may not tell you is so does your body. Not ever having a weight issue in life, I thought the 35 lbs. that I gained in 9 months would just melt away after having a baby - WRONG! There's a stubborn 10 lbs. that likes to linger in the midsection of your body. Seriously, this has been so frustrating to me. Not that I'm exercising like I should, but man, when I look at pictures of myself...Yuck I don't like what i see.

2. No period. Seriously, I haven't had a period in a year. What a blessing. I thought it would come back the month after having the baby, but still no period. Sorry if this is TMI.

3. Cracked and bleeding. This describes my breasts for the first 2 months of Judah's life....I stopped breastfeeding at 6 weeks. Need I say more?

4. Racing stripe. You get this during the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy. It's that dark line that goes down your belly. Well, it's still there. Will it ever go away?

5. Boy Pee. So I learned that you have to point "it" down in the diaper or he'll pee on himself every time. This bit of information would have been helpful the first day of his life, not the 2nd month!

6. Baby Swing. Invest in one. There is nothing better than Judah's swing. He takes naps in it, plays in it and will stay occupied while I get other things done...ie: dinner, laundry, shower.

7. Bills, bills, bills. Not something I was thinking about while at home with my new bundle of joy until they started flooding in about the 6th week of his life. Not only are you paying for your delivery, and just so you know it runs about 30K to have a kid, you're paying his doctors as well. There are 2 separate hospital bills, they send them about 2 weeks apart. I think this is to let the shock and agony wear off from the first one. Sorry, I guess I just ruined it for you. Brace yourself. Personally we'll be paying for his delivery for 2 years. So when people ask when am I going to have another one. It certainly won't be until "he" is paid off.

8. Maternity Leave explained. Make sure your work gives ample explanation of your pay while on maternity leave. My work screwed up my paycheck 3 times while I was out. SO stressful.

9. You'll melt for him. Your husband that is. It's such an amazing gift to see Justin with Judah. He is a natural with him. He's so gentle with him, yet he plays with him like he's his best buddy. I know they will have an incredible bond.

10. What about me? Prepare to love your child more than you could ever imagine. Also prepare for others to feel that same way. It's Hello Judah. How's Judah? Seriously this is fine with me, it's just a drastic change from all the questions and attention you get being pregnant.

11. Pride. Even if your child looks funny to others, he or she will be the most beautiful thing to you. If I even here a negative word about my son, I'm ready to pounce on them and defend Judah with all that I am. I have never felt so strongly about anyone or anything except my faith and God.

12. Formula and Coupons. Save them! Even if you plan on breastfeeding you never know! In my case, it didn't work out. You will get tons of free formula and coupons from places tried to get you to use their product. Save them. Even if you can't use them a friend might be able to. Speaking of...does anyone have any Similac coupons they'd be willing to part with??!

13. Journal. Keep a daily journal. I have been doing this since I got home from the hospital. It has been so wonderful. I use it to keep track of my feeding schedule for Judah and then I write about our day together and the milestones he accomplishes on a daily basis. So much happens the first couple of months, you could easily loose track. Keep that journal close.

14. Mylicon. This is a gas medicine. For the baby not you. It's a life saver. Keep it with you no matter where you go.

15. Hold him/her as much as you can. I have heard so many opinions about this. Here's my point of view. Children need affection to thrive, they won't let you hold them for long, and you could cuddle them all day, so DO it! He'll let you know if he wants to be put down.

16. Talk to him. He will respond sooner than you think. You may feel silly doing this when they are so young, but it increases their IQ. Read to them...they will love it.

17. Liquids. Keep a burp clothe close. The drool starts soon.

That's all for now. I am certainly not an expert at this point, but I wanted to share my experiences thus far. I'll have more to share...so stay tuned, as they say.

Back to the grind...

So this week I went back to work. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself. I didn't even cry!!! It was hard, but I did it. I think the fact that Justin's mom is watching Judah for the next couple of weeks helps. I'm so glad to have that kind of transition before he goes to daycare...boo! Work was extremely busy it was a bit stressful after being out for 2 months. The good thing is that I'm only working 30 hours a week instead of 40 so I get to have one day with my baby!!

We went for Judah's 2 month check up and all went well!! He is in the 75% for his height and weight. (what a chub!) He is up to 12lbs. 10oz. He got 2 of his 4 shots. We go back in 4 weeks for the other 2. I just couldn't bear to give him all 4 at once! He did really well with the shots...he only fussed for a minute and then was fine. The Dr. seemed really impressed with how wide-eyed and strong he is. It was a good visit!! He's getting so big, it seems like he grows more every time I come home from work. I couldn't be happier with our baby boy. He is such a great baby and is really responding and smiling. We are so blessed!

Judah's Dedication

March 1, 2009 was the day that we Formally dedicated Judah to the Lord. My prayer for Judah is to that he will love the Lord and follow His plan for his life. If I raise my son to fear and love the Lord then I have done what I am called to do as a mother. It's a heck of a calling, but I pray I can full fill it. Judah did so great during his dedication; I was so proud. I tried to take in every moment and every word.

It was also a bittersweet day for us. It was sweet because of the formality of what we were doing and having family there to witness it..the bitter part of the day was when Justin's Nana Bussell had a stroke as we were leaving lunch. She is on the mend right now, but has a long road ahead of her. We all feel that if this had to happen to her then this was the best case scenario. We were all there together...I mean she could have been driving or alone. She is in a great hospital here and is out of the ICU unit. If you think about it please say a prayer...her name is Shirley Bussell.

Say Cheese!!

Judah is 6 weeks old now and really filling out. We now have him on Soy Formula since we think he was allergic to my milk. He has been so much more pleasant. I am still pumping to build up a supply just in case. He also is getting over having Thrush, which is a yeast infection in his mouth...poor buddy. He's doing well sleeping and is cooing and smiling so much. Here is a picture of Judah in the adorable outfit Joyce, Josh and Madison gave him. I'm so glad he got to wear it. Justin had him laughing so much. I love it!!!

1 month

Judah is one month old. I can't believe it. This means that the time is drawing nearer for me to return to work and leave my baby boy. I am SO not looking forward to that. He seems to be growing and his face is changing. He is just precious and I feel like I'm getting a better handle on him and his cries.

We just got back from Savannah. My mom and sister threw a shower for me since I couldn't make it there when I was pregnant. It was so nice. It was a "Sip and See" and I got to see so many old friends that I haven't seen since my wedding. Judah did really well. We got lots of great things. I feel so blessed to have had so many showers. Seriously who has 4 showers??!! What a blessing. We also gave Judah his first bottle this weekend. I have been putting off pumping, but it is so nice. It's faster that feeding him and others get to help feed him!!

Pics: Justin feeding Judah for the first time. Madison meeting Judah for the first time. (She kept saying "He's so tute!") My best friend Brooke holding Judah at the shower.

Update

It's been 3 weeks and things are going well. It's not to say I haven't had my bad days, but we are learning each other and everyday gets better and better. Judah is so bright-eyed, up to 8 lbs. 6 oz. and growing like a weed. He has a bit of acid reflux so he's on baby Zantac. He also has a really stuffy nose right now and snores like crazy. Poor thing. I feel so helpless when he can't breathe.
I am currently nursing him and that seems to be going well. It is sometimes really draining but I know it's best for him so I'm trying to endure.
Justin has been AMAZING. He is the best dad ever. When I can't get Judah to calm down, he takes over and like magic he's fine. He changes diapers without me asking, he takes the night shift so i can get some rest...I am so blessed to have an involved husband that cares so much!!! Check out his blog for more pictures of Judah.
We are heading to Savannah (my hometown) for a "Sip and See" shower. I couldn't make it there while I was preggo, so now we get to show him off to old family and friends. It should be interesting traveling with him and probably everything but the kitchen sink! Ha.
Gotta go for now...