Say Mama!

Raleigh Kate is extremely vocal, but she really only makes two consonant sounds: "B" and "D."  She makes all sorts of vowel sounds!  I'm trying so hard to get her to make the "M" sound, but she just won't do it yet! 

fitbit

The hubby and I are both trying to be more active on a daily basis, so we bought fitbit zips for some added motivation.  The zip tracks your steps, mileage, and calories burned.  (I buy into the steps and mileage, but I have a hard time believing the amount of calories it says I burn while I'm just sitting on the couch!) I clip it to my sports bra if I'm in workout clothes or on my pants if I'm wearing regular clothes. Whenever you walk by the computer, which has the dongle connected, it syncs to your fitbit.com dashboard.  It starts over each day.  You can log your workouts, weight and food you eat on the dashboard.  It's great!
Ray frequently meets the 10,000 steps goal. But, being at home with Raleigh, it's tough for me to do, especially on these rainy days.  Having the tracker has helped make it a point to get out and be active.  Today, I ran a 5k on the treadmill in 31 minutes straight.  Woo hoo! While on the topic of the gym, baby girl does so well in childcare.  She hasn't cried once yet and they say she is just as happy as can be.  PTL!

fitbit zip

It's Just a Phase

I think one of the most important things for new moms to hear and know is that babies go through phases.  Sometimes the phase might last for three days, other times three months.  Just know that there is an end in sight! Sometimes that end might be welcomed and other times you might be sad to see it pass.  Let me explain some of the “phases” we have personally experienced. 

Breastfeeding:  I promised myself that I would breastfeed for AT LEAST 4 weeks.  It was not extremely difficult, but it was painful and it seemed my world revolved around it.  I had to change the way I dressed, the way I ate; I didn’t feel comfortable working out, it was messy, and I didn’t feel like she was ever getting enough to eat.  She was eating almost every hour!  I envy the mothers who do it so easily and almost make it look glamorous.  I do feel selfish complaining about something so natural that is good for baby, but at the same time, ending this phase made the whole family more relaxed and happy.  I got through those 4+ weeks knowing that there was an end in sight!  The switch to bottle went smoothly and after testing a few formulas, she was eating without spitting everything up.  Thus, feeding became more enjoyable for both of us.  Adios breast pump, nursing bras, and…  never mind, that’s not blog appropriate.      

Sleeping:  For the first couple of months, she was a typical newborn.  She woke every couple of hours to eat and would quickly go back to sleep.  No big deal.  However, she also went through short phases of waking up at 2 a.m. and NOT going back to sleep at all! I think the longest that ever went on was about four days.  I remember trying everything – music, bouncing on the exercise ball, stepping outside, trying to get her to fall asleep on my chest, etc.  All of these things had worked like a charm before, why weren’t they working now?  Thank goodness it was JUST A PHASE.  Sometimes, though, you do have to change things up and find out what works best.  Our lifesaver for getting sleep was the Rock ‘n Play that I blogged about here.  See also: swaddling.  At about five months, she wasn’t sleeping as well through the night because she kept trying to get out of the swaddle.  We gave it up and I wish we could say we haven’t looked back, but the transition wasn’t easy.  Maybe I’ll touch more on that in another post solely about sleeping and “cry-it-out” methods.  Her latest sleep phase: waking up at midnight, then at 3 a.m., then at 5 a.m.  About two weeks ago, she did that almost every night.  She would wake up and either talk to herself for about an hour before she fell back to sleep, or cry until I rocked her back to sleep.  Although the talking was cute, it still kept me up and prevented both of us from getting a full night’s rest. She still wakes up in the morning talking, but that gives me time to get ready before I have to get her up.  Also, when she would wake up talking or crying at 5 a.m. I would go get her and bring her down to our bed. I’d let her sleep on me for the rest of the morning.  We would usually stay in bed until 8 or 8:30!  As much as Ray and I both enjoy having her in bed with us (seriously!), he told me I shouldn’t keep it up or she will make a habit out of it.  Point taken.  She is back to sleeping almost 12 hours and I don’t want this phase to end!

Eating:  The phases are pretty obvious here.  As babies grow, they are going to eat more.  You just have to figure out what your baby is wanting.  If he/she cries after a bottle, it probably means you need to add an ounce or two to each bottle from then on. Our baby girl has NEVER stopped eating in the middle of the bottle.  I mean, if there’s a drop left, she knows it and she wants it.  If we take the bottle away before it’s gone, she starts huffing and puffing.  Sometimes we do it on purpose because it’s just so darn cute. 

Those are the biggest issues that come and go in phases.  But, for each baby there may be more.  One more personal example:  RK hated the car, so we bought a DVD player hoping it would give her something to take her mind off the fact that she was in the car.  It satisfied her for about two days.  We returned the DVD player because there was no benefit – and when you’re not satisfied, you want your money back!  As she developed a little more, yet still hating the car, we decided to try again.  We bought another (cheaper) DVD player and it has worked wonders.  No more tears in the car!  And sometimes, I’ll just pause the DVD and she will eventually fall asleep.  Hooray! 

The way I look at it, having a baby is like being a teacher in at least this way:  sometimes you get through the days by keeping your eye on the prize that is a weekend, a break.  It might be frustrating when you’re not getting any sleep or you don’t know what to do to make your baby happy, but know IT’S JUST A PHASE!  

Wordless Wednesday: 5 months/Christmas

Ready for a tacky sweater party 

Happy New Year!

I love New Year's Eve.  It's a time to reflect, remember and look forward.  2012 brought so much change to my life.  I gained a lot of family, but I also lost my grandmother.  I am so thankful to have gotten to know Effie and to have spent 26 years with her on this earth.  She knew I was pregnant and was so excited about baby Raleigh.  I wish they could have met!  I wish she could have been here for at least the rest of the year, to celebrate with our family as we grew.  She passed away in March.  In May, my sister Amy got married; in July, Raleigh Katherine was born and ten days later, my sister Courtney got married.  Another one of her grandchildren (Alan) also got married over the summer.  In October, another great-grandchild was born.  Even with all the joy during these celebrations, there was always some sorrow because of her absence.  So, we've celebrated new family members, new life, and we continue to remember the ones who are no longer with us.

And now, we look forward.  Most people come up with resolutions, goals, hopes and plans.  I don't (come up with anything specific), because they're usually out the window come March January 2nd.  I look forward by envisioning myself as a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, and most of all as a better Christian.  I will strive daily to glorify Christ in all that I do, even on the days when I don't leave the house.  God has blessed us more than we deserve and I want to show Him (and it will never be enough) that I am extremely grateful.

Matthew 5:16

Wordless Wednesday

Mark (at Tupelo Honey)

Kaeley (at Tupelo Honey)

Playground

Red Friday

Static electricity on the slide at the playground

Watching BabyFirst TV

Mud Pie Photo Shoot

I had a few adorable Mud Pie outfits that my mother-in-law gave Raleigh, but they were too big for her this summer. Well, now it's Fall, but I had to have some pictures of her in them! So, we had a little photo session today.

She gave us some that are fit for Fall/Winter and I can't wait to show her off in them!