A Monkey in a Cage

This past week Shelby has been scooting everywhere. I keep waiting for her to crawl she has gotten SO close before! I watch her get up on her forearms and then pull her knees towards her chest, start to get up and then her legs slide straight out from under her and she begins scooting once again. I am in no rush though; I know she will be crawling everywhere before I know what happened!

She has really grown more adventurous now that she had gotten to be a very quick scooter. Earlier today she was laying in the living room on a play mat. I was sitting right across the room at the table. When I looked over she was happily lying on her back playing with a toy and when I looked up again, less than a minute later, the stealthy little girl was out of my sight! She had scooted all the way across the room and was pulling tissue paper out of a gift bag! I thought to myself "Oh my gosh! Where did Shelby go?!" I REALLY have to keep an eye on her now.

Oh, I have to share this story with you as well. Today Shelby was scooting down in the hallway trying to follow me since I had walked in her room. Well the cute little thing was happily scooting until something caught her eye........the electric wall socket! Why of ALL things is that so interesting....the thing that can really hurt you. She maneuvered right to it and reached. Needless to say I moved faster than the speed of light and snatched her up. "No, No Shelby! That will hurt you." As I said I have to watch her like a hawk now and she's not even crawling yet.

Well, I better go. Time to baby proof everything!

Another milestone already!

Shelby started cereal on Friday. I can hardly believe it!!!
She had never eaten from a spoon before (Well, except for the times I caught Jason sneaking her mashed potatoes form the table.) so I knew it would be something she'd have to get the hang of. Her 1st feeding she wasn't sure what to do and kinda just spit it out. She was more interested in playing with the spoon and trying to shove her hands in the bowl of cereal rather that actually eating. She didn't seem to be figuring out the whole swallowing thing. When I put the cereal in her mouth she would just move it around in her mouth mixing it with her saliva and then it would ooze back out her mouth.
During her 2nd ever cereal feeding about half way through the bowl something clicked....she figured out how to swallow! It is now Monday and she is eating up to ~3-4 tbs of rice cereal.
I'll try to post some pictures of the cutie chowing down very soon! Her messy little face is adorable.

This is SO gross!

WARNING: This is a gross post!
So earlier this afternoon Shelby had a poop explosion while sitting in her BUMBO Seat. In reference to an earlier post that you can read HERE...Yes, I decided to get her one and I love it.
Ok so back to the story. Well, by the time I finished dealing with the poop (Here's some poo, there's some poo, everywhere there's some poo!) and bathing Shelby I had forgotten all about the BUMBO. So later when I thought to clean it the poo had dried. EHW! So what did I do you ask...or maybe you didn't! ;) I reconstituted the poo. Yup that's what I said. I sprayed it and sprayed it with antibacterial cleaner until it was loose enough to wipe up. I warned you this post was gross. TMI!

Is being a breastfeeding fanatic a bad thing?

I posted this video because I found it to be interesting. The women are all very opinionated which I believe is in no way a bad thing. However, I do think being tactful in expressing your opinions is important.
Before I go on...Did you watch the video?



I too have had times in which I felt the need to justify myself to others concerning my decisions with Shelby and similar to the women in the video I do not like doing so. I made the decisions I did for a reason. I greatly appreciate people's input when I ask for it if the advice is delivered in a loving manner and if I know the person wants nothing but the best for myself and my baby. What I don't appreciate are the random people in the supermarket telling me how skinny Shelby is! These people don't know me or my baby. So keep your mouth shut! I realize it is not done in a malicious way but it still has the same affect. I begin to doubt myself wondering if I am feeding Shelby enough, am I producing enough milk, is she gaining enough weight, should I take her to the doctor? I don't like being insecure!

I have breastfed Shelby from the very beginning and fortunately have had no problems. Do I wish at times that I could hand Jason a bottle and take a break...YES! But I feel that research has proven that breast milk is better for your baby. Now, let me just say that I am aware of the large number of mothers that have all kinds of problems when it come to breastfeeding. It can be very painful and frustrating. I myself have not always produced enough milk. Therefore, I have made it a priority to drink 8 - 10 cups of water a day but for some women water consumption is not the main factor.
Women need to learn to support each other and not tear each other down. Every mom will make decisions about their children based on their families needs...no one else is qualified to make her decisions.

If a woman has to use formula due to circumstances beyond her control...so be it. If a woman needs to supplement with formula due to circumstances beyond her control...so be it!
Breastfeeding is what I have chosen due to the fact I believe it provides my child with optimal nutrition for her to grow and her brain to develop. I feel that breastfeeding should always be the first option for any mother and if for medical reasons she cannot continue then she should NOT feel guilty in any way or allow herself to be judged. However, I also feel that it's not right for a mother to simply never make the effort to breastfeed due to selfish reasons. My sister has jokingly said that she will never breastfeed due to the toll it takes on your "milk sacks"! When it comes time for her to make the decision I have no doubt that she will change her mind.

I hope to never judge another mother on the way she has chosen to raise her children, however I am human and am simply trying my best to live the way God has commanded. If I slip and am critical...well, I just hope I realize it and apologize.

You know you're a mom when...

1. You count the sprinkles on each kid's cupcake to make sure they're equal.
2. You have time to shave only one leg at a time.
3. You hide in the bathroom to be alone.
4. Your kid throws-up and you catch it.
   
5. Someone else's kid throws up at a party. You keep eating.
6. As you cling to the high moral ground on toy weapons; your child chews his toast into the shape of a gun.
7. You hope ketchup is a vegetable, since it's the only one your child eats.
8. You find yourself cutting your husband's sandwiches into cute shapes.
9. You hear your mother's voice coming out of your mouth when you say, "NOT in your good clothes!"
10. You stop criticizing the way your mother raised you.
11. You donate to charities in the hope that your child won't get that disease.
12. You hire a sitter because you haven't been out with your husband in ages, then spend half the night checking on the kids.
13. You use your own saliva to clean your child's face.
14. You say at least once a day, "I'm not cut out for this job", but you know you wouldn't trade it for anything".

I hope you enjoyed this list. I found it online and thought it was too funny not to share with you! Please leave comments with your own "You know you're a mom when..." moments!
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!