She Thinks She's a Dog

In the past, I have heard countless people tell me that their child is so interested in what the dogs do! They love to pretend they're walking dogs, pretend to eat like a dog, etc. My child? She legitimately believes she is a dog. No joke. Examples, you ask? Let me tell you...

She loves to eat dog food. No matter how many times I pull her away from the bowls and tell her no, she persistently returns. When I pick the bowls up off the floor, she diligently looks in every nook and cranny to find that ONE piece of dog food that is hiding. She also loves to remove the food from the bowl, and put it in the water bowl, laughing hysterically. Tonight, while I was cooking dinner, she dumped the water bowl all over, and was playing in it, feeding the dogs. Normally, I would probably flip out, but for whatever reason, I just let her sit there playing in the water and feeding the dogs. She had a blast.

Next example is quite nasty. The first time it happened, my boss received a text from me that was so panicky, that she probably thought the world was ending. I was upstairs getting baby boy ready for the day, when I come down to see Annabelle sitting in the middle of the floor snacking away on a nice pile of POOP! Oh my dear sweet lord, I didn't know whether to vomit or scream first! So, I look down at her, trying to decide what my first move was, and she is looking at me laughing like it's just the cutest thing in the world. I assure you, it was NOT. I immediately rushed her to the sink, rinsed her mouth out for about 10 minutes, scrubbed it with a toothbrush and paste, and gave her a bath, washing her about 6 times. Poor child was traumatized for sure. Thank goodness my boss is a medical professional, because I was certain Annabelle was going to have all kinds of parasites, and just be deathly ill. Luckily, she was able to calm me down, and assure me that she would just have a few gross BMs and be back to normal. Only my child would make it through this without any after effects. BUT, if you look back to the beginning, you will see that I said the FIRST time it happened. You read it correctly. A few weeks ago, this happened again. Are you starting to believe that she thinks she's a dog, yet?

So, moving on. Annabelle will eat ANYTHING. Seriously, anything within her line of vision. I am pretty sure she has Pica. She loves to eat scraps off the floor, that Jacob drops while he's eating. She eats feathers from pillows, cotton balls, ponytails, hair, you name it. I am constantly pulling random objects out of this girl's mouth. On a side note...I promise she is fed a healthy, well balanced diet!

And lastly, she insists on eating like this...

While wondering why my child believes she is a dog, I realized, they do kind of get treated like dogs sometimes. After all, we as parents are constantly barking orders at them! "Come," "Sit," "Stay." So, in her defense, perhaps she's confused! ;)

She'll eventually learn that she is human, right?!

Moments...

I would love to pretend that embarrassing moments don't happen to me! But, anyone who has ever known me, knows that I am a magnet to embarrassment! Since becoming a mother, these moments happen so often, and I thought I would share some (that may be equally as awkward for the witnesses)!

First, I remember when I first came back to work, the days were pretty blurred together, as we were all adjusting to having another baby in the home! Well, I was nursing Annabelle on the couch, when there was a knock at the door. So, I had made her stop eating, and walked to the door, and had a nice conversation with, I believe the Terminix man. When I closed the door, and went to finish nursing, I had realized that I had never closed my shirt!!! Oh my goodness, that poor poor man. Nobody wants to see that, for real. I guarantee he was more embarrassed than I, but for goodness sake, he could have told me!

Anyway, another moment of true bliss happened earlier this evening. With the allergies being so bad this month, I've been getting a lot of bloody noses! Today, as I was mopping, I got another one. And it just wouldn't stop! So, I stuffed it with tissue. I know, I know, it's gross, but things have to get done. About 90 minutes later, a knock on the door, for a pizza delivery! YAY! Well, when I opened the door, and got the strangest look ever, I thought for sure I'd forgotten to fasten my nursing tank again, but no, I still had the dang paper stuffed up my nose! I didn't take it out, though, like any normal person would. I wore that with pride! Way to go, Jean, you get a gold star.

Since these are the two that stick out the most in my memory, I will keep those as the only 2 I go into detail about. My entire life, I have been the absolute most clumsy person, who happens to have a lot of moments where attention is drawn because of tripping, falling, dropping things, etc. Now that I see my daughter has been graced with this exact same quality, I am forced to think back and remember all those times! Oh, for Annabelle's sake, I sure hope she finds her footing!

Although she has just began walking recently, she has already had countless injuries. She trips over nothing and everything. She loves to climb, and stand up on top of whatever she climbs up on, but falls off about 98% of the time. This poor girl is a walking concussion! Yesterday, while at the park, she went down the slide, and had turned sideways. She barely hit her head right on the edge of the slide, but somehow she had hit it hard enough to push the back of her earring into her head, cutting it and her earlobe open! Sigh...

When I took her for her check up last week, she had at least 3 bruises on each leg, a scratch on her back (from running into the wall), and a scratch on her face from a couple of weeks ago, that we don't even know HOW she got! Oh my goodness, I thought for sure the doctor was going to call the authorities on me! Lucky for me, clumsiness happens! ;)

Of all the moments so far in motherhood, I've noticed the ones that stand out are fantastic, but I've also come to realize that the ones I want so badly to not forget, are the random everyday moments. Holding the kids when they're upset and rubbing their backs to soothe them, and reading to them while they are still small enough to fit in my lap. Allowing myself to take a minute from the hectic day, and just look at their tiny faces that hold so much emotion! Hugs, and kisses, and the books they want to read 43 times in a row. Reminding myself that these are the things I'm going to want back has become a big priority.

So, in honor of my newfound love for the little things, when Annabelle wakes up in a few hours for her middle of the night feeding, instead of complaining, I'm going to smell her sweet hair, kiss her little fingers and toes, and just relish in the moment. While my baby is still my BABY! <3

Human Afterall

Although I generally strive to earn the title, Ultimate Super Nanny Mommy Jean, sometimes I have to be just Human Jean.

I have a generally optimistic, cheery disposition. However, every once in awhile, I have a bad day. We all have them, I know, but sometimes they are just particularly rough days. Where absolutely nothing seems to be going right. These are almost always the days when the following events take place...

We have a place to be, with all children, at a time that falls right at nap.
All kids are in moods that require non stop cuddling, whining, talking to.
Both babies decide to poop in their friggin diapers like 94 times.
The piranha that is my child was up all night, because she is clearly starving and needs to eat NOW.
Mommy slept through her alarm 9 times, and woke up with 12 minutes to get ready.

For example;
We need to be out of the house at 8:40 to make it to or destination by 9. At 8:35, one baby WILL poop. There's no doubt about it. When that baby is changed, the other one will go. Now, it is 8:43. We have to put jackets on, get out the door, and get loaded into the van. Once everyone is loaded, we will back out of the driveway, and realize we forgot to bring something we absolutely needed. It's now 8:47. In San Antonio, 13 minutes is sometimes not enough time to make a left turn, let alone drive 5 miles away. Crazy traffic. Also, I DO NOT speed. Ever. If I'm in a hurry, I might go the actual speed limit. This drives a lot of people crazy, but I happen to have a pretty bad paranoia problem. So, I would rather get to our destination on time, or even a minute late, than be responsible for harming 3 children, or others. Anyway, the person who is most bothered by my slow driving, just so happens to be the cute little girl in the backseat. "Jean, do you think you might be able to drive a little faster today?" is a question I hear everytime we get in the car. Lol. This always makes me giggle. Now my day is better. :)

Before becoming a mother, I always wondered how people could be so stressed out just from having a child. Afterall, I took care of at least 10 children on a daily basis. The difference? You get to give the kids back!! Lol. If the kid was sick, you call the mom and get them out of there! Obviously, I didn't get this part of parenthood. They rely on you for every single thing. Good lord! Thank goodness I have a great support system. My poor boss gets so many texts from me about fevers, nursing, skin irritations, crankiness, etc. My poor Mom gets every single bad day phone call. And the poor husband.... enough said.

So, for every good week, I have a really really hard, bad day. I cry, I whine, I compare my life to others', and I ask WHYYYYY MEEEEEE? I'm not the only one, right?

After receiving rough news this week, I was having one of those days (which also included every one of those events previously listed). After my hours of pitying myself, I try to realize that if this is as bad as it gets, it's still pretty damn good! I have a house, a FAMILY, food on my table, and my health. These are things that so many people in the world don't have. As hard as it is for me to remember sometimes, living in this materialistic world is hard. And it's not just hard for me. It's hard for everyone. I hope as Annabelle (and the other kiddos) grow up, and start recognizing the world, that I can help them realize, that just because we might not have what everyone else has, we do have what we need. And that there are so many people all over the world who would love to have exactly what we do.

So, moral of my story? I pretty much need to quit whining! Yep.

Vampires and Nannies

Continuing on...

In the weeks since coming back to work, the kids and I went on quite a few adventures. The first outing we all went on, was to the Zoo, with my good friend Cati, her daughter, and the two kids she nannies. I believe Annabelle was only 5 weeks at the time, and I definitely got some looks from people! I assume they were thinking... "What the heck lady, why do you have your newborn out in this 'freezing' Texas January weather?" or... "Man, she's sure been busy." <- This last one is a look I have definitely become familiar with!

While Annabelle was a newborn, and did nothing at all, parenthood was fantastic, and stress free. ;) Right from the beginning, she slept about 3 hours at a time during the day, and about 6 hours at night! However, we were some of the lucky ones whose child started teething at 3 months! WOO HOO! This was super fun, and I was so thankful everyday for the hours and hours of feedings, and the hours and hours of being awake through the night! All sarcasm aside, it took a LONG time for those teeth to finally come in. If I remember correctly, she got 4 teeth at once, around 5 months. She also looked like a vampire for over a month after that, as her very front teeth did not want to come in! Lol. Before you get too worried, her front teeth arrived prior to Halloween, so she did not feel obligated to be a vampire. Also, you should know that this week alone, she cut 6 more teeth, including her 4 molars! Big girl. Sleepy Mom.

 <--- Vampire, right?

Getting back to her younger months...

I remember one day, I took all 3 little munchkins to Target. Annabelle decided she needed to throw a fit for about the last 15 minutes we were there, and of course, there's really not much one can do to calm her, other than offer up a boob. Since that wasn't an option at the time, other shoppers got to enjoy the sweet melodious sounds of my child's cry! How lucky, right?! Anyway, the woman comes over, snatches up Annabelle's hand, and proceeds to tell me, "I used to be a Nanny, so I know how to calm her down." Oh man, lady... wrong person, wrong time! I usually let things slide pretty well, but not when it comes to the kids! So I respond with something like... "HEY! She is very young, and who knows where your hands have been? Frickin nasty! Now I have to take her out of her seat, take all 3 kids into the bathroom, and wash her hands. Thanks so much for knowing how to calm my child down, but I'd appreciate it if you didn't ever touch her again. A Nanny might know not to touch people without permission. BACK OFF!" Hehehehehe. It's a good memory. Don't touch the kids, people.

Aren't memories fun?!! More to come! :D

A Reflection

After celebrating our baby's first birthday, Charles and I decided it would be a great idea to do a "reflection" on our first year of parenthood. "Can we sum it all up?" I ask myself? We shall see.

On just another day in November, 2012, I walked into my Ob/Gyn office, and was told that I would be spending the remainder of my pregnancy in the hospital, with preeclampsia. Of course, I (and Charles) were outraged, and insisted that the doctor knew nothing, and it was unnecessary. Needless to say, I went. Lol. For 3 weeks, I sat there, thinking about how amazing it was going to be to hold my baby girl, and daydreaming about all the wonderful fun-filled moments that would fill the rest of our lives. WOW, fun-filled indeed.

Finally, on November 30, I was induced, and delivered a beautiful little sweetie at 1:52 PM! I never knew I could feel so much joy! However, when the nurse handed her to me, she was blue. My sweet little angel, whom I waited so long for, wasn't breathing. After spending time in the nursery, and having several apnea episodes, they admitted her into the NICU. Since I was still essentially paralyzed from the waist down, I wasn't allowed to go with her, so Charles went. I was so so angry, and sad, and terrified, and every other emotion rolled into one.

8 hours after giving birth, I was finally able to go the 2 floors down to the NICU, to see Annabelle. She was so tiny, and so pitiful hooked up to the wires, and lying there naked with a too-big diaper on. All I wanted to do was nurse her and feel that bond I had heard so much about! HA! This natural breastfeeding thing was quite a task. The nurse and the lactation consultants were so helpful with tips on how to get her to latch, and what it should feel like when she starts getting milk. Whew!

After 2 days of walking back and forth, and hearing about more apnea episodes, Annabelle and I were both discharged, and on our way home! And so the fun begins...

To sum up our first few weeks...

Breastfeeding is...

Painful
Ridiculously time consuming
NOT EASY
Wet.

Oh! And, my goodness, the diapers! In all my years of childcare, I had never noticed how much one little tiny 7 pound baby went to the bathroom! Our couch (and myself) had been pooed on so many times, I don't think I can even attempt to give an estimate. We got a new couch.

Going back to work was such an easy transition for Annabelle and I both. I am so thankful to have amazing bosses, who knew I was pregnant before I did, so weren't upset about another baby. The kids love Annabelle, as if she is part of the family. Learning to adjust to having to pack up 3 kids in the car took quite some time. Do we take the double stroller, or the jogger and a baby carrier? How far are we going to have to walk? Who is going to need to eat, and what? Busy busy fun. Wouldn't trade it! Once we got in the hang of going on outings, it became easier, and now we find ourselves doing so much!

Creating memories is such a large part of early childhood, and I am so happy that I get to spend these moments with my own child, and with 2 other children who mean the world to me! I'm anxious to see if I can attempt to sum up our goings on and share with people the joy (and exhaustion) that is my life!