Results of Thanksgiving

Well, I did it! I managed to cook a full Thanksgiving dinner and people managed to eat it, success! Everything turned out pretty well and tasted good and how it was supposed to. I ended up making gravy from a packet, since only my dad really ate it and he said it was fine. I don't think I used quite enough sweet potatoes for the casserole, but it still tasted right. Kinda soupy though. The turkey was really good, juicy and flavorful and the mashed potatoes were sooooo good. I tried an organic pumpkin pie recipe and it was really good too! (although, I think the Cool Whip took away from the organic side....) It really wasn't hard, it was just a matter of so many things at once that all had to be ready at the same time!

*Sigh* I'm really irritated at myself right now. Kalaya is showing signs of getting sick and I feel like it was totally avoidable. It's nothing serious. She doesn't have a fever and isn't congested, she just has this crummy cough. And, I know exactly where she got it and how. We had friends over this week and they have a daughter in 3rd grade who is totally enraptured with Kalaya. She kept coughing and forgetting to cover her mouth and even though I asked her about 50 times to wash her hands, I don't think it was enough. Plus, every time I turned around, she was kissing Kalaya's face. It was really sweet, but I know that's where she got it. I'm mad at myself for not stepping in more and asking her not to touch Kalaya as much. I'm REALLY irritated at her mother who never said one thing about it. I know, I know, I can't protect Kalaya from germs forever, but I know how this happened and I could have done more the prevent it. She is doing fine and I know she'll be okay, but we have a trip to Nelson's family planned for tomorrow and she is very, very needing Mommy right now. She mainly wants to nurse and be held (by me) when she is tired, which is more often, since she is obviously not feeling well. She is fairly cheerful when she's rested, but tires quickly and then MAJORLY melts down, screaming and crying, unless she's nursing. There are going to be a whole bunch of people there and it will overwhelm her and I'm just not looking forward to it. I know it's important and I know they love her and want to see her. I won't be passing her around much and don't want her to get exposed to more germs while her defenses are down. Plus, she won't get to nap as well and she really needs her sleep right now. AND, on top of that a new tooth it coming in. UG!

Well, after that vent, I need to change my mind-set. I'm going to say the things that I'm so thankful for this year!

*My faith in God. Becoming a mom has made this so much different and so much more necessary. I don't know how people without some kind of faith get through parenting. Who do you put your trust in that your baby will be safe, healthy and protected?? I find myself praying constantly, whether it's to just praise God over and over for the beautiful gift he's given me through motherhood or whether it's praying Kalaya will feel better or stay healthy. I am so thankful for God and His gift of His son Jesus.

*My beautiful, healthy, perfect daughter. I am so thankful and so grateful that everything appears perfect about Kalaya. She is beautiful inside and out and I love her so much! I don't remember what life was like without her.

*My loving, wonderful, incredibly supportive husband. He is amazing. He works full time so that I can be home with Kalaya. I can never repay him for that. He is a wonderful father and husband and he has done more than I can ever say to support Kalaya and I, on all levels.

*The sweetest, cutest, friendliest pound puppy ever!

*My parents. They are wonderful, special people who love their children and grandchildren so much. They are so supportive. Mom is my best friend, it's hard to go more than a day without talking to her. Daddy is so great and kind and I love them both so much!

*My brother and my niece Allie Mae. I am so proud of Colin for his service in Afghanistan and in our country. I am so proud of how he has handled everything he has had to go through this year. He is doing such a great job as a single dad. And Allie is such a beautiful and happy baby (toddler!)!

*My extended family: aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and in laws. Everyone has been so wonderful at offering anything we needed this year as we started parenthood.

*Our church family, including our youth group kids. So many kind people who are there when we need them!

*Having an extremely nice house with room to spare that we get to share as a family.

*An income that provides us with more than enough: healthy food, health care, housing, transportation, and enough for extras!

*Soooo many more things, I am so blessed, so lucky and so loved. Happy Holidays!!

Last Couple of Weeks

Here's a quick rundown of the last couple of weeks:

*I turned 27! Fairly quiet, but we did go to a nice dinner at Ruby Tuesday with my parents and Nelson baked me a delicious birthday cake. Nelson took me to Ikea to pick out new dishes, which we desperately needed. Fun day!

*On my birthday, I discovered that I fit into all my old pants!!! Hooray!!! Of course, I had already given up on this happening and had gone out and bought 3 new pairs of pants, which are now way too big. Who cares?? I am basically back to the size/weight that I was before I got pregnant. Now to work off that extra bit too....one step at a time! I'm walking about an hour every weekday and I'm going to start Jazzercise after our bills are paid off, which should be in the new year.

*We've done a couple more activities with our mommy group, including a craft day at someone's house and a trip to the Children's Museum. Both were fun and it was nice meeting new people.

*We had a huge bake sale at church to raise money for our planned mission trip next summer. Our church family is VERY generous and we made over $270! At a bake sale?? That's crazy! Praise God!

*Kalaya learned to jump in her Jumperoo and I swear she is going to jump out of it! She just loves that toy. I am starting to feel like a bad parent some times, because she will play in it for 45 minutes and not need me! She is definitely learning how to play independently. The down side: I have memorized the farm songs it plays and they are constantly stuck in my head!

*Kalaya had now tasted sweet potatoes and winter squash. She is still skeptical about both. We are easing her into solids veeerrrryyy sllllooooowwwwllllyy to be sure that she doesn't have any allergies to foods, since Nelson has nut and fruit allergies. That means NO surprise tastings just to see her reaction. (I am nervous about relatives trying this "fun" game during the holidays) And, we are not giving her any foods that her pediatrician most often cause an allergic reaction; nuts, berries, dairy products, shellfish, etc until she's at least had her 9 month appointment, probably until she's a year. My goal is also no precessed food until she's 2, especially refined sugar. If grandparents and other friends don't want to comply, Kalaya will not get passed around. Period. Sounds really harsh, but I feel really strongly about this. She does really well with rice cereal mixed with breast milk. She hasn't been interested in bananas too much, though she will eat them. I'm about to introduce pears and apples.

*Pippy had a big adventure! She went into the vet to get her teeth cleaned and we knew she needed 2 pulled. $500 later, she is now missing a total of 7 teeth! (God bless my parents for helping with the bill!) You would never know she had it done, she has been the same happy, outgoing Pippy! I was really frustrated at first, because I do a LOT to keep her teeth healthy; brushing once a week or more, Greenies, and special tooth diet food. The vet told me that her mouth actually looked great, that most dachshunds by this age need 12-15 teeth pulled. Sheesh! That made me feel better. And our vet should know, she has 5 dachshunds! Pippy is still recovering and taking meds, which she is great about. She is the best dog and worth the money to take care of her teeth. Hopefully this will help her to be with us for many years to come!

*I had my first official outing away from Kalaya. It had to be short, since she is still mostly nursing, but I managed to go to a movie with my friend Sarah, while Nelson and her husband Joel stayed home with the babies. I was gone about 3 hours. The movie was fun, we went to see New Moon, soooooo good! I need to read the books again. However, I don't think I'll leave for much longer than that again and definitely not with anyone but Nelson. I guess she was fairly fussy while I was gone and as soon as I walked in the door, she lit up and snuggled up with me. She kept touching and looking at my face, so sweet! She then proceeded to do a long nurse and was totally fine for a couple of hours after that. Nelson said he tried to let Joel take her for a bit and she totally melted down. So, sorry grandparents, probably no time with Kalaya without mommy until she's weaned. And that will be at least another year, if not more. Plus, she pretty much won't nap without nursing. This is, of course, fine with me, but it makes for difficult babysitting! : ) It was a good experience though!

Thanksgiving

So, this year's plans just got changed. We were going to do Thanksgiving with my parents on the actual day and with Nelson's family on the weekend. (they have to work on the actual day) Then, my Ma Ma (maternal grandmother) fell down her stairs, fractured her hip and ended up having a hip replacement. Long story short, she is doing really well, but it not very mobile. (obviously) She is home and can get around with a walker or cane (which is still pretty amazing, considering this only happened about 3 weeks ago!) but can't get to the laundry room, cook, etc. My Pa Pa is doing his best, but they need some extra help. Mom decided to fly out to help them, so I suddenly found myself planning for Thanksgiving for my husband and father (not to mention a baby!), neither of which does much in the kitchen. SO, I am officially making my first Thanksgiving dinner on my own! I'm actually pretty excited. I am keeping it simple and not making quite as many side dishes as my mom would make, but here's my menu:

*Turkey: (Duh) However, we don't really do any meat with a bone or dark meat at our house, so I am making a boneless skinless turkey breast. AND, I'm making it in the crock pot, which I have done before. You barely have to baste it and it turns out sooooo tender and juicy. It has some spices and melted butter, a little broth and onions, set it and FORGET IT! It's great. No giblets involved, GROSS!
*Gravy: I am not trying anything to fancy. I found a simple recipe and I'm going to make it. And, if I screw it up, I bought a packet mix and will make that, my dad will never know!
*Mashed potatoes: I'll make them with too much butter, half and half and whatever I feel like that day.
*Stuffing: I wish I was brave enough to try making my Grandma's, but I'm not ready yet. I need to observe my mom making it one more time or at least have her to help me. Plus, it is an ALL DAY process. Some day. I found this one and am going to try it. I'm making cornbread earlier in the week and will just make a double batch. My husband hates StoveTop or I would have just done that. : )
*Steamed green beans
*Cranberry Sauce: Nothing fancy at our house. I don't eat it and neither does Nelson. It's for my dad. And he eats it, you guessed it, still in the shape of the can it came out of. Classy!
*Whole Wheat Rolls. Maybe someday I'll try baking these from scratch, but not this year.
*Sweet Potato Casserole: Mom's recipe, pretty basic with brown sugar, milk and spices
*Olives (we always have some on the table)
*Pumpkin Pie (I WILL make this from scratch, but only because it's so easy and I can make it ahead)

I'll let you know how it goes, I'm excited!!

Meals for the Next 2 Weeks

Monday: Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup
Tuesday: Burritos
Wednesday: Double batch of chili and cornbread from scratch
Thursday: Thanksgiving! (I'm writing a separate blog about that)
Fri: Leftovers, as is traditional
Saturday: Meat and Potato Burgers (I use whole wheat buns instead and baby spinach rather than watercress)
Sunday: Spinach Artichoke Tortellini (SO good, it's like eating a pasta dish made out of the dip you get as an appetizer, another RR. I sub non fat half and half for the cream)

Monday: Italian Turkey Meatloaf (Mom's recipe, it is nothing like any of the meatloaf anyone else ever tried to serve me. It's filled with cheese and there is no ketchup involved!)
Tuesday: Lasagna Soup (I should type out the recipe, it is SO good, found it in a random magazine during pregnancy and wrote it down while waiting at the midwife!)
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: (out)
Saturday: Baked Potato Soup
Sunday: Greek Chicken (SO easy, I'm not crazy about it, but Nelson loves it: chicken, potatoes, carrots, a ton of garlic, oregano and some EVOO in the slow cooker for 5 hours)

Emails please

I'm going to post this for a couple of weeks to make sure everyone who needs to see this does:

I no longer want to have a public blog. Our last name, especially when paired with my daughter's name, is too unique. When our names are googled, it's the first site to pop up. I'm a little uncomfortable with having pictures and information about our family being that public. So, if you read this blog regularly PLEASE email me your email address and tell me you want to continue to follow our blog (along with who you are if I don't have it). Please send me this information, even if you think I already know your email, just to double-check. I will then make it so that you can read our blog, based on your email. I'll leave this up until the end of November. Thank you for helping! :) My email is McMahonKP@yahoo.com.

Top Baby Items

Now that I have a 6 month old, I have come to realize that we may not have survived the past few months without a few essential items. So, here's what I thought of, in random order:

*Ring Sling: This has been our single greatest investment. I use it to nurse her, carry her every where, it has adapted (and will continue to do so) to hold her a variety of ways. It calms her when nothing else will. It lets her observe the world. It let (and lets) us go out in public!! It lets me get things done around the house. It puts her to sleep. Plus, I picked out the fabric and it was made just for me, so I love, love wearing it!

*Swaddler Blankets: (our favorite was the Kiddopotamus, they're organic cotton!) These are blankets with Velcro so that baby stays swaddled! It was great! Kalaya used to not be able to sleep unless she was swaddled, we have only recently stopped using these!! And, if she's really fussy, we still use one to calm her down.

*Sleep Positioner: This is a foam pad with "bumpers" on either side, so that baby can't roll anywhere while she is sleeping. This was ideal for us, since Kalaya sleeps in our bed. That way she has her own space that keeps her from rolling around in our bed or keeps us from rolling into her. It's GREAT!

*Our Chicco Carseat and Stroller set (pretty self-explanatory!)

*Bum Genius Cloth Diapers; however, they aren't exactly what they advertise. They work great and wash great, but we bought the style that is supposed to grow with baby until she's 30 lbs (theoretically until potty training) but I think Kalaya is going to outgrow them by 20 lbs. We'll see. Other than that they are awesome!

*Wipe Warmer: That may sound like a silly luxury, but it's a necessity in our house. I make my own wipes, so I need a place to store them!

*Baby Gym: Kalaya LOVES laying under her hanging toys and playing with them. This can occupy her for 30 min (or more!) at a time.

*Every book by Dr. Sears. He has the same views on raising children that Nelson and I do and his book is always comforting and reassuring when I start to feel pressure to do things like let my baby cry it out or move her to a crib.

*The Bumbo: This is such a great invention. It has helped Kalaya sit up before she is able to and let her have a different view of the world. It also works great as a travel high chair.

*Swing: There were times when Kalaya was a newborn that she would only sleep in her swing. (we have the Fisher Price Rainforest one) It was one of the only places I could put her for awhile where she wouldn't cry, if I had to go to the bathroom or cook. It has a built in mobile and is powered by electricity, not batteries, which is awesome!

On the other hand, here are some items we got that we either never used or rarely used:

1. Breast Pump: I only used this the first few weeks, and only to help relieve pain and pressure. Truth be told, I can express by hand much better.

2. Pacifiers: Kalaya kinda gnaws on them to help ease teething, but she never has used them for comfort, sleeping, etc. We tried them for about a week and then realized she wanted the real thing.

3. Bottles: Similar to reasons for not using the pacifiers. Plus, she can get WAY more milk out of me than a pump ever can, so I wouldn't be able to know if she was getting enough in a bottle.

4. Bottle Warmer: (see a theme here?) Luckily this was given to us used and for free.

5. Tummy time mat: Ours is really cute and she liked the toys attached, but we could have achieved the same results with one blanket on the floor, one rolled up under her arms and toys in front of her. Luckily, it was a gift.

6. Crib: Kalaya has maybe taken 2 naps in her crib. She has never spent a night in it. It is basically a place to put her if she gets super fussy, only because she likes the mobile attached to it. Luckily, it converts to a toddler and twin bed, because it will never get used while she is a baby. Honestly, I wish we had just asked for money toward a crib and then used it toward a king size bed for all of us instead. Oh well, we'll save that for the next baby!

I'm sure there's more for both categories, but that's all I can think of for now!

Meal Planning

I didn't get around to posting this until Tuesday this week, although I planned the list and shopped over the weekend.

M: Garlic Shrimp Pasta (never made it last week, it's from a church cookbook)
T: Turkey Chili (RR magazine)
W: Baked Mac and Cheese
Th: Chicken Tortilla Soup (in the slow cooker, RR)
F: (leftovers)
Sa: Out for my birthday!
Su: Turkey Burgers with mashed potatoes

M: Smoky Black Bean Stoup (RR)
T: Enchiladas (my own recipe)
W: Spaghetti Stoup
Th: (leftovers)
F: (out)
Sa: Baked Potato Soup (I add sour cream, bacon and cheddar)
Su: Vegetable Soup (in the slow cooker, new cookbook from library)

For some reason, a lot of my Rachel Ray (RR) recipes are not online...she must not have all her cookbook recipes online. Oh well!

Hmmm....I just typed all that and realized we're having a LOT of soup! Well, it's delicious and it's that time of year! I should have planned that better......don't really care 'cause it's going to be so tasty!

6 Months Old

We've had a busy couple of weeks around our house! Miss Kalaya is now 6 months old! I know I say it at every milestone, but I really can't believe it! It's already been half a year since she was born and yet Nelson and I cannot imagine what life was like before she was a part of our family! We are constantly trying to remember what we did before Kalaya was born and wonder why we didn't start our family sooner! We just love being parents so much! (of course, if we'd started sooner, we may have had another baby instead of Miss Kalaya!)
Kalaya had her first Halloween! We went to a party at our friend Sarah's house for a little while and then went to Mom and Dad's to hand out candy and trick or treat at a couple of houses. (just 3 and no candy was involved!) She seemed to enjoy or at least didn't mind wearing her billy goat costume.
Six months is a huge developmental milestone and a lot has happened as a result of reaching this age! Kalaya has not one but two teeth!! They came out of no where, we had no idea that she was teething! Well, we suspected, but they totally surprised us! She's had signs of teething (drooling, wanting to gum on EVERYTHING) for at least 2 months, but we had stopped worrying about it. Then, we're nursing one day and something felt different. Not bad or painful, just out of the ordinary. I stuck my finger in her mouth and felt something pointy! Looked inside and there's a tooth popping in! The next day, another one right next to it! Looking back, she had stopped sleeping as well as she had been, which should have been an indicator. I just thought she was going through a growth spurt!

Kalaya had her 6 month checkup last Friday. Since her 4 month appointment was really more like a 5 month visit, it skewed her measurements a bit. She is now 15 lbs 14 1/2 oz, which puts her in the 50th percentile for weight. Her length is 26 1/2 inches (75th percentile) and her head circumference is 17 1/2 inches (90th percentile). So, she's tall, slim and has a big brain! Daddy's worried about those things continuing into her teenage years.... : ) She had her last round of vaccinations and did really well. She barely cried at the first shot, but the 2nd and 3rd made her pretty mad. She calmed down quickly, nothing like a little nursing to help with that! She didn't show any fussiness afterwards and has been fine ever since. No more vaccinations until her one year checkup, hooray!! However, we are going to get her then H1N1 shot soon.
6 months means the introduction of solid foods! I posted a video on my last blog. She has definitely showed signs of readiness. She tracks your fork from your plate to your mouth, reaches for your food and chews along with you. Needless to say, she has been doing great with solid foods so far. We started out with rice cereal. (see previous video) Today I added banana, which she did pretty well with. I don't know if taste is weird for her or texture, but she makes some pretty funny faces, like she isn't sure about the whole thing. However, she opens her mouth and takes lots of bites and manages to swallow a fair amount. We've also started drinking water from a cup, which she seems to really like. She grabs for the cup and likes to "help" guide it to her mouth. She has also started fluoride drops and we have started teeth brushing! Luckily, none of these new things have affected nursing in the slightest. She still loves to breastfeed (as do I!) and I don't see any signs of this changing any time soon. Yay!
My parents got Kalaya her Christmas present a little early and she LOVES it! It's a Jumperoo, so she can stand, jump and turn all around. It is farm themed and has all these toys attached. She plays in it constantly and babbles, smiles and tries out all the different toys. She hasn't quite figured out the jumping part yet, but sometimes does it by coincidence.

She is officially in all 9 month clothes. Some are a bit big (finally!) but not by much. This is the last size that we have a lot of outfits for. Once she switches to 12 months, I'll be shopping a bit more. Hopefully Christmas will bring in some 12, 18 and 24 month clothes. Wait, that sounds too old to be my baby!!

Speaking of Christmas, we are going to be flying to Alabama on the 25th to be there in time for my grandparents 60th wedding anniversary on the 26th. Isn't that just amazing?? 60 years!! I am just in awe of them. I hope Nelson and I make it that long! It will be really special because all of the great-grand kids and most of the grandchildren and children will be there as well. It will be a FULL house!

The Cry-It-Out Debate

**Disclaimer: This is just a vent. I have only been a mother for 6 months, I know nothing other *than my own experiences! I truly believe that each family has to decide their own parenting techniques for themselves!***

As we rapidly approach the 6 month mark, I hear more and more arguments back and forth about putting babies to sleep, crying, nursing, soothing and all those other controversial topics. When did these extremely personal and individual decisions become everyone else's business? Why does/do mothers/grandmothers/society focus so much on these things? We are so competitive. Thank you for all these money makers, oops, I mean helpful books on child development and child raising. Don't get me wrong, I've read at least 2 dozen or more. Everything from What to Expect in the First Year (although that one recently got thrown up against the wall and I'm seriously considering burning it), Your Baby Week by Week, The Baby Whisperer, The Happiest Baby on the Block, The No-Cry Sleep Solution, The Baby Book and oh so many more. I even found my mom's copy of Dr. Spock from when I was a kid. (YIKES, no wonder our generation is so messed up!) What have they taught me? No one knows how to raise a baby or a child! Everyone knows how to raise their OWN children and then write books about that experience. OR, I have come to the realization that many people are writing baby books with quick and easy solutions to "problem" that interfere with the parent's attempts to go back to their lives pre-baby. Guess what people??? Life will never be the same! Each baby is different and each time they are going to rock your world at some point!

I don't know. I feel like God, Mother Nature, whatever you want to call it knows what they're doing. There's a reason babies cry. There's a reason it makes mothers frantic to hear their babies cry. There's a reason that nursing helps with so many things. I read a lot of baby-raising books before Kalaya was born. I think that was my problem. Wait, that's not completely true. I think it's good that I had a tool belt of different solutions to try out. But, some of the books made being a mom of a baby sound so simple. For example, The Baby Whisperer. I am DYING to know if this woman actually ever had children herself. (hold on, I'm going to check the bio in her book. HA! I don't see any evidence that she was a mother herself.) She is a nurse and nanny. I respect both of those professions very much. I welcome their advice. She has a lot of helpful and useful tips, such as being respectful of your baby, listening to the differences in your babies noises and encouraging independence. But, I'm sorry, it is different to be a nanny/nurse and to be a mother to your own child. I was a nanny for an infant before I became a mom. It was wonderful, I love Marlee, I still miss her! But, it is completely different to hear someone else's baby cry and your own. (well, at least for me) Usually Marlee was very easy to read, and I knew what to do. She was easily satisfied and was generally a very content baby. But, when she cried and cried, it was exasperating. I got annoyed and fed up. (sorry Jess!) I felt like there was nothing I could do, that I should just put her in her crib (if all her needs were met) and just wail it out. I did this ONE time and never did it again. It was awful and that wasn't even my own baby. And, guess what? It did nothing. She cried for 20 loooooong minutes, fell asleep from pure exhaustion and was awake again in 20 minutes, still crying, still upset. She wanted to nurse. I'm convinced it was that simple. Oh okay many would say, give her a bottle, that means she was hungry. Nope. She wanted her mother. And the closeness of the breast.

It is so strange for me when people equate nursing only with feeding their baby. If that works for them, great. But, it makes a lot of sense why so many mothers pump and bottle feed or give up nursing before their baby may be ready. Having Kalaya has made me realize that babies nurse for soooooo much more. I sometimes wonder if Kalaya even realizes that hunger is satisfied by nursing. I feel that it's more like nursing equals comfort. If her tummy feels uncomfortable (hungry), nursing makes her feel better. If something scared her, nursing comforts her and calms her back down. If she's tired, nursing helps her ease off to sleep. If teeth are pushing through, the comfort of nursing helps her get through the pain. Yes, it takes a lot of time and energy to nurse a baby on cue. There are nights when I am a human pacifier and Kalaya wants to nurse every hour. No, I can't be away from my baby for more than a couple of hours or even less on tired or teething days. No, my baby doesn't take a bottle, she rarely falls asleep without nursing and doesn't sleep through the night yet. But, guess what? These aren't complaints. That is the reality of being Kalaya's mother. She is learning that her mother is there for her when she needs me. She doesn't have to cry and cry, needing and wanting.

That's what crying out feels like TO ME. Again, each mother/family has to do what works best for them. Medical advice out there will comfort people enough to support their decision to let a baby cry it out. But, I have to wonder what the "it" is in cry-it-out. Cry out the tiredness? The pain from teething? The feeling of being alone? Hunger? Wanting comfort? What is it? People say to let them soothe themselves. What does that mean? Is it so wrong to help soothe a wailing infant? I somehow can't seem to believe that a helpless baby is "spoiled" or "manipulating" when they cry. I don't get the advice of, "If they're fed, dry, etc, it's okay to let them cry." We can't read a baby's mind! Babies can't tell us what's wrong! They don't know! They have to cry! We don't know if they are in pain! We don't know if they just want to feel safe and comforted! Maybe they had a nightmare! I can't always "self soothe" when I'm in pain or sad or scared! I get out Tylenol, wake up my husband, call my mother or something else to help me feel better!

I guess what I've learned in the last 6 months is that you really shouldn't let others tell you how to parent. Ask for advice, yes, but take it with a grain of salt. (of course, you're going to get advice whether you want it or not) You know your own baby. You know how you are as a parent. You have to do what it best for you and your baby. (and your partner and other family members too!) I think the single greatest thing you can do before ever deciding to raise a child is to find a partner who has the same child-raising philosophies that you do. Hands down, that has been the best thing, a supportive husband. Nelson is 100% in agreement with me about not letting our babies cry it out. He fully supports me nursing exclusively, even though he barely got to hold his daughter the first 6 weeks and has never given her a bottle. He is wonderful about sleeping in the guest room if our bed gets too crowded the nights Kalaya is up nursing all night long. He is the best husband and the best father for myself and our children. Love has reached new meaning for me watching him be a father and husband of a mother. And on that note, I hear a baby waking up!

Cutest Giggle

I am so in love with my daughter! With a laugh like this, how can I not love every minute of being a stay-at-home-mom??



You will notice me coughing in the background. I am not sick: We were reading a story and I paused to clear my throat. Next thing I know, Kalaya is cracking up! She seriously laughed for 5 straight minutes about it. I only got a few seconds because the video camera was dying. That will teach me not to keep the batteries charged at all times; I may miss an important moment!!