TEETHING STINKS!!!

And that's really all I have to say about that!

WFMW: Storage Baskets

I have baskets all over my house. I love them. I have baskets that hold blankets. I have baskets that hold magazines. I have baskets that hold remote controls. I have baskets that hold mail. I like to be organized (mostly), and organization might as well be pretty.

The Princess's nursery has the same basket organization system. Some baskets I bought and use "as is," but some I bought and painted to match her room.

This is the bottom of the Princess's changing table. The white basket on the upper left held disposable diapers when I was using them. Now I still have a couple in there, but extra inserts and doublers go there too. The middle orange basket hold lotions and stuff like that. The white basket on the right holds her wipes. That pink thing in the upper right hand corner is her spray for her wipes.

On the bottom shelf is the baskets that hold her diapers and her burp rags.

I organize her closet the same way.

There is a basket for bows, shoes, socks, hats, and miscellaneous items.

Here is the basket for shoes.

I used stickers to label the basket. This is also a basket that I painted. It would not have matched otherwise!

I love the collapsable laundry baskets for blankets and stuffed animals.

We also use baskets for toys

and books. These are board books on the bottom of the Princess's bookshelf, so she can reach them.

I also use pretty baskets in my living room to store the Princess's toys. While I want our home to be her home, I also want my home to look pretty and not like a toy room. I think my basket method accomplishes this.

My basket method really works for me. Go to Rocks in my Dryer for more tips!

Paper!

If you read my blog at all over the past few weeks, you know that my little Princess is not so into toys. But she loves office supplies and paper products. So this is what works for me this Wednesday. Paper!

Any kind really. Kleenex, napkins, actual pieces of paper, newspaper. This list goes on.

It keeps the Princess occupied and helps with her fine motor skills as she learns to tear it apart.

See, it even worked at her well baby visit!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, head to Rocks in My Dryer!

My Perspective

So the other night, after the Princess, the King and I had done our nighttime routine together, and the Princess was flip-flopping away with my rubber n!pple, and she was still awake after about 45 minutes, I...was...FRUSTRATED.



I mean, wanted to scream, clenching my fists, grinding my teeth, toes wiggling, frustrated.



It was one of those nights that I was extremely tired and still had about 4 things left on my to-do list before I could sit down and relax with the King for about 3 minutes before I fell asleep. And the Princess was not cooperating. At all.



As I laid there frustrated and going over and over and over my to-do list, I happened to look down at my beautiful daughter. She looked so peaceful (during the nursing half of her flip-flops) and serene. Like this:

The thought came to my mind that this is not going to last forever. Before I know it, she will not want to nurse during the day. Before I know it, she will not need me to nurse her to sleep. Before I know it, she will be walking and talking. Before I know it, she will be telling me all about her friends and their problems. Before I know it, she will be grown up and moving away.



And my perspective changed. Instead of being frustrated with the flip-flops and the loooooooong nursing session, I cherished it. It was a beautiful moment, and I won't have too many of those beautiful, precious moments left.
Then after another 45 minutes, and the Princess still wasn't asleep, my perspective changed back! :)

Works For Me Wednesday: Burt's Baby Bee

As I have been talking about bedtime at the castle this week (there is one more post to go on this subject), I thought I would make my WFMW post fit in with the topic. I said on Monday, that we give the Princess a massage every night before bed. When we do, we use Burt's Bees, specifically Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion. In fact, we use a lot of their products.

There are many reasons that I love the Burt's Bees products.

1. I know what I am reading on the ingredients list.

2. They are a trusted company with a great track record (from what I hear).

3. Their products smell yummy (unlike some of the natural lotions and other products).

4. The lotion is creamy and the perfect consistancy for a baby massage.

5. The cream is wonderful for healing dry skin and making it soft.

6. The Princess's skin feels so soft and smooth after I apply the lotion and for a long time afterwards.

7. My skin feels smooth and soft after I apply the lotion to the baby.

8. It's not too sticky (I have issues with sticky lotion).

9. The price is not too terrible (considering the cost of other natural lotions and products), and I can sometimes find it on sale or clearance. If you have never tried Burt's Bees, I suggest you go getcha some! (I'm just bragging on the product, I don't work for them or anything!)

And if you want to find some other great ideas head to Rocks in My Dryer for more WFMW!

My Super Duper Rubber N!pple

(I am spelling n!pple this way because of the weirdos out there. I figure if p*rn is a word we need to mispell, then n!pple is too.)

Yesterday, I posted about our nighttime routine. This is something that we have been doing since the Princess was about 4 weeks old. We all three love this time, and I think my favorite part of it is nursing the Princess to sleep. It is a beautiful experience to lie there and watch my baby drift off to sleep, knowing that I am her source of nourishment, nurture and comfort.

Until recently!

Let me explain to you what has happened in the last few weeks.

We lie down together on our sides facing each other. It is easier to do this. The Princess wakes up easily, and this way, I don't have to move her. I can just slip away after she falls asleep.

In the past, the Princess would nurse vigorously at first, and then slow down as she fell asleep. Sometimes it took her only a few minutes to fall asleep. Sometimes it would take up to a half an hour of nursing.

Lately it's been taking a lot longer. And here's why: The Princess has found a new ritual before falling asleep. She will nurse vigorously for a few minutes. Then fall backwards on to her back to take a "break." Then she will lean back up to nurse again. And she repeats this many, many times until she is too tired to try anymore.

Yes, in itself, this ritual is a little irritating. Usually by this time of night, I am exhausted and want to get some sleep myself. And her ritual is prolonging this for me. But is is obnoxious for another reason: She won't let go!

When the Princess flops on to her back, she is still latched on. She takes my n!pple with her! Apparently she thinks it is rubber and can stretch that far. To complicate matters further, the Princess has developed a "twiddling" habit at night (only, thankfully). While nursing to sleep, she reaches up and plays (pinches rather) with my other n!pple! So while one is being stretched (literally) to its limits, the other is getting pinched.

I realize that this is a phase, and we are implementing some ideas to break these habits of hers. But still, I wonder if my n!pples will ever be the same!

The Princess Sleeps

Last night, as I was putting the Princess to bed, I was thinking about how precious our routine is. And also, how quickly it may change.

Some nights, the Princess gets a bath. I wash her. Make sure all her parts are clean. And then we play. The Princess has fun, little sea creature squirt toys, and, of course, a rubber ducky. She systematically picks up each toy, examines it thoroughly, twists it around in her hand, bangs it on the side of the tub, and then drops it out of the tub. The Princess does this with each toy, taking a break in between to splash heartily.

After wrapping her up in the cute hooded towels that we recieved for baby shower presents, we go into the nursery. There I have already laid out her diaper, jamies, lotion, and put her music on. We listen to soft lullaby music each night. The CD varies. Right now we have in A Daddy's Lullaby. I turn on her side lamp instead of the bright, overhead light, to create a soft, quiet mood.

The Princess and I get on the floor on a blanket, and I dry her off. Then I massage her tiny, precious body, rubbing in the natural moisterizers to soften her skin. This calms her down. I can see that the Princess anticipates the massage, and she relaxes as I massage her.

Then it is PJ time. Generally this is not the Princess's favorite part. She does not enjoy her hands messed with, so it is hard for me to put her clothes on. But I go as fast as I can, and we get through it.

After PJ's are on, Daddy reads Princess a story. It is a beautiful time for them together. They sit for a while and talk softly. The King reads one or two books, and always a story from the Bible. Then they pray together. There is nothing more special than a Daddy praying with and for his daughter. There is no doubting his love for her. I love to watch them from the doorway, but I usually use this time to get myself ready for bed.

The end of our evenings ends with nursing the Princess to sleep.
I will have more on this time of our night tomorrow.

Backwards WFMW: Baby Sign for Breastfeeding

Using Baby Signs is a great way for your baby to be able to communicate with you before the baby can speak. I was introduced to Baby Signs while working at a daycare center. I had a high need baby in my care, and Baby Signs helped that baby a lot. After learning a few Baby Signs, that high need baby settled down and was a lot less fussy.

I have been excited to start using Baby Signs with the Princess. We have begun using signs for "more," "eat," "drink," and others. While the Princess isn't doing the signs, I know that her exposure to the signs now will help her to communicate with me very soon.

Here is my question: What sign should I use for breastfeeding?

The usual sign people use is the sign for "milk." This involves squeezing your hand like you are milking a cow. I have three problems with this sign. 1. I am not, nor will I ever be, a cow. 2. Have you seen Meet the Fockers? The Princess recently dove into the cleavage of a well-endowed acquantaince. I really don't want her signing "milk" to someone else. 3. I would like to use the sign for "milk" when she has milk (Momma, rice, or cow) in a cup.

Does anyone have a suggestion? Please help!

For more Backwards Works for Me Wednesday head to Rocks in My Dryer.

On Being Entertaining

I call myself a stay at home mom, but truly I am a quasi stay at home mom. What do I mean by that? I am so glad you asked.

I work for the King part time. And when I do this work for the King, I bring the Princess with me. She is only ever cared for by myself or the King.

I really like this setup. We have toys and lots of fun stuff for the Princess to do while I work. I often wear her while I work. This keeps her happy and my hands free.

However, there are many times when I have to entertain the Princess to keep her happy. And of course, I have to be very creative to entertain her.

On my list of entertaining things: Giving the Princess scraps of paper. Taking a big piece of paper and waving it towards her face (she loves the breeze). Giving her Sharpies to play with. Blowing on her face. Singing.

Now when I say singing, I don't mean the regular kind. You know, the kind where you sing The Wheels on the Bus, or Jesus Loves Me. I mean the kind where you make up obnoxious lyrics and put them to any tune you can think of.

Some of our favorites include:

I'm typing on the computer, typing away (sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle), and I wish I was done working (sung in a random tune that generally ends up squeaking at the end).

All in all, it's a great concert. It keeps the Princess entertained, and I can type and get my work done while singing (or screaching, whichever!).

I think that I have become quite adept at being entertaining!

Would You Like Some Tea?

I ran across this Doodle by Lee, in my blog hopping. It is so correct, I can not help but laugh!

Doodle by Lee. The code for this doodle and other doodles you can use on your blog can be found at Doodles.

6 Months and A Labor Story

The Princess is 6 months old today!!! She is getting so big, and she is so beautiful! I am blessed every day to be her Momma. I can not thank God enough for this amazing miracle of a gift He has entrusted to me.

In honor of the Princess's 6 month "birthday," I thought I would post our labor and birth story. It is long, but it is good!

The Beginning

Our Birth Story really started in January in Orlando. I was about 8 or 9 weeks pregnant and very excited. A fellow pastor’s wife had recently had a baby, and I asked her about her birth experience. She told me that she had had a home water birth. While I thought the idea was interesting, I also thought she was a little crazy. *Sorry Jess!* However, her story sent me on a journey to find out how I wanted to have my baby.

I got on the internet and did a lot of reading. The idea of water birth was very intriguing to me. I really felt that that was the best option for our birth experience. That sent me on another journey for a midwife. I finally found a midwife that I thought would be ideal for us who did homebirths. However, the King and I were still a little nervous about a homebirth. We decided that we would hire a doula to help us to have a natural, non-intervention birth in a hospital.

And another search was on. This time we were searching for a doula. I talked to a wonderful woman named E She was so nice to me on the phone and I felt very comfortable talking to her. We met E and her doula partner H, and we knew that they were right for us.

Not only did I find my doula, but they directed me to FB Childbirth Center. FB is the only Childbirth Center in a hospital in Ohio where you can have a water birth. We toured the facility, and found a great group of providers that delivered there.

The King and I also took a childbirth class with H to prepare to have a natural, non-intervention birth.

Labor Begins

On Thursday, August 30th around 2pm I lost my mucus plug. I wasn’t really sure what that meant. I heard you lost it anywhere from a half an hour to ten days before you went into labor. But I knew that I was getting closer to having the baby. The King and I decided to go to the mall to walk. At the mall I had a few contractions. Around seven that evening, at home, I noticed my contractions a lot more. I thought that I should start timing them. The contractions were about 4 minutes apart, kind of intense, but not very long. We called H to let her know that we were in labor and would probably need her services soon.

Water is very relaxing, and I was getting pretty uncomfortable, so I got in the shower around eleven or so. Not long after that I decided to have H come and help me out. It was great having her here. H made a nest of pillows for me, and I rested all night. I had read about women sleeping in between contractions, and I thought there was no possible way. But I did it! I slept in between contractions! And it was great! I got to relax all night and prepare for the next day. My back was hurting and H put a heating pad on my back. It felt great in between contractions, but when I was having one, the heating pad felt way too hot on my back.

Because H was there, the King got to sleep a little too. (Although I don’t think he did really). H stayed up and kept track of my contractions. She said they were 4 minutes apart all night and about 1 minute long. We really thought we would have a baby soon. In the middle of the night we called the birth center and the midwife on call to let them know that I was in labor and would probably be in soon.(I remember thinking about 8:30 Thursday night that I couldn’t believe what I had gotten myself into. The contractions were really intense, and it went through my head that there was no way that I could go through this labor without drugs. My attitude completely changed toward early morning. I knew that I could do it, and I was really excited about having this baby naturally.)

Friday morning changed a bit however. When I woke up and got ready for the day, my contractions had slowed to about every 10-15 minutes. the King and I went for a little walk and we were deciding what to do for the day. I had one contraction that really hurt in my hip. I thought it was weird, but didn’t think it would make much of a difference. That contraction ended up changing my whole labor. The rest of the labor I had a lot of pain in my left hip. The pain in my hip really hurt more than the contractions themselves-clear through when I was transitioning.

My midwife called late in the morning and wanted us to come in to the office to be checked out. I really did not want to go because the drive was so long (the office and the birth center are an hour away from our house). But we decided to go in anyway (L, the midwife was very convincing). H went home to spend time with her family. She was going to join us later when we decided what we were going to do.

The office visit was fine. L had us do a non-stress test to check out the baby. The baby was great! Everything looked fine. L checked me and I was 4 cm dilated and 100% effaced. We were excited about the progress. L told us to get some rest because we were having a baby soon. We knew that we needed to get some rest, but did not want to drive the hour back home and another hour back. So we decided to get a hotel room near the birth center. We took a good, long nap and really got a chance to relax. I was still contracting regularly, but they were still about 15 minutes apart.

Around 4 pm, we decided to call H to have her come meet us. Because of a family situation, H was not able to come right away. E came to help us out for a few hours. H and E both kept apologizing that they switched in the middle of labor, but I thought we were privileged to be able to labor with both of them.

The hotel had a pool, so I decided to get in. I spent about an hour in the pool. It was very nice and relaxing, but my contractions were still not getting any closer together. At one point, while I was in the pool, a pool attendant noticed how large I was. She smiled at me and made some comment like, you must be due soon. I smiled and said yes, but inside was thinking, I wonder what you would say if you knew I was laboring in your pool.

We went to eat dinner and just did our best to relax. Dinner was mexican. I loved the restaurant, and I ate a lot considering I was in labor. When we were leaving the restaurant, I had a contraction and leaned against a booth. A lady walked in a rushed over to ask if I was okay. I remember thinking it was really nice of her, and E just grinned at the lady and said I was fine.

I don’t remember anything significant during the night, except that E and H switched again. So H was back with us.

Saturday brought more contractions, more frequently. Yea! They started about 6 minutes apart and then moved to about 4. We got breakfast and decided to call the provider on call. My providers are a group with two midwives (L and M) and an OB (Dr. G). Dr. G happened to be on call, and we let him know that we would be in to the birth center in a few hours. (It turned out to be such a blessing that Dr. G was on call. If one of the midwives was on call, a Doctor we didn’t know would have had to do the C-section.) We had planned on taking our time checking out of the hotel and taking a walk before going in. But then my contractions got more intense and increased to about 2 or 3 minutes apart. We decided about 10:30 am to go in to the birth center.

At The Birthing Center

When we arrived and got checked in, the nurse checked me and I was about 6 cm dilated. I was a little disappointed that the last 24 hours of labor had only progressed me 2 cm. But I had to be glad that I was progressing. All I wanted to do was get in the tub to labor. My contractions were really intense at that point and I think I yelled at the nurse to fill the tub with water. They had to put an antibiotic I V in because I was strep B positive, and they wanted me to wait. But I was bad and got in the tub anyway.

That turned out to be a really bad choice. When they had checked the baby’s heartbeat, it was high. It got even higher when I was in the tub. So even though I loved the tub, I got out. Very reluctantly! I had a fever and they thought this was the reason the baby’s heart rate was high. They thought my fever was because I was dehydrated. They hydrated me and that did not help my fever or the baby’s heart rate.

Dr. G came and checked me. I was 8 cm. The baby’s heartbeat was still very high. Dr. G said we had to do something to get the baby to progress, so we decided to break my water. When Dr. G broke my water there was meconium in the water. I went into transition almost immediately. The contractions were right on top of each other and the most intense that I can imagine. I said to H that I knew why women ask for epidurals at that point. However, it would have been completely manageable if it wasn’t for the pain in my hip.

Dr. G came back 2 hours later to check me. I was still only 8 cm. and the baby’s heart rate was getting higher (at one point it was over 200). Dr. G said that we really had to do something to get the baby out. He suggested that we move to labor and delivery and get pitocin. I definitely did not want pitocin without an epidural. I had heard too many horror stories about pitocin. So Dr. G said we could just do the epidural and see if it settled me down and the baby too. So we moved to labor and delivery and got the epidural. The best part was that the pain in my hip went away!

After Dr. G checked me again, I still had not progressed. The baby’s heart rate was getting higher. We were told we really had to do a C-section. I just started to cry at that point. I don’t think I was that upset about the C-section, I was just scared. I knew at that point that I couldn’t take care of my baby anymore. The only thing I could do was pray. And have the King pray. It really was a scary time. But they prepped me for surgery and a half an hour later our precious baby was born.

Awesome Daddy!

I have to say that I have the best husband in the world. And our little girl has the best daddy in the world. I know that through the labor and delivery, the King had to be scared. But if he was, he did not show it. He was so supportive through the whole 45 hours and did everything I asked of him. When I was getting prepped for surgery, he was calling people asking them to start prayer chains for me and the baby. And when he was finally able to come in to the OR he stood right beside me and held my hand. Then he did the strangest thing. He asked if he could watch. That’s right. The King watched my entire C-section. He watched me get cut open. He watched them pull the baby out. He watched them sew me up. It was very cool that he did that. A few days later I asked Dr. G if he had many dads watch C-sections. He said “Only the weird ones!”

The King and I had a deal that if something were to happen to the baby, he would leave me and stay with the baby. We ended up needing that deal. When they pulled the Princess out of me, I heard them ask if the dad was going to cut the cord. Dr. G said no! And I knew something was wrong. They kept talking about the resuscitation team. And they would not let the King go with the baby. The Princess was not breathing when she was born. When they did get her breathing, she was breathing too fast and her heart rate was very high. They finally had the King go back with her. He has an amazing story when he first met her. He should be the one to tell it though.

God’s Peace

God totally gave me peace through this time. As I think back on the situation, I am amazed that I did not come off that table, epidural and all. Even though I knew that something was wrong with my baby, I felt totally at peace. I just knew that she was going to be okay. I had to place her in God’s hands. And I know that I continually have to place her in God’s hands.

Our Little Trooper

It turned out that the Princess's blood sugar level dropped when she was born. This happens a lot with big babies, I hear. She ended up needing an IV with fluids. And then they had to put a feeding tube in her nose to get her blood sugar up. She was great though. And she fought hard to get her sugar up. Only 11 hours after she was born, she was able to leave the transitional nursery and come stay with us in our room.

Ironies

1. Ironically, the reason we went to FB was for the tub and the water birth. I was only in the tub for a half an hour.

2. This was hardest for me. One of the reasons that I wanted a natural child birth in the birth center was so the baby would not leave us. She would stay with us in the room. But because of all that happened with her, she did not come to our room until 11 hours after she was born. I did not even get to hold her or see her until 2 hours after she was born.

Things We Learned

1. Having a doula was a major help to us in labor. Had we not had a doula, we would have gone to the hospital way too early. And had we been in the hospital on Friday morning when my contractions slowed down, I would have been put on pitocin to speed up my labor. This was something we really wanted to avoid.

2. It is so important to have a provider that you trust. I felt so comfortable with Dr. G. And even though I know now that I didn’t really have a choice about the C-section, I felt like he was giving me a choice. I think that if I didn’t trust him in his abilities, I would have felt like I was being bossed around. I trusted him in his decisions. I knew that he wanted me to have the birth experience that I wanted. But more importantly he wanted me and my baby to be safe.

3. Things aren’t always what you expect them to be. Of course the C-section was not in our plan, but little things too. I thought I would want to hear music when I was in labor. But when they put the music on, I wanted it to be quiet. I thought I would really enjoy massage and counter-pressure in labor, but during a contraction I did not want to be touched. And these are just a few examples.

Our Praises

We just have to take a moment and praise the Lord. Most importantly for our beautiful baby girl. She is a miracle that God has blessed us with, and we are more blessed each day with her life. It truly is a miracle that she is here with us. Through the fertility trials, high miscarriage risks, and her scary birth experience, she is a miracle baby and we praise God for her life. We continue to give her to God. She is in His hands.

Our second praise is for the amazing way that God made our bodies to carry, birth, and sustain babies. Through preparing for a natural childbirth, we found out some amazing things about the human body and pregnancy, labor and birth. God has given women this incredible strength to go through labor and give birth, not to mention carrying the child through pregnancy. I can’t say enough about it without giving an anatomy lesson, but praise God for life and how he gives it.

At the opposite end of that is the technology that he has given us. Praise God for the people he made smart enough to develop C-sections, epidurals, IVs and feeding tubes. Praise God for medicines and doctors. The Princess may not be here had it not been for some of those things. Praise God that she is!

Even though it turned out that we did not have the birth experience that we expected, we have a beautiful baby girl. I love our birth story with all its crazy twists and turns. And I am excited to share it. Through 45 hours of labor and a C-section, the Princess is the reason we did any of it. And I would do it all again just for her. I truly do praise God for being with us throughout labor and delivery. And most of all, I praise God for the Princess's life!

The Princess was born on Saturday, September 1, 2007 at 4:04 pm. She was 23 inches long and weighed 10 pounds 4 ounces.

WFMW: My Version Of BabyLegs

We practice (sometimes) EC at the castle. I really like it, and I think the Princess does too. But that means that we go Diaper Free fairly often. In these cold winter months, I like to keep the Princess's legs warm with she is diaper free. Enter BabyLegs.

BabyLegs are these adorable leg warmers for babies. They go up to the thigh and keep tiny legs warm in the winter. But they are expensive! And you know me, I don't like expensive.

Target has expanded their baby department and is now selling wonderful things like Hotslings. The other day I was exploring my local Target and found a cheaper brand of BabyLegs (still made by BabyLegs). Yay for Target for appealing to the crunchier parents! But even at Target prices...too expensive for the Queen.

I found a wonderful clearance on Etsy of a BabyLeg type product. I almost went that route. But I chose not to.

And this is why...

A few weeks ago at LLL, a lady was putting what I thought was BabyLegs on her baby. I asked about them. After all, she may have the inside scoop on where to find them cheap. She kind of smiled and said no. She bought socks and cut the toes off!

Ingenious idea, if you ask me! So that is what I did. I went to WalMart. I found socks for $1 each. I cut the toes off, and now, after spending a mere $5, I have 5 pairs of "BabyLegs" for Princess!
Cute, huh?

So, that is what works for me this week!

Head to Rocks in My Dryer for more great ideas!

*update*

Apparently I should have given a bit more info. I used adult socks. I cut off the toe part. The cut off toe part goes up to the thigh. So, the sock goes on backwards. If the sock has a heel, it fits right over the baby's knee. I do not hem them. I guess you could, but my aren't that great and my machine is buried in my family room. I hope that helps sewing abilities!

How To Be A Good Wife

My friend Jess had this linked on her blog, and I thought I would disect this article.


This is How To Be a Good Wife, the Reality Version (italics are the origional)



HOW TO BE A GOOD WIFE
Home Economics High School Text Book, 1954

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal, on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.

When Hubby walks through the door and asks, What's for dinner?, answer, I don't know. What are you making? Think about planning ahead. But then don't get to the grocery store because the baby is sick, and don't prepare anything the night before because the baby's diaper explodes, more than once! Don't even think about having dinner at a set time. When you have a set dinner time, your Hubby will call and have to work late or the baby will have yet another explosion of the diaper. If you have called ahead for pizza, this will let Hubby know that you were starving, and concerned that if you did not eat immediately, you will rip his head off over nothing. Most men are hungry when they come home, but women are hungry too. So is the baby, and the dog.


Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so that you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.

Prepare yourself. Glance in the mirror. Realize you are wearing maternity pants and your Hubby's old, stained T-shirt that is further stained with spit-up, breastmilk, and second-hand banans. Make-up? If you had time to put make-up on in the morning or do your hair, your mascara is now at your cheeks and your hair is matted from laying down with the baby (exhaustion does set in, you know). Be a little nagging and "huff" alot. He may have had a boring day, but he needs to know all about the baby's diaper explosion, as well as every coo that the baby made. Keep talking until you Hubby retreats to another room. Follow him and complain that you have not had another adult to talk to in a week, and he needs to listen to you!

Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the home just before your husband arrives, gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.

While putting yet another load of laundry in the washer, glance around at the mess in the floor. Step on a block and try not to scream for fear of waking the baby. Look at the pile of clean laundy in the floor that still needs to be folded. Sigh, and think I'll do it tomorrow. When Hubby arrives at home and asks what you have done all day, reply curtly that you have sat on the couch, watched soaps and ate bon-bons.



Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children's hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Prepare the children. Look at their beautiful faces covered in banana and whatever was for lunch and breakfast. Realize that they are children and they will get a bath later tonight. Besides, you are too tired from all the laundry, spit-up and bon-bon eating.


Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and be glad he is home.

Have the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and vacuum going at the same time. Make sure the children are screaming when Hubby comes home. If not, he might not think they are at home. Begin complaining as soon as Hubby walks in, then send him out for a gallon of milk.

Some don'ts: Don't greet him with problems or complaints. Don't complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind.

Some don'ts: Don't forget to greet Hubby with problems or complaints. Don't forget to complain if he is late. This is major. He didn't do much today, and you had to do six loads of laundry, vacuum, coral children and deal with at least on diaper explosion. When Hubby comes home, had off the vacuum and make yourself comfortable. Lean back in a comfortable chair or lie down in the bedroom. Make sure Hubby watches the childen while he gets you a cool or warm drink. Have Hubby arrange your pillow and nag him if he does not speak in a low, soft, soothing and pleasant voice. You need to relax and unwind.

Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first.

Talk a lot. Don't let him talk first, and make sure you tell him the dozen things you need to tell him as soon as he arrives home.


Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.

Make the evening yours. Always complain. About everything. Help Hubby try to understand your world of strain and pressure, your need to be anywhere but home and relax.

The Goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

The Goal: Survival! Making it through another day without harm to your body or spirit.

On reading the original of this, the King said, all you have to do is greet me naked and nothing else would matter. I think that says it all!

Schlumpadinka!

Well, we have the crud at our house. The Princess is officially sick for the very first time. It started out with congestion, added a runny nose, then turned into a green, snotty nose (I know you're excited about the details.)! After the green stuff appeared, I made a phone call to the pediatrician. Although I'm not one to jump the gun on things, I was a little concerned that it might be an ear infection. Didn't want my Princess to suffer through one of those.

Thankfully she does not have an ear infection, and it was not in her chest. She just has a cold.

During our visit to the pediatrician, the Princess got weighed. I love finding out her weight, and as we did not have a 5 month appointment, I'm glad we got to find out at 5 1/2. Are you ready? 23 pounds and 8 ounces!

Oh yes! For those of you who do not personally know the Princess, you now know the truth: She's a biggin'!

So speaking of having the crud at our house...Yesterday's Oprah was shlumpadinka make-overs. Oprah's definition of a shlumpadinka is a woman who dresses like she has given up.

Today I am wearing: Maternity pants and the King's t-shirt!

Shlumpadinka, anyone?

Does This Tell You How Much I Clean My House?

Monday was cleaning day at the castle. The King and I got up and began working, picking up, dusting, and the like. The Princess was playing on a blanket in the floor, happy and content.

The King decided it was time to vacuum. The Princes is rolling a lot, and she gets off the blanket a lot. The King wanted the floor to be freshly vacuumed for the Princess to roll on (I was not about to argue).

When the King began to vacuum, the Princess began to scream! It scared her!

Apparently, I need to vacuum more so the Princess will be used to the sound (well, other reasons too!)!

"Your Cries Are Different"

This was an actual conversation I had with my mom.

We were talking about how my sister and I always thought my mom had spies. She always knew what we did. We could never get away with anything growing up. She also said that she knew when my sister and I were pregnant before we even told her.


Mom: It was funny that you and your sister thought I had spies. I never had spies.

Me: You had to have. You knew everything about us. If you didn't have spies, how did you know.

Mom: You told on yourselves. Me: What do you mean?

Mom: I just knew you both so well, I could tell by your tone of voice or how you acted. I knew when something was off. So I usually guessed. It was the way I asked too. I didn't ask if you did something, I just said that you did. And then you would want to know how I knew. You told on yourself.

Me: So you really knew I was pregnant. How? I didn't talk to you much before I told you.

Mom: That was part of it. I could just tell by your voice. You sounded different.

Me: That's kind of the way it is with me and the Princess. I know when she is hungry or tired. I know when she just wants to be held or played with. Her cries sound different. Is it kind of like that?

Mom: Yep, I know your voice and how you are. And even now, your cries are different.

Why Do I Spend Money On Toys??

This evening during Bible study, the Princess and I sat down on her blanket in the fellowship hall to play quietly with toys. This is what we do every Wednesday and Sunday evening during our church's Bible study time. It works out well for us. The Princess can play quietly while I participate in the Bible study, and we are generally out of the view of the other participants (the Princess is super cute and, therefore, very distracting!).

Tonight, on her blanket, we had a lovey (small blanket with an animal head), a book and a taggie book. Generally we have additional toys, but I just cleared out the diaper bag because we shared toys at a play date this afternoon (I'm all for sharing toys, but not germs!). Even though the toys were few this evening, I thought we had plenty for the hour Bible study.

Apparently not, because here is what the Princess ended up playing with:
My pen
My paper that was intended for notes
My cup that origionally had water in it
A pacifier holder
My hand sanitizer (it was closed securely, she couldn't get into it)

This is not unusual either. At the castle, the Princess often plays with paper, pens, and cups. She plays with the sanitizer and her spray for her wipes. The Princess is a big fan of our cell phones and the remote control for the TV. My personal favorite is the coupons. When I cut coupons, I hand her a scrap. She will sit for a good 20 minutes and play with that scrap "coupon."

We often use this technique in restaurants as well. After the Princess is bored with her toys, I will hand her spoons, straws and (this past weekend at PF Chang's) chopsticks.

Which brings me to my origional question: Why do I spend so much money on toys?

I could, in fact, just buy spoons!

Have You Fed Your Dog Today?

As a new mom, I have been trying to figure out how to get things done. The Princess is 5 months old now, and for 5 months my house has been a mess, there are no groceries in my pantry or refrigerator, and I have yet to take a shower (this is not entirely true, but now at 1 pm as I write, I am still in pjs and not showered!).

I find that I like to spend my time on the floor playing with the Princess. And when I am not playing with her, I am feeding her or changing a poopy diaper (shocking, I know).

There are often times when I have a lot planned for the day, and I am excited about getting things done. But then all of a sudden it is 5 pm, nothing on my list is accomplished, I am not even dressed for the day, and when the King says, "What's for dinner?" the only response I have is "What are you making?"

I really know it's been a rough day when I go to bed at night and think to myself, did I feed the royal hound today? Sadly, the answer is sometimes no. My life just seems hectic, and I forget to feed the poor dog (she does get feed on a regular basis, please don't turn me in for animal cruelty!).

These are the times I wonder, how can I get so little accomplished when all I do is play on the floor all day?

But I know that soon the Princess will be grown, and I will look back on the times we have together. I won't remember that the house wasn't clean. I won't remember that I didn't look my best.

I will remember playing on the floor with my Princess, blowing raspberries on her belly, playing with her tiny toes, and listening to her tiny little laugh.

Before I go play with my Princess again, I just need to ask you,

Have you fed your dog today?

What Was She Thinking???

This is an actual conversation I had with a Lady I Know. Nope, it's not the lady you're thinking of.

Lady I Know: Do you ever do studies for money?
Me: Sometimes. I used to do them a lot, but now that I am breastfeeding, I can't. They won't let me bring the Princess.
LIK: What about the diaper studies? Did you sign up for those? Free diapers!
Me: No, actually I cloth diaper.
LIK: (with grimmacing look on her face) Oh, I cloth diapered mt first baby (implying that I would give up.).
Me: (smile, pretend I care)
LIK: I just signed up my 7 year old for a study.
Me: (again, smile, pretend I care)
LIK: It pays $300!
Me: That's a lot of money!
LIK: Yeah, all you have to do is give your 1st, 2nd or 3rd grader dietary supplements!
Me: (shocked, pretending not to be horrified!)
LIK: It's (insert name of company), they're good.

I walked away from the situation at that point. I am sure the Lady I Know did not want my opinion on the matter. But I am going to share it here with you.

What was she thinking!! First off, I don't really want to give my child anything that I don't know what it is. I'm not too keen on giving the Princess anything that isn't natural.

Secondly, the reason it is a study, is to study the effects on people. Meaning, they don't know.

Why would she do that to her child?!?!?
FYI: the studies I do are marketing studies, the kind where stores want to know what display sells better, or what packaging is more attractive.

He's A Girl!

Some people often call the Princess a boy. To be honest, it doesn't bother me all that much. I realize that with babies her age, it is hard to tell. If the Princess is not in all pink or frilly, it can me difficult to know that she is a girl.

Apparently I wasn't always so easy going on the gender issue. When I was little, I was very girly. But my little sister was not (she is now though). I was 2 1/2 when she was born, and a very defensive big sister.

My mom would often dress me in overalls and pigtails, and no one ever doubted that I was a girl. My mom would dress my sister in a pink frilly dress with a bow, and a stranger would call her a boy.

My response?

He's not a boy, he's a girl!!

My response for my Princesss is not the same however. I usually just smile politely and say she alot.

A man in our church calls the Princess it. That bothers me a lot.

Oh, it is so precious.

It's asleep again.

I think to myself, it has a name. Her name is Princess.

But you don't even have to use her name. (This is especially useful when you don't know the gender of the baby.)

Your little one is adorable.

What's your little one's name?

Just not it. It is a thing. My Princess is not an it. She is a baby, a human being, a person!

It always seems to be elderly people who do this. The older people at church, the grocery store, CVS. If the baby is not an it, then the baby is a boy.

The King and I often go to the Nursing Home to visit elderly people we know. We have taken the Princess a few times. It seems to cheer up the people to see a baby.

Recently I was talking with an elderly lady at a Nursing Home, and she kept refering to the Princess as he. I didn't mind, I just kept saying she alot, but kept smiling and talking to this lady. Finally she asked me, is it a girl or a boy? I responded that the Princess was, in fact, a girl. The lady smiled at me and said, I think he looks like a boy so I am going to call him a boy.

What do you say to that?

Just yesterday at CVS, a lady said to me, your little boy is so cute!

I thought to myself, yes, she is cute, but she's a girl. Doesn't the purple outfit with flowers give it away.

Obviously not!

Most of the time it doesn't bother me when people call the Princess a boy.

Sometimes I want to scream,

He's not a boy, He's a GIRL!!!