I swear I've been watching Lilo and Stitch too many times because I have that "Roller Coaster Ride" song stuck in my head! Lol! BUT it DOES describe my weak in a nutshell: roller coaster DOUBLE ride! Ha!
The 4th of July was alright. TC and I took Grayson to the Peach Festival. It was hot but then we got poured on by the rain. Luckily we brought Grayson's stroller that has a canopy where you over lap the car seat canopy to so he didn't get wet or sun burnt. We got my momma this cute, little crochet flamingo with a peace sign ribbon. Too cute! I'm gonna see if that lady can make me the sock monkey Woody from Toy Story. I saw it on Pinterest and fell in love with it because if yall know me, than you know that I LOVE sock monkeys and LOVE Woody from Toy Story :) We got some barbeque sandwiches and TC got some peach ice cream. Sad that I had to miss out on the peach ice cream and the peach floats but that's alright. Rather miss out on them for one day out of the year then to have Grayson be sick and hurting for days! We also walked around and saw all of the neat cars at the car show. My ex's dad, Randy, was out there with his hot rod. It was so good seeing him and Ms. Ruth. We had a lot of fun :)
TC bought me an engagement ring! Although we're already married, we haven't gotten a chance to get rings yet so he decided to buy me a ring. Now all I need is a wedding band and to get him his wedding band and we'll be good to go :)
Grayson has been worn out since yesterday festivities. We went out to TC's mom's house to shoot off fireworks. Grayson did alright with them. He didn't cry at all until we took breaks in between she loved the colors although they were really bright.
I forgot my camera at home when we went to the Peach Festival. I was SO mad! But I did remember to grab it for the fireworks :)
Friday, July 5, 2013
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
The Past Year
I've been thinking about the past year and how so much has changed and how much has been sacrificed. When I found out I was pregnant, I quit smoking. I was also on anxiety medicine and acid reflux medicine and I took myself off of them. I gave up a lot just to make sure my baby boy was healthy while he grew inside of me.
After a few weeks of Grayson being born, we found out he had a milk protein intolerance which pretty much means he's allergic to milk. I was never a big dairy person until I got pregnant. Dairy always made me sick. Once I found out I was pregnant, that's all I craved and still did after he was born. When we found out he was allergic to it, I had to cut ALL dairy products out of my diet. I thought to myself, "oh, this is gonna be a piece of cake! All I have to avoid is milk, cheese, ice cream, cakes, ranch, etc." Boy was I WRONG! I never knew just how many foods had dairy in them.
I could have easily just switched Grayson to special formula. But from the day I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to breastfeed him...and that's what I'm sticking with as long as it's what's best for Grayson. And right now, it is and I pray it stays that way until Grayson is ready to wean himself.
I have sacrificed my time away from my business, time away from my friends, time away from anything I want to do in my free time. I gave up smoking, dairy, my friends, being able to go out and get a drink, go out and see a movie, the list goes on and on. I've given up so much for this wonderfully, perfect accident that came into our lives. And honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'll always have time to spend on my business, my friends will eventually understand when they have kids of their own, and anything I want to do is unnecessary. Frankly, it's saving me money. I enjoy being a mother. I'm not complaining one bit. It's something I've wanted to be my whole life. Yes, it's hard. Yes, I want to pull my hair out when Grayson won't stop screaming. Yes, sometimes I just wanna throw in the towel. And YES, I have come to points where I don't think I'm cut out for this...but then I look into Grayson's eyes when he's staring up at me just a smiling and it's all worth it. Nothing can take that time away from me. The dishes, the laundry, the cleaning, the dusting, the sweeping and mopping...and even my business can simply be on the back burn. Grayson means the world to me! And if I have to sacrifice a body part for him, I would!
I've done a lot of sacrificing and have given up SO much just in the past 2 months that he's been born. But with the sacrificing, comes so much joy. With all the hardships, comes peace. And with all of the frustrations, comes laughter. Being a mother is the HARDEST thing I've EVER done in my whole life. It's the hardest thing I've gone through in my life and that says a lot. But at the end of the day when I see Grayson smiling and cooing, it makes motherhood so much easier.
I love you, Grayson Michael Wallace. More than anything in this world! Daddy's alright too :)
After a few weeks of Grayson being born, we found out he had a milk protein intolerance which pretty much means he's allergic to milk. I was never a big dairy person until I got pregnant. Dairy always made me sick. Once I found out I was pregnant, that's all I craved and still did after he was born. When we found out he was allergic to it, I had to cut ALL dairy products out of my diet. I thought to myself, "oh, this is gonna be a piece of cake! All I have to avoid is milk, cheese, ice cream, cakes, ranch, etc." Boy was I WRONG! I never knew just how many foods had dairy in them.
I could have easily just switched Grayson to special formula. But from the day I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to breastfeed him...and that's what I'm sticking with as long as it's what's best for Grayson. And right now, it is and I pray it stays that way until Grayson is ready to wean himself.
I have sacrificed my time away from my business, time away from my friends, time away from anything I want to do in my free time. I gave up smoking, dairy, my friends, being able to go out and get a drink, go out and see a movie, the list goes on and on. I've given up so much for this wonderfully, perfect accident that came into our lives. And honestly, I wouldn't trade it for the world! I'll always have time to spend on my business, my friends will eventually understand when they have kids of their own, and anything I want to do is unnecessary. Frankly, it's saving me money. I enjoy being a mother. I'm not complaining one bit. It's something I've wanted to be my whole life. Yes, it's hard. Yes, I want to pull my hair out when Grayson won't stop screaming. Yes, sometimes I just wanna throw in the towel. And YES, I have come to points where I don't think I'm cut out for this...but then I look into Grayson's eyes when he's staring up at me just a smiling and it's all worth it. Nothing can take that time away from me. The dishes, the laundry, the cleaning, the dusting, the sweeping and mopping...and even my business can simply be on the back burn. Grayson means the world to me! And if I have to sacrifice a body part for him, I would!
I've done a lot of sacrificing and have given up SO much just in the past 2 months that he's been born. But with the sacrificing, comes so much joy. With all the hardships, comes peace. And with all of the frustrations, comes laughter. Being a mother is the HARDEST thing I've EVER done in my whole life. It's the hardest thing I've gone through in my life and that says a lot. But at the end of the day when I see Grayson smiling and cooing, it makes motherhood so much easier.
I love you, Grayson Michael Wallace. More than anything in this world! Daddy's alright too :)
Here are some recent pictures of our sweet, little boy:
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
EXCITING NEWS!!! :D
Grayson went to the doctor today for his 2 month old check-up and shots. Although he screamed when they gave him the 3 shots, he took it like a champ afterwards. He squeezed my hand SO hard and once I got to pick him up, he was fine and fell right asleep once he got in his car seat. He's such a big boy!
The exciting news is that Grayson's levels for his milk protein intolerance have gone wayyyy down and he no longer has blood in his bowels. Me going dairy-free has worked and I couldn't be more ecstatic! I still have to go dairy-free until he reaches the point where he's outgrowing it as long as I'm still breastfeeding but this is a HUGE step! This means I can still breastfeed him and I couldn't be happier. I won't be having to put him on special formula after all. It's definitely the news I've been waiting on for weeks! Pheww! There's a HUGE weight off of my shoulders.
Grayson weighs 11 pounds and is 23 inches long. He's in the 50 percentile for weight and 80 percentile in height. He's gonna be long and skinny like his daddy! And to have hopes that he'd be a little short shit like me! Darn! Lol! He's growing so fast and I just want it slow down. It's definitely mind blowing that he's already 2 months old. I'm gonna cry! Lol! Before I know it, he'll be starting his first day of kindergarten. Then I'll REALLY be crying!
Grayson is asleep and TC and I are just relaxing until we have to go run some errands. So I'm gonna keep this short and sweet and jump off of here so I can get some work done. :)
The exciting news is that Grayson's levels for his milk protein intolerance have gone wayyyy down and he no longer has blood in his bowels. Me going dairy-free has worked and I couldn't be more ecstatic! I still have to go dairy-free until he reaches the point where he's outgrowing it as long as I'm still breastfeeding but this is a HUGE step! This means I can still breastfeed him and I couldn't be happier. I won't be having to put him on special formula after all. It's definitely the news I've been waiting on for weeks! Pheww! There's a HUGE weight off of my shoulders.
Grayson weighs 11 pounds and is 23 inches long. He's in the 50 percentile for weight and 80 percentile in height. He's gonna be long and skinny like his daddy! And to have hopes that he'd be a little short shit like me! Darn! Lol! He's growing so fast and I just want it slow down. It's definitely mind blowing that he's already 2 months old. I'm gonna cry! Lol! Before I know it, he'll be starting his first day of kindergarten. Then I'll REALLY be crying!
Grayson is asleep and TC and I are just relaxing until we have to go run some errands. So I'm gonna keep this short and sweet and jump off of here so I can get some work done. :)
Monday, June 24, 2013
2 months old!
Yup! Our baby boy just turned 2 months old yesterday! Really makes me wanna cry! Lol! It feels like just yesterday that we were in the hospital meeting Grayson. Ahh! Time is flying by! Before I know it, he'll be rolling over, sitting up on his own, crawling, walking, talking, and turning 1 year old! It's crazy! He's always had a personality since the day he was born. His first smile was just a few hours after he was born right after I breastfed him for the first time. He smiles bigger and bigger and it just melts my heart. I love when I'm breastfeeding him and he just looks up at me and smiles. Too stinkin cute! He's trying to laugh so hard and gets frustrated when he does. I seriously can't wait until he starts laughing although I've heard that when babies laugh for the first time, they start crying because it's just a new noise for them and it scares them lol. As much as I hate when he gets upset, I find it so cute when he sticks his bottom lip out right before he starts to cry. Lol! He's quite a mover though but then again, he has been since I was 20 weeks pregnant with him. He loves to kick those legs and swing those arms up and down. He's learned this new thing where he stands up and swings back and forth. He LOVES to stand up on my legs while I hold his arms. He's also gotten really great with his head control. I barely have to hold his head anymore and it makes me sad. Soon enough he's not gonna be calm enough to just lay on my chest and want to be held. As much as his clingyness gets tiring after awhile because I have so much to do, I love it! Things I have to get done can wait. I'm not always going to be able to spend time with him at this age. Well, let me rephrase that: HE won't want to spend time with me after a certain point in time so I'm definitely enjoying this age and I definitely love that he loves to be near me. He may look like and act like his daddy, but he loves to be with his mommy (and his daddy when daddy isn't working) :)
Things have been really hectic around here this weekend though. Grayson started projectile vomiting Saturday night and wouldn't stop. He wasn't running a fever and after he stopped, he was as happy as can be, just a smiling and moving like nothing happened. Of course I wasn't as happy as can be. I was a nervous wreck. TC went up to Walmart and got his some Pedialyte and he was fine after that until yesterday morning. I fed him for the first time after he slept for 7 hours Saturday night and not even 10 minutes later, he was on a puke fest again. He wouldn't take the Pedialyte and the little bit that he did, he couldn't keep down. So we took him to Urgent Care. He threw up one more time the short ride to Urgent Care. He didn't puke after that. The doctor said it's just from the heat we had been in Saturday afternoon mixed with his terrible acid reflux. I had to stop giving him the acid reflux medicine because it made him sick since it's mint flavored. TC HATES mint and we believe Grayson has picked up on hating mint as well because any time I ate mint when I was pregnant, I'd be sick as a dog the whole day, and even now if I eat mint, Grayson gets sick since I breastfeed him. So it's taken me until today for the doctor to change it since his regular pediatrician didn't prescribe it to him. Another pediatrician at another office did. We pick that prescription up tomorrow since they're having to give him a special kind of medicine where I have to do a lot of work to give it to him. But that's ok. As long as he gets to feeling better without any pain, I'll do whatever is needed.
One of the hectic things that has happened, I really don't want to publicly announce all over creation so I'll keep that one to myself.
Tomorrow morning, Grayson goes to get his 2 month old shots. This shall be fun! Before we go, I'm picking up some baby Tylenol to be prepared and ready for his fever to hit after his shots. Poor little thing will probably be a clingy mess tomorrow and just want Momma all day. So I have cleared my day tomorrow just in case. Hopefully he'll sleep good afterwards where he won't to be uncomfortable from it. It's going to be a long day tomorrow to say the least.
I'm typing this oh so fast so excuse any grammar issues in this. Trying to finish up before Grayson wakes up.
TC is at work and I'm bored as all get out although I have a million and one things to do, but would rather just blog. Lol! I'll regret it later but oh well.
My daddy will be in town for a week starting July 23rd and I can't wait! We haven't seen him since Grayson was born and he couldn't stay but for 3 days. So we're definitely going to enjoy being with him for a whole week. Not sure what we're going to do, but we always find something fun to do even if it's just having a movie night and going out to eat. I love spending time with my daddy. There's never a dull moment what so ever! Dakota's out of school for the summer so I know we'll be able to do something extra fun without having a schedule to work around. I believe TC will be at AT for the military while my daddy's down which is a real bummer. Hopefully he'll be able to come home on a weekend to spend some time with us all. It's definitely gotten more and more hectic to get everyone together now that me and my sister have husbands and a kid and all 3 of us (Amber, Dakota, and I) live in separate houses and have our own schedules now. But that's ok. We always find a way to come together and part from our schedules. I honestly can't wait!
On another note, my niece is growing up before my eyes. She can already talk pretty good and say small sentences like, "I love you," "I'm cute," and "I'm beautiful". And she even knows a lot of our names besides her own. Lol! She calls me Rye-Rye and I LOVE it because that's what my Pawpaw has always called me since I could remember.
I found this little quote on Pinterest that said, "How to really love a child: be there. Say yes as often as you can. Let them bang on pots and pans. If they’re crabby, put them in water. Read books out loud with joy. Go find elephants and kiss them. Encourage silly. Giggle a lot. Remember how really small they are. Search out the positives. Keep the gleam in your eye. Go see a movie in your pajamas. Teach feelings. Realize how important it is to be a child. Plan to build a rocket ship. Stop yelling. Invent pleasures together. Surprise them. Express your love….a lot. Children are miraculous."
Well I'm gonna jump off of here and probably do the things I need to do before Grayson wakes up which he'll probably wake up right as I'm starting to get something done like always. Lol! I love that little boy so much even if he's a handful sometimes but that's a baby's job, right? Lol!
Here are just a few pictures over the past month:
Things have been really hectic around here this weekend though. Grayson started projectile vomiting Saturday night and wouldn't stop. He wasn't running a fever and after he stopped, he was as happy as can be, just a smiling and moving like nothing happened. Of course I wasn't as happy as can be. I was a nervous wreck. TC went up to Walmart and got his some Pedialyte and he was fine after that until yesterday morning. I fed him for the first time after he slept for 7 hours Saturday night and not even 10 minutes later, he was on a puke fest again. He wouldn't take the Pedialyte and the little bit that he did, he couldn't keep down. So we took him to Urgent Care. He threw up one more time the short ride to Urgent Care. He didn't puke after that. The doctor said it's just from the heat we had been in Saturday afternoon mixed with his terrible acid reflux. I had to stop giving him the acid reflux medicine because it made him sick since it's mint flavored. TC HATES mint and we believe Grayson has picked up on hating mint as well because any time I ate mint when I was pregnant, I'd be sick as a dog the whole day, and even now if I eat mint, Grayson gets sick since I breastfeed him. So it's taken me until today for the doctor to change it since his regular pediatrician didn't prescribe it to him. Another pediatrician at another office did. We pick that prescription up tomorrow since they're having to give him a special kind of medicine where I have to do a lot of work to give it to him. But that's ok. As long as he gets to feeling better without any pain, I'll do whatever is needed.
One of the hectic things that has happened, I really don't want to publicly announce all over creation so I'll keep that one to myself.
Tomorrow morning, Grayson goes to get his 2 month old shots. This shall be fun! Before we go, I'm picking up some baby Tylenol to be prepared and ready for his fever to hit after his shots. Poor little thing will probably be a clingy mess tomorrow and just want Momma all day. So I have cleared my day tomorrow just in case. Hopefully he'll sleep good afterwards where he won't to be uncomfortable from it. It's going to be a long day tomorrow to say the least.
I'm typing this oh so fast so excuse any grammar issues in this. Trying to finish up before Grayson wakes up.
TC is at work and I'm bored as all get out although I have a million and one things to do, but would rather just blog. Lol! I'll regret it later but oh well.
My daddy will be in town for a week starting July 23rd and I can't wait! We haven't seen him since Grayson was born and he couldn't stay but for 3 days. So we're definitely going to enjoy being with him for a whole week. Not sure what we're going to do, but we always find something fun to do even if it's just having a movie night and going out to eat. I love spending time with my daddy. There's never a dull moment what so ever! Dakota's out of school for the summer so I know we'll be able to do something extra fun without having a schedule to work around. I believe TC will be at AT for the military while my daddy's down which is a real bummer. Hopefully he'll be able to come home on a weekend to spend some time with us all. It's definitely gotten more and more hectic to get everyone together now that me and my sister have husbands and a kid and all 3 of us (Amber, Dakota, and I) live in separate houses and have our own schedules now. But that's ok. We always find a way to come together and part from our schedules. I honestly can't wait!
On another note, my niece is growing up before my eyes. She can already talk pretty good and say small sentences like, "I love you," "I'm cute," and "I'm beautiful". And she even knows a lot of our names besides her own. Lol! She calls me Rye-Rye and I LOVE it because that's what my Pawpaw has always called me since I could remember.
I found this little quote on Pinterest that said, "How to really love a child: be there. Say yes as often as you can. Let them bang on pots and pans. If they’re crabby, put them in water. Read books out loud with joy. Go find elephants and kiss them. Encourage silly. Giggle a lot. Remember how really small they are. Search out the positives. Keep the gleam in your eye. Go see a movie in your pajamas. Teach feelings. Realize how important it is to be a child. Plan to build a rocket ship. Stop yelling. Invent pleasures together. Surprise them. Express your love….a lot. Children are miraculous."
It reminded me of when Elizabeth got into the baby powder while I was babysitting her a couple of weeks before I had Grayson and instead of getting mad about the mess I had to clean up, I joined her in the creation of the mess. A lot of parents need to let things go and have fun with their kids even if it makes a mess. A mess can ALWAYS be cleaned up. No need to get mad about an accident. Make accidents fun even if you get dirty or sticky. And then tell your child this is a one time thing and that we're not doing this ALL of the time. It boosts their self-confidence a little instead of making them sad and feel bad about messes. Yes, I'm a new mom but when you acted like a mom to your brother your whole life, you learn things. Definitely going to have fun with Grayson. I don't wanna be a mean mom who gets mad at the littlest things. Search out the positive. That quote just opened up my eyes. As much as I think kids need discipline, if you teach them VERY early (as in when they're walking good and starting to get into things) not to do certain things WITHOUT jumping the gun and yelling, 9 out of 10 times, kids will behave. As frustrating as my brother got when I lived at my mom's house, I regret not talking to him calmly FIRST when he did something I didn't like. And I'll be the first one to admit I would just automatically yell at him instead of calmly telling him not to do something or to leave me alone. I think that has a lot to do with the way he acts and has acted.
Well I'm gonna jump off of here and probably do the things I need to do before Grayson wakes up which he'll probably wake up right as I'm starting to get something done like always. Lol! I love that little boy so much even if he's a handful sometimes but that's a baby's job, right? Lol!
Here are just a few pictures over the past month:
The sock monkey hat's still a little big and the diaper cover that comes with it with a tail is a little too small for his chunky butt, but we made it work. Thank you to Candi Watts for making it for me.
With cousin, Elizabeth. She loves Grayson!
She did NOT wanna sit in that yucky dirty grass. Lol!
Oh, I LOVE the expression on Grayson's face. So precious!
Miss Sassy at her finest wearing my bracelet. Lol!
We got to do a Mommy session with Tzedibear Photography :)
Doing the one eyebrow thing that only Daddy, Grandma Sally, and Aunt Lisa can do. Lol! Grayson can do it with both eyes while they can only do it with one. He's gifted! Lol!
Woke up just as happy as he could be! :)
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Poo-Pa!
So many people keep asking me why I call Grayson "poo-pa". Well, I don't even know lol. I started calling him that when we were in the hospital the second Grayson was born. I was calling him "popeye" because he would always just have one eye open when he'd try and go to sleep since he didn't wanna miss a thing. And then it just turned into "poo-pa" lol
BUTTTTTT ANYWAY!
Our little poo-pa is a month and a half old! He's getting so big and is so alert about everything! But he's been that way since the day he was born lol. It's been a bit of a roller coaster lately though. We took Grayson to the doctor on June 4th because he was excessively crying without any kind of soothing. We found out that he's milk protein intolerant (which pretty much means he's allergic to dairy) and that he has an inflamed tummy due to it. SO with that said, I've had to change my diet since I'm breastfeeding him. It's been frustrating, to the point where I wanna rip my hair out! I've never been a big dairy person ESPECIALLY during the summer. But since I was about 7.5 month pregnant, I've eaten nothing BUT dairy: blocks of cheese (I would go through about 3 blocks of cheese a week!), ice cream sandwiches, cheesecake ice cream, ranch veggie dip, mayonnaise, glasses of milk, Alfredo pasta sauce, tapioca pudding, the list goes on and on. I've NEVER been that way. I can't stand eating cheese plain, I used to HATE mayonnaise, and I wouldn't be able to drink a glass of milk without gaging....up until I was about 7.5 months pregnant. I guess I ate TOO much dairy and it's done bit me in the ass! They say it's not because I ate so much dairy, but in my personal opinion, I think it was!
So, we've had to go to NUMEROUS grocery stores on the hunt for either coconut milk, almond milk, and rice milk, vegan cheese, and anything WITHOUT milk, whey, and caseine in it. I NEVER knew just how many things have milk in it. I definitely didn't know that honey mustard, hot dogs, tomato based pasta sauce, and so many other things had dairy in them! It has taken me twice as long in the grocery stores because now, I have to read labels, search for 3 main ingredients (milk, whey, and caseine), get frustrated, and throw it back on the shelf as I pout like a 2-year-old.
As frustrating as it has been and how much I just complained up there, I'm doing this for my baby boy. Everyone keeps telling me, "oh just switch to formula!" Um, no! And here are my reasons:
1. He's allergic to formula and can only be on specific formula
2. That specific and special formula is EXPENSIVE as hell, breastmilk is free!
3. I have a good supply of breastmilk coming in, why go through the pain of trying to empty my breasts and make my good and gold of a milk supply go bad?
4. I really do NOT want to have to spend weeks stuffing cabbage in my bra to dry my milk up and going through the horror of humongous and painful boobs! I have 2 men in the house, ok? Grayson loves to cuddle on my chest and TC, well you all know what men love to do with boobs?
5. I need to change my diet any way and this gives me the right motivation to do so.e
6. Studies show breastfed babies are at a lower risk for juvenile diabetes, metabolism conditions, and obesity than formula fed babies. They are at a lower risk of getting sick multiple times throughout the year, they have higher IQs, and so much more! *NOTE: I'm not bashing women who feed they're babies formula and I'm not saying they're babies will grow up to be stupid, fat, or sick.
7. I absolutely LOVE the bonding time I get with my son
And the 2 BIG reasons:
8. I'm NOT giving up that easy!
9. My baby boy means the world to me, I refuse to test him on all kinds of special formulas like a lab rat to see which one his tummy agrees on. Breastmilk is what's best for babies. Every doctor, formula company, specialist, etc. will tell you that. Granted, I know a lot of women can't breastfeed because they either don't make enough milk or they're babies don't do well with it. But seriously, I CAN breastfeed. My milk has come in and stayed in and I pray it stays that way.
I can give you so many reasons why I choose to breastfeed my son but "ain't no one got time for that" (bahaha! just for you, Uncle Joel) :) This is MY son and I'm doing what's best for HIM, no one else. I'm willing to risk my own health, to make him healthy. I am going to talk to my doctor and see what kind of calcium vitamins I can take in order for me NOT to have a calcium deficiency. I'm willing to do ANYTHING to help my baby boy and to still breastfeed him.
But any way! Off of that subject! Grayson is growing like a weed! He now weighs 10 pounds and 1 ounce. WOW! So many people are shocked when I tell them that because he's so tiny! Lol! I always get asked how much he weighed at birth and if he was a premie. Nope, he's just a tiny babay! Lol! We find out on the 27th if he's doing better with the breastmilk and if his inflamed tummy has gone away or at least hasn't gotten worse. Fingers, arms, toes, and legs crossed and lots of prayers heading his way. <3
I absolutely LOVE my baby boy! His daddy's alright, too! Lol! Just kidding! I love both of them with all of my heart!
BUTTTTTT ANYWAY!
Our little poo-pa is a month and a half old! He's getting so big and is so alert about everything! But he's been that way since the day he was born lol. It's been a bit of a roller coaster lately though. We took Grayson to the doctor on June 4th because he was excessively crying without any kind of soothing. We found out that he's milk protein intolerant (which pretty much means he's allergic to dairy) and that he has an inflamed tummy due to it. SO with that said, I've had to change my diet since I'm breastfeeding him. It's been frustrating, to the point where I wanna rip my hair out! I've never been a big dairy person ESPECIALLY during the summer. But since I was about 7.5 month pregnant, I've eaten nothing BUT dairy: blocks of cheese (I would go through about 3 blocks of cheese a week!), ice cream sandwiches, cheesecake ice cream, ranch veggie dip, mayonnaise, glasses of milk, Alfredo pasta sauce, tapioca pudding, the list goes on and on. I've NEVER been that way. I can't stand eating cheese plain, I used to HATE mayonnaise, and I wouldn't be able to drink a glass of milk without gaging....up until I was about 7.5 months pregnant. I guess I ate TOO much dairy and it's done bit me in the ass! They say it's not because I ate so much dairy, but in my personal opinion, I think it was!
So, we've had to go to NUMEROUS grocery stores on the hunt for either coconut milk, almond milk, and rice milk, vegan cheese, and anything WITHOUT milk, whey, and caseine in it. I NEVER knew just how many things have milk in it. I definitely didn't know that honey mustard, hot dogs, tomato based pasta sauce, and so many other things had dairy in them! It has taken me twice as long in the grocery stores because now, I have to read labels, search for 3 main ingredients (milk, whey, and caseine), get frustrated, and throw it back on the shelf as I pout like a 2-year-old.
As frustrating as it has been and how much I just complained up there, I'm doing this for my baby boy. Everyone keeps telling me, "oh just switch to formula!" Um, no! And here are my reasons:
1. He's allergic to formula and can only be on specific formula
2. That specific and special formula is EXPENSIVE as hell, breastmilk is free!
3. I have a good supply of breastmilk coming in, why go through the pain of trying to empty my breasts and make my good and gold of a milk supply go bad?
4. I really do NOT want to have to spend weeks stuffing cabbage in my bra to dry my milk up and going through the horror of humongous and painful boobs! I have 2 men in the house, ok? Grayson loves to cuddle on my chest and TC, well you all know what men love to do with boobs?
5. I need to change my diet any way and this gives me the right motivation to do so.e
6. Studies show breastfed babies are at a lower risk for juvenile diabetes, metabolism conditions, and obesity than formula fed babies. They are at a lower risk of getting sick multiple times throughout the year, they have higher IQs, and so much more! *NOTE: I'm not bashing women who feed they're babies formula and I'm not saying they're babies will grow up to be stupid, fat, or sick.
7. I absolutely LOVE the bonding time I get with my son
And the 2 BIG reasons:
8. I'm NOT giving up that easy!
9. My baby boy means the world to me, I refuse to test him on all kinds of special formulas like a lab rat to see which one his tummy agrees on. Breastmilk is what's best for babies. Every doctor, formula company, specialist, etc. will tell you that. Granted, I know a lot of women can't breastfeed because they either don't make enough milk or they're babies don't do well with it. But seriously, I CAN breastfeed. My milk has come in and stayed in and I pray it stays that way.
I can give you so many reasons why I choose to breastfeed my son but "ain't no one got time for that" (bahaha! just for you, Uncle Joel) :) This is MY son and I'm doing what's best for HIM, no one else. I'm willing to risk my own health, to make him healthy. I am going to talk to my doctor and see what kind of calcium vitamins I can take in order for me NOT to have a calcium deficiency. I'm willing to do ANYTHING to help my baby boy and to still breastfeed him.
But any way! Off of that subject! Grayson is growing like a weed! He now weighs 10 pounds and 1 ounce. WOW! So many people are shocked when I tell them that because he's so tiny! Lol! I always get asked how much he weighed at birth and if he was a premie. Nope, he's just a tiny babay! Lol! We find out on the 27th if he's doing better with the breastmilk and if his inflamed tummy has gone away or at least hasn't gotten worse. Fingers, arms, toes, and legs crossed and lots of prayers heading his way. <3
I absolutely LOVE my baby boy! His daddy's alright, too! Lol! Just kidding! I love both of them with all of my heart!
Love that smile!
He loves his sock monkey baby! We have 2 of them that are the exact same. TC made the mistake of showing him BOTH of them, and Grayson hasn't let go of either one of them.
Rub-a-dub-dub, big chunky babay in the tub :D
Thursday, May 30, 2013
AC Diaster, Meatloaf Madness, and Diaper Rashes!
This is my life today! Our AC has been all kinds of wonky the past 3 days. OF COURSE things go wrong with the house when our landlords are on vacation and are on a very nice cruise! (take me with you!) lol but they're back now! They said the AC man was going to come in the morning but VOILA he came today and it's fixed! Pheww it feels so much better in here! :)
Why is it that EVERY time I cook, doesn't matter what it is, I can never make it look pretty? Seriously though! I just pulled the meatloaf out of the oven and it's all lopsided and looks like I slapped it in the pan without mushing it down. When I made sure I mushed it all pretty like and evenly before I popped that sucker in the oven. I just don't get it! Maybe there's a little minion in my oven that messes with my pretty food! Little shit!
Grayson has been having this HORRIBLE rash in between the creases of his little chunky legs. Well, it's not horrible per se but it's really red. It doesn't seem to bother him though. I put some diaper rash cream on it and it looks a little better. That's the best area where poopie wants to hide and of course my child has to be a wiggle worm where I can't properly clean it like I need to. At least the bath takes care of it. Silly child!
Grayson is 1 month and 1 week old and I'm seriously gonna cry! He's getting so big and long! If he doesn't watch out, he's gonna be bigger than I am before he's 2! He's such a little sweetie though and just cracks me and TC up! I'll be breastfeeding him and he LOVES to stick his thumb in his mouth while he eats, and I keep telling him he can't do that and he'll give me the weirdest look like, "watch me!" He evens does this when I bottle feed him. It's easier for him to do it with the bottle though. I'll tell him to give me that thumb because apparently it's just so delicious! He'll pop it out of his mouth, go and try and put it in my mouth, then pulls it away all like, "sike momma!", smiles, and squeezes it back into his mouth. He's such a little goober head! I love him so much!
Grayson and I went over to my sister's house today to babysit my almost 21 month old niece. She's so sticken cute! She helped me feed Grayson a bottle, burp him, and change his diaper. She was very intrigued by is sticky-outtie belly button. And of course asked what that thing was in between his legs. "Woah what's that?" Haha! I laid Grayson down in her crib for nap time and we watched him on the video monitor and every time Grayson made a noise or he moved, Elizabeth would gasp and say, "baby!" and run to her room to check on him. She was so excited! We had a little incident when she was telling me where all of her facial features were. She would point to her nose and say, "nose," then point to Grayson's nose and say, "nose," but when it came to pointing and saying "eyes," she accidentally poked Grayson in the eye. He screamed so bad and I calmed him down and told Elizabeth that it was ok and that Grayson was ok and of course she just a boo-hooed. I think it scared him more than anything lol. She's getting so smart and starting to talk real good. She knows some of her numbers and colors, knows a lot of peoples' names, and knows where all of her body parts are. She called me "Rye-Rye" for the first time today. Proud aunt moment! And even said "Lollie" for Grandma Lollie today. She also asked Grayson, "who's your pappy?" bahaha! She's a mess, I tell ya! I lover her so much!
We just got the info about my family's family reunion on my Nanie's side down in Florida, and I'm so excited that TC, Grayson, and I are going to be able to make it. Well, we believe we can as long as we save up the money too. It's not until July 6th so we have a little over a month. We're going to have to rent a car because both of our cars won't make it down there very good. I'm just so excited! I haven't been down to Florida to see my family since the summer of 2011. TC hasn't met any of them yet and neither has Grayson. I just can't wait! :)
Alrighty, well I'm waiting on TC to get home from his mom's house so we can eat dinner BEFORE Grayson wakes up. That kid is exhaust-a-pated today! :D
Why is it that EVERY time I cook, doesn't matter what it is, I can never make it look pretty? Seriously though! I just pulled the meatloaf out of the oven and it's all lopsided and looks like I slapped it in the pan without mushing it down. When I made sure I mushed it all pretty like and evenly before I popped that sucker in the oven. I just don't get it! Maybe there's a little minion in my oven that messes with my pretty food! Little shit!
Grayson has been having this HORRIBLE rash in between the creases of his little chunky legs. Well, it's not horrible per se but it's really red. It doesn't seem to bother him though. I put some diaper rash cream on it and it looks a little better. That's the best area where poopie wants to hide and of course my child has to be a wiggle worm where I can't properly clean it like I need to. At least the bath takes care of it. Silly child!
Grayson is 1 month and 1 week old and I'm seriously gonna cry! He's getting so big and long! If he doesn't watch out, he's gonna be bigger than I am before he's 2! He's such a little sweetie though and just cracks me and TC up! I'll be breastfeeding him and he LOVES to stick his thumb in his mouth while he eats, and I keep telling him he can't do that and he'll give me the weirdest look like, "watch me!" He evens does this when I bottle feed him. It's easier for him to do it with the bottle though. I'll tell him to give me that thumb because apparently it's just so delicious! He'll pop it out of his mouth, go and try and put it in my mouth, then pulls it away all like, "sike momma!", smiles, and squeezes it back into his mouth. He's such a little goober head! I love him so much!
Grayson and I went over to my sister's house today to babysit my almost 21 month old niece. She's so sticken cute! She helped me feed Grayson a bottle, burp him, and change his diaper. She was very intrigued by is sticky-outtie belly button. And of course asked what that thing was in between his legs. "Woah what's that?" Haha! I laid Grayson down in her crib for nap time and we watched him on the video monitor and every time Grayson made a noise or he moved, Elizabeth would gasp and say, "baby!" and run to her room to check on him. She was so excited! We had a little incident when she was telling me where all of her facial features were. She would point to her nose and say, "nose," then point to Grayson's nose and say, "nose," but when it came to pointing and saying "eyes," she accidentally poked Grayson in the eye. He screamed so bad and I calmed him down and told Elizabeth that it was ok and that Grayson was ok and of course she just a boo-hooed. I think it scared him more than anything lol. She's getting so smart and starting to talk real good. She knows some of her numbers and colors, knows a lot of peoples' names, and knows where all of her body parts are. She called me "Rye-Rye" for the first time today. Proud aunt moment! And even said "Lollie" for Grandma Lollie today. She also asked Grayson, "who's your pappy?" bahaha! She's a mess, I tell ya! I lover her so much!
We just got the info about my family's family reunion on my Nanie's side down in Florida, and I'm so excited that TC, Grayson, and I are going to be able to make it. Well, we believe we can as long as we save up the money too. It's not until July 6th so we have a little over a month. We're going to have to rent a car because both of our cars won't make it down there very good. I'm just so excited! I haven't been down to Florida to see my family since the summer of 2011. TC hasn't met any of them yet and neither has Grayson. I just can't wait! :)
Alrighty, well I'm waiting on TC to get home from his mom's house so we can eat dinner BEFORE Grayson wakes up. That kid is exhaust-a-pated today! :D
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Tummy Aches and Gas Are No Fun!
Grayson has had a tummy ache and really bad gas for 2 days now. I gave him some gas drops that have been helping a lot, but my poor little chug bug doesn't feel good! On top of it all, he's been having really bad nightmares. :(
We went to the mall, Kohls, and Rue 21 today with Gretchen and Grayson wanted to be wide awake since it was a new place. He did fall asleep a little in the carrier but still wasn't enough of a nap for him. We left at noon and didn't get back until 5! I haven't been shopping like that in awhile! Grayson was a little fussy but was good overall. Of course he was exhausted once we got home and fell right asleep. Well he wasn't asleep but for 30 minutes and the neighbor had a bunch of kids over who woke him up! Rude and disrespectful kids at that! So I packed up the car and went to my mom's and grandparents' house for a couple of hours where Grandma Lo-Lee and Nanie rocked him and spanged him (spanking lightly and singing at the same time for those of you who were like huh? lol). That got out A LOT of gas!
He's finally asleep and has been for a good hour almost. Poor little thing! I wish I could just take his pain away because he looks so miserable! I hope he gets some sleep tonight. He should since he's so worn out.
He's been such a good baby since the day he was born though. He doesn't cry much besides the usual cries of being hungry and having a dirty diaper. Some times, he just wants mommy time and be held (more like just uses me as an excuse to get the boobie lol). He's finally on a good schedule though and he only wakes up twice through the night as of a couple days ago. He's like a little rooster though! He'll wake up the second that sun peeks through the windows and wanna stay up until about 9-10. That's probably the toughest time because he'll wanna be wide awake and quiet where he just wants to stare and hear himself babble, but that only lasts about 15-20 minutes and he just cries until I give him the boob again and some mommy time.
I can't help but to just stare at his cute, little face. He looks like a little turtle, he's so sticken cute! It's so amazing how two people can create something so perfect. It gets frustrating some times, but I seriously wouldn't trade it for the world and I don't take one minute for granted. I love him so much! I never knew how much you can fall in love with someone you just met. It's such an amazing feeling! He's growing up so fast I can't believe my eyes! He's already a month old and I'm seriously gonna lose it with emotion.
Ok, it's late and TC is at work so I'm gonna snuggle up to my little boy and try to get some sleep. Grayson has been asleep for the past 2.5 hours! Crazy talk! Goodnight everyone! Stay safe this Memorial Weekend and remember those fallen soldiers and pray for their families. God bless! <3
We went to the mall, Kohls, and Rue 21 today with Gretchen and Grayson wanted to be wide awake since it was a new place. He did fall asleep a little in the carrier but still wasn't enough of a nap for him. We left at noon and didn't get back until 5! I haven't been shopping like that in awhile! Grayson was a little fussy but was good overall. Of course he was exhausted once we got home and fell right asleep. Well he wasn't asleep but for 30 minutes and the neighbor had a bunch of kids over who woke him up! Rude and disrespectful kids at that! So I packed up the car and went to my mom's and grandparents' house for a couple of hours where Grandma Lo-Lee and Nanie rocked him and spanged him (spanking lightly and singing at the same time for those of you who were like huh? lol). That got out A LOT of gas!
He's finally asleep and has been for a good hour almost. Poor little thing! I wish I could just take his pain away because he looks so miserable! I hope he gets some sleep tonight. He should since he's so worn out.
He's been such a good baby since the day he was born though. He doesn't cry much besides the usual cries of being hungry and having a dirty diaper. Some times, he just wants mommy time and be held (more like just uses me as an excuse to get the boobie lol). He's finally on a good schedule though and he only wakes up twice through the night as of a couple days ago. He's like a little rooster though! He'll wake up the second that sun peeks through the windows and wanna stay up until about 9-10. That's probably the toughest time because he'll wanna be wide awake and quiet where he just wants to stare and hear himself babble, but that only lasts about 15-20 minutes and he just cries until I give him the boob again and some mommy time.
I can't help but to just stare at his cute, little face. He looks like a little turtle, he's so sticken cute! It's so amazing how two people can create something so perfect. It gets frustrating some times, but I seriously wouldn't trade it for the world and I don't take one minute for granted. I love him so much! I never knew how much you can fall in love with someone you just met. It's such an amazing feeling! He's growing up so fast I can't believe my eyes! He's already a month old and I'm seriously gonna lose it with emotion.
Ok, it's late and TC is at work so I'm gonna snuggle up to my little boy and try to get some sleep. Grayson has been asleep for the past 2.5 hours! Crazy talk! Goodnight everyone! Stay safe this Memorial Weekend and remember those fallen soldiers and pray for their families. God bless! <3
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