Pregnancy and Motherhood Archive

We received our crib rebate. It came out to $219, which is awesome since we only paid $125 for the old crib with a mattress. We (I) found a crib at Babies ‘R’ Us that I (we) really like. It was marked down to $299 with an added twenty percent off. Subtract the amount of the voucher and add it to what *we* originally paid and we have a brand new crib with old mattress for $145. This crib doesn’t have the drop down side like the other one did and I’m glad because I kept forgetting to pull it up at night and it didn’t seem like a good mechanism for a crib. The old crib had a spot at the bottom that you push with your leg in order to scoot the drop-down front down the plastic tracks. The sliding side is held in the down position by two little rubber stoppers. They still sell that style, that mechanism is not the aspect which caused the recall. But as someone who used it for ten months, I decided I don’t like it. The new crib is the “lifetime” convertible type. It’ll switch to a toddler daybed and then a regular twin-size bed. It’s GORGEOUS!

I know, you can see a jean butt in there and you want a close-up of what’s inside the crib…

Since I’m a stay at home mom now I’ve gone back to the “living with baby” class/group that I was in before. Last weeks class was about teaching baby to talk through reading and singing with her. All that was covered was straightforward. Nothing significantly new was added about learning language. At the end of it all, the facilitator said that the attention span of a baby is very short, so she suggested baby books with no more than ten words. Really? Why not help them expand their attention span as well as language skills. 10 words? Isn’t that a very very low bar to set? It reminds me of a friend who told me his parents named his younger brother J-o-n instead of J-o-h-n because it would be easier for him to spell like they never expected their kids to be advanced enough for four letter words. *smirk* Ten worded books would just annoy the crap out of me. We read Dr. Seuss in this house. I can’t stand most children’s books, they’re so preachy. When I want to teach Sophia that it’s not nice to hit people, I’m not going to pull out a book to read to her. I’m going to tell her, “Stop hitting your friends or they’ll stop hanging out with you.” It’s that fucking simple. She might not stop right away, but the lesson will be out there and she’ll figure it out.

Speaking of kids that hit… One of the boys in the group who is only a month older than Sophia ran around hitting all the babies. He tried grabbing a toy from Sophia and she wouldn’t let it go. He’d pull and she pulled right back while giving him a well-deserved glare, and then he stood up and pulled her hair. The boy had two fists full of my baby’s hair! She didn’t know what to do about that. She stuck out the boo-boo lip and reached for me then cried.

On Tuesday, Sophia learned a new thing that annoys the crap out of me. I kept hearing a squeaky “creek creek” type sound. I looked down at her and she smiled, then I hear again, “creek creek”. What the? I look at her. She laughs and proceeds to grind her two bottom teeth into her not yet cut upper tooth. AURGH!! Stop it before my ears bleed!

Later that day we went to a state park with maternal grandma. I took Sophia to the lake to get her feet wet. She sat right in the water and started butt scooting around.

My throat was scratchy that day and by Wednesday, I had a full-blown sore throat and felt like shit. I was sick AGAIN! Wednesday was hell. Not just because I was sick but because I wanted to sleep and baby innocent angel face was on a multi ten to fifteen minute power nap crusade. I didn’t even get to sleep at night. From two to four in the morning were the erupting baby tooth witching hours. How many more of these does she get? And why can’t it all just happen in one day – maybe even one when I’m not sick?

I removed the wastebasket, the toilet paper holder, and the plunger. I placed a blanket with toys on the floor, and I ensured there was nothing she could get into. Well, she showed me. Mid-shower I peered from around the curtain to see that she had the cap to the toilet bolt in her mouth.

Flash Fiction Friday is hosted by g-man. You may also visit Flash Fiction Friday 55’s, a blog dedicated to hosting 55 Flash Fiction Friday posts.

There is a pregnancy product out there called Preggie Pops. Every time I saw the packaging I read, “Preggis POOPS”. Preggie Pops are meant to ward off morning sickness, but considering the first to ingredients in order are, SUGAR and Corn Syrup, I’m thinking this product is full of shit. Really, I think the best thing is to have a tiny bit of food in the stomach all the time. Eat several small meals instead of two or three large meals. But I didn’t really suffer from morning sickness so what the hell do I know. Anyway, this post is about Preggis POOPS. The very best advice I received for my pregnancy was to drink Citrucel.

From the Mayo Clinic…

Constipation is common in pregnancy for several reasons, including:

• Hormone changes. An increase in the hormone progesterone during pregnancy slows the digestive process.
• Iron supplements. Often given to prevent anemia in pregnancy, iron supplements can make constipation worse.
• Changes in digestion. Your colon absorbs more water during pregnancy, which makes less water available for stool, resulting in harder stool.

Some tips for managing constipation during pregnancy include the following:

• Eat on a regular schedule. Small, frequent meals can help ward off constipation.
• Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Aim for eight 8-ounces glasses a day.
• Exercise every day. Simple activities, such as daily walks, can be effective.
• Eat high-fiber foods, such as fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains.
• Try fiber supplements, such as psyllium powder, Metamucil or Citrucel.
• If iron supplements are contributing to constipation, your doctor may adjust your dosage.

When a friend of mine called to congratulate me on my pregnancy with Sophia I could hear in the background her husband saying, “Tell her about Citrucel.” Over and over again.

Though it comes in a canister and is in a Tang like powder form, Citrucel is a great form of fiber and does not add to the already inflated amount of pregnancy gas. It’s awesome and will help things move right along. Make sure to follow the directions and add plenty of water. The only problem with it that I had was trying to drink it fast enough before all the fiber settles. I personally found it better to mix it in a six-ounce juice glass instead of a regular 12-ounce glass and trying to locate the 8-ounce mixing mark. I don’t know why things are always measured by an 8-ounce glass. I don’t think there’s any such thing. Damn Chinese products! You’ll have two ounces less to mix with, but it’s easier to down it quickly. If the fiber does settle, the texture of it could set off anyone with a hyper gag reflex. Anyone able to drink fast enough is golden. With the light orange Tang-y flavor, there is no nasty taste or aftertaste.

Citrucel is a fiber supplement not a laxative, but as with anything check with your doctor before using. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. This advice is not meant to take the place of talking to a doctor.

I knew this one would be a top contender for the diaper of the month if not the ultimate Baby Squeezins for July. My first hint besides the farty sounds was the smell. I had a cold and very plugged up nose but was not excluded from smelling the plastic wrapped gift that had not even been opened yet. I opened it and Ta-DA! I receive instant mess. This wasn’t even the fault of trying to hold everything just for a picture. She literally had it all over as soon as the Velcro-like sound was heard. Her right foot, left thigh, left hand and arm – she was holding the fresh clean new diaper that was going to replace the soiled one, but that one needed a replacement as well.

Brought to you by the letter “D” for drippy and “M” for messy, this Baby Squeezins diaper of the month was taken on July 7th with my awesome Nikon D60. So without further doo, I present to you the baby squeezins diaper of the month. *Drum roll*

I fear ‘Unicorn Boy’ indeed passed on his unicorn genes. Two weeks ago, Kurt watched the sleepy, unwilling to take a nap, Sophia. She was sitting, which she is quite capable of, when she quite suddenly flopped forward hitting her head on the hardwood floor. She didn’t bother bringing her arms out to stop herself.

Flash Fiction Friday is hosted by g-man. You may also visit Flash Fiction Friday 55’s, a blog dedicated to hosting 55 Flash Fiction Friday posts.

Modified question originally directed at Donald Rumsfeld on May 30, 2003. Now being asked of Sophia on July 19th, 2008: And is it curious to you that given how much control U.S. and coalition forces you now have in the country over your hands, they haven’t found any weapons of mass destruction cookies?

Sophia, July 19, 2008: Not at all. If you think — let me take that, both pieces — the area in the south and the west and the north that coalition forces hand control is substantial. It happens not to be the area where weapons of mass destruction cookies were dispersed. We know where they are. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad my mouth and east, west, south and north somewhat.