When do I get to sleep????

Last night was bad. Super, super bad. Jacob was up every two to three hours. I'm at the point of no return!! I have absolutely no idea why he won't sleep. Gas? Teething? Hungry? I feel like I tried every single thing and he WOULDN'T SLEEP! Argh. I'm pretty sure I was going to lose my mind. Blah. Maybe I did lose it??

So this is probably the only point of motherhood that I absolutely hate. I hate going to bed having no clue when I'll be getting up again. No idea how many times I'll be getting up or what will happen. Ugh!! And in the middle of the night, I am so very sleepy that I'm lucky if I make it to his room without running into doors!!

There's something about sleep deprivation that is just soul defeating. There's the headache that lingers for hours, the way my brain cannot make sentences, and my amazing ability to run into everything. Literally, everything. The only hope I have?? Watching my nephew sleep 11 hours a night. Hopefully someday we will get there!!!

What is the one thing of motherhood that you absolutely hate??

The smell of poop...

Well, if that title didn't grab your attention, I'm not sure what will! So as I am feeding Jacob at 12:30am and 5:00am, I realized that something very bad was going to happen. I was going to have to change a dirty diaper. The interesting thing?? It happened twice both times. That is a total of FOUR stinky diapers last night. That is a LOT of poop for a little boy who before wouldn't poop for days!!

As I change the diaper, I breathe in a long breath of fresh air, and then breathe through my mouth until the new diaper is on. MAN, those things are nasty!!! I'm not sure if it's because of solids or just issues going on in the digestive area. But dude, those things could knock a person out!! It's funny, whenever I change a dirty diaper and Josh goes in hours later, he says it still stinks. Maybe that's a diaper pail issue?? Anyway, it lingers!!

I heard all the time when he was firstborn, "Wait until you start solids!" And I thought, geez, these are bad already! Guess what - they get worse!! So, if you are able to breathe as you change your little ones diaper currently, I hope you now realize that this will soon end. And if it gets worse, I don't want to know!!!

When did you start holding your breath while changing diapers???

The nap fairy...

Oh boy. Those darn naps. He used to do so good with his naps, and then all of the sudden, he thought it would be much more fun to hang out with mom instead! Unfortunately, mom needs some down time too!!

So as I was researching how to get him over this "45-minute nap intruder" I found that if you startle them around 40 minutes into their nap, they skip into the next sleep cycle without really waking up. So, how do you startle them?? Well...

Some people rub or pat their babe until they startle. Someone whisper a bit until the child moves a bit. Me? I stomp my foot on the ground. Ha! I tried to pat, I tried to talk, nothing. He still kept waking up. But stomping? Pure gold!!! You would have paid gold to watch my husband's face the first time I did this without telling him what I was doing. HAHA. That was priceless.

So, what do you do to ensure that your baby gets his/her sleep???

Breaking the rules...

I would love to have someone do a guest post!! If you feel like you have something to tell about motherhood, please let me know!! Or, if you just have an idea, I'll take those too! Otherwise, you may hear about a lot of things you don't want too... :-D

So some of you may remember me writing about our poop issue. I just wanted to let you know that it is no longer an issue!! Yay Jacob!! I hope when he reads this in 20 years he doesn't beat me up. Anyway, I ended up going with my gut. I stopped using his meds and just waited. And amazingly, he is pooping up a storm!! Ask anyone in my homegroup... Ha!

This brings me to the point of all the rules and ideas of pediatricians. Although I know they have a great deal of knowledge, sometimes moms just know better. And not just peds, but the AAP and many other places that tell you what to do!! There are so many "rules" that I have broken and I'm sure there are many down the road. For example, Jacob sleeps on his tummy and started solids a few days ago at 3.5 months. Why?? He wouldn't sleep on his back for more than two hours. He was so hungry he was waking up every 3 hours at night. Does this go against "the rules"?? Heck yes. Is it right for my child?? Absolutely.

So, what rule(s) did you break??

Spit everywhere!

So in the last month we've gone from constant spewing (which does still happen!) to saliva pouring out of his mouth. Maybe pouring is a bit of an exaggeration, but there is always something coming out!! And truthfully, I find it to be more disgusting than anything else. Currently, I have spit-up and drool all over me. Bah. And at this point, I've given up changing my outfit every time he throws up or drools on me!

I have to say that the drooling and puking is worse to me than pooping and peeing. I don't quite think that is normal, but it totally is to me!! I would rather have to clean up poop and try not to die of smell than feel the warm goo all over me. Ugh!

The other thing that amazes me is how I can be so unaware now of the puke on my shirt/pants. So many parents have commented about going to work with puke on their outfits and I would continuously think, not me! I won't be like that!!! And then, one day, someone came to fix the dishwasher. And when he left, what did I see? Yep, that's right. Puke on my shoulder. Sigh. Gross!!

So what part of having a baby/small child do you find the most nasty???

My wonderful(?) new body...

When I was pregnant, the one thing I looked forward to was having my body back again after I gave birth. Even though my mother and sister-in-law both told me it wouldn't be that way, I decided they were wrong. My body would be my body again!

Well, like many things, I was wrong. My body has been transformed into a new state. I feel like by saying it's my "badge of honor" for giving birth to my child is just an excuse for the flabby tummy, stretch marks, and the scar from my c-section (as well as other saggy parts that shall not be mentioned).

On one hand, I am so amazed that my body could create and sustain a human being. On another hand, I mourn the body that I used to have! Oh to actually have a flat stomach again! Ok, well, I never really had one of those, but it was firmer!

The truth? I would never, ever trade in this post-baby body because it would mean that I wouldn't have Jacob. And every stretch mark is worth it!!

So what part of your pre-baby body do you miss??

Wishing the time away....

So last night as I was feeding my fish on my blog, I kept thinking, I wonder if they'll grow up soon?! And then, it struck me. Just as I'm wishing my fish to grow up, I'm wishing my baby to grow up too. Another new mother said to me yesterday, "this is the only day my baby will be exactly this old, and try to enjoy whatever stage it is." So wise, dear friend!!

Is this what I'm doing every single day? I wake up hoping that today is the day he rolls over, instead of enjoying those little smiles and laughs I get. I just keep looking forward to what he'll be tomorrow, next year, in ten years instead of enjoying what he is today.

Is that our culture or is that just me? I keep thinking of the interviews I conducted and how I always asked "Where do you see yourself in five years?" Why can't the question be "Where do you see yourself right now?" I guess it wouldn't be as telling! But that should be my question to myself every day. I need to stop looking for the future and enjoy the present.

Do you do this too? If not, share your secret!!!!