TT Mouthfulls

This weeks Theme Thursday topic, is weird, sweet, silly or gross, depending on your personal experience. It's very likely been all of those things. Ready? 

"Things I've Had in My Mouth Since Becoming a Parent." 

Let me begin by saying, I have had lots of wonderful things in my mouth since becoming a mommy. Like chubby little baby arms. Soft little fingers. Meaty legs. Perfect little feet. And tiny toes.

Even though I had a bouncy baby boy, I have been very fortunate to date. Nothing as disgusting as poop or pee pee. Lucky me, I know. BUT my son has already managed to get snot all over his fingers and into my mouth. So there's that.

He loves to put his hands into my mouth his sharp little razors nails have left the inside of my mouth full of little knicks.  I don't know why, except for the occasional sweep to take something he's managed to find on the floor out of HIS mouth. We, DO NOT put our fingers in his mouth. Come to think of it, who knows what disgusting germs, dust, dirt, or other have been on those grubby little mitts of his that have ended up in my mouth.

Also breast milk. I had never tasted, never wanted to, and was not at all curious about it. Until I had a little baby. Anyway I spilled some on my hand one day when I was taking the pumping equipment off and I got a little curious, I had read it was sweet. It was. Kind of reminded me of an Horchata, in case you wondered. It also squirted in my eye once. OUCH.

The grossest thing though, was around the time the baby was 2 months old. I had finished feeding him and was trying to burp him. I moved him off my shoulder and held him up in front of me.

"Animal, do you have any burps in there?" I said.

He smiled so sweetly, and then spit up all over me. In my hair, face, mouth and chest. I was shocked. Screamed the hubby came running. First he laughed, then he grabbed my a burp cloth and took the baby so I could clean myself up. YUCK. 

There you have it. The sweet, weird, silly and gross. 




This post is a part of Theme Thursday, a multi-blog collaboration. Click the button below to read posts from other bloggers, or to add your own

PSA: Bargain Shopping No-No

Sample Offenders

As a preschool teacher of a two year old class for 15 years, I have used almost every brand of diaper. So I'm going to fill you in on a little nugget of information.

Off brand diapers aren't worth the pennies (couple of bucks) you are saving.

Unless you, and only you change your child's diaper each and every time. Or your family is going through a real economic hardship were EVERY penny really matters. There is no reason to inflict these disasters of poorly constructed, aren't fooling anyone, "diapers", on any person.

These ill fitting, thinner than paper "diapers" (and I'm looking at you Target) will NOT hold in a messy number 2, sometimes they wont even keep in urine.

Moms on a budget, I feel your pain. The hubby and I are working stiffs and believe me I hate to shell out the 21 something dollars per pack, per week, per month. I don't even let myself do the math anymore. I have had to let go of a lot of luxuries, like pants that fit, so that I can buy Huggies Pure and Natural, every time.

My experience has taught me some things about skimping on important basics like a good diaper. If you do not heed my advice you can be sure of a few things...

1. There WILL be shit (everywhere).

2. There will be even MORE laundry.

3. Other people who are forced to change your child's diaper WILL resent/judge your spending choices.

4. Switching to off brand for potty training, will yield the same disgusting results. Sorry you gotta continue to pony up the big bucks till your little pooper is done.

There is a silver lining. Costco. Kirkland brand diapers, come in bulk, are cheaper and high quality.

Your Welcome.

Update: Now that Animal is a toddler we finally made the jump to Kirkland brand diapers. This is a very exciting development because I can buy his diapers in those amazing bulk packs that come with those even more amazing bulk prices!

This could not have come at a better time, Huggies decided to start packaging their Pure and Natural brand diapers in cardboard boxes and hiking the price up five bucks a pop, we were down to 3 boxes a month (instead of weekly) but still that's SEVENTY FIVE dollars a month! Versus my new price of 38.99 for the giant box at Costco, that last for a whole month! Thank you Costco, the membership truly pays itself in diaper savings, not to mention they have a coupon like every other booklet, saving me an additional six dollars every other month.


 This post was brought to you by the letter 'S'. Also this was an old post re-edited and updated. I'm multitasking like a Mo Fo. Thanks for coming by :)

TT Bad Trip

This week's theme is Disaster Vacation. 

Problem. We haven't planned or gone on a vacation since Animal has been born. The vacations the Hubby and I have had, have been lovely with few bumps in the road. 

Check out what kinds of mayhem other bloggers have encountered on their less than perfect getaways by clicking the link below: 

Just kidding...

I did have a few less than ideal vacations, before baby I could write about... but instead I've decided to take a little carte blanche with this theme, and go from worst vacation disaster, to worst trip disaster. Also I'm going to take a little liberty with the word trip to include anytime I've left the house with Animal.

My worst disaster happened the day after I brought my son home from the hospital. He was 3 days old and I was not only recovering from the most amazing/painful event of my life but I was running on fumes.

While I was having some soup my mom had made me, my phone rang. 

It was the pediatrician's office calling. They said we had to come in NOW. I was too tiered to understand the urgency apparently because I asked what time we should be there and she said, "right now." I told my mom and we packed the baby up in his car seat and headed out the door.

When we got there it was about 3ish, they took us to the baby waiting room and told me to strip my son so that he could be weighed. I had him in his tiny newborn diaper when the nurse came in and she told me to remove that as well. I then realized that, on this our first trip out of our home, I had not brought a diaper bag. I had no diapers, or wipes. No extra clothes. And because he was naked, he was now cold and had wet his one and only diaper. I told the nurse what had happened and she thought I was a complete moron went to see if they had any samples I could have.

While she was gone. My mom was like WTF? Really you forgot the diaper bag? 

I was super lame and mumbled something about never having had a baby before and being too sleepy to remember. She was sympathetic and said I'm sorry I thought you had stuff in the car. YOU ALWAYS KEEP EXTRA DIAPERS IN THE CAR. Well thanks mom, that would have been great advice before we drove anywhere.

So the nurse comes back with a gigantic diaper for a five year old or something. We weigh the baby. He's an even 6 lbs now. I can't believe how tiny my son is.

They take us to an examination room to wait for the doctor. Animal is wrapped in a receiving blanket because We've been asked to keep him naked for the doctor. He pees in his blanket and on my moms lap. I don't have another receiving blanket on me so my mom wraps him in her hoodie. 

We see the doctors P.A., she explains that they have received the culture they took of one of his eyes and he needs an antibiotic ointment. We have to pick up it now and we also have to get lab work done, right now (it's Friday afternoon so no labs will be open the following day). 

The baby poops on my moms leg. Grandma is loving me right now. She happens to live super close and we have a lot of baby supplies at her house so we stop there before heading to the hospital lab where they have sent us. Which BTW 3 minutes from my moms house. 

We can't find parking and when we do the lab door is locked. 5 minutes early. I call the doctors office, they call the lab. We can see the lab person on the phone with my doctors office. They refuse to see us. My doctors office sends us to another lab up the street. It's not covered by our insurance, but the doctors office says don't worry we'll have a confirmation number faxed to them before you get there, it's an emergency.

Up until this point, no one had used those words. And at that moment my heart sank and I was filled with this urgency I had never in my life felt.

We get to lab. And they draw 4 tubes of blood. 4 tubes from my tiny six pound baby. I cry like a baby. My son is super baby and only let's out one loud cry. My heart is shattering.

We go to pharmacy to pick up prescription. I drop my mom off. The hubby is home from work and waiting for us and I tell him everything. 

As we sit and try to eat dinner, our son sleeping in his car seat. My phone rings again, it's his doctor. The lab wont have the results fast enough she says. She tells me to drop everything and take my baby to NICU where Dr. So and So will be waiting for us.

We feel like we've been punched in the stomach. All the air sucked out of us.

We get to the NICU where the doctor asks us a lot of questions and tells us the blood work will all be repeated, and their lab will have results by the next morning. They want to make sure he doesn't have a blood infection that could lead to meningitis. It so hard to listen. I catch that he thinks the baby is fine and he sees no reason we wont go home tomorrow. I'm an optimistic kind of person. My husband is a pessimist. He hears that his son could die of meningitis. 

We ask if we can spend the night because I'm breastfeeding. He says yes. We stay in a room in that wing. I read and sign A LOT of paperwork. I'm so grateful for it. I can't think. I pray, I cry, I try to sleep. I feed my son every few hours. Sometime in the wee hours of the mourning just as the nurse was finishing her shift, she tells me the results are back. They are negative. She says "I think you'll go home later. That was the worst case scenario."

Sometime I may write all about this night. 

But for today, I'll fast forward to the morning. When the sucky nurse told me "The doctor will get to your baby when she can. There are some really sick babies here."

 What a bitch! I understood, but what was my baby doing there if he wasn't sick? I started to cry and said,"I understand it's just I don't actually know my son is ok, the doctor hasn't talked to me yet and last night the doctor said he didn't see why my son wouldn't be released today. And I just want to know if my son really is ok and I can take him home" She probably realized she was being pretty insensitive because I got to see the doctor within the hour. 

They diagnosed my son with a blocked tear duct, and we were home by 2ish that afternoon. It was the worst trip ever! I hope it remains this way. 

To hear some vacation nightmares click HERE

Boys and Baby Dolls

Every time we pass by baby dolls Animal smiles and gets excited. He doesn't have siblings. And he doesn't have family or friends his age. And as I've mentioned he can be a little aggressive.

When I saw his interest in the baby dolls I thought to myself, awesome, we can use the baby to help Animal learn to be gentle.

So this weekend while the hubby and I were shopping we passed some baby dolls and Animal got excited. I picked up a doll and handed it to him. He touched it's face gently and I knew I had to buy it for him.

Hubby: Why are you letting him play with that.

Me: Because he wants a baby, so I'm going to buy it for him.

Hubby: He doesn't want that, he wants any toy you show him. (he picks up a wrestler plush toy and puts it side by side with baby) which toy do you like Animal?

Baby touch's them both. Looks back and forth for a minute or so. Then grabs the baby again.

Me: See he wants a baby. It's good for him, he needs to learn to be gentle.

Hubby: (not convinced) Well can you get the one in purple pajamas instead of pink?

Me: (rolling eyes) Sure. Here you go Animal, hold your baby.

Animal loves it, holds all the way to register.

When we get home I take tags off and wipe down before I let him play with his baby.

Hubby: Why is a baby good for a boy?

I'm a little annoyed this is still an issue for the hubs. He's not a sexist, and I know it's a baby doll, but come on. He doesn't think it's weird that our niece collects Hot Wheels.

Me: It's a teaching tool. He can learn how to treat others this way.

Hubby: Show me the studies that say that's true.

Me: Google it. Believe me, you'll find them.

Hubby: Ok, Ok. I'm sure your right.

Me: I am.

I remember that my niece has a stroller in her toy box at our place. I run to grab it and bring it back to the living room. The hubby takes Animal's baby and puts it in stroller. Animal is thrilled and starts walking around the room happily pushing his baby.

Hubby: (excited) Look he knew what to do!

Me: Of course, he's doing it just like daddy.

My husband sits back, smiling watching his son play daddy. Animal sits in front of stroller and starts to chatter away to his baby.

Hubby: Does his baby have a bottle? Maybe he wants to feed him?

The Red Tent

Tonight I went with a friend to The Red Tent, if you have never been to such an event I suggest you Google and see if you are fortunate enough to live near one of these amazing events.

A woman I know, who hosts these transformational events had been inviting me for some time. I don't quite remember what it was that finally made me want to go, but I am forever grateful that I did. I invited a good friend and she too is glad she went, and continues to go whenever possible. In fact anyone who has ever accepted an invite to attend has never regretted coming.

The host closes every event by reading Imagine A Woman if you have never read this poem, click the link, read and then continue reading this post. Go ahead I'll wait....

Ok, isn't that awesome. Some of those things I already do, am. But some of those things I struggle with and some of those things I forget. Red Tent evenings give me a chance to connect with other women but more importantly to myself and to the human experience.

Tonight the topic was Gratitude and if you follow me you know I have spent this month participating in The Insomniacs Dream thankfulness challenge. But it was extra special to share with my good friend that I am grateful for her, and to witness other women's gratitude moments with their good friends, their support systems, and their role models. I have in my own gratitude posts shared some of the people I am grateful for, my hubby, my son, my mom, and the original ladies of Theme Thursdays,  but I realized tonight just how many other people I am grateful for. I am so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life, I bet you are too. This is an especially wonderful time to tell them. I don't mean the holiday season, I mean the present. There is never a better time than the present to tell our loved ones that we love them.

Thank you Red Tent.

30 Days of Thankfulness 3rd edition

As some of you now the talented writer at The Insomniacs Dream  put out a challenge to write and post daily about something different everyday that you are grateful for. I decided to join the fun and accept this challenge. I'm writing everyday and posting my week long journal each Friday this month.

11/10/12

Naptime.

I am oh so grateful for naptime.

Once upon a time. Naptimes were a rare occurrence in our home. Now thanks to Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child it is a rare occasion when a nap is missed. Sure this means our life's revolve around a nap schedule, but now mommy and daddy get a little break. And Animal gets much needed rest so that he is the cutest, happiest, most awesome little toddler instead of a red eyed terror that spends his day screaming, fussing and wearing mommy and daddy out long before bedtime. Thank you Dr. Weisbluth for writing your book. Thank you Amazon parents for taking the time to write reviews. Thank you HTC /Google Books/T Mobile for making it possible to get book immediately.

11/11/12

Today I am grateful to advise nurses. Without you I would have spent the morning trying to decide if I needed to take Animal to ER or if I could wait until tomorrow for doctors office to be open. I was pretty sure I could wait, but better safe than sorry...


11/12/12

Today I am grateful for health insurance. Every time I have to bring my son to the doctors office I am struck with this realization that a great deal of parents in this country have to consider whether they can afford to take their child to the doctor. Things are tight in my home, I can't always provide Animal with everything I want for him. But I am so, so fortunate that when he is ill, when he needs preventitive care, when I'm just not sure, I don't have to wonder what I will do. I just pick up there phone and call his doctors office. I wish I could make that a reality for every parent.


11/13/12

Today I am grateful for my mom. I am so lucky to have such a great mom. I didn't appreciate her when I was a kid. As an adult I'm glad we're friends. I'm so lucky that she can care for Animal while I am at work. I hate to be away from him, but I'm so lucky to have peace of mind knowing my heart is with her.


11/14/12

Today I am grateful for a fever free day! Yay!

Almost better. Less snot. Yay!

No medicine before bed. Yay!

No follow up visit to make sure it wasn't anything worse than a bad, bad cold. Yay!


11/15/12

Today I'm grateful for payday. Bills, Bills, Bills. Now I can pay them.

11/16/12

Today I'm so grateful for a healthy child. We were so lucky that everything went well all of my pregnancy. So blessed that there were no complications at birth. So incredibly fortunate that other than one frightening trip to the NICU (the most surreal, horrific hrs of our lifes) Animal has been healthy. He's had 2 bad colds, 1 little cold, and this last weekend's cold with a fever. I am so grateful and also feel pretty guilty. It's so unfair that some babies, some mommies, some families don't have it this easy. I am apparently in a Debbie Downer kind of mood. Sorry

Just One

If you could impress one lesson, ideal, or moral on your children, what would it be?

Just one? How can I possibly pick just one thing? I have been mulling it over all week. There are so many things I hope to teach my son...

In the end I decided that if I could choice only one thing to impress upon him, it would be this: THINK FOR YOURSELF!

It is so hard to think for yourself in this world. Every where you turn you are bombarded with messages.

Messages telling you how to feel about everything. 

Politics, religion, war, history, pop culture, music, art, other people that are not like you. Nothing is off the table, there is no area left unmarked by others opinions. If you can't think for your self, follow your own moral compass then are you even really living?

What you should want out of life and how you should live it. 

From what to wear, what to drive, what to want, to who to love.

We don't take these things  seriously enough, but they are a threat to our happiness. If you can't think for your self, follow your own dreams you'll always be searching to be filled by someone else's wants and desires, then you'll always be empty. 

We all make mistakes, and if your going to make mistakes, shouldn't they be your own? Not even our mistakes belong to us when we can't think for ourselves.

Want to know what one lesson, ideal or moral other bloggers want to impress on there offspring? Click  here or here