Saturday, July 27, 2013

Pool noodle fun!

What can a dollar get you at dollar tree? Two pool noodles and hours of fun! I think I saw a pin about this but I'm not sure! 

How do you achieve this fun game you ask? Go to dollar tree, I got two pool noodles for $1! Then take a bread knife and slice those noodles up!

I let Charlotte sit in her old bathtub then filled it up with the pool noodle "slices"! Then let her have fun! 

She "splashed" around and put them on her head and in and out of the tub! She liked crawling in and out as well!

If you are a big spender haha it would be fun to spend a couple bucks and get enough to fill up the bottom of a pack and play or baby pool in the winter! 

Easy and cheap to make and clean up is a breeze!




Monday, July 22, 2013

Out and about!

Life with Charlotte has been great! We've been having a heat wave here in baltimore, so we've been doing our best to keep cool. 

Mostly doing indoor stuff, but we had a baby water park in the yard and have gone to the pool which she loves.

We also went to port discovery for a fun treat! $2 night can't be beat! 

Well also went to the arbutus carnival! This was charlottes second year going, we even won two goldfish. She is having fun watching them swim in the bowl and even feeds them herself. 

We also went to Artscape which was very fun! She loves ppl watching and is really into a pointing stage right now. She points at what catches her eye, so it's very fun to take her to new places to see what she spies with her little eyes! 

Life is good and we are having a blast this summer! I honestly can not express how thankful I am to be spending this time with her! I love watching her grow and change every day. I love her snuggles and kisses, she is a very sweet girl. 






Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Life after a c section

I have horrible insomnia. It's the worst. Of course I decided to browse Pinterest and saw that someone pinned something called "life after a cesarean, what nobody tells you" 

At the bottom of this blog post I will link you to the article. Feel free to scroll, if you'd like to read that first. I will be making commentary and adding my own list of things you should know, from my experience. 

"It takes longer to bounce back after a cesarean delivery"
YUP. This is true, although I feel like ppl tell you this all the time. I think going into it I didn't realize that it was major abdominal surgery. I thought it would be less intense then it was. What no one really tells you, is that it takes longer in the hospital, and you will be envious of those who didn't have a c section. Those ladies you see who are up, walking around, eating, showering etc after birth...not going to be you, and its going to suck and there's nothing you can do about it. You will be groggy and in pain. The worst part? You have to keep the IV and catheter and these weird leg inflatable things on. Every muscle will ache and you will be extremely tired (Esp if you were like me and had lots and lots of labor first) and you won't be able to sleep or comfortably rest because you have things sticking out of you everywhere and you are in pain. I do like that the article mentioned it takes up to 6-9 months to fully recover. Every on e in awhile I would get some pains around my scar tissue. Glad to know it was normal. 

"It's normal to experience pain around the incision site during the early weeks after the birth"
YUP. The article recommends wearing tight bicycle shorts to help. They make post c section girdle things, if I had known about them I would have taken one to the hospital with me. It really made bending and going up and down stairs easier, it felt like it held me together. What no one really tells you? You have to get staples taken out of your flesh a few days after you leave the hospital, it's really fucking creepy. And then you are very itchy, but you can't itch because you will be in more pain. This is also the section of the article that mentions limit stairs and lifting. This is the hardest fucking part. Seriously. All you want to do is be a great mom, but it hurts like hell to bend over to pick up your child. Thank god my baby girl was light! Also, those car seats that your baby can stay in are great for little ones, snap into the car/stroller/etc, it fucking sucks carrying that around after a csection. It fucking sucks carrying that up stairs after a csection. Get help if you can, seriously. Any help. Take it. There were days I just sat on my stairs and cried holding Charlotte bc it hurt so much to keep walking up and down. One time the dog knocked me over when I was carrying her, the pain was horrible. If you have the money get a stair chair lift hahaha

"You may have to get creative when it comes to breast feeding positions" 
This is true. And super frustrating. If you have a c section and want to breast feed, be prepared to do it through the pain. When I was up walking, I felt ok, when I was lying down I felt ok, it was the transition between the two, getting up and getting down. Well, every two hours you will have to feed your newborn. If your laying down you'll have to sit up, if your standing you'll have to sit down. It sucks and you can never get comfortable, I pray you have a baby that is easier to feed than Charlotte (although now she is a champ, it was extremely hard work in the beginning because she wouldn't latch!!) 

"You face an increased risk of postpartum depression" 
Apparently 1 in 5 mothers have this, it's very treatable, if its you get help, totally normal!! I think this is because generally when you have a c section as a first time mom, things don't go according to your birth plan, and you feel shitty about that (I did at least) you are also more isolated and bed ridden, due to longer recovery. I cried a lot at first. Unclear if it was related to these issues or the fact that Adam decided to leave when she was two weeks old. I had a major life crisis during recovery, so my crying my be unrelated, however your body has so many hotmail changes after birth and with breast feeding its totally normal, but if it lasts long and you feel like you can't take care of yourself, please seek help, it's super treatable. I was lucky, I have great friends and family who supported me through the csection recovery and the separation, support and socialization is key (so thanks guys!) 

The article goes on to talk about aches and pains associated with pregnancy. It's true, you will feel shitty physically for a while. I suggest you get rest, but if you've read my blog post entitled "sleep when they sleep" you will know its near impossible to get as much as rest as you need. 

I think the key is to know, that it does get better, you will feel better, and one day you will climb those stairs without pain. The best part? You will forget about the pain. Seriously. They all tell you they forget about labor and both and recovery pains after they see their baby...it's true, seriously. I would do it again in a heart beat, and I feel like I was in a lot of pain due to the amount of screaming and crying I did haha! It really gets better, just takes some time!

Those are my thoughts! It's painful, takes a long time to recover and getting the staples out is really fucking creepy, but its with it bc you get an awesome baby out of it! 

My only advice is enlist help, at least for emotional support and walk as much as possible. I walked every day, literally the first day they let me out of the bed I was up and waking and I really think it helped a lot! 

Here's the link to the original article: 
http://www.pregnancyandbaby.com/the-hatch-blog/articles/936975/cesarean-recovery-what-nobody-tells-you


Sunday, July 14, 2013

Glow stick sensory bath!

I have been trying to keep busy, and keep things fun and exciting in a daily basis. I want everyday to be a whole new world for her and hope she can experience as many new and fun things as possible. 

Anyway, she loves bath tub, I'm so lucky! I've heard horror stories about kids that hate baths. Luckily I've never experienced that. I saw a friends post on fb with a really cool looking bath, and saw some Pinterest posts and got to work! 

This was the easiest Pinterest project ever. Literally, I went to the dollar tree, bought a couple dollars worth of glow sticks, turned out the lights and threw them in the tub. My friend also added her daughters pillow thing that lights up with Stars and what not, I of course stole this idea since Charlotte has one too! 

Well the result was awesome! Charlotte had a blast. She really liked the small glow sticks, the bracelet ones, which is awesome because they come in a pack of 7 for a dollar! 

They are cool when they are under the bubbles bc you kind of have to hunt for them. She loved the addition of the pillow pal thing and kept pointing to the stars on the wall. 

It was a big hit and I can't wait to do it again! I had a blast watching her play and laugh, she brings me so much joy. I can only hope she had as much fun playing and learning about the world around her. 







Thursday, July 11, 2013

Walking

Well on July 5th Charlotte took her first steps! She took a few little steps by herself and I was screaming and clapping! 

She has been growing a lot it's crazy how quick its been! She takes a few steps here and there on her own but mostly is cruising and holding onto thinks when walking. She loves to walk by holding onto one of my hands. 

She is always always on the move, she doesn't like to just sit anymore. I wish she was a bit taller or I was shorter so my back didn't hurt so much from holding g her hands and walking haha! 

She has also started talking more, lots of babbling and a few words. She says up, hi and izzy (my moms dog!) She's really growing up! 

We have been having lots and lots of fun too! This week has been busy but fun! We went back to Hammerman beach, and that was great, she loves floating in her float and playing in the sand! We went to the library program, Storyville, an outdoor concert, play date and an outdoor movie! She is one busy baby! It's great bc it tires her out and keeps me busy! Tomorrow we are off to the science center! There are lots of fun and free/cheap things to do in Baltimore, so we are loving life!

I literally can not express how lucky And grateful I am that I can spend this summer with her. It has been amazing. I know it will be hard when I go back to work, but I'll be counting the days to next summer and making the most of the time we will have together! 














Monday, July 8, 2013

Fourth of July

First, let me apologize, Blogger has had difficulty uploading/publishing so things are usually uploaded late! 

Anyway! It's July! This was the first holiday that wasn't Charlottes first! 

This was Charlottes second Fourth of July! It was a ton of fun. We started the day by walking down to the soap box derby. It was definitely cool! I had never been before but it was neat to watch. The problem with this type of event is there is no place for Charlotte to roam. She likes to be independent, to crawl and get into whatever she wants. Sitting down and watching is not something she's great at, and pavement is not something she can crawl on, we did not stay long, but it was good to see neighbors and friends! 

After a nap and some lunch we were off to GGs to watch the parade. This was a much more productive event haha. We took her in her wagon and she loved it. I should also mention that this was her first outing in the wagon, and the best part? The wagon was being thrown out by a neighbor, a lite soap and water and it was good as new, a love free things! Charlotte had a great time at the parade she waved and clapped and watched the bands and fire trucks. She did a great job at the parade! 

After the parade we went swimming with some friends. She loves the pool and being in the water so it was very fun. Charlotte was exhausted so sadly there were no fireworks in our future. I did get to watch the downtown fireworks from her bedroom window as she was falling asleep so that was great. 

It was a good day all around. It was very hot but we survived. Charlotte is so grown up already, can't wait to enjoy Fourth of July with her next year too!














Saturday, July 6, 2013

Stay at home mom!

Well as you all know school is out for the summer which means I get to pretend to be a stay at home mom for the summer. 

It is exhausting, but mostly amazing! I love it so much! Charlotte and I have spent two wonderful weeks together. 

I think the hardest part of being a stay at home mom is constantly finding something to keep her busy. We are always on the go! 

We have been to the zoo, play dates, the pool, baby programs at the library, the mall play yard, Storyville and play in the yard a lot. 

Charlotte LOVES the big swimming pool. She laughs and laughs and loves to splash, she is like me a water girl at heart. 

Charlotte is such a big girl these days! She is a new stage where she points at what she wants. If its something she can't have, say a burning candle or the inside of the hot stove, she screams and cries when I tell her no, she likes to throw little tantrums. It breaks my heart, but if you ignore her for a second or two and give her something she CAN have she moves on pretty quickly. 

At her 1 year check up the doctor said we can switch to milk, and she has taken to it. Between milk and breast feeding we have no need for formula so that has been great. 

She's also started brushing her four teeth! She thinks it's funny mostly, but good habits start early!

I really can't believe how big she has gotten, or how much my love for her continues to grow, everyday I don't think I could love her more than I do in that moment, and then the next day, I do love her more. 

She is so amazing and wonderful, although this summer is hard financially due to not getting a paycheck, it has been so amazing. I would not trade these moments with her for all the money in the world. I am truly blessed and thankful that I am able to spend this time with her, it goes by too quickly.