Thursday, November 22, 2007

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

So many things to say...

I know I've been quiet... I'm struggling to figure out what I want this blog to be. No I'm not thinking of giving up blogging... I'm just trying to figure out what I want this to be about and the bottom line is this blog is just about my life... infertility, pregnancy, motherhood, 6 dogs, marriage, cops, living with your mother... all of these things. Right now my life is fabulous. I'm truly happy and so very in love with Squeak that I swear I'm gushing... Anyway...

So this year Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends... I am so thankful for all of you that have been on this magnificent journey to motherhood with me. I will post pictures soon... Squeak is constantly changing. His giggles and grins crack me up and just bring so much joy to my life that it's hard to explain. I have officially become a sap. I'm okay with that.

So Happy Thanksgiving - enjoy your day with your families. I will spend my day with D, Squeak, the six mongrels and my mom will be here Thursday night. My family will be with me... and I am going to enjoy the day with them.

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Hiccups, Hodge Podge & A Recipe!

Hiccups are something that occur frequently in our household. Squeak has a knack for having them show up about a half hour after he eats. I know this can be a sign of reflux, however he does not demonstrate any of the other signs of reflux so it's not a worry - it's just frustrating for him. It's probably more frustrating for D as he feels as if the poor thing is horribly bothered by them. Squeak just generally looks at you and "hiccups".

This weekend we are finally going to go pick up the crib. However of course there have been some hiccups in this plan. Weather is a factor as we do not have a vehicle large enough to carry the crib on the inside. So we will be strapping the crib to the roof of our vehicle and praying that the straps hold because I am too cheap to spend money on having it delivered to our house. We're hopefully going to put the crib up this weekend so that when I do go back to work Squeak has a place to sleep near my mom. She seems to think he's going to be a-okay with the sleeping in the crib. D and I of course think she's nuts, but what do we know and since we won't be home to hear Squeak throwing a hellacious hissy fit well then it'll be all right. D will take over when he gets home from work of course so the first few weeks should be interesting.

My FIL was here for a visit and to bring a freezer from my mom's. Fortunately the freezer survived the trip and my FIL enjoyed his visit with Squeak and not having to share him. I learned a few things. D's dad wishes that D was in a different line of work. I think he also regrets not spending as much time with D as he was growing up. I could just kind of get that sad thought when he talked about time going by so fast. I think regarding the job - D's dad was hopeful I would feel the same way. Unfortunately I don't. D loves his job and while yes being a cop carries a certain degree of danger... I'm aware of it, but I don't lose sleep over it. I'm more likely to bring a bug home from work that could have a major impact on our lives. Which is why I'll be stripping down the minute I hit the door and my scrubs are going to be on the sanitize cycle and washed separately from now on. When it was just me and D it wasn't a big deal... add Squeak in and it's a big deal. I'd hate for him to pick up something that I brought home.

My in laws and my mom will be coming up next week. My mom on Tueday night and then my in laws on Friday. We're celebrating Thanksgiving early as D's parents are spending it with his mother's family. (Don't even get me started about that... they could spend time with us, but it's his mother's family and unfortunately they tend to always get put first.)

In bigger news - alcohol and breast feeding... I'm of the opinion it's fine unless you get truly loaded. Everything in moderation and the timing. So enjoy if you are breast feeding. If you're not - enjoy it's still yummy!

PUDDING SHOTS

1 package of pudding mix (I'd go with sugar free white chocolate, but chocolate or vanilla is fine as well and can be sugar or no sugar)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup kahlua
1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Creme
1 tub (8 oz) cool whip (you can use fat free or light)
Some small plastic shot containers or just put it in a tub and make the shots up as you go along.

Mix the pudding and milk together, then add the kahlua and bailey's once incorporated mix the cool whip in. Place either in small plastic containers or in a large container and then place in the freezer.

Drizzle caramel or chocolate on top as you serve if desired. Otherwise just enjoy.

I thought if you didn't like Kahlua you could use buttershots (butterscotch schnapps) instead. Either way it's truly yummy. You could even consider it dessert.

Monday, November 05, 2007

Not What He Expected...

A few weeks ago D, Squeak and myself were lying in bed and I was staring at Squeak in amazement that he was even here. I asked D "Did you think it would be like this?" His response was "No, I thought it would be awful and this is so much better than I thought it would be." I had to laugh at this because D wanted to have a child as much as I did and he never once let on that he thought it would be awful.

D is an amazing dad - though I am sure I am a bit biased. He's up to speed on how to clean all my pumping crap, feeding Squeak, cloth diapering, swaddling, bathing, etc. He does get a bit amazed or overwhelmed when he is confronted with a massive poop, but he's tackled it by "hosing" the wee one off as in his words "this is more than a 2 wipe job". He gets up with Squeak even when he's working. Ultimately I'm very lucky and I know this - I know it even more so on the days when D is at work. I'm a firm believer in parenting 50/50 and D is as well. Right now I do end up with more of the workload, but D does his fair share on the days he is off which makes my life simpler and a bit less stressful all around.

One of my close friends had a baby girl about 4 weeks after Squeak was born. Her little girl was born weighing in at 9 lbs 3 oz - so not a petite little peanut. When talking with her she has described her child in terms that are less than flattering. Colic has been mentioned. Crying, gassy, fussy, etc etc. I feel awful when she asks how Squeak is doing and I say "great, he's a mellow fellow." She laughs and asks what my secret is. Truthfully I have been fortunate to not have to employ a whole lot of tricks. It could also be we are used to getting up at least every 3 hours due to the puppies who for some odd reason started getting up every 3 hours at the beginning of June if we are home. D and I were given a DVD of the Happiest Baby on the Block and we finally watched it. I promptly put the DVD in the mail to my friend as I figured she really could use the help. She called me two days after receiving the DVD in the mail and said "I love you - She slept for 10 hours straight it was wonderful." I think she would have said the same thing to D if he had answered the phone. We do swaddle Squeak on occasion but for the most part he's left foot loose and fancy free. D when he heard how our friend's little girl was acting said "that's what I thought it would be like."

In other news - I have a new recipe called "pudding shots" that my mil made... yes booze is involved. Let me know if you want me to post it. Since I know most of us enjoy a nice alcoholic beverage and I'm pretty sure most of us enjoy dessert - this is a great combo of the two.