No More Sleeping In

It's Saturday morning and only 7:30 am.

While the rest of city is fast asleep and taking a day of rest this weekend, I'm up.

Wide. Awake.

And my son's asleep...

I tried to convince myself to go back to sleep after his 6:00 am feeding, but I wanted time to myself. And this is probably the only time I'll get to organize my thoughts and eat (without holding Blake, cleaning, standing up, or whatever else have you) today.

I only have about another 30 minutes before he's up for the day...

Coffee in hand. I'm just going to plop down on the couch with Langston and count my blessings before things get hectic.

Happy Saturday!

Cherishing Every Moment

I don't really know how I feel right now. Saddened. Angry. Thankful. Horrified.

A whole slew of emotions have been running through my heart today.

Newtown, CT and all of the family and friends of those affected are in our hearts and prayers.

I was tired. Exhausted, even. I had no sleep last night because I was cramming for a final, and caring for Blake. I had no help. And I complained about it... And even felt bad for myself and worse for my son. I felt bad for Blake because at one point today, I felt defeated. I had no energy and the thought that I'm not good enough for my son took over me.

Until I heard of the sadness that swept over the elementary school in CT. I immediately snuggled up with my little bun and thanked God for blessing us with each other.

I have the biggest blessing in my arms everyday. I can't think that I'm a failure... I am the best mom I can be for my son. I will try everyday to keep him happy and healthy.

I've done one thing right. And that's having my son and choosing to raise him, help or no help. I keep him warm with tons of cuddles, tell him I love him throughout the day, shower him with kisses, give him the best milk I can possibly make, keep him clean, and say our prayers every day.

No matter how trying things become, I can just sneak a peak at Blake and know that he is my purpose.

To know that there are families that can't be with their loved ones tonight breaks my heart. I can't express my grief enough. We want to help some way. Blake and I will be praying for all those affected...

He's awake now... And it's time for more loving...

Yowwwwwch!

Blake's two bottom front teeth are officially out.

And I'm still breastfeeding.

Today... He chomped down. And I mean, CHOMPED!

THREE TIMES!

He acts hungry so I try to feed him but he's not having it. He gets surprised when I react so I try to bite my tongue and just squint to myself. He caught me.

And laughed hard!! :-/ This boy...

WubbaNub. NubbaWHAT?!

Bee is a pacifier baby.

I know some moms are totally against them. And well, I'm not. To be quite honest... I adore the Soothie pacifier. Why? Because I'm a single mom that doesn't have four arms to do everything. And it makes my son happy.

I didn't start Bee on the pacifier until he was a little older than a month. I wanted to make sure he latched on well, was eating, and gaining weight first. I was scared he would have nipple confusion based on the majority of stories I read.

At first, I only allowed him to have his paci when he was about to sleep for the night. And what a huge difference that was for us! He slept for six hours! But then there were nights where he'd wake up and I'd have to feel around in the dark for that little, teeny, tiny, miniscule paci... it seemed like it shrunk at night when I was half asleep and there was no light on.

Then I found the WubbaNub. I made Bee's nursery theme elephants so naturally... I bought the elephant WubbaNub.

Basically, it's a small plush toy attached to a Soothie pacifier. I thought the regular Soothie was a great thing already... but that little toy just makes it 100% better!

At night, it was easier to feel around for that little elephant. And in the car, when it's just Bee and me... I can just reach back into his rear-facing carseat, look in my rearview mirror, and find that great invention! No more pulling over on the side of the road, getting into the backseat and looking for his pacifier buried under his little bum.

Also, I found that having that little elephant friend helps keep the Soothie in his mouth. He also learned how to hold the elephant and guide the paci back into his mouth.

So no more crying baby at night or in the car. THANK YOU, WUBBANUB!

Taking care of the WubbaNub is super easy, too. I really want to shake the hand of the person who thought of making this. All you do is throw it in the wash with baby's laundry and let it air dry. Before it air dries, I take an extra step and wash the paci part with his dish soap THEN let is air dry. To sterilize it, if you need to, just boil water and pour it in a mug. The plush toy can hang around the edges of the mug and you can just dip the Soothie into the hot, hot water. EASY PEASY!

Bee still only uses his pacifier at night... and when he's about to nap. But right before he falls into that deep sleep, he spits it out all by himself.

Note://I am in no way affiliated with WubbaNub, the makers of WubbaNub, or any sellers of WubbaNub. I just appreciate the product! That's all... ;-)

A Slow Start

Happy Sunday...

Bee and I took our time getting out of bed this morning. It's Sunday. It's gloomy. And it's quiet. Hmm... Maybe I should re-word that... Bee let me take our time to get out of bed this morning. He is the boss after all.

We snuggled a bit. Admired our Christmas tree. And had breakfast.

Having a slow start to the day never felt so good. Thanks, little Bee!

6 Months Have Flown By...

Bee has his six month checkup this past week. My little honeyBee has managed to stay in the 90th percentile in height since he was born. We were thinking he'd slow down in that area but guess not? My dad and my mom's dad were tall guys... For Asians. So maybe that's one trait he'll get from my side of the family?

He weighs 17.5 pounds and is in the 55th percentile for that. Normal head circumference 50th percentile.

But the big news is that he has two teeth working their way up. And another almost breaking through his gums. It looks like Bee will get his Christmas wish this year... His two front teeth!

*all I want for Christmas is my two frot teeth. My two front teeth. My two front teeth!*

More vaccinations and everything checked out well with this kid. He rolls over all the time, is starting to sit up on his own, and he scoots his little body forward like he's trying to crawl!

Happy half birthday, honeyBee!

FREE GIFT for Baby's First Christmas!

If you aren't signed up to receive the Babies R Us emails then you'll probably miss this deal.

Note:// I am not affiliated with Babies R Us.

Check out the link for the free Christmas bib: http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/media/trus/10582_EM112912C_BRU_FREEGiftFromBabiesRUsDS.pdf?csm=400963341&csc=2382169&csa=400966121&csu=2382954&camp=CME:EM120712I%2520FREE%2520Gift%2520from%2520Babies

It's a cute little "My First Christmas" bib and it's FREE! So that totally makes it cuter. Yes, it has "Babies R Us" printed on it but who cares?!

Babies need bibs and as an overtime mama, I like to document special events for my son. This is a good way to document his first Christmas. :)

Check it out!

Gonna Find Us a Tree!

The holidays have always given my family a reason to get together. But my family never really had any special traditions. My mom works at a hospital so it's not often that she gets time off, much less the holidays off.

Having my own little one makes me want to start a family tradition. And now that the holidays are upon us, and I'm not really down with fake trees, I figured we'd all go to one of the pop-up tree lots to pick a fresh one. But my cousin recommended going to the tree farm and picking our own, cutting it down, and hauling it home ourselves. Honestly... it sounds like a lot of work... and Bee and I were just getting over being sick.

But it was a gloomy Saturday and we did nothing but stay in jammies and rest so I wanted to get us all out of the house for some fresh air. And that's when I agreed to go to the tree farm.

Up early on Sunday, took a mini roadtrip for about an hour, and there we were! A CHRISTMAS TREE FARM! 60 degrees and a morning full of sunshine in December. I'll take it! It was the most perfect, happy family feeling I've had in awhile. 

I've never been to one or seen one... ever. It was a lot cooler than I thought. Until my cousin told us we had to hike up some hills to get to the fields and literally cut down our own tree. Man, that's far...

And thank goodness I brought Bee's Grandma and Grandpa!

There was absolutely no way I was going to be able to wear Bee, cut down the tree, load it up in the tree trolley, shake it and load it up on my car. What was I thinking?!

Good thing my cousin asked me to bring my parents. My dad helped cut down the tree and haul it down the hills... while my mom, Bee, and I took our time walking and taking in the scenery. It is DEFINITELY a tradition I'd like to carry on as the years go on. But next year, Bee will be walking so maybe I can do it all on my own? ;-)

Oh, and I saw a sign that said pets are allowed! So you know, next year, Pup is sooooooo coming with us.