I wanted to do a post on milestones, but from a different perspective, one of anticipation and how others affect your perception of what is to come. As my son moves on into toddlerhood, I've noticed that parents that have BTDT (been there done that) tend to feel the need to give me advice on what is on the horizon, but most often in the most non-conducive fashion: PLAGUED WITH FEAR!
I think back to the time when I was pregnant when I was looking forward to my son's birth with the typical uneasiness of venturing into the unknown abyss. I had done a lot of research on labor and birth and watched numerous videos online. I was nervous, of course, but really excited about the day I would finally get to meet my little guy. But for some reason, anyone I met who had already had children felt the need fill my brain with horror stories of labor and birth. I heard about a catheter not working and then the eventual C-section cutting into the bladder, I heard about hours upon hours of ineffective labor that resulted in a C-section, I heard about the horrible pain I would feel because I was planning to be unmedicated, I heard about the tearing and everything else that would make any pregnant woman run for the hills, wishing she never got pregnant in the first place. So much of having a positive birth experience is about mindset, so why would someone who already went through it cause another parent-to-be so much anxiety? Just stop. If you've BTDT and you see a pregnant mom, wish her a fast and easy labor or just say "congratulations."
Right before I had my son, the next fear tactic that was thrown upon me was about all the sleep I would not be getting and that it was important to sleep now. Well, anyone who as ever been pregnant should know that the last month or so that is obviously impossible. Comfortable sleep and an always full bladder make for very difficult full nights of sleep. Instead of telling the parents how hard it will be and what a struggle the transition is going to be, offer to bring by some food once baby arrives. Offer to take baby for a walk in the stroller so that the parents can get some sleep. Or even offer to pay for a cleaning service to clean their home, that way they can catch up on some of the sleep they were told to get before baby arrived.
Of course there are numerous other milestones that I looked forward to, read about and researched, that seemed like so much fun that were only dampened by another parent's horror story: "My baby rolled over unexpectedly and fell off the bed", "My child started crawling and got into everything, I can't take my eyes off her", "Once my child started walking, he took to running quite quickly and takes off all the time" etc.
I remember thinking that I couldn't wait for my son to talk because I
was so interested in what he would have to say. Now he doesn't stop
talking, ever. Other parents would always respond with, "careful what
you wish for." Well, even though sometimes it can cause frustration for
both of us when either I can't example understand what he's asking me
for or I can understand it and I'm not going to give it to him, there
are so many more times when he will repeat something I say that is just
so awesome to hear from his mouth. Or he'll say something brand new
that I don't even know where he picked it up and I'll have no choice but
to smile. When my little guy asks be to re-read the same book for the
fourth time because "he finds it funny" what else kind I do but oblige?
Recently my son and I were at an indoor playground where my son was very nicely playing with an older boy. The other child's mom asked how old my son was and when I told her he was two her response was "enjoy it, three is really hard." Now what if I was already having a really difficult time with the "terrible twos?" What if this Norman Rockwellesque interaction was the one time my son wasn't throwing a fit? How would I feel if I had only even worse days to look forward to? Please, parents, every child is different, even ones in the same household. Let me learn about the trials and tribulations of a "threenager" all on my own. As I've told other parents, with each new milestone, it just gets better and better. Of course each developmental stage has it's challenges, but the developments that are causing those challenges also make for really fun times. Enjoy every stage, both the good and the bad, because whether it is good or bad, it will be over before you know it and you will be mourning the previous stages when they're gone.
Tips, tricks, and discussions on the importance of documenting our little one's from the womb and beyond in our modern technologically advanced world, as well as my personal adventures as a mom and documenting my journey.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
A Dedication to My Little Guy--Who Won't Remember Our First Three Years :(
After recently reading a scientific based article about how childhood memory fades (link on my Facebook page) I started thinking about all of the wonderful things that my son does right now that he will have absolutely no recollection of, fading even as soon as the next four years or so. It made me realize that we owe it to our children to not only track all of their milestones, but also their personality and the things that they do so that, in the future, they'll have an even better understanding of what made them who they are. Toddlers, despite having a bad rap (terrible two's, threenager) they do some pretty awesome things during these extremely developmentally dense years.
So this blog post is dedicated to my little guy and the top 10 adorable awesome things that he does that I don't want to forget, but more importantly, I want him to know about. Of course am working on getting video footage of all of them, and you should too! Photos could never do these things justice. (Of course there are more than 10 adorable things, but these are my absolute favorites)
1. I want to always remember how my son shows excitement through his entire body. When he is happy about something, he screams with such joy and echoes that feeling stomping both his feet very quickly. There is no second guessing that he is thrilled about what just happened or is about to occur.
2. When my son gives hugs he started saying "baby baby," so now that is the term we use for requesting them, ie "Can I have a baby baby?" He will then wrap his arms around our neck and say "baby baby" in the most adorable voice. I will be very sad when he no longer does this.
3. When my son doesn't like what someone else is doing, whether he knows them or not, he will tell them "no no" while shaking his forefinger. He will do this to our dog, our cat, and other animals out in the world, as well as other children and adults. I am not quite sure why he doesn't like what they are doing sometimes, as it isn't always affecting him, but perhaps he just likes to maintain some sense of control of the situation.
4. When my little guy says a new word for the first time he will out of the blue repeat something that we've said, and it's absolutely no big deal to him. However, when we ask him to repeat the word after that, he usually won't. Similarly, I love the way my son says certain words. Anyone outside our immediate family would have no idea what he is saying, but we understand his dialect and its ever changing nature certainly keeps us on our toes.
5. My son loves to run around holding up his diaper on either side. I have absolutely no idea how this started, but he gets a kick out of it, as so do we, quite possibly why he keeps doing it. He'll also sometimes squat a little and make it more of a "duck walk." He loves to do this while chasing me playing "Hide & Seek." For some reason he loves having me hide and startle him when he comes around looking for me.
6. I love how my son loves to sing while playing any musical instrument. He yells "la la la" loudly while he plays his xylophone, tub piano, or anything else he can get his hands on.
7. The way my son will "cheese" for the camera is so adorable. If I ever want to get a photo of him smiling, the last thing I can say is "smile" because he will lift his head up, squint his eyes, and throw on the biggest, silliest grin you could ever imagine.
8. I think the way my son eats, both with his hands and with utensils, is so cute, especially when it's a food he loves. It's difficult to get this one on camera because as soon as I bring it out to film, he notices and poses.
9. The way my son absolutely loves our cat, even though she would prefer to have nothing to do with him, is so charming. He started signing "cat" not all that long ago, but more recently says "meow" as he does the sign. Sometimes he pinches a little part of his cheek and says meow quietly, while other times he'll pinch a big piece of his cheek and say "meow" very loudly. He'll walk up to the sleeping cat and make kissing sounds throughout the day.
10. Sometimes my son just wants to snuggle up in our bed. He will lay down on the pillows and pull the blankets up over himself. He may not even be tired or want to rest, it's just comfortable for him.
What are some of the adorable things your little one does or did that you don't ever want to forget? Do your best to capture it on film. You owe it to your little one. As much joy as these things bring you, it will bring them even more being able to watch it years from now. A number 11 for me could be watching my son enjoy watching himself in the videos we've already taken of him. We ask him who is in the video and he points to himself and says "me." We even have videos of him watching videos of himself. Equally as adorable.
So this blog post is dedicated to my little guy and the top 10 adorable awesome things that he does that I don't want to forget, but more importantly, I want him to know about. Of course am working on getting video footage of all of them, and you should too! Photos could never do these things justice. (Of course there are more than 10 adorable things, but these are my absolute favorites)
1. I want to always remember how my son shows excitement through his entire body. When he is happy about something, he screams with such joy and echoes that feeling stomping both his feet very quickly. There is no second guessing that he is thrilled about what just happened or is about to occur.
2. When my son gives hugs he started saying "baby baby," so now that is the term we use for requesting them, ie "Can I have a baby baby?" He will then wrap his arms around our neck and say "baby baby" in the most adorable voice. I will be very sad when he no longer does this.
3. When my son doesn't like what someone else is doing, whether he knows them or not, he will tell them "no no" while shaking his forefinger. He will do this to our dog, our cat, and other animals out in the world, as well as other children and adults. I am not quite sure why he doesn't like what they are doing sometimes, as it isn't always affecting him, but perhaps he just likes to maintain some sense of control of the situation.
4. When my little guy says a new word for the first time he will out of the blue repeat something that we've said, and it's absolutely no big deal to him. However, when we ask him to repeat the word after that, he usually won't. Similarly, I love the way my son says certain words. Anyone outside our immediate family would have no idea what he is saying, but we understand his dialect and its ever changing nature certainly keeps us on our toes.
5. My son loves to run around holding up his diaper on either side. I have absolutely no idea how this started, but he gets a kick out of it, as so do we, quite possibly why he keeps doing it. He'll also sometimes squat a little and make it more of a "duck walk." He loves to do this while chasing me playing "Hide & Seek." For some reason he loves having me hide and startle him when he comes around looking for me.
6. I love how my son loves to sing while playing any musical instrument. He yells "la la la" loudly while he plays his xylophone, tub piano, or anything else he can get his hands on.
7. The way my son will "cheese" for the camera is so adorable. If I ever want to get a photo of him smiling, the last thing I can say is "smile" because he will lift his head up, squint his eyes, and throw on the biggest, silliest grin you could ever imagine.
8. I think the way my son eats, both with his hands and with utensils, is so cute, especially when it's a food he loves. It's difficult to get this one on camera because as soon as I bring it out to film, he notices and poses.
9. The way my son absolutely loves our cat, even though she would prefer to have nothing to do with him, is so charming. He started signing "cat" not all that long ago, but more recently says "meow" as he does the sign. Sometimes he pinches a little part of his cheek and says meow quietly, while other times he'll pinch a big piece of his cheek and say "meow" very loudly. He'll walk up to the sleeping cat and make kissing sounds throughout the day.
10. Sometimes my son just wants to snuggle up in our bed. He will lay down on the pillows and pull the blankets up over himself. He may not even be tired or want to rest, it's just comfortable for him.
What are some of the adorable things your little one does or did that you don't ever want to forget? Do your best to capture it on film. You owe it to your little one. As much joy as these things bring you, it will bring them even more being able to watch it years from now. A number 11 for me could be watching my son enjoy watching himself in the videos we've already taken of him. We ask him who is in the video and he points to himself and says "me." We even have videos of him watching videos of himself. Equally as adorable.
Friday, June 20, 2014
MORE STUFF! Do These Things REALLY Help Our Little Ones Reach Milestones?
As I was forced to be awake early this morning for two hours straight while trying to coax my little one to go back to sleep without nursing, I started racking my brain for what else we could buy to help our situation (in addition to the sound machine, the sleep sheep, the night light turtle, etc.) Then I realized that clearly humans have been "learning" to sleep for thousands of years without electronic device assistance (or training books, for that matter, I mean, who taught Ferber how to sleep?) What other "THINGS" have we bought to "help" our little guy reach his milestones. I know that some of these things were actually created to help out mom and dad, but honestly, I think baby registries have gotten way out of control. Here are just a few of the things (some of which I admit I bought or tried) that probably really did not make a difference in our little guy's development.
*Disclaimer: I am not in any way discrediting the work of occupational therapists that help babies that show signs of delay or lack developmental skills early on. The tools that these professionals use truly help babies that would probably have much greater issues developing as they progress in life.
1. Headphones for the belly: I'm not really sure what milestone this is supposed to aid, but I too bought in to the idea that playing classical music for my fetus would benefit his developing brain. But what music did Mozart's mom play for him in the womb? I doubt his mom had a recording of Bach. Perhaps there really isn't much to this one after all.
2. The Playmat: Did babies really take that much longer to learn how to lift up their head when not forced to have tummy time on a colorful mat with toys? I highly doubt there were six month old babies with floppy heads even one hundred years ago. I remember reading that it's important to have a mirror on the floor when your baby is doing tummy time to encourage them to lift their head and strengthen their neck. Once your little one realizes there are things going on around him, he's going to work on trying to see what those things are, with or without the colorful lights and sounds encouraging it. They really don't need all those noisy toys to learn how to respond to sound, they are going to be interested in it and they will do it whether it plays a delightful tune or not.
3. The Bumbo seat: Did babies not figure out how to sit up before they were forced into this strange seat? Were seven month old babies rolling around on the ground without the desire to sit up and take in the world around him? Most physical therapists hate them anyway. Why did I give in and buy it? My son seemed like he really wanted to see what was going on around him before he was able to sit up. I probably should have just worn him in a carrier instead during those fussy times.
4. Walkers: I know for many parents and professionals these mobile playpens have already been discredited as actually delaying a child's development, but that still doesn't stop many parents from purchasing them in the hopes that their child will become mobile sooner. After having experienced an early walker, if I were to go through it all over again, I think I'd be happy with crawling for at least a few more months. (see previous blog post about pushing the first born to develop faster and hoping subsequent children stay babies longer)
5. Anything with lights and annoying sounds: There are so many lights and sounds that exist outside in the real world that your baby can be introduced to that these inventions probably do not make much of a difference, if at all. The real world lights and sounds are probably better anyway because introducing your child to them requires live interaction between the two of you. And it is proven that engaging your baby in conversation about the world around them from early on actually does help brain development. Your child doesn't need a flashing light in front of them to encourage crawling, you at a distance will be reason enough to get on the move. Honestly, what toys did Einstein play with before there was Baby Einstein to help him develop his genius? There wasn't even electricity when Da Vinci was alive, and he is credited as the most genius genius of all time.
6. Videos and Games: I know I learned to read pretty young without videos or apps, as did most people in my generation. So what if My Baby (can't) Read. This way I am able to edit stories I'm reading as I see fit (my son doesn't know that the Evil Queen asked the Huntsman to kill Snow White, I prefer "get rid of.") William Shakespeare definitely wasn't doing any kind of pre-preschool videos to develop his language ability.
I hesitate to put electronic sleep devices on this list. I can't honestly say that a sound machine absolutely helps my son sleep better or longer, but I do like the fact that it drowns out other noises around the house. His sleep sheep also helps him not to hear me as I sneak away like a criminal in the night after he falls asleep.
I'm sure as my son grows up, there will be more "THINGS" to add to this list. The next time I see some of the "latest and greatest" or take a gander at someone's baby registry and wish I had that for my little guy, I have to remind myself that babies did just find with homemade dolls, balls, and blocks for hundreds of years.
What kinds of things did you buy that you can now look back on as a space waster?
*Disclaimer: I am not in any way discrediting the work of occupational therapists that help babies that show signs of delay or lack developmental skills early on. The tools that these professionals use truly help babies that would probably have much greater issues developing as they progress in life.
1. Headphones for the belly: I'm not really sure what milestone this is supposed to aid, but I too bought in to the idea that playing classical music for my fetus would benefit his developing brain. But what music did Mozart's mom play for him in the womb? I doubt his mom had a recording of Bach. Perhaps there really isn't much to this one after all.
2. The Playmat: Did babies really take that much longer to learn how to lift up their head when not forced to have tummy time on a colorful mat with toys? I highly doubt there were six month old babies with floppy heads even one hundred years ago. I remember reading that it's important to have a mirror on the floor when your baby is doing tummy time to encourage them to lift their head and strengthen their neck. Once your little one realizes there are things going on around him, he's going to work on trying to see what those things are, with or without the colorful lights and sounds encouraging it. They really don't need all those noisy toys to learn how to respond to sound, they are going to be interested in it and they will do it whether it plays a delightful tune or not.
3. The Bumbo seat: Did babies not figure out how to sit up before they were forced into this strange seat? Were seven month old babies rolling around on the ground without the desire to sit up and take in the world around him? Most physical therapists hate them anyway. Why did I give in and buy it? My son seemed like he really wanted to see what was going on around him before he was able to sit up. I probably should have just worn him in a carrier instead during those fussy times.
4. Walkers: I know for many parents and professionals these mobile playpens have already been discredited as actually delaying a child's development, but that still doesn't stop many parents from purchasing them in the hopes that their child will become mobile sooner. After having experienced an early walker, if I were to go through it all over again, I think I'd be happy with crawling for at least a few more months. (see previous blog post about pushing the first born to develop faster and hoping subsequent children stay babies longer)
5. Anything with lights and annoying sounds: There are so many lights and sounds that exist outside in the real world that your baby can be introduced to that these inventions probably do not make much of a difference, if at all. The real world lights and sounds are probably better anyway because introducing your child to them requires live interaction between the two of you. And it is proven that engaging your baby in conversation about the world around them from early on actually does help brain development. Your child doesn't need a flashing light in front of them to encourage crawling, you at a distance will be reason enough to get on the move. Honestly, what toys did Einstein play with before there was Baby Einstein to help him develop his genius? There wasn't even electricity when Da Vinci was alive, and he is credited as the most genius genius of all time.
6. Videos and Games: I know I learned to read pretty young without videos or apps, as did most people in my generation. So what if My Baby (can't) Read. This way I am able to edit stories I'm reading as I see fit (my son doesn't know that the Evil Queen asked the Huntsman to kill Snow White, I prefer "get rid of.") William Shakespeare definitely wasn't doing any kind of pre-preschool videos to develop his language ability.
I hesitate to put electronic sleep devices on this list. I can't honestly say that a sound machine absolutely helps my son sleep better or longer, but I do like the fact that it drowns out other noises around the house. His sleep sheep also helps him not to hear me as I sneak away like a criminal in the night after he falls asleep.
I'm sure as my son grows up, there will be more "THINGS" to add to this list. The next time I see some of the "latest and greatest" or take a gander at someone's baby registry and wish I had that for my little guy, I have to remind myself that babies did just find with homemade dolls, balls, and blocks for hundreds of years.
What kinds of things did you buy that you can now look back on as a space waster?
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Mommy Milestones
There Are Some Things We Hit That Deserve a Celebration!
I spend a lot of time talking, educating, and thinking about all of the milestones to look for in our little ones from the moment we get to hold them in our arms. But there are quite a few things that occur for us as moms that we should take the time to celebrate, whether it's our first child or subsequent birth. If you have any things that you think should be added to this list, please feel free to comment below.
September '12-I was able to have the natural birth I had planned. I was in labor for less than 24 hours, probably around 15 of which was pretty uncomfortable. I said said some things during the painful moments that I don't really agree with now, like "Why does anyone do this more than once?!" But overall, I was happy with my decision and that I was able to do it.
September '12-I let someone hold my son without feeling extreme anxiety.
October '12-I finally figured out how to swaddle with a regular blanket. Of course I would only resort to the regular blanket when the handy dandy velcro cheating swaddles were dirty.
October '12-I was able to leave my son with a family member while I went to do laundry. This was the first time I had him out of my sight (besides while sleeping or showering). If felt very odd and I hurried to get back to him.
October '12-I was able to nurse without pain. This was a HUGE milestone. I had a lot of issues during the first month and forced myself to push through in order to exclusively nurse. A couple of weeks in it started to hurt less, so I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
November '12-I was able to get myself and my son to leave the house and run an errand without having a ton of anxiety.
December '12-My husband and I went out on our first date since the birth of our son. I learned a lot that night regarding engorgement and the necessity of taking my lovely pump out with me.
January '13-I went back to work and left my son at home. This was probably the hardest milestone to reach and be okay with. I cried all the way to work.
February '13-I was able to drive to work without feeling sad for leaving my son.
March '13-I was able to nurse my son in his nursery. Now this may sound like an odd milestone if you don't know about our situation. But our home caught on fire while we were in the hospital having my son. We lived in four different places before we were able to have the homecoming I had wanted so many months before.
April '13-I was able to put my son down to a nap in his crib. Up until this point I was only able to get him to sleep while wearing him in a carrier. Although it took quite a bit longer to get him to sleep a substantial amount of time in his crib, it was a good feeling to be able to do so.
May '13-We got our bed back! Well, this wasn't so much of a celebration, to be honest. I actually enjoyed co-sleeping and I slept better than I was going to for many, many months to come. We did not attempt any sleep training until a few months later so I was regretting hitting this milestone for quite a bit of time.
September '13-I planned an awesome first birthday party for my little guy. I was very proud of how it turned out and I hope he appreciates the multitude hours of effort I put in.
February '14-I finally found a brand of cloth diapers that work for both me and my son. I was finally able to cloth diaper like I had planned almost two years prior.
April '14-I slept through the night!! My son had done it a couple of times before this night, but I finally slept a decent amount without getting up to tend to him nor my bladder.
As I remember some others, I will update this post and share. I'd love to hear what milestones you've hit and feel proud of!
I spend a lot of time talking, educating, and thinking about all of the milestones to look for in our little ones from the moment we get to hold them in our arms. But there are quite a few things that occur for us as moms that we should take the time to celebrate, whether it's our first child or subsequent birth. If you have any things that you think should be added to this list, please feel free to comment below.
September '12-I was able to have the natural birth I had planned. I was in labor for less than 24 hours, probably around 15 of which was pretty uncomfortable. I said said some things during the painful moments that I don't really agree with now, like "Why does anyone do this more than once?!" But overall, I was happy with my decision and that I was able to do it.
September '12-I let someone hold my son without feeling extreme anxiety.
October '12-I finally figured out how to swaddle with a regular blanket. Of course I would only resort to the regular blanket when the handy dandy velcro cheating swaddles were dirty.
October '12-I was able to leave my son with a family member while I went to do laundry. This was the first time I had him out of my sight (besides while sleeping or showering). If felt very odd and I hurried to get back to him.
October '12-I was able to nurse without pain. This was a HUGE milestone. I had a lot of issues during the first month and forced myself to push through in order to exclusively nurse. A couple of weeks in it started to hurt less, so I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel.
November '12-I was able to get myself and my son to leave the house and run an errand without having a ton of anxiety.
December '12-My husband and I went out on our first date since the birth of our son. I learned a lot that night regarding engorgement and the necessity of taking my lovely pump out with me.
January '13-I went back to work and left my son at home. This was probably the hardest milestone to reach and be okay with. I cried all the way to work.
February '13-I was able to drive to work without feeling sad for leaving my son.
March '13-I was able to nurse my son in his nursery. Now this may sound like an odd milestone if you don't know about our situation. But our home caught on fire while we were in the hospital having my son. We lived in four different places before we were able to have the homecoming I had wanted so many months before.
April '13-I was able to put my son down to a nap in his crib. Up until this point I was only able to get him to sleep while wearing him in a carrier. Although it took quite a bit longer to get him to sleep a substantial amount of time in his crib, it was a good feeling to be able to do so.
May '13-We got our bed back! Well, this wasn't so much of a celebration, to be honest. I actually enjoyed co-sleeping and I slept better than I was going to for many, many months to come. We did not attempt any sleep training until a few months later so I was regretting hitting this milestone for quite a bit of time.
September '13-I planned an awesome first birthday party for my little guy. I was very proud of how it turned out and I hope he appreciates the multitude hours of effort I put in.
February '14-I finally found a brand of cloth diapers that work for both me and my son. I was finally able to cloth diaper like I had planned almost two years prior.
April '14-I slept through the night!! My son had done it a couple of times before this night, but I finally slept a decent amount without getting up to tend to him nor my bladder.
As I remember some others, I will update this post and share. I'd love to hear what milestones you've hit and feel proud of!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Beyond Photos and Videos: Other Momentos (May Be) Worth Saving
As much as I am a huge proponent of capturing everything on video, there are certain things that you can save from this journey that may prove to be priceless to your little one years down the road. When looking through my baby book, there were some things I found that my mom had kept in there that were pretty interesting. Reading up on baby books online and different methods of documenting this time period, I saw a blog post about keeping a memory box to put things in to save for the future instead of the more formal, traditional baby book. So based on my own experience and research, here is my inclusive list of what I think is worth saving...
-Positive pregnancy test: okay, maybe you don't want to really keep something around that you peed on, and your kid probably won't want to touch it, but at least keeping it throughout your pregnancy will be a nice reminder of how you felt when you first found out (especially if it was a positive experience that you wanted for a very long time). I personally had a collection that I used every other day in the beginning just to see that the line was getting darker. Of course you could always just take a picture of the test(s) as well to avoid keeping the stick itself (I did that too).
-Ultrasound photos: if you're a member of Kaiser, you will probably have an ultrasound at every appointment, which means those cute little black and white photos of what starts to actually look like a baby very early on, will pile up. We took pictures of the ultrasound photos, but we still have the originals as well. Again, seeing the actual physical photo can be a nice reminder of the excitement you felt when you first saw those images.
-Baby shower mementos: I actually have some pieces of wrapping paper from my mom's baby shower. It's kind of cute to see what style of wrapping paper was used back then. I personally saved the menu from the restaurant where we had our shower because it had our names on the top. My awesome BFF planned some cute games as well and I saved the handouts she made for the games. If you do the game where people have to guess how long a string (or how many squares of toilet paper) it will take to go around your belly, it may be nice to save this, although at the time you probably won't think you'll want to remember just how big your belly got. If you have a physical invitation from your shower, you should save that as well. You may want to save the cards you received as well.
-Birthing class diploma: If you attend(ed) a course, you may not get (have gotten) an actual diploma, but any of the handouts or memory keepsakes from the course may be fun to look back on years down the road, even if you didn't remember any of it when it came to the actual D-day.
-Registry: If you have a physical copy of your registry, or even the registry checklist from one of the large chain stores, it may be interesting for your little one to look back at all the things you wanted for them and how much thought and effort went in to their arrival.
-Hospital keepsakes: You and your little one will have matching bracelets that you will want to hold on to. My mom actually kept the menu from her hospital stay. It's actually kind of funny to see the kinds of things they actually served in a hospital back then. If your baby has a name card put in his/her bassinet, you'll want to take that home with you as well.
-Newspaper: Pick up a newspaper from the day of your child's birth. Of course you could always go online later to find out what the headlines were the day your baby was born, but it will be much more fun for your child to see an actual newspaper from that day. Some people even pick up one local and one national newspaper.
-Umbilical cord clip: I only mention this as an alternative to saving the umbilical cord itself. I have my son's, although I'm not really sure if he'll appreciate the plastic "barrette" when he's older. I thought about saving the umbilical cord itself when it fall off, but after taking a look at it, I quickly changed my mind.
-First blanket/hat: You'll typically go home from the hospital with at least one of their blankets and hats. Although they're not the most attractive things and you'll probably have enough of your own receiving blankets and hats, there's something really special about remembering holding your little one in that blanket, peeking out from that cap so early on in his/her life.
-Hand/footprints: My hospital didn't do this for us, even though I brought my baby book with me. But they did give us a couple of single use ink pads for us to do on our own. Of course we didn't get to it until about two weeks later, but I'm glad we finally did it. There are some companies that do this for you in clay as a more solid keepsake.
-Birth Announcement: If you are one of those people who sends out holiday cards every year, you're probably going to send out a physical birth announcement and your son or daughter will definitely want to see how they were announced to the world. I guess you could take a screen shot of your Facebook page and print that if you are going today's more typical route.
-Hair: Many kid's salons offer a special keepsake lock of hair along with a "First Haircut Certificate." We did our first one at home and saved a bit of his hair in a baggie. My mom went a bit further and saved a few locks from a haircut a few years later. It was actually interesting to see how much my hair darkened in just a few short years.
Of course years down the road you'll want to save art projects and "A" papers. I was surprised to find a few birthday party invitations that I made myself for my seventh birthday. Some of them opened backwards and I didn't always color in the lines, but it was fun to find something that I made at such a young age. In today's digital age, I hope to be able to find a away to give my son the ability to create things that will have the same effect on him years down the road.
What kinds of things did you save or wish you saved?
-Positive pregnancy test: okay, maybe you don't want to really keep something around that you peed on, and your kid probably won't want to touch it, but at least keeping it throughout your pregnancy will be a nice reminder of how you felt when you first found out (especially if it was a positive experience that you wanted for a very long time). I personally had a collection that I used every other day in the beginning just to see that the line was getting darker. Of course you could always just take a picture of the test(s) as well to avoid keeping the stick itself (I did that too).
-Ultrasound photos: if you're a member of Kaiser, you will probably have an ultrasound at every appointment, which means those cute little black and white photos of what starts to actually look like a baby very early on, will pile up. We took pictures of the ultrasound photos, but we still have the originals as well. Again, seeing the actual physical photo can be a nice reminder of the excitement you felt when you first saw those images.
-Baby shower mementos: I actually have some pieces of wrapping paper from my mom's baby shower. It's kind of cute to see what style of wrapping paper was used back then. I personally saved the menu from the restaurant where we had our shower because it had our names on the top. My awesome BFF planned some cute games as well and I saved the handouts she made for the games. If you do the game where people have to guess how long a string (or how many squares of toilet paper) it will take to go around your belly, it may be nice to save this, although at the time you probably won't think you'll want to remember just how big your belly got. If you have a physical invitation from your shower, you should save that as well. You may want to save the cards you received as well.
-Birthing class diploma: If you attend(ed) a course, you may not get (have gotten) an actual diploma, but any of the handouts or memory keepsakes from the course may be fun to look back on years down the road, even if you didn't remember any of it when it came to the actual D-day.
-Registry: If you have a physical copy of your registry, or even the registry checklist from one of the large chain stores, it may be interesting for your little one to look back at all the things you wanted for them and how much thought and effort went in to their arrival.
-Hospital keepsakes: You and your little one will have matching bracelets that you will want to hold on to. My mom actually kept the menu from her hospital stay. It's actually kind of funny to see the kinds of things they actually served in a hospital back then. If your baby has a name card put in his/her bassinet, you'll want to take that home with you as well.
-Newspaper: Pick up a newspaper from the day of your child's birth. Of course you could always go online later to find out what the headlines were the day your baby was born, but it will be much more fun for your child to see an actual newspaper from that day. Some people even pick up one local and one national newspaper.
-Umbilical cord clip: I only mention this as an alternative to saving the umbilical cord itself. I have my son's, although I'm not really sure if he'll appreciate the plastic "barrette" when he's older. I thought about saving the umbilical cord itself when it fall off, but after taking a look at it, I quickly changed my mind.
-First blanket/hat: You'll typically go home from the hospital with at least one of their blankets and hats. Although they're not the most attractive things and you'll probably have enough of your own receiving blankets and hats, there's something really special about remembering holding your little one in that blanket, peeking out from that cap so early on in his/her life.
-Hand/footprints: My hospital didn't do this for us, even though I brought my baby book with me. But they did give us a couple of single use ink pads for us to do on our own. Of course we didn't get to it until about two weeks later, but I'm glad we finally did it. There are some companies that do this for you in clay as a more solid keepsake.
-Birth Announcement: If you are one of those people who sends out holiday cards every year, you're probably going to send out a physical birth announcement and your son or daughter will definitely want to see how they were announced to the world. I guess you could take a screen shot of your Facebook page and print that if you are going today's more typical route.
-Hair: Many kid's salons offer a special keepsake lock of hair along with a "First Haircut Certificate." We did our first one at home and saved a bit of his hair in a baggie. My mom went a bit further and saved a few locks from a haircut a few years later. It was actually interesting to see how much my hair darkened in just a few short years.
Of course years down the road you'll want to save art projects and "A" papers. I was surprised to find a few birthday party invitations that I made myself for my seventh birthday. Some of them opened backwards and I didn't always color in the lines, but it was fun to find something that I made at such a young age. In today's digital age, I hope to be able to find a away to give my son the ability to create things that will have the same effect on him years down the road.
What kinds of things did you save or wish you saved?
Monday, April 28, 2014
Somewhat Unrelated, But Important Nonetheless for Mommies and Mommies-to-be
I spend so much time blogging and educating about the importance of documenting our little ones, what is important to document and why, and how to make the best digital photo and video scrapbooks so that our kids can know just how much we love them. These things are very important and letting our kids know in more ways than one just how much they are loved will set a strong foundation of confidence throughout their lives.
But something I realized this past weekend while being pampered at the Mommy Blogger Pre-Reception for the Pregnancy Awareness Month kick-off event is that we really need to make sure to take time out for ourselves, and not just during nap time and after we put our little one's to bed. I had planned to attend the event with my son, as he is almost always with me. But his runny nose and cough made me think twice about being "that mom." It turned out to be for the best, as I was able to take a step back for an afternoon and focus on me.
As moms we give so much to our little ones: from the moment I found out I was pregnant I became hyper conscious about everything I was putting into my body and well as on it, the environment I was inhabiting, and even the air I was breathing in order to give my son the best start in life. I extensively researched everything that I brought into our home for him. My baby registry was chock full of organic and natural items. I took numerous precautions to avoid being GBS positive so that my son wouldn't be exposed to antibiotics during birth, I took all sorts of herbs and homeopathic pellets near the end of my pregnancy to help with having an all-natural childbirth, because I believed it was best for him. I endured a month of extremely painful nursing, consulted lactation consultants and researched everything I could get my hands on to become successful at breastfeeding because I believed it was best and am happy to be able to continue to do so through his second year of life.
But what I l realized this weekend while having a complimentary eyebrow waxing, a really informative make-up consultation (both courtesy of the all-natural evolue beauty store of Beverly Hills), and a wonderfully relaxing chair massage (courtesy of Berlin Wellness and Chiropractic), is that if I don't take the time to focus on me, at least a little here and there, I can't be the best mommy that I can be to my son, nor the best wife to my husband. I want to set a positive example for my child, teach him about treating himself with the respect and love he deserves so that others in turn will do so as well. As a stay-at-home mom/mompreneur I tend to forget about the importance of "me time" and consequently cannot be my best self as a mom and a wife. It's definitely true that our lives become more full as we become life partners and mothers, but we forget that we were a whole person before any of this happened and need to make sure to continue to take care of that whole person for everyone else's sake too.
Give everything you have to your kids, they deserve it, but they also deserve a happy and healthy mommy who takes the time to put herself first..at least once in a blue moon.
But something I realized this past weekend while being pampered at the Mommy Blogger Pre-Reception for the Pregnancy Awareness Month kick-off event is that we really need to make sure to take time out for ourselves, and not just during nap time and after we put our little one's to bed. I had planned to attend the event with my son, as he is almost always with me. But his runny nose and cough made me think twice about being "that mom." It turned out to be for the best, as I was able to take a step back for an afternoon and focus on me.
As moms we give so much to our little ones: from the moment I found out I was pregnant I became hyper conscious about everything I was putting into my body and well as on it, the environment I was inhabiting, and even the air I was breathing in order to give my son the best start in life. I extensively researched everything that I brought into our home for him. My baby registry was chock full of organic and natural items. I took numerous precautions to avoid being GBS positive so that my son wouldn't be exposed to antibiotics during birth, I took all sorts of herbs and homeopathic pellets near the end of my pregnancy to help with having an all-natural childbirth, because I believed it was best for him. I endured a month of extremely painful nursing, consulted lactation consultants and researched everything I could get my hands on to become successful at breastfeeding because I believed it was best and am happy to be able to continue to do so through his second year of life.
But what I l realized this weekend while having a complimentary eyebrow waxing, a really informative make-up consultation (both courtesy of the all-natural evolue beauty store of Beverly Hills), and a wonderfully relaxing chair massage (courtesy of Berlin Wellness and Chiropractic), is that if I don't take the time to focus on me, at least a little here and there, I can't be the best mommy that I can be to my son, nor the best wife to my husband. I want to set a positive example for my child, teach him about treating himself with the respect and love he deserves so that others in turn will do so as well. As a stay-at-home mom/mompreneur I tend to forget about the importance of "me time" and consequently cannot be my best self as a mom and a wife. It's definitely true that our lives become more full as we become life partners and mothers, but we forget that we were a whole person before any of this happened and need to make sure to continue to take care of that whole person for everyone else's sake too.
Give everything you have to your kids, they deserve it, but they also deserve a happy and healthy mommy who takes the time to put herself first..at least once in a blue moon.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
What Kinds of Things Should be Included in Your First Year Video Baby Book?
Whether you choose to hire a professional for photo shoots or video shoots in the first year of your child's life, there are many things that you can capture on your own that your child will appreciate being able to look back on years down the road. When people only did traditional baby books, the preformatted questions and spaces for specific photos made it easy to know what to include, but in non-traditional times and with such easy access to recording devices, creating your own video baby book will serve you and your child much better in the long run.
Start as soon as you can. If you can capture on video your own reaction or your partner's reaction to finding out that you're expecting, that would be ideal. Otherwise, any other family or friends reacting to the news would serve you as well. If you're sharing the good news over video conferencing, there are plenty of good screen capture programs or even setting up your own camera/cell phone to film you telling someone else will be a memory to cherish.
As I mentioned in my previous post to all the pregnant mommies, capture your ultrasounds on video. If you're seeing a midwife and not doing regular ultrasounds, even capturing elements of your appointments, measuring your belly, listening to the heart beat, etc. will be something special to look back on. There are some great 3D ultrasound services that create videos for you as well. But make sure you're capturing your reaction to the ultrasound, not just the ultrasound itself.
If you can, get some photos, video, or both of when you are in labor. I really did not enjoy having my picture taken at that time, but looking back, I am so happy I have images from then because it really does become such a blur, time goes by in very strange ways when you're in labor. I also did not feel particularly pleased that my husband wore a helmet cam during my son's birth. But the fact that he ultimately helped guide my son into the world with his own hands and we have that from his POV on film will be cherished forever.
Definitely capture as many firsts as you can once you arrive home with your baby. The first bath is something you'll want to remember. You probably will want someone else filming as it is a nerve wracking time washing such a tiny baby for the very first time. The first time members of your extended family visit and hold your little one, grab the camera and film their reactions. Prompt them to tell you their first thoughts holding your child for the first time. Along the same lines, if you have pets, document their first introduction to your family's newest addition. Having my dog smell my son's hospital blanket before we actually brought my son home seemed to help with a more peaceful introduction. Other first include baby's first tummy time, first walk in the stroller, first time exploring new toys, your baby trying solid foods for the first time, etc.
Of course you'll want to capture the early milestones, like your baby holding his head up for the first time, rolling over, smiling, laughing, cooing, discovering hands, discovering feet, pushing herself up, scooting, crawling, and ultimately walking. But every day interactions will be the things that you will tend to forget as time marches on. The days tend to go by very slowly, but the months fly by at the same time. Suddenly you'll have a one year old and you'll forget just how tiny your baby was only twelve short months prior.
Once you edit everything together you can include photos as well as audio clips documenting thoughts, emotions, and baby's sounds throughout the first year. It really is such a special time that deserves immortalizing.
Start as soon as you can. If you can capture on video your own reaction or your partner's reaction to finding out that you're expecting, that would be ideal. Otherwise, any other family or friends reacting to the news would serve you as well. If you're sharing the good news over video conferencing, there are plenty of good screen capture programs or even setting up your own camera/cell phone to film you telling someone else will be a memory to cherish.
As I mentioned in my previous post to all the pregnant mommies, capture your ultrasounds on video. If you're seeing a midwife and not doing regular ultrasounds, even capturing elements of your appointments, measuring your belly, listening to the heart beat, etc. will be something special to look back on. There are some great 3D ultrasound services that create videos for you as well. But make sure you're capturing your reaction to the ultrasound, not just the ultrasound itself.
If you can, get some photos, video, or both of when you are in labor. I really did not enjoy having my picture taken at that time, but looking back, I am so happy I have images from then because it really does become such a blur, time goes by in very strange ways when you're in labor. I also did not feel particularly pleased that my husband wore a helmet cam during my son's birth. But the fact that he ultimately helped guide my son into the world with his own hands and we have that from his POV on film will be cherished forever.
Definitely capture as many firsts as you can once you arrive home with your baby. The first bath is something you'll want to remember. You probably will want someone else filming as it is a nerve wracking time washing such a tiny baby for the very first time. The first time members of your extended family visit and hold your little one, grab the camera and film their reactions. Prompt them to tell you their first thoughts holding your child for the first time. Along the same lines, if you have pets, document their first introduction to your family's newest addition. Having my dog smell my son's hospital blanket before we actually brought my son home seemed to help with a more peaceful introduction. Other first include baby's first tummy time, first walk in the stroller, first time exploring new toys, your baby trying solid foods for the first time, etc.
Of course you'll want to capture the early milestones, like your baby holding his head up for the first time, rolling over, smiling, laughing, cooing, discovering hands, discovering feet, pushing herself up, scooting, crawling, and ultimately walking. But every day interactions will be the things that you will tend to forget as time marches on. The days tend to go by very slowly, but the months fly by at the same time. Suddenly you'll have a one year old and you'll forget just how tiny your baby was only twelve short months prior.
Once you edit everything together you can include photos as well as audio clips documenting thoughts, emotions, and baby's sounds throughout the first year. It really is such a special time that deserves immortalizing.
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