H's First March for Life

Awake for a few minutes to pose in front of the Washington Monument









H and 3 Fathers :)









Made it all the way to the Supreme Court, and still asleep

Every day, more lessons learned!

Before H made her way into our arms, vaccinations were a topic that Paul and I discussed and researched. I was convinced I wanted to selectively vaccinate and I carefully chose a pediatrician that would allow us that flexibility. Two things changed for us since then:
1. I got whopping cough in my last trimester (which I do NOT recommend)
2. That carefully chosen pediatrician gave my baby a shot when she was two days old, which left me shaking and in tears (there was much more to this story...but overall, I was not happy with the office)

I decided to switch to a more popular pediatrician to maintain my sanity. While I love the doctor and the office, they do require all vaccinations be given in a timely fashion.

Last week, H had her 4 month shots. Subsequently, I stayed up all.night.long with a feverish, crying baby. From that night, I learned that my instincts for dealing with a feverish child were right on! Next, I learned that when taking a rectal temperature (as our Dr recommends), it is a good idea to be awake enough to deal with the OUTcome...if you know what I mean (not only did I have a feverish baby...but I had poop - all over). I also learned that baths are WAY more fun at 3 AM, at least according to H.

So, we have now survived three rounds of vaccinations - each with their own challenges. I still have research to do on this topic - for moral reasons, as well as the hope of making the right decisions for my baby.

Oh, and re: sleeping....I have also learned that swaddling is amazing! I have not swaddled Hannah since she was a newborn. It is quite different, and slightly hilarious, trying to swaddle an 18 pounder...but she naps so much better. There is more on the topic of sleep...but I will save that for another post. :)

Spit Up - Schmidt Up

Spit Up....really, who cares? With H passing the 4 month mark...I have gotten to the point of saying "who really cares that my shirt is wet and smells of sour milk?" Or H's for that matter. At 1 month, when she would spit up on herself, I would quickly change her clothes...or yell at Paul for attempting to use her clothing to clean it up. Now, the leather computer chair where I sit has a white trail of spit up from back to bottom - I noticed it two days ago and haven't done anything yet. My shoulder is wet, H's shirt is wet. No clothes are being changed.

My current clothes-change policy: If we can go out in public without people looking at us in disgust, then the clothes can stay on. Poopy clothes (where H has "pooped out her diaper) get changed, because that is just gross! :) Oh, and Paul and I can use whom-evers clothes to wipe up whatever mess (excluding poop, of course...gross!).

My last bad-mommy moment is worth sharing. H was sitting on my lap as I was typing away the other day. She started fussing, but wasn't all out crying. I let her fuss on my lap as I continued to compute. After a couple minutes, I turned her around. Her chunky-milk spit up was beginning to dry on her sad face as she looked at me pathetically. Paul and I both laughed. She got cleaned up, eventually, with some one's clothes. :)

Yes, I still love being a mommy!

Happy New Year!

Warm wishes and a Happy New Year to all our family and friends. As I sit here, I am typing with my little "milk faced" miracle and H wishes you the best as well!

We had a lovely holiday with the grandparents and a great New Years with the godparents. It is so wonderful to share our gift with everyone else. We had so much fun, it will probably take us a week to recover. I have plenty of pictures to download and more to write, but for now, as I wait for bean to wind down for a nap (so I can take one too) I wish you a glorious New Year and I pray that 2008 has miracles in store for all of you.