Amber necklace vs. teething drops

This is my first interactive post where I'm looking for feedback. Ask your friends, your mom, your teacher, whoever, for suggestions on easing teething in little babies. And then tell me! The babe is in full teething mode and is having some serious mood swings and sleep issues, both of which I believe are tied to the teething.

Last night I fed her to the brim and between boobs I even added some infant Advil to ease the pain and hopefully carry her through the night. Did. Not. Work. We were up every two hours until 7:00 a.m. This cannot go on, for her sake and for the sake of my sanity and my marriage. So I am taking suggestions. Any suggestions. Even if they sound crazy, as long as they aren't harmful to the babe.

~ H

Shame, shame, double shame

Tonight I had a mini-breakdown (less than 10 minutes spent crying) about what I felt was a selfishness on my behalf. Prior to being a mom, I relished my alone time and often spent hours on the computer, or longer ago, time in front of my sewing machine working on a project. Now, it seems as though every time I have a spare alone minute and I just get settled in front of the computer, television, sewing machine, Kitchenaid mixer, etc. then bam! the baby monitor starts flashing the red lines and the babe's screams echo through the ducts to wherever I am. And for a moment, or a long while, I am mad at her. Insert shameface here.

I know I'm a good mom, and if ever I forget it my husband is quickly there to bolster my spirits and remind me. But I do feel ashamed that I so crave time to myself, frequently, and that the craving results in anger, however short lived, towards my daughter when it is interrupted. I love that little baby with all my heart and of course she is more important to me than updating my credit card information online or finishing the stitching on a table cover. My frustrations easily mount these days when I'm working on little sleep and a sore body and I often find myself lashing out at those closest to me (read: my husband and our fat beagle).

To remedy this I am attending an extra yoga class this week and allowing myself as many Walmart Skor cookies as I like (maximum 6, because there are 6 in the container). I am also trying to communicate better with my husband, not a strong suit of mine but I'm working on it.

~ H

My Mommy Hook bit me

It's been a rough week. The babe is exhibiting major signs of teething, but also some signs of possibly fighting a cold or other sickness. She went from one dirty diaper a day back to 5-6 and now screams bloody murder when placed on her change table after her bath, as though she knows bedtime is next and she's not having any of it.

I've also been anxious and stressed out more than usual, which I can attribute to the upcoming anniversary of my mom's passing (2001). But I've also been extra clumsy, unable to exercise as much as I like, and finally, to top it off, when taking my ultra compact and lightweight City Mini stroller (which I would highly recommend to shorter moms as I am 5'2") out of the cargo hold of my SUV the Mommy Hook attached to handle bar scratched me deep enough to draw blood.

Frustration nearly got the best of me and I almost tossed it clear across the parking lot, a common action of mine when frustrated. I have been known to break things, on purpose, when my stress level gets too high. It's usually a kitchen item that my husband and I disagree on anyways, but that doesn't make it healthy. This time I took a deep breath, placed the Mommy Hook below the stroller in the cargo basket and put a bandaid on my finger. Serenity now, zen mommy, serenity now.

Teething

Yep. Teething. She is 3 months and has begun pre-teething and I'm expecting a breakthrough any day now. Drooling everywhere for the last month, and now she knaws on my fingers any chance she can get. It freaks me out because I have heard that breastfeeding is most likely over as soon as babies get teeth and I would like to keep breastfeeding for at least a few more months. Part of my reasoning is because we are going on vacation to Mexico at the end of April and I don't really want to be making bottles and questioning the water I'm making it with.

It also makes me sad because she's still so little; she can't even hold a teething ring properly to ease her pain. I am giving her frozen washcloths and bought a bottle of locally-made teething oil to hopefully help her. But nights seem to be getting worse, and I'm not sure if it's the teething or if she's fighting something else as well. She starts screaming as soon as I put her on the changetable after her bath and it's a fight for at least another hour. Last night there was an addition of a screaming bout at 4:30am. We have a very tired household today.

Needless to say, her schedule is totally out of whack and I'm pretty much letting her sleep wherever and whenever she wants because she's having a rough go of it. Poor babe.

Adult time

One of the benefits of putting the babe to bed before 11pm means the husband and I get a little time to ourselves. Nothing too fancy, but we try to watch a show or a movie together, or just sit together in the living room while I read and he uses the iPad. Tonight, however, he busted out the big guns and got the hot tub going.

You see, we have recently moved into a house with a hot tub. But because I was pregnant and then recovering, I couldn't really use it. Plus, we had a really cold January and trekking outside after midnight wasn't appealing. But tonight he took a radio out there, I poured a glass of wine and we just relaxed. It was so nice just to chill and chat and look at the stars. It makes us both a little more understanding of one another when we're bickering - because man, do we know how to bicker sometimes.

Cheers to adult time! I need to make it more of a priority if I want to be a happy wife and have a happy husband.

~ H

Schedule update

A mom asked me today how my sleep schedule was going and I realize I haven't posted an update. While every day is a new day, for the most part the babe is on schedule and happier for it. We try to work on a 3 hour rotation - wake up, eat, play for an hour to an hour and a half and then nap. She tends to go down for a nap quite well, as long as I'm paying attention to her cues (ear pulling, eye rubbing, long blinks or an overall fussiness). She has a pacifier, which I also use to put her down. We know this means we'll have to wean her off of it, but she needs it so we're fine with it.

I started this post at 5:30pm this evening, and at that point the babe was staying true to my word. Fast forward two hours and she was in the middle of a major breakdown. Screaming to the point of losing her voice, gassy, angry and so upset that we forgo the bath because we thought it would upset her too much. After an hour of pacing and patting, followed by rocking and an attempt at co-sleeping, she finally petered out next to me in our bed and I eventually transferred her to her bassinet when she was good and asleep.

Today is an off day. I knew that by noon based on her demeanor, so I was prepared to throw the bedtime routine out the window if necessary. The biggest part of this scheduling, for us, is knowing how to be flexible for her. I am constantly reminded that my A-type personality and desire for conformity has no place in her life. I have to roll with it, whatever it is, and just know that one bad day doesn't mean we've failed; it's just one bad day.

Oh, and she's also just discovered her thumb. Awesome.

~ H

Mommy groups

I have found that most moms are either fans or haters of Mommy groups such as Baby & Me, Mom & Baby Yoga, etc. The main issues seem to be the small talk and the possibility of perceived competition between the babies.

I myself am a fan of the groups. I like the social aspect, I need to chat about my labour and laugh about the things that did and didn't happen to other moms. I enjoy listening to other moms stories about their babies and yes, I even enjoy a good craft here and there.

I am also the first in my immediate social group to have a baby, so perhaps that also plays into my need for socialization that can include multiple feeds and a possible diaper explosion. Having others there who are not only willing to hold your baby, but who will continue holding them when they are crying, is a godsend.

Take them or leave them, but Mom & Baby yoga is something I relish in my week, and not just for the stretching.

~ H