Categories
Motherhood

I’m a Crafting Slacker

I talked holidays, Pinterest, crafting & being a working mom over at Liberating Working Moms yesterday. What’s your take on crafting with little ones?

In the age of pinterest, blogging & Facebook bragging, it’s easy to get caught up in the holiday crafting spirit. And as a working mom of two 10 month olds, by caught up I mean left feeling pressured & overwhelmed. And guilty.

I haven’t made time to be crafty in years & haven’t had time in the past year. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe it’s a new mom thing. Maybe it’s a working mom thing. Maybe it’s a multiples mom thing.

But all I know is that now somehow I’m supposed to turn into super mom that can whip up perfect DIY holiday creations in our spare time.

Or not.

Read the rest here. Is there one craft I shouldn’t be missing out doing? Let me know in the comments!

Categories
Babies

Zach’s Weight Check Update

We went Monday morning as a follow up from Zach’s 9 month pediatrician check up. If you’ll remember, that’s when our PA was nervous at how small Zach still was. We decided as a result of that appointment, for me to stop breastfeeding him in the evenings & give him fortified bottle{s} instead. We also talked about continuing to encourage solids.

I’m happy to say the appointment Monday morning went really well. Zach had gained a pound {he was 15 lbs 5.5 oz naked}. So yes, he’s still little. And yes, he’s still not on the WHO growth chart. But as I told the doctor, I can see in photos that his cheeks are puffier & he’s eating bottles & solids great.

His doctor felt like he showed enough improvement that we don’t have to go back until their 12 month appointment! Our plan is to stick with what we’re doing. Keep encouraging healthy high fat solids & doing fortified bottles at daycare & in the evenings. She also recommended added rice cereal/oatmeal into yogurt/fruit to up the calorie count just a little bit more.

She gave me samples of a new preemie formula to start using. Gerber Good Start {the preemie 22 cal version}. Anyone used it? Since I noted my frozen stash is dwindling & we might have to give part formula bottles at some point in the next couple months, she recommended the Good Start stating it was supposed to taste more like breast milk than Enfacare while still having all the preemie formula benefits. So we’ll start giving that a try when our current can is done.

Yay for our ‘{not so} lil guy beef up goal’ to be working! Here’s hoping he’s grown into the 9 month {16.5 lb+} summer outfits I got him at the consignment sale last Friday night by spring!

Categories
Reading

Perfect Match

I finished Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult last Thursday {I’m a fast reader}. And I’m left feeling that I’m 62% sure I read it before. Maybe? Years ago, I went on a Jodi Picoult tear, reading everything of hers that I could get my hands on. And Perfect Match was left in my PBS wish pile. So maybe I hadn’t read it.

I feel like if I had, it would’ve left a mark on my brain. But at the same time, reading it {maybe again} as a mother, makes me see events & characters completely different. Where before I would’ve felt very bad for 5 year old Nathaniel & his mother Nina as they dealt with his sexual assault, now I was haunted to the point of almost having to put the book down. Perfect Match definitely caused me to open up some communication lines with the husband over when to discuss stranger danger etc with the babies.

I won’t go into all the details & spoil this book for you, but as a mother of young children, the thought of Lucy or Zach being harmed by someone we know or don’t know or by whom we entrust their care, scares the shit out of me. And I honestly don’t know what I would or wouldn’t do if that situation occurred. So I can’t blame Nina for the actions she takes in Perfect Match. As a county DA who prosecuted sexual predators, she knew the way our system can {& does} often fail the young victims.

Perfect Match is yet another {like Lone Wolf} Jodi Picoult book that I couldn’t put down. You know that I normally read while pumping. The last two novels, I brought home with me & had to read at night before bed to get just a few more pages into it before the day was done.

Perfect Match is one of Picoult’s earlier books, so while it’s told from multiple points of view {first person from both Nathaniel & Nina}, the different voices don’t have their own fonts in this one. But the author does a great job with diction & sentence structure so that you can easily tell which character is currently telling the story.

I’d recommend Perfect Match to any Jodi Picoult fan. But I’d warn a new or young mom before hoping into this one blind.

Categories
Motherhood

Badges of Honor

I had a breakfast mid-morning meeting & was getting together college friends for an after work happy hour last Thursday. I wanted to look nice for the day. So I got dressed in pants, heels & my nursing tank. I waited until after Zach & Lucy’s diaper & outfit changes & nursing sessions were complete before throwing on my sweater. But then, while bending down to get them ready to go into their car seats, both crawled over & grabbed me at the shoulders. As I pulled both in for hugs & kisses, I felt it. The dampness on my shoulders. I was marked.

I had ‘Mommy shoulders’. At that point, I had two options: change clothes & be late to work trying to figure out a new cute outfit, or two, wear my sweater anyways. I sighed & laughed & went with option two. Hoping my curly hair worn down & a fun grey necklace would take the spotlight.

My ‘Mommy shoulders’ are my current badges of honor. Proof that my struggles with infertility are over. Proof that all the hard work of TTC & a multiples pregnancy were worth it. I have babies that love & adore me as much as I do them. And if that means I go to work & sneak out to meet friends with drool on my sleeves & not my snot on my shoulders so be it. I wear them with laughter, love & pride.

Categories
Everything Else

TV Addict

Current shows I wish I had time for: Scandal. Smash. Parenthood. Glee {since there are 5 episodes on my DVR}. Modern Family. Betty White’s Off her Rockers {there’s 9 of those on our DVR}. Downton Abbey.

Shows I’m embarrassed I make time for: Teen Mom 2 & random others on MTV. American Idol. Grey’s Anatomy. Real World/Road Rules challenges.

Shows I make time for & then get scared & question my addiction {also see: shows the husband loves}: Walking Dead. Justified. Arrow. Homeland. Revolution. Sons of Anarchy. True Blood. Falling Skies.

Shows I watch because I still love reality TV: Amazing Race. Survivor {even though I’m way behind this season}. The Biggest Loser.

Shows Husband likes that I try to miss: all the ESPN ones except for 30 on 30. Sparticus.

Shows we watch too: How I Met Your Mother. Suits. Burn Notice. Covert Affairs. Royal Pains.

What’s your current TV obsession? What {else} am I missing out on?