I'm the perfect parent

I am the perfect parent! Or I was. Before I had a kid.
There are a number of things I said I’d never EVER do as a parent. Oh how I’ve done them. But I’ve learned that there is nothing wrong with parenting the way I see fit if I am making healthy and loving decisions for my daughter. Some of those things are quite humorous while others are ‘make it work’ moments.

I will NEVER let my child sleep in bed with me.....

~ Ha! Well that didn’t happen. My baby has always struggled with sleeping. Early on I realized that she would fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer than an hour at a time,
if she slept with me. So that’s how that got started. Did it feel wrong? No. But did I feel like everyone around me would judge me and think I was wrong? Yes. The truth is that our society feels it is wrong when there are so many societies that know no different. It is a special protective time to cuddle with my baby. I feel like I am protecting her and she feels safe. And above all, we both got more rest. Now that she is 7 months, she no longer sleeps with me. I felt like the time was right and I am now so glad to be back in bed with my husband knowing my big girl is sleeping safely in her own room. (We still take afternoon naps together on occasion.) :)

I will NEVER EVER smell my child’s bootie to check if she’s dirty.....

~ This one just makes me really laugh! So I remember before I was ever pregnant I was at work when I saw a dad pick up his child and literally touch his nose against her bottom and take a whiff. I recall my disgust as I promised myself I would never do that. Lets just say I do it. On a weekly basis. Every time I take that whiff I remember what an unexperienced parent I was before my bundle of joy came along.

Someone once told me that it’s easy to parent when it’s not your kid. It’s so very true.

And here is just a little extra photo of the day...

This is what I walked in on when I came home Sunday afternoon! ;)

These are a few of my favorite... um... resolutions?

So there are a few things that I have decided to do more...

• Read- I have been trying to read ‘The Shack’ for a few months now. I’m just not a big reader. Along with the fact that I don’t have much time for it.

• Bubble Baths- Just cause I wanna. :)

• Work out- I’ve been doing alright in this department, but “alright” just isn’t going to cut it anymore. So Hubs and I joined a gym yesterday! No more home workouts.

• Blog- My opinion is that no one wants to read my lame ramblings. I’m not that great at it either. And I don’t have that much time to devote to it (especially with all the things I’ll be doing more of). But my hubs really wants me to do it for one reason or another. At least 3 times he has tried to convince me. So I told him I’d do it for some time, see the response, and re-asses.

Peace out! ;)

Postpartum Brain

Is there such a thing as postpartum brain? This would be similar to pregnancy brain. I can’t remember anything nowadays unless I write it down. And I’m having a hard time listening!

So this past weekend I was with my mother-in-law and I asked a question. I paid attention as she answered it, but then she added in extra information. She lost me then. I pretend I’m paying attention and nod, but I don’t even know where my mind is! It’s weird! So as I walk away, I think, “I wonder where the lids are... Oh wait! I think that’s what she just told me while I tuned out! Think. Think. What did she say? Oh yeah! The back of the pantry. I can’t believe I didn’t listen again!! This is becoming a problem...” (Yes. That was my though process.)

I can’t remember how many bottles I’ve given Elianna almost every night. I forgot the biscuits in the oven today and burned them. I forget all the time to take my vitamins. I repeat things over and over to David because I’m not sure if I’ve told him. I have forgotten my keys in the backseat of the car after I took Elle out and went into a store while my car was total available for anyone that wanted it! Every time I needed deodorant this weekend, I had to hunt for it in all of our 3 bags. I kept thinking, “Why don’t I just put it back in the side pocket every time so I always know where it is!?” I then use the deodorant, and catch myself tossing it on top of a pile of clothes. I turn around and it hits me what I JUST did! So I have to consciously (while my brain is on) put it in the side pocket.

Needless to say. This is a problem!! Geez.

7 Years of Sitting with You

It was my 19th birthday and I had to say goodbye to my mom (going back to Brasil) and my sister (going to England for a semester). I was at a college I was new to, a town I wasn’t familiar with, and in a state I didn’t really know anyone. After our goodbyes I was so upset I went straight to my dorm room where I cried and slept for a couple of hours.

That was when I decided I would pick myself up and go do something. I made up my mind that I was going to quit moping around feeling sorry for myself. Instead I was going to go meet some people and make some friends. There were plenty of activities going on since it was the first week of college. Checking my freshman schedule, I realized I was supposed to be at a seminar about some book about Christian colleges (which I definitely had not read). So I headed out to the small auditorium where it was being held.

Arriving at the auditorium, I realized I was very late! I had to slip in as quietly as I could and find the closest empty seat on the end. Though there were plenty of empty seats to just sit my bootie in, I decided that I would choose my seat deliberately next to someone so I could meet them. As I scanned the room as quickly as I could, I noticed a guy I thought was pretty cute. He was the one (literally)... that I would sit next to.

Since I am Brasilian and was relatively new to the US, I was not too familiar with the American term “personal space”. Though there were plenty of empty seats down the entire row, I sat right up next to this boy. No skipped seat or anything! And I thought nothing of it. Hehe! As I sat through the 5 remaining minutes of the seminar, I kept trying to think of a way to talk to him so that I could have a friend and maybe meet the group of friends I was sure he had. At the end of the talk we were instructed to group up with the people around us and discuss why we had chosen to go to a Christian college. So of course, I was in the group with this boy and a few other people. We shared a little bit about ourselves and this boy began to tell me all about how he was on the baseball AND the basketball team. I was laughing on the inside thinking this poor boy only wishes. I don’t remember much more of our conversation, but I remember I thought he was cocky and did not really want to get to know his friends (I think God probably was laughing, thinking "if they only knew"). I left that auditorium alone only to re-meet that boy a semester later in a class.

Little did I know that I had just met the love of my life. My best friend, companion, husband, and father to our daughter. I had no idea that that conversation would be the first of many. That I would choose to sit next to that man every day for the rest of my life. It’s been 7 years since that young and immature girl met her Prince Charming.

“Oh how the years go by. Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes.”

I love you forever.

PS- I was to later find out his opinion of me that day was not the greatest either. Haha! I guess we were not quite ready for one another.

A little before we were "officially" a couple, Summer 2005

Visiting David in California, January 2006

Engaged!, July 2007

During our engagement, November 2007

Our wedding day..., December 2007

Baseball times, January 2008

Happy, October 2009

Expecting our first baby, Spring 2011

Family of 3!, August 2011

A Day in the Life of a 8 week-old

Oh man.... what a day!

Had a great time hanging out and chatting it up with my friends!

Talking to Elephant, Horsey, and Glowy the glowworm

But I got worn out! Had to take a nap with my WubbaNub (a stuffed animal attached to a pacifier). Her name is E.B. (Ella Bella -her name on the box) and I love her. :)

Napping with E.B.

Little Prankster

*Written one and a half weeks ago...*

Ellie is sick! She has her first cold. It has been pretty hard to deal with, mainly because it’s heartbreaking. There’s not a whole lot we can actually do for her. Thank goodness she does not have fever (yet). We have to keep a close eye on her temperature because she is still just 5 weeks old and a fever is so serious at her young age.

Today when David came home for his short lunch break, Ellie had been fussing all morning because she didn’t feel good. He loves holding her whenever he’s home. He had asked me if I had tried swaddling her to calm her (he’s a master swaddler) and I told him no because she seemed to be getting too hot and I was afraid for her temperature. Well... as I thought he would, he swaddled her and she slept for the next 3 1/2 hours (that’s pretty normal for her when she’s healthy though)!

When Elianna started waking up, I did what I always do. I unswaddled her so she could stretch out. When much to my surprise, I found a NAKED baby!! Daddy and Ellie had played a prank on me! He had unclothed her before swaddling so she wouldn’t get too hot. But the best part was that I was laughing so hard when I discovered it which made her laugh too! And there is not much sweeter than a naked laughing baby.... :) We laughed together at each other for 5 minutes! Love it.

Little Prankster

"Sleep on the Sheets"

Advice. Please don’t misunderstand this. I welcome advice as new parents. I WANT it! But, wow! Lots of advice has come our way. I really appreciate it because I really kinda don’t know what I’m doing yet. LOL! But I’ll get there.

I have received advice on topics ranging from emotionally coping and breastfeeding to sleeping and bathing. And everything in between. Recently David and I went to the mall to return some clothes I had bought for him. The woman helping us saw that we had a newborn and she asked me how I liked those 3am feedings. As the conversation progressed, it was time for some unsolicited advice! She suggested that when I wash Elianna’s sheets, that I lay on them for at least 5 minutes before putting them in the crib so she smells me and sleeps better. Sounds worth a shot to me!

Tonight David was reading a parenting book (that at least 4 people have recommended, unsolicited. And we LOVE it!) and he ran across this quote:

“In my experience, America’s favorite pastime is not baseball, but giving unasked-for advice to new parents.”

He immediately turned to me after reading it aloud and went on to say how true it was. He then brought up the encounter we had had just a few days prior with that woman.... “It’s just like the other day babe! We go to the store just to return our merchandise and head on our way and what do we get? Sleep on the sheets.... Sleep on the sheets.”

It cracked me up! But this is how I see it. When I know something is worth telling someone else to possibly help them in something they’re going through, I’ll want to share it! I figure if we’re reading parenting books to find new ideas, solutions, and answers, then we DO need advice. Solicited OR unsolicited. So please keep it coming! :)