Baby Must Haves: The First Year

My last baby must haves post was geared toward what to buy before the baby comes and shortly thereafter. Here I will attempt to compile a list of things that have been useful during Carter's first year of life as well as tips & tricks I've learned along the way...

1. Best parenting books I've read for baby schedules/sleep: The Happiest Baby on the Block (I got the DVD since as a new parent I wasn't doing much reading in my "spare time") and Happy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.

2. A jumparoo or exersaucer is a lifesaver for the 4-9 month age range. Carter was fairly content jumping away as I quickly went to the bathroom, did dishes or made dinner. (Who am I kidding, I never make dinner). This is the one I have, but that was based soely on a superficial level- I liked the colors best. OH, and it had the highest hight limit, which I knew I needed for my monster of a son.

3. This should really be my first point instead of my third, but I'm too lazy to change the order of the numbers to anything other than the order that things pop in my head. Sorry. This is one lesson I learned just in the nick of time before I blew my entire budget on baby items: YARD SALES ROCK. People are always selling kid stuff at yard sales. Never buy any new baby gear, and certainly not any toys, until you've gone to a few yard sales. I always see exersaucers (usually $30 max), bumbos, books, TONS of toys, strollers, you name it. I draw the line at car seats (for safety reasons) but pretty much 100% of the items in my playroom are from yard sales. This beauty below I got for $5! With a good cleaning, many things become good as new.

4. I also have a couple of consignment shops that I frequent for clothes. It is painful to spend even $20 on an outfit that they wear maybe 3x before they grow into the next size. Used baby clothes are usually in great condition because they aren't worn very long! All of Carter's clothes are mostly hand-me-downs or consignment store/yard sale finds.

5. This book is the holy grail of all baby food books. It is awesome. Word of caution however: the homemade aspect/nutrition aspect is a little overwhelming, especially for busy working moms, so take much of that with a grain of salt. VERY helpful, however, is a list of when to introduce your baby to what foods, as well as how to prepare/store food if you do choose to make some of your own. Some foods I found very easy and convenient (and cheap!) to make on my own, and others it was worth it to buy. Regardless, this book gave me all the info I needed to know (and then some. Lots actually.)

6. This website is a close second when it comes to baby food introduction/preparation. Very helpful alone or with the book above.

7. These are the spoons, bowls and sippy cups that I use. No problems, no regrets. I especially love that the bowls have lids (huge to life) and are microwaveable and dishwasher safe. I also think that starting to give Carter a sippy cup with water around 6 months after every meal really helped him catch on fast. By 9 months he was taking his milk in a sippy cup instead of a bottle, and we were done with bottles forever!

8. Carter always preferred these pacifiers to other types. He stopped liking soothies around 2 months. Then he stopped liking them all together at 4 months and preferring his thumb!

9. Sleep sacks are the best for summer sleeping. Sleepers were just too hot and stuffy. Just put them in a onesie, zip them up in the sleepsack and that's it!

10. This thing is awesome for storing bath toys and even has a little ledge to put baby soap on. That way your bathtub isn't littered with baby stuff all the time and it all stays in one compact spot. I got mine on craigslist for $10 after looking for it at yard sales for months! I don't know that it is worth $45, but it is pretty awesome.

11. Love this high chair. It saves so much space, is easy to transport if needed, cleans easily, and the tray can even go in the dishwasher. Plus, it converts to a booster seat when the baby gets bigger!

12. Things that make bibs awesome: snaps (babies easily learn how to rip off velcro, plus it gave Carter a rash at the back of his neck), waterproof-ability and washability. I never really did like the plastic pocket ones...the pockets never stay open, they are hard to clean, and they seemed uncomfortable. In my opinion, Carter's makes the best snap bibs. 

13. This stuff works awesome for getting blowout poo stains off of clothing before washing!

14. Yes, it sounds gross, but this thing is seriously the best investment ever. I promise-NO SNOT GETS IN YOUR MOUTH! Those nasal aspirators are crap and hardly do anything at all. A couple saline drops with the Nose Frida and Carter could finally breathe again, which means we ALL get some sleep!!

15. Carter still sleeps to white noise, and that works for me because he sleeps awesome both at night and during naps. If he needs white noise until he's 20 to sleep, so be it. After realizing that our awesome cloud b sound giraffe (which is still great for the car or somewhere else without electricity available) turns off after 45 minutes (and thus, he would wake up after 45 minutes), we bought this sound machine which has been an amazing investment. It is also just as portable as the giraffe for travel/play dates that require naps! LOVE it.

16. I like to slice up bananas and apples and freeze them and then put a slice in these for Carter to munch on. Its easy to prepare, he gets the nutrients from the fruit, and he can't choke on it. Plus, its nice if he's teething!

17. Food pouches are awesome for on the go. Carter learned to just suck the food right out, which creates absolutely zero mess, doesn't require a spoon or a bowl, and is awesome in a pinch. At home we use either homemade purees or jars (just because of price) but the pouches can't be beat.

18. Baby proofing stuff is way more expensive than I expected. I've gotten some stuff (outlet covers and plugs, etc) at yard sales or consignment stores along the way, but I've had to buy some stuff new too. My only advice on this is start registering for/looking for cheap finds early on so you have to buy as little as possible new!

19. Another awesome thing to get consignment/yard sale/hand me down: SHOES. They are darn expensive, and of course the best quality ones are usually Stride Rite, which are more expensive than shoes I buy for myself. I've been picking up shoes whenever I see them on sale (no matter the size-he'll grow into them eventually!) and I've been pretty lucky with hand me downs so I haven't had to buy a lot of shoes. It is important to keep in mind that for early walkers, they should have a soft sole like Robeez.

20. Another food item which is sweet for mashing fresh foods like banana and avocado. These are nice too, when they start eating puffs/cheerios.

21. I love this humidifier. Don't waste money on a crappy one like I did.

22. For toys, I am pretty firm about never buying new: but if people ask for gift purposes, Carter has been really into balls and stacking cups, although he'll play with pretty much anything, especially things he's not allowed to play with...this is his current favorite toy, which I got at a yard sale for $2.


OK, I think 22 items is enough for now. I'm sure there will be an update in the next year when he outgrows all this stuff!

Where I'm at

Most people who read this blog (all 2 of you) know I'm going through this "thing" right now-figuring out my spirituality/religion/Jesus following thing...and I'm happy to say that I finally feel like I'm actually moving in a forward direction. I'd say I've been on this journey for a few years, but most of that time has been spent in a stagnant, unmoving, skeptical and apathetic place. 

For some reason, something clicked this year and I began moving again. I got to a place where I had a choice to make: I would either scrap Christianity all together, or strip away everything I've ever known about religion, start from scratch and learn what it truly means to follow Jesus. I was simply UNABLE to sit still where I was any longer. I was tired of going through the motions of "church", religion and Christian Americana when I knew in my heart it didn't feel right to me. 

The young adult Bible Study as well as the friendships I've developed within that group have been really central to my continued forward motion, and I am so thankful for that. I've come to a place where I've thrown everything out the window and am slowly picking the pieces back up again, analyzing them, and putting my faith back together. I've come to the conclusion that the concept I am shaping this faith around is that I really, truly believe that living like Jesus is what I am supposed to do with my life. I'm not wearing a "wwjd" bracelet around, but I've begun to filter my thoughts and actions that result through a Jesus-colored lens. It has actually been quite amazing how different I think and feel since I've begun doing this. I'm beginning to lose my apathetic edge (a bit) and instead see the world through loving eyes. 

There are a few conclusions that I've loosely come to lately through this stripping down/building up process of mine. They are:

1. I don't think most churches (as in, buildings with Sunday morning services and members/attendees) are focused on living like Jesus. (See previous post) Until I can come to a place where I appreciate the church for what it is instead of what I want it to be,  I cannot bring myself to attend at this time in my life. I DO, however, believe that a community of believers is essential, so right now the young adult bible study I attend is my "church" and I feel like it is currently beautifully fulfilling all those parts of me that long to be a part of a church.

2. I don't believe the concept of "sin" is black and white AT ALL. For example, I don't believe some things are simply wrong and some simply right. My working definition of sin is something that comes in the way of a)your ability to love Jesus, b)your ability to love others or c)others' ability to love Jesus and others. I hate to sound like a relativist, but I really do think that by this definition, sins can be different for some people than they are for others. Many of them are the same for everyone too, like murder. (Feel free to show me a me someone who is not mentally ill who can murder without affecting their love for others (the person they killed?) and for Jesus, the ultimate pacifist) Its all the grey "sins" that I think can be different for people-for example- drinking, gambling, swearing, sex, and even homosexuality.

3. I'm struggling with the concept of prayer. I'm still not sure where I am on this one. Stay tuned.

4. This is the last one, but the most important one. This is the concept that my faith is literally built on, and if you take it away, nothing else matters. And that is LOVE. And out of love comes huge things like social justice, living simply and environmental sustainability. It is this concept of love that is challenging me to the very core of my being. 

I'm re-reading Shane Claiborne's "Irresistible Revolution" and every line he writes simultaneously comforts me (that I'm not the only person that thinks this way) and challenges me so hard that sometimes I feel like I'm being punched in the gut. I'm currently struggling with what it means to REALLY follow Jesus. If I'm not going to reflect His love through my actions, then I might as well forget about confirming His words with my lips. 

Right now, I am not loving the way I feel I should. I am sitting in a comfortable, air conditioned apartment, typing on my expensive computer about my feelings while my brothers and sisters in Christ are starving, homeless, sick and needy. I am planning vacations while my neighbors are suffering. I am using my education to care for white middle & upper class well-insured women who have a million provider options while there are poor pregnant people who might NEED me. I'm not saying necessarily that all these things I'm doing are wrong, but clearly I'm not doing something right. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I can't even count how many blessings I have, and how many of them do I give to others or to the earth? Tithing 10% on Sundays and giving money to charity is an easy way to keep my distance from the actual need in the world while still patting myself on the back. How many homeless people do I even know? Zero. How many truly suffering people have I even talked to? Zero. 

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

I don't know that Jesus is calling everyone to live like Shane does, but the world would sure be a better place with more people like him. All I know is that at the very least, I want to glorify Jesus with every last thing I own, every last minute of my day and in every encounter I have with others. This is proving very challenging at times and at others very natural, easy and rewarding. 

I think it is going to be a process-and perhaps a long one-but again, at least I'm moving forward. And for now, that's enough.

SO TIRED OF IT!

Yes, I'm tired of many things, and yes, I'm literally tired as well. But right at this moment I'm tired of one thing in particular:  "just wait" moms!!


If you're a parent, you know what I'm talking about. For some reason, "seasoned" parents like to crush the very being of new parents via facebook. It is like a sick, one-upping game that makes them look like a superior parent. It is something I noticed long before I had a child of my own through my friends and led me to be careful NEVER to complain about my pregnancy or my baby on Facebook because I knew all hell would break loose with the "just wait" moms and I couldn't handle it without flipping out.


Still don't really know what I'm talking about? Here's a hypothetical scenario:


New mom's Facebook status: I am so tired, baby was up all night crying!


Comments:
Mom #1: Just wait until you have 5 days in a row of that. Then you'll be tired!
Mom #2: Just wait until he's teething, then he'll cry all night for a month straight!
Mom #3: Just wait until you have two and they tag team you!
Mom #4: Just wait until they're 13 and you're up all night waiting for them to come home!


The pregnancy statuses always get it the worst. Hypothetical scenario:


Pregnant woman's Facebook status: So uncomfortable. I can't believe I have another trimester of this!


Comments:

Mom #1: Wow, and you haven't even hit you're third trimester yet. You're in trouble! 

Mom #2: Just wait until you can't see your feet anymore and you're 2 weeks overdue like I was!

Mom #3: You think its bad now, just wait until the baby actually gets here!

And then there's always the commenters with unsolicited advice, but that is another post for another time......


Seriously, people?? If you are a parent, you know that it is one of the most challenging, exhausting, rewarding, exciting crazy rides of all time. You know that when you are pregnant, you sometimes feel like crap and like the baby will never come out. You know that when you have a baby, you experience things you never thought you would and sometimes you feel like just sitting and crying because you feel so incompetent. You know that when have a toddler, sometimes you feel like throwing them against the wall (but that would be bad, so you don't.)


And BECAUSE you know all these things, you think that the responses of "seasoned" moms to other moms would be understanding, uplifting and encouraging. How about "Things happen, you're doing great!" or "I remember that, it sucks!" But sadly, I see a lot less of this and a lot more "just waits". Why can't we let pregnant moms and new moms experience things open-mindedly like we did? Why can't we let them have complaints without telling them it is just going to get worse? Why can't we encourage instead of tear down?


Want a real scenario and not a hypothetical? Here's the post that inspired me to write this blog. I'll of course leave names out but if you're Facebook friends with this person as well, it won't be much of a mystery. While there were actually quite a lot of comments, I just included the worst of the worst ones. Why are there more than one worst of the worst???


New mom's Facebook status: "For the first time in my life, I watched poop explode out of another human being's rear end. My changing table will never be the same..."


Comments:
#1: "Wait until she explodes poop in your lap! :-)"
#2: "get used to it"
#3: "I am worried about you and this poop thing... Wait until she starts eating real food!"
#4: "Sweetie what did you think was going to happen on the changing table? Just wait until she figures out how to take off the daiper...Good times. Here comes the real tip...wiping a new born's bum gets them going. Put a new diaper under her to help with explosion containment. Buy lost of satin remover and the best way to get it out is to work inside out that way you are not scrumbing the stain in but out."


The last one is the ultimate "just wait" mom trifecta. It includes #1: Talking down to the new mom ("sweetie...what did you think would happen?), a "just wait" comment (of course), and then top it off with unsolicited advice. GAH!!!


Parents, lets be kind to other parents. Lets let them enjoy all of the good and not so good experiences that come with it. Lets let them complain, because they have a right to do so. Lets tell them they are doing a good job, because THAT is what a new mom needs to hear most of all.


Off soapbox.

Church follow-up

I've done a lot of thinking and mulling over my church post, as well as discussing with others and I think I have come to a conclusion that works for me right now.

At this time in my life, Wednesday night is my "church" in the sense of a weekly meeting of a community of believers. I have found an amazing group of people who truly care about loving others.  In this group, I can be real and honest and others are real and honest too. We dive into scripture and discuss struggles and issues that we all have with the institution of "religion". We desire to have a community-outreach focus using our collective strength in numbers and talents. I can stick around until the wee hours of the night discussing freely how to live and grow as a follower of Jesus, and never feel judged or attacked. Nobody is horrified by my at times apathetic words. There is an expert of scripture who I respect greatly who adds so much to the conversation, both using the Bible and his own personal struggles. There are people who live close and people who live far, all from various backgrounds but all seeking the same thing-to discover how to live like Jesus and grow within a community of believers.

THIS is the community environment I've been looking for.

For the last year or two, when I go to "church" on Sundays, I feel angry, depressed and frustrated. I just can't at this point in my life bring myself within the 4 walls of a church building on Sunday mornings during the "worship hour" and have appreciation for what it is. I hope that someday I will, but right now, going to church on Sundays is doing more harm than good for my relationship with Jesus and others. After writing my last blog post, I finally released myself from feeling the immense guilt and pressure to go to church on Sundays which was eating away at me and making me angry whether or not I went.

I think I need some time away from "church" as we know it-to think and pray about the reasons I go (or don't go) and to maybe try to find some kind of beauty and purpose in the discipline of attendance.

Until then, I feel confident that I have a community of believers that are filled with love and compassion and hunger for learning, growing and serving and I actually look forward to attending each week.

This is truly the definition of "church" anyways, is it not?

Working Mom?

As I'm getting closer and closer to having a job (hopefully), I've begun to think about what working really means and starting to panic a little bit. I mean, I've been home with Carter just about 24/7 for 6 1/2 months. The only motherhood I know is being with him all the time.

Although I want to work, and am looking forward to it in a lot of ways, I am really having a hard time knowing that working means not being with Carter as much. Mommy guilt is the worst! As of now, *I* am the one he knows the best, the one that knows him the best and the one who knows exactly what he needs. How will I deal with this shifting? Will he get more used to the way that child care does things than how I do them? Not that my ways are better, but I am his mom and the idea of the ways I do things as being foreign to him is scary. Right now its all he knows.

He's my little buddy. We spend all day together. Of course, there are days/moments when I wish I could thrust him in the hands of someone else and take a break, but overall I enjoy being with him. He goes everywhere with me.

What will I do when I only get to see him for about an hour total during weekday work days, when I get home from work right before he goes to bed? Yikes!! I can't even imagine it. What if I miss the first time he crawls, or says mama, or actually starts to enjoy solid foods? The thought of not being able to be a part of those moments is so sad.

I know that this is the reason I am only going to work part time, but maybe I've over-committed. When I'm home from work, I'll have to be doing grading, etc. for Principles of Bio. Am I going to have ANY time to spend with Carter, let alone Jay?

I know that I want to work, and doing so is the right decision for us, especially financially....but I'm kind of having a freak-out day wondering if I'm making the right decision. I don't want to regret it, or feel like I'm missing out on Carter's whole life. :(

church.

Okay, I thought I'd blog about something on my mind lately (as in, the past couple of years). Church. Is this blasphemous that I'm writing this on Easter Sunday morning? Probably.

As of right now, sometimes even the thought of going to church puts a pit in my stomach. I am so tired of the routine of: dress up and grab your Bible --> grab a bulletin from a greeter --> find a pew --> Welcome & announcements from Pastor --> Worship songs --> communion/special music/prayer/whatever --> sermon about how to make Jesus fit into our every day lives --> prayer --> leave ready for lunch and a nap.

I know most of this is from my experience growing up in and sticking with the Nazarene/Baptist church for the most part, and all church is not like this. But after living in 3 states and 8 addresses in our 5 years of marriage, Jay and I have been to a lot of churches. We've pretty much stayed within the Protestant denomination, but the structure is always the same-just throw a little extra presentations or special music in, sometimes a splash of communion, sometimes a shorter/longer sermon, sometimes you're allowed to have coffee in the sanctuary (gasp!), but its all the same.

Simply put, I'm tired of it. Here are a few of my questions. And disclaimer again: I know not EVERY church is like this. Some churches might have it together. This is purely based off of my experiences in the last 28 years of churchgoing.

1- Why does church have to be on Sunday mornings?
2- Why does church have to involve all these structural components, and in the same order?
3- Why are we forced to "worship" through music collectively, for 10 minutes, every Sunday? How many people go home and worship on their own, either through music or in other ways?
4- Why are sermons always about either warm fuzzy topics or "tough" topics which are usually about giving things up in your life that hinder your spiritual growth? Why do pastors always try to make Jesus' message mold to fit our easy, 21st century lives?
5- Why is serving others discussed pretty much only once a month, and only when talking about one time mission trips or excursions (next week, we're going to go sing at the nursing home!)
6- Why is doubting and asking questions so discouraged? I'm sure most pastors would say that it is NOT discouraged and in fact encouraged, but I certainly have never felt encouraged to do so in church-so something is missing there.
7- Why do most people put on a happy face mask for church, give fluffy prayer requests (please pray for my son's friend who was in a car accident-please pray for my grandfather who has cancer-please pray I do well on my test this week), and then go home and struggle with things they would be horrified to share in church? Where are the REAL prayer requests? (Please pray for me-I'm struggling with what I believe, I am trying to figure out what it means to be a gay Christian, I am struggling with mental illness, my marriage is struggling, etc)
8- Why are children sent downstairs to receive a dumbed-down child size happy-feeling message filled with songs, snacks and play time? How does this prepare them to appreciate church and faith as an adult?

Lets get one thing straight-I am not anti-church. In fact, I think church is important. However, I just haven't yet found a church where I feel like I belong, or where I don't feel sick to my stomach at the comfortable structured American-ness of it.

I feel like the primary reason to have churches and NOT just worship/study individually is because we are called to be a community of believers. Supporting one another, adding different viewpoints/opinions to various topics, working together to help the community around us.

To me, THAT is the point of church. Not obligation, not societal expectation, not to sit there and be "fed" weekly by a message.

Here is what I wish church looked like. And yes, I'm aware that I'm adding some kind of structure here, which is what I'm raging against, but just go with me here.

1. Not necessarily on Sunday morning, weekly.
2. Has a part of the "service" dedicated to discussing doubts, questions, hot topics, Bible passages, etc. regarding the Christian faith. Obviously this is where a "pastor" type, or someone with formal theological training would come into play-to add things like "well, this is who wrote this Bible passage, and this was the cultural context at the time, and this is what the original meaning was in Hebrew/Greek, and these are different ways this passage is interpreted, that topic is mentioned in the Bible here", etc. etc. etc)
3. Has a part of the "service" dedicated to discussing REAL struggles in one's life or the community. And the answers by the rest of the group to these struggles are not simply "I'll pray for you" but "I'll pray for you AND here's how I plan to help you with this".
4. Has a part of the "service" dedicated to looking for tangible, long term ways to help the community-and then putting plans in motion to actually do it.

That's all I want.

Strip down the rest of the church show and give me this.

THEN I'll go to church.

Excitified

I found out recently that I might actually get what I've been waiting 8 months for...a job opportunity where I did my clinical rotations. I am 50% excited and 50% terrified....100% excitified.

What if I've forgotten everything I've learned since school? What if I don't live up to the positive reputation that I've been given? What if they are disappointed in me? What if I mess up....and the cost is bigger than I could ever imagine?

What if I can't handle being a working mom? What if I feel guilty for leaving Carter? What if I took on too much-between agreeing to teach in the fall/spring, a job, a husband and a son?

What if I fail?

Reverting to quizzes

Lately (as in the past 5 years or so) I've been going through this spiritual journey/searching/doubting kind of thing, whatever you want to call it. I hope to post more here about my struggles, decisions, etc. if I'm brave enough. I hate confrontation and disagreements, especially within groups of Christians because we can be the nastiest people out there, and I don't want any part of that. So while I'm hoping my blog can become a place where I can get my thoughts out through writing (which has always helped me), I am gun shy just because of my natural recoil to discussing anything remotely controversial that someone *might* disagree with, however essential to my journey of faith.

This morning I spent Carter's nap period not doing the dishes or planning my class for the fall like I was supposed to, but frantically googleing things like "what type of Christian religion are you quiz" and "what church do I belong to". Jay and I have been very wishy washy about church the last couple years because we haven't really felt like we identified with any of the ones around us. I DO believe in the beauty and necessity of having a faith community of some kind, however, I don't necessarily believe this has to take place at 11am every Sunday. We're working through that one currently.

Anyways, one of the quizzes I took this morning was called "What kind of Christian are you" and this was my result..

You are A Brian McLaren Christian

A.k.a. a Rob Bell, Phyllis Tickle, N.T. Wright, Tim Keller, Eugene Peterson Christian. You subscribe to Sojourners or Relevant...or, more likely, Rolling Stone, Paste and The Atlantic. (And maybe even Geez!) Your Christian history is rooted in St. Francis, who leads (through Gandhi) to Mother Teresa and Martin Luther King, Jr. You emphasize social justice as an element of God's kingdom. You might be "emergent" or "progressive," but you're probably post-evangelical.

...not surprising at all, but not exactly what I was searching for-why can't google just magically tell me what denomination EXACTLY fits my beliefs and then mapquest a church that is awesome and only .3 miles from where I live? Come on, internet. Don't let me down now.

Am I strict?

I'm going back and forth lately regarding being a strict parent/scheduling. Some mothers swear by it (babywise types), some mothers swear against it (attachment parenting types). I can't say I 100% fall into either camp, and I think that is OK with me. I find that I'm strict about some things and not strict about other things, and so far that has worked for me. For example:


1. I'm very strict about going no less than 2 hours and no more than 3 1/2 hours between feedings during the day. If it has been less than 2 hours and Carter is fussy, I give him a pacifier or put him down for a nap and he will usually settle down fairly quickly. I am sure I'd be crucified by strict AP's for doing this (including one of my former preceptors), however-I think that because of this, Carter has seemed to learn that the boob is strictly for eating, not comfort. When he's done eating, he stops and actually prefers to have a pacifier. That might not be okay for some, but it is quite freeing for me! If it has been 3 hours since he last ate and he is awake, I feed him whether he seems upset/hungry or not. He has never once turned me down! :) If he is sleeping at 3 hours, I will let him go to 3 1/2 and either feed him whenever he wakes up or-YES-I will wake him up. (gasp! I thought you were never supposed to wake a sleeping baby!) I've found that he sleeps better at night when he doesn't go long stretches during the day without eating, and THAT is worth it to me!!

2. At night, I'm also somewhat strict about feeding. He does sleep through the night-most of the time. And by that I mean to bed at 7 or 8pm, waking once around 5-6am to eat and then going back to sleep until 7 or 8am.  Sometimes he will wake up and cry during the night, and Jay or I will give him a pacifier and shush him, and he usually goes right back to sleep. If he does not, we will see if he'll calm down in 2 minutes or so, and if he doesn't I will feed him. I really try not to feed him before 5am but it has happened sometimes (probably growth spurts). I just can't get myself to let him cry it out at this point-especially because he sleeps through the night without waking more than not. One day dropping that 5-6am feeding will be pretty awesome! Jay and I have a system for it though-he goes in to get Carter while I get ready (lay on my side, put a waterproof pad underneath where he will lie, get a burp rag ready and closeby, and lift my shirt, basically..haha). He brings him to me and I will feed him on one side (usually takes 5-10 mins). Then Jay will burp him while I get ready to switch sides, and bring him to my other side when he's done. After Carter's done with the other side, I burp him and put him back to bed. It works very well for us!

3. I am not super strict about nap times. (This is where the babywise parents shake their heads at me). Since he's been born, Carter has been a great napper. Basically, when he's tired, he just goes to sleep, wherever he is and whenever it is. He could be in my arms, in his crib, on his playmat, in the bouncer, in the swing, wherever. Now, at 5 1/2 months, he has gone from probably 7 or 8 30 minute naps a day to 3- 4 naps a day. I haven't tried to schedule it, it just usually happens. So why mess with a good thing? I try to make sure he takes a morning nap (somewhere around 9-11am), an early afternoon nap (somewhere around 11am-1pm) and an afternoon nap (somewhere around 1-3pm). Depending on what time his afternoon nap was, he will usually take another one around 4-5:30pm. Then he goes to bed at 7 usually. I can tell when he's tired (he gets cranky and rubs his eyes), so whenever that happens, if he doesn't fall asleep where he is, I usually either put him in his swing (he sleeps reeeeally well in the swing!) or in his crib, and he generally falls asleep easily. These days, his naps are usually 45min-1hr long.

4. I am very strict about a bedtime routine. I think it has really helped Carter know that this is not a nap-this is bedtime-and he is to sleep for a LONG time. Haha. I feed him in my bed, change him into his PJs/nighttime diaper, read him a book, and sing to him. Then the white noise giraffe and his mobile go on, and he's usually out like a light. Awesome.

5. I am not (well, I'm trying not to be) strict about where he goes to bed. I don't want to be the type of family that HAS to be home at 7pm for their kid to go to bed (what kind of life is that??). I haven't had too many opportunities to have him go to bed somewhere else yet, but I'm hoping to do that at least a few times each month so that he will fall asleep anywhere and not have to be home.

6. I am strict about keeping up my milk supply. If Carter gets a bottle, I pump. It might not be at the same time that he gets the bottle, but I make sure that I pump once for each bottle he gets that day. Usually the pumping session happens at night, when he is in bed, which works well. I think that doing this has maintained my milk supply as I have never had a supply issue-if anything, I had a massive oversupply in the beginning. I try not to pump as much as possible, however-which usually results in me bringing Carter everywhere I go and/or rushing home from errands so I can feed him, which is a little stressful at times. It is just so much easier to just nurse him than it is to pump! Not to mention, it is not super comfortable to skip feedings and I'm terrified of getting mastitis again!

Okay, so now that I've made the list it seems like I'm pretty strict about most things. Here I am, thinking that I am such a laid-back parent, and I guess it turns out I'm not at all. Oh well. Haha. I should have known. I suppose that naturally anxious parent + first time parent  = generally super strict parent. I will just have to try to fight this in some ways in the future when he is old enough to hate me for it...

Baby Must Haves/Stuff Advice

I decided to write this post since I feel like I've learned a lot in the past few months that there is no way I would know unless I had a baby of my own. A lot of this advice was thankfully passed down to me from friends who had been there before as well. I don't want to forget any of it, so that I can also share with friends having their first baby as well as patients. Keep in mind, this is only my opinions,  I'm sure many people will have different experiences with these products than I do/did.

-Best sleepers: Stretchies from the Children's Place. They are lightweight, have ZIPPERS (you try doing tons of tiny little snaps on a squirmy baby at 3am), and the feet just fit right. The sizing is pretty accurate too. Plus, they have adorable patterns and are cheap!

-When it comes to onesies, Carter's brand are really good (and not just because it shares a name with my son!). They are found most places (including Kohl's), reasonably priced, and they are generally true to size. Plus, they fit well-some other onesies tend to be too wide and not long enough. Gerber brand fits well, but they run AT LEAST 2 sizes too small (Carter is currently 5 months old, wears 12 month clothes for the most part, and is in 24 MONTH Gerber onesies...) and Babies R Us brand fit well too but they run about one size too small (Carter is wearing 18 mo BRU onesies). Invest in/register for some short AND long sleeved white onesies. You will always get use out of them alone or under other clothes!

- My Brest Friend is the best nursing pillow. The boppy is good for propping/tummy time/etc. but sucks for nursing. The Brest Friend is flatter, you can snap it around your waist, and there are little bumps in it to elevate the baby's head. It's great!

-When buying a stroller, if you are sold on getting a travel system (one where the car seat can snap onto the stroller and then when the baby outgrows the carseat it can be used as a regular stroller), keep the WEIGHT of the stroller in mind. If it is more than 20-25lbs, it can be very burdensome, especially when you're by yourself and lugging it out of the trunk of the car to go into a store. Some good, lightweight travel system strollers are the Graco Metrolite and the Graco LiteRider, which both hold a Graco Snugride 30 or 35, which are rated top in infant car seat safety. Chicco brand is good too.

-A good alternative to a travel system is getting a snap n go to use with the infant carseat and then a separate, lightweight stroller. Some things to look out for: presence of cupholders (for mom of course), the size of the basket underneath (you'd be surprised how much crap you put down there), and the handle bar height if you're especially tall (like me) or short. In general, what you pay for is what you get when it comes to strollers, but that doesn't mean that cheaper ones can't be good too.

-When registering for gifts, go ahead and put a bigger, convertible carseat on there. If you get it, great! You don't have to pay for it later when you need one! The top of the line in safety is the Britax brand. Keep the weight limits in mind-the higher the weight limit, the longer you can use it. Make sure it is able to be used rear facing for as long as possible, as the AAP recommends keeping children rear facing until at least age 2.

- When looking for a swing, try to find one that plugs into the wall. Ones that only take batteries can get very annoying....

-Before buying/registering for ANYTHING, look at the reviews, especially on Amazon.com. That will tell you a lot about the quality of the product!

-If you plan to cloth diaper, buy a couple different brands to find your favorite(s) before investing in a large amount of one brand. Also, invest in some hemp inserts to use as doublers, especially overnight. Also, if you cloth diaper, cloth wipe too-so much easier and cheaper! Many people just use cheap, dollar tree baby washcloths as cloth wipes, or you can make your own with flannel/terrycloth fabrics.

-If you plan to use disposable diapers, Pampers Swaddlers are the best, hands down. They don't leak, fit well, and have the wetness indicator strip which is useful so you don't have to undo the diaper to tell if it is wet when they are a newborn.

-Using old school cloth diapers as burp cloths is very cost effective. You will need LOTS!

-I love Green Sprouts toys and tethers.

-When buying/registering for crib sheets, make sure the elastic goes all the way around and is not just in the corners. I like SheetWorld crib sheets, and they come in lots of colors.

-If your baby is choking/gulping/spitting up when drinking from bottles even with a slow flow nipple, try using a Preemie nipple. These Dr. Brown's ones work in both Dr. Brown's and Medela bottles.

-Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags are the best. They don't leak and hold a good amount of milk. Speaking of lansinoh, don't bother getting/registering for nipple creams. You can take some home from the hospital, and a little goes a long way. Plus, if you are having serious nipple issues, APNO (Rx only) cream takes the cake.

-Don't get disposable nursing pads. They are a waste of money, they leak and they show through your clothes. Cloth nursing pads are great, but most of them show through your clothes as well, and they can leak too. I've found the best ones to be bamboobies, which don't leak, and they are heart shaped which don't show under clothes. I can't even express enough how much I love these things. Worth the $$!!

-These are the best nursing tanks, hands down. They are supportive, easy to use, and comfortable. Worth the $$. The ones I've gotten from Target, etc just don't compare. I wish I had bought like 5 of these in different colors instead of ANY nursing bras. It is a lot more discreet when nursing in public, since it covers your middle.

-When it comes to getting a first aid/safety/grooming kit, make sure it has: nail clippers and a nasal aspirator. They usually include thermometers, but I learned the hard way that the ones that generally come in the kits take FOREVER to take a temp reading. You do NOT want it taking more than a few seconds when you have a stick up your baby's bum. You will probably have to register for/buy a separate thermometer-any kind is good as long as it clearly states that it takes quick readings!

-These swaddlers with velcro or something similar are awesome, and so easy to use. Much easier than swaddling with a blanket.

-Even if you don't think you will want a video monitor now, you most likely will after the baby is born. And if you're not sure, register for/buy one and just keep it in the box until you either decide to use it or return it. This is the one I have, and I like it because it tells you the temperature in the room, and it has a button that you can use to talk to the child when they get older (read: "get back in bed!!" or "I'm coming, hold on a second!")

-I love Mustela products, especially the lotion. Its great for baby skin conditions.

-Tovolo carries good, cheap silicone ice cube trays that are great to use for freezing baby food. Each square is about one ounce, and they are square so you can pop them out and freeze them in a bag and they can stand up or lay down nicely.

-I really like my Ergo baby carrier. It supports the baby by their bum instead of their crotch like the Bjorn does, which is better for their hips and just seems like it is more comfortable. Plus, you can wear it on your back (or daddy can!) which is a nice option. The Moby wrap is great too, especially when they are a newborn since it cradles them and keeps them close to you.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head of things I've learned that I would have never known before having a baby/doing research on products. I will keep adding to the list as I think of things/experience things and maybe one day will organize the points by product type so they aren't so scattered :). Hope this is helpful!

Five Months Old!

It is hard to believe, but each month with Carter just gets better and better. He is such a good baby-we are so lucky!! He nurses well, and usually only takes 20 minutes or less total. He is still sleeping sporadically-waking up between 1 and 4 times per night. I never feed him before 5am, and before that if he wakes up crying he is easily soothed with a pacifier and "shushing". Jay has been really helpful during the middle of the night wakenings which I am really thankful for!

He still flips to his belly in the left direction all the time, and he has gotten pretty fast at it. He still has no interest in rolling to the right or rolling back to his back from his belly. He has learned to sleep on his belly and seems to enjoy it, which makes me nervous but there is no stopping him. No matter how many times I flip him over to his back during the night, he flips right back to his belly. I called the pediatrician's office and they told me that as long as he is strong enough to hold his head up and we don't have any other SIDS risks in the house (smoking, soft mattress, stuffed animals/blankets in crib) then it is okay to let him sleep on his belly. They said as a general rule, if they are strong enough to flip to their belly, they are strong enough to flip back or turn their head if they can't breathe.

Since we've been working on Carter's torticollis, it has gotten so much better that by the time we went to his 4 month checkup, it was almost gone and the NP couldn't even tell he had it. He is still growing as much as ever and is now wearing 9-12 month clothing!

The best new things Carter has learned to do are laughing and squealing. Before, his laugh was more of a grunt, but now he actually chuckles and giggles, which absolutely melts our hearts. He doesn't do it often, but we can usually get him to laugh by tickling under his chin or his chest or by bouncing whatever soft surface he is laying on like an earthquake. His squealing is hilarious-it is like he all of a sudden found his voice and now wants to use it all the time. He is a busy little boy, constantly kicking his legs no matter what position he's in. We got him a jumparoo so he could get out his energy plus strengthen his legs and keep him in an upright position, and he loves it! We have some great videos of him enjoying himself in the jumparoo.

5 months in and still going strong with the cloth diapers. I have to admit, I really enjoy using them! (Never thought I'd say that about diapers!) And so does Jay...which is even more surprising! He was frustrated, almost mad in the "I will give you permission to buy these but I'm not happy about it" kind of way when I first discussed cloth diapering with him, but now he swears by them and is glad we made that decision.

At first thought, cloth diapering sounds like a lot of work, and gross. I will tell you right now it is neither of those things! Sure, it is more laundry, but between our clothes and the baby clothes we are constantly running the washer anyways and its not a big deal (plus, we don't pay for water or electricity, which is a plus too...)

Before Carter was born, I bought 12 Fuzzibunz all-in-ones, which means that you can use them from newborn until toddler. This cost me $220.

Since then, I have gotten 8 for free. 4 of them were a promotion, where you got one free for every 4 you bought. The other 4 were because on 4 of the diapers, one of the snaps popped off and fuzzibunz sent me replacements. Even though it stinks about the snaps, they are still usable, as long as we avoid those snaps which is easy because there are so many different ways you can size and snap them to fit. 

So now, having 20 diapers, we only have to wash them about every 4-5 days, which is not bad at all!

I will admit that I'm having some problems with leaking from the leg holes, but I think that it is probably because I don't change Carter as often as I should, and he is a heavy wetter. I got some hemp inserts to use overnight doubled with the regular inserts (they are supposed to be more absorbant) and he rarely wets through at night. If I can afford it, I would love to replace all my inserts with hemp ones. Much better than changing outfits all the time which is what I do now!

We still use disposable diapers when we go out. It is just easier to be able to throw away the diapers instead of put them in a wet bag and carry them around in the diaper bag. Also, we use disposable when we go away on vacations (like to Nashville) because I'm not going to just assume that anyone will let me use their washer for my son's poopy diapers.

Which leads me to another point-they are not gross as many people assume. Poopy diapers are gross no matter what kind you use-disposables or cloth. When Carter has a poopy diaper, we use cloth wipes sprayed with a mixture of water and this stuff, (its pretty much like 95% water to 5% diaper juice-it goes a long way!) and wipe his butt, then spray the poop on the diaper with this stuff, which really helps get the stains and stink out. We remove the insert from the pocket, and then we throw them both in a trash can with a cloth, reusable antibacterial liner. When we start to run out, we just dump the whole thing (including the liner) into the washer. Breastfed poop is water soluble, so that is all we have to do! When its just pee, we just skip the wipes and the spray altogether and just make sure his bum is dry before putting on a new diaper. 

When he starts eating solids (in one more month...eek!), his poops will no longer be water soluble and our routine will change a bit. I got flushable diaper liners that we will use, and then when a poop arises (they will be more solid than they are now), all we will have to do is remove the liner and throw in the toilet. Honestly, I think it will be easier and cleaner than dealing with liquid-y breastfed poop like we do now!

I would say that as of now, we are probably nearing the point in which we have made up for the cost of cloth diapering, but are not quite at the "savings" phase yet. We've only had to buy a couple of packs of disposables so far, as well as a couple of packs of wipes for on the go. (By the way, don't waste money on anything other than Pampers Swaddlers diapers! Learned that the hard way.) I did some calculations, and if we used disposables, we would have spent at least $300 so far on diapers alone, not including wipes. With the $220 Fuzzibunz purchase plus the hemp inserts, the sprays and the liners, we are probably hovering around the $300 mark. It is nice to know that at least the diapers have paid for themselves at this point-and hopefully we will have another year and a half use out of them for Carter, and then again for a new baby! At that point the savings will be enormous.

Although I do like the fuzzibunz, I am thinking about buying a couple of other brands to try them out and see if I like them any better. There are lots of brands out there and there is never a downside to increasing the stash! :) I kind of wish I had done this first instead of buying all of one brand, maybe other brands don't leak out the legs as easily as the fuzzibunz do, who knows?

Anyways, I certainly don't judge people that don't have any interest in cloth diapering, but I'm here to say that it is certainly worth consideration!

Out and About...without baby!

Carter had his first evening away where we had to put him to bed somewhere else last night. I went to the melting pot for a birthday party with the girls while Jay and Carter went to hang out with the guys. I was nervous to not be in control of the situation since Jay was the one with Carter-its not at ALL that I don't trust him with Carter because I 100% do. But I have control issues and get nervous when I don't know what's going on! I'm trying to work on it-mainly by forcing myself to remove myself from the situation and relinquish control.

Anyways, he did REALLY well! Jay gave him a bottle and did his bedtime routine (1/2 feeding, diaper/sleeper change, 1/2 feeding, book, song, white noise) and put him to sleep in a pink bouncer (ha!). He said he fell asleep right away! When I got back there, I transferred him from bouncer to carseat to crib at home without him waking up at all! THEN, he proceeded to sleep until 7am!! He did wake up once around 3ish, but after Jay quickly soothed him back to sleep, he didn't wake up until he was hungry at 7. That was amazing, because he usually wakes up closer to 5 to eat for the first time.

He has good nights and bad nights with the sleeping...and I can't pinpoint anything that would predict whether it is a good or bad night, so I'm not sure why sometimes he sleeps well and sometimes he doesn't. I do feel that it has gotten a little bit better now-on average, he goes to bed at 8pm, wakes up once around 2-3ish where he is easily soothed back to sleep with a pacifier and a "shhh" and then he wakes up around 5-6 to eat, goes back to sleep and wakes up again between 8-9 to eat again. It would be great if he always did what he did last night and not wake up until 7 to eat, and then 10.

He still doesn't take 2 long naps, but I think thats normal for this age. He still wants to sleep for about 1/2 hr-45 min between each feeding. I tried to get him on a "nap schedule" for about 2 days, but quit because he wasn't having any of it. Ha! There's no keeping him awake-unless you want him to be super fussy. When he's tired, he's tired. So I've just been letting him sleep when he's tired and it seems to work fairly well. I think eventually his naps will get longer and farther apart. That will make life a  little easier I think.

Sleep...how I miss thee

I will never take consecutive sleep for granted again! I thought I was so lucky when at one month Carter was sleeping through the night without so much as a peep-11pm-7am! This all changed shortly before we went to Nashville (over MLK wknd in January), so it has been at least a month now of non-consecutive sleep. Every. Night.

All we really have to do each time he wakes up is put the pacifier in his mouth and shhhh him and he'll go right back to sleep. I'm not sure if I fall into either camp of the cry-it-out (CIO) vs attachment parenting (AP) method-I usually let him cry for about 5 minutes before I go in and soothe him. I never pick him up (which is consistent with the CIO method). Sometimes he will fall back asleep, but 90% of the time, he just starts crying harder until I go in there. I don't know what to do-I know it is important for babies to be able to self-soothe, but it's really hard to let him cry longer than 5 minutes, plus I don't know if I really believe its good to let them do that. Maybe it would be good to try straight up CIO for a week or so just to see if it works. If not, I'll just survive I guess.

I don't know what it is!! It's not hunger because he is very easily soothed if he wakes between when he goes to bed (now 8pm) and 7am. After 7am, if he is crying, he is usually unable to be soothed by anything else and that's how I know he's hungry. Now that he's rolling over to his belly, it has added a whole new dimension-he ALWAYS immediately rolls to his belly when he's put down in his crib, and he will usually fall asleep that way (Which of course freaks me the heck out, but I called the pediatrician and she said if they can roll themselves over its ok to let them sleep like that), but then he'll wake up, realize he's on his belly and freak out because he still hasn't figured out he can roll back yet. That is fun. We used to go in there and roll him back over, just for him to roll right back to his belly again. We've had better luck now just putting the pacifier in his mouth and rubbing his back while he's still on his belly.

I thought that maybe the reason he kept waking up was because he was on his belly, so I tried to put him back in the Fisher Price rock and play which he slept in for the first couple of weeks of his life-that way he couldn't roll over. However, he still woke up the same amount of times. So its not the rolling.

I thought for a while that it could be teeth, but its been a long time that he's been biting his hands, drooling and waking up, and there's no teeth to be found.

Arrgh I just don't know why he's doing it!! He used to be such a good little sleeper. :(

I know I'm lucky that even though we are woken up multiple times per night (between 2 and 7!!) by his crying, he usually goes right back to sleep and doesn't stay awake and cry or anything like some babies. But the multiple sleep interruptions are sooo hard and I feel like death when I wake up! Luckily, he usually will keep going back to sleep until 10am ish, so it gives me a chance to sleep longer than usual to make up for the interruptions. Except for on days when we need to be somewhere! Those majorly suck. Waking up a sleeping baby hurts me to the core-it feels so wrong!!!

It's not a problem of him going to sleep-he goes to sleep awesome. We have a bedtime routine which is key-I nurse him, then we read a book, then I sing "you are my sunshine" to him, then I put him in his crib awake with the mobile and white noise machine. He always falls asleep within minutes and doesn't make a peep. That part is awesome. He generally doesn't wake up for the first time until 2am-ish either, so the first part of sleep is usually really good....IF I can get myself to go to bed early! (Which I usually can't!)

I guess maybe I'll try CIO this week and see what happens...I'll report back. ;-)

Wow, I forgot I had this blog. I'd like to bring it back-mainly because #1) I have lots of free time currently, and #2) I've been mulling over lots of stuff in my head in the last year or so that I'd like to get out on paper...computer....you know what I mean.

Since it is only February, I might as well start off with the annual new years survey that I've now been doing for FIVE years (!!) although I missed it last year. I can't believe its been 2 years since I've blogged at all. I love seeing how my answers change and how I am shaped and changed each year. Here goes.

 1. What did you do in 2011 that you'd never done before?
Gave birth-that's a big one!
2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't remember making any last year. This year, we resolved to #1) NOT move this year. #2) Give more. #3) Refocus on debt repayment, #4) Get me a job!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Ha...for starters, I did on October 10th. (Wow, never thought I would say that in one of these surveys someday!). Also Melissa Ball (March), Heather Ciras and Kim Amos (also October), and Lauren Capozzi (December).

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year.

5. What countries did you visit?
None!

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
A job!

7. What date from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
For sure October 10, 2011- Carter's birth day! 

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Besides giving birth (there is a theme in this year's survey...), graduating from my Master's program, passing my Boards and becoming a CNM/WHNP

9. What was your biggest failure?
I like to use the term learning experiences. :) I guess Jay and I haven't been quite as focused on paying off our debt as we were when we started, although we didn't lose steam altogether. We're back on board now, baby!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got that nasty stomach bug, 2 colds, and mastitis twice. All since Carter's birth...yuck!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
My iPhone...LOVE it and don't know how I lived without it! Also love my new iMac! I'm an apple girl...
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jay is and will always be my saint.... (same answer from previous years!) Seeing him as a dad has made me fall in love with him all over again.

13. Where did most of your money go?
Grad school and moving. Blah! This better not be the same answer next year!

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having a baby, graduating, Jay finally getting a job he is excited about

15. What song will always remind you of 2011?
LMFAO-Party rocking in the house tonight....

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier

ii. thinner or fatter? Actually thinner since I was pregnant this time last year! LOL

iii. richer or poorer? Poorer. Darn student loans.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Blogging/reflecting

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Stressing

20. How did you spend Christmas? Here in MA with my mom, Steve and Jimmy.

22. Did you fall in love in 2011? This question is becoming redundant. I wish I'd picked a different survey 5 years ago.  I think I am going to change the question to "How did your relationship with your husband change this year?" And my answer is that having a baby changes a lot-both positively and negatively. Our relationship has grown stronger throughout each move and having a baby has been the most fun bonding experience we've had as a couple!

23. How many one-night stands? See above answer. I am hereby changing this question to read "How has your child changed this year?" And my answer is that he changes so much every day! He has gone from a newborn to a 3 month old almost overnight it seems. Smiling and holding his head up have probably been his biggest accomplishments in 2011. Ha!

24. What was your favorite TV program? Modern Family (last year would have said LOST)

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? Again going to change the question to read "How have your friendships shifted this year?" My answer is that moving back to MA has brought a lot of my friendships back into the forefront, which has been SOOO nice. I really missed being able to hang out with friends!

26. What was the best book you read? I didn't read for pleasure as much as I'd have liked this past year. I think I read the hunger games this year or last-but those were really good!

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Adele, and Hanson's new CD of course. :)

28. What did you want and get? A baby. Ha! Also my iPhone...

29. What did you want and not get? Being debt free

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Breaking Dawn Part 1...lame, yes. True, yes.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 27 and I believe I was in clinical in Millersburg.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? I think I had a pretty satisfying year. I would have liked to give more.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011? Scrubs and dress clothes for the office. Lots of maternity clothes!!

34. What kept you sane? Jay, my mom and Kim-the greatest labor support trio in history.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you enjoy the most? Rachel Held Evans

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I try to stay away from politics. Something I should not do.

37. Who did you miss? My mom. Lots.

38. Who was the best new person you met? I've gotten to know a lot of new people this year, mostly through clinical placements.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011: You can't control everything!

40. A song that sums up your year: Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!



My answers from two years ago: 1. What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Lots of clinical skills :)

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
According to last year's survey, I did not make any resolutions last year. So no, I did not keep them.  This year Jay and I hope to continue paying off our debt with "gazelle" intensity!!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Ummm...yes! I feel like everyone I know....as far as MY friends go: Kristen, Jen C, Kim A, Candice and Jenn F gave birth!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year...

5. What countries did you visit?
None!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Calmness, confidence, money :) (I'll stick with my answer from last year)

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 14th-Jim & Taryn's wedding date

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Making it through my first year of grad school

9. What was your biggest failure?
Letting stress get to me

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I was pretty sick at one point this fall...but I was pretty healthy overall.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our wii! Its been a fun year!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jay is and will always be my saint.... (same answer from previous years!)

13. Where did most of your money go?
Grad school-but a lot of it has gone toward debt!

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Births!

15. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Anything by Lady Gaga

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? I'd say happier

ii. thinner or fatter? definitely fatter

iii. richer or poorer? its hard to say with student loans....but i'd say i'm LESS poor?

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? praying, relaxing

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? stress

20. How did you spend Christmas? I spent it in MA with Jay's family

22. Did you fall in love in 2009? I fell in love in 2004, but remained in love in 2009!

23. How many one-night stands? Ha....riiiight

24. What was your favorite TV program? GLEE!!

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I dont hate anyone...but I would say that my friendships have shifted a lot since last year. (Same answer as previous years!)

26. What was the best book you read? Harry Potter series

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? I don't feel like I really got into music this year....I'm content just listening to good old Fiona! 

28. What did you want and get? A wii, all As, paid off credit card

29. What did you want and not get? a new camera, being debt free

30. What was your favorite film of this year? New Moon or Blindside

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 25 and went to school!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Being debt free! (Do you see a theme? At least I'm passionate?)

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? lots of scrubs. Which is great and comfortable and all, except for the blinding red color.

34. What kept you sane? Jay Govoni, as usual! And my mom.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ummm...Taylor Lautner...

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Mostly nursing issues due to my policy class

37. Who did you miss? I miss everyone....

38. Who was the best new person you met? New youth group kids probably

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: Stress is not worth it! Taking time to relax is.

40. A song that sums up your year: "Under Pressure" by Queen/David Bowie


My answers from three years ago: 
1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
Moved to Ohio, started grad school

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Apparently I made some last year (soely based on my answer from last year's survey) but I don't remember them! I didn't make any this year. They don't work. You shouldn't wait for the New Year to change your life.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Melanie gave birth to Gabriel....and quite a few of my friends are pregnant (or will be!!) and will deliver in 2009!!

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year...

5. What countries did you visit?
None, but I visited quite a few states!

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Calmness, confidence, money :)

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 5th....the day we gave Trot up.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Starting grad school at OSU for sure. AND making it through my first quarter!

9. What was your biggest failure?
I feel that I am a constant failure in so many areas...my biggest failure I am unsure of!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yeah I was pretty sick one time when I was supposed to see Kate Voegle in concert. I was so sad to miss it.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
I didnt buy it (it was my birthday present) but my GPS has gotten more use than anything else I own!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jay is and will always be my saint.... (same answer from last year!)

13. Where did most of your money go?
Moving expenses again.... *Sigh*....actually scratch that....grad school!!

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Pregnancies!

15. What song will always remind you of 2008?
Little Miss by the Spin Doctors....not because it came out but because Jay and I constantly sing it with different words. Ha!

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder in some ways....happier in others

ii. thinner or fatter? definitely fatter

iii. richer or poorer? its hard to say with student loans....

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? praying, wedding planning

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? being lazy :)

20. How did you spend Christmas? I spent it in Mt Vernon with my family....then in South Carolina with family

22. Did you fall in love in 2008? I fell in love in 2004, but remained in love in 2008!

23. How many one-night stands? Just a few...no biggie.

4. What was your favorite TV program? I think 2008 was the year of TV....One Tree Hill, LOST, 24, House, Heroes, America's Next Top Model, The Office, Grey's Anatomy

5. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I dont hate anyone...but I would say that my friendships have shifted a lot since last year. (Same answer as last year!)

26. What was the best book you read? Twilight Series!

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery? Hmm....I think I would call Hanson a rediscovery. I went to their concert out of pure historical reasons and my love for them was reborn through their new music. :)

28. What did you want and get? A GPS

29. What did you want and not get? no more war, a loving world, a Wii, furniture, all A's

30. What was your favorite film of this year? I seriously don't even know. We don't ever go to the movies! There are a lot I still want to see.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 24 and had a birthday party at my mom's house.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? all As... :)

3. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? lots of scrubs. Which is great, except for the blinding red color. Other than that....what fashion?? I have lots of pretty bridesmaid dresses...does that count?

34. What kept you sane? Jay Govoni!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? "Fancy" always makes me chuckle. Hmm...I guess that one designer on Extreme Home Makeover...I dont even know his name!

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Lots of 'em! I tried to not get involved in debates though, because politics brings out the mean and hateful in people.

37. Who did you miss? I was lucky enough to see just about all of my friends and family at least once this year....I miss them all constantly though.

38. Who was the best new person you met? All of my school friends

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008: Fake confidence in stressful situations if you can't find it within.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "Breathe" by Anna Nalick


My answers from four years ago:
1. What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
Moved out of Massachusetts for the first time, applied to graduate school

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did make some for this year....so far, I'm not doing a very good job! I didnt make any last year.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My cousin Melanie....as usual. And I have a feeling maybe next year I will have more answers! :) (At least pregnant people, not necessarily giving birth)

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year...

5. What countries did you visit?
None this year :(

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
Money? Haha

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
August 27...my first day of work....eww.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
MOVING across country, and getting into the university of cincinnati!

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, I'm sure I failed at many things, but not enough to ruin my year!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not anything serious. Just a few annoying colds!

11. What was the best thing you bought?
An apartment?

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jay is and will always be my saint....

13. Where did most of your money go?
Definitely moving expenses!

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Moving was pretty exciting. At first! :)

15. What song will always remind you of 2007?
Solider Boy

16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Sadder in some ways....happier in others

ii. thinner or fatter? definitely fatter

iii. richer or poorer? poorer...a lot poorer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? saving money, praying

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? spending!

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent it in Nashville with my family on my dad's side!!!

22. Did you fall in love in 2007? I fell in love in 2004, but remained in love in 2007!

23. How many one-night stands? I will not even dignify this with an answer. Oops, I already did.

4. What was your favorite TV program? One Tree Hill

5. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I dont hate anyone...but I would say that my friendships have shifted a lot since last year.

26. What was the best book you read? Anything by Don Miller...and I really got into amish books too :)

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery? Did I discover Mika this year? If so, HIM!!!

28. What did you want and get? Into school?

29. What did you want and not get? A bedroom set/dining room table

30. What was your favorite film of this year? Ratatouille....love it!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 23 and worked at ENC, and then had a joint party with Jay where we made chicken stack ups and went bowling...but only Jay's friends came. :( (Except Jill!)

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More money...haha see a theme here??

3. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007? too much work clothes...i cant wait to wear scrubs every day!!!

34. What kept you sane? Jay Govoni!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Ooh, fancy? Hmm, Wentworth Miller?

36. What political issue stirred you the most? Lots of 'em

37. Who did you miss? Who didn't I miss?? We left all our awesome friends behind :)

38. Who was the best new person you met? I didn't meet these people: but getting to know Jason, Heidi, Laura and Lauren has been great!!!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: Live below your means

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: Movin out! By Billy Joel! :)


My answers from five years ago:
1. What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
I graduated, got married, lived away from my parents, got a puppy!

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I try not to do them, they are just unrealistic usually!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister Jessica gave birth to Embree

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Not this year!

5. What countries did you visit?
Just the good ol' USA....Hawaii though, not too shabby.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
No debt? :)

7. What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 28th (my wedding), October 24th (Trot's birthday) and December 26 (when we got Trot)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Definitely graduating from college!

9. What was your biggest failure?
Hmm, I'm sure I failed at many things, but not enough to ruin my year!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Not especially

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Trot!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Jay is a saint!

13. Where did most of your money go?
The wedding, paying off debt, Trot...

14. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Getting married and getting Trot (there seems to be a theme here...)

15. What song will always remind you of 2006?
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

16. Compared to this time last year,are you:
i. happier or sadder? happier.

ii. thinner or fatter? probably fatter!

iii. richer or poorer? richer

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Devotions

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Stressing!

20. How will you be spending Christmas? I spent it in Ohio with my mom and family

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? I fell in love in 2004, but remained in love in 2006!

23. How many one-night stands? Only about 6 or 7...haha just kidding!

4. What was your favorite TV program? 24

5. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? I dont hate anyone...but I would say that my friendships have shifted somewhat since last year.

26. What was the best book you read? Velvet Elvis

27. What was your greatest musical (re)discovery? Regina Spektor.

28. What did you want and get? A puppy!

29. What did you want and not get? I didn't really want anything else!

30. What was your favorite film of this year? I seriously have not seen any movies this year...haha!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 22 and I went to Dick's Last Resort with Jen and a bunch of people.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I read the Bible and prayed more

3. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006? CASUAL!

34. What kept you sane? Jay Govoni!

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Reese Witherspoon

36. What political issue stirred you the most? I need to get more into politics.

37. Who did you miss? My parents, Kim Hunt, Kim Amos, Emily and Joy

38. Who was the best new person you met? I dont think I met anyone?

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: Don't stress...its not worth it!

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:Wow, nothing comes to mind! Me, musically speechless...this is insane! Too much pressure!