Super Bubbas!

Getting ready to save the world!


The kids at their Nana and Poppy's house



Halle, Trenity and Caitlynn




Dave, me and Super Bubbas!

Angelo is now 13 weeks old. Some people are telling me that he's only 3 mos old today since he was born on the 30th, but I disagree. I gave birth to him on a Wednesday and that was 13 weeks ago, damnit! Anyway, he's around 14/15lbs and 24/25 inches long. I have to wait about another month before I get his official weight at his next doctor's appointment.

He's now sleeping from 10pm to about 8:30 or 9am. Once in a while he gets up early to eat and then goes right back to sleep. This is usually because he didn't finish his bottle the night before, which is fine since he passes right out. We still have him on 6 ounces of formula, but sometimes he goes to 8. Bubbas is taking about 3 naps a day now and I think that's because he's going through a growth spurt..God help me! We have him in 3-6 mos size clothes now since the 3 mos are just fitting him. One more week and that'll be finito!

Angelo's development is going well. He's still mimicking me and making very clear "O" and "AH" sounds. When he wants my attention, he yells "OHHHHH". It's hilarious! He's been a bit cranky lately and I think it's due to early teething. He's chewing on anything he can get his mouth on, especially clothes and burp cloths. I don't know what it is about that material, but he's all over that shit. LOL! He's drooling like mad and just loves it when I take his burp cloth and pat his lips. His eyes get wide and he gives me the most grand smile you'd ever see. Then he starts to laugh. Nuts, eh?

The Bubs has got the tummy time down. The minute I put him on his stomach he pushes himself up and looks around the room. I think he's hoping for something cool to happen, but no such luck. Sorry buddy! The only disturbing thing about his development is that he's rolling on to his back from his stomach at random times. Though I have him in a sleep positioner, which has been a life save (literally), I'm finding him in strange positions in the crib. He also does it in the Pack 'N Play. Once he's on his back, he wakes up and has a shit fit. "OMG, I'm on my back, I'M ON MY BACK! HELP!" I swear to God, that's exactly what he's thinking. He will only lay on his back if someone is hovering over and talking to him, otherwise, forget it!

Even though tomorrow is Halloween, the city in which I reside has a rule to do Trick or Treating the day before from 6-8pm. Unfortunately, it's a school night so it was absolute chaos when it was all over. Trenity went as Gabriella from High School Musical, Halle was Hannah Montana and Angelo was Superman! We couldn't find an infant Batman costume, but Dave was still happy. It was nice to have the best of both words, doing the girly stuff and the guy thing for Halloween. I'm so glad I had a boy because I'm terribly sick of PINK.

While I was in the middle of basking in my holiday joy, I started to think about my friend Dawn who lost her 4 week old son not too long ago. I feel so sad because I get to experience the baby's first everything and she doesn't. It makes me so honored and grateful to have these memories, not only with my son, but with the girls as well. I think I'll be in this mode for a while, especially during the holidays.

Yesterday we had to attend Parent-Teacher conferences for Trenity, who is now in the 2nd grade. Apparently she's improved a lot in the last couple of weeks, which makes us very happy. There's always room for improvement and we're right on top of that. She started doing tutoring sessions at one of the high schools and that is every Saturday. Dave takes her to that so I get a morning break from doing all the kiddie stuff, YAY!

Now on to me...

I don't believe I've lost any more weight, however, I'm avoiding the scale at the moment. I don't need to experience depression. I did buy a new pair of regular (not maternity) jeans a week ago and now they're way too big. That's either a great sign of weight loss or I was just a moron and bought the wrong size. I was so desperate to wear regular jeans that I didn't care if it's a nasty double digit size. So now I'm thinking that I need to just stick to my first pair of maternity jeans (which finally fit me again) until I can fit into my "skinny jeans".

Shirts are a pain in the ass. They don't carry any cute ones that work well with big busted bitches with rolls like myself. Nice. So I'm stuck with stuff that less than fashionable until I can get rid of a cup size. I so regret being too afraid to work out regularly while I was pregnant.

Now here's the great news. I'm getting my hair done on Saturday, FINALLY! I'm not too sure what I'm going to do with it yet, just that it'll be cut and highlighted. I can't take being frump mommy anymore. I'm not 30 until January and I refuse to look 40 so there. I'm gonna do it and I'm SO excited!

Angelo Is 3 Months Old, Holy Crap!

Angelo and Mommy - 3 mos later


Bubs smiling

Tomorrow marks 3 months since I gave birth to my beautiful son, Angelo. This whole experience for me has been a bit surreal. Next month is the anniversary of my positive pregnancy tests, LOL! Time flies and it's so unbelievable! Every day I think to myself, "Oh my God I'm a mother. I have a child. Wow, I sure am blessed."


To be honest, a year ago I wasn't saying those things or even thinking them. I was too busy dealing with the fact that I was falling in love, for real, with a divorced guy who has 2 children. I know it sounds silly, but for the type of person I was back then, it was a difficult adjustment. Then I found out I was pregnant and I swear it felt like I had absolutely NO control over my life at all. I went from being single, doing whatever I wanted and whenever to changing my lifestyle completely. Now I'm in love with motherhood and am responsible for raising a human life to be healthy and happy. My priorities are completely different, with Angelo being #1...forever. What a difference a year makes, eh?


Okay, so moving on to the Bubs...


I weighed myself then weighed Angelo and it looks like he's around 14/15lbs already. Damn, that child is eating like a pig and growing like a weed! His facial features are changing as well as his coloring. His eyes are clearly brown now. He has medium brown hair and his skin has gotten a lot lighter since birth. He's peeing like a champ too, leaking through his diapers like mad. I'm using Pampers Swadlers, which I found to be the best, but still there's leakage. I'm spending a lot more time doing laundry these days.


My bubs is smiling so much now and starting to laugh often. I'm waiting for the giggle still, though. He knows when I want to take a picture and plays games. He waits until the flashes go off and then shines me a big grin. He practically cheers when I say "Mama" and I just melt. He's really taking to his Jumperoo, however, he hates the music and quite frankly, so do I. We got the Fisher Price one with the jungle animals. He's playing with the toys on it and bouncing around since his feet can touch the carpet now. About 5 minutes after we turn on the music he makes it known to us that he's in hell, LOL.


Angelo has been a bit fussy lately when I leave the room for a second or put him down when he wants to play with me. He's very particular about having me around when other people are holding him. Although he's not a whiner, if someone else is feeding him or trying to play, he's checking the room to make sure I'm there. If I get up, he follows me by turning his head and once he makes eye contact, he stares me down. He doesn't cry when others hold him and that's a good thing. He can tell the difference between mommy/daddy, other family members and strangers now. He makes these confused faces when he's with someone he's not familiar with.

Finally, the bubs is drooling a lot and chewing on everything he can reach, even his clothes. It's so funny because he's chew on his collar, then realizes that it tastes like crap and makes the "eww gross" look. I'm waiting for him to start fussing because I swear he's teething. I'm praying that he's not too fussy though.


As for me...


I've lost 40 out of the 54 lbs I've gained during pregnancy. I only lost 5 lbs in the last 6 weeks, which is really disheartening. I think the pill has everything to do with that one and that pisses me off big time! I know I could probably work out a little harder, however, having an infant to care for makes it difficult. It seems like everytime I get into the work out, Angelo wakes up from his nap. Let's not forget that I'm self-employed so I'm trying get work done as well. I have 14lbs left before reaching my pre-preggo weight, but I've got another 20 to go before I get out of minor obesity. That's what I'm calling it these days because it's true.


I haven't been getting enough sleep because Angelo has been waking up an hour and a half early this past week. He hasn't been eating his entire bottle before bed so maybe he's just hungry. I'm going to focus on getting him back to his normal sleep schedule so I can get back to mine. Dave is on baby duty tomorrow morning so hopefully my body clock won't wake me up. I'm going to try and re-adjust that tonight.

11 Week Old Bubbas!

His new thing: drooling and chewing


"I'm trying to smile for ya mommy, really!"



Tummy Time


Dave and I came back from our trip to West Virginia Sunday afternoon. We went white water rafting and camping. We had a great time, but were very sore from the excursion Saturday and Sunday. Leaving Angelo was hard for me at first, but I was okay once we got on the road. Dave's parents said that he was very good and got his afternoon naps in. I didn't have much trouble getting him back on schedule when we got home.


The bubs is now sleeping longer at night. He goes to bed around 10pm and is now waking up at 8:30am. I have to delay his morning nap an hour in order to adjust to his new night time schedule. His morning naps are becoming pretty inconsistent. Sometimes he sleeps for an hour and other times he goes for 2-4 hours. His afternoon naps are still the same, about 2-3 hours. I think he's going to start rejecting his morning naps soon.


I think Angelo is playing mind games with me, LOL! He knows what the camera is and doesn't smile until after the flash goes off. Man, I really want to show you guys how cute he can be. Maybe I'll get some good pictures after he turns 3 months, which is next week already! Bubs has a new habit, sticking his tongue out like crazy. I came home from my trip and that's what I got. I was only gone less than 2 days!


He's doing really well with tummy time these days. I can put him on the floor and he immediately pushes himself up without assistance. Maybe now he'll start getting into the play gym we got him. I've also noticed that Angelo is becoming pretty needy. He prefers human contact to toys, which I'm happy about. He still gets bored every 20 minutes or so, no matter what he's doing. I'm hoping that this human contact thing will give me the opportunity to teach him more stuff and perhaps develop his skills faster.


Bubs tries to pull himself up once we're done with a feeding so that he can sit upright. It's really cute! He likes to stand on my legs too now and he's really strong. It's funny because he stands on the tips of his toes. The other new development is his excessive urination. This child pees like a champ and is starting to leak through his diapers in less than an hour's time. He's soaking wet when he wakes up in the morning. I've had to do laundry a lot more this week, that's for sure!


Now, on to me...


I've been on the pill for almost 2 months now and I'm getting my periods a week earlier than I should. This worries me because I'm bleeding the week before I take the placebos, which is when I'm supposed to start. I wonder if I could get pregnant during that time, if something happens to the condom. Yes folks, I'm I'm using 2 methods of birth control because I definitely don't need to get pregnant again. I just want to enjoy my life the way it is. If we ever decide to have another child, we want it to be planned. I don't really see myself doing it again, even though my pregnancy and birth was flawless.


I've lost 40 out of the 54 pounds I gained while I was pregnant. I'm a little bummed because I have monthly goals and I'm not reaching them. I'm guessing the pill may have something to do with that. After I lose the preggo weight, I have 20 more to go in order to get back to the weight I was when Dave and I met. Our work-out equipment finally came last week and Dave's almost done putting the weight bench together. Our bike is done and I'm using that every day since it's getting colder outside and I can't take the bubs out.


Also, I'm noticing that I'm getting motivated again, YAY! I'm almost done with my home office. All I have to do is paint and decorate the walls. I think I'll start that project this Saturday since Dave will be able to watch the kids while I work. Next on my agenda is a new website for work. I'm very excited about it and I can't wait to get started!


That's all for now. I hope everyone is doing well and I wish you all a great recovery from the retrograde!

Cristin

10 Weeks Old!

10/9/08 - Chillin' in the jumperoo


"Are we done here?"



"I'm too quick for your camera, haha!"

Talking to the toys

Angelo is 10 weeks old already, wow! He's a big boy, eating an easy 6 ounces of formula every feeding and rice cereal a few times a week. He doesn't go back to the doctor until November 19th, so next week I'm going to get on the scale with him again. I want to get an idea of how much he's grown since his last appointment.

My 'lil bubs is displaying quite the personality and loves to "talk". It's funny because he seems to be a morning guy, whereas Dave and I most certainly aren't morning people. He eats, gets a diaper change then wants to chat, LOL! He mumbles stuff only God understands, but it's cute anyway. I do, however, have him saying his "O's" clearly and when I say, "Mama", he smiles BIG and tries to form the "M" with his lips. I'm gonna get his to say it before "Dada" if it kills me, damnit!

He still gets bored every 20 minutes or so and still prefers to be in the upright position, unless he wants to sleep. Speaking of sleep, this child sure loves his! He takes morning and afternoon naps then goes to bed from 10pm to 7am. If he doesn't get his naps in he's a bit cranky, but then again, I'm that way too.

Dave and I are going away this weekend and it's the first time I have to leave Angelo with someone over night. This is really going to kill me, I'm sure. He's staying with Dave's parents, brother and sister-in-law from tonight until Sunday afternoon. I know he'll be just fine, but I'll be calling there fairly often. This will be the second trip Dave and I have taken (for fun) alone since we started dating. I spent the majority of our relationship being pregnant so this trip is definitely necessary.

Pictures - 9 Weeks - Bath Time!

Mommy and Angelo after the bath


I love this picture



His favorite part




Bubbas taking a bath at Grandma's house!
First time in the sink.



Scroll down for more pictures from MI and my 9 week update

Pictures - 9 Weeks

Trip to MI: Me, my sister Laura, my Niece Sienna and Angelo



Us plus my mom!




Mom being goofy with the bubs




Aunt Laura couldn't get enough of her nephew




Mom's bf Mike with the bubs

Tummy time at Grandma's in MI

Aunt Aimee with the bubs

Aimee took all these wonderful pictures, so thanks!! I love them.

Letting Go - 9 Weeks

I just got back from Michigan after attending a baby's funeral. My friend Dawn, who I wrote about back when I was about 21/22 weeks pregnant, lost her son Bradly on Friday, September 26th. He was only 4 weeks old. The showing was on Monday, the funeral was Tuesday and it was AWFUL. I am heartbroken for Dawn, Brian and their family.

We found out that he had a major issue back when she was 17 weeks pregnant, but had hope for his survival after he would have surgery and time in the NICU. He was born 4 weeks after Angelo and weighed 8lbs, 14 ounces. His surgery was a few days later and went well, however, he was stuck on ventilators the entire time. He passed away in his mother's arms 25 minutes after removing him from the machines. That was the only time she could hold her son.

I came back from Michigan on Wednesday very depressed. Every time I looked at Angelo I would tear up. I'm so grateful that my son is healthy and growing beautifully every day, but angry that my friend, who would've been an excellent mother to Bradly, was denied physical motherhood not once, but TWICE. She had a miscarriage at 9 weeks when she was married back in 2004. I'm angry because there are so many mothers out there who could care less about their children and treat them poorly. I had a friend who is like that and of course, she's no longer in my life. It makes me sick. I'm working on letting go of my pain and anger so that Angelo doesn't pick up on it.

Angelo is now 9 weeks old. He's the love of my life and I am making sure he knows it every day. He's getting so big and now he's wearing mostly 3 month size outfits. He can still wear some 0-3 mos, but only if they run big. He's still eating, farting and sleeping like a champ! He's also doing well in the mimicking department and he's got the "O's" down. I'm working on the "Ah's" now. He's smiling a lot, but I still can't get him to giggle enough.

My bubbas is eating rice cereal a few times a week and a 6 ounce bottle every couple of hours. My doctor told me that I can give him the cereal whenever I want, so I think I will increase it to once a day. I don't want to overwhelm his little digestive system with solids too quickly. He LOVES the cereal, man. It's funny to watch him eat it up.

The only problem we're having at this time is that Angelo doesn't like his car seat anymore. He is fine for the first 5-10 mins in the car, but starts screaming soon after. Once we get him out of it, he's a happy camper. I'm really bummed about that. My 4 hr drive (one way) to Michigan was hell. He only slept for 30 mins. I wish there was a way I could change that. I knew eventually I'd have an issue with something since he's been so perfect for 7 1/2 weeks.

Angelo's sleep schedule got messed up due to the trip and he wasn't able to take all his naps. He gets a morning nap around 9am-12pm, an afternoon nap from 2pm-4/5pm and goes to bed around 10pm then wakes up at 7am. He's been going to bed earlier since I came home and that was around 8:30/9pm and still slept until 7am. I'm hoping that he'll be back to his old ways tomorrow.

That's all for now. I'll be posting new pictures soon!