Remember those who gave their lives for ours and for those still serving in the military around the world.

Happy Memorial Day from my veterans to yours.  Jason was in the Navy and my Dad was in the Army.  Gage’s other Grandpa was in the Air Force.

Don’t forget to give your own veterans a hug today.  And then go outside and grill up some good food and have some laughs with friends and family!

This past year I spent my 6th year on the New Clevelander’s Club board, having a number of positions ranging from president to newsletter editor.  When I accepted the parliamentarian position last May, Gage was just along for the ride, but once he arrived in October he was running the show so we missed a lot during those next few months.  In January we started going to the monthly beard meetings.  He slept through that first one and we had to leave the last one early because he was disgruntled, but he liked seeing all of the smiling ladies.  So, at the changing of the guard this week Gage got all dressed up and went to his first country club, appropriately named, The Country Club (for some reason that always makes me laugh).  He left the house with socks and shoes but by the time we arrived at the club he was missing a shoe and a sock, so he went in barefoot and I appreciate the club not kicking him out since he had no shoes 🙂  That picture is us with the new president, Natalie.

Needless to say we did not make it through the whole thing, but he did make it about an hour and fifteen minutes, which I thought was pretty good for him.  Next time I’ll have to see if I can get him on the golf course!

 

Gage’s grandpa (and new grandma) came to visit this weekend and it’s obvious he has a lot of growing to do.   Daddy is 6’4″ and Daddy’s daddy is 6’5″. When I took Gage to the doctor a month ago he measured in the 7th percentile for height, which got me nervous that he may have inherited Mommy’s legs.

So, I looked around for height predictors and came up with anywhere from 5’9″ to 5’11.5″, but this is based only on the height of the mother and father.  A more accurate indicator is the baby’s height at age 2.  They say by the time a baby is two if you double the height that will be their adult size.  We’ll have to wait for that one.

So, how tall are your kids compared to you and the father/mother?

Today we took Gage to church for the first time.  It would also be the first time we’ve left him alone with anyone but my parents and I was nervous.  Not that he’d be neglected, but that he’d cry the whole time.  The reason we’ve waited so long to do this is because for the first 6 months he’d been a fussy baby, but the medication for his acid reflux has helped him immensely and we were ready to take the plunge.

The church we attend, Parkside, is a great church.  There are 3 morning services with about 2000 regular attendees.  It also houses a very small cafe and bookshop.  For such a large place it does feel like a community.  With its size also comes some perks.  Like lots of nurseries.  There is one for 0-6 and one for 7-12 month olds.  Since Gage will be turning 7 months old this week we decided to go with the 7-12 nursery.

We managed to keep him awake so that when we delivered him he was snoozing away his morning nap.  We took our pick up card and walked around before entering the service.  We were ‘by ourselves’ with perfect strangers looking after our kid.  Weird feeling.  Well, an hour or so later after a great sermon on the prodigal son we went to the nursery to find Gage being carried around by one of the four people working there.  And he wasn’t crying 🙂

So, mission accomplished.  Next up is trying the day care our community center provides so that I can start to lose some of this baby weight.

Oh, and how many pictures does it take to finally get one that shows his two new bottom teeth without him sticking out his tongue or closing his mouth?  19.

I have been blessed with the most wonderful mother ever.  I always thought she was great, even during those adolescent years when your parents can’t seem to do anything right.  She is patient and kind, understanding and forgiving, a peacemaker.  I always knew that there was no way I could be the mother that she was and is.  Thankfully, she’s a big part of Gage’s life, so he gets to benefit from her awesomeness too.

Motherhood is hard.  The week I was in the hospital to have Gage was difficult for me, but wasn’t easy on anyone.  My Mom took that week off work and the next to help at home as I recovered from the c-section.  Couldn’t have done it without her.  Then when Gage got sick she stayed that week and the next after he was home and, again, couldn’t have done it without her.  I was a mess that week after his hospital stay and she let me cry and break down and I never had to worry that I was passing that stress on to Gage.  Grandma saved the day.

I will never be the mother that she is, but I can try.  I will fail, but I know that she will be proud of me anyway.  Love you. Mom.

Gage has Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD).  It’s relatively common, up to 35% of infants have some degree in the first three months.  Gage was only diagnosed after his scary stay in the ICU and is now on medication.  This week we’ve been to our pediatrician twice and the GI doctor once because his spit-ups/vomiting became worse after we started him on vegetables last weekend.  The doctors have assured me that he is fine and this excessive spitting up shall pass.  Someday.  Until then they only want Gage to be a “happy spitter”.  Do you think he looks like a happy spitter?

GERD is not fun and most pediatricians are reluctant to diagnose it in infants because it is mistaken for colic and/or it passes on its own after a few months.  After Gage’s non-diagnosis in February our pediatrician thinks that GERD may have been a contributing factor, although not the sole reason.  I will take as much spitting up as necessary as long as Gage eventually grows out of it and we don’t have any more scares like the one we had.

I’m hoping next week to have a report on his first teeth (I feel two poking through).

Gage and I at Panera last night (please forgive the hair) with Daddy behind the camera.  This week Gage will mark 6 months in this world and I thought I’d pass along a few things I’ve learned in my half year of motherhood.

When they (and by they, I mean everyone) tells you ‘colic’ will go away at 3 months, don’t get your hopes up.  We’re at 6 months and counting.

A born worrier can be a bit of a frantic mother.

When the pediatrician says “rice cereal” she does not mean Rice Krispies.

A naked, wet baby is pretty darn slippery.

It is possible to live on sugar and caffeine.

Labor is every bit as horrible as you feared it might be.

You can survive a week at the hospital with your baby being poked, tested, discussed, but not without scars.

People say the husband/father isn’t first anymore, boohoo.  While this is true, the mom is not  1st, 2nd or even sometimes 3rd, so accept it.

Giving away baby clothes is like saying, “We’re done.”  Without having to say it.

Books or websites that tell you at what age your baby should be doing something can be detrimental to your health and should looked at for amusement, not fact.

The closer you live to your family when you have a baby, the luckier you are.

Do not be afraid to swaddle your baby til he looks like a burrito.  It will save your sanity.

Naps are not only for the young.

Singing or music usually saves the day (or a good mood).

We need a mirror in every room.  Our guy cracks himself up.

There’s poop on my hand/shirt/hair?  And?

Infants are as scary as you think they are.

Motherhood is indeed as awesome, wonderful and fulfilling, as everyone says it is, but it also sometimes sucks.

I could watch my sleeping baby for hours and under no circumstances do I want you waking him up.

Having a loving, hands-on dad has made this mom a happy one.

I may not be the best mother yet (I’m a work-in-progress) but I do have the best son and I’m thankful for him every day.