The Tween Generation

First off let me say how much I hate the word tween. But the power was proven on the nightly news, if their info is correct. It seems the person who holds the attendance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is Hilary Duff. Not George Strait, the King of Country. Hilary, a tween idol, I suppose. Marketers have been targeting this age range for years now and it's obvious it is working. The sadest part, it's not their money they are spending. So basically, kids are telling their parents where to spend their money.

I have a question

No really, I do. I have been taking some video with my digital camera and I don't know how to get it to my family so they can share in Savvy's cuteness. I don't have a CD burner, I know, I'm stuck in the old days. Is there a site like flickr or somewhere, where I can share my videos or post them to my blog somehow? Can anyone help me?

I have an answer or two

Christine asked: Okay - what is your favorite color to dress Savvy in? (Before my daughter was born I rejected pink for lavenders and yellows, but after she was here I found pink was my favorite!) What is your favorite part of motherhood so far? Your least favorite?What is the best piece of advice about having an infant did you receive? And what was the worst?(If that is too many questions, just pick your favorite one.

I really dislike pink, but have found that I do dress her in pink a lot, because after all she is a girl and she is cute in pink. Pastels in general make me puke, but a baby looks good in pastels and it's a good thing because it's hard to find primary colored clothes for infants. I love her in white though. I don't really have a least favorite, but I suppose that I would not dress her in black even though I love black for me. Black is not for babies.

My favorite part of motherhood so far is breastfeeding I think. I love that quiet time you get with her. Only you the mother can feed her baby this way and it creates a bond that she won't have with any other person. One of these days I'm going to answer the door with my boob hanging out though.

The best piece of advice I received about having an infant is probably to sleep when she does although this is easier said than done. I do try and nap when she does, but because it is so random when she sleeps, I generally end up doing things around the house, taking a shower or checking email.

The worst piece of advice I have received is that it's okay to let them cry if you need a break. It's not that it is bad advice, but again, it's easier said than done. We have tried the cry it out method a couple of times and it just tears me apart, so we are done with that. When you need a break, hand her to someone else. But sometimes that has to wait until someone else is there.

Becky originally asked: how do you reference a specific blog or article in a post. I have figured out how to reference people, but I can't figure out how to zero in to a specific post on that person's site . But she got the answer to that from the wonderful Duke of Earle. So I will answer her next question, Have you had your first mommy margarita yet?

I tried to have a margarita at Jennifer's b-day party last weekend, but it was too strong and I don't think I would have been able to walk had I drank it. Now, wine on the other hand, I partake in a glass about every other day. Probably too much, but a girl needs a break.

Bekah asked: What has surprised you the most in this first six weeks??

Hmmm... The first couple of weeks were actually really easy. She slept most of the time and I didn't mind the night feedings because she went right back to sleep. I think as an expecting mother, you expect the first two weeks to be the hardest. They weren't for me. The two weeks following those were probably the hardest because the first two were so easy and then it got harder when she wasn't sleeping consistently and I didn't have as much help around the house and I was having to do more.

Tiff asked: How many times a day do you find yourself smelling Savvy's head? More than I can count. I love her head. And her cheeks. And her nose. All the way down to her toes.

Leslie asked: Did you ever think you could love something so much? No, I didn't. Plain and simple, there is no other love like it. I have wanted to be a mother my whole life and now that I am, there is nothing better. I have learned (just a little bit) though that along with that love comes great fear. I have chilled out a little bit, but those first few weeks, I couldn't watch the news without thinking of how I would manage if one of those awful things happened to my baby. I found myself tearing up over stupid commercials about children. I worry constantly that she will suffocate in the crib or one of those other many accidents that you think can never happen, but do. Fear takes on a whole new dimension when you have children, but so does love.

John Duke of Earle, the ever wise one simply stated, "Jazzy,That raised hand with the little clenched fist? That's not a question, it's a symbol of BABY POWER! Watch out for her when she gets older."

Funny he should say that. Usually when she does this, I not only ask her what her question is, but I speak what I imagine is in her mind, "Power to the Babies!" Oi!

Angela Marie asked: How and why did you quit smoking? Isn't motherhood great (even with all the spitup and pooping)?

I quit smoking cold turkey about 4 years ago this month. I knew that smoking affected my fertility and a friend had recently gotten pregnant and I guess it triggered something in me and I just quit. I had three cigs left in my pack, I smoked them and haven't touched one since. I always knew that I wasn't a lifetime smoker, despite the fact that I smoked for almost 10 years. I knew as soon as I got pregnant with my first child I would never smoke again, or so I hoped. I am so glad that I quit back then and not when I got pregnant, I think it is easier that way.

Motherhood is fabulous! Even with all the poopy action!

Got more questions? Keep 'em coming!

You in the back, what's your question

Savvy has a way of raising her hand over her head while she sleeps in such a manner that both her father and I look at her and ask, "yes, what is your question." It is the cutest thing. She will be fast asleep and all of a sudden from her side all the way up, she raises her little hand very slowly, clenched tightly in a fist up over her head. So today, I ask you, my few and far between readers, what is your question? I haven't done a Q&A in awhile so ask away. Whatever you want, I'm here for the asking.

Empty Nest

The people two houses down recently moved out. I certainly don't miss the cars and trucks coming by at all hours of the night. Theirs was the hang out house and boy did they have a lot of friends. What is sad is that the house now sits empty. The house right next door to us is also empty and has been since we moved in. It is strange how you can tell an empty house from a lived in house. There is just something lonely that emanates from an empty house. Know what I mean?

Mothering

I'm here. I'm mothering.

Happy Heart Day and Birthday

Happy Valentine's Day to all who acknowledge it and a more important, very Happy Birthday to my Hubby. My all your hearts be happy today.

The Short Story

Any mother knows what it is like trying to get things done with a new baby. So needless, to say, my blogging time has been cut into quite a bit. I would post more frequently and longer posts, if only I could remove my daughter from my top half for long enough to do anything at all.

Still adjusting to new motherhood. Some days are better than others, but all in all, I would say we have it pretty easy.

I did finally get my hair done, Amen. It's the little things in life, really.

Bang, Bang

I haven't had bangs since I was a little girl, except if you count when all my hair was shorter than those bangs you see there. It looks better when it's clean, but alas, when does one find time to shower with a one month old. Yes, can you believe she is already a month old as of yesterday. Boy how flies time.

Sisterhood

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Tibby to Bailey

"Are you afraid?" Tibby asked.

"Not of dying really," replied Bailey. "It's more that I'm afraid of time. Of not having enough of it. Time to figure out who I'm supposed to be. To find my place in the world before I have to leave it. I'm afraid of what I'll miss."

We do not regret the things we did so much as the things we didn't do.

Just Curious

Does anyone use BlogClicker or BlogExplosion anymore?

AGH! I've been Tagged

Because I love her so much, I will acknowledge the tag. My five most guilty pleasures in completely random order.

1. Gummi Bears. I love me some gummi bears.
2. Showers have become a guilty pleasure. It's the only place I get to be alone now.
3. Shoes and Purses. I know that's really two, but I'm lumping them into one because I can. I never seem to have enough of either in black. My husband would argue that I never need another pair of black shoes or another black purse. I just can't help it.
4. Smelling my baby's head and kissing her cheeks. This is a new one for me, but I cannot get enough.
5. Reading blogs. I could do it for hours, but I don't have hours. I cannot even make it through half my blogroll in a day.

I won't bother tagging anyone. If you like it, steal it and leave a comment to tell me where to look.

Two weeks and one day

Savvy turned two weeks old yesterday and on some levels it feels like she has been here forever and on other levels it feels like it is all so new still and I can't believe she belongs to us. I am living my life in two hour intervals it seems most of the time. We took her out to dinner on Saturday night and then she and I had our first solo outing on Sunday to meet my parents, aunt, uncle and Nana for breakfast. It felt so good to drive the car. The little things we take for granted everyday are brought into perspective when you have a child.

We are both doing well. She is a really good baby. She has been a little fussy from what we think is gas/constipation. She grunts and grunts and makes faces and doesn't always go to the bathroom. She still likes to save up her poo for a 2 hour time period per day. I guess that is okay.

I'm about to say something that may horrify many of you mothers. Please look away if it is too awful for you. Here we go...

I fit into my prepregnancy jeans!!! I couldn't believe it. Please don't hate me because I'm jeanful.

And now for what you have really all been waiting for, cuteness in pictures.

Advice from Momma

To my dear Savannah, always remember these things. These are things I hope to teach you as you grow. I will add this list to my sidebar and continually add to it, I hope, if I can figure out how.

• Don't judge others too quickly, lest they do the same to you.
• But, generally, you can judge a person by how they treat a waiter, their mother and a valet.
• You are the only one responsible for your actions. No matter what. Live so that you are proud of yourself and your decisions.
• Be accountable always for your actions. Admit when you are wrong and stand up when you are right.
• Live in such a way that God would be proud of you.
• Stand up for what you believe in. Those beliefs may change over time and that is okay too.
• Live your life so that you have no regrets. Our experiences, both good and bad, make us who we are each day.
• Life is full of change. Be flexible and go with the flow-it is so much easier than fighting change.
• Happiness comes from within. No one has control over your emotions except you. With each experience, you have a choice as to how you will react to it. Choose wisely.
• Love yourself above all else. If you don't love yourself, you cannot fully love someone else and you cannot let someone else fully love you.
• No matter what, your father and I will always love you.
• Always use kind words when speaking of others. You never know one's current situation and we do not want to be hurtful.
• Sometimes a new hairdo can change your whole outlook.
• But, always remember, beauty comes from within. If you are beautiful on the inside, it will shine through.
• Remember, there are always consequences for our actions. Make decisions based on the consequences.
• Do the things you want to do today. When you are old, you will not regret the things you did so much as the things you never did.

The Arrival of Savannah Leigh

The Birth Story of Savannah Leigh

Born January 15, 2006
4:24 PM
8 lbs 6 ozs 21 inches long

I was officially due on January 8th so was a week past due and scheduled to be induced on Monday, January 16th. In the week between the 8th and the 16th I had grown tremendously and was starting to be tired of being pregnant, mostly because of the worry of being past due more than anything. Each day brought new worry that he/she wasn't okay. (We didn't know she was a girl and were positive that she was actually a boy- insert God laughing here). I was also worried because my Mom was scheduled to fly back to NM on Monday and had run out of time off, so she had to go back regardless. I could not imagine the birth of my first child without my mother there. Other than avoiding an induction, this was my top priority (other than the obvious of a healthy baby). The other main factor was that my doctor had been out of town and was getting back on Sunday. I really wanted her to deliver our baby and not the doctor on call.

On Saturday I thought it might be possible that I was leaking fluid so we took a trip to the hospital, but it was a false alarm. We visited with friends who just had their baby at the hospital and then came home to wait some more.

I woke up at 4:30 am on Sunday, January 15th to a pretty hard contraction. I had been having contractions off and on for about a week and a half. Most of the time they were not painful, but occasionally I would have a painful one. I laid in bed for about a half an hour and kept having contractions so I finally got up and moved to the couch. I started keeping track and they were about 6 minutes apart and pretty strong. I wasn't in too much pain, but they were making me take notice. I went outside and took some pictures of the sunset, wondering if today would be my baby's birthday. At about 8:30 I woke up my husband and told him that my contractions were pretty regular and that this might actually be it. He got up and we took a shower. My Mom was up by the time I had blow dried my hair and we called the doctor. The doctor said to go on in to the hospital and get checked. As we gathered up our stuff, I hoped that this would not be another false alarm.

We drove to the hospital with my contractions getting closer to 5 minutes apart. We arrived at about 10:30 am. It took a little while to walk in as I was beginning to be in a lot more pain. When we checked in and they put me in a triage room and checked me I was at 3 cm and 100% effaced. This was about where I had been at my last doctor's appointment on Thursday so I was somewhat disappointed. They were having trouble getting my contractions to show up on the monitor as well as keeping a good reading on the baby's heartrate. Her heartrate was good, they just couldn't get the monitor in a good place. My MIL arrived shortly after we did. We called my Dad and StepMom and they called back shortly to say they were delayed because their waterbed had sprung a leak. We joked that their water had broken. The nurse told me to walk around the hospital for an hour and come back and get monitored again. The hospital was pretty quiet so hubby and I walked the halls, stopping with contractions for me to hang on his neck and make it through the contractions. They were getting worse and I was praying that all this pain meant that I was progressing.

We went back to triage when the hour was up and got hooked back up to the monitor. They were still having trouble getting the contractions to show up on the monitor. I don't know if they didn't believe I was having contractions, but I was very vocal about the pain I was in, so I don't know how you wouldn't think I was in labor. When the nurse checked me I was still at 3cm, but she gave me a 3-4 cm when she saw the look on my face. She said they would monitor me for a little longer and then I would either have to walk some more or they were going to send me home. Hubby couldn't believe they would send me home in the pain I was in.

About 5 minutes later I felt this kick and then a gush of fluid. My water broke!!! Either my Mom or my MIL went and told the nurse and her response was, "Instant admission". Unfortunately, the hospital had gotten busy and they didn't have the staff to staff all the rooms, so they didn't have a room available for me. At this hospital we labor, deliver and recover all in the same room. I didn't really care at this point although we had up to 7 people in our little triage room at a time and it was tight. At some point my Dad and Stepmom showed up, but time had ceased to be something real to me. I was in a lot of pain and was having severe back labor. Each contraction may have had a beginning and an end, but the pain never stopped. They still couldn't get them to show up on the monitor. I was getting lost in the contractions and having trouble focusing some. My dad, stepmom and MIL took turns applying pressure to my back, while I focused on my husband and my mom talking me through each contraction. I guess about 12:30 pm I couldn't take it anymore. I was dreading each upcoming contraction and couldn't do it anymore and certainly couldn't imagine doing it for hours, so I broke down and asked for the epidural. Someone went to the tell the nurse and she said she would get it going. At some point she came in and started my IV. I moved during the first try so she tried two more times before she got it. I hate IV's and the pain of the IV on top of the contractions didn't help. The nurse came back and said it would be a little bit for the epidural because a lady had come in full dilated and ready to deliver and there was also an emergency C-section and only one anesthesiologist on that day. The nurse offered me IV drugs for the pain, which I really wanted at the time, but hubby and I had discussed and we really didn't want to do this for the sake of our baby. The less medical intervention the better so he promptly said no. At the time I really did want something, but I am really glad we didn't do it. I just kept saying, "Where is my freaking epidural?" and hubby kept saying, "It's coming."-

At some point they finally moved me to a room and my Mom called my doctor. She had told us to call her because she really wanted to be around for "the party". About 3:30 pm the anesthesiologist finally came in. They made everyone leave except my hubby. Thank goodness they let him stay otherwise I don't think I would have made it. The epidural didn't hurt a bit really. Pain is relative during the labor process. Funny, on the way to the hospital I said something to the affect of I couldn't imagine the amount of pain you had to be in to actually want someone to stick a rather large needle into your spinal canal. Now I knew the level of pain and I didn't care if you had to strap me up by my heels and beat me to take away the pain, I just wanted it gone. Pretty quickly the epidural kicked in and the pain went away.

Right after the anesthesiologist left, my doctor came in. I hadn't been checked since before my water broke so the nurse had just finished checking me and I was at a blessed 9cm and completely effaced, no cervix to be seen hardly. The doctor then checked me and said that I was at 10 cm. She said that the next contraction we would see how I could push. At some point in this process, my doctor mentioned that she had given blood and hoped that she didn't pass out. I told hubby to be ready to catch our baby just in case. They were still having trouble getting the contractions to show up on the monitor and by now I couldn't feel them any more. The next contraction I pushed and the doctor said, "Whoa, look at all that hair on that head. Let's go ahead and have a baby." She got prepared and we started pushing. I pushed three times per contraction. Because the contractions weren't showing up on the monitor, the nurse had to feel my stomach to see when one was started. During the contractions I heard my Mom open the door and ask if they needed help. I thought she just wanted to really be in there (which she did, of course, but apparently the call button light was on outside the room and no one had come to help. My Mom was a midwife for many years, an RN and is currently a nurse practitioner in women's health so she could have helped, but I really just wanted me and my husband in there for the birth of our first child. I pushed through about 5 or 6 contractions and there she was. Hubby says he was the one that told me it was a girl. She was placed on my belly and she was so beautiful. She was wide eyed and just looking around. I think asked why she wasn't screaming. I needed her to scream so that I knew she could breathe. They wiped her off and then she let out a little wail and then quit crying again and just was taking it all in.

I cried and hubby cried and they whisked her across the room to clean her up and check her. Hubby went with her. The family was chomping at the bit to get in so I told them they could let them in. It was a zoo. I was still splayed wide open and had torn a little bit so the doctor was sewing me up. My mom, dad, stepmom, MIL, Bekah as well as my husband, the doctor and a variety of nurses were in the room. I just laid there looking towards my baby, tears in my eyes. The experience was so surreal. It happened so fast, yet took so long.

The grandparents passed her around while I got stitched up the rest of the way and then she was handed to me so I could feed her. She latched right on. The nurses were so impressed with her and everyone kept telling me how beautiful she was. She hardly cried at all while they were cleaning her up and even during her first bath, we hardly heard a peep.

I am so blessed to have this wonderful, amazing new life intertwined with mine. I am blessed to have wonderful family and friends that love me and her to no end. We have had so much help at home that I find myself saying, I can do this, no problem, but at 4:00 am I sometimes forget that.

There are a lot of interesting numerical correlations with Savvy's birth. My sister and I were born four years and 8 days apart. Savvy and her twin cousins are exactly one year and 8 days apart. My mom went into labor with me at 4:30 am and had me at 4:36 pm the same day. I went into labor with Savvy at 4:30 am and had her at 4:24 pm the same day. My birthday is December 13, Hubby's is February 14 and Savvy's is January 15, 13,14,15 and December, January, February. Don't know what it all means, but it is interesting.

Today Savvy is a week old. As I type this she is laying on her Play Gym fast asleep. I cannot get enough of her. I miss her when I sleep. Her father is the same way and my heart bursts just a little when I see him with her. There are so many things going through my mind as I come to terms with the fact that I have joined a group of people that is so special, Mothers. I am a Mother and will always be a Mother. Having Savvy has changed my relationship with my parents already. I immediately respect them more and understand their protectiveness throughout my life. I am a worrier at heart, but hope not to worry myself to death, but don't see how. I cannot imagine anything ever happening to my little girl. At night, every little noise makes me sit up in bed and check to make sure she is okay. How I will ever move her to another room, I do not know. I currently have a cold and am so afraid she will get it. I can suffer, but I do not want her to suffer.

She is already so strong. She can lift her head and throw herself off my shoulder. She can even lift her head while laying on her stomach. She hardly cries at all, except if she is very hungry or very poopy. She can projectile poop like you would not believe and she likes to store up the days' poop and let it out in little bursts all in about a 2 hour time period. She can even pee like a boy. She has what we call the pee and poop show about once a day, where she waits for you to take off her diaper and then lets it all loose at once. It makes me laugh so hard, I almost pee my pants every time she does it.

Thank you, God for the blessing you have bestowed upon me. May I make you proud.

Rumor dispelled

I will get around to posting the birth story soon, but to dispell the rumor, I did not go natural. I begged for that epidural. They made me wait for it, but once I got, boy was I a happy camper. That is the best thing that was ever invented!

Home sweet home

We are home and all doing well. Thank you for all the well wishes. Will post the incredible story soon.

A day of fulfillment

A pictures that says it all.


Hi Everyone...Bekah here.

Just a brief note to let all know that Jazzy and baby girl are doing well....very well.

I was able to be outside the door as this new life was brought into our world. I was able to experience the formation of a new family as Jazzy, her hubby and family met their new baby for the very first time. I am honored and touched beyond words to have been able to experience their very intimate, private moments that have connected me to this little girl and family in a very profound way.

This afternoon I saw what I can only describe as a life fulfilled. As I watched Jazzy hold her baby close and nurse her for the first time, I saw Jazzy become a mother. I saw all the years I've known her flash before me in this one moment and I saw her as she has always wanted to be - a mother holding her new infant in her arms with her loving (and oh! so! wonderful! husband) looking over her shoulder. This is what she has spent her whole life waiting for, I knew that for sure.

I can't do justice to the "wholeness" of what I saw today. I can only say that it was beautiful and wonderful and hopeful and makes me believe in God so strongly that it rocks me to my soul.

I'll let Jazzy post her own birth story and thoughts, but I wanted to share mine with you, and Jazzy.

Thank you for letting me part of this wonderful new beginning. I love you all, I'm here always and God Bless You.

It's a GIRL!

She's here! She's here! Its a girl!!!!! She was 8.59 pounds and born about 4:30 this afternoon and from what I understand she did all of it natural! Go Jazzy! If she got meds it was RIGHT at the end!

CONGRATULATIONS Jazzy! Congrat's Jazzy's hubby! Yeah! The baby is here!

I'm going to try to go see her tomorrow. Someone will post pics soon!!!!

~Em~

Baby Update

This morning, they went to the hospital around 9:30am. Jazzy was 3cm dialated.

At 2:15pm they were putting her in a room (I guess the hospital is slammed) and she's about 4cm
dialated. She's in alot of pain but her mom said that everything was fine. Her dad and stepmom had just arrived, so all the parents are there.

From various sources we are being kept informed and someone will be passing that along to you, here in Internet Land. In the meantime, say a prayer that all goes well for mama and baby.

~Em~

The baby's coming! The baby's coming!!!!

Hi! This is Em from Giggling Universe. Thought everyone would be glad to know that about an hour or so ago Jazzy and her hubby headed for the hospital. Her contractions are about 5 minutes apart and getting pretty intense.

Either Bekah or I will update as we know more!