Mommy Confessions ~ Messy Foods!

I am linking up with Heather and Megan for the last week of Mommy Confessions! Thanks for this great link up ladies. Can't wait to see what you have in store next!

OK, now time to confess..

My least favorite baby stage is the messy food stage. When they start feeding themselves and food gets everywhere. You know what I am talking about...it gets on their clothes, all over the highchair cover, and without a doubt in their hair, AHHHH! Foods like spaghetti will not be served unless mommy is feeding it to them. I just can't handle the awful mess it makes.

I gave Lucas an arrowroot Gerber cookie this morning and I was sitting there waiting with a wet paper towel in hand. It went OK but was messier then I like so those will have to wait until daddy is home, haha!

Needless to say I will be feeding Lucas most foods as long as he will let me. Maybe I am holding him back when it comes to the "independent" stage but for my sanity it has to be this way. I did the same with Logan and Abby and they are both just fine! ;)

Mommy Confessions ~ The not so pretty part of being a parent!

Time for some mommy confessing...

One thing about being a mom or a parent in general is dealing with the pretty and not so pretty stuff. From pee to poop to puke (the 3 nasty P's) you will have to deal with them all at some point or another. As for me, I can only handle 2 of them, pee and poop (I have had both on me more times then I care to share, haha). When it comes to puke you can count me out!

I feel like it's a mom fail that I can't handle when my kids throw up. Matt is great with them when it happens but me not so much. Logan and Abby are at the age now that they can tell you when their belly is upset and can make it to the bathroom but that doesn't make it any easier for me. I know it's a mind thing but I start feeling nauseous when I hear someone else getting sick.

I remember sitting on the kitchen floor of our apartment the first time Logan had a stomach bug and he just kept throwing up all over me. He was crying, I was crying and Matt was standing there trying to figure out how to help me. Once he stopped I handed him to Matt and headed straight for the shower. From that point on Matt has had puke duty! Of course, I have to deal with it when Matt is not home and I have gotten better about it but if he is home I stay out of there. Totally lame, right!?

There is not much I can't handle as a mom but that is definitely one of them! Can you handle the 3 not so pretty P's!?

Mommy Confessions/Rant

Ahh, time to confess mommy style. This is a little all over the place and a bit brutally honest. It has just been one of those weeks! 

I am a worry wart! I drive myself crazy with it sometimes but I can't stop. You would think Lucas being my third I would not stress and worry about every little thing but I do. I would totally put my kids in bubbles if it was allowed. Are you thinking I am crazy yet!? Lucas still has a runny nose from being sick over a week ago. He has no fever or cough, just a dang runny nose. I said to Matt last night what if it is spinal fluid leaking into his nose!? It is just clear snot so, of course, my brain takes over with this random thought, which lead to me Googling it. Ahh, what is wrong with my brain! Oh and it is called CSF Rhinorrhea, btw!

I am not one to leave my kids with a sitter much (Matt doesn't count). Maybe once a month, if that. Why become a parent if you are going to spend more time away from them then with them!? Just saying! I hate for other people to discipline my kids when I am there to do it. I am their mom and don't need any help, thanks! Of course when I am not around, like when they are at school, that is different but I expect them to behave so it shouldn't be an issue. Wishful thinking!? Maybe!

The thought of my kids getting embarrassed gives me a knot in my stomach. Logan is at that age where I can see it happening. We all know that age where you had to be center of attention and did things that you think back to and ask yourself "WHY!?!?!"! That is my Logan now. Matt and I laugh it off but I worry someone will say something mean to him. The mommy in me gets all worked up just at the thought. I know kids are mean and there will come a time in his life when it will happen and there is nothing I can do to stop it but doesn't mean I am not going to worry.

Lastly, let me touch on a subject that really gets my blood boiling...Do not come and just take my child out of my arms without asking if it is OK because chances are it's NOT. Especially if I have NEVER met you. I have been told I am being rude by not letting people hold my child and you know what I say to that, TOUGH! I am the mommy and I get to make that call, so deal with it! Also, do not kiss all over my child like your are his mother. I understand his chunky arms are so cute and he has some of the most kissable cheek but they are not yours for kissing. Didn't your mother teach you to look with your eyes not your hands!? I don't want your germs and awful smelling lotions or perfumes on my child. Got it!? Good!

Ok I am done confessing/ranting for the day! I will leave you with yet another ecard favorite!

Mommy Confessions ~ Mom fails!

Wondering where my weekend/Easter recap was yesterday!? I didn't do one because our Easter kinda sucked! First off the weather was crappy and we ended up doing the egg hunt, if that is want you would even call it, inside. Of course no one can control the weather so it was what it was, I just have no pictures of the kids hunting for eggs this year...mom fail!

Second, Lucas was sick all weekend and still is for that matter. He spent the whole day in mine or Matt's arms being a shy guy. He let a few people hold him but not for very long. Again I took no pictures of him that day...again, mom fail!

Third, Logan and Abby were over the moon excited about leaving for Disney with my parents that night that they really weren't into their Easter baskets. Now don't get me wrong I am so glad they get to go to Disney again but the mom in me was disappoint at the lack of excitement that morning when they saw their baskets. Totally lame of me I know but come on, we as parents look forward to the excitement of holidays because of our kids. At least I think Lucas liked his a lot and he just got a simple little bucket with blocks, ha!

I guess not every holiday can be out of this world and I will just have to make sure next year is over the top. Lucas will be old enough to hunt eggs by then so that alone will make it better.

So I am confessing today that sometimes I fail as a mother, SAY WHAT!?!? ;)

PS Who wants to win a Kitchenaid shopping spree worth $700!?!? Well, check back tomorrow for a giveaway I am participating in and you could!!!

Mommy Confessions ~ Homemade baby food!

Linking up with Heather and Megan for another week of Mommy Confessions!

I am enjoying making Lucas' baby food more then I ever could have imagined I would. From carrots to peas and everything in between I just LOVE it! It is so nice knowing exactly what is in his food. Obviously, I know Gerber food is good for them as well. That is all Logan and Abby ate but this is also a way for me to help us save money. His food comes out to about a $1.25 a day which is way cheaper then the jars of Gerber, SCORE!

I purchased a baby bullet a while back and it works good for small amounts, when I am making batches of food (like the picture below) it struggles sometimes. We decided to get an immersion blender and that thing is AWESOME! The baby bullet would bog down (even quit all together) when I was making peas, sweet potatoes and carrot but not the immersion blender. Nothing can stop that thing, ha!

I have only done pureed veggies and fruits so far but planning on starting him on chicken next month. I have watched a few YouTube videos to see how to puree the meats because it was just perplexing me as to how well it would puree. It seems steaming the meat w/ a veggie is the way to go. Once I get the pureed meat down, it will be time for him to start eating chunkier, less pureed food. I am a little nervous about that. I will be watching some more YouTube videos, for sure!

Sweet potatoes and butternut squash are by far his favorites but he will eat just about any veggie or fruit now. We tried blueberries a few weeks ago and he liked them but they are pretty pricey for the little one bag/container makes so I am not going to do those often. I have been experimenting with different fruits and veggies mixed together and he has liked them all so far.

Do you or have you made your baby's food!?!? If, so how did you like it!?!?

Mommy Confession ~ Being a SAHM!

Being a stay at home mom is not something I ever thought I would do. Actually, I don't think we ever talked about it when we talked about having kids. I worked part time when I was pregnant with Logan and then once he was born (June 2004) I quit and stayed home with him until he was 9 months. I continued to work full time until Febuary 2008, when I officially became a SAHM. I can't imagine going back to work now. Being home with the kids is hard at times, I miss the adult conversation everyday (another reason I enjoy blogging), and getting out of the house more then once or twice a week but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

I hear people say SAHM's don't do anything and working and taking care of a family is harder but I have done both. I have worked 8+ hrs then come home and had to make dinner, take care of 2 kids and a house while my hubby was working late most nights. They are both equally as hard in my opinion. The only difference for me is, I enjoy the weekends more now. Before weekend were spent doing laundry and catching up on house cleaning that I couldn't do during the week but now I try to do that stuff (well not laundry, ha!) during the week. I love being here to get the kids on and off the bus. Just the thought of putting Lucas in daycare gives me a knot in my stomach. I have not left him with anyone other then Matt except the ONE time Matt and I went to dinner for our anniversary. It's the control freak side of me I think that has a hard time leaving him. I was the same way with Logan and Abby, by the way! Just another reason being a SAHM suits me just fine!

Will I ever go back to work?! Maybe, but that decision is a LONG way off. If you ask Logan and Abby they say "NOOOOO"! haha

Are you a SAHM?! Do you like it?! If not, would you ever want to be?!

Mommy Confession ~ I said I would NEVER do that!

If you are a parent you probably said at one time or another "I will never do _____ when I am a parent" but that all goes out the window once your little one is here. For me it was things like TV and video game but the biggest one would be dinner.

YES, I make 2 different meals most nights because my kids will not eat what I make half the time. I swore I would NEVER EVER do this. For example, the other night I was making Taco soup for Matt and I, cooking chicken nuggets and fries in the oven for the kids and warming up Lucas' food in the microwave. While obviously Lucas couldn't eat soup with us, Logan and Abby could but it was easier to make them something else then listen to them complain about what they didn't like in the soup. Abby hates mashed potatoes (crazy girl I know) and Logan hates rice. They only like corn and some times green beans. See what I am dealing with?!

I have tried to put my foot down and say this is dinner eat it or go to bed hungry but the mommy in me just can't send them to bed on an empty stomach. They are both little skinny minnies as it is! I have tried the whole "There are kids in the world that don't have food" tactic...maybe not the best one but I want them to understand they are lucky to have something to eat because some kids are not as fortunate.

I hope that one day they will decided to start trying more new things but until then I will make 2 meals and know I am not starving my kids!

Tell me I am not alone in this blog mommy's?!

Mommy Confessions ~ My Experience EPing!

I think by now most of you know I have been exclusively pumping (EPing) for Lucas since day one. I tried so hard to nurse him in the beginning but he was never able to latch. I was fully aware this could happen because I had the same latch problems with Logan and Abigail. The hospital lactation dept was beyond amazing. My milk took what felt like forever to come in which I am sure was from the stress of Lucas being in the NICU and missing Logan and Abby so much. My milk fully came in once we were finally home.

Exclusively pumping is no joke. I had to pump 6-8 times a day for the first 12 weeks on top of feeding him a bottle that many times a day. I had a rough patch around 3 weeks that I thought I should throw in the towel because it was just so painful and down right exhausting. I already felt like a failure for not nursing him and then pumping seemed to not be working. It was like my control freak self had no control what so ever and that made it even harder. I met with a lactation consult to see if this was going to work for me. After 2 hrs with her, I felt like even if I couldn't keep pumping I had given it my all. She made me see that a happy mommy was better then a stressed out one. At that point I set a goal of 3 months. I would freeze as much as I could and be done.

After about a week it started getting better. I was pumping 50-60 oz a day, it started to hurt less and I felt I was back in control again. It still was not easy but it was manageable. I was freezing three or four 6-8oz bags a day and building a great freezer stash. My 3 month goal came and I decided to reset my goal to 6 months. Then the worst thing you can imagine happened...MASTITIS!! It was as horrible as everything I had read. It comes on so fast and you feel like a Mack truck ran right into you. I called my midwife and got some meds that night. It took 3 full days for me to start feeling better. Of course my supply dropped on top of it all too. It happened the week of Thanksgiving which was nice and sucked at the same time. I only had to get up and get the kids on the bus one more day and then Matt was off Thursday and Friday. I declared that I was done pumping. I never wanted to feel like that again. I couldn't wean during that time though because it would just make the mastitis worse so I continued to pump and got through it. I read about things that would help prevent it like Lecithin. My supply bounced back and I decided to keep my goal of 6 months.

Over the next few months I slowly dropped pumps, 6 then 5 then 4 then 3...my supply slowly decreased but I was still pumping more then he was eating.

Fast forward to today...I am at 2 pumps a day and almost 7 months postpartum. I ended up with a stomach bug at the end of January and it killed my supply. I was pumping 35-40oz a day now I only get 10-12oz a day. We had to start using 2 bags out of the freezer and whatever I pump that day to make his bottles each day. My freezer stash got to 3,230oz at its highest. Now it's down to around 2,700oz. I don't have a goal anymore, just pumping until my heart feels its OK to stop or my body decides for me. I never imagined it would be so hard to stop emotionally.

Exclusively pumping is not for everyone. It takes a lot of hard work, dedication and support from those around you. Matt has been beyond amazing this whole time! When I wanted to stop he was supportive, when I decided to continue he was supportive. He got up in the middle of the night and fed Lucas while I pumped even though he had to work the next day. He has washed his fair share of pump parts and bottles without complaining once. He was and still is a big part of why I am able to continue pumping. I have read of so many husbands not being helpful or supportive and I am so thankful that has not been the case for me.

I am very proud of myself for coming this far. Everyday that I pump is just one more day that my sweet boy is getting the best possible nutrition!

I pump for this cute face! ❤

Mommy Confessions ~ Party of 5!

I always link up for Sunday Confessions and confess about pretty much anything. Well, today I am confessing mommy style and linking up with Heather (Cookies for Breakfast) and Megan (The Memoirs of Megan)!

I have not talked about what it is like as a family of 5 since having Mr. Lucas. People have asked and I usually just shrug and beat around the bush about it. Not because it is bad or anything it is just not an easy "Oh, it's great" kinda answer.

Matt and I were 21 when we had Logan and 23 when we had Abby. They were both planned but in a way it was still a shock because with your first it is an adjustment for obvious reasons and then going from one to two is an adjustment because you now have to divide your time. Call me crazy but I feel like 3 is kinda perfect. Maybe it is because of Logan and Abby's ages that it has gone so well but it has. Lucas is a mix of both of them as babies...personality wise. He is laid back and quiet most of the time but like with Abby when he get mad you are going to know about it. I remember Matt asking when Logan was a baby "When is he going to get loud" but he never asked that with Abby or Lucas, haha!

Logan and Abby being in school has helped with the adjustment for me. It is kinda like only having one again for 7hrs a day, haha! They are so excited to see him when they get home and he lights up when they walk through the door.

Going somewhere is quite a task but we are getting better at it. We are fashionable late to everything it seems. I totally use the house as my security blanket during the week and don't leave it that often. I am getting better but Lucas has not been a fan of his car seat since about 2 months old so that is another reason I stay home most of the time. He is getting better, though!

We definitely have a night time routine around here...showers at 7:30, brush teeth at 8 and in bed by 8:30. This helps a lot. The kids know the routine now so they will look at the clock and know what needs to be done. We bathe Lucas every other night and he is in bed by 8pm. Matt and I need to get better about getting to bed earlier but from the time he gets home until the kids are in bed we don't get much us time so we stay up talking or watching TV together.

I have said it before but I truly feel like we are complete and nothing is missing now that Lucas is here.