Empty Crib Syndrome... (Day 5)

I was 19 weeks when we found out that I was having a boy. I went right to Babies R Us to purchase his first boy things. It was also at this time, that I decided to think about the theme for his room. I had picked out a bedroom set before I knew he way a boy. I picked it out when I had just found out I was pregnant and was in Babies R Us shopping for Olivia's baby shower. It was a green and brown bunny theme. Very simple and classic looking. It sounds a lot less gender neutral than it actually was, but there was something about it, that made it not the right one for Lucas. I then found this precious set by Carters that was yellow and green themed with bees, grasshoppers, turtles and frogs! That was the one. That became his bedroom set. It was official, bugs!

Once I got the bedding, I then started gathering the other coordinating pieces for the room. The bumble bee covered, super soft changing pad cover. The valance that ended up completing the room. Extra crib sheets that coordinated with everything. The wall decals (which sadly are still in there packaging). With all of this purchased, the room was complete, and just waiting for Lucas.

When he came home he started off in the bassinet Joe's grandfather had made when Joe was born. He quickly outgrew that, and moved into his crib. It was so exciting. A tiny little baby in his big boy crib! It was amazing. I loved watching him sleep. He always lays with his arms by his head like a little man. And then things changed...

Starting Christmas night, after a wonderful day of time spent with family, Lucas stopped sleeping in his bed, and would only sleep in his bouncy seat. I tried, don't get me wrong. I would lay him down to sleep and he would flail his arms and wiggle so much that he would wake himself up. He would be inconsolable, and only wanted his bouncy seat. So, we put him in the bouncy seat, strapped him in and placed the bouncy seat in his crib. That is where he has slept since Christmas...

This lovely bed, lovingly prepared for him, and he wants the $20 bouncy seat with farm animals on it. The doctor says this is ok. She says that at about 4 months babies lose the falling reflex and can be put down for bed much easier. She said to try throughout the day and see if he can lay nicely, but I have had NO luck. He is only happy to sleep in his bouncy seat.

He starts daycare next month, and will have to lay in his crib. We will get through this, but I think we are going to be the tired pair! In the meantime, his sheets are clean and missing the warmth of the sweet, snuggly, little boy they were meant to hold. I hope that soon, my little Lucas will know that we won't drop him, that he is not falling, and that he is simply just going to bed for a few hours. Until then, we will continue to try.

Love,

Lisa and Lucas

Priorities... (Day 4)

Today, I woke up feeling, mad, sad, angry, tired, really I felt anything but happy. I went in to get Lucas up for the day, and I went through the motions. I spoke to him letting him know what we were going to do. I changed his diaper, I made and fed him a bottle. I put him on his playmat to play, but I really just did, I didn't get too involved in any one activity. I really just wanted to crawl back in bed for the day.

I had to take my computer over to my Dad to help me get it to stop freezing on me for no apparent reason (or so I thought). I sat on the couch with Lucas again still going through the motions, but not really dealing with my emotions. My Mom got home and basically told me I needed to snap out of it. At the time, I thought she was being mean. I deserve a little moping time, don't I? I do a lot each day and I should be able to just mope a bit if I see fit. WRONG!

I'm now a MOM. A mom to a small child who has no idea that I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. He doesn't understand what moping means, and he has no idea what feelings other than hunger and happiness are. Poor guy probably thought I was STARVING all day. I took a few minutes to myself and left Lucas with my Mom and headed to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner (enchiladas - YUM!). This gave me a moment to separate myself from everything and to get my priorities back on track.

Lucas deserves a Mom who is there 100%. I want to be there for him. I LOVE seeing life through his eyes. Today is the last day I wake up selfish. No matter how I feel when I wake up, I can find the bright side of things in his eyes. I might have to look a moment longer on a day when I wake up a little down, but happiness I will find.

Everyday isn't perfect. Life serves lemons, and there's no lemonade in sight, but there is always a little bundle of joy that will keep me on track. He is my love and he is my life!

I also have an add to yesterday's post: I learned this morning, when you take all that time picking out the perfect outfit and he spits up on it 5 minutes later, the process starts all over again! : )

Love,

Lisa and Lucas

PS: Thanks Mom for snapping me out of it! I needed that! Love you!

Diaper Savings (Bonus Post)

If you have a child in diapers, a grandchild in diapers, a niece or nephew in diapers or a friend with a child in diapers, you will find this information interesting.

I was looking for a way to save on diapers beyond Sam's Club and this is what I found on Amazon.com.

First of all, I joined Amazon Moms.

This gives you a 15% discount on all baby needs plus 2 months free of Amazon Prime (which is free 2-day shipping and $3.99 for overnight shipping on the whole site) AND for each $25 you spend on baby items you get an additional month of Amazon Prime free up to a year! Normally, Amazon Prime is $79 a year!! I also buy my formula on Amazon, so I hit that year mark real quick!

The next program I joined, also on Amazon, is Subscribe and Save

This allows you to get an additional 15% off diapers and wipes and all you have to do is subscribe to receive a minimum of one box of diapers or wipes a month. You can change the size of diapers at any time or you can cancel your subscription at any time. So, in theory you could rejoin subscribe and save each time you ordered if you didn't want to commit to one case of diapers or wipes a month!

I then recevied an offer to get Parenting Magazine - The early years for $15 for 4 years.

I also found a coupon today in my American Baby subscription, which is actually FREE!

Inside each of these issues is a tear out coupon code for 20% off diapers (one box) at Amazon.com.

So, if you combine the 15% from being an Amazon Mom, and 15% for joining Subscribe and Save and then use the 20% off diapers coupon from the magazine(s) you get a box of diapers for 50% off! I got Pampers swaddlers size 1-2 (234 count) box of diapers for $20.49!!!

I got a box of Pampers Thick Wipe diapers 504 count for $9.99 with the Subscribe and Save (15%) and Amazon Mom (15%) benefits.


Enjoy these benefits! I am quite pleased to be getting diapers at half price and 30% off wipes.

Love,

Lisa and Lucas

Tiny people clothes. (Day 3)

I don't think you have to have a kid, want a kid, or know a kid to think baby clothes are one of the most precious things ever created. First of all, they are teeny tiny. They have to fit teeny tiny people, who in and amongst themselves are THE most precious thing ever created. They come in onesies, t-shirts, pants, coveralls, dresses, skirts, sailor suits even!

This is where I get into trouble each and every day. Lucas has tons of clothes. Tons of cute patterns, colors, textures. How in the world am I supposed to be able to choose what to dress him in? I LOVE how absolutely cute he looks in footie PJ's, but that's only one article of clothing that he gets to wear for an entire day. If I choose a onsie, he can also wear pants. These pants may or may not have coordinating fuzzy animals on the feet or backside. If you wear a onsie and pants, you could also add a jacket or a sweater. You see what kind of battle I face each morning?

I try to take into account the weather, the activities planned for the day, the previous days' outfit and sometimes I even think about what I might be wearing so that I can possibly coordinate. Once I finally choose an outfit, I then tend to think it's the cutest thing he has ever worn. Then, the next time I go into the armoire after laundry has been done, I have the possiblility of choosing one of those favorite outfits leaving a never worn outfit to remain in the drawer for another day. The duckie feet footie PJ's is a classic example of this. If it's clean, he wears it. I can't resist the duckie feet!

I thought about a solution to the footie PJ's vs complete outfit dilemma. Dress him in an outfit for the day, and footie PJ's at night. Sounds sane, right? You then do double the laundry, but you get to see two cute outfits a day. Haven't committed to this plan yet, but I do see it being a distinct possibility in the very near future. Kinda like a school outfit for daycare, and then he gets to come home and get in his snuggly PJ's. Very big kid sounding to me.

Today, I changed him out of VERY cute Winnie the Pooh footie PJ's, and I decided to go for an outfit that had never been worn. I went below the top layer of clothes in his drawer and found a gem. It's a onsie with a faux t-shirt under it, with cute little doggies on it. I then went to his pants drawer that has grown exponentially since his Grandma got him a bunch for Christmas. Does he wear knit pants, jeans, fleece pants, coveralls or courdoroys? Hard choices yet again. I first chose knit pants then realized he would look much cooler in the courdoroys! This was the right decision, 5 minutes later. Thank goodness he likes being naked, cause of course I took his old clothes off before I even picked out his new outfit!

From 9 weeks worth of dressing Lucas, I have learned the following. He willl grow out of clothes fast. He doesn't really care what he is in, as long as it's weather appropriate and comfortable. Make sure you rotate the clothes, there could be some hidden treasures at the bottom of the drawer that you don't even remember buying or getting!

I can't wait for the day when Lucas will gain some independence and request to dress himself. I think at this time, I can then be a sane Mom in the morning. It will be his choice on what he pairs with what, and I will LOVE every outfit he chooses, especially if he chooses duckie feet!

Love,

Lisa and Lucas

The things you do for Love. (Day 2)

This time last year, my life was completely different in so many ways. Mostly though, I slept more. I love my bed. I LOVE to sleep. I have been known to sleep for a minimum of 12 hours on a weekend and 10 on a weekday. Sleep was kind of a hobby for me at times. Afternoon naps, were bliss. You got true sleep in the afternoon. There was no pressure to go to bed so that you would be fresh for work the next day, no to-do lists running through your head, just good pure sleep.

Then, in October my thoughts on sleep changed drastically. You start off in the hosptial getting woken up every hour for your vitals to be taken, so any chance of getting sleep before you go home, not so much. Then, you get home and you are all on your own. No nurses or doctors, just you, your husband and this brand new baby. Needless to say, sleep was not sound, nor plentiful. You had your own nerves to deal with while you slept and then there's the whole small baby tummy that needs to be tended to every 2 hours. This all equals, very little sleep.

I found it very funny that I was ok with this. I didn't mind the lack of sleep. I enjoyed waking up to that sweet face. Sure at 4 in the morning my eyes were getting heavy, but you see it's all worth it. People tell you to "sleep when he sleeps." I tried this, but I never knew when he was going to be asleep long enough for me to get some sleep and not just lay down long enough to make myself tired. As he is getting older, I'm now able to predict a little bit better how long he might sleep and I find myself taking advantage of a quick nap, but overall I found that advice hard for me to follow.

I now find myself sleeping in maybe 2, 3-4 hour chunks, and I'm surviving. As he gets older, and I'm now on my own in the house during the day, I do long for a touch more sleep, but it still amazes me how ok I am without my precious sleep. I do love that feeling of crawling back in the covers after laying him down for bed. It feels like climbing into a cloud, and I go right to sleep!

Today, Lucas started to become himself again getting his vaccines on Wednesday. He slept consistently this afternoon, and we got in some precious snuggling time. I love that time with him. Watching him fall asleep is so cute. He smiles as he nods off, he snores on occasion and he has to get himself in that right position. I wouldn't trade these moments with him for 12 hours of sleep. Not at all. Well, maybe one night wouldn't hurt, but I don't even think I would be able to do it anymore. I genuinely want to be awake when he is!

Goodbye sleeping in, hello adulthood!

Love,

Lisa and Lucas

Paying it forward. (Day 1)

Friends and Family have always been a big part of my life. Outside of my immediate family, I grew up with an amazing network of family friends and I can only hope that Lucas grows up in the same manner.

Today, we celebrated the first day of 2011 with my parents and their friends. Lucas is always a hit with them. He hasn't been feeling well since he got his first round of vaccines, but he's always a trooper in social situations. This makes me think he too will be a big part of an extended family of friends.

23 years ago, I got to hold my first baby, Matthew DeLorenzo. I have never forgotten that incredible feeling. I felt like such a grown up! I mean I was 5 years old holding a real baby! Today, I was excited to share that feeling with another young girl. My parents friends have a 5 year old, Jenna, who has been very excited to be involved in Lucas' life. Jenna helps me change his diaper, and she always has the sweetest things to say about her (I'm still trying to get it through to Jenna that Lucas is indeed a boy!).

She had help from her Mom, no big deal, I know this moment will be one she shares with her grandparents and at school and one I know she too will never forget.

I truly hope that Lucas has a large extended family of friends that I was so lucky to have. I don't think I would be the person I am today without them. I look forward to introducing Lucas to everyone throughout this year. It's been a long time since I have seen many of our friends in Maryland, and I can't wait to show them how much I have grown. I know they will enjoy seeing me as a MOM!

Love,

Lisa (aka Stinky #2) and Lucas

Here comes a New Year.

With a new year coming merely hours away, I wanted to take this time to reflect on the wonderful gift I was given this year. My son Lucas.

Joe and I found out we were expetcing in early March, and from there this year took on a whole new life. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a Mom. I have been a go to babysitter. I have always enjoyed spending time with my friends' children, and then to find out that in 9 months I would be a Mom, well that was an incredible feeling.

The months came fast at first, and then as the weight came on and the hormones surged, time seemed to slow. He wasn't a small baby by any means. He was born just shy of 9lbs and was 20 1/2 inches. He never fit in Newborn clothes or diapers. He really was born looking older than he was. My little man!

He has been a pure joy to watch grow up. He was easily accepted into the house by the dogs and cat. They always want to know where he is, but don't do so to bother him, just to know. The cat doesn't like his crying, but she doesn't really like loud noises in general. She actually walks up to him and "yells" at him to quiet him down.

For the most part, Lucas is a mellow kid. He has his moments, but he usually only fusses when he's hungry. You don't get to be 12 lbs 7 oz at 2 months by not eating! He loves to be held. He loves to bounce in his bouncy seat, in fact right now that's where he sleeps at night since he's boycotting his crib!

2010 wasn't easy. It wasn't always fun, but it was a year I wouldn't trade for the world. I know 2011 is going to start off rocky. Apparently, having a kid costs a good bit of money. Something we lack much of right now, but we are making it work. I have high hopes for 2011. It can be tough at times, which is why I plan to find the good in every day through the eyes of Lucas.

I'll take a picture each day and do my best to explain it's significance as I believe Lucas would see it. I hope you enjoy the pictures, and the stories Lucas and I create!

Lots of Love and happiness for 2011,

Lisa and Lucas