Diaper Bags are the New Purse

Other then baby and baby's car seat, it's the one item that a mother will never leave home without, The Diaper Bag. They come in so many different sizes, colors, looks, characters, and accessories. A mom or dad could be carring one and you wouldn't even know it. Many of them just look like normal bags now. I know of people that have made their own diaper bags out of a big back pack, my sister included.

In the first week of Logan's life, I knew right away that his diaper bag would be my new purse. It had to be. We went out for the first time on Friday (Logan was born on Monday) and I tried to carry the diaper bag and my purse and whatever else we thought we needed at the time. I quickly realized that carring my big purse was just unrealistic. So I just grabbed my wallet, phone, keys, Kleenex, and hand sanatiser and found a little cubby in the diaper bag for it all. Now all that I grab is Logan and the diaper bag and we are out the door.

I'm not one of those people that likes to be in a rush to get out the door when we need to leave, plus I only have so much time until Logan is hungry again. So I restock and organize the diaper bag everynight before bed. There must always be 8 diapers in the bag, a full thing of wipes, a blanket, nursing wrap, 2 changes of clothes, changing pad, and a few toys...plus 2 bottles of water for mom and dad. I like to be prepared. I don't like feeling flustered and unprepared for what's to come, so therefore I plan it out and try to be prepared for my family and just for myself. This also makes leaving everyday much faster.

You see, when you have a baby, or even just a young child, you need to have something to tote around everything that needs to go with baby and child. So when I recently read about a mother who went out for the day and after her baby had done some business she didn't change her. Instead she just let her sit in her own business while mom kept visiting stores and going shopping and not changing her until she got home, well I was furious! I mean, think about that child! How would that mother like it if she was made to sit in her own business while I toted her around from store to store shopping? All that needs to be done is have a diaper bag on hand, and if you run out of diapers, well there is always some store near by! CHANGE THE DAMN DIAPER, THERE IS NO EXCUSE NOT TO! I don't care about others smelling the business in the pants (I mean I do, but it's going to happen, so get over it), but a child needs to have a fresh diaper if not for comfort then at least for health reasons.

This story actually reminds me of my nephew Gabe (who is already turning 10 in just a few short days!) when he was a little babe. My sister and I were in the car going when we either heard or smelled that Gabe had done some business. We quickly pulled off at a park and found a bench and changed him. Let me tell you, it was a BLOW OUT! We didn’t just change that diaper, but we had to change his clothes after giving him a little mini bath with the wipes even. It was a windy day and Gabe was on the bench naked and the wind struck him in just the right way. He gave us the BIGGEST smile and cutest laugh I had ever heard. He loved all of it. You see, if we just decided to keep going on our way and wait until we got home to change Gabe then none of us would have that memory. Changing baby’s diapers can give you great memories and wonderful stories to tell…like you know in about 15 years (give or take) when Gabe gets married, I can tell that story to his new in-laws!
So to all the mom's out there...PLEASE remember your diaper bag. It's not just a diaper bag, it’s a mother's purse as well. Keep those pre-baby purses in the closet for a night out on the town or just for work. And always remember to restock it so you are prepared for your little ones needs.

Scooting Already!?!?

I swear I have the strongest 2 ½ month old baby there is…or so is my belief. Let me show you why it is that I believe this to be true.


First remember back here when I told you that Logan’s pediatrician said that he has the strength of a 4 month old baby because of how much he holds his head up when he’s on his tummy time. Well this has gotten even more exaggerated. Also, he has hit another milestone for the typical 4-7month crowd of babies…he’s SCOOTING while he’s on his tummy. I have the pictures to prove it to you too.

Here is Logan just holding up his head and the front part of his body looking at I believe the light

Same thing, but I just couldn't pass up showing off how much he loves that tounge of his!

And we have seen the toy and we are off!

Now the picture that is missing is Logan having actually moved a little over a head length to the ball and starting to PUSH the ball with his head!  I was sitting there in amazement at this, I just couldn't believe it.  Then Dustin took the ball away and moved it further away from Logan.  Here is Logan's response to having his ball moved away...

This is how he was while scooting and pushing the ball. 

This is right after Dustin moved the ball and before Logan realized this fact.

And now both the ball has been moved further away and Logan has been moved backwards a bit...

I believe this is what set off the next picture.

Logan is now VERY unhappy and letting us know it. 

He did all that work just to have it taken away from him!

He’s just growing up so fast! It’s hard to believe how big he’s getting!

Task of the day:
Remember to tell your kids you love them on a regular basis…we might think they know, but they need to hear it too.

Mine, Mine, Mine, I'm NOT going to share!

So Logan has found his hands.  He loves to hold them and play with them and pull his hand with the other hand.  But more so, these hands must taste like chocolate or something because they are ALWAYS in his mouth now.  I know that this is what is supposed to happen, but is he supposed to be this protective of them....

This look clearly says "They're mine, mine, mine.  I'm NOT going to share with you.  They are all MINE!"

And here is before Mommy asked if she could have a taste of his nummy yummy hands:

So clearly, it was that he didn't want to share!  I want to know what I'm missing out on though.  I want to taste the chocolate hands too!

"Why are my clothes on?"

So Logan and I love to take baths for two. What is a bath for two? Well it is where I get into the tub with Logan and then Logan is set on my lap, resting on my legs, facing me and then water is constantly poured all over his body (with a wash cloth covering the fountain that Loan likes to turn on while in the water sometimes).


As you all know Logan is two months old. Within these two months Logan has POOPED on me THREE times during the bath for two!!! The first time was some time ago and was funny and cute. I mean, it's a baby, my baby, that pooped on me in the tub. I'm sorry but that was cute, though I did scrub myself down good in the shower once we figured it out.

The second time was about a month later. Dustin was home and in the living room. I had called to him asking for something to be brought in...who knows what. About 2 minutes later he still hadn't made it into the bathroom. That's when IT happened! All of a sudden you here this noise, the noise that little boys make on their hands when making fart noises...that noise. Then I just yell, "DUSTIN I NEED YOU NOW!!!" He came running in thinking something was horribly wrong, "What?" is all he says. "Take him NOW! He just POOPED on me again!" Now you can insert close to a minute of laughing from my wonderful, loving husband. You might ask if he made any move to take the little poop monster from me. The answer to that would be a big fat NO! So again I say to him, "TAKE HIM NOW!" (He was too slippery for me at the time). So Dustin finally took him.

I then ran to the other bathroom and took a shower and scrubbed down again like before. I did this while over hearing Dustin telling our boy what a good boy he is and what a good job he did by pooping on mommy. Dustin just couldn't quit laughing. Little did I know what else he was telling our little boy. But I found out...

The next night Dustin was at work and Logan was fussing and needed to calm down. I know the best way to do this...a bath for two. So I got into the newly cleaned tub with my little boy. We're playing and seeing and all of a sudden he got this knowing face. Yep, I swear to you he KNEW what he was going to do. That's when I told our little guy, "You are not allowed to listen to daddy. You are not ALLOWED to poop on me. You are not SUPPOSED to poop on me. DO NOT POOP ON ME MISTER!" And yes I was making my way to getting us out of the tub by this time. I was too late...we were about to get out when the NOISE happed again. He did it AGAIN!

We got out, got Logan washed up and then a diaper on. Then Logan had to sit in his car seat in the other bathroom while I SCRUBBED again...all while cursing Dustin.

Our next move was to get Logan dressed and call Daddy at work to tell him he was in trouble. He picks up his work phone and all that I say is "You are in so much trouble!"..."Why?"...."You told Logan to poop on me again, and so, he DID!"....all I get is laughter, AGAIN! "That's my boy. Good Job!"

So Logan was then grounded from bath time for two for about a week and half. This was mainly because I just couldn't get the time to clean the tub of his poop. So the other night we were going to brave the bath for two again, but first it had to be cleaned. So what am I to do with Logan? I put him in his tub, clothes and all, while I cleaned our tub. This got Mommy several strange looks asking me "Why are my clothes still on? Why is there no water? Are you loosing your mind woman?" So I answered his questions by telling him I had to clean up the mess that he made before, that he was just sitting in his tub, and that YES I am most certainly loosing my mind because we are going to try this again.

By the way...No poopy bath that day!!

Fist it!

So Logan loves his hands.  I swear they are the tastiest things around right now.  If he's not up and having his fists in his mouth then he is on his tummy giving up on moving and trying to eat his hand and to be the first baby to get his whole fist in his mouth. We're not sure if another baby has accomplished this feat, but if not, then Loan is DETERMINED to be the first!

My favorite part of these picture (definately not the picture quality) is that you can see that he's not just sitting their idle.  He's looking around studying everything and also...trying to get that fist in his mouth!

(pictures were taken from my phone)

The Breastfeeding Working Mom...OOPS!

So as you know I'm an exclusive breast feeder. I'm of the school of thought that if it isn't broke, well then, don't fix it. By this I mean, unless it's for a medical reason, formula shouldn't be used. I know that everyone has their own opinion, but that's mine.

So with all of the information about the benefits of breastfeeding vs. formula feeding I decided to breastfeed. Luckily for me I live in a state (Minnesota) where it is illegal to throw a patron out of ANY PLACE because they are breastfeeding. Also, in Minnesota employers are REQUIRED to allow nursing mothers the time needed to pump their milk for their child (though this time does not need to be paid) and a safe, clean, and sanitary place to do this.

Currently I pump once while I'm at work because I'm only here for 5 hours right now, though later I will be pumping 3 times a day once I start back full time. All I need is my pump right? WRONG! I need the breast shields, the cords, the collection containers, the tops for the collection containers and the electrical cord. Today I did NOT have everything I needed. I had everything pumped, cleaned the items that needed to be cleaned, and was then going to put the milk containers into their little cooler. I looked in the cooler for the caps for the collection bottle (where I normally have them). What did I find? NOTHING! I forgot the caps at home!

So I'm standing there looking at these bottles with 4oz of precious mommy milk in each one (two bottles total, and two different feedings for Logan) and no cap to put on them to keep the milk from spilling. I'm thinking...thinking...thinking. Then I see it. My Ice Mountain water bottle on the side of my pump. It had never been opened, no lips have touched it. I had one moment of thinking, "but what about the water, I don't want to waste it." Then I thought of the alternative and wasting two meals of Logan's. Nope, that milk quickly went down the drain, since I had just filled my bladder with a different bottle that was in the trash now. In went Logan's milk...or the Mommy milk as we like to call it.

The next problem to solve was "How do I store it in the bag and not have it go bad?" You see I could put it in the fridge and mark as 'mommy milk', but the fridge here does not get cleaned out often, things rot in it, it stinks, the smell seeps into your food...basically, it’s disgusting. So if I wouldn't put my own food in it, I'm definitely not putting Logan's in it. So into the bag it had to go.

Breast milk is good for 4 hours outside of the fridge at room temperate, but I still like to keep it cool anyway. So I put it in the bag, and it was not able to fit into the little milk cooler since that's made for 5 ounce baby bottles, not a half litter bottle of water. I finagled the ice pack by it and got the cooler over it a little at least so the iciness stayed around in that area, hopefully. Needless to say, I got creative!

So my lesson has been learned....ALWAYS be sure to have the caps to the collection bottles with me!

Update on the working mom...

So back in this post I said that there are three different days with Logan and his care givers and I wasn't sure which days would be the best for me. Well we have gone through all three a few times now and here we go...

Day 1: Dustin is home all day with Logan because it is his day off of work. This means that Dustin is available to help me get Logan ready for the day and get myself ready as well. He is able to take care of and entertain Logan while Mommy gets ready and able to do the diaper changes after I feed Logan. Then when I get off of work I can just go straight home...or if the need arises do a little bit of running of errands for the family before I get home (though I try not to do this and just go straight home so I can see the family and feed Logan).

Day 2: Dustin is home in the morning because he works from 12:00pm until 10:00pm. Dustin is able to do all of the above morning help with Logan. He then drops Logan off at his mom's house so she can care for Logan until I come and pick him up after work. Then Logan and I have the whole evening together...alone.

Day 3: Dustin has to be at work at 6:30am...so no morning help from him since he leaves at 6:00am. I get Logan ready for the day, fed, changed, myself ready for work, fed and ...well not changed, but you get it. Then I drop him off at Dustin's cousin Mindy's house so she can watch Logan until Deb gets off of work and picks Logan up around 9:30am. I then pick Logan up from Deb's after I get off of work (though once I go back to work full time it will be Dustin picking Logan up on these days). We then go home and wait for Daddy to get home around 4:30pm and then spend the night together as a family.

Now as you might guess I have these days in order of ease...Day 1 being the easiest and day 3 being the hardest. You can see why right away, I have help on day 1 and 2 from Dustin in the morning vs. day 3 I don't. But the other thing is, even though I trust Mindy completely and am very grateful to her for watching Logan and it's nothing against her...it's just so hard to drop him off some place and then leave. It really is. The other day as I left Mindy's Logan looked at me from his seat like "Mommy, where are you going? You're forgetting me!" I swear I nearly cried in the car on the way to work thinking about that face. It was just so hard. But leaving him with Dustin is easier...he's Daddy, he doesn't mind (as much) when he's left with Daddy, he's normally sleeping even.

As to being back at work: I’m getting used to it and back into the swing of things. I have my days where I am tired from all of Logan’s ‘awakeness’ at night and the night time feedings. On those days I might be a little be crabbier or grouchy because I’m running on E…or even below. I try to keep my life separate from work, but these are days that it’s just impossible. My home life is number one for me, but I need to work in order to support my life at home.

I’ve had issues in the past with one of my co-workers, but I am making a resolution to myself that I will try, at least on my end, to make things work and just be better between us. There is only so much that I can do, but I will definitely do my part and try with this person. The environment with this person feels like a very passive aggressive one and I feel like I have to walk on egg shells as the saying goes around said person. I don’t want that in my life, so I want to do my part to try and make it better. But at the moment when something comes up I just think to myself: "I'm only here part time right now! This is defiantly bearable."

On the up side of work: I’m able to have a little bit of adult time. I'm able to get some stuff done that I normally am not able to get done with Logan around. I'm able to focus on some computer stuff instead of house work. I'm able to have scheduled times to eat and take a breath. I'm able to appreciate my time with Logan just that much more once I'm with him.

As to the job interview: I didn't get the job. I found out from my sources that there were A LOT of people that interviewed for the position and many people that had experience in it before (even though they seemed to be asking for those without experience). This doesn't mean that I'm going to give up on trying to move up from my current position. I will see what is out there, or even what there is internally, and apply and keep applying. I will also see what I can do personally to try to add to my resume so I can give myself more of an opportunity to move up as well.

My new way of looking at life...or not new just renewed...is to find the positives in everything. You need to when there is so much going on. Can I find the positives in Logan screaming for seemingly no reason? Not that I can think of. But can I find the positives in not getting the other job? Yes. For one, this way I don't have to give-up any of the time that I'm only working part time. Also, the job was about 15-30 minutes further from home.

So my task for all of you today is...When something gets you down, try to think of at least two positive things that can come from it.



Disclaimer: All views are those of mine alone and not those of the company in which I work. I intentionally keep the name of my company hidden on this blog as to not reflect negatively on them. All names of those in which I work with are kept hidden as well as to not hinder their character later in life. These are my views and my views and feelings alone and not those of others.

I use this blog not as that to advance me in life but instead as that to stay connected with friends and family near and far, please remember this while reading my blog. This is because the life of being a working mother keeps me busy to the point of being disconnected with those that I love and usually socialize with.
This Blog is not ment for the purpose of work, but for that of a personal journal of events that I share about mine, my husbands, and my son’s life with those that we love and of course those that invite us into their lives through their blog and want to be apart of ours in our blog. Parts of those events are work events. My own vents are not here in order for others to see and use to judge those that are vented about, be them people that either I or my husband work with, family, or friends.
Please remember that I am a new mother and with that comes stress over and above the stress of normal everyday life. If you have not been a new mother (or father) then these stresses are ones that you don’t understand. This is a way for me to control that stress and not have it come out side ways at those it is intended for or not intended for.

I know it's late but...

here are Logan's Easter pictures.  They are just too cute not to share with you...

The Easter Bunny left his basket where he KNEW Logan would find it this year...so not much hunting was involved!

"What?  That's ALL for ME!"

"Yea, I love cards!"

"Silly Monkey...I'm going to blow bubbles at you."

"I'm a little bunny today! Does that mean I get to jump around and break into peoples houses to leave gifts and a mess behind me?"

"Yea, CARS!  I want to drive NOW!" 

The Easter bunny had to get this book for Logan...because said bunny thought "ooo, daddy will read this to Logan for sure!"

Once Logan saw all of his gifts (3 books, 4 outfits, a teething ring, A silly Monkey dressed as a bunny, and then bunny ears) then Logan was put into the basket that was more then big enough for him to sit in...I believe that face means "Silly Mommy and Daddy, I don't go in here!" 

Then Logan changed outfits to be a bunny and then laid some chocolate eggs for Mommy and Daddy to eat...more so for Daddy!

And the Easter Bunny was right...Daddy was MORE then willing to read this book to Logan!

What are those on your tummy mommy? TOES???....

So this morning after Logan was done nursing, and then playing with his food (or in other words my nipple, yes this does hurt when he decides to do this), I sat him up on his Boppy and we had ‘big boy sitting time’. By this I mean that I will hold him under his arm pits and he will sit like a big boy holding his head up on his own and move it around to whatever he would like to see. It started out as usual with him facing me looking at me and me talking and making faces at him. Then he looked to his left at his crib and at the dark of his crib against the light of his light blue walls and light blue (with stripes of brown and white) bumper pads. He loves looking over this way because of the light and dark color contrast. Then he moved back to my face and over to his right to look out the window. Then as he was coming back to my face, he realized he could look down on his own.
So he looks down and sees another light dark combination…his feet against my tummy which had the dark black of the tummy panel of the maternity pants that I still love on it. He was FASINATED! Then something happened…the toes moved. Logan’s eyes got big. Then his foot moved a little. He is then just STARING at his feet and toes and wiggling his toes and just smiling away at them. I HAVE TOES! I’m MAKING THESE THINGS MOVE! He would occasionally look back up at me with this look of “see mommy, look what I’m doing!’ on his face. I just talked to him telling him what he was looking at. It was so adorable…he loved those toes! Next move is to start grabbing those toes and sucking on them. I already try to ‘eat’ them and ‘gobble’ them up. So I’m guessing that it won’t be long!

2 months

My goodness, I can’t believe that Logan is already 2 months old! I brought him in to the Doctor on Thursday (on his 2 month date) for his Wellness exam and…the forbidden Immunizations! Dr. Rhodes said that Logan is looking great and that he is a 4 month old when it comes to his strength!! Well I could have told you that.


During tummy time Logan holds his head up so well, and has been since he was born, but of course it’s been getting progressively better. Now he will hold it for well over a minute just looking around and trying to figure out what is around him. He’s not completely sure if he likes tummy time all the time or not either, some times are better then others. Plus he will roll over when he’s on tummy time…been doing that since he was 2 weeks old (YES THAT'S RIGHT!), and on a regulare basis. He doesn’t do it with out fussing, but he does do it!

Tummy time trying to get the rings!

I'm so over this tummy time, now if I could just roll over faster!

Logan is in the 90th percentile for his length, 75th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for his head size…apparently he has a little head! He weighed in at 12lbs and 10.5oz! He is growing so BIG! He’s 24 inches long and his head is 15.5cm!

Would you like to know just how big Logan is getting? Well, let me give you an idea. This past weekend I put Logan in a 6 MONTH sleep and play, and it fit him PERFECTLY! I couldn’t believe it. It was the Target ‘Circo’ brand, which I believe runs a little small, but still, 6 months…and he’s only 2 months old! This little guy is growing like a weed! What is a mommy to do?

When it came to Logan’s Immunizations I was more then thankful to the fact that I have him on the Modified Immunization schedule. He is only getting 2 Immunizations at once vs. the 6 that is the recommended and norm. I’m sorry but look at that little body. It can only handle so much. Think of all the chemicals in the injections. I don’t think its right to give that much to a small little one…just my opinion. Plus this way if there is some sort of reaction, it’s just that much easier to narrow it down as to which injection gave him the reaction. Also, I won’t allow them to combine injections either. No MMR for him, he gets them singularly…Measles, then Mumps, then Rubella. So now instead of going every other month right now for injections, we need to go every month and get 2 immunizations (3 when it’s a flu shot). That’s the only down side to it!

This picture was taken on Wednesday Morning before I went to work (so the day before his 2 months) and he was at a bit of an odd angle but here is his two month picture and him trying to root on the Minnesota Twins! (Unfortunately they lost that day)

GO TWINS!

My Gassy Little Logan

So there was a period within the past month that Logan has been HORRIBLY gassy.  I don't just mean normally baby gassy, I mean you can see tht he was in some severe pain.  So of course being the person I am I looked up the causes of infant gas. 

Well one of the things I foud is that with breast fed babies if the mom is eating dairy that this might cause severe gas in baby if the little one is lactose intolerant.  So I started cutting out Dairy a few days prior to his 1 month appointment.  We didn't see Logan's regular pediatrician since she was on vacation, but another woman.  I brought it up to her and she didn't think anything of it.  Well I should have trusted my gut because I started eating and drinking dairy again.  His gas got about 10 times worse it seemed.  Brought him back in to HIS peditrician and she agreed that I should try and cut dairy out of my diet for a while.  THANK YOU!


In between the dairy getting out of my system and Logan being in pain we kept trying to figure out how to help him out.  We tried the bicycle (moving his legs like he's riding a bicycle).  We tried bouncing him on our lap and walking.  We tried the upside down football hold, though we were new to this and not totally understanding...

We even tried the Mylicon drops.  Nothing worked!

Finally someone told Dustin at work about Gripe water to use for gas.  We just kept thinking...Your not supposed to give water to babies.  So we dismissed this idea.  Then as we were at the social security office one day (I still hadn't changed my last name yet from when we got married in August) there was a woman there that said the same thing...use Gripe Water.  She said that she formula fed her baby and it made her poo smell like death, but that it worked when nothing else did.  We broke down and picked up some Gripe Water from Walgreens.  Guess what...IT WORKED!!  This is something that every parent with children needs.  SERIOUSLY!  It was wonderful!  The best thing about it, it's all natural, no artifical chemicals which I love about it the most, besides the fact that it actually worked for Logan.  This is something that I will never let our Medicine cabinet go with out now...Baby's Bliss Gripe Water.

 

So next time your little one is having some severe gas, run out to the pharmacy (or just have some on hand) and get some Gripe water.  It works in 5 - 20 minutes!  It was great.  I will never go without it again!

Wonderful Start

So not that I needed it but now life has gotten a bit more complicated...I am now a one armed working mom!  This weekend while we were up at the cabin I somehow partially dislocated my left shoulder. So now my left arm is in a sling and is not supposed to be used for a while.  This is not an easy task since I have a two month old little boy at home. 

Let me tell you how devoted I am to Logan and to not ever buying formula...my arm is in so much pain that it actually makes me cry, and I'm not one to cry with pain.  I broke 3 of my toes and I never cried even.  I'm a person that sucks it up no matter what.  Well, while at the ER last night they wanted to prescribe me Vicodin.  Well I'm not one that likes to take medication in general but for this I would...but I'm breastfeeding Logan so I decided that I will just endure this horrible pain and forgo the drugs. 

Another obsicle I'm dealing with is that Logan was not really wanting to eat this weekend and we forgot the pump at home!!!  So I'm engorged all weekend and then suddenly Sunday afternoon comes and no engorgement.  I go home and pump with my Medela Pump in Style, which I love and have had great success with, and I only get a total of 3 oz between both breasts!  This is extremly unusual because I normally get about a total of 10oz or more in 15minutes or less.  So now I'm waiting for Logan's clinic to call me and the lactation consultants as well!  Oh what a wonderful start to the week. 

Here are a fewpictues of Logan to finish off this one handed typed post...

Logan after his bath!

 Logan grabbing in his play gym!

The Torture Instruments

So Logan and I have been fighting a cold since Easter. All last week we were trying to get better. On came a cold, and out came the torture instruments. Yes that's right I torture my son because he's sick. I mean how dare he get sick. Right? So I had to torture him to teach him a lesson....NOT!

We had to get out the aspirator and the baby saline drops. I feel so bad for Logan, I really do. I mean he's already sick and miserable because of that, and now I'm adding more misery and dropping saline drops into his nose to loosen up everything, and then I'm shoving this thing in there and trying to suck everything out. The only thing is...as I'm sucking, Logan is screaming. Well, when a baby screams he also sucks all of the ickies back in. So everything that I was working for over the past hour (or so it feels like when Logan is unhappy, it's actually closer to around a minute give or take) is for nothing. The moment I get everything to the front and it will just need one more good suck...he sucks all right back in. What is a mommy to do?

When he screams and cries I just want to figure out what it is and fix it. But I can't when the reason he's screaming is because of me trying to make him feel better. Oh how I look forward to the day when he starts to blow his nose!

I was getting extremely frustrated though with the aspirator we had. See, we didn't know that you're supposed to take the one from the hospital. So we went out and bought one at Target. Well the end is too big to even fit into Logan's nose, so needless to say, it didn't work at all. Off I go to Walgreens and I got some nasal drops to help loosen it all up and then it came with an aspirator as well. YEA! I got home, opened it up and it was a perfect size for my little guy! Little Noses stuffy nose kit is great...I recommend it to all that have a stuffed up little one.

So does anyone have any advice on how to make Logan more comfortable? How to get the ickies out faster? Any advice at all, I'm open to it!

Food, Shoes and...is that a hearse?

So I’m not back to work full time yet. I’m only workin 5 hours a day currently. This is my way of trying to ease both myself and Logan into this new schedule and not being with each other all the time. So I’m working 7:30am to 12:30pm.


So after work I went home, nursed Logan, made a food menu for the rest of the week, and then Dustin and I were off. Before anything we needed to eat. So we made a stop at Applebees where Logan sat next to me and dozed off and then woke up and looked around. We tried to entertain him but he just wanted to take a bunch of cat naps.

After our luncher (Lunch and dinner) we were off to DSW in Woodbury for some new black dress shoes for mommy. When I put my shoes on in the morning they were so uncomfortable because something was poking me. I then realized it was the inside of my shoes poking me. After 6 years of wearing them nearly every work day…they were offically ready to be retired since they were falling apart on the inside and out.

We spent nearly an hour at DSW to just buy one pair of shoes! You see before Logan I was a size 10 in shoes. So it was already hard to find some nice shoes that were comfortable and in a style I liked. Well NOW it’s even harder…I’ve grown a size. I’m now a size 11! That on top of the fact that I don’t trust my own judgement and I just hate shopping, well it took forever. Again, Logan slept the whole time…and Dustin was watching him, so life was a bit easier then.

As we were leaving the store Dustin’s mom called and reminded us that Logan’s car seat base still needd to be installed in her car. Oops! I can’t believe we all forgot about it until now! But, I’m not the only working mom out there in this crazy world. Deb is as well, not to mention she’s a working Grandma, working daughter, working sister, working wife, and a working mom! Life is getting hectic for her even more now because of the added element of being a working Grandma. Deb is going to be watching Logan while Dustin and I work! That’s so GREAT! I don’t know if I can ever thank her enough! Then on top of that Deb’s mom Mona is in the hospital and then Todd’s dad Bob is having some severe health issues as well and is being brought in for kemo on a regular basis. So, it’s understandable why we all forgot about the base until now. So over to Grandma and Grandpa’s we go!

On the way there I’m just talking away…about who knows what. Sometimes I just talk just to talk. I don’t even know if Dustin realized I was talking because while we were sitting at a stop light out of no where and in a place where it didn’t fit into what I was saying Dustin just blurts out in a very discussed tone “I don’t like that!” I look at him with a vey confused look…”Like what?” “THAT thing there!” I look at where he’s looking and there is this vehicle. We’ve all seen them lately, the cars that are trying to be an SUV or something of that nature. Well the design of this one is just so ugly…no, it’s FUGLY, in the words of my brother-in-law Rob.

No joking, this vehicle looks like a hearse, but a hearse with some color! It was just wrong. It was the ugliest vehicle I’ve see to date I believe. So what kind of vehicle is this…well it was a Ford Flex. If you haven’t seen one before well BEHOLD……….

Now I’m not sure what and how you buy a vehicle, but I at least want something that looks somewhat appealing, and this just makes me want to pray for whatever family lost the loved one that is in the back. I don’t want that to be happening when I’m driving about town. I at least need a vehicle with a bit more curve to it too…oh and one that someone can distictively know if it’s a car, mini van, truck or SUV.

On to one more rant for today…Rainbow foods. I’m not sure if you have this store near you but this is my main grocery store. As we all know I’m a mommy, a wife, and I work outside the home as well. Well this means that I normally need to have my son with me where ever I go, and that includes grocery shopping. Well appearently Rainbow doesn’t like for babies to be in their store and want to make life just that much harder for parents with new babies.

We bought one of the infant carrier car seats and use that in stores as well, you know, by hooking them up to the front part where kids will sit when they ar able to. Well Rainbows kid seat area is TOO SMALL! Logan’s car seat doesn’t fit! Oh this makes me so mad! If you put him in the cart part and put his handle all the way down so he doesn’t move, well then where are the groceries supposed to go?

So I dropped Dustin and Logan off at home and went shopping for the food for the week. I still hate shopping but I can at least tolerate this, I’d prefer this over clothes and shoe shopping anyday! It just irks me that I have to leave my son and go by myself and try to hurry to I can get home before he is hungry again so he can nurse. I know you might be thinking, “well give him a bottle”. Bbut that means I have to pump and nursing is still just so much better then pumping. Then you might be thinking, “well send Dustin”. To this I say “HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Yeah if I do that then all that will be in our home is junk food and not the fruit and veggies I buy. See grocery shopping is the shopping Dustin despises, because he just doesn’t know how he says. I try to bring him with and ‘teach’ him, but it just doesn’t work, he still just comes home with junk food for the most part.

So now I have new shoes (still need two more pair, one for just jeans, and then some for the water up north), the car seat base is installed, and w have groceries. By the time I got home it was Logan’s bath time and I felt like I just hadn’t had enough time with him…so we had a bath for two. So I at least got some quality time with my precious little angle!

Your task today…try to do something for yourself, even if it’s just 5 minutes longer in the shower! Remember we need to be happy in order to make our family happy! 

Before I leave you, here is a picture of Logan and me at Como Zoo on March 31st. We decided to take advantage of Auntie Carlynn and Cousin's Gabe and Sam being on Spring break and go with them to the zoo on a very nice and gorgeous day!

I figured we needed some more pictures of Logan and some more recent ones at that.  Hopefully there will be more to follow.

New Name, New Goal

So as you can already see the name of my blog has changed as now my life has changed. I am a working mom (officially came back to work today...Insert tears here!).

I never saw myself as being a working mom. I always thought that I would be able to be at home with my children from the day that they were born until I finally decided to go to work while they were in school. I thought I would be the parent that would be with her baby all day everyday, that I would be there for him to play with and nurse from all day, that I would be the one caring for my child and not someone else. I always thought that I would be that parent that was able to be the volunteer everyday at their school, have a snack ready when they got home.

Well life has changed this. I didn't marry a doctor or lawyer or even that prince that I always imagined myself doing as a kid. Instead I married a man that works as a retail manager, has to open the store someday and close others, that has to work every other weekend, and that comes home smelling like a hardware store. But you know what...I would trade him for anything! I love him more then I could ever imagine, and it keeps growing everyday. But because I wasn't meant for a rich prince or even someone that made closer to 3 figures a year, I am back at work. Please don't miss judge me here, I don't blame Dustin for this, I just sometimes wish that either life was less expensive, or he made more money at a job he liked better, or that life was all rainbows and sunshine and that money didn't exist...I think we all wished or the Utopia world, but in my opinion, we make our own Utopia.

So leaving this morning was so hard. And each day this week is going to get harder I think. Today was great because Dustin is off of work today and is home with Logan (officially 8 weeks old today). I got an update from Dustin saying that Logan had a bottle of pumped Mommy Milk around 8:30am and had about 4.5ounces. OH MY GOODNESS, he is getting BIG! I remember when he would just have 2 ounces when we went on our first date after he turned a month old. Then just a couple weekends ago he would have about 3 ounces in a feeding...now he's to 4.5 ounces. Come on boobs, give me milk, Logan needs to eat!

That is one thing that is making it a little easy for me here at work; we have mommy rooms so I can go and pump and not worry about someone walking into a conference room or something of that nature. There is a big comfy chair, a nice table in front of me for the pump, a little clock, and a sink with all the supplies I need for cleaning afterwards...plus the kitchen has the fridge. My only thing is...I take longer then 15 minutes to get ready, pump, clean up, get myself back into 'shape', go to the bathroom, have a snack, and then get back to work. I had my snack at the desk and still took close to a half an hour...hopefully it gets faster.
As to work itself...well, I'm not sure yet. I should let you know that I really am evaluating this closely today just because I have an interview on Wednesday afternoon at another company.  Though, my eyes are very obviously tinted because I've been off for so long, and it is just my first day back.

See, I’ve had issues where I work in the past, not with the company, but instead with a co-worker, and only the one. She frightened me a bit when I first started. She just came on a bit strong. By this I mean she told her husband, yes he works here too, that she and I were the best of friends, and this was only about 2 or 3 days after I started working here. The thing is, it didn’t seem like she was joking, but serious! That is what really frightened me.


After that I sharted seeing a different side to Mrs. Co-Worker, a side that makes her seem fake and acting at all times, and one that needs attention. The thing that really got me right before I left on maternity leave was when our manager came to me and told me what Mrs. Co-Worker said "Hope hates me!" I felt like I was in 1st grade...no sorry, I have a nephew in first grade that wouldn't even do something that childish...I felt like I was in pre-school. I just saw it as something that was really immature and not something that any manager should have to go to an employee about and no employee should ever go to a manager and say.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate her by any means. I don’t have that kind of time, energy or even the desire to think of Mrs. Co-Worker so much as to ‘hate her’. I just wish that things could be different, that’s all.

Other then Mrs. Co-Worker, I really do like my job, though I do want to move up or else move soon. I am great friends with several co-workers and even some that have moved on that I still keep in touch with via email.

Being back though, it is nice being somewhere where I know most of the people walking by, and to know what to do and how to do it. Also it's great just to know my surroundings. If I get this job at the other company I'll be about 15 minutes or more further from home, I'll have to learn everything new, and who's to say I'm going to like it. But it does allow for more movement in the company then where I am now. I guess we'll just have to see. I'll find out on Friday if I'm offered the job. Yep, that's right they are going to tell everyone (they are hiring 17 people for a call center) by Friday. At least I don't have long to wait!

Well that's it for now. I'm going to try and be much better about getting on here and posting now too...PROMISE! But like I said, life gets hectic! As to the New Goal...My goal is to actually post now, and to post about life as a working mom, as the blog name suggests. I am also hoping to reach more readers, to get opinions and feed back on life in general. Maybe this can even be the start of a mommy blog group here and some great friendships. Yes, I said that. We all need support, and I hope to give and maybe even recieve some.

Until tomorrow, have a great day, and remember to kiss your babe's, tell them you love them. Then thank your partner for such a wonderful child and for all that they do, and hopfully they will do the same to you!




Disclaimer: All views are those of mine alone and not those of the company in which I work. I intentionally keep the name of my company hidden on this blog as to not reflect negatively on them. All names of those in which I work with are kept hidden as well as to not hinder their character later in life. These are my views and my views and feelings alone and not those of others.

I use this blog not as that to advance me in life but instead as that to stay connected with friends and family near and far, please remember this while reading my blog. This is because the life of being a working mother keeps me busy to the point of being disconnected with those that I love and usually socialize with.
This Blog is not ment for the purpose of work, but for that of a personal journal of events that I share about mine, my husbands, and my son’s life with those that we love and of course those that invite us into their lives through their blog and want to be apart of ours in our blog. Parts of those events are work events. My own vents are not here in order for others to see and use to judge those that are vented about, be them people that either I or my husband work with, family, or friends.
Please remember that I am a new mother and with that comes stress over and above the stress of normal everyday life. If you have not been a new mother (or father) then these stresses are ones that you don’t understand. This is a way for me to control that stress and not have it come out side ways at those it is intended for or not intended for.