CHALLENGE! I challenge you to donate the monetary amount equal to the weight of your first born child, or your birth weight if you don't have children to the March of Dimes! Elisa and I will be walking in the March for Babies this year in May!
To donate you can either click the link below or the badge on the right side of the blog. Anything helps!
http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3431276&ct=4&w=5240370&u=lisah2king&bt=11
Monday, February 27, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
It sneaks up on you
Sometimes. When you least expect it.
You think you are over something, and then the smallest thing will remind you that really, you aren't.
If you've been watching the news you may be aware of Facebook changing to this "timeline" profile or have even been using it yourself. I'm what's known as a "late adopter" when it comes to these kinds of things and wait until Facebook forces me into the change so I am just now looking at the new profile.
And at first I thought, cool. I can go back and look at October through December of 2009 and see what I posted! After all, I went and checked my moms with no problem.
But when I moved that cursor to October 2009, I found I just couldn't click it. I've gone back several times to try and every time, I get there, move the cursor and then chicken out.
Guess I'm not ready to face it. In the same way I have yet to go back and read the blog from those months. It's just too painful. I can talk about it in hindsight, but I can't read the raw words or emotions that I know are present in seeing the actual words as they happen.
It's like all those letters I wrote to my grandmother as a kid. She saved every one of them, and when she died in 2005, I was given them back. It's 2012 and I have yet to even open up the envelop with them in it.
I just can't do it. It's like it makes it "real" and I'd prefer to live in this pseudo reality where I can bury my head and admit that I've been "there" but not having to really remember it.
I guess something like prematurity is just not something you "get over." You "move beyond" and deal with the consequences but the trauma never truly leaves you. Maybe in 5 years? I guess we will see.
You think you are over something, and then the smallest thing will remind you that really, you aren't.
If you've been watching the news you may be aware of Facebook changing to this "timeline" profile or have even been using it yourself. I'm what's known as a "late adopter" when it comes to these kinds of things and wait until Facebook forces me into the change so I am just now looking at the new profile.
And at first I thought, cool. I can go back and look at October through December of 2009 and see what I posted! After all, I went and checked my moms with no problem.
But when I moved that cursor to October 2009, I found I just couldn't click it. I've gone back several times to try and every time, I get there, move the cursor and then chicken out.
Guess I'm not ready to face it. In the same way I have yet to go back and read the blog from those months. It's just too painful. I can talk about it in hindsight, but I can't read the raw words or emotions that I know are present in seeing the actual words as they happen.
It's like all those letters I wrote to my grandmother as a kid. She saved every one of them, and when she died in 2005, I was given them back. It's 2012 and I have yet to even open up the envelop with them in it.
I just can't do it. It's like it makes it "real" and I'd prefer to live in this pseudo reality where I can bury my head and admit that I've been "there" but not having to really remember it.
I guess something like prematurity is just not something you "get over." You "move beyond" and deal with the consequences but the trauma never truly leaves you. Maybe in 5 years? I guess we will see.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Sleep?
Some may think that having had a child already, I would be an old pro at this newborn stuff. Even considering Elisa was "newborn" for longer than the average newborn, staying in that newborn "stage" well into 6 months.
But you'd be wrong. Aside from her prematurity, which basically handed me this infant that was pre-programmed to eat every three hours, sleep in between, etc. I tried reading a few parenting books when she first came home, but very quickly tossed them aside when I realized they were irrelevant to my "unusual" baby. Also, every parent will tell you that each child is different and that what worked for one...may not work for another.
So imagine my surprise when Aidan comes along, term and handed to me 4 days later and told "good luck figuring him out!" I scratched my head for weeks, looking to read cues but only having the clock as experience as to tell me when he might need something. Add to that his colic that caused him to cry all.the.time.
In an effort to maybe shed some light, I decided to look up some parenting books again and see if they had relevant information for Aidan, and I came across the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that not every time he cries means he's hungry.
And now you are going did she really just say that? I can just see you smacking your forehead and thinking DUH!
Let me remind you that I could set a clock by Elisa. Hungry at predictable times, sleeping at predictable times. Sleeping through the night by the time she was 4 months actual, 1.5 adjusted. Hardly EVER cried unless she was hungry or dirty and even that was rare since she was so scheduled we usually beat any hunger or dirty cues she might send out.
Add to that with the constant crying and no wonder I was confused. So I would continually try to feed him, and become even more frustrated when he would fuss and get angry and I just couldn't understand why nothing worked.
Then the realization...he's TIRED. I already realized he wasn't sleeping much during the day because he was either eating or crying but I was under the mistaken impression that he would somehow conk himself out when he got tired enough, other wise he must be hungry, bored or wet. Yeah. He just needed some HELP to learn that what he was feeling was actually tiredness and NOT hunger.
So yay for research! A pattern to our day is finally developing and Aidan is much happier now that he's actually sleeping better during the day. I'm actually getting a more consistent 2-3 hour break between feeds instead of the 1-2 I was getting. Sometimes when he wakes up, he's actually not ready to get up and with just some gentle rocking he's back to sleep for another hour or so. One night, we even got two extra hours out of him by rocking him back to sleep instead of assuming he woke just because he was hungry.
I finally have a much happier baby...and in turn a much happier mommy and daddy. It is rather sad when your two year old goes around saying "brother's crying!" whenever Aidan makes any noise. Hopefully we can get some more "talking" out of him instead of crying as we continue to try this theory.
But you'd be wrong. Aside from her prematurity, which basically handed me this infant that was pre-programmed to eat every three hours, sleep in between, etc. I tried reading a few parenting books when she first came home, but very quickly tossed them aside when I realized they were irrelevant to my "unusual" baby. Also, every parent will tell you that each child is different and that what worked for one...may not work for another.
So imagine my surprise when Aidan comes along, term and handed to me 4 days later and told "good luck figuring him out!" I scratched my head for weeks, looking to read cues but only having the clock as experience as to tell me when he might need something. Add to that his colic that caused him to cry all.the.time.
In an effort to maybe shed some light, I decided to look up some parenting books again and see if they had relevant information for Aidan, and I came across the 90 Minute Baby Sleep Program.
Imagine my surprise when I realized that not every time he cries means he's hungry.
And now you are going did she really just say that? I can just see you smacking your forehead and thinking DUH!
Let me remind you that I could set a clock by Elisa. Hungry at predictable times, sleeping at predictable times. Sleeping through the night by the time she was 4 months actual, 1.5 adjusted. Hardly EVER cried unless she was hungry or dirty and even that was rare since she was so scheduled we usually beat any hunger or dirty cues she might send out.
Add to that with the constant crying and no wonder I was confused. So I would continually try to feed him, and become even more frustrated when he would fuss and get angry and I just couldn't understand why nothing worked.
Then the realization...he's TIRED. I already realized he wasn't sleeping much during the day because he was either eating or crying but I was under the mistaken impression that he would somehow conk himself out when he got tired enough, other wise he must be hungry, bored or wet. Yeah. He just needed some HELP to learn that what he was feeling was actually tiredness and NOT hunger.
So yay for research! A pattern to our day is finally developing and Aidan is much happier now that he's actually sleeping better during the day. I'm actually getting a more consistent 2-3 hour break between feeds instead of the 1-2 I was getting. Sometimes when he wakes up, he's actually not ready to get up and with just some gentle rocking he's back to sleep for another hour or so. One night, we even got two extra hours out of him by rocking him back to sleep instead of assuming he woke just because he was hungry.
I finally have a much happier baby...and in turn a much happier mommy and daddy. It is rather sad when your two year old goes around saying "brother's crying!" whenever Aidan makes any noise. Hopefully we can get some more "talking" out of him instead of crying as we continue to try this theory.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Sometimes
Sometimes I stand in awe of this amazing little girl.
I watched her yesterday, laughing and dancing and clapping to the music at church and was filled with pride that this was my little 2 lb 13 oz preemie.
And how at this time two years ago we were finally home and getting to know each other. She was sleeping through the night but she was yet to reach 10 lbs.
My little miracle. She brings tears to my eyes and a smile to my heart every day.
And she is the reason I walk every year in the March for Babies. And last year and this year became even more involved in helping out with the March itself. Yes, the event coordinator in me couldn't resist.
And it's that time again! March for Babies will be in May again, and hopefully this year it will feel like May. If the weather continues on it's current trend, it will probably feel like July lol! I'm asking for help this year in one of three ways.
1. There is the obvious donation part. :) If you'd like to do that, you can do so by clicking on the badge on the right side or this link: http://www.marchforbabies.org/personal_page.asp?pp=3431276&ct=4&w=5240370&u=lisah2king
2. If you can't donate, why don't you walk with me? I'd love to build a bigger team in a way other than giving birth to more kids. :) We are up to a team of 4 this year but I'd love to have more walking! http://www.marchforbabies.org/GuestWalker.asp?g=1&r=&w=5240370&si=&change=2&u=lisah2king
3. Or, spread the word! Chances are you know more preemies than just my Elisa. In fact, just in my small church and the 6 children that attend regularly, 2 of them are preemies. Much more than the 1 in 8 statistic! Spread the word about the March of Dimes and what they do and their mission to help all babies be born healthy.
In fact, the March of Dimes was really integral in helping BOTH of my children. How did they help Aidan? By helping bring awareness to tools like the p17 shot that can help keep women with prior pre-term labor from going into labor again. By educating the public and the medical profession on pre-term labor.
Both of my little miracles.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)