We're Back...Finally!

It's been awhile since I've been able to write and there are many reasons as to why this is.  First, we were moving.  Second, we were/are unpacking.  It's a slow process here in the Minges house.  And third, I felt like I didn't have a topic to discuss really.  Well, this has certainly changed!

1.  Oliver:  Recently he has discovered his feet.  One never knew how amazing this part of the body could be, but it is hilarious to watch.  It does make diaper changes a little more difficult as he tries to hang on to his feet during the process.  Just this morning I watched him through the monitor when he woke up, but was not quite ready for me to get him from his crib.  He just laid there and worked on bringing his feet up to his hands and the look on his face was priceless!  It's as if to say, "wow! what are these things and where did they come from?!"  And once he gets a hold of them, watch out!  He has yet to figure out he can also put them in his mouth, and I'm sure this will be next.  Also, he has wanted to grab everything!  Also making diaper changing an adventure.  As his tummy was once a thing he hated to be on he is actually tolerating it more as he has figured out he can play with toys more efficiently.  Still he has yet to figure out he can control rolling over from front to back and back to front, but he'll get there.  When he's ready to roll over he screams and cries.  I let him for quite awhile before I kind of nudge him on his side to "help" him realize he can roll over.  Although he is not rolling over, he is scooting on his belly and making a full circle turn with his feet keeping his head in the same spot.  But the best thing so far in his list of new things, laughing!  I never thought hearing my child laugh would affect me so much, but it is hilarious!  And he laughs at the most odd things and at the most random moments.  It makes me think what his sense of humor will be like.  There have been times where he just laughs at me for talking, and it sends me into a laughter where tears are brought to my eyes.  It's contagious in this house and the three of us will sit and laugh at each other for, well, minutes.  Here's a pic of the little man to see how much he has grown:

2.  Moving:  It sucks!  Really, this is all I have to say about this topic.  The move from Indiana to Oklahoma was definitely a learning experience for Justin and I, and one I hope we do not forget.

3.  Something I saw on the Today show:  Became way too long and had to make a separate post...come see it!  (At your own risk)

Shut Your Mouth While You're Judging Me

Today I decided I was kind of tired of being held hostage in my own house.  Even despite the overcast and crappy day outside.  We are supposed to be expecting snow this weekend.  Yeah.  That's right.  Snow...in April.  Indiana, psh!  Anyway, I pack up my son who is not liking this day either and head to the outdoor mall for some lunch.  My vehicle is saying it is 65 degrees outside, which for Indiana is pretty warm.  I go into the restaurant and it is packed so I decide to get my food to go.  As I am given my food I am not given any silverware to eat said food with.  I then proceed to stand at the counter for a good ten minutes without anyone noticing me to ask what I might need.  Might I add here, poor customer service is one of my biggest pet peeves.  And yes, I've been there so I have a right to complain.  So I snag some pour soul who has the fun job of taking food out to the lovely customers for some plastic silverware in order to consume the lunch I just paid nine bucks for.  I proceed outside back to my vehicle and realize I really do not want to go back home to eat this and decide to sit outside.  We were the only two brave enough to sit out on the patio in 65 degree weather at this wonderful establishment.  Oliver is sitting in his car seat in a sleep & play outfit with a blanket on, and I had the cover pulled up on the car seat to protect him from what wind may come about during our lunch.  He was awake so he was enjoying looking at everything around  him while his mommy indulged in a too expensive lunch just to get out of the house. 
Then came the looks.
As people were entering the restaurant every person took a double glance at the horrible mother who was sitting outside eating her lunch with her infant son.  "Oh my goodness, doesn't she know it's cold outside" I could hear them saying.  Really?  It's 65 degrees!  If the sun were out, your ass would be sitting out here too enjoying your lunch and smiling at the cute little baby with his mommy.  I even had an older gentlemen approach us to look at Oliver and talk to him, and followed it up with "It's supposed to get cold.  Maybe even snow".  As to imply maybe I should not have my baby out in this weather!  I reply to him, "Yes, but right now it's 65 degrees outside so might as well enjoy it!".  Some of them even looked so disgusted as to possibly call CPS on me.  Oh the irony! 
So Oliver and I proceeded to enjoy our lunch out even though we were the talk of the town for a brief moment, and he laughed and played while I ate my soup and sandwich.  Seems like a pretty neglectful situation if you ask me.  A happy baby with his mom enjoying a nice day before snow...how dare us!

Oh, and happy tax day everybody!

Bronze Boobs and Baby Claws

Last Friday was the marker of my son's three month birthday, and a pretty big deal in my book.  This was also an important day for me other than the birth of my son.  It was my day to give myself a pat on the back for having exclusively breastfed (with the exception of the occasional bottle of breast milk given by dad) my baby boy for three months as well.  I have earned my bronze boobies!  This is a popular term for breastfeeding mom's who have set a goal to breastfeed their children for a year.  You earn your bronze boobs at three months, your silver boobs at six months, and your gold boobs at a year.  I'm not really sure why they don't have a nine month mark, but oh well.  So Oliver and I have reached the bronze and are going for silver!  I am a little nervous about those teething times and when we introduce solids.  To be honest though, we made it through a difficult time in the beginning so I have no doubt we will figure the rest of it out as it comes along.  When I was pregnant with the triplets I thought it would have been amazing if I would have been able to breastfeed, but I knew this would be close to impossible unless I just wanted to hook myself up to a machine and give them straws!  But when I was pregnant with just one baby, Oliver, it became a little more realistic.  I was very nervous before we began our journey as I was not sure how either one of us would handle it.  I read books and what not, but it is a little different than on the job training.  About an hour after Oliver was born was when we first began to see what this new skill would be like for the both of us.  Women have told me about babies just being born to nurse and how it's the natural way so there might not be too many complications.  Right.  Well little baby Oliver latched on right away and "acted" like he knew what he was doing and destroyed my nipples. (I have to enter a disclaimer here because "destroy" to me is something completely different to what some mothers have to go thru.  I did not have cracking or bleeding.  Just soreness and hickeys pretty much on the daily.  It still wasn't fun)  Thankfully the hospital has what I like to call "breastfeeding fairies", a.k.a Lactation Consultants, to help with any kind of problem, and we were then well on our way.  When we got home we had some struggles as I felt pretty much the equivalent to a dairy cow who was just a milk machine for this baby.  All he did was nurse!  And proceed to poop it right out.  All that hard work!  Well as time passed and as we got over our, mainly mine, freak out moments, we are now a well oiled machine.  I have noticed I track Oliver's growth in how different he nurses now versus the beginning.  Before I had to help him so much because he had just not developed the strength.  Now I can be pretty much hands free while he nurses unless he gets distracted.  My little guy is growing up.  So after all of our leaps and bounds up until now we are doing great, and we will take on the new hurdles with a little more confidence!

Another difficulty we have come across over the months is clipping fingernails!  Oh my how they grow so fast!  If I don't trim them every two days, Oliver starts to get little scratches and sometimes chunks taken out of his face by his own doing.  As you well know, this is only a task completed with a sleeping baby. Often I don't realize I need to trim them again until I notice a new injury from his little baby claws on his face.  Like today.  He was trying to soothe himself to sleep by sucking on his hand while I rocked him for his morning nap.  Well he kept bursting into tears and screams and I thought it was his nose bothering him as it is often full of baby boogers which fill up his little nose every day.  So I'm trying to excavate these things who cling on for dear life in his nose in order for my little one to breathe.  He also proceeds to cry and scream as he does not enjoy booger excavation either.  Well I got one little nostril clear and felt this was good enough for his nap, but yet he continued to cry and scream on and off as he would wake up.  Meantime he was still sucking on his hands and moving his fingers about in that little mouth of his which has begun to create more drool than I've ever seen.  He got his hand out of his mouth and accidentally grabbed his nose in attempt to make a fist to re-enter his mouth and then the real scream came out with more cries.  I look down and my poor baby who just cannot get to sleep and see a little spot of blood on his nose where his baby claws had attacked!  Then I scold myself for not trimming his nails this morning as it is the day for claw trimming, usually done after bath time because he's asleep.  Not today!  Nails had to be trimmed this morning to prevent future injuries.  I will have you all know I successfully trimmed and filed those nails down so he could no longer injure his face.  For a couple days at least. 

Like I've said many times before, it's the little victories.