You Know You're a Mom When...

Yes, I have done this before...twice, actually.  Yet, somehow, there are a lot of things that you forget.  I think it's your brain's way of protecting itself.  It's not like the oh, it's been so long and I can't remember my best friend's phone number at their parent's house from when we were in 6th grade forgetting.  It's more like the did I remember to pull my shirt down after breastfeeding my baby and I'm in the grocery store kind of forgetting.  I really think that your brain just has to clean some of that stuff out!  I mean if you remembered everything all the time no one would be having kids ever again!  I mean seriously.  It's not even all of the hard/weird/crazy/horrible/terrible things that come with having a baby...it's also all of the emotional/crazy/weird/horrible/terrible things too.  Like crying like a baby every time your little one has to get shots or leaves the house with his father for more than a few hours or spends the night with grandma.  Or when you find yourself looking at pictures of your baby from the day before and crying about how fast they change/grow while they take a nap in your lap!  I mean, seriously, what is with the hormones?!


So...you know you're a Mom when...

1.  You have been pooped/peed on...or maybe both at the same time?
2.  You have, purposely, caught your child's throw up in your hand.
3.  You have eaten food out of your child's mouth because they no longer wanted it.
4.  All of your clothes are stained with pee/poop/spit up.
5.  All of your clothes, permanently, smell like spit up and you don't even notice.
6.  You have peed/pooped with a baby on your lap.
7.  You can shower yourself and your baby in less than 15 minutes.
8.  You only shave your ankles...and only once a month.
9.  Your hair is always in a ponytail.
10. You and your husband mainly fight about whose turn it is to change the baby's diaper.
11.  You spend more money on baby clothes/shoes than you do on yourself.  (Everything is cuter when it's that tiny!)
12.  You do laundry every day of the week and you have no clean clothes.  (Babies ruin a lot of clothes in one day!)
13.  You're a little jealous of your husband because he gets to go to work every day and actually interact with other adults/take a shower alone/go to the bathroom when he wants/do anything alone.
14.  You find yourself desperately commenting on every facebook post you can...because it's the closest adult interaction that you get!
15.  You have breastfeed/pumped in your car.
16.  You have all of the kid TV channels memorized and all of their theme songs.
17.  You don't know who Justin Bieber/One Direction is, but you know who Dora and Boots are.


*Edited to add:
18.  Maternity leggings are your favorite "pants".
19.  You have, willingly, dug poop, that was stuck, out of your baby's butt.  (Shout out to Jessie!)

They sure are cute though!!

10 Weeks Old!

Time is really flying!  I really have some mixed emotions about my baby being 10 weeks old.  On one hand, I am excited that he's finally starting to get "fun" and I can't wait until he grows into more of a human being and quits being this eating, sleeping, pooping, spitting up machine.  I know these days are fleeting and I am trying to enjoy every moment, but he can be a little boring sometimes.  If I'm going to be home alone all the time I really need a partner in crime!  On the other hand, I kind of enjoy this sack of potatoes phase.  I can set him down anywhere and he has no choice but to stay.  He's started grabbing and can get into a little bit of trouble (like when he grabbed my bowl of soup on the table and spilled it all over me and the floor!) but nothing too crazy.  We don't have to worry about cords or breakables or the bookshelf or anything like that...yet!  I don't have to keep my eyes on him every second and that is pretty relaxing.

Stats:
Henry is still growing like a weed!  He is now 13 pounds 6 oz and 23.5 inches long.  It's crazy how fast they grow in the first few months!  He has already outgrown 2 sizes of clothes!

What Henry's doing:
This poor little guy is still trying to figure out how to suck his thumb.  He tries so hard, but it just isn't happening for him.  He does suck on his hand a lot now and it creates a lot of drool!  Last night, we put him in his bed and he lost his elephant (his pacifier/binky) and we could hear him being kind of fussy, but nothing major so we just left him in there.  He was clearly sucking on his hand and about 15 minutes later when Hannes went in to get him he was covered in drool!  His head was wet, his arm was wet, the bed was wet...pretty much everything was wet!  I have a feeling that by the time he figures it out he won't want to suck his thumb anymore.  Henry also talks A LOT!  He really does his best to mimic what you say.  I swear he really knows how to say some things.  You can really hear him say hi, uh oh, owl, ugla (owl in Swedish - but that might be a stretch because it could be ugly).  He also does a great job of copying voice inflections.  When I say I love you to him he can mimic the vocal patterns, but can't actually pronounce the words.  I have been trying so hard to get a video of him doing this, but like all kids, he stops as soon as the camera is rolling!  So frustrating!  He really is the most adorable, sweetest baby ever!  He's also started sleeping longer at night...FINALLY!  The last 3 nights he has gone to bed at 11, woken at 1 to eat and then woken up again around 6/6:30!

What Mommy's doing:
Sleeping more...FINALLY!  I didn't feel sleep deprived at all until around week 7 and the last few weeks have been killer!  I don't know if it's because Emily and Tyler are home and I have to be more "on" or if the short periods of sleep just caught up with me.  It is hard to wake up every 2-3 hours all night long for 7 weeks straight, but I am happy that I am finally getting 5 hours straight of sleep!  I met with my midwife last week for my 8 week postpartum check up (it was a little late) and everything was great!  We mainly talked about the delivery and how I'm feeling now.  I got some birth control.  I'm still up about 9 pounds, but I'm not really rushing or trying to lose the weight.  The only exercise I get these days is walking and that's okay with me.  I've also signed up to do a mommy and baby class at the health center.  I am exciting about trying to speak/learn more Swedish and to meet other Mom's with babies the same age as Henry.  I know that I'm going to start feeling very lonely and secluded now that Hannes is back to work full-time and the kids are in school all day.  Plus, it's going to be winter soon and dark all day and night.  I need something to get me out of the house!

Tyler is still just as obsessed with Henry as ever!  Those guys just kill me.  Tyler really knows how to get a smile on Henry's face!  I have a feeling that they're going to be best buds and really get into some trouble.  Emily's also coming around and really enjoying Henry.  She is so helpful with him and is even volunteering to hold him!  I think she's less nervous now that he's older.  I still need to get a picture of them together, or all 3 of them or all 5 of us!

And here's more cute pictures of Henry!  He just kills me and that smile melts my heart!

He has the hardest time keeping his hands still for pictures!

Thanks to my friend, Amanda, Henry has this adorable blanket to snuggle with during those chilly, rainy days!  Amanda has also been teaching me how to knit.  She has the patience of an angel!  I'm not great, but I can do the 2 basic stitches - knit and purl - and I'm just going to keep practicing!  I think it will be a long time before I can make anything that beautiful!

We have some exciting news!

Henry rolled over for the first time!  It was only stomach to back and it may be because his head is so giant and heavy, but still!  He actually did it twice.  I don't think I'm ready to have a mobile baby yet; so, I am hoping this progress goes slowly.

He also laughed for the first time today!  Hannes and I have been trying to do things that we think are funny.  Like tickle his chins or his toes or make funny faces.  Today, Hannes blew raspberries on his belly and he actually laughed...several times in a row!  We have tried the raspberries before and he just laid there, but not today.

This is such exciting news for us!  Our baby is turning into a baby!  I can't wait until he gets even more fun :)

Someone Is Two Months Old!

These two months have flown by! Sometimes when I look at my baby I can't believe how much he has changed.  He only resembles his newborn self now.  Next thing I know he'll be crawling!   I am trying really hard to enjoy this time with him and savor every moment.  He is such a sweet, good baby.  He makes me want to have many more!

What Henry is doing these days:
Henry loves his hands!  He is always trying to get them in his mouth.  Sometimes, he misses and sometimes he gets his hand in there on the first try!  Even if he manages to get his fingers in his mouth they don't stay there for long.  I guess he has to keep practicing.  He has also just discovered that he has toes and likes to stare at them.  He can't quite figure out how to touch them or work them.  He is also going bald!  He kind of resembles a monk and I kind of love it.

I am curious to see what he is going to look like when his bright orange hair comes in for real.  I hope he has good looking hair and not the crazy, curly, coarse, thick stuff that Hannes has.  He has a cowlick right on the front of his hairline and I can't wait to see what it does when his hair is longer.

Henry has started sleeping longer during the night, sometimes.  We had one night where he slept 6 hours and another where he slept 4 hours.  I'm hoping that this becomes a more regular occurrence!  We shall see...

Henry has found his voice and he loves to talk!  I have already posted several videos.  I swear that sometimes he is saying real words...like hi, owl, ma, ugly.  The best is in the morning when he first wakes up and sees me.  He has giant smiles and he squeals and talks and talks.  It's like he's so happy to see me.  I love it!  He's also figured out how to scream.  So, it's often hard to tell if he's happy or sad.  He also thinks it's hilarious to cough.  He fake coughs all the time and then smiles afterwards.  Like he's so proud of how funny he is.

He is always kicking his legs and waving his arms around.  He does not like to be still when he's awake.  I wonder if he'll be such an active toddler?  I kind of hope not.  I need one calm boy, I already have a wild one!


What Mommy is doing these days:
I find that I am more tired these days than I was when Henry was a newborn.  I don't think it has anything to do with his sleep schedule because that hasn't changed much.  I find that I am having a harder time falling asleep and staying asleep at night.  Maybe it's because I don't do much during the day so I'm not really tiring myself out.  I have tried to spend more time outside and walking.  Earlier this week we went to the lake and Henry and I hung out under a tree.  It was a little chilly in the shade.

I still have those ten pounds to lose.  I read somewhere that breastfeeding Moms tend to lose weight between months 3 and 6.  I hope so!  I finally had to give in and order a couple pairs of pants in a size larger.  Every once in a while I need to leave the house and not look homeless.  Which is my normal, every day look.

I do look a bit better than this sometimes, but not often.  I usually don't wear Henry around the house, but occassionaly, when I need both of my hands I will.  This Solly Baby Wrap, that you can purchase online here (they are sold out right now, but they are coming back soon!) are amazing!  They are lightweight and easy to use and are amazing at calming fussy babies.  Henry is pretty much asleep by the time I finish putting him in there!

Other News:

Emily and Tyler have returned from their 7 week summer vacation to the States!  I think Henry is still getting used to the extra noise in the house...especially from Tyler.  Tyler also has a mild obsession with Henry and loves to hold him and talk to him.  It's really very sweet, but maybe a little overwhelming, at times.  Henry's a good sport though.

Some other cute pictures of Henry:

Sleep Habits

Guess who slept for 6 hours straight on Saturday night?  Henry did!  It was his first time sleeping more than three hours...except for the ONE time he slept for four hours.  It also hasn't happened again.  Although, last night he did sleep for 4 hours.  So, maybe I'll start getting more than 2-3 hours of sleep at a time!

We've also been trying to be much better about him sleeping in his bed.  For the first 4 weeks of Henry's life he napped in our arms and slept in our bed.  It was just so much easier.  He was eating every 1 1/2-2 hours and would pee all over himself at least 3 times a night.  It was much less hassle to have him right there.  I do think that sleeping with us helped him to figure out how to soothe himself.  He put himself back to sleep after eating and doesn't use a pacifier after he falls asleep.

During the day he usually naps in his bed and has no trouble putting himself to sleep.  At night, however, we have a different story.  It usually takes 30-45 minutes for him to fall asleep in his crib.  We always put him down awake and let him put himself to sleep.  He tries really hard to suck his thumb, but can't quite figure it out.  I have a really cute video of him trying!

So, we often have to put his binky back in and it can be quit the fight because he's always blocking his mouth with his hand.  Once he is asleep he does a great job of sleeping in his bed until he wakes up to eat.

During the night he usually ends up in bed with Hannes and me.  It's my fault.  I am SO lazy with night feedings!  We don't have a rocking chair and I get really tired of trying to sit up on the bed and feed him.  I always feel like I'm dozing off and I'm afraid I'll drop him.  It is so much easier to feed him lying down.  The only problem is I always fall asleep immediately!  I wake up several hours later and Henry is sleeping right next to me and my boob is just hanging out.  I don't feel like putting him back in his bed so I just leave him there.  I have been trying to get better and usually put him back in his bed after his first feeding.