Updates from the Brink Household

So it’s March 1^st today. March! Already! (This blog post was not completed until Monday, March 4^th)

I didn’t think that I had too much to talk about, but I definitely think I need to log some time and update everyone on the happenings in the Brink household.

The biggest update by far is Emma’s mobility. She is crawling great now, and is picking up speed. I can no longer set her on the floor while I bop around the house getting ready for work. Just this week alone she has gotten her hands on an open bag of potting soil, a bag of empty baby food containers, a stand mixer IN a kitchen cabinet, the standing air purifier, Daddy’s electronic box and all the wires in it, her soiled clothes before they made it downstairs, and I’m sure much more that Mommy isn’t aware of. She has also learned not to eat Kleenexes the hard way. Over and over I underestimate her abilities and I get schooled. I now put her in her walker that she can still only move backwards in.

Update: Emma is now trying to climb too. She got a new bath toy in the mail on Saturday. I had set it on the floor to show her (still in the box) and she only wanted to climb on top of it. I don’t know what the deal is with climbing – I guess it’s fun because it’s new? So now she tries to climb on and over everything. Where she gets all this energy I don’t know, but I love when Gene is home because he’s all for it. Me, I can handle it for like an hour, but then I’m like “Please just sit still and play so Momma can rest.” Lol.

I’ve put away Emma’s swing (I’m still choking up over it) and her play mat has been long gone. Right now, still in use is her jumperoo and her walker that we don’t really use for walking. We tried a stand-up walker that she pushes (not sure what it’s really called – it’s like pushing a shopping cart) but that quickly got put up for now since all she does is fall down with it. She isn’t too fond of the jumperoo anymore other than to stand on the outside of it and play. Her Daddy comes along to put her in it when he notices her interest and she throws a fit basically saying “Get me out! Get me out!” We will still keep it out for now since when she does want in it her face just lights up as she jumps higher and harder. Lol. I chuckle just thinking about it. Also, we bought her a play table. It’s this little table that has a few things to play with on top. She will stand at it for so long, and when she gets bored she starts pushing it all over. Gene is so worried that she will trip over a toy that goes under it and fall and hurt herself.



This was taken on Day 2 of the stomache bug.



Emma had her first stomache bug. She was so miserable. It wasn't the vomiting kind, it was the "in the diaper" kind. She would go like every hour or so at some points, and it lasted for two and a half days. At night she'd wake up and go and we'd hear her so I'd get up and change her. By the time she was almost back to sleep she'd go again. It was so awful. The second night I had to change her four times before she finally went back to sleep clean. I felt so awful that I couldn't help. We basically just forced fluids into her as often as we could and stopped solid foods. She made it through it, and so did we!

My Mom had decided to rid herself of some older furniture since she had to make room for Emma’s crib and changing table. I called dibs on her bench. I’m not sure what it really is (I call it a bench), but it matches the other items she gave me and it’s in excellent condition. Instead of using it as a bench to sit on though it’s in our living room filled with Emma’s toys. It has two drawers as well but at the moment those are still bare. I’m sure I will find something soon to fill them with.

As most of you saw Okie had some foot trouble last month. After three visits, X-rays, a “cast” and $200+ later the problem hasn’t gone away and we still have no idea what is wrong. I’ve been forcing her to wear a sock daily, which we tape on, and we have to cover it with plastic every time she has to go outside. Ugh. Needless to say it is a pain in the butt. I keep telling my Mom that this isn’t working and I should take her back, but she persuades me to give it more time each time I bring it up. She keeps making the point that the vet doesn’t have a clue what’s wrong. Her middle “finger” is a little swollen, and the nail sticks up and it’s crooked. She also won’t quit licking at it, hence the sock. We did x-rays of both “hands” so that we could compare and it was noticeable that there was something wrong with it, but the vet hasn’t a clue what it is. On the x-ray, whatever is in there, it looked white, but not dark enough to be a bone spur, and it had a halo around it which could just be inflammation but it could also be infection. After that appointment she had to take antibiotics for 10 days. Well it didn’t help, and the cast did nothing but keep her from licking. I don’t know what to do.

                Update: I got home Friday night and took off Okie’s sock to check and clean and her “finger” was so swollen that her nail was sticking straight up. There was also something coming out around the nail. I cleaned it, put Neosporin on it and wrapped it up again. I called the vet to get her in right away, but all I could do is go in on Saturday and sit in the office all day until they could get me in. I instead booked an appointment at 8am Monday morning and said a prayer for her. She went this morning and she now has a cone to keep her from licking at it, and she’s on some high dose antibiotics specifically designed for infection. If this doesn’t work, we will need to biopsy it, and she could ultimately end up losing that that “finger” and possibly her whole foot if it has spread somehow. I’m worried for her. Not that I’d have her put down, because I will NEVER do that, but because I don’t want anything to affect her quality of life. FYI – Emma loves the cone Okie has on. Lol.

 

Oh! You’ll be shocked to know that my seven month old baby is in 12 month clothes. Yes. I typed that right. 12 month clothes. Lol. She can still wear some 9 month onesies, but I’m telling you, one night she grew like two inches or something and BAM! They fit no more. We are actually having problems with her 12 month sleepers too. They are too tight on her legs and feet. And another thing I’m having an issue with but I never have before, is consistency. Meaning 2 of her 5 sleepers are smaller than the others. Same style, same cut, same everything but color/print, yet they are too small in the arms and legs. I don’t know what that’s about. Actually I bought a pack of tank-top onesies for summer and I noticed that each are different lengths (after washing). I was shocked. It was not noticeable when buying because at Carter’s they “tier” their bundles so that you can see each color. Nevertheless, it was all free from winning that gift card so I will make due. I will probably have to cut the feet off of the sleepers.

Gene got a promotion! I probably should have put that higher in the list. He has been working at Schnuck Markets for almost 13 years now. He’s been transferred and he’s gotten raises, but he’s such a key person in the warehouses that it was a constant bummer for him to go in each day to be just an average worker. So, after we had Emma, things started to change for some reason (I think they realized how vital he was when he took a couple weeks off). He got employee of the quarter, he had a big celebratory lunch and cake thing with one of the Schnuck brothers (Todd I think), he got his photo taken and put on the wall at HQ, and he was in the newsletter. Then, he was forced to transfer to the refrigerator warehouse. He hated it and thought he was doomed to be a peon forever, but he was a key person there so he suffered through it. Then, he had his annual review and got a bonus! Then a couple weeks later, when he came back from a week of vacation, they promoted him to Inventory Control Supervisor of the Fresh Warehouse. So he’s still in the cold, but he loves his new position. I’m not really since he’s working 50 hours a week instead of 40, but at least his (and my) wallet is fatter. J

Emma is much better with her Puffs. For those of you not familiar with Puffs, they are basically flavored cheerios that are geared towards infants learning to eat solids. She choked on the first one (or so I thought) so I was terrified to try more. However, with help from my Mom she is now a pro. I still break them up for her though.  We have also tried the yogurt bites, but she’s not into those. Oh well, we will stick with the Puffs for now. J Next step is mastering the pincher grab!

Well, that’s it for now. I’m sure I’ll have more to report soon since Emma changes and grows every day. I cannot wait for her next check-up with the doctor. I love to see how much she grows. J

And be sure to keep an eye out for pictures and updates on Facebook and Twitter!

Jenni

 

I Need... Times Five

1.       I’m in dire need of a church for us to go to as a family. Gene is Catholic and I am Christian (although in my childhood years I went to a Baptist church). My Mom is Lutheran and my Dad changes his mind on what he is every year so I have no idea what he is at the moment. But, it doesn’t matter about my parents really because I want this to be a church for me, Gene and Emma. I want a church that has special events and activities. A family church, like I used to attend when my friend Cayla’s Dad was the Pastor at Trinity Tabernacle Assembly of God.

The Issue is, I don’t want to go to a church that has a service with a lot of songs, or speaking in tongues, or anything that someone from my generation would normally want. Gene was not raised with services like that. I miss my old Baptist church (which is actually still there – Bible Baptist), where they would have a one-hour sermon with maybe 4 or 5 songs. One hour to hear the word of God, sing His praises, and be on with your day. That’s what I want. But, how am I to find that near me without attending services that may not be our taste?

I did find a decent looking one online – First Christian Church of Florissant. They have a service at 7:50am that is called “Classic Service.” I’m wondering if that’s what I’m looking for. I’m tempted to go check it out. They have a day care, but they have a HUGE number of people that attend that church. I don’t think we’d get the family-type feel we I want. I might go check it out by myself one morning to see if it’s worth it. While I shouldn’t care about the church itself, but care more about the word, I can’t help but look at the people that attend, the location, the services, etc. I need somewhere I feel comfortable.

2.       I need to work out. I miss going to the gym. More importantly, I miss going to the gym alone. When Gene and I had our falling out (about 6 months before I conceived Emma) I joined Club Fitness and I went 3 nights a week, straight from work. I LOVED IT! I could go after work, and still be home by 7pm. When we patched things up like 3 months later, he joined too and we stared going together. It was a mess. I’d go home, change, we’d go back out, it would be a mad house (Lindbergh location is the original), Gene would do weights and I’d wait for an elliptical or stationary bike. I’d be exhausted from the cardio and ready to go home within 30 minutes and Gene was still just warming up. So I’d casually ride a bike and watch the tv on the machine until he got tired of the dirty looks and we’d leave.

Once I found out I was pregnant (I was 9 weeks and kept getting false negatives), we only went another month or two and then we quit going altogether. Gene wouldn’t go without me, so we froze both accounts for 3 months. It reactivated when I was 8 months along, but we didn’t go.

After I had Emma, and had gotten the green light to go back to my usual activities, I still had my gym membership. I kept telling myself that once I got used to this Mommy thing, and got a routine going, that I would start going again. Well guess what? I still do not have the Mommy thing down, I still do not have a routine going, and I cancelled my gym membership (and Gene’s). Actually, I am mistaken. I do have a routine going. But nowhere in that routine does going to a gym fit in. Every night is the same. Home, play with Emma, feed Emma, bathe Emma, bedtime for Emma, bedtime for me. I could work out in the mornings after I drop Emma off, but let’s face it, I’m not going to shower at the gym, I’m not going to be on time, it’s just not going to work. Not for me. Plus, where does Gene fit in?!?

3.       I need a change of pace. I need something to join, something to be a part of. This itch might be scratched by finding a nice church to join, but in the meantime I need something. I keep looking at yoga classes, dance classes, and even meditation groups. I would love to join a book club, but really, when would I have time to read? I have a hard enough time getting through my 3 parenting magazines and 2 “me” magazines (Glamour and All You). My “read” stack is getting bigger and my “recycle” stack is basically 2 magazines, lol.

I did start taking Emma to more play dates. I love this because I can chit-chat with other Moms that I really enjoy talking to, and the kiddos get to play. And with Spring coming maybe there will be more possibilities, but right now I am in a rut. A rut cycle. A never-ending rut. You get the point.

I joined The Color Run STL Spring 5K. It’s scheduled for April 27th. I’m looking forward to getting out there and doing something other than the usual, not to mention it’s with a great new friend (Alyssa). It’s so not like me to do a 5K since almost everyone knows I hate to run, but this year is all about new things, so I figured I might as well. Ummm, this also goes back to the “I need to workout” rant.

I also applied to join the committee for the “CityArchRiver 2015” project. It’s doubtful that I will be selected, but at least I am trying to do things outside the norm. I also thought about running for District Representative in the next election. Haha, I’m not sure if I will follow through on that thought considering I’m not big on politics. However, our government could use some fresh blood in there, right?

4.       I need something to happen with work. To keep it short and simple – I don’t get paid enough for what I do and the money I help to bring in, and if I’m not getting paid accordingly, then why should I not go find something part time and spend more time with Emma? While I feel needed, I still feel unappreciated. I pray all the time asking for a sign, a change, something to happen on its own so that I won’t be the one to have to decide. But, I think He is making me figure this one out on my own because since September I’ve been asking, but haven’t gotten any answers. I bet there’s a big sign that He is leaving out in the open for me to see and I’m so blinded by everything else that I cannot figure it out. Go figure.

5.       Last one, simply put - I need more Emma time. I miss her like crazy every workday. I still want me time, and a date night once a month, but I need more time with her during the week. Nights are short and she is cranky in those witching hours, so preferably early. See, I’m typing this out and I bet tonight she will wake up at 1am ready to play… that’s NOT the kind of early I mean folks. ;-)

Some New Things (and our day-to-day lives)

So, it seems we have some new things going on in the Brink household.

-          Emma is scooting across the floor on her belly. While she can’t seem to grasp how to move her arms once she’s gotten up on all fours, she sure has gotten down how to use her feet to push herself all over the room on her belly. If we put something she wants across the room, look out!

-          Emma can now walk in her walker… backwards. Yep, backwards. She can’t go forward yet, but if we put her on a slick surface (no carpet) she just goes and goes until she bumps into something.

-          Noises: “Dadadadadada.” She does that one while she has a binky or bottle in her mouth. “Bbbbbbbbbbbb.” She does that anytime you first pick her up. Then most recently, she’s been gulping. Like if you have nothing in your mouth, but you pretend to be gulping down water. No clue what that’s about. Also, high pitched screaming. She just will stop what she’s doing, look up at you and scream so high and loud. We tell her that Mommy and Daddy are quiet people, but she doesn’t seem to care. Lol.

-          Emma now kisses without being made to. She, of course, has her mouth wide open and she just presses it to your face. Then she leans back and smiles while she waits for a “thank you” in return. She’s so delighted to do this, and I absolutely love it. And sometimes it’s not as cute – like when your mouth is open and she just sticks hers right inside yours. Ick. Lol.

-          Putting her to bed is now an hour long ordeal since she can now sit up on her own. She just says “sorry, I’m not ready to go to sleep” and sits right up to play with her blanket, or mobile, or her feet, or whatever she can get to. It’s a pain in the butt and we knew it would be. We just aren’t adjusting well to it. Us Brinks like our sleep (with the exception of Baby Brink it seems).

-          Em now tries to play with Okie. That’s all good in my book, but not in her Daddy’s. He hates for Okie to lick her. So, if Gene’s home it turns into a bunch of yelling at Okie. If he’s not home, I let Okie go to town because Emma just laughs and laughs. Another new thing is Emma has discovered that Okie has a tail, and she wants it! Lol. Poor Okie. She’s handling it all great though.

-          Emma has mastered the sippy cup. However, we haven’t transitioned formula to it yet so she thinks she can throw her cup on the floor whenever she wants to. I think once she sees it’s her “milk” in there she will stop that. If anyone needs s suggestion on a good sippy cup, we have had the best luck with the Avent one. Technically, we have 4 different ones and she drinks out of them all. But, for beginners, the Avent is best in my book. Downside though is it’s only 4 ounces.

-          Binky chewing. So Em has never been too keen on her bink. She would only ever take it when she was exhausted, to fall asleep with. She normally hated it and screamed when she first got it because it meant that it was naptime. Well, she loves it now. Only, she loves to play with it. It’s the cutest thing. She just turns it over and over in her hands and sticks it in her mouth, pulls it out, and then starts all over again. It can be any bink, but she has the most fun with the ones that have the loop on the outside. *Side note, because she’s been playing with them, we keep losing them!

-          Emma has been obsessed with our cell phones. So much so that she would throw fits. So, we found an old one and took the battery out so she could play with it. Well of course, like everything else, it goes straight to her mouth. Within minutes we could see slobber IN the screen. So then we started wondering if she could somehow suck it out of there and what kind of stuff they put in there, and we took it away. We bought her a play cell phone and a play remote for the tv, and she doesn’t care for either one if our cell phones are around. So if you don’t hear back from us until after bedtime, that’s why. Lol.

-          So far, since we’ve been given the green light to give Emma table foods, we’ve tried potato salad, french fry and baked chicken (all a tiny bit on the tip of my pinky). French fry she’s fine with, but she doesn’t really know what to do with it once it’s in her mouth. The other two, she cringes. Lol. I think it’s a texture thing because there’s some baby foods that she cringes at – like mixed veggie.  Oh, I also gave her a taste of my yogurt one day, but I’m so afraid of giving her something she’s not supposed to have that I haven’t done that again (even though she liked it).

So, that’s a taste of what’s been going on at home. It’s downright exhausting at times. So much so that when I have a free night or weekend I get paranoid that I won’t get to catch up on my sleep so the whole time we are out I think about how I could be sleeping, or cleaning, or organizing. Oy. I’m never going to get the hang of it all.  To give you an idea of my day (this is a Wednesday):

5:15am – Gene gets up and gets ready for work.

5:45am – Gene wakes me up again to say bye, and he heads off to work.

6am – Get up with Emma. Change her, feed her a bottle.

6:45am – Shower, get ready for work (all while toting Emma around with toys).

7:15am – Fill up her bag with clothes, extra clothes, fruit, etc.

7:30am – Start loading the car with the bags, Okie and Emma.

7:45am – Drive to Mom and Dad’s.

8am – Leave Mom and Dad’s for work.

8:30am – Work.

5pm – Leave work. All the way home talk to Mom about what Emma did for the day.

5:30pm – Home. Visit with Emma and talk to Gene about how our days were.

6pm – Figure out the dinner situation and pick-up around the house from the morning. The other one of us feeds Emma a bottle.

6:30pm – Dinner while Emma plays. We watch Channel 9 shows (Berenstain Bears, Anne of Green Gables, Peep and the Big Wide World, Pokoyo, Caillou, etc.).

7pm – Playtime. (Gene will sit on the computer – his relaxing time)

7:30pm – Feed Emma Prunes. (Gene will sit on the computer – his relaxing time)

7:45pm – Bathtime. Gene will make Em a bottle and refill her cool mist vaporizer.

8pm – Bedtime routine (Lights dim, bottle, sleep sheep, put in bed).

8:30pm – Free time. I usually watch tv until I fall asleep on the couch (by 9:30pm). Gene kicks in here and washes bottles and will throw some clothes in the washing machine or load the dishwasher. Then I go to bed and he plays a video game (every now and then he will come to bed with me).

*Then Emma usually wakes me up about 3 times a night (but I don’t have to get out of bed), and then lately she’s been getting up-up once a night.

5:15am – Gene gets up and gets ready for work.

You got it from here. Lol. To think, I used to get 10 hours a night on average. Oh well.

I Wish

I wish Emma could talk.

I wish Okie could talk.

I wish that my husband would want to talk to me.

I wish my Mom would take better care of herself.

I wish my Dad would quit with his arrogance.

I wish that Gene enjoyed his job.

I wish that Gene enjoyed something besides sports and video games.

I wish I could enjoy sports and video games.

I wish that work was called easy.

I wish that my work, was instead a career.

I wish that I could go back in time.

I wish I hadn’t had that extra ice cream last night.

I wish that cancer didn’t exist.

I wish that I wouldn’t think I have cancer all the time.

I wish that my half brother would want to be around.

I wish I had more ice cream now.

I wish I could hang out with friends more.

I wish that I liked beer.

I wish that people weren’t mean to their pets.

I wish that murder didn’t exist.

I wish that people didn’t get sick at all.

I wish I wasn’t still thinking about that ice cream.

I wish I had prettier hair.

I wish I didn’t have freckles.

I wish that I was skinny.

I wish that I could be skinny and still eat all that ice cream.

I wish that I liked myself more.

I wish that I didn’t let things get to me.

I wish I could erase every mean thing that was said to me in school.

I wish that nobody will say anything mean to Emma in school.

I wish that nobody will say anything mean to Emma ever.

I wish I could keep Emma in a bubble.

I wish I could keep me in that bubble with Emma.

I wish I could keep me, Emma and ice cream in the bubble.

Oh, I guess I wish it could be me, Emma, the ice cream, and Gene in the bubble.

I wish that I could bring back the children lost in the Sandy Hook massacre.

I wish I could rid the world of evil.

Most of all,

I wish that not a day will go by that Emma doesn’t know that I love her more than life itself.

I wish that I remember to tell her every day just how much I love her.

I wish that I will be able to keep her safe and sound at all times.

I wish that we will all be together, and happy, and safe (with ice cream) - for forever, and ever, and ever.

Heartstrings

I’m not a very emotional person. Or I should say that I never used to be. Once I got pregnant, it’s like everything had a meaning, and most of the time whatever it was, it made me cry. I still cry at random things – movies, talk radio, commercials, etc. But, I cry at bad thoughts a lot. I think bad thoughts a lot. Not bad as in wrong, bad as in sad, or painful.

Today is Gene’s Dad’s birthday; just seeing it on my calendar made me lose my breath. I look at Gene and the man that he has become, and I wonder why God would have him hurt so badly. He has already lost both of his parents at such a young age. He doesn’t show emotion about it anymore. Once the funerals were over he was stone-faced about anything having to do with his parents. Still is.

Gene’s Mom died from breast cancer that spread throughout her body in December of 2009 (I think, I’m bad with dates). Gene’s Dad passed in his sleep just this past Leap Day (death certificate reads March 1, 2012 though).

I thought that his Mom’s passing would have been the hardest on him. He was always such a “Mama’s Boy.” I used to give him such hell over it, but if I could go back in time I wouldn’t say a word knowing she didn’t have as long with him as she’d hoped. Vera and I never got along though so at the time I never found it acceptable that she fuss over him like she did. After all, he had me, right? Ugh, I wish I could go back in time!

Judging by my previous paragraph I’m sure you guessed that Eugene’s passing was harder on Gene. Gene received a phone call at work on 3/1/12 letting him know that his Dad hasn’t shown up for work in two days. Obviously, a bad sign to begin with. I made a few calls and found that his car was home, but he wasn’t answering the door. I then called the landlord and the police. Gene left work right away to get over there, and I started on the long journey there as well. Before I even made it to the ferry the Police Department called to inform me that they found Eugene in bed, unresponsive. It seems he had laid down for a nap before work the day before and never woke again. Gene was there.

I think the big difference between the two is that with Vera, we knew the outcome. We knew it would just be a matter of time (short time). Gene got a call one day that said something along the lines of “get here, and get here now.” He was there with his Mom when she took her last breath. And she did it so peacefully that they barely noticed she was gone. I’d like to think that she had her favorite people there with her to make her feel safe enough to go (Gene, Eugene and her sister Virginia).

With Eugene, it was opposite for Gene. He felt remorse for not checking on his Dad more often; for not knowing that he wasn’t at work when they worked in the same vicinity. He felt bad that he died alone. What made things one hundred times worse was the fact that we were expecting a baby.  

As I’m sure most of you know, we didn’t reveal the sex of our baby, even though we knew it ourselves.  Eugene told anyone and everyone he came across that he was going to be a Grandpa. He was so excited. He carried around a picture of Emma at 9 weeks in his wallet, and brought it out to show the people he told. Before, during and after the funeral that’s all we heard – Eugene was ranting and raving that he will be a Grandpa in the summer.

After the day we found Eugene, Gene held it together pretty well. He had to. Eugene had done all the work for Vera’s funeral a couple years before and we had NO IDEA just how much he had done. I took about a week off work, Gene took two. We had to plan the memorial service, the burial, and what to do with all of his possessions. I wasn’t much help with moving his apartment and the garage sale and such because I was 5 months pregnant. I handled most of the bills and paperwork because Gene didn’t want to talk to anyone. I was fine with it. I did whatever I could to make him hurt less. I have no idea if I helped at all though.

The hardest part that March was nighttime. Once the sun went down and it got into the late hours of the day, and Gene’s body became tired, his mind began to wonder. I won’t get into it for his sake, but it was hard on him. It would be on anyone, and I’m amazed at how well he handled everything. I still am.

The day Emma was born Gene was so proud. You could tell that he wanted to show his parents his daughter. You could tell it broke his heart. It makes me feel bad that I didn’t want to have a baby while they were still around.

Fast forward to today. I stop and watch Gene with Emma, and my heart aches. His parents would have loved her! Especially Eugene. I see him in Emma. I want to tell Gene that… that I see them in her. But I don’t. I want to tell him that they would have loved her. But I don’t. I hate that he hurts. So I just don’t bring it up. Neither does he.

One more thing that gets to me is the fact that we never visit them. We haven’t even introduced them to Emma (that may sound silly). Growing up, my parents never visited gravesites; they said that the dead are gone and it’s just bodies left behind - that there is no reason to go back. My parents aren’t Catholic like Gene’s family, and I think that’s a big part of Catholics… to visit the deceased.

I feel bad for not being more emotional about Gene’s parents before, and now I feel like it’s too late. I don’t want him to dredge up all of those thoughts and emotions again just so I can explain it to him. But, I also don’t want him to think I didn’t care. I cared. I care. Present tense.

So, until the day that I can suck it up and have an emotional breakdown with my husband, I guess I will keep it all bottled up inside. Until then, I hope he doesn’t resent me for not showing how I felt.

I, Have a 6 Month Old

Yes, my little girl is 6 months old. 6 whole months.

While six months doesn't seem like much to you probably, it is to me. Each day seems like 3, so really, to me, she's like 18 months old. Okay, so that doesn't make much sense really, but hear me when I say that six baby months arelong and hard.
 
I am a very strong woman. I am independent; while I wouldn't see it any other way, I can do without a husband. I can handle loads of physical pain; always could. What I could not handle is being a single parent. Before my husband got comfortable (which was only like a month ago) you may as well have considered me one. I didn't enjoy it at all. I don't see how women do it. I guess if I had to I could, but I cried a lot. A LOT.
 
So, now that Emma is more independent, and Gene is more comfortable with her, we are in a good spot. We share responsibilities. We have more of an understanding of how stressed we can get. All in all, we are a well rounded family now. I'm loving it!
 
So I've decided that each of Emma's doctor appointments I would take off of work the entire day so that I don't miss a single shot, question, answer, etc. Today was her 6 month check-up. Things went well. Here's how it went down.
 
The nurse came in first thing and took Emma's measurements. This is the part I get most anxious for. At this visit, Emma's stats were:
 

-         Head Circumference = 43.3cm (85%)

-         Weight = 20lbs, 12oz (98%)

-         Height = 29 ¼ in. (97%)

-         Projected Height = 5’10” (yeah, right)

 
Dr. Murphy says all her measurements are good. He did say not to expect her to be thin as a pretzel, but more built as a line backer. Not sure how I feel about that. But, what can you do. At least I know she won’t be scrawny and frail. She can stand her own ground. J
 
He noticed that she caught my cold. She didn’t cough, but he somehow knew she has one. Weird. We explained that this is her second cold. He told us that if she runs a fever of 101 for three days to take her in. Otherwise, a cold is a cold and there’s nothing to do about it. For the time being we will move her cold mist vaporizer next to her bed, use the aspirator a few times a day, andmake sure she’s eating a ton and getting lots and lots of fluids. Dr. Murphy did listen to her lungs and say they were clear as well.
 
We talked about her “red” spots. She keeps getting red marks where her skin touches other skin. So, the crease at the back of her knee, her ankles, and the worst spot, the right side of her neck. Emma has “no neck” as you’d say. Most babies' necks aren’t visible unless they are standing or reaching. Emma doesn’t stand much, so it gets irritated. Almost like the skin under your wedding ring. Am I making any sense? Anyway, as usual, we were instructed to use diaper rash ointment on those areas at bedtime, which we will continue. Like doc said, it can only do so much.
 
Another issue we had was her feet. No, there’s nothing wrong with them. We were only asking because when Em jumps in her jumperoo, or when she stands to play, or walks with assistance, she curls her toes under so that she’s putting all her pressure on them. It doesn’t seem to bother her, and it doesn’t appear that it’s doing any permanent harm, but we had to ask. As expected, doc said they are fine.
 
All in all we are good. Even advanced, since she is already sitting unassisted. Here are what I thought were the highlights of her appointment.
 

-         While I was talking to the doctor, Gene was playing with Emma to keep her from fussing since we were past lunch time. The doctor stopped to note how well Emma interacted with him. I never thought anything ofit because she is much more involved with the rest of us normally, but he was so amazed at how Emma was listening intently and responding well to him. He was just so delighted! I do have to admit that her and Gene have their own language. We all play with her differently, and even as I type this out I listen to them in the kitchen and she is just Chatty Cathy with him. She barely ever talks to me. She’s more about the physical interaction with me.

-         We are good to begin table food. I’m nervous about this. There are some rules though. The biggest is no whole milk. That doesn’t mean Vitamin D like we initially thought. It means that if she eats table food, we cannot add milk to it. Meaning, if we make mashed potatoes, we can’t add cold milk as we are mashing them. We must add milk to the hot potatoes and COOK the milk into them while still on the stove. **Cow’s milk to an infant’s digestive system causes ulcers in the gut and anemia as well.** Either way, we find this one too hard to deal with (and scary) so we are just going with the no milk whatsoever rule. We also cannot use any spices other than salt and pepper. Oh, she can also have things like ice cream (contrary to the milk issue), but not fancy cream-based ice creams. I don’t think we will allow this though (see next point).

-         Because of her stature, we were warned to avoid “simple carbs.” So, just like me, she is cursed with the rule of “a minute on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.” Or however that saying goes. He says simple carbs (like crackers, cookies, bread, etc.) are quick to go in and quick to come out, but it leaves a lot of empty calories inside. He says that if we introduce those foods early, she is bound to be overweight. So, we will stick with wholesome foods. It’s okay, we needed to change up our diet anyway. Did I mention though that I never had cookies or cake until I was like 9? I never had a soda until Iwas in middle school and able to buy it on my own. I feel like the poor little girl is doomed to have her Momma’s frame no matter what.

-         It’s sippy cup time. I said that some of my Twitter friends had suggested a real cup before a sippy cup so that she can see the fluid coming at her, but doc says it’s not necessary and after a few tries she will be an expert drinker. So, Gene is in the kitchen right now boiling some sippy cups so I can pound out this blog. I’ll let you all know how that goes on the next blog.

-        There are four top teeth coming in now. That explains her need to chew on anything and everything. It worries me a bit to have somany trying to come through. I mean, she already has been having bouts of crankiness, this is just going to add fuel to the fire. Here’s hoping that the next teeth will be as easy… or at least not any worse than the first ones.

 

So, that’s it. That’s the gist. Emma is sitting up great. She is happier than ever. She is attempting to crawl every day. I cannot wait to see where we go from here. J It can only get better. Right?

Jenni