Social.

I stay home with Emerson, and she's never really been around other babies/children. I mean she see's her cousins like twice a month and she goes to the nursery at church on Sundays. But other than that it's really it. Well last night, we went to our bible study at Choices PRC and most of the girls their are still pregnant, but there are about 6 of us who have already had babies. Well 2 of the babies were sitting in the floor playing so we tried putting Emerson with them, one is 9 months old and the other is 6 months, Emerson is 5 1/2 months. We sat her down and the other babies were trying to give her toys/take toys from her. Then, She turned around and reached for Hunter to pick her up. He did. Then He sat down in the floor with the other babies and Emerson in his lap, the other babies kept trying to give Emerson toys and play with her, but nope, she'd turn away and want her daddy. It's probably dumb to worry about this so soon, but could Emerson not going to daycare and being around other babies effect her social skills? I've never really thought of it, I just stay home with her, because it's cheaper right now financially. She may be too young still to interact with other children, but i'm afraid she wont ever want to play with other kids, she'll always just want to play with me or hunter. When did yalls babies start 'socializing' and playing with other babies? For the moms that stay home, do your babies get interaction with other children?

Where we are.

Still living at my moms. On the waiting list for apartments. Trying to sale Hunter's truck. I still don't have a job. My car broke down. Hunter's truck wouldn't start. Hunter's working 6 days a week. Emerson's teething and waking up a ton at night. It's been a rough week month. I just keep telling myself, this will eventually pass. Eventually.

But! On the plus side we did buy a convertible car seat! It's the Graco MyRide 65 Safe Surround. It was on sale at Target.com and we still had gift cards from our shower so we decided to go ahead and get it, we only paid like $70 out of pocket. Which is pretty good for a car seat that Rear faces until 40 lbs and Forward faces until 65 lbs!
Here she is in it! She falls asleep every time we put her in it! Must be comfy!

5 months!

Food: 4 oz of formula when she wakes up, and then usually a jar of baby food, then 4 oz, then some times another jar, then 4 oz, then some cereal and 6 oz. 

Weight:14 lbs!

Height: not sure, probably around 27 1/2 or 28 inches.
 
Active: she can sit up! she loves sitting in the floor to play!

Favorite Toy: your race car walker, and a stuffed toy duck, and of cours you baby einstein jumper.

Favorite Sleeping Spot: in your crib! It's the only place she'll sleep now! But I don't care I'm glad she's finally in her crib!

How long do I sleep: usually you go to sleep about 9:30 and wake up about 8 or 9. 

Day Trips

Lately, Hunter has been taking us on these day trips to all sorts of places, It's so fun just to get out of town. Today we went to the unclaimed baggage store in Alabama.

^There is is! It's the place where if you loose your luggage and don't ever claim it at the airport, they send it to, and sale it! We left about 10 this morning and got to the town, about Noon, and decided to stop at a little Mexican restaurant to eat, it was pretty yummy! Then we went to the unclaimed baggage! It's so big! The best part is that most of the clothes and such are brand new, from cargo planes loosing, or from people buying new stuff for vacation! But we really didn't find much it was still fun to look at all the finds! They had Grovia Cloth diapers, like 12 of them for $8 each which is really cheap! And they even had baby formula from Japan (of course we didn't buy it) lol  but it was really cool to see. The sad part is they even have a wedding dresses section, where brides lost their dresses (I would be sooo sad if that happened to me). The only thing I didn't like about it was that they look at brands, (like carters, gymboree, ect.) and price their children's clothes higher because of that. If your ever looking for strollers they have a ton there! They also have a lot of car seats and such, but I would never buy used. They have a lot of just random stuff too, it was just fun to look thru. Then we drove home, and got stuck in the river bend traffic downtown, then hunter decided to take me to the mall, because I was trying to find a swimsuit at the Unclaimed Baggage store, and didn't. Lets face it my stomach is just gross since having a child. But we went to all the department stores, and I found a few but I can't justify spending $30 on a swimsuit when we don't even go to a pool that regularly. So I didn't buy anything for myself today, and I  realized I hate buying stuff for me, especially clothes! I'd rather buy things for Emerson or just buy groceries. It was still a really awesome day!

I know I've been on a rant...

but people are getting on my nerves.

I can't log on to facebook anymore with out seeing ignorant comments with the things people do with their children. I get it. It's their children, so they have the right to do what they want. I just wish people who do more research on why they parent the way they do.

This morning I logged on to facebook while Emerson was still asleep, and saw a girl I went to middle school with post this.

I hope y'all can see this well, It really made me mad. Because I'm planning a VBAC for our next baby and really looking into the choice of an HBAC. I just hate to see ill-informed parents judge others who have done their research. Home births typically have way less interventions and consequently better outcomes than hospital births. While I understand VBACs CAN be dangerous, It really depends on your situation, but I believe doctors usually just don't want to deal with the mother, and just automatically make them have another c-section. (I know my doctor does. My 6 week prenatal appointment I had to sign a release form saying if I had a c-section once, I would have to have them for the rest of my children(I will be switching doctors)). Another Ignorant, (I use the word ignorant because their not stupid, they just haven't done all their research (well any for that matter) and therefor they just don't know any better) comment this girl makes is "If you must "go hard". go natural at a hospital" Have you ever tried natural labor at a hospital?  Obviously not. It's nearly impossible. Nurses are constantly bombarding you with "When do you want the epidural" "your not getting an epidural" epidural, Epidural, EPIDURAL. Your on constant monitoring, strapped to the bed, you get judged if by chance you want to just squat on the floor, or sit on the toliet. You can't eat, meaning you have no energy when the time comes to push. It really is nearly impossible to "GO HARD" at a hospital. At least around here it is, I've heard of great hospitals other places. But really this post just hits home and I know I will be facing more of this ignorant judgement when we decide to have another child. But the fact that it's appropriate for people to judge other peoples choices, is just sad. Though yes, I do judge people who choose to get induced, have elective c-sections, or not even have the will to try to for a VBAC. It's not because I hate those people or think their selfish, it's because I know they haven't done their research. They just don't know any better. When you know better, you do better. But as a parent, it's your responsibility to know better, to research, stay up to date with the latest medical advances, and to question your doctor, your doctor gets a lot more money with a c-section than a vaginal birth, so no wonder many don't suggest V-BACs. My rant is over, and it's just sad that people do not have enough intelligence to go back to nature, and look into alternatives.

Did you know? 10 things you may or may not have known.

1. We got pregnant at 17.

• Yes. 17. We are TEEN PARENTS (but please don't stereo type me with the girls of 16 and pregnant). I was 18 when Emerson was born, and Hunter was 17.

2. I'm 1/2 way to completing my Associates Degree in Health Information Technology.

•  Hopefully (cross your fingers) I will graduate in Dec 2013! 

3. We regularly attend a Pregnancy Crisis Center.

•  Choices PRC (former AAA Womens). We go to bible study there every Tuesdays. This place has been the biggest help and blessing to us. We went to parenting, birthing, and baby classes there thru-out my entire pregnant. Without this place we wouldn't have been able to offer Emerson all we can. 

4. We live with my mom. But we 100% take care of our daughter.

• I read on someones twitter the other day that her mom had a monitor in her moms room, so she can wake up with her baby. I didn't get it. My mom doesn't take care of MY kid. I DO. It really angers me to see grandmas raising grand-kids. 

5. I'm obsessed with coupon-ing!

•  It's really how we afford our groceries! I love saving money, and pairing sales. I try to make the most of what income we have. 

6. I'm a stay at home mom, for now.

•  While I do go to school. I don't have a job. It's been a mess trying to find another job. But I know it will come in time.

7. I'm a car seat safety Nazi.

• It saddens me when parents don't even read the manual, or strap their children in tight enough. It's a chest clip (not a belly clip). I'm pro- extended rear facing.

8. We go to concerts all the time.

• Emerson's 5 months old and she's been to over 15 concerts. Granted, her daddy is in the CSOYO and UTC's band. But she's definitely a music baby. 

*I'm really trying to update often and blog more!

wordless wednesday.

When your mourning your birth.

Five months ago tomorrow I was going in to be induced. That wasn't the plan. 17 hours later, I was getting an epidural. That wasn't the plan. 7 hours after that, I was being prepped for a c section. That wasn't the plan. An hour later, my daughter was born, and the doctor cut her cord. That wasn't the plan. She wasn't placed on my chest. That wasn't the plan. I didn't get to breastfeed right away. That wasn't the plan. So what do you do when your birth turns out the complete opposite than what you had longed for, dreamed of, and wanted? I still don't know. Every few weeks someone on my Facebook, announces their getting induced (typically at 38-39 weeks). It makes my sad, why? You don't have to! You don't need to! Why do we not trust our bodies to do what we were meant to do? It saddens me. But those are other girls, who probably did not have the knowledge, or did not do their research. But I did. So how did I end up with a horrible labor? Why did I end up with a c section? To be honest, it hurts, it hurts in so many ways. To not be able to birth a baby vaginally, let alone, naturally. For my body not to be able to do what it was made to do. And here we are five months later, and I still have not GOTTEN OVER IT came to terms with it. Honestly, I don't think I ever will. For 9 months, I planned this natural birth, I felt empowered, I felt in-tune, and in 31 hours all my planning, prepping, and preparing went down the drain. Then, I hear all the time "Well, since you've had one c section, you'll have to always have c sections" NO. I do not. It's called a VBAC and I wish there was more support. I wish that there was doctors and hospitals that were more pro- VBAC than pro-c section. But there isn't, not in the Chattanooga Area, and especially not in North Georgia, and it sickens me. It sickens me to know that unless I move, and even then, I probably have no hope to have a vaginal birth in the future, and that depresses me. I didn't want this the first time, and there is no way I'll put myself thru it again. My doctor told me "Well if you couldn't push a baby out the first time, you'll probably won't be able to your second baby". And that was when I lost all faithfulness in this doctor. But I can't think of birthing a second baby into this world, when i'm still mourning the first. But what do you do? When your mourning your birth? What can you do? All I know is, it hurts and no one truly understands what I went thru am going thru. When people tell me, "You don't know what labor is like you had a c section" "oh you just had a c section" "you don't know the pain, you had a c section". It hurts. No one understands. I went thru 17 hours of natural labor and 7 more hours of exhaustion, for what? To have my uterus sliced open. And I still cannot not grasp on why it happened? Why me? I wasn't like most young moms I know. I did my research. I made it to, and past 40 weeks. So why am I the one who ended up with a c section? And why can I not come to peace with it. I know that, I am still just as much as a mother. I know that I still got the most precious thing in the world. But I'm still mourning, too.

sleepy sleepy sleep

Today makes night number two that Emerson has actually slept in her crib! She'll be five months in a week. When we came home from the hospital, she was nursing every hour, so she just slept in my arms in between while I sat up/slept in bed, until 5 weeks, when she fell off the bed. I was terrified, I felt like a horrible mom, I  felt like I couldn't tell anyone because, I'm a teenager, and they would blame it on that. I felt horrible, luckily she actually fell on a pillow and was only scared. She went right back to sleep but I stayed up and cried. So after that, she either slept with hunter, he's really good with the co sleeping (I'm not). or the bassinet we had. Then at 2 months, she got too long for it! She's a tall baby, so we decided to move her to the crib, well at 2 1/2 months, she was diagnosed with acid reflux, and the doctor told us to put her in her swing to sleep, because if she spit up she could aspirate, well at 4 1/2 months it finally got resolved! She's on medicine and has started solids so i think that has helped. So i tried just laying in her crib, didn't work. Until yesterday! Hunter was watching her while I did homework, and he wrapped her in a blanket, not like swaddling just wrapping her up, and laid her propped up on her boppy, and put her paci in  and turned on her sleep sheep and she went right to sleep. and every nap since that's what we've done, and it works! Yes, WE KNOW that boppy's aren't supposed to be used in cribs, yes WE KNOW that your not supposed to use blankets in the crib. But hey. It works for us, and we feel it's safe and we check on her. So unless your staying up with her, then you can decide what goes in the crib! Just thought I should share this accomplishment because i'm so happy!