Well it's been 3 months...

My intentions are great. I even have some "unpublished" posts in the last 3 months, but as far as keeping up with my blog...yeah not so much. I can't even keep up with the dishes or the laundry or whatever task used to be easy (like showering, haha). I do have a calendar that I write something down for Macy each day, I've done pretty good, but that is an easy one-liner.

At Bible School (that is what we call Bible Study to get our giggles) we talked about what would be our book title for our life, my sister said, or if you had a blog what would it be called? Well I have that answer. "Living to be Me." When I picked that title I wanted something clever and unforgettable, but I'm not that whitty or fantastic, I'm just me. I am not like everyone else. So, the title became "Living to be Me." What does that mean? That I am simply doing me. Not you, or so and so, or Ms. Perfect, but me. I have a hard time with that because I struggle with comparison on an hourly basis, but I'm doing my best.

Did you know that when you become a mom everyone gives you advice, everyone has an answer for your baby? Because clearly all kids are the same. Moms are the same. And to make this world work every family needs to operate the same. Wait. Yeah, not so much.

My baby cries, she eats, and she sleeps. Not like your baby or the ideal baby. It took me about 3 months to realize I love Macy because she isn't like everyone else, the same reason I love Mike and that I generally like myself. She also does so much more! She giggles, she pays attention to everything, she likes to play games, she likes riding in the shopping cart, she has a "poop face," she has chunky thighs, she loves baths and getting her hair done every morning , I could go on and on

I was texting a friend today about if my infant should watch tv. I plan to leave her in front of the tv all day, while I sit back, relax, drink wine, and browse Pinterest. Hah! Yeah that is what a stay at home mom does, didn't you know? Anyway I digress...tv. Macy loves to be engaged, her lil hangy down toys work for about 10 minutes or her bouncey chair for another 10. Yep, they are great! So, in order to help her with tummy time, (did you know Macy is 5 months and not rolling over? I fail as a mom is what society tells me and Macy is way behind...yeah yeah, leave me alone society, she'll roll when she is good and ready) I thought 15 minutes of a show that is music and colors would be good. I don't know if it is right, but hey like I told my friend...she is already screwed, she has had immunizations and she isn't breast fed! Did you know she sleeps in our bed sometimes? I hold her while she naps and I even let her pick when or where to nap sometiems. She takes a passie, that I keep attached to her (because frankly I'm too lazy to pick it up every time it drops). What else are we doing wrong?

Today I have the philosophy that society kinda sucks (could you tell?). I just want every mom to know just do the best you can do. I need that reminder on a minute to minute basis. Figure out what is best for your family, trust in the Lord, pray always, and enjoy it! That is my advice to me in a few minutes when I've given up on it all.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day. I plan to come back soon.

Macy's Mom

Yesterday I got the privilege of meeting Jack. Jack just made his debut on Tuesday and is already a stud! While I was at the hospital meeting Jack I got to see his Grandparents meet him for the first time. This is the first time that Shari and Mike are grandparents, they were so sweet. Thanks Dunham’s (and Webb’s) for letting me share in your joy! Shari said to Bryan, “I don’t think I can call you Bryan anymore, you are Jack’s dad now.”

Macy and Jack

For the first time I really thought about it, I’m Macy’s mom. How cool, I get to be Macy’s mom the rest of my life! I’m honored to carry such a title. Someone’s “mom” is a pretty awesome role, BUT guess what? I get to be Macy’s mom. Macy already has an amazing personality; she is feisty, sassy, sweet, strong, and bashful. I love every quality she possesses.

One of my favorite things about my sweet 2 month old is that she is shy in public, but “own’s it” in the privacy of her own home (much like both of her parents). Those of you that know Macy…she likes to play opossum. She already pretends to be asleep so others won’t try to hold her or talk to her. When she is at home though, especially if it is just the three of us, she has such an outgoing personality. Macy is the center of attention, not only because she is a cute little baby, but because she makes sure you know she is there. It makes me laugh because I can already see what kind of young woman she is going to be. Another favorite thing about her personality, she kinda yells when she talks. Most babies are cooing and finding their voice around 2 months. Making sweet little gaga’s and goo’s. Macy does that, but if you don’t talk back, she kinda starts to yell at you. If you don’t know her you think she is getting upset or that she’ll start crying soon, nope wrong. She just kinda already has that "listen to me" attitude.

Today I’m feeling so blessed to be Macy’s mom. I love that I’m able to be with her all day and get to know her and see her change!

The Man of my Dreams

There is something about seeing the man you love, love your child. Wow, I can't even explain how sexy it is to see my husband love our daughter! We've been so blessed that Mike is off each summer and that Macy was born at the beginning of June, only God can do that kind of planning. Mike is a natural, he does great with Macy and even better putting up with me and my hormonal craziness. He is super supportive and so patient, he is everything I struggle with (another thing only God can orchestrate).

First chance to hold and love on her.

 

Macy / Mike

  

Lots of love!

Cleaning Calendar

Since we've moved and really started to get settled in I've been struggling with how to become better at cleaning/keeping a tidy house. Now, with a newborn this task is even more difficult. We have a lot of stuff that just lays around. I wouldn't say our house is dirty, just cluttered. Don't get me wrong we have some dust, dishes don't always get washed right away, and I could get the floors cleaner, but I don't really think we are dirty. Today I've worked on a "Cleaning Calendar." Putting this together is a task that used to take me 30 minutes and now takes me about 12 hours, another thing that I'm getting used to!

Our Announcement

Bottles, bottles, bottles, oh my!

I didn't really register for bottles because I was going to be a breastfeeding stay at home mom. I didn't see the need. Ugh. Things don't always go as planned. We got a couple different bottles as gifts that we plan to use when Macy is older, but had to buy some for her at this young age.

1st thing I wanted in a bottle: Slow release. Macy is a gulper just like her Mommy, she could suck a regular bottle down within minutes. Needless to say that was not good on her tummy. Many bottles have different nipples that you buy for different stages, the flow is less for newborns as opposed to a baby at 6 months. I wanted something that was as close to breastfeeding as I could get, so the longer it took her to eat the better.

2nd thing I was looking for: Design. As I said in my post about formula design is huge to me. The fewer pieces the better. Also, I want the bottle to have features that could compare to a real boob. That might be nuts for some people, but for me (someone who wanted more than anything to breastfeed) I want my baby to get as close as we could to the real thing. Another factor in design: number of pieces. It could be based on dishes or putting together a bottle at 3 am, but I really prefer those bottles that are simple. 

My favorite bottle is the slowest release and has the nipple that most reflects the real thing and has the fewest pieces. Como Tomo wins my approval and my recommendation! And it comes in pink <insert winky face>.

Tommee Tippee, Avent, and Como Tomo 

I also added in a pic of our tub we got from the hospital, 

I keep it next to the sink, rinse out the used bottles, 

and then wash them when we have acquired more. 

Another factor in our life...bottle washing and night feeding. Whew, it makes me tired just typing about it. We've found two things we really like when it comes to washing. The drying racks. We first bough the grass, it worked well, but we outgrew it quickly. Second we got the stand. Oh man it makes a world of a difference. I definitely recommend it!
Night feedings; Macy is taking a bottle about midnight, 3am, and 6am. That means I have to be prepared for at least 3 bottles over night. Most of the time I stay up until the midnight feeding so that doesn't very often factor in to the overnight bottles. I also usually get up after the 6am feeding, but sometimes I don't and then need the 8am bottle to be in the overnight category. Ok, so I get 3 bottles with 2 oz of water preped along with the formula dispenser. I also get a different brand of bottle with 4 oz and then a small container with formula for that bottle. This helps me in my sleepiness to be able to correctly make the bottles. It is really important to me to use the Avent and Como Tomo bottles overnight because they don't have those extra pieces that I have to worry about. I also keep a bin on the second shelf of my night stand to put the used bottles in after I'm done with them. I know this all might seem crazy, but to me it is life changing! Being prepared helps me sleep better when I get to sleep.

Finding the right Formula

My formula review...

We've tried a few different types of formula Advanced, Sensitive Stomach, and Soy-Based. We've also tried a few brands, Parent's Choice, Similac, and Enfamil. 

Here are my pros and cons:

	Parent's Choice	Similac	Enfamil
Pros:	Price	Used from the beginning	Free Samples
	Design	Did well on her tummy	Smell
			Suggested by others
Cons:	Smell	Price	Price
	Off Brand/doesn't have as many studies and/or reviews		Design

As far as the type goes, I've not seen a lot of consistent differences. They all sometimes work and sometimes don't. One con to the sensitive stomach formula is the first ingredient is corn syrup, no matter the brand anything that is for sensitivity replaces the lactose with corn syrup. Personally, I'd rather not have the corn syrup if possible. 

I'm a sucker for design, no matter the product, if the design is to my liking I am a happy customer. You'll notice in the pictures the scoop is stored differently in the different formulas. The blue container is Parent's Choice and the scoop slides in a little notch above the powder. It doesn't have to fit into the lid with the handle on the left (I'm right handed). With the scoop on the lid I have problems getting it to fit so I end up just tossing it into the powder. That brings me to another issue...if there is no where to put the scoop or it is easier to just toss it into the powder...I have to touch the powder. Ew. I don't like the texture or the smell of the powder in the first place so having to touch it every time is gross to me. 

Lastly, the price. We don't make a lot of money and we'd like to save when we can. There is a pretty big difference in name brand vs. off brand. Go Parent's Choice! Lol. They have the very same ingredients. 

My last option is to try a whole food store and check their price and ingredients to see if we can afford to use a formula that possibly has more natural ingredients. Unfortunately, nothing about formula is "natural." Breast milk is the best option hands down BUT that isn't an option I have so I have to do the best I can

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