Over Stimulated Baby?

Yesterday was Easter and Chloe's first big outing with a lot of people. One word.. DISASTER. I really think I should've read up more on preparing for your baby's first outing because to be honest, yesterday was a freaking disaster. Outside of our own house, Chloe only knows her Mimi and Grandpa's house and doesn't have too many problems when we go there.

So we get to my Aunt's house and get Chloe out of the car seat and get her ready to join the rest of the family, immediately I have family wanting to take her out of my hands and I can already see the fear in my own child's eyes. I think it's ok she will be fine and I walk away to grab something to eat. She did fine for about an hour total and when it came time to take some really cute pictures.. she lasted a whole 5 minutes before we had a complete and utter melt down which lasted about an hour. I knew she was not tired because she had a really good nap before we even got there and was nursed and full as well so I immediately knew, she was not comfortable in this current situation.

So we went into a quite place and I nursed her back to comfort. My mom is always helpful and comes in to reassure me that everything is ok and that she will be fine. She is then handed off again and once again another melt down occurs and I rush over to tend to her. I firmly DO NOT believe in crying it out.. I don't know why people think that is the right thing to do when a baby is crying in someone else's arms. Clearly there is generally something wrong and wants to be taken out of that situation. I heard all shorts of comments yesterday that really pissed me off.. "You need to let her cry it out" "She has you wrapped around your little finger" "Your going to have some serious problems" Excuse me? My daughter is 3 months old and is a BABY!! She is not a toddler nor is she a teen, she is a baby that needs her mother when she doesn't feel secure.

Do you just let an infant sit there and cry it out? No you go over to your child and see what is wrong? Even as an adult, if you are in pain and are hurt and in need of some sort of medical attention, should we just let you "cry it out" and see if it gets better an a half hour? Hell no, you take care of the situation.

I am a good mother that won't neglect her child when something is wrong. However I feel right now that I should've looked into over stimulation in a baby because clearly Chloe became very overstimulated. We even had a melt down when we got home to our own house. Now that I've experienced this type of behavior in Chloe from now on she will not be passed off immediately to someone she doesn't know nor remember. I will wear her in a sling when I get to someone's house so that she can feel comfortable in her surroundings and gradually be handed off to family members that want to hold her and love her up.

Here is a great article that I encourage all new moms to read about over stimulation in a baby.

http://www.secretsofbabybehavior.com/2010/12/too-much-fun-preventing-overstimulation.html

13 weeks Old Today!

My baby girl is 13 weeks old today!! Still feels like yesterday she came home with us and I cried the moment I walked in the door freaking out that she was home and with us and thinking ok, now what do I do! Oh boy, was that only 13 weeks ago!

So some milestones she has reached so far include:

*Lot's more coo's (she's a little jibber jabber)
*Holding her head up much better
*Reaching for her toys
*Finding out she can suck her thumb

Chloe has this little bird on one of her play mats that she is just obsessed with, I catch her just staring at it for long periods of minutes and I was able to grab my camera and catch her in the act.

One Sick Household

Wow.. this plague has taken over our entire house! Hubby is sick, I am starting to feel better and Chloe is still sick but getting better daily. We had our follow up appointment with our new pediatrician. Yes new, we decided we wanted to go somewhere a little bit closer to us and find a more suitable pediatrician for us. The pediatrics department in the hospital recommended us to a highly recommended doctor so we decided to try them out and I for one am much more happier with this office. They even have sick hours on both Saturdays and Sundays to take sick kids too so that makes me feel so much better.

Anyways, this new doctor was great she asked me so many questions and answered all my questions and put my mind more at ease. She still says Chloe is a bit junky inside meaning she still has some stuff down in her lungs but otherwise isn't too worried about her getting worse so that made me feel much better. She is responding well to the antibiotic so we are continuing with the dosage until the end of next week. My little pork chop is now weighing in at 11.15 pounds she is almost 12 pounds now, doubling in her birth weight in just about 3 months!!

Breastfeeding has really porked her up. She is just an eating machine always on my boob like every hour to an hour and a half. I don't mind though because I know this is only for a short time until she starts eating solids and doesn't want to have special mommy and me time. So I will continue to have this special bonding time for as long as possible.

Meanwhile Scott, my husband has really come down hard with the illness.. poor guy I think got the worst of it. He's hacking up a lung and feels terrible and has come home from work early today because his work doesn't want the illness going on around there. So will just be called the sickies because the moment you walk into our house either myself or Scott or Chloe is hacking away. Oh man.. when will this illness leave the Baden household!

Baby's First Sickness

Well.. the time has come and the earth has stopped, Chloe has come down with her first illness. My mom was so right when she said that the first time Chloe gets sick your going to think the world is ending.

On Friday, Chloe started to have more of her dry cough.. she has always coughed a bit but it was nothing to be alarmed about. However, this time she seemed to cough a lot more so I thought, I will just keep an eye on this. Saturday morning rolls around and she sounds a lot worse, my mom notices her cough and again tells me to just monitor it. In the meantime she has no fever, she is not fussy, and she is just her happy little self. Sunday rolls around and she sounds even worse and sounds like she is wheezing and definetly is getting stuffy and her eyes are a bit watery but still no fever. So Scott and I decide well will just take her in on Monday to the doctors and see what they say. I need to hear that it's either a cold or something worse otherwise I am just going to drive myself crazy.

So we get to the doctors Monday afternoon and they do some testing for RSV and it comes back negative on that and they diagnose her with bronchilitis. Which they tell me she should get better in 2-5 days after treatment of this oral medicine. So we give her this medicine and next thing I know we are headed to urgent care because it appears to Scott and I, that she is breathing much heavier and her skin pigment around her mouth has a hint of blue so were thinking she isn't getting enough oxygen.

We get to urgent care and they look at her and still no fever, not fussy but just wheezing pretty good and having a hard time breathing. I am on pins and needles and worried to death about her and the next thing I hear is they want her to be admitted to the hospital. My heart drops and were back to the feeling I had when she had to be admitted back in the hospital when she was 4 days old for jaundice. I hate having to bring her there because I always fear the worst.

So we spend the night in the hospital. They put her on a monitor to watch her oxygen level and heart rate. They did a breathing treatment in which she didn't respond to it and continued to wheeze. They end up sending us back home Tuesday afternoon and put her on an antibiotic to prevent phenomena from forming. All the while my little girl is just the happiest thing on the earth. Still cooing and smiling and just loving her mommy and daddy.

So now we sit and wait for everything to clear out and be back to normal. It's a scary time to be a momma because one, I hate to see my daughter like this even though she isn't in any pain and two having your kid sick regardless is just hard to see. I kept saying I just want to suck the sickness out of her and put it all in me... guess what... I GOT SICK! Haha be careful what you wish for as I now I sit here typing and hacking my lung up. Better rest up so that I can take care of my little sweet-pea.

Leave Me Alone During Nap Time

I'm not sure when I am going to learn my lesson but I think I did yesterday, I know Scott did. It's hard to get my hubby out of bed in the morning because he works so hard and just wants to catch a few extra zzz's on the weekend. I'm an early bird and want to get up and start my day even after having Chloe. Now that she is sleeping through the night, I am getting more sleep and have more energy to do things in the early afternoon and the early afternoon is when Chloe is at her greatest.

See the past couple of times that we have gone out have been in the afternoon after 1pm and now I am learning, that is a no go with this little girl. She likes to nap between the hours of 1-4 and taking her out of the house during those times is just a nightmare. Here's my story of learning a lesson of NOT taking out your baby when she is napping.

Yesterday, we left around 2:30ish after asking Scott if he would go with me to do some light errands. We needed to go to Target and Vince and Joe's. As soon as we got out of the car and unloaded her, she just burst into tears; screaming her little head off. Here we are totally looking like new parents wondering why she is so upset. I am now frantically trying to get her out of the car seat thinking perhaps she just does not want to be in there... thinking no problem, I'll just hold her while we walk around the store. As soon as I passed her off to Scott to get something, she let out a serious gassy filled pooped diaper.. now on to my second nightmare, using the public changing table. I just hate em, don't like them and don't want to use them but I had too.

So after I quickly changed her diaper, she was a much happier baby so we thought ok she just had a spell of gas and was in pain. We managed to get through our shopping trip without anymore tears until we got to the checkout. Now at this time, I know her cries are that of hunger. So we were off to the car and I was back in the back seat nursing her because god forbid a mom nurses in public these days. So after a half an hour of nursing her and burping her she was back to her happy smiley self but then soon fell back asleep in her car seat so we figured we would be able to take her to Vince and Joe's and get our groceries. Oh BOY was I wrong again. Literally as soon as we took her out of the car and into the stroller she became a totally new baby.. screaming and not wanting to be there.. I took her out and carried her into the store, of course this draws just way to much attention but oh well we just needed to get some lunch meat, fresh veggies and fruit and then get the heck out of there.. Scott goes to take a number for the deli.. number 61 and they were on number 48... we looked at each other and said this is not worth it and just walked out. I knew the day would come when we would just have to walk out because our child was not able to handle being in the store and that day came at just 9 weeks old and I am sure that won't be the last time.

So the moral of my story, leave baby be cozy at home finishing there nap and then go, or better yet just go alone without a baby which by the way, I do most of the time. Oh I am still learning!!

Big Smiles

I am one happy Mama this morning because of this beautiful image I captured on my camera this morning:
That's my precious baby girl at 9 weeks old. She is just such a joy this morning, all coo's and smiles. Hearing that just brings such a big smile to my face. It's days like these that make me so happy that I stay home with her to witness this. Some days I feel like if I worked we could afford more things, but this just makes all those "things" not necessary because of this precious little person.

Chloe has really started to reach a lot of milestones, she smiles on demand now and she really can hold her head up high. She's not a very big fan of tummy time but I try and do it at least once a day on this little activity mat but we usually do tummy time on my stomach because she enjoys that so for now she is learning how to hold her head up and back on my tummy.

Stressing about Money!

I've been MIA for a while.. I hate when that happens because I have so many blog topics that pop up in my head but either A. I forget to jot them down on a piece of paper when they come to me or B. I am just too busy tending to Chloe. It's still crazy around here one day she sleeps through the entire day basically then the next she is up all day fussy and wants to be tended to every minute. So you would think on those days that she is sleeping all day that I would get some work done well that never seems to happen because I am either sitting at the computer pinning stuff or I am running around the house cleaning and doing this and that. Laundry these days seems to take up an entire day so yesterday that is all I did. Now today, that was a whole different story.

Today I once again had my mothering skills put to the test. Some days I feel like I can't do this because I either have too much anxiety about other things I need to take care or I am just overwhelmed. We are coming into a bind financially with money because I am a SAHM. I am supposed to be a working stay at home mom but that is proving to be very challenging. So each day I have high hopes to get things done but then either Chloe is having a bad day or I am off goofing around doing other things I could probably do when Scott gets home. But as each day passes and I haven't gotten to what I want to do with my business, I start to feel guilty that I am not doing enough to help with our financial situation. Going back to work right now is not an option that we have on the table, it's not what we want for Chloe and I have absolutely no desire to work. It would break my heart into pieces and literally thousands of pieces because I don't want to leave her all day in the hands of someone else. I don't care if its even family.. she's my little girl and I brought her in this world to raise her by myself. Eh, I don't even want to think about that so I will go on to my next thought.

So back to financial situations.. we've found ourselves having to pay more in rent now because our landlord has increased our rent, it sucks but we are in no position to buy a house and our lives are too crazy to move somewhere else. I am way too lazy to be boxing crap up and moving else where. I'd rather pay an additional 50 bucks a month then deal with the hassle of trying to find some where else to live in 30 days. So we got one more year left in this condo.. it makes me sad because we've called this our home for almost 3 years now.. I knew this day would come eventually but I really enjoy living where we live. We are so spoiled with our huge bedroom and master bath that I don't want to give that up ever. But he's got to sell it next year and next year at this time I'll have a one year old running around wondering where her home is. I pray to god that Scott's business takes off and his projected income in a year does pan out to be what it is and then will be able to be in my dream home.. we don't want to buy just a little starter home, we want the big house to grow into and be proud of where we've come from.

Well those are my thoughts for the night. I need to pump and get to bed.. could be a long night? Never know with a 2 month old!

Our First Date Night

Well we did it! Scott and I finally went out for an impromptu date night. It wasn't planned, it was more like spur of the moment, get me away from the baby for a few minutes. My mom mentioned that we needed to get out because I was starting to feel really stressed out and missing Scott. Believe me, you miss your spouse because there never is time for just the two of you anymore. So after thinking about and knowing we had the gift cards that we had been saving for date nights once Chloe was born. I told Scott as soon as he walked home, were taking Chloe to my parents and were going out for dinner.

So as I prepared for date night, I tried to pump enough milk for her so she could eat while we were away and of course since it wasn't planned, I had a hard time getting enough milk to make myself feel better knowing she would have more than enough. So I learned that I need to pump throughout the week, freeze it and have it available for date nights and when Mommy needs to just get out of the house for awhile. So the bags are on the grocery list to get.

As I dropped Chloe off with my parents all I could think about is I know she doesn't have enough Milk and I feel guilty even though my mom told me she thought what I had was enough. We weren't going to be gone long. So the whole time while we are trying to enjoy our evening out all I could think about was her being fussy and hating me for leaving her with not enough milk. What the heck is wrong with me? Scott told me to get a drink and I did and it loosened me up a bit but I still was worried.

The entire time we ate, all we did was talk about Chloe. Funny how you get away to just be "US" again and we just go back to talking about Chloe. Next time, I will refrain from talking so much about her. But I guess since it was the first time I had been away from her for a while and needing someone to just talk about how I am feeling, that was all that was on my mind was her.

Next time we have date night, there will be no baby talk! Can I hold that promise will see! ;)

First Mall Trip

So like every day, I am without a car because it's one of the luxury's I've had to give up to stay home with Chloe. Eventually I will get a car again but for now I basically rely on my parents to tag me around places during the day. Today my mom came over to take Chloe and I out to the mall and that was a stressful event. The couple of times that we have taken Chloe out with us to do some errands or run to a store, she has been so good. Sleeps the whole time and wakes up when we get home.. WELL that did not happen at the mall. She was very fussy and was awake the entire time. Here is my first mall experience story with Chloe.

We get to the mall, actually got an upfront parking spot which is nearly impossible at Lakeside. Take the stroller out and since it's new we are still getting used to how it functions so I am trying to strap the carseat in and it won't go through.. it's kind of cold out so I am like just forget it, will figure this out once we get inside the mall. So we get into the mall, still not working I start feeling pissed off because why is nothing working then finally I flipped the seat inside the stroller around and pop the car seat in and bam it connects.. perfect we are ready to go. She's happy for the time being until we step foot into macy's. She gets very fussy, doesn't want her binky and my first thought is great she needs to be nursed, where the hell can I go to do that. So I find a fitting room, which is small as hell and park the stroller inside and nurse her. I'm sitting in a small seat staring at myself in the mirror and feeding my daughter, it was quite the picture and the realization of this is what my life has become. Shopping will no longer be a quick trip.

Then the big kicker, my mom comes into the fitting room as she was finishing up. She needs her diaper changed at this point and my mom takes over to do it on the floor.. of course Chloe pee's all over the place and lets out a good poop.. it was quite funny. Thankfully my mom took care of that mess because that probably would've set me over the edge and we would be leaving empty handed at the store. So I finish up nursing her and we head back out.

So my mom is picking up every outfit in sight saying ohh and ahh and she needs this and that and this will look so adorable on her while once again, I try and calm Chloe down as she continues to be fussy even after her feeding. I can't even look at any clothes because she refuses to be in the stroller at this point. Of course she just wants to be held.. she is my little cuddle bug. So our trip was cut short after my mom spends $100.00 yes ONE HUNDRED BUCKS on a few outfits.. she's the crazy one not me. I of course can't buy a damn thing, but am absolutely grateful that my mom is able to buy all these cute outfits for her to wear. Hey, while she's out throwing 100 bills around, I could use a new coat and a pair of after being p

regnant jeans since my fat ass still cant fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.

So we leave the store, my mom's strolling the stroller and I've got my baby in my arms.. of course that draws attention to everyone and we get all sorts of compliments on how beautiful my daughter is. She really is cute! See for yourself:

And that was our mall trip. We ended it with two Starbucks in hand and a bagful of beautiful clothes to enhance my daughters beauty :)

Life Changes

Before Chloe was born I didn't realize how much of my life I would give up to devote my time with Chloe. I've complied a list of the few things that have totally changed my life and want to look back in a couple of months to see if these things have changed or got worse.

Taking a shower is no longer on my own time. It's more of a routine now. I usually have to wait till Chloe is fed, diaper is changed and she is in a happy mood and in her bouncer so that I can take her in the bathroom with me. I am one of those freakish mom's right now where I feel like she needs to be in the bathroom with me. But it works out well for me because the sound of the shower puts her right to sleep and allows me the time to get ready which is very nice.

Sleeping, yea that.. I have no idea what it's like anymore to sleep for more than 4 straight hours. I had the luxury before she was born to get acclimated to this change, as I didn't sleep through the night anymore starting during my 8th month of pregnancy and lasting all the way till she was delivered. So the lack of sleep I am very much used to, but it's taken a whole new meaning now. Someday's I have no idea how in the world I am functioning but I do. I hate hearing other people say I am so tired because I just want to slap reality into them and say you have no idea what tired means until you have a baby!

Eating.. yea eating a meal.. wouldn't think about that. I usually have to rush through my meals now because for some strange reason Chloe wakes up or needs something as soon as I bite down into my delicious meal I have prepared. That bar far is the hardest for me.. someday's I just want to sit down and enjoy what I am eating without thinking ok how fast can I eat this and not feel sick to my stomach afterwards. I have learned that my crockpot is my best friend now because at least I can make dinner and it stays hot. Thanks to Pintrest for all the amazing recipes I have been able to provide to my husband and myself.

Relationships.. yes your relationships with your husband and friends change drastically. Scott and I no longer have time for just us. Which is really hard right now because I miss him like crazy even though he lives in the same house with us. Every time we go to lay down with each other, thinking Chloe is totally out, low and behold her eyes flinch and out comes the cries. I swear to god it's like she knows ok, Mom is relaxing, time to stir the pot up. That bar far is absolutely beyond frustrating, so we have to take turns seeing what the heck she is crying about. You have really no time with your friends for a while because your so damn sleep deprived and just want to sleep whenever your baby does and those without kids just do not understand what your going through the first couple of months so they just don't get it when you say I gotta cancel plans for the day. Since sleep is so valuable these days.

Time.. ha leaving on time for somewhere or to be somewhere is damn near impossible. When you get invited somewhere you might as well say see ya when I can make it over there because your time is on your babies time. I have to laugh, I was invited to my aunts super bowl party and it started at 3:00, we didn't get there till after 5:00. I am not one to just wake up my baby to be somewhere unless it was really important like a doctors appt. but other than that I'm on her time and no one elses. So if she is sleeping or nursing when we need to be somewhere, I just let it go and say oh well. I've learned real fast I can't freak out about it because really, it doesn't matter. I'll get where I need to be when I get there.

There is a hoist of more things but these are the biggies that have turned my life into a complete 180. Let's see if they get worse or better as the months going on.. I am sure I will probably add a few more to the next list.

Welcome to my life

So I have decided to start up another blog.. why it's just another thing to do in my life, right? However, recently I've discovered I need time to myself and to write out my feelings and journeys through life now that I have literally so much going on being a new mom, a wife, and a somewhat business owner.

So let me take you through my journey, my journey as a new mom, a not so new housewife.. which I have been now for almost two years and what I call a somewhat business owner now. I call it somewhat because right now my number one priority is taking care of my baby girl and putting the business on hold until we establish life together as a family. Before Chloe came into my life, my business Kaliah Designs, was my life. It was my baby and it was motivation to get through most days being a housewife.

I lost my job back in 2009 and since then I have been a housewife and business owner. Why? Well to be honest, I didn't want to go back to work. I was not happy working in advertising and marketing which is what I went to college for. I liked doing certain aspects of the job but overall I was not happy. I went to college because back then it was the right thing to do, there was no such thing as just finding a great guy, getting married and tending to the house and raising kids. In my mind, that was all I wanted to do. I told most people growing up all I wanted to be was a wife and mom. Stay home raise a family and be happy. Sounds great to me!

Well I never thought I was going to have it that way until I lost my job. I lost my job 6 months before I was going to get married to my husband and in the worst economy since the depression. Why did I lose my job? It wasn't because of my performance because I kicked ass, I was told daily by my co-workers, it was because the company didn't have enough clients and I just wasn't needed anymore. So I was left with a college degree ( a freaking piece of paper if you ask me) and a few years of experience working in the field. I tried to look for work else where but nothing would come through.

I decided to focus my energies on planning my wedding because I love planning events. Hosting parties and making sure people have a good time is my blood so I figured I was going to throw the best wedding people have been to in a long time. Did I accomplish it? I sure as hell did.. I still get people saying that our wedding was by the far the best one they been to. How in the hell did I mange to do that with a limited income? Just get creative and hire the best of the best in certain areas? I had already booked one of the newest halls in town so that part was already booked before losing my job but after that everything else was just about focusing on what I needed to focus on.. Music is what makes a party so I made sure to hire a DJ that would be sure to get the people on the dance floor having a good time and I sure as hell did that.

So after my wedding I was left with a thought of either I gotta find a job now or I could do something else like be my own boss. So begin's Kaliah Designs the birth of my first love my jewelry and hair accessories business. I had the determination, the skills and the creative to make this come alive and so I did and I've never looked back. I believe I have been blessed to have been able to find this outlet in my life because I never in my wildest dreams thought of having my own company. It wasn't something I sat around dreaming about like my husband did with his business, hell he never thought I would do something like this.

Soo.. am I happy with being what many may call me now a mompreneur? That I can not answer right now because I havent been able to find the balance of being a mom and a business owner. My daughter, Chloe is still only 6 and half weeks old and we are still trying to figure her out. For the most part she has been such a perfect little baby. I really have no complaints. She sleeps good for me and she is a happy little baby, sure she has her moments like most babies do but she is just perfect.

Now balancing being a mom and a housewife, well that is a whole nother story. That I am still having a hard time doing. It's hard to take care of a baby basically by myself because I chose to breastfeed her and take care of my house. Now I am sure your thinking where is your husband? Well he is working. He works 40+ hours a week at his day job and his night job is his business in which he spends another few hours working on when he is home during the week and on the weekend, he basically works all day. Why? Well he is trying so hard to get his business off the ground with his partner. My husband, Scott is trying so hard to provide the best life for our family. Right now, life is pretty tough because we are down to one solid income and lets face it, babies are super expensive and we've given up so much for me to stay home and raise Chloe now. So I sit back and let Scott do whatever he can to get our family in the position we want to be financially. Sometimes I feel like a single parent, and I try to get Scott involved in as much as I can. I just need to come up with a plan of action to get him more involved and not miss out on Chloe's early years because he's been so busy working.. babies are babies once and building a business can happen at any time, I just hope he realizes that before it's too late.

Well Chloe needs mommy now so gotta run :)