They noticed! Awww! While this little blog is an infant compared to some of the more popular and recognized mommy blogs out there, the below article made me realize that my idea for this little corner of the web was not all that crazy.
Thank goodness! I was started to get worried.
http://www.problogger.net/archives/2008/04/30/five-reasons-why-mom-blogs-are-the-blogs-to-watch/
I come from a long line of superstitious people on my side of the family - I say my side of the family because my husband laughs at me. Regardless of his laughter, we will not be cutting our baby’s hair before she is a year old no matter how out of control it gets - its bad luck. We also do our best to ward off the evil eye or bad intentions by having her wear an Azabache charm (seen here below).
I have had many discussions lately with other moms about this and notice that many other cultures worry about the same things when it comes to their children. The Italians have “the horn” or “horns”. The Turkish wear the Blue Eye to ward off the evil eye. It actually made me feel good that I am not the only one who hears about these things from her family. We are not alone!
Hopefully this blog brings some comfort to those of you out there who have a similar line of thinking and worry. I would love to hear from you - or anyone who has a comment for or against these traditional and cultural superstitions.
Every year the Social Security Administration releases the prior year’s top 10 baby names for boys and for girls. This is the moment where mother’s like me get to find out just how original we were in naming our children. I mean, not all of us will go for names like Apple or Coco, Suri or Shiloh, right? I checked and Suri did not make it to the top 1000 and Shiloh is #804. So, the chances of those girls having another child of the same name in their second grade class is pretty slim.
When I was in grammer school I remember having at least two Melissas and two Jennifers in each class. It was not until I got to high school that I ran into another Melanie. Sadly, I was not as original as my mother in naming my own daughter. Sophia made #6 on the 2007 list and I remember that she was #9 on the previous year’s list. She is creeping up! Maybe she will knock Emily out of the #1 spot within the next few years - you never know.
Alas, behold - the list! I wonder if its release will make any of you “original” mommies change the current name of your unborn child?
| Boys: | Girls: |
|---|---|
| 1) Jacob2) Michael
3) Ethan 4) Joshua 5) Daniel 6) Christopher 7) Anthony 8) William 9) Matthew 10) Andrew |
1) Emily2) Isabella
3) Emma 4) Ava 5) Madison 6) Sophia 7) Olivia 8) Abigail 9) Hannah 10) Elizabeth |
I could possibly be the last person in the country to learn this but just in case there are others far more out of the loop than I am (or just in case I am actually in the loop) I had to pass this on!
Pssst… Did you know that Baby GAP is selling a lot more than clothes? I was just sent an email that advertises new nursery bedding, strollers, toys, diaper bags, etc in addition to the already popular children’s clothes. This was exciting new to me because I was able to purchase a Skip Hop diaper bag with a GAP gift card? Stop the presses!
Just click on the Baby GAP link:
Fridays are FUN and every Friday I plan on posting a funny kid story, saying, etc. If you have have any you would like to see posted please email it to mommies4mommies@gmail.com. Please include the child’s age and your name.
Our first Friday Funny was submitted by Ann about Melissa, her then 2 year old daughter:
One of my favorite stories happened when I was in the middle of toilet training Melissa, right after her 2nd birthday.
I was determined to do this “toilet training thing” right and went as far having a potty chair in the back seat of the car, where she would try to “go” before we headed anywhere, regardless of my best efforts, about 5 minutes after arriving, Melissa looked up at me and said, “Mommy, have to go pee pee”, so we ran into the nearest restaurant to use the facilities.
Being the ever careful Mom, I put toilet paper on the toilet seat, with my child facing me and her back to the toilet I grabbed her behind the thighs (swing style) and I dangled my baby over the toilet seat.
As I was busy doing these maneuvers, the lady in the stall next to ours was having a very “loud and splashy” bowel movement, as my daughter hung in mid air over the toilet she looked up at me and in that high pitch voice that toddlers have asked in a squeal that echoed ever so loudly, “Momma, you hear that caca hit the water?”
I then proceeded to drop my daughter in the toilet and rolled to the floor hysterically laughing!
I waited in the stall until the woman left before making our exit.
I never realized how paranoid I was until I became a parent. Its as if you realize that the world is a big, bad place the second the doctor or nurse places that new life in your arms. Everything is a hazard now. You find yourself checking your baby’s breathing two, three, six times in an evening and then laugh sheepishly when you find your spouse in the nursery doing the same exact thing. You triple check the straps and harnesses on the carseat or swing. I find myself taking her barrettes off of her hair before I leave her in the carseat because I am afraid she is going to take them off and choke on them.
Its not an easy feeling to realize that there are so many hazards that this most important little being will come into contact with. I think back to my childhood and the times when I got yelled at by my parents for not calling to check in - at the time I had no idea what the big deal was but now I understand! The phrase/curse, “you will understand when you are a mother one day” stands out in my head and I cannot help but feel a little grumpy at the thought that they were right again!
Sadly, in addition to also having to worry about outside influences or possiblities many of us also wonder about how we, as parents, will affect our children and how they grow up and raise their own children. There is no end to the worries that come with being a mother or a father. These are a few I have heard recently - but I know many of us have a variety of different fears.
“My ultimate fear is that I’ll be a complete failure as a mom. It’s very important for me to raise him differently than how I was raised. I want him to always know that he’s loved and that he doesn’t have to work to get my attention, he’ll get it because he deserves because he’s my son! But I can’t help but be paranoid that I’ll fall into the comfort zone that I KNOW because of how I was raised as a child,” - Samantha.
“I wonder how my husband and I will act as a team. I want to set good examples for Jonathan to follow, I want our families to respect our wishes and “rules” and when they don’t (because I know some of them won’t) - what can we do about it?” - Mimi
“I’ve seen great kids come from both good and BAD families and that scares me, because you really never know what you’re gonna get. You can just do your best and hope that you’ve given your child all he/she needs to make it as a “good person” in today’s world, ” - Lauryn
“I am most afraid to know that I cannot be there to protect my child 24/7 against all the ills in today’s world. I can only try my best.” - Patricia
“I have this irrational fear of someone taking my children from my home in the middle of the night. Kidnappings were widespread in the headlines when I was a kid and now that I am a mom I cannot seem to get them out of my head,” - Liz
Calling all Moms.
In honor of Mother’s Day we are unveiling our new blog. Welcome to Mommies4Mommies we hope that you enjoy the time you spend here and we also hope that you join into the discussions by leaving comments on the blogs.
To kick off the publishing of Mommies4Mommies online I am opening this post in honor of Mother’s Day. Please comment and share a story or paragraph or sentence (whatever floats your boat) about being a mom and what you love about it. Or what was so unexpected.
Welcome to our little corner of the web - we hope you like it here.
Nothing can prepare you for the love. You spend nine months growing that child in your belly, feeling the kicks and movements. You prepare the nursery and stock up on tiny clothes. You write up a birth plan. You plan how you will feed your baby - formula or breast. You form opinions on vaccines, ear piercing, circumcision, etc. You talk to your husband about how you will discipline. You prepare to stay home or you research daycares. You budget time and money and space.
You try your best to do everything you can to get your world ready for this new little person - but the truth is this little person is going to knock your world on its axis because all of the preparing that you will do on every logical level will never be enough.
My daughter is 7 months old and so much her own little person at the moment that the sounds and smiles I get from her make me feel like my heart is going to burst out of my chest. We were 100% prepared for her birth. We had every item we needed and still nothing prepared us for the love that comes with this new life. More than half a year later I can barely put it into words. I look into her face and I remember the feeling of her inside me, I remember how I imagined she would look and how I would feel to be her mommy - and even though that was so long ago and she is here I am still in awe.
I am so excited for all of you - you are not going to know what hit you. You are going to be sleep deprived and frustrated. But at the same time you are going to be soon be the happiest you have ever been in your lives.
Welcome to Motherhood!
By: MellyMel B (contributions from Lisa)
Now while this is an experience most women will go through, I am not there yet. I need to say that right off the bat - my husband and I are really happy waiting until our 7 month old daughter is older before adding to our little family. Having said that, I am behind many of my friends who are already raising two children.
I think the number of couples who are “one and done” are in the minority compared to the number of couples who plan in advance to have more than one child. I have a girlfriend who definitely feels that her pregnancy, labor, and experience with daughter Zoe is definitely enough and that she will not add to her family again. She and her husband are thrilled to be a family of three - forever.
I remember another girlfriend, Lisa, telling me more than once (before and after her pregnancy with Lainey) that she was thoroughly a “one and done” type of woman - until she decided to change her mind. Lainey is now 2 years old and Lisa is pregnant with her second child, a boy they will be naming Mason. Being very pregnant at the moment, Lisa was able to provide me with some insight on how it feels to be pregnant with child #2 while still raising and chasing after child #1. This is some helpful information for us who definitely plan on having more children some day.
Lisa is a stay at home mom who runs a business from home while still working part-time in a position where she can take Lainey to work with her. I asked Lisa to give me some thoughts on being pregnant with her second and how different it is than being pregnant with her first and one of the first things she thought to talk about was fatigue and naps - in addition to some other items she thought were “myths” before she had to deal with them herself:
Where do I begin? First of all, I have to admit that there are things I heard that I brushed off and actually assumed were excuses. To all of the #2 mommies-to-be that I did not believe…heartfelt apologies!! Want an example? “You pop so much faster with the second baby.” Yep, it’s true. Sadly, you get bigger; sooner!
Next? “I am just so much more tired with this one. I need to nap all the time” Yeah, right, I thought. Don’t get me wrong, I had to hand it to anyone who could actually pull it off. One friend would take a 2-3 hour nap with her 18 month old almost every day. Another snoozes on the couch several times a week while her 2 year old naps. With my first pregnancy, I worked part time. Three afternoons a week and I could collect my paycheck. I would sleep until 10, shower and wander out of the house after lunch. Flash forward to pregnancy #2…I drag myself out of bed at whatever time Lainey wakes up. And I’m one of the lucky ones. My kid rarely wakes up before 7, usually it’s closer to 7:30. She pretty much sleeps through the night every single night. I chase her around, feeding, playing, laundry, bills, working from home P/T as the calls come in, general errands. And I fall into the chair in an exhausted stupor the second I put her to bed at 8 PM. Lainey is at the point now where she is weaning herself off naps. Lucky me. She averages 3 naps per week. Her choice, not mine. All I have to do is have a dire need for a nap (yep, I admit it) and BAM…the kid will not sleep for anything and calls me until I give up the game and let her out of her crib.
Can I admit that the above gives me more pause about adding a second child just yet? I remember taking naps on the weekend while I was pregnant and actually having the thought, “Will I be able to do this the next time around?” Add that to the fact that those 2am feedings are still not quite a distant memory - at all. This is the reason why those people who ask me, “So, are you ready to go for #2″ get a certain look from me. While Sophia is the light of our lives and I am sure I am going to adore an siblings we give her just as much as I adore her, I want to enjoy her as much as I can before I split the attention she gets in two. And, selfishly, I want her potty trained before I add another little one! My worst nightmare is having to change two sets of diapers! Also, I am a working mom and Sophia is in daycare. I am not quite ready to be a working pregnant woman also dealing with a toddler. I have time enough to think of that.
Since we are on the topic of pregnancy - and one of the most popular ailments of pregnancy is morning sickness I have to definitely bring up the possiblity of dealing with morning sickness while raising a child. I am also going to duck rotten fruit as I admit that I was one of those women blessed, and yes I realize that I was blessed, not to suffer from any form of morning, afternoon, or evening sickness. Lisa was not so lucky. She had to deal with this through pregnancy #1 - and again with pregnancy #2:
I have to admit that the morning sickness was not as bad this time as it was last time. That being said, throwing up 4 times a day (as opposed to 6) is still not a pleasant experience. Even my impatient little girl learned that until mommy is done throwing up, she can’t get you milk/food/toys or even talk. She learned that when Mommy blows her nose, it’s almost over. She would stand next to me and pat my back as I puked my guts up. She learned to throw up in the toilet. That one may not sound big, but the first time your little one throws up in the toilet instead of all over you or their crib, you count your blessings! I learned to feel so much guilt. When you feel so crappy you can barely lift your head, it’s hard to play play-doh, Dora, puzzles or anything else. TV time gets increased beyond what you thought you could excuse. And then the day when you finally feel good comes the heartbreaker. “Mommy, you’re not sick anymore? You can play with me?” Does it get any sadder?
I just cannot end the blog there. This is not a blog that is going to focus on the hardships of being pregnant with #2, while chasing #1. I am going to try to not end any of my blogs that way simply because that is not the way I am. There is a ray of light at the end of every tunnel, and a rainbow after ever storm - and Lisa can say it best:
After all of my complaints about the pregnancy being so hard, here’s a whole new angle. With the first pregnancy, everything was a wonder. How did I not know all of these amazing things that my body and my baby would accomplish? I obsessed about names, what the baby might look like, what her temperament might be, how big she was each week of development. Another truth…the second child really does get gypped in some ways. The joy is still there, the wonder is not quite as much. But here’s the thing. It’s new to Lainey. It’s amazing to her. She is looking forward to “her baby” coming near her birthday “in August”. She hugs, kisses, sings to, looks at and rubs my belly. She tells people that she grew in my belly, then she was a baby, now she’s a little girl and soon she will be a big girl. She tells us that she will be a big sister and that she will teach Mason “so many things.” She struggles to understand how he will not be able to sit, talk, walk or eat. She asks already if she can hold him and feed him. It’s a whole dimension to an amazing experience.
By: Mimi (a pregnant woman)
Wrong things to say:
“Once your boobs grow they never get back down again, EVERYONE tells me the same thing”
“If you get induced you’ll probably end up in a c-section, EVERYONE tells me that”
“Wow are you sure you want the epidural? EVERYONE complains about back problems because of that”
Responses you might get if you you state the above:
—-EVERYONE’s Pregnancy and Labor is different, how about you STFU?
Correct thing to say:
You are glowing!
Wrong thing to say:
“You must be having a girl because your nose is wider”
Response you might get:
—uhhh i’m having a boy but thanks for noticing $#!% !
Correct thing to say:
You are glowing!
Wrong thing to say:
“Damn, can your boobs get any bigger?”
Response you might get:
— at least i didn’t have to pay for them!
Correct thing to say:
You are glowing!
Wrong thing to say:
Wow, your stomach is getting bigger and bigger by the day!”
Response you might get:
—-uhhh I thought it was supposed to get smaller, thanks for clarifying that!
Correct thing to say:
You are glowing!
Any questions?
