I n B l o o m

Let Her Cry

I know, I know. The "cry-it-out" method with babies is really controversial. Since I did all my childbirth prep and gave birth at a Birth Center, I am well-versed in the pros and cons of attachment parenting and all that comes with it, and I learned that anyone who chooses attachment parenting  sees the cry-it-out approach as completely cruel and traumatizing. So as a person who hasn't totally embraced attachment parenting but agrees with a lot of its techniques, I found myself in a hard place when faced with the decision with Avy: She's exhausted ... do I let her cry, or do I do everything in my power to get her to sleep myself? (And here's the real kicker...the question you can't help but ask yourself...) Which one makes me a bad mother?

It's a hard decision to make (and almost everyone I know - including my own mother - chooses not to do it), and I admit that I put it off until it first happened to me. I waited until the first time Avy collapsed into debilitating tiredness, started screaming her head off, and couldn't be consoled at all to make my decision. (You may remember me describing this situation in detail in my previous post.) But as I read my child, looked into her eyes and conjured up everything I knew in my deepest heart about her, I honestly believe that letting her cry for 5-15 minutes was the best choice for her. At first it was really hard and I questioned my decision. But then as the amount of time she cried each day decreased by 2-3 minutes, I started feeling better about it being the right way to go. And now, every time I see she's tired, I just put her down in her crib or on our bed and falls to sleep within 5 minutes without even fussing. She's amazing!

And if that weren't enough, Monday night something REALLY incredible happened: Avy slept for 9 1/2 hours straight! Hooray! At 11 weeks she slept through the night. When I woke up at 6am and couldn't remember feeding her all night, I almost went into shock. Then I checked to make sure she was still alive. She was -- and I celebrated. I always said this would be the best day of my life when it finally happened, and I have to say, I was right. I haven't slept this long since February! Just to be safe, I assumed it was a fluke and that the next night would go back to "normal" (Avy waking up every 2-5 hours to eat throughout the night, me waking up exhausted). I didn't want to get my hopes up, for my sanity's sake. But then, Tuesday night, she went down for the night at 7:30pm and didn't wake up once until 5:30am. TEN HOURS!!!! Last night the same thing happened. Life is good!

So, here's what I want to say: Cry-it-out is NOT for everyone. But I would say that if you're a confident mother who knows her child well and you really have the gut instinct that it's better for her, I commend you. I know my baby really well, and I could tell in my heart it was the best choice for her (and knew when she was crying too hard for it to benefit her -- that's key), and I am glad I made that decision.

A changed woman

When I wrote my last entry, I was feeling pretty floppity about my new pregnant body and about how lonely it made me feel. I wrote that a few days ago. But yesterday, I did something ingenious -- something I recommend every pregnant woman do! ... I got my hair cut!

All women know that getting your hair cut is just about the most therapeutic thing you can do when in distress about something. When you break up with your boyfriend, you cut your hair. When you go to college, you cut your hair. Whenever (in whatever way) you become a new woman, you MUST display this newness to the world in a tangible format. And hair is always the way to go.

So here's not only my new haircut (which is so fun and cute, and I love it!), but also two new pregnancy pictures for you of me at a little over 6 1/2 months:
   
(click the thumbnails to see the full-sized image)

This is quite a change from my 5-month picture (which I don't think any of you saw -- sorry!):

I would post the picture of my exposed belly with Allen making the "Ohhhhhhhh! You're so CUTE!" face, but I think that's a little too graphic. Some of you might not be prepared to see a pregnant belly for the first time, let alone a picture of MY belly, period! So I'll refrain.

So what have we learned here today? ...
#1. Heather is GROWING!
#2. When pregnant and feeling floppity and yucky, CUT YOUR HAIR! and all will be right again.

It feels so good.

ps: If anyone has found my butt, please return it to ASAP. I seem to have lost it.

I did it!

I finally settled on a stroller and car seat! So now is your chance to tell me if you think I've gone horribly wrong (though, I have to say that my research and the reviews I've read have all produced very happy and safe results -- so I'll put up a fight). I just want to celebrate! Okay, so here's what I picked ...

Car Seat
the Inglesina "Compass" Infant Car Seat

I picked this one because it was very affordable -- especially at Right Start (only $99!), it has amazing safety ratings (it's made from the same material as bike helmets), it has LATCH compatibility as well as regular seat belt compatibility, it's light-weight, it has a one-pull system to tighten the whole 5-point safety harness, it's a little roomier than most car seats so it'll last longer before having to graduate to a toddler car seat (yay! money saver!), and it's very easy to get in and out of the car. It's also compatible with my favorite stroller ...

Stroller
the Inglesina "Zippy" Stroller

This stroller is light-weight, compact, has an actual one-hand-folding system which locks and stands alone when folded, has a five-point safety system of course, reclines all the way back to a flat position (for infants) with a squeeze handle to help you adjust the angle (not a rope, which scares me!), and has a removable front bumper and sun shield. It is a perfect -- not to mention stylish! -- fit with the "Compass" car seat. And with the sun shield removed and the car seat clicked in, the stroller kind of resembles a bassinet stroller or a very simple travel system:

I really love it.

You can view a product demo at the website, too if you'd like. Just go here, then click the link right under the stroller name that says, "View Product Demo." It's kinda fun. You can see all the features in action.

I'm so happy with my choices, and it feels so good to finally be decided after so much researching!

Hello second trimester, goodbye death-mouth!

Current week: entering 13 (tomorrow).

There's something that no one tells you about pregnancy -- something awful. I like to call it "death-mouth." Death-mouth is the horrific taste in your mouth that lasts basically all of your first trimester. It tastes like you ate a sweaty sock, and now the taste will never go away. I assume it has to do with your hormones changing, since EVERYTHING seems to be due to changing hormones when you're pregnant. I just wish I had been warned about this. The worst part about it: you can chew gum or eat mints to get rid of it, but then -- the minute you're done with the gum/mint -- death-mouth returns with a vengeance.

Consider yourselves warned, my friends.

But alas!!! My death-mouth seems to have gradually dissipated (along with my sickness, too!) since I entered my second trimester last Saturday! This is very exciting. There are still some smells that make me feel queasy, and when I think about certain foods I'm a little green... but all in all, I'm feeling much better. This is very exciting!

Another fun thing that's happening lately is my belly is growing! As any of you who have felt my belly know, it's as hard as a rock (and getting harder each week). But it wasn't that noticeable to others until now. Now I have this cute little bubble sticking out. It's still nothing that noticeable. It still just kind of looks like I ate too many cupcakes. But I'm getting there. I really look forward to the day when people are like, "Yeah. She's pregnant."

One last fun thing to update you all on: I'm getting baby hooked on music. My mom bought me a classical cd that has a lot of classical songs that everyone loves on it (Clair de Lune, Bach's "Air," Greensleeves, etc.) and I've been making baby a genius with that cd. Then yesterday, I introduced baby to Ben Folds (second ONLY to Sufjan in my heart). I said, "Baby. Ben Folds is the best piano player in the nation...maybe the world. So listen up." Then played three albums back to back. I think baby likes it. I thought I felt a kick there for a second...! BABY LOVES BEN! Good baby.