Memories As A Mom

Pregnancy Comparison Pics

2011-01-08T08:05:00.001-08:00

Here are my belly pics with Logan (2007-2008) vs Baby #2 (2010-2011):
One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months
(30 wks w/ Logan & 31.5 Wks w/ baby girl)

Eight Months

(34 Wks w/ Logan & 35 Wks w/ baby girl)

9 Months!
(36 Weeks & 37 Weeks With Logan)(37 Weeks With Baby Girl)Final Pic - 38.5 Weeks!

What You May Not Know (Motherhood)

2010-04-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

Feeding Solids Won't Make Your Baby Sleep Better!

Best Way To Lose Baby Weight? Breastfeed!

Divirticulitis: My Husband

My Recommendations-Part One (What to buy for pregnancy & newborns)

My Recommendations-Part Two (What to buy for moms & babies)

Straw Cups - The Better Alternative To Sippy Cups

Straw Cups, Not Sippy Cups (Part Two)

The Urge To Push

Attachment Parenting

Did You Know? (You can feed cold breastmilk & formula to babies)

Fifth's Disease (The #5 common childhood illness)

The Truth About Spanking (It's never okay!)

Boys Will Be Boys

Never Buy Something From Someone Who Approaches You

Can Progesterone Be The Solution?

First Peanut Butter (Do not give to children under three)

Santa - To Tell Or Not To Tell

The Discipline Book--Part One

The Discipline Book--Part Two

Verdict On Progesterone Cream: Yay!

Two Weeks Til Spring (SIDS doesn't happen to breastfed babies!)

Cleanse - An Option For Lasting Weightloss? (It took me a year-and-three months to get back to my breastfeeding weight [which was less than my pre pregnancy weight]; I did it by eating healthy & exercising, but my friend did this cleanse.)

Downside To Progesterone Cream: Acne

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Being A Stay At Home Mom

2010-04-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

I knew from the time I was a little girl that I wanted to be a stay at home mom. My mom was a single mother so I spent the majority of my childhood at babysitter's houses and daycare centers. But when my son turned 10 months old, I realized that I was going to need a break so that I could continue to enjoy it as I had since his birth. So, when he was 11 months old I hired his first babysitter for 8 hrs a week which was the perfect balance for us. My son's happy because he gets a change of scenery and to play with kids, and I'm happy because it was all I needed to be the best mom again when we're together. (As of 22 months old he goes 2 days or 18 hrs a week.) I'm so grateful that I'm able to do the most important profession there is: be a stay at home mom. I truly enjoy it (I'd go crazy if I had to work outside the home and only see him a couple of hours each night) and am 100% present & involved in my son's special life! But here you can read about the month that prompted me to get the babysitter; this was the same month that I stopped breastfeeding so hormones contributed:

10.5 Months Old

Things Looking Up

It's Going To Work!

First Babysitter At 11 Months

Logan's First Day

All Kinds Of Stuff

11.5 Months Old

Adjusted!

Stay At Home Moms (and dads) Rock!

Everything-3

All Caught Up

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Delaying/Separating Vaccinations Info

2010-04-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

We don't feel comfortable not vaccinating at all, but it's definitely not necessary to give all vaccinations at the same time (as is standard). Two children with completely different lives and experiences should not be put in the same category. Therefore, I recommend all parents look into what vaccines make sense for their kids and make their own decision as to when would be the best time to give their individual child each vaccine (for example, giving a newborn the Heb B vaccine - for sexually transmitted diseases - is not necessary unless the baby is in need of a blood transfusion. Just as, we waited until our son was 18 months before giving the polio vaccine since there hasn't been a case in the US since the 1970s. For my son's first nine months he was breastfed and I was a stay at home mom, so his chances of getting ANY of the illnesses were much less than a baby not breastfed and in daycare. So, we also waited on the DTaP until he was a year old, but we did give Rotavirus, Hib, and PC due to them being the most widespread. We didn't give the Hep A vaccine until he was 2 yrs old based on it only being transmitted from an infected person's poop, and before that age he hardly ate at restaurants (since food poisoning would be the only way he could catch it).

UPDATE: Our son was caught up to the standard schedule when he turned 3 and you'd never be able to tell he was on a delayed schedule. He has been healthier than most children (only one ear infection and two temperatures during his first two years of life; average amount of virus' are 16-24 during a child's first two years, he had 12 - all minor) - as is the case for most who follow the delayed/separated schedule, since their immune systems aren't as weakened by the toxins in the vaccines.)

To explain why separating/delaying vaccinations is a good idea for a child's physical, emotional, and intellectual development, you can read my following posts:

We've Started The Nursery (Includes a link to a suggested delayed schedule to follow)

Pregnant and Sick (Talking with our pediatrician about separating vaccines)

My Son's Brachial Cleft Fistula (Making the actual decision to separate vaccines)

4 Months Old (Tips on which vaccines to delay/separate)

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My Son's Sleeping Summary

2010-04-23T14:17:00.000-07:00

We Don't Support CIO

When I had my son I was told that unless I let him cry on nights when I didn't want to get up with him or I didn't want to feed him, then he would end up a needy, demanding, spoiled, child who wouldn't sleep through the night until he was three years old. This went against my mother's instinct and so I was so relieved when I learned that 60% of American mothers do not practice the "cry it out" method anymore. In fact, no mothers did until the 20th Century in America when the same people who encouraged mothers to stop breastfeeding (and to whip their children) also said parents should stop listening to their children in the middle of the night. I began learning about the attachment style of parenting which made so much more sense to me. My son has only benefited from this - there has not been one negative result. He has always been independent, gentle, sweet, and even acting appreciative towards me for as long as I can remember (a surprise, since I didn't know that was possible for infants).

And, as far as sleep - he naturally started sleeping 5 hrs no interruptions during the night at two months old, 8 hrs at three months old, and 12 hrs at four months old. However, between months 5 thru 9 the majority of the time he woke up twice each night. . .but it was only for 5 minutes each time (after the age of two weeks old he was never up for more than that). Some people said that amount of time meant there wasn't a "reason" and so he would continue this pattern for years unless we let him cry it out. WRONG. Since the age of 9 months old he has slept EVERY SINGLE NIGHT with no interruptions for 11 hrs. I believe it was because we tended to his needs that he stopped waking up. We never co-slept (because my son prefers sleeping in his crib by himself), but we support attachment parenting! I wrote a post about this style of parenting in my post, Attachment Parenting. Here are excerpts from 4 posts that I talked about "our ride":

June 23, 2008:

The PA at our pediatrician's office said that we can start training Logan to sleep through the night now, by letting Logan cry it out. But I don't feel right about that. On the one hand, I'd love to sleep 8 hrs straight through again! On the other, it would still be a while before I could actually do that since not coming to Logan's room will make him scream for a lot longer than getting up for five minutes to nurse him (that's how long he is awake during the night; he always falls asleep immediately after I nurse him for 5 minutes). Also, what if something is wrong? My aunt did that once with her firstborn and then said "never again" after she went in the next morning and her son had thrown up all over himself (babies have been known to choke and die that way). Finally, these days he doesn't scream anymore. He will if whatever the situation is continues--but now when he cries it's a very soft, cute cry that's apparent he just wants to alert me. Then, he's so happy when I come to him. I somehow think that if he was expecting me and I didn't come it would start causing security issues.

We were told both in our childbirth class and by the staff at the hospital after he was born that you can't spoil a baby under six months old, so now is not the time to make him "toughen up" and be on his own for 8 hrs. For the past couple of weeks he's been sleeping 5 hrs straight through every night, which means we only get up twice each night. This is actually better than the average. From everything I've read, most brestfed babies this age wake up three times a night and most experts say it is too early to expect them to sleep 8 hrs through the night.

July 7, 2008:

From everything I've read, "on average," it takes breastfed babies 4 months to sleep 8 hrs straight through. (But many parents "train" their babies to do it earlier by letting them cry it out which I'm not okay with.)

I don't mind letting Logan cry for up to 5 minutes now (until now at 2.5 months old I had always rushed to him immediately--even when I was going to the bathroom :p) but he's never cried for more than that. (*And that was still true past a year old) Because, according to The Mother Magazine, "There is a dramatic fluctuation in blood flow during extended crying which decreases cerebral oxygenation and causes an increase in cerebral blood volume. This increases intracranial pressure and puts the baby at risk for an intracranial haemorrhage. At the same time, the blood, by now oxygen-depleted, flows into the systemic circulation, rather than into the lungs."

Yikes. I admit I spent my pregnancy doing a lot of research about pregnancy but nothing about parenting. I guess now's the time to start figuring it all out! I did some research and decided I support what is called "attachment parenting." (This is the opposite of CIO.) You can read about what these two terms mean by clicking on the following link: The Potential Dangers of Letting Your Baby Cry.

*By Logan's third month birthday on July 18, he was sleeping 8 hrs straight thru the night on his own, and by his four month birthday on August 18 he was sleeping 12 hrs straight every night. However, around five months old in September, he began waking up two times a night again for only two minutes!

October 13, 2008:

I hate when I hear people say that it's okay to just let babies cry because it teaches them independence.

From everything I've read, it is obvious that teaching babies to be independent is going against nature (they're not supposed to be independent)! Babies need to know that you're there for them. Rather than become "tougher," babies who are left to cry stop because they "give up." They've learned they can't count on their parents for love and security.

That is so sad! If there are two people who Logan should always be able to count on for love & security, no matter what, they are his parents--that's what we're here for!

In my previous post I gave a link to an article that explained how rather than become spoiled, children of attachment parenting learn empathy from seeing their parents come to them--so it is a myth that letting babies cry it out is preventing them from becoming brats. Studies show those not left to cry grow up to be more secure and content as adults. Before the age of six months you should not even consider letting a baby cry--it is impossible to spoil them. But what about at six months old and later. . .where Logan & I are now?

According to an article on Associated Content, "If a baby cries, something is wrong. A parent's natural instincts are not wrong. It is a parent's duty to check on the baby and determine what is wrong. It is a parent's duty to provide the relief and comfort the baby needs to deal with whatever is bothering it." The article goes on to say, "Babies have a great variety of cries to express how they feel at the moment and what their needs are. They can't talk. Crying is their way to communicate."

I know there are colicky babies out there that will cry for hours with no relief, so a parent HAS to leave them in order to not go insane. I've also blogged in the past that there have been a few times in Logan's nearly six months when he will fuss for what appears to be no reason and nothing I do gets him to stop, so sometimes I will walk away to see if he will cease on his own. Sometimes he does but other times he'll get to a "you've abandoned me" cry and there's no way I can let him get that upset! It brings tears to my eyes because even if I can't stop him from crying, I want him to know that I am still trying & there for him.

What both sides seem to agree on is that if a parent is feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or mad then, yes, it is better to let the baby cry rather than to be holding that child and shake it or anything like that! But I have never even gotten the tiniest bit angry or frustrated at Logan yet--my reason for wondering how long we do this is because I don't know how long this waking up for a few minutes each night is going to last. :~

But, I researched this topic again--only for "after six months old"--and I can rest-assured that I'm not setting Logan up to be needy and demanding. I'm sure there will be more times in the future like what we've already had when I will have to walk away when I'm making it worse (the article from before says this is most common when babies have been overstimulated. "Any walking, singing, rocking, and other comfort measures will just add to the over-stimulation your baby is experiencing. It would only intensify the discomfort your baby is experiencing. Instead your baby will learn to deal with these emotions on their own, while you can take a breather and a small rest.")--but it's not going to be something that I will intend to do whenever he cries or do often of just because "I" don't think he should be crying.

Therefore, I'm going to continue to feed him when he gives a hungry cry, help him go to sleep when he gives a tired cry, hold him when he gives a needy cry, and play with him when he gives a bored cry. That is being a mother!!!! Even when he's an adult--I won't be able to take pain that he has away, but I will always let him know that I'm there for him. But when he wants to be alone, I'll give him that. I'm confident that he'll learn independence, not getting his way, etc. all at the proper & healthiest times.

So far, all that's come out of attachment parenting is that Logan's healthy, SUPER happy (as everyone who meets him says), and definitely knows he's loved--so until I see something negative come from it, I'm not going to force against my instinct.

December 21, 2008:

I think there is definite pressure for parents nowadays to have babies sleep consistently thru the night, every single night, which I've discovered isn't natural for most babies! According to About.com:

You have probably heard that babies should start "sleeping through the night" at about 2 to 4 months of age. What you must understand is that, for a new baby, a five-hour stretch is a full night. Many (but nowhere near all) babies at this age can sleep uninterrupted from midnight to 5 a.m. (Not that they always do.) A far cry from what you may have thought "sleeping through the night" meant!

What's more, while the scientific definition of "sleeping through the night" is five hours, most of us wouldn't consider that anywhere near a full night's sleep for ourselves. Also, some of these sleep-through-the-nighters will suddenly begin waking more frequently, and it's often a full year or even two until your little one will settle into a mature, all-night, every night sleep pattern.

So I was actually lucky that Logan slept 8-12 hrs uninterrupted during months 3 & 4, but I had no idea it was not practical to think that was going to last for the rest of his life. There is a lot of false information out there! I can't even tell you how many people acted like Logan was late for sleeping 8 hrs straight through every night at 3 months old--or when he did 12 hrs every night at 4 months old! The above article started off by saying, "The danger to a new parent is that these tidbits of misguided advice (no matter how well-intentioned) can truly have a negative effect on our parenting skills and, by extension, our babies' development -- if we are not aware of the facts. The more knowledge you have the less likely that other people will make you doubt your parenting decisions."

I wish I would have done more research in the beginning rather than listen to the people who acted like something was wrong with Logan when he began waking up again during his fifth month. It made me feel like my son was bad or something, when I've come to learn he's actually a better sleeper than the average! We hardly ever have to do anything to get him to sleep (he wants to go right to sleep when we put him in his crib) and 90 seconds is the average for how long he is up when he does wake up in the night. I'm not impressed with people who tell me their kids started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old because they let them "cry it out." To me, that's like someone beating their kids and saying, "My kids don't misbehave!"

Logan almost always has a reason for getting me up. Lately he started kicking his legs through the crib -- and now banging his head against the crib (he's an active sleeper). His pee also keeps leaking through his diapers, drenching his mattress pad, so of course he's going to wake up!

*On January 21, 2009 (at 9 months old) he slept the longest he ever had with no interruptions (12.5 hrs straight thru the night). After that he never woke up again during 10-11 hr nights. We had lowered his crib to the ground so that we could put the bumper pads in for the first time and that way he wouldn't climb on them to fall out of his crib (so this stopped him from kicking his legs thru) and we began using goodnight diapers and pull-ups so he wouldn't wake up drenched in urine. Since he weaned himself from breastfeeding on January 19, 2009, he obviously didn't want those two minutes of nursing or comfort anymore, either. During those 9 months I wondered if I would ever not be woken up by his cries again - but now those months really don't seem like they were that long of a time!

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Breastfeeding Posts

2010-04-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

From a newborn who wouldn't stay awake to nurse for nourishment, to my constantly lowering milk supply, from the exhausting work of pumping and breastfeeding both every single day, to bleeding nipples, and finally a baby weaning himself cold turkey -- I am proud to say I successfully breastfed for nine months. It was the hardest thing I ever did in my life, but very worth it, as you can read in the following posts:

Preparing To Breastfeed

History of Breastfeeding In America

My Breastfeeding Rollercoaster

Needing To Build Up My Milk Supply Again

Okay. . .I'm Ready For My First Break

Breastfeeding May Never Be Easy

Update

What A Night

Conclusion Of Fussiest Week (End of Breastfeeding)

Brachial Cleft Fistula Surgery Over (End of Pumping)

Nature's Class On Motherhood (One year after I finished I could understand why having a breastfeeding rollercoaster was a blessing!)

Two Weeks Til Spring (If you feed your baby exclusively breastmilk their chance of dying from SIDS is ZERO!)

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De Quervain's Posts

2010-04-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Approximately two weeks before I went into labor, my right wrist began hurting. After my son was born, it became worse. By that summer it was to the point that I could hardly carry him and my left wrist began aching/locking up as well. I was diagnosed with a common pregnancy-caused wrist problem: De Quervain's. I read that many women report it going away with the end of breastfeeding. Remarkably, that was my experience as well. After 10.5 months of not having normal wrists. . .I have since! For other info & tips:

De Quervain's Disease

De Quervain's Tenosynovitis

Pregnancy Ruined My Wrist

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How To Avoid A Small Pelvis and/or Posterior Baby

2010-04-23T14:04:00.000-07:00

After a 4-hr pushing phase with my first labor, I wanted to know how I could avoid that with any future children (or especially a c-section). Here is what I found. . .

Prevent "Small Pelvis" C-Section

Prevent Small Pelvis

Prevent Posterior Baby

The Urge To Push

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Informative Posts Relating To Pregnancy

2010-04-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

Cystic Fibrosis Gene Preventing Pregnancy

The Truth About Morning Sickness

Guess The Gender

The Three Trimesters

Trying To Choose The Gender

First Trimester Pregnancy Signs

The Don'ts (and a couple Do's) of Pregnancy

What's That Line?

Tips For Pregnancy Back Pain

Second & Third Trimester Pregnancy Signs

Pregnant and Sick (This is about virus' during pregnancy)

30 Wks Pregnant: Menstrual Like Cramps (Yeast Infection)

Cravings & Exercise During Pregnancy

Signs Of Labor

What Is Done At Each Doctor's Appointment

Have You Ever Heard of *E*Clampsia?

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Older Pics

2010-04-23T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here Are My Posts That Included Pics and Videos Until Son's 18th Month (after that, all posts have pictures) - those that were not listed under my "Fun Pics" link.

Finding Out We Were Having A Baby

Our First Ultrasound

It's A Boy!

Pregnant and Sick

Deciding on Baby's Baptism/Dedication

For Me, Third Trimester Is The Best

Preparing To Breastfeed

My Birth Story

I'm Almost 4 cm dilated!

My Son's Birth Story

My Newborn's First Week

Breastfeeding Rollercoaster

My Son's Brachial Cleft Fistula

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

3 Months Old!

Okay. . .I'm Ready For My First Break

Returning To Normal (Is That A Good Thing?)

Baby's First Teeth

Breastfeeding May Never Be Easy

Update

6.5 Month Pictures

Don't Pull Me Over When I'm In Labor

Crawling!

9 Months Old (Next Week)

Do You Believe In Angels?

What Is Going On?

Brachial Cleft Surgery-Over!

Pics From Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, & Hong Kong circa 1974

Things Looking Up

He's Walking On His Own!

Logan's First Day

All Kinds Of Stuff

Walking Videos

12 Month Professional Photos

Birthday Boy

Timeline - First Year With Son

Sorry I Have To Gush!

A One-Year-Old And Two Dogs

The Truth About Spanking

Lots of Firsts!

New Hobby

Everything

Everything-2

Our Weekend

The End Of Summer

All Caught Up

Organic Lasagna Recipe

I Love This Age!

It Might Be Time For Direct TV

Blog Break Continues

Hello!

Our Life This Week

Logan's Mom

About Nothing Really

Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins

18 Month Pictures

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Posts With Fun Pictures

2010-04-23T13:48:00.000-07:00

(Through July 2010)

Look-A-Likes

Logan Vs Me

Then & Now

Logan Vs Buddy Lee

What Do You Think?

We're Definitely His Parents!

At Age 1: Logan, Mommy, & Daddy

Like Father, Like Son

Swing Set Time!

Where Is Fall/Autumn?

One-And-A-Half Years Old!

This & That

I Love His New Expression!

Halloween--Part One

Halloween--Part Two

Our Chicago Trip

Have A Happy Thanksgiving

Santa 8 Mos Vs 19.5 Mos

Tis The Season!

Snow Day!

Santa - To Tell Or Not To Tell?

Birthday Reflection (3 Decades)

Happy New Year!

2010 Now In Progress

If My Mom'd Had A Blog

Our Love Story

Nature's Class On Motherhood

Only Two Months Until Two!

2 mos, 5 1/2 mos, 9 1/2 mos and 22 mos old!

Shadow Fun

Peeking In

Follow Up

Fun At The Zoo

Chicken Race!

Today Last Year

Our Easter Weekend

Happy Birthday, Logan!

Mowing The Lawn With Daddy

Logan & Our Blue Rocking Chair

The Difference From 1980

3 Smiles

Weekend In The Country

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday, Joe!

The J-Month

Two-Year-Old Cake Baker!

Like Mother, Like Son

Still Loves His Crib!

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First Year Summary

2010-04-23T13:14:00.000-07:00

My Son's Size Comparisons To Hubby & Me

My Son's Milestones Compared With Hubby & Mine

My Son's First Year Timeline (Blog Summary)

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Scary Moments During Pregnancy/Motherhood

2010-04-23T13:07:00.000-07:00

Moments that made me say an extra prayer of thanks to God for Logan's well-being:

Omaha Shooting When I was 17.5 Weeks Pregnant

My Birthday In The ER (I cut my foot on glass while 20 weeks pregnant)

Returning To Normal (Is That A Good Thing?) (Found 4-month old Logan with a blanket over his face)

Do You Believe In Angels? (Logan fell down a huge flight of stairs at 9 months old)

What Is Going On? (Logan could have fallen from our stairway balcony at 9 months old)

A One Year Old And Two Dogs (Logan getting bit for the first time at 13 months old)

I Love This Age (Logan Getting Bit For The Second Time at 16 months old)

Only Two Months Until Two! (Logan almost strangling himself at 22 months old)

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Brachial Cleft Experience

2010-04-23T13:02:00.000-07:00

On my son's first day of life we noticed a dimple in his neck. We didn't learn until two months later that it was a complete hole and so surgery was recommended in order to prevent infection (because that could be serious). Fortunately, we were able to wait until he was 10 months old. (I encourage all parents to wait until their baby is 6-12 months rather than a newborn). Thankfully, the surgery was easy, painless, and successful! You can read about it here:

My Son's Brachial Cleft Fistula

More On Brachial Cleft Fistula

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade

Preparing For Brachial Cleft Surgery

Brachial Cleft Surgery Delayed-Yeay!

Brachial Cleft CT Scan

Brachial Cleft Surgery Over!

Logan's First Day (a month after the surgery his scar became infected)

All Kinds Of Stuff (calling the ENT about the infection)

11.5 Months Old (was prescribed antibiotics for the infection)

Baby's Neck, Mommy's Hair (the infection went away and there's been no issues since this post - by 6 months post surgery the scar was hardly noticeable!)

Only Two Months Until Two! (His scar one year later)

BOR Syndrome (Possibly the gene that could have caused Logan's brachial cleft)

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Jaundice Experience

2010-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

My son was born 25 days early after a 4 hour pushing phase so he ended up in the hospital with a severe case of jaundice, as you can read about on the following two posts:

My Son's First Week

Strong Baby

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Posts About My Dogs

2010-04-23T12:30:00.000-07:00

I have two maltipoos, Bella an apricot & white girl born 1/30/05 and Cosmo, a white male born 10/31/05. You can see pictures of them in the following posts:

A One-Year-Old And Two Dogs (Bella bites Logan)

The End Of Summer (My Dogs' Bios)

I Love This Age (Bella bites Logan again)

The Dog Expert Has Been Called (Cosmo bites neighbor girl)

Halloween Part One (Past Halloweens)

Halloween Part Two (Present Halloween)

Poor Pup (Finding Out Cosmo Has Cancer)

Cosmo (Cosmo's Surgery)

Cosmo's Update (Finding Out It Is Stage 2)

Petland-Don't Ever Buy A Dog From A Dog Store (This post was discovered by an Emmy Award Winning Production Company making a documentary about Petland)

RETURN TO ABOUT ME

2009-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

*This page is no longer active. Click the following link to return to the homepage (my blogsite): Memories As A Mom.

Awards & Tags I've Received

2009-10-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

(From my first in October 2008 to my last in November 2010)

Press the "down" arrow to scroll and view all:

Received October 2008

The week of November 30th, 2008

Thank you, Gin - February 2009

Thank you, Cascia - February 2009

Thank you, Ane - February 2009

Thank you, Christy - March 2009

Thank you, Cascia - March 2009

Thank you, Shydub - March 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - March 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - April 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac & Shydub - April 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - May 2009

Thank you, Cascia - May 2009

Thank you, Shydub - May 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - June 2009
(Also there's a tag on this post - thanks Ane!)

Thank you, Chris - June 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - June 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - June 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - June 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - June 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - July 2009

Thank you, Ane - July 2009

Thank you, Chris, Shydub, and Mommy Jac - July 2009
(Also there's a tag on this post - thanks Shydub!)

(Same taggers as above)

Thank you, Shydub - July 2009

Thank you, Shydub and Mommy Jac - July 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - August 2009

Thank You, Mommy Jac - September 2009

Thank You, Mommy Jac - October 2009

I created this one!-November 2009

Thank you, Mommy Jac - February 2010

Thank you, Jac and Meretrisha! - February 2010

Thank you, Meretrisha - March 2010

Thank you, Meretrisha! - April 2010

Thank you for my final award, Jac - July 2010!

Okay, one more (this is the only one where you have to click THIS LINE to go the post rather than by clicking on the button)!Thank you, Meretrisha! - November 2010

My Most Popular Categories

2009-10-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy

HypnoBirthing (Natural childbirth is usually best for baby)

Small Pelvis In Childbirth & Posterior Baby Info (You don't always have to have a c-section)

My De Quervain's Experience (I had it for 10.5 months)

My Breastfeeding Posts (despite it being hard, we did breastmilk exclusively for 9 months)

My Son's Sleeping Summary (Why we don't believe in the CIO method for infants)

Delaying/Separating Vaccinations Posts (we give them, just not all at once)

Being A Stay At Home Mom & Depressed Month After Done With Breastfeeding

What You May Not Know (Motherhood)

Based on the above topics, you may also be interested in the following websites (use the scroll bar to view all):

My Son

2009-10-16T19:01:00.000-07:00

Logan at 20 Months Old (December 2009)
Click HERE for Logan's 2 Year Professional Photos (April 2010)! Mommy & Logan, May 2010 You can scroll down for more pictures of Logan & me from birth to two years:

April 2008

May 2008

June 2008

July 2008

August 2008

September 2008

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February 2009

June 2009

October 2009

*Sorry for the gaps in 2009!

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

Here is Logan's growth chart! (Scroll down to view)

Birth (36 weeks+1 day): 7 lbs, 13.7 oz, 20.5 inches (25th percentile for weight & 75th percentile for height)

3 Days: 6 lbs, 15 oz (jaundice) (10th percentile)

1 week: 7 lbs, 3 oz (back up to the 25th percentile)

2 weeks: 8 lbs, 3/4 oz (50th percentile)

6 weeks: 11 lbs, 15.5 oz (75th percentile)

2 Months: 13 lbs, 6.5 oz, 22.25 inches (90th & 25th percentiles)

3 Months: 15-16 lbs (90th percentile)

4 Months: 17 lbs, 1/4 oz, 25 inches (90th & 75th percentiles)

5 Months: 19-20 lbs (90th percentile)

6 Months: 20 lbs, 6 1/4 oz, 27 inches (90th & 75th percentiles)

7 Months: 21.5 lbs (90th percentile)

8 Months: 22 lbs and 29 inches (both are 90th percentiles--enjoy being tall while it lasts, haha! My husband & I are both short.)

9 Months: 22 lbs, 2 oz, 29 inches (since there wasn't much change from last month he's now in the 75th percentile with both)

10 Months: 23.5 lbs, 30 inches (in the 90th percentile again for both!)

11 Months: 24 lbs (75th percentile)

12 Months: 23 lbs, 7.5 oz, 30.5 inches (50th percentile for weight & 75th percentile for height)

15 Months: 24 lbs, 5 oz, 31.5 inches (50th percentile for weight and 75th for height)

18 Months: 25 lbs, 1.25 oz, 34 inches (40th percentile for weight and 90th for height)

21 Months: 26 lbs, 35 inches (50th percentile for weight and 90th for height)

24 Months: 28 lbs, 4 oz, 36 inches (50th percentile for weight and 90th for height)

Two-And-A-Half: 31 lbs, 38 inches (50th percentile for weight and 75th for height)

When this blog ended at 32 months old: 32 lbs, 38 inches (50th percentile for weight and 75th for height)

Logan was born on April 18, 2008. See the following posts for:

My Pregnancy Timeline

Logan's Birth Story

Reflecting After A Year Since Childbirth

First Born Questionare

Logan's Astrological Sign

His Jaundice Experience

His Brachial Cleft Experience

Scary Moments During Pregnancy/Motherhood Posts

First Year Summary (including comparisons to hubby & me)

Fun Pics Up To Logan's 26th Month

All Other Pics & Videos Posted On Blog Up to Logan's 18th Month (From 18 months on most all posts have pictures.)

Logan's Grandfather (My husband's dad passed away in 2001)

Happy Birthday, Logan! (My letter to Logan as he turned two)

Elmo & Logan (Logan's 2nd Birthday)

Logan's 2nd Year Summary

Logan At Half Way To Two And A Half

(The collage pics were taken when he was 14 months old, newborn, 5 months old, and 8 months old.)

About Me

2009-10-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Joe, Logan, and me in May 2010
Use the scroll bar/arrows to view pics of my husband and I thru 2010:

Me, 1980

Joe

Me, summer 1981

Joe, toddler

Me, toddler

Joe, age 4

Me, age 4, 1984

Joe, Kindergarten, 1985

Me, Second Grade, 1987

Joe (around the same age)

Me, 11 yrs old, 1991

Joe, 8th Grade, 1993

Me, high school cheerleading

Joe, high school football

Me, Senior Yr, 1998

Joe, Senior Yr, 1998

2002, Engaged on Valentine's Day!

Our Wedding Day, 2003

Us, 2004

Me, 2005

Us, 2005

Joe, 2006

Me, lol, 2006

With our dogs, Bella & Cosmo

Me, 2006

Joe, 2007

Us, 2007

Me, 2007

Joe, 2008

Me, Summer 2008

Christmas 2008

Me, 2009

Joe, 2009

Fall 2009

Spring 2010

Hello, my name is Andrea! I've been married to my husband, Joe, since April 26, 2003 and our son, Logan, was born April 18, 2008. My interests are God, animals, bookstores/libraries (reading all genres), editing DVDs, anything with photographs/photography, the theater (both film and plays), good concerts, art (although I have zero talent myself), 80's music, spa days (especially massages), the season of autumn, rain/thunderstorms, picnics, barbecues, baseball (and helping my husband cheer for Chicago Bears football), cozying up near a fireplace in the winter, looking at the stars in the summer, relaxing on a boat, tropical beaches, water parks, amusement parks, and cabins in the mountains. I also love to laugh and enjoy being around down to earth people. But most of all - being a stay at home mom and a writer! To read more, please check out the following posts:

My Biography As A Writer (Last updated on 5/19/10)

My Paternal History

My Maternal History

My Blog Bio (Interview With Healthy Moms in January 2009)

What Is My Blog Theme? (My guest post on The Mommy Journey in August 2009)

My Personality Type (INFJ)

If My Mom'd Had A Blog (My mom's journal about me when I was a toddler)

My Love Story (How Logan's parents met, fell in love, got engaged, and got married! To see pictures of our wedding day, click here.)

Happy New Year! (Reflecting on my life ten years ago)

My Brother's Website (Actor in Hollywood)

My Dogs (Youngest has cancer)

My Most Fun Post (Titled "Birthday Reflection (3 Decades)" written for my 30th birthday)

Final Update! (My First Solo Plane Trip)

Going Out On A Good Note! (Received an honor as I was ending my Memories As A Mom blogsite)

Pregnant! (Due with baby #2 in July 2011)