OklahoMama

I don't like vegetables. Apparently people exist that do like vegetables... but I am not one of them. I eat them anyway, because you are supposed to, but I'm always shy of the recommended daily amounts. Shy by about 75% of whatever the servings are that you ought to have. I thought it was more... but then I found out that corn is a grain and not a vegetable. And my sad heart died a little. Anyway. Part of being pregnant means thinking about things like nutrition and vitamins and what your little growing bundle needs to be healthy and happy in there, and beyond. I really didn't take this super seriously at first, because, well, I didn't really want to. I figured I was doing well enoughish and that we could just call it good. I was staying away from the real bad stuff, drugs, alcohol, the tasty cheeses and the raw fish, so wasn't that close enough? Our birthing class instructor really pounded it into us that we should be more mindful of what we eat. Not even just ...

I'm pretty sure I've tried every swaddle on the planet. It has been quite the saga, but one that has taught me a great deal. Firstly- when we had the tiny human, I had no earthly idea about all the options there were available. I also didn't realize important swaddling would become to me, which probably explains why I didn't look at the options. Swaddling was just something that we might do, maybe, sometimes, I thought. Boy howdy. Was I ever wrong. At the very beginning, in the hospital and our first night home, we didn't bother swaddling the baby. Because one of us was holding the baby at all times. So, no swaddle necessary. Upon realizing that this was ultimately unsustainable... we decided to try to swaddle her and let her take a nap in her Rock N' Play. She seemed to dig that pretty well, so we decided that might be a good option for her night time sleep. We swaddled her tight in a blanket that I had to spread all across the bed, usually on the h...

I always think that I'm not going to cut my hair. Post-wedding hair chop? Definitely not for me. I love my long hair. Its so pretty and great. I'm never going to cut it short again, because I always hate it, and why would I do that to myself? -- 3 days after honeymoon-- Yeah... it gotsta go. Chop. You'd think I would have learned by now... but then we wouldn't have the fun of discussing my idiocy on the blog, now would we. I had no intentions of cutting my hair post-baby. I was petrified of getting 'mom hair', and thus decided to keep my lengthy locks firmly attached to my head. I had nightmares about the SNL skit about the 'mom cut' (if you haven't seen it- look it up). I was 100% positive and sure that I was going to keep my hair long. (Photo credit to the incomparable Haley Rowell)  You see where this is going, don't you? It was one of those things that I knew was a mistake before I even did it. I read other people's accoun...

You know those commercials about the difference between first time moms and second time moms? Where the mom is super stressed and over prepared with the first kid, and then totally chill and walking out the door with one diaper and a handful of puffs with the second kid? I hate those commercials. I am a first time mom, and as such I reserve the right to be over prepared. And a little crazy. And to hide in my house with my newborn during cold and flu season. And I am definitely not going to apologize. I think every mom has a different comfort level when it comes to stuff like that. Germs and going places and other kids and what is ok and not ok to have happen around baby. And I also don't really think there is a statute of limitations on how long we get a pass to feel that way. We're the mamas, I think we get to feel that way until we stop feeling that way. Which apparently will happen with the birth of kid 2, but maybe not. We have a massive family with lots of young ki...

There's nothing quite like having a little person come out of your body to make you feel like a helpless idiot. Partially because you ARE a helpless idiot thanks to drugs and lack of sleep, but also because starting life with a baby is akin to waking up in a foreign country without a map and no idea how to speak the language. Because the language is comprised mostly of screams and guttural noises that will scare the crap out of you 100% of the time. Don't worry. You'll learn your way around. Much more quickly than you expect, probably. After all, the citizen of guttural-cry-country already loves and thinks you are the best thing since breast milk. Thing 1: It isn't IF you need a lactation consultant. It is when.  All the literature I read before the tiny human arrived seemed to say 'if you need this resource, it is there'. Which is amazing- I can't imagine trying to learn some of this stuff without a teacher. But in my opinion... they should just go ...