Showing posts with label Mum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mum. Show all posts

Friday, September 24, 2010

It's Showtime!

Hey everyone,

I've got some great news! Butterball and I are soon going to be blowing up the airwaves to help promote our role on My First Baby.com.

We've landed one radio spot for sure, and it looks like another station is reaching out to us as well! Yay!!!
Although I have to admit, it feels a little weird for me to be referring to 'us.' That's another multi-person pronoun I'll have to get used to (just like when SFD and I became a 'we').

I'll keep you posted on stations and times as we secure our spots - thanks in advance for tuning in and supporting us!!

Also - I got an awesome shout-out from My First Baby.com's host, Jill Cordes, on her blog. You can read it here! Thank you, Jill, for helping a future mummy out!!

As for my pregnancy, here's my current stats:

I'm 30 weeks preggo which puts me at 7 1/2 months. I'm still feeling really good for the most part (yes, I realize how lucky I am), although I've noticed a few odd things cropping up in these later months.

One) I feel uncomfortable after I eat. Like there isn't enough room for the food so it camps out in my esophagus and makes my chest all tight. Ugh.

Two) My fatigue has returned. I'm lucky to still be awake at 9 pm to write this!!

Three) WARNING - Total TMI here: I'm a pooping machine. I understand some women suffer from constipation and the Big H's during their pregnancy. I am the total opposite. If human waste was good for manure, I could be running a friggin' organic farm by now. Seriously. Buy stock in Cottonell.

Four) SFD and I attended a 'labor experience' class earlier this week. While I feel much more prepared for what I'll experience prior to delivery (called the stages of labor), I've decided there is no way this baby is coming out.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Here's Your Sign...

When I became pregnant, I fully expected to become engrossed in all those baby and birthing shows plastered on cable. You know the ones... A Baby Story, Birth Day, NICU... the list goes on and on.

But I've come to find out that I don't want to see anyone else's horror show. At this point in my pregnancy (5 1/2 months or 22 weeks), the prospect of labor still scares the crap out of me (which, coincidentally I've heard happens during labor). I will totally admit I am creeped out by the site of babies when they are first born. They're coated in blood and white goop, often have purple and wrinkly skin, and scream to high heaven (I guess I would too, if I were plucked from a warm, cozy womb and thrust into cold, sterile birthing environments).

But there is one show that bugs, annoys and appalls me every time I see a clip of it on 'The Soup.' You can probably guess where I'm going with this if you've ever stumbled on to Discovery Health.

It's called 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant.'

Now, I'm not trying to pass judgment on the women featured in this fine piece of television, nor am I meaning to sound crass, but the junior-high phrase 'dropping the kids off at the pool' takes on a whole new meaning when you watch this show. Seriously - does every episode have to end with a woman taking a dump and whoops! - out comes a baby??!!

There have been so many signs that I am clearly, most definitely, preggers that it is hard to believe other women could have missed their signs. So... in the vein of Jeff Foxworthy... here's your sign that you're knocked up:

Do you gag, dry heave and occasionally puke when you brush your teeth? Guess what, you're pregnant.

Have your feet 'suddenly' grown outside the soles of your shoes? Just a heads up, you're knocked up.

Do your farts smell so bad you could clear out an entire concert hall - even those folks in the nosebleeds? Yep, you've got a bun in the oven.

When you spit water out of your mouth in the shower, does it hit your stomach instead of heading straight for the drain like it did before? You'll be a mum in 9 months.

Does your tummy flip and flop as soon as you lay down at night? You don't have gas, you have a womb.

Can you eat an entire bag of Bertolli meals-for-two by yourself? You're not fat, you're pregnant.

Are your rings the casing around your sausage fingers - especially in the morning? You'll be changing diapers soon.

Have your arms suddenly started playing Bingo by themselves? Blame the baby.

Is your underwear taking up residence in your butt crack? Guess what, your hips don't lie, you'll soon have a munchkin by your side.

Do you find yourself mixing up words, misplacing your keys or forgetting items on the grocery list? You're not losing your mind, you're getting a nugget.

Do you look like you should buy stock in Proactive? Don't do it - you can't use it anyway - you're preggo.

At the end of the day, are your ankles the size of your thighs? It's not bloat, it's a baby.

Does your normally rolly, polly (or at least soft and girly) stomach feel like there is something from the movie 'Aliens' inside it? You got it - there is.

Do you have at least one hot flash a day? It's not menopause, it's gestation!

Does an episode of Drop Dead Diva where a man is fighting to retain custody of his chimpanzee from his ex-wife bring you to a sobbing, snotty mess of tears? You are SOOOOOO pregnant.

Obviously, I'm writing these examples from my own experiences of growing Butterball inside me - and honestly, I wouldn't change a minute of it. I love being pregnant.

But I'd love to hear your signs Lady Foxworthy's!!

Just don't tell me you pooped and out came your kid.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Christmas Comes Early Surprise! BABY BRAGGIN' WEDNESDAY: Griffin

What a crazy couple of weeks it has been! Apologies to all the Tales readers out there who have been waiting to meet last week's Baby Braggin' Wednesday nugget. And a huge I'M SORRY to his mummy, too!

My schedule has gotten out of whack lately... is it the holidays? Work commitments? Volunteer efforts? Travel arrangements? Baby shower planning? Christmas shopping? This whole baby-making thing? Well, I can tell you one thing - whatever it is, it is keeping me busy.  TOO BUSY! Good thing I've got a vacation coming up! Whew!!

Anyway, I'm really sorry that I missed a BBW post - especially because I've got such a great little nugget to share with you. He is the adorable son of one of my besties from high school, Olivia. So without further ado, hhhheeeerrrreee'sss:

GRIFFIN



Griffin is a 16-month-old (going on 6!) cutie-patootie born July 31, 2008. He lives in Portola Valley, CA so that means he gets to play in the sand with the Golden Gate Bridge as his backdrop. What a lucky kiddo! Isn't that the most gorgeous pic you've seen in a while??!!







His mum and dad have lots of nicknames for their little guy: Griff, G-Dawg, G-Diggity, G-Man, G, Griffy. Olivia says Griffin LOVES to eat - I think the tasty turkey and juicy watermelon in his mouth is proof positive! When he's not chilling at the dinner table, Griffin loves to swim and take a bath. So much so that his mum finds him in the tub if she doesn't close the door to the bathroom - even when there is no water it it!
 



Griffin's new favorite thing is working on his walking and running. And he's got a thing for older kids, especially older boys. He isn't afraid to walk right up to them and try to play with them. He loves his music class and listening to tunes on his Lightning McQueen cd player!



One of the coolest things about Griffin is that he's becoming bi-lingual (at such a young age - that's fabulous)! His nanny is from Peru and speaks pretty much only in Spanish to him, so he has learned to give "besitos", not "kisses" - Olivia thinks that is really sweet (mí también)!  Olivia says, "Sometimes I think he understands more Spanish than English - which has helped my Spanish, too!"

And here is the cutest picture yet of Griffy and his mummy:



If I didn't have the 'Baby Jones' before seeing this, I sure do now!! Thanks for sharing your little guy with Tales of an (Almost) Mommy, Olivia. You've certainly got a precious one on your hands!

For all of you other Tales readers out there, don't forget to send me your nuggets so they, too, can be featured on Baby Braggin' Wednesday. Simply send a few pics, a cute story or some general info about your kiddos to patriciacarlsonfreelance@gmail.com and I'll take care of the rest! It's a great way to share your munchkin with the world - I mean, who doesn't want a little brag time for their babe?  Besides, this way I do the braggin' for you!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Mother Is the Word for God

My senior yearbook quote went something like this: "Mother is the word for God on the hearts and lips of all little children."  At the time, I thought it was just a cool line from the movie 'The Crow.'  Then, in doing research for this post, I found out the phrase is actually a famous quote by William Makepeace Thackeray (famous English novelist from the 19th century - thanks Wikipedia!).  And the closer I get to having a little nugget, the more I realize how much I believe in those fifteen words.

My mother's advice when it comes to raising children is gospel. There is no one whom I trust more. I know I am lucky. Some people have been forced to say goodbye to their moms way too early. This makes me unbelievably sad and ridiculously attached to my mother.

We don't live close. She is in the Sunshine State, I live where the sun don't shine (at least it didn't this summer). This distance makes our relationship tricky. We are very good on the phone; speaking a few times a week about grandmother (and her cat), the weather (it's great there, sucks here), my brother and his family (a trio of kids under age 6 - yikes!), anti-aging miracles (flax seed, fish oil, Greek yogurt) and whatever sporting adventure she's up to lately (also an anti-aging miracle).

In person though, we need a warm-up period.  I'm still trying to figure out why that is.  Perhaps it's distance.  Maybe it's that we are both adults with our own opinions, methodologies and beliefs.  Or it could just be that our mother-daughter dynamic has altered with age.     

But there is one area where we always mesh - raising children.  The reason is simple.  She is the best mother I've ever seen (and, obviously, known).  And that is why her advice trumps all others.

So here, in no particular order, is the best mothering advice I've gotten (so far) from my mum:

*Babies always need to wear socks (unless it's wicked hot out)
*Kids need structure and a set routine 
*Naps are a must - everyday
*If you don't like a food, your kid won't either (even if the nugget has never tried it)
*Breastfeed (if possible)
*Sleep when your baby sleeps (screw the housework)
*Babies need to go to bed early and that means they will wake up early - Deal with it
*No overnight pull-ups
*Use a pack-and-play
*Babies and toddlers must have the fat of whole milk
*Have a sit-down family dinner as often as possible when the kids are old enough
*Cut the end off the pacifier when you don't want them to use one anymore
*Have a cartoon character "steal" their blanket when it's time to grow out of it
*Take trips just for mom and dad - Leave the kids with the g-rent's
*When breastfeeding at night, sit in a rocking chair with the lights off - Just be there in the quiet together

I'm not deluded enough (yet?) to think that I'll be able to follow all of these things to the letter.  But if my mum says that's the way to go, then I trust her.

Now, if only I could believe her when she tells me that labor does not hurt.....