Nuk it

I remember when the nurses at the hospital asked if they could give Greta a pacifier while she was in the nursery. "Uhh, sure?," I replied. I was really so UNsure.  In the following weeks and even now I wonder, "Did they ever REALLY succeed in giving her a binky?" Greta and a pacifier just did not go together for the first 7-8 weeks of life. She would have nothing to do with it. There was no (pardon me) "nipple confusion" whatsoever. If she would cry, we would attempt to pop a Nuk in her and she would cry harder...and then it changed. Suddenly and drastically. We didn't realize how important that pacifier was to Grits (One of her many nicknames) until we forgot it on a grocery shopping trip. After realizing on the way to Super Walmart that I had forgotten her binky, Chris suggested we turn around. "Nah," I said, "she'll be fine, I think." Well, she was fine--until we got in the doors. The crying started. I offered my finger, NO. We tried covering and uncovering her carseat. Nothing would calm her. So we tried ignoring it. I suck at that. I cannot hear Greta crying for more than 2 minutes without pulling out all of the stops to make her happy again. So we caved and purchased a package of 2 Nuk pacifiers for around $4.00 to add to our huge collection we already had at home. Meh.

My mother would never spend that kinda money on a binky. No, she had a different way to do things. The story goes that when my oldest sister, Krissy, was a baby my mother would calm her with chicken bones. Yes, the leftover bones from the chicken they had for dinner. Even while in the grocery store, my mom would give Krissy a chicken bone to suck on to keep quiet. Once, a fellow grocery shopper exclaimed, "Who gave that child a chicken bone!?" My mom tried her best to look surprised and grabbed it from Krissy like she had no idea where it came from.

The past few days we have learned that if Greta wakes up before 5 am, we can give her a pacifier and she'll go back to sleep. What!? I love this! If I could go back to that time in the hospital where the nurses asked me if they could give her a binky? I would change my answer to "Heck yeah! And don't come back until she loves it. And bring me some chicken!"

I've totally transitioned

 

Quaker was SO last week.  

Hello, Love.  

I get so anxious for my breakfasts these days.

Pennies for my thoughts.

Did you know that baby shoes cost the same as adult shoes?  That doesn't make sense.  Greta is gettting blessed this upcoming Sunday, May 2nd.  We have been looking for little white shoes for her to wear.  Either the shoe store doesn't have infant shoes or they are the same price as a pair of my shoes and I can't swallow that.  In my opinion, Greta's shoes should cost maybe $5.  I finally found a pair at Payless.  They were $12.99.  Overpriced but cute. 

I have had another thought for quite some time. I think it would be cool if food cost the same as the amount of calories it had.  I think it would make it a lot easier for people to eat healthier.  Like if a burger had 700 calories...it would cost $7.00 and the 270 calorie salad would only cost $2.70--I'll take the salad.  At the grocery store, the produce department would be bumpin' and maybe I would steer clear of the ice cream a little more.  Who do I talk to to make this happen?

Sick Day

Nothing cures sickness better than a good night's sleep.  I went to bed last night not feeling very well.  Greta moaned all night.  I was awake listening to her, just waiting for her moans to turn into cries and they did around 4.  I went in to the nursery to comfort her and feed her and rock her back to sleep.  She moaned some more.  Moaning turned into crying again around 7.  I was up again feeling worse that I did 9 hours prior.  Now not only was my stomach hurting, I was exhausted.  My cure-all night's sleep failed.  Unfortunately, Greta didn't get her sleep in either.  She hasn't been doing so well since getting her shots.  Lucky for both of us, we have a man to take care of us.  Chris worked from home and held Greta for hours while I rested.  *Sigh*  We love him.  Greta got some rest today but even rest hasn't cured our little bug.  She has been crying and whining and spitting up and miserable all day.  We tried everything to help her feel better.  Only one thing seemed to work:

bath time.

2 months

Greta turned two months last week, but had her appointment today.  It was very obvious to us that she is a growing girl...but here is the breakdown.

Length: 24.75 inches 97%

Weight: 12 lbs 14 oz 90%

Head Circ: 15.1 in

She got her shots.  I felt horrible.  I have been nervous for days.  I could barely look her in the eyes because she had no idea what was coming and I knew but couldn't tell her.  She cried, of course.  But calmed down when I picked her up--that made me feel like a real mom.

It's uncanny. IT'S UNCANNY

Everywhere I go, I get comments about how much Greta and I look alike. Last night, she was sitting on Chris's lap and the resemblance was astounding in my opinion.



Also last night, during "tummy time" she rolled from her stomach to her back. Where was the video camera during THAT? We screamed and sang her praises for a solid three minutes.

Sister Bradley-Marcum-Mom

Two years ago at this time, I was on a mission. In fact, I didn't get home from my mission until July of 2008. On the way home last night from a big Marcum family Easter dinner (fabulous), Chris and I were talking about how much life has changed. I am sure most new parents have this conversation. In the last not-quite-two-years, I got home from my mission. Got married. We have moved three times. We finished up school and finished up Rexburg. My husband has a career...we live in Utah...we have a BABY. She's almost two months old. This is life. My life is happening. My mind needs to catch up with my life. Some weeks I still feel entitled to a P-day and moms don't get preparation days. I have the best life. I truly believe that. Greta is such a good girl. She is sleeping so well now. She is smiling so much now. She is so chubby now. She recognizes Chris and I and tries to talk to us and that's a great feeling. Yesterday she was our little bunny...she brought us too much candy! Peanut butter M&Ms...mmmm