Photo from myfoxdetroit.com via Facebook.

I came upon this article tonight as I was perusing Facebook. I was deeply touched with this mother’s effort to show her son how special and loved he is. And I am blown away by the power of social media.

As a mother, I can’t even fathom how gut wrenching it must have been to hear her son, Colin’s answer when asked if he wanted a party to celebrate his 11th birthday. He said it was pointless because he had no friends. Colon was diagnosed with a sensory processing disorder and a disorder similar to autism which makes communication and socializing difficult for him.

As a surprise, his mother set up a Facebook page to get folks to wish her son a Happy Birthday. She originally only thought friends and family would be interested but the outpouring from around the world has been amazing. As of the time of this post the page was fast approaching 900K likes – incredible!

Can you imagine how ecstatic he’ll be when he sees how much people really do care about his birthday! People from all over the globe.

Hooray, Colin!

I don’t know this mother but I find her actions for her son truly inspiring – what a creative, thoughtful and touching idea she had to make his birthday memorable. The love of a mother for her child is such an incredible force. You rock, Colin’s mama!

Please take a moment to “like” the Happy Birthday Colin Facebook page and make this special young man’s 11th birthday one for the record books!

My bad for leaving it unlocked but who is to say they wouldn’t have broken windows to get what they wanted; which in this case wasn’t much – thankfully.

I’m especially irritated because they stole the backpack I use for Jax’s swim lessons – so they got her swim diaper, a pack of wipes and diapers, baby wash, her pool towel, six of her swim suits, my swim suit and her snack cup and sippy. They also took the Dolce & Gabbana sunglasses my husband gave me for our anniversary last year.

What creeps.

I particularly LOATHE thieves. I think there is a special place in hell for those who take what is not theirs – those who steal from honest people who make an honest living and work hard for the things they have.

The feeling of violation I feel is horrid. I feel invaded and disturbed that some lousy jackass or two or several opened my car door and put their filthy hands all over my things – touched Jax’s car seat and some of her clothes that were left in there and left the nastiness of their criminal deeds behind. I hate them for that – I hate them for thinking it is their right to take from me – to take from anybody! Despicable scum is the only way to describe these scoundrels. These sorry excuses for mankind. These thieves!

I am not new to being a victim of the violation of theft.

Years back, as I was pumping gas, some drug addicted imbecile jumped in my car and just drove away with it. I was left at the pump, still holding the nozzle, in total shock. Luckily, the idiot crossed paths with a dispatched officer and he took them on a two mile chase. Get this – he led a swarm of cops to his own home. I was not being harsh when I called him an idiot. Luckily, I got my car back within the hour but it creeped me out that such heinous riff-raff sat in my car – the car I’d saved up for! I immediately took my car for a wash and then went home and sanitized the steering wheel, floor mats and myself! Ugh!

A few years after that, my home was broken into and robbed. Totally ransacked. They left no room intact – I’m talking mattresses turned over, drawers dumped, contents of closets and cabinets strewn about. They walked away with my spare set of house/car keys and my trust in people. I never slept in that house again. My husband, who was just my boyfriend at the time, did not want me at that house anymore and I did not want to be there so I moved in with him and never set foot in that tainted abode again.

Crazy how the these selfish, thieving animals can change so much with their criminally bad choices. They can shatter a person’s sense of security and safety in minutes.

We move this week and it saddens me that our last weekend in this home, that I have loved so much, has been tainted by this act of gross violation.

I hope they enjoy the size 2T bikinis and the Disney Princess towel they scored.

Jerks.

For years now my mom has been in excruciating pain due to arthritis in her knees. It’s bone on bone in both and she has needed a knee replacement for awhile; however doctors were reluctant to do it because she has a compromising shoulder injury that could prevent her from being able to use a walker, thus hindering rehab.

The pain in her knees is so bad she has become depressed to the point of needing medications and it has started to affect her blood pressure and heart. It’s been very hard to see my mom endure this.

Harder still is how badly her pain has affected my relationship with her. I have always, always been very close to my mom but her pain and depression have caused her to become constantly short and moody. I try to remember that it’s not her fault but our bond has definitely weakened. I’m ashamed of this. Very heart breaking.

I love my mommy.

Mercifully, her doctor finally approved the surgery and she checks in the hospital today for a total knee arthroplasty. I know this is a very common, pretty routine surgery but I am worried. She isn’t young and mobile or particularly healthy but the doctor says her health should improve tenfold with the surgery and will deteriorate without it. She can become more active and live happier without the pain. She will need to have the other knee done in a few years but this is a start. I just want my mom to enjoy her life again.

Please keep my mama in your prayers for a successful surgery, rehab and recovery.

Jax and I love and need. And even though I see her regularly I miss my mom so much.

Motherhood is a blessing and it fits every woman differently. There are all sorts of moms out there. All different and unique and what unites most of us together is the love we have for the beings we bore or adopted into our lives.

The post you are going to read on my blog today was contributed by a woman named, Erika. I went to high school with her and what I remember most is her easygoing personality. She was an athlete but didn’t align herself with cliques. She was that girl who got along with everybody and in turn, everybody liked her.

I reconnected with Erika through Facebook a few years back. I saw that she was married…to a woman. She looked so happy. I enjoyed seeing the photos and updates she posted.

Then, much to my surprise, she posted an ultrasound picture announcing that she and her wife were expecting a baby girl. I about died; I was overcome with jealousy.

I was in the throes of infertility myself and everyone around me having a baby. Every time I saw someone’s announcement I’d get sick with envy. Then the least likely person I knew to ever get pregnant…was!

Do I sound like a jerk? I don’t mean to. I was happy for her but sad for me. As it turned out my time came just a few months later.

But I digress, this post is about Erika.

She and her wife are amazing mothers to their sweet little girl. That child is absolutely gorgeous and radiates a glow that tells you she is supremely loved, cherished and cared for. So what if Erika and her wife live an “alternative lifestyle?” It’s theirs to live and they are doing a damn good job with that baby!

I was touched to read that while her life is so much different than my own, we shared the same monthly disappointments on our journey to become moms, we had the same burning desire to have a child of our own. We are connected through motherhood and through our unwavering love for our child.

Read this post with an open mind; you just mind find a connection as well. Here is Erika’s story:

Believing in Fairy Tales

Once upon a time, in a land not so far away…wait, wrong story! Although, what you’re about to read is a fairytale of sorts. So, as all stories go, we’ll start at the beginning.

My name is Erika. My wife is Danielle. Yes, that’s right…we are two gals who decided to fall in love and spend our lives together. We had an incredible life, went on fantastic trips, bought a few cars and a house, got a couple of dogs (who were our babies!), and we had lots of nieces and nephews to love on and spoil. We were living the dream and we were happy!

Then, after about six years, I got the itch. Which itch you might wonder?! I started to think about something I hadn’t really thought was an option for us – having a baby.

We obviously don’t have the “equipment” to make a baby ourselves; and adoption is not an easy process, especially due to our “alternative” lifestyle. So the question of ‘how’ was playing in my mind. I’m not the most feminine of gals as all of that girly stuff goes, so there was no doubt in my mind that Danielle would put in all the “work” of growing a baby.

But there was a problem…I was ready but Danielle wasn’t. It took about a year for that itch to finally hit her too. Once it did, we didn’t waste any time! We were ready to jump in with both feet and hit the ground running; but we had no idea where to start.

Our first decision was determining where to get the other half of what makes a baby – the swimmers…so to speak. We went back and forth trying to decide whether we wanted a known or an anonymous donor.

Danielle leaned towards anonymous but I wanted to be able to tell my child where he/she came from; so I thought a known donor was best. Finally, I convinced her to go with a known donor and we were able for the next step.

Let me tell you, we have the most amazing friends in the world! We figured that since the cost of fertility clinics was pretty high, we would try the “at-home” method.

No, it’s not what you might think. There was no wine or dim, romantic lighting involved. Actually, there was no real contact with the donor at all other than the very awkward hand-off of certain supplies.

After months of no luck, we decided that we should go ahead and seek the help of medical professionals with our “project”. This included numerous doctor visits, multiple weekly tests, blood work and counseling sessions. After all of that and months of no luck, Danielle went in for a minor surgical procedure to see if there were any underlying conditions that could be preventing conception. As odd as it sounds, we were disappointed to find out that she was fine. Don’t get me wrong, we weren’t upset that Danielle was okay, we were frustrated that we didn’t have any answers as to why pregnancy wasn’t happening.

By this time, we were exhausted – mentally, emotionally and financially. Our hearts broke a little each month with the start of her cycle.  Although, we both felt defeated, Danielle wasn’t ready to give up. So we tried for a few more months before I started to wave my little white flag. We had been trying for two years and I just couldn’t handle it anymore. And with this, Danielle agreed to stop.

As it so happens, we are in the unique situation of having two uteruses (uteri?!), so we decided to switch. Getting pregnant was not anything that I had ever considered, nor did I ever think it was an option given my “better half,” but we wanted a baby so badly; I was willing to give it a shot.

Since our financial situation had taken us pretty much as far as we could go, we decided to go back to the “at-home” method. In an effort to protect our hearts, we decided that we would only try three times, and that would be it, baby or not.

We tried once…no luck. We tried twice…nothing. We tried the third and last time…and I started to spot. Assuming that it didn’t work again, we finally began to come to terms that the only babies we would have would be our pups. That would have to be okay once our hearts mended.

Then, after a few weeks, when we had finally started to put our baby fever out of our minds, something changed in me. I started to get ridiculously tired during the day…like, couldn’t make it through the day without a nap tired. And I could NOT get enough lemon…on EVERYTHING…even on spaghetti! After about a week of this, I started to think that my behavior was pretty weird, so on a whim I took a pregnancy test.

There it was – a super faint line. It was so light, that I didn’t know if it was really there or if I just wanted it to be there. I tried to put it out of my head and go back to work. Easier said than done – I took another test later that day. Still a faint line.

I knew that we had one more test at home, so I decided to test again first thing in the morning. I took the test as soon as I woke up and this time there was no disputing the blue “+” sign that showed up almost instantly!

I stared at it for a bit in total disbelief and then went to wake Danielle. I couldn’t even speak, all I could do was show her the test. Once she realized what she looking at we both just stared at each other incredulously and then started laughing! We didn’t know what else to do! After all the years of trying and crying, all we could do was laugh.

We decided early on that we wouldn’t announce anything to anybody until after the first trimester (which if anyone is interested, was horrible for me!). When we finally started to tell people our news they totally cracked up too! I’m not exactly the type of person who fits the “glowing pregnant lady” description, so it actually was pretty funny – even to me!

Three years and nine months after we started trying, we finally welcomed our beautiful baby into the world. And our little family is finally complete. We named her Danika Marie, a combination of our names and a tribute to our moms. Our baby girl was finally with us. She is the most amazing thing we have ever known!

I guess the beginning of my story was right after all. It really is our fairytale, and our “Once Upon A Time” has most definitely turned into our “Happily Ever After!”

While I was pregnant and when Jax first came home there were two things I was adamant about:

1. Breastfeeding – I wanted to
2. Co-sleeping – I NEVER wanted to

At almost 16 months Jax is an avid booby lover and, well…she is a mommy/daddy bed invader as well. And honestly, I love having her sleep with us, so I am glad I broke my word to myself on that one.

When I tell some folks that we co-sleep with Jax I get the “look.” I’m sure some of you are making it as you read this…am I right? I’m sure I am, and that is ok with me. Co-sleeping isn’t for everybody, but it works for us.

We didn’t start bringing Jax to our bed until she was about 6 or 7 months old. Before then she slept in a Nap Nanny (yes, I know they have been recalled) nested in a cradle wedged up against our bed. I slept right at the edge of the bed only inches from her. She slept through the night early on, I’m talking at 5 weeks old she was sleeping 8-10 hours straight. It was bliss.

Then around 5 months she started waking up in the wee hours of the morning. Every night. I would reach out and rock her and she’d bellow to be picked up. So I did. And I took her out to the living room half awake and freezing and nursed her until she was ready to go back to sleep. Then I’d put her back in her cradle and she’d sleep another hour and we’d do it all over again.

She had spoiled me early on with a full night’s sleep and then suddenly at almost half a year. I was grumpy, short-tempered and exhausted. This carried on for a month or so. I tried feeding her oatmeal so she’d have a full belly while she slept. We gave her warm baths at bedtime. Nothing worked. She always woke up like clockwork between 2 a.m. – 3 a.m.  I felt like a brand new mommy hovering on the brink of sleep-deprived insanity.

One early morning when she woke up, my husband sensed my anguish and suggested I just put her in bed with us.

NO WAY! What if I rolled over on her? What if she fell off the bed? What if she got smothered in our bulky comforter? What if she got used to it and sleeps with us until she leaves for college?

But as I made my way with her in my arms down our cold, dark hallway I changed my mind, got back in bed and nestled Jax alongside me, she latched on for about 2 minutes then immediately fell asleep. And she stayed asleep until 10 a.m. It was bliss all over again.

Now here we are 10 months later and she has been in our bed every night since. Knowing that she is safe and warm and breathing and content next to me is an unbeatable feeling. Never have I rolled over on her. Never has she fallen off. Maybe she will sleep with us until her prom night, but I doubt it.

Right now I don’t care.

I love crawling into bed with her. She keeps my side of the bed nice and warm and as soon as she feels me she melts into me. There is no better way to fall asleep then with the two people you love most in the world pressed against you. I won’t have that forever. She’ll grow up and want her own space and I’ll ache for her closeness.

Surprisingly my husband likes her in our bed too. I think he likes it even more than me. He suggested it many times before I finally, desperately gave in.  Sometimes when he thinks I’m sleeping and Jax has found her way between us, I catch him gazing down at her with such adoration it brings tears to my eyes. I’ll see him holding her tiny hand, looking so content and wistful, overjoyed with pride at his little human masterpiece. Very sweet.

We all sleep better…together. Warm and content.

Sure there are restless nights. Times when I wake up with a foot jabbing my neck or a head burrowing into my back. Sometimes all she wants to do is nurse and I have to sleep on my side to allow access, making me feel like an open bar, milk on tap all through the night. That usually only happens when she’s teething or feeling under the weather and I am happy to oblige if it brings her comfort.

Yes, I know I probably overindulge my child, but she is thriving with our parenting choices and that is all that matters to us.

So yeah, I know the look all too well when I tell people I co-sleep. Often it’s followed up with one or more of the following statements/questions:

“Co-sleeping is dangerous.”

“How do you and your husband have sex?”

“You’ll never get her out of your bed if you don’t stop now.”

“You should never share your bed with your babies.”

“Aren’t you afraid you’re going to hurt her?”

And my answer is:

“If we’re not losing sleep, why should you? Don’t worry about it!”

Photo Courtesy of Spa Week Daily.

I don’t mean to brag (well, maybe I do) but I am a Hot Mom. And it’s official too!

Recently I was invited to become a member of the Hot Mom Spa Squad for Spa Week Daily. This is a HUGE deal and the opportunity would not have found me if not for my readers, so thank you!

This is great news for you as readers as well! There is opportunity for giveaways with Spa Week as well! Be sure to “Like” Spa Week on Facebook and follow them on Twitter for lots of great spa related news and information.

You’ll be seeing me there on occasion as well; as a Hot Mom I will be contributing original content for publication on Spa Week Daily. In fact, I just kicked it off with this feature on 6 Life-Changing Uses for Coconut Oil. Check it out!

Please help me out by giving me ideas for articles. Is there a spa treatment you’d like to learn more about? Perhaps I can investigate for you. Or do you know of any natural or DIY health and beauty tips? Let me know! Comment below or email me directly at yaybabyblog@gmail.com with your input!

I am so excited to be a Hot Mom!

It may be 90 degrees in November but my little fashionista is already rockin’ her boots with the fur! In a diaper of course, because we don’t want her to drop it like it’s hot (outside). Ok, my hip hop humor is over! Can you believe her grandpa picked these out for her? Great job pops!

Four days into the 11th month and we’re still blasting our AC! Only in AZ. Over the weekend we went to an outdoor a holiday shopping/craft event and it was hot, like 90 degrees hot. Made shopping for Christmas seem a little weird. When we left I stripped Jax down to her diaper before strapping her in because she was sweaty, bright red and on the verge of a heatstroke (not really but she was pretty hot).

Oh, well – I’ll take warm autumn days spent by the pool over frigid, numb, tootsies and shoveling snow and day.

‘Tis the season!

My cleverest costume yet: I was “Styled by Helen Keller.” Get it? A mismatched mess because she couldn’t see what she was doing or hear my protests. Not very PC, but I did win a costume contest for Most Creative.

Me and Sassy Sarah, the Purple Spider Fairy.

Zombie Luvahs!

Mama and Minnie.

Happy Halloween, all! Be safe and have fun.

The post was touching and I admire this blogger for what he wrote in defense of his wife. Wow, what respect he has for her, what admiration he has for a person he feels is doing the most important job in the world.  He was white knighting his wife, his partner, the mother of his children from other women who look down on her (their) choice to focus solely on family. How wonderfully heroic…of them both. And while he praised her goddess status he also saluted the role of motherhood as a whole, working and stay-at-home alike.

Yet, so many of the thousands of comments on this post were from working moms undermining the the role of SAHMs with scenarios of what their days look like, how much busier they are than us SAHMs, how much harder it is to work and rear a family.

The point was so hugely missed. Unfortunate, because it was so eloquently written and so very, very true.

It reminded me of a time when motherhood was still pretty new to me (it still is), and I mused on Facebook that my new role as a stay-at-home mother was by far the most difficult job I had ever had.

Surprisingly, several people close to me pounced on my words to let me know how much more difficult it was to be a working mother. The thread turned into a debate and I found myself defending myself when there really was no need to do so. I care not about how much harder a working mom has it than I do. It’s a moot point in my life. I am not a working mom. I have never been a working mom. God willing, I will never have to be a working mom. My job is my daughter. There is no reason for me to compare my situation to that of a woman who works outside the home. And I would never so rudely do so.

As I’ve learned to navigate my way through the trials and joys of rearing my child, I can honestly say it has not become any easier. I can repeat with absolute conviction that the role of SAHM is the most challenging job I have ever had.

KEY WORDS: I have ever had (emphasis on the “I”).

This post is not a comparison.

This post is not a complaint.

This post is not an insult to working moms.

The fact of the matter is mothering…parenting…is rough work and not for the weary. It takes thick skin, creativity, adaptability, patience, strong-will, proactivity, dependability, determination, dedication, drive, etc. etc. etc.  So many qualities that can be found on a professional resume. So why is it that SAHMs are often looked down upon or undermined by her working counterparts and society at large?

Here’s the thing…even though I would not change my SAHM status for the world, I often times envy working moms.

I envy that during during their work day they get bathroom breaks without an audience. I envy that that they likely get a lunch break, where their meal is their own; they packed what they wanted to eat or ordered exactly what sounded good to them and not what their child might want a bite of. I envy that they may opt to forgo a lunch break to run errands that may otherwise prolong their time away from their families. I envy that they get to run these errands alone, without getting a kid in and out of a car seat for a 5 minute jaunt into the bank.

I envy that for a few hours a day their’s is the only butt they’ve wiped. I envy that their wardrobe is likely nicer than mine, that they spend their work days looking presentable wearing something other than yoga pants and flip flops. Oh, how I long to have a place to  go to wear beautiful shoes — they are pretty impractical at play dates and swim lessons.

I envy that working moms are likely praised or acknowledged for a job well done – a SAHM may not get the recognition she deserves for her exclusive job during the most tender of years until her children have children of their own.

Yes, yes, I know working moms come home to all the same shenanigans and fun and motherly duties that a SAHM is swimming in all day, every day. But for at least part of their day they had a break from it.

Yup, us SAHMs need breaks; our days aren’t always fun filled; it’s often exhausting, thankless work and feels never ending. Sure, I nap when my daughter does. I’m guilty of turning on the TV to keep her occupied while I clean the kitchen. Yep, my house is often messy, more so than not. But I am a kick-ass mother, who gave up her career for her kid and I’m not asking for kudos or joining a pointless argument of who has it harder.

I applaud Matt Walsh for recognizing  that motherhood is a tough job no matter what and those of us who choose to focus exclusively on it are not lazy slackers living on easy street with days full of cupcakes and sunshine. The role of a SAHM often feels isolating and lonely and shouldn’t be disregarded in any way, but rather esteemed for the impact it truly does have on society and the lives within – the society of our homes and the lives of our families.

I realize how very, very blessed I am that my husband is able to financially support our family on his income alone. He makes sacrifices for us that often keeps him working long hours. But this is what we have chosen for our family and we know our daughter will be a better person because of this choice. I would not trade this opportunity for anything, not even endless places to wear a hot pair of stilettos.

And kudos to SAHM dads, working dads, single moms, grandparents raising grandchildren, god parents raising god children and anyone responsible for the growth, happiness, well-being and love of other human beings. Keep up the good work, our future depends on it.

How lucky am I?

]]> https://yaybabyblog.com/no-argument-here/feed/ 4 https://yaybabyblog.com/sunday-sweetness-11/ https://yaybabyblog.com/sunday-sweetness-11/#respond Sun, 01 Sep 2013 06:56:55 +0000 http://yaybabyblog.com/2013/09/01/sunday-sweetness-11/ I think it’s time for bigger pajamas.

The world was blessed with a new little angel this week and with that Jax got a new bestie! One of my very dearest friends delivered her beautiful baby girl six weeks early due to preeclampsia but mama and baby are doing great!

Jax and I are so excited for our friends and we can’t wait to smother this preemie princess with love and kisses.

Congratulations Mama Farrah and Daddy Shaye. And welcome to the world Alexa Michelle, you just couldn’t wait to join the party – YAY BABY!

P.S. Stay tuned for a guest post from the lovely Miss Farrah. I’m still trying to talk her into this. No pressure, Farrah.

Boy, does she have a story to tell. Baby Alexa is her second miracle baby. The first, Baby Broden, dramatically and traumatically entered this world at a mere 27 weeks gestation. Both mommy and baby barely survived. Broden spent months in the hospital fighting for his life.

Today he is a thriving toddler of almost two years old – living proof that prayers are answered and miracles do come true. Farrah’s babies just can’t wait to meet their mama!