Are you sure you’ve done this before???
I fear I learned nothing with the Goose… or at the very least, I seem to have forgotten everything from her infancy. I am sure people look at me and wonder if this is my first baby… as I scramble to find a diaper only to discover there is only one in the enormous DIAPER bag… as I take 5 minutes to change one dirty diaper… as my poor child screams in the aisles, check-out line, and parking lot of Walmart*… as I fumble to get the carrier out of the car… all the while wondering when I will go out in public with make-up on instead of sunglasses.
*Meanwhile... how is it that people go in the walmarket looking like the posterchild for rednecks today and no one gives them a second glance BUT... if you look half-way decent and have a screaming baby whom you are trying desperately to soothe while you attempt to check-out THEN people look at you like you have four heads???? I must say though, one very kind soul came to my aid in the parking lot, helping me load my trunk and taking my cart for me so that I could get said screaming baby and her sister into the car. God bless you nice lady... wherever you are.
Goodbye stretchy pants!
Elastic-waist pants are great… if you are in preschool, but for those of us over 6… nothing beats a good pair of REAL jeans. How happy I was the day I put away the last pair of stretchy pants and finally returned to the land of real pants with zippers, buttons, and pockets! Sure they are a little tighter than before, but maybe they can pass for “skinny jeans”??? Who really needs to put anything in their pockets anyway?!?
Lots of Hands & Wet Socks…
Sissy lost her cord at only one week, but we felt that was still a bit too early for a real bath… and she didn’t seem to mind the changing table “bath” too much, so we were in no hurry. When the day finally arrived to introduce Sissy to the tub, the Goose was SO excited! She decided she needed to get in the tub to “help”… As we all oohed and ahhed in our best baby-talk voices, Wes began to chuckle… not at the silly sounds we were making to reassure Sissy that the tub is fun, but at the sheer number of hands there were in one small tub… that’s right, there were eight! Two’s company, Three’s a crowd, but EIGHT… Eight is great!
Not so many days later, I found myself running late (if you can imagine that!), so I decided to delegate baby duties to speed things up. Daddy has always been in charge of bathtime for the Goose, so after four years of practice, I felt confident in his abilities to bathe Sissy by himself… that is until he says… “By the way, if you wonder why Sissy’s socks are beside the sink, they are drying out… I remembered to take her diaper off, but I didn’t think about her socks until she was already in the tub.”
First Trip to Church…
At three weeks, we felt ready to return to church. After scrambling to feed, bathe, and find weather-appropriate clothing for all, we finally set off with over-packed diaper bag, grouchy 4-year-old, and screaming baby in tow. Arriving a mere 5 minutes late, we had high hopes for Sissy sleeping through at least half of the service… WRONG! She made it through a song and the greeting time before the meltdown began. I decided it would be best to listen to the sermon from outside the door after a quick diaper change… only the quick change turned into a huge mess as Sissy not only spit-up all over her pretty smocked dress, but peed all over it too. The ensuing wardrobe change led to a screaming fit, which required a feeding to calm the angered child and, of course, another diaper change. By the time we returned to church, church was over… perhaps Sunday school would go better? Not so much. (Though we did enjoy a few minutes of peace thanks to Pam!) Returning home, Wes and I reminisced (over the screaming) how the Goose slept through church for months… ahh memories… we will remember Sissy’s first church visit as an epic fail. Thankfully, we were not easily defeated and week two proved to be a much more enjoyable experience without any major meltdowns.
Daddy’s new toy…
I didn’t keep an accurate count, but I think the Goose got at least as many presents over the last few months as Sissy did! She is one
Pumpkin Patch Fun!
Sissy celebrated being one whole month old with a trip to the Pumpkin Patch! She and the Goose were both on their best behavior… loving every minute of pumpkin-picking, maze-walking, picture-taking fun! Really, it was a fabulous afternoon for all of us… even Daddy... as we shared our first “family tradition” with Sissy.
Is she a good baby???
This is what I hear at least ten times a week… often more. I have decided that this particular ridiculous question ranks right up there with “Are you going to have another one?” or “When are you going to try again for a boy?” in the Most-Stupid-Yet-Most-Often-Asked-Question-To-A-Woman-Who-Has-Just-Given-Birth List. I am also astonished at the number of complete strangers who ask the aforementioned idiotic questions. The latter two I am wise enough not to answer, but the first… well, the first sort of drives me crazy(er). What I would like to know is does any new mother really answer “No” when asked if their NEWBORN is “good”???? Seriously. Sure Sissy has only two speeds… she is either perfectly content or really, really, really screaming mad. But I am ok with that. She is a BABY… she’s supposed to cry… but that does not make her “bad” folks! That just means she is a baby!
Spilt Milk…
The Goose and her Daddy went on one last trip to Carowinds one warm Sunday afternoon. While waiting in line, Wes was telling her how next spring, Sissy can stay with Gamma and Mommy can come ride the rides with them, to which the Goose replies… “Mommy can come, but she can’t get on the rollercoasters… because if she did, Sissy’s milk would spill all over the place!” Hilarity I tell you.
Best Seat in the House…
Sissy enjoys moving, but only on foot... She does NOT like the car seat AT ALL and is not a big fan of the swing. She will tolerate her bouncy seat long enough for Mommy to get half a shower or eat half a meal, but no more! She is also ok with rocking… as long as you bounce while you rock or if she was already asleep when you started to rock. But her favorite spot… the changing table… go figure!
Six Wonderful Weeks…
Sissy is now six weeks old! She “celebrated” with a trip to the doctor for her first month check-up, which was a couple of weeks late, and a vaccination, which she was not at all a fan of. At six weeks, she weighed in at 10 pounds 5 ounces… up 3 whole pounds! (The doctor told her if she breaks his scale she has to pay for it) She also grew 2.25 inches and is now 21.5 inches long…. As you can tell, she likes to eat!
At six weeks, Sissy is starting to smile a lot and even coos a little when you talk to her. She follows objects and people with her eyes now and recognizes familiar voices. She has lost all of her hair except that in the back (yes, we have a bit of the friar tuck going on for now) and new very-light-blonde baby fuzz is coming in nicely. AND… after WEEKS of protesting… she is learning to tolerate her car seat, even napping in the car on occasion! Praise God for answered prayers!
Precious Pumpkins…
Some people like to turn their pumpkins into frightening faces… but we prefer precious pumpkins filled with even more precious pumpkins! Have a look at our Pumpkin Fun…
Now you are officially up-to-date on all (or at least most) of the family fun! Stay tuned for more updates HOPEFULLY coming sooner to a blog near you! Happy Fall!
