on making a baby and a dog the best of friends

At least three times a week someone asks me...

'How is Ricki doing with Jake?'

It's true, I've been a mom for a long time already.  A puppy mom.  I've babied the crap out of my dog because I can't resist his adorable furry face.  I take full responsibility for that extra pound he's carrying around because I'm always giving him 'just one more carrot because I love him.'

Yes, my first baby is a dog.

And now my second baby, a human one, is here as well.

So how is Ricki doing?

Truthfully? Alright.  Just alright.

It is taking time, but I'm already foreseeing these two being the best of friends in the future.  To be honest, Ricki didn't seem to really even notice Jake at first.  We did everything the articles told us to do.  Adam brought home one of Jake's hats for Ricki to sleep with while I was in the hospital.  And when when we brought Jake home, I walked in the door and greeted Ricki while Adam stood back holding Jake.  Really, he didn't seem all that interested.  A few sniffs at Jake and he went on his merry little way.  Within a few days of being home though, it became clear that Ricki was upset with me.  For holding Jake all the time, for not being able to let him out at that exact second, for not being able to carry him around a bit (this dog LOVES to be held and carried).

He never showed any signs of being aggressive towards me or Jake, he just seemed bummed.

It kind of broke my heart.

I felt like I was neglecting him.

So we changed things up a bit.  During Jake's morning nap (and my morning coffee) I make it a point to pull Ricki in my lap for extra pets and snuggles.  During his afternoon nap we play in the backyard for a bit or I'll sit in the front window with him for a while.  When Adam walks in the door, I hand him Jake and took Ricki out for an extra long walk.

As for getting Ricki and Jake on the friend track?  I spend about half an hour a day with Jake on his playmat and Ricki right next to me.  That way I can interact with Jake while giving Ricki some attention as well.  After a few days of this, Ricki seemed to warm up to the idea of this tiny human in his house.

They're not best friends yet, but they're getting there.

For anyone about to go through this situation, the best advice I can give you is to give your dog time.  Don't expect him to be on board from day one.  Just as it took him a while to adjust when you brought him home, it will take him a while to adjust to your new family member.

Whom he'll love until your little one starts walking and wanting to use the dog as a horse.

You're on your own for that one.

surviving one month

One whole month this little guy has here!

He's pretty much turned our world upside down in the greatest of ways.  Other than the lack of sleep.  Our world would be even greater with a little more sleep :)

Although, considering Jake sleeps a solid 3 to 4 hours at a time already, I can't really complain.

Here are a few of the things making our life a little easier though :)

MobyWrap - Jake is such a mama's boy already.  Loves to fall asleep on my chest and somehow knows the exact second that I lay him in the pack'n'play, no matter how deeply asleep he is.  So the Moby has been a lifesaver around the house, giving me back both my arms so I can do important things like make myself a sandwich.  It's also great for going grocery shopping or out in public.  Keeps him close to me where other people can't touch him, and I don't have to lug him around in the car seat.

Aveeno Baby Calming Lavender Lotion - Babies' skin loses moisture twice as fast as adults, so keeping Jake's skin moisturized is part of our daily routine.  We started out using Johnson's baby lotion...which worked great on Jake.  But...made me break out in hives for some reason.  Gentle enough for baby but wrecking havoc on me.  So we switched to Aveeno which has been gentle for both of us.

Graco Snugrider Elite - We bought one of those all-in-one travel strollers and quickly returned it after receiving this baby from one of my relatives.  The travel stroller weighed a cool 40 lbs.  This is lightweight enough for me to lift with one arm and easily folds/unfolds.  It's great for quickly running into to Target to grab more diapers...and works with our car seat seamlessly.  It's already got quite a few miles on it from walking the dog as well.

Pampers Natural Clean Wipes/Swaddlers Sensitive Diapers - I wish, wish, wish that we could have gone the cloth diapers route.  But with Jake heading to daycare in eight short weeks (wah), it just wasn't an option.  Jake seemed to be pretty comfy in the Pampers he was rocking in the hospital.  So we just kept with them.  So far they're working great - not irritating to his skin and are holding together well (only one leak so far...and believe me, NO DIAPER was going to hold that poop in).  Plus they have a stripe that changes colors when they're wet.  A detail that greatly helps out that 2am sleep-deprived mind.  And the natural clean wipes are fragrance free, hypo-allergenic and affordable.

Nook - Holy cow do you spend an insane amount of time sitting around when you're breastfeeding.  Like, half your day.  TV tends to make me sleepy so my nook has been a lifesaver.  Along with mindless reads like 'Shopaholic' to hold my interest at 2am.

Carter's newborn onesies with mittens - Yeah, you can't swaddle this kid.  He's an escape artist.  Who insists on having his hands by his face at all times.  Where they can scratch his skin and poke his eyeballs.  These mittened onesies keep his arms warm at night and his fingers under control.

Bath Luve towel - The first bath resulted in Adam holding his finger in Jake's mouth to keep him from screaming so much.  The rest have been relatively drama free thank goodness.  Jake is starting to tolerate baths and most of that is due to the bath luve towel that keeps him warm.

one moment

Amazing how my day has morphed from heels, deadlines and exhaustion into yoga pants, nap times and extreme exhaustion.  I won't lie, motherhood is an adjustment.  One that doesn't come easily at times.  Especially in the middle of the night when you've changed three diapers within minutes, are covered with spit up and are falling asleep nursing.

But then you feel his little hand reach up to rest on your chest and look down to see him staring so intently at you.

That moment makes it worth it.

Completely worth it.

Getting to spend every day with this little guy, well, that's why being a mama is the bee's knees.

Here's to hoping the next eight weeks don't go too fast...

good reads || denise from gratefully inspired

While I'm out snuggling the newest member of our family, I thought I'd share some of the blogs on my 'must read' list.  Take a gander and leave these girls some love - they're sure to become part of your daily reads :)

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Gratefully Inspired

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Three posts you can't miss out on:

georgia grace
friday realizations
ode to matthew

good reads || megan from across the pond

While I'm out snuggling the newest member of our family, I thought I'd share some of the blogs on my 'must read' list.  Take a gander and leave these girls some love - they're sure to become part of your daily reads :)

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Across The Pond

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Three posts you can't miss out on:

 a little about megan

stephen and megan

lets talk about blogging

quotable

In a recent burst of spring cleaning, my mama has been going through all our childhood memories that were packed away down in the basement for years.  Original artwork by yours truly (masterpieces I tell you).  First place ribbons for silly events like sandcastle building and three-legged races.  Handwritten stories declaring my mom to be the best mom ever.  Even if at age six I was convinced that she sat at home and ate chocolate all day while I was at school.  Folders from high school covered with Dave Matthews quotes and the scratched out names of old crushes.

Treasures.

Finding my old 'quote' book was definitely one.  Just a tattered notebook filled with every quote I ever loved and held dear.  I had a thing for quotes back in high school.  They inspired me and gave me some type of motto to live by.  My biggest problem was that I loved so many of them, I could rarely focus on just one.

That hasn't changed much as I've gotten older.  It's still hard for me to pick one quote, one verse that defines my life and how I want to live it.

But if I had to.  If you were holding a klondike bar hostage and I had to pick just one in order to get it back...

Without a doubt it would be this verse from Romans.

[print from Sproutz Design]

It's just three simple reminders that I need in my daily life.  To have joy, to be patient and to always turn to prayer.

I even ordered this print to put up in our nursery (reveal coming soon!) as a reminder for Jake.  And for me during late night feedings when I feel myself becoming frustrated at the lack of sleep.  It's amazing how something as simple as a quote can remind me to look down and instead be thankful for those steel blue eyes gazing up at me.  Sleep can wait.

a birth story. sort of.

Or the closest thing you'll get to it on here.  Not that I don't want to share every detail with you, but I know that there are non-mamas out there who just don't want to know that stuff.  I used to be one of them.  Until I got pregnant.  And then I scoured every blog for a detailed account of labor so I'd know what to expect.

Yes, I could have just watched the video.  THE video.  You know, the one that keeps you up at night and keeps occurring in your dreams long after you vowed to forget it?  But I couldn't bring myself to.

So here's the closest thing you'll get to a birth story.

Unless you really want all the details, then I am more than happy to share.  Just send me a quick email and I'll send it to you.  I know it helped me be a bit more prepared to read others' tales beforehand.  So I'm happy to pass on the knowledge.

Just not on here.

Jake was born one day past his due date.  We had actually gone to the OB the day before to schedule an induction for a few days later.  Apparently all the little guy needed was that eviction notice in order to get things moving.  I spent most of the night awake and annoyed at the irregular contractions I was having.  Until the annoyance turned into joy as they finally became regular and close together towards the morning.

The greatest joy being when I woke Adam up to tell him that I didn't think he was going to have to go to work that day.  Finally.  It was baby day.  A thought that hit me with excitement and nerves.  Labor was going to happen.  And it was going to happen TODAY.

My two biggest pieces of advice for mamas heading to hospital?  Take a shower before you go and eat everything in sight on your way out the door.  Labor is a long process and once you enter those hospital doors, all food is off limits.

At the hospital I did opt for the epidural as soon as it was offered.  I know that's not in everyone's plan, and I commend you for wanting to give birth naturally if that's important to you.  But after suffering all night and most of the morning, I felt I had paid my dues in pain.  And to be honest, I really wanted to take a nap.

They ended up giving me Pitocin in the afternoon after breaking my water and seeing that there was meconium (meaning the little bugger had pooped).  The actually pushing part of labor was only 15 minutes for me since they had to get him out as soon as possible.  I didn't know it at the time (thank goodness) but his heart rate was dropping and they were worried he was going to inhale the meconium.

At 7:06pm there he was.  A full head of hair and sneezing away.  The next ten minutes were the longest of my life.  Since he had been in distress, they immediately took him to the warmer and did a detail check of his vitals and respiratory functions.  With about ten doctors in the room, well, there wasn't a chance I could even get a glimpse of him.

It was torture.  Hearing him cry (and sneeze a lot for some reason) and still not even knowing what he looked like.

But ten minutes later they finally declared him healthy and fit for mama's arms.

And that's where we just sat there and cried.

[photography by full bloom photography]

Everyone says their baby is perfect.

You can't help it.

To you, they really are.  All those months of waiting for his arrival, well, they couldn't have prepared me for how big your heart feels in your chest when you see your baby for the first time.  When you count ten fingers and ten toes and can't stop staring at every little eyelash.

Every baby is perfect.

That's the way God intended to make them.