Challenges I will gladly face!

When baby girl started rolling, I knew we had a smart one on our hands and I was thrilled! Later on we had an appointment with her doctor (who had already noted this without my knowledge). When we spoke with him he told us that although she cannot be tested at this age, he strongly suspects she is gifted. I have a gifted sister and am as well. So, I know there will be many challenges that lie ahead. From behavioral issues (boredom at school, not enough mental stimulation, etc) to frustration issues (a gifted child's mind often grows faster than their body which makes tasks they KNOW frustrating since their body cannot yet comprehend it). He recommended I do lots of research into the subject (signs she exhibits and how to nurture her mental age while still respecting her physical age) and we will see if she is still showing signs at her next check-up. So, I have spent hours reading about it. She meets or exceeds every single indication of a gifted infant (up to her age and a little beyond)! We play more with her toys, watch documentaries (even though she cannot understand them, they expose her to things outside of her natural surroundings such as elephants and space), read books (children's and research books), take her outside often to explore new sights and textures, and talk to her about absolutely nothing. I know that nurturing her ability will consume the majority of our lives around her (since she doesn't sleep much during the day) and that there are some issues likely to come with her ability. I know I may get frustrated at times and the older she gets, the more nurturing she will need. However, this is one of the challenges of parenthood I will GLADLY face. I will spend every waking hour helping her learn and grow until she takes this on herself. Mostly, I am excited! Being a gifted child, my favorite thing was going to museums. Any museum. The old boring museums? Loved them! To this day, I take every opportunity to explore new places and go on vacations to historical places just so I can visit new museums. The part that excites me so much? She is showing signs of being just as curious. Which means I may have just found a museum buddy I don't have to drag behind me to get there! I can't wait to see if she will be as big of a nerd as her mom! Yes, I'm excited she is smart, but I always figured she would be since her father and I are both above average. Now, I'm just excited to help her grow into her full potential :) I may have to sacrifice everything (including our savings account for a better school if her school is not meeting her needs), but they are sacrifices I am willing to make!

My little brat :)

The other day baby girl kept spitting out her binky and sticking her fingers in her mouth. Since we don't want her doing that I kept telling her no, removing her fingers, and replacing them with her binky. She would look at me, spit out her binky, and stick her fingers in her mouth. Finally, I said "Michelle I am serious! No fingers!".....she looked at me with a HUGE smile, spit out her binky, and stuck her fingers in her mouth. I turned to my husband shocked and asked if he saw it. He replied with "your kid". I turned back to her and she laughed at it! I repeated it....she spit out her binky and laughed again! I guess we have a new game....
I'm gonna call it "my daughter is a brat and she got it from mom".

Tummy time sucks!

Baby girl hates tummy time. Like, with a passion. As soon as she knows it is coming she whimpers. However, hubby read somewhere that they should be rolling over from tummy to back by 8 weeks. So, I broke out the toys and laid her on the blanket. This was only the third time I have made her do tummy time. Within seconds of laying her down she rolled over. She hates tummy time so much she just wanted it done with. She did it three times in a matter of ten minutes and now I can't get her to stop! She scared herself the first time and I thought it was hilarious. She just lay there on her back shocked to see mommy and daddy looking down at her. Once she realised it was okay she kept smiling and kicking. She was talking up a storm and told me all about "milking ducks" (it is a saying my grandma used to use). She would not be quiet! I love it! Anyways, after looking into it, I found that they shouldn't be able to roll over until 12 weeks at the earliest, but more commonly 16 weeks. I know everyone thinks their baby is a genius, but come on. My baby just accomplished a task at half the projected age. I'm a pretty proud momma!

Our song

Today in the car baby girl started to whimper because she didn't feel good. I turned on little child by white lion and she was instantly quiet. I played that song for her while I was pregnant from the first day I knew. Every night I would lay down, put my phone on my belly, and have it on a loop. Now that she is here I play it for her whenever we are riding together, cuddling, or she just needs some noise. It almost always puts her to sleep. Although the lyrics are fitting, this song actually has a meaning for me. 24 years ago when I was in utero my mother would put headphones on her stomach and play the exact same song. I hadn't heard the song in 15 years and I was going through some CDs of top 80s songs and that was one of them. It instantly calmed me. My mom told me the story of my first song. Now, I have given my daughter that same song. We listen to it together and both relax and let our stress melt away. We have our song and no one else can take that. No matter how far we are or what may take me away, she can always listen to it knowing I love her more than anything.

Her first mini vacation

Every year my family has a big reunion in southern Illinois. It is about four hours (with no stops) from our home. I was excited to take baby girl, but dreading the drive. She JUST turned 7 weeks old. We planned on the trip actually taking 6-7 hours. The night before we left baby girl developed a cough. It didn't seem serious so we just went to bed to prepare for our busy day. That night she was up numerous times coughing, she was really congested, and she was choking on what she had coughed up. I don't remember hearing her choke, but I remember jumping out of bed and flying across our room to check on her. She ended up clearing her airway on her own and we fell asleep. The restless night continued....

We eventually got out of bed and decided to finish packing and keep an eye on her. If it got bad we would stay home. She was doing well, so we headed out. We figured with a sick baby the journey would take even longer. I was not looking forward to it.... however, during the entire drive we stopped once. That was only so I could eat. We fed her while we were there and then headed out. The entire ride she didn't cry. I was amazed. That night she discovered the mirror. Daddy held her in front if it and she saw me. She thought it was amazing. Then, she saw daddy and got the most confused look on her face. I couldn't stop laughing. She would look back at my reflection and become confused when I started to talk. She saw the baby and screamed at it. I was almost crying I was laughing so hard.
Later, we were outside hanging out with my sister and baby girl coughed. The problem this time was that she couldn't clear her airway. Her eyes started to roll back and I pictured my sister all over again...

Here is where I should explain that situation. When my sister was about 15 months old we walked into the kitchen to fill her cup. She wanted juice, but I was giving her water. She was holding my hand the entire time. When I handed her the water she inhaled and held it like she was going to throw a fit. I told her I wasn't dealing with it, walked into the living room with her, and she flopped down on the couch. I walked back into the kitchen to grab something when I noticed she still hadn't screamed. I ran to her, knelt down, and rolled her over. She was stiff and her eyes had rolled back. She was beet red. I screamed for my dad and handed her off to him. As I did she went completely limp. She was dead weight. As my mom laid her down to start CPR I called 911. My sister did start  to breathe on her own. The ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital. I drove there with my other two sisters. The entire night all the nurses and doctors told us was that it was my fault and I wasn't watching her. She choked on something and I was to blame. I remained adamant this wasn't possible since she had my hand the entire time. She isn't tall enough to hold my hand and bend over and grab something to choke on. She didn't have anything in her hand to start with. It wasn't possible. All they kept saying was that I should have paid attention. After over two hours of these accusations, they finally ruled that out. They discharged her the next day saying it was simply a stuffy nose.

Anyways, my sister and I relived it in the parking lot of a cheap motel. She finally started getting air and I just sat there saying I couldn't go through that again. She is almost healthy now.

Saturday we drove over an hour to meet with my aunt and uncle from the other side of my family and once again not a peep. That night there was a big storm and she was fascinated by the lightening. She absolutely loved the sights and sounds before the rain came. When the rain did come, it was brutal. I wasn't sure how she would handle it being so loud. I looked down and there she was....out cold. She couldn't keep her eyes open to save her life.

Sunday was the actual reunion and then we headed home. The ride home was as amazing as the ride down. The kid whimpered once. That was it. She was so good it actually worries me that she is just storing evil for later in life.

Through the entire illness, this girl has been a champ. She isn't fussy or whiny because of it. She just coughs and moves on. However, the cough has taught her one thing. When she coughs, she gets attention. Now, if I go too long without talking to her or touching her she fakes it. She is horrible at faking it, but its so cute how could I ignore her??? And as soon as I give her attention the cough magically vanishes. I actually think it is one of the funniest things she does.

Parenting is already hilarious (a few funny stories and things baby does)

The things my daughter does just crack me up. I want to remember them forever and I want her to be able to look back and know all of the little things she loved. So, here are a few.
As I have previously stated, my kid is a rock star at nursing. I, however, always need to be on my game when she latches on. She will eat and eat and usually fall asleep. She still nurses in her sleep so I leave her until she is done. She doesn't just release though. So, I gotta be ready. When she is full, she smiles. Although I LOVE her smiles, I do not like that she does it when her mouth is full. I get milk all over! She then laughs at this and then starts talking to herself. Never once waking up. Even at 3 a.m. sitting in the dark covered in milk, I can't help but laugh.

She loves the song "hush little baby". Its a song that promises rewards for being quiet. I hope she never figures this out....

She loves TV. She has no idea what she is watching, but she will watch it for as long as she can keep her eyes open.

When we unwrap her swaddler the first thing she does is shoot her arms in the air. She will be in a dead sleep, but as soon as those flaps open, the arms are up. Every. Single. Time.

She loves her Nana. Although my mom thinks its because she is awesome, I am positive it is because of my brother. She falls asleep across my mom's chest and as she sleeps, she slowly crawls down to my mom's stomach. She lays there and sleeps while josh (my brother) kicks away in the womb. I'm pretty sure this is her way of pissing him off before he even gets here. 

A few days ago we went out to eat and all of my sisters were there. My sister Sam hadn't seen baby girl since she was born and she came running to the car to greet her. While Sam was getting her out of the car seat, my sister Abbie watched over her shoulder. I look down and there is little Rebekah pushing Sam out of the way. Sam yelled at her to stop. Reba yells "move! I'm an aunt!". I couldn't stop laughing.

Another time, Reba was over at my house and I was changing baby girl's diaper. She always screams when this happens. I just let her scream until we are done and then I console her. Reba came over to the changing table and started rubbing her stomach. I heard her start talking, but it was nearly inaudible. I bent over and Reba (barely able to see over the changing table) was whispering "shhh...its okay. Your aunt is here. Shh...your aunt loves you." She is so sweet to her little niece.

Baby girl is also a little Houdini. We always wrap her tight in a swaddler for bed. Most nights I grab her and she has one hand sticking out of the top. Today, I wrapped her in one and put her down. When she woke up I went to get her and couldn't help but laugh. She pushed both of her arms down so they were under the flaps and was trying to raise them up. This bunched up the flaps around her shoulders. I came up to a screaming baby that was flailing the bottom half of her arms trying to get free. I would probably scream too if I had managed to get myself into that position.

She loves going outside. She could be screaming her head off and as soon as I open the door she is quiet. She just stares at everything and screams at the sky. My grandma (passed away in 2011) used to say babies spoke to angels. Maybe she was right.

Part of me can't wait to watch her grow and enjoy all of these funny moments (one day she can go through and read them), but another part wants her to stay a month old forever. I would be okay if it took her 18 years to turn 5. Since I can't stop time, I will enjoy what I have with her and thank god for every moment of it. I look forward to many more stories about my little runt :)

Everyone is a critic

Everyone keeps asking me questions about what I do with baby and then they criticize my answer or criticize what they see.
Someone (not naming names) was irritated that I let my daughter fall asleep with a pacifier in her mouth. Its so habit forming and blah blah blah....you know what? Pacifiers reduce the risk of SIDS by half. That is why she is ALLOWED one. Also, this kid was made to suck. She came out with a sucking blister. She never needed help latching. Its that or her hand.
Why don't you pump? Who cares if you miss a nursing session. I care. While breast milk is super healthy for baby no matter how they get it, the actual act of nursing reduces the risk of SIDS. It is thought to strengthen muscles in their throat and esophagus which helps them breathe better and combat the risks.
The same person also bashed me for having her sleep in our room in a bassinet (instead of our bed or her own). She sleeps in our room because this is also thought to reduce the risk of SIDS. She does not sleep in my bed because of the blankets, pillows, and soft mattress that are thought to increase the risk. Some believe it is beneficial to be close to the mother, but the known risks are too great for me.
I have also heard people groan about too much "mothering" when I say she will sleep in our room until 4 months old at the very least. Why? It all comes back to SIDS. The risk is greatest between 1 and 6 months while greatly decreasing after 4 months.
My aunt lost her son to SIDS and though I wasn't alive then, I can't imagine what she went through. Not just the loss, but think about it....someone had to find him after he passed. Could I handle finding my daughter that way? Hell no. Is it worth the risk to give in on any of these things? Not to me. Sure, its easier to have her sleep in my bed, but its worth getting up and putting her in the bassinet if it heightens the chances of us both waking up.
You may think differently and that is fine, but there is no need to complain about what I do with my kid. I will do everything in my power to make sure she isn't an entitled brat that walks around half naked. That is more than some people can say. So, unless your kid is perfect, don't complain about what I do with mine. I don't mind advice from family, but I don't need advice from a stranger who has a kid that everyone wants to smack. Thanks anyways.