I Just Lost my Underwear...

I don't care, I'll go bare, Bye Bye Long Johns...Does anyone else remember that camp song?  The rest of the song goes: They were very close to me, Tickle me -Hee Hee Hee Bye Bye Long Johns. I have been singing that song the past few days because I have said good bye indefinitely to my Great Granny Panties.  How I hated purchasing them and having to wear them.  But oh how I grew to love the comfort of them, the softness, the way they didn't ride up and covered my ass.  But now that the baby is here, I have been looking at them differently.  There is no way my ass is or was that big (or was it?)   So I have decided to pack them away with all my other maternity clothes.  Who knows, one day we may meet again.  Until that day, I will just say Bye Bye.

The Nose has it

The Wnukowski family have very large noses. It is part of who they are. The noses get stuffed up, get in the way of kisses, they can hardly smell anything. And apparently that huge nose can feed a baby. Pictured below is Justin going hands free to feed Rhea and still play his iPad. If she is happy then I am happy!!!

How to say I told you so in a nice way

We purchased a media tower to house all our DVD players, cable box, Apple TV and so on. This was back in August. Justin was supposed to configure all the wires and set this all up before the baby arrived but this never happened. When we were shopping for this piece in August I stated to Justin that the shelves were not deep enough for all the boxes we had. He used his arm as a measuring tape and assured me everything would fit perfectly. Fast forward to January and he finally set everything up. Notice how something sticks way out. I told you so.

2012 Resolutions

My only true resolution this year is to just stop stressing and enjoy the baby.  The last 7 weeks of 2011 have been some of the most stressful times of my life.  Having a baby changes everything and anything you could have ever done to prepare for this moment is basically null and void.  It is scary as hell when they release you from the hospital and you are now in charge of that little life.  Looking back over the last 7 weeks, I should have stressed less and just went with my own instincts.  And I vow to do that this year.  I think parenthood is basically keeping your child safe, fed, warm, healthy, and you make the rest up as you go.  People mean well when they offer their two cents but I am tuning them out in 2012.  I have chosen to breastfeed my baby, but I also give her formula.  And I realize this is OK.  In 2012 I am doing what is best for me and Rhea.  And breast milk and formula are what is best for us.  All you lactation crazies can keep you opinion to yourself. (Like the lactation consultant who advised me today that I check out a low milk supply website for support since I was offering formula with my breast milk) Thanks but no thanks.  These moments go by so fast, I don't want to look back at the end of 2012 and think "I should have enjoyed her more".  2012 is the year of Rhea and I plan to savor every moment.  And maybe loose the baby weight too. 

"And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?"...

Well John Lennon, I had a baby.  And it has been the most exciting, scariest, wonderful, terrifying, exhausting, happiest, challenging time in my life.  As most of you know I have Type 1 Diabetes.  What most of you don't know is how challenging being pregnant with Type 1 diabetes was for me.  And I don't mean challenging because of complications or anything like that.  I mean I truly challenged myself over the past two years to get my A1C results down to a near perfect number.  I  restricted my diet and accounted for nearly every morsel of food that I put in my mouth.  I couldn't have done this without the support of my husband Justin.  At times I could have hurt him, like when he asked during my first trimester of severe blood sugar lows "Why are you doing this to yourself?' (side note- blood sugars run extremely low in 1st trimester for T1 diabetics)  Other times I could have hugged him when he would talk me down from the ledge when I was convinced an out of range sugar was killing the baby.  Or when he drove me in the middle of the night to Beth Israel because I was convinced I had a blood clot only to find out it was water retention.  I also could not have had this baby without the support of my parents especially my mother.  She drove me to countless appointments, held my hand at my EMG, and cried out of excitement the first time she saw Rhea on the ultrasound screen.  My parents let me stay with them when Justin was busy with work and could not make it to my appointments.  They cooked me food and took care of Duke when I was restricted from walking.  And now that she is here it has made all the sacrifice worth it.  They say it takes a village to raise a child and I truly understand that now.   I am so thankful for my family and feel truly blessed this holiday season

Baby Gas

Poor Rhea has been getting gas at night which has made for some horrible sleep!  The other night she was so inconsolable I put her in bed with me and nursed her to sleep.  About an hour later I woke up to the worse smell.  I assumed it was her diaper and the smell was so bad I decided to wake her up to change her. When I opened her diaper there was nothing in it.  I couldn't believe her farts smelled that bad.  That was until I returned to my bedroom to discover the smell had returned and it was not Rhea but Justin stinking up the room.  Rhea was then awake for another 2 hours and I almost smacked Justin when he said to me that "he really needs to sleep" and asked that I take the baby into the living room.  If it wasn't for his stank ass she would have still been sleeping!

One Daughter, two different dreams....

Justin and I have been casually discussing our hopes and dreams for Rhea as she grows up.  I said to him the other day "She is so smart, she is going to be a Doctor and cure all kinds of diseases".   His reply " Well she better marry a rich guy at 16 because there is no way in hell I am paying for that much school."   The funny thing is he was in college for seven years and I have never heard his parents complain about it.  And he only has a bachelors degree!  Funny.  On Sunday I said to him (after a very sleepless night) " I cannot wait until she sleeps through the night"  to which he said " I cannot wait until she has moved out"  OH Justin, it is going to be a very long time before she leaves the nest.  And if she follows your example she will be with us on Sunset Lane until she is 30!

One Month

Miss Rhea is one month old today. We are so far from where we were one month ago. She is growing so fast! She is starting to loose her "newborn-ness". And she is finally putting on weight. And although our life has been turned upside down, we love her so much and wouldn't have it any other way!!