Baby and a dog are one and the same

Two nights ago while Rhea was taking a bath I tried to pry her mouth open to see if she has any teeth coming in.  It was a struggle and she won.  I said to Justin "She is just like Duke!  She will not let me near her mouth!" To which he replied "She also eats poop"  I have only know Rhea to eat formula and some oatmeal and fruits and veggies so I asked him to explain.  "Well the other night she blew out her diaper and it was so gross.  And there were lots of wipes and poop everywhere.  The next thing I know she is eating a poopy wipe.  But don't worry.  She is fine now.  But see she is just like the dog.  Love poop too!" Now, I am not casting judgement on him because I knew that was bound to happen at some point.  He was just so casual about it.  I would have freaked out.  But that is the difference between me and him. And it is probably what will balance us out as parents.

Ramblings of Rhea

After months of me coaching Rhea and repeating over and over again "Momma, Momma" she uttered her first rambling words this past week. And it wasn't Momma.

Happy Mothers Day!!!

Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms out there, new and old!!!  My father sent me a video from Johnson & Johnson (I cried, I guess that's what Moms do, they cry at sappy commercials) and the theme of the video was "your doing OK Mom".  Basically the video was being told by the baby to his Mom letting her know she is doing a good job being a Mom.  I hope Rhea feels this way about me.  What a crazy six months it has been.  And believe me I haven't the slightest idea what I am doing but it still amazes me that you just figure it out.  She was born, we brought her home, we freaked out for six weeks, and then things went back to our new normal.  And maybe we aren't doing everything by the book.  And yes, somethings didn't turn out the way I wanted (example breast feeding, and not having to go back to work), but she is healthy and happy and at the end of the day that is all that matters.  And luckily I have a great Mom of my own to turn to when I need advise.  I also have a great pool of Moms to turn to when I need some reassurance that I am doing OK.  So here it all of you, my mom, my nanas', my cousins, my aunts, mother-in-law, and friends.  Thank you for helping me be a good Mom!  xoxo

Diabetes- 21 Years Later

I have had type 1 diabetes for 21 years today. What I would like people to know is that I don't have "the bad kind" nor do I have "the good kind".   I didn't get it from being too fat or eating too much cake.   I cannot take a pill.  Pricking my finger to test my blood sugar is not as painful as those stupid commercials on TV make it out to be.  Diabetes isn't contagious so please don't ask me if I am afraid of "giving diabetes" to my daughter.  It is a completely ignorant and hurtful question.   Unless you plan on asking my parents Tom and Moe how they felt about "giving me" diabetes,  keep it to yourself.   Diabetes is now a part of who I am.  And I am ok with who I am, things could be a lot worse.  We have had our differences through out the years but I have survived.  And 21 years later, that is all that matters.

How not to get rid of hiccups in a baby

Rhea has always been prone to the hiccups.  They typically do not bother her.  Every once in a while you can tell she is aggravated but other than that no big deal.  They do however bother me and Justin.  We just feel bad at how annoying they can be.  I have been giving her gripe water and it does seem to help.  Justin has taken a different approach.  Last week I am giving Rhea a bath.  She has the hiccups but is enjoying her time in the tub.  All of a sudden Justin busts through the bathroom door screaming.  I asked him what the hell he was doing, he had scared me and the baby.  He said he was trying to scare the hiccups out of her.  I will let you visualize the look I gave him and kindly asked him not to scare the baby again.  

A Vampire Without Her Fangs

This post is for all my Twilight friends.  I am clearly comparing my child's teething issues to fictional tween novels.  But I don't care!  You have been warned!

My poor Rhea!  She is still teething and the teeth are no where to be seen!  She is like a vampire without fangs!   I would be afraid to be alone in a dark ally with her right now as she is gnawing and sucking on anything she can get her chubby little hands on!  I have seen her make a meal of Sofie the Giraffe!  Poor Sofie didn't stand a chance!  I was hoping the teeth would pop through this past week but still nothing.  I have been trying to teach her to be on Team Edward and fight the urge to drain anything or anyone but she has informed me she is Team Volturi meaning she will drain you.  You have been warned!!!  She is looking for her next victim!

Girl Fight

I have no idea where she learned to do it but Rhea is a hair puller.  There are clumps of my hair all over the house.  I will probably be bald by the end of the week.  She grabs hold and will not let go.  And I have no idea how a 5 month old baby is that strong!  I basically have to wrestle her to let it go.  And all the while she is laughing and tugging my hair.  It is insane.  I feel like I am in a girl fight every day of my life.  I see those tiny hands grabbing for me and I fear for my safety.  But I keep going back for more.  I cannot help it.  She is too cute

5 Months

Honestly the last five months have gone by so fast!  I know it is what everyone says but it is true.  Rhea is 5 months old now!  5 months!  She is getting so big and we are discovering all these personality traits about her.  I am in love and it pains me to think she is growing up so fast.  I just want to freeze this time in a bottle.  Capture this feeling and keep it with me.   We have nicknamed my Dad Paparazzi as he is Rhea's Papa and he acts as if she is a celebrity every time he sees her snapping hundreds of pictures at a time.  And as much as we poke fun at Paparazzi, I am so glad he has captured all these moments for me.