Tipsy

Someone likes to hit the boob a little too much! If he doesn't watch it, he's going to be going to MA (milkaholics anonymous) before he's 6 months old!!

Talking with Daddy

Here are a couple of videos of Joey talking! Enjoy!

Hiking it up

April, Joey, and I met up with a friend and her two kids to go for a 2.5 mile mellow hike at the Eagle River Nature Center this past week. Even though is was cloudy out, the temperature was actually perfect for a hike!

There are bears out and about and actually there have been some reportings of bears charging a few hikers way down the trail from where we were hiking. But don't worry, these chargings were at mile 8 and we only made it to mile 1.25! Plus, we had our trusty beasts with us to protect us...notice the black bear bells they are each wearing on their collars! Some people call these "dinner bells"! Haha!

We found a tree with a pretty big hole in it!

We all loved this hole!

A carried baby is a sleeping baby! ;)

Bon Appetit

Fun in the kitchen with Mommy and Joey! (Aunt April helped too, but she didn't want to be in any of the photos!)

Woman! Get to work! Stop cheesin' for the camera and make Daddy some dinner!

Do I have to do everything around this place?!?!

Okay, dinner is in the oven! Time to relax!

And to break it down!

Uh Oh!

On Thursday, July 22, I saw this. A little white "pimple" on Joey's gum. It was hard...hard as a tooth. He has been drooling an excessive amount and sucking on his wrist like it's nobody's business (he even left a bruise on his wrist)!

After conferring with several mommy's, we have to come to the conclusion that my 1-day-shy-of-being-11-week-old son, is cutting his first tooth! Babies usually don't start cutting teeth until their 4-5 months old! Some babies can go as early as 3 months.

Not my little overachiever! Just like with everything else thus far in his life, he is telling everyone and their "standards" to go to hell! He's the one making the calls around this place!

In the Know

Well, it's been 10 weeks, and we're all still alive! Looking back, these past 10 weeks have been the craziest learning situation I have ever experienced. There have been some good times, and also a butt load of sad and bad times. Here are some of the things I have learned thus far:

1) Always pack lots of clothes...for baby and Mommy. You never know, when one or both of you are going to be used as a human napkin!

2) Breastfeeding does get better...eventually. It took me about five weeks to not mind my boobies being mutilated anymore. Now, I don't even really notice when Joey is eating. I'm even able to multi-task while I nurse Joey. I can read a book, talk on the phone, and sew a quilt all while the barracuda is chowing down (okay, so I made up that quilt part but that's only because I can't sew. If I could sew, it would be on!).

3) The first seven-eight weeks postpartum really felt like a big fog. However, all of a sudden, everything did start to get better. I cried a whole lot less, things rolled off my back a little easier, I started to get into a "Joey and Sara routine", breastfeeding went a lot smoother, and things just seemed to get a little easier.

4) Everyone and their mother wants to and WILL give you their advice and opinions, whether you want it or not. I know they say that "it takes a village to raise a child", but, people, we don't live in villages anymore and I don't see any of you trying to "raise my child" when it's 3 AM and he's been screaming for the past three hours! I usually just take all advice, sort through it, and then use what seems right for my family. However, you will have advice givers that are super pushy and like to "follow-up" to make sure you used their advice. If you didn't use it...God help you!

5) Mommy brain sucks so much worse than preggo brain. I thought my memory and I would be reunited, but that was a huge misunderstanding. Not only were we not reunited, I think we were spread further apart! So, I apologize to everyone that has heard my stories or questions at least 1o million times!

6) Having a baby is a HUGE life-changing thing. This will impact every single aspect of your life, including your relationships with friends, family, and spouses. Your marriage may take a huge blow if you and your spouse don't keep the lines of communication flowing. Having "big talks" are a necessity...even if this means you have them a couple of times a week. You're both changing and you need to make sure you change together.

7) You will never be on time for anything again. Just plan on leaving your house an hour before your scheduled event. You might get there 15 minutes late...if you're lucky.

8) It has taken me about 10 weeks to start to actually like my kid. I know this sounds bad, but Joey hasn't really been my favorite person these past several weeks. However, Joey and I are beginning to figure each other out and becoming better friends. I'm sure this will improve and he will eventually be my most favorite person in the world!

9) Routines and schedules are meant for older kids, not newborns! Our schedule is set by Joey! If he says "WAH!" (that means food), then you get him a boob ASAP! If he says "wah!" (that means dirty butt), then you clean him now! When Joey wants something, he wants it now, not "in a minute" or "in one sec".

10) "Mommy Groups" are like dog parks. Everyone wants to know about your child/dog, not you. You're lucky if they even ask you your name! You are no longer known as "Sara". You are now known as "Joey's Mom".

11) Oh yeah, and the most important one...SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS! A tired mom is not a happy mom. I have a really hard time with this one because I hate taking little cat naps. If I'm going to nap, I want to take a real nap! However, sometimes those little cat naps are ALL you're going to get. A little bit of sleep really can go a long way.

Walk Like a Man, Talk Like a Man

Joey may just skip the whole crawling stage all together! This kid loves to "stand" up! If you try to sit him down now, he gets fussy. Once you hold him up and let him put pressure on his legs/feet, he is happy as a clam!

I'm really only holding Joey slightly so he doesn't fall! He is really holding himself up with his legs!

Joey has also been very vocal lately! April took some video of Joey trying to talk. It's not his best video and you're going to hear me baby talking to Joey, but you'll hear and see him talking! With all of this being said, I didn't think you Joey stalkers would mind too much. ;)

Help has Arrived!

My sister, April, has come up to live with us for awhile. With Michael's crazy long hours, it sometimes seems like I'm a single mom! When Michael gets home at 10 at night, all he wants to do is chill out for a little bit, not deal with a tired stressed out wife that just needs a minute away from her kid. Luckily, my sister didn't have much going on right now and wanted to take an extended vacation, so she moved in with us! She will be staying with us until January! Woo hoo!

April, Joey, and me at the Glen Alps/Flattop overlook area.

We are all so glad that April was able to come up here! It will also be cool because she will really get to know Joey and he will get to know her. Also, April and I haven't lived together in over 12 years, so it's a chance for April and I to get reacquainted. She's only been here a little under a week and she has already been such a tremendous help!

Us hanging out in downtown Anchorage!

Joey definitely seems to be taking to his Aunt April! April has been joking that she is on "shit duty" though! Her chores around the house are cutting the grass, cleaning out the cat litter box, cleaning up the dog poop in the yard, and changing Joey's diapers! Haha! I guess we did kind of give her the shit end of the deal! :)

My First Date

I finally attended my first mommy group outing. I have joined a few mommy groups, but have been unable to attend any of the events yet. This past weekend, one of the mommy groups had a meet and greet picnic.

I was super nervous and very timid to talk to any of these ladies when we arrived. Some of the moms were sitting in little groups, others were at the playground with their little ones, and then the rest of the moms were just chilling with their kiddos by themselves. So, April, Joey, and I just sat down and enjoyed our picnic lunch. Just like at the dog park, the adults (owners) don't have to go up to the people because the kids (dogs) do the initial greetings! Haha! Once the little kids were on the go, then the Moms had to talk to the adults. Well, it was more like "George, get back over here! Oh, I'm sorry that he is trying to climb into your stroller! Oh, your baby is cute! How old is he? What's his name?" After this lingo was reciprocated by the other mother, then you MIGHT find out the Mom's name. It all depends. I made a joke with one of the moms about this and she said that you kind of forget about yourselves and you just refer to the women as "So and so's Mom". LOL! I don't know how I feel about this. I am still my own person and I am going to try my damnedest to at least let other moms know my dang name!

Mommy and Joey at the picnic.

There were all types of women in this group. I thought that this group could turn out to be the very earthy, crunchy, hippy, granola type. You know, the breastfeeding, co-sleeping, cloth diapering type. However, when I told Michael this fear, he pointed out that we do all of that except for the cloth diapering. The only reason we don't do the cloth diapers is because of practicality for us, but I really wanted to do it. Haha! Good point, Michael.

Joey in his "sunshine" attire! We've had so many cloudy days up here, that when the sun is out, you have to take full advantage of it!

Well this group did turn out to be like that, plus most of the moms seemed to be vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, raw foods only, etc. Even though this stuff was not really what I am into, the moms were all super nice and no one tried to shove these opinions down your throat. But, with that being said, I also didn't mention that I eat meat...lots of meat! I figured I can save that for a later date! I just know that I won't be having those moms over for burgers and dogs!

Joey has quite a grip now and loves to hold onto your fingers.

The kids were all very cute and fun. Most of the kids were about seven months old and older. There was one family that had a seven week old and they were pretty cool. I am really glad that I went and I have two more mommy dates this week! The moms were also pretty informative about classes and events that are happening in our area that I am going to check out.

He also likes to suck on his fingers and hands!

Oh, on another note, being around all of these ladies did make me comfortable with breastfeeding in public. While I took my time, setting up my "udder cover" and making sure that the girls were completely concealed, they all whipped out their boobs like it was nothing! Maybe hanging out with these ladies will make me a little more comfortable with the public nursing.

Ear Infection Update

The canal is clear! No more ear infection for Joey! Whoop whoop!

I knew Joey was doing good when he didn't make one peep when the doc stuck the instrument into Joey's ear. :)

On a side note, Joey now weighs 12 lbs, 15 oz. He gained seven ounces in nine days. Grow, oinker, grow!!

I'm a Swingin'

Joey is already a picky baby. We had received a baby swing that goes front-to-back at one of our showers. Joey loved the swing when he first came home from the hospital. However, after a few weeks, he didn't like the swing that much anymore.

Michael's mom then suggested the swing that her daughter used for her two children. The swing (in the photos on this post) goes from side-to-side, front-to-back, has a mobile, makes noise, and a light up aquarium thing. I was able to find a used one for $25 on Craigslist versus the brand new $139 one!

Joey loves it! He usually will fall asleep in the thing!

The funniest part of this whole story is that as soon as we bought Joey this swing, he started to like the old swing again! So, now, Joey has two swings! One is in the bedroom and the other swing is in the living room! Haha! Moral of this story: Don't give up! Try, try, try again! ;)

First Parade

This weekend, Joey and I attended the Bear Paw Festival parade and festival! (Michael missed the parade, but went to the festival with us the next day). This was Joey's first parade. I don't think he was too enthralled by the parade since he slept through the whole thing! Haha!

This dog looks exactly like my parent's dog, Boo, and they are both mutts! How crazy is that!?!

If you notice, I am carrying Joey in his wrap. I was super against parents using strollers in crowded places because the strollers/owners seem to always cause people jams. Notice the word "was" in that previous statement. After carrying Joey for a couple of miles in this wrap, I have a super sore back and my knees are killing me! I now know why parents push their kids everywhere even if does cause people jams! I'm not sure if I'll start using a stroller in crowded places, but I may think about it a little harder now!

Sittin' up

I think it is safe to say that Joey can hold his head up on his own most of the time. He's getting stronger and stronger everyday! I finally tried Joey in his Bumbo seat to see how he would do. He LOVED it!

I think he thinks he's a big man now!


Next goal: getting a beer and the remote control!

They Call Him Husky

Mommy and Joey waiting for the appointment to begin!

Today was Joey's 2-month wellness appointment! Joey is doing very well and is very healthy. However, he has had a little bit of a stuffy nose the past couple of days and has been sweating an extra lot. Plus, he has been super fussy. Turns out, our growing boy has an ear infection! Damn. The doc says it not very common for stay at home babies at this age to get ear infections, but it can happen. When the doctor was checking Joey's ears, Joey flipped out when the left ear was checked and the doc said that his ear drum did not look healthy. Add all of the other symptoms Joey has been experiencing, and this makes for the diagnosis of the ear infection. Nothing to stress out about, though. We got some medicine and, hopefully, it will all be cleared up in a few days! I was actually kind of relieved that he has an ear infection because he has been so fussy lately. Maybe he's not a fussy baby, maybe he was just pissed off because he hasn't felt good!

Joey and Daddy after the shots

Joey also had to get a bunch of vaccinations today. Boo to that! He received the DTaP, HIB, Pneumococcal Conjugate, and Rotavirus vaccines. One was administered orally and the other three were injected into his upper thighs. He did not like the shots at all, but the tech was fast like lightning! Joey screamed for a couple of minutes and then calmed down once he was able to snuggle with Mommy. Then he got to snuggle with Daddy, so he was a super happy boy.

We also got to find out Joey's official measurements today. This little hunk of a man weighs 12 lbs. 8 oz! Woo hoo!!! This means that he is in the 75th percentile for his age...he is above average on his weight! If there's ever any doubt that this kid's not eating, then this news should erase those doubts! Haha!


Joey's head measured 15 1/2 inches around. Joey's length is 22 3/4 inches long! Both of these are below average and put him in the 25th percentile for his age. The doc said not to even dwell on these numbers because he will grow and grow and grow. Plus, a lot of breastfed babies are chunky and then lengthen out around 6 months or so.

Joey is just short and stocky. However, you can just call him "Husky"!

Happy 2-month Birthday, Joey!! We love you, little oinker! :)

Nana and Papa Mike

Michael's parents, Nana and Papa Mike, came to visit us! During their two and a half weeks here, they got to play with their newest grandson, hang out with their son and favorite daughter in-law, and even fit some traveling in there.

Michael, unfortunately, was not able to take any vacation from work while his parents were here, but they all did try to make the most of their time together. Mike and Michael went to Seward to go on a chartered halibut and lingcod fishing trip. They had a great time and both caught their limits! Joey was upset with the boys, though, since he didn't get to go and was left to hang with the women folk. That's okay, Joey, the boys are already planning your fishing trip for when we go back to North Carolina.

Papa Mike was the camera man during this trip. He filled an entire video tape of nothing but Joey footage! So, for you NC family and friends, you better harass Mike if you don't get to see any of the Joey movie! ;)

Nana and Joey had play time everyday! Nana was able to get a very high-pitched baby voice that Joey LOVED!! Anytime she would use that voice, Joey would go crazy "oohing" and "ahhing". Nana also became Joey's personal trainer! She had Joey doing leg exercises everyday, and even got on Mommy's case for not doing them when Nana was away! (Don't worry, Nana, we've already done the exercises today!) Nana also told Joey lots and lots of stories about his favorite cousins, Emma and Evan! He can't wait to meet them sometime soon!

This was the last of the grandparent love extravaganza. Now, time to get this boy in shape and unspoiled! ;)