You have probably noticed that I haven’t written on here in like two weeks!  Nothing is wrong, but lets just say I’m still adjusting to mommyhood and my free time is all out of wack.  Even the Aidan Cam has been down most days because we just never seem to have a moment to sit!  But things are starting to settle down a bit now.  Though my posts may be only a few per week soon.  My husband and I are looking to switch rolls soon.  I’ll be working, and he will be at home with Aidan.  So blogging may take a back seat to spending time with my family when I’m home from work.

In the mean time, keep checking back for future posts, and continue to enjoy the webcam now located in the Side Bar!

To view the Aidan Cam larger:

Right click on the image in the side bar and select “view image.”  Then continue to refresh your page for a new image every few seconds.  Enjoy!

I’m finding myself getting more and more confused.  My son Aidan keeps changing schedules on me.  He’s sleeping more through the night.  Sleeping in five and four hour segments now.  Great!  I get more sleep at night now.  The draw back is he’s awake more during the day.  This wouldn’t be such a problem,  but he’s a huge cuddle bug.  If I’m not in sight, or not holding him he’s crying.  Not an issue when he was sleeping 20 hours a day.  I’m starting to wish he was big enough to start interacting with toys, tummy time and sitting in the swing aren’t enough anymore.  I can’t seem to get anything done during the day now!  As soon as I put him down for just a moment, he starts whining and sometimes screaming until I pick him back up.  So I’m sending out distress signals into the cosmos.  Any tips on entertaining a 1 month old with out driving my self bananas?  I’ve tried just about everything I can think of.  Love to hear any and all stories or suggestions!  Lets get a talkin’  ladies.

Today I have thoughts running through my head.  Memories, and feelings all jumbled together, so bear with me.  I’m adopted.  My parents adopted me when I was six years old, though I lived with them since I was four.  I remember before I was adopted.  I remember the different families that took care of me.  I remember my Birth Mother.  I remember she loved me.  I love my mom and dad now, they are the only family I could ever want.  But I know they had it rough with me.  Many people adopt, very few adopt a child who is older than 1 year though.  Once a child reaches 1, the chances of them ever getting adopted drop each year.  It’s even worse with children with diabilities.  My friend Tammi and her husband adopted an adorable little boy named Michael when he was six I believe, or around that age.  Michael has disabilities.  My hat goes off to them, because very few families take on the challenge of adopting an older child, let alone one with disabilities. So I know there are people who do make this decision, but I know they are rare.

I was passed from family to family before I ever came to be with my mom and dad.  Very little discipline had been in my life, and talk of Jesus and who he is never happened.  My husband, while not in the adoption system, also had an unstable beginning.  He was raised primarily by his grand parents in the first couple of years, and his mother left.  His Dad stepped up after accepting Jesus and raised William the best a single father could.  He was later adopted by his step mom when his father remarried.  His dad and step mom are wonderful people, just like my mom and dad, but the emotional baggage that comes with a child with unconventional beginnings can be hard on any family.

Children in these situations will often develope attatchment problems.  I know for myself, before I was adopted, I associated mother with female.  I called every woman “mommy” because I had no concept of what I mother should be until my mom came into my life.  So I was hard on my mom growing up.  I didn’t know what she really meant to me, and the affect she had on my life until I was much older.  What she taught me, what she showed me about life, and most importantly her faith.

I think about my son through all this.  How he has his mother and his father.  What we will teach him.  What he will see in our lives.  He has a much better start in life than many children get, and even better than my husband or myself ever got.  Does it make a difference?  My husband and I turned out okay.  Will Aidan be better than we were growing up?  Will he love God just as much if not more?  Will he have a greater chance of being successful in life?  Will he get into less trouble?  These are all things running through my head today.

What ever happens, I know he has a great start in life.  He is loved.  He is surrounded by his family.  A family that is not going anywhere, and will be with him his whole life.  A family who loves God.  I know that has got to count for something, and I am so greatful for the life I can give my son.

We have three very beloved pets.  A five year old orange tabby named Elijah, a three year old black and white calico named Keena, and a two year old Cocker Spaniel named Dugal.  When we found out we were going to have a baby, it became a priority to ensure a peaceful integration of a baby into our family.  We’ve had great success in that department!

I know that it’s been said that babies and cats are a big no no when it comes to combining the two in any environment.  This is a big fat myth!  This myth was started by people who either didn’t own cats, or didn’t get to know their cats.  The truth is, most cats (though not all) don’t mind babies.  In fact most will try to cuddle and comfort a new infant.  Our cat Elijah, pictured here with Aidan, will often snuggle up to Aidan while he’s feeding or sitting with me on the couch.  When things are quiet, Keena will peek into his bassinet to check up on him and study him.  What usually happens when you hear of a tragedy involving a baby and a feline is that some one thought it would be a good idea to allow their cat to sleep with the baby unattended.  Cat’s don’t know how to check if a baby is breathing, and a baby can’t push away when it’s first born.  A cat can unintentional smother a baby if you are not careful.  Also keeping the litter away from baby and mom if she’s breastfeeding is a concern as well.  But if you take necessary precautions, cats and babies should be just fine with one another.  We started training our cats before Aidan even arrived.  They are allowed any where except inside the crib or the bassinet when it comes to baby.  And they know it!  Believe me when I say a raised voice and a squirt bottle full of water will speak volumes to a cat!  When we brought Aidan home and sat him on the floor in his car seat.  The cats were the first on the scene.  Keena wouldn’t let him out of her sight, and Elijah walked right up to him and rubbed his head on Aidan!

When it came to the dog, we were a bit more wary.  Not because we were afraid he wouldn’t like him, but because we were afraid he would like Aidan too much.  Any one who has owned a Cocker Spaniel in recent years will probably know what I mean.  Cocker Spaniels were over bred in the 20’s, making some of their less likable qualities come out and branding them forever as a poor choice for a family pet.  Now a days, most Cocker Spaniels are very lovable, playful dogs whose main objective in life is to love and please their owner.  Dugal is a perfect example of this.  He greats us with an over abundance of tail wagging, jumping and doggy kisses when ever we walk in the door.  He loves to play, and wrestle, and has yet to meet a stranger.  We were worried he wouldn’t know that difference between a baby and a person and would possibly hurt the baby simple by being over excited.  We had some one bring him a blanket that Aidan used in the hospital before we brought the baby home.   We hoped the smell of the baby before hand might curb his excitement over something new.  Dugal did marvelously!  He came up very gently to Aidan on that first meeting and sniffed him from his head to his toes.  Now he’ll come and get me if Aidan starts to cry or whimper.  Running back and forth and looking at me as if to say, “Something’s wrong with him. Come fix it!”  He comes in and watches intently every time I change Aidan’s diaper, though from a safe distance now after discovering that little boys tend to make messes!  Not only does he still greet me and my husband when we walk in the door just as enthusiastically as ever, but he also pauses long enough to give Aidan a big wet doggy kiss on the nose!

When it comes to introducing a baby to any pet, we’ve learned that the best option is to be relaxed.  Expect things to go well, but keep a watchful eye.  If you are nervous, or overly cautious, then you’re pets will know it.  Allow your pets to approach the baby, but always stay close.  If you prevent your animals from ever getting near the baby and are constantly yelling at them to stop doing something, they will learn to associate the baby with something bad.  Make sure you still love on your animals from time to time so they don’t get jeleous.  Just relax and have the camera handy for all the cute oportunities that will come along when babies and animals are together!

In my continual search for products to make my life as a mom easier, I came across this little do-dad.  It’s the MilkScreen at home breast milk alcohol test.  Basically it’s just like it sounds.  You saturate the strip with your breast milk and it tells you if you have alcohol in your milk.  It’s suppose to prevent you from having to pump and dump your milk after drinking alcohol.

I have to say that I’m slightly upset that a product like this exists.  I think I feel the same way about this as I do about handing out free condoms to teenagers.  If you make it “safer” for people to do something that causes them harm, isn’t that the same as saying it’s okay?  I’m not against drinking.  But I think there is a big difference between having the occasional glass of champaine or beer with your hubby at home, and going on an all night binge fest.  Personally, I don’t drink.  It doesn’t add anything to my life that is absolutely necessary, so I can go with out.

And for crying out loud, when you become a mother there’s just some things that you shouldn’t do.  Like smoking.  Come on, you can’t hold off on that drink until you’re not breast feeding anymore?  I would hope that a woman would not have drank alcohol while she was pregnant, so if she can go 9 months with out it, surely she can go another few months for the sake of her child.  Perhaps I’m being overly conservative, but I think it’s a huge reflection of the culture we live in today.  Every thing is permissible, but not everything is beneficial.  I’m left with a sudden urge to search my house and see what kind of products I have laying around that might be making it easier for me to live a lifestyle that isn’t beneficial to me or my family.  What do the products you buy say about your lifestyle and beliefs?