Just Say NO to Being a Frumpy Mom!

I thought this was a pretty good article, reminding us not to be frumpy moms...let us not forget our fashion sense ladies!

It's tough to be a new mom. Maternity clothes are too big, your pre-baby clothes are too small, and it seems like styles completely changed in the mere nine months you were allowed to take a fashion siesta. To add insult to injury, you usually end the day with spit up, paste or some unidentifiable goo smeared across your shirt. So what do most moms do? They turn to Clorox commercials and preschool teachers for inspiration and wind up wearing… The Uniform.




The Uniform comes in two dumpy iterations: khaki pants, t-shirt, denim shirt and tennis shoes or turtleneck, corduroy jumper, tights and frumpy flats. There are some good points to The Uniform: You can wear it five times a week and no one notices; it makes you feel clean, soft and maternal; you blend in perfectly with the other moms standing in line at Target or on the sidelines of the peewee soccer match. On the flip side, all those good points are very, very bad! The Uniform is so ubiquitous that not only will no one notice if you wear it five times a week, no one will notice you period. "Clean, soft and maternal" reminds men of their mothers. You're also a wife. You used to be a girlfriend. Once upon a time you were a hot date. Get the picture?



Here's something to ponder: Wearing kitten heels does not make you a bad mother. And your child doesn't care whether you're wearing beige matte lipstick or a hot coral gloss. Maybe it's time to look in the mirror and shake things up a little bit. With some imagination and very little money you can liven up your look, feel better about yourself and maybe surprise Daddy too!

Paxton Un-shackled

How liberating, on Monday baby Pax lost his stump(ie umbilical cord) and on Wednesday we lost our plastibell(ie circumcision cover)...officially free from grody things that prevented submersion while bathing.
Buh bye sponge bath, hello warm water surrounding me, making me more likely to be warm and enjoy bath time  :)

Random Act of Kindness

I was touched by the simplest, but sweetest, random act of kindness today.  As Jay and I were pushing Pax in his stroller, up to the Costco entrance, there was a man operating a jack hammer of the noisiest kind(but aren't they all, really?).  Before we crossed his path, he stopped what he was doing, allowing us to pass in peace.  I thanked him as we passed and he again, offered the same thoughtful pause as we left Costco.
People are good!...or is it just the midwest?  :)
Remember to offer someone a random act of kindness everyday.

Paxton Silver Rohde

Paxton's Welcoming Nursery

Daddy surprised us upon our return home from the hospital w/ balloons and signage in the front yard, with  more decorations and flowers in the nursery.  Though I was happy to plop down on the sofa to feed Paxton when we arrived home, Jay coaxed me into making the trek(post csection) upstairs to the nursery and so glad he did...he did a great job at making it look so welcoming !
Thanks Daddy, you rock!

Find Comfort in Discomfort

This months O Magazine had a good article on the 6 steps to taking a big step(moving outside of your comfort zone) and I really liked the message in the 6th step:

'Find Comfort in Discomfort'


"Remember it is suppossed to hurt, you're suppossed to feel sore", says Ford, She's not talking about just the physical aches and pains of the couch potato turned triathlon competitor, but also the mental and emotional uneasiness of the would be CEO or aspiring artist. "Accept that you'll never get rid of self -doubt,", Kashdan says. "An adventurous person will always have moments of feeling like a fraud-it's a sign of that you're creating new roles for yourself, that you're evolving, it means you're doing great, passionate work." Jessica Winter

Let this be a message to all of us wrestling w/ moments of our own self doubt  :)

Happy Birthday!

Paxton Silver Rohde was born on May 17th @ 8:28am. He weighed 6lbs 10 oz and was 19 1/4 long.
So excited he was born via csection without issue. I was most nervous about the long needle going in my back for the spinal, which actually turned out to not be that big of a pain. It was amazing how quickly things moved along. We were admitted to the OR at 8am and he was out and breathing by 8:28am. Once I heard his gurgling cries, I was reduced to a weepy mess. Bring on the water works! A feeling like no other, knowing Jay and I had created that screaming being on the other side of the iron curtain :) Jay brought him over to me after the cord was cut, his eyes were lubed, nose/mouth were sucked and he was wiped down...to tell me, he was 'perfect', indeed he is!

Happiest day of our lives, you better believe it! We could not be more excited about our newest family member and how he is going to change our lives forever!

The Last DINK(dual income-no kids) Dinner....

Friday night, decided we should go out for a steak dinner, maybe our last childless dinner for awhile.  My ribeye was good, but poor Jay's porterhouse looked like roadkill...and was barely palatable.
To make up for Friday's mediocre steak he made us a delicious steak lunch: bacon wrapped filets, twice baked potatoes and steamed squash.  Gotta pack in the good food before the witching hour of no food/drink, past midnight.  I'm sure the doctor does not want to slice into me and last nights steak, to get to Baby Rohde tomorrow am.
Tomorrow is the big day, we will have a little piece of both of us emerging into the world at around 8:45AM...we're both still in shock...I imagine this is normal?  :)

Time to play around w/ images of what our kid might look like @ morphthing.com

38 Weeks....

Hooray!...who ever thought we would make it this far...well not paranoid little me, thats for sure  :)
Doc confirmed today, no dilation or labor progression, baby Rohde must really like it in there and hopefully will be a good boy and stay put until the 17th when momma gets her sweet little spinal and does not feel anything, but he magically appears, like a rabbit pulled from the hat....yah, I like the sound of that.  'And for my next trick', says the doctor, "I will pull out a placenta", the crowd goes wild(oh wait, there is no crowd, well maybe there is, counting me, Jay and however many nurses they deem necessary).
Anyway, next Monday at 8am the surgery begins, which means I could be enjoying my first sushi lunch in months!  So happy I will have hospital help for 4 days, before being kicked to the curb to fend for ourselves.

On the nesting side of things, finally powered through the last 2 boxes of my clothes that needed to be housed in my new, uber small closet.  A good lesson in trying to be a minimalist(what?!).  Jr's  pak n play and sweet lamb swing  is set up...thanks Jay!  Layette is clean, crib is made (even though he wont be sleeping in it for a couple of months), diapers/wipes/bath schtuff/baby medical supplies/baby monitor....all check!
Lasagna and meatloaf made and in the freezer, so me and the hubs don't go too hungry, amidst the chaos.
Practicing getting up at all hours of the night(not by choice)....also check  :(

I think we're ready, lets do this.....1,2, 3 Baby Time!

37 Weeks

Baby Rohde has made great gains since our last sonogram...in the 40th percentile now, weighs 6lbs 10 oz.  If he gains an ounce/day until the 17th, which is normal, he will be a  sizable little man.  Yeah!

When I asked the doctor what vein baby was resting on, since I now have some fun sharp pain in my groin/inner thigh area anytime I get up, to which he replied, "does it feel like someone is stabbing you in the vagina with a knife"? ..........um,  no, doc, but you are hilarious for offering that up, at least both Jay and I thought so!

Happy to know we are back on the cord blood banking scene.  After initially submitting all the paperwork, they mailed me back stating they had met their quota for donations for the month of May, but alas, they called back to say the quota has increased and our kit is on it's way.  Perhaps our efforts will help someone in need in the future........Karma baby, Karma!