Opinions Schmopinions

Let me start by saying that I am absolutely fired up!!
Not in a good way, not in a bad way, I've just got the gumption of a mother to be.

I am thrilled to be a part of what I feel is a not-so-secret club. I have encountered many helpful women. Whether they are new moms, veteran moms, nurses or grandmas, many of them have been great! I've even come across a few dudes that have been encouraging and thoughtful. So I want to say THANK YOU!! to you.

However, what in the blankety blank is wrong with people who offer their unsolicted advice and opinions?! I'm not even talking about "stay at home moms are better than working moms" or "breast feeding is better than formula." I am talking about the "good luck losing the baby weight, the more you gain, the harder it is to take off" and the "You think you're going to breast feed more than 12 weeks? DOUBT IT!"

I have not mentioned to one person that I'm worried about getting the weight off after baby comes. In fact, I just recently started to think about it. I will concern myself with that when the time comes!
The one that really gets me though is the second one. How dare you??! Are you suggesting that I won't be able to handle it? That I am not strong enough? Do you for whatever creepy reason think that I won't be able to provide enough for my offspring?
All I hear when it is suggested that I won't nurse my child after 12 weeks is "You, as a mother and caregiver, are either not able or not willing to successfully raise a child."
The kicker on this one is that the person saying it is a DUDE.
When this man said this to me, all I could say was "oh my gosh." As in, I am speechless, mind your own business, I might go bananas on you.
But, excuse me, Dude? Here is what I would like to say: ARE YOU FREAKING OUT OF YOUR MIND?! I do not care what you think my boobs are capable of. You are a creep for even uttering (clever pun not intended) a thought about my choice as a breast feeding mother. I do not know if I will continue to nurse past one minute. But I do know that I will try my very hardest to do what I feel is best for my child. And that, Dude, has nothing to do with what you think!
Ever heard of bees wax? Get your own, and mind it.

Oh, blogosphere. Thank you for being a friend.

I would hate to leave with such a bitter ending.
So I just need to add one more time, a warm and fuzzy "thank you" to all of you encouraging people out there. Thank you to those of you who know it's hard work, but continue to only tell me how great motherhood is. Thank you to the honest ones, who have embarrassing stories to show that no one is perfect. Thank you to those who know that guilt is always present and it's okay to suppress it. And of course the ones that tell me to "snap out of it, woman!! It's not that big of a deal which bottle you choose!!!! Weirdo!"
I love you all.

I feel so much better now.

xo
emily

plugging along

Not too much has changed in the last few weeks. I suppose that's why I haven't posted anything in a litle while.

I've discovered that I've been having lots of braxton hicks contractions, or "practice contractions" as my dr. called them. For the most part, they don't bother me, but if I have a particularly busy day, they can cause a lot of discomfort. Yesterday was a pretty rough day, but after 10 hours (yes 10!) of sleep, I'm feeling quite a bit better today.

I've had big plans to get the baby room painted, but it is sometimes hard to find the time to get it prepped. I keep telling myself it's better to do it now, because I'm not gaining energy at this point. Had I really understood that, I would have gotten this started 6 weeks ago. We do have the paint and supplies, so now we just need to do it already!! I am SO excited to have it start coming together.

I am loving the fall weather! I was getting sick of grill-food. I do love me some comfort food! For whatever reason, I get the itch to start baking (which is not necessarily a talent) and making soup, chili, and big pasta meals! No wonder I always pack on a few extra lbs in the fall. At least now I'm supposed to be gaining weight....ha, no problem!
Oh, and I also started my sewing class! Oh my stars. We've had two classes. My neighbor and I go together, and the first class started at 6:30. We got there at 6:30. Everyone was running their machine already. We looked at eachother like, "huh??" Our teacher does not
teach anything! She basically tells us to do something, is sort of surprised when we don't know how to do it, so then she does it for us. This is an adult beginner class. I am not sure what she was expecting. I did successfully complete a pin cushion in the first class, and a very cute tote bag in the second class. However, I am not sure I could repeat it, considering I had a lot of help along the way.
It was during my second class where I realized I do have a hobby! I love to cook! The one problem with this is that while I enjoy doing it, I have all kinds of food as a result. That presents a problem because no household of two should have that much food. I'm going to have to start a little store. :)
I'm not going to give up on sewing. Maybe once I get the hang of it, I'll feel a little better about it.

This is all that's new for now. Not all that interesting. I think I'll take a nap. :)
Happy Sunday!

I need your help, please.

Disclaimer: If you don't care about baby "stuff", you may just want to skip this post. I am asking for some advice, and would appreciate your help!

started my baby registry yesterday. I was less than enthusiastic about it for a few reasons, one of them being that I was overwhelmed! And of course in the first ten minutes I started to cry. HA. What the h is wrong with me?
Technically, I started the route backwards, beginning with all of the "little" things. Strange how the little things could be considered the most important. Had I finished my list over there, perhaps I wouldn't have had my meltdown.
Anyway, I only requested one starter set of bottles, and I chose the Tommee Tippee because they are well rated and well, cute. Some people have suggested that I try a few different types of bottles, while others tell me just decide on one and your baby will learn to like it. So of course, after getting home, I tried to read up on the Tommee Tippee and I saw mixed reviews. But I recognize there isn't any individual product out there that everyone likes!
So question 1: Should I just try to make it work with the ones that I registered for, or should I add a few different types to my registries?

Second topic I'm confused about: if I am nursing, how many bottles do I need? I am going back to work 2 1/2 days per week after 12 weeks. I think I'm more overwhelmed about the "thing that comes naturally" more than anything else. Once again, some people say that if you just work at it, every new mom can breast feed. Others tell me that I'll need to use formula too, and that's just the way it is. Good golly, I need a support group or something.

Topic/question 3: Do you or anyone you know use a cloth/hybrid diaper? Or have you tried it? I am strongly considering taking this route for several reasons. There is a place that actually offers a $25 two week trial with like 6 different styles....I think that sounds like a good idea.

I think I've come up with my main question. What worried/worries you as a mom or mom to be? Do you think I'm getting worked up for no reason?

If you have suggestions and cannot comment on the blog, feel free to email me at emily.ringnalda@gmail.com

Thank you for your help, friends.

Babymoon Recap

It appears I took an accidental break from my bloggie! Sorry about that!

Life is good in Emilyworld.

I have been feeling little baby girl move around a TON! There have been a few times where it's been a little obnoxious, even. Is there any connection between an active fetus and an active baby? I'm curious to see if she'll be a squirmy kid. What was your experience?

The hubs and I also just took a babymoon last week, and it was such a wonderful getaway. Very different from the trips we've taken in the past. A babymoon is something I've been told we really need to do, and I'm glad we were able to take the time to travel.

Our first stop was Ft. Lauderdale. We stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Marcus enjoys a good game of blackjack (well who doesn't enjoy a good game?) and I'm a big fan of the fancy new slot machines that have speakers in the seats and shake when good things happen. My personal favorites are the Sex & The City slots, Indiana Jones, and the Amazing Race<--- which might be my all time favorite. We stayed at the Hard Rock for just one evening, and while we were there, we lounged by their resort style pool, won some $$, and mistakenly spent $18 on chips and guacamole. Our server was apparently very good at upselling without our knowing.

Our next destination was Miami! I had been looking forward to this for a long time. We opted to stay downtown Miami vs. South Beach/Miami Beach because, frankly, we were there to be spoiled and to relax, and not party. And boy were we ever spoiled!
We lounged by the pool (when it wasn't raining), ate some amazing food, received massages, took naps & finished books. Just what I needed. The only issue was my baby is sitting pretty low so I have been getting more uncomfortable and it wasn't a rare sight to see me trying to "move" her. There may be no proof, but I think that lying on the floor with my hips and legs up made her "float" up a little bit. Haha...kind of ridiculous.
Unfortunately, our flight was delayed on the way home, causing us to miss our connection, so we stayed another night and kind of a creepy hotel. I quickly realized how spoiled we were!
And now, a couple of pictures!

Crazy storm coming in while we were visiting Miami Beach. 2 minutes after this picture was taken, it started POURING, and not the typical Florida 10-minute rain, it was a 45 minute downpour. Kind of fun, and we got gelato while we waited it out.

This was SUCH a fun night! We told the concierge that we kind of just wanted pizza for dinner that night. He mentioned that the best place only had take out/delivery, which was fine with us. But they wanted us to have an experience, so they set up a private table with candles and flowers on the lounge balcony, just for us!! There was a man named "B" who was kind of like a little butler who set everything up, and called us Mr. Marcus and Ms. Emily and on this particular night he was playing "his" music and it was all Lady Gaga and dance music and we kept catching him bust out 2 second moves. We told him we'd have a dance party with him later, but we couldn't find him once we were ready. :)






Couldn't resist this one. :)


someone is getting large and in charge...

Well, if you made it through this entry, give yourself a pat on the back!

Time for me to get a move on...it's (finally) baby registering day!!
This is not something I'm looking forward to, blog post to come. :)

Have a good weekend, friends!