Mathematical Mama

Couldn't resist the little nod to my husband's newest passion... GOLF! Anyway... I like to say that if I had life to do over, I wouldn't change a thing.  I learned from every mistake I made.  As time passes, I think I have gained wisdom and tact from my mistakes... which are many more than a few, I can assure you!  Raising children is different.  There are a few things that I would change, given the opportunity.  My kids wouldn't be anymore awesome... cause that's not possible.  They are at the highest peak of awesomeness.  But I think knowing then what I know now would have made me feel like a better mom. So... here are the things I would change: 1: Breastfeeding. I did breastfeed both of my kiddos.  JP for 9 months, and Z for 6.  I feel like I gave up both times without a real fight.  With JP, I was working full time and pumping 3 times while I was at work, but we still needed to supplement with formula.  His first meal wa...

I have a birth story for miss Z, so I wanted to document the few fleeting details about my firstborn, before they are gone forever out of my head! So, here it is... JP's story. My pregnancy with him was fantastic!  I didn't have morning sickness past the first trimester (it stopped at 13 weeks on the dot) and I didn't crave anything weird, but did eat everything sour in sight.  Like, bag of sour patch kids with a 2 liter of lemonade...on a regular basis. Which probably explains my weight gain... but anyway... My OB took me off work at 36 weeks due to migraines.  Once I could lay down as soon as I felt one coming on, they were completely manageable. My sister was working at a nail place, so 15 days before my due date, I went to get a pedicure.  Since I carry large anyway, I got asked several times if I was past my due date, or if I was carrying twins or triplets.  Or both. And the owner of the nail place asked me very politely not to go into labor.  App...

Seriously. I wish that I was a big, milk producing cow! Alright, strike that, I wish I could keep up with my little piglet of a daughter! I used to giggle when the nurses at the hospital or our pediatrician talked about nipple confusion. JP had jaundice his first week that resulted in an extended stay at the NICU and under the lights. IV in the head and everything. Our options were stay another X days in the hospital with him trying to get him to nurse for 30 minutes every 3 hours... not an easy task when your little one is very fatigued and the atmosphere is less than comfortable. Or we could supplement with formula and go home the next day. I'm a hardcore advocate for breast feeding, but the decision was a no-brainer. We started JP on formula and once we got home he continued to nurse, only taking a bottle when it was offered, which was several times a day once I returned to work 6 weeks postpartum. Now the piglet... She was quite upset at me starting with day 2 after we lef...