Rants from a mamma bear!

According to the Urban Dictionary a Mamma Bear is:

1.  A mom who can be cuddly and lovable but also has a ferocious side when it's necessary to protect her cubs. can be biological mom, or the head of a group.

2.   A tough, aggressive, and protective mother. Often going to extreme lengths to protect her child, usually her son, and herself.

Mama Bear, what a funny expression.  Until having a baby of my own, I never understood it.  I had always thought it was just a funny cutesie term for moms in general.  NOW I know it is a carnal emotion/reaction to ANY interaction with your baby outside of you and your baby daddy.  It is protective instinct that may cause extreme reactions toward anyone or thing that crosses a line when it comes to interaction with your baby. 

Usually, I am a pretty calm person.  I hate confrontation, but when it comes to my baby, my inner animal can quickly be freed and suddenly I go from a non-confrontational person to a very protective parent.  I don't know about other moms out there, but the following are a list of things that cause my inner mamma bear to be unleashed.

First, under no circumstance is it EVER appropriate (unless otherwise expressed by the baby mama and daddy) for ANYONE to ever stick their fingers in my babies mouth.  This does not mean baby will not try to suck on hands and fingers, but no one should just stick their finger in my babies mouth!  SICK!  Would you like it if I just randomly stuck my finger in your mouth and started feeling around your teeth, cheeks, and gums?  NOPE.  Not to mention all the germs on hands and under fingernails.  COME ON!   While still in the mouth region...  Please refrain from kissing my sweet, adorable, HEALTHY baby on the lips.  If you feel like you must kiss my baby, I believe babies have large foreheads and big cheeks that are just perfect to plant those puckered lips on.  :)  Never blow on my baby's face... that's just weird.   

Another thing that really gets my blood boiling is people calling babies fat.  I was blessed with a BIG BOY.  He is 100% proportional and if truth be told, he is thin for his length (but that's neither here nor there).  We all think babies with big cheeks and adorable little fat rolls are sooo stinking cute!  It is one thing to think it, it is another thing to tell a mother that her baby is fat, no matter how adoringly or well meaning the comment is.  NEVER CALL SOMEONE'S BABY FAT!  IT IS JUST PLAIN RUDE!  If you just can't hold back your opinions on someones baby, then please find another word to use to describe the sweet little bundle of joy.  Hint:  CHUNK is just as bad. 

If the baby is not yours, PLEASE DON'T TOUCH (unless you have gotten some kind of permission from the parents).  It takes every ounce of control to not smack the hands of people when I take Hudson out with me and people including complete strangers feel the need to grab his hands, poke, or touch his face.  I do my absolute best to block unwanted advances by turning around, stepping in-between the aggressor and my innocent baby and simply moving out of the way. Unfortunately my stealth maneuvering doesn't always work.  Feel free to look, but if you start touching my baby without my permission be prepared for the possible wrath that will befall you. 

There is no one right way to raise and parent a child.  What a beautiful and comforting thing to know!  It drives me absolutely crazy when people give unsolicited advice and force their child-raising views and opinions on you (me).  Let's be honest, it's just criticizing in disguise.  If you have children (or if their all grown up) PLEASE REMEMBER, you had your chance to raise your own children.  NOW, its my turn.  I understand you have already been through what I am currently going through, and probably have tons of great advice.  BUT I'm a "figure it out as I go" kind of girl and will be thoroughly annoyed and offended when you start telling me what to do and how to care for my baby.  He is not only alive after 6 months but amazingly, he is happy and healthy too!  The pediatrician and I are really tight and between him, Hudson's daddy, and myself,  I would say we are doing just fine all by ourselves.  I promise that if not pushed or forced, I WILL seek advice WHEN I NEED IT.  Until then please, and I say this with love,  BACK OFF!  If you don't have children, then you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about so it is best to just keep all thoughts to yourself.  Chances are you are completely wrong and when you do finally have children of your own, you will feel like an idiot for saying some of the things you once said.  I know this from personal experience.  Learn from my mistakes and just keep it to your self.

Steve and I are the parents.  Let us worry about Hudson.  Will will do everything in our power to protect him and keep him healthy.  Everyone else, please just enjoy spending time with him.  As parents, we have the sole responsibility to care for Hudson (change diapers, feed, bathe, clothe...).  We promise that we have it under control.  If he is sick, we will take the necessary steps to care for him.  We will teach him, feed him, clothe him, bathe him....  All anyone else has to do is love on him and play with him.  Please don't question his health or care.  It just isn't your place.  As a stay a home mom, I not only grew this sweet little boy, but I am with him 24/7.  So, please don't come to me telling me about MY BABY.  Chances are, I ALREADY KNOW!  No one needs to know his poop schedule, temperature, how he ate today... except us (his parents) and if necessary the pediatrician.  To everyone else, you are more than welcome to love him, hold him (as long as your aren't one of those grabby strangers from the grocery store...), and be a part of his life, just remember we are the parents.  We've got this. 

So, to sum it up... Keep opinions and hands to yourself, unless mommy and daddy say otherwise.  If you choose to go against these simple commonsense guidelines... beware of the mamma bear!

THE END!

*If you know me at all, then you know that this was written with a sarcastic fun tone with a hint of truth.  :)  If you read this and are offended, then either you are currently doing the above mentioned annoyances and should stop immediately, or you have read and taken this the wrong way (and probably don't know me well at all). 

I would love to know what causes your inner mamma bear to be unleashed! 

Just the right combination

It is...interesting how when feeding a baby you need just the right combination of grain, fruits and veggies, and milk in order to a) keep him full b) keep his digestive system working smooth and c) keep thirst at bay. 

For the first few months of life, feedings were pretty foolproof!  All Hudson ate/drank was milk.  He was full and happy all the time and we NEVER had tummy troubles.  That all started to change once we introduced baby food (rice cereal and veggies).  If he gets to much rice cereal, he gets constipated and his tummy really starts to hurt.  This causes crying episodes where nothing seems to help!  If he gets too many fruits and veggies in a day, the exact opposite can happen and I'm changing blowout diapers every 30 minutes and bleaching tons of his clothes (some can't even be salvaged).   So, it takes just the right combination of grain, fruit/veggies/ and milk to keep my babies digestive system running like a well oiled machine. 

Now the tricky part... that combination changes from day to day!  It is hit or miss and the magic combination must be tweaked on a daily basis.  For example of Hudson seems to be "backed up" one day, the next I give him a little less rice and a little more veggies. 

At six months, here is our (average) winning combination of foods to keep Hudson a happy little baby!

5:30am - milk 2-6 oz (sometimes this feeding time is skipped, then he drinks more milk throughout the day)
8:30am - fruit (bananas, peaches...) sometimes mixed with a little rice cereal AND milk and 2-3oz milk
12:00pm - vegetables (green beans & carrots) he eats 1/2 to 1 whole container and some milk 2-3 oz
2:00pm - 5 oz milk
5:30pm - 5-6 oz milk with a little rice mixed in
8:00pm - rice cereal and 2-3oz milk
10:00pm - 4-6oz milk (sometimes mixed with a little rice cereal)


Again, this is just a sample day.  Every single day is a little different.  Some days he wants more than others.  Honestly, I play it by ear and let Hudson tell me when he is hungry and when he is full. 

Ta Da The Winning Combination for Hudson at 6 months!  This soon will change though, because soon we will be adding in foods he can pick up on his own (cheerios) and a sippy cup (instead of a bottle)...  Just when you think you have it down... haha

A SPA Event & Fun With Family

This weekend, the Women's Ministry at our church hosted a Spa Event called Spa for the soul.  It was a HUGE success!  So many wonderful women came to relax, rejuvenate, and enjoy fellowship based on gospel.  I pray everyone who attended was touched by the experience. 

After that, we headed over to Steve's parents house to spend time with them and his brothers and family.  It is always so nice when we can all get together.  Hudson just LOVES his cousins Andrew and John.  I know I have said this before, but they are so good with Hudson.  They are so gentile with him and are always trying to make him laugh!  Soooo sweet!  These weekend visits go by so fast.  We decided that sometime this summer we will head down south for a long weekend visit.  I am really looking forward to it!  We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family.

Hudson, Daddy Steve, Andrew, & John

April 14, 2012

Cousins 4-14-12

Roll Over, Roll Over FOR REAL

This evening, for the very first time, Hudson rolled from his tummy to his back all by himself!  Since then, he has rolled from front to back four or five times!  Ahhhh How exciting!

He had accidentally flipped before, but this time he intentionally rolled over to get something or somewhere.   I was excited before, but now I'm ecstatic! 

6 months old and baby's first Easter!

I am a few days late posting this, but we have had company staying at our house! YES, Grandma and Grandpa Smith were here visiting for Easter AND to celebrate Huddy Buddy's 6 month birthday! On the 7th Grandma, Hudson, and I went to JCP portrait studio to get pictures taken. They turned out absolutely adorable! I can hardly wait to get them back! Then we went to the park to spend the afternoon and grilled chicken for dinner. It was such a nice day!

Hudson,


At six months old, you amaze me every day! You have such a fun personality and are very interactive. You sit all by yourself, and want to most of the time now. You chew on your hands constantly trying to get those teeth to poke through. A few months ago I thought you had a tooth about to break through...guess I was wrong. You can still see it under your gum tissue, but it has yet to make an appearance! haha You reach for whatever you want and are very persistent! Your daddy and I are so in love with you. Steve can still make you laugh more than anyone! It is so sweet! YOU LOVE YOUR FEET! You can even get your toes in your mouth! It would be really gross if it weren't so stinking cute (plus your feet are just as clean as your hands right now)! You are eating vegetables now. You HATE peas and carrots, but will tolerate green beans and squash. You also love our dog Sadie to lick your hands and face. Whenever she walks by you stick out your hands wanting her to give you kisses!

You are wearing size 6 month onsies, and 9 months for every thing else. You are in size 3 diapers but can fit into a size 4 just fine. You have a doctors appointment (dun dun dunnn) in the morning, so we will know exactly how much you weigh and how big you have gotten!  


*updated 4-16-12:  Hudson had his doctors appointment and he did great!  Before the doctor or nurse came in Hudson enjoyed ripping up the paper table covering.  When the nurse gave him his 6 month shots, Hudson only whimpered for a minute.  He is such a good baby.  According to Dr. Mack, "Hudson's stats are off the chart"!  haha  He is a TALL and lean baby (the nurse said so).  Dr. Mack made the comment that he is thin for his height, and you WILL NOT find another 6 month old baby as tall as Hudson.  I love my BIG baby! 

Yesterday, was your very first Easter! Both sets of grandparents and your Uncle Phillip came over for dinner (late lunch). You got two very nice Easter baskets with lots of goodies in them! What a lucky and LOVED little boy! It was so nice getting together and catching up. You were, of coarse, the center of attention. During dinner you were sitting on my lap and even tried to steal some of my food! haha It was my fault for putting my plate too close! haha Like I said, I'm learning a little bit every day! 

This past Friday, the backyard was finished. Your daddy and I finally made the decision to fix it up really nice because we want you to have a nice and safe place to play. We are going to have a lot of fun out there this summer!


WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH! HAPPY 6 MONTHS LITTLE MAN!

Hudson's First Final Four

Saturday, Hudson and Wyatt celebrated their very first Final Four win over the Louisville Cardinals!!!  Tonight Kentucky goes on to play Kansas for the championship!!!  There is no doubt in my mind that Kentucky will win it all (crossing my fingers)!  Hudson, you probably wont remember this day, but hopefully there will be many more Kentucky wins in your lifetime! 

Daddy Steve and Daddy Dave with their boys!

Hudson and Wyatt watching UK beat UL

Look how cute they are!  It is amazing how much they have changed!

Most adorable "Baby Wildcats" ever!

Hudson trying on his Easter suit!  Ahhhh look at his little tie!

I am so in LOVE with this boy!  Trying out his summer hat, sunglasses, and swim trunks.

His sunglasses have an elastic band that goes around his head!  haha

 

Swinging at the park on a beautiful March day!

Hudson tried peas for the very fist time...

Not a fan!

NO MORE PEAS MOM!!!!

Hudson's fifth month of life is going so fast!  I can't believe in less than a week we will be celebrating Hudson's 6 month birthday!  Where does the time go?  I noticed I haven't done a good job keeping up with the blog lately...  Nothing really out of the ordinary has been going on, but with Hudson more aware of his surroundings I have been finding myself needing to entertain him more.  I can't just plop him down in his jumper for an hour while I blog.  He want's tons of attention all the time, and I am more than happy to give it to him! 

Hudson can sit up all by himself, "talks" all the time, reaches for everything he wants, plays, looks for and copies facial expressions, and is just the happiest baby!  I am so thankful that I get to love and care for this sweet and precious gift from God! 

Tonight we will be cheering on the CATS as we go up against Kansas for the championship.  Hudson will be wearing his Lucky Kentucky Wildcat pajamas!  He absolutely LOVES watching UK basketball!   OOOOOoooooo C A T S cats, cats, CATS!!!!!!!!!