Hopes and Goals for 2013

2013 Hopes and Goals

1. Lose 19 pounds, a.k.a 'the rest of the 60 pounds of pregnancy weight' (By May 2013)

2. Stick to proposed 2013 family budget. 

3. Have 1 month's total income saved in savings account.

4. Read 25 books.

5. Find preschool for Isaac.

6. Finish car payments and get Noah's student loan debt situated. 

7. Have 18 paid harp gigs.

8. Practice harp 1 hour each day/4 days a week.

9. Do the elliptical 1 hour each day/4 days a week.

10. Complete 2 pinterest projects for Isaac (discovery bottle, bag etc..) each month.

11. Prepare 1 home meal per week.

12. Have a daily morning devotional time with Isaac.

13. Read Isaac at least two books per day.

14. Isaac to have perfect attendance in Sunday School. (Noah and I will have to miss occasionally if I want to have 18 paid harp gigs this year)

15. 1 diet coke per day/ 5 days a week

16. Have two special family outings each month.

17. Begin birthday and Christmas preparations during the summer.

18. Do one art project with Isaac per week.

19. Complete the Love Dare.

20. Work at Manna House.

21. Provide presents for a Salvation Army Angel.

22. Read Isaac's Bible 3 days per week.

23. Listen to 1 Classical music recording with Isaac 3 days per week.

24. Have a twenty minute music session with Isaac five days per week.

25. Have Isaac become a big brother.

Living Christmas Tree Devotional from 25th Anniversary Tree 2009

Isaac's First Year

Firsts

First Day Home: November 23, 2011

First Doctor's Visit: November 25, 2011

First Trip to Scottsboro: November 25, 2011

First Sponge Bath: November 26, 2011

First Sink Bath: November 28, 2011

First Church Trip: November 30, 2011

First Smile: Two Weeks Old

First Time in Church Nursery: December 25, 2011

First Trip to Nashville: December 26, 2011

First Trip to Birmingham: January 1, 2012

First Time to Sleep Through the Night: February 9, 2012

First Time to Play with Toys: February 18, 2012

First Time Laughing: Two Months Old

First Solid Food: Gerber's Rice Cereal March 21, 2012

First Time to Sit Alone: March 16, 2012

First Beach Trip: May 4, 2012

First Time To Sit Himself Up: June 22, 2012

First Belly Crawl: June 19, 2012

First Consonants: June 26, 2012

First Time to Crawl: June 28, 2012

First Time to Pull Up: June 30, 2012

First Tooth: July 12, 2012

First Time Walking: October 1, 2012

First Time Putting An Object into a Canister: November 12, 2012

Statistics

Birth: 20.5 Inches and 8lb 2oz

Two Weeks: 221/8 Inches and 9lb 5oz

Two Months: 23 Inches and 13lb 2oz

Four Months: 26 Inches and 14lb 14.5oz

Six Months: 27.5 Inches and 17lb 1oz

Nine Months: 19lb

Eating

Isaac is a very good eater. He eats almost anything he is given. He eats lots of Gerber raviolis, macaroni and cheese with vegetables, cheese quesadillas, guacamole, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, chicken, saltine crackers, Gerber crunchies, bananas, cheerios, yogurt, and Gerber fruit squeezes. 

At 4 months, Isaac started drinking apple juice. He loved apple juice until he began at 11.5 months drinking whole milk mixed with some chocolate milk.

Sleeping

Unfortunately, sleeping is our biggest issue. Isaac usually wakes up once during the night to drink a bottle of milk. He also really struggles sleeping in his crib. He will sleep in his crib for maybe 3-4 hours but will wake up and want to get in bed with us. Isaac sleeps in our bed a whole lot. Isaac still takes two naps a day for the most part; a morning nap and an afternoon nap.

Playing

Isaac is great at playing. He loves to play by himself. He loves his Pat the Bunny book, his board books, his blocks, his little people animals from his Noah's Ark, his nubby ball, drums, xylophones, shakers, puzzle pieces, and rubber ducks. His favorite thing to do is explore, he loves to observe his surroundings. He likes to try and climb.

Temperment

Isaac has a pretty good temperment. He definitely can have toddler moments. He has thrown some slight temper tantrums when he doesn't get his way, but he is pretty easy to calm down. He is very generous with his smiles and definitely shows a love of life and of people. He's never had a long crying spell.

Out and About

Isaac goes every where. He goes to church twice a week, he goes to school choir practices, and community choir practices. Isaac has been to orchestra rehearsals and all sorts of concerts. Isaac goes out to eat regularly and goes to the Little Gym and Gymboree occasionally. Isaac is definitely a baby about the town.

Learning

We are trying our best to teach Isaac what to do rather than what not to do and punish him. We teach Isaac to keep our books on the shelf and that the trash stays in the trash can. He does a pretty good job of listening to us. He definitely understands but sometimes wants to do what he wants to do. When times like this arise, we distract him by showing something else. When he wants to touch a cord or something dangerous we say 'no' and 'dangerous'. Isaac is definitely doing a good job of going off of furniture or stairs 'feet first'. We like to encourage Isaac to explore his surroundings and learn by doing. 

30 Days of Thankfulness

Contemplating November and all for which I am thankful.

1. My Faith. I am thankful for the foundation my parents' provided me as a child and blessed that as an adult, cultivating my relationship with God is still a priority. I pray that Noah and I will be able to provide Isaac with this same foundation.

2. My parents. I am thankful not only for two people I love, who support us and care for us, but two people who are my closest and best friends with whom I can talk for hours on end. I am thankful for their love and support for Isaac as well.

3. My husband. I am thankful for someone for whom I am so proud, who I respect, and love more than anything. I am so blessed to be married to someone so giving, understanding, and hardworking. 

4. My son. I am so thankful God has blessed us with Isaac. Not only have I loved being a mother, but as he grows older and I learn more and more about his own unique personality, I see that I love this little man he is becoming.

5. My family. I am thankful for such a close family who loves spending time together. I am so thankful for the love they have for Isaac as well. 

6. Noah's family. I am thankful for loving and accepting in-laws who have been kind to me for these past twelve years.

7. Our home. I am thankful to not only have a heated or cooled roof over our heads, but also because we have been blessed to be able to make it feel like us and turn it into a place of comfort and joy. 

8. Noah's job. I am so thankful that Noah has found a profession and a place of work that he absolutely loves. I am so proud of all he has done and know that he has great things ahead of him.

9. Our church. I am thankful that we have a loving church family who cares for us. I am thankful we have a place to go at least twice a week where we feel invested and a sense of belonging. 

10. The harp. I am thankful for the ability to still get to play and that I am still hired for  harp gigs. I am thankful for the extra money it brings in that allows us a few extra luxuries in life like getting Isaac's professional pictures.

11. Autumn. I am thankful that every year the leaves turn beautiful colors and as I drive through our neighborhood, I always stare in awe at how beautiful and quaint it all seems.

12. My students. I am thankful for children that I absolutely love. I am thankful for their excitement and questions.

13. Dinner and Coffee with Friends. I am thankful that I occasionally get to get together with friends and make new memories and cherish the old ones.

14. Special Events. I am thankful that I have fun events always on the horizon. I love filling in my calendar with all sorts activities.

15. Netflix. I am thankful that Noah and I can enjoy watching our favorite television programs before bed for $8 a month instead of $150 that cable would cost.

16. Cameras and Pictures. I am thankful that I have the ability to take and store tons and tons of pictures, which is my passion. I am thankful that I can look through them all everyday.

17. Lattes. I am thankful for my morning pick-me-up that my husband makes for me on weekdays and that we buy from Starbucks on weekends.

18. NPR. I am thankful I don't rely on Fox News or the Huffington Post for my information on the country and world. 

19. Transportation. I am thankful that Noah and I have two vehicles capable of getting us to work, harp gigs, and everywhere, and that we can travel with a baby and a harp. 

20. Ms. Laura and Miss Marcia's. I am thankful for the loving childcare Isaac has. I am thankful that during the school day he is not only well taken care of but encouraged to play, explore, and learn.

21. Mrs. McQueen. I am thankful for a Grandmommy for Isaac who cares for him and loves him.

22. Emily and Rush. I am thankful for our friendship, their love for Isaac, and our time together.

23. Boy Clothes. I am thankful for the many and cute outfits we are given and we can get for Isaac.

24. Music. I am thankful for my love of music. I am thankful that Isaac already shows that he loves music too. I am thankful that we have the ability to provide so many musical opportunities for Isaac and for ourselves as well.

25. Time. I am thankful for the precious little time we have. I pray to cherish every moment we have together and pray that we have many, many more moments.

26. Hope. I am thankful that everyone is my family has not only a job, but a career. I am thankful that we all strive to do our best, and that no matter what the future or the economy may bring that we will hopefully have the opportunity to provide for ourselves and each other. 

27. Health. I am thankful that we are all in good health. I am thankful we do not have high medical bills and that we lead active and full lives. 

28. My mom. I am thankful for such a strong mentor and good example. I am blessed to be her apprentice and to learn from her both as a teacher and mother. I am thankful for her guidance in all things related to child development. 

29. Noah. Though I already said I was thankful for a loving husband, I am also just thankful for Noah. We have been best friends since ninth grade. I'm completely dependent on this relationship.

30. The future. I look forward to seeing what is next.

I thank the Lord for all he has provided. Thank You for watching over us, for protecting us. Thank You for your love. 

I just watched 'The Business of Being Born' and here are some of my thoughts.
The Business of Being Born

I was induced. I had a really fast and really easy labor. I tell people all the time, that I had a good experience. Here is a recommendation I gave someone who was asking about being induced on a mommy forum on May 24, 2012.

I think when making this decision there are a lot of factors to consider. 1. I have heard it said that one day in the womb is like one week outside. Your baby needs to grow inside you for as long as possible. Most doctors do not recommend any inducement before 39 weeks. 2. How far along are you. Are you dilated, has the baby dropped, what is your percent for effacement? I think these things will factor into how smooth your inducement goes. I'll tell you my story. At my doctor's appointment at 39 weeks and four days, I was 75% effaced and 2-3 centimeters dilated. My doctor scheduled my inducement for the next Monday at 40 weeks and 4 days but said that there was a good chance I wouldn't make it. Well, come next Monday, at 40 weeks and 4 days, my husband and I went to the hospital at 5am. We were hooked up and ready to go by 6am. I had a pitocin drip and at about 8:30, the doctor came in and broke my water and then they put me on a constant flow of pitocin. Everything was fine until the constant flow, and then things got kind of painful, I had an epidural and felt better immediately. At 11:00 I had some pain again and the nurse checked me and said I was ready to push. At 11:55pm my baby was born. It happened super quickly, it was not painful or uncomfortable. Because I was a scheduled inducement, my doctor delivered the baby and I was really happy about that. Because I was 75% effaced I did not have to do cervadil and I didn't have to go in the night before. Having a scheduled inducement was the right decision for us but I was past my due date and had naturally progressed as well. The only thing that went wrong was the baby's heart rate started dropping while I pushed, so they decided to get him on out, so they used the vacuum puller and I had an episiotomy and he was out in like a total of four sets of pushing but I don't think that was related to the inducement. Good luck, make the decision that is best for you. Most people are going to have all sorts of opinions, but listen to your doctor and make the right call for you and your baby!!

I would say, for the most part even after watching this documentary and reading what other's have said, I still stand by this post, but some parts of the documentary hit very close to things that I experienced. Here is a link to Isaac's birth story that I wrote on November 26, 2011, five days after he was born. Isaac's Birth Story

1. Isaac's heart rate dropped. Every time I pushed, Isaac's heart rate fell. This caused some concern for the nurse and the doctor but neither of them ever mentioned a c-section. Instead, they decided to do an episiotomy and use the vacuum. I really don't think he'll have long term negative effects because of this and quite frankly I'm not fretting about future learning disabilities and such. When I first saw him, his head shape was out of control. The top of his head was completely pulled up and misshapen. They put a hat on his head, so no one else in our family ever saw it and by the time we got upstairs his head was round again.

I don't know if the pitocin had anything to do with his heart rate drop or not, but the documentary would suggest that the use of pitocin makes contractions harsher for both the mother and the baby. The documentary says the mother doesn't feel them because most mothers who have had pitocin have epidurals (like I did) and can't feel the pain, but it still affects the baby because the harder contractions cause the baby some distress.

2. Bonding. The moment Isaac was born and they put him on my chest, I just felt overwhelmed, stressed, and all this pressure to be the best mother in the world with all these eyes on me. I felt like I was supposed to say something beautiful, show an appropriate emotion, or sing a meaningful song. I actually felt relieved when they took him away to clean him up. I haven't beat myself up about this because I had heard even before giving birth that this was a possibility. This dazed feeling certainly did not last forever. I did have the 'baby blues' for maybe two weeks but I definitely bonded with Isaac. I did not have post-partum depression and Isaac and I bonded quickly and strongly.

According to the documentary though, pitocin also affects the mother's immediate bonding with her baby. The documentary suggests that oxytocin is the natural hormone involved in inducing labor and while pitocin can mimmick some of the effects of oxytocin such as dialation and effacement, it cannot provide the same 'bonding' instincts that women experience who have not had pitocin. I don't know if I can blame the pitocin for all my feelings. Quite frankly, I'm just easily overwhelmed and it takes me a while to get my bearings and adjust. I'm actually quite pleased with how well I adjusted to life as a new mother.

3. Breastfeeding. I took the breastfeeding class but was still not 100% sure before giving birth what our plan would be. As soon as Isaac had gotten cleaned up and we were waiting to go upstairs to the well-baby floor, I tried to breastfeed. I knew that the best time to breast feed was within the first hour after birth. I was left alone in the room, the nurse left and there were no lactation consultants down on the labor and delivery floor. I had no idea what to do. I tried to breastfeed, but Isaac just slept. I couldn't wake him up. Isaac was an extremely sleepy baby for the first three months of his life.

I can't remember if the documentary touched on this or not, but I have read that epidurals make babies sleepier and consequently breastfeeding harder. Halfway through our hospital stay with our sleepy Isaac, I gave up and started pumping. It was so much easier to bottle feed Isaac his colustrum and so we just stuck with pumping and bottle feeding. We bottle fed Isaac breast milk for a little over four months and then switched to formula. Again, I don't know if the epidural was what made Isaac so sleepy or not.


I know I would never do a home birth. The reason we chose the hospital we did, was because they had a NICU. Thankfully, we did not need the NICU but I am so glad we were at a hospital that had one.

Maybe I'm too picky and expect too much. All in all, no matter what, I was blessed with a beautiful healthy boy and I was completely healthy as well. God was watching over that day and I will be eternally grateful to our doctor whom we trusted and obviously made good decisions for us.

Weighty Thoughts

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy......

than you do in the comments section of a news article. At least in my opinion. I'm a complete sadist. I read and continue to read comment after comment continually upset by what people say and how they say it. 

Here are two New York Times articles I have read in the past few months and I just want to write down my concerns with the message in both the content of the article and especially what you will find in the comment section. 

New York Times Article

Another New York Times Article

Both of these articles deal with weight. The first article is about how female actresses and especially comedians are embracing their fuller figures and being just 'a little bit heavy'. The second article talks about the pressure to lose all your baby weight in a matter of weeks and return to your pre-baby body. 

Weight is something with which I have always struggled. Well, it started in the fourth grade. I remember clearly that one day in p.e. class when another girl mentioned something about how thin some other classmates were and for the first time ever I realized I was not thin. Once this realization hit me, it didn't leave my mind ever again. I spent the last part of my elementary years, and all of my middle school and high school years in a constant state of inferiority because I was not thin. Here's the thing though..... I wasn't overweight. I wasn't obese. At my heaviest weight in high school, my Express jeans were a size 8 and I weighed about 140 pounds. 

In college I continued to fluctuate, I got down to 128 by the end of freshman year, but was back up to 138 by the end of the summer. I also began to live a more active lifestyle. I started running. But in the second half of my sophomore year, I got serious. I counted EVERY calorie that entered my body. I tried to keep my calories below 1300 a day. And I lost weight. By October of my junior year in college I weighed 112 pounds. I was as thin as I could possibly make myself be. I will say this, I was always cold and I stopped menstruating (well for just a couple of months). I mostly kept my weight down after that, I slowly drifted up and by the time I got pregnant I was weighing around 125 pounds. Even after college, I continued my weekly exercise routine but using the elliptical machine instead of running.

 During my first trimester I ate, and ate, and ate and didn't exercise at all. Quite frankly, I was just scared. I was pretty much petrified that I would lose the baby. I gained a whole lot of weight during that first trimester. By my second and third trimester I resumed my exercise routine and curbed my eating and even though my weight gain slowed down, by the end of my pregnancy, I weighed 184 pounds. So I definitely gained more weight that 'doctors recommend'. My doctor never mentioned anything to me. After Isaac was born, I lost 40 pounds in 4 months without trying (I was pumping breastmilk though). Since March, I have weighed 144 pounds. 

So yeah, I still weigh about twenty pounds more now, than I did before I got pregnant and yes, it bums me out, but...  honestly, I don't want to be that thin ever again. It was pretty miserable eating so little and being so hungry. I'm 5'4" and according to weight watchers my healthy weight range is 117-146 pounds. My body mass index is in the healthy range (the higher end of healthy but still healthy). So yes, ideally I will lose weight. I'm increasing the amount of exercise I do going from 20-40 minute sessions 3-5 times a week to 40-60 minute sessions 3-5 times a week. I'm also doing these thigh exercises I find on pinterest, because that's where most of me weight is lurking. 

I just think that there is a difference in being obese and unhealthy and not being a size 0. There is a middle ground. Yes, you are still healthy even if you are not stick thin. Quite frankly, for most people, I think you are actually healthier if you are not stick thin. 

I don't want to say that I'm embracing my 'fuller figure' or I'm happy with a 'few extra pounds'. What really hit my hard, is the fact that I teach middle school girls. If I call myself fat, what does that say to them? So yes, I definitely believe that being healthy is important. I know that I need to do a better job at eating healthier foods, I already do a pretty good job at exercising regularly, and maybe for my height, losing a few more pounds and getting a little farther away from that high end of the normal body mass index would do me some good. But, I'm not fat, I am not unhealthy, and I am not going to starve myself or go to any extreme to lose weight. 

All things Autumn: Our Fall To-Do List!

Fall will officially begin September 22nd and it will be Isaac's first fall!! I'm writing out all we hope to do this year during our very favorite time of year!

1. Football Game

2.Huntsville Botanical Gardens Scarecrow Trail
Huntsville Botanical Gardens 

3. Apple Orchard
Scott's Apple Orchard

4. Apple Stamping

5. Bake Apple Cookies

6. Autumn Leaf Hand Print Tree

7. Corn Maze
Brownsboro Corn Maze

8. Tate's Farm
Tate's Farm

9. Carve a Pumpkin

10. Pumpkin Spice Latte and Pumpkin Scone

11. Halloween Costume

12. Thanksgiving Dinner

Music Products We Have Loved

I Know This List Will Be A Work In Progress.....

Singing with Isaac!

Before Isaac was born, Noah and I went through this book and put tab post-it notes on 31 different lullabies in both Spanish and English (and one in French) that we chose to be 'Isaac's lullabies'. Most nights before we fell asleep while I was still pregnant, we would sing through all 31 of them. We haven't sung through them all in a set since he was born, but these are or go-to lullabies and all that practice we did before he was born has paid off in our hopes to learn these songs ourselves.

The Book of Lullabies Compiled by John M. Feierabend

Another John M. Feierabend book we have used religiously (literally) is the Book of Church Songs and Spirituals. I used this book when I taught music at Westminster Christian Academy, and still use it for Kindercamp and Kinderchoir at First Baptist Church in Huntsville, and with Isaac everyday. These are the songs I grew up singing, my Mom grew up singing, and we want to pass on to the next generation.

The Book of Church Songs and Spirituals by John M. Feierabend and Madeline Bridges

I've been compiling fun, folk songs from many, many resources for several years now that I've used in classroom settings, camp settings, and church settings. We sing these songs everyday with Isaac, in the car, during meal times, while we're playing or cuddling, when changing his diaper, or getting him dressed. Here are just some links to a few good books filled with songs.

150 Folk Songs to Sing, Read, and Play

First Steps in Music for Preschool and Beyond

Sing Together Children

Listening with Isaac!


One of the best gifts we received shortly after Isaac was born was a Baby Einstein turtle that lit up and and played music. I was little overwhelmed when we first brought Isaac home because I had no idea how to get him to interact with his surroundings, but one of the first things I could get him to watch and focus on was this turtle. In later months, he learned to press the buttons and play with the turtle himself.

Baby Einstein Baby Neptune Ocean Orchestra Musical Toy

Isaac loved the turtle so much, we bought him what we have affectionately called his ipod because we felt it was a more portable version of the turtle. When he gets into a crying fit in the car, this is one of the fail-safe ways to calm him down.

Baby Einstein Take Along Tunes

We need to do a better job of listening to children's music on long car rides. Though we haven't done a whole lot of listening, I love the style and voice of Jill Trinka who sings only with an auto harp, dulcimer, or guitar accompaniment. This c.d. is full of children's folk music.

There's a Hole in My Bucket

I wish, wish, wish, there was a c.d. of The Book of Church Songs and Spirituals...but there isn't. I found this c.d. at Wal-Mart and we bought it for Isaac. This is the c.d. we have in his c.d. player in his room that we play for him while he's playing, getting dressed, or going to sleep. There are probably better c.d.s out there and I'll be sure to look out for them when browsing at the Christian Book Store.

Little People Sunday School Sing-Along

Playing with Isaac!


Making noise and experimenting with sound is very fun for our 8 month old Isaac. He especially loves drums. Though anything has the potential to be a drum to an 8 month old, playing with real drums is a real treat! This is the drum that Isaac can play because his Marmee has a great selection of drums as an elementary music teacher. Though it's really expensive, there are great smaller and less expensive drums I know he would enjoy too!

Remo Kid's Percussion Rain Forest Gathering Drum

Isaac has really enjoyed shakers as well! Sometimes they are more fun to chew on than actually shake but he definitely has fun!

Gymboree Shape Shakers

Kindermusik Animal Shakers

Isaac's Marmee has a real baby grand piano which is a lot of fun to play! But when we're at home and there is no baby grand, we play our Little Tike's Tap-A-Tune. Isaac's Tap-A-Tune is the old, old version, and not the one they sell in stores today.

Little Tike's Tap-A-Tune Piano (Vintage Version)

I know I'll be adding, and adding to this list in the many months and years to come!

The Facebook Over-Sharer?

Facebook is a completely different place now than it was when I first joined back in March of 2005. I remember so well when Samford students were finally able to join and we all jumped on the band wagon and feverishly began 'friending' one another. It has changed and grown so much since then, with the addition of status updates, pictures, groups, notifications, mini-feeds, comments, and of course the ever popular 'like' button. Back in 2005 it was only for college students who had a college email, but they slowly included more and more groups of people, and now anyone over the age of 13 can have an account. It is no longer just a college thing and hey, those of us who joined back then aren't even in college anymore. What amazes me constantly is how everyone has such varying opinions about what facebook rules should be. What is the correct facebook etiquette? What do people expect from their facebook friends? I think most people have rules that they follow for themselves, but they expect others to follow as well, but are these rules universal?

I admit it, I am a huge facebook addict; I check my facebook account multiple times a day, read all the news in my news-feed and update my profile, status, and pictures regularly, and as of two years ago, I even have facebook on my phone. I have been a facebook addict since 2005. When I got engaged on October 22, 2005 I changed my profile picture to a picture of my new engagement ring (there were no photo albums back then, the profile picture was the only way to upload a picture, there was no 'engaged' relationship status, and also there were no status updates). My friends wrote on my wall and I felt loved and grateful. When facebook added the photo albums (a limit of 60 pictures in one album) I created all sorts of albums and uploaded pictures of my college friends, our Delta Omicron events, my friends' weddings, family holidays, and Noah and me. When they introduced the status update it included the word 'is' For instance: Katie Hoppe is at the library, Katie Hoppe is at the mall. I remember trying to come up with all sorts of creative ways of expressing myself while still remaining grammatically correct within the construct of Katie Hoppe is.... I enjoy facebook, love reading other people's updates, and love making updates of my own, but I realize that not everyone shares this love and I wonder how much is too much and what is our responsibility to be sensitive to others. 

Facebook can be a miserable place though for many people at different times in their life. Though I've always loved facebook, it was a really hard place for me to visit when I was struggling with infertility for three years. It seemed that everyday, someone else was announcing their pregnancy, posting pictures of their baby or ultrasound, or updating their status about their pregnancy or child. I was constantly fighting feelings of jealousy, bitterness, and a deep sadness. At one point I deactivated my facebook for about a week, and at another time, I hid everyone who had children from my 'news feed.'  Although, it isn't just updates about children that can be upsetting, but updates about engagements, marriages, jobs, trips, houses, and other purchases that cause others pain. Is there such a thing as 'over sharing'? Can you update too much? Are there things that we should and should not share on facebook?

I had one friend who did not update her facebook when she got her first job after a year of being a substitute teacher because she knew that there were others out there still struggling to find work and she wanted to be sensitive to them because she remembered what it was like when she was reading constant updates about new jobs when she had been looking and interviewing. I recently had another friend post that she does not put 'belly pictures' up on her facebook, because she remembers how affected she had been by seeing those constant pictures when she was struggling with infertility. This hits me hard. As I mentioned previously, I love updating my facebook but I don't want to hurt anyone. Am I wrong for being such a constant updater on facebook?

I don't have an answer. I am sure many people have firm but varying opinions on this topic and there is no Emily Post book we can consult for facebook etiquette. Everyone has different levels of comfort about sharing their joys and sorrows and everyone has different levels of facebook involvement. Is there such a thing as over sharing on facebook? Where do we draw the line between sharing and over sharing? 

From March 2011-November 2011, I put up 43 posts about or related to pregnancy and updated my profile picture 9 times with belly pictures. 

From November 2011-July 2012, I have posted 69 times either about my baby or mentioning my baby, have updated 7 photo albums 60 times that have pictures of my baby in them, and have updated my profile picture 9 times with a picture of a baby. 

I tried hard to not fall in this trap, but here's my honest truth:

1. I love pictures. I take pictures constantly. I love scrapbooking, organizing pictures, framing pictures, and even posting pictures. 2. I love my son. As hard as it was for me before I had him, I am even more so overjoyed that he is here now. I have considered the idea of creating another facebook account for Isaac, where I would post updates about him and pictures of him there, that way only people who wanted these updates and pictures of him would see them. I will still think this idea over further.

I try my best everyday to never be condescending to anyone, to be sensitive the needs and feelings of others, and respect everyone's current place in life whether by choice or not. I would never and have certainly never meant to assert that my life is more blessed, busier, or more filled than anyone else's. I realize though, I am not perfect, I make mistakes everyday and I am really sorry if I have ever caused anyone pain. . I have been pondering this query of how much to share since March of 2011 and am no closer to an answer. I have enjoyed the community of facebook with sharing and swapping stories, laughs, and advice but acknowledge the possible negative side effects. I guess all I can do is continue to observe the world around me, try to be as attuned as possible, and try to find a good balance.

Month 2

Sleeping

So many things changed daily this past month. At the beginning of the month Isaac was still sleeping like he did as a newborn: pretty much all the time but not through the night. Isaac would wake up every two to three hours throughout the night just to eat. He would sleep in his bassinet right beside us. As Isaac grew older, his awake time became more and more. Starting around five weeks old, he began growing more alert and more awake. As this started, his sleeping at night became less and less. He began fussing more during the first half of the night even when he had already been fed. We've been trying lots of different things. We tried letting him sleep in his car seat which worked really well for a few nights and then he started fussing again. Then we put him back in his bassinet and he slept pretty well for a few nights. Then we started swaddling him and we thought it was working pretty well, but we had a pretty bad night last night, so we'll see what we try next! He wants to stay awake until 3:00am but normally after that he'll sleep until 6:00am. Most days when he wakes up in the morning, he wakes up very happy and loves to just lie in his bassinet and kick and smile, it's hard to leave him to go to school in the mornings!

Feeding

For the first half of this month, I pumped quite a bit and we had so much extra milk in storage. At the beginning of January, I started back to school and started pumping less and less. I can still get quite a bit out at each pumping (always 6-10 ounces on average, sometimes as much as 13!) we are freezing and storing the milk less and using it on a supply and demand status. Because we were afraid of not having enough milk, we went and bought some enfamil infant canned formula. We bought the small 8 ounce cans. Normally, Isaac drinks one can spaced out over two feedings at night, but there have been days when he hasn't had any formula at all. We still have milk in the freezer and I have not ever run out and can still have such a surplus that we freeze more milk to put in the freezer. I was prepared that I might lose my milk and he would have to be formula fed, but for right now were are doing really well and I am producing plenty of milk for him even though we feed hims just a little bit of formula as well occasionally. Isaac is less regular in his eating than he was. He used to eat every 2-3 hours but now he can go as much as 4-5 hours without eating but he sometimes also will want to eat like 2 ounces fall asleep and thirty minutes later wake up and eat a little more. We're still trying to figure out how best to give him his bottle and what amount is a good amount for him, he can eat from 2-5 or sometimes 6 or seven ounces at a time. We usually fill up each bottle with four ounces for each feeding but because we are going out so much we'll fill a bottle up entirely so we have extra while we are out and about. He also started spitting up a whole lot more. He almost always has a little bit of spit up after every feeding but sometimes we over feed him and he spits up a huge, huge, huge amount. We have sometimes been covered in milk ourselves requiring us to have to change clothes as well.

Crying

When Isaac was first born he screamed cried, but he hasn't scream cried yet. In fact, the first month and a half of his life he didn't cry at all; he would fuss but never cry. This began to actually worry us. Even though we were glad he has a good temperment, I began to worry he might have autism because he isn't crying. Lately he has started crying more but it's not much. He will cry for a little bit but he is always consolable and it is never actually an ear piercing scream. We'll keep watching him, but as he grows older he is crying a little bit more than he did.

Growing

Isaac has been growing like a weed. Every week it's amazing how much he has grown. He is getting so much longer and he is filling out so much more. Here at two months he as already outgrown pretty much all 0-3 month clothes, he fills out completely the 3-6 months clothes, and he can even fit into the 6 month clothes. We weighed him a week ago, and he weighs twelve pounds!!! He goes back to the doctor on Monday for his two month appointment.

Playing

Isaac has started to play more. He likes to look at lights. His favorite toys are his light up turtle or his rain forest gym with lights.