Becoming a mother...from my perspective

Becoming a mother is a weird thing. A beautiful, amazing, humbling, miraculous thing. One moment I was going around thinking my life was tough and that I was working hard and had it all together, or at least somewhat together, and the next moment nothing else mattered besides one thing. I was a mother. As quick as a blink, my life changed forever. This is not to say that those who are not parents have meaningless lives, not at all. I don’t think my life was meaningless before either. Just SO different. Now that I’m four months in, I know I have so much more to learn, but I’d like to record for posterity the things I’ve learned so far since becoming a mother.
1. There is no fear more paralyzing than when a nurse or doctor comes to you and says that your child has a health issue.

2. There is no relief more intense than that you feel when you find out that everything is okay.

3. The bond a mother has with her child absolutely cannot be rivaled. When we had to leave M in the hospital for one night I had the most intense emotional breakdown of my life. YES, I was hormonal, but I was also a MOM.

4. Sleep becomes much less important than it ever was before.

5. So does eating. There were days when I was on maternity leave that my husband would get home from work and I’d realize that I had not eaten all day.

6. The pride that all parents seem to have in their children is not fake or an act. It is genuine.

7. Things like watching a baby sleep are suddenly much more interesting. Things like spending a Friday night out at dinner and a movie are suddenly much less interesting.

8. No matter how bad a day was, seeing the beautiful smile of your child can make everything better, instantly.

9. Watching my husband with my child is absolutely the most fulfilling part of my life.

10. Schedules, plans and even friendships go out of the window when a baby comes along, and it’s a good thing.

Four Months

On Manning's four month birthday he was diagnosed with PNEUMONIA! Quick story: Manning has been sick for about two and a half weeks with bronchiolitis. Over the weekend he continued to get worse and began running a fever. When we woke up on Sunday I could tell his breathing wasn't coming easy and his fever wouldn't break. Nathan and I decided to take him to the local Urgent Care. Nathan was feeling sick too, so he was also seen. The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner saw Manning and spent less than two minutes examining him. When I explained to her that we'd already seen his Pediatrician and been diagnosed with bronchiolitis she immediately became very dismissive of me. She insisted that he still only had bronchiolitis and even told me that she could tell I was a first time mother. I explained that he was getting worse and that I knew something was wrong. She insisted it was just the same virus. We left. As the day progressed Manning was fussy which is very uncharacteristic for him.

By Sunday evening I decided to take him to Children's Mercy walk-in clinic the next morning. We made the thirty minute drive and were taken back to a room within five minutes of walking in. Manning was put on monitors which showed his oxygen level fluctuating between 88 and 92. The doctor immediately ordered him two breathing treatments and chest x-rays. She reviewed the x-rays and said that his bronchiolitis had progressed to pneumonia. There was no doubt to the Dr. that Manning had pneumonia the day before as well. She also checked his ears. One of his ears had wax blocking her view so she flushed it out with water and re-examined, determining that he did not have an ear infection but did have fluid on his ear.

So, the day before the NP had not only missed his pneumonia the day before she had also not even taken the time to give him a thorough examination. After being in the hospital all day his pulse ox bounced up to a steady 94 so we were allowed to go home. Had he stayed at 92 or below he would have been admitted. This is a long story just going to show that parents should always trust their instincts. I am so angry that the NP did not take me seriously and I am so relieved that I followed my gut and insisted on having Manning seen by another healthcare professional.

What a way for MPB to spend his four month birthday! Poor baby. I did take his typical monthly pics. You can tell he was sick because I could not get a smile to save my life, and he looks very pale.

In an effort to make him smile Nathan buried Manning in his stuffed animals. This picture just makes me laugh so hard. He is so sweet. hahahaha

Getting Big!

Manning is getting so big! I have been terrible about blogging, and honestly I have been terrible about taking pictures. Last weekend I bought a new camera as an early birthday present from Nathan so I believe that will inspire me to take more pictures. Also now that Manning is more active it's easier to take pictures of him. He is so adorable, but it gets a little boring taking pictures over and over of him laying somewhere or sleeping! ha! He is developing quite the little personality! Here are some recent pictures:

I have been trying to learn my Canon photo editing software. If you have any tips I'd appreciate it!

Isn't he precious!?

Pics From My Phone

I've been so bad about updating the blog. School is tough for me right now and it's had all of my spare time, but I know I need to get some current pics up of baby M. Here are some from my phone since I seem to be bad about grabbing the camera.



Manning borrowed his Uncle Tyler's hat




Manning has finally started loving on his lovies




Our boy smiles all the time!



Bonding with Daddy



More smiles!



Manning had his first sick baby appt this week on 3-5-2010. He only had a small cough but I've been fighting bronchitis so I thought I should have him seen. He is a-ok other than teeth coming in, which have turned our super happy baby into a turd. We feel so sorry for him. Anyway this was me trying to entertain him at the Dr's office. He's up to 14 lb 1 oz!



Still happy at the Dr's office



Hanging with me today while Daddy was at drill



Big boy loves sitting up in the Bumbo

I know the quality is awful in these and I'm going to make a concious effort to take more pictures with a real camera. Have a good weekend y'all.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone