Starting Over Is Not Easy ... Mother Baby Child Blog
I was over 35 when I gave birth to Baby Max. My middle son was 11 years old and my older son had just turned seventeen. It wasn't easy starting over again ... Mother Baby Child is a blog to share parenting experiences, as well as what marriage is like after being a single mom for so many years. Get info on having a baby, raising children, babies, tweens, teens, homeschooling, mom blogs, work at home mom. business marketing, Christian and celebrity moms blog posts.
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. ~ Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
Going Through Age 13 ... Again! Please Pray For Peace!
My second son turned 13 years old a few weeks ago. He didn't want me to post any pictures of his "special day" nor does he want me taking any pictures of him anymore. These may be my last for a while. This part of 13 is really a drag ... I am sneaking in these pictures of him for Wordless Wednesday today and a few more blog posts about his last few weeks (as soon as I get them written) because this is also a huge part of my life. They are pictures of him at a skate park (parent supervised) and they so project exactly who he is right now. His individuality and being understood have been mastered; now he is fighting for "respect" that struggles to maintain to give. He started fighting with us a few weeks before his 13 birthday. We laughed it off as testosterone kicking in, but ... REALLY ... I think this is on point. Any time I ask him what is wrong with him (when he picks a fight and then apologizes for it), he says "I don't know".
Don't get me wrong! He is still a very sweet boy on most days :) He is just not the same cooperative person that he was at twelve and I can tell that his teen years are going to be hard.
I am going through age 13 again ... it is frightening to me.
The funny thing is we are also going through the "teens" with our 15 month old baby. He has gotten quite "terrible two" lately :)
Today's Monday Marketing Tip is very quick ... This is a Pinterest Link Up! Add the link to your profile, favorite board or pin, and we will connect and pin with you. Pinterest is currently the #3 network in the world, so there is plenty of opportunity and friendships waiting for you. Let us know if you need an invite - See you there!
Would you like to add this Pinterest Link Up to your website? Get The Code
I'm really looking forward to connecting with you at Pinterest and checking out your boards :) Make sure to comment below to let us know that you are an active participant and not just another link posted in this hop. Hugs & Blessings!
Luv hopping and meeting other bloggers? Visit this BLOG HOPS DAILY page to join more!
It's been a while since I wrote a toddler milestones post, so I am excited to share more than pictures with you. 15 months is truly an incredible age. Although our son is considered a "toddler", he is still such a "baby" to us. He just does not understand nor communicate as well as the Sprout watching toddler that he is becoming. He is still teething, eating baby cereal each morning and exploring all over the house like a little baby; though he surprising us each day with new word, big boy foods, actions and temper tantrums.
This video above shows him trying to explain what he wants. He repeats what I say and tells me that he does not want to go outside nor have a bottle; that he wants a cup. His exact words are "I like it" when I say "cup". At the end of the video, I mistakenly said that I would get his "bah bah", but I meant that I was getting his cup. He ran towards the kitchen anyways. This video is a perfect example of how we try to communicate with one another each day.
Here's what's been going on in our life ...
4 days ago, our 15 month old baby head butted both dad and me in the mouth ...
3 days ago, he went back and forth with his dad (in a "no" battle) and said "all done" hysterically when he had enough of being rebellious and wanted to hug ...
2 days ago, he had two lines of POO POO on his cheek when his brother kissed him (yuck) ...
Today, he broke the TV and very upset about it. He is also sticking his finger up his nose non-stop ...
I AM KIND OF WORRIED WHAT TOMORROW WILL BRING :(
15 months old baby milestones include:
At 15 months, our baby does display his own sense of humor and interests. He tries to hold conversations with us all day long, though he comes across quite frustrated a lot of the time. Sometimes he tries to speak without opening his mouth at all. Most times, he says one or two syllable words. He surprises us with a sentence here and there, too.
"Dee Dee" has become the universal language :) He says "Dee Dee" for his brother, things he wants that he does not know the name for and sometimes says "Dee Dee" in place of "ma ma" for me. I think that "Dee Dee" is how he says "baby" (that he is calling us baby), but it is hard to know for sure.
He also says "hi", "hello", "I wah ue" (I love you), "all done", "I like at" (I like that), "like it", "ma ma", "da dad", "brayer" (brother), "no", "I di it" (I did), "eat", "gamer" (grandma).
Our baby has started saying his ABCs and numbers. In fact, he gets really excited when TV shows with counting and letters come on (Super Why, Sesame Street). He also loves playing with the foam letters and numbers; alphabet school bus and Our toddler loves reading books.
He still likes to drink from a bottle, though also loves his cup. We spend most of the day trying to find them from our baby's strategic locations around his playroom (what used to be our living room). Yes, he is hiding his bottles and cups all over the place ... they look disgusting and stink when we finally get to the hard to find ones.
Our 15 month old has become a really picky eater. He is not crazy about meat or vegetables anymore. In fact, if it were his choice, he could live off of baby oatmeal, baby fruits, spaghetti and pizza, if I let him. He eats bread, chicken and green beans on occasion; he drinks a lot of water and milk. He is "sometimey" about drinking juice. We feed him all organic foods as much as possible.
Although he displays absolutely no interest in trying to potty train, he has been interested in what is in the diaper for quite some time. The past few months have required two person diaper changes. His poor brother got a mouth full of poop when trying to kiss our baby on the cheek the other day. He thought it was food on the baby's cheek, but it was poop. There was no indication that he had dug in his diaper because he reaches fingers through the sides when he is unable to reach from the top. As you can imagine, the majority of his wardrobe is back to overalls and Onesies / infant bodysuits w/ elastic waste pants at all times.
Our baby has jumped from a size 12 to a size 24 in like a month. He can wears some size 18 to 24 months clothes; his wardrobe is mostly size 24 months. He still wears size 5 shoes.
I am so glad that he did not put a flat screen TV in the living room / play room because our baby broke the TV today. He started by by turning the buttons on and off all of the time. We were proud on one hand, though it became quite disruptive to turn the TV back on when he could not figure it out on his own. We bought another one off Craigslist just in case this phases hasn't ended yet.
At 15 months old, our baby's fine motor skills are impressive. He can turn on his own toys and work the ones that entail more controlled actions. He feeds himself well and can scoop up the crumbs if he chooses to eat them. He climbs like a champ, does puzzles, picks at very small imperfections around the house, does somersaults and laps around the house.
One of my favorite things about our 15 month old baby is that he LOVES to read. My two older children loved to read at that age, but Max really loves his books. As active as he is, there is never a time that he will not sit to read and can sit for hours if you will read to him that long.
All in all, our 15 month old baby is an amazing bundle of energy, intelligence and love. He seeks our affection and approval in almost everything he does; words can't describe how it make us feel to have the privilege of waking up with and putting this sweet child to be every night. I hope that any mother to be - or - new mom finds this post helpful in getting the real 15 months old milestones for their baby.
Quick Slideshow Video | How To Recycle Wood Pallets | DIY
I found this wood pallets video on YouTube and though it would make for an interesting Wordless Wednesday topic. There as so many DIY projects to accomplish by using wood pallets. You can typically find them listed for free on Craigslist ... I was inspired to learn more after seeing a neat wood pallet planter and raised garden ideas on Pinterest.
Have you been using wood pallets for your DIY projects? Please share any ideas that are not shown in this video. Thanks :)
Did you know that Pinterest has become the 3rd popular network in the world? It has always been popular with moms, but now the masses have begun pinning at this therapeutic and entertaining social network, too. I thought that it would be fun to set up a Pinterest Link Up, so that we can connect with one another there. Scroll to the bottom of this post to add your profile link (ex: http://pinterest.com/motherbabychild/) to the Linky and follow the others on the list at Pinterest. *** If you are not yet a member of Pinterest and need an invitation, please feel free to contact me and I'll send you an invite.
Learn More About Pinterest & How To Use This Social Network
Would you like to add this Pinterest Link Up to your website? Get The Code
I'm really looking forward to connecting with you at Pinterest and checking out your boards :) Make sure to comment below to let us know that you are an active participant and not just another link posted in this hop. Hugs & Blessings!
In a perfect world, we would never need to use a breast pump, but life circumstances may require that you need to pump breast milk bottles for your baby. Whether you need to go back to work, give your breasts a rest or want to pump a bottle for a family member to feed the baby, you will want to have the best breast pump for you.
I have personally tried 3 types of breast pumps:
Manual Breast Pump I used a manual breast pump with my first son because this is what they gave me at the hospital. As with most 1st time moms, I took all of the classes that my hospital offered about having a baby and did pay attention during the breastfeeding video, but I didn't consider nursing until the nurses encouraged breastfeeding after childbirth. It was a little awkward for my 1st son and me. Regardless, the lactation consultant gave me a manual breast pump similar to or maybe it was the Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump, so that I could pump milk until my baby and I were more comfortable with the nursing. It worked great (even help build up my breast milk), but it was time consuming and the manual hand pumping became annoying to me. Manual breast pumps are more affordable than electric breast pumps.
Hospital Grade Breast Pump I used a Medela Lactina Select Hospital Grade Breast Pump with my 2nd son. I was on WIC at the time and I guess that I lucked out because they loaned it to me even though I was not working full-time (I was a PT nanny for a boy my older son's age). It was fantastic!!! There was the option to pump one or both breasts at the same time. There were different power settings, too. I didn't use it as much in the beginning because he liked to nurse, but I did use it to increase milk and when I had to take him to work with me. By his 4th month, I started using the hospital grade breast pump at least once a day to pump and freeze breast milk. My second son started weaning himself around 6 months (when he started standing and walking around via furniture). He was very active and liked having his bottles. By his 7th month, my son drank more than he ate while teething / growth spurts, and did not like formula. I really appreciated the powerful suction, dual cups and speed of the Medela Lactina Select Hospital Grade Breast Pump. The disadvantage is that it is much larger than the other types of breast pumps, therefore I only used it at home.
Battery / Electric Breast Pump I used a Medela Swing Breast Pump with my 3rd son. It was a gift from a friend and I sure did appreciate it. Although it was not as powerful as the Medela Lactina Select, it served it's purpose of providing bottles for baby Max's father and brother to feed him when they felt the need or I had an appointment. The Medela Swing Breast Pump was comfortable and had several different suction settings. The disadvantage was that it was ot powerful enough to extract breast milk between let downs, so I would have to stop and pump more later, or let it pump until I let down again. Keep in mind that I overproduced milk, so it was not an issue of not having enough breast milk. It is just not as strong as the hospital grade breast pump; none of them were the same as when a baby nurses.
I have only used the Madela products and I don't plan on having any more children. If you have tried other products, I am sure that my blog readers would benefit by knowing which is the best breast pump for you.
Happy Resurrection Weekend - Good Friday & Easter Day 2012
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ~ John 3:16
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” ~ John 11:25-26
Crucifixion of Jesus & Resurrection of Jesus Christ
As a child, these were the most influential scriptures in my life. Grab your child's Bible and read to him / her or here us a Crucifixion & Resurrection video for older children. Christmas and Easter are the times of the year when smaller children can relate best to the blessing of the birth of Jesus and sacrifice of his death; this will make Jesus more real than Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. Not to take away their fun, but to make a lasting impression of the love of God and WHY we celebrate the life and death of Jesus Christ.
14 months 3 weeks old - He still fits in the baby carrier :)
We were headed for an organic farm tour and decided to pull out the old baby carrier. We were not sure if Max would still fit and like the baby carrier. He did let us ride him in the carrier for quite a while until he wanted to get down to play with the dogs at the farm :) It is so funny to look at this picture and see how big he has gotten; our baby is almost as long as his father's upper body ... WOW!
Doesn't it look like he's thinking, "Mom, REALLY? Are you really putting me in a baby carrier?". That angelic face always says so much :)
I thought this would be a cute Wordless Wednesday picture and short story to share. I do look forward to checking out your image(s), please feel free to share the link in the comments area! Hugs & Blessings!
It is not uncommon for companies and people to have duplicate Facebook pages and for various reasons. Maybe a business owner created a page and let it sit, though his marketing representative made a new page with the correct vanity URL and built the second facebook page following. Another example is when someone starts a page for one reason, learns more about marketing, and then creates a second page that works better towards his / her business branding. No matter what the reason, most do not know that Facebook has added a Merge Page option that is helpful for duplicate page / duplicate brand identity issues. It does not work for profiles that were created as pages; you will just have to change the profile name or the profile link name (if you haven't already) and transition those friends to a Facebook business page. The following are instructions on how to merge Facebook pages, so that you are managing just one brand. It really is better for you this way!
Instructions On How To Merge Facebook Pages
Go to the Facebook Page that you want to keep (usually the one with more likes and activity) and following these instructions to merge Facebook pages.
Click the Manage Page button at the top of the page.
Select Edit Page option.
Click the Resources link in menu on the left hand side of the page.
Click the Merge Duplicate Pages link (2nd link on the list).
If you have pages with a similar or duplicate names, a box will appear.
Click your mouse in the check box to select the Page(s) that you want to merge.
* That's it! Just keep in mind that Facebook page merges are final!
* This only works for Facebook pages; you cannot merge profiles.
Speaking of Facebook pages ... I invite you to connect with me on Facebook @ My Profile Page, as well as the Mother Baby Child page for moms that have been following this blog and the Viral Marketing Mom page for moms to advertise their blogs, products, services, business links.
I look forward to chatting and learning more about you @ those Facebook pages.
April 2nd - World Autism Awareness Day - Autism Awareness Month
Today is Autism Awareness Day which kicks off Authism Awareness Month 2012. I wrote about Autism Day last year, and a little about my experience with having a child within spectrum(s). I encourage you to learn more about AUTISM and comment with your resources, so that more people know what to watch for in children, family and friends. The current stats are staggering ... most recent study is 1 in 88 eight year olds are autistic. I know from experience and media of children doing extraordinary things despite of their autism / spectrum disorders, though families of children with autism know that this is not always the case. Visit http://www.worldautismawarenessday.org and http://www.AutismSpeaks.org to learn more and make year long / lifetime commitment for those with Autism / ASD.
Please make sure to Pinterest Pin this image if you have a child, grandchild or other family member with Autism!
