Good Madness

I desperately need new clothes.

Let me tell you a secret…

I am still wearing my maternity clothes.

And my mind’s eye (that constantly daydreams) is salivating over Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, The Limited, White House Black Market clothes. This is an official invitation to the fashion fairy: Please come to my house tonight and drop off a big load of cash. I promise to use it for shoes and slacks and tops and maybe even a haircut.

When you have a kid it’s hard to buy for yourself. I went shopping last night with one of my best friends and Bria (to get her worn out; she has been so cranky lately with teething and being constipated. More on that in a sec.) with a gift card I got for Christmas. The gift card was for Hobby Lobby, which is one of my favorite stores of all time, especially since my discovery of pinterest. And although I had a good amount of money to spend I found myself holding back. “I want this…” I would say. And then a few seconds later I would put it back on the shelf and in my mind would say that if I really wanted it I could come back another day. But when it came to the kids section I put two pairs of baby leg warmers in the cart and a camo baby dress shirt. I ended up buying Bria more than I bought myself.

That’s how it is. Even when you have the option you would rather give to your children than take for yourself.

And it’s okay. I’m glad it’s that way. The leg warmers are cute and so is the camo shirt – I’m not working for myself anymore. I’m working for my family. I’ll go clothes shopping one day, and I might get a haircut soon. But as long as my husband and my daughter are happy and taken care of (I’m sure Michael feels the same way about us), then I’m good to go.

As far as Bria’s milestones:

-Yes, she’s teething! She has two little [sharp] teeth coming in front and center, on the bottom row. The drool is now coming in buckets and the crying seems to never end. Poor little thing; I remember how it felt to have teeth come in. A few years ago my wisdom teeth decided to show their ugly little faces and it’s painful. For Christmas B received a pair of Munchkin Safe Feeders, where you put entire slices of fruit and veggies (frozen or not) and let them gnaw on it. This way they get the flavor and some of the fiber from the solid foods but not the dangerous big chunks that could kill. It also helps with the teething in that she can chew it, and if the food is frozen the cold relives the pain.

But along with solid foods comes constipation; and least for our little girl. Every time we try to introduce a different solid (bananas, applesauce, pears, etc.) she gets constipated. She can eat oatmeal like a champ but the rest leads to a baby with a hurting tummy. Prune juice and water has becoming a staple with her. It looks like it’s gonna be slow-going for our little Briabug on the solid foods front, which doesn’t surprise me because EVERY SINGLE change we have thrown at her she has a hard time picking up (ahem-sleeping in her crib, bottle feeding),  but once she gets the hang of it she is the best.

She is also rolling – A. LOT. She will roll front to back and vise versa and often wakes herself up during the day because she wakes herself up during naps. I think when she gets better at rolling back to front this won’t be as much of a problem as it’s been, but for now it’s little sleep for baby and little rest for mama and daddy.

So the fifth month has proven to be interesting. We are on our way to the six month (15 days away!) and pretty soon she will be crawling then walking then running, and I won’t  be able to hold her in my arms and rock her to sleep. I’m cherishing every single day with this little girl and trying to spend as much time as possible soaking in the experiences, even if those experiences are slobbery, toothy, tearful, sleepy, and bloated.

Sleeping, holding onto Mommy's hand.

Happy, in between toothing fits and bloated belly constipation.