SOS-My Baby is all Growed Up!

Shout Out Saturday this week is for my "baby" girl....Reagan Jane.

"Don't blink. It goes by in a flash"

That's what a lady told me at my baby shower for Reagan. I thought she was nuts. Especially during those LONG nights when Reagan had REALLY bad reflux. Those nights didn't go by in a flash. Or teething. She even went through a phase where she threw tantrums (yes, my sweet little girl). But thank the Lord those were short lived.

But somewhere in there, I blinked.

It went by in a flash.

She's almost 6 (in one week!).

She is done with kindergarten in two more weeks.

She changed SO much in the past year.

Can you see it too?

This was her professional 5 year old portraits taken last year:



This is her graduation portrait we just received yesterday:



Her hair is longer. Straighter. She has grown 4 inches in the last year. She will probably be taller than me by the time she is in 2nd grade. More importantly, she is growing into her own little personality. She has a tender spirit. Often, after school, I hear about how someone got their feelings hurt by another student. She usually says, "But I gave her a hug and told her I was still her friend." She has become my little helper with her sisters too.

Yesterday, I overheard a conversation that brought tears to my eyes and then made me laugh out loud.
Here it is, recreated for you:

Reagan: Skylar, did you have a good day at home?

Skylar: Yes, but I missed you Reagan. I don't like it when you go to school sometimes.

Reagan: (putting her arm over her sister) I know. I missed you too. I think of you at school during lunch.

Skylar: And during recess?

Reagan: No, mostly just lunch because you like to eat! (HA!) But when we are in school together, we will get to be together all the time. And the weekend is coming up so we can do something special together, ok? (I can hear myself saying this to them!)

I love those tender moments. Five minutes later they were arguing over the last piece of dried apple, but it was great while it lasted.

I heard a great phrase the other day regarding the recession: "Hold your money tight, and your children tighter."
I know someday my little girl will be on her own, so I'm enjoying the time that I have to hold on to her. I'm enjoying the times that she wants to be with me. And wants to be with her sisters. I know, I know. She's ONLY six. But just yesterday she was ONLY six days, or six weeks, or six months old. Or so it seems.

Reagan six days before she arrived (a month early):



Reagan at Six Days old:



Reagan at Six Weeks old:



Reagan at Six Months old:



Reagan at Sixteen Months old:



For those with babies...Don't blink. It goes by in a flash.

SOS, part deux

Betcha thought I forgot! Technically it's still Saturday for one more hour here.

This morning I was contemplating who I would like to give a Shout Out to this week. There were a few that I could choose from.

First, I thought about giving a shout out to the folks that helped us finish our loan and actually CLOSE on our house yesterday! Let me tell you, it was no small feat. Short of asking for blood samples or our firstborn, the mortgage company had some amazingly ridiculous requests (no offense if you work for a mortgage company). But, our broker and the escrow officer pulled some late hours and focused solely on our file for a few days in order to speed us through the process. Woot Woot! We closed yesterday and have already begun tearing down wallpaper, picking paint, carpet, and reveling in the glory that comes with knowing a small piece of real estate is "ours" (in 30 years).

Second, I thought about giving a shout out (in the most sarcastic of ways) to a fellow mother in Reagan's classroom. This past week, my parents were in Cabo San Lucas on vacation so I had to take all three girls to Reagan's school in the morning. I have to walk her to her classroom and then I read a book with her before leaving. While reading, Bailey and Skylar play with the blocks or books. The other mothers love to see them (as well as the other kids) as I am one of the ONLY moms with a baby. If you know me, you know that I am fairly strong-willed; which means I'm rarely wrong. :) I don't like it when others question the way I do things. So, the following conversation bothered me in ways I can't begin to describe:

Other Mom: Wow, Bailey is walking?! How old is she now?

Me: 14 months. But she started walking at ten months.

Other Mom: 14 months? Don't you feed her? She's so tiny (hahahaha)!

Me: She eats constantly, but since she doesn't stop moving, I think she burns it all.
(not to mention the fact that ALL my children have been small for their age because THEIR MOTHER IS SMALL AS WELL!)

Other Mom: How much milk is she drinking?

Me: I'm still nursing.

Other Mom: OH! Well, my kids always had that healthy fat but it may have been the formula and then real milk.
(REAL milk? As opposed to the FAKE milk that my body produces? And HEALTHY fat? Are you saying my baby isn't HEALTHY?)
Other Mom: Is there really any health benefit to breastfeeding after a year? I heard it only has health benefits for the first six months.

Me: No, I'm pretty sure it continues to provide the necessary nutrition as long as they nurse, as well as the immune system support.

What frustrated me at that point was not having the true medical knowledge to give her. So, after I abruptly ended our conversation by walking away and grabbing my malnourished, overactive toddler, I went home and promptly started researching the health benefits beyond a year.
So, why would she deserve a shout out? Well, because I learned a ton about breastfeeding past the first year of life thanks to her insensitive and ignorant questions. Don't get me wrong; I'm not a 'nurse until they are four' kind of gal. But my baby is far from four. She doesn't even have molars yet. There are a number of organizations and researchers that recommend NOT introducing solids until a baby has their molars. So I'm not a total nutjob....yet. I also learned that even the American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends breastfeeding for a year at MINIMUM. AND, for each month over 12 that a child nurses, you diminish the occurrence of ear infections by approximately 10%. The La Leche League has some good info about nursing past a year too. You can read it too here
Plus, she's my last baby. And I like it. So there. :)

Sidenote: I am not saying that breastfeeding is the ONLY route that folks should take. I completely understand that it's a personal choice and some have a need for formula. I am not judging those folks or saying that their decision is a poor one. I am simply defending my OWN personal choice to breastfeed. :)

But, since you all probably won't be reading this until Sunday, I decided to go with my third option: Moms. That's right. No sarcasm. No research needed here. Just moms. All the moms I know, and all the moms I don't. We have the hardest job on the planet and most days we have folks that will tell us a hundred ways we are doing it wrong. But not on Mothers Day. Today is for us ladies. My Shout Out today is for you. For all the things you do without people knowing. For raising little people that will someday rule the world (or blow it up as it may be). For all the icky sticky messes, the tears, the tantrums, and the whining. For all the times we have been puked on, pooped on, peed on, and drooled on.
For my mom. The best example I could ever ask for. And the most amazing 'Yaya' to my precious blessings. For you girls...the moms in my life that make me laugh, remind me to enjoy each day because they grow so fast, and keep me sane when I reach the end of my rope. May your day be blessed and blissfully quiet. Or at least be filled with 'I Love You's and chaos that makes you smile.