Painter Mommy

Fun stuff in the Everyday Life of a Busy Mom & Entrepreneur

Is My Baby Ready to Eat Baby Food?

by 12 Comments

ready to eat baby food

My son is almost 6 months old.  He is a big boy to say the least.  I am not sure how much he weighs now, but at his 4 month visit, he was almost 18 pounds.  He is in the top 90th percentile for weight.  He has always been formula fed.  I would’ve loved to be able to breastfeed, but I am unable to, due to some health issues.

We found out in the hospital right after I had my son that he is lactose intolerant.  So he has been on Enfamil Lactose Free ever since.

On a side note – Enfamil is actually discontinuing the Lactose Free in May.  So we have been going crazy trying to gather cases of formula from every store that carries it.  We need 180 cans to last us until he is a year old.  What a crazy dillema this has been for us.  We finally were able to get one of the Toys R Us stores that we went to, to order 15 cases for us from an out of state store.  They are shipping it to them to give to us.  Thank God!

OK, so as I was saying, my baby is a big boy.  My other two were always small, so this was quite odd actually.  But of course every baby / child is different.

Now that my baby is hitting the 6 month mark, I am thinking about introducing food to him.  I have already started adding some baby cereal into his milk, especially at night so that he will sleep better.  This really has helped.  He really isn’t showing signs of being hungry though, so I am not sure whether or not I should wait a while longer.

I have read that you can introduce some baby foods as early as 4 months.  I may have even done that for my other 2, but for some reason my brain is a fog and I can’t remember exactly when I started giving them food.

I know I have a lot of mom readers out there and I would love to get your opinions / thoughts on this subject.  What did you do?  What foods did you start with?  How old was your baby?

I really appreciate your input.  I don’t want to push things too soon, but also don’t want to hurt my baby by not feeding him if he needs it.  What are the signs?

OK, well, thanks again my virtual mommy friends!  I will wait to hear from you and then decide.  Can’t wait to hear your comments!

_____________________________________________________

Don’t forget to check out my current giveaways!!

Romantica Therapy Home Spa Kit

$100 Gift Certificate to My Wonderful Walls

Before I was a MOM…

by 3 Comments

Got this poem today in an email.  Thought I would share it with all you moms out there!mom

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn’t want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn’t stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn’t know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn’t know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom ….

May you always be overwhelmed by the Grace of God rather than by the cares of life

My Baby Learned how to Jump Today!

by 6 Comments

I am so excited!? I have been sitting my 5 month old in the jumper for the past month or so.? He pretty much just hung out in it moving from side to side.? But today, all of a sudden, he just started jumping away!? It was so cute.? My husband and I were laughing because our other children didn’t learn how to jump until they were much older.

Check out my cutie having a blast jumping away!

Any of you guys use the jumper for your children?? I hear mixed reviews about it.? But I am a HUGE fan of the jumper.? Some say that it is not good for a child’s development.? But I feel that as long as you are allowing them to use it in moderation – there is nothing wrong with it.? My other 2 used it until they were both almost 2 years old and their legs have developed just fine.

41b650qyfml_sl500_aa280_

How my Children are handling Death

by 10 Comments

IMG_6688My grandma (otherwise know as GiGi, short for great grandma) passed away recently.? She was 94 years old.? It was a difficult time for us.? We all went to stay with my mom to help prepare for the funeral.? My grandma lived with my mom for her last couple years, so the kids did notice that she wasn’t there when we went to visit.? They asked for her a lot and it was a challenge trying to explain to them that she wasn’t here anymore – that she was in heaven.? My daughter asked me if we could go to heaven to see her.? It was sad and cute at the same time.

The one issue I was having was whether or not to bring them to the funeral service.? We decided to take them and just keep them in the back of the church for the service.? What we didn’t realize is that the funeral home brought my grandmas body into the church AFTER we had gotten there.? They wheeled the casket right by the kids from the back of the church to the front.? I was a bit upset and I it looked like my oldest (4 1/2) was in shock.? The funeral directors opened the casket before wheeling my grandma up to the front.? So from a child’s perspective it must’ve looked pretty odd to see her inside this big box being wheeled around.

On top of everything, I was nervous because my brother and I were doing the eulogy.? So all I could do was quickly explain to both my son and daughter, again, that Gigi (pronounced JiJi) died and that her body was sleeping and whatever else came to my mind at the time.

After the funeral, we got caught up with family, the catered luncheon, and taking pictures with family that we hadn’t seen in years.? The kids forgot about it and I was too exhausted to bring it up.? I decided to wait on them to ask me questions if they needed to.

It has been a few months now.? We have been back to my moms since the funeral and the kids have moved on.?? How quickly children can recover and forget.? But do they really forget?

Well, a couple weeks ago I found both of my children sitting next to eachother talking quietly watching a doll that they had carefully laid out on top of my daughter’s crib.? They turned the crib over and then laid a blanket over the doll. ? I asked them what they were doing and they explained to me that the doll had died.? It was so adorable, but yet so sad.? I took a picture of what they did.? It really looks just like my grandma did when she was in the casket.? Kids are so smart aren’t they?

p1030085

Have any of you moms had to deal with this type of situation yet?? If so, how did you handle it?

photo credit: BenDibble

________________________________________________________________

Don’t forget to enter my current Giveaways!!? Click on the links!

3 Handmade Monogram Pendants for 1 Lucky Winner

Turbo Tax Deluxe (worth $65)


3 hours of Screaming Baby

by 7 Comments

Today was a rough day. I am now wondering if it had anything to do with Friday the 13!?? I really don’t believe in all that stuff.? But this day has made me wonder….

I have an almost 4 month old baby boy and he has just started teething.? Drooling, Biting, Screaming – it has been a nightmare.? It has been especially difficult because he is such a good and happy baby.? And to hear him scream makes me cringe.? I don’t think I felt that way with my other 2, but for some reason with him – I feel like I am going to lose my mind.

photo credit: kennymatic

We really did have a nice beginning of the day today.? My husband had the day off from work.? We dropped the older kids off at preschool and then took the baby and went to one of my favorite stores – The Christmas Tree Shop.? We walked around (baby was fine) and I even spent $20 on a few items that I needed.? (calendar, chips, easter dying kits, etc).? My husband just followed me around with the cart allowing me to take my time down the aisles.? It was really nice.? I needed that.

Then we went to Olive Garden for lunch.? We had some gift cards that we had received from my mom for Christmas (Thanks Mom!).? We decided to just get the soup, salad, and breadsticks and then save the other card for another time.

We didn’t sit down for but 5 minutes when the baby started fussing.? We had to rush through the lunch and switch between us to hold the baby while the other ate.? It was pretty frustrating.? The baby finally fell asleep when we were finished and waiting for the check.? Wow!

So that is how it started and continued for the ENTIRE afternoon and evening.? My baby boy was both teething and had gas.? I gave him Tylenol, Mylecon Drops for gas, and Ambisol for his gums.? It is now 11pm on Friday night and I can finally say that the baby is NOT CRYING and actually SLEEPING.? My husband and I are completely exhausted.? I can’t even believe I am still up and writing about it.

But I really wanted to take this time before I crash into my bed (LOL) and ask you moms out there for advice on what you use for both teething and gas.? Do you have any tips and tricks that you use or have used in the past?? Please share!? I am desperate for some new ideas.? I did have one mom who shared that it might be soothing to give the baby a bath.? But I was too tired myself at that point, so I didn’t do that.? I may consider it in the future though.

So, please share about your experiences.? I so appreciate all of you (my readers) and the awesome advice that you have shared with me in the past.? You are the best!!

Grab My Button!

Painter Mommy Button

Categories

Recent Posts