Judgement

Is it just me or the judgement of other moms one of the prevalent sources of judgement in our culture? I mean there is all sorts of it going on... judging discipline styles, what you allow your children to eat, what your children wear, competition on what your child is doing vs. another child, etc. It'a a bit ridiculous and quite frankly, it makes me sick. Yes, I have to admit, I have been one to judge other moms, but I am vowing to stop. Unless a parent is physically harming their child or making absolutely reckless decisions, it's their choice how they want to raise their child.

Being a mom is tough. We are all learning as we go. We all have good days, bad days, and down right horrible days. I would think we all second guess ourselves and how we handle our children. So can't we all just come together to support each other, despite differences?

Yes, I have strong opinions on how I raise OUR child. I don't expect everyone to agree with them, but please respect it and come to the conclusion that I love my child and I am in no way harming him. I have been judged on spanking my child, letting my child eat candy and chicken nuggets, raising him to love Jesus, letting him skip his nap every once in awhile, etc. It hurts. It makes you feel like people think you are a bad parent. But...I am not going to let it have that affect on me anymore because I feel confident in how I am raising him.

I have a child who does not know any of his letters by sight... but I also have one that consistently tells others "thank you" after being given anything or helped by others. It's a matter of priorities. Yesterday after I cleaned up a poopy mess he smiled at me and said "Thank you for helping me, mommy". Aw, how my heart melted. He will learn his alphabet before long.

I do get the side eye from non-believers for raising a child in the Christian faith and choosing to parent based on that. That is one thing I refuse to get me down. A person without faith cannot possibly understand the importance of a believer to raise their child knowing Jesus as their Savior. I have chosen not to get mad, but hope that they can respect our decision to do so.

Yes, I have spanked my child. Do I choose it at all times for all actions? Absolutely not.Do I think every child needs to be spanked to be discipline? No. I am completely open to the idea that my next child might have no response to it. In that case, I would choose another method in a heartbeat. It just depends on the child and what stage they are in. Do I care if other people choose not to ever spank their children? Nope, not at all. So why would someone judge me for it?

Oh and the constant "I can't believe I saw a mother feeding her one year old candy." Blah, blah, blah. A little candy never hurt a kid. It's all a matter of moderation. I let Hunter eat candy, obviously not in place of his meals, but yes, he likes sugar, and so do I! :) But, I also respect and admire a mama who has the discipline to only feed her child only organic and fresh food at all times, more power to ya!

Breast feeding vs. formula feeding, consequences vs. positive reinforcement, natural birth vs. an epidural, pacifier vs. no pacifier, cloth diapering vs. disposable diapers, vaccines vs. no vaccines, oh the list goes on and on and on. And let me tell you, they are hot topics that mothers are torn about about. Everyone has opinions, so that is why we have the freedom to make those decisions for our own children. It is not our place to make them for other peoples' children. Ugh. SOOO over all the hate.

So yeah, I just had to get that out and maybe encourage others to try not to judge. We all our on this journey of motherhood and we all struggle and pick our battles. Have a little compassion.

Switching Doctors

So, I did it, I switched OB/GYN's. I was seeing a doctor out by my parent's house so that they could watch Hunter during the appointments. With us moving to Lacey, which is in the complete opposite direction, I would've needed to change doctors anyways. But, I just never felt fully comfortable with Dr. A (I'll refer to her as that for now on). I think she was nice enough, but not personable at all. She never cracked a smile or made me feel at ease. I guess maybe I should've changed right away, but I figured it was not that big of a deal.

Two appointments ago, I asked her some questions and I just didn't feel good about the response. I'll have to give you some background on my pregnancy with Hunter so that you understand:

I was originally due with Hunter on October 17, 2009. I knew without a doubt when my last period was, etc. At the 20 week ultrasound, he was measuring ten days big. The doctor (Dr. B) changed my due date to October 7th. By the middle of September, he was pretty convinced that Hunter was going to be a big boy. He let things run their course until the week of my due date and said in his best judgement, it was time for Hunter to come out, so that I wouldn't have a high risk of having a c-section due to his size. So, he induced on October 8th, 9 days prior to his original due date.

I had an awesome birth experience. I know people say pitocin is the devil, but it worked fine with me. They induced at 6am, broke my water at noon, epidural at 2:30pm, and Hunter was born at 6:30pm after 15 minutes of pushing. He weighed 9lbs 5oz.

I think Dr. B made a very good decision to induce when he did. He didn't do it prematurely, he waited until he felt like it was necessary. I am so grateful for his judgement.

Okay, so back to my questions for Dr. A... I expressed concerns that the very early ultrasounds showed that this baby was already measuring 5 days big. She said she would not change a due date unless it was off by over 2 weeks. I then explained the situation with Hunter and asked what her thoughts on induction were. She stated that she would not induce, regardless of size, until 2 weeks after the due date.

Ugh, how do I explain my feelings about this? I am not a fan of inducing early for no good reason. But, her answer just seemed so black and white and without consideration for situation and history. It didn't leave room for her using her judgement. I respect that she's a doctor and that she knows how she likes to do things, but I just didn't feel like it was a good fit for us. I just didn't get a good feeling overall.

So, I will be going back to Dr. B in 3 weeks! I am really excited and feel really good about this decision. I trust him and feel completely comfortable with him, so it's best for us. My first appointment with him is at 18.5 weeks and we will make an appointment for the big ultrasound appointment that day!

What do you think, girl or boy?!

Another Random Post

I really don't have anything to right a whole post about... so here ya go, another bulleted post with random information.

1. Jesse had me do the dirty work and call our renters down in Lacey. Their lease expires April 15th, but we decided we will give them until the end of May, if they would like. I would say they weren't too happy, but that was to be expected. I wouldn't be either. They didn't seem mad at us, just upset about the situation.

So, we are all set to move out of the current place and back our other house on June 1st!! I am so excited. I'm already dreaming of getting the huge play set from Costco to go in the backyard. But all of a sudden, I feel like I need to rush and start packing pretty darn soon! 2 months is going to fly by before I know it! Where to start...

2. I've been so tired lately. This pregnancy so far has really wiped me out. I feel fatigued most of the time. I have always been such a busy body but these days, it is not hard for me to not do much besides the necessities. I'm hoping this changes real darn quick.

3. I'm switching doctors. I have my last appointment with the OB/GYN out in Snoqualmie tomorrow and then I will start seeing the doctor in Puyallup that I was seeing when I was pregnant with Hunter. Obviously, I would've needed to switch because of the move, but there are a couple other reasons why that I might talk about some other time.

4. I'm feeling guilty that I have been too tired to take Hunter to any classes on a regular basis. When he was little, I was really good at taking him to The Little Gym or swim lessons at least once a week. Lately, not so much. I'm just feeling too tired to commit to something. Ugh, once again, when will this pass?!

5. I'm about to insert a spouse gripe, bear with me. Hunting season has been over since the end of January... and Jesse promised he would be around ALL the time once that time came. Not at all! He has decided to take up skeet shooting and turkey hunting (a summer season). Not too thrilled about this in the least...

Friday Fun Day

So, I don't have an insightful post today. So I'll just throw some random things out there...

1. It's official.... the WIC program is moving to McChord, we will be here for 4 more years!!!

Okay, I guess that's a big one! :) Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers about this after I wrote this post. So, the plan is to move back to our house in Lacey in the next two or three months!

2. I got busy sewing this morning and it was so much fun. It was my first solo sewing day! Everything went smoothly. I made Nicole the baby blanket she won in this giveaway and then even attempted to make a couple burp clothes for the first time. Easy peasy.



3. What's the deal with all the reruns on TV this week?! I really do not like it. But, I did start watching the new show "Missing" and think I'm really going to like it. I hope all the shows come back for next week!

4. Any suggestions on meal planning next week? Last week went great. I made all the things I set out to make and only got behind by one day. Okay okay, it was because I was lazy last week and we ordered pizza instead ;) I would love if you could comment with a link of your favorite go to meal!

5. We have a packed weekend full of fun stuff. Dinner with some family and then Hunger Games with my mama tonight, Duck's Unlimited banquet (not my first choice, but sometimes ya gotta give), church, trip to Seattle for some sight seeing, and a family dinner with my whole family to celebrate lots and lots of stuff at Buca di Beppo. What are your plans this weekend? Hope it's a good one! :)

Let's Talk About The Bachelor

I don't usually like to admit to watching this show... but I do. I have been sucked in since college. I think this season has been the most disappointing one thus far. Because of Courtney? Nah, that makes it kind of interesting. But, Ben, really?! I don't really find this guy to be any extraordinary catch. I don't find him attractive in the least, he obviously has poor judgment in women (Courtney), he couldn't see himself with a woman who came from a family with Christian values (Kacie B), AND I hated his reaction to Emily when she was trying to warn him (really, tell her to watch herself?!).

This photo cracks me up because he totally looks like Francine!



So what am I hoping for tonight? Oh geeze, I could go either way. I obviously think Lindzi is a better woman, but I don't think he deserves her. Part of me, the very mean side of me, wants him to choose Courtney and see everything fall apart during the After the Rose show.

So do spill... do you watch the show? If you do, what do you want to see happen tonight?

Really?!

Sometimes I get a kick out of seeing what people did a google search for the come across this blog of mine. Today was not exception.

"naked picture stephanie doyle" Really?! Come on. I guess I was a bit flattered and then realized that either one, they were looking for a different Stephanie Doyle or it was my husband being silly knowing it would pop up for me to see. I'll have to ask him about that!

"woman like hookah" This really made me giggle. I did post one picture of me in Turkey this summer with a hookah and I do enjoy it. But never would I think such a search would lead to me!

Well, that is all, a bit random, but I was rather amused.