Being Munchkin

So... our doctor isn't worried about Naomi's weight at all.  He told us that looking at her, she seems perfect.  That her munchkin-ness is likely a genetic trait and that if we knew our family history, we would likely find a few people who were "petite" while growing up. (Family... is this ringing a bell for anyone?)

Here's the low-down--
jan 8th at WIC office for breastfeeding consult
Weight: 14 lbs. 6 oz.
Height: 26.5 in
Head Cir: 17.5 in.

Jan 17th at 9 month well-baby check-up
Weight: 13 lbs. 15 oz. (0.42%ile)
Height: 27 in. (33rd%ile)
Head Cir: 17 in. (27th%ile)

and on Friday, we're going to the WIC office for a follow-up appt.
Weight: TBD
Height: TBD
Head Cir: TBD

Now, I noticed that some of these measurements are off.  At the WIC appointment, it was later in the day, and Naomi had already eaten twice and had not pooped in a couple days.  today, Her appointment was first thing in the morning, and she had pooped a TON last night.  So that probably explains the weight loss... hopefully. I don't think her head shrunk, they are prolly just off on their measurements. Same goes for height, unless she grew a half inch the past week and a half.

On another note, she's super healthy and active. 

• The doctor mentioned that he could tell that she loved her veggies and ate them well because she has a slight yellow tinge to her skin, but her eyes are perfectly white, meaning she has an abundance of beta-carotene in her system (from veggies), not biliruben or jaundice, which Brad asked about.  
• She's physically healthy, her organs and glands are all the right size and shape and in the right place.  Her eyes and ears work awesome.  

• And she is really active.  She's was trying to crawl and explore the dr.'s office the entire appointment.
• She's socially advanced-- babbles conversationally with varying tones and pitch, imitates speech, and understands simple words and phrases, like, "where's daddy?" and will look or point at Brad, or "Would you like some puffs?" and nods aggressively then looks to the diaper bag where the puffs are usually kept.
• She's pulling herself up to a standing postion.

• She's walking along furniture or with help from mom or dad holding her hands.

• She recognizes familiar faces and shows mild stranger anxiety, but gets over it quickly and becomes friendly if mom and dad seem to know them.
• She picks things up with her thumb and forefinger.

• Beginning to self-feed.

• Can do high-fives and clap.

We sure do love our munchkin!

I'm Going to be The Biggest Loser!

So, the Neeley's are doing a little tradition that I've recently joined in on-- a Biggest Loser Challenge.  We set goals for health, fitness, and diet.  Depending on how we do at achieving our goals each week, we get awarded points.  Who ever gets the most points after 6 weeks wins.

Wins what?  Confidence.  Hopefully better health.  And a pot of cash (composed of entry fees paid by all family members). 

Here's my goals for each week:
1. Do not eat after 8pm.
2. Do not eat more than 3 desserts in 1 week; do not eat more than 1 dessert in a day.
3. Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 veggie per day.
4. Exercise at least 5 times per week for a minimum of 30 minutes.(*The challenge goal is 4 times for at least 20 minutes, but I'm raising my personal standard.)
5. Drink 2L of water per day.
6. Communicate daily with a Neeley Biggest Loser participant for encouragement and motivation.
7. Get at least 6 hours of sleep per night. 

And if you get your Ultimate Fitness Goal, you get bonus points. 
My Ultimate Fitness Goal after 6 weeks is:
1. Lose 8 pounds.
2. Be able to do 15 full sit-ups at a time.

And my motivation...
Being a fit and healthy momma for my very mobile munchkin; and shrinking that post-preggo belly pudge!

(I went to a Pilates class a few days ago, and I was embarrassed because I was the only one in class who couldn't do a full sit-up.  Not a single one.  Thanks, Munchkin.  I sacrificed my body for you to come into this world, and I hope you will appreciate it someday.)

BEST HUSBAND EVER! and In-Laws too!

Brad is the Best. Husband. Ever.

• He makes me feel beautiful, even when I'm just a frumpy mess.
• He spoils me in all the ways a best husband ever should spoil his wife, and then more.
• He's a great daddy. He changes even the poopy diapers sometimes!
• He's quick to apologize if he did something that upset me (which isn't often).
• He's quick to help me when I'm feeling overwhelmed by mother and wifehood.
• He works really hard at school and his job to provide for us.
• He hasn't run away screaming after getting to know the craziness that is my family or my past.
• He gets up at night when the munchkin is crying.
• Even his ghost self promises me that he'll love me forever and always be with me.
• he comes with the best in-laws a wife could ever dream of.  Seriously- I love the Neeley's!

 The Neeley's are the best in-laws ever!  I really lucked out here.  When some people make comments about "the in-laws" I feel so blessed because I got the best of them!

• They wrapped me in their giant arms of love the second I met them.  
• Meeting Sam, my sister-in-law, was like meeting my long lost spirit twin.  She's so amazing and I love her.  She's serving a mission in Vegas right now-- seriously; isn't she just incredible?!
• Mom Neeley is the kindest person with one of the biggest, most giving hearts.  She has always made me feel like a daughter born into the family.
• Dad Neeley.  Basically, Brad is just like his dad.  Patient, calm, listening. A great man.  
• And all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.  There are dozens of them!  Some I have been lucky enough to get to know better, others, I'm still getting to know.  But they are great.  They have always been like family since I met them.  In fact, I met most of them before I met Mom, Dad, and Sister Neeley.
• they are all so supportive of each other, and me too!  

I'm so glad to be a Neeley!

Bad Dreams

Ever have a dream that, even though you knew it was a dream when you wake up, still shakes you to your core and leaves you feeling the emotions that you felt in your dream so intensely that it's ridiculous?  i had one of those last night.  They rarely happen to me-- I can usually wake up and just realize the I was just dreaming and everything is ok.  But not this morning.  This morning I was a total wreck.

If you want to read my entire dream, check it out at my dream blog: All You Gotta Do Is Dream. but the short version is that Brad died in my dream, and his ghost told me that I couldn't hug him, and that after he left, I would never see him again until I died, even though he would be my guardian angel.  I was so out of my mind with sadness and wanting to just have a hug from Brad, that when I woke up, and he was in the kitchen filling the dishwasher, i just ran to him and gave him the biggest hug and would not let him go. 

I know I've got the sweetest husband ever.  Even in my dreams, he reminds me that he's always there for me.  But this morning, he stayed with me for about 30 minutes, just reassuring me that he was, in fact, real and alive.  he even offered to call in at work and skip class to stay home with me today.  but eventually i came to my senses and told him that he needed to work and go to class and turn in his homework.  But he could only do that if he promised to not die today.  he promised.

i love my husband so much! I couldn't imagine living with out him in my life everyday.

Munchkin. Peanut. Nugget. Teeny. Squirt.

All the nicknames Naomi has been given.  Yep, she's small.  There are 3 and 4 month old that weigh more than she does.  But you know what?  She's healthy, happy, and growing strong.

I've gotten kinda... ok, maybe A LOT, defensive about munchkin's size lately.  I've always known she was on the smaller side as far as her weight was concerned.  I'd asked her doctor about it at every well-baby check up, and he never seemed concerned.  She was gaining weight consistently, even if it wasn't very much (about 1 lb. per month).  At about 6 months old, we went to the WIC office for munchkin to be weighed, measured, and just checked up on.  The nutritionist came in and weighed her and said, "Looks like she's gaining about 1 pound per month.  that's right on target for a breastfed baby."  then she pulled out her growth chart and then said, "It looks like she's dropped off her curve.  Let's work on feeding her more so she can get her weight up."  I was confused, but I just let it go and remembered that only a few seconds before she had told me my daughter was gaining weight perfectly. The chart doesn't matter.

Our neighbors also had a son who was on the smaller side.  But his doctor was really worried about his weight, though he seemed to be growing about the same rate my munchkin was.  So our neighbors went to a lactation specialist and found out that their son wasn't getting much when breastfeeding.  this started me on a trail of constant worry that the same thing was happening to my munchkin.  i started reading up on how to breatfeed well, but it was tough since it seemed all the material was meant to newborns, not a 6 month old or older and trying to balance introducing new "solid" baby foods.  I continued to worry, but kept pushing my thoughts to the back burner since it seemed like munchkin was happy, energetic, alert, etc.  She was meeting all her develpmental milestones on time or early.  She was always moving, chattering, playing, smiling. 

Then, fast forward to our holiday trip back "home" to visit my family.  I was constantly bombarded with "advice" and comments about how I must not be feeding her enough because she's so small.  She weighed "nothing."  She was as small as a peanut.  I continued to feed her as normal.  When the family saw how much solid food she ate, it started a whole new round of comments, including, "You feed her too much!" 

Seriously?!
She would breastfeed 5-6 times a day and have 2 solid food meals which consisted of 1 serving of cereal (approx 4 Tbls.), 1 serving of a veggie (a 4 ox jar) and 1 serving of fruit (anywhere from 1/2 to 1 whole 4 oz jar).

I was quick to defend my little girl.  Repeating that the doctor said she was healthy and growing well at the last well-baby visit.  The nutritionist said she was gaining perfectly, but she had "dropped off her curve."  This began new accusations that my doctor was stupid and I should switch providers because if he wasn't concerned, then obviously there was something wrong with him.  Needless to say, by the time I got home on Tuesday, I was thoroughly worked up into a complex about whether my daughter was getting enough breast milk, if she was eating too much solid food, if she was healthy, yada yada yada.

So I called the WIC office because they offer free consultations on breastfeeding and nutrition and scheduled an appointment. They weighed munchkin, then I fed her for about 10-15 minutes, then they weighed her again.  She didn't eat very well; she was very distracted, looked around at the new surroundings, and just wanted to play and not eat.  Turns out, she only ate .2 oz.  The consultant said that normally that would be cause for alarm, but after looking at naomi, decided that it was prolly because she wasn't very hungry and just wanted to play.  Normally, they woud like to see 2-4 oz transfered for a "light meal or snack" and 6-8 oz for a large meal.  They observed her playing and interaced with her, and also measured her height and head circumference. 

Results:

• Her weight isn't even on the charts anymore.  She's like, -5th%ile at 14 lbs. 6 oz.
• She's 26 1/2 inches long/tall.  That's about 70th%ile.
• Head circumference is 17.5 in. somewhere around 50th%ile, i think.
• She's "cruising," or walking while holding onto things for stability.
• She has plump cheeks and a baby double chin, fat pads on the tops of her fingers, and her feet.  No rolls on her arms, legs, or belly.
• She is very social and interacts appropriatly with others, like responding when someone talks to her, smiling, lots of conversational babbling, etc.
• She is very curious and likes to explore her surrounding.
• She is very active and alert, not lithargic at all.
• No physical deformities, like a sunken head or eyes.  good complexion. 
• Excellent motor control for her age.

So, in the end, the nutritionist recommended I use a pump for 2 weeks to increase my supply, mostly for my peace of mind more than because it was necessary.  I go back for a follow-up appointment on the 21st where they will weigh and measure her again and check the milk transfer.  I feel a lot better now, knowing that my munchkin is growing and developing very healthy.  She has a doctor appointment on the 17th, when I plan on talking to her doctor to see if he says the same thing as the nutritionist.  but for now, i have a happy and healthy munchkin!

Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New

We went to visit my family for the holidays.  It was a good trip, but also very stressful.  I'm not sure how much of this stress was of my own making and how much was unavoidable.  But overall, it was "good."  Being back home now, there are things I realize that i take for granted.

1. my own shampoo, conditioner, and body wash with spongie
2. deciding what i want for dinner
3. my own transportation (i really don't like having to rely on others to go places)
4. my routine-- just being able to plan my day, now what others are doing and where they are, and most importantly, sticking to a nap and feeding schedule for the munchkin
5. my bed!  i missed my bed so much!  it's comfy and big and mine.
6. munchkin's crib.  she always sleeps better in it than the playpen.
7. my diet and exercise plan.  i didn't have control of what i could eat or when, i didn't have my work out dvds or my WiiFit or JustDance2 wii game; i didn't have alone time to work out without people watching me, etc. so my diet was out the window.  I'm glad to be back and put it back in place.
8. privacy.  while i love a house full of family, i also love our small apartment with just the 3 of us.
9. my working washer and dryer.  the one at my grandma's stopped working while we were there.  ugh!
10. christmas sweets.  they just weren't there... i was craving Mom Neeley's chocolate covered oreos ALL the time!!! and the Neeley fondue.

but i'm also going to miss "home." There were lots of perks that pampered me while there, adn now i gotta grow up and be the mom and homemaker again.  I'm gonna miss...
1. not having to do dishes.  my grandma can't let a dirty dish sit in a sink if she knows about it.
2. not having to cook dinner.
3. not having family to watch the munchkin while brad and i run out for a bit.
4. my home ward family.  I was baptized in the Carbondale Ward; the members there are seriously like family.  I love them all so much.  it was great to go to my home ward twice while there adn show off my adorable family.  i owe much of my happiness in life to the members there.  they opened their arms and hearts to me, they wouldn't let me get lost from the fold, and they pushed me to be greater than i thought i could be. 
5. the crazy weather.  it was about 30-ish degres when we gpt there, then one day it suddenly shot up to 55, then 70 degrees.  then we had tornadoes.  adn then 20 degree temperatures.
6. the humidity.  i'm back to lathering myself with layers of lotion every morning so i don't dry out.
7. Mr. Miles-- Naomi's new best friend (my 2 year old cousin).  He was so great to her, adn she looked up to him so much and learned from him.  I'll especially miss waking up and meeting him outside the room to ask me, "baby Naomi sleeping?"

It was fun. Pictures to come after I get them from family, because i didn't take any pics while there.  opps!

Marie's Unconscious

So, I'm really fascinated by dreams.  In high school I started a "dream journal" in my psychology class, and I've always wanted to keep it up.  Occasionally, i would write a new dream if it meant something to me.  And lately, I've been feeling like I want to keep writing my dreams down.  And what better way than to blog about it-- so for anyone interested, my dreams will be posted at http://allyougottadoisdream.blogspot.com/.

WARNING:
This is a serious look into Marie's Unconscious, and I cannot be help responsible for what crazy things I dream up in the middle of the night. Sometimes, it will make sense, but most of the time, it probably won't.

CHRISTmas

I wanted to take some time this happy Christmas season to tell you about why Christmas is so important to me.  It's a day set aside to remember the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.  Now, people can research, argue, squabble, yadayadayada about what day he was really born all they want, but when my family and I celebrate Christmas, our minds are turned to our Father in Heaven in gratitude for His Son. That Christ came to earth to preform the greatest gift man would ever receive-- the Atonement-- which would allow us to return to our Father in Heaven and receive our eternal inheritance.

I love to give and to receive gifts for Christmas.  I like to remember that Christmas is about both. Heavenly Father gave us His Son to save us.  The wise men brought gifts to the newborn King.  Let us open our hearts this Christmas to receive the Atonement, and let us also open our hands to share what we have received.  Each present that we give and receive, let us remember that it is a celebration of the gifts exchanged that first Christmas, when Jesus Christ came into the world.

Merry Christmas!

Tis the Season to Be ...

... violated?

I'm sure many of you have at least heard about the new full body scanners that are part of airport security. If not, here's the Transportation Security Administration's info page about them: http://www.tsa.gov/approach/tech/ait/index.shtm.

There's a lot of public outcry about these scanners.  Here's a list of complaints and links.

They produce an image of you beneath your clothes; aka in your birthday suit. http://www.mahalo.com/full-body-scanner-images This article shows some of the images captured by the scanners.  Images that are supposed to be immediately deleted after you pass through security.  Apparently not, since they're on the internet.  And here's a list of airports that use the full body scanners.

They emit radiation. But how much? Well, it's enough that they won't put the pilots though it-- granted, they would have to go through multiple times a day and be exposed significantly more than a casual traveler who only flies on holidays or for vacation a few times a year.http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1290527/Airport-body-scanners-deliver-radiation-dose-20-times-higher-thought.html This article seemed to present a balanced presentation of what the TSA says, and what researchers are currently looking into.  What stands out to me is "skin cancer" and "children are more vulnerable" to the radiation.  I'm not sure I want my munchkin exposed to that... especially when the professional jury is still out on determining it's safety.

You're allowed to "opt out" of the scanners, but what happens next if you do is humiliating.  You become subject to an "enhanced pat-down" procedure.  This goes for anyone with a medical concern who must opt out, to conscious objectors to the scanners.  The new pat down procedure really makes one feel physically violated. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/tsa-responds-passenger-outrages-underwear-search-happen/story?id=12208932&page=2.
I had to be pat-down once about 3 years ago because I was wearing an underwire bra and apparently my pants had these little, i think they are called eyelets?, metal circle thing on the corners of my pockets... she ran the baton scanner thingy over me, found nothing, but still had to pat me down where the thing dected metal, aka, my butt and below my breasts.  It was very embarrassing, awkward, and uncomfortable.  And that was before they instituted the new "ENHANCED" pat-down, which you can see in the video that's linked with my article, that's it's more like getting felt up.  Ugh!
I don't want me or munchkin to get felt up, but I don't want, at least, munchkin to get exposed to the radiation of the scanners either, at least not with a confirmed-after-much-research that they are safe even for very small children.  With my family's history with cancer, I don't want to risk exposing munchkin to more than necessary.  Plus there's the possibility that we'd get "selected for a random pat-down."  It happens to my uncle ALL the TIME; i guess he fits one of the profiles that doesn't come through often.  Is there a list somewhere of the profiles they are required to "randomly search"?  Does it include a breastfeeding mother? Will I get pat-down anyway because my nursing bras have metal clips? or because the full body scanners notice my nursing covers beneath my bra? or because i'm carrying babyfood? After seeing what happened to this woman (http://www.mnn.com/family/raising-a-family/blogs/watch-tsa-harasses-mom-over-breast-milk), I'm afraid to pump milk to feed munchkin during the flight.

What I'm trying to say is; I'm really freaking stressing out about flying home for Christmas.  Is my stress and anxiety for nothing.  The TSA website would have me believe so, but many accounts on the news make me believe otherwise. What do you guys think?  Are you traveling this Christmas? What do you think of the new scanners?  Are they unconstitutional, like some groups say, or are they appropriate safety measures, like the TSA says? Have any of you traveled with little ones recently and could give me advice?

Getting in the Spirit of Christmas Cards

Ok, so I'd really love to get 50 free christmas cards, to send to our wonderful family.  SO I'm going to tell you about the christmas card I want since Shutterfly will give me 50 FREE Christmas cards if I tell you about the one I want.

I designed it on shutterfly.com.

I love that it has family pictures from the past year.  Shurtterfly has tons of different layouts for Christmas or holiday cards.  This is just the one I chose.  I think it's pretty and fits my style, while still looking festive.  It was super easy to design, too.  I just upload the pictures I thought I wanted to use (which was about a dozen to choose from and test out to get the perfect combination), then dragged them to where I wanted them on the design.  You can save projects as you go.  This one isn't quite done yet-- notice the "T" in the corner?  Yeh, that's supposed to be an "N" for Neeley.  But it's super easy to fix.  It is a very user-friendly site and program to design adorable photo keepsakes.  There was another style I was considering, but I choose the first one because it had the most pictures and I could fit the ones I wanted on it.  the family pictures, taken by Lauren, is in the center and largest.  Then we have lots of pictures of our munchkin as she's grown up this year. I'm normally not a Christmas card person, but this is cute and I'd love to send out a Christmas card to our family.  What do you guys think of the design?
 If you're thinking about trying it out for yourself, you can design a personal Christmas, holiday, or greeting card here: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

In fact, I'm working on designing a photobook on shutterfly right now too.  Try out your own here: http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books. They are adorable, and I'd love to have one.  They are very affordable; though as a family still in college, the only "affordable" is practically free.  But I can't complain too much.  Shutterfly has lots of sales and deals.  I get 2-3 emails per month with a promotion that allows me to get a FREE photobook!  I just have to pay shipping and handling, which sadly, isn't free.  But it's way better than having to pay for the photobook AND shipping.

Another awesome feature of Shutterfly is their calendars.  You can make a personal calendar with your own photos!  Check it out here: http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars.

Those are just my favorites.  Shutterfly also does custom mugs, greeting cards, and invitations (bridal shower, wedding, baby shower, graduation, etc). I wish I'd known about this when I made my wedding invites-- it would have cost about the same as making our own, which we did, but taken A LOT less time. 

So there's my endorsement!  Check out Shutterfly.com and have fun making some of your own designs!