What's In A Name?

If any of you are like me, I’ve been thinking about what to name my kids since before I was married.  When the day finally came to name my baby, it was a much harder chore than I ever thought it would be! 

The names I had picked since before my babies were even an apple in my eye, were no longer on the table.  I happened to marry a WONDERFUL man who didn’t like any of my dream names!  So now it was all about looking through the baby name books and finding a name we could both agree on, which was much easier said than done!

We finally agreed on a name for each sex (we let the sex of our baby be a surprise on his birthday)!  We had agreed on Robert (my 2^nd choice, my husband’s 1^st choice), and decided we would call him Bobby.  My 1^st choice was Jack, but my husband said “no way”.  I liked the name Robert, so I relented and Robert “Bobby” it was.

When Robert was born I realized, after about 48 hours, that I hadn’t called him by name.  The name “Bobby” just didn’t fit – I couldn’t look at him and call him that name.  My darling husband was calling him Bobby, his grandparents were calling him Bobby and his aunts, uncles and cousins were calling him Bobby, but his Mommy wasn’t.

 

I broke the news about 48 hours after his birth, that I couldn’t call him Bobby.  There was no reason why, except to me the name just didn’t fit him.  My husband was very understanding.  We talked for a long time about what to do about it.  Should we change his name (I again suggested Jack, but was nixed), should we call him a different nickname? 

We decided to keep Robert and change his nickname to Robbie!  As soon as I was honest with my husband about how I was feeling, and we decided to change his nickname to Robbie, I have loved it ever since.  His name has fit him perfectly for the last five and a half years.

Here’s the irony to this story:  Our second son was born, and although it took us the entire pregnancy and two days after his birth, we named him Jack.  When Jack started talking in his second year, he called his older brother “Bobby”.  He has been the only one in all of Robbie’s life to call him Bobby, and I LOVED it!       

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest ~

Rebecca

We want to hear how you arrived at your kids’ names.  Comment below!

Big Plate of Love

There is not one person who knows me who would say, “Oh Liz?  Yeah, she’s a great cook!”  Cooking is just not my thing.  And, trust me, I have tried.  Years ago when my husband and I started dating I made him brownies that never gelled properly in the oven.  I realized I had forgotten to include the eggs.  Simple mistake.  But, the worse part?  I was too embarrassed to tell him, so I cracked a few eggs, stirred ‘em right into the mixture in the pan, threw them back in the oven and hoped for the best.  They say you win a person over through their stomach.  You can imagine the gooey chocolate mixture covered with what became scrambled eggs in the oven didn’t exactly do the trick.

After my babies were born, I vowed to become a better cook.  And I tried, I really did.  But here we are over three years later and, unfortunately, not much has changed (I still stay away from brownie mixes).  Sure I can whip up a generic lasagna or mac and cheese, but anything more advanced than that is just out of my scope. 

But, alas!, for all you reading out there who are just like me there is hope for us after all!  In the last three years I have realized that it is not fancy food that my kids respond to, rather the creativity I put into whatever I’ve prepared for mealtime.  For instance, push a turkey hotdog through a chopstick and suddenly a toddler has a hotdog sword.  Cookie cutters suddenly make any boring sandwich more fun.  Letting your child pick what shade food coloring you’ll add to the pancake mix makes breakfast a blast.  You see where I’m going here.  Simple tricks can make any meal fun even if mom’s food is only so-so.

I’ve stopped beating myself up about my lack of skills in the kitchen.  If you’re like me and far from the world’s greatest chef, don’t be so hard on yourself.  Turns out it’s more about the thought you put into a meal rather than the caliber of the meal itself.  Mediocre food made with creativity and love is precisely just that – love on a plate! 

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest~

Liz

What creative meals have you come up with to get your kids to eat?

Thanks For The Job! Now, Where Is That Training Manual?

While I was pregnant, I planned on breastfeeding my baby.  I attended a breastfeeding course while I was nearing the end (and drug my husband with me).  I paid close attention to all the tips and information from the lactation consultant who was leading the class. 

Once my little baby boy arrived, there was already a roadblock.  He was five weeks early, had trouble latching, and had to be bottle fed for the first couple weeks.  I rented a hospital grade pump and pumped for the first five weeks, while my husband and I fed him my pumped breast milk in a bottle.  We (my son and I) seemed to struggle a great deal in the beginning, when trying to use all the tips I had learned in my prenatal breastfeeding class, and I was ready to quit.  My mom and sister suggested I contact a certified lactation consultant.  I was willing to give it one last ditch effort.    

I had a few sessions with a lactation consultant, who came to my house, to help my son and I learn how to breastfeed.  Man, I thought this breastfeeding thing was supposed to be natural and instinctual; it certainly wasn’t for my son and me.  Eventually, we got the hang of it, and went on to nurse for a happy 12 months.   My lactation consultant was just the support I needed to help me accomplish my goal of breastfeeding. 

I know that I would have thrown in the towel, if I hadn't shared my troubles with my mom and sister (both of whom breastfed their children) and their urging me to ask for help.  I wanted to do it ON MY OWN, as I know so many other women have done.

Over the years, I have spoken to lots of moms who seem to have a similar stance:  “I am super-woman and I can do this alone!”  The reality is, this is a brand new job for us and it can't be done alone!  Why is it that when someone is hired for a new job, there is an orientation period where you are trained by senior staff, but when we are “hired” for the most important job of our life, there is no orientation, no training manuals, and no “senior staff.” 

Asking for help does not make a mom any less of a mom; it actually demonstrates that she is willing to go the distance to do what is best for her child.  I have found that whatever stage of parenting I am in, when I reach out and ask for help, it makes it SO much easier! 

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest ~

Rebecca

      

If you or someone you know is in need of a certified lactation consultant, Stork Support recommends:

Michaela (Mickey) Kent, BSN, IBCLC, RLC

Certified Lactation Consultant

215-264-9437

Mickeykent@aol.com
Stork Support is always available to assist with the emotional side of breastfeeding!  Contact us today:www.storksupport.com

What the Hell Happened to Me?!

A few weeks ago a song popped in my head by the amusing comedian Adam Sandler called, “What the Hell Happened to Me?”   Now if you haven’t heard this song, it talks about the innocence of his childhood and the not-so-innocent lifestyle he lives today. But this got me thinking and I started to question myself own existence.  I have fond memories of being single long before having kids “living the dream” as one of my old friends would say.  I had a nice sporty looking car and a house that was decorated exactly how I wanted it.  Heck, I even had a pinball machine next to my bar, now what guy wouldn’t want that?  Well fast forward a few years and I am living in a home in the burbs with minivans parked in almost every driveway. The inside of our home has more kids’ toys and the decor is more kid themed than adult anything.  My comfortable couch where I would take my daily after-work-naps has become half black hole for miscellaneous toy parts/kids snacks, half fort to escape from “mysterious bad guys who are going to get us.”   My weekends are spent in Target to stock up on diapers and snacks and on the playground catching my kids as they come down the slide.  My sleeping pattern has even shifted from going to sleep past midnight and waking up around 10 am, to passing out from sheer exhaustion around 10 pm and waking before the sun comes up.  So, I ask again: What the Hell Happened to Me?!

My response?  I hit the proverbial jackpot.  Now don’t get me wrong, there are times I think about the past and smile but all the sports cars, man caves and late nights out with the boys don’t stand a chance against standing side by side with my kids and wife, each armed with flash lights in a couch pillow fort in the burbs ready to take down “the bad guys!”  My life has changed in ways I would have never imagined and I love every second of it.  So if you are living through these times now or remembering these memories from your childhood don’t forget this weekend is Father’s Day so give good ole dad a call to thank him for his couch pillow fort architectural skills.

Happy Father’s Day, All!

Sincerely,

As a Guest in the Stork’s Nest~

R. Daddy

PS: I’d like to say sorry to my own dad for wrecking every couch we ever owned!

We're Gonna Be Billionaires!

If you and your partner are anything like me and my husband, once you became parents you suddenly thought of tons of kid-related innovations that just needed to be invented.  How many times one of us has started a sentence with, “You know someone should come up with…” and the other has responded, “Oh good idea, we should do that – we’d be billionaires!”  It usually only takes about 5 seconds of a Google search to identify our exact “brilliant” invention and for us to learn that not only does the “invention” already exist, but it comes in 5 different colors, too.

The newest “idea” came to my husband last week.  We’ve been trying to ease our fifteen-month old daughter from a bottle to a cup, however, she is showing no interest (i.e. throwing said cup and screaming at the top of her lungs until one of us caves in and goes running for the bottle wrack).  As we looked at each other in silence, a light bulb went off on top of his head: “Someone should invent a cup with a nipple top that you can switch out for a cup top later when the baby doesn’t notice.  I bet that would totally work!” to which, right on cue, I responded, “Oh good idea, we should do that – we’d be billionaires!” 

Well, kids, you know how this one’s gonna end.  This bottle/cup already exists (I’ll save you the Google search: http://nuby.com/en/Nuby/bottle-feeding/1110).  I’d like to say congratulations and thank you to the Nuby people for figuring this out way before the thought even crossed my mind, just like the multitude of other “inventions” we’ve thought of since becoming parents over three years ago.  We may not become billionaires any time soon, but it’s good to know that what we “need” is out there and only a click away. 

Happy Clicking!

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest~

Liz

What Are You Talking About?

I was fortunate to be able to stay home with my first son after he was born.  I was so happy to be able to spend every hour of every day with him.  He was my life; my own life went out the window.  All my friends pre-baby were still working, so I was pretty much on my own with my baby, never having adult conversation until my husband got home from work.  

When I did get a chance to talk to my friends, my conversations were primarily about poop, sleep, and baby toys.  I found that my friends and I, some of whom I have known since grade school, had little in common now!  They were full into their careers, traveling, and going to fancy restaurants on the weekends.  I was lucky to get a shower and eat one full meal each day.    

I was at the library one day (my son was about six months old) for the baby story time program we went to each week.  There, I met a mom who was meeting other moms there.  She told me that she was in a Mommy Group where they meet up for playdates and other gatherings with their little ones.  I was intrigued.  I always hoped that my friends and I would start our families around the same time, but this was not the case.  I yearned for a connection to other moms of young children that were experiencing the same thing as I. 

When I got home, I searched for a Mommy Group, and found one!  This group of amazing women have been the steadfast support that I needed.  I have been in my Mommy’s Group for five years now.  As I sit and think about all we have been through and what we’ve talked about over the last five years, it makes me chuckle.  We’ve dealt with playgrounds, vomit, milestones, vacations, pregnancies, grandparents, community service, depression, new babies, emergency room visits,  diarrhea, politics, dancing, night-wakenings,  discipline, charity events, toys, diet, internet, birthday parties,  illnesses, husbands, relationships, accomplishments, preschools, restaurants, music, mom’s nights out, religion, jobs, laundry, family, breastfeeding, work, house cleaning, meals, babysitters, education, garage sales, and mothering.  Granted, you can talk to many people about many of these topics, but us mommies have talked about and dealt with ALL of them!

I was at a dear friend’s daughter’s 1^st birthday party this weekend, after a long and busy week with my kids and work.  It was nice to be around friends – my “mommy friends.”

While at the 1^st birthday party at my friend’s home, my girlfriend mentioned a bocce set (Franklin) that she and her family enjoy playing on the beach.  As I sat there holding a sippy cup (as if I were drinking from it) full of milk for my one-year-old, I said “you mean Franklin, the turtle,” thinking this was exactly what they were talking about.  Everyone burst out laughing, and informed me that Franklin was a sporting brand, and not just a turtle.  Although a bit embarrassed, I knew that everyone there understood what I was talking about, and how my brain was in mommy-mode.  My friend, seeing that I needed some adult conversation, quickly invited me (and my kids) over to her house a few days later (let’s be serious, playdates are more for the Mommies than the children)!  I quickly accepted.

These are my “Mommy friends”!  Without these amazing women in my life, I don’t know how I would be now, having three children under the age of five! 

I cannot stress enough how important support is, whether it is your first or tenth child.  To have someone that can relate and understand what you are going through each and every day is priceless. 

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest~

Rebecca

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

Today was a particularly challenging day.  You know the types of days I am talking about.  You’re exhausted by its end and feel like you just got off a roller coaster/merry-go-round combo ride.  This day for me started with waking up late, included working and caring for my kids, and culminated with me splashing a jar of tomato sauce all over my favorite white shirt (did THAT really have to happen??). 

Feeling defeated, I tucked my 3 year old into bed and curled up next to him to read a bedtime story (all the while longing for my own bed and my own bedtime).  My aunt and uncle recently sent my kids a copy of Dr. Seuss’ “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” so we selected that story to read.  I hadn’t read this Dr. Seuss book since I was a kid myself.  As I recited the verses aloud, I got chills from the inspirational words, noticed my voice getting louder and more powerful with each verse, and became overwhelmed with a sense of personal strength.  Although the reading was for my son, turns out it was exactly what I needed to hear. 

I wanted to share Dr. Seuss’ powerful lines with you all here.  So even if you haven’t read the verses since you were a kid like me, give it a whirl.  It’s a wonderful reminder that no one is perfect and there will be ups and downs in life but it’s all about the support you have, how you handle challenges and what you do with the lessons learned that matter in the long run.  Turns out Dr. Seuss knew a thing or two!

Happy Reading.

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest~

Liz 

 Oh! The Places You’ll Go!
By Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!
You’ll be seeing great sights!
You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.
Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!
Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!
So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!