Discovery Health: Cutest Baby Face-Off Photo Contest!

Attention Mamas! My friend, Maia, over at Discovery Health gave me a head's up on this great photo contest we all should enter! Paige needs a little competition, after all : ) You have to enter before July 1, so hurry up! Here are all the details:

Stroller-Friendly Shopping

Maybe I'm crazy, but wouldn't you think that stores that sell children's clothes or products should make a point to be accessible to people with children? I am 100% fed up with stores that pack the children's clothes in so tight that they make it impossible for me to shop with a stroller. I appreciate the great deals and large selection - but I would appreciate it even more if I could actually GET TO THE CLOTHES!

Sweet Leigh Mama is on Facebook!

Sweet Leigh Mama is now on Facebook!! Click below to become a "fan"!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sweet-Leigh-Mama-Blog/131697856859395

Hopes for My Daughter

Last week we took our first official family vacation. Yahooooo! It took us about 7 hours each way to drive from Atlanta to Orlando since we had to stop a few times to change and feed Paige. And since I'm not able to really sleep in the car, I had a lot of time to think. 14 hours to be exact. And the thought that kept popping up in my mind was how truly blessed I am to have the family and friends that I do. I'm especially blessed to have my little angel Paige, and to be able to experience all the joys of being her Mommy. I mentally put together a list of the qualities I hope to instill in little Paige over the next 18 years as she grows from tiny baby to young woman.. Here is that list...

I hope that my daughter is:

• Joyful - Filled with overwhelming joy that radiates from her pores
• Aware - Aware of herself and the beautiful person that she is inside and out, but also aware of the world around her
• Fearless - Unwilling to let the unknown hold her back from pursuing her hopes and dreams
• Passionate - Going after life with gusto, whatever her passions may be
• Kind - Putting the love and kindness into the world that she would like to receive in return
• Knowledgeable - Not in the book-smart kind of way necessarily, but rather filled with the knowledge that she is loved unconditionally by her family and by God - and that she is perfect just the way she is!

Post your "Dreams for my Child" list to Facebook!!
To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page (if you don’t have notes click on the + sign next to wall, info, photos, etc, to add it), paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 6 "Hopes for your Child", tag 25 other moms (in the right hand corner of the app) then click "Publish"


Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 6 "Hopes for your Child" - qualities you hope to instill in your child before adulthood. At the end, choose 25 moms or dads to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you. Be sure to tag "Sweet Leigh Mama Blog"!

Slideshow of Heroes

As I was searching for a way to put Paige's "Birth Day" video on to a DVD (for her baby book), I came across this interesting slideshow on Kodak Gallery called "Heroes for my Son." After some deep research (aka: a Google search) I found out it was created by author Brad Meltzer. I think I would have liked it even more if it was created by a "regular" person - and happened to get noticed by Kodak Gallery during the printing process. When I first saw it, that's the scenario I dreamt up in my mind. But anywho... It's still a great thing and highlights some truly amazing people in history in an inspiring way. I've also included the article I found that discusses why Mr. Meltzer wrote it and how he picked the people her did. Pretty cool IMO.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/slideshow/heroes-for-my-son/cb

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/herocomplex/2010/06/brad-meltzer-.html

Why Didn't I Listen: UPDATE

On Tuesday my husband and I brought baby Paige to a pediatric Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) specialist re: her tongue tie situation. The outcome was good and bad. The good? The doctor was awesome, honest and knowledgeable. The bad? Paige needs to have corrective surgery ASAP before there are any lasting effects to her jaw and mouth structure from not having it taken care of when she was first born. The doctor told us that there was no way Paige could have breast-fed with her tongue so constricted - that all she could have ever done was gnaw on the nipple (yup - that's pretty much what was going on... I can attest to that!). Also, he said she can't touch her tongue to the roof of her mouth or stick it out past her gum line (without moving her jaw awkwardly), so she would definitely have a major speech impediment. We were able to schedule the surgery for Monday at the local Children's Hospital. She will go under general anesthesia for 4-5 minutes, and the tongue will be corrected using a laser. They said I can go in the operating room until they put her under, and then I have to leave while they do the procedure. The doctor said that when she wakes up, she'll probably be a little fussy and confused, but that she'll quickly be back to normal within 24 hours.

I'm still dealing with a lot of anger and guilt regarding this whole thing... it would have been a simple office procedure had it been handled within the first two months. I had to bring Paige to the pediatrician on Wednesday for a rash under her neck (ends up it was a yeast infection - bizarre, I know - but yeast develops anywhere it's moist and hot.. her chubby chin and neck combined with constant drooling created the perfect environment.) Since it was an unscheduled visit and I haven't officially transferred her records to the new pediatrician, I had to go to the old one (yes, the one that said it was barbaric to fix my daughter's tongue). I met with a different doctor who was very nice. I figured I would give it one more shot with them, and asked what he thought about her tongue. He glanced inside her mouth and said, "Looks good to me! I would never recommend clipping the tongue unless it is very severe." Interesting... what exactly classifies as severe?! Not being able to touch the roof of your mouth or stick out your tongue isn't SEVERE?! At least he didn't call me a barbarian. But he did try to imply that Paige had the rash on her neck for weeks and I hadn't brought her in. He kept saying, "So she's had this for about three weeks?" I corrected him about 3 times, "NO! It was 48 hours max - and it JUST got this bad about 30 minutes ago when she woke up from her nap." I am SOOOOO donezo with them.

I'll let you know how the surgery goes on Monday. Please keep little Paigey Kakes in your thoughts and prayers!

PS: The picture I used isn't Paige (obviously because of the teeth : )  ), but that is exactly what hers looks like

Birth Day! A Movie

As Paige rounds the corner towards her 6 month birthday, I figured it was time I finally put together her birth documentary video : ) Better late than never!

It's amazing how much we've all grown since then. Six months ago, we went from a "couple" to a "family"... this video is where it all began.

Click on the embedded video below, or click this link to view on Vimeo: http://vimeo.com/sweetleighmama/videos

Birth Day! from SweetLeighMama on Vimeo.

One Strong Mama: Ski'ing Through Life with an Extra Chromosome

I don't believe in coincidences. I don't believe that things happen randomly. Things we read, hear, see at any given moment - God has placed them in our path at that specific time in our lives - that very second - because we need to take it in. Yesterday I began reading a blog by Erin Witkowski, mama of two beautiful boys - "Grady's Secret: Ski'ing Through Life." Erin's second son Grady is "genetically enhanced" as she calls it (LOVE that!) - he was born with Trisomy 21, or Down Syndrome. She began her blog on October 18 - soon after finding out Grady's diagnosis. Her honest stories of the days leading up to the diagnosis, as well as the months awaiting Grady's birth, will make you cry, laugh - but ultimately make you feel inspired as a mother. http://skiingthroughlife.wordpress.com/

As mamas, we each travel different paths. But our journeys all intersect at one specific point - the absolute, 100% pure love we feel for our children. Out of the billions of possible genetic combinations - God knew that your particular baby needed you as it's mama - and that you needed this baby to become the person your are meant to be in life.

As I head to the Pediatric ENT doctor with Paige later this afternoon, I know I have the support of all the other mamas out there - and that I can be strong for my baby girl... Why? Because I'm her mama.

First Road Trip: Check!

Sorry for the delay in posts. It was one of those weeks, ya know? I was lucky if I got to take a shower... which I didn't a few days : ) So when my husband reminded me on Tuesday that we was going away on a business trip until Friday night, I thought I was going to lose it. 72 hours, stuck in the house, with no relief? That's enough to make any mama cry. So I made an executive decision - ready or not, we're coming with you! Daniel was actually excited about the idea. We live in Atlanta, and the biz trip was in Nashville - which is only a few hours car ride away. So once Paige was down that night, we packed up my car with all the essentials - diapers, bottles, food, clothes, entertainment (bouncy chair, books, toys), bathtub... the baby had more gear than my husband and I multiplied by three! So the next day we were off - I actually planned it a little (I know... I surprised even myself with that one) and made sure to feed Paige before we left so we could get 2-3 hours down before we would have to stop again. I have to say, the drive was pretty enjoyable. Paige slept 75% of the time, and I was able to listen to the radio - something I haven't done in 5 months. When Paige started to pip around at 2.5 hours into the trip, I figured it was time for a food break anyway. Unfortunately, 2.5 hours en route from Atlanta to Nashville is pretty desolate. I got off one exit, and immediately pulled back on the highway... the lone gas station was straight out of a Hitchcock movie. No thanks. The next exit was marginally better, so I pulled into the gas station, changed Paige's diaper in the car, gave her a bottle still inside the car with the doors locked securely (yes, I checked multiple times), and then it was back on the road. My husband had plans with his colleagues both Wednesday and Thursday nights, so Paige and I explored Nashville on our own. It's a a much smaller place than I imagined. Paige LOVED the hotel - you could tell she really felt like she was on an adventure. She slept in her pack-n-play pretty well considering it was a brand new environment. Thursday we checked out the zoo (in the blazing heat) and then I took Paige swimming for the first time. She was in HEAVEN! She just kept squealing and laughing. Seeing her so happy was the best part of the trip. On Friday we packed the car back up and headed back to A-Town. And even though traveling with a baby isn't the easiest, we really had a blast doing it! It was just the break we needed away from the regular routine. I definitely recommend it to all the mamas - sometimes a change in scenery is all it takes to refresh the spirit. YAHHHHHHHOOOOOOO!