2/17: Thoughts from the week
-Every morning when I get dressed, I keep in mind that I will be wearing purple for most of the day 😉
Might be time to invest in another Moby.. ours gets used all the time –Tom likes to wear her in the Ergo instead- but it will be nice to have a backup when this one is in the wash.
-In Livi’s bassinet, there was a group of tiny black fuzzies. I was wondering where all the lint came from, and then realized that it was hair! Many babies start to lose their hair, and end up with the “Friar Tuck”: hair on the sides, bald on top.
Livi has what I like to call the “Billy Crystal”
Yep.
-You guys are geniuses suggesting the velcro swaddles. We had a few that Kyle and Meg gave us when Liv was first born, but they were a little too big for her. Now, they fit perfectly, with room to stretch and move her legs, and she doesn’t try to get escape. She has slept SO much better the past two nights and it’s AMAZING what a little sleep will do!
-I’ve said this before, but I really want to start making dinner again. I kind of quit this week because I was dragging from being awake all night and day for so long, but I think we’re ready to get into it. Meal planning, one big grocery shop, the whole shebang. Even when I did find time to put something together this week, we didn’t have groceries for it! One big shopping trip makes it so much easier than taking Liv out to get a few things for a meal or two.
It’s going to be a challenge to squeeze it in during naptime, or prep something during the day that can be quickly made at night, but I’m determined… and sick of takeout. The other night, we spent $50 for dinner for two of us- about 1/4 of what I’d spend for weekly groceries.
-It’s tradition in my family to get ears pierced at an early age –mine were pierced when I was 3 weeks old- and I thought for sure we’d get hers pierced around the same time. Madre will do the honor since she’s a stylist and pierces ears, too. Now, looking at Liv’s teeny perfect ears, I can’t do it yet.
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You deserve time off from cooking! I know how it feels to want to jump back into the cooking thing! You’ll get there! 🙂 happy weekend!
I got my ears pierced when I was 3… and from my mother said, I threw a gigantic tantrum. If I ever have a girl, I’ll try to do it early to avoid that! It’s so hard to do stuff like that though… we have our four month shots coming up and I’m dreading it!
Glad the swaddle is working!
I had my ear’s pierced when I was super young too, maybe 6 weeks or so! That is the only piercing I have too because I’m too scared of the pain since I have no recollection of it in the first place! I can definitely understand you not wanting to do it yet though!
Good luck with the dinner making! I’m sure once you get into a routine, it will become easier!!
Early ear-piercing is a tradition of sorts in my family too. I’ve noticed it’s a pretty common thing among Mexican families (like mine). I never gave it much thought, until a friend and I were at the mall, and she noticed a baby with pierced ears and said something to me along the lines of, “I can’t believe that parents actually do that — it’s so cruel. The baby trusts you, and you put it through so much pain. Parents should let their daughters decide whether they want to go through with it when they’re older.”
She kind of blushed when I told her about my family. I guess I see her point, but the baby doesn’t seem to remember the pain — I didn’t. And I’ve never held it against my parents that my ears were pierced at such a young age. I did, however, find out that my mom was too sad/scared to hear me scream so she made my aunt go with her for support.
did you have the arm full of gold bangles, too? i totally did 🙂
Haha — and one with my name on it! And the little gold hoop earrings!
me too!! haha i love it 🙂
me too! little gold hoops, a baby cross, and gold bangles, oh italians 🙂 just be careful – if you wait too long you’ll miss the boat! my sister didn’t pierce addie’s ears early enough and now she’s too old bc she can pull at them 🙁
I got my ear’s pierced when I was almost 10. I begged for them as soon as I knew about earrings and piercings. I have also worked at a chain store that pierced ears, and whenever babies came in we always felt so badly for them because they had no idea what was going on, why they were feeling pain and a lot of the time they wouldn’t stay still for the second piercing. They were in shock cause they didn’t see it coming. My opinion is to wait till the child is old enough to realize what is happening and to want them for themselves.
The best way is to have to 2 people one for each ear, it’s easier to do them both at the same time. I had the people who did my friends daughter 3 at the time this way because I know she won’t let them do the 2nd ear after the 1st!
I pierced my daughters when she was 2 and a half worst idea! She freaked out If I had to do it again I would do it much earlier too!
You should go to the fabric store and buy yourself 6 yards of knit jersey in the color you like. I get the 60 inch wide, then cut it in half so it’s 30 inches wide and have 2 long pieces of material that you can wrap the same way as a Moby for much less.
Good luck with the cooking. I’m sure it will be a challenge, but you’ll feel great sitting down to a home cooked meal!
So glad you’re loving the Velcro swaddles! They’ve been fantastic for us. H had the friar tuck for a while, but now it’s starting to fill in 🙂
Not sure if anyone has suggested the miracle blanket yet…but it’s awesome for those little houdini babies!
My daughter had her ears pierced at 6 months by our doctor. I thought it was the perfect age. It was still hard but it’s an Italian family tradition for my husband’s family. I never thought I’d be able to do it but now that she’s 16M I love them. They’re so cute and we never ever had trouble with them. My doctor said either by 6M or wait until age 10. I understood why because when she was about 9M it was very hard to clean them….she was all over the place. My doctor actually gave us the name of a numbing cream to put on an hour before we did it. She only cried for a second and then it was like she always had them. She cried more when she got shots.
I had to make the same adjustments when my little guy came along. One big grocery shop is what works for me. If we run out of something one of us goes to pick it up and the other watches the kiddo. I never was a big slow cooker user, but now I break it out on those busy nights. It helps us eat healthier and you don’t have to be tied to the stove and the baby. My husband likes it too since he does the dishes. One pot and he is done 🙂 Make extra and freeze leftovers. Another way to avoid take out on those nights you just can’t get up the energy to cook.
You look good in purple! 🙂 I had the same color, loved it.
We have the same tradition. We ended up waiting until she was 10 months. They did both at the same time and she screamed for 5 min. Was pretty horrifying, but glad it’s done!!
Why not let her decide if she even wants her ears pierced?
i didn’t say we wouldn’t- we’re not sure what we’re going to do yet
You look gorgeous in your picture! Random thought but I figured you should know. 🙂
Hi Gina!
It’s my first time commenting even though I’ve been reading your blog regularly for the past 7 or 8 months. First of all, congratulations! Olivia is adorable and it seems like you’re transitioning into motherhood so well 🙂 I have 2 kids – a four-year-old little girl and two-year-old boy. I remember my first few months as a mom and it was so much harder than I anticipated! Nothing prepares you for it, no matter how many books you read or how much you think you’re ready. It definitely gets easier with time and before you know it, your baby is walking, talking, and all that fun stuff!
Second, I come from a Mexican family as well who have the tradition of piercing their little girls’ ears at super young age too. I had mine pierced at 4 weeks old and did my daughter’s at 8 weeks old. I was having second thoughts about piercing my little baby’s ears when she was so tiny but my mom convinced me to just get it over with. She said it hurts more when you wait to get them done at an older age and I think she was right. Ari cried for less than a minute and never showed any kind of discomfort with her new earrings after that. It was a lot less scary than I imagined it would be! Later on as a toddler she lost one of her earrings and I didn’t get her a new one until weeks later but when I tried putting it on I realized the hole had closed! I had to take her to get it pierced again and OMG! This time she really cried! She still remembers it to this day and it’s been over two years! Lol.
So, my word of advice would be to just get it done now. Livi will be okay – especially considering that she’ll have grandma doing her ears!
Hope this helps!
thank you, that’s good to know! i really think the fear of getting it done would be worse than the pain. piercing doesn’t hurt that bad
Yeah, it’s scary for us as mommies but she’ll be okay and so will you 🙂
BTW, I also had the gold bangles as a baby plus the big frilly dresses with the shiny patent shoes and socks with lace edges around! Back then our moms probably thought baby girl = doll haha…
haha! exactly 🙂
I went when I was about 7-8. The first night one came out and by morning the hole had closed. My mom took me back to have it redone and I screamed and cried before she even touched me. I knew what was coming!! I wish mine had been done while I was an infant so I’d have no memory of it 🙂
I had my ears pierced at 5 weeks old. My mom had me in earrings most of the time, probably daily, up until kindergarten or so. For some reason, I stopped wearing them for awhile and the holes closed up. I didn’t re-pierce them until I was 21! It hurt enough to keep me from letting the holes close again!
I got mine pierced when I was five, and it was a secret deal between me and my Aunty. I had been begging my mum for earrings basically since I could talk but she thought I was too young. It did hurt, but not enough to make me cry and I was super proud of myself and felt like a kick-arse grown up rebel for doing something so cool without my mum’s knowledge.
I’ve never seen babies with earrings, so how does it work? I can imaging the earring back might stick them in the head! Or if they have hoops, isn’t there a danger of them pulling them with their hands? This is not a criticism, I’m genuinely interested. Like, is there a special type of earring made for babies?
yep, they have snap-on backs instead of ones that slide on and off- they don’t stick out as far in the back, too
Glad the velcro is working. It’s amazing how fast you start to feel human again after a few extra hours of sleep!
Before investing in another Moby, you might want to see how you feel about all of that fabric once it gets hot out (which probably won’t be too much longer in AZ). I had a winter baby in FL and loved the Moby for the first few months, but once the weather got warmer (and the baby simultaneously got heavier), I had to switch to the Ergo!! Maybe that’s just me though. I am originally Canadian and am super sensitive to the Floridian heat and humidity!
All 3 of my daughters had pierced ears at 7 weeks old. It is so much easier to take care of them (cleaning the piercings and such) versus trying to wrangle a toddler or teenager and having them keep up with taking care of them, and they babies don’t remember. I immediately nursed them after they were done and it was over within seconds. Plus, it’s just so dang cute.
It’s also a italian tradition to pierce them young my mom waited till I was a year old and said I peed through my diaper all over her, but after a few minutes I got over it. My aunt did not do my cousins and we were forever trying to bribe her with McDonald’s french fries, and even had her watch me get my 2nd holes( so 90’s lol) to show it didn’t hurt she wasn’t buying it. She finally did them in her teens, good thing about doing them as babies is we don’t remember even though mommy does.
I got my ears pierced the first time when I was 21! After I let them close up, I got them done again when I was around 32! And they closed up again after a few years!
I let my daughter get hers pierced when she was about 10 and could care for them herself! She still has hers pierced, and she is 24 now! I couldn’t imagine having anyone hurt her when she was so tiny by putting holes in her ears! When she had been asking for a while and I took her to get them done, She started to chicken out…and I told her it was up to her, but if she didn’t get them done then, she wouldn’t be getting them done until she went to college! So she agreed she really did want them done!
Do you really spend $200 a week on groceries?
around there- my husband eats like a family of 4 🙂
i keep my own to about $50 a week, but steve eats like i bet tom does, and his grocery bill is like $100 a week easily, just for him. i can’t wait until we live together so i can show him how to eat more cheaply! haha (or i guess it’ll be more expensive because i will only let him buy his meat at whole foods. if he wants to eat it, he needs to care what he puts in his body)
Yeah, I spend about $250 for my boyfriend and I – but that’s a month. And he eats like a teenager still. We just don’t have the luxury to spend $10,000 a year on food (thats what $200 a week adds up to be..)
Gina, that sounds pretty normal to me for a healthy diet made up of whole foods. I spend about 75/wk and I’m just one person.
I totally agree with you. It’s not exactly a luxury if you are in an area with a high cost of living! I spend at least $200 a wk for a family of three.
I eat a healthy diet with whole foods. And I’m in an urban city in New England – which is probably one of the most expensive cost of livings in the country.
Gina, thanks for being honest and posting this dollar amount! Healthy groceries are expensive, especially organic meats! I can relate to the high grocery bills, and the hungry husbands that cause the bulk of it 🙂
I got my ears pierced at a month old!! Babies look so precious with little studs!!
I wish I could get my grocery budget as low as $200 a week!
My oldest daughter asked to get her ears pierced at age 7 and I took her out that day and had it done. Never a problem to clean etc. My younger daughter doesn’t have hers pierced yet.
I know what you mean about the Moby. Mine is a more neutral color (tan with little black designs on it) so it tends to go okay with anything I wear. I prefer the ergo though.
i am for babies with pierced ears! i’m **so** glad my mom did mine!! a few of my ex-coworkers got all up in arms when i told them my parents did mine as a baby. def a Mexican thing, I wasn’t working in a very diverse workplace. in my neighborhood we definately get a few stares when 10 packed cars pull up for a “small” family get together. good thing they don’t get the HOA involved and there is extra parking space since it’s a new development with plenty of space between homes.
Are people really justifying causing babies pain so they’ll look cute? Babies are people, not toys. I ant imagine willingly causes in my children pain, let alone joking about their reactions.
For a lot of people it’s a cultural thing. I know it’s common in Hispanic families. It’s one of those things that is personal for each family/mom. 🙂
Should it be acceptable just because it’s cultural? Honestly, I’m asking. It IS causing a baby pain.
I’ve never seen it cause a baby any sustained harm. The discomfort seems minimal, most babies I see get over it in like 2 seconds.
Really, I don’t think it’s as big of a deal as most people make it out to be.
I would think (and have no expertise to base this on, btw!) that piercing a baby is better than piercing a child who is old enough to remember the whole thing. My sister and I are only 15 months apart in age, and we got them done together around age 8-9. I was OK, but to this day, 20 years later, I can remember my sister crying and begging the lady not to pierce her 2nd ear, she hated it so much. I’ve met quite a few people who had their ears pierced as little babies, and no one remembers any pain at all!
And PS – Katharine – I still joke about her reactions. We all laugh together, no big deal!!
I’m glad my mom did it when I was very young (6 weeks old), but not for the pain issue. Since i had studs in my ears for my whole childhood, when i take out my earrings now, the holes don’t close up because the holes healed in a natural way without scarring. I’ve gone 6 months to a year without them closing up. But i understand how some could see that as a negative if they want they don’t want their piercings.
I got my ears pierced when I was 7. It didn’t hurt, and I can leave mine out for 6 months or more without them closing up. My second holes I got when I was 14, and now I almost never wear earrings in them, and they never close up. That has nothing to do with getting them pierced young.
I personally think it should be the child’s decision. I know plenty of women who don’t have their ears pierced and don’t want them done.
And as far as people saying to get it done, because the baby doesn’t remember the pain, don’t go to those kiosk’s in the mall and DON’T use the guns and I can guarantee it will hurt much less/not hurt at all. If you go to a tattoo parlor they use hollow needles, so they actually make a small hole to fit the ring in. Those guns don’t make a hole, they just shove the earring right through and it hurts a lot more.
I don’t care so much about the pain issue, since it seems most people agree it’s minimal. To me, the problem is that you are making a decision for your child that she should be able to make herself. Girls/women don’t NEED to have their ears pierced, despite cultural/societal standards. Mine have never been pierced (and never will be….I don’t choose it). In my personal view, it’s one more unnecessary way people push a gender stereotype onto children.
I got my ears pieced when I turned 4. I was at a Claire’s, 2 employees did each ear at the same time so I wouldn’t have to go through the pain on the 2nd ear after I knew what it felt like. They pieced my ears, I was about to cry, and then they immediately held a mirror in front of my face. My frown turned into a smile from ear to ear in about 2.2 seconds! 🙂 I’ll never get sick of my mom telling me that story!
My husband and I are expecting a baby boy and just had the circumcision discussion. I basically feel the same way about that as ear piercing-each person should be able to make the decision for him or herself when he or she is old enough. But you guys are her parents and I know that you are just doing what you think is best, just like every other parent out there. It’s really hard being a parent! Especially when everyone is judging every decision you make.
Anyway… The real reason I wanted to comment was to ask what brand of velcro swaddlers you have? I am trying to finish my registry and have registered for the aden and anais blankets, but it sounds like I should get some velcro ones too…
I think Halo Swaddle Sacks are awesome, although I haven’t tried other brands to compare.
I had my ears done at age 8…trust me, I was too old and hated the pain. Would have been better off as a baby!
I am for letting girls decide if they want their ears pierced… so I guess I’m for letting them grow up beforehand. I realize it’s a cultural thing, but I worked at Claire’s for two years and I can’t tell you how many infected ears I saw — from kids too young to have piercings — not to mention the babies who would look at me accusingly with those big eyes, tears rolling down their cheeks… it was AWFUL.
I waited till I was 19. Goodness, I was a late bloomer!!!!!!
BTW: Gina, you look super foxy in that pic… wow! Gorgeous!!!!
In all fairness, most of those infections are probably because Claire’s doesn’t train people to pierce ears properly. Not to mention the fact that piercing guns are like begging for an infection. The rate of infection is generally much lower when someone who is properly trained hand-pierces ears.
Homegirl, you have more cute iPhone cases than anyone I know. I have serious envy. I only have the pink silicone Kate Spade with white polka dots, but I feel like I should get more to accessorize with when I see all yours! : )
my parents waited to pierce my ears until I asked, which was when I was like three. sitting in the chair is one of my earliest memories! youre such a sweet mama,
I must live in a cave because I never knew that in certain families it was tradition to pierce ears early 🙂 It’s really neat to me that you have that tradition – I’ll admit I’ve never understood baby ear piercing, but knowing that it’s a tradition makes everything make so much more sense to me. I wasn’t allowed to get my ears pierced until I was 12 – of course, I made them take me the exact day of my 12th birthday. Just follow your heart and you’ll make the best choice for Livi, I just know it. I’m glad to hear she’s staying in her swaddle!
Ooooh see I could never pierce a baby’s ears. I got mine pierced when I was 11 and now I can’t wear them at all (allergic to all metals in my ears) and I wish I never would have, but at least I made the choice on my own you know? Just sayin.
I got mine pierced when I was 10- my mom used it as kind of a coming of age thing with my sister and I and we weren’t allowed to get ours pierced before then. At the time I was sooooo excited and felt so grown up, so I definitely think there’s something to be said for that! Kind of like getting to wear makeup for the first time 🙂
They actually say you’re supposed to wait to pierce ears until around 10 or 12 years (I had mine pierced when I was in 8th grade), because of the way earlobes grow/develop if you do it earlier than that the hole can wind up in a weird place (too low or too high on the earlobe so it looks “bad”) and there’s nothing you can do to fix it.
I have seen so many people who got their ears pierced as a baby, and you’re right. The hole ends up in a really weird place and it doesn’t look good.
I had mine pierced at 12 and wished my parents had taken me when I was younger to have them done. I got myself so worked up over the pain. I did like how I knew how to take care of them though so I never had to worry about infections. I don’t quite get the big deal people are making about how getting them done when the girl is little isn’t giving her a say in the matter. If she gets older and decides she doesn’t like them (which judging by how many earrings and jewelry stores we have I’m thinking is not a lot, most girls love earrings) she can just take out her earrings and the holes will close up. Its not like her parents had them done to be mean or cause her pain. And its definitely not a decision she’ll have to live with the rest of her life if she doesn’t want to.
I got mine pierced a little late — 3 years old!! You can imagine the crying, tantrums and what not. It’s awesome Livi is getting hers now 🙂
My mom got my ears pierced really young – I think I was 8 weeks or so. I got my second holes when I was 16 and they didn’t heal as well – they are more sensitive and have a little bit of scar tissue around them. I think that if you know you want her to have her ears pierced it’s better to do it early, but I could see that being tough to do with her being so tiny.
I know you didn’t ask for my opinion, but I don’t really like the idea of piercing a baby’s ears. It’s permanent, and so think it should be her decision when she’s a bit older. Perhaps she won’t grow up to like jewelry. Maybe there’s some cultural thing I just don’t get, but my friend let her husband’s family have her daughter’s ears pierced as an infant, and she really regretted it afterwards.
I got mine pierced at age 10, and my mom – who was in her mid-40s – got hers pierced after I did. She had never wanted pierced ears before and she said that I made her want to try it. Also, I have a fond memory of getting permission to get my ears pierced, and going to the place with my mom, and being SO excited, and picking out earrings. Even if Livi does grow up to want her ears pierced, you can share the experience together and make it memorable.
I got my ears pierced on my 10th bday. My mom made me wait that long! When Skylar (just turned 5 years) starts asking for them, she can have them….my hubs wears his earrings more than I wear mine, ironically. And she makes comments like, when I’m big and a grown up and I have a baby and a house and tattoos, I can have a puppy, too. Gotta love the stuff kids say…and I think in our case, we’re in store for puppy questions before ear piercing questions 🙂
Good luck on the cooking at home plans!
We had our daughters pierced at 3 months. She did great, only cried for a second. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad, she’s your daughter and you get to decide what you think is best!
You might wait on the second Moby, I bet she’s going to go through a big growth spurt very soon and you’ll be surprised how much you end up using the Ergo instead.
You are doing great!
She won’t remember the pain, and even if she DOES grow up to not like jewelry, its not like she is going to look in the mirror and say “I hate my earlobes because they have holes”. Ultimately though, its up to you. The same can be said about circumcision which I know you were iffy about as well, so I understand your conflict. I personally dont see anything wrong with it. I got my ears pierced as a baby, also.
I disagree with the comment that no one would ever say “I hate my earlobes because they have holes”. I still have holes that never fully closed up from ear piercings from 15 years ago and I hate that they are still there. There will always be a mark there. I cant imagine making my 7 month old daughter have holes in her own ears without her consent.
Oh don’t pierce them. I remember my Mom always saying that babies/children with earrings was terribly common. Don’t do it she’s so beautiful.
I guess I just don’t understand the early ear piercing thing at all. Why give a child something that’s such responsibility, if they don’t even know if they want it yet?
That’s cool if it’s a family thing, and your thing. I just wish I understood. 🙂
I got my ears pierced when I was about 3 or 4 or 5, I’d been begging for it doing, and my mum said yes, we went to have it done and I cried and cried – not really from the pain but I hated the noise that the gun made! I think it’s up to the parent about when to pierce their babies ears, I think it’s probably a good idea, for all the people saying you should wait until she asks when she’s older, she more than likely IS going to ask (I don’t know a single girl without pierced ears) and if you do it now she’ll never remember the pain. Plus when they start having it done at school age, I know in the schools locally that kids aren’t allowed to wear earrings, so they have to take them out during the day and then they heal up and are more likely to get infected when the child is touching them all the time.
i begged my mom to let me get my ears pierced nonstop for several months, and finally in kindergarten she took me out of school a little early and we took a special mother-daughter trip to the jewelers to get them done… i don’t really remember the pain, but she said my eyes welled up with tears, but then i was so happy when i saw them and took such good care of them from then on. i DO remember thinking the whole experience was so special and how cool my mom was 🙂
Well, purple IS a good color, right? 🙂 I don’t have a baby but I imagine it’s pure delight to look down and see your beautiful baby sleeping on your chest. <3
While I think earrings are adorable on babies, I don't know how parents do it! My mom made my sisters and me wait until we were 10 before we could have our ears pierced. It's funny because my younger sister is 28 and never did have hers done, and I couldn't have had it done soon enough. I honestly think parents should let their children decide whether or not they want their ears pierced. It could be a cultural thing, but I don't see the point in putting holes in a baby's ears. I hope whatever you decide for Livi goes well. <3
On a lighter note, isn't takeout a ripoff?? I can totally understand your wanting to get back in the kitchen!
I admit I don’t understand why one would pierce a baby’s ears. I remember asking my mother when I was 8 or so to get my ears pierced and she said I had to be 10 to do it. It seemed like forever to get there, but once the time came it was a really special moment in my life. Sure, it hurt but I knew it would. I kind of see it as the first time in my life that I realized that sometimes you have to live through some pain to get what you want. And the pain wasn’t traumatizing because I since then have pierced my ears another 9 times, got a tongue piercing and a belly button piercing.
I don’t see how a baby could get enjoyment from it like someone who chose it and is aware of what is happening. I know I’m a terribly independent person, and since I was very young hated when my parents made decisions for me that I could make myself.
That being said though, you’re her parents and as I said, I don’t understand it so there could be something really cool in there that I just don’t see!
Yay! Glad the velcro sacks helped everyone sleep better!