The world of arguing moms. Why do we do it???

This is something that has been bothering me for a... a long while now. I'm sure you can go to someone's blog RIGHT NOW or read someone's twitter timeline and see something about what they think is best for baby and it somehow always sparks arguments.
I even, have received criticism on my different decisions. People thinking they know my life, my past life decisions with my 1st daughter and what they think I'll do with Baby K.
Why can't we all just get along and support moms and dads to do what's best for their family and just take care of their kids the way they want to?

Breastfeeding vs. Bottle Feeding?
Yes, there are many proven benefits to breastfeeding, but there are many reasons why breastfeeding may not work for someone. It isn't a LAW that a women has to breastfeed so why does another mother feel the need to open her mouth and talk badly about a mom if she CHOOSES not to breastfeed? Isn't it her choice? Just because yes, her breasts were made for feeding a child doesn't mean she HAS to, does it? I don't think so. I think she, and her boyfriend/husband, have the right to do whatever works best for them. If someone wants to feed their baby formula then go right ahead, it's your life! FF your baby up, who am I to judge?! Or BF! But I'm sorry just because you BF does NOT make you a better mother then the mother that has made the choice to FF.
With my first daughter we tried to latch for days without any success because I have inverted/flat nipples. I pumped for as long as I could, which ended up being only 4-5months and even near the end I had to supplement with formula. Did I think I was a horrible mother and killing my daughter by giving her formula..? Ummm no, not at all. I knew I was doing all I could for Makenna and if I wasn't producing the milk, then I wasn't producing the milk, end of story. We got a good solid 4 months of breastfeeding (yes I still consider myself a breastfeeding mom even though I pumped!) in and I'm proud of that 100%. I am whole heartedly going to give breastfeeding another shot with Baby K. I'm hoping she can latch but if not I have my new Simplisse pump (Giveaway prize from BabyDickey.com!) that I am excited to use regardless. John of course wants to feed his daughter and although my breast were made for feeding our daughter I am still going to pump because I want to give my husband the joy of feeding his daughter as well. I personally think it sounds so selfish when moms brag about being the only one who can feed their child.
Bottom line: I'm in favor of feeding your babies.

Crib vs. Co-sleeping?
I pretty much was forced to co-sleep with my 1st. I didn't get a crib until she was about 4months old.
I hated having to share a bed with her. I was scared every single night because I know I move around a lot and I was so afraid of rolling over on her. Another worry, She started rolling EXTREMELY early so it & I didn't want her to roll over and fall on the floor.
Did I ever squish her, nope, but she did roll off the bed a couple times and it broke my heart and I cried many times.
Once I got a crib the transition was very easy for us, she never had a problem sleeping in her own crib and I of course slept a lot better knowing she was safe. The crib was in my room so night feedings were still pretty easy in a sense... although I'm sure I don't remember getting outta bed to feed her most of the time, lol.
Some babies sleep better in their own bed, other babies sleep better with mom right next to them to cuddle or comfort, or nurse as needed through-out the night.
Some moms sleep better knowing baby is right next to them for whatever reason, just for comfort or for easy nursing in the middle of the night, or you might just feel better knowing your baby is in the same room as you.
Seriously though, as long as you are being safe about your decision, I think the only thing that is really important is creating a space where everyone can sleep soundly.
Why are you better then me because you co-sleep? I personally think your crazy for co-sleeping but would I ever say that to your face or start a discussion on it? No, 'cause it's not my business! I'm glad it works for you but it does not work for me and John does not want us to do it either.
Bottom line: I'm for everyone getting as much sleep as they can.

Disposable vs. Cloth Diapers?

Personally, I think cloth diapers are disgusting and I would never EVER try it. The thought of it grosses me and John out to death. Is that a reason to crucify me? Uh, I don't think so.
-Disposable diapers are convenient and easy to use. They are also very expensive & of course, one of the most frequently seen items in landfills. They've also come a long way though and are more biodegradable then what they used to be.
-Cloth diapers are cheaper in the long run, environmentally friendly & I guess they can be cute... although I think the "fluffy butt" thing is NOT cute. It's too bulky looking for me... again, that's MY OPINION. Cloth Diapers are also messier, stinkier & have to be washed, and there is even special soap that you should buy and the soaking, etc.
Of course there are pros & cons to both. But is it really worth an argument? Again, who I am to say which pros are better or which cons are worse. We all have our own families and we should have the right to diaper our kids the way we want without hearing how horrible it is that we fill up the landfills, or waste money on special soap or spend $25 on ONE diaper.
Bottom line: I'm in favor of doing what works for your family!

Natural birth vs. Medicated birth?
Look at it anyway you want but whatever way you wanna spin it, labor and delivery is extremely hard!
Women, like me, think the benefits of being comfortable with an epidural far outweigh any part of an unmedicated birth. Other women, think natural labor is a much better option because the experience, the benefits of it all and they think it's the safer way to go.
The thing is, with all the hormones we are experiencing, and the extreme pain - I think it's extremely important that we support mothers no matter what method they use. We should help women feel comfortable, empowered and confident in something that I feel is one of the most difficult thing we do as women. Who are you to argue with another mom (or mom-to-be) about her decisions or what she is going to do in the near future.
I think you shoving your opinions about the situation in her face pretty much means you think that you know better what is best for her and her body. If I see another tweet about someone defending natural birth when someone else says they think they are going to get an epidural, I am going to have to open my mouth tell say, "shut the hell up!". I don't think anyone has the right to try to convince someone else what they should do in that most intimate time. I'm not saying don't give advice or ask the mom-to-be if she has looked into the "cons" of an epidural but then drop it after she says she has and still wants an epidural.
With my first daughter I INSTANTLY knew I was going to get an epidural the second I found out I was pregnant. I wasn't even thinking about labor without medication. Am I a bad mom? Um no. Am I a weak mom/women? Hell no! I did what was best for me.
This pregnancy... I want to TRY to go as long as I can without meds but I will be asking for an epidural the second I can't stand it anymore and I will not think twice about it and John doesn't give a crap either way. He has voiced many times that he just wants me to be happy and comfortable. My labor and delivery should be about me being comfortable and enjoying the fact that my baby daughter is about to come into this crazy world, so if an epidural helps me then I will do it since it's MY choice.
Bottom line: I'm in favor of mom's comfort in labor.

So, seriously, why do we always have to have arguments? Does it make you feel better for telling me that I should try cloth diapers since the Huggies I choose to use are killing the earth? I'm sorry but there are much bigger things going on in the world and much bigger things killing this earth then my daughter's Huggies.
I sincerely believe that we as moms should be encouraging one another, we should be helping each other, defending each other, not attacking one another for the choices we are making. I believe if you choose a method that I don't agree with because it's better for you, your baby and family then go for it. It's the right we have as moms - to choose. Who am I to say that my methods are better for you, and visa-versa.

I'm not trying to sound judgmental or anything because like I said, I don't care how you parent, if you cloth diaper, if you co-sleep, if you have a natural birth, etc. I just wanted to state my opinion on the key situations as well. If other people can do it in [what I think is] a hurtful manner then I can voice my opinions in my post because I'm not directly attacking anyone.
I'm just saying what I do and do not do when it comes to parenting my kid(s).

Get Her Outta Me!... Please?

Yeah, I'm officially over it. Everyone talks about the joys and love of pregnancy but I just cannot do it. Sure, from the moment we saw those 2 pink lines it was love and excitement... don't get me wrong, BUT I am hating life right about now.
Who says pregnancy has to be about butterflies and rainbows anyway? 'Cause I'd really love to punch that bitch in the face!! She's a stupid whore, and I hate her!
Yes, my pregnancy has been "uneventful", so much so that even though I was already supposed to start seeing my Doctor every two weeks she thought it was unnecessary since everything has been going so smoothly. Am I blessed, yes, and I know this but that doesn't take away from how crappy I constantly feel.

 So here's my bitch fest :)

• I am sick of the 24/7 acid reflux. I swear my throat is on fire and everyone sees the flames and is just not telling me! Taking Zantac twice a day only helps sometimes but not always. Thank god, EMAB is sending me their "Heartburn Tea" so hopefully that will begin to help!
• The fact that I feel like I'm a freaking beached whale when I step foot in the pool or on the actual beach is just not sitting well with me either.
• Breathing? What the hell is that because ummmmmm I don't think I can EVER catch my breath. I try to talk to... anyone... and I have to stop about 20times in a 2 minute long sentence because I feel like I'm going to pass the eff out!
• Sleep is officially a thing of the past now. I do not think I've gotten a full night's sleep going on about 3 weeks now. It is so uncomfortable to sit, stand, lay on my side, lay on my back.. I have no idea what to do! Even sitting to be on the computer kills me after a few minutes, so I try to get in bed and be on the computer but nope...that gets uncomfortable in 2 minutes.
• My patience is longggg gone out of the window. My daughter is pretty much always on my nerves. I try not to take my misery out on her but damn it is so freakin' hard. John and I have been devoting A LOT more time to her so she doesn't feel like we hate her now or something. I hardly doubt she feels anything differently but of course I especially feel bad about snapping at her.
• Being hot 24/7! It's close to 100 degrees PLUS 60% humidity here in Florida and seriously it's unbearable!! After a while of having the a/c blasting in the car John will instinctively turn is down a few notches since the car has "cooled down" but everyone is failing to realize that the whole time it was blasting to me it felt like it was on low, lol. So everyone has to freeze just to make me A LITTLE bit comfortable.

So yeah.. those are just a few of my issues with pregnancy. I'm only 32 weeks and if I hear one more person say, "aw only 8 more weeks to go" I'm gonna kill them! ONLY?!?? ONLY, people...??? I want these 8 weeks to go by faster then anyone in the world realizes. Yes, it was 6 years ago that I dealt with a summer pregnancy but I do not remember it being this insanely miserable :( In fact I was so much fine with it that I even let my pregnancy go to 41 weeks. This time, I am almost to the point of telling the doctor and John that I want to be induced as soon as I can, because I do not think I can hold out till August 4th!

At least I know from our appointment yesterday that she is head down and getting ready for her lovely decent. I know she hasn't fully dropped or anything yet because I can still walk :) With Makenna it literally felt like someone was taking each of my legs and ripping them apart in the opposite direction. So far, I'm not feeling THAT much pain when I walk... but we're getting there, believe me.

A crazy preggo mess

So it was a VERY sad day 2 days ago. We decided to take our beloved cats back to the SPCA.

Last year our kitten, Kitty Kitty a.k.a. Oscar died after he was only about a week old. So the same day John took us down to "look at other dogs but then on our way out he wanted to just go check out the other cats. John saw these two kittens that were only a couple months old and we both instantly fell in love with them. They were brothers that got turned in just days before. The problem... John is highly allergic to cats! Why would someone that's allergic want a cat? Well because he loves me very much and he knew I was upset over Kitty Kitty's death.So we adopted our new furry brothers and there began my love! ♥
We've always struggled with John's allergies and it's been a hard battle but we've dealt with it.

Lately it's just become too much. Maybe his allergies are becoming worse but they were shedding WAYYYY too much, so that's probably a huge cause of it.
I vacuum multiple times a day, everyday but the house was literally becoming a huge fur ball no matter what we did. I tried switching cat shampoo & giving them more baths then normal but like I said, nothing was helping.
Even if I washed our clothes they would still come out of the wash with orange fur all over them! So it's hard enough having the fur everywhere but when my allergic husband has to wear clothes that have fur on them & a lint roller doesn't really help... that creates a problem.

Also, John has had concerns with having them around Kendall. He isn't sure how they will react and just doesn't want her and her stuff covered in hair as well. Although I continue to tell him she isn't going to be the first newborn around cats, he still has his right to be concerned over his daughter, ya know.
I suppose I understand the reasons but that doesn't help anything.

Phoenix was my hyper baby. He would sleep on my bottom pillow since I always have half of it sticking out from under the top one. So I'd fall asleep feeling/hearing him purr while having my hand on him.

Tiger ALWAYS slept with Makenna. He loved her sooo much. At bed time he would practically lay on top of her head since he also slept on her pillows. I would find him curled up with his paw on her head and her hair covering his head since he buried it under there.

They truly were the best kitties and this has been one of the hardest decisions I've had to make in a long time.
I am a high believer that pets are in no way shape or form disposable and when you adopt one it's for life. But if you understood the severity of our situation (because yes... there is a little bit more to my story) then you would understand that my hands were tied.

Thank GOD the SPCA does not euthanize animals due to the length of time they are in the shelter & they will never transfer them to another shelter so I do know they will be safe and be healthy until someone else can adopt them.

But now for the past 2 days I have not been able to fall asleep until about 3-3:30 because I'm so used to our nightly ritual. Now that he's not here I'm pretty positive that Phoenix's purring always put me to sleep, plus having my hand on his soft fur was a comfort thing. So now at night is when I begin to cry more about them.

Today I think we're going to go down to the SPCA and see if they are still there. On the other hand I don't want to and know I shouldn't because it's just going to kill me more to see my babies all caged up. And then if one has been adopted but not the other... omg, I will not be able to see them separated like that. We adopted them together because they are brothers and I want someone else to adopt them together as well.

I know this is not just pregnancy hormones getting to me. I truly miss them and I want them back so bad.  :(

Phoenix and Tiger sleeping in their bed. All squished up, lol.

Sleeping on daddy (last year).

Tiger

Phoenix

Calm down Mrs. Emotional

Seriously, this pregnancy is going by way too fast. I feel like I'm waking up each day and a month has gone by. My 1st pregnancy felt like it took forever and this time around it is the complete opposite. Which this pregnancy is the complete opposite in EVERY way possible from my 1st come to think of it. It makes me sad that it's going by so fast. But on the other hand I'm so excited it's going by fast because the sooner I see my baby the happier I am.
Just as I thought I was getting in control of my emotions again, I feel like I'm losing a grip on them once more. Today I was kissing John goodbye and while hugging him I began to cry. Of course he's like, "Why are you crying?!" (like I'm crazy) and it was because I didn't want him to leave. Seriously, he leaves everyday and I guess today was just an off day and my stupid tears just decided to come out and say "HI!". It was weird for me and in the midst of all it all I began to laugh 'cause I knew I was being crazy.

Anyways, Makenna has also began to get on every nerve possible. Yes, she's 5 and that happens regardless sometimes, but, she has begun to very much so get into this faze of "why this" and "why that" every 2 seconds. She wants to know why somebody did something or said something! On a normal day to day basis this would not bother me and granted it's the only thing she is doing that is annoying me, BUT I don't want anything to annoy me. I just want us to watch "Tinkerbell & The Lost Treasure" without hearing "why did Clarence do that, mommy" when we've watched her movie about 32 times since Santa brought it for her last year, so she knows why Clarence did "that"! lol.

My point is, I just want my emotions to stop being crazy. I want to be able to watch a commercial for Oprah and not get teary eyed when she is talking about her next show on Family Reunions. Is that too much to ask?