Anyone for a Tubby?

Once upon a time, one of my favorite relaxation activities was a hot bubble bath. We have an awesome tub in our bathroom at our house which I do not use nearly enough. I think I have maybe had 5 baths since we moved here, and definitely not one after I found out I was pregnant (if the water is not super hot, it's not worth it to me!).

After the initial sponge bath routine, we started Owen on baths, but tubby time was not a favorite activity for him. Not only did it stress him out, but the positioning just caused him to reflux and feel miserable.

That is until I discovered the wondrous Tummy Tub...

So now Owen is loving his baths, or at least tolerating them and it made me think about how I should be soaking up the suds too. Because who doesn't want to look and feel this relaxed... in the tubby zone.

Blissed Out

I love taking pictures of Owen in sleep mode. He looks so relaxed, in absolute bliss, a feeling that I think I don't appreciate enough or most likely don't slow down enough to really 'relish'

I feel like Owen is constantly teaching us life lessons; babies are universally geared to focus on what is most important and I am trying to learn from him! Life lesson #1 - a hug from someone who loves you can put everything into perspective.

If there was ever a loud noise when Owen was sleeping, he would pop his head up off our shoulder and tip his chin up, like he was saying, 'what the...', then put his head down and continue with sleeping, never opening his eyes. Life lesson #2 - don't let life get in the way of what is most important to you. In Owen's case, sleeping and growing trump acknowledging any interruptions.

For the first two months of his life, when Owen slept on our shoulder, he usually had both arms up by his head in referee touchdown signaling style. Life lesson #3 - a love of sports is inherited? Hmmm... perhaps, but how about - celebrate every moment...

Holding Owen for naps has been a significant bonding time for us, but one of the added perks has been that it has forced me to slow down and prioritize. I wasted so much time before on worrying and stressing about issues beyond my control. Now, my life has become quite complicated in many ways, but incredibly simple in others (as in, I have 30 minutes do I shower or eat). And the real question is, would you move this precious baby from his blissed out state just to check items off your own agenda? This time I've got my priorities straight.

Blessed Moby

At three weeks when Owen started to increase his eating, reflux reared its ugly head. Our poor little baby started throwing up bright yellow spit up, from the end of one feeding until the next one started. Sometimes projectile, always out his nose and every time he would cry in pain. Todd put his bassinet at an angle, but most nights he could only tolerate sleeping on my chest in the recliner. We went to the doctor and started him on some medicine, which only made a small dent in the symptoms. Owen would tolerate a modified upright cradle hold with Todd, but during those very colicky days, the Moby was a saving grace for him and I. When Todd went back to work and we weren't able to switch back and forth on keeping him upright in our arms, I would wrap Owen in the Moby and we would walk the floors of the house until he fell asleep. We spent a lot of time standing in the kitchen next to the vent fan for white noise, Owen sleeping and me reading a book. Those 6 weeks were really tough; it was heart wrenching to have him cry and be in pain and not be able to help him feel better. A switch to a different medicine at 2 months helped, but the Moby was my lifeline to keep both of us from spending the day crying!

Cuddle Up

We were so fortunate that Todd was able to take 4 weeks off after Owen was born and with below freezing temps outside, we huddled in blankets and snuggled our new baby. Everything he did was amazing to us - our favorite sound? The little sigh he would make after he sneezed!

Turners plus One

When Todd and I were first married, having a family seemed like something far off in the future. Then, when we were ready, it did not turn out to be the easy task that we thought it would be (cue every wholistic approach possible - decrease stress, job change, yoga classes, 'inflammation cleansing' with a naturopath, family planning classes, and lots of faith and prayers). Finally, in 2008, we found out we were pregnant by learning that the extreme pain from a few days previous was most likely a miscarriage (and it was). To say that was an extremely difficult time for us would be an understatement. And it would be almost 18 months later, when we made an appointment to see the OBGYN about our options that we learned that we were pregnant again. Welcoming Owen into our family, holding him for the first time... there are no words to cover the intensity of the emotions and the subsequent enormity of the task before us. What an honor to be given one of Heavenly Father's choice spirits to be part of our family.

Relish the Moment

In my quest to find amazing moments in every day, I find myself wanting to write them down to save for rainy days. And so is born this blog, A Side of Relish. Relish... I love that word; to relish, according to the dictionary, is to savor, to enjoy the flavor of. And I want to start savoring more moments every day, to realize the amazing life I have and how blessed I am during times of difficulty as well as during times of calm 'usuals'. Let the 'relish-ing' begin...