Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
2 Months!
2 months already! Wow! As someone in our new mom's group said, "the days are long, but the years are short." So true. The days are long and not. Sometimes I'll look up at the clock and be amazed that it's already 3 pm (didn't we just get up an hour ago??). By 7 or 8 pm I'm exhausted, but feel as if I didn't accomplish anything. I guess the diapering and feeding is all part of my routine now (like brushing my teeth), so it's not something that's on my list of to-do's from day to day.
Baby massage is going well. During the first class the peanut was quite fussy, as were most of the babies. That's not really what you would expect at a massage class. Last week's class was great. We got a lot of massage done and the Peanut LOVED it.
We finally narrowed our cloth diaper options to pocket diapers. They are pretty easy. So here's a quick tutorial on cloth diapers - there are 4 basic kinds: flatfolds (a big rectangular piece of fabric that you fold/wrap around a baby, secure, and then put a "waterproof" cover on), prefolds (already folded/contoured and also require a cover), pockets (a cover with a pocket so you can vary your stuffing/absorbency), and all-in-ones (these are most like disposables). We went with pocket diapers, mostly because the layer that touches the baby's bum is made of a material that wicks moisture away so it feels dry. Since we struggle with diaper rash on the Peanut, we need that area to stay as dry as possible. There are a ton of different manufacturers of pocket diapers, but I narrowed it down to a few and bought a couple of each brand to try out - Happy Heinys, Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, and TinyTush. With names like that, why wouldn't you want to use cloth diapers? After that, you have a few more, simpler choices...snaps vs. velcro, color, etc.
So scratch that. When I first started writing this post last week, I was all excited about cloth diapers. We had already been using them for a while in conjunction with disposables since I had not yet purchased enough to use them all the time (and we were still deciding on a brand). But, since we are always battling diaper rash, we need to keep the Peanut's bum lathered with diaper rash cream, which is terrible for cloth diapers. Diaper rash cream creates a water proof barrier on the baby's bum...and so any that gets on the diaper will create a water proof barrier on the diaper itself. That's bad. Some of the organic creams will wash out of the diaper, but not the heavy duty stuff we need. So we stopped using cloth diapers and also switched up the disposable diaper brand. We've tried the popular brands like Huggies and Pampers and were using the Whole Foods brand (no chemicals). But over the weekend we switched it up to the Seventh Generation brand (also no chemicals), and the rash is almost all gone. Yay! We still need to keep using the diaper rash cream, even if the rash is gone, just to add a layer of protection (as the pediatrician recommended). Cloth diapers are supposed to prevent diaper rash better than disposables, and we would still love to use cloth vs. disposable, but I think we'll need to wait a little while, to see if the baby's bum "toughens up".
So parents don't talk in high-pitched baby talk because they like to, but because it works. If I try to explain to the Peanut that I need to put his socks on before I feed him, "I need to put your socks on" doesn't work. Now if I say "I need to put on your little sockies on your little toesies that are soo cutie" in a high-pitched voice with lots of animation (think smiling like crazy, waving the socks around), then I'll get an extra few seconds to put the socks on before he starts screaming. The only problem is that after talking in such a manner for 10+ hours, it's hard to turn off when I talk to an adult (aka, the husband).
I recently learned I can stuff 7 tortellinis in my mouth at once. The Peanut was hungry but so was I.
The Peanut has been awake and playful a lot more. He's generally very happy in the mornings or after naps. He's even started to wake up during walks (he tends to sleep as soon as he's rocked in the car or stroller). Last night I took him to meet my indoor team and watch the game and he was alert and watching the whole time. It's a lot more work now that he's awake a lot more but it's also a lot more fun.
I finally got back into pilates. My back was starting to bother me and after a couple of pilates and physical therapy sessions, I feel so much better. Pilates is a lot harder now that I am not pregnant. I no longer have a wedge to lie on which makes the ab work a lot easier. And when I do push ups, I have a lot further down to go so those are harder too. The only thing that is easier is the balance.
Here's a couple more pictures: Superbaby and cute hands
Baby massage is going well. During the first class the peanut was quite fussy, as were most of the babies. That's not really what you would expect at a massage class. Last week's class was great. We got a lot of massage done and the Peanut LOVED it.
We finally narrowed our cloth diaper options to pocket diapers. They are pretty easy. So here's a quick tutorial on cloth diapers - there are 4 basic kinds: flatfolds (a big rectangular piece of fabric that you fold/wrap around a baby, secure, and then put a "waterproof" cover on), prefolds (already folded/contoured and also require a cover), pockets (a cover with a pocket so you can vary your stuffing/absorbency), and all-in-ones (these are most like disposables). We went with pocket diapers, mostly because the layer that touches the baby's bum is made of a material that wicks moisture away so it feels dry. Since we struggle with diaper rash on the Peanut, we need that area to stay as dry as possible. There are a ton of different manufacturers of pocket diapers, but I narrowed it down to a few and bought a couple of each brand to try out - Happy Heinys, Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, and TinyTush. With names like that, why wouldn't you want to use cloth diapers? After that, you have a few more, simpler choices...snaps vs. velcro, color, etc.
So scratch that. When I first started writing this post last week, I was all excited about cloth diapers. We had already been using them for a while in conjunction with disposables since I had not yet purchased enough to use them all the time (and we were still deciding on a brand). But, since we are always battling diaper rash, we need to keep the Peanut's bum lathered with diaper rash cream, which is terrible for cloth diapers. Diaper rash cream creates a water proof barrier on the baby's bum...and so any that gets on the diaper will create a water proof barrier on the diaper itself. That's bad. Some of the organic creams will wash out of the diaper, but not the heavy duty stuff we need. So we stopped using cloth diapers and also switched up the disposable diaper brand. We've tried the popular brands like Huggies and Pampers and were using the Whole Foods brand (no chemicals). But over the weekend we switched it up to the Seventh Generation brand (also no chemicals), and the rash is almost all gone. Yay! We still need to keep using the diaper rash cream, even if the rash is gone, just to add a layer of protection (as the pediatrician recommended). Cloth diapers are supposed to prevent diaper rash better than disposables, and we would still love to use cloth vs. disposable, but I think we'll need to wait a little while, to see if the baby's bum "toughens up".
So parents don't talk in high-pitched baby talk because they like to, but because it works. If I try to explain to the Peanut that I need to put his socks on before I feed him, "I need to put your socks on" doesn't work. Now if I say "I need to put on your little sockies on your little toesies that are soo cutie" in a high-pitched voice with lots of animation (think smiling like crazy, waving the socks around), then I'll get an extra few seconds to put the socks on before he starts screaming. The only problem is that after talking in such a manner for 10+ hours, it's hard to turn off when I talk to an adult (aka, the husband).
I recently learned I can stuff 7 tortellinis in my mouth at once. The Peanut was hungry but so was I.
The Peanut has been awake and playful a lot more. He's generally very happy in the mornings or after naps. He's even started to wake up during walks (he tends to sleep as soon as he's rocked in the car or stroller). Last night I took him to meet my indoor team and watch the game and he was alert and watching the whole time. It's a lot more work now that he's awake a lot more but it's also a lot more fun.
I finally got back into pilates. My back was starting to bother me and after a couple of pilates and physical therapy sessions, I feel so much better. Pilates is a lot harder now that I am not pregnant. I no longer have a wedge to lie on which makes the ab work a lot easier. And when I do push ups, I have a lot further down to go so those are harder too. The only thing that is easier is the balance.
Here's a couple more pictures: Superbaby and cute hands
Monday, March 9, 2009
It's been a while...
I didn't realize it's been so long since I've posted. Wow. We've had a busy couple of weeks. Now that it's sunnier and the Peanut is bigger, we are going out a lot more. It's great to be out and about. I can't help but have a huge grin on my face as I push the stroller around. The Peanut doesn't have any friends yet but hopefully we'll get some by default soon enough. We just joined a new mothers support group. We meet once a week with a facilitator that basically has all the answers to the questions we may have (how do we get the babies to sleep through the night?, etc.). There are about 8 of us, and the Peanut is the only boy. He'll be popular one day.
This week we also start a baby massage class. I know it sounds stupid, but I want to do everything I can with the Peanut before I have to go back to work. I never thought I would feel like this, but I would love to be a stay-at-home mom. At least until the Peanut goes on to school. But in this area we can't afford it. Oh well.
Here's a video of the baby hanging out with Major:
Oh, and here's a little cartoon strip our friend made for us:
What else is new...my parents were in town over the weekend. The husband and I went out on a date on Saturday night. We went out for desert and a drink. And we ran into my boss and his wife who were doing the same thing. I had a beer. It was good. But maybe not worth it. When I got home, I had to pump and dump. I have more than enough milk, but I still felt bad about throwing it away.
Our days are starting to get some structure. We have consistently (last 2 days) gotten 4.5 hours between feedings. Which means I get 3 hours of sleep in a row. So he'll usually feed around 8:30 pm and then again at 1 am. Then 4 am, and then again around 7 am. So we only have 2 night feedings. But in the late afternoons, early evenings, we start cluster feeding, and he'll eat every 1.5 - 2 hours, getting himself ready for the long stretch. It's worth it. Feeding often helps me wind down (it's peaceful to feed). Sometimes the husband does a bottle feeding in the evening, which gives me extra time to do whatever.
In the mornings, he is often awake from 6 or 7 am until 11 am or 1 pm. And during that time it's mostly constant attention. He likes to get bounced (which means I bounce too) and he loves looking at stuff (windows, picture frames, mirror).
Being a mommy is soo much fun!
More cute pictures:
The brothers take a nap!
Noodles looks over the baby (in the polka dot sleep sack).
Check out my bald spot.
Go Red Sox!
This week we also start a baby massage class. I know it sounds stupid, but I want to do everything I can with the Peanut before I have to go back to work. I never thought I would feel like this, but I would love to be a stay-at-home mom. At least until the Peanut goes on to school. But in this area we can't afford it. Oh well.
Here's a video of the baby hanging out with Major:
Oh, and here's a little cartoon strip our friend made for us:
What else is new...my parents were in town over the weekend. The husband and I went out on a date on Saturday night. We went out for desert and a drink. And we ran into my boss and his wife who were doing the same thing. I had a beer. It was good. But maybe not worth it. When I got home, I had to pump and dump. I have more than enough milk, but I still felt bad about throwing it away.
Our days are starting to get some structure. We have consistently (last 2 days) gotten 4.5 hours between feedings. Which means I get 3 hours of sleep in a row. So he'll usually feed around 8:30 pm and then again at 1 am. Then 4 am, and then again around 7 am. So we only have 2 night feedings. But in the late afternoons, early evenings, we start cluster feeding, and he'll eat every 1.5 - 2 hours, getting himself ready for the long stretch. It's worth it. Feeding often helps me wind down (it's peaceful to feed). Sometimes the husband does a bottle feeding in the evening, which gives me extra time to do whatever.
In the mornings, he is often awake from 6 or 7 am until 11 am or 1 pm. And during that time it's mostly constant attention. He likes to get bounced (which means I bounce too) and he loves looking at stuff (windows, picture frames, mirror).
Being a mommy is soo much fun!
More cute pictures:
