Thirty Days of Thanks

 

No doubt November makes you think of all the wonderful things in your life. Each day I will be posting something I am grateful for. Here are my days 1 and 2. 

Day 1: Today I am thankful for my amazing husband Scott! Without him I would be so entirely lost. Today I had a really crappy day, and he listened to my woes and is always so supportive. 

Day 2: Today I am thankful for my best girlfriend Billie! I went to visit her in her new apartment. It was so nice to get away for a bit and catch up. She is a shining light in my life!

 Looking for and recognizing the fantastic things in your life can really help you be more positive. It really has uplifted my mood today.

Month 2 Must-Haves

While we're not quite done with month 2 yet, I figured I'd get ahead start on some of our favorites.

I didnt number these, but I will start at the top left and go across. 

Weehuggers cloth diaper cover. So, here is why I love this diaper so much. I love the Flip brand front and back little pocket-y flap that helps hold the insert in, and I love the Thirsties double leg gussets. Well, this diaper has both! It also comes in snaps. The elastic on these are amazing!! Plus this diaper is very trim

Hello Bugs! This is a high contrast board book. Each page is black and white with one color that is metallic foil-ish. Super cute and great to stimulate baby's brain.

Green Mountain stay dry inserts. We recently started using these since Liam has been sleeping so long at nighttime (fingers crossed it stays that way). I plan on eventually buying more of these! I love love love them!! I bought 4 of the middle sized ones. They are super soft and absorbent, and they definitely are stay dry!

Carseat charms from Infantino. Liam loves this toy! It hangs from his seat and he bats at it. It chimes very easily, which he loves. The noise doesnt bother me, which is a plus! Fun colors and easy to grab.

Goodnight Moon bunny lovey. Liam loves this bunny to snuggle while trying to sleep. We got it as a gift and it is super soft. 

California Babies Everyday Lotion. This is a big part of our nighttime routine. Every night before the jammies go on, we put this lavender/calendula lotion on the bottoms of Liam's feet and on his chest. It's smell soothes him, and once he is all zipped up, he is all ready for our nursing session and off to bed. 

The Children's Place Stretchies Pajamas. I love love love these! We have a different print of monsters, but I couldnt find the picture. I wish they werent so expensive or id buy them out of these! I love the little bit of elastic at the backs of the heels. It really helps keep the pjs on his feet. 

MiPump single battery/electric breast pump. I love this pump! First off, I really wanted a pump to go with my BreastFlow bottles, and at first I didnt think there was one. Then one day I was on craigslist and someone was selling theirs. I did not buy theirs...I went on amazon and found it. I'm so glad I did! It pumps directly into my bottles and comes with everything pictured. The shield part is made of soft silicone and is really comfortable to use. 

Lansinoh breastmilk storage bags. Love these! :)

Colored Links--We all have these, Liam loves them! 

Homemedics Baby Sound Spa...I cant say enough good things about this! This one is the "travel" version because it can operate on batteries. but it does come with an adapter. It has a timer (which we dont ever use) and 6 different sounds. (heartbeat, white noise, thunder, ocean, summer night--our favorite, and brook)

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets. This is the pack we have. Liam loves them! We have two in use at all times..good thing its a 4 pack :) One is always in his carseat which sits in the kitchen when not in use--so we also use that blanket when he is hanging out in the kitchen. The other floats between his crib and the living room. He pulls them up to his face and snuggles them close to him to go to sleep. Yes, I know, how scary...but he moves it away when he needs to--and I always pull it away at night if its too close for comfort. 

So there ya have it...Month 2 in a nutshell... If you have any questions where we got anything, just let me know. 

N.

2 Months Old

Dear Liam,
You are growing so fast! I can't even believe my eyes! You weigh in at 14lbs 8oz!! Mommy has a bin full of your newborn (which you never really wore) and some of your 0-3 month clothing that no longer fits. It's strange to have a bin of things you no longer need. We are getting more and more used to your cues and know what you need when you need it. You are eating about every 3 hours during the day, and sleeping through the night. Everyday I count my blessings that you let me get so well rested. You wake up so happy and smiling it just melts our hearts! We usually wake for your big morning feeding around 6:15am. You fall back asleep for an hour and then we play a bit and you usually fall asleep again for 30 mins before waking up happy and ready to eat again. The day continues like that, and you have now let Mommy get dinner cooked (and sometimes eaten) before you need to eat again. Around 8:30 we start our bedtime routine which consists of singing and putting lavender lotion on the bottoms of your feet and your chest/belly, getting your night-time diaper on, and your jammies. You love this routine, and I love the little sigh you give when you get all snapped up and ready to snuggle. Sometimes you get your diaper changed in the middle of your feeding since you fall asleep. This helps you wake up enough to eat a bit more before falling asleep for the night. Otherwise I feed you after, and snuggle a bit before putting you in your bed. You love your aden+anais blanket tucked up next to your head, your nuk, and sometimes your bunny under your other arm. We play summer night sounds on the sound machine as well as turn on the twilight turtle. Sometimes you fuss a bit, but for the most part you are out for the night. Mommy and Daddy go to bed around 11, and Mommy wakes around 6:15 when you fuss. Since we have realized this new schedule you are so happy all the time! Always smiling and babbling about.

Best.Picture.Ever.  (like father like son...)

Playing on the Mat

You still love the swing, but we moved it into the kitchen now so Mommy can get more things done, so you dont use it as much. You also have recently just started liking your bouncer more. It is interactive, and you are kicking around so much more and making it go off. We have been working on tummy time more each day, but you still don't enjoy it very much. You would much rather be on your belly while laying on Mommy or Daddy. When you are on one of us, you use your arms to lift yourself up and look around. You also love love love to stand up! I can't wait to bust out the Exersaucer and the Johnny Jump Up in the upcoming weeks, you are going to love it! You are flailing your arms around  with more intent and catching objects on your playmat. It amazes you when you make things move around. You also enjoy seeing yourself in your mirror. You just watch this cute baby copying you, even when you are crying. You have also begun to search out your left hand to suck on your fingers. You have recognized Mommy a few weeks ago, but have recently recognized Daddy. You also turn your head to follow us if we cross the room, or if we start talking.

Napping with his bunny.

Your hair is beginning to grow back, it looks dark brown--like Daddy's. It is still very fine and short, so we'll see if it has any curl like both Mommy and Daddy's hair. I know I will probably say this every month, but I am so excited to see what month 3 brings! You are growing and learning so much already, I cant wait to see what the next thing will be!
Love,
Momma

Leg Rolls Starting! :-)

Newborn Must Haves: Weeks 1-3

YAY for photo collages!! I love doing these--when I actually get the time! :) 

I have been so excited to get to do these "must-haves" and "favorites" posts!! So while little man is sleeping behind me on his playmat (#7) I figured now would be a great time!

1. I haven't braved the breastfeeding in public thing yet. I think it will be easier once Liam can hold his head up, and we are off the nipple shield. So I pump when I know we will be out longer than he can go without eating. We use the Breastflow bottles, which I absolutely love! They are more nipple/boob like and he takes his time drinking, which helps with his gas.

2. When we got home from the hospital and we had to keep Liam on the UV-blanket for his jaundice, we had to keep him comfy while it was wrapped around him 24-7. He slept in this Fisher-Price Infant to Toddler Rocker, which has a kickstand to keep from rocking. When the kickstand is being used, it is almost like a mini-bassinet. So now, during his really fussy/gassy nights, he still sleeps in here where he is sitting up more. It is next to my side of the bed, where I can just reach over and comfort him without getting out of bed.

3. I cannot say enough about cloth diapering!!! We used disposables until his umbilical stump fell off since the cloth were a bit higher in the rise, and I was not about to buy any newborn cloth diapers. Right now our favorites include the Flip covers, Lotus Bumz pockets with hemp insert for overnight, and the Thirsties Duo Covers. With the disposables, we leaked out all.the.time! But since switching, we haven't had any leaks!! This really helps with his clothes laundry! 

4. Wellements Gripe Water! This really helps us at nighttime! Liam hates burping...I really think he holds them in on purpose...ok, maybe not. But seriously, this kid really doesn't burp well. And of course, he makes is discomfort known late at night. So, we have found that 2.0ml of this organic gripe water helps us make it through the night. Thank goodness!

5. I love my water!! Plus when you breastfeed, you have to keep up your fluid intake even more! The Contigo Fliptop Straw is of my all time favorite water bottles! I also enjoy using the gigantic cup I got from the hospital.

6. Medela Nipple Shield. One of the very unfortunate things I learned from my doula was I apparently have too small of nipples to easily breastfeed my son. Luckily they make these handy-dandy nipple shields. I use the contact version so there is as much skin to skin as we can get. They aren't the most convenient things, but it is more convenient than buying formula. Plus, they help shape my nipples along with the nipple shells I have just started using. So hopefully we will be able to eventually stop using both things all together!

7. I love the Infantino Jungle Buddies Playmat! We have a small house, and this mat is compact and can easily fold up. I like that I can have Liam hang out on his mat while I am doing other things around the house. He loves to look at the contrasting colors right now, plus it is easily washable if need be. 

8. I do pump when we go out for longer periods of time, as well as if I am feeling really "full". I found this Avent Manual Pump on clearance at Walmart (for 20 bucks!) and figured I buy it just to have on hand. Well, turns out I really love it! I think eventually I will have to get an electric, but I would love to stick to the Avent brand, super comfy--if that's possible for a breast pump. lol

9. I use these Green Mountain Prefold Diapers as both cloth diapers and burp rags. I love these! First off, I tried putting the diapers around Liam and securing with a snappi, but it turned out I didn't like it as much as must placing it tri-folded as an insert into the cover. Anyways, these are so absorbent and get even more so with every wash! I currently have 12 newborn size and 24 small size.

10. This is where Liam sleeps. We got the Evenflo "Gears" play yard. At first, we were using the changer that it comes with, but I found it too low, and it hurt my back. I like the feature, but I prefer our new set up. (old desk with changing pad in Liam's bedroom) We have him sleep with the bassinet part installed, so he is closer to the top and easier to reach. This may sound silly, but I did pick this pattern because it matched the red in our bedroom. :)

One more thing, that I forgot to put on the collage, we use the gumdrop pacifier. This was something we agreed never to use...and well...the first night home, Liam was screaming and we couldn't figure out why. Me, having terrible sleep for 3 days in the hospital and 4 days prior while in labor was desperate. And...it worked like a charm! Now, I try not to use it unless he is really really fussy, usually just at night or if we are out in public. He doesn't wake wanting it, or keep it in his mouth consistently, so far at least...  Hopefully he wont become attached to it. I guess time will tell.

40 Weeks + 2 days Pregnant

So yesterday my contractions really did pick up. I decided I was sick of sitting around so I turned on some old school jams and tried to dance Liam out!! Then I sat on my birthing ball for awhile when I was online. Around 6pm my contractions became more regular. I timed them at 1 min duration with 6 minutes rest. They usually began in my lower back (like period pains) and at times would go to the front in my lower uterus.

Once Scott got home, we went for a 40 min walk, and then made some dinner. Afterwards, I took a nice hot shower, and went to bed. They were pretty consistent throughout the night until 6am when they subsided once again! Sigh! I slept until 8:30, and since then have cleaned and organized a bit more. It feels nice to have the bedroom and bathroom really clean, and ready for my birth team to be here.

I also had text messaged my doula Rachel, last night, and again this morning. She mentioned that usually mommas don't labor during the day unless it's active labor. So I should rest up and be sure I'm eating well today since I will probably need it throughout the night. I have had some contractions today, but they are pretty mild and not building into anything. I can honestly say, I am pretty scared that the evening will come, and nothing will happen. I guess we will see.