Show us Your Life--Baby Gear

I follow the blog Kelly's Korner and she does a weekly "Show us your life". This week's topic was baby gear. I'm by no means an expert, but we do have our favorites and things we can't live with out and I thought I would share my top 5 favorite baby items.

#5 Baby Bjorn & Hotsling

We are wear our babies and love both of these items. I only use the Hotsling sometimes and prefer the Baby Bjorn. It is awesome and comfortable and so easy to use. We bought cheaper versions of it and then finally bought the real thing and it was so worth it. Love, love, love it!

#4 Hooter Hider (Nursing Cover)

When I first had G and wasn't a skilled nurser (ie couldn't nurse without showing the world my boob, the Hooter Hider was a lifesaver. I highly recommend it to any new to nursing mom. It goes around your neck and has boning in it so you can see your nursing child yet no one else can.

#3 Swing

G didn't have colic, but she sure did have fussy times at night for several months. The movement and motion of the swing would calm her right down. I linked to a newer version of the swing that we have.

#2 My Breast Friend Nursing Pillow and my AWESOME Lactation Consultant

I wouldn't be nursing today (18 months + tandem nursing) if it wasn't for the My Breast Friend Nursing pillow. Before G was born people and advertising told me I needed a Boppy Pillow. When I started nursing the Boppy Pillow just didn't cut it (The Boppy is great to lay the girls in on the floor, and for Memaw to hold a new baby in, but NOT for nursing). It didn't get G up where I needed her, didn't give me back support, and basically didn't help me at all. My awesome, wonderful & supportive lactation consultant recommended the My Breast Friend and I still use it to this day. I used it until G was about 6 months old then put it away in a safe spot and now am using it with K.

My AWESOME Lactation Consultant, B, comes free with Dr. Mommy Love. I literally have her on speed dial and now feel like she's a close friend or family member. She was my nursing savior when I thought I couldn't go on with G. I didn't think i would need her with K, after all I'd been nursing for 16 months and knew it all, lol, I was at B's house, on a Sunday afternoon the day she got back from a vacation. I can't say enough good things about her. We are Blessed to have her in our lives.

#1 Angel Monitor

A real lifesaver. See my post on the Angel Monitor and you'll see why I can't live without it. It NEVER went off all during the 6 months G slept on it. NEVER. No false alarms, no problems. I don't think I actually appreciated it until it went off several weeks ago and very likely saved K's life. She only sleeps with this on now.

Things we could live without:

#5 Diaper Genie or the like

Smelly. We use a trash can and take the diapers out each day or as needed (when there is a big stinky it goes right out). The Diaper Genie is a good concept, but so is a regular trash can. Save your money.

#4 Bumpo Seat

We rarely used this with G and have rarely used it with K. Not worth the money.

#3 Boppy Pillow

#2 Baby Food--Home made or store bought

#1 Bottles

I'll go into more detail at a later time...must go try to get some sleep before K's big day.

Life Tonight

Daddy working late.

G refused to nap...is teething...has a very runny nose...is super grumpy.

K wants to be nursed nonstop.

G has a BIG problem with K nursing tonight.

Put K down to nurse G.

K screams.

Cody needs to go out to potty.

G refuses to nurse and cries.

Put G down and pick up K to nurse her.

G tries to pry K out of my arms and off of her nursey--by her eye lids.

Try not to lose my temper with G & pray for patience.

Ask her to get a book for us to read while sister nurses.

K falls asleep.

Put her in bed.

Take bath with G.

Daddy comes home (albeit with a major leak in his car that will leave us a 1 car family for a while).

Yay!!!

17 Months Old!

Dear G~
Today you are 17 Months old! You are growing up so fast. It literally feels like you were just born yet I can't imagine or remember my life without you. You are amazing and fill our lives with laughter and love. You can be so silly at times, so sweet at others and are wonderful all the time. I never take you for granted. I've been reading a blog written by a Mother of another G, who was born on the exact same day/year as you, only she wasn't healthy and died a few days before her 1 year birthday. Reading that blog makes me appreciate you even more. Instead of being irritated when you have a tantrum or want me to hold you while I'm doing something, I'm thankful that you are here to have the tantrum or throw things on the floor. I picked you up while you were napping today. I didn't want to wake you up, but I wanted to hold and snuggle you. It was so nice. We lay on the couch together, just the 2 of us and napped for a bit. I didn't think about it at the time, but now I realize I was actually holding you on the exact moment of your 17 Month Birthday :)

17 Month Info:

• You weigh 20 pounds. You are tiny for your age and sometimes I worry about this :)
• You have not been eating a lot for Daddy and I. You eat plenty at Grammy & Grampy's house though.
• You wear a size 3 diaper.
• You wear 12 month clothing, with the occasional 18 month thrown in.
• You LOVE bracelets and they are everywhere--all over our car, all over our house, Daddy's office and Grammy & Grampy's house.
• You had your first hair cut 2 weeks ago.
• You LOVE getting your toe nails and finger nails painted. I think you are going to be a "Spa Girl" like Grammy is.
• You LOVE clothes & shoes You want to pick out your own outfit each day. Sometimes I let you and sometimes I give you a choice of 2.
• You pick out Mary Faith's outfit everyday. Sometimes I let you pick on your own and sometimes I give you a choice of 2.
• You LOVE cell phones. You play with Mommy's all the time. Old cell phones that don't work don't interest you. You want the real thing. (You also call people --usually Daddy, Grampy, Mamie & Puppa without my knowing)
• You can point to head, knee, toes, feet, hands, shoulder, eyes, ears, mouth, nose, teeth, tongue, belly and say some of these parts.
• You are saying a lot of words now. Your favorite word is "Sissy" or "Sister" You learned that word the day K came home.
• You are the BEST Big Sister I know :) You love to take care of sister and run to her when she cries. You love to climb into her bassinet and sit with her. You try to pick her up and hold her all by yourself (Daddy and I have to remind you that you need help)
• You have a "baby" doll that you love. Baby gets her diaper changed by you, her outfit changed, with help from you and has turns in the swing, bouncy seat, stroller and tummy time mat. You also bring Baby to me when she is hungry so she can nurse.
• You love Cody and he loves you. You pull his tail a lot and we have to remind you that tails are not for pulling and then you will give Cody love.
• You are still nursing and love it more than ever. So do I.

I love you more each day baby girl!

Sisters

I find G in K's bassinet like this several times a day. If K is sleeping and the door to our room is open and I take my eyes off of G for a minute she goes to her sister. She's very gentle and it is rare that K cries. It is so sweet. G loves her sister so much and K loves to watch her sister. I hope they always stay this close. The other day while we were having lunch with Grampy something happened and G took K's hand and held it. I wish I could have snapshots of little moments like that...I don't ever want to forget those little things that make me smile so much :) Some of my favorite moments happen while both the girls are nursing. They just stare at one another, or G rubs K's head. I'd like to have pictures of them together nursing, but it's hard to have discreet pictures taken while nursing 2! We're having family pictures taken in a few weeks and I can't wait. April, from April Ingram Photography, is coming to our house to take them, and I'm so excited to see the results. It will be interesting trying to get good shots of 2 babies, 1 dog and 2 exhausted parents, but April is very experienced having 3 kids herself and I know she'll take incredible pictures.

Tandem Nursing

We got pregnant with Mary Faith when Gracie was 8 months old and still nursing for nutritional needs. I nursed her exclusively until she was 6 months old (no water, no other food) and she always loved it. Initially I planned to nurse her for the first year and then I would see. As I did more reading and became more skilled at nursing I decided to let Gracie self wean. I had no desire to wean Gracie on my terms and as a stay at home mom had no reason to wean her. As my pregnancy progressed so did Gracie's nursing. Some months she nursed more, some months she nursed less, but she showed no interest in weaning. As the last few weeks of my pregnancy closed in Gracie started nursing more and more. It was more for comfort than for milk--I didn't have much if any milk, she was probably getting small amounts of colostrum--and that was ok with me. I've loved nursing Gracie since she was born, and still love it. It provides a closeness and a comfort that is special to the two of us. Now that Mary Faith is here she needs that special closeness more than ever.

Frequently Asked Questions:

I thought you couldn't get pregnant while nursing...weren't you nursing Gracie when you got pregnant with Mary Faith?
You can get pregnant while nursing :) If you have questions I'll be happy to send you an email with information about pregnancy & nursing.

Do you nurse both the girls at the same time?
Sometimes, it just depends on how we are all feeling. If I am nursing Mary Faith and Gracie is upset or jealous she will nurse at times.

Will you make enough milk?
Yes. Nursing works on a supply/demand setting :) The more demand the more supply!

Do you get tired of nursing, are you nursing all the time?
I love nursing, but there are moments when I would like to have a little space to myself and when I feel like that I take some time to myself. I really do love nursing, which makes it easy for me to tandem nurse. I love looking down and seeing Gracie with her hand on Mary Faith's head while I'm nursing both of them at the same time. Right now even I wasn't tandem nursing it would feel like I'm nursing all the time because I feed Mary Faith every 2 hours around the clock. Sometimes during the day she will go for 3 hours, and then I try to relax and have some computer time.

Are you the only one who tandem nurses?
No :) I know several people who tandem nurse. They are great support sources!

Here is a link where you can find information about tandem nursing:
http://kellymom.com/nursingtwo/resources/tandem-faq.pdf

Feel free to ask me any questions about Tandem nursing that you would like! This is what works for our family and we support what works for your family :)

2 Weeks Old!!!

Dear K-

Today you are 2 weeks old! This is around the time we thought you would be coming. I was induced at 38 weeks with your sister G and that was what we planned with you, but my body had other plans for you! I look at you often and think that you could still be inside of me, WOW, that is amazing. I miss the movements that only you and I were aware of, but am happy to have you out here to share with Daddy, G, Cody and everyone else.

Here is what you are up to:

• You weighed 7lbs 3oz when you were 12 days old! You are growing fast! (Maybe because you love to eat so much!)
• You still eat every 2 hours at night, but I don't have to wake you up--you wake up every 2 hours on the dot to eat at night.
• You still have your days and nights mixed up--you would sleep all day without eating if I let you!
• You love to watch your sister and she loves to entertain you!
• You won't take a bottle anymore. This doesn't bother me--no more pumping, which I don't especially love.
• You are wearing newborn sized diapers now.
• Your right extra finger fell off today. I called Daddy right away to tell him. We were at Grammy & Grampy's house when I noticed it was missing. (It was in your little mitten)
• You don't like paci's very much, but don't cry very often at all--only when you are hungry.
• You are allergic to wipes--just like your sister was. Thankfully she grew out of it at about 1 year, until then it's only washcloths for you!

16 Months Old!!!

July 20, 2009

Dear G,

Today you are 16 Months old! Wow, it doesn't seem possible for you to have been in our lives for 16 months already, but on the other hand it feels like you've been in our lives forever and I can't imagine life without you in it. You are amazing and Daddy and I love you more each day. Sometimes I just stare at you and wonder how it is possible to love someone as much as I love you.

You change from day to day, but here are the most recent things going on in your life...

• You can now say "Momma" "Daddy" "Cody", "Maggie", "Yes", "No", "Cheese", "Shoe", "Doggie", "Sister" and many other words! They are coming every day now!
• You understand everything we say...Mommy and Daddy have to be careful of what we say around you!
• You wear a size 3 Diaper
• You drink from a regular cup.
• You eat using a fork or spoon.
• You won't eat at a table without praying first!
• You love Cheetos!
• You can blow kisses.
• You are a BIG sister!
• You spent your first night away from Mommy & Daddy this month! You stayed with Grammy & Grampy for 4 nights in a row while Mommy & Daddy were at the hospital.
• You love to wear bracelets!
• You pick your own clothes out.
• You can take your diaper off by yourself, and have done it 3 times without people knowing! 1x while Mommy was snoozing on the couch--you took it off, pooped on the floor and threw your diaper in the trash can--all without Mommy knowing, and 2x at Grammy & Grampy's house!
• You love to help cook!
• You are still nursing and we both love it more than ever! It's our special time together :)

Dear G

Today you are 15 Months old...WOW! Time has flown since you've been born and I love you more today than yesterday. I spend a lot of days/time just looking at you and wondering how it is possible to love someone this much and wonder if it will be possible to love anyone else as much as I love you. You amaze me each and every day. I truly cannot put into words how much Daddy and I love you and are amazed by everything you do/are.

You are walking, running and climbing on everything.

You have 3 teeth with many more ready to pop through.

You are still nursing and love it more than ever (so do I :)

You can sign more, all done, and where

You can nod yes/no, say Yes, say Mama, Daddy, doggie, Cody, Maggie, woof, choo choo,

You give kisses when asked to Mommy, Daddy, Grammy, Grampy, Cody & Maggie. You've also give one to Pop, Memaw, Uncle Drew and cousin Brandon.

You've started to give kisses without being asked to Mommy, Daddy & Cody. (Cody was the first "person" you gave a kiss to without being prompted.)

You love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

You can color with crayons, or pens, but Mommy & Daddy prefer crayons!

You love to help Mommy and Daddy do things. You help load/unload the dishwasher, wash/fold clothes, work outside (water flowers, etc..), clean up, and walk Cody, and many other things!

You have been going to Waterbabies for 3 months in a row and love it! (Especially now that Mommy is teaching it!)

You are now sleeping in your own room, in your own bed. You started doing this during your 14th month. May 12th was the first night you EVER slept in a room away from Mommy & Daddy (including when you were in the hospital)You went from sleeping in a bassinet for 6 months next to Mommy & Daddy's bed, to sleeping in Mommy & Daddy's bed for 5-6 months, to sleeping in a toddler bed next to Mommy & Daddy's bed to sleeping in your own double bed, in your own room! Each transisition was MUCH harder on Mommy & Daddy than on you.

Cody sleeps with you every night.

You have been refusing to drink milk since we first tried it when you turned 1!

You love to eat strawberries and grapes. Up until last week stawberries were your favorite, but now grapes are.

You can point to head, eyes, ears, nose, teeth & mouth.

You wear a size 3 diaper.

You weigh 19lbs 10oz, are 30 inches tall and have a head circumfernce of 45 1/2 cm. You are in the 50th percentile for height and head circumference and the 1st % for weight!

You LOVE to be outside and cry and throw a temper tantrum when it is time to come in.

Your favorite part of week days is when Daddy comes home and you get to run outside and greet him. He always puts you in your swing and you love it!!!

You are going to be a BIG sister in less than 7 weeks!!!