My Weekend

I’m not usually one for weekend recaps, (because honestly, who cares about all the running around I did?) but this weekend three very special things happened:

1)     I learned how to use Pinterest and spent a good chunk of my “me time” on the Food and Drink board.  Also, for those thinking I'm evil and corrupt please note, my “me time” occurs between the hours of 9-10pm - after the kitchen has been cleaned, the diapers washed, and the Goose put to bed.   

2)    There was a poopsplosion.  (Back story:  I gave Lulu a couple bites of banana last Thursday and apparently a few critical bodily functions were held up.)  My poor baby has had the worst gas pains and stomach aches for the past two nights.  I was so nervous about introducing bananas, because we have a banana allergy in the family and bananas are notorious for causing constipation; and as a breastfed baby, Lulu is more prone to constipation.  I should have listened to my gut and held off on introducing them...  Momma FAIL.  I will never give this girl another banana.  Is anyone else out there dealing with infant constipation?  Any suggestions?     

3)    And Lulu had her 6 month portrait session.  We absolutely loved our photographer!  She took us out to DC Marketplace, bright and early, on Sunday morning.  The weather was beautiful, Lulu looked stunning AND cooperated 98% of the time, and we got some gorgeous pictures.  We’ve only seen a preview, but we are sooo in LOVE and cannot wait to see the rest.  Check em’ out!     

Dear God,

Thank you for Lucy.  Thank you for her health, her happiness, and her beauty.  Thank you for choosing me to be her mother.

Thank you for Casey.  Thank you for giving me such a caring and loving husband.  Thank you for leading me to my soul mate so early in life. 

I love you. 

Always the Pack Mule

Somehow it's easier for me to carry the diaper bag, my purse, my lunch, my pump bag, a water bottle, and a change of clothes, than it is for me to carry my kid in her car seat.

Lucy = 21 pounds
Car seat = 7 pounds
Lucy + Car seat = More than I care to handle

Same story when it comes to grocery shopping.  I'll grab a dozen grocery bags before I'll grab Lulu.  (I make Casey carry her, I don't leave her roasting in the car.)

I feel like maybe, just maybe, this looks a little funny.  I, the "dainty" wife, carrying enough crap for a ten people, and my manly husband is carrying the infant car seat with our cute chubby baby. 

Maybe it's time to bust out the convertible car seat.

Gee, ya think Ma?

What you really need before baby is born...

Hello Mr. Nikon!

It wasn't so long ago that I came to the sad realization that 1) I didn't blog nearly enough while I was pregnant, and 2) We waited waaay too long to upgrade our camera.   

We have taken thousands of pictures since Lulu was born.  And last night, while scrolling through our delivery room pictures, I saw a noticeable difference in picture quality.  Don't you?

Old camera:

New camera:

Ladies, don't make my mistakes.  Don't wait until your daughter (or son) is four months old to buy a new camera.  Also, blog it up.

I miss being pregnant.

29 weeks

Even though I gained 44 pounds (albeit, mostly in my ass and face) and got a lot of stretch marks, I miss it.  

I miss the special feeling I woke with every morning, knowing my sweet little baby was growing inside my belly.  

I miss the baby kicks.  (To be fair, Lulu still kicks me all the time.  She also has a mean backhand.)  Feeling an inside kick for the first time.  The friendly little Hello! I'd get while sitting at my desk. 

I miss the belly.  All the belly rubs, the awkward and the welcomed.  Casey's hand gravitating to my belly with pride.  Watching little body parts poke out. 

I miss the unknown.  Being pregnant, especially for the first time, is like waiting for Christmas morning.  The excitement builds with each day, until you finally get to open the best present ever.

32 minutes

If you are newly pregnant, I wish you a happy and healthy 9 months.  I hope that you will savor each and every minute, even when you're uncomfortable, sweating and oozing, because this time will fly by.  And once baby is here, your life will forever be on fast forward.  

And if you're a fellow new momma, do you miss being pregnant yet?    

Newly Pregnant: What to Read

I have loads of advice for the newly pregnant, but I'll spare you my ranting and leave you with just a few nuggets of information.

1)  Try your absolute hardest to not pig out.  Seriously.
2)  Never pay full price for maternity clothes (think clearance sections, as-is sections, Goodwill, eBay, Craigslist, and your previously pregnant friends).   
3)  Read these books:

Your Pregnancy Week by Week

This book was hugely helpful and informative, I carried it around everywhere when I was pregnant.  It covers the physical changes to you and baby every week (weight gain, fetal development, etc.), symptoms, milestones, pretty much everything you need to know.  It even has a section for overdue pregnancies and postpartum care. 


Belly Laughs

::chuckles::  LOVED this book!  There were times that I literally loled while reading this book (which makes for a very awkward lunch room environment, by the way).  Jenny McCarthy is hysterical, personable, and informative in her pregnancy memoir.  This was a quick read, and, by far, my favorite pregnancy book.
 

The Baby Owners Manual

For those that need explicit direction on how to change a diaper, this book is for you!  It covers just about everything you need to know, from feeding baby to bathing baby, and everything in between.  Neither Casey or I had much experience with babies Pre-Lucy, so this book was perfect for us.  Also, this book is written in large, colorful font, with lots of pictures interspersed throughout, so it is very husband-friendly!  Bonus!


Babyproofing Your Marriage

I remember yelling, "We're going to hate each other!" when I told Casey the news (that was the fear talking).  I was deathly afraid that our marriage would deteriorate into a ball and chain routine; I'd be an even bigger nag, he'd be lazy, and we'd hate each other.  This book taught me a lot of things.  1)  How to chillax.  2)  The importance of date night.  3)  Parenting is a two-person job.  I suggest leaving it in the bathroom so your husband reads it too.


Pregnancy Sucks for Men

Casey did not love this book.  In fact, he said this book should actually fall under the What Not to Read category.  The tone is pessimistic (as one would expect), but so is the overall message...  Advice centers around appeasing your wife and "surviving" the pregnancy.   
 

Don't Just Stand There

A less traditional option for the dad-to-be, this book is geared towards labor coaches.  It's short and sweet, has big font and colorful pictures, and it even has a space for note-taking.  Casey loved it!  It teaches men how to be engaged and helpful in the delivery room, and since I was anticipating a med-free birth, this was of the utmost importance to the both of us.  Lotta good that did! 


The 90-Minute Baby Sleep Program

This is a book I wish we had read Pre-Lucy, oh the trouble it would have saved.  This book is genius and life-changing.  Read about our experience with the N.A.P.S. program here.


See, see!  I told you we did a lot of reading Pre-Lucy!!!  (Finding time to read now is near impossible.)  What were your go-to reads while you were pregnant?  Do you have any recommendations or advice for the newly pregnant ladies out there?

Analyzing the Baby Registry

There have been a lot of new pregnancies announced recently!

source

It makes me miss the big belly, the baby kicks, and the anticipation leading up to D-Day.  I loved being pregnant, and I've missed it terribly.  So this week I'm reliving my pregnant days, and hopefully I'll help a few of the newly pregnant in the process.

I remember when we created our baby registry.  Good Lord that was stressful!  Truth be told, I had no idea what I was doing.  My cheap self tried to cut cost wherever possible and my OCD self tried to avoid cluttering the house with useless junk.  I've come to realize some things really are worth the money and some things really are useless.


Worth the Money

Double Breast Pump.  I've bitched about my single pump countless times.  It's a great pump, don't get me wrong, but it takes me twice as long to pump.  And being a working momma, I have zero time to spare.  Unfortunately, the Medela double pumps cost more than my car payment, so I still haven't made this purchase.  (Also, I feel like buying a double pump is like admitting I'll never be a SAHM.)


Space Saver High Chair.  (Thanks for the rec, Jaye Fay!)  Our teeny, tiny house can use all the help it can get in space saving.  Our first, more traditional, high chair has been re-homed to Grammy and Grampy's house, where Lulu gets one of her two meals each day.

YAY for saving space!

Baby Carrier.  Sadly, I cannot recommend the perfect carrier.  I've rotated through four different carriers/slings/wraps and I haven't really loved any of them.  Currently rocking an Infantino Flip and it's okay.

Repin' the Infantino at Natural Bridge State Park

Baltic Amber Teething Necklace.  Lulu is still toothless.  That doesn't stop her from drooling up a storm, though.  This necklace drastically reduced her drooling after just a few days.  I know it sounds crazy, but it really works.  There is a noticeable increase in drool on the days that we forget to put her necklace on. 

Extra Prefolds.  Note the strategic placement on the high chair above, ready to catch rejected pears in a moments notice.  You can never have enough burp cloths, I recommend a minimum of two dozen.  During our first three days home with Lucy, Casey ran out to the store each day to buy another package of cloth diapers.    

Jumperoo.  It never occurred to me to buy one of these until I saw pictures of another friends baby in one at daycare.  (Hi Becky!)  Lulu loves hers!  She'll spend 15-20 minutes in it at a time, just playing and having fun; which gives me a chance to get a couple things done around the house.  We found ours on clearance, score!


Not Worth the Money  

Wipe Warmer.  (Sorry, Meg!)  Maybe it's our secondhand warmer, but the wipes are cold by the time they reach Lulu's tush. 

Bottle Warmer.  Casey prefers to run the bottle under warm tap water in the sink.  It gets the job done quicker and more accurately.

Travel System Stroller.  Where to begin...I hate ours.  It.is.MASSIVE.  It is confusing, it's heavy, it's bulky, it takes up the entire trunk, it just sucks.  Do not buy a travel system.  I've heard great things about jogging strollers, but they're a little pricey for this girl.  Baby #2 will be getting the Baby Trend Snap N Go stroller.  Hello, compact!  And then we'll use a cheapy umbrella stroller when Baby #2 gets older (or bigger, whichever comes first).

Moby Wrap.  Casey loves to remind me of my stupid expenditures.  I wanted to like the Moby, I really did.  I read so many rave reviews online, I just knew it would be the perfect solution to our babywearing problems.  Except, I didn't understand what a "wrap" really was (mind boggling, I know); I didn't realize the Moby was 5.5 meters of fabric that I would have to wrap around my body.  Even after I learned how to put the Moby on, I didn't like the limited carrying positions.  It was ideal for a little Goosey, when she enjoyed snuggling against Momma; but now that she's gotten older and more curious, she is constantly whipping her head around.  So, in my opinion, it's not worth the money for two months of use.

Travel Swing.  We have two swings.  One is really nice, it's huge, but really nice.  And the other is small, portable and lacking power.  We received the Fisher Price Rainforest Swing from Casey's co-workers - it was phenomenal!  Sadly, I didn't realize this until after re-homing it.  It had music, a mobile, and a lot of power; it also has a leg span of 5 feet (precious space that our house couldn't forfeit).  So we bought a travel swing for our house; which was very compact, but I have a problem with the power source...  It only takes batteries!  D batteries, nonetheless!!  So not only is it expensive to use, it has limited swinging capabilities.  If you find yourself in a similar predicament, just get over the space issue.

If you take anything away from this post, be it the importance of a double breast pump and the mistake that is the travel system stroller.  What are your must haves?  Have you found any baby gear to be totally useless?