Mommy is Winning the Nap Wars Today

Well, the little one is on her second nap today, third if you count this morning at 7 am. She is going down soooo much easier than yesterday. I think all the work I put in yesterday has paid off. She slept better last night too. Of course, there are good days and bad days so I'm not assuming this will be a lasting habit.

Thanks again to everyone for all the great comments. I love hearing what works and what doesn't for others and just commiserating!

Here is a picture of the little one wearing one of her Fred Segal finds as well as some really cute pants from our friends Xav and Irina:




Tomorrow is Halloween! My favorite holiday. Can't wait!

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Oh today was tough. I sound like such a whiner, I know. But man, I worked soooooo hard getting the little one to nap. So, so hard. I am exhausted, I am beat, I have spit up on me, I look terrible, it's just crazy. I don't know where I would be if were not for the help of my friends. Thank you to my blog commenter friends for the helpful comments and inspiration - you guys are awesome. Also thank you from the bottom of my heart to my two very good friends and super wonderful mothers, Ev and Tiff.





I freaking love you guys. Tiff called me as I was trying to put the little one down and she just wasn't going down. We chatted about life and motherhood and it was such a relief. Then, maybe an hour and a half later when she still hadn't gone to sleep and I was a complete wreck and crying, I called my friend Ev who could totally sympathize. The little one even started crying as I was talking to her and also pumping and she said "hey, babies cry." I know, not really a revelation but exactly what I needed to hear.

Thank you both for making me feel like I am not a bad mom. Thank you for understanding and for being just awesome women and mothers. I look up to you both and treasure you so so much!!!! I love you!!!

I am now drinking wine (PTD - I love your wine comment from the blog the other day!!!) and a little more relieved. DH comes home around 7:30 or 8:00 and man, it's baby duty for him! Although she's finally sleeping now and will probably also be sleeping when he gets home. I swear, every time he watches her she's so good! I guess it's because she's good most of the time - just these days when things start to break down are so frustrating.

I really hate the no sleep cycle. No matter how good I am there are days she just won't nap. Then it turns into this whole cycle of no sleeping, crankiness, being up more at night - an awful cycle for her AND me. UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH.

Well, I guess I better quit my whining and just face it. Hello motherhood, here I am.

Having Trouble with Night Wakings

Geeze oh man the last few nights have been tough. The little one goes to bed around normal time - somewhere between 7 and 9, and she sleeps okay until around 11, then again until 1 or so. But then things just break down and she wakes up every hour or two. It is really tough. Last night was also tough because I was alone and knew I wouldn't get relief in the morning.

She had a meltdown around 5:30 when I had to pump but I just let her cry. I was so tired and I had to pump and make bottles - she cried for about 10 minutes, the longest I've ever let her cry.

Finally at 6, at the end of my rope, I just put her in bed next to me after the third time she'd woken up since 5. She slept until 8 so that gave me a much needed rest and allowed me to start my day on a better note.

I was reading in the Weissbluth book and he said night wakings are caused by poor napping during the day. Yes, I agree that the past few days she has not been napping well at all. But it's really hard to get her to nap! I spend anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour soothing her, trying to get her to sleep. I try to do most of this while she is in the crib so it's really killing my back and my patience. Sometimes I think she's just excited about all there is in the world, she's waking up and noticing things around her. She really gets into playing with her little jungle gym thing now, she can actually grab the toys which is new for her. She used to just stare at everything and now she's interacting with it.

Today I got her to take one small nap but I've been fighting her on the second nap for 35 minutes now. I think she might go down but we'll see. I have my white noise (radio static AM 650 thanks Claire) turned up really loud just to see if that might help. I guess I am just going to have to really redouble my efforts on the naps if I expect good night time sleep. I just HATE how hard you have to work to make babies sleep! Shoot if someone asked me to stay in bed all cozy most of the day and night I would jump at the chance!

On a happier note, it makes such a big difference having these bras that fit properly. I feel so relieved and I think the plug situation is getting better. Woo woo woo.

On another happy note (because shoot, we can't be all depressive all the time) here are some cute pictures of the little one in her track suit today. Another awesome hand me down from Katja! I WILL prevail on this nap thing.

Doing Really Well Today

Thanks to everyone who reached out to me after my little break down last week. It's good to know there are people who care! I've also got some love coming my way next week while DH is in Japan, yay, thank you friends.

Today I am doing great. Last night I got to go out to a girls dinner with my friend Brieanne. We went to La Serenata and it was delicious. I had two glasses of wine with my fish enchiladas, delightful. We had a great time chatting it up.

This morning our nanny arrived to help out and this afternoon I got out! I went to the Century City mall, very wonderful. I had a great lunch acoompanied by a glass of wine then I bought the little one two adorable new outfits at Naartjie. So fun to buy baby clothes. I walked around a little, didn't really feel motivated to buy myself anything. I am kind of waiting for the last 5 pounds to come off then I can buy celebratory clothing! I am even thinking I want to lose more so I'm less than my pre-preg weight. I had stopped exercising while we were trying to get preggers so I'm thinking I want to lose 8 more pounds total. That will be a great weight.

After my jaunt to the Century City mall I went to the Pump Station. I've been getting plugged ducts all the freaking time and it's annoying. I decided I probably need some really good nursing bras. I do have those nursing tank tops I wear every day, but even though they are size large, I think they might be too tight. Well, they probably are. Both the bra helper woman at the Pump Station and I were surprised at the bra size I had to get. OMG one bra is a 32 F and the other is a 32 H/I. What? H/I? Lord! I chose to think that the H/I is just a brand that runs small because man, I don't want to even think about being that size. That is just crazy. Even being an F is a little out there. But I guess that's what's going on with all the milk production! I can't imagine what's going to happen after I stop pumping, my boobs are going to be pancakes. It will be sad.

I have tried to space out the pumping a little more. I'm not storing 15 oz per day anymore but I think it's fine. I want to have a little more freedom. The freezer is so full anyway, I've been thinking of getting a separate freezer but it's a hassle. They are like $200 too. And we aren't huge freezer people so it's not like I'd use it much after the milk. I don't think I have this milk hording goal anymore. I've already got almost 500 ounces in the freezer, so I think that I am okay there. I'm definitely fine for going back to work - especially since I'm just going to keep pumping.

DH is gone tonight - another overnight business trip. I wasn't lucky like last time - his plans weren't canceled by the weather. I'm sure we'll do fine though. Just having last night away and today's little outing to the mall alone - I am so much more energized to be a better mom. It makes all the difference!

For Heather

For THIS is Hall-o-ween

One little skeleton bopping up and down... bopping up and down... bopping up and down... one little skeleton bopping up and down... for THIS is Hall-o-ween..

Does anyone else remember that Halloween song? I love it. I love Halloween, it's my favorite holiday. We've been decorating the house like crazy and today was our costume Mommy & Me class. I really didn't feel like putting the little one's costume on. She has this chili pepper costume we got a long time ago when Babystyle went out of business and it just doesn't suit her. It's a bunting type costume and she's just too big and active for that I think. So instead she wore her super cutie Halloween outfit from Super Auntie. I dressed the hat up a bit with some flair and even had some flair for myself.

Here we are:








You can see some of our sweet decorations in the background...





Even Mr. Russell got in on the fun:



Although he is looking at us with the eyes of hate. Cats do not love accessorizing. Here is one with less anger:



It was so cute to see all the other outfits at Mommy & Me. Some other babies also wore cute Halloween outfits instead of costumes but there were also a lot of adorable costumes. My favorite and hands down the best was Baby Jordan who came as a hot dog! OMG a hot dog! It was so hilarious. I didn't bring the camera to the class because I walked with the Ergo carrier and I figured it would just be one more thing. I use my purse as a diaper bag so I don't have tons of extra room. We travel light!

Things have been going pretty well. This morning DH was on his way for an overnight trip in Texas and the flight was so delayed that he just got off because he was going to miss his meeting. So instead of being alone today and tonight I had help. Makes a BIG difference. He still has another overnight trip this week and then puke, he has a week long trip to Japan. But somehow I'll make it.

Tomorrow night I have a girls night out with my friend Brieanne, I am very into it. I will not get all wasted and puke like I did on Saturday but I am going to enjoy myself and relax. I will miss the little one a ton of course but it will be good for both of us. I guess soon I'll be going back to work and having a lot of time away from her - that will be a big change. I am sure it will be both sad and happy.

Have a great night everyone!

Icharus

Last night as I was cleaning puke off the floor I thought a good title for today's blog post would be Icharus. Something about puke being symbolic of the feathers and wax, I don't know. Today it doesn't make as much sense but I thought I'd just go with it. So how did I get there? Well, here is the story...

Last night was the first official date night since baby for DH and I. Lola and Lolo came out to watch the little one. Here we all are in our pre-dinner glory:




Look! Pre-pregnancy clothes! I was sure hoping my feet would go back to normal so I could wear my boots again.





So after having a glass of wine at the house we headed out to dinner. We went super early (before 6:00) so Lola and Lolo could drive home at the end of the night. When we got to La Cachette Bistro they were just opening so we went across the street to Loew's to have a drink at the bar. OK, so now I've had two glasses of wine - pretty much the most I've had in over a year. But I decide I am going to pump and dump so that I can have wine with dinner as well.

Dinner was amazing, we shared all our courses... started out with a fish bisque, then had house cured smoked salmon which was to die for, then we shared filet mignon, then a decadent piece of chocolate cake. We had white wine, red wine and Port. It was fun to end the night with the Dow's Port because on our honeymoon we went to Dow's. Well, this was A LOT for me to drink. We got home and I immediately put on my PJs then lay down on the floor. I started to feel woozy and DH got me the Halloween candy bucket which I puked in. But darn, the thing had a little hole in the bottom. He's running to the kitchen sink with it and then I puked again - this time right on the carpet. The good news is we had the foresight to clean the carpet right then and there, he brought me towels and 409 - we made quick work of it. After that I passed out on the floor. This was around 9:30 PM - so much adventure all before 10:00. DH woke me up at midnight and told me to pump - this was very great because I hadn't pumped since 5:00. I just dumped it right down the sink although by then it could have possibly been fine. But I drank so much I didn't want to chance it.

Luckily the little one slept through this entire adventure. When she did wake up around 1 something (I think) I was ready to give her a bottle. I had plenty of milk from earlier in the day so I didn't have to worry about that.

She is still napping right now, her longest morning nap in a long time. Maybe she knows I need it!
Well, that is my cautionary tale for other new mothers. If I had it to do over I'd probably skip the wine at Loew's and the Port. But heck - we lived large. Hope everyone else had a great weekend!

ESCAPE!!!

OK - my breakdown did not get better, it got worse. I got up this morning and was at the end of my rope. So I did the natural thing to do - I called my mother. Thank goodness she was not working today and I could come and visit her. That's what I've always done when times got really hard - I just escape to see my mom.

I packed the little one in the car with all my breast pump stuff, diaper stuff, whatever I could carry and drove out to the IE (Inland Empire). We would have made it the whole trip but we ran into an accident so the car stopped moving fast. So that woke her up and she was upset... we had to pull over in Glendora and just take a breather. Then we made it all the way out here.

Ah it has been so great out here. My mom made me a sandwich for lunch and she helped with holding the little one. I had wine and just enjoyed. I am still having wine. Then the day got even more fun, my uncle came out with his fiance and then SUPER AUNTIE came by!!! Super Auntie has her right now. It's great to get some time to just be. We are having pizza for dinner it will be so fun!!

Oh it's so great to be here. OK pizza just got here so gotta go. Thank you for everyone that reached out to me after my last blog post. Brieanne I am taking you up on your girls night offer!!! I love everyone!

OK well I will check in again soon. Thanks to everyone for the support.

Pumping vs. Breastfeeding and My Own Little Breakdown as I Blog!

I think I've been pumping exclusively long enough to give it a fair comparison to breastfeeding. Both definitely have their pros and cons. I think the worst part of pumping is when it coincides when the little one is hungry. I'm pumping and holding the receptacle bottles in one arm/hand and feeding her with the other. It is awkward and like everything else, hurts my back!

So here's my own personal evaluation...

Breastfeeding

Pros:

1. Mother-child bonding
2. You never have to worry about storing the milk in the fridge or freezer
3. No bottles to clean
4. You always have everything you need with you
5. No worrying about timing

Cons:

1. Only the mother can feed the baby
2. Always have to have your boob out
3. Problems with let-down, milk coming out very fast & strong
4. If the baby is fussy and can't decide whether to eat or not, you are always undressing and redressing - even if you have a convenient top this can be annoying
5. Hard to breastfeed and pump as well if you need to build up a supply

Pumping

Pros:

1. Anyone can feed the baby
2. You know exactly how much you are producing and you can track what the baby is eating if you choose
3. Easier to have a glass of wine because once you pump you know how long it will be until the next time you pump
4. Builds your supply and makes it easy to store milk for future use

Cons:

1. Washing the pump parts, washing bottles
2. Expensive to purchase storage bags, dropins for bottles (if you use that type)
3. You have to bring the pump with you as well as the baby and all their stuff if you're going to be gone for a while
4. You have to watch the clock and make sure you are on a pumping schedule (I go every 3-4 hours during the day and one 6 hour stretch at night)
5. Difficult to feed the baby and pump at the same time if the two coincide

So after evaluating all the pros and cons for myself, I'm going to keep up with the pumping. For me the let-down thing was really a problem. The little one would burp and spit up like crazy - the milk was just too much. Bottles are easier for me.

Also I like the freedom I could have from pumping although it seems like I don't get out hardly ever. I'm kind of bummed about that lately. DH goes to work, dinners, business trips - tonight he is going out to the bars. I feel like I never get to do anything by myself. I have had 2 girls nights since the little one was born but she was with me at both of them. I do love her and enjoy being with her and seeing her all the time but really, it's ALL. THE. TIME. We do have the nanny one day a week but I've been spending a lot of time training her and also I have to work when the nanny is here so I'm still in this house and still pretty much taking care of the little one. I'm tired, tired, tired. Today wasn't even that bad of a day, she had little naps and such, but ahhhh.... I am just so worn out. Lots of people have told me your back stops hurting and I'm really looking forward to that. Yup.

At Mommy & Me Monday some of the moms were pretty emotional about going back to work soon. (We are a working moms group.) I said I am looking forward to being by myself for a stretch of hours every day. I felt like a bad mother saying it but man, 8 whole hours to myself - I can hardly even imagine it. I will be a person! God I am actually crying right now feeling like a bad mother but also feeling worn out. This is so hard!!! No one can take your place as the mother. It's just you. No matter how supportive your husband is - there are just going to be so many times it's mano y mano - you and the baby - facing each other and just trying to figure it out.

I think the best thing would be to go and take a bath. But lord! It's 7:00 and that means pump time. So I've got to do that first. Maybe tears are a good additive to milk. Here's to hoping the little one stays asleep a little while longer...

Sleeping, Vaccines

Well, the little one slept a bit better last night. I fed her at 11 as usual and then I THINK she slept until 3:30. I am not totally sure. I get up in the morning and it's so hard to remember what went on. I guess I should keep a little log. Then she woke up again at 4:45 and DH helped while I pumped. But then she never really went back to sleep and was definitely ready for the day at 6:00. DH took her for a couple of hours while I slept. I don't know what I'd do without him. It's going to be so hard when he goes to Japan for a week in November, sigh.

I got a bunch of vaccines today - DTaP, H1N1 and seasonal flu. I got a shot in each arm and H1N1 was nasal. The arm where I got my DTaP sure hurts! Also I feel a little coughish so I will have to be really careful around the little one. The H1N1 nasal vaccine is a live virus so it's a little more risky than the regular flu shot .... great. I hope I don't get swine flu!!

That's about it for today - not much exciting stuff to report.

Unoffical Los Angeles Nanny Statistics

Many people were interested in hearing about what I found out from interviewing different nannies / baby sitters so I thought I would post the results here. I guess it's kind of my unofficial nanny statistic information. Hopefully this will be helpful to you if you are considering a nanny in the Los Angeles area. Note that this information was for a full time position in Santa Monica.

I posted my ad for a nanny on the Peachhead Nanny board. I got around 30 responses and I tracked 22 of them on a spreadsheet. There were some who contacted me that I didn't even bother to record on my spreadsheet because they had poor responses or were just confusing in general.

Out of the 22 applicants that I considered, I interviewed 7. Out of those 7, I'd say 4 were good options, 2 were okay options, and 1 was unacceptable. The unacceptable one seemed like a good person but she blew off two interviews and to me that didn't bode well for timeliness and responsibility in the future.

For the information below, note that I have good notes on about the top 10-12 applicants. On the rest, I didn't correspond with them too much so I only have what I received in the first email.

I stated very clearly in my ad that I would need house cleaning as well as child care duties. Out of the 22 applicants, 11 agreed to house cleaning duties while I received no information on it from the other 11. I also made it clear that I need more than "light housekeeping" - which is what most offer, picking up after the children and such. I said I need help with laundry, bathrooms, floors, etc.

14 of the applicants said they spoke good English. Of the ones I interviewed, 4 actually did. This was very important to me as I need to give instruction and want to be sure I am understood.

6 had a car, 5 said they did not have a car, and I'm unsure about the rest.

4 were legal US residents, 4 were not and I am not sure about the other 14. I was not comfortable with those that did not at least have a green card and I preferred them to have a social security number and driver's license or state ID card.

9 said they knew CPR and had taken classes.

Out of the 22, 8 did not contact me initially, I was contacted by the family they were currently working for. It appears that people are very committed to their nannies and want to place them in a good home when they are no longer needed. At the time I was interviewing, a lot of nannies were out of work or losing their jobs soon because of the poor economy.

Now the question I get asked most often - what is the hourly rate? I asked this question of everyone and got far enough in the process to hear from all but 9. Here are the results:

1 - $18 per hour
2 - $16 per hour
3 - $15 per hour (this seems to be the unofficial going rate in the area)
2 - $14 per hour
1 - $13.50 per hour
3 - $12 per hour or said negotiable
1 - $10 per hour

I offered $12 per hour as that was our budget and even those who had higher hourly rates at first agreed to it after discussion. Well, except the people in the $16 and above range, I didn't even try to negotiate with them.

Today the little one and I had lunch with 5 of my coworkers. I was initially going to lunch with just one friend and the other 4 were all heading to the same place so we had a big table together. It was really fun, just like old times. Well, just like early August! Seems so long ago. Also I saw one of my Mommy & Me friends taking her baby out for a walk. Small world.

The little one is doing pretty well on her naps today. My next goal is to get her to sleep through the night better. I don't mind her waking up every three hours which she does around 11, then around 1 - but then she gets on this pattern of waking up every hour or so and it's tough. This morning she ate at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5! WTF??? Ahh!!! Oh yeah and also at 6. Then she was just pretty much awake from 6-7 and DH got up with her and played with her just before 7 but after that she went down for a 2 hour nap. I think we're going to try feeding her more at each feeding in the night so hopefully she won't wake up again. She eats a little then falls asleep so we just have to make sure she eats more I guess. We'll keep working on it.

Here are some cute pictures from today - she got all dressed up to go to lunch! Thanks to Trish & Sami for the outfit - very cute.








Well, time to go clean up our place - it has really degraded into a pig sty!

Focusing on the Crib Now

Well, we've been trying really hard to have the little one sleep in the crib for her naps and at night. I know I was going to keep her in the bed but one night I just got tired. It's true it's easier to feed her in the bed because I just reach over, grab the milk and feed her. But it's harder to sleep and I have to be very aware of her. So I started putting her in the crib. She's just fine. I still sleep more lightly because I'm listening for her and I still always feel nervous. That's the crazy thing about motherhood - this nervous feeling I have almost all the time. I'm always waiting to see what she wants next.

It's been getting harder for me to get out and do things because I am trying to make sure she gets enough sleep. Since she's not really on a schedule right now, I just try to put her down when I notice the sleepy signs and I'm not always sure when that's going to be. If I hit it right and get her down with the first sleepy signs, I'm golden and she'll go down easy and stay down for 45 minutes to 2 hours. If I miss those signs and she gets overtired, it's much harder to get her down and she'll only sleep for 10-30 minutes, bummer.

Today she did not feel like sleeping much, it was hard on my back. Days like this she is also more fussy (although I will say that fussy for her is really not bad at all). I spend more time holding her, bouncing her, and leaning over the crib trying to soothe her into sleep. I know it would hurt my back less to soothe her out of the crib and then put her down but I find if I soothe her inside the crib and she goes to sleep, she'll stay down longer. It's a good habit.

Also I have not been putting her down on her stomach anymore. I just worry too much about the SIDS thing. I read today that the highest risk for SIDS is between 2 and 5 months so she is squarely in the danger zone. I'd rather work a little harder putting her to sleep then deal with the alternative - although the risk is very very low. I have stopped her from startling herself awake by using the velcro arm-holder thing from the sleep sack we bought for her. She doesn't like sleep sacks in general or swaddling but I can get away with the velcro arm thing and it's helpful. Yesterday she went down like a dream and even last night - she would wake up to eat and then go right back to sleep. But today has not been so easy. My back HURTS right now. I'm going to take some ibuprofren, soak in the bath, and take a nap until 11 when I have to pump again and feed her some time around then. I've been going longer in between pumpings and it's working out. It is nice to not be a slave to the pump every three hours. I do get pretty full though - it can get a little painful. But the supply is still good - little Frank the Tank is still getting a ton of milk and I'm storing about 15 oz per day. My stash grows!

Hopefully tomorrow will be better for the naps!

Daddy's Little Pumpkin

So since it was so hot at the farm we were not able to do a proper photo shoot with the little one. Also, we knew it would be hot so she couldn't wear her new "Daddy's Little Pumpkin" onesie from Lola. But we took all our pumpkins today and did a little photo shoot here in the house. Here's our little pumpkin!!!

Trip to the Farm

Today we went to a real farm with our friends John and Heather. We had a great time but it was a little hot out in Moorpark - over 90. So I stayed in the shade with the little one while DH and our friends went out exploring. After the farm we had a great dinner out on the patio at the Reel Inn on PCH in Malibu. It was so fun and almost everyone there had kids. We've been finding when you go out to dinner at like 5:30 - 6:00, you run into a lot of other families.

Here are some pics from our farm day!

We used the connector for the car seat to the stroller (thanks Shawna!):





Precious little flower:







My awesome Ergo carrier!







All our loot! In the wheel barrow:

Survived First Vaccines

We survived our first round of vaccines. We chose to put off the Hepatitis B vaccine so she only had to get 2 shots and one oral vaccine. I figure that was enough. I didn't get my Hep B until my late 20's or so anyway so we can wait a bit on her.

So first we weighed her & measured her...



Yes, she is 13 pounds 12.5 ounces. The pictures says 13.5 but that's with her diaper. We weighed a diaper alone and it was 1 ounce so we didn't have to take it off. It was dry so it was okay.

Her weight is now off the charts. I confirmed yesterday that she is still eating 40 ounces of milk - I have just been pumping more. When I told our pediatrician she was eating 40 ounces, she said we'd have to cut back on the formula. I said no - that's all breast milk. She said it was fine then and we'll just keep an eye on her.

Here is her chart:



You can see how her weight has gone off the curve. Holy cow she's a tank! I call her Frank the Tank!

After that, she had her eyes dilated with some drops and that all checked out. Oh also our pediatrician had her follow the light with her eyes and she was able to turn her head 180 degrees - apparently this is usually a skill 4 month old babies do. Hey wow! Our girl with the super head turning skills. Ha ha.

Then it was time for the vaccines. She did great with the oral vaccine and then the nurse quickly did a shot on each leg. Of course she didn't like it and cried but then she stopped crying pretty quickly and then just fell asleep.

Here we are right after the shots:



Ohhh, poor little thing.

And here is daddy taking her home:



So it's funny, she cried a ton more this morning when DH put a onesie with small arm holes on her than when she got shots. The size said it would fit her but her arms are really chunky. Once he got it on she was just wailing, it was constricting her. He had to cut the arms with scissors and then get it off. Man was she angry. We left her with just a diaper on for her first nap of the day.

Our pediatrician frowned on our thing of having her sleep on her stomach. She said it's a no-no until 6 months. Sigh. Well, she said we could do it if we really watch her. So I guess naps could still be okay but hmm. We're going to try the back again and see how it goes.

Well, it's Friday and I think we're going to try to get out for dinner. I've been cooped up in here forever and I'd enjoy a little outing. We're going to go early so we can get back and do our bedtime routine. I've been trying to start the bath earlier, like at 6:00, so she can be sleepy and to bed by 8:00. But you know, we're still new at this and she's still so young so we don't go too nuts with it.

Have a great weekend everyone!

2 Months Old Today!!

Wow! The little one is 2 months old today - amazing. I did a little photo shoot with her hair bow from Lola (the onesie is also from Lola). DH isn't a huge fan of the hair bows for some reason but hey, he's not here so I can get away with it!







DH has Photoshop now so it will be interesting to see what we can do with a new tool. However, we still have the problem of missing the camera cord - which is the only way he can put pictures on his laptop - where the Photoshop is. So I guess we won't be having cool Photoshopped pics for a while. Sigh. Why do all the cords in this house go missing?

I decided to keep track of how much I am pumping and how much the little one is eating since I haven't done that in a while. Plus I've been able to store more in the freezer (15 ounces yesterday) so I was wondering if she's eating a lot less. We'll find out tomorrow but I'm guessing it's because I'm pumping more. Since this morning's first pump I've already done 30 ounces. So I think if anyone out there wants to increase their milk supply - pumping is the way to go.

Of course, there are some hassles with pumping exclusively. On Saturday we plan on going to the pumpkin patch with some friends. It's a bit of a drive and I don't want to have to rush home to pump. So I bought the car adapter for the pump ... it will be interesting to see how that goes. I have to remember to bring all my accessories to store the milk once it's pumped. I guess I could just breastfeed her there at the pumpkin patch instead but I'm kind of used to doing it this way now. Plus I think now with the pumping my let-down is even stronger and faster. I don't want to subject littles to that!

Still dreading the vaccines tomorrow. Hey does anyone know how much Tylenol I should give her before the appointment? I went to read the instructions and for babies her age it says "consult pediatrician". I can call the doctor but was just wondering if anyone knew?

OK - we'll make sure to take another picture of her on the scale tomorrow... I'm really interested to see how much she weighs!

Wishing Every Day Was Like Today

Wow - today has been a great day for the little one. She is currently on her third nap in the crib! Woo!!! The first nap I couldn't believe it, I was walking around with her in the Ergo carrier, she fell asleep in there, then I was able to transition her to the crib. A-mazing! Usually she doesn't like to be moved once she's napping. Then she napped in the crib again and is in there right now. I want to also put her down for bed at first in the crib around 8:00 or so - then move her into the bed at night when she needs to eat, like around 10:30 or so. We'll see how it goes.

One interesting thing is I think she's eating a little less. Last week she was going nuts and I could hardly pump enough to keep up with her I was only able to store about 5 ounces a day. She was also up all the time and hardly napping - I think it was another growth spurt. Now she's more mellow, napping better and eating less. I'm storing more milk in the freezer which is good. I don't even know when I'll get around to using the milk in the freezer. I figure one week before I go back to work I can pump enough to store in the fridge for the first day and then I can always pump one day for the next. I prefer to feed her fresh or refrigerator milk to frozen because more of the good properties of the milk are intact that way. But I guess I'll just keep storing in the freezer for my stockpile. A friend of mine was able to stop pumping and still feed her baby breast milk for many more months so maybe I'll end up doing something like that. I guess it's never bad to get a good supply going. I've got about 250 ounces or so which sounds like a lot but it's only about a week's worth of food for her.

I am starting to get more used to the idea of going back to work. Today I stopped in to get a new building access card and I had fun talking to my coworkers - I really enjoy their company. I love being at home with the baby but it's a little lonely and a lot cagey. Especially since I work, I am stuck here most of the day and by the time I'm done working I don't always have it in me to motivate and go somewhere. I think if I didn't have to work I'd get out more because that's all I would have to do. But I think it's fine to keep the little one in the house more, especially because this is supposed to be a bad flu season.

Oh, so I totally got into the YMCA Santa Monica for their infant care program. I can't believe I actually got into a place I was wait-listed for! But I think I'm just going to ask them to put me back on the bottom of the list and reevaluate in a year or so. I feel like having the little one taken care of here at home will be better for her. I actually have had the nanny work two days for us now, she's here today and is also a help in getting the little one into the crib. She is really great. It's been hard to hand over my baby to someone else but I know I have to do it. It's easier to break in with it slowly. Better for the little one too.

Well, besides that I'm just enjoying the sounds of the rain we've been having the past couple of days. Except that I can't go outside with my new Ergo carrier. I did walk the little one around in our apartment courtyard which is protected from the rain - she was a little fussy around 4:30 or so yesterday. She liked the change of pace. I learned that little outside trick at my Mommy & Me class. Always getting great tips there! Loving it! At first I thought I would never pony up another $500 or so to do Mommy & Me again but I've been enjoying it so much I am really going to consider it. I love our group leader, she's just so knowledgeable and I feel much more confident after each time I go.

So the little one has her first vaccines on Friday - her 2 month appointment. We are doing the following:

DTaP - Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis vaccines
IPV - Polio vaccine
Hib - Hemophilus influenza type b vaccine
Prevnar - Pneumococcal vaccine
Rotavirus vaccine

I think it's four shots and a drink. Other moms in my group have been going through this too so I know we can survive. Ah, terrible though. I'm going to give her Tylenol before we even go. Not everyone does this - some people just give it after if they get feverish but man, I am going to give it to her before. I am all about pain killers!

Well that's it for today. Hope everyone is doing well.

Products I Am Digging

11/16/09 Update
Oops - it's been a while since I've updated my products page... here we go... products I'm loving at 3 months of age...

The little one really loves her activity mat:



















It's by Infantino. I've had several friends say they really like it because the toys hang lower than the Baby Einstein ones. She has a great time in here and loves pulling on the toys and trying to eat them. I'd say that this became a lot more fun for her around 2 1/2 months. She can hang out in here for quite a while and really enjoy herself.

She is also really having fun with her keys:








as well as a bunch of soft toy rattles that people have given her. She is good at holding on to things now ... and trying to stuff things into her mouth.

Oh, and these are just great:












The Aden + Anais swaddle blankets. They are lightweight muslin and I use them to keep her arms down while she sleeps. She didn't like being swaddled initially and I'm not really sure how much she likes it now. I just do her arms though and it seems to help her go to sleep.

She also loves these pacifiers:



















It's the Soothie - the same one they use in the hospital. I've tried a few others and she just spits them out. I noticed that most of the other babies at mommy & me also have the Soothie and the Aden + Anais blankets.

OK - that's my little update for now!

Original Post:
OK - first of all, everyone should know that this blog makes NO money and has NO sponsors. I would be impressed if any sponsor even noticed me or gave me something for free. So everything I say I love I found on my own and paid for.

Since I've had the little one, there are some products I just love and some that haven't really been helpful. Some more helpful at different stages. I am going to try and keep this page updated with stuff that I really like from each stage.

When I first came home from the hospital and was only breastfeeding - this really saved me:

My Brest Friend




I would use this all the time - especially during dinner when it allowed me to eat and breastfeed at the same time. Or when I had to work (which is a lot).

These books were also very useful for breastfeeding, I referenced them all the time:





























I think if you are really going to commit to breastfeeding you need help and support and in my humble opinion, these books are better than a lactation consultant. Especially Breastfeeding Made Simple. Love this book. Having three books is nice too - to confirm facts. These books saved me when I had a plugged duct. In fact, I was starting to plug up again and the skills learned in these books helped me recognize it and neutralize it right away!

And lastly but most important for breastfeeding, my love, the PJ's Comfort:




This pump is the best. I don't think you should mess around with other pumps. The horns are silicon, they are so comfortable. Right off the bat I could pump 1 ounce per minute and now that I'm exclusively pumping I can go even faster than that. I love this thing. Yes it is expensive - $600 new. But I bought it from someone who had never used it. You can find them used on ebay and just buy a new tubing and horn kit from Limerick for about $90 or so. Worth it.

OK - now for baby stuff. My friend Tiffiny highly recommended and purchased for me the California Baby Calming shampoo / body wash. I really like it and use it every day at bath time. I also use their "non-talc" powder for diaper changes. But what I really love of theirs is what I call their "miracle cream" - which is:




















Wow, that picture turned out huge. But really, the stuff IS huge. The little one gets a rash on her face/ears I think from milk but I don't know. This stuff wipes it out. Also it is the best diaper cream there is. I've tried the butt paste & Aveno cream and neither come close. This stuff wipes out any redness, it's wonderful. It also smells good and is all natural. Works pretty good on my face too if I have a zit or something. Love it. It's expensive but you only need a little and it's just worth it. I love it!

OK - now two things I hate to love because they are so NOT green but whatever:

Playtex Dropins - these bottles work great for the little one. I know some moms have trouble transitioning from breast to bottle but we didn't at all. These nipples are great and the collapsible inserts really help to reduce gas. In fact, the little one has less burping, spit ups and gas with these bottles than she did with the breast. It's a little expensive to buy all the dropins, I think probably $200 - $300 a year but like our Mommy & Me class leader says - don't fix things that are working.

















These diapers, also not green. I was using Pampers Swaddlers but then some friends mentioned Pampers Baby Dry. These are what I call "space diapers" because they have this weird blue gel stuff in them, like the astronauts use. Um, like that lady that wore them on that big long drive to attack her boyfriend's wife or other girlfriend or whatever. I only use them at night for now because I have a huge box of Swaddlers still to go through. The Baby Dry are not as soft as the Swaddlers though so I'm not sure what I'll do when I have the option to go all Baby Dry all the time. They are kind of freaky with the gel and whatnot.





















And now a product I just got today but already really like, my Ergo baby carrier:














I had been using the Parents of Invention wrap - which was basically a really long piece of material you had to wrap all around you in a certain way to get the baby in. It was a huge pain in the butt. I wanted something like a bjorn but after researching it found that the Ergo will last a lot longer than the bjorn because it distributes the weight better. Plus, how cool are the little stars? There are a lot of different looks to the Ergo but the stars were my favorite. Kudos to my birth class friend Paige who introduced me to this cool carrier and also brought it over to our party so I could test before purchasing. I bought it - of course - from diapers.com for the sweet free overnight delivery, and no sales tax! Well okay, the one place this blog makes money is if people use my diapers.com code: you save $10 and I get $1 when you order. Here is the code to save $10: EADX1682. That is my one plug.

Well, I will keep adding products to this page as I think of them. That's enough for today. Hope everyone had a good one!