With blog updates. Seems as though things are falling into place and life is getting easy (er). We have a good routine, he takes two 2.5 hour naps during the day. The hour that he is up before and after we do lots of brain stimulating things - like reading, playing with toys, baby sign language dvd's and practice sitting in the Bumbo chair.
Putting Ethan to bed has been a bit of a challenge these last couple nights. He just doesn't want to fall asleep! It's still a lot better than when we first started to put him down awake though. It's kinda funny because when I leave the room he doesn't cry, he YELLS! And it's such a fake cry - is it possible at 12 weeks? Fake crying?
Tonight I went to a La Leche League meeting. It's from 7-9pm and they meet every last Wednesday of the month. It was interesting and informative to go. It's nice having other mothers around to help with support and to hear other womens stories regarding breastfeeding. We made it until 8:45! He was sooo good there. (you can come and go as you please). He flirted with all the girls! It took some time getting him down to bed as we were out of routine. Hopefully that means he will sleep until the morning! (Wishful thinking...I know!)
Breastfeeding is going alright. He loves nursing during the night (like 3am or 5am) and some points during the day. I find that he will nurse if I get him from a nap right away when he is still groggy. But if he is alert and wide eyed, then forget it. If he gets to the point where he is crying because he is hungry then forget that too. (I try to avoid getting to that point at all costs, but sometimes it does happen). I'm working on getting my pumping time down to 10 minutes. I am currently at 15 minutes so that's not bad, and I still produce 7 ounces or more. After I get down to 10 minutes, I am going to work on pumping every 5 hours. Currently I am at every 4 hours. I am also so close to eliminating my mid-night pumping (the 3:30am one). I am down to 4 minutes. I know...sounds tedious but it has to be done that way. Starting tonight I'm going down to 3 minutes, then hopefully next week I can just hand express in a towel and then done! The good news is, if I find a huge decrease in milk supply, it's very easy to bring it back up since I am already established.
I have no pictures today - I took some but I am too tired to upload. I'll make up for it tomorrow!
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
Unproductive Day
Today was such an unproductive day. It started off with good intentions. Ethan was dropped off at Grama's house. I went to the lab to get my glucose test done. Since I had Gestational Diabetes I had to do another glucose tolerance test for some reason. So after the blood work and drinking the nasty orange drink, I was told that I was going to be called in two hours......excuse me? I already waited 45 minutes just to be called for my paperwork to be processed, and then I had to wait another 2 hours on top of that!! Well, I did because I wanted to get it overwith, but I was not impressed. I would have planned better if I had known. Needless to say, I was engorged by the time I got home!
Then I had to go pick Ethan up. He ended up getting very sleepy so I left him there to nap and I came home and showered and did my hair. (I live 5 minutes away). Then I went back to pick him up.
Ryan and I both did laundry tonight and I got all of Ethan's diapers put together and ready to go, along with his wipes. We went for a little visit to our neighbor's house and I was coaxed into having a coffee.... well I just got done organizing the back room....it's midnight! I am crashing now though. So I am glad that I got that room done. I have been wanting to do it for a long time (like a week and a half). I still feel unproductive though. Tomorrow I will have a lot of laundry to put away....so fun (not!!)
Tomorrow I am going to start my spring cleaning. I am going to do one room a day. Thankfully I don't have many! I have 7 in total (combining a few areas), so I should be able to get it all done in a week. With my neck and back injury I don't know how much I am going to get done, so one room a day is a good start I think. Seems the more I do the better I feel.
Ryan took pictures of Ethan tonight. I think I see me in him tonight for sure. If you saw some of my baby photo's you will see a resemblance. I think I'm the dominant one in Ethan! He had a lot of practice in his Bumbo chair today. If we park him in front of the television, he is good for a while! As you can see, he was naked as well (with a diaper). He was naked from 4:30pm until 8:00pm. He loves having no clothes on. Summertime should be pretty easy for laundry!! Here are some of the pictures. He is very expressive. Enjoy and goodnight!
Then I had to go pick Ethan up. He ended up getting very sleepy so I left him there to nap and I came home and showered and did my hair. (I live 5 minutes away). Then I went back to pick him up.
Ryan and I both did laundry tonight and I got all of Ethan's diapers put together and ready to go, along with his wipes. We went for a little visit to our neighbor's house and I was coaxed into having a coffee.... well I just got done organizing the back room....it's midnight! I am crashing now though. So I am glad that I got that room done. I have been wanting to do it for a long time (like a week and a half). I still feel unproductive though. Tomorrow I will have a lot of laundry to put away....so fun (not!!)
Tomorrow I am going to start my spring cleaning. I am going to do one room a day. Thankfully I don't have many! I have 7 in total (combining a few areas), so I should be able to get it all done in a week. With my neck and back injury I don't know how much I am going to get done, so one room a day is a good start I think. Seems the more I do the better I feel.
Ryan took pictures of Ethan tonight. I think I see me in him tonight for sure. If you saw some of my baby photo's you will see a resemblance. I think I'm the dominant one in Ethan! He had a lot of practice in his Bumbo chair today. If we park him in front of the television, he is good for a while! As you can see, he was naked as well (with a diaper). He was naked from 4:30pm until 8:00pm. He loves having no clothes on. Summertime should be pretty easy for laundry!! Here are some of the pictures. He is very expressive. Enjoy and goodnight!
Monday, 27 February 2012
12 Weeks
These are the many faces of Ethan. He goes from one extreme to the next in about 60 seconds lol.
I forgot to post yesterday - if you don't know, I fell and hurt my back and neck very badly (no dogs or babies were injured, just myself thank goodness). So I've been hitting the Ibuprophin and Arnica and bean bag heating devices. I'm feeling better and hoping it goes away soon. But I'll definitely be needing some massage therapy in the near future. Anyway.... because of all this I laid down last night and wasn't getting up.
Ethan is 12 Weeks old (Saturday) !! I have been looking forward to this magical number of weeks and looking for the crying to stop, the giggling to start, and the sleeping to follow suit. Well GUESS WHAT! It's happening. It has been happening over the past week and a half actually. Now, we still have a lot of crying, but it's predictable and I know when and usually why it's going to start. The laughing is insane! I have to figure out how to post it online soon because you all have to see how darn cute it is! He is a napping champ and has slept an average of 9 or 10 hours straight. (No feed or anything).
Breastfeeding is going awesome. He still gets a bottle, but he gets 2-3 as opposed to 6-7 a day. I find he nurses VERY well in the early morning (3:30am) and in the morning as well (6am). As the day progresses he gets a bit crankier and it's harder for him to stay focused. We are only trying to "top up" with a bottle, but if we are somewhere then he just gets a bottle because I am not there yet to whip my boob out to him and feed away.
I did a test this morning because I am still scared he isn't getting enough milk just from me. In the early morning (it's 7am now) I generally pump about 8 - 9 ounces of milk in a 20 minute span. Generally after a breastfeeding session I only pump for 8 minutes (weaning myself the pump), but I am pumping 20 minutes today to see what he drank, and low and behold, he drank 3-4 oz. I'm glad I didn't give him a "top up" bottle because that milk would have been everywhere lol.
He is now grabbing things and bringing them to him mouth a lot now.....my finger, my shirt, his towel, his diaper...yes....EVERYTHING. It's so amazing to see these little beings grow and learn and become someone of their own! I know it happens every day, and even I went through these growth stages but it seriously floors me that I created this little guy and I am teaching him all these wonderful things :)
Today is not really a "Mommy Monday". He is not at Nona's house today. Some things came up. But Grama is going to watch him for a couple hours. This is good because then I can get my things done (like my Glucose test - uuugh! It's a follow up appointment with the Endocrinologist) and then we can work on breastfeeding some more. I really don't want him to have a bottle for the entire afternoon if we are just starting to establish it now.
Well, I'm heading to bed for hopefully another couple of hours! It's so nice getting 4 hour blocks of sleep. I almost don't know what to do with myself lol.
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Homemade Baby Wash
To go with my cloth diapers and cloth wipes, I decided to make my own homemade baby bum wash. It's so simple and cost effective (costs a bit to buy everything but works out to being cheap in the end).
Tea Tree Oil & Lavender Baby Bum Wash
Tea Tree oil has great anti-fungal properties and lavender essential oil has calming effects for the skin.
3 cups warm water
1/8 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Baby Wash
4 Drops Tea Tree Oil
8 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
Mix all ingredients in a jar, give a shake and store. Pour over wipes and you are good to go!
These are the products I used for the wash. I think for the amount you use, this would last a good 2 weeks. I don't soak my cloths, I just moisten them enough that I can get a good wipe without leaving his skin sopping wet. (I wipe his bum dry anyway - yes, he is spoiled!)
It smells wonderful and fresh and clean - not like chemicals like commercial baby wipes do.
Happy Wiping :)
Tea Tree Oil & Lavender Baby Bum Wash
Tea Tree oil has great anti-fungal properties and lavender essential oil has calming effects for the skin.
3 cups warm water
1/8 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Baby Wash
4 Drops Tea Tree Oil
8 Drops Lavender Essential Oil
Mix all ingredients in a jar, give a shake and store. Pour over wipes and you are good to go!
It smells wonderful and fresh and clean - not like chemicals like commercial baby wipes do.
Happy Wiping :)
Friday, 24 February 2012
Cloth Diapering
Let's start with the benefits of cloth diapering and why I chose to do it:
Better for Baby: Babies that are cloth diapered have less issues with diaper rash, irritated bottoms and other complaints with disposable diaper use. Fewer chemicals touch baby and the less likely are they to be sensitive. The Grovia's that we use have an organic liner as well, which I like.
Cost Savings: A newborn will typically go through 8-12 diapers a day, and an older baby about 6-8. A disposable diaper costs about 0.29 each, so that adds up quite a bit. It's true, it is a bit costly to start up with cloth diapering (we spent about $800), but in the long run, with a first baby, it equals about the same, if not less, than buying disposable diapers. Now throw in kid number two and there is your savings right there.
Better for the Environment: Yes, there is more water usage with cloth diapers, but they don't take up room in a landfill and take hundreds of years to decompose. And poop is put in the toilet, not in the trash - definitely not where it should be.
Shorter Diapering Span: It's proven that cloth diapered babies are potty trained earlier because they feel the wetness more than with wearing disposables.
Super Cute: With all the prints and colours they come in, who wouldn't love them!
My Method:
I basically follow what is suggested on the internet regarding washing. I use the brand Grovia. I have a couple other brands but have not used them yet.
After the diaper is wet or soiled, I place them in the wet bag. I have two of these so that when one is in the wash, the other is ready to use.
I use washcloths instead of wipes since it makes more sense to do that if I am going to cloth diaper anyway. Aside from that, it is so much easier to clean Ethan's bottom with them. I purchased them from Bummas. They are a great size, soft, and fit perfectly in the wipes warmer. My only gripe with them is that the blue dye did not totally rinse out of them and stained some of my liners. Thankfully it was only 4 of them. These go in the wash as well.
I wash diapers every other day. When I'm ready, I bring the bag full of diapers downstairs and dump them in the washer. I take out the very soiled diapers and rinse them in the laundry tub. (This isn't really necessary but I still feel better doing it). Then I put them on a rinse cycle in warm water.
When the rinse cycle is done, I go through the liners and spray them with Baby Oxy Clean and let them soak for a few minutes. Then I throw in the soap nuts (from Bare Organics as well), turn the wash on hot and wash away. (Don't mind the view of my ugly laundry room...wait it's not a room it's just a washer and dryer in a basement :( These are the times I really really wish I had a laundry room - ahem, hint hint!)
5. Once the load is done, I throw the liners and washcloths into the dryer and hang the shells on a drying rack. This is not necessary but will make the liners last a bit longer and keep them looking like new.
6. I put the diapers back together, and snap in the liner and away we go. I try to cycle all the diapers so they all get used and liners washed. The more the liners are washed the better they absorb. (I haven't had any problems with leakage or blow-outs yet).
They still look pretty bulky on him but he will get used to them and grow into them :) We are still using disposables for night time since I have a ton of diapers left and he still wets himself quite a bit at night. He would feel the wetness a lot more with the cloth and probably be up every couple hours. And we all need our sleep :)
So that's my routine. It sounds like a lot, and I guess it is, but every part that I do takes a maximum of 3 minutes, so I am only spending about 15 minutes every two days washing, drying and preparing diapers. Since I do them when he goes to sleep for the night it really isn't an issue.
Better for Baby: Babies that are cloth diapered have less issues with diaper rash, irritated bottoms and other complaints with disposable diaper use. Fewer chemicals touch baby and the less likely are they to be sensitive. The Grovia's that we use have an organic liner as well, which I like.
Cost Savings: A newborn will typically go through 8-12 diapers a day, and an older baby about 6-8. A disposable diaper costs about 0.29 each, so that adds up quite a bit. It's true, it is a bit costly to start up with cloth diapering (we spent about $800), but in the long run, with a first baby, it equals about the same, if not less, than buying disposable diapers. Now throw in kid number two and there is your savings right there.
Better for the Environment: Yes, there is more water usage with cloth diapers, but they don't take up room in a landfill and take hundreds of years to decompose. And poop is put in the toilet, not in the trash - definitely not where it should be.
Shorter Diapering Span: It's proven that cloth diapered babies are potty trained earlier because they feel the wetness more than with wearing disposables.
Super Cute: With all the prints and colours they come in, who wouldn't love them!
My Method:
I basically follow what is suggested on the internet regarding washing. I use the brand Grovia. I have a couple other brands but have not used them yet.
After the diaper is wet or soiled, I place them in the wet bag. I have two of these so that when one is in the wash, the other is ready to use.
I use washcloths instead of wipes since it makes more sense to do that if I am going to cloth diaper anyway. Aside from that, it is so much easier to clean Ethan's bottom with them. I purchased them from Bummas. They are a great size, soft, and fit perfectly in the wipes warmer. My only gripe with them is that the blue dye did not totally rinse out of them and stained some of my liners. Thankfully it was only 4 of them. These go in the wash as well.
I wash diapers every other day. When I'm ready, I bring the bag full of diapers downstairs and dump them in the washer. I take out the very soiled diapers and rinse them in the laundry tub. (This isn't really necessary but I still feel better doing it). Then I put them on a rinse cycle in warm water.
When the rinse cycle is done, I go through the liners and spray them with Baby Oxy Clean and let them soak for a few minutes. Then I throw in the soap nuts (from Bare Organics as well), turn the wash on hot and wash away. (Don't mind the view of my ugly laundry room...wait it's not a room it's just a washer and dryer in a basement :( These are the times I really really wish I had a laundry room - ahem, hint hint!)
5. Once the load is done, I throw the liners and washcloths into the dryer and hang the shells on a drying rack. This is not necessary but will make the liners last a bit longer and keep them looking like new.
6. I put the diapers back together, and snap in the liner and away we go. I try to cycle all the diapers so they all get used and liners washed. The more the liners are washed the better they absorb. (I haven't had any problems with leakage or blow-outs yet).
They still look pretty bulky on him but he will get used to them and grow into them :) We are still using disposables for night time since I have a ton of diapers left and he still wets himself quite a bit at night. He would feel the wetness a lot more with the cloth and probably be up every couple hours. And we all need our sleep :)
So that's my routine. It sounds like a lot, and I guess it is, but every part that I do takes a maximum of 3 minutes, so I am only spending about 15 minutes every two days washing, drying and preparing diapers. Since I do them when he goes to sleep for the night it really isn't an issue.
Thursday, 23 February 2012
And so the Breastfeeding Saga continues....
I had some more help with breastfeeding today. My helper came by to see Ethan and I and to check out the breastfeeding situation again. To be honest I stopped doing it for a couple weeks because I didn't think things were doing good. Well, low and behold, Ethan was a star and nursed amazingly. He nursed for 10 minutes and was extremely satisfied - so much that he was smiling and cooing while on my breast still.
I did not know his signs of satisfaction, or his signs of wanting to switch breasts. I also believe that chiropractic helps immensely. He would only nurse from my left side and now he asked to go to the right.... yes.... if you place your baby in the middle of your chest he will choose which side he wants. Then when he fusses and comes off one side, and you put him back to the middle, he will go to the right. Amazing what human instincts can tell us!
So he was satisfied. Not overfed or underfed. When he fussed a half hour later, she suggested that I try to put him on again. I did, he drank, then screamed and cried. My first reaction is "he hates my breast". In reality, he was tired and wanted his pacifier to suck on. So, we gave it to him, changed him and he is now napping.
I'm really hoping this continues because this is what I have always wanted to do. I say I don't like it and that it's a lot of work, etc... but in all honestly, this is what I want to do for my baby. The bonus: he takes well to the bottle and we have no problems interchanging from breast to bottle so that makes me happy too!
I'm working on my cloth diapering post - just waiting to take a few more photos to coincide with the descriptions on what I'm doing :)
Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Showing Interest
Ethan is showing interest in so many things lately. He is interested in what I'm eating, what touches him (like a blanket), his teething toys, television, his surroundings. Today I put him on his play mat and he was having a blast with all the dangling stuffed toys. He is starting to grab at things and put them directly into his mouth. He's been doing this for about a week or so, but I really notice it today.
Something else happened today too - Ethan really laughed today. He laughed for me in the morning and for Ryan when he came home from work. It's this deep sort of chuckle he has right now but it's so cute! I want to get it on video but I'm so enthralled while he is doing it, I don't want to miss it!
He has been sleeping SOOO much these last few days. I'm not complaining by any means, but I am hoping it's just a growth spurt. He goes to bed at 8pm because he just can't physically stay up anymore. He usually falls asleep while eating. He sleeps until 7am (with one feeding somewhere in that time span). Then he is up until about 8:15am, and down again until 11:30am. Up until about 1pm and down again until 4pm. Then somewhere between 4 and 8pm he has a cat nap. So when I say a lot, I mean a lot! I'm getting a lot of stuff done in my spare room. I'm in the process of cleaning and organizing it. That room was pretty much our chucking room with all the renovations we did. Now that they are all done and Ryan is finishing the storage units, I'm able to unload stuff from there and store it.
We started to officially use the Grovia cloth diapers yesterday. His bum is still a bit small for them, but much better than our last few attempts at using them. I think I am going to do a post on how I wash/dry/use them to let people see and know that they are not so bad, plus the benefits of using cloth diapers! I am adamant on posting about this because I could have bought a share in the company since we spent so much money on them! But really, they are much healthier for babies and the environment. I'll probably be posting this in the next couple of days. I need time to write out what I do and take photos to coincide with the descriptions :)
Something else happened today too - Ethan really laughed today. He laughed for me in the morning and for Ryan when he came home from work. It's this deep sort of chuckle he has right now but it's so cute! I want to get it on video but I'm so enthralled while he is doing it, I don't want to miss it!
He has been sleeping SOOO much these last few days. I'm not complaining by any means, but I am hoping it's just a growth spurt. He goes to bed at 8pm because he just can't physically stay up anymore. He usually falls asleep while eating. He sleeps until 7am (with one feeding somewhere in that time span). Then he is up until about 8:15am, and down again until 11:30am. Up until about 1pm and down again until 4pm. Then somewhere between 4 and 8pm he has a cat nap. So when I say a lot, I mean a lot! I'm getting a lot of stuff done in my spare room. I'm in the process of cleaning and organizing it. That room was pretty much our chucking room with all the renovations we did. Now that they are all done and Ryan is finishing the storage units, I'm able to unload stuff from there and store it.
We started to officially use the Grovia cloth diapers yesterday. His bum is still a bit small for them, but much better than our last few attempts at using them. I think I am going to do a post on how I wash/dry/use them to let people see and know that they are not so bad, plus the benefits of using cloth diapers! I am adamant on posting about this because I could have bought a share in the company since we spent so much money on them! But really, they are much healthier for babies and the environment. I'll probably be posting this in the next couple of days. I need time to write out what I do and take photos to coincide with the descriptions :)
Sunday, 19 February 2012
Busy, Busy Sunday
We had a very busy day today.....
First, we went to visit a friend that just had a baby. She is absolutely beautiful and Ethan did not have a good time. It was my fault because I woke him up :S We had a short visit and came back home where h fell asleep immediately for an hour.
Then, we had a Birthday Party for a 5 year old at ChuckeCheese. He had a blast there. He was so interested in everything that was going on, we couldn't believe it! He even fell asleep as the kids were screaming Happy Birthday.
Then we went to my parents house for my dad's birthday dinner. ANOTHER steak dinner (I had pasta- have to curb the red meat eating a little bit). He slept most of the time and was a little ham for the rest.
He had a hard time going down tonight but finally surrendered and fell asleep. Its so hard to not rock him to sleep but it is getting easier every night. As long as he sees I'm in his room he will fall to sleep. He is so cute!
Tomorrow is Mommy Monday. So exciting!
First, we went to visit a friend that just had a baby. She is absolutely beautiful and Ethan did not have a good time. It was my fault because I woke him up :S We had a short visit and came back home where h fell asleep immediately for an hour.
Then, we had a Birthday Party for a 5 year old at ChuckeCheese. He had a blast there. He was so interested in everything that was going on, we couldn't believe it! He even fell asleep as the kids were screaming Happy Birthday.
Then we went to my parents house for my dad's birthday dinner. ANOTHER steak dinner (I had pasta- have to curb the red meat eating a little bit). He slept most of the time and was a little ham for the rest.
He had a hard time going down tonight but finally surrendered and fell asleep. Its so hard to not rock him to sleep but it is getting easier every night. As long as he sees I'm in his room he will fall to sleep. He is so cute!
Tomorrow is Mommy Monday. So exciting!
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Road Trip
Today we had our first road trip with Ethan. We went to London which is about 2 hours away to visit my brother. He did really well on on the way up. He pretty much slept the entire way. We left when he would usually nap.
Once we arrived, he got fed and we visited for a bit. Then we all went to an amazing restaurant called Garlicks. Oh my was is wonderful. Too bad I had to swallow my food so I could hold Mr. Ethan so he didn't have a meltdown.
We headed back to my brothers house and sat down to relax a bit before heading out. Ethan lasted about half hour before he lost it. I had to climb in the back seat and try to comfort him. Then I decided to give him a bottle, but I had no way of heating it up so it was cold. He didn't take well to that. I finally got him calmed down - only took an hour.
Once home we stripped him and fed him. He did much better. He got his bath and I brought him upstairs. Usually we play for a bit but he wanted to have nothing to do with that. He was sleeping in his crib by 7:50pm. (**not sure what Ryan is so happy about - this would be the "fake smile" lol**)
Ryan was making dinner for us and I was preparing bottles. We were just about ready to eat and.....guess what......Ethan wakes up with his hungry cry. So up I went with the bottle in hand and fed him. He went back down at 8:45 and asleep by 9:00.
Now it's time for me to relax and possibly go to bed early (11:20pm is early for me). I'm going to try and not pump at 3am and see how I do. Hopefully all works out and then I can resume at 7am for my normal pumping schedule.
Once we arrived, he got fed and we visited for a bit. Then we all went to an amazing restaurant called Garlicks. Oh my was is wonderful. Too bad I had to swallow my food so I could hold Mr. Ethan so he didn't have a meltdown.
We headed back to my brothers house and sat down to relax a bit before heading out. Ethan lasted about half hour before he lost it. I had to climb in the back seat and try to comfort him. Then I decided to give him a bottle, but I had no way of heating it up so it was cold. He didn't take well to that. I finally got him calmed down - only took an hour.
Once home we stripped him and fed him. He did much better. He got his bath and I brought him upstairs. Usually we play for a bit but he wanted to have nothing to do with that. He was sleeping in his crib by 7:50pm. (**not sure what Ryan is so happy about - this would be the "fake smile" lol**)
Ryan was making dinner for us and I was preparing bottles. We were just about ready to eat and.....guess what......Ethan wakes up with his hungry cry. So up I went with the bottle in hand and fed him. He went back down at 8:45 and asleep by 9:00.
Now it's time for me to relax and possibly go to bed early (11:20pm is early for me). I'm going to try and not pump at 3am and see how I do. Hopefully all works out and then I can resume at 7am for my normal pumping schedule.
Thursday, 16 February 2012
Shopping
Ryan and I went shopping in the states today. We went to Target, Somerset Collection, and Whole Foods. It was a good day but honestly, I was so ready to go home and pick up my little bug! I missed him :S.
I didn't buy too much really - groceries, diapers, a shirt for myself....that's really all.
We had our parents over for dinner tonight. Ryan has been aging beef for 35 days at a time for the past few months, so we look forward to these steak feasts. It was so good but I think I'm beefed out for a little while!
I am very tired today. I'm not used to shopping for that length of time (5 hours). Let me tell you, I was ready to come home and pump! OMG! Not fun! Now I'm looking forward to going to bed (5 more minutes of pumping). I've reduced my pumping time to 5 minutes at my 3am pumping session. Pretty soon I will no longer have to pump in the middle of the night! Oh how joyful that is going to be! I figure I'll get 6-7 hours of straight sleep. That makes me happy and excited.
I did not take a single picture today so I'm sorry but no pics of the little man!
Good night! Can't wait to dream - or even just close my eyes :D
I didn't buy too much really - groceries, diapers, a shirt for myself....that's really all.
We had our parents over for dinner tonight. Ryan has been aging beef for 35 days at a time for the past few months, so we look forward to these steak feasts. It was so good but I think I'm beefed out for a little while!
I am very tired today. I'm not used to shopping for that length of time (5 hours). Let me tell you, I was ready to come home and pump! OMG! Not fun! Now I'm looking forward to going to bed (5 more minutes of pumping). I've reduced my pumping time to 5 minutes at my 3am pumping session. Pretty soon I will no longer have to pump in the middle of the night! Oh how joyful that is going to be! I figure I'll get 6-7 hours of straight sleep. That makes me happy and excited.
I did not take a single picture today so I'm sorry but no pics of the little man!
Good night! Can't wait to dream - or even just close my eyes :D
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Teething?
I don't know if it could be or not but I think Ethan may be teething. He is very interested in putting items in his mouth, gnaws at his hands and is drooling like it's nobody's business! I also read that it could just be his body preparing himself for his next developmental stage - grabbing and placing things in his mouth. We are just going to give it a week or so and see where it goes. He is also quite fussy and just wants to sleep all the time. No, I'm not complaining, but it's just out of the ordinary.
He did get some good Ethan-Daddy time in today though while I went to a yoga class.
We had our second chiropractic appointment today. I brought up some issues we had from yesterday (pooping, fussiness, not eating) and the chiropractor said that it could be from the adjustments or it could be a bug. She thinks the latter because of him not really eating much. Today he ate like a champ though - definitely made up for yesterday! He did pretty good at the chiropractor's today. Got a bit fussy when she was adjusting his mid back but nothing to be concerned about.
We had a funeral to go to today and we were hoping he would do well and he did fantastic! He loves people and he definitely brought joy to the room. Afterwards we went to visit Grama & Grampa (and the furkids - they are having their mini vacation at their house) and the little man was super tired afterwards. He slept in his car seat for over an hour! I had to be the bad mom and wake him so he could get his bath and bottle before bed.
Well he was 'refreshed' and was up for a good hour. Since we missed "naked time", I let him play in his crib for a bit while he watched the mobile and then the Baby Einstein Soother. Finally at 9pm he fell asleep! (must have been from all the crying the half hour prior!)
Tomorrow Ryan and I are making a trip to the states to do some serious shopping at Somerset Mall and Whole Foods! I'm pretty excited since it's been a while since I've been across the border and well, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Whole Foods! I am just hoping that my top half doesn't explode due to the lack of pumping I'll be doing. I figure if I pump when Ryan drops Ethan off at his parents, (we are thinking 9:30am), then I can stretch my time in between to 5 hours which should be plenty of time. We are having our parents over for a steak dinner so we need to be home at a decent time to prepare and clean up. (Ryan ages his beef at a butcher for 35 days and let me tell you these steaks are to die for!).
Well it's time to pump and then sleep for me. I had a busy day and I am TIRED! Goodnight :D
He did get some good Ethan-Daddy time in today though while I went to a yoga class.
We had our second chiropractic appointment today. I brought up some issues we had from yesterday (pooping, fussiness, not eating) and the chiropractor said that it could be from the adjustments or it could be a bug. She thinks the latter because of him not really eating much. Today he ate like a champ though - definitely made up for yesterday! He did pretty good at the chiropractor's today. Got a bit fussy when she was adjusting his mid back but nothing to be concerned about.
We had a funeral to go to today and we were hoping he would do well and he did fantastic! He loves people and he definitely brought joy to the room. Afterwards we went to visit Grama & Grampa (and the furkids - they are having their mini vacation at their house) and the little man was super tired afterwards. He slept in his car seat for over an hour! I had to be the bad mom and wake him so he could get his bath and bottle before bed.
Well he was 'refreshed' and was up for a good hour. Since we missed "naked time", I let him play in his crib for a bit while he watched the mobile and then the Baby Einstein Soother. Finally at 9pm he fell asleep! (must have been from all the crying the half hour prior!)
Tomorrow Ryan and I are making a trip to the states to do some serious shopping at Somerset Mall and Whole Foods! I'm pretty excited since it's been a while since I've been across the border and well, I just LOVE LOVE LOVE Whole Foods! I am just hoping that my top half doesn't explode due to the lack of pumping I'll be doing. I figure if I pump when Ryan drops Ethan off at his parents, (we are thinking 9:30am), then I can stretch my time in between to 5 hours which should be plenty of time. We are having our parents over for a steak dinner so we need to be home at a decent time to prepare and clean up. (Ryan ages his beef at a butcher for 35 days and let me tell you these steaks are to die for!).
Well it's time to pump and then sleep for me. I had a busy day and I am TIRED! Goodnight :D
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Stomach Bug??
My little munchkin isn't feeling well today. I think he has a little stomach bug. He slept all day and hardly ate and after each feed he had a poop.
Then I had an attack too, so that's why I'm thinking it's a stomach bug.
He was in pretty good spirits for most of the day though (when he wasn't sleeping!). He had some fun time with dad.
But he definitely had "fussy time" tonight. And of course, Grama & Grampa came back from vacation and hadn't seen him for 2 weeks, and he was not a happy camper.
Bedtime was a bit rough. He went down right away but woke up crying. Took a good half hour to calm him and get him back to sleep. I am sitting downstairs and I hear him up periodically. No crying just fussing. Poor bug!
He is really getting addicted to watching television. I think we have to put a stop to this! But hey, at least he is watching the news!
On a happy note, "Colitis Boy" aka Paco is feeling much better. His medicine has kicked in and he is back to normal. (If you didn't know, Paco got colitis due to his vaccinations - he is a stressball with a nervous stomach and it irritated him). And yes, he ALWAYS sits like this. Weirdo lol. They are having a sleepover at Grama & Grampa's house. They miss it there considering they are usually there once or twice a week. Yep - part time dogs lol!
Then I had an attack too, so that's why I'm thinking it's a stomach bug.
He was in pretty good spirits for most of the day though (when he wasn't sleeping!). He had some fun time with dad.
Bedtime was a bit rough. He went down right away but woke up crying. Took a good half hour to calm him and get him back to sleep. I am sitting downstairs and I hear him up periodically. No crying just fussing. Poor bug!
He is really getting addicted to watching television. I think we have to put a stop to this! But hey, at least he is watching the news!
Monday, 13 February 2012
Mommy (and Daddy) Monday
Today was Mommy AND Daddy day. Ryan is on vacation so we spent most of the day together.
I went to Weight Watchers and - Oh My Word I lost 2.3 pounds! I think that's great considering I didn't track this week. I just watched what I ate and did a few yoga classes and walks.
So after weight watchers I went to the gym to get some treadmill time in.
Ryan and I went for lunch at Chanosos and got the "Grilled Bread with Funky Spreads" and some yummy stirfry's.
After we came home and tidied up a bit. I picked Ethan up and we went to a chiropractic consultation. I have been wanting to get him checked out but was unsure of who to go to. I finally found someone and she is wonderful. He really took to her (ok he takes to everyone - whatever!) and she checked him over. She said he is in pretty good shape, just a little bit out in his neck (probably from forceps) and 3 vertebrae in his upper back.
She was very thorough and checked him over. When she "adjusted" him, it was such a light touch and she basically massaged him. Ethan was in heaven! Aside from getting a massage, he was able to hang out naked for a good half our, and we all know how he loves his naked time.
We came home and he was a crabby monster. He was overtired and wanted to sleep. So instead I gave him a bottle and then a bath :D Then bed time.
Since we are no longer swaddling him, I am a big fan of the sleep sacs. We have many. We have some that are sleeveless and we have some that have sleeves. Tonight he is in a fleece with sleeves. Since it's a bit colder now (finally lol), his room gets a bit chilly (17 C :S ) So I like to keep him a bit warmer. But he is a sweater just like his dad, so I don't want him too warm. Anyway they work well. He just has a diaper shirt underneath. The sleeveless ones he wears a sleeper (obviously!)
I missed my baby today and I'm looking forward to spending the whole day with him tomorrow. I think we are going to go to the grocery store together to shop for the week.
I went to Weight Watchers and - Oh My Word I lost 2.3 pounds! I think that's great considering I didn't track this week. I just watched what I ate and did a few yoga classes and walks.
So after weight watchers I went to the gym to get some treadmill time in.
Ryan and I went for lunch at Chanosos and got the "Grilled Bread with Funky Spreads" and some yummy stirfry's.
We came home and he was a crabby monster. He was overtired and wanted to sleep. So instead I gave him a bottle and then a bath :D Then bed time.
I decided to play his Baby Einstein Soother and boy was that a mistake. Half hour later he was still looking and cooing at it. So I shut it off since it was keeping him awake. He didn't like that and started crying. Eventually I got him to sleep. Then his "white noise" (aka my iPod) shut off. I guess he doesn't like silence because he woke up. So finally at 9:30pm he fell asleep. The good news is he doesn't view his crib as just for sleeping and he is comfortable being in his room. And he is still putting himself to sleep which is wonderful. This is the fourth night in a row so I have high hopes for him.
Since we are no longer swaddling him, I am a big fan of the sleep sacs. We have many. We have some that are sleeveless and we have some that have sleeves. Tonight he is in a fleece with sleeves. Since it's a bit colder now (finally lol), his room gets a bit chilly (17 C :S ) So I like to keep him a bit warmer. But he is a sweater just like his dad, so I don't want him too warm. Anyway they work well. He just has a diaper shirt underneath. The sleeveless ones he wears a sleeper (obviously!)
Sunday, 12 February 2012
Valentine's Day Photos and a Growth Spurt!
We did some Valentine photos today. I think they turned out alright. I didn't have a lot of time to set up my backdrop so it's mediocre but it's ok. I didn't want him to cry so I did it fast. He was tired (I kept him up for 45 minutes lol) so he had a great long nap after that.
All my baby does is eat and sleep these last couple days. I'm thinking growth spurt. Seems a bit early but I'm still going to think that.
I think he has a little cold too. I'm not sure though. This morning he was very stuffy and sounded congested. I pulled a boogie out of his nose and he sounded better.....then he coughed this teeny little cough. So I don't know what it was/is. He is in good spirits when he isn't sleeping so whatever it is can't be affecting him much :)
We went to my parents house for dinner and after I pulled him from his nap to go in his car seat he fell asleep again and slept for another hour at my parents house. We had to wake him up because I wanted him to get a bottle in. I decided to breastfeed him first and guess what - he did 10 minutes straight and hardly took anything from the bottle as a top up!
All my baby does is eat and sleep these last couple days. I'm thinking growth spurt. Seems a bit early but I'm still going to think that.
I think he has a little cold too. I'm not sure though. This morning he was very stuffy and sounded congested. I pulled a boogie out of his nose and he sounded better.....then he coughed this teeny little cough. So I don't know what it was/is. He is in good spirits when he isn't sleeping so whatever it is can't be affecting him much :)
We went to my parents house for dinner and after I pulled him from his nap to go in his car seat he fell asleep again and slept for another hour at my parents house. We had to wake him up because I wanted him to get a bottle in. I decided to breastfeed him first and guess what - he did 10 minutes straight and hardly took anything from the bottle as a top up!
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