Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Big Boy!
Alex had his one month well visit last Wednesday (Holly, we missed you and Olivia by 2 hours - saw the sign-in sheet :)) and he's healthy as a calf! (Not quite a horse yet, you know.)
Here's his rap sheet:
Newborn visit - 6 lbs. 15 oz. (25%ile); 19 in. long (25%ile); 27 cm. head (25/50%ile)
One month - 10 lbs. 5 oz. (50-75%ile); 22.5 in. long (25%ile) 35 cm. head (25/50%ile)
Basically, he's awesome. See for yourself here. (Warning to work peeps: FB link. Check it from home.)
His two month well visit is June 17. He gets shots at that one...I'm soooooo not ready for that.
Here's his rap sheet:
Newborn visit - 6 lbs. 15 oz. (25%ile); 19 in. long (25%ile); 27 cm. head (25/50%ile)
One month - 10 lbs. 5 oz. (50-75%ile); 22.5 in. long (25%ile) 35 cm. head (25/50%ile)
Basically, he's awesome. See for yourself here. (Warning to work peeps: FB link. Check it from home.)
His two month well visit is June 17. He gets shots at that one...I'm soooooo not ready for that.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Like A Jock Strap, Only Better.
Day 3 of the wean (And by 'wean' I do mean 'cold turkey.' Just wanted an excuse to say 'wean') is going shockingly well. My last official pump was Sunday morning around 1:30 a.m. and I'm now to the point where I can actually think about touching my boobs (not like in a perverted way, you sicko) without vomiting.
I've received and openly taken all the advice from women who've lived through this, and it seems that much like labor and delivery, everyone has a different story...but EVERYONE experienced pain on some scale.
And by pain, I mean that you want to saw your boobs off with anything sharper than a rusty spoon while OD-ing on Tylenol 3 washed down with a vat of Pinot Grigio from Costco. Yeah, it's that bad. But, it's better than the alternative, which is evil, evil pumping.
The best advice I got was to wrap yourself up like a present and to not do anything to "stimulate" your boobs, otherwise they will keep making milk. This includes holding Alex close to my chest, because just that little bit of contact triggers my hormones to "let down" milk. (Who invented that phrase, "let down" re: milk? It's gross.) Suffice it to say I'm rockin' 2 sports bras and the boppy has become my "breast" friend (hahaha I kill myself) when it comes to feeding the little man.
The night feedings are SO much better, because instead of changing him, heating the bmilk from the fridge, feeding him, burping him, getting him back to sleep, washing the bottle, washing the pumping equipment, pumping for 15 minutes, slathering lanolin, repadding the bra and getting the bmilk into bottles/fridge, it's just a simple change, feed, burp, sleep. Gloooorious.
I'm unsure as to how long it will take my moo moo juice to dry up. I googled it and for some women it's a few days, others a few months. Let's hope I'm on the days plan.
Also - Obama? It was very uncool to interrupt ellen yesterday for your silly Supreme Court nomination. It wasn't anything I couldn't catch on CNN later today. Sheesh.
I've received and openly taken all the advice from women who've lived through this, and it seems that much like labor and delivery, everyone has a different story...but EVERYONE experienced pain on some scale.
And by pain, I mean that you want to saw your boobs off with anything sharper than a rusty spoon while OD-ing on Tylenol 3 washed down with a vat of Pinot Grigio from Costco. Yeah, it's that bad. But, it's better than the alternative, which is evil, evil pumping.
The best advice I got was to wrap yourself up like a present and to not do anything to "stimulate" your boobs, otherwise they will keep making milk. This includes holding Alex close to my chest, because just that little bit of contact triggers my hormones to "let down" milk. (Who invented that phrase, "let down" re: milk? It's gross.) Suffice it to say I'm rockin' 2 sports bras and the boppy has become my "breast" friend (hahaha I kill myself) when it comes to feeding the little man.
The night feedings are SO much better, because instead of changing him, heating the bmilk from the fridge, feeding him, burping him, getting him back to sleep, washing the bottle, washing the pumping equipment, pumping for 15 minutes, slathering lanolin, repadding the bra and getting the bmilk into bottles/fridge, it's just a simple change, feed, burp, sleep. Gloooorious.
I'm unsure as to how long it will take my moo moo juice to dry up. I googled it and for some women it's a few days, others a few months. Let's hope I'm on the days plan.
Also - Obama? It was very uncool to interrupt ellen yesterday for your silly Supreme Court nomination. It wasn't anything I couldn't catch on CNN later today. Sheesh.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Cold Turkey.
I'm taking Alex off the boob. I have to, or I will die.
No joke, if I have to put those plastic little death shields up to my nips again, I will off myself. Violently.
Quick update for those not in the know, or are just tuning in: I think breastfeeding is the grossest, most disgusting thing on the earth. As payback for this, God decided to give me the pick of the litter that refuses to latch on. Please note that I DID try...very, very hard and often times to the point of tears. So, in an effort to give Alex "breast is best," I've been pumping out the milky goodness and feeding him via bottle.
The pump 'n feed is ridiculous and takes twice as long and sucks extra hard because after you've spent the time pumping, you STILL have to feed le child and THEN wash everything! Not that I'm complaining that doing this all for Alex was difficult or not worth it; I would cross an ocean with nothing but arm floaties and leaky goggles for him. But add in the sleep deprivation and the pain of the pump and it's a recipe for disaster.
I've done my research and consulted with our pediatrician, who has no qualms about it. Formula is pretty awesome these days...and let's face it, neither Joe nor I were breast fed at all. Like, not even a drop of colostrum. Zip. Zero. Zilcho. And we turned out alright, right?
No joke, if I have to put those plastic little death shields up to my nips again, I will off myself. Violently.
Quick update for those not in the know, or are just tuning in: I think breastfeeding is the grossest, most disgusting thing on the earth. As payback for this, God decided to give me the pick of the litter that refuses to latch on. Please note that I DID try...very, very hard and often times to the point of tears. So, in an effort to give Alex "breast is best," I've been pumping out the milky goodness and feeding him via bottle.
The pump 'n feed is ridiculous and takes twice as long and sucks extra hard because after you've spent the time pumping, you STILL have to feed le child and THEN wash everything! Not that I'm complaining that doing this all for Alex was difficult or not worth it; I would cross an ocean with nothing but arm floaties and leaky goggles for him. But add in the sleep deprivation and the pain of the pump and it's a recipe for disaster.
I've done my research and consulted with our pediatrician, who has no qualms about it. Formula is pretty awesome these days...and let's face it, neither Joe nor I were breast fed at all. Like, not even a drop of colostrum. Zip. Zero. Zilcho. And we turned out alright, right?
Monday, May 25, 2009
These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things.
My expression of lurve for the SwaddleMe blanket got me to thinking: what are the great baby products in my life that I could not live without? I got a lot of great tips and product reviews from friends before I registered, so I thought I would share my top ten list with all of you now that I've lived it.
1. Obvi, the SwaddleMe blanket. Unless you are employed as a nurse and/or learned some secret ninja skill at a secret Mom camp, you will never, ever be able to swaddle your child like they do in the hospital. Never fear, this contraption is foolproof. Jake could probably swaddle Alex in it if push came to shove. Right now they are buy one, get one 1/2 off at BRU...just sayin'.
2. The Happiest Baby On The Block. Specifically, the DVD. There's a book, but why read when you can watch? Joe and I had big plans to watch it over pizza the night my water broke, but we just got around to watching it about a week or so ago. Dr. Harvey Carp is a Baby Whisperer, I swear. I promise you will learn some serious baby soothing skills that will save your sanity on more than one occasion. If you're local, I have a copy you can borrow. Have your people call my people.
3. Travel infant swings. (The link is the one we have.) The 'travel' part is k-e-y. The regular swings are so big and bulky, and unless you have the Jon & Kate + 8 diesel minibus, you can't take it with you anywhere. I've already taken mine on two different trips, and even if I would have paid retail (Yeah, right. Like I would EVER do that!) it would have already paid for itself a billion times over. But since I am awesome and scored it for $15, I would say it's been more than worth it. Score!
4. Skip hop bottle drying rack. So many people told us the typical drying racks you would register for are cheap and crappy, so we actually weren't even going to get one at all. By some freak accident, we found this one on clearance at T.J. Maxx and thought it looked cool. Turns out, it's such a great product! The brush fits right in it, and there's a place for all the different pieces of the bottles to dry. Not to mention it actually looks pretty spectacular on the counter.
5. Soothie pacifier. I'm fully aware that this one might be specific to Alex, but it's the only pacifier he will take. I think it's because that's what they gave him in the hospital and the nipple (it's even a gross word when you're not referring to boobies) is shaped like the ones on his bottles. He just won't take the Nuk-type pacifiers that are wider and flatter...I will have to post a video of me trying to put it in his mouth. The look on his face is like I'm trying to feed him brussel sprouts.
6. Binki Grip. Brills! Keeps the pacifier from falling on the floor, and this particular one will fit ANY brand of pacifier, so you don't need to buy one for every kind. Thanks to Auntie Jen for ours! :)
7. Bibs. Buy 100 of them. You cannot have enough. Personally, I will use a burp cloth as a bib from time to time, but Joe claims he "is not a heathen" and will only use a fresh, clean bib every time. He likens it to eating a delicious steak with dirty silverware...it ruins the meal.
8. White noise machine. I honestly thought these were ridiculous until about a week ago. So many people told me to register for one and that they were worth their weight in gold, but they have always annoyed me. I take it all back. They are awesome. The one we have (in link) also has a cool projection feature that will project lighted fish, stars and animals on the ceiling.
9. Bath Sling. We don't use this when it's both Joe and I giving him a bath, but when it's just me this thing is the BEST. You only have two hands and those little buggers are slippery! This helps to keep him in the warm water, but with his head above the water line. Plus, I can actually have some hands-free moments and just let Alex enjoy the water before he is old enough to sit up on his own!
10. Washcloths. Sometimes, wipes just don't hack it. We keep a stack of about 25 white washcloths next to the changing table for those emergency situations...whether it's a ginormous poo or an impromptu whiz block. The white is necessary so that you can wash them with bleach once they are, um, soiled.
1. Obvi, the SwaddleMe blanket. Unless you are employed as a nurse and/or learned some secret ninja skill at a secret Mom camp, you will never, ever be able to swaddle your child like they do in the hospital. Never fear, this contraption is foolproof. Jake could probably swaddle Alex in it if push came to shove. Right now they are buy one, get one 1/2 off at BRU...just sayin'.
2. The Happiest Baby On The Block. Specifically, the DVD. There's a book, but why read when you can watch? Joe and I had big plans to watch it over pizza the night my water broke, but we just got around to watching it about a week or so ago. Dr. Harvey Carp is a Baby Whisperer, I swear. I promise you will learn some serious baby soothing skills that will save your sanity on more than one occasion. If you're local, I have a copy you can borrow. Have your people call my people.
3. Travel infant swings. (The link is the one we have.) The 'travel' part is k-e-y. The regular swings are so big and bulky, and unless you have the Jon & Kate + 8 diesel minibus, you can't take it with you anywhere. I've already taken mine on two different trips, and even if I would have paid retail (Yeah, right. Like I would EVER do that!) it would have already paid for itself a billion times over. But since I am awesome and scored it for $15, I would say it's been more than worth it. Score!
4. Skip hop bottle drying rack. So many people told us the typical drying racks you would register for are cheap and crappy, so we actually weren't even going to get one at all. By some freak accident, we found this one on clearance at T.J. Maxx and thought it looked cool. Turns out, it's such a great product! The brush fits right in it, and there's a place for all the different pieces of the bottles to dry. Not to mention it actually looks pretty spectacular on the counter.
5. Soothie pacifier. I'm fully aware that this one might be specific to Alex, but it's the only pacifier he will take. I think it's because that's what they gave him in the hospital and the nipple (it's even a gross word when you're not referring to boobies) is shaped like the ones on his bottles. He just won't take the Nuk-type pacifiers that are wider and flatter...I will have to post a video of me trying to put it in his mouth. The look on his face is like I'm trying to feed him brussel sprouts.
6. Binki Grip. Brills! Keeps the pacifier from falling on the floor, and this particular one will fit ANY brand of pacifier, so you don't need to buy one for every kind. Thanks to Auntie Jen for ours! :)
7. Bibs. Buy 100 of them. You cannot have enough. Personally, I will use a burp cloth as a bib from time to time, but Joe claims he "is not a heathen" and will only use a fresh, clean bib every time. He likens it to eating a delicious steak with dirty silverware...it ruins the meal.
8. White noise machine. I honestly thought these were ridiculous until about a week ago. So many people told me to register for one and that they were worth their weight in gold, but they have always annoyed me. I take it all back. They are awesome. The one we have (in link) also has a cool projection feature that will project lighted fish, stars and animals on the ceiling.
9. Bath Sling. We don't use this when it's both Joe and I giving him a bath, but when it's just me this thing is the BEST. You only have two hands and those little buggers are slippery! This helps to keep him in the warm water, but with his head above the water line. Plus, I can actually have some hands-free moments and just let Alex enjoy the water before he is old enough to sit up on his own!
10. Washcloths. Sometimes, wipes just don't hack it. We keep a stack of about 25 white washcloths next to the changing table for those emergency situations...whether it's a ginormous poo or an impromptu whiz block. The white is necessary so that you can wash them with bleach once they are, um, soiled.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
I Considered It.
...but only briefly, I assure you.
What was it I was considering, you ask?
Duct taping my son.
Before you go judging me, allow me to set the stage: Joe, Alex and I were alone at my sister's apartment from 6 pm - 2:15 am last night/this morning. The reason for this I will explain in a later post. Anyway, I packed Alex accordingly for the trip: diapers, wipes, Desitin, extra outfits, bottles, formula, pacifier and blankets.
The blankets is where I went horribly wrong. You see, Mister Alex loooooves to be swaddled tighter than Joe's grasp on the remote during playoff hockey. Another post idea: the brilliance of the SwaddleMe blankets. And if he's swaddled appropriately (so his arms can't get loose) he won't wake himself up by batting himself in the eye and can usually sleep for 3-4 hour stretches.
Dreadfully, I only packed blankets and not the SwaddleMe. And the blankets I brought were CRAP for swaddling. I all but tore Kelli's apartment apart for safety pins to hold it together, but no luck. Seriously, Kel, where do you keep those?
Then, in one golden closet I found a roll of Duct tape. It seemed so simple - just swaddle him with the crap blanket and then secure it with a bit of Duct tape. Maybe even wrap it around him a few times to ensure snugness.
It was 1:30 a.m. I had been up for hours. Exhaustion had weakened my sound decision making skills. I grabbed the roll, walked to the couch where the little man was squirming and fighting sleep with all his might and made the better decision: do not Duct tape your child.
He didn't sleep. I didn't sleep. But social services will not be at my door today. :)
What was it I was considering, you ask?
Duct taping my son.
Before you go judging me, allow me to set the stage: Joe, Alex and I were alone at my sister's apartment from 6 pm - 2:15 am last night/this morning. The reason for this I will explain in a later post. Anyway, I packed Alex accordingly for the trip: diapers, wipes, Desitin, extra outfits, bottles, formula, pacifier and blankets.
The blankets is where I went horribly wrong. You see, Mister Alex loooooves to be swaddled tighter than Joe's grasp on the remote during playoff hockey. Another post idea: the brilliance of the SwaddleMe blankets. And if he's swaddled appropriately (so his arms can't get loose) he won't wake himself up by batting himself in the eye and can usually sleep for 3-4 hour stretches.
Dreadfully, I only packed blankets and not the SwaddleMe. And the blankets I brought were CRAP for swaddling. I all but tore Kelli's apartment apart for safety pins to hold it together, but no luck. Seriously, Kel, where do you keep those?
Then, in one golden closet I found a roll of Duct tape. It seemed so simple - just swaddle him with the crap blanket and then secure it with a bit of Duct tape. Maybe even wrap it around him a few times to ensure snugness.
It was 1:30 a.m. I had been up for hours. Exhaustion had weakened my sound decision making skills. I grabbed the roll, walked to the couch where the little man was squirming and fighting sleep with all his might and made the better decision: do not Duct tape your child.
He didn't sleep. I didn't sleep. But social services will not be at my door today. :)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Alex's Announcements
Dear world, here is my son: (click to make larger)
I know, they're amazing, right? My friend Jackie Donahue of Bleu Soleil designs created them for us. She's so talented! She's can pretty much do anything, from custom designed notecards to anything and everything wedding related. If you'd like her contact info, leave a comment or shoot me an email at kveedub@gmail.com.
I know, they're amazing, right? My friend Jackie Donahue of Bleu Soleil designs created them for us. She's so talented! She's can pretty much do anything, from custom designed notecards to anything and everything wedding related. If you'd like her contact info, leave a comment or shoot me an email at kveedub@gmail.com.
In related news, baby announcements are a weird thing, aren't they? I mean, everyone that I'm going to mail these to has pretty much met him in person already. And, if they haven't, they've certainly seen the billions of pictures/videos I've posted to Facebook and this blog. So why spend the $0.44 each (ridic increase btw, USPS) to mail out 100 of these bad boys...plus the cost of printing? Especially considering 95% of the people that will get one via snail mail are looking at them right now? BECAUSE HE'S THE CUTEST KID ON THE EARTH. That's right, Suri. I said it. Now go cry to your robodaddy.
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