525,600 minutes

How do you measure a year? I can't believe how fast it has gone. In reflecting on everything that has happened, it is easy to think about everything I did wrong. I should have bought more PJs with zippers, more shirts instead of onesies for fasted diaper changes, and I should have written more. More blog posts, more books.....but this post is to share some of the things I did RIGHT. Focus on the positive and share what worked. Because that, sometimes, is more helpful when looking for advice and help.

Now, when I say I did it right, that really means I learned later on that what some moms had problems with, I didn't. Like showering, sleeping, and getting some time to themselves to, say, drink a cup of coffee. Remember, I am NOT perfect, and there are many things I had to get help with, like getting her to sleep in her own crib, in her own room and not IN the bed with us (it was driving me crazy and I needed sleep, which I wasn't getting). But, some things I love that I just did that really worked out well.

One really great thing is that I always brought my daughter in the bathroom with me when I showered. I put her in the bassinet that came with her pack-n-play (it detaches and sits on the floor AND has a buckle to hold her in AND a cover to block the light a little) and took a shower. I would check on her every few minutes (or seconds in the beginning) and she would just hang out while I showered. Sometimes she would nap, other times she would play with some toys I gave her, and she got used to hanging out while mommy took a shower. And guess what. We still do it. We now use a chair thing (that also has a strap) and once she hears the water running, she knows what is happening. I can usually get anywhere from 30-60 minutes before she starts getting upset, and usually that is while I'm getting dressed or doing my hair/makeup. No, it is not at the same time every day, or even every day, but it is a small routine that we have worked out that I can use whenever I need to.

Routine. That is one word you will hear over and over when it comes to parenting advice. But, that may not be what you think it is, AND it is different for everyone. Some people work great with the same routine every day. Some kids can to very good with them. Great. That does not meat that everyone has to wake up at 6 am, have a bottle at 630, play on mat at 7, nap at 8, bottle at 9...... etc. My shower routine is just that. A small routine we use every time mommy needs to shower. We never had a set feeding or nap schedule, I just went by my daughters ques. And guess what. She learned to sleep anywhere. On the couch at a playdate while I chatted with the moms. In the car. At target. It made it possible for me to get out. What was the routine? Her paci and a blanket. She only got them at nap and bedtime, so the second she got them she settled down and closed her eyes.

The car. Another problem I hear from a lot of moms. Their child hates the car and carseat. My daughter hates going in her seat (being restrained, lol) now, but once shes in, she's fine for however long we are in for. 10, 20, 90 minutes.......4 hours...... We have taken her on so many car rides to visit family and do things we want to do that she has learned to entertain herself in the car, though usually she just sleeps most of the time. Take your baby out!!! To restaurants, on car rides, on trips. Don't feel that you can't because it is harder than it used to be. Getting them used to these things will make it that much easier for ALL of you. She is GREAT when we go out to eat because we TAKE her out to eat. We do not have anyone near us to help out all the time, so if we want a date night, we have a family date night. Her first time out was at 2 weeks old. She stayed in her carseat, in the booth, by the wall and slept. No one touched her, a few people said how cute she was and we had dinner and a drink. It can be the little things that make this whole experience more fun.

A last thing I want to say I am SO happy I did was sleep training. We held off on it until after we moved because it seemed silly to us to do it while we were still in a 1 bedroom apartment and she was in our room, but once she got used to her room and crib, we decided it was time to get our bed back. There are different ways of doing it, but we decided to go with the Ferber method. We researched it, weighed the pros and cons, and decided to give it a go. Yes, it gets a bad wrap and was even nicknamed the "cry it out" method, and it may not be for you, but it made all the difference to us. We chose a simple bedtime routine. Nurse, paci, shusher (a sound machine that makes a 'shhh' sound that someone told me about bc she loves when we do that). 3 days. That is what it took for our daughter who would NOT sleep through the night without getting in our bed by 1 am, was putting herself to sleep without a tear in 3 days. It was emotional, but she was never alone crying or calling out for us for more than a few minutes and we watched her on the monitor the whole time. We prepared every night with a bottle of wine, and usually by the 4th or 5th time we went in, she was asleep. If you know the method, that is usually about 30 minutes or less. It has been about 2 months now, and every nap and bedtime she WANTS to go into her crib and go to sleep. It is beautifully bittersweet.

SO, my advice? Do what works for you and live your life. Maybe you have a new partner in crime that can help you spend more money at Target, share your lunch at Panera, or give you an excuse to have a mimosa at breakfast. No other mom will judge you, we've all been there. Do what you need to do to keep yourself while taking care of this new love that will soon enough be just like you. And that is great. Stick to the routines that are easy and work, and change what needs to in order to be where you want. And ask for help. We are all here to support each other and I GUARANTEE that more people than you think have been where you are.

Goodnight, and Good luck!!  ;)

I Like To Eat, Eat, Eat......Apples And Bananas!!!

So, fruit is not a good first food, but it is usually the favorite. I mean, why not? It is soft and sweet. Perfect for little ones. Raffi was right to pick these two for his song. They are both at the top of the list in our house. But, this post is about making food, not eating it (sorry). So, here are some tips and advise on making your own baby food (and saving some money!!).

Our first food was Sweet Potatoes (as recommended by our Pediatrician). We did a lot of research into the best way to prepare it and store it. Unfortunately, the starting costs can be quite a lot, but in the long run, it is much cheaper. I highly recommend getting a blender or food processor, if you do not already have one (if you do, bonus!!). While one specified for a baby is great (and I will tell you why), it is absolutely not necessary. If you feel motivated and strong, you probably can even mash it up by hand and then mix it with Breastmilk or Formula, but make sure that there are absolutely no chunks that the baby can choke on.

But, I am getting WAY ahead of myself. First of all, get something to puree the food. We actually got the Baby Bullet as a gift, and I love it. It is actually a common item on sales sites (like Facebook Marketplace) because of how short of a time it is used, so you may be able to get a good deal on one if you want it. It is also dishwasher safe (not the base!!), so able to be sanitized. We also have a blender, but there are three major reasons I love the Bullet. The first is that it can hold smaller amounts of food. It has two sizes that the blades can attach to, so if you are pureeing a small amount to try, you do not need to use a large blender for it that may or may not do well with small amounts. Bonus..... it is fast and easy to clean in the sink if doing multiple foods in a day (like we usually do). The second is that it comes with it's own containers that are 2 ounces each. There are 6 for the refrigerator (the plastic ones cannot be out in the freezer) and 1 rubber tray with 6 compartments for the freezer. While your LO will probably only be eating one ounce at a time in the beginning, it makes it easy to store and save it. Keep in mind that fresh baby food is good for about a week in the fridge. The third thing I love is that there are 2 different blades. One is for pureeing and the other is for grinding. So, if you are making something else for the baby, you can grind up things like oatmeal and spices to use and save more money. The only complaint I have is that when you are pureeing something large, like a pumpkin, you need to do it in batches, but it gives me a chance to take a break or pump more Breastmilk if I need it. Whatever way you choose, I am sure it will work perfectly.

The next step is deciding on a food to make. Our pediatrician likes first foods to be in the yellow/orange family. They said Sweet Potato, Carrots, Squash and Pumpkin (yes ,which technically is a squash) are all great first foods. They do not like starting with oatmeal or rice cereal because they have little nutrition and most babies hate it, so it can turn them off to food, but every Doctor is different. A lot of moms also like avocado as a first food, but it may or may not go well (our daughter HATES it!! We tried twice!). We chose sweet potato because it is simple and not a common allergy. We also bought Acorn Squash and Carrots to make and offer in case it did not go over well.

Both of us did way too much research and reading to figure out the best way to prepare the food. We found it very popular to steam the food in order to make it soft for pureeing, but read that baking it brings out the natural sweetness. That sounded like the best thing for us. Plus, we could put it all in the oven together and do something else while it all baked. We cut everything in half, pulled out the seeds from the squash, but it on a baking sheet and put it in the oven for a half hour. The carrots finished quick, so we had to take them off and put it back in, but it gave us a head start on the pureeing. I had pumped earlier, so I had it ready to go, but you can also use formula to thin it out. The first ones we made very thin so it was easy for her to swallow and get used to. Almost a liquid. So we needed quite a bit of Breastmilk ready to go.

If you are using Breastmilk, it is best to use fresh. You have to keep track of how long it is in the fridge to make sure it does not go bad. Also, you cannot refreeze Breastmilk, so you cannot use any that has been defrosted and sitting out or in the fridge if you plan on freezing the food. If you are using formula, it is best to buy some liquid to use for this. There are mixed reviews on whether it is safe to freeze formula mixed from the powder and how long it is good in the fridge for. We had to use some with some of the squashes that were very dry (like Buttercup) because I could not pump anywhere near enough to make a good puree.

After making the puree ,we put enough in the fridge for a few days and froze the rest. We learned that ice cube trays are divided up into 1 ounce servings. That is perfect, since at this point she was only getting one ounce at a time and it allowed for us to mix however we wanted to in the future (which is a lot of fun, I must say. Babies will eat almost anything, lol). We filled each tray with puree and put it in the freezer for 24 hours, to make sure it fully froze since it is thicker that water. After that, it was easy to put in Ziploc bags that we labeled and dated, though we went through it much faster than the 3 months it is good for in there.

Each time we make food, we make it thicker and have learned she enjoys it a lot more when it is thick. Not she even enjoys some small chunks since she has 2 teeth. I like being able to make it the exact consistency that works for us, even if it is sometimes a little time consuming. But, we like to do a lot at once so it lasts us a few weeks (sometimes even a month). It lasted longer in the beginning, but at 6-8 ounces a day, we go through it a little faster now. I love picking out what she gets every night. I can pick 2 pumpkin, 1 pineapple and 1 blueberry and microwave it all together and she loves it! We have only had a few things (like that darn Avocado!) that she doesn't like, but when mixed with something she loves, she still eats it and it doesn't go to waste.

A tip.... DO NOT USE FROZEN FOOD!!!! It has to thaw completely to puree and even then, you still need to add a liquid to get it smooth. THEN it is too thin when you reheat it to even feed. We are adding iron fortified cereal to our purees now anyway (because I am a Vegetarian and we want to make sure she is getting enough iron), but we have to use no more than 1 ounce (of 4 we feed total at a time) of what we have from frozen fruit and mix in a lot of cereal to thicken it up. The veggies did a little better, but she did not like the taste as much and it was harder to get her to eat it. We thought that since frozen foods are more nutritious (since they are picked at their prime and frozen quickly vs the ones at the store that are usually picked before they are ripe and then ripen on the shelf) that it would be better for her, but it did not work well AT ALL!!!

We still use the Baby Bullet for making all her food, and the rubber freezer container because it is nice to be able to freeze some things 2 ounces at a time, but not so often the plastic ones for purees. We find them easier to use for other things like when we make her yogurt (no, not from scratch. We're not that crazy. We mix plain yogurt with our own fruit and veggies....yes veggies.....because she hates it plain, so we put it with what she likes.....Apples and Bananas!!!) and mashed foods that last a day or two, like bananas and potato.

I feel like this post may be a little scattered, but I hope it helped you get started with making your own baby food. It is work, but also fun. You get to choose what your baby eats and when. You can try new things whenever you like and pick from what is in season. And it is fun for the baby, too. They get to always try new things and get to have a little taste of what they are familiar with to slowly transition to this new way of eating (whether it be Breastmilk or Formula). Even if you choose the baby led weaning path, you may still offer some purees at some point or want to try the baking method of softening foods. There are so many different ways, so hopefully you learned something new no matter which route you decide to go with your LO.

And please. If you have learned anything along the way that other moms should know (tips, advise, etc.), share it below in the comments. It can save someone time, money, and most importantly frustration (like the frozen food).

Who Needs Sleep? Well you're never gonna get it......

I know I am probably falling on deaf ears with this one, but the Barenaked Ladies song pops into my head every time I wake up in the middle of the night. Like a nightmare on repeat...."Who needs sleep? Well, you're never gonna get it! Who needs sleep? Tell me what's that for? Who needs sleep? Be happy with what you're getting. There's a guy who's been awake since the Second World War....". Ok. So it is not that bad. I do get SOME sleep. But, there is not enough coffee or wine to help.

Luckily, it is only temporary and looks like it may be coming to an end. The last few months have been, well.....awful. Not all the time, but especially later in the day and at night. We went straight from the 4 month sleep regression to our first tooth, followed by our second tooth and then the 8 month sleep regression. The 4 month one was not bad. She woke up several times each night, nursed, and went back to sleep. Almost like a newborn would. I was tired in the morning, but I was able to sleep, a little. We introduced food (Sweet Potato and Acorn Squash) a week before she turned 6 months and it helped a lot to fill her up at night and sleep longer. Our pediatrician is against starting with cereal because it has no nutrition, so we followed their guidelines. The 8 month one is the worst, because it is also linked to an aware week. They are now aware that Mommy leaves and will cry every time they get put down, or Mommy goes to get more coffee in the kitchen, or the bathroom to pee in the middle of the night (yes, she is still in out room in her cradle). They start having bad dreams (of mom not coming back and there are no more boobs? maybe? lol), and cry out in their sleep, which is enough to wake Mom up, even if they stay asleep. But, several times during the night, she just wants to be held for a little but and know Mommy is still there and all is ok. Great. I am so glad you love and need me so much that you just need to know I am there and everything is good, but Mommy needs sleep too. And a few hours on and off does not cut it.

The teething gives some good nights, and some bad. Tylenol helps a lot on the bad ones. She would go from screaming to sleeping in a matter of minutes, I am not looking forward to the rest coming in, but at least I know there is something I can do to help her. We also made our own yogurt drops which seem to help a lot during the day. We mixed plain whole milk yogurt with either blueberries or banana and put it in a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off and made dots on parchment paper  to freeze. We left them overnight and then put them in a bag. They last about a month in the freezer and feel good on the gums. They also melt very fast, so they are safe.

Besides all of that, she laughs, smiles, is on the move, loves to pull herself up on everything and stand, walks while holding onto things and has even started talking. Her first word was "Bella" (our dog, lmao) and Mama is also heard when she is really upset. Maybe we have some sleepless nights, but watching her grow and learn make it all worth it. She really is amazing and I wouldn't change it for a second..... but check back with me on that at 2 am....

Mommy and the Terrible. Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week

I am assuming you know Alexander and his Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. If not, it is a definite must to your child's library. But, in my case I am referring to the first cold that just happened to sync up with our 4 month sleep regression. Yes, all at once. We are doing better now.....better.....but, it has really been a tough one.

It all started about a week ago. I started to feel a lot of sinus pressure. I knew from the mom groups I'm in how important it is to continue to breastfeed your baby when you are sick, so I knew it was only a matter of time before she would show signs of feeling sick as well. We were already past the 4 1/2 month mark, so while I was hoping we would skip the regression, I knew there was a chance it was still going to happen. She has always been a pretty good sleeper (even though her nights and days were reversed in the beginning, as normal), so when we had a few days when we woke up at 6 am and went back to sleep, I was hoping that would be it.

And then came the cold/sinus infection. I did not get checked out, so I am not really sure what it was, but it was bad. Sinus pressure, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, stuffy, sore throat, tired.....you name it. Luckily, no fever. The first couple of days, she seemed fine. I thought maybe she would be ok. But, then she had 2 days of fussiness and more feedings and a lot of sleep. I could tell she was not feeling great. I called the Pediatrician, but they said if she is eating well, peeing enough and has no fever that there is no reason to bring her in unless I really want her to be seen. I decided to hold off unless she got worse. Especially since my body would produce antibodies for her that she would receive through my breast milk. It was a little heart wrenching to see her feeling so under the weather, but luckily after the two days she started to return to normal.

And then the nights started to get worse. Maybe it was brought on by the cold, or they just happened to sync up, but it just added to how awful I felt. She seemed to have it easy. Me, on the other hand, am trying to rest and get better and she has started waking up between 2 and 3, again around 6, and for the morning at 9. Maybe this does not seem so bad, and it isn't when she goes to bed at around 9:30/10, but when she used to go to bed at this time and sleep straight until around 10, with an occasional 6/7 am feeding, it is hard. Especially when sick.

The worst part is that my nephew was born a few days ago (Welcome to the World Dylan!). We are so anxious to meet him. I am hoping that our plan to see him 2 weeks from now comes with better sleep and no germs that we may still be carrying. Also, some tips on how to survive a sleep regression, lol. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that we are teething like crazy and growing (my peanut at almost 5 months is still at 24 1/2 in and almost 13 lbs). Sophie the Giraffe is luckily helping us out with the teething part. We love to read the books as well. The fact that we soak our clothes with drool several times a day causing more laundry than ever is just more to add to everything else we have going on, but the easiest part of it all. For now.....

Have tips on how to survive a sleep regression? Tips for teething? Leave a comment below. I'm sure I am not the only one who could use some advise.... ;).

It's a Long Way to the Top if you Wanna Rock and Roll

No, this post does not have anything to do with music. I am just recovering from surgery to have my perineum repaired (finally) after giving birth. That is what tears when you give birth, and mine didn't heal all the way. I thought the recovery was going to be worse, but it is actually not to bad. I am assuming this is more what a lot of woman feel like after a week or two from giving birth when they have a stage 1 or 2 tear, not like me a month later after a 3rd degree.

Anyway, one of the things I want to talk about is something that always seems to be on the list of things that moms say was a waste of money and they never used, but I love and uses 10+ times a day.... my changing table. Are their really people who never use this? Some people say they use their bed, couch or floor. I have and I find that VERY annoying. Maybe my bed and couch are just low enough for it to be annoying, but after labor and now after surgery, getting up and down is REALLY hard. Harder than going up and down stairs, and more painful. Also, now that my daughter is rolling over, I can't leave her unattended for 2 seconds on any surface other than the floor. The changing table allows me to stand, has everything I need within arms reach and has a strap on it so I can walk away for a minute (to pee or grab a change of clothes from the closet) and not worry about her rolling off onto the floor. We also put a mobile on it to help keep her distracted during changes (and because they are not safe to put on a crib in case they fall or the child grabs it and pulls it in), so it has become one of her favorite places to be. She watched it spin, listens to the music and grabs and kicks it as it spins.

Another item that we heard was a waste or dangerous were crib liners. Well, what you don't hear about it how some kids like to stick their legs through the bars. Yes, you read that right. Why, you ask? I honestly have no idea. But day after day, we would wake up to find she had BOTH legs through the bars of her cradle. Many people use bassinets that have mesh or something else before the crib, but we have a wooden cradle (that I LOVE), so we are experiencing this earlier than many parents would. I asked other mothers about this on FB and found that there are plenty of kids that do this (YAY! My kid is now weird!) and that mesh liners helped a lot. Several of them also said that their kids got stuck (which was a major concern of mine as she got bigger) and that is when they decided to get the liners. And that the mesh ones are the only ones safe to use. We found a bunch online that were plain and simple, but settled on ones from Buy Buy Baby that had stars on them. They are cute and we still have a bunch of gift cards to use there, lol. I am happy that I did not buy them before (in case I didn't need them), but I would never put them on a list of useless items. Just maybe not for everyone.

Every child and every family is different. I do not think I will ever say any baby item is useless. Maybe just not for you or your baby. Or, maybe you think it is useless now, but use it later on or with a different child (you never know....). I write this blog for me (so I remember) and for other moms who are looking for help, tips and advice. But, what works for me may not work for everyone. Do you have any experience with these or something else that you heard was a waste? Share below for other moms that may be in the same boat. :)

It's Getting Hot in Here.....

No, not that kind of hot. I'm talking about my babies first temperature. Not a fun night for Mommy. It was nothing major, just a side effect from her first shots, but she just was so sad. It broke my heart. Luckily, the pediatrician told us to get Infant Tylenol for her to help with any pain and discomfort she may have. We went right to Walmart after we left and picked it up so we were ready physically, but not emotionally. I think that night was worse for me than the shots themselves. It was over in 2 seconds, she cried, I put her on the boob and she was fine. Boob power!! Lol. But that night was long and sleepless. We were not sure how high it would go, so we kept taking it and watching her. It never went over 100 degrees, but I'll admit it, I was nervous. I'm sure every Mama is when their little one is under the weather.

The next morning, she seemed to be feeling better, but was over cuddly. We spent a good amount of time cuddling in bed. I know that this is not something you should EVER do, but I will admit I do sometimes. She is so happy and LOVES to sleep on her side, so when she is very cranky, I lay with her until she falls asleep and put her in her cradle. It usually lasts about 5-10 minutes, but lasted a little longer after her shots as she started to fuss every time I went to get up. But, I didn't mind. I love my cuddle time. I could stare at that cute little sleeping face for hours.

So, something to make sure you have on hand ALWAYS is Infant Tylenol. And Gas Drops!!! I think I have said that before, but it is a DEFINITE must!!!! Gripe water can help relieve an upset tummy, but does not work the same way. When your LO is crying in pain, they work so fast, it is like a miracle. These are 2 things I do not think I could live without. Just make sure you call the Dr. before giving any medication like Tylenol to your baby. Only they can give you the proper dosage, and that is not something you want to take a risk with.

Anything you think is a must? Leave a comment below! Let us know!! ;)

The Terrible 2's.....Months That Is....

When they are newborns and they cry, you try everything to figure out what is wrong. They get so upset, but at the same time it is super cute. My Baby Girl's cry was so funny and adorable that it made us giggle sometimes (when we weren't exhausted in the middle of the night). And then the day came when she learned to scream. An ear piercing, blood curdling scream that makes you wonder if  there is something REALLY wrong. But, no. You just took too long to get the boob out, or she decided she does not want to be undressed at that moment, even though she is covered in poop. And man, does it hurt your ears!!

Also starts the baby tantrums. Kicking of the feet, flailing of the arms and arching of the back. All because the boob we are on is now coming out too slow and we want to switch to the other one, or  we do not want to burp (even though we have to), or something as simple as that. It feels sometimes like everything is a battle. Feeding, changing, trying to find out what activity she is in the mood for....

But at the same time, it is also amazing watching them grow. They are no longer your little baby (well they are, and always will be....), but they are starting to become a person. Holding their head up, staring at you, cuddling you, rolling over, learning about their body. It is amazing to watch the wonder in their face, the smiles that come every time you smile at them, and listen to the noises they make as they discover new things. Even the sounds they make when they get frustrated, but they resolve it themselves in a minute.

They love to look at things (mine especially loves the TV), feel things (and pull on things, so watch jewelry and hair!) and hold things. You can start giving them toys like keys and rattles and watch them punch and kick on activity mats for long periods of time (hurry up and pee, now's your chance...). My LO also started playing in her Activity Center at around 2 months. She did not want to lie down as often, so one day I decided to set it up (ok, I admit it may have been to save my sanity). She was very small in it, so I used her blanket sleeper with it (which is also what I did when I carried her around the house or on a walk in her carrier) to boost her up. I also had to make sure her arms were up and not stuck down by her sides. She loved it and I started attaching other toys to it for her to reach better, like a crinkle book and bunny that have attachment hooks on them. As she grew, we did it without the blanket. As soon as one foot touched the floor because it made her wobbly. It is still her favorite place.... and mine. I need mommy time. Even if it is sitting on the couch next to her writing my blog and checking on her every 5 seconds....

So, when the screams are loud and the nights are long, remember that smile.... and grab a glass of wine. :)