Friends

I have known Sophie since she was 4 months old. She's turning three next month! She calls me YiYi (though that's recently evolved to Yiddy) and loves her Jon. But above all, she loves her Baby Caleb. She talks about him and has named all her baby dolls Baby Caleb. For the first bit of Caleb's life, Sophie was battling colds and other contagious things, so Caleb was two months old before we got these pictures.


We had another chance for the two friends to get together for photos at the beginning of this month, about two months after the other photos were taken.

Bathtime Fun, Three Months Old

Caleb takes his bathtime splashing very seriously!

This photo was taken a month later, this time with bathtime toys from Nana and Grandad! And the octopus just happened to be where it was...we did not put it there!

Come to the dark side.....

Caleb at 4 months. He would rotate around until his head was right by the monitor. I could hear his breathing through the monitor. It sounded a bit like baby Darth Vader.

Feeding time

Nursing takes up quite a bit of my day, so let me tell you some of the helpful things I have related to the topic:

First, I have a Boppy pillow. This helps hold Caleb in place while he's nursing, and gives my arms a rest. I have tried a My Breast Friend pillow as well, and thought it actually worked better, but really, My Breast Friend? Yeah, I'm not buying that. Rename it, and I might. Or give it to me, because I'm always a sucker for a deal. Anyway, it was nice because it stayed tight against my stomach, where the Boppy will slide away, so Caleb is eventually sitting on my lap. However, the Boppy still keeps his head up and his body turned the right way, so I still like it, and it's handy when others are holding Caleb, too, just to rest their arms. As Caleb has gotten older and we've both gotten more experience under our belts, I can now nurse him without the Boppy, but still choose to when I'm at home.

Next, I have burp cloths. I call them diaper cloths or drop cloths...never burp cloths. I have no idea why, but it's all about the same. Cloth diapers really are the best burp cloths, and I keep one draped over the Boppy to keep it clean. Sometimes I think there's a hole in Caleb's chin for all the milk that gets everywhere.

Nursing bras are very handy. Regular bras are just a lot of hassle when you're trying to get a crying baby fed discreetly. I have one that's padded with underwire and one with no padding or underwire, both from Motherhood. They're okay. The fit isn't that great, but I'm just not willing to spend a lot of money on a bra, which is what I'd have to do for a better fit.

Nursing tops are also good. The only ones I have are tank tops--one black and one white--that I wear under other clothes. I do this especially when I know I'll be nursing in public, because it means that I can lift my shirt up and still have the tank on underneath. There's only one part of me that's uncovered, and it's usually covered by a baby (who handily likes to throw his arm over his face while he eats, so it's even more covered). I also bought a couple cheap and stretchy non-nursing tank tops for the same reason. I just pull them down for feeding, and it keeps my midsection covered.

For the first six weeks, I used a nipple shield. This was recommended to me by the nurses and the lactation consultant to help Caleb latch on better. Not everyone needs this, but I did. However, I think we used it for too long, because Caleb didn't develop a very good latch, and it just prolonged the "breaking in" period for me. Goody.

That brings us to our next product: lanolin. Lanolin helps heal and protect dry, cracked nipples. I had to use it for the first two months, though some people don't need it that long. I recommend the Medela brand, because it's a very good consistency. I have the Lansinoh brand, and it's really gooey and gummy. You're supposed to rub it between your fingers before applying, but the Medela brand doesn't require that.

In the beginning of nursing, most women will leak milk. They'll leak when they're feeding their babies, when their milk lets down, and when it's been awhile between feedings. Some women continue to leak milk until their babies wean. I don't know which one I am (I'm thinking the second group), but here are my reviews/recommendations of three products.

One is Johnson's nursing pads. These are one of the less expensive brands ($7 a box), but they're very comfortable. The pros are 1) very cushy, 2) not a weird shape that looks funny under your shirt. The cons are 1) not individually wrapped, so hard to take with you, 2) not very thin, again hard to take with you, 3) can stick to sore nipples, which just ain't pretty, and 4) can hold in moisture. I had to change my nursing pads every time I nursed, and was going through a box of these a week. Plus I think the constant moisture contributed to my getting thrush. Woohoo.

Clearly I needed to find another way. So I found LilyPadz. LilyPadz are silicone nursing pads. They apply pressure, preventing leaking and thus eliminating the need for something to soak it up. They're reusable (the package says up to two months), so hopefully I'm saving a little money by spending $20 on one pair. I love these! First, they don't require a bra, so I can finally sleep without a bra (and can go get the massage I was given for Christmas!). I can also wear them in the swimming pool in the summer. However, if Caleb skips a feeding (at night), then it's pretty certain that I will leak. But during the day, it works pretty great.

I've been using the LilyPadz for awhile now, and I'm still on the first pair, so that's good! However, I've been thinking that silicone against my skin 24 hours a day for a couple months can't be that great, and a friend gave me her cloth nursing pads she was done with, so I'm trying them out. They've been washed a lot, so they've pilled up, which makes them itchy. But otherwise, they're good. They don't apply pressure like the LilyPadz, so I have to put my arms to my chest whenever I feel my milk let down to prevent leaks, but that's fine. One advantage is that the cloth pads fold right up into the bra when I have to fold it down to feed Caleb. The LilyPadz won't do that, so I have to set them somewhere, which can be awkward out in public. I still wear the LilyPadz at night.

I'm also so glad I have a Medela breast pump. I really don't like being hooked up to a machine for 20 minutes of my life, but seeing the rewards of several ounces of milk in little bottles in my fridge makes it worthwhile. No, wait. Being able to hand a bottle to someone and leave my child for longer than 2 hours makes it worthwhile!

Pumping milk requires storage, and I use First Years Milk Storage Organizer, with a spring at the back to keep the bags of milk upright and pushed forward. It really helps to fill the bags (I use Lansinoh bags, but don't have a particular preference) with milk and lay them flat to freeze, then put them in the container. When I did as the package recommended, and just stuck the bags (unfrozen) in the container, they froze all different shapes and didn't fit as well. EDIT: I ran out of room in the organizer and went to buy another, only to be reminded that it cost over $20! So, I bought an ice cube box for a couple bucks, and it works great!

I can be a bit scatterbrained, and going on little sleep makes things worse, so I'm very glad I found out about MilkBands. MilkBands are silicone bracelets (like the LiveStrong Lance Armstrong bands) that have little markers that slide along minute and hour segments, so I can mark what time Caleb ate last. It also has "left" written on one side, and "right" on the other, so I flip it each time I feed. For those of you who don't know why it would say "left" and "right," and because this blog is about providing information, a nursing mama is supposed to alternate which boob she starts feeding on. That way, the baby empties the right, and then just takes what he needs to fill up on the left. Then, the next feeding, he starts on the left and empties it, which helps keep things even--physically even as well as keeping the milk supply even on both sides by regulating demand.

In order to use the MilkBand to its fullest, it's important to have a watch or clock somewhere. And I have a little flashlight to shine on the clock for the night feedings.

For public feedings, a nursing cover is a must! I tried to go without it once, and ended up with a blanket that wouldn't stay up, and I'm pretty sure more than a few indecent moments. Ever since then I've kept mine handy when we're going out. Teresa made it for me, and it's got terry cloth on the inside, so I don't even need the burp cloth. And when I'm out and about, the fewer things required for feeding, the better!

KarenD gave me a neck pillow, and it has been a huge life saver! At least a neck saver! My neck and shoulder muscles were killing me from feedings where I was too tired to hold my head up, and my chin was ending up on my chest. The neck pillow lets me stay comfortable...sometimes too comfortable! Sometimes I've left the nursery after a late-night feeding rubbing my eyes and wondering, "Did Caleb really take an hour to eat...or did I doze off?"

Other items that are nice to have on hand are a glass of water, a book, pencil and paper, and a phone. Or a computer! Though I've noticed as Caleb gets older that he's more distracted, so I usually can't do something that's too noisy or is a big bright light, like a computer monitor.

Though this list is extensive, don't get overwhelmed! These are just things that help. But really, especially after the "break-in" period has passed and your milk has regulated (which took me about 4 months, most people much faster), all you need is you and the baby! And it really is worth it. I'd go through the pain and frustration again for the sweet bonding experience of nursing.

Before I forget

I forgot to mention one item I used at the end of my pregnancy. Well, I mentioned it, but I didn't know if it would work. It's Arbonne's Water Relief gel, and it does indeed reduce swelling! I used it 3-4 times a day, and noticed a definite difference from when I didn't use it. So I would recommend!

Sleepy time

Here is another post I never put up! This was written January 1st, so Caleb was 5 weeks old.

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Sleeping is a crazy thing with a newborn. It's like there is no differentiation between night and day. The first couple of weeks, Caleb slept in a pack-n-play in our room. Well...he mostly slept in our bed, actually. It was just so cold, and he seemed so little in his big bed. I'd lay him down and a few minutes later I could hear him wiggling, then he'd start to make noises, then whimper, then whine a little, then it would turn into an all-out cry, at which point I'd put him next to me and he'd sleep great. When he would wake up, I'd head to the nursery to feed him (because everything was set up so nicely in there). Jon would get up as well and do laundry or something like that, because really, it could just as well have been daytime.

By the end of two weeks, I was pretty ready for Caleb to move to the nursery. He didn't sleep that well in the pack-n-play, and the nursery really was set up so nicely for him. Jon, however, didn't want to see him go, because he was just so tiny, and could we really trust the baby monitor? What if something happened? Well, we started letting Caleb nap in the nursery during the day, and about that time Jon's mom (Nana) figured out that Caleb slept much better on his side than he did on his back (with the help of a sleep positioner wedge). It wasn't long before we gained confidence in the baby monitor and trusted that our baby would stay alive even if we weren't in the same room with him, so he moved to the nursery at two weeks. There, on a softer mattress and positioned on his side, he slept great! He started sleeping with only one real night-time wakeup, which is the way it still is today at 5 weeks.

Now, he eats every three hours or so. He's a VERY slow eater, taking about an hour when it's all said and done! That gives me two hours in between to get things done. At night, he skips a feeding, so we get a pretty good stint of sleep before he wakes up between 5 and 6 for his next meal. I've learned that at that point, I better get up! He's ready for the day, and if I try to lay back down, I'm struggling with a baby who doesn't want to lay down, and it ends up being the middle of the afternoon before I ever get a shower.

Roll Over

Caleb's first rollover! You'll also notice his squeals. He's found out he can squeal, and he loves it.

Firsts

Well, I wrote this a long time back, but never posted it. Guess I should!

First Birthday: Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 2008
First Smile: Hard to tell, but I'd say somewhere close to 3 weeks. Confirmed by the doctor at 4 weeks.
First Eye contact: Starting around 2 weeks
Lost his cord: Right at 3 weeks, Dec. 19
First non-sponge bath: Dec. 23, 2008. Screamed bloody murder!

First Easter

Well, most of the pictures are a blur, but Caleb's face is so expressive, I left them in. Here's his first Easter!

My cutie boy

I tried out a new lens (24-70mm), a new prop (bean bag), and a new look (light background instead of dark), using my favorite subject and his blue blanket. A home-bound lady in the church made it for him and gave it to him when he was dedicated.

First Swing

We had our annual birthday celebration at the park this year, and Caleb tried out the swing for the first time! Here was his reaction:
Caleb's been on the swings two other times since then. The first time he fell asleep! So the next time I made the swing go a little higher, and he was all smiles.

First Parade and Festival

Leanna and I whisked Caleb away on an impromptu trip to my parents' house for their town's Dogwood Festival. It was beautiful weather, and we all enjoyed the short visit. We went down on Friday, came back on Saturday, went to a wedding that night, church and birthday celebration the next day, and Caleb was a trooper through it all! I'm thinking he's a laid back little kid.

Caleb's 4-month Checkup

On Monday Caleb had his 4-month checkup and shots. Here are his stats:

Weight: 13lbs 11 oz (55th percentile)
Length: 26 1/2 in. (95th percentile)
Head: 50th percentile

So he's about average, but very tall! He's grown 5 1/2 inches since birth! Dr. P said that if she just saw his face, she'd think Caleb was 12-18 months--I guess because he doesn't have little baby features and he has a head full of hair! I don't really see it, but she is the one who sees babies all day, so I guess she'd know. And they do call him "little old man" in the nursery....

Dr. P laid him on his back and lifted him to a sitting position to see how he handled his head. Well, he flopped it back and let it hang, which is NOT what he was supposed to do. By 4 months, he's supposed to be able to keep his head in line with the rest of his body when being lifted like that. So, we have to work on that. It makes sense, because I'm still very careful with his head, and always support it when I'm lifting him from a diaper change or playtime on the floor. So now I know to let him start doing the work himself. And he CAN hold his head straight; he just doesn't do it all the time. Sometimes he almost pushes his head back and opens his mouth wide like he's on some roller coaster ride and lovin' it. Stinker.

Dr. P also stood him up, which he's loved to do ever since he was born. She said he leg strength was better than most babies his age. When she went to sit him down again, he pushed his legs out straight so he could keep standing. Dr P said, "Well I can see what mom and dad have been working on!" But it's not really true; he just likes to stand!

I asked about Caleb's sleep patterns, and it turns out that pretty much anything under the sun is normal for a 4-month old: 30-minute naps, 2-hour naps, 3 naps a day, one nap a day, sleeping through the night, waking through the night....it's all normal. So my child's 2 or 3 2-hour naps and once-a-night wakeups are perfectly fine.

Dr. P also noticed a tooth coming in! More accurately, Caleb's gums are swollen on the front bottom. She said that could mean his tooth will show up next week, or it could still be a long time. So who knows! He really likes to keep his fingers in his mouth, and maybe that's why. He hasn't been coordinated enough (until maybe this week) to even keep a teether in his mouth, so we'll see if he takes one now. Once his tooth comes in, the dr. said to just wipe it off with a washcloth during bathtime to serve as his toothbrushing for now.

Other questions I asked were about his shoulders that pop often. She said that was normal. And he seems to have a cold right now, and she said to use saline drops and the nose sucker, and a vaporizer might help, too. But mostly it's just time (just like when adults get colds).

The most exciting news of the visit was that Caleb is ready to start solids! So Dr. P laid out a plan for that:

• Put Caleb in something that reclines: the bouncer or high chair (turns out our high chair reclines!)
• Feed him 1 1/2 hours after nursing, so he's not overly hungry, once a day
• Start with a one-grain cereal (we have oatmeal) to get him used to the spoon.
• Once he's figured out the spoon, go to 2x a day feedings, and add in veggies
• Veggies in this order: Greens (green beans and peas), then oranges/yellows (Squash, carrots, sweet potatoes)
• Then fruits: Peachs, Pears, Prunes, Bananas, Apples
• Add no more than one new food every three days, and keep the previous foods in the rotation as well.
• By 6 months of age he will probably not have all of these "Stage 1" foods down, but he might.
• These foods are not his main source of nutrition. That still comes from milk.

So Monday I brought in the high chair and cleaned it up. I pulled out the bowls and spoons. And then we ran out of time. And then date night on Tuesday, coming in late from work on Wednesday, church basketball on Thursday...good grief when are we going to feed this kid? We decided on Wednesday that we just have to do it, because at some point Caleb's going to rely on us to take the time out to feed him (sheesh...). So we did. And it was fun. :)


To make a long post longer, here are some new things lately: He slept through the night for the first time on Saturday night! Of course, he made up for it by waking up just about every three hours last night.

I clipped his finger instead of fingernail for the first time yesterday. He didn't cry or anything, but it sure did bleed! We finally got a tiny bandaid on it, which did the trick.

He also found his feet this week! I thought that was more of a 3-month marker, but not or this kid. I'd convinced myself it was because his cloth diapers were too fluffy for him to bend over to reach his toes, but nope! Now he grabs them with gusto every chance he gets...even while nursing. Yeah, he's a stinker.

This 3-month period has been great. Really, just awesome. Caleb is a laid-back kid, and he can laugh and talk. We know what we're doing...nothing new (parenting-wise) comes in this period. But now we're entering the world of solids, and of a baby that sometimes shows a little short-tempered side to him (last night he was screaming by the time I could get to him to feed him). I can tell that 4 months is going to be very different from 3! He's talking a lot more, getting much better at playing on his own, and it's so much fun to watch.

This is how we do it.

Something I've always thought was weird about mothers was their use of the term "we."

"We're a little grumpy this afternoon because we decided to skip our nap."

"We love Gerber Puffs!"

Well now I get it. Every movement, every cry (and soothing), every like and dislike is very personal to mothers. We're there when they miss their naps--not only there, but the one holding, rocking, feeding, doing everything we can to help the baby nap. We're there when they're grumpy--not only there, but we face the screams, the short tempers, the inconsolable crying as we try to convince our children that they really. really. need a nap.

And we're there when they reach their feet for the first time, master a toy on the exersaucer, giggle at silly noises that we're making, try solids. And the list goes on. Mothers are inextricably linked to their children. When a mom says "We ate rice cereal for the first time today!" she really means it. For the first time, that mother put a little rubber-tipped spoon in that baby's mouth, and celebrated each swallow and wiped up each spit-up. At the end of the last bite, she can honestly say,

"Hooray! We did it!"

Happy St. Patty's Day!

First Bath

2am on Friday, November 28. Where were you?

I was in a hospital bed, eating a much-appreciated sandwich, and about to get all the tape pulled off my arm and back from the IV and epidural. Caleb was getting his first bath, and Jon was capturing it on film through the security glass of the nursery. You can hear Jon yawn a couple of times; he hadn't had much sleep in several days.

The "uncut" version of this is in the works...but it's 14 minutes long and I can't seem to find a place that will host it. Most people don't want to see 14 minutes of a baby bath, but I know family will, so I'll keep working on it.

The songs playing are ones that I listened to all during labor and delivery...the first songs Caleb heard! He was actually born to Vivaldi's "Four Seasons." I remember because the dr. commented on it while Caleb was being born. I'd set up my playlist so lullabies would be playing when Caleb was born, but he was born a lot faster than I expected (once pushing started, at least)!

(Ooh, I'm giving you tidbits into The Story...maybe someday I'll get it all written out for you!)

Out with the Old, In with the Older!

At four months into my pregnancy, KarenN and I switched all my non-maternity for maternity clothes in my closet. My beloved clothes were packed away for almost 9 months. Somewhere between 2 and 3 months post-partum, Jon brought them back in--all two huge bins of them. Sadly, I couldn't wear a lot of it! A few pieces made their way into my closet, and as I added, I'd take out some maternity. However, I soon realized that I really wasn't wearing any of the maternity any more, so last week my mom helped me make the switch. As I went through all the clothes I hadn't seen in 9 months, I filled 4 more bags with clothes (to add to the 2 I filled before putting them in the bins). I got rid of stuff that was worn out or that I felt frumpy in. So that leaves a much cleaner closet, which is great!

As I put things in the closet, I tried them on for size. Skirts are wonderfully forgiving, so that was good. Pants, not so much, especially since I was outgrowing my pants before I was even pregnant. However, the good news is that I can wear about half of them (the bad news is that the other half are most of my dress pants). And I'm confident that I'll get back to a weight where I can wear them soon.

One funny note about switching from maternity to non is that I have to get used to zippers again! Maternity pants have those great stretchy bands of elastic, and I've tried a couple of times to pull my non-maternity pants off without undoing the button and zipper first! I wouldn't be surprised if I've walked around with my fly open and never even noticed it!

Caleb & Ian (Caleb's 3-month photos)

Last Wednesday Caleb & Ian had a second photo shoot together, this time with cute clothes that Great Grandma sent them. You can see how much Caleb has grown since their last photo shoot together! I took lots of shots of just Caleb, since it would serve as his 3-month photo shoot as well.

Enjoy!

Caleb Laughs

It's a little rough around the edge, but Caleb is definitely laughing!

This Week's Firsts

Caleb is still working on laughing. He really isn't anywhere near it, yet, but he gets all wiggly, his eyes go wide--as does his mouth--and you get the idea that he would be giggling away if he could.

He went to the dr. this past week. After his eye infection, he continued to have a low-grade fever, and then on Monday a little rash showed up on his chest. So off to the dr. we went. Turns out the low-grade fever was really nothing. Temps taken under the arm are completely unreliable, and I have to do it like a real mom--in the poor baby's heinder. And the rash? The dr. said rashes are kind of hard to diagnose, but it looked like a heat rash to her, probably due to all the bundling we've done in the cold weather. She said there's nothing to do for it, and certainly don't stop bundling! The rash hung around for a little longer, but I don't think I noticed it today.

In other news, Caleb weighed in at 12 pounds! He'd just been weighed a couple weeks before, and he'd weighed 10.6, so he's quite the eater!

On Valentine's Day, Caleb was in the church nursery for the first time! We were at the church for a Valentine Banquet. I did pretty well. I really wanted to check on him after we'd eaten, but Jon convinced me that they would let us know if he needed anything. Later I got to go feed him, and it turns out he was doing just fine. He likes to play after he eats, and he inevitably eats at the beginning of Sunday School, so we'll probably start putting him in the nursery on Sundays.

And today Caleb managed to roll over after his nap! Once today I found him on his side (from his tummy), and once I found him on his back! His first hints of independence...can you imagine trying to babyproof OUR house? Oh, dear.... I'll need a whole flock of you organized people to come help me!

Make 'Em Laugh

I think it's interesting how babies are born with a sense for the dramatic, but have no sense of humor. They come out of the womb wailing and crying. They tug at our heartstrings with big pouty lips and eyebrows raised in concern. Their eyes widen in surprise or fear. But it's not until we laugh that they start to learn what's funny.

Which is good, because I've convinced Caleb I'm quite hilarious.

Parenting

I'm feeding Caleb. All of the sudden he starts crying in a squealy sort of way.

"What's wrong? Are you done? You haven't eaten very much."

I try to shift positions for him. Maybe he's uncomfortable? His crying gets louder and squealier.

"Oh dear...baby, I don't know what you want!"

I pick him up to give him a hug, because that's what I'd want right then.

BUUUURRRRPPPP.... then silence.

"Oh."

Caleb smiles at me as I settle him back to feeding.

And this is how we learn!

This week's firsts

Caleb had his first bout of an eye infection this week. We think. It was all red with green stuff coming out, so I stayed home with him instead of going into the office this week. And we've been putting an antibiotic ointment in his eye, but it almost cleared up completely by the second day of the ointment, so I'm wondering if it was just allergies? I talked to a nurse, and she called in the ointment prescription based on my description, so it could have just been me being paranoid. Either way, his eye is better, and that's what matters!

Caleb also brought a ball to his mouth for the first time this week! I was pretty impressed, and he thought the texture of the ball was really neat on his tongue.

He also tried to laugh, I think. It came out sort of like a cough, and kind of surprised him, but he had been all smiley and wiggly, and I was laughing when it happened, so I'm pretty sure it was a laugh. I can't wait to hear it more!

To the park we go

For all you non-Texans out there, it's been a great January/February around here. Some days it's highs in the 80s, then it turns around to highs in the 30s and 40s the very next day. So it feels like winter, but with a little spring mixed in, which is just about the way winter should be!

These warm-weather days have come just in time for my work-off-the-baby-fat exercise regimen ("regimen" is used very loosely here...mostly it means "take a walk when the weather's nice"). I've made a goal to take Caleb outside any time it's over 60 degrees.

So Caleb and I have been to the park for a walk several times now! The second time there was a guy there practicing tight-rope walking on a rope tied between two trees. He was also juggling knives (not at the same time as walking on the rope). He wasn't that great at either skill, but hey, he was better than I will ever be! And it felt very "big city" to have a tight-rope walker at the park.

I'm not sure Caleb's a big fan, yet, but I know he will be.

Caleb got your tongue

I stuck my tongue out at Caleb one day last week, and his eyes widened in wonder. We spent the next little while sticking our tongues out at each other.

Could it be true?

Yesterday and today, we've been able to put Caleb down for a nap while he was still awake! He fussed for just a few minutes, and then went to sleep!

We haven't read any books on sleep training, or looked online, or anything like that, but we figure that if we can lessen his dependency on external things to get him to sleep (rocking, music, swaddling, etc.), then that's probably a good thing. I'm sure he's not fully independent--we've had to rock him to sleep a couple times today--but it's a start!

Here's our little man in a nap before church this morning.

The Tour

I did this video tour of the house and nursery when we first made the big change...around Labor Day, while I was still pregnant.

Caleb's Dedication, February 1, 2009

Thank you to everyone who was there to support us and commit with us to grow Caleb up to be the man God has designed him to be. It was a fun day, and I think we lived the "big family" commercial at Olive Garden afterward!

Here are the photos from that day:

My camera (KarenD took these)

My mom's camera

Leanna's camera

Child Development: 8 weeks

Jon and I put this video together for a class Jon's mom is teaching next week. So it's more informational than cute, but I still love it!

Only Have Eyes for Pooh...and Roo

Caleb has had smiles for his Winnie the Pooh musical toy for several weeks. This week, he just started interacting with his kangaroo toy.

Cushy Tushy

Did you know how much diapers cost? It's insane, really. Jon and I figured up that we'll be spending almost $2,000 just to protect ourselves from baby poo for the next two years. Being the cheap people we are, that really hurt. It caused us to consider something we never had before: cloth diapers. Realizing that an initial investment of less than $250 would get us set for two years of diapering really caused us to think. Then we'd say, "Yeah, but baby poo...I don't want to deal with that." And just looking at cloth diapers made my head swim--there were so many options!

Well then our friend, Stacey, made the switch with her one-year-old. She blogged about and answered many of my questions. Suddenly cloth diapers didn't seem so weird. She found two great things.

One, the diapers. BumGenius 3.0 diapers are adjustable to fit babies from 8lbs until they potty train, so one purchase of diapers will last two years...and will fit two different-sized kiddos if we have another baby while Caleb is still in diapers. Then the same diapers will last through the second kid. That's awesome.

Two, the diaper liner. This is kind of like a dryer sheet, and it can be washed up to three times. But if it gets poo on it, you just take it out of the diaper and flush it. It's biodegradable so perfectly fine to go in the toilet. So no dealing with poo! Actually, it's better than disposables, because the poo is flushed away instead of sitting in the Diaper Genie until trash day.

As we watched our stash of diapers that we'd collected over 9 months dwindle away, and as we considered that our income might be much smaller in the future, we decided to take the plunge. I did minimal research, mostly trusting Stacey's choices. Everyone I asked who used cloth, or every forum I found, rated BumGenius as the best. We bought 12 diapers for about $225. Sure, it sounds like a lot, but we had asked for money for Christmas, plus $200 for diapers that would last through all our children? You're looking at a 90% savings for one kid, and it just gets better with every child. So it was worth the investment.

And yesterday we started cloth diapering!

I've been a little skeptical. I mean, disposables have double elastics around each leg. With just one elastic, I figured we were doomed to leakage. However, Jon reminded me that Caleb leaks through the disposables and we just change his clothes and move on, no big deal, and it would be the same with cloth. Well, we put his first diaper on, took a picture...


...and then I camped out in my usual work spot at my desk with Caleb on my lap, with a lap pad under his bum, because I just didn't trust these crazy diapers. And of course he pooped. Didn't wanna give mama an easy first diaper, evidently. But no leaks!

So now what do I do? With a disposable, you roll and fold and close it all in on itself so it's a tiny ball, then dump it in the Diaper Genie. With this, I was going to have to wash it, so I didn't want to roll it up into a ball. So I folded it as cleanly as I could and put it in the bag for washing. On to the next diaper.

I put him in a disposable last night, since I don't know how much absorbency he needs at night. And today he's had a full day of cloth. I can't tell when it's wet, yet, but I guess that's just something I'll learn. And really, for all the money we're saving, he's got the cushiest tushy around! So far I'm a fan!

Aw, mom, don't take a picture! I'm in my undies!

The Blue Bulb of Unhappiness

One day a coworker and I were in a gift shop and came across the Blue Dog of Happiness:

My boss was going through a rough time at work, so my friend bought the Blue Dog of Happiness for his desk.

We have recently implemented a new tool at our house, the Blue Bulb of Unhappiness:

Yep, my boy is a snotty one. And he ain't happy about it.

Hey from us

My two men

Grandma's House

Caleb and I took a quick trip to Grandma's and Grandpa's house after Christmas. Grandma loved to play with Caleb!

There's something about grandmothers giving baths. Both have had MUCH better success at keeping a calm baby during bathtime than Jon and I ever have!

And I've decided there's nothing much cuter than a little boy dressed in pants and shoes.

Caleb's Second Week photos

Click the photo above for pics of Caleb when he's in his second week of life. It could be titled: The Many Faces of Little Man. He's grown so much already!

Hello World!

Workin' Mom

Today is my first day back! And Aunt Karen has Caleb. I know he's in very capable hands! Yesterday he stayed with a non-family member for the first time, my friend Bekah. She took pics of the occasion. I notice he's sleeping on his tummy at her house! :) But he's oh-s0-cute and now I have pics to look at today so I won't miss him so much.

He sleeps!

Jon figured out something big the other day: Caleb will fall asleep when you face him toward you and rest his head on your shoulder. It still takes a lot of jiggling and rocking, but it cuts out the walking around and around and around the house. This is a huge discovery! Now if we could figure out a way to keep him asleep; he tends to wake up about 10 minutes after falling asleep.

In other news, Caleb is starting to make prolonged eye contact! It sounds small, but it's pretty exciting.

And we put up a Winnie the Pooh toy by the changing table. He's all scrunched up, and when you stretch him out, he squeezes back together and plays the "Winnie the Pooh" song. We pull it at every diaper change, and Caleb really likes it! His eyes will fix on it, and he'll wiggle with the music...not that conducive to changing diapers, but still fun. He really likes the changing table. It's a good place to lay him to calm him down sometimes, and he's very good during [most] diaper and wardrobe changes.

Take it how you will....

Caleb is not quite 6 weeks old, and he's been to Hobby Lobby four times.

Back in the Groove of things

We went to church yesterday. It was our third Sunday to go, but the first time we got to meet with our Sunday School class. They have been our good friends since we moved here 3.5 years ago, and we had been away for 8 weeks! Everyone cheered when we walked in the door--probably not because Jon and I were finally back, but because we brought our little Caleb along with us! He did great, too. Slept the whole way through except for one moment where he woke up and let out a little cry before going back to sleep. Brent was teaching, and he turned and said, "His first amen!" Hopefully he'll do as great every week.

After church we went to lunch with several couples, and it was very nourishing to be with such good friends, and do something we've missed. Yeah, it was a little different with a baby to feed and burp and keep happy, but it was great.

Growing up

Today I put away all of Caleb's newborn clothes! He only had about 8 outfits, and he'd go through 2 or 3 even 3 on a crazy day, so we'd gotten quite familiar with them all. It will be fun to start on our large collection of 0-3 month clothes!

We also tried upgrading to size 1 diapers, since we'd experienced frequent blowouts and spillages recently in his newborn diapers, but the first size 1 diaper resulted in more spillage, this time because it was too big. So, back to newborn diapers for a bit, and we'll see how long that lasts.

Home again, home again

Yesterday, Caleb and I came home from a 3-day stay with Grandma and Grandpa, and Caleb was all smiles the minute he was in Daddy's arms! He slept great last night and even had a few good naps today, so I think he's enjoying being at home. Before that latest trip, we'd just gotten back from a week at Nana and Grandad's. Our visits were so sweet, but it's nice to settle back to normal and see what kind of routine Caleb will set up.

Only one more week and maternity leave is over! I can't believe how quickly it's gone, and I'm so glad I'll be a work-at-home mom. He just seems too tiny to send off to someone else to watch!

Photos!!

What everyone has been waiting for! Here are the photos pulled from my camera. Thank you to everyone who picked up the camera and took a few shots! Jon and I set the photos up on a slideshow and watched them during dinner one evening, and it was fun to see what everyone took pics of. These photos start right before we headed to the hospital to check in, and the last photo was taken today at lunch. Hot off the press! There's a ton of them, so hopefully they'll keep you guys busy for awhile!

Today is day 7. Caleb is officially a week and one hour old! Everyone must have been thinking of us, because the phone rang off the hook today! We tried to call everyone back, but if we didn't make it to you, we're doing fine! It's been a week of adjustment for sure, but I'm feeling better, Caleb is doing great, and Jon has been amazing taking care of the two of us!

Morning Reflection

It's 6am and I'm gazing into the eyes of the most beautiful creation I've ever seen. Caleb is 4 1/2 days old. It's been a wild ride in just that short of time. Last night I was so tired of being a new mom, tired of trying to figure out what Caleb wanted, tired of being sore (everywhere!). But oh, what six hours of sleep and a few good feedings can do! We were headed back to bed for another two hours of sleep, but Caleb was content to gaze around with his beautiful eyes, and I just couldn't miss that. So I'm up! I figure I'll sleep later.

I haven't done anything on the computer until this moment (barring a web cam conversation with family), so I haven't seen photos or read stories; I haven't even pulled my own photos off the camera! I could write 10 posts about the things that have happened, but for now, I'll just say that I am so blessed. So blessed to have a perfect little baby boy, to have a wonderful husband beyond description, to have supportive family and friends, and to have quiet moments like these.