A Few of My Favorite Things

Before Carter was born, I could only make intelligent guesses (sometimes after consulting with other new moms) about what I would need for him. But I knew (and so did my cohorts) that only Carter could tell me what was going to work for him. For anyone else who is looking for direction on what might be on the must-have list for new babies, here are some of my favorite things . . .

1. Vibrating bouncy seat. We have the Fisher-Price Rainforest one. It has soothed Carter and allowed us to sit him somewhere while we eat, since Day 4. Now he likes looking at the waterfall and moving parts on the attachment, but soon he'll be too old for it. It definitely is on our short list of favorites.
2. "Sleep Sounds" lamb. It's a lamb with a sound box in it. It has four soothing sounds (ocean, rain, stream and whale) and a 23-minute or 45-minute timer, and it provides soothing white noise. We have been using this lamb since the first night or two at home, and it worked very well! Thank you to my co-worker Sam who recommended a white noise machine, and to Jack who bought this one for us!
3. Digital-read water temperature duck. Jack picked this one, too. I didn't think it was a necessity; we received a few of the temperature-change rubber duckies that tell you if the water is too hot. But the digital output shows me how hot (or cold) the water is, so I can draw the water on the warm side, and by the time I change Carter out of his diaper and clothes, it has cooled to a comfortable temperature. I definitely rely on this duck--forget the others!
4. Snap-N-Go stroller. During one of our pregnancy travels, we noticed that everyone had these things--especially at the airport. It's a stroller frame that fits any infant car seat, so it's smaller than a full-size stroller. We had a travel system (car seat and stroller combo, with a car seat that snaps onto the stroller) and used it once. Then I realized that stroller occupied half the trunk of my Camry, and I gave in to the Snap-N-Go (ours is Baby Trend, but Graco makes one, too). I use it all the time; it's so easy to whip it out of the car.
5. Video baby monitor. Carter moved into his crib at around four weeks. The video monitor was fantastic because we could see that he was okay without going into his room. I still rely on it heavily during naps and the period between his bedtime and ours. During the night, I don't bother with the video--I know that if he's up, I need to go to him because that's his routine.
6. Baby-view mirror. The mirror attaches to the headrest behind his car seat and allows me to see him without turning around. It's so reassuring to see him! And now he is old enough to see himself in the mirror (and the funny monkey sitting on top of it).
7. Side-snap onesies. I think Carter is like many babies in that he doesn't like things going over his head. The side-snap onesies work great because I don't have to pull them over his head. Plus, before his umbilical cord fell off, this style seemed to be looser on his tummy than the traditional pull-over ones, and they didn't rub his belly button like the front-snap ones.
8. Boppy pillow. I didn't think I'd get much use from one because I had a Snoogle from pregnancy. I was wrong--I use the Boppy for most of his feedings, and he is able to use it as a recliner (as a newborn), tummy time prop (moving into that phase now), and support for sitting (in the future).
9. Mylicon. I had never heard of it. Jack's cousin Christy gave us some in our "baby essentials" gift assortment. Carter was four days old when I called the pediatrician to ask if we could use it. It really helped relieve his gas in the first few weeks. Now he doesn't need it as much and it doesn't seem as effective, but it definitely helped in the early days when his digestive tract was learning to function.
10. Bottle warmer. I didn't think this was a necessity because we could just set his bottles in warm water (I pump breastmilk so he takes bottles sometimes, which came in handy when I went on antibiotics for three days). But in the time it takes to heat the water (let alone putting the bottle in that water), the bottle warmer can warm the bottle. It cuts the warming time in half--a precious five minutes when the baby is hungry.
11. Waterproof pads. These, too, were recommended by Sam. I have them on his crib mattress, his pack-and-play bassinet "mattress", his changing table pad and his pack-and-play changing platform. I have two decorative changing pad covers, but I have eight waterproof pads for the changing tables. This way, a small explosion or sprinkling causes me to change only the waterproof pad; for the geysers, I have to change the decorative covers--but that usually happens only once every week or two.

Some things I didn't use (or not much) . . .

• Mittens (used them two or three times)
• Newborn hats (used them the first two days in the hospital--that's it); I did use his wide-brim hat to shield his face from the sun, though
• Socks (used them some, but not much)
• Bedding (I was warned, but I wanted the decorative bedding anyway--only to strip it all. To do it all again, I would have stuck with the sheets and receiving blankets and not worried about the set that came with a bumper pad and comforter--they're folded up and set on display in the nursery)
• Pants (using them more now, but it seemed unnecessary to put pants on him when we were staying in; he wasn't cold, and it was an extra article to dress)

Made it to Mass

Well, it took us 10 weeks (13 if you consider that we skipped for the last three weeks of my pregnancy--I was not in the mood to sit through church at that stage), but we finally made it to Mass with Carter. He actually did pretty well. Mass is at 9:30 and generally runs an hour. He naps at 9 and feeds at 10:30, so the timing was pretty good. Unfortunately, he got hiccups in the car and didn't fall asleep. And then all the interesting sights at church kept him awake for most of Mass. Luckily, he was content to just take it all in. He dozed off midway through and started to get fussy the last couple minutes (it was, after all, feeding time), but did very well.
We actually had a pretty busy weekend. Since we'll be away next weekend and I'm trying to get a feel for how things will run when I return to work, we had to get oil changes in both cars (a bit of a task with a car seat) and do a lot of household chores. I know I will, but right now I don't know how I'm going to get it all done.
I talked to Carter's daycare center today. After a brief scare (they are full in the infant room, but called me back about an hour later to let me know they will move one of the infants into the next room the week we want to start), I think we're all set. I just need to finish his paperwork and drop it off with the enrollment fee ASAP. So that's #1 on my agenda for tomorrow morning. The only dilema remaining: do we send the nice mobile (star projector and remote control) to daycare, where he'll see it more? Or leave it home so his daycare crib mobile is NOT his favorite? It's probably staying home.

No Love For Luvs

The diaper debate . . .

First of all, before Carter was born, we considered using cloth diapers for all of about two seconds. I read that the water and chemicals used to clean them pretty much neutralize the environmental advantage, and that was all I needed to hear--disposable diapers for us! I also had heard that Pampers are the best. So in stocking up, I pretty much stuck to that brand, with some Huggies thrown in for good measure (and for the umbilical cord cut-out in the newborn size). We saw a commercial for Luvs and Jack commented that we hadn't tried Luvs yet. Normally I have coupons for Pampers or Huggies, so I hadn't considered them. But when I realized they're cheaper without coupons, than what I pay for Pampers or Huggies with coupons, I thought they were worth a try. Yesterday I picked up a pack and was sadly excited to try them (really--this is what thrills me these days?!). The first one wasn't on Carter for an hour before he dirtied it--and his romper--and my shorts. I don't think the diaper absorbed anything; it just blew straight up the back. Strike one. I used a couple more yesterday since they were unlikely to be dirtied. They seemed fine to get wet. Overnight, we used Pampers. So this morning I returned to the Luvs. Not 30 minutes later, he was sitting on my lap and I heard it start. Again, straight up the back. I guess we'll keep using them interspersed with the Pampers and Huggies (which seem to work as well as the Pampers), but only immediately after a dirty diaper. That way, we probably won't see these blow-outs from them.

On a dairy note, we have pretty much confirmed that my dairy intake makes Carter sick. Tuesday night I ate ice cream and Wednesday morning I ate cereal with milk. He threw up a lot after his 4:30 pm feeding Wednesday and threw up what seemed to be his entire 7:30 pm feeding. He still got sick a little the first part of Thursday, but then it went back to normal. I haven't had any dairy since Wednesday morning, and the projectile vomiting is gone. I guess I'll look into some soy milks as an alternative. I'm not even a big milk person. In fact, I don't like milk--I just enjoy the occasional bowl of cereal (and my yogurt, cheese and ice cream). So maybe Lactaid wouldn't be too bad in a bowl of cereal . . . we may find out in the coming weeks.

Kidsignments!

Yesterday I made my way to Kidsignments. It's a huge baby/child consignment sale held twice a year at the Gwinnett County fairgrounds (http://www.kidsignments.com/). I spent a lot of money, but got a lot of stuff. I got my jogging stroller, which was my top priority! I also picked up an exersaucer (like the baby walkers we used growing up, but stationary), a Little Tykes workbench, a couple small toys, a mobile for his crib at daycare, a wooden rocking giraffe for the nursery, an extra base for his Baby Trend car seat, more than a dozen books and some other little miscellaneous items. They had cases of brand new Dr. Seuss books for $3 each, so I stocked up. Carter has in the front carrier the whole time, and he did such a great job! He's usually content if whomever is holding him, is up and moving around--so he was in his element.

. . . All Night Long

Nana and Papa Jack came to visit Friday evening while Jack was at his MBA orientation. They were able to experience a little bit of playful Carter before he took a brief nap on Papa Jack's lap. Like he does with us, he tried talking to them a little. Sometimes he even tries to laugh. He's almost there--he'll open his mouth, smile and make a sort of clicking noise. So I think before too long he'll figure out how to mimic that sound.

Carter met a big milestone Friday night--he slept through the night for the first time! He was asleep by 8:30 and didn't wake until 6:30. I actually was in the shower when he woke up, so he cried a little and then went back to sleep until about 7:15. He was back to his normal wake-ups last night, but he did it once! We definitely are making progress with sleep (not that he was doing poorly with it--but this is an exciting first).

I took Marley out this afternoon and learned that this picture is what happens when I leave the boys alone. Jack claims Carter was bored with Olympic beach volleyball and wanted to change the channel; I can't get a straight answer from Carter. :) The look of bewilderment on Carter's face makes me laugh, though.

Pediatrician Appointment

Today Carter had his two-month pediatrician appointment. I went in with a list of questions, all of which the doctor answered for me. Two months is a big one, though--four shots and an oral vaccination. He'll go through the same sequence at four months, and will receive a third dose of all but one at six months. He fared pretty well. I gave him a dose of Tylenol about an hour before his appointment, and the doctor was glad to hear I had. He screamed a little and cried a lot, but he recovered pretty well once he was off the exam table.

We received an updated height and weight today. The little man is not growing as quickly as he had been (thank goodness), but is still gaining weight at 1.5 times the minimum expected rate. The doctors want to see .5 oz gained per day at this point, and he has put on .75 oz per day in the last two weeks. So he's up to 13 lb, 14 oz and 23.75"--the 90th percentile for weight and the 80th percentile for height. Hopefully we'll last a little longer in the size 2 diapers and 6-month clothes than we did in the size 1 and 3-month versions.

Two of the last three nights, Carter has slept seven hours in his first stretch! Since I'm going to bed a little later than him, it means I'm getting about 5.5 hours straight on those nights. The doctor did say that at his weight, he is capable of sleeping through the night, but that breastfed babies tend to continue waking out of habit. She seemed impressed that he's going 5-6 hours most nights, and seven recently; we're apparently ahead of the pack there.

We had some pretty bad spitting up yesterday. I suspect my higher-than-normal dairy consumption may have been to blame. The pediatrician agreed that dairy tends to be the leading cause of increased spit-up. So for now, we're testing a low-dairy diet for me. If that decreases his spitting up, we know the culprit.

Two Months

Carter is two months old now! I have learned quite a lot in these past two months, and it all began when I laid him in his bassinet at home on June 13 and realized this innocent, helpless little person would be completely and utterly dependent upon me. I guess you could say that my brain knew it ahead of time, but it wasn't until that moment that my heart realized the weight of this responsibility. Among the things I have learned are . . .

• My hair will survive without a blowdryer, but I don't fare as well without a shower.
• It's amazing what you can learn to do with one hand!
• When people see a baby crying, they always assume he's hungry.
• Sometimes, babies cry because they're bored. My baby is one of these; he loves to move around!
• Even a spoiled puppy can learn to love a new person--he just needs to make sure he hasn't been forgotten along the way. And he will act up to make sure he still receives his share of attention.
• Learning we were expecting a baby was one of the happiest days in my life. But it pales in comparison to the moments after he was born.
• My floors collect tumbleweeds (Marley's hair), my kitchen collects paperwork and my garden collects weeds. And for the first time in my adult life, it doesn't matter; I'd much rather spend time reading or singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" to Carter, than making my house spotless.

Schedules, Schedules

We seem to be settling into a schedule that is working pretty well for the whole family. Carter is back on a three-hour feeding schedule, with his bedtime feeding at 7:30. The past two nights, he has fallen asleep about 9 (after taking as long as 30 minutes after putting him to bed). He seemed to be having a hard time staying awake for his 8 or 8:30 feeding, so 7:30 has been working better. We're also falling into a schedule for his afternoon nap; he goes down about 3. This means he takes his 1:30 feeding, stays awake for a little bit, then sleeps almost until his next feeding. It makes it a little hard to do anything in the afternoon, but we have a happier baby on our hands.

On Wednesday Katya came over and changed her first diaper (it wasn't messy). But a messy diaper later warranted a change of clothes--hence the "Eat Sleep Poop Repeat" outfit.

We did manage to visit his Aunt Alecia today; we brought cookie cake to her work in celebration of her birthday. Carter was very personable! Katya was making him smile--even laugh. Alecia carried him through the hallway and he just took in all the sights. Then, just before 3:00, he nodded off in her arms--right on schedule.

First Smiles

Carter is starting to smile at us. A few times a day, we can get him to do it on command. He started on Saturday. I just love seeing his toothless grin!

Good-bye size 1 diapers! I know he's approaching 14 pounds (the recommended upper weight for size 1), but as of today we are not wearing size 1 anymore. Yesterday gave us another blow-out, and we've had two leaky wet ones in the last two days also. I think that size is just a little small for him, so the handful that remain will be retired. I have him in a size 1-2 right now; I doubt I'll finish the two-week supply of those before they're too small, but I have the size 2 ready in the wings.

Carter and I went for a walk in the neighborhood this morning. He didn't go back to sleep after his 7 a.m. feeding but I wanted my cardio, so I took it outside, where he could come with me. A few minutes in the stroller and he was out for the rest of my 30-minute walk. I'm looking forward to picking up my jogging stroller in a couple weeks! (I'm waiting for the big kids' consignment sale at the fairgrounds--hopefully I can get one lightly used.) Then maybe we can venture to the park.

Blow-out!

First, our 2.5-hour feeding schedule yesterday worked much better! Carter slept six hours in his first stretch of the night (not waking until 4:30 to eat). Of course, that meant I was bursting at the seams to feed him (actually, to be honest, I was sleeping in a puddle) by the time he finally woke up. But the five and a half hours of rest for me was worth it. I've just made a point to lay a towel under my side of the bed now.

On to the topic at hand . . . we had our first official blow-out this afternoon. We visited Mama Dorothy this afternoon. When Jack pulled Carter out of the carseat at home, we found his diaper had exploded on his onesie, the "piddle pad" and the car seat cushion (seeped through the hole where his buckle is). Thank goodness it doesn't smell bad, because it was everywhere. We laughed about it.

Jack and I had our first post-baby date this morning. We went to the early-morning showing of The Dark Knight. Grandpa and Grandma came over to watch Carter and get him through his morning routine. No blow-outs with them, and I think he enjoyed some quality (alert) time with them. Jack and I enjoyed the movie. I did think about Carter a lot while we were gone (this was the first time we chose to leave him for our enjoyment--until now, it had been for appointments, daycare visits, etc). It was especially hard for this new, first-time mom of a little boy to watch a little boy be taken hostage in the movie. But he was in good hands, and seems to have behaved pretty well for them.

Back to 2.5 Hours

Yesterday's three-hour feeding schedule resulted in a hungry baby at 12:45 this morning (three hours sooner than the previous few nights). As a result, my longest stretch of sleep last night was 2.5 hours. He slept almost 3.5 hours in his second stretch, but by the time I pumped (since he doesn't eat much at night), got situated and back in bed, almost an hour had passed since I'd awakened. So today we are back on a 2.5-hour feeding schedule. Maybe that's just what he needs in order to get enough food to last a five- or six-hour stretch at night. On that note, he's reminding me that it's almost feeding time again . . .

Visit with Nana

Carter and I visited his Nana at work yesterday. He has started wearing his six-month-sized clothes now, and I'm surprised by how well some of them fit (meaning he's not drowning in them). When did he get so big?

He is beginning to get back on a three-hour feeding schedule now, as opposed to the 2.5-hour schedule we'd been on for a week and a half. We haven't really experienced any changes in his nighttime sleeping patterns--still usually about five hours for his first stretch of the night.