Resolutions

I've been running around with ideas cluttering my head of resolutions that I should do.  So, I thought my blog (that no one reads) would be a good place to hold myself accountable!

2014 Resolutions (2014, is making me feel really, really old)

• Work out 4-5 times a week
• Get off Facebook and put my phone away when Jack is around.
• De-clutter all the closets in my house
• Trim our spending
• Make an effort to call and keep in touch with friends
• Make a 2013 digital photo book

Cloth Diaper Update

We started using cloth diapers around 3 weeks of life. If I had it to do over again, I would have waited a little bit longer. We go through so many diapers every day when they are that young.

Supplies:
24 Bum Genius diapers
2 spray bottles
Cetaphil
2 wet bags
2 trash can liners
Charlies soap

Micah & I have spent very little money on this experiment. We bought all of our diapers from Buy Buy Baby using gift cards or were given the diapers at showers.

I wash the diapers every other day. When I wake up for the 5 AM feed I try and throw the diapers in the wash. I empty the trash can liner into the washer. I don't pull apart the diapers or anything, that happens on it's own during the wash. I have a top loader washer, and I run 3 cycles. I run an entire cycle on cold/cold. Then I run an entire cycle on hot/cold. Lastly I start the cycle at rinse/soak and let it go from there on hot/cold. Am I doing this right? I'm basing this off the information on the bum genius website. I don't know how ladies with HE machines get these done every other day. The HE machines take forever per load.  I've been hanging the diapers and liners to dry outside. I takes almost 2 cycles in the dryer for the liners to dry.

What I don't like:
The diapers smell like wet dog. Every time I walk past them as they are drying I smell my stinky dog Barley. Is this normal?! I think not. I need some help on how to get these diapers smelling better. Once they are dry they don't smell bad.

I've had problems with leaks. I'm not sure if his legs are too skinny, or what. I've taken to adding a little bit of Dawn every SINGLE load. Some days we have no leaks, and some days I have a leak at every diaper change. Any hints with leaks?

Future Problems:
I can see it being very difficult to get the diaper laundry done when I have a full time job. I'm planning on returning to work part-time in September. I could work the schedule where I do diaper laundry on my days off.

Next Steps:

• Make my own detergent and add an Essential Oil for fragrance
• Buy different liners
• Buy more diapers

Any other helpful hints, suggestions, comments, concerns? HELP!

2 Months

Jack is 2 months! Hooray we made it another month. I think that Jack is finally figuring out that sleep is glorious. His first month of life, he thought sleep was for the birds. He's getting with the program. FINALLY.

We went to the pediatrician on Friday and Jack is doing great. He weighs 11 lbs 3 oz and is 24 inches long. He was 20 inches when he was born. He's really growing in length. It's getting to be a bit tricky to find clothes that fit him because he's too long for the 0-3 month onesies. Some of the 3-6 month onesies fit him! He's growing fast! His head circumference is 10th percentile, which shocked me. All week I've been commenting on how big is head looks. I guess it's just my imagination!


He loves bath time, but hates getting out of the bath. He is improving in car rides. We took a trip to Jasper and he did really well in the car. We had to leave during the morning, because that is when he is most likely to take a nap. If we get on the highway he does much better than in town trips.

We are settling into a routine for the morning time, but each day is a surprise. I never know what the schedule will be like. This makes it difficult to make plans and appointments. It'll get better with time, and it already improves week to week.

Jack makes all kinds of silly faces. He likes to "talk". He raises his eyebrows as if he's really listening to what you have to say. He'll laugh at you when you tickle him sometimes. He makes big smiles when he's in a great mood. Before he's about to fall asleep he'll smile and sometimes laugh.
We love him, and I guess we'll keep him. We aren't going to put him on the curb just yet. My cousin Cooper looks at Belinda and says, "Mom, we'd pick up a baby if it was on the side of the road, right?" Cooper also informed me that if I didn't want Jack anymore he'd take him.

Who Does He Look Like?

By Natalie

Everyone thinks that Jack looks like Micah. What do you think?

Jack

Micah

  More Micah

Here's me and my brother. I'm in the top left and bottom. My brother is the baby in the top right. I think Jack resembles my brother quite a bit. Micah and my brother looked a lot alike when they were younger. Both blonde!

My Favorite Things

By Natalie

In all my wisdom as a parent, here are some of my favorite things:

Aden + Anais muslim swaddling blankets
I love these blankets! They are thin enough to swaddle during the Texas summers. They are bigger than most blankets and allow you to make a really tight swaddle. I recommend buying at least 10.  I also love their burp cloths!

H&M socksMy cousin bought me some newborn socks, and they are so thick and comfy. They don't have much variety in the thick newborn ones, but I bought all the different styles I could find. They are about $4.95 for 2 pairs. They don't fall off and they don't slip down.

Fisher Price bouncer
Heather, from book club, loaned me this bouncer. It is a life saver. It's pretty much all Jack sleeps in. Jack sleeps where ever he'll stay asleep, and at the moment it's the bouncer. I bought a newer fancier bouncer,  that actually bounces on it's own, but I don't love it.  He has to be buckled in, and it's hard to swaddle and buckle. Jack is one of those babies that has to be swaddled at night to stay asleep for any amount of time. He seems to like it if he's pretty calm when I'm putting him down. He's actually fallen asleep in the new bouncer a few times being wide awake.

And he's wearing his "born in 2012" H&M socks!

Kimono Style Shirts
Jack's uniform for bed is a cloth diaper, socks, and a kimono style shirt. I find that these are easiest to deal with in the middle of the night. I can check his diaper easily without having to unsnap anything. If we have a diaper leak we don't have to change outfits entirely. I don't enjoy pulling clothes over his head, so the snaps are perfect.  These work well in the Texas heat.

What's your must favorite baby gadget?
Photo Credit: buy buy baby and me

1 Month

By Natalie

Jack turns 1 month old today! Yay, we made it an entire month. Jack is sleeping more over night and in the morning. Yesterday was the first time I had slept for longer than 2 hours at a time. It was quite refreshing. Now, if we can get these troublesome evenings under control....

Jack still loves his bouncer and the swing. He is looking around all the time. He loves to look at the owls on his swing. If they make him mad he shakes his fist at them.

He is starting to track objects. He loves ceiling fans. He has been doing some tummy time, and is super strong! He wants to hold his head up like a crazy man. When you put him over your shoulder he's trying to hold his head up and climb over your shoulder.

Walks are getting easier. We made it twice around the block yesterday without Jack screaming. It was a miracle. I've been playing white noise on the iPhone while we go for walks. I guess Jack isn't that into nature.

Micah is the swaddle master. Jack spends most of his evenings trying to break his hands free from the swaddle, but Micah has him in there good and tight!

I spend quite a bit of time bouncing Jack in the bouncer. It vibrates but this isn't enough, he wants to be bounced vigorously. I have a blanket in the nursery so I can try and sleep while using one arm to bounce the bouncer.

Becoming a Milk Cow

By Natalie

Breastfeeding is tough. I'm amazed at my friends who have stuck with it an entire year. These early days are especially hard. I'm feeding him every 2-3 hours, and it feels like I do nothing else. I'm not sure how you do it when you have 2 children. It takes me about 40 minutes to breastfeed. It takes about 5 minutes for me to give him a bottle (of breast milk!).

The past month I've been pretty chained to Jack. If I do leave the house I can't leave for longer than 2 hours, and the entire time I'm afraid that he's hungry. Or I'm stressed that I'll get called back to the house. Micah does a really good job of not bothering me when I'm out. He wants me to get some time away.

It's hard to work in any extra pumping time to get a supply going. I've been trying to pump everyday at 10 to build up extra supply. This didn't work out too well last week because of appointments at 10 and his schedule was very bizarre this weekend. Then I had an unfortunate incident where the freezer broke with my extra milk. It wasn't that much, but it was my FREEDOM.

How do you build up your extra supply? I don't want to get engorged. He really doesn't nap in the afternoon, my only shot is in the morning.  He wants to nurse continuously in the evenings. I barely have time to make more milk. Evenings are not Jack's strong suit.

I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.  He has slept for 5 hours straight the past 2 nights. So I've been able to pump over night and then give him a bottle. I'm lucky because he has no problem taking a bottle from me. I'm determined to stick with it. It's just rough! I've been told it will get better.

Milk drunk!