theblessedlife

Fitness Friday {week 3}

2012-01-27T06:00:00.001-05:00

This week I really got going on working out and getting moving! I also have seen my first big results this week, which is making me so excited to continue this journey! And yay for 10 of you linking up last week! Let's continue to spread the word and encourage, encourage, encourage!

How did Week 3 go?

My goal this week was to drink hot tea or coffee in the morning instead of soda. Well I started off well and then Adeline changed my goal. :) Even though I was drinking decaf, I think the coffee was hurting her little belly, so I switched to just drink water in the morning. This ends up being better anyway to add to my water intake which is important since I'm BF and working out. I am happy to say I did this each morning! This is another goal I will continue!

Was I active?

I am so excited to report that I was active 5 out of the 7 days this week! That is my new activity goal and I met it, yay!

Friday-Calisthenics and cleaning
Saturday-Postnatal Bootcamp (two intervals)
Sunday-Rest day
Monday-No activity--sick
Tuesday-Postnatal Bootcamp (two intervals)
Wednesday-Cleaning out basement with Adeline in-tow in Moby
Thursday-Postnatal Bootcamp (two intervals)

I did determine what it is about working out that can get me motivated on a day I don't want to do it...the mood-lifter it brings! Seriously, I am in such a better and more positive mood on days that I work-out. Because of this, I would love, love to be able to get up early enough when I go back to work to work-out before going in. I don't know that that will happen with also having to get Adeline ready. However, I know it would make a tremendous difference in my mood going back to work until summer. We will see if I can get there!

Weight Loss?

I made it back up to 129 after a dip the first week. Now I am down from 129 to 128.6. A little progress, but progress, nonetheless. This is an area that is definitely going much, much slower than I anticipated, but I am just being really cautious with breastfeeding. I saw my supply start to go down a bit early in the week, so I upped my calories a little more. Really, as long as I'm getting more fit and toned, I'm okay with the weight-loss portion of this going very slow.

Measurements?

Waist: 31" (down 1" from starting measurement)
Thigh: 22" (down .5" from starting measurement)

That is more exciting to me than weight-loss!!

Week 4 Goal?

No french fries. I cringed typing this...it will be so hard...I'd choose french fries over ice cream any day!

(See my list of weekly goals here.)

Now grab the button, and link-up your Fitness Friday posts to share about your fitness journey!

my little kangaroo

2012-01-24T13:46:00.000-05:00

Adeline is going through a stage of wanting to be held a lot. Honestly I don't mind because I know I will want these days back down the road. However, this momma does need her hands once in a while! If not, we may drown in laundry here and the Hoarders show may come knocking on our door due to the way the kitchen looks...

So we have a new favorite position with our Moby wrap since my sweet girl has head control now. :)

This is the best of both worlds...she's up and moving looking around at everything (her new favorite past-time at 2 1/2 months) and I have my hands and get to snuggle my baby...all at the same time!

The funniest part of this is that my little cat napper that isn't crazy about napping these days (or for very long when she does), fell sound asleep while I was loading the dishwasher. I went to the mirror and found this sweet face!

Oh how I love my little kangaroo!

a new thing

2012-01-21T19:49:00.000-05:00

Lately Justin and I have been in a deep place of reflection as a couple. We knew a baby would change a lot of things, but I don't think we realized just how much having a little one would change our hearts and desires. Adeline has brought us a joy that we are in awe of daily and has drawn us closer to God in a whole new way.

We have turned a new page and are really devoting ourselves to prayer and reading scripture in a deeper way than we have in the past in order to discern God's will and direction with what we're thinking and reflecting upon.

Our associate pastor at our church, who married us, and happens to be a very dear friend of ours and an amazing mentor in our lives, shared a verse with us that has completely changed my frustrated approach to the throne of God into one of hopeful, calm expectation in this time where God seems to be so quiet.

As we wait on God to answer our prayers in His way and in His timing, we're reflecting constantly upon these verses.

Isaiah 43:18 & 19

If you are a prayer warrior, we would so appreciate your prayers. Prayers for discernment and wisdom. Prayers for complete humbleness of self and trust in God. Prayers that doors would open and we would hear God wherever and whenever He speaks.

In a time of not being sure about quite a bit, we are sure and hopeful in a God that has never let us down. A God that promises to make a way where there doesn't seem to be a way. A God that loves us far more than our hearts can comprehend. And a God that promises us new things daily through His amazing grace.

Fitness Friday {week 2}

2012-01-20T07:00:00.002-05:00

This week I was excited to connect with many of you on MyFitnessPal. What a fun way to stay accountable for my food choices and activity level! If you are using this app or website, my username is caitg19...I would love to be friends with you on there!

How did Week 2 go?

My goal this week was move every day. We were on vacation in Florida this week where the temps were a-mazing! Among my exercises were walking almost every morning or when we went to the beach as well as some calisthenics and playing tennis. I am continuing this even though my goal for the upcoming week is different.

Was I active?

This came easy this week since it was the goal for the week! I started a postnatal workout DVD today that I'm excited to use!

Weight Loss?

I stayed the same this week. I'm sure it's because I was on vacation and ate quite a bit!

Measurements?

Waist: down a 1/2 inch to 31.5"
Thigh: same as starting measurement (I'm hoping this will change with upping my workout intensity this week!)

Week 2 Goal?

Drink hot tea or coffee in the morning instead of soda...I'm looking forward to using our new Keurig to help with this goal!

Now grab the button, link-up, and share your Fitness Friday posts to share about your fitness journey!

Fitness Friday {week 1}

2012-01-13T06:00:00.002-05:00

I was so happy to see many of you all get excited over Fitness Friday! I know a lot of us share the common goals of getting fit and becoming more healthy. It was so neat to read your goals and see how you adapted my ideas to fit your own needs! I'm looking forward to following your journeys over the next few months! If you are just now joining, feel free to start linking up this week! We would love to have you join!

How did Week 1 go?

My goal this week was counting calories. I did a good job this week meeting my goal thanks to my app, MyFitnessPal (which you can also use online if you don't have a smart phone with apps). I already feel so much more knowledgeable about food choices based on seeing my calories each day this past week. This is definitely something I plan on continuing as it held me very accountable on my food choices! I was even surprised to see that on some days, I was a few calories away from my goal calories, which encouraged me to smart wisely in order to make sure I am getting the amount of calories I need each day. Also, seeing my calories throughout the day allowed me to make wise choices overall.

Was I active?

I do have to say, that after reading many of your goals, I realized that the eating portion of getting healthy is a lot more natural and easy for me than being active. I really want to work more over the next few months on becoming more active than I had originally planned when starting Fitness Friday. I did start working on taking more walks. This week's plan? More strength and toning exercises! (I have some plans pinned on Pinterest.)

Weight Loss?

I weighed myself a few times throughout the week and actually lost about a pound and a half instead of just a pound. I do want to be careful with this since I'm breastfeeding and don't want to mess that up. This is another reason I want to watch my calories so closely.

Week 2 Goal?

Move every day...I'm on it!

Now grab the button, link-up, and share your Fitness Friday posts to share about your fitness journey!

Two Months!

2012-01-09T11:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Adeline Grace,

You are two months old! Time flies by way too quickly having your little self in our lives! How is it that we seem to fall more in love with you every day? Your second month has been filled with tons of smiles that melt our hearts!

So what have we learned about you this month and what have you been up to in your second month of life?

Once again, you have had many firsts

-On 12.10.11 you laughed for the first time! You were cuddling with mommy in the morning, about to go back to sleep, and you laughed! You are such a little morning person and wake up smiling like crazy at us!

-On 12.14.11 you had a few firsts! It was your first Christmas Cantata at church. You were a huge hit wearing your first pair of shoes (your furry, white boots). Your Grandma and Gee sang in the cantata...you decided you wanted your daddy to walk you around in the back of the church the entire time to make you happy. You also had your first bottle that evening given to you by Daddy! I shed a few tears because it hit me that you could "survive" without me. You were just okay with that bottle...we've switched bottles since and you are great at taking your bottle from Daddy...but you are one messy little eater when you take a bottle! This was also your first day in some cloth diapers.

-On 12.19.11 you slept through the night for the first time! You slept for seven hours straight! (From about 11 pm to 6 am). You haven't slept as long between feedings since then, but you are slowly getting there!

-On 12.23.11 you celebrated your first Christmas Eve Eve at your grandparents!

-On 12.24.11 you celebrated your first Christmas Eve! You went to Papa's, MaJo and PaJack's, and Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Doug's. We opened gifts as a family of three that night! You were such a great baby...happy when you were awake...and slept through a lot of the commotion!

-On 12.25.11 you celebrated your first Christmas! Santa visited and you got your Fisher Price caterpillar, a new toy for your car seat, and a book, "God Gave Us You" (which you love to hear your mommy read aloud). You got your first bible from your mommy and daddy! You were such a happy baby on Christmas morning and throughout the rest of the day! Santa also visited at your grandparents, then you went to MaJo and PaJack's, then you visited Papaw and Gee's, and finally, you ended your first Christmas at your grandparents before coming home. We were busy, busy! (A funny sidenote- You hadn't pooed in four days leading up to Christmas day, which was a big change for you and we called the doctor on Christmas Eve to make sure you were okay. You gave us a present on Christmas and we were all relieved. ;)

-On 12.29.11 you got sick for the first time. You woke up with a stuffy nose that went for about a week. You had lots of congestion and a cough which the doctor decided was just a cold. You were pitiful and kept us on our toes as we tried to keep you comfortable.

-On 12.31.11 you celebrated your first New Years! We spent the day watching the UK v. UofL basketball game at your grandparents. That evening we hung out at home. You didn't quite make it to see the ball drop, but we snuck in and gave you a kiss to ring in your New Year!

-On 1.6.11 you took your first walk! You loved it and wanted to look around at everything before the movement put you to sleep!

-On 1.7.11 you slept for 8 hours straight! You went to sleep at 9:30 and didn't wake up until 5:40 for a feeding! Then you went right back to bed until 8:30! (You have now done this two nights in a row...)

This month you also:

-Started to show much more of a personality (although you've had such a personality since day one.)
-Started smiling at us (and other people) when we talk to you. (Not just when you have gas or you're dreaming. ;)
-Started watching your puppy a lot. (He's getting used to you too and especially loves to be hidden under your crib when we do our nighttime routine in your room. He also comes to stand in your room with us almost every time you get your diaper changed.)
-Started following us with our eyes and head.
-Gained a lot more control of your head and body. You are rocking to your side when on your tummy and we know you will roll over any day.
-Started batting at toys and grasping toys that you find on your own without us placing them in your hands.
-Started knocking your paci out of your mouth when you don't want it.
-Started sucking your fist and thumb quite a bit. (You are so loud when you do this and it cracks us up!)

-Discovered Mommy's hair and jewelry. You love to hold onto my hair when I hold you and you just stare like crazy at my pearl earrings.

So what do you like and dislike?

You love…

-Being held (especially where you can look over our shoulders)

-Lights and music

-Being talked to, read to, and sung to

-Eating
-Your bouncy seat

-Tummy time (you are rocking to your side now!)

-Your pacifier (you now cry for it sometimes if you drop it out of your mouth when trying to get to sleep)

-Moving (you love when we walk around with you)
-Morning time (you are such a little morning person...where did you get that?!)

You dislike…

-Swinging

-Going to sleep...especially at bedtime (you still fight it--you are such a night owl like your mommy and daddy)
-Having lots of layers on (you get hot really easily)
-Sitting in your car seat when it's not moving

What are your sizes?

You are mainly in 3 month clothes but I still squeeze you into your newborn nighties sometimes. You are in size 1 diapers when in disposables and are in your one-size cloth diapers on the smallest snap settings.

What are your eating habits like?

Oh girl, you love to eat and you are a fast eater! You are still a breastfed-only baby and rarely take a bottle (which your Mommy and Daddy both still prefer since you are happiest with nursing). During the day you go everywhere from 2 to 3 hours between feedings...but mainly 2. During the night you usually have a late-night feeding you wake up for around 11, you then wake up again around 4 or 5, and then again around 8 or 8:30. (This is textbook to what the doctor told us to expect from you at this stage.) You still eat for a whopping 10 minutes at most (15-20 on the rarest occasions). Your spitting up (that was pretty minimal) has gone to almost never. You also have started burping really well and show much less signs of uncomfortable gas these days.

How is your sleeping?

Well little one, you are still a master napper, but we have discovered this month that you are quite the night owl. We have really established a nighttime routine with you this month that we start between 8 or 9 based on when you are ready to eat. (Nurse, diaper change, pajamas are put on if you don't have them on already, you get your gas drops and vitamins, we rock while Daddy or I read to you, singing and rocking, a prayer, and then down in your bassinet). For the first part of the month, you got really good at self-soothing and getting to sleep with no crying...just some talking and grunting. However, I think your cold threw you (and us) for a loop and the last week or so you haven't gotten to sleep until 11 most nights and when you do, it's because we've either held you or put you in your bouncy seat. Hopefully this goes back to normal! You take your naps in your bassinet or bouncy and we've also tried your crib out (which you took one nap in thanks to the help of your mobile getting you to sleep). You are usually awake for about an hour after you eat and then sleep for anywhere between 1 and 2 hours after that. So you take between 4 and 5 naps a day still. You are also starting to show signs of more awake time.

So what makes you, you this month?

Oh Adeline Grace, we can't get over you! You have changed our world in a way we never imagined. I look at you and can't believe God formed you so perfectly in my womb--from your sweet little fingers to your squirmy little toes. We cannot imagine life without you and often find ourselves just wanting to squeeze you, you're so cute! Your daddy is smitten with you and I am overwhelmed by my love for you.

You're our world and our most precious blessing. We love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

i love you because...

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have been working on getting our master bedroom into a bit more of a retreat (as much as you can with a bassinet and baby monitor in it ;) and less of a "throw things down and walk away" room. Besides removing clutter, I've also been looking for ways to add a bit more romance into things.

I have always loved the idea of leaving notes for each other as husband and wife. I just think it's so important in a relationship to let each other know why you appreciate and love each other. If you don't say it or show it in some way...how does the other person know? We have a "Praise Board" in our dining area that we love to leave notes on so when I saw a couple ideas on Pinterest, I knew a place to leave love notes was exactly what we needed in our bedroom to add some fun and romance to things!

The inspiration was of course found on Pinterest.

via

Here was what I came up with for our bedroom wall using a frame we had on hand, a fun font I downloaded, and a simple word document...

Now it's hanging on our wall under one of my favorite pictures from our honeymoon.

I'm looking forward to Justin being surprised and finding his first note (I did this when he was at work). Hopefully this adds a little more romance and gratitude into our busy days!

first walk

2012-01-07T07:03:00.000-05:00

We have had gorgeous weather here lately! I am so loving the much-needed sunshine and warmer temperatures. With Adeline coming home when the cool temperatures were just starting and then the weather actually getting pretty cold when I was actually ready to venture out with her for a walk, she hadn't been on her first walk yet!

Yesterday we took advantage of the sunshine, warm weather, and ventured out for her first walk! She loved it and started off with all smiles!

At one point I pulled the blanket up to block the sun from her eyes...she couldn't see around anymore...and started fussing. As soon as I pulled the blanket back down so she could look around, she was happy again. I love how alert she is and how much she enjoys taking in the world around her.

By the end of the walk, she was out!

First walk....success!

Fitness Friday--Starts Today!

2012-01-06T06:00:00.004-05:00

*If you previously grabbed the button for this link-up, please delete it and grab it again...there was a mistake that is now fixed. Thanks!*

Today starts the first week of Fitness Friday following the Week 1 goal! You can find all the details about Fitness Friday here and how you can join in if you would like! If interested, post your starting stats (find mine here) and get started with your first week! I'll be back next Friday to share my stats and how I did with Week 1!

Week 1 Goal- Track calories

(I'm using the "MyFitnessPal" app which gives you the amount of calories to consume based on how many pounds you want to lose each week to reach your set goal weight. It also ups your calories if you work out and input your activity, plus it allows you to edit your calories for each day. I added 500 calories a day to what it gave me since I'm breastfeeding.)

Want to join? Grab the button below and link-up!

Fitness Friday!

2012-01-05T11:41:00.080-05:00

Now that Adeline is 8 weeks old and I have gotten the okay from my doctor to work-out again, I wanted to start on some fitness goals. This includes losing some weight, toning up, and adopting some overall healthy-living habits!

When I started my research, I wanted to make sure to find information on losing weight in a healthy way so that my milk supply isn't bothered since Adeline is exclusively breastfed. In order to do this, research shows you should wait until about 2 months and lose less than 1.5 pounds a week.

Now I'm not beating myself up and I'm being realistic...I had a baby just 8 weeks ago, I realize that. However, I just don't want things to get out of hand from this point and I want Adeline to see that her mom has healthy habits and a positive body-image once she's old enough to know these things.

I've never been one for making resolutions and sticking with them. Long-term goals just don't work well for me, so I want this to be about short-term, immediate-gratification goals.

What is my plan?

I want to lose 19 pounds in 19 weeks as well as become more healthy overall. This will include tracking my very gradual weight-lose, toning up process, and healthy living goal-achieving. This also means losing 1 pound per week. (Why 19 weeks? Just so happens that gets me to my goal weight, losing a pound a week. I found it neat that 19 is my favorite number--my anniversary is July 19th, my birthday is March 19th, and Adeline's birthday is November 9th (another 9!) Each Friday, I will update with my measurements for the week and how my goal for the week went.

The fun part? I would love for you to be involved! What's better for accountability than doing this with other people following along? If you would like to join me...great! However, even if that aspect doesn't happen, I plan on updating you each Friday on how I'm doing.

Starting Stats:

(For reference, I'm 5'2".)

Weight: 129 lbs.
BMI: 23.6 (upper part of "normal weight" level)
Waist measurement: 32" (top number for a "healthy waistline)
Thigh measurement: 22.5" (measured at largest part of thigh)

Goal Stats:

Weight: 110 lbs.
BMI: 20.1 (bottom part of "normal weight" level)
Waist measurement: Middle of "healthy waistline" range--middle 20s or so
Thigh measurement: No specific measurement, but I want my thighs to not touch when standing and look less "flabby" if you know what I mean. ;)

Weekly Goals (to be accomplished each day of the week):

Week 1- Track Calories
Week 2- Move every day
Week 3- Coffee or hot tea each morning instead of soda
Week 4- No french fries
Week 5- Drink only water throughout the day after breakfast
Week 6- No snacking after 8 pm
Week 7- No sweets
Week 8- Do three sets of planks for 60 seconds each
Week 9- No starches (white potatoes, white breads, etc.)
Week 10- Only snack off the healthy list
Week 11- 20 push-ups each day
Week 12- Eat a salad each day (no creamy dressing)
Week 13- Eat 2-3 servings of low fat dairy each day
Week 14- Take a walk each day
Week 15- Cook only "light or healthy" meals
Week 16- 50 jumping jacks each day
Week 17- Eat 3-5 servings of baked, steamed, or raw veggies
Week 18- Eat 2-4 servings of fruit
Week 19- Do 3 sets of stairs each day

How can you get involved?

Track your own progress over the next 19 weeks and link-up! If you are interested in linking up, let me know in the comment section below. If you can't commit to 19 weeks, that's fine, just join-in when you can! If your goals will take you more or less time, join in for what works for you! If you would just like to maintain your weight, great! Keep us updated with how you're going with achieving the weekly goals. If you would like to change the weekly goals to fit your personal needs, that's fine too! And finally, if you're currently pregnant, join us for the weekly goals portion of this and adapt as you see fit.

If you are interested, grab the button below or in my sidebar!

Resources:

I am using the "MyFitnessPal" app to track my daily calories and activity.
BMI calculator
Waist measurements
Breastfeeding and weight-loss

Join me, starting tomorrow, for a chance to link-up your beginning stats!

germie germs

2012-01-04T13:12:00.000-05:00

I had our sweet girl out when she was just two weeks old, she's had gobs of visitors since birth and hasn't stopped going since the beginning and she stayed healthy the entire time. But now at 8 weeks, we're dealing with Adeline's first cold...thank you Christmas germs!

The poor thing woke up last Thursday with a stuffy nose and having trouble breathing through her nose. So for the past week we've been using our Boogie Wipes, baby saline, and suction for her nose like they're going out of style! We've also elevated her bassinet and run the cool mist vaporizer each night to help her little cough. Thankfully she hasn't run a fever and has wanted to sleep and eat a lot. We did go see the doctor yesterday since she was starting to gag some from the cough and the congestion didn't seem to be getting much better. She ruled out any fluid in the lungs and determined her oxygen levels are right where they should be--so it's just a regular cold that she inferred Adeline probably got from being around all the relatives at Christmas. Poor baby.

The good news is she's still been our happy, sweet baby that smiles like crazy!

Now I'm dealing with her cold...guess that's what I get for wiping a snotty nose gobs of times throughout the day! That's okay, I'll handle this cold with pride. This mommy job is the best there is...even if it means wiping boogs and getting those germs!

How Much Did I Save In 2011?

2012-01-03T10:00:00.004-05:00

I can't believe 2011 is over! So how did I do with my coupon savings this year?

Well November and December were busy, busy months with the birth of Adeline! Needless to say, my mind wasn't focused on couponing. However, I was still able to save quite a bit of money even in the busiest of times! How did I do it?

-Kept my coupons close-by to clip quickly and hand over to hubby when he was running to the grocery store.

-Kept restaurant coupons in the diaper bag for when we were on-the-go.

-Made sure my coupon binder was organized before I had Adeline, knowing that would be crucial to still saving money during her newborn time.

-Waited to buy items online (like cloth diapers and our birth announcement/Christmas cards) until I had a promo code to save money.

It really isn't impossible to save money during the busy times of life. Difficult, yes, but totally doable.

November & December Savings

$180.65

2011 Total Savings

$894.34

(that's about $150 more than 2010!)

Also, make sure to go check out Thankfully Thrifty to see how much Ashleigh saved in 2011!

Adeline's First Christmas!

2012-01-02T15:04:00.000-05:00

This Christmas was a special one, for sure! We were busy, busy with traditions and time with family early in the week. It was a joy-filled time and so fun having a little one to celebrate with. Here is a very brief overview with a few of the gobs of pictures taken!

One of our traditions is to go see the play A Christmas Carol the week before Christmas at a local theater here. Even though Adeline couldn't go to the play, she did go out to eat with everyone to Macaroni Grill before her daddy took her home and I went to the play. (This was her first time away from me for more than an hour!)

Christmas Eve Eve was spent at my parents eating pizza and exchanging gifts with just us, my parents, and my little brother. Adeline spent most of her time asleep amidst the gift-opening!

Christmas Eve Eve night we read some Christmas classics at bedtime and Adeline wore her first pair of Christmas pajamas.

Christmas Eve was spent at my grandpa's house for his annual Christmas Eve breakfast and then went to my grandparents' for our Dollar Gift tradition.

she got hot in her Christmas attire and had to strip down :)

trying to rock a Santa hat--it didn't quite fit right ;)

one of his favorite gifts

That night we went to Justin's Aunt's and Uncle's for dinner. (We usually go to our church's midnight Christmas Eve service but decided not to this year with a newborn.)

with cousins

with her only first cousins (Hadley, Gentry, and Cooper)

a little too much Christmas Eve by this point ;)

Christmas Eve night was when we opened gifts between our little family of three! Justin and I didn't exchange gifts but Adeline did some shopping. ;)

love those wide eyes, chubby cheeks, and sweet belly

a new L.L. Bean shaving kit!

Adeline got me a charm bracelet with her birthstone--LOVE it!

Santa came for Adeline and Boone on Christmas morning! Usually Adeline wakes up fussing, ready to eat immediately. She must have known it was Christmas morning, because she woke up around 7 as happy as can be and stayed that way throughout our time at home that morning before being ready to eat breakfast.

with their stockings

happy girl with her gifts!

Our next stop was at my parents' for Santa's stop there.

Next, we went to my grandparents'!

handmade/DIY gifts--earring holder for my aunt!

sleepy girl

Our next stop was Justin's parents for Christmas!

asleep among the busynes

with her cousin, Cooper

And our final stop was back at my parents' for Christmas night dinner and finishing our gift-opening from earlier in the day. (Justin and I grew up a few miles from each other and my grandparents live next door to my parents'...so all this back and forth isn't so bad! ;)

We had a wonderful first Christmas with Adeline!

starting out with cloth diapers

2011-12-29T15:39:00.000-05:00

We have lived cloth diapering for a couple weeks now, and I wanted to update you on how it's going and how I got started. Even before getting pregnant, I considered diving into the cloth diaper world. However, I had no idea where to begin. And let me be honest, I was overwhelmed. My research started very slowly...occasionally reading about it on websites and blogs. When we got pregnant, I started reading a lot more about it, saw how it worked for others, and realized the money-saving aspect of it, and I was set on trying it. (Although I was even still a little skeptical of how well it would go.)

Justin was very skeptical. The inconvenience. The poo in the washer. He just wasn't hooked at all like I was. However, he supported me in trying it and became more and more okay with the idea as I taught him everything I was learning.

I wanted to write this post, because we didn't enter the cloth diaper world full-force. We started with the bare minimum and took it from there. We've had success and I am so excited to be a cloth diapering momma and have a little one with a cloth diapered bottom.

Adeline in her only pink bumGenius (we went gender-neutral with most of our colors to be practical)

Cloth diapers have intrigued me from the very beginning for a few reasons:

1. (Main reason) Savings!! I'm not going into all the nitty gritty money details here because you can find it all over the internet.

2. My mom did it. Now I know that shouldn't be a main reason. But come on...if my parents did it when it was just the nice cotton diapers (basically what are now similar to our burp cloths) and safety pins....I think I can do it with the Cadillac of cloth diapers that are available these days.

3. Somewhat to be "green". This would not be reason enough for me to do it. However, I believe in being good stewards of what God gave us--this earth. I'd like to know I did what I could to help Adeline have an earth to live on that God intended.

4. They are cuter and safer. You can throw a top on your baby with a cloth diaper and have an outfit (in the warm months, of course). And I like knowing that I'm limiting the toxins that are entering her body from the get-go that come from all those disposables.

Let me be real:

1. I realize I put money into the cloth diapers and cloth diapering could have just ended up not working for us. I'm was open to that and okay with that. Also, I realize there are times that cloth diapering might not be as convenient...say, traveling.

2. We didn't start right away. We started around week 5. This was perfect for us because as I was healing and learning how to take care of a newborn, the absolute last thing I wanted to think about was laundry. I wouldn't change this one bit and will probably go the same route with the next baby. Plus, the diapers we purchased (there are newborn options available that we just didn't try out) didn't fit her well until she was about 9 or so pounds.

3. I'm going to be a full-time, working momma. At least for a little while at the beginning of her life. I don't expect caregivers to use cloth diapers. We realize we will need to buy some disposables for when she's out of our care during the days. However, we will use cloth in the evenings, on weekends, and on days off (and as a teacher, I get a lot of those).

4. I don't believe it's for everyone. I'm not going to be all "preachy" about it. I just would much rather know we tried it and it didn't work, than to not try it and know it could have possibly been a good decision for our family. I'm all about families doing what personally works for them in every area of raising a child.

Here's what we did to get started and try-out cloth diapers:

-We had 7 diapers. Cotton Babies and Kelly's Closet are my favorite cloth diaper websites so far. We purchased our diapers from there and a few came from a local "green" store that carries cloth diapers. Some diapers were purchased with our own money, some with gift cards, and some were given to us as gifts.

-Stuck with my staple detergent that I'm also using for all of Adeline's other clothes--All Free and Clear with Oxy-Clean. I found a great site here that outlines all possible detergents that can be used with cloth diapers and how well they work. I'm not about spending high dollar for special detergent if my normal detergent will work. So far so good.

-Didn't go with a diaper sprayer. At least not right now. Adeline is solely breastfed and rinsing the diapers isn't necessary since BF poo is water soluble. However, if there is a huge mess, I do sometimes use my bottle sprayer I got from the hospital to help with my healing and spray some of the mess off into the toilet. Not necessary though. We may purchase a sprayer for when we start solids. (I have found it's much cheaper to purchase these on Amazon than from diaper sites or in stores.)

-We did not start with a wet bag, although it would be ideal. I just put a bunch of old grocery bags in her changing table and threw the dirty diaper into the bag, tied up the bag, and threw the bag downstairs for the laundry. Easy. Cheap. Worked for us. (Honestly, you could do this system and completely forgo a wet bag.)

our little cloth-diapered cutie

Our system starting out:

-As I said, we started out with 7 one-size diapers (they will fit her to potty training): 5 bumGenius 4.0 one-size stay-dry diapers--2 hook and loop (velcrow) and 3 snaps (comes with a large one-size insert and a newborn insert); 1 Flip diaper (comes with cover and stay-dry inserts); 1 FuzziBunz one-size cloth diaper (snaps)

-We use disposable wipes still (I'm still not ready to try reusable wipes). We have not had to purchase any yet due to all the gifts at showers!

-We started when she was about 5 weeks old and about 9.5 pounds.

-Because we only started with a day's worth of cloth diapers for her at 5 weeks, we also used disposables (mostly of which were gifts from showers) when I wash the cloth diapers.

-We put wet diapers into the grocery bag and toss them downstairs to our washer (no extra steps). We lightly spray the poo diapers with biokleen bac-out enzyme-fighting spray to help break down the poo. (This stuff is amazing and basically breaks down all the poo before you're even ready to wash it. You can find it on Amazon, but I purchased it at our local "green" store.)

-On the hook and loop diapers...I make sure to hook the velcro down so that the diapers don't get stuck together (a.k.a. "diaper train") in the wash.

-I wash the diapers in the evening usually. We have HE front-loaders. When ready to wash, I pull out the inserts (you don't have to do this if you don't want b/c they come out in the wash), throw the inserts and covers into the wash. I do a cold soak (about 20 mins.) with no detergent--the poo is basically gone after this first rinse, a cold/hot wash on my normal setting with a drop of the detergent (about 50 mins.), and then a final cold soak with extra spin (about 20 mins.). I dry the inserts for about 30-45 mins. on the medium setting and line-dry the covers overnight (you need about 7 or 8 hours). We don't have a drying rack, so I just hang the liners over our kitchen chairs--works like a charm.

-I stuff all the diapers when they are dry and put them ready-to-go into her changing table.

What we have on the way:

Now that we started cloth and it's working, I was ready to invest in more diapers and a wet bag. Thankfully, we had gift cards left from our many baby showers to use!

I just recently purchased 8 more diapers so we will have 15 in all!
-6 more bumGenius 4.0 one-size (in both hook and loop and snaps)
-2 FuzziBunz diapers (one one-size and one size small (was free with my purchase!))

I also recently purchased a large Planet Wise wet bag from Kelly's Closet and a reusable swim diaper from the same place. I got a small wet bag for the diaper bag (from Target) for a Christmas gift.

(I plan on just tossing the diapers into the wet bag instead of the grocery bags now. I am just going to hang the wet bag in her room since it zips shut. I will wash the wet bag with the diapers.)

Cost:

I just recently read that the average baby in the US goes through approximately 5000 diapers before potty training. I believe it! I have found my favorite diaper is Target brand's diaper. If I find those on sale and use a coupon (rarely available), a good deal is about $0.14. That would be $700 spent on disposables (and this figure is low compared to other costs I have found in my research).

With 15 diapers, a large wet bag, a small wet bag, a reusable swim diaper, and a large pack of disposable inserts, we have a cloth diapering system "stash" worth about $300.

With being smart, looking for sales, using gift cards, and receiving some items as gifts, we have only paid about $50 out of our own pockets.

Basically, what it comes down to, is with our personal expenses on cloth diapers, we have saved ourselves about $650 just on diapering Adeline. And Lord-willing, we would like to have other children...they will basically be diapered at little to no cost.

My other, random thoughts:

-I have found a "good deal" on a new cloth diaper is about $10-$14.

-You can find gently-used or new cloth diapers often on craigslist. There are also places on Facebook where people want to swap diapers. (Fluff Swappers is one.)

-Cotton Babies is a website you'll want to check out and sign up to be on their mailing list. They often have seconds sales where you can get bumGenius (normally about $18) for $10. They are in perfectly fine working condition. This site also offers buy 5 get one free deals or buy 2 get 1 free deals often. We have gotten in on both of these deals and got great prices!

-Your little one will have a bigger bottom with cloth diapers and possible go up a size in clothing. This is no big deal at all to me.

-We have had no diaper blow-outs in cloth. We had tons in disposables. We also had some minor diaper rash in disposables...none with cloth.

-There are tons of options out there! You can research until you're blue in the face to find what you like. I recommend getting a couple different kinds, live cloth-diapering for a bit, and then decide on what you want to buy more of. I'm not crazy into researching, so I found a couple we like and just stuck with those brands. I could research a lot more to find other kinds, but it's not worth the time to me.

-I like the brands we have equally. I do feel like the bumGenius are better quality all-in-all. I like hook and loop more than snap--easier to quickly put on a squirming little one--but I feel the snap diapers will hold up better in the long run.

-Ignore people when they are skeptical of your diapering plans. I got many funny looks and semi-rude comments from people when they found out we were going to try cloth diapering. It was a challenge to me...and I love challenges...so I just tried to ignore them. I often like to prove people wrong...this is yet another place I'm doing that. Just approach these people with a smile and go on your cloth-diapering way.

-I was most scared of the laundry. Not bad at all! Honestly, call me weird, but I enjoy the cloth diaper laundry because I love that we're using them. (And believe me...I probably dread laundry more than the normal person.) With 15 diapers, I will wash approximately every 2 days. With more diapers, you an make it even easier on yourself.

-About those hubbies...Justin has grown to be just fine with cloth diapering. Would he be sad if we stopped? No. Would he do cloth diapering if it wasn't for me? No way. However, he's 100% on-board and I so appreciate his open mind! For the daddies out there...his favorite are the hook and loop (velcro) cloth diapers because they are the most similar to disposables. He also prefers not so spray off the poo diapers, but just throw it into the bag.

Other resources/deal-finding:

Some of my blog and real-life friends that have recently posted about cloth:
-Natalie recently posted an awesome post here about her adventures into cloth.
-Ashleigh at Thankfully Thrifty has info on cloth diapering.
-Page posted a great post recently on her adventures into cloth with helpful, detailed reviews of many different kinds of cloth diapers.

(If you have recently posted a how-to on cloth diapers and would like me to add you to this list...just let me know! I apologize if I missed it--with a newborn, I'm out of the blog-reading loop quite a bit these days!)

-You can find gobs of reviews and how-tos on YouTube.

There you have it! Don't hesitate to let me know if you have questions about something I didn't include in this post--I would be happy to share my thoughts and our experiences with you!

who slept through the night?

2011-12-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

this girl!!

This sweet girl had her last feeding of the night at 9:50 and didn't wake back up again until 5:45! I'm pretty sure she knows Santa's watching! ;)

Merry Christmas to Mommy!

a merry miscellany monday

2011-12-19T11:00:00.000-05:00

Linking up with Carissa today for Miscellany Monday! My mind pretty much only thinks miscellany these days. Now I know exactly what people were talking about when they said that "pregnancy brain" only leads to a much more extreme version of "baby brain". Living it and wouldn't change a thing!

One...

My daughter is much more of a fashionista than me. Her newborn accessories include white, furry boots that she definitely rocks.

Two...

Speaking of fashion. Is it funny that I feel like a runway model just by wearing non-maternity clothes? Okay definitely not a runway model...but I feel like a million dollars when I'm able to put on a shirt that would have come up to my chest a couple months ago. Now pants are a different story. I'm still rockin' the maternity jeans some, because let's be honest, I refuse to go out and spend money on new jeans. I am determined to get back to my pre-pregnancy pants if it's the last thing I do. Breastfeeding does help tremendously...but those last 5 pounds decide to stick around. Maybe it's God's way of reminding me of accomplishing pregnancy and bringing a sweet new baby into the world. Let's just say that even though I've lost most of it...things definitely end up being flabbier and shifted a bit. Hello, Mommy body. ;)

Three...

On a serious note, we lost my dear childhood pup a few days ago. My sweet yellow lab, Nick, was my buddy since 4th grade. He was 15 years old and it was just time. He will remain in our hearts. Doesn't he have the sweetest face?

Four...

As if I wasn't an over-achiever already, Pinterest has made me more of one. I feel like I have to complete every neat craft I find, cook every new meal or baked-good I pin, and organize our memories just like all the ideas in my "memory keeping" folder. Thank you, Pinterest, for giving me more anxiety on being an "I-have-to-do-everything" kind of girl. Yikes...can we say "prioritize"?!

Five...

I'm married to a kid-at-heart and I love him for that. Two nights ago my hubby brought his trains from his parents' house and decided to set them up around our tree. So fun! Then last night I found him "playing" under the tree with his trains. Gah. Yet another reason he makes such a wonderful daddy!

Six...

Live Action! We are obsessed with "Call of the Wildman" on Animal Planet (Sundays at 10pm). Anyone else out there? Well I will admit we only started watching because he lives in Kentucky...but this man is crazy and got us hooked! "Turtle Man" goes into nasty ponds and grabs snapping turtles out with his bare hands. Actually he'll grab any wild animal by hand. As great as we think he is...let me clear a few things up. Not everyone in Kentucky is without teeth. We do wear shoes. We do not take baths in huge Rubbermaid tubs. And we do know what cell phones and the internet are. Just wanted to set that straight in case you decide to watch. ;)

Seven...

We have gone through our first "batch" of cloth diapers! Adeline decided to only use them for her wet diapers....she didn't poo in one of them. So really, I feel like we haven't completely ventured into the cloth diaper world because I haven't had to deal with a messy one. Oh well...the first load of cloth diapers should be easy to wash! How considerate is my little one month old?

Eight...

My pastor preached a great sermon yesterday on JOY. He gave us this great acronym to remember on keeping our focus on what is most important first and second, while we should keep ourselves last. J-Jesus, O-Others, Y-Yourself.

Nine...

Justin and I are working to get back into the swing of date nights. Adeline just successfully took a bottle from her daddy a couple nights ago. She's been a little finicky with the bottle and she definitely is all about Momma still. I'm not complaining...selfishly, I love that she is so content with nursing, but I do want her to be able to take a bottle to allow us to have some time together and her to have time with those adoring grandparents that can't wait to have her to themselves. And I know Justin adores the time with her when she takes a bottle from him. Now Justin and I just have to buckle down and release the grip a tad bit to leave her. I cringe...but I do know it's what's best for us and for her. I'm convinced it's crucial for a sweet little one to have a mommy and daddy that love each other and make each other a priority.

one of our last date nights before our sweet girl arrived

Ten...

Our Christmas festivities begin mid-week and will continue through the weekend. I adore Christmas. The time with family, the time reflecting on Christ, the traditions, the joy, and the memories created and the memories cherished. It is even more special this year as we start our own traditions as a family of three. Having a baby heightens the joy of every day...so this time of year is just icing on the cake. I'm sure blogging will take a back seat yet again this week. So Merry Christmas to you and your family! Have a joy-filled time celebrating the birth of our Savior. He is the reason for the season and the best gift of all.

happy birthday to Boone!

2011-12-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

It's our sweet pup's 3rd birthday today!

We love our sweet pup. He's so good-natured, smart, and has definitely stepped into the "big bro" role pretty easily!

Happy birthday, Boone!!

cuteness under the tree

2011-12-17T12:06:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of our "at home" Christmas photo shoot! I had way too much fun snapping pictures of this sweet girl (and her pup)!

Boone was the first to have his time in front of the tree...such a cutie!

Next was sweet Adeline's turn...

Both of my cuties in front of the tree...

And because I like to keep it real...here is an outtake :)

Joy to you all this Christmas!!

christmas tree hunt

2011-12-15T09:00:00.000-05:00

Growing up, we always had a live Christmas tree. I love that our tree was never artificial. Because of this, one of our Christmas traditions was to pick out our Christmas tree. It has varied over the years where we purchase the tree, but it is always a special family time. Even now that I'm married, Justin and I continue to be a part of this tradition to help my parents pick out their tree. It was tons of fun this year to introduce Adeline to the tradition!

We started out eating dinner together out at a new pizza restaurant. Adeline slept through this part! She was decked out in her special Christmas tree onesie her aunt made her and her pretty bow my mom bought her. This picture was in my last post...but just because she's so cute...I'll show you again!

Next was picking out the tree! It wasn't too cold, so Adeline snuggled in the Moby and helped pick out the tree.

the crew--from left--Justin, me, Adeline, Amanda (my little bro's sweet girlfriend), my mom, my brother Matt, my dad

We ended the night hanging out at Starbucks

Such a fun time together as a family!

lots to love

2011-12-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

I'm linking up with Jamie today for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm loving...

That my baby girl slept 5 hours straight last night between her late night feeding (11ish) and her middle of the night feeding (4ish). Then she slept 4 more straight hours until her first feeding of the day (8ish). Whoo hoo!

her sleeping habits crack me up--hands and feet out from covers at all times!

I'm loving...

That I have been able to cook more. Some of my faves have been crock pot recipes! Thank you Pinterest for all the inspiration! Beside Pinterest inspirations, we've also had Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and "Fried" Rice with steak and chicken! I'm planning on trying a bar-b-q chicken recipe and pot roast recipe soon that I've pinned. (Sorry for the lack of links...Pinterest is down right now.)

I'm loving...

That I was able to spend some time yesterday with two dear friends! Adeline and I met Page and her sweet baby, Selah, for lunch yesterday. It was the first time for our sweet babes to meet. It was so refreshing to sit with another momma and chat all things newborn and postpartum from breastfeeding hiccups to diaper duty. It was so good for the soul! Then in the afternoon I got a call from my sweet friend, Cheri, and she stopped by to just hang out and chat while Adeline was napping. (She's due with a sweet little girl, Anna, in April!) Love all these sweet girls that will be around for playmates for Adeline!

I'm loving...

All the Christmas festivities!! We have shopped till we've dropped for one thing! Adeline is quite the pro shopper already. I am loving all the Christmas devotional reading we've been doing as a family and that I have been doing with Adeline during some of her awake time. She already loves to be read to! Tonight we have our Christmas Cantata at church...my mom and mother-in-law are in the choir and it's always such a joyful celebration of Christ's birth! We've also spent quite a bit of time decorating our tree and then Adeline and I spent the day with my mom to help her decorate their huge live tree. Adeline also met Santa for the first time at church on Sunday!

Adeline and Boone enjoyed the decorating festivities--the lights are a hit with the sweet girl

our tree

I'm loving...

The new addition to our stockings! We ordered Adeline a personalized Pottery Barn stocking and it's perfect!

I'm loving...

Dressing this girl up in Christmas attire! Actually dressing her up in anything! :)

I'm loving...

All the cuddles in front of the Christmas tree lately!

I'm loving...

My little angel and our sweet little family (Boone included)!

pinterest-inspired

2011-12-08T09:00:00.001-05:00

If you're like me at all, you have gobs of pins on pinterest and the best intentions to actually get around to making/doing all those things you've pinned...but it just doesn't happen as often as you'd like. I've found that my craft-time has gone from here and there...to almost non-existent with a newborn. I'm okay with that...the trade-off is pretty sweet. However, I have just completed one project that I found on pinterest and have piles of craft supplies on my kitchen table to work on some other projects that I'm excited about. So here's my most recent pinterest-inspired project.

Inspiration:

via on pinterest

Completed project:

color version

my fave--black and white

So I'm not a professional photographer and I was working close to nap time which meant a slowly melting baby...we were very near a meltdown...but I'm so happy with how this photo turned out! I'm picturing it framed on the wall for sure!

One Month!

2011-12-07T17:11:00.001-05:00

Dear Adeline Grace,

You are one month old! Oh my! How in the world are you already one month old baby girl? This past month has been the most amazing month for your daddy and me. We can’t even begin to imagine life without you now that you are here in our arms. We look at you and see all that we prayed for. You are our little living miracle. We just sit and stare at you often, so thankful that God gave you to us here on this earth. What an amazing blessing! Words definitely can’t explain our love for you but know we love you bigger than this world and always will!

So what have we learned about you this month and what have you been up to in your first month of life?

First of all, you have had so many firsts! It’s so fun right now, knowing that almost everything we do with you is a first in your little world:

-On 11.11.11 you came home for the first time! Boone and your Papa and Gee were here to greet you. Your other grandparents (we are still waiting on your name for them) and your aunt also came over to greet you that evening. You slept the entire time.

-On 11.14.11 you had your first doctor visit with your pediatrician. Your length was still 21 inches (same as birth) and your weight was already back up to 7 lbs. 4 oz. (You were born at 7 lbs. 5.7. oz and then dropped down to 7 lbs. before we left the hospital.) Your doctor was so impressed with your weight gain and let us know that you were more than thriving. She went on and on about how perfect you were and everyone couldn’t get over how beautiful you are (including all that hair)! You also rode to Burger King and slept while your mommy and daddy ate in the car. It was nice to get out!

-On 11.18.11 you had your first outing other than to the doctor. We went to your Grandma and Grandpa Curry’s for your grandma’s birthday. Of course, even though you slept, you were the life of the party!

-On 11.21.11 you had your second doctor visit. Another great one! You were up to 7 lbs. 13 oz.,and the doctor was very impressed! (You’ve been a great eater since day one!) You were still 21 inches long at this visit. The doctor let us know you were in the 50^th percentile for your weight and head circumference but a little above the 50^th percentile for your length (Will you be petite like mommy or tall like daddy? This measurement made us think you may be a taller gal.) Your mommy also had a doctor visit on this day also due to a few hiccups with breastfeeding. Everything is just fine now and you never had trouble eating throughout everything. Because of my doctor visit, we decided to go out to lunch at Penn Station. This was you first real outing to a public place. You were wonderful again, and slept the entire time in your seat.

-On 11.24.11 you celebrated your first Thanksgiving! Mommy had so much fun getting you dressed up! We hung out as a family that morning watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, mom cooked a dish for Thanksgiving, and you and Boone had your pictures taken together. We then went to your Grandma and Grandpa Curry’s for our first round of Thanksgiving. Your Uncle Matt, MaJo and PaJack, Papa Curry, and Aunt Jill were there. That evening we went to Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Doug’s. Your Papa and Gee were there. So were your Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Matt. You met your cousins Cooper, Hadley and Gentry there for the first time! Carol Jean, Todd, Nicki, Alex, Emma, and Ella were also there. We came home that evening and relaxed after a busy, busy day!

-On 11.25.11 you went on your first Black Friday shopping excursion with your mommy, Grandma Curry, MaJo, and Aunt Jill. You went to both malls, to Target, and to Lowe’s. You were so great, slept most of the day, only waking up to eat. (That was the challenge for your momma…to find private places to feed you on such a busy shopping day!) Your daddy met up with us a couple times and we rode with him back to your Grandma and Grandpa Curry’s for Thanksgiving leftovers.

-On 11.26.11 your daddy and I realized that nighttime (7-9 or so) is your “fussy time”. This first night we were very concerned, because you hadn’t been fussy at all the first couple weeks. Now this has continued, and we realize it’s just your time to be a little upset. We think you fight sleep and just want to be around us instead of in your bassinet. We don’t mind that. ;)

-On 11.27.11 you had your first church visit. Everyone was head over heels about you! They had been waiting and waiting for you to come into this world and were thrilled to meet you. You were awake most of church and of course looked so pretty in your sweet little outfit. Pastor Owen even prayed a special prayer of thanksgiving for you during one of the prayers.

-On 11.29.11 you had your first real tub bath. (This was just a couple days after your cord stump fell off.) You squeaked at first when we put you into the water, but then you decided you loved the bath and cooed the entire time. You really loved when your daddy dried you off with the towel!

-On 12.1.11 you started batting at your play gym toys a bit. You work so hard to get your hand to touch those funny things that hang down in your face. Mommy got a video of it of course and praised all of your sweet little efforts. We love watching you learn! On this day you also went outside to get the mail with mommy for the first time. The sun was shining, and I decided you needed some fresh air other than just going quickly to and from the car.

-On 12.2.11 we took a short road trip to mommy’s college roommate’s wedding with your daddy and Grandma and Grandpa Curry. Your grandparents sat in the car with you while your mommy and daddy went to the ceremony. (You still need mommy for your feedings quite frequently at this point! And I don’t mind one bit.)

-On 12.3.22 you went Christmas tree hunting for the first time. This is a tradition on your mommy’s side. Your daddy, Grandma and Grandpa Curry, Uncle Matt and his girlfriend, Amanda, were all there. We went to dinner beforehand and you cuddle up in the Moby Wrap to look at the trees. We also had a visit to Starbucks after!

-On 12.4.11 we decorated your first Christmas tree! You sat in your bouncy seat and stared at the lights while Mommy and Daddy decorated. You already have so many ornaments on the tree—all with a special story!

-On 12.5.11 we had your first Christmas pictures taken. The photographer decided you were the happiest baby she had ever worked with and also decided that you were prettier than any of the model babies in the pictures. (Your daddy and I already knew this, of course!)

You also had gobs of visitors your first month! As you can see, you’ve had so many firsts and special memories created just within your first month of life!

So what do you like and dislike?

You love…

-Curling up into a little ball and laying on our chests

-Lights and music

-Being talked to, read to, and sung to

-Eating
-Your bouncy seat

-Riding in the car (when it’s moving!) and riding in your stroller (when it’s moving!)

-Tummy time (for the first 5-10 minutes)

-Your pacifier

-Your Sally Seahorse

-Having your toes and fingers free

-When we let you “air out” on the changing table

-You loved hats your first couple weeks and hated for them to be taken off (this has changed)

-Moving and looking around

You dislike…

-Being swaddled (even though you loved it the first week or so) and having a blanket on you when you’re sleeping. (We often cover you up after you fall asleep.)

-Gowns

-Getting dressed

-Going to sleep (you fight it like crazy but you have gotten to a point where you can get yourself to sleep most of the time)

What are your sizes?

You are in 0-3 month clothes for the most part but can still fit in some newborn clothes like onesies and pants. You are in size 1 diapers due to your crazy diaper blow-outs. We still put newborn diapers on you sometimes immediately following a dirty diaper.

What are your eating habits like?

You have been a great eater since day one! You have had Mommy’s milk only since the beginning and still only eat that. (This is something Mommy prayed would go smoothly!) You are a breastfed baby and have not had a bottle yet. You latched on when we were doing “Kangaroo Care” in the hospital and the nurses were impressed with your eating throughout your hospital stay. You started out as a very slow eater (45 minutes or so). Now, you often eat for just 10 minutes (the doc said that is fine) but will still eat up to 20 or 25 minutes occasionally. You started out eating almost every hour but now often stretch your feedings to 3 hours during the day and you can go 5 hours at night. Occasionally, you will still want to eat after 2 hours. You’re a great burper and you rarely spit-up. You get the hiccups often after you eat and they make you a little angry. (You got hiccups all the time in Mommy’s tummy too.) We do give you gas drops after your late night feeding to help your tummy overnight. You don’t seem to deal with bad gas the rest of the day, although you do have some very “healthy” diapers a couple times a day. This just shows you are getting the right amount of food and that makes us happy!

How is your sleeping?

You have been such a great baby since the beginning! Even though you woke up a lot your first couple weeks of life, that was okay since you were hungry and Mommy’s body needed you to eat often to make sure she had enough food for you! You have always been great about going right back to sleep after you eat. Now, you usually eat around 11 or 12 and then don’t eat again until 4 am or 5 am. You wake up around 7 or 8 to eat and you usually go back to sleep until 9:30 or 10. However, that’s been changing recently, and you want to get up after your 7 or 8 am feeding. You do have trouble going back to sleep if you have a dirty diaper during the night. You can sleep right through your wet ones but the dirty ones make you pretty mad!You are also a great napper! (You must get that from your daddy.) You do fight sleep, so it hasn’t been easy to get to a point of where you self-soothe to get to sleep. However, we’ve worked a lot on it, and usually with the help of some patting (you love to have your little bottom patted), your pacifier, and your Sleep Sheep, you get to sleep. You sleep in your bassinet next to our bed, nap there for your morning nap, and then usually take your other nap or two in your bouncy seat.

So what makes you, you this month?

From the very beginning, you were beautiful both inside and out. The nurses couldn’t get over all your gorgeous black hair, long eyelashes and your eyebrows at birth. One of the nurses even took you out into the hall to parade you around and show all the other nurses. You’ve been such a content, happy baby since day one also. (We prayed for this and are so thankful you have such a wonderful demeanor.) You already have such great head control and you are such a mover (your feet, legs, and arms are never still). We love your little feet and toes and how you want them free to wiggle and squirm. You already coo and smile at your mommy and daddy. It melts our heart! You are such a happy baby! You get so much attention when we go places (that doesn’t surprise us! ;) You are hardly ever quiet. You squeak and coo in your sleep and when you’re awake. You watch people and things around you so intently, taking them in. You are such a cuddler and love to be loved on. We already see Christ shining through you and how you draw people to you.

Adeline Grace, you are such a blessing. Happy one month little girl! We can’t wait for all the months ahead of us and what they have in store. We love you more than you’ll ever know!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

newborn must-haves...Adeline's list

2011-12-03T16:02:00.000-05:00

I've decided to do a series of posts about our must-haves and what have gotten us through the various stages of welcoming our sweet girl into this world. First off, are our must-haves for a newborn (beyond the obvious necessities like wipes and dipes). This list is definitely based on Adeline's preferences--if I've learned anything the past few weeks--it's that every itty bitty is different, you can't solely rely on the books, and just because something worked for another baby, it doesn't mean it will work for your baby. I am loving getting to know this sweet girl and what works for her and her personality.

1. Receiving blankets---LOTS of them! We have used these to swaddle, to cover, as a stand-in burp cloth, to prop her up in her vibrator seat, to keep her in place sleeping, to prop her up on her side sleeping, to lay on the floor for some tummy time, etc. etc.

2. "Sally the Seahorse" (aka Fisher-Price Ocean Wonders Soothe and Glow Seahorse-Pink). This toy has been crucial to get through fussy diaper changes before a feeding. Adeline talks to her, sucks on her nose, and stares at her for solid minutes. She loves her Sally. (The name was given to her by Justin. ;) She hangs out on our changing table and goes for long car rides if needed. Her belly glows and she plays soothing music--the great thing is, you can hold down on her belly to turn her off to save battery. We highly recommend this!

3. Fisher-Price Calming Vibrations seat--Adeline loves this for some of her play times (it plays music and has lights), but she also adores it for an afternoon snooze. It's also a great item to pull into the bathroom and allow Momma to get a shower in the morning.

4. Tiny Love Mobile (Tiny Princess version) I first saw this on Ashleigh's blog and was amazed with the remote control option to turn it on and off. Adeline loves this. Even though she's not sleeping in her crib, it allows for a few interactive playtime moments for me to get some laundry folded and put away in her room or for me to turn on the monitor and hop in the shower. The light on this draws Adeline in each time. Plus, I love that you can remove the mobile part of this when babies start pulling up and you still have a music and light box. Perfection!

5. Daddy's chest and Mommy's arms--Sometimes it's the only thing that will calm her down during her fussy time in the evening. Nothing beats holding this precious girl in my arms! I love that she loves to snuggle.

6. Pretty notebook This neat notebook was made by our friend, Amy. It has been perfect to record important things from the hospital and on. I record all of her feedings and bathroom times in this notebook to keep me on track. I also make sure to jot down important firsts each day...b/c let's be honest...these first few weeks are way too busy to do anything super special as far as memory-keeping goes. I love that I'll have everything recorded to transfer to a more special memento like a scrapbook or baby book once we are beyond these busy,busy newborn days. I also used it in the hospital to record her birth story before I forgot the details.

7. Bassinet We have loved having a bassinet in our room for Adeline. She sleeps right next to my side of the bed. This has been really handy for middle of the night feedings. At first we thought we would just use our pack-n-play. However, we got spoiled in the hospital being able to wheel her right to the bedside. We just found our bassinet at Wal-Mart and are really happy we chose to purchase one instead of borrowing one--it's already faced some spit-up. ;) I really like the nightlight feature on the bassinet. Addie can take or leave the mobile feature. It's also nice to be able to wheel it into the living room if needed.

8. Sleep sheep The white noise that this provides has been crucial in helping Adeline go to sleep in her bassinet without our help. There are four options (whale sound, ocean, waves, and rain). You can conrol the volume and it goes for a long time. (I think Justin and I are even getting to the point of needing this to get to sleep. ;) We also have the giraffe. You can find these almost anywhere--ours are from Target.

via

9. Footy pajamas After about a week and a half or two weeks, Adeline was completely over swaddling. She hated it and would kick fiercely until she had herself unswaddled and then would go to sleep. We even tried the Swaddle Me blankets--she wouldn't even consider it. We decided it was like a baby straight jacket on her since it wasn't soothing to her like it is some babies. From there it also got to where we realized she didn't even want a blanket loosely laying on top of her. She just loves to kick and move her feet and legs. So we tried nightgowns to at least keep her warm and comfy...what did she do with those? Kick fiercely, pushing her feet straight against the fabric, trying like crazy to get her legs free and out of the hole at the bottom. Finally, we decided footy pajamas were the trick. She was warm enough if she kicked her blanket off and her little toes were covered. Her legs are free to squirm...and a happy, warm, sleeping baby makes for a happy mommy and daddy.

we are here!

2011-11-29T14:23:00.002-05:00

So here I am...checking in to break the blogging silence. :) Please pardon me while I write a very random post of all the things running through my mind that I keep thinking, "Oh, I need to blog about that!" And I'm also already wondering how I will select the pictures I want to document on here. How do I choose just a few?!

I was so, so naive to how much time a sweet newborn takes up. Not complaining one bit--and every minute continues to be as rewarding as the last--but when people say that you will wonder what you did with all your time once you have a baby...SO true.

Our days are filled with blessing after blessing and joyful moment after joyful moment. How did we live without this sweet little one?!

baby girl at 2 weeks

Week one already seems to be a blur. Is it odd, though, that I already miss those first couple weeks with our little one? Those moments in the hospital and just getting used to being at home were priceless and ones I will always treasure. Now we are venturing into the world that continues to be one "first" after the next and this sappy momma is already caught in tears quite a bit not wanting my baby to grow up so fast. Every day with her is so special--even if we're just cuddling on the couch in our jammies.

Snuggles with Daddy are already a huge hit. They were from the beginning. (And let me brag on my husband for a minute...Justin is such a natural. He has been the most amazing, grace-filled man with such a servant's heart for Adeline and me during the first few weeks. I knew he'd make an amazing daddy...but had no idea just how amazing he would be.)

We see this irresistible smile often and can't get enough of it.

The bouncy/vibrator seat is a favorite hang-out!

These little toes get kissed often. She's just like her momma and hates having her feet covered up. Definitely forget swaddling--wasn't a hit after the first week--this girl loves to kick her legs and have them free.

The first sponge baths were tons of fun. Just look at all the hair on this girl...it holds a bow already!

"Sally the Seahorse" gets us through diaper changes and other fussy times. Her nose even works well on the changing table for those few minutes of sucking needed before Momma feeds the starving girl. Hilarious to watch.

The first two doctor visits were a huge success. Our baby girl is healthy and nursing has gone great for Mom and Adeline (granted, it has taken lots of hard work, dedication, and prayers!). We are extremely grateful!

Tummy time often leads to sleepy time, but we have a strong girl on our hands. She already lifts her head so well, is so alert, and is a mover and groover--hardly ever holding still! (Oh, and we love our paci already.)

This popular girl brings oohs and ahhs everywhere she goes (yes, I'm bragging) and is getting pretty spoiled already be three weeks. (Being the first grandchild on one side will do that to yah!)

my parents with their first grandchild--head over heels!

meeting cousins on Justin's side--what a blessed little lady with all these around her to love on her

Boone is already a great big brother and is already looking out for her.

Thanksgiving morning

First Thanksgiving as our little family of three!

no gravy for this girl, but she still had to sport her bib that her grandma bought

This girl even went Black Friday shopping! The stroller was a hit and sleeping won over shopping for her most of the day.

The first visit to church was successful. Everyone was so anxious to meet Adeline and Pastor Owen even prayed a special prayer of gratitude for our blessing. Our church family is such a special blessing to us.

There's so much more to share and so much more to say, but I'll leave that for another nap time! ;)

Adeline's Birth Story

2011-11-18T15:45:00.002-05:00

I'm still here and can't believe my sweet baby, that I longed to meet for so long, is over a week old! I'm trying to soak in every single moment--baby grunts and coos, breastfeeding, that precious newborn smell, sweet cuddles, and even late-night feedings and diaper changes. It already goes by way too quickly! Her birth seems like it was just yesterday but at the same time seems like ages ago...we already wonder how in the world we went without her!

When I was pregnant, I found that reading birth stories was both intimidating and helpful. Now that I've given birth I realize just how amazing and unique is that moment in life. It was a time that brought Justin and I closer to each other as husband and wife and drew us nearer to God. Ultimately, though, it was the moment in time that forever changed our world in a way we could have never imagined.

40 weeks

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 (3 days past due date)

-I spent the day feeling more "normal" than the previous couple days.
-I had been having a lot of cramping in my stomach and back that felt like menstrual cramps. I also had been having Braxton Hicks contractions for weeks, but they had intensified and gotten to the point of me timing them a few times the past few days.
-I hung around the house for the cable guy to come and then went to lunch and out to run errands with my aunt and grandma. (This may be TMI...) I had been losing my mucus plug for a few days, however, this day I felt extra leaking.
-I wondered all day if it was my water breaking and I didn't realize it...

-That evening I went to the bathroom while Justin was on the phone. I still was wondering if my water had broken in a slow leak. When I went to the bathroom I heard a "pop" sound that sounded similar to hard plastic cracking. (Hard to explain.) However, there was still nothing that for sure told me my water had broken and my contractions were not regular enough to time.
-I came out and told Justin that something was just off. The pain wasn't getting my attention, but my body just seemed like it was kicking into gear. (Again, hard to explain.)
-I went back and forth on if I should call my doctor. Everything I had read and learned in our labor class said to always come to the hospital even if you just thought you water broke...since not getting attention can lead to infection if it did in fact break.
-I finally decided to call my doctor...which it ended up being the nurse on call. She was NO HELP. To put the story short, she basically said she didn't know what to tell me..."If you think your water broke, you should go. But I can't tell you for sure what to do." She was short, rude, and the phone conversation ended with me bawling in Justin's arms because she had been so rude with me and not any help.

10 pm--We decided to calmly get our bags, Justin gathered our "last minute" items, and we kissed Boone bye.

10:30--Got to hospital (I felt like the leaking had increased), we checked in, and they tested my leaking to see if it was amniotic fluid. The results confirming enough to the nurse and she decided to call my doctor.

11:00--Word back from my doctor was for me to walk for 40 minutes, test again for amniotic fluid, and monitor Adeline's heart-rate for 20 minutes. So Justin and I walked and walked for 40 minutes around the Labor and Delivery section of the hospital. I think there was only one other couple there...it's like we had the place to ourselves.

11:40ish--We got back, the nurse got me situated in bed, and we continued to monitor Adeline's heartrate (which we became obsessed in listening to and watching). I was having pretty consistent contractions but they weren't painful. When the nurse left, she explained that we would probably be going home and asked me if my doctor was talking induction yet. I explained that we were at my next appointment. The nurse left and a few minutes later, we were watching the monitor. All the sudden, we started seeing the heartrate drop, and drop, and drop. The monitors started going off and two nurses ran into my room and grabbed me to pull me to the opposite side and put oxygen on me. Thank goodness, at this point, her heartrate started going back up. I had had three contractions in a row and Adeline hadn't handled them well. The nurse was close to giving me a shot (forget the name) to stop my contractions. However, her little heartrate went back up and all was well. The nurse responded with, "Well it looks like you've bought a ticket to stay." We were beyond anxious over what had just happened. Scariest moment of our lives.

Midnight--The nurses spoke with my doctor again and she decided that they would watch me overnight to see if I was going into labor myself. If not, they would start pitocin to get labor going. We finally called our parents to let them know we were at the hospital. (We wanted to wait to see if were were staying before we let them know.) They all decided to come early the next morning. I was still very nervous and scared they would have to do an emergency c-section due to what had happened with her heartrate.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011 (4 days past due)

We moved to our room in Labor and Delivery and were told to rest. (Riiight.) They finally gave me something to help me sleep (again, I forget the name) because they could tell I was anxious and obsessing over her heartrate. At this point at night I was 1 1/2 cm dilated and 80% effaced.

our first nurse decorated our board when we got into our room

7:00 am--I was strep B positive, so they started my antibiotics. My doctor came in and broke my water. (Apparently it had never broken, but my body was giving me clues to get to the hospital!) They also decided to start pitocin because although I was having regular contractions, they weren't strong enough to make progress toward pushing.

Soon after this, our parents arrived.

11:00 am--I was 3 cm dilated, 100% effaced. The nurse advised me to go ahead and tell her when my pain just increased enough to get my attention so that it would have enough time to kick in before the really painful contractions started. Best. Advice. Ever. (I later thanked her for this advice. Ha!) I asked for the epidural and he came in to start it right when my contractions were starting to be excruciating. It took a few really painful contractions for it to kick in

can't even begin to explain all the emotions

11:30ish am--5-6 cm dilated. Justin had just put in his lunch order with our family and we thought were were set in for quite a while.

1:30 pm--9 cm dilated...things were moving quickly. They also checked for Adeline's position at this time and found that she was "sunny side up" (her face was up)--not ideal but workable.

2:30 pm--Adeline's heartrate dropped again to a scary point. They checked me and I was 10 cm and the nurses scurried around again seemingly a bit worried about our sweet babe. Again, I just knew this would lead to a c section. The nurse called my doctor, who was at her office in the hospital, and I was told we would start pushing in 40 minutes. Our nurse told Justin to go ahead and go out to the waiting room to let everyone know (there was quite the crowd at this point) that we would push in 40 minutes and it would probably take about 2 hours. Longest 40 minutes of our lives! We watched every minute tick away, prayed together, shed some tears over anxiousness and excitement, and watched every move of her sweet heartrate on the monitor, just praying it wouldn't drop again. (Funny side note...supposedly Justin seemed scared to death when he went out to tell family and he told them that for the first time in our relationship, I was the one keeping him calm. Usually it's the opposite. I'm sure it was the drugs. ;)

excited Daddy ready to meet his baby girl

3:30 pm--The doctor finally got there and we started pushing. Again, this point was pretty scary because Adeline's heartrate started dropping each time I would push. The doctors and nurses collaborated and still decided to have me continue pushing...they seemed confident that she would be okay, which calmed us down (to a certain point). Supposedly since she was face-up, it was taking her longer to make her debut. During this time, the doctor let me know that she was going to have to use a vacuum/suction device to try to get Adeline out. However, due to all her hair, the suction wouldn't work. They ended up having to use forceps to help Adeline out.

4:37 pm--After being in labor for about 9 hours and pushing for about 1 of that, Adeline Grace made her debut into this world! Her daddy hung out with her while they suctioned her, weighed her, and did all the other check-ups. I was able to watch from the bed as they stitched me up. After a few minutes, I was able to do "kangaroo care" with her, where she was laid on my chest skin-to-skin.

one of the first photos her daddy captured

already rocking a bow!

can't kiss those cheeks enough

she loves her daddy--this guy got complimented on by the nurses with his daddy skills

heading home

The rest of the hospital stay was great. We had a wonderful experience, lots of visitors, and we have absolutely no complaints on how anything was handled by the hospital. Although scary at times due to her little heartrate dropping, in the end, we have a sweet, healthy baby girl. It was a blessing of an experience that we will always treasure!