Almost There

Family Vacation 2012

2012-01-31T12:35:00.000-05:00

Last week we took our first family vacation as a family of three, and it was really wonderful! We drove to Washington, D.C. for March for Life and to visit with some friends of ours. Along the way we stopped over night in Pittsburgh to break up the drive with the babe, and to see some other good friends of ours. Two different sets of friends in fact, one set on the way there, and the other set on the way home!

On the way there we stayed over night with our friends David, Stephanie and their son Matthias. Matthias is only a week older than Theodore, but nearly twice his size! Theodore's a little small for his age, and Matthias is a little big! We love them! :)

I didn't take many pictures on our trip, and I blame it on the rain, cold, and traveling by metro. I didn't really want to haul my big camera around with me everywhere, so I just used my phone when I remembered to take pictures at all.

Prior to our trip, Theodore seemed to be going through some sleep regression, and I was super anxious about going on a trip and messing up his sleep even more. I was also really anxious about a two day car ride with a 4 month old. However, I didn't really have anything to be worried about!

He slept great the whole time we were gone, only getting up once or twice a night to nurse and then going right back to sleep. Even with all of us in the next room laughing and talking. We were so, so thankful! We definitely need good nights sleeps after our days out and about exploring!

On Monday was March for Life. I had intended to tweet through our experience, but it was rainy and cold, and Theodore needed a little more attention than I had expected. I mean, nothing major, I wore him nearly the whole time, but he was wiggly and interested in everyone around us, so I needed my hands to support his ever-wiggling little head of his. :) And then after he fell asleep I needed my hands to keep a blanket over his head because it was raining. I was constantly having people stop me and ask if I was carrying a "Real!Live!Baby!" I think some people thought I was carrying a doll as a prop. And everyone kept saying "Well, this is a great crowd to have a baby in, everyone loves babies here!". I don't think people realize I bring and wear Theodore every where we go.... haha :) Also, I'm pretty sure he got more blessings at March for Life than he has his entire life combined! :) We tried really hard to meet up with some of our seminarian friends, but we were just never able to cross paths... Boo! When we were in the train station walking to catch the Metro back at the end of the day, we did run into some of our good friends who are FOCUS missionaries. It was so wonderful to see them, even though it was only for a moment!

Kendall, Theodore, and me. Everyone kept looking in the stroller for a baby and giving Kendall a funny look when it was empty...

Monday night we went out to dinner, and on the way I started to feel sick. That's when I realized I hadn't eaten lunch. My body hates me when I skip a meal. I started to get a migraine. The ones that make you nauseous and crabby. I spent half the dinner in the bathroom thinking I was going to vomit. It kind of reminded me of the first night of my Blogger's Girls Weekend. Thankfully Excedrin Migraine is a miracle drug, and an hour or so later I was feeling much better. No vomiting this time, thank goodness! :)

Tuesday we spent wandering around D.C. We went to the holocaust museum, we could have spent all day there other than the fact that we had a 4 month old, a pregnant woman, a me, who can't skip meals. (Not me, by the way... Kendall is pregnant, and they just found out they're having a little boy, yay! :) ) The museum was really well put together. I think my favorite part was all the old family pictures. It was so atrocious though, the way these people were treated. It's unbelievable to realize that humans can do that to each other.

Wednesday was mostly a low key day. Jon and I ventured into the city with Theodore by ourselves to go visit a friend of mine. We were pretty proud of ourselves that we were able to navigate the Metro all by ourselves. Wednesday night Kendall baked a cake because Thursday was my birthday, and we were leaving in the morning. I was kind of hoping my birthday would get skipped over. I didn't tell anyone who we were going to see that it was my birthday, I didn't want a big fuss made. I also don't have my birthday on Facebook because I hate getting a million birthday messages. Mostly because I can never remember anyone else's birthday, and I feel like a jerk. :) But, Kendall had my birthday on her calendar so I didn't get skipped over... haha :)

Thursday we drove from D.C. to Pittsburgh and stayed over night with our other set of friends, and then Friday we made it back home. Theodore did so.well. in the car on all our drives. We left after his last "night" wakeup on Saturday morning, and he slept for three more hours in the car, and then I got in the back and played with him, and we were able to time our stops and only stop when he needed to be changed and fed, and I just changed and nursed him in the car. Same thing on the way home, and we alternated between sleeping and playing. The only time he was fussy was when we were driving through the mountains, and I'm pretty sure it's because his ears were popping and he was uncomfortable. Such a trooper! :)

March for Life 2012

2012-01-23T09:49:00.000-05:00

Today we are in Washington D.C. attending the March for Life to speak for all the unborn babies who will never be able to speak for themselves. You can follow along on my twitter to see what I see. :) Pray for us today, that we may change hearts and save lives.

Help. Seriously. Help

2012-01-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

We are having sleep issues. Big sleep issues.

Ever since Theodore was about a month home he's pretty much slept through the night. Only getting up once or twice a night to nurse and then going right back to sleep. I knew we were very blessed, and I also knew that it could change at any moment, although I hoped beyond hope that it wouldn't change.

However, change it did....

When we went to my parents house around Christmas and changed for about a week, Theodore started to get to be a little harder to go to sleep, and he was waking up more like 3-4 times a night. Still not a huge deal though, because I would still get like a 6 hours stretch somewhere in there.

A few days after we came home though things went right back to normal, in fact he became a better napper. Before he was probably sleep for a total of 4 hours during the day, but in half hour increments. And sometimes he wouldn't sleep at all. On the days where he slept more, he was easier to go to bed at night, and slept better. I thought on the "bad" napping days, he was over tired by bedtime and that's why we were having rough nights.

Then, about a week and a half ago we got on a really great schedule. Theodore would get up in the morning, and then about two hours later he'd be ready for a nap, and he'd nap for three hours! About two hours after he got up again, he'd be ready for another nap, and he'd sleep for about an hour. After he woke up from that nap, about 3-4 hours later he'd be ready for bed, we'd do our nighttime routine, and he'd go to sleep and be down for the night, only getting up once.

However, for the past 5 nights, sleep has just gotten worse and worse, until last night. On Sunday night he was up three times, Monday night he was up every three hours, Tuesday night he was up about every two hours, and then last night... Oh, last night. We were up Every.Single.Hour. from 9:30-3:30. Finally at 3:30 we put Theodore in his car seat and rocked that, and he slept in there until 7:45. I nursed him, and thankfully he's still sleeping now at 8:15.

I just can't handle this. I don't know how you women do this every night for months on end. I am going crazy. I don't know what to do. And to make it worse? Saturday morning we're leaving for nearly week. Besides a long car ride to Pittsburgh and then Pittsburgh to Washington D.C., we're going to be staying with some dear friends of ours, and I don't want to be keeping everyone up all night... Plus, our vacation will be more stressful than relaxing if Theodore refuses to sleep.

So, we need your help!

Do you guys have any suggestions as to what might be going on? Why he might be getting up so much? What we can do to fix this?! Is there anything we can do to fix this?!

I should say, I nurse him every times he wakes up, but he doesn't always want to nurse. Sometimes he'll just refuse. So I'm pretty sure he's not hungry, I think he's just waking up.

So, help a Mommy out. Send me any and all suggestions you have! PLEASE!

Favorite Baby Items 0-3 Months

2012-01-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

When I was pregnant (and who am I kidding... before I was pregnant...) I loved reading people's posts about their "must have" baby items, so I'm writing about mine in the hopes that it will help someone else! :)

We don't have a large house, we're currently renting a two bedroom condo. It's a decent size, but it's by no means "big", so we had to keep that in mind while we were picking items out, but I wasn't one who cared if it looked like Babies'R'Us vomited in our living room. In fact, I kind of wanted to embrace it. :) So I didn't take into consideration how everything would "go" with our stuff, or if everything would match. I got what I thought was cute and most functional. :) Also, I feel like I need to mention, we spent next to no money of our own on this stuff. People were so, so, so beyond generous to us with gifts, gift cards, and money. We decided when registering we would register for what we really wanted, and then if we didn't get it and had to spend our own money, we would get the less expensive version. But, like I said, people were so beyond generous to us. Theodore is so loved! :)

Fisher Price Cradle Swing- My Little Snug-a-Bunny

Fisher Price Bouncer Seat- My Little Sung-a-Bunny

We looooooooooooove this swing and bouncer. Theo has been in the bouncer every day since the day we brought him home from the hospital. I'm really glad we got this one, even though it's more expensive than most bouncers. It "cradles" them more, so he could be in it when he was itty bitty and I didn't have to put blankets in with him or anything. Some of the less expensive bouncers are more inclined and I think he would have slipped around a little more. He would sleep in this for hours, and sometimes when his reflux was bad, we'd let him sleep in there at night. We never use the sounds out it, but use the vibration all the time. And the swing? Love it! It has a few different sounds/music it makes, and I like that it can go back and forth or side to side. We use both motions. He still takes his nap in here most days. I start by putting him in the Pack'n'Play (I'll talk about that in a minute), and if he wakes up and I know he's still tired I'll put him in the swing and he'll finish his nap there. We love that it plugs in so we don't have to go through even more batteries. Oh, and the only thing we don't like about the bouncer? It takes "C" batteries when everything else for Theodore takes "D" batteries, so it's just annoying to have to keep other batteries on hand, although it's not a big deal. We liked the Snug-a-Bunny bouncer instead of the Little Lamb seat, because of just that, the Bunny one is a bouncer, so we can bounce it, whereas the Little Lamb one just vibrated.

Boppy

We love the Boppy. This is definitely one baby item that I don't think we could have done without. I use it for nursing, for tummy time, for just hanging out on the floor. We even use it to play with Theodore on our laps. I brought the Boppy to the hospital with us, and we used it to lay Theodore "in" (in the middle) on the bed, but I couldn't use it to nurse because I was so swollen that it wouldn't fit around me. A few days after we got home from the hospital and my swelling went down, I was able to use it to nurse, and have used it ever sense. I know lots of women like the "My Breast Friend" pillow better, but I didn't get it from our registry, so I decided to see how I liked the Boppy before I got that one, and the Boppy has worked just fine, so I never got it. The only thing I wish I had was another cover for it because with Theodore's reflux he's constantly spitting up so the cover gets pretty nasty. And I admittedly don't wash it as much as I should....

Graco Pack'n'Play with Cuddle Cove

We loved having the "cuddle cove" on our pack'n'play. Theodore slept in it for the first month until he out grew it lengthwise. Theodore hated to be swaddled when he was real little, so it was nice having the "cove" and the infant insert because I could tuck blankets around and underneath him, and I didn't have to worry about him moving them and suffocating. It was also nice having that because when we would do overnights at my parents' house when he was fitting in the cove we could just take that instead of the whole pack'n'play. Now that he's out grown the cuddle cove, he's still in the bassinet part of the pack'n'play in our bedroom. We don't even have a crib mattress yet and I'm really in no hurry to get one. We probably wouldn't even have a crib yet if it wasn't the crib that was mine when I was a baby. I love having Theodore within arms reach at night, but without having to have a big bulky crib in our room. This is one of the items that I definitely consider must have. Although, it doesn't have to be a fancy one like we got. Oh, this also has a changing table attached to it, but we never use it because we cloth diaper, so all that stuff is in the bathroom. I can see using it though if the pack'n'play were like in the living room if all the bedrooms were on a different floor or something.

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blankets

Notice my "I still look pregnant I'm so swollen" belly.... I think this was when he was about 2 weeks old.

They're great for cuddling!

We love these blankets! They're great for everything. They're HUGE so they're really great for floor time. But, they're not super thick so they're great folded, too. We use them for everything for a car seat blanket, to a burp rag, to a nursing cover. Pretty sure these are our most used blankets. They were the only blankets we could swaddle Theodore in until he started flailing and that's when we switched to....

Swaddle Me Blankets

Here's Theodore swaddle and strapped into his cars eat. It's hard to see in this picture, but it's true!

I was even able to swaddle him while nursing him one night without waking him up. I was pretty proud...

My son is the only baby that I've ever known who could get out of ANY swaddle. Even when he was an itty bitty baby and hardly moved, somehow he always managed to get out of any swaddle. Well, that was when we could get him swaddled. He hated it for probably his first three or so weeks. And then enter the Swaddle Me blankets. They saved us. Once Theodore started wiggling in his sleep he would constantly wake himself up by hitting his face or startling himself awake. Once we started using these blankets he stopping fighting the swaddle and started sleeping for longer stretches at night. I also love these blankets because there is a slit in the back we can swaddle him and strap him into his cars eat, so they're perfect when we're going to be out past his bedtime. We just feed him, rock him, put him in the car seat and swaddle him over the straps and he's out and stays asleep! It's amazing! :) There were also a few nights when we weren't going anywhere and he was having a hard time falling asleep and we'd put him in the car seat. We have three of them and are constantly rotating between them. I don't know what we would do without them!

Chicco KeyFit Car Seat

Look at my itty-bitty baby leaving the hospital!!!

We really like this car seat. I like it because it can fit well in our Corolla and Matrix, it's not super heavy (I mean, it's not light), and the straps adjust from the front. I also love the newborn body support and head support. We still have the head support in because Theodore falls asleep in it all the time and I don't want his head flopping around. And, actually, I just took the body support out this week. The body support was super nice because we could tuck blankets around it and we didn't have to worry about them falling out. We also have the Baby Trend Snap'n'Go stroller instead of the stroller that matches the car seat. We love the Snap'n'Go because it's not big and bulky and it's so much easier to get around with the car seat. If we didn't have a fall/winter baby, I probably wouldn't have worried about getting a stroller for the car seat because I probably would have just worn Theodore everywhere, but because it's cold out, I don't want to have to be constantly putting him in and out of the car seat.

Moby Wrap

Oh how I love wearing my baby. It's probably one of my favorite things in the whole world. Theodore loves it, too. I'm not sure what I would do if I didn't nurse and wear him, I don't know what I would be able to do to calm him down when he gets upset. Anytime he's super fussy and doesn't want to nurse, I put him in the Moby (or now the ring sling) and he instantly calms down. It's amazing. I started wearing Theodore the day we got home from the hospital. In fact, the first time we went to Mass the day after we got home, I had him in the wrap the whole time and the people sitting behind us didn't even know we had a baby with us until we turned around during the sign of peace. When I go to youth group each week with Jon I wear Theodore the whole time and we never have any issues. There was only one time that he got fussy, and I think it's because I was wearing a sweater and I think he got too warm. If it weren't for wearing him, I don't think I'd be able to go to youth group, and even if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to be as present with the kids. Now I typically use my ring sling more, but I'll include that in my next baby gear post! :)

Those are the big things that we absolutely love, but some other little things we love are Nuk pacis, lots and lots of prefold cloth diapers to use as burp cloths, and the JJ Cole car seat cover for a car seat cover. Our hospital wouldn't let us leave if we had a seat cover that went under the straps. Apparently they're not as safe? Also, notice I have nothing feeding related on here. We've been very blessed in that breastfeeding has been amazing for us. Once my milk came in, we've had no issues. Theodore hasn't had a bottle since he was in the hospital and need formula for his jaundice. (Yes, I realize colustrum/breastmilk is best for jaundice but my milk wasn't coming in and he wasn't having enough wet diapers so we had to supplement for one night.)

So, those are our favorite baby items for 0-3 months! What are/were your guys favorites?!

Messy Mom Monday

2012-01-16T21:35:00.000-05:00

We have had quite a few days over here. You know the kind I'm talking about. Days where nothing seems to go right, but everything's not exactly wrong either. When I was scrolling through my Google Reader while nursing this morning, I saw that Britt had started a link up called Messy Mom Monday, and I knew that the post I was planning on writing today would fit right into that link up! (You know, this post, the one I've been writing All.Stinkin'.Day.)

I feel like since my baby is almost 4 months old (Side Note: OHMYGOSH! HOW IS MY BABY ALMOST 4 MONTHS OLD ALREADY?!) I should have my stuff together already. I mean, how long do I get to use the excuse "I just had a baby.... so I don't have to/don't have time to (insert task here)"?

Somedays I do feel like I'm on top of it all. When Theodore takes good naps, I do the dishes and the laundry, I get to eat a well balanced lunch (or heck, any lunch at all...), and I might even get to start dinner before my husband gets home. But, let's be honest.. I think I've only had two of those days since ~~I got pregnant~~ Theodore was born.

Most days I'm lucky to ~~put on clean pajamas~~ get dressed and brush my teeth. Showering is a luxury these days. And vastly over-rated if you ask me... :) I often have mac and cheese (yes, from that blue box....) for lunch with a side of a Diet Coke (or two...).

And ~~lots of times~~ sometimes when Theodore naps, I catch up on my shows, read a book, or even nap myself! If I do get ambitious enough to start some laundry or dishes, chances are that I won't be able to finish before Theodore is up again. I also have no idea how you all are able to write blog posts on a regular basis. I currently have about `5 posts half written just sitting here waiting for me to finish....

I also don't really put Theodore on a schedule for naps or feedings, and because I exclusively nurse, somedays I feel like I nurse him every 15 or 20 minutes, so even if I wanted to, I couldn't get anything done.

We also have days where he doesn't want to do anything but cuddle, and sometimes I get frustrated that I haven't gotten anything done, but I try to remind myself that he's only little once, and he won't always want to cuddle all day, so I try not to get frustrated. Easier said than done, when there are piles and piles of laundry staring in your face.

One of my "tricks" to help me remember to do the laundry, is also one of my biggest messes. I put the sorted laundry in piles in our dining room which I walk through three million times a day in the hopes that I won't be able to ignore piles of laundry I walk past a million times. It worked for a few days, but then I realized I'm better at ignoring things than I thought... Which is why my dining room currently looks like this...

Also, notice the dumping ground known as my dining room table...

And it's not just my dining room that's a mess... Take a look at the baby explosion formally known as the living room.

And Theodore's nursery? HA! We got it painted, a crib, and a dresser. And the progress stopped there. Although, our crib currently doesn't have a mattress. And his closet? The biggest closet in our condo? Oh, it's embarrassing, but I'll put it out there for all of you to see... Don't judge! I'm also in the middle of changing out Theodore's clothes to the next size up, and by doing that I've just been throwing clothes that don't fit into one ginormous pile and saying "I'll take care of that later". Although, "later" never seems to come.. Also, I still have a big rubbermaid container of "Pre-pregnancy" clothes sitting in his nursery that I have yet to go through. I'm kind of afraid. I don't want to open it up and find all the clothes that still don't fit me inside. I would rather just ignore it. Notice a trend going on here? Ignorance is bliss, right?! :)

This closet is the dumping ground for everything we don't have room for anywhere else...

Also, we've moved so much that we're afraid to get rid of cardboard boxes. Don't judge!

Notice there isn't really anything on the shelves? But tons of junk on the floor... Yeah...

Oh, are you wondering why these pictures are super dark? It's because we don't have a light for his room yet, I meant to get to these pictures earlier, but ran out of time, and I'm too lazy to pull out my big camera.

So, Phew! Those are my Messy Mom confessions for ~~today,~~ uh, tonight.

Confessions....

2012-01-11T10:09:00.000-05:00

I confess....

I already have baby fever. Again. Jon and I originally said we were going to wait until Theodore was 1 until we actively tried to get pregnant again, but I think in March I'm going to go into the doctor and see if I can at least get on my "maintenance" meds for my PCOS. Just metformin, and then progesterone once/if I start to get my period again. We won't start any ovulation meds until Theodore is at least one and only nursing once or twice a day. If we could choose exactly when we wanted to get pregnant again, we'd like to be due next spring, so ideally we'd get pregnant this summer. Buuuuut, we're not expecting that because it was a challenge to get pregnant in the first place. I just wish I knew what my fertility is going to be like now. Whether I'll be more fertile or less fertile. I'm really curious as to when I'll get my period back because I didn't ovulate on my own before and because I'm EBF and co-sleeping (as in, Theodore in a pack'n'play in next to our bed), and sometimes bed-sharing. I hope it doesn't take until he's 18 months like lots of people suspect.

I confess...

That I'm obsessed with How I Met Your Mother. Although, I could do without all the sex scenes and jokes. The show is hilarious without all that junk, and I think it even takes away from the humor.

I confess...

That I am less than thrilled to be going dairy-free and that I've cheated the last two days. Just at dinner though. It's so.hard! I never realized how much dairy I eat! From the cheese on my sandwich, to the chocolate chips in my granola bar, to the parm cheese I put on my pasta, to the milk in my oatmeal. Ughhhh. I feel like the only thing I can eat is meat and vegetables. What do you guys who are dairy free eat? What do your typical meals look like?

I confess...

Even though I can't wait for our first real snowfall, I am enjoying this mild winter we've had so far. It's been nice to ease back into the midwestern winter after being in Florida for two years.

I confess...

I stink at doing laundry. I'm pretty good at getting it in the washer, but I will often forget about it and it will sit in the washer for so long I'll have to re-wash the laundry because it will smell mildew-y. Gross, I know. Or I'll often leave the laundry in the dryer and instead of folding it just keep going in to the dryer to get clothes. Also, I have a basket of Theodore's clean laundry that's been sitting in his room unfolded for over a week. Laundry just isn't my favorite.

I confess...

That I don't have very many clothes that fit me, but I refuse to buy new ones because I am determined to fit back into my regular clothes. Also, winter is half over, so hopefully I'll need to buy new clothes in the spring because I've lost so much weight that my clothes are too big instead of too small. A girl can dream, right?

What are your confessions, today?

The People You See at the ER

2012-01-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

So yesterday I had to take Theodore to the ER for a rash because the walk in clinic was closed. (They told me the rash was excema, but I'm not sure, so I'm taking him to his pediatrician today.) The people you meet in the ER are nuuuuuts!

First of all, the place was packed, and everyone was staring at me and my baby with the swollen, red, blotchy, itchy face. This one old man kept looking at him and grimacing. And this man looked like he wanted to start a conversation with me, and he looked familiar, so I asked him if he attended our church. Big.Mistake.

He said "Well, I'm a Christian, but I got to lots of different churches, except for Catholic churches anymore. Now, I'm going to tell you a story that's going to blow your mind." He then proceeded to ask me if I knew the story of Abraham and Sarah, and even though I said yes, he continued to tell me the story (for 10 minutes....) anyways. He finished with "Since God says adultery is a sin, why didn't got punish Abraham". He said he asked a Catholic priest this and the priest didn't have an answer, so therefore no priests know anything about the Bible. Way to generalize, huh? Also, I have a feeling he probably didn't listen to the priest if the priest did answer him. Thank goodness he got called back at that point so I didn't have to take that awkward conversation any further.

After that awkward situation was over, I'm pretty sure a pimp and his, uhhhh, girl walked in. This guy was wearing a long leather coat, had on big sunglasses (mind you this was about 6 o'clock, so it was completely dark), a slicked back ponytail, was wearing pointy heeled boots, and drove a jaguar. The woman was wearing a velour track suit, way to much makeup, strappy heels and a suuuuuper low cut tank top. I was trying not to judge, but I wasn't sure what to think....

Anyways, I wasn't satisfied with what the ER doctor said, and she was kind of nasty so I'm taking Theodore to his regular doctor to see what she says. If she says it's excema, I'm really going to cut out dairy and eggs, and maybe nuts and gluten, too because I have a feeling if it's excema it's allergy-induced and not just normal dry skin. Theodore couldn't even sleep last night he was so itchy. Which means Jon and I couldn't sleep either.... Do any of you have any experience with allergy-induced excema?

7 Quick Takes

2012-01-06T10:55:00.000-05:00

1-- Jon, Theodore and I are going to March for Life this month and I cannot.wait. Although, I am really nervous about driving all the way to D.C. with an infant. Any suggestions? Leaving at night unfortunately isn't an option. At least on the way there.

2--I got a sewing machine for Christmas, and I'm so excited to start using it! However, I haven't sewed since 7th grade sewing class. I was hoping to take a class at JoAnn's or something, but they're all longer than I can leave Theodore for since I don't have a pump, and I won't give him formula. I'm hoping some YouTube tutorials will be able to help me out. :) I think my first project will be curtains for our living room. Nothing fancy, just hemmed on all the sides. They shouldn't be too hard, just straight seams all the way around. Send any good sewing tutorials my way, please! :)

3-- Celeste got me hooked on How I Met Your Mother and thanks to Theodore's long naps this week I've gotten through the first two seasons. It's a little heavy on sex innuendoes, but it's sooo funny and clever that I'm able to get over it. :) Anyone else watch it?

4-- Theodore is 3.5 months old and I've yet to leave him. Is that weird? I just don't feel ready. Every time I think I'm ready, all I can think about is what if starts crying and no one else can console him? Plus, he hasn't taken a bottle since he was in the hospital with jaundice, and like I mentioned before, I don't have a pump. I know I'll have to leave him at some point, but I just don't think either of us are ready for it.

5-- I think Jon and I are going to get a library membership finally, and the first book I'm going to check out? Dr. Sear's book on attachment parenting. I am not a fan of labeling different types of parenting styles, but I'm having some trouble with naps and sleeping, and I'm not a fan of "sleep training", and I've heard good things about the Sears' books. I have his vaccine book, and I really liked it, and I've read some articles and stuff by him, so I think that's a good place to start. And, if you had to label my parenting style, you'd probably label it attachment, anyways. I wear Theodore often, he sleeps in a pack and play next to my side of the bed, and sometimes he sleeps in bed with us, I exclusively breastfeed, and like I said earlier, I've yet to leave him. Sometimes I feel like a hippy with all my babywearing, cloth diapering, breastfeeding, etc. etc. I also think that it's interesting that people who tend to parent like me are usually really liberal or really conservative. Two completely different sets of "values" that parent the same way. I think it's kind of neat :) Guess which side I fall on.... :)

6-- I still haven't completely cleaned up and put things away from Christmas. We've just been throwing things into Theodore's room, and it is a disaster!!! Once we get back from D.C. I'm going to work on finishing up his nursery, putting things away, and then maybe, eventually, one day, moving Theo into his own room... Haha :)

7-- Tomorrow we have absolutely nothing planned and I am soooo looking forward to just relaxing and hanging out with my husband and baby! :) What are you plans for the weekend?

A Very Bloggy Christmas Swap Reveal... A Month late...

2012-01-05T11:31:00.000-05:00

Lil Woman from Little Woman, Little Home, hosted a Christmas swap waaaaaay back in November/December. I'm just a little late getting around to posting about it... Oops.

I'm pretty sure the Holy Spirit had a hand in helping choose my partner. I got paired with Celeste from Two More Feet. Celeste just happens to be Catholic and is trying to get pregnant and has PCOS. I'm just a little "been there, done that". I was so excited to get paired with her! :)

Celeste picked out the most thoughtful and sweet gift for me! She got me a St Anne statue and a rosary bracelet! I couldn't have thought of anything more fitting!

Also, my original idea for her was to get her a St Anne medal and St Anne prayer card, but I haven't found a Catholic store in our new town yet, and by the time I thought of ordering it online it was too late. :(

I'm so glad I got paired with Celeste and was able to make a wonderful new blog friend! :) We would SO be "IRL" friends if she didn't live all the way in Louisiana... :(

A Few Open Letters

2012-01-03T09:25:00.001-05:00

Dear Migraine,

Mommies don't get sick days so you need to leave. Also? I'm not sure why you're even here in the first place. I'm pretty sure my period is not coming back, there is no thunder storm, and I ate well yesterday. So, there is no reason for you to be here in the first place. You can leave ~~at your soonest connivence~~ NOW.

Thankyouverymuch,

A crabby and in pain Mommy

Dear Theodore,

Mommy really needs you to take some good naps today. Especially since you've decided that sleeping more than 4 hours straight at night is lame. What happened to my great night time sleeper? I knew I got too used to it. I was really enjoying only waking up once maybe twice a night, nursing you, and you going right back to sleep. These days getting up to nurse you 4 times a night? Not fun. Also? It's okay to sleep in your pack and play after 3 in the morning. I usually don't mind sharing my bed with you, but when Mommy already doesn't feel good and isn't getting great sleep, every little sound you make, especially when you're in bed with Daddy and me, wakes me up. Normally I think your little contented sleepy sighs are so.stinking.cute. But, after I've already been up 4+ times and am getting a migraine? It's not cute anymore.

So, please, please, please no crying and lots of naps today. Please?

Love you to the moon and back, (Especially when I'm not tired...)

Mommy

Dear Jon,

Sorry I'm so cranky at 3 AM. But, unless you think you can nurse the baby, there is nothing you can do. I appreciate you offering to be up with me, but we both know that it will just make us both cranky tomorrow. Also? Please stop snoring.

Love,

Your sleep deprived and cranky wife

Dear Wisconsin,

I'm pretty sure the only town that you haven't showered with snow yet this year is our town. I know lots and lots of people are appreciative, but seeing as I've lived in Florida for two winters, I would love some of that fluffy white stuff. Plus, it makes sitting inside on a cold day a little more cheerful. Also? I would much rather have snow than bitter cold temperatures. So, I would love it if you could "Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow."

Thanks,

A Midwestern, transplanted to Florida, finally back in the Midwest.

A Year in Review

2011-12-31T11:40:00.002-05:00

This is pretty much the first time I've touched my computer in three weeks, and I'm way behind in blogging and have a million posts to write from my Christmas Swap partner, and my prayer buddy, to all about Theodore's first Christmas and his 3 month post. But, those will have to wait because I'm feeling reflective tonight.

2011 was probably the most life changing year for Jon and me.

January brought with it Jon’s last semester of graduate school at Ave Maria University. Not only did he have a full class load, and a part time job, he also started work on his thesis, a translation of St. Albert the Great’s “De Sacramentis” from Latin into English. As if that wasn’t enough, he was also applying to as many full time jobs as he could for after graduation. I kept busy with my job as a lead teacher in the infant room at a Montessori school.

At the beginning of February, we were thrilled to find out we were pregnant! I was ecstatic to know that I indeed was not coming down with mono, I was just growing a human! While Jon was pulling lots of all-nighters writing papers and studying for tests, I was sleeping for about 16 hours a day! We also celebrated our second wedding anniversary! Time really does fly when you’re having fun! We celebrated with a quiet dinner at home, only sparking juice for me, though! :)

March was pretty uneventful, but we did have our first ultrasound. It was so, so amazing to see that teeny, tiny baby on the screen and know that was our child growing in my womb. God is so great!

In April, Jon gave his thesis defense and was busy finishing up everything before gradation in May.

May was a much busier month for us. Jon graduated with a Masters of Arts in Theology degree from Ave Maria University. We were told that we were expecting a baby girl. Plus, we also packed up all our belongings to put into storage while we moved back across the country into my parents’ house until Jon was offered a full time job.

Jon spent all of June applying for jobs. This month we also found out that our baby was indeed a boy and not a girl! We were thrilled, as much as we both would have loved a daughter, we really wanted a son first!

In July we had lots of visitors and a few parties at my parent's house. Jon also had lots of job interviews, and finally a job offer! Praise be to God!

Jon stared his new job, Director of Christian Formation in Wisconsin, mid August. At the end of the month we moved into a condo not far from church, and started to try and get settled before our son made his upcoming appearance. We also had the first of two baby showers, this one hosted by Jon’s mom.

September was our busiest month of the year! Jon’s youth groups for the churches started up, and he was settling in nicely to his job. My parents threw us our second baby shower (on Labor Day… Get it…? J ). This was also the month that our son, Theodore Justinian Joachim made his big appearance! I went in for my 38 week doctor’s visit, and due to a number of reasons, the doctors decided to induce me. After over 30 hours of active labor, I was taken in for an unplanned C-section and Theodore Justinian Joachim Bator was born at 9:27 PM on September 27, 2011! What a joy it was to finally have this son we prayed so long for!

After 6 days in the hospital, we all came home on October 1^st. Driving home with a baby in the backseat was so surreal and special. What a blessing Theodore is! In October, we also welcomed Theodore into the Church through his Baptism. Our hearts were filled with happiness and we, along with his Godparents, promised to raise Theodore in the Catholic Church. What a great responsibility and blessing we have been given! Theodore also “celebrated” his first Halloween as a little golfer! He wasn’t quite as excited as we were though…

November came and we were so excited to spend our first Thanksgiving together as a family of three! This was also the first Thanksgiving we’ve been able to spend with extended family since we’ve been married. Even though we were sick, we loved getting to spend time with our family.

This December we got to celebrate Theodore's first Christmas. We went down to central Illinois to spend time with Theodore's godparents and some other good friends of ours who have a baby just a week older (and a whole lot bigger!) than Theodore. The three (couples) of us were walking the road of infertility together, and we all got blessed with children right around the same time. It was so special to spend this Christmas with our babies in our arms, instead of just talking about how great it will be to theoretically one day have children. God is so great!

As great as 2011 was, I have a feeling 2012 will be so much better! I can't wait to see what God brings to our family this year!

Breastfeeding Questions

2011-12-08T12:17:00.000-05:00

So I exclusively nurse Theodore, and we both really enjoy it. The biggest issue we had was that my milk was late coming in, but once it came in we've had no issues what so ever.

However, he has reflux and majorly spits up all.the.time. And now he hasn't gained any weight in over two weeks. Our doctor said that the weight issues itself wouldn't concern her because babies gain weight in a "staircase" pattern. Like, it's totally normal for them to plateau in their weight for a few weeks before gaining again. But, if he's still spitting up a ton by next week my doctor wants to do an ultrasound on his belly to see if the bottom of his stomach isn't open all the way. I'm wondering though if the issues could stem from something I'm eating instead? Do you think he could have a food allergy/sensitivity to something I'm eating?

Also, he sleeps through the night. Like, he goes 6-8 hours between feedings at night for his first stretch. And then usually another 3-5 hours before he's up for the day. Do you think I should be waking him up at night to feed him? My first instinct is to let him sleep, but if he's not gaining well, I would rather wake him up to feed him instead of supplementing with formula for a feeding. I feel like that will be a slippery slope, because if I'm not nursing as often, I won't be making as much milk, which I'm afraid would just lead to more supplementing, you know?

I also don't pump at all, we rented one from the hospital for the first month to help me build my supply, but once my milk came in I didn't use it at all. I think it's a big pain in the butt. However, my doctor suggested pumping and giving him one bottle of milk a day to see how much he's eating at feeding. I just realllllly don't want to pump. It's a pain to sit there holding the pumps, and then the clean up. Ughhhh, it's just so much easier to nurse.

I guess I'm just processing all this out loud, but what do you guys think? Should I try changing my diet? Should I try waking him at night? Should I try pumping and giving him a bottle? I'll take any and all suggestions!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-12-07T07:31:00.010-05:00

~~ My new blog design by Katie at Loves of Life. Basically all I told her was I wanted it "clean and simple", not "too busy", and that I liked polka dots, and this is what she gave me! I love, love, love it! Also? She did this in less than a day! If you need a new blog design, check her out! :)

~~ Blistex Silk and Shine chap stick. It's by far my fave EVER! It leaves your lips so soft and "silky", plus it has a mild sweet smell and taste. Plus? It's pretty cheap, I think I got mine at WalMart for under $2.

~~ Starbucks Peppermint Hot Chocolate. How have I not known about these until now? They.Are.Delish! Just enough of a peppermint flavor to make it "fun", but not too much to make it overwhelming.

~~ Ben Folds. Also, how have I not known about him until now?! I first heard him on The Sing Off, and looked him up on Spotify. I'm borderline obsessed. I've been listening to him all.the.time.

~~ Spotify. Again, how have I not known about this?! Have I been living under a rock or something?

~~ Once Upon a Time on ABC. Jon and I have been watching it on Hulu on Monday nights, and we love it! The story is really engaging and it's fun to guess what stories the characters are representing.

~~ And last, but certainly not least, my Theodore! He is just getting so fun and laughing and smiling so much more! Although, on the flip side, since he's starting to become more and more alert, I think he's also getting bored because he wants to do more than he can. But, it's so fun to watch him "discover" new things. Like the Christmas tree. So, so fun! I love being a mommy! :) One of the best parts is when he's fussing and I pick him up and he stops. Or when he falls asleep on me. I just love cuddling and loving on my sweet boy. We are so, so blessed.

Things I Took For Granted Before Theodore

2011-12-06T09:49:00.002-05:00

~Taking a shower alone.

~Finishing a blog post in one sitting.

~Finishing a meal in one sitting.

~Finishing anything in one sitting.

~Napping whenever I wanted.

~Going to the store without an 11 pound baby, 15 pound car seat, and a diaper bag heavy enough to set off the seatbelt alarm.

~Talking on the phone.

~Watching TV.

~Having a living room without dirty burp cloths, dirty onesies, and teeny tiny baby socks thrown everywhere.

~Getting dressed in the morning. Or the afternoon. Or at all.

~Being able to get dressed without thinking "Can I nurse modestly in this?"

~Not wearing a bra to bed.

~Sleeping through the night. Although, let's be honest, it's been nearly a year since that's happened...

~Not having to schedule running errands around a feeding a diaper schedule.

Although, I wouldn't trade any of it back. He is so, so worth it!

Comment Troubles (Re-Post)

2011-12-05T08:27:00.000-05:00

I love getting comments, and I love being able to easily reply to them! Did you all know that you can email back when someone leaves a comment on your blog? It's a really great way to have "conversations". BUT, to do that, they have to have an email set up for comments. And it doesn't have to be your personal email you use to sign into blogger with, it can be any old email address!

I get so, so, sad when someone comments, and I write a response back to them, only to see the email address is "no-reply@blogger.com". That means I can't email you back! Well, I'm here to tell you an easy way to fix that! :)

1. When you're in your dashboard, click on Edit Profile. Which is next to your picture.

2. Look in the Privacy Section and click on the box that says "Show my email address"

3. In the identity section, type in your email address. It doesn't have to be the one you use to sign into blogger with. It can be an anonymous one if you so desire! :)

4. Click on Save.

Ta-Da! Now I (and everyone else!) will be able to reply to your comments via email! :)

I looooooooove getting comments, and getting to know all you lovely ladies more, and this is the easiest way to do it, I think! :)

PS This is a slightly re-written post which was originally published in 2009.

Quick Takes

2011-12-02T09:37:00.001-05:00

1-- Theodore napped well two days in a row, (And is currently napping now! :) )and last night we had a great night of sleep! He went down easily, it only took 45 minutes. And no crying! Just rocking and cuddling and singing with Mommy. :) I even got to watch CMA's Country Christmas... That is until I nearly fell asleep at 9:30 and just decided to call it a night... :)

2-- Jon is usually off on Fridays because he works Sundays, but he had to go in today to get some stuff done. And he has to work tomorrow morning, too. Boo!! That means he'll go nearly two weeks without a day off... Lots of times I wish he had a "9-5er", but I know he wouldn't feel fulfilled. Most times when he works evenings or Saturdays I get to go with because it's for things him and "his kids" (the youth groups) have volunteered for, and I just wear Theodore and hang out, but tomorrow they're going to be outside, and it's obviously too cold to have an infant out. (Phew, that was a major run on sentence.)

3-- I'm trying to do a "Social Networking Purge" as I like to call it. I'm deleting Facebook friends, people I follow on Twitter, (not that I use Twitter much...), and I'm trying to un-follow blogs I never comment on/don't really read/don't update much anymore. I say trying because every time I delete them, they show up a few hours later back in my Reader!!! Anyone know how to "fix" this?

4-- I've been feeling really lonely lately. I haven't made any friends here yet, and we've been here since August! And granted, I wasn't really "here" until after we brought Theodore home because I was staying with my parents due to the whole "I'm 36 weeks pregnant and have high blood pressure and diabetes thing...". But we've been home TWO MONTHS now and I have yet to make one.friend. Hopefully after the holidays and when things slow down it will be easier to meet people. There is a mom's group that meets every Friday at church, but I'm really anxious about going. Why? I don't know, I guess it's hard for me to "get out there" and make friends. I'm always afraid they won't like me, or I'll say the wrong thing, or no one will talk to me... I also have huge anxiety about going to social situations by myself. And it's not like Jon can go to a Moms group with me.

5-- I haven't yet ordered our Christmas cards. I have a really cute Christmas letter all written up, but I'm not sure if I like it. It looks kind of funny with the way I put pictures on it. Also, I kind of feel "conceited" sending a letter. Does anyone really care what we did this year? I think I just might stick to a photo Christmas card instead of doing both. I'm thinking about getting a folded card, and writing a little note inside it. I don't know, I'm so indecisive!

6-- Speaking of being indecisive.... I hate shopping by myself. I can never make a decision. For real. Even grocery shopping! I like having Jon there so I can make him decide if we want the generic brand or name brand. Because I can't decide if we can spend the extra 13 cents. I don't want to be responsible for making our totally 13 cents over our budget! Also, what if I pick the "wrong" thing and it tastes bad and Jon gets mad at me. Clearly I have commitment and self esteem issues. And don't even get me started with clothes shopping! (Also, obviously Jon wouldn't be mad at me if I bought something "wrong", but it's still what goes through my head. So, no husband bashing, okay? :) )

7-- I can't wait to make Christmas cookies with my mom. It's something I haven't been able to do in a few years and I really miss it. There's nothing better than blasting Christmas music, drinking a Diet Coke, and baking with my mom. It just shouts "Christmas Time!" to me! :) For as long as I can remember, making Christmas cookies has been a many-day affair filled with lots of music, laughing, cookie-dough eating, and package putting together. My mom would tell us all about what it was like baking with her mom growing up, and how long the recipes have been in our family. Everything in the world just seems right when your house is filled with warmth from the oven, sweet smells from the cookies, and Christmas music and laughter coming from the kitchen. Nothing.Better.

Have a fabulous weekend, friends!

Sleep Matters

2011-11-30T08:54:00.001-05:00

I have something to say that's probably not going to be too popular...

Here goes.....

Hello, my name is Justine, and my two month old baby sleeps through the night.

Phew. I feel better getting that off my chest.

However, even though he's a great night time sleeper, he has been out right refusing to nap. And that makes for a cranky baby and a cranky mommy.

(Just for fun I'm sprinkling some Theo iPhone pictures in here... :) )

And when he doesn't nap, he gets so over tired it's hard to put him to sleep at night. Even though he sleeps through the night (minus one feeding between 3 and 5 AM), he doesn't go down until 10, and gets up at 7. Then he only takes a few half hour naps throughout the day, so I know he's not getting enough sleep.

Also, I'm pretty sure he's getting in a tooth. Crazy, I know. But, his gums are swollen and he has a pointy white thing poking through, so I'm pretty sure it's a tooth. We're going to the doctor today for his two month check up, so I'll have her look at it, but I don't know what else it could be.

Do you guys have any suggestions?

Right now we swaddle him at night, but not for naps, he usually naps in his swing or bouncer seat, and that's worked up until this week. I wanted to make sure we established the difference between night and day, but now that it's pretty obvious he knows the difference, I think I might start swaddling him for nap time, too.

How many naps a day should he be getting at this point? Two 3 hours naps? Three 2 hour naps? Is that too much sleep?

Another issue we're having, is that he's often fussy when he is awake, and I think it's due in part from being tired, but I also think he's bored. We don't really have any toys for him for this little, and I think it's time to get some. What kind of toys do you have for your real little ones? I want to get something that we can use to help entertain him during tummy time.

We've just had a rough couple days and could use any suggestions/encouragement you have to give. Thanks, friends! :)

PS Someone turned two months old on Sunday... :)

The Thanksgiving of the Sickies

2011-11-28T15:04:00.001-05:00

Remember how I posted about Theodore's first sick day? Well, he passed that sickness onto Mommy and Daddy. But, I think we got it worse.

It all started with sore throats Wednesday night driving back down to my parents house. It always starts with a sore throat, doesn't it...?

On Thanksgiving, Jon and I woke up s.i.c.k. We both had low grade temps and were coughing and had super runny noses. We debated not going to Thanksgiving, but we knew everyone wanted to see Theodore, so we just took lots and lots of cold medicine. Thursday was bareable, but Friday? Friday was miserable!

We were supposed to drive back home Friday, but we were too sick. Thank goodness for moms! My mom went out and made got stuff to make us homemade chicken noodle soup. We laid around all day, and thank goodness Theodore took a good nap. Taking care of a baby when you're sick seems nearly impossible. We're so blessed that he's such a good baby. I'm so glad we were at my parents house and they were able to help us out. I know we would have survived, but it would have been so.much.worse!

I hope you all had a better Thanksgiving than we did!

How do you all survive when you're both sick and you have a baby to take care of?

So Thankful

2011-11-24T08:50:00.007-05:00

This year we have so much to be thankful for.

A wonderful job for Jon that he loves and allows me to stay home with our son.

A safe place to live.

Lots of delicious food to eat.

Wonderful family and friends to spend the holidays with.

But, most of all, this year, we're thankful for this little guy. Praise be to God!

I hope you all have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

Theodore's First Sick Day

2011-11-23T08:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday when Theodore woke up for his last "night" feeding at five, he felt really hot to me and his temp was 102.4! If I hadn't been so tired from Theodore waking up so often I probably would have panicked. We decided that we'd let him sleep and then call the doctor in a few hours.

Well, when he woke up his temp was down to 99, but I still wanted to take him in to the doctor, just in case. On Monday I had noticed that his cries were a little more "whiny" than normal, and I had a feeling he wasn't feeling too well, so that paired with the fever, and I knew I would just worry like mad unless I took him in.

At the doctor's he was smiling and coo-ing at everyone, not really living up to the whole "I think my baby's sick, he's acting sad and has a fever thing...". But, I'd rather have that than a really sick baby. The doctor said if I wanted she'd run a few blood tests, but I said no because he seemed okay then.

After we got home Theodore slept nearly all day. He was up for maybe two or three hours total all day. Normally, I wake him up after he's slept for three hours during the day because I want him to sleep through the night, but yesterday I just let him sleep. I was really afraid he'd be up all night, though. Yesterday evening he was super cuddly, but he just looked so pathetic and sad.

Thankfully he had the best night sleep that he's had in awhile. He's always been a really great sleeper, but for the past 4 or 5 nights, he's been waking up more at night, sometimes he would just whine and whimper a bit and then go right back to sleep, and sometimes he's be up for an hour or so. Last night I decided to bring the swing into our room and let him sleep in that to have him be more upright. I really think that helped.

So, hopefully all the sickies are behind us and we can enjoy Thanksgiving! Although, I am a little weary of passing him around to lots of people, so I may just not let anyone hold him. I'll probably look like that crazy over protective first time mom, but I just don't want him to get any sicker, you know?

Confessions

2011-11-22T07:20:00.018-05:00

*I'm ashamed I haven't written a single thank you note since Theodore was born. Theodore was born nearly two months ago. I was really great at writing thank you's before he was born. I would write them as soon as I opened a gift. After my showers? All my thank you notes were written and addressed that night. It's not that I'm not greatful for the gifts anymore, but when I get a few minutes to myself when I'm not nursing, doing dishes, soothing a fussy baby, switching laundry, I usually sit down and read or blog or something. I just need to make a time when Jon's home and take myself to another room and write those dang notes!!

*Nearly everyday I stay in my pajama's or sweats all.day.long. If Jon's lucky I'll put on a clean t-shirt before he gets home. I need to get better about trying to get dressed at least a few times a week.

*I didn't join Weight Watchers when I said I was going to. We had a few unexpected expenses come up and it's out of the budget for awhile, again. In fact, as I write this, I'm currently eating a Reese's cup. Don't Judge! After New Years I'll start being more careful. Pinky Promise!

*Theodore goes in for his two month appointment next week (two!months! Where does the time go!?), and I have to admit that I'm not 100% sure what we're going to do about vaccinations yet. I know we're not going to not vaccinate at all, but I'm not really comfortable with him getting so many all at once. I think we'll talk to the doctor about doing a more spread out schedule.

*I had a few more things to confess, but the baby is waking up, so I have to end this here!

Way To Go, Taylor!

2011-11-21T07:29:00.012-05:00

Last night I watched 60 Minutes while I was rocking Theodore to sleep, and I was really, really impressed with Taylor Swift's interview.

It's no secret around here that I love me some country music. One of the main reasons is that for the most part, country music doesn't have offensive lyrics, and country music artists are usually scandal-free. Plus, the music is super fun to listen to and sing along with. And it's super emotional and makes me cry. Although, let's be honest, that's not hard to do... :)

Taylor said something that I was really proud of. ~~(And may or may not have brought a few tears to my eyes, but you didn't hear it from me... )~~ When she was asked if she knew that she was a role model, she said (and I'm paraphrasing...) that she did know, and she felt it was her responsibility to know. She said that because her music is on the radio and young girls are listening to her music, she is helping to "raise" these children, so she needs to be conscious of what her lyrics say and what they imply. Heck yes, Taylor!

I really think she is a wonderful role model for young girls and young women. She doesn't constantly have different boyfriends, she writes songs that are fun, but not full of vulgarity. And, when things have gone bad for her (Kanye West, anyone...?), she handles it with grace and dignity. She doesn't put others down even when they've wronged her. (Although, if you hurt her feelings, watch out, or you'll end up in her next song.. :) )

Taylor Swift is someone I would love for my (God-willing) future daughters to look up to. Jon and I are going to be careful about who (and what) we expose our children to, and I would have no problem buying Taylor's music, or taking young girls to her concerts. It's so refreshing to see someone who is so, so popular standing by her convictions and knowing that everything she does is being looked at and so she makes a conscious effort to be a good role model.

Keep up the good work, Taylor!

PS.. As I was writing this post I was listening to my *NSYNC Holiday station on Pandora, and the song that came on after I hit publish? Taylor Swift's Last Christmas.... I've been listening to this station for a few days and she's never come up on it... Coincidence? Or does Pandora somehow creepily know that I just wrote a whole post declaring my love for Taylor....? Kind of creepy either way...

First Pictures in Manual Mode

2011-11-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

After I had Theodore I decided I would finally try and learn to shoot with my camera on manual mode. So, what did I do to start? Scour the internet and blog world, of course!

I somehow came across the blog Click It Up A Notch, and YOU GUYS! I think I'm finally starting to "get" manual mode. I've read numerous websites, my manual, a few books, and nothing really "clicked" (hahahahaha, no pun intended, but I really do crack myself up... :) ) until I started reading a bunch of different posts on Click It Up A Notch.

So, with that said, here are a few pictures I took using my camera on manual mode for the first time! These were taken in our bathroom and bedroom, so no natural light, and I haven't done any "post processing", so don't judge me too harshly! I think they turned out pretty good for being my first time on manual. I'm pretty proud, at least! :)

Please ignore me in the mirror in these pictures... :) And maybe I'm a mean mommy, but I think pictures of him crying are just TOO CUTE! :)

Also, what happened to my little baby?! He looks SO BIG in these pictures... And he's not even two months old yet! His growing better slow.the.heck.down!

What's Your Go To "Company" Food?

2011-11-14T07:50:00.014-05:00

Friday night Jon and I had another couple over for dinner that we met back in September right before Theodore was born.

I never know what to make when people come over, and since I'm notorious for not being able to make decisions (I think it stems from my major insecurities and self consciousness, I'm afraid people won't like me if I pick the "wrong" thing), so I always have Jon pick what he wants me to make. And he always picks the same thing.... Pizza.

I mean, don't get me wrong, I make some fabulous pizza. Our new favorite is chicken pesto pizza. And it's easy. And cheap! I buy WalMart's brand of what we call "pizza in a pouch". It's a pouch of flour, yeast, etc. that all you have to do is add water to, and Ta-Da! You have fabulous homemade pizza dough! And it's only about 40 cents a pouch. What a deal!

Anyways, I always feel weird making the same thing for dinner whenever we have people over, even if it's people we haven't had over before. I'm always afraid to try a brand new recipe out on guests, because Ohmygosh, what if it turns out terrible and they judge me and then hate me!!!!! But really, that's what goes through my head. I know, I'm a weirdo.

We love having people over, I just wish I had a better selection of "company" food. Sooooo, tell me, what do you serve when you have guests? Do you serve the same thing all the time like me? Do you have a few "go-to" recipes you use? Do you try something new? I always want to make something "fun", too. Like, I would feel weird serving spaghetti, or meatloaf, you know?

Cloth Diapering Help!

2011-11-08T09:21:00.003-05:00

We've been using our cloth diapers since Theodore's cord fell off when he was about two weeks old and we LOVE them! When he was in disposables he had a perpetual diaper rash and he needed to be changed like every hour or more. We went through two and half packs of diapers in just two weeks. I'm pretty sure our 10 cloth have already paid for themselves, by the way....

We use Rumparooz One Size (they really did fit at 8 pounds! :) ), and we love them! They're super easy, and super absorbent. We were using Tide detergent, but recently switched to Gain because the store was all out of original Tide when we were out of detergent. Both Tide and Gain are recommended on Rumparooz's website.

Anyways, everything was fine and dandy until about a week ago. We have ONE diaper that ALWAYS leaks. It leaks out the top, and the front where the snaps are is always soaked, too. Anyone have any suggestions as to what might be going on? I wash it with all the other diapers, and I've even examined it to see if there are any holes or anything. I'm not sure what is going on with it. Plus, it's the ONLY diaper we have in two colors so I never know which one it is until AFTER both Theodore and I are soaked in pee. Ugh!

Warning, if you don't want to read about baby poop, skip the next paragraph... :)

Another thing, he's been pooping a LOT, like 4 or 5 times a day, and he's had a diaper rash for a couple days. He's poop has also been kind of green, so I'm thinking the rash is probably from that. This morning though his poop was back to normal, so I don't think he's sick or anything. I know I can't use creams in his cloth diapers, and I don't want to put him in disposables to use the cream because he gets rashes just from the disposables. Any suggestions? Should I just wait it out a day and see if it gets better? It doesn't seem to bother him, he doesn't fuss or anything when I change him diaper and wipe him up. Do you think the rash could be from changing detergent?

So, in summary, what to do about my ONE leaky diaper, and should I do something about his diaper rash, or wait to see if it clears up on his own?