Saturday, June 30, 2012

2 months


We can not believe we are parents to a 2 month old!  Time flies, and we are trying to soak up every wonderful second we have.  Every day our love grows stronger and stronger for this beautiful boy.

Here are some stats:

-We are still breastfeeding, though we occasionally supplement a bottle of formula (maybe once or twice a week as needed).  We both love this time together and it has gotten a lot easier for me, though it is still very time consuming.  My goal is to at least make it until he is 4 months old. I estimate that he eats about 4oz per sitting.

-Baylor is so much more alert and active. He began to laugh out loud at 7 weeks old! So far I am the only one who can make him laugh and it melts my heart every time he does this.  From what I have read, this is very advanced.  He loves to coo and talk and will have a conversation with you.  He smiles all the time and is overall a happy baby.

-Baylor sleeps about 8-9 hour stretches at night, which mommy and daddy love!! Even then, he usually eats and immediately goes back to sleep for another hour or two.  He only takes a few short naps during the day which only last about 20-30 mins.

-Baylor wears size 3 month clothes now. I think he weighs 12lbs or more.

-He is wearing size 1 diapers

-Baylor went through a week or so of having baby acne but it has cleared up.  We went to the doctor and she diagnosed him with baby excema which is very common.  This has mostly cleared up also, for now.  He has very sensitive skin!  We have to wash everything in baby detergent.

-I have one more week of being at home and then I return to work.  Matt is taking a week off work and will watch Baylor the first week I go back. He will then start going to Jefferson Christian Academy for day care.  I am soooo sad to leave him, not because I am worried about whoever is watching him, but just the fact that I won't be able to spend my whole day with him.  I really think it will be good for us though in the long run, but it will definitely be hard.   

Overall I can't stress how much I LOVE this baby and have loved being his mommy. We are so so blessed.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Let's Talk Numbers

When I became pregnant, I knew I would gain weight. I was basically trying to work out often and crossing fingers that the scale didn't go up too much and the weight stayed mostly in the belly region. I do think I got lucky, because I definitely didn't eat as healthy as I should have, and I did tend to gain mostly in the stomach. However, I did gain a total of 34lbs at the time I had Baylor. Which was great and led me to have a healthy baby.

But now that means that weight must come off.

I have always heard about breastfeeding and "oh how quickly the weight will fall off if you do it" or how you "burn 1600 calories per day!". Truth is, I think breastfeeding helps, but the experience as related to weight loss differs from woman to woman.

After having such a big belly, once I delivered Baylor I thought almost immediately I was looking good. I mean, a little bump sure is better than the big one I was toting around at 39 weeks! I was eager to weigh myself a mere 2-3 days after having him, while I was still in the hospital. To my dismay I had at that time only lost 10lbs. "But 10lbs?!" I thought, the baby weighed almost 9! What gives!?

Luckily, by about 2 weeks post-delivery I was down almost all of my weight. I had lost about 26lbs and the weight was pretty much falling off like everyone had said. But then I hit a plateau. I didn't think much about it and just figured that since I only had about 8lbs to go that it would just be more gradual than the other lbs that had come off so quickly. 

So I waited, a few weeks. And waited some more. I lost another pound. That's it.

Alright, so yes, I know I am probably talking crazy because as I type this Baylor has just turned 8 weeks old, but I want my old body back! And I want it back ASAP! I have also read that when you are breastfeeding, your body may hold onto the last 5lbs or so as almost an emergency energy reserve. But I can't let that be an excuse! I gotta fit back into my clothes. Comfortably!

At 4 weeks post pardom my doctor gave me the okay to work out. I ran a few times, up to even about 3 miles. I still wasn't seeing any weight loss, but I wasn't really eating well either.

So I have now stepped it up. I have started doing Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred, which I have used in the past and loved. And I am running about 1 mile 3-4 times on top of that. I have started to count my calories.  I heard that exercise and cutting calories could effect my milk supply, but so far I haven't noticed any issues (fingers crossed). I have lost another 2lbs with a total of about 5 to go before I will be content.

I know this is all vain to talk about, but it is important for me to be honest with how I feel. And I do like the way I look now and feel great, I just want to be back 100% to my old self. And if that only takes losing 5 more lbs, than I can do that easily. Hopefully.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Must haves for new moms

As a first time mom, I had no clue what I would really need or use with our first baby. There are tons and tons of baby stuff and I had no clue where to begin with what to register for or buy. Thankfully, I have lots of mother friends who were more than willing to give advice on what baby stuff is necessary, and what is just not needed. Now that Baylor is 7 weeks old, I feel that I have a good grasp on what we really needed and couldn't live without, and others that we don't use as much. So, for other first time mothers or mothers to be, here are my recommendations for what baby loves and what I think is a must-have.

-Burp Cloths-- I can't have enough of these. I need one in every room, and in the mornings I just do a round and pick them all up to put in the laundry basket. Baylor is a frequent spitter-upper, and these definitely are needed constantly.  I recommend others, when over, to wear one on their shoulders if they are holding him! You can never have enough burp cloths, seriously. I also recommend the bigger the better, and the thicker the better. I personally like the plain ones for around the house because the cute monogrammed ones are not as flexible and soft (but are super cute to have in the diaper bag so others can see how cute and fashionable of a mother you are;) ).

-Paci's-- I was told not to give a baby a bottle or paci for the first month if you are breastfeeding to avoid nipple confusion. That lasted about 1 day.... when we were in the hospital and the nurse gave him a paci and he immediately calmed down and passed out. He has not had any nipple confusion and I am soo thankful we tried the paci. It is amazing how quickly it can calm him down or put him to sleep. I recommend the Soothie brand because they are shaped straight like a nipple instead of the older-school kind that are curved and have a flat part (which our lactation consultant told us could possibly make the baby start sucking you nipple like that curved paci, ummm no thanks.)



I love my paci
 -Recieving and swaddle blankets--these are like the bibbs. You can't have enough of them. I have several in my diaper bag, one usually in the living room, and one in the bedroom. I really like the Aden and Anais swaddle blanket which I use at night when I swaddle him in a double swaddle. The double swaddle by the way has been the key to getting him to sleep through the night, which he has been doing for the past few weeks! Look it up on youtube, and you can learn how easy it is to do and how wonderfully it works!

In my double swaddle

-Play Mat-- We have two play mat's and Baylor loves to alternate between the two. Even at just a few weeks old, he would love to sit and stare at all the neat suff hanging from the bars. The Baby Einstein one we have plays music and lights up, which he enjoys looking at. We also have the Fisher Price one he can kick and he has begun to like that best as he has gotten a bit older. These are great toys to keep the baby entertained.  
On his Baby Einstein play mat
 -Nap Nanny--This is a Godsend. Baylor loves to chill out in it and sleep in it at night. It is light and we can easily move it from room to room to lay him in. I have several friends who's babies would only sleep well in this, that I haven't even tried letting Baylor sleep anywhere else! Hopefully this doesn't bite me in the butt later when we are transitioning him to his crib....Anyways, everyone jokes it is really expensive and looks like a big recliner so whats the big deal? But it is great, I promise.

-Our Angelcare video monitor--We love this monitor! It is touch screen and easy to use. It shows the temperature of the room which I like because you are supposed to have the room a certain temp at night to help lower SIDS risk. It also has a mat which monitors his breathing and will have an alarm go off if he stops for 20 seconds. We haven't used the mat yet, since he isn't in his crib. However, I know it will give a great peace of mind for us when he is sleeping in his crib in the other room.

Here's our setup at night:

Baylor sleeps in the top part of his pack and play (it is raised higher for the 'bassinet' part) in his nap nanny. He faces the door and is next to my side of the bed. The Angelcare videocamera part is facing him (you can see it in this pic-the white angel looking monitor sitting in the side/front of the pack and play). Next to the bed is the video part of the monitor, so I can see what he is doing even though he faces away from me, while I am in bed. The way he sleeps, he is actually laying inside of the pack and play, so either way he faces (if he were to face me) I still couldn't actually see him unless I sat up and peeked in, so that's why we use the video camera even though he is right next to me.

My view standing up by my side of the bed

my view laying down in bed...looking at the monitor. Its' really bright so I don't have it on the nightstand
-Swings and vibrating chairs--Baylor loves both of these and they are always a great way to put him to sleep or put him down for a few minutes while he is still entertained. We have smaller space saving ones, which are easy to move into different rooms as needed. I definitely recommend  these!

-Zip up sleepers and gowns--The key here is zip up!! The sleepers with buttons are no fun to work in the middle of the night when you are sleep deprived. The gowns are even easier to put on the baby to sleep in, no buttons or zippers!

-Pampers Swaddlers--When it comes to diapers, you don't want to make the mistake of going cheap. Every mother I know would agree Pampers (esp the swaddlers) are the best and are worth the extra money

-Boppy or Brest Friend for nursing moms--If you are nursing, I highly recommend either of these to make your life easier. I have a Boppy, but since reading reviews of the Brest Friend vs Boppy, think I would have prefered the Brest Friend.  The Boppy sits low and I have to lean down to use it. From what I hear, the Brest Friend snaps in place, enabling it to sit higher so the baby is up higher, closer to your breast.

-Medela Pump in style--If you are breast feeding, you will want a pump, and this is one of the best, in my opinion. I love it!


Okay, I am going to stop myself here! I'm sure there are tons more items I could recommend but these are the most necessary for us! Hope this helps any new moms-to-be get an idea of what may be useful for them to adjust to life with a newborn.

LOVE

We finally recieved our newborn photos and I must admit they were well worth the wait. I am so in love with our little man and these photos of him. These are a few of my favorites. Enjoy!







Saturday, June 2, 2012

Few words, lots of pictures

Baby wearing is ESSENTIAL... what a wonderful invention!

Getting ready for the pool on Memorial Day

Love cuddling with daddy

Lookin cute on my vibrating chair

Starting to really like baths

Happy Memorial Day yall!

Fun with friends at the pool