Current Obsessions -- Baby Edition

You know when your baby is so tired, but won't sleep, no matter what?  It happens after you've already fed, changed, burped, swaddled, read a story, and rocked her.  Ugh.  I finally won, just a few minutes ago, by pulling out one of my secret weapons -- Gripe Water, one of my always-on-hand must-have items.  It got me thinking about the new things in my life that have become staples, thanks to Baby.  So here's my list, as of today.  Right this minute.  (Totally subject to change. With or without notice.)

1.  Gripe Water

This works wonders for upset tummies, and also provides a distraction to a focused crier, like my daughter.  When she gets so worked up that NOTHING can calm her down, we give her just a few drops to distract her and bring her back to Earth. 

2.  Sound Machine

We use this sound machine every day -- it drowns out household noise, passing cars, and barking dogs.  It doesn't put my baby to sleep, but it keeps her that way for longer. 

3.  Skip Hop Diaper Bag

This is the exact one I have, and love.  It's sturdy, has tons of pockets, and holds everything I need and then some.  Since your diaper bag becomes a purse for mom, too, it was important that I like the way it looks.  And since Daddy carries the diaper bag too, it couldn't be too feminine.  I'd buy this again in a heartbeat.

4.  Nikon 50-mm 1.4

Best lens ever!  I mean, look at the pictures I get with it:

Please note, I did NOT edit this photo just so I could demonstrate the awesomeness of my fave lens.  I must also give a shout out to Becky with Becky Williams Photography who taught me how to shoot on Manual mode!  Isn't this beautiful?  I am truly obsessed with this lens.

5.  Schwing! (Wayne's World pun, if you missed it.)

But seriously, this is the one I mean:

My swing was a gift from a friend, and it's fantastic -- how did we survive a day without it?  Bonus that it plugs into the wall, but still has the option for battery use.  And when the motor needed replacing, Fisher Price customer service sent one without hesitation. 

6.  Bottle Drying Rack (with Flower, please!)

Boon Inc. makes this uh-maze-ing "Grass" drying rack, and just this April released the "Stem" flower attachment to go with it.  I figure I'll be looking at this everyday, so why shouldn't it be super cute?

7.  City Mini Baby Jogger Stroller

I love my stroller!  It sets up and collapses (and steers!) with one hand.  I should post a video of how stinkin' easy this thing is.  Thanks to our dear friends Patrick and Melissa for recommending it!

8.  Bunting

I love it!  I want to make some for Piper's room SO bad, but I just haven't gotten to it.  But when I do, be ready!!!

I know that every mom has her own special list of must-haves, and this doesn't cover it all, but I am certifiably obsessed with this list! 

Mom Enough?

I came across this article in Time magazine today.  To be more specific, I came across it as a link in an email sent to me by my mother with this subject line:

FW:  thirsty?

I bet most new moms with access to Google have heard of Dr. Bill Sears, the hippie-esque guru who promotes co-sleeping, baby wearing, and (most socially awkward of these) extended breastfeeding.  Sorry if any hippies are offended, but if you're a real hippie, you're not supposed to be reading a blog.  The article in Time follows women's decisions to breastfeed for extended time -- even breastfeeding beyond three years.  Some women argue that this way is "natural" (which is what Alicia Silverstone said about pre-chewing her food for her baby), but society begs to differ.  True, it may not always be this way, but these rogue mothers are really just drawing attention to themselves, not their cause.

Are these women showing off?  Are they proud?  Perhaps.  I can't help but wonder if they aren't really proud, but anxious about moving on.  When I found out I was pregnant, there was a sudden and overwhelming social pressure to breastfeed, both from women like those in the above article, and from nurses or doctors.  I was totally on board.  But as I always say, if you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans. 

Regardless of my intentions, I am a person of defects (shocking, I know).  When Piper was six weeks old, she was miserable every day.  I had no idea what to do, and felt like it was my fault.  My suspicion that she wasn't breastfeeding successfully came true -- at six weeks old, she was still smaller than she was at birth.  The problem was me.  I began pumping breastmilk to fortify and supplement, but only had around 6 ounces a day.  She needed twenty-four ounces or more.  

Three doctors, four lactation consultants, and dozens of unsolicited advisers later, the problem had only gotten worse.  I was hanging onto a glimmer of hope that, if I only tried this or that home remedy, it would get better.  The four or more hours I spent attached to a pump each day was time I could have been spending with my baby, or talking with my husband, or exercising and being healthy.  When prompted by my husband, I finally admitted that I was putting myself through hell because I was afraid of admitting my defectiveness.  If I couldn't succeed at the most basic child-rearing act, how in the world could I ever make it as a mother?  And I needed to be needed by her.  Weeks of making myself miserable ended in a deflated shell of a woman. 

Now, Piper is a formula fed baby.  I know I am doing right by my baby, regardless of what the critics think.  And most importantly, I know that she will still need me.  So maybe the women who breastfeed their kindergartners are afraid of the same thing I was.  They are afraid that they won't have the connection with their child that they once did, or that giving up this special ability makes them less of a mother.  Or maybe they really feel like their five-year old still needs breastmilk (less likely). 

As my sweet baby girl is getting bigger and more beautiful everyday, I know one thing for sure -- the days are long, but the months are so short.  Hanging onto a thread of infancy isn't a bad thing, but don't let it delay the future.  Tomorrow is such a beautiful thing.

My happy, healthy, beautiful 3-month old

What You Really Need to Have a Baby

Congratulations to all of the women who, with their full term babies and lack of procrastination, had time to stock up on all the wonderful things that ease the tumult of bringing home baby.  I am not that woman.  And it's probably my fault.  When our stork delivered 5 weeks early, we found ourselves scraping together the bare necessities. 

The Necessities List:

1. Newborn Diapers -- they fit babies up to 10 pounds, so chances are you'll need them for a while before the size 1 diapers you probably got at your baby shower.  I preferred the Huggies brand, because the umbilical cord notch seemed deeper and less irritating.  Or maybe it was the Winnie the Pooh design.
2.  Wipes -- for obvious reasons.
3.  Car Seat -- we didn't like the one we had, and ended up replacing it later.  Hint: get a car seat with straps that tighten from the front. 
4.  Sleeper -- for us, it was a Rock-and-Play Sleeper.  It was great to have her right next to the bed for frequent late night feedings.  A pack-n-play, crib, or bassinet would work too.  On a personal note, I am a huge fan of NOT bed sharing. 
5.  Newborn Pajamas -- Oh, how I have learned to LOVE the zipper over the snaps.
6.  Burp cloths -- to wipe up everything that oozes or spurts from your newborn.  They can even double as baby washcloths, since that first bath won't happen for a while.

That's it.  (Unless you're formula feeding, which I didn't at first.) And if we had been REALLY pressed, I bet we could have pared the list down even further. 

I think it's just as important to notice what's NOT on the list.  There are things that are wonderful to have, but not necessary.  We owned ZERO of the following niceties on the day Piper came home.

The Niceties List:

1.  Receiving Blankets -- you'll get some generic ones at the hospital.  Upgrade later if you please.  We splurged on Aden+Anais blankets, and they rock.
2.  Camera -- we didn't bring one to the hospital, but now the little one stays in the diaper bag.  You never know when the cuteness will strike!
3.  Diaper bag -- you don't really need this until you are ready to leave the house, so you could, if you need to, wait a while to get one put together.  That said, I L-O-V-E my SkipHop diaper bag.
4.  Lotions and Potions -- at 12 weeks old, I have yet to use diaper cream.  I have rarely used Aquaphor, and even though I use baby lotion on Piper daily, we had some from the hospital at first.
5.  Formula -- even if you're breastfeeding.  Imagine this:  your in-laws come to town right after the baby arrives, and it's stressful.  Stressful enough to inhibit breastfeeding.  Don't be that parent who thought it would never happen to them, who is then stuck driving to Walgreen's at 2 am. 
6.  Cute outfits -- you won't need them until picture time, which is probably not in the first week or so.  They certainly have their place, but the car ride home from the hospital isn't it.
7.  Comfy Clothes for Mom -- nothing fit when I got home.  But your baby won't care if you wear sweat pants and Daddy's t-shirts.
8.  Baby Grooming -- like nail clippers.  You won't need them at first, and if you're careful, regular clippers work fine.  Same with a comb or brush.
9.  Nursing pillow -- the Boppy is great, but just as frequently I use the throw pillows on the couch or the bed pillows. 
10.  Swing or Bouncer-- an absolute necessity in the next few weeks, but at the very beginning, babies are pretty flexible.  They don't spend enough time awake to care where they're napping, so their sleeper is fine.
11.  Baby monitor -- you only need this if you're going to be in a different room than your baby, which I found impossible in the first week or two.
12.  Gas Relief -- like Mylicon or Gripe Water.  Sometimes you just need a little something extra to settle their tiny tummies.  Cool tip from my mom and dad -- Mylicon in the bottle eliminates all the bubbles from shaking up formula.

So for the first week, I think that's it.  What did I forget?  What was your newborn necessity?

Hello, again :)

Yes, I know it's been too long.  And I know I've missed Christmas, New Year's, celebrating the announcement of an upcoming nephew (BTW, congrats to my brother and his wife!), my father's birthday, my husband's selection for promotion, and a million other things.  This, I hope, will explain my reticence:

Welcome, Sweet Baby Girl! This is the happy ending to the quick and surprising birth story.

Piper arrived February 4, 2012 at 11:51 in the morning, weighing 6 pounds 2 ounces, measuring 19.5 inches tall.  Her arrival, while long anticipated, really snuck up on us!  She made her debut 5 weeks earlier than expected, and with very little warning.

(Now, I think it's worthwhile to mention that, prior to Piper's birthday, I had been climbing around 20 flights of stairs each day since I didn't have my own classroom at school, and that I carried a backpack, and that I had been expected to help put on our school's science fair.  So I probably should have expected the following.)

On February 3rd, I had a doctors appointment -- after the exam, my very soft-spoken and non-emotive doctor asked "So, how are you? Are you feeling okay?"

My initial response was to look directly at my hubby -- am I showing signs of depression or something?  Is something wrong with the baby's heartbeat?  What could he be talking about?  I told him I felt fine, great in fact.  I'd been energetic, happy, eating healthy, and very active.  "Well," he continued, "you're dilated to 5 or 6 centimeters".  WHAT?! 

I'd basically been in labor --  and didn't know it.  After assuring me that wasn't kidding ("I wouldn't joke about THIS"), we discussed it, and convinced my doctor to let me leave the hospital instead of going directly to Labor and Delivery.  We didn't have anything we'd need, not even a crib mattress, sheet for the pack-n-play, newborn diapers... The car seat wasn't even installed!  After assigning me to bedrest, scheduling me for his first appointment Monday, and assuring me that he expected to see me in the hospital before the weekend ended, we anxiously left.  I tied up loose ends at work, made a run to Target for those necessary items we'd be needing sooner than we planned, and grabbed some dinner (all done in a certain state of apprehension, I might add). 

Sure enough, I woke up the next morning much earlier than planned, woke my husband with me, and headed to the hospital.  Five hours later, I met my sweet baby girl.  Best surprise I've ever had. 

One precious week old!