Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Summer = Bathing Suite Shopping

Ah the horrors.  Pre baby I felt totally comfortable walking around in my two pieces.  Post baby...I'd like to not even show up in a bathing suit period!  My thighs are such great friends with each other right now they like to hug each other as they pass by.  I have stretch marks on the outside of my thigh/hip area where I gained weight with Dayne.  Not to mention the stretch marks that slash down from my belly button to the neither regions.  I also have a flab of fat that I can easily grab a handful of - it jiggles when I run.  *shudders*

So for those reasons alone - my bikinis will not see the light of day this summer.  I went to Old N.avy to try on a few tankinis and one pieces to help hide the tummy area at the very least.  I took one look at myself in the mirror, took the suite off and walked back out to grab sports bras.  This is not going to happen - I am not going to let this weight settle and get comfortable with "well this is how I am now."

I've been walking with a girlfriend a few days a week and that has resulted in a little weight loss - I actually zipped up my "fat fat" jeans the other day.  They were tight in the thigh area BUT they did zip up without me having to hold my breath and lay on the bed with a wire hanger.  I see that as progress.

So in honor of my spiffy new sports bra - I signed up for Zu.mba classes at the local yoga studio.  I'll do it night a week with friends and hopefully see the weight come off a bit quicker than what walking is yielding.  I'll still walk - that I can do with Dayne - this one night a week will be a night for me.  Jason will watch Dayne and I get to go hopefully laugh and have fun while shaking the weight off.

In the meantime - I still need to find a bathing suite (and a great cover up) that I can use this summer.  My friend suggested I splurge a little and go buy something nice that I feel great in and that covers my trouble areas.  I usually buy from Tar.get, Old Na.vy and Vic.toria's Sec.ret - but maybe I'll spend some extra $$$ on a suite that really fits right and makes me feel good while I'm trying to get back to where I was prior to Dayne.  Suggestions?

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Three Months

Dear Dayne,

Just typing out the title of this post made me tear up a little - I cannot believe you are three months already.  It reminds me of my pregnancy - there were times I felt like I was pregnant forever and other times it felt like I had just found out yesterday.  The same goes for you on the outside - it seems like you were just born yesterday and other times it seems strange to remember life without you in it.

This month brought on a lot of new things for you - and me!  It started off with my first Mother's Day - which was amazing.  You & Dad bought me a necklace with a Pandora charm of your birthstone.  We went on a walk at the nature preserve while Dad & Uncle Derek ran laps.  Mom's not doing much running these days - I can't with you in the stroller and even if I go solo I know I'll want to drop dead about 1/4 mile into it.  But I know this baby weight isn't going to lose itself.  More on that in another post.

You have become so much more alert (didn't think that was possible) and active this month.  You are awake more than you're asleep.  You are a morning person through & through.  We have to rouse you during the week when we're getting ready for work but once you're up you are all smiles and babbles.  I love to listen to you "talk" - you don't know the joy I get from hearing you go on and on about anything & everything.


Your smiles are the most rewarding thing in my life - to see your face light up when we see me and a smile take over will cause me to do anything you want.  I'm in some serious trouble later in life!  Truthfully, even your cries - which sometimes make me go crazy when I can't calm them - make my heart flutter.  You are leaning against me and asking me to comfort you.  I love knowing that sometimes all you want is mom, that mom knows, mom understands.


Your tummy time has paid off - you can lift your head up and check out your surroundings.  You give a squeal of delight when you do it too - bragging that you've mastered yet another milestone.  Also - the big milestone you reached this month - rolling over!  That moment will forever be etched in my memory.  You were on your activity mat rolling to your side, you had been able to roll from your back to your side since about one month.  Last month you were able to roll from your back to your tummy but you couldn't get your arm out from under you which made you more than a little cranky.  But I watched you roll from your back, to your side, to your tummy and then you moved your arm out of the way, pushed yourself up with your arms and looked around.  When you saw me grinning and squealing like a darn fool you joined in on the fun - pretty proud of yourself.

I look forward to each new milestone you reach - these past three months have been full of hard work, sleepless nights and tears (by both you & me) but it's all paying off.  Seeing you healthy, happy & thriving in the greatest reward.

Love,
Mommy

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

2 Years of Bliss

Well maybe not bliss - we have to be realistic here.  Jason & I have had our fair share of arguments and glares at each other but more often than not - we're two pretty content people.  Two years ago yesterday I said "I will" to Jason in front of our closest family & friends in a beautiful ceremony.  We had no idea what the next year would have in store for us.  Between trouble TTC, the loss of his grandmother, losing our first pregnancy, Jason losing his job and then finding out we were expecting again - time tested our bond.  But each hurdle we sailed over brought us closer together.  Jason & I know we have each others back.  No matter what life throws at us we go up to bat as a couple and know we can face it together.


Last year we went on a trip for our anniversary - it was a great move on our part.  We had been both been getting a little unsettled at how not easy it was TTC.  We needed to step away from the charting, temping and scheduled baby making to focus on us and our marriage.  Yes we wanted a baby but more than that - we needed each other.  Two weeks later we found out Jason had lost his job and that second line appeared on the HPT.  Tears of joy & sorrow were shed at the same time.  But yesterday my mother in law sent Jason & I a picture of Dayne - she watches him while we are both at work - and it reminded me of our journey and how far we've come.


(Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad)

Life is a fantastic ride and the tears only pave the road for joy & laughter. 

Star Wars

I admit - prior to meeting Jason I rolled my eyes at any mention of Star Wars.  I just didn't get it.  We had been dating for a while when the next installment of Star Wars had come out and Jason was thrilled to go see it in the theater.  I told him I had never seen the movies before - he stared at me like I had grown another head then vowed to change that.

He pulled out the DVD's of the earlier releases and we had a Star Wars marathon.  I was quickly drawn in and now I've seen all the movies several times.  Each time I watch it I grab something more from the story line I missed previously.  When we had Dayne, Jason started dreaming about finally owning (through Dayne of course) the At-At from Star Wars.  Not the small action figure - the giant toy that costs upwards of $100 or more.

So when I saw these adorable onesies in  Sandbox Clothing Etsy shop - I knew I had to have them for Dayne...and for Jason.  And yeah, kinda for myself too.



For $12 a onesie I thought it was pretty affordable!  Shipping took a bit longer than I had hopped - from the time I ordered it to the time I received it two weeks had gone by but there was a holiday weekend in there too so things may be faster during the standard week.  I was very impressed with the quality of the onesies.  These aren't lightweight onesies - they're made with 100% Cotton - 6.4 oz Interlock Ringspun.  (heavy duty stuff meant to last the test of time)  The graphics aren't handpress or heat transfers - they actually print the graphic on the onesie in order to last through many washes and to remain soft.

I washed both prior to putting Dayne in them and felt they washed well.  The onesie are a little small for the sizes given - I ordered a 3-6 month size - Dayne is currently wearing 0-3 and inching closer to 3-6 every day for length.  These fit him snuggly length wise, width wise it's perfect.  Dayne is a long kid though - but I had hoped that a size 3-6 would have lasted longer than I feel these will.  I have a feeling he'll only get a few wears out of them before they're too small.  I would order a size larger than you believe you will need.

Until he can tell us otherwise - I'm enjoying dictating his cute wardrobe.  

Monday, May 9, 2011

Two Months

Dear Dayne

To my shock you have been in our life for two months already.  It seems like time is flying by and I'm grasping at each moment before it slips out of my fingers.  You are getting so big and showing us your personality more and more each day.  You are a morning person, when you get up you're full of smiles and coos.  Mom & Dad may not be morning people, at least what you consider morning, but we're learning.  It's hard to be upset when you wake us up at 6 AM on a weekend with coos and babbles then smile at us when we peek into the bassinet.  We have learned to have a family nap time on days like that. 

I think you are the cutest little boy on this planet, I'm biased because I'm your mom but family, friends & strangers agree that you are pretty darn adorable.  You're trying so hard to laugh, you test it out and it comes out more like a raspy cough but you're getting there.  You LOVE to smile at people and it usually results in them melting into a puddle of goo at the sight.  And you've mastered rolling over to your side.  I'm sure a complete roll is just around the corner. 

We find you many times with your three middle fingers in your mouth, you love to suck on them.  I think you've given up on your thumb and are pretty satisfied with the fingers or a pacifier.  You're up to 5-6 oz per feeding, you're growing like a weed!  Last week you gave us anywhere from 6-8 hours at night - this past weekend you went back to your 4-5 hour shifts.  But you're pretty good about falling right back to sleep after a feeding & a diaper change. 

You're in size 1 diapers finally - you surprised us by staying in newborn longer than we had thought but it seemed one night you just grew and anything with the word newborn in it no longer fit.  You're in the 0-3 clothing for length - you're getting chunkier but still not filling out the clothes width wise just yet.  You're getting better with your neck control, if we hold you upright over our shoulder you lift your neck up and swivel your head around checking everything out.  Tummy time though...you can stand it for a little bit and then you're fed up.  You'll either roll to your side or cry until we flip you to your back, where you prefer to be. 

We celebrated our first Mother's Day - you are the best gift I could have received, you are the reason I'm a mother in the first place.  But to top it off, you & dad bought me a hanging basket of flowers, some flowers to plant in our gardens and a Pandora necklace with your birthstone charm.  We went on a walk Mother's Day morning, I power walked around the nature center while you checked everything out as we zoomed by.  Every time a bird called your eyes would widen and you'd try to figure out where the sound came from. 

You follow our cat, Ani, around with your eyes now, she interests you much more.  You like to grab onto things whenever you can and bring them closer to you.  Everything goes into the mouth when you can manage to get it there.  With the amount of drool you're producing lately I think you're in the beginning phase of teething.  You love to fling your arms and legs around when you're happy, your whole body is in motion as you express your joy. 

You make me smile every day, you make me sigh in happiness with my blessing of you, I miss our yesterdays, I treasure our todays and I look forward to our tomorrows.  Having you in my life has brought me more joy than I thought was possible.  You show me the world through new eyes, you make getting up at 2 AM rewarding.  The reward is feeling the weight of you in my arms, the warmth of your breath as you coo on my neck and the sound of your contented sighs as you drift back to sleep.

I love you so much baby boy!
Love,
Mom

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Ozone Socks

I discovered Ozone Socks when I entered a sweepstakes to win two pair of my choice.  I was lucky enough to win, I was sent two beautiful pairs of socks.  This company was founded in 2000 by Laurie Mallet - who grew up in London, fashion capital of the world. She believed that socks were one of the untouched fashion areas and aimed to tap into that market.

Her companies socks are little pieces of artwork you are able to wear on your feet.  They're fun and quirky - something people will comment on when you take your shoes off.


I won the following:



I love the thickness of these socks, perfect for wearing every day shoes while running errands or hanging out.  They both had a cute cuff too - another artistic detail.  They washed well and I didn't notice any shrinkage either.  I'm loving that I get to throw these socks into my regular rotation with the other plain jane white socks I'm usually sporting. 

Monday, April 25, 2011

Munchkin BPA Free Formula Mixer

I laughed when I first saw it, I even commented to my friend who was with me "Why would your waste money on this?"

A formula mixer - instead of shaking the water and formula together you insert the mixer and it stirs everything in the bottle.  I rolled my eyes and moved forward.

Then our son was born and I found, like most moms, life doesn't go as planned.  Things you said you wouldn't do - you do.  Items you thought were important to have - aren't.  Things you laughed at - well, they're not so funny anymore.

That's where I found myself last week as I ran into the store to buy a formula mixer.  A formula mixer!  I brought it home and showed my husband who promptly rolled his eyes and gave me a look that said "Really?"

Let me explain what brought me to this moment.  I found that shaking the formula made a lot of air bubbles, those bubbles contributed to our sons screaming episodes as he tried to pass the gas those bubbles caused.  I also stared at the bottle in amazement an hour later after the bubbles had gone down and realized there was a good oz of formula left in there.  Maybe that is why he was so angry after the bottle was done, he was needing another oz and it was stuck in the bottle in the form of air bubbles.

I explained this to my husband and said "For $6 what is the harm in trying?  If it works - great, if it doesn't - no harm no foul!"

I used it for the first middle of the night feeding and was pleased to see very few air bubbles as a result.  I checked the bottle the next morning and noticed there wasn't a lot of formula left over either.  The next night I heard my husband in the kitchen making the bottle and heard the whir of the mixer, I had him on board.

We sent it with our son to my mother in laws house during the day to have her use it as well with his bottles to see if constant use brings down his gas issues. 

Pros:
  • Small enough to throw in the diaper bag to take with you on the go
  • The whisk detaches for easy cleaning
  • Mixes water and formula very quickly
  • If you warm the formula prior to mixing, the whisk will turn white if it's too hot for baby.
  • Priced very well.
Cons:
  • Awkward power button placement - it kind of makes your hand cramp up.
So my overall review?  They work fantastic with the Dr. Brown bottles as far as reducing the amount of air bubbles left over.  With Avent and the Nuk bottles - I didn't really notice that big of a difference in the amount of air bubbles caused from shaking vs. stirring.  Great addition if you're using Dr. Brown!  Otherwise - it's "eh" for me.  

    Thursday, April 21, 2011

    The NUK

    One of the best parts of being pregnant for the first time is registering for all the items you & baby will need.  When I decided to finally tackle this milestone I took it pretty seriously.  I asked questions in online forums, asked my mom friends, read magazines and books.  What was the best, the safest, the easiest?  I took my best friend with me to register instead of my husband.  She was a new mom herself and was able to help me navigate the aisles of the store.  Plus my husband really had no interest in registering.  I found that out when we were registering for our wedding shower after he sighed loudly for the fifth time and asked if we could just do this online? 

    As my friend & I approached the bottle wall I felt confident.  I had researched!  I knew which bottle I was going to add to our list.  I registered for the 4 oz and the 9 oz bottles and the extra nipples in the different flow types.  No need for explanation there, I was confident with the bottle choices.

    At my showers I received said bottles which I promptly took home and sterilized.  I cleared out a spot in our kitchen cabinet to store all of these bottles all the while dreaming of the sweet feeding times I'd share with my child any day now.

    Sometime later, after my son was born and we returned home from the hospital, after I admitted defeat in the quest to breastfeed (my supply was nil) I reached into the cabinet and pulled out a bottle.  I carefully filled it with water to the correct oz level, added my formula and stirred it together.  Finding a comfy spot on the couch with my son I tilted the bottle to his mouth and was horrified to see formula leaking out.  That stuff isn't cheap!

    I had to interrupt his feeding time much to his dismay (and mine as my eardrums were being pierced with hungry screams) to wipe up the mess and attempt to figure out why the bottle was leaking.  After a few different attempts to screw the top on differently I was finally able to feed him - minus the formula I had lost.  This would happen on and off for the next few weeks.  As you can imagine it made the middle of the night feedings all that much more fun. 

    Then through the mail one day I found out I had won a newborn NUK bottle set.  I sanitized them and brought them out for the next feeding.  My son & I both fell in love with them right away. 



    I have yet to have a single leak from their bottles in any feeding and they have this wonderful NUK® Air System that vents the bottle and reduces colic.  My son was very gassy with the other bottles and you could hear him gulping down air with each suck.  The nipple also allows him to latch on better whereas with the prior bottles he made a smacking noise with each motion.  Their orthondontic nipples promote healthy teeth formation and are shaped like mother's breast during feeding which makes them ideal for breastfeeding moms who switch from breast to bottle and back again. 

    I love them so much I ran out and bought more.  My best advice for moms registering for bottles - register for a few and see which one works best for you and your child.  I am now stuck with a ton of bottles I probably won't use and am replacing them with the NUK collection.