From Chief Little Butt
* Another photo compliments of my mom.
* Another photo compliments of my mom.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Finally Healthy...Again
One of the most heartbreaking things as a parent is to see your child suffer. Justin came down with pneumonia 2 weeks ago and boy did it come on fast! Monday he woke up with a slight cough that you wouldn't think much of. But, since I have asthma and Justin had bronchiolitis a few months ago, I had fears the cough would go into his lungs. The next day I was unfortunately right, and that night we ended up at an Immediate Care facility after he puked like he'd never puked before…at the AT&T store. :-) Good thing everything ended up on me, and not their brand new carpet or that would have been pretty embarrassing! After a chest x-ray and an RSV nose-swap (that was negative), they made the bacterial pneumonia diagnosis and had to give him simultaneous shots in both legs. Supposedly, it is a very painful shot and stings when entering the blood stream. I've never seen him scream so hard, and that was my first piercing of the heart. Over the next week I saw my usually happy, energetic boy start constantly wimpering in pain, turn sluggish, and was covered multiple times a day in every bodily fluid. His fever rarely dropped below 102, unless we gave him Motrin which he would immediate throw up. And the coughing would shake his whole body anytime he moved. The worst part was that he wasn't getting any better and the doctors disagreed on what the actual sickness was! But, a week later his fever just disappeared and we started him back on the nebulizer treatments for his lungs. A week after that he could finally breathe well (no more congestion or fluid in the lungs), could hold down food, and wasn't continuously filling his diaper! Yay! My wonderful mom watched him during that second week (since he wasn't allowed to go back to daycare yet), held him down to give him his nebulizer treatments, helped clean my house when he was napping, and even brought us dinners. What a huge help! Bill's parents were also wonderful in giving us breaks, especially when I had to work evenings and weekends to make up hours. It is soooooooo hard to go to work when you know you have a sick baby at home. It's hard even when he's healthy, but when he's sick and I can't be there to hold him and pretend that my love is going to make him better…that's the worst.
Now that those LONG 2 weeks are over, he's back to his regular self! His personality has returned, as well as his energy and he's as determined as ever to start walking. It's like he's trying to make up for lost time. He pulls himself up on my fingers and immediately starts taking steps…and then gets mad when I stop to give my back a break. :-)
Now that those LONG 2 weeks are over, he's back to his regular self! His personality has returned, as well as his energy and he's as determined as ever to start walking. It's like he's trying to make up for lost time. He pulls himself up on my fingers and immediately starts taking steps…and then gets mad when I stop to give my back a break. :-)
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Favorite Baby Items
There are so many baby items I've been thankful for over the past 9 months, and I just wanted to list some of my favorites for the other parents out there or for people looking to buy baby shower presents. Here they are!
1) Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier: www.babybjorn.com
This carrier is a life saver in airports, crowded areas (like museums and festivals), and stores with cramped aisles.
2) Kiddopotamus Bibbity Rinse and Roll Bib: http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_bib.php
Less laundry! Yay! This bib is made out of BPA-free plastic that can be easily rinsed clean in between feedings.
3) Evenflo 3-in-1 Exersaucer: http://www.evenflo.com/product.aspx?id=181&pfid=92
This exersaucer has entertained Justin for months. It transforms from tummy time, to before a child can stand on their own, to the walking stage.
4) Baby Einstein Seek & Discover Activity Gym: http://www.babyeinstein.com/en/products/product_explorer/?state=category
This is another item that has entertained Justin for months. It has bright, contrasting colors, a mirror, lights synchronized to music, a rattle, etc.
5) Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe: http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swad.php
This swaddler got us through Justin's first week home from the hospital. He wouldn't sleep unless he was swaddled tightly in this. It is made of soft fleece and is easily secured with velcro.
6) JJ Cole BundleMe: http://www.jjcoleusa.com/
This can be used until a child is 1 year old and easily straps onto an infant car seat. It acts as a jacket, so you don't have to go through the hassle of a real jacket.
7) Happy Heinys One Size Cloth Diapers: http://www.happyheinys.com/
I've posted about these before. A great money saver and easy to use and launder!
8) Nuby Nibbler: http://www.nuby.com/products/tableware/5360.aspx
This is great for food that may pose a choking hazard if eaten alone. You just put it inside the sock-like thing and it acts as a seive, so the baby only gets bite-sized pieces. Bananas and mangos are Justin's current favorites to eat in his Nibbler.
9) Sassy Aquatic Bobber: http://www.sassybaby.com/category?cattype=category&catid=23&productid=11&product=Aquatic%20Bobbers
These bath toys are so clever! They float, but if you push them down in the water they bubble. Then, when you lift them out of the water, it rains out of them. Justin also loves using the edges to teeth on, since they are made of a soft BPA-free plastic. They are also fun to shake, because they little animal in the middle is on a spring and jiggles.
10) Medela Advanced Pump In Style Breast Pump: www.medela.com
This extremely well made pump has allowed me to keep breastfeeding. This is not only wonderful for my son's health, but a huge money saver. Plus, the Medela bottles can attach to the pump so you can pump directly into them. So easy! Since I bought this pump, Medela came out with a new one...the Medela Freestyle. It costs a bit more than mine, but looks amazing.
11) Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags: http://www.lansinoh.com/index.php?src=directory&srctype=display&id=23&view=Products_detail
The Medela breastmilk bags are nice because you can pump directly into them. However, these Lansinoh bags are still my favorite! You can lay the bags flat in the freezer so they take up so much less space! And, they have a double zipper to protect your milk.
12) BabyTrend Snap N' Go: http://www.babytrend.com/products.php?CategoryID=0002.0004.0000.0000
This stroller is to be used with an infant car seat. The car seat snaps directly onto the stroller frame, which is super lightweight and takes up sooooo much less space than the regular strollers! It makes running errands with an infant a piece of cake.
13) Graco Jumpster Doorway Jumper: http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=8740JJB&subCatId=142
I think this has been Justin's absolute favorite toy! He's huge into jumping, and this jumper is easily to take off and put on.
14) Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster-Seat/dp/B0000DEW8N
We take this thing everywhere! Thanksgiving dinners, restaurants, etc. We know it's clean (well, at least we know who's been slobbering on it) and know Justin will have somewhere to sit while he eats.
Just a quick note...many of these items we bought used on Craigslist or Ebay and have still been thrilled with them. For example, the exersaucer costs over $120 brand new, but we were able to buy it for $30! It looked like it had barely been used, even though we found out 2 kids had grown out of it.
1) Baby Bjorn Baby Carrier: www.babybjorn.com
This carrier is a life saver in airports, crowded areas (like museums and festivals), and stores with cramped aisles.
2) Kiddopotamus Bibbity Rinse and Roll Bib: http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_bib.php
Less laundry! Yay! This bib is made out of BPA-free plastic that can be easily rinsed clean in between feedings.
3) Evenflo 3-in-1 Exersaucer: http://www.evenflo.com/product.aspx?id=181&pfid=92
This exersaucer has entertained Justin for months. It transforms from tummy time, to before a child can stand on their own, to the walking stage.
4) Baby Einstein Seek & Discover Activity Gym: http://www.babyeinstein.com/en/products/product_explorer/?state=category
This is another item that has entertained Justin for months. It has bright, contrasting colors, a mirror, lights synchronized to music, a rattle, etc.
5) Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe: http://www.kiddopotamus.com/p_swad.php
This swaddler got us through Justin's first week home from the hospital. He wouldn't sleep unless he was swaddled tightly in this. It is made of soft fleece and is easily secured with velcro.
6) JJ Cole BundleMe: http://www.jjcoleusa.com/
This can be used until a child is 1 year old and easily straps onto an infant car seat. It acts as a jacket, so you don't have to go through the hassle of a real jacket.
7) Happy Heinys One Size Cloth Diapers: http://www.happyheinys.com/
I've posted about these before. A great money saver and easy to use and launder!
8) Nuby Nibbler: http://www.nuby.com/products/tableware/5360.aspx
This is great for food that may pose a choking hazard if eaten alone. You just put it inside the sock-like thing and it acts as a seive, so the baby only gets bite-sized pieces. Bananas and mangos are Justin's current favorites to eat in his Nibbler.
9) Sassy Aquatic Bobber: http://www.sassybaby.com/category?cattype=category&catid=23&productid=11&product=Aquatic%20Bobbers
These bath toys are so clever! They float, but if you push them down in the water they bubble. Then, when you lift them out of the water, it rains out of them. Justin also loves using the edges to teeth on, since they are made of a soft BPA-free plastic. They are also fun to shake, because they little animal in the middle is on a spring and jiggles.
10) Medela Advanced Pump In Style Breast Pump: www.medela.com
This extremely well made pump has allowed me to keep breastfeeding. This is not only wonderful for my son's health, but a huge money saver. Plus, the Medela bottles can attach to the pump so you can pump directly into them. So easy! Since I bought this pump, Medela came out with a new one...the Medela Freestyle. It costs a bit more than mine, but looks amazing.
11) Lansinoh Breastmilk Storage Bags: http://www.lansinoh.com/index.php?src=directory&srctype=display&id=23&view=Products_detail
The Medela breastmilk bags are nice because you can pump directly into them. However, these Lansinoh bags are still my favorite! You can lay the bags flat in the freezer so they take up so much less space! And, they have a double zipper to protect your milk.
12) BabyTrend Snap N' Go: http://www.babytrend.com/products.php?CategoryID=0002.0004.0000.0000
This stroller is to be used with an infant car seat. The car seat snaps directly onto the stroller frame, which is super lightweight and takes up sooooo much less space than the regular strollers! It makes running errands with an infant a piece of cake.
13) Graco Jumpster Doorway Jumper: http://www.gracobaby.com/catalog/product.aspx?modelNumber=8740JJB&subCatId=142
I think this has been Justin's absolute favorite toy! He's huge into jumping, and this jumper is easily to take off and put on.
14) Fisher-Price Healthy Care Booster Seat: http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster-Seat/dp/B0000DEW8N
We take this thing everywhere! Thanksgiving dinners, restaurants, etc. We know it's clean (well, at least we know who's been slobbering on it) and know Justin will have somewhere to sit while he eats.
Just a quick note...many of these items we bought used on Craigslist or Ebay and have still been thrilled with them. For example, the exersaucer costs over $120 brand new, but we were able to buy it for $30! It looked like it had barely been used, even though we found out 2 kids had grown out of it.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
9 Month Update
Justin in Daddy's First Football Jersey
Justin and Mommy in a Petting Zoo
Well, Justin turns 9 months old next week! I can't believe it! Here's what we've been up to:
1) We've finally worked through some major sleep issues. As soon as Justin learned to stand up in his crib about a month and a half ago, he would get up over 3 times at night and wanted us to come see him practicing his new skills. I also got into a bad habit of nursing him to sleep, so he would scream hysterically when I would try to lay him down fully awake. For anyone struggling with sleep issues, here's what worked for us!
* Make sure everything is a good temperature. For us, this meant putting Justin to sleep in his sleepsack so that his cold sheets wouldn't wake him up. Yeah, he has some high maintenance tendencies. :-)
* Follow the same sleep ritual every night. For us, this meant starting nightly baths, but it's been soooooooo worth it!
* Put the baby to sleep half an hour earlier. I was amazed at how magical this was for us! I hated to do it at first, since it meant less time him. But, now I get the same amount of quality time, but less screaming.
* Put baby down awake, and with no pacifier. I think this was the other thing that got us into trouble. We relied on the pacifier for months, and he'd go to sleep almost immediately! But, he began to look at his pacifier as a teether/toy and ended up chucking it out of his crib in the middle of the night. Then he'd wake us up to come get it for him and the cycle would start over again.
* Instead of walking away during the screaming, it helped us to just sit on the floor by his crib so he knew we weren't abandoning him. Sometimes this meant sitting there for an hour or longer!
* Don't pick up the baby during the screaming. However, rubbing Justin's back and patting him on the head were okay for us.
So, after about 5 days of horrible nights, things turned WONDERFUL. Justin will sleep from 7:30PM until somewhere between 3 and 5AM, eat, and will then sleep again until 6:30AM (when I have to get him up to get ready for daycare). We're going on about 2 weeks of great sleeping, and now he doesn't even whimper when I put him to bed! But, I'm not naive enough to think this will last forever. I'm sure a day will come when he learns how to climb out of his crib, and a new sleep adventure will begin (if not before then).
2) Justin now likes walking along the furniture, and can stand unassisted for about 8 seconds now. This is exciting and nerve-wracking all at the same time.
3) Justin loves watching toys fall. This can be dangerous! One night he was in the tub and his toy turtle fell overboard. As I was reaching down to get it for him, he literally slipped out of the tub trying to get it and was stuck upside down in a heap of towels! I was laughing so hard (does that make me a bad mom?). Good thing those towels were there!
4) Justin thinks animals are hilarious. He giggles like crazy around them, and is really getting into books with pictures of animals. Bill's parents have a black cat, and whenever I open his animal book he reaches right for the picture of the black cat and starts laughing. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to understand that animals don't like their ears, tails, or hair pulled very much. :-)
5) Justin is slowly starting to link different sounds to different objects. He crawled over to Bill's desk chair and guitar today saying "da-da". But, he never reaches for Bill saying "da-da". Maybe it's all coincidence, but it's fun to think he might have a better idea of what's going on than we adults think.
6) Justin loves balls...especially tennis balls. He rolls them and chases them and it's a good half an hour of entertainment.
7) Justin believes he lives in a Willy Wonka world where everything he is able to pick up is edible. I've caught him lately with pennies, dust bunnies, shoes, and paper. At least he shows me what I need to clean. :-)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)