Express yourself! Not just a way of relaying your personal ideas or feelings on a matter, expression literally means "to press out," and in the case of expressing breastmilk that definition is spot-on. While many women prefer to use the new-fangled breast pumps which literally suck the milk out of you, there are some who prefer to hand-express. Personally I find there are pros and cons to every situation, and this is no exception.
Pumping
Pros:
single handed, or hands-free depending on equipment
easy to set up a routine with, allowing for relaxation
reliable variable strengths of suction
re-creates natural suction, like nursing
Cons:
requires expensive equipment
noisy
hard to do while out and about
time consuming
Expression
Pros:
easily performed almost anywhere
almost completely silent
no equipment other than what God gave you required
essentially free
quick
Cons:
can be painful if done wrong
can cause tender breasts
requires both hands, and occasionally knees as well
I own a pump, but when I only have a few minutes, I prefer to hand-express.While pumping can take up to 45 minutes for me to fully drain, I can get a few ounces out, increase my comfort level and then just pump or feed later. Expressing into a bottle for cold storage is easy, and since breast milk keeps at 72 degrees for up to 6 hours, I can express while I'm out and put it in the freezer when I get home.
If you're at work and need to pump most states have laws requiring reasonable accommodations be made for breastfeeding mothers that they might pump while not losing productivity. In that vein there are hands-free pump-bras available which allow you to simply set up a partition and remain at your desk. This allows you to continue to type, write, make clay unicorns, or whatever it is you do for monetary gain.
Of course this, like almost every single parenting aspect, is a personal choice. Hopefully the information here helps make that choice easier.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
He's Napping! In his bassinet!
I can bake!!! L. Itsababy's sleeping in his bassinet and thanks to the belt clip on the receiver for the baby monitor, I don't need to be in the bedroom! So I'm baking cupcakes, and cookies. Hurray for both being at 350 degrees! Next up is another batch of cupcakes, then corn muffins and brownies if I have time. The corn muffins aren't anything special, just Jiffycorn. The cupcakes are also nothing special, just funfetti. Unless, of course, funfetti excites you, in which case OMG FUNFETTI IS AMAZING AND I LOVE IT! The brownies are Ghiradelli Triple Chocolate (which I make quadruple chocolate by adding semi-sweet toll house morsels to) but the cookies are something new I'm trying. They're this new pre-made organic brand they're selling at Safeway/Vons called Immaculate. I tried the chocolate chip a few weeks ago, and tey were pretty good. Today we're trying the spice ones. Pictures pending.
I'm making all these because 1) I love to bake, but just DON'T have the time for from-scratch baking anymore and 2) I'm making pulled pork in the crock pot. I love Karla's recipe, it really is the Bees Knees. I'm mkaing a HUGE batch, so I'll have enough to share. I ran into a friend while I was walking L. Itsababy yesterday (6.5 miles!) and he commented that the cookies I had made for him, his wife, and his GORGEOUS son (seriously, this is the only kid I will admit might be cuter than my own) were delicious. I racked my brain for the recipe I used to make those cookies (A sugar cookie and Russian tea hybrid) but cannot remember for the life of me where it might be. Mommy brain. So hopefully they like spice cookies, too!
I have a huge head of cabbage and was going to make coleslaw today as a result. I'm not sure if I'm going to have THAT much time, but it's worth a shot, I suppose. The recipe I plan to use is:
I'm making all these because 1) I love to bake, but just DON'T have the time for from-scratch baking anymore and 2) I'm making pulled pork in the crock pot. I love Karla's recipe, it really is the Bees Knees. I'm mkaing a HUGE batch, so I'll have enough to share. I ran into a friend while I was walking L. Itsababy yesterday (6.5 miles!) and he commented that the cookies I had made for him, his wife, and his GORGEOUS son (seriously, this is the only kid I will admit might be cuter than my own) were delicious. I racked my brain for the recipe I used to make those cookies (A sugar cookie and Russian tea hybrid) but cannot remember for the life of me where it might be. Mommy brain. So hopefully they like spice cookies, too!
I have a huge head of cabbage and was going to make coleslaw today as a result. I'm not sure if I'm going to have THAT much time, but it's worth a shot, I suppose. The recipe I plan to use is:
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Some days it's hard to look at L. Itsababy's face. He's so breathtakingly beautiful... literally sometimes I can't breathe when he looks me in the eye. He's so perfect and so much US. I can see so much of his father in him, so much of myself, and so many past generations peeking out from unsuspected corners. He has my grandmother's ears. I miss her so much and every time I see his ears, I know she's going to be listening to him forever.
Right now he's alternating between cooing at the hanging toys on his baby gym and crying in frustration when he can't make contact with the toy he's reaching for. It sounds like ducks, sort of. A strange but gorgeous babbling brook that every so often coughs up this milk-mucus bubble sound.
It's a bit frustrating to see him still not gaining weight.Oh he's GROWING, don't get me wrong. He's currently wearing his 3-6 month onesies and they're getting a little short, even if he doesn't fill them out width-wise. Not bad for being 10 weeks old today. The pediatrician has asked us to start supplementing his diet, which seems like a battle I've fought before, you know? I'm just tired of fighting the same battles. I started taking fenugreek (which is working for me) so I can have enough to both feed and pump, and give fortified bottles a few times a day. This should give us a good back supply of milk, which will make it a lot easier for TJ and I to get things done. I won't be as tied to the house as I have been.
Also helping with not being tied to the house is L. Itsababy getting his shots. We've been going places and seeing people and I'm not afraid that he's going to catch the black plague from some crazy old lady anymore. We went to church on Sunday and it felt WONDERFUL to be back. It had been way too long since I took the Sacrament, and it felt wonderful to renew my covenants. L. Itsababy was pretty good for the service, and an angel for Sunday School. He went to sleep for Relief Society, and woke up with just five minutes left, which was a good 3 hours of good behavior, and made me feel like an actual good mom.
I started keeping a food and exercise log, to help track what foods give L. Itsababy trouble, and to make sure I'm eating enough good fat. I've walked 6 miles so far since Sunday, which really isn't enough for me. T and I are supposed to go jogging today when he gets home, but I think I'm going to try to get in a few extra miles before hand, maybe a few more after. I really want to meet 30 miles this week.
I've also discovered Sukhi's Indian food, which is delicious. I made chicken vindaloo in the crockpot for dinner last night, with onions, potatoes, and bell peppers. It was delicious, easy, and fast. I'm going to try to figure out a home made spice base to do it again from scratch later.
Right now he's alternating between cooing at the hanging toys on his baby gym and crying in frustration when he can't make contact with the toy he's reaching for. It sounds like ducks, sort of. A strange but gorgeous babbling brook that every so often coughs up this milk-mucus bubble sound.
Also helping with not being tied to the house is L. Itsababy getting his shots. We've been going places and seeing people and I'm not afraid that he's going to catch the black plague from some crazy old lady anymore. We went to church on Sunday and it felt WONDERFUL to be back. It had been way too long since I took the Sacrament, and it felt wonderful to renew my covenants. L. Itsababy was pretty good for the service, and an angel for Sunday School. He went to sleep for Relief Society, and woke up with just five minutes left, which was a good 3 hours of good behavior, and made me feel like an actual good mom.
I started keeping a food and exercise log, to help track what foods give L. Itsababy trouble, and to make sure I'm eating enough good fat. I've walked 6 miles so far since Sunday, which really isn't enough for me. T and I are supposed to go jogging today when he gets home, but I think I'm going to try to get in a few extra miles before hand, maybe a few more after. I really want to meet 30 miles this week.
I've also discovered Sukhi's Indian food, which is delicious. I made chicken vindaloo in the crockpot for dinner last night, with onions, potatoes, and bell peppers. It was delicious, easy, and fast. I'm going to try to figure out a home made spice base to do it again from scratch later.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Quick! While He's Asleep!
We got a new refrigerator. Normally this would be a happy, but not momentous occasion. We, however, have been dealing with an incontinent refrigerator for a while now, and simply did not have the time to deal with it due to baby things. Yes, I said incontinent. We used to walk out into the kitchen every morning and have to avoid the sudden lake that had sprung up in the night. It was frustrating.
Our new fridge is lovely. It also opens on the correct side for optimal cooking, which is important in a tiny little kitchen (seriously, we have maybe ten square feet of floor space in there) like ours. The freezer part is smaller than the previous fridge, but the fridge part is larger, so I'm sure we can work around what we need to freeze v. simply chill.
We also got our hot water pressure fixed, yesterday. We'd been having issues with the pressure in our shower for a while (read: three years) and it kind of just peed on you. Now showering is fabulous again, especially with the low-flow shower head we installed to optimize what pressure we DID have.
The average person is probably saying "Oh awesome, you got it fixed" but the women out there with children are thinking "Oh my goodness you poor creature how did you ever LIVE without a good shower?" They're thinking that because they know that when you have a child, sometimes the shower is the only escape you have, the only place in the house where you can't hear them crying out in their daddy's arms.
So it's been an eventful few days.
I also got my IUD out. No, we're not already planning more children. I seem to be in that lovely 1% of women for whom an IUD means frequent and heavy periods. Like one week on, one week off frequent. Since I don't want to deal with that, even if it does mean not having to use any other form of BC, I had it out. And it turns out it was a good thing, too, since it was seated wrong and wasn't actually protecting me. That could have ended badly. You hear horror stories of babies being born with IUDs clutched in their hands, and that is exactly how that happens.
On another positive note, I ran today. In the couch to 5k style, if not exactly the way they want me to. TJ and I went out to a lovely trail/fire road area in one of our county parks (Rancho San Antonio <- map) and walked 3.5 miles. We only ran about .5 miles, but I figure that's better than nothing. Also my shoulders are killing me since our original intention had been to walk and I did not wear the proper *ahem* support.
The running was endless amusement for L. Itsababy until he got chilly. Then he was Mr. Whinypants until we put him in over-shirt and an extra pair of pants and wrapped him up in an extra T-Shirt I keep in the diaper bag for when L. Itsababy decides to spit up all over me. We also saw a few deer and a whole warren of rabbits. Ok, probably not the whole warren, but a whole ton of them!
L. Itsababy likes being jostled. He prefers rides in TJ's 1989 Jeep Cherokee with the bouncy suspension to any other vehicle he's ever been in. He prefers we take his stroller over gravel than pavement. He likes to be jiggled while on his side, and if he's sitting or leaning on me I better be patting his butt hard enough to move his head. I get the feeling spanking will never be a threat to this kid.
Since E didn't take a nape today he passed out pretty quickly when we got home, so I was able to cook real food. I made hobak bokum with turkey, spicy basil stir fried vegetables, and rice. so that's TONS of squash ingested today. Super happy!
Hobak Bokum:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup dark soy sauce (I forgot the /2 in the original post, I apologize if anyone tried to make this and got sodium poisoning. Props to kira-hime for noticing!)
1 piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb (I actually use quite a bit more than this, but I really like ginger)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium zucchini (courgette) sliced
sesame oil
vegetable oil
sesame seeds (shiro gami)
Grate the fresh ginger into the soy sauce, add the garlic, and stir until even. Pour over turkey in a ziplock bag, and massage until fully dark brown. Feel free to add more soy sauce until your desired color is attained. Let sit for at least half an hour.
Heat a few tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or pan on medium high. Add a few drops sesame oil. Brown meat. Add sliced zucchini and cover. reduce heat to medium low, let cook until zucchini is almost done (about 5 minutes) uncover and let reduce for another minute. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.
I also sauteed 3 small crookneck squash, 2 mexican grey squash, 1/4 of an onion, 2 sliced carrots, and a red bell pepper with kra-phao sauce (I will add a recipe for this soon, I promise) which ended up being a bit too much food. Hurray leftovers!
Our new fridge is lovely. It also opens on the correct side for optimal cooking, which is important in a tiny little kitchen (seriously, we have maybe ten square feet of floor space in there) like ours. The freezer part is smaller than the previous fridge, but the fridge part is larger, so I'm sure we can work around what we need to freeze v. simply chill.
We also got our hot water pressure fixed, yesterday. We'd been having issues with the pressure in our shower for a while (read: three years) and it kind of just peed on you. Now showering is fabulous again, especially with the low-flow shower head we installed to optimize what pressure we DID have.
The average person is probably saying "Oh awesome, you got it fixed" but the women out there with children are thinking "Oh my goodness you poor creature how did you ever LIVE without a good shower?" They're thinking that because they know that when you have a child, sometimes the shower is the only escape you have, the only place in the house where you can't hear them crying out in their daddy's arms.
So it's been an eventful few days.
I also got my IUD out. No, we're not already planning more children. I seem to be in that lovely 1% of women for whom an IUD means frequent and heavy periods. Like one week on, one week off frequent. Since I don't want to deal with that, even if it does mean not having to use any other form of BC, I had it out. And it turns out it was a good thing, too, since it was seated wrong and wasn't actually protecting me. That could have ended badly. You hear horror stories of babies being born with IUDs clutched in their hands, and that is exactly how that happens.
On another positive note, I ran today. In the couch to 5k style, if not exactly the way they want me to. TJ and I went out to a lovely trail/fire road area in one of our county parks (Rancho San Antonio <- map) and walked 3.5 miles. We only ran about .5 miles, but I figure that's better than nothing. Also my shoulders are killing me since our original intention had been to walk and I did not wear the proper *ahem* support.
The running was endless amusement for L. Itsababy until he got chilly. Then he was Mr. Whinypants until we put him in over-shirt and an extra pair of pants and wrapped him up in an extra T-Shirt I keep in the diaper bag for when L. Itsababy decides to spit up all over me. We also saw a few deer and a whole warren of rabbits. Ok, probably not the whole warren, but a whole ton of them!
L. Itsababy likes being jostled. He prefers rides in TJ's 1989 Jeep Cherokee with the bouncy suspension to any other vehicle he's ever been in. He prefers we take his stroller over gravel than pavement. He likes to be jiggled while on his side, and if he's sitting or leaning on me I better be patting his butt hard enough to move his head. I get the feeling spanking will never be a threat to this kid.
Since E didn't take a nape today he passed out pretty quickly when we got home, so I was able to cook real food. I made hobak bokum with turkey, spicy basil stir fried vegetables, and rice. so that's TONS of squash ingested today. Super happy!
Hobak Bokum:
1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup dark soy sauce (I forgot the /2 in the original post, I apologize if anyone tried to make this and got sodium poisoning. Props to kira-hime for noticing!)
1 piece of fresh ginger about the size of your thumb (I actually use quite a bit more than this, but I really like ginger)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 medium zucchini (courgette) sliced
sesame oil
vegetable oil
sesame seeds (shiro gami)
Grate the fresh ginger into the soy sauce, add the garlic, and stir until even. Pour over turkey in a ziplock bag, and massage until fully dark brown. Feel free to add more soy sauce until your desired color is attained. Let sit for at least half an hour.
Heat a few tablespoons vegetable oil in a wok or pan on medium high. Add a few drops sesame oil. Brown meat. Add sliced zucchini and cover. reduce heat to medium low, let cook until zucchini is almost done (about 5 minutes) uncover and let reduce for another minute. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve over rice.
I also sauteed 3 small crookneck squash, 2 mexican grey squash, 1/4 of an onion, 2 sliced carrots, and a red bell pepper with kra-phao sauce (I will add a recipe for this soon, I promise) which ended up being a bit too much food. Hurray leftovers!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
A return
Today's entry is about a lot of things. Autumn is always a time of introspection for me, which can get me into a lot of trouble. I usually end up--at some point--dwelling on the old familiars (weight gain, blemishes, how hard it is to shop for pants when you're over 6 feet tall) and not absorbing the fabulousness of the season. Today, instead, I'd like to take a moment to dwell on some good things, even in the face of adversity.
I suppose I'll have to explain that adversity first, but then on to good things!
L. Itsababy had a doctor's appointment today. His doctor is worried about his weight. He just isn't gaining enough. he's currently 24.5 inches long according to the tape measure there, and weighs only 9 pounds. That puts him in the 99th percentile for height, and about the 35th for weight. The doctor suggested we start using breastmilk fortifier, to get him more protein a few times a day. This means I'm going to have to pump, add the fortifier, and feed, which with E's feeding schedule means I'm going to be spending most of my day attached to dairy equipment. The other option is formula. I have already fought this battle, and don't want to fight it again. So there you go, adversity.
Happier things!
We walked 3 miles in just about 40 minutes, which is a good clip when you're pushing a stroller and there are bridges and it's super dark out and you can't see bloody anything and you trip like twice. Yay run-on sentence!
E got his first set of inoculations today, so I can take him to church on Sunday! Yay communing with God and my ward!
One of the side-effects of E's shots is sleepiness! Yay sleepiness!
I made a super healthy dinner! Yay healthy!
Another thing to return to: posting meal ideas and recipes. Therefore, here is what we had for dinner! Remember, this is split three ways
Two boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with garlic and basil, pan-grilled with one tablespoon olive oil.
Chicken was sliced and placed on top of a salad which consisted of:
1/3 small head of red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
2 green onions, chopped
dressed with champagne vinaigrette.
On the side we had garlic rice (well they did, I didn't. I had enough carbs today) and sauteed zucchini and crookneck squash.
Which reminds me, one of the best things about autumn is the colors of vegetables. If you live in a place with a mild climate, like California, you have access to the makings of some absolutely beautiful dinners. Reds and oranges and yellows and greens and purples all converging on the grocery produce section at once, and squash most prominently. Such and amazing and versatile food, squashes lend themselves to both savory and sweet dishes with a flexibility usually reserved for gymnasts and circus freaks. Expect lots of fabulous squash recipes in coming months,
Until then, sleep and eat well!
I suppose I'll have to explain that adversity first, but then on to good things!
L. Itsababy had a doctor's appointment today. His doctor is worried about his weight. He just isn't gaining enough. he's currently 24.5 inches long according to the tape measure there, and weighs only 9 pounds. That puts him in the 99th percentile for height, and about the 35th for weight. The doctor suggested we start using breastmilk fortifier, to get him more protein a few times a day. This means I'm going to have to pump, add the fortifier, and feed, which with E's feeding schedule means I'm going to be spending most of my day attached to dairy equipment. The other option is formula. I have already fought this battle, and don't want to fight it again. So there you go, adversity.
Happier things!
We walked 3 miles in just about 40 minutes, which is a good clip when you're pushing a stroller and there are bridges and it's super dark out and you can't see bloody anything and you trip like twice. Yay run-on sentence!
E got his first set of inoculations today, so I can take him to church on Sunday! Yay communing with God and my ward!
One of the side-effects of E's shots is sleepiness! Yay sleepiness!
I made a super healthy dinner! Yay healthy!
Another thing to return to: posting meal ideas and recipes. Therefore, here is what we had for dinner! Remember, this is split three ways
Two boneless skinless chicken breasts, seasoned with garlic and basil, pan-grilled with one tablespoon olive oil.
Chicken was sliced and placed on top of a salad which consisted of:
1/3 small head of red cabbage
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow bell pepper, julienned
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 heart romaine lettuce, chopped
1 cup broccoli florets
2 green onions, chopped
dressed with champagne vinaigrette.
On the side we had garlic rice (well they did, I didn't. I had enough carbs today) and sauteed zucchini and crookneck squash.
Which reminds me, one of the best things about autumn is the colors of vegetables. If you live in a place with a mild climate, like California, you have access to the makings of some absolutely beautiful dinners. Reds and oranges and yellows and greens and purples all converging on the grocery produce section at once, and squash most prominently. Such and amazing and versatile food, squashes lend themselves to both savory and sweet dishes with a flexibility usually reserved for gymnasts and circus freaks. Expect lots of fabulous squash recipes in coming months,
Until then, sleep and eat well!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Ongoing Goings On
Things are both better and worse.
L. Itsababy's over his ear infection, which is wonderful. However that means we don't have a go-to "oh he's fussing because of his ear" explanation anymore. Sometimes he's perfectly content to just sit and stare at anything and everything. Other times he needs to be walked in ever tightening concentric circles within line of sight of the ceiling fan and a light source while I sing "Tuppence a Bag" from Mary Poppins and take a slight skip on every fifth step.It's enough to incite those thoughts that mother's shouldn't have, but we all do anyway. Those horrid dark thoughts that creep into your mind at 3am when the lights are out and everyone else is sleeping except you and the baby. I was expecting those thoughts to have flown away like migrating birds by now,a nd it's looking more like what was originally just baby blues is moving closer to PPD.
The cats are seemingly warming up to E a bit more each day. the other day Squeak, who until now has been the most standoff-ish of the trio, walked right up to his infant seat and started sniffing his toes. It was adorable. Of course she bolted when I reached for the camera. I'll try to be faster next time.
We've discovered this wonderful spray from Nature's Miracle which stops feline marking. I'm a little sad that we had that problem, but it's also solved so many other problems with the cats that I'm almost happy we had to try it. It keeps them out of the kitchen, keeps Squeak from scratching the bedroom door, and it smells like cinnamon and lemongrass. let me repeat that. IT SMELLS LIKE CINNAMON AND LEMONGRASS. This will be amazing come Christmas.
We're starting to put serious thought into E's Halloween costume for this year. So far there are a few contenders.
The first is Rincewind the Wizzard from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Yes, I spelled all of that correctly. Most people tell us that E has this otherworldly wizened look about him, somehow he seems so much older and more knowledgeable than the average 9-week-old bundle of DNA, and we're considering taking advantage of that, in the form of a fabulous sleep-sack based robe and hand-made "Wizzard's hat" that I'm sure we can find a pattern for somewhere on the interwebz.
The second is a theme-based costume. TJ has gone as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland several times, and I'm considering making it girly and stealing it for myself this year. Angie agreed it would be nifty to go as a similarly themed character, and personally I was thinking Mad Hatter. That puts E in fine form to be The Dormouse. And what a cute dormouse he'd be, too.
I've been cooking a lot in the crock pot recently. It's so much easier to just pile what we want for dinner into that than actually focus on making separate courses. A lot of pulled pork and chicken, a lot of chili. in fact, I'm making pulled barbecue chicken pizza with white sauce and green onions for dinner tonight, as per boboli crust instructions.
and my timer just went off.
L. Itsababy's over his ear infection, which is wonderful. However that means we don't have a go-to "oh he's fussing because of his ear" explanation anymore. Sometimes he's perfectly content to just sit and stare at anything and everything. Other times he needs to be walked in ever tightening concentric circles within line of sight of the ceiling fan and a light source while I sing "Tuppence a Bag" from Mary Poppins and take a slight skip on every fifth step.It's enough to incite those thoughts that mother's shouldn't have, but we all do anyway. Those horrid dark thoughts that creep into your mind at 3am when the lights are out and everyone else is sleeping except you and the baby. I was expecting those thoughts to have flown away like migrating birds by now,a nd it's looking more like what was originally just baby blues is moving closer to PPD.
The cats are seemingly warming up to E a bit more each day. the other day Squeak, who until now has been the most standoff-ish of the trio, walked right up to his infant seat and started sniffing his toes. It was adorable. Of course she bolted when I reached for the camera. I'll try to be faster next time.
We've discovered this wonderful spray from Nature's Miracle which stops feline marking. I'm a little sad that we had that problem, but it's also solved so many other problems with the cats that I'm almost happy we had to try it. It keeps them out of the kitchen, keeps Squeak from scratching the bedroom door, and it smells like cinnamon and lemongrass. let me repeat that. IT SMELLS LIKE CINNAMON AND LEMONGRASS. This will be amazing come Christmas.
We're starting to put serious thought into E's Halloween costume for this year. So far there are a few contenders.
The first is Rincewind the Wizzard from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Yes, I spelled all of that correctly. Most people tell us that E has this otherworldly wizened look about him, somehow he seems so much older and more knowledgeable than the average 9-week-old bundle of DNA, and we're considering taking advantage of that, in the form of a fabulous sleep-sack based robe and hand-made "Wizzard's hat" that I'm sure we can find a pattern for somewhere on the interwebz.
The second is a theme-based costume. TJ has gone as the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland several times, and I'm considering making it girly and stealing it for myself this year. Angie agreed it would be nifty to go as a similarly themed character, and personally I was thinking Mad Hatter. That puts E in fine form to be The Dormouse. And what a cute dormouse he'd be, too.
I've been cooking a lot in the crock pot recently. It's so much easier to just pile what we want for dinner into that than actually focus on making separate courses. A lot of pulled pork and chicken, a lot of chili. in fact, I'm making pulled barbecue chicken pizza with white sauce and green onions for dinner tonight, as per boboli crust instructions.
and my timer just went off.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Elliot's hands
E's hands seem to be the new bane of his existence. He has hit himself in the face multiple times today. When they're not beating him up, they flail wildly around his head or, rarely, sit like little butterflies on his chest. It's part adorable and partly heartbreaking. He's so amazingly helpless and there's really so little I can do to help him, except try to explain that he can in fact control these satellite appendages attached to his body, and do little baby workouts with him.
He's had a cough for a few weeks now. Before you get all up in arms about it, he has been to the doctor, who is currently not concerned about said cough. I, however, hate to hear it. Every time he cries for longer than a few seconds the coughing starts, and then my brain goes into this "Oh my God, whooping cough is endemic in California and fatal to infants I MUST CALL THE DOCTOR RIGHT NOW" cycle. And then I tell myself that the last time I called the doctor he told me exactly what to listen and look for, and that E did not seem to be exhibiting those symptoms, so it was probably allergies or a cold.
I really really really hope he's not allergic to cats.
He did, however, have an ear infection. Well, two ear infections. The antibiotic treatment runs out tomorrow, and he has a doctor's appointment next Wednesday; hopefully he'll be right as rain by then.
Chimi and Moo have gotten antagonistic again. They had a lovely calm spell, and now things are getting crazy once more. I have no idea what's causing this, but I want it to stop. there is only so much crying I can deal with in a day and the baby totally has precedence over the cats.
He's had a cough for a few weeks now. Before you get all up in arms about it, he has been to the doctor, who is currently not concerned about said cough. I, however, hate to hear it. Every time he cries for longer than a few seconds the coughing starts, and then my brain goes into this "Oh my God, whooping cough is endemic in California and fatal to infants I MUST CALL THE DOCTOR RIGHT NOW" cycle. And then I tell myself that the last time I called the doctor he told me exactly what to listen and look for, and that E did not seem to be exhibiting those symptoms, so it was probably allergies or a cold.
I really really really hope he's not allergic to cats.
He did, however, have an ear infection. Well, two ear infections. The antibiotic treatment runs out tomorrow, and he has a doctor's appointment next Wednesday; hopefully he'll be right as rain by then.
Chimi and Moo have gotten antagonistic again. They had a lovely calm spell, and now things are getting crazy once more. I have no idea what's causing this, but I want it to stop. there is only so much crying I can deal with in a day and the baby totally has precedence over the cats.
Consumerism, convenience, and consomething else.
There are a million useless products out there these days, and it seems most of them are for babies and/or pets. shoes for infants, sweaters for dogs, toys for cats... ok maybe some of them aren't SO useless. I can understand cat toys, they do seem to love the boxes they come with. In general, however, we mothers and pet owners seem to have "easy mark" tattooed on our foreheads. To help with this, I've decided to put together a little list: things you think you need, things I hope no one thinks they need, things you don't actually need but might want, and things you really do actually need.
Wipe Warmer
For me, this falls into the "things you might want" category. You might want it more if you have a boy. Boys have a tendency to imitate famous art when they get cold in the groinal region, and a warm wipe can both discourage and redirect the pee fountain.
Infant Seat
Oh wow do I love our infant seat. We may have overused it, and L. Itsababy doesn't respond to it quite the way he used to (he used to just pass out, now he's alert, but content for ten minutes or so) but there is nothing like having a safe and secure place where you can put the baby down for a few minutes. It's lightweight, so you can take it into the bathroom if you need to, or if you just need to... well... blog.... or something. Not necessary, but highly recommended.
Bottles
Need them, if you plan to work, or have any alone time. I have a few bottles of breastmilk in the freezer. Always. You never know what's going to happen, and being prepared is essential. You might get stuck at work for a few extra hours, you might end up in the hospital, you might win free non-transferable tickets to a concert and have a willing grandparent-slash-babysitter. The point is you need them, even if you're not feeding formula, unless you really are planning on staying home every day all day for the next 9 months to two years. A variety of nipples to go with them is also important.
Comfort Pillows
You don't need these. They're essentially pillows that you put the baby on in order to make him/her feel like s/he's being held. Most notably useless is the zaky, a stuffed hand-shaped pillow. Seriously? Just hold your baby. unless you can make the thing sing, jiggle, and change a diaper, it's not going to work for very long.
Peepee Teepees
ok. yeah, they're cute sounding and when you look at them in the store they look ESSENTIAL. But hey, remember that wipe we were talking about earlier? Hey check that out, it does the same thing!
Crib Bedding Sets
No. Just.... no. You can't use most of it on an infant, and when you finally CAN use it, you're going to be so very over the amount of washing it'll take to keep it all together as a unit, and you could have just bought some separates and saved a ton of cash.
Waterproof Sheets and Pads
Um, yes please. In fact, I heard a fabulous idea the other day, which I plan on implementing ASAP: Layers. Waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet. Then when the kid inevitably wets the bed in the middle of the night you can just pull the top layers off and have the next ones ready for use immediately.
Video Baby Monitor
There's some debate on this one. Obviously, if you're deaf, it's kind of on the "must have" list. But if you're not, it could still be there. Perhaps you have a larger home and would like to be able to visibly check in on your baby without running up the flight of stairs to find out why he's NOT crying. or maybe you just want to be able to check on him with the thing on mute so you can say to yourself "yep, he's crying, but he looks like he's just fussing, let me check the sound... yeahp just fussing, I'll keep an eye on him and check the sound again in a few minutes." They're expensive, and of course not NECESSARY, but if you want one, put it on your registry and if someone buys it for you, score!
Baby Bath Tub
Ummm... do you have a sink? You're probably ok without this then.
Changing Table
How tall and/or agile are you? If you're too tall to comfortably change the baby on the bed or not quite agile enough to be doing it on the floor, you might need one of these. Lord knows I do.
Baby Sound System
Really, America? Is this what we think we need? In-utero sound systems for our babies and baby MP3 players? Not, say, better public education or food for the homeless?
Multi-placement Thermometer
It works rectally, orally, and in the axillary position. You technically don't need it, but trust me, you do. They're in most baby first aid kits, which you should take a look at, price out the individual contents of, and decide if you want to make one or buy one.
Bassinet
Yeah, you probably need this. For a while, at least, your baby won't be sleeping in the crib. If you don't have a bassinet that means s/he'll be in bed with you. Is that REALLY what you want? IS IT!?
And now, a short list of non-essential things that I have found made my life SO much easier:
Pacifiers (I use these)
Swaddle Sacks (again, I use these)
"The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD
mitten cuff onesies (like these)
Operating Instructions by Anne LaMott
and diapers. I've used two different kinds of diapers. This one and this one. I like them both, for different reasons. The first because it's eco-friendly, available at Babies R Us, and the individual diapers take up comparably less space in a diaper bag; the other because it's less expensive, slightly more available, and has this nifty brainless color-change stripe that turns blue when it's wet.
And now I'm going to push the publish button, because this entry has taken me almost two weeks to write. Hurray baby!
Wipe Warmer
For me, this falls into the "things you might want" category. You might want it more if you have a boy. Boys have a tendency to imitate famous art when they get cold in the groinal region, and a warm wipe can both discourage and redirect the pee fountain.
Infant Seat
Oh wow do I love our infant seat. We may have overused it, and L. Itsababy doesn't respond to it quite the way he used to (he used to just pass out, now he's alert, but content for ten minutes or so) but there is nothing like having a safe and secure place where you can put the baby down for a few minutes. It's lightweight, so you can take it into the bathroom if you need to, or if you just need to... well... blog.... or something. Not necessary, but highly recommended.
Bottles
Need them, if you plan to work, or have any alone time. I have a few bottles of breastmilk in the freezer. Always. You never know what's going to happen, and being prepared is essential. You might get stuck at work for a few extra hours, you might end up in the hospital, you might win free non-transferable tickets to a concert and have a willing grandparent-slash-babysitter. The point is you need them, even if you're not feeding formula, unless you really are planning on staying home every day all day for the next 9 months to two years. A variety of nipples to go with them is also important.
Comfort Pillows
You don't need these. They're essentially pillows that you put the baby on in order to make him/her feel like s/he's being held. Most notably useless is the zaky, a stuffed hand-shaped pillow. Seriously? Just hold your baby. unless you can make the thing sing, jiggle, and change a diaper, it's not going to work for very long.
Peepee Teepees
ok. yeah, they're cute sounding and when you look at them in the store they look ESSENTIAL. But hey, remember that wipe we were talking about earlier? Hey check that out, it does the same thing!
Crib Bedding Sets
No. Just.... no. You can't use most of it on an infant, and when you finally CAN use it, you're going to be so very over the amount of washing it'll take to keep it all together as a unit, and you could have just bought some separates and saved a ton of cash.
Waterproof Sheets and Pads
Um, yes please. In fact, I heard a fabulous idea the other day, which I plan on implementing ASAP: Layers. Waterproof pad, sheet, waterproof pad, sheet. Then when the kid inevitably wets the bed in the middle of the night you can just pull the top layers off and have the next ones ready for use immediately.
Video Baby Monitor
There's some debate on this one. Obviously, if you're deaf, it's kind of on the "must have" list. But if you're not, it could still be there. Perhaps you have a larger home and would like to be able to visibly check in on your baby without running up the flight of stairs to find out why he's NOT crying. or maybe you just want to be able to check on him with the thing on mute so you can say to yourself "yep, he's crying, but he looks like he's just fussing, let me check the sound... yeahp just fussing, I'll keep an eye on him and check the sound again in a few minutes." They're expensive, and of course not NECESSARY, but if you want one, put it on your registry and if someone buys it for you, score!
Baby Bath Tub
Ummm... do you have a sink? You're probably ok without this then.
Changing Table
How tall and/or agile are you? If you're too tall to comfortably change the baby on the bed or not quite agile enough to be doing it on the floor, you might need one of these. Lord knows I do.
Baby Sound System
Really, America? Is this what we think we need? In-utero sound systems for our babies and baby MP3 players? Not, say, better public education or food for the homeless?
Multi-placement Thermometer
It works rectally, orally, and in the axillary position. You technically don't need it, but trust me, you do. They're in most baby first aid kits, which you should take a look at, price out the individual contents of, and decide if you want to make one or buy one.
Bassinet
Yeah, you probably need this. For a while, at least, your baby won't be sleeping in the crib. If you don't have a bassinet that means s/he'll be in bed with you. Is that REALLY what you want? IS IT!?
And now, a short list of non-essential things that I have found made my life SO much easier:
Pacifiers (I use these)
Swaddle Sacks (again, I use these)
"The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD
mitten cuff onesies (like these)
Operating Instructions by Anne LaMott
and diapers. I've used two different kinds of diapers. This one and this one. I like them both, for different reasons. The first because it's eco-friendly, available at Babies R Us, and the individual diapers take up comparably less space in a diaper bag; the other because it's less expensive, slightly more available, and has this nifty brainless color-change stripe that turns blue when it's wet.
And now I'm going to push the publish button, because this entry has taken me almost two weeks to write. Hurray baby!
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