Poop Problems!

*Warning: This post contains graphic poop related details. :)

Lily has gotten to the point that she usually only has a poopy diaper every three or four days. I have no idea why, but my pediatrician assures me that if it's not overly firm (which certainly isn't the case) or she doesn't seem to be straining, it's not a problem. In fact, you would think it's nice to have so few to change.

The bigger problem, however, lies in the shear volume of those poops when they finally arrive. Today we happened to be having dinner at a friend's house who also has a baby. I took Lily into her changing table to change her only to discover that she was covered from her belly button to her knees in poop! I ended up stripping her down and getting her in their bathtub! What a mess!

While many of her bi-weekly poops result in a bath, this one was particularly messy. This might be due to the fact that in an effort to help her be more regular (since she does get gassy and uncomfortable after a few days) I've been giving her some baby food prunes. I'm not sure if I'll keep that up!

Hilariously, another friend was at my house earlier today hanging out with Annie and Lily when her four month old son had a diaper blow out that resulted in me needing to wash my changing pad cover and bouncy seat!

On a side note - I found enjoyed this cartoon because I don't like the diaper genie. We have one and use it, but I feel like it gets full really fast and is no better at containing diaper smells than my regular trash can. I'm just saying...

Hatley Photo Contest (I never thought I'd be that mom)

Yes, I've entered Lily in another photo contest. This one is through Hatley clothing's facebook page. I am almost ashamed. Part of me hates hounding my friends to vote about how cute my baby is. I'm pretty sure it drives Josh crazy. In reality it's not that I think she is cuter than any other baby. I know that some of those other pictures on the Hatley facebook are just as cute and maybe even cuter. We all know that with facebook it's not about the cute picture anyway, it's about who has the most friends. I'm not sure I want to get into that competition.

I'm a bit frustrated because when I put the picture in the running, I didn't know that people would have to like Hatley's page to be able to like the picture of her. I wasn't even sure it would be a voting thing. I thought maybe they would select a winner. But I guess that is the whole idea, for them to develop a larger facebook presence. In reality, from what I've read, it is a pretty good company and I don't really mind supporting them. I do wish their products were slightly more affordable, but I understand that they cost more because they are a high quality product, made by a small family run company.

A friend of my mom's gave Lily a pair of Hatley flamingo pajamas. I love them. They really are my favorite and I'd buy her ten more pairs if they weren't a bit too expensive for me to feel good about buying them. Hence the contest...we have a chance to win a free pair! :)

So, if you feel inclined (and don't feel pressure, I know we are loved even if we don't win free jammies) you can go to the Hatley Clothing page to like them before you go to the Hatley Fan Pic Contest - April 2011 and like the photo of Lily.

Nursing in Public

I know that for many this is a hot topic. Today was a milestone for me. For the first time I nursed Lily in public. It got me thinking about the whole public nursing thing. I honestly think I did it today because of peer pressure. We were sitting out at Weaver Street and the woman at the table next to ours had just nursed her seven month old. I was afraid she would judge me for mixing up formula.

Not that I really feel bad about giving her formula. Since I gave Lily some formula early on, I got over the fear of formula and usually thought it would be easier to mix that up and feed her it in public than try to nurse her. I know that she gets very little formula in the grand scheme of things, but when I really think about it though, I'd rather nurse her. If for no other reason than it makes me more comfortable and then I don't have to worry about running home to pump.

It's funny because I'm not really a modest person. I don't think I resist nursing her because I don't want to bring out my boob in public. In fact, I don't really worry at all about strangers, and I've nursed and even pumped in front of most of my girl friends. I think I typically hesitate to do it because I don't want to make my male friends uncomfortable. Today, in fact, I waited until the boys were gone to get food to nurse her. I used to nurse her in front of them using my cover, but the nursing cover is no longer an option for my wiggly baby. She can't stand it and thrashes it away.

Josh says it wouldn't make him uncomfortable if one of our friends nursed in front of him, but I tell him that is just because he is so used to it now. Most of the guys that are around us frequently don't have kids yet. I'm not sure they would feel the same way. Any thoughts?

Make Way for Duckling

My Blog has a new name! It just sort of came to me and Josh was so inspired he made a duck background for me! We also registered the domain name! There are many reasons why I love this name. "Make Way for Ducklings" (we decided to go singular for now ;) is a wonderful classic children's book. I love books! The plot of this books has several parallels to our family journey. We got pregnant very soon after we moved to our new house and made room! We joke that the blue heron (ok...I know it's not a duck...it's not even really a stork, but humor me) that lives behind our house brought us Lily!

I have also lived most of my life around water and ducklings have always had a special place in my heart from hand raising them with my grandfather to watching the ones grow up on the lake behind our current house. I even asked for our baby showers to have a duckling theme. My friend Kelly made cute little duckling cupcakes for one and Lisa put a cute fondant ducky on the other. I actually have a growing collection of rubber duckies. I love Ducklings, especially my little Lily! :)

Family Shopping

Before Lily was born, Josh and I had something of a tradition. Several times a year we would go shopping together for new wardrobe items. We have a sort of binge and purge clothes shopping habit where we buy a lot of things at once rather than over time. We decided that since I was on spring break and we could go during the day, today would be a good shopping day. Having Lily, however, drastically changed our day.

Honestly, it was sort of a debacle. We got a much later start than we had planned because Lily took a long morning nap. This seemed like a good thing because it allowed us to clean out the closet, but it in reality it meant we got to the stores just about the time they began to get busy. Lily obligingly fell asleep in the car on the way to the mall, and we had high hopes.

Once at the mall, however, she promptly woke up. She sat content in her stroller through exactly one store (babyGap), and then began to fuss. After a diaper change we transitioned her to the Moby wrap and headed toward our main destination, H&M. We had a good plan. Josh would shop for his clothes while I looked at the baby things. Then he would try his things on while I shopped for me. Then he would take Lily while I tried things on.

The plan had two flaws. I failed to take into account that H&M is a very popular store. The lines for the dressing rooms and check outs were each around thirty minutes long. I also failed to realize before getting into the long dressing room line, that it was time to feed the baby. Josh was already in his dressing room, so I was left trying to juggle the fussy baby while mixing up a bottle and pushing the stroller through the fitting room line, but, being halfway in, I didn't want to give up my spot! Needless to say, there was some screaming from her, rising blood pressure for me, and Josh, who could hear her from his room, hurrying to try on his things.

Once he came out, he took Lily and set in the floor in a corner and fed her while I hurried to try on a few things. I only tried on half of what I planned to because I felt bad about leaving my sad baby. The one thing I liked they didn't have in the right size and color! I found nothing. :(

Josh walked around trying to keep Lily content while I stood in the check out line for half an hour to purchase his items and one cute romper for Lily. Everyone around me was frustrated and muttering. It was really quite ridiculous. I know they have some good deals, and Josh always finds shirts he likes, but it is just not worth it to me to shop there.

We all three left hot, frustrated, and exhausted. With no energy to even go to any other stores, we headed home. In the car, I cried. Silly I know...it was just a shopping trip. It wasn't really a big deal. Still, I was sad. I was sad that I didn't have time to shop in any of the stores I like. I was sad that I left with nothing new and fun for me. I was sad and mad that one store was so frustrating and took so long. I was sad because I feel like my Spring break is almost over and these family days are drawing to an end. I felt like a bad mom because I didn't feed her before getting in the fitting room line. I felt selfish because deep down, for the first time, I was missing the ease of life before Lily. I honestly wished it was just Josh and I today, but I felt bad about feeling that way, thus I cried.

My husband, in his infinite wisdom, has, since we left the mall, managed to convinced me that it is ok to want to do things without her and that it is obviously more difficult to do things with her. He has promised me that soon we will get a babysitter and spend a day shopping, just the two of us. Part of me feels bad for wanting that, but most of me realizes that it is perfectly normal and that we should, at times, enjoy life as two instead of three. It is all just one of the many adjustments of motherhood.

Six Month Checkup

Yesterday was Lily's six month checkup. She is doing great. She weighs 16lbs 9oz (75th percentile) and is almost 28in long (99th percentile). Her head is still the 50th percentile which I think actually makes her look more proportioned than most babies. I was surprised that they made me fill out a check list of her development and actually had trouble answering some of the questions.

One question asked if she could rake and pick up a small crumb or cheerio. I had no idea. I thought I wasn't supposed to give her small crumbs! Another question asked about if her feet were flat when you pulled her to standing. I felt slightly deficient because I had never noticed her feet position before. A friend said she thought they should give you that list ahead of time so you could put your baby through the tests and have a good answer! :)

Overall thought, Lily is doing great. She is growing and developing just as she should be. She really charmed the doctor and nurse with her sweet smile and chewing on her toes (which was accompanied by a giant fart while naked on the scale causing the nurse and I to laugh which then made Lily giggle...super cute!)

BTW...my amazing photographer friend Star was here a few weekends ago and took some really cute pictures. Here are a few of my favorite funny faces! Click on the picture for a larger image and check out facebook for more!

A New Name

I've decided the blog needs a new name. I kind of like the idea of using "pitter patter", or a nursery rhyme, or a play on our names. Any suggestions?

Vitamins (My Mom Is So Smart!)

I wanted to share a tip from my super smart mom with all of you mom's out there. I've struggled since Lily was tiny with giving her vitamins. Her pediatrician said it was a good idea to give her Vitamin D since it's the one thing she needs that's not in breast milk. I tried a few times when she was really little, but she just spit them out and they made a huge disgusting mess and ruined her clothes. I talked to the pediatrician about it and she said not to stress, but to give them when I can. I have to admit that I haven't really tried again.

The other day I was discussing this with my mom. She said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "You should give them to her in the bath tub". Duh. Why did I never think of that? I can give them to her when she is in the tub and there is no risk of mess if she spits them out.

P.S. Today is Lily's half birthday! It seems to be flying by!

Lily's Sick! :(

I know I posted a few weeks ago about Lily's first cold, but I think I was wrong. I don't think that was a cold at all. NOW Lily really does have a cold, and so do I. It is no fun for either of us, but I honestly think it's good that I have it at the same time because I can understand and sympathize with how she feels.

I was thinking this morning how disconcerting that sore throat, achy head, stuffy nose feeling must be when you've never had it before. When you don't understand what is going on. When you can't blow your nose to get some relief. When you feel like your parents are torturing you to boot with nasal bulbs and thermometers. When you don't know if it will ever go away. My poor baby!

Bedtime Blues and Bedtime Bliss

Bedtime has become an interesting struggle at our house. I'm not sure if Lily is starting to have some separation anxiety, is learning to manipulate us, or is legitimately upset for some reason, but for over a week she has been fighting going to sleep. We would lay her down in the crib at night or for naps and she would scream. Sometimes it would only last five minutes and sometimes it would require multiple trips into the room to soothe her. It didn't matter if I rocked her or nursed her until she was asleep (which I don't love getting in the habit of), as soon as her head hit the mattress the screaming would begin. It didn't even matter if I tried to lay her in the bed beside me (which I also don't want to become a habit, but is nice for a nap), as soon as she was out of my arms she would scream.

She even did it last night in the middle of the night, which was one of the first times ever she hasn't just gone right back to bed after nursing during the night (I know...I know...parents everywhere are groaning and saying in their best "lucky" in their best Napolean Dynamite voices). I finally just laid her down and let her "cry it out" at which point she preceded to dose between fits of crying for about a half hour before she finally fell asleep and slept the rest of the night. It was rough, though. I hate hearing her cry, especially at 1:30am. It is in those instances that I really wish she could tell me what was going on. I had no way to know if she was legitimately hungry, not feeling well, or just overly tired.

Tonight, however, I just put her to bed and after feeding her, and she didn't fuss at all. She smiled as I put her in the crib and played about five minutes before falling asleep. It was blissful, but I have no idea what was different from last night's bedtime battle. I think one of the hardest things about parenting for me is realizing that it's not an exact science. I can do the exact same thing tomorrow and get a different result! That is hard. I want to find the formula for blissful bedtimes and repeat it!

Nursingwear

One of my friends who is expecting her second baby asked me about nursingwear today. She struggled with what to sleep in during the time she was nursing her first little one and wondered what I did to prevent the inevitable nighttime leakage. I thought I would take this opportunity to share what I think is a great find...Gillian O'Malley nursing bras and tanks from Target!

I got one tank to take to the hospital and wore it the entire five days we were there (gross I know, but desperate times...). I then went to Target and bought one in every available color. They are only $17, much less than at maternity specialty stores, and I love them! I sleep in them at night and even wear them under clothes many days. I'm not in need of a ton of support, but find they fit tightly enough to prevent any unsightly bouncing or leaking even when it's been a while since I've nursed or pumped. They are also nice to wear under another shirt because I can lift that shirt up to feed her and still have my midsection covered by the tank which has easy to open shoulder snaps for quick one handed access. Perfect!

I also purchased two of the nursing sleep bras. They are also only $17 and really nice.I find that I can wear these, not only at night, but also during the day time for many of the same reasons mentioned above about the tank. They are comfortable, provide good support, and make it easy to nurse. I actually have two expensive nursing bras from another store, but do not like them or wear it them much as the ones from Target. One of them has hook and eye shoulder clasps which are impossible to open with one hand making it quite frustrating when trying to feed and hold a hungry squirming baby. The other has a double layer design with a little padding sewn between that is always getting bunched up and needs to be smoothed out. The only thing I don't like about the Target on is that it comes up pretty high and isn't what you would call "sexy".

In an effort to have a nursing bra that was also a "sexy" bra, I did purchase one of the Gillian O'Malley soft cup nursing bras. Which sounds comfortable, but I've only worn it once, and it was not. Of course that may be because I got the wrong size. I think I was thinking of my size before nursing and bought it without trying it on. It could also be that I've gotten used to wearing the sleep bras and tanks and any normal bra would feel uncomfortable. I took the tags off and washed it before wearing it, so now I'm stuck with it. I may try to get another one in a better size and see how that goes. I do get a bit tired of only wearing full coverage sporty bras all the time!

Another great nursing find: Johnson and Johnson nursing pads. For someone like me without a huge chest they are perfect. I started out saying I was only going to use the fabric washable kind to eliminate waste and cost, but I found that early on they were rough and stayed damp and irritated where I was already irritated. They also don't have adhesive and managed to migrate to around my navel during the night! I found that the Lanisol ones were too big and bunch up under my bra leaving visable lines through my clothes. The others brands didn't have adhesive, see above comment. The Johnson and Johnson's are soft, a good size, and stay put! I only use one pair a day, and I do sometimes use the fabric ones now when I'm home during the day to ease my consience. :)

New Car Seat Guidelines

This morning on the Today show, a representative from the American Academy of Pediatrics went over the new car seat guidelines and I have to admit I was surprised. This is very different than what I have been told previously. Check it out!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Sage Advice

On Thursday night I received some of the best advice about child rearing I've received to date! It was from a friend who adopted her son from Korea when he was six months old. While decorating cupcakes, we were talking about babies and sleep. I knew that sleep was initially a struggle for them, but that her son is now a pretty good sleeper. She started out saying that she couldn't really offer me much advice about bedtimes and such for Lily because she hasn't ever had a five month old baby, but then pointed out that even though she had absolutely no input into her son's first six months, he is now a healthy and well adjusted four year old. She extrapolated to the fact that you really can't screw them up too bad in those first six months. As someone who has struggled with the fear that I'm making wrong choices that will impact Lily in the future, I found that quite reassuring and encouraging! I will admit that those fears are quickly diminishing as time goes on and I've come to learn that everything with babies changes daily and that what is the "right" choice today might not be tomorrow. I do wish that she had given me that advice months ago! :)

A Confession

I have a confession to make. I went shopping tonight for a friend's baby shower this weekend. After much shopping, I left the store without purchasing the gift for them, but with $40 in new clothes for Lily! Here's the problem. My friends are not finding out the gender of their baby. The particular store we were in had exactly three things that were gender neutral, but they had a ton of adorable girl things! And Lily needed some things! ;)

She needed some pants (and these also roll up into capris).

They have her favorite kind of jammies on sale (yes, her is in italics because they are really my favorite jammies).

She needed an Easter dress. Ok...maybe she already has a dress that could be her Easter dress, but I may save it to be her dedication dress and then she would need an Easter dress!

Her grandparents got her some cute dress shoes, so she has to have some cute ruffle socks to go with them!

I'll admit that the Easter onsie was a bit of a splurge since she already has an Easter outfit, but it was too cute to resist and only $5! I actually originally was going to buy it for my friend, but I am not a hundred percent sure her baby will arrive before Easter.

How is that for justifying my confession! I'll admit that Lily probably doesn't need all of those clothes. I was probably the one who was seeking some retail therapy, and, since her clothes are much cuter, cheaper, and easier to find a correct fit than mine, I now buy for her instead of me. I'll go back tomorrow and get a gift for my friend. Who knows...I may even return something, I'll have to double check the budget!

The Results are In

Last week I ran a little poll about bedtime and babies. I really enjoy seeing the results of these polls and finding out what other families do. As it turns out 7pm is the most common bedtime among my readers with 8pm a close second. Lately we've been shooting for 7:30, but winding up closer to 8. I wish I had asked how many of you were strict about bedtime at this age. To that end, I've decided to add a follow up poll. Please vote to the right!

In terms of bedtime stories there was a tie between sometimes and every night. Two people responded never. I'm not sure if that means that some people didn't read to their child at all, that they didn't read at bedtime, or that they didn't read stories. The English teacher in me feels the need to remind you that reading to your kids even at this very young age is important! When I ask my students their favorite story from their childhood it us undoubtedly the ones that don't have one that struggle to read in my class. It doesn't have to be bedtime or even children's stores, but read your kid the newspaper, or Harry Potter, or whatever you are reading!

In terms of bath time almost everyone bathes their baby at bedtime. No one said morning or mid day, but I did have two people respond "other". Josh asked me what other meant and I told him it was probably people like us who bathe the baby when they notice she is dirty! :) Again, I wish I had asked the bath frequency, so please vote in the follow up poll to the right. I'm sort of ashamed of how rarely we bathe her, usually twice a week, but she really doesn't get that dirty and I'd hate to dry out her skin. She always gets a bath after a big dirty diaper!

Let me know if you, like me, enjoy these polls and I'll keep one going. Also let me know if you have a question you'd like to ask.