I stayed up entirely too late watching DVR'd episodes of Mad Men, so my planned post will have to wait for another day. In the mean time, I'll leave you with some serious cuteness of L helping me wash bottles. :-)
Toodles!
S
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
The Holiday Weekend In Pictures
Keeping it short and sweet tonight! As promised, a post about Lilly's weekend in pictures.
First, I'll start with Thursday at the doctor. I know, Thursday isn't really the weekend, but Lilly was in the BEST mood and it is too cute not to share. She laid on that table and laughed, talked, cooed, and giggled. Even when the doctor came in, she was all smiles and belly laughs...in fact, she talked so much (and so loudly) that when Dr. Vining came in she said, "You two may want to be careful, I think Lillian may have just broadcast your social security numbers to the entire office." She was hilarious! Until shots, when she was pitiful, and it broke my heart.
The examination room was painted with all kinds of animals and Lilly LOVED them, particularly the rooster that was right beside the exam table:
She was so cute chatting it up with Mr. Rooster, so I snagged a quick video:
We headed to charlotte on Thursday night so Mom could help with Lilly while I worked on Friday. We made a pit stop in Asheboro to feed Lilly and visit with my Granny & Papa.
On Friday morning, L went to the farmer's market with Grandmommy and PawPaw. She had a great time looking around and people watching, and it wore her out!
My firm closed at 3:00 on Friday in observance of the holiday weekend (score!), so we took advantage of some afternoon pool time. Do you die over this baby floppy hat as much as I did?!
First time in the pool and LOVING it despite the less-than-her-normal-bath-water-warm water. |
Naked baby! |
Still naked and loving being outside for cuddles with Aunt Jo. |
All of the swimming really wore her out - she fell asleep sitting up! |
More cuddles from Granny. |
Big girl sitting in the bumbo and playing with her toys! |
PawPaw has jokes. |
Yup, funny guy, PawPaw is! |
Story time with Grandmommy - thanks for my new books, John David - I love them! |
But Daaaaaaaad, I HATE SUNSCREEN!!! |
Layla wanted in on the swimming action, too. |
I swore I took pictures on Sunday as well, but they must have been on my camera and not my phone, so I'll upload them later. My parents had a cookout with friends and family, and we had a blast. Lilly played, swam, and was happy as a lark being passed around for snuggles.
Monday was a travel day, so it was pretty low key. We did swing by a cookout on our way in, and were happy to get to see all of the Kniers. Lilly and Olivia were so cute together:
Couldn't you just die over Olivia's hair?! Sweet girls.
Almost hump day!
Sarah
Monday, May 28, 2012
Four Months Old and 4-Month Check Up
Well, here we are again...time for another monthly update! I can hardly believe it myself. This one is four days late, worst Mom ever (sorry L!). On Thursday evening, we traveled to Charlotte to spend the long weekend with my parents and we were swamped the entire time we were there, so time just got away from me. I'm so sleepy, so without further ado, onto Miss Lillian Grace's four month stats! This may be a long one since I'm combining the update with the check-up, but I don't want to forget anything!
Weight/Length: 25 inches long...homegirl is getting SO BIG (stop it!)! She is in the 95th percentile for height. She also, as of Thursday, weighs 16 lbs, 3.5 oz. Still 97th percentile for weight. The doctor said she's not worried about L being malnourished! ;-)
Sleep: I am so grateful that we were blessed with a wonderful sleeper. I am starting to realize that I cannot count on any routine, because just when I think we're in one Lilly changes it up on me (this is totally normal, I hear), but sleep has been pretty predictable as of late (except for the nights when she breaks out of the swaddle!). We typically start our bed time routine with a bath around 7:00. If she had a super long afternoon nap or took it later than usual, I'll let her play for a little while after bath time, but most nights we head upstairs to read a book, eat, and go to sleep. She is normally in bed (still awake) by 7:30 or 8:00. I have made it a point to put her down while she's still awake to help her learn to self-soothe. So far, thankfully, this has not been a problem. Some nights, she will lay in there talking and giggling to herself - other nights she goes straight to sleep. On a "normal" night, Lilly sleeps until 7:00 or 7:30 a.m., wakes up to eat, and then goes back to sleep until 9:00 or 9:30. She takes a short nap in the morning, normally between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and normally only lasting 45 minutes to an hour, and then she takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, normally sometime between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. On the mornings when she goes to stay with the nanny, we keep her up instead of letting her go back to sleep, so sometimes the morning nap is a little earlier and lasts a little longer on those days. Lilly so far has demonstrated that she'll sleep anywhere and through just about anything (angels singing). She is still waking up sometimes having broken out of her swaddle, but it is not very consistent, so we're still trying to decide what to do. I talked to her doctor about this issue, and asked about whether we should work on sleep training and breaking her of the swaddling habit. The doctor basically told us that Lilly is such a good sleeper, if it were her, she wouldn't fix what isn't broken and she'd just order a bigger swaddle. She tended to agree with us that the fact that Lilly wakes herself up when she's not swaddled probably means she's not quite ready to come out of it yet, and said that she may even wean herself off of it. She assured us that nothing about swaddling is harmful for Lilly's development - she said her own children slept swaddled until they were 8 or 9 months old. She reiterated that we for sure need to stop swaddling once Lilly can roll over in the swaddle because then it becomes dangerous. I don't see that being an issue as I have been trying to get the child to roll over again ever since she did it for the first time last week, but she won't. So, we decided we will order a bigger swaddle and give it a week to see how it goes. If the little escape artist still wiggles her way out of the next size up, we'll sleep train without the swaddle. Side Note: Why am I always worried that writing about how good she is at eating, sleeping, being happy, etc. will jinx me?
Feeding: Clearly there are no problems here. She is eating around every three hours during the day still. Sometimes she'll go four hours, but it's only if she's napping when the three-hour mark hits. I asked the doctor if this was normal, and she said absolutely. She told us that since Lilly is sleeping for a minimum of 10 hours/night, it makes total sense for her to eat every three hours during the day - really, if you think about it, if she wakes up at 7:30 and eats every three hours, she's eating 5 times in a day. Lilly is still nursing like a champ. Over the past few days, she's fought me on it a couple of times. I'm hoping this is just due to the fact that her tummy was really upset (as evidenced by complete and utter blowouts both times, ugh). Other than that, I'm thankful that she is OK switching back and forth between bottle and b00b so easily. In other news, the doctor gave us the OK to start on solids, so we're going to try rice cereal this week. She told us, which I found interesting, not to put the rice cereal in Lilly's bottle - she said if it doesn't come from the breast, it shouldn't go in the bottle. She said to try the rice cereal mixed with breast milk and to feed Lilly with a spoon. If she can't quite get the hang of it, she told us to give it a week and try again, that Lilly will let us know when she's ready. If all goes well with rice cereal, we can introduce a few other things - avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas - shortly after. I mentioned that I'd like to make Lilly's baby food (I am not saying I will never feed her baby food out of a jar, just that I have a food processor and some empty jars and a freezer and figured, why not?), so she gave me some good resources for that which I'll blog about in a later post.
Firsts This Month: First bachelorette party! She also rolled over for the first time - I know, I still need to post that video. She sat up in a seat for the first time without help (she's had good head control and has been able to sit propped up against something for a while, but this month marked the first time we tried out her seats and she does really well in them!). First time staying with a nanny. She was also baptized, which I guess can be considered a first. First time swimming, which she LOVED. I know I say it every month, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot.
Developments: Lilly has been smiling at us for a while now, but I feel like in the past month she's really given smiles a lot more freely. The same goes for giggles - we're starting to hear belly laughs pretty often now, and it's the best sound in the whole world. She has excellent head control now, and wants to be sitting up looking around and taking everything in (nosey girl!) instead of laying down when she's being held. She is starting to "stand" some when being held, but not a whole lot - I'm not sure whether it's because her legs can't hold up that buddha belly or what. :-) She is really exploring her hands and figuring out how they work, and testing her depth perception. She's gone from "batting" at her toys to actually reaching for them and picking them up - she immediately tries to put everything in her mouth, of course. Sometimes she is surprised when she pulls her hand back and the toy is in it - it's pretty cute. I am also still wondering if we're going to have a thumb sucker - more and more I catch her putting her thumb - not her whole fist, which she also sometimes does - but specifically her thumb, into her mouth:
Speaking of whole fist, she is doing this thing where she sticks her whole hand in her mouth and gags herself. Doc said this is completely normal - she's just testing herself and learning. She is also drooling a TON, which I took to be teething. The doc said that it very well could be, but that every parent of every 4-month old says the same thing when they come for their check-up, and that tons of drool is totally normal.
Likes: Bath time, eating, cuddling, stroller rides, being worn in the baby k'tan, singing and music, dancing, talking, cooing, giggling, her swing, her piano gym play mat, tummy time on the boppy, being outside, toys, books, the sunshine (unless it's shining in her face in the car seat), Layla, watching the ceiling fan, people watching, bumbo seat, swimming.
Dislikes: Being cold or hungry. Or overtired/over-stimulated. Oh and getting dressed - specifically anything that has to go over her head. Being lotioned up after bath time - same goes for putting on sunscreen. HATES it. Also being bored.
What I'm Thankful For: My sweet little family! I am so overwhelmed with love for Dan, Layla and Lilly every day. Who knew my heart had room for even MORE love? I also don't think I say enough how thankful I am to have a wonderful and very hands-on husband. He never hesitates to help out around the house and with Lilly. He cooks, he cleans, he does yard work, he takes care of Layla, and he is SO good with Lilly - even with her dirty diapers!
What I'm Looking Forward To: My little sister is getting MARRIED next month! Lord, I feel old.
Next Pediatrician Appointment: Lilly's 6-month check-up on July 24 (I think).
How Mommy's Doing: Wonderful. I am still trying to find a good morning routine, but something tells me it will never be perfect. I am still struggling again with my new body and the way it looks. Something tells me I will never be fully comfortable with it, but I need to get a move on into getting back into shape - I don't know where I'll find the time but I know it will only get harder!
I've just realized that I never blogged about Lilly's baptism, so I'll add that to the list of posts for this week along with a picture post for the weekend (would take too long to upload all of them tonight), the rolling over video, and the "making your own baby food" post. Lots to do! For now, I shall leave you with a few shots from Lilly's "I'm 4 months old and SUPER cute" photo shoot. I love howchunky expressive she is!
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. I am thankful for those who have fought and continue to fight for my freedoms!
Sarah
PS - Don't forget to vote! :-)
Weight/Length: 25 inches long...homegirl is getting SO BIG (stop it!)! She is in the 95th percentile for height. She also, as of Thursday, weighs 16 lbs, 3.5 oz. Still 97th percentile for weight. The doctor said she's not worried about L being malnourished! ;-)
Sleep: I am so grateful that we were blessed with a wonderful sleeper. I am starting to realize that I cannot count on any routine, because just when I think we're in one Lilly changes it up on me (this is totally normal, I hear), but sleep has been pretty predictable as of late (except for the nights when she breaks out of the swaddle!). We typically start our bed time routine with a bath around 7:00. If she had a super long afternoon nap or took it later than usual, I'll let her play for a little while after bath time, but most nights we head upstairs to read a book, eat, and go to sleep. She is normally in bed (still awake) by 7:30 or 8:00. I have made it a point to put her down while she's still awake to help her learn to self-soothe. So far, thankfully, this has not been a problem. Some nights, she will lay in there talking and giggling to herself - other nights she goes straight to sleep. On a "normal" night, Lilly sleeps until 7:00 or 7:30 a.m., wakes up to eat, and then goes back to sleep until 9:00 or 9:30. She takes a short nap in the morning, normally between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. and normally only lasting 45 minutes to an hour, and then she takes a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon, normally sometime between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. On the mornings when she goes to stay with the nanny, we keep her up instead of letting her go back to sleep, so sometimes the morning nap is a little earlier and lasts a little longer on those days. Lilly so far has demonstrated that she'll sleep anywhere and through just about anything (angels singing). She is still waking up sometimes having broken out of her swaddle, but it is not very consistent, so we're still trying to decide what to do. I talked to her doctor about this issue, and asked about whether we should work on sleep training and breaking her of the swaddling habit. The doctor basically told us that Lilly is such a good sleeper, if it were her, she wouldn't fix what isn't broken and she'd just order a bigger swaddle. She tended to agree with us that the fact that Lilly wakes herself up when she's not swaddled probably means she's not quite ready to come out of it yet, and said that she may even wean herself off of it. She assured us that nothing about swaddling is harmful for Lilly's development - she said her own children slept swaddled until they were 8 or 9 months old. She reiterated that we for sure need to stop swaddling once Lilly can roll over in the swaddle because then it becomes dangerous. I don't see that being an issue as I have been trying to get the child to roll over again ever since she did it for the first time last week, but she won't. So, we decided we will order a bigger swaddle and give it a week to see how it goes. If the little escape artist still wiggles her way out of the next size up, we'll sleep train without the swaddle. Side Note: Why am I always worried that writing about how good she is at eating, sleeping, being happy, etc. will jinx me?
Feeding: Clearly there are no problems here. She is eating around every three hours during the day still. Sometimes she'll go four hours, but it's only if she's napping when the three-hour mark hits. I asked the doctor if this was normal, and she said absolutely. She told us that since Lilly is sleeping for a minimum of 10 hours/night, it makes total sense for her to eat every three hours during the day - really, if you think about it, if she wakes up at 7:30 and eats every three hours, she's eating 5 times in a day. Lilly is still nursing like a champ. Over the past few days, she's fought me on it a couple of times. I'm hoping this is just due to the fact that her tummy was really upset (as evidenced by complete and utter blowouts both times, ugh). Other than that, I'm thankful that she is OK switching back and forth between bottle and b00b so easily. In other news, the doctor gave us the OK to start on solids, so we're going to try rice cereal this week. She told us, which I found interesting, not to put the rice cereal in Lilly's bottle - she said if it doesn't come from the breast, it shouldn't go in the bottle. She said to try the rice cereal mixed with breast milk and to feed Lilly with a spoon. If she can't quite get the hang of it, she told us to give it a week and try again, that Lilly will let us know when she's ready. If all goes well with rice cereal, we can introduce a few other things - avocados, sweet potatoes, bananas - shortly after. I mentioned that I'd like to make Lilly's baby food (I am not saying I will never feed her baby food out of a jar, just that I have a food processor and some empty jars and a freezer and figured, why not?), so she gave me some good resources for that which I'll blog about in a later post.
Firsts This Month: First bachelorette party! She also rolled over for the first time - I know, I still need to post that video. She sat up in a seat for the first time without help (she's had good head control and has been able to sit propped up against something for a while, but this month marked the first time we tried out her seats and she does really well in them!). First time staying with a nanny. She was also baptized, which I guess can be considered a first. First time swimming, which she LOVED. I know I say it every month, but I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot.
Developments: Lilly has been smiling at us for a while now, but I feel like in the past month she's really given smiles a lot more freely. The same goes for giggles - we're starting to hear belly laughs pretty often now, and it's the best sound in the whole world. She has excellent head control now, and wants to be sitting up looking around and taking everything in (nosey girl!) instead of laying down when she's being held. She is starting to "stand" some when being held, but not a whole lot - I'm not sure whether it's because her legs can't hold up that buddha belly or what. :-) She is really exploring her hands and figuring out how they work, and testing her depth perception. She's gone from "batting" at her toys to actually reaching for them and picking them up - she immediately tries to put everything in her mouth, of course. Sometimes she is surprised when she pulls her hand back and the toy is in it - it's pretty cute. I am also still wondering if we're going to have a thumb sucker - more and more I catch her putting her thumb - not her whole fist, which she also sometimes does - but specifically her thumb, into her mouth:
Speaking of whole fist, she is doing this thing where she sticks her whole hand in her mouth and gags herself. Doc said this is completely normal - she's just testing herself and learning. She is also drooling a TON, which I took to be teething. The doc said that it very well could be, but that every parent of every 4-month old says the same thing when they come for their check-up, and that tons of drool is totally normal.
Likes: Bath time, eating, cuddling, stroller rides, being worn in the baby k'tan, singing and music, dancing, talking, cooing, giggling, her swing, her piano gym play mat, tummy time on the boppy, being outside, toys, books, the sunshine (unless it's shining in her face in the car seat), Layla, watching the ceiling fan, people watching, bumbo seat, swimming.
Dislikes: Being cold or hungry. Or overtired/over-stimulated. Oh and getting dressed - specifically anything that has to go over her head. Being lotioned up after bath time - same goes for putting on sunscreen. HATES it. Also being bored.
What I'm Thankful For: My sweet little family! I am so overwhelmed with love for Dan, Layla and Lilly every day. Who knew my heart had room for even MORE love? I also don't think I say enough how thankful I am to have a wonderful and very hands-on husband. He never hesitates to help out around the house and with Lilly. He cooks, he cleans, he does yard work, he takes care of Layla, and he is SO good with Lilly - even with her dirty diapers!
What I'm Looking Forward To: My little sister is getting MARRIED next month! Lord, I feel old.
Next Pediatrician Appointment: Lilly's 6-month check-up on July 24 (I think).
How Mommy's Doing: Wonderful. I am still trying to find a good morning routine, but something tells me it will never be perfect. I am still struggling again with my new body and the way it looks. Something tells me I will never be fully comfortable with it, but I need to get a move on into getting back into shape - I don't know where I'll find the time but I know it will only get harder!
I've just realized that I never blogged about Lilly's baptism, so I'll add that to the list of posts for this week along with a picture post for the weekend (would take too long to upload all of them tonight), the rolling over video, and the "making your own baby food" post. Lots to do! For now, I shall leave you with a few shots from Lilly's "I'm 4 months old and SUPER cute" photo shoot. I love how
Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. I am thankful for those who have fought and continue to fight for my freedoms!
Sarah
PS - Don't forget to vote! :-)
Thursday, May 24, 2012
4 Months!
We are en route to Charlotte for the long weekend, so the 4 month stats and check-up report will have to wait until tomorrow.
In the meantime, I just wanted to wish my sweet baby girl a happy 4 months. Lillian Grace, you have brought us more joy than we ever knew we could experience, and we love you so much more than we know how to tell you. Thank you for teaching us what life is all about. We are so thankful for you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
In the meantime, I just wanted to wish my sweet baby girl a happy 4 months. Lillian Grace, you have brought us more joy than we ever knew we could experience, and we love you so much more than we know how to tell you. Thank you for teaching us what life is all about. We are so thankful for you!
Love,
Mommy and Daddy
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Layla Hates Me :-(
Quick post tonight because I'm exhausted. I'm having a little problem that I am hoping someone else has had and can help me solve. I haven't had a chance to call the vet or do a lot of research, but I plan to, and stat. My problem is this: Layla hates me. Ever since Lilly was born, she literally hates me.
Take tonight, for example. Meagan and I were having a wine night after L went to bed since our men had an after-work event. I called Layla to come sit with me and she walked over like she was going to but then wouldn't get on the couch with me. She went to sit with Meagan instead. After a few minutes, I called her again. She jumped off of Meagan's lap, came over like she was going to get on the couch with me, and then immediately turned around and went back to Meagan. The other day, I had Cheezits (any of you who know Layla know that homegirl LOVES people food, but Cheezits are her absolute favorite) and tried to lure her with those and she still wouldn't come near me. When I am at home alone with she and Lilly, she spends a lot of time upstairs away from us, which she has NEVER done before - she loves to be around people, especially Dan and I (or at least she used to), so she used to be wherever we were. Now, if she's downstairs and it's just me, she acts really weird, almost like she did something wrong because she hangs her head and won't look at me which is what she does when she's in trouble. If Dan's here, she's totally normal. It is so weird. Even tonight after Dan got home when I was frustrated and almost in tears over it, he made me call her with my stern voice for what he likes to call a "forced cuddle." She finally got up on the couch with me, but only because she thought she was in trouble - and then she wouldn't even look at me, she just sat with her back to me.
This is SO unlike my dog. And she is not like this with Dan, only me. And it truly has really only been since Lilly came home. I have said before that she doesn't love Lilly like I hoped she would - I think that will (hopefully) come when Lilly is a little older and moving around. But me? She's always loved me. When I was pregnant with Lilly, I could tell that she sensed it, but she didn't act like this - she still snuggled whenever I wanted to and came when I called her. Now, it's like she doesn't even want to be around me. It makes me so sad - there have definitely been some tears over this. I know it sounds crazy, but she was my first baby. Why doesn't she love me anymore? She still sleeps cuddled right up against me, but really that's about the only thing she'll have to do with me anymore. I have tried so hard to make a conscious effort to still make her feel important (to the extent that a dog can "feel," but you know what I mean), but I guess maybe I'm failing.
Has anyone else had this issue? What do I do? Help! I want my sweet Layla to love me again!!!
Happy Hump Day...one day closer to the long weekend! Oh, and don't forget to vote for us! :-)
Sarah
Take tonight, for example. Meagan and I were having a wine night after L went to bed since our men had an after-work event. I called Layla to come sit with me and she walked over like she was going to but then wouldn't get on the couch with me. She went to sit with Meagan instead. After a few minutes, I called her again. She jumped off of Meagan's lap, came over like she was going to get on the couch with me, and then immediately turned around and went back to Meagan. The other day, I had Cheezits (any of you who know Layla know that homegirl LOVES people food, but Cheezits are her absolute favorite) and tried to lure her with those and she still wouldn't come near me. When I am at home alone with she and Lilly, she spends a lot of time upstairs away from us, which she has NEVER done before - she loves to be around people, especially Dan and I (or at least she used to), so she used to be wherever we were. Now, if she's downstairs and it's just me, she acts really weird, almost like she did something wrong because she hangs her head and won't look at me which is what she does when she's in trouble. If Dan's here, she's totally normal. It is so weird. Even tonight after Dan got home when I was frustrated and almost in tears over it, he made me call her with my stern voice for what he likes to call a "forced cuddle." She finally got up on the couch with me, but only because she thought she was in trouble - and then she wouldn't even look at me, she just sat with her back to me.
This is SO unlike my dog. And she is not like this with Dan, only me. And it truly has really only been since Lilly came home. I have said before that she doesn't love Lilly like I hoped she would - I think that will (hopefully) come when Lilly is a little older and moving around. But me? She's always loved me. When I was pregnant with Lilly, I could tell that she sensed it, but she didn't act like this - she still snuggled whenever I wanted to and came when I called her. Now, it's like she doesn't even want to be around me. It makes me so sad - there have definitely been some tears over this. I know it sounds crazy, but she was my first baby. Why doesn't she love me anymore? She still sleeps cuddled right up against me, but really that's about the only thing she'll have to do with me anymore. I have tried so hard to make a conscious effort to still make her feel important (to the extent that a dog can "feel," but you know what I mean), but I guess maybe I'm failing.
Has anyone else had this issue? What do I do? Help! I want my sweet Layla to love me again!!!
Happy Hump Day...one day closer to the long weekend! Oh, and don't forget to vote for us! :-)
Sarah
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
GoCrib Product Review
When we were creating our registry, there were only two things Dan cared anything about: the stroller and the pack & play. I understood why he took such an interest in the stroller - they are expensive and he is...how do I put this nicely? He is frugal. :-) However, why he gave two craps about our pack & play I could NOT figure out.
He was INSISTENT upon the Guava Family GoCrib. I took one look at it and decided that it wasn't for me - why is it that all of the pictures of the thing are of people camping? And clearly I am not a camper. I fought and fought him - I was convinced that we needed a pack & play with a bassinet - but in the end, I gave in. After all, he was pretty agreeable and let me choose everything elsefor once, so what do I care?
Let me preface this by saying that I think the pack & play with the bassinet, etc. is a good idea for use as a second changing table, which is how a lot of my girlfriends use it with their babies. However, we are fortunate in that we have two changing tables already - one upstairs and one downstairs - so we didn't need all of the extra "stuff" that came along with the traditional pack & plays.
When it was all said and done, Dan made me sit down and watch several videos on the GoCrib. These two are my favorite:
The second video above is probably more worth watching than the first - it's the one that sold Dan on it, mainly because it's pretty cool.
Both of our parents have a crib for Lilly to sleep in, so we hadn't had a chance to use our GoCrib yet other than when we received it as a gift before Lilly was born and Dan immediately opened it and inflated it in the living room so he could play with it. As much as we travel, I know it will get a ton of use in the coming years. I used it over the weekend for the first time when we went to the beach for Katy's bachelorette party, and I am here to tell you that it is one of the best things we have (thanks to the Aunts & Granny for the awesome gift!). It is lightweight and takes up almost no room in the car. Even if I weren't the over packer of the century, babies have a lot of stuff, so every spare inch of room you can save helps, especially since neither of us drive an SUV. The GoCrib folds right up into a backpack, and since it's inflatable, it's very squishy and can be compacted even smaller. Even though it's inflatable, it's durable, easy to assemble, and even easy to move from room to room if need be. The pad that goes in it is inflatable as well so it adds a little extra cushion, and the mattress pad and sheet add even more cushion. Lilly was perfectly comfortable and slept wonderfully in it.
My only suggestion to you would be this: if you've never used it, don't wait until the baby needs to go to bed right that second to set it up. It's not hard to assemble by any means, but I waited until Lilly was fussy and clearly ready for bed to set it up, and y'all know how I get stressed and it wears on my nerves, so I was cursing Dan for making me get that stupid contraption until I figured out how easy it was (thanks to Leah's help!).
Anyway, out of five stars, I would give this product ten. I liked it that much. I have suggested it to all of my girlfriends who are having babies. It is a little more expensive than some of the pack & plays, I think, but I have seen it on Zulily several times for 30% off or more - in fact, that's how we got ours, because Steph saw it on sale and pointed it out to Mom. Also, if you're into outdoorsy stuff (not it) and are by chance an REI member, I think you get discounts there as well. My friend Carrie's son, Sam, will not sleep in a pack & play - hates it - so we're letting them borrow the GoCrib for the weekend. I am anxious to see if they love it as much as we do. I will report back! I wish I'd thought to take a picture of L sleeping in it...maybe next time.
Long story short: get the GoCrib! It's awesome. As I said, as much as we travel, I know that it will get plenty of use. It is perfect for the beach, camping (if you're into that sort of thing), indoors...really however you want to use it, and the fact that it's so lightweight and portable is an added bonus. When I find a product that I love, I like to share, because this is exactly the feedback I was looking for when I was pregnant. This is truly a great product, and worth every penny, in our opinion. Get it!
Happy Tuesday!
Sarah
He was INSISTENT upon the Guava Family GoCrib. I took one look at it and decided that it wasn't for me - why is it that all of the pictures of the thing are of people camping? And clearly I am not a camper. I fought and fought him - I was convinced that we needed a pack & play with a bassinet - but in the end, I gave in. After all, he was pretty agreeable and let me choose everything else
Let me preface this by saying that I think the pack & play with the bassinet, etc. is a good idea for use as a second changing table, which is how a lot of my girlfriends use it with their babies. However, we are fortunate in that we have two changing tables already - one upstairs and one downstairs - so we didn't need all of the extra "stuff" that came along with the traditional pack & plays.
When it was all said and done, Dan made me sit down and watch several videos on the GoCrib. These two are my favorite:
Both of our parents have a crib for Lilly to sleep in, so we hadn't had a chance to use our GoCrib yet other than when we received it as a gift before Lilly was born and Dan immediately opened it and inflated it in the living room so he could play with it. As much as we travel, I know it will get a ton of use in the coming years. I used it over the weekend for the first time when we went to the beach for Katy's bachelorette party, and I am here to tell you that it is one of the best things we have (thanks to the Aunts & Granny for the awesome gift!). It is lightweight and takes up almost no room in the car. Even if I weren't the over packer of the century, babies have a lot of stuff, so every spare inch of room you can save helps, especially since neither of us drive an SUV. The GoCrib folds right up into a backpack, and since it's inflatable, it's very squishy and can be compacted even smaller. Even though it's inflatable, it's durable, easy to assemble, and even easy to move from room to room if need be. The pad that goes in it is inflatable as well so it adds a little extra cushion, and the mattress pad and sheet add even more cushion. Lilly was perfectly comfortable and slept wonderfully in it.
My only suggestion to you would be this: if you've never used it, don't wait until the baby needs to go to bed right that second to set it up. It's not hard to assemble by any means, but I waited until Lilly was fussy and clearly ready for bed to set it up, and y'all know how I get stressed and it wears on my nerves, so I was cursing Dan for making me get that stupid contraption until I figured out how easy it was (thanks to Leah's help!).
Anyway, out of five stars, I would give this product ten. I liked it that much. I have suggested it to all of my girlfriends who are having babies. It is a little more expensive than some of the pack & plays, I think, but I have seen it on Zulily several times for 30% off or more - in fact, that's how we got ours, because Steph saw it on sale and pointed it out to Mom. Also, if you're into outdoorsy stuff (not it) and are by chance an REI member, I think you get discounts there as well. My friend Carrie's son, Sam, will not sleep in a pack & play - hates it - so we're letting them borrow the GoCrib for the weekend. I am anxious to see if they love it as much as we do. I will report back! I wish I'd thought to take a picture of L sleeping in it...maybe next time.
Long story short: get the GoCrib! It's awesome. As I said, as much as we travel, I know that it will get plenty of use. It is perfect for the beach, camping (if you're into that sort of thing), indoors...really however you want to use it, and the fact that it's so lightweight and portable is an added bonus. When I find a product that I love, I like to share, because this is exactly the feedback I was looking for when I was pregnant. This is truly a great product, and worth every penny, in our opinion. Get it!
Happy Tuesday!
Sarah
Monday, May 21, 2012
Blog Hiatus
I know, I know...time has gotten away from me yet again. We have had a busy few weeks. Unfortunately, I don't think things will slow down until after July 4, sigh. BUT I am going to make a conscious effort to stay on top of blogging...after all, I started this for sweet baby Lilly!
This past weekend was my little sister's bachelorette party. We had a fabulous girls weekend at the beach. More updates to come in a later post, but this was Lilly's excited face about all of the festivities:
I'll do a full post on the weekend later, but Lilly and I had so much fun...and I realized how old I am. :-) L was SUCH a good girl - ate well, slept well, and was happy the whole time. We got to test out the GoCrib for the first time. I am planning to do a product review with full details, but for now I will say that we LOVED it and Lilly slept like a champ in it.
In other miscellaneous news, I have been thinking for about two weeks now that Lilly may start to get mobile on us. They say babies typically roll from front to back first. I knew this wouldn't be the case with Lilly, because she's nosey and only likes tummy time if she's propped up on her Boppy pillow so she can see everything (takes after her Great Grandma Lil on that one for sure!). For the past two weeks, she's flipped herself all the way around and rolled up on her side almost every time she's been on her play mat, like so:
Most of the time, her side was as far as she would get - a lot of times, in fact, she'd be annoyed and want us to help her get back to her back and under the mirror on her playmat (Or at least where she can see the TV - my child LOVES the tv. Parenting fail? Maybe.). Over the weekend, there were quite a few instances where she got almost all the way over except she just couldn't get the hang of getting that bottom arm out from underneath herself. Yesterday, when we got home, she finally rolled over all on her own. She was surprised and looked around for a few minutes before remembering that she only likes tummy time when she's propped up - it was hilarious. I managed to get it on video, which I'll post as soon as I can get it off of Dan's phone. Since then, she hasn't done it again but has come close quite a few times. My Mom keeps telling me I should be thankful, because once she's mobile we'll be in trouble! I fear she may be right.
I guess the trip wore my girls out, because they were both tired and (sort of) snuggly when we got home:
Just wanted to write a quick update to let all of our friends and family know that we're still alive! Lots to come this week, including L's 4-month (!!!) update, aforementioned GoCrib review, sleep stuff, and a belated anniversary post among other things, so stay tuned! And vote while you're at it. :-)
Hope your week got off to a great start! If not, this should brighten it:
Sarah
This past weekend was my little sister's bachelorette party. We had a fabulous girls weekend at the beach. More updates to come in a later post, but this was Lilly's excited face about all of the festivities:
I'll do a full post on the weekend later, but Lilly and I had so much fun...and I realized how old I am. :-) L was SUCH a good girl - ate well, slept well, and was happy the whole time. We got to test out the GoCrib for the first time. I am planning to do a product review with full details, but for now I will say that we LOVED it and Lilly slept like a champ in it.
In other miscellaneous news, I have been thinking for about two weeks now that Lilly may start to get mobile on us. They say babies typically roll from front to back first. I knew this wouldn't be the case with Lilly, because she's nosey and only likes tummy time if she's propped up on her Boppy pillow so she can see everything (takes after her Great Grandma Lil on that one for sure!). For the past two weeks, she's flipped herself all the way around and rolled up on her side almost every time she's been on her play mat, like so:
Most of the time, her side was as far as she would get - a lot of times, in fact, she'd be annoyed and want us to help her get back to her back and under the mirror on her playmat (Or at least where she can see the TV - my child LOVES the tv. Parenting fail? Maybe.). Over the weekend, there were quite a few instances where she got almost all the way over except she just couldn't get the hang of getting that bottom arm out from underneath herself. Yesterday, when we got home, she finally rolled over all on her own. She was surprised and looked around for a few minutes before remembering that she only likes tummy time when she's propped up - it was hilarious. I managed to get it on video, which I'll post as soon as I can get it off of Dan's phone. Since then, she hasn't done it again but has come close quite a few times. My Mom keeps telling me I should be thankful, because once she's mobile we'll be in trouble! I fear she may be right.
I guess the trip wore my girls out, because they were both tired and (sort of) snuggly when we got home:
Just wanted to write a quick update to let all of our friends and family know that we're still alive! Lots to come this week, including L's 4-month (!!!) update, aforementioned GoCrib review, sleep stuff, and a belated anniversary post among other things, so stay tuned! And vote while you're at it. :-)
Hope your week got off to a great start! If not, this should brighten it:
Cutest kitchen helper ever? I think so. |
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Morning Routine
I am sure that if you're a regular reader, when you saw the title of this post you immediately rolled your eyes and thought, "What is it with this woman and routines?!" I often think that about myself, and I am 100% positive that Dan feels that way, too. It's a constant battle for me, because while I am a creature of habit and think that Lilly does better with some semblance of a routine, I also don't want her to be so scheduled and structured that she can't function without one.
With that being said, the one thing we've struggled the most with since I went back to work last week is a morning routine. I cannot, for the life of me, get out the door and to work on time. It is literally impossible, I'm convinced. I managed to get there this morning on time, but had to pump as soon as I arrived because I didn't have time before I left the house. I can't figure out how to fit everything in and still leave when I need to. Before I ever leave the house, here is what I have to get accomplished:
With that being said, the one thing we've struggled the most with since I went back to work last week is a morning routine. I cannot, for the life of me, get out the door and to work on time. It is literally impossible, I'm convinced. I managed to get there this morning on time, but had to pump as soon as I arrived because I didn't have time before I left the house. I can't figure out how to fit everything in and still leave when I need to. Before I ever leave the house, here is what I have to get accomplished:
- Pack my lunch (I normally do this the night before to save precious morning time)
- Get my pump and supplies ready for the day (ditto, I do this the night before)
- 3 days/week, go to the gym
- Feed Lilly
- Pump, because she never empties the ladies from overnight and it's painful
- Get Lilly dressed and ready for the day
- Shower and get myself ready
- Eat breakfast (normally happens on the way to work or once I arrive)
I know it probably doesn't seem like a lot to do, but even with Dan's help, it is. And most days I have been wearing very little (if any) makeup because I don't have time. Forget straightening my hair - I'm lucky to get it dried. I say that to let you know that it's not like I'm spending an hour getting ready like I did pre-baby.
My problem is this: I want to nurse Lilly, but I also need to pump after for my comfort as well as to keep my supply up. On gym mornings, I don't have time to nurse her and pump, so Dan just feeds her a bottle and I pump while I'm getting ready. I do everything I possibly can the night before to make the mornings easier, but so far it hasn't helped too much. The other factor to throw into this equation is that I hate to have to wake Lilly up just so I can nurse her when Dan could easily feed her a bottle. On Mondays and Fridays, this won't be as much of an issue since I work from home, but Tuesdays-Thursdays have been rough. Several people have suggested that I just pump for a few minutes before I wake Lilly to feed her, but how do I know how long or how much to pump to still have plenty for her to eat when she wakes? She definitely eats more the first feeding of the day.
When Dan and I talked about this dilemma last week, we came up with the following schedule (non-gym days only, aka Tuesday and Thursday):
6:30a: Wake up. Sarah to immediately shower and Dan to walk Layla. Best case scenario,
Sarah can get out of the shower and dry her hair by 7:00.
7:00a: Wake Lilly up. Sarah nurses Lilly while Dan jumps in the shower.
7:30a: Lilly is (hopefully) done nursing. Dan is out of the shower and ready. Sarah pumps
while finishing getting ready and is out the door by 8:00.
7:30a-8:30a: Dan takes care of Lilly while finishing getting ready for the day.
8:30a: Dan drops Lilly off at the neighbor's house and heads to work.
On Mondays and Fridays, as I said before, I'm at home so it's not as big of a deal. Wednesdays, I skip nursing all together and Dan has full morning duty, because by the time I get home for the gym I don't have much time before I have to leave for work.
The problem with this schedule is twofold: (1) I hate waking Lilly up and would love for her to sleep as long as possible in hopes that she remembers this on the weekends and lets Mommy and Daddy sleep in a little, and (2) even when she wakes up on her own, she mixes it up on us. Most mornings she wakes up between 7:30-8:30, but sometimes it's 7:00, sometimes it's 9:00, sometimes (like his morning) it's at 6:30. Her bed time hasn't really varied since I went back to work - she's gone to bed sometime between 7:30-8:30 every night. I am starting to think that I should just cut out the morning nursing session all together, but it's so much easier and I love it so much that I hate to do that. I honestly think Lilly likes it, too.
So, Mommy friends, what do I do? How do I get to work on time? Any tips or suggestions that I haven't thought of? I'm sure I just need to be patient (something I'm REALLY bad at) and it will work itself out. I've been waiting to sleep train Lilly until I talk to the doctor (aka bombard her with questions) at her 4-month check-up next week, but at this rate we won't even need to - she's been steadily moving up her own bedtime for the past two weeks. All we really need work on, per the nanny's request, is nap scheduling. And sleeping sans swaddle (Which I'd thought we'd fixed due to the implementation of some suggestions after my swaddling post, because L slept all the way through the night for several nights straight until this morning when she was up at 3:30 with an arm out. How does she get those arms out? And why does she only manage to get them out on work days? AND WHERE IS THE DARN ZIPADEEZIP THAT I'M CONVINCED IS GOING TO SOLVE ALL OF MY PROBLEMS?! I placed my order a week ago. Sigh.).
In other news, Lilly still can't really sit up in the seat we got her because the back is not quite high enough (even when stuffed with towels to prop her up), so we invested in a bumbo and she LOVES it:
We originally didn't get one of these because the feedback we got from friends was that the leg holes aren't very forgiving for chunky babies. This is definitely true - if Lilly's legs get any fatter it will be wasted money because they won't fit - but for now, as you can see by her facial expressions above, it was worth the investment.
Almost hump day! AND...don't forget to vote. :-)
Sarah
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