Baby-Wearing

I SO regret not getting a sling or a wrap when Carson was tiny. I registered for one of those standard baby carriers (that is a piece of crap BTW), b/c I thought we should have something Cory would feel comfortable with wearing too.

Well screw that! I was the one home all day with Carson for 3 months, and I could have gotten SO much more done around the house while holding, I mean wearing my baby - How awesome is that! I can't wait for baby #2!

I am starting a "regrets" label in order to help me remember the things I want to do differently with future children.

Juicy

Wow....I am addicted to reading blogs. Seriously addicted. A co-worker of mine thought I only read friends' and family blogs, and I told him that blog reading is like reality TV....the stranger blogs are the best. I have found a good, juicy one.

You may have come across it if you read "the big blogs" such as Baby Rabies and Mckmama, she is quite popular. To me, this blog takes the cake. There is a ton of controversy (read the comments) on her post about her boys' room and as soon as I read this I was hooked. I have since been reading her posts in reverse.

Her blog is a "frugal blog" - something I don't at all aspire to....I wouldn't be able to live that way. But her thought process and the things she is willing to do to save a penny are extremely interesting. For example, she spent about 3 or so days sprouting rice to make a substitute for oatmeal, b/c oatmeal apparently has a nutrient blocking substance.

Goals, Goals, Goals

One thing I did learn in college was that when you set goals, set attainable goals. Nothing sucks more than not reaching your goals. I know what I am capable of and this is why my goals are small :)

On a recent post here, I listed a few things to achieve and all 3 are done.

-New blog design (Thank you Leslie)

-labeling posts - doing good

-I have found a couple more baby boy blogs to read


New Goal List:

Get my hair done: This may sound stupid as a goal, but I don't really like doing anything that takes away time with my boys. I have VERY THICK hair and it takes almost 3 hours to get my hair cut, colored and styled. Also, I can't just go anywhere; there is only one place where I have established trust. I have been going to Toni and Guy for about 4 years. And everytime I attempt to find someone cheaper - they fail. So basically when I get my hair done, I am out roughly $160 and I won't get home until 8pm (I go after work b/c its close to work). But the reason I am making this a goal is b/c I look like a hobo at work and I believe it is important to look polished and professional. My hair is so LONG and THICK that I can't do anything with it at the moment besides a pony tail.


Family Portraits: My son is almost 7 months old and I have yet to have any family portraits done. SAD. I am going to regret this in the future. Again, I just never wanted to shell out that much $ for a fancy photographer. But now that he is sitting up I want to schedule someone in the spring to do some outside pics.

Drink more water: Seems easy right...not when you hate water! (As I sit here drinking a diet coke, off-brand of course)
Finally, SO pumped, we will begin a few home updates soon:
-Replace the siding on our house, and we will paint the siding a new color.
-Paint our master bathroom and get a new shower curtain. I was given a belated wedding present (some fancy towels) last weekend. So it inspired me to update my bathroom a bit. Cory also wants to paint our bedroom white, but I think that is pointless, its cream right now.

Valentines' Day, Get-away, and a BIG First

We were finally able to go on our trip to Chateau Elan, to celebrate Cory's 30th Birthday and it was GREAT. We had a very nice time. The food, the wine, the resort...everything was wonferful! Thanks to Nana and Aunt Kay for keeping Carson! (Also please see previous post in honor of the new blog design, I had it drafted before I did this one)

This is the winery:

The Vineyard:

Wine glasses at the sampling and tour, we got to keep them.

Isn't he cute :)

Barrels of stored wine:

Bottling:

Our room was nice, here is the bathroom, I LOVE garden tubs, I wish I had one at home :(

Our King size bed, wouldn't mind having one of these either!

And, random, this is Carson's 1st time with his sippy cup a few days ago (He is feeling much better by the way):

V-day, helping Daddy open his goodies:

On V-day, we gave Carson a few gifts, but we had no idea that he had a present for us! He SAT UP on his own for the 1st time!

Breathtaking

In honor of my new blog design (see quote on header) I wanted to post some pics that have taken my breath away and made me realize what is important in life. These are moments that I will never forget as long as I live. They are my "Happy Place" if you will. When I am depressed about money, my body, my work, my guilt...I can think of these moments and they make me feel better. (Cory if you are reading, I love you and Happy Birthday....here is a little trip down memory lane!)


In no particular order....

Ahhh to be young and kissing on a beach again :)


This is not the most flattering picture of me (sweaty, and my hair fell), but it is one of my favorites from our Wedding Day!

Our dogs had puppies 2 years ago, and we still miss them, they were so cute and sweet and such a joy to have around.

These are our 2 dogs, Chase and Charlie. This is how I used to find them in the mornings when I got out of the shower. We couldn't imagine life without these dogs, they brighten each day!

The view from our room on our honeymoon:

Carson's First Halloween:

Being pregnant was so wonderful (even though I complained constantly), I can't wait to do it again!

This little angel amazes us everyday, I can't believe how much he has grown.

I love seeing Carson yawn and stretch, I love this picture:

How cute is this:

His smile is SO contagious!

I love this picture, I love rubbing his nose to mine.

The first time I saw Carson's face:

Our first hour as a family in the recovery room, this picture is very special to me:

Thanks for viewing some of my All-Time favorite moments!

So many things to say...

We have had a rough week at my house to say the least. Cory and I were suppose to have a romantic stay at Chateau Elan for his 30th Birthday, but I got sick with a stomach bug (which I now believe was food poisening). So we had to reschedule. Thankfully they let us, so we hope to go this weekend.

I began to feel better on Sunday but opted to work from home on Monday in hopes to not spread my virus to co-workers. Needless to say it was very difficult to work from home with a 6 month old who was starting to get sick himself. Monday night, Carson started running a fever and it climbed to 104. I took him to the Dr. on Tuesday and she said he had an ear infection. He is on antibiotics and just needs a lot of attention. I have hardly been able to put him down. My good friend Kelly came over yesterday to play with Carson (and mainly hold him) so I could help pick up some slack at work and take a shower. (Thanks Kelly - you are a life saver!) Now Nana is here and I am back to work.

The reason I had to get Kelly's help is b/c Cory was out of town for work, so I had a sick baby on my hands for 2 days and my mom couldn't get here fast enough. While Cory was out of town, he discovered he had food poisening as well. We ordered some chinese food and both felt it tasted a little funny. So if you live where I live - Don't eat at the Golden Palace by Kroger! Cory went to the Dr. today and her guess was the chinese as well. He is finally feeling better.


BLOGGING:
Recently I had to make my blog private in order to prove a point to an unwanted reader. I later decided against that b/c by going private, I couldn't meet new bloggers, so I was not going to let this person affect me anymore. My blog is public again. And hopefully soon-to-be madeover! I am working with the designer today, I am very excited.

6 month Dr Apt.

This one was pretty eventful. Carson was due to eat at his apt time, but was not interested in eating since he was in a different place that he doesn't see very often. So what he did get in his belly ended up all over my shirt.

Everything checked out well, his percentiles were 30-60%, all normal. Everyone calls him "chubby" b/c of his cheeks - but he weighs less than a lot of babies I know who are younger than him.

Weight: 16 lbs 12oz
Length: 26 and 3/4 inches
Can't remember the head circumference, but it was normal.

The Dr. said he wasn't anywhere near teething, that he would be late on that, possibly b/c either Cory or I was late when we cut teeth.

She also said it wouldn't be long before he would sit up on his own! Hard to believe. I asked her when babies typically learn to sit on their own and she said 7 months.

He was so funny while being examined. He reminded me of that scene in the movie Elf where the Dr. is trying to do the exam and Buddy the Elf keeps grabbing everything in site.

He had a vision test where they hooked up cords/patchy things to his head to record his brain activity, and he had to wear a pirate eye patch for the test on one eye at a time. I WISH I would have had my camera, he was so cute! His vision checked out fine.

The most shocking conversation was about a SIPPY CUP. She told me to introduce it with water in it during his evening meals. I can not believe he is old enough to start trying that! So I am going to get a couple over lunch today.

We are also going to try weaning him from the Zantac (she said babies typically grow out of the reflux at this stage). We will stop giving him the night-time dose since he sleeps and doesn't eat during the night anymore. I am scared that he still needs it, I don't want him to be in pain; but I like to follow Dr.'s orders so we will give it a try.

He did get a round of shots at the end, he cried during but as soon as I got to hold him and give him his passy he was fine.

He was so pitiful when we got home, he finally ate and then he was exhausted! As soon as I gave him his passy he closed his eyes. He didn't get a bath or eat his carrots and I didn't have the heart to make him and keep him awake. Rarely does he have tears when he cries, I knew he was tired (and probably felt crappy from his shots) so we just gave him some Tylenol and put him back to sleep. I hate it when he is not his playful, happy self. :(

He felt better this morning and he went to daycare. I did see a note that there was a case of pink eye in his class, so that is just awesome. Please pray he doesn't get it!

Funny…..

So on Friday, Carson (meaning me) has to bring Valentines for his class and teachers. This cracks me up - infants exchanging Valentines….they often pretend that he is older than he is, for example he (meaning the teachers) makes projects for Cory and I on the holidays, it does make us smile though so I am not complaining, like I said, it just cracks me up.

I would like to do something nice for his teachers (not too much $ though) since I was unable to do anything for them for Christmas. I thought about maybe grabbing a cake or something from the Publix bakery that morning for them. Any other good ideas that don’t take much work – I don’t have much time in the evenings for any sort of project. Please Comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Diaper Review, and helpful baby products

Let me preface this by saying we haven’t had very many leaks or explosions with any diapers. The one poop explosion that occurred was b/c we didn’t know he had pooped and he was in the jumperoo jumping away, pushing the poop further up his back and out of the sides of the diaper - you can imagine the disaster we encountered (he was on antibiotics at the time). Also, a funny story I must tell: We went to visit family in AL this weekend and on the way home (on the interstate) Carson decided to have a messy diaper. So we pulled over to change him. While the diaper was off, he sprayed poop on Cory’s jeans, sock, and on the seat of the car. I guess God saw an opportunity, as if the weekend hadn’t had enough mishaps. It was funny though.

Back to the review:

Ratings are on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the highest.

Pampers Swaddlers: 9, I LOVE these. We had a lot of these in the beginning, they were given as gifts. They smell like that sweet new baby smell – kinda like the nursery does when everything is brand new, they are super soft and not at all bulky. I deducted a point b/c they are so expensive.

Pampers: 8, I like these. They are soft, not bulky, they don’t really have a smell. My only complaint is really the price, they are only a bit cheaper than swaddlers. Pampers Cruisers: Mom had some of these at her house this weekend, and I liked them a lot. They are soft, and not bulky. Sadly we won’t be using them, b/c we won’t be spending that much on diapers.

Huggies: 7, price-wise I think they are similar to pampers, they are a bit bulky, but still soft and have no smell.

Luvs: 7, we will probably use Luvs again in the future if the BJ’s and Publix brand aren’t perfection. They are not at all bulky, and they are the best price of the name brand diapers. They do however make Carson’s pee smell a bit stronger, weird. They are not quite as soft as pampers, but not at all stiff like Wal-Mart and Kroger.

Target (Up & Up): 7, I liked this brand, they feel like the pampers swaddlers – very soft, and not at all bulky, I tried to see if I could buy them in bulk, but I don’t think you can. Also, in the pack I bought, there was one that had a defect, it didn’t have any flaps. And finally, there is a polka dot pattern all over the diaper so it’s hard to tell front from back in the dark.

Kroger: Ehhhh, I give them a 6. Bulky and stiff. Not worth giving up the name brands, we had a tiny leak the other night, but it could have just been an instance of where the nozzle was pointing :).

Wal-Mart (Parents Choice): 5; even stiffer than the Kroger brand. Very bulky. Do not like these.

Trying Next:
Publix (had a coupon so thought I would give them a try)
BJ’s (BJ’s is like a Sam’s or Costco; these diapers are the cheapest deal we have found so we are going to give them a try in a month or so when we run out of diapers)

I hope this post helps some new moms out there when the diaper gift stash is gone!

Also, some baby products/things/ideas that are good for a 6 month old:

Coupons: Publix baby club (you can sign up on their website) – In the beginning you live off of gifts from family and baby showers, but now that the free ride is over its time to use the coupons. We usually buy in bulk at BJ’s, but there were some items I needed and I didn’t feel like going to BJ’s after work, so I went to Publix and I had a few $1 off, $3 off and some BOGO coupons. I saved $12 off of a $30 purchase, not too shabby.

DVR: At this age, my baby wakes up around 5:30-6:30am ready to begin a new day with a smile and I am not always ready to get up, especially on the weekends, so I just put on some of his favorite cartoons and he is very content until he gets hungry. PBS is awesome!

Plastic bibs: for when they are eating the really colorful baby food, then you can just wipe them down like the high-chair and reuse them a few times before you really wash them w/ soap and water.

Toys: Plush toys, Carson always hits himself in the face with whatever toy he is playing with. He loves the plush blocks Nana gave him for Christmas, especially the one that makes the paper-crunch sound. He also loves these stackable rings, I like these b/c
A) Carson likes them
B) I can throw a couple in his bag to take when we go out to eat and I can wipe them off easy when he drops them 100 times
C) the top ring also serves as a rattle, and he loves things that make noise!


Baby powder: Our baby does still wake up a few times at night, but we just give him his passy back and he goes back to sleep typically. So he wears his diaper for about 8 hours, so I sprinkle a little baby powder in his diaper area at bedtime to help prevent diaper rash, and it smells great. There is nothing like the smell of Johnson and Johnson products!

Lotion: Some babies get eczema when they begin to eat solids, the Dr. was not concerned with it, its very common, but I always want to make Carson as comfy as possible so I tried a product that worked wonders for him – California Baby - Super Sensitive (unscented, organic) lotion, it is not cheap (about $10 per bottle) but it works - it cleared the eczema right up! I tried regular baby lotion and Aquafor before but they didn’t help.

6 months old! Now with pictures

My baby is 6 months old today! I can’t believe that it has been ½ of a year since he arrived, I wish I could go back to that day and re-live it!

-Carson discovered his tongue and sticks it out, especially while he makes the “ta” sound.

-Making more definite sounds such as da, ga, ta, ba, gi, ga and is getting louder by the day (Cory and I heard a Da-Da in the mix last night!)

-Rolls over A LOT

-Loves his Doggies and watches them play, and reaches for them

-Loves playing on his tummy

-He can pass his toys from hand to hand

-Loves rubbing his feet together and we can’t keep socks on him at all; he also likes to put his feet in his mouth!

-He is eating sweet potatoes, peas, bananas, and cereal (tried pears but they are not good for his reflux)

-Takes 7 oz of formula every 4 hours

-No longer eats during the night, last bottle is between 6 and 8pm then he eats around 6am.

-Does not sleep through the entire night, typically we have to go in there several times to put his passy back in, and some nights lately he just decides he wants to laugh, play and talk around 1 or 2am, really fun for Mom and Dad!

-We typially find him sleeping on his belly when we go check on him at night, I think he found a new sleeping position.

-Will not leave his pacifier alone! He is constantly taking it out and putting it back in (and actually puts it back in correctly)

-He is very ticklish ALL OVER

-Not sitting up quite yet

-I am unsure of how much he weighs, he has a Dr. Apt on 2/11 so we will see then. My guess is about 17 lbs.

-Eyes are staying blue! And hair is still blonde, it is getting SO long, we plan to get it cut soon.

-Toys he loves: Jumperoo, the remote control, Elmo, plush blocks (especially the one that makes the “paper crunch” sound, and anything he can get in his mouth)

-Clothes: Wearing 6 mo. Sizes

-I love that he sort-of hugs me when I pick him up, its so sweet.

-I love picking him up from Daycare, when he hears my voice and sees me in the afternoon he gets really excited and laughs like PeeWee Herman! Its hilarious!