Saturday, December 20, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo - week 14

Last week we took you for a photo with Santa at the mall. This Santa was pretty awesome with a real beard. He tickled your feet and his elf-photographers were really good at getting you to smile. 
We spent some time last Sunday at the farm. Your dad was testing out his new gun and bow (alternative methods deer season started yesterday), so we hung out inside with your grandma. I think, just maybe, she is a proud grandma. Maybe. :)
Here you were sitting on the couch and turned sideways. You kept looking at me like, "what did I do?"
You continue to drool all. the. time. The upper portion of your onesie is nearly always soaked. I'm thinking maybe you need to wear a bib all day?! You chew on your fingers, on your blankets, and your stuffed toys. You take a pacifier, but only when you are going down for a nap or for the night. 

We are still cloth diapering. I wash diapers twice a week. Usually once on Saturday or Sunday, and then again Wednesday or Thursday. You are still wearing disposable diapers at night, but only because we were given a diaper cake for your shower and I can't exchange opened diapers... It is giving me a chance to figure out how to cloth diaper you at night though, too. During naptime you completely soak your diaper, so I need to try different combinations of inserts. 

I am still pumping at work. When I first started at work, I was pumping at 930am, lunch and 330pm. But I now usually drop the lunch time pump, unless I don't get much milk at the first pumping (I usually get 9-12 oz at the first pumping). You need 12 oz while you are at the sitter, and I usually pump 15 to 20 oz per day, in addition to what you breastfeed in the mornings and evenings. The excess gets frozen. My goal was to breastfeed you for at least 6 months; I don't see any reason why we can't go longer than that with all this extra milk! I notice on Mondays that I don't pump as much, and I think it is because I don't stay hydrated enough on the weekends. I would love to completely avoid formula. 

You typically sleep 930 to 6. Sometimes you sleep the entire time, sometimes you are up once a night. I hear about the 4th-month sleep regression and am not looking forward to you being up more times! 

To my Baby Kangaroo - week 13

Now that I am back at work full time, finding time to write posts is increasingly difficult. I'm still taking photos, though, because I know we'll look back in awe at how much you change each week. You continue to be vocal. You "talk" to us most of the time when you are awake now, cooing at us and singing. I really should take a video to show you when you are older. 
You can almost sit up by yourself, but if I put you on the floor, seated, you fall forward. Your abs aren't quite strong enough to hold yourself up. 

Saturday, December 6, 2014

To My Baby Kangaroo - Week 12

In addition to the small Thanksgiving at our house, we also had a big family gathering on Saturday at the farm. Here you are with your uncle Daniel, being lifted into the air and back down again. (And your grandma Wilma is in the foreground, but I accidentally chopped her head off. Sorry Mom! lol)
You are able to sit up by yourself better on the couch now. Sometimes you still fall over to the side, but for the most part you stay however I sit you. Unless you decide to lean forward and then you faceplant and get angry. Guess your abs aren't very well developed yet, huh? I started giving you a bath in the regular bathtub. You've been taking showers with me for a couple weeks now. When it's time for me to wash off I put you down in your bumbo seat at the back of the shower. When I put you in the bathtub by yourself you are also in the seat. It's made out of a sealed foam so it doesn't soak up any water. Sometimes you hold on to a little rubber ducky; your grasp is getting stronger. (It's been really strong for awhile when it comes to yanking out your Momma's hair!)
I don't like to put pants on you because they don't fit very well over the cloth diapers. But this week it was chilly several days and your leg warmers got lost in the mail. I actually contacted babyleggings.com and they resent the order. They were supposed to arrive last Friday and never showed! And the USPS website doesn't recognize the tracking number! But there is another order on the way, so hopefully they arrive soon and then you won't need to wear pants. lol
This week you had a slight cold. Thursday morning you seemed fine, and we ran a couple errands in town. When we got home, your nose was all stuffed up and you had a lot of drainage. I suctioned out your nose but you still sounded like Darth Vader. There's not much to do for a baby with a cold except keep your nose cleaned out. So I used the saline spray several times, along with the nose bulb. And then we sent your dad to pick up a humidifier on his way home from work (the one I bought in college finally bit the dust - apparently 10 years is the lifespan on a humidifier?!) Our new one has slots to put Vicks menthol pads in it, and will probably come in handy for all of us! I also put a thin layer of Vasoline on your nose and the area between your nose and mouth because it was getting raw from all the drainage and nose-wiping. Today you are sounding a lot better. You've slept in the rock and play the last couple nights instead of the crib because you can sleep at an incline; I thought that would help with drainage. (I always sleep with an extra pillow when I have a cold so my head and neck are inclined!)

To My Baby Kangaroo - Week 11

I am a little behind in my weekly posts! Between working three days in a row the week of Thanksgiving, and the holiday, I haven't had much time to write! 

You smile a lot now. When you get upset, it is easy (usually) to talk to you and get you smiling again. 

This was a day you were fighting sleep. You finally took your only nap for the day late in the afternoon!


On Thanksgiving we had my parents, the hubs' mom, my brother and my grandma over for lunch. Here is your grandpa and great grandma. I'm pretty sure your grandpa was "beep beep"-ing your nose in this photo... He likes to pester you like that. The week of Thanksgiving you got to meet a lot of family for the first time. My aunt (my dad's sister) celebrated her 25th anniversary and my aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, grandma, and cousins were at the open house. Your grandpa whisked you away from me when you weren't eating and was a very proud grandpa showing you off to family. And promptly brought you back to me when you started getting fussy for food! (Hey - sometimes pumping is more work that it's worth because then there are bottles to wash in addition to the boring sitting for 20 minutes waiting for milk to pump! Just easier to whip out a boob!)
Your uncle Daniel likes to lift you in the air and bring you back down, making noises. You smile and almost laugh when he does this. 
This looks like an angry face, but it's not. I caught you in the middle of your cooing. 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

To my baby kangaroo - Week 10

This week was another part time week at work. Thank goodness, because I need those breaks between work days! Partly because working physically and mentally wears me down differently than being home with a baby, but also because I need those baby snuggles! 

Your two month appointment was last Friday. You were right at 12 pounds, and 23.5 inches long. 90th percentile for both! You had some vaccinations and were not happy about the shots. You cried; there were three syringes full. You spent the day with your dad and grandma and slept all day, and slept all night too. No other side effects, thankfully!
You went to the sitter twice so far this week, and you have a little friend there. He is a couple months older than you and bald, and the sitter puts you on the playmat together. You talk and smile at each other, and she even caught you holding hands! Lol, your first boyfriend (your daddy is not happy about that!). You may go to the sitters on Friday, but it depends on if your dad wants to hunt again or not. He took off work today to hunt because this is the last weekend of deer season and he didn't get anything last weekend. He already got two deer this morning but they were both small. I am convinced we could survive if we were pioneers. Between his hunting and fishing, and my gardening, we would have enough food, I think. 


You are between sizes of 0-3 and 3-6 month onesies. The small ones fit you OK except the arms are a little short and they are not quite large enough to fit over the cloth diapers. 

We ran some errands this week. I had to get my faculty ID card, parking pass and some more information about the class I am teaching this spring. We spent 6 hours in town on Tuesday and you were worn out! (So was I! Carting you around, whether in my arms, or in the carseat, is hard work!)


I am pumping at work, three times during the day. So far I have gotten more than you need to eat at the sitter's house, so I am freezing the excess. You take 12 ounces at the sitter's house (the rule of thumb for breastmilk is a 1 to 1.5 oz per hour), and you are there for 10 hours. I pump 14 to 19 oz between the three sessions. I know if I wasn't taking care of myself my milk production would be less, but I eat lots of fruits, veggies, and whole grains, and drink upwards of a gallon of water a day (not including 1-2 cups of coffee and other liquids). I am definitely hungrier than when I was pregnant. And the weight keeps falling off. I am now down 40 pounds from the day I went into the hospital. I don't mind! My pants are starting to fall off though, and I'm concerned that I am losing muscle mass since I haven't lifted weights in 3 months. 
Once this week you slept from 9pm to 5am. The other nights you slept from 8 to midnight, ate, then slept until 430, ate, and then slept until it was time to get up for the day. If you are sleeping when I wake up I let you keep sleeping so I can eat breakfast and get partially ready for work before I get you up. (I wait to change shirts until you are finished eating because you like to drool on my shoulder...)

Thursday, November 13, 2014

To My Baby Kangaroo - Week 9


This week we put you in the high chair for the first time. It is a little big for you still, and after I snapped this photo I wedged a small blanket on each side of you to keep you more upright. I thought you might like sitting in the high chair since it sits higher than the swing. Then you're able to watch me better when I'm making dinner. But your swing has a mobile on it, with a toucan and frog, that you like to watch. 

Here you are in the swing, with the mobile moved out of the way. You've started grasping items, like this small stuffed bear that Grandma Wilma made. You like to chew on it, and sometimes I look over at you and you're chewing on the arm but aren't holding on to the bear otherwise... 
We're still doing a little tummy time each day. But you have been stubborn this last week and just lay there with your head down instead of picking it up and working on your neck and shoulder muscles. 
I found a brand of cloth diapers, Rumparooz, that makes diapers with baby kangaroos on them. We now have three of those diapers. They are the cutest diapers in our stash so far. 
You've drooled a lot the last couple weeks, and chew on your hands a lot more than usual. I don't know if you are teething or just finding your hands. I felt around in your mouth for teeth but I don't feel anything. But maybe I don't know what I'm feeling for!
You smile without being prompted. And you sometimes make a laugh, but not a deep belly laugh, more like a giggle as you are inhaling. 
I try to read a story to you each day, too, with you sitting on my lap. This day we were reading from a Curious George collection. 
This was my last day at home with you before I went back to work part time. I'm getting better at taking selfies with you, but definitely took several shots before both of us were in the photo.. lol
I got us a different Ergo carrier. Turns out the other one we had was counterfeit. Craziness. I returned it to the ebay seller and got a full refund, and then got this one. The quality is so much better than the other one! This week I strapped you in it while I vacuumed. 
Showing off some baby leg warmers! They are easier than pants since you are in cloth diapers. Pants aren't typically big enough in the tushy unless we go up a size, and then they are huge everywhere. 

I started back part time at work yesterday. I'm working tomorrow (Friday), and then three days a week for the next three weeks. I start back full time the second week of December. Yesterday wasn't bad, because I had software training the whole day (that I had forgotten about), so I was distracted. I have so many emails to get through, and two code books to read before the Board of Appeals meeting in December. We are adopting the new building codes and I need to review them and make recommendations to the Board before we adopt them...

Your two month appointment is tomorrow and you get some vaccines!

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

to my baby kangaroo - Week 8

This is my last full week at home with you.  I am simultaneously sad and excited to go back to work. Also a little anxious to be a working mom.  Well, I don't have much of a choice...

You can entertain yourself on your playmat.  I can lay you on it and go shower or work on dinner and you wave your arms around and coo. We are also looking for a bouncer seat for you. At dinner you sit in your swing and watch us. Today at lunch I put you in your highchair and I think you liked sitting higher. 

Last month I picked up this onesie for you. Yes, that is camo with ruffles.  There is a butt ruffle, too. Your dad is getting ready for deer season. 

Yesterday was election day.  You went with me to vote.  It was your second experience voting.  Last time,  for the primaries,  you were still in the womb.  The old folks manning the polls thought you were very cute,  and even gave you an "I voted" sticker. 

We are two weeks into our cloth diaper experience. I love it.  I love that I don't feel like I am wasting a diaper when there is barely anything in it.  I love that our trashcan for the burn barrel isn't full of stinky diapers.  I love the cute fabrics.  I have been washing about twice a week, and have about 35 diapers. I was trying to get into a routine before going back to work.  I know going back to work will present some changes in my routine.  I'll have different prep work in the evenings.  Instead of packing a gym bag and my lunch,  I have to get your milk and diapers ready,  and my lunch and pumping bag.  I don't think I will go to the gym until I stop pumping.  I need to pump at lunch (in addition to two other times), and since I have to pick you up from the sitter by 5:30, I don't have time to go work out. Eventually,  your grandma may pick you up a couple nights a week so I can workout. 

We hit a milestone in nursing.  Yesterday you finally stopped using the nipple shield.  We went all day yesterday and today without it. Finally!  One less thing to think about when I leave the house.  I hope this doesn't change once you start taking a bottle everyday at the sitters.  

The time change messed with your sleep schedule.  Now you go to sleep around 9/930 and wake up around 230/3. Which works better for me.  I am much better rested and not so exhausted by the time I finally get to bed. 

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

to my baby kangaroo - Week 7


You are all smiles! You smile during diaper changes, while looking at yourself in your playmat mirror, while you're pooping (especially if no farts are involved), and randomly you stop nursing to flash a toothless grin. 
Last Thursday we started cloth diapers during the day.  My intention is to keep using disposables at night since we have several packages still,  but you slept at least one night in a cloth diaper.  I don't have quite large enough of a stash yet.  My plan is to wash Sundays and Wednesdays.  We had to wash every other day so far.  There are more diapers in the mail. 
When you are awake,  you are very alert.  
I think you are in another growth spurt this week.  You are sleeping and eating a lot and sleep best when snuggled on my chest. In order to get anything done,  i put you in the moby wrap. This is also how we walk to get the mail and go shopping. 

This week your grandma came over and watched you for a couple hours so i could work in the garden.  I got all the tomato cages and stakes pulled,  dug our sad carrot and potato harvest,  and dismantled the electric fence.  Now we need manure! We are also going to lime the yard and orchard. 

We already have issues with you not looking at the same place during photos. .. you were very mesmerized by my phone... i am now down 15 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I would be concerned,  but i am eating healthy,  and you are healthy,  and my BMI is still considered overweight anyway...
This picture is from this morning!

I will say that i am very frustrated with disposable diapers. You have poop explosions out the back and legs almost every morning while you are nursing.  This morning it was so bad that we took a shower together.  We have only had one leak in the cloth diapers so far,  and it was pee, and because the leg was gaping a little.  I wasn't sure how tight the diaper needed to be,  but apparently it wasn't tight enough!  Your dad is still not sold on cloth diapers,  but only because he can't tell if you are wet without opening the diaper.  I can tell though - it feels fuller! 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

To my baby Kangaroo - Week 6

This has been a busy week for us. Baby A's six week checkup was on Monday. She weighed in at 9 lbs 12 oz (up from 7 lb 8 oz birthweight), and 22.5" long (up from 21" at birth). 

She has gotten in the strange habit of flipping me the bird while she's eating. Sometimes her hand is resting against her cheek, like below, and other times her hand is resting on my boob...


She is full of smiles now. She doesn't quite giggle, but she will hold her smile for awhile if you ask to her smile and smile really big at her. She also smiles while she is silently pooping (if she has a gassy poop she grunts).

She still curls up on my chest to take naps. 

And she curls up with Daddy to watch TV. 

She is getting really good at holding her neck up. And she scoots around when I lay her on her playmat. 

Since Halloween is around the corner, I busted out the Halloween onesies... She kept putting her arm in the way, but it says "Daddy is under my spell"... So true, too :)

This outfit also has a pumpkin on the butt, and she wore bright orange socks with it:

Baby A is still sleeping from 10/1030 to 4/430 every night, and wakes up for the day around 7/730. On the weekends we run a lot of errands and have a lot of visitors, and she doesn't get her naps as often. This makes her grumpy and really difficult to get to sleep. 

This week she hung out with me outside in the stroller while I pulled up the tomato cages and stakes, and pulled the plants to put into the compost bin. I still have a few more tomato plants to pull, and still need to remove the electric fence, and dig the potatoes and carrots. And we need to put manure on the garden and around the fruit still... 

I had my six week appointment yesterday. The doctor said I am healed up nicely...I am down 10 pounds from my weight at the time I found out I was pregnant, according to the doctor's scale. 

After the doctor's visit, I took Baby A up to my work and she got passed around to all the ladies... She missed her morning nap because we were leaving the house for the doctor's office at that time, but she fell asleep being held at the office. Ugh - I can't believe I go back to work part time in 3 weeks...
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