Countdown to Christmas

I have decided to share a list of our holiday traditions:

1. Elf on the Shelf (new this year) Jake the Neverland Elf joined our family yesterday. Named after a show she watched for the first time yesterday. I'm sure at some point I said I would never get an elf because they are so creepy-never say never. I thought Vivienne could use some behavior encouragement this year so I snagged an elf off Buy Sell Trade. My intention is to use Jake to inspire Christmas spirit and good behavior. She is probably too young to fully understand, but it should be fun and maybe a practice year for mom and dad.

2. 24 days of Christmas books. As a former teacher I have over 25 Christmas books so last year I started the tradition of wrapping 24 of them so Viv can open one per day until Christmas. She loves the opening part and I like that she has to wait and learn patience and can't just open all of them on the first day. She already has her favorite books, so the reading part isn't going so well this year! I think it is something I will continue, if only to use up last year's wrapping paper. :)

3. Tree Lighting at the Mallway. One of the reasons we moved to UA was for a sense of community and the events here don't disappoint for young kids! Last year we walked a few blocks in the rain to the tree lighting at the mallway because I insisted this was going to be our new family tradition! Although we skipped Santa, the sleigh ride, and the actual lighting of the tree, Viv did get to meet Sven and some of his friends! This year I have high hopes for getting a peak at Santa and at least riding in the sleigh. 

4. Zoo lights. I'm pretty sure this is on everyone's list in Columbus! I'm not sure when, but eventually we will get to the zoo lights. We technically saw them a few weeks ago on Sunday morning, but Viv needs to experience them at night!

5. A Cushing Christmas Party. A night out for mom and dad! My cousin Liz is hosting her second annual holiday party and it is getting a fancy cocktail twist this year!

6. Lebanon Carriage Parade.  The Carriage parade and dinner at my friends house has been a tradition for years ( way before kids) and was so much more fun the last two years with Vivienne! We are not able to go this year since it is in Cincinnati and we have two events in town on the same day. We will go next year no matter what and may have to make it an every other year tradition from now on. 

I'm sure there are little things I have forgotten and I know we will continue to add to this list every year. For now I need to wrap gifts, continue shopping, and pack for Florida! 

Christmas card outtake. I need to get these in the mail! 

You know it's a Monday when....

You know it's a Monday when your toddler wakes up sick and your baby doesn't nap until 12:30pm. It took me 3 1/2 hours and lots of bribing to convince Viv to come to Target and buy cold medicine with me. She had to pack her Hello Kitty purse with her princess clip dolls inside and I had to make sure she peed before we left which involved more bribery. She has been known to pee in the toy aisle at Target. We had a list of what we needed and mostly stuck to it. I had promised her play doh if she got in the car, so we walked through the toy section to find it. Ever since Target did that gender neutral bull shit, I can't find anything in the toy department. My ultimate goal was to get Neve to sleep and that didn't happen. At home, we made "Anna/Elsa soup" and found that Campbell's makes an organic version which would please my mother in law ;) Neve ate more than Viv! She LOVES to feed herself and was so happy to be picking up tiny noodles and carrots! I was able to convince both girls to take naps and they are even overlapping a bit (hurray for me)! Now for some me time, the mess in the other room can wait.

Happy Thanksgiving!

WHAT?? Mimi and Papa are coming home today???

Someone told me I should start a blog...

Someone recently told me I should start a blog. Sadly I started this when Viv was first born and I couldn't even get my family to read it! With no followers, I lost interest and also got super busy with Viv and just couldn't find the time anymore. I figured there was no harm in starting again, especially now with two kids!

Vivienne will be 2 1/2 at the end the month and Genevieve will be 8 months tomorrow! Life with two girls has been a lot of fun, a lot of hard work, and still no sleep!

We spend our days playing, spilling, dumping, and cleaning. Our favorite activities are walking to the (three) playgrounds in our neighborhood, library story time, and soon swimming lessons! Vivienne goes to "school" on Thursday mornings and that gives Neve some quality, quiet time with mommy and allows Viv to play with other kids her age and listen to someone other than her parents for a change.

Typical Monday morning

Traveling with a baby

I was completly terrified to fly with Vivienne. I was convinced she would scream and cry and her ears would hurt and she wouldn't sleep....you name it, I was sure the worst would happen. I was proven wrong. Thank God!

Vivienne never fussed or made a peep the entire flight to Florida. She was up past her bedtime, which didn't seem to bother her. She didn't want to play with a single toy I brought, just the window and cup holders and a box of candy. She didn't want to nurse at takeoff, but I did keep the pacifier in her mouth most of the trip.

She seemed to adjust well to my parent's house. We were so lucky that they had most of the things we needed and we only had to (over) pack clothes for Viv. Viv slept in the walk-in closet in our room which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. She has always woken up in the middle of the night to eat and that continued while we were in Florida. She started eating three meals a day while we were there. We took her to the beach and put her toes in the freezing ocean, which totally freaked her out. She wasn't a fan of sand either. But she LOVES the pool!!! Her favorite thing to do was splash her hands and flap her arms up and down which we obviously called swimming. We had her skinny dipping in the hot tub before we left:) I am really looking forward to going back in April and seeing her swim again!!

Tips for Flying with Baby:

1. Bring an umbrella stroller, not your nice jogger. We got a gate check bag at Buy Buy Baby.
2. Put your baby in the Bjorn while going through security. They will let you through easily and swipe your hands.
3. I packed less than 3 oz of milk, a mini bottle of water unopened and a squeeze pouch of baby food and they let it all through, but they took it out of the bags and examined it all.
4. Keep your baby distracted on the plane with the barf bag and safety pamphlets-they are new toys!!!
5. Use a pacifier, sippy cup or bottle at take off and landing if possible.
6. Fly in the AM! Chances of your baby sleeping are slim to done since there will so many distractions, so don't plan to fly at bed time. Fly early and take your baby in their pjs!

6 months tomorrow!

Our little Vivienne will be 6 months tomorrow!! She has managed to get her first two teeth, sit on her own and start crawling (forward) all before 6 months?! We (and the pediatrician) expect her to be walking by 9 months...

This was the post I began over a month ago and I have not sat down at the computer since! I wonder why???

Viv has been keeping me extremely busy by crawling, pulling up, standing and exploring EVERYTHING. Luckily she is not quite "cruising the furniture" although now that I said that, she will start tomorrow. The holidays kept me very busy with parties, traveling and family. We got home from Florida late Tuesday night (that will be it's own post later) after two weeks away. We are trying to get back into a routine at home. Eating three solid meals a day, nursing less, sleeping the same (hardly any). We are looking forward to getting back to library story time and mommy/baby playgroup. My only goal for 2014 is to be healthy. I have a huge problem with stress which led to illness (shingles and mastitis) last year. This means I need to focus on sleep, exercise and eating healthy. Easier said than done.

Happy New Year!

Loved eating almost every meal outside!

A chilly day in Florida (not nearly as cold as home that day)

It's going to be how cold when we get home???

Happy to be back!

Crying It Out

After going through a few rough weeks of multiple feedings per night, rocking back to sleep and popping the paci back in, I decided it was time to teach Viv how to soothe herself. It took me about another week to convince Eric it was time. I googled "crying it out" and found the following schedule which we used for both naps and night time.

Day 1 - 3 min (1st wait); 5 min (2nd wait); 10 min (3rd wait); 10 min (subsequent waits)

Day 2 – 5 min; 10 min; 12 min; 12 min (subsequent waits)

Day 3 – 10 min; 12 min; 15 min; 15 min (subsequent waits)

Day 4 – 12 min; 15 min; 17 min; 17 min (subsequent waits)

Day 5 – 15 min; 17 min; 20 min; 20 min (subsequent waits)

Day 6 – 17 min; 20 min; 25 min; 25 min (subsequent waits)

Day 7 – 20 min; 25 min; 30 min; 30 min (subsequent waits)

 ****noobmommy.com is a great resource and has more detailed info on "Ferberizing."

These times are just suggestions and you can choose what works for you and your child.  Most people say they notice improvement after 2 days. We had to go all the way to day 5. If you think five minutes is hard...wait until day 5!! We would go in according to the wait time and calm her down, giving her the wub a nub and moo moo (lovie blanket). On day 5 we noticed that she was able to go back to sleep on her own before the 15 minutes was up! It would take her about that long to put the pacifier back in her mouth. Last night (day 6), Viv was able to go nine hours without us coming in to help her go back to sleep! That made the whole week of crying worth it! Every time she woke up, she would snuggle her moo moo and fall back asleep. Using this method has helped Viv take longer naps. She always protests a little before going down, but as soon as she has the paci and moo moo, she calms down and is asleep within minutes! Viv always gets ready for bed at 6:30 and is in her crib by 7pm. We have been doing this routine for about two months now and I would highly recommend it! I try to keep her naps as consistent as possible and if she wakes at 7am, she naps at 9, 11, and 2. This is not a science yet because Viv wakes at different times every day and her naps are different lengths every day.  I'm hoping that as we get closer to 6 months, feedings and naps will become more routine. This is the most confident I have felt as a parent yet! 

Vocab for New Dads

I've managed to fill my brain with mostly useless crap. I can rattle off the starting 22 on Ohio State's football team. I am super nerdy when it comes to Excel spreadsheets and math. Oh, and for whatever reason, I still know the Contra code for 30 lives. Here are a few things that I still refer to incorrectly (even after 5 and a half months of fatherhood) primarily because they have silly names... but it's mostly useless knowledge until you become a parent... For all you dad's out there, don't let the mother of your child mock you for calling a "boppy" a "bumbo".

 

The Boppy

To the average human being, this looks like an over-sized airplane neck pillow. In fact, it might be an effective neck pillow for someone like Shaq, Dikembe Mutombo, or Yao Ming. But this pillow-masquerading object was designed for entirely different reasons. You'll come to find out that it's an integral tool that assists with breastfeeding, support for family & friends who have forgotten (or don't know how) to hold an infant properly, and once the baby is sitting (or learning to sit) as a force field that protects your little one from jerking backwards or sideways (avoiding face-plants and unnecessary concussions). 

The Bumbo

First of all, the Bumbo belongs on the floor. Your baby can and will find a way to tip it over... and you don't want your baby toppling off say, a couch (see above) or even worse, a table. Don't be that mom or dad. Keep it on the floor. Anyway, this rubbery plasticky device is an amazing product for two reasons: keeps your kid stuck in one place and it helps him/her learn to sit. I would have called it the Sticky Chair - makes way more sense.

The Swing

Because it swings. Somehow when you're operating on several hours of sleep, you'll forget why this is called a swing, but it swings, side to side and front to back. 

The Bouncer Seat aka "Bouncey Seat"

Another straight-forward, well-named baby product. It bounces on its funky, curved, wiry legs. It's a parent-friendly baby-drop spot. These come in various colors, designs and materials with varying accessories to keep your diaper-wielding bundle of joy preoccupied. Music and vibrating settings are hit. As my brother-in-law Drew has said on more than one occasion, it's terribly unfortunate that this doesn't come in adult sizes. #MassageCushion

The Jumperoo aka "Jumper"

But not to be confused with the Bouncey (because she bounces in it) or even with the piece of clothing that's also called a jumper. (The clothing vocab edition  might be available at a later date.) Put your baby in this thing and let the jumping begin. I imagine it's more effective than squats or jump boxes.... You should be able to wear your child out with this device. 

I am hopeful that no one's situation is so dire that they needed me to define things like bib, burp cloth (you need lots of these) and pacifiers (aka paci, binky, wubanub). 

Have a nice day.

Tough Times

This is some phase we are going through! I just requested every book on baby sleep from the library today because I am so desperate to get Viv to sleep again. If you are reading this and have any advice, please let me know!

I survived Shingles and it seems as though we have dodged the chicken pox bullet. After some research, I have decided I am vitamin deficient. I was never a vitamin girl until pregnancy and I found the gummy vitamins. Post baby I tried to keep up the prenatal's but like most moms, stopped taking care of myself. I was getting a canker sore a week (sometimes three a week) and now I am taking Vitamin D, Calcium, and B12. Hopefully I will help get my immune system back on track before flu season because a sick mom is no good to her baby.

Baby food was going great and now she spits everything out?! We put up a gate for the stairs to the lower level since Viv is totally on the move. She loves to practice sitting on her own and can go from laying on her stomach to what can only be described as a lounging position. She is very good at voicing her needs and doesn't like to be doing any one thing for too long. She will whine and fuss until we pick her up and let her try something new. This is especially true during dinner and even more so at restaurants. Time to get a list of babysitters!

If you enjoy reading our blog, please subscribe to get posts right to your email. Sometimes I wonder if I am just talking to myself!

Call it what you want-we call it crawling!

A few people have told me there is this great time in infancy when my baby will just sit and play and not be able to move. Well, not my child. Little Vivienne will lay and play for about 30 seconds before she is off. She pushes, scoots, and crawls backward on any surface. Her favorite place to do this is on the carpet, but she can really move on hardwood. She likes to practice these moves in her crib when it's nap time and bedtime. We really like to watch her get up on all fours, rock back and forth and propel herself forward. She can't get too far this way yet, but it won't be long. She has recently started to lift her right arm and leg like she is trying to crawl, but she usually just tips over. I am ready for gates at the stairs and have had to put a second pack n' play on the lower level so I have a safe place to leave her if I have to grab the laundry. I can't leave her alone anymore because I now find her under everything...the couch, crib, bookshelves, fireplace and often backed into corners.

If you can't tell, she is completely exhausting me as she is up three times a night and sometimes only taking 15-30 minute naps while being awake for three to four hours straight. This might have led to my case of shingles last week. We are waiting and praying that Viv doesn't get chicken pox as she has now been exposed before getting the vaccine. Last month I was totally imagining having a second child (someday), this month, not a chance!!!

The newborn noises are long gone and she now loves to "spit" or blow bubbles with her lips and squeal as loud as she can. Sometimes when I have turned away for a minute I catch her just staring at me, smiling. Talk about true, unconditional love. Boy, can I feel it!!!

Sick Little Boo

Four months was going SO well! Viv was sleeping 7-8 hour stretches at night and then nursing once and going back to sleep. We were working on letting her fall back asleep without nursing. We were also working on letting her fall asleep on her own in her crib. And we were working on taking naps in her crib. All of this meant some form of crying it out for a few days and it was pure torture!!!!

Then she got sick!!!! Everything we had been working on went out the window. She was fussy for about four days and only wanted to nap in my arms. She was getting up 2, 3, 4 times at night to nurse, too! At first I was so mad about this because I had really been enjoying my own longer stretches of sleep at night. Then I learned that she gets up to nurse because my breast milk has antibodies that she needs to get better! Boy did I feel bad after realizing this!!

She is less fussy on day five, but still has a terribly runny nose which I squirt with saline and aspirate a few times a day. I have learned just how strong she is...it usually takes two people to hold her still or I have to put her in a head lock ;). If I don't do this, it is nearly impossible for Viv to nurse because she can't breathe through her nose.  Colds are not limited to daycare apparently. Unless this is teething....who knows!?!? We will find out soon enough, either the cold will end or a tooth will come through!! I am very proud of myself for not freaking out and calling the doctor-yet. Hopefully it doesn't get any worse and she starts to feel better soon. And I am praying that we don't have to start all over again with the night waking!!!!!

On a positive note, Viv is 5 months old today!! She is able to be awake for three hours at a time and nurses every four hours during the day. These are huge milestones in my book!! She is taking three (very) short naps during the day. Whoever said they will get longer is full of shit. She is rolling over, crawling (backward) and sitting up, but only to tip over! Mom and Dad could not be more proud of our little Boo!

She doesn't look sick!!!

A Tribute to SAHMs and My SAHM

FYI - I typed six different introductions to this blog entry before finally settling on this one... 

There was something Becca said to me this morning that made me further appreciate the fact that she is a stay-at-home-mom  ("SAHM") and my SAHM.

She asked me how I slept last night and then followed it up with "good, because if I'm waking up, you better be sleeping well since you have to go to work."

I have tremendous respect for stay-at-home-moms. And yes, working moms, you rock too. But think about this for a moment: generally speaking, how much harder are you going to work at raising your child compared to punching that time card from 8am til <insert end of work day hour>? While I don't get to take any naps in the office, I get breathers whenever I need. I can take a lunch break. I can go take a walk if I need some "me" time. I even get to visit the bathroom without worrying about where the baby needs to be.

But SAHMs? It's constant and never-ending. When you're a SAHM, you have at least two babies to take care of: 1) the adorable, breathing, pooping, peeing, eating, bundle of love... and 2) your house and all the crap in it. The only breaks in the action that she gets are the hour or two when I'm home after work before Viv's bedtime and whatever night(s) she can break away for girls night or book club.

She's been a SAHM for about five months and the five months have flown by. She's done an amazing job of raising Viv (healthy, growing and developing) and keeping our home life in more order than chaos. I probably don't do a good enough job of expressing my appreciation for the days when she's able to manage herself and all the various chores around the house. I know she has her good days and bad days (usually driven by Viv's napping schedule) but I can't imagine what life would be like if it wasn't this way. I have so much confidence and comfort knowing that the one person, the best person, to be raising our daughter is at home with her almost 24-7.

So cheers to my SAHM and any other SAHM who are reading this. Your work began when your baby was born and your work will inevitably never end. It's one of the most stressful jobs, but also one of the most important and fulfilling jobs. To the working moms who are reading this, cheers to you as well, for providing for your family financially in addition to all the time and energy that you need to put in at home.

We Have Movement...

Let me preface this entry with a very simple disclaimer: It is not our intention to brag about Viv, so hopefully this doesn't come off as boasting... But I am a proud papa panda and this is gonna happen, right?

This little girl continues to amaze us when it comes to her mobility and coordination. According to most websites I've read (including Parents.com), babies begin holding their heads up at around three months, start rolling over at five months and master the art of crawling around the seven to ten month mark.... Then there's Viv's development schedule.

Since birth, Viv always seemed to have really great head and neck control. I lost count of the number of times she's stammed her face or head against my face or chin. Our first documented evidence of her rolling over from her back onto her stomach was at the three month mark (also the first OSU home game).. A couple weeks later, Viv discovered how to roll back over onto her stomach...

More recently, the crawling began... We officially have a four month old baby who will prop herself up and crawl backwards. Two nights ago, she propelled herself forward. Not. Even. Five. Months. She propelled herself about 8-12 inches... We haven't seen her do it again just yet, but we know she's trying.... And she's about 60 days early. Oh, and of course this propelling method isn't one of the core crawling styles.. Why would it be?

The downside to all this? We can't just lay her down on the ground and go do anything anymore. She's gotta be strapped into a bouncey seat or plopped into a pack n play.... It also means that baby proofing begins soon. Crap.

Any guesses for when she's going to start cruising or walking? I'll set the over/under at 7.5 months.

Putting your baby on a schedule

is not possible. Or at least it wasn't for me. I read the books, blogs, and websites. I laid out sample schedules to follow each day. I drove myself crazy writing everything down from the minute she woke to the minute she went to bed. What a waste of time. Babies have a natural clock inside of them (we all do). It takes the 4th trimester (the first three months) for them to work it out.

Viv naturally started going from 5-7 naps a day to three (sometimes four) all on her own. It seemed like this happened just as she hit four months. Since she doesn't wake up at the exact same time every day, her schedule isn't perfect, but is pretty predictable.

A good day looks like this:

7am- wakes up and nurses
8:30-nap
10-nurse
11-nap
1- nurse and rice cereal
2-nap
4-5-wakes and nurses
6:30-7- get ready for bed and nurse

This schedule is very loose and always depends when she wakes up in the morning and how long her naps are. In between sleeping and eating we do a lot of playing!! Viv loves the jumperoo, anything that lights up and sings, reading books, and practicing her crawling. Yes, crawling...we will leave that for another blog entry. It is still difficult to make plans but that is getting easier. We always bank on being home in the evenings now so we can get her to bed early. 7pm-7am is another blog entry as well....

Wasn't It Just May 27th?

It's not hard for me to remember how anxious Becca was to go into labor and have the baby already. The weekend prior to Viv's arrival, she did her best to keep herself preoccupied but there are only so many things a pregnant woman CAN do without putting herself into an exhausted state. I kept myself busy, especially on the golf course.

It's also not hard for me to remember Viv's birthday and the labor that preceded her arrival.  I took notes. 10.5 hours of labor. 17 minutes of pushing. Hello Viv!

But if you ask me if I can remember how deathly exhausted I felt in the weeks and month following Viv's birth, I don't think I can really tell you with any accuracy right now. The sleepless nights for the first couple weeks are mostly a blur. How many diapers did I change? I lost count, but part of that is because I quit counting.

What I do remember and can tell you is that it's all worth it. So many moments are lost just staring at the new life you've brought into this crazy effing world. You don't focus on how tired you are. You learn to cope and manage through the exhaustion. You hope people that see you in public or at work don't think you have suitcases hanging from your eyes. You don't focus on how loud, hard, or often she's cries. You learn to embrace the sound because it's your baby's cries, not someone else in seat 22C. You just know what you're there to help her stop crying. #DontShakeYourBaby

Now that we're in the fourth month of parenthood, we have a happy, lively and active baby that only wakes once (sometimes twice) at night.. It's as if switching from one extreme (full night of sleep) to the other (erratic, limited sleep) conditions your mind and body to fully function on something in between. I never thought it would happen, but I actually feel like I can be a productive human who makes it to the gym 50% of the time on reduced shut-eye. It's quite incredible, really.

What's more incredible is how fast these last four months have flown by. I've taken over 2,000 photos and a dozen videos (wish I would have taken more) and somehow it all feels like it's happened in just a flicker of the camera shutter...

I totally take back all those times...

 

Before I begin this post, a quick thank you to Lindsay M. R. for her thoughtful gift that includes the quote above. Becca and I will undoubtedly be passing it along to Viv when she gets older. #Keepsake #Heirloom

There are four essential things that babies do: eat, poop, pee, and sleep. The baby we've been blessed with is excelling at the first three. The latching problems aside, she's doubled her birth-weight; successfully projectile pooped at me several times (yes, AT me); and is a constant visitor of the "blue-lined" diaper (yes, you know what that is, don't you?).

Then there's this 'sleep' thing. 

I've read enough (in books but mostly online) stating how often and frequent our 4 month old should be sleeping and napping. Viv's taken that book (and name-that-website) and slobbered all over it. After she grew out of the newborn "coma", as I've heard it referred to, she's been on a more random and volatile sleep schedule than a college kid taking no-dose. Her disdain for naps can best be described by the text messages I get from Becca on an almost daily basis which recently have included a picture of Miss Grouchy Pouty Face mid scream-cry. (Scream-cry: defined as the uncontrollable, eyes-shut, tear-laden cry magnified by a loud scream, usually from a young child or infant). I can hear the scream-crying from my cubicle.

Nighttime is a game of roulette. She has her good nights (sleeps from 8pm until 4am) and she has her bad nights (sleeps from 9pm til midnight, then 1am til 3:30am, then 4am til 6:30am). So far this week we've had one good night, one tweener night, and two bad nights. The silver-lining is that we've finally discovered a routine that sort of works for us and it involves her falling asleep in our bed, then being flown to her crib.

What does this all mean? No idea. All I know is that we have what's categorized as an active baby. Active babies apparently can go longer between naps and can go on without as much sleep as the baby in the book. She doesn't want to sleep because she doesn't want to miss anything. She'd rather be awake.

And here I thought that all babies liked sleeping. 

Not a newborn anymore

It seems like Viv woke up on her 4 month birthday and knew she was not a little baby anymore. She has no patience for laying down too long, she would rather sit up. But she can't sit up on her own yet so this is where the bumbo, high chair, exersaucer and bouncy seat come in handy. She despises the infant car seat. Waiting in line at a store results in her crying until I pick her up and let her out of the stroller. A very nice lady in Michael's offered us her spot in line and I said thank you, but she just wants out. And when I got her out, everyone in line laughed as she stopped the fake tears and began to smile and laugh at all of them. She much rather prefers the baby bjorn when out and about running errands (my back does not). She increased my milk supply that week as well, eating every hour for 2 1/2 days!!! She now eats every three hours instead of 2- yay!!! We won't even get into sleep. I have no words for her sleep. Except that my doctor made me feel SO much better when she said babies this age shouldn't be on a sleep schedule yet and that they don't need night feedings when they have doubled their birth weight-yay!!! So far, 4 months is my favorite! Viv giggles and laughs when you tickle her neck or take clothes off over her head for that matter. She thinks when she sneezes or when I sneeze, it's super funny too. She wants to know what is going on now more than ever and is so much fun to hang out with all day!

I have toes!!!

Dairy Allergy

I am posting this because I think it is important for new moms to be aware of. Dairy allergies in newborns can present themselves in different ways. For some it is crying, vomiting, diarrhea, or bloody stools. Viv had a bloody mucus in her diaper and since I was going to the pediatrician that day, I asked about it. They told me to avoid products with cow's milk for three weeks and watch her stool. It took about 17 days of me not eating dairy for the bloody stool to disappear. After all I had been through with breastfeeding, I was not going to let this stop me! I was officially going dairy free. No more cheese pizza (or cheese for that matter), no more milk, cream, butter, ranch dressing. :( Luckily there are lots of dairy free options out there. Almond milk, coconut milk coffee creamer, soy lattes, oil based butter. The only thing I would not recommend is vegan cheese...it's disgusting!!!  The best part of this new diet is the five pounds I have lost! I had already lost all the baby weight and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and now none of my pants fit!? I really missed chocolate so I tested the allergy (sorry Viv) and had a few half a bag of candy corn M&M's and the diarrhea came back with the next diaper. Looks like I will be on this diet until Viv is weaned.

The good news about breastfeeding

It gets easier, it gets better, if you stick it out you and your baby will become pros!!! At my 6 week postpartum check up, I was still having pain on the left side. This was after a month of going back and forth with pumping and nursing and lots of Dr. Newman's nipple cream. My OB/GYN convinced me that I needed to take two days off of nursing on the left side and you know what? IT WORKED!!!! I am pleased to report that Viv and I are now professionals and we can nurse anytime, anywhere! I am so thankful I stuck it out the first 6 weeks even though it was nearly impossible some days. We have come through the to other side and I could not be happier!!! My advice is don't give up and get help early!

*****Side Note*****

If you ever plan on giving your baby a bottle in her lifetime, make sure she takes one at least once a week, starting by two weeks old. After my nipples healed, I took a break from pumping and bottles and Viv missed a week or two and then began refusing bottles. We had a long month of trying EVERYTHING to get her to take a bottle again. We bought new bottles, new nipples, new people feeding her, feeding her in new places, feeding her water, feeding her formula, etc. It took a few nights of me leaving the house and Eric distracting her in the bouncy seat while she ate. Very thankful for my wonderful friends who took me out and kept me distracted while my baby learned to take a bottle again!!

Breastfeeding *%$#'s with your mind

If I wanted to continue breastfeeding I HAD to take a break, use the pump and start bottles. My nipples needed time to heal. Mentally I couldn't do it. I cried myself to sleep the night I brought the pump home. I was scared Viv wouldn't go back to the breast if I used a bottle, I was scared my milk supply would be affected, I didn't think I could do it.

The next morning I called my oldest friend who had breastfed and also used bottles and pumped and I asked her to talk me off the ledge. The first thing she said was "Breastfeeding $#@%'s with your mind!" There is absolutely NO way to explain the hormones and feelings that go through your mind postpartum and adding breastfeeding on top of that makes it worse. I was so glad she was able to put into words how I had been feeling for two weeks. I knew that I wasn't the only person who had ever had a baby, struggled with nursing, and had to give their baby a bottle, but I needed to hear it anyways. After I got off the phone, I set up the pump and prepared a bottle for Eric to give Viv. She took it easily and I was on my way to healing.

The Frenulectomy

A frenectomy (also known as a frenulectomy, frenulotomy or frenotomy) is the removal of a frenulum, a small fold of tissue that prevents an organ in the body from moving too far.

This was not as bad as I thought it would be (although I did take my mom to the appointment in case I couldn't handle it).  If there is any doubt your child may be tongue-tied, get it taken care of quickly. A really great doctor at our pediatrician's office performed the procedure. Viv wasn't tongue-tied, her tongue was webbed, but we decided to do it anyway so she could have more movement (AKA, be a better french kisser). Viv was actually more upset that the nurse was holding her head and when it was all over she nursed right away without any pain. I still picked up my prescription nipple cream (there is a lot of nipple talk in this blog) and a double electric hospital grade pump just in case this was too good to be true.  It was.