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!!!