4.18.2011

6 month update

Yes, it's true! Ethan is 6 months old! How this is possible is completely unknown to me, it seems he grows overnight. It feels like just yesterday that he was so tiny, and now he's becoming such a little man.

We had his 6 month appointment today. That was...challenging. I arrived on time, but ended up being seen 2 hours later! As you can imagine, it wasn't a very pleasant 2 hours, as Ethan ended up being very very tired, wanting to nap, was hungry but wouldn't eat. It seemed that as soon as he fell asleep in my arms, the nurse came in to take his weight and height. This happened of course after I was put in the room, and made to wait 40 minutes, with Ethan in his diaper per their instructions. I was very frustrated in the end, and I'm just a tired mess today as a result.

But onto the good news: Ethan is 15.8 lbs, and 27 inches tall! He's such a little string bean. He handled his shots very well, and quit crying only a few minutes after they gave them to him. In the waiting room it was so cute to him excited to talk and make faces at another baby. They were both jumping up and down and staring at each other, while grinning and cooing! I promise you, it was the most adorable ting I've seen yet.

4.13.2011

Cloth Diaper Blog Giveaway

I just entered to win two cloth diapers at We're Finally Three. The diapers have been graciously provided by Beautiful Baby Gear! I hope I can win, and I've really been wanting to give CDing a try but have been lacking the funds. Head on over there and enter to win folks!

4.11.2011

Swaddling: The Nightmare

Ethan has always been swaddled, and he has always really enjoyed it. However, there are times where I convince myself that he doesn't want or need it, and I will go through a phase of trying to wean him of it. I normally give up within 6 hours, because I just feel so exasperated!

The only real reason we swaddle Ethan is because he cannot seem to keep his hands away from the binky without it. If there was a way to keep him from yanking it out every bloody second, I'm sure he could sleep without it. I tried today for probably the 5th or 6th time to get him to sleep without it. I managed to get him to fall asleep, but as soon as he hit the mattress he was wiggling everywhere. I decided to ferber him a bit and let him cry. He cried for an hour before needing to be fed. There wasn't even a lull in the crying, it was just straight crying while I came in every 5 minutes to put his bink back in his mouth, trying to sooth him to sleep.

Trying to swaddle him one arm out doesn't work either because he will just remove the binky on his first chance. I'm pretty sure he doesn't like the tight feeling, but there is no other way of controlling his "Doc Oc" arms (as Austine's Uncle likes to say). The only real reason I have to unswaddle him is because he has rolled over in it a couple of times, but he always has woken up and cried out when that happened.

Is there any chance I'm wrong about trying to break him of it? Will his arms eventually calm down and allow for (peaceful) binky-included sleep? I can't help and just feel frustrated and desperate every time I attempt this unsuccessfully. HELP.

4.07.2011

Public Service Announcement: Swag Bucks

For those of you who have not joined the swag bucks revolution, I have decided to do a easy to understand breakdown of the site and all it has to offer.

SwagBucks is a 100% free site that allows you to earn "swagbucks" to spend in their gift shop. They have tons of cool stuff in said gift shop, but the item I normally get is the 5 dollar Amazon Gift Card. You can earn swagbucks several different ways:

  • Participate in the daily poll to earn 1 SB
  • Check out their "trusted surveys" link for 1 SB
  • Install the Swagbucks toolbar. I think you get points for installing it, and 1 point for everyday you refresh it.
  • Search using the Swagbucks site, or toolbar. This is the most important one, as you can get several points for one search. You can win several times a day, but it's rare to win more than twice a day. 
You can also watch videos for SBs (but you have to watch 10 to earn 3 points), fill out surveys for major bucks, or actually buy from any of their sponsors. Surprisingly I've found some items I actually want. The livingsocial and groupon deals are especially nice.

A few tips: don't fill out your address on anything that you don't want to get in the mail. Especially for the No Obligation Special Offers, they will send you junk mail. If you don't mind it, go for it. I personally hate having to throw tons of mail out every day.

Anyhow, if you've decided you want to try it out visit www.swagbucks.com, and make sure to let them know that NillaWafers03 referred you!

4.05.2011

5 must have items for a first time mom

 
Moby Wrap

Seriously was a lifesaver for me. Ethan was colicky from about a month and a half to three months, and this was the only thing that would calm him down! Sure, it's hard to get on, but once you get used to it you can do it with your eyes closed! I really didn't wear it much outside of my own home, but it's definitely the most comfortable carrier to wear.

Zippered Sleepers
 I hate hate hated the elastic band gowns when Ethan was a newborn, he hated them too! Instead of the sleepers with snaps, opt for the sleepers with zippers. One zip, and your baby is as naked as a jay bird! Really great for those 3 am, can barely open your eyes you are so tired, moments.

My Brest Friend

I remember going to Babies R Us to buy a shower gift for a friend, and laughing at the name of this contraption. Little did I know, 2 years later I would be shouting it's name from the mountain tops. I originally used a Boppy when Ethan was first born, and it made things a lot easier. However, as time wore on I noticed he was rolling a lot on it. My Brest Friend is totally flat, has a little lumbar support, and a pocket. I especially recommend it for well endowed women like me because we all know it's difficult to breastfeed when you have large ::ahem::

JJ Cole System 180 Diaper Bag

Alright, this is the best diaper bag EVER! I love it! I think I have used everything that is comes with every time we go out with Ethan. It's really roomy, my stuff will fit into it along with Ethan's. There are pockets galore, and if you know me, you know I love pockets! Even the pacifier holder is handy, it's nice to put it somewhere and know where it is going to be all the time. Not to mention it comes with stroller straps so you can hang it off the back, it is so nice to walk without a big bag. I can't recommend this bag enough!

SwaddleMe
Definitely couldn't live without this, even 6 months later. Ethan cannot go to sleep without it (which we are working on remedying). However, it's excellent for newborns even because it is so easy to use. I loved that I could change him while he was swaddled, and the velcro makes the swaddle more secure than a receiving blanket ever could. The only problem I have run across is that the cotton material will stretch, so the tabs won't line up and make it easy for him to break out of. I think I may have this problem because Ethan is a really skinny baby.

So that's it! My 5 must haves for a new mom.

4.04.2011

Giving up television...not all that it's cracked up to be

I mentioned a while back in this post that I was giving up television for Lent. While I understand that giving up something for lent isn't meant to be easy (don't get me started on people who give up food or soda or something super easy), I didn't have any idea it would be this hard! Before I got married (and I suspect became a Mom), I never ever watched television. I was mostly browsing the internet or out and about somewhere. Somewhere in between becoming Austine's wife, and Ethan's mom, I became a "watcher of the television". Maybe even an avid watcher.

I have favorite TV shows now, that I actually miss if I don't get to see them ( I'm confused by this too). This year, I watched the Bachelor for the first time since my mother and I sat down with it over ten, maybe even 12, years ago! I am crazy about Bones, who wouldn't like a scientist with a logical sense of humor. Being Human is really flipping entertaining, and while Ghost Hunters isn't the highest form of scientific investigation being done, it certainly is one of the most entertaining. Last but not least, I miss watching Teen Mom 2 and the train wreck I just can't peel my eyes away from.

Obviously, if I'm pining after TV shows, I should be cutting down on them anyway. Part of me argues that since I'm home alone with the equivalent of a small (yet very cute) monkey, I miss human interaction and just want to see it on a daily basis. The other part of me just wants to admit I'm addicted.

4.03.2011

I'm sick, again!

So, it has been a whole week since I got sick, and I'm still feeling it! Last week I woke up with a absolutely horrible sore throat, drippy nose, and occasional sneezing. Because of the sneezing, I really thought that I was not sick and just allergic to something. I took some zyrtec and managed to go to church, we even went to breakfast after! As the day wore on, I just felt worse and worse. It culminated in a fever and chills at night.

I really haven't had a fever in such a long time, I can't even remember the last time I had one. In the morning, I was so sick with the fever I had to call Austine's mom to help me with Ethan. The runny nose turned into a stuffed (infected) nose, and the sore throat turned into congested (infected) bronchials. I am no stranger to bronchitis, it was the main illness that kept me out of school when I was a child. However, I haven't had bronchitis in over 3 years! I used to get it 3-4 times a year, and somehow, it just stopped.

Anyhow, now I had bronchitis and a sinus infection and needed to see a doctor. Austine's mom called the walk in clinic (free, since we have no insurance until Austine is fulltime) and asked when they take walk-ins. They told us 12:30, and we made it there just in time! It was pretty exhausting actually being out and about, sick, and with a kid. I totally managed though with the help of Kristina (my mother in law). So we finally get to the clinic, I walk up to sign in, and they tell me they already have two walk-ins. I look at them confused (or maybe just befuddled, my brain isn't working well at the moment), and they say they only accept a limited amount of walk-ins a day. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit. That really would have been nice to know when we called to see if you accept walk-ins.

Even now, I can't believe I didn't yell at this lady. I really do blame ( or am thankful for) having a fever, bronchitis, and a sinus infection. That's the only thing that saved that poor woman from me that day. Kris and I went home after that, and I pulled some strings and got a good friend of mine to get me some antibiotics from his dad (who is a doctor, by the way), and even an inhaler so I didn't feel like I was drowning 24/7.  They've helped immensely but I am still really darn congested and it's almost a week later. I'm hoping they can finish the job.

Wow, is it April already?

Holy crap, time is really really flying! It is almost 6 months ago that I first saw my little guy, and it is such a contrast to look at him now! I see newborn clothes in the shops, and think about how he couldn't have possibly been that little! In fact, newborn clothes were large on the skinny string bean when he was born.

He is now sitting up pretty well, but still needs support on his sides. He's really got the front and back covered though. He rolls like a pro and loves to babble to us. I can't believe how scared and upset I was when I found out I was pregnant, I really cannot imagine life without him now!

In other news; I get to test drive a GMC Terrain the week of the 18th, for five whole days! I am really excited since I haven't had a car in so long. While I finally did manage to pay off my car's registration with our tax return, it will be cool to have a "mom" car for a whole week. I will definitely be writing about it on the blog so stay tuned!

While on the subject of tax money (which was amazing to get for the first time after owing last year), I have to say that Austine and I finally caved a bought a Kinect. We first played the Kinect about a month ago, and I totally fell in love. There really isn't anything out there like it right now, and it's nothing like the Wii in my opinion. Austine and I played for only 30-40 minutes total today and I totally am feeling it. I'm badly out of shape anyways, but I can see us playing this a lot. It is nice to get active and have fun.

So, stayed tuned for more news on the Kinect, and the GMC Terrain. I keep feeling guilty about not updating my blog enough so I'm going to really try to do it 3 times at least a week. Maybe if I could do that I could actually have a reader base. That would be amazing. I would like to think that I write well enough to attract something of the sort, not to mention the extra money from the ads would be great (not that it's my primary goal). I always have liked the idea of just having a huge sounding board for my opinions and goals. I know my life isn't really interesting at all. I am a stay at home mom with no car after all.

Gonna do some brainstorming for blog topics, that should help the slump I'm in!