So, I just realized this was in my drafts box, I never finished it and never posted it. Oh well. He's what I started!
I can't believe it, as I say every month, that my baby is already 4 months old! He defineitely looks like a baby now and not so much like a newborn. The one thing he still does very seldom is when he is REALLY sleepy, is bring his feet up to his belly and curl up when you pick him up. I know that won't last too much longer so I'm soaking it all in.
Here's some of the things Caleb really likes right now:
His changing pad- he still really likes to lay on it and almost always can calm him down and make him happy if you lay him on it.
His playmat- he loves to squirm around on it, grab at his toys, roll to toys on the mat, and watch the lights. It's a great thing for mom too as it will keep his attention for at least a little while. But he likes it best when I play with him too.
Standing- Caleb LOVES to stand and wants you to let him stand all the time. He looks so cute while he's standing too!!! He really is so strong and can pull himself up with us just holding his hands. He just needs a little support but can stand for a while without tipping over :)
His steering wheel toy- he has a heart after his daddy and loves his steering wheel toy. He'll spin and spin that thing till it looks like it will spin right off!
Mommy massages- if the lotion is warm enough, he really likes getting all lathered up before bed. But if it's chilly, he'd rather not.
His thumb and index finger- he goes to town on those two guys! You will always find him with them in his mouth, grabbing his tongue, rubbing his gums... he loves them.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
My Fun little boy
Caleb is SO much fun at this age. He started walking right before his birthday and it is so fun seeing his little self walking all around the house. He just babbles away, usually in his own language, but every now and then he'll throw in a word I recognize. Sometimes, he knows it (like ball, sock or apple), sometimes it's a coincidental noise (like the occasional swear word (and he didn't learn it from us).
Caleb walks around with his blanky, especially when he's tired. It's so very sweet-- he looks just like the little boy from Charlie Brown, but way smaller. He sometimes will just bend over and rest his head on the floor, almost doing a yoga pose. He'll snuggle and even fall asleep on the floor watching the fake fireplace on netflix.
Caleb's hugs are priceless. He bows his head onto whatever he's hugging. He hugs, mama, daddy, the dog, the baby in mama's tummy, the couch, the cup, he hugs everything. And we always go "awwww, nice hugging", which makes him do it again.
He likes to give kisses too. They still are the mouth open chomp your cheek off kisses and I love them!
Caleb loves to play his drums, but will use his drumsticks to play on just about anything. We just have to make sure he doesn't play on mama or the dog. He likes to play cars and likes to make the "vroom" noises. He likes to clean and likes using his little broom to sweep. Any time he gets a rag he either wipes off himself or will start to dust/wipe off something in the house. (That's my boy!) He loves his teddy, and sometimes carries him around. Teddy is about 1/2 his size and they are so cute together.
Caleb loves to dance and dances to ny beat or music or anything! He just loves music!!!
Unless he's sick or super tired, we can get him to laugh at any time. He is ticklish and also laughs at some pretty silly things (like shaking his blanket in the air etc). There is nothing better than baby laughs!
I just have so much fun with my little boy. We have been going to the park more and he likes going down the slide with mama. He also likes playing in the sand. We'll have to get a sandbox someday.
There's so much to say. Everyday is something new. Something new he's learning or trying. A new word, a new expression. A new food, a new habbit. And everyday is that much better than the last day.
Caleb walks around with his blanky, especially when he's tired. It's so very sweet-- he looks just like the little boy from Charlie Brown, but way smaller. He sometimes will just bend over and rest his head on the floor, almost doing a yoga pose. He'll snuggle and even fall asleep on the floor watching the fake fireplace on netflix.
Caleb's hugs are priceless. He bows his head onto whatever he's hugging. He hugs, mama, daddy, the dog, the baby in mama's tummy, the couch, the cup, he hugs everything. And we always go "awwww, nice hugging", which makes him do it again.
He likes to give kisses too. They still are the mouth open chomp your cheek off kisses and I love them!
Caleb loves to play his drums, but will use his drumsticks to play on just about anything. We just have to make sure he doesn't play on mama or the dog. He likes to play cars and likes to make the "vroom" noises. He likes to clean and likes using his little broom to sweep. Any time he gets a rag he either wipes off himself or will start to dust/wipe off something in the house. (That's my boy!) He loves his teddy, and sometimes carries him around. Teddy is about 1/2 his size and they are so cute together.
Caleb loves to dance and dances to ny beat or music or anything! He just loves music!!!
Unless he's sick or super tired, we can get him to laugh at any time. He is ticklish and also laughs at some pretty silly things (like shaking his blanket in the air etc). There is nothing better than baby laughs!
I just have so much fun with my little boy. We have been going to the park more and he likes going down the slide with mama. He also likes playing in the sand. We'll have to get a sandbox someday.
There's so much to say. Everyday is something new. Something new he's learning or trying. A new word, a new expression. A new food, a new habbit. And everyday is that much better than the last day.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Looking back
Ok, So I haven't posted in FOREVER, but I don't have time to post. With working 26 hours a week, being at home with Caleb alone for another 30-40 hours a week trying to get housework done and play with him, and then wanting to spend time as a family the rest of the time, blogging is not on my top list of priorities. But as I come closer and closer to Caleb's one year birthday, I have been thinking a lot about the past year, about how he came into the world, what I liked, what I would have changed.
I realized that Alan and I were as prepared as we could have been for Caleb's birth. We trained, I did the exercises, I read as much as I could, I talked to other moms, we were ready. But I still did not have the birth I wanted, not 100%, because of things that were "out of our control".
We were dealing with a nursing staff who was kind and considerate, but not experienced in unmedicated, no intervention births. We should have had a doula, not so much to help me with contractions and relaxing, but to be an experienced person in the room when it came to natural birth. We will have one next time around. We know better now.
We had a great birthplan. Very detailed but concise. We got the ok for pretty much everything we wanted, but in the end, we had a lot of things happen that took away from our experience.
To start, I had to have a Hep lock. I understand their reasoning, kind of. But I guess I figure that these are medical professionals and if they can't place an IV quickly in an emergency, what kind of nurses are they. So next time, no hep lock for me.
We had electronic monitoring more than we wanted. I asked for no electronic monitoring but they seemed to weasel around this by saying it's just real quick to start out then they'll take it right off. But I had to keep getting out of the tub to put it back on to see how baby was doing. Next time, I don't want to have to put the whole belt on.
When it was time to push, I had no support. Alan and I didn't know what we were doing. We had practiced the positions, but I was having a hard time knowing how to squat or sit squat and keep my balance and push . I felt it completely in my quads and kept falling over. Instead of helping me, they just said why don't I try a more traditional method. When you've just gone through transition, you say yes to anything. I ended up more on my back than I wanted, and ended up pushing for over 2 hours.
When Caleb was finally born, I was all covered up, I had a gown on, a sheet etc, and they didn't open it up for skin to skin contact. I didn't get that moment of tears and bonding with my baby. I only remember being tired (It was 4:30 in the morning and I was running on 3 hours of sleep from the night before, but still.) I feel like that moment should and could have been better. I had asked to nurse Caleb instead of getting pitocin to deliver the placenta. They got around this one by saying I would hemorrhage if I didn't get the dose of pitocin. I feel like this made me feel even worse as far as bonding with Caleb goes. I don't remember the first time I tried to nurse. I had no support from the staff-- it was not a priority for them. Now, Caleb was tongue tied, and I know this complicated things. But I know it could have been better.
I say all this because I feel we were a prepared couple. We knew what we wanted. We knew what was best for our baby. And still, even with that conviction and being so clear with everything, we still didn't get the experience we wanted. Yes Caleb was born bright eyed and alert. But it's not just about that. It's about the bonding as a mom and baby and as a family that can happen so beautifully with an unmedicated birth, and we lost out on that.
I recently attended a rally for improving birth. It really does have to start with our staff in the hospital. They have to be trained. They have to be open. They have to catch the vision of this. If they aren't on board, it doesn't matter what the mothers want, how much we train, how much we know. This shouldn't be a battle. It should be the norm.
~To my beautiful baby Caleb. I will always remember those black eyes so bright as I looked at them for the first time. You were and are and will always be the love of my heart, the joy of my life.
I realized that Alan and I were as prepared as we could have been for Caleb's birth. We trained, I did the exercises, I read as much as I could, I talked to other moms, we were ready. But I still did not have the birth I wanted, not 100%, because of things that were "out of our control".
We were dealing with a nursing staff who was kind and considerate, but not experienced in unmedicated, no intervention births. We should have had a doula, not so much to help me with contractions and relaxing, but to be an experienced person in the room when it came to natural birth. We will have one next time around. We know better now.
We had a great birthplan. Very detailed but concise. We got the ok for pretty much everything we wanted, but in the end, we had a lot of things happen that took away from our experience.
To start, I had to have a Hep lock. I understand their reasoning, kind of. But I guess I figure that these are medical professionals and if they can't place an IV quickly in an emergency, what kind of nurses are they. So next time, no hep lock for me.
We had electronic monitoring more than we wanted. I asked for no electronic monitoring but they seemed to weasel around this by saying it's just real quick to start out then they'll take it right off. But I had to keep getting out of the tub to put it back on to see how baby was doing. Next time, I don't want to have to put the whole belt on.
When it was time to push, I had no support. Alan and I didn't know what we were doing. We had practiced the positions, but I was having a hard time knowing how to squat or sit squat and keep my balance and push . I felt it completely in my quads and kept falling over. Instead of helping me, they just said why don't I try a more traditional method. When you've just gone through transition, you say yes to anything. I ended up more on my back than I wanted, and ended up pushing for over 2 hours.
When Caleb was finally born, I was all covered up, I had a gown on, a sheet etc, and they didn't open it up for skin to skin contact. I didn't get that moment of tears and bonding with my baby. I only remember being tired (It was 4:30 in the morning and I was running on 3 hours of sleep from the night before, but still.) I feel like that moment should and could have been better. I had asked to nurse Caleb instead of getting pitocin to deliver the placenta. They got around this one by saying I would hemorrhage if I didn't get the dose of pitocin. I feel like this made me feel even worse as far as bonding with Caleb goes. I don't remember the first time I tried to nurse. I had no support from the staff-- it was not a priority for them. Now, Caleb was tongue tied, and I know this complicated things. But I know it could have been better.
I say all this because I feel we were a prepared couple. We knew what we wanted. We knew what was best for our baby. And still, even with that conviction and being so clear with everything, we still didn't get the experience we wanted. Yes Caleb was born bright eyed and alert. But it's not just about that. It's about the bonding as a mom and baby and as a family that can happen so beautifully with an unmedicated birth, and we lost out on that.
I recently attended a rally for improving birth. It really does have to start with our staff in the hospital. They have to be trained. They have to be open. They have to catch the vision of this. If they aren't on board, it doesn't matter what the mothers want, how much we train, how much we know. This shouldn't be a battle. It should be the norm.
~To my beautiful baby Caleb. I will always remember those black eyes so bright as I looked at them for the first time. You were and are and will always be the love of my heart, the joy of my life.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Going Green: laundry soap
I've wanted to make our own laundry soap for a while now but have been searching and searching for a recipe that is cloth diaper friendly. Still no luck but I have finally decided to just go for it for the rest of our laundry. I did a lot of "research" and found that most people had no problems with making powder detergent. Some people had problems making liquid detergent-- the consistency wasn't always the same and techniques to make it seemed kinda difficult. Here's the recipe I used:
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 cups Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1 bar grated Fels-Naptha soap
Just mix it all up! Check online for other variety's of this recipe and for other techniques on grating the bar of soap. You can use 1 tbsp per load but I'll probably always use 2. (unless I see that 1 does the trick)
You can find the Borax and Fels-Naptha in the laundry isle at Wal-Mart. I found the Washing Soda at County Market in Champaign, IL but you should be able to find it at most grocery stores.
$3.38 for the Borax (not even close to using the whole box)
$2.99 for the Washing Soda (again, plenty more to use for other batches)
$0.97 for the bar of Fels-Naptha
I've heard you can use other soap like Ivory, but as the Fels-Naptha is a pre-treater, I thought it might work better for in the wash. The Ivory might be gentler though so if I notice the Fels-Naptha is too harsh on the clothes, I might switch.
I'll update everyone how I like it, but I know my wallet likes it already!
Here's the math on my savings.
borax 76oz This is enough for 4.75 batches = $0.71 per batch
washing soda 55oz This is enough for 3.44 batches = $0.87 per batch
fels-naptha 5.5oz This is enough for 1 batch = $0.97 per batch
$2.55 per batch of 37.5oz
I use 2 Tbsp (or 1 oz) per load so this will get me about 37 loads. But you can use 1 Tbsp per load (I just usually fill my washer to capacity and seem to have more soiled loads than non-soiled loads....) This comes out to a little less than 7 cents per load and if you use just 1 Tbsp, it would be half that! Pretty cool huh!!!
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 cups Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda)
1 bar grated Fels-Naptha soap
Just mix it all up! Check online for other variety's of this recipe and for other techniques on grating the bar of soap. You can use 1 tbsp per load but I'll probably always use 2. (unless I see that 1 does the trick)
You can find the Borax and Fels-Naptha in the laundry isle at Wal-Mart. I found the Washing Soda at County Market in Champaign, IL but you should be able to find it at most grocery stores.
$3.38 for the Borax (not even close to using the whole box)
$2.99 for the Washing Soda (again, plenty more to use for other batches)
$0.97 for the bar of Fels-Naptha
I've heard you can use other soap like Ivory, but as the Fels-Naptha is a pre-treater, I thought it might work better for in the wash. The Ivory might be gentler though so if I notice the Fels-Naptha is too harsh on the clothes, I might switch.
I'll update everyone how I like it, but I know my wallet likes it already!
Here's the math on my savings.
borax 76oz This is enough for 4.75 batches = $0.71 per batch
washing soda 55oz This is enough for 3.44 batches = $0.87 per batch
fels-naptha 5.5oz This is enough for 1 batch = $0.97 per batch
$2.55 per batch of 37.5oz
I use 2 Tbsp (or 1 oz) per load so this will get me about 37 loads. But you can use 1 Tbsp per load (I just usually fill my washer to capacity and seem to have more soiled loads than non-soiled loads....) This comes out to a little less than 7 cents per load and if you use just 1 Tbsp, it would be half that! Pretty cool huh!!!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
A little icing on the cake
Ok, so this post has nothing to do with family life or the frugal home or going green or anything. But it's some exciting stuff for me, a little icing on my cake of life. I'm very excited as my best friend in the whole world is getting married! We've been besties since around jr. high and she's the person I always go back to. You know, the one who's always there. You've got your highschool friends who I didn't keep in touch. You've got your college friends but once I graduated it was hard to stay close. But no matter where I have lived, where I was at, whether I was married or single, she's always been there.
She's now the "aunt" to my little boy and I know he'll grow up adoring her as much as I do. She's a great friend to my husband and he can even see how special she is to me and how important she is in our lives.
I'm not just excited for her but I'm excited for ME! You know the saying "always a bridesmaid but never the bride"? Well that's not quite the case. You see as much as I was friends with other girls, I never could get "in" to be one of the select to be a bridesmaid. I've sang in weddings and been the guestbook person... but I've never been a bridesmaid. It's very funny because I was made to be a bridesmaid. I'm organized, creative, punctual, frugal, shopping savvy.... I am thoughtful and would always put the bride first and look out for her interest above all else. But alas, this is the first and probably the only time I will ever be a bridesmaid.
So I'm taking it all in, making sure I help as I can and don't miss any of the special events (like the dress picking/cake tasting/venue shopping etc...). I'm loving it already and am so happy my friend is including me in her special day.
So thank you Diana for adding some pretty sweet frosting to my life!
She's now the "aunt" to my little boy and I know he'll grow up adoring her as much as I do. She's a great friend to my husband and he can even see how special she is to me and how important she is in our lives.
I'm not just excited for her but I'm excited for ME! You know the saying "always a bridesmaid but never the bride"? Well that's not quite the case. You see as much as I was friends with other girls, I never could get "in" to be one of the select to be a bridesmaid. I've sang in weddings and been the guestbook person... but I've never been a bridesmaid. It's very funny because I was made to be a bridesmaid. I'm organized, creative, punctual, frugal, shopping savvy.... I am thoughtful and would always put the bride first and look out for her interest above all else. But alas, this is the first and probably the only time I will ever be a bridesmaid.
So I'm taking it all in, making sure I help as I can and don't miss any of the special events (like the dress picking/cake tasting/venue shopping etc...). I'm loving it already and am so happy my friend is including me in her special day.
So thank you Diana for adding some pretty sweet frosting to my life!
Going Green: Saving some green
Alan and I are so excited about this coming year. We are excited for healthier bodies, closer and better and more real relationships with God, and a better hold on our financial areas. We are doing the "Financial Peace University" plan and have done the first week's material and I'm so excited. It really is freeing when you have a better grasp on your finances. We're prepared to tighten our belts, work extra if we can (and this is more Alan as I really want to devote as much time as I can to being home with Caleb, I think that's really important and that God has called me to be a homemaker even though I do work part time), and save save save!
We're excited about our tax return jump starting this "saving" process and will use most of it to pay off some debt. All you newly weds or engaged couples out there-- you need to start doing this program so you DON'T get into debt and so that you ARE prepared for the future. I highly recommend it already! My mom did it last year and she is doing great. Their motto is live like no one does so you can LIVE like no one does. We are excited what God has for us as we are better stewards of his money and as we give over control of that portion of our lives to Him.
We're excited about our tax return jump starting this "saving" process and will use most of it to pay off some debt. All you newly weds or engaged couples out there-- you need to start doing this program so you DON'T get into debt and so that you ARE prepared for the future. I highly recommend it already! My mom did it last year and she is doing great. Their motto is live like no one does so you can LIVE like no one does. We are excited what God has for us as we are better stewards of his money and as we give over control of that portion of our lives to Him.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
3 months already!
I can't believe that Caleb is already 3 months old. I know I say that each month, that it "seems like only yesterday we brought him home..." but I'll say it again, and I'll keep on saying it because it's going way too fast!
Caleb has done some pretty cool things since he has been born! We love the little boy he is becoming. He is such a sweetheart and has such a happy personality. Here are some great things that have happened/things he's done so far. (in no particular order)
1. He rolled over! He now rolls all the time from his tummy to his back. Sometimes this happens when I least expect it. Like when he was propped up with his whale pillow under his chest, playing with his toys, then wham-- he rolled over and bumped his head! Poor little guy.
2. He smiles :) I love his smiles. I love the ones when he finishes eating and is kinda asleep and his mouth is open and just goes into the biggest smile. I love the mouth wide open smiles, gums and all. I love the mouth closed smiles that draw a line so big across his face, they make his cheeks look so chubby! I love that he smiles when he sees me, that he knows my voice and looks for me.
3. He talks... well sort of. He loves when you talk to him and just lights up and smiles so big. You can really get him going by repeating what he does. He just loves it! I've noticed that at certain times, he makes the same sounds. Like when he's sleepy and about to go to sleep, he makes the same "words" and when he's playing and batting at his toys, he makes certain sounds. It's like he's trying to say stuff, not just making noise, and that's pretty cute.
4. He plays. He loves playing on his back on his play mat. He bats at toys and grabs them and shoves them in his mouth if he can. He will sit in his bouncer and hold toys and put them in his mouth, but it's harder for him to hold onto them and keep them, usually he drops them after just a minute or two. He likes looking at bright lights and moving pictures/lights. A lot of his toys light up and you can really get him going by playing with these with him.
5. He stands.. ok not by himself but still he puts all his weight on his feet. You just have to stabilize him. He loves to stand and wiggle around.
6. He sleeps pretty good at night. He usually goes to sleep at around 7:30pm and then sleeps for a big chunk of time. This varies by night but if he's had a good day, he might sleep till after midnight or even 1am. When he does wake up, he eats and then goes right back to sleep. Well, this is true if he's had a good day. If not he tends to be awake around 3:30 am and needs to play after he eats before he sleeps again. This is frustrating so hopefully this will stop soon. I can't wait to get a full nights sleep. I never knew I could be this tired but still function.
7. He chews everything! If he can get your finger, it's his favorite. But he'll chew his own finger and thumb, chew his toys, his teethers, his blankets, the burp cloth..... if he can get it in his hands, he will get it in his mouth. This of course comes with a ton of drool and sadly some chapped skin. But mama tries to prevent this by lots of dabbing and some lanolin now and then. If anyone knows of a baby safe chapped skin product, let me know :)
I'll have to ask Alan if he can think of other cute stuff that he does. He's overall such a good tempered happy baby. He's so expressive and makes tons of silly faces. I just love looking at him!
Caleb has done some pretty cool things since he has been born! We love the little boy he is becoming. He is such a sweetheart and has such a happy personality. Here are some great things that have happened/things he's done so far. (in no particular order)
1. He rolled over! He now rolls all the time from his tummy to his back. Sometimes this happens when I least expect it. Like when he was propped up with his whale pillow under his chest, playing with his toys, then wham-- he rolled over and bumped his head! Poor little guy.
2. He smiles :) I love his smiles. I love the ones when he finishes eating and is kinda asleep and his mouth is open and just goes into the biggest smile. I love the mouth wide open smiles, gums and all. I love the mouth closed smiles that draw a line so big across his face, they make his cheeks look so chubby! I love that he smiles when he sees me, that he knows my voice and looks for me.
3. He talks... well sort of. He loves when you talk to him and just lights up and smiles so big. You can really get him going by repeating what he does. He just loves it! I've noticed that at certain times, he makes the same sounds. Like when he's sleepy and about to go to sleep, he makes the same "words" and when he's playing and batting at his toys, he makes certain sounds. It's like he's trying to say stuff, not just making noise, and that's pretty cute.
4. He plays. He loves playing on his back on his play mat. He bats at toys and grabs them and shoves them in his mouth if he can. He will sit in his bouncer and hold toys and put them in his mouth, but it's harder for him to hold onto them and keep them, usually he drops them after just a minute or two. He likes looking at bright lights and moving pictures/lights. A lot of his toys light up and you can really get him going by playing with these with him.
5. He stands.. ok not by himself but still he puts all his weight on his feet. You just have to stabilize him. He loves to stand and wiggle around.
6. He sleeps pretty good at night. He usually goes to sleep at around 7:30pm and then sleeps for a big chunk of time. This varies by night but if he's had a good day, he might sleep till after midnight or even 1am. When he does wake up, he eats and then goes right back to sleep. Well, this is true if he's had a good day. If not he tends to be awake around 3:30 am and needs to play after he eats before he sleeps again. This is frustrating so hopefully this will stop soon. I can't wait to get a full nights sleep. I never knew I could be this tired but still function.
7. He chews everything! If he can get your finger, it's his favorite. But he'll chew his own finger and thumb, chew his toys, his teethers, his blankets, the burp cloth..... if he can get it in his hands, he will get it in his mouth. This of course comes with a ton of drool and sadly some chapped skin. But mama tries to prevent this by lots of dabbing and some lanolin now and then. If anyone knows of a baby safe chapped skin product, let me know :)
I'll have to ask Alan if he can think of other cute stuff that he does. He's overall such a good tempered happy baby. He's so expressive and makes tons of silly faces. I just love looking at him!
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