5 on Friday!

  I am linking up with April, Darci, Natasha and Christina for their 5 on Friday link up!  One of my best friends, Jen, has been doing this for awhile now and it looks like fun, so here I am =)     1.  I have a friend who has always wanted to open a bakery in our area and she has started making and selling lactation cookies!  She brought me over a few to try and I fell in love.  So, now I have bought 2 bakers dozens from her.  I can't stop eating them!  Not only are they so yummy, but they really work!  I pumped 7 oz in 4 minutes earlier this week!  If you are in the Houston area and want to try them let me know and I will send you her info!  

    2.  I started working on a shadow box for Connor's nursery for his "going home from the hospital" outfit and his first blanket. I originally wanted to include his hospital wrist band and a couple other items from the hospital but I think I like it with just the blanket as the back ground and his outfit and hat!  What do you think?  

    3.  I have a new addiction.  These chips.  They are the best chips in the history of chips.  If you are in the Houston area and live near a Central Market/HEB, go buy these immediately.   Can't.stop.eating.them.  

      4.  This weekend marks the beginning of football taking over my husband's life for the next 6 months.  Every year we host my husband's friends NFL draft party at our house, so this Saturday is the day.  10-12 guys will take over my house and will spend the day drinking, eating and choosing their teams....and making a mess of my house ;)  I'm making pulled pork, pasta salad, baked beans and a couple desserts for them then Connor and I are leaving for the day!  

    5.  We have started the process of transitioning Connor to his nursery and crib and out of our room.  I have been putting him in his crib once or twice a day for naps but have not tried it at night yet.  At first it was not going well but the past 2 days he has done great!  So, I think some night soon we are going to try putting him in their at night.  This Mama is a nervous, emotional wreck when I think about doing that though.  I have loved having him in our room so close to us every night for the past 3 months but I know it's time for this change.  If you have any tips for making the nighttime transition easier I would LOVE to hear them!    

     

Our Breastfeeding Journey So Far......

Today marks 3 months (+1 day) of exclusively breastfeeding Connor.  That is 94 days to be exact of nothing but breast milk.  Not one drop of formula.  It hasn't always been easy but I am so proud of us for making it this far and I hope our story can be encouraging to other mommies out there in their breastfeeding journey. In honor of National Breastfeeding Month, here is our story....so far.... (sorry in advance for the longest blog post ever....I have a lot to say ;) )  

    I always knew I wanted to BF.  It never even crossed my mind not to do it.  During the last few months of my pregnancy I began reading BF books, reading articles and blogs on others BF stories and took a Breastfeeding Basics class at our hospital.  After learning so much about it I was really, really excited.  I decided my goal would be 6 months but in the back of my mind I told myself just to get to 3 months then we would see how it was going.   Well here we are at 3 months and it is going GREAT! And my goal has changed from 6 months to 1 year.    Connor was born at 4:13 PM and within 10 minutes of being born he was latched on and nursing.  It hurt and I had no clue what I was doing (all that I learned flew out the window in those few moments).   But seeing my baby lay on my bare chest and find his way, ON HIS OWN, to my breast was one of the most amazing, emotional experiences of my life.  I was hooked.  During that "Golden Hour," as my hospital calls it, (the first hour of the baby's life where he/she spends that time skin to skin and nursing) a lactation consultant came in to see us and make sure we had a good latch, etc...  It still hurt and still was not really sure what I was doing but she helped a lot.  We were in the hospital for another day and a half and during that time the LC came to see us a few more times.  We were finally getting the hang of it.  On our last night there we had a lot of visitors in the room and I was having trouble getting Connor to nurse so I had a breakdown and just cried and cried.  I got really overwhelmed with all the visitors, upset that Connor wasn't nursing and throw in some crazy hormones.   The nurse came in and was really encouraging and made me feel much better.    We left the hospital around noon on Wednesday and were on our own.  We got home and I knew Connor was hungry so I tried to nurse him and he would just cry and never latch.  So, then I cried.  It had been 5 hours since he had nursed so I began to worry something was wrong with him.  FINALLY with the help of my husband we got him to latch.  I cringed through the pain but was so happy he was finally nursing.    When Connor was born he weighed 8.3 lbs.  When we left the hospital 2 days later he was 7.11 lbs.  2 days later when we went to the pediatrician for his first appointment he was back up to 8 lbs.  YAY, happy mama! The doctor was happy with his weight gain and said to keep doing what we were doing.    My milk came in on Thursday (he was born on Monday) and I remember sitting on our couch nursing and noticed that he was making bigger gulping sounds and nursed longer than normal.  I knew right then that my milk was in. I had forgotten about leaking and had not started wearing the nursing pads yet so I was walking around our house and my husband saw me and said "What's wrong with your boobs?"  I went to the bathroom and the entire front of my shirt was drenched. HA!     So....one week and one day after C was born, I was at our photographers house for some extra newborn pictures she wanted to take.  I wasn't feeling well, couldn't stop shivering and I had some really hard lumps under my arm pit, close to my right breast.  I was in her studio where she keeps it SUPER warm for newborns and I was sitting there with goosebumps all over my arms.  That night when I woke up in the middle of the night to feed Connor I noticed my entire body ached.  I felt like I had been in a car accident.  When I got up the next morning I felt like I was dying...something was definitely wrong.  My husband took my temp and it was 103.1.  Eeek!  I've never had a fever that high in my life!  An hour later it was 102.9.  I started googling "breast pain and fever" and found all this info on Mastitis.  I definitely had it....I didn't need a doctor to tell me, I just knew based on my symptoms.  If you have get lucky and never have to deal with Mastitis....thank your lucky stars. It is the devil.  It is like having the worst flu ever along with the worst pain in your breasts ever....then times that by 10.   Ok...I am being a little dramatic....but it is awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone.   I had to be put on antibiotics and was told to take a lot of hot showers, apply warm compresses to my breasts and continue nursing.  After a few days I felt so much better.  Hallelujah! After this experience it crossed my mind to quit BF.  I never wanted to deal with that again.   But, I stuck with it.   By the 2nd week Connor was spitting up ALL THE TIME and crying ALL THE TIME.  If he wasn't nursing or sleeping...he was crying and spitting up.  I was calling our pediatrician every few days and they had us come in.  She determined that he had Acid Reflux and Colic.  She told me I should start watching what I was eating and maybe eliminating things from my diet.  And she said hopefully by 3 months he would grow out of the colic stage.  Awesome.   She put him on 2 prescriptions for the reflux and told me to try Gripe Water and gas drops for the Colic.  The medicines did help a little but he still spit up a lot and cried a lot.  He did not seem to be in pain after eating anymore though.   Once again, after a few weeks of this, I HIGHLY considered giving up BF.  I did not want to have start eliminating foods from my diet but I felt terrible that what I was eating was causing him discomfort. I decided that formula would be the cure.  And at the time...it probably would have "cured" him.  BUT for some reason I stuck with it still.    This is how the first 6 weeks went.  It was a constant battle in my mind. I wasn't loving BF because I felt like it was making him sick.  He was nursing every 1-1 1/2 hours (that is exhausting) and I wasn't getting that lovey dovey bonding feeling.   But, at the same time I knew "Breast is Best" as they say and I felt guilty if I didn't keep going and felt like I would be judged for giving my baby formula so soon.     Thankfully my husband and family were very supportive and I met some awesome blogging buddies who were very encouraging and even going thru some of the same things as I was...and they were sticking with it.   Week 7 was a turning point for us.  Connor wasn't crying as much, we were getting into a good routine, nursing didn't hurt anymore, I was pumping once or twice a day and seeing my freezer get full......and Connor started smiling at me when I would nurse him.  Once again...I was hooked.  And here we are at 13 weeks and going strong.   BF has definitely been the hardest thing I have gone through since having Connor.  It is a huge commitment and sacrifice and at times it is exhausting and painful.  I can't be gone from him longer than 3-4 hours at the most because I either need to feed him or pump (and he isn't taking a bottle very well these days).  So, that makes it difficult to  do things sometimes....like enjoy a long date with my husband.  I didn't drink much before I had Connor but now if I want a drink I have to plan it around BF or pumping. To me I would rather not drink so I can BF him than have a couple drinks and have to pump & dump or use some frozen milk.   When you chose to EBF, it has to become a top priority and you have to be willing to sacrifice other things.  We have several things coming up in the next 6 months and I am already trying to decide if I will even be able to go....football games & tailgating, a golf tournament, an out of town wedding....  These things will take a lot of planning since I am BF.  I know they can be done but it just takes more planning and commitment (pumping at random times and places to keep up supply) than it would if I wasn't BF.  I used to be very selfish with my time and lifestyle....why not?  It was just me and my husband.   But that all changes when you have a baby.  And it changes even more when you EBF.    I absolutely love breast feeding.  I look forward to his "hunger signs" because I know it's time to nurse.  When I go run a quick errand that won't last more than a couple hours, I tell my husband to try not to give him a bottle so I can nurse him when I get home.  I don't even mind waking up in the middle of the night to feed him.  The first time he ever slept through the night I was actually a little sad because I missed nursing him and snuggling with him in the middle of the night.  When he stops nursing and looks at me and smiles then goes right back to nursing, it melts my heart and makes it all worth it.   When I think about quitting BF one day, I get really sad so I try not to even think about it......   I know everyone has a different experience with BF and has different feelings about it and different goals.  Some people can't EBF when they really want to.  Some have to stop sooner than planned for medical reasons or maybe because it is just too much.  I would never want to judge anyone for choosing to do something different.  Heck, my Mom didn't BF my brother and I and I think we turned out just fine ;)   This is just MY experience and my feelings towards it.  And I would respect and support anyone in any decision they make about breastfeeding. I just wanted to share my story so first of all, I can look back one day and remember these sweet and difficult times...but also so maybe there is a Mom out there who is struggling and considering giving up like I did, but still deep down wants to stick with it.  I hope this can be encouraging. I honestly thought I would have given up a long time ago.  I never imagined I would love it as much as I do!   Oh and did I mention how much weight you will lose if you EBF?!  I've lost 44 lbs in 3 months and I have to say I have not worked out once (just walked some)....and I eat ALL.THE.TIME. haha  Just an extra perk :)  

    I will check back in at 6 months and post about where we are at and how it's going!  Hopefully we will still be going strong and working towards our one year goal! =)   If you stuck with me this long, THANK YOU!!!!    

Baby Talk Tuesday- Connor- 3 Months

  Weight/Height- On 8/1 at his 2 month (and 2 weeks) checkup he weighed 14.4 lbs (81%) and was 24 1/4 in (86%). Big boy!! He has the cutest round belly and chunky thighs and arms :)       Sleep-  Sleeps from 8:30 PM - 6:30 AM consistently every night pretty much....only waking up once, around 4 AM.  About a week ago he slept thru the night twice without waking up at all but it hasn't happened again since then.  Usually takes 2 long naps during the day and a couple short naps after nursing.   Feedings-   100% breast milk for the past 13 weeks & 1 day! Proud Mama!  I am working on a post all about our BF journey so far and hope to share it this week!   I am still pumping 1x a day but am going to try to start pumping 2x a day just to stock up.  He has started boycotting bottles though.  My Mom can get him to take one sometimes and my husband can too but it is usually a fight.    Clothing/Diapers-  Clothing- 3-6 months.  Diapers - size 2  Favorite Equipment-  Swing, Baby Einstein Play Mat, Boppy Lounger and the latest...his stroller!!  Connor loves play time on his B.E. play mat...he loves swatting at the hanging toys, talking to them and staring at himself in the mirror.  This is definitely one of our favorites!  He still naps really well in his swing and loves laying on the boppy lounger to watch cartoons and football ;)  Just recently he has started enjoying walks in his stroller much better than before.  I have started putting him in the Chico Stroller without the car seat ( I know he is probably too young for this according to the Internet but he is holding his head up on his own and sitting up really well already...plus he is chunky and secure so he doesn't flop around in there)  I strap him in really well and raise the back part up so he can see out and isn't laying flat on his back and he LOVES it.  He loves to be able to look around so this is perfect for walks!  We have been trying the Bumbo some and so far he isn't too sure about it.  He is a little wobbly and looks like he might cry when we put him in it...so that is a work in progress!   Big Moments/Favorite Things:  - Started the process of transitioning to the crib.  We have been trying for a little over 3 weeks and so far it is not going that well but we are continuing to work on it.  I hoped to have him in his nursery at nights around 3 months so hopefully we will get there soon. - Went to church for the first time!  We put him in the nursery so we could enjoy the church service together.  The first Sunday he did well (but would not take a bottle).  The 2nd Sunday the nursery staff had to page me in the middle of the service because he was crying so much and would not take a bottle.  And yesterday (our 3rd time) he did much better, but still not taking a bottle.  - Went swimming for the first time and he loved it!! He loves anything outside and loves the bath, so the warm air and warm water made him really happy! - He loves to practice sitting up with a little help from us (holds our fingers and pulls himself up) - He laughed for the first time this past Saturday night.  Daddy was playing with him and doing a really goofy, loud laugh and Connor just loved it!!  And of course hearing my baby laugh for the first time made me all emotional ;) - Still hates his car seat.  I pretty much hate going anywhere these days because the car rides are so traumatic for him (and mommy!).   

             Linking up with Kristin at Busy Bee for Baby Talk Tuesdays!!  

     

A few things I am really excited about.....

1. FALL! I am so over these 100+ degree days here in Texas.  Unfortunately we probably still have at least another month of it but after that we will hopefully have some cooler temps around here.   I can't wait to light my Pumpkin candles, decorate the house, wear boots and scarves (although with BF that will be a little more complicated this year), use the fire pit outside and bake (love Fall sweets!).   

      2. The Houston bloggers event on Sunday! This is open to everyone...not just bloggers!  Hope to see some of you there =)  

    3.  Finding Connor's 1st Halloween costume I have already started looking on Pinterest and costume websites for some ideas (whole post on that later on).  It is going to be hard to choose...there are SO many cute baby costumes!

        4.  My new face wash....Clearasil's Refreshing Superfruit Wash & Scrub This stuff smells amazing and my skin is so soft and clean.  LOVE this stuff.

      5.  Connor's newest, adorable aviator onesie :)  Get one for your little man here!  

       

{My Breastfeeding Must Haves}

If you look in my search history on my computer or phone, 95% of the topics I have searched relate to breastfeeding.  I have read up more on breastfeeding than anything else since Connor was born.  And now that we are almost 3 months into EBFing I feel like I actually know what I am doing and have gotten into a good groove.  I know what products I like and don't like and I know what I am doing.   So, I thought I would share with you some of my favorite products and other musts when it comes to exclusively breastfeeding.    1.  Lansinoh Disposable Nursing Pads I tried 2 other brands before deciding these were my favorite, by far.  The shape of the pads fit much better inside your bra cup and there are 2 sticky squares that stick to your bra so it will stay in place.   I have gone through hundreds and hundreds of these pads and have a whole cabinet full of them in my bathroom! 

      2.  Medela Nursing Bras Once again, I tried several other brands before deciding these were the best.  I have a couple of this bra for daytime wear...

  And a couple of this one for sleeping....

  Both are so soft and comfortable and don't have an annoying, painful under wire.  They are a little pricey but if you are planning on nursing (especially for a long time) it is very worth it.         3.  Boppy Breastfeeding Pillow This is a MUST when it comes to breastfeeding! It is comfortable for your baby and gives your arms a much needed break.  Make sure you get a cute cover for it too! :)

      4.  Lansinoh Lanolin Cream This stuff is a life saver (nipple saver!) in those first few, hard weeks breastfeeding.  It helps with pain, cracking and bleeding.  For the first 3-4 weeks of BF I would apply this stuff after every feeding and it made a huge difference in the pain.

    5.  Heat Compresses for breasts In those first few weeks when you are constantly engorged or God forbid you get Mastitis like I did, these will be a huge help.  There are so many different kinds.  I used some gel kind and another kind that were both given to me by friends who experienced Mastitis, so I don't know the brands.  But, I highly recommend getting some have just in case.  You just pop them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, put them inside your bra and you will automatically feel some relief.

       6.  Water Bottle When you breastfeed not only will you need to drink a TON of water to help with your supply, but you will want to.  It makes you so so so thirsty!  I always have a full water bottle with me at all times.  Before I sit down to breastfeed I make sure it is full because I will usually go thru a whole bottle in one feeding. 

      7.  Nursing Cover  Not everyone is comfortable with NIP without a cover (me!) so I always have a nursing cover with me. I keep one in my diaper bag and one at home.  Sometimes we have had a lot of family over to our house so instead of going into another room and sitting there alone, I will just get out the cover and use it there.  Or when out in public, I personally am much more comfortable with a cover on....although I have only NIP 2 times so far....   There are SO many cute prints out there and tons of shops on Etsy where you can have one custom made for you!

      8.  A Breastfeeding "Station" This isn't something you can purchase, just a recommendation that has worked really well for me.   I have one spot in our house where I ALWAYS breastfeed so I have it all set up to make it easy and convenient.  I sit on the left end of our couch right next to an end table.   I always have my water bottle, my Nook, my phone, the TV controls, the boppy, a burp cloth and a blanket right there.  BF requires lots of time just sitting in one place so you have to have things to keep you occupied!  I read, browse FB/Instagram/Pinterest/GoodReads and catch up on shows.  It is so nice and easy to have everything I need right there. Of course I also spend a lot of time just staring at my sweet baby but there comes a time when you just need something else to do ;)  

    I hope this list helps some of you soon to be moms or others who are BF! Coming up next week...my must haves for pumping!   Happy Hump Day! xo       

Tuesday Topics with Tiffany & Lauren!

Today is my 1st time to link up with one of my blogger BFF's, Tiffany @ Austin Family Diary (our boys were born on the same day!) and Lauren @ Life Love Lauren for Tuesday Topics.  I am a pretty bad blogger these days so having link ups help make it easy and more fun!

Today's topic-  Eight photographs of nature!


1.  Dos Ojos Cenote outside of Playa del Carmen 
This is the entrance to the cenote (underground river) and from here you can go hundreds of feet back in underwater caves.  Yep, we did a 195 feet cave dive here.  It was insane.  Craziest, scariest experience of my life.  Never, ever again....
It is beautiful though!!

2.  The Arch in Cabo
One of my favorite places in the world!!

3.  Breckenridge, CO
Skiing with my brother in law in 2010

4.  Nassau, Bahamas
My husband and I were taking a walk on the beach and came across this pretty palm tree all alone

5.  Camelback Mountain in Phoenix
I was in Phoenix for a work trip and one evening my boss and I hiked Camelback Mntn and saw this amazing sunset!

6.  Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park on the coast of Maine

 

 

 

 

7.  Molokai, HI
Amazing views of the mountains and waterfalls from a helicopter on our honeymoon

8.  The Blue Ridge Mountains- North Carolina

And now I want a vacation after looking thru all of these old pictures.....
;)