Thursday, June 30, 2011
I have a 6 month old!
Today is Reed's half Birthday, he turned 6 months old at 1:10am. :-) Happy half Birthday my little Monkey! I'm going to find every way possible to celebrate him today, and this weekend.
Monday, June 27, 2011
In the middle of the night
Dear Reed,
I'm loving your little 6 month old self right now. I could name about a million reasons why but I'll just say my favorite at the moment. You still get up in the middle of the night and make Mommy tired in the morning, but there's nothing better than having you fall heavily back asleep on my chest for that hour or so while I listen to you sleep away. I too fall asleep for a while and awaken covered in your drool. I slowly stand up and tip toe back to your crib where I lay you to finish dreaming your sweet baby dreams. xoxo
I'm loving your little 6 month old self right now. I could name about a million reasons why but I'll just say my favorite at the moment. You still get up in the middle of the night and make Mommy tired in the morning, but there's nothing better than having you fall heavily back asleep on my chest for that hour or so while I listen to you sleep away. I too fall asleep for a while and awaken covered in your drool. I slowly stand up and tip toe back to your crib where I lay you to finish dreaming your sweet baby dreams. xoxo
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Reed's first solids
So Reed tried some Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal a few weeks ago. We tried it for about 5 days in a row and even though he happily opened his mouth for the spoon (which shocked me) I just don't think he was diggin' it yet. He didn't seem that interested or quite ready. They say to wait till 6 months for solids, so we were a few weeks early anyhow. We really just wanted to see what he'd do and wanted to get him in the right mindset. ;) I think the most he ever got down was maybe a teaspoon? As you can see, he doesn't look thrilled. You also don't have to start with rice cereal, you can start with veggies. I wanted to be super safe so I started with cereal, but maybe his "real" first food will be sweet potatoes?
Pretty much just breastmilk with a tiny bit of rice cereal mixed in. We did make it thicker as the days went on, still didn't seem overly excited. So we took a break and will try again really soon. I have a feeling he's ready now, he's sitting up more and showing clear signs. Hoping to post that too!
For fun-Bryan loves to give Reed a mohawk! I think once a week is enough, but if Bryan had it his way, they'd be daily. I step away for a min and bam! Reed's in full mohawk...
Picture is compliments of his awesome daycare Momma's-Ms. Laura & Ms. Patti! :-)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Glimpse into the future
If you know me well enough, I have this "special" talent as well. What's funny (as my Mom pointed out) is this could easily be Reed in 17 years-with the red hair and all. I better start teaching him the fine art of it now. ;)
http://sports.yahoo.com/sportsminute
http://sports.yahoo.com/sportsminute
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Frontier Town ya'll!
Better late than never! (let's rewind a few weekends)
So I took a 5 month old camping! (Now he's almost 6 months) Am I crazy? Nope, Reed did great!!
We met my parents, Kerry & Linsay and Brayden & Chase at Frontier Town on Sat morning. They got there on Friday but Bryan and I thought it best to just try one night rather than two. We had all day Saturday to explore the campgrounds and camp out. Frontier Town is huge, it has some 3 pools, a water park, millions of camping sites and it all sits on the bay. If you have young children, I recommend it for a cheap and close vacation. You can rent a cabin, bring a camper (or rent one) or pitch a tent. My parents have a camper, so Bryan, Reed & I shared that while Kerry & Linsay rented a cabin just down the way. Since the campground is so big and there’s so much to do, they have electric golf carts for rent. We all zipped back and forth and here and there. Reed just enjoyed the view from my arms, he was such a trooper. He even slept in his stroller while we enjoyed the water park for a few hours. We had him completely blocked from the sun, but I guess he was bound to get some sun with that red hair and pale skin. I felt like the worst Mom in the world, he got a tiny part of his arms burned. I think this snuck through a tiny sliver of his car seat! Reed had lots of firsts that weekend-first sun burn (:(), first camping trip, first look at the Bay, (other than going over the bridge but I think he was sleeping both times) first time in a store (crazy, right?!)-his eyes lit up when we walked in, SO many colors! I’m sure he had a million other firsts this weekend that I can’t recall.
He was a happy and content boy the whole time….except when it came to bedtime. He absolutely did not want to sleep. So after a good hour of trying to get him down in the camper (and it sounded like I was pulling his toe nails off one by one) we stepped back outside (and the crying immediately stopped) and stayed up till almost 10pm! He just sat there and looked around wide eyed and happy. Then when we ALL went to bed, he was able to go to bed. On things for sure, Reed doesn’t want to miss anything. Hoping to make this an annual trip and make him a true camper!
So I took a 5 month old camping! (Now he's almost 6 months) Am I crazy? Nope, Reed did great!!
We met my parents, Kerry & Linsay and Brayden & Chase at Frontier Town on Sat morning. They got there on Friday but Bryan and I thought it best to just try one night rather than two. We had all day Saturday to explore the campgrounds and camp out. Frontier Town is huge, it has some 3 pools, a water park, millions of camping sites and it all sits on the bay. If you have young children, I recommend it for a cheap and close vacation. You can rent a cabin, bring a camper (or rent one) or pitch a tent. My parents have a camper, so Bryan, Reed & I shared that while Kerry & Linsay rented a cabin just down the way. Since the campground is so big and there’s so much to do, they have electric golf carts for rent. We all zipped back and forth and here and there. Reed just enjoyed the view from my arms, he was such a trooper. He even slept in his stroller while we enjoyed the water park for a few hours. We had him completely blocked from the sun, but I guess he was bound to get some sun with that red hair and pale skin. I felt like the worst Mom in the world, he got a tiny part of his arms burned. I think this snuck through a tiny sliver of his car seat! Reed had lots of firsts that weekend-first sun burn (:(), first camping trip, first look at the Bay, (other than going over the bridge but I think he was sleeping both times) first time in a store (crazy, right?!)-his eyes lit up when we walked in, SO many colors! I’m sure he had a million other firsts this weekend that I can’t recall.
He was a happy and content boy the whole time….except when it came to bedtime. He absolutely did not want to sleep. So after a good hour of trying to get him down in the camper (and it sounded like I was pulling his toe nails off one by one) we stepped back outside (and the crying immediately stopped) and stayed up till almost 10pm! He just sat there and looked around wide eyed and happy. Then when we ALL went to bed, he was able to go to bed. On things for sure, Reed doesn’t want to miss anything. Hoping to make this an annual trip and make him a true camper!
Camping by the bay
Nana was playing "peek a boo" and Reed thought it was down right hilarious! It was making me laugh so hard too. He has the best belly laugh!
Future Bff's-Reed and his Cousin Chase, only 5 1/2 months apart!
Reed's asking " Is that a blue moon for me?"
Brayden being his silly 3 year old self.
Reed staying up way past his bedtime. He just wanted to hang with his Papa. 
Till our next camping trip!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Breastfeeding
I know I owe you a post about camping and solids, but I need pictures to blog about those and I don't have them handy at the moment, so I will come back to those topics.
I apologize in advance to any male readers, as this post is about breastfeeding.
I just wanted to take a moment to jot down my experience so far with breastfeeding. Actually a moment sounds ridiculous, I could probably fill an entire book about my experiences thus far. I can't believe I haven't blogged about something that has become such a huge part of my life. We'll start small....
I've been breastfeeding Reed for 5 1/2 months now and I intend to keep on going and going, God willing.
It all starts in the hospital, you think your baby will just latch on and the rest is history, right? Well, maybe for some, not for us. Maybe its because Reed was 3 weeks early or for some other reason, but it took a lot of convincing and persistence on my part. I can recall trying again and again only to have him fall asleep in my arms over and over again. Its not like he was saying no to it, he would just start and then happily fall asleep. I remember trying so hard one night (it had been hours since he'd last eaten) that I was drenched in sweat, it didn't help that our hospital room was like 90 degrees either. This continued when I brought him home, I was told to wake him every 2 hours to eat, but it took a good hour to get him to stay awake and eat. We'd try all the old tricks and then we'd always end up taking off all his clothes and sometimes using a wet cloth on his face to wake him up-sounds down right mean, doesn't it? Well, it was recommended to us and most of the time it worked. The cold air kept him up. It's so nice to look back on those moments and not be in the midst of them. Once Reed would start eating he'd eat for almost an entire hour or more.
We finally got the hang of it and had a good routine going between the two of us. Reed luckily took a bottle of breast milk right off the bat, I had to practice this because I was returning to work. Which brings me to pumping....while I'm at work I pump 3 times a day, and sometimes I'll pump at night after work, and sometimes in the morning before work too. My pump has become a pretty valuable item to me these days. If you have to work full time it is so important to buy a really good pump, especially a double pump. Another really important thing about pumping-either buy a hands free pump or make sure you have a hands free bra, I invented my own. Took an old sports bra and cut two holes in it. Voila! Hands free to keep up with my work! I have recently found out that you need to replace certain parts of your pump to make it effective all the time. You'll have to replace the membranes sooner than later and then (at least for me) the valves. Oh-and if you've never pumped before, you will freak out and laugh the first time you do it, its so weird-but you get used to it!
Issues that come up-I get clogged ducts all the time. Essentially its when the milk doesn't properly drain from a duct and it gets stuck. Its very painful and extremely annoying. I don't wish them on anyone. Best advice-don't wear underwire or tight bras, and if you do get one, heat, massage and nurse (or pump).
My hunger-is incredible. I've never been so hungry in my life! They say you burn 500-600 extra calories while breastfeeding a day. I could/can easily eat more than Bryan these days. Its a constant hunger too, I'm always thinking about my next snack. Oddly enough I have particular cravings too. Last week it was a Turkey burger and this week it is Shrimp tempura sushi-very specific!
Thirst! Oh my-in those first weeks I was SO thirsty. Everytime I sat down to feed Reed I would ask Bryan to bring some water, and it was never enough! I needed like 3 huge glasses of water while feeding him. I'd always forget until he'd latch on and then the thirst would hit really hard. I am still super thirsty all the time, but not like I was in the first weeks.
Breast milk is like gold. You don't ever want to see it going down your drain or going bad-the thought alone makes me cringe.
Breastfeeding becomes comfort for the baby too, sometimes its hard to determine whether they're hungry or just want a snuggle and to be close to you.
Reed and I have it down and we're on a good schedule. :-) He knows what and when he wants it and I know how to give it to him. So many months ago It was hard to imagine that I would be in this happy breastfeeding place but I am and I'm so glad I stuck with it.
I apologize in advance to any male readers, as this post is about breastfeeding.
I just wanted to take a moment to jot down my experience so far with breastfeeding. Actually a moment sounds ridiculous, I could probably fill an entire book about my experiences thus far. I can't believe I haven't blogged about something that has become such a huge part of my life. We'll start small....
I've been breastfeeding Reed for 5 1/2 months now and I intend to keep on going and going, God willing.
It all starts in the hospital, you think your baby will just latch on and the rest is history, right? Well, maybe for some, not for us. Maybe its because Reed was 3 weeks early or for some other reason, but it took a lot of convincing and persistence on my part. I can recall trying again and again only to have him fall asleep in my arms over and over again. Its not like he was saying no to it, he would just start and then happily fall asleep. I remember trying so hard one night (it had been hours since he'd last eaten) that I was drenched in sweat, it didn't help that our hospital room was like 90 degrees either. This continued when I brought him home, I was told to wake him every 2 hours to eat, but it took a good hour to get him to stay awake and eat. We'd try all the old tricks and then we'd always end up taking off all his clothes and sometimes using a wet cloth on his face to wake him up-sounds down right mean, doesn't it? Well, it was recommended to us and most of the time it worked. The cold air kept him up. It's so nice to look back on those moments and not be in the midst of them. Once Reed would start eating he'd eat for almost an entire hour or more.
We finally got the hang of it and had a good routine going between the two of us. Reed luckily took a bottle of breast milk right off the bat, I had to practice this because I was returning to work. Which brings me to pumping....while I'm at work I pump 3 times a day, and sometimes I'll pump at night after work, and sometimes in the morning before work too. My pump has become a pretty valuable item to me these days. If you have to work full time it is so important to buy a really good pump, especially a double pump. Another really important thing about pumping-either buy a hands free pump or make sure you have a hands free bra, I invented my own. Took an old sports bra and cut two holes in it. Voila! Hands free to keep up with my work! I have recently found out that you need to replace certain parts of your pump to make it effective all the time. You'll have to replace the membranes sooner than later and then (at least for me) the valves. Oh-and if you've never pumped before, you will freak out and laugh the first time you do it, its so weird-but you get used to it!
Issues that come up-I get clogged ducts all the time. Essentially its when the milk doesn't properly drain from a duct and it gets stuck. Its very painful and extremely annoying. I don't wish them on anyone. Best advice-don't wear underwire or tight bras, and if you do get one, heat, massage and nurse (or pump).
My hunger-is incredible. I've never been so hungry in my life! They say you burn 500-600 extra calories while breastfeeding a day. I could/can easily eat more than Bryan these days. Its a constant hunger too, I'm always thinking about my next snack. Oddly enough I have particular cravings too. Last week it was a Turkey burger and this week it is Shrimp tempura sushi-very specific!
Thirst! Oh my-in those first weeks I was SO thirsty. Everytime I sat down to feed Reed I would ask Bryan to bring some water, and it was never enough! I needed like 3 huge glasses of water while feeding him. I'd always forget until he'd latch on and then the thirst would hit really hard. I am still super thirsty all the time, but not like I was in the first weeks.
Breast milk is like gold. You don't ever want to see it going down your drain or going bad-the thought alone makes me cringe.
Breastfeeding becomes comfort for the baby too, sometimes its hard to determine whether they're hungry or just want a snuggle and to be close to you.
Reed and I have it down and we're on a good schedule. :-) He knows what and when he wants it and I know how to give it to him. So many months ago It was hard to imagine that I would be in this happy breastfeeding place but I am and I'm so glad I stuck with it.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Hi everyone!
It's been a while since I've posted and I have lots to blog about. Come back soon to read and look at pictures from Reed's first camping trip AND his first taste of solids!! The above picture is just a little teaser for now. My smiley little guy. :-)
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