kapachino

Category: motherhood

  • stuff we loved: the first three months

    When I was pregnant and working on my baby registry I did so much research my head started to spin. But the best resources I found were recommendations of other moms. I thought I’d return the favor and pass along some of the products we used and loved these first few months, and mention some things that didn’t work out for us as well.

    Stuff we used all the time:

    >Burp cloths. You just have to have them, and you go through a ton. I like to stash one in every area of the house and in every bag because you never know when you’ll need one. Turns out I like the terry-cloth ones the best because they seem more absorbant.

    >Fuzzibunz perfect size cloth diapers and hanging diaper pail. Fuzzibunz were recommended to me by a friend who had tried a lot of different brands. I went with perfect size instead of one-size to get a trimmer fit, and since I was able to get most of my stash as gifts and borrow the rest, I didn’t end up spending anything extra. I’ve been extremely pleased with my decision, and they’re even great for overnight. I just put in an extra hemp insert and we’re good to go.

    >Bodysuits (onesies). For awhile Meredith just lived in these, until she got bigger and I felt more comfortable dressing her up. She went through several a day and still sleeps in them at night. (We have yet to use any “pajamas” because it’s too hot.) I didn’t register for any clothes because I knew people would buy it anyway, and they did. But I also borrowed a bunch of extra onesies from a friend.

    >Bumbleride Flite stroller. We wanted something in between a bulky travel system and an umbrella stroller. I’ve been really happy with this choice. It’s very smooth, light, easy to fold up, has a cupholder, and is safe for a newborn.

    >Britax Boulevard convertible car seat. We got a convertible seat right away so we wouldn’t have to switch later on.

    >Rock & Play Sleeper. This thing is awesome. You can use it as a bassinet and have your baby sleep in it at night, or do what I do and use it as the perfect place to plop her. Currently it resides in our bathroom, but it’s so easy to move around. I like that it’s taller than a bouncy seat and rockable.

    >Skip Hop Duo diaper bag. I’ve written about my diaper bag in more detail, and since then it’s still suited us just fine, although now I sometimes just throw a few things in my purse instead. It was really good to have an actual diaper bag for maternity leave in the newborn stage, though.

    >Tommee Tippee bottles. Meredith had trouble learning to bottle feed at first, and I had no idea what would end up working for her, but these are the ones that she did best with and uses all the time now.

    >Phillips Avent Twin Duo Electric Breast Pump. I decided to buy a pump because I work full time and I want to breastfeed as long as possible. This pump was recommended to me by a friend who had tried several. I haven’t tried another kind, but I’ve had great success with this one so far. Also, I bought their manual pump to keep at home and it works awesome.

    >Other boring stuff: Babyganics baby wash, hooded towels (we have 4), Lansinoh disposable breast pads and breastmilk storage bags.

    Stuff we used sometimes but that I still recommend:

    >Moby wrap. I tried a ring sling several times but I didn’t like how it only used one shoulder, and I never truly felt hands-free. The Moby wrap (and actually I made my own, you just cut a 5-yard piece of jersey fabric to size, no sewing required) was a lot more comfortable and Meredith seemed to like it more. But although she loves being held, so far she hasn’t REALLY taken to being worn so I don’t use this all the time. She’s just now big enough for the Ergo, so I’m excited to see if we do better with that.


    >Boppy. Yes, you could do without it and just use pillows, but the Boppy is much nicer. I still use it for breastfeeding on the couch and rocker to be hands-free, plus she sleeps on it in my lap and it’s also good for propping up and tummy time.

    >Bumbo. I know it’s only good for a relatively small period of time (after they can hold their head up and before they can sit up on their own) but it has been awesome for us because Meredith loves to sit up and look around. She’ll be happy in a Bumbo now when she won’t be in a bouncy seat.

    >Nosefrida snotsucker. Disgusting but effective (and completely sanitary).

    >Wipes warmer. This is controversial and usually ends up on the list of things not to bother with, but while we used disposable wipes I loved it. Mostly I used it as a dispenser because it was sturdier and easier than what the wipes came in, and it was a bonus that they were warmed. We still have some wipes in it now, but I mostly use them for her face now.

    Stuff I thought we’d love but haven’t used:

    >Swaddling blankets. I tried the Miracle Blanket and the SwaddleMe, and I didn’t notice a difference in her sleeping with either one. However, she’s just an amazing sleeper so I’m not saying these aren’t good. We just didn’t really use them.

    >Pacifiers. She refused them until she was sick last weekend when I finally got her to take one. Now that she’s better she doesn’t use them anymore.

    >Monitor. We have a really nice video monitor but we haven’t installed it yet. Meredith sleeps in our bed and she goes down at the same time I do and otherwise she’s with us. I’m still glad we have it though, because as she gets older she might get an earlier bedtime and might use her crib for naps.

    For anyone out there who is expecting their first baby, I hope this helps! For you moms, what do you think? Did you use any of these things? What were your must-have products for a newborn?

  • How I Conquered Mastitis

    This is kind of like a weekend recap, except that I’m going to be talking about LAST weekend, and the week before that, so it’s pretty much ancient history by  now, and I wouldn’t even bring it up but that a couple important things happened that I want to tell you about.

    (Also, I had a really good weekend THIS weekend including sleeping, reading, working on the blog and reading blogs, bookstore browsing, a trip to Target with my husband where I bought these for the second time since my first pair got chewed up and a couple adorable outfits for Meredith because I couldn’t resist. But all that is nothing compared to the weekend before, which is what I’m about to tell you about now.)

    Let’s start on a Tuesday, almost two weeks ago now. I had been feeling a bit congested for a few days, and since Meredith had been too I figured she passed something on to me and it would either be gone soon or get worse and I’d stay home a day or two and rest and then it would go away. That day at work I was training to be charge nurse so I was helping to make the next day’s assignment. We were overstaffed, so my manager suggested I take the next day off, and who am I to refuse such an offer?

    Literally as we were discussing this I became acutely aware of a pain in my left breast that had been steadily increasing over the past hour. It was the end of the day and my first thought was that I needed to pump and SOON. I went to do so, and while I was pumping I began to feel a mild chilling sensation. I took my temperature and it was normal, but the breast pain was worse.

    I left for the day, and since I park remotely it takes me about 20 minutes to get to my car. During that time I began to chill harder and harder. I became so weak that it took all my strength to keep walking, and my skin began to crawl. Stepping into my hot car that had been sitting in the sun all day was relief; in fact I even wanted to turn on the heater. But I still had an hour to drive.

    The breast pain was excruciating, the chills left me in agony. At the time I was almost as miserable as I was during labor. I could barely stand having clothes on and I think I nearly passed out several times. Looking back I should have pulled off the side of the road and had someone come pick me up, but I made it home safely somehow. The first thing I did was take my temperature. It was taking too long to finish so I pulled the thermometer out early. 103.17. I already had a hot shower running but at that point I reconsidered. Instead I just got in bed and had Meredith nurse on the affected side.

    That night was a blur. My mom came over, and I know that she and David worked tirelessly to get a doctor on the phone to call me in some antibiotics. I slept, took Tylenol, kept a heating pad on my breast, and nursed Meredith. In the morning I felt better but still mildly feverish. It got better, but then came back in the evening. But by Thursday night I felt mostly recovered, only congested again, and I went in to work on Friday. It still took several more days and lots of heat and massaging for the redness, swelling, and hard knot to subside in my breast, but I came out on the other side and I didn’t give up on breastfeeding.

    After the infection, I noticed that my supply took a drop. Not a drastic one, but I was worried because I had slowly used up my freezer stash and I needed to keep pumping enough to send to daycare with Meredith. But not pumping often enough was probably the reason I got a blocked duct to begin with, which is what put me at risk for infection coupled with some cracks in my skin. So for a few days I had to spend some extra quality time with the pump and even brought it home to pump in the middle of the night once. I redoubled my efforts to pump three times while at work, and since then I have noticed an improvement.

    So that’s how I conquered mastitis. It was way worse than I ever imagined, and I really hope I’m not one of those women who are just predisposed to it. I’m going to work hard to prevent it in the future, and I’ll be hyper vigilant to the signs.

    I was going to tell you about my brother’s wedding, which happened right after I dealt with this, but now that I think about it I don’t want to associate the two things. So that will be another post, coming soon. :)

  • meredith at three months

    She:

    >Has been wearing 0-3 month clothing for awhile now, and is only just now fitting into some 3-6 month.

    >Went to her first wedding! (My brother’s – can’t wait to share photos.)

    >Sort of rolled over once! I wasn’t there, but my mom put her on the bed and she got from her back to her stomach by herself, with her arm caught underneath. Hasn’t happened since.

    >Still hasn’t had anything other than breast milk, despite some recent challenges.

    >Has really discovered her hands! She likes to suck on them, stuff them in her mouth, examine them, and grab grab grab.

    >Will pretty much smile at anyone if they look her in the eyes and smile at her, but I think she recognizes David and me.

    >Had her first belly laugh today, while my mom was watching her. I wish I had been the one to witness it! Can’t wait to hear it, though.

    >Got her picture hung on the wall at daycare with her other baby friends, which made me really happy.

    >Still has all her hair, and it’s almost long enough to pull into a hilarious short ponytail on top of her head.

    >Hates being put in the car seat now, just like she hates getting dressed. Two things David makes me do so that she doesn’t associate him with them. (Not fair.)

    >Still sleeps through the night, and would probably be fine in her crib now, except that I’m not ready to part with her and I don’t know when I will be and that’s just fine.

    >Is a Bumbo-sitting champ, which is awesome for me when I need to get things done.

    I: 

    >Was proud to celebrate my three-year anniversary with David on October 3rd. We went to see my favorite band, Over the Rhine, in concert. They were opening for Lucinda Williams but we left before the main act because it was getting late, and I had to work the next day, and…we’re old and lame, apparently.

    >Have been back at work for almost a month now, and have finally settled into a manageable routine. It doesn’t include as much reading, TV watching, magazine browsing, or Internet as I’d like, but I’m rested most of the time and surviving so I can’t complain too much!

    >Experienced mastitis for the first time, which was AWFUL. More on this to come.

    >Don’t really hate pumping as much as I thought I would, but it irritates my skin, is annoying (all the set-up and cleaning), and is hard to find time to do at work.

    >Am looking forward to (and counting on) the sweet spot when breastfeeding will actually help me lose weight.

    >Have finally discovered the joys of dressing Meredith up in actual outfits rather than just onesies.

    >Looked at pictures of her when she was one month old, and realized how different she already looks. I love her so much now, but I do miss that tiny baby!

    >Find myself getting strangely envious at times when I hear about friends becoming pregnant or seeing my sister-in-law’s expanding belly. I didn’t really enjoy the physical part of pregnancy, but the anticipation was wonderful.

    >Miss Meredith SO MUCH during the day, and even when she’s sleeping! Although I don’t cry anymore when I drop her off at daycare, I still linger there a little longer than I need to every morning.

    My aunt took all these pictures except the first two. I’m so grateful to her!

    For reference:

    No months
    One month
    Two months

  • How My Husband Plays With the Baby

    The other night while I was taking a shower and my husband was in charge of Meredith, he found the video camera. We thought it was broken, and had recently just discovered that it only needed new batteries. (We are really smart. And actually, HE is the one that realized that plugging the camera in with the USB wouldn’t recharge the rechargeable batteries, which is what I was trying to do.) Anyway, the video camera was basically a new toy. And left alone with it, this is what happened.

    That was David’s “Meredith” voice.

    Metallica makes a lovely lullaby, don’t you think?

  • meredith’s nursery

    I’m finally ready to share the nursery pictures! It took me awhile to get it “finished,” and then I took these pictures weeks ago when I was still on maternity leave, but due to computer issues I’ve just now been able to get them posted.

    I’m not any kind of designer, but I like Meredith’s room and I feel very happy when I spend time there with her. I didn’t have a plan going in, but as it turned out the colors are mostly pink, green, and brown with an earthy kind of element. We were definitely on a budget, and there are a few more things I’d like to add, but overall it’s pretty much done. For now.

    Here we have the rocking chair that belonged to my father from when he was a bachelor. It’s maybe not the prettiest piece of furniture, but it is well-made and comfortable. Hung over it is a blanket made by my husband’s grandmother, who we call Gigi (great-grandmother).

    The curtains are these from Target. Also from Target are the lamp/lampshade and the little clock.

    I made these fabric circles myself and it was really easy. Just pick out some fabric, cut it, tighten it into an embroidery hoop, then glue the edges down. I used Sobo craft & fabric glue.

    I cross stitched this little guy for Meredith while I was pregnant WITH carpal tunnel syndrome, so I’m kinda proud of it. I bought the pattern from the Etsy seller Sewingseed and customized the lettering myself.

    The bookshelf is the Expedit from IKEA. The baskets are from Crate & Barrel. The picture frame was a gift, and that’s an iHome that glows different colors.

    I don’t know why this picture turned out so terrible! But there’s Meredith’s teddy bear that Gigi also made for her and who appears in her monthly pictures. With him are also the sum total of all the children’s books we own. (This must be remedied, which is why I’ve created a massive wish list for her for Christmas and birthdays!) In the basket on the right is where extra toiletries and baby medication is kept for now.

    In the bottom basket are accessories like hats and bows. I need to figure out a better way to store these. On the right are my pregnancy & parenting books. The little box stores a super adorable height tracker that I still need to hang up, given to me by one of my best friends.

    Her crib is the Gulliver from IKEA. We didn’t go with any crib bedding, and I love the simplicity of it. (Also, she hasn’t used her crib yet.) The blanket hung over the side is made by my best friend Becca, and it kind of served as the inspiration for the whole nursery.

    Marlena made the mobile, which I was so happy about! I had almost given up on getting a mobile at all, because I didn’t like the ones you can find in stores and the handmade ones were too expensive. I wasn’t about to make one myself, and then Marlena came over one day with this to give to me, and it even has fabric to match the blanket!

    This is Gyffy. My youngest brother brought him to the hospital as a birthday gift for Meredith. He actually thought she’d be able to play with him a little bit right away, but we had to explain that she won’t be interested for a little while. :) But my nephews love him and bring him out every time they come over! I think he’s adorable, so he’s got himself a permanent spot in the nursery.

    These are three prints of Charleston, SC that we bought when we were visiting my aunt and uncle when I was seven months pregnant. Good memories.

    We replaced the doors to the closet with curtains for easy access. I just put up a tension rod and some simple white curtains from Target. They are a little bit long but hemming them is so not a priority. On the back of the door I hung two Command hooks for Meredith’s hooded towels.

    The closet already had these built-in shelves when we moved in. Usually we leave the curtains open, so this is what that corner looks like most of the time.

    To the left of the shelves in the closet there is a bar for hanging (tiny, adorable) clothes.

    On the very top shelf I put things we don’t need, aren’t using, or need to return. Next comes all her stuffed animals that she’s not interested in yet.

    Here we have her memory box and some extra wipes for daycare. Underneath that is clothes that she’s already outgrown (sob) and a basket and bag of toys.

    The bottom shelf of the closet has extra bottles and tote bags. That’s her hamper to the left. (Please ignore the rip in the carpet. Tearing it up is something our crazy dog does when she gets anxious.)

    Here is her dresser, the Hemnes again from IKEA. I love it; it feels very substantial, comes with cute drawer liners, and has tons of space. It’s also the perfect height to serve as a changing table, which is what that pink pad is for. The bag hanging off one of the knobs contains the most commonly used extra items like diaper cream, baby hair brush, and fingernail clippers. Overall this is the one area that doesn’t quite seem “finished” to me. The wall overhead needs more on it, I think.

    To the right of the dresser you can see our hanging wet bag, which is where the dirty diapers go.

    But I do love what we have on the wall, this beautiful “M” made with handsewn buttons onto a silky pink fabric. I bought it from Etsy seller Letter Perfect Designs. The frame is one I found at Hobby Lobby for 50% off. :)

    Here is our wipes station. I know a wipes warmer is one of those things everyone says you don’t need, but we had one given to us and we use it as a dispenser for disposable wipes and I really, really like it. Even though we have been using cloth wipes (those in the basket) for the past few weeks and are going to stick to that, we still have the warmer out filled with natural wipes for when we have to use a diaper cream + liner. The green bottle is the solution we spray on the cloth wipes, and the clear bottle is hand sanitizer.

    I figured I might as well go all out and show you every detail of the nursery, so here’s what’s inside the dresser drawers! These are the small cloth diapers we’re using right now (Fuzzibunz perfect size) .

    Some more diapers and supplies, plus the mediums that she doesn’t fit in yet. The right top drawer has bibs and socks, plus some baking soda that I sprinkle in the hanging wet bag every so often to keep the smell down.

    The middle left drawer has diaper inserts and sleep sacks (she hasn’t used those yet).

    Middle right drawer contains onesies, pajamas, and a few outfits.

    Bottom left drawer is full of blankets and burp cloths (people like to give you those).

    And the bottom right drawer has Boppy covers, changing pad covers, crib sheets, and miscellaneous baby slings and carriers.

    That’s all of it! Other than the carpet really needing to be replaced, I’m very happy with it. At some point I’ll probably add some more things to the wall above the dresser, too. Anyway, let me know if you have any questions or comments!