Ok so sometimes it's hard for me to write about Callum because I forget things. What kind of mother forgets her child's latest developmental accomplishments? This one apparently. So then I just don't write because it's too much work to think.
Callum is the craziest and most insane person I know. He is so busy and wants to be into everything. We have a playyard that takes up half our living room and it's honestly the best thing we ever got. It just contains him so well, keeps him safe, while letting him still think he's roaming around. He doesn't spend all his time in there of course, he also loves cruising in his walker. He's gotten so good at navigating it. When we first got it, he could only push backwards on his tippy toes. Now he is all over the house, bum-rushing doors, ramming into your feet, making K-turns. He's hell on wheels.
He has 7 teeth, 4 on top and 3 on bottom. He tries to bite you now. Will just lean over and try to chomp onto you. Really just me, he loves to bit his mother. Actually, I call him abusive because he's just so rough. He also loves to pull hair. Especially mine. He'll wrap his sweaty little fingers into it and not let go. And then laugh. He also just climb all over me with no regard to where he's putting his weight (like my eye, or belly).
If you try to restrain him, sit him on your lap or god forbid cradle him like a baby, he freaks out and wiggles to get away. He just wants to get down. He's standing more than he's crawling now. He crawls to get where he needs to go but he spends a lot of time standing at those places. He also will side step now, while hanging onto a table/chair/cabinet/whatever object is at his height.He also will only hang on 1 handed and try to play with things with the other hand (while standing, obviously), or bend down keeping 1 hand on the table and pick up something on the floor. Of course he still falls and either is totally fine or cries and cries until he is distracted by a lightbulb or something.
He LOVES lights. My mom got him started on that. He loves to reach out to her light fixture about her kitchen table. Luckily, the lights there don't get hot. but otehr lights do, so I knwo at some point he's probably going to burn his dang finger off. He's already almost headdived off his changing table teaching for his little nursery light that's near it.
Would love to finish....but have to go!
Friday, December 26, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
sleep sagas, and my my giant baby
My kid sucks at sleeping. I mean, I know some people have it way worse. Some nights he'll only wake up once which is okay. But Monday night he woke up every 1-1.5 hours. COME ON. Honestly it was just so annoying. We were trying to reason with him, "come on dude, you just ate." then just plain calling him out, "Callum you are ridiculous." I forgot to give him his anti-itch medication that night, which is an anti-histamine, which makes you sleepy. So that didn't help things. But still, he hasn't even been on it for a week yet and he also should be sleeping for longer than he does now anyway.
The first time he wakes up he is hungry. Like angry crying till he gets a bottle. The times after that he sometimes is hungry, sometimes isn't. Sometimes he just wants to be reassured I'm there. Sometimes he wants to cuddle in bed. Sometimes he doesn't know what he wants, he just woke up.
I refuse to do cry it out (CIO) with him at this point. I mean, sometimes we'll let him cry for a few minutes (mostly because we're too exhausted to actually move out of bed) but not longer than about 5 minutes. Sometimes 10 if we're not sleeping yet. But I can't do that. Because he's little and wants me. He's not crying just to be annoying/manipulate us/for fun. He can't talk yet or communicate well, so crying is how he mostly does it. If you can't be comforted by your mom (or dad) when you're an infant, when can you be? The doctor (and my mom) think he may be itchy and that's waking him up, and then he realizes he's awake, and cries. He is a zombie because I don't understand how he is NOT exhausted like we are. A lot of babies this age sleep 10-12 hours a night, even if they wake. He's like eh 8 hours is fine. And I'm gonna wake up 297482 times during those hours. And he doesn't even nap much. A lot of times he'll go down for a 1/2 hour! if he naps for over an hour we talk about how long he's napping for. I require more sleep than my 9 month old, for real.
He also has been wide awake at his normal bedtime. I do his routine which ends with cuddling in (my) bed while he gets a bottle. He drinks some of the bottle, the whines to flip over onto his tummy, and proceeds to crawl around like a little monster on my bed. He'll smile and laugh at me and try to play. If I put him in his crib he just stands there crying and yelling at me. I've been taking him out and putting him into his giant play yard (I never wrote about the play yard, it's been forever) and just let him crawl around to tire himself out more. I'm embarrassed to admit what time he fell asleep last night. But it was so so late.
His 9 month appointment was 9/25. He was 20lb 4 oz, 28 inches (although that is totally a guess...he was twisting and fighting the nurse so she just made some estimated marks on the table), and his head was 18 inches. Growth and development was totally normal. He got 2 shots - Dtap and Hib. They wanted to give him more to totally catch him up but I said no. Because he got 2 shots (hep b and prevnar) 1 month before and broke out in a rash. NOT like before but a smaller, less severe rash. Sorry but I truly believe he gets rashes from his shots, especially when he gets a bunch (the 5 months of his severe itchy rash was after he got a bunch of shots including the combo vax, Pentacel, so I say no to that now which I know they think is nuts).
I returned to work; a new school year has commenced. Callum is now noticing that Im not home during the day and is attached at the hip when I get home. This weekend I have to work my per diem job too, I HATE when I have to work 6 days a week. And it's B shift. Just feel like I get no break in 2 weeks time. But the money is so awesome when I get paid.
The first time he wakes up he is hungry. Like angry crying till he gets a bottle. The times after that he sometimes is hungry, sometimes isn't. Sometimes he just wants to be reassured I'm there. Sometimes he wants to cuddle in bed. Sometimes he doesn't know what he wants, he just woke up.
I refuse to do cry it out (CIO) with him at this point. I mean, sometimes we'll let him cry for a few minutes (mostly because we're too exhausted to actually move out of bed) but not longer than about 5 minutes. Sometimes 10 if we're not sleeping yet. But I can't do that. Because he's little and wants me. He's not crying just to be annoying/manipulate us/for fun. He can't talk yet or communicate well, so crying is how he mostly does it. If you can't be comforted by your mom (or dad) when you're an infant, when can you be? The doctor (and my mom) think he may be itchy and that's waking him up, and then he realizes he's awake, and cries. He is a zombie because I don't understand how he is NOT exhausted like we are. A lot of babies this age sleep 10-12 hours a night, even if they wake. He's like eh 8 hours is fine. And I'm gonna wake up 297482 times during those hours. And he doesn't even nap much. A lot of times he'll go down for a 1/2 hour! if he naps for over an hour we talk about how long he's napping for. I require more sleep than my 9 month old, for real.
He also has been wide awake at his normal bedtime. I do his routine which ends with cuddling in (my) bed while he gets a bottle. He drinks some of the bottle, the whines to flip over onto his tummy, and proceeds to crawl around like a little monster on my bed. He'll smile and laugh at me and try to play. If I put him in his crib he just stands there crying and yelling at me. I've been taking him out and putting him into his giant play yard (I never wrote about the play yard, it's been forever) and just let him crawl around to tire himself out more. I'm embarrassed to admit what time he fell asleep last night. But it was so so late.
His 9 month appointment was 9/25. He was 20lb 4 oz, 28 inches (although that is totally a guess...he was twisting and fighting the nurse so she just made some estimated marks on the table), and his head was 18 inches. Growth and development was totally normal. He got 2 shots - Dtap and Hib. They wanted to give him more to totally catch him up but I said no. Because he got 2 shots (hep b and prevnar) 1 month before and broke out in a rash. NOT like before but a smaller, less severe rash. Sorry but I truly believe he gets rashes from his shots, especially when he gets a bunch (the 5 months of his severe itchy rash was after he got a bunch of shots including the combo vax, Pentacel, so I say no to that now which I know they think is nuts).
I returned to work; a new school year has commenced. Callum is now noticing that Im not home during the day and is attached at the hip when I get home. This weekend I have to work my per diem job too, I HATE when I have to work 6 days a week. And it's B shift. Just feel like I get no break in 2 weeks time. But the money is so awesome when I get paid.
Monday, August 25, 2014
Work it out
So before getting pregnant I was in pretty good shape. About a year prior to pregnancy, I started doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. That was the best. I lost like 17 lbs in a month by doing it every day. I was hooked after that. I tracked what I ate on MyFitnessPal at the same time which I know contributed. You have no idea how quickly calories add up, even with "healthy" foods, until you start tracking it. I'd eat between 900-1300 calories a day, which is pretty low, and I'm sure was a big part of rapidly using weight. After a few months, I had definable abs. Jillian worked your abs hardcore. I also would go running around my mom's neighborhood, and over to the outdoor track at the high school. I'd stick some earbuds into my iphone and go.
I kept this up in one way or another for about a year. I made it into size 6-8 gap jeans (which always ran small on me) and was feeling pretty good. I had strength and stamina. I had just bought a bunch of jeans at the gap outlet... and then became pregnant.
I immediately bloated up. By 6 weeks (that would be 4 weeks of having an actual baby in there) nothing fit. For awhile though my belly wasn't that big and i didn't even gain that much weight. Maybe 5-7 pounds? Then around 20 weeks everything got bigger. I started gaining weight more rapidly and my belly POPPED out. People would say "you're all belly" and maybe i was, but it felt like extra fat was there too (which, women DO store extra fat during pregnancy, which i didn't even know at the time really).
One time I went to the obgyn, and I had gained 5 lbs in a month, instead of the 4 lbs (1 lb a week) that they want and was told to watch my weight gain. I cried. Over 1 lb. Looking back that doctor (NOT my own dr) was kinda an a$$...really, it's 1 pound. And I had a late afternoon appt, you weigh more as the day goes on. As a nurse I would never think anything of that. So that MD sucked. But I was still mad about it.
Around the 3rd trimester, or at some point anyway, it was like no matter what I did I'd gain weight. I remember really restricting what I ate (what? who does that while pregnant? This was still the downfall of that stupid comment by that stupid dr) and I know I was not eating enough. Oh then I failed my 1 hr glucose screen (which they shouldnt even bother doing. Many women fail who do not have GD so it just creates undue worry). I cried at my desk at work when they called me with that news. Which gestational diabetes is NOT type 2 diabetes (which is tied to being overweight) but it still made me feel fat. I went on to pass my 3 hour glucose test, so I did NOT have GB but it still upset me.
So then the last month when I was miserable and huge and hurting and nervous and exhausted, I just said screw it and ate what I wanted. Not that I could even eat a lot, since your stomach is pushed up so small.
I gained 26 lbs officially by the doctor records (but more like 30 unofficially because by the time I went to the dr's at 6 weeks for my 1st weigh-in, I had already gained a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.)
Initially the weight fell off, when I was breastfeeding LITERALLY about 16 hours a day. Callum nursed so dang much, probably d/t my low supply. But then it came back, and kind of quickly. I've actually read that this is a "thing" that many women actually GAIN while breastfeeding, not loose like the propaganda tells you. So teh first 2 weeks I was almost back to my pre-preg weight (but with a messed up, deflated stomach). But by 1 month I had already started gainning.
So the past 2 weeks or so, I have started tracking what I eat on MyFitnessPal, eating less, and TRYING to work out more. I've lost maybe like 6 lbs so far, but man it's hard. So much harder than before. And yes, I'll blame it on the baby because he is #1 and his needs come first...not my want of working out. Hopefully I can push myself slowly though. I packed away my skinny clothes this weekend because I was tired of them cluttering things up and making me depressed. But I want to wear them again!!
I kept this up in one way or another for about a year. I made it into size 6-8 gap jeans (which always ran small on me) and was feeling pretty good. I had strength and stamina. I had just bought a bunch of jeans at the gap outlet... and then became pregnant.
I immediately bloated up. By 6 weeks (that would be 4 weeks of having an actual baby in there) nothing fit. For awhile though my belly wasn't that big and i didn't even gain that much weight. Maybe 5-7 pounds? Then around 20 weeks everything got bigger. I started gaining weight more rapidly and my belly POPPED out. People would say "you're all belly" and maybe i was, but it felt like extra fat was there too (which, women DO store extra fat during pregnancy, which i didn't even know at the time really).
One time I went to the obgyn, and I had gained 5 lbs in a month, instead of the 4 lbs (1 lb a week) that they want and was told to watch my weight gain. I cried. Over 1 lb. Looking back that doctor (NOT my own dr) was kinda an a$$...really, it's 1 pound. And I had a late afternoon appt, you weigh more as the day goes on. As a nurse I would never think anything of that. So that MD sucked. But I was still mad about it.
Around the 3rd trimester, or at some point anyway, it was like no matter what I did I'd gain weight. I remember really restricting what I ate (what? who does that while pregnant? This was still the downfall of that stupid comment by that stupid dr) and I know I was not eating enough. Oh then I failed my 1 hr glucose screen (which they shouldnt even bother doing. Many women fail who do not have GD so it just creates undue worry). I cried at my desk at work when they called me with that news. Which gestational diabetes is NOT type 2 diabetes (which is tied to being overweight) but it still made me feel fat. I went on to pass my 3 hour glucose test, so I did NOT have GB but it still upset me.
So then the last month when I was miserable and huge and hurting and nervous and exhausted, I just said screw it and ate what I wanted. Not that I could even eat a lot, since your stomach is pushed up so small.
I gained 26 lbs officially by the doctor records (but more like 30 unofficially because by the time I went to the dr's at 6 weeks for my 1st weigh-in, I had already gained a few pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight.)
Initially the weight fell off, when I was breastfeeding LITERALLY about 16 hours a day. Callum nursed so dang much, probably d/t my low supply. But then it came back, and kind of quickly. I've actually read that this is a "thing" that many women actually GAIN while breastfeeding, not loose like the propaganda tells you. So teh first 2 weeks I was almost back to my pre-preg weight (but with a messed up, deflated stomach). But by 1 month I had already started gainning.
So the past 2 weeks or so, I have started tracking what I eat on MyFitnessPal, eating less, and TRYING to work out more. I've lost maybe like 6 lbs so far, but man it's hard. So much harder than before. And yes, I'll blame it on the baby because he is #1 and his needs come first...not my want of working out. Hopefully I can push myself slowly though. I packed away my skinny clothes this weekend because I was tired of them cluttering things up and making me depressed. But I want to wear them again!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
8 months, milk, feeding, mortgage, all that jazz
So my child will be 8 months old in 5 days. Lately I've been kind of sad about my baby growing so much. He is still a baby, and I MISS my baby. I miss when he was a teeny tiny little bundle, I miss when he would let me just hold him like a baby, when he would just lie there and give me a smile from time to time. At the time I couldn't wait for him to get bigger so that things would be easier (which they are... but NOT easy by any means!) I just have nostalgia for my newborn Callum. I see why people get the baby bug to have another but I feel like, even if I had another baby, that baby won't be Callum though. Callum will never be a newborn again! And then I get sad all over again.
Stats:
We weighed him last week and he was 19.2 lbs. No idea his height and head circumference but I think he's at least 27.5 inches tall. That makes him 81st percentile for weight and at least 79th for height. He doesn't really look that big, like, he doesn't have big fat rolls or anything. He's just so proportional. He's in 9 month clothes...and 12 month clothes...and a few 18 month? Size 4 diapers but he can still wear size 3, the 4s just fit a little better. He eats about 7 oz bottles now...like 1000 times a day. He should only be eating like 4-5x a day I feel like but he definitely eats more than that. I really need to keep track but he eats so often, I just forget. I'd say at 6 but probably 7 bottles a day? Callum has been a BIG eater since day 1 though.
Speaking of bottles... I started taking domperidone, which is a drug for nausea/vomiting/indigestion. However it has 1 big side effect. And that is lactation. As I have well documented, I had a ton of issues with my milk supply, I could never keep up. He'd nurse for 1.5 hrs every 40 mins, etc. He stopped nursing around 4 months, literally overnight he just refused. Never pumped more than 2 oz at a time and my supply had dipped to 0.5 oz a DAY. Well since 7/15 my supply has increased to 3-4 oz a day... which seems like nothing to many women but is like, 4-8x as much as I was getting! I'm on the lowest dose that most women take and it can take weeks to get the full effect. I've been pumping 4-5x a day which isnt even that much, so if I was stricter i'd get more milk but I dont have the time for that! And now with being back to work, it's gonna be harder because pumping at work is so hard.
I actually bought a hospital grade pump, a Spectra Dew 350. I got it on ebay for relatively cheap. It works sooo much better than my stupid Medela pump in style advanced. which I really should sell but I have but I have a strange attachment to lol. I plan on just using my manual pump at school though, it's just easier to whip out than having to set up all the shenanigans involved with the electric pump. A manual is just more discreet and easier to stop in the middle of pumping (since anyone can come in at any time).
My new goal is to pump until 12 months. I originally wanted to breastfeed till then... and then I started actually BFing and had so many issues. It's world breastfeeding awareness week. Which is a great thing, but let me tell you, in the non BFing mother world, a lot of mom's are annoyed/bitching/etc about it. I mean... it IS a little self congratulatory, like oh hey look at me I feed my kid, BUT BFing awareness IS important for 3rd world countries where it honestly is safer d/t contamination of formula and drinking water. I belong to an exclusive pumper group and a formula feeding group and the pumpers are like "well my baby gets breastmilk but no one cares about me" and there's tons of hurt feelings about it. And of course formula feeders are like "whateverrrr, you are no better than me." There's been many posts this week in those groups, about how annoyed/sad/upset they are. I see their point, but also see how Bfing mom's are happy to be BFing. Although maybe they should have a world pumpers and world formula week too lol. Mommy wars are for real ya'll, and it's ridiculous. I just think, however you feed your kid is fine. As long as they're fed. I wish things were more inclusionary and less judgemental or polarizing. And I've said before, I believe breastmilk benefits are overstated (especially in 1st world countries) and much of it is propoganda based on shaky, incorrect, or statistically irrelevant studies and "facts." I just want to keep giving whatever BM i can because I think it helps with his eczema. I do not believe his IQ will be higher or he will get less sick. That is just NOT true. I'm an out of the box feeder anyway...don't totally formula feed and don't totally breastfeed. Lol that blows the minds of many mommy war moms since so many see things in black or white. Whatever my kid is 80th percentile, never been sick, developmentally on target, and just awesome. So who cares how they are fed really?
In other news, the other day I received a letter in the mail from our mortgage company saying that my monthly payment is going to be lowered almost 200$ a month starting 9/1!! I couldn't believe it. Back in May and June I went through a bunch of hoops to get the house reassessed. I got our assessment lowered by about $15,000, which was a significant amt. I had called the mortgage company twice about it and they said they wouldn't change my escrow amt until the new tax bill came out in September. Whatever ( i worked for a mortgage company for 3 years and we updated accruals based on assessments if the homeowner wanted). Then out of the blue I get this letter AND a hefty check for the overage amt in my escrow account. What a blessing, seeing as how I don't get paid over the summer.
I'm back to work today, at the high school. I'm just workeing today and tomorrow. Then like 2-3 days a week the rest of August, not that bad and I love extra money! Can't believe school starts back up in a month though! Of course I'm exhausted because I have to be at work at 7am, and do you think I get in bed early? Lol hell no, this is me, the night owl over here. Good think for baby cuddle naps after work.
Stats:
We weighed him last week and he was 19.2 lbs. No idea his height and head circumference but I think he's at least 27.5 inches tall. That makes him 81st percentile for weight and at least 79th for height. He doesn't really look that big, like, he doesn't have big fat rolls or anything. He's just so proportional. He's in 9 month clothes...and 12 month clothes...and a few 18 month? Size 4 diapers but he can still wear size 3, the 4s just fit a little better. He eats about 7 oz bottles now...like 1000 times a day. He should only be eating like 4-5x a day I feel like but he definitely eats more than that. I really need to keep track but he eats so often, I just forget. I'd say at 6 but probably 7 bottles a day? Callum has been a BIG eater since day 1 though.
Speaking of bottles... I started taking domperidone, which is a drug for nausea/vomiting/indigestion. However it has 1 big side effect. And that is lactation. As I have well documented, I had a ton of issues with my milk supply, I could never keep up. He'd nurse for 1.5 hrs every 40 mins, etc. He stopped nursing around 4 months, literally overnight he just refused. Never pumped more than 2 oz at a time and my supply had dipped to 0.5 oz a DAY. Well since 7/15 my supply has increased to 3-4 oz a day... which seems like nothing to many women but is like, 4-8x as much as I was getting! I'm on the lowest dose that most women take and it can take weeks to get the full effect. I've been pumping 4-5x a day which isnt even that much, so if I was stricter i'd get more milk but I dont have the time for that! And now with being back to work, it's gonna be harder because pumping at work is so hard.
I actually bought a hospital grade pump, a Spectra Dew 350. I got it on ebay for relatively cheap. It works sooo much better than my stupid Medela pump in style advanced. which I really should sell but I have but I have a strange attachment to lol. I plan on just using my manual pump at school though, it's just easier to whip out than having to set up all the shenanigans involved with the electric pump. A manual is just more discreet and easier to stop in the middle of pumping (since anyone can come in at any time).
My new goal is to pump until 12 months. I originally wanted to breastfeed till then... and then I started actually BFing and had so many issues. It's world breastfeeding awareness week. Which is a great thing, but let me tell you, in the non BFing mother world, a lot of mom's are annoyed/bitching/etc about it. I mean... it IS a little self congratulatory, like oh hey look at me I feed my kid, BUT BFing awareness IS important for 3rd world countries where it honestly is safer d/t contamination of formula and drinking water. I belong to an exclusive pumper group and a formula feeding group and the pumpers are like "well my baby gets breastmilk but no one cares about me" and there's tons of hurt feelings about it. And of course formula feeders are like "whateverrrr, you are no better than me." There's been many posts this week in those groups, about how annoyed/sad/upset they are. I see their point, but also see how Bfing mom's are happy to be BFing. Although maybe they should have a world pumpers and world formula week too lol. Mommy wars are for real ya'll, and it's ridiculous. I just think, however you feed your kid is fine. As long as they're fed. I wish things were more inclusionary and less judgemental or polarizing. And I've said before, I believe breastmilk benefits are overstated (especially in 1st world countries) and much of it is propoganda based on shaky, incorrect, or statistically irrelevant studies and "facts." I just want to keep giving whatever BM i can because I think it helps with his eczema. I do not believe his IQ will be higher or he will get less sick. That is just NOT true. I'm an out of the box feeder anyway...don't totally formula feed and don't totally breastfeed. Lol that blows the minds of many mommy war moms since so many see things in black or white. Whatever my kid is 80th percentile, never been sick, developmentally on target, and just awesome. So who cares how they are fed really?
In other news, the other day I received a letter in the mail from our mortgage company saying that my monthly payment is going to be lowered almost 200$ a month starting 9/1!! I couldn't believe it. Back in May and June I went through a bunch of hoops to get the house reassessed. I got our assessment lowered by about $15,000, which was a significant amt. I had called the mortgage company twice about it and they said they wouldn't change my escrow amt until the new tax bill came out in September. Whatever ( i worked for a mortgage company for 3 years and we updated accruals based on assessments if the homeowner wanted). Then out of the blue I get this letter AND a hefty check for the overage amt in my escrow account. What a blessing, seeing as how I don't get paid over the summer.
I'm back to work today, at the high school. I'm just workeing today and tomorrow. Then like 2-3 days a week the rest of August, not that bad and I love extra money! Can't believe school starts back up in a month though! Of course I'm exhausted because I have to be at work at 7am, and do you think I get in bed early? Lol hell no, this is me, the night owl over here. Good think for baby cuddle naps after work.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
My Big Savings Post with helpful hints
Keep in mind that I'm not a super or extreme couponer. There's a lot I don't know, and I also don't have the energy to crazy about it. But I decided I wanted to save some money if I could.
First 3 pics are of my current formula and baby cereal/food stash. It's really not that impressive but it's good for me. All this has been obtained within the past 6 weeks. And I've gotten it all this formula/cereal/diapers/wipes under $100.
-1st drawer: 3 Enfamil RTF (ready to feed), 1 similac RTF, 2 Gerber cereals, 2 beechnut cereals, 1 Enfamil ETF 8 oz bottles, 1 wegmans large can, 1 enfamil nutraginamen large can, 1 similac small can, 1 enfamil large tub, 2 enfamil small cans, 4 gerber cereal packets
-2nd drawer: 3 Neocate cans, 3 large Similac tubs, 2 Enfamil RTF 8 oz bottles
-3rd drawer: 5 gerber cereals, 3 beechnut cereals, some packets of cereal, a plum organics pouch, and a hell of a lot of jarred baby food
Andddd Diaper stash, Again not that impressive in the couponing world but I've gotten all these in the past 4 weeks.
1) You have to try. No one is going to just hand you a free box of diapers. Some people say it's too much work which is fine. Just dont do it then. You get out of it what you put in.
2) You MUST join the mommy coupon trading sites on facebook. Not only can you trade coupons and rebate checks but other mom's will alert you to stores with crazy deals going on or ways to stack coupons. Seriously, these groups are invaluable. Another example is just today, another local mom gave me a large Similac tub and small Similac can for FREE. She had posted in one of the area mom groups offering it. I just so happened to see it as soon as she posted an jumped on that. Keep in mind, I got lucky. For every 1 you get lucky...there are 20 more posting that you miss out on cuz you see them too late. I can invite anyone to the "good" groups if you want.
3) Stacking. This is how you get good deals. Up north it IS harder. A) we have a lack of variety. In the south they have many many more grocery/supermarket/discount store chains. We have maybe a half dozen here and many don't even let you use coupons. Ever hear of Tom Thumb? YEa... that's a chain somewhere...and you can get BOGO Huggies there right now with their store coupon. WE don't have smaller chains like that here. So yea, it's harder just because of the lack of variety.
Back to stacking. The way to get a lot of money off is look for a sale or discount, then to stack a manufacturer (MF) coupon, with a store coupon, rebate checks, and any additional discounts like Targets Cartwheel app.
Obviously it's hard to find the tri- or quad- or quin-fecta of all those deals. But when it meshes, it's a beautiful thing.
The best thing to do is 1) look for things on sale (again, ladies in those coupon trading groups are helpful!) or on clearance and then 2) use your coupons in the stacking manner.
4) Types of Coupons
A) Get MF coupons in the newspaper, printing out online, or trading. You can also call the company directly and/or sign up for brand programs (more on this later). To print online- go to the store website, company website, P&G.com, and Coupons.com
b) Then look to see if the store has sotre-specific coupons...Target is the best at that. Go to the store website and print. Or look on their app to see if they do mobile coupons. Some stores like target will also text coupons. For example, Text "baby" to 827438 and they'll send you baby related coupons weekly.
C) look for special apps like Targets Cartwheel app. It gives you an extra usually 5-10% off certain items. It can be combined with their store coupons.
D) Rebate checks. These are usually sent from the company and are usually for formula. (more later)
5) OTHER things
OK here is where I talk about some other tips. Other ways to get coupons are as follows:
A. Call the companies. Ironically, many won't give you coupons if you just ask. You have to play the game...you can "praise" them or, and I think this works better, "complain."
My ratings of handful of baby companies:
POSITIVE-
1) Enfamil is HANDS DOWN the best baby company for customer service. They have sent me a free sample can, and coupons, and 2 cases of RTF (i had one of those offers that you have to call them) and the reps are super nice. I just asked for a sample and they gave. SOmeone else I know called bc she couldn't find a certain formula in the store..and they sent her 4 BIG tubs! I can't praise this company enough.
2) Gerber is pretty good. I emailed and asked for a sample of their probiotic drops and they sent some. I also called and asked to be put in their cereal club and they sent me 4 samples (a dietician will be calling me for an inerview and to continue in the club). They are somewhat elusive though about getting formula checks or coupons.
3) Pampers is good, but you can't just ask them for coupons, they won't send them. Complain and they'll send $10 off foils. I called when I had a leak 2 nights in a row...I suppose some people lie but I have some morals here lol. I got 2 $10 off foils, $1 off wipes and $1 off tide coupons
4) Luvs is pretty good. I emailed when I had tabs rip off diapers. They are sending me coupons in the mail. I've heard someone else say though they when they called before, they wouldn't send them anything. So maybe it's hit or miss.
NEUTRAL-
5) Similac is okay, they wont send samples if you ask. They will send you coupons though. I got about 5 coupons when I called... a $5 off one and a bunch of $2 and a $1.
NEGATIVE-
6) Beaudreaux Butt Paste wouldn't send any samples or coupons when I asked. However, they have $1 off coupons all over the place that you can print...
7) Lansinoh kinda sucks. Wouldn't give any coupons or samples when I asked.
8) P&G won't send you anything if you praise them. No idea if you complain.
9)Target sucks lol. They have a baby coupon mailer. Which has amaaaazing coupons. However, it is the MYSTERY in the mom coupon world. Like the bermuda triangle of mom coupons. No one knows how you receive it. And Target won't tell anyone. They say if you get a Red Card, recently opened a registry that boosts your odds. But millions of us have done that and... nothing. IF you call, they blow some smoke at you and won't tell you how to get on the mailing list for it.
B. BRAND PROGRAMS - sign up for all the formula companies programs. Sign up for Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber. Enfamil and Similac will send $5 rebate checks periodically (also sign up all your relatives lol). You can also sign up for Pampers and Huggies and get codes from their diapers/wipes...and they have a rewards program where you can redeem them. Gerber used to send checks but they don't anymore, so they're a hot commodity in the coupon world.
C) APPS:
Checkout51, and Ibotta. They will give you money back for buying certain things when you take a picture of your receipt. Shopkick gives you "kicks" for scanning things which are points. I'm not gonna get into them all right now, and I myself don't always have time to deal with them. But I know of some people who easily get $50-100 back a month
Ok there are probably way more tips and ways to save but I'm getting tired of talking about it, and this is pretty much all that I do.
First 3 pics are of my current formula and baby cereal/food stash. It's really not that impressive but it's good for me. All this has been obtained within the past 6 weeks. And I've gotten it all this formula/cereal/diapers/wipes under $100.
-1st drawer: 3 Enfamil RTF (ready to feed), 1 similac RTF, 2 Gerber cereals, 2 beechnut cereals, 1 Enfamil ETF 8 oz bottles, 1 wegmans large can, 1 enfamil nutraginamen large can, 1 similac small can, 1 enfamil large tub, 2 enfamil small cans, 4 gerber cereal packets
-2nd drawer: 3 Neocate cans, 3 large Similac tubs, 2 Enfamil RTF 8 oz bottles
-3rd drawer: 5 gerber cereals, 3 beechnut cereals, some packets of cereal, a plum organics pouch, and a hell of a lot of jarred baby food
Andddd Diaper stash, Again not that impressive in the couponing world but I've gotten all these in the past 4 weeks.
3 pack of Pampers wipes, single pampers wipe, single target wipes, 1 small box Pampers overnights, 1 small box Pampers swaddlers, 1 large box Luvs, 1 jumbo pack Huggies overnights, 1 jumbo pack Huggies lil Swimmers, 3 Wegmans brand diapers(there should be an Asterisks next to them lol), 2 small boxes Pampers swaddlers
1) You have to try. No one is going to just hand you a free box of diapers. Some people say it's too much work which is fine. Just dont do it then. You get out of it what you put in.
2) You MUST join the mommy coupon trading sites on facebook. Not only can you trade coupons and rebate checks but other mom's will alert you to stores with crazy deals going on or ways to stack coupons. Seriously, these groups are invaluable. Another example is just today, another local mom gave me a large Similac tub and small Similac can for FREE. She had posted in one of the area mom groups offering it. I just so happened to see it as soon as she posted an jumped on that. Keep in mind, I got lucky. For every 1 you get lucky...there are 20 more posting that you miss out on cuz you see them too late. I can invite anyone to the "good" groups if you want.
3) Stacking. This is how you get good deals. Up north it IS harder. A) we have a lack of variety. In the south they have many many more grocery/supermarket/discount store chains. We have maybe a half dozen here and many don't even let you use coupons. Ever hear of Tom Thumb? YEa... that's a chain somewhere...and you can get BOGO Huggies there right now with their store coupon. WE don't have smaller chains like that here. So yea, it's harder just because of the lack of variety.
Back to stacking. The way to get a lot of money off is look for a sale or discount, then to stack a manufacturer (MF) coupon, with a store coupon, rebate checks, and any additional discounts like Targets Cartwheel app.
Obviously it's hard to find the tri- or quad- or quin-fecta of all those deals. But when it meshes, it's a beautiful thing.
The best thing to do is 1) look for things on sale (again, ladies in those coupon trading groups are helpful!) or on clearance and then 2) use your coupons in the stacking manner.
4) Types of Coupons
A) Get MF coupons in the newspaper, printing out online, or trading. You can also call the company directly and/or sign up for brand programs (more on this later). To print online- go to the store website, company website, P&G.com, and Coupons.com
b) Then look to see if the store has sotre-specific coupons...Target is the best at that. Go to the store website and print. Or look on their app to see if they do mobile coupons. Some stores like target will also text coupons. For example, Text "baby" to 827438 and they'll send you baby related coupons weekly.
C) look for special apps like Targets Cartwheel app. It gives you an extra usually 5-10% off certain items. It can be combined with their store coupons.
D) Rebate checks. These are usually sent from the company and are usually for formula. (more later)
5) OTHER things
OK here is where I talk about some other tips. Other ways to get coupons are as follows:
A. Call the companies. Ironically, many won't give you coupons if you just ask. You have to play the game...you can "praise" them or, and I think this works better, "complain."
My ratings of handful of baby companies:
POSITIVE-
1) Enfamil is HANDS DOWN the best baby company for customer service. They have sent me a free sample can, and coupons, and 2 cases of RTF (i had one of those offers that you have to call them) and the reps are super nice. I just asked for a sample and they gave. SOmeone else I know called bc she couldn't find a certain formula in the store..and they sent her 4 BIG tubs! I can't praise this company enough.
2) Gerber is pretty good. I emailed and asked for a sample of their probiotic drops and they sent some. I also called and asked to be put in their cereal club and they sent me 4 samples (a dietician will be calling me for an inerview and to continue in the club). They are somewhat elusive though about getting formula checks or coupons.
3) Pampers is good, but you can't just ask them for coupons, they won't send them. Complain and they'll send $10 off foils. I called when I had a leak 2 nights in a row...I suppose some people lie but I have some morals here lol. I got 2 $10 off foils, $1 off wipes and $1 off tide coupons
4) Luvs is pretty good. I emailed when I had tabs rip off diapers. They are sending me coupons in the mail. I've heard someone else say though they when they called before, they wouldn't send them anything. So maybe it's hit or miss.
NEUTRAL-
5) Similac is okay, they wont send samples if you ask. They will send you coupons though. I got about 5 coupons when I called... a $5 off one and a bunch of $2 and a $1.
NEGATIVE-
6) Beaudreaux Butt Paste wouldn't send any samples or coupons when I asked. However, they have $1 off coupons all over the place that you can print...
7) Lansinoh kinda sucks. Wouldn't give any coupons or samples when I asked.
8) P&G won't send you anything if you praise them. No idea if you complain.
9)Target sucks lol. They have a baby coupon mailer. Which has amaaaazing coupons. However, it is the MYSTERY in the mom coupon world. Like the bermuda triangle of mom coupons. No one knows how you receive it. And Target won't tell anyone. They say if you get a Red Card, recently opened a registry that boosts your odds. But millions of us have done that and... nothing. IF you call, they blow some smoke at you and won't tell you how to get on the mailing list for it.
B. BRAND PROGRAMS - sign up for all the formula companies programs. Sign up for Similac, Enfamil, and Gerber. Enfamil and Similac will send $5 rebate checks periodically (also sign up all your relatives lol). You can also sign up for Pampers and Huggies and get codes from their diapers/wipes...and they have a rewards program where you can redeem them. Gerber used to send checks but they don't anymore, so they're a hot commodity in the coupon world.
C) APPS:
Checkout51, and Ibotta. They will give you money back for buying certain things when you take a picture of your receipt. Shopkick gives you "kicks" for scanning things which are points. I'm not gonna get into them all right now, and I myself don't always have time to deal with them. But I know of some people who easily get $50-100 back a month
Ok there are probably way more tips and ways to save but I'm getting tired of talking about it, and this is pretty much all that I do.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Summertime, 7 months
I never documented his 6 month appt info. Which was 6/24...technically 6.5 months old. He was 27 in long (62nd percentile), 17lb 13 oz (50th percentile) and his head was 17.75 in (79th percentile, he definately gets his head from his father). Totally healthy and developing normally. We delayed getting any vaccinations as recommended by the homeopath and have an appt at the end of august to catch him up. His pedi was totally cool with waiting.
We were talking today about how he can so easily reach all the toys on his Exersaucer and his feet touch the ground and he doesn't need any blankets to support him. When we first started putting him in it he did. THe crazy thing is, you talk about these changes like "oh remember when he couldn't reach..." and you're talking about 1 month ago. Because he changes SO fast. It's mind boggling.
He also is starting to army crawl but his main way to reach something is to roll from his belly to his side, and back to his belly. That allows him to scooch forward in a sideways-forward fashion. Which must be easier than actually crawling. It's so Callum to do that. He also sleeps on his belly sometimes now. This, the child who would scream bloody murder only about 6 weeks ago if placed on his belly.
His biggest thing is his sudden STRONG attachment to his mama. I had read on the Wonder Weeks app to expect that. But holy moly. He goes down to bed okay but has been waking up about 3 hours later (except last night, he did 6 hours!!) to eat. After that, he wants mama. He'll fall asleep while eating... then I'll try to put him back to bed and he cries and cries until I get him. Bring him into bed with me, and he falls back asleep. And it almost looks like he's been sedated - how quickly he falls asleep. Of course I love it as a mother, that my baby loves me and when he's cuddled up with me he feels safe and sleepy. But the practical part of me knows that it's well, impractical. I don't want him to get in a habit of sleeping in my bed. Because, I don't like sharing a bed lol. He's attached during the day too, trying to leave the house yesterday for an appt was awful because he was just so clingy. I don't hate it though because I know someday he won't want me around, let along want to literally cling to me.
He reaches out now to be picked up. It's a rudimentary reach. He doesn't always do it, and it's a little weak looking. But it's a reach. I love it.
Temper tantrums. Gah! He has such a little temper. I didn't realize babies had such personalities. His personality is already so formed. He gets frustrated so easily... stamps his feet and grunts and whines. If he doesn't get his own way , he whines. If something he wants is taken away from him... watch out!! He was chewing on a piece of pita bread at a restaurant the other day. And my mom took it away because it was really soggy and we didn't want him to choke. He freaked out. Screaming and crying and letting everyone there know that he was pissed off. Later that night, I put him in his crib for a few minutes as I ran around doing stuff around the house, and he didn't want to be in there. So he started SCREAMING. Like, he sounded like a toddler. I am so nervous for his real toddler years because I think he's going to be a "willful" child. Who throws temper tantrums.
But I still love his sweet little faaaaace!!
Poop. He has been having some crazy blowouts. Like poop everywhere - himself, the changing table (the pad and the table itself), wall, everywhere. I don't understand how he makes so much poop. Also he is constantly kicking now (impossible to get him dressed!) which means he kicks his feet into the poop. And he also is always trying to reach for things and just generally flails around so that he sometimes gets the poop on his hands... and consequently his face. And basically everywhere since its on his flailing hands and feet. Nothing like getting someone else's pee and poop all on you on a daily basis...and not even caring.
The Rash. It looks SO much better! No idea why. I've just been putting CereVe cream on it, and some Eucerin and the candula ointment. Please pray that it stays away. He still has red excema in his joint creases and on his cheeks but it comes and goes and I don't worry about that as much since that's normal and common and doesn't look horrendous.
So I'm on summer break. I'm working per diem a little bit at the hospital but it's so nice to be home. I could get used to this. Sorry but working fulltime and having to take care of a baby is stressful. So much easier when you eliminate that fulltime job. I miss my paycheck though!!! I start working again (part time) at the school in august for all the sports prep stuff, so I'm not off for too too long. We have no major plans... I want to do some fun outings and clean and organize the house.
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| with his godparents: Cousin Johnny and Aunt Lindsay |
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| during |
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| Looking around at everyone clapping |
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| sleeping on his godfathers shoulder |
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| Callum with his aunts, uncle, and mama |
I've been thinking about all the planning I did while pregnant. All the things I planned to do, the things I read, the childbirth class I attended. And, most of it was a waste lol. You can't plan this. This baby is nuts. Life with a baby is nuts. You just go with it and adapt. People always say that, and before I had a kid I was like yea yea I get it. I can imagine. But I didn't really KNOW what it was like until it happened to me. That's how it is with anything though, you don't really know until you actually experience it. And now I have (which sometimes I still find hard to believe. Was I really pregnant? Did I really endure the pain of unmedicated childbirth? Am I really someone's MOM!?)
Monday, June 16, 2014
Half way to 1 year!
What what? Callum was 6 months old on Tuesday, the 10th. I should become one of those crazy moms that celebrates 1/2 birthdays and how advanced he is. But then I'd also have to become the mom that tries all the Pinterest projects, and thinks her kid is the best on the soccer team, and brags about all his straight A's, and talks about the piano recital he's playing at Carnegie Hall. It's a slippery slope that I don't have the energy to go down.
I noticed last Monday, the 9th, that his 1st tooth has broken through! I am so used to feeling those little gums and feeling nothing. I stuck my finger in his mouth and there was the hard top edge of a tooth. I felt my heart swell with a mother's pride. Then on Father's day I suddenly noticed he had a 2nd tooth right next to it. My mom said I never got just 1 tooth, so apparently, Callum is going to follow suit. I get a little sad though thinking that he'll never had a toothless smile again. Well, maybe he will again when he's like 90 lol, but not while I'm alive!
He hasn't taken a pacifer in months but we discovered yesterday that it works great for his teething pain. It was way easier for him to keep in his mouth than trying to hold a teething ring.
3 things he's doing - pursing his lips, sucking on his toes, and sticking his tongue out. I think that's to feel the new teeth in his mouth. I think one of his biggest changes is just the way he interacts with the world around him. He's constantly reaching for objects. And Sophie; he's suddenly interested in the dog. And trying to stick everything in his mouth. I mean everything. He smiles at you and tries to "talk" (if he's in the mood.) He's just taking it all in at all times.
He will never learn to crawl because he hates, I mean hates, lying on his belly. He's like a horizontal weeble wobble. If you put him on his belly, he automatically rolls back over to his back. It's actually pretty funny. Sometimes we'll prevent him from rolling and he still tries and then gets mad... But anyway, I can see him being one those kids that just goes straight to walking. He already "stands" all the time now. Obviously he cannot stand, but we are always holding him up so that he can bear the weight to stand. It's that darn balance problem. I posted that video of him "walking" on facebook too. He's not sitting on his own yet, he's still a "supported sitter." He mostly has the muscle strength, but just not the balance to do it. The past couple days he has been tolerating his belly a little bit more if we place something interesting in front of him but he still get annoyed and will flip back over.
The rash is still there, and actually was looking pretty terrible for a week because we had to stop giving him allergy medicine in preparation for the allergy testing he had done on Friday. My poor baby. I feel so bad for him. He's so itchy and uncomfortable. His allergy test was negative for milk, soy and egg but they're going to send us for a blood test now too. The hypoallergenic formula (Neocate) did not help, so I figured he didn't have a milk protein allergy. I picked up a can of regular formula a few days ago and have started mixing the 2 formulas, to transition him back to the regular kind. The Neocate is awful because he has been wanting to eat every 2 hours again, like when he was a newborn and he wakes 48942 times a night. I can't wait to just go back to regular formula and have him going longer between feedings and not waking so much.
Next stop is to see a dermatologist. That's who we were referred to now. Because no one can figure this out. I do not know how people with a lot of kids do it. Either you are rich or mom doesn't work outside the home. Because I don't understand how you can afford all these copays and also the time off work. I'm spending $100/month in copays and then all these random useless prescriptions. And all the times I've had to skip out on work here and there for appts. Which makes me feel bad because I want to be a good employee. And of course dr offices never seem to have appts at convenient times for working parents. Heck, I'm out of work at 3 and it's still hard to get appt times right after that. And all that money and schedule finagling is just for ONE kid.
We also have him taking some homeopathic medicine and talked with the homeopathic dr yesterday. He gave us a new routine to try. Today he looks better. It might be from starting the new pills. Or the new cream (CereVe AND Eucerin) or giving him some steroid ointment yesterdat for the first time in like 2 weeks because of how atorocious his skin looked. Maybe it was a combo of all 3. Who knows, but I just really wish this would go away. His 6 month dr appt is next week and once again we're going to have vaccine drama because he's supposed to get shots and the homeopath suggested we wait 2-3 months and then continue because he believes this is a hyper immune system reaction. I tend to agree and want to wait. I mean it's only a few months to wait! But you know how most drs insist that vaccines wouldn't hurt anything. Well even if they were not the cause (i'm just saying, this started a few days after he got all his 4 month shots), this rash is clearly some immune system freakout, so adding he vaccines to the mix at this moment in time won't help matters. We are totally going to get kicked out of the practice ya'll.
We also got the green light to give him real food again. So I reintroduced sweet potatoes, and now bananas, "sweet potato & chicken dinner," and regular mashed potatoes which he LOVES.
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On to sleep: he was a mess last week. Waking 2-3 times a night to eat, and when he does wake, he does not settle back down easily. He used to wake, eat, then pass back out. Now when you put him back in the crib after eating, he starts screaming and crying again. I have tried standing next to the crib and rubbing his back but it usually doesn't work. I was getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night. So I usually just ended up picking him up and bringing him into bed with me, where he would promptly pass out. So... he's learning how to manipulate a situation because he's clearly fine. He just wants to cuddle up with mama. I don't want to get him in this bed-sharing habit, but I need to sleep too, I'm beyond exhausted from severe sleep deprivation, and I get up ass crack early for work. So I cave in. I have 2 more weeks of work then I'm off for the summer so I plan to just deal with it all then. I do think a large part of this week's sleep mess though is a combo of the no allergy meds or steroid cream, so he's extra uncomfortable and unsettled, the stupid amino acid formula, and I think he's going through a developmental change - he just seems "different" lately, both mentally and physically. And... now that I think of it, it was also because of the teething. Because last night he slept from 10-6:45am. If only he would do that every day!
This child also doesn't nap. He has supersonic senses pertaining to being placed in his crib. As soon as he's laid down he wakes up. Sometimes he'll start crying but sometimes he'll just start babbling and playing. But the one thing he isn't doing is sleeping. If he takes a 15 minute nap, we consider it a success.
His baptism is booked. July 5th at the 4pm mass. I'm busy planning for that now, I am really not a party planner. I'm trying to decide where to have a little party afterwards. Did I mention that I really do not like party planning? But I am excited for him to be baptized!
We inherited a swingset last Thursday. It had originally been my brother's, then my dad gave it to my cousin, and now my cousin gave it to us. We set it up but aren't sure where to put it in the yard. I feel like it looks awkward everywhere. Good thing we have some time before Callum is going to actually use it.
Father's day was nice. Didn't do much but we went to the canal in Greece and walked around.
It's getting harder and harder to leave him for work. I thought it was supposed to get easier. I miss him so much!! Last night he was passed out and I actually wanted to grab him and bring him into bed with me but I refrained. All I do is think about him at work (when I'm not super busy) and wish I was with him! Least I get to come home to this face though:
Good thing I get much of the summer off!! Looking forward to it although not looking forward to the loss of income. I want to start running again to work of my baby gut. (Seriously, I have gained weight instead of lost. I was my lowest weight about 1 week post partum when I was 3 lbs away from pre-baby weight. That's when I was breastfeeding constantly though. I've gained sooo much back now, it's depressing!!) I kinda want a jogging stroller but they're expensive (even used ones... cuz i mean, it's a stroller. Strollers are never cheap cheap). But I don't want to waste the money if I don't go running enough. Maybe daddy will just have to watch him instead lol.
In preparation for less money, I've also been trying to cut down on our grocery bill/eat healthier. Which is extremely hard. Also, I've found all those "budget grocery" sites list meals that just won't cut it. They
really skimpy menus that seem okay for children, or skinny women who don't eat much. If I gave Eric some cucumbers with melted cheese and pepperoni on top he'd be like "oh appetizers tonight, huh? What's for dinner?" Lol there is no way some of these "meals" would cut it as real meals in our house. Maybe that's our part of our weight problem LOL. Also the people tend to have their own extensive gardens (which is a financial and time investment all of it's own) and also their own chickens to have eggs. But I a) have no desire to take care of an animal, let alone a chicken, which I have a slight (ok, very real) phobia of, and b) live in a town which does not allow farm animals. Which I fully support because you know what's annoying? Your next door neighbor who keeps chickens on the other side of the fence. So really, you can't spend $50/week or less on groceries unless you eat snack-type meals, and are a semi self-sustainable farmer.
Randoms:
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| 6 months old, with Uncle Markie |
I noticed last Monday, the 9th, that his 1st tooth has broken through! I am so used to feeling those little gums and feeling nothing. I stuck my finger in his mouth and there was the hard top edge of a tooth. I felt my heart swell with a mother's pride. Then on Father's day I suddenly noticed he had a 2nd tooth right next to it. My mom said I never got just 1 tooth, so apparently, Callum is going to follow suit. I get a little sad though thinking that he'll never had a toothless smile again. Well, maybe he will again when he's like 90 lol, but not while I'm alive!
He hasn't taken a pacifer in months but we discovered yesterday that it works great for his teething pain. It was way easier for him to keep in his mouth than trying to hold a teething ring.
3 things he's doing - pursing his lips, sucking on his toes, and sticking his tongue out. I think that's to feel the new teeth in his mouth. I think one of his biggest changes is just the way he interacts with the world around him. He's constantly reaching for objects. And Sophie; he's suddenly interested in the dog. And trying to stick everything in his mouth. I mean everything. He smiles at you and tries to "talk" (if he's in the mood.) He's just taking it all in at all times.
He will never learn to crawl because he hates, I mean hates, lying on his belly. He's like a horizontal weeble wobble. If you put him on his belly, he automatically rolls back over to his back. It's actually pretty funny. Sometimes we'll prevent him from rolling and he still tries and then gets mad... But anyway, I can see him being one those kids that just goes straight to walking. He already "stands" all the time now. Obviously he cannot stand, but we are always holding him up so that he can bear the weight to stand. It's that darn balance problem. I posted that video of him "walking" on facebook too. He's not sitting on his own yet, he's still a "supported sitter." He mostly has the muscle strength, but just not the balance to do it. The past couple days he has been tolerating his belly a little bit more if we place something interesting in front of him but he still get annoyed and will flip back over.
The rash is still there, and actually was looking pretty terrible for a week because we had to stop giving him allergy medicine in preparation for the allergy testing he had done on Friday. My poor baby. I feel so bad for him. He's so itchy and uncomfortable. His allergy test was negative for milk, soy and egg but they're going to send us for a blood test now too. The hypoallergenic formula (Neocate) did not help, so I figured he didn't have a milk protein allergy. I picked up a can of regular formula a few days ago and have started mixing the 2 formulas, to transition him back to the regular kind. The Neocate is awful because he has been wanting to eat every 2 hours again, like when he was a newborn and he wakes 48942 times a night. I can't wait to just go back to regular formula and have him going longer between feedings and not waking so much.
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| The Rash lookg *ok* |
Next stop is to see a dermatologist. That's who we were referred to now. Because no one can figure this out. I do not know how people with a lot of kids do it. Either you are rich or mom doesn't work outside the home. Because I don't understand how you can afford all these copays and also the time off work. I'm spending $100/month in copays and then all these random useless prescriptions. And all the times I've had to skip out on work here and there for appts. Which makes me feel bad because I want to be a good employee. And of course dr offices never seem to have appts at convenient times for working parents. Heck, I'm out of work at 3 and it's still hard to get appt times right after that. And all that money and schedule finagling is just for ONE kid.
We also have him taking some homeopathic medicine and talked with the homeopathic dr yesterday. He gave us a new routine to try. Today he looks better. It might be from starting the new pills. Or the new cream (CereVe AND Eucerin) or giving him some steroid ointment yesterdat for the first time in like 2 weeks because of how atorocious his skin looked. Maybe it was a combo of all 3. Who knows, but I just really wish this would go away. His 6 month dr appt is next week and once again we're going to have vaccine drama because he's supposed to get shots and the homeopath suggested we wait 2-3 months and then continue because he believes this is a hyper immune system reaction. I tend to agree and want to wait. I mean it's only a few months to wait! But you know how most drs insist that vaccines wouldn't hurt anything. Well even if they were not the cause (i'm just saying, this started a few days after he got all his 4 month shots), this rash is clearly some immune system freakout, so adding he vaccines to the mix at this moment in time won't help matters. We are totally going to get kicked out of the practice ya'll.
We also got the green light to give him real food again. So I reintroduced sweet potatoes, and now bananas, "sweet potato & chicken dinner," and regular mashed potatoes which he LOVES.
On to sleep: he was a mess last week. Waking 2-3 times a night to eat, and when he does wake, he does not settle back down easily. He used to wake, eat, then pass back out. Now when you put him back in the crib after eating, he starts screaming and crying again. I have tried standing next to the crib and rubbing his back but it usually doesn't work. I was getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night. So I usually just ended up picking him up and bringing him into bed with me, where he would promptly pass out. So... he's learning how to manipulate a situation because he's clearly fine. He just wants to cuddle up with mama. I don't want to get him in this bed-sharing habit, but I need to sleep too, I'm beyond exhausted from severe sleep deprivation, and I get up ass crack early for work. So I cave in. I have 2 more weeks of work then I'm off for the summer so I plan to just deal with it all then. I do think a large part of this week's sleep mess though is a combo of the no allergy meds or steroid cream, so he's extra uncomfortable and unsettled, the stupid amino acid formula, and I think he's going through a developmental change - he just seems "different" lately, both mentally and physically. And... now that I think of it, it was also because of the teething. Because last night he slept from 10-6:45am. If only he would do that every day!
This child also doesn't nap. He has supersonic senses pertaining to being placed in his crib. As soon as he's laid down he wakes up. Sometimes he'll start crying but sometimes he'll just start babbling and playing. But the one thing he isn't doing is sleeping. If he takes a 15 minute nap, we consider it a success.
His baptism is booked. July 5th at the 4pm mass. I'm busy planning for that now, I am really not a party planner. I'm trying to decide where to have a little party afterwards. Did I mention that I really do not like party planning? But I am excited for him to be baptized!
We inherited a swingset last Thursday. It had originally been my brother's, then my dad gave it to my cousin, and now my cousin gave it to us. We set it up but aren't sure where to put it in the yard. I feel like it looks awkward everywhere. Good thing we have some time before Callum is going to actually use it.
Father's day was nice. Didn't do much but we went to the canal in Greece and walked around.
It's getting harder and harder to leave him for work. I thought it was supposed to get easier. I miss him so much!! Last night he was passed out and I actually wanted to grab him and bring him into bed with me but I refrained. All I do is think about him at work (when I'm not super busy) and wish I was with him! Least I get to come home to this face though:
Good thing I get much of the summer off!! Looking forward to it although not looking forward to the loss of income. I want to start running again to work of my baby gut. (Seriously, I have gained weight instead of lost. I was my lowest weight about 1 week post partum when I was 3 lbs away from pre-baby weight. That's when I was breastfeeding constantly though. I've gained sooo much back now, it's depressing!!) I kinda want a jogging stroller but they're expensive (even used ones... cuz i mean, it's a stroller. Strollers are never cheap cheap). But I don't want to waste the money if I don't go running enough. Maybe daddy will just have to watch him instead lol.
In preparation for less money, I've also been trying to cut down on our grocery bill/eat healthier. Which is extremely hard. Also, I've found all those "budget grocery" sites list meals that just won't cut it. They
really skimpy menus that seem okay for children, or skinny women who don't eat much. If I gave Eric some cucumbers with melted cheese and pepperoni on top he'd be like "oh appetizers tonight, huh? What's for dinner?" Lol there is no way some of these "meals" would cut it as real meals in our house. Maybe that's our part of our weight problem LOL. Also the people tend to have their own extensive gardens (which is a financial and time investment all of it's own) and also their own chickens to have eggs. But I a) have no desire to take care of an animal, let alone a chicken, which I have a slight (ok, very real) phobia of, and b) live in a town which does not allow farm animals. Which I fully support because you know what's annoying? Your next door neighbor who keeps chickens on the other side of the fence. So really, you can't spend $50/week or less on groceries unless you eat snack-type meals, and are a semi self-sustainable farmer.
Randoms:
Thursday, May 29, 2014
THE RASH SAGA
He has had eczema since 2 months. That was confined to the usual spots - at his elbows and all the "creases;" wrist, knee, ankle. On monday May 5th is when it all went to pot. It was literally overnight he broke out in his crazy welt looking rash all on his trunk. His face is also rashy on and off, and it's also spread down to his thighs a bit. He also gets itchy eyes at certain times. We are doing everything we've been told to - and it's getting worse. And he's getting itchier. My child is now living with socks on his hands to keep himself from gouging his baby skin. Which doesn't even always work.
Here's the summary of what has been happening:
We have been told to do, and not do, so many things. Contradictions by different doctors.
Originally we were told to use dolsomide (steroid ointment) and moisturize with Cetaphil. Did/do it and it doesn't help. And give him Zyrtec at night. 2nd doctor appt - continue with those, and also try Claritin instead of Zyrtec (didn't work - went back to Zyrtec). We also smother him in Calendula ointment (homeopathic, petroleum jelly base) and Aquafour (also petroleum jelly based). Saw the allergist who said only put the steroid ointment on the actual eczema spots now and not all over his trunk. Also she wanted to try him on an elemental formula (broken down to amino acids, so there is no casein or whey aka no milk protein). This was to see if he had a milk protein allergy causing all this. If it worked, it would be covered by insurance, at least in part.
That began the sub-saga: THE FORMULA SAGA
So this formula is expensive. Like $50/can. A can lasts 2-3 days. The allergist had no samples. So I got right on the phone and called the pedi office, drove there, and picked up 2 cans of Neocate. One had a code to receive a free sample of the formula, so I ordered that as well and that arrived Tuesday. So we gave that to him starting Wednesday 5/21...the next day he looked SO much better. I was optimistic and called the allergist to tell them it worked and to write a prescription for it. It would require prior-authorization, which we knew since insurance companies are the worst companies on the planet and don't want to actually pay anything. So they make you jump through hoops.
Anyway, got that ball rolling, called the pediatrician to inform them, and also called WIC. With WIC, in NY, they will also provide 9 cans of this special formula a month. They told me the doctor did NOT need to fill out any special forms (contrary to the form i was looking at online...) and they just needed the rx from the doctor. Made me an appt for Tuesday the 27th. I didn't have the rx at this point, since I had just gotten off the phone from telling the doctor to write one. And it was Friday afternoon and Monday was a holiday. Ok, well, why I don't I pick up the rx from the allergist Tuesday morning? (Um, because I work. And I'm already leaving work to drive across the city to your appt. That's why). After 1000 more phone calls, the allergist faxed the rx to WIC. Called Tuesday to confirm WIC got it. They did but they need another form (Yes, that same form they said they didn't need lol) but will still give me 1 month of checks and just come back next month with that form filled out by the doctor. Got those checks, brought to the pharmacy. They were confused about what to do. Said there was already a prior auth on the formula. Right... that's for the insurance. This is WIC. 2 separate things. They figure it out and do a special order.
They call me the next day (Weds) that it's ready. I go to pick it up... and the kid at the counter is SO confused. It took 3 people to figure it out. This is after I had had a phone call from them saying my order was there and come get it! They kept saying they were waiting on the prior auth. Again, that is for the imsurance. This is for WIC. 2 separate things. Of course it was there, and I got it. $400 for this formula, ya'll. Also on Weds the allergist is calling me all confused about Wegmans faxing them a prior auth and THEY were totally confused about WIC vs. insurance as well. I wanted to jump off a bridge basically.
Good thing for WIC though because we would not be able to have any formula right now without it. Since the insurance it taking their sweet ass time and hello, this baby still needs to eat in the meantime.
And for all that... he looks no better. He looks worse. I really don't think it's a milk protein allergy. But we have to keep using it for a few weeks because that's how long it can take for your skin to clear up from one, apparently.
Also, since it's already at the amino acid level, he digests it so much quicker, which means he wants to eat more frequently. He was up 2x last night. We're so exhausted. He eats less per feeding though. Before, he was eating 6 oz, now it's down to 4-5oz. Kind of strange.
******************
We took him to see a homeopathic doctor this weekend in Buffalo. I really hope he can help him, he helped 1 10 y/o girl who had had eczema her whole life, he totally cured her of it. He said to give him 3 months and he can clear it up. He recommended we not get him his 6 month vaccines because his immune system is hyperactive right now (which is causing this rash) but to hold off on any vaccinations for 2-3 months, and then pick it back up again. Honestly...this rash started about 2 weeks after his 4 month vaccinations, so maybe there is a link. I don't know. He gave us 2 homeopathic pills to use. We did the first set and now started the 2nd set. He also gave me pills to try to boost my breastmilk supply. Probably won't help since nothing helps with that lol, but can't hurt. Anyway, I really liked him and feel comfortable with him.
Callum goes back to the pedi tomorrow see his actual pediatrician. Just yet another appt that won't help. Just another $20 to hand over...
And allergy testing on June 13th, not sure what kind they're going to do. We have to stop his Zyrtec for a week beforehand. I'm scared for that.
Talked to the pedi office yesterday and they said to give him Benadryl at night now. I got some but I'm not giving it a) because I hate to give him benadryl so young and 2) it has red dye #40 in it which is horrible and banned in the food and medical supplies in every other country but the US, and no way am I giving my infant that shit. I got some to have on hand in case of a real allergic emergency but I'm going to look for a dye free version.
It's really taking its toll on me. I am just so tired of this unknown. I'm tired of my baby itching. His little baby hand, with poor fine motor skills, reaching up to his head to awkwardly scratch... it's so so heartbreaking! And he scratches his head all up. Sometimes I'll look and blood will just be dripping down his face. You know... he had been rubbing and scratching himself for weeks Plus he looks diseased. And everyone is always giving me advice or asking questions about it that I've tried or answered a bunch of times before. It's just this big weight of worry I feel on my shoulders all the time. I cannot wait till this stupid rash is figured out and it goes away and the weight is lifted!! It's also tricky because 1 day it looks awful, and the next it looks better. False hope!
So this formula is expensive. Like $50/can. A can lasts 2-3 days. The allergist had no samples. So I got right on the phone and called the pedi office, drove there, and picked up 2 cans of Neocate. One had a code to receive a free sample of the formula, so I ordered that as well and that arrived Tuesday. So we gave that to him starting Wednesday 5/21...the next day he looked SO much better. I was optimistic and called the allergist to tell them it worked and to write a prescription for it. It would require prior-authorization, which we knew since insurance companies are the worst companies on the planet and don't want to actually pay anything. So they make you jump through hoops.
Anyway, got that ball rolling, called the pediatrician to inform them, and also called WIC. With WIC, in NY, they will also provide 9 cans of this special formula a month. They told me the doctor did NOT need to fill out any special forms (contrary to the form i was looking at online...) and they just needed the rx from the doctor. Made me an appt for Tuesday the 27th. I didn't have the rx at this point, since I had just gotten off the phone from telling the doctor to write one. And it was Friday afternoon and Monday was a holiday. Ok, well, why I don't I pick up the rx from the allergist Tuesday morning? (Um, because I work. And I'm already leaving work to drive across the city to your appt. That's why). After 1000 more phone calls, the allergist faxed the rx to WIC. Called Tuesday to confirm WIC got it. They did but they need another form (Yes, that same form they said they didn't need lol) but will still give me 1 month of checks and just come back next month with that form filled out by the doctor. Got those checks, brought to the pharmacy. They were confused about what to do. Said there was already a prior auth on the formula. Right... that's for the insurance. This is WIC. 2 separate things. They figure it out and do a special order.
They call me the next day (Weds) that it's ready. I go to pick it up... and the kid at the counter is SO confused. It took 3 people to figure it out. This is after I had had a phone call from them saying my order was there and come get it! They kept saying they were waiting on the prior auth. Again, that is for the imsurance. This is for WIC. 2 separate things. Of course it was there, and I got it. $400 for this formula, ya'll. Also on Weds the allergist is calling me all confused about Wegmans faxing them a prior auth and THEY were totally confused about WIC vs. insurance as well. I wanted to jump off a bridge basically.
Good thing for WIC though because we would not be able to have any formula right now without it. Since the insurance it taking their sweet ass time and hello, this baby still needs to eat in the meantime.
And for all that... he looks no better. He looks worse. I really don't think it's a milk protein allergy. But we have to keep using it for a few weeks because that's how long it can take for your skin to clear up from one, apparently.
Also, since it's already at the amino acid level, he digests it so much quicker, which means he wants to eat more frequently. He was up 2x last night. We're so exhausted. He eats less per feeding though. Before, he was eating 6 oz, now it's down to 4-5oz. Kind of strange.
******************
We took him to see a homeopathic doctor this weekend in Buffalo. I really hope he can help him, he helped 1 10 y/o girl who had had eczema her whole life, he totally cured her of it. He said to give him 3 months and he can clear it up. He recommended we not get him his 6 month vaccines because his immune system is hyperactive right now (which is causing this rash) but to hold off on any vaccinations for 2-3 months, and then pick it back up again. Honestly...this rash started about 2 weeks after his 4 month vaccinations, so maybe there is a link. I don't know. He gave us 2 homeopathic pills to use. We did the first set and now started the 2nd set. He also gave me pills to try to boost my breastmilk supply. Probably won't help since nothing helps with that lol, but can't hurt. Anyway, I really liked him and feel comfortable with him.
Callum goes back to the pedi tomorrow see his actual pediatrician. Just yet another appt that won't help. Just another $20 to hand over...
And allergy testing on June 13th, not sure what kind they're going to do. We have to stop his Zyrtec for a week beforehand. I'm scared for that.
Talked to the pedi office yesterday and they said to give him Benadryl at night now. I got some but I'm not giving it a) because I hate to give him benadryl so young and 2) it has red dye #40 in it which is horrible and banned in the food and medical supplies in every other country but the US, and no way am I giving my infant that shit. I got some to have on hand in case of a real allergic emergency but I'm going to look for a dye free version.
It's really taking its toll on me. I am just so tired of this unknown. I'm tired of my baby itching. His little baby hand, with poor fine motor skills, reaching up to his head to awkwardly scratch... it's so so heartbreaking! And he scratches his head all up. Sometimes I'll look and blood will just be dripping down his face. You know... he had been rubbing and scratching himself for weeks Plus he looks diseased. And everyone is always giving me advice or asking questions about it that I've tried or answered a bunch of times before. It's just this big weight of worry I feel on my shoulders all the time. I cannot wait till this stupid rash is figured out and it goes away and the weight is lifted!! It's also tricky because 1 day it looks awful, and the next it looks better. False hope!
 |
| 5/5 - Original rash |
 |
5/8 - After starting steroids
5/18 - puffy face
 |
 |
| 5/27 - woke up at 3:30 am looking like this |
 |
| 5/27 - 4am |
 |
| 5/27 - 4am |
 |
5/27 - 4am itching 
5/27 - 9pm, looking better
 |
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
5 months old
I am way way way behind on documenting Callum's life. I started this entry while he was still 4 months old. Lately it's like every hour of every day is just jammed packed. I cannot wait for this summer when I get to stay home (well i'm still working a bit for the hospital, because I cannot not ever work lol). I even had Spring Break a few weeks ago, and didn't even manage to write then.
He had his 4 month appt on 4/18. He was 15 lb 11 oz and 25.5 inches long. His head was 17 inches. Everything was normal. The doctor said he does not have a flat head, well, not flat enough to be of concern. Developmentally he is on target. She said we can start introducing solids. We had actually started giving him rice cereal on 4/15. We gave him it on a spoon and he didn't know what to think. We then started adding it to him bedtime bottle but have stopped now that he is having some sort of allergy to something unknown. We've also tried oatmeal cereal, sweet potatoes (HIS FAV), apples (didn't like too much, but they were bitter), and sweet peas (ew, peas). I can't remember all the dates we tried them. He hasn't gotten any solids now though other than avocados once in the past 2 weeks or so because of his hives!
He also had his first library trip on 4/16, and I wore him out in the Moby wrap. We then went to Wegmans and I got so many looks from people like they'd never seen such a thing before. I want to get a woven wrap to start doing back carries. I actually think I'm going to attempt to make one because a) it's cheaper b) it's cheaper and c) might be a fun project. Like I have time for projects lol.
Well I originally thought we had avoided 4 month sleep regression. He had randomly started sleeping like 8-9 hours and I was in heaven. I even started using Huggies Overnight diapers because he was peeing through regular ones sleeping that long. Wrong. After 1 week he started sleeping like a mess again. Ok, not really mess but back to anywhere from 3-5 hours before waking up to eat. On the weekends I get up with him in the middle of the night, then in the morning when most people would just get up, but I make us go back to sleep for a couple more hours lol. He really is NOT that bad it's just hard to coordinate your sleep schedule with a baby's. We stay up too late and Callum gets up too early.
He "found" his ear on Saturday 5/3, and it was so funny to watch him manhandle it.
On 5/7 I took him to the pediatrician. On Monday he had a terrible looking red, raised rash all on his trunk. Of course, he has some red eczema around his elbows, wrists, knees and sometimes on his trunk but nothing like this. He was also itchy his little eyes like crazy. So finagled some things around and met my mom at the pediatricians. It took forever at the appt. Anyway, we really liked her (and she called me pretty, how can you not like someone that calls you pretty?)
Comparison:
She said it IS eczema and he is having a flareup either d/t something environmental or something he ate. She said hold off on oatmeal or apples for awhile since he at that Saturday. He had had both of those earlier in the week tho and was fine. She also explained how allergies/eczema/asthma are all on the same gene and often if you get 1 you have the others. Great. Eric was an allergy asthma kid, so I was kind of expecting my kid would be too. Anyway, she gave us an rx for a steroid cream only to be used until this flare up goes away. After 1 use he already looks better. Also said he must be moisturized 2x a day with Cetaphil, and also said to give him Zyrtec.
We gave the steroid cream right away, but held off a day before giving him the Zyrtec. Yes, I was scared he'd have an allergic reaction to the Zyrtec and die in his sleep and also didn't want to overload his system with all these drugs at once. Well he slept 8 hours straight. If it's gonna have a side effect, I guess making him sleep is a good one. I wonder though if part of it is he's just not so damn itchy anymore so he wasn't as disturbed in his sleep. Last night at bedtime the side of his face was randomly SO red and irritated, and he scratched it so much he gouged the side of his forehead and had blood just dripping down. It was awful! AND my mom had just filed his nails a couple hours before. Poor kid.
Back to the doctor appt - She confirmed that his cradle cap is bad and said to use Selsom Blue. If that doesn't work we get referred to a dermatologist. Because we have tried everything and Selsom Blue is the end of the line for the regular pediatricians office. I've been putting aquaphor and now cetaphil on it the past couple days and it looks a TON better (I've been to Wegmans and Target like 3 times since Monday and have forgotten the Selsom Blue each time - oops).
He's still a pretty happy guy despite the rashiness. The PNP said "don't think for a second that he's not itchy. it is itchy." Which made me feel so bad for him! He still scratches his face up SO SO bad, like a newborn. We were like what the heck, why is he still scratching himself!? Well, the PNP said it's probably because he's trying to itch :( And him finding his ear... well probably itchy too. He had dried blood all around it at the dr appt Poor kid!!
(UPDATE - follow appt was 5/12. he looks better altho still little patches here and there. She wants us to try Clariton too and to give the meds 2x a day instead of once. THIS BOY.)
(UPDATE #3 - Taking him to an allergist today, 5/21. He looks bad again, despite treatment. Poor kid, 5 months old and already seeing an allergist.)
$20 a visit adds up (love those well baby check ups which are free lol). Funny how I NEVER go to the doctor for myself, but for your kid you don't even hesitate.
He was 16 lb 9.5 oz on 5/7, and 16 lb 12 oz on 5/12. And the nurse said several times that he was "long" for his age. Fat boy. He has refused to nurse for about a month now. Twice I got him to latch on and suck for like 10 seconds but that was it. I still pump but only get like 2 oz a day, so mostly formula at this point. Over it. Completely over it. I won't even entertain guilt anymore because I just don't care. I was told that by 4-5 months ANY breastmilk is just as good as exclusively getting breastmilk. So whatever, there's your 2 oz, Callum.
Speaking of Callum. This poor kid. His parents gave him such a difficult name for American speakers. His last name is tough enough (except it really is so easy, people just always say it wrong. At the pharmacy they were calling him Caleb Doggin. Poor baby. We say he's going to be so annoyed as he gets older, he'll just tell people to call him John, his middle name lol.
He is so rolly now. He does NOT roll totally over much at all, but he teeters side to side. I think some of that is from all his kicking. I'll put him on the floor and he's lying in one direction, say North-South and I come back and he's gotten himself in an East-West direction. It's so funny. I THINK he is slowly starting to learn his name. He'll kind of look now when you say it, but I think part of it is tone of voice.
(UPDATE: on 5/13 it was like a huge change came over him. Now he's moving even more, and just seems way more developed literally overnight. He's also doing this thing where he puts his legs straight up in the air and then slams them down. He's also finally grabbing onto his feet with his legs up in the air. it's so stinkin' cute.)
I love when I get home from work and he give me this open mouth smile when I talk to him. We are just so in love with this baby. He is so dang cute. Even when he makes his grinch baby face, he's still so cute. He does this thing with his mouth where he opens it up like an "O" and I just love it. I always kiss him then.
Tuesday 5/6 he drooled/spit up right in my mouth. Eric wrote that on the calendar.
He was evicted from his bassinet on Monday 5/12. Poor guy was totally scrunched up and had to bend his legs out to the side. I came home from work and it had been done for me. He's now sleeping in the pack n play in our room because god forbid we move this child to his actual crib. honestly though we don't have a baby monitor and that is the main reason he's not just in his crib. I am still doing tons of research on one, and looking for deals... so since I have no time... all this research will take awhile.
Sunday 5/4 was my 1st Mother's day! It was so sweet. Eric got me a card, and so did Callum. HE also gave me a hydrangea (I want to plant them in our sad yard), and my favorite chocolate. We went to the park and then family dinner at my cousin's. I love being Callum's mom!!
He had his 4 month appt on 4/18. He was 15 lb 11 oz and 25.5 inches long. His head was 17 inches. Everything was normal. The doctor said he does not have a flat head, well, not flat enough to be of concern. Developmentally he is on target. She said we can start introducing solids. We had actually started giving him rice cereal on 4/15. We gave him it on a spoon and he didn't know what to think. We then started adding it to him bedtime bottle but have stopped now that he is having some sort of allergy to something unknown. We've also tried oatmeal cereal, sweet potatoes (HIS FAV), apples (didn't like too much, but they were bitter), and sweet peas (ew, peas). I can't remember all the dates we tried them. He hasn't gotten any solids now though other than avocados once in the past 2 weeks or so because of his hives!
He also had his first library trip on 4/16, and I wore him out in the Moby wrap. We then went to Wegmans and I got so many looks from people like they'd never seen such a thing before. I want to get a woven wrap to start doing back carries. I actually think I'm going to attempt to make one because a) it's cheaper b) it's cheaper and c) might be a fun project. Like I have time for projects lol.
Well I originally thought we had avoided 4 month sleep regression. He had randomly started sleeping like 8-9 hours and I was in heaven. I even started using Huggies Overnight diapers because he was peeing through regular ones sleeping that long. Wrong. After 1 week he started sleeping like a mess again. Ok, not really mess but back to anywhere from 3-5 hours before waking up to eat. On the weekends I get up with him in the middle of the night, then in the morning when most people would just get up, but I make us go back to sleep for a couple more hours lol. He really is NOT that bad it's just hard to coordinate your sleep schedule with a baby's. We stay up too late and Callum gets up too early.
He "found" his ear on Saturday 5/3, and it was so funny to watch him manhandle it.
On 5/7 I took him to the pediatrician. On Monday he had a terrible looking red, raised rash all on his trunk. Of course, he has some red eczema around his elbows, wrists, knees and sometimes on his trunk but nothing like this. He was also itchy his little eyes like crazy. So finagled some things around and met my mom at the pediatricians. It took forever at the appt. Anyway, we really liked her (and she called me pretty, how can you not like someone that calls you pretty?)
Comparison:
 |
| Monday - pre-treatment |
 |
| Tuesday - treatment started |
She said it IS eczema and he is having a flareup either d/t something environmental or something he ate. She said hold off on oatmeal or apples for awhile since he at that Saturday. He had had both of those earlier in the week tho and was fine. She also explained how allergies/eczema/asthma are all on the same gene and often if you get 1 you have the others. Great. Eric was an allergy asthma kid, so I was kind of expecting my kid would be too. Anyway, she gave us an rx for a steroid cream only to be used until this flare up goes away. After 1 use he already looks better. Also said he must be moisturized 2x a day with Cetaphil, and also said to give him Zyrtec.
We gave the steroid cream right away, but held off a day before giving him the Zyrtec. Yes, I was scared he'd have an allergic reaction to the Zyrtec and die in his sleep and also didn't want to overload his system with all these drugs at once. Well he slept 8 hours straight. If it's gonna have a side effect, I guess making him sleep is a good one. I wonder though if part of it is he's just not so damn itchy anymore so he wasn't as disturbed in his sleep. Last night at bedtime the side of his face was randomly SO red and irritated, and he scratched it so much he gouged the side of his forehead and had blood just dripping down. It was awful! AND my mom had just filed his nails a couple hours before. Poor kid.
Back to the doctor appt - She confirmed that his cradle cap is bad and said to use Selsom Blue. If that doesn't work we get referred to a dermatologist. Because we have tried everything and Selsom Blue is the end of the line for the regular pediatricians office. I've been putting aquaphor and now cetaphil on it the past couple days and it looks a TON better (I've been to Wegmans and Target like 3 times since Monday and have forgotten the Selsom Blue each time - oops).
He's still a pretty happy guy despite the rashiness. The PNP said "don't think for a second that he's not itchy. it is itchy." Which made me feel so bad for him! He still scratches his face up SO SO bad, like a newborn. We were like what the heck, why is he still scratching himself!? Well, the PNP said it's probably because he's trying to itch :( And him finding his ear... well probably itchy too. He had dried blood all around it at the dr appt Poor kid!!
(UPDATE - follow appt was 5/12. he looks better altho still little patches here and there. She wants us to try Clariton too and to give the meds 2x a day instead of once. THIS BOY.)
(UPDATE #3 - Taking him to an allergist today, 5/21. He looks bad again, despite treatment. Poor kid, 5 months old and already seeing an allergist.)
$20 a visit adds up (love those well baby check ups which are free lol). Funny how I NEVER go to the doctor for myself, but for your kid you don't even hesitate.
He was 16 lb 9.5 oz on 5/7, and 16 lb 12 oz on 5/12. And the nurse said several times that he was "long" for his age. Fat boy. He has refused to nurse for about a month now. Twice I got him to latch on and suck for like 10 seconds but that was it. I still pump but only get like 2 oz a day, so mostly formula at this point. Over it. Completely over it. I won't even entertain guilt anymore because I just don't care. I was told that by 4-5 months ANY breastmilk is just as good as exclusively getting breastmilk. So whatever, there's your 2 oz, Callum.
Speaking of Callum. This poor kid. His parents gave him such a difficult name for American speakers. His last name is tough enough (except it really is so easy, people just always say it wrong. At the pharmacy they were calling him Caleb Doggin. Poor baby. We say he's going to be so annoyed as he gets older, he'll just tell people to call him John, his middle name lol.
He is so rolly now. He does NOT roll totally over much at all, but he teeters side to side. I think some of that is from all his kicking. I'll put him on the floor and he's lying in one direction, say North-South and I come back and he's gotten himself in an East-West direction. It's so funny. I THINK he is slowly starting to learn his name. He'll kind of look now when you say it, but I think part of it is tone of voice.
(UPDATE: on 5/13 it was like a huge change came over him. Now he's moving even more, and just seems way more developed literally overnight. He's also doing this thing where he puts his legs straight up in the air and then slams them down. He's also finally grabbing onto his feet with his legs up in the air. it's so stinkin' cute.)
I love when I get home from work and he give me this open mouth smile when I talk to him. We are just so in love with this baby. He is so dang cute. Even when he makes his grinch baby face, he's still so cute. He does this thing with his mouth where he opens it up like an "O" and I just love it. I always kiss him then.
Tuesday 5/6 he drooled/spit up right in my mouth. Eric wrote that on the calendar.
He was evicted from his bassinet on Monday 5/12. Poor guy was totally scrunched up and had to bend his legs out to the side. I came home from work and it had been done for me. He's now sleeping in the pack n play in our room because god forbid we move this child to his actual crib. honestly though we don't have a baby monitor and that is the main reason he's not just in his crib. I am still doing tons of research on one, and looking for deals... so since I have no time... all this research will take awhile.
Sunday 5/4 was my 1st Mother's day! It was so sweet. Eric got me a card, and so did Callum. HE also gave me a hydrangea (I want to plant them in our sad yard), and my favorite chocolate. We went to the park and then family dinner at my cousin's. I love being Callum's mom!!
Friday, April 25, 2014
Drying up, pumping on
It's been no secret that my breasfeeding journey has been a STRUGGLE. The best day of Bfing was probably the 1st day. Callum was a great latcher, no issues there. He knew what to do. He was a hungry dude from day 1 but that's normal, especially because your milk hasn't come in yet. So you're just making colostrum, which isn't much, so they want to eat eat eat often. But when it finally did come in... I never made much. I didn't even know if my milk had come in, because I didn't have many signs of it (no engorgement, never leaked, etc. On a side note, I have a giant box of breastpads I never had a need for in anyone wants them!) I've documented all this before. I will not repeat it all again. This is just a preface to that fact that Callum stopped nursing 3 weeks ago. I was only nursing for snacks and comfort anyway due to all our supply/demand issues, but it was literally overnight. One day he was nursing while we were cuddling.... and the next he refused. Would scream and wiggle if I tried to latch him on. I thought maybe it was just that day. But he was like that the next, and the next, and the next...
Despite all the troubles I am still really sad that he won't nurse. I wasn't ready to give it up. I got him to latch on yesterday for about 5-10 seconds. Not that it really mattered. I am continuing to pump but my supply has dipped even more without him nursing. When I was on maternity leave I would get about 2oz per pump. When I went back to work, it went down to 1 oz PP. Now... it's 1/2 oz PP. So about 2-2.5 oz a day. That is pathetic considering he eats at least 6 oz a feeding (30-36 oz a day).
And I have done everything the past 4.5 months toboobs boost my supply. Fenugreek (8847239 capsules a day), milk thistle, mothers milk tea, lactation cookies (multiple recipes. with no increase in supply, although a definite increase in bathroom visits), tried a couple different pumps, did power pumping, pumping and/or nursing every 1-2 hours FOR 1-2 hours, changed breast shield/flange sizes, lanolin on/lanolin off the pump, skin to skin with baby, basically spending hours in bed rubbing my boobs on my baby's face. NOTHING HAS WORKED.
And, I hate pumping now. I mean I really hate it. Wake up, have to pump around my frantic morning schedule, go to work and have to squeeze in time to pump there, get home and just want to chill out and play with the baby but oh wait! have to pump. Evening routine started, maybe running some errands.. have to pump! and the absolute WORST: late at night and I want to go to bed...and then I remember. NOPE - have to pump first! Part of it is the set up and take down since I'm transporting it back and forth to work that is just a pain. Having to wash all the pump parts, pack and unpack them, roll all the tubing and wires up... then sit there with my hands stuck on the bottles while the little bit of milk creeps out. UGH. SO.SICK.OF.IT.
Yet I really don't feel ready to stop yet. Maybe because I'm still holding onto THE DREAM. Ya know, the one you have while pregnant that you're just gonna breastfeed to a year and it'll be all hunky dory. If that works out, cool. And I am happy for women it works out great for. But let me tell ya, it doesn't always work. And it makes you feel like a big ol' failure since there is now a lot of breastfeeding shaming (much of it unintentional) going on in our culture. If you're not breastfeeding, you didn't try hard enough, hence you suck as a mother.
(I don't even believe in all the propaganda related to breastfeeding! So I don't know why it bothers me so much. Keep in mind this is all my opinion but, I do NOT believe it affects IQ at all. Correlation does NOT prove Causation. For example, "they" claim breastfed babies have higher IQs. That does not mean breastfeeding caused that. What it most likely is, is higher income households tend to BF vs lower income households which tend to formula feed. And income/social status/class/poverty level etc ALL make a different in education, education levels, and intelligence. An example of correlation/causation: Group A is a tribe in Africa who are all black, and they have a higher rate of a Disease X compared to Group B, a group of white people in North America. Does that mean that darker skin makes you more susceptible to Disease X? No. Because when you look further, you see the North Americans are vaccinated against Disease X. You need to prove a CORRELATION. And not for nothing, anecdotally, an entire generation of Baby Boomers were predominately formula fed. They seem to be alright to me.
I also don't believe in the less ear infections argument. I was BF till 1 year old. My teeth are mottled due to all the antibiotics I was on for ear infections. The same causation/correlation argument applies.
I also do not believe in the whole "bonding" thing. To me that is so ruuuude. Granted, I think most BFing advocates mean it is a bonding experience, which it is and NOT that you need to BF in order TO bond (at least I hope so). But some breastfeeding "nazis" really do mean that, which is just plain ol' mean and wrong. Fathers don't breastfeed, are they not bonded to their children? My breastfeeding anxiety totally interfered with bonding in the way beginning. Giving him a bottle took so much pressure off, so I could relax, enjoy my baby, and start to bond. Now, yes, once breastfeeding was established (however crappy it was), it was a bonding experience, which is why I miss it. But it is totally used as propaganda in certain cases and I don't like that.
You cannot argue against the fact that breast milk contains antibodies and provide immunities though, which are beneficial to the baby. Also a transfer of certain vitamins, and DHA, and some other "good stuff." That was my main desire in wanting to breastfeed. Along with it being the most "natural" way to feed (we are mammals after-all, named for our mammary glands which produce milk to feed our young) and of course, it's free food.)
So. I will continue to pump for now. When will I quit? When it goes down to 1/4 oz a pump? When I hit 5 months or 6 months? (6 months was my modified goal after my 1 year goal was clearly ridiculous). I don't know. But I need to just let it go a little bit. Slowly and slowly till I'm totally over it. Callum was (almost) exclusively breastfed for 1 month. Then he got formula and breastmilk (nursing and pumped milk) until 4 months. Now he gets mostly formula and a tiny amt of pumped BM a day. At least I tried my best, and I can really say that.
Despite all the troubles I am still really sad that he won't nurse. I wasn't ready to give it up. I got him to latch on yesterday for about 5-10 seconds. Not that it really mattered. I am continuing to pump but my supply has dipped even more without him nursing. When I was on maternity leave I would get about 2oz per pump. When I went back to work, it went down to 1 oz PP. Now... it's 1/2 oz PP. So about 2-2.5 oz a day. That is pathetic considering he eats at least 6 oz a feeding (30-36 oz a day).
And I have done everything the past 4.5 months to
And, I hate pumping now. I mean I really hate it. Wake up, have to pump around my frantic morning schedule, go to work and have to squeeze in time to pump there, get home and just want to chill out and play with the baby but oh wait! have to pump. Evening routine started, maybe running some errands.. have to pump! and the absolute WORST: late at night and I want to go to bed...and then I remember. NOPE - have to pump first! Part of it is the set up and take down since I'm transporting it back and forth to work that is just a pain. Having to wash all the pump parts, pack and unpack them, roll all the tubing and wires up... then sit there with my hands stuck on the bottles while the little bit of milk creeps out. UGH. SO.SICK.OF.IT.
Yet I really don't feel ready to stop yet. Maybe because I'm still holding onto THE DREAM. Ya know, the one you have while pregnant that you're just gonna breastfeed to a year and it'll be all hunky dory. If that works out, cool. And I am happy for women it works out great for. But let me tell ya, it doesn't always work. And it makes you feel like a big ol' failure since there is now a lot of breastfeeding shaming (much of it unintentional) going on in our culture. If you're not breastfeeding, you didn't try hard enough, hence you suck as a mother.
(I don't even believe in all the propaganda related to breastfeeding! So I don't know why it bothers me so much. Keep in mind this is all my opinion but, I do NOT believe it affects IQ at all. Correlation does NOT prove Causation. For example, "they" claim breastfed babies have higher IQs. That does not mean breastfeeding caused that. What it most likely is, is higher income households tend to BF vs lower income households which tend to formula feed. And income/social status/class/poverty level etc ALL make a different in education, education levels, and intelligence. An example of correlation/causation: Group A is a tribe in Africa who are all black, and they have a higher rate of a Disease X compared to Group B, a group of white people in North America. Does that mean that darker skin makes you more susceptible to Disease X? No. Because when you look further, you see the North Americans are vaccinated against Disease X. You need to prove a CORRELATION. And not for nothing, anecdotally, an entire generation of Baby Boomers were predominately formula fed. They seem to be alright to me.
I also don't believe in the less ear infections argument. I was BF till 1 year old. My teeth are mottled due to all the antibiotics I was on for ear infections. The same causation/correlation argument applies.
I also do not believe in the whole "bonding" thing. To me that is so ruuuude. Granted, I think most BFing advocates mean it is a bonding experience, which it is and NOT that you need to BF in order TO bond (at least I hope so). But some breastfeeding "nazis" really do mean that, which is just plain ol' mean and wrong. Fathers don't breastfeed, are they not bonded to their children? My breastfeeding anxiety totally interfered with bonding in the way beginning. Giving him a bottle took so much pressure off, so I could relax, enjoy my baby, and start to bond. Now, yes, once breastfeeding was established (however crappy it was), it was a bonding experience, which is why I miss it. But it is totally used as propaganda in certain cases and I don't like that.
You cannot argue against the fact that breast milk contains antibodies and provide immunities though, which are beneficial to the baby. Also a transfer of certain vitamins, and DHA, and some other "good stuff." That was my main desire in wanting to breastfeed. Along with it being the most "natural" way to feed (we are mammals after-all, named for our mammary glands which produce milk to feed our young) and of course, it's free food.)
So. I will continue to pump for now. When will I quit? When it goes down to 1/4 oz a pump? When I hit 5 months or 6 months? (6 months was my modified goal after my 1 year goal was clearly ridiculous). I don't know. But I need to just let it go a little bit. Slowly and slowly till I'm totally over it. Callum was (almost) exclusively breastfed for 1 month. Then he got formula and breastmilk (nursing and pumped milk) until 4 months. Now he gets mostly formula and a tiny amt of pumped BM a day. At least I tried my best, and I can really say that.
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| After one of the last times he nursed |
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