Diapers

I've seen a lot of facebook status updates about diapers and diaper brands, so I thought that I'd do a quick little blog so I can remember for the next child.

Newborn
Pampers Swaddler diapers are much softer and more absorbent than most diapers and don't cause rashes. I made the mistake of using off brand wipes on Micah and his poor little tooshie paid for that mistake. Next time around I'll definitely use the sensitive wipes until I feel like their bottom has toughened up a bit.

3 Months and Up
Once their bowel movements are a little more predictable and solid and their bottoms are a little tougher, I switch to off brand diapers during the day and the name brand diapers a night in order to save a little money. The only off brand that isn't really a "bargain" has been the Walmart brand Family Choice because I have to change their diapers more often due to leaking. Although, I have friends who have had good luck with them. I've also found that although Pampers is a little more expensive than LUVS or Huggies, they hold more and cover more of the boys' bottoms and are worth the price. I also have a "Strike Three" rule - after 3 blowouts/major leaks I up the diaper size.

Between 12 & 18 Months
Both of my boys began to wet through their night time diapers even though I was putting them in name brand diapers as well as in one size bigger than they wear during the day. Micah woke up several nights in a row one week soaked ... I quickly mastered changing a toddler's clothes and diaper in the dark. Eventually I gave in and bought Pampers special overnight diapers. Again, they are more expensive, but if it saves me having to change an entire outfit every night and getting more quality sleep for both me and Micah it's worth it.

Potty Training
I don't do Pull-Ups (you can read my potty training blog for more details). I think that I can just as easily take off and put on a normal diaper for early potty training and save the extra dollars. When Jackson was in his later stages of potty training I put him in underwear and never looked back ... I just hope I'm as lucky with Micah.

Cloth Diapers
I'm not an expert on cloth diapers all I know is that there are SO MANY different brands to choose from. I have a lot of friends who use them for various different reasons. I'm a just a little too lazy for them perhaps. If you have questions about them I know some great women who would love to answer any questions you have!

6 Month Check Up

Micah had his 6 month check up today and I am pleased to report that he is a healthy little boy. I was a little nervous about the appointment because it was scheduled for 10:30 (right in the middle of his morning nap), but he did very well ... hardly fussed at all (we'll see how he makes up for the missed nap this afternoon).

Anyway, here are the stats:
17.11 lbs 50%
27 inches long 75%
45 inch head circumference 77%

Micah's pediatrician said that his percentage in weight going down from 60% to 50% is normal for his age as he begins to be more active, but not increase his caloric intake by much. He's comfortable with Micah being on a four hour feeding schedule during the day with two additional solid feedings (by the way, he tried squash for the first time on Sunday and LOVED it) and going twelve hours between feedings at night.

He suggested that I start offering a little bit of water in a sippy cup at the end of each solid feeding to start learning how to drink from a cup and because the fluoride in the water benefits his teeth. I also learned that combining foods with vitamin C (like most fruits) with iron fortified cereal helps his body to better absorb the iron. He also said that it's normal that Micah has gone from pooping every day to pooping every two to three days (as long as his poop is not rock hard there's nothing to worry about).

He got four more shots and downed the rota vaccine like it was sugar water. Jackson comforted him when he cried from the shots (what a good big brother) and for the most part Micah handled them like a champ (I still gave him a dose of Tylenol right before the shots just in case).

Anyway, I feel TOTALLY blessed to have two healthy little boys!!

5 Months

It seems like it's been awhile since I've posted about our progress. Colin was on vacation for a week and a half so we've been traveling like crazy! It's been wonderful to visit places and see people, but it has been difficult on our routines.

Micah was doing about a three and a half hour feeding schedule with one two hour feeding towards the end of the night to keep up the five feedings and to also keep up the twelve hours of sleep he was getting at night. I also started feeding him baby oatmeal once a day at his 5 o'clock feeding. However, when we were on vacation in the Midwest Micah was not nursing well. He'd eat one side (maybe) and then nurse only a tiny bit on the other side. I attributed it to a flexible routine and him having a cold. There were a few times that he went longer than three and a half hours and he nursed MUCH better (I thought maybe he was getting ready to go on a four hour feeding schedule before we left, but I wanted to wait until we were back from vacation and in a normal routine), so I "sucked it up" and switched him to a four hour feeding schedule and added one more feeding of oatmeal at the end of our trip. I was surprised at how easily he fell into a four hour routine. Now Micah's routine looks like this (knock on wood because as soon as I write this something will change I'm sure):

7:30 nurse
9:30 nap
11:30 nurse and feed solid food
1:30 nap
3:30 nurse and feed solid food (although I'm thinking about doing solids around supper time instead, so that when he's weaned from nursing it'll be an easier transition to our meal time, but I don't want to create a habit of eating every 2 to 3 hours still)
5:30 short nap (this nap can get easily skipped if need be)
7:30 nurse and bed



Micah also started rolling from his tummy to his back pretty consistently this month and he can sit up for a few seconds without assistance. His drool output has definitely increased this month and perhaps we'll be seeing a tooth in the next little while (Jackson didn't get his first tooth until 7 months so we'll see). He's a happy little guy and although he hasn't made any consonant sounds yet he loves to jabber. He's a cuddle bug too. Sometimes if he fusses at the beginning of a nap all I have to do is cuddle with him for a few minutes and then put him back in his crib and he goes right to sleep. (By the way, I'm still swaddling him for his naps and he still takes a pacifier. For bed time, I put socks on his hands (I know it sounds silly)so that he doesn't accidentally scratch himself and to discourage him from sucking his thumb.) He's also very tender hearted when it comes to his brother ... if Jackson is crying Micah will cry too and the minute Jackson stops so does Micah.

I haven't had much Mommy and Jackson time lately due to our traveling, but Jackson has not been deprived at all (time with great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins, going to Disneyland, etc.) He's grown up so much these past couple of weeks. I LOVE watching him play with other children ... his personality begins to shine. Despite being sick with a cold at the end of our vacation Jackson has been SUCH a trouper with all of the crazy traveling we've been doing lately. I really am proud of his maturity in that regard.

My boys are growing up WAY too fast, but it's been such an honor and a blessing to watch!!

Weeks 19 & 20

Not much to report these two weeks. I've been starting to work out about two times a week for about 30 minutes of cardio and 15 - 20 mins of weight lifting, but have noticed that I need to start watching what I'm eating ... yeah I'm beginning to wonder if I'm gaining weight. I'm trying not to worry about it, but just change my lifestyle a little.

I gave Micah rice cereal at the end of week 19 because he was waking up an hour or two earlier in the mornings. The cereal helped a little, but I think it made him a little constipated. I stopped feeding the cereal to him and he was still sleeping fine. I took some stool softener to get him to poop a little more comfortably at the end of week 20 and he is doing much better. I think I'll hold off on the cereal for a couple more weeks. I wonder if my milk supply was down a little and that's why he was waking up so I pumped a little extra during week 19 and increased my fluid intake as well and things seem like they're back to normal. Micah is also taking a bottle regularly from Colin on Monday nights. YEAH! The medium flow Nuby Naturals with really warm milk is what he seems to prefer.

I'm in the process of looking for some very simple and flexible curriculum to start with Jackson. He's been in Sunday school for the past three weeks and has started a Bible verse/ Catechism memory chart. I'm impressed with how quickly he is picking up on the verses and questions. I'm even more impressed that he takes time to ask what the verses or answers mean. Anyway, he REALLY likes Mommy and Jackson time and it's obvious that he can handle a little more structured learning now, so if any of you have any suggestions for curriculum for a two year old your input would be greatly appreciated.

Week 18: Bottle and Boogie Man Battles

Micah had his 4 month check up this week and everything went well. He's 15 lbs 14oz and is 25 inches long. He's in the 60% for weight and 75% for height and head size. Other than a little eczema on his back the doctor said he looks like a healthy little boy! YEAH! Thank the LORD!

That being said, this past week we have been battling with Micah to take a bottle. Last week we bought a new brand of bottles to see if he would like it and he even took 5 ounces from me. BUT he hasn't wanted anything to do with the bottle since! I should have started giving him one regularly when he was a little younger ... (sigh) who knows he might have STILL had problems even now. Well, we're NOT giving up, so if any of you moms out there have any good advice for me I'd love to hear it.

Other than that Micah's week was pretty good. He was out of routine on Sunday so he did have a little bit of a hard time adjusting to naps again on Monday and Tuesday. He also woke up in the middle of the night on Wednesday due to his shots (he got four shots and an oral rota virus vaccine), but I just gave him a little Tylenol and as soon as that kicked in he went right back to sleep.

Jackson had a great week too, but we are just starting to battle his active imagination at night time. Nothing to unmanageable, but still a battle none-the-less. I didn't help matters much yesterday night ... I let Jackson watch "Toy Story." Usually I skip past the scary parts, but I was talking to my friend on the phone about my bottle dilemma with Micah and forgot to pay attention. In the middle of our conversation I heard Jackson yell, "MOMMY! MOMMY, MOMMY!" in the most frightened voice I'd ever heard come out of his little mouth. I quickly turned off the T.V. and ended the conversation with my friend (sorry Rachel). Jackson was so scared that he wouldn't even go near the T.V. He just wanted to go upstairs and cuddle with his daddy who was on a conference call for work (that was part of the reason I let him watch the movie in the first place). We interrupted the meeting for a quick cuddle and then Jackson was fine. I felt SO bad! We talked about how the movie was just pretend and how God will protect him and take care of him. I was fully expecting to be up in the night with Jackson, but he didn't wake up at all (thank you Jesus). Whew! I learned MY lesson!

Week 17: A Quick One

This week was so similar to last week that I almost didn't blog it, but there are a few notes to myself that I need to make.

My progress: I ran out of my DHA supplement that my midwives suggested I take during my pregnancy and while nursing. It enhances your memory and mood. Not to mention that it's chalk full of Omega-3s which is also good for your heart as well. I did see a change in my mood this week so I quickly ordered a refill.

Micah: I finally got Micah to take a full bottle this week. I tried one bottle a day for about three or four days this week. He takes it best while I'm walking around with him. I also switched from the Evenflo bottles to the drop-in Playtex bottles. He seems to be taking the fast latex natural latch nipple well, but I'm hoping to switch him to the silicone as soon as he'll take it because I guess the more he's exposed to latex the higher risk he has of developing an allergy to latex. Anyway, I think we will continue to try and give him one bottle a week at bedtime so that he's okay with taking an occasional bottle from a babysitter.

Jackson: we have "Mommy and Jackson Time" at 10:30 almost every morning now. I'm a little bored of playing "cars" so I found a great website called Toddler Toddler that has some fun ideas for things to do with Jackson during that time. This week we made our own puzzles out of scrap pictures, we visited a virtual circus (on YouTube) and made his bedroom into a library (he had his own library card and everything). We had a couple of sunny days this week too, so being outside helped too! I'd love to hear other mom's ideas on how to entertain a toddler without just turning on a video (which is very appropriate and tempting at times, but I TRY to make it my last resort).

Week 16: CLICK

Things really seemed to click this week for all of us. I'm sure it helped that none of us are sick right now. Sunday and Monday were the most difficult days of the week because Sunday is compelety out of routine with church and Monday is spent trying to get back into the routine that was interrupted on Sunday. I remember this to be true with Jackson too up until he was even a year old. Worshiping our Lord and Savior is well worth the sacrifice of a routine though and I'm not going to change anything in that regard. I know that Micah will learn how to bounce back quicker over time.

Well, I stuck to the three hour schedule this week like I planned and things are going well. This is the first time that I really feel like we have a good routine established. For my sake and perhaps for yours I'll write down what our daily routine looks like:

7:00am - Jackson wakes up and has time with Colin before Colin goes to work.
7:30am - Micah nurses and Colin is off to work.
8:00am - Micah has awake time downstairs while Jackson and I eat breakfast.
8:45am - Micah goes down for a nap and Jackson and I get cleaned up and dressed for the day. Then we have our morning one on one play time.
10:30am - Micah nurses and Jackson has alone play time until Micah is done and then we all play together.
12:00pm - Micah goes down for a nap and Jackson and I eat lunch.
1:00pm - Jackson goes down for a nap and I get some alone play time (SIGH).
1:30pm - Micah nurses and we have one on one play time.
3:00pm - Micah goes down for a nap and I have a little time to do devotions, rest or plan supper.
4:00pm - Jackson wakes up from his nap.
4:30pm - Micah nurses.
5:30pm - I start getting supper ready.
6:00pm - Colin comes home from work and we have supper and Micah goes down for a nap.
6:30pm - Colin and Jackson have one on one play time.
7:15pm - Wake up Micah and Jackson starts to get ready for bed.
7:30pm - Bible time with Jackson and Micah.
7:45pm - Jackson in bed and Micah gets ready for bed and nurses.
8:00pm - Micah in bed.

That's pretty much how the week went this week. It gets more complicated when you add in going grocery shopping and the library, which I'm so proud that I accomplished this week as well. I was also able to clean my entire house and do all the laundry this friday too (my sister and her brother-in-law are visiting this weekend) which I haven't done since before Micah was born.

Colin and I celebrated Valentine's last night by getting a babysitter and going out to eat. I was so excited because Micah and Jackson had had a GREAT day of naps and playtime and I got cleaning done and Colin came home early from work it was a GREAT day!! We enjoyed a wonderful meal at a very nice restaurant, but the babysitter called and said that Micah wouldn't take the bottle I prepared for him. Luckily we were pretty much done with dinner and didn't sound like Micah was too fussy. So, we finished up and headed home to feed Micah. We hadn't tried giving him a bottle since he was about 10 weeks old, so I wasn't sure how he'd do with it. We were able to successfully give Jackson a bottle at least once a week, so that freed us to go on dates whenever we wanted or needed to. This will be our next goal for Micah!!

Good week all in all!!

Week 15

Whenever I write these notes to myself I try and think about what I would want to be reminded of when I am in the same or similar boat with another baby (if God chooses to bless us with another one). So, please forgive my randomness, but I do have a rhyme and reason to my writings.

My Recovery: I STILL don't fit back into my normal clothes. I'm fighting the bulge around my belly, sides and back. I have started to work out about two days a week on the elliptical trainer for about 30 - 45 mins and doing a little bit of weight lifting too. My appetite is still large, but I'm not craving sweets as much as I used to when I was getting up for feedings in the middle of the night. Oh yeah and I'm losing my hair like CRAZY too! Most days Colin takes the car and we stay home so cabin fever is a problem sometimes. However, I'm not sure we'd go anywhere anyway since Micah is still trying to work through getting his naps established and consistent. Colin has been gracious enough to let me have a Starbucks night to myself every Monday night after the kids go to bed. I've been able to work on my play during that time and it has made me feel like I'm more than just a mom. Not that being just a mom is bad ... I'm sure you moms understand. Anyway, it's been SO nice to have Micah sleeping through the night! I have not needed a nap for the past couple of days and have been able to get some things done while both of the boys are asleep in the afternoon. The only downfall about not having the car and having a child that naps a lot is that I'm finding grocery shopping and meal planning a bit difficult. I'm hoping to work on that in the up coming weeks.

Micah's Progress: After the bronchiolitis cleared up Micah began to sleep through the night 12 hours. There were about two or three nights when he was waking up out of habit between 11pm and 12am and then again at 3am -4am. I let him cry through the first round knowing that he was not hungry and then fed him at 4am until he was not longer taking a full feeding at 7am (his normal first feeding of the day) at which point I knew he could make it 12 hours between feedings. I think I've been a little too flexible with his daytime schedule though going between 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 and sometimes even 4 hour feedings and that may have thrown off his nap schedule. He was back to sleeping between 45 min to an hour max and waking up crying. I decided at the end of the week to put him on a strict 3 hour schedule. The goal is to get him to have an hour and a half of wake time and then an hour and a half nap. That would mean he'd have four naps in a day and five feedings. Yesterday was a disaster, but today has been promising. I also started swaddling him again for naps in case he just needed that little extra snuggle to get him through the transitions in his sleep cycles. We'll see how next week goes.

Jackson's Progress: Jackson came down with a terrible cold this week and there were a couple of nights I spent the night on his bedroom floor so that when he woke up from a coughing fit I could give him a sip of water (the only thing that would sooth his cough). We had to encourage him not to love on Micah too much, but that's SO hard for him and for me ... I want him to be able to love on his brother, but I just wish that didn't involve sharing germs. I'm not certain if Jackson had the same cold as Micah. Jackson had a fever for two days with his cold and Micah did not. I'm hoping that either way we are in the clear and at the end of these terrible colds. I've also found this week that I need to schedule some one on one time with Jackson. We were able to do this Thursday morning and then in the afternoon Jackson took it VERY well when I told him that I needed to get some things done around the house and that he needed to have play time by himself for a little bit. I'm looking forward to the days when the boys will entertain each other, but I also know that means my role will change from playmate to mediator. :)

Week 14 - Propped Up and Sucked Out

I can't believe Micah is 14 weeks old already. This past week was a blur with the sickness in our household. I'd MUCH rather have a pukey flu for 24 - 48 hours than the miserable-mess-with-your-breathing-and-possibly-cause-an-infection-in-the-lungs-or-ears cold that we've had for a little over a week now. Both of my kids have been propped up and sucked out so many times this week I'll be so peeved if we end up with ear infections in the end of all of this.

HOWEVER, I can't complain ... I just started following a family's blog who found out their ten month old daughter has stage four cancer. While rocking my relatively healthy little boy I've cried tears of joy and gratitude for what God has blessed me with and tears of compassion for that little girl and her family who are now undergoing chemo therapy treatments. I take SO much of my life and the gifts that God has given me for granted.

We ended up going to the doctor last Thursday with Micah and confirmed that he had bronchiolitis caused by RSV. He was sucking in his ribs when he as breathing and was having TERRIBLE coughing fits (to the point where he'd gag and empty his stomach). The doctor gave us a prescription for albuterol (which I was familiar with when Jackson had RSV at 18 months), but instead of a nebulizer machine the doctor sent us home with a prescription for an inhaler pump and a chamber and mask contraption. I like that WAY better than the nebulizer: 1. the nebulizer takes too long and the pump is two sprays and your done. 2. the nebulizer is so LOUD and the pump obviously is not ... I even gave Micah a treatment in his sleep once. 3. I'd have to rent and return a nebulizer machine, but I own the chamber and mask. Both of them still have a mask which the kids are not fond of, but hey it works. Micah slept MUCH better after he had the albuterol and it didn't seem to get him wound up like it did for Jackson. Unfortunately the doctor said the pump is not less likely to cause an ear infection ... that's just the nature of the RSV beast. GRRR. So far we've been able to ward off any signs of an ear infection, but I just started to put Micah to sleep in his propped up bed instead of the swing or car seat.

The cough and runny noses are still lingering here, but not NEARLY as bad as they were last week. Micah has FINALLY been able to master the skill of putting himself back to sleep if he wakes up early from a nap. We've had to cry it out a couple of times at night this past week as well. I think with all of the sickness Micah has had to break some habits of getting up in the middle of the night. Last night was a pretty good night ... he only woke up once a 2am but pretty much went right back to sleep and then at 5am to eat. I'm hopeful that we will be done with this cold soon and things will settle down a little.

P.S. I've included some fun pictures that we took yesterday. My kids are obviously handling this whole sickness thing better than I am! :)

Week 13: CIO Update

Just when I gave up on the whole CIO (Cry It Out) method, because no matter what Micah was only sleeping 30 - 45 minutes at a time and then would scream (maybe not that extreme, but that's what it felt like to me) until the next feeding, it worked! Micah started taking longer naps this past Saturday. His morning nap was 2 hours without a PEEP and the afternoon nap was 3 hours without a PEEP! Amazing! We're still working out all of the kinks and of course the Sunday church schedule set us back a day or two, but we're getting there. I'm hopeful anyway.

Yesterday and today he's still been waking up 30 - 45 minutes into his nap, but he cries/fusses for about 5 minutes and then goes back to sleep. I can handle that ... it's the crying for almost an hour straight that I can't handle. He's finally learned to calm himself down and most of the time he can do it without his pacifier!! YEAH!! For a couple of his naps, if he can't put himself back to sleep, I've been putting him in the swing and he sleeps longer too ... I did that on Friday and I think that's part of the reason why he slept so well on Saturday.

He's still doing well at night (sleeping between 8 1/2 - 9 1/2 hours), but will wake up to eat at 3:30am. That's fine because he goes to bed so early, BUT then he nurses really well and won't eat at 7am. This morning I tried to only nurse him a little at 3:30am, but then he couldn't make it until 7am. I'm thinking I might try nursing him fully at 3:30am (he obviously needs it still) and then wait until 7:30am for his first daytime feeding. We'll see how it works.