My childhood best friend's mom is one of the head people in this Catholic prayer group that is held quarterly. Most of the women in the group are my grandparents generation, a good number are my parent's generation, and a very small portion are my generation. I was raised practically part of this very large Catholic family, and to be 100% honest, I always felt judged. My friend's mom would make her go to Catholic Mass every Sunday. If she spent a Saturday night with us, we'd go to church the next morning. She would then have to return home before evening Mass because our church didn't count (we were Methodist). Anyway, just a little back story thrown in there.
So the mom calls me and says they need a babysitter for these quarterly meetings. I agree because I can use any income possible. There was only one family who needed my services so it was a pretty smooth event. The one thing I was SHOCKED about was the way it was assumed I was nursing. For a "culture" that I felt had always judged me, I was surprised that so many of them #1 asked me about it and #2 were pro-breastfeeding. The majority of these women came from a generation where formula feeding was the only acceptable practice. On top of that, they're from an uber conservative sect of the population, a sect that believes sexual intercourse should be for procreation and not pleasure. So I found it odd that in this large group of women, carrying their Bibles and Rosaries, so many women asked/assumed I was nursing. One woman even brought me a heaping plate of food, even after I insisted I'd eaten and brought my own snacks. Seriously, I ate as much of it as I could. My friend came in and noted that what I had left on my plate was more than she'd been given to begin with.
I was really quite shocked and pleased to hear so many women asking about and encouraging nursing. :)
On a side note...is it bad that I mentally wished against an old lady who said she was praying that Squirmy would become a priest?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Sleep...why hast thou forsaken me?!?
So we brought home our little bundle of joy from the hospital and reveled in the joy that he would actually sleep at night. For the first 2 months of his little life, he'd wake to be fed and changed and immediately go back to sleep. Then, for TWO WHOLE MONTHS, he slept through the night. Yes, that's right, all the way from bedtime (10pm or so) until at least 5am, sometimes as late as 9am.
But then...somewhere around 4.5 months...it was all over. Our precious little sleeper turned into a nighttime nightmare. We couldn't figure it out. Nothing changed. Maybe teething? Maybe he was getting too heavy for his bassinet thingy? Maybe pay backs for 4 months of great sleeping when he should have been killing me? He would sleep for a good few solid hours in the morning in bed with me and then in our bed after I got up. Nights that started with a dose of Tylenol and an amber necklace wrapped around his leg didn't go any better than nights without.
We decided to forgo the bassinet thingy and rig up his crib to be a giant co-sleeper. We took the front off the crib and pushed it up against our bed. The slight height difference meant he could get from our bed back into the crib but couldn't get from the crib into our bed...perfect! With a real mattress and closer proximity to me, we figured it'd go better.....But it didn't. In fact, it seemed to back fire. He was now spending progressively MORE time each night in bed with me. I'm all for co-sleeping (he was in our bed for the first month of his life), but I need the space to sleep myself. Kudos to you moms who can do it. I'm quite happy with close proximity. We got to the point where he was in bed with me, ATTACHED to me ALL NIGHT LONG! No bueno.
Then Squirmy got sick and I just kept him in bed with me all night for a few nights. It was just easier and more comforting to him. Again, attached all night long and snuggled close when he wasn't attached.
Now I'm back to trying to get him to sleep in his crib. Last night he'd wake up after an hour of being in his crib. I finally just brought him into bed with me out of desperation and exhaustion.
I'm at a loss. I don't know what to try next. Do I just forget about sleep and let him sleep with us and pray that he transitions to his crib eventually? (I know DH is going to start pushing for him to be in his crib, possibly in his own room at some point...just don't know when) Do I try putting the front back on the crib and leaving it pushed up to the bed so that he's still close, but doesn't have direct access to me? Do I put the crib back together and move it away from the bed?
We do have a bedtime routine, now. That has made bedtime a million times better, but the constant waking and wanting to nurse is driving me insane. And it's not full on nursing, it's the flutter nursing, the comfort/pacifier sucking. It feels wrong to let him cry if I can fix it, but yet I'd really like him to sleep independently.
Soooo....what do you suggest? I'm open to suggestions from any side (except the CIO camp). HELP!! and Thanks!
But then...somewhere around 4.5 months...it was all over. Our precious little sleeper turned into a nighttime nightmare. We couldn't figure it out. Nothing changed. Maybe teething? Maybe he was getting too heavy for his bassinet thingy? Maybe pay backs for 4 months of great sleeping when he should have been killing me? He would sleep for a good few solid hours in the morning in bed with me and then in our bed after I got up. Nights that started with a dose of Tylenol and an amber necklace wrapped around his leg didn't go any better than nights without.
We decided to forgo the bassinet thingy and rig up his crib to be a giant co-sleeper. We took the front off the crib and pushed it up against our bed. The slight height difference meant he could get from our bed back into the crib but couldn't get from the crib into our bed...perfect! With a real mattress and closer proximity to me, we figured it'd go better.....But it didn't. In fact, it seemed to back fire. He was now spending progressively MORE time each night in bed with me. I'm all for co-sleeping (he was in our bed for the first month of his life), but I need the space to sleep myself. Kudos to you moms who can do it. I'm quite happy with close proximity. We got to the point where he was in bed with me, ATTACHED to me ALL NIGHT LONG! No bueno.
Then Squirmy got sick and I just kept him in bed with me all night for a few nights. It was just easier and more comforting to him. Again, attached all night long and snuggled close when he wasn't attached.
Now I'm back to trying to get him to sleep in his crib. Last night he'd wake up after an hour of being in his crib. I finally just brought him into bed with me out of desperation and exhaustion.
I'm at a loss. I don't know what to try next. Do I just forget about sleep and let him sleep with us and pray that he transitions to his crib eventually? (I know DH is going to start pushing for him to be in his crib, possibly in his own room at some point...just don't know when) Do I try putting the front back on the crib and leaving it pushed up to the bed so that he's still close, but doesn't have direct access to me? Do I put the crib back together and move it away from the bed?
We do have a bedtime routine, now. That has made bedtime a million times better, but the constant waking and wanting to nurse is driving me insane. And it's not full on nursing, it's the flutter nursing, the comfort/pacifier sucking. It feels wrong to let him cry if I can fix it, but yet I'd really like him to sleep independently.
Soooo....what do you suggest? I'm open to suggestions from any side (except the CIO camp). HELP!! and Thanks!
Friday, September 17, 2010
My baby's sick :(
I've been trying to write a post on sleep for over a week now. I feel like I can't really finish it because Squirmy's sleep "pattern" is being directly influenced by a virus :(
Last Saturday we took Squirmy to Downtown Disney (DTD). It's a shopping area full of all the wonders of Disney. It was a HOT, hot FL day. We had a lot of fun and probably shed a couple of lbs in sweat! DTD also means a lot of time in the car, usually a grand total of 4 hrs each day.
It didn't come as much of a surprise that his butt looked a little off the next day. Heat + probably less frequent changes + 4 hours in a non-breathing car seat = a recipe for butt irritation. I figured it'd get better on it's own with an a/c day and frequent changes. Monday told me I was wrong. The irritation was still around so I mentioned it to my hubby. No biggie, still. Some extra nakey time and maybe a sposie with diaper cream were in order for the next day.
Tuesday--Things were still off. I let him air out as much as I could and evenstole borrowed a sposie from one of the kids I watch so I could lather him up with diaper cream. Hmmm....nothing was getting worse, but it wasn't getting better either. Then I asked how Hubby had washed the diapers (yes, he helps with the diapers on occassion!). He'd forgotten the pre-soak. I assumed the poop hadn't had a fair shot of getting out of the diapers and decided to send them all through the sanitary cycle in the morning. Until then, I lathered him up and put a stolen borrowed sposie on him for the night.
He woke up SCREAMING in the middle of the night. He refused to latch and couldn't be comforted. Hubby ran off to get him a cloth diaper, thinking he was pissed about the pee laden sposie. He finally settled and went back to sleep...never did nurse...odd.
Wednesday his butt was worse :( I consulted Dr. Google and Dr. Twitter. From the best I could tell, he had a yeast diaper rash. The pictures didn't match what I was seeing on his butt, but some of them almost looked like it could be the same thing. The descriptions of yeast diaper rash were mostly different from Squirmy's symptoms, but the pimply description matched. The only kind of diaper rash that included pimply was yeast. And pimply was the only way I could describe Squirmy's butt. A couple of moms said my pictures of his butt were definitely yeast and a couple said they didn't think so.
I tried a bath in water and apple cider vinegar...WRONG MOVE! His mildly red bottom turn red hot and irritated beyond belief. :( And I suddenly noticed bumps in other places on his body :( I was worried about it spreading to the other kids I watch (I've heard some people say yeast spreads and other say it doesn't). We packed up and headed to Evening Pediatrics which is like a pediatric walk-in-clinc...so grateful they have something like that.
Not yeast...Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease :( No this is not hoof and mouth disease; two totally different things! But that explains his low grade fever and general discontent. She said he has terrible blisters in his throat...which she found out by shoving a tongue depressor down his throat until he screamed. No treatment...just lots of cuddling, nursing, and a 4 hour cycle of acetaminophen.
Since Wednesday evening, Squirmy's been getting acetaminophen every 4 hours (except over-night) and losing his mind 3.5 hours after each dose. Nights have been better simply because I've just kept him in bed with me and he's stayed attached to me most of the night. I gave up trying to move him to his crib (which is like a big co-sleeper in effect) for right now. His sleep is more important than mine. His rash has gone away and so has his fever. I think we're still dealing with throat blisters since he's still melting down every 3.5 hours (let me tell you, that 45 min between being able to give the next dose and waiting for it to take effect is HELL).
So here's hoping today is better and the end of symptoms...
Last Saturday we took Squirmy to Downtown Disney (DTD). It's a shopping area full of all the wonders of Disney. It was a HOT, hot FL day. We had a lot of fun and probably shed a couple of lbs in sweat! DTD also means a lot of time in the car, usually a grand total of 4 hrs each day.
It didn't come as much of a surprise that his butt looked a little off the next day. Heat + probably less frequent changes + 4 hours in a non-breathing car seat = a recipe for butt irritation. I figured it'd get better on it's own with an a/c day and frequent changes. Monday told me I was wrong. The irritation was still around so I mentioned it to my hubby. No biggie, still. Some extra nakey time and maybe a sposie with diaper cream were in order for the next day.
Tuesday--Things were still off. I let him air out as much as I could and even
He woke up SCREAMING in the middle of the night. He refused to latch and couldn't be comforted. Hubby ran off to get him a cloth diaper, thinking he was pissed about the pee laden sposie. He finally settled and went back to sleep...never did nurse...odd.
Wednesday his butt was worse :( I consulted Dr. Google and Dr. Twitter. From the best I could tell, he had a yeast diaper rash. The pictures didn't match what I was seeing on his butt, but some of them almost looked like it could be the same thing. The descriptions of yeast diaper rash were mostly different from Squirmy's symptoms, but the pimply description matched. The only kind of diaper rash that included pimply was yeast. And pimply was the only way I could describe Squirmy's butt. A couple of moms said my pictures of his butt were definitely yeast and a couple said they didn't think so.
I tried a bath in water and apple cider vinegar...WRONG MOVE! His mildly red bottom turn red hot and irritated beyond belief. :( And I suddenly noticed bumps in other places on his body :( I was worried about it spreading to the other kids I watch (I've heard some people say yeast spreads and other say it doesn't). We packed up and headed to Evening Pediatrics which is like a pediatric walk-in-clinc...so grateful they have something like that.
Not yeast...Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease :( No this is not hoof and mouth disease; two totally different things! But that explains his low grade fever and general discontent. She said he has terrible blisters in his throat...which she found out by shoving a tongue depressor down his throat until he screamed. No treatment...just lots of cuddling, nursing, and a 4 hour cycle of acetaminophen.
Since Wednesday evening, Squirmy's been getting acetaminophen every 4 hours (except over-night) and losing his mind 3.5 hours after each dose. Nights have been better simply because I've just kept him in bed with me and he's stayed attached to me most of the night. I gave up trying to move him to his crib (which is like a big co-sleeper in effect) for right now. His sleep is more important than mine. His rash has gone away and so has his fever. I think we're still dealing with throat blisters since he's still melting down every 3.5 hours (let me tell you, that 45 min between being able to give the next dose and waiting for it to take effect is HELL).
So here's hoping today is better and the end of symptoms...
Monday, September 13, 2010
Great Deal on Great Explorations
This post is for Tampa Bay people. Though if you're not from this area, you can still find out if Savvy Source is in your area and sign up for great deals!
Savvy Source is offering a deal for Great Explorations membership. The membership is regularly $100 but you can get it for $50 if you follow this link. The membership includes unlimited admission for up to 5 members to the museum for one year, 20% off birthday parties, 10% off great stuff in the museum store, invitations to members only parties and previews, subscription to Great News newsletters for one year, early registration and discounts for camps. Plus the Touch Tunnel is coming back in October!! Take a look at all they have to offer here and then go here for your discounted membership!! I really hope they make this offer again later when Squirmy will be old enough to enjoy it!
It's offered through Savvy Source, who is doing great things for preschoolers and families in the community, including giving money to local preschools and scholarships to local preschoolers. It's a pretty awesome deal and Great X is so much fun.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Charlie Banana Review and Giveaway
I "met" Charlie Banana on Twitter during one of the many chats. The author behind the handle was sweet and friendly. I started following Twitter and soon after on Facebook as well. That's where I happened to get the opportunity to review Charlie Banana products!
Charlie Banana sent me this great pack of goodies! They sent me a wet bag (finally!), a one size diaper with 2 inserts and a disposable insert, a sized diaper with 2 inserts and a disposable insert (in an awesome orbit print), 2 kinds of wipes, and a swim diaper!! So much awesomeness in 1 little package!!
I couldn't wait to break into my Squirmy's goodies. First up, sized diaper! The diaper has the cutest orbit print! Squirmy is barely 15lbs and at the very small end of the weight range. I love this diaper!! It has 3 snaps on each wing, which at first seemed a bit excessive, BUT makes for a great custom fit. The lining is super soft and the pocket is easy to stuff. The pocket opens in the front and has an overlap which holds in the disposable insert. I haven't had a single leak with this diaper and I don't have to worry about it. The rise is quite high in the front, but again, he's at the smallest end of the range.
I tried out the disposable insert one day when I had to attend a training. I stuffed the diaper as usual and then placed the disposable insert on top. I wanted to make it as easy to change him as possible...just yank the disposable insert out and the rest of the diaper would be good to go. Only problem was that he fell asleep in his carseat for over an hour...and NO diaper does well when he poos in his carseat. The disposable insert or not, the whole diaper had to be changed. I was sad but I don't think that was a fair shot.
This was the best shot I could get...Squirmy was living up to his name!
I also love the one size diaper. The one size feature is done through adjustable elastic inside the legs. It's a lot easier to use than I thought and makes the diaper so much more attractive without all those snaps on the front! Again 3 snaps on each side makes for a great fit and there is an ability to overlap. I'm not sure how small of a child this would work on. Squirmy is rather skinny/lanky and we have it snapped at the first non-overlapping option. The one size is actually less bulky than the sized diaper for us right now.
(real boys wear pink)
Overall pros:
- high quality material
- snap closure
- fun prints
- hybrid feature
- great absorbency (even when Squirmy fell asleep before I expected and I couldn't double stuff one for the night)
- flat sewn tags on the shells (I hate the look of raggedy tags, and Squirmy always grabs at tags now)
- big tags that stay flat after washings on inserts (easy to grab onto to unstuff when wet)
- 2 full size inserts come with each diaper
- so cute!!
- super friendly customer service
Overall cons:
- high rise on the sized diaper
- front pocket opening (I prefer back since I have a boy and the front is ALWAYS wet)
P.S. The wipes, the swim diaper, and wet bag are also awesome!!
SOOOOO....Who wants to win one before you can buy them?!? One lucky reader will win one hybrid 2-in-1-Reusable Diaper with two inserts!
Mandatory Entry:
You must follow my blog via GFC. If you're email address is not visible on your profile, please leave it in at least one of your entries so I can contact you :) Then, go to CharlieBanana.com and tell me which product sounds the most exciting!
Extra Entries:
Follow @CharlieBanana on Twitter
Tweet about this giveaway, must include @CharlieBanana and a link to this post (http://bit.ly/a9lO3B) (1 per day, please leave permalink in entry)
Blog about this giveaway, include a link to your post in your entry (3 entries)
Non-Entries but good karma:
Like Charlie Banana on Facebook and tell them I sent you (I got to try out their diapers by following them on Facebook...so do it!)
Follow me on Twitter
Giveaway closes October 1st at midnight EST. I will use Random.org to chose a winner, email the winner, and post it on Saturday, October 2nd. Good luck!!
**These products were given to me free of charge to review. The opinions expressed are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.
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