Naptime Blog

Tristan has always been a great sleeper, until recently. The last three nights have been horrible. Last night was especially taxing. Tristan woke up at 3 am after only going to bed at 10pm. After a half hour of destroying his crib and mobile I let him play in his room. He was standing in his crib and turning around, then he would grab two animals on his mobile, sit down and let the mobile go. This caused it to shoot up and he would laugh.

Around 3:30 am I put a baby gate in the hallway so he could play in his nursery or the guest bedroom. Finally he went to bed at 5:30, so when 6:15 rolled around, he was not happy about waking up. We have a routine in the morning, I learned early on to get us both out the door on time, this is best. I start by turning his light on and playing some music. Then I softly say his name a few times, after that I pull his blanket off and pick him up. This led him to start grunting and yelling at me. Tristan was being so stubborn I almost dropped him, so I sat him back down. Then he locked his body, when he does that he is so impossible. Needless I was 45 minutes late leaving.

The morning was just not going well. When we got to daycare after a short ten minute ride he was fast asleep. When dropping Tristan off I like to tell his provider things like when he ate last, what time he woke up, and when his last diaper change was. I forget that she has all wood floors, and with Tristan crawling I can’t put footed pajamas on him because it causes him to slip and slide. When I forgot it is not an issue, I always have extra clothes there. She informed me that his extra outfit didn’t fit. I was already really late and I could not afford the time to go home, our quick fix solution was to cut the feet out of his pajamas.

Then she dropped the next little bomb shell, she was out of baby food. In addition to the three bottles of formula, Tristan gets a jar of baby food. I must have looked super stressed because she asked if she could give him apple sauce. I read the jar and it was all natural, no sugar added so I said yes. I finally made it to work almost an hour late, and that is when my cell phone rang. Tristan has spit up all over his one outfit and she didn’t know what to do. I really wanted to cry, a night of no sleep and a horrible morning was just enough to throw me over the edge.

I called his father and he was 2 hours away, as am I.  Tristan is at daycare in nothing but a diaper while she washes his clothes. The weekend can not come soon enough, I need a break. I love being a Mother but sometimes it is the most stressful job in the world.

-Chrystal

Sunny Florida hasn’t been so sunny the last 10 days, though it seems like it has been longer. The day before all of our rainstorms, I couldn’t help myself when I saw this and purchased this really cute Disney inflatable for the pool. Its got Mickey’s Clubhouse on it and a little sunshade with 2 holes for baby’s legs. I was so excited to get in the pool once Shaughn was over a cold he was having. Well, now that he’s over it, the sun refuses to shine!

All this weather is just a wet reminder that hurricane season is not too far away. We’ve been through hurricanes before but not with a baby. Being young and on our own, we never stocked up on batteries, but we did have board games! We didn’t really get canned food, just bags of snacks and soda. And when I lost power for 10 days in 2005, it didn’t really bug me that there wasn’t television because I had friends in the neighborhood who would come over and we’d make time fly by with games, silly activities.

Now, we need to have plenty of batteries to make sure all Shaughn’s toys are operative in the event there isn’t power! Perhaps even a portable, battery powered DVD player because he loves his Baby Einstein videos. We need to have plenty of water, food for us and food for Baby! Things change when you have a family of your own… ok, AND when you don’t have the same 20 year old metabolism to survive off of junk food ! Since we have been locked indoors with heavy storms, we’ve done indoor activities. What kind of indoor activities do you do with your child when fun in the sun is being interrupted by rain?

-Krystle

We are going on a 5 day weekend vacation to Williamsburg, Virginia next week…  That is me, my husband, my seven year old daughter, my twin sons, my father-in-law and his wife.  We are all driving in one car (my father-in-law’s truck with a hitch and a roof rack) and leaving NYC around 4 am Friday morning.  Are we nuts?

Since it is still spring, I am not sure exactly what to pack.  Do I bring mostly pants and jeans for the kids or shorts and tank tops?  Spring is so unpredictable (especially these days!) so I am unsure.  I know it will be a few degrees higher in Virginia, but even there it could be a bit chilly, and since space is tight, I have to be careful with what I do.

What ticks me off is that my husband called the hotel to reserve two cribs for our twins and was told that they do not reserve them, as it is on a first come, first served basis.  Of course we can’t take any chances, so along with everything else, we need to take two Pak ‘N Plays for them.  I guess this is a blessing in disguise, because I am never keen about sharing cribs, and I just feel safer knowing my babies are sleeping in a clean place!

OK, so right off the bat we have to take:  two Pack ‘N Plays, two car seats (obviously), their double stroller (which is big and bulky anyway!), luggage with clothing, baby bottles and formula, baby food jars and spoons, cheerios and puffs, regular diapers, swim diapers and overnights diapers (plus wipes), some books and toys to keep them occupied, bibs, baby wash, and more.  And this is just for the two littlest members of our family!

Then of course there is Juliana, our seven year old.  I went through her drawers yesterday to pick out her clothes and put them in the suitcase that I will be sharing with her, and I was once again amazed at how messy a seven year old girl can be!  Her drawers were an absolute mess!  I cannot believe how many things I found with tags on them rolled in a ball along with clothes two sizes too small!  Ok, I am very much at fault here for not going through her old clothes more frequently, but in my defense, I only did this at the beginning of winter when I changed to her winter clothes!  She had Christmas presents and birthday presents that I had originally put all in one drawer for her when I put them away, but somehow they are now mixed with all the other clothes rolled into a ball of mess!  So before I was able to pack for her, I had to sort through what fit and what didn’t, what was old and what was new, plus what was season appropriate and what was not.  Done.

And then it was off to shop.  We first went to Babies R Us to get travel sized baby wash, powder, baby food and Puffs, those little traveling plastic placemats to stick on restaurant tables so baby can self-feed, Benadryl, and new convertible car seats (because they have almost outgrown their infant ones and need to be comfortable on our 5 hour drive).  So the car seats were not in stock, there was no travel sized baby wash (so I bought a regular sized one and figure I will just use it at home when we return), there was no baby powder in the store at all (never mind travel sized!), the only Puffs they had were strawberry (which the pediatrician said not to give them until a year old!), and for the life of me I could not find any baby Benadryl (or any Benadryl, for that matter!)

So by the time my husband and I got to the register (and we still managed to spend $70 – go figure!), I was ticked off!  I asked the clerk why nothing was in stock and he said that Saturdays are their busiest days (we shopped on a Sunday afternoon).  Um, Babies R Us cannot prepare in advance for a busy Saturday and plan to have a restock on Saturday night or Sunday morning?  Wow!  So I finished my shopping at Walmart.  Should have just gone there in the beginning!

As I cross off items from my list of things to pack (I live by lists!), I keep adding things to them!  By the time we are all done loading my father-in-law’s truck, there will be no room for us!  Oh well, I am still looking forward to a very well deserved five day family vacation.  And I hope it all goes well, we are planning a week long road trip to Myrtle Beach in August!

Jennifer
Mom to Juliana (7), Louis (9m) and Anthony (9m)
Expecting #4 in September!
www.nevaland.com

When my OB told me we needed to deliver baby Jayce at 37 wks due to low fluid. I was overly excited. I was TIRED of being pregnant!!! I didn’t gain much weight with the pregnancy so I knew that I didn’t have a BIG baby on board. I never expected him to be soooo small though. Baby Jayce entered the world Jan. 6th 2009 weighting in at 5.2lbs. & 19 in. long. I had already planned to give breastfeeding a try. With Jayce being so small he had a difficult time latching on (NO fun). So the lactation consultant suggested we start pumping to get our little guy going. They offered him Enfamil in the hospital as well to supplement. Once Jayce got use to the nipple on his bottle, I could never get him to latch on properly. Needless to say the next 6 weeks became what I like to call “The Amazing Race”. I spent all day and NIGHT pumping. It was the worst!! I was excited that he was receiving breast milk but discouraged that I had to pump day & night!!! I found myself quickly falling into a little postpartum depression. When we went in for his 8 wk well baby check up, his doctor said his weight was great and going forward w/ formula would be just fine. That was ALL I needed to hear. I asked for some samples of that same Enfamil from the hospital. We discussed how expensive it was to purchase. We also discussed if the Parent’s Choice brand was comparable. My doctor said it’s was the exact same thing. She thought it would be a great alternative and hopefully save my family some money. Well I rushed to Wal-Mart to get our 1st can.

Well, the rest is history. Jayce has been on Parent’s Choice since he was 8 wks old and he is about 15 lbs. at 4 months. He is growing like a weed, like old people say!! We couldn’t be happier. We are always looking for ways to save with a young grow family and I can say our formula is affordable and works for our family. I tip my hat to those breastfeeding mothers, but just know there are some really great formula’s out there as well.

We made the best CHOICE for our family…

How do you preserve precious, once in a lifetime childhood memories?
It seems to me that babies are born then you blink and they’re a year old then you turn around and, boom, they’re two years old! Where does the time go? When I’m watching my kids grow and learn, I think I’ll remember their special moments, but those memories are replaced by new milestones and easily lost in the back of my mind.

To keep memories fresh I try to take tons of photos and videos. I have grand ideas of scrapbooking and making photo books, but I haven’t found the time yet. But, at least I have the digital photos and video clips. They tell such a story. I look back at photos I took mere months ago and can’t believe how much my little babies have grown and matured in such a little amount of time. As a matter of fact, this is how I got into blogging. I wanted to blog to document my boys’ lives for family and friends and, most importantly, for my boys when they are older. Sometimes when I’m blogging on the boys’ private blog, I type things that seem mundane, but months later I thoroughly enjoy reliving those wonderful moments.

Another thing I like to do is make cards and keepsakes with the boys’ hand and footprints. There’s nothing more pleasing to a parent’s heart than to open a gift made with love by their young child. My kiddos are still too young to take the initiative, but I enjoy helping them make Christmas cookie plates, ornaments, cards, etc. with sand, rocks and, of course, their sweet little hands and feet. The photo above is of my husband’s birthday card the boys and I made last year. The boys crawled around outside and found the leaves and the sand is from their sandbox.  It cost us close to nothing but will be cherished long after the store bought one is forgotten. It may not be pretty and it may have greasy, grubby fingerprints on it, but it’s absolutely perfect to my husband and me.

How do you stop time long enough to document your children’s lives?

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/

Tristan, Rick, my mother in law, and I are going to California for nine days. I went round and round about taking Tristan out there that long. Tristan lives by his schedule, usually that is wonderful. Then there are the random holidays that totally throw him off. I am worried he will be ready for bed at 4:30pm California time, and will he get adjusted only to come back and be off again. Then I sat and thought many babies go on vacation all the time.

My next stressor was do I buy him a seat or not. I spent a few hours on the computer researching this. I decided since we are flying from Washington DC to California and I know it’s a 6 hour or so flight that it was best for Tristan to have his own seat and space.

Since we leave in about a week, I have started packing. I decided that I was going to pack as minimal as I can since I can buy some things out there. I don’t want to have to pay the outrageous luggage fees. I am packing 12 outfits, 2 blankets, 12 bibs, 6 burp cloths, 6 pajamas, his folding highchair (it attaches to a dining room chair), his blow up duck bath tub, 2 baby bath towels, 2 wash cloths, and a few toys. I also have to check his pack n play. I plan on going to a Wal-Mart as soon as we get there to buy formula, diapers, wipes, baby food, and baby snacks. I will pack enough diapers and wipes for the flight out. We will just bring back the unused diapers and formula.

For the plane I bought two blue plastic containers that have four compartments each. Each compartment holds exactly enough formula and cereal for one bottle. That is enough for eight bottles; I should be safe until we get to the store. I read the TSA rules and you are allowed to carry enough juice and formula to get to your destination. The 3 oz rule does not apply. I pray that I have a happy baby on the plane. I was always the person that was annoyed crying babies on planes. Now that I am a Mom it doesn’t bother me. I checked with our airline and you can gate check the stroller, and we will use his car seat on the plane.
 A friend of mine just made the same trip she recommended taking a few zipper storage bags to store wet clothes and dirty items in. Her baby, who normally doesn’t spit up, got really sick flying. She also recommends taking an extra shirt for Mommy and Daddy, so I will pack those in the diaper bag. I am so excited that Tristan will get to meet his West Coast family. I just hope he tolerates the heat and time change.

On a different note but kind of related, Tristan is becoming scared of strangers. His pediatrician said it was normal around 7 months. This should make him meeting all of his family who is new to him fun. I can’t wait to leave, I am a traveler at heart and I hope Tristan is too.

–Chrystal

When I first became pregnant, I thought about everything of what was to come. Everything that we had to have to be prepared for this new little one. Making sure we were fully set with clothes, diapers, bottles, wipes, all of it. I wasn’t planning on breastfeeding at first because honestly, I thought I would be a little creeped out. Then around 7 months into my pregnancy, I was determined to breastfeed. I read up on all the benefits and it just can’t be beat. A few weeks before I gave birth, I had the colostrum but nothing major so when I asked my doctor about it, she said that after I give birth and we start to nurse, I will become engorged and produce milk. Well, after Shaughn was born we tried nursing and it pleased him so I was very happy. That was about it with my nursing happiness because I couldn’t produce. The lactation consultant was trying frequently so that I could get my full supply that I have been waiting for and reading about but we didn’t get very far. There was some milk but definitely not enough.

With my hormones racing as it is, I began to think of the failure I already was as a mother because I couldn’t provide milk for my child. The nurse came in with a 2oz bottle of Enfamil  Lipil and I bottle fed him. I still was set on breastfeeding. After talking with the lactation consultant again she suggested Fenugreek capsules to help out. So after we were released from the hospital I went into GNC and bought the biggest bottle they had. The first day I noticed that I did produce much more than I was in the beginning so I thought this was very promising but never could even produce an ounce. I rented the hospitals breast pump to measure how much I was producing into a bottle and was disappointed. I figured my son wasn’t fussy so maybe he was satisfied and I continued to try. Well day 2 of Fenugreek and I swore I was a pancake house! Everything, and trust me girls, I mean EVERYTHING, on my body spelled of maple syrup. Breast milk, sweat, urine… I mean, at least I didn’t smell bad, but I wanted waffles all the time now!

During the first week of my son’s life in the outside world, I became sick with a bad cold. I didn’t want to get him sick so I kept my distance from him and tried to pump so he could still get breast milk. My already low supply quickly lessened and I asked my doctor what to do. She prescribed me Reglan which has a side effect of milk production. That worked little. I gave in to the fact that I just couldn’t do it and started feeding Shaughn Enfamil. When he was 2 months old, I would walk into Walmart every few days and pick up the can of Enfamil for $26 when I finally looked on the shelf above it and saw Parent’s Choice Milk Based formula and their amazing price. I remembered the name and decided to go home and google it before giving it a try because regardless of price, I needed to be sure what I was going to feed my child. After searching all the ingredients and comparing notes, I came across a forum that spoke highly of the brand. I was convinced!

In comparison, Shaughn has been less gassy and seems to really enjoy his mealtime. The formula even has less bubbles at the top after I shake it to mix which I think is pretty neat. I would never do anything just to save money that could put my family or myself at risk but I have truly been impressed with Parent’s Choice. Even though I was saddened by my lack of ability to breastfeed, I didn’t also have to be depressed with an empty wallet because I was saving so much! Current calculations on their website show that I save $719.84 over a year’s time. Hey, I’ll take that bonus ANY day!

-Krystle

As we recently celebrated another Mother’s Day, I got the chance to sit and think about Mother’s Days in years past.  On the morning of Mother’s Day, 2009, I woke up to hear twin babies cooing and their big sister telling them “Boys, it is Mommy’s day today”!

When I peeked into the twins’ room, I saw the two of them each in their cribs standing and staring in awe at their big sister, who was dancing in the middle of the room.  I couldn’t help the tears streaming down my face and the huge smile I had from ear to ear said it all – I am truly one lucky Mama!

I was immediately brought back to Mother’s Day eight years ago.  I cannot believe how time flies, and I also cannot believe how much my life has changed in those eight years.  That Mother’s Day of 2001 was one of the worst days of my life, and I couldn’t see past my pain.  I would have never thought these last eight years would be so wonderful.

In January of 2001 I had an Ectopic Pregnancy.  My baby never made it to my uterus and was in my left fallopian tube.  Within a week of learning I was expecting a baby, I was heartbroken to learn that not only did I lose the baby, but I wound up in emergency surgery where I lost that tube.  Only two months later, I was thrilled to learn that I was expecting again.  And just six days before Mother’s Day of 2001, I went for my three month OB visit only to learn that my baby had no heartbeat.  At the time, I was married to a man who was not very supportive, and my life felt like it fell apart.

I remember going in for my second surgery in three months.  As the anesthesiologist was introducing herself to me before being wheeled into the OR, I was in hysterics.  I remember her saying “Don’t worry, next Mother’s Day you will have that baby in your arms”.  And I thought that was a very cruel thing to say, for she couldn’t possibly predict that I would have the baby, and with my current track record, it didn’t seem feasible.  But she was right.

Juliana was born in March of 2002.  She was the most perfect little girl I had ever seen, and she was mine!  And on that Mother’s Day, I spent the whole morning holding her, thanking her for making me a Mommy.  Juliana is now seven, and she is such a lovable little girl.  She was so proud this Mother’s Day to bring me the vase of flowers she made for me in art class along with the card she drew and the Mother’s Coupons saying she would be my helper all day.

In the years that followed, I went through a nasty divorce.  Juliana was only three years old when we left, and although I wanted more children, I knew the best thing to do was to leave, and I hoped that some day I would be able to find someone special to have another baby with.  I met Paul and we married in early 2007.  Paul had a sixteen year old son and had also always wanted more children.

For almost a year we tried to conceive a child together.  Since we both had children before, we experienced secondary infertility.  We did fertility shots and IUI.  And one of the biggest shocks of my life (to date it was the second shock of my life) was when we learned we were expecting TWINS!

Louis and Anthony were born in July of 2008.  I had been on bed rest and in preterm labor for almost two months before they were born at 36 weeks.  I was very lucky to have kept them in there so long and they were born healthy and beautiful.  Juliana was thrilled to be a big sister, and Paul and I knew our family was complete.  Well, we thought we did.

My boys were only six months old when I missed two periods.  After losing pregnancies and experiencing infertility, I really doubted I was pregnant.  And the reproductive endocrinologist said to Paul and I after we conceived the boys that we wouldn’t have been able to get pregnant without treatments!  Well, he was wrong!  I took two tests and they were both positive.  It was the biggest shock of my life.

For three weeks I was very depressed.  I had no idea how I was going to manage, and although I was on the fence whether or not I was done having children, the thought NEVER crossed my mind that it would be this soon!

I am now five months pregnant with baby number four (Paul and I will have five children all together).  I still have no clue how I will manage, but I am getting excited over this new baby’s arrival.  Juliana is thrilled (she loves her brothers and is a great big sister) and the babies will be more like triplets than twins with a 15 month younger sibling.  Stay tuned for more about our life with four children! 

Jennifer
Mom to Juliana (7), Louis (9m) and Anthony (9m)
Expecting #4 in September!
www.nevaland.com

June 25th, the day after my oldest son’s birthday will mark the anniversary of my mother-in laws death. She battled Ovarian/Cervical Caner for a few years. Cancer has struck our family a few times. I also lost my mother on June 21st of 2005 to Stomach Cancer. It was devastating. My mother & mother-in- law were both very strong women who worked very hard for their families. I honestly didn’t think I would ever get over losing my mother; I was only 28 when she passed. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her.

I soon turned to my mother-in- law for the support and motherly love that I was missing from my own mother. When we learned that her Cancer was in a terminal stage, I just couldn’t believe we were going through this all over again. My husband and his mother were very close; I think that was 1 of the many things that attracted me to him. He tried so hard to exhibit this amazing strength on the outside, while he was grieving on the inside.

It is very difficult raising young children without the support you would get from grandparents. While my boys have to grow up without their grandmothers, we will do everything in our power to make sure they know how amazing their grandmothers were.

My family has found great support and a connection with others who have lost loves ones to Cancer by participating in our local ‘Relay for Life’.

In Loving Memory of Grandma Joe & Grandma Pat

Always,
Shanta

I live in the south, where it’s oppressively hot and humid this time of year. If I walk out the door, I am drenched after hauling both boys, strollers, diaper bags and food to the car. It’s not pretty or fun. I’d rather just stay inside eating ice cream in my air-conditioned home.

In comes my dilemma. I have no clue how to pass the days with my ages two and under little boys. Obviously, we can’t stay inside all the time, but I don’t have tons of funds to take them somewhere everyday that costs money.

Right now, our little blow up backyard pool is our friend. My living room looks like a toy store, so they have plenty of stimulation inside, but I want them to explore and learn more about the world. I am lucky because they are easily entertained at this age.

Recently, we had an appointment with a doctor for my oldest son. The appointment was a bit of a drive and on a day that my husband had off of work. We decided to make the best of it and go to the huge park that is near the medical facilities. We enjoyed a yummy picnic, watched the squirrels and ducks and drank in the outdoors. Luckily, a quick rain cooled it off to a bearable temperature. After we ate, I wasn’t ready to go home. I wanted to do something fun with the boys, but didn’t want to spend money. We decided to walk around and see what nature had to offer. We were pleased to find a Japanese Garden with beautiful flowers, birds and wildlife. The boys utterly enjoyed being out of the confines of our home and out and about discovering new things.

It was also fun for mommy because I had the opportunity to practice my amateur photography skills on the ducks and beautiful flowers (and, of course, my kids).

So, readers, help me out. What are your ideas? What do you suggest I, and other moms, do to beat the heat and offer educational fun for my two small boys.

Shannon
Potamus Prefers
http://www.potamusprefers.com/