Lanisinoh made my day

Rachel went through the diaper bag a few days ago, scattering this and that all over the living room. Forgotten diapers, toys, extra outfits, and other random items found themselves decorating our floor. Among all of Rachel's paraphernalia was an unopened package of breast pads.

I have finally reached the point where I don't leak a gallon of milk every time Rachel whimpers and have been able to go without breast pads for a few weeks now. Before that I used washable cotton pads, not the disposable kind. But I had received a free sample of Lansinoh disposable breast pads and they got placed in the diaper bag for emergencies. They've been in there for about a year. I'd totally forgotten that I had them.

I remembered when I was cleaning up the living room and found them.

On the box was this little message,

"Good for you! Breastfeeding is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. Breastmilk not only enhances your baby's growth and development but provides health benefits for you as well. Lanisinoh realizes that it isn't easy to breastfeed in today's hectic environment. You are giving your child the best possible start in life and you have our respect, encouragement and full support."

I just about cried.

I've been really emotional, what with my little baby reaching that year mark and all. I've been going through her pictures and just crying, wondering if I've taught her everything I should have taught her by now, if I sang enough, if I played enough, if I held her enough.... You know, all the am-I-a-good-mother thoughts.

When I found this box of breast pads I again found myself awash in emotion. I remembered how difficult it was for us to start--we didn't really "get" it until she was at least 3 months old! All the pain, and the tears, and the pain, and the pain, and the frustration, and the pain. I remembered how excited I was the first day she latched on by herself without any problems. I remembered all the fun times we've had just sitting, holding each other, getting to know each other, stroking each other's faces. Oh, and then the biting! Ack, the biting!

I love the bond that nursing has helped Rachel and I make. I love that I "have to" spend time with my baby because she "has to" eat--it means that I always get a turn holding her no matter how many people are there to hold her for me!

I'm not quite sure when I'll be weaning Rachel. After our move to Egypt. Maybe around the time she enters nursery. Maybe beyond that. I don't know.

It's nice to be reassured, though, that I made a good choice to breastfeed. I'm not sure why that little blurb on the back of the box moved me to tears. Perhaps I just happened upon it on a day when I needed a little encouragement myself.

Homemade Goodness

I used to think that some of the things people did for their babies were crazy, but that was before I had one. For example, I used to think that making your own baby food was crazy. Why would you do that? Gerber really isn't that expensive, is it? Well... yes and no. Its not really too expensive until you've suddenly got a child that can eat through $15 of baby food in 10 days. Then is suddenly seems to much more expensive.

I've been thinking for a while about just biting the bullet and making my own baby food and I finally just did it. Let me tell you, it was a lot more fun, a lot less crazy and so much cheaper than I expected! Check out my freezer door!

I made (bottom shelf from left to right) peas, green beans, garden veggie, carrots, spiced winter squash, sweet potatoes, winter squash, and (topd shelf left to right) melon, banana, blueberry sweet potato pie (blueberries, sweet potatos cinnimon and plain yogurt), peach apricot, peach and apricot baby food cubes. The melon and banana are just diced and ready to thaw and smash before serving (or dice smaller for finger food) and the apricto isn't in cubes (apricots don't really freeze, they get soft set). I also have some apricot winter squash still in the ice cube tray, and blueberries and mangos to deal with. I'd really like to try an apple-peach-mango combo for Allison. Most of my recipes I found at Wholesome Baby Food. Great resourse with tons of information on how to make it, what tools you need, when to introduce what foods, TONS of nutritional info and lots of fun "recipes" and combinations to try.

For most of my foods to make my life easier I bought (on sale!) 1 pound packages of frozen fruit or veggies. So easy to quickly steam or boil, then puree with added liquid in my blender. The only "tool" I had to buy was more ice cube trays, which I found 3/$1 at dollar tree. All in all, I really enjoyed doing what I used to think was crazy. =)

Desperately Hungry

This post could have any number of titles, really. "I shouldn't have washed the sheets yesterday," or "Sudden Reflux Disorder," or "How do I know when I should take my baby in to see the doctor?"

I almost did call the doctor this morning. I said to myself, "If she does this again, I'm calling the doctor." She hasn't done it again though, and she's sleeping peacefully so I think she'll be okay.

It started at around 4:00 this morning when Rachel woke up crying. I went in to comfort her and she was acting hungry, so I brought her in bed with us and fed her. She had just fallen back to sleep and was busy snuggling up against me, trying to get comfortable, when she started coughing. I was stroking her head and telling her that everything was going to be alright when I saw a big white cloud form right above us. No sooner had I seen it than it rained down on us, completely drenching me, Rachel, and my nice, clean sheets.

My yelping and, "Oh, no! Baby!" woke Andrew up and he help dry me and Rachel off and got her some fresh pyjamas while I got changed, myself. I had to lay a towel down to cover up the big milk stain the was covering my side of the bed.

Eventually we all got settled in and slept well until seven or eight. I can't even remember when we woke up. Is that sad or what?

Andrew brought Rachel in to me and I started feeding her. She started acting like she had to go potty so we interrupted breakfast and she had a little potty time. She's so funny when she goes pee--it always takes her a bit by surprise. She'll start going and then turn around to look at me with this quizzical look on her face. I say, "You're peeing...that's pee pee," which she'll accept as a logical enough explanation and will turn back around. She understands BMs a whole lot better, probably because she has to do a little pushing so whether it happens in the potty or the diaper it feels the same (except the degree of squishiness after, in which case she prefers the potty).

Anyway, we successfully went potty and I laid Rachel down on her little mat so that I could empty the potty and wash my hands. While I was doing so I heard her ravenously sucking away at something. Expecting her to be sucking on her hand or foot, I turned around to see what she was up to.

She had flipped onto her stomach and was latched onto the floor! She had a nice clean seal, with her lips suctioned perfectly to the floor, and was sucking away. I didn't think that would be possible, but apparently it is if you're really hungry, which Rachel was so we went back to bed to finish giving her her breakfast.

After she had finished eating she looked at me, completely satisfied, and then started to drift off for her usual post-feeding shuteye, a slight smile gracing her face. Her relaxation was again interrupted by a coughing fit and, lucky for me, because she had just finished eating I was directly in her line of fire.

Cough, cough, BLAH!

She vomited up the entirety of her breakfast all over me, herself, and the towel that I had covering up the previous mess.

So Andrew ran into the bedroom and helped change Rachel while I changed myself...again. My third outfit of the day by 8 AM. I told Andrew, "If she does this again I'm going to call the doctor." I'm so worried that she'll get dehydrated or something but don't want to be one of those overreacting mothers.

As soon as she was back in my arms she wanted to eat again; she was still hungry, having missed out on two feedings already. It's been about a half hour since she ate and she's coughed a few times and has kept everything in her tummy, so I think she'll be alright. I hope she gets over this soon!

homemade baby food

now that our little girl is here, instead of reading about pregnancy, I'm reading all about babies and looking for tips for a lot of the situations that can arise/are already arising. Mostly just filling my head with random bits of information since Katryn is only 11 days old.

as a gift, my mother gave me one of these:I'm very excited to start using it in a few months. it just reminds me of growing up, when we'd grind up dinner for my little sister, it was just so cool to see the food get all mashed up! I'm a cheap person, and baby food is just so expensive! so I plan on making my own with my grinder. Then I can freeze it in an ice cube tray for when she's teething to help soothe her and put it in one of these:

Which I only discovered because of Nancy, but am excited to try it out as well.

But while I've been searching around online, I found this webpage which has all these recipes for baby food and making baby and toddler friendly meals! maybe this can help someone out right now, I'll be sure to give it a try in a few months.

My favorite highchairs

I am always on the lookout for baby/kid products that get rave reviews from mothers who I know...or who know people I know...or who belong to the same blog that I do :). So I'm going to tell you here about my two favorite highchairs, in case anyone is ever looking for a recommendation.

Highchair #1: The Chicco Travel Seat. The one we had was actually the lower model than the one pictured, but the concept is the same.

What I loved about it: Well, first you have to understand that both Jeremy and I are very against stand-alone highchairs. They have a large footprint, take up a lot of room, and don't store very efficiently. Also, we needed a high chair that we could take overseas if needed (and believe me, it was needed). My favorite things about this chair are that it is absolutely portable, it has a clean, smooth design, it looks nice at the table, and the entire seat comes off and can be washed in the washing machine (!!!).

Cons, if any: Miriam "grew out" of it at about 15 months. The weight limit is plenty high, but Miriam eventually did not like being trapped in a perch at the end of the table. She wanted to be in a chair like us. Which led to the purchase of...

Highchair #2: The First Years On-The-Go Booster Seat.

What I loved about it: Again, portability. This one compresses into a tight package with a handle, and we took it overseas without a problem. It functions as a nice booster seat, but with discreet straps for when the occupant gets wiggly.

Cons, if any: Well, I missed being able to throw the highchair into the washing machine. This one does clean nicely, it just takes a little more effort.

I am so glad we did not spend the money and waste the limited space in our home with a stand-alone highchair. I have not regretted either of these purchases for a moment and I would recommend them to anyone!

Mini Foods

Being the mother of a three year old who apparently gets most of caloric needs from the sun I find dinner time is often a battle of wills. While I want my son to eat the delicious and nutritious meal I prepared he is more interested in trying to get down and playing with his napkin. One thing I've found that helps is mini foods. First off I try to only give him small servings of what we are eating but if it can be a mini he is even more interested. Take for instance mini hamburgers. I make little guys that fit nicely on rolls (they are about a third to a fourth of the size of a normal hamburger). They are still delicious and he is much more likely to finish one. They also cook much faster. He also is a fan of mini pancakes and mini pizzas. Also you can make little mini individual meatloaf in cupcake holders. If you have any other fun minis let me know.