Frugal for Number Two

Hello to anyone that has found this blog. Since my last post, we have welcomed Baby #2 into the mix, and I have quite a few money-saving tips I've been meaning to share for some time now. Some may be relevant to you, and others might completely miss the mark! Take what you can from this, and apply it to your situation accordingly.

The first tip I want to share is baby item storage between kids and what I did wrong. We have moved three times between our children's births and to some very different climates! We knew there would be a bit of an age gap given our circumstances. So, we kept anything that was small enough to fit into two totes plus the high chair. This included my breast pump, bottles, pacifiers, teething rings, cart cover, bottle warmer, crib sheets, mattress protector, bulb syringe, shoes and clothes.

What shouldn't I have saved of this, you ask?

For one, the pacifiers. Ours held up, but I was terrified the plastic would decompose, and he'd choke on a piece that fell off. To be fair, they were in the desert for almost three years, and our house didn't cool down very well. No matter the climate, though, I would have been terrified. Second, the teething rings! ALL THE WATER EVAPORATED OUT. Do not waste your time saving these things. Third, the bulb syringe. I saw a picture of the moldy inside of one going around on Facebook. They give you a new one in the hospital anyway. Just throw it out! Also, if you do decide to save items like cribs, swings, pack 'n plays, please check for product recalls. In addition, remember to take out the batteries of any items that will be stored long-term! I promise, you don't want to be scraping battery acid out of anything when you're pregnant and have other things to do.

My second tip is to still make a registry (or three)! I love samples. This is a must for the samples and coupons you get. I did the Amazon and Target registries. For Amazon, items had to be purchased off the registry to get the baby box in the mail, but it was worth it! I added items I would be buying anyway, and we used almost everything I got from Amazon. Because we had to buy some big stuff, it was great to be able to watch the prices fluctuate and buy when it was low. I checked the prices almost every day. We ended up scoring a Graco swing (orig. $120) for $46 on Black Friday. Our car seat and bassinet were also quite discounted that day. For Target, the bag was significantly less, yet still quite useful. The sample size baby washes, lotion and laundry detergents are perfect for packing up when visiting relatives. Side tip: Usually the coupons aren't too good. I didn't use a single one. We stuck with Target's Up & Up diapers and wipes, and those types of coupons are the most useful out of these bags. For someone that prefers the name brand diapers, the coupons would be more impressive. There were good coupons for Aquaphor and Mustela, but I only buy these kinds of items when necessary, and I never needed them.

Third, be prepared. Not every experience is the same. Assume everything that was easy with your first baby will be harder with your second. Keep your doctor's, lactation counselor's and pediatrician's information close by. My second baby was a dream compared to the first, but there were massive differences, and knowing that it wouldn't be the same was massively helpful. Also, if you can, store items that you didn't use with your first. There's a few things that I preferred to have years down the road, like swaddling blankets and burp rags.

My last tip would be to reflect on your first baby. What's important to you? Is there anything that you wish you would have bought the first time around to help you? Is there anything you really don't need? Circumstances change. With our first, we had a baby monitor, and it was used frequently. However, our current home is very small, and the baby is never more than 20 feet away. Our first monitor broke, and we did not need to replace it. Also, I realized we didn't need more than two crib sheets. There's no use in extra crib sheets when you're doing laundry every day. It's quite amazing how much laundry there is when you're a family of four instead of three. One thing that I didn't get with my first that I wish I had was newborn baby pictures. I did some in the hospital, and we also went through a studio for more when he was a month old. Overall, it cost about $150, but it is my one regret from #1 that I was too cheap to have nice pictures taken. Don't be too cheap.

I hope this was helpful for you, and good luck with baby number 2!

Sincerely,
Kristin

Halloween Themed Baby Shower!

I can't wait to share this with you! After months of planning and pinning, my friend and I threw the best Halloween-themed baby shower for one of our good friends!

First, the decor. The mama loves Halloween, so we wanted to make sure it resembled an actual Halloween Party. We did tulle wrapped pumpkins, wiry spooky trees that I got off of Zulily for $10 a piece, spider web tablecloths, plus odds and ends from Dollar Tree. The picture above was a black tablecloth wrapped around a picture frame, with spider web all over. I took 2 long sections of black tulle and draped it across, and then I used a hot glue gun to get the letters on it. After we were done, it was easy to pull off and discard!

However, it is a baby shower! We wanted to celebrate the baby and play all the typical shower games. We did 4 in all. One was a short game where the guests matched the "animal" with the number of days of gestation. Because its Halloween, we did bats, cats, spiders, humans, and owls. The second game was The Price Is Right, which had our guests match prices with different baby items. The decor surrounding this was Halloween themed, but the game itself was not. It was awesome that the mama got to keep all the items afterward, so I highly recommend this game! The third game involved 4 couples/pairs. One person fed the other person baby food, and the latter had to guess what it was. The first team to get all 4 right won! The last game was pregnancy bingo, where the guests all wrote down what they thought the mama would receive, and as she was opening presents, we played Bingo! For all the games, the winners got to choose between fall scented candles or Halloween decorated tumblers.

Now for the food! We did pizza and ribs for the main dish, but the extras are where you could see the theme shine through. I made fruit cups that looked like candy corn out of pineapple, mandarin oranges, and whip cream. We had cupcakes and a veggie platter (just standard things!), and for the main appetizer/dessert, we had a caramel apple bar! We served slices of apples on toothpicks that looked like pumpkins, spiders, bats, and ghosts (Thanks, Amazon!), and we had caramel dip in my crock-pot. There were 4 cups with assorted toppings, and this was by far my favorite! For drinks, I looked up some easy punch recipes on Pinterest. Honestly, the Apple Spider Punch was gross. The Dragon's Blood punch was delicious! It consisted of 1 container of Simply Mixed Berry, 1 2L of Sprite, and a bag of frozen mixed berries. Delicious!

For added effect, I filled the mason jars pictured above with candy corn, and added the letters to spell "Peek a Boo", which was probably the only true crossover touch of the evening!

I hope this article can assist anyone planning a Halloween-themed baby shower. Happy Halloween!

-Kristin

Family Photography

We all have our regrets when it comes to parenting, don't we?

My biggest regret was not getting professional pictures taken when Noah was a baby. Now that he's a toddler, we actually got around to having our pictures done, and I love that Noah was old enough to interact with us. Sarah from S. Hayes Photography in Twentynine Palms, CA (now located in AZ) was amazing. I'm sad she's not still in CA! She was so good with working with Noah, considering he's not the most cooperative child. I don't think anyone could have handled it better! These two pictures were my favorite.

 

I can't wait to do another family shoot! Maybe later this year or next year sometime. Kids just grow so damn fast!

-Kristin

Baby Savings #2

Good afternoon, everyone!

Pinterest probably led you to this blog, and you can find my first post about budgeting a few articles down. I would like to share some more thoughts. Months have gone by since I wrote that article, and I have a lot more to say now that I have some more experience.

Tip #1: Give this idea to the person that is organizing your baby shower. Any guest that brings an unwrapped pack of diapers (aside from the gift they're giving you) has their name entered into a drawing for a gift card. I did this for my sister, and she didn't need to buy diapers for months. I assessed what would be most valuable to the guests at her party, and I decided to go with a $50 gift card to Target. Most places are easy to exchange at, and I believe she only had to switch out a couple packs.

Tip #2: Ask your hospital what you will receive during your stay there. At mine, we received the remaining newborn diapers from the pack that was used for my son while we were there. By the time we had finished the pack, he was already in size 1's. I ended up giving away the newborn size diapers I bought myself (I used maybe 3 of them, but he was leaking out of them!). I also received lanolin for free, but I believe civilian hospitals make you pay for that, because its from the pharmacy. For his cord/circumcision care, we got free gauze pads, petroleum jelly, and alcohol wipes. For myself, they supplied me with everything I needed, as well as all the pain/healing medication and creams for at home. Again, your hospital might tack this on your hospital bill. I consider myself very lucky to not have had any medical bills. A little bit of witch hazel from any drug store will help you a lot with pain, and a big bottle of it is only $2!

Tip #3: Call your health insurance company early in your pregnancy. You need to know what's covered and how much of it is covered. There are a lot of ways to cut back on costs, especially if you and your baby are healthy. These three tips stand out to me the most: If you and your doctor see no reason for additional testing while you're pregnant, don't bother. Also, consider going med-free during labor. I tried and failed, but many women have success with this. Lastly, do not spend extra time in the hospital to recover. Always listen to medical advice from your doctor or midwife, but it's important to educate yourself, too.

Tip #4: Don't buy a changing table. Almost always you'll be changing your baby somewhere other than a changing table. In addition, when they start crawling, you'll be changing them on the floor anyways.

Tip #5: Any chair that rocks can be used as a rocking chair. I used our recliner in the living room just as much as I used the chair we purposefully bought for the nursery.

Tip #6: If there's a history of eczema and allergies in either of your families, don't even bother buying traditional baby wash and lotion. Just go ahead and buy the all natural/organic stuff. Its more expensive up front, but its very likely you're going to have to buy this stuff regardless.

Tip #7: If you have something that your baby won't use, try to find a new use for it before you try to sell it or give it away. For example, my son will not and never has slept in his Pack N Play. I turned it into a fort by cutting out one side and putting a fitted crib sheet on top, and he's used it every day since. If a onesie is just a little too short, and you have a sewing machine, then turn it into a shirt. I'd love even more suggestions. :)

Tip #8: Breastfeeding totally sucks at first. Totally. Freakin'. Sucks. You're going to save so much money if you never have to buy formula. This is the main reason we stuck with breastfeeding, and it sure as hell paid off. When it comes time for baby to be eating food, do some research on baby led weaning. Frugal moms swear by it, and also consider making your own baby food. I never did either of these things, but that doesn't mean its not a good idea.

Tip #9: Give up your idea of the perfectly coordinated room for your baby. You're the only person that cares about this, and you probably won't care as much when you're broke with spit up in your hair and sleep deprivation in your eyes. I struggled with this, too. Your baby is only a baby for a year. Likewise I think focusing on more coordination would be great for ages 1-4, when they actually might enjoy it and have an interest in it in general.

Tip #10: Consider cloth diapering and making your own reusable wipes. I didn't do these things, and I kind of wish I did.

Helpful? Please repin this article! Want me to adjust any of my tips or have a better suggestion? Feel free to email me at madde1km@gmail.com or comment on this article! I love helping people, especially in regards to finances, and I hope someone gets some use from this. Thanks for all the support!

<3 Kristin

PCSing and a TMO/DMO move

We're living in California now! Here's an update about how our move went :)


1) Moving was horrible, but Noah did pretty well. One of us had to sit back there with him and entertain him at all times, but overall it went better than expected!


2) We had TMO move us. This was actually more frustrating than I thought it would be. We did a DITY move from MI to NC, so we thought everything would be easier. We were wrong.


3) The company messed with our dates. They kept changing around when they were packing our stuff, then they kept changing the pick up date. They packed our stuff on the 9th. We sat in a packed house for a day. They picked it up on the 11th. Unfortunately, all of our utilities were turned off that morning, because we thought they were packing the truck on the 10th. No water. No AC. It was bad for everyone.


4) We went to Mississippi for a week, which was fine considering TMO said we wouldn't receive our stuff earlier than July 25th.


5) We spent 3 days driving from MS to CA. Not bad. We rested at night and spent about 10-12 hours in the car each day.


6) God, its hot out here at 29 Palms.


7) The house we reserved before we got here was perfect. Too bad neither AC unit worked for 2 days. Add on 2 more days of living in a hotel.


8) Our stuff was delivered on July 24th! We originally set it up for them to deliver our stuff and have them unpack it as well. Apparently, we were unpacking it ourselves. This really wasn't horrible, because there are always people looking for free boxes and packing supplies.


9) Ugh. We lost a bunch of receipts. Goodbye, reimbursement.


10) Next time, we'll just do it ourselves. Also, I'll have a better system for saving receipts.


So that is that. Also, follow me on Instagram @Kfryyy. It will be the kick in the pants that I need to stop only posting pictures of my child.


<3 Kristin

The Desert

It's official. Simon got orders to 29 Palms this past week. We're moving to the desert this summer! I'm mostly worried about the car ride...

DIY Denim Distress

At my job, sometimes people ask for me to distress their denim for them.

This makes my heart sing.

I learned this trick when I was a senior in high school. I had an awesome pair of jeans that I wanted to shred. Alas, there's a way to do it without chemicals/serious injury. Just kidding. You might cut yourself.

What you need:
An awesome pair of pants that fit you just right
Tailor's chalk
Really, really, really sharp scissors
A well-stocked First Aid kit
Patience

Step one:
Mark a box with the chalk where you want the hole to be. If you're doing knee holes, please put the pants on first and then mark. It's impossible to guess just by looking at them, I promise.

Step two:
Drag the pointed end of the scissors horizontally across the pants, about ten times or so inside the box you drew. This breaks the fibers that run vertically and will speed up the process. Do not press so hard that you cut the pants. Just enough to do a little damage.

Step three:
Use one side of the scissors, and drag the blade across the pants, back and forth, in the same horizontal direction. Apply a good amount of pressure. My hands hurt really bad by the end of this. You'll first see some of the fibers coming off, then you'll gradually start to see the horizontal yarns show themselves. This is the part where I start to bleed, usually in my thumb joints. Cue the bandages.

Step four:
Switch back and forth between step two and three! When your hand hurts really bad from step 3, do step 2 again. You need to keep things interesting. A hole about 1" in diameter takes me about 15 minutes.

Poof! A hole! I wish I had taken a full picture of the pants, but the customer has long since picked them up by now. If you're wondering where would be the best place to put a hole, the knee would be the most obvious place if you want to keep it looking real. Currently, holes in the thighs are popular. Another I get requests for is to do them at the bottom of the back of the hem. Or anywhere really. They're your pants.

Sleep well, my lovely DIYers.
<3 Kristin

Mom Life

Parenting would be really terrifying if we didn't have the luxury of just taking it a day at a time. I'm so happy human children grow slowly. I think we'd all have lost our minds by now if they didn't. Am I right?

Also, thanks to the Pinterest success of the article a couple posts down, I kind of wish I knew how to let people comment. A few comments slip through, but I sincerely want to know what everyone that stumbles upon this blog thinks. Anyone have experience with this issue? Please email me at madde1km@gmail.com. Google searches have failed me!

Simon's Homecoming

I realized while writing my last article that I haven't written since Noah was four months old. I'm not surprised; We've been incredibly busy since Simon came home. I figured its a better-late-than-never kind of situation to talk about when Noah first met his father.


Simon came home from Afghanistan when Noah was exactly five months old: October 23rd.


I went to work, and it flew by. I was expecting him to arrive around 5 pm, so I left work at 2 pm. Then I got a call that he was going to be home at 6:30, so I did some shopping for the pets before picking Noah up from daycare. I was getting ready at 5 pm, and I got another call saying he was going to be there at 5:30! HOLY CRAP. I immediately stopped, grabbed Noah, and left the house. I drove like a crazy person to base, and it took another 20 minutes to get to the right place. I was the last person to show up, and Simon's bus pulled up about 10 minutes after. I'm so glad we made it in time.


While I was waiting, some kid screamed "The bus is coming!" I started sobbing like a baby, and the kid was just lying. It didn't pull up for like 5 minutes afterward. But I cried and cried and cried. I was a bigger baby than Noah.


Simon got off the bus. I recognized him, but then I kind of didn't. His cheeks were sunken into his face. That took me by surprise. I couldn't tell when we video chatted, but in person it was very apparent. For a second I didn't think it was him, but I'd always be able to recognize his smile.


So we hugged and kissed, and it was adorable. Then Simon picked up his son for the first time. Noah took to him instantaneously. It was the most memorable part of the whole night. I had been very worried that he would cry, because he developed stranger anxiety a few weeks previously. For Simon's sake, I had hoped it would go well. It was better than well. It was miraculous.


And then all three of us went home together.


<3

What to buy, and when to buy it.

(Fully aware how improper the straps/clip are in this pic. I've learned some things.)

What I'm about to write about will not apply to most people. Everyone has different needs and financial situations. This is just something I've been thinking about, and what we should have done when planning for Noah. We've found ourselves with an abundance of things we don't need, and we still don't have a high chair. He's 8 months old, for god's sake. Also, I understand a lot of people have baby showers and that they often get expensive gifts at them. Feel free to use this more as a guide for what to make sure is set up and when to set it up by. Or disregard the entire article as trash.

I don't believe in buying anything before you're 20 weeks along. I'm superstitious. Whatever.

5 months pregnant: Infant car seat/stroller/travel system

The car seat is the absolute first expensive item you'll need. I recommend having an infant carrier first, then transitioning to the convertible car seat if this is your first child. It is so easy to go from inside, to car, to inside somewhere else, to back in the car, then back home if you don't have to keep waking your itty, bitty, newborn every single time you get in or out of the car. However, if you have a bunch of children, its not practical to carry this everywhere if you have other little hands to hold. In that case I would baby wear. Also, the stroller is important for some people. I have used mine less than 10 times. Noah hates his stroller.

6 months pregnant: Bassinet/cradle and bedding

This is the second thing you'll need. Baby's gotta sleep somewhere, and you'll have to put your baby down, eventually. Your baby might disagree.

7 months pregnant: Breast pump and accessories

I didn't think I would need this until I went back to work. Then I experienced what engorgement was. Pumping was my new favorite hobby the week after Noah was born. Also, pumping can jump start labor. I didn't try it, but apparently that's a real thing for desperate, full term, pregnant women.

8 months pregnant: Rocking chair and infant swing

If your baby comes early, these aren't absolutely necessary items. However, they are incredibly convenient and can help you drastically those first few months. This is why I placed them at Month 8.

2 months postpartum: Pack 'n Play

What? Nothing for your first month?! No. Because the last thing you'll be thinking about the first 4 weeks is what you want to buy next. Therefore, we skip to the Pack 'n Play. We actually needed this right away, as a means to keep our dogs from the baby. I feel like most couples don't need this right away. I came to appreciate it more when he started rolling around.

3 months postpartum: Crib and bedding

Remember? You've been using the cradle for the first few months. Although it seems necessary, it definitely isn't while your baby is a newborn. Ours was used for decoration until Noah was 5 months old. Whatever you do, try to make a sleep schedule around 3 months old. This is my biggest regret. Get the crib and use it! Jesus Christ, save yourselves.

4 months postpartum: Convertible car seat

Most babies will fit in their infant carrier way past 4 months old. Ours didn't.

5 months postpartum: High chair and feeding accessories

We didn't start feeding him food until he was 6 months old, so if you get this at 5 months old, you'll be prepared.

6 months postpartum: Play yard

You might need this sooner, especially if you can play outside with your baby. Ours is currently in our living room, because this kid can crawl like a maniac. We're looking forward to using it outside in the summer for him, too. He loves the outdoors!

I hope this is helpful for someone. I really just wanted to get this off my chest. Advice: Any month that you already have that item, spend the $200 or so on just a crap ton (haha) of diapers. Additionally, I'm a big advocate of hand-me-downs and shopping second hand shops, except in the case of car seats. Always get those brand new.

Babies don't have to be expensive.

<3 Kristin

Parenting

You know you're doing something right when...

You look at your baby and catch him staring at you and smiling.

Noah is 4 months old today! Time flies when you're having fun. We had his appointment this morning, and then we got him some shots today after I got out of work. All these kids kept coming up to Noah and wanting to play with him and talk to him and stuff. I'm really glad I didn't go in the morning, because I would not have had the energy for that. And then I taught a kid what the number 8 looked like, and what the color pink was. As exhausting as it was, I really look forward to when I get to do these things with Noah. Waiting rooms are the best kind of practice :)

Simon comes home "soon." It seems like forever ago when he left, but we're coming right up on 6 months now. We've been apart for 7 out of 9 months this year so far. It doesn't really feel like it. I feel like we could just be watching tv together, and it wouldn't feel like a big deal. But it would be.

Maybe I'll get some paint for his welcome home sign this weekend. Putting my art minor to good use! It'll be the most noticeable sign out of all of them, guaranteed.

The News

Here are my thoughts on this week's news.

Back story: High school kids broke into a former NFL players house to throw a party and vandalize pretty much all of it. He put pictures from the party that were on Twitter on some sort of social media website to help identify and prosecute the kids. Their parents, instead of getting mad at their children, got mad at this guy for putting their pictures up, because it would hurt their chances of getting into college.

WHAT THE F***.

If Noah ever did that, I'd help you. I'd drag his sorry behind to the police department, right after he was done scrubbing the urine out of the carpet. What's even better is that Noah will hopefully never be that much of a jackass, because he'll be exposed to real parenting instead of a system of entitlement.

Back story: Shootings in general.

Response: See above. I have no idea what to even do about this. What do you do about this? How do you fix it? Let's figure it out.

Back story: Someone won $400 million in the lottery.

Response: I don't play the lottery. I haven't played since I was pretty much broke. Currently, we're financially stable, so I feel no need to change that in any way. Also, I don't think you should rely on luck to determine your financial success. Playing the stock market has much higher odds of success.

I just pulled up an IRA calculator on my computer to find out if you put $1 every week into a traditional IRA with typical gains and what not until you retire at 65, you will have over $18,000. If you play the lottery every week with $1 for your entire adult life, chances are you will not have $18,000 come out of it. $10 instead? $183,000.

Food for thought Fridays.
<3 Kristin

Weightloss Monday?

I worked out today (a little cardio and abs, then a full arm/shoulder work out), and I reflected back on my weight loss. Currently I'm 118 lbs. Just to recap: I was 130 when I got pregnant, and 162 at the end of my pregnancy. There are 4 very important reasons that I think I lost so much weight so quickly.

1. I am nursing. Hallelujah.
2. I eat real, healthy, prepared meals. I have eaten fast food maybe twice since giving birth, but I do have dessert occasionally.
3. I drink water. The amount of water I drink directly correlates to my weight loss. When I felt addicted to water, I dropped 35 lbs. I stopped drinking as much, and I was at a stand-still. I started up again and lost another 6 lbs. Then I stopped. Then I realized what was going on, and I've been drinking water and steadily losing weight since. This relates to the "don't drink your calories" approach, too. I drink a LOT of Crystal Light when I have it on hand, as well as tea and coffee. I have had soda about 3 times total since giving birth.
4. I started working out when it was ok to, most of the time. I don't think this actually has anything to do with weight loss, but it reminds me that I want to be healthy, and I eat better because of it. And then I drink more water.

So there you have it. Every woman's body is different, so this won't work for everyone. However, it worked for me, and I hope I never forget it if we decide to have more children.

Ramblings about every topic under the sun

Got back into my work out groove this week. I'm down to 118 lbs, so I've lost 44 total since May 23rd, 2013. That's crazy. I guess nursing really does burn a shit ton of calories!

Work is going well. I like working. Mostly, I like working part time. I still have time to work out, make dinner, and play with Noah before his 8 pm bedtime. It is very nice, and its definitely working for us.

Simon received his last package from us today. HIS LAST PACKAGE. Still a ways away, but in my soul, his homecoming feels imminent.

On a more serious note: Simon asked me about Syria the other day, and I had no flippin' clue what he was talking about. Needless to say I've been paying a lot more attention, and my thought of the day is this: It should not be ok to kill children (and others) with chemical weapons that force them to suffocate to death. "It's not our problem" is a horrible excuse.

A much more personal note: I'm also a hypocrite. If I saw someone on the side of the road that needed help, I know I wouldn't stop. Maybe I should rethink my actions more often, and try to be the person I wish I was.

 

And here's a picture of my 20 lb, 3 month old baby!

 

<3 Kristin

Projects

I love projects. The picture below is one I did last year (inspired from Pinterest, of course), shortly after I found out I was pregnant. Having Noah now has inspired even more! I wanted to show this, because I'm about to assemble it again. I use the wreath for more than just one holiday, so all the decorations easily come off. Here she is:

 

This year, I'll make the O's go straight up and down :)

 

The next picture I did yesterday. Total, it cost me about $40. I got 1 panel curtain, 2 strands of string lights, and 2 basic long curtain rods. The curtain is lined, so it helps to dim the lights so I can easily sleep. I love it!

 

 

That's it for now. I'll post as I keep working on more projects!

 

<3 Kristin



3 Months Down

Today is Noah's 3 month birthday! It only feels like its been one month! I can't believe this. Where did time go?

He's doing really well. His eyesight can go a lot further. I can be standing 10-15 feet away, and he can still see me smiling at him and will smile back. He's great at tummy time, but he has issues with pulling his head forward. Also, if I give him a lot of time, he can roll from tummy to back. He starts on tummy, can go fully on his side, and usually just sits there like that, but if he wants, he can roll from his side onto his back. Going the opposite direction will take a long time though, because of his size.

He got used to drinking out of a bottle this week, but he can only use one of the 2 styles I have. I bought some more of the good kind today. Too bad they're really expensive. I need to get a new top for them, now. He's obviously outgrown the "slow flow" top, and now needs medium. Babies need a lot of shit.

He has 3 1/2 lbs to gain until he's too big for his infant carrier, too. Such a shame! I was hoping I could use it for a while longer, but I'm also hopeful that his weight gain has slowed for a while. I was expecting him to weigh more than he did, because he's been gaining 1 lb a week up until recently. I actually might be able to get a couple more months of use out of it if we're lucky.

I had to take him to the doctor today, because his temperature was 101.3! They checked for an ear infection and teething, but his doctor thinks its just a virus. I'm lucky he made it almost 2 weeks through daycare before getting sick :) Hopefully his immune system will be boosted for a while!

That's all.
<3 Kristin

First week of daycare

I think Noah likes daycare. He's a little too young to quite understand what's going on, but its good that he's around other babies and people. On the other hand, pumping is not as productive as just direct feeding, so it has been a hassle to try to make enough milk for the next day. In addition, I'm doing so much hand washing of all the small parts that I spend over an hour a day just doing that. It's usually about 8 pm before I'm done preparing for the next day. I can't even imagine if I was working full time. There's no way I'd have enough time :(

In addition, I'm trying to accept that my little baby is growing up. He'll be 3 months old in 6 days. I got him to nap in his crib earlier, but he was already sleeping, so it wasn't difficult. Currently I am trying to put him to bed in his crib for the night. In general, I think it's going well. I'm keeping his door open, because I'm insanely paranoid someone is going to break into his window and take him. He's like 20 feet away, and I have the video monitor on him as well. Maybe I'll sleep tonight, too :)

He can roll over half way now, like go from tummy or back to his side. I don't expect him to do a full roll over for a while, considering his size. Tummy time is going so well. He has almost full head control when I'm already holding him or have him propped up. I think he's meeting his milestones fine. He's always showing me new things he can do! So far he can grasp, and rotates his head, and can follow things with his eyes. It all sounds right to me.

Financial improvements: I've started buying diapers in bigger bulk packs now that he's steadily in size 3's. We went from paying $.16/diaper to $.14. Definitely a huge savings. Also, I switched from sensitive to just the unscented wipes. Both packs are $15, but I get 72 more wipes if I go with the unscented ones. He doesn't neccesarily need sensitive wipes, but I was buying those just to be nice to his hiney. Now that he's bigger, I'm sure it doesn't matter at all to him.

Another financial improvement: Sometimes you need to recognize when you have enough of a certain size of clothing. Target had ADORABLE onesies (only $5!), so I decided to buy 2 and then assess what I actually needed at home later. Turns out I just wanted them and didn't actually need those sizes, so they're getting returned. In general, if I have 8 of a size, that's good enough. 8 might not seem like a lot, but usually he's a cross in between a couple of sizes, so really its like 16. The next size we'll need is 12 months, and we've started working on that. It's too bad baby clothes are so freaking adorable, and that they're only in a size for such a short period of time. I did buy him a sweater though, because he has none that he fits into. Small win for the day :)

I want to give some baby advice, but I really don't have any. I guess so far all of my successes have been due to reading up on different things when we run into them. Example: I did a lot of reading about sleeping in a crib today. I've also read articles about breastfeeding, co-sleeping, bed sharing, only children, and expected growth until my eyes bleed. Most of this I would never have even thought about looking up when I was pregnant. I don't even remember what I looked up when I was pregnant. I think it was things like "When will he eat baby food?" and "What if he's born premature?" Most of it was irrelevant anyways. Like colostrum. Don't even waste time reading about that shit, because in the blink of an eye, your milk is coming in and that whole phase is long gone. :)

<3 Kristin

 

We love tummy time!

 

Fresh Jammies!

Delighted

From July 27th:

Even on my worst days, I'm happier than I have ever been before Noah.

I'll probably pass out from happiness when Simon comes home.

Not very well focused, but this pretty much sums it up.

Daycare 2.0

Going back to work in 10 days. Boo. I finally got daycare squared away, and he'll be attending one on base. It is so much cheaper than out in town, and it seems like a very secure facility. I still hate to leave him with someone else. No one will love him like I do.

I've consistently made it to the gym at least 3 days a week for the last 5 weeks in a row. It isn't ideal, but I'm glad that I'm going. I lost a little more weight, and everything is slowly firming back up. I wish it would go quicker though!

Noah is so good at cooing and smiling. It is delightful. He's so much more fun, and he's learning more every day. I swear the time is going by too fast for me to be able to keep up.

I'm super excited for Simon to come home. I think its been long enough, but we still have a ways to go. So annoying.

I got my birth control put back in this week. My arm still hurts pretty bad when I move it, so I've had to avoid a lot of things at the gym. I'm ready to get my arms back and be able to work them out :)

There's so much love in my heart, for both Noah and Simon, that I think I might explode.

That's about it!
<3 Kristin

Motherhood is...

Motherhood is not getting anything done, because you're way too busy watching your baby sleep.

<3

Noah had his 2 month checkup yesterday. He was in the 86th percentile for height (24 inches) and the 99th percentile for weight (16 lbs!). He also got 6 vaccines yesterday too, and he did pretty well. He started getting incredibly fussy in the afternoon, and that lasted quite a while. He's feeling much better this morning, thankfully.

2 1/2 weeks of maternity leave left! I need to take him up to daycare, so we can fill out paperwork. Hopefully by the end of this week that will be completed.

Gotta pack up his 0-3 and some 3 month clothing soon. Some of it is getting incredibly tight! Thankfully there's still enough so I won't have to use the 6 month sizing as much. I know he's gigantic, but he still feels like a little baby to me. He's been having an 11 month long growth spurt. It's gotta slow down eventually, right?

At least he's healthy!

<3 Kristin