Still zooming around. He can crawl pretty fast now and really knows when
he shouldn't be headed somewhere bc he speeds up! He pulls himself up
on everything and has even taken a couple steps on several occasions. He
pushes the lion and shopping cart around with confidence so we're sure
walking is just around the corner. We can wait though! He loves opening
cabinets and drawers he should be opening and gives the biggest smile
when I say "Zavier! You aren't allowed in there!" I talk to him the same
way I talk to Scarlett, even though he cannot understand the way she
can. I just don't want her to feel like I only talk to her like that and
that I'm fair between the two of them. Back to Zavier, he definitely
knows his name and he's very aware of sounds, especially when he's
nursing bc he gets quite distracted.
He eats well. He still nurses about every three hours day (and night)
and eats three meals a day. He loves smoothies or anything with a straw.
He enjoys the mesh net when we have the proper fruit to put in it. I
can tell he's going to have a hollow leg though bc he would probably eat
more than I give him. We're working on finger foods and he does well
with puffs and yogurt bites. The other day we had small bites of
meatball as well as avocado so he can practice chewing. It definitely
will take more practice but he's doing well so far! He's also working on
picking up the foods either with his whole hand or his pinchers. He
mostly does whole hand at this point.
He takes two-three naps a day. One around 9am and one around 1pm.
Sometimes random naps happen at 11am after Stroller Strides and that
throws off the afternoon. If we're home for both naps they've started
getting longer. Afternoon naps are definitely longer than in the past.
Usually an hour, sometimes more. He puts himself to sleep at night
around 7pm with some gentle rocking and then a lay down. Barely any
fussing unless he's a bit overtired. He still wakes up multiple times a
night for comfort. I am currently okay with this though I often struggle
with the thought that he should be sleeping thru the night and how I
can help him do that. It's not that much of an inconvenience that I
can't handle it and I know he will grow out of it and eventually sleep
thru on his own so I don't mind being his comfort right now. Teething
pain definitely impacts his sleep. Even when we give him a bit of
Tylenol, he still wakes frequently. Bc he doesn't take a paci, I am one
of his main comforts (his thumb is the other but he doesn't suck all
that hard on it) so I'm not interested in removing myself as the comfort
at this time.
Now he seems to be getting this whole walking thing. He's taken multiple
steps on a number of occasions which is very exciting. Practice makes
perfect!
I have to note in here that Scarlett is working on her potty training
and she is doing very well! After a tough start bc of a public toilet
being a little too loud, she seems interested in going on the potty.
Mostly at home and public places, not at other peoples houses quite yet
but it's early. We will be headed to the beach soon (June 21) so we will
see how that goes. Hopefully traveling with the potty will make things
easier. She will hopefully get used to seeing it and then go
whenever/wherever. She did not respond well to the reward tactic, so
what i do is after we finish the mission, I make sure she looks at me
and then I praise her. I can tell she feels proud in those moments and
that I'm really making her feel good. (Obv by I, I mean we, as in me and
Alex but it's easier to type I).
Back to Zavier. Since his 9 month appt he's amped up the verbal skills.
Lots more talking is going on and it's very cute. His first official
word is Dada and he's also said dad-dy. so that's exciting! He has
become quite fond of Alex and it's so adorable watching his excitement
when Alex gets home from work or really just walks up to him.
Just said Mama too.
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Zavier at Eight Months!
He crawls around like a pro. He pulls up on everything within reach as
well which is neat but can also be dangerous. He requires lots more
supervision then before and what I mean is I can't stand in the kitchen
while he pulls up on the window seat area without getting nervous and
staying nearby.
He has been teething hard this month and this has affected his sleeping. I have yet to sleep train him bc of this. When he teethes, his nose runs which makes him congested which affects his sleep. He wakes up more, itches at his nose and has a hard time getting back to sleep.
Other than activity and sleep, he eats solids twice a day but hasn't graduated to anything thicker than a good purée and we're working on puffs. He does enjoy the mesh net tho and I can't wait for some nice ripe cantaloupe to have for him to suck on!
He knows what he wants. When he wants out of his chair or when he drops something that he still wanted he lets us know! He wants the iPad when Scarlett has it and really likes being near her.
He smiles a ton. He's very loving. A little sweetheart in so many ways. He cries very little which is really nice too!
He has been teething hard this month and this has affected his sleeping. I have yet to sleep train him bc of this. When he teethes, his nose runs which makes him congested which affects his sleep. He wakes up more, itches at his nose and has a hard time getting back to sleep.
Other than activity and sleep, he eats solids twice a day but hasn't graduated to anything thicker than a good purée and we're working on puffs. He does enjoy the mesh net tho and I can't wait for some nice ripe cantaloupe to have for him to suck on!
He knows what he wants. When he wants out of his chair or when he drops something that he still wanted he lets us know! He wants the iPad when Scarlett has it and really likes being near her.
He smiles a ton. He's very loving. A little sweetheart in so many ways. He cries very little which is really nice too!
Zavier at Seven Months!
Weight: 21 lbs
Zavier has started crawling backwards at the beginning of this month. He is fully crawling now at the end. He also started some separation anxiety.
4/9/14 - Zavier's first hair cut! We trimmed his bangs while he was in the highchair. It wasn't easy and he looked so much older directly afterward.
His sleeping is still pretty terrible. I'm not really sure what to do about it at this point. He goes to sleep just fine, he just likes to wake up a lot and play me like a dang fiddle. I know he doesn't need to eat at night but I feed him bc it comforts him. He's been sick on and off and when he's not sick he seems to be teething. He naps for about 30 mins three times a day. Sometimes he surprises me and sleeps for an hour or longer. This is rare.
Despite the sleep issues, he's such a fun little guy! It's easy to make him smile and laugh and he has a tickle spot on his ribs. He crawls around so confidently now and when he wants something, he goes and gets it. He wants to pull up on everything which requires lots of supervision. It's all exciting, just moving really fast! He likes to drink water from Scarlett's cups, which means he does a good job sucking from a straw.
Scarlett has started to interact with him a lot more with kisses and playing. She will help me with him at times by repeating things I say like "keep your eyes open, Zavier" and she gives him kisses. She doesn't enjoy his mobility as much tho bc now he tries to take toys she's playing with. I do think it's helping her learn to share though and also teaches her she can't just take a toy from someone.
It's hard to believe he just turned 8 months. It's hard not to think about Scarlett when she was 8 months. I do my best not to compare them but it's nice to reminisce about her milestones. Pretty soon he will be walking and then talking and time will continue to fly so I will continue to live in and enjoy the moment!
Zavier has started crawling backwards at the beginning of this month. He is fully crawling now at the end. He also started some separation anxiety.
4/9/14 - Zavier's first hair cut! We trimmed his bangs while he was in the highchair. It wasn't easy and he looked so much older directly afterward.
His sleeping is still pretty terrible. I'm not really sure what to do about it at this point. He goes to sleep just fine, he just likes to wake up a lot and play me like a dang fiddle. I know he doesn't need to eat at night but I feed him bc it comforts him. He's been sick on and off and when he's not sick he seems to be teething. He naps for about 30 mins three times a day. Sometimes he surprises me and sleeps for an hour or longer. This is rare.
Despite the sleep issues, he's such a fun little guy! It's easy to make him smile and laugh and he has a tickle spot on his ribs. He crawls around so confidently now and when he wants something, he goes and gets it. He wants to pull up on everything which requires lots of supervision. It's all exciting, just moving really fast! He likes to drink water from Scarlett's cups, which means he does a good job sucking from a straw.
Scarlett has started to interact with him a lot more with kisses and playing. She will help me with him at times by repeating things I say like "keep your eyes open, Zavier" and she gives him kisses. She doesn't enjoy his mobility as much tho bc now he tries to take toys she's playing with. I do think it's helping her learn to share though and also teaches her she can't just take a toy from someone.
It's hard to believe he just turned 8 months. It's hard not to think about Scarlett when she was 8 months. I do my best not to compare them but it's nice to reminisce about her milestones. Pretty soon he will be walking and then talking and time will continue to fly so I will continue to live in and enjoy the moment!
Zavier at Six Months!
Eats
Zaviers first food was oatmeal followed by sweet potatoes and prunes. He was definitely ready to start eating bc he opens his mouth so well each time! I say "ahhh" and he opens! He still nurses every three hours or so.
Sleeps
He hasn't slept well really since before he had croup. Teething seems to give him a runny nose which messes with his breathing and all goes to heck after that. Also, hi my name is Michelle and i am Zavier's human pacifier. So there's that too. I'm not tired despite how often I am awake at night so I'm not messing with it anytime soon. He goes back to sleep pretty easily after nursing (in the cases where he can breathe while nursing of course, darn runny nose!)
Activities
This month Zavier has mastered sitting up unassisted. I still put the boppy behind him in case he leans back but he does a very good job sitting.
Basically this is a fail on my part as I didn't realize I didn't write a lot for 6 months. He's an awesome little man though!
Zaviers first food was oatmeal followed by sweet potatoes and prunes. He was definitely ready to start eating bc he opens his mouth so well each time! I say "ahhh" and he opens! He still nurses every three hours or so.
Sleeps
He hasn't slept well really since before he had croup. Teething seems to give him a runny nose which messes with his breathing and all goes to heck after that. Also, hi my name is Michelle and i am Zavier's human pacifier. So there's that too. I'm not tired despite how often I am awake at night so I'm not messing with it anytime soon. He goes back to sleep pretty easily after nursing (in the cases where he can breathe while nursing of course, darn runny nose!)
Activities
This month Zavier has mastered sitting up unassisted. I still put the boppy behind him in case he leans back but he does a very good job sitting.
Basically this is a fail on my part as I didn't realize I didn't write a lot for 6 months. He's an awesome little man though!
Zavier at Five Months!
Another month with stats! I'm surprising myself! (also, five months is in January 2014)
Weighs 20 lbs
Length 27 3/4"
Eats
He still eats a lot. Every three hours on average. Sometimes more than three sometimes less. I feed him whenever he wants so I don't really keep close track. Only close enough track that when the dr asks I can say the average. He's become very distracted though so our sessions can last anywhere from 5 mins to 30 mins. He's packing on the pounds that's for sure. Good thing he's long too or else he'd be a real chubb-a-lubb. He likes watching us eat so I'm sure if I introduced some cereal to him he would go for it but I really want to wait until 5 or 5.5 months. We'll see what happens.
Sleeps
This month was really wonky bc he had a stuffy nose a lot. So that interrupted his sleep a lot. Then he had croup which definitely made sleep difficult for a couple of nights. But we're over that now and one night he slept for a nice 6 hour stretch! So that was lovely. His average is 3 hour stretches at night and 20-40 min naps during the day. He takes a nap about every three hours. His average is three for everything it seems.
Activity
He loves his bouncer and has mastered rolling and all that. He's now into grabbing his legs and feet while laying down. He's so intentional with his grabs in general. He appears to know what he wants and he grabs for it. He really loves holding hands with us too. So he's really handsy. We have been practicing sitting alone and he does okay with the boppy behind him. He definitely wants to lean forward a lot so hopefully he gets the concept of keeping his hands out in front of himself. He also inch worms across the floor. I feel like between now and actual crawling so much is happening with him!
This month he's replaced the pacifier with his thumb. This is fine with us now after some initial worry about it. After our research we determined its fine for him to do and that most kids wean themselves from it by age 2. This has actually been helpful with self-soothing, especially at night.
Let's talk about croup. First, Scarlett was not sick at all as a baby. She's only recently had a cold with an accompanying cough. It was only a matter of time after all the sickness in November and December and I'm just glad she didn't have the stomach bug that was circulating. Zavier got a stuffy nose when Scarlett had one and we thought that was that. But Alex had the flu and some other people we know had the flu around the holidays. Zavier started on Friday with some super long naps. He usually falls asleep in the car but these naps extended for hours which wasn't like him at all. The same thing occurred Saturday, long naps. Sunday morning he had a fever and was coughing a little but we just thought it was draining mucus, as that's how Scarlett's cold was ending. So we treated his fever all day/night which didn't subside at all. He slept terribly that night. He was up about every hour or so and his cough was getting worse. By the morning it was definitely sounding like a bark and his breathing in between coughs didn't sound the best. So when the dr opened I called immediately and they had an appt for him an hour later. He got an oral steroid and more Tylenol. She said it would get worse before it got better. I never really thought the steroid helped. But it only got better from then on so that was a relief. We did a lot of steams in the bathroom at Scarlett's nap time and when she went to bed at night. In between that we sat in front of the humidifier. Day two he was still lethargic but his fever had broken. By day three he was feeling better, smiling more and wanting to bounce and play. He still had a cough for the next several days and definitely mucus that needed draining but just to be over the fever and coughing was a huge relief. I honestly don't know how parents with sick children deal with it all the time. It's so sad.
Speaking of sickness though, I got a nose frida thing bc the bulb syringe is basically terrible at doing anything at all. And while he hates the nose frida and the saline drops in general, they both have been working really well through all of this.
We're so lucky to have such a happy little guy. He's such a pleasure to have around.
Weighs 20 lbs
Length 27 3/4"
Eats
He still eats a lot. Every three hours on average. Sometimes more than three sometimes less. I feed him whenever he wants so I don't really keep close track. Only close enough track that when the dr asks I can say the average. He's become very distracted though so our sessions can last anywhere from 5 mins to 30 mins. He's packing on the pounds that's for sure. Good thing he's long too or else he'd be a real chubb-a-lubb. He likes watching us eat so I'm sure if I introduced some cereal to him he would go for it but I really want to wait until 5 or 5.5 months. We'll see what happens.
Sleeps
This month was really wonky bc he had a stuffy nose a lot. So that interrupted his sleep a lot. Then he had croup which definitely made sleep difficult for a couple of nights. But we're over that now and one night he slept for a nice 6 hour stretch! So that was lovely. His average is 3 hour stretches at night and 20-40 min naps during the day. He takes a nap about every three hours. His average is three for everything it seems.
Activity
He loves his bouncer and has mastered rolling and all that. He's now into grabbing his legs and feet while laying down. He's so intentional with his grabs in general. He appears to know what he wants and he grabs for it. He really loves holding hands with us too. So he's really handsy. We have been practicing sitting alone and he does okay with the boppy behind him. He definitely wants to lean forward a lot so hopefully he gets the concept of keeping his hands out in front of himself. He also inch worms across the floor. I feel like between now and actual crawling so much is happening with him!
This month he's replaced the pacifier with his thumb. This is fine with us now after some initial worry about it. After our research we determined its fine for him to do and that most kids wean themselves from it by age 2. This has actually been helpful with self-soothing, especially at night.
Let's talk about croup. First, Scarlett was not sick at all as a baby. She's only recently had a cold with an accompanying cough. It was only a matter of time after all the sickness in November and December and I'm just glad she didn't have the stomach bug that was circulating. Zavier got a stuffy nose when Scarlett had one and we thought that was that. But Alex had the flu and some other people we know had the flu around the holidays. Zavier started on Friday with some super long naps. He usually falls asleep in the car but these naps extended for hours which wasn't like him at all. The same thing occurred Saturday, long naps. Sunday morning he had a fever and was coughing a little but we just thought it was draining mucus, as that's how Scarlett's cold was ending. So we treated his fever all day/night which didn't subside at all. He slept terribly that night. He was up about every hour or so and his cough was getting worse. By the morning it was definitely sounding like a bark and his breathing in between coughs didn't sound the best. So when the dr opened I called immediately and they had an appt for him an hour later. He got an oral steroid and more Tylenol. She said it would get worse before it got better. I never really thought the steroid helped. But it only got better from then on so that was a relief. We did a lot of steams in the bathroom at Scarlett's nap time and when she went to bed at night. In between that we sat in front of the humidifier. Day two he was still lethargic but his fever had broken. By day three he was feeling better, smiling more and wanting to bounce and play. He still had a cough for the next several days and definitely mucus that needed draining but just to be over the fever and coughing was a huge relief. I honestly don't know how parents with sick children deal with it all the time. It's so sad.
Speaking of sickness though, I got a nose frida thing bc the bulb syringe is basically terrible at doing anything at all. And while he hates the nose frida and the saline drops in general, they both have been working really well through all of this.
We're so lucky to have such a happy little guy. He's such a pleasure to have around.
Zavier at Four Months!
Look who has stats this month!!
Weight- 18 lbs 7 oz
Length- 27.5"
Eats
He still eats every three-ish hours. He's a hungry little boy! And I'm sure this contributes to his weight above. But luckily he's proportionate and so he's not too chubby looking quite yet. He's a pretty distracted nurser other than in the middle of the night, luckily.
Sleeps
His napping is pretty sub-par. I tried crib training him a bit but he wouldn't sleep for long which meant his nights were worse. So I went back to holding him for 15-20 mins and then putting him down. Really it all depends on Scarlett. If she's in the mood to make trouble during his nap, and I have to get up and chase her around or remove her from certain areas it affects Zavier's nap. But I'm back to trying to crib train from the beginning and I'm hoping he gets used to it! :) He naps 4 times a day and goes to bed around 8pm waking about every three hours until he awakens around 7. He takes some of his best naps in his car seat when I go places like target or lunch with my mom. Something about Mimi always puts him to sleep and he stays asleep!
Activity
He has gotten a lot more active this month whether it's kicking his legs and scootching on the activity mat. He also rolled from his back to his belly! Now at the beginning of his fifth month, he's rolling all around. So now I can't leave him on the couch and have to strategically place him on the floor.
He's very easy to make smile and he started laughing this month. It can brighten any bad spot in a day and I just love it!
Other
I am the only one who can put him to bed at night. He allows Alex to do naps but he will cry his tiny head off at night. Sometimes he takes 10 minutes to go to sleep and sometimes it's an hour. I remember this phase with Scarlett and cannot wait until we're past it and falling asleep easier!
Weight- 18 lbs 7 oz
Length- 27.5"
Eats
He still eats every three-ish hours. He's a hungry little boy! And I'm sure this contributes to his weight above. But luckily he's proportionate and so he's not too chubby looking quite yet. He's a pretty distracted nurser other than in the middle of the night, luckily.
Sleeps
His napping is pretty sub-par. I tried crib training him a bit but he wouldn't sleep for long which meant his nights were worse. So I went back to holding him for 15-20 mins and then putting him down. Really it all depends on Scarlett. If she's in the mood to make trouble during his nap, and I have to get up and chase her around or remove her from certain areas it affects Zavier's nap. But I'm back to trying to crib train from the beginning and I'm hoping he gets used to it! :) He naps 4 times a day and goes to bed around 8pm waking about every three hours until he awakens around 7. He takes some of his best naps in his car seat when I go places like target or lunch with my mom. Something about Mimi always puts him to sleep and he stays asleep!
Activity
He has gotten a lot more active this month whether it's kicking his legs and scootching on the activity mat. He also rolled from his back to his belly! Now at the beginning of his fifth month, he's rolling all around. So now I can't leave him on the couch and have to strategically place him on the floor.
He's very easy to make smile and he started laughing this month. It can brighten any bad spot in a day and I just love it!
Other
I am the only one who can put him to bed at night. He allows Alex to do naps but he will cry his tiny head off at night. Sometimes he takes 10 minutes to go to sleep and sometimes it's an hour. I remember this phase with Scarlett and cannot wait until we're past it and falling asleep easier!
Zavier at Three Months!
Zavier at 3 Months
I don't know his stats!!! Look at his baby book ;)
Eats
He eats a lot. He can't last more than 3 hours during the day unless he's sleeping, which only happens if he's been riding in the car and gets nice and deep. I need to stay hydrated like nothing else to keep up with his appetite. One day of not drinking enough water and the following day feels empty. He's a growing boy! Can't wait for the sweet spot from 4-7 months when I can hopefully drop the rest of this baby weight and then some!
Sleeps
He still wakes about twice a night. Rarely it's three times but just as before he only spend about 10 minutes awake/eating/diaper change before going back to sleep. It's a smidge harder to get him back to sleep after the 4/4:30am feeding but he does go back to sleep. That's the time he joins us in bed so that I'm there to soothe him to sleep while half sleeping myself. I hope he stays immobile for a while so we can continue this safely or he can do better at sleeping from 4-7am.. Those are the only options. He does tend to fight his sleep a bit at times, mostly at night and he's very position specific. It's trying at times but I have to say I handle it better this time around than with Scarlett. I used to get pretty frustrated but now i just remind myself that, hello! he's a baby! this is what babies do.
Activities
He still talks and smiles lots. He started batting at and grabbing toys recently. He loves his hands and sucks on them lots. He loves laying on the activity mat kicking and punching around. His neck strength gets better each day, especially pulling him up by his arms, so that's good. We don't do too much tummy time but when we do he does a good job. He's been rolling over during tummy time since like 8 weeks from belly to his back. I think it's bc he would lean one way and the weight of his head would roll him over. I guess it counts if it's happened more than five times tho. Right? Right!
This little boy loves the bath. He kicks and splashes himself out of the little seat part so I have to hold him down most of the time to keep him safe. He could spend so much time splashing around and I'm sure he will have so much fun next summer with swimming and water table play! In the meantime, he'll continue loving his bath!
He loves watching Scarlett run around the room playing. She asked to hold him this month and has held his hands several times. She likes to lay on the activity mat with him and have him kick her. It's very heartwarming to watch them interact!
I thank goodness that Zavier is a nice laid back and relaxed baby. Sure he needs to be held for his naps but that won't last forever so I'm cherishing it while it does. He waits patiently for me when I need him to and he rarely cries. We love him so much!
I don't know his stats!!! Look at his baby book ;)
Eats
He eats a lot. He can't last more than 3 hours during the day unless he's sleeping, which only happens if he's been riding in the car and gets nice and deep. I need to stay hydrated like nothing else to keep up with his appetite. One day of not drinking enough water and the following day feels empty. He's a growing boy! Can't wait for the sweet spot from 4-7 months when I can hopefully drop the rest of this baby weight and then some!
Sleeps
He still wakes about twice a night. Rarely it's three times but just as before he only spend about 10 minutes awake/eating/diaper change before going back to sleep. It's a smidge harder to get him back to sleep after the 4/4:30am feeding but he does go back to sleep. That's the time he joins us in bed so that I'm there to soothe him to sleep while half sleeping myself. I hope he stays immobile for a while so we can continue this safely or he can do better at sleeping from 4-7am.. Those are the only options. He does tend to fight his sleep a bit at times, mostly at night and he's very position specific. It's trying at times but I have to say I handle it better this time around than with Scarlett. I used to get pretty frustrated but now i just remind myself that, hello! he's a baby! this is what babies do.
Activities
He still talks and smiles lots. He started batting at and grabbing toys recently. He loves his hands and sucks on them lots. He loves laying on the activity mat kicking and punching around. His neck strength gets better each day, especially pulling him up by his arms, so that's good. We don't do too much tummy time but when we do he does a good job. He's been rolling over during tummy time since like 8 weeks from belly to his back. I think it's bc he would lean one way and the weight of his head would roll him over. I guess it counts if it's happened more than five times tho. Right? Right!
This little boy loves the bath. He kicks and splashes himself out of the little seat part so I have to hold him down most of the time to keep him safe. He could spend so much time splashing around and I'm sure he will have so much fun next summer with swimming and water table play! In the meantime, he'll continue loving his bath!
He loves watching Scarlett run around the room playing. She asked to hold him this month and has held his hands several times. She likes to lay on the activity mat with him and have him kick her. It's very heartwarming to watch them interact!
I thank goodness that Zavier is a nice laid back and relaxed baby. Sure he needs to be held for his naps but that won't last forever so I'm cherishing it while it does. He waits patiently for me when I need him to and he rarely cries. We love him so much!
Zavier at Two Months!
Stats
Weight: 15 lbs even
Length: 24.5"
Eats
As you can see by his weight, he's not lacking in the food department. He eats every 3 hours (ish) during the day and most nights he's up 2-3 times. He's kind of a distracted eater during the day so nursing sessions last a while sometimes or start and then delay and then finish a half hour later. But like I said, he's not lacking. His weight is in the 97th percentile for 2 months. Big boy!
Sleeps
This is a bit tricky. He's not on any sort of schedule. I was laying him down for naps as he would allow but in the last week he has basically refused to nap for more than 20 minutes unless he's being held. I usually don't have time to hold him for such a long period while also being still so he doesnt completely wake during sleep cycles but sometimes (like right now, as I write this post on my phone and Scarlett watches Sofia the First) he can take a nice snooze on my chest. Night time is better. He goes down every night around 8pm. I have definitely started and stick to the habit of not rocking or nursing him to sleep. I swaddle him and lay him in his crib if I feel like laying in bed while he inevitably unswaddles himself once or twice. He eventually settles and falls asleep. This process also sometimes happens on the couch cushion. He stays asleep sometimes until 11pm and sometimes 1am. That's the usual. He has slept a tad longer once or twice. He then does a 3-4 hour stretch and then another 2-3 hour stretch waking around 7:30-8 am each morning. He nurses, gets a diaper change and then goes back to sleep. I change his diaper in bed. Why I never did that with Scarlett I will never know. It's so much easier than getting up and walking all around. We do all of this by night light. He goes back to sleep the first time in the crib again and the second time he stays with me. It's nice having a king size bed for this reason. I cant complain about these sleep habits. He's consistent and that's all I can ask for at this point.
Activities
He talks and smiles a lot. He's a happy boy so when he's awake and not hungry or sleepy he's smiling or laying quietly. He kicks and moves his arms during his active times. We're working on tummy time and neck control and he's getting better and better. I wouldn't call him super good at holding his neck though, he still needs a lot of support. But we'll get there in time. He loves to follow us around the room with his eyes and follows my voice. He enjoys watching Scarlett when we're sitting close to her (and she stays close by). He also enjoys being outside and taking walks although he doesn't like the wind so much. He hasn't quite figured out how to breathe in it yet.
He's a good little boy and were enjoying watching him get more alert and develop new skills. He's very patient when it comes to waiting for me or Alex to complete a Scarlett task if needed. He doesn't fuss too hard when he's hungry (I'm pretty on target with his hunger cues though so he doesn't have to wait long normally anyway) or when he's sleepy. This parenting thing the second time around sure is easier. :)
A note on Scarlett
Scarlett is doing awesome now with Zavier. She has fully transitioned to having a sibling. She's not too into him yet but I'm sure once he can move and make more noise (and she gets older) she will enjoy him more. There are times where she's concerned about him and I know she thinks about him bc she's mentioned his name after a nap before. So that's cute. She especially likes when he wears fun things on his shirt that she can point at. She's learning and growing every day. She repeats words on command and loves watching sofia the first (a limited amount). She still loves being outside and I take her out as much as I can handle with both of them. She's pushing boundaries for sure but she's also still teething a lot so I think a lot of times it's for attention but for reasons non-boundary/sibling related. She's a treat though and her laugh and smile brighter our days!
Weight: 15 lbs even
Length: 24.5"
Eats
As you can see by his weight, he's not lacking in the food department. He eats every 3 hours (ish) during the day and most nights he's up 2-3 times. He's kind of a distracted eater during the day so nursing sessions last a while sometimes or start and then delay and then finish a half hour later. But like I said, he's not lacking. His weight is in the 97th percentile for 2 months. Big boy!
Sleeps
This is a bit tricky. He's not on any sort of schedule. I was laying him down for naps as he would allow but in the last week he has basically refused to nap for more than 20 minutes unless he's being held. I usually don't have time to hold him for such a long period while also being still so he doesnt completely wake during sleep cycles but sometimes (like right now, as I write this post on my phone and Scarlett watches Sofia the First) he can take a nice snooze on my chest. Night time is better. He goes down every night around 8pm. I have definitely started and stick to the habit of not rocking or nursing him to sleep. I swaddle him and lay him in his crib if I feel like laying in bed while he inevitably unswaddles himself once or twice. He eventually settles and falls asleep. This process also sometimes happens on the couch cushion. He stays asleep sometimes until 11pm and sometimes 1am. That's the usual. He has slept a tad longer once or twice. He then does a 3-4 hour stretch and then another 2-3 hour stretch waking around 7:30-8 am each morning. He nurses, gets a diaper change and then goes back to sleep. I change his diaper in bed. Why I never did that with Scarlett I will never know. It's so much easier than getting up and walking all around. We do all of this by night light. He goes back to sleep the first time in the crib again and the second time he stays with me. It's nice having a king size bed for this reason. I cant complain about these sleep habits. He's consistent and that's all I can ask for at this point.
Activities
He talks and smiles a lot. He's a happy boy so when he's awake and not hungry or sleepy he's smiling or laying quietly. He kicks and moves his arms during his active times. We're working on tummy time and neck control and he's getting better and better. I wouldn't call him super good at holding his neck though, he still needs a lot of support. But we'll get there in time. He loves to follow us around the room with his eyes and follows my voice. He enjoys watching Scarlett when we're sitting close to her (and she stays close by). He also enjoys being outside and taking walks although he doesn't like the wind so much. He hasn't quite figured out how to breathe in it yet.
He's a good little boy and were enjoying watching him get more alert and develop new skills. He's very patient when it comes to waiting for me or Alex to complete a Scarlett task if needed. He doesn't fuss too hard when he's hungry (I'm pretty on target with his hunger cues though so he doesn't have to wait long normally anyway) or when he's sleepy. This parenting thing the second time around sure is easier. :)
A note on Scarlett
Scarlett is doing awesome now with Zavier. She has fully transitioned to having a sibling. She's not too into him yet but I'm sure once he can move and make more noise (and she gets older) she will enjoy him more. There are times where she's concerned about him and I know she thinks about him bc she's mentioned his name after a nap before. So that's cute. She especially likes when he wears fun things on his shirt that she can point at. She's learning and growing every day. She repeats words on command and loves watching sofia the first (a limited amount). She still loves being outside and I take her out as much as I can handle with both of them. She's pushing boundaries for sure but she's also still teething a lot so I think a lot of times it's for attention but for reasons non-boundary/sibling related. She's a treat though and her laugh and smile brighter our days!
Zavier at One Month
I kept up on Scarlett's monthly progress and I plan to do the same for Zavier. It serves as a great historical reference, especially for his baby book that I generally don't fill out on time. Plus it gives me a purpose for documenting a day in time with photographs.
I did buy some stickers on Etsy for these pictures but unfortunately, they haven't arrived yet. So his one month sticker won't be included unless I photoshop it on later.
Onto the stats and details!
Weight- 11 lb 5 oz .. (this was approx on the 15th)
Good Eats
Zavier has always been a good eater. He definitely caught on to breastfeeding fast and the only thing that can be challenging is that he is a snacker. This also lends itself to the fact that we're going 'pacifier free' this time around.. therefore I am his pacifier a lot of the time, well okay, all the time when he needs to be soothed. It truly is nursing on demand and he definitely demands it frequently. The upside to this is creating a very good milk supply (fingers crossed) as well as the weight-loss benefits of breastfeeding (again, fingers crossed).
Decent Sleeps
From day one he's known the difference between day and night it seems. We haven't had any middle of the night dance parties or play time of any kind. I truly appreciate this. With Scarlett still getting up for the day at 6 am, I get to keep our feedings at night short and to the point. We've even mastered the side-lying nursing position which is awesome. Scarlett couldn't handle that until she had more neck control.
He starts out each night in his crib by himself and I usually get him back into it a couple more times throughout the night, mostly the first 3 feedings get him back in his crib. Then he gets more noisy and it's always unknown whether it's just noise or if it's due to a burp bubble or a bum bubble (aka gas). It's just easier at that point to pull him into bed to sleep beside me. He does well and not once have I been nervous about him sleeping with me.
We swaddle him with his arms out currently. He's never really enjoyed his arms the whole way in and down so we started with elbows in and down and now we just do arms out. It seems to work for now. At night he usually just wears a onesie and then is swaddled by the muslin wrap. As the weather gets colder at night I've started putting socks on him as well. He gets too hot if he's wearing more than that.
He also naps pretty well. He takes a couple shorter ones during the day and one longer one. Sometimes the longer one bumps into bed time, other times it doesn't. It's pretty all over the place but that's to be expected. He sometimes can match a nap up with his sister so that I can get housework done or nap myself. He's a bit noisy during naps as well so this wakes him up during the short naps.
Play Time
We've done some tummy time and he seems to be doing well with his head so far. As well as can be expected anyway. He enjoys laying on the play mat, looking at the lights while the music plays. He also enjoys laying beside his sister while she giggles because his hands graze her face sometimes. He definitely follows Alex and myself if we're moving slowly in the room, Scarlett is a bit too speedy to follow at this point but he does look at her when she's up close.
He smiled for the first time last Thursday the 12th. A real, fully awake purposeful smile. Alex has gotten a smile since then, I myself have not quite yet but I'm sure I will soon.
Transitions
Scarlett started acting more like herself at the end of last week. She's started playing more independently again which is helpful and she's whining a little bit less. She still whines but I think it's because she knows it will get her some attention. It's easy to tell when it's more of a fake whine as opposed to a purposeful whine. I'm teaching her to tell me when she's hungry/thirsty so that she doesn't get fussy when she's hungry bc she doesn't know how to communicate it.
I've been out a couple of times alone. Mostly to my parents which is good practice to learn how to get two kids into a building. We went to Target once. We got the special cart with the seats for the bigger kids and those things are interesting to maneuver around the store, whew! But they're handy for obvious reasons. I know taking two kids out in public will take practice so i'm trying not to sweat it. I'm trying to figure out if purchasing an Ergo Carrier would be worth it. I have an infantino one that I can use when Zavier has better head control but I've heard such good things about the Ergo. I've tried the Moby Wrap too but again, until he has better head control I won't truly be hands free. Any thoughts on this are appreciated!!
It's crazy that he's already a month old. Time sure does fly even faster with two. I'm very happy that I get to hold Zavier more throughout the day than I anticipated. I guess I figured I would be super busy or that Scarlett would be more demanding but I hold him lots! We love you little buddy!
I did buy some stickers on Etsy for these pictures but unfortunately, they haven't arrived yet. So his one month sticker won't be included unless I photoshop it on later.
Onto the stats and details!
Weight- 11 lb 5 oz .. (this was approx on the 15th)
Good Eats
Zavier has always been a good eater. He definitely caught on to breastfeeding fast and the only thing that can be challenging is that he is a snacker. This also lends itself to the fact that we're going 'pacifier free' this time around.. therefore I am his pacifier a lot of the time, well okay, all the time when he needs to be soothed. It truly is nursing on demand and he definitely demands it frequently. The upside to this is creating a very good milk supply (fingers crossed) as well as the weight-loss benefits of breastfeeding (again, fingers crossed).
Decent Sleeps
From day one he's known the difference between day and night it seems. We haven't had any middle of the night dance parties or play time of any kind. I truly appreciate this. With Scarlett still getting up for the day at 6 am, I get to keep our feedings at night short and to the point. We've even mastered the side-lying nursing position which is awesome. Scarlett couldn't handle that until she had more neck control.
He starts out each night in his crib by himself and I usually get him back into it a couple more times throughout the night, mostly the first 3 feedings get him back in his crib. Then he gets more noisy and it's always unknown whether it's just noise or if it's due to a burp bubble or a bum bubble (aka gas). It's just easier at that point to pull him into bed to sleep beside me. He does well and not once have I been nervous about him sleeping with me.
We swaddle him with his arms out currently. He's never really enjoyed his arms the whole way in and down so we started with elbows in and down and now we just do arms out. It seems to work for now. At night he usually just wears a onesie and then is swaddled by the muslin wrap. As the weather gets colder at night I've started putting socks on him as well. He gets too hot if he's wearing more than that.
He also naps pretty well. He takes a couple shorter ones during the day and one longer one. Sometimes the longer one bumps into bed time, other times it doesn't. It's pretty all over the place but that's to be expected. He sometimes can match a nap up with his sister so that I can get housework done or nap myself. He's a bit noisy during naps as well so this wakes him up during the short naps.
Play Time
We've done some tummy time and he seems to be doing well with his head so far. As well as can be expected anyway. He enjoys laying on the play mat, looking at the lights while the music plays. He also enjoys laying beside his sister while she giggles because his hands graze her face sometimes. He definitely follows Alex and myself if we're moving slowly in the room, Scarlett is a bit too speedy to follow at this point but he does look at her when she's up close.
He smiled for the first time last Thursday the 12th. A real, fully awake purposeful smile. Alex has gotten a smile since then, I myself have not quite yet but I'm sure I will soon.
Transitions
Scarlett started acting more like herself at the end of last week. She's started playing more independently again which is helpful and she's whining a little bit less. She still whines but I think it's because she knows it will get her some attention. It's easy to tell when it's more of a fake whine as opposed to a purposeful whine. I'm teaching her to tell me when she's hungry/thirsty so that she doesn't get fussy when she's hungry bc she doesn't know how to communicate it.
I've been out a couple of times alone. Mostly to my parents which is good practice to learn how to get two kids into a building. We went to Target once. We got the special cart with the seats for the bigger kids and those things are interesting to maneuver around the store, whew! But they're handy for obvious reasons. I know taking two kids out in public will take practice so i'm trying not to sweat it. I'm trying to figure out if purchasing an Ergo Carrier would be worth it. I have an infantino one that I can use when Zavier has better head control but I've heard such good things about the Ergo. I've tried the Moby Wrap too but again, until he has better head control I won't truly be hands free. Any thoughts on this are appreciated!!
It's crazy that he's already a month old. Time sure does fly even faster with two. I'm very happy that I get to hold Zavier more throughout the day than I anticipated. I guess I figured I would be super busy or that Scarlett would be more demanding but I hold him lots! We love you little buddy!
Haven't done this in a while..
Well lookie who it is!?
I haven't done this in a while because I literally do not have time to sit a computer. Evenings are spent relaxing with my darling husband and vegging out on the couch/es together watching TV while playing with our phones, or just one of those things or both at the same time.
I'm coming back for a moment to post a lot about Zavier.
As Scarlett was growing from 0-12 months, I documented a lot of what she was doing and a lot of it is right here on this blog. I actually frequent it to see what she was doing at 6 months while Zavier was around the same age. I wanted to have a place in the cloud where this information is available to me (and them??) in the future.
So though I couldn't document on a blog, I have been writing 'notes' on my phone each month. Sure there aren't any pictures with a sticker (we started that and it ended quickly bc i'm laazzy!) and we may not have many weights, though his baby book will, I have lots of paragraphs about what he was doing each month and how he has grown.
He's grown fast. Too fast. Way. Too. Fast.
I want to put the hashtag #slowdowntime but i'm not sure if hashtags work in blogs.
Regardless, hello again, even if for just a short time while I post up to 9 months of information about my littlest babe.
I haven't done this in a while because I literally do not have time to sit a computer. Evenings are spent relaxing with my darling husband and vegging out on the couch/es together watching TV while playing with our phones, or just one of those things or both at the same time.
I'm coming back for a moment to post a lot about Zavier.
As Scarlett was growing from 0-12 months, I documented a lot of what she was doing and a lot of it is right here on this blog. I actually frequent it to see what she was doing at 6 months while Zavier was around the same age. I wanted to have a place in the cloud where this information is available to me (and them??) in the future.
So though I couldn't document on a blog, I have been writing 'notes' on my phone each month. Sure there aren't any pictures with a sticker (we started that and it ended quickly bc i'm laazzy!) and we may not have many weights, though his baby book will, I have lots of paragraphs about what he was doing each month and how he has grown.
He's grown fast. Too fast. Way. Too. Fast.
I want to put the hashtag #slowdowntime but i'm not sure if hashtags work in blogs.
Regardless, hello again, even if for just a short time while I post up to 9 months of information about my littlest babe.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Zavier's Birth Story
I like to try to get this out in written form soon after birth so that I'm not forgetting any details. Here goes..
The date was August 15, 2013. It was a Thursday. My mom came the night before to spend the night since we'd be waking up early to head into the hospital. As you may or may not know, I never went into labor on my own and my OB would not induce due to my previous c-section, so we were headed in for a scheduled c-section Thursday morning. Our surgery was scheduled for 8:40am so we had to be there at 6:40am. We got all of our hospital things together that morning and arrived on time to the hospital.
We waited in the pre-op waiting room to for me to be called back for the first part of the pre-op process. This process included putting on my hospital gowns, having my belly prepped and getting my iv and fluids. They put me on two monitors, one for the baby and one for contractions (just in case? i wasn't having any so it didn't matter). I didn't enjoy those monitors, they were constricting. I had done well with the IV when I had Scarlett so I didn't anticipate any funny business (as prior to getting pregnant I was not the best with needles.. cue nausea) however they were already talking about my crooked veins and 'which hand would be better' and 'oh it's too far up by the wrist but let's try it anyway'. I started getting hot.. light-headed.. I asked for a sip of water and they said no.. I asked to sit up for just a second and they said no.. and apparently this is when I passed out. I was trying to relax and close my eyes and focus on breathing but it all happened pretty fast and I was conscious again. They asked me to open my eyes and it's as if I didn't miss a beat, in my own mind anyway.. apparently I full on passed out which made my little monitors dip for a second and baby's heart rate to drop (which meant I had to stay on the monitor even longer!). I felt instantly better after the IV was finally in but they decided in the middle of the fiasco to go for my other hand, which then felt like I had a needle poking into my wrist bone for a good long time, though obviously there is no needle in an IV after they get it into your vein. Aaannyway, that's when they allowed Alex to come back and we sat and waited to talk to the necessary doctor's before heading off to the OR.
Dr. Rapp, my OB came to see us. Then the anesthesiologist, even though he didn't do anything during surgery other than witness it. His assistant person, Doug was the one who did all the work. Alex scrubbed up and they made me drink a nice little anti-acid drink which was super sour but they told me to drink it fast so I listened. The same OR nurses that took me to the OR with Scarlett came and got us and we headed back. The walk to the OR is usually pretty surreal.. it felt like the last time for the most part but I was trying really hard to remember everything because with Scarlett I have some cloudy spots.
Alex waited outside the OR while I went in and was prepped. I sat on the table and got the spinal block, I remember feeling less with Scarlett, this time I could still feel things touching me at times but they didn't hurt. Last time I got nauseous when I laid down, this time I got sick. Bye bye sour juice stuff. I soon felt better though and Alex came in as they were getting ready to start. All Alex and I could do was look at each other because this time we knew what was coming! And we were excited after all the anticipation of not going into labor, waiting for days, etc.
Dr. Rapp said I would feel some pressure and to get the camera ready and then Zavier joined us in in the oxygen breathing world. He was so cute and had SO much hair! They took him to the back left (my laying down left) and Alex was taking pictures as I watched. They were putting me back together when Alex brought him over so I could 'hold' him and Doug the anesthesiologist guy took some really nice pictures for us. Soon we were both headed to recovery where we spent the next two hours waiting for my blood pressure to stabilize. I'm almost 100% positive it wasn't working right because my cuff was leaking. That was found later on that night. If only I had suggested they change the cuff I could've been out of there sooner. But Zavier and Alex were with me the whole time and I got some crucial skin to skin bonding and nursing time in. Zavier was a champ!
It didn't feel like we were there for two hours so after time passed we headed to our couplet care room. We were pleasantly surprised as the size of the room was definitely larger than when we were with Scarlett, not by much but enough to notice. I was transferred to my bed and they set me up. I was still on my IV until the next day so no food needed! I got to hold and nurse Zavier more and then they came to give him a bath. Alex took some video of this and pictures and then he decided that was a good time to head back to our house to get Scarlett. She absolutely refused to get into my mom's car, so Alex took our car back so she could ride in her normal car seat. After Zavier's bath, his temp was low (for obvious reasons) so the aid asked to take him to the nursery to go under the warmer since Alex wasn't there and I couldn't get out of bed. They couldn't technically leave him alone with me, which was a bit disappointing. I even requested skin to skin since that would've brought his temp up even faster but again, they couldn't leave him with me alone. So they took him to the nursery, and surprisingly I was okay with this. I don't think I would've been if he were my first baby but separation wasn't so foreign this time around. When Alex got back though I had him immediately go to the nursery to get him!
Scarlett met her brother, she wasn't very interested in him at all and was more interested in the balloon that my mom had gotten for Zavier in the shape of a whale.
They monitored me the rest of the day and evening. Much better than being monitored through the night! I got out of bed that evening two different times to get everything going. I'm not going to lie, it was tough. I didn't remember it being so difficult but luckily this time around I was smart enough to deny the painkillers (other than ibuprofen) so I didn't get sick!
Overall, I didn't remember a lot from the first time around. I didn't remember how hard it was or how annoying it was to get out of bed and move around. It was nice to know what to expect for sure but I have no interest in doing it again.
It's been three and a half weeks now and recovery went well. I was off the meds by the end of the second week and felt back to 100% a couple days after that. I was happy with that timeline and very thankful that Alex had a week off and my mom could help me for a week.
Scarlett has been transitioning with us through this, she has good and trying moments and has regressed a little bit when it comes to her independent play but she loves her little brother so that's all we can ask for.
We're excited to get more sleep in the future, though we know it's a little bit far off. Soon I will have a one-month update on Zavier!
And here are his stats:
Time born: 9:13am
Weight: 8 lb 10 oz
Length: 21 1/2"
The date was August 15, 2013. It was a Thursday. My mom came the night before to spend the night since we'd be waking up early to head into the hospital. As you may or may not know, I never went into labor on my own and my OB would not induce due to my previous c-section, so we were headed in for a scheduled c-section Thursday morning. Our surgery was scheduled for 8:40am so we had to be there at 6:40am. We got all of our hospital things together that morning and arrived on time to the hospital.
We waited in the pre-op waiting room to for me to be called back for the first part of the pre-op process. This process included putting on my hospital gowns, having my belly prepped and getting my iv and fluids. They put me on two monitors, one for the baby and one for contractions (just in case? i wasn't having any so it didn't matter). I didn't enjoy those monitors, they were constricting. I had done well with the IV when I had Scarlett so I didn't anticipate any funny business (as prior to getting pregnant I was not the best with needles.. cue nausea) however they were already talking about my crooked veins and 'which hand would be better' and 'oh it's too far up by the wrist but let's try it anyway'. I started getting hot.. light-headed.. I asked for a sip of water and they said no.. I asked to sit up for just a second and they said no.. and apparently this is when I passed out. I was trying to relax and close my eyes and focus on breathing but it all happened pretty fast and I was conscious again. They asked me to open my eyes and it's as if I didn't miss a beat, in my own mind anyway.. apparently I full on passed out which made my little monitors dip for a second and baby's heart rate to drop (which meant I had to stay on the monitor even longer!). I felt instantly better after the IV was finally in but they decided in the middle of the fiasco to go for my other hand, which then felt like I had a needle poking into my wrist bone for a good long time, though obviously there is no needle in an IV after they get it into your vein. Aaannyway, that's when they allowed Alex to come back and we sat and waited to talk to the necessary doctor's before heading off to the OR.
Dr. Rapp, my OB came to see us. Then the anesthesiologist, even though he didn't do anything during surgery other than witness it. His assistant person, Doug was the one who did all the work. Alex scrubbed up and they made me drink a nice little anti-acid drink which was super sour but they told me to drink it fast so I listened. The same OR nurses that took me to the OR with Scarlett came and got us and we headed back. The walk to the OR is usually pretty surreal.. it felt like the last time for the most part but I was trying really hard to remember everything because with Scarlett I have some cloudy spots.
Alex waited outside the OR while I went in and was prepped. I sat on the table and got the spinal block, I remember feeling less with Scarlett, this time I could still feel things touching me at times but they didn't hurt. Last time I got nauseous when I laid down, this time I got sick. Bye bye sour juice stuff. I soon felt better though and Alex came in as they were getting ready to start. All Alex and I could do was look at each other because this time we knew what was coming! And we were excited after all the anticipation of not going into labor, waiting for days, etc.
Dr. Rapp said I would feel some pressure and to get the camera ready and then Zavier joined us in in the oxygen breathing world. He was so cute and had SO much hair! They took him to the back left (my laying down left) and Alex was taking pictures as I watched. They were putting me back together when Alex brought him over so I could 'hold' him and Doug the anesthesiologist guy took some really nice pictures for us. Soon we were both headed to recovery where we spent the next two hours waiting for my blood pressure to stabilize. I'm almost 100% positive it wasn't working right because my cuff was leaking. That was found later on that night. If only I had suggested they change the cuff I could've been out of there sooner. But Zavier and Alex were with me the whole time and I got some crucial skin to skin bonding and nursing time in. Zavier was a champ!
It didn't feel like we were there for two hours so after time passed we headed to our couplet care room. We were pleasantly surprised as the size of the room was definitely larger than when we were with Scarlett, not by much but enough to notice. I was transferred to my bed and they set me up. I was still on my IV until the next day so no food needed! I got to hold and nurse Zavier more and then they came to give him a bath. Alex took some video of this and pictures and then he decided that was a good time to head back to our house to get Scarlett. She absolutely refused to get into my mom's car, so Alex took our car back so she could ride in her normal car seat. After Zavier's bath, his temp was low (for obvious reasons) so the aid asked to take him to the nursery to go under the warmer since Alex wasn't there and I couldn't get out of bed. They couldn't technically leave him alone with me, which was a bit disappointing. I even requested skin to skin since that would've brought his temp up even faster but again, they couldn't leave him with me alone. So they took him to the nursery, and surprisingly I was okay with this. I don't think I would've been if he were my first baby but separation wasn't so foreign this time around. When Alex got back though I had him immediately go to the nursery to get him!
Scarlett met her brother, she wasn't very interested in him at all and was more interested in the balloon that my mom had gotten for Zavier in the shape of a whale.
They monitored me the rest of the day and evening. Much better than being monitored through the night! I got out of bed that evening two different times to get everything going. I'm not going to lie, it was tough. I didn't remember it being so difficult but luckily this time around I was smart enough to deny the painkillers (other than ibuprofen) so I didn't get sick!
Overall, I didn't remember a lot from the first time around. I didn't remember how hard it was or how annoying it was to get out of bed and move around. It was nice to know what to expect for sure but I have no interest in doing it again.
It's been three and a half weeks now and recovery went well. I was off the meds by the end of the second week and felt back to 100% a couple days after that. I was happy with that timeline and very thankful that Alex had a week off and my mom could help me for a week.
Scarlett has been transitioning with us through this, she has good and trying moments and has regressed a little bit when it comes to her independent play but she loves her little brother so that's all we can ask for.
We're excited to get more sleep in the future, though we know it's a little bit far off. Soon I will have a one-month update on Zavier!
And here are his stats:
Time born: 9:13am
Weight: 8 lb 10 oz
Length: 21 1/2"
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| Zavier getting cleaned up! |
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| Getting some up close time and getting some smooches in too! |
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| Daddy all over again! |
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| In recovery doing skin to skin :) |
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| Scarlett meeting Zavier |
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| Our handsome, full head of hair baby boy! |
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| First family picture! |
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| Relaxing on Daddy's chest |
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| Scarlett showing Zavier some love with lots of giggles! |
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Stigma
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| New Logo and Packaging! |
Tastefully Simple just did a rebrand of their logo and packaging. They announced it along with their new fall seasonal line of products at an event called Party Palooza which was held in Minneapolis where the TS headquarters is located. This event filled my Facebook timeline from Thursday to Sunday with excitement and new product info. This is an event where great achievers in their business get recognized. My sponsor was one of them. She is awesome and continues to surprise me with her dedication to TS.
What I really wanted to talk about in this post though, is the stigma associated with businesses such as Tastefully Simple (like Pampered Chef and Thirty One, etc). I hate it... the stigma that is.
Tastefully Simple is exciting to me. I love food! I love making food! I love making food from scratch and I love making food that's easy to prepare from boxes! I love dips! I love party food! I love going to parties partly because of the food! This is mostly why I love Tastefully Simple. It makes it so freaking easy to make food and it tastes good. I would eat all my inventory right now if I could.
Now here are a couple of things I don't understand.. (I just want to preface that this is not directed at anyone, this is a general thought/feeling and trust me, i've had it too about parties in the past before I became a consultant for TS)
1. Why host a party if you aren't excited to host a party?
Now I'm still learning how to properly coach my hosts into success. I think in the future I might approach hosts by asking about their excitement level of eating food, making food, having get togethers with friends and earning free stuff. I can only hope that they are honest with me. It's tricky because back before I did this (and I know i've mentioned this a bit before) I had a pretty successful Pampered Chef party and as the host I was excited about most of it. Once the consultant got me to agree to a date to set the party and I sent out the invites and got the RSVPs, I was excited to have people over to my house to eat food, chat and offer them a chance to order stuff from the catalog. I knew most of them hadn't been to a party before or hadn't been to one in years so this was perfect. The thing I wasn't super excited about was the stigma. The stigma that I was only inviting people over so they could buy stuff so that I could get free stuff. The 'pressure' that they may feel to order something just because I was having a party and just because they were my family/friends.
I want my Tastefully Simple hosts to be excited about the products. I want them to feel so excited that they want to share these things with their friends and give them an opportunity to get excited as well. I don't like the stigma of the 'pressure' associated with purchasing something just because someone asks you to look at a catalog. I'm a pretty honest person in life and if I don't really want something, I don't buy it. I may look at it but I don't buy something just because she bought something from me at my party. That can be a vicious cycle.
One more thing, this isn't just for women.. men like food too. Get your male friends, boyfriends, husbands involved.
We live in a different world now. A world where the RSVP doesn't mean sh*t. Excuse my language but seriously, it means nothing! People used to care when they couldn't attend something and would have to call and verbally tell their regrets to the party host via phone. Now we have text and email and Facebook. If you can't go to a party or event that someone invited you to, cool.. that's fine, why wouldn't it be fine? Just RSVP no if they ask for regrets OR RSVP yes/no if they just ask for an RSVP. I understand that things come up and sometimes a yes becomes a no at the last minute BUT these days it seems like people do a lot based on how they feel that day. "Oh we'll see how I feel that day about going.." "Eh.. I don't really feel like it, and even though I RSVP'd (or worse, didn't even respond!) I will just go about my day like I was never invited to anything in the first place"
Can you tell this is a sore area for me? :) This is definitely a direct correlation to events I've hosted in the past. Sorry I'm not sorry. See, honesty! Feels good, right?
3. Facebook Events and Specials
I recently ran a July Special because there was a sale of 20% off the Tastefully Simple large drink buckets and I wanted to incentivize people to buy them or other products they might've needed to stock up on. I'm just going to be honest on here and tell you that only one person took that offer. ONE! I'm not disappointed because I couldn't make money off of orders that were placed. I'm disappointed because those drink buckets are DELICIOUS and because they were an AWESOME DEAL and so many people missed out on them. Now, lucky for you all, I happened to stock up on some so if you're interested, I do have some I can sell you at the 20% discounted price which is $7.99 BUT I have to charge shipping on top of that because.. hello, I paid shipping, and tax actually. So that takes the price from $7.99 to $9.49 ..... original price (if purchased direct from me) would be $11.86 so you're saving $2.37. It's like a sale at the liquor store only better, and tastier. Samba Sangria Slush is yummy, trust me and perfect for parties. Sheesh! This gets me all kinds of hyped up and I really don't even know why but a deal is a deal, people!
Take advantage of specials, that's the bottom line. I create them to offer you something, not to take your money. And if you aren't interested in them, RSVP NO! to the event. You WILL NOT hurt my feelings, I promise!
If you're interested, 'like' my Facebook Page. If you see the value of marketing, share some of the posts that I put up so that your friends may have the opportunity to see them. I'm not going to lie, this would help me tremendously and only takes a millisecond to click 'Share'.
~
This is getting long.. probably too long but I needed to get all of that out. So thanks for reading if you've even made it this far.
I would LOVE to hear your comments on this, if you don't want to log in, just comment anonymously, I will never know who it is but will at least get some feedback. All I ever want is honest feedback. Think the products are too expensive? Tell me! Think they taste like poo? Tell me! Think hosting is dumb? I want to knooow! Thanks in advance!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
The Waiting Game
The first time around, I knew Scarlett's birthday for weeks ahead of time. This time is a lot different, obviously because I'm now waiting to go into labor.
I really do not enjoy waiting of any kind, I never have. There's a ton of anticipation though with a birth which makes it even harder!
Today, at 39 weeks and 5 days, I had my membranes stripped. I found out that I made no new progress from last week but luckily I had a man doctor and he was able to perform the strip. I really, really hope that this jump starts us somehow. Since coming home from my appointment, I've had maybe two contractions.
Each night I go to bed hoping to be awoken by pain. I have never wished for pain more in my life (or ever?) .. but I keep hoping it will happen sooner rather than later.
Through all of the waiting, I am also taking time to relax.. as hard as that can be. I am squeezing Scarlett extra tight, holding on to these last couple of days with her as my only baby. It's hard to wrap my head around what's coming but at the same time, I also know what's coming. It's tricky.
Please cross your fingers and toes for me that it happens soon, goes fast and ends healthy :)
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Stay At Home Mom Life
I basically want to start every post I write with .. "Here's the thing.." but that seems silly, right? I should think of more creative titles. It's hard I tell you!
So i've now been a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) for the past four weeks. I haven't quite gotten into a rhythm yet and what's the point really? I'm going to have another baby in a couple weeks which would throw it off anyway! I am most definitely enjoying spending so much time with Scarlett though and the only thing I miss about work are the people. I feel a ton more relaxed and I've gotten more housework done than I have in months.
We've had a couple of play dates with little friends so far and I have a couple scheduled for next week as well. Trying to keep things busy and interesting for Scarlett because she likes that sort of thing, plus it gets us out and about which is sometimes hard with my 'before baby to-do list' and the general tired/laziness that pregnancy often brings. Not to mention, she may have about 4 weeks of being less mobile than usual because of me recovering/getting the hang of mothering two children!
Here's a couple things I've managed to do so far:
Set up the Crib in our room! Originally, I thought I would be putting Scarlett in this crib and the new baby in Scarlett's current one but they're both drop side (read: convenient) and Scarlett is used to hers so why switch now. I learned this of course after setting the new one up in Scarlett's room only to take it down and set it up again in my room.
Upstairs bathroom cleaned! Honestly, I've never deep cleaned that bathroom before. We've lived here 3 years. Sorry past house guests! I have cleaned it, just not extensively. I recently mopped the floors and got in the crevices (gross!), changed out the shower curtain, etc. Our tub and toilet up there are blue. It's wallpapered and I don't enjoy the flooring. The toilet is completely facing the wrong direction. I usually just can't go in there and Scarlett takes baths in our bathroom so I have little use for it. After this baby arrives and I have some time, I plan to at least paint the cabinetry and remove the wall paper. Eventually we'd like to completely renovate the whole thing and close off the jack/jill-ness.. I'm just not a fan of those.
Master Bathroom Windows/Blinds cleaned! This was long overdue. I need to do it in every room but I started with ours because of all the dust on them. Babies don't need to breathe extra dust.
Baby Laundry! This has been done and put away in two of my dresser drawers. I have far more clothing for him then I did for Scarlett for the first three months. Thank you consignment sales! I do need to get another crib sheet though and perhaps a crib skirt if I can find one I ilke.
Vacuuming! I do this multiple times a week now. The house just isn't clean enough and having cats surely complicates this. I don't think I notice this as much in the winter bc I walk around in slippers but with bare feet in the summer I hate feeling debris beneath my feet.
Making Dinner! I've started meal planning and buying accordingly while trying to stay within a budget at the grocery store. This has proven difficult so far because I love the grocery store and I love sales at grocery stores. It's always hard to resist a 2 for anything! I did join Amazon Mom though and have started utilizing more coupons online for different things. So that will pay off very soon.
Other Random Stuff! I feel like that list is pretty short but I'm not going to put daily chores like laundry and dishes on there. Just seems silly to write a paragraph about that sort of stuff but trust me it's getting done!!
Still To Do:
Deep Clean Master Bathroom
Shampoo Master Bedroom Carpet
Vacuum Car
Organize Kitchen Desk
Wash Blinds/Windows in Every Room
Organize Actual Office Desk
Clean/Organize Fridge/Freezer
Sew Memory Foam Covers (for Scarlett's Crib, Toddler Bed & Pack N Play)
Recover a bumper for Baby Boy's Crib and Fix Scarlett's bumper ties
And probably more..
I take this SAHM thing pretty seriously. Alex has a job and so do I, to run a household. I try not to let him do most inside housework because he already does a lot outside and the inside is my territory. Who wants to work all day and then come home and have to do more work when I'm here all day? We'll see how crazy it gets once I add another baby to this picture though, ha!
So i've now been a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) for the past four weeks. I haven't quite gotten into a rhythm yet and what's the point really? I'm going to have another baby in a couple weeks which would throw it off anyway! I am most definitely enjoying spending so much time with Scarlett though and the only thing I miss about work are the people. I feel a ton more relaxed and I've gotten more housework done than I have in months.
We've had a couple of play dates with little friends so far and I have a couple scheduled for next week as well. Trying to keep things busy and interesting for Scarlett because she likes that sort of thing, plus it gets us out and about which is sometimes hard with my 'before baby to-do list' and the general tired/laziness that pregnancy often brings. Not to mention, she may have about 4 weeks of being less mobile than usual because of me recovering/getting the hang of mothering two children!
Here's a couple things I've managed to do so far:
Set up the Crib in our room! Originally, I thought I would be putting Scarlett in this crib and the new baby in Scarlett's current one but they're both drop side (read: convenient) and Scarlett is used to hers so why switch now. I learned this of course after setting the new one up in Scarlett's room only to take it down and set it up again in my room.
Upstairs bathroom cleaned! Honestly, I've never deep cleaned that bathroom before. We've lived here 3 years. Sorry past house guests! I have cleaned it, just not extensively. I recently mopped the floors and got in the crevices (gross!), changed out the shower curtain, etc. Our tub and toilet up there are blue. It's wallpapered and I don't enjoy the flooring. The toilet is completely facing the wrong direction. I usually just can't go in there and Scarlett takes baths in our bathroom so I have little use for it. After this baby arrives and I have some time, I plan to at least paint the cabinetry and remove the wall paper. Eventually we'd like to completely renovate the whole thing and close off the jack/jill-ness.. I'm just not a fan of those.
Master Bathroom Windows/Blinds cleaned! This was long overdue. I need to do it in every room but I started with ours because of all the dust on them. Babies don't need to breathe extra dust.
Baby Laundry! This has been done and put away in two of my dresser drawers. I have far more clothing for him then I did for Scarlett for the first three months. Thank you consignment sales! I do need to get another crib sheet though and perhaps a crib skirt if I can find one I ilke.
Vacuuming! I do this multiple times a week now. The house just isn't clean enough and having cats surely complicates this. I don't think I notice this as much in the winter bc I walk around in slippers but with bare feet in the summer I hate feeling debris beneath my feet.
Making Dinner! I've started meal planning and buying accordingly while trying to stay within a budget at the grocery store. This has proven difficult so far because I love the grocery store and I love sales at grocery stores. It's always hard to resist a 2 for anything! I did join Amazon Mom though and have started utilizing more coupons online for different things. So that will pay off very soon.
Other Random Stuff! I feel like that list is pretty short but I'm not going to put daily chores like laundry and dishes on there. Just seems silly to write a paragraph about that sort of stuff but trust me it's getting done!!
Still To Do:
Deep Clean Master Bathroom
Shampoo Master Bedroom Carpet
Vacuum Car
Organize Kitchen Desk
Wash Blinds/Windows in Every Room
Organize Actual Office Desk
Clean/Organize Fridge/Freezer
Sew Memory Foam Covers (for Scarlett's Crib, Toddler Bed & Pack N Play)
Recover a bumper for Baby Boy's Crib and Fix Scarlett's bumper ties
And probably more..
I take this SAHM thing pretty seriously. Alex has a job and so do I, to run a household. I try not to let him do most inside housework because he already does a lot outside and the inside is my territory. Who wants to work all day and then come home and have to do more work when I'm here all day? We'll see how crazy it gets once I add another baby to this picture though, ha!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Can I have a successful VBAC?
As you may or may not know, Scarlett was frank breech and had to be delivered via C-Section. At first I was disappointed by this, however it truly was the only way she could come into this world safely and that is really all that mattered. The thing about having a scheduled C-Section is.. you're fully rested when you go in. I didn't go through 20 hours of labor or any amount of time pushing, my body was rested not exhausted. I believe that made my recovery faster and easier. And that's what scares me about a VBAC (among other things).
What if I go through 20 hours of labor this time and spend some time pushing and THEN end up with a C-Section anyway? One of the main reasons I want to attempt a VBAC is for a faster recovery, so that it doesn't hinder my ability to care for Scarlett as well as our new baby.
Now, I do have a couple things going for me here. I am almost a perfect candidate for a VBAC. The only reason I had a C-Section was due to her position, not because my hips were too narrow, etc. This gives me great hope that I can do it. However, from what I've read, and I'm not sure if my midwives would admit to this if asked, is when a VBAC patient comes into the hospital, the staff is immediately nervous due to the added complications that could occur. Honestly though, I did wait long enough for my scar to fully heal so a uterine rupture shouldn't be an issue but I am sure they will have it on the brain.
Another fear.. the unknown. I know what a C-Section is like. I do not know what a contraction feels like, what labor will feel like, what delivery will feel like or what recovery will be like. Obviously, first time moms probably have this fear and for some reason, I wasn't scared of the C-Section. Maybe because it was a surgery, not hours of pain. Add to this that I am planning to have an unmedicated birth. Not having had any crazy amount of pain before in my life (besides some terrible gas pains in the beginning of my first pregnancy), I'm not even sure of my pain tolerance level.
One thing I do know, this is going to be a wild ride and in the end, I get a baby. I am positive he will be worth any pain I have to go through to get him here. Things I plan to remember (or that I will be reminded of by Alex during labor..) are:
This terrible pain has a purpose.
This pain has an endpoint.
Count slowly to 30 and the contraction is half over.
You CAN do this.
That's all I have so far. If you have any motivational phrases that worked for you during labor/delivery, I would love to hear them!
I hope to have a successful VBAC birth story once this little one arrives. Send some good vibes into the universe for me!
What if I go through 20 hours of labor this time and spend some time pushing and THEN end up with a C-Section anyway? One of the main reasons I want to attempt a VBAC is for a faster recovery, so that it doesn't hinder my ability to care for Scarlett as well as our new baby.
Now, I do have a couple things going for me here. I am almost a perfect candidate for a VBAC. The only reason I had a C-Section was due to her position, not because my hips were too narrow, etc. This gives me great hope that I can do it. However, from what I've read, and I'm not sure if my midwives would admit to this if asked, is when a VBAC patient comes into the hospital, the staff is immediately nervous due to the added complications that could occur. Honestly though, I did wait long enough for my scar to fully heal so a uterine rupture shouldn't be an issue but I am sure they will have it on the brain.
Another fear.. the unknown. I know what a C-Section is like. I do not know what a contraction feels like, what labor will feel like, what delivery will feel like or what recovery will be like. Obviously, first time moms probably have this fear and for some reason, I wasn't scared of the C-Section. Maybe because it was a surgery, not hours of pain. Add to this that I am planning to have an unmedicated birth. Not having had any crazy amount of pain before in my life (besides some terrible gas pains in the beginning of my first pregnancy), I'm not even sure of my pain tolerance level.
One thing I do know, this is going to be a wild ride and in the end, I get a baby. I am positive he will be worth any pain I have to go through to get him here. Things I plan to remember (or that I will be reminded of by Alex during labor..) are:
This terrible pain has a purpose.
This pain has an endpoint.
Count slowly to 30 and the contraction is half over.
You CAN do this.
That's all I have so far. If you have any motivational phrases that worked for you during labor/delivery, I would love to hear them!
I hope to have a successful VBAC birth story once this little one arrives. Send some good vibes into the universe for me!
Friday, July 5, 2013
Life as a Tastefully Simple Consultant
So i'm not sure if anyone is really curious about this or not, but since I care about it I'm going to go ahead and write about it.
Back in October (as I believe I wrote on here) I was looking for something to do in my free time that would generate some income. My mom mentioned Tastefully Simple, which I had heard of very briefly. I looked at their site and decided that people like food, right? How hard could it be to sell that?? After writing about it on here, my now sponsor Tracy contacted me to see if I wanted more information and after talking with her, I joined up!
I started with a Grand Opening Party in November which went very well and I had a great time making the easy to prepare food, explaining it to my family and friends and then I chose a winner for the rewards the party generated. I have learned a TON since that first party and at each party I learn a little bit more.
I've done a handful of parties for friends and family since that time, one fundraiser for Relay 4 Life and one event, which was a community yard sale. Some parties weren't super successful and some were. All great learning experiences for sure! I have an event coming up on Saturday at Seven Valley's Winery in York which I'm very excited about. I know I will learn a lot from this too and I really hope to book some catalog parties for the months of July and August as well as some possible Fall Tasting Parties.
A Tasting Party is where the host prepares food samples for guests to taste before ordering. A Catalog Party is where the host takes catalogs and order forms around to family and friends over a longer period and collects orders to earn rewards. I set up Catalog Parties to also include two samples for tasting purposes. Facebook is pretty big right now with these types of parties because family and friends can just go online and order directly if they cannot make the Tasting Party or won't see the host in time to order for the Catalog Party.
Like I said, I have done one fundraiser so far. I am very interested in doing more but it's a little bit hard to get my name out there currently since I don't have school aged children. There are ways to do it that I plan to look into but for now, I send out messages to people I am interested in working with to see if they're interested in working with me.
Overall, the experience has been very positive and fun! My sponsor Tracy is amazing and she answers any and every single question I have and is a great role model because she has a ton of fundraisers going and sponsors a large number of consultants and that number keeps on growing! I'm part of her team's Facebook Group which is extremely helpful. There are plenty of TS Facebook groups that are helpful for sure, it's a great place to get new ideas from other consultants.
I have one recruit so far and hope to have more in the future. I currently have a coupon code for $100 off the Business Blast Off Kit. I've been told this is the first time they've ever done this (you end up paying about $70) and I'm hoping it's been successful so that they run it every year. My code expires July 10th so the clock is ticking. If you've ever thought about doing a business like this, now is the time. It really is easy and it's actually fun.
A couple years ago, I had a Pampered Chef Party and the consultant was very nice but used all the sales cliches you can think of to try to get me to sign on. I have absolutely nothing against PC.. I have tons of products from that party that I use all the time and I love them! I just thought at that time that I could never do that. I could never be a consultant like she was. She was very very nice but I didn't enjoy the extra pushes, though I now understand she was probably just following the playbook. If you don't talk about the opportunity to join, you'll never know if they would've said yes.
In conclusion, lol .. I am very happy to be a Tastefully Simple Consultant. And though I may not talk about it much, I am working on that. To be completely honest, my target demographic is older than I am so it's more difficult to get into those circles but I'm working on it. I want to be successful and I know I can do it!
If you ever have questions related to it, please let me know! I'd be happy to answer them!
If you want to order, you can go to my website at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/mbrubaker OR send me a message. I offer great incentives for hosts as well if you're interested in that. I try to make it as easy as possible for you to have a successful and positive experience while earning free stuff!
I started with a Grand Opening Party in November which went very well and I had a great time making the easy to prepare food, explaining it to my family and friends and then I chose a winner for the rewards the party generated. I have learned a TON since that first party and at each party I learn a little bit more.
I've done a handful of parties for friends and family since that time, one fundraiser for Relay 4 Life and one event, which was a community yard sale. Some parties weren't super successful and some were. All great learning experiences for sure! I have an event coming up on Saturday at Seven Valley's Winery in York which I'm very excited about. I know I will learn a lot from this too and I really hope to book some catalog parties for the months of July and August as well as some possible Fall Tasting Parties.
A Tasting Party is where the host prepares food samples for guests to taste before ordering. A Catalog Party is where the host takes catalogs and order forms around to family and friends over a longer period and collects orders to earn rewards. I set up Catalog Parties to also include two samples for tasting purposes. Facebook is pretty big right now with these types of parties because family and friends can just go online and order directly if they cannot make the Tasting Party or won't see the host in time to order for the Catalog Party.Like I said, I have done one fundraiser so far. I am very interested in doing more but it's a little bit hard to get my name out there currently since I don't have school aged children. There are ways to do it that I plan to look into but for now, I send out messages to people I am interested in working with to see if they're interested in working with me.
Overall, the experience has been very positive and fun! My sponsor Tracy is amazing and she answers any and every single question I have and is a great role model because she has a ton of fundraisers going and sponsors a large number of consultants and that number keeps on growing! I'm part of her team's Facebook Group which is extremely helpful. There are plenty of TS Facebook groups that are helpful for sure, it's a great place to get new ideas from other consultants.
I have one recruit so far and hope to have more in the future. I currently have a coupon code for $100 off the Business Blast Off Kit. I've been told this is the first time they've ever done this (you end up paying about $70) and I'm hoping it's been successful so that they run it every year. My code expires July 10th so the clock is ticking. If you've ever thought about doing a business like this, now is the time. It really is easy and it's actually fun.
A couple years ago, I had a Pampered Chef Party and the consultant was very nice but used all the sales cliches you can think of to try to get me to sign on. I have absolutely nothing against PC.. I have tons of products from that party that I use all the time and I love them! I just thought at that time that I could never do that. I could never be a consultant like she was. She was very very nice but I didn't enjoy the extra pushes, though I now understand she was probably just following the playbook. If you don't talk about the opportunity to join, you'll never know if they would've said yes.
In conclusion, lol .. I am very happy to be a Tastefully Simple Consultant. And though I may not talk about it much, I am working on that. To be completely honest, my target demographic is older than I am so it's more difficult to get into those circles but I'm working on it. I want to be successful and I know I can do it!
If you ever have questions related to it, please let me know! I'd be happy to answer them!
If you want to order, you can go to my website at www.tastefullysimple.com/web/mbrubaker OR send me a message. I offer great incentives for hosts as well if you're interested in that. I try to make it as easy as possible for you to have a successful and positive experience while earning free stuff!
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Let's talk about Scarlett!
Here's an update of how our girl is doing. I don't have stats because they were last taken at 15 months and she's currently 17 months. All I can tell you right now is she's over 26 lbs, her height is in the 98% and her head size is off the charts, haha!
She rarely walks, it's mostly running. She climbs. She holds our hands when she's forced to. She's an explorer to the max. She says about 40 words that we've counted and learns new ones every day. She absolutely loves fruit, especially any type of berry. She's a very good eater and hasn't turned too much down. She doesn't enjoy sweet potatoes much, but loves olives and pickles!
She still takes two naps a day and I love it. It must be all the exploring that makes her tired. If she's 'on schedule' she wakes up around 6:15, takes a nap around 9:30 (these vary in length) and then lays down again around 3:30/4 when we're home, if we're out, she's fine without a nap. She goes to bed consistently at 8pm each evening. She's a light sleeper and goes through sleep cycles often so it's not unusual to hear her make noises at night.
She gives us hugs and kisses. She doesn't generally like older people, especially if they have white hair. Sometimes it takes her 10 minutes to warm up to people she doesn't know. She plays with her princesses in their castle now and makes them hug and kiss. She pretty much makes everything hug and kiss. When she hugs her stuffed animals she says "aww!" and then I die of the cuteness. She loves reading books. Her favorite was 'Goodnight Beach' but more recently it's 'Goodnight Pennsylvania'. She thoroughly enjoys the iPad and any iPhone she can get her hands on. She really likes Sofia the First and Little Einsteins. She likes to dance so she likes the shows that sing a lot. She rarely watches anything on TV unless it's a commerical.
She has almost all of her teeth, she's missing a front lateral incisor on the bottom and all of her cuspids. She has taken a while to get her teeth so we don't expect the cuspids for a while, who knows what's going on with the incisor. Teething does bother her from time to time so we use the numbing gel (put onto her paci) and occasionally some Tylenol or Motrin but rarely a full dose.
I just thought today that I should write down some "Parent Tid-Bits" that I have, one being.. when you go to the grocery store, always park close to the cart return.. this way you can get a cart on the way in and you're close to it when you need to return it at the end of the trip. I probably thought about it more today after carrying her into multiple places while walking a semi-far distance while 34 weeks pregnant. I'll try to document more as they come up.
Overall, Scarlett is full of love. She smiles a lot and she laughs a lot. Her personality seems very fun-loving and we're thrilled that she is growing into such a little darling (who never sits still).
She rarely walks, it's mostly running. She climbs. She holds our hands when she's forced to. She's an explorer to the max. She says about 40 words that we've counted and learns new ones every day. She absolutely loves fruit, especially any type of berry. She's a very good eater and hasn't turned too much down. She doesn't enjoy sweet potatoes much, but loves olives and pickles!
She still takes two naps a day and I love it. It must be all the exploring that makes her tired. If she's 'on schedule' she wakes up around 6:15, takes a nap around 9:30 (these vary in length) and then lays down again around 3:30/4 when we're home, if we're out, she's fine without a nap. She goes to bed consistently at 8pm each evening. She's a light sleeper and goes through sleep cycles often so it's not unusual to hear her make noises at night.
She gives us hugs and kisses. She doesn't generally like older people, especially if they have white hair. Sometimes it takes her 10 minutes to warm up to people she doesn't know. She plays with her princesses in their castle now and makes them hug and kiss. She pretty much makes everything hug and kiss. When she hugs her stuffed animals she says "aww!" and then I die of the cuteness. She loves reading books. Her favorite was 'Goodnight Beach' but more recently it's 'Goodnight Pennsylvania'. She thoroughly enjoys the iPad and any iPhone she can get her hands on. She really likes Sofia the First and Little Einsteins. She likes to dance so she likes the shows that sing a lot. She rarely watches anything on TV unless it's a commerical.
She has almost all of her teeth, she's missing a front lateral incisor on the bottom and all of her cuspids. She has taken a while to get her teeth so we don't expect the cuspids for a while, who knows what's going on with the incisor. Teething does bother her from time to time so we use the numbing gel (put onto her paci) and occasionally some Tylenol or Motrin but rarely a full dose.
I just thought today that I should write down some "Parent Tid-Bits" that I have, one being.. when you go to the grocery store, always park close to the cart return.. this way you can get a cart on the way in and you're close to it when you need to return it at the end of the trip. I probably thought about it more today after carrying her into multiple places while walking a semi-far distance while 34 weeks pregnant. I'll try to document more as they come up.
Overall, Scarlett is full of love. She smiles a lot and she laughs a lot. Her personality seems very fun-loving and we're thrilled that she is growing into such a little darling (who never sits still).
Monday, July 1, 2013
Pregnancy Update!
Today, I am 34 weeks and 3 days along. There are roughly 5-6 weeks remaining. This is crazy to me.
Time flies when you're already chasing after a wee one who is a non-stop mover/shaker. Let's review the past couple of trimesters, shall we?
1st Trimester
Everything went just as smoothly as it did with Scarlett. Small hiccup with an umbilical cyst but it resolved itself within a couple of weeks (probably a pretty common occurrence). No more tired or hormonal than usual and no morning sickness. Score! We told our families and friends around Christmas and New Years if not sooner. We didn't wait until we were out of the first trimester to spill the beans. Bumps grow much faster the second time around though too, so people probably knew!
2nd Trimester
Bump continued its growth spurts. I felt the first flutters and Alex felt movement soon after that. We found out we were having a baby boy! And we decided on his first name, which will remain secret until his birth. Sleeping became more difficult as time went on and I was forced to move from belly/back sleeping to side/side sleeping.
3rd Trimester
I generally feel huge but I've come to terms with it. This boy does some crazy acrobatics in there that I didn't experience with Scarlett because of her position. He tends to sleep when I'm sleeping with naps throughout the day as well. He has been in numerous positions but stressed me a wee bit the past 4-5 weeks with the midwives saying he was breech. Today they said he's head down so he better stay that way. I am trying for a VBAC so wish me luck! I haven't had any braxton hicks but did have some belly button pain that went away with some rest. Also some groin pain when I over-do it, which also goes away with rest. I just have so much to do it's hard to slow down sometimes.
With 5 1/2 weeks left I have a full plan of things to clean and organize. I need to wash all of his baby clothing and organize the closet and my dresser drawer they'll be stored in. I need to move Scarlett from her crib into the other crib we have so that the baby can be in the drop side in our room. I need to pack a hospital bag at some point and maybe read about labor since I hope to go into it at some point. I need to bust out the car seat base from Scarlett and put it in my car and set up the pack and play and get out the bouncer seat from storage. The list goes on..
I haven't done anything nursery related because it's our current guest room and that will probably stay that way until he moves upstairs which will be when we're closer to being out of winter around 6 months.
That pretty much sums it up. Almost my whole pregnancy right there in a nutshell.
Time flies when you're already chasing after a wee one who is a non-stop mover/shaker. Let's review the past couple of trimesters, shall we?
1st Trimester
Everything went just as smoothly as it did with Scarlett. Small hiccup with an umbilical cyst but it resolved itself within a couple of weeks (probably a pretty common occurrence). No more tired or hormonal than usual and no morning sickness. Score! We told our families and friends around Christmas and New Years if not sooner. We didn't wait until we were out of the first trimester to spill the beans. Bumps grow much faster the second time around though too, so people probably knew!
2nd Trimester
Bump continued its growth spurts. I felt the first flutters and Alex felt movement soon after that. We found out we were having a baby boy! And we decided on his first name, which will remain secret until his birth. Sleeping became more difficult as time went on and I was forced to move from belly/back sleeping to side/side sleeping.
 |
| There's his little face! |
I generally feel huge but I've come to terms with it. This boy does some crazy acrobatics in there that I didn't experience with Scarlett because of her position. He tends to sleep when I'm sleeping with naps throughout the day as well. He has been in numerous positions but stressed me a wee bit the past 4-5 weeks with the midwives saying he was breech. Today they said he's head down so he better stay that way. I am trying for a VBAC so wish me luck! I haven't had any braxton hicks but did have some belly button pain that went away with some rest. Also some groin pain when I over-do it, which also goes away with rest. I just have so much to do it's hard to slow down sometimes.
With 5 1/2 weeks left I have a full plan of things to clean and organize. I need to wash all of his baby clothing and organize the closet and my dresser drawer they'll be stored in. I need to move Scarlett from her crib into the other crib we have so that the baby can be in the drop side in our room. I need to pack a hospital bag at some point and maybe read about labor since I hope to go into it at some point. I need to bust out the car seat base from Scarlett and put it in my car and set up the pack and play and get out the bouncer seat from storage. The list goes on..
I haven't done anything nursery related because it's our current guest room and that will probably stay that way until he moves upstairs which will be when we're closer to being out of winter around 6 months.
That pretty much sums it up. Almost my whole pregnancy right there in a nutshell.
I'm baaaaack!
So lots has been going on around here lately so I'll start by explaining the absence!
Last fall, work started getting pretty stressful and in addition to my part time hours, I started working at home as well during Scarlett's nap times and sometimes even in the evening. This contributed to the slow down of posting to the blog.
In November, I got pregnant (found out in December) plus the holiday season which seemed busier than previous years, probably because I had Scarlett to think about and plan for! I also started as a Tastefully Simple Consultant, so that took up some of my free time as well.
In the beginning of 2013, we had Scarlett's birthday party which was a blast, then in addition to working my part time job while at home, I also started a freelance project that also took more free time. Work was still pretty stressful so Alex and I started thinking about August (our due month) and how we were going to handle having two children with me working part time and if it would be worth it to look into me staying home.
Alex got a new job April 1st which has been a huge blessing. He is about 200x happier in this position and I really feel that he is now on a career path instead of just having a job. He has been loving it so far and I just know that will continue!
In May, we made the decision that I would stop working mid-June right before our vacations with our families. I put in three weeks notice after Memorial Day. My lovely coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower/best wishes party prior to my departure and it was all very bittersweet. Working at the same place for almost six years was such a great experience. I learned so very much and I'm thankful for all the great people I met there.
I went to OBX with my family a couple weeks ago and then met Alex and his family in Bethany Beach the following weekend for a few days there. I will write separate posts on those fun times with pictures! Returning last week and not going back to work on Thursday was a bit strange, and this week will be my first official full week without a steady job.
It's exciting (and a little scary) but I just know this is the right decision for our family and I am so thankful that we are in a position to do this. Plus, I can get back to writing here and documenting our life, if not just for myself, for my family and friends as well!
I definitely feel that our little boy hasn't gotten the blog attention that I dedicated to Scarlett over her time in utero but I'm going to write a couple of posts on it now and then definitely keep up on it when he arrives. Having a blog like this is like having a baby book and I love going back and reading about Scarlett and my pregnancy with her. I can't wait to do the same with him.
So stay tuned.. !
Last fall, work started getting pretty stressful and in addition to my part time hours, I started working at home as well during Scarlett's nap times and sometimes even in the evening. This contributed to the slow down of posting to the blog.
In November, I got pregnant (found out in December) plus the holiday season which seemed busier than previous years, probably because I had Scarlett to think about and plan for! I also started as a Tastefully Simple Consultant, so that took up some of my free time as well.
In the beginning of 2013, we had Scarlett's birthday party which was a blast, then in addition to working my part time job while at home, I also started a freelance project that also took more free time. Work was still pretty stressful so Alex and I started thinking about August (our due month) and how we were going to handle having two children with me working part time and if it would be worth it to look into me staying home.
Alex got a new job April 1st which has been a huge blessing. He is about 200x happier in this position and I really feel that he is now on a career path instead of just having a job. He has been loving it so far and I just know that will continue!
In May, we made the decision that I would stop working mid-June right before our vacations with our families. I put in three weeks notice after Memorial Day. My lovely coworkers threw me a surprise baby shower/best wishes party prior to my departure and it was all very bittersweet. Working at the same place for almost six years was such a great experience. I learned so very much and I'm thankful for all the great people I met there.
I went to OBX with my family a couple weeks ago and then met Alex and his family in Bethany Beach the following weekend for a few days there. I will write separate posts on those fun times with pictures! Returning last week and not going back to work on Thursday was a bit strange, and this week will be my first official full week without a steady job.
It's exciting (and a little scary) but I just know this is the right decision for our family and I am so thankful that we are in a position to do this. Plus, I can get back to writing here and documenting our life, if not just for myself, for my family and friends as well!
I definitely feel that our little boy hasn't gotten the blog attention that I dedicated to Scarlett over her time in utero but I'm going to write a couple of posts on it now and then definitely keep up on it when he arrives. Having a blog like this is like having a baby book and I love going back and reading about Scarlett and my pregnancy with her. I can't wait to do the same with him.
So stay tuned.. !
Thursday, February 7, 2013
This past weekend
This past weekend was pretty eventful. Friday during the day I went up to see my mom and sisters with Scarlett and also saw my grandmother. Later, I got my niece from my oldest sister and brought her back home with me for a sleepover. We had grilled cheese for dinner and watched The Smurfs :) Went to bed early bc we were tired and I slept most of the night hugging the edge.
Saturday, I had a Tastefully Simple party in the afternoon, so we all hung out in the morning, we watched one of the Narnia movies, Scarlett napped, I prepped for the party and soon enough it was time to go. I took my niece back to my sister and headed to the party. I learn more and more each time I do one of these and I think/hope that is making me better at it. My least favorite part is heating up the hot beverage and the soup.. neither of them really stayed hot for me or even warm really. I made new note cards though which helped immensely. It felt like we flew through the tasting part. I think next time I will engage people more, go around and introduce ourselves and if we've ever been to a TS party before, etc. Just to get people talking. A lot of people knew each other so that was good but I will remember this for next time. The party went well and I headed home around six. Hung out with Scarlett for a bit then put her to bed. Alex and I didn't do much after that, I enter orders plus we did our usual tv watching and also heading to bed early.. we're pretty early to bed these days with a 6am wake up call each morning.
Sunday, we had all day to relax until a Super Bowl party later on. We did our usual stuff. Alex has been re-seasoning some cast iron skillets for family members so he worked on that a little bit. I went to the grocery store for some supplies and made a yummy salad for this week's lunches. I posted the recipe here.. I got it from Pinterest and it's so easy and delicious! We headed to the super bowl party around four and had a great time as we usually do with our friends. It was so fun watching our girls play together.. or beside each other. And it's awesome to watch them all grow up. We went home at halftime and Scarlett went right to bed. Alex stayed up to watch the game and I headed to bed around nine thirty.
Overall a great weekend. I love the mix of relaxation and plans. I think our coming weekends will be more of the same and I'll do my best to take more pictures of these events! :)
Saturday, I had a Tastefully Simple party in the afternoon, so we all hung out in the morning, we watched one of the Narnia movies, Scarlett napped, I prepped for the party and soon enough it was time to go. I took my niece back to my sister and headed to the party. I learn more and more each time I do one of these and I think/hope that is making me better at it. My least favorite part is heating up the hot beverage and the soup.. neither of them really stayed hot for me or even warm really. I made new note cards though which helped immensely. It felt like we flew through the tasting part. I think next time I will engage people more, go around and introduce ourselves and if we've ever been to a TS party before, etc. Just to get people talking. A lot of people knew each other so that was good but I will remember this for next time. The party went well and I headed home around six. Hung out with Scarlett for a bit then put her to bed. Alex and I didn't do much after that, I enter orders plus we did our usual tv watching and also heading to bed early.. we're pretty early to bed these days with a 6am wake up call each morning.
Sunday, we had all day to relax until a Super Bowl party later on. We did our usual stuff. Alex has been re-seasoning some cast iron skillets for family members so he worked on that a little bit. I went to the grocery store for some supplies and made a yummy salad for this week's lunches. I posted the recipe here.. I got it from Pinterest and it's so easy and delicious! We headed to the super bowl party around four and had a great time as we usually do with our friends. It was so fun watching our girls play together.. or beside each other. And it's awesome to watch them all grow up. We went home at halftime and Scarlett went right to bed. Alex stayed up to watch the game and I headed to bed around nine thirty.
Overall a great weekend. I love the mix of relaxation and plans. I think our coming weekends will be more of the same and I'll do my best to take more pictures of these events! :)
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