The last 2 nights Judah has slept incredible. I dont want to jinx it, but it has been incredible! Like I mentioned he did the 12 hours the one night, and then last night he slept from 7:30pm-4:am. Its not 12 hours, but Ill take it!
I also came down with a cold yesterday so decided to go to bed at 9pm. After I fed him at 4am, I decided to pump before I went back to bed. If I had waited until 7:00-7:30ish when Eli got up, Id be more than uncomfortable! While I pumped I watched Judah on the baby monitor and I noticed that he was laying on his tummy. He was also stuck on his tummy. Generally he'll roll onto his side but this time I guess he just kept going onto his tummy. He's moving more and more while he sleeps. Its always interesting to see where he'll be in his crib when I get him up.
My last post I had mentioned I have started cloth diapering again with Judah. I knew I wanted to cloth diaper but waited until he wasn't pooping every 15 minutes! Serious. So now that he's only pooping every 2-3 days, cloth diapering is so much easier, and super cute! Even when he does poop I dont have to spray the diaper down, I can just toss it right into the washing machine and thats that! Once he starts solids it'll be a different story, but for the time being I just toss it into our wet bag and it waits until wash day! Im washing every 2 days, and I have enough diapers that I could go longer than that.
Right now Im using Happy Heinys, and Kawaii diapers. They are a one size pocket diaper. The Happy Heinys have velcro, and the Kawaii have snaps. I much prefer the velcro over the snaps, but I have an assortment of each.
Washing the diapers is super easy too! When I cloth diapered with Eli I used rockin' green detergent. A special cloth diaper detergent, but now I am using just plain old Tide. My girlfriend was telling me how she uses Tide, and after doing some research quite a few cloth diapering momma's do as well. I love the fact that it has a scent! The diapers come out smelling clean and fresh! I love cloth diapering!
On top of cloth diapering, we're also using cloth wipes. All Im using are those little baby cloths, fold them, place them into a wipes dispenser, and then use water, with some lavendar, and johnsons soap. It works great, and its just as easy as regular wipes because it all just gets tossed into the same bag!
I plan on taking some pictures of Judah in his cute little cloth diapers, including a grey one with skulls on it!!
For anyone looking into cloth diapering, if you have any questions please let me know, and Id love to answer!! Karlaandandy@hotmail.com
I'am Karla, he is Andy. We have been married since 2007, and along the way we have had 2 precious little boys. Our lives are crazy, but we wouldn't have it any other way. These are the writings of my journey as a stay at home mom, and along the way Ill show you some DIY projects that I love doing!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Flu Season & Sleep
I hate flu season!
Seems like we cant seem to get cold/germ free this year! Once one cold is gone, within a few days another one is back. Eli's nose started running a few days, and now he's back to coughing. When I went in to tuck him in lsat night before I went to bed, I checked his temperature since he felt warm, and he had a bit of a fever. But upon getting me up at 3:30am, his fever was gone.
Yesterday, Judah was fine, and now upon waking up this morning he has a very phlemy, wet cough. Maybe its because he's not feeling 100% but he slept from 7:30pm-7:00am, without getting up to eat! He has never done this. The longest he has ever done is 8 hours, and that was probably 2 months ago! I however, woke up multiple times ready to get up to feed him, or to look on the video monitor to make sure everything was okay! And then at 3:30am, Eli woke up because he was hungry (yes he's still not eating his dinners, and is going to bed hungry!) so I went and tucked him back into bed, gave him a cuddle and crawled back into bed myself.
I forgot what feeling exhausted and having to operate was like. Now especially with a toddler running around, I find it harder. With just one you can sleep when they sleep, but its not that easy anymore. Judah was a great sleeper at the beginning, and now the longest stretch he'll do is 5 hours. After that, he is awake every 3. There is no reason for a 16 pound baby to be eating that much at night. Last week I started watering his bottles down bit by bit. Adding up the ounces he's been eating more at night than during the day. I think thats one of our first issues we have to tackle! Increase the day time calories he's taking in. I am still exclusively pumping, and have no issues getting enough milk, so thats not a concern.
If I remember correctly, I think yesterday he did eat more than he usually does during the day, so maybe that has something to do with him sleeping so long last night! Dont get me wrong when it comes to the sleep, I dont have a problem getting up say around 3:30am to feed him. But I'm not the happiest mommy when he goes to bed at 7:30pm, has a dream feed around 10pmish, is up and wanting to eat between 12:30-1am, then again at 4am, and again at 7am! No need for that! We'll see what tonight brings, but I plan on continuing to water down one of his bottles in the middle of the night if its anything less than 5-6 hours since his last feeding.
This past weekend, Andy had the opportunity to work overtime, and he decided to take the offer. We're hoping he can stay home for 2 weeks over Christmas, instead of 1, so saving up extra money (at time and a half!) would be great... however it also means he needs to work over time and do extra side jobs. Its a lot of work for both of us, but come Christmas I know it'll be worth it!
Because, Andy was away most of the weekend I had to keep us relatively busy. On Saturday I asked Eli what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to go to the airport. He remembers when we went there for our trip to mexico when he was 1.5! He's been asking to go to the airport for months, obviously I keep telling him no. So, when he asked if he could go to the airport on Saturday I told him no, but when I talked to my mom she suggested we do head out there. And we did. We took a field trip to the airport to watch the trains go up and down, and go exploring! He loved it, and asked if we could go on Sunday when we got up. I dont think the airport will be a trip we're taking again anytime soon! But it was so awesome to hear him so happy to see the planes!
This week we're back into our routine with our weekly things to do. Bible study, moms group, Eli's preschool program, and Ive thrown one more into the mix. Im attending Alpha at church. Its a chance to learn more about the bible, and more about the Christian faith. Usually, its for new Christians, but Ive never taken Alpha before and though it might be a good chance to learn more, its free, and an evening out. Im looking forward to it! So all in all I think it'll be a busy week!
Ill try to update with some pictures this week, including some cute cloth diaper pictures of Judah!
Seems like we cant seem to get cold/germ free this year! Once one cold is gone, within a few days another one is back. Eli's nose started running a few days, and now he's back to coughing. When I went in to tuck him in lsat night before I went to bed, I checked his temperature since he felt warm, and he had a bit of a fever. But upon getting me up at 3:30am, his fever was gone.
Yesterday, Judah was fine, and now upon waking up this morning he has a very phlemy, wet cough. Maybe its because he's not feeling 100% but he slept from 7:30pm-7:00am, without getting up to eat! He has never done this. The longest he has ever done is 8 hours, and that was probably 2 months ago! I however, woke up multiple times ready to get up to feed him, or to look on the video monitor to make sure everything was okay! And then at 3:30am, Eli woke up because he was hungry (yes he's still not eating his dinners, and is going to bed hungry!) so I went and tucked him back into bed, gave him a cuddle and crawled back into bed myself.
I forgot what feeling exhausted and having to operate was like. Now especially with a toddler running around, I find it harder. With just one you can sleep when they sleep, but its not that easy anymore. Judah was a great sleeper at the beginning, and now the longest stretch he'll do is 5 hours. After that, he is awake every 3. There is no reason for a 16 pound baby to be eating that much at night. Last week I started watering his bottles down bit by bit. Adding up the ounces he's been eating more at night than during the day. I think thats one of our first issues we have to tackle! Increase the day time calories he's taking in. I am still exclusively pumping, and have no issues getting enough milk, so thats not a concern.
If I remember correctly, I think yesterday he did eat more than he usually does during the day, so maybe that has something to do with him sleeping so long last night! Dont get me wrong when it comes to the sleep, I dont have a problem getting up say around 3:30am to feed him. But I'm not the happiest mommy when he goes to bed at 7:30pm, has a dream feed around 10pmish, is up and wanting to eat between 12:30-1am, then again at 4am, and again at 7am! No need for that! We'll see what tonight brings, but I plan on continuing to water down one of his bottles in the middle of the night if its anything less than 5-6 hours since his last feeding.
This past weekend, Andy had the opportunity to work overtime, and he decided to take the offer. We're hoping he can stay home for 2 weeks over Christmas, instead of 1, so saving up extra money (at time and a half!) would be great... however it also means he needs to work over time and do extra side jobs. Its a lot of work for both of us, but come Christmas I know it'll be worth it!
Because, Andy was away most of the weekend I had to keep us relatively busy. On Saturday I asked Eli what he wanted to do, and he said he wanted to go to the airport. He remembers when we went there for our trip to mexico when he was 1.5! He's been asking to go to the airport for months, obviously I keep telling him no. So, when he asked if he could go to the airport on Saturday I told him no, but when I talked to my mom she suggested we do head out there. And we did. We took a field trip to the airport to watch the trains go up and down, and go exploring! He loved it, and asked if we could go on Sunday when we got up. I dont think the airport will be a trip we're taking again anytime soon! But it was so awesome to hear him so happy to see the planes!
This week we're back into our routine with our weekly things to do. Bible study, moms group, Eli's preschool program, and Ive thrown one more into the mix. Im attending Alpha at church. Its a chance to learn more about the bible, and more about the Christian faith. Usually, its for new Christians, but Ive never taken Alpha before and though it might be a good chance to learn more, its free, and an evening out. Im looking forward to it! So all in all I think it'll be a busy week!
Ill try to update with some pictures this week, including some cute cloth diaper pictures of Judah!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Sleep training, and budgeting
The last week or so has flown by. Judah has been done his antibiotics since Sunday and is obviously feeling better than before, however he still has this lingering chest congestion and a bit of a cough. This is frustrating for us, as we really dont want to put him back on antibiotics. So we'll wait things out and see what happens!
This week has been a somewhat of a quiet week because our county has fall break. This means all the schools are closed, and all extra curricular activities are also on hold. This means we've been left with a week with nothing to do. But, so far its been really good! My dad has come by twice and taken Eli out tobogganing and they both just love it!! 2 days in a row now (since the weather has been a bit more mild) they've gone out for 1.5 + hours!
My parents have moved into town, which is super nice having them so close. They've lived in the same house (that I grew up in!!) for 33 years!! They built it before they got married, and never lived anywhere else! Obviously this has been a huge adjustment, and even a bit sad for us girls that haven't lived at home for awhile. They have found a tenant to rent out the acreage, and so someone else will be moving in there. The house that they moved into they bought a few years back and rented, and then over the summer they did work in it, painted it, and are now living in it. On Sunday after church Eli asked if he could go over to Grandma and Papa's and so mom said he could come over for an hour and he ended up spending the whole day there! He loves being there by himself without Andy or I, and loves spending time with my parents and sister!
We stopped with the sleep training while Judah was on antibiotics. And Im finding the babywise method a bit difficult to do with him. One of the things that babywise gets you to do is get your baby to have a full feeding as soon as they wake up from their nap. Judah does not like to eat as soon as he wakes up. This is posing a bit of a problem. I sat down with my Dr.Ferber book (yes he talks about the CIO method) and re read some stuff up on it. Im going to start incorporating a few of his methods into our training and see what happens. Our issue is not going to sleep at bedtime, its waking up for night time feedings, and although he is only 4 months old Im not convinced a 16 pound baby needs to be waking up 2 or 3 times in the night to eat! At this point he is going most of the time only 4 hour stretches between feedings... and I dont believe he actually needs them.
Andy and I are back on our cash budget now. You know the show till debt do us part? Yup, we're on that budget! Theres an interactive worksheet online that we have filled out and have our spending money. We dont go as far as divying up into jars but we do have our cash and once its gone its gone! Its so awesome and exciting to see more money in our bank account from being on this budget for 2 weeks now than we have in awhile! Its such a good feeling! One of the things Im trying to do by saving money is meal planning, and also using our cloth diapers again! I knew I wanted to cloth diaper with Judah, but had to wait until his bowels were a bit more developed and he wasn't pooping with every diaper change! So now that he is only pooping every 2 days now (TMI??) we are back into cloths! Honestly, I love cloth diapering! They're so much fun to put on them, and I really dont mind washing and changing him. Because he is breastfed I dont even have to clean out the diapers when he poops I just toss them into the wash! So easy to wash, and I really only have to wash every 2 days or so. I could go longer if I wanted. Im also using cloth wipes as well, which makes sense with the cloth diapers. This is also very easy, and its so nice not to have so much garbage! Iam still putting him in disposable at night and when we go out, its just a bit easier!
This week has been a somewhat of a quiet week because our county has fall break. This means all the schools are closed, and all extra curricular activities are also on hold. This means we've been left with a week with nothing to do. But, so far its been really good! My dad has come by twice and taken Eli out tobogganing and they both just love it!! 2 days in a row now (since the weather has been a bit more mild) they've gone out for 1.5 + hours!
My parents have moved into town, which is super nice having them so close. They've lived in the same house (that I grew up in!!) for 33 years!! They built it before they got married, and never lived anywhere else! Obviously this has been a huge adjustment, and even a bit sad for us girls that haven't lived at home for awhile. They have found a tenant to rent out the acreage, and so someone else will be moving in there. The house that they moved into they bought a few years back and rented, and then over the summer they did work in it, painted it, and are now living in it. On Sunday after church Eli asked if he could go over to Grandma and Papa's and so mom said he could come over for an hour and he ended up spending the whole day there! He loves being there by himself without Andy or I, and loves spending time with my parents and sister!
We stopped with the sleep training while Judah was on antibiotics. And Im finding the babywise method a bit difficult to do with him. One of the things that babywise gets you to do is get your baby to have a full feeding as soon as they wake up from their nap. Judah does not like to eat as soon as he wakes up. This is posing a bit of a problem. I sat down with my Dr.Ferber book (yes he talks about the CIO method) and re read some stuff up on it. Im going to start incorporating a few of his methods into our training and see what happens. Our issue is not going to sleep at bedtime, its waking up for night time feedings, and although he is only 4 months old Im not convinced a 16 pound baby needs to be waking up 2 or 3 times in the night to eat! At this point he is going most of the time only 4 hour stretches between feedings... and I dont believe he actually needs them.
Andy and I are back on our cash budget now. You know the show till debt do us part? Yup, we're on that budget! Theres an interactive worksheet online that we have filled out and have our spending money. We dont go as far as divying up into jars but we do have our cash and once its gone its gone! Its so awesome and exciting to see more money in our bank account from being on this budget for 2 weeks now than we have in awhile! Its such a good feeling! One of the things Im trying to do by saving money is meal planning, and also using our cloth diapers again! I knew I wanted to cloth diaper with Judah, but had to wait until his bowels were a bit more developed and he wasn't pooping with every diaper change! So now that he is only pooping every 2 days now (TMI??) we are back into cloths! Honestly, I love cloth diapering! They're so much fun to put on them, and I really dont mind washing and changing him. Because he is breastfed I dont even have to clean out the diapers when he poops I just toss them into the wash! So easy to wash, and I really only have to wash every 2 days or so. I could go longer if I wanted. Im also using cloth wipes as well, which makes sense with the cloth diapers. This is also very easy, and its so nice not to have so much garbage! Iam still putting him in disposable at night and when we go out, its just a bit easier!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Bronchitis
On Friday afternoon I took Judah back to the doctor. The first time we went in and saw her she said if he hadn't gotten better in a week or he spiked a fever to come back immediately. He hadn't gotten any better but I didnt think he had gotten worse, so I decided to take him back. She listened to his chest and said he was worse and now the bronchitis was on both sides. She said it was time to put him on antibiotics. We decided to wait the weekend out and see what happened and if he hadnt improved by Sunday we'd get the prescription filled.
After a very long drive to church on Sunday morning with a screaming baby the whole way we decided we needed to get it filled. So now Judah has been on his antibiotics for 24 hours. His chest doesn't sound any better, as he's still quite wheezy and rattly, however that being said his appetite has picked right up. This is a great sign!
I've also started giving him a probiotic in hopes that the antibiotics wont strip his system. The course of antibiotics is for 7 days, and Im so ready for him to be better. I also had him weighed on Friday, 15 lbs 11 oz!
Keep you posted on how he continues to do!
After a very long drive to church on Sunday morning with a screaming baby the whole way we decided we needed to get it filled. So now Judah has been on his antibiotics for 24 hours. His chest doesn't sound any better, as he's still quite wheezy and rattly, however that being said his appetite has picked right up. This is a great sign!
I've also started giving him a probiotic in hopes that the antibiotics wont strip his system. The course of antibiotics is for 7 days, and Im so ready for him to be better. I also had him weighed on Friday, 15 lbs 11 oz!
Keep you posted on how he continues to do!
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