My favorite baby items

I did a "best buys" post after Stasa was born with things we loved then. Here's what I'm still loving and some new things I've discovered along the way.

Swing: We have two Graco swings, like this one, and keep one in our living room and one in the nursery. I try to have a safe place to put the baby on each level and the swing has always been a God-send for us. Each of our babies have loved the swing and have napped well in it.

Babyhawk Mei Tei carrier: I have three carriers, the ultimate baby wrap, which is similar to the Moby, a Baby Bjorn, and the Babyhawk. The Babyhawk is hands down my favorite carrier. It's super comfortable and distributes the baby's weight evenly on my shoulders and hips. I can wear the baby in this carrier for hours without feeling exhausted or in pain. The wrap is good for infants or lighter babies and I usually use that around the house. I use the Bjorn for quick trips in and out of a store. I prefer not to carry the baby in the Bjorn for long periods of time because my back will start to kill since all of the weight is put on my shoulders and upper back.

Bebe Au Lait hooter hider: I have two nursing covers, one I keep in the diaper bag and one I keep around the house when I'm on maternity leave and then move to my pump bag when I return to work. I like the Bebe Au Lait covers because the material is a thicker cotton yet light enough to use in the summer. And I really like the pattern choices.

Boppy nursing pillow: I know some people prefer the Breast Friend nursing pillow, but I've always loved the Boppy. I have two and like the swing I keep one downstairs and one upstairs. I use the Boppy primarily for nursing, but have also used it to prop the baby up after a feeding (while I'm sitting next to her/him), and to assist with sitting up when baby is first learning.

Muslin swaddle blankets: We have a plethora of baby blankets, but the Aden and Anais blankets are by far a favorite. They're HUGE and lightweight muslin so they're perfect for swaddling, especially in the warmer months. They're great to use as a clean place for baby to lay when we're out and about and as a stroller or car seat cover. I've also bought undyed natural muslin from the fabric store and use that as a swaddle blanket. That muslin is less stretchy than the a + a blankets so it's harder for baby to kick its way out of the swaddle.

Cloth diapers: These suckers have so many uses. I have a stack of Gerber brand cloth diapers and use them as burp cloths. They're so absorbent (as they should be - after all they're diapers!) and really help me protect my own clothes when I'm burping the baby. Stasa and Tommy have been the queen and king of spit up in our house, so we go through bibs like crazy. These diapers have helped catch a lot of the spit up. I bought our batch of diapers back when I had Stasa and they've gone through the wash multiple times over several years and have help up well.

Coconut oil: Thank God Anne told me about this stuff. I've replaced my beloved lanolin with it and have used it to heal cracked nipples, as a lube on my pump flanges, as a hand lotion, to help rid Tommy of cradle cap, as a hair mask for Lexi to help her dry scalp, and as a replacement for butter when cooking and baking. LOOOOOOVE this stuff.

Ultimate crib sheet: I still love this sheet more than any other crib sheet. It's a waterproof pad, mattress pad and sheet all in one. We have two of these and don't have a need for more. We keep a cute regular crib sheet on the mattress and then put the ultimate crib sheet over that. The snaps make it really easy to change, especially in the middle of the night and when the mattress is lowered.

Baby Connect app: I got this app before I had Lexi and love it. I use it for all three kids and track their stats and vaccinations and allergies. When Lexi was a baby and now with Tommy I've been using it to track diapers and feedings. Sooooooo much easier to be able to tell the doctor how often the baby's eating and how many diapers he's gone through in a day. I've also used it to track fevers and illnesses with the girls, which has been handy because I can accurately share that information with the nurse or doctor when they ask. I have it downloaded to both my phone and iPad and wish Tom and I were on the same iTunes account so he could have it on his phone and iPad, too.

Strollers: We've gone through six different strollers since Stasa was born. Go ahead, give me the side-eye. I know it sounds crazy and if I knew then what I know now we would have only ever bought two maybe three strollers. We started out with the Graco travel system stroller which was bulky and heavy and not great for outdoors. I traded that in and got a single Baby Trend jogger and loved it. We put many many miles on that sucker, but then realized we'd need a double stroller once Lexi was born. So I went out and tried multiple doubles and really really wanted the Phil and Teds double stroller, but Tom didn't want to pay the price for it so we ended up with a Baby Trend double jogger. It was HUGE and HEAVY and awkward and barely fit through our front door. Forget fitting it in the trunk of the car. Before Lexi was born we bought two other strollers: a Chicco umbrella stroller and a Snap n Go. When she was born we had four strollers. I listed both joggers on Craigslist in the hopes of selling those and using that money towards a new double. I was so happy to see both of those strollers go and even happier that I found a used Phil and Teds double stroller on Craigslist for only a couple of hundred dollars (much much less than what it costs new). Once I was pregnant with Tommy I bought the car seat adapter for the P&T so we could use it for him, too. We primarily use the P&T stroller when we go out, but kept the Snap n Go and Chicco umbrella stroller for when we take a singleton out with us.

Diaper Dude diaper bag: I registered for this diaper bag back when I was pregnant with Stasa and am so glad I did. It's not huge which means it's also never too heavy. I've never had a problem with being able to fit everything we need for a day out for all three kids (and that's with two in diapers). It's also something that Tom doesn't mind carrying and doesn't look girly at all. I usually fit about 10 diapers (5 for each kid), a change of clothes for Tommy and Lexi, a sippy cup for Lexi, container of wipes, diaper cream, pacifiers, changing pad, tylenol and allergy meds, breast pads, nursing cover, burp cloths, a light blanket, and bottles (when needed).

Milkies: I am so glad I discovered this product this time around. I've always had a strong letdown when nursing and would soak my breast pad on the non-nursing side at each feeding. It was such a waste of milk. With the Milkies I've been able to catch anywhere from an ounce or two of milk just from letdown at each feeding. I end up with about a bottle or a bottle and a half each day from letdown milk. It's so easy to use and was definitely worth the $20+.

2 Week Well Visit

We took Tommy in for his two week well visit this morning. We stripped him down to his diaper only to find that he needed to be changed and then he peed all over the place. Good thing there were two of us - we quickly cleaned up the mess and got him into a dry diaper and ready to get weighed. Here are his two week stats:
Weight: 8 lbs 2 oz (33rd percentile)
Height: 21.25" (73rd percentile)
Head: 14.25" (32nd percentile)

So he's back up to his birth weight, although I really thought he'd be a little heavier since he literally eats around the clock. He's been nursing about every hour and a half lately and then ups it to every hour from 4:00 to 9:00 pm and then gives me a good stretch of sleep and usually wakes up around midnight or 1:00 am. Sometimes he eats twice at that hour, but either way he sleeps until about 4:00 or 5:00 am and then gets up again around 6:30 am. Obviously a lot of nursing is going on which also means there's also a lot of pooping going on.

The past two weeks have flown by and I can't believe that Tom will be going back to work on Monday. I've been trying to let him sleep during the night since I have to be up to feed Tommy anyway. Plus that way he can run interference with the girls when they're home and I can relax with the baby. I'm planning on getting in to a routine with Tommy once we're on our own. Ideally I'd like to fit in a decent walk every day especially if the weather is nice. I think I might try to keep the girls home for one-on-one time every now and then, too. Tom and I kept Stasa home today and she's having a lot of fun just hanging out in the playroom and having all of the toys to herself. We'll be keeping Lexi home tomorrow and having some one-on-one time with her.



We've also been doing tummy time with Tommy to work on strengthening his muscles and head control. He doesn't seem to mind tummy time too much and sometimes gets bored and falls asleep in the middle of it. But he's been able to lift his head and turn it before he gets too annoyed. And he's able to really lift his head and move around when he's laying on one of us.

We've also been taking bets on what color his eyes will end up being. Tom goes back and forth on the color, but I think he might end up with blue eyes. We'll just have to see if they keep getting lighter or if they take a turn towards brown.

It's over

I worried that Lexi would be the kind of baby who walked into toddlerhood refusing to give up the boob. I mean, she really really really wanted to nurse at night before bed. I caved and let her and figured we'd end this ride when she was ready.

Apparently she was ready about a week ago. I sat down with her before bed and BAM she bit me. I did what I've done before, popped her off and told her "no!" I could tell by her body language that she wasn't interested in nursing that night, so I just snuggled her for a bit before putting her down for bed.

We danced that same dance again the next night, and the night after that, and once more the night after that. I finally got the sense to stop the nonsense. So now it's over. Just like that. And even though it's what I wanted - I mean my goal was to make it to a year, and I did - *I* still wasn't fully mentally and emotionally ready for the end. I'm still reluctant for my "baby" to grow up. She's an independent soul and is so headstrong (gee, I wonder where she gets that from?) and does what she wants to do when she wants to do it.

My nursing days with little Alexia Lee are over and it's bittersweet. I know in the weeks to come I'll be happy to have my body back and will love the freedom that comes with weaning, but right now I'm just a little sad.

It's coming to end

So my nursing relationship with Lexi is coming to a close. I hope to have her fully weaned by her birthday, mostly for my own selfish reasons. While I love the bonding time breast feeding has given us, I'm ready to have my body back and I most certainly won't miss the many many pumping sessions I had everyday: early early morning, throughout the day, and again before bed. I'm going to love the freedom I'll have and will be able to leave the house without having to worry about missing a feeding or pumping whe I'm out and about. I guess most of all I'll be happy to pack that pump up. Well, maybe two things because I also won't miss having to control Lexi when she decides it's time to perform acrobatic moves while nursing or chooses to beat me while I'm held captive.

What I will miss are the quiet minutes I have alone with Lexi each morning and night. Feeling her little hand reach up and pat my face. Being the one that always has a sure fire way to soothe and satiate her. And it's such a satisfying feeling to know that your body nourished this little thing for so long. Oh! And I'll also definitely miss the extra Weight Watchers points I get for breastfeeding. ::sigh:: That's going to be a tough one.

So while I'd like to have her fully weaned by her birthday (which is fast approaching), I think what I'll really do is wean her from daytime feedings and let her decide when to drop the early morning and bedtime feedings.

Perspective

Now that I'm officially done with breastfeeding and pumping, I decided to look back on the year. Those first 6 weeks were hell and there were definitely times I wanted to quit, especially after being stuck using a nipple shield and having a baby with "peanut butter tongue." In those days my breastfeeding goal was just to make it to the next feeding.

After Stasa and I got the hang of things (and weaned from the shield), I stretched my goal to 3 months with my "wouldn't it be great" goal of 1 year far in the future. I was lucky and only ended up with 1 mild case of mastitis, a handful of clogged ducts and 1 milk blister.

At first I was uncomfortable with nursing in public; I wouldn't even nurse in my own family's home unless I could be in a private room. I would duck into fitting rooms while shopping at the mall like a refugee. I finally lightened up and bought a Hooter Hider and ventured out for some public nursing sessions. The first time I sat in the mall with Stasa nursing under the cover, I thought how weird it was and worried that people were looking. I quickly got over that and became oblivious to the people around me. So what if they were looking? Looking at what? Becoming comfortable with nursing in public was so freeing. It meant being able to go wherever I wanted without having to pump first and pack a bunch of bottles.

I reached my 3 month goal upon my return to work and set my next goal for 6 months, still with my eye on that 1 year mark. Getting into the rhythm of pumping at work took some time; it was like starting all over again. I stiffened every time another mother walked into the Mother's Room while I was pumping. I bought another Hooter Hider to keep at the office so I could relax in the shared Mother's Room. I learned to schedule calendar appointments for my pumping sessions so people wouldn't try to meet with me when I needed to pump. After about a month of pumping in the Mother's Room, I became completely comfortable and stopped using the nursing cover.

Six months came and went and I set my eyes on my final goal: 1 year. I had a great schedule down; nurse in the morning, pump 3-4 times a day and then nurse 1-2 times in the evening. I even made it through continual growth spurts of her eating 40-42 oz of milk a day.

And then when Stasa was 11 months old, I woke up one morning and nursed her and then went about my day. I came back from running errands to nurse her after her nap and she flat out refused. And she kept refusing every couple of hours for a week, until I finally gave in to exclusively pumping.

The abrupt end to our nursing relationship was probably the most heartbreaking thing I've dealt with while being a parent. I felt rejected each time she pushed away from me and thought "she doesn't need me as much anymore." I knew I should be happy that my little girl was becoming more and more independent, but I still wanted to feel needed.

About a week later I realized what I missed most about not nursing was the one-on-one cuddle time I had with Stasa. I quickly remedied that by spending 10 minutes each night rocking with and singing to her.

I am more than happy to not be tied to my pump and rigid schedule anymore. I like the freedom that whole milk has given me. And I love my quiet time with Stasa each night.

And in case you were curious, in the past year I produced just about 80-100 GALLONS of breastmilk. Talk about being a cow.