Jackson's 2nd Nursery

That's right we moved when Jackson was three months old. It was ridiculously hard to do with a three month old or maybe it's just Jackson?! I couldn't even trick him into hanging out in the baby B'jorn which he loves! This was also a time when he wanted to be held 24/7 but hey who wouldn't?! I would never advise moving with a newborn. But his new nursery turned out great!

Monthly pictures!

View from the door

View from the window. And ah ha the monitor is up!

Yes that is the fat man hanging out in the hallway

Our bookshelf is so crowded half of the books go with the toys in the living room, the night time books stay here. It's a great problem to have!

Typical Day 4-5 months

Baby has arrived, you created some kind of schedule when you were on maternity leave, and then ah ha it's back to work. Now what? It's easier for everyone involved if you are on a schedule that way everyone knows what to expect. Children crave schedules, shoot adults do too- don't you love conferences or meetings where they have a schedule so you can check everything off as you go? Everyone wants to know when lunch is! So does your baby! If you are sending your baby to daycare then you don't have to do this! One of the perks of daycare they put your baby on a schedule. But if you have a nanny you want to make sure she is doing the same thing you are doing or the days you are off will be a disaster! We are very lucky our nanny follows are schedule to a T. Here is what our schedule looks like for 4-5 months and it will probably stay the same until Jackson drops his last nap.

6:00-6:30 Wake up. 

6:15 or 6:30 Eat

Play: He still loves the jungle activity mat. After I eat breakfast we play on the blanket with all the toys. We usually read a few stories. At 7:30 I start getting ready so I will put him in the bouncy seat or on a mat in the bathroom with toys. If I'm taking too long to get ready I'll put him in the jumparoo. He also still really likes watching his mobile in the crib or kicking his crib piano.

8:00-8:30 Nap (I go to work Tues, Wed, Thurs): This usually lasts between 1-2 hours although yesterday it was 2 hours and 45 minutes

10:30 Eat

Play (Mondays and Fridays during this time we run errands)

12:00-12:30 Nap: This is usually always a 2 hour nap at least.

2:00-2:30 (I get home from work): Eat

Play: Jumperaroo time while mommy gets some paperwork done and a lot of snuggle time!

4:00-4:30 Nap (usually the nap that I will take Jackson on a run): This would be his cat nap- 45 minutes. He's still not quite ready to give this one up. 

Play: This is still our witching hour! It usually is just us walking around the house or listening to music. And chasing the kitties!

6:30 Eat

Play: While I make dinner and we eat, he plays in his high chair with the chewy toys

8:00 Eat, Bath, Bed time story, bed

Once we drop that last nap I would like to move all of the naps back- 9/10am and 1/2pm but we will see!

25 Weeks

25 Weeks

Weight:  17.10+ pounds

Sleep: GREAT! Sleeping until 6:15!! 

Clothes: Phasing out the six month clothes now :(

Visitors:  We visited baby Wyatt this weekend. Jackson was pretty indifferent about the baby. He did seem very concerned when Wyatt was crying. 

Out and About: Less out and about this week- we are exhausted from our busy schedules! It was so nice to have a somewhat relaxing weekend.

Baby Gear Love:  

Books! I read Jackson books all day long- he really enjoys turning the pages (backwards) and eating them. His favorite toy this week was a soft book. He would roll all over just to get it.

This isn't the exact book we have but it's the same author.

Crying:  If he sees his bottle, you put him in the crib (briefly), and he makes it known if he doesn't want to do something. He really rarely cries though! He is so good, we are very lucky! I do love that he isn't content all the time- Oh the laid me here ok. Nope he has an opinion! I don't want him to be too good because that just scares me.

Milestones:  
He is scratching, banging, hitting everything (not in a mean way he has no clue what he's doing)! Poor Sophie not only does she get eaten, Jackson loves waving her around and hitting things with her. More sitting! I don't think we can officially say he's sitting but so close!

More sounds! Not babbling yet but getting so close! He now says "wa" and "woo" and "awaba". He's doing a lot more silly sounds too.

Medical: GI on Thursday. Diaper rash is gone- maybe because we have been cloth diapering for one full week. I'm considering making wipes now.. I've gone mad! hahah no it would be easier to toss the wipes in the wet bag and wash than put them in the diaper genie. And every time I wipe with the "sensitive" wipes his tushy turns bright red. I just bought babyganics wipes so maybe that will help.

Postpartum: Same  

Surviving Colic

Ok so I first I wasn't going to finish this post (started at 8 weeks) because what do I really know? I am far from being an expert on this topic. Then I thought this might have helped if someone could look at all the different things people told me to try in one spot.

Was Jackson colicky? Yes, no, maybe... I contribute all of the fussiness to his allergy which could fall in the definition of colic. Seriously when he was dairy free for two weeks, it was like a switch was flipped- angel baby. I remember calling Jamie and saying he hasn't cried today! It was right at this time that I got a ton of awesome advice to help him which it turned out we didn't need it. Going through 8 weeks of fussiness is rough on everyone! No one wants to hear a baby cry and trust me we tried everything- feeding, burping, changing his diaper, etc. Here are some things that saved us!

1. White noise.
2. Rock n play
3. Baby K'tan
4. Swing
5. Exercise ball
6. Alcohol jk!
7. Stroller
8. Country music
9. Side ways, pacifer, SHHH

1. White noise: really helped soothe him to sleep wherever we would put him.
2. Rock N Play: I think I have written 1000000 posts about this.
3. Baby  K'tan: a way to carry your baby and get things done around the house! Jackson loved snuggling up in this thing.
4. Swing: The rocking motion and white noise would help him calm down and sleep.
5. Exercise ball: I remember every night about five bouncing on the ball with him and singing country music- it worked!
6. Alcohol: you may need a glass of wine after all the crying :)
7. Stroller: Go on walks! Jackson was never fussy on a walk
8. Country music: I still sing songs to him when he gets fussy and country music is the only one I know all the words too.
9. This worked 99% of the time- hold baby sideways across your belly (belly to belly), put pacifier in mouth (baby's mouth), bounce, sway, and gently say "shhh" near his ear. This is somewhat stolen from Happiest Baby on the Block but I never read the book so who knows.

Just remember just because your baby is fussy now (and NONE of your friends' babies are..ya right) it doesn't last forever. And now Jackson is such an angel baby it's hard to remember! In fact Jamie said today all I remember is Jackson sleeping on your chest all the time and how difficult breastfeeding was. Funny how the men forget?!

24 Weeks

Happy Valentine's Day!

24 Weeks

Weight:  17.10 pounds

Sleep: GREAT! TA DA! It's a miracle! He goes down at 8:30 and he will usually cry around 2,3, OR 4 but then he puts himself back to sleep. He's up at 5...I would love for this to be 6 but I'll take it. He is taking 3 naps all in the crib at least an hour long.

Clothes: 6-9 months

Visitors:  Last week he had his grandmother, grandfather, Lorraine, and Uncle Dustin in town for his baptism! This week it is Grandpa Holmes and Lisa plus his Uncle Loch and Auntie Teagan. What a little popular boy :)

Out and About: He went to his first race! He got to see mommy and daddy run their first half marathon together. He even had his Team Holmes onesie on.

Baby Gear Love:  

Sassy Letters: I have had these forever but now he is obsessed with them. They are great for chew toys, batting at them, hanging them from everything, and you can go over the letters/sounds of the alphabet.

Crying:  When he had his first cold, he was really fussy :( Really he only cries when he sees his bottle or if he gets bored and wants to be held.

Milestones:  
Sitting up by himself for brief periods 10-30 seconds!! Blowing more raspberries and making more sounds. Learning to jump with two feet in the jumperoo. Now he wants to stand and jump all the time. First full day of cloth diapering!

Medical: Ugh. First cold which was just so sad. Same issues as before. We see the GI in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed! 

Postpartum: 1 stinkin pound but I'm wearing all my old clothes! Ran my first race since Jackson! I was really under trained but we made it the whole way running! And it felt great. I think running with the jogger stroller must really equal twice the distance. Now I'm looking forward to some much needed toning.

Resolutions

Happy New Year! Ooops it's February. I was going to skip a bunch of posts- Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc but after making my pregnancy book, I realized how much I appreciated all the posts! I'll post my pregnancy book after I print it. It's awesome! I hope Jackson will appreciate it one day. If not I'm sure his wife will :)

1. Keep updating the blog so I can make Jackson's 1st year book
2. Loose all of my pregnancy weight (only 1 pound left) and loose 3 more pounds.
3. Make mommy friends. When I got pregnant I assumed most people didn't want to hang out with a pregnant lady- I can't drink wine or coffee or shop at normal stores.. and I go to bed at 8:30. So now I am ready to be social! My goal was to join My Gym. Check!
4. Make it to happy hour with my nonmommy friends. I didn't make it for FOUR months after I had Jackson but January I did and it was so much fun!
5. Learn how to cook fish. Start cooking/baking again. I have made fish twice and it went pretty well. I have been cooking a lot more. I hope to post some recipes soon.
6. Be a better wife. For the first 3 months of Jackson's life it was really hard- I was struggling to talk about anything other than Jackson and my patience for Jamie was zero. I felt really bad! Plus I wasn't cooking- not that he really minded. Actually he never said anything but I know it was a big change. In December I made a big effort to attend all the things Jamie wanted to go to even though that meant leaving Jackson behind. It was HARD but worth it. We need time to ourselves too.
7. Do something for myself besides work. I am trying to read more books that are fun. The problem is I get a glass of wine, start reading, and two pages in I'm asleep.
8. Quit comparing! This should be number one. When I was pregnant the comparisons were weight but I was pretty comfortable about how much I gained. And then you go to labor and delivery, etc. Things just didn't go how I planned. Everything was much harder than I imagined. Breastfeeding/Pumping, sleeping, Jackson crying 24/7 due to being hungry and allergic to dairy/soy.. I felt like I wasn't being the mom I pictured. I was comparing myself to everyone else and I just wasn't measuring up. I found two pieces of advice helpful 1. A happy mommy is a happy baby. 2. The comparisons start at pregnancy and continue their entire lives. Oh he is walking at 5 months, he made the varsity team, got into XYZ college. That is insane! When I read that I just stopped. I knew I was doing the best job possible and NO ONE  can tell me how to feel. NO ONE is in my shoes. So I know people are judging but I am completely happy with me, Jackson, Jamie. Honestly the second I stopped worrying about everyone else it got easier. Jackson is the happiest baby! I am now exactly how I pictured myself being as a mom. I love my life! Now of course I brag about Jackson because he is the cutest, happiest, smartest baby alive but I'm not comparing him to other babies.  Soap box :) I just had to share because I wish I would have known this before hand instead of 8 weeks in when I was about to loose my mind due to stress of not doing what was "right".

This year I am actually doing my resolutions who am I?! hahha

Cloth Diapers

Yep, I did it. I switched to cloth diapers. Say what?! Ok I have a few reasons 1. Jackson was wetting through his diapers at night (because he is sleeping through the night :) ) the thought of paying more money for night time diapers seemed stupid 2. He constantly has a diaper rash which is most likely due to food allergies but hey his skin is so sensitive it could be the diapers....let's eliminate one more possible allergy 3. I started calculating the cost of diapers and about fell out of my chair. We are struggling (as in they said NO) with our insurance covering prescription formula and it is $88 a can. I even researched "relactation" (which apparently is possible but tough and then who knows if I could eliminate enough foods for it to be helpful to Jackson or produce enough for entire day) my thought was if we could at least cut down on diaper costs that would help with formula. 4. It is GREAT for him! Which is originally why I wanted to cloth diaper but I was scared.

So I did my research. Ok not really. On a whim I bought one diaper to try at night. Which doesn't really work because then how do you clean one diaper? So then I did some research. Here is my advice:

1. Buy cloth diapers at least 6 but you will need a lot more if you stick with it. I got ours Here

2. Buy a wet bag this is to place the diapers in after they are used. Wet Bags

3. Buy a sprayer to hook up to your toilet and pay a plumber to install it and you may end up spending $$ on a broken pipe that floods your guest bedroom, leaves you without water, and causing your house to smell from the wet carpet during a party you are throwing. I'm not saying that happened to us... No actually they are easy to install our pipes are just old. Sprayer

4. Figure out how to wash them with your washer. I have a front loader which is not ideal for cloth diapers. I just googled and read a bunch of blogs and so far so good.

5. Buy soap. I'm still using baby ganics.

6. Buy a drying rack. I got mine from target.

Random things I have learned:

1. AIO means all in one diapers. This is great if you don't want to get dirty (you don't have to take the liners out to wash) but it makes the diapers really bulky. I am using these for night time diapers. I think these would be a good idea to leave with your nanny because then you don't have to worry about finding which diapers still have the inserts in them- I would never make our nanny do the dirty work! 

2. Pocket diapers have inserts or what I call liners. These you should remove before washing which is a little gross. I am still figuring out when we should use which liner- thick vs. thin.

3. Snaps vs. velcro- the snaps take a little getting used too but it's not that bad- I mean you snap their onesies all the time same thing. I just ordered some velcro ones to try out. Velcro ones are probably better for daddy who leaves half of his onesies unbuttoned... and always leaves Jackson's pants off. Getting Jackson in pants is like wrestling a bucking bronco, he kicks his feet as fast as he can... you can't catch me!

Realistically cloth diapering is "gross" -er than disposables but I don't mind it- I mean babies are gross anyways at this point to you even flinch when you see poo, spit up, snot? It does take a little more time but I've got a pretty good system going. They are so cute! And you feel great every time you put a little chemical free diaper on your little one's booty! 

Week One of part time cloth diapering: His diaper rash is almost nonexistent! I can't wait to see what full time cloth diapering will bring. I haven't gagged once :) The sprayer is actually pretty cool and easy to use. The laundry I didn't even think twice about. The drying time is nothing. Maybe it's because I have a front loader but it's a half day at the most. I have started putting them in the sun to help with drying and with the "wet" smell. We have terrible water in Florida that makes everything smell which does concern me long term.. but I have noticed the diapers smell a little like you left your towels in the washer too long. I had one little stain but it's gone- this is because I didn't prep the diapers correctly. 

Now I'm waiting on my big order. I need to teach Jamie and the nanny how to cloth diaper- obviously I'm not going to make them spray anything. And we need to try it when we are out and about. Pictures on him in them to come!